The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

This is one of the stranger books I have read and I have read some strange ones.   People start to lose their shadows and the shadows are what keeps memories.   The story is about people becoming shadowless and the journey to save their memories.

The shadow free folks begin to exhibit traits that threaten those with shadows and are consequently persecuted.   This leads to some extremely bizarre reactions by those without shadows.

I finished the book but it was a bit of a struggle.  Lots and lots of introspection leavened with occasional action.  It will probably end up as required reading by psych classes.

I've read some of the reviews and obviously some folks have seen more in this book than I did.  Dystopian novels can pique your interest or not.  This one did not pique my interest. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Last Cleric by Layton Green

Repeating myself once again, I enjoyed Layton Green’s previous books. Three brothers and their friend are thrust into a thoroughly unbelievable situation and forced to cope with the supernatural.  This book seems more of a three way tie for protagonists with little or no interaction between the brother.

Val, Will and Caleb are the three brothers.   The author does a great job in creating likeable and yet flawed characters.  Each one is a realistic example of how different and yet similar siblings are.   

Each of the brothers is on a quest of their own.   The author doesn’t hesitate to kill off characters so beware of investing!

Lots of twists, turns and politics with a major leavening of perfidy.

The author allows each character to mature and grow throughout all of the books.

I highly recommend the book.

Web Site:   http://laytongreen.com/

 This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Blood Calls by Charles Shell

This was a great book.  I love buddy movies and buddy books.  In this case one buddy is human and the other is a dragon.   Corbin and Blood, his dragon buddy, have been the butt of prejudice all their lives.  They are moved to a foreign country by Corbin’s uncle to protect them from harm.   The result was like frying pan to fire.

The author has done a nice job showing the negative impact of prejudice based on nationality and religion.   He also showed the impact that friendship and love can have on those who are willing to share it.   Customs and their differences provided some amusement particularly in the area of courting.

The dangers of military expansion relate well to current events.  I really enjoyed the character interactions.

I highly recommend.

Web: http://charlesdshell.com/blog/?page_id=164

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

This is a book that you might pass by in the first few pages.  It starts out slow but like any monumental work, a good foundation is needed for towering success and this book is a towering success.   Ms. Gratton writes with a succulent verbosity that paints a vivid tapestry of human fragility.  There is so much passion and pain that, at times, it was difficult to continue.   Destiny and desire conflict with daunting responsibility.  Three sisters contend for ruling a small isle.

The personalities of the three sisters and many of the supporting characters are the high light of the book.   Ms. Gratton is truly artistic with her personality development.   Ban The Fox is a prime example of a character that is easy to love and to hate.   In spite of the book being a fantasy, the author shows the enormous complexity of human relationships.

I truly enjoyed this book and will award it more than five Amazon stars if that were possible.

Web: http://tessagratton.com/tessa/novels.html

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.