Bloody Kids by Andrew Holmes

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: precisely 3.8 stars.



I stumbled upon the author's thread requesting a review, found the blurb interesting and so chose to read and review this book. I have almost read 0 books in Horror genre, so technically this probably is the first time I chose to read one. Needless to mention the catchy and creepy subtext children shouldn't play with chainsaws.

The author's first novel, ‘Sleb’, has been shortlisted for the WH Smith New Talent Award in the UK. His other works ‘All Fur Coat’, ’64 Clarke’, and ‘Rain Dogs And Love Cats’, also seem critically well received. This book is definitely a 4-5 stars for any fan of the genre. It was a bit horrible around 70% and somehow it was unfathomable or scary to imagine such kids. But the story didn't sound unreal.

At the outset, the cover is perfect for the genre and the title. The plot and the characters are interesting and engaging. There is never a dull moment since the beginning of this fast paced horror story, that has each chapter alternating between past and present. The element of mystery on who and why continues until the end, and the twists and turns of events made me seriously pray for some miracle to steer the story in a different way.

The end looked a bit hurried. If not for the reduced reading time that I am prone to these days, I would have completed in a day or two, such was the narration and story-line. Highly recommended for horror fans.

An Awfully Big Adventure by Aniesha Brahma

The novel starts with the story of the heartbreaking divorce of Yoshita's parents, and the author has brilliantly narrated the effects on the nine year old, her emotions, beliefs, all the time not taking sides with either of the parents. This is totally from the viewpoint of the young kid, and forms the core of the story.

The story then ventures into the second marriage of Mr. Ray, to a widow Mrs. Bannerjee, thereby adding Tanay, her son to the story. While Yoshita's belief in fairy tale and fantasy have disappeared since the great debacle that is the divorce of her parents, Tanay is still strong about these and is a true believer. Add to it the age difference between the two, and that explains their disagreements most of the time.

The author has refrained from taking the usual route of wicked step mom  or the wicked step dad, and kept the premise simple, real and more positive. This is laudable, and gives better scope in reflecting the feelings of the young kids, and ponder on why they feel the way they do, is it because of the circumstances that led to their parents becoming single parents or due to their age?

On Tanay's tenth birthday they accidentally end up at a magical place, The Charmed City. What unfolds is a really awesome adventure for the two and the reader. It's a magical ride through known fairy tales, characters already heard about, but kept simple and lovable. The conversation between the characters are funny and make an interesting read. 

Aniesha Brahma has given a wonderful tale, reinforcing the need to believe in magic, and have hopes. The end of the story suggests the adventure is only briefly closed, so a series could be expected, wish the series keeps the interest of the readers intact.

I would definitely recommend this book to kids aged 9 and above. 

You came like hope - Jyoti Arora

After Lemon Girl and Dream’s sake comes You came like hope from Jyoti Arora, a novelist and blogger from Ghaziabad, India. She is a Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology. Jyoti has developed books for kids and abridged 24 famous English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn etc.,

In you came like hope, Jyoti has tried to show a different side of domestic abuse, not the usual kind of women abused. The underlying plot of this seemingly simple love story is the tale of a married man, a supposedly good man, really very good enough to not understand the evil designs of a woman. This woman is a spoilt child knowing not what she really wants, and ends up marrying the good man without an iota of why. What happens is a grave mishap, not one actually, several, one after the other. The man doesn’t understand what to do, and actually reaches the maximum limits of his patience, and his reaction costs him and his family dearly.

Cut to the story of Peehu, the younger twin of Pakkhi. Though the twins are absolutely identical in their looks, they are chalk and cheese when it comes to their attitude in life. While Pakkhi is more smarter or more focused and chooses Uday, who completely adores and admires her, Peehu is full of remorse over an incident, that doesn’t sound that strong enough to make her insecure and lacking in confidence. Meanwhile an accident causes Pakkhi’s death and makes Peehu take her place without a choice, in fact it is a misunderstanding of the people around her.

The author explores Peehu's doubts and her confronting of the bitter truth and coming out of it. Meanwhile Adih, his issues, his niece, his family’s woes are brought out. In many ways the two complement each other. But well there are several things that throw spanners to spoil the possibility of a sweet and chocolaty love story between them.

Who or what are these wrenches and what happens to Peehu and Adi? Is there any hope for people who become victims to highhanded people who make others dance to their whims and fancies? To know more please grab your copy of you came like hope.

A fast paced quick read, this is a love story narrated in a simple style that can go a long way in giving you hope.

Mamá Graciela’s Secret by Mayra Calvani

I am so happy to review this beautifully illustrated book for tiny tots. The story and the illustrations are both as sweet and beautiful as fresh air. The plot is quite appealing to the palate, set in a beautiful island and served with yummy fried food that are loved by all the islanders. 

I love cats and Sheila Fein has illustrated each cat uniquely, in fact Mama Graciela's face slightly resembles her cats after they start invading her restaurant. 

Mayra Calvani introduces the problem, the stakeholders, the only visible solution, and the possible influences towards making the right decision, step by step. Though a very short story, the plot has several messages, like love for animals, love for people more than things, a peculiar problem, and the problem solving technique. Very crisp and fresh, I would recommend this book to kids in the age group of 6-10 also.

Publication date: October 10, 2017

Written by Mayra Calvani

Illustrated by Sheila Fein

MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing

www.maclaren-cochranepublishing.com

36 pages, 3-7 year olds

Reading guide at: www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com

Book info:

ISBN: HC 978-1-365-86153-6

SC 978-1-365-86155-0

ISBN Dyslexic Font Version:

DY HC 978-1-365-86154-3 DY SC 978-1-365-86156-7 

Breathing Two Worlds by Ruchira Khanna

About the Book:

Neena Arya, a Delhi-born goes abroad for further studies and decides to settle down there. Determined to be a 'somebody' from a 'nobody' she blends with the Americans via the accent and their mannerisms while having a live-in relationship with her European boyfriend, Adan Somoza.

When illness hits home, Neena rushes to meet her ailing dad. Tragedy strikes and amidst the mingling with relatives and friends, she finds herself suffocated with the two different cultures that she has been breathing since she moved to the United States. How will she strike a balance between both the cultures as she continues to support her widowed mother? Will she be able to do justice to her personal and professional life after the loss?

Amidst the adjusting, she bonds with an ally and learns about ties beyond blood. On what grounds will she be able to form an invisible thread that she has longed for since childhood?

Breathing Two Worlds ventures into cultures and ethnicity allowing Neena to ponder upon her foundation and priorities.

Available on Amazon

Book Trailer: 

Excerpt:

"Oh!" the Mom answered, but could not contain her curiosity with one hand holding the hyper toddler and the other on her hip she could not resist, "You two don't look like brother-sister, hmmm. So, what is your relationship?" she inquired with a slight smile in a soft voice but without any inhibition. A handful of seniors sitting in the same room observed all the drama and nodded to each other while their fingers were moving on the Tulsi neck beads.

Neena rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "Jeez! We Indians are always darn inquisitive."

Nikhil immediately got up and started walking towards the dining area. This was happening to them for the umpteenth time, and he was now tired of clarifying things. He had lived in this country for half a decade now and still he could never understand the fascination Indians had for marriage and children. 

Neena was confused at first because it was unlike Nikhil to be so rude. On the contrary, sometimes Neena referred to him on lessons in patience but today it was different. But then she didn’t have a choice; she felt it was rude to walk away from the young mother leaving the conversation unanswered. Moreover given Indian mentality in all possibility, she might even follow them till she had a convincing answer to her question. 

My Review:

Note: Free copy from the Author in exchange for an Honest review.

This is a decent paced story and the story revolves around Neena, her beau, their family and their cultural identity issue.

My first suggestion to the author and the publishers - Please change the book cover. There are certain very badly written stories that catch your attention only because of their awesome covers. This story deserves a better cover for sure.

The last 10% was a bit of a drag and doesn't make an impact as did the first 90%. This is that portion of the story where Neena loses her complete control and comes across as being too helpless. That was totally opposite to the Neena we know, maybe due to her situation, but doesn't sound convincing. The sudden change in Neena and Adan was too huge, to say the least.

The writing was good but could have been better, certain words were clearly out of place. 

About the Author:

Ruchira Khanna, a biochemist turned writer, left her homeland of India to study in America, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from SJSU and a degree in Technical Writing from UC Berkeley.

After finishing her studies, Ruchira worked as a biochemist at a Silicon Valley startup for five years. After the birth of her son, Ruchira took a job as a technical writer, so that she could work from home. Soon, she began doing freelance writing work as well.

Her love of writing grew and she started working on her own books. After four years of freelancing, Ruchira published her first book, a fiction novel for adults called Choices.

Then came the children’s book The Adventures of Alex and Angelo: The Mystery of the Missing Iguana. She got a thumb’s up review from Kirkus Reviews.

In January 2016, she has published her second fictional novel Voyagers into the Unknown. It talks about the quest for happiness as the heavy hearted tourists travel miles from different parts of the world to Raj Touristry in Agra, India. Return to their respective home with a healed heart. This book talks about their journey!

In Breathing Two Worlds, Ruchira talks about ethnicity and cultures, and helps to strike a balance via a fiction-drama novel as her characters breathe two worlds.

