REVIEWS on UK Amazon...

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Read Mixing Sci Fi with Fantasy, 26 May 2012
This review is from: Exiled: Autumn's Peril-Book One (The Chronicles of Caleath) (Kindle Edition)
A friend recommended this book to me and I sure am glad she did. I really enjoyed reading it. Years ago I read a lot of sci fi and fantasy, but haven't had access to as much recently. This book does an excellent job of combining both scientific and magical elements into one exciting story. I am really looking forward to losing myself in the rest of the series.

You shouldn't read this book if you like happy, light-hearted books that fill you only with warm fuzzy feelings. The book instead shows and accepts the darker side of the characters and their flaws and we see them clearly. Although the main character might not exactly be considered loveable, but I do find myself respecting and even liking him. It will be interesting to see how he develops as the series continues and to see what other characters end up making of him.

In my opinion, this is a very good book that has the potential to be a GREAT book if placed in the hands of a truly competent editor. Unfortunately those seem to be hard to come by and not just with smaller publishing houses. The issues needing attention are two-fold. The basic copy editing/proofreading is quite simply insufficient (I hope it is a matter of insufficiency and not pure incompetence). Beyond that, I think a skilled editor could have helped the author find a way to make the beginning less confusing and easier for a reader to get into. It can be a bit tricky initially to sort out the many characters and influences and the scientific and magical elements. Once you get past the start, any lingering confusions are quickly cleared up.


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5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than Book 1, 26 May 2012
By bexDK -
This review is from: Exiled: Winter's Curse-Book Two (The Chronicles of Caleath) (Kindle Edition)

This second book in the series is even better than the first. I was very sad for it to end, because I was not ready to leave Caleath's world.

The need for a better editor remains, but is less invasive in this volume. People less perturbed by (or should I say obsessed with?) misplaced commas and other similar issues may not even understand my complaint.

Despite this, I am confident the book deserves one of my rare five star reviews. Now I must get my hands on the next one...


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5.0 out of 5 stars It's worth putting everything else aside to read this book!, 30 May 2012
By bexDK -
This review is from: Exiled: The Legacy of Lathraine's Pledge-Book Three (The Chronicles of Caleath) (Kindle Edition)
Caleath's saga and my happiness as the reader continues in this excellent third volume. I was completely enthralled in Skinner's creative world and resented any intrusion from my real one. The disadvantage of reading in the daytime is the frequency of interruptions, which rarely intrude when I read in the night. But I was too impatient for the story to continue to wait for a time I could read in peace. The quality of the book proved my eagerness warranted. As I turned the last virtual page, I wished time allowed me to start the next volume immediately, but alas my husband required my presence at the dinner table. I plan to return to this fascinating fictive world before darkness falls tonight by starting the next volume.

This series is well worth putting other activities and books aside for the pleasure of reading it. I am sure I will be happily rereading these several times in the future.

Luckily they fit on the cell phone ereader so I can conveniently retreat to them at any boring moment! But I do wish I had paper copies as well. There is something about a real book that an ebook just can't match or beat.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding tale from a series that just keeps getting better!, 30 May 2012
By bexDK -
This review is from: Exiled: The Battle for Enderseer Hold-Book Four (The Chronicles of Caleath) (Kindle Edition)
The reader is held as spellbound as the witch's victims while Caleath is pressed even further beyond his limits in this exciting volume. His continued efforts to make amends and protect innocent make him almost loveable, at least sympathetic, despite the tragedies he is forced to cause and threaten.

My retreat into his world is as fascinating and wonderful as his life is painful and terrible. Skinner is definitely a skilled and competent writer, seamlessly weaving science and magic into one enthralling tale.

Many longer series deteriorate in quality as they continue. But Skinner's series shows no signs of decay. If anything, it improves as it proceeds. The plot continues to offer unexpected twists and turns as new challenges and interesting, well-developed characters enter and exit the story.