Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek - Episode Five: The Failed Fellowship (Part One) The Shadow of the Night-Lord (Genrenauts #5)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood


Episode Five: The Failed Fellowship (Part One) The Shadow of the Night-Lord (Genrenauts #5)


The first sentence from each chapter of Episode Five: The Failed Fellowship (Part One ) The Shadow of the Night-Lord (Genrenauts #5), it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)


Fantasy World— Heroic Region Narrative Diagnostic 4071.514.3 Dark Lord Rises…”

“To qualify as a full-fledged Genrenaut, Leah Tang had to pass competency tests in a dozen disciplines.”

“Two days later, they were still waiting.”

“Shirin and Roman went to the bar, leaving Mallery to wrangle Leah.”

“Leah looked the man up and down.”

“Leah considered the pros and cons of the current situation.”

“There’s a reason that fantasy novels take the travel sequences in montage or tiny snippets.”

“King and Shirin made good time the first day on the road to the city of Ag’ra, where Ioseph had said they’d be likely to find Xan’De, the Matok warrior-mystic.”

“Mallery took point, citing the need to clear her head.”

“Oldtown had a garrison, but they were mostly occupied in keeping the local population under lockdown.”

Nolan the swordsman was easy to find.”

“After another long day of walking, some walking, and more walking, Qargon led the team into a vast cavern.”

“The spirit of K’gon looked down at them from atop the sarcophagus.”

“Nolan and Xan’De led King and Shirin all around the capital, through pubs and brothels and black markets and bolt-holes.”

“Two teams reunited in an unassuming cottage at the edge of the royal woods, far from the center of the city.”

Monday, January 30, 2017

Review - Episode Four: The Substitute Sleuth (Genrenauts #4)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood

Episode Four: The Substitute Sleuth


My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“The unlived life isn’t worth examining, after all.”

“Comedy is just drama with a greater emotional range, newbie.”

“She called it the Everything’s Fine, I Will Make It Fine, and Shame on You for Not Being a Team Player If You Admit That Something’s Wrong move.”

Review:

5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Crime/criminal procedural world was intense. Some new twists are thrown into the mix. It was great especially to learn some more about King. Leah continues to grow into her role as a Genrenaut. Relationships continue to improve too. A big bad villain seems to be shaping up. Their problems are definitely not over.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek - Episode Four: The Substitute Sleuth (Genrenauts #4)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood

The first sentence from each chapter of Episode Four: The Substitute Sleuth (Genrenauts #4), it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)


“Two months into her job as a Genrenaut, Leah Tang had learned to expect the unexpected.”

“Chicago was earning its name as the Windy City, ripping Leah’s hat off of her head every thirty seconds.”

“Leah pointed to De La Cruz’s cube and said, “I think that’s probably worth your attention, Captain.”

“Leah hated hospitals— they smelled like death and surgery and hours of stressed waiting on bad news.”

“The captain’s voice filled the floor as they walked in.”

“King tore through the case files in a controlled panic.”

“Tatiana cooperated all the way to the interview (aka interrogation) room, then clammed up like she’d forgotten how to talk.

“Ricardo Hernandez’s apartment was a fifteen-minute walk west from Lake Effect.”

“King unsnapped the restraints and slid down the ladder, hitting the floor of the ship with a metallic clang-thud.”

“A few minutes after King headed off to give the report, Leah caught Mallery’s attention.”

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Review - Episode Three: The Cupid Reconciliation (Genrenauts #3)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood

Episode Three: The Cupid Reconciliation (Genrenauts #3)

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:


“Genrenauts’ motto: be prepared, and expect drama.”


My amazing, confusing, totally screwed-up life.


“Here, he could help just by being there for someone at the right time, and that, that was pretty fantastic.”


“SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED, Leah thought.”


“She’d never expected Romance World to be one of the dangerous ones.

Review:


4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Romance World makes for a nice soapy type read. All the romance tropes are out in full force. The mystery of why the breaches are getting worse continues and this time Mallery gets added to the mix more.

Seeing what the genrenauts have to do to push everything in the right direction is fun. Plus this ends very interestingly and leaves you wondering about future relationships.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek - Episode Three: The Cupid Reconciliation (Genrenauts #3)


Episode Three: The Cupid Reconciliation (Genrenauts #3)

The first sentence from each chapter of Episode Three: The Cupid Reconciliation (Genrenauts #3), it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)


“Leah Tang hustled into Genrenauts HQ at nine-o-eight AM and snuck her way to the ready room, exhaling in relief at having escaped King’s anal-retentive time-cop powers.”


“Mallery gathered the team around a table.”


“Are you okay?”


“Leah woke up with a head full of mothballs, light piercing her eyes like lances.


“Leah pointed to the board.”


“Roman sat at a chic desk at the corner of the gym floor, sorting through client charts.”


“Mallery was expecting the Empire State Building, or maybe a trip down to the Statue of Liberty.”


Shirin got them a table with a clear view of Theo and the doctor’s table.”

The five Genrenauts raised glasses with amber liquor, shot-glass pours from King’s victory flask.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Review - Episode Two: The Absconded Ambassador (Genrenauts #2)



Episode Two: The Absconded Ambassador (Genrenauts #2)


My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“It’d be terribly inefficient to replace you now.”

“May I give so few fucks when I’m her age, Leah thought.”

“More like don’t ever make the black guy go first on a story world,” King countered.”

“I’m liable to deny the request next time just so I don’t have to see that disturbing smile on your face.”
Review:

4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Space-opera awesomeness. This second mission is not ideal for Leah but she get's thrown right into it anyway. This space world and its politics are very complicated. It all felt realistically like how one of these space stories would go.

This story felt like it was going to go a different direction but then it ended. So I am curious to see what the next episode entails.

Plus now I am extremely curious about Roman and what his whole backstory is. I have a feeling that it's one heck of an intriguing story.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek - Episode Two: The Absconded Ambassador (Genrenauts #2)



The first sentence from each chapter of Episode Two: The Absconded Ambassador (Genrenauts #2), it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

Episode Two: The Absconded Ambassador (Genrenauts #2)

“Working as a Genrenaut was like being a member of a theater troupe run by a burnt-out hippie who melded Devising with MBA management: the ideas were outlandish and random, but the execution was 100% corporate.”


“Leah could not believe her eyes, even as Ahura-3 filled the windshield, then grew too wide to see all at once.”


“After a half hour of trolling the bar for tidbits about the ambassador, Shirin’s wrist-screen got a ping.”


“Roman tightened his grip on the Nbere rough, twisting his grip into the man’s shirt.”


“The fiber and DNA tests came back just before midnight.”


“It had taken five hours, three calls, and a generous transfer of cash, but by 1600, Roman and King were strapping in to a Fader-7 HX with an after-market pulse cannon and a thoroughly illegal Ethkar cloaking system.”


“Six hours into their flight— almost halfway to the coordinates Zoor had provided— Roman picked something up on his radar.”


“Just under three hours later, their ship reached the rings containing the Dark Star’s station.”


“Roman and King moved slow and steady.”


“Ambassador Reed stepped back onto Ahura-3 at 0713 local time, accompanied by King, Roman, and preceded by the two Dark Stars prisoners.”

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Review - Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)


Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Discovery. New races, new kingdoms, new magics. I loved that when I opened a fantasy book or found a new author, I knew I was in for a tour through someone’s imagination.”

“My fantasy is less about the whips and the PVC, more about self-actualization and hope. And you know what? That’s just as sexy to me.”

“You never choose to be the Chosen One. You just are.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Tang didn’t raise no dumbass. Smartass, yes, but not dumb.”

“What’s with the rattling?” she yelled, distracting herself from her fear by complaining— a tactic she borrowed from pre-K kids everywhere.”

Review:


5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

Now, this, this is a fun series. Talk about story-tastic if that's a word. The world building is awesome and you get immersed right away. This diverse set of characters makes for a fantastic read. Jumping into different genres is fascinating and the Western world was a good intro to this whole concept. Seeing things from the viewpoint of a new recruit is great too.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek - Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)

Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection by Michael R. Underwood

Sentence Sneak Peek:


The first sentence from each chapter of Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1), it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

Episode One: The Shootout Solution (Genrenauts #1)

“Mallery York pressed her back against the outer wall of the saloon while bullets flew on Main Street.”


“Leah Tang was dying on stage.”


“True to King’s word, about twenty minutes later, they arrived at a two-story-tall office building off I-97.”


“Leah held on for dear life, sitting with her back to the floor, gravity pulling like a tilt-a-whirl, minus the spinning.”


“Squinting, Leah looked down the sight of the heavy revolver at the tin cans and bottles that King and Roman had set up along the fence at the edge of the saloon property.”


“Leah woke to oppressively loud knocking on the door.”


“Leah kept her head low, running with her torso bent over her legs, the dust kicked up by bullets and shuffling proving enough concealment to make it across the street as the gunfire continued.”


