The One Thing I Always Prioritize Written by Tao Wong The one thing that always creeps into any of my work – even the cozy works – has always been about the cost, or the price, for choices. I think without considering, or valuing the cost of actions, the sacrifices one makes, work and life […]
About A.J. Calvin
Review: The Wings of Ashteroth by Steve Hugh Westenra
Synopsis: The great city of Qemassen is at a crossroads. A powerful empire from beyond the ocean threatens to reignite a centuries-old feud. A slave rebellion brews in the tangled labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city streets. And Crown Prince Ashtaroth, the city’s supposed saviour, is considered unfit to rule even by those closest to […]
Review: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Synopsis: The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age — a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. […]
Review: The Odyllic Stone by Alex Scheuermann
Synopsis: When Aster Rutherford, the postmaster’s son and his childhood friend, Zinnia Hollyhock deliver a letter to the Pelware Mines, they are attacked by a birdlike monster that turns men to stone. Even worse, Buckwheat Village is plagued by an illness that’s incapacitating villagers, including Aster’s own father. A chance encounter with Kara Reeves, the […]
Review: An Inkling of Flame (The Song of the Damned #1.5) by Z.B. Steele
Synopsis: Tell me how it happened… Layne was a soldier, conscripted to fight under the Fox in a vengeance fueled march. He, and his friends, were due for a fated confrontation, one that has ended in blood and loss. Now, the inquisitors want to hear every detail of his conscription, his training, and the duel […]
Review: A Black Dragon on Red (The Drowned Kingdom Saga #6) by P.L. Stuart
Synopsis: Nightsoul. A name striking terror into the hearts of Eltnia’s people for decades. A mysterious, sinister ruler, buoyed by the foreboding magic of the malevolent sorceress Barbis. A haunting spectre, appearing out of mist, razing kingdoms to the ground, then vanishing like a ghost, leaving behind destruction, ruined corpses, and paralyzing despair. And Nightsoul […]
Review: Vengeance is our Legacy by M.C. Burnell
Synopsis: The difference between justice and revenge may come down to having a friend. The Tabbaqeran Empire is defended by the Scolate, governed by the Illiumate, guided by the Hakam; its people worship and quarrel with a thousand-thousand gods. But there are none more revered than the masters of martial arts who serve as living […]
Review: Prey of Angels (The Hybrid Helix #8) by J.C.M. Berne
Synopsis: Rohan has been building alliances and solidifying his abilities, all to keep his friends, his family, his homeworld, and the Empire safe from anything that threatens them, from anywhere in the universe, whether from inside the sector or from a distant galaxy. He thought he was doing a pretty good job. He thought he […]
Review: Sentient (The Ice Plague Wars #2) by Michael Nayak
Synopsis: The survivors of the South Pole massacre will find that getting off the Antarctic continent may cost them their lives… Months after the events of Symbiote, sunrise has come to the ice continent, bringing with it the beginning of the annual tourist season. where 1,500 summer visitors will soon call the coastal McMurdo Station home. […]
Review: The Feeding by Anthony Ryan
Synopsis: Fifteen years ago the feeders rose from the shadows to transform the world into a graveyard. The few survivors exist in fortified settlements surrounded by the empty ruins of a destroyed civilization. For years the citizens of New City Redoubt have relied on an elite cadre of Crossers to navigate the feeder-infested wasteland between […]
Review: The Not So Mundane Mysteries of Norman Melamourne by G.J. Terral
Synopsis: If Norman Melamourne, a Source-hating ex-detective, had things his way, the Source wouldn’t have snapped into existence twenty years ago. After all, it’s the reason his wife lost her life; he lost his job, and now even his favorite restaurants use Source-processed ingredients. He can taste the difference, and it’s awful. When a consulting position lands […]
Review: The Strange Grey Everything by Rebecca Crunden
Synopsis: Damien Giles hasn’t seen his husband in twelve years. Not since Carlisle left him on their honeymoon. All Damien got was his father-in-law telling him that Carlisle wasn’t coming back. (Twice.) And yet divorce papers never arrived. Now Carlisle’s back in town for his brother’s wedding and keeps crossing Damien’s path. More baffling to […]