Molly Looby's Blog, page 6
August 8, 2016
Being a Writer
Being a writer . . .
Waking up in the middle of the night to write something down.
Re-reading old notes and wondering what you were thinking.
Not writing something down and regretting it.
Having incredible ideas whilst out walking, in the shower, watching TV. Sit in front of a computer: nothing.
This is the best thing ever! Everyone will love this! This is the worst thing I've ever written. Why would anyone be interested in this rubbish. Repeat.
Constructing fantastic sentences on paper. Sounds like you don't know English when you speak.
Write thousands of words and feel like a superhero. The next day you write three sentences and want to go back to bed.
NaNoWriMo is a word you both love and hate to hear.
What's that word? Oh no. I know it's a word. Check Thesaurus. But I swear there's a word that should be here!
I'll just check *insert social media app*.
What an awesome backstory. So excited to reveal it. Never reveal it/ reveal too much and ruin character.
But that's not what they would do.
No, I'm not crazy.
Where's that notebook? Search through twenty and get distracted.
But first, tea/coffee.
Spending hours researching something complicated and never using it in the story.
Bored of having to explain to people why you won't be the next *insert famous author*.
Talk about writing because someone asked, only to realise they stopped listening.
Why don't you write *insert genre you do not write*?
Getting halfway through a story and three new ideas pop into your head.
Finishing a story and all other ideas vanish.
Writing something you're proud of only for your first reader to hate it.
Reading over your old work and cringing.
Having more imaginary friends than real friends.
Where is this story going? Somewhere good I hope.
Spending all day writing and someone asks how much you've written: "that's not important."
Using *insert video game/TV show/book* as research.
Having a very disturbing Google search history.
The pressure of writing competitions is too much.
Staring at a computer screen all day but not touching the keyboard nearly enough.
Having to look up grammar rules because you're doubting yourself.
Questioning the very fabric of the universe.
Picking apart the human psyche and discovering that humans are disturbing.
Wat r werds?
But I wouldn't change my hobby for anything.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
Waking up in the middle of the night to write something down.
Re-reading old notes and wondering what you were thinking.
Not writing something down and regretting it.
Having incredible ideas whilst out walking, in the shower, watching TV. Sit in front of a computer: nothing.
This is the best thing ever! Everyone will love this! This is the worst thing I've ever written. Why would anyone be interested in this rubbish. Repeat.
Constructing fantastic sentences on paper. Sounds like you don't know English when you speak.
Write thousands of words and feel like a superhero. The next day you write three sentences and want to go back to bed.
NaNoWriMo is a word you both love and hate to hear.
What's that word? Oh no. I know it's a word. Check Thesaurus. But I swear there's a word that should be here!
I'll just check *insert social media app*.
What an awesome backstory. So excited to reveal it. Never reveal it/ reveal too much and ruin character.
But that's not what they would do.
No, I'm not crazy.
Where's that notebook? Search through twenty and get distracted.
But first, tea/coffee.
Spending hours researching something complicated and never using it in the story.
Bored of having to explain to people why you won't be the next *insert famous author*.
Talk about writing because someone asked, only to realise they stopped listening.
Why don't you write *insert genre you do not write*?
Getting halfway through a story and three new ideas pop into your head.
Finishing a story and all other ideas vanish.
Writing something you're proud of only for your first reader to hate it.
Reading over your old work and cringing.
Having more imaginary friends than real friends.
Where is this story going? Somewhere good I hope.
Spending all day writing and someone asks how much you've written: "that's not important."
Using *insert video game/TV show/book* as research.
Having a very disturbing Google search history.
The pressure of writing competitions is too much.
Staring at a computer screen all day but not touching the keyboard nearly enough.
Having to look up grammar rules because you're doubting yourself.
Questioning the very fabric of the universe.
Picking apart the human psyche and discovering that humans are disturbing.
Wat r werds?
But I wouldn't change my hobby for anything.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
August 1, 2016
The Last Star - Rick Yancey
Before you read my review, you should know that The Last Star is the 3rd book in The 5th Wave trilogy (which you should read right now!). You have been warned.
I was half excited and half terrified to read The Last Star. I loved every sentence of this series, and I didn't want it to end. Plus, I knew if I read it, characters were going to die. But I had to brave it. I couldn't put it off any longer, even though I knew it was going to break me.
For some reason, it took me a little longer than normal to get into it. Maybe because I was terrified. But once I got into it, I felt myself reading too fast, but I didn't know how to stop. I did get to a point where I almost put the book down because I knew I was getting closer and closer to the end. I almost put the book down to save it. Almost. But I couldn't. I had to cover the words with my hand until it was time to read them. It was almost impossible to resist the urge to look ahead.
As with the previous two, The Last Star surprised and wowed me with little bits and pieces. Some of the sentences were just so right, they really struck home. As usual, such beautiful observations. Humanity has never been torn down and ripped into its bare basic form as much as it is in The Last Star. It's a masterpiece. Truly.
The Last Star really is a rollercoaster ride. One minute I was laughing, the next I was trying not to cry. At one point, I had to put the book down to have a little cry. I've cried at many books in my time, but hardly ever have I had to put a book down to do so.
I'm not sure I have enough words to express how phenomenal this series is. There are literally no words for how mind-blowing The Last Star is. It made me think about life, love, fear, hope, faith, humanity. Everything. Like The Infinite Sea before it, this book tore me down and rebuilt me. Better. Stronger. This book did more than keep me entertained for a few hours. This book became me. I can't explain it any other way.
I am Cassie.
I am humanity.
I wanted to weep like a baby when I finished. I need a stronger word than beautiful. But that's all I have. Beautiful. I wrote down three goddamn pages of notes, and it'll never be praise enough.
New favourite book of the year. Dare I say it, new favourite book, period.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
I was half excited and half terrified to read The Last Star. I loved every sentence of this series, and I didn't want it to end. Plus, I knew if I read it, characters were going to die. But I had to brave it. I couldn't put it off any longer, even though I knew it was going to break me.
For some reason, it took me a little longer than normal to get into it. Maybe because I was terrified. But once I got into it, I felt myself reading too fast, but I didn't know how to stop. I did get to a point where I almost put the book down because I knew I was getting closer and closer to the end. I almost put the book down to save it. Almost. But I couldn't. I had to cover the words with my hand until it was time to read them. It was almost impossible to resist the urge to look ahead.
As with the previous two, The Last Star surprised and wowed me with little bits and pieces. Some of the sentences were just so right, they really struck home. As usual, such beautiful observations. Humanity has never been torn down and ripped into its bare basic form as much as it is in The Last Star. It's a masterpiece. Truly.
"No one tells you how close rage is to lust. I mean, the space between molecules is thicker."As well as the beautiful thoughts and insights into human nature, the narration, as usual, was spot on. I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again, I totally adored Cassie's narration. It's so perfect. She couldn't sound any more real than she already does. And I'm so jealous of Yancey's skill.
The Last Star really is a rollercoaster ride. One minute I was laughing, the next I was trying not to cry. At one point, I had to put the book down to have a little cry. I've cried at many books in my time, but hardly ever have I had to put a book down to do so.
I'm not sure I have enough words to express how phenomenal this series is. There are literally no words for how mind-blowing The Last Star is. It made me think about life, love, fear, hope, faith, humanity. Everything. Like The Infinite Sea before it, this book tore me down and rebuilt me. Better. Stronger. This book did more than keep me entertained for a few hours. This book became me. I can't explain it any other way.
I am Cassie.
I am humanity.
I wanted to weep like a baby when I finished. I need a stronger word than beautiful. But that's all I have. Beautiful. I wrote down three goddamn pages of notes, and it'll never be praise enough.
New favourite book of the year. Dare I say it, new favourite book, period.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
July 25, 2016
Phage - Mark Tamplin
"Dr. Sam Townsend faces the greatest challenge of his career--preventing a diabolical pathogen from being unleashed on the US population. Standing in his way are demons from his past, and a home-grown terrorist bent on destroying Sam."
I have never read a science thriller before (I'm not certain I've read a thriller before) so it was quite exciting to get into Phage, not knowing what exactly to expect.
My first fear was that I wouldn't understand what was going on. After all, Tamplin has a background in microbiology, which I have next to no knowledge in. However, everything makes perfect sense as long as you don't let the big words grind you down. Even though there were plenty of words I didn't know the meaning of, that didn't seem to matter, as it all made perfect sense to me. And let's just say I was an English-History sort of person at school, so don't let the microbiology stuff put you off. I must admit, I did end up skimming some of the heavy science stuff, but I enjoyed the way this book made my brain work a little harder than normal. We all need that from time to time.
Phage is told in a very black-and-white way, as I expected. But I wanted a little more emotion from all the characters. Plus, I wanted to get to know them a little better. They all had bits and piece of backstory, but I wanted to truly know them and feel what they were feeling.
The way it was told also brought out some very bizarre and specific descriptions, especially when travelling. I don't know whether this was done on purpose or not, but it ended up irritating me to know that they turned a certain way at a junction to take the whatever road. Also, there were some very weird, real-life interruptions sometimes when the characters were talking to one another, which is the sort of thing that usually gets taken out, but for some reason, the characters get interrupted for no reason at all, which I just found odd. But again, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a style choice. Like I said, it's told in a very matter-of-fact way. The whole thing feels very realistic.
The plot is so intricate and well-thought out. There is always something going on, and as you get to the end, the tension really ramps up. However, sometimes our protagonist and friends seemed to lack urgency. Or maybe that was me just dying to know how it ended. The short chapters also made it super-easy to read a whole lot in one go.
Considering I had no idea what to expect when I turned the first page, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed Phage so much more than I expected and imagine fans of the genre would fall easily into this book's trap. It didn't take me many sittings at all to absorb the whole thing.
Phage is an intricately carved, exciting science thriller that kept me reading.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
I have never read a science thriller before (I'm not certain I've read a thriller before) so it was quite exciting to get into Phage, not knowing what exactly to expect.
My first fear was that I wouldn't understand what was going on. After all, Tamplin has a background in microbiology, which I have next to no knowledge in. However, everything makes perfect sense as long as you don't let the big words grind you down. Even though there were plenty of words I didn't know the meaning of, that didn't seem to matter, as it all made perfect sense to me. And let's just say I was an English-History sort of person at school, so don't let the microbiology stuff put you off. I must admit, I did end up skimming some of the heavy science stuff, but I enjoyed the way this book made my brain work a little harder than normal. We all need that from time to time.
Phage is told in a very black-and-white way, as I expected. But I wanted a little more emotion from all the characters. Plus, I wanted to get to know them a little better. They all had bits and piece of backstory, but I wanted to truly know them and feel what they were feeling.
The way it was told also brought out some very bizarre and specific descriptions, especially when travelling. I don't know whether this was done on purpose or not, but it ended up irritating me to know that they turned a certain way at a junction to take the whatever road. Also, there were some very weird, real-life interruptions sometimes when the characters were talking to one another, which is the sort of thing that usually gets taken out, but for some reason, the characters get interrupted for no reason at all, which I just found odd. But again, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a style choice. Like I said, it's told in a very matter-of-fact way. The whole thing feels very realistic.
The plot is so intricate and well-thought out. There is always something going on, and as you get to the end, the tension really ramps up. However, sometimes our protagonist and friends seemed to lack urgency. Or maybe that was me just dying to know how it ended. The short chapters also made it super-easy to read a whole lot in one go.
Considering I had no idea what to expect when I turned the first page, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed Phage so much more than I expected and imagine fans of the genre would fall easily into this book's trap. It didn't take me many sittings at all to absorb the whole thing.
Phage is an intricately carved, exciting science thriller that kept me reading.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
July 18, 2016
July 11, 2016
The Infinite Sea - Rick Yancey
Guess what? I have a new favourite book of 2016!
Just to let you know, The Infinite Sea is the sequel to The 5th Wave, which I suggest you go and read right now! (You can read my review of The 5th Wave here on Movellas.)
I'm just going to jump right into this. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved it so much I felt the need to carry it around with me for a little bit once I'd finished. This book tore me down and built me back up.
So yes, this review is going to be me trying to convince everyone in the known universe to read it.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
The prologue drives you right back into the world as though book one never ended. I don't usually like prologues, but I liked this one because it's immediately apparent why it's there. There's information we need to know that Cassie doesn't. It's vital. And that's why I didn't hate it. Prologues are far too often just there for no reason. But don't worry, Rick Yancey, I never doubted you.
Each time a 'part' ended, I'd have to jump straight into the next one because I just had to know what happened next! I genuinely have no idea where you're supposed to put the book down to eat and sleep and stuff. While reading The Infinite Sea, all that stuff seems unimportant somehow.
Again, as with The 5th Wave, I loved Cassie's narration. She made me laugh. She made me think. She made so much sense. She's just so spot on and accurate that it hurts a little bit. As well as Cassie, we also get Ringer's narration which too, is perfect, but in a very different way. They narrate in a totally opposite way, and somehow the narratives compliment each other. Ringer was one of my favourite characters from The 5th Wave, so I was thrilled to get a peek inside her head.
The plot was super-fast and intense, but what else did I expect? It's real heart-in-your-mouth, fingers-gripping-book, face-getting-closer-to-the-pages stuff. I was 100% involved 100% of the time. When I realised I was getting closer to the end, I wanted to put the book down to make it last longer, but I couldn't because I couldn't stop reading for anything.
As well as the incredible plot and characters, there were certain phrases that really jumped up and stuck in my mind. Sometimes they just clicked and everything made so much sense. I found myself agreeing with every revelation about life and death the characters made.
One of my favourite quotes was:
Easiest 10/10 I've ever given. If anything, it was off the charts.
The Infinite Sea broke me down and rebuilt me. It both killed me and made me want to live. It will stay with me always.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
Just to let you know, The Infinite Sea is the sequel to The 5th Wave, which I suggest you go and read right now! (You can read my review of The 5th Wave here on Movellas.)
"How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity."
I'm just going to jump right into this. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved it so much I felt the need to carry it around with me for a little bit once I'd finished. This book tore me down and built me back up.
So yes, this review is going to be me trying to convince everyone in the known universe to read it.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
The prologue drives you right back into the world as though book one never ended. I don't usually like prologues, but I liked this one because it's immediately apparent why it's there. There's information we need to know that Cassie doesn't. It's vital. And that's why I didn't hate it. Prologues are far too often just there for no reason. But don't worry, Rick Yancey, I never doubted you.
Each time a 'part' ended, I'd have to jump straight into the next one because I just had to know what happened next! I genuinely have no idea where you're supposed to put the book down to eat and sleep and stuff. While reading The Infinite Sea, all that stuff seems unimportant somehow.
Again, as with The 5th Wave, I loved Cassie's narration. She made me laugh. She made me think. She made so much sense. She's just so spot on and accurate that it hurts a little bit. As well as Cassie, we also get Ringer's narration which too, is perfect, but in a very different way. They narrate in a totally opposite way, and somehow the narratives compliment each other. Ringer was one of my favourite characters from The 5th Wave, so I was thrilled to get a peek inside her head.
The plot was super-fast and intense, but what else did I expect? It's real heart-in-your-mouth, fingers-gripping-book, face-getting-closer-to-the-pages stuff. I was 100% involved 100% of the time. When I realised I was getting closer to the end, I wanted to put the book down to make it last longer, but I couldn't because I couldn't stop reading for anything.
As well as the incredible plot and characters, there were certain phrases that really jumped up and stuck in my mind. Sometimes they just clicked and everything made so much sense. I found myself agreeing with every revelation about life and death the characters made.
One of my favourite quotes was:
"I didn't know till then that rage had a taste and it tasted like your own blood."It was just so awesome . . . gah. I don't even have enough words. It was so good, I couldn't believe it. I laughed. I cried. I read and read and read. It was phenomenal. The 5th Wave was clever, but The Infinite Sea was something else. Rick Yancey is a master of words. I bow down to his power.
Easiest 10/10 I've ever given. If anything, it was off the charts.
The Infinite Sea broke me down and rebuilt me. It both killed me and made me want to live. It will stay with me always.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
July 4, 2016
No Plus One - Steph Young and Jill Dickman
Blurb
No Plus One is the ultimate manual for living an amazing single life. Its stories teach nine critical lessons that cover the most pressing issues single women face: taking risks, getting over an ex, dealing with bad dating advice and keeping your standards high, among others.
This is a book for single women who want to live a great life without the anxiety of finding or keeping a man. No Plus One uncovers the beauty in being single. It holds the key to finding confidence and happiness while learning how to be bold, outgoing and graceful in the process.
Review
I feel like I should mention before anything else, that I am not single, nor have I been during my adult life. However, that didn't mean I didn't get anything out of this book.
Although the lessons are mostly aimed at single women, I'm sure there's something to be learnt from it, no matter what you're going through. Long-term single people, newly single people, long-term relationship people, everyone. And I think that's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. It wasn't trying to convince me that single life was better than life in a relationship, and it wasn't trying to convince me that being in a relationship was better than being single. It just teaches lessons on how to be happy, whatever that means for you. And I don't know about you, but that's some pretty powerful advice.
No Plus One left me with a fantastic positive buzz that made me want to action the teachings of the book. I loved the little 'Homework' sections after each chapter and summaries to really drive the points home.
The book's aim is to help you learn who you are, what your limits are, and make you feel awesome. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is.
The only negative I can think of was that I spotted a few typos, and there were a lot of instances where I would've put a comma for clarity. But that might be my picky editor being let loose
With the positive attitude, personal anecdotes, and nuggets of advice, this was a very easy book to read.
Single or not, I'm sure there's something in it for everyone.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
No Plus One is the ultimate manual for living an amazing single life. Its stories teach nine critical lessons that cover the most pressing issues single women face: taking risks, getting over an ex, dealing with bad dating advice and keeping your standards high, among others.
This is a book for single women who want to live a great life without the anxiety of finding or keeping a man. No Plus One uncovers the beauty in being single. It holds the key to finding confidence and happiness while learning how to be bold, outgoing and graceful in the process.
Review
I feel like I should mention before anything else, that I am not single, nor have I been during my adult life. However, that didn't mean I didn't get anything out of this book.
Although the lessons are mostly aimed at single women, I'm sure there's something to be learnt from it, no matter what you're going through. Long-term single people, newly single people, long-term relationship people, everyone. And I think that's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. It wasn't trying to convince me that single life was better than life in a relationship, and it wasn't trying to convince me that being in a relationship was better than being single. It just teaches lessons on how to be happy, whatever that means for you. And I don't know about you, but that's some pretty powerful advice.
No Plus One left me with a fantastic positive buzz that made me want to action the teachings of the book. I loved the little 'Homework' sections after each chapter and summaries to really drive the points home.
The book's aim is to help you learn who you are, what your limits are, and make you feel awesome. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is.
The only negative I can think of was that I spotted a few typos, and there were a lot of instances where I would've put a comma for clarity. But that might be my picky editor being let loose
With the positive attitude, personal anecdotes, and nuggets of advice, this was a very easy book to read.
Single or not, I'm sure there's something in it for everyone.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
June 28, 2016
Book Reviews: March-June
As promised, here are the links to the book reviews I've written since taking the reviews off my blog. (Well, I took most of them off.)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness - 5/5 stars (Movellas)
The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey 5/5 stars (Movellas)
All Change - India Taylor 7/10 stars (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)
A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston 3/5 (Movellas)
Fanghunters - Leo Romero (The Re-Review) (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness - 5/5 stars (Movellas)
The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey 5/5 stars (Movellas)
All Change - India Taylor 7/10 stars (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)
A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston 3/5 (Movellas)
Fanghunters - Leo Romero (The Re-Review) (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
June 20, 2016
Fanghunters - Leo Romero (The Re-Review)
So much can be said about the power of editing and I don't know why more people aren't talking about it constantly. There's writing and then there's perfecting and we need to spread the good word.
I reviewed Fanghunters back in January but since then, Romero has tweaked some things and the change is fantastic. I take back all I said before, and I owe him a re-review. I think everyone deserves this and massive kudos to the people who get reviews they don't like and then go on to prove that reviewer wrong! I love it!
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
When Dom wakes up to find he's the victim of a vampire, his life is never the same. After escaping the draw of his vampire master he decides the vampire race must pay for what they have done to him and he becomes a fanghunter.
My Review
The first chapter had me hooked. I was thrown straight into this universe and that was great. The first chapter was very gripping and action-packed, and it made me want to read on.
I had a sort of love-hate relationship with the protagonist, Dom. Sometimes his narration would make me laugh and sometimes I'd be a little offended by his internal monologue, but I think that was part of his charm. I was glad he didn't seem to have unrealistic strength or skill. His relatability kept me reading. It was amusing that he didn't really know what he was doing and that he wasn't your normal vampire hunter. It was great to see him learning and not thinking of everything. I think that's really lacking in vampire stories, and it was a breath of fresh air.
The entire book is fast-paced and action-packed, making it difficult to stop reading. Every time I reached the end of a chapter, I wanted to know what happened next. Tension is well built throughout, and I don't know how anyone could put it down as it neared the end.
It's obvious in the narrative that there's a lot going on in the vampire world that Dom doesn't know about yet and it makes you curious and want to read book two. It's very well done.
As vampire books go, it's one of the better ones I've read. There's originality in Romero's Fanghunters whilst also going back to vampire basics.
Fanghunters was an entertaining, quick read setting you up for book two.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
I reviewed Fanghunters back in January but since then, Romero has tweaked some things and the change is fantastic. I take back all I said before, and I owe him a re-review. I think everyone deserves this and massive kudos to the people who get reviews they don't like and then go on to prove that reviewer wrong! I love it!
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
When Dom wakes up to find he's the victim of a vampire, his life is never the same. After escaping the draw of his vampire master he decides the vampire race must pay for what they have done to him and he becomes a fanghunter.
My Review
The first chapter had me hooked. I was thrown straight into this universe and that was great. The first chapter was very gripping and action-packed, and it made me want to read on.
I had a sort of love-hate relationship with the protagonist, Dom. Sometimes his narration would make me laugh and sometimes I'd be a little offended by his internal monologue, but I think that was part of his charm. I was glad he didn't seem to have unrealistic strength or skill. His relatability kept me reading. It was amusing that he didn't really know what he was doing and that he wasn't your normal vampire hunter. It was great to see him learning and not thinking of everything. I think that's really lacking in vampire stories, and it was a breath of fresh air.
The entire book is fast-paced and action-packed, making it difficult to stop reading. Every time I reached the end of a chapter, I wanted to know what happened next. Tension is well built throughout, and I don't know how anyone could put it down as it neared the end.
It's obvious in the narrative that there's a lot going on in the vampire world that Dom doesn't know about yet and it makes you curious and want to read book two. It's very well done.
As vampire books go, it's one of the better ones I've read. There's originality in Romero's Fanghunters whilst also going back to vampire basics.
Fanghunters was an entertaining, quick read setting you up for book two.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
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June 13, 2016
All Change - India Taylor
Blurb
Saffron's life is turned upside down when she gets bitten by a strange girl. Nothing can prepare her for the events about to unfold. When the boy of her dreams, and most people's nightmares, falls for her, they quickly realise they are natural enemies by design. The supernatural world has never been so exciting, and so incredibly dangerous. Shifters, vampires and fey get together to fight the corruption that holds the country captive, and only Saffron holds the key. The real question is, whose side are the angels on?
My Review
All Change is the first in the Bite Me series and to be perfectly honest, I don't know if I was ready for this. I knew there were vampires and shifters, but when the other supernatural creatures showed up, I was bowled over. Luckily I love anything supernatural like this so I lapped it up. But I don't think I've read a book with so many supernatural creatures in it before--at least not in book one.
It seemed to get going very quickly. Too quickly in fact. I wanted time to stop so I could take a breath and work out what had happened. But instead, we were whisked on to the next thing. This is because the book is super ambitious and long as it is, and there's no time for dilly-dallying. But I needed some dilly-dallying. I wanted a bit more build up. I wanted Saffron to work out what happened to her bit by bit. This feeling followed me through the book, and I just wanted something more. I wanted every detail Taylor had about the universe she'd created.
I adored the plot, I have to say. Something just kept me reading and reading. However, I wanted a little more from the characters. There were so many it was difficult at times to get to know them, and I would've loved the opportunity to know more about them as they're all so interesting. Though there were so many it was a bit confusing at times.
Saying all this though, I struggled to put it down.
Evaluation
Overall 7/10
All Change was an action-packed, ambitious novel with all your favourite supernatural creatures.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
Saffron's life is turned upside down when she gets bitten by a strange girl. Nothing can prepare her for the events about to unfold. When the boy of her dreams, and most people's nightmares, falls for her, they quickly realise they are natural enemies by design. The supernatural world has never been so exciting, and so incredibly dangerous. Shifters, vampires and fey get together to fight the corruption that holds the country captive, and only Saffron holds the key. The real question is, whose side are the angels on?
My Review
All Change is the first in the Bite Me series and to be perfectly honest, I don't know if I was ready for this. I knew there were vampires and shifters, but when the other supernatural creatures showed up, I was bowled over. Luckily I love anything supernatural like this so I lapped it up. But I don't think I've read a book with so many supernatural creatures in it before--at least not in book one.
It seemed to get going very quickly. Too quickly in fact. I wanted time to stop so I could take a breath and work out what had happened. But instead, we were whisked on to the next thing. This is because the book is super ambitious and long as it is, and there's no time for dilly-dallying. But I needed some dilly-dallying. I wanted a bit more build up. I wanted Saffron to work out what happened to her bit by bit. This feeling followed me through the book, and I just wanted something more. I wanted every detail Taylor had about the universe she'd created.
I adored the plot, I have to say. Something just kept me reading and reading. However, I wanted a little more from the characters. There were so many it was difficult at times to get to know them, and I would've loved the opportunity to know more about them as they're all so interesting. Though there were so many it was a bit confusing at times.
Saying all this though, I struggled to put it down.
Evaluation
Overall 7/10
All Change was an action-packed, ambitious novel with all your favourite supernatural creatures.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
May 31, 2016
Week Ten - 'After' Book Three
I finished!
Yes, I know! The celebrations are still underway. After ten weeks of writing, I typed the final full stop of 'After' book three. It came to a whopping 100,333 words. No wonder it took me so long.
All in all, it took me 70 days, though I was only putting words on the page for 44 of them.
In fact, if you only count the days I put words to page, the whole trilogy only took me 85 days. How scary is that? Pretty damn scary.
Though in real time the trilogy took me 1 year, 5 months, and 26 days.
And I don't care how awful book three reads at the moment, I couldn't be more proud.
As you can imagine, week ten was intense. I knew all these things needed to happen, and I had to coordinate everyone and everything that was happening, and that took more time than I imagined. But it always gets to a point where you can't stop, doesn't it, writers?
I reached this point on Friday 27th May and wrote and wrote and wrote until I got to the end. I wrote 6,300 words that day. It's only on special occasion that I break 6k in one day. And it was a very special occasion indeed.
I am now the author of two trilogies.
I am now the author of twelve books.
Now to rest until NaNo . . . maybe.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
Yes, I know! The celebrations are still underway. After ten weeks of writing, I typed the final full stop of 'After' book three. It came to a whopping 100,333 words. No wonder it took me so long.
All in all, it took me 70 days, though I was only putting words on the page for 44 of them.
In fact, if you only count the days I put words to page, the whole trilogy only took me 85 days. How scary is that? Pretty damn scary.
Though in real time the trilogy took me 1 year, 5 months, and 26 days.
And I don't care how awful book three reads at the moment, I couldn't be more proud.
As you can imagine, week ten was intense. I knew all these things needed to happen, and I had to coordinate everyone and everything that was happening, and that took more time than I imagined. But it always gets to a point where you can't stop, doesn't it, writers?
I reached this point on Friday 27th May and wrote and wrote and wrote until I got to the end. I wrote 6,300 words that day. It's only on special occasion that I break 6k in one day. And it was a very special occasion indeed.
I am now the author of two trilogies.
I am now the author of twelve books.
Now to rest until NaNo . . . maybe.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Readymolly@moltenpublishing.co.uk
Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo
