including some from my Autumn Reading Challenge
(which I’m already behind on – yeesh).
This month, my offering of 4 and 5 star reviews includes thrillers, humor, sci-fi, horror, short stories, and YA fantasy. I hope you enjoy the browse.
Click on the covers for Amazon global links.
*****
You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas
This debut novel by Biswas travels at breakneck speed. Set in India, it deals with the atrocious and criminal practice of throwing acid in women’s faces. But that’s only one theme in this complex and engaging plot that kept me riveted from page one. I’m not surprised that this book is receiving so much acclaim.
A police investigation headed by Jitan Bhatt into the mutilations and murders of several women intersects with an acid attack on Anjali Morgan, his lover. Everything goes totally crazy, and I mean Totally Crazy, as…
I am pleased to bring you a new book release from author, D. Wallace Peach! I’ll let her tell you about it!
Behind the Veil, the hordes gather, eager to savage the world. But Kalann il Drakk, First of Chaos, is untroubled by the shimmering wall that holds his beasts at bay. For if he cannot cleanse the land of life, the races will do it for him. All he needs is a spark to light the fire.
Three unlikely allies stand in his way.
A misfit elf plagued by failure—
When Elanalue Windthorn abandons her soldiers to hunt a goblin, she strays into forbidden territory.
A changeling who betrays his home—
Talin Raska is a talented liar, thief, and spy. He makes a fatal mistake—he falls for his mark.
A halfbreed goblin with deadly secrets—
Naj’ar is a loner with a talent he doesn’t understand and cannot control…
“Brother Love – a Crossroad” is a mysterious “Twilight Zone-ish” short novella. It was inspired by the combination of Neil Diamond’s song and the blues legends of Robert Johnson and the Devil at the Crossroads. As in the real world, things in this tale are not what they seem. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1950s. A group of outcasts are in a small southern town. They don’t realize they are looking for something. Will they find it?
My review
I am a big fan of Teagan Geneviene’s books as I find her stories to be highly entertaining and imaginative and, despite containing elements of the mystical and supernatural, to be believable and seem quite possible. I also find the author’s characters to be interesting and colourful and I enjoy the way she uses their actions, emotions and dialogues to weave her stories in a natural…
The little shadow boy cocked his head and thought.
“Her name is Felicity.”
“That sounds right.” Trina replied; then she stuffed Felicity
into her bag and said, “Let’s go!”
Trina and the Shadow Boy find the Android
The Shadow boy led Trina to the robot department at Macy’s.
The android saw them and clicked happily into gear.
The three of them stared at each other in silence.
Finally, Trina opened her bag and said, “Hop in and I’ll make you a skin.”
The android peered at Trina’s bag and hopped in.
Trina hugged the shadow boy and told him to close his eyes; when he opened them, he was in Trina’s workshop.
The shadow boy watched from the shadows as Trina went to work at her sewing machine. It took hours, but when she was done, the android had a new skin and new clothes.
Trina Takes the Android to Her Workshop
As Trina dressed the android, the shadow boy stepped out of the shadows.
“He’s very handsome.” The shadow boy said, “but why are his clothes so weird.”
“He lives in the past.” Trina replied.
Trina brought the android a mirror; the android silently studied his face.
“Not bad” he said. His voice was deep and resonant.
“I think it’s quite excellent.” Trina’s statement was an irritable command.
The android clicked with dismay, “Oh yes!” He stammered, “It’s quite excellent;quite excellent indeed.”
Trina Makes the Android a New Skin and Outfit
Trina was happy again.
“Let’s go to the park and write a story.” She said.
“That’s an excellent idea,” the android relied, “quite excellent indeed.”
You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas
Art by Rob Goldstein 