Curiosity Quills Press
PLEASE DON’T TELL MY PARENTS I’VE GOT HENCHMEN – RELEASE DAY TODAY!!!
Title: Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’ve Got Henchmen
Author: Richard Roberts
Genres: young-adult, superhero, science-fiction
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: February 8, 2016
Cover Artist: Ricky Gunawan
Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads
Description:
What would middle school be like if half your classmates had super powers? It’s time for Penny Akk to find out. Her latest (failed) attempt to become a superhero has inspired the rest of the kids in her school to reveal their own powers.
Now, all of her relationships are changing. She has a not-at-all-secret admirer, who wants to be Penny’s partner almost as much as she wants to be Penny’s rival. The meanest girl in school has gained super powers and lost her mind. Can Penny help her find a better one? Can she help an aging supervillain connect with his daughter, and broken hearts of two of the most powerful people in the world? And in all this, where will she find time for her own supervillainous fun, or even more dangerous, to start dating?
Now, all of her relationships are changing. She has a not-at-all-secret admirer, who wants to be Penny’s partner almost as much as she wants to be Penny’s rival. The meanest girl in school has gained super powers and lost her mind. Can Penny help her find a better one? Can she help an aging supervillain connect with his daughter, and broken hearts of two of the most powerful people in the world? And in all this, where will she find time for her own supervillainous fun, or even more dangerous, to start dating?
It’s going to be a long, strange semester.
4 Stars for ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW by Jordan Elizabeth – BOOK REVIEW
Title: ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW
Author: JORDAN ELIZABETH (formerly known as Jordan Elizabeth Mierek)
Type of Book: eBook
Length: 200 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Historical Fiction
Release Date: October 2014
Publisher: CURIOSITY QUILLS PRESS
ISBN: 978-1-62007-746-7
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I received a free copy of this book from the publisher I n exchange for an honest review.
The story begins in October of 2001. Honoria just started school at Arnn High School. All her life she has lived in New York City, but after September 11th when both her parents died in the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack her Aunt and Uncle decide to move them out to the country. They now live in what used to be an inn in the tiny town of Arnn.
Shortly after arriving in town Honoria meets her neighbor Leon who is very interested in researching the history of their town.
The townspeople believe that there is a place in their woods that is home to a witch. They call the place “Witchwood Hollow” and they say that if you enter the hollow, you will never leave.
This story fits into multiple classifications and genres. It is paranormal fiction, young adult fiction, historical fiction and it also fits into the mystery genre. Essentially this means that the potential numbers of readers for this book are huge.
The story fluctuates between multiple time periods. While the main story is set in 2001, there are two other important timelines that the writer returns to multiple times. Those periods are the years 1670 and 1850. The author does a good job of including historic events to give the reader a sense of when each event takes place.
The author does a wonderful job of describing the serenity of the area surrounding the woods that contain Witchwood Hollow. “To her right stretched a hayfield, the weeds swaying like ocean waves. Wildflowers poked their heads through the brown and green stalks. To her left lay a hill dotted with oak trees. The green leaves shifted to crimson and gold, the wind making the branches creak. Beyond the trees lay weedy banks, and beyond that, the woods.” It is little wonder that Albertine felt safe in such an idyllic place.
I was pleasantly surprised by the multiple twists in this book. It made the reading experience much more enjoyable. I will be looking to read more books by Jordan Elizabeth.
If you have read any of my reviews in the past, you will know that I take editing and proof-reading seriously. I believe that Indie authors can hold their own with authors who are represented by the major book publishers, but if an Indie author wants to have their talent recognized by a wide audience, then they need to have their work proofread and edited properly.
This eBook is in dire need of a proof-reading or a going-over by a professional editor. I stopped counting after I noticed 50 errors. Most of these would be simple to fix, such as using the words “as lease” when it should say “at least” or omitting words completely such as in this sentence: “… they sent her postcards from city…” which is missing the word “the” before the word “city”. To me these are simple and easily caught errors. This book was published more than a year ago and there is really no excuse for these errors to still be in the eBook.
Because of the errors I feel that I must reduce my rating of this book by one star. So, what would have been a 5 star book, now becomes a 4 star book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Find out more about this book at:
https://curiosityquills.com/books/escape-witchwood-hollow/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. With an eclectic job history of working as a college professor; historic costumed interpreter at Fort Stanwix, Victorian Leisure Fair, and Mayfaire on the Green; office specialist; sales clerk; election inspector; and trainer, she is now diving into the world of author.It happens to be her favorite one.
When she’s not creating art or searching for lost history in the woods, she’s updating her blog, Kissed by Literature. Jordan is the president of the Utica Writers Club and maintains JordanElizabethMierek.com.
She roams Central New York, but she loves to travel. A great deal of time has been spent in a rural town very similar to Arnn, the setting of her novel ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW.
Also visit her Author Page on the Curiosity Quills website: https://curiosityquills.com/authors/jordan-elizabeth/
4 Stars for DEAD GIRL RUNNING by Ann M. Noser – BOOK REVIEW
Title: DEAD GIRL RUNNING
Series: The New Order: Book One
Author: Ann M. Moser
Type of Book: EBook
Length: 225 pages
Genre: Dystopian Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: October 26, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
ISBN: 978-1-62007-970-6 eBook
Cover By: Eugene Teplitsky
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* I received a free copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Back of the Book Blurb:
Eight years ago, SILVIA WOOD’s father died in an industrial accident. After suffering through years of Psychotherapy Services and Mandated Medications for depression and multiple suicide attempts, she longs to work in Botanical Sciences. When the Occupation Exam determines she must work in Mortuary Sciences instead, she wonders if the New Order assigned her to the morgue to push her over the edge.
To appease her disappointed mother, Silvia enters the Race for Citizen Glory, in an attempt to stand out in the crowd of Equals. After she begins training with “golden boy” LIAM HARMAN, she discovers he also lost his father in the same accident that ruined her childhood. Then Silvia meets and falls for Liam’s older cousin, whose paranoid intensity makes her question what really happened to her father. As the race nears, Silvia realizes that she’s not only running for glory, she’s running for her life.
MY REVIEW:
First off I need to mention that the target audience for this book is the Young Adult readership. With that being said, I will be rating this book with that age group in mind (age 13-17).
Silvia is the main character of this book and she is definitely not your average eighteen year old. Silvia loves her job in the hospital morgue and tries not care what other people think of her and he chosen profession.
At first I thought that Silvia was going to be one of those perfect book heroines that just happen to have all the right character traits and is a paragon of virtue. This turns out not to be the case at all (thankfully). She is flawed and although there were quite a few things about her that bothered me, she comes across as plausible.
Of course, the world that Silvia lives in has helped to shape her, as has the tragedy of losing her father at the young age of ten years old. Readers who have experienced the loss of a parent might be able to relate. This book might even inadvertently help them to deal with their grief.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the story. The world Silvia lives in could actually become our own reality if the world and it’s inhabitants do not make some drastic changes in the way things are done. (Read the book – you’ll see what I mean.)
Some of the plot was easy to guess, and at times I wanted to smack Silvia, but that just means that I was “into” the story.
I rate this book as 4 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
QUOTES I LOVED:
“The past is all we’re left with now. Living in the past while we’re half-asleep in the present.”
“Nurse Pringle hands me a clear plastic cup. ‘We need to make sure you’re not pregnant before we administer the [Mandatory Birth Control] implant.’ … This is ridiculous. I’ve never even been kissed.”
“Dad always said that everybody is a slave here in Panopticus, even those on top who think they’re better than the rest of us.”
“Moms are trouble.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ann M. Noser is not only a writer. She is also an avid reader, a wife, a Mom, a yoga fanatic, a trail runner and a veterinarian. She is the author of “How To Date Dead Guys” which was released in July of 2014. A second book in the series is coming soon. To find out more about Ann visit her at:
http://annandersonnoser.blogspot.ca
Or
5 Stars for BROKEN DOLLS by Tyrolin Puxty – BOOK REVIEW
Title: BROKEN DOLLS
Series: Broken Dolls – Book One
Author: Tyrolin Puxty
Length: 175 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
Publication Date: December 14, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
EBook ISBN: 978-1-62007-929-4
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-62007-931-7
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62007-930-0
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
First off I feel that I have to mention the stunningly gorgeous cover of this book. The “doll” is stylized and disjointed with a black wind-up type key in its right side. The choice of having the doll standing on a plush red heart that matches the colour of the doll’s dress mixed with the small black butterflies surrounding her gives a sense of something just not quite right about her surroundings. When you look closer, you realize that she is standing on a hinged piece of wood which is attached to a similar piece of wood located behind her. In fact, it looks like the two pieces fit tightly together with the doll flattened inside whenever it is closed. Also, I love that the book title, along with the author’s name are inside scroll work. The chosen font is perfect.
