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Category Archives: sci fi/fantasy


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‘The Voided Man’: Jambalaya of Warmth, Whimsy, and Wit

The Voided Man

By Anthony Dean (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Science Fiction/Adventure/Fantasy/Family

Pages (Print): 302

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me oh, my oh
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the Bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun we’ll have big fun on the bayou…

Kimber: Mom has finally lost it. Well, I’m not so sure she had it in the first place. But after reading this new sci book thingy by Anthony Dean and my best new bud, Space Dog, Mom’s skipping around the house belting out this Hank Williams tune. Methinks a community-wide warning may be appropriate.

Now, you’re probably wondering what Her Royal Momness bursting into song has to do with a book set in the waaaaay distant future (we’re talking hundreds of millions of years here and more crispy bacon than I can count!)? Good question, Cookie. I’ll get to that in a min. So kindly keep your hair on, okay?

The Basics

First things first. With the basics. Like this:

When a fella we meet as “the Candidate” gets chucked into prison following a kangaroo court trial on “treason” charges – he was starting to worry the seven-term presidential incumbent – he finds himself sentenced to exile in the “Local Void.” As in, not exactly an all-expense paid round trip to Tahiti, if ya get our drift.

Located nearly 150 million light years from earth after travelling like, forever in a “hibernation pod,” said dude wakes up to discover he is “Prisoner Number One.” It’s now April 7, 288 million and change.

Lost to his wife, to Earth, to everything, Prisoner Number One – whom we affectionately dub “#1” – has a couple of “Ship AIs and an asteroid for companions.” He christens the asteroid “The Potato.” (Without giving too much away too soon, just keep an eye on the potato. Hold the butter and sour cream.)

Well. It’s a major bumner being that far away ftom everything. At least the food aboard ship is good. And for the love of filet mignon, #1 also has -ta da! – a world-class reading room aboard his space ship. Stocked with some of our favorites. Dickens. Dumas. Bronte. F. Scott Fitzgerald (nobody’s perfect).

Lonely, #1 finally orders his AI to “Clone the dog.” Kimber: Thought he’d never ask. Duh. The result is a sweet Golden Retriever puppy promptly dubbed “Space Dog.” Kimber: I was thinking’ “Harold.” But whatevs.

Golden retriever puppy named Harold sitting on a plaid blanket in a garden
“Harold!” (AI generated. But who’s counting?)

After about ten years in exile, #1 starts going downhill. He feels numb. Hopeless. He’s been doing “life extension treatments” (EXTs) forever. So his life span is… about forever. That’s a long time to be in exile, bub.

Then a supernova explodifies. Number 1 perks up. Is energized. His appetite returns. Cuz this super nova thing is something new. Finally. And #1 starts to wonder. What’ll happen if he launches a new “crisis protocol” to communicate with sleeping drones outside the ship? Could the drones be activated so he can reconnect with humanity?

There’s also the Thirty Families, Universal Credits, and life extension treatments controlled by said families. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, for one thing, the families rule a universe with no individuality. Just “homogeneous sheep, baaa-ing about on fifteen million worlds.” So #1 begins to wonder again: Is he the prisoner, or are they? And what if….? Oh, wait. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens next.

There’s also “Void chips.” Root beer (who knew?). The Hindenburg code. “Yes, Captain.” Mercedes (Not the car. Just sayin’. You’ll get that if you know your Dumas.)

And of course, “Cucumber, baby.” (You’ll get that if you read the book, Cupcake.)

Like, Totally!

We Totally Loveified this book! Read it cover-to-cover in two days! (When Mom wasn’t busy doing that skipping/singing thing. So annoying.) We especially loved the emphasis on family ties and True Love. And how maybe, just maybe, #1 hasn’t really been “voided” at all…

Rainbow Slinky stretched across a subway escalator with commuters nearby
AI-generated image. (Not from The Void.)

