Mary FanCritiques

Found Footage
Jenny and Stacey are in the forest filming an amateur movie when she gets an odd feeling that she is in danger. Later while reviewing the footage, she realizes what caused those feelings.
Found Footage is a light horror story probably best for younger readers. It is well-written and held my interest, but it is light reading in spite of the scary theme.

This was a different read. Not gory but scary. Not true horror but very suspenseful. The plot was great, just some of the pacing was either slow or too rushed.
The main characters were relatable and rather well fleshed out.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this delightful new book by Mary Fan. What a lovely musical journey to take alongside with Iris! This is the perfect book for those musicians out there who are looking for a book that combines romance, sci-fi, and writing that really integrates the arts.

Iris is a student at a prestigious music academy, focused solely on pursuing her viola studies (and THANK YOU, Mary Fan, for picking a less-loved instrument like the viola) when she suddenly finds herself involved in a bit of intergalactic intrigue and romance. I really enjoyed the way the plot unfolded and revealed more about the other planet and government actions occurring and the way that was interwoven with artistic competitions at the music academy.

Another thing that was really great to see was the diversity in this book. A wide variety of characters of different backgrounds and races, and a good mix of male and female characters. Recommended for music and sci-fi lovers.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.

Enjoyed this a great deal. The depiction of the musical academy is vivid, and Fan pulls off some unexpected developments as Iris' life changes - hinted at, yes, but I wasn't expecting things to happen the way they did.

I’m not sure how I stumbled across Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It may not be the most original, but it was still a lot of fun and had some really creative elements. So, first off, I just want to say that if you’re on the fence about Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon, it’s really enjoyable.

We follow Anlei as she struggles against an unwanted marriage and escapes to help a new friend on his quest, as well as hunting down her father’s killer and finding out the source of the demons attacking her village and stopping them for good. There’s a lot going on here and it’s all quite interesting. Fan has created a world with a good plot build, keeping the reader engaged at all times, but it’s not so hectic that it becomes overwhelming.

The world building is really interesting and I think it had a lot of potential. I really wish Fan has fleshed it out a bit more, to be honest! This is an Asian-inspired fantasy novel, but there are steampunk elements. I’ve never seen that combination before and it was brilliant, but the two didn’t really mesh… a lot? I don’t want to say that they didn’t mesh well, I just felt like the steampunk element was really underplayed. I think that has a lot to do with the length of the book and the amount of information provided as a whole – this is a standalone novel that’s already decently long, there wasn’t much space to flesh out the world building more.

And that is my biggest criticism of Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon. There’s enough content here to stretch this novel in to a duology. I think that there are many things that would have been stronger had this happen – the growth arc between Anlei and Ty, the unique world building, the ascendence of some powerful supporting characters. I enjoyed Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon, I really did! But it was in a more indulgent way than I enjoy most books – there were some flaws in the writing and some cliches, but the story as a whole was so enjoyable that I forgave them. I think if this story had more space to grow, even though things would have faded away, making Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon a five-star read.

As it stands, I still recommend this book, but with the addendum that it isn’t perfect. Expect some flaws. Expect some silliness. Expect moments that make you raise an eyebrow like “that would never work”. But then enjoy it despite all those things.

This started off very well, but it ultimately couldn’t hold my interest in the end. The plot’s serviceable with some steampunk qualities, and foreshadowing is carefully planned. But the two leads didn’t have enough chemistry to carry the story for me, so I felt bored throughout the latter half of their journey.

Ending spoiler: whoo, toward the end Tai turned into a sad sack. How much sadness will you put on one character? Still, I liked his relationship with the viceroy the most. It speaks to how even if you try not to you still may love problematic people (and usually they’re your parents).

~I received a free copy for my honest review~

5/5 Stars

Simply amazing sci-fi dystopia. Starswept tells the story of Iris Lei, a young viola prodigy at a prestigious school for artists. She dreams of increasing her rank enough to gain a sponsor, someone who will pay off her school debt and allow her to live her life playing the instrument she loves. That is until she meets a young Adryil boy by the name of Damiul who teaches her that nothing is like it seems. Desperate to rescue Damiul from the dangers he is caught in, Iris learns about the true testament of friendship and love and finds a new purpose in her life.

