One way to ensure a lively novel is to pick two conflicting cultures and force them together. If you want to make it especially enthralling, have them manifest inside the same person. It turns out that vampirism and Judaism are a complete mismatch. It seems that the Jewish religion has all sorts of taboos about…
Tag: amwriting
REVIEW
“Your Complete Guide to Dog Training” by Dan Ross
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This How-To book is not a standalone. It is part of a training platform that is larger in scope, including personal lessons, a YouTube channel, a video library (at a cost) and Instagram and Facebook pages. The first few chapters cover the broader picture: the philosophical part. A valuable bit of advice from the start…
REVIEW
“The Prophesied” by M. C. diFranco
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a YA Fantasy novel that will probably appeal to a rather narrow readership. There is not enough external action for many readers, and the bulk of the conflict is interpersonal or internal. For the first part of the book, the plotline holds its own, with good physical conflict, balanced by the usual social…
REVIEW
“Ether Realms: Saving Korvath” by Latrell Veal
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
I recently had an online conversation with some fellow professional editors, worrying about how to help a writer who had two separate points of view in his book, both of them first person. In other words, the story was all in “I” pronoun, but in alternating chapters the “I” switched to the other person. One…
REVIEW
“Imperiled” by Alexander Hans Schmitt with Vonnie Gene Schmitt.
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
I wanted to like this book, because this author displays obvious talent. However, I was distracted by a lack of cohesion in general. The intended readership would probably not be affected by this situation, so you can take this review with a grain of salt. This is a highly technical Space Opera of the type…
REVIEW
“The Cracked Slipper” by Stephanie Alexander
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
“Fractured Fairy Tales” is a genre all its own, and a tough market to succeed in. The technique this author uses successfully is to start with the fairy tale, but segue into another Fantasy style that will add to the thematic clout of the original. So, the opening introduction of characters, setting, and adapted plotline…
REVIEW
“Tracer” by David Graham
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a standard Sci-Fi epic action adventure, concerned with galactic politics and the sweep of history. It also explores serious themes of the responsibilities of leadership. From the first paragraph, there is warning of problems to come. The awkward structure “…amazed at just how good of a pilot she really was…” is immediately followed…
REVIEW
“Beneath Far Skies” by F. C. Filips
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a fun Young Adult Fantasy Quest novel which needs polishing to clean up a rough writing style. First, the positives. This tale has great characters. They are individualistic, quirky and empathetic. Not necessarily the sort of people you’d want to take on a long quest, but an entertaining bunch to hang with for…
REVIEW
“The Monocle” by Mark Cavanagh
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
Here we have a fairly standard YA story that pushes a couple of boundaries to good effect. The main character is a bit of a nerd, very sympathetic, who manages to stay out of the sights of the bullies most of the time. His friend Viv, on the other hand, is not so typical. In…
REVIEW
“Where is all the Grass Going?” by D. E. Fox
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
First and foremost, if you’re going to read this book, forget about logic and reason and all those structures that adults put in place to control the world. This is a book for young children who don’t see much reason in anything that happens in their lives, so they just don’t care. So, forget even…