An Intro into Graphic Novels

I've recently started reading graphic novels and here's just a few.

Outcast by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta

Volume 1

4.5 stars

Outcast focuses on demons. Kyle Barnes has been surrounded by demonic possessions his whole life. He doesn’t know why or why he can get rid of demons with one touch, but he wants to find out. Basically this is a badass comic about demons similar to Sister Mary Eunice.

I don’t know about you but Sister Mary Eunice was one of my favorite things about Asylum and while demons freak me out and sometimes make me uncomfortable, I really enjoyed the plot behind this volume. Robert Kirkman is probably one of the best known comic artists of our time. (If you don’t know Kirkman is writer and creator of The Walking Dead.) This is my first taste of Kirkman in anything besides TWD TV show, but I definitely want to check out the comics now. The artwork in Outcast is complex and gripping. Outcast has an awesome plot and I’m curious to see where the storyline goes from where it left off. Here’s a taste of the art:



Cover Thoughts: I love the cover and I love the art on it. The colors are beautiful and I like the tone it sets.

Thank you, Netgalley and Image Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good-bye Geist by Ryo Hanada and Julianne Neville

2 stars

I’m honestly not sure how to describe the storyline of this manga. It’s not because I don’t want to spoil anything or because the storyline was so complex that I just don’t know how to word it. It’s because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on throughout all 176 pages of it.

I’m not sure what the purpose behind this manga was. The plot was confusing and convoluted. I wasn’t able to keep up with where the story was going with weird character breaks and storyline jumps. I used to be a huge manga lover. It was all I read at one point, but I’m honestly questioning my sanity it my manga tastes or if all manga I read was like this. Here’s the art (decide for yourself if you want to be tortured):



Cover Thoughts: This cover is weird. I like the pink, but the longer I look the cover the more I dislike it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Gen Manga Entertainment for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  

The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

Volume 1
3.5 stars

Here’s one of those plots that I’m not a hundred percent sure how to explain so here goes: Basically this young girl gets involved with famous people who happen to be gods. There’s a lot of blood, great artwork, and high sarcasm levels from a character that was the best thing about this comic. The opening for this graphic novel is confusing, but don’t let that stop you from continuing on. The artwork is beautiful and once the story it gets going it gets good. There are a lot of moments where I was confused but it’s not hard to look past in times where it snags. In all honesty the best thing about the graphic novel was the storyline about Gods. It was pretty cool! Here’s some beautiful art:




Cover Thoughts: The reason I requested this graphic novel was because of the cover and the fact that I thought it would be one of the more entertaining graphic novels.
Thank you, Netgalley and Image Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Let me know down below in the comments.:D

An Intro Into the Grishaverse

What is the Grishaverse? It's a nickname for the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I'm currently reading the sequel to Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm. I realized recently that I hadn't reviewed Shadow and Bone and it's novellas that I enjoyed. So here are the reviews for The Witch of Duva, Shadow and Bone, and The Tailor.

The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo

Prequel to the Shadow and Bone trilogy

5 stars

There was once a monster in the woods of Duva. Little girls would wonder in and be eaten. No one knew who the monster was or where it came from, but Nadya’s father is getting married to the monster… or so it seems. Nadya finds herself in the woods with a witch… who could be the monster just as much as the one hiding in her house. I love folktales. There’s just something about folktales that always entrance me and make my palms sweat and my heart race with wonder. As a child, Hansel and Gretel was one of my favorite stories. A witch in the woods who fattens kids up with sweets and eats them was horrifying, but I couldn’t get enough of the story. Bardugo loosely bases this Ravkan folktale on this children’s tale. If you haven’t read the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Ravka is the setting of the trilogy. I really enjoy the corporation of a folktale into Ravka society. I love to learn little things about fantasy worlds because that’s what makes the world. Reading about a story that centers on a folktale told around Ravka to scare children makes the world seem solid and real.


