A. Renee Hunt's Blog, page 67

Smoke by Dan Vyleta

     Smoke, by Dan Vyleta is the first book and only book that's sent me edible Book Swag-  Yeah baby!  And they're from the same company mentioned in the book, not just some off-the-hip goodies.  I loved the tin and the cover sent to me over the one that was actually released.  Not to mention, the story takes place in London, though not the London we know...      This is a complicated tale.  If I had to be completely honest, it was the most complicated story I've read in a long time.  The story started off with a true purpose, but I began to feel a bit lost after so long.

     Smoke is set in the 1700's, but in a sort of alternate universe.  One where, from the 1600's on, every person emits smoke.  When they're angry, they smoke, when they're lecherous, they smoke.  Smoke is an acrid manifestation of sin- or so everyone believes.  But there are a few, discovered by some school boys and a young girl, those who can control their smoke.  They can appear more saintly or righteous by using illegal cigarettes or small candies, made by Beasley & Son.  These candies, too, are illegal, but for particulars, they are rationed via the government, to the aristocratic, pastors and more!  The young adults, Thomas, Charlie and Livia, set out to discover where the cigarettes and candies come from and hopefully expose the scandal.  What they find is very close to home for one, and highly dangerous for the others and something so big, the world could be changed.

     I wish I could say I was completely in love with this book.  I can't, but I can say, it was very interesting and not a complete loss of time- though I felt rather lost for a good portion of the story.  Vyleta started off strong; he described the world, the world of smoke.  He explained what it was and how it showed itself, and even how people dealt with it, but there was so much more.  It was the 'more' part that lost me.  

     Along the journey, something happened.  The story got side-tracked and the story got lost.  People were going crazy- no, psychotic!  I think the journey the youth endured ended up taking on a new purpose and I became a little bored.  But, it returned eventually and was able to finish without too big a hitch.  The actual plot, should I have been fortunate enough to capture it, was really, rather foolish.  It's was so crazy, the phrase 'ending with a bang' seemed playful.  I wasn't sure what was happening from time to time and folks tended to prattle on, but I believe I understood well.
​
     Smoke is written as though by Charles Dickens and very regal.  During the times I worked and listened to the audiobook, I found myself transported to London and it's countrysides, not covered in lush greenery but thick, black soot and smoke..  The narrator, Allan Cordoner, was excellent.  Full of life and able to change his voice enough to bring the women to life, he made the auditory version a pleasant listen.  Also, the book changes POV's, but not enough to distort the story.  Why Vyleta did this, I do not know.  I honestly didn't believe it was necessary, but what do I know.  I didn't write it!  LOL

     If you love Dickens-like stories, check out Smoke.  It's worth the listen, just do your best to stay focused.  On to the next book!
P. S.
​The candies taste much better than the story states!

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

                                                                                                                              *Both a physical read and audiobook review.    

      I wasn't sure how this book was going to run when I first received it.  Many authors trick you; they make you think it's about one thing and it's really something else.  Not too many people write on exorcisms today, but this story... this story was the real deal.  It held me with talk of 80's songs and things I remember saying and doing back in 'The Day' and the story was just good.  It was freaking good...       My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, was about a friendship that defied peer pressure, a little drugs, and bullying.  It was also about your best friend's soul, doing it's best to hurt her and all those easily susceptible to his influences.  Two friends, Gretchen and Abby, live in Charleston, SC and think the world is their oyster, till one night when they experiment with something that brought an evil so calamitous, so patient and guileful, it created a world of havoc without anyone but Abby and Gretchen knowing.  

     This story started off with the groundwork for a friendship that made me laugh and relate!  Especially when it came to skating.  I wasn't a skater, but it was huge back in the 80's.  The songs mentioned were ALL ME!  Especially when it came to Corey Hart and Duran Duran - I still listen to them.  And I knew the exact era of Duran Duran's Arena Lp!  MBFE was so relatable, when the actual story began, I was blown away!  I saw everything happening- knew it was coming, but the way it all played out made me feel so bad for each and every participant in the tale!  It was tough and so much like I was a part of it!

