Edo’s Awakening (Stories of The Conscious Dreamer Series #1) by Sharolyn G Brown

Edo is a Dream Traveler on the verge of completing his mission from his gods, and ascending to the next caste. However, when things go wrong with his mission on Earth, Edo is held responsible for this potential failure. As punishment, he’s stripped of his caste privileges. Edo, who only knows life as a Traveler, quickly finds himself at the mercy of his Helper, Danyu, for assistance navigating this new world.

As he spends time in Danyu’s world, Edo sees a side of life in the compound that’s foreign to him. Though Danyu tries to keep him in the dark about what’s happening, the little he does see makes him question his own life. Once he starts to question everything he’s believed was true, can Edo go back to being who he was before his punishment?

This novella takes place before the events in The Heaviness of Knowing and can be read as a standalone novel.

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Edo’s Awakening

Review

Rating: 5 stars

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

Edo’s Awakening is a companion novella to The Conscious Dreamer Series and events within this novella take place before The Heaviness of Knowing, which is the first book in the series.

In Edo’s Awakening, dream traveller Edo is tasked with assisting his Earth connection Liam in the building of test rockets. His work is overseen by The Keepers whom he believes are Gods and must be obeyed without question. Edo is one of the best travellers and he is confident that he will complete his mission. However when he finds himself unable to make contact with Liam, Edo is called in front of The Keepers’ Representatives where he learns that the test rocket killed an Earthling thus putting his entire mission in jeopardy. If Liam fails on Earth then Edo will die. Until he can re-establish a connection with Liam, Edo finds himself stripped of his caste and forced into manual labour as punishment for the failure. Forced to rely completely on his helper, Danyu, Edo begins to discover the truth about The Keepers and the secret resistance that is building against them.

I really enjoyed learning how Edo discovered the truth about The Keepers. He is one of my favourite characters in the series so it was great to read his backstory and discover more about his past. The novella also gave some more information of the early days of the resistance as well as setting things up nicely for the first novel in the series. I had great sympathy for Edo throughout the novella. His dedication and fear of The Keepers was very well conveyed and you really got a sense of how completely in control they were despite them being more of a passive threat rather than ever present.

Edo’s Awakening is a great read. It’s fast-paced and gripping right from the first page, and serves as an excellent introduction to The Conscious Dreamer series.

Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles #1)
by Jamison Stone

In a world where magic, technology, and nature have merged, the few who can control Runes hold dominance over all of creation. All believe that Aleksi, a sixteen-year-old orphan, was blessed to be born with a Rune embedded in his palm, but that’s only because they don’t know the truth―Aleksi’s Rune is so powerful it’s killing him.

Asura, a brutal emperor who uses Runes to conquer entire continents, will stop at nothing to kill Aleksi and claim the boy’s power for his own. With Aleksi’s Rune burning its way through his body and assassins hunting his every step, his survival depends on discerning ally from enemy and learning to tame the competing forces of light and dark within.

With the burden of his rune haunting his days and the prophetic whispers of a young captive priestess illuminating his nights, Aleksi will be able to unravel the mysteries of his past, rescue the girl in his dreams, and challenge the most powerful warlord the world has ever known only if the one thing keeping him alive―his Rune―does not kill him first.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Rune of the Apprentice on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 stars

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

I really enjoyed reading Rune of the Apprentice which is the first novel in The Rune Chronicles series. The story follows young apprentice Aleksi who was born with a rune on his palm; a rune that will grant him with a vast power, if it doesn’t end up killing him first.

The world building in Rune of the Apprentice is excellent. The author has gone to a lot of trouble and taken much time to craft his universe and all the characters within it. Page by page you are immediately drawn into the world of Terra. Aleksi’s development as a character was subtle and natural as the novel progressed. I liked the supporting cast a lot and the friendships that were forged between the characters. The action scenes flow well and keep you on the edge of your seat.

To sum up, Rune of the Apprentice is a wonderfully descriptive and well-crafted read with many carefully thought-out and developed characters. The plot itself is very engaging and a natural page-turner. I look forward to reading the second novel in the series.

Concurrence by Marc Rokoff

Phillip has dedicated his life to achieving cross-time communication through the NOLTEX assembler. He only breaks away from his work once daily to visit Justin, his comatose boyfriend, in the local hospital. When a sudden breakthrough allows Phillip to talk with himself three months in the future, there’s plenty of reason to celebrate the success. He has single-handedly invented one of humanity’s greatest scientific achievements.

The celebration soon gives way to confusion when Phillip begins receiving strange messages from himself much further in the future. Adding to the intrigue is a curiously timed spatial anomaly that appears to be approaching Earth from a distant point in deep space. Is the timing of these two first-of-their-kind scientific events a coincidence? Or is there a connection between Phillip’s communications with the future and the approaching anomaly? When a shocking global event upends Phillip’s attempts to investigate, he suddenly finds himself alone to resolve the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.

An exciting piece of science fiction literature, Concurrence is an engaging, quick read that’s fun yet thought-provoking. This mind-bending scifi book offers up a satisfying time travel adventure for genre fans and newbies alike.

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Concurrence on Goodreads

Review

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

Rating: 4 stars

Phillip is a scientist who has dedicated his life to his work. His boyfriend Justin now lies in hospital in a coma and Phillip is convinced that his sudden breakthrough will help him to change the past and save Justin. His breakthrough allows him to communicate with his future self at various points in time, but then Phillip realises that there is much more to it than that. And when a global catastrophe occurs, Phillip realises that he is humanities only hope.

Concurrence is an engaging novella. Phillip is a well-rounded character, with imperfections that are relatable and sympathetic.  His closure and the end of the novella is bitter-sweet but filled with hope for the future. The author successfully blends science fiction and dystopia to create a very thrilling and enjoyable read.