Chaotic Ninja

All right. So, I just had a conversation with a gay vampire, a very intelligent one, I might add. It was an honest conversation, but of course, he was doing all the talking and I was this captive audience. He was so open and candid about his life as a vampire in the time of AIDS epidemic. Even with his charm and confidence, I sensed his fear. It was real. With a vivid recounting of his conquests, he revealed a part of him that’s almost human. A Perilous Thirst is a vampirically good short story that makes you feel that you’re actually there listening to an intriguing vampire character. I don’t even know his name.   ★★★ ★  4/5

In fantasy stories, Book #0 is usually the big set up with an even bigger cliffhanger; the characters are introduced and the fantasy world is established. Escape from Zandell  by Dale Furse  has managed to do that, but it was a bit of a confusing set up and it’s a challenge to keep up with the characters early on. But once you get to the second act, things start to make sense and you begin to understand the characters and their respective motivations just a little bit (there are still questions though).  One problem here is that it’s not clear (at least not to me) who the real main character is. It seems to shift depending on the circumstance. But  I like that there’s always this feeling that something ominous is lurking and any second, some character will die or will be in grave danger. It’s that kind of storytelling that piques my interest. Surely, it’s worth following the series, in the hope that this is just the start of something epic to come.   ★★★...

Because memory fails.  Situation rectified. SAFE by Kate Hanney This is a “please-sit-down-let’s-talk-about-this” kind of book. It’s something that you’d want to discuss with people who’ve read it. Or perhaps beg people to read it just so you can talk about it. Danny Watson is a fascinating character. Tough. Hardened by life. A kid forced to become an adult because of circumstances.  What could possibly go wrong, yeah? Just. About. Everything. This a gritty portrayal of a life on the fringe. It’s a very dangerous place (and situation) to be in and author Kate Hanney takes the reader to that dark place. It deals with hard issues that no young adult should ever deal with. This is a brilliant book with a “controversial” ending.   ★★★ ★ ★  5/5   GARDEN by Jane Yates It takes an utterly imaginative mind to come up with a story that puts together elements of steampunk, sci-fi and fantasy and not overwhelm the reader (‘til...

So I was in a reading funk. It was so bad that according to Goodreads, I'm 28   books behind schedule  of my 80-book target for 2015.  Amazon is largely to blame. Because when your 60+ reviews are unceremoniously and unfairly pulled, you are gutted and you lose your street cred (if I ever had one, to begin with).  And you lose your review mojo . Then beta reading happened.  A few days ago, a brilliant author asked me "When are you gonna beta read for me?" Just so you know, I'm not a beta reader * . I've been invited by wonderful authors in the past, but I respectfully declined because I feel that I lack the necessary skills to beta read. Besides, w hen you read deliberately to find errors, it just sucks all the fun in reading.  But this author isn't strict. All she wanted was a male perspective.  Easy peasy. The reading part, that is. The critiquing, not so much. I found myself asking these questions before writing...

  I wrote the first part of this 2-part Chick Lit review three months ago for International Women's Day .  I didn't provide an explanation on what brought this on, so, let me just do that now. Chick Lit is a much-derided literary genre and yet it's embraced by millions of readers, largely the female kind. I don't pretend to know how the genre came into existence, but I vaguely remember the genre gaining prominence at the time of the publication of Helen Fielding's "Bridget Jones Diary" . Since then, there were a multitude of writers who went the chick lit route; some were successful, while others disappeared into obscurity. The genre continues to be criticized for the perceived superficiality of the topics and themes.   After reading these books (7 of them), I can safely say that, yes, there are recurring themes and situations that are common in these books. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's what makes chick lit book a chi...

      DEMONS & PEARLS by PS Bartlett A fearless female pirate fueled by adrenaline rush, stakes her claim to the Captain-less ship filled with grubby buccaneers out to get her and her cousins. It’s chaos! It’s madness! It’s freakin’ awesome! And that’s just the beginning! There’s no situation too precarious and no man too dangerous for Ivory Shepard. She’s just one hell of a character. She’s a total firecracker! This prequel to “ The Blue Diamond: The Razor’s Edge ” is a pulse-pounding, beard-curling, action-packed story that has enough voltage to power up a Kindle device. It’s more than just a frenzied pirate tale. It brings to the fore controversial issues with tremendous passion, evident in the narrative style and tenor. This is such a thrilling read; not encumbered by lengthy expositions and sappy romance talk. It just tells an electrifying story of love, murder, revenge, and survival – not necessarily in that order. ★★★ ★ ★ 5/5 ...

Real Ninjas read Chick Lit. Read the Reviews Part 1 I'M STILL HERE by Kathryn Biel  ★★★ ★ ★ 5/5 Let me start with a warning: Author Kathryn Biel pushes you into the abyss of mental illness and gives you Ho-Hos and Fritos to break your fall. It’s dark. It’s disturbing. It’s depressing. But it’s also hysterical and uproariously funny. If that doesn’t mess with your mind, I don’t know what will. The Comely clan is so dysfunctional, they make the Bluths and the Tenenbaums look so boringly normal. Esther Comely-Cox is quirky in a charming sort of way, but can also be totally unpredictable and can exhibit a combustible personality when provoked. But she is completely disarming. How can a hopelessly flawed character be so likeable? This is a story that touches on the serious issue of mental illness. And when it is correlated with dysfunctionality and parental neglect, it can become downright unsettling. But the author has injected a healthy dose of wi...