Category: Book Reviews

by the Editors of Writer’s Digest

Published by Writer’s Digest Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY CRAFTING NOVELS & SHORT STORIES!!!

“Writing fiction requires grit and sensitivity. It’s an elusive craft. You chase it and chase it, and sometimes you feel like you’ll never master it.”

            This book will give you what you need to create real-life characters, help you move that plot forward and not get stuck, and strengthen your dialogue. What is the right point of view for your book? There are so many questions this work will answer for you.

            From the Editors of Writer’s Digest, comes a book on the art of novel and short story writing. It is jam-packed with advice and instruction from best-sellers like Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Sims, Hallie Ephron, N.M. Kelby, Heather Sellers, and Donald Maass.

            James Scott Bell gives us an intriguing and inspiring Foreword too.

            There are sections everywhere inside this work that cover specific topics like forcing yourself to get started, battling the all-compassing foe called writer’s block, researching for you work, and getting published.

            It doesn’t matter if your work is a short story, a novella, a novel, or even an epic trilogy, you’ll finish this book knowing you have the tools you need to be a stronger storyteller.

            I’m a writer—as you’ve probably guessed by now. But I’ve always known I am not a master of the art. As with whatever career or dream one has, he must seek other’s guidance and instruction if he wishes to obtain success. So I’ve collected a good bit of books on writing to help inspire and aide my in my writing career.

            I think almost anyone you could talk to has at least one book inside them dying to get out. The problem is, probably 90% of those people have already believed the lie they’ve told themselves. They just don’t have time, they wouldn’t know where to start, and they don’t think they could ever finish it — this lie comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

            Well, Crafting Novels & Short Stories is one of the greater works that could help you separate yourself from that 90% and join those of us over here in the 10%. You can write that story. You can finish it. This book will give you the tools to do that.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: CRAFTING NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES.

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!

Another side note, 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!

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

by Christopher Paolini

Published by Laurel-Leaf

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY ERAGON!!!

“How deep do you think it is?’ asked Eragon. “I can’t tell,” said Murtagh, worrying coloring his voice.”

            When Eragon, a young farmer boy, finds a blue stone in the forest, he has no idea what is about to befall him. The blue stone? It’s a dragon’s egg. The hatchling immediately bonds with Eragon and the two become each other’s protector.

            But evil reigns down on Eragon’s home, he loses his uncle in the process. Escaping with an older man by the name of Brom—one who seems to have more than his fair share of knowledge on Dragon lore—and they make their way across the lands in search of answers.

            There’s also an elf lady, Eragon sees her in his dreams—she’s tortured in a dungeon somewhere. When he finds her, it is revealed, she is the one who sent him the egg. She is apart of a resistance force called the Varden hidden beneath a mountain.

            Will Eragon be able to make it to the Varden? Will the Emperor manage to capture this upstart Dragonrider and turn him to his ways?

            I had seen the movie a decade ago, never read the books. Until a month ago, I finally read this first work in the Cycle series and enjoyed it. Yes, it’s an older book so there is that slow beginning and the “quest” adventure that goes on and on. But before you know it, things are resolved and the stage is set for a second book.

            I didn’t finish it in a night or a week, but I still enjoyed it. Some of the characters are a bit different than the ones in the movie, but that didn’t seem like a deterrent to me.

            I look forward to reading the next book and can’t wait to see how this story unfolds.

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

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!

Another side note, 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!

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 LIGHTNING THIEF!!!

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.” –Percy

            Bouncing from one boarding school to another, Percy Jackson doesn’t seem to hold any piece of good luck. But it’s not his fault really. Monsters attack him, monsters from Greek mythology—the kind that aren’t supposed to actually exist? Yes, those.

            What Percy Jackson finds out: he’s a half-blood. What’s that? Half-god-half-human. His father is Poseidon, god of the seas.

            That’s not all. Zeus’s lightning bolt has been stolen and Zeus and all the monsters on earth blame Percy. Why? Who knows, maybe they just like to pick on Poseidon’s heir.

            But Percy is not without friends. His best friend turns out to be his guardian and a satyr. The satyr takes Percy to a camp for demigods called Camp Half-Blood—who’d have thought? But, along the way, Percy’s mom is snuffed away by a Centaur to the Underworld. Can Percy bring her back? Can he and his friends retrieve the lightning bolt in time before Olympus erupts into a war that will lay havoc on Earth?

            My friends, let me tell you, I’d seen both movies, but I’d never read the books. Yes, they’re aimed at a younger age group some would say. But when I finally picked this book up—I was hooked. The clean humour was refreshing, the exciting adventure was surprisingly thrilling, and the fact that it is actually almost nothing like the movie helped me enjoy them both separately almost as if they were their own unique worlds.