In fact, I had decided that I wanted to read this book solely based on the cover design. Once I read the description I was thrilled that the book sounded just as interesting as the book’s cover.
“Slowly and silently, cries the dancing doll, meekly, angelically, she weeps for her soul.”
Ella used to be human, but she has no memories of that time. She is a doll … A broken doll. She has lived the past thirty years as a doll. She was “saved” from her human life and turned into a doll by the Professor.
Ella lives in the attic and has been conditioned by the Professor to never try to leave it.
When the Professor decides to make another doll Ella is excited. She has never had another doll to play with. She knows that when the new doll wakes up she will be devoid of memories, won’t even know her own name and will be disoriented, but Ella vows to help her adapt to her new life.
The new doll’s name is Lisa. When the Professor activates her, Ella asks her what she remembers and is shocked to find that not only does Lisa remember her own name, but that the majority of her memories are also intact. Another shock comes when Ella realizes that Lisa is mad.
When the Professor’s granddaughter, Gabby arrives, the Professor tells Ella that they will become friends.
But, what will happen to Lisa? Will Gabby somehow accept a talking doll? Is the Professor out of his mind? Is he evil? Or is he actually a saviour? How does he turn humans into dolls? And, why would he want to?
For answers to the questions above as well as many more, you will need to read BROKEN DOLLS.
You will not regret your decision to pick up this book. The only thing you might not like is that the story has to end eventually, but I am happy to report that this is the first book in a planned series. I will be eagerly awaiting the release of Tyrolin Puxty’s next book.
The characters in this book are complex and believable and the concept of being changed from a living, breathing human into a doll is absolutely horrifying. Imagine never again feeling a fresh breeze on your face, never feeling the softness of grass under your feet and never being able to smell the distinctive aroma of fresh cut grass. These may seem minor things, but they are all significant parts of being human.
Tyrolin Puxty has a wondrous gift for vivid descriptions that evoke emotional responses in the reader. For example, when describing a first visit to the ballet, she says: “The orchestra was like a romantic radioactive wave that wafted through the theatre, sending ripples of emotion through the audience. The dancers’ technique was flawless, impeccable, perfect. I loved how their eyes glistened when the audience cheered. I envied their heaving chests as they posed during the applause. I wanted the exquisitely crafted costumes that pressed into their flesh. THEY have a life.”
Not only is this book a great read but it also brings up many ethical questions such as:
The dilemma of quantity vs quality of life
Is it better to die? Or live trapped in a dolls body?
Is he evil? Or is he a saint and a saviour?
Was does “to live” really mean? Is it life if you don’t breathe? Is it life if you are stripped of your memories?
At what point do we cease to be human? What if you were in a car accident and you lost both legs and both arms and they were replaced with prosthetics? Would this make you less human?
For all the reasons outlined above and for the sheer entertainment value, I rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To find out more about this phenomenal read go to: https://curiosityquills.com/books/broken-dolls/
QUOTES FROM THE BOOK:
“If she’s going to be a black hole of misery that absorbs my happiness, then she belongs in the shadows!”
“The storm intensifies. Sticks and other small pieces keep flinging against the window. It’s really creeping me out. I keep imagining a demonic deer hovering outside, saliva dripping from its snarl as it headbutts the pane. Why a demonic deer? No clue. Deer are terrifying. I’ve never even been able to finish ‘Bambi’.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tyrolin Puxty is only 23 years old but she has already accomplished quite a bit in a short time. She was awarded “Australian of the Year” in both 2014 and 2015. She has also worked as a paralegal, appeared in television shows, been hired for product photography, modelled, become a Justice of the Peace, started her own club for school-age children who are interested in the arts, worked for a successful magazine company, published a book, hugged a koala and had a show ride collapse on her head.
To learn more about this author visit http://www.tyrolinpuxty.com
Amie's Book Reviews 