Think modern day dystopian Lord of the Flies meets the Maze Runner crossed with Hunger Games

Moneyland (Lockdown Book 1) by Michael Botur is YA dystopian fiction that surprised me. Think modern day dystopian Lord of the Flies meets the Maze Runner crossed with Hunger Games. With that said, I devoured the book. I was invested in the characters. Whether I liked them or hated them, I cared about them. I wanted them to survive.

@donnasundblad Moneyland TikTok Book Review #booktok #bookrecommendations #dystopianbooks #bookreview #moneyland #michaelbotur #bookhookup ♬ original sound - Donna Sundblad

About Moneyland by Michael Botur

Moneyland takes place in 2037. AI has taken over the labor force leaving humans desperate for money. High schooler, Eden Shepard’s family is in that boat and so she is up for it when she is chosen to enter a 12-month experiment with a chance of winning big money. She is joined by eleven other students who enter a biodome that encompasses an abandoned suburb. Each one of them receive a million dollars on their first day along with a shipment of junk food. The euphoria of being rich dissolves quickly when they find they are cut off from the “real world” and their money isn’t useful. Store shelves are empty, no ready-made foods are available, they have no electricity, and no fresh water. They rifle through the abandoned houses to find nothing of much use is left in them.

The plot quickly turns to one of survival and greed. It doesn’t take long for the group of 12 to divide into two. The two groups develop their own set of rules and a system of survival. But the two groups clash. One group’s leader vies for dominance and things turn violent and even brutal. The basis for relationships shifts based on what they get out of the deal. 

 

Moneyland Book Review 

While this book is classified YA I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. It delivers timely reveals to keep you turning the page and offers plenty to figure out along the way. I couldn’t wait to see how things turned out. I give this book a strong four stars and am ready to read Payback, Book 2 in the Lockdown Series. I recommend Moneyland to people who enjoy future dystopian survival such as Hunger Games or the Divergent Series. In fact, I think fans of survival fiction like Stranded on Castaway Island by Amy Laundrie will also enjoy this read.

I received this book through Black Phoenix Book Tours and 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 Michael Botur

Michael Botur, born 1984, is a writer originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, who now lives in Whangarei with his wife and two kids. He is author of four short story collections and published Moneyland in 2017.

Botur holds a Masters in Creative Writing from AUT University and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University, as well as degrees in arts and literacy. He has been making money from creative writing since the age of 21 and was in 2017 proud to be included in the University of Otago collection 'Manifesto Aotearoa: 101 political poems'. Today, he makes his living from writing as a columnist, corporate communications writer, blogger, advertising writer and journalist. He has published creative writing in international literary journals Newfound (US), Weaponizer (UK), The Red Line (UK), Swamp (Aus) and most NZ literary journals including Landfall, Poetry New Zealand, 4th Floor, JAAM and Tākahe. Botur has published journalism in most major NZ newspapers including New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday, Sunday Star-Times, as well as many magazines.

Botur has a long history of volunteering, including working with Maori and Pasifika literacy, Youthline, ESOL refugee tutoring, and assisting stroke patients, and in Whangarei is involved in improv theatresports and performance poetry.

Botur’s books include 'Moneyland,' ‘Payback,’ 'LowLife,' 'Spitshine', 'Mean' and 'Hot Bible’ and all available on Amazon.com. Most of Botur's short fiction is offered for free at https://nzshortstories.com/

For information on Michael Botur’s writing services, head to http://www.michaelboturwriter.com/

 

.

International Read in the Bathtub Day - Feb. 9

These days every day is some sort of holiday or marked to celebrate something. In fact, most days offer several things. For instance, January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day, Local Quilt Shop Day, National Seed Swap Day, and more. But February 9th is a holiday worth celebrating here at BookHookup. It's International Read in the Bathtub Day! The origin of this celebrated day is unknown, but it is a popular pass time around the world, this day and everyday.

What the tub and reading have in common

When you think about it, reading and soaking in the tub are both relaxing pastimes. Both provide a reprieve from the stress and problems of the day as they whisk you away to another place or time. Sometimes even into another dimension. That is if you're reading for enjoyment. This day of celebration is not for reading a technical manual for work, or your physics chapters for homework, or any other obligatory reading. It's for fun! So pick up a book you WANT to read and enjoy!

 

I just finished ready Moneyland by Michael Botur and can't wait to read book 2 in the Lockdownland series so that's my choice for this trip into the land of bubbles and steam. If you're looking for a fantasy read, check out Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad. That's me. It's a captivating epic fantasy of love, magic, and adventure for readers young and old. A tale of sacrifice for the greater good in which Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change traveling through time to thwart evil in the future. (I'm almost finished with Shadowalkers (Dragonborn Saga book 2). 

For now, I'm off for a soak until I shrivel! Happy International Read in the Bathtub Day!

Castle Brave delivers a fast-paced, gripping plot

Castle Brave by Hawkings Austin is military Sci-fi/fantasy at its best. The plot follows a Vani Army’s Special Forces Team Forward Division. Trained to get behind enemy lines, they get the job done. They infiltrate, assassinate, and extract. And they never deal with civilians; until now. For this mission, the target is a civilian. The psychics see Dragons in the sky, armies buried by ancient weapons, and cities burning. Things feel rushed. Mistakes happen.

