Review: Baby Doll

Title:  Baby Doll
Author:  Hollie Overton
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Held captive for eight years, Lily has grown from a teenager to an adult in a small basement prison. Her daughter Sky has been a captive her whole life. But one day their captor leaves the deadbolt unlocked.

This is what happens next...

...to her twin sister, to her mother, to her daughter...and to her captor.



Review:

I've had this on my TBR since before it came out last year.  I love psychological thrillers in most forms and have an odd obsession with [true] crime.  While this book was not based on a true story, it pulled a lot from the author's childhood as well as crimes we know of such as Jaycee Dugard and Elizabeth Smart.

Let me start by saying that I hate POV shifts.  If I hadn't wanted to read this so bad I would never have picked it up because of that.  Every chapter is a different narrator, shifting between Lily, her sister Abby, her mother Eve, and her captor Rick.  Somehow this worked though.

Lily was kept captive by Rick for 8 years and in that time had a daughter, Sky.  Now when I read that I wondered how this would differ from Room by Emma Donoghue (which I loved).  It's so different thought.  This book begins with Lily finding her freedom, and follows the treacherous path of fitting back into her broken family.

There were enough turns that I didn't see the ending coming for sure, and there was enough character depth that I wasn't aching for too much more.  The only thing I really wanted more of is how Sky, Lily's daughter, grew in the months after their escape.  The author touches on her heavily for the first half of the book, but then she falls by the wayside.

Excerpt:

     Lily had been so consumed with keeping Sky safe, with making sure that Rick was caught, that she hadn't had time to really take everything in.  But now, in the early-morning hours, Lily stood watching the sun as it began to make its way over the horizon.  Lily had missed thousands of sunrises, and now here she was, gazing at the glorious start of a brand-new day.  Bursts of golden yellow, burnt orange, and splashes of red all mingled together--a sunrise so picturesque that it couldn't possibly be real.  Below her, the city was coming to life.  Nurses huddled together outside sucking on their cigarettes.  Worried family members paced back and forth, talking on their cell phones.  But not a single one of them seemed to notice the unimaginable beauty unfolding around them.

     Pay attention, Lily thought.  All of this could be taken from them in an instant, and no one cared.  That's not true, Lily told herself.  I care.  There was nothing she cared about more than this sunrise, and then it struck her.  This wasn't a onetime thing.  Lily would see the sun rise again and again.  She had a lifetime of sunrises ahead of her.

     Lily pressed her forehead against the cool pane of glass and imagined sunbathing in the backyard until her skin turned golden brown.  In the spring, she would lace up her sneakers, and with the scorching sun beating down on her back, she would run until her lungs ached.  There were so many possibilities now.  She could do all those things and more.  She was free.

Review: Eleven Hours

Title:  Eleven Hours
Author:  Pamela Erens
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Lore arrives at the hospital alone—no husband, no partner, no friends. Her birth plan is explicit: she wants no fetal monitor, no IV, no epidural. Franckline, a nurse in the maternity ward—herself on the verge of showing—is patient with the young woman. She knows what it’s like to worry that something might go wrong, and she understands the distress when it does. She knows as well as anyone the severe challenge of childbirth, what it does to the mind and the body.

 Eleven Hours is the story of two soon-to-be mothers who, in the midst of a difficult labor, are forced to reckon with their pasts and re-create their futures. Lore must disentangle herself from a love triangle; Franckline must move beyond past traumas to accept the life that’s waiting for her. Pamela Erens moves seamlessly between their begrudging partnership and the memories evoked by so intense an experience: for Lore, of the father of her child and her former best friend; for Franckline, of the family in Haiti from which she’s exiled. At turns urgent and lyrical, Erens’s novel is a visceral portrait of childbirth, and a vivid rendering of the way we approach motherhood—with fear and joy, anguish and awe.

Review:

So, let's skip to the end first: GRAPHIC.  Like the level of those old videos you watched in health class.  Ugh *shudders*.

Things I liked most:

• Frankline's backstory
• The scene in the hallway when Lore sees the painting
• Lore's baby's name: Soleil

Thins I liked least:

• Whole book was one chapter
• Very little dialogue
• Those stupid pages that aren't even, but scalloped
• The graphic birth scene

Overall I would recommend because of the character depth.  I think the point of this book is not to explore birth and children and motherhood, but to explore all of those little moments and decisions that get us to places we never expected to be.  So as a character study it was fantastic.  As a moving work of fiction, not so much.

And honestly? I like the idle thought Lore had about her and Julia (old girlfriend baby daddy cheated on Lore with) being together would be better than her and Asa (the baby daddy).

Review: The Shining

Title:  The Shining
Author:  Stephen King
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

Past horrors and evil lurk in Colorado's Overlook Hotel, threatening winter season caretakers Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their young son, Danny. Gifted with the shining, a clairvoyant Danny must battle the darkest evil in the remote hotel in an attempt to save his family from its influence.

Review:

Holy hell this book.  Can I start off by saying it's not only the first book I've finished in well over a month, but the longest book I've read this year at 683 pages?

It was amazing!

I had seen the movie some months ago and was like "ehh, not sure why this is a classic horror movie, but that hedge maze was kinda cool."  Then I read the book and was like "why the hell did they put that stupid hedge maze in the movie?  These hedge animals are way creepy!"

Also, the twins:

Yeah, sorry, they don't exist in the book as something Danny ever sees.  But the dog man makes up for the creepy factor by far!

Also, the movie never went into exactly what "the shining" ability that Danny had exactly was.  In the book that's the main focus, obviously!  He would have a good career in ghost hunting with those abilities honestly, or as a human lie detector.

Only Stephen King can write 200 pages worth of background before a story really kicks off and keep me on the edge of my seat.  He also writes this in a way that follows usual human thought, which means it diverges unexpectedly into a character's thoughts or feelings with no warning.

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror books.  And if you've never read Stephen King before (like I hadn't) this is a great book to start with.

Florida Vacation & Guide Books

Hello my lovely readers!  You may have wondered why I haven't been posting as much and that's because I just spent a week in Florida for vacation!  Got back home yesterday after much travelling and am already enjoying the cooler weather.  It hit 109 degrees at one point, and that is way above my comfort zone.

So for the next two weeks I'm going to give you a couple posts about my trip, this first one regarding the guide books I read leading up to the trip and how useful they were to my actual activities.  Others will be gushing over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, explaining the countries in Epcot, and comparing beaches from the Gulf of Mexico.  Excited?  Here we go!

Title:  Frommer's Easy Guide to Disney World, Universal and Orlando 2016
Company:  Frommer's
Rating:  5/5

Before Trip Thoughts:

This book made me so excited to go to Universal Studios!  For the trip I focused on Universal Studios, Epcot, Disney Springs, and International Drive.  It broke down each area and attractions, restaurants, and rides into different categories along with giving them a star-rating.

My favorite part about this book was how the author did not hold back if they didn't like a ride or restaurant.  They were honest about skipping it, or at least telling you what let them down.  Also very helpful to me was the description for the rides that were very intense because I can't handle intense rides.

After Trip Thoughts:

After three days in the Orlando area I was glad I had read this book and highlighted sections before I went to Florida.  I carried the book with me all three days in a backpack, and that was unnecessary, but the things I remembered and had highlighted had stuck with me and I was able to steer clear of rides (like all of the Harry Potter ones unfortunately), and find hidden gems that get overlooked (the gift shops in Morocco in Epcot and the best ice cream shop I've ever been to in France in Epcot).

I highly recommend reading this before going to Orlando, and the map was rather handy.

Title:  The Hidden Magic of Walk Disney World
Author:  Susan Veness
Rating:  3/5

Before Trip Thoughts:
This book is only getting a semi-high rating because of how excited it made me for Epcot before I went.  I got all excited about these hidden little gems like a water fountain that apparently made fun noises and such.  I do admit I only read the section about Epcot though (since we didn't go to any other Disney park).

After Trip Thoughts:

This book was useless.  It's outdated and everything they mentioned I either could not find or it did not exist any more.  It's kind of fun to read in general, but not practical aside from the history it gives you on the development of the parks.

Title:  Tampa & St. Petersburg
Company:  Moon
Rating: .5/5

Before Trip Thoughts:

Didn't read it before going because this was the second half of the trip and I figured I would have time during the drive from Orlando to Clearwater Beach to read it, I was wrong.

After Trip Thoughts:

Useless!  The island we were staying on didn't even exist on any of the 10 maps inside!  If you want restaurants you'll find like four per area if you're lucky.  They don't give you any useful information.  I'm actually returning this to Barnes & Nobel because I opened it once, didn't use it, and hated the two sentences I read.

Next Florida post will have awesome pictures, I promise!

Review: A Time to Dance

Title:  A Time to Dance
Author:  Padma Venkatraman
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.

Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Review:

I LOVE novels in verse!!!  I extra love cultural YA books!  So this was a double win all around.

Veda is an amazing character who is put through a tragic accident.  Her spirit, however, is unbreakable and she comes back stronger than before.  Her journey to discover how to dance from her heart, and from Shiva again is profound and moving.

Govinda is an amazing supporting character about him trying to break free of society's and his family's expectations.

My favorite characer though was Paati, Veda's grandmother, whose unwavering spirit and faith carried Veda as well as us as readers.  I came very close to crying for her.

Mini Review: Ice Cream & Sadness

Title:  Ice Cream & Sadness

Author:  Kriss, Rob, Matt & Dave

Rating: 4/5









Review:

Ever read Cyanide & Happiness online?  NO?  YOU'RE WRONG!

Just kidding, but it is hilarious.  It's a daily comic of horrible people in stick figure form that can be found here.

This is the second actual book the comic makers have put out and it's pretty hilarious.  Only lost a star because I like their newer way of drawing more than the old way.

Here's a bonus comic strip:

Review: The Problem With Forever

Title:  The Problem With Forever
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating:  2/5

Summary:

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.


It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

Review:

It took me over two weeks to read this book.  Yes, it's 480 pages long, but that's not why it took so long.  Though if we're going to look at a breakdown of pages here's how it went for me:

First 100 pages: boring as crap
Second 100 pages: alright, there may be a plot here
Third 100 pages: I'm sensing a climax, maybe
Last 100 pages: only reason this book got more than one star

It's harsh, I know, believe me I know.  I was looking so forward to this book that I ended up requesting it from my library twice.  You know when you're really looking forward to a book or movie because of the hype or just the description you read, and then you actually see or read it and it ends and you sit there like, yeah, nope, bad?  That is this book in a nutshell.

Let's start with the fact that it gave me a new pet peeve.  The words "is good people" is officially out of my vocabulary (though I don't believe they were there to start).  I swear I read the phrase "[insert secondary character's name here] is good people" every other chapter.  Ugh!  The grammar of that alone...

Second, the butterfly analogy.  There are butterflies on the head of every chapter, but do we actually get an analogy before the 300 page mark?  Nope!  And when it does finally show up not only is it beyond predictable, but it never gets truly tied up in the ending.

Finally, for the bad things, the stereotyping!  I've read tons of books about child abuse, I don't know why, I just have.  This book fits into the nicely labeled box of how to deal with child abuse + romance in a YA contemporary novel.  I know it's contemporary, but come on!  The only redemption for this sin is that Rider actually confronts shit eventually.

Now, here are the few reasons why this book earned two stars, not one, and that I even bothered to finish it.

1.  Jayden - Everything about him and his plot-line
2.  The Velveteen Rabbit book - I don't think I've ever read it as an adult, but in the last 30 or so pages of the book the mention and quoting of this picture book made me actually tear up.
3.  Mallory carves soap as a calming mechanism, that is awesome.

So overall, do I recommend this?  No.  If they author had shaved off about 200 or more pages then maybe, but it's too long, too contrived, and frankly painful (and not because of the child abuse).

Mini Review: The Wrath & The Dawn Series Novellas

In The Wrath & The Dawn series there are two novels and three novellas.  You can see my reviews of the first and second books here and here respectively.  This is a review of the three novellas that have been released in ebook format.  On Barnes & Noble's website you can get all three for $1.99.

The Moth & the Flame (The Wrath & the Dawn #0.25) by Renee Ahdieh
Rating: 4/5

It started as playful, if barbed, banter before rising to a fateful wager with a most notorious rake—the Captain of the Guard, Jalal al-Khoury—who may have finally met his match in a lovely, if haughty, handmaiden, Despina. But she, too, seems to have met her match in the handsome Jalal. What begins as a tempestuous battle of will and wit in short order becomes a passionate affair spurred on by tragedy of the worst kind.

The Crown & the Arrow by (The Wrath & the Dawn #0.5) Renee Ahdieh
Rating: 4/5

Seventy-one days and seventy-one nights had come and gone since Khalid began killing his brides. This dawn, Khalid would mark the loss of the seventy-second girl, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Khalid didn’t know how many more of these dawns he could take. And there was something about this latest girl that piqued his interest.

Not only had she volunteered to marry him, but at their wedding ceremony, she had seemed not the least bit afraid. In fact, what he had seen in her eyes was nothing short of pure hatred. She was about to lose her life. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why did she hate him so? He had never before gone to his wife’s chambers before her death at dawn. Tonight would be different.

The Mirror & the Maze (The Wrath & the Dawn #1.5) by Renee Ahdieh
Rating: 3/5

The city of Rey is burning. With smoke billowing, fires blazing and his people fleeing, Khalid races back to defend his city, and protect his queen. But Khalid is too late to do either. He and his men arrive to find the city in ruins, nothing but a maze of destruction, and Shahrzad is gone. But who could have wrought such devastation? Khalid fears he may already know the answer, the price of choosing love over the people of Rey all too evident.




I loved this series so much, but I didn't enjoy the novellas as much.  They were nice little insights into different characters' minds, but I believe that if an author wanted to show those sides they should have in the original books.

Review: The Summer of Sloane

Title:  Summer of Sloane
Author:  Erin L. Schneider
Rating:  4/5

Summary:

Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.


But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.

Review:

Want to kick off the summer with a basic contemporary young adult book?  This is it.  After reading this all I want is a summer romance, on a beach, in Hawaii.  Actually, I'll take any one of those three, but all together seemed to work for Sloane!

I have to get it out, there are two things that drove me nuts about this book:  Mick, and the fact that apparently teenagers with drama can't talk directly to each other about their drama.

Other than that I really enjoyed it.  I especially liked that Sloane wasn't the perfect stereotypical beauty.  She's short and spunky, she has panic induced asthma attacks, and she's got a mean right hook!

I love her interactions with Finn and Luce.  I just wish there would have been more interaction with her twin brother Penn.  I also wish there was a little more than the nod to the lesbian couple that she worked with, but I get that there can only be so many main characters in a book that's less than 300 pages.

But the drama with Mick!

Highly recommend as a way to kick off your summer reading!

Review: The Rose & The Dagger

Title:  The Rose & The Dagger
Author:  Renee Ahdieh
Series:  The Wrath & The Dawn (#2)
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny. Still, a curse threatens to keep Shazi and Khalid apart forever.

Now she’s reunited with her family, who have found refuge in the desert, where a deadly force is gathering against Khalid—a force set on destroying his empire and commanded by Shazi’s spurned childhood sweetheart. Trapped between loyalties to those she loves, the only thing Shazi can do is act. Using the burgeoning magic within her as a guide, she strikes out on her own to end both this terrible curse and the brewing war once and for all. But to do it, she must evade enemies of her own to stay alive.