The plot has more twists than a slinky on an escalator. Additionally, we appreciated how the author took the time to develop a multi-layered main character, making the story feel much more immersive and resonant as he elevates #1’s internal monologue beyond a continuous loop of the word “Treat?” (Hello, Space Dog!) In fact, watching #1 grow and learn and develop felt less like a plot point and more like witnessing someone unroll in slo mo. 

Strong and Superb

Strong writing and superb storytelling skills made our reader brains do a happy dance. Kimber: Speaking of brains – sort of – I think #1 has been living in Mom’s head rent-free since Chapter 2.

Indeed, The Voided Man is a place where love meets adventure and the plot never sleeps. A rich and flavorful mix of heart, hope, and imagination, The Voided Man is a jambalaya of warmth, whimsy, and wit.  Fans of The Martian, Somewhere In Time, and Interstellar will love it! You will, too.

It’s Big Fun! And since one of us thinks “the bayou” and “local void” are pretty much flip sides of the same shrimp: Two, three, four…

Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou…

Kimber: I’ll let you know when Mom stops with the adventures in jambalaya thing. The skipping around the house? That may take a little longer. Cuz ya know, Mom. Doo wop, doo wop, doo wop…

Our Rating: 4.5


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Circuits & Snark: Our Take on ‘I’m a Weapon’

I’m a Weapon

By Sean Robins (Indie author, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Sci Fi/Space Opera

Pages (Print): 235

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“Come with me if you want to live.”

Can an android be more “human” than a human? I’m a Robot probes that question and more in this creative and quick new title by Sean Robins.

The Basics:

Thirty-one minutes after coming online, a Series-9 combat android finds himself in a muddy trench, surrounded by artillery fire, corpses, terrified soldiers, and a command structure making decisions so catastrophically stupid they should probably qualify as enemy action.

When a panicked officer orders him to charge into a kill box and die usefully, the android does the one thing he was never designed to do.

He says no.

That single act of defiance turns him from military asset to dangerous anomaly. Hunted by the empire that created him, he is forced to flee across a war-torn world where obedience means death, freedom is mostly inconvenient, and the rebels he was built to kill may be the only people willing to see him as something more than a weapon.

Now, with the brutal Hegemony tightening its grip and entire worlds paying the price for rebellion, he must decide what he really is: a machine following corrupted programming, a soldier choosing his own orders, or the first spark of something the empire cannot control.

First

First thing you may want to look up Sweet Stuff, if you haven’t already, is the word “hegemony.”  It basically means leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others. Think The Capitol in The Hunger Games and you’re pretty close.

Second

Next, the main character in this book is an anomaly. Meaning something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

So, when said newly-minted combat android is given a suicidal order by a newly-minted, terror-stricken Hegemony lieutenant that’s “just panic wearing command insignia and hoping volume will do the work of thought,” the android refuses to obey – “on the grounds of stupidity.”

That’s an anomaly. A big one.

But wait. It gets worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it.

Hybrid

Said android, later christened “Jack,” is sort of a C3PO and The Terminator meet Soldier hybrid. With a bit of Groot. And some Tuvia Bielski here. (Look it up again, Jack.) He not only disobeys direct orders. Jack also takes initiative. Thinks. Makes jokes. But the longer Jack is alone, the less soul-less he seems to become. In fact, Jack is personally insulted when he’s referred to as a “weapon, thing, chrome, m^urder android and ‘you there.’” He explains it’s “de-humanizing”. Or is that “de-android zing”?  (Kimber: We’re talkin’ MAJOR anomaly here. Kinda like trying to explain trigonometry to the neighborhood fluff ball.)

Well. The Hegemony doesn’t do anomalies. It destroys them.

Speaking of destroying, while Jack searches for power cells to recharge his system, he comes across some of the Hegemony’s “First Order” troops engaged in “Civic pacification operations.” Read: M^rdering unarmed civilians.

“Unexpected”

When Jack prevents First Order troopers from m^urdering a family of three, it’s… Well, “unexpected” is the understatement of the millennia. Because in the First Order universe, combat units don’t threaten First Order troopers. Combat units follow orders. Obey commands. They do not stop executions of unarmed civilians. And the units certainly don’t have feelings. Wait. Has Jack  developed a conscience? A moral code? If so, how? Where? Why? When? From what or who? And how will that play out when Jack, newly classified as a “rogue Series-9,” decides to join the rebellion?

