The Ruinous Curse: The Hunt for Alesta is an official award winner! Read the full review here!
The Hunt for Alesta is a heartfelt and imaginative coming-of-age story wrapped in the trappings of high fantasy. What stood out most was how deeply human Barrett felt. He’s not some perfect hero. He hesitates, he doubts, and he fumbles through his feelings for Zanora like any teenager would. The magic and world-building had a classic fantasy feel, but the dialogue kept it fresh.
***
Thomas Anderson / Editor in Chief / Literary Titan / 5 Star rating
Mark K. McClain’s Passages of Peculiarity 2 is a compilation of extraordinary imagination, amplified by the author's genuine talent for writing stories that are simultaneously ominous and uniquely convincing. The standout is The Fall of Humanity.
I also love The Vanishing Woods, where a search for a missing family dog uncovers the truth behind tales of the Mauler, a wolf-like creature blamed for countless deaths. Throughout every piece, the construction of settings is so textured that they are almost tactile, the characters are fully fleshed out, and the unexpected comes to life, leaving a lasting impression and a hope for another book in the series. Very highly recommended.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Literature can often serve as a sort of catharsis. It can explore the darkest crevices of human nature as well as explore humanity's deepest, most uncomfortable questions. Passages of Peculiarity by Mark K. McClain is a dark, unsettling, and thought-provoking collection of short-stories.
It explores themes like guilt versus agency, the price of power, cycles of abuse and retaliation, greed’s boomerang, and how evil can hitch a ride on objects, ideas, and even “good intentions.”
Outstanding Creator Award Reviewer
