Fun blend of mystery, science, and time travel on an alien world

 

Vortex on Vertu Prime (The Portal Adventures book 3) by Andrew J. Harvey delivers thrilling sequel to Crisis at Calista Station with a well-calculated balance of humor, action, and suspense ideal for middle school readers. The story opens with a museum field trip where a restless Tania is bored and wanders off on her own. She discovers an abandoned teddy bear that turns out to be powered by artificial intelligence as a bodyguard for Li-otho, a young, alien princess. When Tania discovers him, he has just broke free from the stasis bubble he was stuck in for centuries. Tania names him Edward and isn’t keen on carrying him around since she is too old for a Teddy Bear and stuffs him in her backpack. In short order, she regrets rescuing the bossy AI Teddy with a fuzzy memory. 

Tania arrives home to learn they are going to spend the holidays at Veral Station where she is supposed to meet up with her friends Mark and Windracer. Upon arrival, they find the station in need of major repairs. They don’t even have running water! So plans are made for the children to stay in a 5-star hotel on Veral Prime for a week. The hotel is situated in a small section of the planet's only remaining arcology city contained within an immense pyramid structure. It is all that is left of a civilization that destroyed itself in war centuries ago. 

On their arrival at the hotel, Edward realizes that Vertu Prime is his home planet and that the war was due to his failure to protect Li-otho. When archaeologists at the hotel inadvertently activate a temporal warp generator the kids and Edward travel back in time. Edward’s power reserves run perilously low, and it depends on the children to find the generator and turn it off before it destroys the planet.

 Book review: Vortex on Vertu Prime 

Vortex on Vertu Prime is a quick read, fast paced, time-travel Sci-fi adventure. I ran it by my 10-year-old assistant reader. He opened the book and devoured the first 80 pages before it was time for him to go home. He is an avid reader and gives it two thumbs up. And an even bigger compliment, he said he is interested in checking out Crisis at Calista Station (The Portal Adventures Book 2). I recommend Vortex on Vertu to kids who enjoy Sci-fi, time-travel, and life on another planet. It’s a fun blend of mystery, science, and time travel creating a ticking clock to save the world and I’m happy to give four stars. 

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As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and received a free review copy of this book in collaboration with Blackberry Book Tours. I have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About Author: Andrew J. Harvey

Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norten, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. His first commercially accepted series of novels (the Garden Adventures) was originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty-four gold fish. Andrew can be contacted at www.andrewjharvey.com.

In addition to writing, Andrew is also the Principal of Hague Publishing. Established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Hague Publishing is registered in Western Australia, and publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.

Previously Principal for the Davies Literary Agency, Andrew was also editor and publisher of The Western Australian Year Book for a number of years, in addition to being the editor and a writer for ‘Afterlife - the on-line magazine for Atmosphere users’.

Andrew's first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis - Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. 

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is presently working on completing further books set in the Cross-Temporal Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fast-paced futuristic fantasy

Shifting Directions (Neglected Merge Book 3) by Eve Koguce closes out this fantasy trilogy. I had the pleasure of reading the first two books, Neglected Merge and Tangle of Choices, and looked forward to this read. I was not disappointed. Shifting Directions picks up about a decade after the conclusion of book two and brings back the main protagonist, Tauria, and her winged royal husband, Doron, along with a host of supporting winged and wingless characters I fell in love with in the previous books.

About the book: Shifting Directions

Progress in the uniting of the two cultures politically and culturally is slow going, but evident as the story picks up ten years after book 2. Sandra a child born within the rebel settlement in book two is now a young woman in her teens. Her background remains hidden because of who her father is, and it gets to be tricky business when she falls in love with a young man who is politically and culturally unhappy with his perception of life as things continue to change. When he shakes the foundations of the fragile peace, drama, suspense, and uncertainty build. The intrigue makes for an easy-to-devour captivating story.

Book review 

While this book can be read as a stand-alone story, knowing the backstory adds depth to this suspenseful fantasy as Koguce weaves all the plot threads and relationships to a satisfying conclusion. I enjoy her writing style, her world-building, and the personalities of the Winged Ones as they learned to interact with the Wingless and vice versa.

I recommend Shifting Directions to people who enjoy futuristic fantasy, filled with sensational drama, relatable characters, fast-paced action, heartwarming interactions, and exciting unpredictable events that appeal to the emotions. I’m happy to give it 5 stars.

For more on this series check out these reviews:

Neglected Merge

Tangle of Choices 

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As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received Shifting Directions as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About the Author Eve Koguce

Multi-award-winning author Eve Koguce has been in love with books for as long as she remembers herself. The typewriter her first attempts at writing had been made at still sits proudly on its shelf in the basement.

After fifteen years spent trying to fit into the office work pattern, Eve Koguce had decided to pursue her dreams and turned to writing.

Eve Koguce lives on the coast of the Baltic Sea with her husband, her son, and their two exceedingly charming ginger cats. She loves nature, history, and literature. Her hobby – and a childhood dream that came true – is horse riding.

Eve's debut novel “Neglected Merge” - book one in the Neglected Merge trilogy - has won three awards in the following book awards contests: (i) Silver Medal in the 2021 Global Book Awards in the Science Fiction / Fantasy category, (ii) Award Finalist in the 2021 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest in the Fantasy General category, and (iii) Honorable Mention in the 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.

You can find out more about the author on:

Blog: Eve's Book Diary: Literary journey of an office career escapee, www.evekoguce.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/eve_koguce

Twitter: @EveKoguce  

Instagram: @eve_koguce_books

Facebook: Eve Koguce Books https://www.facebook.com/evekoguce/

 

Christian fiction that reads like the Apostle Paul's memoir

World Upside Down: The Life of Paul, God's Chosen Messenger by Louis McCall, while fiction, is written like the Apostle Paul’s memoir. Its conversational tone and easy-to-read format filled with Paul’s words from the Bible are paired with interesting historic tidbits garnered from reliable sources regarding times and places visited on his missionary journeys. I think one of the things that makes this account come to life is McCall’s extensive travel in the region. His experiential knowledge adds the magic that comes from firsthand familiarity. 

 

With all that said, while the book reads like a biographical account, it is not. It is fictional but “based on a true story.” As a person who has studied the Bible for more than 40 years, I gained new historical insights into what Paul experienced on his travels and found no errors in things attributed to Paul’s words.

 

I recommend World Upside Down: The Life of Paul, God's Chosen Messenger for readers who enjoy biblical history and those interested in learning more about the life of the Apostle Paul and his journeys. I’m happy to give this book 5-stars. Other books by McCall include: He Chose the Glory: The Life and Legacy of Obed-Edom, and The Epic of God.

 

 

@donnasundblad World Upside down Book Review #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #booktok #booktoker #bookworm #Christian #christianbookrecommendations ♬ original sound - Donna Sundblad

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book from BookTasters and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About Author Louis McCall

Louis McCall was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Northwestern University where he received a Ph.D. Later, he also attended the National War College of the National Defense University. Louis was an Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University prior to a 36-year career in the U.S. Department of State, first as a Foreign Service officer and then as a foreign affairs Civil Service employee where he served as Consul General in Florence, Italy, Chargé d’Affaires in Brunei, U.S. Representative to the Republic of San Marino, and Assistant Inspector General. He lived in or worked in, at least temporarily, 60 countries on six continents. Whether in academia or as a diplomat, Louis found opportunities to live his faith, including part-time ministry of the good news in word and in song, including co-laboring with missionaries, national church leaders, and the underground church. When ministering early in his diplomatic career from the pulpit of a great church in Calcutta, India, Louis said to those in attendance that he had determined not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. That has been a commitment he has endeavored to keep over the years. In his final two years at the Department of State he organized and led the National Day of Prayer observances in the Department.

Now, in his new career as an author, he has the pleasure of greater freedom in sharing what God has placed in his heart. Louis is active simultaneously in two churches in Washington, D.C. One is a multi-site non-denominational church, where he is an elder, and the other a Catholic church where he is a regular cantor, though not a Catholic himself. He has managed this with the blessing and full knowledge of pastors and priests. This has been an outgrowth of his early association with a mixed protestant-Catholic charismatic house-based worship group, his association with the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, his Catholic charismatic wife, and guest ministry in churches and bible schools of various denominations while living in or working in other countries.

 

 

 

 

Haunting WWII fiction infused with mystery, suspense and time travel

Where David Threw Stones: A Haunting WW2 Tale of Courage, Love, and Redemption by Elyse Hoffman is one of those treasured reads I plan to read again. The plot takes place 30 years after WW II and is a blend of historical fiction infused with mystery and suspense merged with fantasy to create a captivating WWII story of the cursed German town of Brennenbach.

 

Book Review by Donna

About the Book

This town is under a curse and reverts back in time to revisit it’s Nazi occupation each night complete with very real SS ghosts. The protagonist, David Saidel, is a 10-year -Jewish boy sent to Brennenbach to live with his grandfather following the death of his parents resulting from an antisemitic crime. Life in Brennenbach delivers haunting secrets, plenty of mysteries, and ghost-like characters who are tangible and dangerous during the curse hours. Amid all this is David and his grandfather both need healing from a haunted past. 

I especially enjoyed how Elyse Hoffman captured David’s perspective as he gets to know the grandfather he never met and deals with his grief, guilt, desire to honor his dead parents, and the emotions of trying to make friends amid a climate of hatred and bigotry. Hoffman weaves several plot threads and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, and she brings it all to a rewarding ending well worth the read. I didn’t see it coming. Loved it.

@donnasundblad Book Review Where David Threw Stones #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #booktok #bookworm #booktour ♬ original sound Donna Sundblad

Book Review: Where David Threw Stones

If you’ve read Hoffman’s Book of Uriel, you’ll love this one, too. I didn't want to put it down. Her writing is masterful, subtly blending details that urgently pull multiple plot threads to a satisfying conclusion. I recommend Where David Threw Stones to readers who enjoy WWII fiction, ghost stories, as well as mysteries. I think people who enjoyed reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak will fall in love with this story. I award this book 5 stars. 

As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received Where David Threw Stones as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with Black Coffee Book Tours. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

About Author Elyse Hoffman

Elyse Hoffman is an award-winning author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. She loves to meld WWII and Jewish history with fantasy, folklore, and the paranormal. She has written six works of Holocaust historical fiction: the five books of The Barracks of the Holocaust and The Book of Uriel.

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