The Ghosts of Spiritwoodby Martine Noël-MawPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$17.99 ISBN 9781989398623 I’ve always loved a good ghost story, and Saskatchewan writer Martine Noël-Maw gives us ghost stories inside a ghost story in her YA novel The Ghosts of Spiritwood. First published in 2010 in French, the book’s now available in English thanks to Shadowpaw Press Reprise, and I’m so pleased. The novel was inspired by Grade 8 French Immersion students at Elsie Mironuck School in Regina, where Noël-Maw conducted six writing workshops. The author’s work’s been recognized with two Saskatchewan Book Awards, and she clearly knows how to write well, beginning with this novel’s opening paragraph: “I still have nightmares about the events that took place in that abandoned country school near Spiritwood. I’d seen disembodied spirits before but never like those.” That’s a grabber. We immediately learn that our First Person narrator is seventeen-year-old Ethan, the son of a Regina psychologist. Ethan and his classmates were to go camping in Spiritwood where they’d “watch the northern lights,” but rather than taking the bus with the others, Ethan and twins John and Reggie, plus Ethan’s crush Alex(andra) and whiny Britney had to leave the city…

Small Reckoningsby Karin Melberg SchwierPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$24.99 ISBN 9781989398746 Sometimes a book is so phenomenal it goes into multiple printings, either with the original publisher or with a fresh publisher. Such is the case with Saskatoon author Karin Melberg Schwier’s Small Reckonings, a Watrous, SK-based novel set between 1914 and 1936, and inspired by true events. I reviewed this book—for which the writer received a John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Award for Fiction—when it was first published by Burton House Books in 2020. A revised edition came out in 2021 with Copestone, and that same year it earned a Saskatchewan Book Award. This year, Shadowpaw Press Reprise has released the third edition. This story’s got staying power. I stand by what I claimed in my initial review: Small Reckonings deserves a huge audience. Kudos to the multi-genre writer, and to Regina publisher (and writer) Edward Willett for recognizing that many well-written books deserve another chance to shine. Excerpts of my earlier review of this beautifully-crafted and highly enjoyable novel also get a reprise: Melberg Schwier expertly creates individuated characters readers will care deeply about, including the central figure, Violet, who, at birth, looks like…

From the Street to the Stars: Andy Nebula, Interstellar Rockstar – Book Oneby Edward WillettPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Toby A. Welch$19.95 ISBN 9781999382728 From the Street to the Stars is not my first Edward Willett book. Odds are it won’t be my last, as Willett is constantly publishing (that is a bonus for those of us who love reading the tales that come out of his super-imaginative mind.) Like his other works, this one doesn’t disappoint. It is filled with prose that draws you right in while the characters and plot keep you glued to every page.  While From the Street to the Stars is geared for young adults and I’m approaching middle age, I loved Kit’s story. The tale of a teenager turned rockstar would’ve been enough to keep me sucked in yet Willett takes the plot several exciting steps further. He adds in spaceships, aliens, interplanetary travel, and a few other galactic surprises. While that could’ve turned cheesy fast, in this case it added fabulous layers to the story. New depths are created, especially with the kooky aliens. It was a thrill ride to go along with the cast of quirky characters on their adventures.  One of…

Phasesby Belinda BetkerPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Michelle Shaw$17.99 ISBN 9781989398449 Phases, a debut poetry collection by Saskatoon poet Belinda Betker, beautifully captures the stages and transformations of one woman’s life. It unravels like a journey that begins in childhood and culminates in the “triumphant release of coming out and the liberating power of drag.” Along the way Belinda reflects on stereotypes, conformity and society’s expectations. She captures distinct moments in time with an exquisite touch and an often-soul penetrating choice of words. And while one’s instinctive response is to read it as memoir, Belinda notes that not all the poems are strictly autobiographical. I marvelled at the accuracy of her descriptions and the accessibility and emotional intensity of her words. The book is divided into four sections, each describing a particular lunar phase. I was so fascinated by the terms: Saros Cycle, Grazing Occultation, Perigee Syzygy and Orbital Eccentricity, that of course I had to look them up. The explanations gave such an added dimension to the poems in each section, which I imagine was Belinda’s intent. As I’m sure each definition is open to interpretation, I encourage you to look them up yourself! I also learned a…

What If You Could?by Lynne Harley, Illustrations by Kiram AkramReview by Michelle ShawPublished by Shadowpaw Press Premiere$16.99 ISBN 9781989398463 What If You Could? by Lynne Harley is a wonderful book for all ages with a deep and profound message that will resonate with every reader. The author cleverly uses the familiar story of the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to highlight the different “inner voices” we all experience. “One grey and rainy morning, a caterpillar, as caterpillars do, was eating a big, green leaf, munching, crunching, thinking, too.” One of the voices the caterpillar hears is positive and loving and encourages him to dream big, exciting dreams and to let his imagination run free. The other voice is “cold and quite mean” and full of “know-it-all advice”. This voice sternly tells the caterpillar: “forget it, little caterpillar. From this branch, you won’t go far! … HA! Who do you think you are?” Lynne Harley has spent forty years as a social worker and a transformational life coach, so it’s not surprising that this book is so profound. Through her work she encourages individuals to believe in themselves. She says this book speaks to the power of listening deeply to our…

Duateroby Brad C. AndersonPublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Toby A. Welch$23.95 ISBN 9781989398395 I must admit that sci-fi isn’t my go-to choice for fiction. Sure, I loved the X-Files TV show and thoroughly enjoyed reading Ender’s Game and Dune but that was about the extent of it. Duatero changed that – science fiction will now be a genre I regularly reach for.  The title of this book confused me at first – what the heck is a duatero? Is it a sea creature with two legs? Some kind of two-sided crystal? Wrong on both counts. The title of this book is the name of an abandoned Earth colony. The fantastical world that Anderson created in Duatero is a fascinating place to be during the hours it takes to read the book. The main character, Majstro Falchilo Kredo, works furiously to protect Duatero from Malamiko, an ecosystem that is causing the colony’s crops to fail. Malamiko is threatening their way of life in every way; the possibility of Duatero having a future is dire. This well-written ecological apocalyptic tale is spellbinding. It is obvious that Anderson put a tremendous amount of thought and research into Duatero. It is flush with…

Stayby Katherine LawrencePublished by Shadowpaw Press RepriseReview by Toby A. Welch$12.95 ISBN 9781989398371 What an intriguing book! Geared for young adult readers, Stay tells the story of what Millie, an 11-year-old girl, is going through in her complicated world. Millie’s parents are struggling in their lives and she is an observer to their turmoil. Her closest confidante is her twin brother, Billy, who was born deceased. It is fascinating to tag along with Millie as she journeys through the pre-teen phase in her life.  Millie is an enchanting main character that I quickly fell in love with. She is precocious and daring, I will give her that. She reads her mother’s racy texts and makes no apologies for doing so. She loves chocolate more than anything in the world. Missing her dad after he moved out of the family home, she dots his aftershave behind her ears. She tries smoking cigarettes. Her strongest desire is to have a dog. Millie’s story is captivating! It took me a few chapters to get used to the format of Stay. I typically read traditionally structured books with full paragraphs consisting of complete sentences. Stay is written in a way that comes off as…

Star Songby Edward WillettPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Amanda Zimmerman$24.95 ISBN 978-1-989398-03-6 In the same vein as his Worldshapers series, Regina author Edward Willett weaves a standalone sci-fi fantasy tale for young adult readers that is sure to captivate from the very first chapter. Worldhugger Kriss Lemarc has never fit in on the planet he’s grown up on, his appearance setting him apart from the native born villagers. His precarious place in the community is further unsettled when his caretaker and only family is brutally attacked and her house burned. Kriss has only a strange kind of emotion-expressing instrument called a touchlyre to his name- a musical oddity gifted from his father that he promised never to reveal. What secrets from the past does it hold? Summoning his courage, Kriss walks the days-long journey to report Mella’s murder in the city. Upon his arrival and through a few misadventures, the teen begins to realize just how impossible his dream of leaving the planet for the stars really is. There are only two ways to travel and both are closed to him based on his funds, education, and connections. He’s desperate though, so he breaks his promise and uses the touchlyre…

Right to Knowby Edward WillettPublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Allison Kydd$19.95 ISBN 9781989398227 If some associate prolific Saskatchewan author Edward Willett, also creator of The Worldshapers podcast, primarily with his award-winning young adult fantasy, Right to Know*proves that he also understands adult audiences. His characters have an appealing complexity, and readers can’t help but be drawn into the moral dilemma that faces the protagonist in this exciting tale. Thirty-two-year-old Art Stoddard is part of the aristocracy on the starship Mayflower II. Born and raised on board, he’s a media personality and an “approved reproduction partner.” Therefore, he has been spoiled by women as well as by the glory that comes from his father’s status as a Councillor and one of the Originals. They were the ones who escaped from Earth and established a new world in space, the only world Stoddard the younger has ever known. Art Stoddard, however, is floating through life as well as well as through space. He’s still living with his parents, working at a prestigious job that asks very little of him, drinking and carousing too much, but getting away with it. Yet things are about to change, and he may just discover powers he…

Blue Fireby E.C. BlakePublished by Shadowpaw PressReview by Marlin Legare$C24.95 ISBN 9781989398197 Blue Fire by E.C. Blake is a Young Adult fantasy adventure that is not only sure to impress the young literature fans in your household but also a fun read for all ages. Published by ShadowPaw Press, Blue Fire follows the escapes of Petra, a young Priest-Apprentice; Amelinn, a Free-Folk youth and dancer; and Jin, a young scholar of the Nightkin people. The factions of these teenagers in Blake’s impressively crafted world have been at odds for centuries over a divine battle of warring gods known as the War of the Twelve Gods, a great battle that took place in the land of Nevyana in which twelve gods fought for glory and territory. Only three of these gods survived: Vekrin, Errica, and Ell. These gods agreed to cease interference in the lives of mortals, opting to instead bestow upon their respective followers divine gifts. Vekrin of the Earth and Errica of the Sun gave to their followers the titular gift of Blue Fire, a powerful force for humans to wield as a means of weaponry and defence. Meanwhile, the followers of Ell of the Moon received the ability…