All the Books.

"A complicated/complex new series that is a spin off of Gaiman's, The Sandman. Lucifer, as always, is cunning, manipulative, charming and you really just never quite know what to think of him or where his motives might lie."  3 Stars Pros: The literary figure of Lucifer is shown as deceitful, manipulative and conniving, as expected and yet he does have his moments of charity/compassion, or so they seem/All the stories were delicately interwoven and it will be interesting to see how the rest plays out Cons:  The font in some of the stories was very difficult to read/Mazikeen's speech was absolutely torturous to get through, though understandable as to why later on/The artwork was meh in parts Full Review: After having resigned from his reign in Hell in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series, Lucifer Morningstar, the treacherous betrayer of God and his army of Angels is now the owner of a posh night club in Los Angeles called Lux. With his compatriot Mazikeen, a b...

"A unique way of learning about a person's past and also how all our lives intersect with one another, told in true, heartfelt, emotional, Backman style."  3 Stars Pros: Has the same light-hearted but deep felt empathy that Backman brings to all his stories/Learning more about the Grandmother through Els's adventure in delivering her letters is a unique and touching way of going about it. Cons:  The protagonist, Elsa, is a 7 year old, so the narrative has a tendency to be a bit scattered. Full Review: Granny is Elsa's best friend. She's messy, disorganized and doesn't put with anyones BS. She's the only friend Elsa has since the others kids at school torment her. And so any minute that she gets to spend with Granny is an adventure. But the biggest and most heartfelt adventure happens when Granny passes away and leaves Elsa with the task of delivering letters to people, explaining to them that she's sorry. The truth about Elsa's grandmo...

"An interesting take on the fantasy genre, wherein there are three different Londons and only a certain type of person, an Antari, born with Magic in their blood, can pass from one London to the other. Kell, Holland, Lila, Rhy, all of the characters were important and likable in their own way."  4 Stars Pros: An interesting and unique concept of different Londons existing beside one another/Kell, Lila, Rhy, almost all the characters were likable Cons: It got a little corny at the end but for the most part it was a fun and entertaining read. Full Review: Kell is one of the few remaining Antari, a breed of people who can travel between three Londons, Red, Grey and White. There was once a Black London, but the power of magic corrupted all who lived there and the city was more or less, razed to the ground. Kell spends most of his time traveling between the Londons, delivering correspondence, and at times, bringing back trinkets for himself, which is expressly forbidden but...

"A unique and interesting take on survival in a world cast into anarchy by a highly contagious disease. It was a good read but not a quick one and though at times the task of reading felt daunting, overall, it had a lot of good, startling moments and the ending really struck hard."  3 Stars Pros: An interesting premise, a group of infected people banding together to try and weather out the horror that the world has become/John Rookman and his tall, dark, mysterious, stranger vibe Cons : Harper was a good person but a little naive at times and her relationship with John Rookman (the Fireman) felt rushed and forced. Full Review:  The world suddenly finds itself infected with a dangerous contagion called Dragonscale. The rash is black and gold and highly contagious, and the victims, at very little provocation can suddenly burst into flames and burn to death. Harper, volunteering as a nurse at the Portsmouth Hospital in New Hampshire soon find herself infected and her whole...

“An unsettling and frankly unnecessary story about men being accosted and their fight for survival in the Southern wilderness.” 1 Star Pros:  Dickeys prose is both beautiful and disturbing Cons : There was no provocation for the hillbillies to attack Ed and Bobby. I think Dickey just needed something to drive the plot aside from four men sailing in canoes on a river/ The dialogue was atrocious. I didn’t know people actually talk like that though it could have been a 70s thing  Full Review: Yes, for the most part we’ve all heard of the movie “Deliverance” and at least know about that infamous scene with the hillbillies etc. And though there is the dueling banjos scene and the disturbing attack, for the most part the book is about four men going out of their comfort zone, trying something new and adventurous and it certainly doesn’t turn out at all the way they hoped.  Ed, the protagonist is a graphic artist making ads for newspapers and pamphlets. His fri...

"An action packed, edge of your seat, don't want to put it down because you just have to find out what happens, sequel that will keep you riveted."  5 Stars Pros: The same characters from the first novel so there aren't many new people to remember/Shusterman's artful craftsman with intertwining plot twists and turns Cons: Scythe Anastasia (Citra's) ability to always say the right thing at the right time comes off as arrogant and self-assured, which can be a little grating at times, other than that, the book was great. Full Review:  Almost a year has passed since Citra was ordained as Honorable Scythe Anastasia and Rowan escaped gleaning by her good timing and a clever scheme cooked up by Faraday, Curie et al. As the months have passed, Citra has continued to train under Scythe Curie and they've developed a Mother/Daughter tenderness towards one another. Their gleaning methods are different and yet they are effective. Citra chooses to give her gle...

"A unique commentary on the modern world versus a time when humans were only just starting to accept that the world was not made by magic in seven days but by Science. Entertaining in its similarities and also thought provoking in its study of history and how so many things in our lives are connected and we don't even know it." 4 Stars Pros: An effortless flow that lets the two timelines mesh/the character of Thatcher Greenwood is quiet, unassuming and intelligent, very easy to like. Cons: Tig. Her constant bickering and arguing with her mother and everyone over EVERYTHING was a huge turn off/Thatcher and Mary's relationship in the end. It made sense and it wasn't overly saccharine but I just wonder if there's a novel out there where a man and woman can meet and have no romantic attachments, it was just a bit disappointing. Full Review: The setting is a ramshackle old house. The characters, Willa, the free lance journalist, her husband Iano, the Coll...