Weekend Read - A Darker Shade of Magic

This book is so good so far. The characters of Kell and Lila are both pretty darn unique. I love the world so far and can’t wait to see what happens.

Question of the Day - What’s the best comic you’ve read lately?

The best comic I've read lately is the fifth issue of Bob's Burgers. The comic is as funny as the cartoon because pretty much each character has their own part to play in the comic. I think Tina and her stories are my favorite but seeing Bob's burger ideas is a lot of fun too.

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Flunked

"Waiting On"  Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on...  

Flunked by Jen Calonita

* Book will be released March 3, 2015

Check out the description from Goodreads:

"Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? An exciting new twisted fairy tale series from award-winning author Jen Calonita.

Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.

Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she lifts a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school-for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: can a villian villain really change?"

This book looks like a lot of fun. I really adore fresh takes on fairy tales so I look forward to whatever this book has in store.

Tiny Reverse Vampire Reviews - Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

* Read via NetGalley

5 out of 5 tiara wearing bats

More and more this series is becoming one of my favorites of this author's let alone one of my favorites in general. Although the last book Murder of Crows was a bit more action packed this one did a lot to move the story forward. 

For the first time in a while reading this book I had actual moments where I looked at the book and said I could not believe some of the details and depths that they went into with the bad guy’s plot and even going as far as some things you would not think to see in this book. Honestly by the end of it I believe some of the way that the plot in this book went were very unexpected.

I continue to love all of the characters but Skippy continues to be one of my favorites. The part where he finds out money makes bad cookies literally had me laughing out loud.

I can't wait for the next part of this series to come out I am looking forward to getting to read it because in this book I have never been so excited just to see two characters hold hands and I want to see where this goes. And I secretly want to know what happens when two of Tess’s kind meet, I can't wait until a certain blood prophet gets to meet the others and I hope  it happens soon.

Review - Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

* Read via NetGalley

* Spoilers are highlighted like so

* Book will be released March 3, 2015

5 out of 5 gnomes

This series is fast becoming one of my favorites. Anne Bishop is just supernaturally good at world building and making you care so much about all of the characters. The book was pretty darn unputdownable.

Simon and Meg might just be the cutest almost a couple that I've ever read. This is probably the slowest burn of a relationship that I’ve read in a while yet it is awesome to read. Plus I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited that two characters were holding hands.

The world of the Others is just so intriguing because it takes a whole new take on shapeshifters and the what ifs of a world where humans are not in charge. This book is showing that sometimes people can be their own worst enemy and then when you throw in the Others, things really get interesting.

* The blood prophets and the learning curve they have really helps the story.

* That ending is intense and makes you wonder if the world will be able to survive.

* I recommend reading this series ASAP

Overall this series continues to be pretty darn epic. I know I love a series when I find myself caring about all the characters. This one ends in a very interesting place and I can't wait for the next book.

Top 5 Sundays - Urban Fantasy Books I'm dying for in 2015!

This feature was thought up by the awesome Larissa & Friends’ Bookish Life

Rules:

1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3 - Feel free to use the Features image

4 - After you've finished your post, add your link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)    


Urban Fantasy Books I'm dying for in 2015! 

I’m really looking forward to reading all of these and even have a couple of them on my kindle (I just need to find the time to read them.)

Rachel Reviews - The Second Coming: A Love Story

The Second Coming: A Love Story by Scott Pinsker

* Book received from the author for review

This book is about religion, politics and the intertwining of the two. The only way it could be more controversial would be if it included a debate about pizza toppings. That being said, my goal in this review is to review the book itself, not its views on religion and politics, though I will admit, the presentation of each throughout the book was, while reading, balanced. You have no idea which one is the messiah and which is the devil until the very last two pages. Even then, there’s some doubt.

Throughout the entire book, you keep going back and forth, wondering which messiah is the real deal. Wondering if all the subversive tactics their respective disciples are using, are worth the pain they cause. You keep reading in the hopes of finding answers, even just a little bit of closure. The most I got out of it, humans are terrible creatures by nature and maybe the devil has good reason to despise us.

Every character in this book is clearly another take on their biblical namesakes. Peter Clay, Mary Magdala, it’s pretty obvious who these people are meant to portray. In addition, while the various members of the media do not have namesakes, it’s clear they are meant to represent various people currently working in radio, television, etc. Throughout all of the mass media attention, siding with one messiah, bashing the other, the only person I felt that truly kept their heads was Professor Solomon Basemath and he was only in one scene. The only person I felt any emotion for was Michael and that’s probably because, like the reader, he was stuck between two realms, with no clue about where he’s going or why he is where he is. Most of the other characters do truly deplorable things al in the name of supporting their messiah and it makes it almost impossible to empathize with them when bad things happen. Yet again, reaffirming one of the final messages of the book, humans are deplorable.

I went through this entire book out of interest in seeing which messiah would end up being real and which would be the devil. I sought closure in the last chapter of this book. I received none. Maybe this is the author’s intent, they do have a sequel coming out this year. Either way, the ending left a bad taste in my mouth. I will give this book credit for keeping me reading; I had no interest in not finishing it. I give this book credit for a consistent storyline. I also enjoyed the devil’s backstory that was interlaced with everything going on, even if it was incredibly confusing for the first several references. But I still feel let down by the ending and that’s the last impression I got from the book. The most I can give this is 3 Gnomes.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

* Read via NetGalley

* Book will be released March 3, 2015

“But the Courtyard’s human pack! Nothing simple about those females.”

“How was he supposed to protect Meg from Meg?”

“He’d feel better about the plan that was taking shape if he was confident that their brains would keep working.”

“As long as he could outrun them, he wasn’t worried about dealing with the female pack.”

“Was the look supposed to be a warning, a message, or just the curiosity human females and Crows seemed to have in common?”

“Hope or hatred? Which fire would light Thaisia?”

“It wasn’t blood-prophet thinking, it was regular-girl thinking!”

“...maybe he could learn to be human enough.”

P.R.R.(Pre Review Ravings) - Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

* Read via NetGalley * Spoilers are highlighted like so

* These are my P.R.R.(Pre Review Ravings) aka what I think before I write my review.

* Book will be released March 3, 2015

* Ahhh so much happening.

* So much tension (many kinds of tension) :)

* Meg + Simon = always good.

* Learning more about/a guide for blood prophets.

* Meg is settling in and becoming stronger but there are definitely some setbacks too.

* Hope!!!!

* Lizzy!!!!

Weekend Read - Eat, Brains, Love

So far this book is an interesting take on the zombie genre. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Happy Valentine's Day

Have a great day everybody. :)

Review - The Duff

The DUFF by Kody Kleplinger

2 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book, well first of all I thought it was going to be a lot funnier than it actually was. It was good but not spectacular and by the end not many of the characters are likable.

It looks like the movie’s going to be completely different from the book according to the description at IMDB.com (I have a feeling I might like the movie more.)

The book has a good concept with the whole role of the DUFF but I don’t think it sticks the landing. To start with Wesley is the only one you hear use that word, it would work better if everybody used that for an insult.

It did have good parts but a lot of the time it was hard to understand why all the character do what they do. Though it did have the whole kind of bad soap opera aspect where you want to keep reading just to see what happens.

Where the book lost me though was that I really, really, really didn’t like how the whole alcohol problem was dealt with. Everything just ended up being taken care of way too easily with no real consequences. I kind of had the same problem with her parents and their problems too, they just don’t feel very fleshed out. Bianca forgives them both entirely too fast especially after what they both did. Plus what happened with her father, to just pretty much talk about that once and not say anything again is just really damn weird.

The book was good in pieces but I found myself plodding through the story at times instead of enjoying it.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Fifty Shades of Brains

Fifty Shades of Brains by BF Dealeo

“If you’re going to give it up, at least give it up for a decent piece of meat.”

“Buck up, my inner drill sergeant yells at me.”

“Albinos? Really? What is this, a Dan Brown novel?”

“My inner sex goddess quickly gets a Brazilian wax and puts on a bikini. She’s ready to dive right in.”

“My inner sex goddess starts doing a slow bump and grind, a wide smile on her face.”

“He’s a fresh load of laundry in a world full of rotting rags.”

“My inner librarian rolls her eyes. Nothing’s alphabetized.”

“My inner sex goddess starts doing her Kegels.”

“My sick fuck, my inner psycho chick whispers adoringly.”

“It’s a cold world, bitches! my inner gangsta shouts at them.”

Review - Fifty Shades of Brains

Now I haven’t read the book that this is parodying but I’ve read parts of it and seen the many videos of celebrities reading from it (it’s not hard to get the jist of exactly what the book’s about.)  That book like any book though can be made better or a heck of a lot more interesting if you add zombies.

The main character Aurora falls for Caligula Green, the best zombie hunter in the land and the guy who's pretty much keeping everybody alive. Mr. Green is full of secrets and their courtship is shall we say, interesting.

