Review: "Zombies vs Unicorns"

Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Justine Larbalestier & Holly Black
3 out of 5 stars (for the whole book)

This book has been around for ages and I'm sure you've seen or heard about it before now. I've almost bought it many times, but for one reason or another never did. Until I was at Half Price Books and they had a big stack of them at the front and boyfriend was super intrigued by it. (Not that I think/expect he'll read it, it's not his style at all.) So I finally gave in and bought it. I can't say that it was completely worth it; I can see why they had so many and why it was on clearance.

Apparently there's a lifelong battle of which is better: zombies or unicorns. I've never heard of this battle and I don't think anyone else had either until the 2 authors/editors/friends made it up. So they decided to gather up some of their fellow author friends and have them write a short story that will supposedly convince us which is better. Unfortunately, the stories are very up and down. I almost gave up after the first story, it was so bad. And the intros Larbalestier & Black did before each story really just annoyed the crap out of me. They were trying way too hard to be edgy and controversial, or something, but it just came across as obnoxious. I'm glad I kept going though, as I did find some gems and even a series that I'm interested in reading now.

Since there's 12 stories and I don't want this review to be excessively long (like it isn't already), I'm just going to do a one liner-ish describing each story and what I liked/didn't like about it. And consider this review full of spoilers, because I had some questions on some of the stories and would love some answers if anyone has them! I will say I started out Team Unicorn but by the end was firmly Team Zombie.

(I love Snapchat lol)

1. (unicorn) The Highest Justice by Garth Nix: 1 star
A princess gets justice for the murder/zombifying of her mother, the Queen. Felt like something I would have written in the 5th grade.

2. (zombie) Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson: 4 stars
A boy with a brain-devouring prion (zombie) tries not to eat the guy he's crushing on. Enjoyed it, especially the boys' relationship. Was left with more questions at the end though: had Jack been bitten before? Was he or his dad already a zombie?

3. (unicorn) Purity Test by Naomi Novik: 2 stars
A unicorn needs to find a virgin in New York City to save some baby unicorns from an evil wizard (Harry Potter reference). Gave it an extra star for baby unicorns that drink chocolate milk. I was quickly becoming Team Zombie after this story.

4. (zombie) Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan: 4 stars
Izza's father takes over an island after the Return and protects it from the mudo (mute, zombies) and pirates. Until he can't. Best story so far, loved the before and after parts, and Izza taking charge in the end. Plus, I totally knew the pirate guy was the kid from before.

5. (unicorn) A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan: 2 stars
A unicorn leads a young man in medieval times to a girl that has been attacked. The guy is accused of attacking her, the princess. The second half of the story focuses on the princess, who is banished for being pregnant and unmarried. Turns out the unicorn is the baby daddy. Yeah. It started out decent but then got really weird. The switch of characters in the middle completely threw me and I lost track of the first guy for awhile. Guessing he was the head in the bag. And the ending was ew.

6. (zombie) The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson: 5 stars
A girl is hired to be a nanny for a famous actress in England. The children are a little...odd. Loved it, perfect short story. All I could picture for the actress was Angelina Jolie; pretty sure it was intentional. Who is taking care of them all at the end though? I guess the actress called in some people before she turned completely.

7. (unicorn) The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund: 5 stars
Teenage girl realizes she can tame and train unicorns, who are usually evil killers in this version. She raises a baby unicorn that she had saved from a travelling freak show but things start unravelling when the baby's killer instincts start kicking in. Finally a truly excellent unicorn story. I had knocked this down a star at first because the ending was so abrupt and I needed MORE BABY KILLER UNICORN but then I saw it was part of a series so I bumped it back up. (And added the series to my to-buy list)

8. (zombie) Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld:3 stars
A small group of humans try to stay safe in a small camp surrounded by zombies. The teens infect themselves on purpose and don't turn completely Zee and run away from the camp. The real zombies follow, because they're bored. That's where the story stops, which is super frustrating. I like Westerfeld's books a lot and this feels like just the beginning of a series for him.

9. (unicorn) Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot: 3 stars
A girl gets a unicorn for her 17th birthday from her wacky aunt. She thinks it's totally lame and considers selling it on eBay, until the unicorn helps her get revenge on her ex-boyfriend. I would never sell my unicorn on eBay. A decent story. Probably more like 4 stars, compared to the other unicorn stories.

10.(zombie) Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare: 3 stars
In Zombietown, the dead come back and get menial jobs, like street sweeper. Adele's boyfriend, James, is killed by his uncle, the current Duke, so that James won't become his successor. Of course, James comes back to "life", with Adele's help and accuses his murderer. Enjoyed it but was missing a little something; not sure what though. I liked all the zombies coming to James' side. Why could James talk but the other zombies didn't? And Adele seemed totally snobby after she became the Duke's wife-to-be.

11.(unicorn) The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey: 1 star
A unicorn wanders the earth, over hundreds (thousands?) of years, the only one of his kind (supposedly). He has healing powers that work on humans, but if he takes too much, he can kill them. This gives him a super high, so he starts doing it more and more. Guess what gives him the best high? Killing babies. Yeah. He goes thru a cycle of doing this and despising himself for it and wanting to die. Of course, his healing powers stop that. Until he finds a girl willing to help him, in a most grotesque fashion. I hated this story. HATED IT. Every single page of it.

