Robots and Vamps

Reviewed by Christel

This audio book was purchased by the reviewer.

Audio Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Dust Jacket Summary: Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.

In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.

Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned.

Thoughts & analysis: In the past I have berated this series. Citing its immature plot paired with mature language and situations. It’s obvious attempt to insert hip language and shameless and dated pop-culture references. To be honest, I haven’t been very positive at all.

This particular series makes me ponder; what exactly does YA mean? What age group comprises YA? Perhaps the authors were genius’ appealing to both teens and twenty some-things. Or perhaps they are writing plot lines that fall below the maturity level of their target readers. Either way, I decided to choose a different format. Reading these novels just wasn’t doing it for me but I have invested so much time that I hate to give them up now. So I chose the audio version.

Much to my surprise, I rather enjoyed the audio version of the new house of night novel, Burned. Caitlin Davies’ tone was spot on. She didn’t have that annoying pitch as narrators of previous books did. She really sold the characters and managed to make me look past the slang and shameless True Blood plugs. The whole thing was quite entertaining.

The story had a darker, more supernatural tone. The kids are faced with major life threatening decisions and they are introduced to the most ancient forces of good and evil. I liked the fact that the story seemed to be plunging forward and seriously affecting the characters. So, a big thumbs up for P.C. and Kristin Cast for stepping out of their comfort zone a bit and making this story about more than a silly girl with an ever growing ego and way too many boyfriends.  This is my favorite book in this series and it is a shame it took until book 7 for me to find one that I liked.

My suggestion for you readers who are less than enamored with this series is, give the audio version a try. You just might find that you like it better than the book itself.

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: The reviewer wasted her hard earned money on this novella.

Intro:  When I first hear that Stephenie Meyer was planning to publish this novella, I thought… huh…ok… I guess. Unfortunately after reading it, I still think… huh…. Ok…. I guess.   Twilighters: don’t hate me.  This may get a little rough.

Dust Jacket Summary: Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

Thoughts and Analysis: I am unsure as to what the point of this novella is.  I mean, I get that the story focuses on the kids who were turned by Victoria to be her own personal army and how they lived in such a poor environment, but I guess I just wasn’t interested in learning more about them.  I have read about fans wanting to know more about Bree and her short life as a vampire, but I have to say I never had any desire to learn more about Bree. Bree was part of Bella’s life for a whopping five minutes, and to me she really didn’t add much to the story.

We learn about how Bree is turned into a vampire, and how she managed to stay alive for as long as she did. This story also provides a bit of insight into Victoria and how she managed to build an army of vampires just to have them attack her enemy, the Cullens. We learn a little about vampires with special talents. What we do not learn is why Bree is so important that she needed to have a whole novella devoted to her story. We already know what happens to Bree, this is just the story of how she got there.  While I found this story mildly entertaining, for the most part it was a non event. There are no chapters or breaks in the prose, leaving the reader to feel like there are no good stopping points.  On the plus side, this also makes it a quick read.

The cover of the book mentions that $1 of the proceeds from this $14 book will be donated to the American Red Cross. Personally, I think more if not all of the proceeds should have been donated as this 178 page YA book was way over priced and kind of left me feeling like I got ripped off. I think the time of Ms. Meyer’s vampires has come to an end. I loved the Twilight series and they will always hold a special place on my book shelf, but this story has run its course with me. Time to move on…

Final Word: Skip it.  Unless you are an all-things-Twilight-collector and you feel that you must have this book in your collection then don’t bother.  It isn’t worth the $14 and if you are looking to make a donation to the Red Cross, just go ahead and hand that 14 bucks over to them.  The book felt like fluff and seems like an attempt to squeeze even more money out of this franchise that has made so much already.

Disclosure: This book was sent to RaV headquarters from Titan Books.

Introduction: When I was given the opportunity to read a novelization of what is quite possibly one of my favorite TV shows, I was thrilled. Dubious but still thrilled. I haven’t heard great things about novels based on television shows, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Supernatural, The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber definitely exceeded my expectations.

Dust Jacket Summary: Twenty-seven years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America…and he taught them how to kill it.

Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground… Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand.

Thoughts and Analysis: Sam and Dean are off on another one of their Demon hunting adventures. This time they find themselves in Georgia investigating a mysterious death on the re-enactment battle field. Of course, they quickly get in over their heads.  Castiel is popping in and out as usual providing small amounts of help at just the right times. But Cas has his own mission, he is looking for one of the Witnesses.

Things get crazy real fast and before they can blink Sam and Dean are looking for the cause of all of this madness, the Judas Noose. If that doesn’t sound foreboding enough, they also have to deal with a bunch of civil war re-enactors who are nothing if not authentic.    They even use “natural”  methods to add patina to the buttons on their uniforms. Some re-enactors are given the identities of real soldiers to play out their role in the battle.  One such re-enactor is portraying Jubal Beauchamp.  And I am here to tell you, he was not a nice dude!  But there are some folks who are willing to help the boys stop this evil and save their town.  The boys just aren’t sure who they can trust.

Reading this novel was just like watching an episode of Supernatural. Seriously. The pace was crisp and there were enough twist and turns to hold your interest. I enjoyed the civil war slant as it provided and evil rich in history. Even thought the Judas Noose wasn’t forged during the civil war, we get to see how Jubal Beauchamp used this evil tool to his benefit.

Final Word: I really enjoyed reading this novel. Mr. Schreiber nailed my favorite demon fighting duo right down to the songs they listen to while cruising around in the Impala. Dean was Dean, Sam was classic Sam and Cass was written just as he is in the show. The Author stayed true to the characters while providing us with an entertaining adventure blended with civil war lore. It really felt like I was reading about a missing episode.

The only thing that was missing was the brotherly angst, and that is a good thing! The brotherly angst on the show is getting out of control and it was refreshing to read about one of their adventures without having to listen to their whining!

Fans of the TV series will enjoy this book.  Even those that aren’t fans will enjoy this brotherly battle against the forces of evil.  But seriously, who isn’t a fan of the show?

Author’s website: The Scary Parent

Reviewed by Christel

By Charlaine Harris

Narrated by Johanna Parker

Length 7 hrs and 54 mins

I have made an annual tradition out of listening to the audio version of the next Sookie Stackhouse novel that serves as the basis for the next season of True Blood. Albeit a short tradition in its infant stages of only 2 years, I have enjoyed comparing the last 2 seasons of True Blood with their respective novels. True Blood Season 3 is based upon, or atleast begins with the premise of the 3rd novel in the Southern Vampire Series, Club Dead. I know, the show does not follow the book and I know that Alan Ball takes many liberties with one of may favorite stories. But I enjoy them both in their own right. I don’t compare them to disparage either one, I just like to be able to say “No, Eric’s maker did not meet the sun in the second book.” Or “No, Bill did not propose to Sookie in the books.” I just like having the knowledge of the differences.

So I guess what I am saying is, since most people reading this entry have already read Club Dead ( probably a couple of times as I have) this is not really a book review but more of a plot review.  So that I can remember what happened to our favorite heroine in print and be utterly shocked at what happens on the screen.

I will mention that I really enjoy listening to these audio books and hearing the story from another perspective. It feels as though I am experiencing Sookie’s story from another point of view, even though it isn’t. The story is not unfolding on the pages and inside my imagination, but it is unfolding right before my ears. Johanna Parker does a great job narrating the story from Sookie’s point of view, making this version entertaining to listen to.

From here on out, I will be rehashing plot, so please beware of spoilers if for some strange reason, you still haven’t read or listened to these books.

In Club Dead we meet Alcide Herveaux, rich boy, surveyor, Werewolf. Who just happens to owe our favorite Viking Vampire a favor. Bill has been kidnapped and Sookie is determined to free him, even if he did leave her high and dry for his maker, Lorena. We also meet Russell Edgington, King of Mississippi. We learn of a supe bar in Jackson named Josephine’s, and we learn if you are human this is probably not the best place to hang out on a Saturday night, especially if there is a full moon.

Sookie is determined to help Bill despite his bad boyfriend behavior, and is starting to think about her other options. Alcide is looking pretty good and rugged. And they are staying in the same apartment. He is on the rebound from his ex girlfriend Debbie Pelt who seems to pop up all the time these days. Sookie is more than willing to play the part of Alcide’s fake girlgfriend.

Eric keeps showing up in Jackson to check on the progress of locating his underling, Bill Compton. But I would have to say he is checking up on Sookie too. Keeping her at arms length from Alcide’s advances, since he wants her for himself. I am telling you what, everyone seems to want themselves a piece of Sookie. (you will all find out why later…) So Sookie and Eric manage to infiltrate Russell Edgington’s compound after Sookie is seriously wounded in an altercation at Josephine’s. She is staked by a member of the Fellowship of the Sun. But as usual, all the vampires who love her  heal her and she is able to find and free Bill while the sun is up. Only to be repaid by getting shoved into the trunk by spurned ex-girlfriend Debbie Pelt to await her fate, which is now in the hands of a very hungry sleeping vampire, Bill Compton. Bill wakes up in a tremendous hunger and doesn’t know what he is doing. When sated, in more ways than one, he realizes he has hurt poor Sookie in his blood lust. This pretty much puts the lid on any hopes that their relationship would be mended and Sookie rides home with Eric. But wait… There’s more!

Alcide and Sookie previously found the body of a dead Were in Alcide’s closet. It seemed as though, whoever put him there tried to frame Sookie or Alcide for the kill. But instead it was an error in judgement on Bubba’s behalf.  Unfortunately, it still seemed as though they were guilty. While driving home, Eric and Sookie stop for gas, only to find themselves in the middle of an ambush. A couple of rednecks, hired by the local Were pack attack Eric with silver and look for Sookie next. With a little help from the clerk, Sookie escapes the convenience store, finds Eric and frees him. They both return to the store to kick some serious human butt!

There was less sex in Club Dead, but more action. Don’t worry, we still get some smoldering Viking Vampire scenes . We learn that Sookie can only take so much disrespect from a man, we learn that Elvis…. er Bubba is popular with everyone including the undead, and we learn that ex-girlfriends are just down right nasty! I am excited to see how these events differ in Alan Ball’s interpretation. I have already read the Josephine’s is called Lou Pine’s Bar and I have heard that we will be surprised to find out just who  Bill’s kidnapper is. I can’t wait to find out.

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: The reviewer purchased this novel from her friendly neighborhood bookstore.

Introduction: The Phoenix Chronicles are written under the guise of good vs. evil. Heaven fighting the legions of Hell. Light vs. Dark. But as one reads this series, we discover that good and evil are not as black and white as they appear. As a matter of fact, there are all sorts of shades of gray.

Chaos Bites is the 4th book in the Phoenix Chronicles series.

Dust Jacket Summary: HER DREAM LIFE

It’s not the end of the world—yet. But Doomsday once again lies in wait for demon-slayer Elizabeth Phoenix. Several weeks ago she had no choice but to kill a man she loved. Sawyer was a witch and shape-shifter, a sorcerer of incredible strength. And now he’s started to invade her dreams…in the most dangerous and sensuous ways imaginable.

HAS BECOME A LIVING NIGHTMARE

Through her nighttime visits with Sawyer, Liz has acquired a new set of paranormal powers. She has also received a special new gift in the form of Sawyer’s baby. Now nothing is as it seems as Liz combs through the chaos of her new life while trying to outrun death at every turn. She’s going to need all the help she can get—even if that means dealing with her embittered ex-lover Jimmy Sanducci. He may be the only one left she can trust…since every other demon on earth is hell-bent on her destruction.

Thoughts and analysis: Ms. Handeland always keeps her readers on their toes. Putting poor Liz through the paces just for our entertainment. She has done things she isn’t proud of and will continue to do such things for the greater good. She continually has to put her own feelings aside in order to effectively lead her followers in their war against the Nephilim. As the leader of the light, Liz is responsible for those under her charge and she will do anything to ensure their safety.

Unfortunately, liz is a sexual empath. The author’s use of this particular talent provides us with some sexy scenes, but also makes us think about how far one would go to save the people they love. Liz has been treading pretty close to having to have sex with someone she doesn’t particularly wish to. Up through book 3 she has been lucky, but a time will come when she must do what is necessary in order to gain their power, and save her friends. A tough decision will have to be made.

Liz manages to get herself in just as much trouble as ever. With a new mission, her own personal demon residing just beneath the surface and a new baby, Liz’s quest is more important than ever. In the last installment Ms. Handeland shocked us by killing off my favorite character, Sawyer. But alas, he is not gone from these pages forever. In fact, he makes many steamy appearances in Chaos Bites. I am glad he is still around because in my opinion it just wouldn’t be a good story without him.

All of the usual suspects are still part of the story plus one. A baby, evidently it is Sawyer’s shape-shifting baby. With no warning this baby grabs hold of Liz’s heart and Liz must add her to the ever growing list of people she cares about. This adds an element to the story that wasn’t there before. The love for a helpless child is different from the love one feels towards a friend, teammate or lover. Even thought the child is not hers, Liz feels a strong attachment to this baby named Faith. In someways, it is all she has left of Sawyer, besides his appearances in her dreams.  As a kid who grew up in the foster system, Liz has finally seemed to piece together a family, dysfunctional as it may be.

Final Thoughts: In Chaos Bites, Liz encounters love, angst, suspense and a strong sense of loyalty. Not to mention the action, magic and camaraderie of her supernatural friends both in this realm and beyond. I enjoy reading these books because Ms. Handeland writes with such imagery that I can see the story unfold in my mind. I can see New Orleans at night as a large phoenix flies over head. I can see Sawyer as he visits Liz in her dreams. I can see Jimmy, Summer and Luther. I can see Faith shape shift into a tiny kitten.  One of my criteria for a good read is how vividly I can see the story in my imagination and these books fit the bill. I am not sure if this was the best book in this series, but it was definitely an entertaining read with a cliff hanger ending.  I am ready to find out what happens in the next installment.

Author’s website: Lori Handeland

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: The reviewer purchased this novel with her own hard earned cash.

Dead in the Family follows the same basic principals as the previous Sookie adventures. There are multiple conflicts surfacing simultaneously, several different factions of supernatural beings knocking on poor Sookie’s door for help, and more than one person or supernatural creature out to get her. This is quite possibly the most unbelievable thing about these novels. Yes, even more unbelievable than vampires, werewolves and fairies. How could so many events happen to one person in such a short amount of time? It is almost as absurd as an episode of 24. But not quite…

Luckily for Sookie, this time she is not kidnapped or tortured by Fae (seems like Sookie might catch a break this time) but she does have some weighty issues to deal with. Eric’s maker is in town. He’s pulling Eric’s strings and he brought a brother for Eric to play with (whom Eric just became aware of and who just happens to be a famous Russian). Since Eric is compelled to obey his maker Appius, he is preoccupied and doesn’t have much time to help Sookie with her Were issues or her problems with the Fae.

Claude (her fairy cousin) has requested to stay with Sookie under the guise of needing close proximity to one who also has fairy blood. After what happened to his sister Claudine, Sookie feels obligated to let him move in. After all, her last roommate Amelia, has moved back to New Orleans to face the witch’s council. So why not let Claude move in? At least she won’t have to live alone.

Meanwhile the shifters and Were’s are dealing with all of the political backlash from coming out to the public. The government is trying to pass a law that would require all shifters to register. There are protests and scores of intolerant humans running amok.  The long tooth pack of Shreveport is in experiencing internal conflict and of course, Sookie ( a friend of the pack) is called upon to help.  How would these Supes survive without their Sookie?

Our telepathic heroine finds herself squarely in the middle of everyone’s mess as usual. Not to mention the strange fairy stalking in her woods, which is never a good thing. One wonders how Sookie Stackhouse can make it through a week alive in Bon Temps. Good thing she has as many supernatural allies as she does enemies.

I always love a good Sookie novel. I have invested so much time in these stories that I tend to give them a little more leeway than I would any other novel. I let little things slide. I don’t even mind how the stories usually meander around until the last chapter or two when the action really gets going. The name dropping of famous people turned vampire is kind of kitschy, but I can deal with that too. I think it is because these novels are just fun. They are not really made for dissection or discussion; they are just written to entertain. This is probably what I like the most about them. Never mind that Sookie is the busiest girl in Louisiana. And never mind that she is willing to do just about anything for these supernatural creatures, occasionally without any explanation as to why. Some of her actions may seem absurd and lacking any real motivation, but they sure make for a good story.

Perhaps this story is getting a little long in the tooth, but I just can’t help reading and enjoying each new novel, no matter how absurd things get. Isn’t that the mark of a good novel? Not necessarily the plausibility or originality of the story and its characters, but the level of enjoyment you get from reading it? To me the best novels are the ones I love to read and can hardly bring myself to put down. The story has lost a bit of its luster, but on the whole, Charlaine has done it again. I enjoyed this novel as much as any of the others in this series?  Now there is nothing more to do but patiently wait an entire year for the next chapter in Sookie’s absurdly entertaining life. I can’t wait to see what happens to our beloved Sookie next.

Authors website: Charlaine Harris

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: The reviewer purchased the audio version and paperback version of this novel with her own hard earned cash.

Audio Length: 11 hrs and 39 min

Narrated by Oliver Wyman

I first met Tucker Case and his talking fruit bat, Roberto in the small town of Pine Cove. It was Christmas time and there were zombies and an Angel. Hence the title, The Stupidest Angel. Obviously, Tucker has a knack for getting himself caught up in all kinds of trouble, but I really didn’t know much until I learned of his sordid history in Island of the Sequined Love Nun.

Tucker Case was floundering through life, not knowing what to do with himself when he was presented with an opportunity that changed his life. As a pilot for Mary Jean cosmetics, Tucker had access to the pink jet he flew Mary Jean around the country in. A ladies man for sure, Tucker often indulged in the company of a local lady. This time was a bit more dangerous. While inducting a young woman into the mile high club, Tucker accidentally crashed the pink jet and injured his most important appendage in the process.

Needless to say, Tucker lost his job flying for Mary Jean and had to take a suspicious job flying for a “missionary” in the Pacific Islands. After a harrowing journey wrought with dangerous obstacles, ghost pilots and other crazy characters, Tuck arrives on the Island of Alualu with his new friends Kimi (the navigator), and Roberto (the talking fruit bat). He has his own bungalow and only has to work occasionally, giving him lots of free time in the sun. One might think this paradise, until they discover just exactly what kinds of things are happening on the Island of Alualu.

As usuall, Christopher Moore hits a home run with this book. Where does he come up with this stuff? You never know where one of Mr. Moore’s stories will take you. Island of the Sequined Love Nun is entertaining and witty. The characters are all fascinating and you can picture each of them and see their stories unfold in your imagination.

The narration was artfully done by Oliver Wyman. He really brought the characters to life. His tone changed for each character just enough that I never had to guess who was speaking. He had a pleasing tone and he brought the story to life with just the right amount of inflection. Sometimes, narrators are over the top or too theatrical, not the case with Mr. Wyman. His style was perfectly suited for this novel.

Obviously I am a fan Christopher Moore books, but I am starting to think I like listening to them even more than reading them myself. The books seem to lend themselves well to performance and the talented narrators add even more humor to the story than my imagination can. I find myself in a hurry to get back in my car to listen to the story and find out what will happen next. This is a very good thing, but tends to cost me a lot of money in gas. I know that Chris’ books have been optioned for the movie rights, but why no one has made a movie based on one of his novels yet, I have no idea. Is there such a thing as being too witty?

Author’s website: Christopher Moore and his blog.

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: The reviewer bought these graphic novels with her own hard earned cash

Supernatural: Origins written by Peter Johnson, Illustrated by Matthew Dow Smith

Pub. Date: May 2008

Publisher: DC Comics

Format: Paperback, 144pp

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Supernatural: Rising Son written by Peter Johnson & Rebecca Dessertine Illustrated by Diego Olmos

Pub. Date: May 2009

Publisher: DC Comics

Format: Paperback, 144pp

These prequels to the CW TV series Supernatural give us fans an insight into John Winchester’s life just after his wife Mary died. They show how difficult it was to learn about and fight the previously unknown forces of evil while being a father to 2 very young boys.

In Supernatural: Origins, John learns what it is to be a hunter. He meets up with some interesting folks and starts to get a handle on just what kind of evil walks among us.

Supernatural: Rising Son, focuses on these same trials but introduces Dean into the action. When the family gets drawn into a town of Succubi, Dean has to help his father defeat them and protect Sammy.

Both of these graphic novels provided some good background information on the Winchesters, but Origins was just alright for me. When I read graphic novels the story is certainly important, but I am in it for the art! I am amazed at the talent that goes into a comic or graphic novel. So even when I say I wasn’t that excited about the art in Origins, I still respect the talent the artist has, it just wasn’t the style I am drawn to.

I am happy to say these graphic novels seem to get better as they go along. I thought the second in the series Rising Son was better than the first. The art was better, the story was more exciting and the extras were better too. In the back of the graphic novel there is a bonus story written by Eric Kripke & Peter Johnson about the Ghostfacers. And we all know how hilarious those guys are.

The 3rd volume of the graphic novel series comes out in September and if it follows suit and is better than the 2nd, I am looking forward to getting my hands on it.  These graphic novels are a definite plus for any serious Supernatural fan.

Reviewed by Christel

Disclosure: Reviewer purchased this book with her own hard earned cash.

The Mercy Thompson series has become one of my favorites and I get all geeked up in the spring when the next installment is due to come out. I really enjoy reading of Mercy’s adventures and Silver Borne was no different.

In Silver Borne, Mercy finds herself in the middle of major trouble once again. Everything is going swell with her mate, pack alpha Adam. Though Samuel seems a bit off; so much so that he is searching for a way to ensure his own demise. He is tired and depressed. He is tired of his own lonely and lengthy existence. When his suicide attempt fails, Mercy is there to pick him up and dust him off. Or at least she can try to keep him from attempting it again.

Since Adam claimed Mercy as his mate, the were’s have been having trouble accepting a coyote shifter into their pack. She is shunned and even mentally attacked via the pack bonds. This is all very disconcerting and Mercy is attempting to slowly integrate herself into the pack in the hopes of avoiding too much turmoil. But in her passiveness she accidentally opens the door to some of the more aggressive wolves and before you know it things go just a bit too far.

So, we have a broken Samuel who has let his wolf take charge and a mentally and emotionally scarred Mercy trying to save their community from the next brand of evil that comes along.  There is never a dull moment in Mercy-verse.

Silver Borne is laced with twists and turns that kept me engaged the entire story. Mercy is repeatedly pushed to the edge yet she always manages to persevere. Ms. Briggs has a way of drawing the reader right into the story. I felt as though I was sitting in Adam’s living room, listening to their conversations first hand.  I could picture myself in the fae realm witnessing the events as a bystander.  To me this is a mark of a good story.  If I can get that mentally involved while reading, the author is definitely on the right track.

There is always something new and intriguing in each Mercy Thompson  novel. Something new to uncover about the supernatural community in which they live. The Fae are always an interesting sort, and this novel shed some light into their world and hierarchy system. I also really enjoyed learning more about the emotional bonds that the pack shares and how it ties them together. It is a magical thing and the imagery Ms. Briggs uses is beautiful.  I enjoyed this novel very much, but I will say some of the earlier books were just a bit more exciting.  In my estimation, this tends to happen with series’.  I don’t know if it is because all of the good ideas were used early on or if we become so used to the characters we can guess some of the events that may occur in their future.  I will continue to read this series as it is still one of my favorites.  Next time, I am looking forward to reading about the quirky vampire Stefan.  I missed him this go-around.

Authors Website: Hurog

Reviewed by: Christel

Disclosure: This Graphic novel was purchased by the reviewer with her own hard earned cash.

I have now read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, watched Twilight: The movie on the big screen and read Twilight in Graphic Novel format. One would think I would be Twilighted out. And I kind of was, until I picked up this beautifully illustrated graphic novel that breathes fresh air into this popular albeit over exposed story.

I am not going to rehash the story here.  Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere I am pretty sure you know how it goes.  Girl loves Sparkly Vampire, Sparkly Vampire loves girl, Werewolf loves girl, Werewolf hates Sparkly Vampire.  I know, there really is much more to it than that.  As a matter of fact, I loved the book. I read it several times.

Yes, I was drawn into the Twilight craze with all of the other 30 something mom’s and tweens. All of my friends read it, we discussed it, we read it again. It was actually one of the books that got me reading again. So, the next logical thing to do would be to go see the movie adaptation, right? So we all went, we all were disappointed and our interest in this book has since waned. I mean how many different ways can one person experience the same story without getting bored?

All of this leads to my luke-warm feeling about reading Twilight: The Graphic Novel. I wasn’t sure if I should even bother with it, but in the end it just felt like I should. So I picked it up. I do enjoy a good graphic novel every now and then. And much to my surprise I really enjoyed this one.

The experience of reading this graphic novel brought me back to the first time I read Ms. Meyer’s work. I felt like I could once again enjoy this story. Young Kim’s illustrations are gorgeous and the characters are closer to how I originally envisioned them before images of Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart invaded my imagination.

Twilight The Graphic Novel Part 1 takes us right through the meadow scene and leaves me wishing I could read part 2 right now. I did feel the story was a bit disjointed in parts, but any seasoned Twilight reader can follow along without any problems. And I am suspecting this graphic novel is for that consumer. There are a lot of us out there who are happy to add this lovely graphic novel to our collections and anxious to get our hands on the next installment.