Sotto Voce's Blog

The Borealis Queen is a delightful read that exceeded myexpectations. It follows Nin's transformation into the Borealis Queen.

Yes, there are some possible plot holes that raise myeyebrows and knock half a star for me, I still round it up. Although theysignificantly distracted me, fortunately, the rest of the book still makes upfor them. For example, why would two prisoners have access to her weapon beforeher battle when the enemies know well what she is capable of? The otherprisoner, ac...

I had my own quick spin around the galaxy by reading thisbook. It introduces itself in the beginning as a non-fiction, a statement thatgets better and better as the book goes on. We start by meeting one of the mostunremarkable humans (although I’d admit he would make a better candidate thanme, even in the beginning, as I would just suggest, “Do it, but do it quickly,please.”

The beginning feels a bit clunky to me, and I was afraid Ihad to suffer through the mediocre, predictable jokes, ex...

Children of Jotunheim explores an idea that is a reflectionof many aspects in real life. It's not unique, as there have been many booksand stories that touch this subject. The presentation, however, is unusual. Itreads more like a detailed exploration and expedition report that stretchesthroughout time. While there is a standout character, most of the books stayaway from it, as if we readers observe the situation from far.

The ideas and plot, especially about how the colonization isrevea...

I rounded up my rating to 5 stars, butnot because the book is without flaws. In fact, I can list them, but I can alsoexplain the rating in this review. 

Afterlife is an acquired taste. Ittouches on sensitive subjects and is very daring in exploring the topic. I haveread multiple books from this author, and one thing remains consistent: thereis always a burst of creativity and original ideas. Ed always prods deeper intounusual topics and delivers them with a bang.

The best part of this b...

The Eye of Ebon is a rich fantasy with two strong women as the main protagonists, navigating in a world dominated by men to fulfill their purposes and duties.

The author has woven a beautifullywritten story that promises many adventures to come. It doesn’t shy away fromheavy subjects and intricate world-building. Readers are introduced to one ofthe main characters, Samiare, through the darkest moment of her life, which isvery powerful.

I understand this is the first book ofmany, and t...

The Millennial and the King is not the book I thought itwould be. From the title, it could be an awesome fantasy. When I found outabout the actual content, I was ready as well.

As a late Gen-Xer, I can relate to the time period. AlthoughMichael Jackson was not at the top of my preferences, I had one of his albums,which says a lot for a broke teenager who could only afford a few cassettetapes throughout the years. The quality of his music was mostly undeniable, andhe was the greatest show...

This is a creative book, and itquickly pulls my attention from the start. There are many characters, butalmost all of them are distinctive enough. We follow the story from the mainprotagonist, Janice, who investigates bizarre murders after joining her newteam. Unfortunately, some of the victims are famous, which escalates thesituation and media attention.

I enjoy how this book doesn’t botherin being politically correct, and it’s both strange and cliché in a certainway. Although the reve...

The Memory of Lost Dreams is an ambitious tale about aspeculative world where we can enter and live in the dream. It explores thegood and bad and how it can be used for the wrong purpose. It also bringsreaders to the world beyond imagination that exists far into the future.

The story is everywhere in the book's first half, and I hadto recheck some parts to ensure I didn't miss anything. However, it's easyenough to pick up once readers understand the main idea of REQUIEM, thecontraption t...

The Breath of the Sea is another chapter of Merliss’sadventure. This time, it follows a very interesting journey of a family of apoor fisherman struggling to make ends meet.

I hate to say I saw the twist coming since the verybeginning, when I had started to become familiar with the characters. However,it didn’t reduce my enjoyment in reading the tale.

The stories stand out great on their own, and when theyintertwine, it becomes a massive tale of creative imagination. I like thecharac...

The Blackened Yonder is the first book of the series. Theauthor plans for the series to have at least four books, based on a sentence Iread at the end of this one.

The book follows three PoV, which I get to read from twodifferent perspectives. This is one of my favorite styles because it’s alwaysintriguing to see the opposites of a coin. Unfortunately, besides some mentionsabout the main conflict, the stories of both sides only start to integrateabout 75% into the book, which, imho, make...