Book Review – Flores Factor

Book Review: Andes Aura by Ryan Sullivan

When Ryan Sullivan contacted me about Andes Aura, it was the book description that hooked me on this book. I like a good fantasy story, and this sounded like it would be a great one to read. So naturally as soon as I had room in by “to read” list, I jumped on the chance to read this.

Andes Aura follows a Eoin and Saera (brother and sister) who are living by themselves. Saera has been given an Aura, a power that she doesn’t really want anymore. Because she has this power, she is exiled and persecuted.

The world here is well thought out, though not well explained. But you learn as you go, and for some readers that is far better that being “told” how the world works. But for me, I found myself having to guess, only to find out I was wrong later. But the rules for this world are consistent, and the world is believable.

I liked Eoin, Saera, and some of the other characters. But others, such as the Queen and the Thief King were not very well thought out and I found some of their behavior to be plot driven and odd.

Saera was my favorite character, I really enjoyed the way she grew as a character. Of all the characters she was the most believable, the most loveable, and seemed to have the most at stake.

The plot and story of this book are very well thought out and there is depth to the story. There is certainly things going on behind the scenes. The story was something that made me really want to press on and find out what happens to Saera.

The prose on the other-hand was hard for me to read. I found the writing style to be over explanatory in some spots where short text would have been better and short passages where more information was needed. I didn’t like a lot of the dialogue. Some of it felt forced. In some parts I felt as if the characters were speaking to me the reader, rather than to each other.

There were several spots where I had to stop reading just to rest my mind from the writing style. But the story kept calling to me so I had to go back to finish it. I realized that the story made up for some of the plot short falls.

The book is $2.99 on Kindle, and that is probably a pretty fair price for a fantasy book. Though after reading it, I would probably only want to pay $1.99 for it. I wouldn’t recommend getting the paperback, unless you just don’t do eBooks.

Ryan Sullivan is going to get to be a great author. He certainly has the skills to be phenomenal. The prose could use a little polish but after a buff and a shine, this book is pretty good. Story and Characters are what makes this a decent story.

About Ryan Sullivan:

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Amazon Links: Paperback / Kindle

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

Book Review: Serving Time by Nadine Ducca

Hopefully Nadine Ducca doesn’t take offense when I say that before she sent a tweet to me about my Author Features, I hadn’t known about her book. But when I saw this cover art, I was instantly drawn into the idea of this story. I’ve said it before, but cover art matters, and this art work was stunning.

Serving Time follows two brothers, Tristan and Eneld Cross. Eneld finds himself abandoning his ambitions and helping his brother (with the help of a demon’s “visit.”). Tristan is far from a good person who goes from a murderer for hire to a drug mule. Together they hope to escape persecution from StarCorp.

This is a Space Opera on the grandest of scales. The world that Ducca has created is so in depth that it has to be real. You have no choice but to believe the story is one of legends rather than fiction. I have to say that the thought that went into this world and how it behaves is phenomenal.

There is not a character in this book that I don’t like. Tristan is real. He is a struggling man trying to find away to change his life against all odds. A character I can relate to. His brother, Eneld is not much “better” than his brother. He is fighting his own addictions and struggles to be the guidance counselor his brother needs.

I think Time is my favorite character in this book. Goddesses are so rarely intriguing to me. But her character is strong, she has her own problems that I can relate to, and I believed her as more of a person than a Goddess.

Robert, Time’s butler so to speak, is introduced in the prologue and I began to question why he was introduced. He doesn’t have much involvement until the middle of the story. But I like Robert, he craves power, but he wants acceptance too.

The best part about these characters is that there is no defined evil characters. There are no good guys and bad guys here. You want them all to succeed in their own way and that makes for a more believable story. In real life, good and bad are so much harder to define. The same is true of the characters in Serving Time.

The story was deep. There is so much more going on in this story than what you read in the words on the page. There is a universe full of activity going on in this story. We follow Tristan and Eneld’s story. But there is Robert’s Story, Time’s story, and even Verin’s (a demon) story. If you are looking for a story that will suck you right in, you’ve found it with this one.

If I was to put down a issue, it would come with the ending of this story. There is a strong punch at the end and it felt good to see it. Then is trails off for a bit before hitting me with the second blow and ending the book. I’d have preferred more of a one, two punch at the end. But trust me, I was far from disappointed.

Nadine Ducca has a way with words that I envy. Her prose is astounding. I only wish I could harness half her talent with words. Her descriptions engage all your senses and she has a way of describing things that most would not think of. But is works. She really makes you feel like you are part of this story.

This book is only 99 cents on Kindle. Ducca is practically giving is away at only a dollar. The bottom line is you will read this book more than once. I’d easily have paid more for this. If you’re a book collector, you’ll want to buy the paperback. As soon as I can, I’ll be adding the paperback to my collection. Some books you just have hold, Serving Time is one of those books.

This is one of those books where I wish the sequel was out now. I really don’t want to wait to read the next one. If you love science fiction, especially the depth of a true Space Opera, you’ll want this book.

About Nadine Ducca:

Amazon Links for Serving Time: Paperback / Kindle