In addition to writing books, she is a holistic healer associated with Stanford Healing Partners and also maintains a blog of daily mantras on Blogspot, called Abracabadra. Ruchira currently resides in California with her family.

Find her on: Website Blog

Finders Keepers (Finders Keepers #1) by Russ Colchamiro

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Blurb - Traversing Europe, New Zealand, and the backbone of Eternity, Finders Keepers is a raunchy, sci-fi backpacking comedy that not only tackles friendship, sex, commitment, and desire, but also God, reincarnation--and what really happened to the dinosaurs!

On a backpacking trip through Europe, Jason Medley and Theo Barnes stumble through hash bars and hangovers; religious zealots and stalkers; food poisoning and thunderstorms; cute girls; overnight trains; fever-pitch hallucinations--and the spectre of adult responsibility!

But when a jar containing the Universe's DNA falls from Eternity, these new friends find their loyalties put to the test . . . unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe, with the fate of the Milky Way hanging in the balance.

For fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Christopher Moore, Tom Robins, Third Rock from the Sun, Groundhog Day, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. 

Finders Keepers is the first book in author Russ Cochamiro's scifi comedy trilogy.

Review - 

Rating - 3 stars.

The story is drafted around Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, blending travelogue and a little fantasy all along. Writing was quite stunning at places, while at certain places it did not make much of sense, felt a little incomplete and disjoint.

There could have been a brief introduction on who is who, or a back story as the characters just popped in and it takes a few chapters to get into the mood of the story and know the characters and what they are up to. Maybe a prequel would be welcome.

The target audience seem to be men in the age group of eighteen to twenty-five, and I think they would strike a cord with the content and the humor. 

Check out the Illustrations here

Other Books in the Series:

Genius de Milo (Finders Keepers#2)

Astropalooza (Finders Keepers 3)

A Way Back Into Love (Love, #1) by Veronica Thatcher

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 A Way Back Into Love (Love, #1) by Veronica Thatcher, is the story of school besties Emily Stevens and Derek Thorpe. The story starts from Emily and Derek’s confusion over their friendship. They are both mutually attracted but worried whether or not to declare their love. Very few pages and they end up spending their night together, while this should have sealed their relationship as love, what follows is a disaster. Story moves forward to five years after the night and we find Emily coming back to the town as an intern.

What happened that night, why did things fall apart and is there a way back into love forms the rest of the story. The main theme seems to be the confusion shrouding the lead characters, and so every now and then they drag the reader back in to chaos. The writing is in third person, and the reader is torn between Emily and Derek, sometimes Emily seems to be using Derek’s emotions for her, while sometimes Derek seems controlling Emily’s life, until we come to know what exactly happened that night and why things got messed up. There are brief glimpses into their past too, while some were interesting, a few were drags.

For a debut novel the writing style is pretty good and keeps the predictable story-line interesting, every now and then things seem to fall in place and as you relax something else crops up. But at around 85% the story is over, the remaining feels like fillers. The supporting characters make sudden entries and disappearances. Also I feel the main characters lack depth and probably a first person narrative, alternating between Emily and Derek, would have added to their characterization and kept it more interesting.

Raven Song (Inoki's Game #1) by I.A. Ashcroft

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: precisely 3.5 stars.

This is a dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel peppered judiciously with elements of magic and mutation. The city is New York rebuilt under a Coalition government, after an extensive nuclear war that burnt the world for 100 years.

Jackson is a full-time businessman and a part-time smuggler, struggling to make decent money, haunted by disturbing dreams and hallucinations of ravens while also is gifted (cursed?) with strange magical powers. Dr. Anna Mathews, who worked in Las Vegas for Falcon, wakes up after 100 years duly recovered from a box located at a cargo site, emitting radioactive energy at alarming rate. The circumstances in which they meet, the mystery shrouding their past and the magical journey they take together forms the rest of the plot.

The book is full of twists with guardians turning perpetrators, foes turning out to be friends lost at childhood, suspects turning to be friends, what sounds real turns out to be hallucination and vice versa. The past of Jackson is exposed a little at a time, his shared past with Tony, what happened to his memories after that, his adoption later and so on are not completely revealed, probably because this is part of the series.

I am not a great fan of Fantasy and Magic, and very few appeal to me, that way this is not my kind of book. After reading almost 15% of the book I had no clue what is happening until Anna turns up and it sort of makes the story interesting.

Jackson doesn’t come across like a strong protagonist (except at one event which I do not want to reveal in my review for fear of spoiler) and that was a big letdown, maybe he will come across as a stronger power in the books to follow. On the contrary Anna acts like she always knew she had these occult powers in her and uses them like a pro. Tony’s story that probably could have been more detailed is not given its due, and ends up a huge disappointment.