Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

If you are a romance reader and you want one with some unsavory aspects and some disturbing creatures, you will no doubt love this book.   Sadly I get hung up on romance books and let it color my overall appreciation of a story.   The last real wizard in Oblya lives with his three witchy daughters and exploits their powers.    

The daughters are rebellious.  Undine and Rose appear beautiful while Marlinchen is the ugly duckling who is unfairly selected to be her father’s servant.  The time and setting seem to be in a pre-industrial revolution in Russia with the move from large landholders to city industry.

Marlinchen discovers a love interest and things get complicated. 

The book abounds with lies, treachery, deceit, and love.

Romance readers should love it, me not so much. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Price of Rebellion by Michael C. Bland

Bland projects a future where the population has been wired with cerebral implants allowing the government to constantly surveil them.  Dray Quintero is an engineer who designed and invented some of the technology that enables the government to do ubiquitous surveillance.  He reevaluated his work and tried to reverse it, which led to his rebelling.

The rebellion existed before Dray entered it so he was not a policy-level leader.   His diving into the rebellion has led to his separation from his wife and the destruction of his family.  Raven, his elder daughter, joins him in the rebellion.

The story has a wealth of action with a lot of interpersonal angst.   Dray doesn’t play well with others and he and his daughter also butt heads.

I enjoyed the book and shudder at Bland’s projected future.   I have some issues with it though.  I have a son who is a mechanical engineer with a plethora of patents.   Mechanical engineers can do wonders but Dray seems to be able to repair highly sophisticated devices with paperclips and super glue.  There seems to be a disconnect between reality and future reality.   I guess things could progress to a point where repairs can be done in the field under stress but it appears technology is going the other way.   No repair, just abandon something if it breaks.  It may be nitpicking.

I also don’t like cliff hangers.  I like series but I like each book to provide a modicum of closure. 

I still enjoyed the book and recommend it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Artifical Intelligence, A Grade School Explanation by AI, edited by William G. Bentrim

 Artificial Intelligence is a hot issue. Children pick up technology fast. I asked ChatGPT to explain what AI is at an upper elementary school level. In addition, I asked it to suggest an illustration for each page. The prompts ChatGPT provided were inputted in Catbird.ai which generated the illustrations. This resulted in a book, AI A Grade School Explanation by AI.

If you want a FREE pdf of how an AI explains itself, message me

wbentrim@bentrim.info

Devil's Gun by Cat Rambo

This is a sequel to You Sexy Thing.   I almost didn’t read You Sexy Thing due to the title.  I’m not particularly interested in sex in my sci-fi but it was just the name of the ship.  The ship is a self-aware ship that illustrates some of the current concerns about AI.   Some of the ship’s decisions are decidedly questionable.  It is a major character in the book.   Captain Niko and her mixed alien crew are trying to go on the offensive with the pirate Tubal Last.  They pair up with a con artist and paladin and go on a quest.

Rambo does a good job illustrating the success and foibles of interpersonal relationships.  Talon’s loss leads him into questionable behavior but is a good study of how grief can impact the logical decision-making process.  

There is action, deceit, and acceptance.

I enjoyed the book.

 This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

I Bring the Fire Part I: Wolves by C. Gockel

This is a story in the Loki series.  Gockel has brought mythology and technology together with complex interpersonal interactions.  Loki is shown to be both more and less than his reputation and Amy Lewis’ life changes with his abrupt introduction to it.

Gockrel borrows from the past with the use of serialized teasing.   Gockrel often gives away the initial story of a series with the intent of sucking your interest in so thoroughly that you can’t help but want to buy the next book.  I sit here in awe as I see the strategy, admire it, and succumb to it.   In addition, Gockrel’s Facebook presence is ubiquitous and amusing.   Ugh, I am impressed, distressingly so as I, too, am an author without all of those skills.  

On to the review, Loki shows up as a savior in Amy’s life and she discovers that many of the “historical” facts about Loki are wrong, and some aren’t nearly known as well as commonly thought.   Amy gets caught up in Loki’s quest and it changes her life.

Plenty of highly imaginative action and lots of tongue-in-cheek fun.   I loved the story and will be reading more. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Engineer’s Apprentice by J. R. Martin

A steampunk future USA where racial diversity is barely tolerated.  The industrialized eastern seaboard appears to want to extend its borders to the west coast.  Industrialization is through uranium-fueled steam technology.   The Native Americans have embraced rune magic and used that magic to protect their border. The Freed Men are former slaves who have been accepted into the Native American community.  Issa, a master engineer, takes Annie on as an apprentice and they find themselves faced with both political intrigue and personal revenge.  

Issa and Annie, discover each has strengths to complement the other.   Mrs. Miller, Issa’s housekeeper has a mysterious past and a nurturing nature.

Fascinating inventions and a merging of diverse paths toward the future are accompanied by action and passion.

I found the book interesting and enjoyable. I recommend it.

 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Does Anyone Notice? Does Anyone Care?

I change my header for this blog, every month.  

Does anyone notice?

Does anyone care?

I do, 

That is enough.