FeeRtheDragon

The Fireman by Joe Hill is a novel about a plague, Draco Incendia Trychophyton, also known as Dragonscale.

I love how Hill brings his characters to life, and the world he creates is chilling. With incredible writing, I recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian tales.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill is a novel about rock star Judas Coyne and black, heart-shaped box and the dead man's suit it contains.

I absolutely loved this story! I have to say that I am loving Joe Hill's work as much as I do his father's.

The Dead Orphanage by A.A. Allsop has an alternative cover, and title of Peter Green and the Unliving Academy: This Book is Full of Dead People (The Unliving Chronicles 1) by Angelina Allsop. This story is about Pete Green, a fourteen -year-old boy who finds himself dead, but can't remember anything but his name, age and the fact that he is dead.

Alternate cover:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GTQTB83/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

For starters, I loved this story. It was fun, imaginative, and full of fun characters. The author takes us on a fantastic journey of a boy trying to find out who he is. He makes friends, and in doing so finds help. I loved the characters. The creatures are fun, and the world the author created is unique to me. I've not read about such a world before, and this story was delightful and emotional.

With that being said, this book could have used better editing, but it did not hinder my enjoyment and I'm looking forward to reading more of Peter's adventures.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars.

Horns by Joe Hill is a stand alone novel about a young man, Ignatius Perrish, waking up after a night of drinking too much and discovering he has grown horns.

I have to say that Joe Hill's writing definitely gives his father, Stephen King, a run for his money. Superb writing and great character development give this story depth. I highly recommend this book to any Stephen King lover.

Haunted Tales by Samie Sands and other various authors is an anthology of poems and short stories.

1. The Damaged Doll by Kevin S. Hall: ***
2. Rebirth by Cecilia Hernando Doldan (poem): ***
3. The Evil Among Us by Nicholas Boving: ****
4. Fortuna and the Dead by Stephen Downes (poem): **
5. Joining In by Kody Dibble (poem): **
6. Graveyard Encounter (A True Story) by June Lundgren: **
7. Haunts & Horrors by Amy S. Pacini: *
8. Hyde and Seek - The Tale of Young Master Henry Jekyll (A sample of the play) by June 
Rachelson-Ospa: ***
9. Caged by Justin R. Beeman: *****
10. When Ed Met Avril by Martha Jette: **
11. Your Knife by Debbie Johnson (poem): **
12. Final Revenge by Gisela Woldenga: **
13. The Changeling by Anthony V. Pugliese (poem): **
14. The Haunted Hoagie by Matt Mesnard: *
15. Demon Comes to Challenge my Faith by Martha Jette: ** Read like a textbook.
16. Better than his word by Rick Eddy: * Opinion piece.
17. Erebus by Michele Jones: ***
18. Prologue: Till Heaven Then Forever by Linda Heavner Gerald: DNF. Contained too many religious 
opinions.
19. Henry's Ghost by Linda Jenkinson (poem): ***
20. Heart Surgery by Jake Elliot: **
21. The Pale Lady by Kally Jo Surbeck (poem): ****
22. Transcending by Ekta Rawat: * I couldn't make sense of this story.
23. The Ghost Sheets by Mathias Jansson )poem): *
24. Under the House by Will Zeilinger: ***
25. The Fall and Rise of Lucifer by Delaina M. Waldron: ** Two of the characters were mixed up.
26. Upside the Down Elevator by Kimberly Klemm: **
27. Cryptic Apparition by Amy S. Pacini (poem): **
28. Possession is Nine Tenths (A sample of the play) by Trisha Sugarek: ***
29. Poem by Rae Desmond Jones: *
30. Dark Portal (A True Story) by June Lundgren: ****
31. Shadow People by Michele Jones (poem): ****
32. Shadows and Ghosts by Cecilia Hernando Doldan (poem): ***
33. For the Love of God by Nicholas Boving: **** Loved this story.
34. A Household Mystery by Cecilia Hernando Doldan: ***
35. Played (A Sample of the Play) by Jonathan Ospa: ***** This story was fun.
36. The Town That Hell Spat Out by Kevin S. Hall: **** Familiar characters of horror made this 
story fun.
37. The Replacement by Linda Jenkinson: * This story was a bit confusing.
38. Cursed Document by Samie Sands: ** Using words out of context ruined this story for me.

There were several issues with the poems and stories in this collection, but the good shorts more than made up for it.

Overall, I give this anthology a 2.5 stars.

Darkmage by M.L. Spencer is the second book in The Rhenwars Saga. Set 1000 years after Darkstorm, the Well of Tears is opened, yet again, and Darien Lauchlin is determined to close the Well of Tears, and keep it closed.

I enjoy Spencer's writing and world building. The characters are tormented, and emotions run high in this dark fantasy story. Spencer's writing takes us to the edge of darkness and keeps us there, hoping to find the light. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs is the fourth book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. Jacob Portman is back in Florida trying to convince his parents that everything is fine.

This story picks up where the third installment left off. I absolutely love how the author uses old vintage photos to create his story. So brilliant, and fun to read, this series has become one of my all time favorite stories.

Darkstorm by M.L. Spencer is the first book in The Rhenwars Saga. Braden and Quin Reis, two brothers of great power, are the only hope to stopping a conspiracy of mages who are intent on unsealing the Well of Tears.

Plot 5/5 : Interesting plot with some twists.

Characters 5/5 : Well fleshed out characters

World building 5/5 : An interesting setting 

Pacing 5/5 : Steady pace with spurts of action.

Writing 5/5 : Beautifully written with tastefully written scenes of sexual encounters

Overall 5 stars

M.L. Spencer's beautiful prose, world building, and character development breathe life into this tale of love, betrayal, determination, and intrigue. This is a must read book for anyone into fantasy.

Deep in the Dakota Woods by Brandon Barr is an extremely short read, but it definitely gives you a look into what an exceptionally gifted writer Brandon is. 

Time Jump: Apocalypse by Brandon Barr is a short story about NASA's JUMP program and what happened when the first jumper disappeared.

This is an interesting story that definitely gives a sense of Brandon's faith. I think this quick read is good for all age groups.

Bridge Beyond Her World by Brandon Barr is the second book in the Song of the Worlds series. As we follow Meluscia, a dying king's daughter, and Winter, a farm girl, we learn more of their actions and feelings, and their determination.

Bridge Beyond Her World picks up where Rise of the Seer leaves off. We are introduced, once again, to Meluscia and Winter as they continue their separate journeys with doubts, and yet they both have a quiet determination to have what they want and desire. We are introduced to more of the sci-fi element in this story, which Brandon weaves together beautifully with the fantasy aspect. Once again, Brandon shows his story telling to be intriguing and exciting with beautiful prose that elicit deep emotions, which makes the reader care deeply for these characters.

Rise of the Seer by Brandon Barr is the first installment of the Song of the Worlds series. Meluscia, a dying King's daughter, has aspirations to help her people. Winter, a farm girl, has a need to be free.

This story has everything I love in a good book. Fantastic world building, political intrigue, feelings and emotions that bring the characters to life. Emotions of doubt, need, pain, longing, love, this story has them all. This is an epic tale that pulled me in and did not let go. I love Brandon's writing style and beautiful prose. I highly recommend this book.

Ella Dethroned by Brandon Barr is a prequel novella (though it is stated as to being a stand-alone, this is a story that took place many years before the first book, Rise of the Seer) to the Song of the Worlds series. This is the story of Monaiella, a Luminess who likes to be addressed as Ella, and Rathan, her Life Protector. 

Brandon's beautiful prose lured me in and took me on an adventurous tale of determination, strength, and loyalty. I loved learning of a previous Luminess in this ongoing series. This novella gives me an insight of the life as a Luminesses, and what they feared and longed for. This is a wonderful starting point in the series.

Brandon's ability to bring his characters to life and bring out their emotions is what makes Brandon's writing intriguing and addicting. Brandon's ability to create worlds and take us on an engaging adventure is truly remarkable. 

Favorite quote/scene:

'She danced skillfully about the courtyard, her sword slashing a song in the air, like deadly poetry.'

A Sort of Justice by P.E. Sibley is the first book in the A Commonwealth Counter Terrorism Task Force series. Mark Praed is called by the Commonwealth Intelligence Service to tackle certain assignments, and this time he's partnered with Alexandra Lansing. Can they put aside their differences and work together to bring in Jonathan Reul, who is suspected of selling arms from The Groves?

This story has potential, but I felt it missed the mark.

I felt the characters needed a bit more fleshing out. The characters felt very stereotypical, and the bickering between the two main characters became a bit monotonous. I felt the story got lost in the two main characters' differences rather than the plot.

Overall, I feel this book could have been executed better. It has the potential to be a good read with more character development and a little added mystery.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is a story about a reporter, Ellis Reed, who sees a sign: 2 CHILDREN FOR SALE, and a secretary, Lillian Palmer, who sees a picture. 

This story went in an entirely different direction than I thought it was going to go. Though, it wasn't what I expected, it was still good. I loved Kristina's writing style of bringing the characters to life, and I envisioned life in the 30s and how bad it must have been for parents to sell their children. It was a very disturbing time in history that I hope never reoccurs in the future. Considering the book took a different turn than I was expecting, I'm glad for it. I don't know if I could have read a story primarily about families having to choose food over their children. This story turned out to be more about how one's decisions can affect other people, and finding one's true self. 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is a story about Jack and Mabel, an elderly couple who is childless living in the Alaskan wilderness.

This story was good, and the writing style was good. The characters were fairly written. What I didn't care for was the lack of quotations during certain conversations. I know why the author chose this, but I feel these conversations would have benefited from the use of italics rather than the lack of quotations. Other than that, I felt this to be a good and emotional story.