A fun read with stunning artwork for Pre K and early readers

Simon the Sloth by Molly Arbuthnott offers pages of stunning art depicting the story of Simon, a sloth who loves to play the bagpipes. He’s very good at playing the right notes, but he has a problem. He plays so slowly that his music sounds like yowling cats and screeching foxes. If you’ve never heard that fox noise just Google it. Their cries sound like a woman’s high-pitched scream, so the description was perfect for getting the point across that no one wanted to listen to Simon play. 

Book Review: Simon the Sloth

The story follows Simon’s journey around the world as he seeks an answer to this problem, but no matter where he played, he was just too slow. I won’t say more because I don’t do spoilers. This story is a fun read, though I wished it were a little more developed. The artwork is stunning and colorful. Kids will love it because it includes all kinds of details not mentioned in the story which a parent can point out in a teaching moment. I recommend Simon the Sloth as a Pre-K read-aloud story and for early readers. It’s a gentle, sweet story that provides a practical lesson in perseverance and reaching goals on a toddler’s level. I think those who enjoyed The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield, or The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright will love this book. I give it a strong 4 stars.

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I received a free review copy of this book from Book Tasters 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 Molly Arbuthnott

Molly is a teacher, author, editor, and academic from Scotland, UK. She's passionate about the promotion of children’s literature. With a solid understanding of literature and the ability to read, she believes you can take on the world. She has completed an M.A. in Art History and an M.Ed in children's literature. She has gone on to write nine award-winning picture books.

She uses experiences from life as inspiration for her writing. Teaming up with four fantastic illustrators has helped breathe life into the stories. Each story is loosely based on family or friends who have been important in her life whilst also trying to tell stories honestly and gently, singing praise to things we have to celebrate in our world. Teaching children to look out for others, work as a team, and not be afraid of doing the right thing is important. Such lessons might then filter through and be reflected in the way we live in the magical world around us.

 

Unpredictable, suspense-filled, magical fairy tale for young and old

The Magic of Last Resort: Book 6 of The Western Lands and All That Really Matters series by Andrew Einspruch, delivers a satisfactory conclusion to the epic tale of Queen Eloise Gumball III's life from a young adult princess to a crown plonked queen soon to be officially crowned sovereign. 

 

As book six opens, Queen Eloise Gumball III faces the threat of war on her Eastern border, depleted coffers, and an ill-prepared military. On top of that, she and her twin sister are at odds. With all this going on, she considers tapping into the magic of the Star of Whatever, if she can figure out how it works but in the meantime, tries diplomacy. This effort calls together all the former leaders met in the previous books and makes for some interesting negotiations. Especially, since many still consider her young, naïve, and inexperienced.

 

@donnasundblad Magic of Last Resort #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #bookhookup #booktok #books #bookreaders #bookreads ♬ original sound - Donna Sundblad

Book Review: The Magic of Last Resort

Einspruch’s gift to tackle serious situations with elements of humor woven throughout is masterful. He seamlessly unfolds a sequence of cause and effects across the beginning, middle, and end of this fairytale-like story. The worldbuilding of this unique land with talking animals, becomes believable as you get lost in the story with beloved characters both human and not. 

I’ve read all the books in this series, and absolutely loved them. The one exception, for me, is that I was not thrilled with the end of the series. I felt it a little rushed and was disappointed that it didn’t deliver what I’d been hoping for throughout the series. A resolution of Eloise’s relationship with Lorch. At the end, when Eloise goes out to get a breath of fresh air, I thought, this is it! They will finally talk about how they feel toward one another. Even if it is impossible, they can admit it. And in my thinking, if Eloise can find her way out of the Whacking Great Hole, she can find a way to overcome protocol and convince Lorch Lacksneck to become her King. BUT that wasn’t meant to be. The end took another direction that did bring this book to a satisfying conclusion.

I give this whole series 5 stars, including this book. I devoured it in two days but then stopped at 90 percent read. I wanted to savor the end. Saying goodbye to characters I’ve grown to care about is always hard. A type of withdrawal. Even though the end wasn’t what I was hoping for, the book is deliciously unpredictable, well written, and delightfully entertaining. I highly recommend this action-packed, suspense-filled, magical fairy tale for young and old. The Einspruch musical puns made a curtain call at the end which did help ease my self-inflicted disappointment. The entire series is worth picking up. Two thumbs up!

 

Other Western Lands and All That Really Matters books

• The Purple Haze: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 1)
• The Star of Whatever: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 2)
• The Light Bearer: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 3)
  
• The Crown Plonked Queen: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 4)
• The Eastie Threat: A Humorous Fantasy Novel (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 5)

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.

 

 

 

Action packed YA dystopian fiction

Payback (Lockdownland Book 2) by Michael Botur picks up with the life of 20-year-old Eden Shepherd as she is released from jail early. Her sentence has been suspended for crimes committed during the year-long biodome experiment of book one, Moneyland. As she steps into freedom, she tries to pick up her middle-class life with her daughter, Hope, who was born under the dome and raised by Eden’s Mumshine during her incarceration. All she wants is to get back to normal life. But normal isn’t coming back to her dystopian world where the technological growth of AI has become uncontrollable and irreversible. 

 Eden’s father has given himself over to The Cloud (virtual world) along with half the people she knows. She is determined to rescue her father and bring him home. This one task works as a springboard for the entire plot. When she makes it to the Cloudport, she witnesses the sad reality of the existence of row upon rows of victims of The Cloud. Before they can return home, Eden, her Mumshine, and daughter are trapped within another biodome where Eden’s new arch-enemy is a vengeful father out to make her pay for the death of his child in the first biodome experiment.

Eden hooks up with feral kids who have made a life in the old mall, scrounging for what they need for daily life. As Eden works to find her place in this new social order she searches for a way of escape and quickly runs into trouble with adults who have turned against their children and mindlessly follow the vengeful “Father.”

 

@donnasundblad #Payback #book #booktok #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #blackphoenixbooktour #bookish #dystopianbooks #yabooks ♬ original sound - Donna Sundblad

Book Review: Payback

Payback is the second novel I’ve read featuring Eden Shepherd. There is no dead space in this relevant, action-packed dystopian fiction that shines a light on why we are right to fear things like government mass surveillance or living in virtual reality. Eden Shepherd is a strong female protagonist who continues to grow and build on skills learned in book one, Moneyland. She discovers more about her family history, faces tough decisions, more loss, and the reality that her world is under constant surveillance. But Eden is a fighter. She will resist.

Payback is dark, and often painful as it paints a vision of a totalitarian future, but it also provides a ray of hope in Eden Shepherd who believes she can forge a way to a new beginning with her daughter. It reminds us that we still have a chance to change things for a better world. A future where factions learn to live in unity, democracy restored, and AI’s function is limited. I recommend this book to those who enjoy dystopian fiction like The Hunger Games series or The Maze Runner books. 

I received a copy of 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/

 

 

 

 

Poetry that touches the heart of spiritual struggle

A Cry for Mercy: Escape from the Unseen Dungeons by Peter Okonkwo is written from the perspective of a narrator struggling under spiritual bondage. The desperate cries to God touch on emotional and spiritual experiences with failure, loss, and despair. It reminds me of Job as he underwent trials that stripped him of family, wealth, and health. It raises the question of whether it is possible for man to grow to love God for himself and find fundamental contentment in life regardless of circumstances as the narrator questions his fate and grapples with sin in his life. He feels forgotten, speaks of his hopelessness, and calls to the Creator to come and give him something.

 

“Is it not in your hands?

The key to my fortune, and fate?

How long shall you keep me

In the dungeon of despair?

I need a change I am fed up

With my present status.”

 

This poetic journey follows the narrator's wrestling with guilt as he sheds many tears “in the dungeons” of bondage as he seeks forgiveness. Amid his struggles, he seeks to blame something else for his plight. His flesh, obstacles in his way, the spiritual forces of darkness, and more as he wonders about his fortune, fate, and destiny. He questions whether he has mistakenly offended fortune and begs the Creator to plead with his fate to grant him comfort from his sorrows. But he feels forgotten and questions why the Creator is silent about all his trouble.

 

 

Book Review: A Cry for Mercy

The poetry within the pages of A Cry for Mercy: Escape from the Unseen Dungeons by Peter Okonkwo echoes with cries for help from a dark place. It reflects human suffering and the journey to transcend it. It pulsates with moral energy, anger, spiritual insights, and distressed reflections. The cries for mercy are heart-wrenching and well-written as the narrator seeks divine intervention. As book 1 in this series, it paints a picture of the start of his spiritual journey. It draws the reader in with words that reflect exhaustion, tears, and a dearth of hope. The struggle is real and leads to the question many ask. What is my purpose on earth? I recommend this book to people who enjoy meditative lyric poetry lamenting the broader theme of the struggles of life, lack of reward for hard work, and the obstacles of life that prevent the good fortune they believe is promised them.

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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 the Author Peter Okonkwo

Peter Okonkwo is a Nigerian writer, fatalist, publisher, editor, literary critic, spiritual philosopher, soon–to–be–novelist of Etean’s Destiny, and a certified orator from the Friendship Leadership Institute of Nigeria.

He is the author of six poetry collections: Ecstasy of the Dead; Fate, In the Dungeon of Doom; Whose Fault, Kismet or Impediment? and Escape from the Unseen Dungeons book series, (A Cry for Mercy, How the Demons Leave, and I Saw the Light)

Peter is gifted with the aptitude to explore and demystify certain difficult life issues through his thought–provoking, raw–arresting transcendent poetry. His works has been featured in notable literary magazines and newspaper, including the Australian Plumwood Mountain Journal, The Lagos Review, Ngiga Review, Hope Newspaper, among many others.

Peter is the host of the P. English Literature YouTube channel, where he reviews books and conducts interviews with authors around the world. His show has featured over 250 literature works from authors across the globe