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I love this kind of book generally, so I hung in there hoping it would get better. Sadly, if anything the plot and characters were even more confusing at the 25% point, which is where I threw in the towel. Lots of really interesting concepts are teed up, but the characters are an undefined hot mess. The lack of motivation, character development, political details/history. combine into a confusing mishmash of conversations meaningless to a reader. The cool stuff, like magic combined with physics, gets lost along the way due to that. Also needs a good structural edit to eliminate the many homonyms used incorrectly (e.g. rapped versus wrapped..etc).

I rate this a 2.5 on the FCP book review standards scale. Priced at $4.99 on Amazon; seems expensive given the content.

(Disclosure: I received a free copy through Veracious Readers Only!)

There are many things to like about this first Colt Harper installment; a new vampire concept, relentless wry humor interspersed with things any cat owner would recognize, and an interesting backdrop universe where the action takes place. I especially enjoyed the many small obscure jests and references. Tyrolin Puxty is one of those authors who I would love to have a leisurely conversation with, as I am certain it would be hugely entertaining.

As the first book in a series the stage is being set for the sequels, although the book does present a standalone story which is mostly complete by the last page.

I rate this book a solid 4.5, based on the FCP book review standard. Priced at $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, this is a very good value and punches well above its weight.

I learned of the book through Veracious Readers Only!, and bought my own copy.

Image by ana carla from Pixabay

Editor Sue J. Eaton has pulled together an entertaining collection of sixteen ghost stories. The Kindle presentation is well considered and doesn’t structurally distract the reader, which deserves comment as many are not so well done. The volume itself is short, and requires very little time to read its entirety.

I must be getting jaded when it comes to ghost stories (I read many), as none of these were particularly surprising or suspenseful. I did enjoy reading the book however. My favorite stories were “Everything Here is Mine”, “Anna in the Night”, and “Ligeia”. This is the kind of book you’ll read once, happily enjoy while doing so, and likely never come back for a second go.

I rate it a 4, based on the FCP book review standards. Priced at $2.99 on Amazon, this is a good value and sure to entertain.

Image by ariadne-a-mazed from Pixabay

First, a public service announcement: This book is a LitRPG fantasy. The blurb doesn’t mention this niche genre, and has only a passing resemblance to the actual story being purchased. It doesn’t mention this is the second book of a series.

The story sets a reader down with no explanation of what has already happened, which in this case is somewhat important. Otherwise, the story initially makes very little sense. The first 70% of the book is spent killing boars in the forest, leveling party characters up to epic. The main Omega storyline is therefore rushed and incomplete. Writing is abysmal; characters are not developed, words are misapplied (e.g. amplitude vs. aptitude), the author doesn’t seem to know the difference between a pun and a metaphor. In short a good structural edit is sorely needed (i.e. more than a spellcheck).

Young gamers with high school reading skills might love this story, but old gamers want more for their $3.99. I recommend reading the samples before deciding to buy.

I rated “Peaks of Power: God Hand” a 2.5 on the FCP Review Standards scale.

Image by Parker_West from Pixabay

First and foremost, unless you really have a royal flush book on offer, an author probably shouldn’t be inviting reader comparisons to Game of Thrones or the politics of Dune in their blurb. While on the topic of the blurb; it bears only a faint resemblance to what is actually within the plot itself. R. Coots drops the reader right into the middle of a new universe, replete with invented terms, slang, and hidden powers without a life-raft. It took me the first 100 pages or so to get an understanding of what the rules were, and then mainly by inference. Not a lot of exposition or transitions to help explain complex plot settings. The most likeable (and developed) character is Syrus’ second, Quinn, whose character takes a turn for the worse at the very end.

Why did I persist? Because the story has legs, of course! R. Coots’ universe, the rules under which it operates, is unique and interesting. The book is technically well-written, professionally presented, and complete in itself. At $3.99 on Amazon, it is a good value.

I rated Devour the Stars as a solid 3.5 on the FCP Review Standards scale.

(Disclosure: I received a free copy through Veracious Readers Only!)

Image by Peter Fischer from Pixabay

This is a short book of short stories for a reasonably short price. All of the stories are written by the author and prove to be interesting in spite of a few quirks. The book reads more like a post-copy-edit draft prior to being formatted rather than a finished work. And yet, it kept me interested and did entertain.

My favorite stories are “Method” and “El Viejito”, both of which appeal to my admittedly dark sense of humor. At $2.99 on Amazon.com it is priced close to being a good deal. Maybe Hana Aianhanma is on to something here; minimalist cover, minimum polish (things were spelled correctly), and good content but not a lot of it. Hmmmm.

I rate this 3 stars on the FCP Review Standards scale.

(Disclosure: I received a free copy through Veracious Readers Only!)

Image by Reinhart Zehetbauer from Pixabay

A friend recommended this anthology of themed short stories, and after looking it up and buying on Amazon I was bitter about the high Kindle price. But if you can’t trust your friends.. After reading the first three stories, I am considerably less bitter. Less than 300 pages with 28 stories, the book is an anomaly in that every single story is good! Normally, you’ll find a good anthology will mostly be to your taste and some stories will still leave you flat. I don’t know how the editors accomplished it, but this is uniformly excellent. The only nit is some of these titles are too damn long.

My favorite stories were “When they Damned the Memory..I Danced”, “Frost on the Fields”, and “A Last Word”; but in fairness it was tough to pick favorites. I rate this collection as a 5 on the FCP Review Standards scale.

Against my visceral response, FMP: $6.99

Image by Twighlightzone from Pixabay