Look! A Book Review: Hollowland

The Novel: Hollowland (The Hollows #1)
Hollowland is an urban fantasy/romance/zombie tale, written by Amanda Hocking.

Goodreads Description:
"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

I downloaded this one on my computer quite a while ago, and then just never really got around to reading it. I wasn't worried because, let's face it, Amanda Hocking has no shortage of reviews, whether they be good or bad.

However, one snowy afternoon, when I was too lazy to get my butt to the library, I busted out my smartphone and decided to start reading Hollowland. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. I was well absorbed into the story of Remy King as she stomped across the country on the skulls of a dozen zombies. There was a good amount of action and enough gory descriptions to make this a zombie story well worth the read. I was a little worried about the romance part of the story, but it was comfortably down-played in the wake of the zombie uprising.

I can't say much about the story itself without spoilers, but I'm glad I read it. I either got it for free or for 99 cents at Amazon (I can't remember) but either way it was worth it.

Hollowland gets 4.5 stars from me.

Happy Pi Day!

(image borrowed from http://ck022.k12.sd.us)

It's Pi Day, and although I'm not really a math guy, I can totally appreciate Pi Day. So, if you are a math nerd, or know a math nerd, be sure to celebrate Pi Day with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. Go 3.14!

Anyhow, I'm not doing a ton of social networking right now, but I will be around. As much as I want to build an awesome legion of followers by being witty and loveable, it is more important that I actually do the work of writing right now. After a lull like the one I have just been through, writing is the only way I can really get back on track.

But, I'm not going to disappear. I want to get to know more of you folks out there. I want to read your blogs in the morning whilst I chug gallons of coffee like a frat boy with a funnel full of PBR. If you want to talk, email me or Tweet @kenlindsey1981 or leave a comment.

I'm still reading as well, but I'm not promising when I'll post book reviews. When I can, I will. I'm still reading indie books, and eventually, when I'm caught up and feeling better about having been a huge slacktard for the past six months, I'll probably jump back into a weekly review to help support my indie author homies.

Some good news: I've been doing writerly type stuff and things everyday. It's mostly been editing (I'm going to be re-releasing The River Runes soon, with better editing, a bit more story, and a much better cover) but at least it's productive.

Ok, folks, thanks for reading! I think that's all I have for now :)

Buh bye then

Indie Book Review #6

Wow am I a slacker! Sorry for skipping out again last week, but I have a review for you today:)

The novel:
Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors. Castles is a is a horror/revenge story written by Benjamin X. Wretlind.

Goodreads Description:
When Maggie was six, she hid from desert storms under the sink where the Comet and Windex were kept. Now twenty, she welcomes the storms. Maggie has been abused, torn apart by the sins of others and constantly feels as if she is living on the verge of some grand epiphany. Then again, she may just be insane. Maggie doesn't know if the four bodies she dismembered and placed inside a rusted Volkswagen Bus are the only bricks left to her castle in the sky, but she hopes you'll understand if they're not. Castles is Maggie's story, a literary horror novel about love and redemption, belief and revenge and what brings a person to madness. Set in a nameless desert in a nameless town, it is the view into the life of a young woman who wonders if madness is really mad.

Wow. As some of you may already know, I am a huge fan of Stephen King. If someone had handed me Castles, and asked me to guess the author, I would have said King without much doubt in my mind. This story is well written and fast paced and I devoured it in something like three hours.

Right from the beginning you fall in love with Maggie, a young girl who has had a very tough life. Abusive men, a cold and distant mother, and a grandmother that seems to hold things together, while at the same time seems to be losing her mind.

Benjamin made me care about his characters and the story, and he did so by showing us their lives, rather than telling us we should care about them. The only complaint I could even imagine is that I wish the story could have continued. The paperback weighs in at about 188 pages, and Castles is available in both paperback and ebook format.

Five Stars!

Indie Review Friday #5

Another week, another indie book review Friday for you!

The Novel:
A Job From Hell. A Job From Hell is a paranormal romance written by Jayde Scott (I know, she has one of the coolest names ever, right?!)

Goodreads Description:
In a world of love bonds, rituals, dark magic, ancient enemies and immortals, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted.

Seventeen-year-old Amber enters the paranormal world by chance when her brother, Dallas, sets her up with a summer job in Scotland. Dallas has spied something in the woods he thinks could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. But instead of finding riches, Amber unknowingly enters a paranormal race—and promptly wins the first prize—a prize for which many would kill. Soon, she discovers her new boss, Aidan, didn’t employ her for her astounding housekeeping skills and he isn't who he claims to be either.

As the dark forces slowly conspire against Amber, her naivety and love for Aidan catapults her into a calamitous series of otherworldly events. With every immortal creature hunting for her, whom can she trust with her life?

