Review: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Title: The Ghost and the Goth
Series: The Ghost and the Goth #1
Author: Stacey Kade
Format: Paperback, 281 pages
Pub. Date: May 10th 2011
Source: Little Library


Book Description:

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star…and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

Review:

★★★

Well, I more or less got what I expected based off of the cover and the back blurb. This book is a fast read that's pretty predictable and not all that deep, so there's not too much to think about, nor is it something I'm particularly going to remember a week from now.

Alona Dare (yes, that is her name) is the wooooorst. She's shallow. Like, insanely shallow, and judgmental. Girls who kiss a guy must be whores and sluts. Every straight guy wants her, and she doesn't think every lesbian in the school wants her, she knows it. She calls Will a goth (uh, not even remotely?), a psychopath (cool insult bruh), and more than anything else, a freak. Wanna know what her supporting evidence is for him being a freak? He wears a hoodie. With the hood up, inside. Are you not clutching your pearls yet? Well get this. He also wears headphones. A teenager with headphones! Burn the freak! It's also super gross that she's friends with a guy that in her own word grooms young girls to sleep with him before he leaves them. Popular or not, it's super skeezy.

Now, I understand I'm supposed to not like her. This book is, at its core, a reverse "It's a Wonderful Life" where Alona gets to see how much better off everyone is when her rude, shallow ass is dead. Then she changes for the better for a better afterlife. Or she's supposed to. I didn't think she really changed that much. She might be nicer to Will but she's still insulting and rude, even as she's helping people. I expected a better arc for her and I was left disappointed.

Will Killian (yes, his name is Will Kill) is the most likable character in this book and is its saving grace. He's empathetic and a little brooding and mysterious. He has a whole web of secrets and masks to wear and it was admittedly interesting to see where his arc goes. His ability to hear and see ghosts, dealing with his father's suicide and the hospitalization of a friend, a doctor who might not have his mental health in mind after all, tangled with the weird and new feelings he has for the very dead cheerleader. There's a lot to unpack there and I think Kade did a pretty good job with this character. I get why Alona got attached to him.

As much as I have issues with this book, I actually liked the romance element. I liked that Alona and Will learned from each other. Alona gave Will some confidence and helped him get out of some trouble. Alona learned to be a little bit nicer and that her bullying actions did in fact have consequences. I liked seeing them warm up to one another and despite my overall "ugh" feeling of this book, I was rooting for them.

And then there's Joonie. Joonie is Will's one Goth friend. She is written as so unbelievably over the top as a "Goth" that it seems to be the only descriptors given to her. She doesn't really have personality, only traits that seem to be copied and pasted from a Wiki article about "Gothic Subculture". All I could picture in my head was Henrietta from South Park, which made all of her scenes hilarious for reasons I guarantee the author did not intend.

Like a lot of other contemporary set books, this one has a lot of pop culture references that really date this book. She makes references to Johnny Knoxville's (seven Razzie award nominated) version of The Dukes of Hazzard. She watches Joonie go to a MySpace page. There's just a LOT of oughts imagery here that I guess now works as a past setting, but since I was a teen in those years brings back definitely un-contemporary flashbacks of nostalgia.

I have to admit, the author does have my attention. I'd read the second book in this series if it came into my possession, though I won't be seeking it out. I'm just intrigued enough with where the Will/Alona romance is going. But, I don't really recommend this book. If you're into cheerleaders getting hit by a bus or fluffy books that don't take any brain power to get through, maybe you'll like it more than I did.

Review: Goth Girl and the Fete Worse than Death by Chris Riddell!

Title: Goth Girl and the Fete Worse than Death
Series: Goth Girl #2
Author: Chris Riddell
Format: Hardcover, 218 pages
Pub. Date: September 25th 2014
Source: Half Price Books


Book Description:

Preperations are under way for the Full-Moon Fete and the Great Ghastly-Gorm Bake Off.

Celebrity cooks are arriving at the hall for the big event, and as usual Maltravers is acting suspiciously. On top of all this, Ada's elusive lady's made Marylebone has a surprising secret, and everyone seems to have forgotten Ada's birthday!

Review:

★★★★

So, my aesthetic and interests are definitely slanted more to the "goth" end of the spectrum. So when I see a book with goth in the title, especially about a goth girl, it's a big sell for me. Plus, there's illustrations and the binding is super pretty. I haven't read book one of the series but figured I'd give this one a try. I didn't feel like I was missing anything from the first book.

First, let's talk illustrations. They're super fun. They're done in a style that reminds me a bit of the Series of Unfortunate Events. Sort of dark, but well detailed and a bit whimsical. There's also fun little footnotes used to further explain things.

I think this is a book that works on two levels, sort of like Shrek. I know that's a weird comparison. But have you ever watched a movie or tv show for kids, and realized you and the kids are watching two different shows? Like they're laughing at a fart joke, but you're laughing at a more adult one? That's sort of how this book works. There are so many jokes and word play and references that I'm sure kids don't get. Not dirty ones, but for example there's a chef in this book named William Flake. His pet's name is Tyger, Tyger. As an English grad, I laughed. There's also a chef modeled after Gordon Ramsay whose signature dish is "A Nightmare in the Kitchen". I love Kitchen Nightmares. There's poodles named Belle & Sebastian, which is a band. The book is chockablock full of these sort of in-jokes, and I loved it.

It blends fantasy really well. There's vampires, there's a magical circus. There's pastries that defy physics. There's even a bear who's a housekeeper. I found it both silly and endearing, and I think that's good in a kid's book.

There's even a little mini-biography included in a sleeve on the back cover of the hardcover edition that helps to tie up the loose ends.

The only criticism I have is that the end scene is a bit sudden and rushed. It felt very "rips-off-the-mask-of-the-housekeeper I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for those meddling kids".

This is a fun read for kids or kids at heart. It's written in a similar vein to Series of Unfortunate Events or The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield. It's a bit dark but a lot of fun, and I'd definitely read the other ones in this series.

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN REVIEW: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Series: Between #1
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Format: Hardcover, 360 pages
Pub. Date: August 15th 2013
Source: Purchased, HPB


Book Description:

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

Review:

★★

Oh goodness. What did I just read?

I was super excited to finally get this book. I remember when it first came out and people were losing their minds for it. I was drawn in by the hype, not to mention the super intriguing title and the pretty cover. I shouldn't have judged it by that.

I could rant about this book for hours, but instead I'm opting to take the short, sweet high road version.

I'll start with the positives first, because there are some positives. The writing is absolutely beautiful. The author does a fantastic job in describing the setting and the characters. The writing is slow at times, in a style reminiscent of southern gothic novels. It's lyrical and haunting, and more than once I found myself internally complimenting a passage.

But that's all I've got.

Some of the reasons why I didn't enjoy this book include: instalove, adults that don't seem to know/care what's going on ever, terrible side characters (the awful brother, the "slutty" neighbor), and lots of questionable decisions by everyone involved.

