Category: Book Reviews

by Robin Parrish

Published by Bethany House

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MERCILESS!!!

“The prophecy,’ Devlin declared in a reverent whisper, ‘is made flesh.’”

            From the book’s jacket,

            “From the Earth’s depths crawls a figure with skin like granite, flames for eyes, and the face of Grant Burrows. Oblivion has arrived. Every clock around the world has stopped. Time has frozen. The Secretum have fulfilled the prophecy, unleashing on earth the most powerful being to walk the earth in thousands of years. His name is Oblivion and his touch is death. He can’t be slowed. He can’t be stopped. And he can’t be killed. But as long as any live who trust in hope and love and freedom, the fight is not over. They have only one chance before he brings forth the DarkWorld. Oblivion is Merciless.”

            Grant Burrows failed. He failed his friends, he failed the world, and he failed his sister. When he plummeted into the pit in the Hollows, Grant knew, there was nothing he could do.

            Let me tell you something, for a bookworm, there is nothing more anxiety-inducing than reading a book to its cliff-hanging end then having to wait months before the finale finally comes out!

            When I finished reading Fearless and immediately went online to order Merciless because my heart couldn’t take it, I nearly freaked out when I found I had to wait. But a friend—without telling me—pre-ordered Merciless for me and surprised me.

            Immediately I was sucked back into the world of Grant Burrows—a world on the verge of destruction. This science fantasy, or apocalyptic fiction, that even got two thumbs up from Ted Dekker, will wrench your heart out then piece it back together for you and put it back in a warm, maddening, sort of way.

            I have to say, Merciless stuck true to its calling and fulfilled its own destiny as the finale in the Dominion Trilogy.

Thankfully, you don’t have to wait in between books either.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: MERCILESS.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Robin Parrish

Published by Bethany House

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY FEARLESS!!!

“…he felt no pain. A chill stopped his pulse. This blood was not his.”

            Everything from earthquakes to disease was unleashed after the day when the sky burned. The world is being changed and its peoples feel helpless and stranded as they watch it verge on the edge of annihilation.

            But there are a few good people, imbued with special powers, who refuse to give up, resist letting fear take control—they are Fearless. They travel the planet, helping those in desperate need.

            But there’s an ancient prophecy and it’s being fulfilled the further these few try to go in stopping it.

            Is Grant still hiding secrets from the rest of his team?

            Staying worthy of its prequel, Fearless kept me in its hold. The unraveling mystery of the prophecy, the super heroic ventures, all thrilled me to the bone.

            A five star out of five stars on my list—this book kept me thinking and wondering and pondering. It would be classified as a science fantasy or science fiction—maybe even a superhero drama or apocalyptic fiction—whatever it is, I’m certain, if you enjoy at least one of those, you will fall in love with this second book in the Dominion trilogy.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: FEARLESS.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Tim Lebbon

Published by Del Ray, imprint of Random House

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY DAWN OF THE JEDI!!!

“But I am unmoving. An inconvenience to the water as long as I remain. And slowly, slowly, I am being eroded to nothing.” –Dalien Brock

            In the ancient days of the old Republic, the Jedi Order was known as the Je’daii. For ten thousand years they held the Force balanced between light and dark. But now, now there is someone who could tip the balance.

            Lanoree Brock has served at the feet of the Masters, learning the enigmatic ways of the Force. She has done well in the Je’daii Order, but her brother was shunned.

            Never able to find his way to the Light, his tale ended in tragedy.

            Or did it?

            Many years of solitary Ranger life have passed for Lanoree. One day she is summoned by the Je’daii Council to take on a mission to stop some half-crazed occult scientist who is trying to open a dark matter portal to somewhere beyond the galaxy.

            This cosmic connection would mean annihilation for an entire star system—but that’s not what shocks Lanoree. Long has she mourned her brother’s death—but now, with this discovery of why the Council sent her of all people, she realizes it is his life that she must worry about.

            Yes, I’m a Star Wars fan—somewhat—does that surprise you? It shouldn’t if you keep up with my book recommendations and a few of my own published works.

            But I must say, I’m a man of the Old ways—over the years I’ve collected the books set before the days of Anakin Skywalker and Luke and Han and Leia. What I enjoy is, with each passing year, a new Old Republic book seems to pop out of nowhere. I feel almost like a space-archeologist who discovers relics of an ancient past in a galaxy far away from this one.

            Dawn of the Jedi is one such amazing artifact. Though the book is old, this space drama / science fantasy is a revelation in and of itself. Set almost at the dawn of the Jedi Age, the tale weaves itself into a dark fiction in the malignant powers of the Dark Side.

            Lanoree—tough, maybe sassy, but definitely a kick-butt—will whisk you along as she sets out on her mission to stop her brother from bringing an apocalypse to an entire solar system and put the Force back into balance.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: DAWN OF THE JEDI.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Rick Riordan

Published by Disney Hyperion

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE TITAN’S CURSE!!!

“Then she was gone, and I was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.” –Percy Jackson

            Grover, the Satyr, is a friend of Percy Jackson’s—they’re linked in a mental kind of way, I’m not meaning crazy. But Percy gets a distress call from his friend and enlists himself on a quest to the rescue. He discovers that Grover has found two significant demigods, children of Hades.

            But what they soon realize is: they’ve walked into a trap designed by none other than Kronos the Titan Lord himself.

            Taking on powerful allies, will Percy Jackson be able to vanquish Kronos’s plan again? Will his friends make it out alive? What key roles do these two new demigods—Half-Bloods—have to play?

            This Greek-myth urban fantasy for young adults and teens is given a five star by me. Can there be any more stars? Yet again, I was brought to laughs by Percy’s clean humor. Yet again, I was surprised by the plot twists. And with yet another chilling prophecy, the team works it out well.

            Titan’s Curse could stand on its own sort of. It is book three in the series, but with the few mentions of past quests, Riordan gives good brief explanations that don’t take you out of the story world—they simply help you recall past adventures.

            What I’m saying is, Riordan keeps to his role as an amazing master at the narrative. The book is written in first person like the past two, from Percy’s perspective naturally. So you feel like you’re standing right next to Percy the whole time while you’re seeing what he’s seeing with him offering his own thoughts to you.

            Percy also does some growing and learning along the way—he’s growing up.

            And like its previous sibling works, this book kept me turning the pages and I was finished reading in around 2 or 3 days!

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: THE TITAN’S CURSE.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by John Irvin

A commentary by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY STARQUEST EPIX!!!

“City-planet?’ Josh glanced over his shoulder at the Major, ‘Like that planet in a galaxy far, far away?’”

            A prequel to the Novel, Epix, brings us to a new world where everything just seems extra-large. The USS Patriot is even given a second body, giving it hulking mass.

            Johan Eryn and his team are simply on a visit to the planet, making allies with the King himself, but when one of the moons takes on living form, plummeting to the planet, will the band of freedom fighters be able to withstand a god?

            Back to my StarQuest Anthology, Epix is the sequel to Forgetfulness and prequel to the Novel. Did I enjoy writing this short science fiction drama? Yes! I already knew the designs for the space ship, seeing as she’d appeared in the novel years before, but actually seeing how she got to be the Ultimatum was a blast.

Also, the beating up a false god was pretty fun too—wasn’t exactly expecting that when I first started writing the fiction.

Though, you could read the novel before reading this space fantasy, I would recommend reading this one first. It may not be a huge build-up, but still a nice little entertaining addition to the Anthology.

Click this link to go check it out: STARQUEST: EPIX.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Libba Bray

Published by Delacorte Press

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY!!!

“And then the scream I’ve been holding back comes pouring out of me hard and fast as a night train just as the sky opens wide and a fierce rain pours down, drowning our every sound.”

            Gemma Doyle’s last words to her mother are the most hateful—and now she has to live with it. But Gemma’s not like other girls, she sees visions of future events that have a deniable knack of coming true.

            When Gemma is institutionalized at Spence Academy in London, she finds herself thrust into a circle of the school’s most powerful women—dark entangled twists and turns that slowly reveal an wicked secret. Gemma’s power to draw the supernatural powers grows stronger.

            Then there’s the shadowy group that calls themselves the Order. Who are they? What do they want? What did Gemma’s mother have to do with them?

            And who is this tall, dark, and mysterious young lad apparently stalking Gemma?

           When I first sited this book in the bookstore a couple years ago, I was immediately drawn to the beauty of the cover. I must say, whoever did the artwork is a master! Then I opened the cover and feel even deeper in love. Why? Because the very first page holds several paragraphs of one of my most favourite poems: the Lady of Shalott by Tennyson.

            A gothic tale, starring elegant and complicated characters, unfolded itself before my eyes. The back of the cover states that it is a “curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book.” Now, I didn’t exactly do that, but I did spend quite a few hours sprawled out on my bed or my couch just reading and reading. If you want a magical fantasy to yank you out of this reality and drag you kicking and screaming all the way with but a few moments of respite, then you will adore this first book in a emotion-gripping trilogy.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful! I’m also considering adding a second tier in which those patrons would get an exclusive short series, an episode once a week. If you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. 

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com