Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Review - The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand



Though they were small, my local libraries were my best-friends when I was a kid. My love of reading has continued into my 30s, and of course when I saw a book titled The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand, I eagerly signed up to review it on NetGalley.

This fantasy adventure centers on a young girl named Dorrie, who happens to love sword-fighting. Lets just say life is never boring for young Dorrie, who, along with her brother, Marcus, stumble into the Passaic Public Library. This isn't a regular library, as there is another library hidden within it. There is a magical portal that is the entryway to the Petrarch's Library.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

ARC Review - The Girl Who Played with Fire: A Graphic Novel



The Girl Who Played with Fire: A Graphic Novel
by Denise Mina
Illustrators: Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Pub. Date: June 3, 2014
Retail: $29.99
ISBN: 9781401237578
Pages: 272

Review

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the graphic novel adaption based on the late Stieg Larsson's second installment in the Millennium series. All three books have been adapted into feature films in Sweden; while the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was adapted into a feature film in the United States in 2011, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

After the events of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, mysteriously disappeared from Sweden. Her state legal guardian, Nils Bjurman, (who had raped her and in turn she sexually assaults him and then tattoos the words "rapist" on his chest and stomach) is searching for her, mainly because she is in possession of the videotape she had recorded of him abusing her.

Lisabeth is actually taking a long vacation on the Caribbean shores of Grenada, where she meets an American tourist, Dr Forbes, and his wife, whom he has been abusing. Lisabeth quickly gets involve with the situation.

ARC Review - Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell


 

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
by Paul Dini
Illustrator: Joe Quinones 
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub. Date: May 27, 2014
Retail: $22.99
ISBN: 9781401210540
Pages: 144

Review:

The DC Comics Universe is full of a variety of male superheroes, but there are also many female superhero characters as well, including Superwoman, Batgirl, Supergirl, etc.. And of course, many of you have probably heard of the character Black Canary that has been appearing on the CW's Arrow this season. In the series, Black Canary's real identity is Sara Lance, while in the comic book it was her sister, Dinah Laurel Lance; though I do have a feeling that Dinah will become Black Canary 2.0 in near future.

The character was first introduced in 1947 and she is normally paired up with the Green Arrow; as you can imagine the character has had many different makeovers over the years, with the most recent occurring in the New 52 reboot. Another character that got a makeover was Zatanna, who first appeared in the DC Comic Universe in 1964. Both of these ionic characters are teaming up for the upcoming graphic novel, titled Black Canary and Zatanna: Boodspell.

Besides from watching Black Canary on Arrow, I'm not to familiar with the character; and I've never even heard of Zatanna before reading the digital graphic novel this morning, which I received from NetGalley. Unlike a few recent DC Comics graphic releases, this isn't a combination of past issues, but instead it is a one-shot, 144 pages issue; giving the readers a glance into the origin of how these two female characters first met.

ARC Review - Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted


Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted
by Gail Simone
Illustrators:
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub. Date: May 27, 2014
Retail: $24.99
ISBN: 9781401246297
Pages: 192

Review:

Comic books may seem like the thing of the past, but thanks to a surge of superhero blockbusters and hit television series (Arrow), not to mention reality TV (Comic Book Men), comic books are starting to become popular again. Publishers have finally entered modern times with digital comic books. 

In the comic book world, superheroes never age, as the comics eventually get rebooted, giving franchises a brand new start. This is exactly what happened with DC Comics with the launch of their New 52 line in 2011, including everything Batman related.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to review an advanced digital copy of Batgirl Vol. 4: Wanted, which consists of issues #19-25, as well as Ventriliquist #1.

Being a superhero has its ups and downs, and Barbara Gordon has hit the lowest-part of her crime-fighting career with the recent death of her brother, which her alter ego, Batgirl, had a part in his death. She is a complete mess and she has even turn to drinking to try to help with the pain. Nothing seems to help her do deal with what has occurred, even visiting a shrink isn't helping her. To make matter worse, her father, Commissioner Gordon, has a personal vendetta to hunt down his son's killer, Batgirl.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Review: Amity by Micol Ostow


Probably almost everyone has heard about the famous so-called haunted house in Amityville, New York, where the Lutz family fled from their house after living there only 28 days in the middle 1970s. They claimed the house was haunted. In 1977, their experiences inside the 112 Ocean Avenue house was chronicled in the best-selling novel, titledThe Amityville Horror. Several non-fiction book sequel were later published, along with a few fiction titles as well. Ten film sequels were made, including a prequel and a remake. Another sequel is being filmed for 2015.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got my hands on an advanced readers copy of the new horror book, Amity, written by Micol Ostow. Now, I have read the original 1977 novel and I have seen all the movies, even the really low-budget ones, so naturally I was excited to read the new young adult take on the familiar storyline.

Amity is told from the point-of-view of two teens, but with a little twist, they are from different time-lines. Connor Webb's story takes place ten years before Gwendolyn (Gwen) Hall and her family moves into the house.

The book flips back and forth from the two teenagers' narrations, giving us readers a first-hand account of the dark madness that is hidden inside Amity!

Friday, April 25, 2014

DVD Review - Godzilla: The Complete Animated Series



Godzilla: The Complete Animated Series
Voice Cast: Ian Ziering, Brigitte Bako, Rino Romano, Charity James, Malcolm Danare, Tom Kenny
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00I099JZK
Running Time: 14 hours 14 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

Review: 

Monster fans are patiently waiting for the release of the remake of Godzilla, but until then they can't get sink their teeth into Mill Creek Entertainment's DVD release of Godzilla: The Complete Animated Series.

No, this isn't the 1978 Hanna-Barbera cartoon, but instead this is the 1998 animated series, which servers as a direct followup to the 1998 Godzilla flick that started Matthew Broderick. The film was a box-office hit at the time, but Godzilla's new look was criticized by critics and Godzilla fans alike. Nevertheless, the movie still spawned an animated series that lasted for only two seasons consisting of 40 episodes.

Picking up exactly where the 1998 film left off, Godzilla has been destroyed, but Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (voiced by Ian Ziering) is worried that a few of the creature's offspring has survived. Along with the Humanitarian Environmental Analysis Team (H.E.A.T.), Dr. Tatopoulos locates the last offspring, which the creature becomes emotionally attached to him. Nick becomes sorta like a adopted father to the new Godzilla.

Suddenly, there are strange giant monster reports all over the world. The only weapon that can protect Earth is Godzilla!

Book Blogger Hop: April 25th - May 1st

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth!

 

Do you answer the Book Blogger Hop questions in advance and have them scheduled or do you write your post the night before or the day of the Book Blogger Hop?

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.
  

My Answer: 

Typically, I setup the Book Blogger Hop either on a Wednesday or Thursday night for the current week. When I have some extra time, I'm going to schedule as many weeks as possible.


Linky List: