Whimsical Wednesday

Tags

“The Heroes Journey”, Supernatural, Whimsical Wednesday

Have I mentioned my love for the tv series Supernatural? Part of the reason why I’m so passionate about it is because interspersed between all the blood, gore, and horror, are priceless moments of whimsy like this tap dancing sequence. In case you don’t watch the show (GASP!), God/Chuck is miffed at the Winchester brothers and has decided to downgrade them from heroes to normal people. As such, Baby (the Impala), breaks down, Sam gets sick, and Dean’s terrible diet catches up with him and he suddenly has 17 cavities! While undergoing an impromptu dental procedure from their friend Garth, Dean has this fanciful dream.

 

 

 

Chosen (Slayer #2), by Kiersten White ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

LGBTQ, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 7th, 2020

368 Pages

Synopsis: Now that Nina’s has turned the Watcher’s Castle into a utopia for hurt and lonely demons, she’s still waiting for the utopia part to kick in. With her sister Artemis gone and only a few people remaining at the castle—including her still distant mother—Nina has her hands full. Plus, though she gained back her Slayer powers from Leo, they’re not feeling quite right after being held by the seriously evil succubus Eve a.k.a. fake Watcher’s Council member and Leo’s mom.

And while Nina is dealing with the darkness inside, there’s also a new threat on the outside, portended by an odd triangle symbol that seems to be popping up everywhere, in connection with Sean’s demon drug ring as well as someone a bit closer to home. Because one near-apocalypse just isn’t enough, right?

The darkness always finds you. And once again it’s coming for the Slayer.

Being a Buffy fan there was no doubt I was going to have to read Kiersten White’s take on the vampire slayer universe. While Chosen got off to a somewhat slow start, overall it was an enjoyable follow up to Slayer.

Nina grows quite a bit as she struggles not only with her new Slayer role and all the responsibilities that come with it, but also with her personal relationships. She is someone worth rooting for. In addition to Nina and the other original characters, White also seamlessly includes a few cameos from Buffy fan favorites that will thrill devotees of the tv series.

The plot itself, after the first few chapters, picks up its pace and is helped along by some thrilling fight scenes. There’s also some levity now and then to lighten things up. The ending however, left me with mixed feelings. This will be a *SPOILER* because there’s no way to no other way to discuss it, so be warned! I was under the impression that this was going to be at least a trilogy. And right up until the epilogue, I still thought this. Well, apparently this is now a duology, and I personally feel a bit let down. It’s not that the ending was unsatisfying, not really. It’s just that I think White could have taken her characters farther. But, it is a writer’s prerogative to do what they wish with their stories, so I suppose I can’t quibble too much.

Overall, Chosen is a satisfying conclusion to the Slayer duology and both books should be must reads for any Buffy fan. It’s obvious the love that Kiersten White has for the original tv series and she’s done a wonderful job building upon that world, mythology, and characters.

 

 

 

 

Whimsical Wednesday ~ Supernatural Edition

Tags

Scoobynatural, Supernatural, Whimsical Wednesday

I know. You probably saw the header for this week’s Whimsical Wednesday post and thought I’d lost it. I mean, Supernatural isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking of whimsical. Ahh, but if you’re a fan of the series, you might remember the season 13, episode 16 Scoobynatural. This was one of the series BEST meta episodes, where Sam, Dean and Cas are sucked into a magic tv and they join the Scooby Gang in solving a mystery. It’s a perfect example of why Supernatural is so beloved and in my opinion, the epitome of whimsy!

 

 

 

 

Shut THE Front Door!

Tags

Dean Winchester, Happy, Pharrell Williams, Stephen King, Supernatural, The Institute

If y’all heard a scream off in the distance a few minutes ago, that was me as I received an ARC of Stephen King’s upcoming The Institute (9/10)!

If you guys have been following me for a minute (okay, slight exaggeration), you know how much I LOVE Stephen King and WORSHIP the ground he walks on. Hmm. Is that too much? Do I sound stalkerish? Ah well. The KING of Horror has gotten me through good times and bad over the last 4+ decades. A few weeks ago something possessed me and I sent an email to Scribner pleading my case and asking if there were any ARCs available. To be honest, I never expected to hear back from them. Much to my shock, I received a reply last Friday saying they’d be happy to send me a copy. THANK YOU MIA! So, how happy am I? I’ll let Dean say it for me.

Rest assured I will be posting a full review most likely next week, as soon as I’ve finished. In the meantime, I hope this video makes you as happy as I am.

