The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Showing posts with label Fiction: Coming of Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction: Coming of Age. Show all posts

Saturday, May 1, 2021

The New Book Review Reviewer Wesley Britton Shares “Fast-Paced” Fantasy

 

Toxic - Adult Edition

Karina Kantas

Publication date : April 12, 2019

Publisher: Electric Eclectic 

ASIN : B07QN8S1YZ

https://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Adult-Electric-Eclectic-Book-ebook/dp/B07QN8S1YZ

 

 Reviewed by Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com 


In this short, tight dystopian novella, author Karina Kantas touches on some hot button bases with extremely economical storytelling.


The New Book Review Reviewer Wesley Britton Shares “Fast-Paced” Fantasy


The core of the feminist story is the coming-of-age of a girl named Lexi who is living with a controlling boyfriend named Aron. While they have hot sex, and readers of the Adult Edition of this tale will get to experience a long, vivid description of that hot sex, Lexi’s growing independence and distaste for her restrictive life as a Malok in the mountains sends her on the road to becoming a Ranger, one of the fighters being trained to battle the Outcasts, quasi-humans who live underground and compete with the Maloks for control of the addicting and life-supporting Terra plant.


At the same time Lexi is affirming herself,  the man of her childhood dreams returns to be the new leader of her people. An old foe of Lexi’s, a woman named mae, is by his side and Lexi assumes the two are a couple.    So one subplot to the saga is Lexi slowly learning the truth about her would-be suitor with whom, ah, back to that hot sex thing. Almost.

    

The final third of the book, and I’m not providing any spoilers here, sends all the main characters into a violent and vicious battle with the Outcasts where Lexi discovers many truths about herself, her future, and the most important people in her life.

 

So, in one fast-paced adventure, readers get a feminist champion, some erotic, sensory passages, a futuristic society with a spartan culture, an extended vicious battle—what more could you ask for in a read that can be completed in one evening? How about a happy ending?     How about the author’s promise to give us a second volume so we can follow the fates of the warriors we got fascinated by in volume one?

 

If you like your reading fast, furious, and unrestrained, Toxic is well-worth an evening of your time.  I gather there’s a milder version of the book that might appeal to readers not accustomed to rough and ready fiction, but I can’t speak to it. I like being entertained by sex and violence and interesting characters in an interesting world.

 

 

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on April 20, 2021:

 

 

https://waa.ai/m3x2

 

 

 More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 


 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Social Networking Reviewer Gives Short Story Five Stars

Title:  First Kisses: A Short Story
Author: Dina Littner
Genre:  Literature & Fiction, 30 minutes (12-21 pages), Teen & Young Adult, Genre Fiction, Coming of Age
ASIN #:   B0175KVX80
Reviewer's Rating: 5 star
Where people can purchase the book


Reviewed by Tracey Quintin originally for Goodreads
Rating: Five Star


What an amazingly sweet story! The innocence of youth and wonderment of what a first kiss would be like. You're nervous about it, excited, scared and filed with all sorts of anticipation. WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE? 

Dina Littner wrote this delightful short story and did a fantastic job. She captured the feelings perfectly, blend in the trio of best friends and what better ways to have your first kiss than by one you trust? 
I SO look forward to reading more of Dina's work. I actually look forward to reading more about these characters too!


MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dina Littner connections:

ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Tracey Quintin connections:
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19886187-tracey-quintin

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Cathartic Review of Book About an Alcoholic's Daughter



Title : Intoxic
Author : Angie Gallion
Author Website : angiegallion



Genre : General Fiction/Coming of Age
ISBN : 978-1536904055

Reviewed by Jendi Reiter originally for Amazon
5 out of 5 stars



This stunning coming-of-age novel introduces the indomitable Alison Hayes, 
a 16-year-old girl living with her alcoholic mother in a trailer park in small-town Illinois. 
Wise beyond her years, forced into adult responsibility too soon, but a lonely little girl inside, 
Alison shepherds her mother through cycles of recovery and relapse while striving to pass 
the milestones of normal adolescence: a job, a high school degree, a crush on the
perfect-seeming neighbor boy who owns a horse farm. She also copes with the aftermath 
of sexual assault.

This summary may sound depressing, but although Intoxic has many moments of painful 
truth, the tears it elicits are cathartic, and the honesty and courage of Alison as she matures 
will inspire you. Rarely have I read a story so accurate about the complexity of loving and 
hating an abusive mother (and Alison's mother, while she is more tragic than malicious, 
is so neglectful that I must put her in this category). Most fiction about parental trauma 
follows a simplistic narrative arc from anger, to understanding, to forgiveness. 
 spirals through these perspectives, and back again, multiple times throughout the book 
and its sequels. She does not settle on a single verdict on her mother and herself, 
but rather, starts learning to hold all of these contradictions together..

I was especially moved by Alison's pervasive sense of difference from her peers. 
Besides the stigma of relative poverty, she is isolated by the lack of freedom to enjoy her 
youth. She has to worry about paying the bills when other kids are playing sports and
 picking out prom dresses. Nothing can distract from the mission of becoming independent 
of her dysfunctional mother and leaving the small town that knows their shameful secrets. 
This was very true to the experience of having a mentally ill or addicted parent.

The first book ends with a crisis that produces both grief and liberation for young Alison, 
and a mystery to be resolved in the sequel. You will root for her all the way. I swear 
I shouted at my Kindle reader a couple of times, "No, Alison, don't do that!" knowing 
she would have to repeat some of her mother's mistakes, but also having faith 
that she would rise again. What gives one damaged person the drive to learn and heal, 
while another sinks beneath the waves of depression and addiction? Intoxic will not answer 
that question (perhaps no one can) but if you've been on that journey, 
you'll find a friend and companion in this determined young woman.


MORE ABOUT THIS REVIEWER

Jendi Reiter is the author of a poetic LGBT Novel, Two Natures, and editor at the prestigious (and helpful!) WinningWriters.com. Learn more about her at http://www.JendiReister.com.


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Tony Baker Is Blown Away by Coming-of-Age Book



Title : Purgus
Author : Angie Gallion
Genre : General Fiction/Coming of Age
ISBN :  978-1539133810
Rating : 5 out of 5 Stars



Reviewed by Tony Baker originally for Amazon
As I sat down to read Purgus, the second book in Author Angie Gallion's series, I was excited and filled with wonder. How could the next book in this series blow me away as did the first? Well, it did...not just a little but completely! The next  in the life of Alison was so gripping I actually felt like I wanted to enter the book and be a part of it. As I stated in my first review of Intoxic, this Author  me right next to her. The writer once again captured the true feelings and gut wrenching pain that those of us like Alison feel in our actual lives. Myself, and so many out there have lived this life described in this journey. I say that because it is a journey, just like mine. Thanks to this one-of-a-kind Author I have turned and faced my own demons that have haunted me most of my life, and I'm 62. Through her writing I have found healing for a wound I have carried since I was a young boy. As I closed the book at the final chapter I was completely at peace. This journey of Alison is formidable and shows you can turn your life around no matter what has happens to you. She is us and we are her. I can only imagine what is in store for Alison in the next book (Icara), but I'm about to find out! Well done Angie Gallion!






Learn more about Angie Gallion here:  angiegallion


MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Reviewer Calls Novel about Alcoholism Riveting

Title : Intoxic
Author : Angie Gallion
Genre : General Fiction/Coming of Age
ISBN : 978-1536904055


What a powerful story! I rarely say this about a book but this one actually emotionally gutted me; it was so dark, disturbing and almost impossible to read at times due to all the events happening to the young protagonist Ali, yet so incredibly riveting and powerful, and I couldn’t help but admire Ali’s strength.

Told from a first person POV, it tells a story of a young girl whose mother is battling alcoholism. Or, not really battling but living it, completely ignoring the crumbling effects her lifestyle has on her only daughter’s life. Utter neglect and constant emotional torture are what comes to mind while reading about a fifteen-year-old teenager who, by some twisted turn of events, happens to become the only responsible adult in this dysfunctional family. The spectrum of emotions that replace each other in Ali’s mind with yet another disappointment, another loss of job, another forgotten birthday, another new man appearing in her mother’s life who is much worse than the previous one was, is truly heartbreaking. The icing on the cake for me was this little girl thinking - on Christmas Eve - that she would have rather lived with her mother’s very first boyfriend who sexually assaulted her constantly, solely because at least she knew what to expect from him.

Yet, despite all the emotional and physical abuse, Ali’s willpower and resilience are truly worth admiration. The persistence with which she set her mind on getting out of this swamp of a life sends an incredibly powerful message to the readers, and till the very end, I rooted for Ali to get her “happily ever after” that she undoubtedly deserved. Read this book; it’s one of those stories that should be on everyone’s must-read list.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Learn more at the author's website : angiegallion



MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER


Find Ellie Midwood's website. She writes history, romance and is the bestselling author of The Girl from Berlin.






MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Army Wife Pens Fiction in Several Genres

Hi! I am Carolyn Howard Johnson, your trusty New Book Review blogger and author of the multi award-winning HowTo Do It Frugally Series of books for writers. This blog has heretofore been exclusive for reviews but I thought I’d do a special series of interviews after I chatted with Jeanie Loiacono, President of Loiacono Literary Agency – Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary!  I thought sharing the interviews would help the many subscribers and visitors to this New Book Review blog, including authors, reviewers, and, of course, readers who just might find a new favorite author among the featured books and authors.

So, today welcome Jodie Cain Smith.

As a teen in Mobile, Alabama, Jodie Cain Smith listened as her grandmother told her the gripping story of an adolescence spent in 1930’s rural Alabama, the rumors surrounding her parents, and the murder trial that would alter her life.  The tale took root in Jodie’s memory until at last it became The Woods at Barlow Bend (Published by Deer Hawk Publications).
            
While attending the University of South Alabama, where Jodie earned a BFA in Theatre Arts, she met her husband Jay.  They began their life on the Army road in 2001 and have not stopped moving since.  As an Army Wife, she has lived in six different states spanning from the extreme heat of Texas to the blizzards of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she earned a MAE in School Counseling at Northern Michigan University, to most recently landing in South Carolina.
Jodie Cain Smith’s feature articles and columns have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Military Spouse’s Soul, The Petigru Review, The Savannah Morning News, and the Fort Hood Sentinel.
     
What is your genre? Is it fiction or nonfiction? My novel, The Woods at Barlow Bend, is fiction and classified under mystery, coming of age, and historical fiction. It is closely based on a true story set in the Great Depression. My second novel, Jubilee Bells, to be released by January 2017, is commercial fiction.

What made you want to be a writer? My life as a storyteller began in 8th Grade. I loved the free form of storytelling as an oral art. I began seeking out storytelling and speech competitions and then studied acting in high school and college. As an adult, I found writing to be the creative outlet I needed as an Army Wife, facing new challenges, loneliness, and fear. Writing my own stories became my best coping skill. Finally in 2011, after a decade of starting over in each new town we moved to, and starting and stopping too many careers to count, I decided to give fiction writing my full attention. Being a writer allows me more control over this transient, military life, and returning to my storyteller roots feels like the most comfortable, old, ratty sweatshirt I own. It’s not pretty, but it’s mine.

Of all the authors out there, who inspired you most? Joshilyn Jackson inspires me constantly. She thanked her writing group in Atlanta in the acknowledgements of A Grown-up Kind of Pretty, which told me even an A-list author needs a trusted inner circle to hone her craft.

What is your writing style? Do you outline? Linearly? By scene? Why? I always start with writing an opening, that first moment in which I hear the narrator’s or protagonist’s voice. Then I stop and create a loose outline. I map out scenes and consider Uta Hagen’s Nine Questions (created for actors) for my protagonist and supporting characters in order to get to know them so I can allow their goals to drive the story. Then, I typically travel down rabbit holes and along long tangents before finally figuring out what I want the story to be. Then, I start over. It is a long, maddening process.

Do you write every day? How much? How long? This one I stole from Steven King. I try to write at least three new pages a day Monday through Friday. I rarely write on weekends, unless I am on deadline. Lately, my nine-month-old dictates how much writing I do, so I try to be flexible in order not to drive us both crazy.

Do you think reading is as important to writing for an author? Why? Yes. I wish I had time to read more because the more I learn about the craft of writing, the more investigative reader I become. I love discovering other writers’ tactics, devices, and styles. And I don’t think I will ever fully understand this craft, so I have to keep learning.

What are some of the things you would like to share with budding authors? Seek out industry experts. Don’t let your ego kill your story. If you think a passage is the wittiest words ever strung together in a sentence, it probably needs to be cut. And after all that, trust your instincts. Your story is your story.

Do you have any marketing and promotional advice, referrals, tips you would like to share? Unless you’re a Kardashian, solo signing events are not worth your time. I have found that as a new author, my best sales come from group events such as New Author Night at chain bookstores or library local author events. I know. Telling someone that you will have higher sales at a chain store rather than an indie is blasphemy, but as a new author I have learned that I need to seek out venues with a guaranteed stream of traffic. Once I get them at the table, my pitch usually does the job, but I struggle getting traffic through the door.

      Do you think conferences are beneficial? If so, what have you learned? Which ones do you frequent? Yes, I do. I have gained valuable information and have met many writers whom I now include in my inner circle of writing buddies. At the Columbia Book Festival in 2012, I met an editor from Kirkus. He offered specific advice on getting published, not the generalities so prevalent in the blogosphere. I followed his advice to the letter and eight months later, I had a contract in my hands! At the 2013 South Carolina Writers’ Workshop Conference, I soaked up every tasty morsel of the “Editor’s Pet Peeves” session, and, in 2014, I came home with the tools to revamp my website. Conferences, in my opinion are always worth the time and money, if for no other reason than to be around like-minded individuals in a professional and entertaining environment. Two days to leave my solitary writing cave and nerd-out with 200 other writers over the craft of writing? Sign me up, please!
     
      Where can we find you, your books and when is your next event? My books are available online at: Amazon BAM  B&N BookWorld  COPIA  FishPond  Powell's Books  Shelfari  The Book Depository  Wheeler's Books  Goodreads                               Angus & Robertson  iDreamBooks LitLovers 
To learn more about Jodie Cain Smith and her thoughts on ruling, renovating, and escaping her corner of the world visit her blog The Queendom at http://thequeendom.org  After what I hope will be our last long-distance move in January, I will update you with future event details.
Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency, Jeanie Loiacono http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com/authors/jodie-cain-smith/

MORE ABOUT THE SPONSORING AGENT

Jeanie Loiacono, President, Loiacono Literary Agency
A facilitator of dreams, Jeanie Loiacono represents over eighty authors. Her forte is mystery, romance, thrillers, historical/military/southern fiction, and all quality fiction/nonfiction. Her passion is to see her authors succeed.
“There is nothing more rewarding than to hold one of my author’s books and know I helped bring it to fruition. I am so blessed and privileged to be able to work with some of the most talented writers in the world.” Jeanie.L@llallc.net  www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com


IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE INTERVIEWS--TO FIND GREAT READING OR TO NETWORK WITH AUTHORS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG. YOU ARE A WELCOME ADDITION TO THIS FAMILY WHO LOVES BOOKS! YOU'LL FIND A WINDOW TO DO THIS AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG PAGE.



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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.