With strongly written characters and scenes, Starswept is a real page turner. I’ve never read anything like it before and I can guarantee it will be an instant hit with YA readers.

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Reading Level: High School
A unique book with bad ass heroine. It is a genre mashup of steampunk, fantasy, and ancient China. I love that the heroine went from girl who was sent off to marry a royal to save her town and became a developed character with full agency as she fought alongside a warrior and was the one to save him from the villain and battle a bronze dragon. The plot was slow in the middle and I didn’t like the male character as much with so many secret twists that seemed thrown in instead of developed. But I liked their dynamic and that she was smarter than him. Fun story and I’ve never read anything else like it

This Chinese-inspired fantasy gave me a fluttery heart from the moment that I saw its cover. Let's be honest, it's a great time to be a reader in this movement of own voices books. I couldn't wait to see how Mary Fan would blend this rich history, a bit of steampunk, and a heavy dose of fantasy into something new. To say I was excited for this book probably doesn't even cover it, but we'll leave it at that. I was ready to be swept away.

Now, in all fairness, I am an extremely character driven reader and Anlei took a long while for me to actually enjoy. It's not that she's a bad character, by an means. Fan has created a young woman who is bright, fierce, and full of honor. Anlei isn't afraid to speak her mind, or to step into the face of danger to protect others. However the first third or so of the book it almost felt like Anlei's character was trying too hard to be the exact opposite of a Mary Sue. She was fierce and combative to the point of it feeling like she was a cardboard version of what she wanted to be. That was rough for me. As the story went on though, and I followed her through her adventures, I fell more in love with her attitude. If only a little more polish had been given to the dialogue that she had with a lot of other characters at the beginning, I feel like we could have started off on a better foot.

In terms of world building, which is my second necessity in fantasy reads, this one fell a little short. While the steampunk aspects were absolutely stunning (mechanical dragons anyone?), there wasn't enough explanation of Anlei's world to really make things feel solid. I tripped along with her as she flew across her land, headed for danger, but I never really felt like I was actually there. If I could wish for anything, it would be more time to really sink into the world and find my place in it. Maybe the finished book will have a map inside, which would be amazing! I would have loved to feel like I was actually there with Anlei.

The last thing I want to address is the plot, and this is a touchy one because I don't want to give anything away for potential readers. I'll simply say that this is a rich story, full of mythology, but it definitely drags in places. I honestly believe that this story could have done with some tightening up. Watching Anlei and Tai travel around and battle evil was fantastic. Following along with their banter and their harrowing adventures was a lot of fun. However some of their journey, and some of their dialogue, felt more forced than it should have. It made the book drag at times to the point I needed to skim ahead, but it didn't stop me from reading on.

Truthfully, I did enjoy my time with this book. Maybe not quite as much as I had originally hoped, but it was still so refreshing to get lost in such a culture rich story. If you're a fan of fantasy that has strong women and epic battles, this is a story for yo

Stronger than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan is an Asian inspired tale that follows Liang Anlei on her quest to save her village from the ravages of the demonic Ligui. Anlei is one of the few women serving in the Dailan Guard, protecting the village from the nightly predations of the Ligui. When the Viceroy of the province offers the protection of his personal army in exchange for Dailan's sacred River Pearl, the deal is sealed with a marriage pact and Anlei is chosen to be his new bride. The fierce Anlei is unhappy at the prospect, especially since the Viceroy makes it clear he views her as property. When the River Pearl is stolen, putting Dailan's protection at risk, she goes after the thief. Tai isn't what she expects though, and needs the Pearl just as desperately as she does to save his own people. She agrees to go with him and help, then return the Pearl to the Viceroy. In doing so, Anlei ends up on an adventure that leads her all the way to the Courts of Hell to confront Mowang and learn the truth of the Ligui, a truth more terrible than she once thought.

I rather enjoyed this story! I love the Asian inspired culture, patterned after the ancient Chinese dynasties. People from other cultures show up too. 'Westerners' in passing, and African in the form of Ibsituu, a magic user. She was one of my favourite characters. I absolutely adored the steampunk elements, with the magically driven clockwork dragons and automatons. Especially the dragons! And there are airships as well! Visiting the mythical Courts of Hell was neat, again, inspired by Chinese myth. It was a little surreal too, especially the hallucinations the demons induced.

I liked Anlei well enough. At times, her impulsiveness annoyed me. She put others at risk too often by not thinking before acting, including risking the Viceroy's protection for her people. Tai the thief, on the other hand, was too adorable and I sympathised with his feelings of being unwanted, and how it shaped his childhood, and adulthood. His carefree nature was hiding such deep wounds. While I believe that the circumstances the pair faced together could forge a bond of love quickly, I find it difficult in this case, given Anlei's personality and disposition. I believe Tai could, but I kinda feel Tai deserves better too. Anlei has dyslexia, and it was neat to see how that played into the story. It didn't feel a contrived element either, but just a part of who she was. The time felt too short for such an adventure, even given the speed the airships offered travel. Everything seemed building to reaching Mowang, but that wasn't the end of the story, and the last bit felt rushed and thrust a background character into the forefront.

If you enjoy Asian influenced fantasy, and steampunk elements, be sure to check this read out! I look forward to seeing the writer grow into her own, and I'd definitely read future books. Especially if they have the clockwork dragons!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed as part of the Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tour.

Let Me Fly Free is the second novella in the Fated Stars series, but I can assure you that it reads excellently as a standalone. I can also assure you that you'll want to read the first novella as soon as you've finished, so perhaps you'll want to get both at the same time! As a lover of all things Fantasy related, it's always a joy to find a novella that is able to immerse me just as well as most of the tomes that I generally read. Mary Fan's writing did just that.

This story introduces us to Elaia, a fire nymph whose personality more than lives up to the element crackling inside her. See, Elaia is unpredictable. She's passionate, slightly stubborn, and full of the kind of deep curiosity that tends to get characters in trouble. When an unknown beast threatens her home, Elaia's first instinct is to fight back. Which, of course, goes against everything that she's ever been taught. She's supposed to sit back and be taken care of, but what great hero ever accomplished anything by doing that? Honestly, that's what I loved most about this novella. Elaia's bright and impulsive personality sang through the otherwise quiet of her homeland. Where others fled, she remained.

After doing some poking around, I realized that Kiri is the focus of the first novella in this series. Which, as I said before, means that I need to go and seek it out. If Elaia is impulsiveness embodied, Kiri is patience and kindness. Mary Fan did such an excellent job of showing the contrast between these two, and it was really Kiri who reminded Elaia that sometimes it's more important to care for others than to follow your own path. These two seemed to keep one another centered, and I have high hopes that they'll be back!

A free e-book offering - but one of the good ones. Would read another by this author.

Artificial Absolutes by Mary Fan

Jane Colt, just out of college works as an Interstellar Confederation office drone. Then her friend Adam is kidnapped, and she does not trust the Authorities to help her find her friend.

Devin, Jane's brother, does believe her and wants to help her find Adam. He is trying to have a good life with his new wife, and leave behind his old violent past. But soon he is frames for murder and he discovers some secrets he wish he never had.

Jane is very likable , she uncovers some secrets, and she must learn to cope with what she learns. Devin is just as likable, he too is faced with hidden secrets and must accept what he learns as well. The brother/sister bonding is unbreakable. They will both go to great lengths to protect each-other, and uncover the truth.

The story is in depth, easy to follow and moves at a steady pace. The characters are very well developed and we learn so much about them. There is plenty of action to keep you on the edge-of-your-seat, drama, and surprises. Overall I found Artificial Absolutes an enjoyable, page-turning intense read. I highly recommend to those who love a great sci-fi, A definite five-star read.

This anthology is about teen women who are hackers, tinkerers, scientists, ect. It is a geeky, fun anthology! Most of the stories end on cliffhangers, which is frustrating. I know the space was limited for each story.

I really liked how inventive some of the stories were. The virtual world one where the woman had to fight avatars and hack into the system was awesome.

Overall, a great anthology! And it's for charity too! Go girls, plug in!

I was given a free copy for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(Spoilers within)

"The Outpost" wasn't bad but it took me a while to get into it, and in the end I was left with mostly questions. Maybe because it reads more like the first chapter to a book than a short story (I wouldn't at all be surprised if there is a book). It's the setup of a story rather than a complete story in and of itself. I think it overdid it with the techno-babble, too. But, if there was more to the story, I would have been interested in continuing to read. Instead I'm mostly left with questions like, "How did her dads know the pilot?"

"Blink" was about a girl who inherited a time travel machine and some of her misadventures trying to stop an embarrassing moment from happening to her. This one suffered a bit from being short, too. It was okay, but different things weren't explained well. I'm confused if, when she time travels back a day, the other versions of herself who traveled back are also still there. Some parts seem to imply "no", and other parts seem to imply "yes".
I thought they did, but then one of her past selves bumped into a girl, and when she went back again that didn't happen anymore. Also, because of the short length, the time travel aspect starts confusing the main character long before it confused me. About the second time she's using it she starts getting overwhelmed with how many realities she has to remember, while I didn't find it difficult at all to remember what she'd done so far.
It was an all right story.

"Courage Is" I really liked. It's set up on a massive space ship type scenario, with billions of people flying to some destination. There's an advanced AI, Rostom, that takes care of everything, and when people turn 16 they're hooked up to the AI and become like a hivemind. The main character, Gracie, is 15 and her friends have turned 16, so she's feeling alone.
But, she happens to see something odd in a building, and decides to investigate. In this case investigating means hooking up to the network. There, she meets up with another girl she knows, Georgie, who is comatose in real life but able to interact with others by having her brain hooked up to the network. As they investigate together a real threat seems to appear and goes after Georgie, who can only defend herself by using the network. She lives out of bounds of the rest of society, so Rostom won't protect her, and it's up to Gracie to find and save her.
I really liked this one. It's good that it focused on a few things - the main characters, Gracie and Georgie, and Rostom as an everpresent side character who can be anywhere at anytime. It gave the short story enough focus. In the end, when Gracie gets to Georgie, I think it had a wonderful setup for more story. Georgie and Gracie had a good reason to have a close relationship, and it could be very interesting for the pair to work as a ream, with Georgie being nothing but a hologram and able to control the ship with her mind and Gracie able to take care of other things. I thought it integrated what it would be like to be comatose in the future in an interesting way, and because the story spends the majority of the time with just them it gives the reader a chance to get attached.

"Of Cat's Whiskers and Klutzes" confused the heck out of me. The main characters are in some sort of universe that exists based on a story that one of them wrote, but they're from completely different time periods. I don't know why this universe exists because of a story. The main character is building a transistor. I'm also not sure why. Then one of the storybook characters who helps them out gets attacked. They go to try and help her, but it turns out the warning message they tried to send earlier got there in time and she's fine. And that's about it. I almost don't know how to describe this story. A million things are thrown at the reader and none seems to really go anywhere, nor does much of anything happen.

"Robin Hacker" was probably the longest in the book, being several chapters long. There were little issues. The main character was trying to hide for example, and complained about a ship she was trying to buy looking like a typical merchant ship. If you want to hide, wouldn't it be good to blend in? I didn't see why that would be a complaint. Overall, though, it was fine. It probably could have been condensed into a shorter story. The concept was simple enough: a genius girl discovers they're being deceived and used in order to do bad things. She abandons school and family, and runs away to fight against them. The entire story covers her running away, and might go into more detail than necessary. It never quite grabbed me. Maybe it had too many characters in a short time to feel connected to them, but there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it.

"Panic" is basically characters with psionic powers in training trying to fight off an infiltration of other characters with psionic powers. It sets up a tense situation and has some interesting worldbuilding. I wish I got to know more about Kion.

"Graveyard Shift" started me off on the wrong foot with the main character. She showed up late to work, then insulted her boss/coworker in her mind, and was jerk about it. It didn't get me rooting for her. The story itself is fine with her uncovering a conspiracy, getting in trouble and getting out. It had an unearned ending, though, with her suddenly being promoted to assistant manager for no reason. The rest of the ending was fine, but that part stuck out to me, I even wrote a note that simply said, "Why?"

"A Little Bit Truer" is pretty solid. It focuses on a mother and daughter. The daughter was born with health problems and was blind, so her mother had to leave her behind to pursue her career traveling the universe. She finally comes back now that Zay is older and has been given her eyesight back with an operation, but she and Zay are disconnected and while her mother wants to have her live the high life with her, Zay is more interested in pursuing her own career as a scientist. She becomes even more suspicious when she reads that their re-uniting will be good for her mother's ratings. It's focused, so it works out pretty well.

"Lyra" went in a way I wasn't expecting when I started it. It's very Cinderella-like, with the main girl being abused by her family and her only friend being the house's AI. But they replace the AI with a new one, named "Lyra", who claims to have been made by her long-missing mother in order to protect her.
But it turns out to be over-enthusiastic in how it protects her. At one point she's riding in a car with a boy, who has been nice to her, and Lyra takes over the car, throws her out and crashes it. Maybe something was just wrong with the program, but I didn't get how something like that was protecting her when he had only ever tried to help her, and throwing her out of the car could seriously injure or kill her.
I thought it was too over the top with the abuse she received. It leaves things unexplained, like how Jeremy is a threat, but maybe it just considers everyone a threat. I think it also went too fast from the AI arriving and Elizabeth distrusting it. She immediately doesn't like it, for no particular reason. It probably would have been better if she trusted it at first and then realized something was wrong.
It was okay, but there was just too much abuse from almost every character for me.

"Flight of the Zephyr" was another okay story. By this time I was a bit tired of the desolate future stories, especially with ones where an evil government kills people for no reason and somehow no one can oppose them. The main character discovers that the government is having people work with material that they know poisons them, and she attempts to expose them. There wasn't anything particularly wrong.
The only thing I noticed was a part where she was "walking gingerly on the heeled shoes she'd forgotten how to wear", which didn't seem to fit the setting. In this world they were issued clothes, and she was essentially issued miner's clothes her entire life. When did she ever wear heels before?
The main issue for me was that I felt like I'd seen this scenario a million times before and nothing new was done with it.

I didn't like "The Data Tourist". It was hard to read because it was boring. When it described what was happening it was mostly tech-babble and a bland list of things the main character was doing. Other times it was just awkwardly telling stuff that happened. Plus the present tense was awkward. I usually dislike present tense. It tends to take me out of the story immediately and then I have to overcome that to get into the story, and in this case I was never able to get to that point.

"Robot Repair Girl" was a nice, complete story. I liked the setup of robots wanting to escape and her helping them. I'm not wild about girls who are into clothes constantly being against tech girls, but otherwise I didn't have any issues.

"The Hive" was pretty good. It's a solid setup and gets through the main point of the story. Bees are being kept in short supply by the government in order to create a false epidemic and control through fear. The main character teams up with another woman, and brings in the son of one of the government workers.

"Fledgling" was about a hot-headed girl who is picked out by a military man to join a program that uses advanced technology. It reminds me of a sentai show, where she and others are given power suits to fight evil dictators or something. Who they're fighting isn't a big deal. The story revolves more around their group and the fact that they think they're being drugged and used by the government, and trying to escape that. Each character had a personality in a short span of time. It was pretty enjoyable.

"The Mad Scientist's Daughter" genuinely felt like a short story rather than the first chapter of a book. I liked the lizard, Cika. Viala is the daughter of a man who supposedly went crazy and killed a lot of people with his inventions, and now she's dealing with the consequences of his actions and hide the fact that she's a scientist, lest people believe she's just like her father. It was a good story.

