In 1904, the very young Max is rushed away from Czarist Russia by his father after the brutal rape and murder of his mother at the hands of Russian soldiers. While this tragedy is what pushed them to leave for the shores of American, Max finds someone he winds up falling in love with. Sophie is a young Polish girl who becomes close friends with Max almost immediately after they meet. As much as he loves her, Max finds Sophie ripped away from him when she is forced to marry a local crime boss. In the pages of American Dreams readers follow as Max pushes himself to climb the criminal ladder and Sophie struggles to find a way to still live her dreams. Continue reading “American Dreams Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Jake Baker has previously spent most of his time with his Uncle Calvin, an eccentric occult and conspiracy theory enthusiast, but after turning twelve he befriends two siblings who are new to town. In their first summer together, Jake and his new friends are initiated into his uncle’s “Saturday Night Ghost Club.” What begins as a fun way to spend a summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends slowly begins to take a darker turn as mysteries are uncovered. The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson is a coming of age story perfect for fans of cult classic films like The Goonies and The Lost Boys as well as more recent 1980’s inspired works like Stranger Things. Continue reading “The Saturday Night Ghost Club Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Maureen Joyce Connolly’s debut novel, Little Lovely Things, is a book that will keep you on edge until the very end. This page-turner story focuses on Claire, who is finishing up her final year of residency while trying to balance being a wife and mother. One day as she rushes to drop off her daughters at daycare she finds herself succumbing to a violent allergic reaction. She wakes up in shock in a gas station bathroom with no idea what has happened to her daughters. This contemporary fiction work is told through four different voices is full of emotion and love in this hauntingly tragic plot. Continue reading “Little Lovely Things Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Title character, Marigold Star is on a quest to learn just what her super power is. In the city of Brambycrumbly she has always had a star above her head, which means she is destined for greatness. The downside for her is that she doesn’t think she is particularly great at, except making friends. When her star starts flickering she finds herself suddenly in the human world and not only that, but her wand has wound up in the hands of a girl who insists she doesn’t like anyone. Marigold might always try to find the best in others and this journey will push her to find out what is best about herself in Elise Primavera’s middle grade book Marigold Star. Continue reading “Marigold Star Book Review from @kleffnotes”

William Reese Hamilton takes his readers to The Philippines during World War II in his dramatic and true life inspired work Wonks. Based on his own time in an Japanese internment camp, Hamilton presents Johnny Oldfield, who refers to himself as a Wonk, and how upon being separated by his father learns life lessons from a variety of people in his life. The story takes place in Manila, which is being destroyed by bombings, artillery, and mortar attacks. Wonks examined a period of time in American history that is often forgotten, but is vitally important for people to remember. Continue reading “Wonks Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Alex Hiam grew up spending holidays in the mysterious Boston mansion of his great-grandmother. With a later life interest in magic blended with these childhood experiences he found a way to return to Boston with the fictional work of Silent Lee. With a world of magic hidden in plain sight he is able to share the delightful memories with readers through the young Silent Lee who must sneak away through a door into a different century to attend school in the pages of Silent Lee and the Adventure of the Side Door Key. Continue reading “Silent Lee and the Adventure of the Side Door Key Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Set in Port Landing, Wisconsin Leaves on Frozen ground is noted as an artful examination of family. With similarities to the work of Arthur Miller, this modern tragedy shows the lives of ordinary people dealing with misfortune. Gaston and his wife Celine live with their son Edmund happily, but as the seasons change so to do the relationships between this tight knit unit. Continue reading “Leaves on Frozen Ground Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Dani has always thought she was a normal human living on an Earth under the rule of a genocidal faction of an alien race called Echoes who go by the title Wardens. She has managed to survive by scrounging for supplies and avoiding any military and the human-hunting Wardens. She is shocked to learn that she is not human, but rather an Echo she suddenly risks her own well-being for the sake of a young boy. Dani must examine her past and in doing this she realizes that she must fight to stop the Wardens from destroying the humans and the Echoes of Earth. Echoes of War begins the sci-fi trilogy focused on an Earth where Wardens have reigned. Continue reading “Echoes of War Book Review from @kleffnotes”

Emerging author Samuel David Nicholson always had a vivid imagination and after graduating from Florida State University and moving to Virginia Beach, he let his imagination take hold again and he took this time to evolve an idea into his first book. Mischief and Mayhem introduces the world to The Faerland Chronicles. When a long dormant dark presence emerges in the realm of the Faers Ophelia Meplewood and her Woodland Scout companions will have to try and bring balance and prevent chaos from reaching other realms. Continue reading “Mischief and Mayhem Book Review from @kleffnotes”