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April Book Reviews

April was another month of intense editing, but that’s behind me as of yesterday. I’m looking forward to getting back to my usual reading indulgence. In the meantime, I’ve got some good books for you.

Below are reviews for this month’s 4 and 5-star reads including a sci-fi thriller, a western paranormal adventure , a fantasy, poetry anthology, and fantasy/folklore/mystery.

Click on the covers for Amazon global links.

*****

Hope by Terry Tyler

In the not-so-distant future when the world is run by mega conglomerates and the vast majority of people are just getting by, the solution to increasing homelessness is Hope Villages. But is there really any hope of escaping poverty in a world rife with unemployment and rigged for the rich, beautiful, and powerful? When Lita and her two roomies find themselves unemployed, the only solution is to enter Hope Village #37. And revealing the truth about what happens within its walls can get you killed.

One of the things that was so enthralling about this read is how realistic it is. I can definitely see these villages (warehouses) for the poor cropping up in the near future. There’s a sense of just-getting-by and that anyone, including the reader, could end up in one of these places. And how they’re run is entirely based on the political party in charge. Scary, scary, scary stuff.

The writing is flawless. The read starts with a fair amount of backstory as Lita, her friends, and the challenges they face are introduced. It builds to a simmer with an impending sense of doom as things start spiraling downward. Before you know it, they’re out of choices, a point at which I found the book difficult to put down. The characters are emotionally realistic, vulnerable, brave, and totally outgunned by the powerful machine controlling their lives. The realism extends right to the end – no happily-ever-after here, though there is hope. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy suspense, dystopian fiction, and “this could happen” thrillers. (Kindle Unlimited).

*****

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

This fantasy has everything I love: intricate world-building, a twisted plot, great characters, and lyrical/atmospheric writing.

Long ago, a murder in the mountainous realm of Azenor resulted in a curse, and now nightmares come alive every month on the new moon. Clementine and her father are wardens, people gifted with magic who hunt the nightmares and find the keys to their undoing. But when two brothers beat them in a challenge, Clem and her family are forced to leave their village. Clem vows revenge, disguises herself with the help of an ancient troll, and becomes the nightmare-hunting partner of one of the brothers. She’s drawn into a century-old conflict of conspirators and secrets, and only by uniting with her rival will she survive the dangers lurking around every corner.

The magic is clever and layered, and the encounters with nightmares are full of danger. The story unfolds in Clem’s POV, which leaves a lot of mysteries for her and the reader to unravel, including whether she can trust the various players trying to guide, deceive, and manipulate her. Each character is deliciously distinct and many of them aren’t who they seem. Their motivations are questionable, and it’s hard to tell until the very end who the good guys and bad guys are and what role they play in resolving the curse.

The writing is beautiful, full of gorgeous metaphors, and if I read the book as a paperback, I would have employed a highlighter on every page. The story is strong with emotion, visual description, action, and intrigue, as well as flavored with romance. Highly recommended for fantasy readers who also enjoy the works of Katherine Arden and Margaret Rogerson.

*****

Mateo’s Blood Brother by Sandra Cox

I thought the first book in this series was great and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second. It didn’t disappoint. Mateo, the wolf-shifter sheriff of Grizzly is still a major part of the story but the focus is now on Jessie, his fully human blood brother. After a long period of estrangement, they’re working on their friendship, and they haven’t much choice about sticking together since the shifter-she-wolf they’d thought was dead is back for revenge. She’s targeting them and everyone they hold dear.

I enjoyed the characters the first time around and did so again. Jessie and Mateo share the story’s POV. They’re believable, emotionally authentic, and distinct. I can easily say the same about the secondary characters, even those with small parts. The shifters, including a new and mysterious brown wolf, are appealing with their deep connections to the natural world. I enjoyed experiencing the action through Mateo’s animal senses as well as his human ones and was especially intrigued by his father.

The author is well known for her western romances, but in this series, romance is secondary to the other elements of the plot. I’d characterize the book as contemporary western, paranormal fiction, and there’s plenty of action to keep the pace moving along. I read the book in two sittings while ignoring everything else I had to do. I hope the author will write more for this series. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy paranormal fiction with great characters, a touch of romance, and a quick pace. (Kindle Unlimited).

*****

Hues of Hope, Selected Poetry by Balroop Singh

Singh’s latest collection of free form poetry includes about 100 poems on the subject of hope. They cover a wide range of perspectives, emotions, and sources of hope, found within us as well as out in the world. The hope found in nature, in memories, and in love are prevalent in the first three sections of the book. And in the second half of the collection, hope becomes more complex and entangled with pain, disappointment, and longing, among other less cheery emotions and experiences. It was within these more nuanced explorations that I found some of my favorite poems.

