Book Review: Transformation

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Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Synopsis:

Emily Winters was kidnapped as a teenager by Psi-Tech, a corrupt and power-hungry corporation that learned of her precognitive ability. Imprisoned for years and forced to use her talent to help a company thrive, she now reaches a point where she must escape or die. A natural disaster will cause chaos, death, and destruction throughout the entire world while transforming most of the survivors into psychics. After this happens, Psi-Tech will kill all of their prisoners to hide the evidence of their horrific crimes. 

Knowing how the disaster will affect her captors gives Emily one slim chance to escape. She must seize this opportunity to save not only herself but her brother as well who will die without a medical treatment that doesn’t yet exist.

Review: 

As much as I tried to finish this book, I am having to list it as DFR. The plot and cover were intriguing and so I was able to get a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I still hold onto the fact that the main idea is a good one and is definitely intriguing. However, I found it very difficult to connect with the text. I wasn't getting any real emotion or feeling from reading it. It just felt like a list of events to me and there wasn't that certain spark that I can usually feel with books. I wasn't intrigued by the writing. I felt there were a few too many conveniences that favored the main characters and just kind of allowed them to be semi-invincible or have opportunities or chances to do things other people wouldn't have. Then there were times that I felt some of the description was unnecessary and rather than adding to the story, it took away from it. Maybe one day I can pick up this book again and finish it, but today is not that day. (*Note: I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review from the author through LibraryThing.)

Book Review: Sadie's Guide to Catching Killers (A Sadie Novella)

Author Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Rating: ★★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Synopsis:

Sadie may seem like the typical girl next door—except she isn’t. At age eight, when she finds Mommy in the bathtub, floating in a pool of blood, Sadie becomes obsessed with murder. Sadie’s Guide to Catching Killers is the prekill to Sadie the Sadist: X-tremely Black Humor/Horror, delving into Sadie’s bizarre childhood to unravel what makes her the psycho we know and love. The story you’ve got in your hot little hands (unless you’re holding something else) is a twisted coming-of-age story, Black Humor/Horror. BONUS: Advice from L’il Sadie : 10 Signs Someone is a Low-Life Liar; 10 Ways to Your Dream Confession; 10 Useful Household Poisons, and more! 

Note: This is the (slightly) cut version of the novella. Even so, please expect sexuality, insanity, and other disturbing content. 

Review: 

There is absolutely no doubt that this book is dark and twisted. The author even tells you right off the bat that this is how the book is and that it contains dark humor. However, if you're one for that, then this book will be right up your alley.

It's an easy read but the writing isn't sloppy or too simple. The author keeps it interesting and moving along fairly well. It is almost as if Sadie is there telling you this story and it is sort of scary how twisted and believable she is. I have no experience with psychopaths, or people who don't really feel anything, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Sadie is decently accurate.

The author takes a risk in talking about many taboo things, but she does it well and almost effortlessly. A few surprises that you don't really see coming are peppered into the story.

Overall it was a very satisfying read and I would most definitely suggest it to anyone who is into this genre.

(*Note: I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review from the author through LibraryThing.)

Book Review: Grave Decisions

Author Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Rating: ★☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

Synopsis:

In the urban fantasy short story, Grave Decisions, a young inexperienced witch has car troubles outside of town and is pursued by a powerful supernatural assailant. A bonus short story, Deadly Familiar, features three witches who perform an enchantment to summon a new familiar for their friend but the spell goes awry and results in unforeseen consequences they aren’t prepared to deal with.

Review: 

Grave Decisions is a small collection of short stories. The writing is simplistic and easy to read. However, the writing level seems a bit low and the sentences can be a bit bland. The book is probably good for elementary and middle schoolers, most likely boys.

Grave Decisions: Told from the first person perspective, we're thrown into a chase between the narrator and his pursuer. The short story is riddled with due ex machinas to the point it's cliche and a bit of a let down. The ending sentence is supposed to be witty but comes off as something one might find in a beginning fanfiction author's work.

Deadly Familiar: Three teens decide to use magic to summon a familiar. As you can guess, the spell goes horribly wrong. The story isn't a bad idea in and of itself, however the author uses too many descriptor words. What ever happened to said? Not every sentence needs and exclaimed or uttered joyfully. It takes away the flavor, excitement, and importance of those words if you use them every sentence. A few missing commas could have been used to help the story flow better and the dialog could use a bit of sprucing up. No real plot to this story. No real conflict or solution. Just three kids and an invisible bird.

Vorgan: Another trio of friends. This time the trio are out to hunt down witches that summon demons. (And apparently it's ironic that witches perform spells in their own home??)

"A lot of criminals were slobs although they were just people, so many were average and some were obsessively neat." (Kindle Locations 318-319).

The above sentence doesn't make a whole lot of sense and is really unnecessary for the story. A lot of the descriptions tend to take away rather than add to the story. The ending was once again a due ex machina with large leaps made by the characters that is not all that easy to follow as a reader. It was almost as if the writer was rushing to finish the story.

Over all the writing needs work and the stories need to be fleshed out more. Gone with the lackluster descriptors and supposedly witty dialog and hello to fresh endings that aren't pulled out of thin air. Interesting concepts but not all that well executed. Besides that, there's 67% of the book left and that's just a preview for another book. Not worth the money in my opinion.

(*Note I was given this book free through Member Giveaways on LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I was also offered another book of his in exchange for the review. Neither have swayed my opinion in the slightest.)