Tag: books

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Chains of Gold by Ken Robb

Title: Chains of Gold: Based on the True Story of Slavery During the California Gold Rush

Author: Ken Robb

Publisher: Word Star Ink

Genre: Historical Fiction, US Historical Fiction

Published: September 22, 2025

Pages: 438 pages

The year is 1852, and Carter is shouting his freedom into the face of the law as deputies close in, threatening to drag him back to Mississippi in chains. From this moment of terror, the story retreats a couple of years back to the Perkins Plantation, where Carter is not free at all but enslaved, under the watch of a brutal overseer. It is here that Charles Perkins returns home from college to witness the abuse of his slaves.

Although Carter and Charles are half-brothers, playing side by side as boys, adulthood exposes the lie of that intimacy. One is granted power by birth; the other is denied ownership of his own body. I was struck by how powerfully the author juxtaposes affection and oppression throughout the story, illustrating how love can coexist with, and be corrupted by, slavery. Carter and Charles’ bond is no match for a system designed to break one man for the comfort of another.

Charles Perkins is the oldest to inherit the plantation. He was gifted land and slaves, and his father wants his sons to learn how to manage a plantation. Despite this, Charles is noticeably different from his brother. Rather than basking in the excitement of running his own plantation, Charles shows more compassion, doesn’t want the enslaved to be mistreated, and has dreams of going to California to find gold.

Carter is an intelligent Black man. He knows how to read despite being enslaved (something he hides), pays attention to details (especially details on slavery), carries his Bible everywhere he goes, and watches Charles’ back. He is more responsible and proves to be his brother’s keeper on more than one occasion.

While Carter yearns for true freedom, Charles is a man of his time. Despite how much grace he extends, he is still a slave master. As Charles reminisces about the beauty of the mansion and the land, recalling his father’s ambition and how hard their ancestors worked to farm and buy the land, Carter reminds him that “more land means more slaves.” He knows it was built with his family’s blood, sweat, and tears. (Robb 2025)

Though looking at the same view, the men see two different worlds. This is reflected throughout the story. While Charles’s love interest, Emmy, gives him a professional photo to remember her by, Carter’s love interest, Peg, gives him a charcoal drawing she made using a mirror.

My AI rendition of Carter and Charles

The narrative eventually follows Carter and Charles westward to California in pursuit of gold, a journey the author renders with careful attention to historical details. Rather than functioning solely as an adventure, the passage underscores the persistence of racial and social hierarchies across geographic space. In California, distance from the plantation does not translate into liberation from inherited roles. Charles’s attempts at fairness are marked by visible moral ambivalence, yet the surrounding society repeatedly reasserts the boundaries between them.

This tension is crystallized in several figures throughout the book, such as Bill, the seasoned miner, whose disapproval when Carter refers to Charles as his “master” exposes the unspoken codes governing race, power, and language. This tension resurfaces in Charles’s exchange with Fritz, who asks whether Carter is paid.

Although Charles views himself as well-intentioned, his decision not to compensate Carter—and his quiet assurance that the money would not matter to him—reveals how deeply he remains anchored in the assumptions of mastery. In this moment, Charles acts not as an equal or a brother, but as a man still shaped by the privileges of ownership.

The author does a good job of highlighting the lesser-known aspects of California’s history that are not widely taught.

Slavery and unfree labor were deeply ingrained during the Gold Rush era, despite California’s 1850 admission as a “free state” prohibiting slavery. Slaveholders brought enslaved Black people to work mines, and state laws like the 1852 Fugitive Slave Law enforced this practice. This resulted in complicated legal disputes, community resistance from free Black Californians, and the persistence of servitude until the Civil War.

The best thing about this book is that it’s based on a true story. Both the characters and the Gold Rush era are also well-researched, including the scene where Charles explains to the men how to transform the gold into banknotes. We often overlook the fact that paper money was once backed by gold, until the gold standard was removed in 1971 when Nixon ended the dollar’s convertibility to gold. This is why a dollar in 1800 had far more buying power than a dollar in 2025.

In 1850, $1 could buy what about $40 buys now.

This is a long book, so it will take some time to read. However, if you are looking for some good historical fiction, this one is well worth the time! I was eager to see what would become of the characters.

I think you will too.

Ratings

  • Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
  • Entertainment Factor: 4/5
  • Characterization: 5/5
  • Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Chains of Gold is Available On Amazon Here!

The Review Registry is Closed for 2025.

To Be Added to the Waitlist for 2026, please email the first chapter of your book to the email listed in our review policy with “Book Review Waitlist” in the subject line. While this does not guarantee a review, it places your book at the top of the list for consideration in the new year.

To apply for 2026, click here

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from around the world, including both traditionally and self-published authors. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and on Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are booked.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews -Cancer Courts My Mother by LindaAnn LoSchiavo

Title: Cancer Courts My Mother

Author: LindaAnn LoSchiavo

Publisher: Prolific Pulse Press LLC

Genre: Contemporary Poetry, Death, Grief, and Loss Poetry

Published: November 7, 2025

Pages: 40 pages

We live in a society with a rule we’re never taught, but somehow already know: you do not speak ill of your mother. Mothers are indeed sacred, but in this language, the rule is that mothers are beyond critique, beyond blame, untouchable. It means you are never to speak badly of them. Ever. Not in public. Not even to yourself. It’s not carved in stone or written on any wall, yet it hovers among us silent, expectant, immovable. Cancer Courts My Mother defies that silence.

These poems and stories peel back the polite mask to reveal the complicated, aching truth of loving a mother who has not always loved you well—and then being asked to care for the very person who once caused the hurt. It is bravery set to verse, honesty without apology, and the painful dance between resentment and devotion when illness becomes the final judge.

“Bad memories are cadavers that refuse burial. Instead of an archive of velveteen nostalgia, her name leaves gravel in my mouth.”

The title suggests that cancer is courting the mother, but more deeply, the illness is also courting the daughter who tells this story. In this piece, LoSchiavo is not only the narrator; she is the wounded child. As she tends to a woman who once sharpened every word into a blade, she is confronted with a new version of her mother: frail, softened by illness, gentled by morphine.

“Cancer helped adorn my mother with patience, her acidic breath pausing to accept the spoon that brought breakfast.”

The disease becomes an unwanted chaperone, pulling the daughter into an intimate dance between what was and what is—between the sting of old wounds and the strange tenderness of caring for the very person who caused them.

In the piece “Flash,” the author reveals how her breached birth changed everything.

“To hear my mother tell it, a respectful infant should politely slide from the womb.”

I felt sympathy for the daughter because one cannot control how they enter the world, and she articulates this with a raw truth in the lines, “eventually, I became a vegetarian, refusing to eat anything that had a mother.”

These kinds of powerful lines are all throughout the book, and you’ll want to sit wth them. While the book is a short, quick read, you wouldn’t want to rush through it. The words deserve to be savored for their deeper meaning.

While holding space for the daughter, I also felt empathy for the mother. I know from the testimony of family and friends that motherhood is no fairytale. I understand how a mother can lose herself to the point of resentment. I enjoyed balancing these two thoughts, and I love that the author gave me this opportunity.

As the Grim Reaper inches closer to claiming his prize, we can see how, despite the daughter’s feelings toward her mom, it is not without deep love, proving society wrong: We can tell the truth about mothers while loving them.

As KE Garland writes: “There are kind ways to characterize those we love, without denigrating them.”

The way this book is written conveyed the truth without judgment.

“When my mother died, she took home along with her.”

As someone who has also lost her mom to multiple illnesses, I sympathize with that powerful line, and it reminds me of a line from Nayyirah Waheed, who says, “My mother was my first country. the first place i ever lived.”

(The non-capitalization in Waheed’s lines is intentional.)

My only wish is to see this as a whole book, maybe a memoir, so we can have the entire experience. The poetry and the prose, the haikus, are all excellent, but it’s such a good story that I wanted to read some of it raw and without poetic decoration.

Ratings

  • Structure and Form: 4/5
  • Originality/Authentic Voice: 4/5
  • Creativity/Lyrical Content: 5/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

Cancer Courts My Mother is Available Now on Amazon!

The Review Registry is Closed for 2025.

To Be Added to the Waitlist for 2026, please email the first chapter of your book to the email listed in our review policy with “Book Review Waitlist” in the subject line. While this does not guarantee a review, it places your book at the top of the list for consideration in the new year.

To apply for 2026, click here

Up Next: Chains of Gold by Ken Robb: Based on a True Story of Slavery During the California Gold Rush

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from around the world, including both traditionally and self-published authors. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and on Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are booked.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Sick by Christa Wojciechowski

Title: Sick

Author: Christa Wojciechowski

Publisher: Blood Bound Books

Genre: Medical Thriller, Psychological Fiction

Published: October 14, 2025

Pages: 282 pages

Susan Branch is in a different kind of prison. She is a prisoner of her husband’s illnesses. From broken bones, surgeries, rashes, and medications she sometimes steals from her job as a medical clerk of a podiatrist, Susan is forced to take care of her ailing husband. John is diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a complicated blood disorder, and for Susan, “In sickness and in health” takes on a literal meaning.

“Medications to give, wounds to clean, bed pans to empty, and food to serve.” (pg. 20) Taking care of John has become Susan’s life, going to work her only reprieve before returning to a home where she is locked inside the unsanitary cell of her and John’s bedroom. 

As the story unfolds, John begins to feel less like a husband and more like a helpless child trapped in a man’s body. Susan reads to him until her voice cracks, feeds him baby food, hums lullabies meant to soothe infants, and speaks to him like a mother coaxing a toddler to behave, calling him a ‘good boy.’

John pouts, sulks, and whines when things don’t go his way, and Susan seems to shrink a little more each day, her life orbiting entirely around John’s frailty. She is no longer a wife, not even quite a woman anymore, but a nurse, a mother, a prisoner in her own home.

My version of John and Susan using Chatgpt Sora, lol.

As the story progresses, we learn more about John Branch’s history, his upbringing, and his perspective on life. Readers gain insight into how John Branche’s response to the trauma of his childhood has influenced his adult decisions. When I read this story years ago, I said he was retarded. However, this progeny of old money is not retarded at all. John is quite the mastermind and narcissist with a sophisticated way of manipulating those around him. John does not believe his actions are wrong. He thinks we are all guided by our natural instincts. Speaking of nature, the author plays well with irony and karma. 

This story is well-written and fleshed out. The more you read, the more is revealed. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, there are more layers of the onion to peel off. The author keeps you on your toes, and the more I read, the more I found myself imagining watching an episode of American Horror Story.

Psychological fiction might just be my new favorite genre. I love twists and things that make me go “Whaatt??”

There are parts of the story where I felt sorry for Susan, and parts when I didn’t. Is she a prisoner, or is she also sick? Or, as John would say, are we all just a little sick?

 

“Most of us hide it so deep within that we can convince ourselves it doesn’t exist, while it gestates like a mutant embryo. But you can detect it in everyone. You can sniff it out. You can see it in people’s eyes when they think no one is watching them. There are tells—religion, porn addiction, smoking, or something as innocent as nail biting. Anything to distract themselves from the beast slumbering inside.”

– John Branch

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Ratings

  • Plot Movement / Strength: 5/5
  • Entertainment Factor: 4/5
  • Characterization: 5/5
  • Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Sick is Available Now on Amazon

My Review Series is Open Again for a Limited Time.

Apply here

Due to the high demand, you must apply based on the instructions provided at the link. Please do not send anything other than what is specified.

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from around the world, including both traditionally and independently published authors. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and on Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are received.

Avoiding Bad Publishing Advice

Self-publishing can be overwhelming for various reasons, including the limitless number of people who offer advice. The problem is that counsel is not universally applicable. Even the word “Bad” in the title is subjective. Who determines what is bad? Is there any advice that works for us but not for others?

Here is a quick list of things to remember as you continue your publishing journey.

Experience Levels Vary—Resist the urge to follow the advice of people who have not been where you want to go. Some advice may come from beginners who haven’t seen long-term results. For example, some people have self-published several books but have never worked with professionals.

This leads to the next point.

Beware of Personal Bias—People tend to recommend what worked for them, even if it’s not objectively the best method. Someone might tell you to publish a first draft or not to worry about editing because it is what worked for them. But one size does not fit all. What succeeded for one author may not suit your genre, audience, or goals. Remember to apply sound advice that suits you and not make emotional business decisions.

Different Goals Need Different Strategies—Be careful with advice that applies the same strategies to different goals. Your publishing route and the kind of book you write require a different publishing approach. Writing a memoir, a children’s book, or a business book each requires something different.

Outdated Strategies Circulate Often—The publishing landscape changes quickly, so not all tips stay relevant. (Even the articles I have on this website, which date back to 2016, need an upgrade.) Stick to current guidance as much as possible.

Paid Services May Drive Certain Advice—Some give advice to upsell you on courses, editing, or marketing packages. When working with service providers, discern whether a suggestion suits your goals or if it is to persuade you to buy into the service. Many vanity publishers will not care if your story makes sense or if you wrote it in two days. They will encourage you to publish that book as long as you have the money to pay, even if the manuscript is not ready.

You Can Waste Time and Money—Make sure people can show you receipts for their claims. What social proof do they have to support their advice? Remember, reading a book about swimming will not teach you how to swim. Accept advice from people who have been in the water and have done the work. Bad advice can lead to wasted money and, perhaps most importantly, time.

There are many more things to watch out for, such as advice that leads to confusion and second-guessing your decisions. Ultimately, remember that this journey is yours, and you should do what aligns best with your identity and goals. Watch out for conflicting advice that can cause your voice to get lost. Trying to mimic others too closely may make your work less authentic or original.

Need More Help? Register for Indie Korner!

Part I: WRITING WITH KE GARLAND
6/22/2025 | 2-3:00 PM (EST)

Part one is led by KE Garland, who will detail the first step to self-publishing: writing a fantastic book! In our excitement, we tend to skip this step, but no matter how you publish, you still must write something people want to read. Garland will walk us through the first draft, revisions, professional editing, choosing a genre, and everything you need to prepare your manuscript for a publisher, even if that publisher is you!

Part 2: PUBLISHING WITH YECHEILYAH
6/23/2025 | 7-8:00PM (EST)

Yecheilyah leads part two. She will explain the different forms of publishing, from traditional to vanity to hybrid to self-publishing, and why a basic understanding of them matters. She will also discuss how to avoid publishing scams and walk us through the foundational steps to get that amazing manuscript you learned how to write on day one, published at the highest professional level.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!

To take advantage of this EXCLUSIVE, limited-seating virtual masterclass, click the buttons below to register for one or both courses. Because they are connected, it is highly recommended that you register for both!

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See you in June!

https://www.kegarland.com/indiekorner.html

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So, What’s Tea?

I take a slow, measured sip of my coffee, savoring both the drink and the moment before exhaling softly.

“Now that you have your mug and are snug like a bug in a rug, here’s what I’ve been up to lately…”

February has been full, starting with Hubby and I celebrating our fifteenth marriage anniversary on 2/17.

Most recently, we also celebrated the first anniversary of releasing my first nonfiction history book, Black History Facts You Didn’t Learn in School, which came out on February 24, 2024. For those of you who know, I usually write historical fiction, so this was my first time doing nonfiction.

This first year has been a blessing, and the support has been monumental. So far, we’ve been placed in four bookstores and one school and have sold hundreds of copies.

