Old Man's War | Jon Scalzi

Summary:

John Perry is 75 years old, a widower with only an okay relationship with his only son, when he decides to join the Colonial Defense Force and fight to protect Earth's colonies from alien races. CDF is only interested in people his age, people with decades of experience in life. By the time he gets to boot camp, his entire world view has changed. Now he fights every day to save his life and the lives of his squad mates.

Review:

This book definitely wasn't what I expected. I was told I'd have a lot of laughs, and I did, but I didn't think I'd have so many other powerful emotions. This book didn't just make me laugh, it scared me, it mad me sad, it made me think, it made me wonder. This book was an experience that I was glad to have.

Because our main character is 75 when the book starts, we don't have to put up with a painfully naive, idiotic character. Don't get me wrong, he is naive when it comes to the alien menace he's going to go up against, but he's not naive enough to think of himself as invulnerable, unlike some of the other new soldiers. I did love the fact that all the new soldiers went completely nuts when they got their new bodies, but only one person was dumb enough to think they could fly. That's the kind of common sense that I like in my characters.

As well as Perry's sense of common decency. There were some diplomatic missions where he could've gone against orders and made a scene, but he knew it wouldn't be in everyone's best interests to do so. As much fun as it is to read characters who speak their minds, it's so much better when they have the wisdom to know when to keep their mouths shut. He didn't do so well with his first conscious encounter with the Ghost Brigades, but that was actually story essential.

And Perry isn't the only good character to read, either. Every member of Perry's initial group were so ingratiating that, at the reports of some of their deaths, I was genuinely saddened. It makes sense that not everyone would make it through, this is an interstellar war. But they were written so well and with so much gravitas that each loss was really felt. I was invested in the well-being of almost every character (the former politician, not so much).

Some of the scenes were kinda gruesome, but this is war. Fortunately there were only one or two scenes that went into full, gross detail. Those were usually scenes meant to instill fear in the new cadets or to let the reader know the extent of Perry's injuries. But it's these scenes that make the lighter moments all the lighter, more jovial moments more important and impactful. 

I can definitely see why this book has gotten so many accolades. They are truly well deserved and I will be picking up the next book. 4.5 hoots!

               Hoot!Hoot!

               Hoot!Hoot!

                   Hoo

Nanoshock | K. C. Alexander

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Riko's cred is still draining. She's losing more allies than she even knew she'd had. She's gaining more enemies than she thought possible. With the price on her head going up, she's having trouble focusing on her mission of getting proof that MetaCorp set her up and is trying to weaponize Necros. 

Review:

I have been waiting for this sequel for a while. I never forgot my joy at reading the first book. When I saw this one available on NetGalley, I jumped on it. I was not disappointed! Riko is back, doing and saying things that would make a sailor blush and living up to the title "Splatter Specialist" the whole way. And I loved every minute of it.

This isn't a book for everyone. It is incredibly NSFW and has a lot of fight scenes that made me cringe. That said, if you're okay with some gruesomeness and a lot of foul language, you'll probably appreciate the humor that permeates throughout the book. You will probably want to read the first one before you read this. There's a lot of important backstory there.

I'll admit, there were a few times when Riko's attitude and act-first-think-later personality began to get annoying, but the author wonderfully seems to know when this is happening and has another character call her out on it. This really helps with balancing Riko's obtuse nature keeping the reader from burnout. There were times it was difficult to figure out what was going on, then again, since we're reading from Riko's perspective, and she's not the brains of any operation, it kinda makes sense. 

Then, there was the ending. I'm going to avoid spoilers by not telling you a thing about the last chapter. All I will say, when I finished this book, I had a big smile on my face that only got bigger as I thought more and more about how well the ending fit. This book was an exceptional follow up to the first one and I couldn't be more pleased with it.

               Hoot!Hoot!

               Hoot!Hoot!

                     Hoot!

Monsters Exist | Jesse Deadman & Theresa Braun

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of creepy and scary short stories about monsters of urban legends.

Review:

This was an incredibly creepy and scary book. I thought this was just going to be a book of stories similar to what you tell around the campfire. Turns out, a lot of the stories are a lot more gruesome. The book covers monsters I had forgotten to think about. Like the monster under the bed, the reason you don't feel safe sleeping with your hands or feet exposed. There were monsters I'd never heard about and takes on old monsters/legends that Id never thought of. The stories are very intense and and almost always very gruesome. If you're looking for a scary story or looking for a refresher on urban legend monsters, I recommend this collection. 3.5 hoots!

               Hoot!Hoot!

               Hoot!Hoo

A Perfect Machine | Brett Savory

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary: (From Publisher)

Henry Kyllo is a Runner, a member of a secret society called the Inferne Cutis. Every day he is chased through the city by Hunters whose goal is to fill him with bullets. It is a secret war steeped in history, tradition, and mutual fear.

Rumours abound about what happens when a Runner achieves ascension, but it has supposedly never happened before, so no one knows for sure. Except that it has happened before. And it is happening again.

Review:

This book, short as is it is, had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I don't feel it met that, and fell far short of my expectations for it. Maybe I was asking too much of it, but I was disappointed by this book.

The author does make me feel emotionally connected to the three main characters, he's done a great job of getting me interested in their story. I was genuinely concerned for Henry's sanity and Milo's sake. I was happy to read this book out of interest in these few characters.

My biggest problem with this book is the world it takes place in. Clearly it's our world, but with this subset of people that, if we were to encounter them, we'd never remember. But what is it that causes people to forget? What is it that allows the Runners to physically take on bullets? What is it that takes the loved ones of Runners who don't run? Why was one little girl, ghost character, the only one with any actual answers, forgotten almost immediately after her introduction? No one, not even the elders of the Hunters and Runners, have answers to any of these questions.

And maybe I'm missing the point of the book. Maybe the focus was supposed to be on these characters, but I feel like, if I knew more about the world and its laws, I could've felt more. I could've been more interested in what was going on. As it was, when the book ended, I felt nothing. There was so much that this book could have been, but wasn't.

As it is, I can only give 2.5 hoots.

           Hoot!Hoot! Hoo

Ex-Isle | Peter Clines

Summary:

In the fifth book of the Ex-Heroes series, a couple of stories are happening at the same time. Barry (Zzzap), St. George and Madelyn (Corpse Girl) go on a goodwill mission to a man-made island Barry found on his trip back from around the world. At the same time, one of the main food supplies for The Mount has burned up in a Los Angeles wildfire, so Danielle (Cerberus), Cesar (The Driver), Gibbs and the Supersoldiers are all sent to Project Eden to jump-start things and bring in more food. Naturally, things go wrong in both stories.

Review:

I read this book in two days. For two days, I had no interest in any other hobby or book. I was tempted to call in sick so I could just read. That's how good this book is!

I've never hidden the fact that Clines' writing style always gets me feeling amped up. He is incredibly talented at combining action and gore with hope and geeky humor. He writes amazing build-up and battles. The best part is, he is also able to surprise me, all while giving me all the clues that I've needed to figure out what the surprise is going to be. Everything in this book that happens, you COULD see coming, if you pay attention to all of the clues, but even when I think I'm paying attention, all the clues lead me to a different conclusion than is written. 

The dialogue, as always, is amazing. I cannot praise these well-rounded, fully developed characters enough. If you're at all interested in superheroes acting human, you will enjoy this entire series and seeing these characters evolve. 

Really I only have one complaint about this book, which I can't talk about at all because of spoilers. But I cannot fault Clines. Yes, it involves my absolute favorite character, possibly my favorite superhero ever, but it's story essential and I was warned in the early parts of the book. Still doesn't make me happy about it.

I have to say, this is a wonderful continuation of the Ex-Heroes series that lived up to all my demanding expectations. 5 Hoots!

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

                    Hoot!

Prince: Legacy of Darkness | Phoenix Garrett Wright

*Book and image provided by NetGalley

Summary:

This book follows the story of Lucifer (a separate entity from Satan) the first vampire, and former seraphim. In the 2060's, a decade or so after the War of Immortals, the witches become bolder in their attacks on the vampires who, led by Lucifer, prefer to be left in darkness and out of humanity's reality, except for when it's time to feed. Lucifer must keep his fledglings in line in an attempt to show a united front against the army of witches and humans with UV light based weapons.

Review:

This is a very long book. If you intend to read it, be sure to set enough time aside for it. To be fair to Wright, I'm not sure how this book could have told the story he wanted while being a shorter book. There is a lot of content here with a fairly good balance between exposition/story telling and action.

Fair warning about the action, this book is not for the feint of heart or stomach. Several scenes involve copious amounts of blood. Then there are the depictions of Hell that left me feeling nauseated. I won't go into details, but  you have been warned. 

I have to admit, I probably won't read the next installment. I read all 600+ pages of this book and never felt emotionally or intellectually invested in any of the characters. The entire book is told from the perspective of Lucifer and it's no surprise he used to manage the Gate of Pride in Hell. He's arrogant and prideful to a fault, but clearly such is the nature of the character. I never feel that any one group, humans, vampires or witches are in the right. They all seem like they're doing the wrong thing, especially when the story is from the perspective of someone who thinks they're all inferior anyways.

Probably my biggest complaint about this book is that there are so many typos and punctuation errors. It may have just been the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) I received, but there were so many spelling and editing errors that need to be cleaned up. 

To be honest, I can only give this book 2.5 hoots. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, and the first half or so of the book was plenty entertaining, but after that it was just all downhill and I just wanted the book to end.

            Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoo

Trollhunters | Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Summary:

Jim Sturges Jr. has an overprotective father and no social status at school. He can't bring himself to excel at anything. But when he starts seeing creatures in the dark corners of the town and kids start to go missing, Jim is brought into the ancient world of trolls, literally kicking and screaming. 

Review:

I don't often get to say this, especially with books for younger readers, but HOLY WAH! THIS WAS TOTALLY AWESOME! I NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK!

Ahem. Sorry about that.

I'll admit, a lot of the plot points were predictable, but the characters are so engaging and the world their in is so mesmerizing you don't care! This world is so complex and has such a rich history that I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel that was hinted at in the last chapter. Yes, some people may have seen the history as an exposition dump, but I saw it as the greatest Troll Scholar gladly showing off his knowledge because someone is actually listening to him. The characters only add to the richness of this world and you want to see all of them make it through.

With regards to the intended audience, this book would easily be too scary for middle-grade students. I strongly recommend it for junior-high or older and not just because of the content. There are so many new vocabulary words that I had to look up. But if you are at all interested in monsters vs heroes or monsters as heroes, this is a great book. It is a wonderful combination of adventure, action, horror and coming-of-age. I give full credit to del Toro and Kraus for finding just the right balance of each element. 

If you've looked at my Rating System and my rating history, you know that, while I give a lot of fours, I reserve five hoots for those books that I'm willing to yell at people to read. GET THIS BOOK! YOU WILL LOVE IT! 5 HOOTS!

                     Hoot!

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

Alice | Christina Henry

Summary:

Alice once went for an adventure in the Old City only to return to the New City covered in blood with no memory of what happened, blabbering about a man with rabbit ears. She was placed in an asylum and started talking with man named Hatcher through a mouse hole between their rooms. Hatcher also has vague memories of the Rabbit and when they escape the asylum, they had back to the Old City in search of answers. Most importantly the answer of how to stop the Jabberwock. 

Review:

This book is not for everyone. It is a very gripping book, I would put it down only with much reluctance, but it's not for everyone. There is a lot of blood, right from the start, with some very graphic depictions of violence. The majority of the violence is bloody, gruesome, and nausea inducing. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

That being said, I thought this was a really well written version of the Alice in Wonderland story. The plot was well thought out. The characters were fully developed and easily related to. The dialogue was entirely natural and I felt that there was nothing left unanswered by the end of the story. I was even quite happy with the ending. I give Henry full credit for building an interesting world. I had no idea where I was or what time period I was in the entire time.

So, if you're interested in a violent retelling of a classic story, or at least have a strong stomach and are a fan of dramas, mysteries, thrillers, and the like, I recommend this book. This isn't my particular genre, I probably won't read it again, but it's good for those with a strong constitution who are fans.

                Hoot!

           Hoot!Hoot!

                 Hoo

*This book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Fold by Peter Clines

When I first submitted my NetGalley request to receive an advanced electronic copy of The Fold, I really didn't think I'd get approved. When I did, I was literally bouncing with joy.* That being said, I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review, so I will be honest in this.

Peter Clines does an amazing job of keeping me excited to read during this entire book. I was actually writing notes of what I thought was going on in a separate notebook. Looking through them, I can easily tell you that, while it was easy to pick up on several things, my theories at the start of this book were definitely off. It was a joy to get all the pieces of the puzzle and put them together as the characters were.**

The pacing of this book is also well timed. It has several parallels to other books by Clines in terms of pacing, but there was one big difference. I let my guard down at one point, just in time to be hit with a twist that left me wondering what happened. After that I paid even better attention to the clues, because Clines definitely gives you the clues you need, if you know where to look. This is made even funnier by the fact that the main character is a regular Mycroft (hence his nickname, Mike) and is also looking for clues.

I did not know at the start of this book that it is a kind of sequel to 14, but it ended up not surprising me when I got to the relevant sections of The Fold. Unlike 14, though, The Fold did have more gore, but it actually gave me a moment of pure terror. The kind of terror that has every ounce of your being saying "this should not be happening!" It also made a few scenes more exciting towards the end because I knew what was going on.***

Once again, Clines does a masterful job with character development and dialogue. I am hoping that they don't make significant changes in this by the time it gets published because the dialogue is memorable, as is. It's so natural and real, I cannot praise it enough. I know people like these characters and these are the kinds of things they'd say.

Overall, The Fold is yet another Peter Clines success. He had me completely immersed in this world from the first chapter. Even if some of the plot points were predictable, Clines kept the story exciting and engaging. This is another Clines book that I'm going to have to get my hands on. 5 Hoots!

           Hoot!Hoot!

           Hoot!Hoot!

              Hoot!

*Don't believe me? Ask my husband.
**Sometimes in advance of the characters, but not by much.
***Seriously, read 14 first!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I allowed myself to mentally prep for one of two outcomes with the book: either it would be a great continuation of the series, or it would flop. The former DEFINITELY came true and I am so very happy for that! I'm actually still shaky from the intensity I felt from this book.

Scarlet doesn't quite pick up where Cinder left off; We have to get introduced to the title character of this book, Scarlet. Scarlet is, not surprising, a take on Little Red Riding Hood. Right down to her red hair and hoodie. But we still have a world with androids, cyborgs, and now, fighters and monsters from the moon!

Meyer does a very good job of balancing the three perspectives we get. Between Cinder, Scarlet and Kai, at no point did it feel like any one of them got too much or too little time. There was more of a focus on the love story in Scarlet's perspective but, to be fair, she spends a lot more time with Wolf than Cinder did with Kai in the first book.

I have to say, I am very happy with this book. This is a great continuation of The Lunar Chronicles and I've already requested the next book. This is definitely a worthwhile series.

                 Hoot!Hoot!

                 Hoot!Hoot!

                    Hoo

Judge Dredd Year One: Omnibus

This is the first book I requested for my own reading from Netgalley. Previously the only books I received from Netgalley were for a guest blog. But when I saw a Judge Dredd book, still accepting readers, I had to put in a request. It was approved on the same day! So, here is the review.

I'm not entirely sure how to review this book. It is a collection of three smaller books by three different authors. So, for simplicity's sake, I'm going to review this as a fan of the Judge Dredd world.* And I have to say, from the eyes of a fan, these stories are good.

I will give the writers full credit for their consistency with the world they were writing in. I also enjoyed getting to see other aspects of the character of Rico Dredd, the main character's twin brother. It was never a secret that Rico was a corrupt Judge, but I had not read (yet) about what Rico actually did to get himself caught and shipped out to the worst of punishments. 

These stories are definitely a creative take on the world of Judge Dredd, focusing on his first year out of the academy. They are well written and entertaining. I give them 3.5 Hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoo

*Yes, this includes the Sylvester Stalone movie. I was young and didn't know better.

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Holy wah. It is a good thing that I have been working on building a tolerance to scary stuff, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight...or ever go back to work. Horrorstör is filled with so much of the same corporate speak you hear at almost any job, but the story adds a dark tone on top of my own, and the main character's, cynicism. I doubt I'll be able to attend a company meeting without plotting all the available exits first.*

I picked up this book because there were so many people saying it was incredibly scary, couldn't put it down, etc. You know what? They were right! Admittedly a lot of the scariness is gore based, not my preference, but oh well. There was still plenty of psychological scariness, especially when the Warden took over and you got to read some of his original documentation. His speeches about work and mindless labor as the only ways to reform gives you another viewpoint for when a tough manager is putting you through the wringer. 

This book definitely plays on the idea that crap jobs are soul crushing. That underneath the "We Are Family" mottoes, there is a much darker aspect to the company. The author really plays into it with the furniture descriptions at the beginning of each chapter. They start out innocently enough, but after things really go south in the book, they are a good source of dark humor. Where else are you going to ready such light-hearted descriptions of torture devices? 

Be forewarned, almost every conceivable fear/phobia can be found in this book. There are, of course, the classics: claustrophobia, achluophobia**, agoraphobia, zemmiphobia***, etc. But there are others to be on the lookout for! If you have a phobia of any kind, I'm almost positive you will find some kind of representation of it in Horrorstör!

All in all, I gladly give Horrorstör 4 hoots out of 5. It was an engaging read that had me genuinely scared! 

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

*Because I totally never do that anyways...

**Fear of the dark.

***Fear of rats.