Review

Graphic Novel Review: “Fetishes” by Lyone 3D

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Rating: 2 stars

Headline: A hefty dose of Fetish-on-Fetish action, with illustrations that needed a lot more refinement

Review:

Fetishes by Lyone 3D is the first in a series of speculative graphic novels set a world where humanoids (or “fetishes”) have been created for the protection and entertainment of humans. A highly sort after commodity, the fetishes have become the valuable playthings of the rich and famous, with ownership limited to only the elite classes within society.

After a dancing contest featuring five attractive male fetishes, the nameless woman comes away having secured what the crowd have voted for as the most desirable. Renaming the fetish to Reiver, the female owner pushes her fetish’s programming to the absolute limits, accumulating in her enlisting Reiver into a fight organised by the wives of other fetishes. For over seven pages there is pure fetish on fetish action. Reiver ultimately fends off all his rivals and is taken back home by its owner, making no attempt to hide her disinterest in her fiancée as she takes Reiver, the fetish, to bed. While the fiancée may not outwardly seem to care about the well-being of his partner’s fetish, the look exchanged between him and Reiver suggests there could be more than meets the eye to this heterosexual slave robot/human owner relationship.

The biggest critic I have with this graphic novel is in the quality of the drawings. Imagery makes up 95% of what the story is trying to portray, yet time and time again the poor quality of the character faces becomes a major distraction. When the characters grin they portray a deathly haunting look, on the occasions where characters look direct at the reader (as is the case in the first scene involving pundits talking to camera), in these scenarios the profile views are more than disturbing. The proportions are all wrong.

I can see what the author/artist is trying to do with this story and with refinement it could potentially work. I would question some of the plot developments (some elements feel very rushed through), but given this is the first in a series the story arch could possibly get through with a three-star rating. The drawing standard however, that is something much harder to overlook and ultimately brings this review down to the two-stars that it is.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Fetishes” by Lyone 3D

Purchase Link:

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Book Review: “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: A triumphant memoir celebrating the determination to succeed

Review:

The initial cursorily that drew me to Laura Kendall’s memoir My Prosthetic Life came admittedly at a level of crude intrigue, subconsciously seeking answers to the questions any able-bodied person would have in response to anyone who has grown up with of a prosthetic limb. “Do you resent the drugs companies who prescribed thalidomide to pregnant mothers?”, “what is it like to navigate airport security?”, “how do different prosthetic limbs compare, how do they operate day-to-day?” But as I dug deeper into this memoir I realised this title is so much more than that.

There is more to Kendall’s humanistic storytelling than cold metal and plastic, more to her than the clinical definition of her condition (phocomelia of the left arm). In this memoir there is instead a real sense of warmth and inclusion, with an approach to writing that is open, honest and candid in nature. She shares images of a joyful youth, coupled with the struggles of growing up in a highly conservative household and parental abandonment from the choices made in later life. Tales of love and laughter in lavish surroundings sit next to a deeply troubled scene of a failed attempt to commit suicide (prevented by the intervention of her husband). It really is a roller-coaster of emotions, transporting the reader on a journey that absorbs every element of Kendall’s life. You come away appreciating the challenges Kendall has overcome, with the hint of modesty that acknowledges there are things that could have done differently (a theme particularly present in her references to drug addiction and her role as a mother).

Some of the earlier chapters are pone to causing confusion, where Kendall’s chapter structuring moves readers a bit too briskly from recent experiences to childhood upbringing (and then back again). There is also a heavier focus on particular life stages versus others (personally I felt more could have been said on Kendall’s teenage years and the High School system). That said, this is an insightful read and nothing less than a case study on how, regardless of outward appearances, we are unified by the challenges we face.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall

Purchase Link: “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall (Amazon)

Author Website: https://www.laurakendallwriter.com/

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Book Review: “Buckhead Road and Other Horror Shorts” by Adam Nestor

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Rating: 3 Stars

Headline: These four short stories are sure to send a chill down your spine, even if the tone of voice is a bit repetitive

Review:

Buckhead Road and Other Horror Shorts is a collection of four short stories by the author Adam B. Nestor. Full of suspense and gore, they sit within the horror genre and not for the faint hearted.

