Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Sci-fi & Fantasy

CRYPTIC SPACES Book Three: DARK EDGE RISING by Deen Ferrell – Young Adult, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Seventeen-year-old mathematical genius Willoughby has the weight of the world on his shoulders ─ literally. As part of a secret time travel organization known as Observations, Inc., Willoughby and his team, usually silent observers in their travels, are tasked with keeping the balance between control and chaos.

Yet after the murder of their friend and mentor H.S. a year ago, Willoughby and his team have sought answers to questions they don’t even know how to ask. Everyone on the team has suffered, and Willoughby can’t help but feel he could have done more to help H.S. and more to keep his team, namely his girlfriend and musical prodigy Sydney, safe.

Willoughby can “see” time code and take advantage of time junctions, he has a natural connection with time and can sometimes even track people throughout the time grid, a skill his nemesis, a man-like creature known as Beelzebub, takes credit for. Unfortunately for the Observations, Inc. crew, Beelzebub can also manipulate time but in a much more advanced way.

Hellbent on finding the Prime Hole Facility, a time hub created by Earth’s historians the otherworldly Atlanteans, Beelzebub wants to recreate history, restructure mankind’s past, and plunge the planet into chaos. He and his Dark Edge Brotherhood will stop at nothing, having already killed Willoughby’s boss and mentor since Willoughby is the key to unlocking a gateway of power, unleashing unlimited control over man. Before he can harness his full potential, he and his team will have to solve millennia old clues while searching for a lost ancient princess and steering clear of the Dark Edge, but very soon, both Willoughby and Sydney will learn the real cost of his power.

A prevailing idea within the novel is self-discovery. The characters often delve deep within themselves to find that hidden spark, that “push a little harder” mentality to solve the issues thrown at them by forces that want nothing more than to drown creativity, thus ridding the world of enlightenment and plunging it back into darkness. The characters have to stop fear’s subjugation and free themselves enough to look inside for the answers that are quietly waiting for daylight. Through that self-discovery comes growth but only when the characters stop looking to the world to define themselves (a lesson most people need). Only by genuinely finding the power within can Willoughby save humanity, but he can’t do that alone.

The bond between the characters is not only the key to survival in this high-stakes time game but is also a strength of the novel. Since Dark Edge Rising is the third in the Cryptic Spaces series, the Observations, Inc. team is firmly established; however, this pre-established bond will not keep the reader from enjoying the character interactions. Each team member has their own unique ability or place on the team in this something-for-everyone narrative. Despite their individualism, the characters’ friendship dominates. Repeatedly, the theme of unity saves the day and keeps the plot rolling steadily along. Each member brings something new to the story, and the alternating point of view keeps the story fresh and the reader engaged.

Cryptic Spaces, Book Three: Dark Edge Rising won First Place in the 2017 CIBAs in the Dante Rossetti Awards for Young Adult novels.

April 29, 2019
OVER by Sean P. Curley – Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Environmental

Over is a sci-fi novel of big ideas: the scourge on the future by today’s environmental negligence, the effects of biological warfare, even the development of a faster-than-light warp drive that opens the door to a future among the stars.

In this dystopian future, humankind must grapple with the repercussions from a technological advancement that essentially imparts immortality: immortality to a very few. Less than 30,000 of the world’s inhabitants, the privileged class, Overs, and the resentment of the billions of people who don’t fit into that category, aptly named, Unders.

Not only do the Overs have eternal life as their trump card, they also have a lock on the world’s economy, technology, medicine, and the ultimate say on who gets the benefits of their largesse, and who do not. There is even a global robotic “mind” that helps the Overs control every aspect of the planet—and that “mind” secretly gives birth to a “daughter.”

To say that the Overs rule is a benign dictatorship would be putting it mildly.

But the Overs must kowtow to the ruling familias who base their operations from Sri Lanka. These overlords do not respond kindly to threats against their near absolute rule.

Into this frothy brew comes Jaames (cq), a rebel leader in Denver where most of the action takes place; Demetrius, the Over’s boss of bosses for The Americas; and Anika, Demetrius’ comely daughter who has a mind of her own and a relentless and ultimately fatal attraction to Jaames.

Over is not a typical plot-structured, character-driven novel. Curley sets the planet up as the primary character and everything else falls secondary. While this may be jarring to some in regard to traditional plot, characters who are not fully fleshed out, and linking cause and effect in a character-rich and technologically-advanced society, Over stands strong as a powerful read – especially for its meditations on how our actions endanger our planet and our future, and for the author’s take on the upsides and downsides of a benign Immortal dictatorship. There’s much to think about, and no easy answers.