There were plenty of unexpected events in this book. I liked that Aurora was the one who was interested in him and initiated a lot of their partnership. The albinos were another nice and funny touch.

This book is hilarious and all of Aurora’s inner goddess/inner other lines were LOL funny. There’s plenty of sex, survival and zombies.

The end of the story was unexpected yet awesome and I would definitely read another book set in this universe.

Question of the Week - What did you read or watch this weekend?

What movies or books did you read this weekend?

I read Fifty Shades of Brains and watched the SpongeBob 2 movie and Jupiter Ascending.

This book is hilarious and from what I’ve heard/seen snippets of from the original I think zombies only improve the story.

This was awesome in a grand space opera kind of way. The world building was pretty great and leaves you wanting to know even more about everything.

This one wasn’t as good as the first one but it was still a bunch of fun.

Weekend Read - Fifty Shades of Brains

I think parodies can be a lot of fun and what I’ve read so far of this one is pretty darn funny.

Review - Murder of Crows

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

5 out of 5 gnomes

This series continues to intrigue me. This second book in the series really helps build the world up even more. 

The chemistry between Simon and Meg is so sweet and you never know what’s going to happen next with them. I hope they get together but there are plenty of complications too if that did happen. Simon trying to be friends ends in some funny misunderstandings.

Seeing some of the other gards that aren’t used to humans was awesome. This also shows how much the Others have been changed by having Meg there. The new characters and an important new location add even more to the story. 

The blood prophets continue to bring a unique aspect and be full of surprises. Meg is quite the character and it’s always fun seeing her interact with the Others.

The dangerous drugs are explained even more and blood prophets and the history of them continues to show how they will continue to affect the story.

There are a lot of enemies in this book and you can foresee that there are going to be plenty of problems in the future. I thought there was only going to be one set of bad guys but this book adds some more bad guys to the mix.

Complications galore and a lot of heart makes for a fantastic read. Plus that ending leaves plenty of craziness in everybody’s futures.

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Murder of Crows

* These are my favorite quotes/lines from the book.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“Yep, that’s our Liaison. Meg Moosekicker.”

“Given a choice, Henry would have hugged a porcupine rather than listen to such enthusiasm about lotions and hand creams.”

“They were good employees. Therefore, they were not edible.”

“She’s not one of us, but she’s not one of them either,” he snapped. “She’s Meg.”

“But if you had done all the things with a female Wolf that you have done with Meg, it would be considered a courtship. You would be presenting yourself as a potential mate.”

“What?” Shit, fuck, damn. Females!”

“When it comes to being selected for a thankless job, the man who leaves the room just before the vote is the fool who gets the job,...”

“Very Wolfish of her, not wanting to be too alone. He approved.”

“A furry Wolf was a friend. A human-shaped male was a confusion.”

“A whole pack of troublesome, not-edible females.”

“I’m a girl!” she shouted. “it happens!”

“Female crazies! How dare he!”

“In his experience, a wounded, angry female was a dangerous female.”

“The Sanguinati will not harm the sweet blood.”

“I had no idea you humans lived with so much danger.”

“When would humans realize they always started the fights that would kill them?”

P.R.R.(Pre Review Ravings) - Murder of Crows

These are my P.R.R.(Pre Review Ravings) aka what I think before I write my review.

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

* I adore this series (can't believe it took me so long to read this book.)

* All the different gards are so different/intriguing at the same time.

* Meg is quite the character and it’s always fun seeing her interact with the Others.

* Lots of new characters and one very interesting new place (can’t wait to see what happens in this new place.)

* A great look at a what if scenario where humans are definitely not the dominant species.

* Tess and the human pack remain some of my favorite characters too.

* There are a lot of enemies in this book and you can foresee that there are going to be plenty of problems in the future.
* The ending could lead to some extremely interesting developments in the future.

Rachel Reviews - Fancy Pants Poetry by Agostino Scafidi

* Provided by the author for review.

This is kinda difficult to review. Poetry is so personal and so subjective to the reader’s individual experience that it’s difficult to tell others about it and whether or not they would like it. And at only 50 pages, I’m not sure how much I can actually say. But I will give this my best shot.

It’s seems to me that Scafidi writes his poetry to express frustrations with daily life, but with undertones of happiness at the little things. At the same time, if he was trying to get me to feel something, it didn’t come through. Some of these poems are good for a quick meditation, but it wasn’t exactly a moving collection of works.

If you want a quick read for a busy schedule, this isn’t a bad collection. It’s pretty good for taking a few minutes out of your day to slow down. I’ll go ahead and give this 3 gnomes.