‘The Lion and The Tiger’ by Lyra Shanti

‘The Lion and The Tiger’ is a short story companion to Lyra Shanti’s ‘Shiva XIV’ epic sci-fi series. It fills in a little of the backstory of Hynfir, whom we meet in the novels as the general of the Tah army. For those who have not read the Shiva XIV series, this short story works perfectly well as a standalone.

Written with Shanti’s trademark eloquence, ‘The Lion and The Tiger’ is the story of the meeting and relationship of  the Lirhan warrior, Hynfir, and Leif, the man who should have been off limits.

‘The Lion and The Tiger’  is not very long, but it has profound relevance for anyone whose love or life challenges judgemental or restrictive social boundaries.

If you haven’t read the Shiva XIV stories, ‘The Lion and The Tiger’ will whet your appetite for the novels which are, in my opinion, the next great space epic just waiting to be discovered.

‘The Lion and The Tiger’ is available at Amazon for just $1.

Absence of Colour: Spectrum of Colour Book 1 by Susan Wee

‘Absence of Colour’ is an engaging and intriguing tale of escaping the past and searching for identity and justice.

 


The band of characters in this book are quite well developed, and the reader is drawn into a strong feeling of empathy with Conny, Frankie and Twig in particular. The villain is well-drawn and distinctly odious: there are times when  his actions do make the reader uncomfortable and quite angry. This sets the action of the story in motion: each of the main characters and a number of the minor characters must work together to achieve justice and to reclaim that which has been taken from them.

The book brings some resolution to the conflicts faced by Twig and Conny, along with a sense of relief in the immediate circumstances, but the reader is also very aware that there are still questions and problems that remain unsolved. In this way, the reader is strongly motivated to read the second book in the series – ‘The Colour of Evil’.  The title itself is both enticing and ominous, leaving the reader intrigued and eager to know more.

I’ve given this book a good solid 4 stars.

You can find Absence of Colour Book 1, and the rest of the series, on Susan Wee’s Amazon page.

Book Review: ‘Bumbling Bea’ by Deborah Baldwin

In ‘Bumbling Bea’ we meet an 8th-grade girl named Beatrice and follow her journey as she learns important lessons about friendship, self-control and self-awareness.

This book delivers a particularly important message about learning to see something from another person’s point of view and allowing that perspective to guide our decisions, actions and words.

Beatrice is a realistic character who struggles to deal with most of the things happening in her life. Early teen readers will easily identify with her and sympathise with her in the different dilemmas she faces. The other characters are well-developed and the story line certainly gets the reader involved.

This was an enjoyable story with some really good morals for kids.

Click through to Amazon.