Your turn to suffer is the kind of book some people will hate, and others will love. As a reviewer, I go beyond just the overall story; I look at structure, characters, style and the overall plot. If you enjoy Clive Barker-Neil Gaiman’s styles, you’ll love this book. It’s a horror novel peppered with the weirdness of a Lovecraftian tale — sometimes called weird fiction. The overall story wasn’t my typical go-to genre, however I loved everything else about it.
Blog Tour: Dragonfly Girl by Marti Leimbach
Dragonfly Girl is a really interesting story that combines elements of science with political intrigue along with really good character development.
As I mentioned, there is a lot to like about this book. The science-y elements bring a lot to the story. It is not hard science, but there is enough talk about what is being done in this lab regarding life vs death to make one think about the possibilities. Cell regeneration, gene stimulation, neuron reactivation, nerve revitalization, organ regeneration, etc. With a book like this it would have been unfeasible to go into more detail for something that is not scientifically possible right now, but I enjoyed reading about it to the extent that it could.
The best part of the book for me was the character development. The story is told from Kira’s perspective, and being able to experience the ins and outs of things from her point of view allows the reader to get to know Kira really intimately. That is really important for a book like this because the narrative not only focuses on scientific events surrounding her, but also how she feels about them. For that to work the reader has to care about Kira, and Leimbach does a great job of that. There are not a lot of characters, though, with most of the secondary being people Kira works with in the lab and the scientific community (along with Kira’s mom, who also has a presence). As supporting cast each one of them plays their role well and fill out the character card successfully.
One aspect I want to bring up is that I think the story has a little bit of an identity problem. Is it science-y science fiction or is it a political spy novel? I do like the involvement of the international community in the story because it brings an element of depth (and a bit of realism), but I think this part of the story was taken too far toward the end. It almost felt as if the author was pulled in two different directions and tried to split the baby. I would encourage the author to pick a side on this one.
That being said, Dragonfly Girl is a good read. The science talk and character interactions are what kept my interest and make this book worth a read. I recommend for fans of science fiction written in YA style.
Review: Later by Stephen King
Review: Lola on Fire by Rio Youers
Q+A w/ E. J. Beaton, author of The Councillor (The Councillor #1)
10 Upcoming Sci-Fi and Fantasy Releases to Watch For – March 2021
Welcome to FanFiAddict’s monthly list of Science Fiction and Fantasy books we think you should look out for. They are listed alphabetically as well as by release date, so a book appearing higher or lower on this list than you expected it to has no relative bearing on our hype-levels nor our expectation of quality. Now, buckle up, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Author Spotlight: Chase Bolling
Review: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Review: The Last Watch (The Divide #1) by J.S. Dewes
The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes is as spectacular a science fiction story as one is going to find. From a plot that is full of drama to amazing characters that are relatable and interesting, all over a backdrop of a futuristic space setting, The Last Watch is nearly flawless.
Interview: About Writing Tie-ins with Tim Waggoner
Review: Black Stone Heart (The Obsidian Path #1) by Michael R. Fletcher
Review: Writing Monsters by Philip Athans
Philip starts by leveling the field and properly defining what a good monster is; what makes them scary, where they come from and how to define them as a monster or a villain (or both). Then he continues by encouraging us to describe their attributes, digging deep into creating three-dimensional creatures with skill descriptions that resemble a Dungeon & Dragons scoring system. I really enjoyed printing the monster creation form and going through each question to develop (or re-develop) the main villain of my story. He proceeds with an amazing section on how to write them properly on the page using the appropriate reveal, leveraging your five senses and some tricks to make them scarier and less cliché (ex.: don’t use vampires, werewolves or write them in a whole new perspective).