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Title: Vampirella Strikes TP
Author: Thomas E Sniegoski, Johnny Desjardins (Illustrations)
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: August 20th 2013
Source: Netgalley/Diamond Book Distributors
★★
Two Stars.
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To be honest, I really don't have much to say about this graphic novel.
First, I should come out and say that I had never read any of the Vampirella series before this edition, nor had I even heard of it.
To me, the story left a lot to be desired. It all felt like something that I'd heard before, and there was nothing that really stood out to me. Normally when I read a graphic novel, if the writing doesn't hold my attention, than the illustrations do. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for this book. The drawings were drab and a bit visually boring. Between the writing and the dark illustrations, what should have been a short read never seemed to end.
That being said, the artwork of Vampirella herself was well done. Those are the panels that held my attention and got me through the story.
If you are a fan of classic-style comic books, Vampirella, or a die hard collector of vampire lore or stories, than this book may be for you. It just wasn't my overall cup of tea.
Thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for my copy.
Title: The Forgotten Land - Liman Prince of Egypt
Author: Josephine Kelly
Format: Paperback, 284 pages
Pub. Date: May 15th 2013
Source: Author/Createspace
★★★★
Four stars.
Liman once knew his destiny and his fate as a future ruler of Egypt. That is, until a great tragedy befalls his family. He's forced to flee from his land and collapses, knocking the recollections of his previous life away from his thoughts. He's raised to be a simple fisherman and is happy with his life, until one bitter girl sets the gears in motion for his epic journey that involves demons, sacred Scrolls, hellhounds, and a rightful place as leader of Egypt.
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The Forgotten Land is written at a level that I would personally recommend for middle grade/junior high readers. Though there are scenes with mild violence in them, I feel that this is a great book to read aloud as a bed time story. Something about the writing, I'm not quite sure what, just makes the story feel like it should be spoken and shared aloud.
+This book is peppered with artwork that features the characters and creatures that star in this story, as they are mentioned. These serve as a great point of reference, since there are quite a lot of characters involved in this plot. My personal favorite illustration is the one that made the cover of the book, artwork featuring the title character, Liman.
-There are so many characters in this story line that I found it hard to follow at parts. Because there are so many different people and creatures, the book often jumps around in time and location to keep the reader up to date with all of their whereabouts. While it isn't a deal breaker, it did make reading the novel a bit more flustering.
+This book is detailed just enough that it conjures up images of hot deserts, blue seas, and the days of ancient Egypt, and yet conversely is sparse enough where middle grade readers won't be discouraged by long-winded passages of detail.
+I appreciate that non-English words in this book are italicized. It draws attention to the word/phrase and encourages curiosity towards the word's meaning, instead of making the broad assumption that the reader already is familiar with the word.
-There were a few grammatical mistakes throughout this novel that did get my attention, but they were few enough that they didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story too much.
The Forgotten Land is a great balance of original writing and Egyptian mythology. It draws the reader in from the beginning and holds them throughout the story. Though both genders are represented in this book, I recommend it more so for male readers. This is also a great story for readers with a previous interest in Egyptology.
Thank you to Sophie Melace & author Josephine Kelly for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Title: How NOT to Train a Zombie
Author: Annie Rachel Cole
Format: Paperback, 182 pages
Pub. Date: February 10th 2013
Source: Word Spelunking blog
★
One star.
The science fair is coming up, and for eight grader Max that means one thing- a chance to become one of the most popular kids in school. The catch? Well.... He's going to have to break at least a dozen rules and laws. But in the end it'll be worth it, if he can just catch and train a zombie... Won't it?
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As with most zombie books, I was hoping that this would be the one to turn me. I thought that by maybe going towards a middle grade age, I would find the zombie genre cuter and more endearing. Unfortunately, my streak of bad zombie books continues. This book is written like an episode of Scooby-Doo... If Shaggy wasn't a cowardly lovable character.
-The lead character, Max, is a jerk. And he continues to be throughout the entire course of the book. It starts with him trying to peer pressure his best friend Chad into doing something against the law- catching a zombie and keeping it in his home. Max somehow paints Chad into the bad guy, even though he stood up for his morals and said that being popular wasn't everything, and that Max should just be himself. Then there's the fact that he hates on his mom for seemingly no reason. He's embarrassed to the point of anger because she.... Gardens? Not drugs, not stripping. But gardening. What?. Then, not unlike Golum from the Lord of the Rings, he becomes obsessed with obtaining a zombie. So, he decides to partner up with the class geek, since his dad is a certified zombie catcher. Eddy, the geek, makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with zombies, and yet Max emotionally manipulates him by using his dead mother into doing things that will only benefit Max. Time goes by, and a zombie is eventually obtained. Even when the geek agrees to help Max despite their falling out Max is still rude and insulting. Let the zombies get him, I say.
