Nerdy Werewolf

Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by Forthright . My rating: 4 of 5 stars “I don’t understand.” “Which part, miss?” Tsumiko would have thought it obvious. “How can I inherit a person?” So, this was a really interesting book. I'll start with saying that despite certain misgivings, I'm interested in finding out what happens next in this well-painted world. Firstly, the heroine was a little tricky. She's this 20-year-old girl, right? Everyone assumes she's young-minded and naive, but she's inquisitive to the extreme and generally makes sound, thought-out decisions. There is still a certain amount of wide-eyed youth, but it's as if she's got what's called an "old soul"? The antagonist/hero of the story is introduced as a very wizened, curmudgeonly fellow with an ethereal type of youthfulness in appearance. He's also a Fox in the Japanese-folklore type of way, so he's a trickster on top of everything else. So, therein lies my scru...

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge by Geoff Johns My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Good work, Poozers. Ya deserve a donut for that." Ah, man. So I was reading through the Geoff Johns Green Lantern run, right? That story revolves mostly around Hal Jordan and a bit of the Corps. For whatever reason, I kind of overlooked this series which ran around the same time. My goal is to read both up to the Blackest Night/Brightest Day storyline. I'm so glad I went back to these. I just love space stories where the majority of characters are mostly aliens that look weird and awesome. Kilowog and Guy continue to be favorites. I also really like Isamot (the dinosaur-looking dude) . In all seriousness, though, why does it always have to be giant spiders??? Can't wait to carry on the adventures of the GL Corps and watch them rebuild! View all my reviews

Vicious by V.E. Schwab My rating: 5 of 5 stars "But these words people threw around—humans, monsters, heroes, villains—to Victor it was all just a matter of semantics. Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them." Damn, damn... DAMN . This was a wicked-cool book. I went into this with the idea that it was "a dark superhero story." It is, but it's also so much more. What if you suspected that people with super-human powers actually existed? What if you were in college and decided to try to prove it as your thesis? What if you figured out how to create the correct circumstances to become ExtraOrdinary ? What if you and your best friend decided to try it out? What if you were both sociopaths? Interested now? This turned out to be as much of an Urban Fantasy as a study of psychology. It was also effortless and entertaining to read. There are many singular ...

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