Thursday, March 7, 2013

Review - Grave Consequences

Grave Consequences
The Grand Tour Series
By Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher: David Cook
Pub. Date: March 1. 2013
ISBN: 978-1434764324
ASIN: B00B4KPN8E
Pages: 448
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/i8ZWs
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/lbegren

Review:

A majority of the romance sequels I read are about a different character in the same town as the first book or has a similar plot. I was happy to learn that the sequel to 2012's Glamorous Illusions titled Grave Consequences features the return of Cora Kensington as she continues the Grand Tour with her newfound siblings. Their father, Mr. Kensington, eventually joins them as he fear there may be danger ahead of them.

Cora's romance with the tour guide, Will, has several obstacles ahead of them as her father doesn't want her to be involved with someone that is from a poorer class. He demands that she will date and marry a man of his choosing, presumably someone who is rich. She wants to make her own decisions on whom she is suppose to love, but her father’s health is failing and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.

Will is the love of her life, but he get himself kidnapped, jeopardizing his future with Cora.

DVD Review - Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Volume 2

Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors - Volume 2
Voice Cast:  Darrin Baker, Len Carlson, Luba Goy, Charles Jolliffe, Valerie Politis, Dan Hennessey, Guilio Kukurugya
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: February 19, 2013
ASIN: B00AQ590KU
Running Time: 729 Minutes
Rated: TVY7

Review:

I'm a big cartoon fan of anything from the 1980s and I was more than excited when I signed up to review Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Volume 2 courtesy in exchange for my honest review. The series aired in 1985 for one season consisting of only sixty-five episodes (the standard life-time of an average kid's show). It was based on the line of Mattel toys.

The series used the 'good vs evil' plot. Jayce's father, Audric a botanist, created a miracle crop that could grow in any environment, but things go horribly wrong when a solar flare sends a burst of radiation causing his plants to mutate. The first plant is known as Saw Boss and the others are his Monster Minds. The plants are evil creatures who can transform into vehicles. Only a magic root can stop them. Audric has half of the root and his son, Jayce has the other half. Every episode has Jayce, along with the wizard Gillian, the telepathic Flora, the squire Oon and the pilot Herc Stormsailor (a rip-off of Han Solo from Star Wars), traveling to planet to planet searching for his father, but of course Saw Boss sends his Monster Minds after them.

The thirty-three episodes on volume 2 are:

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Interview with author Kathleen S. Allen


What or whom inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. I began writing poetry in the first grade and self-published my first book of poetry. Okay, I paper punched holes in notebook paper, make a construction paper book jacket and copied my poems in my best printing. I tied it all together with a red ribbon. I’ve been writing ever since.

What types of books do you read?

Mysteries, Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy What well-known authors do you admire most? JK Rowling, Anne McCaffrey, Lois Lowry, Maria V. Synder, Veronica Roth to name a few.

What were your writing habits while writing War of Fei? I write early in the morning before my day job and then again after I get home. I try and write every day. My writing goal is 2,000 words a day. I don’t always achieve it but I get close.

 How did you come up with the plot?

The plot is a continuation of LORE OF FEI, the faeries are battling the humans to recover their land.

What is your favorite part in War of Fei?

The part where Ariela learns to shoot a medieval long bow. I’ve always admired archers and she has an inate sense when it comes to archery.

What was the hardest part to write?

Review - Bad Apple


“You tell and next time you won’t even be able to crawl away.”

Neal Marchal lived with this threat for the next eight years. When she finds her neighbor murdered, she knows who did it. The why is the secret the family has been keeping forever. The reminder to never reveal the secret is her limp.

She rebuilt her life and now Neal has everything to live for—music, performing and a growing affection for the young man who pulled her to safety.

Then Joe comes home. Neal knows Joe’s going to finish what he started 8 years ago because she told. But this time Neal vows the outcome will be different.

Final Thoughts

Typically, a young adult novel involves vampires, werewolves, witches, or sometimes all of them. I pleasantly surprise to find out that Bad Apple ignores the overused supernatural plots (though I do like to occasionally read them) as the author chose to use a more realistic plot.

The main character is teenager girl named Neal who has had a troubled life starting with the death of her when she was a small child and later with the death of her father. She stayed with her new family consisting of her step-mother, Liza Janie, who can't hold a job. Her step-brothers, Joe and Toby, did nothing but torment Neal. Her life takes an unexpected twisted turn when she finds the body of her best-friend Paul. The authorities soon announce that Paul was murdered. Who would kill Paul?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Monday Morning Madness #8: My Final Thoughts on the Twilight Saga


If you read my post last year about the Twilight film saga, then you would understand my dislike for the series. I recall reading the first book by Stephanie Meyer when it originally came out in paperback. I didn't have much of a opinion of it, besides it was a rip-off of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel romance, and I ended up tossing it on the bookshelf to collect dust. I only dragged it out again when I heard about the first movie. And, yes, I bought each book when they were released, but I have never opened them yet, if ever.

I'm a vampire fan, so I naturally, or stupidly, have bought each overrated movie on DVD. This led me to buy Breaking Dawn part 2 on Saturday. I wasn't feeling well that night, so I figured I would just fall asleep during it, but surprisingly I stayed awake through the whole 116 minutes.

It picks up almost directly from part 1, where Bella has been turned into a vampire after giving birth to the half human half vampire, Renesmee, which the werewolf, Jacob, has claimed as his mate. The daughter begins a huge growth spurt. The Volturi becomes aware of her existence, which happens to be a bad thing since hybrids are not allowed to live. The Cullens gather their long-distant family members and friends to be a witness to what Renesmee actually is. Everything leads to the final confrontation between the Cullens and the Volturis.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Book Blogger Hop: March 1st - 7th

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!


Grab the Button!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

You're going on a long train ride. What books will you bring to read?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).

3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Review - Tomb of The Ten Thousand Dead

Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead
By: L. Ron Hubbard
Director: Jim Meskimen
Voice Cast: Josh Robert Thompson, R.F. Daley, Ralph Lister, Jim Meskimen, Joey Naber, Noelle North, Enn Reitel, Fred Tatasciore and Michael Yurchak.
Studio: Galaxy Press
Release Date: June 21, 2011
ISBN: 978-1592123230
APPROX. 2 hours

Review:

I've never listened to an audiobook until I started reviewing the Stories from the Golden Age from Galaxy Press. Each audiobook is based on the short stories by the late author L. Ron Hubbard, consisting of one or more great adventure tales that were written back in the 1930s and 1940s, or otherwise known as the Golden Years when these types of stories were published in Pulp fiction magazines. Galaxy Press has been kind of enough to send me a free copy of the award-winning Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead in exchange for my honest review.

Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead was originally published in the October 1936 issue of Thrilling Adventures and it takes place in Pakistan where a pilot Captain Gordon has been hired to fly a team of American anthropologists to the arid mountain region. The excitement begins when they discover an ancient map inside an old pottery jar. The map is supposed to lead you to the lost treasures of Baluchistan that Alexander the Great was bringing from India to Greece. Legend has it that his 10,000 soldiers' remains lay buried in the dessert near the tomb that hides the treasure. The anthropologists want the treasure for themselves. They will even murder someone for it. Now, Gordon is stuck in an unwanted expedition, where he will fight to save his life.

This audiobook contains two more stories, Price of a Hat and Starch and Stripes.