In my attempt to get caught up on reviews before the end of the year (Yes, I know 2016 is just a few days away!), today I'm featuring five comic books that were published between 2014-2015.


Book Description: Vampirella, the beautiful and bloodthirsty heroine, travels to Mississippi to help an old flame solve the mystery of his murdered fiancee... a woman who appears to have died thirty-seven times before.

Burdened by a mystical wound that will not heal, can Vampi hack through racist demons, evade corrupt lawmen, and solve this strange Southern mystery... or will the man she once loved sacrifice his soul to get the answers instead?

Final Thoughts: Similar to other comic book characters, Vampirella has received several makeovers since her debut in 1969. Here, Diamond Book Distributors have rebooted the character once again, where Vampirella travels to the south to help solve a few mysteries. By the cover one would think this was a straight up horror story, but actually there is quite a bit of humor throughout each tale. The illustrations are nicely done, adding a bit more fun to the stories. Overall, I enjoyed the new Vampirella and I recommend it to others.

Book Description: A young boxer, Salvador, refuses to take a fall, but has no problem taking a vicious drug gang’s pay-off. When they take their lethal revenge on Salvador and his family, he returns as THE CROW, in search of vengeance… and forgiveness.

Final Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of the 1994 film version of The Crow featuring the late Brandon Lee. I've never been interested in reading the original comic books, though I did read one paperback tie-in when I was a teenager.

The Crow: Pestilence tells the story of a brand new character, Salvador, a boxer who is killed and is resurrected as The Crow to seek revenge.

While the overall revenge plot is a little stale, the dark illustrations make up for it. In the end, it wasn't a bad read.

Book Description: They’re finally here! Welcome Bullwinkle the Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel back to comics in these four great tales, "The Psychic Sidekick," “The Washed-Up Wizard," “First Moose on the Moon,” and “The Burger Monster.”

Plus, four back-up stories featuring everybody's favorite mountie, Dudley Do-Right.

Retail: $7.99: Pages 560

Anyway, after I finished reading the Dollanganger series, I read My Sweet Audrina, which was the only published standalone (originally published in 1982) by V.C. Andrews before her death in 1986, and it became one of her most popular titles. The novel has been adapted into a two hour (90-minutes without commercials) that will air on LIFETIME on Saturday, January 9, 2016! To tie-in with the movie's premiere, Pocket Books is re-releasing My Sweet Audrina (ISBN: 978-1501138843) to paperback with all new cover art. There is also a sneak peak at the upcoming sequel, Whitefern, scheduled to be published in July.

I don't reread very many books, but I was definitely wanting to read My Sweet Audrina before the LIFETIME movie premieres as I only recall bits and pieces from the novel. Luckily, I didn't have to hunt down my old hardback copy as Pocket Books nicely sent me an advanced copy of the re-release.

My Sweet Audrina chronicles the life of Audrina Adare from age seven to adulthood. Unlike other girls her age, she isn't allowed to attend school, though her coldblooded cousin Vera is allowed to go school. She spends her days at the Whitefern mansion with her mother, Lucietta and her aunt Ellsbeth (Vera's mother). When her father, Damian, isn't working, he makes her sit in the rocking chair in her deceased older sister's playroom (her name was Audrina too), so she can try to receive the "first and best" Audrina's gifts.

The original Audrina died nine-years before the second Audrina was born, which resulted in Audrina (the second) being shutoff from the outside world. She isn't allowed to have any friends or venture off into the woods (where the older Audrina was raped and murdered). While one would think that Vera would be her best friend, that isn't the case as Vera is extremely hateful to her; constantly jealous of the attention Damian gives Audrina.

Despite Audrina's short-term memory problems, she is well aware to stay away from the woods, but she eventually goes beyond Whitefern, so she can get a look at the teenage boy, Arden Lowe, and his mother, Billie, whom live in a small groundskeeper cottage on her family's property. One glance at Audrina's chameleon hair and Arden was in love with her. The two start out as just friends, but eventually end up getting married when Audrina became of age.

Retail: $29.96; 132 Mins; Not Rated

Special Features include:

The Making of Bone Tomahawk
Deleted Scenes
Image Gallery
Fantastic Fest Q&A with Director and Cast

Set in the 1890s, the film begins with two thieving murders,  Purvis (played by David Arquette) and Buddy (played by Sid Haig), disturbing a burial site, well, that is until they are suddenly ambushed by a group of cannibals. Purvis barely escapes them and makes his way to the small of town of Bright Hope, where he is shot in the leg by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (played by Kurt Russell).

You can't have a criminal bleed to death, so Sheriff Hunt brings in Samantha O'Dwyer (played by Lili Simmons), a young woman who assists the local doctor (the town's drunk) from the time to time, to remove the bullet from the drifter's leg. The sheriff turns in for the night and leaves his deputy with Samantha who is still tending to the Purvis. The next morning, all three are missing from the sheriff's office and the only thing left behind is a single arrow.

Finding an arrow is a bit odd as there are no Indians in their area, so Sheriff Hunt seeks help from the town's only Native American, "The Professor" (played by Zahn McClarnon), who informs about a group of cannibal cave dwellers, known as the "Troglodytes."

Sheriff Hunt enlists his backup deputy, Chicory (played by Richard Jenkins), the womanizer John Brooder (played by Matthew Fox) and Samantha's husband, Arthur (played by Patrick Wilson), who happens to already have a broken leg, to help locate the caves where the cannibals live, and hopefully be able save the captives.

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 @ Silver's Reviews!

What is your preferred format for reviews? Do you tell the story or do you focus on characters and the reason someone would like the review?

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: 

  I start out by giving a brief synopsis and then I give my opinion (plot, characters, etc.) about the book.

ASIN: B00L6MFXWG; 375 pages

If you haven't noticed, the vampire & werewolf craze in the YA fiction market has finally started to wind down, but it has been replaced with a new fad - dystopian post-apocalyptic worlds; with the two most popular franchises being The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series.

I haven't read very many dystopian novels, except for the first Hunger Games and the City of Ember series. I have nothing against the books in this genre, but it's just not something that I want to read very often.

By now you might be wondering why in the world would I be reviewing The V Girl, which is obviously set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future. Well, for starters, I was intrigued by the cover art; plus, the synopsis sounded like a different than what I typically read, so I thought I would at least give it a try.

Set in the post-apocalyptic North America, rape and sexual slavery are now legal. The heroine of this tale is Lila Velez, a teenager living in Starville with her family. Like other girls her age, she's dreading being drafted into the Patriots vs. Nats war that's taking place outside of the city. If you're not married by time of your eighteenth birthday, then you become a solider. If Lila goes off to war, she's most likely to be raped and that's not how she wants to lose her virginity.

Book Description:

After losing her fiancé in a tragic accident, Veronica Fisher finds solace in the old recipes stored in her mother’s hope chest—and in a special visitor who comes to her bake stand to purchase her old-fashioned raspberry pies.

Veronica Fisher knows how lucky she is to be marrying her best friend. Seth Lapp is kind, hardworking, and handsome—but most importantly, he loves Veronica.

When an accident on the job steals Seth away from her, a heartbroken Veronica is certain she will never love—or be loved—again. Yet when she discovers a batch of forgotten recipes and opens a bake stand to sell her Mammi’s raspberry pies, Veronica picks up a regular customer who gives her heart pause.

Jason Huyard was with Seth when he lost his life—a memory that haunts him still. So when he seeks out the grieving fiancée to convey his condolences, the last thing he expects—or wants—is to fall in love. Nonetheless, Jason soon finds himself visiting Veronica’s bake stand every week . . . and it’s for more than the raspberry pies.

Now, as Veronica’s heart thaws, Jason can’t bring himself to tell her he was there when Seth died. Can he ever reveal where he was on the day her life derailed? Or will his secret rob them of the second chance at love they both want?

About the Author:

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at www.amyclipston.com Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston 


Billy's Thoughts: