Christopher C. Payne's Blog, page 21

Red Riding Hood

 

Title: Red Riding Hood

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Book by: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (Ebook and Paperback)

Format: DVD

Rating: PG-13

Genre: American Horror, Paranormal

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Billy Burke, Virgina Madsen

Believe the Legend. Beware the Wolf.

I do. Do you?

The town of Daggerhorn is a town ruled by fear. Those who live there look over their shoulders and protect their children from a violent beast who threatens the lives they lead. Every month during the full moon they sacrifice their very best livestock trying to appease the wolf.

Wolf, you say? What wolf?

A werewolf. A giant, black hairy wolf with dripping chompers and a menacing growl.

But the sacrifices are no longer enough and the wolf slaughters one of their own. A girl. A daughter. A sister. Valerie's sister.

Valerie is the daughter of the town drunk, her hand is promised to the son of the wealthy blacksmith, but her heart belongs to the sexy woodcutter, Peter.

 Oh, and the wolf wants to bite her.

Panicked by the recent death of Lucy (Valerie's sister), they call upon Father Solomon, a famous werewolf hunter. He arrives in town with the calvary and a giant iron elephant.

An elephant that he uses to torture people.

But, the wolf is more cunning than the town might once have thought. As it terrorizes the entire town during the Blood Moon (when a bite from a were will turn you), everyone begins to look around them…at each other. Toward their neighbor. Their friend. Their wife.

Who is the beast that lives among them? Who is the beast that has blended in for decades and never once shown the second skin that lies just beneath their human façade?

Valerie knows that the only way to escape the claws of a rabid, yet wily, menace is to kill it. But as she searches the faces of everyone she loves looking for answers, only then does it become crystal clear…sacrificing herself may be the only way to discover the truth.

Grandmother what BIG teeth you have…

As most everyone who knows me even a slightest bit, you know then that I am a card carrying, full moon howling, werewolf stalking kind of gal. So clearly this movie had my name written all over it.

I'd actually like to share a secret…SHHHH. And yes, this is the truth. I myself had an outline and a document saved on my computer and it was titled "Little Red Riding Hood". I know a real shocker right? Hardly. But it seems that someone beat me to the punch, however…I would have done it better. J

Now onto the review…

Red Riding Hood was first written as a screen play and then adapted into a novel. The powers that be wanted to create buzz around the movie with the book…and Catherine Hardwicke (also the director of Twilight) wanted another blockbuster on her hands and in her pocket.

I read the book first then went to see the movie in the theater…I was excited to see this book come to life, but I was also extremely skeptical because I saw Twilight and it practically slapped the book in the face with injustice. I mean, seriously.

Anywhoo, I figured because in my mind I cannot and will not separate the book and the movie this review will most likely read like a comparison. You've thus been warned.

Now because of my werewolf  lovin' ways, I am very picky about my wolves. And this movie/book combo did not disappoint me in the way of the beast. I liked him. I really, really liked him. He was mean and big and black. He had the perfect yellowish eyes and fangs that dripped with yuck….MmmmHmmmmm. Now, that being said, he could have been uglier, scarier, and more gruesome looking. But, you know, the movie didn't really need him to be any scarier looking because the way he behaved made him very vile. I giggle as I write because I liked it. And let me just say that there is a scene in the movie when the town men decide to be brave and go into the cave where they believe the wolf to live and the screen goes black and silent….then I got my first glance at the wolf….

I screamed.

People laughed at me.

(But hey, I wasn't the only one screaming…so there)

So, aside from my wolf, how about the rest of the movie? It was good, but not great. The setting was beautiful, the mountains, the snow and the way the town nestled into the earth. But the town and townspeople were very primitive, which isn't a bad thing because it was done well…almost too well. I'm going to tell you the resounding feeling I got from this movie and the way the people and town came off to me. Don't laugh. I know not a better way to describe the way I thought and only one word came to mind: dirty.

And not the "Hey baby, is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" kind of dirty.

I mean actual dirty. Like they lived so primitively in one room shacks and traveled by horse and cart…and they all looked well, dirty. The food that they continuously spooned into bowls turned my stomach, and they wore the same outfit throughout the movie (GASP! Have they not been to the GAP?). Okay, I will say that the people back in the day probably looked the same but it made me queasy.

Now, onto the cast. I like Amanda Seyfried, but I kind of thought her acting was fake at times. She was forever taking heaving breaths that pushed her chest up to her throat (and that just made everyman run to their remote for OnDemand) and when her sister died I didn't really feel her grief, it seemed forced. The woodcutter (Fernandez) and the blacksmith's son (Irons) were attractive…but to be frank I think Catherine Hardwicke cast them trying to get the next "Edward". Both boys had that tousled, careless hair (which is hot, but Hell-oo its already done!) and their movements and build reminded me of Edward, it was almost distracting. Sometimes even the lines they said reminded me of Edward.

And NO I am not obsessed with Rob Pattison…Clearly, I am Team Jacob.

Anyway, I almost felt like Hardwicke tried too hard to make the movie into what she thought would be a hit instead of making the movie into what it could have been. Know what I mean?

Now onto the book. I liked it. Was it better than the movie? Not sure about that, but we'll get to that. The thing about the book (well one thing) that I didn't like was the writer's style. Sometimes her descriptions were too much. They could have been simpler and more effective with better wording. Now, that is, of course, my opinion. The book was written well, but style is something you like or you don't. And might I just say that any writer who has to write a book and develop the characters around a screenplay…well you go girl! Cause what a job that had to have been!

The other gripe I had about the book was the ending….Hell-O..someone forgot to add it.

Oh, wait…they left it out on purpose.

Ooops.

Yups, that right. You buy an incomplete book. No, werewolf reveal here (what a rip off!). But, the final chapter is online. I did not know this and neither did my girlfriends, so we went to the movie and didn't realize that we would find out who the wolf is…until WHAM! It smacked us in the face.

We were like WHAT?? But I'll give it props – I liked it. It was a good shock factor.

In fact, I would recommend this. Read the book and then see the movie without reading the final chapter online. Plus, I don't know about you but I am too lazy to hunt down that chapter. I could put the link here…but I already said that I was too lazy to find it. Just watch the movie.

So was the book better than the movie? I can't say. The book had a lot more time, you get to know the characters and their backstory A LOT more. In fact, I might not have understood the significance of some of the characters and their stories, in the movie, without the book. But, the book had the awesome factor going for it with the surprise ending. Although, if you read the chapter online, I guess you won't be surprised. It also has the rockin' visual of me wolf.

So, it's a draw. Read the book and then watch the movie. You decide and I would love to hear your thoughts on this. It is after all a subject very near and dear to my heart. So find me on GoodReads, JournalStone.com or my blog http://theunlockeddiary.blogspot.com and tell me what you think.

We can dish and talk fur.

Just remember the werewolf is mine.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert

 

Divergent – Veronica Roth

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Date: May 03, 2011

ISBN13: 9780062024022

ISBN: 0062024027

BINC: 3256801

Available Format : Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

 

 

 

 

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

A girl. A war between factions. A Divergent.

If you are seeking for a thrill ride, welcome aboard, you would never want to leave the railways. I shouldn't even compare Hunger Games to Divergent. Hunger Games was amazing, and I never thought there would be another dystopian author who is as brilliant as Suzanne Collins, I guess I should stop making assumptions, huh? Veronica Roth's debut novel Divergent is definitely going to sate the thirst of thrill seeking readers.

Having been left breathless after reading the Hunger Games trilogy, I yearned to re-experience the kind of rush that surfaces when I am reading the books. For the rest of the year, I never found such book. Yes, I felt warm, and sometimes excited, but never have I had such ferocious emotions coursing through me. Divergent is always a 'divergent', the title proved it's point.

Divergent, a unique difference:

1. Divergent is a compilation of Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Vampire Academy. The introduction of factions bore similarity to Harry Potter, with the sorting of houses through a person's character. In Divergent, there's Dauntless for the brave, Anemity for the kind, Erudite for the brilliant and Abnegation for the selfless, Veronica Roth is brilliant for coming up with the idea to create factions to sort us human! And Divergent is similar to Hunger Games because it's as 'adrenaline junkie' as it was. In an odd sense, the characters in Divergent don't go around killing people for the sake of survival as in Hunger Games, yet like the Hunger Games, they kill the people from their own clan for pride and glory. And the part of Vampire Academy, the romance between Tris and Four reminded me of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri, an awkward love affair between an instructor and his student.

2. Despite how Divergent might bear resemblance to those books, it surpasses them all. And I rarely say this, because I'm loyal to the other series, yet the truth hit me real hard (not that I don't recommend the other series, still….) Divergent is worth giving praise for because of it's remarkable characters. Of course, two of the most memorable characters in the book are Tris and Four.

Tris is like Katniss, she's brave, she's smart, she's tougher than she looked. Reading through her eyes had gave me a new found respect for her, and for once, I do feel like I'm in the story more than I was a reader, a spectator from the outside in. There's something about Tris that makes you like her.

Four, besides the fact that he's hot (You got me, I love Hot Fictional characters okay!), he's brilliant. He is a good planner, and a talented person not only in combating skills, but also in technology and when it comes to hiding things. He can be very intimidating one second and soft the next. Mostly, I like the Four who was with Tris.

3. I couldn't turn the page fast enough, my veins were coursing with adrenaline as I was reading Divergent, and time seems to pass in a flash when I was engrossed in the world of factions and fights. I would say that the story plot was brilliantly written, every part was perfectly elaborated, the development of the story was just….flawless. It ended perfectly (though I was shocked when I turned to the last page, I swear tears were brimming in my eyes because I couldn't stand to let the it go. I didn't want the story to end. And it didn't help when I was listening to a depressing song) and there was nothing I could wish more for. I think Divergent had patched something that was missing in my heart (I'm in a inspirational mode, )

4. Veronica Roth, an heir to the Hunger Games throne. I don't know how she does it, but she has a way with words. I often found myself laughing at her quotes. And she could transform our daily life into something much interesting. Veronica's the best!

5. Most of all, Divergent is a story about embracing change, accepting loss, dealing with hardships,overcoming fears, staying strong and love.

I feel so content right now, I just feel so light. Perhaps it was because I cried throughout the book and seemed to cry my sorrows away too, or maybe it was because it made me laugh and scream, and I am feeling adrenaline packed right now? I think it's a bit of both.

Are you ready for a ride for your life? (There I go again….)

Reviewed by

Natasha Anne

Super 8

Super 8

Directed by:  JJ Abrams

Written by:  JJ Abrams

Released in theaters June 10, 2011

My Rating: ★★★★★

As I suspected, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg did not disappoint! With a great screenplay, tons of explosions, and a mysterious alien life form, how could you possibly go wrong?!?!

While a group of young friends works on a super 8 film they are making for an upcoming contest, a catastrophic train crash occurs right behind them. It soon becomes evident that there was more to this crash than meets the eye. Before long, the town starts noticing a strange military presence while other inexplicable events occur at an increasing rate—people and various items like microwaves and car engines are suddenly missing. This group of creative and intelligent adolescents takes it upon themselves to discover the truth about what is really out there and what it is trying to accomplish.

It reminded me a lot of the Goonies, in a good way. Rather than young treasure hunters, we have a group of 1970's middle-schoolers suddenly caught up in a government conspiracy involving life from outer space. These intelligent and curious kids provide the perfect mix of amusing entertainment with a hint of drama and suspense.

I was quite impressed with the young members of the cast.  The adults took a backseat to this extremely talented group of youngsters. They didn't miss a beat, and I know at that age (or even now) I could never have pulled off such a stellar performance. It was these fresh actors that made this movie unique and special. Otherwise, I think it probably would have just been your run of the mill alien movie.

There was a great little peppering of "real life" in the film that I think kept it nicely grounded. The main character, Joe (Joel Courtney), recently lost his mother in a work accident, so there was this tension of his police deputy father, Jackson (Kyle Chandler), coming to terms with being a newly single parent. On top of that, his mother's death was linked to the drinking and absence of Louis (Ron Eldard), the father of one of Joe's new friends, Alice (Elle Fanning). Both of the fathers were determined to keep their children away from each other. In addition, as Joe's feeling for Alice grew, he found out his best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths), was feeling slightly betrayed.  In the midst of all the crazy alien happenings, these kids were having to deal with everyday problems which made the story more believable and relatable.

I was especially thrilled that the super 8 movie the kids were working on, a classic zombie flick, was actually shown during the closing credits of the film. It almost makes me want to get my own super 8 camera and see what creative fun we can come up with! Of course, I'll pass on the irrational, homicidal military and distraught aliens.

This film is rated PG-13. There is minor language, violence/action, a little blood/gore, and some scary situations. I was still comfortable letting my six-year-old and two-year-old watch this movie with us, and they do not seem to be traumatized so far!

 

Review by Cassie McCown

Bloodletter

 

Title: Bloodletter

Author: Angel Haze

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Formatt: Ebook

Publisher: Angel Haze 2011

AISN: B0055U8GWY

Are you brushed up on the Ten Commandments? No? After this book you will be, and you might be finding yourself trying to obey them a little more than before…

Kelly Garret is a criminalist. She spends her days delving into the minds of the cities most wanted. But then, she meets the mind that is more horrific than anything she has ever seen. A rash of brutal and bloody murders rock the city leaving Kelly and her team to try and decipher the clues the killer has left behind.

As the body count begins to mount, a series of chilling phone calls and the sudden occurrence of buried memories leaves Kelly wondering if perhaps, this time, delving into the mind of the vile might be her undoing.

Check the locks on your windows and your doors…if you are out alone at night, definitely look over your shoulder because you never know who is stalking the shadows…crouching…waiting…

They deliver death. Your death.

Are you afraid of the Grim Reaper? You should be.

I know I am…someone hold me…I'm scared.

Bloodletter is a chilling story that sucks the reader right into a town being rocked with a serial killer. The cast of characters leave you wondering just who you can trust…and who you can't. As I was reading I looked for the hidden message behind everyone's words and actions.

This book is creepy with a capital 'C'. The deeds that the sicko in this book commit are heinous, and I found myself marveling at what could possibly twist someone into such a monster. The descriptions in this book of the crime scenes and the autopsies were clear and painted a picture of the horror the victim must have endured before death. It was a complex story woven with a cast of characters that all seemed to have something about them that made you wonder if they were the killer.

Kelly is the main protagonist and a criminalist, the daughter of a retired Chief of Police. She's good at her job and in my opinion must have a stomach made of steel. She has it all: good looks, a great job, great friends, and a newly, sparkly diamond ring on her finger gifted by her hot fiancé. She was a good character – one that seemed to remain innocent despite the job she held. She didn't seem jaded or hardened in the least by the things that she experienced on a daily basis.

Ryan, the resident creep-o was an interesting read. The way he thought was intriguing, and I liked reading from a perspective that I myself never experienced. He was clearly jaded and had his own issues…I often wondered about his childhood. The way he seemed to blend into the crowd and was carefully controlled about his actions almost made me wonder how many people are like this out in the world and how close they could be without a person even realizing it.

Bloodletter has a lot of fabulous points. It draws the reader right in and it hits the ground running, holding the reader's attention well into the book. The story line was clearly well thought out and original. It held just the right amount of thriller and mystery and left out just enough so that you could never figure out 'who dun it'.

 The book is written in third person and sometimes I felt that it switched to too many characters, and I wished it would have stayed more with Kelly. I think that perhaps the characterization of the characters could have been developed a bit more in some places. I would have liked to get to know Chad better, and maybe see the relationship between him and Kelly develop earlier on in the book. Also, at times, Kelly seemed a little to naïve to me; I wondered why she didn't see more than she did. Ryan was  also a character I would've loved to more about at the end of the book…what happens with him?

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I haven't read a thriller/murder mystery that got me so involved in quite a while. I couldn't wait to figure out who did it! If you like creepy books or reading into the mind of a killer than this book is for you! Angel Haze is a talented writer that puts a story together quite well, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

This review is written by Cambria Hebert

Beastly

  

Title: Beastly

Director: Daniel Barnes

Format: DVD released June 2011

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Young adult, Romance, Fantasy

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hugens, Mary-Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris

Kyle is a total hottie. He's tall, got a perfectly tousled head of blond hair, a chiseled jaw and a rockin' bod. What's not to love? Ummmm, his personality. Sure he's looking hot, but then he opens up those kissable lips.

Ooops. Should've left them closed.

Cause now my dreams for the prefect man are shattered….

……or are they?

Upon acting like a complete and utter jerkface, he pisses off the one gal you should never cross: a witch. And she isn't so nice. But hey, would you be if some guy called you an ugly cow? Crap, I'd make him suffer too.  And she does just that by turning him into something he can never imagine: an ugly person…an outsider.

Right after spoofing away his handsome good looks she tells him that only three little words can cure his plight. You guessed it: I love you.

Oh, yeah, and that he's got only one year to earn some love or he will be stuck like this forever…

Let me start off by saying that I am a complete sucker for this kind of movie. Yeah, so maybe I'm a little cheesy with a little dash of hopeless romantic thrown in, but there you have it. I'm just keepin' real….keepin' it real.

I read the book Beastly by Alex Flynn that this movie was adapted from, so when I saw the trailer for this movie I was excited because I really enjoyed the book. But my like of the book is for another time…

I will admit that I was skeptical about the movie because the books are usually so much better. And then there's the way he looks. In the book he was a beast. Like a real beast, with hair and fangs and claws. In the movie he was tattooed up and bald. A little different – wouldn't you say?

Turns out, I didn't mind so much. In fact, I was kind of fascinated by the way he looked; he wasn't scary in the least to me. I kept wondering what it would be like to touch him. Would his tattoos be raised, would his skin be rough? What about the other ways he was deformed and the way those red lines ran through his skin…would they feel like embedded metal?? My fingers itched to touch him…

And, really, it was a nice twist on the way someone could be made into a beast.

The plot was unoriginal…but it was supposed to be. It was a retake on a classic. It was romantic, and it was much better than I expected it to be. I actually really liked it. When I was looking at pics to save for this review I came across some other reviews…a lot of them unfavorable.

Those people must be grumpy with hardened hearts…maybe they need a visit from Kendra (the witch). Or, maybe, I'm just sappy.

I liked Alex in this role. I thought he did a good job portraying a kid who was being who he thought he should be – not who he really was deep down. I thought Vanessa did a good job as playing a girl who actually saw what the guy tried to hide. I thought the pair had pretty good chemistry.

Some people might argue that he was whiny and stalker-ish. If some witch turned me ugly and then my dad dumped me off in hiding because he couldn't deal I might whine too. But to be fair, he didn't really whine. He just hid. Hid from himself as much as from the way he looked. And, I liked the way he watched her…the way he followed her. Because when he was following her he wasn't thinking about himself he was thinking about her. She exuded the qualities that he himself wished to possess…and did, but didn't know it.

Something else I really enjoyed about the movie was the quality. The color and the settings were eye catching and beautiful. The colors were so clear and somehow pure. The settings were real and didn't look staged. And the lake house…I might give up an appendage for that house. In fact, I'd seriously consider it. (especially if hottie was there too.)

The movie did vary from the book, but let's be frank: the movie usually always does. It has to translate from page to screen and be almost like eye candy for the viewer. Things are always changed because a movie doesn't have the time a book does.

If you like classic fairytales and classic storylines, you will probably like this movie. If you like hot guys and pretty girls you will like this movie. If you like Neil Patrick Harris playing a funny blind dude you will definitely like this movie. Here's the thing: don't sit down to watch and expect it not to be a little corny and romantic because then you are cheating yourself out of that little smile that plays on your lips (that you try and hide) when you watch, or the way you pause when you think he might kiss her or the way your belly flips when he realizes that she sees well beyond his face.  (this is what that looks like:)       

If these things aren't enough to get you to pay a buck at the Redbox then how about this: while I was watching this movie I was not making mental notes of things to write in this review (I do that a lot when I am watching or reading and know I am doing a review) because I was involved with the characters. If anything can get me out of my head like that then I know it's a winner.

I wonder how many hopeless romantics are out there that feel the same as I do or am I a dying breed? Grab some candy, a blanket and your honey and curl up to watch this movie. After months of waiting to rent this movie, I can honestly say that it was worth the wait.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert

White Cat – Curse Workers #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Date: May 04, 2010

ISBN13: 9781416963967

ISBN: 1416963960

Available formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Audio book, eBook

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Curse Workers #1 – White Cat by Holly Black

5/5

Dark magic + con = Curse Workers

Speechless.

This is one of the few rare books that managed to make me reluctant to close the book and set it aside. And one of the books that left me

with such a huge after effect I couldn't go to sleep at 3am in the morning. (That's why I'm writing this review)



The Amazing White Cat! A High 5!

1. The cover art is amazing. Cassel seemed like a real hot con artist and the white cat was very mysterious.

2. Holly Black presented us with a unique concept of dark magic, using the term 'workers' for people who practice dark magic, and that the dark magic is not 'cast' but 'worked' through the simple act of touching with bare hands. That's why the characters stayed gloved all the time. And that's where the name Curse workers came from. And I was really interested and curious about the workers traits. There are so many kinds of magic and each worker is gifted with distinctive ones. In the story, Philip is a physical worker, having the ability to break someone's bones through a single touch, Cassel's mum, an emotion worker, who could manipulate a person's emotions, and Grandad is a Death worker who could kill someone just by touch.This magic doesn't require spells, nor practice and it comes all naturally. Yet, the magic has it drawbacks. Apparently, every time someone 'worked' magic, they experience the blowback too! Thus, making it a limitation.

3. I enjoy reading the development of the characters. The story is written from Cassel's POV, a boy who was born into a family of workers, but surprisingly he's not one. Having no magic, he felt like an outsider. However, after having dreams about a white cat and sleepwalking, he started doubting himself on the fact that he's not a worker. Maybe he is one after all. I enjoy reading from Cassel's POV because he certainly has a unique perspective; it amazes me how he is capable of living through the confusing state he was in, having to deal with stress, and working with a tampered memory. I read his turmoil, his grief, his sorrow, his troubles, and his past. It was depressing and a fix for an adrenaline junkie at the same time, especially when he lies. (I failed to mention that Cassel's con skills are impressive) Cassel is a great character!

4. The book was twisted! It's quite a complicated story plot with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns (oh you get the idea), but like The Host, as you proceed, you'll find yourself understanding even more.

5. It was a perfectly written book! It gives out 'horror' vibes but equivalently amazing. And I can tell this is a thoroughly researched book, from the con technique to the understanding of dark magic, to the ability of the author to make readers question their own judgments. I say White Cat is a huge maze that you need to find the way out of! Plus, unlike some other series I've read, the book was written in detail, every emotion elaborated, giving the readers a full dose of enjoyment. It's definitely fast-paced, but it doesn't leave anything out. I'm overly content when I finished this book, and I don't think I feel any sort of dissatisfaction because I'm pondering over loopholes (as I did with the other books – not that I found any.

White Cat – amazingness doesn't even cover it.

And I have no bad comments about the book at all!

Reviewed by,

Natasha Anne

Shaman's Blood

Shaman's Blood

By:  Anne C. Petty

ISBN:  9781936564200

Published August 5, 2011 by JournalStone

Available Format:  Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

Shaman's Blood won 2nd place in JournalStone's 2011 Horror Writing Contest.

When Cadjer Harrow, a half-blood shaman, carelessly bonds himself with an Australian Dreamtime shadow demon, he curses his family for generations to come. Shaman's Blood opens in the early adolescence of Ned Waterston as he runs, literally, for his life. The problem is, what Ned is running from cannot be outrun.  Ned's entire life will be spent attempting to undo the shadowy curse that plagues his bloodline.

As a museum curator, Alice Waterston is fully educated in Dreamtime legends, but as near unfathomable events begin to occur more and more often, Alice has no other choice than to suspect a deeper connection to the mythologies. It is up to Alice and her daughter Margaret to finish what her ancestors began so many years ago.

I received a copy of Shaman's Blood from the publisher for proofing and review.

I believe one of the things I liked most about this book is the way Petty basically included the entire lifespan of a human being through different characters. She captures childhood and adolescence in the lives of both Ned and Margaret. On top of that, she expertly showcases some of the significant differences between the generations—the hippy of Ned's lifetime versus the mannerisms and trends of a modern teen—from hitchhiking and getting high to manga chat rooms and iPhones. She was absolutely spot on even in their language, clothing, and social behaviors. Alice and Nik exemplify middle age, trying to raise a daughter, mourn a mother, and literally fight their own demons along the way. In Cecil Rider and Uncle Hal, the reader gets to experience the older adult with their wisdom, growing frailty, and terrible secrets. Furthermore, Petty also does an amazing job weaving together two completely separate cultures—the very familiar American and the mysterious Aboriginal.

For me, the 'horror' of this novel is the demons and the way they stalk and incorporate themselves into the lives of these characters through very real nightmares and shape-shifter hallucinations. I was less than pleased to be confronted with an evil Quinkan snake in the first chapter, and I won't even mention the disgusting giant tick! The 'suspense' lay in the simple questions:  Why were these people being haunted by this evil, and how were they going to stop it?  Anne Petty's ability to write an amazing horror/suspense novel is entirely undeniable.

I absolutely cannot wait to see where this story goes next, and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy in August!!

Review by Cassie McCown

Hollowland

Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

CreateSpace 2010

ISBN: 9781453860953

Available in e-book and paperback

 

The zombie apocalypse. It's all the rage right now.  Everyone is talking about it, everyone is reading and writing about it, and Amanda Hocking got it done right.

Remy is one of the remaining people left alive after the outbreak of the virus consumed the majority of the world.  She and her little brother, Max, have seen their parents killed by these monsters and are now hold up in a quarantine, a sort of haven, for survivors who have not yet been infected by the virus.  'Yet' being the operative word.  As the case with any virus, the virus is starting to adapt, starting to become smarter thus turning their hosts into something more advanced than they had been before.  The zombies, once mindless, random killing machines, are now working together; it could indicate the downfall for humankind.

This was the first book of Amanda Hocking's that I have ever read.   I probably would have never read it, except we will be talking about it in the next episode of the blog talk radio show I am one of the hosts for.  I had heard of her, but I generally have a tendency to stay away from overly hyped-up stuff.  Then someone, somehow drags me into the overly hyped-up stuff, and I usually love the hell outta it.  This was definitely the case with Hollowland.