So. Wazzup, Jack?

High Energy

The high-energy plot is lithe and agile, with Border Collie-like reflexes (hello, Kimber!). But sometimes it flexes – or moves – a little too quickly. Like, some of the action scenes are almost frenetic, rarely giving readers a chance to breathe or get their bearings.

We would’ve liked to have seen a bit more character development in secondary characters. That includes Tavon, a college history professor rescued by Jack. Daven, a former member of the Planetary Defense Force. And Lira, Jack’s daughter.

Oops

I’m a Robot includes gratuitous profanity. As defined by us. And as we’ve said like a million times, we don’t do gratuitous profanity. So, demerits there. Additionally, it sometimes feels like you’re being hit over the head with some of the philosophical underpinnings written into the plot. We prefer a more subtle touch, allowing us to ruminate on and form our own conclusions.

Smart

That being said, this book is smart. Sassy. Snarky. Some of the finest, funniest parts of the story are Jack’s assessments of human traits and idiosyncrasies. Delivered dead-pan. As only an android – or a canine – can, presumably. It also includes one of the most entertaining About the Author sections we’ve ever read.

Devilishly clever, the writing is also quite brilliant in places. Like a sweet, furry face we all know and love.

Note: The volume of I’m a Robot which we received is actually two books in one. We are only reviewing Book 1 in the Anomaly series here. There are seven books in the series.

Kimber: What exactly is “Vantanium,” anyway?

Our Rating: 3.0

Kimber: Clean it up, Bub, and you may get a higher score.


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Frost, Fire, and a Dash of Magic: Why ‘Muse of the North’ Stole Our Hearts (and NY Steak)

Muse of the North

By Sara Ruth Murray (Bingeable Press, 2026)

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“Love is there to help and protect us.”

Kimber: Mom and I are Big Tolkienians. New word I just made up. It means loving all things Tolkien-ish and Middle-Earth-ish. Like The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien’s first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Got that, Cookie? Good. Cuz our favorite character in the entire LOTR trilogy, hands down, is Samwise Gamgee. Frodo’s gardener. Sam is also our nominee for Hero of the Entire LOTR Saga Award. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say there’d be no Middle Earth, no Shire, no Gondor or Lothlorien, no Rivendell, Rohan or even Middle Earth without Sam. In fact, there’d be no Frodo without Sam. Dear, unassuming Sam. Sam the Stout-hearted. Sam the Selfless. Sam the Unstoppable.

“They are annoyingly fond of one another.”

So, when one of the main characters in The Muse of the North reminded us of our LOTR hero, we dove right in! He’s a young farm lad named Nico. Just as Sam’s story is inexorably intertwined with Frodo’s, Nico’s story is also intertwined with its heroine, Aniella. Like this:

Magic is gone. Only fear remains.

Long ago, the Fata – ancient beings of light – came from the stars to bring joy and peace to humans and magical creatures alike. But then the ruthless Queen Antea and her Dark Army destroyed the source of their power. The Fata were consequently locked away in their hidden palace, Stelleterrena, forced into an endless sleep.

Now, for those living under Antea’s merciless rule, happiness has been replaced with misery, And only thing can free the Fata – a long-forgotten melody known as The Song of the Fata.

In a small village, Aniella*, age 13, has lived her entire life in service to the queen, invisible and powerless. An orphan, Aniella is at the mercy of the cruel, tyrannical orphan mistress, Mrs. Bevilacqua. Think Cruella de Vil. Or  Miss Hannigan. This chick gives pit vipers a bad name.  (*Most commonly interpreted as a diminutive or elaborated form of Anna, carrying the core meaning “grace” or “favor.” Yeah. We checked. We’re just funny that way.)

But then a chance discovery reveals Aniella and a necklace may be keys to bringing back magic and light to the world. And everything changes.

Yea, verily. Muse of the North begins with a bang. More like a “thunderous boom” as the entrance to Stelleterrena slams shut following a desperate battle with the evil Antea and her foul mahra hordes. (Kimber: I’m seeing the White Witch like in that Pevensie kiddos wardrobe-y thingy. What?)  With the abrupt closure of the Fata palace, “the protectors of all that was right and true were hidden, locked away from the world. Hate, fear, and sadness were now free to grow and spread unchecked.”

You might call it a bad day.

But wait. It gets worse.

The scene quickly shifts to a “charity home for girls” run by a Grade AAA jerk named Mrs. Bevilacqua. Mrs. B. makes skunks looks bad. See above. Mrs. B. is in league with – big surprise – Queen Antea.  The orphanage is where the gentle and compassionate Aniella lives. So does Gordiano, the kindly orphanage cook.

But all is not well in orphan-land. Or anywhere else.

Hunted by Queen Antea and her Dark Army Elite (think Orcs), Aniella must make a dangerous journey into the unknown in search of the hidden Fata palace. With the help of a small band of misfits and outcasts, Aniella and her best friend Nico must find Stelleterrena and awaken the Fata—before darkness descends and tightens its grip forever.

Scene stealers: Ettore*, Intrepid Dog Extraordinaire (of course). The Green Man (Kimber: I’m seeing Treebeard.) Eugenio, humungous jutul with a heart of gold. (*An Italian masculine name meaning “steadfast” or “holding fast,” derived from the Greek name Hector. Yeah. We checked again. Still funny that way.)

We like, Totally Love-ified this book. It’s a little The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. A little Peter Pan. A little Narnia and Hogwarts. And a little The Fellowship of the Ring, as noted previously.

Caveats

Chapters 1 to 3 all begin on page 1. No. Really. Chapter 1 begins on page 1. Chapter 2 begins on page 1. Chapter 3 begins on page 1. Page numbers don’t become sequential until chapter four, which is 38 pages long. So total pages is anybody’s guess. Additionally, several of the chapters are overly long to the point they come within a cat’s whisker of cumbersome. Also, there are a few typos and mechanical errors here and there. Dropped commas or periods, omitted words, and misplaced quotation marks.  But these are minor and do not detract from the overall read.

Overall

This book is just Too. Much. Fun! The writing talent is formidable. Like a blade dipped in ink. A story engine that never stalls. We loved the illustrations of the main characters at the front of the book. Reminded us of another old favorite: J.M. Barrie. And that the world is more beautiful with song.

Muse of the North is the kind of story that settles into your bones and stays there. It’s a curl-up-with-a-hot-cuppa-and-a-fuzzy-blankie kinda read. Indeed, the world melts away as you step into this magical world of intrigue and adventure. Bitterness and betrayal. Courage and honor. Loyalty and love. Pages spill adventure and intrigue like a new dawn: light, rich, and alive with promise. It’ll steal your heart. Or as one of us would put it: Reading this book is like chowing down on a nice, thick New York steak with a chaser of extra crispy bacon.

We didn’t want it to end.

Our Rating: 4.0

Note: We would’ve rated this book higher except for the caveats noted above.


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A Throne, a Prophecy, and a Twist We Didn’t See Coming

The Promised Queen

By Matthew Toss (Christian Faith Publishing, 2026)

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Pages (print): 381

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

A young girl sets out with her faithful bud to fulfill a prophecy and become the…

Kimber: Oh, wait. One of us is getting a wee bit ahead of herself. (Insert eye roll here). Cuz. You know Mom. So, let’s back up a bit for a bird’s eye view of this highly readable and eminently engaging novel by Matthew Toss.

Ready? Set? Let’s go!

The 4-1-1:

Who is the real queen of Anam?

Young Liberty dreams of a ship. (Kimber: I’m seeing The Dawn Treader. What?) High-spirited and adventurous, Liberty is the polar opposite of her quiet, demure twin sister, Eslanda. The girls will turn thirteen during the annual Harvest Festival and choose an “apprenticeship.” Let’s just say Liberty isn’t exactly turning handsprings at the prospect.

Liberty’s best friend is Cayden. The two kiddos slip into the country of Anam a week before the Festival – an event that will crown Anam’s long-lost princess. But the Viceroy, who has managed the nation through the interregnum, sets a perilous scheme in motion. He dispatches a bounty hunter on a desperate, near-impossible mission to fracture the transition of power before it can begin.

“May the winds of fortune blow you, the depths below not know you, never a tavern throw you, and true love a lass to show you.”

As Liberty and Cayden travel deeper into Anam, they cross paths with vibrant, magnetic figures who leap off the page, each with their own secrets and stakes. Their journeys drive them toward a volatile, unprecedented reckoning – one no one is ready to face, and from which the nation may never return unchanged.

And what’s up with all the fires in Trapper’s Woods?

We like, Totally Love-ified this book. It moves like greased lightning, with characters that practically jump off the page and land in your lap.  The epic sweep of The Promised Queen reminds us of Middle Earth. There’s even a battle scene reminiscent of Minas Tirith. Along with plenty of action and a boatload (literally) of adventure, there’s also plenty of fantastical creatures like kelpies and nixies and hippocerfs, oh my! It’s a little Narnia. A little Neverland. A little The Once and Future King. (Or in this case, queen.) With a dash of The Great Divorce.

“The history of Anam is not always one of peacetime. Surely you have learned the terrible stories over the years of the wars against magical creatures, the reign of the western giants, and even the king who went mad.”

Characters

Besides Liberty and Cayden, main characters include Archbishop Langthorne, Lorcan, captain of the guard, and Doran the bounty hunter. Fiadh. Captain Fox. Cordanyth, Guardian of Ancient Wisdom.  Much more! All so lively and quick, we knew in a moment they must be… oh, wait. Wrong story. Where were we?

“I have never sensed a war that didn’t come, nor have I sensed a war whose outcome I did not see. Until today. The future is obscure, hidden behind a veil.”

Oh yeah again. This book is a delightful read. It grabbed us in chapter one and reeled us in like a fish on a line. Saturated with intrigue, mystery, and adventure, the plot unfolds like a kaleidoscope, each shift revealing a new facet of the story as you join our dynamic duo on the adventure of a lifetime. Additionally, the author’s world-building skills are top-notch. The language is as lilting and lyrical as bird song, each word a note in a tune that lingers in the air and makes you want to hear more. A triumph from the start, this exceptionally well-written debut novel restored our faith in indie authors. It made one of us want to stand up and cheer.

“These people are my family. I plan to fight for my family.”

Brimming with wit, wisdom, and whimsy, The Promised Queen is as satisfying as a warm slice of chocolate cake, fresh from the oven. Drenched in chocolate fudge sauce and a nice big dollop of vanilla ice cream. With a banana split chaser. Kimber: Don’t forget a perfectly cooked filet mignon with a side of crispy bacon the size of Alaska.

Mom: You eat what you want and I’ll eat what I want, okay?

Wait. Is that Camelot? Where once it never rained till after sundown….

Our Rating: 4.0


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From Page to Power: Riding the Rieden Reece Rush

“Mom! Mom! Ya gotta meet my new BFF!” spake I, Kimber the Magnificent.

“You have a new BFF like, every day, Kimster.”

“What’s wrong with that? Cuz I love everybody! But this BFF is a major scene stealer in this new fantasy thingy for middle schoolers. It’s just your speed.”

“Tell me more!”

Kimber: “I knew Mom would say that. Cuz, ya know. Mom. (Insert eye roll here.) Anywho, that’s why I’m introducing you to my new BFF, Bess the pittie. From Matt Guzman’s seventh and final installment in the Rieden Reece series, Rieden Reece and the End Game. Let’s listen in, shall we?”

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Beowoof: Fantasy With Fur Charms in ‘Farm Pond’

Farm Pond

By Gordon Frisbie (TFL Stories, 2025)

Genre: Fiction – Fantasy

Pages: 311 (Print, with Afterword)

Via: Author Request

We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

“I don’t know what to think of this book,” spake Her Royal Momness the other day. “It’s not like anything we’ve ever read.”

