Monday, October 31, 2011

Review: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

  Happy Halloween, everybody!
Today's review is of the recently published book on the teenage exploits of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a name that has become synonymous with All Hallow's Eve, itself...


This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, #1)
by Kenneth Oppel

Genre: Occult/Adventure/Historical
Reading Grade: Young Adult
Publishing Type: traditional
Publication Date: August 23, 2011
Source: purchased hardcover
Age Rating: 14+

Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real.

They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only piques Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. With their friend Elizabeth, Henry and Victor immediately set out to find assistance from a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.

Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrad's life. After scaling the highest trees in the Sturmwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one’s own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another. 

My Review

I love this book SO much, I can't write a deserving review. I can't quite convey all of my emotions. It is so much more than I was expecting it to be, and leads me down two distinct paths. On the one hand, it's magical, adventurous, dramatic, and romantic. And, on the other, terrifying, heart-breaking, and absolutely tragic. I feel almost gutted. It got under my skin and in my head in a way that doesn't normally happen when I read.

I haven't been moved to tears like this by a novel since I read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It's not quite a powerful story like that classic, but it really got to me. In many ways, I also felt the way I did when I read The Hunger Games trilogy because the characters go through such incredible trials and conflicts that I got completely sucked into the story. In This Dark Endeavor, I couldn't help but be uneasy through the most dangerous parts, as if I were right there experiencing every frightening, squeamish moment along with the characters. I cried myself to sleep the night I finished it (cat-lovers, beware).

In this prequel to the original classic tale, of which I'm already a huge fan, Victor Frankenstein is a sixteen-year-old living with his father, mother, twin brother, Konrad, and his distant cousin, Elizabeth. Just so you know, in the original, Victor had no twin brother, only younger brothers, and he had always loved Elizabeth from the time she came to live with his family.

Konrad comes down with a grave illness, and Victor decides to study forbidden magical alchemy in order to save him. In his family's Swiss chateau, he discovers a hidden Dark Library (very cool!) filled with several tomes on alchemy, which Victor develops a healthy obsession with. He secretly enlists the help of an old alchemist in town, who requires that he and his friends fetch the three ingredients to make the Elixir of Life, a potion that gives a person immortality.

He, Elizabeth, and the hilariously charming, although scardy-cat, Henry Clerval set out on some death-defying adventures in order to procure the unusual items. The adventures are exciting, like those of a Middle Grade adventure novel. Although, I wouldn't suggest this novel for younger children, as we get a lot of insight into Victor's thoughts about his growing attraction to Elizabeth—if you know what I mean.

The romantic drama is spectacular! Here is a love triangle that shouldn't annoy anyone, even those who typically hate them. Unless you hate already knowing who will likely end up with whom, and since this is a prequel, we do already know. But, this doesn't ruin a thing. Each character involved is firm about whom they love—no one waivers, and no one gives anyone the wrong idea (at least not consciously). Elizabeth is worthy of being stuck in the middle. Best of all, Victor likes to put his passion where his mouth is (pun intended), and nothing but excitement ensues.

Victor is surprisingly heroic, and he's hardly that in the original novel. He also has an inner darkness which drives him to do scandalous things. In other words, he's a 'bad boy.' This darkness is only beginning to develop inside him, and it will lead to incredible tragedy, which you can read about in Mary Shelley's novel. In his own way, he is perfectly flawed, and I love that kind of complexity. But, I'm sad, as well as ecstatic because I know what lies in Victor's future, and now that I actually sympathize with him so much, it's depressing…

This book is amazing, and even if you haven't read Frankenstein, you'll still be able to follow it. It may help to enrich your experience by reading the first few chapters of the original, but Oppel takes many liberties in changing the canon. The novel stands very well on it's own, and all the characters are wonderful. By the end, there's a hint of more to come, since Victor's hardly finished studying alchemy, and like a proper mad scientist, he remains totally obsessed. I hope I get to read more, so, so much more….

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.
 

Saturday, October 29, 2011

I'm Doing NaNoWriMo This Year!

  
Hey, y'all! This is just a quick note to tell you that I've decided to officially sign-up for NaNoWriMo this year. It's nothing too special, since I'm only planning on writing maybe 10,000 words for a novella that I've got in mind. Don't think I'll be stressing too much, unless I get super busy and can't always write everyday. I plan to, though! 

If anyone wants to 'buddy' me on the official site, here's how you find my NaNo profile. I've already buddied some of you. 

Good luck to everyone participating!


On My Wishlist #3 (10/29/2011)

 Current Halloween Giveaway!
Win an ebook of A Soul to Steal by Rob Blackwell.

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. Want to know more? Click here.


I've got another On My Wishlist post this week, "The Monster" edition (heh-heh)...


MY MONSTROUS WISHLIST
(but, not in size, mind you) 


The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)
by Rick Yancey

Monster hunting! I've heard nothing but good things about this book, and although I can get squeamish, I still really want to give this one a try. I love gothic tales set in the past, so I hope this one won't scare me too much...



Beastly 
by Alex Flinn

I know, this one isn't quite the horror novel, but it DOES star a monster, essentially. I've already read and reviewed this one, but I've been wanting to actually own it, since I checked it out from the library before. It is a really great read, for those who haven't tried it out, yet. A wonderful modern interpretation of Beauty and the Beast



The Hunchback Assignments (The Hunchback Assignments, #1)
by Arthur Slade

Two words for you... mad scientist. That's all I need to know. Here's my ten dollars.... Okay, seriously though, I loves me some mad scientists, which is probably why I'm such a big Frankenstein fan. This one has a mad scientist turning children into automatons because this novel is a steampunk. Well, that's not WHY, but it is steampunk, anyway. It's sounds awesome and I'm wanting to read this.




What do y'all want for Halloween this year?

Friday, October 28, 2011

Best of the Bunch #1: October 2011 Pick





"Best of the Bunch" is a monthly book blogger meme hosted by Lyrical Reviews
Once a month, participants pick the best book they read for that month and give it the "Best of the Bunch" award! 


I just found this really cool book blogger meme and thought it'd be fun to join in! Usually, it's super easy to figure out what book I liked best from month to month. 

So, here's my pick for the "Best of the Bunch" book that I read during October 2011:


______________________________________________________________


This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel



This book is fantastic! Just blew me away. But, since I haven't even reviewed it on my blog, yet, I won't say too much about it. That review is actually forthcoming on Halloween, just in time for the subject matter, which stars a 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein before he creates his monster. It is an amazing YA read, full of mysterious magical alchemy, forbidden libraries, exciting adventure, and very dramatic romance.  

UPDATE: I have since put up my review of this book! Clicky here to read it....

What's your "Best of the Bunch" pick for this past month?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Review: "The Death Clock" by J. Rock

Current Halloween Giveaway!
Win an ebook of A Soul to Steal by Rob Blackwell


"The Death Clock: a Short Story"
by J. Rock

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Grade: Adult (short story)
Publishing Type: self-published
Publication Date: December 23, 2010
Source: Kindle store (freebie)
Age Rating: 15+

Andie didn’t know what to make of the numbers.
She started seeing them when she got on the bus that morning. She didn't know what they meant...until she saw them run out... 

My Review

This is a good really, really short story. It's around 4,000 words long, but despite that, it's still highly entertaining. The concept of a “death clock,” or the ability to see a countdown of numbers displayed over someone's head that indicates their remaining lifespan, is nothing new. I recognized this used in Death Note, one of my favorite manga series, to name one of many other stories in which it can be found.

But, that's not what impresses me about the story. It's more about the amazing plot twist that you will never see coming, and it is a doozy! This is a free ebook, so you'll lose nothing but a few minutes of your time to read it and freak out at the end, trying to wrap your brain around the incredibly ironic ending.

What I don't like is the main character for most of the story. Andie is one of the most non-proactive characters you'll ever read about, but she arguably goes through a little character growth by the end. If you find yourself disliking her, don't worry—that really won't be a problem for you. Trust me on that… Just read it for the fun plot twist at the end.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Read My Guest Post on Manga

Some of may already know, or figured out, that I am an avid fan of Japanese manga. I really wasn't planning on reviewing any manga on my blog when I started out because I figured that was the job of the actual manga bloggers out there. But, I started to see a few other book bloggers reviewing manga titles and realized, if they can do it, I HAVE to do it, too, or it'd be a crime against humanity!

So, if you head on over to the AMAZING Dark Side of the Covers blog hosted by BJ, then you'll see the guest post I did for her on manga. I mention a few titles that are sure to please and are good places to start when you know nothing about it, and want an easy way to transition... 






