Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts

Monday 15 August 2016

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Limbo, Volume 1








Title: Limbo, Vol 1

Author: Dan Watters

Artist: Caspar Wijngaard

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy*, Crime*, Horror* (*ish)

Series: Limbo (#1-6)

Amazon: UK - USA





A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

This graphic novel sees itself as 'neon-noir' and, well... I just had to find out more!






Premise:

Clay is a private detective. He also can't remember who the hell he actually is.

And, between the femme fatale, the crime-lord, the craziness of Dedande City, and his voodoo priestess room-mate, Clay's going to have a rough couple of days...





Best bits:

This book has a style all its own.

The visuals are really something (and yes, neon-noir is a great way of describing it - think MTV meets Stephen King,) and the whole layers-of-plot, layers-of-being thing? Wow.

Yes, my dearest nerdlets, this gets a bit metaphysical/existentialist. But that's ok.

It's nice to have something with layers of meaning - you gotta love stuff that makes you think.









And it's not pretentious, and does a fair amount of random sh**, just to keep it all interesting! ;)

But back to the visuals - what we have here is the bold touch of monochrome mixed with Las Vegas neons.

I know - it doesn't sound like it makes sense, much less that it should work. It sounds like the epitome of a chocolate teapot.

But it works. Somehow. Someway. It works.

I also like the mix of cultural elements going on here - all of the technology is stuck firmly in the 1980s; I'm talking VHS and cassette tapes, landline phones, y'know - pre-Internet.

Combined with this we have elements of a voodoo-based mythology, and elements of a Day of the Dead style mythology, with a smidge of some other stuff for good luck.

The plot is... well it's certainly unique! Again, I actually really liked the whole layers-upon-layers deal-y going on - levels of meaning and all that jazz!






Not so great bits:

Honesty time - for some people, all of the trippy visuals and bizarre goings-on is going to be just too 'out-there.'

(I wish those people well, but know that I will never be one of them!)

There's also a butt-tonne of swearing, loads of gore/violence, and the odd 'adult' reference. So, y'know, I've done my duty and told you nice folks - up to you what you do with the info.

I did find a little... out of control? loose? - at times. There was just a touch of the sense that the tangles of the plot might be getting out of hand at times.









Largely, with a plot so far-out as this, that isn't much of a problem, though.
(Certainly, if I'd attempted this, it would have devolved into chaos pretty damn quick!)

I also felt like we maybe weren't getting the depth of character required?

Now, I know there was hints of a lot of backstory. But we were left with very little idea of what the backstory was by the end, which, along with the lack of all that much character development, left that side of things a little under-done.

Still, there's the potential for that to improve in future instalments, so s'all good :)





Verdict:

This is... well, there's no two ways about it: this is impressive.

It's ambitious, unique, highly stylised... and I can't wait to read more!




Liked this post? Try these:




Tuesday 28 June 2016

Month in Review(s) - June 2016

We're half-way through the year folks! Which is kind of rocking, really, because it means we're that much closer to Christmas.

(I love Christmas!)





Anyway, back to the summer-ish-ness of June, and I can honestly say I read a little bit of everything this month.










Plus it was a pretty fab month blog-wise: I reached over 750 Twitter followers, over 15k blog page-views (ARGH!!!!!) and over 30 Bloglovin followers.




AND JUNO DAWSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!!!!

(I'm a massive Juno Dawson fan - so this was kind of a fantabulously big deal to me.)






So catch up on all my reviews this month with this handy link-list (and I've added cover images, because I spoil you.)




Kids










Young Adult







Say Her Name by Juno Dawson - Horror, Ghost Story
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - Historical Fiction, Crime







Adult







Life Blood by V M Black - Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Novella
Landline by Rainbow Rowell - Contemporary, Chick Lit, Magic Realism, Romance* (*ish)






Graphic Novels






Codename Baboushka, Vol: The Conclave of Death - Spy, Gangster, Thriller, Crime
Klaw, The First Cycle - Young Adult, Fantasy, Superhero*, Paranormal* (*ish - there are shifters of various types and somewhat of a superhero origin story.)




