Don’t give me that look. I’m sure I‘m not the only one who imagined this.
Starting Enshadowed was a huge mistake. And before you go all berserk on me, no I don’t mean that it’s a bad book. On the contrary, it’s a very good book. What actually made me say this is the ending. That god forsaken ending. Then again, Nevermore had a frustrating ending as well, so I guess I should have seen it coming.
What bothered me about the ending, besides the obvious things - those who have read the book know what things I’m talking about - is the fact that book three will be out in fucking 2013. 2013. What the hell? That seems like a lifetime away.
Why couldn’t I wait until all three books are out, and then start the series? Why? Because Nevermore was too tempting. Now look at me paying the price. Enjoy watching me beg and suffer.
Buy it. Join the suffering.
The reason why I’m not giving it five stars is Varen’s absence. Isobel is great, but not great enough to cover up his absence. The story was also lacking at some points. Too much parenting going on, not enough magic. This got me a bit bored.
And the ending. That fucking ending. Someone please hand me a gun.
I enjoyed reading The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear in the beginning. However, after making progress with the book, I started to lose interest.
The cha...moreI enjoyed reading The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear in the beginning. However, after making progress with the book, I started to lose interest.
The characters are extremely unique to say the least. The world concepts are amazing, but the storytelling is far from good. The book needs a serious cleanup, say four hundred pages erased. I felt like more than half of it was pure filling. A bunch of chapters were useless, they had nothing to do with the story and the book could easily live without them.
The story lacks consistency; it feels like a to-do list rather than a story. I woke up today at 8 am, ate some yogurt for breakfast, took the bus to work, shot my boss is the face with my shotgun, and then took a dump on his desk.
The things I love the most about The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear are the illustrations. Walter Moers is a very skilled artist, and he managed to create a very interesting universe. I think Walter Moers needs some work on his storytelling, since this is his weakest point from what I’ve observed.
Ok, so apparently Dante has to grieve over someone in each book else Saintcrow won’t be happy. Book two over Japh, and now over Jace. Yay Dante.
I don’...moreOk, so apparently Dante has to grieve over someone in each book else Saintcrow won’t be happy. Book two over Japh, and now over Jace. Yay Dante.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I touch The Devil’s Right Hand, and I feel like yawning. I touch it again, just to make sure, and I yawn again. I open the book. Chapter 1.
It’s for you,” Japhrimel said diffidently, his eyes flaring with green fire in angular runic patterns for just a moment before returning to almost-human darkness. […]
My vision gets blurry. I yawn again. I feel like the ground is pulling my body towards it.
I drink some coffee.
Chapter 2.
I woke from a trance deeper than sleep, a dreamless well of darkness. I had been unable to sleep for almost a year while […]
My vision is still blurry. I bring a blanket to keep me warm since the ground is too cold.
I drink more coffee.
Chapter 7. No time for a quote. Made a pillow out of my slippers. A bit uncomfortable. Running out of coffee.
Chapter 29 (or something – I lost track) . Japh is a total sonovabitch and I completely hate him. I really really hate him. I can never look at him the same way ever again.
Chapter 40-something. And now he made up to her by saying “Omg Dante Dick, I only did this in order to protect you because I love you and I could never hurt you. Unless you behave like a bitch, then I can bruise you all I want because why the hell not.”
No. I will not forgive you. Ever. YOU HEAR ME?!
Conclusion Half of the book was a snoozefest, the other half was pretty good. Saintcrow sure knows how to write her climaxes.
Score First half: 2 stars Second half: 4 stars Average score: 3 stars
I really REALLY liked Working for the Devil. It sucked me in since page one. Dead Man Rising however, did not. I didn’t take this as a sign. I should...moreI really REALLY liked Working for the Devil. It sucked me in since page one. Dead Man Rising however, did not. I didn’t take this as a sign. I should have.
Dead Man Rising’s story did not work for me at all. I don’t know why but Dante’s past doesn’t interest me so much. Yes, she got tortured, and I feel bad for her, but meh. You know? Meh. The story was extremely mediocre if you ask me.
The characters kind of pissed me off as well. Dante was ok, but she bothered me with her attitude towards Jace. You saw how that ended. Not. Cool.
And Jace was just pitiful. I hate when authors make ex-lovers act like freaking dogs. Begging for a scrap of affection. Always sticking by her side, hoping she’ll change her mind and/or feelings towards him. Again, you saw where this has led him to.
And my biggest problem was Jeph. Or the lack of Jeph, to be precise. I will be frank and tell you that the main reason why I love this series is Jeph. Yep. Not gonna lie about it. So Jeph being supposedly dead, and thus absent throughout the book, made it less exciting for me.
Yep.
Apart from these issues Dead Man Rising is a decent book. Lilith Saintcrow is a very good Urban Fantasy author, and I really respect her work. I’m actually excited about the upcoming book, The Devil's Right Hand, since.. well.. Jeph is.. you know..
I started watching the Batman animated series and I’m in love with it! That made me want to know more about our dark avenger, so it made sense that I...more
I started watching the Batman animated series and I’m in love with it! That made me want to know more about our dark avenger, so it made sense that I get the original comics and give them a try. This did not turn out as I have planned.
First of all the illustrations suck. Bigtime. But keep in mind that this is vintage stuff, so you have to respect it. I respect it. But fun-wise? Nah. No. Just no. Calling the story cheesy is an understatement.
I will give the next books a try since I want to read the Batman comics from the beginning till the end. It will take a shitload of time but I’m cool with it.
When Velveteen Monroe pictured Bonesaw’s house—and she did, more often than could be considered healthy—blood striped the paint a muddy reddish-brown, internal organs floated in jars of formaldehyde, and great big taxidermy crows leered from branches that twisted from the wall like palsied arms.
Velveteen started out well. A morbid story about a murdered girl's ghost who's out for revenge on the person who took away her life.
I really loved the fact that even though she's stuck in Purgatory, she can travel to and back from Earth anytime she wants. Thinking about it, the whole concept of the book is interesting. But, and there's always a but when it comes to the Young Adult genre, Velveteen is full of problems.
I think the best way to show the positive and negative aspects of this book is by making a list. I love lists.
Les positifs - Morbid story;
- I like the idea of the Purgatory being a city where one could actually try to make a living, or whatever the hell they do in there;
- The MC is a total bitch. Why on the plus side? Because I like bitches;
- Her pre-murder thoughts, her experience, the trauma - all these things feel genuine;
- The book is pretty original (at least for me, it's the first time I read a story such as this);
- Nick (aka the MC hottie) is charming.
Les negatives - Teenage drama, freaking full of teenage drama;
- Choppy writing;
- Too much focus on Purgatory issues and not on her revenge;
- Insta-lust;
- I feel like the plot was ignored in favor of the romance. As charming as Nick is, this goes to the negatives. Why? Because it made the events that took place in the book feel extremely chaotic. Lots of wtfs were used during my read;
- After loads of mutual butt sniffing, Velvet agrees for Nick to court her. Then Daniel Marks decided that it's time to dump 70% worth of information on my head just for fun;
- The story gets incredibly idiotic towards the end.
In the end, the negative aspects overcame the positive ones, and my overall experience with Velveteen left a sour taste in my mouth. I would recommend it ONLY if you're into the Young Adult genre.
My thoughts before reading A Little Wanting Song - The Dark Side (a super secret group I’m a member of) birthday read. Mandatory. Not so happy about ma...moreMy thoughts before reading A Little Wanting Song - The Dark Side (a super secret group I’m a member of) birthday read. Mandatory. Not so happy about mandatory books;
- [after reading the summary] Ugh, that doesn’t sound too good;
- [after checking out friends' ratings] Lots of five stars. I wonder why;
- [175 pages on my Kindle] Short book, so if it sucks I won't have to put up with 400 pages of misery. :happy dance:
- [after staring at the book’s table of contents for more than 10 minutes] I will soooo dump your ass if you suck, birthday read or not.
My thoughts after reading A Little Wanting Song The first thing that hit me was the way Cath Crowley describes her shit. Here's one of many examples:
So I pulled out my guitar case, cold and dimpled like the skin of an orange.
This is weird to say the least. I feel like her writing style is extremely weak. Also, the problems the main protagonists are facing are extremely trivial to me. I am not interested in hearing about them, nor do I want to find out what they do to fix them. This being said, I find no reasons left for me to continue with A Little Wanting Song. Dropped around 20%.
To read or not to read? Are you a teenager? Do you like to read about other people’s problems in order to forget about your own? If you answer yes for both those questions then I would say yes, read it.
I loved playing Darksiders II so much, and when I saw that Dark Horse Comics had it on Netgalley I was compelled to request it. Even though I knew tha...moreI loved playing Darksiders II so much, and when I saw that Dark Horse Comics had it on Netgalley I was compelled to request it. Even though I knew that the resolution would suck (and it really did), I was too curious to let it go. I will try to get the comic in print because I really want to read the story. The text in the Netgalley preview was impossible to read, so this review will be for the pretty images only. So very nice graphics, the Horsemen look awesome, I’m extremely curious to see if Vigil will publish the next Darksiders game, and I’m even more curious to see who will be the protagonist.
I would give it five stars but I’m not sure whether the story is any good so I’m settling for four stars for now. I will try to update my review once I read the story as well.
Lemme tell you my problem. My problems, since I have more than one. I was not happy with start...moreUuuugh frustration dump
Why did all of this happen? Why??
Lemme tell you my problem. My problems, since I have more than one. I was not happy with starting The Prophet because the previous book, The Kingdom, sucked ass. So I was afraid that The Prophet will suck ass as well. Guess what? It did! Even though Amelia was back in Charleston, even though Devlin’s there, nothing worked the way I wanted it to. Too much whining, too few creepy.
A good quote of what the book is really about would be the following:
Devlin was my destiny. The one man I wanted above all others was the one man I could never have.
Yeah, so The Prophet ended up being an angsty love story. No proper ghosts, no good mystery, no nothing. Just Amelia obsessing after Devlin’s ass, Amelia hiding in the bushes, Amelia being jealous, Amelia making idiotic mistakes and Amelia getting herself into trouble. Ugh.
I guess I like Angus the most. For all you new people, he’s a dog. Yes, the dog is my favorite character in the book. I guess you can tell just how the rest of the characters are behaving.
In the end all I can say is that The Prophet is an extremely boring book. I’m very disappointed in where the series is going. I swear that I’m going to give the next book a try, and if nothing good happens in it, I’m giving up this worthless series.
I was going to give this 3 stars. However, after thinking about all my wasted expectations I decided to take one star away.
“Asher Falls. Welcome to our kingdom, Amelia Gray.”
Long story short Amelia Gray gets a new commission in Asher Falls, a town full of mysterious peo...more
“Asher Falls. Welcome to our kingdom, Amelia Gray.”
Long story short Amelia Gray gets a new commission in Asher Falls, a town full of mysterious people and a secret that will change her life forever.
My thoughts I absolutely loved The Restorer, book one of the Graveyard Queen series, and I had to know what happens next. That’s why I started The Kingdom right after I finished it. I don’t know if this was a mistake or not, but I did not enjoy The Kingdom one bit.
My problems with The Kingdom are simple. It’s not as creepy as The Restorer, the story is extremely lacking and all the characters are either weakly developed or just plain ol’ annoying. And we get a love triangle, which pisses me off. I hate love triangles. I really really do.
