After swearing off televised specials (b/c of the fiasco that the last one was in No Humans Involved), she gets roped into doing 3.5 stars
Poor Jaime.
After swearing off televised specials (b/c of the fiasco that the last one was in No Humans Involved), she gets roped into doing another one, but hopes to mitigate the potential fallout by including very specific demands in her contract.
Alas, she is thwarted . . .
SO. Apparently there are lots of WotO fans who hate Jaime. I'm not one of them. If you are, you might want to skip this one, but if you're on the fence . . . it might help you understand her a bit better. It offers insight into her and Jeremy's relationship, specifically, his influence helping her save the self-deprecation for the Hollywood types, which in turn explains why she does it all.
Beyond that, it was creeptastic. Seriously. Ghosts are never my thing, but this time . . . like I said, CREEPY.
Definitely worth a shot for the die-hard fan.
SIDENOTE: there are illustrations in a lot of Armstrong's novellas, and I've mostly found them to be . . . distracting. Not this time. Ever since I binge watched Bitten on Netflix, I haven't been able to get passed how creeped out I was by the actor playing Jeremy. While I found the sexy times to be a bit awkward, I definitely appreciated the pic of a very non-creeptacular Jeremy--it helped me break out of the mindset.
Merged review:
3.5 stars
Poor Jaime.
After swearing off televised specials (b/c of the fiasco that the last one was in No Humans Involved), she gets roped into doing another one, but hopes to mitigate the potential fallout by including very specific demands in her contract.
Alas, she is thwarted . . .
SO. Apparently there are lots of WotO fans who hate Jaime. I'm not one of them. If you are, you might want to skip this one, but if you're on the fence . . . it might help you understand her a bit better. It offers insight into her and Jeremy's relationship, specifically, his influence helping her save the self-deprecation for the Hollywood types, which in turn explains why she does it all.
Beyond that, it was creeptastic. Seriously. Ghosts are never my thing, but this time . . . like I said, CREEPY.
Definitely worth a shot for the die-hard fan.
SIDENOTE: there are illustrations in a lot of Armstrong's novellas, and I've mostly found them to be . . . distracting. Not this time. Ever since I binge watched Bitten on Netflix, I haven't been able to get passed how creeped out I was by the actor playing Jeremy. While I found the sexy times to be a bit awkward, I definitely appreciated the pic of a very non-creeptacular Jeremy--it helped me break out of the mindset....more
This is going to be a nontraditional review. Kind of. I posted it on Rabid Reads as a Bookfessional on RAGE Buttons, but while I discuss another iThis is going to be a nontraditional review. Kind of. I posted it on Rabid Reads as a Bookfessional on RAGE Buttons, but while I discuss another instance of inappropriate behavior between children and adults in fiction, my review for this book is solidly in there as well.
If you don't like it, don't read it.
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Several years ago there was public outcry against Karen Marie Moning when she rehired a registered sex offender to narrate the role of Barrons in the audiobook version of the (then) latest installment of her Fever series.
I too was disgusted, but I didn't understand the shock a lot of her long-term fans were demonstrating . . . How is it surprising that someone who would subject her adolescent heroine to the sexual advances of centuries-old men (for lack of a better term) would also employ a man who behaves similarly in real life? #notsurprised
I'm referring to the events of Iced, of course, the first installment of the Dani spinoff, and while the specifics are unknown to me--when I heard the rumblings, I refused to read it--the consensus was clear: the interactions were inappropriate.
Oh, some readers were more bothered than others, but even the readers who weren't offended used the speculative nature of the series as grounds for leniency.
And that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and if they're not bothered, they're not bothered. *does not judge*
BUT. As far as I'm concerned: NOT fine.
You: Y you beat this dead horse?
Me: B/c that horse is apparently not dead.
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I was feeling graphic novel-y a week or so ago, so I logged into my NetGalley account and checked out the Read Now options (b/c unless they're DC or Marvel, pretty much all the graphic novels are Read Now).
At first glance, The Scarecrow Princess by Federico Rossi Edrig appeared to be one of the most promising. It was recommended for fans of Coraline and Over the Garden Wall, and I've always been drawn to myths about crows, so I downloaded it immediately.
It did not go well.
Meet our charming heroine, Morrigan:
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You: What a brat!
Me: I know, right?
But she's only fourteen, and we all had our moments at that age, didn't we? Still, just b/c I can identify the developmental stage doesn't mean I want a heroine who embodies it.
You: How can you be sure she's fourteen?
Me: B/c she's clearly identified as such.
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SO. No room for misinterpretation. Which made it all the more upsetting when this happened about halfway through:
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That these kinds of comments are made to an underage child by an adult are upsetting enough, but what really chaps my hide is that THE AUTHOR KNOWS EXACTLY HOW INAPPROPRIATE HE'S BEING.
Look at her reactions. These aren't off-hand comments written by some socially awkward middle-aged man who doesn't understand the implications of his villain's overture, HE KNOWS.
One can only hope that the knowledge has been extrapolated, but as I've already pointed out, art. Imitates. Life.
And hey, now that we've got the sexual harassment of a minor on the table, what's a little underage drinking?
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I repeat: this graphic novel was recommended for fans of Neil Gaiman's CORALINE, a children's book, the recommended age level being 10+.
BUT.
That's not even the worst of it.
In the final conflict, fourteen-year-old Morrigan is stripped of all of her clothing (i.e. completely nude), in the presence of Bad Guy-the-Pervert, who is ALSO NAKED.
And no, I'm not posting the screenshots of that (though I do have them), b/c it feels like it's a hop, skip, and jump away from child pornography, which is a FELONY.
When I finished reading THE SCARECROW PRINCESS, I went back to NetGalley to skim the reviews already posted, but I was baffled to discover that not one of the other nineteen listed reviewers raised any concerns.
I take that back, there was one mention: a LIBRARIAN said that she felt the nudity was gratuitous, but she still gave it four stars, b/c the color palette was evocative of autumn which "feels appropriate at the moment."
Even though one of my few legitimate phobias is anything Stephen King-related (I read one of his short story collections when I was far too young and have been unable to sleep in a room with an open door ever since #truestory), all the hype surrounding The Dark Tower movie, made me curious . . .
Of all of His work, it's always been THE DARK TOWER that I've been the most interested in. B/c fantasy.
BUT.
What does Stephen King fantasy look like?
I'd heard enough whispers to feel my hesitation was warranted, but curiosity and me . . . We're bffs.
And FYI, Stephen King curiosity + new(ish)found love of graphic novels = duh.
I figured it would be safer. I'd get the gist and some cool artwork without the dread and fear.
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I was right.
This is where my basic outline of the plot begins, so if you don't want to be spoiled, get thee gone. BUT. I'm just giving the gist, so I'd consider it safe--I'm not going to tell you anything that I wouldn't want to know.
Roland Deschain is a Gunslinger.
I don't know what that means beyond the obvious connotation and that it's kind of a Big Deal in this world. Also, this world is very chauvinistic, so be aware of that. Anyway, Roland and his peers are trained by an abusive drill sergeant-type, until the day they challenge their master to a duel.
If they win, they become Gunslingers in their own right.
If they lose, they're banished, ostracized, shunned, etc. They leave their families and their lives, never to return.
This is the first thing I learned.
The second is that Roland is being manipulated into throwing the gauntlet years before he'd be considered ready by his nemesis, the Man in Black.
Fortunately for Roland (and apparently everyone and everything Good in his world), he wins the challenge and isn't sent far, far away.
But his actions cause complications, so his father sends him and a couple of his friends to scout out a kind of in between area.
From there things get . . . more complicated.
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Were parts of it gross in the way I imagine all things Stephen King to be?
Yes.
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Were parts graphically violent?
Yes?
But in a manner most unsurprising (if you know me), I sped through those parts, not looking too closely at the images, and overall, I have to say this was an excellent compromise. Recommended unless you have a fragile digestive tract and/or are unfamiliar with the practices of ostriches.
First of all, I have no idea what previously led me to give this 3.0 stars. Obviously, part of it was not rereading vol. 1 beforehand, Updated review:
First of all, I have no idea what previously led me to give this 3.0 stars. Obviously, part of it was not rereading vol. 1 beforehand, so a lot of the details flew over my head (b/c crappy memory), but it was more than that, b/c I had tangible feelings of resentment over the "lesser quality" of this second volume.
*rolls eyes at self*
I still think vol. 1 was slightly better. The ending socked me in the FEELS in a way this one didn't, and (despite vol. 2's content) I connected more to the previous leg of Maika's journey, but overall . . . Definitely not a 3.0 star read.
Is this a promise like that crazy lady from KATE DANIELS where just b/c the original promise was made to an enemy doesn't necessarily mean it will pose a threat to the subject of the promise?
i.e. Cat will keep Maika safe even after Tuya is hellbent on her destruction?
But why would Tuya make Cat promise to keep Maika safe in the first place? SHE'S TRYING TO KILL HER. So is "keep safe" a euphemism for "kill if necessary"?
And if it wasn't enough that the Cumea, the old gods, the Dusk Court, and Psycho Aunt are all after Maika:
Would that be a seal to whatever prison is holding the old gods??
2. There's still so much about this relationship that we don't know:
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Dammit, what promise?
3. And when Maika put the mask fragment to her face?
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WTF was that?
4. Then there's (maybe) Maika's father:
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So we know, at the very least, Maika has a half-sibling. BUT. If this is the other potential host that Monster God mentioned in vol. 1, then he or she would have to be a full-blooded sibling, which means also means they're older . . . And since Momma Wolf asked Crazy Fox about the prophecized descendant, if the answer was "the second child" in whatever union, then Big Sister has a lot of reason to harbor resentment given the glimpse we were given of her circumstances.
The second collection of MONSTRESS is centered around Maika Halfwolf retracing her mother's steps in an attempt to discover how to rid herself of the monster that lives inside of her.
Like that's going to be possible. *rolls eyes*
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The journey is interesting despite its pointlessness. We learn much about Maika's family and meet her goddessfather, who is both a giant tiger and a pirate), and we see more of her glorious violence as third parties try to keep her from her goal.
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BUT.
There was something missing from this volume . . . Maybe several somethings. The art, while still beautiful at times, was somehow less overall. The story, while informative, lacked the heart that had previously punched me in the feels.
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Then there was the was the vulgarity for the sake of . . . I don't know . . . a splash of color? I'm not a prude, and I can even appreciate the creative use of four-letter words if it serves a purpose. But it didn't. And that's so boring.
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I'm not ready to give up on MONSTRESS just yet though. We've already seen the greatness this team of author and artist are capable of, and the seeds planted for the future installments are promising--who is Maika's father, and how did I never think the ask about him before? Why is that adorable fox child compelled to follow after a girl who might devour her one day? And those cats . . . What is their endgame?
Questions, I have them, so eagerly await vol. 3, I will. Recommended. Ish.
I read these extras out of order, so I know that the jacket Rose got from the wannabe rock star gave her substance, and she tells us that she can taste food and drink freely given, but there's more to her than snatching a few hours of feeling alive when she can.
Rose died on the road, so she's called to those near their own death on the road. She's called to them so she can, "guide them home."
I'm surprised that I liked this one as much as I did (b/c dead things), but McGuire twisted the ghost plane into a macabre version of Faery, so yeah, LOVED it.
Especially Amelia the driver, horses, and body of a coach. She was it; it was her. Creeptastic.
BUT. As is sometimes the case with these stories, the resolution was a bit anticlimactic, so minus one star for that, but otherwise, this is one of my favorites.
LOCKE & KEY is super popular as far as graphic novels go--it's near the top of every Goodreads best-graphic-novels-in-the-histReviewed by: Rabid Reads
LOCKE & KEY is super popular as far as graphic novels go--it's near the top of every Goodreads best-graphic-novels-in-the-history-of-ever list--so I snagged it despite my usual avoidance of all things horror . . . I really shouldn't have.
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Not b/c horror, although it was pretty horrific at times, but b/c it was pure chaos.
The plot was poorly explained. For most of the collection, I was pulling my hair out, trying to figure out what was going on. Hell, maybe that was the point. Both teenagers and violence are chaotic, and those two things are the source of three-fourths of the content.
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The remaining fourth was spent on a creepy house in Massachusetts and the manipulative female creature of nebulous origin and intentions who lives in the well house. *edvard munch face*
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A big part of the problem was the changing POVs. There wasn't enough content to justify that many perspectives, and the second I felt like I was getting a handle on the situation, boom, new POV.
It didn't help that all three were slit-my-wrists depressing.
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Not that the in-the-depths-of-despair angst wasn't warranted--the three POVs in question are all siblings who recently witnessed the brutal murder of their farther, by a classmate--but depressing and chaotic is an unfortunate combination.
SO. Not my favorite, and frankly I'm baffled by its extreme popularity. Not recommended.
There's a special kind of chaos that went into the creation of PRETTY DEADLY.
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The installments begin from the POV of a bunny and a butterfly and are told with fable-like flair, but as the main characters are human, there's a significance to our animal narrators that isn't immediately understood. I say "understood" b/c there's a lot that is never explained, just implied.
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Combine that with the maelstrom of images that bombard you as the violence escalates, and . . . like I said, chaos.
That's not to say I didn't like this collection of the first five PRETTY DEADLY episodes, I absolutely did. I maybe even loved it.
The story woven through each installment had the feel of a folktale, but it was one I'd never heard before: a man wed a beautiful woman, and overcome with fear of losing her to another, he built a tower to keep her in. She swore she'd die if he locked her away, and that's what she did . . . But not before Death fell in love with her too.
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After that things get interesting.
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And when the art wasn't making my eyes twitch (b/c overwhelming), it was beautiful . . . but sometimes also disturbing . . . Pretty . . . Deadly . . . I see what you did there . . .
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Basically, it's a new fairy tale set in Wild West with gorgeous artwork, AND it's clever to boot. What's not to like? Highly recommended.
Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁
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