THE MONOCLE, A WILDLY FUN, SMART AND EXCITING YA SCI-FI ADVENTURE

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: THE MONOCLE

AUTHOR’S NAME: Mark Cavanagh

NME OF BOOK SERIES: The Monocle Trilogy

AUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS   markcavanagh2014@gmail.com

 _x_ Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety

REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Christine Rodriguez, Fiction Addicted – Reading Books and Exploring Worlds. She is a prime reviewer for Reedsy, having authored 1203 reviews. This review originally published in Reedsy Discovery.

AUTHOR'S FAVORITE SALES LINKS:  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monocle-Mark-Cavanagh/dp/B092P6WTDR 

Must read 🏆 

Two teens find a mysterious monocle that bends reality—but they're not the only ones after it. Secrets, danger, and adventure await! 

SYNOPSIS 

In the quiet corners of a mundane 1960s town, two curious teenagers are about to trade the hum of their bicycle wheels for the crackle of cosmic energy… and unknowingly change their lives forever.

When best friends Viv and Mick stumble upon an alien artifact and a notebook of secret code, they unlock a strange new world where space folds and time travel is possible. As the adventurous teens master the powers of the extra-terrestrial monocle, friendship takes on new dimensions as they attempt to outrun federal agents and face fearsome creatures torn from the very fabric of nightmares! 

As they grapple with the unfathomable supernatural powers that they unlock from the monocle, Viv and Mick must decide whether they want to make the ultimate gamble – venture further into the unknown… and risk losing not just each other, but their very lives.

Will their friendship withstand the trials of this spectral journey or will the very forces that brought them together tear them apart?

REVIEW 

Some books hook you with action, others with mystery. The Monocle by Mark Cavanagh grabs you with pure wonder—that feeling of being a kid again, discovering something strange and incredible, and knowing that nothing will ever be the same. This YA adventure delivers a thrilling mix of nostalgia, mystery, and mind-bending science fiction, making it a must-read for fans of Stranger Things, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Goonies.

The Monocle is a coming-of-age adventure with a twist. Mick Sullivan and Viv Oulette, two curious and fearless teens, stumble upon an alien artifact—a mysterious monocle hidden inside a metallic clam-shaped shell. At first, it seems like a weird trinket. Still, when they unlock its abilities—seeing other dimensions, teleportation, even weaponized energy beams—it quickly becomes apparent that they've found something way bigger than themselves. And they're not the only ones interested. Enter Agent Flanders, a shadowy government official who wants the monocle for his own agenda, and suddenly, Mick and Viv are in a game much bigger (and far more dangerous) than they ever imagined.

What makes this book shine? For starters, Mick and Viv are fantastic protagonists. Their friendship feels genuine, fun, and full of personality—Their sharp, witty, and natural dialogue makes them feel like real teens rather than just "characters in a book." The Monocle is also an intriguing mystery. It slowly unravels the secrets of the monocle, blending sci-fi elements with a classic small-town adventure feel. Every discovery brings more questions, making it impossible to put down.

Mark Cavanagh has also given us a really strong sci-fi concept. The monocle itself isn't just a gimmick—it's an artifact with fascinating, reality-bending properties, and how the book explores its power is genuinely exciting. The blend of hard and soft sci-fi elements makes it feel both grounded and fantastical at the same time. I also loved the tense government conspiracy angle. It's not just a story about cool powers—there's a sense that something massive is at play, and Mick and Viv are in way over their heads.

The Monocle is a wildly fun, smart, and exciting YA sci-fi adventure that blends mystery, government intrigue, and coming-of-age friendship perfectly. If you love books that capture that nostalgic sense of discovery while keeping you on the edge of your seat, this one's for you. A great YA read for young and old alike!

REVIEWED BY

Christine Rodriguez 

Following

Christine is a 7-12th grade English teacher, a library assistant, and a bookworm with a passion for good literature. She has a keen eye for good literature and reads books across genres. Her favorites are dystopian lit, sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary literature. 

Christine Rodriguez links: https://fictionaddicted.com https://www.instagram.com/chrisofcourse2025 https://x.com/csrodriguez1970

 AUTHOR BIO.  Mark Cavanagh, author of The Monocle Trilogy, Big Blue Society, The Zen of Laundry and RV Time Machine, lives with his wife by the Dark Swamp in northwestern Rhode Island where H.P. Lovecraft searched for the legendary IT. He co-wrote and produced Zombie Dearest, a feature film, and directed the award-winning Youth Vision program, recipient of the Action for Children’s Television Award. 

