Outcast by Robert Kirkman

February 27, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 2 Comments

Published 10th February 2015 by Image Comics & Diamond Book Distributors

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you to the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Thanks to The Walking Dead Robert Kirkman would have to be one of the biggest names in the comic book industry at the moment. Outcast has only just put out it’s first six issues and it’s already been picked up for a TV show.

I don’t normally read things labeled as “Horror” but am happy I gave this a go. I am still rather new to the comic book world but am loving it (don’t worry I have no intention of giving up my YA Fantasy’s or any other books for that matter).

I enjoyed Outcast. I liked Kyle, I felt for the bloke. When we first meet Kyle he is living out his days in filth as a hermit, stuck in his own personal hell. Through a series of flash backs we learn of the major events in Kyle’s life and it quickly becomes evident that there has always been some sort of demonic force behind his downfall. His mother was possessed when he was only a little boy. His wife becomes possessed, sending his little girl to hospital clinging to life and he is blamed for it. The Demons seem drawn to him. Kyle ends up with the local Reverend carrying out an exorcism, and we see him come to life again with the passion to discover the truth. That’s where this volume ends, with Kyle Vowing to discover the truth.

I intend to follow this series, I actually liked it that much. I want to see if Kyle can clear his name and get his little girl back. I want to see what happens with the big bad demon that was threatening the Reverend. And I want to find out why the demons all keep calling Kyle ‘Outcast’. I’d say i’ll wait until they do volume two rather than individual issues, so i’ll probably be waiting another six months (I’m going off of the fact that Saga a issue comes out once a month and every six they do a ‘volume’ combining the six). I don’t think I’d get enough substance in one issue, I fly though one volume as it is.

Anyway I’m rambling – five stars.

Robert Kirkman on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12425.Robert_Kirkman

OUTCAST Picked Up as a TV series – http://www.skybound.com/outcast-pilot-officially-picked-up/

Robert Kirkman with Skybound – http://www.skybound.com/about-us/

In Search of Lost Dragons

February 25, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 2 Comments

In Search of Lost Dragons by Elian Black’Mor and Carine M

Published 3^rd Febuary 2015 by Diamond Book Distributors & Dynamite Entertainment

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you to the Authors and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

On the trail of dragons forgotten, an intrepid illustrator and reporter journeys from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon in search of the dark caverns and mountaintop perches where the elusive winged serpents dwell.

With the gift of seeing the invisible, our explorer friend records each encounter in a journal of gorgeous, fully painted artwork, capturing every majestic and fearsome visual detail of the scaly behemoths, and accompanies his findings with snippets of local lore as evidence that these hidden beasts continue to shape the world in ways we may never expect!

Gorgeous full-color paintings, accompanied by a unique story of world-wide exploration and dragon encounters!

The book is written as a sort of personal journal/scrapbook. I loved the collaboration of photos, paintings, sketches, newspaper articles, scribbled notes and cut out mementos. I really enjoyed reading little bits about the different dragons and their habitats. There is an underling plot of the explorer searching for Dragons, but the writing is minimal.

The pictures are absolutely divine. I would suggest reading this book as the Hardcover visual delight it was intended to be. As I was reading a reviewer eBook I had to keep zooming in to read the words, then zooming out to fully appreciate the illustrations – but I enjoyed it never the less.

I do think I will buy a hardcover copy, as it think this is a book my son would appreciate when he’s a bit older. Four Stars.

Paranormal Keepers by Jen Naumann

February 23, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 2 Comments

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Paranormal Keepers (Paranormal Keepers #1) by Jen Naumann.

Published March 11 2014 by Phantom Owl Press (Patchwork Press Cooperative).

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Everyone thinks Harper Young killed her boyfriend. No one will say it to her face, but the signs are everywhere.

It’s almost been a year since Gavin was torn from Harper’s arms and brutally murdered. The police wrote it off as a freak accident, deciding Harper’s strange testimony was given under duress. But she knows something unnatural was involved and refuses to stop looking until she finds his killer, even if it means her reputation as a senior is ruined. Even if it means there really are monsters living among us.

With the discovery of the mothmen, witches, vampires and all the creatures she always suspected were out there, Harper finds herself amidst a complex bundle of unseen heroes who call themselves “Keepers”, sworn to keep the secret of the paranormal creatures that walk this earth. As she tries to understand what’s so special about her that she’s able to break an old Keeper law, Harper has a baffling vision of kissing a mysterious guy before a blade is brought down on him. Before she can get a handle on her future, she becomes central to a battle between the questionable “heroes” and the evil she’s been training to fight, leaving her to wonder if there’s any way to change the fate that has been foretold before it’s too late.

I was drawn in from the start. I was drawn to Harper and Gavin even knowing that something bad was going to happen to them.

The drama starts with a Ouija board and sophomore party, that then leads to us witnessing Gavin’s Death, then following Harper’s struggle and search to find the truth. Harper’s search brings her to the attention of the Keepers; they abduct her and take her to Guardare Academy –Guardare Academy is a cross between Hogwarts and St. Vladimir’s Academy– where she goes on to meet Human Keepers, Paranormal Creatures and Human /Creature cross breeds. At Guardare Harper finds herself with many enemies, but she manages to find friendship in a Keeper named Dexter and later on love. After discovering dark secrets about Harper’s heritage, we are left at the end of the book with Dexter and Harper on the run.

This story was quite fast paced and especially action packed for a first book of a series. It laid the grounds for a new series and a new world, without feeling bogged down with information like some firsts can. The story was very easy to read and the writing flowed beautifully. I really enjoyed this book. It can’t really say much more without giving away the twists and turns, so I’ll stop and finish with “Four Stars”.

Naumann’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/naumannbooks

Naumann’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennaumannauthor

Naumann’s Instagram – https://instagram.com/jennaumann/

Naumann’s Website – http://www.jennaumann.net/

Naumann’s Book Blog – www.paranormalYA.blogspot.com

Naumann’s Goodreads – www.Goodreads.com/JenNaumannAuthor

Sunday is cleaning day

February 20, 2015 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 1 Comment

I used to enjoying cleaning my parents’ house for pocket money as a teenager. Money meant red skins, CDs and cigarettes (sorry mum). But now I have to do it for free, ok I do love a clean house and yes the mould and fungi won’t kill us if I kill it first, but that’s just not enough – I still hate it. I feel like I’m wasting my time. Damn baby and husband are just going to mess the place up again. Life is too short for cleaning dishes, scrubbing toilets and hanging out washing on the line. I’d much rather spend my Sundays reading. Maybe one day I’ll be rich enough to hire a cleaner. That’s the dream. For the time being I am slowly training my son to help me; he will pick up and put away his toys, he will pick up his dad’s dirty clothes and put them in the washing basket, he will pick up his dads shoes and put them back in the wardrobe. If you give him a cloth he’ll wipe over table tops and bench tops, not that he can apply enough pressure to actually do much and he has very short arms, but he seems to enjoy it (and currently I only have to pay him in hugs).

kisses

Sky Rider by Nancy Springer

February 13, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 1 Comment

Sky Rider by Nancy Springer

First published in 1999. Re-released in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media Inc.

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Everything changes when a handsome stranger rides off into the night on Dusty’s horse

There’s no way around it: Dusty’s horse Tazz needs to be put down. Once a champion jumper, Tazz can barely walk now due to hoof pain. And that’s not the only thing that’s wrong in Dusty’s life. Since her mother’s death, Dusty’s dad hasn’t stopped drinking—even after his drunk driving put Dusty in the hospital with a now-chronic back injury. Why don’t they just put me down too? she wonders.

While Dusty is giving Tazz one last grooming, his ears suddenly prick up as a stranger approaches: a young boy with an otherworldly beauty. He offers to take Tazz with him, and the two race off into the distance as though Tazz were in perfect health, with the boy perched on his back. Who could this person be? And what is he doing here?

It’s only when Dusty returns to school the next day that she hears about the boy who was killed. When she sees his photo in the newspaper, she knows that he’s the mysterious guy who rode off on Tazz. What she doesn’t know is that he will soon return.

This was a short and sweet story with a beautiful horse and a happy ending (well as happy as a story with a 16 year old that’s killed by an unjustifiable and inexcusable crime can be).

So we have two young characters that have both suffered grave injustices – 16 year old Skye Rider and 14 year old Destiny “Dusty” Grove – you can tell pretty early on that Skye and Dusty need each other, that they need to heal each other. The story is written in multiple points of view; log reports from an Angel supervising Skye’s transition, diary entries from Dusty and a narrator that I couldn’t quite figure out.

This is a fast paced story about love, justice and finding peace. There was a bit of insta love, but I just ignored that. I liked Dusty; she’s only fourteen and she’s already lost her mother to the grave and her father to alcohol. Even after the car accident that results in her being in constraint pain she doesn’t give up and doesn’t complain.

I liked this book; sure I wasn’t tearing through the pages or staying up all night to find out what was going to happen next and yes the ending was predictable, but still satisfying. It was nice.

This is the second ‘horsey’ book I’ve read and I’ve got a few more on my TBR list. I think I’m finally starting to understand why so many little girls want a Pony (I wanted a T-Rex). I think I’m finally understanding that Horse and Human bond (I still want a T-Rex – but horses I must admit are awesome). I found it interesting that in this book the Horses can see spirits, is that a thing? I know horses are supposed to be brilliant at interpreting people and “reading their souls” (I heard that on some documentary where they use horses in therapy) and I was wondering is this something people believe? – anyway back to the book – So I didn’t fall in love with it, but it was short and sweet and well worth the read. I will definitely be looking into Some of Nancy’s other works.

Three Stars.

Website – http://www.nancyspringer.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NancySpringer

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NancySpringerNovelist

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22547.Nancy_Springer

The Drunk: Friday Fictioneers 100 word story challenge

February 12, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 14 Comments

Friday Fictioneers is a challenge set by Rochelle Fields where writers around the world create 100 word stories inspired by the one image.

* * *

I stare across our front lawn. The drunk is passed out next to his poorly parked shit heap.

So he did make it home last night.

It’s only a matter of time before the cops get him, or the Berley boys, I just hope it’s before he kills someone.

I decide I better attempt to drag him in the house.

I approach him and see blood, a lot of blood. I check his pulse. I grin wickedly to myself as I walk inside to call 000.

I am yet to know who or how, but someone has set me free.

* * *

**NOTE** ‘000’ is the Aussie equivalent to ‘911’.

This week’s PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

PHOTO PROMPT -Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

For more information see:

https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/13-february-2015/

Down The Wormhole by Ana Franco

February 10, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 1 Comment

Down The Wormhole by Ana Franco

Release date: March 17th, 2015

Publisher: French Press Book Works

The Pitch: “A young orphan girl bonds with four mythological gods while trying to find a true home for herself”.

I received an ARC from the author to read and review, so thank Ana Franco.

In a city there is a tiny lane that separates two orphanages – one for boys and one for girls. Inside live two very special groups of teenagers. These teenagers carry a secret and leave it tucked safely away in their mysterious lives.

Then one day, a girl named Kitty arrives. No last name, just Kitty.

Before Kitty has time to be astonished by the teenagers’ real identities, she is whisked into a magical realm that slowly unfolds her own. She must come to terms with her true place in the world while she can, because time is ticking and there are secrets in the wormhole.

Travel with Kitty and her new friends Down The Wormhole into a mysterious world of magic, mythology, and mayhem.

“Ana’s YA Novel weaves mythology with modern life and creates a magical tale that will attract readers from all genres.” – Pen Name Publishing.

“The narrative in this book was something else. I mean that in the best of ways. This: ‘She widened her eyes and opened her mouth, looking like an email emoticon’ was one of the best descriptions I’ve read in a book in forever. It had me laughing silly for the longest time.” – Blackbird’s Nest.

“Throw in a plot twisted with deceit, revenge, a magical bracelet, and a wormhole leading to the land of gods, and you have an enticing journey. Oh, and there is also the gratuitous love story many young readers seem to expect.” – Amazing Stories.

“Down the Wormhole is a good book. It’s barely 100 pages, so Franco does not waste pages with anything unnecessary to the story, which I am always appreciative of, especially if sequels are promised.” – Purple Owl Reviews.

To start off with we get a Lewis Carroll Alice in wonderland quote to set the mood:

“Alice laughed: ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said; ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’  

‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’”

Alice in Wonderland is one of my all times favourites, so I was very nervous here – Was this going to be a copycat sort of thing?

I realised very quickly that Ms Franco has her own strong voice and has created a unique story using a blend of Nordic, Celtic and Egyptian mythology with modern day teenagers in all their overreacting drama filled glory.

The beginning was so strong. The first chapter of Eris and Sif fighting in The Land Above All Clouds was fantastic; I would have loved to have read a whole story up there about those two.

Once we swapped from Sif’s to Kitty’s life it lost a little bit of it lustre for me. I had to keep reminding myself thought-out the story to stop being an adult and enjoy the impossible happening.

My favourite character was the villain of the story, the Goddess of Chaos, Eris. But I think the aim was for people to love Kitty, Oops my bad. My least favourite character was Anna. Anna’s treatment of Kitty during labour put her right up there with the likes of Dolores Umbridge in my hatred of book characters.

The writing was choppy with a furious pace and to her credit Ms Franco fitted a hell of a lot of story into very few pages. I really wanted to love this story. It had some of my favourite things in it – mythology, magic, love and revenge. The synopsis sounded interesting and it had gotten a few good reviews. But I just couldn’t get into it. I read an ARC so I can’t comment on what the finished product will be once it is buffed and polished, but this version had a lot of mistakes (sentences with words out of order, misspelled words). I’m normally not one to nit-pick at grammar and spelling as my skills are very poor – if it doesn’t affect the story then I really don’t care. But I found it very hard to read this at times and I really do think that is what lowered my enjoyment. Once it is published I will buy a copy and re-evaluate, because there was real potential for an awesome story under it all and Ms Franco has a wonderful vision of a fantastic new fantasy world.

Blog – https://anaisthebookworm.wordpress.com/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/anathebookworm

Twitter – https://twitter.com/anathebookworm

Publisher – http://www.frenchpressbookworks.com/

Harry Potter Book Night

February 5, 2015January 29, 2015 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 1 Comment

For Harry Potter Book Night I’m re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I won’t get it all finished tonight, so I thought I’d quickly share a little bit of Potter Love.

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“Don’t forget to give Neville our love!’ Ginny told James as she hugged him.

‘Mum! I can’t give a professor love!’

‘But you know Neville-‘

James rolled his eyes.

‘Outside, yeah, but at school he’s Professor Longbottom, isn’t he? Ican’t walk into Herbology and give him love….”

During the ‘deciding on a name process’ when I was pregnant with my son, once we found out he was going to be a he, I wanted to name him Edmund or Neville. Edmund after Edmund Pevensie of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series and Neville (I’m sure you guessed it) after the blundering, brilliant, loveable, kind hearted, strong willed force that is Neville Longbottom. My husband wouldn’t have a bar of either names and my son ended up as Riley, not named after anything with a deeper meaning, just a name my husband liked. The compromise was that I got to choose his second name and I did – It is Paul after my father, another brilliant, loveable, strong willed force. To be honest I’ve grown to love the name Riley Paul and wouldn’t change it, but if we do go down the baby road a second time and it appears it’s going to be a boy, I’ll be pushing for a Nev or Eddy again.

“But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?”

“For him?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!”

From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.

“After all this time?”

“Always,” said Snape.”

I can’t read that without getting chills.

“Albus Severus,” Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who was now on the train, “you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

We start off hating, fearing and suspecting Snape along with Harry, all the time not knowing that under Snape’s nastiness he is always looking out for harry out of love for Lilly.

Oh Snape, Snape, Shape. In this, the last book, your character cemented itself in my heart. Always!

Ignite (Ignite, #1) by Erica Crouch

February 4, 2015July 14, 2019 / Riot @ Absidity Art - Sarah Fairbairn / 1 Comment

Ignite (Ignite, #1) by Erica Crouch

Publication Date: June 11^th, 2013

Pages: 346

Age: Listed as 12+

A BIG thank you to Net Gallery & Patchwork Press for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review.

Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifer’s vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed.

As Hell prepares for war – spreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an army – the lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice.

With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side she’s willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark.

This book is set in modern times with the POV character a the fallen angel named Penemuel (Pen) who now as a demon spends her time with her brother Azael (Az) killing and reaping the souls that they are assigned. We find Pen struggling with the demonic assassin life she leads and feeling that she doesn’t belong anywhere.

Enter Michael a newly born angel with an angelic past life set to hunt him down. So we end up with a demon that’s not pure evil and an angel that’s not pure goodness. Circumstances see them brought together and they awkwardly fall in love. For all Michael’s saying that he loves Pen and believes in her, he is quick to doubt her when it comes to the crunch – that annoyed me. But she never loses faith in him. And he wakes up to himself in the end.

We find out that the reason that Pen fell from Heaven was so she could stay with her brother who was always destined for Hell. We find out that Pen had always being alone in Heaven with a Az as her only friend. We see her struggle to cut the ties with her brother even though she knows she no longer belongs in Hell.

Oh and there is the drama with the half demons who can turn humans by biting them. Demi-Demons with werewolf abilities and vampirey desires. And then there is the small matter of Hell’s war on Heaven and the Apocalypse.

The story ends with the lines between the worlds erased; there is no Heaven or Hell, just an impending war on Earth.

It took me about the first 30% of the book to get into it. Nothing is black and white, just various shades of grey, various shades of right and wrong. There was one section near the end that frustrated the bajesus out of me, Michael and Pen are having a deep and meaningful when they’re about to get attacked. I was screaming in my head at them to “SHUT UP AND FLY AWAY NOW talk lovey dovey later”. So yeah I got into the story in the end.

I give it 4 stars. This novel is available now.

I’ve gone out and pre-purchased the 2^nd book Incite, it’s released on the 17^thFeb. The next book should be exciting, seeing what becomes of all the angels and demons stranded on earth. Michael regaining his memory of his previous life and Az being sent out to kill Pen and Michael on Lucifers orders. It’s written from duel POV, so as well as seeing into Pen’s Mind we see into Az. I didn’t like Az so it’ll be interesting to see how I find being in his head.

My tag line for this book; An action packed love story between a demon that’s not pure evil and an angel that’s not pure goodness