Book Review: Hidden Footprints of Unity by Raja Arasa Ratnam

Hidden Footprints of Unity

by Raja Arasa Ratnam

Reviewed by Cynthia Collins for the US Review of Books

"The bottom line is tolerance and fair treatment by all, to all, irrespective of origins, language, religion."

This book describes the conflicts and unity of different religions as they, and the people who practice them, search for a common ground in Australian culture. It focuses on the spiritual aspect of what was White Australia during British rule. It can either be read as self-contained or in conjunction with Ratnam's previous books, Musings at Death's Door and The Dance of Destiny, that deal with the prejudices of language, race, politics, and employment during the same time period.

Ratnam grew up in British Malaya (now Malaysia and Singapore). His environment embodied multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious tolerance. That changed when he moved to Australia at the age of 19 in 1948. He watched the country change from "white" British rule to one where the different races, languages, and religions are celebrated as a part of the variety of cultures. He goes into a lot of detail of discussing the various religions of the world as well as the beliefs of psychics and scientists. He questions the obvious and not so obvious, and wonders if those who condemn other religions are hiding their own fears of insecurity.

This is a well-written book and recommended for anyone studying comparative religion, sociology, Australian history, civil rights, and ethnic cultures of Australia. It would be appropriate for high school and college students, civil rights and religious leaders, and historians. The author uses a quote from Hippocrates made 2,500 years ago to make his point. "There is one common flow, one common breathing. All things are in sympathy."

RECOMMENDED by the USR  

Book Review: Memory's Wake by Selina Fenech

Fairies and Fantasy Pty Ltd (July 3, 2011)

978-0987151117

328 pages

Looking for a young adult urban fantasy with enough adventure, romance, and page-turning excitement to keep even the most easily distracted teen captivated? Then look no further than Memory’s Wake by Selina Fenech.

Imagine being dropped into a strange world with nothing more than the clothes on your back. From the opening pages, this is our heroine’s reality as she finds herself in a land called Avall. Her body is bruised, she is confused about how she got there, and she cannot remember anything about her life, not even her own name. She meets a beautiful yet timid human named Eloryn who has the ability to cast magic spells.

Eloryn’s unauthorized use of magic has her on the run from the wizard hunters who will not rest until she is arrested. Despite her own predicament, Eloryn decides to help this lost girl with pink-streaked hair, piercings, and ripped jeans find her way home. First, Eloryn gives her the name Memory. Memory and Eloryn must learn to trust each other if they’re going to survive as there is no shortage of danger in Avall. The wizard hunters, fae, dragons, and even the King of Avall, all want a piece of Memory.

Roen, the son of a Duke, joins the group after a failed attempt to steal from the girls. Roen fills the role of the handsome prince to Eloryn’s beautiful princess. Playing the part of the mysterious stranger and love interest for Memory is Will. Fenech gives all four characters turns as the POV narrator to paint a clearer picture of who Memory is, and does a remarkable job of giving each character their own perspective and unique voice. 

Fenech keeps us guessing throughout. There is non-stop action and new perils to keep readers hooked. Fenech has a knack for setting up cliffhangers at the end of each chapter to make sure we can’t put down her debut offering. The setting is vibrantly described and the writing flows well; however, it’s the character development that sets Memory’s Wake apart. Memory is a strong yet flawed, believable heroine. Young readers will easily identify with the problems she faces.

If the vivid description in this novel is not enough, the author has included dozens of her own skillful illustrations. The story is wrapped up with an ending that won’t disappoint and readers will desire a sequel. Frequent POV changes may distract some readers in the early chapters, but overall, this is an exceptionally entertaining novel that I would highly recommend to tweens, teens, and adults alike. Reviewed by E.R. Hynd

Available at Amazon.com

The author.

Born in 1981 to Australian and Maltese parents, Selina lives in Australia with her husband, her baby girl, an unnamed cat, and a lorikeet who’s far too clever. During her life Selina has found ancient Roman treasure, survived cancer, had knights joust at her wedding, been mugged for doughnuts, made a living as a visual artist, and shared her imaginary worlds in paintings and now in her novels.

http://www.selinafenech.com

Book Review: The Baron of Clayhill by John W. Huffman

Publishers Weekly review of The Baron of Clayhill:

Set in 1967 East Texas, this novel mixes a soupcon of the supernatural in with the mundane. Twenty-year old Paul Henry is released from the Army physically healed from the wounds he suffered in Viet Nam, but still suffering from deep psychic wounds and a radically changed outlook. Having gone through the classic lost-his-girl-to-his-best-friend scenario, estranged from family and friends and not knowing what he's going to do with the rest of his life, Paul decides to visit the grave of his father, John Allison Henry, a man he never knew, who supposedly committed suicide on the day his son was born. Paul's impulsive decision to find out more about his father sets him on a journey among strangers in a strange land, where he will find happiness and horror, love and hate, the power of determined effort, and the force of capricious fate. The author does an excellent job of keeping you enthralled, making you hope all will be well, yet causing you to fear that all will come crashing down. Like a skilled poker player, this story keeps its cards close to its vest until all the bets are in, the hand is called, and boom! - the cards are laid on the table for all to see. After the emotions stirred up by the showdown abate, one thought is left - wow! Deal another hand!

A 2010 Finalist in the Popular Fiction category of the National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

Available at Amazon in Print and Kindle

IAN Member Page

Book Review: Deception Past by Franki deMerle

Deception Past – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Growing up, Sand was confused by the two recurring nightmares. The dream about the house with the black cloud was vague and what preceded and followed it changed each time, but the other nightmare was a vivid memory that repeated itself exactly the same way each time. She was in an adult body, naked and being dragged by men in black uniforms toward a brick building. To the right of it next to the wall was where they let go of her, and she sank to her knees onto the ground with her head tucked under her body. There was a loud bang. She felt even more pain searing through her upper body and neck, and she knew she’d been shot from behind, but she was still conscious. Then the uniformed men picked her up and carried her into the brick building toward the left side of the room. It was a room with the ovens.’

Sandra Strasberg, called Sand by her friends, was born the day after Thanksgiving in 1953. She was born to normal, southern parents who showed very little affection between themselves much less Sand and her older brother Jody. Due to her mother being Catholic, she attended the local Catholic school and live went on smoothly, but the times were on the verge of changing.

At the early age four Sand would dream of living in another life during another time. For most of her life she had no idea of what could possibly be causing this disturbing dream. As Sand will later learn, her dreams seem to follow the life of Nadia Narim who was arrested in 1943 by the Nazis. Could she possibly have been reincarnated? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Being born as a baby-boomer, Sand grew up with many changes going on throughout, not just America and the south but throughout the world. She lived through segregation in the schools, Alabama governor Wallace being shot, Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Viet Nam war, and even a few disasters involving the race to the moon. What made Deception Past so interesting to me was that I too lived through these times and events. Reading Deception Past was like reading the “cliff notes” of American history from 1953 to 2006. I found myself pausing with each new occurrence to remember where I was and what I was doing at that time. It was a sometimes very enjoyable sometimes not so enjoyable walk down history lane for me.

If you’re a baby-boomer, like myself, I feel sure you will enjoy following the life of Sand, her family and friends as they travel through this time period in history. I have no doubt that you too will be sent down a road of memory. If you aren’t a baby-boomer, give our history a try to see how it stacks up with your own.

2010

213 pages

iUniverse

ISBN# 978-1-4502-1473-5

Available at Amazon.com & Barnes&Noble

IAN Member Page

Book Review: Reunion by Jeff Bennington

Reunion – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

2011

334 Pages

Nexgate Press

ISBN# 9780615450865

‘Breathing heavy from carrying the tote across the parking lot, David barged into the cafeteria, shot one round into the ceiling and shouted, “Attention everyone! Attention! My name’s David Ray, and some of you…are gonna die!” For a moment, the crowd sat quiet and still. David made a mental note of their blank faces. They probably think it’s a firecracker or a joke, he thought. I’ll show ‘em it isn’t a joke. Mr. Gardner strutted toward David, exuding his authority, but David pulled the trigger and shot a couple of the students nearby. Mr. Gardner threw his arms over his head, ducked down and crawled toward the wounded students to help. David squinted hard, looked into the crowd with dead eyes, and began shooting. Bodies scattered as the cafeteria erupted with screams, falling bullet shells, the squeaking of sliding sneakers and the turning over of chairs. He watched their scared bodies hide and tremble in fear and listened to their voices question who and why. Their fear gave him strength, feeding his adrenalin, pressing him deeper into the crowd. He knew exactly where to go. His tormentors’ locations were too predictable. The cliques always sat in the same places. David stepped forward and located his prey. He shot another round and heard another scream. He repeated the process, over, and over.’

The school massacre took place 20 years ago ending with eight students dead, several wounded physically but many more wounded mentally. Maria Vasquez lost her beloved Darrin, and to cope with her memories became a counselor working with PTSD patients. As the 20^th anniversary of the killings as well as the 20^th reunion of her graduating classapproached, Maria decided that there were probably others from her class that might benefit from a reunion as a way of facing their memories and fears.

Of those Maria was able to contact, only five responded and agreed to the reunion. Up until the day of the massacre, senior student Bryan Jacobs had planned to become a doctor. His plans changed and he became a policeman in hopes of helping to prevent the event from reoccurring. He would attend the reunion. Kate Schmidt Tooley still lived in the town of Crescent Falls and was married to Nick. Nick’s twin brother Randy was killed when David Ray mistakenly shot him instead of Nick. Nick deals with his memories by drowning them and seeing “ghosts” of David who he feels is trapped within the school Kate will be attending but probably without Nick. Lana Jones became a writer who, along with her daughter Zoe, travels around the country talking to students about the David Rays in the world. She will attend. Tanner Khan deals with his memories by creating challenges. He climbs mountains, crosses rivers and sails oceans. But when the invitation came to return to Crescent Falls for the reunion, he saw this as his biggest challenge and accepts.

These are the five who accepted the invitation to create a reunion. When it is decided to hold the actual event at the school itself, Bryan starts to have second thoughts. As part of his duty as a policeman he checks on the now deserted school. He has heard sounds and seen things at the old school that are out of the norm. But he also feels, like the others, that this may be the best place to start healing.

As I read Reunion I felt like I had stepped into a movie. As I followed each character’s story and their method of coping with their own tragedy I felt as if I knew them personally. This book is so well written that if it isn’t picked up to be made into a movie then the industry is missing out. The characters, story and events are so believable that you can’t help but picture each as something you’ve just read in the paper or seen on a news strip. For those of you who enjoy a great paranormal mystery, Reunion is a must read!

Available in Print and Kindle at Amazon.com

Jeff Bennington is asking all of his family, friends and followers to buy a copy on April 15^th, to help send Reunion to Amazon’s Top 100, even if it’s for just one day. This is an opportunity to see what a well-written book by an Indie author can do when given the opportunity to be exposed to a world of readers who otherwise would not seek out this talented author.

Night Owl Teen Reviews Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Author: Elizabeth Reyes

Genre: Contemporary, YA (ages 12+)

5 Stars

Reviewed by: Kiki for Night Owl Teen Reviews

Seventeen year-old Sarah’s world is falling apart. Her mom is being sent away to prison for three years for embezzlement, and she is being forced to move from the only home she has ever known in Arizona to live with her aunt and step-cousin, Valerie, in La Jolla, California. As if the whole situation weren’t bad enough, she has to separate from the only best friend she has ever had, Sydney. Sarah makes a promise to Sydney that she will return to Arizona as soon as she turns eighteen so that she can finish out high school at home.

Life in La Jolla is not easy for Sarah. She misses home and Sydney and she feels like a major outsider at her new high school. Her cousin Valerie is the only familiar face that stands out for her. Then, she meets Angel Moreno and she is knocked for a major loop. Angel is one of La Jolla High’s all-star athletes and has a bevy of girls dogging his every footstep. Sarah finds it hard to believe that someone like him would be interested in her, but very interested he is. Before long, Angel and Sarah are involved in a serious, committed romance. She is finally starting to feel comfortable here in La Jolla, and has Angel, along with his friends and family to thank for that. Still, in the back of her mind, she knows that she must keep her promise to return to Arizona to finish off her senior year there and reunite with her best friend Sydney.

Sarah knows she has fallen in love, but doesn’t want to let Angel know just how deeply her feelings run since she will not be in La Jolla very long. She has to get back to Sydney and her home in Arizona. Angel knows of Sarah’s ultimate plan, to return to Arizona and her best friend, but he is not aware of the fact that Sydney is a guy. Sarah has been putting off telling him that little tidbit, due to his slight tendency for possessiveness and jealousy. Can their relationship weather the truth when Sarah finally gets up the nerve to tell him all about Sydney? Sarah is keeping her fingers crossed that he will understand.

I can’t even begin to express how much I loved this book. I read the whole thing in less than one day. In fact, it was nearly five o’clock in the morning when I finished, it was that good. The book is well-written and grabs the reader’s interest from the beginning, by describing the bad news of Sarah’s mother’s fate and the reason for Sarah’s relocation and also letting you witness first-hand, the closeness between Sarah and her best friend, Sydney.

The author introduces many new characters when Angel Moreno makes the scene and begins to romance Sarah. You meet his closest friends and his brothers and sister. It is good that the reader is given insight to these characters now, as this book is the first in a new series, in which familiar characters will be popping up time and again. The introduction of these characters is also important because they help you understand the type of person that Angel really is. During parts of the story, you wonder if Angel is really being sincere, or if he is just after a quick score with Sarah. Getting to know his friends and family, you begin to understand that for Angel to embark on a relationship of this nature and magnitude, it is a very big deal.

The chemistry between Angel and Sarah is wonderful. They cannot seem to keep their hands off of one another and inevitably, their relationship takes a sexual turn. They have some really tender moments and the love scenes between the two are handled with sensuality and class.

Angel is a doll. He serves the roll of protector, friend, confidant and lover to Sarah and holds honesty as a very important element of their relationship. This is why Sarah dreads the moment when she must tell him that Sydney is a boy, because she has allowed him to believe that Sydney was a girl without ever correcting the misconception. This leads to the only flaw that really stood out as far as the character of Angel goes. He is possessive to a fault. He doesn’t like Sarah having friends that are male unless he is privy to what is going on and how frequently she speaks to these male friends. Too much control over another person, in my book.

I have read this book twice now, and wouldn’t hesitate to read it a third time. I would recommend this story to anyone loving young adult romances that delve a little deeper than the usual hug and peck on the cheek stage. I am very happy that there is a second book in this series to look forward to, and if it is half as good as this first one, we are all in for a treat.

Elizabeth Reyes at IAN

Book Review: Dead of Knight by William R. Potter

Dead of Knight: A Jack Staal Mystery

William R. Potter

RealTime Publishing (2009)

ISBN 9781849610261

Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (11/10)

I was recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing “Dead of Knight” by author William R. Potter. This book falls into the murder/mystery category and while it’s not my usual reading genre I agreed to review it. I’m glad I did because it was a great book.

The story location for “Dead of Knight” is Canada which, for me, was a really nice change. The book’s premise is this: A delusional young man believing himself to be a “soldier of justice” starts what he feels is a righteous crusade of cleansing. His victims are handpicked and meticulously stalked in order to learn their daily habits until he finally slaughters them on their birthday. I, for one, will pass on that birthday surprise thank you very much… Because of this killer’s gruesome practices the media has nicknamed him “Birthday Boy.” This nickname doesn’t sit too well with him - he wants to be taken seriously but…what’s a serial killer to do? And of course no tale featuring a heinous villain would be truly complete without an equally good counterpart trying to bring the evildoer to justice. Meet Detective Jack Staal who is assigned to this gruesome case. Jack is understandably horrified at the trail of bodies “Birthday Boy” leaves in his wake and he is determined to put an end to his reign of terror. Consequently Jack Staal will stop at almost nothing in order to apprehend this psychopath.

I’m happy to say I found “Dead of Knight” to be a fantastic read. Potter possesses great writing skills; he is appropriately descriptive and the story flows smoothly. “Dead of Knight” was suspenseful and I would agree with the back jacket’s statement that “Dead of Knight” is a cat and mouse thriller sure to delight fans…” I also appreciated that “Dead of Knight” wasn’t too easy to figure out and I admired the various plot twists that the author skillfully threw in here and there.

In summary I give “Dead of Knight” a five-star Amazon rating. It’s a riveting read but it is definitely aimed for mature readers..

William R. Potter's page at The Independent Author Network