Future Reads #12: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Current Halloween Giveaway!
Win an ebook of A Soul to Steal by Rob Blackwell


Today, I blog about a book nearing its publication that I would love to read if I weren't such a pauper with no time to read the book, anyway...


Darker Still (Magic Most Foul, #1)
by Leanna Renee Hieber

Publication Date: November 8, 2011

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.


Here's why I want to read this one: it's about a guy's soul being trapped in a painting while his body is out doing God-knows-what! That is awesome. And, it's a historical of New York City, which I've pretty much read nothing of. I love historicals, but need a change of pace from the constant London settings. It'd be nice to read more historicals in an old NYC, long before it became what it is today.

But, the main reason is because I already read some of the beginning of this novel over at the author's website, and it is spectacular! Gorgeous writing that I can't wait to sink my gaze into.... 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Review + Giveaway: A Soul to Steal by Rob Blackwell

Hey, everybody! I've got a special treat for you all after this review. Rob Blackwell, the author of A Soul to Steal, has given me permission to giveaway ONE free ebook copy of his book to a lucky blog reader! It's the perfect read for Halloween, so read on to the end of the review to find out how to enter this giveaway… 


A Soul to Steal
by Rob Blackwell

Genre: Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Reading Grade: Adult
Publishing Type: self-published
Publication Date: August 29, 2011
Source: review copy (ebook)
Age Rating: 17+

Something is stalking the citizens of Loudoun County, Va. Is it the return of the notorious serial killer known as Lord Halloween? Or is it something worse—a figure that can cloak itself as your worst nightmare? Kate and Quinn, two community journalists, rush to uncover the truth before a promised bloodbath on Halloween night.

The debut novel from award-winning journalist Rob Blackwell,
A Soul to Steal balances suspense, horror, action and humor, building to a gripping and unforgettable conclusion. For readers who enjoy Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Jim Butcher, A Soul to Steal is the perfect autumn novel.

My Review

I'm not one to read much in the way of thriller-suspense novels, so I'm no expert in the genre. But, I do know a good story when I read it, and this is definitely great. Whether or not the 'whodunnit' aspect is all that clever—I don't know, because I have nothing to compare it to. But, I think it's awesome because I was wrong about who the killer is, and when you guess, then realize you're wrong by the end, you must have read an effective mystery.

We follow around quite a few different characters, but most of the time, we're inside the heads of Quinn and Kate, the main characters. They are reporters for a small town newspaper called The Loudoun Chronicle, in Virginia. Kate moves there for very personal reasons because she's connected to the serial killer that terrorized the town twelve years earlier.

But, that killer has started to kill in Loudoun again, and as the story progresses, everybody's trying to find him, and this guy's downright terrifying! He keeps on succeeding and a lot people, despite being super careful, still get picked off by him. He is as sick as you'll ever find because he uses the newspaper to publicize his crimes, and to get the people of the town to tremble in fear every October so he can get off on it.

For some reason, he takes a twelve year hiatus and then starts killing again in October of 2006. It's definitely a thrilling ride as you try to figure out who he is and why he's killing people. But, there's this very original and creative aspect to the story that I loved in how it all connected to Washington Irving's “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I won't spoil how it's connected, but it intersects with this story in a really neat way, and sort of parallels Irving's classic spooky read.

I think any adult reader would love this, especially during this time of year. Because the events take place only during October, it's the perfect Halloween read. It's not scary in the horror kind of way since there's not much gore. Lots of murder and mayhem, but we don't see every detail of every kill. That made it easy for me to read and enjoy. From what I understand, this is the first book in a trilogy, so there's more to come in future Halloweens.

I received this book for review from the author for my honest opinion.

My score: 4.5 stars out of 5. 
 
*This goes toward my 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

  • open internationally
  • leave a comment under this blog post with your name, email, and Google Friend Connect (GFC) name, if you're a follower
  • following my blog is NOT required, but encouraged
  • followers of my blog will receive an extra entry (+1)
  • 1 winner will be chosen by Random.org
  • 1 ebook in ONE of the following formats will be chosen by the winner:
    Kindle, Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF, PDB, or Plain Text
  • Last day to enter: Sunday, November 6th, 2011.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

On My Wishlist #2 (10/22/2011)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. Want to know more? Click here.


So, here's my OMW post for this week's meme. I've already purchased two of the books on my list from last week! (But, I need to ban myself. I'm going broke.)


MY BLOODY WISHLIST


Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh, #1) 
by Samantha Young

Hello, handsome fellow gracing the cover! But, seriously, this is a self-published title that sounds fantastic, and everybody's raving about it. I've read just a little of the beginning and it's making me feel inadequate as a writer, as I head into NaNoWriMo next month. That must mean it's quite impressively written. It's only $0.99 as an ebook, but I've banned myself from buying anymore books for the time being.


Blood (Mercian Trilogy, #1)
by K. J. Wignall
 
Well, if it isn't another handsome fellow gracing the cover! This is a vampire book about a broody, old guy who looks perpetually sixteen. That could be enough to brood over, but I'd rather be stuck at sixteen than sixty for the rest of my immortal life. 



Bloodspell (Bloodspell, #1) 
by Amalie Howard

This one's about a witch and a old journal. It sounds interesting and there's good talk of this one. I love the cover, too. I love these sepia-toned covers for some reason.


That's my On My Wishlist wishlist. What's on yours? 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Review: "Retro Demonology" by Jana Oliver

"Retro Demonology" (The Demon Trapper's, #0.5)
by Jana Oliver

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Grade: Young Adult (short story)
Publishing Type: traditional
Publication Date: December 13, 2010
Source: Kindle store (freebie)
Age Rating: 13+

Before Riley Blackthorne can take on Grade Five demons, she has to trap her very first. Her debut solo trapping experience should be a breeze, just a harmless Grade One after all. But throw in some dippy hippies (whose peace signs and Patchouli really aren’t driving any demons away), one mischievous demon, and a run-in with the police, and Riley might not be able to pull it off...

My Review

This is another of many ebook-only prequels to a novel series meant to get you to read the first book's preview. Well, I don't mind if that's the only purpose of the story, but I'd like an interesting story that gets me … well, interested in reading further material. I think this very short story (which took up only 33 percent of my Kindle file) is actually funny, but there isn't much conflict.

Riley Blackthorne is a teenage demon trapper in a near-future Atlanta, Georgia that is aware of its demon population. She is sent to the house of a client in need of her demon trapping abilities. The demon is the most innocuous kind and really just looks like a Brownie, in faerie terms. It pees everywhere, curses, and she does something to make it sleepy, then takes off with it. Then, it wakes, gets free of its confines, and nearly causes Riley to crash her car.

The plot is rather mundane, although a couple of characters, the retro-hippie clients, were hilarious. Seriously channeling The Grateful Dead. That alone kind of saves me from giving this a lesser star rating. Still, I'm most likely going to pass on this novel series (The Demon Trappers) because I need something more intriguing to entice me to read it.

My score: 2.5 out of 5 stars.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Dark Seeker Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway of Taryn Browning's, Dark Seeker novel. This was my first blog giveaway, and I found it was really fun! I'm planning on doing another one next week, so stay tuned for that....


(Picked at random by Random.org.)

The winner of Dark Seeker (Kindle ed.) is...


Renee Rearden! 

Congratz! You're Kindle copy is attached to the email sent to you. Thanks so much for participating.

Top Ten Books I Bought Just for the Cover (TTT #4)


"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly book blogger meme hosted by
The Broke and the Bookish!
  

This week's list topic is...
  

TOP TEN BOOKS WHOSE TITLES OR COVERS MADE ME BUY THEM

 
 
Oh, they can be so sneaky like that, sometimes... Mine are all books I bought for the covers. Titles really don't make me want to buy books. That's just not a thing for me.

1. Dead Iron (Age of Steam, #1) by Devon Monk 
I couldn't resist buying this book because the cover is so ownsome. Hunky steampunk dude on the cover in Western attire, waving around a pistol? Yes, I am a big Clint Eastwood fan, and this just triggered those heartstrings. Is the book good? Well, so far, not so as much as I'd hoped. But, I can hope it gets better.

2. The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
I fell so in love with this book's cover (featured above), that I went out of my way to get the physical book from a used book store, even though it was an out-of-print edition. The current book's cover is completely different, but worse! I love robots, androids, automatons, especially if they remind me of Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. If they somehow manage to have a soul, I'll buy the book. It's a done deal. Even more so if I they're on the cover and they look really neat.

3. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare
I pretty much bought this book because the cover is gorgeous and has all my favorite colors going on in it. I'm a color person, so I'm drawn to things that are my favorite colors. Thankfully, this ended up being a really good book. Review to come...

4. Dark Mirror (Dark Mirror, #1) by M.J. Putney
This is another pretty cover with all my favorite colors in it, and the Regency attire ropes me in, as well. I haven't read this yet, so I hope I didn't get tricked into a bad book. 

5. Immortal (Immortal, #1) by Gillian Shields
This cover is all blue, watery, and crystally... If you love blue, how can you not love this cover! Gorgeous. I got this as a free MP3 audiobook download during the summer, so I didn't really buy it, but I was drawn to obtaining it because of the cover. Still haven't listened to it yet, either.

6. The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers, #1) by G.P. Ching
This had a different cover when I first came across it, but once it changed, so did my motivation to buy it. Fell totally in love with the mysterious, hooded male on the cover, and all the blue-green action going on. It's a great book, and you can read my review of it |here|.

7. Infinity (The Chronicles of Nick, #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
I actually borrowed this from the library, but was planning on buying it afterward. But, I didn't like the story enough to follow through. I was drawn to this one because, for some weird reason, I love the cover. It's a good book, but I'll just check the rest out from the library, too. Read my review of this book |here|, if interested.

8. The Kensei (Lawson Vampire Novel, #5) by Jon F. Merz
I adore the cover of this novel, but didn't buy it solely for that reason. I really do love vampires, Japan, and samurai, so I figure this book will be a win-win-win for me all around. I've already read a short story prequel to this novel, which totally rocked! You can read my review |here|.

9. PineLight (PineLight, #1) by Jillian Peery
The premise of this novel sounds really good, but that cover is awesome! It really makes it stand out. Hopefully, I'll like more than just the first few hundred words of this book.

10. The Thirteenth Chime (A Sense of Truth, #1) by Emma Michaels
This cover is beautiful, with the close-up of the pretty green eye. I also really dig the font used on it. This one kept on catching my eye (pun intended!) over time, so when I saw the ebook version reduced in price to only $0.99, I jumped on it. 


So, what books, praytell, are you all guilty of buying for the sheer eye-candyness of it all?

Monday, October 17, 2011

Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens


The Emerald Atlas (The Books of Beginning, #1)
by John Stephens 

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Reading Grade: Middle Grade
Publishing Type: traditional
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Source: local library (hardcover)
Age Rating: 13+ (a bit of violence)

John Stephens' aptly-titled new fantasy trilogy begins auspiciously with a nimble, fast-paced tale of three siblings. Kate, Michael, and Emma have suffered through ten years of odious orphanage "care"; now they have slipped into the care of the eccentric, disturbingly mysterious Dr. Pym. While exploring their new home, the children discover a magical green book. With that discovery, a decade of tedium dissolves into cascades of dangerous time travel adventures and struggles with a beautiful witch and decidedly less attractive zombie-like Screechers.

My Review

I decided to read this book because it has been getting a lot of hype since it was published. People have been claiming it's going to be the next 'Harry Potter' series, but I won't make comparisons to Harry Potter. It is a high fantasy type of book that deals with time-travel and all the interesting things that can change, and how dangerous that power is in the wrong hands.

There are an abundance of fantasy characters, like dwarves, witches, zombie-like ghouls, ferocious monsters, and lots of battling going on with plenty of the need for the main characters to save the world from total ruination. The characters are well-drawn up and very exaggerated, which I like. My favorites were Dr. Pym, Michael, Emma, and the witch's Secretary. There are lots of funny and entertaining characters here, even if Kate, the main character, isn't as interesting as the rest.

The premise is fascinating, in that there are these three books and they were all written by ancient wizards long ago about the magic of the universe. They all possess great power and the one that is the subject of this volume is the Altas. It is the book that allows for passage through time and space, giving that traveler immense power to manipulate any point in time. Of course, an evil character wants the book, so the children have to stop this character from succeeding with the help of the old, eccentric Dr. Pym.

It would be best suited for younger teenagers—not elementary school-aged children. There is a bit of violence and even a little light cursing, so I'd recommend it for middle school kids and older. Although, I'm not the in target audience for this book, I think it would be a big hit with those who love reading Middle Grade adventure/fantasy fiction. I look forward to the next installment in the series. There is still much the children need to accomplish, and I need more of that capital fellow, Dr. Pym.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

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