“With the bandits dead, tied up, or gone, the Genrenauts returned to the dinner table in the kitchen.”

“The trip back from Western world was far smoother than the way over.”

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Picture Time

Owl Etching Valentines (so much fun.)




My New Skeleton Friend: Bernard Bonesly


 




Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Review: Dreadnought

Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels

* Read via NetGalley for review

* Will be published on January 24, 2017


My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“So all those great responsibilities that come with great power, those are really only yours if you want them to be.”

“Your trusting nature in these cynical times is a balm to my wounded soul.”

“I turn over on to my back and give them the finger as I pull for altitude.”

“Who cares if I stop looking like a supermodel? I just saved the whole goddamn world.

5 out of 5 gnomes

So so good. I absolutely adore reading great books about superheroes and this is one hundred percent a great new take on superheroes. This sounds spoilery but it’s in the description of the book: Danny, a transgender girl takes on the mantle of a traditionally male superhero. When she acquires her powers her whole body changes to the one she’s always dreamed of.

A transgender point of view plus superpowers equals a rather epic origin story for this new superhero. The whole world is set up well and feels lived in. There’s the whitecapes, graycapes, blackcapes, some mad science type goodness and a whole lot of in between. You know who the good capes should be but there’s a lot of questions too.

There are a lot of issues for Danny to overcome because of her to put it nicely, not so understanding parents and other people. That plus suddenly having a new body and superpowers equals lots of understandable problems.

My favorite character besides Danny is Calamity. She is an intriguing character. How she got her powers is pretty darn crazy/sad. Her character/personality makes you want to know more about her ASAP. I love her understanding/friendship with Danny oh and the old timey way she talks when in character. I also kind of ship her and Danny too, there’s definitely some chemistry there.

There are plenty of surprises in this story. That plus the really great ending make for a superhero read that you should check out ASAP.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Sentence Sneak Peek: Dreadnought

Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels

The first sentence from each chapter of Dreadnought, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Read via NetGalley for review
* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“This is taking too long.”

“A buzzing thrill shoots through me, all the way down to my toes.”

“It’s full dark now, and I’m still hidden here behind the tree near our driveway.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Legion Tower is a landmark in New Port.”

“The briefing room is surreal because it’s exactly how I imagined it would be.”

“The wind pulls at my cape as I stand at the edge of the landing balcony at the top of Legion Tower.”

Minovsky_Particle has signed on.

Minovsky_Particle has signed on.

David doesn’t get over it, at least not today.”

Metal crumples around my shoulders.”

“The first thing I notice when I wake up is pain, but I feel good.”

“My final period is study hall, but I sign out from the classroom to take it in the library instead and then leave school early.”

“The new super suit is exactly the same as the old one in all respects, but I still can’t help but think it feels a little snug.”

“For a moment, I’m frozen.”

“It took a moment to get the hang of following Calamity from a few hundred feet up so I wouldn’t be spotted.

“Calamity scooches off the front of the building and drops two stories straight down with a flutter of her jacket.”

“Another note shows up in class calling me to the office.”

“The bar is called the Flying Dutchman, and it has no sign.”

Yes.

“So we don’t find Utopia that weekend.”

“By the time I finish the final draft of an essay about Mistress Malice’s campaign for world domination (short version: with over a quarter million confirmed dead including thirty-nine heroes and a hundred and eighty-two fighter pilots, Mistress Malice remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of supervillains, even almost sixty years after her death), Sarah has become Calamity in everything but costume.”

“His name is Gerald and he just wanted to be special.

“Sarah calls in sick on Tuesday and doesn’t show up to school.”

Calamity taps on my window almost exactly at ten pm on Wednesday.”

“Calamity?”

“The blast flings me into some fallen machinery.”

“With hot water and several wads of paper towels, I wash Calamity’s blood and vomit from my chest.”

“The wind snaps at my cape as I power across town.”

“My eyes snap open.”

Gnarled fingers of black smoke curl like some enormous claw rising from the train yards.”

“Air raid sirens rise in wailing crescendos over the city.”

“In the fight’s first half-second, explosions ripple up my chest, neck, and face.”

Four mecha, one of me, and last time I tried this they kicked me around like a soccer ball.”

“Up through the air like a shot, through the sound barrier, and across the skyline.

“The world peels away and leaves behind a scarlet haze.”

“Doc Impossible retakes control of Legion Tower’s systems and flushes the nerve gas from the briefing room.”