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I have a confession to make: I have never been inside an IKEA. Crazy, huh? I feel like everyone has been to an IKEA. Even though I've never been, I feel like I have knowledge of what it's like. That's a strange concept to start with, but they make such a "thing" of their brand, it's easy to have a feel for it without experiencing it for yourself. Of course, Hendrix can't use IKEA without legal ramifications so his store brand, ORSK, steps in instead.
The concept of Horrorstör is pretty entertaining. The book itself is made up like an IKEA catalog with vaguely Swedish sounding furniture as chapter titles that get darker and darker as the story continues. The entire story is built around the brand and the purposeful maze that the store is. The main character, Amy, feels like a rat stuck in that maze, never getting ahead. She's asked for a transfer and her manager agrees, under one condition. Weird stuff has been happening in the store and he wants her to stay in the store overnight and catch the vandals in the act.
I expected Horrorstör to be a parody or at least a horror-comedy. While there is no denying the comic effect to the writing, I was surprised that the haunting was taken quite seriously. The first half of the book is very kitschy with lots of jabs at the brand and the management. The second half is where the horror comes in, played very straight. In spite of having "grown-up" horror, it still felt like a twisted version of Scooby-Doo. That's not a dig by any means but having a book made up of two very separate halves left it with a bit of an identity crisis. Is it funny? Vaguely. Is it scary? Also, vaguely. The gimmick made it worthwhile. The bright big box store turned haunted house trope was an interesting, albeit tame, read.
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The concept of Horrorstör is pretty entertaining. The book itself is made up like an IKEA catalog with vaguely Swedish sounding furniture as chapter titles that get darker and darker as the story continues. The entire story is built around the brand and the purposeful maze that the store is. The main character, Amy, feels like a rat stuck in that maze, never getting ahead. She's asked for a transfer and her manager agrees, under one condition. Weird stuff has been happening in the store and he wants her to stay in the store overnight and catch the vandals in the act.
I expected Horrorstör to be a parody or at least a horror-comedy. While there is no denying the comic effect to the writing, I was surprised that the haunting was taken quite seriously. The first half of the book is very kitschy with lots of jabs at the brand and the management. The second half is where the horror comes in, played very straight. In spite of having "grown-up" horror, it still felt like a twisted version of Scooby-Doo. That's not a dig by any means but having a book made up of two very separate halves left it with a bit of an identity crisis. Is it funny? Vaguely. Is it scary? Also, vaguely. The gimmick made it worthwhile. The bright big box store turned haunted house trope was an interesting, albeit tame, read.
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The Cruelest Curse is the third and final book in the Dark and Otherworldly series by Kristen Brand. The transition from Sting of Thorns is effortless, picking right up where we left off after stepping back through the portal to Otherworld. The Evensong sword has been retrieved and Dredarion, Leigh, and Salvador are on their way back to Dwencanti palace before the Rashrang invade. Unfortunately, things have changed in the kingdom and it is now under new management.
The world-building stays consistent in the newest offering, creating an exciting backdrop for our characters to navigate. Brand hasn't created an aseptic storyline; She has proven time and time again that she is willing to sacrifice and scar her characters. Pitiless and unmerciful, the hits just keep coming. The pace is brutal, a constant race against the clock. Enemies may be new allies and allies may not be as helpful as they first appeared. Brand keeps the reader guessing and isn't afraid to turn the whole thing on its head.
While there is romance in this series, it does mostly take a backseat to the action. You could argue that taking out the romance wouldn't change the plot much, therefore those readers who prefer less romance and more fantasy in their reads should still find something here to enjoy.
A fantastical world, rich and unyielding, genuine characters, and increasingly herculean tasks make this fantasy adventure finale a coup d'etat, both literally and figuratively. I have to wonder though if we have truly seen the end of this series. Perhaps there might be a spin-off of this world in the future?
3.5/5 stars
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The world-building stays consistent in the newest offering, creating an exciting backdrop for our characters to navigate. Brand hasn't created an aseptic storyline; She has proven time and time again that she is willing to sacrifice and scar her characters. Pitiless and unmerciful, the hits just keep coming. The pace is brutal, a constant race against the clock. Enemies may be new allies and allies may not be as helpful as they first appeared. Brand keeps the reader guessing and isn't afraid to turn the whole thing on its head.
While there is romance in this series, it does mostly take a backseat to the action. You could argue that taking out the romance wouldn't change the plot much, therefore those readers who prefer less romance and more fantasy in their reads should still find something here to enjoy.
A fantastical world, rich and unyielding, genuine characters, and increasingly herculean tasks make this fantasy adventure finale a coup d'etat, both literally and figuratively. I have to wonder though if we have truly seen the end of this series. Perhaps there might be a spin-off of this world in the future?
3.5/5 stars
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I'm not exactly sure what's happened to The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy. I adored the series in its original form. How to Rattle an Undead Couple is book 3 in what's considered the "Epilogues". Not a fan. I had high hopes for How to Kiss an Undead Bride, the first in the Epilogues but didn't like it. How to Survive an Undead Honeymoon got back on track with the action that I love from UF. To give you an indication, I think I binged the first six books within two weeks. This one has been sitting on my Kindle probably since its August release date.
Grier, our protagonist, is 8+ months pregnant. Combined with her magic and that of baby daddy Linus, the baby is complicated, to say the least. However, in this book all Grier seems to manage to do is cry and stuff her face. If that sounds like normal pregnancy to you, well...we are talking smashing whole cupcakes in her mouth, two dozen doughnuts at a go, and somehow still manages to only dreamingly drool about food every other waking minute. She doesn't manage to do any of her potentate duties, yet still wonders if she should just go ahead and let Linus take over before the agreed-upon maternity leave. While her friendship with Lethe has always managed to be odd, Lethe is neglecting her own duties and her daughter to spend every waking minute with Grier, including sleeping in her bed every night with pixie sticks and other half consumed candies being dribbled out on the pillows. And her doting husband thinks it's "cute".
Speaking of Linus, this book is all about him. As it's his mother that disappeared on the day of Grier's baby shower, and Grier is too pregnant to walk up stairs (yes, really), it's up to him to figure out what's happened and where she is. There's a lot of telling and not much showing. What do I know though? At the time of this review, How to Rattle an Undead Couple had 1270 ratings and is sitting at a 4.33-star rating. Obviously, people love this series, those people are, sadly, not me, not anymore.
Grier, our protagonist, is 8+ months pregnant. Combined with her magic and that of baby daddy Linus, the baby is complicated, to say the least. However, in this book all Grier seems to manage to do is cry and stuff her face. If that sounds like normal pregnancy to you, well...we are talking smashing whole cupcakes in her mouth, two dozen doughnuts at a go, and somehow still manages to only dreamingly drool about food every other waking minute. She doesn't manage to do any of her potentate duties, yet still wonders if she should just go ahead and let Linus take over before the agreed-upon maternity leave. While her friendship with Lethe has always managed to be odd, Lethe is neglecting her own duties and her daughter to spend every waking minute with Grier, including sleeping in her bed every night with pixie sticks and other half consumed candies being dribbled out on the pillows. And her doting husband thinks it's "cute".
Speaking of Linus, this book is all about him. As it's his mother that disappeared on the day of Grier's baby shower, and Grier is too pregnant to walk up stairs (yes, really), it's up to him to figure out what's happened and where she is. There's a lot of telling and not much showing. What do I know though? At the time of this review, How to Rattle an Undead Couple had 1270 ratings and is sitting at a 4.33-star rating. Obviously, people love this series, those people are, sadly, not me, not anymore.
At just 17 pages, Hungry Business is a poignant tale of one woman's search to find love in a dead world. Our protagonist is lonely. Why else would she continue to date when those dates make her feel cold. Vowing to never date again and swearing it's not worth the risk but loneliness and desperation drive her back out again nights later. Through it all, she wonders about the cat in the apartment across the way and the person who is still human enough to own it, as all the cats left the dead parts of the city during the initial rage of the virus.
Drawing parallels between the pitfalls of dating and dating in the zombie apocalypse, this short story packs a big world into a few pages. The dating scene is a cold enough place to be even when the body sitting across the table from you isn't slowly rotting from the inside out. Of course, the dates she encounters try to put on their best impressions—covering the evidence of their afflictions with dress and carefully applied makeup. It's not enough to hide the hungriness inside them as they ache for the life they no longer have.
Eventually, she realizes that the inside of her bright, cheery apartment and the view of the cat in the window fills her heart and brings her comfort the way the dates couldn't. It's a strange contrast between the cold, gray world outside and the cozy blankets, warm baths, and hot tea she comforts herself with indoors to keep ahold of her humanity. Through it all, the orange tabby cat is in the window across the way as a beacon of hope that there is another beating heart out there. Isn't that what we all search for in this big cold world?
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Drawing parallels between the pitfalls of dating and dating in the zombie apocalypse, this short story packs a big world into a few pages. The dating scene is a cold enough place to be even when the body sitting across the table from you isn't slowly rotting from the inside out. Of course, the dates she encounters try to put on their best impressions—covering the evidence of their afflictions with dress and carefully applied makeup. It's not enough to hide the hungriness inside them as they ache for the life they no longer have.
Eventually, she realizes that the inside of her bright, cheery apartment and the view of the cat in the window fills her heart and brings her comfort the way the dates couldn't. It's a strange contrast between the cold, gray world outside and the cozy blankets, warm baths, and hot tea she comforts herself with indoors to keep ahold of her humanity. Through it all, the orange tabby cat is in the window across the way as a beacon of hope that there is another beating heart out there. Isn't that what we all search for in this big cold world?
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Broken Wish is the first in a series called The Mirror, written by different authors, spanning generations and the curse that afflicts them. Julie C. Dao kicks off the series with Broken Wish, a story of friendship and broken promises. Fractured fairytales one of my favorite things—if it's done right—and I will even read YA if the premise sounds promising. I know, I'm a YA snob. Most of the time it's the angsty romance that I can't do in YA. In fairytale retellings, I'm expecting it to be angsty so it's okay, I guess? (Don't judge me.)
Beginning in Hanau, Germany (the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm, btw), a young woman named Agnes Heinrich befriends Mathilda, and their friendship is sweet and true. Unfortunately, they live in a time where different is to be feared and Mathilda is "different". Agnes and her husband can't have children and Mathilda agrees to help them in exchange for Agnes' friendship. Agnes agrees but breaks her promise to Mathilda, breaking her heart in the process. Years later, Agnes' daughter Elva discovers that she might be able to stop a vision of danger surrounding the village and her parents. She sets off on a journey to discover more about herself and the curse that befell her family all those years ago. That means hunting down the witch who set the curse in the first place.
I loved this story. The characters are fleshed out and the writing is beautifully stylized. All the components for a perfect fairytale are here: the witch, the woods, and a mirror. True to Disney style, there is so much to download from this. It's darker, somewhere between Disney and the original Brothers Grimm. There are a lot of Easter Eggs if you are a fairytale fan like me. While there's a bit of romance, there's definitely skew towards friendships and other forms of love like that of family. While it's technically YA, the focus on friendship is almost MG.
Overall, it's a story that feels true to Disney, about finding out who you are, staying true to your word, and forging ahead even if you don't know how the story will end.
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Beginning in Hanau, Germany (the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm, btw), a young woman named Agnes Heinrich befriends Mathilda, and their friendship is sweet and true. Unfortunately, they live in a time where different is to be feared and Mathilda is "different". Agnes and her husband can't have children and Mathilda agrees to help them in exchange for Agnes' friendship. Agnes agrees but breaks her promise to Mathilda, breaking her heart in the process. Years later, Agnes' daughter Elva discovers that she might be able to stop a vision of danger surrounding the village and her parents. She sets off on a journey to discover more about herself and the curse that befell her family all those years ago. That means hunting down the witch who set the curse in the first place.
I loved this story. The characters are fleshed out and the writing is beautifully stylized. All the components for a perfect fairytale are here: the witch, the woods, and a mirror. True to Disney style, there is so much to download from this. It's darker, somewhere between Disney and the original Brothers Grimm. There are a lot of Easter Eggs if you are a fairytale fan like me. While there's a bit of romance, there's definitely skew towards friendships and other forms of love like that of family. While it's technically YA, the focus on friendship is almost MG.
Overall, it's a story that feels true to Disney, about finding out who you are, staying true to your word, and forging ahead even if you don't know how the story will end.
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