There were many parts that I didn’t like, which are mostly related to the town’s people, the trio of witches, and the so called romance. And there were parts that I liked, which are mostly related to the ghosts, the forest and the lake. In the end I still wasn’t satisfied with the overall feel of the story. I can even say that The Kingdom is silly when compared to The Restorer. It’s also needless to say that the ending was ludicrous. I simply have no words to describe how disappointed I am.
To read or not to read? This is a tough question. It all depends on the reasons why you picked The Restorer in the first place. If you actually want to read something creepy then you’ll be disappointed with The Kingdom. If you just care about Amelia’s life, her romances, her past, etc. then you just might like it.
I tried. I really tried. I cannot get into the story. There’s just too much useless talk, and too few monster hunting. I’m what, 30-40% in, and it’s n...moreI tried. I really tried. I cannot get into the story. There’s just too much useless talk, and too few monster hunting. I’m what, 30-40% in, and it’s not getting any better. I can’t get myself to care about any of the characters. The story seems useless. I’m bored. I need more action.
And Cora, the MC, is just getting on my nerves. I give up. Many thanks to the publishers for giving me the opportunity of reading this book though. You guys rock.(less)
Long story short Amelia Gray, a cemetery restorer who can see ghosts, is forced into a police investig...more
Keep your distance from those who are haunted.
Long story short Amelia Gray, a cemetery restorer who can see ghosts, is forced into a police investigation when a body is found in the cemetery she is restoring.
My thoughts The first thing that made me check out The Restorer was the cover. I absolutely love that sad angel statue. It makes me think of an extremely gloomy story. Which is exactly what The Restorer is. Amanda Stevens nailed the cover, it's perfect for the story. The second thing that made me add the book to my “Want To Read” list was the title, The Restorer, and the name of the series, Graveyard Queen. Then I went on to read the summary and holy shit! She’s a cemetery restorer who can see ghosts. Whaaaaaat?
Like right now!
Lucky for me, my wonderful friend Alk chose it as a birthday read (which is supposed to be mandatory) so I had to read it. I can’t say that I was sad about it. On the contrary, this was the perfect excuse to spend a bit more money on an ebook. I mean, it is a mandatory read, right? *wink*
Anyways, I’ll keep this short. I fell in love with The Restorer. I love Amelia’s job, I love Amanda Stevens’ writing style. I love cemeteries and I love ghosts. I love creepy stories, and this is one hell of a creepy story. It could have been scary, but my definition of “scary” is different than the one you would normally hear from people. I need something worse than this to get scared. But creepy is the perfect word for it. The Restorer is deliciously creepy and intriguing. I am going to read Graveyard Queen #2 as soon as possible.
To buy or not to buy? There are a few simple questions that can help you take this decision. - Do you like ghosts? - Do you enjoy reading creepy and disturbing stories? - Do you mind mysteries? - Do you mind a bit of romance in your books?
If your answer is yes to at least two of those questions, then The Restorer is the book for you.
Favorite quote
“You are a very strange woman.” “I thought I was practical.” “Strange, stunning and practical.”
Long story short Emma is your typical Mary Sue who lost her boyfriend and is trying to live with it. Los...more
He wasn’t just in my heart, he was my heart.
Long story short Emma is your typical Mary Sue who lost her boyfriend and is trying to live with it. Lost as in he died. So you get lots of emo moments, of course. Some random day at Emma’s school a mysterious new guy appears.
Aaaaand insta-moment.
Aaaand electricity and thunderstorms.
After reading the spoiler rant book description you can probably guess the rest. If not, then this might be THE BOOK for you!
My thoughts I requested Broken because, duh, Frank reboot. I mean, Frank reboot. You know? What I failed to see is that the genre of the book is Young Adult. And like all those Young Adult reboots that are out this year, Broken does not disappoint. It does not save the genre from its idiotic downfall.
Broken comes with a nice gloomy start, and that made me expect a creepy book. The cover art is also amazing, and it fueled my expectations for a creepy, maybe horror-ish, book. Rule number one: never trust a book’s cover, especially if it’s Young Adult.
I actually gave up this book very early, about twenty percent along the way. A.E. Rought’s writing style is disappointing mostly because it’s simple to the point of making me think that the target audience for Broken is the typical low-IQ teenager. Which is probably true. Another thing that bothered me was the constant reminder of Daniel since the beginning of the book. Having this reminder come without a proper introduction of Daniel was making me feel like I’m reading about a random person, thus have no feelings whatsoever for Emma’s loss. And last but not least, the immaturity of the story. Or the useless blabbering and random events that are supposed to form the story.
All I could think is that Rought’s missing the point. Where’s the creepiness?? All I’m reading is a typical Twilight teen romance book. No. Just no.
To read or not to read? What are you expecting from Broken?
a. A horrific retelling of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein , but with teens, lots of action and a bit of romance; b. Twilight but with a super-hot-designer-dressed Frankenstein instead of sparkling freaks.
If your answer is b, then go ahead and read the book. You’ll like it.
I’m beginning to enjoy the madness. That’s not good. Not at all.
Long story short Alyssa Gardner is the great-great-great-[lots of greats]-granddaugh...more
I’m beginning to enjoy the madness. That’s not good. Not at all.
Long story short Alyssa Gardner is the great-great-great-[lots of greats]-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland novel. Because of a curse that originates from Alice’s escape from Wonderland, Alyssa’s mother becomes insane and is committed into an asylum. Alyssa later finds out that there is a way of lifting this curse and saving her mother. All she has to do is follow the velvety voice that leads her back to Wonderland.
My thoughts I was supposed to like Splintered. I was supposed to like it a lot. The bugs, the blood, the gore, the creatures. Everything is so similar to a video game called Alice Madness Returns. However, as Alice Madness Returns, the book is rather disappointing.
Actually, the game disappointed me more than the book, but let’s stick to the point. I could tell that something is wrong with Splintered since the beginning. The concept of the book is amazing, and the execution is close to perfect. All is well except for this itch that keeps on bothering me while reading it. The good news is that I know what the itch is. Or itches, in our case. The characters.
Let’s start with Alyssa. She is my biggest Splintered-related itch. Why? Because, like many other young adult protagonists, she annoys the crap out of me. Theoretically I was supposed to like her. Skater girl, good morbid side, artist. However, her attitude does not work for me. Most of the times she’s acting like a brat, and then a miracle occurs and she becomes the wisest creature in Wonderland. This more than ruined the story for me.
Actually, thinking about it, there are no good female characters in this book. The lead, Alyssa, is a stuck-up teenager that is pretty much annoying all the time. The soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend bitch, Taelor, who’s a mean asshole most of the times. The crazy mum who is.. well.. crazy all the time. And some other secondary characters who don’t get much development. They are evil, jealous, manipulative. No positives whatsoever.
And now the male characters. We get the best friend, Jeb, who's always treating Alyssa like a baby. He is sticking with his girlfriend because - oh noes! - he loves Alyssa too much. Fuck logic. He’s also a douche most of the times, ordering her around, taking decisions for her and all that. Meh.
Then we have the supernatural moth boy, Morpheus, who’s keen on bedding Alyssa the moment she steps into the same room as him. He’s also busy using her all the time, plotting and being a villain. Then he almost dies and all is forgiven.
But hold on kids! There is, in fact, a good male character in the book. Her father. I really liked him, even though Howard didn’t bother with developing him too much. Even so, I think he can be considered a decent character.
Back to our three main characters. Did you notice something? One girl and two boys. Do you know what this means?
Oh yes, my friends. A love triangle.
The typical Young Adult love triangle. The human boy versus the dark sexy moth-like creature. The love triangle bugs, pun not intended, the hell out of me. I feel like it’s taking away the dark feel of the story. Hell, it ruined the damn book for me. I hate hate hate HATE love triangles and this was an extremely frustrating one. Why? This is why:
Jeb is stable, strong, and genuine—my knight in shining armor. Morpheus is selfish, unreliable, and transcendent—chaos incarnate. Impossible to compare. Yet here I am, all of those things. Both light and dark at the same time. If I were to give in to one side of me, would that mean I’d have to give up the other? My heart aches at the possibility. Somehow I feel like I need both to be complete.
She is constantly jumping from one guy to another. And, of course, both of them will do anything to please the little plum. They will even die for her. They constantly snarl, growl and wave Alyssa around at each other. Next thing you know they’ll be having a pissing contest in order to see who will end up with the little Mary Sue. Ugh. Just cut the crap and focus with the story please!
Another problem I have, and this is a minor one so feel free to ignore it, is related A.G. Howard’s writing style. She is going for an extremely complex concept, and her style is a bit too simple for it. See, for example, Laini Taylor or Ekaterina Sedia, both authors having amazing writing styles. I think their style would match the dark Wonderland theme better than Howard’s.
To buy or not to buy? Splintered is between the best Alice in Wonderland related books I’ve read so far. Howard did an amazing job with the concept of a dark and disturbing Wonderland. The story is captivating and offers a good plot twist at the end. It also offers an extremely frustrating love triangle and undeveloped characters that spoil the magic of the story. If you can ignore these negative elements, then you should totally give Splintered a try.
I really loved the concept of Three Parts Dead. I mean you get lots of great elements like magic, gargoyles, vampires, a bit of steampunk, dead gods a...moreI really loved the concept of Three Parts Dead. I mean you get lots of great elements like magic, gargoyles, vampires, a bit of steampunk, dead gods and a nice mystery. This seems like a good recipe for an awesome book.
As you can see, I dropped the book around 50%. I tried my best to finish it but it simply could not catch my attention. I had several issues with it. First of all, the start was very confusing. Shitload of information dump. Not cool. Then there’s Max Gladstone’s writing style, which I did not find attractive whatsoever. And the feeling that something was missing in the story.
I also had some technical issues, since I was reading an ARC. The switch between the different characters’ point of view was extremely confusing. The pages were missing the line break between the paragraphs when the switch of a character’s POV would occur, and many times I found myself not knowing who I’m reading about.
In the end I can only advise you to give Three Parts Dead. It has great potential and it might suit you better than it did me.
I was not going to write a review for Nevermore because it was one of those books that kept me reading mouth open, eyes wide, fingers stuck not able t...moreI was not going to write a review for Nevermore because it was one of those books that kept me reading mouth open, eyes wide, fingers stuck not able to type in any ideas. Then again, I felt like writing a review would push you guys into giving this book a try. Which you should totally do, by the way. It’s awesome.
Since I’m short on ideas and irritated because of a stupid allergy, I’m afraid my review won’t be much fun. Nor interesting. Not aggravating. Nor.. something else that I can’t think of. Oh yes, I remembered. Nor making much sense.
No, no it will make sense. It will make sense only if you read Nevermore.
Which you should.
Okay then, I’ll go on telling you why I loved it so much. See, I’m not the biggest fan of cheerleaders. The MC is a cheerleader. Dating the highschool’s football star. Not a good student. The usual. I didn’t think I would like Isobel. Hell, I hated her at the beginning of the book. But Kelly Creagh, being an amazing author as she is, made Isobel evolve into an admirable character.
The story revolving Poe was interesting enough. We get even some nice quotes from his works. Even though the story mostly goes around the school assignment, it did not get boring. The other part went around the dreamworld, which could get confusing. The trick is to pay total attention to the book in these moments. This means that you should read it in complete silence, when no one can interrupt. Worked for me like a charm.
And last but not least, the reason why I loved Nevermore so much is Varen. This goth baby won me over fair and square.
I love, absolutely love, hot goth guys. He’s also deep, he’s an artist. He writes and draws. Sigh. This is the perfect Varen:
Isn’t he nice? @_@
So there you have it. Is title the book for you? Take this quick quiz and find out!
1. Do you like reading books? a. yes (1 point) b. no (0 points)
2. Do you like hot goth guys? a. yes (1 point) b. no (0 points)
If your answer score is 2 or higher, then Nevermore is the book for you.
- I wanted a bit of fluff to soften my life up a little and I got too much of it;
- Too much optimism makes me want to puke;
- Will felt extremely fake....more- I wanted a bit of fluff to soften my life up a little and I got too much of it;
- Too much optimism makes me want to puke;
- Will felt extremely fake. He lacked personality. He acted like a damn girl;
- BORING;
- I was going to give it three stars but the ending bothered me to the point of having to take away one. I don’t like to be left wondering what happens to them unless you do it in a very interesting way. It felt unfinished.(less)
“And what will you do if I fall in love with you, instead?” He grinned. “Then God help us both.”
First impressions Aaand of course Germany gets the coo...more
“And what will you do if I fall in love with you, instead?” He grinned. “Then God help us both.”
First impressions Aaand of course Germany gets the cool cover. Again. Just look at it.
And compare it to this slimy thing we have. I wouldn’t like to be seen in public while reading this book. People would think I was reading an Erotica book. Yes, Erotica because most people wouldn’t know what an actual Erotica cover looks like. They are still optimistic and think it looks like the Germany cover and not this [protect your eyes, kiddies, this is gonna sting]:
Anyhow, I was expecting Heart of Steel to be exactly like The Iron Duke. Typical romance blah-blah-blah and they lived happily ever after. The end.
The plot Yasmeen, mercenary captain extraordinaire, has no regrets after pushing treasure hunter Archimedes Fox to a ravenous pack of zombies after his failed attempt to take control of her ship, the Lady Corsair. She also got her hands on an extremely valuable item Archimedes had found before his tragic death, a sketch of a flying machine drawn by the great inventor Leonardo da Vinci. Lady Luck seems to be on Yasmeen’s side.
The truth is that Archimedes is not dead, but very much alive. He is on a mission to recover his sketch and the perfect retribution seems to be conquering Yasmeen’s heart. Little does he know that Yasmeen is not your typical damsel in distress and winning her heart of steel won’t be an easy task.
My thoughts Take your average alpha male character. His personality to be exact. Then change his body from male to female. The result would be Yasmeen.
“If you even suggest to my crew that you’ve threatened your way aboard my lady, I’ll rip out your spine.” He could see she meant it. God. “That’s unbearably arousing.”
Yep, they’re a match made in heaven. She is manlier than him and he is into S/M. It's nice to see this in a story though. I’m so sick of damsels in distress and uber-alpha males and over-oiled bare chests on book covers.
Oh wait; there is an overly-oiled bare chest on the cover. But don’t let it trick you. I was actually surprised by how deep the story is. It’s full of details, scientific terms and great ideas. It feels like Meljean Brook read my review of the previous Iron Seas book, The Iron Duke, and followed some of my suggestions.
Another surprise was the lack of sex.
Chill, of course they have sex. I was thinking that they’d go for it since twenty percent. And before that we’d get too many pages of lustful thoughts and mindless flirting. Wrong. I was in seventy six percent when something happened. Seventy. Six. Percent.
Amazing! And it wasn’t boring. Far from it. The romance built up naturally and by the end their feelings felt genuine. That’s a rare thing to find in romance novels.
A short conclusion Heart of Steel was a wonderful surprise. I started it in order to clear out my sequels shelf and ended up reading a very good book. It came exactly when I was starting to lose faith in Romance novels. If you are in the mood for a great adventure full of action, strong characters, witty dialogues and don’t mind waiting a while before the romance picks up then Heart of Steel if the book for you.
Favorite quote
And he had more fears now to replace it: fear for her life, fear that when this expedition was over and her vengeance satisfied, he’d never see her again. And though he knew her heart was steel, though he looked forward to the longing of an unrequited love, he also knew the fear that she’d never feel the same in return.
At least I’m not alone. I have Death to accompany me.
Long story short After her daughter is taken by a band of raiders, Emma leaves her family behin...more
At least I’m not alone. I have Death to accompany me.
Long story short After her daughter is taken by a band of raiders, Emma leaves her family behind and embarks in a trip to bring her back. The trip makes Emma cross paths with an old lover, Arthur, who is set on winning back her heart. Together they join forces to infiltrate the kidnapers’ group in order to get Emma’s daughter back.
My thoughts Finding a good post-apocalyptic book is difficult because most of them follow the same story. 75 percent of the population is dead and the rest is suffering to survive in a post-name-your-disaster world where even toilets could bite your genitals off. This makes me judge books in this genre according to what makes them stand out from the crowd.
Fallen, book #1 of the After Trilogy, impressed me through its characters and interesting idea regarding the supernatural powers that the apocalypse brought. I was hoping that Cold Light would be a nice read, but I was badly mistaken.
My first problem is the too sudden start. I feel like I was dumped into the story with no explanation whatsoever. Emma’s daughter, Beth, was taken. Why? How? What? Deal with it.
My memory isn’t the best out there. I have read Fallen approximately one year ago, and now I don’t remember much of it. I even forgot the main characters’ names. Cold Light has minimal reminders of what happened in the previous book. It took me a while to get what’s going on in the story.
Emma bothered me a lot throughout the story. Her decisions were extremely strange, and she was constantly contradicting herself. I felt that the story was useless, and just an excuse to get Emma and Arthur together. This means that the focus of the story shifted from finding her daughter to hooking up with Arthur. I wasn’t too happy about this, but I still pushed myself into finishing the book. Or at least I tried up to a point.
Around 50 percent of the book Emma shows her true self. She is a selfish woman who likes to act like a bitch because she can. After she stupidly puts herself in danger, she gets saved by the people who once were her friends. How does she repay them? By making a PMS worthy scene. She was unbearable.
Emma’s attitude and the idiotic shift in the story made me give up the book approximately 67 percent along the way. I will not continue reading this series.
The Book of the Forsaken follows the lives of three rather interesting individuals: Robert Cassidy, Daniel Maladie, and Igor Rubinstein. Now these fin...moreThe Book of the Forsaken follows the lives of three rather interesting individuals: Robert Cassidy, Daniel Maladie, and Igor Rubinstein. Now these fine individuals are called “puppets” and are supposedly controlled by a stronger force that is our narrator. They are also given a set of supernatural abilities that will eventually bring them together in their quest to fulfill their purpose. What purpose is this? Something related to the Book of the Forsaken, the overly confident narrator - which turns out to be a god or demi-god of some sort – and the game that he is playing with his new puppets.
To tell you the truth, I got lost along the way. I have no idea what the purpose of the Book is or where the story is heading. I think it’s because of the too many POVs that keep on changing without any warning. The whole book seems chaotic and can easily get you confused, even though it’s rather short – 144 pages on my Kindle.
Yannis Karatsioris seems to like to keep things short so you don’t get many descriptions in the book. Actually, you don’t get ANY descriptions in the book, which is a minus to me. I like the total opposite of this. I guess that Yannis Karatsioris’ bluntness would go very well with a graphic novel.
There are two things that I liked about The Book of the Forsaken. One, the footnotes for certain paragraphs were a very nice, and different, touch. Two, the narrator’s sarcasm which made my read a tad more pleasant.
As a conclusion I must say that this is not my cup of tea. I won’t be continuing this series.(less)
Ohkay. Dragon Age: The Silent Grove. Another video game inspired graphic novel. I can’t say that I hate the idea of reading more about a game I enjoye...moreOhkay. Dragon Age: The Silent Grove. Another video game inspired graphic novel. I can’t say that I hate the idea of reading more about a game I enjoyed playing but most of the time the stories end up disappointing me.
In Dragon Age: The Silent Grove we follow the footsteps of Alistair who is to become King of Ferelden. Alistair used to be my love interest in the game (yes, I was desperate) so it’s funny to see him being all badass when, in truth, he’s just a little insecure man. I never liked his character, to tell you the truth. And having the story revolve around him… well, you can imagine. Not impressed.
I had some technical, if you can call them that, problems. Because of the images having a small resolution, the text is very difficult to read. Zooming in is a nightmare. I always have this type of problems when it comes to graphic novel ARCs and because of this I’m actually thinking of giving up the process of requesting and reviewing ARC graphic novels.
ARC courtesy of Dark Horse Comics via NetGalley(less)
Slowly and painfully for your poor readers, but you do.
First impressions I will pick on the cover again....more
“You always find your way to truth, Justine.”
Slowly and painfully for your poor readers, but you do.
First impressions I will pick on the cover again. What is it supposed to represent? Is that Justine? What’s that magic circle thing around her hand? Is she doing magic now? Will she discover a new power that will help her in her final battle against - I quote the book description - herself?
The plot Head Rush is the final installment in The Dissilusionists series. The sleepwalking cannibals are still running through the city, terrorizing everyone. Otto sets a curfew that’s supposed to keep citizens safe, but we all know that he just wants to make his job easier in catching Packard. Justine is still under Otto’s spell, meaning that she still thinks that Packard shot Avery in cold blood. Lots of frustration going on there.
And, most importantly, Head Rush is about THE wedding. Yep, Justine is still going to marry Otto, and nothing can stand in their way. Or so Otto thinks. Little does he know that Justine is one step closer to learning the truth and will stop at nothing to expose him, free her friends and prove Packard’s innocence. The fight is on.
My thoughts I don’t usually like to read one book after another. I like to take small breaks between books in order to clear my head a bit. However, Double Cross left me floating face-down in a pool of anger, frustration and sadness. I couldn’t help myself from finding out what happens next.
I finished Head Rush in one day. It’s been months since I managed to do something this crazy. The fact that the book is that good helped a lot. Even so, I still had several problems that I will mention later on.
The fact that Head Rush revolves around Justine and Otto’s soon-to-be wedding bothered me a bit. It felt similar to watching a soap opera.
Will Armando be able to save Sofia from marrying the wrong man? Find out more in the next episode of Flaming Hearts: A Love Story.
I would have liked the story to focus on the sleepwalking cannibals, Packard’s dark past and his constant competition against Otto.
Packard’s fight to try to make Justine see the truth was a pain in the ass. Justine’s constant denial gave me a headache more than once. As much as Packard compliments Justine about her intelligence, I fail to see it in her actions and thoughts. Justine’s mind is a wild jungle. Stay too long inside it and you’ll get a rash the size of China.
Oh, and remember my comments on the cover? No new magic skills. We have a misleading cover once again.
On the plus side we get a HEA and a long awaited properly executed sex scene. My compliments to Mrs. Crane.
A short conclusion Head Rush is the conclusion to The Dissilusionists trilogy. The book is frustrating to say the least, but thanks to its fast-paced style it reads like a movie so it won’t take much effort to finish. It does provide the conclusion that the average reader is looking for, including a very sweet HEA. Will I read other books written by Carolyn Crane? Hell yeah! Would I recommend the series to my friends? Yes, I surely would.
Favorite quote
With that, I skate off from the man who once was my hero, leaving him there in the dark parking garage with all his plans and hopes and dreams. This man I will betray and attack tonight. The man I just might die with.
I zing for public safety, to save Otto's head, to save myself.
Get it? Bazinga! Heh.
First impressions
After reading the book description, I was expecti...more
I zing for public safety, to save Otto's head, to save myself.
Get it? Bazinga! Heh.
First impressions
After reading the book description, I was expecting a fast-paced book full of action, murder and romance.
Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men - one on a journey of redemption, the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.
This gave me high hopes that the love triangle will finally die. I did not consider Justine’s crisis of conscience part. Big mistake.
The cover seems nice enough. I like the colors and the cover model does match my version of Justine. However, something bugs me.
This guy here!
Why is the mysterious knife still there? There was no mention of that knife in any of the first two books. Remember, Mind Games had it as well. It would make you think that Justine wields a knife like a pro, doesn’t it? A tad misleading.
The plot
Double Cross starts rather abruptly with Justine trying to zing a weird woman called Ez. It seems that Ez can control people in their sleep. Yes, I’m talking about mind-control. Pretty cool, huh? Through a minor incident, Justine drags Packard into the mess as well. Now, not only can the two of them be mind-controlled, but they can share dreams. However, the dreams they share are far from sweet. It seems like Packard has a dark past, darker than anyone would have thought. Will these dreams bring Justine and Packard together or tear them apart?
Even so, the problems don’t stop here. A group of evildoers called the Dorks [really??] is going around murdering highcaps. To make matters worse, it seems that they have a talent of telling if a person is a highcap or not. Dangerous waters for our favorite dissilusionists.
My thoughts
You would think that Double Cross will be full of action, right? Well, that’s where you’re mistaken. Justine is stuck struggling through an inner battle between what’s right and wrong. And I mean 70% of the book stuck. Yes, I had to go through her whining for most of the book.
If only one could slap a fictional character. Life would never be the same again.
This is the main reason why I’m taking two stars away from my rating.
I was also hoping that Otto was dead or on a long vacation away from the book. Wrong. He was still alive and present throughout the book. I was trying my best to act mature and not make fart noises each time Otto appeared in a scene. Anyway, Justine is still madly in love with him aka isn’t done with her hero worship yet. I’m counting down the pages until she dumps his sorry ass.
Another discovery I made is that Justine isn’t the brightest bulb out there. She’s supposed to be a strong lead having awesome superpowers [quote the book description], and yet she’s not even using them throughout the book. As for the strong part. No. Just no.
Why is Carolyn Crane giving so many details during Justine and Otto’s sex scenes and close to none during (view spoiler)[Justine and Packard’s (hide spoiler)]? It’s just wrong. It disgusts me. Otto disgusts me. Why are you torturing me like this??
And the ending.
Really Mrs. Crane? REALLY??
What’s all that even supposed to mean? I mean. Why?? It’s like destroying everything you worked so hard to build. Is this your way of making up for the dull story? Because it bloody worked. It made me super angry and super sad. The scene with Packard in front of the restaurant when he found out that (view spoiler)[Justine is engaged to Otto (hide spoiler)] was heartbreaking.
Humph. Mind Games. I guess the title is fitting because Carolyn Crane likes to play mind games with us.
A short conclusion
Mind Games was most of the time uneventful except for the dream from Packard’s childhood and the cannibal sleepwalkers’ attacks. Justine was a bit too whiny for my taste. I hated Otto with all my heart and fell for Packard even more than before. However, the ending makes up for all the negative points. It simply threw me off my tracks and made me start Head Rush, The Disillusionists #3, right away.
Favorite quote
"There was a time when all I could ever see was the way people were doomed to behave--their tendencies, their reactions to their own idiotic histories. Misery, delusions, compulsions, all of it. I would use that to control them. But you're not like that. The way you look at people, the questions that you ask--you make me remember that people can be more than all that. You make me remember that nothing's decided. Nothing's known. That is what you gave me."
House of Night: The Graphic Novel. First question, why the hell would anyone waste their time, effort and money on a House of Night graphic novel? Mil...moreHouse of Night: The Graphic Novel. First question, why the hell would anyone waste their time, effort and money on a House of Night graphic novel? Milking the cow much? No, TOTAL FAIL.
However, even the awesome graphic work can't fix the absolutely terrible story, crappy dialogues and horrible characters that belong to P.C. Cast.
Oh, I’m sorry. I just noticed that I mentioned the word “story” in the same phrase as P.C. Cast. My bad, P.C. Cast doesn’t write stories, she writes down unimportant sounds that teenagers make when they want extra attention because they realized that they have crazy hormones controlling their bodies.
The next part is taken from P.C. Cast’s intro of House of Night #1.
WOW! The making of a Graphic Novel is a complex, crazy, creative, and absolutely satisfying experience!
Seeing Zoey, Stevie Rae, Damien, Aphrodite, and the twins come to life, along with the school and even the secondary players (Nala! Dragon Lankford! Persephone!) had Kent and me tearing up with emotion, especially as we saw the different and exquisite artistic interpretations of the Goddess of Night herself, Nyx. IT'S JUST SO DAMN COOL!
ARC courtesy of Dark Horse Comics via NetGalley(less)
Well now, this was a waste of time. My advice would be to avoid this one unless you’re a huge fan of the original Hunchback of Notre Dame book. The il...moreWell now, this was a waste of time. My advice would be to avoid this one unless you’re a huge fan of the original Hunchback of Notre Dame book. The illustrations are horrible; the style is very strange and unaesthetic. There are no facial expressions, the anatomy is messed up, most of the scenes are lacking composition.
I also could not focus on the story because the page resolution was too low causing the text to be unreadable. I simply could not finish it.
ARC courtesy of Dark Horse Comics via NetGalley(less)
Prototype 2 is divided into three parts: The Anchor, The Survivors and The Labyrinth.
The Anchor presents Alex's story, of how he got to lose faith in...morePrototype 2 is divided into three parts: The Anchor, The Survivors and The Labyrinth.
The Anchor presents Alex's story, of how he got to lose faith in humanity. It impressed me because of two reasons. One I love Alex; he is one of my most favorite characters ever. And two, the events are very emotional and touching.
The Survivors, as you can probably tell by now, presents the story of three survivors in the Manhattan area. I failed to get what role these survivors will play in the future of Prototype, but we’ll probably see in the future comics (if there are any) and/or the Prototype 2 game.
And the final part, The Labyrinth, presents Sgt. James Heller - a badass marine who doesn't take shit from anyone. Oh, he's also the next Prototype 2 (video game) protagonist. Excited yet? I know I am!
Because it's an advance copy, the text is painfully difficult to read. Ouch, my poor little eyes. This is the only complaint I have about the book.
I would recommend Prototype 2 only for the fans of the game. The rest of you... I don't think you'll get much from what's going on. Unless you've read the first Prototype comic and enjoyed it. Which means you are a fan of the game. And now we have an endless circle going on.
ARC courtesy of Dark Horse Comics via NetGalley(less)
I made the mistake of pausing Poltergeeks and starting another book. Now I can’t make myself get back to read it. I’m not in the mood. I’m not motivat...moreI made the mistake of pausing Poltergeeks and starting another book. Now I can’t make myself get back to read it. I’m not in the mood. I’m not motivated enough. It’s just that stupid. Whatever.
Poltergeeks is not my kind of book. The story is cheesy and clichéd. The heroine, Julie, is a brat that sounds like a thirty-year-old woman. She is special, and, most importantly, she is a moron. Julie has a BFF, Marcus, who secretly has a crush on her. Her girlfriend hits on her BFF because she’s that evil. Her girlfriend might just be the villain in the book. I have no wish to find out if this is true or not.
The bottom line, Poltergeeks is horrible and the title is overly misleading. If you’re looking for a fun and witty read, then avoid this one. It will only manage to dry up your brain cells.
Swimming through the ocean was like flying through another world.
Long story short On her latest sea expedition, Queen Beatrice is accidentally stabb...more
Swimming through the ocean was like flying through another world.
Long story short On her latest sea expedition, Queen Beatrice is accidentally stabbed by Lirea, a mermaid that can shift into human form. The dagger Lirea was wielding is an enchanted one, and it absorbs Beatrice’s spirit. Danielle, Talia and Snow have to catch the culprit and save the queen’s life.
My thoughts I absolutely love pirate tales. And mermaids. And underwater adventures (thank you SpongeBob). And the three princesses. And kelpies.
I do not like spawning though. It’s too fishy for my taste.
Fishy. Get it?
The Mermaid's Madness was an incredibly fun read. Hines’ retelling of The Little Mermaid is extremely interesting and, as usual, way better than the original. The characters were very detailed and varied. I really liked Lirea, her madness was extremely well portrayed. I more than once felt bad for the poor thing. Another character that I liked was Hephyra. She made one hell of a captain. I hope we’ll meet her again soon. I kind of doubt it, but here’s hoping. /end of positive things
And now the negative ones. I was expecting to give The Mermaid's Madness five stars. That’s how much faith I have in Jim C. Hines. I am very sad to say that this is a mere 3.5 star book. Why? Because it went terribly slow at times. Some events were unnecessary, some decisions stupid, some characters a pain in the ass (yes, I’m talking about Snow). All of this made me want to put the book aside for a while and start something else. Something better. This is never a good sign. The good news is that after 50 to 60 percent I didn’t feel like this anymore.
So there you have it folks. Book two of the Princess series, The Mermaid's Madness makes up for its slow parts with a fun adventure, great characters and unique realms. I really enjoyed reading it and I can’t wait to get my claws on the next installment, Red Hood's Revenge. Lady of the Red Hood assassin? Count me in!
Favorite quote
“The first time somebody strikes you, you’re shocked. You lack the reflexes to block or dodge the blows or to roll with the ones you can’t. The earlier you can learn those skills, the easier it is to deal with the next fight.”
First of all, I’d like to thank Maria for asking me to review this even though she knows I can be a major ass at times. I promise I’ll be gentle!
Under...moreFirst of all, I’d like to thank Maria for asking me to review this even though she knows I can be a major ass at times. I promise I’ll be gentle!
Under Witch Moon starts as a fairly interesting book. We have two crazy women tackling each other in a desert of sorts, hints of werewolves, vampires, loads of creepy crawlers and a serial killer who mutilates his victims and who also might be a werewolf. Not bad.
But then it gets boring. We get loads of talk and no action. Adriel is silly, immature and a major coward. She got on my nerves a lot and is totally not my kind of heroine. I love strong badass women not schoolgirls. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the schoolgirl type, and I surely wouldn’t want it to be replaced by a pornstar *cough*GeorginaKincaid*cough*, but when reading an Urban Fantasy book I prefer to have a major bitch as a main character. That’s just how my mind rolls.
As the story went on I felt that most of the events were unimportant, and I was confused most of the time. I felt like I was trapped into a maze, not knowing which way to go, what to do, where to look. I just wanted out.
White Feather is the hottie of the series. He was okay I guess, didn’t really impress me. I felt that there was no spark between him and Adriel so their romance was insignificant to me.
The second half of the book seemed to drag on forever. I totally lost interest and I felt like the book would be better if it was shorter than being filled with unnecessary details.
So I guess that’s all. Maria, in order to make it up, I got you a really hot date. He’s a bit shy so don’t go too hard on him.
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