Beautiful Demons

Beautiful Demons

Sarra Cannon

Supernatural

136 Pages

Teen 

Warnings: Death, violence

 After getting kicked out of her latest foster home, Harper Madison is sent to Shadowford Home for Girls in Peachville, Georgia, her last chance before getting sent to juvenile detention. She wants to start fresh, she just has to make sure that she doesn't lose her temper, as things tend to start flying around the room, against her will. Everything is going fine until the head cheerleader, Tori, is murdered and she becomes the main suspect.

Writing Style: 10/10

I didn't see any errors and the characters were well fleshed out. There were a few characters that were just sort of introduced and not heard from much afterwards, but there were reasons for it that made the story that much more intriguing, especially seeing as there are sequels that they may play a bigger role in.

Plot: 9/10

A murder mystery always seems to be a good time. Mix that with the supernatural elements and you've got a recipe for a good story, if you manage to pull it off. Sarra Cannon did just that, giving me a plot that I wanted to know more and more about.

Originality: 8/10

There seemed to be a few things that I've noticed happen a lot in this type of story that docked a few points. First, there is a mystery about the parents. Harper was adopted when she was young and doesn't know who they are or if her ability comes from them. Second, she cannot control her ability and it keeps getting her into trouble. Third, there is something that happens that she has to find out the answer to. The formula mirrors the first Harry Potter book to me, but it was pulled off completely differently and some of the fleshing out between it was very original.

Enjoyability: 10/10

I couldn't put this down. It's not a very long read, but I had some other things that I probably should have been doing that got put to the way side in order to finish this book.

End: 9/10

The main point of the book is all wrapped up in a nice, neat ending. There are still questions that are about the series as a whole that need answered, but you could just end after reading this book and be content. It also wasn't too cliched and had some nice twists to it.

Overall: 46/50

You can get Beautiful Demons at Barnes and Noble,  Amazon, I-tunes, Smashwords, and Kobo.
Visit Sarra Cannon's website.

Has anyone else read Beautiful Demons or some other good self published book? Is there some book that I haven't gotten to that you think would warrant a review? Let me know in the comments.

Enigma

Enigma

Aimee Ash

Supernatural, Romance

238 pages

Teen

Warnings: Mentions of sex and sexual activity, non-graphic

Kate, a girl who has been forced to move around her entire life, ends up in Long Beach right before starting her freshman year of college. She's hoping to finally settle in and make some friends when she meets a mysterious neighbor, who seems to be avoiding her. When she finally catches up to him, she finds out that his name is Jack and the weird things that have started happening to her are related to him and a curse, one that she is now completely caught up in.

Writing Style: 7/10

There were a few spelling/grammar errors, but nothing major. The biggest problem is that I keep hearing how independent and strong that Kate is supposed to be, but she seems to be very reliant on Jack and his family. In the beginning I could see this trait, but as the story progresses she seems to lose a lot of what I think originally made her a good character. Jack also seems to be a very different character in the beginning, but begins becoming a jerk. Some of this can be written off by his twin brother coming back into the picture, but the rest is very much just Jack being problematic.

Plot: 6/10

The main plot of the story was good, but it had too many side plots that really seemed to come out of nowhere or happen too fast, especially with Kate's family. For example, there is some talk about her brother having a drinking problem, but it's also said everyone pretty much ignores it until suddenly when they decide that something has to be done and it has to be done immediately, without any clear reason as to how it this course of action was decided. I also think that there may have been too many plot twists for the story. Instead I think some may have been able to be dropped in order to flesh out some other parts.

Originality: 9/10

This was a pretty original story. Jack's powers and curse are not your standard vampire or werewolf or anything like that and that was very refreshing and the powers weren't just your standard super strength and the like either. This made the story a much more interesting read.

Enjoyability: 7/10

Enigma reminded me a lot of Twilight, which isn't my favorite book series in the world, though I did read them all. That being said, I really think fans of that series will like Enigma. I also had some issue reading it due to the side stories and plot twists.

