Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Book Review: Hunter Green by Brianna Stoddard

Review: Hunter Green
Author: Brianna Stoddard
No of Pages: 161
Release Date: 4 November 2010

HUNTER GREEN will blow you away! It is an amazing story that will show you the world in a whole new light! It is focused on an incredible teenage girl, named Emily, who sadly loses her mother from a menacing, evil werewolf. Emily vows revenge and begins hunting the creatures down. She gets help from Isabella, a kind Psychic Gypsy that knows how to help her become the ultimate hunter. Emily realizes her destiny and becomes a killing machine. She starts her journey across the world and leaves no werewolf's blood un-spilled in this wonderfully dark and bloody story.

Warning: This review will contain spoilers because the absurdity of it cannot be fully appreciated without them.

My Thoughts:

This has to be the most self-serving, poorly researched story I have ever read.

Emily has lost both of her parents, her father left when she was young and her mother was murdered by a werewolf.

Emily is probably the most annoying, yet voiceless character I have ever read. The writing was so poor that Emily doesn’t even register to me as the voice of this novel, we attempt to view the story through her eyes, through her selfish, childish ways but she’s nothing but a fluff character.

What I hated most about this book, and it was definitely hate not just extreme dislike, was the complete lack of research and the obvious laziness when it came to actually writing the story. It reads like it was written by a twelve year old and I actually did check that out half way through to make sure that it was actually written by an adult.

First off we have the completely believable scenario of Emily, a fifteen year old girl who has just lost the last of her family to a werewolf swearing vengeance on all who turn furry at the full moon. Okay.

So off she goes into the wild, with nothing in her pockets but her mother’s credit cards, a little bit of cash and her supplies. May I just add in here that she decided to wear high heeled boots for this journey – yep, that’s practical. Oh and it seems that credit card security no longer matters, because that wouldn’t suit the authors purposes, so Emily was able to use all of her mother’s credit cards, and draw down on the cash without having to show ID.

Isabella the gypsy-psychic - witch (because all gypsies are witches, didn’t you know?) takes her in because she has foreseen Emily saving the world. Not so unbelievable. But then we get to the part that really cheeses me off.

Isabella the gypsy-psychic-witch decides to do a tarot card reading – I am a card reader and like everything else, I don’t mind people using it, I don’t mind people making fun of it, but if you are going to reference it, research it first. The “spread” she did raised my eyebrows as it was, but then, apparently there is now a card called “the baby cradle”, are you kidding me? Do you think we are that stupid? Not to mention Isabella’s “spells” which were conveniently named to suit Emily’s purposes such as “To gain the speed of a cheetah” and “To become immortal”, very creative.

Then there was the solid silver and gold sword, yep, I like science too, so I will also point out that that is impossible, as the sword would be too soft, not to mention because of Emily’s wonderful awesomeness she only had to practice for a few weeks (instead of the decades it takes normal people) to master that and all of her other weapons. And these were only a few of the problems in the first thirty five pages.

Then we (finally) move on to some killing and hunting. There are hundreds of thousands of werewolves all over the world, they keep breeding and biting people to make new ones but of course Emily’s an ambitious girl, and vows to kill them all, she is so wonderfully fantastic that she never gets a scratch on her, or hurt in any way, she manages to kill dozens of werewolves at a time. And even manages to kill eight werewolves in five minutes. This is where the details could have been really juicy - as the synopsis promises - but we didn’t get anything, the writing literally went “After the next full moon I had finished searching the whole country and had killed a total of three hundred werewolves”. That is how the story continued from then on unless, of course, we had to hear in explicit detail exactly what she was wearing that day or how many outfits she bought in various colours during her travels.

I only finished this book out of obligation because it was a review book, and for the small hope that maybe, just maybe Emily died, or turned into a werewolf. But no this book was full of hate for weres who encompassed everything evil. There were no exceptions, it was quite racist actually, female weres were evil, males weres were evil, baby weres were evil, didn’t matter the age, the story, the circumstances, they were all evil.

But of course Emily managed to kill them all, within two years and with only two trips around the world, she becomes a hero because naturally everyone wanted to kill a species that they knew nothing about, everyone loved Emily. She even managed to get a bloke, and it only took a single meeting a poorly written clichéd paragraph at the end of the novel. “We had loved each other from the very first sight of each other. We were destined to be together.”

Not to mention all the other discrepancies, scattered throughout the novel. But honestly if I keep going, this review will be longer than the novel was itself. It was poorly written, poorly executed and based upon a very poor idea. There is a saying in the writing world, if you can pitch a book well, it is usually horrible, this book is pitched nicely enough, I was excited to read it, and then I turned the first page.

Hunter Green was a horrible waste of time. I feel sorry for my eyes, sorry for my PDF reader and sorry for anyone else who has the displeasure of reading it. One is the lowest rating I give, but it doesn't even deserve that.


Monday, December 5, 2011

Book Review: Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Bloody Bones
Series: Anita Blake – Book 5
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 370

Here’s a job to strain even Anita Blake’s capabilities: raising an entire graveyard of two-hundred-year-old corpses.

My Thoughts:


Bloody Bones was yet another whirlwind instalment in this series.

When people start showing up cut in half and missing bits of their bodies Anita gets called in in the place of the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team who are already dealing with their own vampire issues.

This case however is going to be a tricky one, not only does Anita need to figure out what it is that is killing the local population because vampires don’t use swords, but she also needs to content with the local sheriff who is a secretive career climber convinced that Anita will steal all of her glory so she isn’t sharing all of the details.

The one thing that I am loving about Anita so far is that she doesn’t lose her uniqueness, she is such a strong character and yet she still has that vulnerability. Her stomach still turns when she sees a mutilated body, she doesn’t just waltz through and get to it, she still sometimes needs to compose herself.

The love triangle is starting to grind on my nerves a little though. Anita reckons she can’t stand Jean-Claude so why doesn’t she just end it with him, she keeps hiding behind the excuse that he would hurt Richard but not only can Richard take care of himself, Anita could take care of him as well.

I did enjoy the dive into the mysteries surrounding the fae. It’s one of the things I love about this series, we aren’t just focusing on vampires and werewolves, we get all manner of supernatural creatures coming out of the woods.

The fight scenes were as always masterfully written although I would have enjoyed more of a fight from Raw Head and Bloody Bones when he came onto the scene, it feels like he was only there for a few pages and then he was gone and yet the entire plot revolved around how dangerous he was.

As always though I enjoyed Anita’s attitude and the extremely graphic horror that Hamilton so expertly writes, I can’t wait to get into the next instalment The Killing Dance.

Also in this series:
The Lunatic Cafe
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Hit List

Monday, October 17, 2011

Book Review: The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Lunatic Café
Series: Anita Blake – Book 4
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 369
Release Date: 1 March 2005

Anita has fallen for the leader of a local pack of werewolves. She’s survived a lot, but this love thing may kill her yet…

My Thoughts:

Everyone seems to believe that this book signifies the end of horror in this series, but I can safely say that this book was still pretty horrific.

People from the local were community have started to go missing, and when one of the missing people’s husbands come to her place of work for help, Anita seems to get dragged in from there. It’s not until a man who has literally been skinned alive shows up that Anita can seem to piece what’s going on together.

Anita is still tough as nails and I loved this book in the series. She opened up to Richard her new beau about some of her troubles and we continued to get a deeper look into who she is and why she stands for what she does romantically.

The addition of Richard as a love interest kept this series alive for me; it added another dimension to an already fantastic book. Whilst we still get the mind-boggling crimes that could only be found in Anita’s world, her relationship with Richard and the fear and uncertainty that entails was thrown into the mix.

I felt a little sorry for Richard, because it is clear that Anita has a bit of a problem with him being a werewolf. Although Richard is a perfect man in his human form, the fact that he turns furry once a month is seemingly not good enough for Anita. I want this relationship to work so badly because even though they are so different, they balance each other and that is what I reckon Anita needs.

Anita sleeps with a gun, Richard has most likely never even held one. Anita distrusts people until they give a reason to trust them and even then it’s tentative whereas Richard lets people in. Richard loves unconditionally, Anita doesn’t. Richard tries to defuse situations before they get out of hand but Anita is almost always raring for a fight.

That balance could do so much for Anita, but she is just too hard-headed to see that. Richard could also take a lesson in Anita not needed to be protected, but hey, it’s better than him throwing her to the wolves so to speak.

This series is still amazing me with every book and I am now avidly reading and cheering on Team Richard.

Also in this series:
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Hit List


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Book Review: Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Circus of the Damned
Series: Anita Blake – Book 3
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 329
Release Date: 24 September 2002

When a powerful centuries-old vampire hits Anita Blake’s town, a battle of the undead ensues.

My Thoughts:

Mrs Hamilton, you have done it again.

Once again I was absolutely enthralled by the continuation of this series. Anita is once again thrown into the deep end by her vampire connections. Some very shifty characters come to town to challenge Jean-Claude and the limits of Anita’s loyalty are tested.

Anita was once again a magnificent heroine. She always thinks with her head and never gets too flustered by her situation. Anita continues to be one of my favourite characters ever purely because her morals and values aren’t compromised by vampires. She doesn’t start out as a “normal person” who inevitably falls for the incredible charms of the nearest vampire, she keeps fighting them and no matter how much attention she is paid by them, she never gives in.

I am a little worried though by her new acceptance of werewolves though, she went from hating them at the start of the book to being mildly tolerant, I suppose it’s understandable given the fact that she was surrounded by vampires so by comparison the werewolf looks pretty good, but I hope she continues sticking to her convictions.

I love how this series isn’t overly romantic, Anita didn’t show her loyalty to Jean-Claude because she loves him or lusts after him, she stays loyal because she is a good person (well as good as a necromancer can be), and tries to help the right people out. She doesn’t help Jena-Claude because she wants to sleep with him, and her helping him doesn’t lead to it either, she does it because she wants to and because she considers him somewhat a friend.

This series is only getting better; there is a decent amount of mystery mixed in with absolutely phenomenal ideas. Maybe I just haven’t been around long enough, but a million year old vampire? That is just cool.

Anita continues to be a strong heroine who keeps me coming back for more, she doesn’t fall for the charms of man but rather makes her own decisions about what she wants, she is a fighter yet still knows when to back down, but most of all, when she realises a mistake, she tries to rectify it rather than covering it up or hoping it will go away.

I absolutely cannot wait to get to the next book in this series, The Lunatic Café.

Also in this series:
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Hit List



Thursday, July 21, 2011

Book Review: The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: The Laughing Corpse
Series: Anita Blake – Book 2
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 293
Release Date: 2 August 2005

Vampire Hunter is about to discover that some secrets are better left buried – and some people are better off dead…

My Thoughts:

Back into the world of Anita Blake and it was just as good the second time around.

Anita is still holding down two jobs, her animating job working with raising zombies for people and as insider knowledge for the police department. Anita gets offered a job that she doesn’t want to accept though, she has been requested to raise a 300 year old corpse which involves human sacrifice, not something she is comfortable with.

Anita continues to be a complete kick-ass heroine. I really cannot fault her. She hates vampires and is continuing to struggle with her feelings for Jean-Claude, she is blossoming into a powerful necromancer, which is completely cool, and she is a smart and sarcastic. The cast of characters once again was well put together and completely fit with the story.

The Laughing Corpse is gory and horrific, perfect in my opinion. It deals with the deeper side of Voodoo, delving into darker techniques and giving us an insight into the hierarchy of the Voodoo community, which Anita wants no part in. The Laughing Corpse details stomach churning monsters put together with all sorts of spare parts, human and animal included. It also deals with what happens to our souls after we die, and what happens if people steal them.

The ideas presented in The Laughing Corpse and in Anita Blake in general are nothing like I have ever seen. I absolutely loved the gory details of this book. Who even comes up with putting a soul inside a zombie? Or putting together a multi-limbed multi-mouthed beast.

Laurell K Hamilton is a master when it comes to the weird and wonderful world of paranormal horror and I cannot wait to continue what is shaping up to be a fantastic series.

Also in this series:
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Hit List


Monday, February 28, 2011

Book Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Review: Guilty Pleasures
Series: Anita Blake – Book 1
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
No of Pages: 266
Release Date: 1 October 1993

In the novel that introduces Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, the monster she’s sworn to kill becomes the man she can’t live without...

My Thoughts:

I can’t believe I waited this long to start this series. It is awesome!

Anita Blake is a necromancer, which basically means that she can raise the dead, making zombies. With vampires out in public, Anita doesn’t have to hide her powers because seriously what’s more scary, a vampire or a chick that can make zombies? Anyway Anita makes her living by raising the dead for legal reasons, sometimes poor Auntie Mabel dies without leaving her fortune to anyone, so Anita is there to raise them long enough to make out their final will.

Anita is approached by Jean-Claude, a vampire that she has a somewhat awkward relationship with. Anita seems to have an unusual attraction for Jean-Claude, and he tries everything within his power to get her to let down her guard against him. Anita kills vampires, she doesn’t hook-up with them, even if they make her forget what she was doing, and always manage to illicit a reaction from her.

Anita is one of the best Urban Fantasy heroines I have read about. Not only doe she talk tough but she can actually back up her claim. She is known throughout the vampire community as the executioner because she isn’t afraid to get hurt if means she will get her kill. Anita has a platoon of weapons including – but not limited to – holy water, guns, stakes and knives. She gets jealous of Edward, an ally and fellow vampire hunter, because he apparently has a bazooka and a flame thrower.

Anita refuses to cower behind others and that is what made me instantly fall in love with her. People cower behind her, even men. Anita is smart, brave and extremely cool in her mannerisms and techniques and she stays true to what she makes out to be and lives up to that hype.

Although Anita tries to convince herself that she hates him, I loved Jean-Claude. He is so suave and confident, even when Anita humiliates and mocks him he never seems to lose his edge over others. Feared and respected Jean-Claude is the third most powerful vampire in the city and he makes sure people know it without being too over-confident and annoying. It is a trait that can only be respected because he doesn’t really have to do anything for others to cower at the mention of his name, yet Anita is the only person he sees regularly that isn’t scared of him. It keeps him grounded and likable.

Guilty Pleasures is definitely one of the stronger books in this genre and I urge anyone and everyone who has ever had a fascination with vampires to read this book.


Also in this series:
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Hit List


Monday, December 20, 2010

Book Review: Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Title: Rosemary’s Baby
Series: Rosemary’s Baby – Book 1
Author: Ira Levin
No of Pages: 308
Release Date: 12 March 1967

She is a housewife – young, healthy, blissfully happy. He is an actor – charismatic and ambitious. The spacious, sun-filled apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is their dream home – a dream that turns into an unspeakable nightmare...

Enter the chilling world of Ira Levin – where terror is as near as your new neighbours...and where evil wears the most innocent face of all...

My Thoughts:

Rosemary’s Baby has apparently left people unable to sleep at night. I laughed.

Rosemary and her husband Guy have just moved into a new apartment in a “haunted” building. Newly married and ready to take on the world the couple ignore the warnings of a friend and settle into their new home.

Rosemary soon falls pregnant and it’s then that things start to get odd. Her doctor won’t treat her pain and the odd neighbours from down the hall are constantly bringing her drinks that make her feel sick.

Rosemary was a naive character but understandably so. She was a young housewife who always turned to Guy to find out what to do in situations. After she fell pregnant though and realised something was wrong and Guy wasn’t helping her in the way he should have been she finally came into herself and believed in her ability to do something about her situation. In the end my heart was aching for Rosemary because she got into one of those situations where you can’t turn to anyone for help, no one to trust and not too sure of her own sanity.

Guy I didn’t like from the beginning. He is a self-absorbed actor that came across as one of those people that believe women should be seen and not heard. No matter what concerns Rosemary brought to him about her pregnancy he just brushed her off and told her to trust people that they barely knew. For me he was the most evil character in the entire story because he was Rosemary’s husband and the one she should have been able to trust, and yet he was never ever there for her.

Rosemary’s Baby is very intriguing in its pull. Constantly you are wondering if Rosemary is sane or not. She ends up believing that she has the devils spawn inside of her and really, how plausible is that. Levin wrote the suspense very well in the sense that you don’t know until the very end if Rosemary is indeed right in her suspicions. You are constantly second guessing yourself.

What I didn’t like was the ending; it was silly and felt too abrupt. Rosemary’s Baby wasn’t scary either, it was suspenseful, but not in a way that you absolutely had to know how it ended. You could kind of guess but what if you were wrong. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to make sure that I was right.

As for being one of the scariest books of all time. It didn’t leave me having nightmares or being scared of my weird neighbours. If anything it just added to my mistrust of humans.

Also in this Series:
Son of Rosemary


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