Crystal Crichlow - Book Explosions Reviews

Surviving The Evacuation London, Book One: London Review

6/17/2017

Book: Surviving The Evacuation, Book One: London
Author: Frank Tayell
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Zombie
Book Rating: 5 Stars
Cover Rating: 5 Stars

If you're a zombie enthusiast and you binge on all things zombie related, I'm sure you've imaged what you would do if the zombie apocalypse were to suddenly strike humanity. People like us dream about it, talk about it non-stop and some of us even prepare for that dreaded day. If you're like me, you may even have started your zombie survival kit. But what if it were to descend on us at a time when we least expected it and all the preparation we did was for nothing? What if you were stuck in a small apartment building alone...and your leg was broken? How would you defend yourself? Find food and water? Run if you needed to? Maybe this is something new we zombie enthusiasts need to think about and to plan for, or maybe you should just read this book.

In "Surviving the Evacuation, Book 1: London" Bill finds himself under these dreaded conditions. His leg is broken and we find him waiting patiently to be rescued, writing in his journal and watching the tragedy unfold outside his window. It soon becomes clear to him that the help he was promised was not going to come and broken leg or not he was the only person who was going to save him.

The book is told through a series of journal entries which usually isn't my thing because I love reading dialogue, but I found it very refreshing and could not put it down. I cannot say anymore without giving away spoilers but what I can say is that something that is probably the most cliche' thing to say but I'm going to say it anyways, "if you love zombies you'll love this book." I could feel the isolation, Bill's struggles, loneliness and pain. The only thing that really bugged me was how easy it was for him to kill a zombie... like it was natural, like it was a normal everyday occurrence. His first kill should have been hard and then gradually get easier but it just seemed too easy for him in the very beginning.

I highly recommend this book!

Available on Amazon!

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NEW Review feature - VLOGS

6/7/2017

I will be launching a new review feature late summer or early fall where I will be posting book reviews in video format to my youtube channel. This feature will only be available for authors/publishers who submit physical paperback/hardcover copies of their books. Every book submitted will be given consideration but not all will be featured so be sure to read my GUIDELINES carefully before mailing out any books for review. Books sent will NOT be returned regardless of my decision and you will be notified via email once I receive your book and whether or not it will be reviewed. Still want to submit your book? Here's how!

First you will need to request a video book review via email at bookexplosion @ live . com. Be sure to include in your query the title of the book you're submitting, a blurb and all links where your book is available for purchase. If I am interested I will let you know right away and you can use the address below for mailing.

Mail to:
Crystal's Book Explosion
PO Box 53026 Erin Mills
Mississauga ON
L5M 5H7

Once you have mailed out your book please send another email directly to bookexplosion @ live . com and subscribe to my youtube channel and facebook page (links below).

Book Explosions is recruiting reviewers

3/24/2017

If you LOVE reading books and you are interested in writing reviews for Book Explosions please contact us at book explosion @ live . com (no spaces).

We are currently making a list of books waiting to be reviewed which will be mailed out to reviewers once a week. You can choose any book and as many as you like to read and you will have two weeks to submit the review. The review will be posted on this website, Amazon and Goodreads.

Contact us now to start reading today!

Open for Reviews

2/20/2017

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's February but I haven't been accepting reviews since October 2016. I am once again open for reviews, but will be very selective because of the amount of submissions I receive a day. I don't want to be overwhelmed like last year.

To make it easier, here is what I am interested in reading:

Young Adult

Zombies
Time-Travel
Period Pieces (ie. 18th century etc...)
Superheroes/Superpowers
Some supernatural

This should make the submission process easier. My books are also available for reviews. You are welcome to browse my site and send me a request for any of my books listed.

Happy reading!

Review Updates!!!

10/13/2016

Hi readers,

I am currently overloaded at the moment when it comes to review submissions. To limit the amount of requests I am receiving, I will only be accepting paperback/hardcover copies of books until further notice. To submit paperback copies of books, please email bookexplosion @ live . com (no spaces) or use the contact form in the CONTACT section of the website. Include a summary of the book and book cover if possible (or amazon page) and I will get back to you with a shipping address if I am interested.

My review policy is the same for paperbacks, so be sure to visit my page before submitting.

Please note that reviews are still not guaranteed with a paperback. I will write an HONEST review of your book whether I enjoyed it or not. The only way I will not write a review is if half way through the book I realize that it's not for me, or violates my guidelines in some way. I will not rip the author a new one, I simply won't read it or review it.

Thanks :-)
Crystal

Blest by Blaise Lucey

7/19/2016

Title: Blest
Author: Blaise Lucey
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 4 Stars

Review
I fell in love with this story from the first page.

I loved Jim as a main character, but was not too thrilled with his love interest, Claire. On his sixteenth birthday, Jim learns the truth about his family in a harsh and painful way. He discovers that he is an Angel and Claire, a demon.

I loved the author voice but did not love the relationship between Jim and Claire. I found it unoriginal and a little cliché. Also, books that navigate between different POV’s is a little annoying. That being said this book was still an awesome read. There are twists and turns around every corner, action for those who love action and love for those who love romance. This first novel by Blaise is clearly not the end of the series as there is a nice setup for a second book.

The Alpha Drive Review

6/21/2016

Title: The Alpha Drive
Author: Kristen Martin
Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow
Rating: 4 Stars

Review
The main character of the book is, Emery who finds herself at a mysterious boarding school where she roommates with a party girl named, Rhea. On the first day she receives a strange phone call from administration asking her to meet. It is then she finds out that the world as she knows is it not real and they are all living in a fake/alternate reality called Dormance. It is revealed that the government has plans on murdering all those in Dormance in order to create a new world. Emery is chosen to save mankind, but being in on the secret comes at a great cost.

The Alpha Drive has major elements similar to the Matrix, but the story could use a little more tweaking as some things are a bit confusing and hard to follow along. However, it is a fresh addition to the YA genre and I look forward to the rest of the series. This is a great book for all those science nerds out there.

Lies, deceit and family secrets await you in, The Alpha Drive.

Buy Alpha Drive

Among Wolves by R.A Hakok

6/13/2016

Title: Among Wolves
Author: R.A.Hakok
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 4 Stars

Review

The book started out with Gabriel who lived in a bunker with the President and some other kids from his class after a virus ravished their world and brought on the apocalypse. Flashbacks showed how Gabriel ended up in the bunker and what started the outbreak.

Gabriel goes outside to scavenge for food and supplies with Marv, but they both soon realize that something strange was going on inside Eden and the president and their saviour was more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

The writing in Among Wolves was beautifully crafted and the author managed to breathe life into a post-apocalyptic world. I could imagine everything in my mind vividly, which is a very hard thing to pull off, especially in books that have a very dark setting. I liked the twist on the "zombie" apocalypse genre because the virus didn't just attack and change people, it destroyed anything with metal, including buildings and entire structures.

That being said, the book needed a little more action and didn't have very much dialogue. I would have loved to see more interactions with the infected too. Still, I enjoyed the book and would love to read the second to find out what happens to Gabriel and his band of misfits.

Welcome to Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily

6/1/2016

Title: Welcome to Sortilege Falls
Author: Libby Heily
Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow
Rating: 5 Stars

Review
Welcome to Sortilege Falls has to be the most original piece of writing that I’ve read in a while. The main character is Grape ( I love the name) who moves to Sortilege Falls with her mom and little brother, Brad. Once there, she realizes immediately that the town is acting all sorts of weird in the presence of the Models. Their every waking moment is filled with the obsession of a bunch of teenage models too beautiful for words. It’s like they have some power over people that makes them do whatever they want, whenever they want, but not Grape. Though their star power is hard for her to resist Grape manages to keep her free will when they’re around and even befriends one of them. Soon, the models start getting fatally sick and when Grape searches for a cure to save them she unravels a disturbing secret that will have her fighting to save the one she loves the most.

I loved everything about this story; the author’s voice, the pace, the suspense, the humour, the mysteries, the characters and the world that the author created. The books ends with a cliff-hanger so I will be waiting patiently (impatiently) for the next book in the series (I hope there is one)

This book is For The Big Screen.

Hero by Belinda Crawford

5/27/2016

Title: Hero
Author: Belinda Crawford
Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow
Rating: 3 stars

Review
What drew me into reading this book was the cover. It helped me to picture the main character and also showed that the story took place somewhere out there in the universe.

The story takes place on a planet called Jorn, where people live in cloud cities. (I loved this idea by the way) The main character, Hero, is basically a prisoner in her own home because of her mother who only keeps her locked up because she’s “special,” a term that annoyed Hero and fueled her character development. Hero, plagued by voices, finally convinces her mother to give her some morsel of freedom, which leads to a host of strange characters and Hero running for her life.

Unfortunately, the book feels like it’s missing something and even now I can’t figure out what that something is. I had a hard time picturing the main character in my mind even with the book cover. The dialogue is a bit confusing at times and hard to follow. The characters are hard to relate to and I didn’t understand the whole bit with the creatures. To me it seems like they were just thrown in there to give the book a scientific boost.

I love stories that take place in other worlds, but this one left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.