REVIEW: Undad

Undad
Authors/Artists: Shane W. Smith, Diego & Andrea Lopez Mata, Joseph Canave

Brett Buckley deals with dad-stuff.....kids, work, his marriage, responsibility...it all comes with the territory. Then, a chance meeting with a strange homeless man changes everything. One bite from the stranger makes Brett...different. He goes from being a strict vegetarian to craving meat. He has wickedly violent dreams. He eats his son's hamster.

How do you tell your family that you're a zombie? And how do you deal with being so.....hungry?

I love a good zombie story, and when I saw the title to this graphic novel .... Undad .... I knew I had to read it!

I loved the story. Brett goes through hell trying to figure out what has happened to him, how to gain control of himself, and how to tell his family he's undead.

This project was originally funded by Kickstarter, which I find supremely cool. I'm always excited about supporting creative indie projects. It was evident that the artwork was mostly digital and that several artists worked on the project. The art style changed between chapters. But....that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story. Some of the art was excellent....some less so. But overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel. I'm definitely on-board for Undad Volume 2. I need to know what happens next! :)

Fun read! I did feel a bit sorry for the hamster though..... 

**I voluntarily read a free copy of this graphic novel provided by the author. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No zombies -- or hamsters -- were harmed in the writing of this review. My dogs protest the fact that the hamster eating was initially blamed on the dog. :) **

REVIEW: Extinction of All Children series

Extinction of All Children series
L.J. Epps

Craigluy is a world divided according to class. Lower, middle and upper classes are separated and live totally different lives. In Territory L, Emma Whisperer is the last child to turn 18. The last baby to grow up. Lower class citizens have been deemed irresponsible and are no longer allowed to have children. Anyone who comes up pregnant is arrested, forced to bear the child and watch as the baby is taken away to be killed. It is a brutal world to live in. Those in Territory M and Territory U have other options, but President Esther controls all aspects of society no matter which class. Emma Whisperer....the last child....wants to change everything. She wants everyone to live together again...for people to be free.

The Extinction of all Children series is a trilogy. Book one introduces Emma and centers around Territory L. The storyline moves from L to the middle class area and on to the upperclass walled-in territory in the final book. I enjoyed how the characters developed throughout this series. Emma knows in the first book that she wants to see President Esther's policies destroyed...to remove the segregation from the people of Craigluy. Over the 3 books, Emma and the followers/supporters she gathers go from dreaming of freedom to actually fighting to try and make it happen. President Esther is a worthy, tricky adversary. She is wiley and wise. I found myself not able to totally hate her. Down at her very core, there is some good....at one point she actually had the best interests of the people at heart. But it got twisted inside her mind. Absolute power really does corrupt.

All in all this series is a very enjoyable read. I found the premise a bit unrealistic, but the story for me was enjoyable enough to override my sense of realism. The charcters are nicely developed over the 3 parts of the story. There is a lot of action, and the story moves along at a nice pace. There is plenty of suspense and some nice twists in the tale.

Enjoyable read! Nothing inappropriate for older teenagers, but be aware that there is discussion of abuse, death, imprisonment, murder, infanticide, torture, violence and other topics that may require a trigger warning for some students/adults reading this series.

**I voluntarily read review copies of the three books in this series by L. J.  Epps via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Witchiest Circus on Earth

Witchiest Circus on Earth
Author: Leanne Leeds

The Magical Midway is a circus. Not just any old carnival attraction, but a magical, travelling circus. Instead of trained animals and human performers, it's filled with paranormal creatures of all sorts. Charlotte Astley gets to spend one week every year visiting her Uncle Phil, ringmaster at the Magical Midway. Until he's murdered. Then Charlotte finds herself immersed in the world of paranormals, trying to investigate her uncle's death.

What a fun paranormal cozy mystery! I like the idea of a circus that isn't filled with caged, trained animals, but awesome paranormal creatures who truly love being part of the circus. Finally, a circus I can enjoy, without feeling angry or guilty because animals are being mistreated!

Charlotte makes a great main character. She hasn't got a clue how to run a paranormal circus, but she's willing to learn on the fly. My favorite character hands down is her familiar, Samson. He's a special black cat with plenty of magical cattitude!

I liked the plot of this first book in the Magical Midway series. Nice mix of humor, paranormal, and circus excitement, sprinkled with a little bit of mystery. I'm definitely going to keep reading this series! 10 books are planned. Five have been released so far, with a new book coming out soon. I'm moving on to book two, Life on the Lion. Can't wait to see what's in store next for the Magical Midway!

**I voluntarily downloaded a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: The Diviners

The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray

New York City. 1926. Ziegield Girls. Speakeasies. Jazz. And.....supernatural evil.

I am officially a huge Libba Bray fan. After thoroughly loving Beauty Queens, I decided to try her Diviners series. Oh. My. God. I loved this first book! The setting is awesome! The plot is dark and disturbing. And the characters are fun and quirky, with plenty of hidden secrets to go with the plot. And the villain.....a total scary creep!

Naughty John. Naughty John. Does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones. Sells em off for a coupla stones.

Yikes! :)

I listened to the audio book version of this story. January LaVoy narrates. She does a superb job of acting. This was one of the best audio books I have ever listened to. She does great voices for all the characters and even sings. Great performance! I have the second audio book in the series, Lair of Dreams, checked out from the library and ready to go!

There are 3 books in this series so far, with the final book tentatively scheduled to release in spring 2020.

I read online that the story has been optioned for a movie, but I haven't seen anything about it actually being in production. I hope they make a film! I would definitely watch a movie version!

And yes, I used many exclamation points in this review. I really liked the book :)   !!!  There's a couple extra ones just for S&G. :)

REVIEW: This Is Halloween

This is Halloween
James A. Moore

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love Fall, costume parties, candy, caramel apples, pumpkins, black cats......but I especially love scary stories! Ghosts, ghouls and all things that go bump in the night! This story anthology caught my eye as I was trolling Kindle Unlimited looking for something scary to read. The cover art caught my eye immediately....so awesome!

This Is Halloween gathers 10 deliciously creepy and bizarre Halloween tales. From the dangers of trick or treating to the threat of wicked secret traditions, the stories are varied and very creepy. My two favorites are: Harvest Moon...the tale of a small town with a strange annual tradition, and The Walker Place...sometimes the scariest house in town is vacant for a very good reason!

The stories are all well-written. I enjoyed all 10 of them. This anthology was perfect for giving me a bit of Fall fright, even in the off-season. :)

This is the first book by James A. Moore that I have read. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author. He has a nice long list of published books in horror, sci-fi and fantasty genres including The Haunted Forest Tour, Under the Overtree, and the Serenity Falls series.

REVIEW: The Editor

The Editor
Author: Steven Rowley

James Smale has finally sold his book to a publisher. When he arrives at the publisher's office in New York, he is shocked to discover the editor who wants to publish his book is none other than former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As he progresses down the road towards publication, James has trouble finishing his story. The book is semi-autobiographical and could cause problems in his already tenuous relationships with his family and partner. He forms an unexpected friendship with Onassis, who helps him not only with the ending for his book but with his life.

Lovely book! This story sucked me right in at the start with Smale's shocked first meeting with his editor. The poor man was absolutely gobsmacked that he was in the same room with Jackie O. Turns out her wisdom would do more for Smale's life than a published book.....

This is the first book by Steven Rowley that I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author! I've had Lily and the Octopus on my bookshelf for quite awhile. I think it's time to move it to the top of the TBR stack and start reading! Rowley tells this story with the sweetest mix of humor, wisdom, and wit. Just a lovely story!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Penguin via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: The Loch Ness Papers

The Loch Ness Papers
Author: Paige Shelton

The Loch Ness Papers is the 4th book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series. I enjoy this cozy series. It has a nice mix of humor and mystery. The setting is awesome and the characters are fun and quirky. This time around, book enthusiast and seller Delaney Nichols meets and befriends an elderly man who is a local expert on the Loch Ness Monster. Norval Fraser is obsessed with the monster. and has been researching it for decades since the disappearance of his father. Norval firmly believes Nessie took his father. When the old man becomes a suspect in the murder of his great-nephew, Delaney steps in to help prove his innocence.

This book is a fun read. I love the fact that the Loch Ness Monster figures into the story. Who doesn't love Nessie? Norval is an interesting character. I found myself wondering as much about his notes and information on Nessie as I did about the murder mystery. Wouldn't it be so cool to read through someone's notes and observations on a cryptozoological mystery as famous as Nessie?

I enjoyed the plot. The mystery moved along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and sleuthing. Although the ending wasn't a big surprise for me, I liked this story from start to finish. I will definitely be reading more of this series. I love the characters and the setting.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**