A Stunner of a Debut Novel--This Young Man is Amazing!
592237
Wow. i mean...wow. This is a breathtaking, emotional rollercoaster ride through and around the lives of a suburban family, depicting the humor and the heartbreak of a mundane life. There are plot twists that are as shocking and as unexpected as anything you'd find in the best of M. Night Shyamalan's earliest work, and a very ominous shadow of darkness in an otherwise blas American landscape that Stephen King hasn't been able to recreate in three decades.  Yes, I'm aware that those aren't graphic artists like Dmaso, but that's the point: he has the eyes of a cinematographer and the instincts of a literary master.

About his style, I should say this: I didn't cotton to it for the first story, but after that, wow. It's very clean, clinical, and crisp; if it is to be a biting commentary on suburban life, as some have suggested, then the antiseptic nature of this style only makes it more potent and powerful. I know that I started on this not really knowing what lay ahead, and an hour or so later, I was putting it back down, astounded by the world I had just encountered.

This is as perfect a debut as one could expect, and I'm looking forward to saying that his next work overshadows and outshines the greatness that is  found in Beverly's colorful pages.....
4002424
Of all the fresh talent I've discovered, and all the fantastic new novels that have grabbed my attention and disrupted my sleep over the years, few, if not all, pale in comparison to Todd Keisling's debut novel, A Life Transparent. This is a frantic, fun read through and through. There's a relatable quality to this tale and the focal figures of the story that not only resonates, but forces self-examination and interrogation: this sounds like my life. Have I become a complete non-factor? Why do I do what I do, and what purpose do I serve? Why in the hell has this book crawled under my skin in such pronounced fashion?!

Anyone who wasn't born with a shiny silver spoon tucked in their mouth has more likely than not hit a point in life in which the future, the present and the rapidly disappearing past come into scrutiny. Being indeterminate is a part of life. Doubt is natural. It's the ultimate decisions we make in life that either make or break us, and it's the ultimate decisions that Donovan Candle makes that determines whether or not he'll simply fade away one day. Here in one instant, gone in the next, trapped in a strange world with strange monsters that would happily make him a meal.

It may sound wild, but that's the gist of this story. It's a story that deep down, is about living an enjoyable, rewarding life. Of course the true details of this one are rather horrifying, and readers will no doubt call into question key characters' ability to endure tumultuous struggles and survive an encounter with a powerful entity from another layer of life, a layer known as the Monochrome: a layer where the useless are used in accordance.

The Monochrome is no place for man, but Don and his brother Mike are forced to confront this strange dimension after Don's tedious life and lack of speaking existence leave his wife Donna in danger, kidnapped and held against her will. The Brothers Candle will fight time and follow the rail of an elusive man (the only to ever successfully escape this alternate reality) who may hold the key to Donna's release.

It must be said: Todd Keisling's prose is simply infectious. This is a smooth narrator here with a knack for likeable characters and a marked understanding of continuity. His pacing and approach make for a swift adventure that leaps to the forefront of the mind. Aiming at an audience who favor works that fall somewhere between the intricacies of Clive Barker and the direct in-your-face no nonsense style of Brian Keene, Keisling is one hell of an author, and A Life Transparent is one hell of a breakout novel.

His latest, The Liminal Man, serves as a direct sequel to A Life Transparent, and rest assured I'll be covering that inside of the next two weeks. I've got a feeling that one's going to beckon like heroine to the addict. These are characters I care about. I'm eager to see what direction these brothers choose to venture in. That's a good thing.

Written by: Matt Molgaard for HorrorNovelReviews.com
4854922
This was a stellar debut novel by a brilliant new writer. I'm astounded by the clear and perfectly flowing nature of this book. While this book spanned over a decade in two separate parts, I didn't feel the disconnect I often find in books that do this.

This book was wonderful and was a book that once I started it, I didn't put it down until I read the very last words. I love when a book is able to capture me like this and hold my interest so thoroughly that by the time I look down I realize I'm going to struggle getting out of bed when my 6am alarm goes off because I've read into the wee hours of the morning.

Kole and Adam found that 'love at first sight' or 'insta-love' that everyone talks about but normally I dislike these kinds of books, what I found really worked for the author was how clearly she was able to portray their feelings and that soul crushing vibe when it all went to hell.

I found myself in tears for not only Kole and Adam as well, a man deprived of what he so clearly wanted and needed because of the horribly selfish, cruel actions of another person but at the same time I wanted to climb into my kindle and beat the crap out of him for believing what was so clearly a bold face lie. Men....AHHH! They can be so so stupid sometimes and because of this he lost out on precious years he could never get back.

I couldn't have been more pleased with the HEA I was given, though this book was so good I didn't want it to end.
847300
It's hard to know where to start and I'm not sure what else to say that hasn't been said so I'll say how I feel after reading Falling fro Mr Wrong. I've never read a book set in Israel and I have to say the description of it as per this book, for the first time ever, I actually want to go there and see it for my own eyes. I feel that this book deserves an extra star for being a debut book!  The thought behind the location and the thought put into the plot is quite outstanding.  There is drama, intrigue, laughter, tears, edge of your seat drama all rolled into one book.

I remember when I read it that I was caught up in the drama and the action of Tilly's escape to Israel, the friendship she strikes up with Nate, and on the edge of my seat because you just know the inevitable has to happen, she's going to find out about who he really is sooner or later - eeek!  I loved the connection between the two and i liked how you could see the swing in Nate where he realised that perhaps this isn't all about politics and Tilly is a genuine person... I really liked how it drew to conclusion and I was constantly amazed through out I was reading a debut novel.

I recommend this story for anyone looking for something different but amazing at the same time. Loved it!
841377
Ashley has crafted an amazing debut novel. This novel will appeal to readers on many levels. The story has a Romeo & Juliet love story (Ambrose & Vasser). A setting not of present time but Medieval in nature. At the heart of the story is a coming of age story for Ambrose. My favorite character was her advocate Roan. The menacing presence is felt through her Uncle and his experiments. Finally, there is a strong element of Steampunk with appearance of zeppelins. The most intriguing part of this story was Ashley's unraveling the myth and mystery behind the Charismatics. I hope this story line continues in Book II. I eagerly await her next novel in her series hopefully with a December 2015 release date!
1846823
Wow!  This book was absolutely amazing.  The author is such b a talented young man.  Before I Break brought up some really deep issues within our society.  There are times when I think we have evolved so much as a society and then tales like this remind me that we still have a long way to go.  This story flowed so easily I couldn't put it down. I loved Avery. I thought he was such a strong and complicated character.  His storyline made me cry so hard. I have ever never had such strong emotions after reading something. It has already sparked conversations between my friends and family.  I am thrilled I found this young author so early in his career because I'm really going to enjoy reading all of his work for years to come.
402908
One of the most extraordinary things about Dead Camp is the fact that it is Sean Kerr's debut novel! It reads likes it's been written by an author with many many books under his belt. The language, the intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characters are the mark of a fine novelist. It is quite simply one of the best debut novels I've read.

Sean has created a world within a world. A world populated by vampires, angels, demons, and even the devil himself. It is a world were humanity and life on earth exist in a precarious balance. Where good and evil battle for power in the shadows, and the outcome of that battle may well determine the fate of mankind.

There is a suprising amount of humour in Sean's storytelling. His MC's can be arrogant, petulant and even sassy. There are extremes of good and evil but also areas of grey which make the characters all the more interesting.

Dead Camp is the first in a series of four books. Having read this one I intend to immediately one click the second. I know I'll be waiting impatiently for the third and final books and I can't wait to see where Sean takes us on this unforgettable journey!
1469761
An excellent young adult novel from Shahabi - it's very impressive that this is his debut! Every time I picked up the book, I had a hard time putting it down. Thumbs up.
3075442
I'm on a roll, having finished my third 5-star book in less than a month.

I can't heap enough praise on Allen Eskens for his debut novel. He crafted a brilliant concept, executed it to near perfection, and barely wasted a word on unimportant details or needless backstory.

Joe Talbert is a well-designed protagonist, laden with a bucket of typical, believable personal problems that color his thinking and his actions all the way through the story: autistic brother, no father around, addicted and irresponsible mother, school debt, all piled on top of the pressures of college courses and student loan debt to worry about. And when his subject for a class assignment turns out to be a convicted murderer and child-molester, his stress level goes up few more levels as he digs into the case after deciding there's a strong chance his subject was wrongly convicted.

Structure is perfect on this one. Hook, first page, and story question are nicely presented. Tension builds as Lila enters the picture and his attraction for her adds more depth to the storylines. The plot is entirely believable, and the suspense is accelerated by nicely devised plot twists and a really good red herring.

"The Life We Bury" is one of the better first novels I've ever read, and one of the top first mystery novels I've ever read. It highly deserves all the awards it has won. Score another win for an outstanding Minnesota author! :-)
3130850
I confess to having been completely taken in by this entirely unexpected tale of a self-made young man who finds material, but not personal, success. Valerie Keogh walks a real tightrope in setting out to create a protagonist who is both sympathetic and infuriating. Sometimes you find yourself wanting to shake him by the neck and shout, Get a clue! Other times you ache for his loneliness and truly want what he wants. You even root for him to get it, in spite of the methods he chooses to employ. Unfortunately, I can't add much more than that without revealing some serious spoilers. Let's just say that the ending comes as a major surprise. Keogh also does an excellent job depicting the go-go days of banking excess, managing to make her hero's fantastic career in finance entirely believable, if a bit deplorable. I enjoyed this window into a world I know little about. If you like stories that combine domestic intrigue and thwarted love with descriptions of extravagant (if not vulgar) consumption you will relish Exit Five From Charing Cross!
4304371
First and Goal was an impressive and intriguing first novel, depicting young adults thoughts with a disconcerting reality.
This book a great self reflection of youths lives through their aspirations, deceptions and where appearances were deceiving, putting into an act to fit into society.

At this time of your life when you got all of your firsts; from the good and the bad, I almost wanted to be again in this time of my life, with this constant thrill and butterflies, when anything could happen and the road of possibilities wide open.

But in this jungle of conflicted and misunderstood feelings, weve got the story of Eva and Rob. Two opposites. One was invisible and trying to survived to this last year without being noticed and the other, a popular jock with couldn't be fully himself, with all the girls around wanting a piece of him.

I was hooked from the first page and I knew that I was going for the long haul. Damn this book was so brilliantly orchestrated from the choices of the title chapters, to the characters and the storyline, a freaking roller coaster frustrating at time the s*** out of me, creating an incredible mood.

I was on the edge all along the story, walking on this thick line, rooting for Rob and Evie.
Two beautiful souls, with so much love to give.
I loved how these two connect, so natural, a little bit of sweetness, bluntness, and an incredible chemistry. I enjoyed every moment, so close to my heart. I was feeling each moment, from laughter to sadness, with this constant twinge. They gave me freaking butterflies to my stomach, making me smile so much.

For a first novel, Kata uis writing goes straight to the heart. This review is just a glimpse of how much I flowed and adored this book. Heartwarming and gut wrenching at the same time, First and Goal will stay on my mind and in my heart for a long time.

By the time I finished writing my review, I was thinking about re reading it, and to be overwhelmed once again by these rush of emotions. A stunning ending for a fabulous story! Just to let you know, there's a freaking cliffhanger!!!
A must read!
3519252
They say, "Intelligent Men are dangerous". Or is it? Ted Galdi, a 29-year old debut author has portrayed otherwise in his new novel, Elixir. He has not followed the traditional way of making super intelligent man as the most dangerous species, instead he has presented him as the life-savior, a genius on whom nature might have given some extra brownie points to make living of other less fortunate human beings better. This may be Ted Galdi's debut novel, but it feels like he is really a pro and quite a natural while penning down his story. With all the right amount of twists in the right places, right amount of mystery and suspense, right amount of actions and bloodshed, the book proves to be a real page-turner right from the very beginning.

Sean, a 14-yeard old kid, with an IQ of 250, becomes a threat to the nation within overnight. His talent was already known to the world when he won half a million dollars on the show, Jeopardy! Consequently, bagging him a full paid scholarship to the country's most elite university. Along with a computer science professor, Steven, he invents mind-blowing hacking formulae. Thereby, Steven makes his colleague, P.Goya from F.B.I aware of Sean's invention. Thereby, he becomes n overnight threat to the country, following which he was forced to leave the country along with his aunt to Rome, where four years later, he is a graffiti artist and also falls in love with a very rich girl, Natasha. But Natasha's (view spoiler)

The author proves that he has natural talent when it comes to penning down his imagination. The plot is thoroughly well-developed as well as it sounds like the author has intensively researched about the whole scientific background in the plot and also giving valid logical and technical explanations when required. The characters are also very strongly built, especially, Sean. He has portrayed Sean as a brave hero, never ever scared for a single moment and always maintains his calm in the toughest of tough situations, for instance, he tries to bargain for his life with a professional killer, he sweet-talks him, but never ever losing his cool or show any sign of panic. Sean is determined having a very strong will-power, besides his intelligence. Also Natasha has been portrayed a s a sweet, simple, lovely and not all posh girl. Aunt, Mary seems like a woman who is very strong to stand beside Sean in all his pain, failure and happiness like his own mother. She tries to fill the gap of having no parents in Sean's life. Sean had two best friends in the book, one when he was 14 at Pasadena, named Kyle, who believed in his heart that Sean would return one day and another was a bad boy in Rome, while he was 18, named, Fabrizio. Yeah the Rome part may not be that interesting, but the climax of the book is a highly compelling one.

The best part o the book is when Sean makes up his mind to share his formula to save people from the deadly diseases with the director of CDC. He says that nature has made him strong for a purpose and that he should not repress or hide his power.

The chemistry between Natasha and Sean is something to look out for. It's very sweet and cute and both dreamt the same dreams. It was something so innocent, pure and beautiful.

Guys this books is one hell of an addictive one. After just, 4-5 pages of the book, I totally got hooked into it. It's intriguing and thrilling and some adrenaline-rushing moments that you'll die for.

Read this book, and get your mind blown over with the impact of this book.
3539925
This is an amazing first novel for a new author.  Heck, it's an amazing novel for anyone.  This was recommended to me, but I hadn't expected much.  Mossad and Hezbollah intrigue wasn't something that I follow, and I didn't expect this book to hold my interest.

I was very, very wrong.  This book grabbed my attention from the start and never let up.  I found myself reading it when I was supposed to be doing other things because I couldn't put it down.  The unraveling of the plot, including the author's suspenseful tying in of the various plot lines had me mesmerized.

His characters stayed true to their nature.  I was all set to become upset over any emotional entanglement between the two main characters, regardless of the well-known adrenalin connection between those who have been through hazardous situations together.  But the author handled it with believability, specifically the scene at the end.

I rate this novel up there with some of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to his next novel.
2788700
'Everything Is Illuminated', Jonathan Safran Foyer's debut novel is far beyond anything that I would have expected for a first-time writer. The novel takes place almost entirely within the confines of the Ukraine, and his story, rumored to be semi-autobiographical, is told through the eyes of two young and very different men.
The first of these is Alex, a young Ukranian boy is hired by his grandfather to be an interpreter for Jonathan, an American-- who has come seeking a woman inextricably linked to his family. What emerges is a novel that is both witty and heartbreaking at times. These characters are not only realistic, but multi-dimentional, as the author exposes their deepest insecurities and fears.
Safran Foyer has not only found his voice with this novel, but he has created a voice for his characters as well.
2433822
What a great debut novel this is. I will hold my hands up and say I have owned this for while before I got around to reading it, and wished I'd read it sooner.

Complex relationships and character interaction kept my brain working while I was reading, and I am pleased to say that I even picked up on some of the nuances that are not obvious to everyone who reads, but you won't lose any enjoyment if you don't get right into their heads.

Enter Valerio, a hot young Moto GP driver who falls for Jamie, not realising that the object of his affection returns his feelings. They both have their own issues and insecurities which they need to overcome and at times I found myself wanting to reach into my Kindle app and slap them both for being so blind to the other. But when you add in Scot, a man that Jamie has a long standing 'arrangement' with things get really interesting.

The sex scenes are smoking, there really is no other way to describe them as the characters give and take what they want from each other, but it is balanced with they way their realtionship(s) unfold and take you on the journey with them.

The story left me wanting so much more and I already know there is so much more to come from these characters and I cannot wait to take the journey with these men.
3292671
Wow, this one really caught me off guard! This was recommended to me and I bought it somewhat skeptically because I usually don't read young adult books. J L Kudlo has such an original voice that I found myself fully engulfed in the characters and their lives. What stands out the most is the overarching theme of discovery and wonder. This is a story of love, but also of personal discovery. And the writing is so descriptive that you can't help but think that you're there. For example J L writes about a dream, "I was surrounded by red. The brilliance of the color was not only visible by sight, but also by touch, by smell, by taste. The red enveloped me in a silky warmth, brushing against my bare torso, and wrapping around my arms and legs." What I most appreciated was the very confident writing style. A writer who has developed a voice and isn't afraid to use it. I have read that this is the first book in a series of four, and I can't wait for the next one.
3414545
For a debut, this was a wonderful surprise. Tragedy strikes Bre right before heading off to college and she struggles to find out who she really is, considering all the strange things that happen to her and around her. All five of the guys in her book have different personalities that were well fleshed-out, especially since Bre has a different type of relationship with each one. I refuse to give spoilers in a review, but this is a reverse harem novel that reads as a cross between young adult and new adult. I'm sure the next book will be a little steamier, but for now, it's more on the YA end of the spectrum. Can't wait to see what Ryann Elizabeth has in store for us with book #2!