The Chrysalis BREW Project

Books, Reviews, and Everything Written (BREW) for you

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Vasilisa by Julie Mathison is a young adult fantasy book that merges Russian folklore with a coming-of-age story. It features the adventures of a teenage girl named Vasilisa, who is on a quest to find her father and save her mother from the clutches of an evil man. When an assassin kills the King and his family in the kingdom of Ariestonia, the fates of two orphans, Thomas and Will, are interwoven. In order to fill the vacant throne as there is no successor, the ruling council announces a competition to choose a new king or queen. The three elite schools in the kingdom will pick fourteen-year-old cadets of knights, wizards, witches, and rangers to participate in the King’s Candidate event, which will grant them renown, power, and a guaranteed place in history. One event can resonate through many lives and have severe effects. Susan Frances’ grandfather’s tales of their Devon ancestors have always interested her, even though she was born in Surrey, England. Later, after doing some family research, she was motivated to write No One Must Know. Stefan Vučak leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry that spanned project/program management, strategic consulting, and infrastructure management. He spent three years in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar working on the implementation of cellphone systems. After the sudden tragic death of his parents, he returned to Australia. During his professional career, he spent time writing short stories and began work on a science fiction novel that would eventually form a series of eight books in the ‘Shadow Gods Saga’. When he retired, he took up writing full-time, which resulted in a series of contemporary political drama/thriller novels, all self-published. He also spends time as an editor, and book reviewer, and helps other writers publish their works. Over the years, Stefan has accumulated a lot of information about writing, editing, and the publishing industry, which resulted in a book ‘Writing Tips for Authors’, articles designed to help new and established authors avoid some of the pitfalls that await the unwary. The winner of the BREW Readers’ Choice Award for July 2022 is “Taking Action for a Better Tomorrow” by Jeremy P Boggess. “Homecoming” by Jude Austin is a sci-fi realism book, meaning there’s very little in the way of traditional sci-fi. No AI/robots, no alien diplomacy, no dystopia, no epic space battles; just people living on other planets in the future. This serves to make the book accessible to people who would normally avoid sci-fi as a genre; it’s all about the culture and characters, not the science! Stephen Crabbe’s “Conflict on Kangaroo Island” is an engaging story set on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. With a 1913 setting, this historical fiction wraps up engrossing characters, the island’s natural wealth, avaricious businesspeople, and proponents of preserving natural resources. It’s a compelling read, indeed. Mary Kingswood’s ‘Stranger at the Grove’ is a unique Regency Romance where an impoverished gentleman, Malcolm Gage finds love with a mysterious lady’s maid, Marie. In addition to Malcolm and Marie’s romance, the author keeps us hooked with the mystery surrounding Marie.