This short story is absolutely gorgeous. The writing is beautiful. The story is shocking. That’s saying a lot since this story is only 43 pages. I can’t say more than that because I don’t want to give anything away. Just know that this story is beautiful and it’s worth the read whether you’re a fan of Bardugo or just in want of a quick story with substance.


Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. It’s so stunning and gorgeous. The Tor.com story always have the best artwork.

You can read this story online free here

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

First in the Grisha trilogy

5 stars

Ravka is a nation torn into two by the Black Heretic who created the Shadow Fold, a sea of darkness with horrifying features looking to feast on human flesh. Alina lives the life of a mapmaker for the army. When she enters the Fold and her best friend, Mal, is attacked she finds a power within herself. She’s a Grisha, but not just any Grisha. She can summon light- branded as a Sun Summoner and the counterpart to the Darkling. Alina enters royal court. She learns that nothing is what it seems in this new world fueled by deceit and strategies that have Ravkans’ lives on the line. A review for Shadow and Bone is long overdue. Like most of my reviews are. I still haven’t reviewed my beloved Harry Potter series (I have some reviews written, but it’s an ongoing process). My love for this book was surprising. I knew I would be intrigued by Shadow and Bone, but I wasn’t expecting to love it the way I did. I read this book in the car. While that doesn’t seem odd for most readers I hardly ever read in the car, but I read this book going and coming back from NOLA. This book was entrancing. I loved every second of Shadow and Bone. The writing was magical. The characters were captivating. The storyline kept me on my toes and anticipating what lied behind the next pages. I was enamored with the Grishaverse. I fell in love. Not in love like some of my novels, but this novel charmed me into loving it. I feel like a school girl who has a first crush while writing this review. I can’t seem to form coherent thoughts. It also probably doesn’t help that I fell for this novel back in July and it’s almost February.



The main female character is Alina. I love Alina’s backstory. Something about reading it was interesting and compelling. I loved her moments in the castle and discovering who she was not only as a Grisha but as a person. Alina is strong and resilient, but she is also caring. The thing I like most about her is that she knows she isn’t the most beautiful girl in the world, but I also wish she had more confidence in realizing that she must be beautiful to attain to very attractive men’s attentions.



Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8.5

The main male characters are Mal and The Darkling. Mal… I was conflicted at first. I admit I didn’t like him very much. Mostly because he was too charming (I’m still not his biggest fan), but I also loved those last sweet moments of the book before the shit hit the fan again. He is hard not to like, but with the way Siege and Storm is going Mal is losing his touch.



Swoon Worthy Scale: 7

The Villain- Ah, the Darkling. I would be lying if I said the Darkling wasn’t my favorite thing about this novel. The Darkling is just so powerful, cunning, evil, vindictive, charming, and I love him. I shouldn’t love him because he can be so cruel, but I love him. It’s probably unhealthy, isn’t it?





Villain Scale: 9

Swoon Worthy Scale: 10

I love the complexity of all the characters in this novel. Characters like Genya are my favorite. She was a great character and I don’t want to go into too much detail because then I would spoil it.


Character Scale: 8.5



I think this novel is amazing and I highly recommend it. If you haven’t picked it up yet, give it a shot because it is entertaining and a fun adventure to go on. Plus it will give you feels. How can you say no to that?!?



Cover Thoughts: I love this cover! It is so beautiful and now that I’m reading the second book I just realized that Morozova’s stag’s antlers are on the cover and that gives me feels. This cover is beautifully done.

The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo

1.5 in the Grisha trilogy

4.5 stars

This a short story told from Genya’s point of view set during Shadow and Bone. I loved Genya quite a lot in Shadow and Bone. I thought her character was great. She had a lot of layers.(That could also be a pun because she’s a tailor and it’s cold in Ravka.) Anyway as a short story, I thought this was fantastic. There was character development and a little plot twist from Shadow and Bone that was further elaborated. I think Bardugo has a gift of writing great characters. I want to hate Genya, but I can’t. I like her too much. And Darkling. That man is horrifying and beautiful. Like Tate from AHS.


Cover Thoughts: I want to attend the palace and walk through the halls. It sounds so beautiful.

You can read this story free online here.

What are your thoughts on the Grisha trilogy? Are you a  fan? Let me know down below in the comments.:D

Charming by Krystal Wade

I'm not a good blogger! I took a two week hiatus and now I'm back to school and winter guard is starting and I'm dying again. I'm sorry, but I'll try to update when I can. As well as post more videos! I haven't even done my Tope 14 of 2014 because I'm lazy and when I look good and I'm going to parties or sleepovers so I have no time. I'll stop babbling now and here's a review of Charming by Krystal Wade! I originally found out about this book through Sasha Alsberg's YouTube channel abookutopia and if you're interested in the video here's a link.



Charming by Krystal Wade

3 stars
Haley Tremaine lost it all. Her mother died in a car crash that was supposed to take Haley away from her abusive father and now she’s stuck with him. She’s stuck with him and she has to protect her sister from the truth about who her father is- an alcoholic abuser. Enter Chris Charming, a boy who used to attend school with Haley and now is runner up for her mother’s candle making company. He has a reputation as a trouble maker and he won’t leave Haley alone. There’s a serial killer on the loose and Haley’s his next target. This book has been marketed as Cinderella meets Saw. I can kind of see that, but not really. I mean the Cinderella aspect is there and prominent in certain scenes, but the Saw aspect- not so much. I could see it more as Cinderella meets Criminal Minds. I’m sure at least one Criminal Minds episode is exact like this or at least close to it. The beginning of Charming is really unsettling, especially for a novel targeted to young readers. If this book didn’t read so blandly and have a high school setting I could see this as a dark adult novel, but besides the constant abuse Haley endures at home nothing about this book is extremely dark. I was completely disgusted with the abuse situation and while I can relate to Haley as a victim abuse I also can’t.


The main female character is Haley. I’m on the outs about Haley. I don’t dislike her, but I don’t like her either. I feel like she was a strong character- she’s brave and tough for having to deal with her situation- but she also downplays her situation- something I can totally understand. My problem with Haley is that her problem is portrayed very realistically, but Haley herself doesn’t seem real. I’m just very unsure about my stance on her.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 5

The main male character is Chris. Chris is pretty insignificant. I didn’t get the romance with Haley and Chris. There was no connection, tension, or any sign of this so-called love that seemed to have blossomed in 7.2 seconds. Chris wasn’t interesting or charming, much to the implication of his last name. I just wasn’t buying it.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 2

The Villain- I wish I could say that I didn’t see who the killer was, but it seemed kind of obvious to me from the beginning. Since I’ve recently become a huge Gillian Flynn fan I’m constantly looking to be mind-fucked with books of this nature, but I didn’t find it. When the villain was revealed it all just seemed rushed and ridiculous. Kind of like how American Horror Story: Freakshow (which I would've complained about until I saw the most recent episode which was freaking amazing and you should all join my obsession of AHS) has been this season- completely boring and then gruesome right out of left field.


Villain Scale: 3
I did not like Haley’s sister at all. I think that as a member of Haley’s household the abuse would’ve been pretty obvious since all the signs of domestic violence were there. I didn’t like Haley’s father either and he was a douchecanoe from day one. Haley’s friend was a decent character. I didn’t love her, but I liked that she was there for Haley and was a good friend. Where did that random guy at the end come from? What was that? “I kinda know you and I’m friends with Chris so I’ll drive you to go and find a serial killer.” Like what?????



Character Scale: 4

Charming doesn’t have a concrete plot and it seemed to be going nowhere at times and then there would be random plot points popping up and disappearing and then coming back. It was off-putting and while I think Charming good it also flows too fast. The best way to describe this novel is fluff in a dark setting.


Cover Thoughts: I like the cover when I first saw it I was expecting the novel to be a dark erotica, but after reading Charming the setting of this cover makes a lot of sense.

Thank you, Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review


Have you read Charming? Does it appeal to you? What or your thoughts? Let me know in the comments down below!