Saturday 4 June 2016

Review Time! - Say Her Name by Juno Dawson

Title: Say Her Name

Author: Juno Dawson

Genre: YA, Horror, Ghost Story

Amazon: UK - USA





A few starting notes:


I read Hollow Pike (UK - US) by Juno Dawson ages ago because a paperback copy in my local library had purple-edged pages.

So I picked it up because, y'know, I'm easily amused/attracted by pretty colours. Lucky for me, that book rocked.

So, since then, I've wanted to read the rest of Dawson's books - and I eventually got around to this one! (Again, lucky for me!)





Premise:


People fool around with it all around the world - say 'Bloody Mary,' five times, in front of a mirror, at midnight, by candlelight.

Then her ghost is meant to show up... apparently.

People do it all the time. Nothing ever happens... right?

So, when Bobbie and her friends agree to it as a dare, nothing will come of it... right?

Or so they think. But time's running out.

In five days, she will come.





Best bits:


I loved this book - hands-down loved it!

It could have been soooo clichéd - but instead, every time it started to ever-so-slightly veer in that direction POW! - a new twist.

(Yes, I just used 'POW!' - In a book review. Deal with it.)

The characters were fab, believable, and not intensely stupid. (Which is always good.)

Bobbie? I loved her. She was really relatable and quite bookish (yay!) without being pretentious.










She's also really sweet - which is always nice - but not boring, which was a relief (yay for nice-but-not-boring characters!!!!!)

(Yes, I've had coffee. Coffee is good.)

The plot a) keeps you guessing, and b) refuses to be held down by all the urban legend Bloody Mary stuff that came before, while also not ignoring it.

(Which is skilful - and impressive. *Nods approvingly.*)

This was one of those books which was like: one more chapter - just one. And six chapters later, you're still there, and still reading.

And while it is creepy, it's not so creepy that you want to give up half-way through. (But then, I like horror, so other people may have a different opinion.)

I'll say it again: I loved it ;)





Not so great bits:


There's not a lot of things I can really argue with here...

It does deal with subjects that a lot of people may find distressing: references to self-harm, abuse, murder, suicide, etc. etc. But it doesn't feel overly-heavy with it.

And if you have a mega-fear of ghost-girls, mirrors, and/or ghosts in general, this is probably not your book.

There's some mild violence, gore, etc.












There's also some mild swearing (cr*p, etc.) Honestly, I doubt it'll bother anyone, but if I don't mention it, someone's bound to come back on me about it. Because that's usually how my luck goes.

Oh, and there's some references to sexy-times, but nothing overtly graphic.

I guess my only real issue is the whole absentee-parents thing that YA gets away with a lot.

But as that trope goes, I really can't argue with the way it's handled here - the boarding-school deal-y neatly sidesteps the issue.






Verdict:


I loved this book - it's fresh and original where it could've been clichéd and rusty, it draws you on, it has great characters...

Basically, this is a great YA horror. And I definitely recommend it.










Liked this post? Try these:


Wednesday 27 April 2016

Month in Review(s) - April 2016

Lots more reviews this month! Especially of graphic novels.

There've been some truly rocking graphic novels out this month - my faves are probably Blood Stain and I Hate Fairyland.

Check out all the lovely reviews! :)


book



Kids

Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley - historical fiction



New Adult

Growing Up by Tricia Sol - contemporary, LGBTQ+, short stories, romance (m/m)



Adult

Play Hard by J T Fox - LGBTQ+, romance (m/m,) short stories, contemporary
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult - contemporary, crime*, witches*, magic realism* (*ish)



Graphic Novels

Golem by Lorenzo Coccetti - dystopian, sci-fi, manga
Paper Girls, Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan - sci-fi
Blood Stain, Vol 1 by Linda Šejić
Echoes by Joshua Hale Fialkov - horror, crime
I Hate Fairyland, Vol 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young - fantasy, fairies/fae, humour

Thursday 21 April 2016

Comics Wrap Up - This Ain't a Scene

Film Trailers


So many the teaser trailers for Captain America: Civil War this week guys! SO. MANY. THE TRAILERS.








