Title: Hero
Author: Belinda Crawford Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow Rating: 3 stars Review What drew me into reading this book was the cover. It helped me to picture the main character and also showed that the story took place somewhere out there in the universe. The story takes place on a planet called Jorn, where people live in cloud cities. (I loved this idea by the way) The main character, Hero, is basically a prisoner in her own home because of her mother who only keeps her locked up because she’s “special,” a term that annoyed Hero and fueled her character development. Hero, plagued by voices, finally convinces her mother to give her some morsel of freedom, which leads to a host of strange characters and Hero running for her life. Unfortunately, the book feels like it’s missing something and even now I can’t figure out what that something is. I had a hard time picturing the main character in my mind even with the book cover. The dialogue is a bit confusing at times and hard to follow. The characters are hard to relate to and I didn’t understand the whole bit with the creatures. To me it seems like they were just thrown in there to give the book a scientific boost. I love stories that take place in other worlds, but this one left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.
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Title: Revealing Hannah The Myth of Cassandra
Author: Laura Fedolfi Released: April 13th, 2015 Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow Rating: 4.5 stars Review This book is the perfect example of why we shouldn't "judge a book by its cover." At first glance this book didn't look like something I would be interested in at all, but I'm not one to judge a book by its cover. This book has everything you could ever want in a novel about Greek mythology; romance, humour, intelligence and action. Laura Fedolfi has a good voice that could only be described as "art" The main character is sort of clumsy but has a wit about her that makes the reader love her right away. Hannah doesn't know that the Greek gods are real, or that she would become the thing they planned to use in order to reclaim their glory and power. All she wants is to hand in her paper and make it through graduation, but around every corner are twists and turns and laughs that will keep you turning the page no matter what time of night it is. I wasn't a huge fan of Carl, but John was an intelligent bad ass whose wit and humor was matched only by Hannah. I don't know if Ladies' Home and Hearth is a real thing, but I want a copy. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for Greek mythology (like me). There are a few typos here and there but nothing too distracting or annoying. Title: HELL IS EMPTY AND ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE
Author: Mark Rounds Reviewer: Crystal Crichlow Rating: 4 Stars Let me start off by saying that I LOVE zombie movies, T.V shows, but more importantly, I love zombie books, especially books that show the beginning and then the mad decent into the apocalyptic world. Most zombie books begin when the apocalypse is already in full force and don't really show readers the how's or the why's. Mark Rounds does the complete opposite with his refreshing take on this popular genre. Fans that love zombies as much as I do will be happy to know that Hell is Empty...isn't your typical zombie book. The flesh eating infected in this book are not people who have risen from the dead. Yes, they eat you, but they are not what you have come to know and expect. Unfortunately, I cannot say more without spilling spoilers, so you're just going to have to see for yourself. There are a few grammatical and formatting errors in the book, but I promise you that it's nothing that will take away from the story. Expect to see the story unfold from different character POV's, which I usually find annoying, but it works for the story because it shows the outbreak from many different angles. Would definitely read more from this author. I highly recommend this book. My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. Crystal has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new novel RESOLUTION: Huck Finn’s Greatest Adventure. I think it’s a good book, but what do I know? Anyway, I’m kinda shy about tooting my own horn. So I think I’ll turn things over to my dog Danny—Danny the Dog—to toot it for me. He always has an attitude and usually does not speak highly of me. But please understand that we co-exist as the old Soviet Union and the United States once co-existed. We tolerate each other. So without further ado, here’s Danny.
Andrew took me away from chasing cars (so much fun) to help him out here. For a person who works with words for a living, he has very little to say in real life. He wants me to tout his book for him, but I don’t think I will. Instead, I think I’ll tell you a little about how Andrew and I co-exist (to use his word). Good morning, dog fans. It is I, Danny the Dog . . . here to make your humdrum lives bearable with one of my accounts of life with Andrew. He takes a lot of looking after and he can be a pawful at times. It also takes a lot training to get him to obey properly. So without further delay, here’s my narrative. Those of you who know me know of my affinity for hot dogs. Yummy! And what you should also know—if you were paying attention—is that Andrew gave me a hot dog every morning after I had taken him for his walk. As I have stated, yummy! But a dog has to try out new things, so a while back I stopped eating said hot dogs. Well, not entirely. I’d eat half of it and leave the rest on the dock. That was my way of telling Andrew I thought it about time that we experiment with new cuisines. For once, Andrew got the hint. He went to the grocery store and came back with something he called “dog treats.” TREATS! I wouldn’t give them to a cat! I suggested he read the label and see where they were made. “China,” he said. I just stared at him until it dawned on him that was the place that, a few years ago, sent over all that dog food that killed so many pooches. “Okay,” says he. “Let me try again.” And off he went, back to the supermarket. This time he came back with sliced turkey. Double yummy! He explained that all the dog-type treats were made in China, so he had started looking in the meat aisle to see if there was anything I might like. And lo and behold, he finally did something right—boy, do I love turkey! Now this is the heart-rending part of the story: My training of Andrew. After turkey came into our lives, Andrew would give me a slice after our morning walk. And I must admit, for a while, I was happy with the single slice. But I was thinking, Why not see how far I can push it? Two slices would be better, three even more better. I started my campaign by letting loose with a slight bark. Nothing extravagant, just something to let Andrew know that I was displeased with the meager offering. It didn’t take long for him to get the hint. So I was now getting two slices a day. Time to go to work for that third slice. But you want to know something? Andrew ain’t as dumb as he looks. He started cutting the slices in half . . . like I wouldn’t notice. Well, that set off the War of the Wills. Every morning, I demanded more, and every morning Andrew would fight me until, just to shut me up, I’d get another “slice.” Albeit they were now coming in half-slices, but those half-slices do add up. So anyway, here we are months down the road. I’ve gotten Andrew up to five slices, or half-slices if you will, and sometimes, if I really push it, I get a sixth slice. I must admit, when Andrew tells me that I am a royal pain in his butt, he has a point. I will not stop my “demand barking” until I’ve gotten as much as I can get from the old guy. But this morning, I think I might have pushed it too far. Andrew was at his computer waiting for someone to email him. No one ever does, but hope springs eternal—I guess. Anyway, I was angling for a seventh slice when he turned to me and said. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve got it made. I wait on you hand and foot. You’ve got complete healthcare—medical and dental. I take you up to the Tiki hut every night so that everyone can make a big deal about the famous Danny the Dog. For a lowly cur, you’ve got it made! Can’t you just leave it at six slices?” Boy, was he hot under the collar. And did you notice that he called me “a lowly cur”? There we stood. Eye to eye (sort of). This was going to be the defining confrontation in our relationship. This contest of wills would determine who would henceforth run the household. The seconds ticked by, then the seconds turned into minutes. Neither of us giving ground, neither of us giving quarter to the other. Then came the moment of destiny. When the history of Danny the Dog is written, students will be taught that this was when Danny the Dog came into his own. Andrew stood, and with tears in his eyes because of his defeat, gave me a seventh slice of turkey. That’s about it for now. I think I’ll turn the podium back over to Andrew. Oh yeah, I almost forgot—go out and buy Andrew’s new book and make the old guy happy. This is Andrew again. On behalf of Danny and myself, I would like to thank Crystal for having us over. It’s been a real pleasure. Book Explosions thanks Andrew and Danny for dropping by :-) If you would like to purchase a copy of Resolution: Huck Finn's Greatest Adventure, you may click on any of the buttons below. Hi,
After taking some personal time off I am back and eager to get started on my extended review list. I apologize to all who submitted reviews and haven't heard anything back from me. I was not ignoring you lol. For all those who submitted review requests you should be hearing from my IF your book was chosen for a review. To find out when your book review is complete and where it will be posted, please follow the new Book Explosions review page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Book-Explosions-1136374099735315/ This page is the only way to stay informed about the status of your review. Happy writing! Crystal Crichlow "Author and Reviewer" |
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