-Stemming off of that, this book isn't very believable. And yes, I am saying that about a zombie book. But the surrealism has naught to do with the undead, but the living. Max is supposedly this bottom of the totem pole level of popularity. Yet, when the bully (using gay jokes, naturally) starts trouble with him, he smarts off. Not only that, but he smarts off and then doesn't get his butt kicked..... If he's such a weenie, he wouldn't have been so, forgive my language, ballsy. And even if he was, the bully would have NO DOUBT found him. No convenient distractions or anything. Bullies fight. That's what they do. And then there's his mother's involvement with his friendships. My mother never questioned me when I stopped hanging out with people, just when I started hanging out with new ones.
-This book, ultimately, had a negative tone to it throughout. Max is a jerk, his best friend is somehow portrayed as one, his mom is portrayed as one, Eddy is snippy, and his dad is a villain out of no where (who actually uses the phrase "meddling brats"). It all seemed a bit thrown together and dark, with no major happy resolve...
-Unless you count the epilogue, which I do not, since it was essentially just a few pages to connect loose ends that weren't handled in the actual plot.
-+There's a few grammatical errors in the text, but it wasn't enough to deter from the story.
+Despite my issues with this story, I did like that each chapter started with a Texas state law or public service announcement regarding the dangers of zombies and the consequences of interacting with them. It gave a clear insight into the type of society this book is set in, and how much trouble Max was going to be in if he got caught.
Maybe I'm just a cynical old person now who can't appreciate kid's literature. However, I couldn't get past Max's insufferable-ness, and it disconnected me from the majority of the book. If I were to recommend this, it would be to kids/young adults in junior high, namely boys. I appreciate the concept of this story, but for me it just fell flat.
Thank you to Word Spelunking blog and the author for my copy.
Title: The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wars #1)
Author: Frank Beddor
Format: Hardcover, 364 pages
Pub. Date: September 26th 2006
Source: Borrowed from Emily
★★★★
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Alyss' life in Wonderland has become something of a joke to the people of our world. Having told her story to a seemingly sympathetic ear, a friend of hers named Lewis Carroll. Only, he turns her heartbreaking past into nonsensical mockery- he even had the audacity to misspell her name! But a puddle and looking glass away, the queen's most loyal guard Hatter and the rest of the White Imagination know that Alyss truly does exist, and that she must come home and take her place on the throne and defeat the evil Redd, who has taken Wonderland by force. But Alyss can't remember what's in her head and what's reality. Will her imagination be enough to save the land she loves from utter destruction?
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3.5 stars, rounded up.
This book was definitely different. It's not something I'd normally pick up, but I am glad that I gave it a chance after my girlfriend recommended it to me.
+This is a really interesting.... Well, not retelling. More like a re-imagining of the tale we all know and love, Alice in Wonderland. The author combines the classic story with a bit of sci-fi, war, and even some dystopian motifs to make Wonderland a place that Disney definitely didn't dream up.
+I loved the Big Brother type elements of this story. The evil queen, Redd, forces her henchmen to change the history books full of her own genius (?) quotes and narratives. There are billboards all over the place that bear her face, a constant reminder of who is truly in charge. There are spies lurking everywhere, and layer upon layer of deceit and false loyalties.
+The Cheshire cat in this story isn't one that you'd want curled up by your feet at night. He's an assassin with sharp claws and nine lives. Good luck trying to take out all of them. He is stealthy and strong, and makes for a helluva villain.
+- This book has a lot of fight scenes in it. A lot. It makes sense, seeing that this is a story about a war versus good and evil. But, my regular followers know that I really don't follow fight scenes well. It's of no fault of the author, just my own personal hang up.
-I don't feel like a lot of the characters were narrated in depth. There are a large range of characters which are easy to separate from one another, but I feel like not enough time was paid to the "main" characters. I wanted to like Hatter (I mean, his top hat is a weapon. How cool is that?) But I didn't learn much about him. Even Alyss seemed kind of glossed over in order to talk about the broader story.
-Time is a wibbly wobbly motif in the classic tale. This book uses it as well, but in a slightly awkward way. In the course of a few paragraphs, five years pass, then 12. The increments were odd and quick, and it made the "chase" of Alyss seem rushed, and the battles seem (unnecessarily)longer.
-As girly as this sounds, I really missed the romance element. It's there for a while and then fizzles out. It frustrated me a bit, admittedly.
This isn't your mother's Alice in Wonderland. This is a Wonderland for the video game generation- full of ass kicking characters, imaginative weaponry, and trained killers. If you prefer your Alice in Wonderland full of singing flowers and cute little mome raths (like me), this might not be for you. If you want your dormice fried, your top hats full of knives, and your playing card soldiers armed to the teeth, check out this series.
Over all, I felt that the unique perspective on this tale outweighed the issues that I had with the story. I will be checking out the other books that follow, but with no sense of urgency. I'd like to see if the characters grow more complex, and if the romance picks back up.
Thanks to Emily for letting me borrow this.
Title: The Adventures of Radisson: Hell Never Burns
Author: Martin Fournier
Format: Paperback, 220 pages
Pub. Date: November 1st 2012
Source: Jean Booknerd blog
★★★
3 stars.
15-year-old Parisian, Pierre-Esprit Radisson makes his journey in 1651 to the village of Trois-Rivières on the St. Lawrence River, in modern day Canada. A top shot among his peers, and even those older than he, he is eager to go out fighting with the men against the stealthy, enemy tribe of the Iroquois people. When those he was looking forward to fighting alongside him leave him behind in the dead of the night, he's rightfully left bitter. While hunting to blow off some steam with his friends, he is kidnapped by the Iroquois tribe and taken away from his home. Along the way of his entrapment, Radisson will learn that some traits; love and loyalty, transcend race or tribe, and that everyone has something to teach and to learn.
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Admittedly, this isn't the usual book I'd reach for in a bookstore or library. However, when I got the chance to review this novel I took it, since my girlfriend has a bit of an obsession with things to do with Native American populations. After reading this story however, I'll just pass it off to her and hope that maybe it speaks more to her than it did to me.
-I didn't really enjoy the narration of this story. The sentences often felt choppy and awkward, and it reduced the flow of the overall plot line. Often times I had to double check to see if a new sentence had in fact started, or if it was a weirdly formed half-sentence. It's true that grammar isn't the key to a good story, but in this case, it definitely chipped away at the grand scheme of things.
-+ I'm not sure if this next point is positive or negative, so I'll mark it as both. It was very oddly detailed. In some ways, that's a good thing. The natural, peaceful scene settings of the Canadian landscape were gorgeous. I'd want to explore the rivers and forests too if I were Radisson. However, some important things- like the deaths of characters- were grossly simplified. It sometimes came off just as "oh. Yeah. They're dead now," which disconnected me a bit from what was going on.
+ That being said, I do think that this book gives off a generally positive message. You can't really judge an entire group of people because their beliefs are different from yours, and sometimes even though lifestyles are lived differently, traits and commonalities can be found among populations. As hippie-ish as it sounds, we can all just get along if we learn from one another.
Now that I'm off that little preachy soap box, I'll sum my views up. This rating was extremely difficult for me, and should only be taken as a guideline. Because this kind of book isn't my "thing", as it were, I do not feel that I can properly judge it. I didn't care for it, but you may. I recommend it for those with any interest in Native Americans or history, especially boys. As awful as it sounds (gender roles, stereotypes, blah blah), this is a "boy book" to me, and explains my limited enjoyment. So, don't go by me and see for yourself. I hope you enjoy it more than me, sincerely.
Thank you to Jean Booknerd blog for my copy.
Title: Sea Cutter
Author: Timothy Davis
Format: Paperback, 138 pages
Pub. Date: October 23rd 2012
Source: Sher A. Hart blog
★★★★
4 Stars.
Nathaniel Childe's father was long ago lost to the sea in a shipwreck that he did not swim away from. Or so Nathaniel's been told. But deep in his heart, he's never believed that his father was dead, even when everyone else lost hope. But four years later, in 1771, he gets a mysterious letter from his father. He knows instantly that the "mythical" island of Perlas Grandes cannot be only a myth, and that his father is alive. Nathaniel must go and find him, facing giant whales, smelly murderers, and a ship full of lies along the ways.
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I am very pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't realize that it was a children's/young young adult book when I got it, but even so I couldn't put this book down.
+The ocean is so very vividly described in this book, that I have to admit, I kind of got the urge to go sailing (of course, without criminals trying to kill me would be preferred). For a time I lived in Massachusetts, and this story telling brought me back there. It felt like the author truly does love the sea, and it reflected in the writing.
+No love but family. That made me exceedingly happy. There was no damsel in distress, no mermaid-type maiden who suddenly captures the young boy's attention. This book is romance free, and after the long string of books I've read lately, it was a very nice reprieve.
+This book, in my opinion, sounds more like an oral story then one on paper. It sounds like a story my father or grandfather would have told me before bed to pacify my whining need for a bedtime story. I think it's for that reason that this book felt so cozy to me. Maybe I'm just weird that way.
-The only real fault I have with this story is that it was a bit choppy at parts, and sometimes the time lapsing was weird, jumping quite a bit ahead at times. It didn't take away from the reading much, but it happened enough for me to pay it attention.
All in all, I feel like this is a clean, wholesome book geared for the younger end of the "young adult" spectrum. Though lads and ladies alike can appreciate this story, I would recommend it more for the boys. I also recommend that if you are a parent or an older brother or babysitter or what have you, read this aloud to your child. This is an adventure that the whole family can share.
If you listen to music while you read, I recommend listening to Voltaire's album entitled "To the Bottom of the Sea". A few of the songs from that album (such as This Ship's Going Down and This Sea) instantly came to my mind while reading.
Thank you to the Sher A. Hart blog for my copy of this book!
