Red Adept Reviews

Moonlighting in Vermont, by Kate George

MamaSylvia — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:00:33 +0000

I borrowed Moonlighting in Vermont (The Bree MacGowan Series), by Kate George, from another Kindler through the Lendle.me website.

Description:

Meet Bella Bree MacGowan … smart, sexy and wanted for murder. Bree is shocked that Lt. Miles Brooks thinks she’s actually capable of murder. If he’d concentrate on finding clues, instead of trying to pin the death of her boss on Bree, he might actually catch the perp. If Brooks won’t look for clues, then Bree will, regardless of the danger. Finding clues isn’t as easy as it seems and Bree loses her boyfriend and her job while in the pursuit of justice. A lethal encounter with the creepy soap star Gunnar Ericson makes her wonder if she’ll be able to discover the murderer’s identity before she also loses her life… The first book in the Bree MacGowan Series.

Overall: 3 1/2 stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 stars

Definitely plot-driven, the book got off to a fast start before making a mercifully brief digression to provide the seemingly obligatory background. The frequent pauses for animal care annoyed me, as did Bree’s falls and the sex scenes – they just distracted from the plot. Brooks’ focus on Bree as his prime suspect turned into a serious plot hole. Whodunit was pretty obvious, and the red herrings were more satisfying than the actual resolution. But the bottom line is that this book kept me reading and made me want to read the next in spite of the flaws.

Characters: 4 stars

George’s characters feel stronger and more realistic than they are. It wasn’t until later that I realized I hadn’t been given any reason to find Meg’s wandering eye or Rob’s protectiveness or Brooks’ obsession with Bree’s guilt believable. Tom’s brother is sometimes named Beau and sometimes Beaux. But Bree is a likable and admirable heroine. She has decided what is important in her life. She wants a romantic relationship but not desperately enough to believe anything her erstwhile boyfriend says, a pleasant change from single women blinded by their emotional needs.

Writing style: 4 stars

Sentence structure is fine. Dialogue moves right along, but did not achieve distinct voices for the characters. Descriptions did not mesh in tone with plot action; several times I felt George was building up to something happening that didn’t.

Formatting: 2 stars

The book had major formatting problems, and George really needs to pull the current sale file and revise it. Some paragraphs were broken in the middle. The type size changed frequently, as often as two or three times per page, a serious distraction from the plot. Neither adjusting the type size nor the type color fixed the problem.

The Journey through Nanking, by Travis Lee

Jim Chambers — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:36 +0000

I received The Journey through Nanking, by Travis Lee, as a review copy submitted to Red Adept Reviews by the author.

Description (from Amazon.com):

It is December, 1937. The Chinese capital is a bombed wreck. A young girl has become separated from her family, and with the help of her spirit-guide, she must find her way through the warzone to see them again. Set against her are the Japanese soldiers, and a far greater horror who stalks her through the wastes.

Overall: 4 stars

I read a lot of World War II books, both fiction and nonfiction. One of the books that has stuck with me the most is Iris Chang’s “The Rape of Nanking,” about the atrocities inflicted by the invading Japanese soldiers on the civilian population of Nanking in 1937.

Travis Lee’s short story “The Journey through Nanking” began with the Japanese invading Nanking. When a young girl was separated from her family during a bombing raid, she embarked on a terror-filled attempt to flee the city. For several days, she was forced to endure unthinkable physical deprivation and mind-numbing horrors, while witnessing the barbaric behavior of the enemy.

But there was more to the story, an element that I’m not sure I understood. Throughout the girl’s ordeal, there was the presence of a strange being, apparently a spirit of some kind. At times the “spirit” seemed benign, even helpful, while other times it was clearly malignant. I have my own ideas about the nature of the strange being, but I’ll leave that for readers to make their own interpretation.

The author’s writing style was simple and straightforward, and he very effectively invoked a feeling of terror and hopelessness that the citizens of Nanking must have felt during this period.

The Journey through Nanking is short story length fiction with 490 Kindle locations. Text-to-Speech and Lending are enabled.

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From the author, Travis Lee:

How did you come up with the title?

I had trouble coming up with a title (for the longest time, it was simply The Nanking Story), so I just took what happens in the story — the girl goes on a journey through Nanking — and made a title.

How long have you been writing?

For almost ten years.

What authors have inspired you?

