The Doomsday Medallion by Avanti Centrae is a curious combination of historical fact and fiction combined with a spy thriller. The story being part of a series; it follows a group of people who work for an organization known as VanOps. These people have fascinating skills that allow them to achieve their goals on their missions.

While not a huge fan of this genre, I figured i would give it a try with this book and I can say I enjoyed it. This was probably due to the slight fantasy aspect that this series has. 

The character of The Doomsday Medallion are well written and their interactions feel realistic, even if they may have some strange powers. The story of the novel is also very good, though I could not help but feel as though it ended a bit abruptly and person some of the loose ends felt a bit forced when tied up.

All in all The Doomsday Medallion is an entertaining book and worth picking up!

Uprising is the second book in a series by C.R. Dempsey. The book picks up where Bad Blood left off, bringing us right back in to the violent and dangerous life of the main character, with a slight more focus on some side characters than the first book had. Uprising is just as exciting as Bad Blood. There is plenty of adventure and the characters continue to be well thought out.

As with the first book in the series, the history surrounding the world during Uprising was well researched and the lore of the fictional parts of the story fit the setting properly.

Uprising, much like Bad Blood, should be picked up by fans of historical fiction stories!

The Lucky Diamond by Valinora Troy is an exciting fantasy adventure that, while aimed at children, is certainly exciting enough for even an adult reader to follow along with. I had a great time following siblings trying to find their uncle in a creative fantasy world will many colorful creators and magical beings. 

The story of The Lucky Diamond is a creative adventure that I found myself getting in to from the beginning. Watching the children live their lives from a drastic beginning to a happy ending was exciting every step of the way. 

The characters are fanciful and well thought out. Even the magical creatures and people feel as if they are grounded in the world and make sense for the setting. Including a flying canoe I found myself particularly fond of.

The Lucky Diamond is a great read, and if you have a children of middle age reading, or you just like to read everything that crosses your path like I do, I would suggest picking this up. You are going to have a whole lot of fun!

If you are a regular reader of my reviews, then you know that historical fiction is one of my top three favorite genres to read. So I was super excited when I was able to get my hands on three C.R. Dempsey books. As of the writing of this I have read Bad Blood with Uprising currently being read. And I have to say, despite honestly having no idea who Dempsey was before picking up this book (as is the fact with most of the books I pick up on sites to review) I inhaled the entire novel in a day. Much to the chagrin of my cats and husband as I forgot to feed them. (Don’t worry they got treats later. The cats, not the husband, he can feed himself.)

Anyway, back to the book. Bad Blood is a historical fiction novel taking place in late 1500s Ireland. While the story and characters are fictional, as with many a historical fiction, the setting and the general timeline going on around the characters, who are doing their best to survive it, if rooted in history. The main character Eunan is a trouble young man who we meet at a young age as he does his best to deal with parents who hate him so much that he wishes to be away, but honor keeps him bound. Now I could guess why his parents hated him to some level. Despite this, I was not disappointed by how the story turned out.

Beyond the story, the characters are fitting for the century they take place in as are their struggles and bonds. 

I would strongly suggest Bad Blood to fans of historical fiction, you will likely inhale this story as quickly as I did.

Broken Volume 1 After the Plague by Imogen Keeper is a fascinating tale of disease and survival that is painfully relatable in today’s ‘new normal’ world. While people die around her the main character does her best to ignore what is going on around her, sadly when someone close to her passes away she has no other choice but to start to act. The main characters desire to try and hide from the pain going on around her is very realistic and relatable.

Expanding from the character mention above the others are all well written and interesting. They also act appropriately to the age of the character, which makes them even more enjoyable. It can often be difficult to write a proper child character, as its been a long time since the average writer was a five years old. However, the author has made each character believable.

Moving on to the story, as mentioned before, it is painfully relatable in our current COVID world. Though the disease in this story has a different origin and is twice as deadly, it is something all of us can relate to in our lives now, that at one point we could have only guessed at.

One thing to note, if you are easily offended, the characters in this book talk like actual people. There are curses used and a sex scene. These are not excessive and fit to the style and setting of the story.

Final thoughts on the book? You should pick it up, its a fantastic book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Surrogate Colony by Boshra Rasti is a dystopian novel following a young woman and her love interest as they try to come to terms with the fact that they seem to be very strange in a world full of people who are doing what is expected of them, and where everyone future is laid down for them by a supercomputer and its algorithms.

The characters are interesting. As the main characters are young adults, they have a number of emotional issues that should be addressed by the cocktail of various medication that the government expects them to take regularly. Sadly, the medications do not seem to work perfectly for our main character, leaving her in an uncomfortable position.

The story itself was good. However, there were a few plot gaps that had me wondering. The main characters seemed to jump to some conclusions before things were explained. And the villain, while yes, a villain, seems to have no particular reason to do what is happening. However, despite these issues, Surrogate Colony is a dark and entertaining dystopian story that I found myself inhaling rather quickly. I honestly hope a sequel is written as the story ended on a note one would be perfect for as well as hoping some more questions are answered.