The saga that began with The Wrath and the Dawn takes its final turn as Shahrzad risks everything to find her way back to her one true love again.

Review:

Oh my god, this series!!

I don't go for retellings very often, unless it's Alice in Wonderland related, but this is definitely my exception.  I can't decide who I love more in this story: Shahrzad, Irsa, or Khalid.  One of my favorite aspects of this story though is the introduction of the close family bond between Shazi and Irsa.  I would say I envy their bond as sisters, but I'm probably just as close if not closer with my own sister.

And the curse!  And all the magic!

I don't know how to review this book without giving away important plot aspects.  Shazi's relationship with Khalid is something I dream of, they fit together so perfectly and balance each other.  The country is in turmoil and the evil uncle is almost as bad as the mislead father.

I also approve of the ending.  It will rip your heart out first though, just warning you.  For once I approve of an epilogue thought!

Go Read This Series!!

Review: Written in the Stars

Title:  Written in the Stars
Author:  Aisha Saeed
Rating:  4/5

Summary:

This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?

Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. 

When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

Review:

I think it's obvious by now that I love cultural based books, especially when they revolve around family.  This one, while not one of my favorites, was rather well written and the family dynamic was fantastic, as well as the center of the plot.

Naila (and I cannot seem to settle on a pronunciation of her name in my head), is a bright young Pakistani-American teenager who has her whole life in front of her, until her parents take it away in the worst way you can imagine.

In the summary it says that Naila's parents found her a husband in Pakistan, that is an incredibly watered-down version of the events of the second half of the book.  Naila is thrown away like a dog who couldn't behave.  

Arranged marriages are not uncommon in this world, but this one is described in a detail that shocks people like me, someone who has never seen it first hand.  Many times they work out, but just as many times they do not, and this is a devastating example of when family pushes too far.

Review: The Wrath & the Dawn

Title:  The Wrath & the Dawn
Author:  Renee Ahdieh
Series:  The Wrath & the Dawn (#1)
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Review:

I have seen this book reviewed on nearly every book blog I follow so I finally decided to give it a chance.  It's not that I wasn't excited about the plot, I was, but I was afraid of it being predictable.  I was so wrong about that!

Every time I thought Shahrzad or Khalid would react one way to each other when another layer of the other was pealed back I was surprised.  Not always happily surprised, I will admit, but if I was happy with every direction of the characters of a book than I would hate that book.

Through the first half of the book I was strongly rooting for Tariq, but I admit I switched sides.  Khalid is simply too beautifully broken not to love.  I also love Shazi, she is so strong!  Not only does she do everything without looking back, she is cunning and determined.  However, she is not blind and she doesn't let hatred cloud her judgment.

Towards the end I'll give away only one thought:  why Jahandar?!?

Can't wait to read the sequel!  And I highly recommend.

Review: Dancers After Dark

Title:  Dancers After Dark
Author:  Jordan Matter
Rating: 4.5/5
Expected Publish Date: October 18, 2016

Summary:

A photography collection of nude dancers at night from the bestselling photographer of Dancers Among Us - a celebration of the human form and the fearlessness of the human spirit.

Review:

**I received this book as an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley**

Little known fact, I love photography.  I've read all the Humans of New York books and follow the creator on Facebook every day.  I do take my own pictures and have an Instagram account here, but I'm not in the business.  Anyway, this is what led me to request this book, that and the unique subjects of the book.

Yes, everyone in this book is naked, no I did not get it because of that.  There is a certain vulnerability in this book, exposing oneself in poses that stimulate while in public, but shrouded in shadow.  One of my favorite aspects of this books is that the pictures are marked not first by location, subject, or description, but by a time stamp.

The only negative thing I have to say (that missing .5 on my rating) is that I received it as an ebook and thus pictures that were spread across two pages lost their affect on me.  I will be sure to re-read this when it comes out in hardcover to get the full effect.

And please, I recommend to only those over the age of 17.

A Manga Review

When I was in high school I was addicted to anime and manga.  I was one of those semi-goth kids who loved Japanese culture more than my own some days.  Most of those days are gone now, but from time to time I still re-read favorite manga or discover a new series.

Lately my coworker/friend has gotten me hooked on a couple new series, well new to me.  Here are reviews for the first books of those two series.

Title:  Hellsing, Vol. 1
Author:  Kohta Hirano
Rating:  5/5

Summary:

There's a secret organization somewhere in England created to defend the Queen and country from monsters of all sorts. Yes, it's hard to believe in this day and age... but really, isn't this the true age of monsters? Enter Hellsing, an agency, long in tooth, with the experience, know-how, and... er... equipment to handle the problems that arise when vampires, ghouls, and the like take on these dark forces. "What equipment?" you may say. How about another vampire, and a big pistol loaded with special silver bullets? That oughta do the trick. But what really knocks 'em dead is the sharp wit, awesome artwork, and crazy, bloody action that make up the manga.

Review:

I saw the entirety of the original anime before I began reading this series, and might I just say that the books are better!  The combination of serious and hilarious with this story line is fantastic.  And the main character, on the cover, is a vampire, whose name is Alucard.  Look at that name now, what's fun about it?

His name is Dracula.  He is Dracula.  And he is fantastic

Title:  One-Punch Man, Vol. 1
Author:  One; Yusuke Murata
Rating:  3/5

Summary:

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on! Every time a promising villain appears, he beats the snot out of ’em with one punch! Can Saitama finally find an opponent who can go toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning? Or is he doomed to a life of superpowered boredom?



Review:

Holy crap is this book stupid!  It's hilariously stupid though, like Monty-Python level stupidity.  The art is nothing like on the cover, it is rather simplistic, however it's not bad.  So far the series is six books long (translated into English that is), and there is about thirteen episodes of the anime subbed (no English translation that I'm aware of yet).

I don't know if I'll make it through this series, but I'll give the next book a shot because Saitama is hilarious, and Genos promises to be equally funny and stupid.

Review: One With You

Title:  One with You
Author: Sylvia Day
Series: Crossfire (#5 Final)
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I've ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.

Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.

We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws ... and all the beauty I couldn't see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.

But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free ... or break us apart.

Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire® saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.

Review:

I picked up the first book in this series two or three years ago.  At first, I didn't have high hopes for it; I thought it was just going to be a slightly less kinky version of Fifty Shades of Grey.  I was so wrong!

This series was beautiful most of the time.  I admit the third and fourth books were slow compared to the rest, and I complained in the past about the repetition of relationship issues, but this book more than made up for those instances.

My favorite was the last 200 or so pages when Gideon and Eva finally seem to just click in that magical way we've always been craving.  The ultimate last hurtle for them was amazing as well.  And Lucky was the cutest little sidekick ever.

I really recommend reading this entire series.  There is some sex scenes, sure, but they by far do not overshadow the genuine writing and relationship between characters.

Review: Captivated By You

Title:  Captivated By You
Author:  Sylvia Day
Series:  Crossfire (#4)
Rating:  4/5

Summary:

Gideon calls me his angel, but he's the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own.

The vows we'd exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn't sure I was strong enough to bear.

At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we'd worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we'd had before each other or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream...

Review:

I LOVE this series.  Seriously.  I hate the idea and writing of everything that has to do with Fifty Shades of Grey, but the Crossfire series actually has substance on top of the sex scenes.  Gideon is just... wow, what a man.  His demons just make me love him more.  And Eva, she's perfect in all of her imperfections.

There are two reasons why I gave this book a 4 out of 5 instead of the full rating:  POV shifts and lack of problem resolution.  First, the POV shifts aren't big, just jumping one chapter for Gideon and one for Eva and so on, however it's kind of a pet peeve of mine and it wasn't done in the first three books of the series.  On the second point, I mean it's the repetitive problems we've been seeing for four books now with little to no progress, but there was some progress I suppose.

All in all I cannot wait to read the fifth and final book which just came in the mail!