REVIEW: Martin C. Sharlow – Storytellers (3/5)

Series: Storytellers Saga #1

Couple of Covers:

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

This is the book for you if you like:

- Books about books
- Friendship stories

How did I get it: Free via Smashwords

Summary: Thousands of years ago, the great Sage Montok Waynew signed the Book Accords, in which it was declared that all books must edify and instruct for the good of all mankind. Created in the hope to end the tyranny that had come into existence in their time, it was widely received and ratified by all living Sages as a good thing in the wake of the last great Story wars. So it went, that those books that were not found desirable were burned or destroyed, to protect all future generations.
Gailen, Alena and Targ find this peace is about to end. In a world where Sages can summon stories to life to do their bidding, these three apprentices must find where they belong, when the laws of the past seem to no longer exist.

(from Goodreads)

Favourite cover: The covers are, in order: Kindle cover, paperback cover, which apparently had a different title and another cover (I always use goodreads for these covers, and I can’t find the edition that used this cover).

I really loathe the Kindle cover; I don’t get why it was necessary to put an almost naked woman on the cover of this book. It has no connection to the story at all. The paperback cover is really sinister, which fits a bit more, because parts of the book were pretty creepy. I, however, much prefer the unknown edition cover, because I think it uses the most important part of the book: how stories can come out of their books.

Title: Storytellers fits the book perfectly, especially because it is the name of their specific talent/ability. I don’t get why the paperback version used Storyweavers, because that’s just at odds with the story itself.

Characters: I love Targ. He finds himself in a world where he doesn’t understand anything and he’s so desperate to find his way and to find out who he is. It’s easy to get into his mindset, because as a reader you don’t know anything about the world either. Alena was at times annoying, and at times I really liked her. Gailen got really annoying towards the end of the book, but I believe that was kind of the point.

Maybe Darrius is the most intriguing character of all. One of the last sages left, he has to try and do what he can to save what can be saved of the Storytellers Council. He is really young and has always been a bit controversial in his ideas how stories should be used; now he doesn’t have any elders left to turn to. I especially want to know how his story progresses in the next part of the series.

Setting: The world this story is set in, doesn’t have a name, but we get to see quite a lot of it. It’s a huge world, with lots of rough nature. All the villages in this world have their own Storyteller, who makes sure the village is defended and that the villagers have enough food. They do this by bringing stories they know to life.

General story: I really like the world-building; I love the idea of people who are able to bring stories to life and my favourite parts of the book were the parts where it was described how the Storytellers thought of the right story to use and how to use it. I also really like the idea that people were so scared of how sad stories with violence could affect their world, that all non-happy books were banned and outlawed; this went so far, that Gailen and Elena don’t believe Targ when he talks about a book that doesn’t end well.

Because the book alternates between the story of Targ, Gailen and Elena and Darrius’ story, at times I found it a bit hard to follow. Especially in the beginning of the book, when there is no sense of connection at all between the stories, it was hard to be equally invested in each of them. This, however, got a lot better towards the end of the book.

Will I read other books from this author? Yes.

Will I read the next instalment in this series? I might.

Overall rating: 3 stars

REVIEW: Z – The gossip ghouls: Zombies and Lipstick (3/5)

Series: Gossip Ghouls #1

Cover:

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

How did I get it: Free via Smashwords

This is the book for you if you like:

- High school stories
- Cecily Von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl series

Summary: Zombie punk Z wakes up in her designer coffin to learn that Vampie, the undead Paris Hilton wannabe, killed her. At first, Z believes this attack stems from Vampie’s jealousy over Z’s boyfriend. Soon, Z learns Vampie's master plan: stealing Z's boyfriend while eliminating werewolves and zombies altogether. Z decides to pose as Gossip Ghoul to get revenge on the billionaire vampress. Impersonating Vampie’s party girl cousin, Z enters the world of the super wealthy, of birka bags and designer fangs, of Parisian shopping sprees and lavish parties. Will Z be exposed before she texts Vampie's scandalous secrets to the undead world? Or will Z vanquish Vampie to once again make the high school of the living and the undead a safe and fashionable place for all?

