Early Reviews for Of Cinder and Bone

Happy New Year! It's been almost two weeks since my all-new sci-fil thriller, Of Cinder and Bone, hit digital bookshelves. Here are a few early reviews to get excited for what's up ahead.

Emily Pennington
December 22, 2016
Goodreads Review

Dr Rhett “Jack” Jackson and Dr Kamala Anjali were working over the incubator at MIT. After more than 60 attempts, the genetically modified egg was still not fertilized. They put everything away in the lab and left for a party to unwind. 

As the work continued, Kam thought about the asexual reproduction that a Komodo dragon is capable of; so they again prepared the egg and implanted it in a female Komodo. The egg implanted and grew – developing faster than expected. Within a month, the eggs were about to hatch. A news conference was called to watch the ground-breaking event. As Jack checked the eggs one last time with a stethoscope, there was no longer any sound of life in any of the eggs! They injected the eggs with an epi-pen to resuscitate them, but nothing happened. As Jack and a reporter were arguing about the failure, there was a sudden loud CRACK from one of the eggs! What will this mean for the project? For the whole world? Did a dragon actually survive?

Beautifully filled with vivid description, the author brings the reader right into the story. You feel like you are right there with the characters, sharing whatever activity is going on. The characters, too, are developed in such a way that the reader feels like an old friend, knowing their thoughts and aspirations. I have never felt more comfortable in a book as I did in this one. The dialog was witty and humorous. Interspersed in the developing relationship between Jack and Kam, scientific information is shared which makes the reader feel like this is ground-breaking research going on. It was such a fresh, novel approach and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book. It’s definitely worth the read!

Samantha
December 23, 2016
Goodreads Review
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I liked this book. it was funny, exciting, and slightly thrilling. Dr. Rhett Jackson is smart, sweet, and lovable. Dr. Kamala Anjali is also smart, sweet, and loyal. the two characters work so well together. Especially since Jack is a nerd but secretly a macho man. I love his character. The plot and theme were also awesome. At first I thought it was gonna be some sort of shifter story but instead they created a real dragon from the 15 century. Throw in a Japanese gang and it gets intriguing. I had hoped Jack and Kam ended up together and they did but I'm worried that it wont last cause Jack has some lingering feeling for Faye and Faye has feelings for him and Kamala. its not fair to Kam and they are both playing with her heart. I liked that towards the end Jack's therapist makes him confront the issues cause he is trying to have his cake and eat it too. Looking forward to the next book to see how the drama unfolds and the trouble Japan is in with the Baba Yaga.

Corine Ann Barnes
December 29, 2016
Amazon Review
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Reading this book was like hearing a great friend's exciting adventures that you just missed. I had the impression it was a thinly disguised autobiography, and I wanted to shout, "Just tell me where the dragon is!" I loved the story line, the characters, the outcome - and I know I would love Pete the dragon!

Brooke Banks
December 26, 2016
The Broke Book Bank Blog

Of Cinder & Bone opens with Jack and Kamala in the lab working on making a hybrid – dragon DNA spliced with a komodo dragon. They’ve been working together for a year and the deadline is rapidly approaching. I love it when contemporary fantasy brings the science and melds it well with magic. 

Not only are they colleagues but close friends. It’s awesome to see. They’ve got great banter. Jack is secretly in love with Kamala but isn’t a creepy jerk about it. Eventually, he lets that cat out of the bag, but you’ll have to read to find out what happens. 

Kamala’s BFF and roommate Faye is an interesting supporting character. She’s a fellow grad student in a completely different field. Her and Jack have a teasing, grudgingly friends relationship. Faye enjoys baiting him and Jack can’t help but rise to the occasion. 

They have an interesting dynamic going on. With the events after coming home from Japan, it’s going to get even better to watch. Bring the popcorn. 

I wondered why they picked dragons of all things to “bring back” instead of known real animals. It seemed especially fishy given their activist goals of righting the wrongs of extinct animals and rebuilding the natural state of affairs humans fucked up. 

Soon enough it becomes clear that dragons were real and hunted to extinction. This is the only different between our world and that Of Cinder & Bone. Thus far anyways. 

It’s not until the very end though that Jack divulges the deep personal reasons for wanting to make dragons a contemporary animal. I had an automatic “aw” moment when he spilled the beans but then thought Bigfoot would be a better choice for that reasoning. Now it’s hard to take him seriously for it. Sorry Jack :/

Once they get to Japan, it’s very urban romance with lots of action, violence, kidnapping, and they’re running nonstop. Pete the New Dragon is a wonderful dragon and had me reacting stronger than when a dog is involved. LEAVE HER ALONE DAMNIT. Thankfully, Jack and Kamala are good people and treat her right. Now, if only they can get her back…

After getting back to the USA, you’ll notice there’s still many pages to go. Every reader knows this dread. It continues to wrap up the characters and loose ends. So far so good, but then the TO BE CONTINUED…knocks the damn wind out of you and you realize there wasn’t enough pages. The author, Kyoko M., starts her notes at the end begging for forgiveness and I’ll have to allow it. For now. Because I need the next one. 

Don't forget that Of Cinder and Bone is now live on all platforms! Don't miss out.
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Thanks for your support! Please stay tuned for more news and have a happy new year!