OK, the people in the next one with the punching and the kicking and the weapons?

STOP HURTING MY BUCKY BEAR!!!!!






Graphic Novels
This week I reviewed Blood Stain, Vol 1 (UK - US) by Linda Å ejić.

Dudes, I cannot explain fully in this brief wrap-up the degree of the rockitude of this graphic novel. You'll have to go read my review.

And Linda Šejić? A very cool person, who was totally classy when I accidentally shared the wrong link to Twitter. (I should not be permitted online before coffee. It just doesn't end well.)










I also read and reviewed Echoes (UK - US) by Joshua Hale Fialkov. Creepy, cool, and black-and-white, you can check out my review here.



I read Luna the Vampire, Volume 1: Grumpy Space (UK - US) by Yasmin Sheikh - an uber-wacky set of adventures about a vampire who lives in space. As you do.
My review for Luna the Vampire will probably be up within the next week or so.


Other Stuff
Came across this weird little faux-documentary trailer thingummy as promo for X-Men: Age of Apocalypse:





-0-


AND GERARD WAY HAS A DC IMPRINT!!!!!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!

Gerard Way's DC imprint is Young Animal. And it looks pretty damned cool.




-0-


This week I also spent far too long watching spoofs of superhero movie trailers.

Here're two of my favourites from ArtSpear Entertainment (adult humour, gore, swearing, etc...)









Like this post? Try these:



Wednesday 20 April 2016

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Echoes, Vol 1 by Joshua Hale Fialkov

Title: Echoes, Vol 1

Author: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Contributors: Rahsan Ekedal, Troy Peteri, Ryan Cady

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Crime

Series: Echoes (#1-5)

Amazon: UK - USA




A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.
This looked both cool and creepy.
To be honest, it doesn't really take more than that to draw me in. Cool? Creepy? Yep, I'll give it a shot.




Premise:

Brian's father is dying. What he says next will change everything.
Is it true - the box, the house, the sick trophies? And if it is, if Brian's father is a monster, what does that make Brian?
They share the diagnosis of schizophrenia... could they share this horrible legacy?




Best bits:

I loved the way that nothing is quite what it seems in this book. You think one thing, and suddenly it's completely flipped on its head, and you're left questioning all of your assumptions.
Brian's schizophrenia is a large part of this - we don't know what, if any of this, is real. How much is he hallucinating? How much is really happening?
The black-and-white artwork helps with this - it gives everything a vibe that's half-classic-horror-film, and half-dreamscape.
It's literally a world that's made up of grey-area - and the confusion is handled wonderfully, playing the reader and leading us through the feelings we're supposed to have at various points.
And you will have some pretty intense feelings with this book. The sickening dread is brought to just the right level to give you that thrill you want from a comic like this.
It's not just the reader's assumptions which are turned on their heads here - it's society's too. Assumptions about the sort of people who would commit a crime, about the sort of people we should or should not trust, are questioned and broken open. And it's incredible.



Not so great bits:

A lot of people will find this book distressing. There's some sensitive subjects in here - mental health, Alzheimer's, and some hugely unpleasant things happening to children.
The portrayal of schizophrenia is purposely vague and contradictory - because it's here that the 'did he do it?' aspects come in. I personally didn't mind this depiction, but I think some people might find it offensive or distressing.
There's also swearing, blood, gore, and implied violence - the usual cohort of stuff that I feel it my blogger-ly duty to warn you about, just in case.
There's also horror elements. If you don't like horror, then I don't recommend this book.

I would've liked a more conclusive ending, but that's very much a personal thing. There was nothing wrong with the actual ending we have here.



Verdict:

This is a great graphic novel - one that really makes you think.
The artwork is great, and the story drags you along, challenging everything you think it's going to be, and every turn you think it's going to take.
If you fancy something creepy, something challenging, something compelling, then give this a try.








