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Review of The Blood Spell

Cover of The Blood Spell

Blue de la Cour is a simple farmgirl and alchemist who helps her father in his alchemy shop. She has plans to help the homeless of her native land of Balavata and to expose a number of injustices in her native homeland. Yet, she must be careful. Blue has magic in her veins and a wraith who brought ruin and despair to Balavata sixteen years ago has caused the kingdom to outlaw magic. And it might be hard to hide it because Blue’s best friend is the princess.

The set of four Ravenspire novels by C. J. Redwine follow a similar theme—retell a traditional fairy tale as a high fantasy / adventure novel. The author has pulled this off spectacularly with The Shadow Witch, The Wish Granter, and The Traitor Prince, the first three books in the series. With The Blood Spell, Redwine tackles the most oft-retold tale of them all—Cinderella.

Don’t expect to see any transformed pumpkins or invitations to the ball in the first hundred pages of this book. Instead, you’ll find a prince who’s having troubles adjusting to the logistics of government, a girl who knows which plants to harvest by sensing it through her blood, a missing girl who one of the characters is desperately worried about, and a wraith who wails from her prison, screaming to be free.

The reader will get the Cinderella beats later, and when they come, they don’t disappoint. Yet, this novel is more interested in telling a fascinating tale of legacy and forbidden love. Similar to Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, Blue is not only an abused girl who wishes to go to the ball to meet the prince. She is a self-determined teenager with a huge heart and a greater sense of purpose. The climax has little to do with balls and missing slippers—though both are present—and more to do with the fate of the royal family and a kingdom.

While The Blood Spell isn’t especially gritty and dark, it has a few gruesome passages and nasty villains—staples in Redwine’s work in Ravenspire. The evil stepmother in this tale takes the prize for being the most evil of at least three Cinderella retellings that come to mind. This isn’t the world of talking mice, but a more mature and politically motivated world.

The Blood Spell does its sibling novels in the series proud with the same level of tension and excitement. References to the other books are sprinkled in a few pages, but not in an overwhelming Marvel-Cinematic-Universe sort of way. In fact, this reader would enjoy a chapter on the author’s website of the characters from all the books meeting and interacting more. But this is Blue’s story, and she gets the main spotlight as is proper.

The climax is satisfying as most of the characters the reader is rooting for overcome their situation. Only one character seems shortchanged, but the ending and epilog are rewarding. It leaves one with a longing for a fifth book though that doesn’t seem forthcoming.

A worthy fantasy as well as a fairytale retelling, the Blood Spell should delight everyone who loves this genre. Clever, suspenseful, romantic, and fast-paced, this is a novel which would make Cinderella proud!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062653024

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A Writer’s Reflection on Rejection

As an author, you have to deal with a lot of rejection. Someone saying they can’t use your work in their publication comes with the territory. You send in excerpts from your novel, synopses, and short stories with the highest of hopes, but the response is usually the same—a variation of “Sorry, I’m not looking for something different. Try again.” In other words, “It’s me, not you.” But “It’s me, not you” is given as a reason for ending a relationship. Sometimes the “me, not you” is a lie, and we all know it.

The process is maddening. The worst part is that the generic message leaves no clue for authors to improve their work. Just “you didn’t make the cut.” Was it really bad? Was it seriously in consideration? What was the worst thing about it?”

The author just doesn’t know.

But sometimes, the veil is lifted and someone will give you feedback. I’ve received some biting and nasty feedback throughout my attempts to publish. Truthfully, that says more about the person providing the feedback than it does about the author. As Malcom Forbes once said, “You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.” How true.

When I’m presented with feedback, particularly the opposite of constructive criticism, I’ve learned a few things about rejection. First, if someone uses an adjective that speaks to the entire body of work, try to ignore it. Targeted feedback with adjectives is fine, but global statements are soul-crushing.

Let me illustrate with an example. “Though a movie about religion, Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t showcase the complexity of spirituality.” Compared this to “Though a mindless movie about religion, Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t showcase the complexity of spirituality.”

Suddenly, the implication is that the creators who made the movie or the audience who watches it are “mindless.” You definitely feel the arrogance in the second sentence with one word.

“Well, you have to be open to criticism,” you may say. My response is: “Constructive criticism, absolutely.” But when you add an adjective, you are making a judgment, and—most of the time—the judgment isn’t constructive. Another example: “You’re writing could use another pass.” versus “Your pathetic writing could use another pass.” The first is constructive, the second is destructive. In the second case, you should ignore the adjective and proceed with another pass on your work. 

On a positive note, most of my stories that are rejected the first time don’t often get accepted the second, third, or millionth time I submit them. At some point, you have to admit to yourself this effort should be shelved, at least for a little while. But sometimes, the rejection of “It’s me, not you” is true. Case in point, I submitted my story “The Extra” to a few flash fiction publishers. I truly believed in this story and thought it deserved a shot at publication. But months went by and rejections piled up. As I was about to give up, everydayfiction.com accepted it and published it. And now my story is available to read. My gratitude to that site, restoring my faith in my work, is boundless. 

But for the stories or novels that keep getting rejected, grit your teeth at the response. Examine the story to see if it could use another pass or another pair of eyes. A critique partner will give you the feedback you seek. Don’t automatically dismiss it. Perhaps review the agent or publisher and pick out why you submitted to them in the first place. If you see the mismatch, avoid agents or publishers with similar wording. 

If you do receive feedback, pull out whatever makes your story stronger. Ignore any destructive criticism provided—as best as you can, it’s tough—and focus on the nuggets of information to make your work stronger. If all the criticism is negative (“Your story was awful. You should just give up.”), blocklist the agency. You don’t need to do business with condescending people.

But keep this in mind. Occasionally, it’s fine to tell yourself. “Sometimes it really is you and not me.”

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Review of Proxima

Front Cover

Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty by Chase Hildenbrand is a science fiction space adventure that continues the exciting narrative initiated in Proxima. The novel picks up just after the events of the last offering with a group of characters learning how to survive in outer space on a hostile planet. This review won’t spoil Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty, but it will spoil the first book, Proxima. The reader is warned.

Our cast of characters were separated between two plot threads in the first book. In this one, the characters are shuffled and reassembled into two different groups. Our main protagonists, Liam Donovan and Ann Caldwell, after spending most of the first novel apart, are back together and are taken prisoner by the vicious Othaul dynasty. They, along with three other friends, are flown away from Proxima. The other characters from the first novel are left behind on a world far from Earth, prisoner of the Othaulians.

The book follows the exploits of both groups as they struggle for their freedom in different ways. Exciting sequences are traded off between those desperate to return home and those desperate to escape from their evil overlords. Liam’s group takes the reader to the edges of space while the other group is focused more on survival and rebellion. Overall, the back and forth between the different adventures should keep the reader spellbound.

Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty has all the requisite beats of a fun space adventure: space travel, different species, engaging battle scenes, and an against-all-odds setup. This novel envisions a time when humans are just starting to realize they aren’t alone in the universe instead of the over-populated worlds of Star Wars and Star Trek. The idea of meeting new species gives the novel a different vibe than most space swashbuckler plots. How would the human race react to different sentient beings? And what if all the species weren’t friendly to humans—how do you know who to trust? These questions are explored in the novel’s pages.

The main characters run the gamut from soldier to scientist with Liam and Ann being the most well-defined. You get to know each of them by a predominant trait (the soldier turned pacifist, the pilot who lost a loved one, etc.). Though the novel doesn’t contain an excessive number of characters, it may take the reader a while to delineate them at the start of the novel. Perhaps Proxima 3 could contain a “story so far” sequence to catch the reader up.

Fast-paced and creative, Proxima: The Othaul Dynasty should satisfy the readers of the first novel with even more exciting sequences. For a space-faring adventure, this novel is a fun way to imagine yourself in the far distant reaches of the galaxy.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B2J4YVW

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Review of Havok Prismatic

The latest flash fiction anthology from Havok is based on colors and entitled Havok: Prismatic. For the past four books, I’ve rated the super short stories, all 1000 words or under, from 1 to 10 to determine my favorites in two categories. However, many stories still tied for the highest score. This time, I decided to rate each story by three elements that I call “hue,” “tech,” and “emo.”

Hue refers to how well the story did in incorporating the color. For high marks, the object in question should be closely associated with the item it’s describing (compare an orange jacket to an orange pumpkin) and bonus points for the color being a key aspect to the story itself. Tech refers to mechanics of course, but also the basic concept itself and the style of the writer. Emo means “emotional.” If a tragedy, did it leave me truly melancholic? Did the scary story touch a nerve?

Before I describe the top-rated stories, a note on the rating. For a 1-10 score for each element, a perfect score would be 30. A 15 is a solid story, and one well-worth reading. Everyone scored at least a 15. Kudos to the authors and editors of Havok because the tech scores were high. Authors knew what to write about; editors knew what to publish and craft. The entire book deserves a round of applause.

I counted fifty stories. For this review, I’m only going to call out the ones that scored at least a 24, or received a 10 in any one of my three categories. The highest score was a 26 and only one achieved this high mark.

The stories that reached a 10 in one of the categories were:

  • Pick A Color, Any Color – A “10” in hue.
  • The Man with the Golden Voice – A “10” in hue.
  • The Hologram Hypothesis – A “10” in tech
  • Safety Recall – A “10” in tech
  • Meet Feet – A “10” in tech
  • Trumpet Blues – A “10” in hue
  • The Transformation – A “10” in tech

Several stories were high combinations of all three elements to a final score of 24. “The Wolf at the Door,” (Beka Gremikova), “The Hologram Hypothesis” (Pamela Love), “The Nocturnal Ambush of Fae Forest” (Michael Dolan), “Girl #24” (Krysta Tawlks), “Flair” (Seth N. Locke), “Seeking Calypso” (Kaitlyn Emery), and “A Home for Nova” (Hannah Carter).

Four stories rated an excellent score of 25. The offbeat nature of “Pick A Color, Any Color” by Lisa Godfrees reminded me a bit of the SciFi channel’s series Dark Matter. It packs a mysterious punch in a short amount of words with a twist I didn’t see coming. “Meet Feet” by Jeff Gard landed under the Wacky category and really nailed that theme. Hilarious, a great concept, and lively comical writing contributed to the success of this entry. “The Prince of Bees” was my favorite fairy tale representation of many in this anthology. With heart and imagination, Beka Gremikova retells a little-known fantasy but with a masterful spin on it. “The Transformation” by Joshua A. Smith was categorized as fantasy but deserves equal billing under thriller. This piece created an image so vivid in my mind, it lingered there the rest of the day.

Finally, “Trumpet Blues,” achieved a score of 26 of this anthology. Sophia Hansen’s unassuming tale is a delight to read. Describing the plot wouldn’t do it justice but it brought together the three elements in a unique and emotional away. I enjoyed every word of it.

I decided, before I read the first page, that an 18 or higher was a solid story, and possibly I’d return to them and reread them one day. Doing the math, that was 80% of the stories. Clearly, Havok has a wealth of talent in this anthology and I look forward to future installments.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LKDQHJH

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Review of Mind Like a Diamond

Cover Mind Like a Diamond

What if a federation of witches hosted a thirteen-level haunted house on Halloween? And what if making it through by the witching hour netted one survivor ten thousand dollars? Imagine the magic was real. What kind of horrors could exist in such a house?

This is the premise of Mind Like a Diamond, a new novel by Amanda Pavlov. Main character Lisette Starling Colbert is an intelligent student at a private school as well as an accomplished gymnast. She’s also as poor as a churchmouse, and her family is involved in some shady activities. After a series of bad luck, Lisette finds that she and her mom are about to be evicted from their apartment. After she’s expelled from her school, Lisette receives a flyer about the unusual haunted house and associated contest from some new friends. Trouble is, rumors state witches are in charge of the house, and some participants never make it out.

The hook of Mind Like a Diamond is captivating, one of the strongest on the market today. The premise checks a lot of horror reader’s boxes: Halloween, haunted house, list of victims (er, characters). The house has thirteen levels full of ghoulish fun, and some of the levels are more terrifying than others. The levels, both gruesome and chilling, are the beating heart of this novel.

The novel takes place in one of two the spookiest places in the United States—New Orleans, Louisiana. (For the record, the other is the entire state of Stephen King’s Maine). The city plays a large part in the creepiness factor of the book. The writing describes both New Orleans and the Halloween season and immerses Lisette in a world of chills and thrills right from the start.

For a first-published book, Amanda Pavlov’s style and technical skills read like a long-time professional. Snippets like “When it rains, it pours. It had been a soggy year.” concisely draws the reader in with few words. The dialog rings true from age to geographic location, and the emotions the teens are experiencing also feel authentic.

But horror novels live (or die) on whether they can bring the scares. Mind Like a Diamond delivers in this department too. Just about every conceivable creepy thing for the last three decades makes an appearance in this novel. If someone is afraid of it, it’s in here. Certain levels are extremely effective at drawing out the tension. So as not to give anything away, I’ll just say that level three and level nine were my two favorites.

The novel has a definitive first, second, and third act. One can draw a line where each one begins and ends. To me, the highlight of the book is the second act, but the third act is a surprising and pleasant change of pace. The narrative shifts abruptly between the acts from the establishment of setting and characters in act one, to the haunted house in act two, to resolution in act three. The assumption is most readers will enjoy act two the most, but act three effectively wraps up the plot and builds upon everything that has happened in the prior two acts. Certainly, act two is worth the price of the novel.

While the idea of going to a haunted house might sound like a middle grade or early young-adult novel, Mind Like a Diamond is neither. Lisette is an older teenager dealing with the situations often found in our younger age group in the inner city. Expect drug use, sexual situations, profanity, and violence, some more suited to adult novels. If you enjoy the grittier side of YA, you’ll relish this gem of a book. 

If you like supernatural horror novels, you’ll enjoy Mind Like a Diamond. The more you know of the horror genre, the more you’ll be entertained. And while the plot has pulse-pounding scares a-plenty, you’ll find it also has a well-rendered depiction of teenagers and the struggles they endure to fit into their world.

Amazon Review: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736430068

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Review of Adventurer’s Spirit

Cover Adventurer’s Spirit

In Adventurer’s Spirit speculative novel by Amanda Schmidt, cultural tensions escalate between two races: the Sunstons and the Trilumas. Caught in the middle are Alyxzandra and Jared, two people who deeply care about each other. The book starts with a horrific genocide, leaving our main character, Alyxzandra without a family and home. The heartbreaking scenes in the first chapter of Alyxzandra finding her dead family warn the reader the way forward will be an uphill struggle.

The army responsible for the death of her people endangers Alyxzandra’s life. However, she is rescued by Jared, a soldier who refuses to kill her tribe, after she saves his life. From there begins a series of adventures for Alyxzandra as the last remaining of her race, the Sunstons. The Sunstons with their teeth and large jaws are considered savages by Jared’s people, the Triluma, who seek to destroy every last one of them. The Triluma’s main aggressor is Jonah, Jared’s father, who attempts to kill Alyxzandra at every turn.

With its themes of anti-colonization, ecology, and humanity, Adventurer’s Spirit flows from one surprising revelation to another. Not all is as it appears with the Sunston people. As Alyxzandra learns more about her origins, she must decide who she is to become: a fierce defender of her world or a person who cares more for another person than herself.

The exciting plot owes a lot to the deep world-building constructed by the author. As more and more elements are revealed from Alyxzandra’s perspective, the narrative expands and the results of the choices of the characters aren’t so clear-cut. The detailed thought that went into the Sunston people and Alyxzandra’s character help to increase the stakes as the plot unfolds. As the main character, Alyxzandra is both an innocent in the ways of the world and also a fierce warrior hardened by her past. This contrast builds the reader’s investment in her plight.

The anti-colonization is not heavy-handed yet always present. As with all moral tales of this type, replacing Earth and its history with another planet allows for a more objective view on the topic. At the same time, Adventurer’s Spirit is an intensely personal novel of a wronged young woman who must make her way in a foreign world. Her desperate situation rings true as the reader discovers more and more about her and the history behind the Sunstons and the Trilumas.

The novel properly escalates the tension from beginning to end, making Alyxzandra’s situation more and more dire. Each scene builds on the one before, and the characters’ options become increasingly limited. Suspense is at an enjoyable high at the climax.

Speaking of the climax, the book may surprise some readers in the penultimate chapter. However, this review believes the risk taken by author Amanda Schmidt pays off. Nine times out of ten, going an unconventional route often leads to frustration on the reader’s part, but this time it works. The final scenes will stick in one’s memory long after the final page is turned.

While Adventurer’s Spirit is full of action-packed scenes, the novel also slows down at times. In the middle, a character “catches the reader up” on what’s going on, and a major element is introduced in the middle of the plot that plays a key role at the climax. The rest of the book is strong with the majority of scenes full of self-revelation and action. In particular, one scene in the middle of the book where Alyxzandra realizes something important when following Jared on a mission is a highlight.

Adventurer’s Spirit, an unconventional take on racial tensions on a different planet, has many important things to say about our world. With an edgy main character, a healthy respect of culture, and some excellent world-building, this novel demonstrates a willingness to take risks. And its success is to the reader’s benefit.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XKVPMPS

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Review of Little Creeping Things

Cover

In the YA thriller Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso, a teenage girl named Cassidy (Cass) overhears a potential murder and hunts for the victim. Cass, also known as Fire Girl, is haunted by her past where she may have accidentally killed her best friend. Unfortunately for Cass, the high school bullies don’t believe she’s innocent. She’s targeted as the unstable girl. Things change rapidly when Melody, one of the bullies, goes missing. Was Cass hiding nearby when the abductor struck? And did it go down the same way as she outlined in a notebook days before?

Cass needs answers to these questions. She doesn’t trust her best friend Gideon enough to tell him about her investigation, she withholds evidence from detectives because her knowledge implicates her, and she continues to have flashbacks to the fire from when she was a small child. As she becomes more and more alienated from those closest to her, she uses her reasoning skills to try to guess who the kidnapper, and potentially murderer, could be. As the suspects change from day to day, the pressure increases as the person behind Melody’s abduction is sending her messages implying they planned it together.

This is a great “backyard” YA thriller. By backyard I mean the setting never varies from the small town where Cass lives, and the suspects are all people who she’s grown up with. Messages about bullying, especially its lasting effects, ring true throughout the novel, and Cass is both a victim and perpetrator. As Cass dives deeper and deeper into the mystery, she finds her actions are destroying the personal relationships in her life.

At 237 pages, this medium-sized novel is a quick read, capturing the readers’ interest from page one while also keeping them guessing to the end. A well thought-out whodunnit, the final reveal will come as a shock to some but logically builds from what came before. The one distracting element is the writing style is very matter-of-fact—one sequence after another. However, the style doesn’t deter from the thrills and twists of the plot.

Also, Little Creeping Things doesn’t rely on most tropes of the genre. With the exception of an abandoned mill, the settings are typical of a small town. A diner, a school, a woods with a hideout, neighborhood homes—typical small-town fare. Like it’s title, this is a creepy novel, and it earns its chills not from placing it in graveyards or faux haunted houses.

An accessible thriller with a complex hero, Little Creeping Things is a novel for YA mystery readers to enjoy. A solid whodunnit with a realistic setting. It’s one to put on your to-read list.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083ZLR5MH

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Review of The Traitor Prince

Cover The Traitor Prince

I read C. J. Redwine’s first novel, The Shadow Queen, as part of a goal I set for myself for “Tell a Fairy Tale Day.” I was going to read several Snow White retellings and review them. When I read the description, I thought I would hate The Shadow Queen because I’m not fond of Snow White being depicted as a warrior princess. I was completely wrong about this book. Review of The Shadow Queen.

I was so impressed by The Shadow Queen that I bought the next book in the Ravenspire series, The Wish Granter. Weeks later looking at it on my “to read” pile, I regretted it. I didn’t want to read another retelling, and I thought the novel would be a disappointment after the fabulous first entry in the series. I was wrong again. Review of The Wish Granter.

So after I finished The Wish Granter, I bought the third in the series, The Traitor Prince. Again, I regretted it. Why? Actually, I was eyeing the Cinderella-retelling fourth novel in the series but felt compelled to read the books in order. I wasn’t sure what Prince was retelling, and the premise didn’t hook me at first. Basically, I was reading it simply because I trusted the author. I probably wouldn’t like it. Guess what?

Three for three.

The Traitor Prince is a book that sucks you in from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the very end. Basically, a devious distant relative (Rahim) takes the place of returning son, Javan Samad Najafai who has been away at school for a decade. Rahim and Javan have a scuffle, and duplicitous affairs in the castle end up making Javan look guilty. He’s thrown into the infamous prison Maqbara and left to rot or die, more likely to die.

By helping another inmate, Javan gains the appreciation of the warden’s slave, Sajda. She’s one tough girl after being raised in Maqbara. Sajda has a secret, one that could end her life if revealed. Trusting this boy is the last thing Sajda wants to do, but slowly he begins to earn her respect.

Dangerous inmates, battles, political intrigue, and a winning (and complex) romance make up this third novel in the Ravenspire series. I enjoyed several changes. The first is having a male main character. So many retellings focus on the ladies, it’s nice to see a gentleman take center stage every once in a while. The second is Sajda’s character. The relationship between her and Javan comes across as authentic—each starting off each having a different agendas. The battles in the arena were also full of action and adventure. The battles are a great example of spectacular high fantasy for lovers of that genre.

Is there a downside? I’ll start with another strength of the book and that is how Redwine continues to defy my expectations at the end. Redwine’s done this with all three books, and The Traitor Prince is no different. When I think I know how it will end, the author throws a twist that I didn’t see coming. After the exciting and rewarding climax, the denouement, and last chapter, provides the reader with another surprise. But it felt right, and I went with it. But the epilogue is another story. I felt like an entire second novel should have been written between the final chapter and the epilogue. Maybe Redwine will write this one day.

Excellent pacing; gripping, complex characters; and wonderful plot twists describe The Traitor Prince. C. J. Redwine’s world is richly envisioned, her writing is prosaic, and her stories make you want to read late into the night. I was wrong three times in a row but never happier about it.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0716GZVVM

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Moonlight and Claws – What’s Inside

A Wolfman Anthology

The new novel, Moonlight and Claws, has eighteen tales all based on the classic monster the Wolfman (or werewolves, or any type of lycanthrope or shapeshifter). Full disclosure: I’ve written a short story in the book. Therefore, this is not a review, but a description of what awaits readers if they decide to read this book.

While space limits me to describing all eighteen (or seventeen, mine wouldn’t be included), I will choose a few stories that may capture your interest.

The Lykos Project by Kaitlyn Emery. We’ve seen zombies overrun the world. Vampires, too. What about werewolves? That’s the vision behind The Lykos Project. A science-slipup has werewolves overrunning society, and it’s up to a few dedicated humans to right the world.

Habitations of Violence by Deborah Cullins Smith. An alternate history world, this one with vampires, werewolves, and literary/historical characters come to life. This story sets up an exciting premise for a longer work.

Recovery by Michelle Houston. A beast-man rescue short story. The unique protagonist (not a werewolf precisely) and what he can do is interesting. And this occurs before the action starts. This answers the question “What happens when criminals start kidnapping shapeshifters?”

The Wolf and the Healer from the Sea by Michelle Levigne. Some of the prior stories are set in a world of science fiction. This werewolf story is set firmly in the world of fantasy. A wonderful incorporation of the werewolf legend into a larger fantasy tapestry.

Moonset by Lindsi McIntire is an exciting and tense action / adventure offering. If you are attracted to stories with a well-prepared main character, you’ll really enjoy this one.

Wolves and Vampires Don’t Mix by C. S. Watcher. Not what I expected from the title. Instead of a humorous party scene, this story tells a more fulfilling sweet tale of how we want to see others and how we should see them.

The Academy and the Kiss by A. J. Skelly – Another fantasy offering, again wildly creative. This has some wild sequences into a creative setting. I hope the author writes more in this world.

Purrfect Halloween by Wendy McLouth – This one stood out. I can’t say much about this one as I don’t want to give away the shock ending. I dog-eared this one to read it again in the future.

Dog Boy by Merri Destefano – I highly enjoyed the writing in this short story. The prose drew me into this world and the life of Dog Boy. The words carried the day here.

Under Two Moons – A grounded werewolf tale but filled with longing and hope, this does “The Wolfman” theme proud. Don’t expect the ordinary as the moon legend plays a part I never saw coming. Also, this offering is quite moving.

The stories I haven’t mentioned are also riveting reads, so pick up this anthology to start your classic monsters collection from Ye Olde Dragon Press.

On Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09H67SVJ5

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Review of The Mistake

The Mistake (Earth Girls Aren’t Easy) is a short novel by Leigh Royal detailing the humdrum lives of scientifically minded Harriet and drifting-through-life Ace. Harriet is a researcher working at a lab and Ace is a sales clerk at an (as he defines it) “adult entertainment” store. Harriet’s car breaks down outside Ace’s shop, she goes in to make a phone call, and then the power goes out. After that, both are sucked up by a blue light. Cue alien abduction, but this one accidentally sucked them up.

You see, the aliens on this planet want companionship with Earthlings, but they prefer much older Earth residents. These out-of-this-world beings partner with older prostitutes. Unfortunately, sending Ace and Harriet back isn’t simple, and first they must accomplish a few tasks for the aliens.

Harriet and Ace traverse this new planet from the surrounding countryside to a single room in a castle. I won’t mention the adventures that the two Earth people have, but as you may have surmised by now, their escapades are humorous. All the while, the uptight Harriet and the too-cool-for-his hair Ace start to warm up to each other. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

While not my usual read, I picked up The Mistake to try something completely different, hoping it would do the trick. It did. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know Ace and Harriet. Both come into their own as they experience this new planet together. While most of the episodes are predictable, the writing and setting carry the narrative along at a happy pace. 

The characters are honestly developed. Harriet speaks and acts like a researcher. I thought the legitimacy of her describing her job was a nice surprise. Ace’s background was also a departure from the norm. The two develop at a reasonable pace without anything happening too soon or too late in the novel.

While this story is about aliens and a different planet, it’s much more a romance than a science fiction novel. This should be obvious to the reader going in, and everything described seems to point in this direction. Multiple alien species exist on the planet Harriet and Ace are whisked to. An alien race a bit less human as the love interests to the main characters would’ve made an interesting twist on the narrative. However, this may have come across as unrealistic.

Overall, I enjoyed this story quite a bit. The novel is told well and I became invested in the characters quickly. The Mistake (Earth Girls Aren’t Easy) is sprinkled with humorous writing and likable characters, and those elements contribute greatly to its charm.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086PGNF49