A. Renee Hunt's Blog, page 86

Mouthful of Carrion (Three Days Until Midnight Book 1) by Ian Woodhead

     There's something seriously demented when you get a book that posts three warnings!  If you look carefully, there's one that states: WARNING: Contains cases of extreme gore and brutality!  The other is below the author's name which lists the book as 'macabre, surreal fiction'.  The last one is on Amazon, where I purchased the book which tells readers:  MOUTHFUL OF CARRION is an EXTREME horror tale. Please do not purchase this book if you are easily shocked, disgusted or offended.  I was well-warned, yeah?  I still wasn't ready for this book and I like B-movies.  That's how I read this book, like one of those movies on Chiller that I love to hate so much.  It worked.

     Mouthful of Carrion, by Ian Woodhead, is about Colin and Danielle- well it about Colin, looking for Danielle.  Colin is a Hunter (half human/half zombie) and Danielle is his sister and his only hold on humanity.  Someone's taken her and he's gone all ZomBo to get her back.  Oh... what is a Hunter?  Well, twenty years after the plague hit, there are three races left: humans, zombies and Hunters, who can think, speak and function but are deterioriating and need flesh like a zombie.  A hunter can semi-control the need to feed, but they only eat humans.  BUT humans have some sort of poison in their blood that can quickly put a Hunter into a non-reversed, zombie state, making it difficult for the Hunters to hold on to their human counterpart.


     The last thing that bugged me to no end were the flashbacks.  Oh man the flashbacks.  Usually when author wants to let a reader know there's a flashback, the font may change to italics, or a double-spaced gap is inserted.  Sometimes there's a new chapter create- but there's always some communication to let the reader know.  Not in this book.  One minute, you're reading what Colin is doing and the next thing, you're thrown off because he's 14-years old, fighting off infection!  Then when you're comfortable knowing what he's doing, suddenly he's back in the middle of whatever confusion you'd been cast from to begin with!  It was -  dagnabbit!  It was infuriating!  lol

     So what did I think of this new twist on the Zompoc?  It was different.  It was original.  It was written with professional fervor, as far as writing the story goes.  As for the story itself... I don't know.  Maybe because I was sick the weekend I added this to my weekend ebook reading.  This was not good.  It felt made up along the way instead of a book with an actual plot.  I mean, psychic links, mind reading and healing with pure thought- come on!  It wasn't about just eating to live and all anymore.  It was purely something else.  For the first time ever, I didn't like the book at all.  Maybe a different book by him would be better for me, because I hate to say it but, this book sucked!  It was nasty- and not in a horrific way...

     I always give a story a chance but there was nothing good in this one for me.  It wasn't too gross, it wasn't even the pulling of someone's private parts off- it just was not a good story.  I'm not being mean, just giving my honest opinion and I truly believe this is the harshest I've ever given.  Anyway, off to the next book!   

A Sinister Grin by Ron Houston

 "A poetic story to be enjoyed by all ages!"
                         - Alyssa Hunt

     I was given a gift today, a short story (this one) and a novel that I can't wait to touch.  But first: A Sinister Grin.

     This is an adorable, halloween themed story of a mean old man, a widow and her dog.  It's written in a style similar to a Grimm Fairy Tale but very unique.  I enjoyed the rhyme, the off-rhythm and of course, the actual story.

     The old man is sour, yet excited to bring terror to unsuspecting children for Halloween.  He doesn't care who he frightens or where he gathers his tools- enter the window across the way.  The story is descriptive and easy to imagine, allowing readers, both young and old to glean.  You hear from the old man, the old woman - who's another victim of the man's vile scheme - and even the dog!

     It's a creepy but safe story that you can be comfortable in sharing with your little ones.  And if you're an animated reader, like myself, it'll be a blast of a story to share for years to come!  Check out A Sinister Grin by Ron Houston!  I'm on to another book.

Krampus by Brom

     Sometimes I receive a deep seated attraction towards books.  Then there are times I'm so excited by a cover, I literally sit and stare, analyzing, in an attempt to figure the story before I run through the pages.  (Borderline obsession with the book)  When I saw the cover of Krampus, the Yule Lord by Brom- it was like discovering Giger all over again!  I was enthralled.

     Krampus is about, the Yule Lord.  A man of lore, dating long before God.  A child of Oden and the reason for yuletide.  He's known for enjoying the punishment of misbehaved adults and children!.  But he also leaves golden gifts for those who believe.  But he's not happy;  he's angry.  For centuries, he's been imprisoned and haunted by one name.  One man.  Santa Claus.  Cramps is determined to escape and removed good ole Saint Nick from history!  But he's got to get free first.  His allies are an unusual bunch called belsnickels and they must obey his every command.  Together, they are on a mission to end Christmas and obliterate Santa for good.

     I found myself feeling so sorry for Krampus.  He's the son of Loki and used to being revered and loved for being the Yule Lord.  He's supposed to be worshipped but he's from a world long forgotten.  And hew as forgotten because of something Santa Claus did... but there's a good reason for Santa's actions.  In a way, there are two good guys in this book.  One's just better than the other.

     That's the best way I can summarize Krampus, without giving away the story.  There's so much more to this tale than Krampus -vs- Santa Claus.  It's brilliantly written, near poetic- if you exclude the F-bombs.  Brom brought the story to life in a way, I admire and hope to achieve. 

     The story is dark, gruesome and detailed in a way, you can't do anything but see it happening before your eyes!  Also, along with the book cover, there are illustrations in both color and sketched black and white, that are so elaborate, I shared a few on Instagram.  

     If you're anything like me when it comes to thrills, horror and deranged, then you should be reading Krampus instead of The Night Before Christmas.  You will love it- it's funny, gruesome at times, and poetic, all rolled into one!  Oh, and yes, I did go to see the movie.  It is not based on this book.  At. All.
Cheers and keep reading!

Ghost Summer Stories by Tananarive Due

I'm not one to mince words.  I don't shovel harsh words and I don't believe in hurting someone's feelings just because I can.  I won't do it with this book either, but I have to honestly say, "There's absolutely nothing ghostly about the book Ghost Summer Stories!"

Ghost Summer Stories, by Tananarive Due is a collection of stories.  Most of the stories carry a haunting-like theme, but they're not ghostly to me.  I feel like I was duped!  The best story was the first one and it wasn't haunting either.  What happened in the tale was awesome and just when I thought it was about to tear into my fear... it ended!  I was like, "Wha?"

Honestly, all of the stories are about a three so I just scored the book three out of five spectacles.  I may never touch another book by Tananarive, but it's not because she can't write.  For me, she just didn't write anything truly interesting.  New book! ​

#Alaska by N. Greyling

     Alaska is a country my husband has been desperately trying to convince me to visit.  As stated in this book, many assume Alaska is cold, desolate and full of lurking, dangerous polar bears.  After my mom's cruise and this book, I know better... I still do not wish to visit though!  LOL

     Anyway, #Alaska by Natali Greying, is about a young lady who's goal was to get to Alaska!  She truly felt her future was there and even sought love with a guy in Anchorage.  For a surprise, she decided to take a chance on visiting.  Sadly, her life was quickly snatched from beneath her feet when her special plan fell apart. 

     Left with little money and a foreigner on foreign soil, she has to make the best of things.  BUT, it's not until Aaron, an assumed judgmental red-neck, that her true Alaskan adventure begins!

     I have to say, I was a bit concerned when I first began this book.  Léna rambled.  Oh man did she go on and on for a bit, but now I believe it was just a way of showing her personality.  Allowing the character to stand out while sharing her background.  I appreciate it now, but I was sorta lost then.  

     The story is fun and an adventure.  Lana stepped out on a dream- something I've wanted to do with a trip to the UK for what?  All my life, duh!  I was like, "Go girl!"  Then the sorta expected happened.  I felt  bad for her, but in a way, she did ask for it.  She even admits it.  You always solidify plans.  I felt of her and that's good because the author, my new Instagram friend, Natali was supposed to do just that.  I think the story was well-thought out and it carried on well.  It didn't matter where the characters were from or where they were going and many of the situations that took place were near true-to-life.  

     Because of the way the story was told, I found myself settled in on a slight romance story that I was able to get with.  Funny- I'd just posted, a few blogs ago, on how romance wasn't really my thing.  This didn't fit in the same category because it wasn't an in your face, love story.  It was about two people who got to know each other, through good and bad and became friends.  The caring followed and that's how the best of marriages are formed!  Who knows, there's more to this story:  The end pages said, To Be Continued... that's how I know.  

Michael's Mystery by Linzé Brandon

     Michael's Mystery, The Nations of Peace by Linzé Brandon was provided for an honest review by Book R3vi3w Tours.  I've only had a few books that didn't interest me.  Three tops the list, but this one makes 4.

     The very beginning of the book has me in a foreign land where there are dragons and riders.  Their relationship is near symbiotic but more like lovers.  They're playing a game, similar to hide and seek I guess, but it's interrupted by two men on an intergalactic mission.  Then the story takes me to a totally different place.  I was like, "Wha?  Where am I?"

     I'm then introduced to a healer and a Guardian, Michael.  The story from there was semi-interesting, but I just couldn't get into it.  There is so much missing from the story, I couldn't quite tell what it was about.  There are High Lords who are doing their best to protect a planet called Kryane from a villain by the name of Grandmaster.  Honestly, I wasn't sure what he'd done that was so bad.  Yeah, he'd killed a few people, but I didn't get why.  All I knew was that he was a bad guy, causing a huge rebellion against High Lords who weren't even on the same planet or in the same dimension!  I can say, the relationship between Andesine and Michael developed nicely.  I loved it!  They were playful and bashful about their feelings and that was real to me.  

     There's another piece I truly enjoyed about this book.  Dragons.  I've loved dragons since I can remember and they're in this book.  Baby dragons and dragon-human hybrids.  It's pretty cool and I loved those parts the most, but it just wasn't strong enough for me because it was almost fairy-tale like.  As far as the adventure I'd hoped to receive, it was light in coming.  It made for an interesting read but that was about it.

     I like the cover.  It doesn't come off as dystopian or futurist to me, but it's nice.  It's more like a romance novel, which is honestly the theme this book leans towards.  I'm sure this author's pretty good, just not for me.  So I'm off to the next book! 

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

     OMGosh... this book was so not interesting! 
I know, many of you may think I'm crazy, but this book was worse than the first!  I liked the idea of the mini, walking nukes with sore throats but then there was the boring old narrations that were in the first book!  I was so let down.   

     Okay, let's start over.  The Infinite Sea is the follow up book to The 5th Wave, by Rick Yancey.  If you read my review for the first book, you know I liked book one, but it was boring too.  The best parts were the beginning and the ending.  The same for this one too.  It began with a bang but dragged me through an infinite sea of freezing, thick molasses, helping me to not care whether any of the returning characters lived or died.  One did die... but I won't tell because I will give NO SPOILERS!  The thing is, it wasn't anything people had me thinking.  

     I guess people love books with endless ramblings and continuous analogies of rats and hate, anger and revenge because the survivors have irked the other's final nerves in an apocalyptic world!  Ugh... I wanted to set the book down, stomp it, then punt it through the nearest field goal.  Instead, I read it and said, "That book will come out no more!"  (Egg Shen reference)

     The book was written well, it's not bad, I just didn't find myself engrossed or even caring.  I don't know, I just need more and sadly, I got nothing from this book and to find out why/how everything happened, it left me like, "WHAT?!"  And not it a good way.  Sorry folks, you may love this series; I did not.  I sure hope the movie for The 5th Wave is way better!  On to another book.   

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

     I kept seeing this title, everywhere!  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey- onInstagram, Barnes and Noble, and a few others- I had to find out about it, but I wasn't encouraged to buy it until a friend I met on Goodreads.com.  Thanks Vanessa!  So I went ahead and picked it up, along with the follow-up, The Infinite Sea.  You can't have a story and not find out how it ends, yeah?  Okay, so let's get this review on the road!      You get a few POV's in this book: Cassie and Zombie, Evan... I'm sure the movie will do the same, but you get to live through them, all in first person.  The world has fallen- with little hope for a comeback.  The Others have made their presence known and begin to attack in "waves" with the third and fourth a powerful as The Stonewall Attack in chess - if you know chess.

     So the story is about survival, education and fighting back.  It's about wiping out the human race, finding a brother and some serious mind play.  There's a little love  in there but it's weak so it doesn't distract from the tale.   I can't say too much more because I don't do SPOILERS!  What I can say is that this story started out über-interesting!  I was hooked, even though Cassie's intro was a bit dull.  When she begins to finally start sharing things the way my overactive mind requires, I was hooked.  It was awesome to hear how The Others rode in and how the world reacted to them, but then the story got slow.  Very slow.

    Like a good girl, I pressed on.  Somewhere around chapter 60 or so, it was back on and I got slightly excited again!  The ending was explosive (literally) so I started thinking, the movie should be good.  Hopefully it will not be like the book.  (Blasphemy?)  It'll skip all the crappy parts and come out amazing, I hope.  The thing is, it wasn't great, but it wasn't all that grand either.  I know it's just me; I expected attacks War of the Worlds  and more.  So much more, but I can't say much else without telling something I shouldn't.

     If you're like me and have to read a book before the movie hits, read this!  You'll enjoy it, sans the parts that were  slow, but you will like it.  Love it?  I don't know... maybe, but you'll enjoy it more.
Off to the next book! 

Like Father, Like Son by Pete Alwinson

"We're [men] not only to wield the plow but to bear the sword...To be a man is to stand up and be counted when there is danger or other evil."
                                                                                    Richard Phillips

     Like Father Like Son by Pete Alwinson is written by a Pastor who sees men as Warriors.  A father can nurture, protect and prepare a young man for life's adventures and adversities, feed his spiritual thirst and develop a Christian theme or completely destroy.

     This book interested me because my husband didn't grow up with the most supportive father and found it difficult to raise our son.  We'd visited many marriage programs and family services that catered to both my husband and son as focus, but nothing every got through.  This book helped break the barrier.  It allowed him to see the changes within himself so he can then properly train our son in the manner he should go.

​     I also took the opportunity to see myself in this book, finding Christian attributes that could be applied towards myself and daughter.    There is nothing more important than carrying a strong relationship with God, thus allowing me to create strong and loving relationships with my family,  I found this book enlightening, funny and thought-provoking.  Not one time did I feel preached to and the references Mr. Alwinson used made the book easy to read and study.

​     Speaking of study, the questions provided allowed my husband and I to go deeper into our thoughts and prayers, I felt empowered in seeking His desires for us as parents and encouragers, more than our own wants.  I will pass this book to any of my friends and family who wish to read it, (and you KNOW how I am about loaning books) but it has to come back in goodt condition.  I really want to keep this one and go back periodically.  That's the definition of a good book. 

On to the next book and have a great day!

Deathly Dreams by The Panther (available at Wattpad.com)

     Deathly Dreams, by The Panther is a unique YA tale of Jason Anderson.  While visiting camp, he's chosen to be leader over a domineering co-camper, which creates a bit of unknown tension.  While on a hiking expedition, at the top of a place called Echo's Peak, Jason is pushed off a cliff, his attacker falling to her death.  And then the dreams begin.

     I like Wattled.  It's an app available for both Apple and Android devices.  An author, both seasoned and green can use the app to write, or online publish.  That's where Deathly Dreams by Panther is available.

     I found this story very interesting.  This is the author's first serious writing and seems to be pretty popular so I gave him a read.  

     First I have to say, I was sorta bummed when I found out there were no aliens!  When I saw this cover, I thought, "Oh yeah- abduction!"  NOT!  I can't say enough how a cover must give you a little something bout your tale, or it's a bit deceiving.  But it's okay, that can always be changed.

​     The story was very original and I appreciated the dream sequences.  They're always cool to me.  What I found difficult was the progression.  Sometimes as writers, we see so much going on in our heads that we don't transition them well when our fingers do the typing.  I was a bit lost on how fast things happened and even the part where Gabriel was possessed happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to even figure out what happened to him. Those types of plot holes can confuse a reader.  The best thing is, The Panter has time to work on these.        All in all, I enjoyed the tale.  I think The Panther will hone in on his skills and become a great storyteller.  I look forward to reading more by him in the future.  He's still working on the story, so even though he asked me to read it, I feel I've robbed him of a another spec, should he get it all edited and reworked.  

     He's working on it though and that's a good thing.  Good luck to this budding author and I'm off to the next book!