Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The Fourth Piece (Order's Last Play, Book 1) by E. Ardell is a science fiction tale. Lyle, Lawrie, and Devon are three brothers who find another brother, Evan, dying. All four are the chosen ones, chosen by Order, an alien goddess. Devon, Lyle, and Lawrie are half-alien - Vulattos - but, because they can get away with looking human, they have been popular. That comes to an end one night at a party when the three brothers have a combined vision of their fourth brother dying off-world unless they intervene. They don’t remember Evan very much, but he is their brother and they can’t let him die. In trying to save him, the three brothers put themselves in danger. They also inherit a destiny, one that hasn’t been kind to their predecessors. In a story set in 2022, the four brothers have the power to determine what will be left when the gods tire of the game.

The Fourth Piece (Order's Last Play, Book 1) by E. Ardell was something different. Written in the first person, each chapter rotates with a different brother doing the narrating. I found this a little confusing to begin with, but soon got into the swing of it. The character development is good, allowing a reader to meet the brothers and learn about them and their backgrounds, laying the groundwork for the rest of the story. The plot was detailed and complex, which I found made it a little difficult to keep up with, but not so much that it spoiled my enjoyment of the book. It will be interesting to read book 2, to see where the author takes the story next.

Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

Girl of Fire by Norma Hinkens is the first book in The Expulsion Project, a light sci-fi action adventure trilogy. Trattora is the chief's daughter in a backwater frontier planet. Adopted at a young age, her red hair is distinctive, as is her curiosity. Then one day a ship comes to her home planet and she finds herself instantly connected to one of the crew, a serf by the name of Velkan. Their connection is strong, especially when they discover they both have matching bracelets, the only hint to their shared past. Unfortunately, space pirates invade the planet and they are forced to flee for their lives. It takes them on a journey of mystery, treachery and found families.

I enjoyed Girl of Fire by Norma Hinkens. It was a light, fast paced read that should be easily enjoyed by fans of Cinder. Girl of Fire grabs you by the first chapter and, once you're captured, refuses to let go. Trattora is a capable heroine and full of curiosity. She has a great support network of friends and while the romance between her and Velkan is a bit sudden, it's also cute and doesn't dominate the whole novel. There were a lot of double crosses throughout and Girl of Fire is filled with twists and revelations. Hinkens created such an engaging world that I'm curious to know what's going to happen in the next book. I would love to learn more about Preeminence and Trattora's true home planet of Mhakerta. A great read for any fan of light science fiction and fast paced intergalactic adventure.

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

Poison, Book 1 of the Wind Dancer series by Lan Chan takes place in a well-constructed future world full of wonderful beasts, advanced science, and the same old human problems of treachery, greed, and murder. Wind Dancers, Furies, Reapers, Wanderers, and Seeders are just some of the imaginative creations Lan Chan brings to this novel. The story starts with a murder in the middle of the night and things go downhill from there. The Seeders are the bad guys, the people in power, and the hero, Aurora Gray has sworn that they all must die. Poison is a tale of revenge, revolution, and betrayal. Aurora doesn't know who she can really trust and this will cost her as she tries to figure out who is a friend and who is a foe.

I like the way Lan Chan unveils her novel and her world step by step through the eyes of Aurora and her young friends. This is the heart of this first book of the series. We have to learn who these people are and what they are fighting for. This happens in a slow progression, with a kind of coming of age for our heroine. The characters are richly drawn and appropriately complicated. Many of them are not who they seem and we learn this as Aurora does. Poison moves steadily towards a satisfying conclusion, but the battle is far from over and the stage is set for Book 2. I think young people will enjoy these books, but older readers will like them too. Aurora grows in strength with each challenge and makes a pretty good role model for teenage girls.

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

She’s the product of the Underground and in all her sixteen years has never seen the outside. All that changes quickly when the soldiers stage a raid on her home. She manages to escape, leaving her family behind, but in so doing goes above ground for the very first time. There she is soon to learn she has only one option for survival; join a government organization named The Legion, available for teenagers with no other place to turn. Learning that the soldiers are still looking for a female escapee, she decides to pose as Raja, a boy-soldier. The Legion is like nothing she’s ever seen or even imagined when she meets Senior Commander Briggs, whose savage authority reigns over the teenage soldiers.

The training is brutal and she quickly decides her best option is to join a band of nonconformists known as the South Tower Rejects. There she meets Stirling, a tall young man with copper colored hair and a strange accent. Intrigued, she is determined to find out more about this man. She is soon to discover there’s more to the Rejects than she first thought and she must quickly adapt if she is to endure and find a way to locate and save her lost family.

This story is targeted at the young adult audience, but any sci-fi fan will find it quite enjoyable. The story is told by Raja and the reader is soon caught up in the story of her life and the dangers she faces. The author has created a tale with interesting characters, first-rate dialogue, and a well developed plot. The story moves at a rapid pace and is filled with action, adventure and intrigue. Well done.

Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

In The Cloud Seeders by James Zerndt, Thomas and his young brother Dustin haven't seen a drop of rain in over a year. With the water drying up, the government had gone from Eco-conscious to Eco-hysterical making sure that every drop of water is accounted for, turning things like home gardening and car washing into serious infractions. Thomas is more intent on keeping his brother safe and making it through the day while his rebel rousing friend, Jerusha, feels that there's more to the drought than what the government's spilling. She's determined to find out even if it means going with Thomas and Dustin on a cross-country road trip. A novel that defies easy explanation, The Cloud Seeders is great for anyone interested in the HAARP project or post-apocalyptic, road tripping adventure.

In his acknowledgment, Zerndt said that The Cloud Seeders was turned down by several publishing houses, which is usually my cue to avoid the book like a vampire shuns sunlight. However, The Cloud Seeders was a fantastic read, one that I would love to see on the shelves (mine especially). The characters were very realistically written, nothing struck me as manipulative or sentimental, the way Thomas, Dustin, and Jerusha reacted to various situations I couldn't imagine happening any other way. I found myself thinking of them long after the book was done. I even enjoyed the poems. Usually after reading one or two I wind up skipping over the rest, but in The Cloud Seeders the poems were funny and interesting and gave us little hints about the characters. A thoroughly enjoyable book and I’d be interested in seeing more what Zerndt has to offer.

Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

D'mok Revival: New Eden is the first book of the New Eden story, a part of the D’mok Revival literary universe created by science fiction author Michael Joseph Zummo. In this continuing saga, the superhuman D’mok Warriors are pushing back the Nukari beasts to what remains of the world they once lorded over. The D’Mok Warriors have just scored an important victory, but the threat is still alive and real with the Nukari leader, Kajlit’ga, on the loose, and her beasts and their allies continuing with their attacks. Rhysus Mencari, whose family is believed to have been killed during the invasion, commands the D’Mok Warriors from the war room of New Eden, hoping to crush the Nukaris so that his people will find lasting peace and freedom. The discovery of a prison planet, however, will deepen Mencari’s resolve, as he is faced with the possibility that his family may still be alive.

Released in 2013, Michael Zummo's D'mok Revival series is listed among the "Top 20" in the Amazon Science Fiction list. And in D'mok Revival: New Eden, the author launches another impressive chapter in the colossal fight between the Nukari beasts and the D’Mok Warriors. The war is not over and it is simply mesmerizing to follow one action scene after another taking place in strange planets and fought with highly imaginative advanced technologies. If you’re already a fan of Zummo’s writing style, you’ll be glad to know that his narrative style still has that sense of urgency that makes his story jump under your very eyes. And as we are caught in the exciting head rush of his narrative, we get to know each of his complex characters and understand the reason why they behave the way they do, whether we spend many chapters with them or only a few pages.

Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Breeder by K.B. Hoyle is a brilliant example of dystopian fiction. Humanity has been forced to the brink of extinction, taking with it a large population of wildlife. Fortunately the Unified World Order has introduced a Controlled Repopulation Program and, in the interests of survival, only the most perfect genes will do. Flaws will not be tolerated so, in order to ensure a perfect child, Breeders are carefully selected. Seventeen is one such Breeder, one designated as genetically ideal. She is happy, her life is perfect. Or is it? An enforcer named Pax stirred such doubts while reminding her of a name she once possessed long ago, Pria. Doubts and curiosity are not tolerated. She is forced to flee, and Pax aids her escape. She has never seen the world outside, a world of survival. Threats lurk around every corner and soon she discovers the existence of something Pax calls nests, a community of those with recessive genes, and his need to find one is the reason he sought to rescue her. They need her, a Breeder, in order to stand against the UWO, but can they convince her of the truth, of a reality conveniently hidden from all those within the UWO?

