Books Read: 9

5 Stars: 2

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Illustrated Edition)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

4 Stars: 3

The Monstrumologist

Faint of Heart

Reaper Man

3 Stars: 3

Interim Errantry

Death Note: Black Edition: Volume 1

The Cater Street Hangman

2 Stars: 0

Books I regret spending money on: 0

Reviews Written: 10

Reviews I need to write: 4

Interim Errantry

The House of the Seven Gables

Bourne Ultimatum

American Gods

November TBR

With only two months left until this year's reading challenge comes to a close, I've selected ten books that I want to finish before the New Year. If I read more than these ten, that's fine, but I do want to finish these books: NeuroTribes, A Storm of Swords , A Feast for Crows, A Dance With Dragons, Anansi Boys, Equal Rites, Moving Pictures, Small Gods, and Mort. I'm in the process of finishing up Neverwhere and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Macabre Tales from the Halloween Bingo, but once they are completed, I'm jumping right in to A Storm of Swords.

I started out really disliking the main character Rebecca. The first couple of pages is pretty much Rebecca whining about her husband being away, and 'how will she ever manage'. That's not an actual quote from the book, but it might as well be. I should also state here that her husband left for a weekend camping trip. However, mixed with my dislike for Rebecca, who seems unable to get through two days without her husband, was an affinity with her. I get the freaking yourself out when home alone; I do it to myself on a regular basis. That certainty there's an axe murderer behind the closed door, waiting to jump out when it's opened, is why I don't watch scary movies by myself. The only reason I kept reading was that I totally understood her fear, even if the Bella-lie whining was a little much. 

As far as Jeff Strand books go, it's not his best work and it was missing a lot of blood and gore that is usually present in his writing, but it was still enjoyable. Strand does a lot in 123 pages and he's one of the few authors I've read, who is able to tell a complete and interesting story in so few pages.

This was a group read for the Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group, and I'm glad it got voted for. It gave me that push to read Shelly Laurenston. I've heard from many that she's a good author, and I actually have most of her Dragon books written under G.A. Aiken, but I just hadn't gotten around to reading her books written under this name.

One thing that one needs to understand about this book is that it's very heroine and women-bonding centered. Kera is a woman who needed strong bonds with women who had her back and who accepted her no matter what, and she found that with the Crows. At the same time, it's a romance, but the romance doesn't really develop until maybe 70 or so pages into the novel. Having said that, I found this very enjoyable. It's really funny and every character is a real 'character'. There's even a dog that manages to steal some scenes.

I liked Vig, a lot. He's a dangerous hero, but in a cuddly kind of way (when he's not in battle mode and ripping people's arms off.) He's very supportive to Kera, and I'd call him the perfect boyfriend. I would say the cover is highly misleading. I tried not to be embarrassed about it when I'd have it at work and my coworkers saw it. Vig has a big beard and lots of hair. He's not a clean-shaven male model type. I guess the publishers didn't think people would go for a cover with Vig as he looks in the book. It seems to me that having big beards is very much in vogue, so I'd find that intriguing if the cover actually reflected that (not that like facial hair, because I don't). I like that Vig was comfortable with himself and thus with Kera as she was. I think that's so crucial in a relationship that people accept you as you are. They want the best for you, but they aren't constantly trying to change you. The romance worked for me because it was built on mutual like and respect, as well as passion and strong emotion.

This book is pretty violent, with descriptive action scenes. It wasn't over the top, and after reading Matt Reilly this past month, it seemed kind of mild, to be honest. The story is about a violent subculture of fighters for the Norse gods who go all out. I wasn't surprised for it to be violent with that expectation. The story itself is intriguing and makes me want to keep reading this series.

So I really liked this one. I liked Kera a lot. She was a real person and I appreciated her strengths and weaknesses. She was very caring, but tough as well. I loved the multicultural feel to this book. There are people of just about every race and ethnicity. And considering this is based on Norse mythology, it was cool that Laurenston was able to achieve this. I also loved how the Crows are all strong women but not all cut from the same mode. I love when the diversity of strong woman is presented instead of making it seem like all woman have to be the same to be strong and confident.

There was a lot to appreciate about this book. Four well earned stars.

This is even darker than the Flash volume! Batman isn't the Batman we know and love. He's a much more driven, more morally compromised version. What would happen if a man's child was killed in front of him and he was powerless to prevent it. The Joker is probably even more twisted, and you wouldn't believe me if I told you. That's just the Batman story.

Then there's the story about the biggest jerk in the DC-Verse, Deathstroke, and his crusade to find his lost daughter. I can't call him a hero, because he's not. He's ruthlessly selfish and murderous. I feel bad for anyone who throws in with him. He's not a man I'd trust as far as I could throw him. This is non-stop action, a world in which the seas have become a lawless place of pirates, and the Atlanteans kill humans with impunity.

The story about Dick Grayson and his family tells us how things might have gone if Bruce Wayne had not been there in his life after the death of his parents. Also shows a Europe that has been decimated by the Atlantean-Amazonean war, and where various DC-verse figures have become freedom fighters (even ones who were once villains).

My least favorite was Secret Seven. It was pretty gruesome and twisted, and while I see the point of it all in terms of the Flashpoint story arc, I didn't really appreciate the story at all.

I would still give this four stars because I thought it was pretty interesting, and frankly, nightmarish.