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 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

Reviewer Would Give All the Stars in the Universe

• Title: Rarity from the Hollow
• Author: Robert Eggleton
• Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com  
• Genre: Adult Literary Science Fiction
• ISBN: 9781907133060;1907133062
• Name of Reviewer:  Charity Rowell-Stansbury
• Review Site: On My Kindle
• Amazon Link: Available in paper or as e-book.
• Rating from Reviewer: If I could, I would give it all the stars in the universe.

Reviewed by Charity Rowell-Stansbury originally for On My Kindle

Lacy Dawn seems like a typical Appalachian eleven-year-old girl; bright, resourceful, living in poverty, and trying desperately to "fix" her mother and father. Her father, Dwayne, is a war veteran who suffers from PTSD and prefers to self-medicate; when triggered, he becomes violent and Lacy Dawn and her mother become the target of his rage. Lacy Dawn's mother, Jenny, does her best to protect her daughter; however, she is worn down from years of abuse and sacrificing her dreams to take care of her daughter and husband.

Despite outward appearances, Lacy Dawn is a very unique and gifted child. She spends most of her free time talking to the trees in the Hollow; playing with her deceased friend, Faith, who dwells in the trees; and learning all she can from her anatomically incomplete and semi-organic boyfriend, DotCom. After helping Lacy Dawn implement a treatment plan for her parents, DotCom reveals his true purpose; he was sent to help Lacy Dawn evolve, and then recruit her for a mission to save the universe.

While DotCom has no idea what she is supposed to do to save the universe, the pair decide to let her family and Tom, family friend/local entrepreneur/drug dealer, in on the secret. With the help of friends, family, and the family's dog; Lacy Dawn and DotCom come up with an ingenious plan to save the universe.

When Eggleton requested a review of Rarity from the Hollow, I was hesitant to accept. I usually do not read or review books that discuss child abuse or domestic violence; however, I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go. It is not every day that I find a kindred spirit in a book, but I found one in Lacy Dawn! I admired her courage, her imagination, and her intelligence; I could go on for days about the excellent job that Eggleton did in developing Lacy Dawn's character, but I won't. What I will say is that even if you do not fully understand her perspective, you will admire her spunk.

I also greatly admire Eggleton's whimsical, witty, and understanding approach to sensitive and serious subject matters: child abuse, child poverty, domestic violence, PTSD, drug use, and alcoholism. Eggleton's matter-of-fact and irreverent tone about these subject matters conveys the gravity of the family's situation without sending readers into a spiral of suicidal depression, or being insulting.

Rarity from the Hollow brilliantly combines social commentary in a fantastical and intricate science fiction setting that readers can understand and relate to. It is one of those books that if it does not make you think, you are not really reading it.

FROM THE REVIEWER:

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

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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.

Amazon Top Reviewer Gives Romantic Comedy Five Stars

Title: Lucky Dawg Meets Lucky Lucy

Author: Edward Fox

Author's Blog: https://egfoxbooks.wordpress.com

Genre: Romantic Comedy with some Paranormal

Reviewer: cc2015 (Verified Purchaser) Gave this book a 5 Star Rating

Reviewer's Rating on Amazon: Top 1000 Reviewer

e-Book & AudioBook can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RU6S7W

Story Published on Amazon, part of the Kindle Unlimited program.

By cc2015 TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Romance readers are in for a real treat with this book! Lucky Dawg Meets Lucky Lucy is a fun, yet sexy romance read intended for adult readers. I found Lucky Dawg's narration to be very fun and interesting, from when he was explaining the origin to his name to how he's lucky--he's definitely got a lot of personality and I found that to be very unique about this book! Also, though this is part of a series, there's no cliff hanger at the end--though I DO want more from Lucky Dawg and Lucky Lucy, it's a very satisfying read. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a hot romance read.


MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edward G. Fox (Ed) may be found at http://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardgfox
https://www.amazon.com/author/edwardfoxhttps://egfoxbooks.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/egfox123

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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.