Liked this post? Try these:


Thursday 17 March 2016

Comics Wrap Up - Put on Your War Paint

Film Trailers


There was Civil War!!!!!!! CIVIL WAR!!!!!!

Basically, there's a new Captain America: Civil War trailer, and all the nerds on the planet are currently having fandom-based meltdowns.

Also, there's a big push to split into Team Captain America or Team Iron Man. I don't want to.

I have decided that I can't choose between my Steve and my Tony, so I choose Bucky. I'm officially on Team Bucky.

And if anything happens to my Bucky Bear, I will track down the people who made the decision. NOTHING better happen to Bucky Bear! My feels can't take it.

You know when you want something so bad that you don't want it to happen? That's me with this film.



Graphic Novels

The Beauty graphic novel

I reviewed the newly-released The Beauty Volume 1 (UK - USA) - a graphic novel about an STI which makes people beautiful (no, really.)

From indie-publisher Image Comics, this is by Jeremy Haun and Jason A Hurley.

It's a really original graphic novel, with an awesome cover (seriously, I can't stop talking about that cover - look at it!) It was pretty compelling and uber-interesting.

To read my full review, click here.



Like This Post? Try These:

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - The Beauty, Vol 1 by Jeremy Haun and Jason A Hurley

The Beauty graphic novelTitle: The Beauty, Volume 1

Author: Jeremy Haun, Jason A Hurley
Contributors: John Rauch, Fonografiks

Genre: Graphic Novels, Dystopian, Horror, Sci-Fi

Series: The Beauty (#1-6)

Release Date: 16 March 2016

Amazon: UK - USA


A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.
The cover attracted me to this - as I've said before, the cover is a showcase for a graphic novel: if the cover is poor, the general artwork standard will be poor.
And the cover of The Beauty, Volume 1... wow. So striking. So beautifully terrible, and terribly beautiful. I had to read it.


Premise:

There is a new STI sweeping through the population.
But this disease is one that people are purposely catching.

Why? Because this STI, quickly named 'The Beauty,' makes you slim, toned, and beautiful. Your hair is shiny, your features and skin are flawless.

But it's a disease. And there are always downsides.

Two detectives find themselves investigating the terrible truth of The Beauty - and being caught up in a web of anti-beauty terrorists, shady corporations, and corruption within government agencies.

Things are going to get dangerous.


Best bits:

The plot and the premise are uber-interesting and uber-compelling - I read this in one sitting, because I had to know what happened next.

I also love the kind of critique it casts on our current society - this world is essentially our own. The only difference is The Beauty - and those who are infected, and are known as Beauties.

And, let's face it, if we woke up tomorrow and found out there was a sexually transmitted virus which could make us 'perfect' - could make us look like some airbrushed model? Well, there would be more than a few people lining up to get infected.

People place a huge amount of importance on looks - and if the side-effects weren't yet known? Well, just think about it. Think about how people would act.
The characters here are also well-thought-through, and you actually do care what happens to them - a sign of a good story if ever there was one.


Not so great bits:

This is a graphic novel - it gets very graphic: in terms of sexual content, gore, and violence.

One or two panels actually freaked me out gore-wise - and I'm pretty unfreakable by this point.

I was also slightly disappointed in the artwork - don't get me wrong, it was serviceable, it did its job, it was effective. There was nothing wrong with the artwork... 

It didn't wow me. I rarely thought it truly beautiful.

As my main reason for reading this book was the striking beauty of the cover, the fact that it didn't achieve that... wow... again, was a little bit of a let-down.

This was slightly alleviated by the cover gallery at the back - but these were thumbnails, not full-page prints - which would've been more awesome.


Verdict:

A really interesting and gripping book. I had some issues with it (ha, issues - comics... ok, I'll be quiet,) but those problems don't change the fact that I wanted to know what happened - and would like to read future instalments too.







Liked this post? Try these: