Spotlight on Astounding Authors

I’m giving you a heads up right now: it’s going to be hard to pick which of these Astounding Authors’ novels you’ll want to read this week. We have three novels so interesting that you may want to read them all!  Click through the link and give them a try.

The Dragon Scale Lute
Legends of Tivara, Daughter of
the Dragon Throne. Vol 1
Author: J.C. Kang
Publisher: CreateSpace (Feb 2016)
Pages: 484
Genre: Asian Fantasy
Twitter: @JCKang804
Facebook: LegendsOfTivara
Website: JCKang.info

Kaiya’s voice could charm a dragon.

Had she lived when the power of music could still summon typhoons and rout armies, perhaps Cathay’s imperial court would see the awkward, gangly princess as more than a singing fool. With alliances to build and ambitious lords to placate, they care more about her marriage prospects than her unique abilities.

Only the handsome Prince Hardeep, a foreign martial mystic, recognizes her potential. Convinced Kaiya will rediscover the legendary but perilous art of invoking magic through music, he suggests her voice, not her marriage, might better serve the realm.

When members of the emperor’s elite spy clan– Kaiya’s childhood friend and his half-elf sidekick (or maybe he’s her sidekick?)– discover mere discontent boiling over into full-scale rebellion, Kaiya must choose. Obediently wedding the depraved ringleader means giving up her music. Confronting him with the growing power of her voice could kill her.

Discover the Legends of Tivara, Daughter of the Throne and download The Dragon Scale Lute today! CLICK HERE!

 

The Unknown Sun
Author: Cheryl Mackey
Publisher: Amazon Digital
Pages: 330
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Twitter:  @Writezalot
Facebook:  Writezalot
Website: Writezalot.com

Seventeen-year-old Moira is haunted by the accidents that claimed her parents and sisters. When a strange boy who seems to know too much about her past attacks her, Moira fears death will come for her a third time. She is rescued by twins Airi and Belamar, the winged heirs to the throne in Skyfall, and taken to safety in their world.

But Skyfall is dying, and the Immortals who had protected Airi and Belamar’s world have been missing since the Great War. Moira, Airi, and Belamar must find a journal left by the twins’ deceased mother, Tanari, that tells of a prophecy that must be fulfilled to find the Immortals known as The Unknown Sun so that Skyfall can be saved.

Deeper, darker, secrets unravel around the three friends as a revolution threatens their quest and the boy who tried to destroy Moira on Earth hunts them. Tanari knew more than she had let on, and within her journal a story is more than it seems, the past foretells the future, and a far-reaching plan is unveiled.

Why did Tanari reach across time and space to entrust a simple human girl with saving Skyfall? Who are the mysterious “Four” mentioned in the journal? And why does another Immortal want her, and The Unknown Sun, dead?

Find out by CLICKING HERE and downloading your copy of Cheryl Mackey’s The Unknown Sun.

 

A New Divide
Author: Nathaniel Patrick Sanders
Publisher: Amazon Digital (Dec. 2015)
Pages: 271
Genre: Sci-Fi / Dystopian
Twitter: @omg_ItsSanders
Facebook: Nate.Sanders.3998
Blog: Thefarandfew.blogspot.com
Website: Anewdivide.com

Book One of Three

In the distant future, the people from a former Earth have created peace by converting war into a form of sport known as Gravityball.

War has been abolished, civilizations have flourished like never before, and now superstar athlete Collin King has won the hearts of billions by conquering his nation’s circuit for the fourth year in a row.

Hours after celebrating his victory an ancient ruler decides to end the peace when he condemns Collin’s world for the crime of being free. During the despair, suffering, and annihilation of his people Collin discovers he holds a genetic key to immortality, witnessing his ideals of greatness change as they are plunged into question. And as he evolves into the voice of reason for humanity—he becomes the center of the first violent conflict that has been experienced in over one thousand years.

A New Divide follows Collin King on his journey of adversity shortly after he is liberated from his destroyed home world. It’s the story of life, love, choice, and the power of desire – and what that can accomplish.

Travel along on the journey by CLICKING HERE and downloading your copy of A New Divide by Nathaniel Patrick Sanders.

 

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

I’ve almost begun to enjoy this segment of our site more that the actual reviews! It’s great reading all of the wonderful book descriptions we get each week. We can’t possible read them all, but you can help us!

Once again we are featuring a diverse selection of novels from Astounding Authors that are hoping you take a chance on them and read their stories. High Fantasy! Steampunk! Dystopian Sci-Fi! (We seem to get a lot of Dystopian novels. Must be a trend…) and a Young Adult Historical Fantasy novel! Take your pick, read and review. Let us know what you thought.

All of our featured novels are available for downloading and purchase through the links provided. Be sure to follow our authors on Twitter and Facebook to keep up-to-date on their current projects. (And while you are at it, head on over to Facebook and like US as well! CLICK HERE TO LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

 

Theo Blinkerson and the Copper Coffin
Author: Gregory Butron
Publisher:  Amazon Digital (Nov. 2015)
Pages:  190
Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi
Facebook:  Theo Blinkerson
Goodreads: Gregory Butron
Website: Gregory Butron

When someone sets out to destroy all electrical technology on the planet, it’s sometimes best to hide under the softest, fluffiest blanket available. Other times you have to run screaming from dangerous robots. In the worst of times, you find out that your best friend has forgotten that you exist, and that you have to ride the world’s longest elevator with the scary girl you only met two days ago. Theo Blinkerson is about to have all of those times.

CLICK HERE to order your copy of Theo Blinkerson and the Copper Coffin.

 

Warphan
(The Anavarza Archive Book 1)
Author: Jim Mulcey
Publisher: Compass Hill Press (Nov. 2015)
Pages:  348
Genre: High Fantasy
Goodreads:   J_D_Mulcey
Website:  JDMulcey.com

Join an epic journey across a rugged world bathed in magic, where war is coming in more ways than anyone knows.

Cayne discovers a magical plant and believes his life is about to change forever. Unfortunately, he’s right. Faylin just found out she’s a shapeshifter and now her village is hunting her. Darwan broods over his fall from grace and turns to pyrus, a magical drug that will take more than it will ever give him. Burke takes a righteous stand and must pay the price.

Embark now on an adventure where some will rise, and some will fall, and all will struggle to survive the coming darkness. CLICK HERE to begin your journey!

 

Irons in the Fire
(Chronicles of Talis, Book 1)
Author: Antonio Urias
Publisher: Amazon Digital
Pages: 346
Genre: Steampunk / Fantasy
Twitter: @Antonio_LUrias
Facebook: Antonio Urias
Website: Antoniourias.wordpress.com
Goodreads: Antonio_Urias

The City of Talis is a fragile beacon of civilization on the edge of the Faërie Lands. Beyond lies a wilder world of dark enchantments and terrible wonders, but behind the city walls humans and faëries live together in uneasy peace—until an explosion rocks the city and long smoldering tensions threaten to ignite.

As the Commandant of Police, Baron Hessing has maintained stability for decades. But with a murderer on the loose, an anarchist bombing the city, and rumors of a faërie uprising, he is starting to loose control. Hessing finds himself caught in a web of interlocking conspiracies and he may need to choose between saving his city or his family.

Into this maelstrom appears the Countess. Trained from birth for a single purpose—vengeance—suddenly she’s everywhere from secret catacombs to the halls of power. Beset by enemies on all sides, it will take all her training to succeed in a city on the brink of revolution. Plans are in motion centuries in the making that will change the fate of Talis forever.

Begin the Chronicles of Talis by CLICKING HERE to purchase your copy of Irons in the Fire.

 

The Bookminder
Author: M. K. Wiseman
Publisher: Xchyler Publishing January 2016
Pages: 333
Genre: Young Adult / Historical Fantasy
Twitter:  @FaublesFables
Facebook:  FaublesFables
Website: MKWisemanAuthor.com

Magick is forbidden in the Limska Draga valley. But that won’t stop sixteen-year-old Liara from pursuing her birthright. Orphaned by a magickal attack, and now outcast from the tiny village of Dvigrad for petty thievery, she dares to hope she’ll find the answers she craves in the company of the local wizard, Nagarath.

But the anticipated apprenticeship is denied her, the mage electing to train her not in the art of magick, but the keeping of books as a wizard’s librarian. The road to Liara’s future seems paved all in dusty old tomes, until an unexpected attack on the village she left behind sets the two exiles on a collision path with destiny.

With danger lurking in the valley, Nagarath realizes he’s kept the truth of Liara’s heritage from her too long – a powerful secret that could not only tear down the walls she has long placed around her heart, but awake the darkness gifted to her by an unknown father.

Discover the secret of Liara’s heritage by CLICK HERE and getting your copy of The Bookminder today!

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

This week in our Spotlight on Astounding Authors we are featuring three novels that are kicking off their respective series and an exciting fantasy novel about a woman on the run. If any of our authors or novels sound intriguing, give one a try, click on the titles or on the links provided.

If you are interested in having your novel be either reviewed by Astounding Books, or featured in our Spotlight on Astounding Authors, please email us at AstoundingBooks@comcast.net. Be sure to include a brief description of your novel, publishing information and any social links you would like us to include.

Now to this week’s Astounding Authors.

Return to Mech City
(Robot Horizon Book 1)
Author: Brian Bakos
Publisher: Brian Bakos (June 2013)
Pages: 396
Genre: Sci-Fi / Dystopian
Facebook: @brian.bakos
Website:   TheB2.net

The end of the world as you’ve never seen it before. Life goes on in Mech City, but it is no longer human. A sinister Roboto Fascist regime has taken hold which will destroy everything of beauty inherited from the human precursors. Only Winston Horvath, scholar model robot, and his unlikely allies stand in the way.

Join the resistance!  Down load Brian Bakos’ Return to Mech City HERE!

 

Prophecy
Author: Benjamin A. Sorensen
Publisher: Amazon Digital (Oct. 2015)
Pages: 462
Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads: Benjamin A. Sorensen

When Arana was accused of stealing the great treasure of the kingdom of Kaylar, her innocence was never the question.  Her accusers had no great reputation for mercy or understanding. But her problems are more than simply fleeing from the implacable soldiers of Kaylar.  For their treasure was indeed stolen – by a woman who wears her face and form.  As her flight takes her ever farther, person after person begins to believe that her death is necessary. She must find her way in an ever-expanding web of falsehood and truth.

Before she destroys everything.

Enter into the world of Prophecy by Benjamin A. Sorensen. Click HERE!

 

The Raven
(The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic Book 1)
Author: Aderyn Wood
Publisher: Amazon Digital (December 2015)
Pages: 234
Genre: Fantasy
Twitter: @aderynwood
Website: AderynWood.com

When a foreign tribe attacks the peaceful Onan people, a lonely outcast is forced to reveal her secret Gift — but will such power bring acceptance?

It is the darkest time in winter, when suns, moons, and stars, all wane from the sky. In the Wolf clan, a baby is born with a powerful Gift, but dangerous omens brand her an Outcast, and the Elders name her Iluna. Orphaned since birth, Iluna struggles to find her place in the proud and distrustful Wolf clan, but as her powers bloom, she discovers a mysterious friend. Dark magic, war, and treachery soon jeopardize the life of every clan member; many suspect Iluna and her Gift.

Is this Outcast girl to blame, or is she salvation?

Read Book 1 of the Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic. Click HERE today!

 

Sovereign’s Wake
(In the Absence of Kings series)
Author: Lee LaCroix
Publisher: CreateSpace (November 2015)
Pages: 346
Genre: Fantasy
Twitter: @lee_lacroix
Facebook: lee.e.lacroix
Website: Leelacroix.wordpress.com
Goodreads:  Sovereign’s Wake

A kingdom crumbles without its ruler. The people fall to misery and desperation in the shadow of an empty throne. A father does what he must to save his son and his homeland in the absence of kings. Enter Garreth, ranger and former royal bodyguard, who embarks from his woodland home after defending it from the encroaching loggers of the Blackwoods Company. “The King is dead!” they had screamed at Garreth and drove the man to the capital of Amatharsus to resolve the most troubling statement in Malquia’s recent history.

Together with his son, Novas, and daughter of a murdered blacksmith, Kayten, Garreth is hounded by bandits, cutthroats, and highwaymen, unleashed upon the countryside by the abolition of the Crown Aegis, defenders of the King, his land, and his people. Garreth unites with the remnants of the Crown Aegis to overcome the military, political, and economic oppression that the Blackwoods Company has imposed on Amatharsus and incites rebellion before the free people of Malquia succumb to crippling recession and the environmental destruction of their verdant nation.