Book Signing and Meet and Greet | 2/8/25 | Medu Bookstore, Greenbriar Mall, Atlanta

For reference, I am a self-published, independent author without a massive crew behind me. I am not affiliated with any huge publishing firms or financed by any organization. Indie authors work hard but receive only a fraction of the visibility that a major publisher would provide. Thus, seeing our hard work pay off is extremely special.

I am drafting a separate post detailing the three things I did that set this book apart, which I will post later.

Before I tell you the other thing, let me refill your cup. There you go.

Another thing you should know is that today, just a few days after our bookversary, Tabitha Brown reposted a Black History video I did some weeks ago on the Safe Bus Company. Instagram and Facebook are going bananas, chile.

As a reserved and introverted person, this is a lot. However, I am humbled and thankful for the opportunity to reach many new people who are passionate about restoring the Black Historical Truth.

Finally, I have packed my bags and jumped on the Substack bandwagon. However, what I am sharing over there is a bit different. I want to lean more into my story and build deeper connections this year.

I have decided to start with what it’s like living with a steel plate in my thigh. Below is a description of my publication series and a link to follow me if you want to learn more.

Thanks so much for spending this time with me! You can leave your cup on the table. I’ll get that. Don’t forget that your shoes are by the door and your coat is hanging up in the closet!

Substack Info:

I Wasn’t Built to Break

“I Wasn’t Built to Break” is an intimate, behind-the-scenes journey into life with a steel plate inside my body. This series takes you through the pivotal moments that shaped me—from my early upbringing to the life-altering accident that nearly took everything when I was hit by a car. With raw honesty, I share the physical and emotional battles of recovery and what it truly means to rebuild a life that was almost lost.

Subscribe to read my articles! The first one is free and available now.

https://yecheilyah.substack.com/

The next meet-up is tomorrow, 2/28! See you soon.

Ways to Connect with Readers Outside of Social Media

Social media is a necessary tool for connecting in today’s world and it is a must for all businesses to have a social media presence in some capacity.

There are people whose entire livelihoods are built into their social media accounts. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and now Threads have become creator economies where high performing content gets you paid.

But what happens if you are hacked, the app malfunctions, or in the case of TikTok, the app is banned? Now all that work you’ve done and all those people you connected with are gone in an instant.

That’s why I believe authors should focus as much energy into building their own communities.

Community Membership Website

Outside of meeting up with people in person, community membership platforms are the next best thing. I am a member of a few, and I love that the person has their own social app, which they control. There are paid membership sites like Mighty Networks and Skool, and free ones like Discord. The only reason I don’t have one of my own is because I am already managing so many websites, including this blog. Otherwise, I would definitely consider it.

Blogging

This blog has helped me tremendously in my work, and Imma stick beside her.

Email List

By email list, I do not necessarily mean an author newsletter that reads like an ad. These newsletters usually have updates on the author’s latest books and events and usually go out once a month or so. (Pretty much whenever the author has a new book out.)

However, most author newsletters are boring, long, and cluttered with too many images.

The emails I am talking about are where the author speaks to their readers like friends. They might share thoughts on what’s happening in the world lately, how they feel, or offer an inspiring story. They might also throw in an update, but not so many that it becomes a billboard for their books. These emails might come out several times a month, and readers are okay with them because they are fun and inviting.

These emails are usually simple and sent using third-party providers like Mailerlite or Mailchimp. They give people the option to unsubscribe if they want, which is kinda legal. If you are sending out mass spammy marketing emails with no way for people to unsubscribe, you are breaking privacy laws.

Text List

By text list, I mean a professional text line for your business, not your personal number. This can be used to offer short, quick updates, alerts for sales, or an inspiring quote. Personally, I don’t have a text line, nor do I want one, but it is an option. Many businesses use them and do well.

In-Person Meet-Ups

This one is pretty self-explanatory. In person meetings, workshops, and events will always provide a special kind of value you won’t find online and I don’t think we should neglect them. Zoom meetings can also be a great way for meeting up to see people face to face.

As for socials, remember to back up your content, download your data, and save viral moments like videos you might want to repurpose later!

Click here for more Indie Author Basics to encourage you through the Self-Publishing / Indie Author Process!

The Stella Series: Meet the Family

As mentioned, I am reviving the Stella series with a fourth book! For those who have not read the first three books, I’ll share excerpts, nuggets, and tidbits as we prepare for the fourth installment. Today, we are refamiliarizing ourselves with some of the family. Enjoy!

Stella May

Born in 1845, Stella is the daughter of a Black woman named Deborah on Paul Saddler’s Plantation in Shreveport, Louisiana. From a young age, she can remember running through cotton fields and being loved by her family. To young Stella, life is simple and fun. She eats sweet cakes, plays with her friend Carla, and helps the grownups by carrying buckets of water to the field. Stella discovers she is a slave for the first time after Deborah’s unexplained death. Now, she learns the hard way the difference between slavery and freedom.

Solomon Curtis May

Solomon has no speaking roles, but his existence is essential for the family timeline. Solomon Curtis May is Stella’s only son, born in the fall of 1870 after she was sexually assaulted by the husband of her mistress. Solomon falls in love with a white woman and marries her after inheriting land outside Chicago. They have four girls: Deborah, named for his grandmother, Judith, Rebecca, and Sara.

Judith May

Solomon’s daughter Judith married a Black man and gave birth to a baby girl she named Stella after her grandmother. However, after enduring much teasing and discrimination for her mixed features, Judith’s daughter copes with this trauma by denying part of her ancestry. She changes her name from Stella to Sidney McNair and passes for white. After marrying a white man and having his children, Sidney lives her life on the other side of the color line.

Sidney McNair

Her aunt Sara influenced Sidney to pass for white and learn to enjoy her privileges. Sidney marries a wealthy white man named Clarence McNair, and they have four children: Edward, Karen, Joseph, and Glenda, whom they raise as white.

However, when she finally reveals the truth to her adult children in 1979, the shock of their real identity is a betrayal that stretches across generations.

Karen and Noah

Sidney’s daughter Karen McNair falls in love with a young Black man named Noah Daniels. He is a leading member of the Black Panther Party and thinks he’s dating a white girl. At this time, Karen also does not know that she is mixed race, although she has many more African American features than her siblings. The couple endures many trials because of their perceived interracial union. Together, they have a son, Noah Jr, who has a much more significant role as an adult in book four.

Edward McNair

Of all Sidney’s children, her sons are the most conflicted by their mother’s betrayal. Carrying many characteristics of his father, Clarence, Edward has not only lived his life as a white man but has also enjoyed the privileges of doing so and cannot come to grips with his new reality. In brief, Edward does not want to be Black, and his daughter, Cynthia, does not yet know about her true identity because of her father’s secrets.

However, although he appears to reject his heritage, something in Edward’s subconscious won’t allow him to completely forget it. We see this when he names his youngest son after his great-grandfather, Solomon.

Joseph McNair

Joseph is also conflicted about his mother’s decisions, but goes in another direction. Still under the illusion that he is just a white boy, he nevertheless feels sympathy for the plight of Blacks and fights for their freedom with his friends during the 1960s.

Unlike Edward, Joseph wishes he were Black. He grew up to marry a Black woman named Fae, and together, they have two children, a boy named Michael and a girl named Tanya.

Introducing Tanya and Michael…

Born in the early 90s, Tanya and Michael are the children of Joseph and Fae and are young adults in the early 2000s. They face the challenge of defining themselves in a society shaped by their father’s choices and haunted by the truths Stella once fought to conceal.

In book three, they are small children, but in book four, they are young adults. In his part, we weave together the struggles of a new generation to find their voice, identity, and place in a world still wrestling with its past. The echoes of Stella’s decisions resound, reminding us that even as times change, the threads of heritage and truth remain unbroken.

Get Started on The Stella Trilogy!

Book Four: Joseph’s Children

(Working Title)

(WIP/Coming Soon)

Stay tuned for a sneak peek at chapter one of book four!