Nerdy Werewolf

Zodiac Starforce Volume 1: By the Power of Astra by Kevin Panetta My rating: 2 of 5 stars Kim: "Why couldn't it have been something cool, like a Sasquatch or a Chupacabra or something?" Molly: "Maybe next time we're outnumbered and about to be killed , it will be by a more obscure monster..." So, mixed feelings... On one hand, the art is a treasure. It's vibrant and expressive and it flows and the color-schemes are completely appropriate. Just beautiful. Paulina Ganucheau is responsible for the cover as well as all the panel-art. I love finding new artists to watch! However , I've read/watched this story before. The premise is similar to a Sailor Moon/She-Ra/Steven Universe -type-thing. These girls (high-school/college-age) have been gifted with powers from a goddess so they can stop this evil lady named Cimmeria that they had banished to another dimension a couple of years earlier before falling out of touch. It's not bad, and I

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews My rating: 4 of 5 stars "My imagination painted a huge brawl in the ballroom and Her Grace quietly sneaking off with a bloody body." What an astonishingly well-done follow-up. The first book gave me just enough to leave me wondering what would happen next to each of the characters and this story followed through with answering just enough to still leave me wanting more, while also planting some new seeds in my ever-questing brain-space. Dina is such an excellent heroine. She talks herself down before getting worked up almost every time someone or something gets to her. Watching her thoughts versus her outward reactions makes her so damn relatable! Orro is my new favorite character. He's a diva in the very best sense and I loved him from the moment he was introduced. I also quite enjoyed learning about the three cultures introduced here and you know who else was a standout character? Gertrude Hunt. Well done. Her Grace... wh

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews My rating: 3 of 5 stars "My magic rolled from me in a powerful wave. The inn creaked in alarm. Nice going. I was scaring the house." Overall, this book was very, very good. It definitely has the potential to grow into an un-put-downable series. While I was reading it, I was hooked, but not completely sold. It wasn't until after I'd finished it and started thinking about all of the ( new! ) concepts introduced that I got really excited about reading the next one. The heroine, Dina, is not your typical ass-kicking queen, but rather a very down-to-earth (heh) , rational, normal, adult woman. Except for the magic, or...science or...stuff. You'll just have to read it. I'm not giving anything away! I'll leave you with this. It has introduced several species of supernatural creatures (werewolves, vampires) in a refreshingly different way with mythologies that are surprising and new. It's given me at least four chara

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Each one of you has something to hide. Come now, am I right?” You know what I recommend? Reading an Agatha Christie novel, but only every once in a while. I can see how people would rate this lower if they'd been on a murder-mystery binge and could see the whole thing coming together from the start. However, having been reading about monsters and superheroes lately, this book knocked me off my feet. It was a lovely, quirky little mystery in which (like most Christie mysteries) almost every character could be a suspect in some way. Told from the perspective of the neighbor the "retired" Poirot has just moved1in next to, it was fun to be able to play the Watson to his Holmes throughout this particular story. I was delighted with the outcome! View all my reviews

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs My rating: 4 of 5 stars "I was on my third set of clothes today and it wasn’t even noon. I’d like to say it was a record, but it wasn’t even close." Perspective is everything, isn't it? I have no idea how I would feel about this story if I wasn't so in love with the world and the characters already? I'm good with that. This one was primarily about witches, zombies and goblins-which is AWESOME. We're already in a world with established ghosts, mythological creatures, fae and werewolves. So, yes, more, please! Mercy is one of those main characters that you just know you'd love if you met her in real life. She's not full of herself, but she's confident. She's not mean, but she can hold her own ground. She thinks of others first, but doesn't always make the right decisions. She's really easy to relate to. It doesn't hurt that her established relationship doesn't take away from the stor