True Calling

Posted by cat2002116 on July 6, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . 1 Comment

True Calling

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I did find this book to be quite difficult to get into at first. By the end, I’d ideally give it 3.5 stars… unfortunately, it didn’t quite reach the mark for 4 stars, at least for me.

I had a few mixed feelings about Ariana. I actually felt she started off as quite an interesting character… but I felt that she lost the strength I glimpsed when Cal came into the picture. She kind of lost me for quite a while when she waxed narcissistic (there were a couple of references to her body shape being curvy. And toned. And thin… and, well, who really knows what shape their face is?)

I felt that the book was better during the times when the romance took more of a backseat. I liked seeing glimpses of Zane and it was also good to see Ariana interacting with the others in her family. I did like the fact that she was taking care of her brother and sister… and it was also good to see her having to deal with a mother who was struggling with depression.

There were times I felt that Ariana’s language came across as a bit juvenile. I’ve seen ‘OMG’ used in dialogue… but it’s just as cringeworthy to read it used in the narrative. And it seemed to contradict Ariana’s entire personality up till that point.

Although I didn’t like the constant descriptions of males being ‘handsome’ with no reference points, I did actually find Cal to be a fairly intriguing character. I do have a strong dislike of love triangles, though, and the one set up in this book hit a lot of my negative associations.

I found Zane a bit more of an interesting narrator, though his constant hangups over Ariana were a bit annoying. I felt that too much of the book was dedicated to describing events/scenes that were really unnecessary. There was a lot glossed over that was irritating, giving a telling rather than showing feeling to the book.

I did like Ariana’s relationship with her father and it was interesting to see the politics involved… even if I did get a sense of the Hunger Games at certain points. The book was easier to read as I continued… but I do think there were things that could have been improved upon.

Wing Over Wendover

Posted by cat2002116 on July 5, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Wing Over Wendover

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

Falconry is something I’ve seen used in a lot of writing or in other media, but I don’t know a lot about it. I thought this was a good, really interesting book. It was clearly a book written for younger readers… but I still found it readable.

I did find the use of the *s and footnotes to be quite distracting, especially since not all of the footnotes were referencing the text marked.

I thought that the start of the book worked quite well. It was interesting to see the different animals talking to each other… and I really enjoyed reading Wendover’s interactions with DJ.

It was interesting to see something of the food chain between the animals… but also the friendship that sprang up between DJ and the birds of prey. I thought it was sweet that DJ developed a crush on Ria… but I would have liked to see more of the interactions between the three of them. I felt that a lot of the friendships that formed between them were glossed over.

I thought it was good to have the opportunity to see things from both Timmy’s perspective and from the animals. I found it really easy to get drawn into the storyline and I liked the personalities shown of the birds and rat.

I liked Ria quite a bit. It was good to see that Timmy recognised the fact she belonged in the wild. I would have liked to know how Timmy got into falconry. I didn’t really see much of a mention of his family… and it would have been good to see more of other human characters.

The illustrations in this book were really well-done and I felt they added a lot to the storyline. It was good to see that some of the animals had their own sense of honour… as well as the fact that they were resourceful and able to work together towards the end of the book.

I plan to pass this book onto my niece, since I think she’d probably enjoy it. And it would also be good to read more about Timmy and his adventures with Wendover in the future.

Blog Tour: The Defenders of Blackspire Abbey

Posted by cat2002116 on July 4, 2015
Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . 1 Comment

Blackspire Abbey

Genre: epic fantasy

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release­­: June 1, 2015

Cover Artist: Andrea García

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:

In the bloody height of the Dark Ages, when long ships carried Viking raiders across the waves and swords decided the fates of kingdoms, monasteries offer small pockets of civilization and learning – but Blackspire Abbey is no ordinary monastery. Located on a jagged chunk of rock off the English coast, Blackspire Abbey serves as a library for forbidden books of black magic and the occult, where heresy can be studied firsthand. Blackspire Abbey has a strange guardian -the Viking warrior known as Egil the Scarred. Egil was not born, but created by a mysterious witch who sewed the pieces of fallen Vikings into a patchwork man, and animated Egil with magic to create an unstoppable solider with war fused into his very bones. Now, Egil is trying to end his wandering and forge an new life for himself.

But danger is coming to Blackspire Abbey. Father Enrico Dori, a priest turned Satanist and author of a bloody, heretical rebellion, comes to Blackspire Abbey in chains so that he may be studied. Inquisitor Hox, a fanatic servant of God, seeks to cleanse Blackspire Abbey of heresy with Holy Fire. Viking raiders, including Egil’s former friend Ragnar Redye, seek to raid the abbey and steal its wealth. Egil’s only allies are Brother Cuthbert and Timothy Foundling, a wise monk and his apprentice, and Clare of Burgundy – a former nun turned outlaw queen sent to do penance in the abbey. They are the Defenders of Blackspire Abbey and they will stand against all foes and battle for the light of civilizations – and for their very lives.

 

My Review

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book to be a really intriguing read. I liked Egil as a character. It was good to see the contrast between the monks’ beliefs and Egil’s own.

I would have liked a bit of background as to how Egil became the defender of the abbey. I did like reading about his interactions with the other characters. And it was really interesting to learn something of his origins… and how the forms of those taken to create him affect him.

I liked Tybern in this book, a whole lot. It was good to see that Egil seemed fond of the cat. I also liked seeing him with Timothy and Clare. I did have some mixed feelings about Cuthbert, I have to say. Even though he seemed to come across as one of the good characters, it was also like he was reluctant to do the right thing if it meant endangering himself and/or Timmy.

I found the descriptions of the demons to be utterly disturbing. Some of them really made me cringe.

I liked the fact that the supernatural did play a big part in this book… not that it couldn’t, considering Egil’s creation. But it was good to see the different types of skills… and that the monks did have the ability to bless weapons and have it work, rather than the power of prayer doing nothing.

I found Egil’s Viking friends to be quite interesting, too, especially Bjorn and Gunnhilde (I may have the spelling wrong). It was cool to see that Bjorn was a berserker and that I had the opportunity to see him access that ability… though he seemed to recognise friends/allies, which I didn’t think tended to happen.

It was good to learn bits and pieces of the Viking culture as the book went on. I was glad to see that Clare and Timothy, especially, stood up for what they knew was right. And I did also like Merrymore.

It was good to have the two short stories at the end of the book and have the opportunity to get to know the characters more. I liked seeing how Egil’s attitude changed gradually towards Cuthbert and Timothy. The second story was a lot scarier, though… not to mention fairly disturbing.

I would like to read the next book in this series in the future. I was drawn into the world and felt myself connection emotionally with the characters.

 

About The Author

Michael Panush pic

Twenty-Four years old, Michael Panush has distinguished himself as one of Sacramento’s most promising young writers. Michael has published numerous short stories in a variety of e-zines including: AuroraWolf, Demon Minds, Fantastic Horror, Dark Fire Fiction, Aphelion, Horrorbound, Fantasy Gazetteer, Demonic Tome, Tiny Globule, and Defenestration.

He is the author of Clark Reeper Tales, his first novel. Michael began telling stories when he was only nine years old. He won first place in the Sacramento Storyteller’s Guild “Liar’s Contest” in 2002 and was a finalist in the National Youth Storytelling Olympics in in 2003. In 2005, Michael’s short story entitled, Adventures in Algebra, won first place in the annual MISFITS Writing Contest.

In 2007, Michael was selected as a California Art’s Scholar and attended the Innerspark Summer Writing Program at the CalArts Institute. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 2008 and has recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz.

Find Michael Panush 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

If You Were Me and Lived In… China

Posted by cat2002116 on July 3, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

If You Were Me and Lived in China

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’m not actually sure how I ended up receiving a copy of this book, but since I do have an eight-year-old niece, I figured she might find it quite enjoyable. So we read it together today.

I thought this book was a good way of introducing a child to China. It was good to see that there were pronunciations of some of the words… my niece had great fun sounding some of them out! I think there could have been a bit more explanation as to why some of the spellings were vastly different to the way the words were pronounced. My niece was a bit confused by that fact.

It was interesting to read about the origin of the country’s name and I liked the fact that the narrative addressed the reader directly. I think there could have been a couple more guessing games included… but my niece did engage with the couple of, ‘What does this word mean?’ questions.