A pet peeve (that's admittedly nitpicking) is that they refer to each other as brother and sister. Is this a regional thing? I've literally never called my sister "sister" in conversation.

The end was super disappointing too. The bad guy (maybe?) turns into a Batman/Scooby-Doo villain and reveals his whole origin story and plan. There's a lot of threads left untied at the end, and it ends in a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, I wasn't interested enough in the characters to pick up the second one any time soon.

There's a lot of people who really liked this book, so maybe it's just a case of "it's not you, it's me". If you like instant romance, paranormal powers, and gothic writing, maybe you'll have better luck with this than me.

Mini Review: Edward Scissorhands Volume 1 by Kate Leth & Drew Rausch!

Title: Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown
Series: Edward Scissorhands #1
Author: Kate Leth & Drew Rausch
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 19th 2015
Source: IDW Publishing


Book Description via Goodreads:

An all-new adventure revisiting Edward Scissorhands' two decades after the end of the fan-favorite movie! In a castle just outside a sleepy suburban town, a brilliant inventor created Edward Scissorhands... but left him tragically unfinished. Two generations of exile have left Edward digging through abandoned experiments, but once he wakes up a creature left buried, he discovers he isn't the only one missing a vital piece. As Edward tries to fix a grave mistake, he comes face-to-face with a teenage girl who was sure he was only myth... despite the stories her grandmother told her about the man she could never touch.

Review:

★★★

I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this graphic novel. I absolutely adore Edward Scissorhands. It was one of my favorite movies growing up and it still is as an adult. Opening this book was a nice little sense of nostalgia. I think this is a comic that all fans of the movie will enjoy.

What I absolutely loved about this comic is the artwork. It's absolutely gorgeous! It has the dark, dreary Tim Burton-esque feel that we all know and love, but is given an almost adorable face lift. It all looks a little more cartoonish and approachable. It came to life on the page and did a great job of bringing both familiar and new characters to life and conveying a story.

The story, for me, is where this book was lacking. It takes place in the future from the movie that we all know and talks about Kim's granddaughter. It's a very sweet story that I enjoyed reading, but it came off as predictable and a bit one-dimensional.

Overall, it's worth reading, especially if you're as big of a fan of the Edward Scissorhands movie as I am. The artwork is absolutely fantastic, and brings to life the more lacking story-line.

I was provided this book in exchange for my honest review.

Birthday Blogoversary Fangirl Bash Part One: Review of The Legend of Candy Claws by Aurelio Voltaire & GIVEAWAY!

Hello there my lovely readers. I'm kicking off a week of birthday and blogoversary fun today! My birthday is this week, and this month also marks a few years into blogging! Yay! Today's post I'm also helping to celebrate the birthday of my absolute favorite musician: Aurelio Voltaire. If you're a regular follower of my blog, that name should be familiar. I've asked for your funding help for his latest album, I've reviewed his books, and I've gushed about his concerts.

Now, he holds a special place in my heart for a few different reasons. One of them is that his music is actually what helped me and my girlfriend become friends. She was the only person I'd spoken to who'd heard of him and we discussed his music for hours. Another and more personal one is that his music helped to save my life.

I've suffered from depression for over a decade, since I was about twelve. Even then, that's only a guess as to how far back I remember it. The thing about depression is that unless you have it, you never can quite understand the toll it takes. I had friends at that age and earlier who meant the world to me, but they never quite understood, not exactly. My dad left on my birthday when I was thirteen, and it just got worse. It was the first time I remember feeling utterly alone, even when I was in a room full of people that I knew (then and now) cared about me. People kept saying "It gets better, it gets better" but have you ever said a word so often it sounds foreign to you and you don't know what it means? That's all I felt about this phrase. I struggled with self-harm. They say it's for attention. "They". But I struggled alone, making no marks visible.

I stopped caring about school and my friends. I went from the honor roll and the top of my class to F's and D's. I started camping out on the internet and talking to people on there (my now girlfriend among them), grasping at straws for someone to understand. A friend recommended in a passing conversation that I should check out a magazine called Gothic Beauty. I fell in love with this publication. It's full of music reviews and interviews and fashion and so, so much more. It was in one of these issues that I came across an interview with Voltaire. I made a habit of listening to every band featured to see if I liked them or not, and I loved Voltaire from the very first song I bought:



And I have been a listener ever since. His humor, beautiful voice, and lyrics that I related to became an integral part of my life. While I still have depression, and I have had many more ups and downs in my life, one thing that has remained constant is my love of his music. I have gone to see him twice in concert now, and at the most recent one (in November), my partner had to actually hold my hand because of the impact of one of his unreleased songs: "I Want to Hurt Whoever Hurt You." (Voltaire if you're reading this and this isn't the title, sorry!). She has told me those exact words and though it is a song personal to Voltaire himself, it struck us as well. I really don't have words to describe the impact, so I guess I'll just leave it at this:

Thank you, Captain. I hope you have a positively splendid birthday.

Now I promise, we're getting happier. Voltaire is a jack of all trades. He has done work doing stop motion animation, music, toy design, comic books, games, books, and probably way more things that I'm going to remember once I hit "submit".

About the Book:

But today, I'm going to be reviewing his latest book, the Legend of Candy Claws. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of it for Christmas (thank you Emily).

Title: The Legend of Candy Claws
Author: Aurelio Voltaire
Illustrator: Shamine King
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: December 25, 2014
Source: Gifted by Emily
Buy it by clicking here


Book Description:

A giant black bat takes candy from bullies on Halloween and delivers it to good little boys and girls on Christmas in this anti-bullying tale for children of all ages.

Review:

★★★★★

Before I even began reading the story, I was touched by the dedication to Sophie Lancaster. For those of you unfamiliar, she was a young women who was beaten to death by three teenage boys because she was goth. It was a story that broke my heart, and the hearts of many others, when I heard about it. It impacted so many "scenes", goth included, and she deserves a book about anti-bullying in her honor. Here's to you, Sophie.

Now for the book itself. The cover and artwork throughout the book is absolutely gorgeous. It's well detailed with great coloring and goes perfectly with the text on the page. I was previously unfamiliar with Shamine King's artwork, but I'm definitely a fan of hers now.

This book is written in rhyme, as (in my humble opinion) all Christmas stories should be. It gives the book a great rhythm and helps to keep you sucked into the book. The story telling is rich and easy to relate to- I think we have all felt like an outcast at least once in our lives, or have gotten picked on for being different. This book gives a positive message that I think we all need to hear once in a while: Hey. You're different. And you know what? That makes you wonderful. Don't listen to those who want to bring you down, because you can be happy and free without them.

I think we all lose sight of that sometimes.

I think that kids and adults alike will love this story, and I recommend it to everyone looking for a richly illustrated tale of both Christmas and Halloween in the spirit of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Giveaway:

To help celebrate, I'm going to be giving away an Amazon copy of another one of Voltaire's books, The Call of the Jersey Devil. You can read my review of it by clicking here.



This giveaway is open to anyone who can receive gifted Kindle ebooks over the age of 16. Additional rules can be found on the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth

Title: The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black
Author: E.B. Hudspeth
Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
Pub. Date: May 21st 2013
Source: Quirk Books


Book Description via Goodreads:

Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?

The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from a childhood spent exhuming corpses through his medical training, his travels with carnivals, and the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.

Review:

★★★★★

This book is nothing at all like I expected, and I mean that in the best possible sense. I think that The Resurrectionist is a book that all lovers of Gothic literature, the macabre, horror, and fantastical creatures will devour if they get their claws into it.

A beautiful hardcover edition, The Resurrectionist is divided into two parts. The first part reads like a text book biography of the fictional scholar Dr. Spencer Black. It narrates his unusual upbringing and how it influenced his studies as he got older and more educated. It chronicles his descent into a more bizarre lifestyle involving freak show-esque performances in travelling shows and circuses as well as his experimentation on animals and humans alike in order to piece together his theory of evolution: that the creatures we know today as myth once existed and that humans and animals breathing now are ancestors of these elegant beasts.

The first part of this book is fascinating in and of itself because it's written with such detail and precision- including dated diary entries, circus flyers, and letters of correspondence- that if I didn't know better I would swear to you that this was a well researched non-fictional account of a doctor's life. From the first few pages, when you learn that his father was a grave robber, the book continues with this really dark, creepy tone to it reminiscent of Poe. It was almost like a car crash: his life is so bizarre and almost horrifying that you hesitate to turn the page, and yet you can't quite seem to turn away either.

The second part of the book is the final research of Dr. Black: The Codex Extinct Animalia. The art in this section of this book is absolutely phenomenal. It is here that Black explains the so-called method to his madness: the evolutionary ties and the anatomical make up of fantasy creatures. From the hellhound Cerberus to harpies and centaurs, each creature is given multiple pages of medical artwork that give up close examinations of the skeletal structures, muscle make up, and other traits of the animals. It looks like a medical text book, but with mythical beings, and I absolutely loved it. So much thought, work, and effort had to go into making these illustrations. I would totally hang a few of them up in my room (then again, my room is decorated in the Goth style, so that may just be me).

This book is a quick one to read but a slow one to absorb and is filled to the brim with equal dashes of horror and fantasy. I'd really recommend it to those who enjoy the Gothic genre, historical history, fantasy, horror, or realistic fiction. Thank you so much to Quirk Books for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

#31DaysofReading Book Review: Bleed Like Me by Christa Desir!

Title: Bleed Like Me
Author: Christa Desir
Format: ebook
Pub. Date: October 7th 2014
Source: SimonPulse via PulseIt #31daysofreading

Description via Goodreads:

From the author of Fault Line comes an edgy and heartbreaking novel about two self-destructive teens in a Sid and Nancy-like romance full of passion, chaos, and dyed hair.

Seventeen-year-old Amelia Gannon (just "Gannon" to her friends) is invisible to almost everyone in her life. To her parents, to her teachers-even her best friend, who is more interested in bumming cigarettes than bonding. Some days the only way Gannon knows she is real is by carving bloody lines into the flesh of her stomach.

Then she meets Michael Brooks, and for the first time, she feels like she is being seen to the core of her being. Obnoxious, controlling, damaged, and addictive, he inserts himself into her life until all her scars are exposed. Each moment together is a passionate, painful relief.

But as the relationship deepens, Gannon starts to feel as if she's standing at the foot of a dam about to burst. She's given up everything and everyone in her life for him, but somehow nothing is enough for Brooks-until he poses the ultimate test.

Bleed Like Me is a piercing, intimate portrayal of the danger of a love so obsessive it becomes its own biggest threat.

★★★

This is another book that I'm honestly not quite sure how I feel about, let alone how to rate it. I waited a few days before writing this review to let the book sink in, but I'm still torn. This wasn't a bad book, not by a long shot. But I also had a lot of issues with it. I've decided to level it out at a neutral rating of three stars.

The lead character, Gannon, was somehow simultaneously easy and impossible to relate with. On the one hand, she is one of the "punk/goth" girls, and I was one in high school too. I got the whole hanging out at the skate park, smoking, and chilling at Punkin' Donuts. That's all stuff I've done. I really liked too that this story is set in Chicago. This is where I'm from, and it's always nice to read a familiar setting. This will get a little dark for a moment, but I also related to this character because she is a cutter. While I do not have this issue anymore, it is something that I have done in the past. I will say that out of all the books with cutting characters that I've read, Desir has most accurately described the addiction, the satisfaction, the relief, and honestly, the clean up. You'd be surprised how many books don't mention that cutting involves, you know, blood. It may set a darker tone, but at least it's more descriptive and more accurate. On the other hand, I really didn't like how judgmental she was. She judges her family, her "best friend", said friend's romantic interest, the boy who will eventually become her boyfriend. It all seemed a bit overly unpleasant and harsh. Especially coming from someone from an alternative background- normally the most understanding of them all. I also didn't like how she kept saying how she didn't know anything about him and wouldn't sleep with him because of that and didn't want to be too attached... But then does drugs because of him and waits a month for him because he told her to.

I also found it a bit strange that she constantly complains that her parents ignore her and that she's invisible, lost in the chaos of her brothers. But when she gets serious with Brooks, they just tell her to make smart choices. Her dad comes in to give her a "talk", and gives her a box of condoms. She calls this an awkward nightmare.... But he's finally being caring and giving an effort to be in her life. This point is neither positive or negative to the reading experience, I just found it odd.

Which brings me to Brooks, the love interest. He's another character I both loved and hated. I'm not sure how Desir managed to get me to feel so strongly in opposing directions for her characters. On one hand he's pierced and tattooed with dyed bright hair and that's delicious. He's impulsive and broody and weirdly charming. But his past is dark and quickly that changes, and he becomes paranoid and controlling and not very nice. Their romance starts off quirky and oddly sweet. My favorite part is a bit morbid but, he doesn't want her to cut anymore, but she needs the pain, so he digs his fingers along her healing skin, tearing open old wounds. This is dark and toxic and surely unhealthy... But sweet, in a broken kind of way. They're explosive and dangerous together... But you can't help but want to watch the show.

Another issue I had was Gannon's family. She feels bitter towards most of them, understandably so. They were a happy family of three, until they adopted three boys from Guatemala. Her dad largely hides from his responsibilty because they're terrors. The mom babies them and doesn't want to be the disciplinarian ever because they had enough of a hard life in their home country. She lets them get away with murder- literally. They murder a kitten with absolutely zero consequences. She doesn't deserve to keep them honestly. I don't care if it was my kid, I'd call someone. A psychologist, a doctor, a member of the police force. But no, they have dinner like nothing happened because the mom is just happy they're eating. A week later, they actually go to the movies because they behaved for a week since the kitten incident. Nope. Nope. She says at some point that she can't just give them back. You can, actually, and at this rate they deserve to go a better home. They also leave all three kids with Gannon overnight. They can't handle them as adults- what the hell makes you think a kid can?

That said, I give Desir points for diversity. There were a bunch of different types of people represented here and that's a nice change of pace.

And then there's the ending... It's emotional but disappointing. I wasn't left wondering what happened... I was left wondering why I stuck around to finish it.

I know I've said a lot of negative things about this book.... But still I can't help but focus on the way Desir gets in depth about the gritty realism, the descriptions of cutting and the pressures in their lives. It's well detailed and well written and it's easy to get swept into the intense storm that is their relationship. It's a book that'll stay with me in ways I can't quite comprehend.

I recommend it to mature young adult fans who enjoy a darker side of contemporary romance. Be warned this book contains sex, vulgar language, drugs, alcohol, and self harm. Thanks to Simon Teen/Pulse It for the chance to read it.

Happy Book Birthday Review & Interview: Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan

Hello, my lovely readers. Today I'm posting to wish a very happy book birthday to Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan, which releases today from Disney-Hyperion! Hillary was awesome enough to stop by and answer some of my questions. So, without further ado, let's get bookish!

Interview:

Thanks so much for taking time to answer some questions! Mary: The Summoning is a book that weaves together history and the present to make a ghost story come to life. Did a lot of research go into the writing of this book?


To a point, especially since the first iteration of MARY was historical. The original story had five chapters of present time and then Mary dragged Shauna through the mirror into Mary's time and world. The letters are essentially the cliff notes version of that draft.

One thing I remember from writing the original story was learning how to defeather a chicken. You boil the chicken corpse to loosen the feathers so you can shuck it. It's apparently the worst smell in the world. Who knew?

You see? Who says you don't learn things on Bitches n Prose. Now, Mary thrives on the fears of her victims. What is your biggest fear?

I am terrified of snakes and heights, but mostly snakes. Whenever I'm anxious, I have nightmares of enormous snakes that are fifty trillion feet long and bitey. It's unpleasant!

I'm with you on heights- in airplanes especially. If I'm reading correctly, Mary: The Summoning is your debut YA novel. What other genres do you write? Was it hard to transition to writing for a younger audience?

I started with a younger audience and have lingered there. I was a voracious reader as a kid so I write what I would have loved. My next book, THE AWESOME, is another YA that's paranormal comedy (under the name Eva Darrows and out 5/26.) I find my bread and butter are two extremes—scares or laughs. I like those reactions that come from our reptilian brains.

Shauna and her friends don't really believe in the Bloody Mary story at first. Do you believe in ghosts?


I think so? I really want to but I have a skeptic's brain that tells me it's silly. I did live in a house that was built in the 1700s so if anything makes me slant toward yes, it'd be that house. We had to clean out the urns in the attic the first week we moved in.

Mary approaches her hauntings by making herself known in mirrors and reflections. Is there a specific item that you would want to haunt?

Well, if we go with the trope of haunting our best-loved stuff, I'd probably inhabit a basset hound or a computer. That makes me a fairly ineffectual ghost.

Ineffectual, maybe, but that at least you would be adorable. The four girls that make up the main characters in this book are each unique, but still remain friends. Are any of these characters based on people in your life?

Anna's the most like me, and the character of Kitty was loosely based on someone who'd annoyed me when I'd written the first iteration of the book. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to admit that part or not.

It's okay. I won't tell them. One of the adventures these girls face is visiting an old church. Have you ever visited somewhere that was thought to be haunted? What did you experience?

My old house had some very odd things happen. Weird noises, the dogs used to sit at the foot of the stairs and growl up at nothing on the second story. It didn't help that the woman who inhabited the house before my family left an audio recording telling us that if we heard footsteps or children laughing in the night, not to worry—it was just Mrs. Keeler coming back to the home she always loved.

It scared the hell out of me as a kid.

Funny aside with that? She's buried in the same cemetery as my grandparents. When we went up to attend to my grandfather's headstone, we stopped by Mrs. Keeler's plot and her epitaph is "Goodbye, For Now." She was pretty much the creepiest!

My inner-East Coast is going to come out for a second. That is wicked creepy. And speaking of things that go bump in the night, it's a dark and dreary October night, one that is perfect for staying in with some popcorn and a movie. What's playing on your TV?

Behind the Mask, The Rise of Leslie Vernon if I want some spooks and laughs. If I just want to climb the walls and be terrified? The Exorcist, The Ring, or the Japanese version of The Grudge.

*shudder* the Japanese one is so much creepier. Were you always interested in horror stories? Is there a favorite ghost story you used to share, or a favorite spooky read that you remember?

I read a whole lot of Christopher Pike when I was a wee Hillary. A well-loved copy of SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK occupied my shelf. Then I made a massive leap over to Stephen King with THE SHINING and it was all downhill from there. I've had a love of the genre since I can remember.

Excellent authors. I loved Christopher Pike when I was younger too, the one I remember most being Chain Letter. The Summoning is only the beginning. Can you tell me a little about the next book? Do you have any other projects in the works?

The next book takes the characters back to Solomon's Folly to uncover the last of Mary's origin and to "handle" Mary permanently, for better or worse.

Ahhhh I'm so excited. Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me and I cannot WAIT to read the next book!

Synopsis via Goodreads:

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her.

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them--Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna--must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go.

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY." A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror.

Once is not enough, though--at least not for Jess. Mary is called again. And again. But when their summoning circle is broken, Bloody Mary slips through the glass with a taste for revenge on her lips. As the girls struggle to escape Mary's wrath, loyalties are questioned, friendships are torn apart, and lives are forever altered.

A haunting trail of clues leads Shauna on a desperate search to uncover the legacy of Mary Worth. What she finds will change everything, but will it be enough to stop Mary--and Jess--before it's too late?

You can buy a copy for yourself by clicking here.

Review:

Title: MARY: The Summoning (Bloody Mary #1)
Author: Hillary Monahan
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 2, 2014
Source: Netgalley & Disney-Hyperion


★★★★★

Five stars.

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I have to say, I positively adored this book. I am a lover of all things creepy and crawly, especially when it comes to young adult books. I am happy to say that Mary: The Summoning offered everything I look for in a ghost story, wrapped up in one little book.

Before I even get to the meat of the text, I have to mention how much I love this cover. It's what initially drew my attention in, and I have to say it really captures what the book is about. I would hang that poster up on my wall (and then forget it was there, and promptly give myself a heart attack).

This book follows closely a group of four friends who accidentally summon Bloody Mary. What really made me enjoy this book was in fact the character. Each of the four friends has a distinct personality. They all had strengths and weaknesses and their own agendas, but they all gelled when they needed to. I thought that the friendships seemed genuine and true-to-life. And then there's Mary. Holy hell, Mary. I'm trying not to swear *too* much as it is a kids' book. but Oh. My. God. She is creepy. She's also got her own history to her that we learn based off of letters she wrote to her sister. Being a history nerd, I loved this aspect, and I really liked learning how Mary got shaped into what she is.

Now let's talk about the creepy factor. It wasn't the kind of scary that made me stay up for days. However, it was the kind of gory, squeamish kind of scary that throws me back to the good ole days of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series. There's a lot of blood, oozing sores, crawling black beetles, and murky dark water with lord knows what living inside of it. As I mentioned earlier, Mary only manifests in reflections. THIS IS A LOT OF THINGS YOU GUYS. You think, oh, okay, so no windows or mirrors. But there is so much more than that. When I was reading this, I had to walk down the dorm hall to the community bathroom my floor shares. There are shiny things everywhere. From shower heads to the handle that flushes toilets and the key panels on my door and the super waxed floors. Wow guys, Mary could haunt us something fierce. I admit, I may have tried to get a glimpse more than once.

The pacing was good and the descriptions were remarkably vivid to all of the senses. You could see, taste, and smell what Shauna was going through, and believe you me it is not always pleasant.

I mentioned that I liked the realism of the four friends. I also liked the relatable premise of the plot. And no, I don't mean that we all have almost died at the hands of the ghost. But I do know that in at least my childhood, playing Bloody Mary was super common at sleepovers. It's right up there with Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board and Ouija boards. It's just a game that makes no sense and that no one really wants to play except for the cool girl (Jess in the book, Brittany in my own life) and so you play it because you want her to think you're way cooler than you are and even though NOTHING HAPPENS AT ALL you are still afraid of your shadow for a month.

....Or is that just me?

I loved this book. I think it's a great book for the young adult age group, provided the reader can handle the blood and ghosts. Fans of the Goosebumps series I feel would really enjoy this one. This is book one, so there's a bit of a cliffhanger ending. Be prepared for that. Thanks so much to Netgalley & Disney-Hyperion for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield

Title: The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield
Author: John Bemelmans Marciano, Sophie Blackall
Format: ARC
Pub. Date: October 3rd 2013
Source: Goodreads First reads.



★★★★

Three and a half stars.

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The Baddenfield family has always been filled with scoundrels, living up to the bad in Baddenfield. And for centuries, they've been cursed to die young, despite the Winterbottoms, a family who has always served (and tried) to protect their horrible bosses. Alexander is twelve years old, and as bad as the rest of them. He hatches a brilliant plan- to take the surplus lives away from his pet cat, and transplant them into his body. He starts to live like never before, having been overprotected by Winterbottom, but eventually his lives start to dwindle, and he has to try and change his reckless ways before he lives up to the Baddenfield curse.

I have to say, that as an adult, I really liked this book. It's dark and a bit macabre in the same vein as writers like Roald Dahl, Lemony Snicket, and Tim Burton. The illustrations that accompany the text go with that theme as well, giving it a spooky, bad-guy type feel.

I also really liked the smartness with which this book was written. It integrates a few Spanish words, some references to mythology, and his cat's name is even Shaddenfrood. There was also a fair bit of humor and snark, that made be chuckle aloud. It was easy to read and understand, and was well detailed. Among other things that I enjoyed about this read was the actual printing itself. The pictures that separate paragraphs actually count down his deaths, something I didn't notice until he only had two remaining. Plus, stuff like print fading to illustrate his blacking out happens within the book, which I think was a nice touch.

Perhaps the best part of this children's book is the overall message that can be taken away from it. Alexander learns too late that while it is dangerous to be reckless and to act without thinking, it is also dangerous to stay inside, afraid of living life cooped up inside. It takes a fine balance of both to be happy and healthy.

That all being said, I have to look at this from the perspective of a parent or a child (of which I am neither) since this book is intended for a younger audience. This book deals with things like death. A lot. And not all of Alexander's deaths are pleasant. Some are quite gory or violent. I recommend that this is for a more mature child's reading age, for those who can understand death fully and still find humor in it. If you're a parent or adult who walks a bit on the darker side (guilty as charged) this may be right up your alley. Just be warned that this book doesn't spare many details. And the ending, while it made me chuckle, was definitely continuing the trend of dark implications.

All in all, I think this book has good illustrations and good writing, as well as a good message. I do however warn that this book deals heavily with death and injury, though it is spun in a humorous if dark way.

Thanks to Goodreads First Reads program for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Double Review: Emily and the Strangers & The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Title: Emily and the Strangers #1
Authors: Mariah Huehner, Rob Reger, Emily Ivie
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 27th 2014
Source: Netgalley & Dark Horse Comics

★★★★

Four Stars.

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I have to admit, this is the first graphic novel/comic that I've read of Emily the Strange. I am familiar with her and love her style, and own quite a few clothing pieces with her on it. I'm one of the "strange" ones out there, pale with a love of solitude and dark clothes, and therefore am definitely in the target audience for these books.

I really just adore her as a character. She's not afraid to be herself and be different, and that's a trait that's admirable no matter your age or style. In this particular installment of Emily and the Strangers, Emily has to learn to work with others in order to win battle of the bands. I, like the main character, am not all too big of a fan of working with others in most capacities, so I related and laughed with her as she struggled to make this arrangement work in order to get what she wants.

There's plenty of strange and dark in this book, which makes me happy. The artwork is well detailed, and rather dreary, but that is exactly what I wanted and anticipated when I set my eyes on this graphic novel. The plot also includes plenty of kick ass rock music, a cast of strangers, and the grand prize of a haunted guitar. Pretty rad right?

I liked this overall and would read the next one for sure. Fans of Emily the Strange and things that are a little weird and macabre would also enjoy this I think. Thanks to Netgalley & Dark Horse Comics for my chance to review this.

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Title: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #1-6)
Authors: Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Becky Cloonan
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 7th 2014
Source: Netgalley & Dark Horse Comics

★★★★★

Four and a half stars, rounded up.

---

I got an unhealthy amount of excited when I came across this collection. I am a huge fan of Gerard Way's other comic/graphic novel work, and I was eager to give The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys a chance, and I'm really glad I did.

The plot takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, given a more twisted tone and cast of characters in Battery City. This world contains a girl who has to step in and find her place in order to be the one that the world needs to protect them from conformity in the form of things such as mega corporations. Not to mention, of course, the androids and robots and other cool creatures that make an appearance.

The books (this one contains the first six installments of the Killjoys graphic novels) may be a little hard to get into at first, since it's a pretty bizarre story that's only heightened by the bright, in your face artwork throughout, which I loved by the way. However, if you're a fan of My Chemical Romance, and especially if you have watched the videos/listened to the album Danger Days, these phrases, ideas, and people will be far more familiar to you. That being said, you don't have to be an MCR fan to enjoy Way's work. This is a fairly quick read with a lot of plot and the kind of twisted but powerful themes and writing that I've come to love from Gerard Way. If you like your graphic novels with a bright cast, brighter art work, and the idea that we all should be able to be who we are in a world that wants us to be the same, than you can appreciate this book. Thanks to Netgalley and Dark Horse Comics for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Graphic Novel Roundup

Title: The Crow: Curare
Author: James O'Barr, Antoine Dode
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: January 21st 2014
Source: Netgalley & IDW Publishing

★★★★

Four Stars.

When a little girl is brutally murdered, a retired policeman makes it his life's goal to track down whoever was responsible for her death and bring them to justice, making him lose things, and possibly his mind, along the way as he travels further and further into a pit of obsession.

When I saw that there was a graphic novel of The Crow available on Netgalley, I knew that I had to have it. I simply adore The Crow, as well as the work of James O'Barr (not to brag, but I have a signed lunch tin. Just saying). I'm happy to say that this book did not at all disappoint.

It has the grit and darkness that any fan of The Crow would come to expect. The story was well paced, and the artwork was haunting enough to pull me in and to focus on closer details of the story. This is a must have for fans of crime and mystery books, fans of a darker kind of graphic novel, and for any one who is as big of a fan of The Crow series as I am.


Title: Star Trek Volume 6: After Darkness
Author: Mike Johnson, Ryan Parrott, Erfan Fajar, Claudia Balboni
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: November 26th 2013
Source: Netgalley & IDW Publishing

★★★

Three Stars

Star Trek Volume Six is a graphic novel that tells the story of the newest revamp of the Star Trek series. There is trouble brewing on the ship, and it is up to the crew that we've all grown to love so much to fix it before it becomes far to late to do so.

I requested this particular graphic novel title because I adore the new imagining of the Star Trek series. My girlfriend (and her whole family...) are all die hard Trekkies from the olden days, but it took me a little bit more convincing to become a fan of this science fiction chronicle (read as: I require the man candy of Christopher Pine and Zachary Quinto). A fan of graphic novels myself, when I saw the two colliding, I knew I needed to read it.

The artwork was nice and well done. I like the coloring and I felt that each panel rightly captured the moment of the story that the authors were trying to convey. Unfortunately, the story itself fell flat for me. I was a bit bored by it, and I found myself not really caring if the problems were fixed or not.

This is a graphic novel worth a read to any die hard Star Trek fan, or even those who are newer fans to the series like me. However, don't expect the story to go too far in depth, or you'll be a bit disappointed.


Title: Signal to Noise
Author: Neil Gaiman), Dave McKean
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: December 10th 2013
Source: Netgalley & Dark Horse Comics

★★★

Three stars

Signal to Noise is a graphic novel that left me much divided on how to rate it, and how to feel. On one hand, the story is brilliantly told. Signal to Noise narrates the struggle of a filmmaker with cancer, whose final masterpiece will go on unseen- except by those of us reading the story. It was a powerful journey, and the window into the director's head was a fascinating one. It was well worth the read, though it is a bit of a slow one.

I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork, however. It wasn't bad, by any means, but I found it to be not to my tastes. It is however filled with great detail, so it's easy to immerse yourself in the setting of the story. But for me, the real art was in the words and the story themselves.

Raised by Bats Preorder

Hello my lovely readers. Today, I want to talk to you about one of my favorite musicians, Aurelio Voltaire.



Yup, that devastatingly handsome pirate up there. He's a Gothic singer, who is hard to classify, but who has fans that listen to a wide spectrum of rock, Goth, New Romanic, New Wave, Alternative, and Gothrock. If his name sounds familiar to you, then you probably read my review of his first novel, Call of the Jersey Devil, earlier this year. My review can be found here. Now, why am I choosing to talk about him on this lovely Sunday afternoon?

Because he needs your help!

Voltaire is working on completing his newest studio album, Raised by Bats. And let me tell you, I am dying to listen to it. It is full of brilliant musicians! This album features:

Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls, The Violent Femmes ) on drums.

Ray Toro (My Chemical Romance) on guitar.

Knox Chandler (Siouxsie & the Banshees, Depeche Mode, The Creatures) on guitar.

Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy, Mission UK, The Cult, The Alarm) on bass,

Emilio China (Psychic TV, Peter Murphy's Band) on bass.

Chibi (The Birthday Massacre) - vocals.

Frank Morin (World Inferno Friendship Society) on guitar.

Franz Nicolay (World Inferno Friendship Society) on accordion.

Melora Creager (Rasputina) on cello.

Julia Marcell - vocals

Armen Ra (Antony and the Johnstons, Mark Almond) on theremin!

with backing vocals by:

The Cruxshadows, Bella Morte, Ego Likeness, Zombina and the Skeletones and Angel Spit!

How amazing is that line up!?

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Now, Voltaire has an indiegogo fundraiser posted to help him raise the money to finish this CD, and he has some AMAZING incentives for your donations! Signed CDs, posters, t-shirts, plushies, and if you're generous enough, even concerts! For as low as ten dollars, you too can own a digital copy of this gonna-be-awesome album. Click here to check out the other impressive incentives you can order!

But Jill! I hear you exclaim over the blogosphere. I've never heard of this Voltaire. How do I know if I like his music? What does he sound like? Well, my loyal readers, allow me to assist in your musical education this afternoon! Below is a Youtube video for one of his most well known songs, When You're Evil. In fact, it was my first Voltaire experience. It's dark, catchy, and just listen to that voice.


And as a bonus, I'm including a song from his recent science-fiction album, called "Bitrektual". I know that there's some Whovians that read my posts with regularity, so here's a song all about Doctor Who!


So, if you love the aforementioned music videos, or are already a fan of Voltaire's, go and check out his newest album's preorder page. In addition to whatever merchandise you get from Voltaire himself, I will send you a note of gratitude across the internet for the world to see. Support independent music artists, and check out Raised by Bats!

I'm ending this post with a picture of Voltaire and I together, because I was lucky enough to meet him just this past week at a show right here in Illinois. I had to take two 3 1/2 hour trains, miss three classes (including a quiz... Oops), and crash on my friend's couch for the night, but his shows are so worth it. He's hilarious, talented, and ridiculously nice. So go forth and order! I did!


I love this picture. It's candid, but I don't even care.

Review: Call of the Jersey Devil

Title: Call of the Jersey Devil
Author: Aurelio Voltaire
Format: Paperback, 331 pages
Pub. Date: May 28th 2013
Source: Gifted by The Little Pink Book Boutique

★★★★

Four stars.

There are far worse things lurking in New Jersey than The Situation. Like for instance, the gateway into Hell. A witch who has taken to resealing this gateway when needed finds herself in the woods with a motley crew of assistance: five misfit teenagers and one bitter has-been Gothic singer. It will take all the strength they have to get rid of the worst thing to come out of New Jersey since the Real Housewives- the infamous Jersey Devil- and not everyone will make it back alive.

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This book is exactly the kind of writing that I expected of Voltaire, who is one of my favorite (if not favorite) musical artists. This books caters to the goth kids that grew up reading things like Goosebumps and watching Lovecraft films but never outgrew the need for creepness. Creepdom? Ah well. This book turns the goth kids into the heros instead of just the side freaks or the venomous, judgemental bad guys that they're normally portrayed as. This alone makes the book stands out and gains my favor.

This book is an equal mixture of urban legend, horror, comedy, and what the fuckery. The descriptions, while very well written and graphic, are disgusting in the best possible way. The creatures that emerge from the pit of hell are putrid, and Voltaire makes sure that you know it. I often found myself making a facial expression not unlike a first grader talking about cooties- tongue out and nose turned. But, these horror elements are well broken up with bursts of dark comedy that people with strange senses of humor, like myself, will find hilarious. I also really enjoyed a lot of the song and movie references that this book contained. (I also secretly got really excited when I read the title of the book in the prose. It doesn't take much.)

For me, the characters are what make this book one that I'd read again. AJ is a black kid who plays it smart and gets the hell out of there (no pun intended) when demons and devils start rearing their ugly horned heads. Prudence is a very pretty gothic girl who struggles with self image. Stuey is the pudgy type who worships an obscure goth musician. Ari is a girl who never speaks. Villy is the aforementioned obscure goth musician. And Alistair is a loud mouthed, foul, hilarious Satanist who tries to open Hell in the back of a Spencer's Gifts. Villy was probably my favorite character, since I felt he had the most history and the most character development throughout the story, but Alistair wasn't far behind. I admit, he made me laugh (sometimes at him, sometimes with him) for different reasons entirely than Voltaire had planned. I had a boyfriend who was a loudmouthed not-very-educated-about-Satanism-Satanist who was also an asshole. So when Alistair loses his head, I couldn't help but to applaud.

This book contains a few illustrations as well, helping to show off more of Voltaire's well-rounded artistry. My personal favorite is of Alistair (page 171).

My only real negative point about this view is that the ending left me wanting a bit more. I'm not really sure what I would have changed or ended, but I was left with a bit of disappointment when I saw that the story was over.

All in all, I think that this is a book that horror comedy fans will eat up. Be warned that this book contains graphic descriptions of monsters and anatomy, and contains adult language. If sex, gore, or Goth kids bother you, than it's probably not for you. This debut book from Aurelio Voltaire definitely delivered, and I look forward, as always, to his next project. If you haven't checked out his music, I sincerely hope that you do so.

Thank you to The Little Pink Book Boutique who gifted me a copy of this book.

Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

Title: Rockoholic
Author: C.J. Skuse
Format: Hardcover, 358 pages
Pub. Date: November 1st 2012
Source: Goodreads First Reads

★★★★

3.5 Stars, rounded up.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Jody lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes The Regulators. They are the single greatest band ever, and she owns it all- the DVDs, the albums, the magazines. All because of beautiful, brooding American front man Jackson Gatlin. He's so deep and gorgeous, she would give everything just to meet him face to face. One of the highlights of her life is when her best friend Mac gives her his ticket to go see them in concert.... Only things don't go exactly as planned. Through a series of mishaps, Jody... Kind of... Well, accidentally kidnaps Jackson. They hide him out in her garage, but... He doesn't want to leave. Mac and Jody have to figure out a way to discreetly get him away and avoid the paparazzi, and in Mac's eyes, Jody's hero can't leave fast enough.

----

Before you get this book, you should know that it's not realistic. At all. I understand that this is a fiction book, but it's almost like superfiction. Know this before you start reading, otherwise it will skew your feelings of the book, like it did with me.

-Jody is one of the most insufferable female characters I have ever read, right up there with Bella Swan and Anastasia Steele. She is the fan girl that gets picked on at concerts, in real life. She supposedly hangs with the outcast/gothy stereotype crowd... And yet she knows nothing about drugs. Like, at all. At one point, Mac makes reference to a rock. She asks if you get high by licking it, thinking it a stone outside. I don't know if this was done to build an air of naivety or what, but it made me wish that she'd get caught in her shenanigans.

-She thinks in acronyms. Such as OMG. In her own head. This bothered me a bit, though it was easy to look past.

+Mac, on the other hand, has been added to my list of fictional boyfriends. He is constantly reminding Jody that her plans and actions are stupid. He's a great supportive friend and a great big brother to his baby sister, Cree. He's the lead in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ugh. He is just yummy. I pick him over Jackson any day.

+Jackson is portrayed well. He's coming down from a high at one point, and is angry and throwing things and barking orders. I feel this was at least semi-accurate, as opposed to an easy "oh, he's clean" instant fix. I give props for that. I hated him at first, and grew to love him with time.

+ There was no instant love. Thank god, a book without it, finally!

+I love the cover of this book. It's what initially drew me in, and I think it stands out on a shelf.

The only major downfall with this book is my irritation with the lead character, Jody. Other than that, this is a music fueled, quick read that any fan girl can relate to, if only a little bit. I know personally, I was imagining my own band of obsession in place of The Regulators in this story. It took me awhile to get into it, but overall I was very glad I stuck it out and finished this novel.

I recommend it for any girl who has had a celebrity obsession and fans of YA literature. If you want a realistic fiction or a strong female lead, then pass this.

Vampire Kisses: The Beginning by Ellen Schreiber

★★★★★

Five stars.

I simply adore the Vampire Kisses series. The saga follows sixteen year old Gothic outcast Raven Madison, in a town that seems to be getting stranger by the day. Vampire Kisses: The Beginning includes the first three novels in the series. Their reviews are listed below. I find these books charming, funny, and engaging, and time after time I find myself cheering on Raven, a character that I can relate to, dressing and acting in a similar fashion myself (well, without the vampires.) I recommend this books/series to young teens, or any one who enjoys easy to read vampire romance novels.

Book One: Vampire Kisses

In a small town full of pink sweaters and country clubs, sixteen year old goth Raven Madison definitely stands out. Her love of vampires and her dark choice of dress set her apart from the crowd, and make her the target of ridicule in this town. She has one friend, and she searches for something more. Someone more like her, who shares a love of darkness. But, she's sure there's no way that'll happen Dullsville.

That is, until rumors start flying that the "haunted" old mansion on Benson Hill has a new family moving in. They look creepy, they dress too darkly, and they even say that the son hangs out in a cemetery. It spells trouble in perfect Dullsville, but Raven is ecstatic. Her emotions are only made stronger when a new rumor circulates- that the Sterling family is a family of vampires.

Could she possibly find someone like her in this town, or better yet... Could those rumors be true, and can she join him in eternity?

All in all, I really like this book. It's a young adult novel that's a fast read but entertaining nonetheless. I feel that Raven is a character I could relate to, even if a bit too young. Though modern vampire romance novels seem to all fall under the misconceived "copycat of Twilight" genre, I think this one stands on its own two feet.

Book Two: Kissing Coffins

Kissing Coffins is the second book in the continuation of sixteen year old Raven Madison. At the end of the first book, she is left with the empty mansion of her (was) boyfriend Alexander Sterling and a mysterious note. She's heartbroken and confused- she thought she had found someone whose darkened lifestyle had matched hers, surely he couldn't just leave her like that... Could he?

Hellbent on seeing Alexander again, and with a clue acquired from inside Dullsville, she devises a plan to try and find her Gothic Mate and bring them together once more.

She first finds a mysterious white haired boy, who claims to know Alex, and promises to help her find him, but something doesn't quite seem right about it to Raven.

Unsure about the truth of the Sterling family, and this new, pierced boy Jagger, Raven soon finds that there may be more truth than legend to the town's rumors, and that maybe Alexander isn't the only one who has a constant thirst in Dullsville...

I think this book is a great continuation to the first novel, Vampire Kisses. I thought that this book had more suspense and drama, not to mention more of Alexander and Raven. I found myself grateful that Raven took initiative and decided that just because Alex left, didn't mean she would just give up and sulk about the love she'd lost. She plotted and tried to hunt him down. I didn't like the way that Becky, Raven's best and only friend, came off in this book though. I no longer found her to be an enjoyable character.

Book Three: Vampireville

VampireVille is the third book in the Vampire Kisses series, and I found it to be more engaging than either of the first two.

Once the only goth in Dullsville, Raven Madison is soon finding that the city is earning a darker side. It started with the arrival of her knight in black metal armor, Alexander Sterling, who moved into the haunted, abandoned mansion in town. Then, it was the too skinny inked up boy named Jagger Maxwell, who thirsted for far more than just Raven's attention. And in this installment, Jagger's sister, Luna makes her way to the Dullsville scene. But she has an odd interest in one of the boys in town- Raven's own nemesis, Trevor. It's up to her and Alexander to figure out what Jagger and Luna are really planning, and they better do it quick; there are lives on the line.

Funny, dark, and addictive as always, Raven Madison continues to be a character that I simply adore. This novel didn't disappoint, and made me eager to start the next book almost immediately. However, I did not enjoy that Becky, Raven's best friend, is almost nowhere to be found in this segment of the story.

Vampireville by Ellen Schreiber

★★★★

Four stars.

VampireVille is the third book in the Vampire Kisses series, and I found it to be more engaging than either of the first two.

Once the only goth in Dullsville, Raven Madison is soon finding that the city is earning a darker side. It started with the arrival of her knight in black metal armor, Alexander Sterling, who moved into the haunted, abandoned mansion in town. Then, it was the too skinny inked up boy named Jagger Maxwell, who thirsted for far more than just Raven's attention. And in this installment, Jagger's sister, Luna makes her way to the Dullsville scene. But she has an odd interest in one of the boys in town- Raven's own nemesis, Trevor. It's up to her and Alexander to figure out what Jagger and Luna are really planning, and they better do it quick; there are lives on the line.

Funny, dark, and addictive as always, Raven Madison continues to be a character that I simply adore. This novel didn't disappoint, and made me eager to start the next book almost immediately

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

★★★★

Four stars.

** spoiler alert ** Kissing Coffins is the second book in the continuation of sixteen year old Raven Madison. At the end of the first book, she is left with the empty mansion of her (was) boyfriend Alexander Sterling and a mysterious note. She's heartbroken and confused- she thought she had found someone whose darkened lifestyle had matched hers, surely he couldn't just leave her like that... Could he?

Hellbent on seeing Alexander again, and with a clue acquired from inside Dullsville, she devises a plan to try and find her Gothic Mate and bring them together once more.

She first finds a mysterious white haired boy, who claims to know Alex, and promises to help her find him, but something doesn't quite seem right about it to Raven.

Unsure about the truth of the Sterling family, and this new, pierced boy Jagger, Raven soon finds that there may be more truth than legend to the town's rumors, and that maybe Alexander isn't the only one who has a constant thirst in Dullsville...

I think this book is a great continuation to the first novel, Vampire Kisses. I thought that this book had more suspense and drama, not to mention more of Alexander and Raven. I found myself grateful that Raven took initiative and decided that just because Alex left, didn't mean she would just give up and sulk about the love she'd lost. She plotted and tried to hunt him down. I didn't like the way that Becky, Raven's best and only friend, came off in this book though. I no longer found her to be an enjoyable character. I recommend this book to young adults, those who read the first book, and those in search of an easy to read, easy to follow paranormal romance.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

★★★★

Four stars.

In a small town full of pink sweaters and country clubs, sixteen year old goth Raven Madison definitely stands out. Her love of vampires and her dark choice of dress set her apart from the crowd, and make her the target of ridicule in this town. She has one friend, and she searches for something more. Someone more like her, who shares a love of darkness. But, she's sure there's no way that'll happen Dullsville.

That is, until rumors start flying that the "haunted" old mansion on Benson Hill has a new family moving in. They look creepy, they dress too darkly, and they even say that the son hangs out in a cemetery. It spells trouble in perfect Dullsville, but Raven is ecstatic. Her emotions are only made stronger when a new rumor circulates- that the Sterling family is a family of vampires.

Could she possibly find someone like her in this town, or better yet... Could those rumors be true, and can she join him in eternity?

All in all, I really like this book. It's a young adult novel that's a fast read but entertaining nonetheless. I feel that Raven is a character I could relate to, even if a bit too young. Though modern vampire romance novels seem to all fall under the misconceived "copycat of Twilight" genre, I think this one stands on its own two feet.

I recommend it for pre/early teens, or anyone looking for a lighthearted vampire book without the horror or suspense aspects in it.

Mosh Pit by Kristyn Dunnion

★★★★★

Five stars.

I positively adored this book.

Not recommended for the faint of heart, this book is full of drug use, profanity, and sexual references. If you don't mind all that (like me), then I cannot recommend it enough.

The book follows the story of lesbian protagonist Simone and her "best friend" Cherry, into a Gothic/Punk world of heavy metal, moshing, and crime. Simone's feelings haven't always been innocent towards Cherry, and Cherry uses this to manipulate her. Cherry gets swept up with a shady young man, and Simone is left to decide just how long she can watch her friend spiral deeper and deeper into drugs and trouble, when Cherry has no desire to be saved. The entire novel is speckled with Cherry's blog entries, a great way of showing her perspective. What I found to be even cooler was the soundtrack that adorned this book- bands and songs are mentioned in these blog entries, as well as by Simone throughout of the novel.

As part of the underground (as well as LGBT) scene, I found this book incredibly relatable. It gives a voice to an aspect of society that most publishers turn away. Once I started this book, it was nearly impossible for me to put it down.