Alesha Escobar

Magic Unveiled: An Anthology
Various Authors


Magic has many facets. Sometimes good. Other times evil. A blessing. A curse. Humorous. Frightening. This collection gathers nine supernatural stories that differ in style and tone, bringing together the many faces of magical, supernatural power.

Always a fan of magical tales, I was so excited to delve into this collection. I brewed a pot of tea, curled up on the sofa with my cat, and spent the evening in the fantasy world created by this collection of magical stories.

I was not disappointed! As with any anthology, I liked some of the stories better than others. But, all in all, this collection was an enjoyable, quick, read. It was a nice dose of magic on a fall evening.

The stories included are:

Gypsum Jane's Inkscapes by H.M. Jones. A tale of a man in mourning and a visit to a supernatural tattoo parlor. Jones' story masterfully weaves a tale that blurs the boundary between this world and the after-life. I loved this story!

The Black Dagger Gods by Alesha Escobar. A gang of Gods ventures forth to discover who murdered one of their own. Rogue deities. Fading power of the old Gods. And a guardian tied to both men and gods. Awesome story with a lot of action.

The Isis Enigma by Samantha LaFantasie. Young witch Audrey's college life is interrupted by a dream that leads her on a journey to discover her family's magical legacy and starts her on a quest to free an imprisoned goddess. This was a coming of age story with a magical twist.

Unusual Suspect by Ronovan Hester. Detectives investigate the death of a woman who was host to a Hell Soul. A tale of possession with a new twist!

Journey to a New Home by Jayme Beddingfield. A child's drawing takes her on a magical walk with her ill mother. This was a hauntingly beautiful story, my favorite in this collection.

The Dark Ones by Samantha LaFantasie and Keith Goodno. Anna discovers that some relationships are dysfunctional and toxic for a reason.

Three Wishes by Alice Marks. Always be careful what you wish for.

Blackwing by Devorah Fox. A handyman finds a pencil that just might change his life. This story made me, as a writer, happy in my soul. :)

Mirror Me by Raven Oak. A mirror that reflects a little bit more than just the truth.

All in all, an enjoyable short story anthology!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this story anthology from Creative Alchemy, Inc via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.**… (mehr)

The Tower's Alchemist is a Fantasy novel which recreates the experience of the Second World War. Nazi warlock vampires are just one of the terrifying obstacles that lay in the path of Isabella George, part of the resistance fighting the Germans.

As a trained alchemist, I found her to be a strong and resourceful character with a good measure of independence. She is a true heroine and provides a terrific role model for young girls.

Isabella finds death and betrayal wherever she turns as she works with the British forces to try and put an end to chemical weaponry that is costing people their lives. Secrets involving her supposedly dead father are just another diversion she faces in this tale.

Set between Denmark and France, The Tower's Alchemist made for a thrilling read. The characters were lively and worked well to drive the story forward. Themes of mortality and loss were prevalent throughout and there was no shortage of awesome fight scenes. I found the start of the book to be rather intense as we dove straight into the first action sequence. It immediately captured my attention as a reader and made me question how the heroes were going to survive.

If you want a read that flows well, makes great use of humour, and leaves you guessing, then might I suggest The Tower's Alchemist, by Alesha. L. Escobar.

4/5 stars.… (mehr)

Like most young women her age, Isabella would be happy to spend her time having fun with friends, reading brides’ magazines and planning a future with the man she loves. But the world is at war and the good guys need her for her unique and particular talents. She is an alchemist and can bend natural forces to her will. This makes her an ideal adversary to go up against Nazis who count wizards, vampires and terrifying Black Wolves among their numbers. Vowing to retire, the brave young woman takes on one last mission: to stop the Nazis from deploying a monstrously deadly bio-weapon. I cheered Isabella for her persistence and her commitment to the cause, and liked the way the details of the secret service she works for and biowarfare were inspired by actual WWII events. It made the story that much more believable.… (mehr)

A collection of six science fiction and fantasy stories focusing around the theme of time travel. Through each story, it was really interesting to see the different emotions that went into each characters ability or decision to time travel, from love to grief, hope to adventure, every traveler had unique reasons for their journeys in time. Another aspect that I enjoyed through each story were the different methods of time travel that each story used. As with any anthology there were stories that I liked more than others. My absolute favorite was End of the Road where a rambunctious 5-year old girl named Maddie travels through a painting at her grandmother's house. Maddie gets a taste of life on a Southern plantation once she walks through the painting and finds that she likes her life much better. I loved the painting as a medium for travel, the point of view from a child and Maddie's go-with-the-flow reaction to everything that was happening to her. The other story in the collection that drew me in was The Light Storm of 2015. College friends Gina and Ben take the chance to change one event in their past through a once in a lifetime light storm. For a short story, I felt like I got to know Gina and Ben really well, I loved the light storm as a method of travel, and I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Overall, a great collection of time travel stories with a little something for everyone.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (mehr)