Reviews By Charline

“The Sky Suspended”

Author: R. P. Moffa

Several months I read “The Vaulted Sky” by author R. P. Moffa and found it to be a fantastic book. Moffa has a phenomenal ability to pull his reader into his story and he writes with an uncanny knowledge that seems to come from personal experience rather than imagination or hearsay. Consequently when I learned that “The Sky Suspended” which is the sequel to “The Vaulted Sky” was available I immediately set out to read it.

“The Sky Suspended” is a continuing look into the life of Patrick Montalto, the main character in this historical fiction series. Montalto is a fighter pilot, now an Ace and Lieutenant, in World War II and he’s an American citizen who had to enlist in the Canadian Air Force in order to help fight this war against a Nazi run Germany and its Axis allies. In the “The Sky Suspended” Montalto is transferred to the 3rd Fighter Squadron of the 104th Fighter Group and finally finds himself fighting for his country of citizenship, the United States of America. In this sequel we follow along as Montalto starts over in a new command group not flying the P-40 he’s been using for the past eighteen months but instead a British Spitfire, the plane he originally trained in. We watch him make new friends, re-meet old ones and travel around the globe as he battles for what is right.

As usual, Moffa brings his book to life with vivid descriptions and a well-written storyline. The aerial dogfights are riveting, the book’s characters are well thought out and the interactions between them are flawless. Since “The Sky Suspended” centers around World War II there is, of course, sadness and heartbreak within this tale however, there is also love, kindness, chivalry, integrity and honor which is heartening to read about.

“The Sky Suspended” is definitely a “must read” book but…if you haven’t read “The Vaulted Sky” yet I would suggest you start there in order to get acquainted with Montalto’s character and his life prior to joining the 104th Fighter Group.

In summary, another excellent book by R. P. Moffa and I give it a five-star Amazon rating. Just don’t expect to finish it in one sitting…

“Cephrael’s Hand”

Author: Melissa McPhail

I always enjoy reading a good fantasy and even though my “free” time is limited and this book is a whopping six hundred and thirty-four pages I decided to read it. Just to let you know, “Cephrael’s Hand” is the first in the “A Pattern of Shadow & Light” series. In other words don’t expect this book and its tale to finish together and don’t expect to read it in one sitting…

So, there are three major parts interwoven throughout “Cephrael’s Hand.” First is the realm of Alorin. Alorin, and its Adept race, are dying because of a genocidal war that happened three hundred years earlier. Only Bjorn van Gelderan holds the knowledge to revert this decline but, unfortunately, he’s the same man who was branded a traitor for his heinous betrayals during those Adept Wars. Raine D’Lacourte, an Adept himself, has been charged with the saving of his race but to do so he must first locate Bjorn who isn’t really interested in being found…

Next we move on to the kingdom of Dannym where the sole surviving heir to the Eagle Throne, Prince Ean val Lorian, faces a tenuous and tempestuous future. Lorian’s blood-brother Creighton is slain during a failed assassination attempt against the Prince, and now Prince Lorian is determined to find the responsible party. His quest for justice leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by the one his people call “First Lord…”

Lastly we visit the Nadori desert and meet Trell, a well respected soldier, who has no recollection of his life before he came to be known as Trell of the Tides. As he heads off to try and uncover the mystery of his past disaster befalls him, placing him squarely in the debt of those who are sworn to serve the First Lord…

I finally finished “Cephrael’s Hand” and I have to say it was a fantastic read. It was interesting. It was well written and, believe it or not, it was descriptive without becoming verbose. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat as I read wondering what was going to happen next. Melissa McPhail is an extremely talented writer and she did a phenomenal job of cohesively winding these different strands together throughout “Cephrael’s Hand.”

Needless to say, I give “Cephrael’s Hand” a five-star rating and am anxiously awaiting the release of Book Two…

“Angel or Not?”

Author: Lori Diez

“Angel or Not?” by Lori Diez looked like a cute, albeit short, book so I asked to review it. Angel, the book’s main character, is the youngest of four children in the Hennessey family and believe it or not she has been looking forward to the start of 4th grade all summer long. Apparently summer vacation was really boring that year…

The first day of school finally arrives and, boy, is Angel ever in for a shock. Her day was nothing like she expected it to be. For starters, the teacher that all the 4th grade students love, the one whom Angel was looking forward to having this year, is out for several months. Angel takes one look at her new substitute teacher and doesn’t particularly like what she sees. Then she learns that Sonya, a girl who has bullied Angel in the past, is going to be in her class. As the day progresses Angel contemplates her misfortune. She is certain that somehow all these mishaps can be traced back to her forgetting to kiss her father goodbye earlier that morning. To top it all off not one but two people close to her are injured and Angel is left wondering how to handle things.

As I read “Angel or Not?” it seemed that “Angel or Not?” was the non-stop question throughout the book. However, I’m not going to give anything away by telling you whether she finally decided if she was an angel…or not…

I did find “Angel or Not?” to be a cute read. Lori Diez did a good job of writing her book from the perspective of a 4th grade girl and this does; of course, include all the drama that goes along with being that age. “Angel or Not?” was a funny read. I did enjoy Angel’s sense of humor although I must say; at times, it did come across as more mature than that of a 4th grader.

In summary, “Angel or Not?” is a nice fictional story for juvenile readers but be aware that there are a lot of religious overtones throughout so don’t gift this book to anyone who may not appreciate that aspect.