Category Archives: book reviews

Review: Touch, by Claire North: a deeply human and highly satisfying thriller

Posted on July 22, 2016 by E. C. Ambrose

This is one of the rare books that I finished and thought–That is what I want my books to feel like. For me, it delivered a powerful emotional impact along with the ripping story and engaging characters. It’s the kind … Continue reading →

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Review: Magic, Mysticism, and Hasidism, by Gedalyah Nigal

Posted on March 20, 2016 by E. C. Ambrose

I picked up this book after discovering it in the bibliography of a couple of other books on Jewish mysticism which I was reading as research material for book 4 in my Dark Apostle series. I wanted more detail on … Continue reading →

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Goodreads review: Medieval Ghost Stories by Andrew Joynes

Posted on August 14, 2015 by E. C. Ambrose

I discovered this book on the recommendation of a scholar who presented a paper about revenants (roaming dead) in Medieval England at this year’s Kalamazoo Medieval Congress. Since this is a topic near to my heart, in more ways than … Continue reading →

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Review: Home for the Holidays, discovering voice

Posted on October 3, 2014 by E. C. Ambrose

Home for the Holidays by Randee Dawn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a local convention last year some time, and actually won this book when I attended her reading. I … Continue reading →

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Review: Hereward the Wake, ‘Last of the English’

Posted on September 26, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

Hereward the Wake, ‘Last of the English’ by Charles Kingsley My rating: 5 of 5 stars A marvelous adventure story with a medieval setting about the legendary hero of England. I picked up the new Audible edition, read by the … Continue reading →

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Review: Sword of the Ronin

Posted on August 9, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

Sword of the Ronin by Travis Heermann My rating: 4 of 5 stars A rich, engaging, morally complex historical fantasy, deeply embedded in Japanese culture. This is the second novel in a series, but I must tell you up front … Continue reading →

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Fantastic Beginnings: taking it slow, with Carol Berg

Posted on May 22, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

I have recently started reading Transformation, the first of the Book of Rai-kirah, by Carol Berg. I met the author on a panel about torturing your characters and recognized each other as kindred spirits. She’s actually the first person both … Continue reading →

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Review: Songs for a Machine Age

Posted on April 24, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

Songs for a Machine Age by Heather McDougal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a delightful journey through an unusual fantasy world where machines and magic co-exist. While I didn’t find the heroine initially engaging, her talent … Continue reading →

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Review: The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead

Posted on March 19, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead by Lorinda J. Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is full of marvelous science fiction elements, building not only a vision of a future academia on Earth, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Blood-Dimmed Tide

Posted on January 16, 2013 by E. C. Ambrose

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth My rating: 4 of 5 stars I so enjoyed the author’s first novel, The Dead of Winter, that I jotted his name on a paper and stuck it to my bulletin board to keep … Continue reading →

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