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False Icons #1
Second String Savior: From the Tome of Bill Universe
JESSIE FLORES IS HAVING THE ULTIMATE BAD HAIR DAY.Imagine going to bed with mousy brown locks and waking up with a headful of supernova scarlet. It’s a hot new look for me – literally, because it bursts into flames whenever I’m threatened.My magical makeover is all Gary’s fault. I knew there was something off from the moment he transferred to my school. Go figure. He’s a wizard with a trust fund and an inferiority complex.Now, thanks to him, I’ve graduated from high school bullies to supernatural terrors and that’s not all. Fate has chosen me to face the legendary vampire destined to destroy the world.If I want to survive, I’ll have to dig deep and discover whether I’m truly worthy of this new power. Because if not, everything I hold dear will soon burn even hotter than my hair.----------If you’re looking for a riveting story of self-discovery, extraordinary abilities, and the ultimate battle between good and evil, then get ready for False Icons by Rick Gualtieri – author of Bill The Vampire – and R.E. Carr – creator of the Rules Undying series.Experience the exhilaration of this spellbinding adventure, where destiny calls and heroes rise. Grab your copy of Second String Savior now and prepare to be immersed in this world of monsters and magic.
446 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2019
148 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Rick Gualtieri
84 books763 followersRick Gualtieri loves to write adventure, mayhem, and snarky dialogue. His bestselling Tome of Bill series combines all of this into a world of supernatural danger with hard-hitting action and plenty of sharp-tongued geeky humor.
Rick lives alone in a dark, evil place called New Jersey with only his wife, three kids, and countless pets to both keep him company and constantly plot against him. When he's not busy monkey-clicking out words, he can typically be found jealously guarding his collection of vintage Transformers from all who would seek to defile them.
Defilers beware!
Email: rickg.author@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RickGualtieriAuthor
Rick lives alone in a dark, evil place called New Jersey with only his wife, three kids, and countless pets to both keep him company and constantly plot against him. When he's not busy monkey-clicking out words, he can typically be found jealously guarding his collection of vintage Transformers from all who would seek to defile them.
Defilers beware!
Email: rickg.author@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RickGualtieriAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 19, 2019
All in all, “Second String Savior” is a pleasing book fantasy lovers will adore!
Read full review in the 2019 December issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2019 December issue of InD'tale Magazine.
May 24, 2019
Life of Brian meets the Tome of Bill
Rick with the help of author Rachel Carr. What happens when someone thinks they are the chosen one of legend!
Writen of the top of The Mourning Woods (book 3 of the Tome of Bill Series) our heroine meets the supernatural forces of the world thinking she is an unstoppable fore, but is she?
The 80s and 90s pop references are hilarious.
The commons voice these two authors create is a wonder melding of their comedic talents.
If you read or follow either of them on socal media you may get a glimpse of one or the other on specific jokes but it could just be them ridfing on eachother.
Wonderful celebration, I hope there are many more to come!
Rick with the help of author Rachel Carr. What happens when someone thinks they are the chosen one of legend!
Writen of the top of The Mourning Woods (book 3 of the Tome of Bill Series) our heroine meets the supernatural forces of the world thinking she is an unstoppable fore, but is she?
The 80s and 90s pop references are hilarious.
The commons voice these two authors create is a wonder melding of their comedic talents.
If you read or follow either of them on socal media you may get a glimpse of one or the other on specific jokes but it could just be them ridfing on eachother.
Wonderful celebration, I hope there are many more to come!
May 29, 2019
SECOND STRING SAVIOR is a novel set in the Tome of Bill world. Rick Gualtieri and R. E. Carr have written a story that takes place roughly contemporaneous with the first three Tome of Bill novels, culminating in the latter half of the book taking place during The Mourning Wood. As you can tell by the titles of the books, they're a comedy urban fantasy series that has a heavy emphasis on crass humor as well as puns.
This novel is surprisingly different from the mainstream Tome of Bill series, though, in large part because the protagonist isn't a 30 year old male nerd but a teenage girl. Much to my surprise, the authors did a fantastic job of switching perspectives with Jesse Flores being entirely believable as a girl just entering into adulthood. She's snarky, geeky, and yet believably "cool" in a way her peers wouldn't appreciate until after high school.
