Mindy's Book Journey

  Title: Assassin's Orbit Author: John Appel Published: July 20, 2021 by Rebellion Publishing Genre: Science Fiction Thriller What's It About: On the eve of the planet Ileri's historic vote to join the Commonwealth, the assassination of a government minister threatens to shatter everything. Private investigator Noo Okereke and spy Meiko Ogawa join forces with police chief Toiwa to investigate - and discover clues that point disturbingly toward a threat humanity thought they had escaped. A threat that could destroy Ileri and spark an interplanetary war... unless the disparate team can work together to solve the mystery.  Goodreads My Thoughts: There is a lot to love in this debut science fiction thriller novel. The pacing is fast, and the mystery thriller aspects of the story are written with a satisfying amount of suspense and intrigue. There is also a whole lot of diverse characters in this novel. All the characters are people of color, and there is even a charac...

  Title: Seven Deaths of an Empire Author: G.R. Matthews Published: June 22, 2021 by Solaris/Rebellion Publishing Genre: Grimdark Fantasy Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review. What's It About: Seven Deaths of an Empire is a grimdark fantasy story that chronicles the power struggle after the death of an emperor. Inspired by the real life Roman Empire this story is told in duel perspectives. General Bordan is trying to ensure that the succession of the empire goes smoothly to prevent civil unrest and political upheaval. While Apprentice Magician Kyron is assigned to return the emperor's body safely to the palace. These are not easy tasks with the forests full of rebels, and there are people hungry for power, plotting to take control.  My Thoughts:   This book has one of my favorite fantasy elements where a young inexperienced person is sent on a very important mission and learns a lot along the way in the main character Kyron. This is not...

  Title: No Stone Tells Where I Lie Author: Madeline Kalvis Genre: Psychological Mystery   Length: Novella- 165 pages Thank you to the author for providing a copy for an honest review. What It's About: Emma Cambourne is a police officer who is sent to be the new constable on a small island in the Indian Ocean with her ailing husband. A few mysterious deaths and disappearances along with residents that seem to have something to hide lead to a case that is a lot to handle.  My Thoughts: The main strength of this story was the setting. The descriptions of the island, South Alderney, created a very vivid picture perfect for a melancholy story like this. The beautiful descriptions were a, sometimes unpleasant, feast for all five senses. The story was very mysterious and somber.  It was written in a way to keep the reader feeling a little uncomfortable and thinking that things are not quite right. It is obvious right away that something strange is happening on the island. ...

  Title: Screams from the Void Author: Anne Tibbets Genre: Science Fiction/Horror Published: May 18,2021 by Flame Tree Press I received a copy for review from Flame Tree Press through NetGalley. My Thoughts: Raina is an Ensign Mechanic on the Demeter Spaceship for the United Space Corp in the year 2231. The Demeter's crew is picking up plant samples from many different planets when they discover an unknown biological creature is on board the ship. A creature is loose and is killing off the crew, but the creature is not the only monster on board. Raina must also deal with her abusive boyfriend as well.  I really enjoyed the setting of a small enclosed ship for creating a trapped claustrophobic backdrop for the horror to unfold. I also enjoyed the organization of the story. This story was told with alternating chapters where half the story is telling the story of finding out more about the creature, where it came from, its strengths and weaknesses, and how they can possible esca...

  Title: Your Turn to Suffer Author: Tim Waggoner Genre: Horror, Weird Fiction Published: Flame Tree Press on March 23, 2021 What's It About Lorelei's life is changed when she is pursued by an otherworldly cult called The Cabal. They say she has to "Confess and atone--or suffer." She has to endure unspeakable horrors as she tries to figure out how she should accomplish that before it is to late.  My Thoughts   From this synopsis you may think this will be a typical evil cult book, but that only touches the surface of what the book is about. Readers will find that this will be a strange read almost right away even though the setting seems to be in our world. Your Turn to Suffer delves into some very dark subject matter. We are talking the darkest of the dark. This book is full of imaginative yet morbid fantastical elements. These elements create vivid images in the mind. Lorelei's character is really well developed. We are given a full picture of her personality an...

  Title: If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Nightmare Creatures (The Better Off Dead Series Volume 4) Published: February 8, 2021 by Sinister Smile Press Thank you to The Team at Sinister Smile Press for providing a copy for review. This anthology was published February 8, 2021. Overall Thoughts This was a fantastic short story anthology. The best anthology I have read so far in my life. Each story was very well written. I was impressed with how the authors could pull me in with only about 20 pages to do so. Different interesting creatures throughout made this a great reading experience. This is creature horror at its best. I would recommend checking out this anthology and all the others in the Better Off Dead Series. Thoughts on Individual Stories (Note: All these stories were very high quality. I designated the stories that resonated the most with me 5 stars.) Forward by Jeff Strand managed to be hilarious and creepy. It had me cackling out loud. 5...

Title: Fanged Dandelion Author: Eric LaRocca Published: December 31, 2020 by DEMAIN Publishing  Genre: Horror Poetry This is a wonderful short book of poetry that was written during the anxiety filled time of the pandemic lock down. This collection includes an amazing introduction by Sara Tantlinger who is also a writer of horror poetry as well as an introduction by the author himself. These 20 poems are emotional and visceral. Full of metaphors that are often organic in nature having to do with flowers. They explore the mind and harmful thoughts that can arise. I am not a seasoned poetry reader, and the meaning of the metaphors or the exact thoughts they represent wasn't always clear. What was clear was the emotions. I loved the lovely yet disturbing imagery these poems evoked. It was a beautiful and unnerving collection.     Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy for review.    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars