Movie Review: What We Do in the Shadows

Tags

Movie Review, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Tired of all the Christmas movies and holiday specials blasted at us this time of year? Are you pleased for those who love this season’s happy-happy entertainment options but are kind of done with all the nog and jingles and required enthusiasm?

Check out Kate’s awesome book for more of her amazing art & adages

If you’re hankering for something a little darker, a little raunchier, and unexpectedly hilarious, then folks, look no further. This is the movie for you:

This one came out in 2014 so I’m a little late to the party, but wow did I enjoy it! Filmed as a mocumentary, the movie is about three vampire roommates living in the U.K.. They’re depicted with the traditional vampire strengths and weaknesses – sun burns them, they can turn into bats, they drink blood (obviously) – but it also shows the day-to-day issues that are all too human – arguing over the household chores, cleaning up the carnage from last night’s dinner, figuring out how to “blend in” with regular humans when they go out at night, etc. It’s all completely ridiculous and the movie plays off its own absurdity to perfection. Running time is just 1 hour 27 minutes, but it doesn’t seem too short. More importantly, it never seems too long, ending on just the right note. I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you need a good laugh!

Best of all, not a Christmas prince in sight:)

If you’d like a taste, here are the first six minutes:

Movie Review: Infinity War *No Spoilers*

Tags

Avengers, Infinity War, Movie Review

Full Disclosure: There are no spoilers in this review about the plot but I am including a couple pictures from the trailers. If you didn’t watch any trailers (which I now notice they were careful to avoid putting spoilers in) and prefer not to see ANY pictures, including from said trailers, then stop here. Otherwise, it’s safe to read on:)

I don’t usually run out to see a movie right after its released. Couple of reasons there: FULL theater (ehhggg) and I kinda like to see some reviews first. After the Star Wars movies, I try to brace myself a bit so my hopes and expectations are so utterly crushed by gut-wrenching disappointment (No, I’m not over it.)

But with Infinity War, the hubs and I didn’t wait. We lived in terror over the weekend of some bozo posting spoilers or spoiler pics and ruining a movie that we’ve been building up to for years. So yesterday night, we went.

And guys?…YES.

It was everything we hoped it would be. Perfectly paced. Just the right balance of action to dialogue scenes. The funny was funny, varied depending on the character, and timed (and delivered) exactly right. I worried with such a big cast of main characters that they wouldn’t be able to pull this off or that some would overpower the others. Granted, there’s extra focus on some, but for those with less screen time they were given truly memorable moments. All of it gelled together seamlessly.

But the jewel of this movie absolutely is Thanos. Which I didn’t expect!! What they utterly missed when they threw a half-baked version of Ultron at us, they redeemed themselves with this guy.

Ruthless, implacable brutality, yes.

Nuanced, surprisingly burdened…that too.

He was a relentless madman whose motivations I came to understand–even when I could never agree with any of his logic. That is some spectacular writing. Wow.

No movie is perfect and there were a couple of nits, but really just a couple and they paled in comparison to the enormous emotional charge throughout this story. We were riveted, seriously. My heart was pounding so much from the action and the tension I started to worry about my cardiac situation. They set the bar HIGH with this one, giving us a movie written with care and attention and a clear devotion the characters.

If you’ve been worried, let me put you at ease. They did good, folks. Go see it.

Trailer below. One last thing: Stay until all the credits are done. There’s an extra scene waaay at the end. It’s worth the wait.

Right Ascension (Syzygy Book Six)

Tags

Book Reviews, Cli-Fi, Indie Author, Self Published Book, YA Sci-Fi

Title & Author: Right Ascension (Syzygy Book Six), J. K. Ullrich

Genre & Publication Date: YA Sci-Fi/Cli-Fi, January 30, 2018

Book Description: *Spoiler, sorry*

First Line: *Also spoiler*

My Take: This book was provided to me by the author for review.

I’ve been reviewing installments of this series for some time and I’m happy to report the finale brought everything together, delivering an awesome conclusion to an incredibly unique story.

Reviewing the last book of a series is tough because I don’t want to spoil any of the twists or reveals. Just know there are plenty of them. Plenty of action too, and the experiences Skye and Ash (our main characters) went through, together and separately, in the course of these adventures felt true and real. Bit by bit, they got to know each other, and found there was plenty to learn even from someone they thought was their enemy: Trust and acceptance. Confidence and loyalty. The lesson of blind belief. Survival comes not in a vague sense of purpose and a fuzzy concept of the future, but in accepting hard truths with a willingness to change direction because of them. That’s real courage.

The Magical: The science! This author excels at putting the ‘Science’ in Science-Fiction. From atmospheric realities, to DNA sequencing, to the components needed to create a viable ecosystem, all of this amazing info is expertly folded in with a fictional story in such a way that it feels incredibly real. Not to say that I’m rooting for the apocalypse here, but if it happened, I am now totally up on facts I need to know:)

The Mundane: Just a small nit: One of the characters was on a mission that isolated them from everyone for a really long time. I’d anticipated more readjustment when they returned and were around people again, like discomfort to the noise and nearness of others, especially groups of them. This person seemed to roll back into the swing of things with an ease I doubted. I can barely stand crowds even without long bouts of solitude.

Summary of Thoughts: Well researched, full of thoughtful themes and developed characters, this is a marvelous Sci-Fi series that I think everyone will love, from YA to adult. Grab the first installment free on Amazon.

I really can’t wait to see what new ideas are coming next from this author.

Many thanks to author J. K. Ullrich for providing a copy of the book to review.

Want to know more about the author and her work? Check out her website here

Fanged Series

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Indie Author, Paranormal, Self Published Book, Young Adult

Title & Author: Fanged (Book One) & Fanged Outcast (Book Two), Elisabeth Wheatley

Genre & Publication Date: YA Paranormal, Nov. 26, 2013 (bk 1), Dec. 3, 2013 (bk 2)

Book Description: From Book One: “Family dating rules were pretty clear—no humans. But the undead heart wants what it wants and Haddie’s high school boyfriend ended up dead because of it. Now her brother Damian is repeating history and the same fate’s lined up for a very non-vampire, Madelyn.

With the girl’s throat on the line, they don’t have many options. Soon all three of them are on the run. Hunted across country by dear old dad’s enforcers, they’ll need help from the humans who hate them most. Assuming they all live that long.”

First Line: “Are you here to kill her?”

My Take: This book was provided to me by the author for review.

It has been a while since I’ve gotten into a novella series. The last one was the Flash Gold series by Lindsay Buroker (go read that by the way). It’s also been a while since I’ve delved into the world of vampires and I’m reminded now why I love them.

Haddie, the book’s lead and the voice of the first-person narrative, was easy to sympathize with and admire. When her baby brother makes the same mistake she did (falling in love with a human), she makes it her mission to save him from the pain and grief she went through. No waffling. No should-I-or-shouldn’t-I. Her brother has her loyalty and her protection without question, even if she does think he’s an idiot. I loved her voice: wry, world-weary, yet somehow hopeful and fiercely determined despite it all.

Did I mention she’s pretty kick-ass? No really, she literally kicks ass. You might think, yeah, yeah, that’s always the case with YA, but it was handled well here and included doses of reality. You get knocked around in a fight, you make mistakes, and hey, sometimes you even lose. It made the action more intense and the outcomes more meaningful. And there was never a dull moment in these two installments!

The Magical: Besides the awesome heroine, there are hints at a huge fantastical world of supernatural beings that exist unbeknownst to humans. Different clans of creatures with their own borders, cultures, and protocols–and histories between them. Can’t wait to see where this leads!

The Mundane: The bad guys seemed a little one note. I wished the rule behind ‘no dating humans’ had more depth than ‘no playing with the food’, especially given the consequences. Didn’t bother me while reading.

Summary of Thoughts: Book one of the series is FREE on Amazon. A nice YA twist on the vampire legend and definitely recommended. I loved that these installments center around Haddie’s love for her brother. There’s the potential for something romantic down the line (an enemies to friends thing which I adore) but it’s not the focal point. This is about a brother and sister whose loyalty to each other transcends sibling annoyances and disagreements. Refreshing, heartwarming in a gut-wrenching way, and a ton of fun to read.

Many thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book to review!

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

Heritage of Power Series

Tags

Book Reviews, Book Series, Fantasy, Self Published Book

Title & Author: Heritage of Power series (Books 1-4: Dragon Storm, Revelations, Origins, Unraveled), Lindsay Buroker

Genre & Publication Date: Fantasy, 12/26/17 (book one)

Book Description: From Book One: Dragon Storm:

“Born with a secret power he must hide…

Telryn “Trip” Yert has always been a little odd, with hunches that are too accurate to explain. Magic is feared and forbidden in Iskandia, so he’s struggled his whole life to hide his eccentricities. As a boy, he was forced to watch his mother’s execution. Her crime? Witchcraft.

Understandably, Trip wants nothing to do with the power that lurks within him, always threatening to reveal itself. Instead, he dedicates himself to serving as an officer in the king’s army, to battling pirates and imperial conquerors. He longs to become a soldier as respected and renowned as the legendary General Zirkander.

But his country is in need of more than a soldier.

After disappearing for over a thousand years, dragons have returned to the world. A few of them are willing to be allies to mankind, as they were millennia before, but far more want to destroy or enslave humans and claim the world for themselves.

There are few people left with the power to fight dragons. For reasons he doesn’t understand, Trip may be one of those people. But if he chooses to learn more about his heritage and the power he can wield, he risks losing everyone he loves and everything he longs to be.”

First Line: Trip reveled in the cool wind rushing past his face.

My Take: The books were provided to me by the author for review.

I really loved the concept of this one, the earnest young pilot trying to live his life despite being different than everyone else and coming to learn that this difference is far bigger than he ever imagined. He’s likable and, at first, charmingly uncertain of himself. I also loved the second protagonist, Rysha, who is the only woman training to join the elite corps of the military. Just as tall as Trip, highly intelligent, she’s eager to prove herself worthy of her post, even if her spectacles sometimes fog up while running those military obstacle courses.

Their dynamic is heart-warming and sometimes fraught when their goals/situations put them on different sides. I liked this conflict and the way it seemed like their destinies weren’t headed in the same direction. All good angst. Books 1 and 2 had me sweeping through the pages but things started to feel stale as we headed into book 3 and 4. Trip is still bemoaning who and what he in book three. What was once charming uncertainty started to grate on me. Rysha remains a strong character throughout but hadn’t seemed to progress out of her second-guessing herself and her abilities–and seemed to contemplate her relationship with Trip and her future way too much. In fact, they both did that.

So, this all sounds like I didn’t like the series, but I did. It’s fun, the dialogue and banter are fantastic, the turmoil of the world is full of awesome Fantasy elements. I think the issue is that the series is taking too long. Too many side plots and not enough forward momentum with the main characters frustrated me.

The Magical: As always, Buroker’s world-building is stellar, integrated with loads of history, conflict between nations, and the opposing ways in which each country views magic–some violently superstitious while others train in it to varying degrees of competence.

The Mundane: This series would have been much better if it’d been 3 books instead of 5 (At least, I think it’s ending at five books). The stories would’ve been tighter without so much unnecessary digression into tangent storylines that weren’t all that interesting. Character development and relationships would’ve been more sharply defined instead of drawn out in repetitive themes and conflicts.

Summary of Thoughts: Book one, Dragon Storm, is only $0.99 on Amazon. This series is fun, light reading. It’s perfect if you’re just looking for something to pass the time and you don’t want to concentrate too hard. You’ll enjoy it, you definitely will, but it won’t move you.

Many thanks to author Lindsay Buroker for providing copies of the books to review!

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

The Law of Moses

Tags

Five-Star, Paranormal, Romance, Self Published Book

Title & Author: The Law of Moses, Amy Harmon

Genre & Publication Date: Paranormal/Romance, November 27, 2014

Book Description: “If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.
It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.
And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all . . . a love story.”

First Line: The first few words of every story are always the hardest to write.

My Take: If you’ve never read an Amy Harmon novel, there are a few things that will take you by surprise. The first is how she breaks all kinds of craft rules with writing. There’s exposition in the beginning, usually a lot. Sometimes she jumps point of view in the middle of a chapter, more than once (not especially with this one but with other books of hers I’ve read), and she starts a story waaaaaay at the beginning of things. I’m saying, like, Genesis level beginnings. I can think of three novels at least in which her characters start out either as children or young teens and move through the years to adulthood. With all this rule breaking you’d think she’d lose you early on, that your attention would wane and you’d be like, “Feh, this is taking too long and explaining too much.”

But that’s not how it is. That’s the magic of this author’s storytelling. She doesn’t lose you. In fact, the more you read the more you cannot put the thing down. The scope keeps getting bigger, your investment in the characters more visceral, until you’re racing through the pages because this isn’t just a story anymore, it’s an all consuming urgency to know, to see, to understand. It’s one of those stories that consumes you. These people are real. What’s happening to them is real. That was the Law of Moses for me. Why? Because just like in real life, things don’t always work out on the first try. Or the second. Projecting our own loneliness and despair, we hurt each other. We move on impulse and learn the lesson from it after we crash headlong into the sea. How this is depicted here is beautiful, the way loss and memory can become beautiful even when steeped in regret.

You might have noticed I haven’t said a lot of details about the story itself. That’s because I don’t want to give away the big “thing” of this novel. It’s not given away in the description and I was so happy to experience the main twist (oh, and there are multiple ones!) from the point where I was, “Hm, wonder what that was all about…” to “Woah, THAT’S what’s going on???”. So, I don’t want to ruin that for you because it’s awesome.

The Magical: It’s got to be those moments in the book where I got those rumbles of dread in the pit of my stomach that grew and grew until the dread turned into great tectonic plates crashing with splintering force into the events unfolding before me. The author did this to me at least *counts on fingers* three times in this book.

Oh, and then there was this paragraph right at the prologue. Seriously one of the best prologues I’ve ever seen (and I usually hate them):

“I can’t tell you how it felt. How it still feels. I can’t. Words feel cheap and ring hollow and turn everything I say, everything I feel, into a tawdry romance novel full of flowery phrases designed to illicit sympathetic tears and an immediate response. A response that has nothing to do with reality and everything to do with easy emotion that you can set aside when you close the cover. Emotion that has you wiping your eyes and chirping a happy hiccup, appreciating the fact that it was all just a story. And best of all, not your story. But this isn’t like that.

Because it is my story. And I wasn’t prepared.”

The Mundane: Some will say the story is too long but I didn’t get that. I can see why it would wear on the patience of readers who prefer a faster pace, but that’s not the style here and nothing ever implies that it is. Go into this like a journey. Walk it carefully and watch the landscape around you. There is always something amazing to see.

Summary of Thoughts: Well, I waxed rather poetical on this review so I think you all get the gist that I loved this book. Sooooo much! It could’ve been just a straight up romance (and there’s nothing wrong with those) but this one took its time to develop the big themes. Longing, loss, growth, joy. Lots of that last one among the wreckage that life can hand you. This was moving, intertwining pain with hope. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab your copy on Amazon.

My first review of 2018 and its five stars. A great start to the year:)

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here (Beware of spoilers!!)

Want to know more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

Movie Review: The Shape of Water

Tags

Movie Review, Paranormal, The Shape of Water

First, some backstory:

I’ve been wanting to see The Shape of Water movie for a while. Yes, I know it only released on December 1st, but it didn’t reach Minnesota for a while and apparently only a few select theaters actually got it. I kept waiting for it to come to a local AMC theater the hubs and I always go to but the distribution must be super limited because it STILL isn’t there.

You’re probably thinking, “AMC? Anela, did you really think this niche film would show at a chain movie theater?”

To which I’d answer, “Hey, it’s a Guillermo Del Toro movie, okay? He’s not exactly obscure. And AMC has stadium seating and recliners for seats and chocolate covered almonds. I mean, cut me some slack here!”

So, last Saturday we finally locate the movie in Uptown, better known Artsy-Fartsy-town, where even the McDonald’s has to posh up their look in order for the local clientele to deign it worthy of their lofty burger-and-fries indulgences. Am I being judge-y? Well…yes, but I’m not exaggerating. The McDonald’s across the street was all sleek lines and cool blue and grey colors. Don’t go looking for a ball pit or Ronald McDonald in there. Pretty sure the food is still made from animal fat and processed meat though.

We get to the theater and it’s an interesting place, its seating organized as though you’re looking down on a stage rather than a big screen. We had balcony seats and there’s an upstairs bar which helped soothe the absence of my usual reclining chair.

The movie begins.

Now, for those who aren’t aware, Guillermo Del Toro has an interesting résumé. He’s done blockbuster films like Pacific Rim (hate-hate-hate) as well as oddities like Pan’s Labyrinth (disturbing-disturbing-disturbing). Most know him from his Hellboy movies. Ah, the Hellboy movies. They were awesome, not least because of the amazing creatures in them. And also, this:

Hellboy Side note: What I heard is that the trilogy was never finished due to a falling out between Del Toro and the comic’s creator, leading to Del Toro losing the rights to it. Now, I mention this because The Shape of Water’s star sea-creature reminds me a lot of Hellboy’s sidekick, Abe Sapien (much different treatment, but we’ll get to that). Don’t believe me? Well, you decide:

Okay, okay, I’ll quit with the digressions.

What did I think of the movie?

It was, sadly, very meh for me. I kinda liked it but the more I reflected on it, the greater my disappointment became. I don’t want to spoiler too much but as you go along in the film, at some point you realize that you have the backstory for every freaking side character in this thing but you know next to NOTHING about the two main characters. You know, these two:

The movie barely scratched the surface on their dynamic, to the point that I didn’t feel the bond between them hardly at all. And I soooo wanted to, you guys! Examining what it means to be human as we understand it–intelligent, self-aware, empathetic–is so much fun in stories, especially in ones like these where there’s a non-human protagonist. Is he just an animal like the lab people believe? Or is he more? Is he simply a different sort of sentient creature, one who thinks differently than we do but is capable of joy and sadness and love like we are? One who can see past the exterior to the person within and find something beautiful?

The movie wanted to address these questions but didn’t actually get to it, too busy with all the quirky side character stories that I didn’t give a crap about in comparison. It vacillated between showing the sea creature as a wild animal–no wait! an intelligent being–nope, need a humorous moment, so he’s an animal–to such a degree that I started to feel a little weird about the romance. Kinda like, yeah, he’s incredible, but seals are cute too and I wouldn’t give them the side-eye.

I mean, I get what they were trying to do with themes of communication and love, how all the characters who could communicate verbally were more closed off and isolated from one another than a woman without the ability to speak aloud. I saw that, I did. And I really liked that the heroine had a disability, that while we did see her struggle to deal mainstream society, she was the strongest one in the show, the one with the most clarity and honesty. And they didn’t “fix” her at the end (high kudos on that point). It’s because of these themes that the film is winning awards, but from the perspective of emotional engagement and storytelling…meh.

Here’s the preview below. Definitely grabs your attention. If only it could hold on to it while you’re watching the actual movie *sigh*

Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

 

 

 

Red Shift (Syzygy Book Five)

Tags

Cli-Fi, Indie Author, Science-Fiction, Self Published Book, Young Adult

Title & Author: Red Shift (Syzygy: Book 5), J. K. Ullrich

Genre & Publication Date: Sci-Fi/Cli-Fi, October 17, 2017

Book Description: WARNING: As this is book five, read the description with caution if you haven’t read the first four books. REMINDER: Book One is FREE

“In the fifth installment of the “Syzygy” hexalogy, the long-divided clans of lunar survivors reconnect at last, but a century of distrust isn’t easily overcome. Determined to forge an alliance between their fractious communities, Ash and Skye undertake a second Earth mission. Old enemies and new revelations await them. As dark truths about the past threaten humanity’s fragile chances for the future, only Ash and Skye’s evolving partnership can unite the survivors…if it can withstand their own shattered hopes and unthinkable loss.”

First Line: *CENSORED*SPOILER*

My Take: This book was provided to me by the author for review.

Again, I’m going to avoid any specific detail on the goings-on in this book since it’s the fifth book and I don’t want to spoil anything.

Lots of twists and turns, nothing uncommon with this series, but there was also more attention to the interpersonal on this one than in previous installments. This was nice to draw us in on the relationships and the real emotional toll that this entire saga is taking on our heroes. There are losses, unexpected allies, terrible betrayals, personal revelations–all that in a novella! I can feel us rounding the bend toward the conclusion of the series but the surprises keep on coming and I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT’S GOING TO END. This right here is what I love best about Indie books. I read plenty of traditional published stuff too but self-published works are always full of plot surprises I haven’t seen before. This series is no exception.

The Magical: Awesome ending! Definitely unexpected. Dear God, what’s going to happen now????

The Mundane: In certain scenes there were a few too many characters on stage that I didn’t know well or had seen maybe a couple of times. This caused some confusion and slowed the pace for me, though it may be a me-problem thing since I have trouble remembering the names of real humans if I’ve only interacted once or twice.

Summary of Thoughts: Currently this book is $0.99 on Amazon like the others (Except book one is FREE). A great installment in the continuation of this series which–I’ll just keep on sayin’ it–I highly recommend if you love compelling Sci-Fi.

Many thanks to author J. K. Ullrich for providing a copy of the book to review!

Want to learn more about the author and her work? Explore her website here

Sky Full of Stars Series

Tags

Book Series, Indie Author, Lindsay Buroker, Self Published Book, YA Sci-Fi

Title & Author: The Rogue Prince (book 1), Angel of Truth (book 2), Stolen Legacy (book 3), Lindsay Buroker

Genre & Publication Date: YA Sci-Fi, April 16, 2017 (book 1)

Book Description: (from book 1: The Rogue Prince) “Starseer, pilot, and animal lover Jelena Marchenko wants to prove to her parents that she’s ready to captain her own freighter and help run the family business. When she finally talks them into getting a second ship and letting her fly it, it doesn’t faze her that the craft is decades old and looks like a turtle. This is the chance she’s craved for years.

But it’s not long before the opportunity to rescue mistreated lab animals lures her from her parentally approved cargo run and embroils her in a battle between warring corporations. To further complicate matters, her childhood friend Thorian, prince of the now defunct Sarellian Empire, is in trouble with Alliance law and needs her help.

Torn between her duty to her family and doing what she believes is honorable, Jelena is about to learn that right and wrong are never as simple as they appear and that following your heart can get you killed.”

First Line: A bleep came from the sensor panel, and Jalena Marchenko slid her sparkly, purple stallion mug to the side.

My Take: So, this series is a spin-off of the “Fallen Empire” series I read and reviewed a while back. I liked the original series but didn’t love it (you can read the full review here). Why did I decide to give this one a try if I was medium about the last one?…Well, I just can’t resist YA Sci-Fi, what can I tell you? “Sky Full of Stars” (does anyone else hear Coldplay’s song “A Sky Full of Stars” when they saw that title? It was in my head every time I read this) is based on the original heroine’s daughter, Jelena, and takes place ten years after the events in “Fallen Empire”. I am happy to report that I had a blast reading it!

At eighteen, Jalena is finally allowed to join her parents’ business and run freight in a starship, something she’s been dreaming of doing because, like her mother, she loves piloting. Her first ship? Your typical first car situation, an outdated clunker that you adore with all your heart. Also like her mother, Jalena’s inaugural run veers into all manner of ill-conceived side-missions full of action and adventure, and of course, hilarious banter. This is peppered throughout the series with plenty of coming-of-age stuff, like learning how independence comes with responsibilities, that choices have consequences, and when following your heart, it’s worth the time and effort to plan ahead somewhat too.

I really liked Jalena for her idealism and compassion, as well as her ability to grow as a person while still holding on to who she is. I also really enjoyed the fact that she loves sparkly, colorful stuff. You see so many YA heroine’s with their black boots and their monochrome outfits and their disdain for all things “girly” that it becomes its own kind of cliche. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this per se (hell, I only have one pink shirt to my name and you will NOT find me in colorful sparkles), but it’s nice to see a heroine with plenty of agency who isn’t portrayed as diminished because she likes shiny rainbow colored shoes. This is offset nicely by Thor, the son of the former galactic emperor who was murdered during the coup. Broody and mysterious, he fulfills the black wardrobe requirement–something Jalena teases him about, often threatening to put kitty stickers on his armor if he doesn’t lighten up. Yeah, I laughed my way through much of these books.

The Magical: Side characters are interesting and three-dimensional with their own fears and quirks and pasts. Even though the story is told from Jalena’s point of view (third person limited), you get a full picture of their personalities: there’s the guy she grew up with who is like an older brother (no love triangle, thank God), and the hardened woman cyborg who joins the crew and who we’re not entirely sure should be trusted.

The Mundane: The series so far has three books, all of them a ton of fun, but the story is nowhere near complete. This is a big universe, so I’m sure it’s that the story is just larger than three books but I do miss the days when I could count on the things finishing within a trilogy or (dare I say it?) in a single novel.

Summary of Thoughts: Super enjoyable YA Sci-Fi adventures with Jalena that I’m happy to recommend. The first book, “The Rogue Prince”, is only $0.99! There’s plenty of action, a little romance, compelling characters, and even Starseer magic. Everything you need for a great read:)

Curious what others thought? Check out Amazon’s reviews here

Want to know about the author and her work? Explore her website (and the first chapters of “The Rogue Prince”) here

Fair, Bright, and Terrible (Welsh Blades Book 2)

Tags

Historical Romance, Indie Author, Romance, Self Published Book

Title & Author: Fair, Bright, and Terrible (Welsh Blades, Book 2), Elizabeth Kingston

Genre & Publication Date: Historical Romance, January 25th, 2017

Book Description: Minor Spoilers in this description. Read at own risk: “Wales is conquered, and Eluned has lost everything: her country, her husband, her hope. All that remains is vengeance, and she will stop at nothing to have it. Certain there is no trace within her of the idealistic girl who loved Robert de Lascaux a lifetime ago, she agrees to marry him to advance the fortunes of her son, to avoid the nunnery, and most importantly – as an easy way to gain access to the man upon whom she will avenge Wales.

When Robert is asked to marry the woman he has loved for eighteen years, he never hesitates. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her bold and passionate younger self. Marriage to her might gain him the fortune and status his family has always wanted, but no wealth has ever mattered to him as much as Eluned has. And she, it seems, does not want him at all.

Trapped in a web of intrigue, revenge, and desire, they cannot forget their past – but can they share a future? The fascinating world of medieval Wales is continued in this riveting companion novel to The King’s Man.”

First Line: It all ended in cold flesh.

My Take: This book was provided to me by the author for review.

This novel is the sequel to “The King’s Man” which I’ve reviewed and loved (Read it!!). Book Two follows Eluned, the mother of book one’s heroine. When we met her in “The King’s Man” she was frighteningly ambitious, wickedly clever, and painfully jaded. “Fair, Bright, and Terrible” picks up this thread without missing a beat. I don’t want to give too much away as far as plot because this is a sequel, but I really enjoyed it. Twists and turns in the political landscape with a relationship at its center, it had everything you’re looking for in a historical romance.

Robert is a new character whom we didn’t meet in book one, but I liked him a lot. Open-hearted and hopeful, he was Eluned’s opposite. When they were young they’d had a passionate affair, one that ended because of circumstance rather than sentiment. Robert went on to idolize their time together, never realizing how much the years would change Eluned from the loving and quick witted girl she’d once been. When they’re reunited, he’s happy to find her intelligence as keen as ever (something he’d always admired, bless him) but she’d lost all of her former softness. Poor guy gets hit with disappointment over and over on this score as Eluned tries to hang on to her hard outer shell. Sometimes she made me crazy with this, even though I understood it.

Here’s the thing I found incredibly beautiful in this novel–it’s about how love with the right person can change us for the better. There are so many stories of how a relationship can ruin a life or shatter someone’s ability to trust. These happen, in real life and in fiction, but love isn’t all sorrow. It also isn’t a panacea, I know. It takes effort, a willingness to see yourself and your own faults, and the courage to change. Because vulnerability is courage, not weakness. It’s the path back to joy and to each other.

The Magical: Something awesome about this author: She doesn’t just coast to the end when we get to the 85/90% mark. More happens, one last exciting crescendo. Man, I love that and it’s something that makes this author’s work an auto-buy for me.

The Mundane: I think I mentioned this but Eluned’s constantly closing herself off no matter what got to me at times. I understood she did it instinctively since she’d had to do it all her life just to survive, but since this is what kept her and Robert apart I wanted to yell at her sometimes.

Summary of Thoughts: An absolute gem of a book for the genre, I highly recommend this one! Currently it’s $4.99 on Amazon. I do advise reading “The King’s Man” first for context as there are cameos from book one which you’ll love all the more if you’ve met them before. Political machinations, a heart melting romance, and plenty of action and intrigue all the way through. I can’t wait for the next installment in this series!

Many thanks to author Elizabeth Kingston for providing a copy of the book to review.

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