     At the end, when everything was taking place, I was jogging around my park, cheering for everyone: "In the name of Phil Collins, you will not have this child of Genesis!"  I cracked upend almost fell!  Yes, I did. As soon as I got home and finished the rest in my actual book, from Quirk Books, I was nearly in tears.  Also, there's a little something added at the end of the audio that isn't included in the book.  It was awesome!  

     Anyway the book, My Best Friend's Exorcism, was pretty good.  I loved it and will read it again, if not listen to it again.  It's one that I'm sure will present other tidbits I may have missed on the first go-round.  Check out this amazing book.  I promise: If you're an 80's kid, you will flashback like crazy! 

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs

     As you all know, next month this movie comes out!  The previews make it look like it'll be the next big thing, so I wanted to make sure I finished the complete series, before seeing it at the show.  I always want the book before the movie, you know?  So here it is, in a nutshell, what I thought of all three books, by Ransom Riggs.  Let's see if you agree...      So let's begin with book number one, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I have to admit, when I purchased the books, I didn't expect to have so much fun.  From mysterious photos to the hilarious thoughts of Jacob Portman, I really found myself caught in this book!  

     Jacob was relatable and he thought like an average 16-year old.  I just wish I could have convinced my parents to get me to Wales the way he got his to transport him!  Well, he had to have a bit of help, but the end result was the same.  Then to wind up on an adventures, such as the one in the first book- wow!  The author really put his time into it.  

     This read was also a read-a-long; I listened as I read and then just listened when exercising.  The narrator (Jesse Bernstein) was pretty good.  The pitch of his voice and the brogue- perfection.  Whether you listen or read this book, I think you'll enjoy the emotion, adventure and the leap into a great series!

     The second book, Hollow City is amazing!  I'm going to tell you now- my favorite character, outside of the Peculiars, was Addison MacHenry- a talking dog.  The part where Jacob tried to scratch him behind the ears just for Addison to raise onto his hind legs and shout, "Do you mind?  Keep your hands at bay, sir!"  I laughed and rewound it to listen again!  The accent, then imagining a dog doing and saying it all cracked me up!    

     So in Hollow City, narrated by Kirby Heyborne, picks up where book one left off, except they're being chased by the evil Mr. White and his henchmen.  The Peculiars, or the Syndrigasti, have to get Miss Peregrine to London to see a "specialist" for her condition.  I can't tell what the condition is now.  That would be revealing a SPOILER!  What I can tell you is they separate myth from folklore in this one.  They also learn a great deal about themselves. 

     Book two went deeper into Jacob as well as the Peculiars.  Book two of the series was Totally Awesome!  I loved everything about it and flew through the pages- mostly because I have to walk a lot from my pinched nerve!  I listened to it more than read, but OMGoodness was it good!  Jacob has matured and quickly- and he's developed a peculiarity that drowns out his ability to detect Hollows. The ending would have frustrated me (in a positive way) had I not had the third book to dive right in to!  It's so good- I loved it!

     And lastly, Library of Souls brought our favorite Peculiars to an island.  Their friends need rescuing and the only way is to step into another Loop.  An very dangerous one where a giant of a man, named Sharon, escorted them like a Ferryman.  But with skin and stuff.  Anyway, Jacob realizes there's more at stake than just getting their friend s back.  And Miss Peregrin's got a huge family issue to settle.  One that will end with lives lost.  

     The story was amazing and not just because I love accents and adventure across the pond!  I found myself caught up in the story and didn't want it to end.  I also saw the conclusion with his parents a mile away!  The thing is, Jacob did his best to do what he thought was right in the end.  He grew up a great deal, but he managed to stay the same.  He was still that kid that loved the idea of doing things and having purpose, but was still content to be the teenager he was.    This series was great and all three books deserved five to me!  