There were quite a few interesting facts in this book, such as the different foods people from different parts of China might eat and the estimated length of the Great Wall of China. There were some really good illustrations in this book… and a couple of really nice photos, too. There was a good one of the Wall which had illustrations of children walking on it.

Although there were a few typos, such as missing words and wrong words, I thought this book worked really well as an informational one. It was a nice length and it was easy to read to my niece.

My niece also told me she thought it was really great. She said she liked being able to learn some of the language and she tried out ‘I love you’ on her mum and Granddad, as well as others in the family. I’ve given her the book to keep and I expect she might be interested in learning more of the Chinese culture in the future. (She liked the name Zi when we looked at the page about the names you might have if you were born in China).

I’m sure I’d get her other books by this author in the future. And when my nephew’s a bit older, he might enjoy learning about China as well.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Posted by cat2002116 on July 3, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

X-Men Origins Wolverine

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having watched (or, rather, re-watched) the X-Men movies, I chose to re-watch this movie, too.

Again, I know that this really isn’t true to the comics. I personally found it quite entertaining. It was good to see Logan’s past… and even get a glimpse of what he was like before he discovered he was a mutant.

It was interesting to see Logan’s relationship with Victor. There were some contradictions to the first X-Men movie, but actually not that many. It was also pretty cool to have the opportunity to see Scott as a teenager.

I felt the film creators did a good job of making Logan seem younger for most of the movie. It was nice to see his relationship with Kayla and it was also good to see his claws before his skeleton was coated in metal.

I found it interesting to see that most of Logan’s and Victor’s early lives were filled with violence and how the two of them ended up taking two vastly different paths. I also enjoyed seeing Gambit in this movie… and I found Wade to be an amusing character at the start.

It was interesting to see Stryker in this movie and have the reference made to his son. I did find him a really difficult character to relate to. He wasn’t one of the interesting villains.

There were some pretty cool mutations in this movie, particularly when it came to Wraith’s. It was good to see how Logan worked with the others… even with Victor again later on.

There was quite a bit of action in this movie. Some of the other characters’ motivations were easy to understand. I was confused about Victor apparently having the same healing ability as Logan, though.

There were some other contradictions in this movie, I felt. It would have been better for it to tie in more seamlessly with the previous movies. But on the whole, I did really enjoy watching it. The ending was quite sad… but I hope to see more of Logan in future films; and potentially have some of those loose ends tied up.

Blog Tour: Silent Clarion

Posted by cat2002116 on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Blog Tour, Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Silent Clarion

SILENT CLARION, by Matthew Graybosch

Genre: science-fiction-thriller

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release­­: June 1, 2015

Cover Artist: Eugene Teplitsky

Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Description:

My curiosity might get me killed. I thought I needed a vacation from my duties as an Adversary in service to the Phoenix Society. After learning about unexplained disappearances in a little town called Clarion, I couldn’t stop myself from checking it out.

Now I must protect a witness to two murders without any protection but my sword. I must identify a murderer who strikes from the shadows. I must expose secrets the Phoenix Society’s executive council is hellbent on keeping buried.

I have no support but an ally I dare not trust. If I cannot break the silence hiding what happened in Clarion’s past, I have no future. I must discover the truth about Project Harker. Failure is not an option.

Silent Clarion is a new-adult science-fiction thriller by Matthew Graybosch, set before the events of the Starbreaker novels. Meet Naomi Bradleigh as an Adversary, seventeen years before Without Bloodshed.​

My Review

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

This was another book I felt was more of a novella. It was quick and easy to read and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and having a glimpse into the world, even though I haven’t read the first book in this series.

I did like the main character in this book. Naomi was a character I found really easy to relate to. I would have liked a bit more detail about why she had a slightly different appearance… but she liked cats, which was a point in her favour.

It was good to see Naomi’s relationships with the other characters, particularly Jackie. However, I would have liked a bit more detail about how Naomi’s biological parents still kept their rights to her, since I don’t think that’s possible in present times. I did enjoy seeing Naomi with her parents and brothers, though. It was nice to see that Naomi had a good relationship with her family.

I thought that the job Naomi performed was a really interesting one. Even though I would have liked to know a bit more detail about the organisation’s history (and why they trained to fight with swords), I thought the idea was a unique one and something I could see actually forming in the future.

It was interesting to see how the society had discovered and named some of the genetic traits, such as the ability to only father male children. I was a bit unclear about what all of the coding referenced, though and why it mattered.

I felt this book worked really well to introduce me to the world and the characters. I would have liked to see more of the technology and also get a bit more background about the disappearances Naomi heard about. What I did read piqued my interest in learning more, though.

UPDATE: Upon contact with Curiosity Quills Press, I’ve found out this book is part of a serial. The next book in the series is due for publication in August.

About The Author

Matthew Graybosch

According to official records maintained by the state of New York, Matthew Graybosch was born on Long Island in 1978. Urban legends from New York suggest he might be Rosemary’s Baby, the result of top-secret DOD attempts to continue Nazi experiments combining human technology and black magic, or that he sprang fully grown from his father’s forehead with a sledgehammer in one hand and a copy of Bulfinch’s Mythology in the other — and has given the poor man headaches ever since.

The truth is more prosaic. Matthew Graybosch is a novelist from New York who lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and cats. He is also an avid reader, a long-haired metalhead, and an unrepentant nerd. Without Bloodshed is his first published novel. He’s currently hard at work on the second Starbreaker novel, The Blackened Phoenix, while also working as a software developer.

Find Matthew Graybosch 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

X-Men: The Last Stand

Posted by cat2002116 on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

X-Men The Last Stand

(This review may contain spoilers).

I haven’t read many of the comics, but I am aware of the fact that the Dark Phoenix storyline was changed from the original incarnation. However, the films have already changed a lot… enough that I would personally consider them to be an entirely different canon to the comics. I did find the Dark Phoenix arc to be fairly interesting in this movie… but I’m sure it would be just as entertaining in the comics.

Since I’ve had the opportunity to read quite a few of the comics, I recognised some of the alternate versions of the characters… such as Warren (and I think there were some really cool effects where he was concerned).

I had a lot of sympathy for both Scott and Logan in this movie, after what had happened to Jean. It was really cool to see the danger room and them training to work together as a team. It was nice to see some of the characters I recognised from the previous two films… though the character of Kitty seems to have changed actresses in each movie so far.

I thought it was good to see the scene prior to the start of the films, where Charles and Eric meet Jean as a child. I felt it did a good job of setting up for the events of the movie later, since it certainly left me with questions.

The idea of a ‘cure’ is one that I think would be a really tough choice to make. I didn’t like the fact that people were trying to force said cure… but I could understand why someone like Rogue would be desperate for the chance to be able to touch someone without causing them pain. I thought there was a really sweet scene between her and Logan later on.

There were quite a few intense scenes in this film and I couldn’t help feeling some sympathy for Mystique, even if she was kind of psychotic. There were some very cool fight scenes and it was good to see even the characters whose powers weren’t necessarily offensive know how to utilise them during battle.

I was disappointed not to see Kurt again in this movie, but I thought Beast was a cool character. I also felt that Professor Xavier came across as more well-rounded in this movie, too.

This isn’t true to the comics, by any means… but if you can view it as an alternate storyline/parallel universe, I think it’s a fairly good movie with characters I did care about.

Just The Way You Are

Posted by cat2002116 on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Just The Way You Are

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having discovered there was a short story set in the True Destiny series, I was really happy to discover it was available for free… and it was really quick to read. (It took me the space of three advert breaks, about fifteen minutes, to finish).

It was really good to see the family having the opportunity to celebrate the holidays together. I was a little bit confused by who the characters in the flashback were… but as I carried on reading, I eventually figured out how I knew them.

This was a fairly sweet little interlude. It did make me sad that Loki felt he had to deny a big part of himself to make Baldur happy and I was glad to see that Baldur refused to let him do that. Although I like Jordan involved in their relationship, it was good to have the opportunity to see Baldur and Loki while on the run and trying to make a life together.

It was a bit disappointing that I didn’t get to meet any of their other past selves, but I did like learning a bit of their history. And despite their powers, they were having to live as humans… which added an interesting dimension to the lives they were living.