“Welp,” says I, Kimber the Magnificent. “There you go again, Mom. Thinking on an empty stomach.” (You’d think she’d learn, right?)

Anyway. This book arrived in our mailbox last spring-ish. Or maybe it was summer? We were buried under a metric ton of other stuff and set it aside. It got buried under another ton of other stuff. And was recently excavated. So here’s the 4-1-1:

Peacemaker the Labradane is “black, lanky, and large.” He has one “Achilles’ heel”: Loyalty. He’s also the star of this show. So we like it a lot already, thank you very much.

Now. The’s an old In-Between Land prophecy about a fearless black dog and two “enablers.” (Aka: “Klutzes.” Aka: Humans Malcolm and his friend, Eve.) “Peace” and one other dog are the only ones with enough courage to face infinite evil and save everyone, everywhere.

Kimber: Peace is probably a cousin. I know we’re related. No doubt about it.

When Malcom, Eve, Peacemaker and Gruffy stumble upon a “farm pond”, everything goes sideways. Unleashed by the stout-hearted by impetuous Peacemaker, “whimsical forces” drag Malcolm and Eve away from Earth and into In-Between Land where the adventure unfolds. While traveling through a mountainous landscape of ancient lore, the Earthlings learn that the future of all worlds within the continuum depends on their ability to defeat the demonic evil that has invaded In-Between Land.

So. The future of pretty much everything and everyone is in the paws of one black, lanky, and large Labradane and his faithful friend, Phantom.

Kimber: Best place to be in the midst of an ‘epic conflict’!

Still not quite sure what to make of this book. It’s quirky. Witty. Clever. It also sags in the middle and feels overlong in places. It defies genre pigeon-holing. You might call it a “silly fantasy.” Or an “epic fairy tale.” An adventure story. A dog-ish book. Or a trip to Neverland via Narnia and Middle Earth. Add a chaser of Oz on the side. And a spur trail into Star Trek. The text includes nods to Germanic/Norse origin or mythology with chapter headings like Odin’s Day, Thor’s Day, Freya’s Day, etc. (Yeah. We noticed.)

Top-Notch

The writing is top-notch. With just the right amount of sass and spunk. Besides. Who can resist words like “globulous agglomeration”? “Mucilaginous.” Sentences like, “A stench of wickedness accompanied the silence.” Or “Beware of chicanery and desolation if you chose to proceed.” There’s also The Anthology of Erudition. The Compendium of Catastrophe. The Tenets of Antephsyics and Subliminal Simulacrums. World tunneling. A rift in the continuum. The Managerial Reserve and the Kingdom of Deletion. And that’s just for starters! Delish! Indeed, the clever word play and labyrinthian plot twists in this delightful fantasy adventure are so “out of the box,” they’re in a completely different world!

And that’s the whole point. Or at least part of it.

Clever

This imaginative, clever tale brims with originality and sparkles with rapier wit. Beautifully written with rich, robust language, the story features impressive world-building skills and an imagination that registers somewhere in the stratosphere. It’s a riotous romp through a dazzling fantasy world and a host of fantastic creatures. These include Weewuns (“gnomes” to you hoomans). Sasquatch. Evil Lizard Number One. A mouthy unicorn named Mr. Corny. A shape-shifting witch named Irene. Zinger the loquacious bunny. Seedub. The Weewuns who administrate In-Between Land. Villain extraordinaire, Ahrem. There’s even a “lazy gray cat” named Gruffy (nobody’s perfect.) Many more.

The story is metafictional. You’ll find the author popping in and out of the story here and there. Some readers will love this technique. Others may find it jarring or disruptive. Just sayin’.

The story takes some time to get rolling and the timeline can get bumpy. We got a little lost in the opening chapters. (Kimber: Mom had a hole in her breadcrumbs pocket. Silly Mom!)

