Ink of Blood

Avengers: Vision and The Scarlet Witch: A Year in The Life

Posted by cat2002116 on February 4, 2016

Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, comic books, reviews. Leave a comment

Avengers Vision and The Scarlet Witch A Year in The Life

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although I couldn’t really afford it, I was still really desperate to read this book, considering how much I like the Scarlet Witch… and that I really like her relationship with the Vision (even though my niece doesn’t think they should be together).

I liked the nice variety of different storylines in the comics in this set. It was good to see Wanda as a strong character and also have a really good relationship with the Vision. They had some really nice interactions together and it was also good to see them gain more family and friends… though I wasn’t sure I really liked the other couple they made as friends. I thought they were good characters at first… but I did feel that they weren’t as ‘good’ as they could have been.

I liked being able to see the Vision’s interactions with Simon and how the two of them had accepted each other as brothers. It was a bit sad about what had happened with the third brother… but I think it was still good to see the way the family dynamic changed.

It was nice to see Wanda have the opportunity to experience motherhood. I really didn’t like the people from their neighbourhood. While I could understand not wanting to let themselves get chased away, I thought they’d placed themselves in unnecessary danger.

I liked being able to see the Vision trying to learn more about who he is… and how he came to accept himself and his place with Wanda. There were a lot of times I forgot that he wasn’t entirely human… and it was particularly good to see him interacting with some of the other Avengers. And i was especially good to be able to see Clint; and I really liked the fact that Mockingbird put in an appearance, even though she didn’t appear for very long.

It was also good to see that Pietro was happy… but the way things were with him and Crystal was difficult to see. And I couldn’t help feeling sorry for their daughter… and really disliking Crystal.

I did enjoy reading these comics and it was good to see more of the romance between Wanda and the Vision. I plan to read more in the Marvel universe in the near future.

Aiden’s Quest For Apollo

Posted by cat2002116 on February 2, 2016

Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Aiden's Quest For Apollo

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I would ideally give this book 2.5 stars out of 5. I really wanted to like it… but unfortunately, I felt that it needed quite a bit of editing. There were a lot of words that didn’t fit and repetition that I felt didn’t really work. (‘Cloud room’ was used three times in one paragraph, for instance).

The idea behind the book was really interesting, although I wouldn’t have said the title fit with the storyline. I felt that things came far too easy for the characters. There was very little foreshadowing and I felt that there was too much telling rather than showing. For instance, Ares was supposed to be uttering really funny lines… but nothing that I read from him should have garnered those kinds of reactions from the others.

I did think that Aiden accepted the situation far too quickly. I would have liked some more details about how him and the other three related to the gods they were apparently avatars of. There was very little actual explanation in this book… and the characters seemed to have very little curiosity about what was going on.

It was good to see the other characters like Hermes and Dionysus in this book, though I didn’t think they showed much of the personalities from the mythos. I would have liked to know more of Ares and Athena before the quest began. While it was good to see something of Ares beforehand, I didn’t have a clue about Athena’s life beforehand.

I did find myself getting quite confused about what was going on most of the time. I would have liked to see the characters have to work more for what was going on and for there to be less ‘I had a bad feeling’… that then turns out to be accurate. I know there’s instinct and all, but I didn’t feel the characters were in any real danger… and even when they got hurt/made mistakes, it was all dealt with without any consequences or problems.

I won’t be reading a sequel to this book as it stands.

Room

Posted by cat2002116 on February 2, 2016

Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. 1 Comment

Room

(This review may contain spoilers).

Even though this movie wasn’t a genre I would normally choose to watch, I was drawn in by the trailer of this movie when I watched it.

I haven’t read the book this movie is based on, but I did find this film to be really engaging. I had a lot of sympathy for Jack and his Ma… and I had a really strong dislike for Old Nick right from the start. That dislike only grew the more I learned about Jack’s Ma’s history.

I found Jack and his Ma easy characters to relate to. It was interesting to see how Jack viewed the small world he was stuck in… that, unlike his Ma, he had no idea there was even an outside world; and that he had trouble imagining anything outside of Room.

There were a lot of sad moments in this movie. I felt that Jack’s reactions outside of his small world were realistic… and it was good to see he was affected by being stuck in the room for his whole life. Even though there were times his Ma got stressed and lost her temper, I felt that many of her reactions were realistic and I could definitely empathise with how trapped she was.

I thought it was good that things weren’t absolutely fine later on. Even though Jack and his Ma did manage to solve one problem, I liked that there were other problems they had to face later on. It was good to see how Jack especially progressed through the course of the movie.

I felt that this movie did a good job of tugging at my heartstrings. The actors played characters who were easy to relate to and even though the ending wasn’t a true ending… it showed growth for both of the main characters and I thought it worked with the movie.

I don’t think I’d gain anything from watching this movie again, but the first time through, it was powerful and moving to view.

Book of the Dead

Posted by cat2002116 on February 1, 2016

Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Book of the Dead

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I don’t see very much fiction involving the ‘Elders’, so when I won this book, I was happy to have the opportunity to read this book.

Despite having some confusion with some of the more minor characters, I did find this book drew me in. I had the feeling that I was only getting some of the story and that I’d missed the previous books involving Matt… but I still liked him as a character and I found him fairly easy to understand.

There were a lot of disturbing scenes in this book. Drummond especially made my skin crawl in every appearance he made. I did really like Adira’s character, even though I would likely be scared of her if I ever met her in reality.

It was good to see that the characters had to move through other countries and I liked the fact that they faced other problems than the sinkholes. The very first chapter did a really good job of setting the tone for the rest of the book… and the descriptions of the creatures were horrible enough that reading about them made me picture truly awful things.

I didn’t like Andy so much in this book, even though I had thought he was interesting in his first appearance. I thought that he didn’t really demonstrate very much intelligence and seemed to be more concerned with the women on the team than with what was going on in the world. (I don’t tend to have a problem with romance, but I felt it was kind of over-used in this particular book).

I did like the fact that the characters were in clear and obvious danger, even though some of the characters who ended up being killed were ones I didn’t really get to know very well. I did like Abrams… but I liked Hartogg a lot more. I would have liked to see more of his history and what drives him.

It was good to see the role nature played in this book as well. Despite the really dark parts in this book, I found it easy to read and there were some things I didn’t see coming. I probably would read other books involving these characters in the future.

Goosebumps (Movie)

Posted by cat2002116 on February 1, 2016

Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

Goosebumps Movie

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’ve read a lot of the Goosebumps books over the years, as well as seen many episodes of the television series, so I was quite eager to see this movie.

I liked the whole concept of this film, though I did think that Jack Black’s acting seemed a bit over-the-top at first. I did, however, enjoy the banter he had with Zach and it was nice to see that there was character growth between Zach and Stine.

I liked Champ’s character. I really liked the fact that he grew during the course of the movie and evolved as a character. I also really liked the opportunity to see so many of the monsters from the Goosebumps books… although it was my niece who kept pointing out which monster was which.

I would have liked to see more time spent developing the feelings between Zach and Hannah. While I did think there were some really sweet moments between them, it would have been good to learn more about them.

I did think that there were some good elements of humour in this movie… and it was good that there were quite a few surprises in this. I did enjoy seeing Zach’s relationship with his mother and his aunt… though I didn’t really like his aunt very much at first.

My niece did say that she enjoyed the movie, but there were a couple of darker moments there… and she did get a bit freaked out when the graveyard ghouls appeared. I wouldn’t recommend taking younger children to see the film (my niece is eight).

There were some good special effects in this movie and I found it quite easy to suspend my disbelief. And there were also some pretty good moments of foreshadowing. I did think the Invisible Boy was amusing… though I would have liked to see a little more variety in the monsters, since in the books, they weren’t all bad.

I did find this movie to be entertaining to watch and a good homage to Goosebumps… particularly with the real R.L. Stine putting in an appearance. It was easy to watch and I’d probably view it again at some point in the future.

Release Day Blitz: Same/Difference

Posted by cat2002116 on January 31, 2016

Posted in: Promotion. Tagged: Promotion. Leave a comment

small frame Release Blitz 12387771_1690980031117786_2061029315_n small frame-synopsis Metamorphosis. An exquisite transformation. A necessary mechanism of evolution whereby the change is not only in appearance, but also behavior. My transformation possessed no beauty. Only pain. But just as the caterpillar morphs to a butterfly my strength is refined in the struggle, my flaws cocooned in the dark. If I survive the alteration my reward is to drink nectar and float on the breeze. Where I was once vulnerable, I will rise above. The same, but different. My name is Paige. I’m spreading my wings. 12524094_1703292603219862_6130202809894643482_n small frame-buy links AMAZON PRE-ORDER – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019ZUAQF4 12301667_911090482319004_6544733853091720631_n small frame author small frame-dd lorenzo 7176653 DD Lorenzo is a contemporary storyteller of love and suspense. She likes to think of her books as “Romance with a Twist”! DD resides in Maryland, The Land of Pleasant Living. She met the love of her life in high school and decided to look no further. Together, they have raised an eclectic and amazing family. When she isn’t writing stories, she is rooting for the Baltimore Ravens or the Baltimore Orioles. Her favorite pastimes include spending time with the great people in her life and riding to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in her husband’s classic Mustang. DD is currently working on books 5, “Beauty is a Bitch”. Just an FYI – Book 1 is a cliffie that concludes in Book 2. Books 3, 4, and 5 are stand alone novels. That will complete the “Depth of Emotion” series. small frame-follow

You can find DD on FaceBook, Twitter, Goodreads and at www.ddlorenzo.com

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Blog Tour: Cogling

Posted by cat2002116 on January 27, 2016

Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: Blog Tour, books, reviews. Leave a comment

Jan Review Tour

Cogling

COGLING, by Jordan Elizabeth

Genre: Middle-Grade fantasy

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release: January 25, 2016

Cover Artist: Mandie Manzano

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:

When fifteen-year-old Edna Mather tears an expensive and unfamiliar pocket watch off her little brother’s neck, he crumbles into a pile of cogs right before her eyes. Horrified, Edna flees for help, but encounters Ike, a thief who attempts to steal the watch before he realizes what it is: a device to power Coglings—clockwork changelings left in place of stolen children who have been forced to work in factories.

Desperate to rescue her brother, Edna sets off across the kingdom to the hags’ swamp, with Ike in tow. There, they learn Coglings are also replacing nobility so the hags can stage a rebellion and rule over humanity. Edna and Ike must stop the revolt, but the populace believes hags are helpful godmothers and healers. No one wants to believe a lowly servant and a thief, especially when Ike has secrets that label them both as traitors.

Together, Edna and Ike must make the kingdom trust them or stop the hags themselves, even if Ike is forced to embrace his dark heritage and Edna must surrender her family.

My Review

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I thought this book was a really unique idea, even though steampunk is a genre I’ve seen quite a few times before.

It was good that I was given the opportunity to get to know Edna a bit before the action started. Because she clearly knew her brother so well, it was easy to see how Harrison was acting so strangely… though it was odd that Edna and Harrison’s mother didn’t seem to notice anything.

I didn’t really like Ike at first in the book, but as the storyline went on, he did grow on me. I enjoyed being able to see more of the world as the two of them tracked down the hags. There were quite a lot of supporting characters I really disliked, though.

I liked being able to learn more of Ike’s past as the storyline went on and I did feel a lot of sympathy for Edna. I felt bad that she felt that there was evil inside her.

I would have liked to see more of the different hags. The one at the beginning seemed to crop up a few times later on, but I found it difficult to understand the reasoning behind taking the children and forcing them to work, since it seemed that the majority of the hags were part of the potential uprising.

I really didn’t like Rachel for a lot of the book. While she did seem to have a bit more depth to her than was first apparent, I did think that she was shallow and didn’t seem to really care about anyone else even later on in the story.

I would have liked some more details about how the magic worked. I was a bit confused about how the objects were enchanted exactly, even though it was good to get glimpses into the factory. And the idea of the coglings was a pretty intriguing one.

I also liked being able to see the different kinds of other living things in this book. I thought the foxkin were cool and it was nice to see that at least Edna cared about them as living creatures. The soot demons made me cringe… but I really liked Silver the dragon.

I’d definitely be interested in reading other books by this author and also in seeing more of this world and the characters in the future. It would be good to learn more about them.

About The Author

Jordan Elizabeth

Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. With an eclectic job history of working as a college professor; historic costumed interpreter at Fort Stanwix, Victorian Leisure Fair, and Mayfaire on the Green; office specialist; sales clerk; election inspector; and trainer, she is now diving into the world of author.It happens to be her favorite one.

When she’s not creating art or searching for lost history in the woods, she’s updating her blog, Kissed by Literature. Jordan is the president of the Utica Writers Club and maintains JordanElizabethMierek.com.

She roams Central New York, but she loves to travel. A great deal of time has been spent in a rural town very similar to Arnn, the setting of her novel ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW.

Find the author Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

About Curiosity Quills Press

Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.

Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Ride Along 2

Posted by cat2002116 on January 27, 2016

Posted in: Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

Ride Along 2

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having seen the prequel to this movie, I was definitely interested in seeing this… so when I had the opportunity to watch it today, I decided I wanted to see it.

It was good to see a direct sequel to the first film. I didn’t remember all of the details, but I liked the fact that Ben had chosen to try and go into law enforcement. I felt a lot of sympathy for him, due to the fact that he was so eager to be a part of the police… but things couldn’t help but go wrong for him.

It was good to see the banter between Ben and James and the ‘brothers-in-law’ exchange did make me giggle. It was good to see that, although Ben did make mistakes, he was still capable at times… and there were a couple of scenes where I thought he demonstrated the training he had received. (For instance, I thought the part where he counted the bullets was quite cool).

I did enjoy being able to see the relationship between Ben and Angela. It was cool to see how Angela accepted Ben’s quirks… and I did find the ‘thongs’ exchange amusing.

Although there were quite a few elements of humour, it was good to see there were instances of seriousness as well. I liked the actor playing AJ and it was cool to see the part he played in the missions.

There were a couple of cringeworthy moments in this movie, like when Ben eats food from the bin… that made me wince in sympathy. But there were also some laugh-out-loud moments… and the main characters played well off each other, even though I did get a bit confused over who was who with some of the minor characters.

I did really dislike Cori, though, but it was good to realise I’d seen the actress in something before.

I did find this movie to be really entertaining with some good tense scenes and quite a bit of good humour. I might not plan to watch this film again any time soon… but if there’s a third movie in this franchise, I probably would watch it.

Blog Tour: The Mystery of Hollow Places

Posted by cat2002116 on January 26, 2016

Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: Blog Tour, books, reviews. 1 Comment

The Mystery of Hollow Places

by Rebecca Podos

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It’s the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist, she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed by a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as troubled waters.

When Imogene is seventeen, her father, now a famous author of medical mysteries, strikes out in the middle of the night and doesn’t come back. Neither Imogene’s stepmother nor the police know where he could’ve gone, but Imogene is convinced he’s looking for her mother. She decides to put to use the skills she’s gleaned from a lifetime of her father’s books to track down a woman she’s never known, in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she’s carried with her for her entire life.

Rebecca Podos’ debut is a powerful, affecting story of the pieces of ourselves that remain mysteries even to us – the desperate search through empty spaces for something to hold on to.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I thought this book was a really intriguing read. Imogene was a character I was able to empathise really strongly with… and although I did get confused with some of the sudden flashbacks, for the most part, I was able to follow the storyline.

It was good that the plot started straight away and I was able to see how Imogene viewed her father and what her relationship with her stepmother was like straight away. Although a part of me did feel for how Lindy must have viewed things, I did find Imogene a much more sympathetic character. In some ways, I thought Lindy fluctuated a bit between trying too hard and treating Imogene like a child. (Though Imogene’s musings on Lindy’s comments about her first words was really amusing).

I liked the fact that Imogene used the books she’d read, including those written by her father, as parallels to what she was trying to do. In many ways, that helped me to connect emotionally to her as a character. Not only the fact she was reading darker books when she was really young… but how she imagined herself as the characters she’d read about.

It was good to see that there was an air of mystery through this book, but I also really liked seeing Imogene’s friendship with Jessa. While I couldn’t help thinking that Jessa seemed vastly different to Imogene, I did think that their friendship felt very real and natural… and it was good to see that Jessa did her best to support Imogene and be a good friend to her… despite the problems. However, I did have trouble seeing why Imogene had a crush on Chad. I didn’t feel that nearly enough detail was shown about him to find that really believable.

I thought it was good that there was a fairly small cast of characters. It gave the book a bit more of an ‘intimate’ feel and I felt that the writing wasn’t bogged down with me trying to keep track of who was who… only during a couple of scenes, where other characters were mentioned but I had trouble keeping them straight.

This book was quick and engaging to read. I thought Imogene was a likable, sympathetic character and I was drawn into her life really easily. In some ways, this book was a ‘growing up’ storyline… but I also liked the themes of family and friendship. In the future, I’d imagine I’d be happy to read more books by this author.

Read an excerpt of THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES on Epic Reads:

The Mystery Of Hollow Places | Books | Epic Reads

Follow the The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Rebecca Podos’ debut YA novel, THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES, is forthcoming from Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins) on 1/26/16. A graduate of the Writing, Literature and Publishing program at Emerson College where she won the M.F.A. Award for Best Thesis, her fiction has been published in Glimmer Train, Glyph, CAJE, Paper Darts, Bellows American Review, and Smokelong Quarterly. Past Awards include the Helman Award for Short Fiction, the David Dornstein Memorial Creative Writing Prize for Young Adult Writers, and the Hillerman-McGarrity Scholarship for Creative Writing. She works as a YA and MG agent at the Rees Literary Agency in Boston.

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Blog Tour: The Year We Fell Apart

Posted by cat2002116 on January 25, 2016

Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: Blog Tour, books, reviews. Leave a comment

The Year We Fell Apart

by Emily Martin

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: January 26th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

In the tradition of Sarah Dessen, this powerful debut novel is a compelling portrait of a young girl coping with her mother’s cancer as she figures out how to learn from—and fix—her past.

Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.

As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.

In this honest and affecting tale of friendship and first love, Emily Martin brings to vivid life the trials and struggles of high school and the ability to learn from past mistakes over the course of one steamy North Carolina summer.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

While this book, again, isn’t one I would have necessarily chosen to purchase myself… I did still find it a really good read. While I wasn’t sure what to make of Harper at first, I found myself growing more sympathetic towards her as the book went on.

I would have liked some more details about how Harper, Cory and Declan had become friends in the first place, but I liked the fact that this book also dealt with family issues as well as the friendships and romantic entanglements.

It was interesting to see that Harper was forced into taking a summer class, but I found it interesting that she seemed to find something of a ‘niche’ with the photography. It was obvious right from the start that there was a lot of tension between her and Declan… but although I was confused about exactly how things had been left between them, it was good that the full story about that unfolded gradually throughout the course of the book.

I did like the fact that Harper’s character was clearly flawed. There were times I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good shake… but I did warm to her and I thought that her flaws made her a much more interesting character.

I liked Cory and I would have liked to see more of him in the book, as well as Mackenzie and Gwen. Although I was confused about certain aspects at first, it was nice to see that Harper did still have people who cared about and wanted to be there for her… to the point of telling her to call if she ever needed a ride.

I would have liked to see more of Harper’s relationship with Graham, but it was nice to see her and her mother… and also nice to see Harper forced to take some responsibility. There were a lot of really good emotional scenes in this book that drew me in and made me feel for the characters.

In the future, I would be interested in reading more books by this author. It would also be good to see more of the characters… maybe some of the minor ones as the focus, though, like Cory or Graham.

Follow the The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Emily Martin lives and writes in the Greater Boston area, though she will always call Michigan home. She has a penchant for impromptu dance parties, vintage clothing, and traveling to new places. When not writing, she can be found hiking New England’s peaks, searching for the perfect cup of hot chocolate, or baking something pumpkin-flavored.