Author website: https://markcavanaghbooks.de  

The Monocle Book Trailer Links:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144829536698/ 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144829536709/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dorothysflyingmachine/video/7487626535676005674

https://youtu.be/Jd3efdBLsSQ

https://rumble.com/v6rgcat-the-monocle-the-monocle-trilogy.html

YOUR TWITTER (X) MONIKER: @CavanaghBooks

https://x.com/CavanaghBooks/status/1908148725349839061

Publicist Carol Baldwin Published YA Novel, 18 Years in the Making

Title: Half-Truths

Author: Carol Baldwin

Author’s Website: https://carolbaldwinbooks.com/half-truths/

ISBN: 978-1-957656-85-4

Available on Amazon  and both paper and e-book on B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/half-truths-carol-baldwin/1147046554?ean=9781957656854

 

 Reviewed by Linda Phillips, 

author of CRAZY, published by Eerdmans

 Kate Dinsmore, the teenage protagonist in this book you won’t want to put down, and the author, Carol Baldwin, have a lot in common. They both have a way with words and aim to use them to make the world a better place to live. In her first fiction YA novel, Baldwin has used her keen research instincts to give us an historically accurate and compelling picture of racial tensions in both rural and urban settings in 1950s North Carolina. Against a backdrop of KKK rallies and racial prejudice, Kate dreams of going to college and becoming a reporter. When it looks like her tobacco-farming family will likely not be able to afford it, her wealthy Charlotte grandparents agree to let her live with them to attend school. Kate knew living with her aloof and society-minded grandmother would be challenging, but she had no idea how the young, hired help in the household would change her life forever. Kate’s curiosity and observations soon lead to questions about her family tree. There are material items and story fragments in the house and among family members that don’t add up. Baldwin effectively uses the fragile relationship between Kate and her newfound cousin, Lillian, to illustrate the importance of truth-telling, especially across racial lines. I highly recommend this book to teachers and students for its accurate depiction of pre-Civil Rights and the Jim Crow era.

More About the Reviewer: 

Linda Phillips is passionate about mental health and has written two novels in verse for teens relating to that topic: Crazy, Behind these Hands. She also has published one chapbook, Thoughts on Crossings. Learn more about her here:  https://www.lindavigenphillips.com

More About the Author:

Carol Baldwin's debut YA historical novel took eighteen years to research, write, and publish.  Besides writing, Carol loves teaching writing to kids and adults and is the volunteer publicist for Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C. Find her on Twitter at @CBaldwinAuthor and learn more about her at her website at  https://carolbaldwinbooks.com/half-truths/ and her blog, https://carolbaldwinbooks.com/grid-of-posts-2x3/. Visit her favorite social network, 

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 #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog home page (a silver and gold badge and threee silver-gray circles beneath it. 

 Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she 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. 

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SEX WORK IS NO LAUGHING MATTER: READ REVIEW: ELIS - IRISH CALL GIRL

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: Elis - Irish Call Girl 

 AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME: Anna Rajmon 

AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS: www.annarajmon.com 

ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

 X I am the reviewer and give TNBR permission to print this review. 

REVIEWER’S BYLINE: Abigail Adams 

 INCLUDE THE THE REVIEW ITSELF, of course! [Note—this book is rated 18+. -Ed] I’ll say this up-front: Elis is an absolutely incredible book. This memoir tells the tale of a single mom who got caught up in toxic relationships and ended up going into sex work to make ends meet. The author, Anna, suffered the sorts of things many of us should be thankful to never encounter in our lives. She doesn’t mince words or try to glamorize the life she led, and that makes her story a very honest and emotional one. When you pick up this book, prepare yourself for an emotional roller-coaster, because there are scenes here that will really get to you. Funnily enough, you’ll find yourself laughing a lot when you read this book as well. Anna is very funny in how she describes the people she met, the places she has been to, and the situations she found herself in. That she is able to treat some of the awful experiences she had to deal with in a joking way is inspiring. This is a really strong woman—she’s very open about the fact that she was treated badly, but she vows to carry on and enjoy her life with her family now that she got out of sex work. You can’t help but admire the determination that she shows, even when she admits to the pain that she carries within her as a result of her experiences. The book is very well written, and there are some lovely pictures that she has drawn to help tell her story. But while the great writing, the humor, and the pictures do help bring some levity to Anna’s story, the story itself is overall a very heavy one, and the situations that Anna found herself in are ones that many women could too easily find themselves in. Even though she is a smart woman with professional work experience, Anna Rajmon found herself in sex work because her financial situation forced her to find additional means to support her family. No woman, whether they choose to go into sex work or not, deserves to go through what happened to Anna. The horrible treatment that she suffered from her clients is unforgiveable, and it is something that many women who find themselves in sex work endure as a daily occurrence. It must have taken a lot of courage for Anna to write this book and share her story with the world. We all should read it, and learn from it. What happened to Anna could happen to any woman—your sister, your daughter, your friend, anyone. The greater awareness that Elis will bring to your view of the world is one of the many benefits you will get from reading the book, for while Anna’s experiences happened in Ireland and the Czech Republic, they are experiences that can happen anywhere. I wish Anna Rajmon the very best of luck, and hope that she has a lovely life with her family. She deserves it, and she also deserves our thanks. Because in writing Elis, she has provided us with a clear window into a world which a lot of us either don’t know about or misunderstand completely. Her memoir is a great corrective to any misunderstandings around sex work. Very highly recommended. This review was originally published at Story Circle Book Reviews, and the original review can be found here: https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/elis-irish-call-girl/ 

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER: I’m Abigail, and I’m a big book lover who is interested in all genres. 

REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER: @AAdams22700 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED: 

 

Despite her education and professional achievements, Anna Rajmon found herself in a difficult situation where she turned to prostitution to support her daughter. This experience inspired her to write a book to shed light on a world that many are curious about but few understand. Through her story, she hopes to caution girls considering entering the world of escorting and bring awareness to the dangers associated with this lifestyle. She is on Twitter/X at @AnnaRajmon