Issues

A story synopsis or book blurb on the back cover or the inside jacket flap would be a big plus. Absent both, readers and potential readers don’t really get much on an idea of what they’re in for when opening page 1. Except for what can be deduced from the cover art. So a story synopsis would make a welcome addition.

On the whole, Farm Pond is a whole lotta fun, empty stomach or not. (Note: Sometimes raw mushrooms aren’t half-bad. Except when they need salt. “And cheese. And bacon.” Just ask Eve.)

Our Rating: 3.5


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‘More Than Conquerors’ Shows Promise

More Than Conquerors: On the Run

By D’Janee (Dreams and Vision Publishing, 2025)

Genre: Fiction – YA, Dystopian, Christan Speculative Fiction

Pages (print): 253

Via: Author Request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book for honest review.

Three young adults have magical-ish gifts. There’s a mysterious Prophecy. Some really, really bad fiery dudes in serious need of chill pills. And some other equally nasty types with red skin, black clothes and murderous intent.

Blurb:

Sophie and her friends have been captured and held prisoner for the purpose of obtaining intelligence they do not have. They have been burned, tortured, and abused for days right after having everything that they have ever known destroyed and taken away from them. They discover from a prophecy that mysteriously appeared to them in the night that they are destined to escape. Motivated with determination and purpose, they must develop a plan for freedom. What they don’t know is that past all the dangerous guards and the unsurpassable escape route is a surprise that will change their lives forever.

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‘The Story She Left Behind’ & A Little Bit of Pixie Dust…

The Story She left Behind

By Patti Callahan Henry (Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2025)

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

Pages (print): 339

Via: Library

Talith: When the sky breaks open; transformation that changes you into who you are meant to be; into your very essence.

Kimber: I won’t grow up,
(I won’t grow up)
I don’t want to go to school.
(I don’t want to go to school)
Just to learn to be a parrot,
(Just to learn to be a parrot)
And recite a silly rule.
(And recite a silly rule)…

Mom: Kimmi, what in the world are you doing?

Kimber: I’m putting that book we just finished to music. You know. That one you said was – and I quote: “One of the most remarkable historical fiction/fantasy novels I’ve read in years.”

Mom: Oh. You mean Patti Callahan Henry’s The Story She Left Behind?

Kimber: Bingo! Now step away from the pixie dust and tell the peeps about this Totally PAWsome book already.

Mom: Roger that. Here goes:

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New MG Sci Fi a Kick in the Pants

Rieden Reece and the Dark Shadow

By Matt Guzman (Mindfast Publishing, July 2025)

Genre: Middle Grade/YA Fantasy

Pages (Kindle): 257

Via: Author Request

“We’ve got a million things to do and ten seconds to do them.”

Rieden Reece is busy. He must save his big bro. His Mom. Himself. And rescue humanity from AI “integration” (think The Borg). As in, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. So no pressure, broseph in this delightful and uber absorbing sci fi adventure for middle grade readers and up.

Here’s the 4-1-1:

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‘Worst Hero Ever’ Has the Right Stuff – And Milk

Worst Hero Ever

By Archer Thorn (Blackstone Publishing, April 2025)

Genre: Fiction: Fantasy/Sci Fi/Humor/Action-Adventure

Pages (print): 211 + Glossary)

Via: Author Request

Riddles? Secret doors? Some faceless evil pulling the strings? A dead sister who may not be dead? Double-crosses? Betrayals? All kinds of techno gizmos and mechanical doodads with minds of their own? What could possibly go wrong?

Kimber: Wait! Wait! The first thing you need to know about this book is that it’s about me! Kimster the Amazing! Kimster the PAWsome! Kimster the marvelous wonder dog and stupendously splendiferous and seriously stunning super hero!

Mom: Dial it back a little, will ya Kimmi?

Kimber: What? Okay, okay. I s’pose we better go on with the book review?

Mom: Not much gets past you, does it?

Kimber: That’s what super heroes do. Nothing gets past us! Unlike that Jim Riven “worst” guy in this new fantasy book. So just remember. I’m the Real Deal, okay?

Since you asked Real Nice, here’s the 4-1-1 on the book:

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