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Review of Don’t Marry the Cursed

Don’t Marry The Cursed is a sequel to Don’t Date the Haunted, a wonderful series by C. Rae D’Arc. In the Haunted Romance series, the world is divided into regions of literary genres and subgenres. Lands exist for Horror, Fantasy, Romance (both contemporary and regency), Mystery, etc. Cursed is primarily set in Fantasy. This review will contain spoilers for the first book.

After Pansy Finster and Lord Theodor (Theo) Fromm start dating, Theo’s brother’s ring appears on his finger. This strange event indicates that his older brother, the next in line to become the Duke of Margen, is dead and Theo The Trusted must ascend to the title. Friends and family think Theo unworthy of the family name because his ability to see people’s auras seems useless.

The ring’s presence disrupts Theo’s plan to settle quietly somewhere in Novel. Instead, he and Pansy head off to Fantasy to embark on a grand adventure of creatures, spells, and dark rituals. Told from both of their points of view, the reader is introduced to the world (Pansy’s POV) and drawn deep into its traditions (Theo’s POV) as the narrative progresses. In the first book, we met Pansy’s friends in her college dorm. In this one, we meet Theo’s family and friends—with a surprise from the past—as the events unfold. For a fantasy novel, the author packs a lot in a short number of pages.

While this book resembles a portal fantasy in many ways, the novel subverts some of the traditions of that subgenre. Pansy, a resident of Horror, is aware of Fantasy from the beginning. No one needs to convince her of magic or the supernatural. She regards fantasy creatures as monsters because of her birthplace, and she uses her survival skills from Horror effectively to fight in Fantasy. The novel progresses in the usual way for speculative fiction but with self-aware characters.

Multiple points-of-view is hard to pull off, but the author does an excellent job. The reader switches between Pansy and Theo, and each character’s voice is distinct and personable. Even when it happens within a chapter, the switch is easily identified and doesn’t disrupt the flow in action. The multiple POV was new to the middle book of the trilogy and a welcome addition.

For high fantasy enthusiasts, Don’t Marry the Cursed delivers as well. Different lands, titles and lineage, political and family squabbles, and unique settings are all part of the package. Some portal fantasies lean toward urban fantasies—not so here. Given the first book was a superb urban fantasy, this succeeds in its cousin genre, the high fantasy.

Though the reader starts in Romance and a bit of Sci-Fi is discussed, the majority of this tale takes place in the Fantasy corner of Novel. Book One’s setting was Romance but had many horror elements with nods across the regions. With such a premise, Don’t Marry the Cursed is surprisingly narrow-focused on fantasy though it references customs and characters outside. When it does reach outside its border, even as a reference, the book really shines.

Author D’Arc introduces a suite of new characters who will likely continue in the future. Many sentences could portend a future plot, sub-plot, or (possibly?) a branching series. The writing here is top-notch. Not only is it well-structured and easy to read, it’s fun. A four-word sentence with two words with over twenty characters wins as my favorite sentence of the year. The story is filled with witty remarks. Sure to delight is one involving Pansy and her friend Heather explaining post-marriage life with dolls. The author sprinkles similar little gems across the novel.

Don’t Marry the Cursed continues the tradition of excellent offerings in this series. Both as a standalone and as a sequel, it succeeds, driving the narrative of Pansy and Theo forward in a playful and exciting way. Getting in the spirit of the titles, this reviewer’s advice is “Don’t Pass Up This Series.”

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091F5Q2J4

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Review of The Raventree Society Season Two

The second books in trilogies must serve the function of advancing the story without the benefit of starting or finishing it. The Raventree Society Season Two bears this burden. Season 1 introduced the winning idea of a five-story novel of faux ghost hunters looking for a lost member of their crew while encountering vengeful ghosts. Raventree Season Two moves the story in a slightly different direction. The formula that author J. E. Purrazzi created in the first book returns only for two of the tales. While this novel could be in danger of repetitiveness, the pattern works because of its creative plots and stylish technique. Purrazzi proves more ways exist to tell a ghost story than what she detailed in book 1. Book 2 spins five more unique ghost encounters.

Each story serves the purpose of pushing the overall narrative forward. The first sets up the trap for our main character, Kyle. A daring rescue in a graveyard makes up the tension in the opening segment, and the exciting prose brings the creep factor. The second turns the ghost story on its head, and its spider-laden theme reminds me of the scariest Japanese-inspired horror movies. We detour back into Kyle’s work life to experience two stories similar to the first book. While segments three and four continue to define our characters, they don’t advance the plot as much as the first two. Story four, based on a real location, slightly edges out story three. In the final offering, we get less of a spooky tale—we know how it will end—and more of an answer to our questions. This final “chapter” leaves the reader invested in the fate of our characters and a sense of closure now knowing the stakes for Kyle’s life.

Some of our favorite characters from book 1 are left with little to do, but we are compensated by meeting a few new characters. We also get a deeper dive into Rory and Josh. Some elements of book 1 (“The Cleo”) are clarified in book 2—a nice payoff. Also, in the last segment, a certain secret about Kyle is revealed, which explains the motivations behind many of his friends and family.

Settings are key in these stories. We have a graveyard but also a place the reader should feel safe (in story 2) in the middle of the day. The third story also presents an interesting twist for setting that evokes dread from more than the ghosts.

Raventree Season 2 is a gripping read, never slowing down for a moment. In this way it mirrors the first book of the trilogy. Other than a few technical issues, the book shines at the beginning and the end with a solid middle. If you want to enjoy a good ghost story, look no further.

URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZNDXJBY

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Review of Toga

One of the most unique titles for a book in a superhero series has to be Toga. By its name alone, a reader may assume this work is historical non-fiction, historical fiction, or possibly a fantasy about Roman gods ala Rick Riordan. The last guess is partially correct as it’s a superhero action novel where our main characters travel to a fantasy world and are assumed to be gods.

Book five of the Arca series involves all three of our heroes—Zita, Wyn, and Andy—on nearly all the pages. When a superhero spell goes awry, our three champions plus one wounded villain end up in a fantasy world as if concocted by Greco-Roman philosophers. They encounter a variety of mythological beings in their quest to return home. And I do mean “quest” because they embark on many of them throughout the narrative.

As it is quick to point out in multiple places, Toga isn’t interested in being historically accurate though it’s self-aware enough to refer to their clothes as chitons. The book would rather explore popular myths, introduce oddball supporting characters, stage exciting action sequences, and further the relationships between its central trio. Zita’s (Arca’s) conflicts, being the primary character, are the most interesting. Always proud of her athleticism, the book posits the question of what else she can do, and places her in a situation where that theory becomes her reality. Wyn also has demons (figurative, not literal) she must overcome, and Andy has a secret which he never has a chance to reveal, but I know where to place my money.

Author Karen Diem has taken her superheroes to different fascinating locations across the series. This one tops them all. She’s also kept a narrative thread moving forward and this tradition continues in the group of supervillains they meet, a powerful inventory item on said adversaries, and the relationships described at the beginning and the end. The author has produced short stories, also referenced in the novels and vice-versa. So reading her novels is like putting together a crossword puzzle because they’re a pastiche of a new idea, and references to her short fiction and prior novels. While sometimes it’s hard to remember details, Toga succeeds because it separates the characters from the rest of the world. If anyone were to step in the middle of the series and read one of the Arca books, I’d recommend Toga.

Does it work on its own? Toga knows how to set the stakes and the way the plot limits Zita every time she uses her powers was particularly clever. The creative quests, interesting subplots, and usual playing-against-trope characters make for a creative read. Certainly one of the highlights is the team is together through this novel. Always stronger when on the same page, the novel works well when its central trio are playing off each other. Only a few passages have one of the characters sidelined.

The setup, the world, the humor, and the action all make Toga one of the bright spots in Diem’s series. It also opens her Arca world to many possibilities for I’m sure the Greco-Roman world will be revisited in the future. Fun and fast, pick up Toga for a super read.

Now, let the Party (Arca #6) begin.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0859JWC6L

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The Switcheroo

Many books, movies, and even songs have twist endings, but a few have the unique ability to be almost a completely different experience upon going through it a second time through. In the publication of my short story “Evicted” in June 2021, I tried to write a story which is different the second time you read it. This is what I call a “switcheroo.”

There’s a subtle difference between a tale with a twist at the end and a tale worth reading or watching a second time. The Twilight Zone, a well-known series, was known for its twists in such episodes as “To Serve Man” or “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.” In the lesser-known episode  named “Spur of the Moment,” a young woman is frightened to death by an older woman who screeches at her and chases her on horseback. This episode too has a twist if you can remember it. When you finish the episode, it begs for a repeat viewing.

Not everyone loves switcheroos. The late, great Roger Ebert said “A lot of recent films seem unsatisfied unless they can add final scenes that redefine the reality of everything that has gone before; call it the Kaizer Soze syndrome.” (Referring to The Usual Suspects, on this list). His definition is as good as any, but I disagree with him in spirit. If a writer or director can do this well, it makes for an entertaining reading or viewing experience.

If you liked the idea of watching or reading a different version the second time around, here’s a list of movies and books that do just that.

  1. The Other, a novel by Thomas Tryon. A horror novel about identical twin boys, on the cusp of their teen years. The boys are completely different in temperament. One of them turns their farm home upside down. Hailed in its day next to Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, The Other has faded from most of the collective’s consciousness (e.g. I had to search on “The Other Tryon” to get it to show in Amazon), yet it remains a solid switcheroo.
  2. The Sixth Sense, a film directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan – No list of switcheroos would be complete without M. Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece. If you haven’t seen it, then watch it immediately. If you have, then you know how good it is. Shyamalan’s other movies contain switcheroos as well, notably The Village.
  3. Memento, a film by Christopher Nolan – Most people moan how movies “aren’t made the way they used to be.” I suspect people will be complaining about this in the future about Christopher Nolan’s films. We’re fortunate to have such a visionary director in our age. This film, an early example of his skill and one of his best, is engrossing to watch. A movie that moves backward through its events through a clever use of a memory lapse until the viewer arrives at the end of the film. When you reach the “beginning at the end,” you understand just what you were watching for two hours.
  4. Magpie Murders, a novel by Anthony Horrowitz – Check out Andrew Horriwitz’s fantastic murder mystery with two plots happening simultaneously. A fascinating piece of razzle-dazzle which has a cozy mystery unfold at the same time as a contemporary mystery in the real world of the author. This novel is brilliantly staged. Inspired from Agatha Christie’s novels, Horowitz proves he can channel just about any mystery writer (having done Doyle and Fleming previously).
  5. Crooked House, a novel by Agatha Christie – Who can choose among Christie’s books? Most are straight-forward mysteries with a reveal at the end that is surprising but may not want to get you to read it again (e.g. The ABC Murders). There are others that may entice you for a second read. Among her most famous are And Then There Were None. Murder on the Orient Express, and Crookied House. I chose Crooked House as it’s the least known of the three, but when you get to the end and you say “what just happened?” you know you’ve just read a great switcheroo.
  6. The Usual Suspects, a film by Bryan Singer – Often people think these plots are only for fantasy, science fiction, or horror. Mystery is also fertile ground for switcheroos. The movie revolves around the mysterious figure of Kaiser Soze. The Usual Suspects has such an interesting reveal at the end that I dare you not to rewatch certain parts over. You may not like Kevin Spacey’s personal life, but he delivers one of his finest performances in this film.
  7. The Prestige, a film by Christopher Nolan. Another Nolan. In my mind, this is two different experiences the second time around. The movie splits its time between two magicians—both with secrets—that when revealed at the end, make you look at the same scene in a totally different light. The conversations and what they really mean are wildly different the second time through even though it’s exactly the same dialogue. This is my favorite personal switcheroo and cemented me as a Nolan fan for the rest of his career.

Runners-Up: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, The Village (Shylamalan again), Inception (Nolan again), Vertigo (Hitchcock’s switcheroo), TV’s The Prisoner, and Shutter Island.

Everything Else

Review of When Your Beauty IS the Beast

When Your Beauty IS the Beast is an anthology by Ye Olde Dragon Books and the first in their fairytale series. Instead of “give us retellings of Beauty and the Beast,” the editors have cleverly asked for stories where the beauty is the beast. How to interpret that directive—looks, personality, actual beast—was left to the author’s imagination. As such, the reader is treated to eleven varying tales on a theme.

The stories are not all fairytales either. Many were fantasy but some entries were thriller, science-fiction, and LitRPG/Game lit. While Beauty and the Beast is the guiding star, the stories didn’t necessarily have to reflect its plot. Stories where a prominent female character inhabited the role of “beast” is the only common thread woven through this tapestry of tales.

When I read an anthology, I judge based on both the quality of the stories and how it matches its theme. I may come across a superb mystery, but will be disappointed if it appears in an anthology that is hawking itself as all romance. So while I give more weight to the story itself, following the marketing of the book makes a difference.

Of the stories here, I’m happy to say that most nailed the theme. While a few strayed, a majority kept true to a theme of a “beastly beauty.” Some are retellings with a flip of genders, some don’t resemble the fairytale at all but have a savage female as its main character, and there’s even a couple of entries where the characters from Beauty of the Beast appear, but they’re not the main characters.

All the stories were well-written and creative. Most I would rate very good for an anthology—a great start to this fairytale series. The book starts on the right note with “After Happily Ever.” In this offering, marriage counselor Poly has clients such as Beauty and the Beast. Humorous, sweet, and breaking with the romantic tradition of B&B, the anthology is off to a good start.

As evidence of the variety of the novel, “The Beasts of Blackwell” takes a more high fantasy approach than the original fairytale. The “Shadow Of Cinchona Grove” creatively removes the original from its European origins into a South American setting. And both “Skin Deep” and “Daughter of the Beastly Beauty” are the results when authors think outside the box.

Beauty and the Beast in space? Not quite the same story, but the science-fiction offering of “Hen House” builds a world in a few short pages. Poignant and humorous, it’s a treat in the middle of the other tales.

“Gaston and the Beast” extends the Beauty and the Beast story. I’m a sucker for fairy tale continuations so this one caught my interest. What happened if Gaston lived at the end of that tale as old as time? This story answers that question.

“Curse of the Roses” is a delightful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I was impressed with the way it unfolded and will remember the setting and characters for a long time afterward.

Finally, “Between Dog and Wolf” is something special. I was blown away with how this story took me by surprise. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, it went in a different direction. Very well-researched, gripping, and thought-provoking, this story is one to treasure.

The other stories are equally good and entertaining. I encourage you, whether Beauty and the Beast is your favorite fairytale or not, to give this a read. If you like variety, creativity, and a set of stories Belle would admire, try this anthology out.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091QDB5PW

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Review of Don’t Date the Haunted

Every horror reader knows the basics: “Don’t go into the basement (or attic)”, “Don’t stare at your reflection in the lake for too long”, “Don’t play some creepy old game you found in a trunk (unless it’s Jumanji),” etc. Pansy Finster lives her life by these rules, and they have served her well as she resides on a continent called Horror. In Horror, approximately every six months, the residents encounter a Haunting. A Haunting is any horrifying, supernatural occurrence from werewolves to ghosts to murderous dolls. Pansy’s brother has written the book on how to survive in Horror, and Pansy knows the text by heart. As such, she’s a survivor.

But Pansy has experienced too many Hauntings in her young life and lost her fiancé to a Haunting. When she has the opportunity to move to another continent, she takes it. Pansy becomes a transfer student to the continent of Romance, where love is always en vogue. Now she must adopt new ways. Talking to handsome strangers is encouraged, dressing in heels is normal because nobody runs in fright, and people wear masks to dances but not to slaughter each other.

Don’t Date the Haunted by C. Rae D’Arc is a dark comedy big on both the laughs and thrills. The author uses the fish out of water theme of Pansy in Romance-land to her advantage for the early part of the novel. Several passages will evoke a chortle if not a belly laugh. The comedy builds out of the setup, but the characterization contributes to much of the humor. Enjoyable characters in a unique setting drives the novel forward to its conclusion. But make no mistake—this book isn’t a one-trick pony. It takes an interesting turn midway through that builds to a creative climatic scene.

I was impressed with the world-building in this novel. More than two continents, Horror and Romance, belong to the world of Novel. Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and others exist here too. I love the concept that the different continents represent literary genres. The world-building is such a unique concept that when I read the blurb for this book, I knew I had to buy it. The description of Pansy’s airport layover in Mystery in order to get to Romance had me in stitches.

Often light-hearted but also with surprising depth, Don’t Date the Haunted lives up to its promise of a dark comedy. The humor is earned, the darkness is delicious, and the payoff is legitimate. Clearly, no one should date the haunted, but everyone ought to read about those who do.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HSWYRMN

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Review of The Wish Granter

C. J. Redwine’s The Wish Granter is the second novel in her Ravenspire series in which a popular fairy tale is reimagined into a more realistic (yet still fantasy) setting with serious consequences for the main characters. In this novel, she highlights the town of Sundraille where the royal family has recently died. The king’s bastard son, Thad Glavan, is next in line for the crown and becomes the king. Meanwhile Ari, Thad’s rebellious sister and best friend, struggles to learn how to become a princess.

Ari doesn’t realize exactly what Thad has gotten himself into until she encounters a strange and dangerous man who comes to visit her brother. Alistair Teague is the mastermind behind the criminal activity in Sundraille’s main town. Teague also happens to be the Wish Granter, an evil faerie banished from his home country for some mysterious reason. When he grants a wish, he collects a soul after a period of elapsed time. It’s up to Ari and a weapons master named Sebastian to figure out a way to defeat the Wish Granter.

If it sounds like I’ve given away most of the plot, don’t worry. The Wish Granter has a lot more story to unspool, and it twists and turns with real suspense and adventure. This is a long novel, yet much like the first novel in the series The Shadow Queen, it draws the reader in deeper and deeper until the final hundred pagers fly by. It’s a testament to the strength of the characters, the intricacies of the plot, and the vile adversary (Teague) that the book is so engrossing.

Ari is not your typical heroine. She likes to eat and cook, yet her mind is shrewd and she never backs down. Calculating and endearing, she learns the cost of risking a powerful villain’s ire. Sebastian is really one word at the beginning—stoic. In a sense, he’s the one with the largest character arc, and he makes for a dashing secondary character.

The book revels in the feeling of hopelessness it gives the reader as the inexperienced Ari and the street-smart Sebastian plot against the ancient Alistair. Success seems further away the closer they get, building both the suspense and the fun.

After praising The Shadow Queen, I bought The Wish Granter without hesitation. It sat on my shelf for a while for a number of reasons. One of them was I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the thrills of the first book. I’m excited to report it’s a worthy second story to the Ravenspire series. An entry unlike the first but full of surprises and exciting sequences of its own.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G1FFHF0

Also in this series: The Shadow Queen .

Everything Else

Review of Bingeworthy

Havok’s third anthology is based on themes that have been proven to make the world binge read story after story. With themes like “Strange New World” and “Super Duper,” numerous authors have constructed forty-six tales of one thousand words or less. A majority of the entries fall into the genres of science fiction or fantasy.

My son and I read these together, and we discussed a score, from one to ten, for each after we finished. We often had the same rating but we differed on a few. The range of tales satisfied both his need for more action-oriented stories and my preference for more introspective plots. Nonetheless, we often arrived at one score for most, but not all, of the offerings.

The quality of writing is high for this book, but the themes are hidden. I had to look them up on the website in order to understand the categories. I appreciated the prior collection because they sectioned the book into the six themes so I had a sense of what I was about to read. This is missing in Bingeworthy, and I hope Havok brings this back in the future.

We had a long list of high scoring entries. We liked the action and the premise of “Seven Canisters of Dark” (Tracey Dyck). I was struck with the creativity of “Tower of 1000 Doors” (J. L. Ender) and enjoyed its playful ending. The poignant “The Light Smuggler” (Zachary Holbrook) will be remembered for quite some time. The setting of “The Last Gateway” (Cassandra Hamm) made that story a winner. We both enjoyed the pulse-pounding narrative of “What Comes Next” (Andrew Winch) as well as its not-so-tidy ending. Whoever said great fairy tales were all written in the past never read “Flowers” (Hannah Robinson). And “Raiders of Magic” (Krysta Tawlks) is a skillful demonstration in speculative fiction. Finally, “Unexpected Encounters of a Draconic Kind” (Beka Gremikova) exemplified the best of how fantasy connects to the human condition. 

At the very top of the scale, my son loved the hijinx of both “Why God Made Beer” (A. C. Williams) and “Santa’s Little Foes” (Michael Erasmus). It takes a lot to make my teenager smile, but both stories achieved that very reaction. “The Incendiary” (Abigail Falanga) had a clever premise, and we didn’t see the end coming. Finally, we were both moved by “A Healing Touch” (R. F. Gammon)—very insightful fiction in so few words.

I made my son choose his favorite. His favorite story was “The Fountain” by Teddi Deppner. He said he liked how it made him both think and feel. For me, I chose “Flew” (Pamela Love) which felt like poetry in prose form. Both entries packed a lot of emotion into flash fiction. 

Bingeworthy is a great collection with a wide variety of tales. This father and son team look forward to the next anthology by Havok. I’m sure it will be Sense-sational.

Full disclosure: I am an author and have been published in Havok, however, I did not submit during the Bingeworthy run.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HHP1HCP

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Deliver Us – Delivered

Today is the launch of my fourth book and third novel-length book, Deliver Us. You can order it here

I have two pages of acknowledgements and all contributed greatly to this work of fiction. I remember coming up with the idea while writing my first novel. And I also remember wanting to return to it during the heavy editing periods of second novel, never sure if the day would ever come when I would get the chance to publish it. I remember talking to Dan Johnson, my illustrator extraordinaire, all about it in Starbucks and the phone conversations of what the cover would look like. November 2020 was real fun trying to get it into my editor’s hands when I was juggling publishing my first short story for Havok, an awesome online magazine. And, of course, I remember the hours I spent on Amazon trying to get the details right.

And now it’s yours. I’m pleased and proud to present it to you to review and purchase. I’ve been using the tag line: 5 fairytale queens, 4 exotic locales, 3 evil witches, 2 naive narrators, and 1 epic quest, and the countdown theme is appropriate today. Today is day 0, the day Deliver Us became a book. I know you have other choices and I recognize a lot of good books, movies, and games compete for your time, but Deliver Us is well worth your while checking out.

Everything Else

Review of Fiona

Fiona, an American tale of growing up on a farm in the mid 1800s, is a charming example of historical fiction. Set on a farm, Fiona’s family have a sports team number of children with Fiona being the eldest. After five more girls comes the boys and then disaster—the death of the mother of this brood.

As Fiona is in her mid-teens at the time, she ends up assuming the role of mother. From there, the plot evolves into the children growing up and making their way in the world. From chores to dances, and occupations to translocations, the family’s life weaves in and out of various events all told through the eyes of the mature Fiona.

Fiona herself is a likeable character. At first, she comes across more pious than most until the reader gets to know she struggles with her kindness toward others who mistreat her. She’s especially a sympathetic character when describing her impressions on the people she meets and the trials she endures.

Her brothers and sisters are painted in lighter brushstrokes except one younger sister. They represent different categories of people—aspiring, coy, delicate—and are often grouped together. As with most period literature of this nature, the novel details how they make their way in the world through either the benefit of others or on their own. It’s engaging to read how each of them turns out.

Though it has adult themes and is written for adults, Fiona brought me back to the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder in many ways. With regards to language, it captures that period of Emma and Pride and Prejudice well. Don’t expect modern language in a stylized narrative or a period style with a modern influence. The author mirrors books written long ago with all its advantages and foibles, and the novel is stronger for it.

Romantic and dramatic, Fiona transports its readers back to a simpler and more idyllic, though still challenging, time. Those who seek a more pastoral story set in the nineteenth century of America are encouraged to give it a read.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419641069