Boe

Talk about a fantastic debut novel.

Revisado: 01-02-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

“First was the realm of eternity. From the darkness came forth light, and the realm of eternity gave birth to the realm of the living. That is how the cycle began. This is the word of Elevation.”

Don’t settle for another predictable novel. Sam Paisley’s debut, The Winds of Change is destined to be a breakout success. Paisley takes you on a heartwarming coming-of-age story filled with emotional rollercoasters. Simply put, Paisley's debut is anything but forgettable.

Warning for readers who typically skip prologues, don't skip this one! Paisley's Prologue explodes onto the scene, leaving you shell shocked as you move on to Chapter 1. It's packed with clever foreshadowing, so make sure you pay close attention.

We kick things off in what feels like a typical small town as we get to know our two main protagonists, Cooper and Reid. These two best friends are the embodiment of opposites attract. Cooper is a star athlete and thrives in the spotlight. While Reid is the bookworm who finds solace in the library's quiet corners. If you enjoy a good bromance, then you will love the dynamic between these two. Their effortless banter resonates with the same easy familiarity I share with my own friends, drawing you into their world from the get-go.

“Ugh. You’re such a dork sometimes, you know that?” Cooper said. “Yes, but a dork with a magic stone,” Reid taunted.

The Elements of Time: The Winds of Change by Sam Paisley
But Paisley's exceptional character work doesn't stop there. This debut portal fantasy thrives with the use of multiple POVs. It's clear he meticulously planned each character arc, resulting in a story where everyone feels natural. None of the interactions feel rushed or forced, a remarkable feat considering the blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements. As a character-driven reader like myself, I can promise you'll be captivated by Paisley's interconnected cast.

Unlike most authors who are content with crafting a single world, Paisley boldly builds not only multiple worlds but also explores alternative dimensions. This opens The Elements of Time trilogy to endless possibilities, further fueling readers speculation as they eagerly await the next installment. World-building and dimension-hopping become the backdrop for Cooper and Reid as they encounter new members of the cast as they enter "The Trials". It's here that they'll embark on a journey of self-discovery, awakening to their true destiny. The need to hone their fighting skills becomes paramount for survival. To avoid spoilers, I won't reveal too much about the actual trials. However I will say, if readers look closely they will find clever foreshadowing hinting at future developments within the book and the series.

“You’re not even worthy enough to be Prolia initiates, and now your lives are in danger.”

Tropes are an aspect of fantasy that readers either love or hate, and Paisley took on a large number of them. However, for a good majority of them, I feel like he managed to put a bit of a unique twist on each, truly making them his own. I’m especially a fan of coming-of-age, found family, and mentor-apprentice tropes in general, and he tackled each of these with ease.

One of my favorite parts of the story arc is when Cooper and Reid are separated for a bit for some one-on-one training with their mentors. Growing up as a child of the 80's, this mentor-apprentice dynamic always reminds me most of Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-San from the classic film 'The Karate Kid.' I can't think of a better example of a mentor-apprentice dynamic and I felt a strong sense of it as these two spent their time training, and honestly I loved every minute of it. More importantly though, Paisley once again showcased his writing skills and took the time to slow the story down. He ensured the training aspect of the character arc had the room it needed to develop naturally. So many authors fall short here, with characters going from zero to hero in a blink. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here, and I truly appreciate his attention to detail.

If I haven’t sold you on the book yet, maybe the magic system will. Remember how I told you earlier that Paisley likes to take normal tropes and put his own twist on them? Well, his elemental magic system is a prime example of this. While it leverages the traditional elements, it does so via these adorable little creatures called “Spreeta” that require a symbiosis bond with the one who is going to wield the magic. I think I've said enough without revealing too much, as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I promise you this approach is not something you see in fantasy every day.

“The Keepers are beings of pure time, but they have an equal and opposite: beings of pure space. The Spatial Elementals, fire, air, water and earth, are the building blocks of our universe.”

When it's all said and done, "The Winds of Change" by Sam Paisley is one hell of a debut novel with damn near perfect pacing between excitement and build-up, all while sprinkling in just enough foreshadowing to keep you on your toes from start to finish. Don't let the YA label fool you; this book is just as much for adults as it is for teens. Some of the deeper hidden meanings within the story, I believe, will resonate with readers and leave the truths revealed living rent-free in the reader's mind for years to come.

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Friends don't keep you small....

Revisado: 08-12-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Down Below Beyond is a cozy standalone Sci-Fi novel that you will breeze through as T.A. Bruno nailed the pacing. I’m impressed at how expansive this world is for a book that is just over 300 pages long.

The story centers around two characters Levort and Bayfo who throughout the story are accompanied by an eclectic cast that is sure to have you laughing. If you are a fan of the found family trope then you will surely enjoy this story.

Bruno’s ability to show to write characters that you can easily connect and relate to shines once again in this book. While Levort and Bayfo are both working towards the same end goal of building a better life for themselves, the path each takes and the lengths they are willing to go to accomplish it are completely different.

This book tackles many issues we face today, such as discerning truth from false information, what true friendship looks like and does blood make you family or is a family something more than just some shared DNA. Bruno does a stellar job at showing how one's perception of these types of topics can send them down totally different paths. One creates hope for those it comes in contact with and the other leaves those in its path experiencing destruction and despair.

Beyond the two main characters Bruno's writing really does a fantastic job of bringing your own imagination to life as I could clearly see the story playing out in my mind as I made my way through which is not always the case for me. The different alien races/species he created are fantastic and reminds me of the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” which is a personal favorite of mine.

I know this book was a standalone and I’m not sure if Bruno has any plans to expand on this but I sure hope he does. While the ending of the book left me 100% satisfied with warm fuzzies on the inside. I feel like he wrote this in a way where he can write plenty more spin offs allowing us to experience more of the Beyond with all new characters and then one day bring it all full circle and have us reconnect with some of the main cast to close out the series as a whole if he chooses to expand. Personally I hope he does and I might have to team up with some other friends and heckle him into doing so :)

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Simply Amazing

Revisado: 06-26-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First off I have to thank Dave Dobson for providing me with a copy of Daros for review.

Daros is a fun sci-fi space opera with a bit of a modern pop culture twist. I thought the story was fast-paced, entertaining and more often than not it had me flat out laughing out loud . Daros is an easy read that is sure to make you laugh with some of its great one liners. Also how can you not like a book with chapter titles like "A Game of Drones", "Everything Happens for a Treason", "Busta Slimes" and "There’s No Place Like Foam"

Now onto a serious note.... Why are you still reading this review you should be off reading Daros already :)

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Easy 4 stars

Revisado: 06-26-22

First and foremost, I must thank T.A. Bruno providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

In the Orbit of Sirens is your typical sci-fi story full of epic space battles, searching new worlds, interactions with other alien species all while in the name of keeping humanity alive for generations to come.

The world building and storytelling was fantastic, I found the author’s creativity and attention to detail to be on point and it kept me engaged from start to finish.

I was a bit caught off guard by the horror in this book as it was not something I was expecting however I really enjoyed it. The only part I was not a big fan of in this book would be the romance side of the story but that is just because I am not really into reading romance, I do however think it was well done.

All in all, I really enjoyed the story and I think this could make a killer adaptation for film or maybe something like a Netflix series. Although I have not typically been a huge sci-fi reader in the past (love sci-fi movies though) I look forward to reading book two and this just might be the series that pushes me to add more sci-fi to my TBR.

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