A few memorable poems were “I Have Understood”, “I Know You!” and “Now I Understand You!” Below are the first three stanzas of “Who Are You” from the section Beams of Love:

Who Are You?

Once again dusk descended
Alone she sat in deep thought
One more gorge
That seemed to devour her.

Love entered from the back door
Sat by her side and smiled
She couldn’t recognize the stranger
So she asked: “Who are you?”

“You knew me at birth
You stretched your arms
For me, you cried
When I didn’t embrace you… (con’t)

Highly recommended to readers who enjoy free-form poetry around a complex theme, including the light and whimsical as well as the poignant and painful. (Kindle Unlimited).

*****

Spirit of the Shell Man by Chris Hall

This is Book 2 in the series, and I enjoyed getting together with the same quirky and delightful characters from Book 1: Song of the Sea Goddess. The series isn’t named, and the books may not need to be read in order, but I’m glad I did since there are a number of details that happen chronologically.

As with the first book, the characters were my favorite part of the read. They’re quirky and good-hearted, and thoroughly believable with distinct voices and personalities. There aren’t any dastardly bad guys, and though a few greedy interlopers are creating problems in the South African seaside village, it’s the group of main characters, their kind relationships, and the multiple mysteries that carry the story.

The pace is quite fast, and I read the book in two sittings. The action scenes were well written, especially the time spent in the underground tunnels (which accounted for my decision to finish the book rather than put it down). Similar to the first book, the loose plot is light and whimsical with all kinds of strange and supernatural elements, mysterious notebooks and puzzle boxes, underground tunnels, spirits, magical creatures, and ordinary creatures acting magically. The story has an African “myths and legends” feel to it which I really liked. Recommended for fantasy readers who enjoy great characters and a whimsical adventure.

*****

Happy Reading!

185 thoughts on “April Book Reviews”

  1. Natasha Ruhwald says:
    June 15, 2022 at 10:52 am

    Oh boy, I’ll definitely have to add “Hope” to my doom-reading TBR list!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      June 15, 2022 at 11:19 am

      Ha ha ha. Yes, you’ll enjoy it, Natasha. Someone else picked it up after reading the review and was totally freaked out. Lol. So if you like “this could happen” dystopian fiction, grab it. Thanks for the visit and Happy Reading!

      Like

      Reply
  2. acflory says:
    May 8, 2022 at 3:46 pm

    p.s. Just started reading ‘Hope’. It’s giving me the shivers. So plausible. :/

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Kirt D Tisdale says:
    May 5, 2022 at 12:27 pm

    Your reviews make each and everyone of these books sound intriguing. Well done Diana!!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      May 6, 2022 at 5:32 am

      Thanks for the visit, Kirt. It’s easy to rave about books I enjoy. I’m glad the reviews are a good tease. 🙂 And I hope you’re settling in well and finding time for fun and creativity. Have a wonderful day and weekend. Happy Reading!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. Iseult Murphy says:
    May 5, 2022 at 11:20 am

    These sound great. Dreams lie beneath particularly intrigues me. I love stories about dreams and fantasy with strong world building.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. Mar says:
    May 5, 2022 at 9:07 am

    You paint such a lovely image of these books, Diana. Your reviews are fantastic! Also, the cover of Hope is probably a new favorite of mine. Thank you for sharing!!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. markbierman says:
    May 4, 2022 at 11:05 am

    Thank you for sharing these great reviews, Diana. Congratulations to the authors. Hope sounds eerily like reality, so “Yes,” for me. Balroop writes fantastic poetry.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • D. Wallace Peach says:
      May 4, 2022 at 11:12 am

      Thanks for the visit, Mark. I’m glad I enticed you into trying Terry’s book. It is very plausible, which makes it eerie, gripping, and alarming too! I’m glad you enjoyed the reviews and wish you some Happy Reading!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Sandra Cox (@Sandra_Cox) says:
    May 4, 2022 at 8:42 am

    Woo Hoo on wrapping up editing. That’s huge and gives me another great fantasy to look forward too. I’m reading SUNWIELDER now. AND Mega thanks for the lovely review. I appreciate ya:)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  8. Jina Bazzar says:
    May 4, 2022 at 3:15 am

    Those are great reviews, Diana. Dreams Lie Beneath is right up my alley, and I’m adding it to my growing tbr pile.
    Thanks for sharing, and happy reading!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  9. acflory says:
    May 3, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    -dance- Hope sounds like it’s right up my alley. Many thanks, Diana. 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  10. Miriam Hurdle says:
    May 3, 2022 at 11:18 am

    A wonderful mix of different genres of your April reviews, Diana! I look forward to reading a few books on your list. My new glasses should be ready any time by now! Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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