Genre: Fantasy / Horror / Thriller / Adventure


Year Published: 2015


Number of Pages: 291 pages


Date Read: 1/6/2017   

Publisher: Ace Books

Series: The Chronicles of Alice #1

5.5 stars!!!

“Pretty little Alice. We’ll make you fine and plump, won’t we, pretty girl? Pretty Alice.”

You know something? I thought that the darkest retelling of “Alice in Wonderland” I had ever been introduced to was either “American McGee’s Alice” video game series or Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” But then, after I read Christina Henry’s take on “Alice in Wonderland” called “Alice,” it turns out that this book blew all the other dark interpretations of “Alice in Wonderland” away with its constant themes of graphic violence and rape!

The story starts off with Alice being held in a hospital (or a mental institution) due to her going insane a few years ago and the problem with this is that Alice cannot remember how she ended up in the hospital in the first place. The only bits of memories she has left is that she was having a tea party with a white rabbit and it turned out that the white rabbit had raped her after the party, but Alice had managed to escape the White Rabbit’s clutches. Meanwhile, Alice meets up with a fellow male inmate named Hatcher, who was also suffering from amnesia and seems to be connected to a mysterious monster named the Jabberwocky. Later on unfortunately, the hospital mysteriously burns down and Alice and Hatcher manage to escape from the burning hospital and it was then that they discovered that the Jabberwocky was responsible for burning down the hospital and it seems to be chasing after both Alice and Hatcher! It turns out that Hatcher and Alice both have mysterious powers that could defeat the Jabberwocky, but in order to fully defeat the Jabberwocky, Alice and Hatcher must obtain a rare weapon that could destroy the Jabberwocky and they head down to the dangerous and revolting insides of the Old City in order to seek such a weapon.

Wow…just wow…Just how in the world did I end up loving a book that had so many rape scenes and violence? I guess the storytelling was so well written that I just ended up getting hooked to this book! Christina Henry has done a brilliant job at creating a darker retelling of “Alice in Wonderland” in this book as she manages to make this book both terrifying and exciting at the same time! I enjoyed the dark and twisted take on this tale as characters like the white rabbit, the Cheshire cat and the Caterpillar are much more villainous in this story than in their original formats as they are shown as actively trying to harm both Alice and Hatcher throughout their journey and are also engaged in enslaving most of the citizens in the Old City. I also loved the way that Christina Henry made this story so frightening and intense as I was seriously disgusted at the many rape and sexual scenes in this story and yet I was happy that we have a strong female protagonist in Alice who would do anything to save the people of Old City from the antagonists’ grasps. Now, I would like to talk about the characters themselves and the two characters that I automatically fell in love with were Alice and Hatcher! I loved the way that Christina Henry portrayed Alice’s character as Alice goes through some great character development in this story as she started out as being a meek and traumatized character, but as the story goes on, she starts becoming a much stronger and independent character who tries to save the people of Old City and takes out evil with her handy little knife! But probably the most interesting and awesome character in this story was none other than Hatcher himself! I loved the fact that Hatcher was such a mysterious character as you wonder why he is connected to the Jabberwocky and (I know I am going to sound like a sadist here, but) I loved seeing the fight scenes between Hatcher and the various soldiers of Old City as it shows that he can easily take down anyone in his path! But what I really loved about Hatcher’s character was his complete devotion to protecting Alice as is shows that despite him being a serial killer of sorts, he still has a good heart on his shoulders.



~HUGE TRIGGER WARNING COMING UP!~

Alright, so this book has two major issues that is often problematic with many people and that is the topic of rape and strong graphic violence. There are many rape scenes in this book and I usually have issues with rape in books and this book was no exception to my disgust towards this issue. Also, the violence in this book is surprisingly much more graphic than any other fantasy and horror novel that I had ever read as there are many scenes where Alice and Hatcher have to slaughter some of the antagonists in order to reach their goal and the ways that Alice and Hatcher kill off their opponents are told in an extremely graphic and horrific detail.

Overall, “Alice” is truly one of the best dark and twisted retellings of a fairy tale that I have ever read and I will definitely be picking up the second book in the series “Red Queen!”


Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre: Crime / Mystery / Superhero / Action

Year Published: 2009

Year Read: 1/17/2016

Series: Incognito #1

Publisher: Icon

Introduction:

Alright! Another graphic novel that has the famous Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips collaboration touch (the first being “Fatale”). This time, I’m checking out a graphic novel that is quite unique called “Incognito” and man, was it one of the most creative and unusual graphic novels I have ever read!

What is this story about?

Zack Overkill was your average man who was working at a business job that he hated and employees that he could care less for. Surprisingly, it turned out that Zack Overkill was once a former villain who left destruction in his wake and because of this, Zack is put into a Witness Protection Program and if he gets out of line, he will be looking at a life in jail. Unfortunately, when Zack’s past associates come and pay him a visit, Zack will soon realize that there is more to him than he originally thought.

What I loved about this story:

Ed Brubaker’s writing: Wow! I was quite amazed at Ed Brubaker’s writing in this unique graphic novel! Now, I have read a couple of graphic novels where we look at everything from the villain’s point of view, but I had never read a graphic novel where a villain is forced to give up his life of crime and work in an ordinary job in order to protect his identity from the public. Ed Brubaker did a great job at developing Zack Overkill’s character as Zack is shown to be a rude and miserable character who does not like his normal life and would rather be going out and fighting criminals or get his hands on some drugs to keep him sane. It was also interesting seeing how Zack still has murderous intentions towards various people who annoy him as it shows that he still has some villainy inside of him, even though he is slowly going through a character progression throughout the story. I also loved the way that Ed Brubaker unraveled the mystery behind Zack Overkill as I found myself being shocked at Zack’s true backstory and how it affected him as a character throughout the story.

Sean Phillips’ artwork: Sean Phillips’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at as all the characters are drawn realistically and the violent scenes are extremely detailed that they make me cringe with tension. I also loved the film noir style of the artwork as it made me feel like I am back in the 1940s and experiencing the mysteries and terror going on during that decade.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating is because there were times where the plot got a bit confusing because the story went back and forth between giving us snippets of Zack’s past life as a villain and unraveling the mysteries that surround his true identity. I often found myself trying to figure out what was really going on with Zack and where the story was taking me when they tried to mention his backstory. Also, for anyone who does not like strong language and violence, this volume contains loads of strong language and some violent scenes of people being shot violently or being beaten up in a graphic manner.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Incognito Volume 1” is a great read for anyone who wants to read about crime noir and villains turning into everyday citizens to save themselves from going to jail. I am definitely looking forward to reading the second volume of this series!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure / Thriller

Year Published: 2009

Year Read: 2015

Series:  Batman

Publisher: DC Comics

Introduction:

Now to be honest, I have never read DC Comics’ major event “Final Crisis,” so I am not familiar with Batman (or Bruce Wayne in this case) being dead during this event and this comic book “Batman: Long Shadows” takes place after the events of “Final Crisis.” However, despite not reading “Final Crisis,” I still thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel (although being a huge Dick Grayson fan also helps)!

What is this story about?

After the events of “Final Crisis,” Batman (Bruce Wayne) is pronounced dead, but in order to prevent the world from knowing that the real Batman is dead, Bruce Wayne’s protégé Dick Grayson decides to take up the mantle himself. Unfortunately, Batman’s old nemesis Two-Face notices that Batman is not himself and he sets out to murder the new Batman!

What I loved about this story:

Judd Winick’s writing: Wow! Can I say that I was truly impressed with Judd Winick’s writing of this short story that takes place after “Final Crisis?” Now as it is known by now, I am a huge Dick Grayson fan and the fact that I am reading another “Batman” comic that stars Dick Grayson taking the mantle from Bruce Wayne (the first comic I read that had Dick Grayson as Batman was “Batman: The Black Mirror”) is just so exciting to me! I loved the way that Judd Winick wrote this story as we actually get to see how Batman’s immediate family (his butler Alfred, Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson) react to Bruce Wayne’s death and how they are trying to cope with the legacy that he left behind as Batman. It was pretty interesting to see how Dick Grayson tries to upheld Bruce Wayne’s legacy as Batman while doing things his own way and I loved how the other characters often commented on how Dick Grayson was a lot more friendlier as Batman than Bruce Wayne was and it was a nice change for the characters, especially for Alfred. I really enjoyed the relationship that Dick shares with Damian Wayne and Alfred as he treats Alfred like a father figure and he tries to get through the hard headed Damian Wayne. Judd Winick’s portrayal of Dick Grayson was fantastic as Dick continues to crack jokes throughout the story while showing great concern and compassion for his mentor Bruce Wayne and that just made me love Dick Grayson even more!

Mark Bagley’s artwork: Mark Bagley’s artwork is truly fantastic, especially during the battle sequences! I loved the way that Mark Bagley made all the explosions look extremely realistic and effective as I really felt the chaotic mood of the battle scenes that Dick Grayson gets involved in. I also loved the way that Mark Bagley drew the expressions on the characters’ faces as they look expressive and I actually felt the same emotions that the characters felt through certain situations, like the sadness that Batman’s immediate family felt when Bruce Wayne died.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was because the beginning tended to drag on for a while before the story got exciting and I will admit I was a bit bored with the beginning until I got into the actual story as it went on. Also, for anyone who does not like gory violence and language, this comic does have a fair share of violence and language.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Batman: Long Shadows” is an excellent graphic novel for fans who want to see Dick Grayson take up the Batman cowl and own it like no one else!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Strange Charm are offering several free ebooks on their site. In their own words:

We thought long and hard about the best way to introduce ourselves to you, and we decided that rather than just telling you about our favourite books,  it might be more effective to give you copies of a few of them

My personal favorite and recommendation is "Miss Landon and Aubranael" by Charlotte E. English :)  

Genre: Suspense / Horror / Noir / Crime / Supernatural

Year Published: 2012

Year Read: 1/17/2015

Series: Fatale #2

Publisher: Image Comics

Introduction:

After reading Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ fantastic first volume of “Fatale,” I just knew that I struck gold when I picked up this graphic novel series and I was dying to read more from this series! So, that is why I picked up the second volume “Fatale: The Devil’s Business: Book Two” and man was it just as exciting and frightening as the first volume!

What is this story about?

In this volume, Nicolas Lash continues to search for more clues about the mysterious beautiful woman Josephine, as she has ties to his deceased relative Dominic Raines and he is more determined than ever to discover Josephine’s secret identity. Meanwhile, part of the story flash back to the late 1970s as Josephine tries to hide herself from the world as she believes that any man that comes near her always suffer a gruesome fate. Unfortunately, when a former star actor named Miles finds out that his friend Suzy had murdered Brother Stane at a Method Church party, he unknowingly runs to Josephine’s house and begs her to save Suzy from the Satanic Cult of the Method Church, which is led by none other than Hansel, the devil from the first book being reborn in another body.

Can Miles and Josephine escape the clutches of Hansel?

Read this book to find out!

What I loved about this story:

Ed Brubaker’s writing: Wow! Can I just say that this volume was just as intense and exciting as the first volume? Yes I can! Ed Brubaker has really outdone himself in this volume as the story is full of drama, horror and forbidden love and these elements all mingle together to create one horrifying and exciting story for this volume! I loved the way that Ed Brubaker made Josephine into such a mysterious person as we still do not know about her true identity and how she is able to possess the power to mind control people. I felt like Nicolas Lash in this story as I also want to know more about Josephine and why the Devils are searching for her and it makes me sit at the edge of my seat trying to solve this mystery myself and see who Josephine really is! I also loved the way that Ed Brubaker wrote the horror elements in this graphic novel as I did find myself cringing at a few scenes where various people are killed in a gruesome manner and I think that it greatly captures the horror element of this volume!

Sean Phillips’ artwork: Sean Phillips’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at as the characters’ features look truly realistic and I loved the way that Sean Phillips made Josephine look so gorgeous throughout the years as it really made her stand out from the other characters and shows us that she has an unnatural quality to her character. I also loved the dark and gritty tones of the city of Los Angeles as it really brings out the horror elements of this story.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language and gory violence, this volume does contain many scenes of characters getting killed in gruesome ways and it does have some strong language such as the “s” word and dropping the “f” bomb popping up in the dialogues a few times.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Fatale: The Devil’s Business: Book Two” is truly a fantastic volume that anyone who is a fan of Ed Brubaker’s “Fatale” series or anyone who is a fan of horror and noir graphic novels should definitely check out!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog