Book Review: Shadow Sun (spoiler free)

Shadow Sun (Nevemor #3) by Lani Lenore

Release Date: November 3rd, 2015

Publisher:

Format of Novel: E-Arc/Nook (received from author in exchange for an honest review)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): As it began, so shall it end.

Time has passed since the Rifter went into the sun, and while Wren has missed him terribly, she does not doubt that he will come back. She has tried to shadow her grief as she travels across Nevermor with what is left of the Wolf Pack, attempting to heal the land and restore it to its former state. But that task is made more difficult by plummeting temperatures, and the fact that the sun seems to be slipping farther away.

When a different sort of darkness comes over the land, Wren discovers that not only may she be looking to preserve the world for Rifter’s return, but she may have to save it from him as well.

Shadow Sun is the epic finale to the Nevermor trilogy, a dark fantasy based on Peter Pan
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Well guys, Happy Halloween! Today is the day we conclude the Nevermor trilogy by Ms. Lani Lenore with a short, spoiler free review since I got to work tonight at our Halloween store. And as a bonus, I will do a full on fan girl based review on November 3rd. (The book's release date). So let's get to it shall we?

This novel was a stunning conclusion to the trilogy with twists, new people, and finally- Rifer's past. From what was given, the book was left at a few months after the events of Forshaken Dreamscape. Everything  in this book was such a mind bend in specific parts that I have no exact words how to described it to you without spoiling so much. The characters, old and new were a wonderful blend and their growths were on point. The plot was point and Lani took it with a greater length from the other two books.

In this book, we learn about Rifer's past and how the war between the wolf pack and Scourge's pirates came to be in the decaying world of Nevermor. We also learn about the meaning of Sly's visions, everyone's hidden desires, and the return of a old face finally returns after 'years' of being gone for so long in Wern's life. There's so much to say, but I will create a spoiler-based review once the book releases to the public's eye.

Guys, this entire trilogy was absolutely breath taking and so beautifully done that I'm still waiting to hug a physical copy of this lovely book to complete my collection. Lani Lenore is a author that really needs to be recognized more for her talent in the horror arts of fiction, especially for this particular day. Alright guys, I hope you all have a lovely and safe Halloween, I'll be working till the adults are allow to have fun lol. I'll see you all with another review on Monday.

Happy howling!

NaNoWriMo Tag

Hey guys, today we are going to do something a little different because we are almost to the time of hell and fantastic fun times. That's right, its almost time for National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for us crazy writers. So, I figured let's start the Pre-NaNoWriMo with a fun tag I found on youtube created by Kristina Horner. It's basically a tag about the experience of NaNoWriMo and to encourage people to try this event out for the first time.

Let's get started!

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1) How many times have you done NaNoWriMo?

I've done it on and off for five years now. As a person with very low confidence in thyself, I never really sat and done it because events happened during that time. But, last year was an eye opener because I did it and won with my Reaper story by five words lol.

2) How did you find out about NaNoWriMo?

Umm.. Through fiction press and the blog "Let The Words Flow/(Pub)lishing Crawl" when I was sixteen. Helped me get through a rough patch in my life at the time and encouraged me to write again.

3.) What was the name of the first novel you attempted with NaNoWriMo?

Ring of Roses, a fantasy about a ritual gone wrong and a girl finding out the truth about her biological mother.

4.) Give us a I sentence summary of what you're writing this year.

Uh.. I don't have one.. I'm still debating if I'm doing this at all this year or not. Sorry!

5.) What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

My grandpa told me before his death "Just write the damn book, we're always behind you if you need the push" so I keep the words close to my heart because he was my biggest fan..

6.) Did you ever take a year off from NaNoWriMo? Why?

Yep, Personal reasons that I don't want to explain on here.

7.) What's your biggest inspiration when figuring out what to write?

Anime, music, and probably daydreaming.

8) Read us the first sentence from one of your novels

I can't really read it since I can't record stuff at this time, but I have one for you guys from a random thing: "Every memory is similar to a single petal of a flower. Holding onto its vibrant scents of the specific memory till it looses its gentle grip on the unbearable reality forever."

9) Why do you love writing?

I don't have a reason behind it, I just do.

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Alright so that was the NaNoWriMo tag. What are your answers for this cool tag? Send me the links to your blog posts or videos so I can see them! I hope you all have a great day and happy howling my fellow wolves!

Links:

My NaNoWriMo (Let's be buddies!): http://nanowrimo.org/participants/rayne-wolf

The Tag video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjP-mr0hprY&index=1&list=FL3ujVaxy12x5398r3CqihvA

Book Review: The Raven Boys

 

The Raven boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: September 18th, 2012

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Format of Novel: Paperback

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

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At first, I didn't plan on starting this series until all of the books came out. But, I decided to give this series a chance and I'm happy that I did. This series is so much better compare to her wolf series (and yeah, this is coming from someone that loves wolves with a fiery passion). The writing style was beautiful and the cast of characters were unexpected and fresh to my crazed mind. The twists and turns between the new group of friends were never ending and that really got me to fan girl loudly while in my room. The relations between the 'raven boys' were really interesting. I loved Ronan with his tough guy act and his unique ability (which is more revealed in the sequel), Adam's yearning for independence and love, and Gansey.. Oh Gansey, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He's been trying so hard to help his friends out while looking for this mystical ruin and the Raven King.

Blue Sargent was a very nice touch as a female protagonist. I thought she was going to be a weaker character, but I was completely wrong. I like how she doesn't have a crazy ability about her, but yet she still maintain a strong will to keep going and have a stubbornness to her that literally shines like the boys do in the series. The cast of characters were a wonderful bunch all together and I wanted so much more from them.

But, what really brought my attention to this book was the word flow and the power of Maggie's writing style. It's just so freakin' beautiful and lyrical. Her writing literally pulls you right in for an all-nighter and it's so realistic that you feel like you're a character in the book. She makes her words similar to classic literature we're force to read in class, but she makes it fun.

All in all, I found this story compelling and breathtaking. Everything about this book was original and whimsical with the word flow. The series is worth reading if you enjoy the mystery and an odd bunch of people banding together to uncover those mysteries of the Raven King.

What were your thoughts about this book? Tell me in the comments below and I'll be back with another post tomorrow. Happy Howling!

Book Review: Shiver

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: August 1st, 2009

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Format of Novel: Nook

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
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Normally I would fan girl about lycanthrope in Young Adult books. Almost to the point where a review like this one would be nothing, but everything a young teenage girl gossiping on how cute the characters and the whole plot was on point. However, this was a book I wasn't a huge fan nor was I disappointed in it. To me, this book was a flat plain on a developing hill.

Don't get me wrong, I love Maggie Stiefvater and her beautiful writing (aka Raven Cycle series) and her way to bring out characters in a entertaining way. But, for this book, I almost didn't finish it because I was muttering curse words at the lack of the lycanthrope I craved. The plot was completely flat, but it lingered in hope for a better continuation of the trilogy. However, what did drawn me into the book was her writing style and her idea of lycanthrope. I'd enjoyed how she made the curse more season related because I do think wolves are more associated with winter than summer. It was a great idea, but I wish there was more to it.

The characters were flat as well in my opinion. I didn't like how there wasn't any growth to Sam and Grace throughout the novel. I liked the romance between the two, but I wanted to see more other than the romance. As for the other characters, I think there were a little stronger than the protagonists, but perhaps there will be a better out look in the other two books.

Overall, I did enjoy the idea of the book, I just felt that this book was a slow debut to the trilogy. I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to read the rest of the series, but maybe I will in the near future because I do love Maggie Stiefvater as a author and I want to give the series another try because of my love for her writing. What did you all think of the book? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be back on Tuesday with another review.

Happy Howling!

Anti-Heroes: Vicious revenge for All

Hey guys, I recently brought this lovely book in paperback, and holy crow did I love it! (Hence forth the special title down below). This review is basically going to have me fan-girling like a crazed lunatic, but I'll try to maintain an honest review about this lovely book. So let's begin shall we?

Vicious (book #1) by V.E Schwab

Release Date: September 24th, 2013

Publisher: Tor

Format of Novel: Paper back

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from good reads): Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

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When I first heard about this story, the premise was the one thing that got me hooked so fast that I wanted it so badly. But, I wanted it in paper back so I waited, and waited until I got up and brought it with joy. I was so stoked and let's just say I wasn't disappointed in this book. The flow of the writing was so fluid, it was almost like I was reading a comic book and the twists, oh my god. I regret not reading this book sooner. I was literally going bananas in front of my dad while he was watching his Mets game and took in the jokes when they started over my fan girling. And the way the chapters were set, it was literally like watching a movie in your head. I wanted to take my time with this book, but everything in V.E Schwab's writing kept forcing me to read this book till very end.

But, let's get real here guys, what really brought us to enjoying this book? You guessed it, the characters. Victor, Eli, Mitch, etc. They're all so amazing! I'm forever Team Victor because of his personality and his way to stay loyal to his motives. He's shown to be a introverted, brilliant person, yet I felt that he wanted to be loved. He was lonely and I kept thinking, if he was more open with his emotions, than maybe things would be okay for him. But then again, he wouldn't be the Victor I love if he didn't act the way he did in the book. I loved the growing bonds he, Mitch, and Sydney are creating throughout the present chapters. They're almost like a family unit and it brought a little bit of normalcy into this story.

Eli was also an interesting person because he was the one that came up with the theory of E.Os. In someway, he did dragged Victor into it with their growing curiosity melding together as a single unit, and turned this one thing into something huge. I almost seemed to see Eli as a possible cult leader. He was charming and gentle enough to lure people into his revenge against Victor for accidently killing his girlfriend (and Victor's friend). But, I don't like the way how he thought himself as God of the E.Os. It was a little too much in my opinion, but it was necessary because of the events that unfolded in the 'past' between the two friends. His 'girlfriend' was also a nice additional into his adventure to killing the other E.Os. She reminded me of Lillith/the serpent. And I almost cheered very loudly when she died in the end, but also felt bad because of certain things I cannot really explain until the second book comes out.

Overall, this book was fantastic. It was filled with suspense, anti-heroes, and paranormal elements that shinned nicely throughout the tale. This entire story almost felt like a biblical movement, but I enjoyed it because of how crazy every character was portrayed. I can't wait for the second book now even though I thought the ending to this book was a great way to end Victor's story. If this was your favorite book, tell me in the comments below about your thoughts. I'll see you guys soon with another review. Happy howling!

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Book Review: Nirvana

Nirvana: Written by J.R Stewart

Release date: November 10th, 2015

Publisher: Blue Moon Voices/Publishers

Format of Novel: ARC from netgalley/Nook

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary (from Net galley): When the real world is emptied of all that you love, how can you keep yourself from dependence on the virtual?

Larissa lives in a world where the real and the virtual intermingle. After the supposed death of her soul mate, Andrew, Larissa is able to find solace by escaping to Nirvana, a virtual world where anything is possible – even visits with Andrew. Although Larissa knows that these meetings are not real, she cannot shake her suspicion that Andrew is indeed alive. When she begins an investigation of the Hexagon, the very institution that she has been taught to trust, Larissa uncovers much more than she ever expected. Her biggest challenge, however, remains determining what is real – and what is virtual.

(I received this arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

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Hey fellow wolves, I'm back! So wanna hear my lame excuse for not reviewing before we start?.. No.. (it involves work..) Okay. Let's get started. Nirvana by J.R Stewart was a book that I never lean towards because of the sci-fi elements. Normally, I'll read sci-fi books if it has another significant genre to it, but not when its alone. I'm not a fan of it, but I try to get into them. Unfortunately, this is not one of those books that will spark a love of the genre for me. Especially if it takes me almost three months to finish...

While this book shows promise because of the idea of the Nirvana's virtual world, the overall execution was lacking in my opinion. The characters were at a stand point, which annoyed me. I didn't enjoy them, but yet I was pulled into them because of Nirvana and how Larissa was going to find her soulmate Andrew. Sreg was someone I enjoyed the most out of the rest of them because he had a development that stood out more than Larissa's or the other characters. I felt sorry for him in certain parts, but like the others, I almost lost interest in him in the middle.

The major problem I had with this book was the plot. I wanted it to have more drama, more action from Larissa and the 'antagonists', but I almost didn't finish the book because I got so bored with it. I wanted more and perhaps the next two books will develop further on, but this book had the debut blues where the idea was fantastic, but lacking in character development and plot growth.

Overall, I gave this book 3 stars on good reads because of the concept and the potentinal I see growing when the other books come out. If you are a fan of virtual worlds in books, then I recommend this to you. If not, then try something new like I did and read it for fun. Happy Howling guys, I'll be back with another review for you tomorrow.