The premise is that Jesse Flores is an ordinary girl working at a comic book store with her family of MMA fighters as well as Sheriff father. Okay, maybe not so ordinary but Jesse is largely unaware how cool she is. There's a lot of Buffy homages present and these are all very well done, especially when Jesse gets a witch to tell her she's the Chosen One destined to save the world from monsters. Except, this is called "False Icons" and we already know from the Tome of Bill series that the legendary Icon is someone else. So what is Jesse?
There's a lot of really fascinating stories spread throughout this novel. Jesse trying to get her high school rivals' boyfriend, being courted by a vampire who has seen many romantic movies, and also learning how to fight from her witch former gym teacher. It all leads up to the second half of the novel where Jesse is a secret guest at the peace treaty conference between the Sasquatch and vampire race.
The second half of the novel is very different from the first half and really the two could have been expanded into separate books. I really enjoyed meeting the characters like Burp, Floof (the cuddliest Sasquatch ever), as well as the Dryads. The Dryads form the basis for a lot of the books fun as they are the ones most eaer to make sure Jesse achieves her "destiny" while also being a wild hedonistic bunch.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it's probably the second best novel in the Tome of Bill universe (the best being Sunset Strip). Jesse Flores is a more likable protagonist than Bill and doesn't have nearly his issue with sexist comments or being a complete dumbass. Take that from someone who likes Bill. I'm eager to see how her journey progresses and what's going to happen next in the series.
This novel is surprisingly different from the mainstream Tome of Bill series, though, in large part because the protagonist isn't a 30 year old male nerd but a teenage girl. Much to my surprise, the authors did a fantastic job of switching perspectives with Jesse Flores being entirely believable as a girl just entering into adulthood. She's snarky, geeky, and yet believably "cool" in a way her peers wouldn't appreciate until after high school.
The premise is that Jesse Flores is an ordinary girl working at a comic book store with her family of MMA fighters as well as Sheriff father. Okay, maybe not so ordinary but Jesse is largely unaware how cool she is. There's a lot of Buffy homages present and these are all very well done, especially when Jesse gets a witch to tell her she's the Chosen One destined to save the world from monsters. Except, this is called "False Icons" and we already know from the Tome of Bill series that the legendary Icon is someone else. So what is Jesse?
There's a lot of really fascinating stories spread throughout this novel. Jesse trying to get her high school rivals' boyfriend, being courted by a vampire who has seen many romantic movies, and also learning how to fight from her witch former gym teacher. It all leads up to the second half of the novel where Jesse is a secret guest at the peace treaty conference between the Sasquatch and vampire race.
The second half of the novel is very different from the first half and really the two could have been expanded into separate books. I really enjoyed meeting the characters like Burp, Floof (the cuddliest Sasquatch ever), as well as the Dryads. The Dryads form the basis for a lot of the books fun as they are the ones most eaer to make sure Jesse achieves her "destiny" while also being a wild hedonistic bunch.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it's probably the second best novel in the Tome of Bill universe (the best being Sunset Strip). Jesse Flores is a more likable protagonist than Bill and doesn't have nearly his issue with sexist comments or being a complete dumbass. Take that from someone who likes Bill. I'm eager to see how her journey progresses and what's going to happen next in the series.
October 12, 2020
Wow!
I can't wait for more! This story takes place at the same time as Mourning Wood. I love all things Bill the Vampire, and although he is only mentioned, this story still feels like it belongs in the world of Bill and friends. It was a little darker than the Bill series, but I still couldn't help but devour this book. Who needs sleep anyway .
I can't wait for more! This story takes place at the same time as Mourning Wood. I love all things Bill the Vampire, and although he is only mentioned, this story still feels like it belongs in the world of Bill and friends. It was a little darker than the Bill series, but I still couldn't help but devour this book. Who needs sleep anyway .
May 21, 2023
This world we live in, it’s a lot stranger than people give it credit for. Magic, monsters, and . . . other stuff, it’s all real.
From the ubeeacutie… the umbilical… hang on… oh yeah, the ubiquitous prologue to the truth behind the blessing of Uranus (snortle), authors Rick Gualtieri and R.E.Carr have put together another fantastic story in ye olde Universe of Bill. I came about as close as you can get to thoroughly enjoying this romp that for much of the book took place as seen from a "different angle" than what we'd witnessed in RG's original series. And it really works, too, because the scene in question - it's not a spoiler really so I can tell you we visit that great peace conference in the frozen Tundra of Canada - sure had enough players and situations to fill an encyclopedia of what potentially happened "off camera"!
Fate is an asshole that only shows you all the bad shit instead of lottery numbers and boobs.
The book reads as smooth as really smooth butter, too. You know, the expensive kind that you remembered to pick up at the good store without having to run to Aldi's so your wife could finish her potatoes (I'll never live that one down). And though as said this is a Bill-verse book, you may actually find many similarities to the Bent-verse tales. Most obviously of course is that our heroine (that's the female hero and not the drug, right?) is a young-ish lady trying her best to make sense of things that have landed in her lap (and been ingested, I think) without her having once asked for any of it. Well, except for maybe the date with the hunky school stud, which she got by not doing anything herself to get said date. Yeah, this one gets a bit convoluted pretty quickly!
Will you, Conqueror of Burp, finally accept your destiny?
Again, there's little to say about the quality of the story or the writing that I haven't said before about Sir Gualtieri's work. As usual, loved the top-notch comic lore references (the man knows his Marvel!). And naturally, there are tons of (fairly) modern cultural references provided as well (mentioning Pat Benatar and The Matrix in the same section spanned a lot of years for this old fart!). And though you obviously can't point bits out and say "Oh this must be Carr's influence here" I can say without fear of construction (sic) that the two writers seem to work well together. Let's just say you can't tell at all that this was a collaboration which I am going to ass/u/me is a compliment. So kudos for this and for keeping me reading well past my skewed bedtime while we were on vacation (hey, no laughing, my wife just reported we averaged over 5 miles a day walking and one of those days was spent mostly driving so…)!
Perhaps you are more than a mere hairless monkey.
Having said that, I will now spew even more nonsense and why I'm giving this book only 4 Gualstarries instead of 5 (relax True Believers, it'll be 5 on Amazon!). First, Jessie Flores - as mentioned before - is a teenage girl of the female persuasion. Still in high school and still dealing with things like AP courses (the horror…) and curfews. Oh and social media abuse and general "teens are pretty evil when you get right down to it" situations. Naturally then, in order to make the story flow, um, naturally then, the story had a bit of the ol' YA flavor scattered throughout. And as someone that is not a Huge Yakman, um, I mean, huge fan of the genre, well, grumble grumble grumble I'm a grumpy old man. So sue me.
We were either going to be granted three wishes, or a giant monster was about to rise out of the depths.
And speaking of people NOT named Sue, good gravy but I could not deal in my brain with the name Aunt Phil. Every time I read "Aunt Phil did this" or "Aunt Phil smoked that", I just imagined either Phil Donahue or Phil Hartman in drag. No make-ups or wigs, just the clothes mind you. It's a weakness and I apologize but still. Oh well, at least it wasn't as bad as calling someone Gare-Bear! No wonder that poor kid is so messed up, even after a good facial scrub. All kidding aside, I preferred the plethora (count 'em!) of new 'Squatch names this time to these two! But anyone, not to pick too many nits, of all the series I've read by these authors (sorry R.E., at the moment that only means this one but I will remedy that situation as soon as possible!), the "origin story" of this one is probably the least clear to me of any so far. Heck, even Tamara's "my supernatural parents got jiggy with it in an enchanted circle in the woods" made more sense! Trust me on this, no matter what kind of mental image that conjures for you!
Jessie, I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but you’re doomed.
Bottom-line is this is still an awesome new series I have started here yes with the first book as one tends to do in a series! And I confess freely to the fact that I've already got books 2 and 3 locked and loaded (thanks KU!). Plus, according to my calendar, I'll be able to download the 4th chapter - holy shit - TOMORROW! So I am a tickled pickle to say the least and that's without Dionaea's, um, "help"! Plus, our epic journey has commenced (ooo, those darn teaser chapters!) and I can't wait to see where it takes this Mötley Crüe, um, this wild contingent of players next! Y'all be good now, ya hear?
From the ubeeacutie… the umbilical… hang on… oh yeah, the ubiquitous prologue to the truth behind the blessing of Uranus (snortle), authors Rick Gualtieri and R.E.Carr have put together another fantastic story in ye olde Universe of Bill. I came about as close as you can get to thoroughly enjoying this romp that for much of the book took place as seen from a "different angle" than what we'd witnessed in RG's original series. And it really works, too, because the scene in question - it's not a spoiler really so I can tell you we visit that great peace conference in the frozen Tundra of Canada - sure had enough players and situations to fill an encyclopedia of what potentially happened "off camera"!
Fate is an asshole that only shows you all the bad shit instead of lottery numbers and boobs.
The book reads as smooth as really smooth butter, too. You know, the expensive kind that you remembered to pick up at the good store without having to run to Aldi's so your wife could finish her potatoes (I'll never live that one down). And though as said this is a Bill-verse book, you may actually find many similarities to the Bent-verse tales. Most obviously of course is that our heroine (that's the female hero and not the drug, right?) is a young-ish lady trying her best to make sense of things that have landed in her lap (and been ingested, I think) without her having once asked for any of it. Well, except for maybe the date with the hunky school stud, which she got by not doing anything herself to get said date. Yeah, this one gets a bit convoluted pretty quickly!
Will you, Conqueror of Burp, finally accept your destiny?
Again, there's little to say about the quality of the story or the writing that I haven't said before about Sir Gualtieri's work. As usual, loved the top-notch comic lore references (the man knows his Marvel!). And naturally, there are tons of (fairly) modern cultural references provided as well (mentioning Pat Benatar and The Matrix in the same section spanned a lot of years for this old fart!). And though you obviously can't point bits out and say "Oh this must be Carr's influence here" I can say without fear of construction (sic) that the two writers seem to work well together. Let's just say you can't tell at all that this was a collaboration which I am going to ass/u/me is a compliment. So kudos for this and for keeping me reading well past my skewed bedtime while we were on vacation (hey, no laughing, my wife just reported we averaged over 5 miles a day walking and one of those days was spent mostly driving so…)!
Perhaps you are more than a mere hairless monkey.
Having said that, I will now spew even more nonsense and why I'm giving this book only 4 Gualstarries instead of 5 (relax True Believers, it'll be 5 on Amazon!). First, Jessie Flores - as mentioned before - is a teenage girl of the female persuasion. Still in high school and still dealing with things like AP courses (the horror…) and curfews. Oh and social media abuse and general "teens are pretty evil when you get right down to it" situations. Naturally then, in order to make the story flow, um, naturally then, the story had a bit of the ol' YA flavor scattered throughout. And as someone that is not a Huge Yakman, um, I mean, huge fan of the genre, well, grumble grumble grumble I'm a grumpy old man. So sue me.
We were either going to be granted three wishes, or a giant monster was about to rise out of the depths.
And speaking of people NOT named Sue, good gravy but I could not deal in my brain with the name Aunt Phil. Every time I read "Aunt Phil did this" or "Aunt Phil smoked that", I just imagined either Phil Donahue or Phil Hartman in drag. No make-ups or wigs, just the clothes mind you. It's a weakness and I apologize but still. Oh well, at least it wasn't as bad as calling someone Gare-Bear! No wonder that poor kid is so messed up, even after a good facial scrub. All kidding aside, I preferred the plethora (count 'em!) of new 'Squatch names this time to these two! But anyone, not to pick too many nits, of all the series I've read by these authors (sorry R.E., at the moment that only means this one but I will remedy that situation as soon as possible!), the "origin story" of this one is probably the least clear to me of any so far. Heck, even Tamara's "my supernatural parents got jiggy with it in an enchanted circle in the woods" made more sense! Trust me on this, no matter what kind of mental image that conjures for you!
Jessie, I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but you’re doomed.
Bottom-line is this is still an awesome new series I have started here yes with the first book as one tends to do in a series! And I confess freely to the fact that I've already got books 2 and 3 locked and loaded (thanks KU!). Plus, according to my calendar, I'll be able to download the 4th chapter - holy shit - TOMORROW! So I am a tickled pickle to say the least and that's without Dionaea's, um, "help"! Plus, our epic journey has commenced (ooo, those darn teaser chapters!) and I can't wait to see where it takes this Mötley Crüe, um, this wild contingent of players next! Y'all be good now, ya hear?
April 21, 2020
This was such a fun book. I knew right from the start that I would want to be Jessie’s sidekick. And she sure does need one. So many secrets! So many dangers! So many pissed off magical beings! Even her MMA family can’t keep her safe. Good thing she has some martial arts training herself and is quick to pick up on her new found magical skills.
The story starts off in highschool and I did worry that this tale would stray into the most evil trap known as Teen Angst. Happily, my worries were for naught. This book keeps the angst to a minimum and Jessie real.
The learning period did linger a little longer than I preferred. I was perhaps 5 hours into the story and started to wonder when the real action was going to hit. I had to wait a little longer, but finally things happen. Big things. It was worth the wait. Vampires! Sasquatches! Dryads! I loved all that. It was especially fun to follow Jessie around as she learns the Sasquatch culture. Plenty of amusing and embarrassing situations.
Gary and Phil are fun characters in their own right. I really enjoyed Phil with her nicotine habit and don’t give a darn attitude. Burp, Floof, and the great warrior Turd make for plenty of misunderstandings between the humans and Sasquatches. Jessie’s stand in (a British super secret agent who can shape shift) made me laugh often, especially his reports on Tony (Jessie’s highschool crush). The humor was totally my style – a little immature, plenty of nerdy references thrown in, and a large dollop of snark. 4.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Andrea Emmes is always a join to listen to. She had the perfect voice for Jessie and I also really loved her smoked out voice for the truculent Phil. Her male characters voices sounded masculine and all the characters had distinct voices. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Andrea Emmes. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
The story starts off in highschool and I did worry that this tale would stray into the most evil trap known as Teen Angst. Happily, my worries were for naught. This book keeps the angst to a minimum and Jessie real.
The learning period did linger a little longer than I preferred. I was perhaps 5 hours into the story and started to wonder when the real action was going to hit. I had to wait a little longer, but finally things happen. Big things. It was worth the wait. Vampires! Sasquatches! Dryads! I loved all that. It was especially fun to follow Jessie around as she learns the Sasquatch culture. Plenty of amusing and embarrassing situations.
Gary and Phil are fun characters in their own right. I really enjoyed Phil with her nicotine habit and don’t give a darn attitude. Burp, Floof, and the great warrior Turd make for plenty of misunderstandings between the humans and Sasquatches. Jessie’s stand in (a British super secret agent who can shape shift) made me laugh often, especially his reports on Tony (Jessie’s highschool crush). The humor was totally my style – a little immature, plenty of nerdy references thrown in, and a large dollop of snark. 4.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Andrea Emmes is always a join to listen to. She had the perfect voice for Jessie and I also really loved her smoked out voice for the truculent Phil. Her male characters voices sounded masculine and all the characters had distinct voices. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Andrea Emmes. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
October 18, 2019
Jessie Flores is your average teenager crushing on the hot football jock. She spends her days after school at the grandfather’s comic book store and teaching kids at the gym ran by her family. In the middle of the school year Gary joins the school and starts a friendship with Jessie. But he is not who she though, a wizard. It seems she may be the Chosen One but who chose her and why?
I loved Jessie from the start. She is full of snark and willing to step up to help out Gary. She is beyond cool with her comic geek knowledge and family full of MMA fighters. She gets this mane of fiery hair and then becomes the focus of a group that thinks she is going to be the one to stop the vampires from taking over.
I admit that I haven’t read the Bill the Vampire series but now I want to dive in. This is a great start to a new series and I loved how the story started out with Jessie being dunking into the paranormal world. But the second half of the book is where it gets really interesting. And I have to say that Andrea Emmes does a phenomenal job narrating the story.
If you liked the Bill the Vampire series you need to check out this book. If you haven’t read the series you can easily start with this book but I have the feeling that it would take place later in that one. This is a killer book and I’m so happy that I got a chance to listen to the audiobook.
I loved Jessie from the start. She is full of snark and willing to step up to help out Gary. She is beyond cool with her comic geek knowledge and family full of MMA fighters. She gets this mane of fiery hair and then becomes the focus of a group that thinks she is going to be the one to stop the vampires from taking over.
I admit that I haven’t read the Bill the Vampire series but now I want to dive in. This is a great start to a new series and I loved how the story started out with Jessie being dunking into the paranormal world. But the second half of the book is where it gets really interesting. And I have to say that Andrea Emmes does a phenomenal job narrating the story.
If you liked the Bill the Vampire series you need to check out this book. If you haven’t read the series you can easily start with this book but I have the feeling that it would take place later in that one. This is a killer book and I’m so happy that I got a chance to listen to the audiobook.
June 4, 2021
Let's get the negative out of the way first - The profusion of self-aware, "ironic" books in the wake of Buffy has officially started irritating the fuck out of me. Dialog like, "Oh, so I'm a 'Chosen One' then? Tell me what trope you're supposed to be before I Final Girl all over you" has just become so common that I want to choke a horse. Genre self-awareness was wild and refreshing when they did it in Scream and There's Nothing Out There, but now I just sort of start withdrawing when characters start quoting TV Tropes.
And yeah, this is one of those books.
That said... This is pretty excellent! Yeah, Buffy comparisons are inevitable in any book about a high school girl gaining superpowers and fighting vampires, but there's so much more here. Bigfoots, for one. When our heroine gains magical red hair with a mind of its own, she learns about a world of monsters and magic that's right under "normal" life and this kicks off a bouncing adventure where she and her friends try to figure out what exactly IS her role in all of this. Is she a predestined Slayer/Warrior/Heroine? Or just an accident? I thought the ultimate answer to all of this was really refreshing and original, and before that you get a rollicking story that moves at a fast clip through vampire and Bigfoot politics and high school drama. Way fun.
And yeah, this is one of those books.
That said... This is pretty excellent! Yeah, Buffy comparisons are inevitable in any book about a high school girl gaining superpowers and fighting vampires, but there's so much more here. Bigfoots, for one. When our heroine gains magical red hair with a mind of its own, she learns about a world of monsters and magic that's right under "normal" life and this kicks off a bouncing adventure where she and her friends try to figure out what exactly IS her role in all of this. Is she a predestined Slayer/Warrior/Heroine? Or just an accident? I thought the ultimate answer to all of this was really refreshing and original, and before that you get a rollicking story that moves at a fast clip through vampire and Bigfoot politics and high school drama. Way fun.
January 24, 2020
Oh man, I am so sad that I put had this audiobook delayed for so long as I lost track of my Audible habits. But, alas, good things come to those that wait or so it seems.
This was such a great transition in the universe of Bill the Vampire, I really cannot state just how much I enjoyed the story. I loved Jess's character and seeing how it developed as the story progressed. The pop culture and gaming references thrown in throughout the story were awesome and I found myself cheering at the ones I caught, especially since one of them was from my favorite console video game.
There were some very humorous parts thrown in throughout the story (Gary in the bathroom, anyone?) that had me rolling in the car. Andrea did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life and I honestly feel she was the absolute best choice for the part. Her vocalizations were great and I could honestly picture the character on the cover speaking with her vocal tones, especially since the picture stared me in the face thanks to Android Auto, haha. So yeah, great job Andrea in adding that little extra to Rick and R.E.'s work.
If you liked the Tome of Bill, be sure to give this one a try. You will absolutely not regret it.
This was such a great transition in the universe of Bill the Vampire, I really cannot state just how much I enjoyed the story. I loved Jess's character and seeing how it developed as the story progressed. The pop culture and gaming references thrown in throughout the story were awesome and I found myself cheering at the ones I caught, especially since one of them was from my favorite console video game.
There were some very humorous parts thrown in throughout the story (Gary in the bathroom, anyone?) that had me rolling in the car. Andrea did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life and I honestly feel she was the absolute best choice for the part. Her vocalizations were great and I could honestly picture the character on the cover speaking with her vocal tones, especially since the picture stared me in the face thanks to Android Auto, haha. So yeah, great job Andrea in adding that little extra to Rick and R.E.'s work.
If you liked the Tome of Bill, be sure to give this one a try. You will absolutely not regret it.
May 10, 2022
I really wanted to like the book and I really wanted to dislike the book. That sounds strange, but I really liked the nerd references, I've been a nerd all my life and I like to see it coming into books, tv shows and movies more, however, I felt like this story took it over the top where sometimes I wondered if the author knew the information or just looked it up to sound like she did.
I wanted to dislike it because of how many tropes it used, every step it was one trope after another with no pause. I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at how self-aware she was of the tropes they were wading through. I also disliked the 12-year-old humour and the fact that the book rambled a lot.
In the end, I was basically neutral, but I really, really liked Wyatt. I would read the heck out of a Wyatt series.
I wanted to dislike it because of how many tropes it used, every step it was one trope after another with no pause. I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at how self-aware she was of the tropes they were wading through. I also disliked the 12-year-old humour and the fact that the book rambled a lot.
In the end, I was basically neutral, but I really, really liked Wyatt. I would read the heck out of a Wyatt series.
December 23, 2022
Holy wokesim Batman! Pretty sure most of this book was CARR, not Gualtieri. I made it to the 12th false "mansplaining" accusation from the super smart MC that somehow knows all the woke words. I didn't count how many times she complained about gaslighting, which is hilarious since that's 100% wokeism in a nutshell. Anyways, I thought I could make it through but turns out, I was only 49% done.
Just fyi, next time your best and ONLY friend answers your 5th question about magic with a correct answer about magic...and if you're too ignorant to know ANYTHING about the magical world...maybe don't accuse your friend of mansplaining 😂
I tried to finish it, but even the bigfoot women are oppressed 😂 geeze this lady almost ruined this Tome of Bill series for me. Better quit before we find out the bigfeet are racists too 🤦♂️
Just fyi, next time your best and ONLY friend answers your 5th question about magic with a correct answer about magic...and if you're too ignorant to know ANYTHING about the magical world...maybe don't accuse your friend of mansplaining 😂
I tried to finish it, but even the bigfoot women are oppressed 😂 geeze this lady almost ruined this Tome of Bill series for me. Better quit before we find out the bigfeet are racists too 🤦♂️
June 17, 2020
Magical super hero
I really enjoyed this origin story. Truthfully, it isn't a 5 star for all but it pushes all the right buttons for those fans of comic book heroes like Captain America, Superman, Wonder Woman that are heroic because it is the behavior to strive to achieve. Combine that with a world of vampires, magic, Greek mythos and more and it becomes a fun read. There is just enough snark and humor and darkness that sets this as an interesting start to a new series set in the Time of Bill universe. Even better, this novel stands alone and can be read independently of other novels in the universe.
I really enjoyed this origin story. Truthfully, it isn't a 5 star for all but it pushes all the right buttons for those fans of comic book heroes like Captain America, Superman, Wonder Woman that are heroic because it is the behavior to strive to achieve. Combine that with a world of vampires, magic, Greek mythos and more and it becomes a fun read. There is just enough snark and humor and darkness that sets this as an interesting start to a new series set in the Time of Bill universe. Even better, this novel stands alone and can be read independently of other novels in the universe.
July 7, 2019
Loved it
I have been read all the Time of Bill books and everything else that he has written but I gotta tell you that I think I just found a new favorite character. I love Jesse's wit and sarcasm. She actually feels like a real person just telling her story. Thank you for the stories that you have given me over the past few years. And give me more of Jesse, please.
I have been read all the Time of Bill books and everything else that he has written but I gotta tell you that I think I just found a new favorite character. I love Jesse's wit and sarcasm. She actually feels like a real person just telling her story. Thank you for the stories that you have given me over the past few years. And give me more of Jesse, please.
August 22, 2019
A great story told in a world I already love.
Getting a completely new character that is still in the fringes of the existing Bill the Vampire world was a great read. It’s both familiar and new told through a wonderful new character Jesse Flores. I can’t wait to read more with Jesse and company.
Getting a completely new character that is still in the fringes of the existing Bill the Vampire world was a great read. It’s both familiar and new told through a wonderful new character Jesse Flores. I can’t wait to read more with Jesse and company.
December 3, 2019
So much fun
There's lots of wit and sarcasm being thrown around, along with vampires, magis, bigfoot, other crazy supernatural, and humans. The world is headed for disaster and one girl might be it's savior, or not. Can be read alone, but it is a great companion to the Bill The Vampire series. Highly recommend!
There's lots of wit and sarcasm being thrown around, along with vampires, magis, bigfoot, other crazy supernatural, and humans. The world is headed for disaster and one girl might be it's savior, or not. Can be read alone, but it is a great companion to the Bill The Vampire series. Highly recommend!
July 7, 2019
A good twist
I had a hard time figuring out when this book takes place. I started this after strange times so I thought it took place then only to run into references to earlier Bill the Vampire. I finally figured it out an enjoyed the story.
I had a hard time figuring out when this book takes place. I started this after strange times so I thought it took place then only to run into references to earlier Bill the Vampire. I finally figured it out an enjoyed the story.
September 14, 2023
Kind of wonky...
But lots of fun to read. Plot twists like death otters appear out of nowhere. I don't care who you are. It takes a special sort of twisted person to turn otters into something scary.
But lots of fun to read. Plot twists like death otters appear out of nowhere. I don't care who you are. It takes a special sort of twisted person to turn otters into something scary.
November 18, 2024
3.0 | this is pretty decently written, even if I’m finding myself rather disengaged. Its YA. The speaker also fits the fmc and other characters.
I found the Tony death story and the vampire love interest soso.. but if the 2nd book becomes free on audible, id listen to it.
I found the Tony death story and the vampire love interest soso.. but if the 2nd book becomes free on audible, id listen to it.
June 16, 2019
Loved it. That is all
July 31, 2019
I really liked this book and wanted to just sit & read it all day. I love the humor and how the book connected with the tome of Bill books. I am looking forward to the next book release.
January 4, 2020
Great book!
Kept me reading, and wanting more. Interesting heroine, but is she supposed to be one? Jessie's adventures do not go as you might expect; she's in for a bumpy ride!
Kept me reading, and wanting more. Interesting heroine, but is she supposed to be one? Jessie's adventures do not go as you might expect; she's in for a bumpy ride!
August 3, 2022
Sss
As a fan and a friend, I love that this collab happened and I hope there's many more collaborations between the twatwaffles xoxo
As a fan and a friend, I love that this collab happened and I hope there's many more collaborations between the twatwaffles xoxo
October 29, 2023
DNF 10%
If you like Buffy you’ll like this.
If you like Buffy you’ll like this.
June 8, 2019
Second String Savior
I'm not very good at writing reviews but I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to be back in the Tomb Of Bill universe and seeing what else is was going on while Bill was doing his thing
I'm not very good at writing reviews but I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to be back in the Tomb Of Bill universe and seeing what else is was going on while Bill was doing his thing
October 11, 2020
So many times, when an author steps into another Author's world it can go horribly wrong. I had no such worries with multi Award winning author R.E. Carr stepping into the Billverse. R.E. weaves new characters seamlessly into the already rich story created by Rick Gualtieri. This novel introduces new friends, with nods to old ones. R.E. builds this story right to the very end, driving right to the edge of the cliff before pushing the reader over into a raging river. I cannot wait to read False Icons Book 2.
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