Selected for Review: "Dragons in the Dungeon" by Diane McGyverWHY IT WAS SELECTED: Yes, I am a sucker for fantasy, but I tend to hold fantasy novels to a higher standard because I'm a fantasy writer myself. After a few pages, it became clear author Diane McGyver knows what she is doing. Prose, story mechanics, character development and editing are solid. Thus far, this has been an easy read, a story which I've been able to effortlessly melt into. Therefore, I'm going to review it. READER CHALLENGE For fantasy readers, I challenge you to buy and read "Dragons in the Dungeon" and then check back here on 6 August and let's compare notes on the book. Will my review "get it right"? Will I do this novel justice? I welcome you to challenge the reviewer, but first you have to read the book! I'm a slow reader, so you have over a month!  TITLE: Dragons In The Dungeon PUBLISHER: Quarter Castle Publishing (small indie publisher) AUTHOR: Diane McGyver GENRE(S): Fantasy (Mythology and Folk Tales/Fairytale Fantasy Folklore). PUBLICATION DATE: March 31, 2023 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 2/5.0 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #2,402,659 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: This one popped up to my X feed once, which resulted in me following the author. The title is adequate, the cover isn't bad and completely fits the genre and the pitch. The novel's Amazon pitch felt watered-down and didn't grab my attention until I read the last paragraph, where it directly appealed to Gen-X D&D nerds. If I had not been an old geek, I may have kept scrolling. What puts this novel on the candidate list is the sample. The first few pages were full of action, compelling characters, and good dialogue. I'm interested. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 1 June 2025 STATUS: SELECTED FOR AUGUST 2025 REVIEW Candidate Books Carried Forward to SeptemberThe following promising books have been selected to carry forward into the September review candidate pool, and are still considered active candidates. In other words, they still have a chance of receiving a review in the future. If I had the time and wasn't such a slow reader, I'd review them all. I think these novels are worth taking a chance on, and I encourage readers to purchase and read them. If one or more of these really deserves a review, tell me about it. INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #005 TITLE: Shattered Skies PUBLISHER: None Listed AUTHOR: Kenny Soward GENRE(S): Technothriller (Technothrillers, Dystopian Science Fiction). PUBLICATION DATE: October 9, 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 602/4.5 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #14,657 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: The author and I follow one another, and that's how it popped up on my X feed, though I am not familiar with his work. The pitch was boilerplate for the genre, and did its job to communicate the genre and basic plot. The cover was adequate. The sample was what sold me on putting this on the candidate list. The writing was crisp, lean and flowed smoothly in and out of dialogue. It quickly set up a character and a situation without over-description. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 1 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #008 TITLE:The Hag Stone PUBLISHER: Heaton Gray LLC (small indie press) AUTHOR:W.J. Small GENRE(S): Historical Fiction (Magical Realism, Historical British & Irish Literature, Women's Literary Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 22/4.7 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #483,464 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: This author found me on X. We now follow one another. The title is catchy, but is negated by the cover, which a bit busy and the overall details melt into each other. The pitch was well written, and tightly and effectively introduces character, setting and stakes. The pitch offsets the cover, and led me to the well-written sample. The handoff between the pitch and opening beautifully pulled me in, and set the mood for further reading. Of note, the genre is 'women's literary fiction," but the opening hints at appeal to a wider audience. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #010 TITLE: Snow: Cursed PUBLISHER: Page Publishing (Vanity Press) AUTHOR: Willa R. Finnegan GENRE(S): Fantasy (Urban Fantasy, Fantasy Action & Adventure) PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY:22/4.9 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #320,251 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: I stumbled across this author on X, through we didn't follow each other. It became clear by the title and pitch this is a reimagining of the Snow White fairy tale. There is a lot of that going around lately, so I didn't much pay attention to it from an originality point of view. For that reason, the pitch, though well written, was forgettable UNTIL the third paragraph, where it set the hook. I went to the sample and it set the hook the even deeper , building nicely on the pitch's third paragraph. The genres Amazon assigned this are rubbish. This is a straight-up fairy tale, and it lets you know that immediately because that's exactly how the sample is written. Unpretentious, simple, effective, yet teasing of something deeper than just a reimagining of an ancient fairy tale. I'm intrigued. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #013 TITLE: Remember Who You Want To Be PUBLISHER: Branch Hill Press, LLC (Small Indie Publisher) AUTHOR: Michael C. Haymes GENRE(S): Literary Fiction (Classic Fiction, Classic American Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: September 23, 2022 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 5/5.0 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #633,493 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: I saw it on X and clicked on the author. He had it pinned to his profile. It clearly gave off the literary fiction vibe. The pitch was well-written and compelling, capturing the essence of what promised to be a well written personal drama. The sample began with an extensive forward, which I intentionally skipped. I wanted to judge this book on its true sample, not how the author wanted to frame the story. The title, the pitch and the sample effectively served up an overarching theme that I wanted more of. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #014 TITLE: The Magic of Meatloaf
PUBLISHER: Blue Octopus Press (Small Indie Publisher) AUTHOR: Jessica Rosenberg GENRE(S): Fantasy (Contemporary Fantasy, Women's Fantasy Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE:May 30, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 83/4.6 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #9,274 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: Random doomscrolling on X brought me to this book. The author wisely pinned the book's Amazon product page to her X profile. Two clicks later and I'm looking at the sample. Nothing specifically about this really initially jumped out at me, it was more of its entire presentation. The cover was fine, but the title was original and acted as a stepping stone to the pitch. The book has this "Alice" meets the "Witches of Eastwick" vibe. It's original, and that's what really drew me in. I supposed this book is written to appeal to women hitting midlife, but as a man I didn't find the pitch the least bit exclusionary. The sample, written in first person sample gets busy comfortably building a cast of interesting, realistic characters. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Active
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