Category Archives: Book Previews

A quick look at what I’m reading.

Revival Is At Hand!

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Revival by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton is an interesting story of life after death set in rural Wisconsin.

At first I was led to believe that this would be your typical zombies need brains tale from a few of the reviews I had seen but nothing could be further from the truth! This is an engaging story about many things and central to the story is how and why several dead people returned to life in a small town and how it affects everyone.

The art is great and sets a perfect stage for the story. The pacing of the story draws you along scene by scene giving it the feel of a movie. The characters are well fashioned and believable. This is one story that I can’t wait to read more of! Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds.

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Golden Son: Best Book Of 2015?

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I’ve just finished reading my advance copy of Golden Son by Pierce Brown and though it is very early in 2015 I may have just finished reading the best book I will read this year.

Red Rising (the first book of this series) captured my imagination in 2014 early on and held its place as the best book I read all year. As a result my expectations for Golden Son were extremely high. I was not disappointed. In fact Pierce Brown exceeded my expectations with this book.

Golden Son returns all of the intensity and excitement of Red Rising while raising the scope of the story. We move from the training grounds on which our hero Darrow was forged into the crucible of war. We face open enemies and the hidden daggers of secret enemies. We encounter new allies and old hatreds. With this book Pierce Brown lets all the world know his success with Red Rising was not a fluke, only an opening salvo in a hopefully long and sure to be impressive career.

If you haven’t read Red Rising yet you should pick it up as soon as you can and then dive right into Golden Son. If you’ve already read Red Rising then open up Golden Son and enjoy the wonderful intensity you will find within its pages. Truly a wonderful story and quite possibly the best book you’ll read in 2015.

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My Unexpected Book Holiday And What’s On The Horizon

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So today I had an unexpected day off work (thanks poison oak!) and I used that time combined with the weekend to get caught up on my book reviews!

I had fallen behind on books I had been approved of for NetGalley and I had promised a couple authors reviews so this seemed to good an opportunity to pass up.

First I read The Martian by Andy Weir (loved it! Read it ASAP) and then I followed that up with Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells (gripping page turner!). Moving away from SciFi I picked up HellBoy In Hell by Mike Mignola (a masterpiece) and then I finished it all off with a Russian SciFi from the 60’s: Hard To Be A God by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (beautiful but difficult read) that I had started a while back but just hadn’t finished yet.

I considered spacing out the reviews more, but honestly I was having too much fun reading and sharing about the books, so I’ve been posting like a mad man lately. Unfortunately I know this will slow back down with my return back to work, but I did want to let everyone know that something special is on the horizon!

One of the reasons I created RedStarReviews was to open up the door for fellow book loving friends of mine to be able to share their thoughts on the books that they’re reading. I’m happy to report that a few of them are now preparing to write some reviews for everyone to enjoy! The books are their own selections and their reviews will be in their own style and voice. I’m very excited about this and hope to be able to share these reviews with everyone soon!

As always I am very thankful to all who have joined me on this journey of being a book reviewer. Really this has been such a source of joy to me and all of y’all who have encouraged me are appreciated beyond words. Thank you all for being a part of this and here’s to a bright future!

My Wife Starts Her Summer Reading List With Odd Girl Out

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My wife (who works full time as a High School Teacher) is starting off her Summer Reading List with Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons. It explores the hidden culture of aggression in girls and my wife is hoping to gain a better understanding and ability to help girls who are struggling with anger and aggression. I’m really looking forward to her thoughts on this book and will be posting her review once she finishes reading the book!

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Time Enough For Classic SciFi

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Robert Heinlein is an incredible author. His work still communicates now years after his passing. Often controversial but never boring. Somehow I neglected to read The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. I don’t know how this happened, but I decided to correct that mistake this past week. I’m now a third of the way through it (courtesy of my local library! Support your local libraries!) and I’m loving it. The speech patterns of his characters draw you right into the story and hold you tight. Looking forward to seeing where this goes from here!

Free Comic Book Day And Valiant Comics

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Supporting my local Comic Book Shop on Free Comic Book Day and finally getting my hands on RAI by Valiant Comics! Valiant Comics were some of my favorite comic books back in the 90’s and they were relaunched two years ago. This relaunch has been more enjoyable than the original run and now that they’re bringing RAI back to life I’m expecting big things! Shadowman is starting a new story arc with Shadowman End Times and this comic book has yet to disappoint! Valiant Comics focus first on amazing stories, characters with depth, and then they provide jaw dropping artwork. If you haven’t tried out Valiant Comics yet then get out to your local Comic Book Shop today and pick up a copy of RAI!

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RedStarReviews: Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z Martin

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As I posted my first ever advanced book review I discovered I was approved for another one, and this book has me really excited!

Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z Martin (Scheduled for publication 06/25/2014) is an Urban Fantasy set in one of my favorite of cities: Charleston, South Carolina.

Gail Z Martin has already established herself as an incredible fantasy author and is well known for the realistic worlds and systems of magic she creates. Now she brings that talent to play in one of the most historic cities in my country.

Charleston has seen its share of history (both good and bad) in its time and it is the sort of city that attracts all kinds of interesting souls: living, dead, and undead. Deadly Curiosities follows Cassidy Kincaide and her 500 year old business partner Soren, who happens to be a Vampire, as they try to protect the city against forces dark, unknown, and ancient.

I’m truly looking forward to reading this story and sharing my thoughts on it! Honored to have been selected to review this before it is released. Gail Z Martin is an enjoyable writer so I know I’m in for a great read!

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Approved For Our First Advanced Review: Fiefdom by Dan Abnett

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RedStarReviews was just approved for our first ever ARC book to review! Very excited about this opportunity and excited to see this grow from a love for sharing books with other book lovers! Thank you for being a part of this dream!

The book is Fiefdom by Dan Abnett of Warhammer fame! It’s off to a engaging start and looks to be a very enjoyable read! It is a SciFi book set during a future Ice Age on Earth after years of war between alien invaders and the mutated warriors humanity created for our protection.
Looking forward to diving into this and reviewing it for everyone as soon as possible!

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Red Rising by Pierce Brown

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Easter Morning Reading: Red Rising by Pierce Brown.

Imagine slaving away on a colony on Mars, living and dying underground in an attempt to colonize the planet for future generations. Now imagine you find out it is all a lie and Mars was terraformed generations ago. Imagine your whole existence as a colonist is actually a lie to keep you as a slave for the ruling class who live above ground enjoying the spoils of your labor…

Just started the book and the writing grabs your attention and pulls you right into the protagonist’s life. Off to a promising start! Hoping for a good read!

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Reign Of Ash by Gail Z Martin

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New book: Reign Of Ash by Gail Z Martin the second book of The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga. First day of it being available on the market and I’m looking forward to reading it! The first book was really enjoyable. Great world building and a believable system of magic along with characters you care about and an enjoyable story. Expecting this one to be as enjoyable as the first!