My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Another short story. Too much romance not enough action. Didn’t care for the main character. So, um, meh. But don’t take it from me. Many reviewers have given it high praise.
Tag Archive: short-story
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another short story. I love M. Pax’s writing. I even like her story lines. This one had me involved until the end.
And that’s just the problem. It ends far too soon. I can’t wait to read some of her longer works.
The nicest part of these short stories is they allow that ‘treading water’ time between books I need to review. There was a need to cleanse the reading palate.
I have been reading Ms. Pax’s stories from Smashwords (mostly for free or $.99) which means I read them on my Moon Reader Pro app. I love this app because I can use the text-to-speech feature that keeps me focused and I can vary the speed and pitch to push my reading speed while staying engaged.
Check out M. Pax when you get the chance.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was an intriguing story. It’s pretty good as short stories go. But as all short stories, it leaves me wanting much more. I would love to see it developed into a novel.
Bermuda Triangle by Susan Cartwright
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My author friend, Susan Cartwright gave this story to me a while back to see what I thought. For some odd reason I didn’t do a review. Maybe there wasn’t a place here on GoodReads at the time? I don’t know. I just saw it listed on my Shelfari. Yeah, I keep forgetting that site is there. So I thought I would try to make sure this review happened.
Okay, the writing was great. The overall story was interesting. My own biases get invovled here. I found it too man-heavy. I am not into military life and jargon, though the author did a wonderful job in her research. This is where my navy husband was able to verify that research.
I did like the ending, it felt rather like Twilight Zone or X-Files. You do not guess how it will end.
Oh, my other bias is short stories. I am not only a novel reader, I prefer LONG series. I love getting to know the characters in depth and learning about their worlds. So, unfortunately, this made me uncomfortable in telling my friend how I felt. Still, after all this time I remember the story, so I am going to raise my rate from three stars to four. 🙂
Space Junque by L.K. Rigel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Strong fem lead. Check. Space ships and shuttles. Check. Dystopian post apocalyptic world. Check. Adventure. Check. BUT… The story had holes and often lost me. Dare I even say, it bored me? Yet, I couldn’t resist looking to see if I have book two. Big mistake. I’ve started reading it. Actually, not only do I have the next book, I have the omnibus edition with all three books. So that is what I will be reading from next.
Space Junque has been on my to read shelf for so long I had forgotten it. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It is unique in the genre. I’m hoping the next parts of the story are better.
The Witch Sea by Sarah Diemer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Talk about overdoing it. I picked up the free version on Smashwords.com. Then forgot I had it and picked up the free one on Amazon! By the way, it is still free on both sites.
This was a short but sweet book. I loved the characters Nor, the sea person, and Meriel, the witch. Though there is a brief romantic tryst between the characters, it didn’t overpower the story. I liked that for the quick read.
I loved how both characters came together to understand they could help each other as they were both prisoners of their respective dwellings. I loved the descriptions of sea and surf.
Short stories are not my thing. They always make me want to know more about the characters, and learn what happens next. I love knowing people in my real life in a deeper way. I want to know what they think, what makes them tick. I am very bad at social small talk. So I think that is why short stories don’t appeal to me. Sorry.
Anyway, if you are so inclined, check out this sweet story.
Placencia by C.A. Clemmings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given this story free for an honest review. Thank you, C.A. Clemmings.
First what I loved: I loved feeling I was on the beach in the Caribbean. I felt I was on a grand vacation. I loved the main character and the people she meets.
Okay, second, what I didn’t like. That it is a short story. Ergh! Next to cliffhangers in my list of dislikes (hates?). I barely get to know the characters and have hints as to what makes them tick and the story is over. What happens next? Will this relationship end? will another begin? Can we live in Placencia, please, please, please? And make sure you have your white bathing suit!
This was fun as long as it lasted. 🙂
Unmasked Alloy by Becca J. Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! Was this part of the same series as Not the Norm (A Sub-Normal short story by Becca J. Campbell?
I fell into like, um, I really cared about the characters, in the first book. It was that caring that drove me to read book two. That’s a good thing! This part of the story hit the ground running. If there were mistakes in the grammar or spelling I didn’t notice for trying to keep up with the action.
In a world of super-humans, being either sub-norm or just human can be down-right dangerous. Hence the name of the name of the series (Sub-normal). Though you see this in the first book, this second book throws it in your face.
My only problem with this book was that I was left LONGING for part three. I have tried to think through, as a writer, how I would handle this. Would it be better as one larger book broken into sections? Then I had to think about the author. Would her larger book make as much as three (or more) short stories? I, for one, was looking for something fast when I picked up book one, and then book two. But the waiting for the next installment, then trying to remember where we left off… I guess this is why a lot of people wait until they’ve gathered all the parts before reading it as a whole. I am sure this is a quandary for serial writers everywhere. Point is, I can’t wait to read the next in this series!
Darswords 