Paulo Coelho, Cormac McCarthy, John Kennedy Toole

Where did you get the idea for the novel?

I had just watched a documentary on the Nanking Massacre, and I want to the kitchen to fix some tea. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I saw a girl in the ruins of Nanking, crying. With the tea, I went back to my room and typed out the opening scenes. I moved on to other projects. About a year later, I wrote the story.

Who is your favorite character?

The girl.

I lived in China for two and a half years, where I studied Chinese and taught English. I currently live in the States.

The Journey through Nanking, by Travis Lee

Denning Swamp, by John Gaffield

Michelle — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:44 +0000

I “purchased” Denning Swamp – A Ghost Story, by John Gaffield, as a freebie from Amazon after seeing the author post about it on a board over there. Please note that this is a short story.

Description:

Strange sounds emanating from the swamp startled Jack during the night. Alone in the house, he wondered what was outside. Would he determine what was tormenting him before it was too late?

Overall: 1 1/2 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 2 1/4 Stars

The description says it all, with the question being answered in the last line. There is no nuance here and barely any story. This score could have been higher if the other categories – characterization/writing style – had assisted, or if there had been more to it. Without the other elements working better, I cannot imagine that too many people would get enough from the storyline alone. I’d even venture to say that the only way this story could work is if a creepy atmosphere became the star of the story – and that simply did not happen.

Characters: 1 Star

I honestly have no sense of the main character at all, other than he seemed a little dim. I have no idea if this was deliberate. There’s only one other (human) character, and I have no idea who he is either.

Writing style: 1 1/2 Stars

Here we have the crux of the problem. I have no reason to believe that Mr. Gaffield is truly a bad writer, but I have every reason to believe that he’d benefit from a few writing books or a course in creative writing since nearly every issue I have with writing style is an easily identifiable flaw covered in any basic text or class.

I found myself unable to be interested in the story due to the use of passive voice, and I found myself unable to relate to the character or invest in what happened due to the author telling and not showing. Then, we have the dialogue tags.

While I know opinions will vary, the common wisdom concerning dialogue tags is that “said” is the preferred tag, because it informs while being largely invisible. The reader doesn’t consciously notice it. Any other tag, while sometimes warranted, will be showy.

Advice on tags will also cover how you don’t need to label everything. Sometimes the speaker is obvious. Sometimes the tone is implied in the words. When there are two people speaking, tags can be fairly sparse and the reader will not be confused.

Mr. Gaffield, in a conversation between two people, tags every piece of dialogue with the name of the speaker. He uses “said” (or a slight variation) twice. He uses “asks” and “asks in reply,” and “replied,” multiple times, and “inquired for more detail” once. Oh, and lots of “commented” and “answered.”

On the plus side, I didn’t notice too many spelling or punctuation issues, which makes me suspect that the author just needs to brush up on some other things to see a dramatic improvement in his writing.

I wouldn’t write Mr. Gaffield off, by any means. His issues are, fortunately, easily corrected ones. However, I cannot recommend this particular story or even assess what I truly think of his writing until those issues are out of the way.

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About the Author:

John T. Gaffield is an automotive engineer in southeast Michigan with a wife and two children. He published his first novel, “Heir to Winston Manor,” in October 2010 as an eBook (currently not sold at Amazon). John has a second ebook, “The Wahl House Curse,” this time set in mid-Michigan, which is now available as of January 2011.

John released a short horror story for Kindle in mid-January 2011 called “The Ghost of Birch River Cabin.” This haunting tale is set in a secluded cabin along the fictional Birch River. Other short stories are “Winter Visitor” and “Slow Down.” All are currently free at Amazon (USA at least). A fourth short story “Denning Swamp – A Short Ghost Story” is now available.

John uses his past memories and his local knowledge combined with his engineering sense of detail to create realistic ghost stories. He has an interest in ghost stories and creepy old haunted houses.

John’a third haunted house novel “Alone Again” was published in September 2011. It is set in an old house in a suburban neighborhood. A couple purchased the house from a builder who had fixed up the house for sale after it had stood abandoned for a few years. The wife was never the same after they moved in.

John is continuing to work on new novels and short stories, so stay tuned!

Denning Swamp – A Ghost Story, by John Gaffield

Gravity Words – TS Games

Jim Chambers — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:00:48 +0000

I purchased Gravity Words, by TS Games from Amazon.com to play on my Kindle Fire.

Description (from Amazon.com):

Ready for a new kind of word building game? Get ready for Gravity Words. The game includes four different modes: Classic, Word Completion, Word Match, and Multiplayer. Act fast, and tap the letters as they fall to build words, complete challenges, and dominate your friends. The game modes include:

- Classic: Standard point race. Complete as many three to seven letter words as you can in three minutes, and unlock all of the achievements.
- Word Match Mode: Try to build the chosen words as fast as you can before time runs out.
- Word Completion Mode: Starting small, you must complete words with various letters pre-chosen, until you must spell five, six, and seven letter words all while the difficulty keeps climbing.
- Multiplayer: Two players go head to head in a combat style word building match. Each player has five different power ups to use against their opponent, all re-usable. These power ups include: Slow Gravity, Fast Gravity, Destruction, Half Word Score, and Blackout. The first player to reach 800 points wins.

Overall: 5 stars

Originality: 5 stars

Word games have been very popular for Android devices, and “Gravity Words” joins an already crowded field. But Gravity Words has an unusual twist—the letters are tumbling down, and you only have a few moments to grab them before they fall off the screen.

Game Play: 5 stars

The game looked good and played very well on my Kindle Fire. The Amazon description of the game lists the four playing modes and how each is played. (Note: the game’s main menu shows only three modes, but one of them—Challenge Mode—includes both the Word Match Mode and Word Completion Mode.)

Regardless of which mode you play, the basic goal is to spell words of three to seven letters. At the Beginner level, it’s fairly easy; at the Hard level, you’ll need extra caffeine for sure, since the letters are really whizzing by. And just to challenge you even more, a countdown clock is running.

I haven’t tried the Multiplayer Mode yet, but I did play the three solitaire modes. The Classic Mode was my favorite, since the games were short, only three minutes long. In the longer games in the Word Match and Word Completion modes, I had some difficulty staying focused after the first few minutes, becoming almost mesmerized by the falling letters. If you want to take a breather, touching the scoreboard pauses the game.

Amazon rates Gravity Words as suitable for ages 9 and older. I think that’s accurate, although younger kids may enjoy playing the Classic Mode, where they can score with words of three or four letters.

Replayability: 5 stars

You’ll never know what your best possible score is unless you keep replaying the game. Helpfully, your high scores for each mode and level of difficulty are saved, so you can review them later and challenge yourself to do better. You can also share your scores with Facebook friends.

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From the creator, Kristian Dalglish:

How did you come up with the idea for Gravity Words?

The idea was actually passed to me in different forms, Gravity Words was born from a compilation of each idea. Including a few games that already existed.

What was the most challenging part of creating the game?

Probably the art, I was just starting out when I made Gravity Words and didn’t have the connections for an artist. I had to do it all on my own.

Did you have inspiration from other games when creating Gravity Words?

Yes, there were a few games that helped me in my design. Nothing was taken directly from any other game, which keeps Gravity Words very unique.

Who were your biggest supporters and in what way?

My family and Fiance Brittany, They all were very supported and even helped when I was short on money for development.

Why did you choose to create a word building game with so many already out there?

I knew I could create something different, and unique. Most of the word games out there are copy’s of already existing games. Like Words With Friends is Scrabble, etc.

Gravity Words was released with multi-player mode, how important was this to you?

Very, I needed to make sure that the game had something interactive and unique in such a way that it would seperate me from all the other word games out there. The multi-player mode is very special to me, and different in every way. It has power-ups that you can use against your opponent to really mess with their heads and word building ability!

In the previous question, you spoke of power ups in multi-player mode. Why did you choose these?

Because each power-up has a special way of messing with your opponent. I had to make sure that each power-up was related to the game as well as a big part of making the multi-player that much more hectic. One of my favorites, Blackout, Places an almost solid shadow over the opponents game board for a short time. Nothing like sending that power-up and seeing or hearing the frustration that my opponent is dealing with.

Was the game created solely by you or did you have a team?

All by myself, I had to do everything from Sound, Art, Coding, and Marketing. It wasn’t easy, but I knew if I wanted to create something that I could be proud of, I had to.

Gravity Words has a 97,000 word dictionary. What challenges came with the vast word count?

Strange words, I actually had to remove some words because they were just absurd. “zzz” is not a word. No matter how badly they wanted to put it in this dictionary.

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

I would like to thank Brittany for her continued support and dealing with my non-stop nagging to test my game. I would also like to thank my family. Without them, I wouldn’t be in the position I am now. The game has had wonderful feedback and I have my family to thank for that, if it wasn’t for Brittany and them, I may have stopped.

Choice of Broadsides – Choice of Games

Jim Chambers — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:00:53 +0000

I purchased Choice of Broadsides, by Choice of Games, for my Kindle 3 from the Amazon Kindle Store.

Description (from Amazon.com):

Choice of Broadsides is a text-based adventure where your choices control the flow of the story. On most pages, you’ll choose between a set of options, determining which action you will take next as a young and promising naval officer.

If you like gamebooks, you’ll love Choice of Broadsides. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings? Will you become an admiral, or will you be court-martialed? When on shore, will you marry for love or for career advantage, or will you leave aside romance and spend your time gambling and dueling? The choice is up to you.

The sails have been hoisted and the guns run out as the enemy ship approaches. Your country is counting on you!

Overall: 5 stars

Originality: 5 stars

Text-based adventures aren’t new. Also called interactive fiction, these games were being written for computer software as early as the 1970s. Since there are no graphics (usually), they don’t require a lot of computing power, so they can be run on almost any platform or operating system. Recently, I’ve seen a number of these games appear in the Kindle store. Choice of Broadsides looked like one of the more interesting ones, and being set during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, it was also one of the more original stories.

Game Play: 5 stars

Choice of Broadsides is the story of a young officer in the Albion navy (Albion is “an imaginary nation rather like England”). You can choose your own name, and I chose “Richard Smythe” as mine. Albion is at war with Gaul (think “Spain”). As the story proceeds, there are frequent points where I had to make one of four choices. The decisions that I made determined the immediate outcome of the situation, but they also influenced my future. For example, I made a couple of poor decisions concerning how I treated crew members, and this led to a mutiny. Would the mutiny have happened if I had handled the crew differently? I don’t know, but that’s one thing I’ll investigate in future replays. In any case, I went on to an illustrious naval career, but I failed to amass much wealth or marry into money, so I lived frugally in my retirement. Depending on the choices that are made, a player can go in several directions, with very different outcomes.

The historical background was quite realistic, and the author had obviously done a good bit of research on the period, including the manners and customs of people living then. The story itself was interesting, especially with the options that I had. As in real life, once a decision is made, the game has no “undo” button—you have to live with your decisions and move on.

Replayability: 5 stars

I’ll have to replay the story a few more times to get an idea of how many ways my life (well, Richard Smythe’s life, actually) can unfold, but it should be interesting. Playing Choice of Broadsides was a fun experience. It took me about an hour and a half to go through the story, and I’m looking forward to another go at it.

Red Adept Select Presents: Bay’s End, by Edward Lorn

Red Adept — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:00:40 +0000

Bay’s End

Written by Edward Lorn

Edited by Lynn O’Dell

Description:

“Monsters are real. Ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”
~Stephen King

Officer Mack Larson is not everything he appears…

When twelve-year-old Trey and his best friend Eddy play a prank on Officer Mack, the resulting chain of events rocks the small town of Bay’s End.

Today, Trey Franklin is a man haunted by his past. Tormented by that one tragic, fateful summer, Trey searches for catharsis the only way he knows how – by writing.

A tale of love and loss, bittersweet memories, and the depths of human evil.

Welcome to Bay’s End.

*Warning: Contains graphic language and adult situations.

Bay’s End, by Edward Lorn

My Life Behind the Brick Wall, by Angie Brennan

Jim Chambers — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:00:49 +0000

I received My Life Behind the Brick Wall, by Angie Brennan, as a review copy submitted to Red Adept Reviews by the author.

Description (from Amazon.com):

Twenty-nine-year-old Vivian Craig has just been promoted to managing editor at “The Brick Bulletin,” a profoundly uninteresting brick industry trade journal. She’s looking for a more creative outlet than bricks can provide, and finds one in her new blog, “Behind the Brick Wall.” Which will get her into big trouble.

Vivian also has her hands full dealing with a hypochondriac receptionist who loves to talk about her ailments in excruciating detail; a coworker apparently bent on jealous revenge after Vivian’s promotion; a melodramatic sister with a weakness for romance novels and classical piano; a would-be suitor with an ego so inflated he can barely see around it; a sharp-tongued grandmother whose philosophy is: if you can’t say something nice, so much the better; and a propensity for clumsiness. Not to mention her issues with the Pronto Parcel man.

