Tag: #Courage

HomeAdrift by Soheil Mirchi

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

How far can you go before the silence breaks you?

Commander Solene Ellis has left Earth behind forever. Now she drifts through the void aboard the colony ship Nia Kvara, watching over 100,000 colonists in hibernation. Only Ava, the ship’s AI, keeps her company.

The voyage spans 3,000 years, but for Solene, time comes in fragments—fleeting moments of wakefulness between long, frozen sleeps. Hours blur into decades. Memories unravel. In the stillness, she begins to lose track not only of time, but of herself.

And solitude in deep space doesn’t stay quiet for long. Whispers echo where no one should be. Shadows shift just beyond her vision. A mysterious vessel appears in the void. Even Ava starts to act… strangely.

As reality fractures, Solene must face a terrifying is something out there hunting them—or has her own mind become the true threat?

Review

I am not sure where to start this review. So many thoughts going through my mind.

I absolutely loved the book, a character led, sci fi space horror told with deep philosophical resonance. Tension and emotion poured off the pages. So much to think about, small details become rabbit holes in my mind. Bigger ideas like isolation, survival, home, privilege, AI, time… they feel insurmountable.

I am not often a fan of an unreliable narrator, but the author merged Solene’s reality and hibernation dreams flawlessly, and had me questioning everything. In a good way.

Even after she reprogrammed Ava, the ships AI who went rogue from a previous hack, I was still unsure if what Ava said was true or not. Did the original destination planet really have a virus that made it uninhabitable for humans?

One thought that kept recurring for me was that Solene was awake for the equivalent of about a month, but thanks to years in hibernation for the space jumps, the time that actually passed in Earth years was millennia. That feels like such an unthinkable premise, incomprehensible. Solene had no time to process her feelings,her grief, her wonder.

Her awake time was spent reading reports and data collected when she was hibernating, as well as checking the ship’s functions and status. Things that happened 300 years ago when she was last awake felt like yesterday to her.

One quote stood out for me… “Extended life, for all its promises, has left me with a lingering sense of emptiness. The prospect of living for centuries – does it make me any more human, or does it strip away what it means to truly live?”

Such a huge question. I will be sitting with this and the rest of Solene’s story for a long time.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads and the author for a copy of the book to read and review.

Book Info

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Category: Adult

Number of Pages: 326 Pages

Publication Date: November 12, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238567071-homeadrift 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6869bb8c-a35a-431d-b5f2-cfcf02be5650 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/9RCpUhx (Canada) https://a.co/d/iHzeWY8 (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/abYuHWP (UK)

The First Sin by Cheyenne Brammah

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

In the sweeping expanse of the Årdrakin Empire, the people fight and die for honor as elite warriors of the galaxy. But long ago, a prophecy was spoken that presaged the apocalypse. Everyone knows and fears the truth: one day, the empire will fall.

Tårik is a guard for small, independent Clan Tsinna. Instead of pondering the end of his civilization, Tårik’s greatest concern is maintaining his honour while escorting a group of impertinent dignitaries across the treacherous Barren Gale. When the Mother Goddess speaks a passage from the prophecy to him, he has the good sense to be frightened, but he doesn’t heed the significance of Her visit.

Then disaster strikes, and Tårik is branded as an exile, leaving him with no home, no honour, and no future. Forced into a desperate struggle for survival, all Tårik can focus on is living just one more day until luck—or maybe fate—gives him the opportunity to join a new clan. But even this is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and it takes him to an inhospitable world far from the empire where survival seems all but impossible.

Faced with new challenges, including trying to navigate first contact with the low-tech locals, Tårik believes the prophecy can’t reach him. Yet it continues to loom, signaling that his fate and the fate of the empire are irrevocably entwined.

This is a dark, spicy, adult science fantasy set in a world that includes war, violence, and other mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author’s website.

Review

Being told the prophecy (of how things will end) at the start of the story does not spoil this book at all. Like all prophecies, you just never know how the characters are going to fulfil it. This is a fine example of “sort of” knowing the ending but becoming engrossed in the story and the characters because it is so well told.

The world building in this first book is top notch, from the clans and “the Whole” to the planetary system, the ship and Berwen, the planet they end up on,

The author has created a story full of well developed characters, all with their own secrets from the past and flaws that may or may not lead them down the paths they take. Decisions made “for the good of the clan” are not always good decisions.

