Night Sea Journey, Rogue Genesis, Angel Killer, and Knight Schoolreviews

I came across Night Sea Journey thanks to my feed on Goodreads.com, and decided to take a chance on it. The author sent me a message advising what I would be in for and inquired if I would still be interested in reading, and considering some of the things that I have read in my day, I sent her back a reply advising I had no problems reading about any of them.

So, Paula Cappa sent me a copy of Night Sea Journey, and let me tell you, from the very beginning, it was like nothing that I have read. The book starts out with Kip having a nightmare, but the nightmare is real. She finishes the nightmare the only way she knows how to, and the same way that she has for numerous nights prior: by shooting the creature that is attacking her, and then burying it in the sand around where she lives.

Her shrink thinks that this is some sort of waking hallucination that she is having, and will not listen to Kip as she tries her best to convince him otherwise.

At the same time, the Catholic church has decided to send one of its priests, named Raymond Kera, on a sabbatical, if you will, to the island where Kip lives, to clean up and restore the church and parish for whoever will come next. He moves in to the parish and notices Kip during her nightmare burial, and decides to investigate for himself. Thus begins a romance that can only end badly, one would think.

The being keeps pursuing Kip and because of his involvement with her, ultimately begins pursuing Ray.

Ray and Kip finally face off with the being and the conclusion alone makes the book worth the read. I have held back on going too much into details on the book simply to give you the pleasure of discovering it for yourself.

I took on this book because I am a fan of anything supernatural (I grew up with Frank Peretti’s books) and although this is not the same kind of battle that you see in his early literature, it did make me harken back to some of his writing style.

Suffice it to say, if you are interested in the Catholic church, angels, demons, priests, or just a good story that will keep you turning the pages, then Night Sea Journey is the story for you.

Overall rating: 4.50/ 5.00 stars.

Rogue Genesis was another gem that was found thru Goodreads.com, but unlike the previous book, it was not a romantic paranormal drama. Instead, it was a interstellar romp that will leave you breathless from the action and jumping between worlds.

You see, the hero in this book is a very different man because he has the ability to jump between Earth and a distant world named Astreal. While he is here on earth, he is working for a private organization trying to find a link between psychic ability and what is going on with the world around us. While he is on Astreal, he is a field general in the race to rid the planet of one species before the death of Astreal occurs, all the while trying to get the rest of the planet to earth.

The way that the book jumps back and forth from Earth to Astreal at first does seem a little jarring, but after you get into the book it is almost always preceded with the announcement that it is going to happen. You are thrown around a little in the early chapters, but Ms. London seems to realize this error and rights the ship quickly.

Let me just say that when I started this book, I was a little skeptical. I have been reading sci-fi since I was a teenager, so it takes a lot to impress me. I have to say, Ms. London has impressed me. The pacing of the book was good. There was never a lot of filler just in the book to make the chapter longer: every detail seemed to be in the book for a reason.

Since this is the first book in a series, I look forward to what Ms. London has to offer in the future and fully expect to be a reader of hers for years to come.

Overall rating: 4.75/5.00

The last two books are by one of my favorite writers of late: Andrew Mayne. Andrew Mayne seems like he can do it all: he is a podcaster (on weirdthings.com with the Weird Things Podcast along with Brian Brushwood and Justin R. Young); he is a magician and up close illusionist; and a blogger. But most of all, he is a science fiction writer who has penned seven books in just under two years.

The first book, Angel Killer, is about a former illusionist who decided to stop performing and join the FBI. The why behind it is not explained, and fortunately is not very important as you get thrown into the story on page one with a girl being pulled into a truck to turn a “trick” and then chloroformed. From there, it is a mile a minute thrill ride that constantly keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next.

The story itself takes you cross country as Jessica Blackwood tries to figure out a series of “magical” reappearances: a dead girl from two years earlier, a Navy plane from years prior, and finally an angel that vanishes from the roof of the Empire State building and appears moments later in the middle of Manhattan. It is a very well written book that brings crime and magic into a place that few dare take it, and for good reason: it can end badly, or worse, be written badly.

You get brief glimpses into the world of magic and illusion, which is incredible, especially for someone that loves to sit and watch good magic and try to figure out how it was done. You also get a good story with a believable plot, which speaking as someone who has tried to write mysteries, is harder than it seems. Just when you think you have the killer figured out, he switches tactics on you and you get thrown into another direction.

I would definitely like to see more of Jessica Blackwood in the future, especially with the somewhat success of “Now You See Me.”

Overall rating: 4.75/5.00

The final book is Andrew Mayne’s latest masterpiece, Knight School, which unlike Angel Killer, is actually available in paperback as well as in Kindle version. I picked the Kindle, for the time being, but will end up buying the paperback and getting it signed by Mr. Mayne because it is his best book to date.

Knight School is the story of two rival schools that are in the same town, but share a much darker secret: the secret of Nazi gold buried in the forest. Now it is up to Marv Whitlock to fight his way thru school as well as a world of girls and knights who would rather see him bloodied and beaten than find the treasure.

Along the way, he meets Venn, leader of the Dragons, the knights who lurk in secret at his high school, and several other notable characters. Each character has his own tendencies, so they don’t seem to be interchangeable.

As the story progresses, Marv finds out about himself, what he is made of, and how far he is willing to go to find the gold.

This book is a quick read, but it is by no means a skim. You will find yourself deeply immersed in the world, and begin to feel the arrows and sticks as the battles rage and the teenagers fight for acreage in the forest.

I hope that Andrew continues to write like this, as this was his best book to date, and he can only go up from here.

Please, keep the books coming, and I will continue to read them.

Overall rating: 5.00/5.00

As far as where you can pick up any of these books, Night Sea Journey is available on Kindle for 2.99 at amazon.com or thru Ms. Cappa’s Goodreads.com page.

Rogue Genesis is available on Kindle for 2.99 at amazon.com or thru Ms. London’s Goodreads.com page.

Both Knight School and Angel Killer are available on amazon.com, Knight School’s link is here and is currently 99 cents. Angel Killer is 2.99 and the link is here.

As always, if you like what I have to say, please leave me feedback below or send me an e-mail at childofking88@aol.com. If you don’t like what I have to say, please leave me feedback below or send me an e-mail at childofking88@aol.com.

As always, be kind, please rewind, and remember two wrongs may not make a right, but three rights always make a left.