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leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)
Listened to this book via Audible. Awesome, awesome narrator for an outstanding story. I loved hearing the continuation of this story.
Just fantastic.
Just fantastic.
Another Audible purchase first, and then I picked up the book to have a physical copy.
Beyond the Shadows is the final book in thetrilogy, and I loved it just as much as the other two. I thought Brent Weeks did an excellent job ending the story, although I was sad to see it end.
I would have loved to keep reading about Kylar and all of the characters I loved in the novels.
This series is a constant re-listen for me. I love turning it on and delving back into this world on my drives to and from work.
Beyond the Shadows is the final book in thetrilogy, and I loved it just as much as the other two. I thought Brent Weeks did an excellent job ending the story, although I was sad to see it end.
I would have loved to keep reading about Kylar and all of the characters I loved in the novels.
This series is a constant re-listen for me. I love turning it on and delving back into this world on my drives to and from work.
"The horror of this: in the end, it is simply a picture of empty meaningless blackness. We are alone. There is nothing else."
The first graphic novel I ever read was Jhonen Vasquez’s JTHM: Director’s Cut in high school, and I fell in love with Johnny as an anti-hero, and anti-heros in general. There’s something about the imperfections of these types of characters that make me enjoy the story completely.
That’s why I believe I enjoyed reading Watchmen so thoroughly. The characters, all of them, were so well developed, their stories so interesting, that I couldn’t put this graphic novel down. My absolute favorite story was Dr. Manhattan's. It was written very well, and I was able to see the depth of his character throughout his history and later on in the novel, as he became less and less human.
Other than Dr. Manhattan, none of the other masked heroes have super powers, but they all did what they could to help during a time when they were needed. And they were all, so very, very broken. None of the masked characters in Watchmen could ever be seen as fulfilled human beings, especially while they’re fighting crimes and the depravity of society.
The artwork of Watchmen was phenomenal, and after reading pages, I would take the time to relook at all of the art in this book.
And the storytelling, my was it completely captivating! I really could NOT put this graphic novel down, and when I finished it, it definitely made me want to see the movie and see how it compares to this.
Definitely looking forward to reading more graphic novels and comics in the near future.
I received a digital copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review of it.
Kingdom of Heroes is about one super hero (The Detective) being released from a prison that holds supers to help the leader of the United States, Agent America discover who killed one of The Seven (the leaders of the new America), in exchange for his freedom. Of course, nothing is that simple, especially since Agent America is a bastard who’s created a Utopian society at the expense of freedom.
The Detective was a such a well written character, and I just wanted him to get out of the craziness that was the new US of A and get his ass back up to Canada. He should have left, but he was a hero. He had to see his mission through. He had to have the answers to this mystery, even though he didn’t care about the majority of The Seven.
The Detective was the ONLY redeemable character in this. I didn’t care about any of The Seven, and I honestly believed they ALL should have been killed. “I was just following orders” is never a legit excuse in any society, when it comes to murder and the revocation of freedoms.
I went ahead and gave this a 4 out 5 stars (though my real thoughts are around a 3.5) because it did keep me entertained, The Detective was a great character, and the readers got to see inside the killer’s mind via a journal and knew why he was killing The Seven. Everything else about this novel was just OK. Except for the instant love. It was unnecessary and unrealistic. I’m glad The Detective got laid twice before he died, but sometimes sex can just be sex. There doesn’t need to be “love”. It was absolutely ridiculous that he’d feel anything for either The Ice Queen or Emily. Both of those bitches used him to save themselves. It’s the only part of his character that I didn’t like. A pretty face turned him into a lapdog so freaking fast.
Decent novel, with grammatical and some other minor mistakes. To me, those issues didn’t take me out of the story, so 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would try this author’s work again.
Kingdom of Heroes is about one super hero (The Detective) being released from a prison that holds supers to help the leader of the United States, Agent America discover who killed one of The Seven (the leaders of the new America), in exchange for his freedom. Of course, nothing is that simple, especially since Agent America is a bastard who’s created a Utopian society at the expense of freedom.
The Detective was a such a well written character, and I just wanted him to get out of the craziness that was the new US of A and get his ass back up to Canada. He should have left, but he was a hero. He had to see his mission through. He had to have the answers to this mystery, even though he didn’t care about the majority of The Seven.
The Detective was the ONLY redeemable character in this. I didn’t care about any of The Seven, and I honestly believed they ALL should have been killed. “I was just following orders” is never a legit excuse in any society, when it comes to murder and the revocation of freedoms.
I went ahead and gave this a 4 out 5 stars (though my real thoughts are around a 3.5) because it did keep me entertained, The Detective was a great character, and the readers got to see inside the killer’s mind via a journal and knew why he was killing The Seven. Everything else about this novel was just OK. Except for the instant love. It was unnecessary and unrealistic.
Decent novel, with grammatical and some other minor mistakes. To me, those issues didn’t take me out of the story, so 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would try this author’s work again.
4.5 Stars
The drones are coming! The drones are coming!
OK, confession: I love techno thrillers. I absolutely love them. They can be uber-corny, with the worst, most unrealistic plot lines ever, and I would still consume the novel as if it’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever read. I think as readers, we all have that one genre that just rarely does no wrong. For me, it’s books like Kill Decision.
Luckily for me, every Suarez novel I’ve read has been freaking enjoyable, and this one is no exception. Suarez did a masterful job at creating a realistic, albeit frightening scenario showing how technology can be used for terror.
Kill Decision follows mainly two people: Odin a super secret special ops soldier who’s out to figure out the truth behind the autonomous drones attacking targets around the world (including the US) and who is controlling them. Once he finds the bastards, he has every intention of putting a stop to their plans - namely with a gun, possibly with torture. He’s that kind of guy. Also, the story centers around Linda McKinney, a myrmecologist (a scientist who studies the social structure of ants). When her swarming model is stolen and used by the people creating the drones, her living is a real issue for them. Rescued by Odin, she “teams” up with him and his group of merry military men and helps the team understand the science-y aspects of the drones and how to stop them.
Now as I said, I have thoroughly enjoyed Suarez’s other novels and Kill Decision is no exception. However, like in his other novels, the science and techno jargon are explained in extreme detail. It can be daunting, and I was confused at times. Personally, I had to re-read several sections to understand what they were talking about, and that pulled me out of the book a little bit. It didn't bother me enough where I disliked the book, but it was a noticeable distraction.
Overall, I loved Kill Decision, from all the techy scary stuff to the good (and bad) guys I met along the way.
If you enjoy reading thrillers and wanted to give Daniel Suarez a try...well, I’d recommend [b:Daemon|4699575|Daemon (Daemon, #1)|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400913596s/4699575.jpg|4763873] and [b:Freedom™|7132363|Freedom™ (Daemon, #2)|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400763429s/7132363.jpg|7394861] first, but this is definitely worth reading.
The drones are coming! The drones are coming!
OK, confession: I love techno thrillers. I absolutely love them. They can be uber-corny, with the worst, most unrealistic plot lines ever, and I would still consume the novel as if it’s the most interesting thing I’ve ever read. I think as readers, we all have that one genre that just rarely does no wrong. For me, it’s books like Kill Decision.
Luckily for me, every Suarez novel I’ve read has been freaking enjoyable, and this one is no exception. Suarez did a masterful job at creating a realistic, albeit frightening scenario showing how technology can be used for terror.
"Technology spreads, Henry. That's what it does. That's why constant progress is necessary. Why we must always stay one step ahead. This is a teaching moment for those willing to learn."
Kill Decision follows mainly two people: Odin a super secret special ops soldier who’s out to figure out the truth behind the autonomous drones attacking targets around the world (including the US) and who is controlling them. Once he finds the bastards, he has every intention of putting a stop to their plans - namely with a gun, possibly with torture. He’s that kind of guy. Also, the story centers around Linda McKinney, a myrmecologist (a scientist who studies the social structure of ants). When her swarming model is stolen and used by the people creating the drones, her living is a real issue for them. Rescued by Odin, she “teams” up with him and his group of merry military men and helps the team understand the science-y aspects of the drones and how to stop them.
Now as I said, I have thoroughly enjoyed Suarez’s other novels and Kill Decision is no exception. However, like in his other novels, the science and techno jargon are explained in extreme detail. It can be daunting, and I was confused at times. Personally, I had to re-read several sections to understand what they were talking about, and that pulled me out of the book a little bit. It didn't bother me enough where I disliked the book, but it was a noticeable distraction.
Overall, I loved Kill Decision, from all the techy scary stuff to the good (and bad) guys I met along the way.
If you enjoy reading thrillers and wanted to give Daniel Suarez a try...well, I’d recommend [b:Daemon|4699575|Daemon (Daemon, #1)|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400913596s/4699575.jpg|4763873] and [b:Freedom™|7132363|Freedom™ (Daemon, #2)|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400763429s/7132363.jpg|7394861] first, but this is definitely worth reading.
The 5th Wave was a pleasant surprise for me, although having read Rick Yancey’s [b:The Monstrumologist|6457229|The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist, #1)|Rick Yancey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307409930s/6457229.jpg|6647553], I knew that I really enjoyed his writing style.
The premise behind The 5th Wave is pretty much an alien invasion, and the aliens are winning. They’re taking earth, and there really isn’t anything we humans can do to stop them. Are the concepts in this novel unique and original? No. They’ve been told in other science fiction novels and shows, and probably told better. However, the world that Rick Yancey created with these borrowed concepts, was awesome and just kept me entertained, and because of that, 4 Stars baby!
The book follows several characters, including our main heroine Cassiopeia (Cassie) Sullivan. She’s a 17 year old living in a world with one rule (for her): to trust no one. Because, in this crazy, alien invading world, she’s lost her family in devastating ways. Yet, she attempts to overcome and stay strong, namely to keep a promise to her little brother, six year old Sammy. She’s snarky and brave, and for the most part independent, and for the most part, I loved her. And then, she was whiny and made a crap ton of mistakes that made me want to pop her across the face. Oh, to be young again.
Another character we’re introduced to is Evan Walker, Cassie’s (hopefully only) love interest in this series, but we’ll see. He’s an alien, and he’s human. He’s a Silencer (meant to take out humans during the 4th Wave of the invasion), but when he comes across Cassie’s path, he just can’t do it. She brings back the humanity side of him, and he stalks her. Am I OK with the stalking love interest? Usually no, but I think I just liked Evan so much, I’ve made an exception for him in my mind. I enjoyed their interactions together, and although Cassie’s trust in him was shaky, for valid reasons, I think their friendship and love grew OK in this. It definitely was insta-love, on Evan’s part, and Cassie was the more hardheaded one, in denial until the end. Still, I liked it. Again, normally inta-love pisses me off, but Evan was just one of those characters I was rooting for.
Another viewpoint we meet, is Cassie’s infatuation from high school, Ben Parish a/k/a Zombie. He is rescued by the government after contracting the plague in the third wave. They nurse him back to health and train him to be a soldier, to fight in an upcoming battle where humans will try to take back Earth and put a stop to the aliens. And boy does that sound great to Zombie! He had lost his family during the invasion, and because he ran away during the fight that killed his family, he feels the need to prove himself...of course, he learns so much more about himself and about the government, and the plot thickens a lot…
The final view we see is Sammy’s. He’s also taken in by the government, and he is also being trained to take out the aliens in the upcoming war. (Reminder - kid is six years old!) Sammy is put into Zombie’s training squad, and Sammy definitely latches onto Zombie as a substitute for Cassie. He needs the love and support from a sibling, and Zombie is there. Zombie also needs a little bit of something to believe in and love again, and he sees Sammy as a do-over for his guilt and mistakes.
The characters come together when Zombie learns the truth about what is going on, and Evan opens up to Cassie and reveals the truth as well. Together, Evan and Cassie make it their mission to rescue Sammy, and Zombie also wants to rescue Sammy away from the government. They meet up at the Haven in a very awkward way, but hey, you have to do what you have to do.
There are minor characters from Zombies squad that help with the rescue, and I loved how the squad interacted with each other. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
The spoilers are just some that came to mind, don’t open it if you don’t want to read any. They may not even make all that much sense...it’s just things I had to get out and vent about a bit…
Evan had better NOT be dead. I’m really hoping he got out before destroying the Haven (central base that the aliens were using on Earth). Serious fingers crossed on that.
Also with the kiss that Zombie gave Cassie on the cheek at the end, I’m really hoping that doesn’t turn into anything more. I mean, he kind of has Ringer, or it seemed like he does, and Cassie has Evan. That and Ben Parish didn’t even KNOW Cassie, even though they went to the same school. Just no love triangle, please...for fuck sakes no love triangle…
All in all, I’m thrilled that I’ve read The 5th Wave, and I’m absolutely looking forward to the follow-up novel, [b:The Infinite Sea|16131484|The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2)|Rick Yancey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395351812s/16131484.jpg|27237970] coming out this year. I believe this will be a trilogy, so one other book will be out as well, so, definitely looking forward to that as long as The Infinite Sea is awesome!
We’re here, and then we’re gone, and it’s not about the time we’re here, but what we do with the time.
The premise behind The 5th Wave is pretty much an alien invasion, and the aliens are winning. They’re taking earth, and there really isn’t anything we humans can do to stop them. Are the concepts in this novel unique and original? No. They’ve been told in other science fiction novels and shows, and probably told better. However, the world that Rick Yancey created with these borrowed concepts, was awesome and just kept me entertained, and because of that, 4 Stars baby!
The book follows several characters, including our main heroine Cassiopeia (Cassie) Sullivan. She’s a 17 year old living in a world with one rule (for her): to trust no one. Because, in this crazy, alien invading world, she’s lost her family in devastating ways. Yet, she attempts to overcome and stay strong, namely to keep a promise to her little brother, six year old Sammy. She’s snarky and brave, and for the most part independent, and for the most part, I loved her. And then, she was whiny and made a crap ton of mistakes that made me want to pop her across the face. Oh, to be young again.
Another character we’re introduced to is Evan Walker, Cassie’s (hopefully only) love interest in this series, but we’ll see. He’s an alien, and he’s human. He’s a Silencer (meant to take out humans during the 4th Wave of the invasion), but when he comes across Cassie’s path, he just can’t do it. She brings back the humanity side of him, and he stalks her. Am I OK with the stalking love interest? Usually no, but I think I just liked Evan so much, I’ve made an exception for him in my mind. I enjoyed their interactions together, and although Cassie’s trust in him was shaky, for valid reasons, I think their friendship and love grew OK in this. It definitely was insta-love, on Evan’s part, and Cassie was the more hardheaded one, in denial until the end. Still, I liked it. Again, normally inta-love pisses me off, but Evan was just one of those characters I was rooting for.
Another viewpoint we meet, is Cassie’s infatuation from high school, Ben Parish a/k/a Zombie. He is rescued by the government after contracting the plague in the third wave. They nurse him back to health and train him to be a soldier, to fight in an upcoming battle where humans will try to take back Earth and put a stop to the aliens. And boy does that sound great to Zombie! He had lost his family during the invasion, and because he ran away during the fight that killed his family, he feels the need to prove himself...of course, he learns so much more about himself and about the government, and the plot thickens a lot…
The final view we see is Sammy’s. He’s also taken in by the government, and he is also being trained to take out the aliens in the upcoming war. (Reminder - kid is six years old!) Sammy is put into Zombie’s training squad, and Sammy definitely latches onto Zombie as a substitute for Cassie. He needs the love and support from a sibling, and Zombie is there. Zombie also needs a little bit of something to believe in and love again, and he sees Sammy as a do-over for his guilt and mistakes.
The characters come together when Zombie learns the truth about what is going on, and Evan opens up to Cassie and reveals the truth as well. Together, Evan and Cassie make it their mission to rescue Sammy, and Zombie also wants to rescue Sammy away from the government. They meet up at the Haven in a very awkward way, but hey, you have to do what you have to do.
There are minor characters from Zombies squad that help with the rescue, and I loved how the squad interacted with each other. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
The spoilers are just some that came to mind, don’t open it if you don’t want to read any. They may not even make all that much sense...it’s just things I had to get out and vent about a bit…
Also with the kiss that Zombie gave Cassie on the cheek at the end, I’m really hoping that doesn’t turn into anything more. I mean, he kind of has Ringer, or it seemed like he does, and Cassie has Evan. That and Ben Parish didn’t even KNOW Cassie, even though they went to the same school. Just no love triangle, please...for fuck sakes no love triangle…
All in all, I’m thrilled that I’ve read The 5th Wave, and I’m absolutely looking forward to the follow-up novel, [b:The Infinite Sea|16131484|The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2)|Rick Yancey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395351812s/16131484.jpg|27237970] coming out this year. I believe this will be a trilogy, so one other book will be out as well, so, definitely looking forward to that as long as The Infinite Sea is awesome!
3.5 Stars
Mr. Maberry has done it again. He’s made an awesome zombie novel that has sucked me in and had me begging for the sequel so that I could continue consuming the story. Alas, I’ll have to wait until September to see how this story ends (although since Maberry had stated that Fall of Night is the story of First Night (Rot & Ruin), I pretty much know that there’s no happy ending to be had ).
Dead of Night follows Officers Dez Fox and JT and reporter Billy Trout through a horrific, roughly 24 hour period in a rural Pennsylvania county. You see, mass murderer Homer Gibbons had been put to death, and his only living relative, secretly requested that he be sent home for burial. Of course, the doctor administering his cocktail of death via IVs decided to play god, and we all know how well that turns out. So, does Homer Gibbons stay dead? Of course not, this is a freaking zombie novel, people! The bastard rises, and Stebbins County, Pennsylvania pays that ultimate price, with our MCs stuck right in the middle of it all.
Officer Dez Fox is a broken, damaged main character. She’s snarky and closed off, and she’s just not well liked, unless you’ve been able to get close to her. However, if you get too close to her, she’s going to fuck you over, as reporter Billy Trout knows only too well. And although she wasn’t likeable to the other characters in the novel, as the reader, I rooted for her. I loved her abrasiveness and her rough demeanor. I, however, didn’t really care for how she treated those that were considered her friends and close to her, especially in such a devastating situation.
Her partner JT, was the opposite of her. He was opened and a fatherly figure to her, and I loved him.
Billy Trout was a little bit of a blah at first for me. He felt weak, and I just wanted to smack the heck out of him in the beginning of the book. But, he really did a lot of good by the end of the book, and even though I still wasn’t a fan of the pining over Dez thing he did the entire novel, I just dismissed it as the bit of romance of the novel and moved on.
Now, what really irked me was the stupidity in this novel. Seriously, in this day and age, and this book was set in a present time, not unlike now, we have a zombie pop culture. And NO ONE, not one single person thought “hey, maybe these are zombies? I know it’s crazy, but these dead folk are getting up and eating people. I’ve seen Shaun of the Dead.”
Nope, they had no clue. Not when Dez is first attacked by the first dead person, not when they were checking vitals in the ambulance after one of the cops starts eating other cops’ faces, not when they’re at the hospital and that cop is still coding as DEAD. No, no one says zombie.
So word of advice: be the one to call zombie. Sure, it may make you look like a freak, but if anyone comes at me with their mouths opened and a moan, I’m bashing their skull in. I’ll beg forgiveness if they end up being jacked on some drug instead later. No way am I turning zom.
OH! I absolutely loved one part of Dead of Night in particular, and it was getting to see inside the zombies mind. I loved that. I thought it was clever, and wonderful, and fantastic. The main zombie who’s mind we see (aside from Gibbons, who’s not a mindless ghoul) is the mortician Lee Hartnup. He’s the first victim, but because he has knowledge of the human anatomy and death in general, it was just really awesome to witness these two sides of him. The scientist/doctor who knows he’s dead, and the brainless, useless body no longer taking commands from his brain. It was just always excellent to read, and it made me really feel sorry for the Doc by the end of the story. To read the torture he went through, begging his body to stop, but not being able to force it to stop, was just brilliantly done.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and it would have easily been a 4.5/5 Star book for me had zombie pop culture played a role in someone understanding what was happening faster than Trout digging for a story, and if Dez had been a more likeable character.
If you like zombie novels, give it a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And, if you’re like me, and just a huge Maberry fan, this is a definite must read!
This is how the world ends.
This is how the world ends.
This is how the world ends.
Not with a bang...but a bite.
Mr. Maberry has done it again. He’s made an awesome zombie novel that has sucked me in and had me begging for the sequel so that I could continue consuming the story. Alas, I’ll have to wait until September to see how this story ends (although
Dead of Night follows Officers Dez Fox and JT and reporter Billy Trout through a horrific, roughly 24 hour period in a rural Pennsylvania county. You see, mass murderer Homer Gibbons had been put to death, and his only living relative, secretly requested that he be sent home for burial. Of course, the doctor administering his cocktail of death via IVs decided to play god, and we all know how well that turns out. So, does Homer Gibbons stay dead? Of course not, this is a freaking zombie novel, people! The bastard rises, and Stebbins County, Pennsylvania pays that ultimate price, with our MCs stuck right in the middle of it all.
Officer Dez Fox is a broken, damaged main character. She’s snarky and closed off, and she’s just not well liked, unless you’ve been able to get close to her. However, if you get too close to her, she’s going to fuck you over, as reporter Billy Trout knows only too well. And although she wasn’t likeable to the other characters in the novel, as the reader, I rooted for her. I loved her abrasiveness and her rough demeanor. I, however, didn’t really care for how she treated those that were considered her friends and close to her, especially in such a devastating situation.
Her partner JT, was the opposite of her. He was opened and a fatherly figure to her, and I loved him.
Billy Trout was a little bit of a blah at first for me. He felt weak, and I just wanted to smack the heck out of him in the beginning of the book. But, he really did a lot of good by the end of the book, and even though I still wasn’t a fan of the pining over Dez thing he did the entire novel, I just dismissed it as the bit of romance of the novel and moved on.
Now, what really irked me was the stupidity in this novel. Seriously, in this day and age, and this book was set in a present time, not unlike now, we have a zombie pop culture. And NO ONE, not one single person thought “hey, maybe these are zombies? I know it’s crazy, but these dead folk are getting up and eating people. I’ve seen Shaun of the Dead.”
Nope, they had no clue. Not when Dez is first attacked by the first dead person, not when they were checking vitals in the ambulance after one of the cops starts eating other cops’ faces, not when they’re at the hospital and that cop is still coding as DEAD. No, no one says zombie.
So word of advice: be the one to call zombie. Sure, it may make you look like a freak, but if anyone comes at me with their mouths opened and a moan, I’m bashing their skull in. I’ll beg forgiveness if they end up being jacked on some drug instead later. No way am I turning zom.
OH! I absolutely loved one part of Dead of Night in particular, and it was getting to see inside the zombies mind. I loved that. I thought it was clever, and wonderful, and fantastic. The main zombie who’s mind we see (aside from Gibbons, who’s not a mindless ghoul) is the mortician Lee Hartnup. He’s the first victim, but because he has knowledge of the human anatomy and death in general, it was just really awesome to witness these two sides of him. The scientist/doctor who knows he’s dead, and the brainless, useless body no longer taking commands from his brain. It was just always excellent to read, and it made me really feel sorry for the Doc by the end of the story. To read the torture he went through, begging his body to stop, but not being able to force it to stop, was just brilliantly done.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and it would have easily been a 4.5/5 Star book for me had zombie pop culture played a role in someone understanding what was happening faster than Trout digging for a story, and if Dez had been a more likeable character.
If you like zombie novels, give it a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And, if you’re like me, and just a huge Maberry fan, this is a definite must read!
Here we are, you and me. All out of road, the dead man said.
Wowzers! What a journey Heart Shaped Box ended up being. It wasn’t all that scary, but honestly that didn’t bother me too much. I was completely enraptured by the story and the characters, and their journey into this twisted supernatural nightmare, and I couldn’t be bothered that it wasn’t all that scary. It was incredibly intriguing instead.
The novel centers around Judas (Jude) Coyne, aging rockstar extraordinaire. Even though he’s been out of the spotlight for several years, and really doesn’t make music anymore, his fans still love him (especially his 20 something lady fans). Because they’re goth, they tend to send Jude items for his collection of extremely weird and disturbing items. You know, snuff films and cannibal cookbooks. Just what every collection should have. So, when Jude receives an e-mail with the promise that he could win his very own ghost, well, the guy goes for it. And his nightmare begins.
You see, the ghost he wins has a pretty big beef with Jude. It’s the stepfather of one of the 20 something lady fans of Judas’, and he’s mighty pissed off. Jude, and his current 20 something plaything, Georgia (Marybeth) work most of the book trying to find a way to get rid of Craddock (the ghost). Craddock’s a creepy bastard who tortures and attempts to destroy both Jude and Georgia, and anyone else who helps me along the way.
While Jude and Georgia are attempting to find a way out of this nightmare, they learn more about his past girlfriend, Florida (Anna), her life, and Craddock, and none of it’s pretty.
I absolutely loved all of the characters introduced in Heart Shaped Box.
I loved that Jude was this closed off, manwhore, asshole. It fit him well, and I think Joe Hill did a really decent job at giving the readers enough of an insight into Jude’s past to make him still likeable. I understood why he was the way that he was.
Georgia was spunky and damaged. She had a rough past, and I think that it may be hard to respect hers and Judas’ relationship, because of her past and his own, but it felt real, and so, I didn’t mind that there was this 30 year gap between them, or that he could be seen as really creepy for choosing girls like Georgia as his playthings.
Angus and Bon - the dogs! They were the real heros in this story, and
Bammy, Georgia’s grandmother is a minor character that we meet who’s just excellent, and she was just a great character that showed that Georgia had some light in her messed up life.
Anna a/k/a Florida - it was hard to not feel for this poor soul. She was depressed and damaged long before meeting Jude, but his personality definitely didn’t help matters. When her story was fully told, I just felt so badly for her and the life that she had been dealt. However, in the end, I think she showed just how strong she really was, and I loved that.
Craddock - This creepy son of a bitch. No words really express how much I disliked him. My hatred towards this bastard is pretty high. I think he’s definitely in my Top 5 most hated bad guys. He was just a disgusting human being who deserved so much more pain. Lots and lots of pain. Torture.
Overall, I really liked this, and I’m going to be trying another novel by Joe Hill soon. It’s looking like he may be an autobuy author for me in the future though, if his other work is as well done as this one.
“I think I can live without you, but it won't be any kind of life.”
Rainbow Rowell has consistently written novels that I’ve enjoyed, immensely, and Landline is the newest novel of hers that I can add to that list.
While I don’t think that the concept behind Landline is unique, and it isn’t. Time travel themes have been done before, and in a lot of cases done better, but this was still such a great story, because what Rainbow Rowell does really well, in my opinion, is making the readers empathize with her characters. And I felt so much for Georgie.
The story revolves around the life of Georgie McCool, a TV writer who is about to catch her big break with a show she’s writing on. The issue is that the Network bigwigs want more than just the Pilot written for the show, so Georgie chooses to stay to help write over Christmas. This does not go over well with her husband, Neal, because they had already made plans to take their children to visit family in Omaha. Still, Georgie, wants to stay and get this TV show written. It’s her dream after all, and she assumes that the family can go another time to Omaha.
She assumes wrong, because Neal takes the girls without her, leaving Georgie alone days before Christmas (her own choosing). While on her own, she visits her mother, and because her phone never seems to have a charge, she uses an old landline to call Neal to make sure he and the girls have made it safely. She gets a hold of him, but it’s Neal circa 20 years ago. And thus a reconnection of souls occurs.
I would have loved to have read this during the holiday season, because I thought it just had a wonderful theme of family, mistakes and love to it. I thought that Georgie really grew during the story, and I just wanted her and Neal to have a true happily ever after.
I would definitely recommend this to any of my friend that want something quick and relatively light to read. While there was drama in the story, it took a backseat to Georgie and Neal’s reconnection, and I loved that.
All of the Stars to this!
Holy freaking hell did Cracked live up to its hype. A lot of the reviewers I follow, as well as friends have read this, and since I’m a sucker to the peer pressure, I decided to give it a shot. So, I asked my local library to pick up a copy (before the Strange Chemistry issues), and they finally came in, and I consumed this novel in hours. And now, I kind of want to insta-re-read it.
So many novels get overhyped, but I definitely don’t think Cracked has enough hype. It needs all of the hype, because it’s freaking phenomenal, and everyone should know this. Definitely on the bandwagon for this novel and this series. I will drink the Kool-Aid.
This novel follows Meda, our wonderfully damaged main heroine, as she attempts to discover what she is. The journey isn’t easy for her, and she definitely has a target on her back, but luckily she doesn’t have to go through it alone. She has a wonderful band of new friends/rescuers to help her.
Meda was a magnificently well written character. She’s flawed, and it made her so human. I love a good anti-hero, and I think that Meda incorporated everything I love about anti-heroes in one bitching female teenager. She’s just a badass, and I loved her.
Cracked is told in her POV, and it shows her struggles with what she is, and with her Dexter-like code, how she has been surviving in this world.
We meet, through Meda, some Crusaders in training - Chi [was I the only one who read this name over and over again as “Chee” even knowing it was supposed to rhyme with “die”?], Jo, and Uri.
They are each really wonderfully written, although I thought I was going to hate Chi’s perfections, I ended up loving him. He truly has this amazing heart, and Eliza Crewe did an excellent job making him likeable.
Jo and Meda’s friendship was one of the biggest highlights on this novel. It started out strained and filled with distrust, and ended as something truly beautiful. I loved that. I loved that I saw these two young ladies having a real friendship, focused on their love for eachother, rather than some pseudo-friendship just to build on some love interest. Excellent friendships.
And then there was the wonderfully amazing Uri. Just great! I hearted him so much, and the fact that he so easily loved Meda was just great to me. His innocence, even knowing about demons and being a student knowing that his life will be surrounded with war and death was awesome to read.
I just don’t know what else to type, because I just want to type a bunch of spoilers...but I won’t. So instead I’ll just say - go read it. Seriously, quit reading this review and go read Cracked instead. It’s way better.
I’m definitely planning on buying a copy of this spectacular novel, so that I can come back to this amazing story again and again. And again and again and again.
/end fangirling.
Holy freaking hell did Cracked live up to its hype. A lot of the reviewers I follow, as well as friends have read this, and since I’m a sucker to the peer pressure, I decided to give it a shot. So, I asked my local library to pick up a copy (before the Strange Chemistry issues), and they finally came in, and I consumed this novel in hours. And now, I kind of want to insta-re-read it.
So many novels get overhyped, but I definitely don’t think Cracked has enough hype. It needs all of the hype, because it’s freaking phenomenal, and everyone should know this. Definitely on the bandwagon for this novel and this series. I will drink the Kool-Aid.
This novel follows Meda, our wonderfully damaged main heroine, as she attempts to discover what she is. The journey isn’t easy for her, and she definitely has a target on her back, but luckily she doesn’t have to go through it alone. She has a wonderful band of new friends/rescuers to help her.
Meet Meda. She eats people. Well, technically, she eats their soul.
Meda was a magnificently well written character. She’s flawed, and it made her so human. I love a good anti-hero, and I think that Meda incorporated everything I love about anti-heroes in one bitching female teenager. She’s just a badass, and I loved her.
Cracked is told in her POV, and it shows her struggles with what she is, and with her Dexter-like code, how she has been surviving in this world.
We meet, through Meda, some Crusaders in training - Chi [was I the only one who read this name over and over again as “Chee” even knowing it was supposed to rhyme with “die”?], Jo, and Uri.
They are each really wonderfully written, although I thought I was going to hate Chi’s perfections, I ended up loving him. He truly has this amazing heart, and Eliza Crewe did an excellent job making him likeable.
Jo and Meda’s friendship was one of the biggest highlights on this novel. It started out strained and filled with distrust, and ended as something truly beautiful. I loved that. I loved that I saw these two young ladies having a real friendship, focused on their love for eachother, rather than some pseudo-friendship just to build on some love interest. Excellent friendships.
And then there was the wonderfully amazing Uri. Just great! I hearted him so much, and the fact that he so easily loved Meda was just great to me. His innocence, even knowing about demons and being a student knowing that his life will be surrounded with war and death was awesome to read.
I just don’t know what else to type, because I just want to type a bunch of spoilers...but I won’t. So instead I’ll just say - go read it. Seriously, quit reading this review and go read Cracked instead. It’s way better.
I’m definitely planning on buying a copy of this spectacular novel, so that I can come back to this amazing story again and again. And again and again and again.
/end fangirling.