M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
My rating: 4 of 5 starsThis book starts the final quartet of the Shannara Chronicles. The book starts with peace having reigned in the Four Lands for many years. But in the far north, an enemy army is preparing to invade and conquer. An enemy that wields a strange, deadly form of magic that not … Continue reading Friday Review: The Black Elfstone (Fall of Shannara #1) by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 starsState Route 177 runs along the Suwanee River from Fargo, Georgia to the Okefenokee swamp. Titus and Melanie Bell are newlyweds on their honeymoon trip to a rented cabin where they plan to do some canoeing in the swamp. According to the GPS map, there are six bridges along their … Continue reading Friday Review: The Toll by Cherie Priest
My rating: 3 of 5 starsThe Longview is a spaceship operated by a mysterious "Owner" who uses it to transport criminals slated for execution. The story is told from two alternating viewpoints. One is one of the Longview crew, and the second is one of the prisoners. Between them, we start to get a glimpse … Continue reading Born From Fire (The Longview Chronicles #1) by Holly Lisle
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this fourth installment of Bledsoe's Tufa series, Matt Johnson, a young New York actor, auditions for a musical called "Chapel of Ease." He gets the role, and becomes friends with Ray Parrish, the play's author. As rehearsals progress and momentum builds for the opening night, strange things begin to … Continue reading Friday Review: Chapel of Ease (Tufa # 4)by Alex Bledsoe
My rating: 3 of 5 starsIn this first in a series fantasy novel, Wheeler uses an Asian-inspired setting and characters to tell a story of revenge, faith, and honor. The main character, Bingmei, is a young girl who has uncharacteristic white hair, a sign that is considered a disease, and instills fear in most people. … Continue reading Friday Review: The Killing Fog (Grave Kingdom #1) by Jeff Wheeler
Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories is now available for pre-order at a discounted price. But act now because after May 17 (the release date) the price will go up! I know I set the pre-order start date for the 18th, but that was mainly to give myself some breathing room in case things … Continue reading And It’s Live
My rating: 3 of 5 starsI was eager to read this from the moment I heard about it. I do like a good cocktail, beer, or wine, and have taken up amateur mixology as a hobby. So, to find a book that tells the history of women and alcohol made it an anticipated read. And … Continue reading Friday Review: Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this fourth installment in Sigler's GFL series, Ionath Krakens team ship, the Touchback, has breached the territory of the Prawatt race in an attempt to escape pirates. They are captured by the Prawatt and are facing execution for trespassing in the Prawatt territory. Quentin manages to maneuver his way … Continue reading Friday Review: The MVP (Galactic Football League #4) by Scott Sigler
My rating: 4 of 5 starsAshton Collins is a somewhat sheltered teen living with his father, a corporate engineer, in the future megacity of Los Angeles. Home alone with just the household robot servants, Ashton receives a cryptic message from his father urging him to get out of the house, go to the dangerous Red … Continue reading Friday Review: Street Freaks by Terry Brooks
On May 17, 2022, I have a collection of very short stories being published. There are twenty-four stories in the collection. Twelves are fantasy, and twelve are sci-fi. None are much more than 2000 words, and many are shorter. Today, I am going to list the twelve fantasy stories and give a short description of … Continue reading Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories: The Fantasy Stories
And So On... 