A good story, lots of original ideas
592425
A good story, lots of original ideas. Clearly the first of a series; no resolutions of plot lines are offered here. MAJOR RAPE TRIGGER WARNING. I'll buy the next one. Write faster, Ms. Garcia!
2304489
A really good story brought about with a fresh idea. This book is not the normal for this genre and it's a really good read.
3545154
I think that this story is very original. The author used so many wonderful components when creating this story that it works for so much. By that I mean there's a historical aspect, a romantic aspect, and a suspenseful aspect along with many more, help to create the "all over the place" mood in a very well-thought-out way. I feel like there's something for everyone in this book, which means a wide variety of readers could enjoy this. There's something for the romance lovers, the adrenaline lovers, and even people such as myself, who always try to find a way to connect history to fiction. And once you start, you won't be able to stop until you're done. The author makes sure of that with the opening incident. I really enjoyed this book and it gets five stars from me. I'll probably pass it around in my group of reading friends.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
157375
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Little Worlds of Magic is an imaginative tale about about a boy, Mason, who has to move. Much like other protagonists, and real people, he doesnt like this. But when he meets the Punwees near his new home, things start to change for him. The story has a lot of potention, and is very imaginatively created. I also thought the illustrations were very well done, and a good addition to the story. The writing, though, could use some work. There were some typos, and also the pacing seemed off. I felt things could have been explained a bit more. For example, at the very beginning, we go from the boy surfing, to him immediately sitting at the dinner table with the Commander, my father, and my mother. In addition, it needed some better explanation of who the Commander was. The way it was written, made it sound like the commander, and his father are two different people. If the Commander is his father, then that needs to be clarified. I think if the story were to be passed by a professional editor, and rewritten, the story would be spectacular. It is already a wonderfully thought out story. The execution,  however, could be done a little better.
2687102
Very creative and thoughtful,  an enjoyable ride
2834689
Kirkland's ideas are fresh.  I read an average of 200 books a year (thanks Kindle Unlimited), and RARELY feel compelled to write a review.  That said, themes I associate with really good SciFi stories are addressed in unique ways.  Authority, technology and individual freedom; humanity, ethics and the possible ramifications of going too far.  If Kirkland combines his imaginative third party narratives with character development and a full story arc, he could write a great novel.
4375077
What a fun story to read.  The concept it presented was interesting and original and the story moved at a fast pace that never let up.  Sure it would be easy to poke holes in parts of it but so what?  It was a fun read and I hope the authors do a sequel.
3582933
Interesting, unique idea, and I enjoyed the futuristic elements. There's a lot going on in this book, and I enjoyed all the action. I would've liked a bit more character development and one on one interaction between main characters, so I felt more connected with the characters, but I do like all the characters, and I really enjoyed the different powers some of the characters have. Kaylin is a strong character, and she has to deal with a lot in order to survive. She's been on her own, fighting to hide her powers since she was a little girl, but she has maintained a sense of hope. Kaylin falls in with a resistance group, and looks to find out more about herself, her past, and how to find a future that won't persecute those similar to her. Entertaining and I'm looking forward to seeing where these characters end up. I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I think the narrator did a good job, she has a younger sounding voice that I feel fit the character of Kaylin, and she did a good job with the other characters.
2367190
I really enjoyed this story and found many aspects of it intriguing. The only thing that I find a little disappointing is that human culture and religion never seem to evolve in sci-fi stories even thousands of years into the future. I know that this is sometimes done intentionally to reflect our own shortfalls and idiosyncrasies. Regardless, this is a very enjoyable read with lots of surprises and a very engaging main character. The idea of a completely cloned society existing in another planetary system far removed from and out of touch with Earth is novel and something to think about. And the critters they have to fight!
3360007
While the concepts of mind reading and a government that has overstepped its boundaries aren't new to YA fiction, Quinn manages to present a story that is original and hard to put down.

Kira is a young girl who is a "zero," a rarity who has not yet developed mind reading powers in a future world where mind-readingi s routine.  Quinn capably sketches a world that has been changed by this ability -- technology, social mores, slang, schooling, and building codes have all been impacted by this change.  There were times when I found myself wanting a bit more detail or time to get used to the world, but I can't really complain when the author decides to get right into the plot of the story.

Kira turns out not to be a "zero," but to have a rare mental ability to control the minds of others.  Her initiation into her powers is somewhat traumatic in a very YA way and one of her classmates quickly identifes her, as he shares the same ability.  This launches her into an underground of mind controllers and brings her to the attention of the government.

At first I fear that the author was setting up a banal love triangle and that high school drama would make up a big part of the book, but this isn't the case.  I thought Kira was a realistic character -- her frustrations and decisions were realistic for a teenager girl, if occasionally frustrating for the adult reader.

The pacing wasn't always perfect, but this book was original and interesting enough to make me want to check out the sequel.
10940
Mr. Nuttall seems to have an inexhaustible supply of ideas for stories. This book explores a possible future where humanity, although extremely advanced, lives on the edge of extinction at the hands of a mysterious enemy.

The plot and exposition are engaging, as is the character development. It would be nice to see another book in this universe--what happens in the future?
214432
A very original story that describes chaos in a very interesting and colorful way; From its followers to its worlds and artefacts. While reading you get the impression that too many new story lines are established to deal with in a single book, but in the end it all comes together. It deals with the lowliest imperial and choas servants upto the mightiest demons, and even the emperor himself!
4962354
A story like this could suffer from trying too hard. It's like making a soup and including the kitchen sink. But without suffering from being derivative, every magical and literary idea is thrown together stretching from Dickens to Rowling with a side of Kipling and Dahl, and out comes fully realized original story with orphans, evil wizards, genies and an authentic team of young heroes. There is treasure and disappearances, searches and the whole thing works wonderfully. This a novel of originality based on things we've all seen, that are all a part of our story consciousness and when it's this we'll it deserves applause.
4801130
I really enjoy the premise of the story-that U.S. Humans are continually screwing up, continually trying to make life better, and continually dying.  The idea that we are continually bring reborn isn't new, but I liked the fresh way Mr. Legg looks at how death is intertwined with life-past and present.  The character development is alright, a little on the shallow side, but I think the author is trying to appeal to an audience younger than myself.  The story is capturing, and I will read the second in the series to find out what happens with Nate, Dustin, Spencer and Crowd.  I would recommend this book to those who like an adventure with some thought provoking insight about human nature.
2205887
This is kind of hard book for me to review. There was a lot I liked and a lot I thought could use improvement.

The story is strikingly original, pretty much completely incomparable to work from any other author I've read. The story uses some genre tropes well known to fantasy, like fairies, golems and sorcery etc. but even these are interpreted in a new light. The story ultimately revolves around a few specific themes, art, science, culture/religion and a twisted form of family devotion.

The story is generally dark, even horror influenced I would say, but it doesn't really remind me of dark fantasy works like those of Cook, Wagner or Erikson. What this story reminded me most of, almost on a subconscious level more than anything on the surface, was not another book but rather a video game; the original Diablo. The story was so dark, and nearly hopeless (I almost wonder if/how mankind is even in existence in this world) that it just felt like I was descending deeper and deeper into darkness and despair while reading it. I would say it has some gory aspects to it, but I felt very little shock while reading it. Which unfortunately was a bit of a detriment for me. I may be reading about dismemberment, infanticide or cannibalism, but it felt more like I was just being told about it instead of shown it. At times it made it hard for me to imagine a scene, though the art throughout did aid in that aspect. Nonetheless I think a stronger use of imagery I think would have aided in this aspect. The art itself is actually drawn by the author himself, and his art style succeeds in at once adding to the darkness, yet the impreciseness (and even the suggestion that these are quick sketches and not complete likeness) of his style doesn't detract from whatever imagined scene one has in their head.

Structurally Lords of Dyscrasia switched back and forth between first and third person. The third generally representing one character's story and the first representing another (though the stories are connected and analogous). Though I had no issues with this structure itself I found the first person view I worked best and added a certain extra emotional depth that I felt the third person parts were missing. I also felt like the story lacked a bit of tension, suspense and mystery. I rarely wondered what would happen next, I just kept reading more or less just accepting everything as I went, but not necessarily hungering for more.

The prose of Lords of Dyscrasia varied, I found some of it, especially the dialogue and discourse between characters to be somewhat wooden, yet at the same time the subject matter and themes (disease, chemistry, and art) added a beautifully dark aspect and a unique set of word choices not seen in any other fantastic works. I also appreciate the use of verse poetry and song smattered throughout the story, an aspect often missing in modern works of fantasy (and something I love from works of old).

I think was the greatest success of Lords of Dyscrasia is the complete ability to envelope it's reader in darkness. A bit of a bumpy ride at times, but surprisingly professionally executed for an author's first novel especially one independently published (very little grammatical, spelling or structure issues). I didn't love, but I did like it and especially appreciate it for it's uniqueness. 3/5
1578729
The premise of superheroes with lessor powers having to save the city has been done before, but there's enough originality to keep it interesting.  The story has enough surprises to keep me interested in what was going to happen, though a couple things came out of nowhere (in a bad way).  Not enough to ruin it, but one of them weakened the story for me.
The characters are fun and interesting,  but some of them could have used more depth and come off as somewhat two dimensional.  I felt the same way about the dialogue, as there were conversations that seemed forced and unnatural.
I don't want to give the impression that I didn't like the book, because I did.  It didn't take long to get me hooked and I enjoyed reading it.  For fans of superhero stories, I would recommend giving it a try.
789044
An original plot, and an original concept.  Mostly, the characters act as you would more-or-less expect actual people to act.  At the end of the book, it became obvious it was creating a universe for other stories to follow.  Very well written, action follows well.