Curley plans at least two more books based on the plot and characters in Over and we wait with anticipation as to what this master-geo-political-environmentalist author comes up with. In a world where the rich obtain immortality, a forbidden love can either bridge the gap of unimaginable inequity or drive the disparaging classes even farther apart. A science-fiction novel with an earthly conscious.

April 3, 2018
WILLOW’S DISCOVERY by Joanne Jaytanie – Romantic Thriller, Military, Genetic Engineering

More danger lurks around the Winters Corporation with Willow as the next target in Willow’s Discovery, book three of the romantic thriller series by Joanne Jaytanie.

Willow enters her office one morning to find it completely trashed. Fortunately for them, the Winters Corporation’s files weren’t touched. But Wyatt Farraday, Tristan’s brother, believes that this was an inside job and he thinks Willow should use her newfound aura skills to interview the corporation’s staff in an attempt to uncover a mole. The interviewing process leads to clues that Biotec (connected to the infamous Kaleidoscope Group) is indeed spying on the Winters Corporation.

Meanwhile, Willow plans to meet with a potential buyer for her parent’s old complex. But when she gets there, things go from eerie to dangerous as a strange man attempts an attack. Although Willow narrowly escapes, she can’t shake the memory of the event – which is understandable – but moreover, there is something about the man that seems familiar… Willow is shocked to realize she knows the man’s voice. Now, if only she can place it.

Willow’s experience is nothing less than unnerving. Yet, she has no idea that there will be more attempts on her life. Amid unsettling scenes, a burgeoning romance ripens between Willow and her protector, Wyatt. Whether or not Wyatt can successfully shield her from harm remains to be seen, especially when she finds herself face-to-face with her stalker.

Winters series’ fans have much to look forward to in Jaytanie’s third installment. Willow’s Discovery is a nail-biter and as more familial secrets surface, danger mounts for Willow! Jaytanie surrounds Willow with both favorite and dark characters from the previous novels—plus a few new members—and then places her cast within settings that are a balanced mix of engaging dialogue, suspense, romantic tension, and steamy love scenes. Of course, as with Victory and Payton in books one and two, Willow not only discovers but also must find a way of embracing her own set of telepathic abilities in order to survive the road ahead.

Joanne Jaytanie aptly incorporates back-stories from the previous books a little at a time and savvy readers new to the series will want to go back and read from the beginning. Each book is truly a stand-alone story, but readers of the romantic thriller genre won’t want to miss one word of Jaytanie’s hot, steamy action scenes and compelling storylines. Jaytanie closes Willow’s Discovery with an eye-opening cliffhanger—a perfect set-up for book four, Corralling Kenzie.

Thrilling and tantalizing, Joanne Jaytanie’s third book in the Winters Sisters series, is sure to please loyal fans and have new readers begging for more in Willow’s Discovery.

August 24, 2017
CHASING VICTORY: The Winter Sisters, Book One by Joanne Jaytanie – Romance, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Psychics

Greed, power, and genetics combine with a steamy love story to stir up an action-packed, hot read in Joanne Jaytanie’s Chasing Victory: The Winters Sisters, Book One.

Responding to a cryptic phone call from an old college classmate, Victory Winters, veterinarian and geneticist, makes her way through the foothills of the Olympic Mountains to the agreed upon meeting point. Spotting him from a distance, Victory’s excitement quickly turns to dread when shots ring out.

To make matters worse, Victory observes a local police detective at the scene – and not in a law-enforcement capacity, either. She can’t go to the cops, and she’s terrified the killers know she witnessed the murder. Needing a safe space to retreat to, Victory flees to her sister, Payton, who is residing in a motorhome at the San Francisco Fairground for a dog show.

Author Joanne Jaytanie is off and running with a tension-driven novel, opening with a gripping scene. Jaytanie sets the stage for her story by featuring Victory—a vet who combines telepathy with acupuncture to heal dogs. Victory is also close to finding “a genetic link between the canine world and the human world,” an endeavor that has promising potential to cure diseases in humans. This work of hers makes her a hot commodity – so hot, in fact, others will go to great lengths to gain control of her and her work.

Two entities are indeed keeping track of our heroine. One, Tristan Farraday, a special ops hunk from the U.S. military sent to protect Victory. And second, a nefarious group headed by the malicious Lawrence Braxton, a genetics corporation. Of course, our gal doesn’t know about Braxton’s intentions when he sends her a rather flattering job offer which is where the proverbial screws tighten, and the story takes flight.

Jaytanie shifts character POVs which increases tension gives her the opportunity to develop her characters and drives the story forward. There are some proofreading errors, but on the whole, this book is a good start for the first in the series. Jaytanie adds chapter cliffhangers, sprinkles in romance and everything sinister, and proves her worth through rich descriptions and excellent dialogue all to produce a flurry of narrative twists to make a fast, fun read.

April 26, 2017