End: 7/10

The end was pretty much as expected. It wasn't a crazy twist, but it also wasn't disappointing. I feel like it was a safe ending, but a good one.

Overall: 36/50

Enigma is available from  Amazon, Smash Words and I-tunes.
Visit Aimee Ash's website.
Does anyone else have an opinion? Let me know!
Also, sorry for the delay in posting. There were some technical difficulties.

Panamanian Stompers

Jake F. Simons

Horror, humor

25 pages

Adult

Warnings: Language

Fernie Deacon is a low-life who earns his living by shady means. While waiting for an friend for his newest job, he talks to a bar mentally handicapped barkeep and another bar patron about Panamanian Stompers, a fish that comes up on land and kills people on the shore not far from where they are, especially on rainy nights like the one that they're currently experiencing.

Writing Style: 6/10

Fernie is skeezy and it definitely shines through really well and I give the author props on that, but this isn't a style I generally like. That being said, many people do like it. It's just never been anything I've been interested in.

Plot: 8/10

The plot was amusing. It wasn't confusing and it was very straight forward. Fernie was just attempting to pass the time until he could go and hold up some gangbangers and get his money. Terrorizing a poor mentally handicapped barkeep was just something that he thought would be fun to do. When it ceased to be that, he leaves and does what he needs to do to finish up the story and bring it full circle.

Originality: 5/10

This is story similar to what many have heard with snipes or jackalopes when parents or older siblings want a young child out of the way or the scary creature in the dangerous area to keep kids away. It also followed a very predictable path to the climax there were no huge surprises.

Enjoyability- 3/10

For me, the enjoyability on this was very low. I knew where the story was going from the beginning and I didn't like the writing style, so I didn't really enjoy the story much. There was a highlight or two though, making it a little better.

End- 6/10

Although predictable, the end was amusing to me. I was holding out hope for something a little different, but justice was served and that was what mattered most in this story.

Overall- 28/50

Get the book for the Kindle.

Visit Jake F. Simons' website. Note: Simons is a pseudonym to distinguish between his all ages works and his adult works.

Musical Chairs

Musical Chairs

Marla Braziel

Teen, Vampires

47 pages

Teen

Warnings: Violence, mentions of murder, mentions of sex

   Annabell is a vampire attending night school in order to seek out her next kill. She befriends Aiden in an attempt very to find the best rating victim through his friends.

Writing Style: 5/10

   Most of the characters were very two dimensional to me. Annabell was interesting with her hunt, but Aiden and his girlfriend are very standish, not letting you know anything. Students best friend, Bane mentions family problems at home. Bane himself had potential, but was only in the story briefly. The most interesting character, an athlete named Mark, was brutalized by Annabell early in the story and avoided her for the rest. Mainly, this story us internalized by Annabell and lets no one else develop.

Plot: 7/10

   Annabell's quest to find a delicious high schooler for her once yearly underaged kill is interesting, especially with the night school. How she goes about it, finding a target and devoting every minute to trying to get their trust so she can betray them is interesting. The plot is fairly loose otherwise and sort of focuses on her finding her target.

Originality: 5/10

   The market is so swamped with stories on vampires at this point that it's hard for any of them to be original. Still, the night school is a nice addition that I had yet to see and the intense focus on finding a target and not worrying about being popular or falling in love was a nice change if pace. This isn't to say that no one wants to be with Annabell, Mark got himself hurt by being too forward and Bane was also very interested in her, she just had no interest in the boys.

Enjoyability: 6/10

   The story wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. So little time was spent on Annabell truly interacting with other characters that it really took away from the story and made me yearn to have someone show up that would have a full conversation with her.

End: 6/10

   This is a novella and has for other parts and I took that into account, but the end was still awkward. I feel as though it should have ended more where Annabell determined her target, as that seemed to be the focus  of the novella.

Overall: 29/50

Musical Chairs can be gotten from Amazon or her own page.

Visit Marla Braziel's website.

