The 13th Demon: Altar of the Spiral Eye
by:  Bruce Hennigan
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 9780595403967

Looking for a page turner that you will not be able to put down, here it is.  Once you begin this one make sure you have time to finish or be prepared to be late to school, work, or where ever you may need to be.  This is a gripping page turner page after page from beginning to end.

The story begins as a man comes crawling up the beach and finds his way to a woman’s home needing help.  He has been severely beaten and left to die by the ocean.  The man slips into a coma to awaken without any memory later in the hospital.  Upon being discharged from the hospital he has no recollection or any memory of who he is and has no where to go, he accepts a job as a caretaker for a physician and falls for his daughter April.

On the eve of their engagement, Jonathan returns to the condo to find the doctor almost dead at the hands of a madman and no sign of his fiancée.  Finding her alive and unharmed, Jonathan attempts to escape the madman who had done such violence, only to have them both caught and April killed before Jonathan is able to kill the man, who is actually a demon.  As April lay dying in his arms, she told Jonathan that the demon had said that he had to kill Jonathan before he destroyed all of his kind.  With her last breath, she begs Jonathan to fight the evil. 

And so the quest begins, but where does one look to find the demons and to prevent evil?

An excellent entertaining read that demands to be finished once the first page has been read.  An astounding 5 stars!

The Society of S
Susan Hubbard

 A wonderful coming of age tale of a girl’s struggles with the end of the innocence while dealing with adolescence and being a mixed breed offspring (of vampire and of mortal).  Her father is a vampire and her mother a mortal, now Ari must decide her fate, does she wish to follow her father and become a vampire or does she wish to be mortal?  Ari sets out to find her mother and to make her decision, the majority of the tale is Ari’s search for her mother.  If you enjoy vampire tales you will enjoy The Society of S, others may find this an enjoyable read while others will put this one away after a few chapters. 

The Daemon in Our Dreams
John F. Rooney
Senneff House Publishers
PO Box 11601, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33339
ISBN: 9780975275672, $14.95
http://www.senneffhouse.com
Reviewed by Quality Book Reviews

The Daemon in Our Dreams is a suspenseful tale, the author has integrated a mix of characters and a strange mix of travel fiction and ghost stories.

The stories opening begins with the cold-blooded assassination of three people in a London pub by a Indian man, the novel outlines the prequel to this seemingly senseless triple killing. Three travelers, whom are strangers and are connected only by a shared Asian itinerary, and each have begun to have eerie, frightening dreams involving this Indian man. As it becomes apparent to each of these individuals that the others are also haunted by the same man, each begin to see the man from their dreams manifest in broad daylight. As they make their way from one port to another, this man, whom they have come to call “Ramesh,” is able to keep pace with them.. These three people, none of whom know each other, all meet on a cruise that ends up, in India. They discover that they’ve been haunted by the same visions, and they attempt to figure out what it all means. The tension escalates as they start seeing the actual dream man in all the different ports, and the appearances seem to be more threatening. What will become of the three travelers? Will the dreams come true or are they truly dreams, I think they are nightmares that I would not want to live in.

Pick up a copy to see how the above issues are resolved, and enter the nightmare yourself.

The Strangeling

 

The Strangeling
by Saskia Walker
Juno Books
ISBN: 978-0-8095-5793-6 $9.95
Fantasy
Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures

http://www.saskiawalker.co.uk/
http://ideaboutique.blogspot.com/2007/02/strangeling-by-saskia-walker.html
http://www.saskiawalker.blogspot.com/

The setting is Edren a fantasy world created by the author who has a magical imaginative spark in storytelling.

The Strangeling is an erotic fantasy novel that revolves around Maerose, a beautiful young woman with magical powers. Maerose is the heroine and Bron is her hero. Bron is an elder and goes on the quest of rescuing Maerose from her captor, Veldor who is a former elder himself. Veldor’s intentions are malicious as he seeks to mate with Maerose in order to master the demons and rule the lands.Veldor is knowledgeable on the prophecy made around 100 years ago; the prophecy is one of a chilling nature where the undead armies of Crondor and Yaxlan rise up from the underworld with great power. As the prophecy has foretold of a maiden that can save the forest and the elders all believe this to be Maerose due to the revelations revealed about the prophecy. Will good conquer evil or will evil prevail in this fascinating fantasy?

The Strangeling is a short fantasy novel that is packed with vivid details and a precise amount of action. Walker writes the story with impact and the story is a superbly crafted erotic fantasy. The characters are well developed with detail and the author manages to tie the characters together well.

This is the first of the author’s works I have had the pleasure of reviewing and have to admit I am hooked. I look forward to her new release next month which is also a fantasy entitled “Unveiling The Sorceress”.

Saskia Walker is a British author of erotic romance, fantasy and erotica. Her idea for this novel began at a tender age of between 8 and 9 when she first became interested in paganism and her parents took her to visit Stonehenge.Saskia Walker earned her BA with honors from the University of Sussex, and has a MA in Literature and Visual Arts from theUniversity of Reading. She currently resides north of London with her true love Mark.

A Magical 5 stars for The Strangeling!

A New Forum for Authors and Readers

QBR (Quality Book Reviews) has just opened a new forum dedicated to and for authors as well as readers alike. I would like to invite everyone to drop by check it out and offer any suggestions to make this a better place for all. The new forum has a little of everything including a place where authors may drop in introduce yourselves, introduce your works, new releases, upcoming titles, and add links to your sites and blogs.

http://terrysouth.proboards83.com/

For readers we are developing a reading group, reading guides, open discussions, etc…

The forum categories added so far include:
General
Books & Novels
Bookshelves
Authors Place
Readers
Quality Book Reviews

Under each of the forum categories is a wide variety of sub-categories for everyone’s enjoyment.

We have also added a live chat and as we grow further would love to schedule live chats between authors and their readers.

We also would like to add to our schedule interviews with various authors to be placed on the forum as well as our site so that their readers can learn more about their favorite authors.

Thank you and I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

Terry

Quality Book Reviews

13 Bullets A Vampire Tale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13 Bullets

A Vampire Tale

by David Wellington

Fiction  323 pages

Three Rivers Press an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,

A division of Random House, Inc.,
New York

http://www.crownpublishing.com

ISBN:  978-0-307-38143-9  $13.95

http://www.davidwellington.net

Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

 

Do you really believe in vampires?  Would you be willing to seek out their lair knowing that you were a sensitive?  Such questions had never entered Laura Claxton’s mind.  Until she met US Marshall Jameson Arkeley, that would devastate her life as she knows it, her thinking and beliefs are all about to change.

 

The story begins in 1983; Special Deputy Jameson Arkeley and his partner Webster are on a stake out outside a diner where Piter Byron Lares is inside talking with the waitress.  What happens next is rich with moments of terror and the horrifying events that follow will leave you breathless.  Lares takes everyone in the diner out in a matter of seconds, Arkeley is in for a terrifying ride of his life.  Lares takes Arkeley after killing most of the SWAT team, when Arkeley comes to he finds he is in a ships hold and focuses in on five coffins, only one is empty.  The other four coffins contain decaying remains, Arkeley fight for his life, and removes Lares heart and as the sun comes up he burns the boat, believing he had killed them all.

 

But one single survivor remained, Justinia Malvern, who now has been kept alive at a sanitarium in Pennsylvania.  Arkeley believed all the terror was over, he was dead wrong.

 

Now 20 years later, Arkeley travels to Pennsylvania as a US Marshall and meets with State Trooper Laura Caxton.  Arkeley partners up with Caxton to exterminate all the vampires once believed to be extinct.  Malvern is being kept alive by minimal life support, the sanitarium has installed special blue lights as she is sensitive to regular lighting, she is being fed fresh blood by her caretaker who has inserted a shunt into his arm to feed her.  Why has Malvern been kept alive all these years?  There are bizarre laws preventing her extermination, and she seems to be of no threat, until now.

 

Arkeley and Caxton are on a mission to find the vampires lair and exterminate them before they can get the blood Malverne needs.  Then Arkeley is kidnapped in order to use his blood to replenish Malvern’s powers, Caxton must now forge ahead and destroy them before they can unleash unspeakable horrors upon everyone.

 

David Wellington is the author of the Monster Island trilogy, and is no stranger to this genre.

 

13 Bullets is the first book in the trilogy by David Wellington, and is a tantalizing wild high octane ride.  Wellington weaves his plot line together and has developed some very intriguing characters.  This vampire tale is relentless, gripping, powerful and a genuine page-turner, that is horrifying and rich with moments of terror.

 

The reader is thrust into a state of uncertainty filled with nervous anticipation as the conclusion nears to find that we must wait for the next edition to this trilogy to tie up the loose ends.

 

13 Bullets is a blood curdling tale to sink your teeth into.  I look forward to reading his novels for years to come.  Reviewing this title was a frightening pleasure.  I highly recommend it to the horror fans everywhere.

For A Few Demons More

by Kim Harrison

http://www.kimharrison.net

Harper Collins Publishers

http://www.harpercollins.com

Fiction   456 pages

ISBN:  978-0-06-078838-4  $21.95

Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

 

For A Few Demons More is the fifth installment in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison.

 

Rachel Morgan is a witch and freelance bounty hunter that is woken from her sleep to find a powerful demon wrecking her home and claiming she posses something of hers.  Rachel resides in a sanctified church and in disbelief and being scarred that the demon can enter the church.

 

Rachel is an interspecies consultant for the police force which is run by humans; she is called down to the morgue to look at the bodies of murdered werewolves.  Rachel starts piecing it all together and realizes the reason the women werewolves can not be traced is because they are not registered in the were registry.  What does this mean, the conclusion must be they were not born as werewolves; they must have been humans that had been changed into weres.

 

Rachel recognizes that the Focus, which is a demon artifact she has been hiding, has been turning humans into weres spontaneously.  If the artifact were to fall into the wrong hands it would start a new interspecies war between the vampires and the weres which would be disastrous for the entire world.

 

For A Few Demons More is an action packed fantasy delivering a mix of action, horror and imagination.  And some of her characters from the series are back in this edition.  Kim Harrison has introduced us to some intriguing and interesting new characters that hopefully will make appearances in future Hallows series.  I will have to give praise to the author for taking risks with her characters, and with the killing of one of her main characters. 

Harrison has intriguing plot twists and incorporates taking her characters in such amazing directions to leave you with much anticipation of the next in the series.

 

Readers will not be disappointed.  I look forward to reading all her novels for years to come.  Reviewing this title was a delightful pleasure.  I recommend it without hesitation and give it two thumbs way up.  A definite 5 stars!  I do highly recommend if you have not read the others in the Hallows series that you pick those up and start with the first in the series.

 

Vrolok
by Nolene-Patricia Dougan
Author House 1163 Liberty Dr., Ste. 200, Bloomington, IN 47403 9/28/06
http://www.authorhouse.com
ISBN: 1-4208-8163-9
Reviewed by: Terry South for Bookpleasures (03/07)

Do you love a good vampire story? Do you find yourself sucked into the tale? Love adventure of the dark side?

The setting takes place in historic Eastern Europe Transylvania.

The story begins as Vlad Dracula having fought a battle with his enemies, and a young girl’s curiosity ignites her. A historic vampire tale, occurring over a time span of five hundred years. The story follows the protagonist, Isabella, as a young vampire. Isabella is rebelling as her father rejects her; he is unable to overcome the loss of his wife while giving birth to their daughter Isabella. Isabella travels to the castle of Vlad Dracula, where Vlad develops strong feelings, and falls in love with her. What else would a vampire who is in love do? Vlad turns Isabella into a vampire, his mate for life. Do not be fooled this is not a loving match, it is the opposite, they have a long love-hate relationship, spending more time apart than together. Over time Isabella can no longer deny her love for Vlad and upon his demise she vows revenge and to bring his killers down with the help of Nicolae. Isabella and Nicolae leave America and travel back to England to bring down the English Vampire hunters and avenge Vlad’s death.

Isabella struggles with her guilt and makes a vow to only kill those who deserve to die. She never allows anyone to hinder her revenge against those who have wronged her throughout time. Over the centuries of her existence she meets many famous historical figures. She encounters such historical figures as Napoleon, Bram Stroker, to the western figures of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp, as well as many other figures throughout the selected eras. She travels throughout Europe and America. Nolene-Patricia Dougan has performed vast research and the historical figures mentioned in her book are remarkable.

Vrolok is a compelling and gripping tale of a young beautiful vampire’s dark journey through the centuries. Vrolok has a strong plot throughout, and the characters are so well developed and intensely interesting. This is no traditional vampire story; you may think well the story involves Vlad Dracula, it is like all the other stories, it is so very different, do not be fooled. This is a superior spine tingling dark fantasy written be a very imaginative author, her work embraces hundreds of years of history and maintains vivid descriptions of various people, places and events.

This book will hold your attention to the very end, and you will find it is very difficult to put down, a definite page turner well until the late night. I could find no fault in this tale. I highly recommend this story, it is unlike any other vampire story I have ever read. So if you are looking for a different twist from the norm, are seeking a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read, look no further. All vampire enthusiasts as well as all Anne Rice fans will not want to miss this one, you will get lost in this adventure, and you will not be disappointed. I am looking forward to Dougan’s new release with anticipation. A definite 5 star read!

Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
Knopf books

As promised, here is the review of Eldest, book two in the trilogy, the sequel to Eragon.

Eldest too is entertaining and adventerous as the first book was. The story continues with the life of Eragon and his dragon as they continue their efforts to defeat the evil empire. Eragon’s cousin Roran is struggling to survive the mess Eragon has left behind. You will find there is alot happening in this story, there are a lot of secrets which are revealed, which helps us as the readers discover the pieces of history of Eragon, as well as many other characters in the story.

This is very well written, packed with information, and very entertaining. Now I am awaiting the third book, I can’t wait to read it. This is another highly recommended trilogy, you must read. 5 stars

Eragon
by Christopher Paolini
Knopf Books

This is such a wonderful story, which is the reason children, young teens love it so much. This story is full of action, it also reminds me somewhat of Harry Potter, related to its theme and style. You are able to get lost in the adventures that transpire within the book. It provides magic, mystery, battles, elves, monsterous guys, dragons, were cats, sorcerers, etc all within its pages.

This is a must for all fantasy lovers, you will absolutely fall in love with this book. Astonishing is the fact that the author wrote Eragon at the tender age of 15. This is the first in the trilogy, next to follow in my blog is the review of Eldest which I will be posting next.

I would recommend this to everyone of all age groups not just the young adults. You will enjoy this book, it is a beautiful story of adventure and will wisk you away, even after finishing the book you will be thinking about its characters. A definite 5 star read!