The comparison between the way the clans work and the way the “hive mind” of the skarastaja works is an interesting juxtaposition.

There are some big themes in this book; love, loss, vengeance, addiction, belief systems and sacrifice, which the author weaves into a compelling narrative. In the second half, we also find out the consequences of introducing another element into a planet’s natural order.

This book is not for the faint hearted. The blurb says dark and spicy, and it certainly delivers on that. There is so much to think about that I need time to reflect before even contemplating my next read.

The character list at the start and the glossary at the end are both useful reference points throughout, to help you keep track of things, if needed.

About the book

Genre: Science Fantasy

Age Category: Adult

Number of Pages: 668 Pages

Publication Date: 23 October 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241900715-the-first-sin 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/9d90c00f-9780-46d2-b9b5-bb67ffdb4eda 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/ivPviJG (Canada) https://a.co/d/9IXOJmx (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/bW2KOHe (UK)

Thank you to @The_WriteReads and the author for an eARC to read and review for this blog tour.

Kittiwake Stormhaven and the Pirate’s Portolano by Victoria Williamson

On By @f33lthesunIn Y4+1 Comment

Blurb

A daring mission, a sister turned pirate and a sea full of secrets…

In a world of water where land is a legend, 11-year-old Kittiwake Stormhaven dreams of adventure aboard the Amazon Princess. When a vital mission takes the ship into dangerous waters, Kittiwake discovers shocking news – her long-lost sister, Petrel, is now a feared pirate queen.

Kittiwake must outsmart pirates, outmanoeuvre storms and face ghostly captains to save her ship, her mischievous monkey Caboodle and her friends. But in a high-stakes showdown, family loyalty collides with survival, and Kittiwake learns the ocean hides more secrets than she ever imagined.

Kittiwake Stormhaven is a fast-paced, sea-swept adventure filled with daring rescues, thrilling discoveries and the magic of friendship.

Review

I always look forward to reading a story by Victoria Williamson and this one is no exception. It is a fast paced action adventure on the high seas, with pirates, stowaways, a naughty pet monkey and a quest to find fuel before the ships all sink.

Kittiwake and her stowaway friend, Scally, have to look out for each other as they break the rules several times to try to discover what happened to her sister. Is she really a dreadful pirate now? Or did she disappear never to be seen again? Which story, if any, is real?

As the truth emerges, Kit, also aided and abetted by her pet monkey Caboodle, is caught between loyalty to her mother, the ship’s captain, and finding out about her sister. On the adventurous journey she meets pirates, a scary monster that attacks the ship, hears rumours about her father (who also disappeared) and makes a deal with a pirate that she is not sure will come off.

The cast of characters is wide ranging. My favourite is the Doctor. You are never quite sure if he is serious or sarcastic about all the exotic sounding diseases he thinks everyone who comes to see him is suffering from.

In between each chapter of the story is an excerpt from The Pirate’s Portolano, a book detailing information useful to pirates, from maps and drawings, to key information about the strengths and weaknesses of ships, smuggling routes and sea creatures to avoid.

This is a brilliant adventure story for Year 4 up, with themes of friendship, families, secrets and survival. I will also admit it took me too long for the names Kittiwake (Kit to her friends and family) and Caboodle to click. They really are the whole thing.

The cover and inside illustrations by James Brown are superb.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Tiny Tree and @The_WriteReads for a copy of the book (and the fabulous gifts it came with) to read and review for this blog tour.

About the book

Genre: Adventure

Age Category: Middle Grade

Publisher: Tiny Tree Books

Number of Pages: 176 Pages

Publication Date: October 23, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238744341-kittiwake-stormhaven-and-the-pirate-s-portolano 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ca5e59cb-f36d-43bd-8f07-953adcf0b2fd 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/5yuErMp (Canada) https://a.co/d/bhdaIxp (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/hl3XQ8H (UK)

The Tortured Kingdom by Bryan Asher

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

After a comet strikes the continent of Yohme, it’s left in shambles. Nations lay in rubble, magic has been corrupted, and a plague has turned most of the inhabitants into flesh-eating, undead, ghouls.

Traveling this apocalyptic landscape is Evan, a bounty hunter taking missions to survive. However, his latest quest to capture a thief leads to more than he bargained for. After uncovering an ancient map, he forms a party to hunt the sacred treasure inside the most formidable dungeon.

Once inside, they’ll have to overcome the trials of a god to reach it, and they’re not the only ones searching.

Review

I was intrigued by the blurb. Who doesn’t love a dungeon quest involving broken magic, undead ghouls and a group of characters forced to bond in pursuit of a sacred relic?

The world building and characterisation is superb, the fast pace sustained throughout. The author has successfully brought together a mixture of dungeons and dragons, mythical gods and creatures, magical artefacts, a dangerous quest and brought them to life on the page.

As the group make their way through the dangerous trials in the dungeon, strong themes of friendship, trust, working together as one, knowing yourself and those around you, making choices for self or group, as well as making the best of each individual’s strengths, the quest culminates in a big decision for Evan, the unlikely leader of the group. No spoilers here though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for more of the author’s work.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads for a physical copy of the book to read and review for this blog tour. Please look out for other reviews over the coming days.

About the book

Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Adult

Illustrators: Batsky Starman and Arief Rachmad

Number of Pages: 276 Pages

Publication Date: January 31, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224887878-the-tortured-kingdom 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4f4f8d6b-a6ee-4966-b5e7-c97c7aa08c17 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/6u8sRgO (Canada) https://a.co/d/2yVjYj2 (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/iIViVDS (UK)

Trial of the Alchemist by Trevor Melanson

On By @f33lthesunIn Young AdultLeave a comment
Cover by Ariane Fleischmann

Blurb

Aurora’s greatest entrepreneur has been murdered, and only the truth will save Alchemist Ortez from the gallows.

Facing a heated courtroom of strangers, he must now recall the events that brought him here as a fellow alchemist probes his memory. Such is the job of alchemists: administering elixirs in order to see into the minds of men. Their dreams. Their nightmares. Their secrets.

But while everyone believes him guilty, Alchemist Ortez knows what they do not.

He was hired by the victim for a job unlike any they could imagine. Nor would they ever guess what other mysteries lie buried beneath the mountain metropolis of Aurora, a cave-enclosed city where countless gas lamps illuminate the endless night.

Trial of the Alchemist is a gaslamp mystery rife with twists, adventure, and romance.

Review

Having read and been lured in by the first few chapters in earlier rounds of the BBNYA, I just had to read the whole story.

Alchemist Ortez, a psych-alchemist, is accused of murdering the town’s “leader”, owner of the main industry, the majority of the housing and businesses and without whom the town would cease to function.

In court, a legal alchemist uses elixirs to enter Ortez’s mind, to ensure he is telling the judge the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This was the part that reeled me in.

As his story unfolds, we see the grip Everett Day has on the town. We also hear about events that the town was not aware of. Is Ortez slowly changing the minds of the baying crowd, who are eager to hang him as soon as possible?

As Ortez’s story goes on, his previous work as a research alchemist, using his skill to communicate with animals is called upon to help work out a problem, which ends up uncovering unforeseen problems caused by the Day Corporations by products of machine manufacturing .

Will anyone find the courage to stand up and come to the defence of Ortez, or provide proof of his truth?

During his story, his own (legal) use of elixirs to explore the memories of his clients is explained but that only ends up creating more questions. Whilst Alchemist Freya, the legal alchemist, is adamant Ortez is telling the truth, is he a reliable narrator? Does he know everything he knows?

I really enjoyed this story and am left with many questions I am going to enjoy thinking about for a while yet. Just as you should be by stories.

Trial of the Alchemist is a thoroughly deserved 3rd place finalist.

Thank you to BBNYA and The Write Reads for allowing me to be on the judging panel and providing me with a copy of the book to review.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads. 

About the Book

Length: 453 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: April 4, 2023

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/aNNHuoH (Canada) https://a.co/d/anR8L4D (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/g8MdUIG (UK) 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199237239-trial-of-the-alchemist 

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f42303a9-6076-4478-97c8-b0f5cd9a05e3

People’s Choice by Litty Williams

On By @f33lthesunIn Young AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

In near-future NewBrit, where only Winners succeed, Maz Tallis is a Loser. All she wants is the expensive medicine that could save her half-brother, Kyle.

As her final term at Albion House Academy begins, Maz enters the Manticore Challenge, a competition offering the winner 1,000 Life Chances—credits that can be exchanged for life-saving treatments. For Maz, this could be her only shot at getting the medication Kyle so desperately needs.

To improve her chances of winning, Maz comes up with a bold plan. But when Felix, a charismatic Winner, steals her idea, they become fierce rivals. To make matters worse, Kyle gets a superbug, making the need for treatment even more urgent.

As Maz uncovers a disturbing secret at the heart of the competition, she faces an agonising dilemma: save her brother or expose the threat. Battling self-doubt and a corrupt system, Maz must decide if she will risk everything to reveal the truth. And will she find a way to save the people she loves without losing herself?

Review

When I read challenge and competition in the blurb, I immediately thought of other stories with physical games with consequences…this is different. The challenge set is to action an idea that will benefit society as a whole. Which is all well and good if there is not corruption and all eyes on you.

Set in a dystopian future, for the students at Albion House Academy most of their lives are lived out on social media and tv, even their exams are broadcast…with all the coverage, their exam results and their social media following (or lack of) used to judge them.

However, it is not just the students at Albion House that are pitted against each other. The sensationalist host of the People’s Choice programme is in a battle to save his popularity, ratings and his job, so is even more brutal and conniving than usual. He stops at nothing to humiliate the students.

The author has used this premise convincingly well to cover huge themes of racism, class systems, immigration, corporate greed, power as well as making us consider why wishing you had things others have is not as positive as you think. One part of the storyline also considers with how far some people are willing to go to save themselves, at a harsh cost to both themselves and others.

The world building is excellent, the characters are believable and deep and the story is superbly paced, keeping the action going, whilst at the same time getting the messages across about corruption, perception, humanity (or lack of, in some cases) and love.

I am looking forward to the next part of the story, as the ending leaves no doubt there is more to come from Maz and her friends.

Thank you to @The_WriteReads and the author for a copy of the book to review for this tour. Please look out for other blogs in the coming days.

About the book

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Age Category: Young Adult

Number of Pages: 312 Pages

Publication Date: April 28, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230923900-people-s-choice 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6ace0b62-6d07-45e6-88da-c450606b97e0 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/5mwdhrT (Canada) https://a.co/d/1evlxxk (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/fl4U6Z5 (UK)

Silverbirds by Rocky Magaña

On By @f33lthesunIn Adult2 Comments

Blurb

In a land ravaged by war and haunted by fire-breathing silverbirds, Kosha is the last thread in a bloodline unraveled by violence. His father was a man who believed in wisdom over weapons, his mother a woman who fought for a future that would never come, and his brother a boy who disappeared into the mountains, chasing a cause that would devour him whole. Now, Kosha walks alone, armed with nothing but a bow and the impossible weight of revenge pressing against his ribs.

As Kosha crosses the wasteland toward the land of the silverbirds, he carries more than his grief—he carries the ghosts of his father’s wisdom, his mother’s defiance, and his brother’s sins. He carries the weight of every choice that led him to this moment. And with each step, he must decide: Is he the last survivor of his family’s story, or its final casualty?

A harrowing, lyrical journey through war, loss, and the brutal choices that shape a legacy, this novel asks what it means to inherit a fight—and whether a boy with nothing left to lose can change the course of his own history.

Review

Right from the start, we are aware of the war and violence that eight year old Kosha and his family hide from. They moved away from the city into the mountains to farm sheep but even there, war finds them.

Although the main thread of story is about Kosha, how he ends up alone and on a journey of vengeance, other chapters also provide back story to his parents, Ara and Kamal – family influences, how they grew up, met and married. Throughout all this there has always been violence and abuse. How they deal with it makes them who they are. It also makes Kosha who he is.

This well told story is a devastatingly detailed observation of what war does to individuals, families and communities; it turns people on each other, gives some a “reason” to justify their actions and causes death and destruction that echoes through generations.

The mix of narrative and verse (old myths and tales) works well, as does the style. There is a lyrical feel to the text, which should jar with the theme, but it doesn’t, the author makes it work.

Be aware there are some graphic scenes: one describing bodies after a bomb hits and a caesarian being performed. There is also a sexual assault.

Thank you to @The_WriteReads and the author for a copy of the book to read and review for this tour.

About the book

Genre: Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

Age Category: Adult 

Number of Pages: 356 pages

Publication Date: January 29, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224227006-silverbirds 

StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a3fe8ca4-ffa4-4e03-8148-b81fbb9ce528 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/fmlwysi (Canada) https://a.co/d/9jPRou2 (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/fWDX7eQ (UK)

Thirst by Darren Simpson

On By @f33lthesunIn #YALeave a comment
Cover Art by Natalie Smillie

I was delighted that Pushkin Press sent me a proof copy of Thirst to read and review as I am a big Darren Simpson fan. I loved the originality of The Memory Thieves and reviewed it here. The author’s world building and story telling are first rate so expectations were high. I was not disappointed.

I would also like to give Natalie Smillie a shout out for her outstanding cover illustration.

Blurb

Nobody talks about the strange happenings in Maimsbury. No one speaks of the hooded figures glimpsed in the woods, nor the children’s game that went so horribly wrong. But most of all, nobody dares whisper their doubts about the river they have worshipped for centuries.

Like everyone in Maimsbury, Gorse is used to the sacrifices made every spring to the River Yeelde. The life of a farm animal – in return for a year of plenty – seems a fair trade. That is, until a tragedy leads Gorse to a blood-curdling discovery.

Because this year is a Brim Year, and after giving so much, the river needs more than an animal’s life to sate its thirst…

Review

I have just finished reading Thirst and I was swept along by the story, not by the Yeelde River, thank goodness. The author has written a mesmerisingly disturbing, dark story steeped in folklore, with fairy tale references (some subtle, some not so subtle) scattered throughout. The use of children’s rhymes builds the authenticity of the tale and, as is common, they have dark undercurrents and are based on some truth from the past, chronicling the dark history whilst also hiding it in plain sight.

This reminded me that stories (lore, myth and fairy especially) are traditionally spoken, passed down and they shape shift slightly with each retelling, which is how the people of Maimsbury are aware of the village’s history. Most choose not to acknowledge the darker side, they just go about their business, reaping the rewards of a disturbing sacrificial pact made once upon a time, long, long ago, that has ongoing consequences even now.

However, as we all know, things ignored or left to a select few to deal with usually come back to bite us. Such is the case in Maimsbury.

Some of my favourite stories include the setting as a main character. Alan Garner and Susan Cooper are two examples that spring to mind. With the river and, to a slightly lesser extent, the woods in Thirst, the author has achieved this exceptionally well. As I said in the introduction, Darren Simpson’s world building is superb and Gorse’s Maimsbury is no exception.

It struck me immediately that the characters from the village are named for plants – trees, flowers, fruit. In folklore, naming is important, a binding, powerful force and clearly signifies a link to family and/or, more importantly in this story, place, to the village as a whole which, considering the pact, is an important factor. Just by their given name, anyone from outside the village stands out. This clearly identifies them as people not to discuss the sacrificial pact with.

I realise I have not said much about the storyline here, but it would be difficult to do without spoilers. I just wanted to tease out a few details to help you decide if it is for you or not. I highly recommend you read this book. It is dark, chilling and gruesome. It is storytelling at its very best.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and Darren Simpson for the proof copy to read. Thirst will be published on 11th September 2025.

The Magdalenes by Jeanne Skartsiaris

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment
Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

Blurb

The Magdalenes is a story of redemption and reinvention.

Jude Madigan is a successful plaintiff’s attorney who lived out a nightmare and spent years keeping it hidden. After being raped and impregnated by a Catholic priest when she was fourteen, she has spent years creating a new life, now driven to get justice for her clients.

She buries her past, and her emotions, under a solid veneer of ambition, but just as she’s about to bring her biggest litigation case to trial, a strange assignment is forced upon her. Her law firm is given a huge commission to handle the estate of a recently deceased woman, with the catch that Jude, and no one else, must act as trustee. The terms require her to oversee the construction and finances of a Catholic halfway house for prostitutes.

Jude fights against this agreement since she turned her back on the church years ago and intends to keep it that way. Her boss insists she complies, not knowing about her past-or the pain of having her daughter taken from her arms minutes after the birth by a nun.

Damaged and patched together with anger and shame, Jude is reluctant, but becomes involved with a group of nuns and the prostitutes they’re trying to help.

But the mystery remains as to why the stranger specified her, a litigation attorney, not an estate attorney, to handle the case. Though Jude struggles both personally and professionally, she discovers that what she feared most was what she needed to heal. Every belief is tested, and a lost dream is realized.

Review

Although not my usual genre, the first 10k extract pulled me in and I just had to read the whole thing.

There is a lot to unpack in this story. There are trigger warnings for rape, forced adoption and coercive manipulation. However, the overall feel is of hope and love.

Jude believes she is coping and is managing her emotions linked to her childhood, but she has told no one about her past. She keeps it bottled up and forges ahead, making a successful career in law.

However a coercive ex and a mysterious will case bring everything to the boil, so that Jude is faced with personal and professional conflicts. Who will she confide in? Will they abandon her as others have done in the past?

This thoroughly deserved its place in the final selection of the BBNYA 2024 awards.

Thank you to BBNYA and The Write Reads for allowing me to be on the judging panel and providing me with a copy of the book to review.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.


If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Skylark in the Fog by Helyna L Clove

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

During the BBNYA2024 competition, I read the 2k and 10k extracts and really wanted to read the whole story, so was happy to sign up for this tour. It thoroughly deserves its place as the 9th place finalist.

Blurb

So when the universe falls to pieces, it doesn’t mean your life has to, right? That comes later.

Jeane Blake, captain of the spaceship Skylark, makes her living by looting dead worlds, planets fallen prey to naturally occurring wormhole-like rifts plaguing the cosmos. She survives the only way she knows how: avoiding commitment and arguing with her dead foster father’s ghost. But when her crew stumbles upon an alien device that could collapse the wormhole network and wipe out all sentient life, they catch the hungry eyes of the Union, a tyrannical empire hunting the sinister tech.

As she flees the Union’s brainwashed agents, Jeane is forced to take on a shady mission and gets stuck assisting the runaway monarch of a technocrat planet. Queen Maura Tholis is seeking the aid of an interstellar resistance to reclaim her war-torn world, with another trouble-magnet device as her bargaining chip: a glove that allows her to command AI systems. Jeane couldn’t care less about the whole deal, but things become personal when the Union annexes the place she calls home. And it might be her fault.

Reluctant to become weapons in the hands of power-hungry militants and desperate rebels, smuggler and queen join forces. But to save their homes, they must redefine themselves, work with the enemy, and face personal traumas they’d buried long ago-and only stars know which challenge might break them in the end.

Review

As the story starts to unfold, we have two seemingly unconnected and polar opposite storylines. One of a lanehunter, Jeane, and her crew, scraping to make ends meet by “aquiring” junk (looting) and selling it on, hopping about space in an attempt to steer clear of the Union and its dictator forces. She is also trying to outrun her grief and emotions.

The other is of Maura, a princess, soon to be Queen, of the solar system of Miyoza, which is currently in a long, drawn out war with the Gaerrians. Although giving the appearance of fighting for freedoms and liberty, the King, along with the AI system that jointly rules, is just as much a dictatorship as The Union.

As the two storylines come together, pushing Jeane and Maura into an uneasy alliance, we begin to see how they are completely different but also similar, both fighting inner gremlins, but determined to make a difference.

As the story progresses, themes of power, greed, control and manipulation emerge strongly, alongside those of grit, determination, sacrifice, friendship and grief.

In the background, but very much strong forces in their own right, are two AI systems that have been corrupted by human influence, but it is the masses who suffer. Who thought it would be a good idea to have a human royal and AI jointly run a kingdom? Both the king and the leaders of the Union strongly stamp their will on their respective systems and … there are consequences!

You will just have to read the book to find out what those consequences are.

About the Book

Length: 524 Pages

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Age Category: New Adult

Date Published: September 6, 2022

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/5DXM2cC (Canada) https://a.co/d/jaFAuuQ (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/60gePiC (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61262158-skylark-in-the-fog 

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b47418a6-e276-4d6d-9da5-1f6c6534dcbf

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers mfrom all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.