 

 

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker, Kerry Wilkinson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 26th, 2018

315 Pages

Synopsis: “I will never forget the night I drowned…”

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor Parker wakes up cold and alone in the river that twists through her quiet village. She remembers a hand on her chest, another on her head, water in her throat, those final gasps for air…

Her brother’s girlfriend was drowned in the same river the summer before, held under the water by an unknown killer.

Determined to unlock the mystery of what really happened that night, Eleanor can’t escape the feeling that something terrible happened links her to the previous summer’s murder. But will she discover the shocking truth, before it’s too late?

This is going to sound strange, but I’m actually surprised by how much I loved The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker. I’ve read and enjoyed several of Kerry Wilkinson’s previous books, so I’m a fan of his writing style, which is why I immediately requested it as soon as I saw it on NetGalley. 

My favorite part of this book is the first person voice of Eleanor/Ellie herself. Although I’m not sure I would have been quite as calm if I found myself rising from a watery grave, I admired Ellie’s self possession and determination to discover not only who killed her, but also her brother’s girlfriend one year previously. And I absolutely loved her dry sense of humor as she investigates, while dealing with the physical effects of being dead, like being freezing cold in the middle of summer, not being able to eat, and so on. All this while keeping her new physical state secret from her family and friends. 

The secondary characters are well-rounded, and relatable. I especially liked the loving yet occasionally combative relationship between Ellie and her mother. As far as the mystery goes, although Ellie is a likable girl, due to something that happens the night she dies, there are a few suspects that could be the villain. I was kept guessing until just before the end. There’s also a twist that took me completely by surprise and it fit in with the storyline perfectly.

The only reason why I’m not giving giving this 5 stars is that there’s something about Ellie’s death that for me, isn’t explained. It’s not a major plot hole but it bothered me nonetheless. Overall though, I loved this book and highly recommend it to YA and adult fans of shows like Twin Peaks and Riverdale. 

 

 

Best Seller, by Susan May ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Book Publishing, Supernatural, Thriller

I’d like to thank Susan May for sending me an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

462 Pages

Synopsis: JEALOUSY IS A GREEN-EYED MONSTER AND HIS NAME IS WILLIAM BARNES.

A girl with power over luck. An obsessed author consumed with envy. Two nemeses drawn down a path from which only one will return.

After witnessing her mother’s brutal murder, ten-year-old Nem’s life seems destined for tragedy. Then she discovers an old journal which holds an incredible secret. Nem now possesses the ability to control the fortunes of others. It is said that luck is probability taken personally, and she’s about to get personal with her own brand of justice.

Decades later, the literary world hails William Barnes’ debut as a masterpiece. His best seller success, though, doesn’t survive his next two books. Readers abandon him, his publisher cancels his contract, and his agent isn’t returning his calls. 

Meanwhile his undeserving protégé, Orelia Mason, enjoys a meteoric rise in the charts, coinciding suspiciously with his fall. So William embarks on a plan to win back the life he’s certain she’s stolen. If people die along the way, well that’s their problem. He’ll discover though, that’s battling fate when luck is not on your side can be a deadly game. 

This is A Star is Born meets A Portrait of Dorian Gray and the consequences are not pretty. In fact they’re darn well bloody.

From the internationally best selling author readers call the new Stephen King, comes a dark and twisted tale of jealousy, revenge, and a very special power.

I first saw Best Seller reviewed over on Carrie’s blog at http://carriesbookreviews.com After reading her 5 star, stellar review, I knew I had to try to get my hands on this, and at her suggestion, reached out to the author on Goodreads. I was thrilled when Susan May graciously sent me an ebook and I’m even more delighted to say that the book is everything that Carrie said it was.

The story alternates between Nem’s and William’s POVs, and while right up until the halfway point, I had pretty much made up my mind who was the protagonist and who was the antagonist, everything wound up being completely upended much to my surprise.

The plot itself is creatively ingenious and manages to perfectly meld the real world difficulties of becoming a bestselling author (and remaining one), with a fantastic supernatural addition. Thanks to plenty of twists and turns which happen right up until the shocking end, the pace was breathtakingly fast which had me finishing the almost 500 page book in two sittings. 

Best Seller is a fun and exciting read from beginning to end, and I HIGHLY recommend it! This is the first book I’ve read by Susan May, but it certainly won’t be my last!

Glimpse, by Jonathan Maberry ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Addiction, Adult Fiction, Horror, Supernatural

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 27th, 2018

352 Pages

Synopsis: How far would you be willing to go to save those you love?

Rain is a young woman trying to rebuild herself after years of drug addiction and abuse. Ten years ago, at the age of sixteen, she gave up her baby after the father , her first love, dies in Iraq. Now, three years clean and on the way to a job interview, Rain borrows a pair of reading glasses from an old lady on a Brooklyn train. The lenses are cracked and through the crack she catches a glimpse of a little boy running and screaming. The boy looks so much like Rain’s dead lover. Like their son must look like now.

Rain realizes that the glasses give her quick glimpses of her lost son Dylan, who needs her to find him. Dylan is important to our damaged, hopeless world. But he’s in terrible trouble because evil creatures—-the Shadow People—-are trying to corrupt and destroy him. If Dylan dies, then hope dies. 

But how does a recovering junkie fight supernatural monsters? And how far will one woman go to saver her lost son?

One of my favorite horror trilogies is Jonathan Maberry’s Pine Deep, and I also have quite enjoyed his long running Joe Ledger series. So when I saw the standalone novel Glimpse, I was quite excited. After finishing it last night, I don’t think it’s one of his best novels, but I’m still glad I read it.

Part of the problem is that this is a horror story, but it takes quite awhile for things to get going. I don’t mind slow burning plots most of the time, but in this case it just seemed to take too long for the excitement to build. 

Another issue for me was with these two characters, Gay Bob and Straight Bob. I’m not sure why Maberry chose to bestow upon them these unfortunate monikers, but it was annoying and distracting and I know other reviewers have commented on this as well, so I know it’s not just me.

There were parts of the book I loved. Rain, the main character is complex yet entirely empathetic, especially when more of her background is revealed. She’s coping with guilt, grief, memory loss and trying to recover from drug addiction, so when she’s first introduced she’s in a very fragile state. Yet she’s determined and doesn’t run from this supernatural fight. And Monk, the tattooed, psychic private investigator, Rain teams up with, in my opinion deserves a series of his own. And then there’s the bogeyman of the story who is such a nasty piece of work that most of the characters won’t even use his name. He was a fantastic villain. 

To me, Glimpse was reminiscent of Stephen King’s Dr. Sleep and Joe Hill’s NOS4RT2, so if you’re a fan of these, you may want to try this. Despite the few issues I had with it, there was still a good part of the book I enjoyed. The story is complex and the characters are memorable and although it’s technically a standalone, I could see it being developed into a series and if that did happen, I’d definitely keep reading. 

 

The Price Guide to the Occult, by Leslye Walton ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Child Abuse, Contemporary Fictio, LGBT, Self-harm, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 13th, 2018

288 Pages

Synopsis: The Blackburn women are cursed. Ever since the extraordinary witch Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island centuries ago and was shunned by the eight “original” settlers, Blackburn witches have been doomed to carry out a brief whirlwind affair with a descendant of the Original Eight. The vengeful curse, however, had unintended side effects: it diluted the Blackburns’ supernatural powers. That’s perfectly all right with seventeen-year-old Nor Blackburn. All she wants is a quiet, unremarkable life—-her powers are blissfully unexceptional, her love life pretty much nonexistent. Nor hopes the curse has played itself out through enough generations that she’ll finally be spared the drama. But when a mysterious book comes out promising to cast any spell for the right price, Nor senses a dark storm headed straight for Anathema—-and straight for her.

I loved Leslye Walton’s glorious debut, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, so I’ve been looking forward to The Price Guide to the Occult for the last year. While I didn’t think it was quite as magical, I think it’s a solid sophomore book.

What I loved about the previous book was the author’s exquisite and lush style of writing and storytelling and that’s definitely on display here. The protagonist, Nor, is someone many readers will relate to with her mix of vulnerability and steely determination. A word of warning, though it’s handled with care and sensitivity, self-harm is part of her story, so this could be a trigger for some. It’s an understandable outcome to a trauma in her past, and it’s written very realistically.

Some of the secondary characters aren’t quite as well-rounded. I loved Nor’s gruff yet loving grandmother, and her quirky best friend Savvy. The others, though, I just got to know enough, to want more, especially Nor’s sweet love interest.

The setting of the rainy Pacific Northwest is the perfect backdrop in terms of atmosphere, and the mythology behind Nor’s family as well as the plot is well written, albeit a little slow at times. To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the ending and found it a little vague, but after reading the epilogue, I’m hopeful there may be a sequel.

Despite a few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed The Price Guide to the Occult and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a second book.

 

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie Book One), by Amanda Hocking ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, LGBT Relationships, Norse Mythology, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

319 Pages

Synopsis: Valkyries have one great responsibility to return immortals to the afterlife by slaying them. As a Valkyrie, Malin has always known that the balance of the world rests on her ability to carry out orders. But when Malin discovers that her mother spared the life of an immortal who was destined to die, her world is thrown into chaos.

Malin not only wrestles with the knowledge that her mother might not be who she thought—-she’s also thrust into the path of a gorgeous blue eyed guy named Asher who needs her help slaying the rogue immortal who destroyed his family. The balance of the world is at stake. And, as Asher competes with Malin’s ex for her love and loyalty, so is her heart.

I’ve enjoyed Amanda Hocking’s previous books and when I first heard about this new series with Valkyries my eyes immediately lit up. I LOVE Norse mythology! Between the Blade and the Heart wasn’t perfect, but it’s a pretty decent start and has me hopeful that some of the kinks will be worked out in the next book.

I wound up with mixed feelings about the heroine of the story, Malin. She’s bisexual which made me very happy. She’s kick-ass with a tough attitude which is perfectly in keeping of what a Valkyrie should be. But then there’s a love triangle between the new guy in her life, Asher, and her ex-girlfriend and as I’m not a fan of love triangles, naturally this got on my nerves. Making it worse was that I didn’t buy into the relationship that Malin had with either of them. There just didn’t seem to be any depth to them. And her helpless dithering between the two of them just didn’t  fit with the rest of her personna. 

Besides the Norse mythology, there’s a lot of other supernatural and mythological creature that live in this world. I had mixed feelings about this as well. There was a lot I liked, but at times it almost felt like too much was being introduced. That said, Amanda Hocking always impresses me with her world building and what she does here did not disappoint. It’s detailed and wonderfully descriptive and it’s most definitely unique. The plot itself was exciting and kept me turning the pages and I finished this in two sittings.

Overall, Between the Blade and the Heart left me feeling a slightly disappointed, but there are enough positives that I’m still looking forward to reading From the Earth to the Shadows, the second book in this duology. And I just won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway so I’m a happy camper. So, if you’re a fan of Norse mythology I recommend you give this a try, especially if your already a fan of Hocking.

 

The Mask Beneath Her Face, by Rafael Chandler ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Slashers, Supernatural, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Neoplastic Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

412 Pages

Synopsis: During the 1980s, slashers terrorized America. With machetes and masks, these unstoppable killers stalked college campuses, quiet suburbs, and lakeside cabins.

Thirty years ago, Bobbi Metzger survived a massacre at her 16th birthday party. She spent decades putting her life back together.

Tonight, Bobbi will face a new killer; a high-tech slasher hell-bent on opening the doorway to an abyss of unimaginable horror.

How long can Bobbi survive this nightmare? What will she do to protect the people she loves? How much blood is she willing to spill?

Before I start my review, I need to issue a warning. Do not. I repeat—DO NOT— make the same mistake as I did, and read Mask Beneath Her Face right before bed. If you do, I can guarantee you will have a difficult time falling asleep!

To give you an idea of how much I loved this book, I started it at about 3:00 on a stormy afternoon, took an hour and a half off for supper, and then was fully emersed in it until I finished right before midnight. Then I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling, twitching at every creak in the house and scraping of branches against the window for at least another hour before dropping into an uneasy slumber. 

The premise is that there was a huge outbreak of slashers (think Jason, Freddie, Michael Myers, etc.), and claimed untold victims in their bloody mayhem. Bobbi and the other main characters in the stories are all survivors, sort of. Bobbi has spent the years since her sister and friends were massacred running from the supernatural monster that’s still after her. She copes by drinking and popping pills. Jessie, likewise haunted, lives as a recluse, terrified to have mirrors lest the slasher who haunts him, steps out of one to finish the job. Sam, a school counselor, seems to be doing better than his two friends, but is hiding a secret that puts him at risk physically as well as psychologically. And finally there’s young Cris. She’s a victim of human monsters rather than supernatural ones, but as a result has some dark ambitions that will shock the others. These are all flawed characters, yet well-rounded ones and I was surprised by how much I grew attached to them, especially Sam and Cris.

The world-building and plot are just insane. I’ve read other slasher books, but this blows them all out of the water! It’s bloody and gory and thrilling to the extreme. If this was a movie, I probably would have covered my eyes during some of the scenes, but since this is a book I couldn’t do that, hence my trouble sleeping afterwards. The ending is jaw-droppingly perfect, and I’m praying that this is not the last we see of these characters and their terrifying world. Ahem, Rafael? If you read this review I’m begging you to write a sequel, okay?

Mask Beneath Her Face may not be for everyone. It’s extremely violent, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see blood leaking out from my Kindle, after I finished. But it’s a wonderfully imaginative and unique homage to 1980s slasher flicks and if you’re a fan of these like me, you’re going to gobble this up! Most of you know what a fan I am of Stephen King. Well, in my humble opinion, this is unequivocally King-worthy! But, if you decide to try this, be sure to read it during the day. Preferably in the sun. With lots of people around.  And wear running shoes, ‘cause you know, just in case.