A JOB FROM HELL is the first book in the paranormal romance series, Ancient Legends. Book Two, Beelzebub Girl, will be out in June 2011.

A Job From Hell was another quick read for me. Jayde did a great job of giving her readers well rounded characters and a plot that was fast paced, but easy to follow. My biggest worry for this series is just how saturated the PNR market has become, I would hate to see this jewel get buried and lost in PNR purgatory. (I'm saying you should read it and tell your friends lol)

There is a big, open world here, filled with vampires, demons, dangerous shadows and much more. Of course, it wouldn't be paranormal ROMANCE if there wasn't a love story. Our protagonist deals with love and lust and relationship issues all throughout the book, and it blends well into the story and helps keep the reading moving forward.

There are some typo and grammar issues, but not so much that it slowed my reading. There were also some characters in here that I liked that were never really fleshed out. I hope to see more development in the rest of the series.

This is one that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys PNR novels. I give A Job From Hell 5 stars:

This book is available in ebook and paperback formats, and I got mine from Amazon for $0.99.

(Which just happens to be the price that you would pay if you picked upThe River Runes right now!)

Thanks for reading!
buh bye then

Indie Review Friday #4

It's been another week already, and so it is time for the next Indie Review Friday :)

The novel:
Wednesday's Child. Wednesday's Child is a political thriller (my own tags, since there are none listed on Amazon) by independent author, Alan Zendell.

Goodreads Description:
Dylan Brice is living his days out of order, but it hasn't always been that way. One Tuesday evening in July, he went to sleep expecting tomorrow to be Wednesday, but when he woke up the next morning it was Thursday instead. A frightening and confusing day ensued with Dylan trying to figure out whether he was losing his mind or the victim of some cosmic prank.

If struggling to come to terms with his new reality on his surreal Thursday wasn't enough of an ordeal, late in the afternoon, just as his anxiety was finally beginning to subside, a voice from the past he'd hoped never to hear again added a terrifying new dimension to his situation. Dylan had once been a warrior in the battle against nuclear terrorism. A sleeper since the months following nine-eleven, he has suddenly been activated to help combat a new, deadly threat. His nerves in a shambles, he finally drops off to sleep hoping he'll wake up to find Thursday was a dream.

When, after his harrowing Thursday, he awakens on the Wednesday morning he thought he'd missed, he doesn't know what to believe. He cannot believe Thursday's events were coincidental. He must be living his days out of order for a reason -- some powerful, unknown entity has cast him in a role he never asked for, and everything he holds dear may be at stake. He "knows" he will continue to live Thursdays before Wednesdays until he figures out how to use the unique perspective that gives him to avert a disaster that may be global in scope.

This was definitely a good read, something that I would recommend to anyone interested in this genre. Mr. Zendell, the author, does a fantastic job of laying his protagonist out there early-on, and making you care about him. Dylan is an imperfect, relate-able character, more than able to carry this story on his shoulders.

The story, background and secondary characters are also well rounded and not forced. The plot is fast paced and kept me eager to read more, every time I turned the page.

Although there are very few grammatical errors to be found, the writing may sometimes be just stiff enough to slow the fast-paced story down (though, I never wanted to walk away). Also, there are some obvious, and at times heavy-handed, political and moral issues where the author clearly wants to take a stand, even at the expense of the story.

Something I haven't dealt with here yet is cover art. Obviously, when it comes to cover art, tastes will differ depending on the individual. In my opinion, though, the cover art for Wednesday's Child feels very dated and had me ready to read a story set in the 1970s, rather than today. No matter what your grade school teachers said, people do judge a book by its cover.

This was a great read, and I give Wednesday's Child 4 out of 5 stars
It can be found in paperback and ebook format. I got my copy directly from the author for review.

Indie Review Friday #3

It's Friday, and that means it's time for another indie book review.

The Novel:
Black Moon. Black Moon is the first part in the Moon Trilogy, by C.L. Bevill.

Goodreads Description:
Donovan is a werejaguar sworn to fight against his enemies, the dreaded werewolf clan - the Whitelaws. Isabella is an uncommon librarian, a member of the Committee. When she faces down the Whitelaws to retrieve a very dangerous book, she encounters Donovan and their lives will never be the same.

With this being only my third book review on this blog, I really wish that I had more positive things to say about this story. We start by meeting Donovan, a werejaguar, who is sneaking around in his enemy's territories when he comes across a super hot and athletic girl that he just knows he's in love with.

I think one of the big issues with this story is that it seems to be an adult story, written in more of a YA (young adult) style. The author spends most of the narrative by interrupting whatever is happening to remind us of how badly each of our protagonists want to be all-up-on each other. There are also more than an acceptable amount of grammar issues and even missing words.

On the upside, Bevill opens up a whole new world, filled with werejaguars, werewolves, werelions and even a wereocelot. This part of the story telling is more unique and and gives me some hope for the rest of the trilogy. I also picked it up for free from Amazon, so as a quick read it was definitely worth it.

Overall, I can only give Black Moon 2 stars. **
It is available in Kindle and other ebook formats.

Indie Review Friday #2

Wow, I have slacked through this whole week! Sorry folks, but I did read another indie book and am ready to jump into Indie Review Friday #2!

The Novel:
Demon Girl (Rae Wilder #1) Demon Girl is a YA/Paranormal Romance written by Penelope Fletcher.

Goodreads Description:
Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

I'll be completely honest here: I am not the biggest fan of Paranormal Romance. What a shock, right? So why would I choose a PNR as my second review? Because I am doing my best to review as a reader, rather than a writer who reads. And as a reader, this genre is hothothothothot-hot right now.

So I dove in. Honesty again: I finished this book in one day. Not only because I had set it as my goal for the day (so I could be sure that I had a review), but also because it was a fun read. Rae Wilder is a likeable character, with human flaws and issues, even though she's not quite human.

Although this story is sort of confined to a handful of locals, it is easy to see that the world Penelope Fletcher has built has some depth to show us yet. Now, parts of this story are very typical of this genre; there is a love triangle and a hidden heritage... However, these things become formulaic for a reason. Readers like them. (period) I didn't think these elements were forced and the story moved along comfortably.

On the downside, there were more typos and grammatical errors than I think the average reader would be able to easily forgive (You WILL find typos and errors when you read indie, but I believe it's only an issue when it slows the story). This wasn't a huge problem for me, but I think it should be noted. I am also hoping that the next part of Rae's adventure allows for a little more character building. These are great, likeable characters and I want to know more.

I liked this story and I will definitely read more from Miss Fletcher in the future. Overall, I am giving Demon Girl 4 out of 5 stars. It is available in both ebook and paperback versions.

And, just in case you didn't know... My own novel, The River Runes, is available from KINDLE as well as in PAPERBACK!

Also, if you haven't already, you should click on the 50 to 100 badge on the right side of the screen to find out about my giveaway! :)

Well, thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Indie Review Friday #1

It's time for my first indie book review! And for my first, I thought that I would dive right in with the horror/thriller story, Serial, by Blake Crouch and Jack Kilborn (aka JA Konrath).

Goodreads description:
Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking?

#1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.

#2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.

So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2...

This story was a short, quick read, written in a very unique way. According to the info at the back of the book, Kilborn and Crouch each built their killer, and their killer's pre-story before sharing what they had with one another. Then, they collaborated and finished it up together. Sounds sweet, huh?

It's anything but sweet. As far as stories about kindred souls finding each other go, this one was dark as all hell. Even in such a short format, Crouch and Kilborn are able to stick you into the warped minds of their characters, and make you never want to be on the side of the road again. It's gory and perverted and definitely not for people with queezy stomachs.

I give it umm... (wow, hadn't thought of a rating system so I guess I'll be generic for now) 5 Stars. I was hooked from page one, Serial is well written and the characters grabbed my attention. I would recommend Serial for anyone that wants a quick and bloody read.

I wish it was longer, but to be fair, there is a longer story out there, Serial Uncut, that I haven't picked up yet. This one is only available in ebook format, and I got mine for free, on Amazon.com.

Where have all the reviewers gone?

Hello, all.

So, I didn't get raptured this weekend, did you? No, I thought not. Oh well, maybe next time.

I did, however, participate in my final round of the Book Blogger Hop. I think that both features, the Hop and Follow Friday, are great for adding followers to your blog. So, if that's what you're looking for, you should get on the train. I was hoping for more readers, though, and I just don't think that those features are helping in that area. So I'll not be participating any longer.

"But, Ken, that leaves Fridays open and blank and void and hopeless and full of sorrow and misery and darkness, etc..."

I realized that, and I have just the thing to fill in that empty part of my blogging soul.

I will be starting Friday reviews. I've noticed that finding a book reviewer who is willing, and not too busy, to look at an indie title is... well not impossible, but impossible adjacent. Therefore, I will be giving my Friday blogs for just such a feature. I want to do what I can to help other indie authors, as well as help folks find great books that they might not have found on their own.

My reviews will be honest, but I will do my best to review as a reader, rather than a writer who reads.

"What is the difference?" you ask, bewildered.
Well, I think that a lot of writers who read often forget that most readers are not looking for grammatical perfection. They can be blinded by the rules they have learned through their writing. If the world is immersive and the characters are rich... well, that's what most readers are looking for.

There will, however, be a line. I don't know where it is yet, but I know that I can't stand to see obvious spelled with a "d" or there switched with their or they're. We'll see how it goes. :)


That's it for today, I think
thanks for reading,
buh bye then