Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes

May 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Historical
Length: Short Story (54 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Burning Girls”, by Veronica Schanoes, is a fascinating dark fantasy novella about a Jewish girl educated by her grandmother as a healer and witch growing up in an increasingly hostile environment in Poland in the late nineteenth century. In addition to the natural danger of destruction by Cossacks, she must deal with a demon plaguing her family.

No matter what they say, never trust a demon.

The world building was phenomenal. I loved the fact that the author incorporated scenes from well-known fairy tales and real historical events into the troubles that Deborah, the main character, and her family faced. Not only was it fun to pick out those elements of the plot, they made the early twentieth century come alive in my imagination. I could imagine exactly what it would be like to live in Poland or the United States during that period of time.

I would have preferred to see some more time spent on character development. Deborah and her family made the same mistakes over and over again while they were trying to escape the clutches of the demon who was tormenting them. I was surprised by the fact that they didn’t seem to learn from their previous mistakes, and I would have liked to know why they kept making choices that hadn’t worked out well for them at all in the past.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this story had to do with how witches were treated in it. Deborah was only a little girl when her family realized that she’d inherited her grandmother’s special abilities, and they made sure she had all of the training she needed in order to become proficient at her future occupation. Her talents were seen as a gift, not a curse. While she did require guidance and training, I liked the fact that being a witch was thought of as a positive thing in this universe.

Burning Girls is a must-read for anyone who adores fairy tales.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

E is for Evil by Rhonda Parrish (editor)

May 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment


E is for Evil by Rhonda Parrish (editor)
Publisher: Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full Length (279 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

E is for Evil contains twenty-six individual stories which each shine a different light on the multi-faceted idea that is evil. Running the gamut from lyrical fantasy to gritty horror in these stories possessed toys, hellish bureaucrats, scientists with questionable morals, abusive partners and even lingerie sellers all take their turn in the spotlight.

Featuring fresh new stories from Michael Fosburg, Lynn Hardaker, Stephanie A. Cain, Andrew Bourelle, Suzanne J. Willis, Samantha Kymmell-Harvey, Hal J. Friesen, C.S. MacCath, Michael B. Tager, Jonathan C. Parrish, Amanda C. Davis, Lilah Wild, Sara Cleto, Alexandra Seidel, Mary Alexandra Agner, Cory Cone, Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, Beth Cato, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Megan Engelhardt, Danielle Davis, Brittany Warman, BD Wilson, L.S. Johnson, Pete Aldin and Michael M. Jones.

There’s something for everyone in this anthology.

In “C,” Stephanie A. Cain wrote about a man named Murphy whose neighbor girl turned up late one night at his home with a suspicious injury. He didn’t trust the cops to respond properly to a possible case of child abuse, so he had to decide what he might be able to do to help her on her own. The plot twists were fabulous. I appreciated the way Ms. Cain gave subtle hints about what was really going on while still leaving plenty of room for other possible explanations. Not only did this make her work fun to read, it made the ending even more meaningful than it would have been if I’d known what was happening from the very first scene.

While all of these stories had strong premises, a few of them could have used a little more development. “U” by Danielle Davis was one of them. It was about a young girl named Drina who was selected to be the bearer of a cursed story that had been passed down through her family for generations. Since she wasn’t allowed to share it with anyone until the end of her life, she couldn’t even tell the audience what it was about. As much as I enjoyed the secrecy surrounding this curse, it was a bit disappointing for me as a reader to have so many of my questions about it left unanswered.

Jonathan C. Parrish’s “J” followed someone named Sam who was in charge of determining the most effective ways to torture souls who were assigned to the Department of Miscellany in the afterlife. The interesting thing about this character’s job was how much bureaucracy was required in order to sort the souls based on what sins they’d committed in life and which punishments were most effective for them. Office politics isn’t something I’d typically expect to find in hell, but it worked really nicely as a contrast to the horrors that awaited anyone who was assigned to Sam’s department.

This collection is part of a series, but it does not need to be read in order.

I’d recommend E is for Evil to anyone who is in the market for well-written science fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

You Know How the Story Goes by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

May 3, 2018 By Leave a Comment


You Know How the Story Goes by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It’s the same old story. Take a chance and pick up a hitchhiker. But only after midnight and only when you need some company. Of course, the hitchhiker will disappear. That’s the way the story goes, right? But this time you are the hitchhiker. And there’s a tunnel up ahead.

Be sure to lock all of the doors and windows before diving into this ghost story.

The unnamed main character was such a likeable guy. The fact that he ignored the little voice in his head that warned him not to get into the car with the person who offered him a ride was understandable. It’s something a lot of people would do if they’d been waiting for a ride for as long as he had been, and I couldn’t fault him for making a mistake there. What really endeared me to him was how he reacted once he realized just how much danger he was in. His response to that situation was perfect, and it also provided a nice contrast to the more naive side of his personality that he’d shown earlier.

I would have liked to see a little more time developing the backstory of the strange woman who picked up hitchhikers. She played such an important role in the main character’s horrifying experiences. The details the author shared about who and what she really was were chilling. Had there been more of them, I would have felt comfortable giving this tale a perfect rating. Everything else about it was perfect.

My favorite kind of horror is the type that isn’t gory at all. The author did an excellent job of scaring me by slowly revealing details of everything that was wrong with the hitchhiking situation the main character found himself in. There were so many small signs that something was seriously off about this ride that discovering them was all I needed to feel deeply afraid of what might happen next.

You Know How the Story Goes was one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who is in the mood to be frightened.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

April Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Willow’s Way by Sharon Struth

April 30, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Willow’s Way by Sharon Struth
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: Full Length (228 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rated: 5 stars
Reviewed by Rose

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Willow Armstrong, the once-famous “Queen of Weight Loss” and president of Pound Busters, succumbed to stress eating after her divorce. Now the scandal of getting caught on camera binging on pizza, and the internet-wide mocking of her new curves, may destroy her career. Add in a business advisor who drained her finances, and Willow is out of options—until she learns she’s inherited a house in England’s most picturesque locale, The Cotswolds.

Willow’s trip across the pond to sell the property and salvage her company soon becomes its own adventure: the house, once owned by grandparents she never met, needs major work. Plus, single dad Owen Hughes, the estate’s resident groundskeeper and owner of a local tour outfit, isn’t thrilled about the idea of leaving . . . Yet as Willow proceeds with her plans, she’s sidetracked by surprising discoveries about her family’s history–and with Owen’s help, the area’s distinctive attractions. Soon, she’s even retracing her roots—and testing her endurance—amid the region’s natural beauty. And the more she delves into the past, the more clearly she sees herself, her future, and the way home . . .

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: ,

The Golden Age of Everything by Richard Moore

April 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Golden Age of Everything by Richard Moore
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (36 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One billion years in the future, Ritch Speerat seeks psychological help for his nightmares. On his way to his therapist, he meets The Hortboy. Ritch shares with The Hortboy his love of ancient history, specifically an age one billion years in the past which he calls ‘the golden age of everything’. The Hortboy is charmed by this age and shares it with everyone he knows. It soon goes viral.

Ritch’s therapist informs him that there are three ways to cure him of his nightmares: suicide, murder, and The One True Law. Ritch, a good guy, chooses The One True Law. Ritch must retrieve The One True Law, overcoming many obstacles, and expose the source of his nightmares to its justice. Maybe his unique knowledge of ‘the golden age of everything’ will help him.

On his journey Ritch encounters giant pizza-delivering rodents, enchanted roadways, weird spells, strange magic items, golden skyscrapers, a singing/dancing army, ghastly demons, villainous cannibals, multiple One True Laws, a pot smoking dragon, and a group of frat boys, all of which come together like water in a funnel.

A study in contrasts, The Golden Age of Everything juxtaposes: mature psychological issues with sophomoric humor, emotional abandonment with serendipitous friendship, beautiful dreams with terrible nightmares, girl parts with boy parts; you get the idea.

Written with the structural vigor of a sonnet, the calculated efficiency of a computer program, and the offbeat humor of a freak, The Golden Age of Everything is sure to enhance the golden age that is your life.

Ritch isn’t exactly a typical fantasy hero. That’s okay, though, because this isn’t a typical quest.

As soon as I learned about Ritch’s sad backstory, I felt a great deal of sympathy for him. Figuring out what his life had once been like made it much easier to understand who he’d become by the time the first scene in this tale began. He had serious reasons for behaving the way he did, and I couldn’t fault him for his flaws at all once I realized why they’d developed in the first place. They made sense, and I probably would have acted the same way if I were him.

There were so many run-on sentences in this story that I had a hard time following what was happening in it. Many sentences could be interpreted in more than one way, and others were difficult to understand no matter which way I read them. While I enjoyed the plot itself, all of these errors were pretty distracting. I would have felt comfortable choosing a higher rating if this wasn’t the case.

Mr. Moore had a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that shone through many of the scenes in this book. I’d usually never expect to laugh at something that has so many dark themes running through it, but I couldn’t help but to chuckle at this one. There were multiple moments that were both funny and horrifying at the same time.

I’d recommend The Golden Age of Everything to anyone who likes satirical and irreverent science fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Food of the Gods by Em Dehaney

April 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Food of the Gods by Em Dehaney
Publisher: Brave Boy Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Short Story (133 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A perfect corpse floats forever in a watery grave.
A gang member takes a terrifying trip to the seaside.
A deserted cross-channel ferry that serves only the finest Slovakian wines.
Gods and monsters.
Mermaids and witches.
Blood and magic.
Love and death.
From the dark and decadent mind of Em Dehaney come eight tales of seafoam secrets and sweet treats.
Nothing is quite what it seems, but everything is delicious.
This is Food Of The Gods.

First impressions don’t always tell the whole story.

Framing “Here Be Monsters” as a conversation between a child and their grandmother about what Earth was like before the monsters arrived and began destroying everything was the perfect way to introduce such a grim future for humanity. Children can understand much more than adults sometimes give them credit for, and the main character of this story was no exception to that rule. They understood the drastic events that nearly caused humans to go extinct incredibly well even if they had no idea what a rainbow was or that people used to be able to grow food in places called gardens. I enjoyed figuring out what daily life must have been like for these characters as I read their conversation and slowly pieced together what must have happened in their not-so-distant past.

“Bellarmine” told the tale of an abusive marriage from the perspectives of Nathaniel and his wife and victim, Elizabeth. They lived at a time in history when there was no social support for women in this situation, so Elizabeth had to figure out how to handle her husband’s violent attacks on her own. As intrigued by I was by her predicament and the clever plot twists, the character development wasn’t strong enough for me to get to know either of them well at all. Nathaniel’s personality was particularly one-dimensional. I strongly disliked him due to all of the awful things he did to his wife, and I certainly wouldn’t expect that to change no matter what his backstory might have been. With that being said, it would have been helpful to have more details about why he behaved so horribly. This was something I noticed play out in a few other stories in this collection as well. While I adored Ms. Dehaney’s writing style overall, the character development issues did lead to me giving her book a lower rating than I would have otherwise chosen.

Mikey’s life changed forever on the day he found a baby shark in “The Mermaid’s Purse.” His childhood was full of neglect and abuse, so I was curious to see how he’d keep such an exotic pet alive despite the fact that he didn’t even have enough food or other necessities for himself. It was truly satisfying to see how hard he worked to keep him and new little friend going no matter what was going on around them. The ending was perfect. It tied together all of the loose ends of the plot nicely, and it also left me wondering what would happen to Mikey next.

Food of the Gods should be read by anyone who is in the mood for deeply creative science fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Totem Poles by Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker

April 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Totem Poles by Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (25 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The saucer aliens are here. They’re healing the planet. They’ve got to be stopped.

At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Are these aliens truly friendly, or is there a darker purpose to all of the kind things they’re doing for humanity?

Mr. Sterling and Mr. Rucker are both talented writers. They have writing styles that are simultaneously poetic and conversational. There were several times when I needed to stop, chuckle, and reread a sentence not because I didn’t understand it the first time but because I wanted the pleasure of reading it again.

I would have liked to see this story go into far more detail about why Kalinin, one of the main characters, was so certain that the aliens were cleaning up the pollution on Earth for nefarious purposes. He leapt to that conclusion without having any evidence to support it. As much as I enjoyed the rest of the plot, it didn’t make sense to me to be this paranoid about cleaning up the environment when the aliens had given the humans absolutely no reason to assume that they meant harm to anyone.

The paranormal elements of the plot weren’t something I was expecting to find at all. Ghosts and flying saucers aren’t generally included in the same storyline in this genre from what I’ve observed, but I was pleased with how the authors combined those two ideas. It ended up making perfect sense for them to coexist in this particular universe because of how much effort was put into showing all of the ways they intersected.

It was confusing to switch between the perspectives of so many different characters due to how short this story was in general. I was never able to get to know any of them well. As soon as I began to form an impression of their personalities, a different narrator would take over in the next scene and I’d have to readjust to other characters all over again.

The final scene tied up all of the loose ends of the plot nicely. While it was something I saw coming in advance, it was still interesting to see if my predictions would turn out to be correct and how the characters would react to what their futures held. I was quite satisfied with the ending when it was all said and done.

If the thought of an alien invasion fills you with a quiet sense of foreboding, Totem Poles may be right up your alley.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

March Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks

March 31, 2018 By 1 Comment


Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full length (320 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

TRUTH―OR DARE?

Gwennore is an Elf able to track down the cause of a certain illness and heal it―a valuable asset to her people. But when she is thrust into the realm of the dragons, she discovers a haunted place of power, passion, and magic―one that is plagued by an ancient curse. When she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, Gwen knows she’s entered a whole new world of trouble. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon. So why does making a deal with the devil feel so good?

Silas has no way of saving the royal family he’s served for years. But when a beautiful, innocent elf comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to desire in a way he’s never felt before. But how can he trust a sworn enemy. . .and how can he live without her, in Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by New York Times bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: ,

February Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ The Pleasures of Passion: The Sinful Suitors Series by Sabrina Jeffries

March 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Pleasures of Passion: The Sinful Suitors Series by Sabrina Jeffries
Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (387 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Honeysuckle

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

When Niall Lindsey, the Earl of Margrave, is forced to flee after killing a man in a duel, he expects his secret love, Brilliana Trevor, to go with him, or at the very least wait for him. To his shock, she does neither and sends him off with no promise for the future. Seven years and one pardon later, Niall returns to England disillusioned and cynical. And being blackmailed by the government into working with his former love to help catch a counterfeiter connected to her father doesn’t improve his mood any. But as his role as Brilliana’s fake fiancé brings his long-buried feelings to the surface once again, he wonders who is more dangerous—the counterfeiter or the woman rapidly stealing his heart.

Forced to marry another man after Niall was exiled, the now widowed Brilliana wants nothing to do with the reckless rogue who she believes abandoned her to a dreary, loveless life. So having to rely on him to save her father is the last thing she wants, much less trusts him with….But as their scheme strips away the lies and secrets of their shared past, can she let go of the old hurt and put her pride aside? Or will the pleasures of their renewed passion finally enable them both to rediscover love?

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: ,

The Chef and the Ghost of Bartholomew Addison Jenkins by Aletta Thorne

February 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Chef and the Ghost of Bartholomew Addison Jenkins by Aletta Thorne
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Historical
Length: Full Length (151 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Halloween, 1982. MTV is new, poodle perms are the rage, and life just might be getting better for Alma Kobel. Her ugly divorce is final at last. Her new job as chef at Bright Day School’s gorgeous old estate is actually fun. But the place is haunted—and so is Alma’s apartment.

Bartholomew Addison Jenkins’ ghost has been invisibly watching Alma for months. When he materializes one night, Alma discovers Bart—as he likes to be called—has talents she couldn’t have imagined … and a horrifying past. Can you have a one-nighter with a ghost? And what happens if you decide one night is all you want—and end up ghosting him? Some spirits don’t like taking “no” for an answer.

First impressions definitely aren’t always accurate.

What a hilarious main character Alma was! She could find a funny spin to anything that happened to her, from surprise health inspections at work to her strange and complicated interactions with her ex-husband. Some of the things that happened to her would have seriously annoyed or even frightened a lot of people. I loved the fact that she was able to quickly shake so many of those memories off with her fabulous sense of humor.

The only criticism I have of this story has to do with how quickly the romantic relationship in it heated up. Both of the people involve in it were so cautious and meticulous in other areas of their lives that I never would have expected them to move as fast as they did. Yes, I definitely wanted to see them end up together, but it felt a little odd to me because it didn’t feel consistent with everything else I’d learned about them. With that being said, this is a minor complaint about something I enjoyed quite a lot.

The world building was really well done. I especially enjoyed figuring out what ghosts were and weren’t capable of in this universe. Since nobody was given any instructions after they died, Bartholomew had to learn what he could do and what the consequences of those actions would be on his own. Him slowly discovering his abilities and limitations as the plot moved forward made it difficult for me to stop reading. I always wanted to know more about what the afterlife was like for him.

The Chef and the Ghost of Bartholomew Addison Jenkins was as spooky as it was sexy. It should be read by fans of erotica and ghost stories alike.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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