(from Goodreads)

Thoughts on cover: The cover is mostly focused on the gossip aspect, which was part of the book, but I wouldn’t say it was the important part. And even after reading the book the two lighted girls seem like random people instead of characters out of the book. So I’m not really liking the cover.

Title: I like the title. I think “Gossip Ghouls” is a pretty obvious reference to “Gossip Girls”, which the book does deserve. The updates on the Gossip Ghoul blog are really similar to Gossip Girl’s blog, style-wise, which I was pretty impressed with. “Zombies & Lipstick” is a title that, because of its wackiness, works really good in drawing attention to the book.

Characters: Even though there are more characters in this book than just Z, I thought she was the only one we really got to know. Sure, there is Vampie, the villain, and Brent, the love interest, but both of them seem really one-dimensional characters. Z, on the other hand, is a girl who was not asking to be drawn into this world of zombies, vampires and werewolves, but is willing to rise up to the challenge and get back at them all in their own way. I really liked that about her.

Setting: The book is set in Auburn Heights, a small city in Michigan, USA and in a couple of other places around the world. Auburn Heights is a convergence point for all kinds of supernatural creatures: werewolves, zombies, and vampires, who are the main rulers of the Auburn Heights High and of the entire town.

General story: I loved the first couple of pages. I really, really loved them. I laughed out loud and couldn’t help but keep reading sentences aloud to my girlfriend. That style seemed to be gone after a few pages, though, and while I liked the story, I was sad that feeling didn’t come back.

I have to be honest, I still have trouble seeing how a zombie could ever be anything but gross or scary. So it was hard to accurately picture Z, but I really liked the mythology in this book; zombies aren’t flesh-eating mindless corpses at all, just a different kind of supernatural creatures with their own abilities (like shape shifting or teleporting).

Will I read other books from this author? Yes.

Will I read the next instalment in this series? Probably.

Overall rating: 3 stars

Teaser Tuesday (#4)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASER:

Tristran lay beside the huge bulk of the unicorn, feeling its warmth radiating out into the night. The star was lying on the other side of the beast. It sounded almost as if she were murmuring a song to the unicorn; Tristan wished that he could hear her properly.

In My Mailbox (#4)

It's Monday, which, means it’s time for “In My Mailbox"! This meme is brought to you by The Story Siren and the idea is to post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox.

What I got this week…

 

	Best Friends by Consuelo Saah Baehr, currently free for the Kindle
	Ghost in her heart by Autumn Dawn, currently free for the Kindle. It’s number six in the Darklands series, but I’ve been told that the series doesn’t have to be read in order.
	The Calling by Ashley Lynn Wills. Won (e-book) via Queentutt's World of Escapism
	Hour of the Lion by Cherise Sinclair. Won (e-book) via The Forbidden Bookshelf
	Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness, an anthology of stories by, among others, Patricia Laffoon. Won (e-book) via Book Monster Reviews

REVIEW: Rick Riordan – The lightning thief (4/5)

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1

Couple of covers:

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

How did I get it: I borrowed it from a friend

Summary: After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

This first instalment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.

(from Goodreads)

Favourite cover: The covers are, in order: American cover, British cover, Dutch cover and first UK cover. I actively dislike the British cover, it’s too ghoulish, too dark. I like the dramatic atmosphere of the Dutch cover, which I think does that drama a little bit better than the American cover. But I definitely prefer the first UK cover. Firstly, because I usually prefer to have no actual people on my covers – it makes it easier to form my own image in my head. Secondly, I like the text. Thirdly, I think it’s a cover that really piques your curiosity and grabs your attention.

Title: The title is a good summary of what the book is about and an attention grabber. I think it’s perfect.

Characters: I liked Percy, his bravery and his willingness to fight made him really awesome. Especially after the scene with his mother in Hades there is no way I could not like him for who he is and what he stands for. I had to warm up a bit to Annabeth, but Percy did too, so that’s okay. I actually did like her in the end.

But my favourite character has to be Grover! I love him, I love how he’s always trying to help, I love his determination to find Pan, I love how he never leaves Percy’s side if he can help it. Besides, he’s a satyr! How can I not love that?

Setting: It’s set in the USA, but the most important part of the setting is that it takes Greek mythology and brings it back to life. I love Greek mythology, I devoured their myths and legends when I was kid, so it’s just perfect for me. I like how the Gods are just as faulty as they were in the myths and how they feel so real, so tangible, in the book.

General story: I had a hard time getting into the story. I’m not sure what brought that on, but for the first quarter or so I had to fight my way through it. After that, it really got a lot better and when I got to the end, I couldn’t put the book down! It was really fast-paced towards the end, with some twists I hadn’t seen coming (and some I had).

I’d really recommend this to anyone who has some interest in Greek mythology or wants to read a book about the virtues of friendship, family and heroism.

Will I read other books from this author? Yes.

Will I read the next instalment in this series? Definitely.

Overall rating: 4 stars

REVIEW: Lacey Alexander – French Quarter (1/5) [18+]

Series: Hot in the City, #1

Couple of covers:

Genre: Erotic romance

How did I get it: I got it free for the Kindle

Summary: When prim, proper Liz Marsh suspects her fiancé is cheating on her, she’s almost too embarrassed to hire a P.I. to prove it. And when she gathers her courage and walks into Jack Wade’s office, she has no idea he’ll be the sexiest man she’s ever encountered, nor that his light Cajun accent will make her tingle in all the wrong—or is that right?—places.

After Jack brings her questionable yet undeniably arousing evidence, the only solution is for Liz to get a closer look with her own eyes. And Jack is more than happy to show her everything she’s been missing. One night in the French Quarter’s entrancing red light district, and Liz finds herself caught up in the sensual allure of an erotic new atmosphere and the sudden, urgent need to experience it for herself—with Jack.

Jack’s normally a keep-it-casual guy, but as nights with Liz get hotter, so do Jack’s feelings for the sensual woman in his arms. Bourbon Street decadence beckons and Liz embarks on a sizzling journey of sexual awakening that has her more willing to shed her inhibitions minute by carnal minute. But someone else has noticed her insatiable appetite for sensual adventure, someone who’s just beginning to realize what he’s lost—and who’s determined to tear Jack and Liz apart…

(from Goodreads)

Favourite cover: I think the right cover is too crowded; it gives me a chaotic feeling. The left, dark one is really sensual and thus definitely the better one. I believe it fits the story.

Title: See setting.

Characters: Liz is breaking free of her restraints and finding her sexuality; I liked that she wasn’t afraid to follow her urges, to do what she felt was right. She really lets go of her strict upbringing and that was a joy to read.

We don’t really get to see much of Jack, aside form his sexuality, so it was kind of hard to get a connection to him. His ridiculous French interjections really annoyed me. Some of them didn’t make any sense at all; they seriously weren’t French, they were just French words mixed into the story to… make Jack look more exotic, or something?

Todd’s decline from loving-but-boring-fiancé to threatening-ex-lover seemed a bit… forced. Maybe it was necessary for the story to make him into a villain, but it didn’t seem logical that he would go that far.

Setting: It’s set in the French Quarter of New Orleans, which is where (apparently) all the decadence of the world comes together. It’s the place where Liz learns to let go of her inhibitions and thus very important to the story; I do believe it’s the perfect title for this book.

General story: The plot in this one is really flimsy and mostly just a way to get from one hot scene to the other. Which would be okay (because the sex scenes are good), if it wasn’t flimsy in a bad way. One of the things that really angered me, was that this book uses the almost rape of Liz by her ex-fiancée Todd to have Jack jump in as the protector. This casual way of using rape is worsened by the fact that Liz doesn’t seem to be fazed by it in the slightest and has sex with Jack the next day.

There was one aspect of the relationship between Jack and Liz that really bugged me: they don’t communicate. It entirely exists of two things: Jack desperate to protect Liz and Liz and Jack having sex. All kinds of sex – without talking about what they want or any kinds of boundaries. Even in an erotic romance the relationship should seem real; even if they both want what they’re doing, they should be talking about it. I can’t see them having any relationship outside of their sexual experiences, but that is where the story is going.

Will I read other books from this author? Probably not.

Will I read the next instalment in this series? No.

Hotness: 5/5

Overall rating: 1 stars

Teaser Tuesday (#3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASER:

"She could lead them against us one day," Vampie said, "So I have need of your special skills." I nodded. "Sounds like fun."