What are your thoughts on Musical Chairs? Any other readers out there?

WILDly

WILDly

T. Swanpoel

Fantasy, sci-fi

180 pages

Teen

Warnings: Violence

When moving into her varsity dorm, university for all of us American readers, a mysterious man named Duncan awakens something in Valerie that she didn't know she possessed. She now has a great connection to the Earth and Duncan and her new friend at varsity, Alex, are fighting for it. Valerie has to decide what side is good and help fight in a battle to defeat the other one.

Writing Style: 4/10

The style wasn't terrible, but the were a few things were very problematic with it. First of all, you're just thrown into this world without learning anything about the characters. I also have no idea where this is supposed to be set. I don't have any issue with it being set in a different country (probably where the author is from), but it helps me engage in the story, particularly when I need to realize that their slang is different than ours, such as varsity meaning university. In addition, I couldn't there were words that seemed out of place, as in they were too advanced for the writing. Occasionally, a word I had never heard was thrust upon me and I have a feeling that I wasn't the only one who was confused and trying to figure out what was going on. Finally, there were a number of spelling and grammar mistakes. It wasn't anything so bad that it made it unreadable, but it was enough to warrant suggesting a proof reader.

Plot: 8/10

The plot was very good. Valerie starts not knowing of her connection. She's just a normal girl that is going to varsity and is hoping to have some fun. Everything quickly begins changing and the plot is fast paced. Between trying to determine which side is the one Valerie needs to align herself with and then how to make her powers stronger to fight the other side, there's always something to keep you enthralled.

Originality: 9/10

The connection to a celestial body isn't exactly a new idea, but the way Swanpoel went about it was original. This was a facet of this alternate version of our universe that had to be thought about very carefully and be fleshed out. Not only do Valerie and the some of the other characters have a connection to a planet, star or other celestial body in our galaxy, but they have powers associated with it also. Some of these powers are dependant on their connection, Valerie can change the weather based on her moods, and some are based on just the fact that they have a connection at all, such as healing. This combined with a hierarchy and a ruling class makes for a very original story.

Enjoyability: 6/10

As much as I loved the plot and the originality, there was a major problem with the enjoyability. It's too fast paced. There's never really any downtime to get to know the characters. It's only a few pages in before Valerie meets Duncan and her awakens her connection. She then wakes up in a hospital and feels as though there's something wrong with the nurse and escapes. At no point during any of this do we really learn anything about Valerie, other than she's adopted. This continues throughout the entire book. There's not a lot of interaction that not based strictly around the issues at hand and I didn't feel like I knew any of the characters at the end. I feel like not thrusting us into the world of danger so quickly or taking a step back at some point and allowing Valerie and her varsity friends, Lisa, Alex and Jennifer, some time to get to know each other and their interests would have helped immensely. Even just some time with some of the other, more elusive characters like Benjamin or Duncan would have made it easier to get attached to Valerie.

End- 4/10

I really felt as though I had to come down hard on the end. I have no idea what happened. Three characters could have died and I have no idea if any of them did or not, although I have my suspicions. There was a twist that I did like and that brought the score up a little bit, but it was just too muddled and there was no real wrapping up. I feel like some closure in a story is necessary and there wasn't any in this.

Overall- 31/50

Get WILDly for the Nook, Kindle or other devices.

Visit the series website.

Have you read WILDly? What did you think?

The Ivory Prison

The Ivory Prison

Ashlyn Daube

Sci-fi

Length

Teens

Warnings: Violence, mentions of death

GAB-27 has lived his whole life in one room. He's been educated and experimented on, but never given an identity or allowed to visit with other children. For a short time he is allowed a mirror, then a window into the hall, but is always trapped inside of his room. All of this changes when the facility is taken over by Dr. Mercier. His door is open, his room is painted, he is named Gabriel and he has a friend, Dr. Mercier's son Lukas. Still, he knows he is not human and he knows that he isn't making the progress that they want and his life comes with deadline.