The thing I love most about it were the zombies themselves.  They were still 'people'.  I know the idea of a virus creating zombies is not a novel one; however, the way it was written in this book was.  The virus infected the human and strips away the brains of the infected person thus turning them into a mindless shell.  The infection spreads through the body and corrupts the blood and the organs eventually killing the host.  The dead bodies do not reanimate, they simply…die.  While this takes a bit of the horror and spooky factor away from the zombie, it definitely adds a gross and fascinating aspect to them.

As much as I liked this book, there are a few parts about it that bugged me, hence the reason for the four stars opposed to the five stars I would have liked to have given this book.  We hear a bunch about her brother, Max, and there is some mystery surrounding him.  But there were SO MANY hints thrown through the book, I wanted to scream "JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY" a few times.  The blatantly obvious hints (which I'm assuming they were supposed to be teasers) were so obvious that I almost felt like my intelligence had been insulted by not just coming out and saying it after a while.

The other major complaint that I have about it is the editing.  I understand that she is a self published author, but that DOES not mean that some of these errors should be allowed.  The content itself was fantastic, I think she had that part down great, but there were parts in there where she had gender issues with her pronouns and EASY words misspelled.  That is one of the quickest ways to ruin something truly spectacular.  Nothing brings you crashing back down to earth more quickly than seeing typos, misspellings and errors riddled through the book.  Had the content not been as spectacular as it was, this would have been a 3 star book because of the errors.  But, her storytelling ability in this book rivals that of some of my favorite authors, and I don't say that lightly, so I let it slide this time.

This woman told a great zombie book, boys – do NOT be afraid that because a woman wrote this, the whole zombie "feel" will be lost.  This is a great addition to my zombie collection, thank you to Cambria who talked me into reading an overly hyped book that I never would have picked up otherwise.  PS – if anyone knows when the sequel is coming out, I would like to know.  The cliffhanger is killing me!!

That Which Should Not Be

That Which Should Not Be

By:  Brett J Talley

ISBN: 9781936564149

Published October 7, 2011 by JournalStone

Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

That Which Should Not Be is the winner of JournalStone's 2011 Horror Writing Contest!

As a student at the mysterious Miskatonic University, Carter Weston is accustomed to the well-known reputation of the school's association in all things occult and supernatural. When Professor Thayerson sends Carter on a secretive search for a dark and powerful book, he doesn't even blink an eye. Shortly after Weston reaches the seaside town of Anchorhead in pursuit of the Incendium Maleficarum, The Inferno of the Witch, he meets a small group of fascinating men in a local tavern. Deep into the night, the men share their stories with Carter—stories that are chock full of paranormalcy and evil.  Two particular stories seem to deal directly with the very item Carter is in search of, proving their chance meeting anything but. Will Weston find what he is looking for, and what could this mean for the fate of the entire world?

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher for proofing and review.

Since this book is the winner of the Horror Writing Contest, it is indeed of the horror genre. I have not read horror in years…YEARS! JournalStone is corrupting me! Nevertheless, this is a fantastic novel and absolutely worth first place!

For starters, I think this is one of my favorite book covers, at least of the JournalStone published books.  It really captures one of the pivotal scenes of the novel and puts a face, so to speak, on the evil that threatens the world.

Okay, so it really wasn't that scary. Actually, a tremendous amount of the "fantasy" out there could be labeled horror but probably would be read less. The worst this did to me was give me some interesting material for some pretty creative dreams! Yes, there are a few rather gruesome parts in Jack's trapper story, and the whole psychotic professor deal was a bit disturbing, but the overall plot was first class fiction in my opinion. (At least, I hope it is fiction!)

I love how the different stories within the narrative tied the beginning and ending together so perfectly. It was a truly creative and entertaining way to slowly add pieces to the puzzle of Miskatonic and the darkly magical books involved. There were the necessary twists, turns, and deceptions that I feel are essential to a good horror or suspense novel. You will find no objection from me that Mr. Talley is a fantastic writer!

And, Brett, if you read this, I must apologize…but, WAR EAGLE!!!

Review by Cassie McCown

 

Paradox-The Angels Are Here

Title: Paradox – The Angels Are Here

Author: Patti Roberts

Format: Ebook

Published by Patti Roberts via Smashwords 2011

Genre: paranormal

ISBN: 0011154802

The definition of Paradox:

A seemingly illogical or self-contradictory statement or suggestion, that may, in fact, be very true.

There's something different about Grace's life…but she doesn't know it. For some reason she can't ever make a friend and the only one she does manage to make is someone she has to keep secret. Why? Because she is an angel that no one else can see.

Grace's father seems to know why Grace is different and why there are angels surrounding his precious daughter…but unfortunately he never gets the chance to tell Grace anything about her life…her destiny.

When Grace's time with her father is unexpectedly cut short and her life falls apart, the young girl doesn't wonder why she suddenly makes friends with the new girl next door. She doesn't wonder why the girl is wise beyond her years. She also doesn't realize that her father's death might not be an accident…

Years before Grace was born a great battle between the Gods raged. The God's were raging a battle over the humans and the humans were not winning. AbaddonGrigorian is searching for someone amongst the battle – a human – a girl. He believed that once he possessed this girl that he would Reign Supreme over everyone – including his brother, Cerberus, the current ruler of the city. But first he had to find her….

Let me start off by saying that the cover art and the book trailer to this book is fabulous. You can find the trailer here: Book Trailer

Paradox – The Angels Are Here is a novella. For those of you who aren't familiar with that term a novella is a short story. The epub book that I read was one hundred and fifteen pages. It is in this reviewers opinion that this story would have been better suited as a full length novel. Why? Because a full length novel has more time. More time to really get to the meat of the story and really give the reader something to grasp. While I really enjoyed the premise for the story I felt like it had only just begun. I realize that because this is a short story it was meant to be the beginning of a series of novellas with each one unfolding more of the plot. However, this book never really gave the readers any answers…it left us all questioning everything. To me, the reader has to understand some things in order to want to find out the rest.

The book started out with a woman (or angel?) named Juliette telling the reader a story about her life 900 years ago. Then we move to the preface about a young woman (not identified) listening to a story told by a stranger. A story that she realizes answers a lot of her questions would be answered by a missing girl. I am assuming that this missing girl is Grace – though it is never clarified. Then chapter one begins in the year of 1080 AD with the Gods and the fall of the Imperial City.

While, I loved all the parts of the book, it jumped around a bit as you can see. It wasn't hard to follow, but I did have a hard time understanding why and how all these parts were linked together. Then the story takes us to 2001 with an eight year old Grace. The story then continues to progress and by the end of the book Grace is eleven. During the rest of the book the chapters switch between Grace and 1080 AD with the God's.

I really enjoyed reading about Grace. I liked her character. I thought she was very believable and the things that she endured during her young life were heartbreaking. I thought that Patti Roberts did an excellent job writing about the grief of a young girl over the death of her father. I really connected with this because my own father died when I was eleven, and I had felt a lot like Grace had. Some of her inner thoughts about her father's death really struck a chord within me and brought a tear to my eye. I was also moved by the poignant loss that Grace's mother, Kate, displayed at the loss of her husband.

I really feel like this story could have been made better by a really good content editing. There were some places in the story where the narrative POV shifts and it is confusing. Most of the book is written in third person but sometimes it seemed like first person slipped in. These errors interrupted the flow of reading and sometimes made me pause to figure out who was feeling or thinking what. At times I noticed that the tense of the novella shifted from past to present, which also created an interruption of reading.

I really enjoyed the chapters from 1080 AD. The world of the Imperial City and the Gods are something that I was really drawn into. The way they thought, the way they lived and interacted with one another was so different than what we know now. I found it fascinating and almost wished there had been more about them. The detail was rich and all the characters were striking and strong – even when they were being vile (incest anyone?). I really found myself wanting to crawl into their minds to see what made them tick.

I think the biggest downfall (for me) with this book is that I never really understood how Grace could possibly be connected to something that dated all the way back to AD. I mean, is Abbadon still alive? Is he still looking for the girl…could it be Grace reincarnated over the centuries? If so, why? Why did angels seem to rally around her and why aren't all of these angels good?

I never really could see how the God's world connected with Grace's world. I think that the chapters sometimes switching between present day and AD would have worked if the reader had been able to see some sort of parallel between the characters or the worlds. When I put the book down I just didn't see how all these people were connected.

And I want to know.

I think this is an original plot line. I love the Gods and the angels involvement. I really want to know how all of this centers around one girl…

I would recommend this book if you are looking for an interesting plot line and if you are a patient reader. Do not expect to get answers to any of your questions from book one. I am hoping that book two comes together and really shows the reader exactly how these people's lives connect.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert