Mick Bogerman's How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid is Hypnotic!

Yesterday I talked about Slug Pie story #1, How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete, so now we're ready for part 2 of my Apology For Playing Hooky on My Birthday Double Pack! Same author, same series.

Sea-Monkeys.

A simple concept, really...

As long as you don't misfeed the little guys, that is.

Cover art by Kat Powell

Slug Pie story #2, How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid, is a YA horror book written by Mick Bogerman.

So What's it about?

After his brother nearly drowns in the ocean, Mick decides that it's time to give Finley swimming lessons. As luck would have it, he knows the perfect place to teach him: The home of wealthy P.J., a boy that will happily agree to let the brothers use his pool... as long as Mick agrees to mow his ginormous yard for him. 

Things should have went well. Sure, the work is tiring, but the pool is amazing. Unfortunately, when the boys see a note from P.J. asking them to feed his Sea-Monkeys, telling them that the food is in his father's Bentley, they grab the packet out of a silver cylinder -  

From the wrong car. In goes the "food," which turns the Sea-Monkeys' water a strange, cobalt blue. 

And that's only the beginning of the changes that occur....

As with Slug Pie story #1, this ebook is written with sections broken into "steps" rather than chapters, written in first person, and includes a list of materials the boys will want to have the next time something like this happens.

And yes, I'm still in love with that overall story structure.

It makes it feel personal.

What I forgot to mention in the first ebook's review, however, is that there's one more bit thrown into these works at the very beginning that I thoroughly enjoy: Mick Bogerman's Warning Note to Parents. It includes fun statements such as, 

"As far as romance, you will find absolutely none in this story,

Because that would be stupid."

Both Slug Pie stories have these preview notes. How'd I possibly forget about that?! Well, all of you know that I'm incredibly scatter-brained, so let's just leave it there, shall we?

Bloodythirsty Mermaid flows even more smoothly than How to Navigate Zombie Cave did. The storyline grabbed ahold of me and kept me reading, and at an even faster rate than book 1. I thought a zombie infested cave with a rising water table was cool, but a bloodthirsty mermaid with hypnotic abilities, creepy red skin, and a strange case of overwhelming modesty? Priceless.

I was in love, I tell you. Love.

This one was a... 

Treasured Tome!!!

And I was aware that this would be the case by about 30% through the book. At least, I think that was the point that I became aware of the fact. You see, the mermaid had me so enthralled that I didn't really pay attention to how far I had gotten.

I was completely under her spell. 

Sure, she had razor sharp teeth and a mouth large enough to swallow a person's head in a single bite, and sure, she devoured rotten vegetables and loads of fish and spam. She pulled a few people under water and kept them there, and yes, the thick, brackish water that her mere presence caused was rather unattractive...

But I love her just the same.

She isn't your standard mermaid. Cruel, animalistic, and definitely not beautiful, she's a far cry from the normal idea of a mermaid that we're accustomed to. And that's ok.

Awesome, even.

Now, before you get too excited, please remember that this is a YA horror novel, and it's written for readers in around 4th to 6th grade. Don't expect something written for people accustomed to rated R horror movies, because you won't get it.

Even a bloodthirsty mermaid can turn out to be scary for young readers, but not too much so, and Bogerman did an excellent job of ensuring that it fit the age group. 

Indeed, I was so impressed with this ability that I'm planning on recommending that the librarian at my daughter's elementary school look into making a copy available for students. I think it's something that she'd like to add to the collection. This story is one that I would have pointed out to kids looking for scary books back when I worked in school libraries.

It feels like the kind of book that would get a reluctant reader interested in reading more of their own accord, and that goes a long way.

How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid can be found on Kindle and Nook.

***And don't forget to check out the review of book 1!***

Brian Martinez's Shallow Veins is a Halloween Must-Read!

With Halloween fast approaching, I decided that it's time to unearth a few indescribable horrors.

Creatures from the dark beyond.

Great, powerful entities

Capable of decimating human society.

I was surprised when I actually found that very thing!

Shallow Veins is the first book within the Obscured series, a horror/ dark fantasy written by Brian Martinez.

So what's it about?

Newly divorced, alcoholic officer Franklin Butcher has transferred to Shallow Creek in hopes of getting as far away from his ex-wife, and the pain attached to their divorce, as possible. Becoming a small town cop is the perfect way to accomplish this - or so he thinks. 

But there's more to Shallow Creek than he knows. When the owners of a recently bought house call the police to complain about a missing plumber - one that seems to have vanished without a trace - Butcher marks the incident as nothing important. Just a neurotic couple adjusting to their new surroundings. 

But then his partner disappears, as well, and Butcher begins to realize that the town of Shallow Creek is is riddled with more secrets than he ever could have dreamed.

I'm going to start out by giving one simple statement:

Holy crap, this ebook rocks!!!

Not just a little, either. I very nearly ended up making my daughter late for school, because I was so deeply entrenched in this novel that time seemed to move at a much faster rate than normal. I'd swear that only 5 minutes had passed while I was reading...

If it wasn't for the fact that my clock said it was fifteen.

As I'm sure you've already guessed, I've finally found another

Treasured Tome!!!

This one had me in its grip from the first chapter. It's not often that a writer can get my heart beating rapidly and cause me to hold my breath within the first chapter. Add to that the fact that I had absolutely nothing to be scared of, something I discovered before the chapter ended.

Seriously. All I'm going to say about that is... Dumb grasshopper.

I'm still embarrassed about that one.

I do need to warn you, though, that this ebook is graphically violent. It's not something I'd recommend for anyone with a weak stomach. The creature - creatures? - within this novel are disturbingly grotesque.

Martinez has a talent for timing and pacing, and his ability to lead the reader from one chapter to the next without coming up for air is absolutely skillful. I found that I didn't just want to keep reading - I needed to keep reading. Martinez is not one to waste words, choosing each one with care.

The funny part?

I didn't expect to enjoy this one so much. I liked the first few paragraphs enough to give Shallow Veins a shot, but I figured it would just be, well, 'kind of good.' I thought it'd be a book that would make me say, "Yeah, this is nice, but I was expecting more."

I tend to do that with books that I would classify as horror.

I tend to roll my eyes at the cliches, internally throttle the characters that always make the same stupid decisions, and scream at them, seeing every choice they make as completely useless, remarkably ignorant, and overused.

Martinez, though, seems to realize that. Every time a character did something that I'd be frustrated with, he'd point that very fact out in some way, thereby making what would normally seem ridiculous appear to be the only option.

I flipping LOVED that.

Shallow Veins is billed as a dark urban fantasy, and I agree with that choice, though it would appeal to a larger group of readers, as well, since it shares some classic horror traits:

• a house with a mysterious background
• a priest that sees the truth while everyone else is oblivious
• dark, evil creatures
• Unending suspense that causes a reader to hold his or her breath
• The dumb woman that makes bad choices

Yeah... I had to add that last one in. Let's be realistic - women making stupid choices is a pretty big staple of the horror genre. There's a reason that spoofs all use that to their advantage, after all.

And before you push the idea of reading this ebook aside because of it, I want to remind you of what I mentioned earlier: he made ridiculous choices appear to be the only necessary ones.

Also... the dumb woman I refer to actually has some pretty good reasons for the stupid choices she makes, making her the, uh... well... not-so-dumb woman? I really liked her.

Just trust me.

Or don't.

But do read this one. It has mention of cruel gods from other realities within its pages, complete with their descendants, which would satisfy those of us that enjoy dark fantasy, and it has grotesque and terrifying creatures with the ability to destroy an entire town, which makes horror fans smile with satisfaction.

It's a win-win situation.

And it's a Treasured Tome. Don't forget that part. I haven't selected one of those for a while. This one is a Must-Read.

And it's just in time for Halloween. It's even set during the days right before Halloween, which makes it a perfect choice. So get this ebook. Read it. Enjoy it.

Yes, I'm being pushy.

But I really flipping loved this one! And that's what a Treasured Tome is: an ebook that I can't stop trying to get people to read.

Because it's that good.

And because I'm that crazy about it.

Shallow Veins can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

Frankie Rose's Halo Makes Emotions Surge Forth!

You've lived

Almost entirely devoid of emotion

For as long as you can remember.

One day, though, the emotions all come back.

Can you imagine what that would be like? And I thought I had problems...

Halo is the first installment of the YA dystopian Blood and Fire series, written by Frankie Rose.

So what's it about?

Falin Kitsch is a member of Sanctuary's fighting caste, and uses her knives to compete within the Colloseum. The halo she wears around her neck infuses her with drugs that keep her from feeling emotion, enabling her to apply her training with a clear mind, making her a perfect fighter.

Or does it? One day, she is pitted against Falin Asha, who has trained with her for years. His last action before he dies is to grab ahold of her halo, ripping it almost entirely free of her neck. "Don't let them see..." 

Suddenly, she begins to feel emotions surging back to her. She now has a choice: Have technicians repair her halo so that she can continue to be the perfect Falin, or apply her well-honed skills to leave Sanctuary and the only life she's ever known... 

To us, the answer seems pretty easy: Get rid of that darned device. But imagine what it would be like to have your first memory of emotion be one that comes in the aftermath of blood and pain. That's your emotional awakening.

The choice isn't so clear anymore, is it?

Rose gives us the opportunity to feel what that would be like, through the eyes of the Falin of House Kitsch. We go through our lives constantly keeping our reactions to our emotions in check. We consider the feelings of others when we reply to their statements. We gauge society's response to every choice.

We've trained ourselves to control our emotions.

Small children, on the other hand, are still learning. Their reactions are juvenile, and often confusing.They don't always understand our decisions, and many times respond with anger or sadness when they have no need to do so.

Now imagine knowing you have to react maturely, like an adult, without having the training to do so, like a child.

Welcome to Kit's world.

As you can imagine, her emotional reactions are often juvenile. She doesn't have the experience that we do. This tends to get her into trouble, which tends to make her emotions spiral even more out of control.

Poor Kit...

And we're taken on that overwhelmingly intense ride along with her, meaning that we feel much of what she feels... plus the added frustration of realizing that proper emotional control would have kept her out of trouble, minimizing her agony.

Poor us!

This ebook was extraordinarily exhausting... in a good way. I felt like I was right there next to Kit, and I wanted her to succeed. I needed her to succeed. She was important to me, and I had to know that she'd be able to pry herself from any situation she placed herself in.

And there were many of those!

I didn't want to put this one down. I had to know what would happen. Naturally, then, this ebook became the very next...

Treasured Tome!!!

If you're looking for a highly emotional story that rips your heart out, throws it on the floor, and stomps on it a few times, you'll love this one. Be warned, though: you'll want to read it when you're alone.

Interruptions will not be welcomed, and you'll notice that your fuse is remarkably short if someone is silly enough to get in between yourself and Halo for even a few moments.

You'll start wondering if you need a halo!

Halo can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

I Can't Wait for Book 2 of Joanne Armstrong's Unworthy Trilogy!

I'm so mad at today's author!

You know what she did?!

She made me wait.

I want to start the second book.
Right.
Now.

Aaarrrrggghhhh....

Unworthy is the first installment of a YA dystopian trilogy, written by Joanne Armstrong.

...and Armstrong is making us wait for the next one! NooOOOoo!!! 

Yes, I know I'm being dramatic. But... Oh, I want it now!

So what's it about?

After a devastating disease wiped most of the human population, people fought to survive in a chaotic and cruel world. The Polis was formed as an island nation, isolated from the rest of the world. Hubs were created that branched out from the main city, and people were raised to fear and hate physical weakness and follow the laws of the Polis to the letter. 

Arcadia has been raised by her grandfather in Sector Four. Found unworthy of life when she was born, she has spent her life shunned by her community. Her grandfather, though, is sure to remind her that she's just as worthy of life as everyone else, and capable of greatness. She always thought those were just the loving words of a devoted grandparent. But then, on one Festival Day, her entire world changes...

"Marked to die. Raised to survive."

It's very easy for me to make one huge decision about this ebook, without second thought. This amazing story is quite obviously...

A Treasured Tome!!!

That's right. It's that good. With every other book I've given Treasured Tome status to, I've carefully considered whether that was the right decision.

Not this one. 

The characters were real, dialogue was true, the world of the story breathed, and I went through a rather extreme emotional roller coaster ride. I was transported directly into the story, and took every altercation, every mishap, every joy, every experience personally.

Oh, yeah...

And my husband had to hear all about it. I called and woke up one of my sisters. I interrupted not one, but two friends at work, texting them about it. Heck, I even discussed this ebook with my dog (she's a very good listener).

I stayed up late to find out what happened to Arcadia, and woke up this morning while dreaming about it. And! I awakened not too long before writing this review, so the neighbors may end up having to hear about it, as well.

Seriously. This ebook consumed me.

And book 2 isn't out yet. I have to... Wait? What?!!?!

So cruel! There should be a law against writing something this fantastic, then making readers wait for the next installment.

Perhaps I should take up meditation while I do. It'll help teach me patience.

What makes this ebook so flipping amazing, you ask?

Armstrong made it personal. Arcadia doesn't go through a single emotion that a person wouldn't understand. She's thrown from one situation into the next, never getting a moment to consider the best response. The result is raw and true emotion, reactions that aren't always thought out very well, and, on occasion, a feeling of contrition.

And it all makes sense.

Never once did I question why she made the decisions she did, even when I didn't like them. I understood them perfectly. Her choices all made sense, which made them real.

She was stuck in the worst of situations, stuck within a community that had an authoritarian government filled with corruption. The truth was hidden from the masses, laws had to be strictly adhered to, and punishment for breaking even minor laws was terrifying.

Beatings administered by soldiers weren't questioned.

Yet people accepted that, making it all the more frustrating for Arcadia, and by extension, the reader. Arcadia's strong sense of morality, as well as her desire for a life without the stigma placed on her by the government of the Polis, cause the reader to flip pages without stopping to take even the smallest break.

And now we have to wait for book two.

Oh, cruel world!

You can find Unworthy on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

Rebecca Taylor's The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza is Breathtaking!

How many of you have read Dante's Inferno?

Today I have a modern work that draws from Alighieri's religious classic for you. We travel through a realm similar to that of the inferno, on a quest for truth and insight. It left me hungry for more by this talented and perceptive author!

The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinosa is a paranormal fantasy written by Rebecca Taylor.

So what's it about?

Carmen Espinoza is a foreign exchange student living with her host family in Oaxaca, Mexico. Carmen comes from a broken home: her brother died when he was still very young, her father left soon after, and her mother spends her time praying, reading from the bible, and making Carmen feel as though she's worthless and worse, a pariah. Carmen's senior year was supposed to be her chance to open up and be 'normal.' But during a Day of the Dead festival she sees her dead brother, so she follows him and ends up on a quest for truth... a quest in which her very soul is at stake.

So, I'm just going to say...

Wow!

Seriously. Wow. I loved everything about this one.

Carmen is a very well-rounded, believable character. More than that, though, her successes and failures feel personal. While I've never been one to hide from the contact of others, I got a glimpse into what that feels like: the yearning for basic human contact mixed with fear of the unknown, sprinkled with a healthy dose of distrust.

At first, this ebook felt extraordinarily black and white. The reader knows the truth, knows who the 'good' people in Carmen's life are, versus the 'bad.' Everything makes perfect sense. Carmen's perspective was a bit skewed, but the reader completely understood why. The truth was obvious.

Maybe. 

The farther you read into this, the more complex it becomes. You begin to see shades of gray that make you question what you think is correct. You begin to realize that there's something more to Carmen's life than you previously thought, and that discovery is exciting!

"Something's missing..." becomes the overall thought.

There's no frustration in this, though, because as you read you're completely dazzled by the richness of the Between. Images form in your mind that leave you spellbound. You're both awed and disgusted by the many events and spirits you come across.

Indeed, you find yourself questioning your own actions in life.

I'd tell you more, but doing so would mean nasty spoilers, and we know how much I hate those! What I will tell you, though, is that I was wholeheartedly impressed and enthralled.

This one gets added to the others that have reached

Treasured Tome Status!!!

I couldn't find a single flaw worth noting. The grammar, the environment, the characters, the story? All amazing. This ebook will stay with me for quite a while. It entertains, and to a large extent, it teaches.

This is not a title that you want to pass up.

The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza is only available on Kindle.

Maree Anderson's Freaks of Greenfield High Was Freaking Awesome!

I discovered the latest ebook I'm reviewing 

by complete

and total

accident.

And I'm glad I did!

Cover Design by Rob Anderson

Freaks of Greenfield High is a YA sci-fi romance written by Maree Anderson.

So what's it about?

Jay thinks faster, moves more fluidly, and has more strength than any other person her age. Of course, that makes perfect sense when one considers that she's a cyborg. What doesn't make sense, though, is that after meeting Tyler she has had to struggle with unusual and foreign emotions. She's evolving, becoming more than a cyborg... becoming human. Jay needs to come to terms with these changes while navigating the halls of a high school, keeping herself as low-key as possible, and evading the people that seek to use her highly sophisticated body as a powerful weapon.

As I said, this one was an accident.

While navigating through recommendations for me after downloading an ebook, I found one that looked spectacular... then clicked on this one when my daughter hit my elbow, attempting to gain my attention.

"Crap." I thought. 

"Whatever... I'll go ahead and see what this is about. I might as well."

So I did exactly that after tending to my daughter, and I have no regrets.

You've probably figured out by now that I wasn't particularly interested. The title seemed a bit silly, and the cover art didn't exactly make me want to read it. It felt... blah. Even the blurb didn't do much for me.

But I really liked the idea of a cyborg love story. It's not something you read every day, after all. So I went ahead and read the first few paragraphs. Then the next few.

And then a few after that!

Aside from a few proofreading errors, this ebook was spectacular. Not just a little good. Not not even really good.

Amazing!

The story of Jay's evolution was meticulously crafted. Dialogue changed over time. Sentence structures changed, and her word usage became less precise and more conversational. The reader could truly witness her evolution into something more than just a cyborg.

In fact, I ended up loving this so much that it became...

The newest Treasured Tome!!!

Yep. It was that good.

I know what you're thinking. How in the world could this be a Treasured Tome if I had so much reticence about even reading it, right? I mean, I even complained about some proofreading errors.

But that's the thing.

This story was so powerful that I was able to forget those issues. Rather than nitpick about various technical problems, I found myself living and breathing the words within the pages.

And I cried!!!

That didn't happen until the last 25% or so of the book, but I cried for a decent amount of time when it did. Prior to that, however, this story took me on an intense, emotional whirlwind. How so? Well, I laughed, I became angry, then I became very angry. Anderson also threw in a heap of loss and social fear, then added in some new love.

The result was similar to tasting a favored dish for the very first time. You feel that same mixture of physical and emotional pull, complete with momentary sense of floating.

Or, at least, that's what happened to me the first time I tasted creme brulee...

But you get the picture. This ebook makes you feel as though you've just placed your hands on a glorious treasure. It gives you both the yearning to share it, and the desire to keep it only for yourself.

Anderson has mastered the skill of emotional manipulation, and I love her for it.

Freaks of Greenfield High can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.



Special Note: The new cover image is far superior to the original that I saw:

Shadowcursed: Uncontrollable Empathy For an OBJECT!

You know what I really love?

I love when an author gives me the ability to feel intense empathy for an inanimate object. This doesn't happen often. I can feel an object is important. I can desire an object. But actively wanting to make an object happy?

Yeah... that's rare.

Cover art by Ioan Dumitrescu

I want to introduce you to Shadowcursed, by Gelo R. Fleisher, the fantasy novella that did exactly that.

So what's it about?

Bolen has been a thief for most of his life, and he's a good one. He's now 42 now, though, which is rather old for his field. Recognizing this, he doesn't want to just step into the sidelines. Rather, he wants to do something great - create a lasting memory to look back on. He accepts a job that requires him to gain access to the Mad Lord's vault and bring back a wealth of riches. Most thieves wouldn't stand a chance, and failure would mean death. Naturally, Bolen can't turn it down.

While inside the vault, Bolen discovers a unique statue...

Well, darn it. I left you with a cliffhanger. I'm so mean.

The thing is, that statue came alive for me. I kept inexplicably yearning for everything to turn out perfectly for the statue.  Not the characters. Not the city. 

The statue.

I use the word inexplicably, because it was obvious that my desire was futile and irrational... but the feeling was strong, anyway. I couldn't control it... and I didn't want to.

And that was exactly, I believe, what Fleisher wanted me to feel.

It wasn't just the statue that produced such strong emotion, of course. I cared about every character I met. Well, except one... but he was a total scumbag, and only spoke about four or five lines, so I don't think he counts. Everyone else, though, regardless of their background, touched me in some way.

Oh, heck. 

Even the scumbag touched me. Not in a sweet, happy, I-love-this-guy-even-though-he's-a-callous-jerk way, of course, but in a I-hate-this-man-and-can't-believe-anyone-could-be-so-vile-I-want-to-throttle-him sort of way.

Yeah, the emotions were a bit thick...

And because of this intensity, because of the fact that my heart is still hammering as I examine these emotions, I've elected to proclaim this one

A Treasured Tome!

Yep. It was that good.

I want to read even more. I yearn to go back into this world and see where else it leads me.

Shadowcursed includes a struggle between light and darkness that grips the reader, making them turn each page with abandon. This is not a novella that will allow you to easily take a break. Plan to read this one when you won't be interrupted for a while. Perhaps after everyone else has gone to sleep.

Why? Let me give you an example:

My Husband: 

"Rebecca?"

Me: 

"...."

Husband: 

"Umm, Rebecca?"

Me: 

"..."

Husband: 

(places his hand on my shoulder) 

"Hey, Rebecca..."

Me: 

(fangs break through my gums as my eyes turn solid black. Lightning crackles overhead.)

WHAT?!?!?!?!!? I'M BUSY!

Husband: 

"I um... I just wanted to be sure you saw the glass of water I placed beside you forty-five minutes ago. You haven't touched it yet."

So, yeah. I was kind of a wee bit focused on this novella.

I recommend that you read Shadowcursed. It's something I would easily choose to read again. Fleisher has a great talent for drawing a reader's emotions to the surface, making a person evaluate their own actions in life, just as the characters did.

I mean, seriously... how many people do you know that can cause you to feel empathy toward a statue?

Shadowcursed can be found on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and Scribd.

My Daughter's New Favorite Book!

We're going into the field of children's books today. 

Don't worry - I kept to the fantasy theme.

While surfing through Twitter a while back, I found a tweet by an author that had retweeted a retweet of another author's tweet.

Is it just me, or is this feeling like a story about my cousin's aunt's mother's sister's husband?

How the Dragons Got Their Colors is a children's picture book written by Cheryl Matthynssens.

So what's it about?

One day, a little gray dragon sat on a hilltop and took notice of all the brilliant colors around him. Sad that his scales were so drab compared to the rest of the world, he went to the Fairy Queen for help, and she provided him with the magic to change things for all of dragonkind.

I used a different review approach with this one: My daughter.

She loves magically themed stories, fits the target age group, and gives an honest opinion... sometimes too honest. And unlike with me, no amount of reasoning will get her to change how she feels about a book. The result is an ultra-honest account from an extraordinarily unbiased little girl. She couldn't care less about my opinion in this matter! It's all about her.

As it should be.

My daughter was drawn to the rainbow on the cover, then zeroed in on the contrast between it and the dragons. She wanted to know more, and when I told her she was looking at a book cover, she insisted on hearing the story.

Fine. I thought. I'll read her the sample. I had no intention of reviewing a children's book. Children's chapter books are fine, but I wasn't looking for something at a lower reading level than that. When I finished, though, she wanted more.

"But then what happened???"

I explained that it was only a sample, and I was really looking for something else. 

"But MooOOOooom! I want to read the whole thing!"

Now, how do you say no to that? Sure, I was looking for something entirely different, but when a child really wants you to read something to her, can you really just say, "I don't feel like it," and go back to what you were doing?

I can't.

So I got the ebook. Not only did we get through the entire thing with her sitting at rapt attention, but she wanted more.

"Another!"

I told her that I'd consider it, and the next day, she had me open my Kindle app so that she could read the ebook again.

And again.

She also wanted me to download Not an Egg, which is another of Matthyssens's books. I said no, telling her that she had to have patience. "Maybe later."

"How many stars would you give it?" I asked.

"Ten!" She replied. Then, "No... maybe twelve."

"You can only rate from one to five stars, sweetie."

"Ok, then five."

So... five it is. Judging by her overwhelming good response to it - she made me read it quite a few times - I've elected to give this one Treasured Tome status. It may not have been what I was looking for, but I can't argue with the fact that a child in the target age group is in love with it.

I also have to admit that I enjoyed reading this one, finding the story to be a great teacher on the virtue of kindness. Being kind to others can be quite rewarding, as the little dragon shows us.

This book is definitely a Treasured Tome.

...just as it should be.

You can find How the Dragons Got Their Colors on Kindle, and at Barnes and Noble (sadly, no Nook format).

Fascinated with Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons!

Holy everlasting buckets of gumdrops, Batman!

Ok... maybe Robin never actually said that. It was totally me... but it sure tells you just how overwhelmed I was with the sheer awesomeness of this most recent ebook, don't you think?

Have you ever protected a dragon from a bunch of fuzzy, beaked creatures looking for lunch?

I Have.

Have you ever transported into a strange new world when you should have been sleeping in bed?

I did.

How about rescuing a princess from a tower?

I did that, too.

And I did it all while reading Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons, the first installment of the Dusky Hollows series, written by Nan Sweet.

I elected to read Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons because I wanted an ebook that was reasonably short, but not too short. This was an obvious choice, since it was just over 40,000 words.

The author has billed it as a children's chapter book, ages 9-12, and that's a great fit for it, I think. In all honesty, however, I think this is enjoyable for anyone that enjoys a good, high-paced, urban fantasy (modern world, infused with magic).

Short and sweet. Just what I was looking for.

Oh, and... did I mention?

It achieved Treasured Tome Status!

Yep. It's that good. I couldn't put it down, read past my bedtime, and woke up late because of it.

So what's it about?

Ivy and Carrie love their fifth grade class, even if their teacher, Mrs. Huffity, does tend to say and do some pretty strange things. One day, Mrs. Huffity asks the class for volunteers to care for an egg. Taking care of the egg for one night means being able to ignore a single class assignment free of penalty, which is every student's fondest dream. Ivy, though, has had nightmares about this egg, and so she refuses to have anything to do with this easy way out of an assignment. At one point, though, Ivy takes the egg home with her, knowing that the egg will be in danger if she doesn't. After this choice is made, however, Ivy discovers that keeping the egg safe means placing herself - and Carrie - in danger.

Have I caught your interest, yet?

Then let me put it to you this way:

The last time I was this excited over an indie author's work, I ended up buying every last ebook that the author had on the market. I still follow her closely today, even though I'm paying much more for each new book that comes out now that she's made it to print. 

That author is Amanda Hocking. 

Nan Sweet's writing is very different, of course, and Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons isn't quite as well polished. She should probably find a good proofreader to catch the accidental homophones that occasionally find their way into an otherwise exceptional work (hear instead of here, for example).

Strangely, those mistaken word entries didn't bother me as much as they normally would. Perhaps this is because her command of storytelling is so engrossing that I'm able to simply pass them off as "oopsies" that occurred because her brain was thinking so far ahead that her fingers couldn't catch up.

Regardless, that's the only flaw that I found in this ebook.

Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons was so well written and so mesmerizing that I was upset when the author was cruel enough to let the book end. I wanted 

More, More, More!!!

Not only that, but I wanted to race to my neighbor's house, wake her up by banging on her door, and beg her to download this for her daughter... who will have the reading skill necessary to enjoy it sometime before this calendar year is over.

Thankfully, I was able to refrain... barely.

But I do plan on bringing it to the neighbor's attention later, because...

Wow.

Download it. Give it to a fantasy loving child. Read it yourself before you do. Then read the sample for the next one in the series, as well... and go ahead and buy that installment, too. I did.

Fierce Winds and Fiery Dragons can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. 

A Quest of Undoing Reveals a Treasured Tome!

You read that post title correctly...

I found my first Treasured Tome!!!

The funny thing is that I had ignored this book twice in my searches, before finally giving it a go. I was a bit nervous about reading and reviewing a comedic fantasy. Generally, I find them not so much funny as, well, sad.

Let's face it. 

Humor is tough. All writing is tough, of course, but humorous writing has a few thorns and other stabby things that make it that much more painful to produce. 

Most people don't have the talent and skill to pull off a full length comedic novel of any genre. It can be done, of course, but it's extremely difficult. You have to have the right timing and you have to have humorous content that a broad range of people can relate to. Most of the time it falls flat.

Kind of like my jaw, which fell flat.

On the ground.

When I discovered this really was funny!

Cover art by Ric Lumb

John P. Logsdon and Christopher P. Young, the authors of A Quest of Undoing: A Tale From the Land of Ononokin, have that talent and skill. 

So what's it about?

Whizzfiddle has a slight problem. His vengeful ex-apprentice has accused him of never completing a wizarding contract to the letter. The 650 year old wizard has been given 30 days to do so, or lose his Wizarding Guild status... this means he'd actually have to work for a living. He heads to Gilly's pub, where he awaits the perfect quest, and finally finds it in an odd group of men that have been subjected to a transfiguration spell. Whizzfiddle heads off with them to complete a quest of undoing, while trying to keep the group under control and fending off his ex-apprentice's attempts to keep him from succeeding.

Good basis for a humorous work of fantasy? I think so, too.

The timing was excellent, and I never got tired of the puns or the broad humor. There were a few running jokes, and in this ebook they held up very well to the test of time. They never got old.

The characters were all unique individuals with their own backstories and personalities. I found myself sharing their aspirations, and taking part in their victories, as well as their failures. I never before imagined having anything in common with a smelly, rock-throwing giant... it was a new experience.

This story was fun.

Not just a little fun, understand, but holy-crap-I-finally-found-a-comedic-fantasy-that-I-actually-liked-so-I'm-going-to-dance-around-the-house-until-I'm-placed-in-a-straight-jacket fun. 

The kind of story that makes you want to read the next. Right now.

It did have some flaws, of course. All books do. In this one, a comma was forgotten between the words me and too somewhere in the last third of the book.

Seriously. The editing was so flawless that that's the only proofreading flaw I discovered. That's better than most novels that come through big publishing houses.

Ok, ok...

There was one flaw that did get to me. The elf felt overwhelmingly neglected. It seemed as though the authors were afraid of digging too deeply into his story. Perhaps this was due to a fear of losing readers, since the elf was not your standard neutral character? 

I hope not, because we need more diversity in literature, and I was happy to see that one of the dominant characters in A Quest of Undoing was gay. I just wish the authors hadn't shied away from him as much as they did.

Even with that, however, I found A Quest of Undoing to be a great example of comedic fantasy. The story flowed, the characters were likeable, and it made me laugh. I'll definitely read the next book in the series. 

And I should also point out that the Acknowledgements section was far more entertaining than any other I have ever read. I loved it!

Whoever thought they'd hear someone say something like that?!

A Quest of Undoing can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

And one last thing: Read the comments at the beginning of the book! Trust me. You'll see why.

Now that I've found my first Treasured Tome, I'm jazzed up and ready to seek out the next one.
Will it be yours?