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

     I receive newsletters all the time from publishing giants like Simon & Shuster, Penguin (all variations), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and more.  Rarely do I go so deep that I read more than a chapter or two in one of their announcements for a book.  For some reason, the cover of Every Heart A Doorway, by Seanan McGuire called to me - and I now know why.  The book bewitched me!       ... then it let me fall flat.

     Sometimes the things that want to snatch you beneath your bed aren't hungry for blood.  The pathway found at the back of your wardrobe really does lead to a snowy place with speaking forest animals.  Or it's to a dark, hellish underground.  No matter what, children have disappeared.  Into the shadows they've gone, but some... sometimes they come back.  And then they want to go back and can't.  Hard as they try and try, they simply can't find that fracture, that minuscule doorway, and they can't deal.  So they're sent away.  They find themselves at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.  Here is where Nancy finds herself.

​    Nancy had been gone, into the Underworld, for a long time and wished for nothing but her return.  The problem was, she couldn't find a way back, placing her in a sort of discord.  She wasn't adapting to her loss very well, so she was sent away -- to a place where bodies were piling up by the day!  Who was killing the youth and why?  Would any of them find their doors before they perish?

     I was so let down by this book, it took me forever to write the review.  It seemed so magical, so amazing and I thought adventurous.  It turned out to be a sort of abstract Scooby-Doo/Wonderland bunk of a tale!  I was so let down, I had to force my way through to the ending.  What happened to the magic that drew me in?  What happened to the mystery of where they'd all traveled?  It was dropped- kaput!   I felt nothing was truly explained, other than the murders.  The entire story, with its nonsensical talk, made it feel so unreal, I found myself not caring.

​     I may try McGuire again, but right now, I'm not looking for it.  Next read!

The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine

     Normally when a story is re-told, then told again, and again and again, it becomes zestless, boring and  repetitive.  That's not the case with this tale, though I am becoming bored with the Snow White redux.  I can happily say, The Shadow Queen, by  C. J. Redwine, was different and written in a way, you could almost overlook the fact that it's recycled!

    I wanted this book because of the amazing photo.  I know it's nothing but a black apple with stenciled lettering, but it's so crisp, clean and HD'd to death- I had to read it.  And you know what, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.  It was devilishly good.      The story is about a battle of witches for one kingdom- pretty much.  It's a continuous fight between Queen Irina and Princess Lorelei, step-mother verses child.  The princess is trying her best to defeat her evil step-mother in retaliation for killing her family and destroying the surrounding lands of Ravenspire and its people.  Using an insidious vine that grows black, poisonous apples, the Queen takes from everywhere and everyone to stay strong and alive, but she's got a weakness.  And a slightly weak backstory.

     Lorelei is fighting not only to save her land but also the land of Prince Kol of Eldr, the land of Draconi.  He's from a race called Draconic, who are being attacked by ogres.  Together they have to fight against spells of skulking trees, creepy crawlies and so much more,  in order to retrieve a heart, regain their homes, return peace to their lands and over-throw the evil Queen.

     It was a pretty good telling, with small instances where you were pressed to remember it was another version of Snow White.  Things like, "Mirror, Mirror..." and calling Prince Cole Kol 'The Huntsman' were all souviners, but they didn't take from the twist of the tale.  I enjoyed it and found myself quite entertained.  Especially the serious, magical element.  It was new and refreshed by cool stuff like the telekinesis- a power I've always wished I possessed.

     All in all, I liked it, but I don't need any more Snow White.  
​On to the next read!

The Dead Shift by John Llewellyn Probert

     This tale was so spooky and Lovecraftian- any Horror Lover will fly through this!  I was lucky enough to receive The Dead Shift, by John Llewellyn Probert, through LibraryThing.com  I'd like to have this on my bookshelf, but I won the ebook.  I'll have to check into this one in it's physical form.  

     The story is about things from the lower bowels of Hell wanting to press into our dimension.  How do they do it?  By taunting us simple mortals on the nearest plane of existence.  Through the blood-filled pages of a  book, and sheer, evil determination!   