12.(zombie) Prom Night by Libba Bray: 3 stars
The zombie virus starts with the adults in this story, forcing the kids to step up and take control. (Similar to Michael Grant's Gone series) A pretty good story but needed a little more, like a lot of the others. I read in someone else's review that the girl at the end, hugging everyone at prom and saying "sorry" over and over, was actually infected by her boyfriend and so she was bringing the virus to the small town. Is this true? I never would have seen that on my own. Also, who was coming in the tunnels? I need to knooow!!

Review: "Becoming Jinn & Circle of Jinn"

 Becoming Jinn & Circle of Jinn by Lori Goldstein
3.5 out of 5 stars

I first heard about this series when I met Lori at the Daring Reads YA Panel back in the spring. I've never read any of her books but this one sounded really interesting and unique. She gave out little pamphlets that had a short section of the first book and it hooked me, so I added it to my list and bought it at the NTTBF in April. Then of course, I had to buy the second one because hello, cliffhanger! I really enjoyed them both, overall. There were a few minor quibbles here and there but nothing big. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a bigger series but it looks like it's just a duo for now. I'm actually kind of disappointed, I would have liked more in this world. Also, the covers are just gorgeous! You don't see very many purple books.

(pic by me & heavily edited lol)

Okay, anyway. The story starts off with Azra on her sixteenth birthday, coming to terms that she is now an adult Jinn. In other words, a genie. And she is not taking it well. She doesn't want to be a genie or grant wishes or even keep the super hot makeover she automatically got, along with her Jinn bracelet/bangle/shackle. She just wants to be normal. Which is so not going to happen now.

I've always liked genies. I Dream of Jeannie was one of my favorite shows to watch as a kid (as reruns, I'm not that old lol). And there were quite a few genie-related shows in the 90s: Jambi on Pee Wee's Playhouse, Kazaam with Shaq (my sister loved that movie), and of course Aladdin. I haven't been able to watch Aladdin since Robin Williams died. :( I love the music though and listen to it quite often. My junior high choir had to learn Friend Like Me and I still know 75% of it by heart lol.

So Azra doesn't want to do the whole genie thing but she doesn't have a choice. She also doesn't want to have anything to do with her Zar, which is like her sisterhood, a group of teenage girls that are or will be Jinn eventually too. These should be her closest friends and family but she's shunned them for years now so doesn't have any of that support to help her deal with this big change. And wow, is it a big change. I mean, she can do magic now and apparate anywhere in the world. But she also has to learn how to grant wishes for people that the Afrit (head cheese Jinn) choose for her. She can't just grant anyone a wish, as much as she would like to. Especially cute friend boy across the street Henry. Human Henry, who is not supposed to find out about her secret but of course does, immediately.

I liked Henry, a lot. But of course, there had to be another guy that Azra was hot for and thus, a love triangle was born. Boo. I didn't hate it but it just wasn't necessary. I loved Azra's interactions with her Zar sisters and her mother. You may notice I haven't mentioned a dad or any male relatives. Well, in the Jinn culture, the women stay in the "human world", granting wishes, while the men stay below or hidden in the Jinn world. Kind of a nice switch really. This comes up more in the second book so I won't spoil it too much.

So we've got a rebellious teenager, magic wishes, and a love triangle. What more do we need? A little conflict? Oh sure. Azra is one of those exceptional teenage girls in the likes of Katniss, Tris, and others. And she is "destined" to do "something" lol. The second book leads up to a big battle that unfortunately, didn't seem that big to me. That's part of the reason I thought this would be a longer series; I was completely not expecting it all to get wrapped up that quickly. And maybe it's not. She left it kind of open so she could possibly come back to it later. Overall, I enjoyed these books but was left wanting a little bit more in the end.

Review: "Saga: Vol 4"

Saga: Vol 4 by Brian K Vaughan
4 out of 5 stars

Seriously, I say this every time but this series just keeps getting better and better! This review will have spoilers for vol 1-3, so if you haven't read those yet, go check out my review of 1 here! (and 2 and 3)

This volume picks up with the last...a year or so down the road. And of course, we don't get caught up with everything that's happened in those months, we just get thrown into the current story. Hazel is an adorable, bouncing toddler. Marko & Alana are hiding out on a new planet, where Marko is the stay-at-home dad and Alana is acting "incognito" on the open circuit (think super trashy tv that the audience can interact with). Prince Robot's son is born, but dad is still missing or dead. King Robot makes an appearance though and he is awesome. (That's all I'll say lol.) The authorities seem to have stopped looking for the outlaws...for now. Things seem to be finally looking up for the star-crossed lovers.

Until they're not. What do you expect? It wouldn't be an interesting story if everything was hunky dory all the time. There's a new political radical out there and he's determined to get some justice for the underdogs, no matter who he has to kill. (And he kills a LOT.) Alana & Marko's relationship is feeling the strain of living a double life and it isn't helped by Alana getting into party drugs at work. Marko's mother is doing well, remembering Mister Heist by reading his trashy novels. Speaking of Heist, one of his ex-wives makes an appearance in this volume and causes trouble, possibly accidentally?

It's kind of hard to discuss much more of this story without some kind of slight spoilers/surprises, so stop here of you haven't read it yet and want to be totally surprised. Did you stop? Okay, good. When Sophie & Lying Cat showed up suddenly about halfway thru the story, I was honestly shocked to see them. I had totally forgotten about my 2 favorite characters! Almost 8 yr old Sophie is adorable with her hipster cape and glasses. And LC (as Sophie calls her) ugh...I love her so much. And even Gwendolyn, their caretaker, is growing on me. Especially when you find out what she's up to. And who she's going to be working with in the future.

And let's end with my favorite page from this volume (there's always at least one that totally grabs me or in this case makes me actually laugh out loud).

Review: "The Snow Queen" Classic a Month #12.2014

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson
2 out of 5 stars

I am obsessed with the movie Frozen. I've watched the movie at least half a dozen times, I have the soundtrack on my phone, I got the Funko Pop figures for Christmas, when anyone says "do you want to...", I finish it with "...build a snowman?" So when I heard that it was based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, The Snow Queen, I was super excited to read it for my December classic.

And after reading it...well, let me just save you the trouble. Frozen is very loosely based on this story. An inkling of an idea exists, but that's about it. I was pretty disappointed, to be honest. The story kind of went all over the place and didn't make a lot of sense. The few parts that I actually enjoyed were super short and it moved on to something else.

Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story, we shall know more than we know now; but to begin.

This is a story of magic, as most fairy tales are. We begin with a sprite, or fairy, who creates a mirror that shows evil and ugliness in its reflection. The mirror is broken into thousands of pieces all around the world and wherever it lands, the evil is multiplied. The worst is when a sliver lands in a person's eye or their heart. (Small reference to Frozen.) Then, they are forever frozen against love and goodness.

A little boy and girl (Kay & Gerda) are the best of friends, until Kay gets one of those slivers in his heart. He runs off and meets the Snow Queen, who takes him as her own. Gerda is devastated and decides to go looking for him. The rest of the story tells of her adventures, first with talking flowers who tell long, convoluted tales of their own. "I don't understand that at all," said little Gerda. (and me) Then she meets a prince and princess with the help of a Raven and a robber maiden who first wants to kill her and then decides to help her, a reindeer (Sven?) who takes her to Finland and finally the Queen's castle made of ice. Even though she is just a girl, she gets no help from anyone beyond that.

"I can give her no more power than what she has already. She must not hear of her power from us; that power lies in her heart, because she is a sweet and innocent child!"

Gerda arrives at the castle barefoot and freezing but she says the Lord's Prayer and is saved by a legion of angels. She finds Kay, who is nearly black with cold, and wraps him in a warm hug. "Then little Gerda shed burning tears; and they fell on his bosom, they penetrated to his heart, they thawed the lumps of ice, and consumed the splinters of the looking-glass." The children make the long trip back home, nearly grown-ups now, and the journey is really just a dream to them.

Review: "The Little Prince" Classic a Month #11.2014

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
3 out of 5 stars

Okay, I'll just say it flat out...I didn't really "get" this book. Maybe I'm reading too much into it or maybe not enough, I don't know. I know there's probably some big lesson I should be getting out of it, but I didn't. It was a sweet, sad little story yes, but I know I missed the big picture. Those of you who have read it, help me out here? And if you haven't read it, go try and let me know what you think! (Spoilers here, of course.)

So, this is the story of a little prince from a far off star planet who arrives on Earth. He befriends a pilot whose plane has gone down in the middle of the desert and as the man is trying to fix it, the prince keeps him occupied with stories of his travels. First, he tells of his own little planet, with its beautifully unique flower, three volcanoes (one extinct), and forty-four sunsets a day. Then he begins to tell of the people and beings he has met on the other planets: a king who rules only over himself, a conceited man who demands admiration, a drunk who drinks because he is ashamed of his drinking. Each person he meets imparts a lesson or bit of wisdom on the boy.

"One must require from each one the duty which each one can perform."

"Then you shall judge yourself. That is the most difficult thing of all. It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom."

Then there is the businessman who collects the stars in a bank of numbers, the lamplighter, and the geographer who does not explore.

"Little golden objects that set lazy men to idle dreaming."
"Ah! You mean the stars?"

And finally, he arrives on Earth, where he meets a snake who promises to help send him back to his star when he is ready. He meets a garden full of roses, exactly like the flower he left behind. "I thought that I was rich, with a flower that was unique in all the world; and all I had was a common rose. That doesn't make me a very great prince." He tames a fox and learns a valuable lesson about his flower and himself.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." 

And then he meets the pilot. He asks the man to draw him a sheep to take home with him and a box to keep him in. The man listens, sometimes impatiently, to the prince's stories and on the eighth day, they must go in search of water or die. They magically find a well and drink the golden water and there, the prince tells the man that the anniversary of his trip is coming up and it is time for him to return home. The man does not understand at first and then tries to talk the boy out of it, but it is no use. He cannot take his body back to his star with him and so must leave it there. The snake is back to help him on his journey and the prince gives one last gift to the man.

"And at night you will look up at the stars. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens...they will all be your friends."

Review: "Pippi Longstocking" Classic a Month #8.2014

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
3 out of 5 stars

Pippi is one of those books/characters that is probably better off left behind in your childhood memories. Reading her as an adult was excruciating and a little bit sad. As a child, you hear about this amazing girl who lives on her own with her horse and monkey and gets to do whatever she wants, with no adults to ever tell her no. She has fantastical adventures, can go to bed whenever she wants, doesn't have to go to school, nothing bad ever happens to her, and everything is always wonderful in Pippi's world. (Even with her father, the infamous cannibal king, missing at sea.) Who wouldn't love this book, as a child? Who of us never dreamed of being Tommy and Annika, with Pippi as a neighbor? Getting to go on picnics and running into an angry bull, discovering secret clubhouses in hollowed out trees, playing "don't touch the floor" in the kitchen (okay, my sister and I actually did that one in the living room lol), watching Pippi fly thru the air at the circus and beat the strongest man ever. Overall, this is the perfect adventure book for children and it's evident why it's a classic.

However, reading it as an adult brings on a completely different tone. You begin to feel sorry for Pippi, being alone all the time. Many of the chapters are tinged with sadness, such as when she makes the burglars stay and play with her til 3 in the morning and then gives them a little gold for their trouble. Or when Pippi goes to Tommy & Annika's for a coffee party and their mother scolds her for not behaving.

Pippi looked at her in astonishment and her eyes slowly filled with tears. "That's just what I was afraid of," she said. "That I couldn't behave properly. It's no use to try; I'll never learn. I should have stayed on the ocean."

The child just wants to be loved. And honestly, she needs a little discipline. You know you're getting older when you want to just spank the child for behaving like that lol.

And then there was the question of her amazing strength and ability to wriggle out of any sticky situation. Why is she so strong? Genetics? Did Mr Nilsson bite her in a rabies-induced rage? Children don't question those kinds of things, but it just seems odd to an adult. I feel like if Pippi had either not had her super-human strength or got into a little more trouble occasionally, the story would have been more believable. She is never held accountable for her actions, she always manages to get out of a bad situation. That makes the story a little boring at times, honestly. And then there's the lying. Oh, the lying is awful. What parent would want to read this book to their child?? Luckily, children aren't quite so closed minded as adults and just see the story for what it is...a fantastical story about a fantastical little girl with red braids and a monkey on her shoulder.

Review: "Saga: Vol 3"

Saga: Vol 3 by Brian K Vaughan

5 out of 5 stars

I just love this series so much, y'all. It keeps getting better and better and if you haven't started it yet, you are missing out mister. Go read my review of volume 1 here and then get to the store or interwebs and buy it! My one complaint, as usual, is that it is not long enough and that's the best kind of complaint for a book, don't you think? And if you have been reading it, this review will most likely have spoilers for the first 2 volumes, so be warned!

This volume starts off with a new story-line following two journalists who are out for the story of the rogue soldier Alana and her mysterious former prisoner Marko. They helped us get some back-story on Alana and introduced a very intriguing character related to Marko. I really can't wait to see where that story goes. In the meantime, Hazel is continuing her story of their trip to the infamous author of the love & war story that brought the two lovebirds together. Mister Heist was pretty awesome. 

"There are only three forms of high art: the symphony, the illustrated children's book, and the board game."

I am loving The Will more and more as this story goes on. He saved the Slave Girl (who gets a name finally) and along with Gwendolyn and Lying Cat (my second favorite), he helps her start to overcome her horrible past. There is one heart-breaking moment that I'm going to refrain from posting here, but you'll know it when you see it. 

The two parties finally collide and chaos ensues. People die, people live, there are lots of adventure and twisty turns and cliff-hangers. So much cliff-hanger. And really, that's all I can say without spoiling it for you.

Review: "Morning Glories Vol 1 & 2"

Morning Glories Vol 1 & 2
words by Nick Spencer
pictures by Joe Eisma
covers by Rodin Esquejo
2.75 out of 5 stars combined

I'm not sure where I first heard of this series but I have been wanting to read them for probably a year or more. I got lucky at Half Price recently and found the first two volumes, so I decided to give them a shot. And...I'm not sure about them yet. There are some things I really liked and then some things I pretty much hated. I ordered the next two volumes on Amazon yesterday though and am going to give them another chance. Actually, I went graphic novel crazy yesterday :) so I'll probably have another haul post up again when they all arrive.

Okay, so let's start off with a brief summary and then move on to the good and bad. Morning Glory Academy is a fancy pants boarding school that handpicks its students using a strange and mysterious criteria. Six new students arrive at the school for the new year (or maybe in the middle of the year? not sure) and are immediately thrown into some crazy and dangerous situations. And by "dangerous" I mean people dying in the first few pages. Graphically. So this series is not for the faint of heart. Or those annoyed by mysteries within mysteries within mysteries. Because there are lots of those too.

I've seen many reviews refer to it as a twist on the TV series LOST and I'll just have to take their word for it, because I've never seen a single episode. But I know enough that it has those same twisty mysteries that hardly ever get solved and I really hope that MG doesn't end up like that, because that's one of the things I didn't like. I would like to have some explanation, eventually, of why there are weird bald, ghost girls wandering around the basement and what the spinning sphere thing is and what the kids have to do with all of this.

The second thing I wasn't crazy about was the artwork, or more specifically, how the teenagers are drawn. And getting down into the minutia, the teenage girls. They wear school uniforms, which is fine, but there are lots of heaving bosoms straining the buttons of their shirts and waaaaay above dress-code short skirts. Is that really necessary, especially for a series geared towards teens/young adults? It was difficult at times to tell who was a teen and who was an adult, other than the uniforms.

Volume 2 was a smidge better, in my opinion. We get some background on each of the six new students (one story per chapter/issue) and it was really interesting to see where the kids were coming from. There were still some mysteries thrown in from the present day, which was frustrating, but for now I am going to trust that the author knows what he is doing and wait anxiously for my next books to arrive.

Review: "Demo: The Collected Edition"

Demo: The Collected Edition by Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan
3 out of 5 stars

I think I should have liked this more than I did. Brian Wood did New York Four & Five, which I enjoyed a lot, and Demo has a similar feel to that. All the stories are connected to New York City and center around young people (late teens/early twenties) going thru identity crises in some way or another. So it has all the right ingredients for me to love it...but. But, I just didn't connect to the stories. I've never had a problem reading an anthology or trade paperback edition of graphic novels, in fact I prefer it so I don't have to wait. Demo is the first one that I've come across where that is a negative thing. The stories are not connected to each other, which I was expecting, so reading them one after the other didn't let them sink in. I would have done much better reading one a night, so that is my advice to you! And now let's look at a few of my favorite stories in particular.

All the teens have super powers of some sort or another. Some of them are very subtle or never fully explained. In my opinion, several of the stories would have done great as full length graphic novels. For example, Emmy is a young girl who stops speaking after she realizes her words have power...real power. People listen when she speaks and sometimes there are deadly consequences. And in "Bad Blood", Samantha not only has to deal with her estranged dad's sudden death, but she finds herself strangely attracted to her half-brother and must deal with a surprising family secret.

"Girl You Want" confronts the stereotypical images that people (mainly men in the story) see in a youngish, seemingly single girl. The heart of this story, that people see what they want to see, really gets to you when you start thinking about it. As does "Mixtape", about a man who must come to terms with his girlfriend's suicide thru a mixtape last note she made him.

And finally there's my personal favorite, "Midnight to Six", or better named "The Slacker Pledge". Who hasn't had that feeling of utter slacker-dom in their twenties (thirties...) where they just want to do enough of their job to squeak by and get it over with? Three teens sign a pledge to always do the bare minimum, so as to live life to its fullest. Ten years later, they're still doing the exact same thing, but for two of the friends, that's not enough anymore.  

"If wanting a better life for myself makes me a fascist, whatever. I'll accept that."

Review: "Saga: Vol Two"

Saga: Vol Two by Brian K Vaughan
3 out of 5 stars

This review may (probably) contain spoilers for Volume 1, so stop here if you haven't read it yet and want to!



The intergalactic love story of Marko and Alana continues but this volume fell a little flat for me, compared to the first. I think my main problem was that it felt rushed...it could have been 50-100 pages longer and I would have been happy. I would have also been extremely happy if my dad (who loaned it to me) had censored this book for me ahead of time. I'm just going to warn you now...this is what you have to look forward to, minus the black censor bar! O_o So if you get offended easily, this is so not the book for you. But then, if you got offended by the first book, you definitely wouldn't be reading this one lol.

Okay, so the story started out decent. Hazel, Marko & Alana's child, is still narrating the story from some distant future. Marko's parents have arrived on their ship and think they are rescuing him from Alana, which is obviously not the case. I really liked Marko's dad, Barr. His interactions with Alana were a pleasure to read and his secrets were so intriguing, I wanted to know more about him. His mom, not so much. She was kind of a b-. There were several flashbacks in this arc, about how Marko & Alana first met and also Marko as a child, that helped weave the story together.

We also get more of my personal favorite character, bounty hunter The Will and his partner Lying Cat. I love that cat lol. He is still on the trail of the 2 soldiers but can't get his mind off the 2 girls he lost in the previous story. When he teams up with a new person (who happens to be an important figure from someones past) he gets the chance to right some wrongs. This new person is super intriguing as well, I can't wait to read more about them. Because, of course, this volume ends on a cliffhanger as well. Gah, so annoying! Seriously, I'll just let y'all know when the whole series is out and you can just binge on it then, okay? ;)

(this was my favorite page in the book)

Review: "The Night Circus"

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5 out of 5 stars

I've seen lots of "love it or hate it" reviews for this book, so I was kind of hesitant to start it. I'm so glad I finally did though. I am absolutely in the "love it" group. Before we get into my reasons though, let's start with the incredibly misleading Goodreads summary, because I think that is a big problem for most people who pick this book up.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

This book is not about the "fierce competition" or the "high stakes". The story spans about 30 years, set in the late 1800s, so this is obviously not a fast-paced book. There's no big climactic battle between the two magicians. The magicians aren't even the main character, in my opinion, and aren't truly fleshed out. If it's possible for an inanimate object to be a main character (and I do believe it is) then I would have to say that would be the circus itself in this story. It may not breathe or walk on its own, but it is definitely a living being. And that is what makes this story so special. The magical wonder of a circus that "arrives without warning" and is open from sundown to sunup and is designed in all black & white. "Le cirque des rêves", the circus of dreams, where anything can happen: from a maze of clouds to an ice garden to a tree of candle wishes. The imagery is just beautiful, so much that I had to create a Pinterest board just for it (may be spoilers). And since I don't have much more to say in this actual review, I'm going to share some of the pretties with you here! :)

First up, the official book trailer...although I much prefer this fanmade one by Zozomagod. That one may have some spoilers, so be warned if you haven't read it yet.

This perfectly illustrates the relationship between the two main characters and the magic of their meeting. "The Illusionist & The Assistant" by Smileys-4-Eva on DeviantART.

Poppet & Widget, two of my favorite characters. I believe this is by The-More-I-Arty on Tumblr, but if I am mistaken, please let me know! I also adore this one by *Pinkie-Perfect on DeviantART, but only click it if you have read the book already! (Minor details spoiled)

And I'm going to stop there, but leave you with this quote that I think sums up the book and my experience with it perfectly:

Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. [...] Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.

Review: "Saga Vol 1"

Saga: Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan
4 out of 5 stars

Brian K Vaughan is another one of my favorite graphic novelists. (After Terry Moore and Neil Gaiman, of course.) He has done 2 of my favorite series: Y: The Last Man and Runaways, so when my dad said I needed to read Saga, I agreed readily. He left one important point out though when telling me about it and I'm not going to be mean like him, so I'll tell you right now: Volume 1 ends on a cliffhanger and Volume 2 is not due out until July. He claims he didn't know before he read it...sure. ;) So that said, I would highly recommend this series, but you might want to wait until you can at least have 2 volumes to read.

Many reviewers call this "Romeo & Juliet meet Star Wars" and I'd have to agree with them. The beginning of the story is set up as two star-crossed lovers trying to be together for the sake of their unborn child, but then it's revealed that they are from different worlds. Literally. And those two worlds just happen to be at war with each other. And the two lovers? Soldiers for their individual homes. So yeah, it gets complicated real fast. Not to mention all the supernatural beings: the main male, Marko, has ram horns; the main female, Alana, fairy wings; there's a bounty hunter with a giant cat who can detect lies; dudes with TV's for heads (I'm not sure what their deal is yet); ghost kids; and lots more.

In case you can't tell from the cover, this is not a graphic novel for kids or young teens. The first page is Alana giving birth, graphically. It's got a lot of sex (a sex planet for example) and violence, so if that's going to offend you, I'd skip this one for sure. Besides that, this is a great story with lots of twists and turns. The artwork is really great, too detailed in some spots, but that can't really be considered a complaint, can it? I honestly can't wait for the next volume to come out. :)

Review: "The Lost Hero: Heroes of Olympus #1"

The Lost Hero: Heroes of Olympus #1 by Rick Riordan
3 out of 5 stars

Camp Half-Blood is back with a new class, but it's infinitely better than the Saved by the Bell new class lol. I wouldn't say you must read the Percy Jackson books first before this series, but it would definitely help. Plus, they're good books. :) The Lost Hero starts off a new series, but luckily, we get some of our favorite characters back. Jason, Piper, and Leo are the new kids and they've each had their own troubles that have led them to Camp Half-Blood. Jason's are by far the worst, since he can't remember anything about himself or his life, but knows he's involved in something big and bad. The "Lost Hero" of the title refers to both Jason and Mister Percy Jackson, who has gone missing.

The action moves quickly in this book, especially once they reach camp. Hera, the Queen of Gods, has somehow been imprisoned and it's linked to the three new kids. They are given a prophecy and set out on a quest to save the Goddess, along with Piper's dad and Jason's memory and maybe Percy Jackson? There's lots of adventures along the way and a metal dragon. The dragon is so cool, as cool as Mrs O'Leary, the Hell Hound. We also get mean Cyclops, ice Gods, satyrs, long-dead and forgotten Gods & Goddesses like Medea and King Midas, and more.

It's interesting to read about the Greek Gods and myths again, but it does get a little overwhelming at times, especially when they start throwing in the Roman names too. I said this before, but I could definitely use a Greek mythology handbook (besides the glossary in the back) to read along with these series lol. The "Big Bad" at the end felt a little forced to me, but overall I really enjoyed this beginning and am looking forward to reading the next. Especially with the big cliff-hanger at the end. Lucky for me, I just downloaded the 2nd book onto my shiny new Kindle. :)

Review: "Echo"

Echo by Terry Moore
4 out of 5 stars

Ah...Terry Moore. One of my favorite graphic novel authors. When my dad loaned this to me back in the summer, it took me a while to actually pick it up (mostly because the complete edition weighs about 15 pounds), but once I did, I started falling in love with Julie and Ivy and the rest. The drawing and style is very reminiscent of Strangers in Paradise, which is always a good thing to me. But it did make me want to go read those again.

This is essentially a story about three women saving the world from total destruction. There is a lot of science talk which went way over my head most of the time, and quite a bit of violence, but the relationships and back stories made up for that. Annie is a scientist working on a special project, an alloy suit that gives her all kinds of special powers, but once she gets most of the kinks worked out, her higher-ups decide that she is a liability and kill her. Or so they think. Annie's boyfriend, Dillon, also plays a big part in this story as he tries to find out what happened to her.

Julie is a young woman who is not having a good time in life right now. Her sister, Pam, is in a hospital after losing her children and her touch with reality, her husband wants a divorce because she is too damaged, and she has a mysterious box in her closet that holds some deep, dark secret which WE NEVER FIND OUT. Seriously, I marked it down half a star just for that. Julie is out in the desert taking pictures, when she is swept up in Annie's death and her life suddenly gets a lot more interesting.

Ivy works for the government in a very special capacity and is hired to bring Julie in before she messes things up even more. But as Ivy gets deeper into Julie, Annie, and Dillon's lives, she starts to realize that she may be working for the wrong side. She's also got a little girl named Lulu to worry about. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? It's hard to tell at first. While I enjoyed the overall story immensely, the ending was so rushed and under-explained, that it forced me to mark it down that other half a star. But even with that, this is still an excellent story and I highly recommend it.

Review: "Trylle" Series + An Original Poem!

I was going to do a full review of the Trylle series by Amanda Hocking, but sadly, the thing I liked the most about these books were the beautiful covers. :(  So I'm going to do something a little different today. :) But first, a quick summary of the books.

The story was alright, definitely interesting idea. The main girl, Wendy, finds out she is a troll, or Trylle. She goes barefoot a lot and has unruly hair, but that's where the similarities to the cute little dolls end (did you know trolls have been around since the 1960s? Wow!). Wendy is beautiful, smart, sarcastic, and has magical powers that she didn't know existed. It's a pretty typical story: girl is "normal" and then becomes "something special", learns all about her special history, meets her "true love", fights a lot, meets another "true love", fights with him, tries to figure out which "true love" is real, meets a third guy who may or may not be a "true love", battles an evil villain and wins using magical powers, thus saving her new-found specialness, and ends up with one of the "true loves". That typical story plus a lot of really bad (non)editing made this kind of "meh" for me. I think it's worth checking out from the library to see if you like it or maybe a cheap download.

So! How about a totally awesome, completely original poem written by me in high school? Hah! This is going to become a semi-regular thing because I have a lot of really bad poetry and I want to share its badness with you! Feel free to laugh, I know you all have a notebook hidden somewhere with emo song lyrics in it. ;) This one is obviously not emo though, so that makes it even better. And it has a drawing with it! And yes, I did rhyme belly with silly.

Ode to a Troll

They have big hair,
And a jewel in their belly,
But they don't give a scare,
cause they're so darn silly!

1-18-98

Review: "Soul Screamers" Series Vol 1: Books 0.5-2

Soul Screamers: Vol 1 by Rachel Vincent
4 out of 5 stars

This is actually two books in one plus a novella at the beginning, but I picked it up in an omnibus, so that's what I'm going to review here. I always have a hard time listing the omnibus' on my Goodreads...do you put them under the one omnibus (OMG, how many times can I say "omnibus" in this review??!) or do you list them separately because it really is 2 books? I listed this one separately, so I could get credit lol. That's such a dorky thing to do and admit, isn't it? Oh well. :)

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was an impulse pick-up one day at the bookstore and I am so glad I did. I can't wait to get Vol 2, it is coming out this week I think? The only reason I would say to get the omnibus over the individual books is because each one comes with an extra novella that really adds a lot to the story. Plus the omnibus is a whopping 550+ pages and still less than $10! Such a deal! ("Omnibus" has now lost all meaning to me as a word.)

All right, let's talk about the actual story now shall we? Kaylee is a typical teenager in Texas (I love hometown books :)) who lives with her aunt & uncle and her cousin Sophie. Her mom died when she was young and her father took off to Ireland for business, so she hardly knows him. In the prequel novella, Kaylee and her BFF Emma are at the mall shopping, when Kaylee has a panic attack. Only it's not a normal panic attack: Kaylee gets an overwhelming sense of doom and darkness directed at a specific person and if she doesn't get far, far away from the source of that doom she will let loose with a blood curdling scream. And this is exactly what happens at the mall. She can't stop the scream from erupting and causes a huge scene in the JCPenney's. Security is called, Emma tries to help but there is nothing she can do and soon her Aunt Val is called and Kaylee is taken away to a hospital. The prequel focuses on that hospital visit and how utterly crazy it makes Kaylee feel.

In My Soul to Take, the actual first book, we fast-forward a year to junior year for Kaylee. She hasn't had any more "attacks" and things are looking more normal. Kaylee and Emma go to a bar one night (sneaked in by Emma's older sister) and run into Nash, who is only the hottest guy in the senior class. Nash seems to actually be interested in flat-chested Kaylee instead of big-boobs Emma. And then it gets bad...Kaylee starts having another attack and is convinced a girl there is going to die. Soon. Emma tries to help Kaylee by pulling her out of the bar, but Nash follows and takes over. He manages to calm her down and Kaylee tells him what happened, even though she knows it will just make him think she's crazy. But it doesn't. He seems to know what's going on with her and wants to help.

Obviously, you can tell right away that Nash & Kaylee are going to get together. There's lots of smoldering looks and almost kisses, but it kind of works. Nash is made out to be a kind of bad boy at first, with a bit of a reputation, but you can tell he genuinely cares for Kaylee. And Emma is a great BFF...she's always looking out for Kaylee and doesn't just disappear after a while like some BFF's (Hush, Hush I'm looking at you). She's a part of the story. I'm kind of gushing, aren't I? Whatev, like ZOMG you guys you totally have to read this it's like sooooo GOOOD!! ;)

Okay, so what's the paranormal hook, you ask? Well, it's not vampires, werewolves, witches, or anything I've ever read. I'm going to put this after the spoiler owl, because it's a good 150 pages before you find out...unless you already have, being way smarter than me lol.

Kaylee is a bean sidhe, or a banshee. A Gaelic heralder of death. Plagued with premonitions of death. Nash is a male banshee, meaning he has the ability to send a soul back to its body and also help calm female banshees when they are in mega-scream mode. I loved the different twist, but the "bean sidhe" drove me crazy throughout the book. I just couldn't make myself pronounce it "banshee" in my head. Kaylee's dad (and her mom, who died when she was a baby) and uncle are all banshees, but have kept it from her, hoping to protect her.

Once Kaylee finds out the truth (or most of it), she's relieved to finally realize she's not actually crazy. But there are girls dying all around her and she wants to find out why and how. The rest of the first book is spent on her adventure, trying to find out the truth behind these girls' deaths and meeting new people from the Netherworld. Including a sarcastic, funny, hot guy named Tod. Ah Tod...right up there with Nash in the looks department, but a little more on the dead side. ;) Tod and Nash have a complicated history that causes some trouble for Kaylee and I'm sure will be a love triangle in upcoming books.

My Soul to Save, book 2, picks up about a month and a half after all the drama of the first. Kaylee & Nash are still together and at a concert with Tod when the singer suddenly collapses on stage. Kaylee isn't worried at first, because she doesn't have the urge to scream for the girl's soul. But when it becomes clear that the girl is indeed dead, Kaylee and the boys realize that something odd is going on. This book dives headlong into the Netherworld, with Demon's Breath, hellions, soul selling, and more. While the supernatural is definitely interesting, it's Kaylee & Nash that really bring the story together. There are some steamy scenes between the two that always conveniently get interrupted at an inconvenient time. I am very excited to pick up the next omnibus (count=8 lol) and see if they ever get past second base hah!

Review: "Key Trilogy"

Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
4 out of 5 stars

I picked up the first book in this series at Walgreen's months ago just because I wanted to buy *something* (funny how many of my book purchases are like that huh?) and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. I finally decided to give it a shot and hey, I really liked it! So I went and grabbed up the other two and gobbled them up as well. Nora Roberts is all about the Happily Ever After and the Big Romance but also believes in Empowering, Strong Women so that's cool. She also likes to throw in some magic occasionally and this trilogy is heavy on that.

I just want to talk about the trilogy thing for a minute...have you noticed how many books out there are parts of huge, gargantuan series now? I mean, it's nice to have lots of material to read about a favorite character or story, but after 8-10 books it starts getting a little redundant. 12-16 books? That's just verging on ridiculous. I think the only one who can do more than that is Piers Anthony, the king of Xanth (36 books and counting) and even those are excessive. Actually, I don't think I've read one since around #30 or so. Honestly, a trilogy is the best for me. You get a nice, long story but it doesn't go too long and it ends at the right time. Nora Roberts loves trilogies too. :)

Okay, I'm done with my mini-rant. On to the books. Three demi-goddesses have been trapped by an evil god king (see, told you there was magic) for thousands of years and can only be freed (free'd?) by 3 mortal women...in come Malory, Dana, and Zoe. They are told this unbelievable story by the extremely beautiful Rowena and the strong, broody Pitt at their mansion, Warrior's Peak, and offered a heavy incentive if they succeed. Once they agree to go on this outrageous quest to find the 3 keys, the story really gets going.

All 3 women are very strong characters but have been brought down by recent events in their professional lives. This, combined with their strange quest, brings the 3 together and they soon become close friends. I think Dana was probably my favorite, because she worked in books and that passion comes thru the pages in her (2nd) story. Spoiler, highlight to read: I loved that these 3 different women combined their talents and loves to make their shop. That is something I've always dreamed of and I really enjoyed all the parts about making their dreams come true. /spoiler

We can't forget their romantic counterparts of course: Brad, Flynn, and Jordan are great guys and had interesting stories on their own. Past loves, a crazy dog named Moe (that I loved), writing books, lots of money, and more for these hunka-burnin' loves. ;) There's the typical 3 men for 3 women and they all fall madly in love in the end, but you know what? Sometimes you need that kind of story! And this is a good one. It's got that ooey-gooey stuff plus some adventure, friendship, a cute kid & dog, a villain that you love to hate, redemption, and more.

And with that, I will leave you with the buttons that I got the other day from my library for filling out a survey on romance books. :)