Breeder is one of the best examples of first person narrative I have ever read. It is engaging, descriptive, and immersive. K.B. Hoyle introduces an array of diverse and interesting characters, conflict, and a gripping plot. To say I enjoyed this is an understatement; I was absolutely captivated. This book was simply perfect in every way. It is well-written, well-balanced, thought provoking, and thrilling. Breeder is filled with imaginative ideas underlined with a subtle horror as the reader is forced to consider how easily the world created could come to pass, especially when we already place so much focus on appearance and physical traits. Breeder will certainly appeal to a wide audience. I can’t wait to read more, and will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite

I Am Titanium (Pax Black Book 1) by John Patrick Kennedy introduces us to Pax, a teen genius who learned to contact the astral plane and communicate with a being who lives in that plane. The bad thing for Pax is that he is also dying. Pax gets an offer from his astral mentor - a chance to have a life of great power, and all he has to do is let the astrals inspect Earth. Pax, of course, agrees to the opportunity. The next event will change Pax and his friend Scarlett's lives forever. The astrals, of course, have their own agenda and mankind doesn't mean much to most of them. What is worse is they are not the biggest issue.

This book is both interesting and controversial. Pax is a highly intelligent young man who has an autoimmune disorder that affects him every day of his life. Pax does not allow this sickness to stop him being a brilliant person. Author John Patrick Kennedy has created a whole new interesting world with the astrals and what they have planned for Earth. I enjoyed this book a great deal and it kept me guessing the entire time I was reading it. There is a depth to each character and each part of the story that you don't see too often in this genre anymore. It is truly a fantastic and enjoyable read. If you want to read a brilliant book that has been well written and has deep and interesting characters, this is a book you will enjoy.

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Orah and Nathaniel are on a journey in The Stuff of Stars. It is a journey that began in the first Seekers book, The Children of Darkness. A journey that began with a desire to recover the wonders of an intelligence that existed before their days until temple rule, this journey takes the couple across an ocean to find the descendants of the original keepers, those whose knowledge and intelligence will help, or so they believe, their own world as it struggles to recover from a life marred by multiple restrictions. Orah and Nathaniel do find the descendants of the keepers, but those they seek are now known as dreamers and they are neither alive nor dead. Those they meet represent opposing views of the age of intelligence that led the dreamers to an existence far above and beyond the realms of basic human comprehension. So how will Orah and Nathaniel communicate with these dreamers? How will they convince the opposing communities that there really is no right or wrong and it is better to work together?

This is another powerful story from popular author David Litwack. The Stuff of Stars, although part of a series, is expertly told as if it were a stand-alone novel. Background information from the first book in the series is presented and unraveled as needed. The centuries-old search for a utopian existence is challenged in this second novel as the two protagonists, Orah and Nathaniel, find themselves pitted against two points of view: that intelligence and living with intelligent machines is the only way to survive, and that returning to nature and living off the land is the right way to go. The utopia that the protagonists seek is mired in questions with no answers, and the truth they hope will help their own people across the ocean is difficult to ascertain. Is there a right or a wrong answer? Can a real utopia truly exist? The reader is left with these troubling questions as the novel ends with a bridge to the third book.

Excellent plot development, description, characterization - the reader truly feels like he/she is part of this story. This is a fantastic story that continues the plot initiated in the first Seekers book: a tale about a futuristic utopian world that is anything but perfect. There is only one word to truly define this novel: WOW!

Reviewed by Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

When We Were Human by Kate L. Mary is set in a post-apocalyptic world recovering from a devastating alien invasion. Eighteen-year-old Eva has spent the last year punishing herself for her sister’s death. With the population destroyed, Earth in ruins, and gangs terrorizing the survivors, she sees little hope left for the future. She soon crosses paths with Walker and Tara, two people traveling down the hot Georgia roads. In these new friends Eva sees a promise of what the future could be, as well as evidence that humanity might not be extinct after all. When a ghost from Eva’s past makes an unexpected appearance, the group sets out on a cross-country trek that will teach Eva how to love and hope again, and will remind her what it truly means to be human.

When We Were Human by Kate L. Mary is a well told piece of dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction that relies less on the physical tropes pepper of the genre, and takes a more introspective approach. It's a steadily paced book filled with nuanced characters and nasty creatures. I think it's brilliant that Mary started When We Were Human after the invasion had passed; it makes things really unique as we get little glimpses here and there of what happened. I would love to learn more about the world Eva and the gang lived in. But as much as When We Were Human is filled with sadness, loss, and regret, it is filled with hope as well.
I must have a sequel!