“Skin”, the first and my favourite of the four short stories, plays on the idea of illusion when Corey discovers one day a mysterious lump growing on his abdomen that seemingly no one else can see.

“Jack-‘O’-Lantern” utilises the well-trodden backdrop of Halloween to set the scene. The arrival of a mysterious group of men at Jessica’s fancy-dress party set off a chain reaction of events. As the situation worsens and the bodies pile up, Erika is drawn into violent consequences of which there can be no victors.

“Buckhead Road” follows the story of Hanna and Jeremy Barnes, a newly married couple move out of the city to a house on the ominously named street Buckhead Road, where the locals are just as spooky as the goings on within the neighbourhood itself.

“Stephen’s Cabin” is written in the style of increasingly disturbed diary extracts. Penned by a former occupant, the journal details the diarist’s decent into insanity as an isolated figure in “Uncle Stephen’s” cabin with only a stray dog for company and a dwindling supply of food.

These short stories are good to a point, the stories are separate and the use of description and metaphors were well-placed for bringing the horror and gore to life. Where the writing does falter however is in some of the basics; all four stories are written in first person narrative and while this alone would not be a reason to discredit the writing, across the board there is limited distinction in the tone of voice. It feels like each tale is being recounted by the same protagonist, an image fuelled by the constant (and excessive) use of expletive language. I am no prude, but on more than one occasion it feels like the use of the ‘F’ word is deployed as a lazy get-around to express character emotion in place of better writing. The grammatical and spelling errors are also distracting, it is a disappointment that Nestor failed to employ the services of an experienced proof reader to remove some of the glaring mistakes.

This book is the perfect company to anyone who enjoys horror, just maybe not those who are horrified by grammatical mistakes and swear words.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: Buckhead Road and Other Horror Shorts (AEB Reviews) 

Purchase Link: Buckhead Road and Other Horror Shorts (Amazon)

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Book Review: “House Moving Therapy” by Mila Petrova

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A book which tries to boil the ocean in its style with somewhat tepid results

Review:

House Moving Therapy by Mila Petrova is, if nothing else, a creative homage to one determined author’s relentless determinism and resilience toward frequent property moves. Using her personal experiences, Petrova brings to market a guide which aims to support readers going through relocations, be it through the author’s empathetic words or in the medium of tough love, providing instruction on how to get through the ordeal as swiftly as possible. Throughout, Petrova’s advice is considerate, factoring in the impact property moves can have on one’s mental health and wallet.

The structure of this book is straightforward enough, five chronological sections with multiple chapters listed underneath, coupled summary boxes as conclusions to most of the key chapters. At nearing four hundred pages long, there is certainly a lot to digest here in terms of content. This is probably the book’s major stumbling block, one which limits its potential audience. While in places Petrova bestows some valuable tokens of advice (e.g., how to decide what items to keep versus what to throw away, how to ship items to a new address without breaking the bank), these insights are bogged down in far too much surrounding copy that could have been cut out altogether. Long paragraphs have a tendency to veer somewhat off topic, switching from numbered bullets to detailed descriptions of Petrova’s past life, in a way that feel more akin to memoir than self-help. At points it feels like the author has lost focus on the book’s intended purpose.

Personally, I think this book would have benefited from being split in two; one book covering the practical ‘how to’ of moving house and a second publication that was more reflective in outlook, focusing on the author’s personal experiences. This follow-on title would been beneficial memoir in its own right. Petrova’s writing is of a respectable calibre to produce both stand-alone books, instead of one chunky title.

House Moving Therapy tries to boil the ocean by tackling distinct two genres in one book and in this case, the writing just isn’t quite up to par to pull it off.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “House Moving Therapy”

Purchase Link: “House Moving Therapy” by Mila Petrova (Amazon)

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Book Review: “The A to Z Series” (self-help guides by Noah William Smith)

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A neat collection of snappy titles that place added emphasis on emotional well-being

Review:

I’ll level with you, I’m a busy person.

I have a regular 9-5 job, a tonne of other commitments outside of that, and I need to survive. As much as I’d love to read a 500 page guide on how to transform my life, if it ain’t sugar coated and nutritionally balanced, then that bar of chocolate is probably going to take priority.

Noah William Smith’s “A to Z Series” of books are anything but lengthy. While the entire series is comprised of ten books, today I am reviewing four of the collection, each about twenty sides of A4 in length, cover-to-cover.

  • Book one, How to Motivate Yourself in 15 Minutes is the punchiest of the guides, with added emphasis on quick motivational wins. It also happens to be my favourite title of the collection.
  • Book five, How to Become Emotionally Smarter has a slightly more phycological leaning, focusing on emotional intelligence and the need to consider the implications of one’s own actions on those around them. Guidance here touches on themes including respect and consideration of others.
  • Book six, Want to Replenish Your Spirit? Looks at ways to boost internal confidence and get the positive endorphins going on a tight budget. Suggestions for mood-boosting activities include smiling more and watching films with that spark feelings of joy.
  • Book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now takes a wider lens view on self-betterment, asking readers to consider their surroundings and draw on external factors to boost internal motivation.

All four guides are to the point, quick to absorb and quick to implement with a welcomed use of the author’s personal experience to add colour to the recommendations presented. As the series progresses there are some noticeable repetitions in the tips and guidance (felt most acutely in book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now, although this in part is due to its positioning as a latter book in the collection). What I would have loved to have seen inserted into these books is a wider input from the author’s local community, the methods employed by his friends, family and colleagues to insert positivity into their day-to-day lives. A visual cue or two to give a flavour of the real South Africa, from where Smith is based.

Smith’s “A to Z Series” forms a neat little collection of titles. While some could be refined and condensed it does not take away from the pleasant experience I had reading them as separate titles.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Purchase Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon author page)

Follow Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon)

Book Review: “Law Of Attraction & Effection: The Secret Ingredient to Wealth Creation”

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Reviewing Vinod Reghunathan’s self-help guide.

Rating: 3 stars

Headline: Economics and spirituality collide in this guide to wealth

Review:

Vinod Reghunathan’s self-help guide, LAW OF ATTRACTION & EFFECTION: The Secret Ingredient to Wealth Creation is a book of two halves. In the first half, Reghunathan covers the basic principles of business growth, including leveraging scale and impact. He refers to this as the Law of Effection. The writing here is economically-minded; it makes strong statements, backed-up with real world case studies of large industries who have leveraged some of the principles to great effect. The second half is more spiritual, focusing on The Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction is a broad philosophic principle founded on the manta that positive thoughts breeds positive actions. Guidance in this part of the book include how to ask the universe for guidance and the art of practising gratitude to others. Case studies focus on individual personalities from popular culture.

Before going much further I am going to tackle the elephant in the room. The word “effection” is not in the English dictionary. When I entered “Law of Effection” into a generic search engine the results were limited to say the least; after three webpages from non-reputable sources I’m directed to the Law of Effect, a concept that bears no relation to Economics. Without supporting clarification, Reghunathan’s choice of title seems clumsy and would put off a lot of perspective readers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a book covering the disciplines of Economics and Philosophy, the two halves of LAW OF ATTRACTION & EFFECTION are very contrasting. While the first section offers practical advise on maximising potential, profit and growth, the second half advises the reader on positivity and gratitude. According to Reghunathan, it is only through application of both elements that the reader can obtain financial success, however the fundamental differences between the two halves of the book mean the pairing does not quite marry up.

Each half of Reghunathan’s self-help guide is well-written and the content engaging, but combined the book suffers from being overly broad in outlook. The two-for-the-price-of-one approach did not work for me; I would have rather read two books.

AEB Reviews

Links

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – Law of Attraction & Effection

Purchase Link: Law Of Attraction & Effection: The Secret Ingredient to Wealth Creation

Author Website: https://vinodr.com/

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Reviewing the “Books That Matter” / “Aphra” Subscription Box

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Question: Do you remember that time when a feminist book subscription service was pitched on Dragon’s Den (the UK version of Shark Tank)?

Here’s a reminder if not.

To quote their website…

Books That Matter (alias Aphra) is the award-winning subscription box empowering women, powered by women. We platform marginalised voices by curating unique and inspiring reading experiences through our monthly book boxes which contain a female or non-binary authored book and themed gifts.

And guess which lucky sausage got given a box to review?

That’s right, the actual influencers. But through the wonders of a competition I have no recollection of entering (“you say blackout drunk, I say blackout Googling”) I am now the proud owner of a three month subscription. And boy, am I very excited by this development.

(So happy, I decided that throwing a blanket over my office chair would be enough to blend it seamlessly into the background…)

Then I thought “why stop there, why not do one of those unboxing-type videos?”

I enjoyed putting this quick rough-and-ready video together. No makeup, no regrets! It’s simple but heck, aren’t we all?

Debating whether to do this for the subsequent boxes I receive. Given the amount of cards I’m now in possession of and all the leftover Christmas bath bombs, I have visions of me swimming in bath salts by the time I get to June. And reading wise…well, I guess I just need to start reading more (and more quickly!)

Products featured in my Books That Matter subscription box

Book: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood

Treat: Greetings cards and bookmark by Sunshine Llama

Treat: 70% coca chocolate by Alter Eco

Treat: Frosting bath slab by Miss Patisserie

See also:

Unboxing April’s “Books That Matter” Subscription Box (April)

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Book Review: “Thar She Blows!” by Klam Burley (Illustrated by Francesca Da Sacco)

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: Childhood imaginations run wild in this fun picture book of bath time pirates

Review:

Thar She Blows! by Klam Burley (illustrated by Francesca Da Sacco) is a children’s picture book which tells the story of Bobby, a young pirate with a rascally parrot companion and a fearsome sea monster to battle. But is Bobby’s dangerous encounter all as it seems?

There is much to commend this book, including the humorous plot twist halfway through which changed the story’s direction to draw children back to a relatable environment. Children are well-known for having broad, colourful imaginations, although I would probably not have been as understanding as Bobby’s mother if I walked into a flooded bathroom!

The illustrations are nicely done, the bird’s eye perspective of the mythical sea monster flavours on the mildly surreal (think Studio Ghibli) and the slightly cartoonish depiction of Bobby maintains a sweet sense of innocence. The two forms balance each other well. The addition of hidden rubber ducks on each page adds an additional layer of engagement for parents and children; having these peppered throughout hints toward the plot twist to come.

The copy in this book could, however, be tightened. I know a good deal of adults who do not know what a semicolon is, let alone small children. In my opinion the use of this punctuation mark should not exist in a book aimed at this age demographic. The sentences are also long and clunky in places, for me the poetry did not flow naturally and I ended up having to reread pages to marry-up what sometimes could be better described as half-rhymes. Personally I think the writing would have been better as prose.

Thar She Blows! comes from a solid place. It is well illustrated and is full of the heart and charm needed for a picture book of its type. If elements of the copy were addressed Burley could find herself onto a real winner.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/thar-she-blows-kimberly-amboy

Purchase link: Thar She Blows!

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Book Review: “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples” by Tina and Michael LeBlanc

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A pleasant read, produced by a couple with sound expertise and a skill for joint-authorship

Review:

When it comes to reviewing non-fiction I often find myself baffled by relationship guides. Conventional relationships are a joint venture, yet so many books present as one person (the author) stating advice to another person (a singular reader).

In Tina and Michael LeBlanc’s book, The Ten Habits of Happy Couples, the pair bring together their professional and personal experiences to create a guide that encourages ten habits to improve connectively between couples. Examples include prioritising relationships and intimacy, setting clear rules and boundaries, and building mutual respect. For each chapter, or “habit”, there contains a quick introductory questionnaire for readers, information on the habit, “our conversation” (where Tina and Michael share their experiences), and then hints and tips for applying this habit into conversation between couples and/or into daily life.

I like the premise of this book, with an inclusive approach that is less finger-pointing and more unified in style. On multiple occasions the authors highlight toxic tendencies and encourage readers to revaluate or walk away from relationships which show signs of harm. That said, this book does suffer in places from excessive copy. When I find myself quickly flicking through twenty four pages (plus the introduction) to get me to the first habit, I know something is amiss. The use of a number in any book title makes me more impatient in nature (a trait shared with many of my millennial peers, with no thanks to the infinite number of “top ten” lists on the internet). Some of this content could have been cut, merged or the title changed to avoid the glass-eye syndrome I feel into.

While I can see the intention behind the “our conversation” sections, the dialogue between Tina and Michael comes across as too staged for my liking and equally, I am not a fan of the habit numbers decreasing from ten to one. It placed a heightened significance on habit number one which I do not think was intentional.

When reviewing the sales of this book, a purchaser commented online that The Ten Habits of Happy Couples would make an excellent wedding gift. While I am not quite convinced that nuptial events are this title’s best market potential, I do see this as having a place in everyday life, for everyday couples. A pleasant read in places, produced by authors with sound expertise and a skill for joint-authorship. I look forward to seeing what they produce next.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples”

Purchase Link: “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples” by Tina and Michael LeBlanc (Amazon)

Author Website: Better Yourself 365

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Book Review: “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief” by Emma Lou Parker

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Rating: 1 star

Headline: A strangely pessimistic-toned approach to self-help

Review:

Life coach Emma Lou Parker turns to writing in this new self-help guide, A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief. The target demographic of this book are teenagers and young adults who struggle with mental health conditions such as anxiety and stress.

The book is broken down into five chapters and includes physical stress reducing activities and recommendations on improving mental health and outlook. According to Parker, reducing anxiety is not a ‘one and done’ activity, in fact readers are actively reminded at every turn that the path to self-improvement will be filled with setbacks and slip-ups. And this is where I struggle. The core tone of voice in this book is very pessimistic.

I fully appreciate mental health is a sensitive topic and one to be approached in the right way, but even with one glance at some of the chapter sub-topics you very quickly identity a theme. “Stop the negative thoughts, stop telling yourself you can’t change, stop predicting you will fail”, there are another three “stops” in this chapter before you reach the topic “acceptance”. After this particularly downbeat chapter I found myself reaching for my emergency stash of chocolate just to lift my spirits.

Tone of voice is made all the harder to stomach by Parker’s choice to isolate readers by referring to them as “you”. Separating younger readers in such a way only makes the author come across as preachy, when anxiety is a very common mental health condition affecting millions of people (of all ages) globally. Reading this you would think otherwise. I felt uncomfortable with the number of times Parker’s activities asked young readers to write down traumatic events, perhaps not considering how this could be quite triggering without the right support.

Other minor but amounting to significant issues, starting with the web-links. Anything that encourages readers to jump to content outside the book is generally not good practice, even in eBooks. Write it well enough in your own words with references or cut it out altogether. Grammar and spelling are off in places, the drawings, while pretty, are hard to read (and I have good eyesight) and, arguably worst of all, there are no page numbers. A contents page is pointless if there are no numbers to match up.

My only hope is that Parker is able to absorb this constructive feedback when moving onto her next project. The passion is there, the writing ability, not quite yet.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief”

Purchase Link: “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief” (Amazon)

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