Blog

Posted in Books, reviews, Science fiction, Uncategorized

Exploring Nina Munteanu’s Gaia’s Revolution – a book review.

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is a hard science fiction novel that has great potential to go down as a book many will remember in the future. The book follows the Vogel brothers, Damien and Eric, as they clash about ideas, morals, revolutions, and their own family. The Vogel brothers go from simple arguments over climate change to political intrigue and opposing factions as the world violently heaves around them, forever changed by their own actions and the influence they wield. As other characters are introduced to the lives of the Vogel brothers and their futures unfold, we are given a dramatic story of family betrayal, chaos, and sex, a kuddelmuddel even.

Gaia’s Revolution by Nina Munteanu is an interesting read. Admittedly, the book starts off a bit slow with a lot of explanation of the past of the brothers and their family. Interesting as it is, there is a lot to take in all at once and, admittedly, it comes off as dry. The information could be added later in the book as needed, but it is not all bad and serves a purpose. Fortunately, the first couple of chapters pass quickly, and we are soon brought into the story. With the addition of new characters comes more interaction and drama, which leads to more story. After we get through the exposition of the first chapters, the story picks up, and we are thrown headfirst into the Vogel brothers’ influence on the human race and the world around it.

While this is certainly a hard science fiction book about climate change, it manages to avoid coming off as preachy and demanding. It gives us a firm understanding of the literally Earth-shattering possibilities and the influences that drastic change (good or bad) can have on the environment and lifeforms of the planet. It may still come off as preachy to some readers who are not interested in the facts presented. In all honesty, if you have the opinion that the world is fine the way it is, then this is not the book for you. Also, if sexual encounters offend you, you may not want to pick it up either. However, for many, this is a book that deserves the utmost attention.

I will be revisiting this book again in the future, I believe, with a deeper look at it.

Posted in Books, Fantasy

I Know You – Book review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

I Know You by Russel Goven is an exciting story following a young woman as she learns to cope with lost love, new love, and the complications of time travel after a rather nasty argument and a bump on the head! Eilidh (by the way, that’s pronounced ‘aley’ for my fellow American English speakers. And yes, that is a bit of a joke regarding this book.) was getting ready to attend university with her boyfriend when he disclosed he’s been making other plans behind her back to go to another university, not only that, it seems he’s seeing one of her alleged best friends! This drama results in the firey-blooded Eilidh trying to strike the jerk and being knocked back, only to bump her head. While medical professionals are seeing her, she’s traveling back to the 80s.. and a different country! But is it just a dream? Oh, don’t worry; things only get even stranger from there!

As much as I like to read, I have a busy life, so I usually only read a certain amount each day. However, I had to put a bit of time aside with this book because I was just so interested in what would happen. The story was exciting, seeing Eilidh move through different scenarios and using the experiences to guide what she wants to do with her life, from being a heartbroken girl to a tense decider of her destiny. At first, some of her reactions were excessive. Then I took a moment to think about the breakups I had when I was of college age and realized, no, that seems about on par for girls at the peak of adolescence, trying to figure out adult relationships. While Eilidh is the main character of this book, and it is told in a first-person perspective, the book does, at times, sneak into the perspective of other people, and it can be a tad confusing at first. That is probably my only complaint.

Pick up this one if you want an interesting original concept to read this summer.

Posted in Books, Crime, Review, Thriller

Paperboy – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Paperboy: A Dylan Tomassi Novel is the first novel in Dan Romanello’s Dylan Tomassi series. This novel covers the early years of Dylan, starting with his childhood, sliding through his high school and college years, and ending in his thirties. The author gives us a good chunk of Dylan’s life to learn about him, his friends, and his family long before the real action begins in the books.

So I’ll be honest upfront. I found the first chapter of Paperboy to be slow, and it was not till the second chapter that I started to get into the book. However, I am not one to give up on a book; even if I find the first chapter slow, I work through it to finish it. More so when it’s a review copy, an author or their managers have gone out of their way to provide. So, Paperboy does get more interesting as Dylan’s story starts to work itself out. Aside from what I felt to be a slow start, I should state that there are implied sexual situations in this novel, so if you are uncomfortable with that, you should avoid it.

Now on to some more entertaining aspects. Even beyond Dylan, the main character, the characters are well-created with personalities and responses that come off as real people. In addition, the story progression, while drawn out, is entertaining. I hope, however, that the next novel will have more excitement. Yes, I enjoyed this one enough to read the next. While I may complain about the pacing, in the end, we are given an excellent story with well-crafted characters that pull you in, even if it takes a couple of chapters to do it.

Posted in Books, Children, Review

Aqua Paws – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Aqua Paws by Patricia Allieri and Stella Maris is an adorable children’s book following Aqua Paws, the titular character, as he goes snorkeling with his turtle friend Purple Beak to explore the water below as well as pick up trash! Unfortunately, Aqua Paws runs into some trouble while he explores under the water. Like many sea animals, the poor kitty gets caught in plastic soda rings. Thankfully he’s helped by an unlikely new friend and can escape and get back to the surface! A good thing as a kitty cat can only hold its breath for so long.

This fully illustrated children’s book is the perfect length to keep small children interested in the pictures and tale. The artwork is bright and inviting, and the scary scenes are colorful enough to draw in even the most rambunctious children. Like many children’s books, the story itself is a cautionary tale describing only one instance of what can happen with human waste in the sea. While it’s unlikely to find a snorkeling kitten in the ocean, plenty of sea animals can get stuck in our trash. Auqa Paws presses on the importance of proper waste management.

At the end of the book are two additional aspects that I found beneficial. First, the author has provided us with a list of ways to safely enjoy our sea visits and instructions on how to make your own toilet paper roll crab! I might make one next time I have a loose toilet paper roll!

Posted in Uncategorized

Fan Expo Denver and Cosplay!

Posted on by Tawny Molina

So with my continued pumping and excitement for Fan Expo Denver coming up, I figured we would take a look at the fun things the website tells us we can expect. This time we are going to look at cosplay.

Now I am not much of a cosplayer myself but I do enjoy watching contests and seeing what these really skilled creators come up with!

Below you can find a link displaying some of the organized fun Fan Expo Denver has for cosplayers! Looking forward to watching the contests myself.

https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/cosplay/

Posted in Uncategorized

More News about Fan Expo Denver!

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Are you a Star Wars fan? Are you particularly fond of the prequals and Hayden Christensen? Well boy oh boy do I have news for you! He will be at Fan Expo Denver! If you check out the link below you can get the price details but they seem really reasonable! Autographs, pictures and more all possible! How exciting!

https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/an-evening-with-hayden-christensen/

I know I personally plan on trying to do this. You all should as well!

Posted in Books, Horror, Short Stories

Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories – Book Review

Posted on by Tawny Molina

Kali Ma: A Collection of Short Stories by El. T. Fullah is an unfortunately short but exhilarating trip through quick stories that cover a range of topics from martyrdom to fullmoon cannibal cult spiders. Yes, that’s some far-ranging topics to cover in a book of short stories, but there is differently something in this array of horror to suit even the pickiest of horror consumers.

The length of this book is small, a whole 49 pages. These stories are less short stories and more flash fiction. Flash fiction is not a general reader popular term. Referring to these quick and entertaining works as short stories makes sense due to these being horror stories and some pretty adult content. You may not want to let your kids near this one. Some of the topics will make you uncomfortable. Others may make you question people around you. By the way, “A Village With Only Men” made me laugh, but others might get uncomfortable.

As said in the first paragraph, this book is, unfortunately, short. It took me about an hour to read at a leisurely pace. This is my only complaint about Kali Ma. I hope the author will give us more of these, as I would certainly enjoy reading more of their work, as I am sure many others would.