civil blood review

Every Book I have read in 2021 Pt1

Lee Hall Leave a comment

2021 has been a year of variety in terms of reads for me. 43 in total and all of them indie or self published. I’m a big believer of supporting the industry that I’m apart of and so here is a break down of the first 21 books I read and reviewed in 2021…

‘Civil Blood: The Vampire Rights Case That Changed a Nation’ by Chris Hepler

‘An alternative but realistic take on vampires with sharp political and biological edges…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘The Word of the Rock God’ by Brooklynn Dean

‘An intimately descriptive fable that merges rock and roll with a powerful message…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Husband for Rent’ by Kristina Gallo

‘A tale full of twisting suspense about those on the fringes of society…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Deadly Odds’ by Allen Wyler

‘He’s in deep with the big fishes and the odds are hardly in his favour…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Moojag and the Auticode Secret’ by N.E. McMorran

‘Colourful and imaginative with a positive message about being different…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Snag’ by Dylan Burroughs

‘A well-paced horror that puts story first and the finer details perhaps second…‘

3 Stars Full Review

‘From Voiceless to Vocal’ by Danielle Larsen

‘Candid, brave and ultimately inspirational…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Judd’ by J.D Toombs and Erika Schulze

‘A ‘high school for heroes’ tale about the power of accepting who you are paired with some unique world building…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Deification’ by Brooklynn Dean

‘The intimate description and deep prose will consume you long before the apocalypse…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Raven Woman’s Tavern’ by Laura Koerber

“There were many things the people of Warrentown didn’t know about Raven…”

4 Stars Full Review

‘Pestilence’ by Susie Kearley

‘A well-thought-out pacey tale of the times from a promising British author…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Sex, Violence, Mars’ by Walrus

‘A short but fun sci-fi story with great world building, action and some laughs…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Nocturnal Salvation’ by Villimey Mist

‘The Nocturnal series has returned and is better than ever…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ by Dave Williams

‘A twisted, haunting and enjoyable read that dives deep into the shadowy depths of one man’s mind…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Hearts and Spears’ by Somto Jefferson Uwazie

‘A unique and thought provoking collection of emotion-resonating poetry…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Operation: Palmetto’ by R.T. Breach

‘The chase is on for one man on a mission to prove his worth and the stakes are high…‘

3 Stars Full Review

‘Josef The Writer’s Cat’ by Ellen Khodakivska

‘A heart-warming and fun story told from a unique perspective…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Life of Maggot’ by Paul Jameson

‘A masterfully written vision and song about the end of time…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘King of the Wicked’ by T.R. Hamby

‘An immersive imaginative take on Angels, humanity and immortality…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Born in Stockport – Grew up in the Royal Navy: Book One’ by Maurice Perkins

‘An entertaining and gritty series of real life tales told with charm…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘ARIA: Book 1 of the Scintillance Theory’ by Gyorgy Henyei Neto

‘Immersive science fiction with some mystery and time travel elements…‘

4 Stars Full Review

And so that wraps up part 1. You can read part 2 here! Thanks for reading and make sure you check out some of these awesome books. Remember to leave a review if you buy any! Peace out readers.

January Reading Wrap-up

Lee Hall Leave a comment

January went kind of quickly this time around. Well it did to me because time flies when you’re in a good book and so here’s what I read…

‘Civil Blood: The Vampire Rights Case That Changed a Nation’ by Chris Hepler

In this different take on Vampires Chris Hepler delivers and immerses readers into a biological/political world where those with the vamp pathogen have certain rights. There’s espionage feels paired with the concept of vampires in entirely new territory…

You can check out my full review here…

One Line Review:

“An alternative but realistic take on vampires with sharp political and biological edges…”

Rating: 4 Stars

‘The Word of the Rock God’ by Brooklynn Dean

Life on the road in a small venue rock and roll band paired with a tale of biblical level temptation – yes please. Brooklynn Dean delivers with a uniquely immersive writing style that’ll encapsulate and provoke your thoughts. It’s different but well worth a read.

Here’s my full review….

One Line Review:

“An intimately descriptive fable that merges rock and roll with a powerful message…“

Rating: 5 Stars

‘Husband for Rent’ by Kristina Gallo

Kristina Galllo tells a gritty story that could easily compare to a soap opera but with way more bite about multiple characters all on the fringes of the underworld. There’s deception, threat and even murder. A short but gripping read.

Full review…

One Line Review:

“A tale full of twisting suspense about those on the fringes of society…”

Rating: 4 Stars

‘Deadly Odds’ by Allen Wyler

For a story about one nerd looking to make it with a woman it goes deep into the criminal/terrorism underworld. Allen Wyler’s style kept me turning pages and wanting to know more about Arnold Gold who starts out with holding back the truth but for good reason…

Here’s my full review….

One Line Review:

“He’s in deep with the big fishes and the odds are hardly in his favour…“

Rating: 4 Stars

‘Moojag and the Auticode Secret’ by N.E. McMorran

Neurodiversity takes centre stage in this colourful unique tale where N.E McMorran sets a fine example of awareness and inclusion while also telling an entertaining story. There aren’t many books like this one and for the wonderful message it stands for its worth reading and applauding.

Here’s my review…

One Line Review:

“Colourful and imaginative with a positive message about being different…”

Rating: 5 Stars

And so that wraps things up for last months reads. Thanks for stopping by, see y’all in the next one….

‘Civil Blood: The Vampire Rights Case That Changed a Nation’ by Chris Hepler – Review

Lee Hall Leave a comment

An alternative but realistic take on vampires with sharp political and biological edges…

Those who know the vampire genre will also know the usual tropes that come with it. This book doesn’t have any of that. Chris Hepler has brought the concept of vampirism into a brand new light and territory that see’s it as a type of pathogen in a believable reactive world. This is of course something very relevant today and the depth of this story is found in it’s characters along with the exploration of biological and political impacts vampirism comes to have.

“…human beings are now at risk from a plague. It is crueler than cancer, crueler than AIDS, a disease that makes its victims into villains.”

There are very few books where every scene feels meticulously constructed like this one and while it is a longer read it’s clear the author has thought of everything in a story with a gritty spy thriller/espionage feel. We get to see a future that’s realistic and there are some cool gadgets that help a group of agent/spy types try to trace and put a stop to this spreading vampiric infection. All it’s going to take is for the right or wrong person with connections to ‘catch’ it and well there’s the story – but it’s way more than that.

Giving any more away would be pulling the rug under from readers who will find it original, gripping and overall engrossing, for anyone who’s interested in a political thriller with a vampire edge – something rarely seen before in literature I recommend this one highly.

4 Stars – Reviews left via Goodreads and Amazon