But can one man find the strength to challenge overwhelming odds when all hope is lost?

Explore the exciting new series, In the Absence of Kings by clicking HERE!

What Lies Beneath The Surface’s End? A Good Parable.

The Surface’s End

Author: David Joel Stevenson
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (November 2, 2015)
Website: davidjoelstevenson.com
Twitter: @geekoffgrid
Facebook: Davidjoelstevenson

Jonah Whitfield lives in a small farming village near the Deathlands, a strange desert in the middle of a lush and green landscape. The inhabitants of his village live a pastoral life, one free of excess, electronics and sloth.  Hard work is valued, family life is cherished and citizens strive for a strong sense of community. But the land holds many secrets.  Rusting mechanical machines litter a nearby junkyard.  Tools and homes are crafted from the remnants of objects  whose original uses are lost to time.  One day, while hunting, Jonah explores the forbidden Deathlands area only to find a passageway to a hidden complex, a series of tunnels filled with glowing lights, working machines…and the voices of other humans.  Here he finds questions that may very shake his view of the world.

Thus begins David Joel Stevenson’s Young Adult (YA) Dystopian novel, The Surface’s End. I have to say this was a welcoming and pleasant surprise, if not a bit formulaic.

The YA and Dystopian novel market is booming, helped in part from the success of The Hunger Games, and the self-published sensation Wool.  It seems we all can’t quite get enough of a futuristic world filled with crushing authority, bleak lives and young protagonists that offer a glimmer of hope for a better future. I know I can’t. I practically thrive on it.

Stevenson turns the tables on the basic dystopian formula by starting off in a quite comfortable place where residents have found a bit peace after what appears to have been a time of violence many generations past. History is forgotten, but not altogether gone. The shells of the former world litter the landscape, raising questions for those brave enough to ask.  Only after Jonah discovers a hidden world do we begin to see a society living in a questionable future, a future filled with laziness, lack of values and systematic separation of classes. A future that looks surprisingly like our own present.

The author did a fine job of building the mystery in the first half of the novel. Unfortunately, the second half fell into the trap of revealing too much information too fast. While I have no doubt Stevenson has more to tell of what lies beneath the Deathlands, revelations seemed to come faster than expected. The fun is in the build-up! I like my dystopian stories dripping with dispair and a protagonist that struggles  with a world that makes little sense.  There is also a not-so-subtle message that Stevenson is trying to convey to the reader – a philosophy of hard work, good values and unquestioning loyalty to family and community.  But here too, the delivery is  a blunt object over the head. Stevenson needs to trust the reader to make their own conclusions to the message he’s sending.

That aside, this was a quick, enjoyable page-turning read. The author provided me with a review copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.  My foray into the world of first time authors and self-published novels from up-and-coming independent writers, continues to be a welcomed experience. Finding a small jewel like this in the stacks of requests is what makes my hobby of book reviewing so enjoyable.

The Surface’s End was engaging, creative and hopping with energy. The author has a clean and tight writing style that is effective and affective.  Readers will eagerly want to learn what comes next. I know I do. But let the mystery build a little slower next time, ok?

Three Stars out of Five. A good, enjoyable novel that you will not be disappointed in reading.

To read The Surface’s End, pick up a copy by CLICKING HERE.  When you are done, head on back here to Astounding Books and let us know what you thought!

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

We have a great selection this week! This installment of Astounding Authors features a fantasy crime noir, a sci-fi action adventure, a dystopian tale and more. Support our Astounding Authors by reading one of these exciting novels today. Stop by our Facebook page and let your friends and family know you found an exciting new author on Astounding Books!

 

Best Left in the Shadows
by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Publisher: Gelineau & King (2015)
Pages: 80
Genre: Fantasy Crime Noir
Twitter: @GELINEAUandKING
Website: gelineauandking.com

The body of a Highside girl is found dead in Lowside, beaten and murdered. Daxton Ellis, Magistrate Inspector, and friend to the girl’s noble family, comes to find answers.

He knows the doors of the underworld open only to its own kind. His only hope lies with an old lover, Alys, a daughter of the underworld gangs, and the one person he swore he would never see again.

She agrees to help him, but for a price.

First they must gain the approval of Blacktide Harry, the boss of Prion and the king of rats. Then, deeper they go, traveling into the dark heart of the underworld in search of a killer.

Like everything in Lowside, nothing is as it first appears, and everything has a price.

Interested? Click here to read Best Left in the Shadows and support our Astounding Authors!

 

Inevitable Ascencion
by V. K. McAllister
Publisher: KZA, LLC (September 2015)
Pages: 242
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action, Adventure
Twitter: @VK_McAllister
Website: Inevitableascension.com
Facebook:  Inevitable Ascension

The innocent never waver from doing what’s right, even if it means drowning the world in fire.

Violina, a girl polarized by love and loathing, finds herself thrown into a post-apocalyptic world with mankind on the brink of extinction. Discovering the means to travel back in time, she sets out to save the world by preventing the events leading up to the apocalypse. But as her quest advances, she becomes increasingly disgusted by the evil inherent to humanity and seeks lethal justice against all who wrong her—a list that grows exponentially until it encompasses all of mankind. By the end of her crusade, she realizes the future cannot be changed, and it was she who brought about the apocalypse in the first place.

You can purchase a copy of Inevitable Ascension here!

 

System_Failure
by Justin March
Publisher: BookRix (March 2015)
Pages: 300
Genre: Futuristic/Dystopian
Twitter: @AmericanHex
Website: Americanhex

In the near future, wealthy “patricians” access the internet through a chip embedded within their flesh, while scavengers eke out a meager existence in the slums that surround their walled cities. All technology that is not approved by the company running this network, known as the “bionet,” has been banned, so scavengers live off the grid.

A teen scavenger named Clark finds an illegal laptop and befriends a fellow scavenger named Starla who gives him access to a power supply. Together they learn how to hack into the bionet, but in doing so, Clark is intercepted by agents working for the CEO of the mega-corporation that runs the network. Impressed with Clark’s brilliance, he offers to make Clark a patrician. The operation to insert a biochip will wipe out Clark’s memories of Starla.

Clark must choose between remaining a scavenger and becoming a patrician, between freedom and wealth, between Starla and absolute power. When the plan Clark hatches to have it both ways goes awry he finds himself in a fight for his life against the world’s largest corporation and its CEO.

Read System_Failure! Click here to purchase.

 

Immaculate Conception 
by Guilherme Solari
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (October 2015)
Pages: 81
Genre: Cyberpunk / Young Adult
Website: Guilhermesolari.com
Twitter: @Solari
Facebook: Guilhermesolaricom

The year is 2116. Millions of American and European refugees run from the destruction of the war-torn Northern hemisphere and flood into Megasampa, the urban sprawl formed by the combined metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

They gather in the Novo Bronx ghetto, a place of vice, death and hardship, but also of refugees just trying to rebuild their lives. Novo Bronx was never a quiet place by a long shot, but now unrest grows as a series of macabre murders strike fear into the heart of the populace. Murders attributed to a creature the locals are calling Bebê Diabo, the Devil Baby.

The Proctech private police quells the rebellion for the time being, but the gruesome deaths are unlike anything they have ever encountered. Reluctantly, they call out of retirement the only detective insane enough to solve an insane case.

A detective called Cascavel.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is the first book in the CYBERSAMPA series.

Your door to Immaculate Conception starts here! Click to purchase a copy.

Thanks for stopping by this week. Stop on over to our Facebook page and let us know what you thought.

Floor 21 Offers Post-Apocalyptic Fun

Floor 21
Author: Jason Luthor
Publisher: Amazon Press 2015
Pages 144
Twitter: @jl_TheProfessor
Website: Jasonluthorwriting.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/JasonLuthorWriting

 

I have to say this is one of the best surprises I’ve read this year.

I’m a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic / dystopian story, so it’s no surprise Floor 21 by Jason Luthor hooked me from the start.

Jackie is a curious, independent and headstrong 17 year old female living in one of the top floors of a Tower that is besieged by a black, oozing muscle-like mass that reacts to pain and emotions. Everything below Floor 21 is unlivable. The higher you live, the better the conditions. Jackie lives on Floor 4. No one knows or remembers before the Creep infested their massive tower, or what lies below or beyond. Questions and inquisitiveness is frowned upon by the secretive and reclusive Authority who live on Floor 1. Follow the rules and everything is fine.

Except everything isn’t fine. No one talks about the Creep. Jackie’s parents are acting weird. People disappear; some return acting different after going through Reinforcement. When Jackie begins to ask questions, the answers she seeks might just bring the whole tower down around them.

Jason Luthor crafts a compelling, fast paced, mysterious story that creeps up while you are reading. (See what I did there?) At only 144 pages, it’s a short read that seemed like a prologue to a much larger adventure.

The author uses recordings of monologues made by Jackie as a narrative device to tell her story. Halfway through the novel the recordings switch from Jackie to that of a Commander on a Scavenging team, instructed to go below Floor 21 and look for food, materials and any secrets that may unlock the reason the Creep came to the tower.

Luthor expertly manages the release of information that explains the backstory of the Tower. I like that. New information is introduced in a matter-of-fact way and I never felt at a loss. [(Except for the steaks. Like, seriously…Where do the steaks come from? It’s not Creep Meat is it? Gross!) in my best 17 year old voice]. He also doesn’t give away the farm. There is obviously more to the story and that’s the sign of good world building.

A few nitpicks:

It’s often hard to get a good deep look at the secondary characters of a novel when the narrator is “recording” their actions. These important characters often come across as one dimensional or cardboard-like. Also, I think Luthor had to explain a few times how Jackie was actually recording given what she was doing.

Jackie’s use of modern slang was a bit distracting. The events of the novel are set decades or centuries in the future. Her dialogue just didn’t come across as that of a 17 year old girl; maybe 14 years old. Of course it’s been a while since I was a teenager so who knows.

The ending felt a bit rushed, but the plot wrapped up nicely, paving the way for the next installment in the series. (There will be a next installment right?) It’s certainly not a stand-alone novel.

All-in-all this had the feel of a very good novel in the Young Adult category. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. Personally? I think there are some fantastic YA novels out there today that I wish were around in my time. My point being, while it’s not deep-thought science fiction, it’s light enough to hook the most adamant of sci-fi fans, while appealing to a much broader audience.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to read and review this novel and look forward to more stories from Jason Luthor. Floor 21 is a wonderful start to what looks like a promising series.

Discover a new indie author today. Head on over HERE and pick yourself up a copy. At 144 pages, Floor 21 is a quick, enjoyable read that I know you will appreciate.

3 stars out of 5.

(Looking for more independent authors? Check out The Indie View. )

The Krakow Klub: A Slow Mundane Read.

Rating:  1 Star Out of 5

The Krakow Klub is the latest novel by author Philip C. Elrod. It’s the second novel in the Mylean Universe Series. Full disclosure here: I did not read the prequel, Mylea, so I came into this novel at a bit of a disadvantage, not knowing the events that led up to The Krakow Klub. I believe, however, a novel should stand a bit on its own, even in a series.
There is a story here. For the life of me I could not find it.

I had a very hard time with this novel. This wasn’t due to any handicap I had coming into the series lacking knowledge of what happened in the previous novel, rather it was caused by the unemotional and almost robotic writing.

Elrod has (according to his bio) written books about data collection, computer technology and technical trading of securities. Reading The Krakow Klub was like reading a technical manual or a text book.

At this point I will refrain from a spoiler warning because quite honestly, there is nothing to spoil.  Here is what happens in the first 100 pages (1/3 of the novel)
* A detailed, technical description of a space station.
* A detailed description of a house and island in Key West.
* A step-by-step description of how the protagonist, John F. Scott purchases the Island.
* Scott meets a woman and she describes how to enter her phone number into his phone.

It’s not fast paced. It’s not thrilling. The dialogue, (little that there is) is wooden, mechanical and dry. What I read is a great outline for a future novel. What Mr. Elrod needs to do now is write a compelling, captivating, emotional novel that draws the reader into this world he created. Otherwise, it’s just a technical manual.

I absolutely hate having to leave negative reviews, knowing that authors pour a lot of time and effort into their work. Unfortunately for The Kraków Klub, I can not recommend this novel.

I reviewed this book for NetGalley.