Author: sharisakurai

Shari Sakurai is a British author of paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy novels that almost always feature a LGBT protagonist and/or antagonist. She has always loved to write and it is her escape from the sometimes stressful modern life! Aside from writing, Shari enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to (loud!) music, going to rock concerts and learning more about other societies and cultures. Japanese culture is of particular interest to her and she often incorporates Japanese themes and influences into her work. Shari loves a challenge and has taken part and won the National Novel Writing Month challenge ten times!

Review: You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories

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You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories by Andrew Kozma

You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories is a collection of weird, speculative fiction containing four stories dealing with the end of the world, both in terms of the death of the individual soul and the running down of the universe as a whole.

The title story presents a woman who’s been murdered and still has a dinner party to prepare for. In “Teller of Tales,” a young girl must take on the responsibility of being the necessary conscience of her city. “Breach of Contract” describes the plight of an oil man who just wants to insure production quotas, but is roped into saving the world. Lastly, “The Trouble-Men” details what happens when a man trying to survive the end of the world meets up with those who are ending it.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories on Goodreads

Review

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Rating: 3 stars

You Have Been Murdered and Other Stories is a collection of four short and strange stories.

The first ‘You have been murdered’ is my favourite of the tales. It tells the story of a woman who has been murdered and tries to cover up this fact and her denial by still continuing to prepare for a dinner party that she had planned before her death. The author conveys her feelings regarding her death and her anxiety very well and you get a real sense of the pain and confusion that she is going through.

I enjoyed reading the other stories in the collection too, told through the eyes of a variety of different protagonists.

The collection is well-written and the author knows how to build plenty of atmosphere. The twists are surprising and unexpected. A great short read for fans of speculative fiction.

Review: Beyond the Storm by Adam Jones

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Beyond the Storm by Adam Jones

Man tries to remember his past while Jude tries to forget hers.

Years after the nuclear holocaust decimated Britain, Man wakes up, naked and alone but for the murdered corpses whch surround him. Struggling with amnesia, Man travels the wastes trying to piece together his past.

Across the crumbling remains of the city, Jude flees a depraved fiend, running for her life. Beyond the Storm is a journey of horror and suspense which paints a broken future world and the events that made it that way.

Beyond the Storm is the brutal and disturbing new novel from cult bestselling author, Adam Jones.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Beyond the Storm on Goodreads

Review

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Rating: 3 stars

Beyond the Storm is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in Bristol, England. It follows the stories of Jude and Man, at first on separate paths and then when they come together. Jude is on the run from a monster who abused her terribly, and Man is suffering from amnesia and has no idea who he is or how the nuclear war almost destroyed the planet.

Whilst I did enjoy reading Beyond the Storm, I did find the description generally in excess and my attention was prone to wander, especially in the first half of the novel, and I felt that perhaps less would have been more in places. However, the second half of the story was more captivating and, eager to find out just who Man was and the fate of the rest of the cast, I found it difficult to put down. The truth about Man I never saw coming and there were plenty of twists that did not fail to disappoint. Beyond the Storm is dark, gritty and certainly not for the faint-hearted!

My first tattoo!

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Getting a tattoo has been something I’ve wanted to do since I was eighteen and today I finally got one! It’s Super Sailor Moon henshin’s brooch in honour of my favourite anime, but with a couple of modifications that my tattoo artist suggested! I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, because it did but it certainly wasn’t as bad as the blood test that I had to have earlier this week!

 

Review: Wind Down by Mark Ewig

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Wind Down by Mark Ewig

Aaron Starks survived a near death experience when he was stabbed by an unknown assailant. All of his college roommates were suspects. However, investigators could turn up nothing to catch the attempted murderer.
Fifteen years later, Aaron is all grown up with a family. Things are going great until he starts experiencing strange blackouts and other paranormal visions. During the blackouts he still interacts with others, but he cannot remember anything he said or did. Doctors are unable to provide an answer. It is not until Aaron has an encounter with Ju’van, a local shaman, that he realizes what he needs to do. He is sent on a journey to meet up with all his old roommates to discover the truth on what really happened the night he was stabbed in the back.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Wind Down on Goodreads

 

Review

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Rating: 2 Stars

Fifteen years ago university student Aaron Starks was stabbed in the back and left for dead. His attacker was never caught and Aaron had always suspected that one or more of his friends and flatmates may have been involved. Fifteen years on and Aaron is married to his university sweetheart, has three children and his dream job. Then his perfect life is shattered when he starts experiencing blackouts. When doctors are unable to find a reason for these, Aaron learns that his blackouts are connected to the attack on him all those years ago.

I really liked the concept of this novel. The ideas are very clever and original, and this had the potential to be an excellent paranormal/mystery. Unfortunately there were quite a few things that let it down.

The grammar is very poor. It jumps between tenses almost constantly making it very difficult to read, and also punctuation has been used incorrectly throughout. Whilst the characters have potential they are undeveloped and very immature for their age. They act more like primary school children than university students. The writing itself isn’t bad, but it yo-yo’s from either rambling long descriptions to very short sentences.

However, as I said this has great potential. In my opinion it needs to be longer with a lot more time taken to character build (especially the university part of the novel). A revision that adds to this good start combined with addressing the points I made above would make this a really unique and page-turning read.

And I loved the twist at the end! I never saw that coming!

Review: Those Who Remain by Ian Blackport

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Those Who Remain by Ian Blackport

Mallory travels forests and abandoned towns with her little sister as a lone companion, scavenging for meager food scraps. Almost one decade has passed since civilization collapsed in the wake of an incurable pandemic, leaving behind a ruined world without meaning or hope.

Only one thing in this unforgiving existence is worth protecting, and no line exists that Mallory is unwilling to cross for her sister. Compassion is a fatal weakness when each day might be her last and the only protection comes by way of a loaded gun. Every stranger is a threat and each human an adversary. In this bleak life, Mallory follows one rule: trust will get her killed. There can be no alternative, because she learned long ago that survival meant sacrificing her humanity.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Those Who Remain on Goodreads

Review

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Rating: 4 Stars

Those Who Remain is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has almost been wiped out by the stricken. Sisters Mallory and Mckayla are taking a perilous journey across America to reach the cape in the hopes of finding a permanent and safe home. Mallory is the older sister and forced to grow up at a young age she will do whatever it takes to protect her sister. Mckayla is younger and possesses more compassion and empathy than her older sibling. On their journey they come across a group of fellow survivors and for the first time the sisters are divided. Mallory wants to push on to the cape whilst Mckayla wants to make a home with their new friends.

Those Who Remain is predominately an action novel with generous descriptions and well-crafted scenes that draw you into the dystopian world. The sisters and their comrades are well-developed characters whom you find yourself really caring for and hoping they all survive.

The only thing that I found slightly disappointing was the ending, which felt to be somewhat abrupt and I would have liked to have this extended somewhat.

Overall, Those Who Remain is a gripping and action-packed read and a great addition to the post-apocalyptic genre.

Support Indie Author’s Presents ‘Spring into Indie Free and Bargain Books Event’

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This Friday, on the most foolish of April days, more than forty authors from the Support Indie Authors Goodreads group present the Spring Into Indie Free and Bargain Book Event. Over 65 books in a variety of genres will be available to download for free or on sale for just 99¢. Best of all, we’ve gathered all of the links on one conveniently located website. Bookmark events.supportindieauthors.com and get ready to load up your kindle with these great deals.
Until then, you can learn more about these talented authors and the books they are offering by clicking on the links below:

http://www.annliviandrews.com/ramblings/2016/3/26/did-someone-say-free-and-99-books

https://missyflits.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/sia-free-and-bargain-book-event/

https://rileyamoswestbrook.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/its-time-for-the-siafbb-to-happen-again-supportindieauthors-asmsg-iartg-bookboost/

http://ellisonblackburn.com/events/we-are-not-fooling/

http://mcmullenwrites.blogspot.com/2016/03/support-indie-authors-free-bargain.html

Demon's Blood by Shari SakuraiMy novel Demon’s Blood will be discounted to $0.99 as part of the event on 1st April. Click here to purchase on Amazon.com.

Review: God of Ruin by Michael John Grist

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God of Ruin (Ruins Sonata #3) by Michael John Grist

In the battle to defeat King Ruin and protect the Bridge between souls, ex-Arctic marine Ritry Goligh tore his own soul into pieces. Now those pieces, embodied as six rugged marines spread across the tsunami-blasted world, are adrift without Ritry to guide them.

Their captain, Me, is addicted to dying in raids against the remnants of King Ruin’s army. Ray longs for the love he lost. Far seeks the mythical heart of the Bridge, So is lost to her calculations, while twins Ti and La have split as far apart as possible. They trudge from bunker to bunker blinded by loss, mopping up holdouts from the war.

But the war isn’t over. It’s only just begun. From the ashes of King Ruin’s defeat a godlike power rises, one that understands the Bridge better than Ritry ever did, and means to bring a flood so vast it will erase every soul from history. Me’s only hope is to ascend to godhood himself, before everyone he loves is washed away forever.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

God of Ruin on GoodreadsGod of Ruin on Goodreads

Review

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Rating: 5 Stars

God of Ruin is the final instalment of the Ruins Sonata Trilogy and picks up where King Ruin left off. The seamless transition means that you are immediately drawn back into the struggle for all humans’ souls.

For me God of Ruin is the perfect conclusion to this outstanding trilogy. Action-packed with underlying poignancy throughout, this final instalment cannot fail to disappoint. I’m reluctant to say too much as I don’t want to give away any of the twists, but I will say that Ritry’s chord are determined to ensure that his sacrifice at the end of Book Two will not be in vain. Their determination against seemingly insurmountable odds and much personal loss makes this novel almost impossible to put down.

I highly recommend the Ruins Sonata trilogy to fans of science fiction, that is filled with action, suspense, loss and plot twists aplenty!

Author Spotlight: E.J Fisch

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This month’s Author Spotlight features E.J Fisch, author of the Ziva Payvan series.

Interview with EJ Fisch

1. Please tell us a little about yourself?
Hello, world! I’m EJ Fisch, indie sci fi author, artist, and huge nerd. I first decided to publish almost exactly two years ago, and since then I’ve released three full-length novels, an omnibus edition of that series, and a collection I’ve collaborated on with two other sci fi authors (more on all of that in a bit!). This has been a great adventure, and after spending years being self-conscious and hiding my writing from the world, it’s been incredibly liberating to finally share it with everyone. I’ve loved getting to know other writers and readers from all around the world, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Continue reading “Author Spotlight: E.J Fisch” →