There’s plenty of pride, prejudice, and pandemonium behind Vivian’s brick wall.

Overall: 4 1/2 stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 stars

The story followed Vivian Rose Craig, her moderately dysfunctional family, and Vivian’s career as an editor at The Brick Bulletin. Vivian and her housemate sister Dee, hearing their biological clocks ticking away, were looking for love and not having much success. Their mother, however, expected grandchildren, not excuses.

Things weren’t any better at Vivian’s workplace. After a promotion, she was expected to write more about bricks and to speak at brick industry conferences. Writing articles for a trade journal wasn’t the most interesting or glamorous job in the world, and since Vivian’s coworkers were even more dysfunctional than her family, it seemed like a good idea to write about them in a blog titled “Behind the Brick Wall,” using pseudonyms, of course.

Eventually, everything blew up: Vivian’s love life, her job, the blog, even her brief foray into amateur sleuthing with Dee. But it was fun reading to see if Vivian could recover from so many setbacks and emerge triumphant.

I enjoyed reading My Life Behind the Brick Wall. It was a humorous story about a whacky set of characters, but I would be surprised if most readers didn’t recognize some members of their own family or coworkers. The story reminded me a lot of the late L. C. Evans’ marvelous book We Interrupt This Date, and that’s high praise. As the author’s first novel, My Life Behind the Brick Wall was a remarkable effort.

Character Development: 4 1/2 stars

There was no shortage of interesting characters in the story. Vivian and Dee were hardworking young ladies, and both were good at what they did, but they were seriously looking for romance, and they were drawing blanks. Their younger sister Mari was kind of a “new age” fitness nut who added some comic relief. Their Aunt Gladys was a very intelligent lady, but was she smart enough to resist the charms of a debonair Englishman who may be after her money?

Vivian’s workplace was populated by equally diverse, off-the-wall characters. Helen was the ubiquitous hypochondriac who suffered from gut bubbles, cerebellum fatigue, and a host of other exotic ailments not yet recognized by the medical books. Dale was another editor who was envious of Vivian’s promotion. Just how low would he stoop to get back at her? Wesley Peterson was the publisher who hired Vivian, but he had his doubts about her after she committed an embarrassing faux pas.

Most characters were likable, but there were enough jerks and bad guys to liven up the story and keep it from being too syrupy.

Writing style: 4 1/2 stars

The story was narrated from Vivian Craig’s point of view. The author’s light, breezy style was perfect for the story. The dialogues were funny, and the scenes ranged from the mundane to the absurd, but the story was never boring.

My Life Behind the Brick Wall is a novel with 3,200 Kindle locations. Lending and text-to-speech are enabled.

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From the author, Angie Brennan:

How did you come up with the title?

The brick wall represents the main character’s job at “The Brick Bulletin” as well as the blog that will get her into trouble. The title also involves some word play with her name, Vivian Craig. Vivian means “life”, “Craig” is “rocky hill”…close enough to a brick wall.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve enjoyed writing stories since I was a child. My interest in writing continued through college, where I majored in journalism. But it wasn’t until about four years ago that I began doing “serious” humor writing. I had a paid humor column gig in a local publication for a couple of years; my humor has been published in several other publications as well since then.

What authors have inspired you?

James Thurber and P.G. Wodehouse are both masters of comic fiction; I enjoy reading their stories and essays over and over. Other favorite authors, of humorous fiction in particular, include Mark Twain, Stella Gibbons, and Douglas Adams.

Where did you get the idea for the novel?

I simply began sketching out a character and situation that amused me with no real plan at first. I left an early draft sitting on the counter. My teen son picked it up, read it, and encouraged me to keep going. Characters and situations in the book are a combination of real-life experiences (packages being left directly behind the garage, for example), overheard conversations, news stories, and caffeine-induced fancy.

Who is your favorite character?

I think I had the most fun writing the scenes that included Gran, a sharp-tongued grandmother whose philosophy is: if you can’t say something nice, so much the better. But I suppose my favorite character is the one who gets top-billing, Vivian Craig.

Author Biography:

Angie Brennan is a humor writer and illustrator from Maryland. Her humor has appeared in “Suburban Scene” magazine, “Exceptional People” magazine, “National Post,” “Inside Annapolis,” and other publications. Her comic novel, “My Life Behind the Brick Wall,” is available in e-book form for Kindle devices. Besides humor and writing, Angie’s interests include reading, cartooning, needlework, coffee-drinking, and avoiding cooking. Visit her website at www.angiebrennan.com for humor columns, spoof advice, cartoons, and more.

My Life Behind the Brick Wall, by Angie Brennan

Sultana, by Lisa J. Yarde

Kris James — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:00:10 +0000

I downloaded Sultana: A Novel of Moorish Spain, by Lisa J. Yarde, from Amazon.com as a free ebook.

Description from Amazon.com:

In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the realm of Granada is in crisis. The union of Fatima, granddaughter of the Sultan of Granada, with the Sultan’s nephew Faraj has fractured the nation. A bitter civil war escalates and endangers both Fatima and Faraj’s lives. All her life, Fatima has sheltered in lavish palaces where danger has never intruded, until now. A precocious child and the unwitting pawn of her family, she soon learns how her marriage may determine her future and the fate of Granada.

Her husband Faraj has his own qualms about their union. At a young age, he witnessed the deaths of his parents and discovered how affluence and power offers little protection against indomitable enemies. Guilt and fears plague him. Determined to carve his own destiny, Faraj struggles to regain his lost inheritance and avenge his murdered family.

Throughout the rugged frontiers of southern Spain, the burgeoning Christian kingdoms in the north and the desert states of North Africa, Fatima and Faraj survive ruthless murderers and intrigues. They unite against common enemies bent on destroying the last Moorish dynasty. While Fatima and Faraj establish a powerful bond, the atmosphere of deceit creates opportunities for mistrust and tests their love.

Overall: 3 3/4 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 Stars

Sultana took me to thirteenth-century Andalusia, in the south of Spain, to its last remaining Islamic sultanate. Delectable plot-related complications stemming from the very first scene—the old Sultan really was an excellent schemer—carried the first act of the novel. Tension is never extreme, but it ebbs and flows at an organic pace.

The novel’s many plot points were generally tight and excellent, but the timing of their reveals were not always, er, timely. At one point, a character rushes to warn another of an impending assassination attack, but once he reaches the intended victim, he basically says he’ll tell him tomorrow why he’s come. The assassin kindly waits until after that later meeting before attacking.

A mild gift of foresight in a handful of characters, which could have been handled brilliantly within the context of historical fiction, ended up being virtually unused and was forgotten for the last half of the book.

All chapters began with a date stamp, but during one early chapter, the time references made were noticeably off, with Fatima and Faraj being listed as two years younger than the date stamp indicated they were. The issue was corrected the next time it was mentioned.

I only stumbled over one anachronism: when a character at a feast muses about his refraining from eating certain feast foods, twice using the phrase “for religious reasons”, the words sound stilted and modern, not blending well with the eloquent phrasing in the rest of the novel.

For a novel titled Sultana, I didn’t expect so much of it to focus on Faraj. His storyline took up at least as much of the plot as Fatima’s, and while her plot line dwindled into neglect, abandoning without conclusion such fun things as poison and attempted fratricide, his wrapped up nicely and even ended the book. That ending felt more like a lull than a denouement, though; I was expecting a final section on Fatima’s situation, but I was disappointed. There is a sequel available, though, so I presume her story continues there.

Character Development: 4 3/4 Stars

Fatima was a wonderful character. Strong-willed but not rebellious, clever but not Sherlock Holmes. My favorite flaw was her obsessive devotion to her deceased mother and how it colored her behavior. She knew the rules of her culture, and the consequences for breaking them. Her fear of overstepping her bounds made those rules real to me, but her desire to protect those she loved was timeless, and I identified with her willingness to risk punishment in order to do it.

Faraj was also well-rounded; his insistence on a woman knowing her place, and how Fatima should act as a wife and princess, was both disheartening and amusing, and showed that even though he grew to love her deeply, his patriarchal culture very much dictated who he was and how he treated her. His childhood issues came across as less-developed than Fatima’s, though; they were related in a pair of dialogue sessions and not so much through his actions.

Baraka the concubine, though a minor character, had a vital role to play during the novel’s climax. I had pegged her as a narcissist early on, but she surprised me. The spendthrift Sultana Maryam was another minor character who dramatically affected the plot, to my great delight. When her character blossomed in one pivotal scene with Fatima, I literally said, “Wow.”

The numerous other minor characters really fleshed out the atmosphere in the Alhambra palace: the old Sultan, the new Sultan, Crown Prince Muhammad, Faraj’s jawari women, Sultana Maryam, the delectable Nur, the eunuch Niranjan, blond Marzuq, and the fabulous Sitt al-Tujjar. They blended seamlessly with their world; I never once lost my sense of being in the 13^th century with them.

Writing Style: 3 1/2 Stars

The book’s very first scene was probably the worst one in the book. In what is supposed to be a fast-paced kidnapping scene, Fatima’s inner thoughts bogged down the tension, a loud bird is only revealed to be in the room halfway through the scene, and its banging and squawking wakes none of the other sleepers, nor does it draw guards. Worse, a vital detail about Fatima is left out completely—she was married earlier in the day. By the time the book tells me this, I’ve already formed opinions on her kidnappers, the social environment, and the sultanate’s politics, and now I have to throw them all out and start over. It wasn’t a promising start, but the rest of the book read much better.

Description was excellent. Use of the five senses made the settings come alive with smells, flavors and textures. Sometimes the richness of description outdid itself, repeating that it was raining or that a character wore a tunic as if stating so for the first time, but for the most part, the world carried me away in time and place. “Silken” was a favorite word, but it was very apt.

Awkward phrasing and timing kept catching my eye: a sentence with a phrase at the wrong end, a misjudged antecedent, impossible adjectives. Never the same problem twice, but I ended up with a constant sense of unsettledness with the language.

Editing: 2 1/2 Stars

The first page of the story had a missing space, jamming two words together. The second page had another. The third page had three. Though I gave up counting them at the 50% mark, there’s about one of these for every Kindle page in the book. Usually I read story files submitted by the author to Red Adept Reviews, and often I convert them myself from other formats—which leaves errors like this sometimes—other times, updated and corrected versions are available to the public. But I downloaded this one fresh off Amazon four days before writing this review. I nearly quit reading on page three.

Incorrectly used commas appear like weeds, popping up between random—and I do mean random— pairs of words and covering vast swaths of the story with their presence. Other minor grammatical and punctuation errors were sprinkled throughout. One word misuse left Faraj crying outside during battle instead of merely crying out.

42 Crockpot Party Dip Recipes, by Betty Cook

MamaSylvia — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:00:27 +0000

I obtained 42 Crockpot Party Dip Recipes. Easy & Healthy Betty’s Crockpot Cookbook. Let the Crockpot Cook and Keep Warm at the Parties. Photos Included For Each Recipe. (Crockpot Cookbook Best Sellers) free during an Amazon giveaway. (Note: Yes, that is the actual full title on Amazon.)

Description:

(This description is copied directly from Amazon, so consists of the author’s comments, not the reviewer’s.)

I am a busy mom. I love cooking. My daughter got married 8 years ago with a small family and now she is back to work. She has been asking me for some secrets of the kind of delicious party food she used to have when she was at home.

These are some of THE BEST Crockpot party recipes I’ve cooked to take to parties. I didn’t invent all of them but I learned them from friends and colleagues.

I’ve now compiled best Crockpot Party Recipes for my daughter to give her tons of ideas to take to her parties. I love a great crock-pot party recipe, especially when it makes my entertaining life easier. To get ready for upcoming holiday parties, whether it is birthdays, family gatherings, weddings, etc I’ve put together tons of ideas for dip recipes and party food. I love the idea of making dip in the slow-cooker and then using it to keep the dip warm during a party with a crock pot, it is so easy! So there are tons of dip recipes here. I feel very fortunate to share this with her and with you.

Also, I’ve added an active table of contents with every recipe, so you’ll have no problem finding what you’re looking for when you use this at the kitchen.

This book is also available to borrow through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Overall: 3 stars

Recipe Appeal/Variety: 3 1/2 stars

There really are 42 recipes, but the title is inaccurate. Besides dip recipes, there are side dish, snack, and appetizer recipes. There is one illustration for each recipe, but it is the same repeated illustration – a line drawing of a woman standing at a stove.

Some of the recipes sounded so appealing that I couldn’t wait to try them, like Sugared Coated Pecans; others just sounded appalling, like mushrooms stuffed with ground fish. There is a nice balance between fast recipes relying on purchased premade items, like Party Meatballs, and recipes to make from scratch, like Bacon Cheese Dip, which are more time-consuming but less expensive. However, adding a little spinach to a dip based on Cheez Whiz and cream of mushroom soup does not make it a nutritious recipe!

As is far too common, the author wastes a large chunk of the front of the book on a repetitive and poorly written introduction, offering us barely-intelligible comments like “These recipes are filled with wonderful smell when you open the cover.”

Instructions/Results: 3 stars

The instructions were generally straightforward and simple, and did not require much cooking knowledge on the part of the reader. There were occasional exceptions, such as the lentil cooking and almond roasting instructions in Lentil Almond Dip. Artichoke and Cheese Dip was super-easy to make and rich as well as tasty. I found it easy to follow the Sugared Coated Pecans directions, but the specified cooking time was too long – after 1 hour of the 2 it was supposed to cook uncovered, there was already some burning on the outside pecans, even though I stirred it well several times. And the taste of the unburned pecans was okay but unexciting, not really sweet or spicy. This failure made me leery of the other toasted-nut recipes in the book, such as Cajun Pecans. I also tried Quick Party Mix, since I love Chex Mix and the idea of making it in the crockpot was exciting. Unfortunately, I had the same problem with the mix burning way before the end of the time given in the directions, and even the unburned parts were not nearly as flavorful as when conventionally prepared. Because of the poor outcome of these recipes, I don’t think I would try any recipes in this book other than the combine-and-heat dip recipes.

Writing style: 3 stars

Sentence structure was generally okay, although there were many that did not make sense. Descriptions were usually adequate for a basic cook, but would not have been enough for a rank beginner.

Editing: 2 1/2 stars

The active Table of Contents makes it easy to find any particular recipe, but the TOC itself is not accessible through the Menu “go to” option. The quantity and obtrusiveness of spelling errors in the Table of Contents are appalling: “cocktaiil” and “brocolli” and “chsse” and “nutiritious” in recipe titles. I have no idea whether “spicky” is a spelling mistake or an unfamiliar descriptor. Oddly, the recipes themselves read just fine, although some display odd formatting.

Recycling, by Stephen Livingston

MichelleR — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:00:43 +0000

I “bought” a copy of Recycling, Stephen Livingston, from Amazon after Mr. Livingston posted an announcement that it was free.

Description:

A short story about the realisation of a new cycle in life. First published in the anthology “Scores 4″ which is available from the University of St. Andrews Department of English.

Overall: 2 1/4 Stars

Storyline/Plot: 3 Stars

I liked the idea of renewal, rebirth, recycling. Beyond that, I cannot say this story quite worked for me on any level. The concise story description is about all there is to the story. I can’t recommend this story.

Characters: 2 Stars

The characters consist of a mother and daughter, and I found myself struggling about either one beyond the built-in compassion for their circumstances.

The mother was depressed over a failed marriage and drank to forget, the daughter felt her mother had tossed her father away. This was the characterization.

Writing Style: 2 1/4 Stars

I really struggled with this story. A lot of it was simply that most of the language didn’t move me or interest me, and a few passages seemed maudlin and clichéd.

In addition, I spent most of the time reading trying to rearrange the sentences in order to understand them.

Recycling is a short story, and yet I honestly considered not finishing. Considered it at least three times.

Editing: 2 Stars

According to the description, this story had appeared in an anthology. I can’t reconcile that with the grammar errors, missing commas, commas where they didn’t belong, run-on sentences, passive voice, and the general sense that editing was haphazard to non-existent

I have no reason to believe that this story didn’t appear previously, but the thought that an English Department let this lose “as is” really leaves me at a loss.

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About the Author: (From Amazon)

Stephen Livingston is an award winning short story author. His first published work, Choose Your Future, won the inaugural Canongate Prize for New Writing and is available in the anthology Scotland Into The New Era. His short story The Waster’s Tale won the EndPapers Tales Series Prize and is available in the anthology Glasgow Tales. Another story Recycling was published in the anthology Scores 4 available from St Andrews University Dept of English where he received a post-graduate M. Litt. in Creative Writing. Kindling, his first collection of short stories, received the ePublishing Consortium Writers Award for exceptional writing.

Recycling, by Stephen Livingston