            The kids are quite young but they have an interesting view on aspects of life—probably because they see things normal humans can’t thanks to the Mist. The Mist is what masks the supernatural world from our eyes. So when there’s a giant bat-winged old woman flying overhead, we might see just a bird or some leaves rushing by or nothing at all.

            Is this a must read? Yes. I wholeheartedly say, if you want something that will snatch you away from this dreary world for a few minutes—or an hour or two or three—and just give you laughs as well as some cringing and bated breaths, this is a book you do not want to miss out on.

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

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!

Another side note, 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!

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

by Morgan Rhodes

Published by Penguin Group

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY FALLING KINGDOMS!!!

“She’d never killed before tonight.”

            In the world of Mytica there are three nations: Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia. All three are in a trinitarian power struggle. Naturally, each kingdom wants itself to be superior to the rest, controlling their fates.

            Princess Cleo is of the privileged class, used to comfort and extravagance. But when someone in her castle is murdered, she’s forced to confront a violent debacle for the first time while watching her kingdom spiral down a path of destruction.

            Magnus is the prince of Limeros. He must figure out a plan to earn his father’s trust and therefore his crown. But he has a secret—something that is forbidden. Or is it? Lucia, his sister discovers another secret about her heritage that changes everything.

            Lashing out against oppression, Jonas loathes the slavery that has kept his country impoverished. He naturally finds himself the leader of a revolution.

            When I bought this book, I wasn’t certain what to think. Mytica sounded like just another regular kingdom with the normal struggles. But I needed something to read. This was not a bad decision. I entered the world intrigued and it grasped me, pulling me through the pages.

            Yes, I’m sounding a little over-dramatic. But I’m merely stating the truth. This is another great read and the awesome thing about it: it’s only the first book to a series.

            It’s filled with mysteries—one I was a little wary about but when I figured it out, I was relieved—and betrayals and secret alliances, surprise murders and forbidden love. All the best aspects of a great work—I’m excited to read the rest of the series.

            High fantasy, political drama, and mystery thriller all rolled into one book, laying the ground works for what is to most-likely be a fascinating saga.

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

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!

Another side note, 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

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

by Randy Singer

Tyndale House Publishers

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY DIRECTED VERDICT!!!

“Sarah, the Muttawa found us! They’re coming. Maybe tonight.” –Rasheed

            Two American missionaries are targeted in Saudi Arabia by a religious police called the Muttawa. The husband is tortured and killed in front of his wife while she is arrested on made-up charges and deported to the United States. It is there that she meets a strapping young crusader by the name of Brad Carson. He is a lawyer ready to defend the innocent.

            When she informs him of the injustice brought down on her and her family, Sarah finds a hero in Brad. He files an unparalleled civil rights suit against Saudi Arabia and the heated battle is on. But there are powerful forces underway, unleashed from the malovelent underbelly of Saudi Arabia’s justice system. They will stop at nothing to vindicate the Arabian kingdom.

            Witnesses disappear, some involved are bribed, and Brad even discovers a mole in his own team who is sabotaging their case. Will he be able to make it through this treachery? Will he be able to save his case, his job, and even the lives of those he loves? Will he be able to challenge the dominant intolerance and change the path of international law?

            It has been years since I’ve read this amazing work, but because of how thrilling it was, every important detail has stuck with me. I remember the emotions of watching the husband get murdered after the brutal attack of the thugs. I remember the wife’s frantic emotions when she pleaded with Brad to take her case. I remember Brad’s determination to see justice was served. I remember the heartbreak he went through from the betrayal.

            If you like crime novels and courtroom dramas, this is a great masterpiece! With how well-crafted this book was written, you could almost see it as a reality and it’s frightfully delightful. A thrilling fiction with international implications is how it’s put.

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

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!

Another side note, 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!

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

by Ilona Andrews

Ace Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MAGIC STRIKES!!!

“You didn’t answer my question,” Curran said. “What will it be?” “No.” I said. Curran grinned and my heart made a little jump. I didn’t expect that.”

            The Knights of Merciful Aide hire Kate to take care of some paranormal problems. She feels in over her head.

            But when Derek, her werewolf friend, is found barely alive, she has a worse struggle to deal with. Her investigation leads her into what is known as the Midnight Games. These are invitation-only, to-the-death, ultimate preternatural fighting tournaments that are actually illegal in Atlanta.

            Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, find a dark plot that will change the shapeshifting community forever.

            As always, Ilona Andrews did not disappoint me in this third book in the Kate Daniels series. I was laughing, almost screaming, venting, and catching tearjerker moments in this page-flipper. Kate already felt like a friend of mine, all that we’d been through in the first two books and with this one—I felt I grew to know her better.

Her romance with Curran also flustered and grew, I have to say, I’m rooting for these two kids.

The paranormal, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, with streams of dry humor and sprinkles of aggressive romance will have you licking your chops when you join Kate in her uncovering of the darker sides of the shapeshifters.

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

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!

Another side note, 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!

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