Out With The Old, In With The New!

Tags

Happy New Year 2016, Inspirational quotes, Neil Gaiman

I hope that in the year to come you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work, or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do It.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

~ Neil Gaiman ~

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR’S EVE EVERYONE, AND MAY 2016 BE AN AMAZING YEAR FOR ALL OF US!

 

The Winter Girl ~ By Matt Marinovich 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Doubleday for sending me an e-ARC!

Release Date: January 19th, 2016

Synopsis: It’s wintertime in the Hamptons, where Scott and his wife, Elise, have come to be with her terminally ill father, Victor, to await the inevitable. As weeks turn to months, their daily routine–Elise at the hospital with her father, Scott pretending to work and drinking Victor’s booze–only highlights their growing resentment and dissatisfaction with the usual litany of unhappy marriages: work, love, passion, each other. But then Scott notices something simple, even innocuous. Every night at precisely eleven, the lights in the neighbor’s bedroom turn off. It’s clearly a timer…but in the dead of winter with no one else around, there’s something about the light he can’t let go of. So one day while Elise is at the hospital, he breaks in. And he feels a jolt of excitement he hasn’t felt in a long time. Soon, it’s not hard to enlist his wife as a partner in crime and see if they can’t restart the passion. 

Their one simple transgression quickly sends husband and wife down a deliriously wicked spiral of bad decisions, infidelities, escalating violence, and absolutely shocking revelations.

The good news is that this book is an exciting and dark psychological thriller. The bad news is the characters go so off the deep end by the middle of the book that any empathy I had for them was completely lost.

First, you need to realize that Scott and Elise aren’t the sharpest crayons in the box. I mean honestly? Nothing says romance like breaking into your neighbor’s house and having sex on their bed? Then they discover that underneath the bedspread upon which they just rekindled their passion is a large amount of dried blood.  From there on in it’s just one idiotic decision after another from these two. 

But, somehow I couldn’t stop reading. I’m not sure what that says about me. There is a lot of psychological suspense which the author uses very well in a sort of visual sense. If Alfred Hitchcock had penned a novel he couldn’t have ratcheted up the tension more. I actually felt like I was seeing events play out through the eyes of Scott who’s the narrator. And the shocking revelations pile on one after another. After the first few chapters I thought I knew where things were headed, but I was wrong.  

So, here’s the question as to whether I recommend this or not. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with tons of suspense and surprising plot twists, and don’t mind unsavory characters, than definitely try this. It’s a quick read that has an ending you won’t see coming!

2015 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

This is my first full year on WordPress so it was awesome looking at all the stats. Thank you helper monkeys!  I’d like to thank everyone who has visited me here in my little corner of the blogging universe.

What really amazes me is that visitor from 96 countries stopped by. That’s made me quite humble!

The helper monkeys put together a top five list of my most active commenters who I’d like to give a shout out to:

1. http://vinnieh.wordpress.com
2. http://isaacspictureconclusions.com
3. http://emmakwall.com
4. http://husbandandhusband.net
5. http://jeannowensauthor.wordpress.com

Thank you Vinnie, Eric, Ems, Jonathan & Aaron, and Jeanne! And thank you to everyone who has stopped by whether to comment or simply read my meandering musings and reviews. Here’s hoping that 2016 will be a stellar year for all of us!

Girl of Myth and Legend (The Chosen Saga #1) ~ By Giselle Simlett – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Suspense, YA Fiction

I received this e-book from NetGalley and WWS Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Leonie Woodville wants to live an unremarkable life. She wants routine, she wants repetition, she wants predictability. So when she explodes in a blaze of light one morning on the way to her college, it’s enough to put a real crimp in her day.

And things only get weirder…

Leonie learns from her father that she is the last of the Pulsar, a phenomenally powerful member of a magical species called the Chosen. It will be her sole duty to protect the Imperium, a governing hierarchy, from all enemies, and to exceed the reputation of the Pulsar before her. So–no pressure there, then.

Leonie is swept away from her rigorous normality and taken to a world of magic. There, she is forced into a ceremony to join her soul to a guardian, Korren, who is both incredibly handsome and intensely troubled, a relationship for which ‘it’s complicated’ just really doesn’t cut it.

But Leonie is soon to learn that this ancient world is no paradise. With violent dissidents intent to overthrow the Imperium, and dark entities with their own agenda, she and Korren find themselves caught in a war where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to survive. 

Dare to dream. Dare to hope. Dare to be a legend.

I had some pretty high hopes for this, and while it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, overall I think it makes an okay addition to the YA Fantasy genre.

When I first read the synopsis of the book and the description of Leonie I thought: “Ah! Here is a character I can relate to!” Well, as much as an almost 51 year-old woman can relate to a teenage girl anyway. Like Leonie, I find myself longing for life without worries and strife. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this, at the beginning Leonie seriously annoyed the heck out of me. The story is told from her point of view, and the reader is bombarded with repetitious details of her life and her family’s background. For example, Leonie TELLS, the reader more than a few times that she and her father aren’t exactly sociable people. The author already shows this by describing  her lack of friends, etc. It’s really not necessary for her to keep assuring us of this. Thankfully as the storyline moves along this lessens somewhat. One thing I did like about her is that she’s not a “perfect little snowflake”. Yes, she’s strong and winds up with all these special powers, but because of her past, she’s pessimistic and can even be downright disagreeable. While this also annoyed me at first, after a while I thought it made her more realistic. One thing I did think would have made her more empathetic, was if the traumatic event that helped shape Leonie was shown more from her memories. Instead her father tells Korren about it which somewhat lessens the impact.

And then there’s the dreaded insta-love. I often wonder if authors ever listen to reviews, because other than an occasional exception to the rule, THESE DON’T WORK! Okay. I said it. But c’mon! You know you agree with me! Adding to this aggravating one, is that Korren is your typical handsome but broody hero. Honestly, there’s virtually nothing that distinguishes him from all the similar characters that have come before him. 

The world-building is interesting and I think that’s what ultimately kept me reading. The story starts on present day Earth, but moves to another realm which is beautifully described. The author crams in a lot of information about both the magical realm of Duwyn and her characters, but I thought she did a nice job balancing everything. Making things more intriguing is that you see this new world and it’s mythology through Leonie’s eyes. The cliffhanger ending is exciting, and ends things on a high note. 

To be perfectly honest I toyed with giving this 2.5 stars before giving it the higher rating. While the Girl of Myth and Legend has a lot of potential, ultimately it fell a little short for me. I can however see this appealing to a lot of teens. I hope in the next book the author will smooth out some of the wrinkles that were so prevalent in this one, because if she does, this has the possibility of being a great new series.

 

 

Tea in Pajamas ~ By Rachel Tey – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction, Loyalty, Perseverance

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: What if by doing something ordinary, you unlocked the gateway into a world of the extraordinary?

For Belle Marie, having tea on Wednesday afternoons–barefoot and in her pajamas–mysteriously transports her from her her home to the charming storybook land of Belzerac. Soon joined by her best friend, Tess, the girls enjoy weekly adventures in this wonderful new place of talking animals and a glittering blue forest. 

But one particular Wednesday, Tess suddenly vanishes and things go awry.

Is Tess in danger and is it too late to save her? Belle is confronted with these frightening possibilities, coupled with the fact that she h herself may be list and beyond the point of return.

Tea in Pajamas is a charming gem of a book that reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland only not quite as scary. Belle is a character who is a fiercely loyal and will put everything on the line when it comes to her friends. She’s also someone that young children can relate to and her adventures are quite exciting. The illustrations are simply gorgeous and further bring this magical tale to life. It’s obvious Rachel Tey poured her heart and soul into the story and her author’s note confirms this. 

This is a perfect cozy read for children and harkens back to children’s classics such as the aforementioned Alice, Beatrice Potter’s works, and C.S. Lewis. If you’re a parent, or teacher of early elementary school aged children I cannot recommend this enough. I hope there will be further adventures of Belle Marie and her friends in the future.

Only The Stones Survive ~ By Morgan Llywelyn – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Irish Folklore

I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Forge Books in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 5th, 2016

Synopsis: For centuries the Tuatha De Danann lived in peace on an island where time moved more slowly and the seasons were gentle–until that peace was shattered by the arrival of invaders. The Gaels, the Children of Milesios, came looking for easy riches and conquest, following the story of an island to the west where their every desire could be granted. They had not anticipated that it would already be home to others, and against the advice of their druids, they begin to exterminate the Tuatha De Danann.

After a happy and innocent childhood, Joss was on the cusp of becoming a man when the Gaels slaughtered the kings and queens of Tuatha De Danann. Left without a mother and father, he must find a way to unite what is left of his people and lead them into hiding. But even broken and scattered, Joss and his people are not without strange powers. 

I have a confession to make. Despite high fantasy and Irish folklore being two of my favorite genres, this is the first book I’ve read by this well-respected, prolific author and winner of several literary awards. There’s no excuse. I’ve known about her books and her reputation since I was in high school. I’m hiding my face in shame. While some of her long-time followers don’t feel this is one of her better works, I quite enjoyed it, and it’s heightened my interest in her previous novels.

The story starts off a bit slowly I think because Joss, the protagonist doesn’t seem to start really doing much until almost midway through the book. Instead, the author focuses on the worldbuilding and conflict between the Tuatha De Danann and the Gaels. This isn’t to say it’s not interesting. It just slows the pace somewhat. The characters are intriguing, particularly Joss, but I would definitely say purely based upon me only having read this one book, the author’s strengths lies in creating beautiful fantasy worlds and combining them with traditional Irish mythology and historical elements.

Although the ending was satisfying, I did feel the story and it’s characters perhaps could have had a little more added to them but at only 304 pages I still found the story mesmerizing. I think if you’re new to Morgan Llywelyn, Only the Stones Survive is a good book to start with. As for me, it’s made me want to go back and read her previous books. Now I just have to find the time!

This Is Where It Ends ~ By Marieke Nijkamp – 1.5 Stars

Tags

Abuse, Bigotry, Bullying, Homophobia, School Shootings, YA Fiction

 

I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 5th, 2016

Synopsis: 

10:00 a.m.

The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new series semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.

The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 a.m.

The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05 a.m.

Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

This Is Where It Ends has been a much hyped book since last fall, so when I actually was approved for a coveted e-ARC from the publisher I was thrilled. I’ve been sitting on my hands to stop myself from reading it until closer to the publishing date. After all that, it wound up being one of my biggest disappointments of the past year.

So, where did it go wrong? Well, let’s start with the general layout of the book. Although it’s only 292 pages, I found myself forcing my way through the pages at times and more than once I completely lost focus. The chapters are short, but in addition to alternating between four characters, they also flash back and forth between the horrific events that are unfolding and the past. This made things confusing and disjointed.

And this leads me to what really annoyed me about this novel–the characters. Because of the way the chapters are written it is impossible to get any kind of real sense of these kids, let alone emphasize with them. It also seemed as though the author tried too hard to make the characters diverse, especially for a small southern town. Perhaps this is because Marieke Nijkamp is a member of We Need Diverse Books. While I think I can appreciate what she was attempting, instead this comes off as cynically manipulative. It was almost as if she had a list she went through:

Muslim-American -check

Hispanic-Americans – check

African-American -check

Disabled boy – check

Two gay teens in love – check

Ironically, the person you most want to hear from–the shooter, you don’t except through wooden dialogue. Tyler Browne is an evil, one-dimensional character from beginning to end. Honestly, I kept expecting him to break out in a “Mowahaha!” every five seconds as he strutted in front of his victims. In real life, we’ve unfortunately heard all too many stories of school shooters who were bullied either at school, home or in some cases both. These are not instances of children being teased. No, oftentimes these kids are tormented beyond endurance until they snap. In this story I never came to understand what turned Tyler into the monster he became.There’s a few vague explanations, but nothing I could buy into. The only thing I came away with is that he’s a homophobe and a rapist, who while is physically abused by his alcoholic father, and bullied a little by a few classmates, gives as good as he gets. He even turns on his twin sister Autumn, going as far as to report on her to their father when he knows full well she’ll receive a beating. This is someone who has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