     Tell me if you've heard this one before: A man is brought to a UK Emergency Room, suffering a self-inflicted injury.  He uses his blood to create a diagram onto the floor of his side room that opens and forces him into another dimension while other- unworldly  things , for lack of a better word, escape into ours - transforming the hospital into a doorway, and feeding ground for the hellish & grotesque!      No?  You haven't heard that before?  LOL

​     I love monsters, creatures undefined and deadly, man-eating and morphing plants!  This ebook was a true nightmare.  Dead Shift takes place in Northcote Hospital, a pretend facility, maybe  South England.  It started out describing a man on a bloody mission and how he found the mission, and it's dark and ends terribly for everyone nearby.  

     The story places the reader in Northcote Hospital's ER, where the usual is taking place, other than the guy who managed to get a Spiderman figurine stuck up his rectum!  But when the mangled body of a young lady rises, and tentacle-like things with razor-sharp teeth rip bodies apart- nothing is normal again!  

     Dead Shift is a ride like no other and the things you imagine them seeing and running from is totally detestable!  It was a HUGE change of pace for me and returned  my hunger for more!  I signed up with The Horrific Tales Publishing Team and hope to receive more ebooks from them directly!  They even offer a free ebook for signing up.  You may want to get on that, if you love horror as much as I do.  While you decide, I'm off to the next book.  Cheers!

The Pug List by Alison Hodgson

     When I saw the cover of this book, I thought to myself, "You've never liked pugs... why do you want this book?"  I think what drew me in was not the cover, but that small paragraph beneath the title:  
A Ridiculous Little Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home.
​Who couldn't love something like that?

     Seeing as my family also suffered through a house fire, back in 2011, I know the feelings of loss from such a tragedy.  In The Pug List , by Alison Hodgson, their home is set ablaze!  They lose it all, and coping seems a long time coming.  But because of some persistence, they find a way to get through and come out happy on the other end.  They look for a pug.      I am not a non-fictional reader all that much.  Real life is cool, but I read to escape the real life, and this book hit close to home.  I found the story funny, heart-warming and encouraging, but it didn't really get to the meat of the story, for me, until near the ending.  The focus was sorta lost.  I even appreciated her hold to faith, but it almost seemed fictional and trite.  I didn't find the appreciation I thought I'd feel and it didn't feel serious enough after being attacked in such a way.

     The Pug List is sweet and I like it, but not high on my list.  Give me the pretend world any day!

The Dead Boy by Laurel Gale

     When I first heard of Dead Boy, by Laurel Gale, I thought it would be one of those comical stories that would be a little gross and a lot of funny!  Oh no, this story is dark, gross and funny.  I am so happy I didn't wait to read it with my son.  I don't think, even at 12 years old, that he'd have liked it.  Me- I loved it!  It was different.  It's YA, but can be enjoyed by any age.  This story was put together with a magical imagination that has you feeling bad, mad, angry and extremely hopeful for a little, dead boy!     The story is about a boy named Crow.  He's dead.  He's stuck in his house, day in and day out, because the world outside wouldn't understand him.  He's lonely.  His mother homeschool's him, and does her best to hold to a sense of normalcy.  He's a non brain-eating zombie.  Actually he east nothing at all, since he no longer has any taste buds and because of what food does to his stomach.

     It's not until he meets Melody that he truly craves for more in life!  He wants to be outside more and do more and feel more- so he takes a chance on Halloween night.  He does something that takes them on an adventure, unlike any other.  And you want him to succeed.  You find yourself hoping for him.

     The story was written with such an elegant simplicity, it can be read by anyone.  The story is a magical adventure.  It's also got a message that hits right in the gut- where your maggots sit to feast on old food.  I found Gale's writing style perfect for such a tale, offering a smooth,  easy read that I'm hoping my son will soon come to love.

     There are parts that are slightly dark.  Like dealing with the maggots inside him, the loss of his hand and even his eyeball falling out during an altercation with a bully.  Though things like that happen, it keeps you on the understanding end of Crow's existence.  Why he feels so alone and set apart.  And mostly, why he desires being alive again.  It's a part of who he is and why he had to do on the adventure he does.  My son wouldn't have been able to handle it, but there are mature, middle graders who would have let the gross aspects roll off their backs.

     Check out this amazing story and see why I think you'll love Dead Boy!

The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo

    Masco: I am eternally grateful that I got caught and the Health Authority rehabilitated me. I'm also grateful that the awful, nasty stuff is illegal now. Capsaicin addiction is forever -- you can't ever get away from it -- but now I have a life worth living.  (Meaningful pause)  In clean pants...

     The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo, is unlike any book I've ever read.  Set in an alternate, Finnish, dystopian future (actually most of the journal entries/letters are set in 2016), Vanna is looking for her sister.  She's a woman forced to pretend she's a socially acceptable, useless woman (Eloi) hiding in a world of dignified, infertile ignorants (Morlocks) while dealing with a chili pepper addiction that's a major offense against the Eusistocratic Republic of Finland.    

     Through flashbacks, journal entries and letters to Vanna's sister, Manna, in a world fashioned from H. G. Wells' Time Machine along with eugenics, (a word I learned from Wayward Pines).  Women are either Eloi, who are considered ignorant but capable of being molded into perfect, domesticated companions, who will have babies, serve up meals and take care of home or Morlocks- the ones who are infertile, too smart for their own good and rebel-rousers!  Vanna is the latter.  She fits the bill and knows it, but her only goals in life are to keep the cellar from flooding (the raising of her capsaicin addiction -chili peppers) and to find out what happened to her sister.      The quote I placed at the beginning of this review was from a film shown to the Eloi through the Health Authority (one of the governing divisions of the futuristic society).  A man described his addiction to chili peppers and how he even played manly games, Roulette, with peppers before becoming hooked.  It's so freaking hilarious, I had to add it in.  But this book is about so much more.  It's a retelling of Vanna's life.  Her life before and after chili peppers, as well as before and after she lost her sister to such a strait-laced way of life.  

     Oppressive as the world is, Vanna finds a way of dealing.  She eats, drinks and tests chili peppers.  I won't say how she checks the peppers, but the story is the oddest, strangest and thought-provoking tale I've ever read.  Many times I wanted to get mad- and I can't tell you why. SPOILERS!  I don't know if anything was lost in the translation from Finnish to English, but I would love to know.  It was a book I'll never forget!  A good author stirs emotions, even on the fakest of fictional tales; Sinisalo worked me.
​On to the next read!

Pop Up London by Jennie Maizels

     Nothing makes me happier than when I get a book that's all about London!  I received a book (I ordered it) that made me as happy as the day my Mom gave me my UK charm bracelet!  It's one of the best books I own (I'm also ordering her other two London books) and I can't wait to show it to you!  It's Pop-Up London by Jennie Maizel.  It's pretty much a children's book, but it's so full of information and if you turn the book around, you see inside the buildings!   #wsite-video-container-710684982132646822{ background: url(//www.weebly.comhttp://www.areneehunt.c... } #video-iframe-710684982132646822{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... } #wsite-video-container-710684982132646822, #video-iframe-710684982132646822{ background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and ( min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and ( min-resolution: 2dppx) { #video-iframe-710684982132646822{ background: url(//cdn2.editmysite.com/images/util/video... background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position:center; background-size: 70px 70px; } }        Great landmarks along The River Thames you visit places like St. Paul's Cathedral, The Science Museum, The Palace, Madame Tussauds, B.T Tower and so many more!  It even offers stories, some haunting, most historical and tips on where you can visit Bed & Breakfasts!  

     It's funny, there are five pages but the book is full of so many tidbits and secrets that you can do-nothing but love it!  Check it out- it's perfect for a London Lover like me