I really liked how protective Loki and Baldur were of each other, too. They still are (particularly in Loki’s case), but it was good to see it then, too. I also liked seeing the origins in their name changes… though it was especially sad to see Loki’s inward musings about the name change.

The only slight issue was that I didn’t remember who all the characters were. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short story. There were a few moments that made me smile and it was good to see them be able to spend time together as a family. Though… overshare much?

I’m hoping there’ll be more of this series, but the latest book was published quite a while later… so I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to see the characters again sometime soon. None of them are book-boyfriends… but I enjoy their relationships with each other. And there were some bittersweet and amusing moments between them.

Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes: Havok

Posted by cat2002116 on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Marvel's Mightiest Heroes Havok

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’ve met one incarnation of Alex Summers, in X-Men: First Class and, briefly, Days of Future Past. But it was really good to see him in his original incarnation.

Again, it was pretty cool to see two different styles of comics that Havok had been in. The first one was fairly simple, though it started off with a really interesting scene. I liked the glimpses of Alex’s relationship with Scott… and it was also really cool to have the chance to see more of some of the other X-Men; like Jean Grey and Bobby. There was a good opportunity to see Jean’s interactions with the rest of the team.

When I learned of Vulcan’s history, I did feel some sympathy for him… but I was very confused about what was going on with him, since Havok’s history indicated Vulcan (Gabriel) had been good for a while.

It was interesting to see Vulcan’s relationship with the rest of his people that he was emperor of. It was also interesting to see him and Havok working together… however briefly. I’m a fan of the redemption-style arcs and it was a bit of a disappointment that there didn’t seem to be one in this case.

I though that Marvel Girl and Polaris were interesting characters and I would have liked to see more of both of them. Rachel’s relationship with one of the others was fairly interesting to see, but I didn’t get to see as much of it as I would have liked to.

I liked seeing Havok’s costume in this and how much it differed to his brother’s. It was also good to get something of an idea of his leadership skills. There were also other characters I was intrigued by and who I would have liked to learn more of the history of.

The artwork in both of the sets of comics were vastly different, but still really good. Havok’s one of the Marvel characters I’d like to see more of in the future. I’d be interested in seeing more of his relationship with Scott and with Rachel. And having researched Rachel’s history, I’d like to see more of her. At some point in the future, I will definitely read more of the ‘verse Havok is involved in.

Not Broken

Posted by cat2002116 on July 2, 2015
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Not Broken

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having read the previous books in this series, I was really excited when I realised this one was coming out. I haven’t read it till now… but I pre-ordered it straight away.

It was cool to see Slade interacting with Magnus and Sylvia. I liked that Slade, despite having been put through hell by Odin (who I HATE with a passion) was still able to enjoy being around his mates. I really liked him and was glad to see he had the chance for happiness.

I liked seeing the very first scene in this book, where it’s shown how early on Magnus and Logan cared about the people they’re now with. I had a lot of sympathy for Sydney in this book, too. I especially liked her as a character and it was good to see that she found something she enjoyed doing and was good at, giving her more confidence. I found myself amused by her tiptoeing around Val… but also very much with an air of, ‘Get on with it, girl!’

I was glad to see there was less familiar/cliched phrasing in this book. Fredrica really triggered my suspicions, though. I had felt sorry fot her… much less so now, considering she’s trying to break up Kir, Logan and Jordan.

It was nice to see some of the other couples in this book and in particular Fenris and Jeff… who are probably my favourite couple. I have to say, though, the modern names make it really confusing to tell who’s who. I think it would be helpful to have a glossary of character names… otherwise I keep finding myself trying to figure out which twin is which.

I did like the hints about the future relationships in this book. I’m especially looking forward to how things will go with Jormungand… and it was pretty awesome to see Hel and Hodr, too. I would have liked to see more of Slade’s interactions with his father and brother, though.

I was disappointed that this book ended on a cliffhanger. It didn’t feel entirely finished and although I was happy to see that Sylvia had some issues due to being attracted to a man who was technically her stepson, I felt they were over with especially quickly. I am hoping that the next book will be published sooner than this one was.