Finally..

After being very restrained and watching BTVS from the very beginning.... I can finally find out what goes on in season 8... :-)

Beautiful artwork from Ashley Marie Witters' Graphic Novel: An interview with a Vampire: Claudia's Story.

“I’m beyond tired. I’m beyond scared. I’m standing on the mouth of hell and it is gonna swallow me whole. And it’ll choke on me. We’re not ready? They’re not ready. They think we’re gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do. I’m done waiting. They want an apocalypse? Well, we’ll give ‘em one. Anyone else who wants to run, do it now, ‘cause we just became an army. We just declared war. From now on we won’t just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them and cut out their hearts one by one until the First shows itself for what it really is. And I’ll kill it myself. There is only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, and that’s us. Any questions?”

—	Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 7: Bring on the Night. (2002).

Beautiful Redemption (Caster Chronicles #4), Review

Blurb: 

"Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

"Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the  Beautiful Creatures series"

Review:
 So when we left Gatlin last time, Ethan had made the ultimate sacrifice to restore the 'Natural Order' of things. Beautiful Redemption is split into two books, one for Ethan and one for Lena, both written from there perspective.  As the story unfolds,  Ethan's Journey to get back to Lena begin. More secrets are revealed as to why Ethan ended up this way, (it was never meant to be).... We also see the loss of one of my favorite characters in the book (I won't spoil it), but it definitely had me shedding a tear or two :,-(.  Every one has there role to play in this story included Ethan's Mother,  who also makes her own sacrifices.  All in all it was a Beautiful End to a well enjoyed and well written series, it is sad to see the end of it, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the adventures it has taken me on. 

Overall rating  for the series: 4 out of 5 Stars,  I would highly recommend that you give them a try. 

Bookworm Girl :-) x

Beautiful Chaos: (Caster Chronicles #3). A review

I struggled with this book, which made me sad, as so far I have really enjoyed the series. My problem was that it was starting to feel very much the same as Beautiful Creatures & Beautiful Darkness, however I continued, determined not to loose all faith…
The thing that I truly love about books is that a good book, will always have the ability to pull you back in at precisely the moment you need it to the most.
I was in tears during the final chapters of this book, which had a particular gothic feel too it that seemed more prominent then ever it had in previous books. I don’t want to post spoilers in this review, but there were definitely a few surprises. As Gatlin slowly descends into chaos worthy of an early apocalypse, the battle to find ‘The one who is the two’, before the eighteenth moon is upon them. along with appearances from and increasingly annoyed and vengeful Abraham releasing vexes and other demons. The loss of two beloved characters, which was eloquently described. The ultimate Sacrifice.
Looking forward to seeing how the final installment plays out.

Bookworm Girl :-) x

3/5 Stars...

Dark Dream: A Short Story from the Caster Chronicles World. A review.

A little short about about a certain characters transformation. Finished off with a few chapters of the next book beautiful Chaos. Not a great deal more to say, its a book that isn’t a necessity to the series but may help fill in some gaps from the ending of Beautiful Darkness :D and it was quick enough to read whilst a await the arrival of Dead ever After. 3/5 stars just because of the nature of this book, it isn’t bad just a bit of background for the next book.

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2): Review

“He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads too”

So this book, liked it just as much as the first, even though at times I found myself getting exasperated with Lena,  until all was revealed, (don’t worry I won’t spoil it too much!).  The story of Ethan’s mother unfolded further and took a few unexpected twists. I think, I almost liked this book more then the first, as the there was slightly more adventuring and exploring, especially down in the caster tunnels!!
  The addition of new characters was balanced well, especially considering some rather significant changes of the old characters too… intriguing, yes?
 All in all, the pages kept on turning and my imagination was was running to full capacity. I even got an essential oil blend of rosemary and lemons, just for added effect.
I cannot wait to continue with Beautiful Chaos, but I must pause this series, just briefly to read the final Southern Vampire Mysteries: Dead Ever After. I may however read dark dream tonight ,as a quickie read :D.

Bookworm Girl.
4/5 Stars.

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) Review

I really enjoyed this book, yes o.k. there are a lot of critics out there that say it is very similar to other YA books out there, but that doesn’t really bother me too much.

“Like it was triple hexed, soaked in a bucket of voodoo, and wrapped in a curse for good measure”

I fell in love with Gatlin County and all of it’s residents, even Mrs Lincoln along with the vivid imagery the authors create, there words engulfing me into Lena and Ethan’s world, with many a complication (some expected and some unexpected).  Amma was one of my top five favorite characters the feisty southern, housekeep/carer with a mysterious voodoo-esque string to her bow, is a charming character, But trust me you wouldn’t want to cross her.  Anyways as the story progresses secrets of both past and present are revealed, with unexpected twists, turns and a true sense of adventure and romance.  Ethan.. what a perfect guy, (a little young for me.. but still).
  The story did end on a sad note, and I can’t wait to see how this ended will pan out in the next installment of Beautiful Darkness.
I would and have recommended this book to 2 of my friends, and so far they have loved it as much as me. So if you are hesitant, then pick it up.

Bookworm Girl :-) x

4 out 5 Stars...

A Discovery of Witches: Review

Hmm Where to start?..
This was a book that had long been peering at me from bookshelves of various book stores, for months. Eventually it became a purchase, giving in to the temptation and my own instincts (I always trust my instincts for book choosing). I had also seen a friend reading it, via a social networking site, when I realised it involved my to most favourite supernatural beings, Witches and Vampires added to the fact that this book seem steeped with history and alchemy plus the present day, it swiftly became a purchase.
Now I never read reviews before reading a book, I find it taints the book before I have even begun because I then focus on previous flaws that people may have spotted, (some of them, quite often are petty).
This book was subjected to the same treatment, I wasn’t disappointed. The first instalment of the All Souls Trilogy had be enthralled from page one. Now okay since finishing I have read some reviews to get other opinions. Common themes arose in these that I sincerely disagree with, however it wouldn’t do for us all to be the same right. First complaint I saw most commonly was ‘its slow’… while it is a slow read, people need to remember that it is the first book of three, therefore the author can afford to spend a little more time on the finer details, which will know crop up in later sequels, and it all helps to build toward the vivid imagery created by the author as well suspense and anticipation. Second complaint.. it is similar to the twilight love story: (please excuse me whilst I let the steam coming out of my ears cease), 1) this is love story for grown ups. 2) both characters have far more personality surrounding them. 3) The book itself is a better calibre of writing by far. Enough said on that subject.
Matthew and Diana, Hopelessly in love… our vampire Dark, Brooding, Charismatic, Protective & ferocious (no sparkles required).. He is the Epitome of a ‘proper’ traditional gothic vampire. His carefully calculated & self controlled personalty just add to his sexy-ness (yeah I said it, no I am not ashamed of it). Steeped in a rich history that slowly unfolds as the tale goes on, he know the pain of love and loss, an aspect that probably makes him even more protective of Diana. Diana, is a strong (trust me) individual tormented by the loss of her parents, consequently turned her back on he natural abilities of witchcraft, until of course they start making themselves known. Diana’s is stubborn at times but still needs guidance and encouragement when she discovers more about the mysteries surrounding her parents death. I like that she is a strong willed female character that, also appreciates the closeness of a lover. She has her life in oxford, stable her work in alchemy discovery the secrets behind the pages of ancient manuscripts to keep her busy.
I absolutely loved the history that surrounding this book, it was incredibly well researched, Okay so yeah Deborah Harkness is a historian, we shouldn’t really expect anything less however, I have read some history based fiction by historians with significantly poorer research. I love the mix of ancient alchemy, something that isn’t often found in a modern-set supernatural story. Gothic and modern settings just added to the story further, especially when we finally get to go to Diana’s child-hood home, (I really won’t spoil it too much, lets just say.. erm it is quirky). I would love a house like that.
Can’t really think of much else to say, and I probably shouldn’t ramble to much for fear of giving away the best bits!
Just if you have this book on you TBR list, the read it :) if it isn’t on your TBR list get it on there fast. A supernaturally entertaining and sultry romantic grown up read.
BookwormGirl X

Welcome to Hoxford...

My first introduction to Ben Templesmith.. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed.
The Story itself; Essentially privatised storage/disposal facility for some of the most horrific and mentally unstable Murderers, Necrophiliacs, Paedophiles and Cannibals or “Special Needs” if you prefer. Yes they are shipped here from the prisons when they no longer feel able to deal with them.. Welcome to Hoxford. The Humor Templesmith creates is so very dark that you almost feel bad for laughing out loud to it. My favorite character being MR. Raymond Delgado, with his illusions of grandeur and inability to play nice especially with new room-mates..

….”Mr Adams. Sir… It happened again. I told you I didn’t want no roommate. Told you what’d happen…….. I think he’s broken now..”

The start of many laugh out loud moments…..
The Werewolves were definitely not part of the mainstream imagery that has been created for them they were savage and primal with little to none humanistic features once they had changed. All they wanted was meat and to hunt. They were depicted well in Templesmith’s artwork as truly savage beasties. I don’t really think I need to comment on his artwork to much as it speaks volumes, the moods he can create and expressionism on his characters was rather epic, I will definitely be checking out more of his work.
BookwormGirl :D

Fell Feral City Voume 1

"Dumped in the collapsing urban trashzone called Snowtown, Detective Richard Fell is starting all over again.  In a place where nothing seems to make sense, Fell clings to the one thing I knows to be true… Everybody is hiding something. Even Him."

I am fairly new to the world of Graphic Novel reading, so bare with me on this.  Warren Ellis has created a delightfully dark & witty story arc with the feral city series. The crimes are ummm imaginative and grissly, with some delightful dialogues (I could list all of them but then there would be no point you reading it).  two of my many favourites being;

"Violet I am going to take a personal day"…"Sure leave me here with Gandalf the Gonzo”
 ”I decide to be a jerk and take his photo after I, ah took steps to prevent his escape. It was a good shooting. The guy was armed, after all. With Death Banana’s”

 No I don’t have any idea either but, I don’t think that really matters..
And Ben Templesmith’s stunning artwork… well its Ben Templesmith, enough said really.
It is a crying shame that there will be no more a additions of Detective Fell and his adventures, as a friend informed me recently. :(

BookwormGirl

Wormword Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Review.

Well I had a hard time reviewing this lot, not because they were rubbish or unenjoyable, Completely the opposite.. Because they were so good. Templesmith's art combined with his witty dark humour,  makes for an epic win in my book. The only fault,  is that some times the font colour choices on black were hard to read, however I liked that each character had there own colour text, it helped when imagining their own voices.
Like I say, it was difficult to review them so I just included a few teasing snippets instead: It only Hurts when I pee
Even funnier than number one, I don’t how Templesmith does it but I love him for it!..

Birds, Bees Blood & Beer
Featuring a short story of a Dweevil plant monster, and in the main story with an impregnating, tentacle toting alien thingy, and Leprechauns as you have probably never seen them before, (be warned if you come across these dudes please don’t let them throw up there beer on you).
Fave lines…
 Wormwood: "is that right? who knew peanut butter and a yak were so much fun? I didn’t even know you could stick it there. Humans are disgustingly fun creatures-i’ll give you that”
Not forgetting Mr Pendulum (Mr P)..
Wormwood to Mr P:..”Come on lets go home”.. “Maybe even see about your bits Eh?” 
MrP to Wormwood:.. "You mean it? You really Mean it?"
Wormwoods Reply:.. "We’ll see, first I need to get my bloody legs back, don’t I?"

It only Hurts when I Pee!
Featuring, Yet more Leprechauns.. & Squidmen.. Yes that does mean more tentacles.
"Damn just how many bodies do you have?"…"Not bodies, suits Happen to be previously worn thats all"

Calamari Rising
You know what…

Just read them.. read all three volumes :D

Bookworm Girl x

Black Library 2013

Black Library Live 2013 event...

So for christmas 2012, I decided to purchase for my boyfriend the tickets to Black Library Live 2013 event. It was our first christmas as a couple (even though I have known him for 10 years) N’aaaaww lol…. This meant I was determined to get it ‘right’ for his present.  I decided to write a scroll  inviting him to join a quest to find the ‘Black Library’, then hid a series of clues/instructions within many of his favourite Warhammer fantasy books, that would eventually lead to the reveal of his tickets…

 March 2nd finally rolled around and we eagerly started our adventure with a bacon sandwich from the local ‘greasy spoon’ cafe. The arduous journey began, (train first) hoping we didn’t have to defeat any space marines along the way (we didn’t, phew!), then a taxi to Warhammer world itself (eeek!!). Event Passes on, chapbooks collected, we were ready for  the day.  First a quick snoop around the book stands, (Now I admittedly I am new to Warhammer novels/black library publications) however this didn’t stop me from purchasing a book of Warhammer’s finest Vampire Stories in an Omnibus EEEEEKKK :D. Next whilst my boyfriend (Adam) carefully thought over his possible book purchases, (the new Gotrek and Felix book would definitely be a purchase), we began to queue to meet one of his favourite Blacklibrary Authors Dan Abnett :D & also I wanted to meet Nic Vincent :D.
Time in the queue consisted mainly of; people watching, chapbook reading, and ordering the days programme into what we wanted to see the most (seminar-wise), deciding that it was our first event and rather then trying to cram everything in, we would attend a selected few. The New Writers/Writing for Black Library Seminar (mainly for me as I would like to start writing more), & The all important Dan Abnett question and answer session with a planned lunch at the Dwarf bar (bugmans bar) in between.
On to the Seminar & Question and Answer…
The seminar schedule was jam-packed as you can imagine, but it being our first visit we decided to pick two;

The first; ‘New Talent to Black Library’
Speakers; Guy Haley, David Guymer & Peter Fehervari
I wish I had took notes, having recently developed a aspiration to write. It was full of tips about Do’s and Don’ts, if you decide to submit a short piece for the Black Library team to look at. My favourite tip being;
    ‘Don’t threaten the team that you already have publishing rights/commissioning if they don’t accept it’ 
A) If you have the rights/been commissioned to publish it elsewhere it wont be a ‘true’ black library book.
B) If you want to take that attitude, the chances are we probably don’t want you and your book anyways
C) If its been commissioned already why are you threatening us with it.
Black Library’s main ethos to aspiring BL writers is too.. (In no particular order)..
1) Engage in the BL Literature & research to find your writing ‘niche’
2) Read carefully the rules and FOLLOW  them when submitting a piece to the team, this includes formatting text and more importantly the actual chosen story theme/arc, that they are wanting a piece for.
3) Always write any ideas down, not matter what your initial thoughts are and re-visit later.
4) You must want to write, if there is a chance that your piece is accepted there always that possibility you maybe commissioned for a series.. (that is when it get serious) (Peter Fehervari).
5) Take any feedback seriously (but throw your toys out of the pram).. remember these guys have been doing it longer then you & experience (most often) equals knowledge.
6) Attend some of the black library events, there can be seminars/workshops for new writers.

Question and Answer with Dan Abnett:

Okay, so I am afraid this is the bit that gets a bit hazy for me.  Having previously mentioned my inexperience of the Black Library Publications, (and dare I say it, having not read the works of Dan Abnett). I felt a little lost.

*Possible Spoilers from Gaunts Ghost*

It was, however very entertaining despite my poor knowledge:
Lots of angry comments regarding the death of Bragg, with a very exasperated Dan Abnett trying to but his arguments as to why it had to be done…
Many people also requested a possible return of Bragg..

To which Dan Abnett responded;
"There is always a way to bring characters back, doesnt mean I will, it also doesn’t always mean that you will like the resurrected character, need I remind you of Soric?..”

There was some talk of space marines which I didn’t really understand all to well. (Sorry folks)
He met Kevin Bacon (:D) In lift which means the attendees of the Q&A are now in two degrees of Kevin Bacon.. (not sure how it works for you guys reading this?)..
The Q&A wrapped up with my favourite quote for the day;
Dan Abnett, what is your favourite colour?
"Black…. and slightly on fire" :D.
A most enjoyable day concluded in Bugmans Bar with a pint each of hobgoblin and some Belgium Waffles for myself, Yum :D oh and a purchase of The Bugmans Bar Board Game (by my other half).
I would highly recommend this event, and would very much like to attend the black library weekender at some point. More importantly I think my boyfriend had a fab geek filled day also :D.

“is that right? who knew peanut butter and a yak where so much fun? I didn’t even know you could stick that in there, humans are disgustingly fun creatures-I’ll give them that..”

 

—	Wormwood Gentleman Corpse, Birds, Bees Blood & Beer- B Templesmith, Pg 57

Joint Graphic novel reading times, the boy reads; “World war hulk, Frontline”
I read “Wormwood gentleman corpse; birds bees blood and beer” :)

“Turn to me with all your heart. Do not refuse me because I am dark and shadowed. The fire of the sun has altered me. The seas have encompassed me. The earth has been corrupted because of my work. Night fell over the earth when I sank into the miry deep, and my substance was hidden.”

 Pg 317, D Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

                                    Nothing better then crawling into bed with a book..

Ulrika The Vampire #1: Bloodborn..

Having always been of fan of Vampire fiction (twilight being the exception) and knowing that my boyfriend has read and followed various warhammer/black library books for years, when I spotted this on the bookshelves it caught my eye.  At first I did what any dutiful girlfriend would do and text my boyfriend to see if he was interesting in obtaining a copy (which at present he isn't). However the book was still looking at me so I decided to read the Blurb and it got my full attention and inevitably ended up being a purchase.
Ulrika is an 'accidental' fledgling vampire, her once human self raised as a true warrior. However she has now been taken under the wing of a vampire countess who made a pledge to Ulrika's lover and Dwarf friend that she would raise Ulrika to be a respectable vampire and gain control of her blood thirst and vampire urges, in a world were vampires are mostly hidden from the human community. When Ulrika and her mistress are called to investigate a string of murders things become a little 'hairy' to say the least.
Nathan Long; Gripped me with this story from the first page, it was fast-paced and kept it up throughout the whole story with out becoming dull or repetitive, his ability to include the occasional dry witticism also left me chuckling!
  Long creates imagery easily in this story without over describing, which quickly gets the reader immersed.  I liked that Long put in enough of a back story that allowed new readers (such as myself) to feel comfortable with continuing, even if they haven't read previous Gortrek and Felix books which I am lead to believe Ulrika first makes her appearance?
 The plot kept me guessing Long's ability for misguidance/miss-direction really worked I did not guess the perpetrator until they were revealed!
I look forward to seeing what happens next in the Trilogy however, I enjoyed it that much that I may have to read a few book in between to prolong the suspense.
Having felt previously intimidated by 'proper' fantasy novels with their multi-verses, abundance of creatures and mythological beings and a plethora of characters, I feel that the way Nathan Long's writing works well to introduce and encourage any level of reader to develop a keen and deeper interest into fantasy literature.

Hello all,

 Bookworm Girl here... I have been blogging over on Tumblr for over a year now and feel its time to move on to pastures new.  
  So I have many favorite hobbies, but my favourite on by far is my love of books and all things supernatural or fantasy- Did I mention I was a bit of geek too?
I plan to use this blog to share book reviews, including some exclusive Author Requested Reviews & graphic novel reviews.  Along with occasionally sharing my other hobbies with you all, which include baking and general craftyness..
I am still trying to find my way around blogger and how it all works, so please bear with me while I get sorted and transfer my stuff from Tumbler to here.

Much Love

Bookworm Girl x