 

 

Book Review

 

Castle Brave includes well-known fantasy races like elves and dragons and offers new races like the Vanir, Numen, Aesir, and Jotuns. The plot is rich with magic and futuristic tech. Author Hawkings Austin rolls out the story from a first-person point of view, but not with a single narrator. The reader gets to hear from each member of the squad. Each chapter delivers the story from a single perspective. It feels like a first-person shooter game that lets you get into the heads of the team members, know and understand their tech, weapons, background, what they are up against, and how they feel about it. This first-hand information draws the reader in. Provides understanding of what motivates them. Know their strengths and weaknesses. It builds an emotional connection and makes you care.

 

 

The introduction to individuals in this group of men and women in the foundational chapters builds the world around the Team. Once they deploy, the military operation action builds and converges into an epic fantasy. Castle Brave delivers a fast-paced, gripping plot. Once I passed page 40, I couldn’t put the book down. I give it 5 stars and recommend Castle Brave to readers who enjoy military Sci-fi/fantasy thrillers like Forgotten Ruin by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole.

 

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book 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 Hawkings Austin

Hawk’s current supervillain title is “Director of Radiation Effects.” In his quest to take over the world, Hawk has landed a series of jobs with NASA, DoD, and Missile Defense. Currently, he’s testing spacecraft for the rigors of the natural (and unnatural) environments that only he can conquer. The recent loss of his sidekick, Vlad (to a paying job) has been painful, but he’s managed to work through the loss to conquer large swaths of Colorado.

Hawk has a number of professional publications in engineering, science, history, and fantasy. He has been performing as a Mad Scientist for many years and is very close, at this point, to taking over (or destroying) the Earth. He can be found blogging on Urban-Fantasy.com, Madsci.us, and tweeting as @Sablehawk. He loves to speak at Science Fiction Conventions, such as Dragon Con, and will be happy – over a beer - to talk about any of these things for hours.

Hawk currently lives in Denver CO and is enjoying the heck out of spoiling his wife and current baby girl with all of his ill-gotten gains.

 

 

The Bone Key Curse delivers a plot riddled with mystery & suspense

The Bone Key Curse by Mike Scantlebury is an adventure/thriller with a religious premise. Think of Raiders of the Lost Ark but bring it to modern day Bristol England where students from Bristol University have been excavating for years. The story centers on what they discover in the River Trym, which flows through north Bristol and empties into the River Avon. It’s an ancient ship, and it holds well-preserved secrets. Mickey and his team arrive on site due to a terrorist threat. He’s out of his element, but his co-worker, Amelia Hartliss, provides him with enough information to give him a foundational understanding of the importance of the find and why religious zealots might want to capture or destroy the artifacts. 

 

Book Review

 

This story explodes with action in the first chapter and introduces a plot riddled with mystery and suspense. Scantlebury weaves a web of intrigue as Mickey, and his team, follow ancient clues to catch the terrorists. The Bone Key Curse is book 7 in the Mickey from Manchester series and the first I’ve read. The story stands alone, but it would be fun to pick up this series from the beginning. I wish the characters were more developed so I knew them better and could care more about what happens to them, but overall, I give this book 4 stars and recommend it to readers who enjoy books like The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown or Altar of Eden By James Rollins. The Bone Key Curse entertains and keeps the pages turning.

 

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book and 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 Mike Scantlebury

 

Free-wheeling author Mike Scantlebury confuses a lot of readers. Most days he writes adventurous stories, but he has so many other creative interests as well, it’s hard keeping up. Sure, you can find his books in all good online book-stores, but there’s e-books and paperbacks too, as well as a slew of audio-books that he’s narrated himself. Is that why he’s on Sound Cloud? No, he’s also got songs up there, as well as podcasts. You can also find him on You Tube. Talking about writing? Of course, but also performing, (songs, yes, and he’s also made a series of short drama movies, with local friends).

For a dedicated author, it’s almost as though he has NO PLAN at all. Well, yeah, That’s why they started calling him ‘Free-wheeling’. He’s so laid back, you never know what he’ll be doing today.

Still, if you want to read what he’s written - novels, short and long - try the usual book outlets. But if you want to hear him TALK, search out audio-books, (as well as podcasts on Sound Cloud). If you want to hear him SING, it’s Sound Cloud again, (plus You Tube), and if you want to see him act, try You Tube (and Vimeo.com).

That voice? It will tell you one thing. Mike Scantlebury is from the West of England. In fact, he’s the North West’s only West Country crime writer. That sounds like fun. He deserves an Award for that in itself!

The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is a story of restoration

A pastoral ghost story set in Japan, The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn by Amber Logan is a tale of transformation. As a fan of the classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the thought of a retelling of the story intrigued me. I was not disappointed. Subtle ties to the original such as Mari Lennox stepping into the shoes of the protagonist and replacing the child Mary Lennox of the original are cleverly deposited throughout. While it is a fully new story, it is jam-packed with elements only fans of the classic will recognize, and it delivers the same compelling sense of mystery with a theme of emotional healing. Those who haven’t read the original will thoroughly enjoy this story of restoration as well. Logan's retelling draws readers deeper with each inkling, suspicion, or clue until they are immersed into the story told from Mari's perspective. ]

 

About The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn

Amber Logan’s protagonist is a middle-aged woman traumatized by grief, loss, and guilt. After being offered a grant to photograph Yanagi Inn for a client, her sister talks her into returning to Japan where she lived until age 10. She arrives at the sprawling Yanagi Inn to find it neglected and in need of refurbishment, much like Misselthwaite Manor of the original version, but this story sweeps the reader into Asian culture giving the tale a whole new flavor.

Una, a young Asian woman, brings meals to Mari’s room and straightens things while she is out. She becomes a friend and confidant. Much like Martha in the classic, Una’s surprising personality doesn’t fit Mari's preconceived assumptions. The younger woman brings a refreshing vitality to the declining inn, and she stands in contrast to the older, dour antagonist Okura.

When Mari takes her camera outside, she finds the gardens forsaken, run-down, and overgrown, but as she snaps pictures, she sees what was and the potential of what could be again. When a crane catches her attention, she follows it. It disappears across the pond to an island with no way to cross. When she talks to Una, she learns the island is off-limits, with no explanation.

When Mari hears weeping of a child in the night, she is compelled to find the source. She steps out of the familiarity of her room into “the inky darkness […] so complete I felt I could touch it and come away with my fingertips blackened. I kept one palm on the right wall and my bare feet shuffling along the cold wooden floor to keep from tripping over unseen objects.”

The narrative unwinds slowly like following a thread through a dark passage in search of a dropped ball of yarn. What she finds propelled me into an interactive experience as clues invited me to join in the suspense and mystery within the corridors and gardens of Yanagi Inn. Mari’s thoughts say it best. “Maybe I should just leave. I could sense two diverging paths in front of me: one in which I fled the inn and left all the mysteries behind, and one in which I stayed and saw both my duties and my curiosity through to the very end, no matter how unsettling the results.”

Book review of The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn

I recommend The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn to fans of the classic version of The Secret Garden, and to those who enjoy mysteries, ghost stories, and Asian themes. While some may think the pacing slow, I thought it perfect and in keeping with the tempo of the original story. It is delightfully symbolic. A story of rebirth for the inn and the woman searching for meaning within its corridors. Mari arrives filled with grief, anxiety and loss of direction following the death of her mother. It’s a tale of growth; from isolation to friendship, a renewed love of nature, and the re-emergence of curiosity as she wonders about the island that’s been off limits for decades. I give this book a strong four stars. 

As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received this book as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with Black Pheonix 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 Amber Logan

Amber A. Logan is a university instructor, freelance editor, and author of speculative fiction living in Kansas with her husband and two children—Fox and Willow. In addition to her degrees in Psychology, Liberal Arts, and International Relations, Amber holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

When she’s not writing, Amber enjoys trips to Japan, exploring unusual vegetarian foods, and reading Haruki Murakami.

Amber’s debut novel is THE SECRET GARDEN OF YANAGI INN - out late 2022.

 

Elven life in space brims with futuristic technology and magic

The Boyhood of Kaede: The Empire of Elves Book 1, blends Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Japanese mythology into an inventive adventure featuring elves, giants, orcs, ogres, goblins, witches, and dragons. For this adventure, they no longer live on their home planet but have traveled into space. Mars is now home, and travel by spaceship routine and space pirates are a real threat.

 

About The Boyhood of Kaede

The premise of The Boyhood of Kaede uniquely pulls together a strong Sci-Fi theme. Elves build a fleet of spaceships and search for a new home planet. A few of the ships experienced FTL drive malfunctions and couldn't make the jump, but no one discerned this until after the jump. At the heart of the story is the flower elf, Kaede, son of Prince Hiro, who is the son of the Emperor, Takahiro. Kaede shows extraordinary abilities from birth both intellectually and physically. As a toddler, he acts and sounds like a very clever twelve-year-old, and at the crux of the story are those who want to dethrone his family.

Book Review

Author David Applegate delivers a linear plot brimming with believable futuristic technology mixed with magic and a slew of characters providing several layers of subplots. These characters and their history is often introduced through strong dialog. However, he lays out the historical backdrop for this story in the prologue, so don’t skip it. I would like to see the prologue developed into a prequel trilogy for this book series which include Power Games: The Empire of Elves Book 2 and Into the Elves’ Mound: The Empire of Elves Book 3 .

 

I recommend The Boyhood of Kaede to readers who enjoy Sci-Fi/Fantasy. It is a unique story many will enjoy. With that said, in my opinion, the book could use the gentle hand of an editor. It meandered at times, with verbose descriptions distracting from the plot, and I would have enjoyed a little more world-building.

 

As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer, and I received a free review copy of this book and 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 David Applegate

David was born in Sydney, Australia and currently lives in Brisbane. He attended QUT, where he studied computer science. David has travelled to Europe and parts of Asia. As a boy, he dreamt of Elves, spaceships and magic. He now intends to share the exciting journey of discovery and adventure with you.