"Helen of Mars" had a boring start but became a decent story with some good action. The main character's father invested in an android in order to mine on Mars, but his android was destroyed and his caches stolen by mercenaries. In a fit he throws away his remote, but his daughter retrieves it in order to repair it and see if she can reboot the android. With the action happening so far away, it lowered the stakes and made it harder to get invested because there was no danger to her. In the end she decides to use the droid to fight off mercenary droids and help others, though the android has been damaged and isn't particularly built for fighting, so I'm not sure how far she'd really get. It wasn't bad, though.

"The Keys to the Stars" was decent. Judy, the main character, gets a call for help from an alien when she's younger. After helping, she agrees to meet them again much later in her life. The aliens are interesting, and I like that the alien was retired at the end.

"Takes a Hacker" is about a girl named, Vieve, who begs for help from the main character, Jane. Vieve was in a horrible accident and had much of her body replaced with cybernetic parts. Because of that she's shunned. When their school is having a large contest, Vieve's entry is sabotaged and she's set up to look like a cheater. No one believes her, so she asks for Jane's help to clear her name.
Jane's boyfriend, Zared, was a bit of a strawman, but other than that it was fine.

As you can probably see from the review, this book was fairly long. The stories in it had a large range of quality.

My two favorites were "Courage Is" and "Fledgling". These two stood out to me as something I'd liked to follow. "Courage Is" has a great setup for a pair of girls who fly through space completing missions. "Fledgling" had a good setup for something like a sci-fi sentai show. They weren't perfect, but they were both written well and I was invested.

My least favorites would be "Of Cat's Whiskers and Klutzes" and "The Data Tourist". The first was just a confused mess, and the second was boring.

The rest mostly fell in the middle of the road for me. Some had the issue of not setting up the "girls with gadgets" parts very well. They would be more, "And she was super good with gadgets because" instead of putting together a reason why, or it could feel like they were interested in it because the story required it. It's hard to explain why, so I'm not even sure if people would get the same feeling.

Would I recommend it? I suppose so. There's a few good ones in there, and many that weren't a bad read. I'd actually be interested in hearing other people's opinions of "Of Cat's Whiskers and Klutzes", just because being as confused as that makes me wonder if I missed something. I don't think I did, but it would be nice to have it confirmed.

Read more reviews here.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Because of CCLaP's policy of reviewing every book that gets sent to us, I tend to read a whole lot of titles exactly like Mary Fan's Artificial Absolutes, part of a scourge of mediocre genre novels that are quite literally choking the small-press part of the publishing industry to death these days. The problem with such books, and why they've grown to be so troubling for the industry in general, is precisely that they're not terrible, so can't just be automatically rejected or ignored -- Fan writes with just exactly the kinds of skills you would expect from some Creative Writing 135 student at some random community college somewhere, turning in a sci-fi actioner here with clunky but not horrible exposition, wooden but not horrible dialogue, expected but not horrible plot turns, and a heavy dose of "Cyber-Fill In The Blank" to remind us on every page that we're in the FUUUUTURE (at one point a character literally refers to a "holographic calendar" on the wall, 'cause THERE AIN'T NO READING DATES IN 2D IN THE FUUUUUUUTURE), all wrapped up in the generic-looking, overly Photoshopped cover that you would absolutely and exactly expect from such a book. In the past, such a manuscript would sit in every publishing company's slush pile until the end of time; but in the world we live in now, where every manuscript that's ever been written can be easily turned into a paperback book at Amazon a week after finishing it, that's exactly what is happening in the millions, leading to a publishing industry that is literally drowning in subpar genre thrillers and that threatens to fatally implode from the sheer overload of bland forgettable novels that will eventually be read by exactly 76 people. Like I said, you can't just dismiss a book like Artificial Absolutes, because it's just exactly not-terrible enough to justify its existence (and to be clear, its Goodreads page is filled with enthusiastic reviews from genre fans who liked it a lot more than I did); but reading too many of these blandly mediocre small-press books is enough to kill one's soul, or at least put a serious damper on one's enthusiasm for small-press literature. Buyer beware.

Out of 10: 7.0

I recently received a copy of the newest sci-fi anthology, BRAVE NEW GIRLS. I have stated a few times that I am not a fan of short stories, and for that matter, anthologies. However, I will admit this was a book of shorts I was looking forward to reading. I just hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed.1455868

Let start by describing the book itself. At just over 380 pages (paperback), the collection of eighteen stories is edited by Paige Daniels, and Mary Fan. The cover, by Streetlight Graphics, is compelling enough to pick the book up and flip through the pages. There are amazing illustrations that start off each story as if it were a novella. The artists are very talented, and also deserve a shout-out: Hazel Butler, Ken Dawson, Adrian DeFuria, Evelinn Enoksen, Mary Fan, Christopher Godsoe, Kayla Keeton, Jason Kucharik, Jennifer L. Lopez, Tash McAdam, and Josh Pritchett. There is no identified publisher (which might be worth creating if this is to become an annual publication).

While there is no way I can (well I could) review all eighteen stories, I am going to review a few I liked best. I will start off by saying that I read the entire book, but not cover to cover. Instead picked stories out in my own personal order, for my own personal tastes at the time I sat down to read until I had read them all! Let me tell you this — wow. There was not one story I did not like. I may even begin to look at anthologies and short stories more favorably on the whole because of BRAVE NEW GIRLS. They are perfect bite-sized tales that I can devour in very little time, and yet feel satisfied. These stories are a lot like a Snickers Bar. I mean –how can someone NOT like that?

As a long time fan of Stephen Kozeniewski, I decided to start with “The Keys to the Stars.” Judy is a busy college 9098154_origprofessor who receives an odd phone call, but agrees to take it because the message consists of prime numbers. She remembers back to a time when she was just a child and helped space aliens in their time of need. She is afraid that the terms of their agreement are up. Will civilization on earth come to an end as she knows it?

This short story shows Kozeniewski’s diversity as an author. I’ve read his novels. Trust me. “The Keys to the Stars” is completely different from anything else he’s written. Don’t get me wrong, the short still contains tension, and action, suspense and drama. It is just … different. Not bad different. But different. I enjoyed it very much.

The next story I tackled was Mary Fan’s “Takes a Hacker.” Now I have known Fan for a year or two. We don’t talk much. Not sure why. She is busy. I am busy. It happens. Aside from “Takes a Hacker,” I have not yet read any of her 1371047_orignovels. However, that is about to change. Fan has smooth talent that seems to flow effortlessly through her writing. She makes the complex simple for readers. She uses enough description to put you there, and enough tension and suspense to keep the ride in motion. (For what it is worth, I believe I will be checking out her latest releases, Artificial Absolutes … just FYI).

Anywho … I loved this conspiratory tale. Vieve is an unfortunate teen involved in a crash and can’t help feeling ostracized by her peers for having survived. During a school competition when she submits her entry, the judges want her arrested for creating something too close to A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), and the only person she can trust is a non judgmental student, Jane. Can they figure out if someone is jealous of Vieve, or has Vieve purposefully broken the law and deserving of a prison sentence?

Paige Daniels tells an emotionally gripping story in, “The Outpost.” Sixteen year old Lyvia dreams of being a pilot. Her fathers expect her to become a scientist. They move from asteroid to asteroid on the tail end of mining digs. When Lyvia’s life is suddenly turned upside down. Was it an honest accident that left her alone, or were sinister 4472633_origgroups against mining responsible for the havoc wreaked on the asteroid? With a close-knit group of friends, Lyvia is going to get to the bottom of the mystery!

Daniels is the author of the NON-COMPLIANCE trilogy, an engineer, and a mom. Not a bad life, and not a bad writer. Her dialogue is fantastic. I think spot-on for kids from the future. The narrative is clean and concise. She grabbed my attention from the opening line. Bravo!

Philly Ramirez is on parole for the internet theft of millions. As a seventeen year old convicted hacker it would seem things could only get better. Putting her electronic skills to better use, Philly works in a cemetery, maintaining holograms of those who have passed. The emitter allows the grieving to see and hear recorded broadcasts from the departed. Unfortunately, when a hologram is purposely tampered with, it looks as if the company she stole from is up9684431_orig to more than just commerce. Thrust into a murder mystery, with a list of unanswered questions, Philly tries to figure out why a powerful CEO went to the trouble of killing his own son, and if she is lucky, find out what really happened to her brother in Kimberly G. Giarratano’s “Graveyard Shift.”

Giarratano is the other of two novels, and dreams of moving to the Keys where she can write in a small studio just like Hemmingway. I hope that dream comes true for her. She has a nice way with words. She crafted characters I connected with, a plot that was engaging, and a story that mattered. “Graveyard Shift” is a kind of futuristic Robin Hood tale, take from the rich, give to the poor –except, it is nothing like a Robin Hood tale. If I had three thumbs, I’d give this story three thumbs up. I don’t. I have two. So two will have to do.

As I have stated, I cannot possibly review all eighteen short stories. Unfortunately, they all deserve review. The entire book is wonderful, and beautifully put together. The editors have assembled a collection that is worthy of awards. I hope my brief glimpse into the anthology are enough to whet your appetite for more. It should. It really should. I have discovered new authors because of this book, and will be adding more novels by each of them to my Amazon shopping cart. If anything, that is the best part for me. Reading stories that make me want more from the writers. But please, don’t take my word for it. Check out BRAVE NEW GIRLS for yourself. I don’t think you will be disappointed at all.

Phillip Tomasso,
Author of YOUNG BLOOD and DAMN THE DEAD

Brave New Girls is a great sci-fi anthology. Beside the fact that this book is for a great cause - all proceeds go to a scholarship for the Society of Women Engineers, but the concept for the anthology is also very fascinating and unique. I mean, who doesn't love badass girls who use their brains to do awesome things, right?

Overall, Brave New Girls is a great book. As an anthology, Of course not every story is as great as the other. But if Brave New Girls' stories are good, then they would be way over the roof kind of good. Not only this book points out the fact that girls can be as good as (I mean "better than") boys, the book itself is awesome! "Let’s show the world that girls, too, can be tomorrow’s inventors, programmers, scientists, and more." Way to go girls! And the way each author puts their characters through challenges after challenges, and how those characters develop and change themselves throughout the story, that is very amazing.

Each story in this book has its own very unique little background detail, which I found absolutely captivating. A girl with two fathers, friendship challenges, cheated in school's science fair, etc. I mean, how awesome the stories are to delicately reflect normal life issues, right? And beside, I love love love the fact that each story has its own cover and illustrations, and those are really cool! It gives the readers the feeling they are reading each individual book itself.

I really enjoy this book, and it will definitely be a more than awesome present for my sister on her birthday (until she can read). Love it and totally recommend it!

Read this review and more on https://bookisglee.wordpress.com½

I ADORE Mary's world building, and this is one of the most intriguing worlds I've come across. Dystopian? Check. Monsters, magic, and murder? Check. A scheming government who wants to keep the citizens down? Check. A group of young adventurers fighting back? Absolutely. Aurelia is one of my favorite. Characters. Ever. Can't wait for Flynn to come out next year!

An overall satisfying work of science fiction with good character development. I would have enjoyed more exploration of the difference between human and artificial intelligence, and of the nature of the soul and whether or not an artificial being can have one. However, such an exploration would have been difficult to pull off without disrupting the story pacing.

I liked this science fiction story that focused on reality and not-so reality. The title really says it all, and kind of made sense after reading.

Absolute-This is the books God-like character, what they pray to in times of need. This represents the morality in the story and the choices that the characters have to make.

Artificial- Well this plays the opposite in the story and deals with the falseness that is portrayed.

I loved the main character of Jane, she was determined at times to prove she didn't need to be taken care of and this made me like her overzealous behavior. I had a hard time with the relationship between her brother and her, but as you progress you get to see why it is the way it is.