Review: The Empty Vol. 1 by Jimmie Robinson

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting graphic novel on the whole. The concept--a little sci-fi, a little post-apocalyptic--was good and made for a compelling read. I was invested in what was going on and wanted to keep reading to find out the mystery to this strange, seemingly alien world. I liked the character design for the different groups, it was just weird enough to make them look non-human but not too weird as to be unbelievable, and the artwork itself was good, just the right amounts of desolation and beauty. The theme of the book was interesting, especially with the twist at the end. With a little more work on the character development of the main characters, I think I would've really loved this book. But it was still an interesting story and I did enjoy it and wouldn't mind checking out a second volume to see where the story might go.

Review: Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio and Will Staehle

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC copy of the book.

A very fun MG book with cool illustrations (though some in my arc copy were unfinished, but even unfinished they were still pretty entertaining) and a sweet, entertaining story about an odd-looking boy and his old family hotel. I enjoyed the twists, the humour, the adventure, and, most importantly, Warren, the plucky hero who suffers through cruel relatives, lots of work as the hotel's only bellhop, and crazy intrigues as he's beset by evil witches and treasure hunters searching for the All-Seeing Eye. Definitely a fun read for young and old alike.

Review: Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Taki Soma, and Robert Wilson

5 Stars Please, Kelly Sue, can I have some more? This was a seriously fun/clever/sad/intriguing/enraging story that ended far too soon for my liking. Even though there wasn't a lot of backstory about the characters, the little that we did get in this first issue was very intriguing (I love Penny! . I enjoyed the world-building and how it was similar to reality but had some little quirks to make it darker and creepier even though on the surface it seems bright and cheery. I especially liked all of the little pop elements with the fake ads at the end of every issue and the retro-esque covers. But my favourite things about this graphic novel were the N.C.'s (Non-Compliants, i.e. the women in prison on Bitch Planet), the whole crazy, flawed, wonderful bunch of them and the feminism that was gritty and real and, most importantly, intersectional. After reading some other reviews and hearing that the individual comics had essays about feminism in the back, I was a little sad that the trade copy I received from NetGalley didn't have them (p.s. thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC because I have been dying to read this and waiting for a copy through the library has been agonizing), but it did have some interesting discussion questions at the back and a notation for an article so that was kinda cool. So if you're looking for a sharp, insightful comic that tackles issues like racism and sexism and exploitation and even the messed up penal system, try this one on for size.

Review: Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

5 out of 5 Stars

This. Book. Was. Excellent!
I had heard great things so I was super excited to get an early review copy (thanks Netgalley and the publisher for that), and I was not disappointed. Westerns aren't usually my thing (book-wise at least. Love western movies and TV-John Wayne, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Blazing Saddles, Firefly, Bonanza-my mom's fave, etc., but I don't tend to read many western genre books), but I really loved this one. The feel of it was so spot on, from the dialect (which can make or break a book and in this case it made it. Seriously just reading this book silently to myself had my accent getting thicker and more country all the time) to the descriptions (so unique and evocative) to the action (nail-bitingly good) to the characters to the plot to EVERYTHING!
I loved the push and pull between Kate and Jesse especially but also between Kate and Will and Jesse and Will. The twist at the end was one I did not really see coming but still felt like it worked overall (the hints, though subtle, were there so that when the reveal happened I, along with Kate, was like "oh and that's why...oh"). Also I cried at a certain scene mostly because of how sudden and unexpected it was (but it is a western so I should have been prepared for more carnage and destruction).
The resolution was good and satisfying, even a little sad, and I enjoyed it. My only complaint was one tiny thing at the end

when Jesse was just like, "Uh peace out" and then came back and kinda explained himself. I don't know, it just felt like he needed a smidge more explanation before Kate would just go with it. I kinda understood his reasoning but I just needed a little more to really sell it. Or I just wish Kate would have been her usual blunt and bullheaded self and asked him point blank why he wanted to split up so suddenly when they left Waltz's but I can understand why she didn't as she was no doubt feeling very vulnerable with what happened just before the big shoot-out. I was happy that they got a happy ending because I shipped them so hard from pretty early on. Love a dislike-to-like relationship. But it's a very minor gripe; his explanation just felt a touch rushed to me in the end

. Otherwise I super loved this book and might just have to buy myself a copy.
Please, writers, bring me more westerns like this because I could be a western book convert easily with material like this to work with.

Review: Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Well gee thanks, Margaret Stohl for GOING AND BREAKING MY HEART!
This was a fun, entertaining story that looked into Natasha Romanoff's past as well as into some shady dealings of the Russian baddie who helped make Natasha the agent she is. I liked the new characters (Ava and Alex, I'd like to give you both hugs) and seeing familiar faces (Coulson and Tony Stark, so fun) and all of the action and adventure. My only complaints were that sometimes the action could seem a bit clunky or confusing (which could've been because I was reading the e-book arc and possibly that was due to formatting errors), but on the whole I was able to follow the scenes very well and most of the action read as very practical and believable.
That ending though? Ouch (in the emotional punch-to-the-gut kinda sense). I knew something bad was going to happen thanks to all the end of chapter DOD hearings with Natasha, but it still hurt.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy for an honest review. And thanks, Margaret Stohl for capturing a character I love a lot very well...and also hurting me in the process. Now can we have another please and thank you? :)

The Anatomy of Curiousity by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton - 5 Stars

An inside look at three awesome author's writing process? Yes, please, thank you, and can I have seconds? Seriously this was a lot of fun for an aspiring novelist like me to get to see and learn about the process that some of my favourite authors (some old faves and some new faves whose stories in this collection made me want to go out and get my hands on other things they've written because wowee zowee was that some good writing) go through while they're writing their own stories. It definitely helps me to feel not so alone in my own struggles to get things down on paper in a way that makes sense and hopefully entertains readers. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the stories and the authors' little asides on why they did certain things a certain way, how they crafted certain scenes to be the way they are now, how they drop little hints to a twist at the end, etc. The stories themselves, even without the commentary, were amahzing and heart-wrenching and funny and creepy and wonderful but I just really enjoyed the commentary and getting a sort-of inside look at these authors' processes.
So if you're a writing nerd like me or you just love these authors or you just want to know more about how authors craft and hone a story, this could be the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me early access to this phenomenal book!

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas-5 Stars (A Bazillion-Kajillian Stars)

(reposting from Goodreads)

Do you like screaming at books when bad things happen to characters you like and then crying for a long time afterward? Because I obviously do. All of my favourite books seem to have instances of horrible things happening to characters I love that leaves me screaming out loud and crying (I'm sure my neighbours think I'm a crazy person but oh well. They'll get a whole new taste of things when The Walking Dead comes back on, I'm sure). I just seem to really love books that are beautifully written and with amazing characters who completely break my heart into itty bitty pieces and then leave me in a puddle of feels all over the floor. Seriously I spent most of the last half of this book crying...and I absolutely loved it. Maas has managed to create fictional people that I care deeply about and want to pull close and hug for a while to try to make the crappy things they're going through a little better. She hurts them and beats them down and then helps them put themselves back together (at least most of the time...seriously, this series has a good deal of heartbreak in it but it's totally worth it for the amazing story). And while it is horrifyingly sad that I now have to wait another year until book 4 is out...I will endure because I have faith that Maas will bring more awesomeness and probably blow me out of the water again. Also...I can just reread the first three books again to tide myself over until then (or, you know, if I feel like crying buckets of tears again. Seriously, I have a feeling that Heir of Fire will be like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in that I'll think I can read it again and be fine and not cry nearly as much...and then I'll find myself in a puddle of my own tears while yelling at myself for how this was not a good idea). :)

And even though Goodreads caps me at 5 stars...this books deserves all the stars, a million trillion bazillion stars...for Celaena to rattle to her heart's content.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas-5 Stars

(reposting from Goodreads)

Oh. My. Good Gravy.
Poor Chaol. I feel so bad for that big bombshell happening just when he can't do anything about it. I saw that reveal coming, but then I was kinda supposed to since I had access to Celaena's thoughts while he didn't. But dang...
I don't even quite know what to say about this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me gasp, it made me get all kinds of sweet butterflies-in-stomach feelings before ripping them away (again, poor Chaol. I feel bad for you, son), it made me angry that I now have to wait for the next book to come out (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!). Celaena was even better than the first book (clever, clever girl), Chaol made me swoon all the time, and Dorian's growth as a character was interesting as well (poor kid. He's going to have a hard time of it in the next book, I can tell). My only complaint is that some of the foreshadowing was a teensy bit heavy-handed, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story at all. And I thought this book did a much better job switching from POVs than the last book, much clearer this time.
And that's all I can really say at the moment because my feelings are just too crazy and jumbled to really process the end of this book and the wait for the next one. Why? Why do I have to wait? WHYYYYYY?!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas-4 Stars

(reposting from Goodreads because for some reason my reviews weren't getting published when I thought they were supposed to be. hopefully they'll work from now on)

Holy schnikes, this was a good read. The only thing that keeps me from 5 starring this was the slightly stilted writing style at times (which either faded away the further in I got or I just got some enveloped in the story that I stopped noticing it) and the at time weird juxtaposition of words and concepts from our reality showing up in Erilea (the waltz was the biggest one that threw me. It was just kinda weird to see that used in a medieval-set fantasy world, a little out of place. Maybe that's just me, but I would have liked to see an invented term made up for a type of dance that was described as similar to the waltz. A little nit-picky I know but it just threw me out of the story for a moment). Otherwise this was a pretty phenomenal read. I really liked the characters (except, of course, the bad guys but you're not supposed to like them most of the time). Celaena was awesome and well-rounded and entertaining as hell (loved her anger and impulse-control issues mostly because it made her seem like a real person and made her relatable--at least to me, but I have my own anger management issues at times). Dorian was funny and charming and kind and sweet and I could totally see why Celaena liked him so much...but I'm Team Chaol all the way (even though I could only pronounce his name correctly about 76% of the time). Even though I got a little tired of the all the descriptions of his eyes (they're golden brown, or chestnut, or warm brown, or...you get the picture), I liked his gruffness and aloofness and how much he liked Celaena despite his better judgment (and him during that final duel...I just wanted to kiss him). I wish I already had the second book so I could start reading it immediately but alas, it's checked out by someone else and I have to wait my turn.

I hate waiting.

Guess I'll tide myself over with reading the novellas in the meantime. :)