Score: 88/100 (8.8 out of 10)
Weekend Temptation is a steamy contemporary romance novel by Michele Wright! The protagonist, Rachel Knott, is a social media and communications specialist for a company called Marlow Communications. Admirably, she ambitiously seeks a promotion, however, she must overcome the cutthroat atmosphere of her work environment. For example, one of her bosses, Amanda, has a bullying demeanor and even takes credit for Rachel's hard work. Furthermore, Marlow Communications faces a lot of obstacles of its own. First and foremost, they are struggling to secure a huge deal with James Hotel, who would become a knockout client. Well, surprise, surprise! As fate would have it, Rachel crosses paths with the handsome co-owner of James Hotel, Ben, while he is apparently working as a simple bartender. After some nudging and coaxing from her colorful girlfriends and a chance encounter, the two have a passionate one-night stand that sparks the remainder of the book. With Marlow Communications desperate to secure a business relationship with James Hotel, and with constant failures by Amanda to get it done, Rachel is thrust into the spotlight as she agrees to be the bridge between the two companies. Along the way, she grows as a person and learns more about her mysterious lover, Ben. If this plot sounds incredibly familiar to you, you're not alone. This is basically a Cinderella story—that of a hard-working woman who meets a prince. To be blunt, it's a lot like a Hallmark movie, for better or for worse. Hey, there's a reason why Hallmark is still around, it's because people can rely on their cheesy movies to make them smile, feel good, and lift their spirits. Those movies are complete escapism, restoring faith in the idea that everyone can have a happy ending and that everything will be ok in the end. On that note, Rachel's arc and the story in general are rather generic. We've seen this story time and time again. We've seen characters like Rachel and Ben time and time again. Look at 50 Shades of Gray. That's not to say these kinds of stories are bad, but it is to say they're cliché and generic at this point. What's not generic are some of the side characters, namely Rachel's friends. There's Kate, the crudely-joking, off-duty police officer. There's Paige, the friend who owns the bakery that the women often meet at. There's Isabel, the Gothic one. Then there's Madison, the stylish “princess” of the group who works at a trendy salon. Come to think of it, all of these colorful friends really reflect the ideals and personal goals that Rachel has. They're strong, independent, powerful, successful, and unapologetically themselves. Ironically, that flies in the face of what the books over-arching plot seems to be—that of gaining success because of garnering romantic favors from a man. That may have not been the author's intention (as it may have been simple fantasy or escapism), but that's what came across to us. All in all, we were definitely entertained by this book. Despite our aforementioned complaints and reservations, we also found Rachel to be an inspiring character. She's a dreamer like us! We wish the best for her! Check it out on Amazon!
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Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
Angelina's Choices: Growing and Learning to Make a Difference is another fascinating read by the Angelina Wang, a teenager who is wise beyond her years! The book follows right on the heels of her hit debut novel, Angelina's Opinions, which she published at the age of 12! You could make the argument that it actually exceeds the enjoyability of the first book, which is the stance we'll be taking. What makes Angelina's Choices a more enjoyable book than Angelina's Opinions? Well, for one, it's a bit less fixated, didactic, and heavy-handed when it comes to individual social issues (like feminism and LGBTQIA+ issues), speaking much more broadly. What this does is make it more accessible to a larger audience and make it more applicable to a wider range of issues (in comparison to Angelina's Opinions). Angelina's Opinions had one huge weakness in that it came across as preachy and a bit pushy. While the the narrative voice in this book is still authoritative, directive, and didactic like the previous book, it comes across as far less overbearing, insistent, and—dare we say—pushy. That's something we really appreciated about this second book. Interestingly, while the scope of the discussions is broader than in the previous book, the solutions are actually more specific and applicable. Here's what we mean: In Angelina's Opinions, Wang fixated a lot on huge issues like women's rights, LBGTQIA+ rights, and climate change. That's great and admirable and all, but that also begs the question... what do you honestly expect ME (the reader) to do about all of that? Yes, we can contribute to the solutions to those problems, but those are such huge, macro issues that aren't going to be reversed by a single human being (reader). Even a US president or UN secretary general couldn't fix that with a wave of the hand. What's rather fascinating is that it seems like Wang realized the same thing around the time she wrote Angelina's Choices. As if having an epiphany, she began to realize that she might not be able to change the whole world by herself, but she could be part of making it a better place by contributing to it via small, positive choices. For example, she felt like reusing her water bottle wasn't such a big deal until she was given some perspective. Now, we wanted to chime in here: we can empathize with this. Sometimes, we feel like the problems around us are so big, so huge, and so overwhelming that there's no point in trying to solve them. This is a flawed way of thinking. In an intertextual way, we wanted to refer to what we learned in Sketches from a Sunlit Heaven by Sarah Law (a book about Saint Therese). In Law's book, we learned that St. Therese came to almost the same conclusion that Wang does in her book: that you don't have to do big, grand, world-changing, heroic acts in order to matter. No, you can matter and make a difference by making “little sacrifices” via the “little way.” So, in Wang's case, you might be saving the planet from being polluted by a few water bottles, but you're also encouraging and inspiring others to do the same. Imagine if a hundred or a thousand people made the same choice and followed Wang's example. In Saint Therese's case, you might be helping one grumpy old nun or a prisoner on death row and think that it's not such a big deal. After all, it doesn't save the world, but it does contribute to propagating a spirit of caring and compassion that rubs off on others. Maybe you can't change the whole world in one instant, but you can make your home a better place. You can make your community a better place. You can be a part of the solution while not having to bear the burden of being the whole solution. And, really, that all boils down to Wang introducing a new wrinkle in this book: an emphasis on CHOICE and CHOICES. We can make good choices that blossom into big, beautiful things like trees from a seed. Another thing we noticed is that, because this book is less fixated on individual issues, it's actually less fluffy and bloated. For example, there was a time in the previous book when the term “LGBTQIA+ Community” was stated around 50 times in the span of about 20-30 pages. It got a bit tedious and repetitive. Angelina's Choices doesn't seem to have issues like this. There's less repetition and redundancy. That likely springs from Wang being a more practiced and experienced writer. However, this book probably had less rounds of editing than the previous book. Why do we think that? Well, the previous book was almost perfect in terms of grammar. We're pretty sure that one got proofread, edited, and rewritten a few times and by a few people (editors, beta readers, etc.). This book has a flew blemishes in that department. For example, in the section about meditation, the author writes: “I ended up choosing to mediate for at least 10 minutes” (She clearly meant “meditate”) “I have only the scratched surface of this issue” (This should probably be “I have only scratched the surface of this issue”) “I’d like to add some activities that may helpful” (The word “be” is missing) However, this really didn't bother us that much. It just proves that Angelina Wang is human, not a robot like CARLA from Sentience Hazard writing perfectly 100% of the time while dishing out bold statements and declarations like she's the Founding Fathers. The first book just seemed too clean, too neat, too tidy and too overbearing. It read like a magical fairy grandmother laying down the law from up above. It just didn't feel quite right. It's hard to describe. However, in this book, Wang is far more relatable, far more down-to-earth, and far more raw and real. She's a lot more vulnerable and willing to admit when she might be wrong or unsure about things. She's a lot more willing to admit when she made a mistake or a lapse in judgment like when she went overboard in humiliating some schoolboys over an incident or when she was mean to a friend. Those are things that come with time, growth, and maturity. There were times in the first book when Wang came across as full of herself, self-righteous, and self-assured—as someone who had all the answers and could do no wrong. Those things sometimes rear their heads in this book, but they're far less frequent. So, while this second book might be inferior in terms of writing and grammar, it was actually superior in terms of enjoyability. We just liked it more. Here are a few of the things we really liked from it:
Check it out on Amazon! Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
Angelina's Opinions is a stunning and impressive debut book by Angelina Wang, a literary and intellectual prodigy. Wang tackles a wide range of important and complex social issues with remarkable clarity and maturity. The book is divided into several chapters, each addressing a different topic such as mental health, body shaming, beauty standards, self-confidence, toxic relationships, making friends, fitting in, and the LGBTQIA+ community. In the introduction, Wang shares her motivation for writing the book, emphasizing her desire to make a difference and inspire others. She recounts personal experiences that have shaped her understanding of the world, including instances of racism and sexism, and expresses her commitment to promoting equality and acceptance. The first chapter ("Healthy Mind Is Healthy Body") delves into the importance of emotional well-being and the impact of stress on one's life. Wang narrates a poignant story of how she helped a friend who was considering suicide, highlighting the power of listening and providing support. She advocates for practices like meditation and exercise to maintain a positive outlook and manage stress effectively. Wang tells us that there are different pathways or avenues to good health. We all need different kinds of foods and have different kinds of bodies. The idea of an “ideal body” or “perfect body” is a fallacy causing a lot of destruction in peoples' lives including body-image and eating disorders. The “ideal body” differs from place to place, person to person, and culture to culture. It is a societal construct. In the chapter on ("Body Shaming”) Wang bravely shares her own struggles with body image and the hurtful comments she has received about her appearance. She emphasizes that body shaming is a form of bullying that can leave lasting emotional scars and advocates for body positivity and acceptance. "Beauty Standards" discusses the unrealistic and harmful beauty ideals perpetuated by society. Wang critiques these standards and encourages readers to embrace their unique features rather than conform to superficial expectations. She shares her journey towards self-acceptance and the empowerment that comes from rejecting societal pressures. These three chapters (“Healthy Mind Is Healthy Body,” “Body Shaming,” and “Beauty Standards”) were probably our favorites in the entire book. Wang may not like hearing this (because she discourages the separation of genders and ages), but these three chapters seem to speak specifically to women. Ignoring the idealism for a minute, these are issues that especially affect women (though not only women). The statistics show that three times as many women suffer from anorexia nervosa than men (0.9% women vs 0.3% men). Women are fives times as likely to suffer from bulimia than men (0.5% women vs 0.1% men). You can read about that here: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/eating-disorders. Disordered eating and body-image issues are something that a lot of us have personally dealt with, so these are chapters that really resonated with us. The chapter on "Self-Confidence" explores the challenges of building and maintaining self-esteem. Wang candidly discusses her own insecurities and the steps she has taken to develop a more positive self-image. She stresses the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and practicing self-kindness. "Toxic Relationships" provides valuable insights into recognizing and addressing unhealthy relationships. Drawing from her own experiences, Wang outlines the signs of a toxic relationship and offers advice on how to handle such situations, whether through communication or distancing oneself from negative influences. In "Making Friends," Wang offers practical tips for forming meaningful friendships. She acknowledges the difficulties of approaching new people and the importance of being genuine. She also touches on the significance of online friendships and the need for caution when interacting with people over the internet. "Fitting In" addresses the struggle of trying to belong while staying true to oneself. Wang recounts her own experiences of feeling out of place and the realization that she doesn't need to change to fit in. She encourages readers to find communities where they can be themselves and feel accepted. The chapter on the "LGBTQIA+ Community" serves as an informative guide to understanding different sexual orientations and gender identities. Wang advocates for inclusivity and respect for all individuals, regardless of their identity. She also emphasizes the importance of allies in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Now, this chapter, while commendable in its aim, also bogs (slows) the book down a bit. This is where the pacing of the book starts to get disrupted with repetition and redundancy, something that continues on in subsequent chapters. For example, the term “LGBTQIA+” occurs a total of 54 times in this book, mostly crammed into a chapter that's only about 8 pages long! So, you end up reading the same term over and over and over again. Those 8 pages end up feeling like 40. The book then leads right into a chapter on feminism, an ideology that has great merit and started with very good intentions, but that has gradually devolved into something unfamiliar to traditional feminists. Heck, we have some on our staff who'd be the first to tell you that modern feminism isn't recognizable to what the suffragettes subscribed to. If you want a good glimpse of extreme, radical modern feminism, you can read With Love, From Plant B in this contest. In that book, the radical feminists essentially call men a disease who are responsible for all of the world's problems including war, pollution, oppression, and climate change (the book's primary topic, which is also a major topic in Wang's book). While they admit that women can have problems too, we never see a counter-example proving that in the book. It is kinda concerning to us that Wang says that she was inspired by a feminist speaker at a school assembly around 4th grade and immediately decided to follow the ideology for the rest of her life. You read that right: 4th grade! People are coming into impressionable 4th grade classrooms and teaching radical ideologies to your kids. Think about that. When you were like 10-year-old, were you intellectually and mentally prepared to decide whether or not to adopt Marxism, capitalism, socialism, or fascism? You are very vulnerable, impressionable, and susceptible to suggestion at that point in your life. Furthermore, Wang calls for you to donate to feminist organizations, supposedly so that they can fight for social justice issues. Specifically, she says: “...donate to feminist organizations! Donating to different feminist organizations will help different issues that feminism is trying to tackle in society.” Gosh, girl, we really hope you're right cause a large part of us doubts these SJW organizations actually accomplish what you think they accomplish. We'll get to one such example in a moment. There's also a chapter about racism, specifically against Blacks. There are some mentions of racism against other groups of people including Asians (like the author and many of our judges). In one of the saddest and most agitating examples, a boy comes up to her making fox eyes and says “ching chong.” Believe it or not, the Asians on our staff have experienced similar things. Racism is always wrong no matter who it's against. But what we're seeing a lot of these days is reverse racism. Whites are seen as oppressors and those who need to be punished and penalized for the real and perceive transgressions of the past. Hey, we're just gonna come out and say it: that's freakin' wrong too. There's a quote in this book that really rubbed us the wrong way: “...let me just say this: Black lives haven’t mattered at all, whereas white lives have always mattered.” Wait a minute... so we've had a US president, a UN secretary general, multiple billionaires, numerous millionaires, professional athletes (some of the greatest of all time in various sports), lawyers, doctors (including brain surgeons), astrophysicists, and actors who were Black... so, they haven't mattered at all? You see where these kinds of dogmatic thoughts and statements have a slippery slope? It's like Obi-Wan said, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” And we wanted to briefly touch on BLM because, as the author says in the book: “I would like to talk about BLM vs. ALM and why it’s right to support BLM and not ALM.” We support the core ideals of Black Lives Matter because they DO matter and they SHOULD matter Furthermore, Black people (and all races of people) shouldn't be treated as different or targeted by hateful, ignorant people. At the same time, we hate to tell you this, but the national, over-arching organization of Black Lives Matter (Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation) is actually led by some unscrupulous, corrupt, and selfish people who have taken advantage of a good movement and the positive intentions of their supporters and donors. They very clearly pocketed and misused millions of dollars that donors had intended to support Black folks, Black neighborhoods, and Black causes. Don't take it from us, listen to the YOUNG TURKS—the leaders of liberalism and progressivism on the internet: https://youtu.be/fIZ-ZoojpR8?feature=shared. If there's one group that wouldn't want to admit to this bad news, the Young Turks would be it. They don't have right-wing bone in their bodies, yet they're forced to admit that BLM may not have the best of intentions or the best record for living up to their supposed cause. There's a reason why they were removed from charitable programs like Amazon Smile for lack of transparency and violating ethics. Their national leaders appear to have been selfish, self-serving swindlers, not the philanthropists that many of us thought they were. Yeah, and that's why we caution people to use their brains and to think critically. Don't just subscribe to every little ideology that pops up because it seems “good.” There are a lot of organizations that seem “good” but are taking advantage of peoples' kindness, especially college-aged and young people. Speaking of young people, that's another source of contention we had with this book. There's a chapter about valuing young people and their opinions. To an extent, we support that. Heck, we were children too, believe it or not, and we were in student council, we attended progressive events, we advocated for all sorts of causes, we gave speeches, we met politicians to support certain bills, etc. Young people matter. Everyone matters. The issue that we have is the statement: “I think that the best possible solution to this is to treat children like they are equals to adults." Wait a minute... would you vote a 15-year-old into office as President of the United States? Would you let an 8-year-old be in charge of an surgical operation? Would you hand a 3-year-old the keys to a spaceship? Make them the general of an army? Give them control of a nuclear missile silo? Would you send a high school freshman quarterback into an NFL game? It's not ageism or childism to have common sense. There are reasons why things are the way that they are. Contrary to popular opinion (and some of the opinions in this book), there is a natural order to things that you can't just ignore willy-nilly because you conveniently want to. Unless the individual suffers a tragic fate earlier in life, you get to be a kid, you get to be an adult, and you get to be elderly. You can't have a baby in five months just because you really want to. Reality is still a thing that exists. Ignore it all you want, but it eventually catches up to you. Now, on the bright side of this, Wang advocates for holding kids accountable when they do something wrong. In other words, she seems to advocate for them being treated as (and potentially tried as) adults. To an extent, we agree. A lot of kids simply don't learn respect, a huge virtue that Wang talks more about in the next book. They don't learn how to act, how to behave, and how to treat others. One thing we really liked was that Wang encourages parents to teach their boys how to view, treat, and respect girls/women. We're all for it. One statement that we resent, however, is that: “Boys aren’t taught how to properly treat girls.” This is an absolute statement, and Sean Martin (and his two twin boys) would beg to differ. If you've read Dear Liam and Noah: Letters from Daddy by Sean Martin, you'd know that Martin teaches his sons how to treat women and girls well. The implication that all boys aren't taught how to treat girls well is a gross overstatement and, by virtue of that, actually untrue. There are parents who teach their boys to treat girls well. We know quite a few of them. Speaking of exaggerations and overstatements, there's another example of that in this book. In one scene, Wang describes being stuck at a stoplight while an old man stared at her for five minutes. While that stinks and is disturbing and all, it also got us thinking: what stoplight is red for five minutes?! Seriously! If Toronto stoplights are that bad, we don't want to live there. Maybe this was hyperbole? The other thing that we found a bit off-putting was the book's somewhat oppressive tone. Similar to The Darkest Side of the Moon by M.C. Ryder, it kinda felt like the narrator was demanding, controlling, and insistent. The narrative voice is didactic, authoritative, and maybe even a bit preachy. Thankfully, the second book is less like this. Perhaps the author learned and matured through the experience of writing and being an author. Thankfully, there are passages, particularly in the end of chapters, in which the author reminds us that these are only her opinions, we can do our own research and come up with opinions of our own. That softens the blow a bit. Overall, Angelina’s Opinions is an inspiring and thought-provoking book that showcases Angelina Wang's wisdom and empathy beyond her years. Her personal anecdotes and heartfelt messages make the book relatable and impactful, offering valuable lessons on kindness, acceptance, and self-love. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)
If you like stories about mercenaries, secret organizations/societies, espionage, political intrigue, and conflicted characters, then The Third Estate by D.R. Berlin (MD) may be for you! The titular “Third Estate” is a secret organization involved in sketchy activities supposedly for the “common people,” being labeled a terrorist organization. The Third Estate is very similar to the Company from Prison Break or Poseidon United from Running on Broken Bones & You Will Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper. The Third Estate is led, in large part, by the enigmatic and powerful Grey Lady. The Grey Lady reminded us a lot of Lady Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones, which should be a pretty flattering comparison. Like Lady Olenna, the Grey Lady of the Third Estate comes across as a pompous, commanding socialite with a mixture of unrealistically high expectations and condescension. Unsurprisingly, the Third Estate and its black activities have crossed paths with other powerful forces including the military, mostly represented by the equally-ruthless Colonel Mitchell in this book. The Third Estate and the military have a tense, antagonistic relationship and rivalry, particularly when it comes to Professor Milo Anderson, who is a target for both sides. Also caught between this conflict are the two main protagonists of this book, Sophie Allard, an aspiring combat pilot at the Stockton Military Institute, and Kai Lovac, a super agent and elite mercenary hired by the military to take care of the Third Estate/Professor Anderson problem. Both of these protagonists have an interesting amount of depth, especially for a book like this which you'd think would be more action-based (rather than character focused). Sophie is an admirable, inspiring person with hopes and dreams. She is even willing to ignore orders and risk her own life and future to rescue a rival, Parker Worthington, the son of a general. She overcomes incredible odds including bad weather conditions to pass her flying test. She has a tragic back story relating to her mother, Violet, and surprisingly linked to Kai Lovac. Kai Lovac is also an interesting character because, despite him having a sizable kill count and a reputation for getting the job/mission done, he shows a distinct and relatable human side. You can tell that he is conflicted throughout this book, especially when he comes to recognize Sophie, with whom he has a past. He actually reminded us a lot of Chris Kyle, the real-life Navy SEALS sniper who was the focus of the acclaimed movie American Sniper. He is constantly making risk and collateral assessments when pursuing his targets, showing that he has both a professional, efficient mindset as well as a conscience. This book has a lot of great ideas and a colorful cast of characters. Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?! No, this isn't a reference to the movie Se7en, it's in regard to A Rock and a Hard Place by Mary Steed. In this book, a pacifist Korean scientist, Dr. Kar Joon, entrusts a dangerous mystery box to an American soldier, Jim Parrish, in hopes that he will protect the world from its destructive power. But what is it and why are the FBI and agencies around the world so interested in it? That mystery is a massive part of the appeal of this book. Do you like spy thrillers and tales of espionage? A Rock and a Hard Place is a compelling spy thriller and historical fiction novel that intertwines the harrowing experiences of the Korean War with a suspenseful narrative set in the 1970s. The story follows the aforementioned Staff Sergeant Jim Parrish, who, during the brutal winter of 1950, led his Marines through the treacherous terrain of Chosin Reservoir. Fast forward twenty years, and Parrish, now a priest, grapples with haunting memories and a mysterious secret that resurfaces, intertwining his past with present dangers. The book masterfully explores themes of duty, sacrifice, and the long-lasting impacts of war. The depiction of the Korean War is vivid and intense, capturing the brutal cold, relentless enemy attacks, and the moral dilemmas faced by soldiers. Parrish’s journey from a war hero to a priest haunted by his past adds a layer of depth and complexity to the narrative. The characters are well-developed, particularly Parrish, whose transformation from a young Marine to a guilt-ridden priest is portrayed with emotional depth and realism. His internal struggles and sense of duty drive the story forward. Parrish gives this book its title as the character finds himself caught between different loyalties. On one hand, as a priest, he cannot break the seal of the confessional, a vow of confidentiality. On the other hand, as a US veteran and an American, he has a duty to protect and serve his country. Further compounding this is the FBI, which doctors pictures of Parrish showing him involved in illegal and inappropriate activities including with children. This puts Parrish in an even bigger dilemma as he's hit with the painful realizations that: 1. These fake pictures could cost him his priesthood and freedom, and 2. The FBI, an organization representing the country he loves and served, was willing to throw him under the bus for their own selfish agenda. Interestingly enough, the book focuses quite a bit on these questionable FBI agents, Harry Harrison and Larry Larson. The book also focuses on America's enemies during the Cold War, especially the North Koreans and Chinese. More and more is revealed about what they know about the mystery box and what they're willing to do to get it. Now, as a brief aside, it is somewhat weird and implausible to imagine the Imperial Japanese actually having atomic weapon capabilities near the end of World War II. Although that was very interesting, it's virtually impossible given all we know about the war and Japan's kamikaze/death-before-dishonor mentality at the time. Like, if the Japanese had a nuke, even one that couldn't be delivered with a missile yet, why wouldn't they lure their American and/or Russian enemies into an area or choke point and detonate it? If they were willing to crash planes and even the freakin' Battleship Yamato (their overpriced, overpowered flagship) into their enemies, why wouldn't they do the same with an evacuated town and a nuke? They could've literally put a few of them on different shores and just waited for the enemy to land. They could've put one or more on boats to occupied-Okinawa or Iwo Jima and disrupted the Allied bombing campaigns that were staged there. It really makes no sense that the Japanese—of all people in the war—would try to hide a super weapon rather than trying to use it. So, that really hurt our suspension of disbelief with this book. Anyway, going back to what we were saying about the villains, the Chinese hire a ruthless super-spy named Wang (known as the “Definitive Solution” and the “Cantonese Tiger”) to acquire Parrish's secrets. She is willing to employ kidnapping and torture (including of innocent people) to get what she needs to complete the mission. The Chinese also introduce a strange mind-control method that convinces the victim that they're doing the right thing or that they should listen to the instructions of the interrogator. It's kinda like hypnotism and/or truth serum. It's here where a character named Dea just pops up and becomes somewhat significant. Dea and Chin Pack were two Koreans whom Dr. Kar Joon, for some reason, asked to help Parrish to keep the secret. Keep in mind: this is a secret that probably would've been better kept if the Packs hadn't been made aware of it. Wang tries to use threats on Dea, in particular, to extract information from Parrish. This is weird, however, because it really wasn't well established that Parrish's relationship with Dea was that strong. It existed, yes, but we never got the impression that they had a blood-pact or something. The author’s writing is evocative and immersive, with detailed descriptions that bring the harsh realities of the Korean War to life. We also get a sense of how the world is tearing itself into East and West. The Vietnam War erupts during this book, for example, and the Cold War with the Soviet Union is also progressing. The dual timelines are handled deftly, creating a sense of continuity and tension that keeps readers engaged. The emotional and psychological depth of Parrish is a standout feature. In conclusion, A Rock and a Hard Place is a gripping read that blends historical detail with a thrilling plot and well-developed characters. It’s a story of resilience, redemption, and the enduring impact of war on those who serve. This book is a solid read for fans of historical fiction and thrillers. Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
Elven Blood is a spirited fantasy/adventure novel by Mark Stanley! It is full of magic and magical creatures. It also features some of the most ambitious world-building of the contest. We have to admit that when we first read Elven Blood, we were a bit bored, confused, and disappointed. This book can be incredibly plodding and slow. That's what happens when your book is complex, dense, and features numerous main/major protagonists. We experienced a similar feeling with Codex Sohrakia by KM Taylor. We kept finding ourselves wondering, So is the main conflict going to happen now? Are these two groups finally going to get it on and fight? When are these five major characters going to meet? In other words, we became a bit impatient. The book really got bogged down by the fantasy novel trap of being overly involved and having to explain an enormous, sprawling conflict and universe to an audience. The other fantasy novel trap that this book seems to fall into is that it just keeps developing from beginning to end, making it almost feel like it's stuck in one gear and can't move past that. Exacerbating that problem is when the narrative decides that it needs to describe the entire complex magic system to us, seemingly multiple times. Action-adventure books have conditioned us to want big, epic battles and ferocious duels immediately. They've conditioned us to crave fighting, violence, and war. Be honest. Well, guess what? That's sorta the beauty of this book. It's ANTI-fighting, ANTI-violence, and ANTI-war. It's a book about diplomacy, setting aside differences, forming alliances, finding common ground, and finding peace. When we eventually figured that out, we really started to appreciate this book. Thematically and story-wise, it's actually a lot like The 5 Moons of Tiiana by P.T. Harry: different races coming together in the interest of peace. In P.T. Harry's book, it was a diverse collection of aliens. In Mark Stanley's book, it's a diverse collection of humans and magical creatures like Elves, Dwarves, and lizard people. In Elven Blood a conflict is brewing in the world of Vellhor, particularly between the Dwarves, Elves, and the Drogo Mulik, the aforementioned race of lizard-like people. However, this book makes it clear that conflict is never so clear. You'd think that the cute Dwarves and Elves would be the protagonists and that the scary-looking Drogo Mulik, a warrior race, would be the antagonists. That's true, to an extent, but the Dwarves and Elves aren't exactly the most benevolent parties either. All of them have contributed to bringing the world to the precipice of war. The Elves, in particular, are portrayed as being extremely proud, practically to the point of arrogance and hubris. In other words, they seem to think they're better than everyone else because of their powerful magic, their rich history, their beauty, and reputation. They're kinda like the Saiyans from Dragon Ball. Because of that, they also come across as somewhat bigoted or even racist, even segregating and excluding their own members. For example, Anwyn, is an outcast among them because of the way she was born. You get the sense that they don't just want to fight the Drogo Mulik out of a sense of honor, duty, safety, and security. It really seems like they want to fight the Drogo Mulik because they see themselves as better, smarter, more beautiful, and more civilized than them. As alluded to before, Elven Blood follows an ensemble cast of characters of different races and backgrounds. Anwyn, who we mentioned as an elf outcast, lives with her parents in the forest. She is a skilled warrior and mage, trained by her parents, and is determined to prove her worth to the Elven society that shuns her. Then, there's Gunnar, a dwarf and heir to Clan Draegoor. Gunnar is a seasoned warrior known for his leadership and combat prowess. He is the leader of the elite unit known as the Snow Wolves and is tasked with protecting his clan from various threats. There's Kemp, a human mage with rare elemental affinity. Kemp is a student at Lakeview Academy. His journey involves honing his magical abilities and navigating the expectations placed upon him by society. There's Ruiha, a former assassin from the Sand Dragons gang. Ruiha seeks redemption after defying her manipulative mentor, Faisal. She is skilled in combat and survival, constantly on the run from those who seek revenge for her previous victims. She kinda reminded us of Beatrix from Kill Bill. Ruiha and Anwyn are kinda the overpowered lady bosses of this book, taking down multiple full-grown men because... of course. And then, interestingly enough, there's Dakarai, a Drogo Mulik miner. Dakarai and his wife, Melagai, are concerned about their son who is obsessed with becoming a Drogo Mulik warrior and joining the coming war. We really loved this because it shows that the Drogo Mulik are not just mindless, kill-crazy, warmongering monsters. They have feelings, emotions, hopes, dreams, relationship, and concerns just like humans, Elves, and Dwarves do. There are loving, hard-working civilians in their society who want peace. We thought that was really special. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)
IMPOSSIBLE TALES is an intelligent, mindbending collection of (mostly) short-stories by Sury V.S.! Now, to be perfectly honest, this is a mixed bag in terms of entertainment (from the a reader's perspective) and writing quality. What we can tell you is that every one of these stories, whether we enjoyed them or not, still demonstrated a degree of complexity, imagination, and outside-the-box thinking that we tend to admire. Right off the bat, we were hit with the book's first story, “Wire Draw, Basic Needs.” Why the author chose to use this long, heavy-handed, uncomfortable story to kick off this book is beyond us. First and foremost, this story is SO much longer than any other story in the book (over 50 pages!). It's also slow, plodding, and somewhat formulaic. In other words, we didn't enjoy it as much as the author probably intended. Why is that? Well, first of all, pretty much everyone in this first story is an unlikable @$#hole. The protagonist, Carl Matz, is a pompous, self-assured rich kid. Carl's friends are selfish, absent-minded, nonchalant, and seem to lack all compassion or sympathy. They might as well not be in the story at all. Then there are the supernatural/quantum characters: Beam Shane (the guide) and the angels, Anne, App, and Purina. All four of these characters are supposed to be benevolent, good, and well-meaning— protecting and taking care of Carl while teaching him basic morals. However, they come across as forceful, tyrannical, oppressive, and creepy. In the process of trying to teach Carl to value food, clothes, shelter, humility, modesty, and moderation, they handcuff him to a chair (naked, at times) and force-feed him until he submits to their “lessons,” more so out of desperation than of having a genuine change of heart. Yes, this is as uncomfortable to read about as it sounds. What's really strange is that no one in this book acts like an actual human being. That's probably our biggest gripe about it. Why on earth would someone say that all they need in life is food? What, we don't need oxygen and water too? Does this 22-year-old “kid” have an IQ of 50? The other thing that's weird is that he doesn't react to this situation the way that the grand majority of us would. He doesn't cry. He doesn't beg. He doesn't bargain. He doesn't plea. He just seems to sit there and take it. Why wouldn't you have conversations with your captors? Why wouldn't you try to convince them to let you go? It's bizarre. The majority of the experience, he just sits there like some theater goer while a film is playing, barely emoting, barely reacting. Even when he's being mauled by mosquitoes or has a feeding tube forced down his throat, he just doesn't seem to react with the agony and discomfort you'd expect a human being to. In fact, he almost seems to invite the experience. He somehow—like a self-destructive idiot—finds himself in these predicaments again and again. How are we supposed to cheer for this guy? He's a dodo, and not in a cute way! Just read this passage: “He sprang from the bed and began pacing again. Then he keenly became aware of the biting cold. Ha, ha, whether it was the cold or the insects, both were biting him. Damn, though the phrasing was appropriate, the timing was inappropriate. Darn, am I going off the rocker?” But we digress. This story actually reminded us a bit of A Christmas Carol and mostly has the same formula. A man who is rough around the edges is taken on a supernatural journey with some spirits in an attempt to make him a better person. There is a twist, however, that we found amusing. However, did this story really have to be this long? And did it have to start the whole book? Anyway, at least this story has some subtext and lessons about being grateful for what you have. It also provides a rather interesting critique satirizing the rules, laws, and moral codes of organized religions, governments, and societies. After all, it's not like the guide and angels (the people who are pushing these morality laws on Carl) are such great people. You could even make the argument that they're more despicable than the very wrongdoers they're trying to correct by virtue of being tyrannical and oppressive. Thankfully, this book took a huge leap in our opinion with the next story, “Out of the Pages!” This is far and away the best story in the entire book. In fact, this story alone probably saved this book from falling into the 8.8-8.9 score territory. “Out of the Pages” is a story that blends and blurs the lines between reality and fiction, which is almost always cool! This story emphasizes the power of creativity, imagination, and literature to encourage and inspire people including in bad, dangerous, and/or horrific ways. Imagine following the dangerous, dogmatic writings of a genocidal tyrant (i.e. Mein Kamf) or being inspired by violent stories to commit acts of violence. Well, the latter is what pretty much happens in this book, however with a meta twist. In this story, an author (“Imaginator”) of a story involving a serial-killer finds that his main character—the serial-killer herself—has come to life! Her name is Sarah Real, and she's easily the most compelling character in the entire book. Her name was inspired, rather simply, by the author trying to choose a name that sounded like “serial-killer.” Well, Sarah Real is both a surreal character and an actual serial-killer. Furthermore, like some kind of murder robot, she's programmed to follow the script set forth in the author's story. So, is she really evil or is it the author's fault for programming or writing her in such a way? It's also interesting how she targets people who were involved, albeit indirectly, in her creation—going after the people from the fan site/forum who suggested the author write about a serial-killer. It's rather thought-provoking as the reader is forced to consider such things as: is this a form of brutal justice or just plain, cold-blooded savagery? Many people are fans of horror and slasher films, works of fiction in which people are horribly maimed and mutilated. Well, it's all fun and games until all of that violence comes to your doorstep! What happens when a lover of gore & violence is directly confronted with ACTUAL gore & violence along with their own mortality? Unfortunately, the book again dips in quality and enjoyability. The “Nature's Experiments” stories, “One Atom” and “The Horizontal Planet,” are incredibly ambitious, mindbending, and—at times—fascinating. They're written almost poetically, likening Mother Nature to being like a mad scientist in a laboratory of the cosmos, creating such things as the titular Horizontal Planet with 2-foot-tall humans, 3-foot-tall giraffes, and birds that attack the humans when they get out of line and start building vertically (i.e towers). That may be analogous to how many deify or venerate a creator god who—perhaps from the author's perspective—isn't necessarily very benevolent, forgiving, or kind. Mother Nature (and the narrator) keep referring to the humans as “dear children” or “dear kids” right before she acts out of wrath or out of playful pettiness. This is apparent in the quote: “She wanted to teach her dear kids a dear lesson.” The problem with these two stories is that, while they initially captivated us with their world-building and flowery, detailed descriptions, they just seemed to drone on and on and on. They overstayed their welcome, becoming overly complex, overly involved, and failing to get to the dang point. Similar to how we felt about the relentless world-building in Codex Sohrakia by KM Taylor, it almost seemed to us like the author of IMPOSSIBLE TALES couldn't just move on at that point. It became plodding, circular, and, admittedly, a bit boring. It was like sitting in on three consecutive chemistry lectures. At a certain point, the flowery, detailed language that we once adored about these stories started to become cloying and annoying. The author has a rather peculiar and often irritating way of writing. They often mix up the phrasing of words or use the wrong word altogether. Here are some examples: “...author extraordinary” should be “author extraordinaire.” “...was he becoming a Dracula?” should be “...was he becoming a vampire?” Reasoning: Dracula is a specific person, a proper noun. You can't be “a” Dracula. “...the ring could be probably radioactive!” should be “...the ring could be radioactive!” “What do you mean by, what do you mean?” should probably simply be “What do you mean by that?” “...a few mountains there were” should be “...there were a few mountains” (unless you're Yoda... are you Yoda?) “His acute brain suspected that some kind of virus was at work here. Most probably not the kind of viruses that throng the thoroughfares of the Internet” HUUUUUH? We can't help you rewrite that. “...portended no good news” should just be something like “did not bode well” “Adding insult to injury, rubbing salt over the wound” are two separate idioms with similar meanings, but are redundant when paired together “You boast you are a writer, and yet you are so dumb” sounds... dumb and awkward. Maybe it should be: “You claim to be a writer, yet you sound like an idiot.” “I will delete the whole bloody whatever already written from my laptop” is a really messy passage. Maybe it could use some commas? “...had employed a housemaid for cleaning his house” is redundant because the cleaning of a house is inherently implied by the title “housemaid” (i.e. a person who cleans a house). “They danced exactly for one hour” should be “They danced for exactly one hour” or “They danced for an hour.” “Enough of talk” should be “Enough talk.” With that said, this is a book with a lot to offer. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)
Why I Love Mama by Raymond Johnson is a heartwarming and beautiful book about the love between a daughter and her Mama! This is a love that reaches beyond just these two people. This is a love that has touched all of our lives. Our mothers set the foundation for who we are. They taught us to read. They taught us how to write. They taught us how to treat other people. Where would we all be without our mothers? This book features an adorable African-American child and her gorgeous, kind, and loving Mama. The child reflects on all the ways that she loves her Mama and what her Mama means to her. She also talks about the many, precious experiences and treasured memories she has shared with her Mama. These include visiting the aquarium and the zoo together, going to the beach, reading, playing, getting dressed, cooking/baking, and celebrating special occasions like birthdays and Christmases. If that doesn't warm your heart, we don't know what will! Conceptually, this book is a gem. It is also beautiful in more ways than one. These are probably some of the best (if not the best) AI-generated images we've ever seen. Now, that may be a concern for some people. Admittedly, it was a little bit of a concern to us as well. AI images get a bad rap. First of all, there are ethical concerns. Second of all, they tend to look like nightmare fuel or have inconsistent styles. Remarkably, the illustration style of this book is consistent throughout. For the most part, even the two lead characters look mostly consistent. However, there are some consistency issues, however minor. For example, the daughter looks significantly younger in the later illustrations than in the earlier ones. She goes from looking maybe 10-years-old to looking like a toddler. You could argue this is due to the passage of time, but we'd argue: why not do that in chronological order? Her hair and general appearance also look slightly off from time to time. The chief example of this is the Christmas scene on page 34 in which she looks like a completely different person. She is also much darker in some images and has noticeably different facial features in some illustrations versus others. Page 19 really jumped out at us seemingly showcasing a completely different character. The same can be said for the mother. Her hair and facial structure change dramatically, even just flipping between pages 3, 4, 5, and 6. On page 5, she has a longer, leaner, sharper face. On page 6, she has a rounder, more stout face. Her hair has also increased to 3x the length including becoming a lot more curly. There are other issues like, for example, the right eyes of the characters on the cover showing the common ill effects of AI images. Mama has a tattoo on her right arm on page 38 yet doesn't have one on pages 15 or 32. Her eyes are green on page 17 yet either black or brown on other pages. These inconsistencies are minor yet noticeable. When it comes down to it: do kids really care? This book is a great children's book to just sit down and read with the kids. Even though the illustrations are inconsistent at times, the overall content is catchy, easily digestible, and flows nicely and rhythmically. It helps to know that these images were based on actual photographs that the author had, which is something that we can definitely buy given the amount of detail in them. They are also very appealing and cute. If you showed us just one of these illustrations, we'd say: that looks nice! One of our favorite pages in this book is the scene in which the daughter talks about how Mama is there to take care of her when she's sick. It's a very touching and beautiful scene showing the daughter in bed while Mama tends to her. The scene in which the daughter and Mama are visiting the zoo is also lovely. It helps to think about this book as not being about the same mother and daughter. In fact, it's better to think of this book as being about mothers and daughters in general. Because of that, we can see this book as featuring multiple different African-American mothers and daughters, demonstrating the force of their love and the power of their relationships. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions: Volume 4 is an eye-opening and captivating collection of technological predictions by Ross Brand and his collaborators! This very well might be the best installment in the series! From beginning to end, Brand and the esteemed contributors amazed, fascinated, and tantalized us with their discussions about the future of digital media and other technological advancements. This is going to sound a bit cliché, but we found ourselves engaged throughout this whole book. We were constantly asking ourselves questions like: “How can we use [insert technology here] to make our lives easier?” or “How can [insert technology here] improve the quality, consistency, and efficiency of the things that we do?” or “Wouldn't it be cool if [insert technology here] could [insert cool thing here]?” Admittedly, we're a bit old fashioned and behind on the times. There are still some VHS and cassette tapes in the bins upstairs. If you go digging long enough, you might even find some vinyl! We still input every entry to our contest manually and send out bills manually like it's 1979 or the Pony Express is still in operation. Like, have you seen our website? It's just a step up from looking like it was made using an early-2000s Angelfire or Geocities account. Admittedly, that was kinda the point. It was supposed to be a bit plain and rudimentary, following examples set by the likes of IAN (Independent Author Network) and NABE (National Association of Book Entrepreneurs). We're still better though... Anyway, the point is, we haven't really embraced or learned much about the new technologies that are coming up and propagating like rabbits at spring time. Embracing these things is one issue, learning about them is another. Failing to learn or being willfully/knowingly ignorant of a subject that's rapidly growing in influence would be a huge mistake on our part. Thankfully, this book is a huge kick in the butt and a reminder for us to get with the times and to familiarize ourselves with what's going on in the tech world. And remember, technology isn't just computers, software programs, and cyber stuff. Technology is anything that is created to benefit humanity or make human life easier, more efficient, and/or more convenient. That's something we learned from Impossible Dream by Gail Buckley, a book about addressing disorders and disabilities through the use of technology. In other words, the pen in your hand, the desk you're sitting at, and the chair you're sitting on are just as much examples of technology as any supercomputer in Washington D.C or Silicon Valley. Technology will exist as long as human beings exist, and until there's an apocalyptic catastrophe of biblical proportions, it's likely going to keep advancing whether we're caught up with it or not. So why not enlighten ourselves and catch up now? With all that out of the way, what is it that makes Volume 4 the best and most compelling book in the series? Well, it's because—more than any other edition—it places a heavy emphasis and focus on artificial intelligence (A.I.). Almost every contributor in this book mentions it in some way. A.I. is the cool new kid on the block. It's the exotic hot girl in town. It's a dream to some and a nightmare to others—the culmination of fears built on media like Terminator and M3GAN. These movies warned us of how A.I. could come back to bite humanity someday, especially if it is ungoverned, unregulated, and allowed to grow and act out of control. Heck, you could even look at some of the books in this contest and see examples of how A.I. could negatively impact or positively benefit humanity. In Sentience Hazard by Alexandru Czimbor, the “CARLA” A.I. serves as an example of an A.I. that can compute and solve problems faster and more efficiently than normal humans can. However, China's “MegaAI” in that same book is an example of an A.I. that can become tyrannical, self-centered, and threaten to unleash a nuclear genocide. In Fake Out by Felicia Farber, the protagonists are put in peril as controversies arise from videos and pictures being released of them without their consent, seemingly showing them in immoral and unethical acts. Their freedoms and futures are threatened as they are faced with the prospects of prison and/or being thrown out and rejected from schools. All over some deepfakes that some kid with a TikTok account could make! Imagine that! John Giovanni Pretto tells us in Ross's book that such deepfakes could potentially play a major and disturbing role in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Opposing sides (or their supporters) may be able to make deepfake videos vilifying the opposition and showing them in a negative, repugnant light. AI-engineered media may be able to make it sound like they said something they didn't or did something they didn't. The contributor warns that this technology can lead to fake videos, audio clips, and news article, particularly on the internet. This could very well be enough to turn the tide of public opinion for or against a candidate. That's not even mentioning what influence A.I. could have on which candidates get seen or move up in the algorithm versus which get suppressed or even hidden outright. But it's not all doom and gloom. Heck, that's part of what makes this book fun: it's mostly positive and forward-thinking. Rather than being fixated on the ways that A.I. might be able to destroy the world with nukes or antimatter someday, the book is actually more focused on individual, specific little things that A.I. can do to help us. The book constantly reminds us that A.I. should be enhancing what you do, not replacing what you do. It has the potential to help with things like outlining or editing, similar to the way that Grammarly currently works. However, the most tantalizing and exciting thing that A.I. seems to hold the promise of doing is eventually being able to produce media like films, TV shows, and animation cheaply or freely! These are things that would cost an individual or studio in the ballpark of $200-250 million today! That means that everyone who ever dreamed of making a film, anime, or cartoon someday could eventually be able to do so from the comfort of their own home and with a shoestring budget! 3x Emmy Award winner Jeffrey Fitgerald (called "JeffInHighDef") talked the most about this in the book. And it's actually quite plausible. Think about it... we've gone from making “home movies” on giant cameras that you had to carry on your shoulder to editing video files from Sony handheld cams on Windows Movie Maker. From there, we've gotten to the point where you can pay $30-100 for a video editing software that allows you to produce surprisingly impressive special effects that would've been movie-quality 30-40 years ago and TV-quality only 20 years ago. That's impressive! So it's not unprecedented that we could reach a point in which all you have to do is upload a script with some character descriptions, actor names, and you'd get a full-length movie with the click of a button or a tap of your screen! This actually had us thinking back to Culver City, a novel by Brant Vickers in which the characters get to talk to and interact with actors and actresses from the past including Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Frank Morgan, and Judy Garland! Imagine being able to produce a film starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Robin Williams, John Wayne, Toshiro Mifune, and Betty White! Yeah, there'd be some ethical issues about whether or not their estates would be owed compensation for their appearance. And, yeah, there'd be the issue of them consenting to appear in a film without being alive to do so. However, just the thought that it could plausibly happen is mind-boggling! Chetachi A. Egwu, Ph.D said that, because of advancements in this technology, Hollywood is losing its grip—its stranglehold—on digital media and the entertainment industry. What does that mean for the rest of us? Well, it means more opportunities! With power and control less centralized, the rest of us have more leverage and leeway to produce great stuff of our own! There's less of a barrier to entry now that technology has leveled the playing field. Adams talked about how you could use this same technology to summarize a whole movie or film series! For example, you could ask it to show you the Lord of the Rings in 30 minutes! Imagine that! Imagine if you could do that with an hour-long biology lecture! Take that, American education system! Take that, busy work! Another cool thing that this technology might be able to do is to make movies, films, TV shows, and even video games fully-immersive and real-seeming. For example, you can be IN the world or universe with the other characters in a work of fiction or digital media rather than pressing buttons on a controller or watching passively from a TV screen, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Podcaster Ian Anderson Gray says in this book that even podcasts could be like this! It could be like you're in the studio or room with the streamer or podcaster! Gray even says you might be able to smell them. And this totally got our minds thinking dirty because you just know that the Twitch & OnlyFans e-girls and their simps are going to abuse the heck out of this technology. In other words, adult content is going to become... well, erm... edgier and more immersive than its ever been (to say the least). Those poor street corner girls are gonna go the way of Tower Records, K-Mart, and the dodo. Uh, oh! Maybe machines are starting to take all the jobs! Well, anyway, there were some other great predictions that didn't have to do with A.I. Perhaps our favorite of these predictions was made by Marisa Cali. She predicted that we would see a rise in “micro-events.” These are smaller, more personal, virtual events. They would be shorter than all-day conventions and smaller (in attendance) than a full seminar or lecture. Here's a true story about how this prediction resonated with us. A lot of us are video game nerds. During the pandemic, all of the conventions were canceled. There would be no meeting voice actors, animators, music composers, and other creators... or so we thought... Virtual cons started popping up which allowed you—the user—to create an avatar and actually tour a digital convention, visiting the different booths and attending scheduled parts of the event as if you were physically there! How cool is that! Now, quite frankly, the attendance wasn't nearly as great as a physical convention. Furthermore, the experience was a lot less cool than being there in-person and interacting with everyone face-to-face. However, it was a great backup option. It also revealed that the technology existed to make virtual cons possible. It can only get better. Maybe we'll see more like that! Roger Wakefield made some very interesting predictions about how digital technology and A.I. could make it possible to automatically translate human speech in real-time, almost like the universal translator in Star Trek! Imagine stacking a universal translator on top of virtual conventions! You could have conversations and interactions with people from around the world, no problem! Anyway, last but not least, we wanted to shout out and talk about some of the book's contributor who were the most familiar to us. Dale Roberts, a previous Outstanding Creator Awards winner and self-publishing advocate, appears in yet another Ross Brand predictions book! He provides one of the best lines in the book, saying (in regard to A.I.): “Simply crossing your arms and stomping your feet won’t put the toothpaste back into the tube. Artificial intelligence is the cat that’s been let out of the bag. Either run with it or be left in its wake.” This actually reminded us of something that was said on the Long Island Breakfast Club Show by a guest named Karen Quinones, the founder of Bridging the Gap in Esports and the author of Confessions of an Esports Mom: “The horse is already out of the barn. It isn't going back in.” Avoiding A.I. is like clinging to your CD player in an age of music streaming. Dale Roberts provided ways in which A.I. can help in improving workflow, freeing individuals up to do other things they could be doing. We also got to hear from Christine Gritmon, the “Let's Talk About Brand” lady who runs her weekly brand chats on Twitter/X. Ironically, she predicted the rapid decline and fall of Twitter and an increase of misinformation on social media. What a great collection of ideas! Check it out on Amazon! Score: 9.5+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)
Fake Out by Felicia Farber is one of the tensest and most suspenseful novels of the entire year! We found ourselves on the edge of our seats the whole time! The book hinges on an excellent, menacing, and compelling villain in Krystal Cooper, the so-called “Ice Queen” of Westberry High. Where do we even start with this b*&$#? Well, for starters, she's a power-hungry tyrant who makes full use of her cult of personality to institute a hierarchical structure among the student body with her and her “Class A” followers at the top and others at the bottom. She's a bully who uses her groupies, a gang of mean and dedicated followers known to the protagonists as “Things,” to intimidate and bully people she doesn't like. Their favorite target seems to be the main protagonist, Blair Evans. However, Krystal's defining character trait is how manipulative she is. This 17-year-old, self-centered, selfish, stuck up, snobbish b*$@% is one of the most cunningly manipulative characters we've ever encountered in fiction! We may have found Palpatine's real granddaughter. Seriously! She is constantly spinning, weaving, and telling lies, finding ways to get under the skin of different characters. She is constantly turning them against each other with a variety of strategies and tactics straight out of Machiavelli. And when nothing else works, she can always fall back on her acting and turn on the water works. At some points, you're going to find yourself thinking: Why the hell does anyone still believe or listen to this witch?! At other points, you're going to find yourself thinking: She CAN'T be right... or can she? What if she's telling the truth? Maybe a portion of the truth? Maybe a half truth? Heck, she even had us tricked, fooled, and giving her the benefit of the doubt at times! We're not kidding! She even turned us against characters we thought were good and lovable like David and Hunter Hartman. Because of Krystal's influence, we thought that Hunter Hartman, the guy who seemed overly nice to Blair, might be the one doctoring and manipulating all of those photos and videos! We even thought that Frankie might be involved in wrongdoing against David and Blair! There are so many red-herrings and potential culprits in this book! There's Hunter Hartman, Pam Epstein A.K.A. Thing #3, and Frankie Portillo (who was largely responsible for getting the protagonists arrested in the previous). There's also the enigmatic Mr. Cooper (Krystal's dad, who rarely talks or interacts in the story and is married to convicted felon), Keira Cooper (Krystal's seemingly sweet and well-meaning sister), and Alyssa Levine A.K.A. Splenda (a phony person, sycophant, and chronic gossiper). So, even with a clearly-evil culprit who seems responsible for it all (Krystal), the reader is still left wondering: What if she isn't responsible for these bad things after all? Or what if she isn't working alone? It's intense! And that's even considering that there aren't many life-or-death, do-or-die situations in this book. It doesn't matter! The protagonists, Blair and David, are constantly at risk of losing their futures, their freedom, their reputations, their love, and each other. Those are high enough stakes! Geez, and we haven't even talked about the plot itself yet. Well, where do we begin? Well, don't let the fact that this is the second book in a series discourage you from reading it. We actually didn't read the first book, but we were up to speed pretty quick. In other words: this can be a standalone read. The way the author accomplished that is brilliant. Rather than hitting us with a wall of exposition at the very beginning, the author actually snuck it into a phone conversation between the main protagonist, Blair, and one of her friends, Nikki, who is away at college. So, we basically receive an explanation for what happened in the first book from this phone conversation. The Cliff Notes version is: David and Blair were wrongfully arrested and accused of sexting at the beginning of their school year, a scenario partly manufactured by Krystal and accidentally aided by David's clumsy best friend, Frankie, who got drunk and sent out a partially-nude photo of Blair from David's phone. In concert with all of this, Krystal's mother (who we learn throughout the book has serious health problems), was arrested for ch**d p**n after accessing Blair's webcam and attempting to expose her. This was another situation that was at least partly manufactured by Krystal, who complained to her mother about Blair incessantly due to Blair dating Krystal's ex-boyfriend, David. It's weird how easily we digested and understood all of that... Anyway, Krystal continues on a warpath against Blair and David in retaliation. The villainous Ice Queen interrupts David and Blair from sleeping together for the first time, calling relentlessly, even calling multiple phone lines. Anyone who has had a crazy ex will be familiar with this kind of harassing, psychotic behavior. Anyway, Krystal drops a bombshell when she reveals to David that she is pregnant, likely with his child (as they had slept together before David dating Blair). She also used her gang to corner Blair, giving her a savage ultimatum: that Blair will drop the charges against her mother in exchange for Krystal aborting the baby. That's right, this evil, psychotic 17-year-old is so unhinged and ruthless that she's willing to barter with the life of her unborn baby just to control her ex-boyfriend and her perceived enemy! So, that begs a series of questions that eventually get answered in the book. But the question that we had this whole time was: How does Krystal keep getting away with all of this? And why do the authority figures at Westberry, including the teachers, principal, dean, and guidance counselor, all seem complicit in her schemes? They always seem to side with Krystal and blame Blair and David (especially David) for everything. It's bizarroland! Then again, this is kinda how the justice system is. Victims seem to have significantly less rights than perpetrators. Perpetrators have guaranteed legal rights. Victims, sickeningly, have to abide by these rights. It's kinda disgusting when you think about it. For example, if you're trying to get a restraining order, you have to face the person you're physically trying to avoid in court. Another issue that comes up is how Blair and David are still blamed for their arrests even though they were innocent and cleared of all charges. In other words, their charges are mistaken for convictions. For example, the administration still dangles David's arrest as being one of “three strikes” that threaten to destroy his academic and athletic careers, outright ignoring that he was never convicted and that the charges were wrong. It's agitating! And that just adds to the tension. Principal Scott, Ms. Bautista (the guidance counselor), and Dean Fowler are pretty terrible people. They might even count as villains or antagonists alongside Krystal. Meanwhile, Blair is denied letters of recommendation from classes she is performing well in because the teachers judge her based on the partially-nude photo that was leaked without her consent, the arrest, the sexting accusations, and/or them being a friend of Krystal's dad. That leads us back to asking: What the heck is up with Krystal and her family? Like, how is it that Krystal and her dad keep getting off scotch-free? Is he like the head coach of the local university football team? Is he the governor of the state? Is he the police chief? What gives? Both he and Krystal seem to have so much respect and pull in their community, yet they had a convicted felon of a very serious and disturbing crime in their home! This broke our suspension of disbelief a bit, along with the fact that they played a video of minors engaging in sexually activity for other adults as part of a case—something which realistically wouldn't happen because of laws preventing the distribution and showing of this kind of content. Usually, a trusted analyst hired by the court or the prosecution would simply describe what is happening in the video rather than it being shown to a jury. Anyway, we're still wondering why anyone likes or follows Krystal. Not only is she overtly mean and negative, but she is also described as being repugnant in terms of smell, sound, and appearance. Her voice is described as being “dreadful” and “husky.” Her smell is described as being cloying because she abuses fragrances, especially lavender. Her appearance isn't even that impressive. She's not as athletic or fit as Blair. Her eyebrows are described as “tattooed.” She really doesn't sound like an attractive person to us, even ignoring her terrible personality. The only thing about her that's emphasized as a bit of a positive is that she's busty, although we're not sure if she's actually busty or if she just wears clothes that try to accentuate that part of her body. Speaking of body parts and sexuality, you should come prepared that this book does contain descriptions of a sexual nature that include characters who are technically minors, including an emphasis on different body parts, usually for the sake of the story. This might offend or put off some people. We'd actually caution that this isn't really a YA or teen book despite it including characters who are around the age of 17. This is more of an adult book. The fact that there's quite a bit of vulgarity and cursing confirms that. We were willing to overlook that because the book is so compelling, but it's still worth mentioning. One thing we're really loving about this book is that the supporting characters are fleshed out enough without distracting from the central plot or seeming superfluous. There's a supporting character named Kayla whose parents are clearly bigoted while also being overprotective of her. Another supporting character, Rachel, isn't just defined by her eating disorder; she's also passionate about climate change and art. She provides good advice to the main character. Lastly, this is actually a GREAT book that explores artificial-intelligence and the worrisome trend of deepfakes, giving the book its title. Deepfakes involve using technology to manipulate an image, video, and/or audio to include a person or part of a person that wasn't in the original media. It can take someone's persona without their consent and show them saying or doing something they didn't say or do including doing drugs, drinking alcohol, or engaging in sexual activity, including of a pornographic nature. This is very troubling, worrisome, and disturbing because it ignores things like consent, dignity, and a person's right to privacy. The Screen Actors Guild just held a strike over this very issue since AI and deepfake technology threaten to replace their roles in movies. It has huge repercussions for our future! Various contributors actually talked about it in 100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Volume 4, which is also in this contest. This book provided us with a great, compelling, and enjoyable reading experience. It never once lost our interest or attention. Check it out on Amazon! |
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