Writing Style: 9/10

Excellent style. The description's are easy to picture in your mind, but aren't overly detailed and there isn't an excess of dialogue. The writing is natural and there's a real attachment to the characters. There was at least one spelling error, leading to a deduction, but overall it was excellent.

Plot: 8/10

The plot was good. It was clear and had a great flow to it. Gabriel's background was throughly fleshed out before jumping into the part that he wants to tell, the part where he is treated humanely by Lukas, another boy like him and his first and only friend, and Dr. Mercier and to the worry towards the end of him meeting the mysterious goal that has been laid out for him to acheive or to die.

Originality: 6/10

The idea of a locked up experiment isn't anything new. It's something that is used commonly in science fiction and isn't anything to write home about. There are many different ways you can go with such a story. Is Dr. Mercier going through this to later betray Gabriel? Why does Lukas care for his new friend so much? Is Gabriel going to meet his goal? If he is, how? If he's not, what's going to happen to him? The answer to these types of questions are where the originality really shines through, but also give away spoilers.

Enjoyability: 10/10

Gabriel was an interesting character and his interactions with Lukas were perfect. They contrasted so well, Gabriel having had no freedom, while Lukas had an abundance. Dr. Mercier was also well written. The characters were so good that I truly wanted to find what happened to them next and I didn't get distracted like I do with some of the stories I don't like as much.

End: 8/10

Although it became more and more predictable how the story was going to end as time went on, it was still a good ending that tied up all the pressing questions of the book while still leaving it open for her to continue into a series.

Overall: 41/50

Get The Ivory Prison on the Kindle, Nook, iPad and other devices.

Visit Ashlyn Daube's website.

What did you guys think? Was it worthy of my praise or just another book?

Steampunx Episode 1: Funk and Puck

Steampunx Episode 1: Funk and Puck

Benjamin Jacobson

Steampunk, alternate reality 

43 pages

Teen

Warnings: Violence

Funk is a boy living in 1875 that is trying to become a man by hunting the Birch Stag, a wooden stag created by the wizard Thunder. Instead of killing the beast himself, he witnesses it's demise at the hand of outsiders with guns, which have been banned in the land of Ten Hundred Nations and gets himself shot through the hand. To save it, he and his sister, Puck, must go find Thunder while at the same time warn him of the intruders.

Writing Style: 10/10

The author did really well in writing this. The style seemed to accurately represent the people that he was writing about and I personally didn't see any mistakes on his part. He just did an all around excellent job.

Plot: 9/10 

The plot progressed well with natural twists and turns. It starts out as an innocent quest for manhood before morphing into something more dangerous and bigger than Funk's quest. The Buffalo man ends up playing a major role, attacking the two while at Thunder's and guns in The Ten Hundred Nations are banned, making it so that their presence is an act of hostility against the whole nation and involving more than just the two children and Thunder.

Originality: 10/10

I feel like this was a very original story. While it told one young man's coming of age, it told of a major threat that was going to come down on the nation. The steampunk side of it is a nice addition to many stories and one that I personally don't see explored often enough. Thunder uses a lot of wood in his endeavors and also tries to make them for the purpose of peace. These all combine into a very original work.

Enjoyability: 9/10 

The originality in this and the idea of a place that mixed the ways of earlier early humans and the present era of the time had me enthralled until the end. In the beginning the contrast of the twins characters, Puck being very much still a child and carefree while Funk is serious and wants to be taken as a man had me smiling and wanting to see what happened to them. When it was decided that they needed to see Thunder, the wizard that was said to be crazy, I wanted to know how crazy he was and see these magical machines he possessed. The story kept me going with something new continuously and took me as far as to read the two sequels that he has out.

End: 9/10 

The end did everything that I want in an end. It wrapped up the story, letting me know what happened with Funk's hand, the Buffalo Man that killed the Birch Stag and Thunder's machines and their uses while paving the path for episode two.

Overall: 47/50

Steampunx can be downloaded at Smashwords for all devices.

Benjamin Jacobson has a blog and a Twitter.