November Book Haul

Happy New Year's! I'll be posting my video of Top 14 of 2014 soon! Probably film it tomorrow. I've been very busy on my break with Christmas and my birthday, but I'm trying.:) Hope your holidays were fabulous! See ya soon.:D

Trilogy Wrap Up: Divergent Edition

Trilogy Wrap-Up

DIVERGENT TRILOGY BY VERONICA ROTH

If you are interested in my whole Divergent review experience, you can find my review here. I’m incredibly behind on reviews and I read the last two books in this trilogy in March and figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and just finally write my reviews. Obviously this contains spoilers for the previous books in the trilogy and there’s just no getting around that.

 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Second in the Divergent trilogy

3.5 stars (originally 4.5 stars)

Insurgent follows Tris on her journey after the battle concluded in Divergent between Dauntless-controlled people on Abnegation. Tris struggles to forgive herself for causing a close friend’s death while also facing being virtually factionless. As Tris, Four, and the rest of the gang take refuge with Amity things start to slowly fall apart and they meet the Factionless. Secrets of Four’s past are revealed and Chicago is preparing for war. I originally gave this book 4.5 stars, but since it’s been ten months since I’ve read Insurgent I’ve had a lot of time to think about this trilogy’s conclusion and it’s middle book. Insurgent is surprisingly no longer my least favorite novel. If you asked me months which book in this trilogy was the worst I would’ve shouted Insurgent because I thought it was boring, slow, and uneventful (I still read it in a little over a week despite that). After a lot of thinking I’ve come to realize Insurgent isn’t the worse book in this trilogy, but it is certainly not very good either.


Insurgent is bogged down with a lot of pointless drama and action. The constant bickering between Tris and Four was frustrating and I wanted to rip my hair out more than once.



The big reveal of why the factions and this dystopian Chicago were created was lame and unfulfilling. Plus it was a cliffhanger reveal which for me didn’t give it bonus points like some cliffhangers manage to do. This cliffhanger only infuriated me. It was completely pointless to be included at the END of the novel. The last five pages were this huge reveal and I wanted to screa 


Also the Amity and Factionless compounds were boring. Amity is a snoozefest and while I love the idea of experiencing a new faction life style apart from the ones we were previously introduced to in Divergent, this faction lacked. It was a good idea that was poorly executed. The Factionless compound was just meh for me. I didn’t care for the inclusion of these people because they were just as bad as Erudite. I don’t understand why Roth wants everyone to seem so power hungry. Maybe it has something to do with being genetically impure, but really I don’t give two shits anymore.

The main female character is Tris. Tris, you are…

Tris, I loved you in Divergent. I struggled with her character growth a bit, but I overall appreciated who she became by the end of that novel. All that went right out the train. Get it? Cause the Dauntless jump out of trains. I thought it was funny. Tris was frustrating, selfish, and childish in this novel. Her thought process irked me and she kept egging on fights with Four. I mean it was unnecessary. I lost a lot of respect for Tris in this novel.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 6.5

The main male character is Four or Tobias. I’m not sure what to call him anymore, so I’ll just stick to Four. My love for Tobias (LOL there went the whole only using Four thing) varied throughout Insurgent. There were times when my inner fangirl was strong. My heart was singing when he was in the scene and I wanted to swoon, but then he would annoy the crap out of me. This love-hate feeling toward Tobias had me very confused. I wanted to love him and at times I had no problem loving him. At others he made me want to scream.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8

The Villain- Well, the main villain plot was slightly wrapped up only to introduce about seventy more villains. I’m so done with Roth right now. Writing a review for this novel has really started to piss me off.


Villain Scale: 6

The characters in this novel were all entertaining and they would make me laugh. Of course, Roth has to kill off at least five characters in one novel and she called off a few new ones introduced that I really liked.


Character Scale: 7.5

I’m so frustrated with Insurgent. I want to rate it four stars, but I can’t. I wanted to love this book, but there are too many problems with for me to do that. I’ve only become angry writing this review and my blood pressure is rising a bit. I think that’s all I should say about Insurgent because I WILL RAGE for Allegiant.


Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. It’s so… Amity. Which says something because this book is far from peaceful Tris’s constant hormonal arguing and fighting whether to have sex with Tobias or not. Or the fact that there’s a war about to start. This book cover is ironic.


 

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The third and final book in the Divergent trilogy (Should I even consider this a book, thought?)

1 star (I originally rated this book five stars because I was sad this trilogy was over and wanted more, but now I don’t give a shit I’m fricking angry.)

Instead of being my normally brilliant self (LOL I should just stop) and creating my own synopsis for this novel, I’ve decided to use the Goodreads synopsis because this will help me rage because I have a lot of rage for this novel that I’ve kept bottled up, but I can’t keep it inside anymore. There will obviously be spoilers and cursing because RAGE.


What if your whole world was a lie?
Well, Tris your whole life was a lie. All of a sudden you find out the whole faction system was created by scientists as a huge science research project. People are born either genetically pure or impure. The impure genes have led to war and chaos, but there are few people with pure genes. Tris is one of these people labeled as Divergents- genetically pure.

You know what else is a lie was- that this was a good trilogy. This trilogy turned crap. I was lied to. This trilogy was supposed to be amazing and great, but instead all I got was crap marketed as a stunning conclusion and a groundbreaking dystopian trilogy.



What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
Tris has a lot of revelations in this novel. She realizes she wants to do the do with Tobias. Tobias realizes he loves Tris 5ever. Tris wants to leave Chicago to found out what lies beyond the compound. Tobias realizes his mother may not be so bad. Tris realizes her brother is a dick, but then realizes she forgives him. Tobias realizes that he isn’t genetically pure like Tris and just exhibits the symptoms. Tris realizes she is invincible- even to a death serum. Tris realizes that her dumbass has been shot by a doctor in the science research facility and takes a bullet for her dickheaded brother- leading her to fucking die. Tobias realizes Tris is fucking dead. Tobias realizes he rules Chicago now and decides to get over his fear of heights and spread Tris’s ashes on the zip line.

I realize Veronica Roth is a cop out and this trilogy is shit. Divergent is the only book worth reading. Fuck Allegiant. I’m hundred percent done trying to make up excuses that this trilogy has a good conclusion because it doesn’t. How can you make Tris survive a death serum, but kill her off with a bullet? I’m sorry Roth, but your logical fails and I’m not going to try to make excuses for this shit book because I’m done.


What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
I’ve lost my love and loyalty for this trilogy after ten months. I don’t care anymore and I wouldn’t recommend this trilogy. ONLY READ DIVERGENT! It is the only thing worth reading.


You wanna know why there’s a fricken wave on the cover? The cover doesn’t fit any of the faction themed symbols. My theory is the publishers wanted to remind me every time I look at Allegiant’s cover I wanted to burst into tears. Not because Tris died. No because this could’ve-been-great trilogy turned to complete SHIT.


Another thing that really bothers me is this whole genetic impurity and purity crap. Like what? What does any of this mean? All I got from the explanations was info-dump, bigger info-dump, mound of info-dump, and look-a-trash-lot-sized info-dump. I’m not satisfied with Roth’s explanation for things because they make no sense. There is no sense in this genetically pure and impure crap. Wanna know why? Because there will always be good and bad people. There will always be people who fight for what they believe in and people who tear other people down. There will never be a perfect utopian society where everyone has a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a dog, lives in the suburbs, and is morally acceptable. That is not how humanity works. I don’t understand why Roth decided to use genetics and combine it with good and evil. I do understand that Roth’s attempt at being a different kind of dystopian only fueled in pissing me off.



The main female character is Tris. Tris, you have made me pissed. I’m so done with your bullshit. I don’t care anymore. I wanted you to survive because you should’ve survived. Instead you got a copped out hero-send-off. I’m disappointed in your characterization and was it was left off. I do appreciate you finally coming to terms with all your sorrows and sins. Sadly it was for nothing. Believe it or not: I am sad Tris died because it wasn’t the death she deserved.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 6

The main male character is Tobias. Tobias, you sound a lot like Tris in POVs. That’s not a good thing. I should love you, Tobias. I fell so hard in Divergent, was lukewarm in Insurgent, but now I dislike you. I completely dislike Tobias. I feel ashamed to say that now, but I dislike Tobias in Allegiant. So I’m just going to pretend like Tobias-Allegiant never happened.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 5

The Villain- Once again, Roth introduced about twenty more villains before dealing with one. The drama was concluded though.


Villain Scale: 4

Uriah… *cries* I’m unsatisfied with these characters. I read somewhere that Roth that in the future Christina and Tobias get together after the epilogue.

Roth just keeps digging a deeper hole for herself.


Character Scale: 7

I’m left angry, empty, and unsure of this trilogy. This should’ve been a great trilogy. It could’ve been, but I see so many flaws and I had so many issues with it. I’m just angry. I don’t know if I’ll read any of Roths other works, but hopefully I do one day decide to give her another shot. Until then I’m out.



Cover Thoughts: I like the cover. I’ve already expressed deeper thoughts about it above.

What are your thoughts on this trilogy? Did you get as angry as I am? Let's discuss down below!

Night of Pan by Gail Strickland

Night of Pan by Gail Strickland

First in the Oracle of Delphi trilogy

3.5 stars

Thaleia is supposed to marry a man she doesn’t wish to marry. She runs away in the middle of night after being taken by the priests for her ritual in preparation for her marriage. She finds herself in the mountains and meeting a satyr, the god Pan. From there on Thaleia’s life is completely uprooted and she learns that she is an important part in saving Greece. I’m surprised by this one. I started it on a whim because my copy on my computer was about to expire but I wasn’t expecting to like it very much. In fact, I thought I would DNF it quickly and move on. That wasn’t the case at all and I’m happy it wasn’t. The atmosphere of this novel is adventurous. Thaleia is always up to no good and it makes Night of Pan a fast-paced novel. I do think that there was too much going on in chapters and in the plot overwhelm. This book is tiny (254 pages) and there was no down time, which isn’t a bad thing, but the constant surprises and info-dumping gave me a headache.


I love the Greek mythology in this novel. It’s very heavy. In fact, this whole novel is just Greek mythology. There are gods present, but it’s not god heavy like most mythology YA reads. It’s an overall plus for me and it was what made reading Night of Pan enjoyable.


The main female character is Thaleia. I like Thaleia. She’s mischievous, strong, and smart. I really like her character, but my biggest problem with her is that she has four or five prophecies surrounding her greatness and all that jazz. Nobody is that special. Special snowflake in Greek times.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7.5

The main male character is no one because embrace the Oracle life. You belong to the Gods and don’t need no man.


Swoon Worthy Scale: ----

The Villain- There’s a war; a big war that is solved quickly and is a little disappointing. It was over too quickly and didn’t feel authentic.


Villain Scale: 5

I was incredibly annoyed by Sophia, Thaleia’s best friend. She wasn’t a very good friend and she betrayed her only to be forgiven. They didn’t even fight over the betrayal, it was just brushed under the rug and that really bothered me.


Character Scale: 4

This is very entertaining. It’s good fun. I didn’t like how it ended though. Cliffhangers in unnecessary places are annoying. I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequels, but I’m glad I read Night of Pan. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a quick read or in the mood for authentic mythology.


Cover Thoughts: I like the roses and the girl reminds me of Medusa, but I’m not really sure if that was supposed to be the point.

Video Review Batch #1

I've decided to compile a bunch of books I've read and make a review mash-up of them. So here are five of the books I've read not recently, but a while back.

 

Some of these I've written reviews for and some I haven't (most likely I haven't) but here are the links to reviews I've written for these books if you're interested. Hopefully those reviews will be up soon, but I don't have a lot of time so I haven't written too much.

Jackaby by William Ritter

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?