This Is Where It Ends could have been a groundbreaking novel that lent itself to some much needed discussion between teens and adults, but instead it’s an exploitative tale that takes real issues such as: physical abuse, bigotry, rape, etc., and reduces them to the kind of cheap thrills you find in some awful Lifetime movie of the week. For those of you who don’t live in the U.S. Lifetime is a cable channel which specializes in “issue oriented” movies. There are so many deaths here that after the first few, I found myself for the most part, not caring anymore. There’s one secondary character who I did become emotionally invested in which is why I’m giving this even 1.5 stars. There are already many reviews on Goodreads and if you are a parent or teacher, I encourage you to read some of them before sharing this with your teens. Because I wanted to make sure I was being fair to this much publicized book, I read it twice, but from my perspective I cannot find anything at all to recommend about it and I can’t tell you how this saddens me.

Vision In Silver (The Others) Anne Bishop ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Urban Fantasy

I received this e-book from NetGalley and Penguin Roc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing that their actions would have e dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before–both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a sharp-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to end I st blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him. 

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…

The Others is definitely not a series you can jump into the middle of so, I advise you read the first two: Written in Red, and Murder of Crows before tackling this. That said, while I don’t think Vision in Silver is the best in the series, it’s still a compelling read and a worthy addition.

The world of the Others is made up of all sorts of paranormal entities in including vampires and shapeshifters. Meg is a cassandra sange, or blood prophet. She can see future events when her skin is cut. The first book focuses on Meg meeting her romantic lead (sort of), Simon, and escaping her abusive caretakers. The second book expands to include other cities and the rescue of more blood prophets. This time the world-building develops even more with the action taking place in a variety of places and the story being told from multiple viewpoints. While this somewhat lessens the intensity that was in the first two books, I still found myself captivated by the characters and their individual stories. 

Meg and Simon’s “just friends” relationship continues to develop slowly. No insta-love here! This is especially a good thing as Meg at this point doesn’t really have a romantic bone in her body. And Simon is just busy trying to cope with his resposibilities, and exploring human feelings and actions. Something does happen on the very last page though that teases as to where their relationship might be headed.

 

Overall, Vision in Silver is a compelling read that balances its many scenes of violence and suffering with moments of humor. Despite a lack of tension, the pacing is steady and the ending has left me eagerly awaiting the next book “Marked in Flesh” which is coming out on 3/8/16 –Please NetGalley gods, approve me for an e-ARC, because I really can’t wait! Ahem, anyway, if you like urban fantasy and paranormal fiction you should definitely try this series. Anne Bishop has an amazing talent for creating otherworldly realms and she’s an author that truly shouldn’t be missed!

Thoughtful Thursday ~ Christmas Edition

Tags

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Welcome Christmas

~ Welcome Christmas ~

Fah Who foraze, Dah Who doraze

Welcome Christmas, come this way!

Fah Who foraze, Dah Who doraze

Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day!

Welcome, welcome, Fah Who Rah Moos

Welcome, welcome, Dah Who Dah Moos

Christmas Day is in our grasp

As long as we have hands to clasp

Fah Who foraze, Dah Who forage

Welcome Christmas, bring your cheer

Fah Who forage, Dah Who doraze

Welcome, all Whos far and near

Welcome, welcome

Fah Who Rah Moos

Welcome, welcome

Dah Who Dah Moos

Christmas Day will always be

Just so long as we have we

Fah Who foraze, Dah Who doraze

Welcome, Christmas, come this way

Fah Who foraze, Dah Who doraze

Welcome, Christmas, Christmas Day!

~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas ~

Whimsical Wednesday

Tags

Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express, Whimsical Quotes

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.

~ Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express ~