The title pretty much says it all. Borne into this world by a romance editor on TikTok as a lark, Swark created a guffaw-inducing compendium of terminThe title pretty much says it all. Borne into this world by a romance editor on TikTok as a lark, Swark created a guffaw-inducing compendium of terminology NOT to use when writing a romance novel. I mean, I guess you COULD use it, but it’s ill advised. I found myself cackling profusely, especially during the chapters highlighting the names of male and female bits. MY how creative society can get!
There are also, dare I say, inspirational terms in here too, especially as they pertain to certain kinks. Those were a little harder to read as I fumbled my way through pronouncing a lot of them. But I did! Success!
THE SMUTESAURUS is a must have for any romance writer, because if you find yourself using one of these more gregarious terms in your writing, it must be stricken forthwith! Unless you’re writing a satire. In which case, carry on!
Why? For as much personality as the blurb has, there is none in the writing. To the point where I struggled to pay attention aWhere did I stop? 36% in
Why? For as much personality as the blurb has, there is none in the writing. To the point where I struggled to pay attention as I was reading it. The writing is robotic. She did this. They did that. He cried. That kind of thing. There’s also no depth of character. I didn’t really know what the characters were feeling, Roxanne especially, since most of what I read was in her head. They just all came off rather blank. I knew the barest bones of their movements, which is what took up most of the writing, but nothing else. A lot of cigarette lighting, for those familiar with the terminology. I got all the minutiae of where the characters were on the chessboard, but none of how they were feeling, how the plot was impacting them, or what kind of characters they were in general. Getting a third of the way through the book, I’d expect to have more of that. As it stands, the book couldn’t hold my attention, and I wasn’t connecting with the characters in any meaningful way. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more
HALLOWEEN SEASON is a solidly okay anthology of short stories that all take place on or around Halloween, but have varying levels of Halloween involveHALLOWEEN SEASON is a solidly okay anthology of short stories that all take place on or around Halloween, but have varying levels of Halloween involvement. That latter part is what drops this book into the realm of solidly okay for me. Everything about this anthology, from the cover to the blurb, tells me it’s going to be all about Halloween with Halloween as a central focus of the storytelling in each. That is not the case here and it left me feeling disappointed.
The stories were well-written, and I liked some more than others. ‘Hazelnuts and Yummy Mummies’ and ‘Cosmic Cola’ were great stories, and ‘The Toymaker’s Joy’ was thoroughly hilarious and amusing. But that last story, for example, is for all intents a purposes a Christmas story that just happens to be set around Halloween. The date is October 31st, but the concept of Halloween was otherwise irrelevant.
‘Porcupine Boy’ and ‘In the Family’ were both good stories, but they had nothing to do with Halloween other than the date the story is set. That’s where my disappointment is. Not in the storytelling acumen of the author, but in the packaging of the anthology. When I’m picking up an anthology of Halloween stories, I expect them to be distinctly Halloween, not just coincidentally being set on the same day in a calendar year.
I liked the variety of stories. I liked that some of them were lighter, comedic (again, I kind of LOVED ‘The Toymaker’s Joy’), while some were gruesome or just all around out there. But this is not a Halloween anthology. I probably would have liked this better if it had not been sold to me as being something it’s not. Because it was, it’s left me feeling disappointed and deceived. I based my expectations on what the cover and blurb were telling me, and the book did not meet them. I don’t think my expectations are particularly far out of line here.
I certainly had some flashbacks flipping through this coloring book. But I loved it. All the drawings, all the designs, are just so indicative of the I certainly had some flashbacks flipping through this coloring book. But I loved it. All the drawings, all the designs, are just so indicative of the decade. It was difficult to choose just one to color. Granted, it’s not like I have to give the copy back so I can color them all whenever I want. But for the sake of this review I did choose just one.
[image]
How could I not with the Zach Morris phone? Look at that brick. I used a combination of colored pencils and watercolor markers and came up with this neon 90s gem. There’s some real Lisa Frank-looking stuff in here so if you’re looking for a mindless nostalgia break to take your mind off the hellscape around us, pick up TOTALLY ’90S COLORING BOOK. You won’t regret it.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Anything with Deadpool is going to get my attention. I’m reviewing both of these since they’re a set of two, just like the last couple of sets. This sAnything with Deadpool is going to get my attention. I’m reviewing both of these since they’re a set of two, just like the last couple of sets. This should surprise no one at this point.
I absolutely adore Deadpool’s voice. I can watch those movies over and over again and never get tired of them. Although I did miss his rated R attitude like the movies have. But that’s okay. Still had the same gist.
I’m not familiar with the Livewires, and I know they were in a separate comic, as was Deadpool’s interaction with them, but it didn’t detract from the story at all. I loved all of their interaction, especially T’Challa and Deadpool. Talk about two conflicting personalities!
But the story was fun and I freakin’ loved the art, especially when Deadpool goes splat. Just legs and arms everywhere. I LOLed.
Sorry, Black Panther. Deadpool stole this one for me. I vote for more T’Challa/Deadpool comics. Like a lot of them. I would read the snot out of those.
Anything with Deadpool is going to get my attention. I’m reviewing both of these since they’re a set of two, just like the last couple of sets. This sAnything with Deadpool is going to get my attention. I’m reviewing both of these since they’re a set of two, just like the last couple of sets. This should surprise no one at this point.
I absolutely adore Deadpool’s voice. I can watch those movies over and over again and never get tired of them. Although I did miss his rated R attitude like the movies have. But that’s okay. Still had the same gist.
I’m not familiar with the Livewires, and I know they were in a separate comic, as was Deadpool’s interaction with them, but it didn’t detract from the story at all. I loved all of their interaction, especially T’Challa and Deadpool. Talk about two conflicting personalities!
But the story was fun and I freakin’ loved the art, especially when Deadpool goes splat. Just legs and arms everywhere. I LOLed.
Sorry, Black Panther. Deadpool stole this one for me. I vote for more T’Challa/Deadpool comics. Like a lot of them. I would read the snot out of those.
I’m a big Bob’s Burgers fan and I loved the little shorts in this comic. Louise’s story was perfectly fitting as she learned the ropes manipulating tiI’m a big Bob’s Burgers fan and I loved the little shorts in this comic. Louise’s story was perfectly fitting as she learned the ropes manipulating time. While I’m not the biggest Gene fan I felt his cheese touch story was totally on point and enjoyable. And Tina’s Jimmy Jr, butt-centric story was totally Tina. I loved the art too, such different styles for each story that all really added to each in its own way.
Our November read, GEEKERELLA stole my little heart. This book is so touching and so spot on for fandom I couldn’t even. I’m so glad I got to read it Our November read, GEEKERELLA stole my little heart. This book is so touching and so spot on for fandom I couldn’t even. I’m so glad I got to read it because I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own. Despite it being totally on point for me, it’s still contemporary and usually not in my repertoire. But it spoke to me on such an incredibly real level.
Even though you can see where the plot’s going and where it ends up (it’s still very obviously a Cinderella retelling so if you’re at all familiar with it the signs will be pretty obvious), it was still a very enjoyable read that had me rooting for Elle, wanting to spit on her step-mom Catherine, and hoping her step-sisters choke on their lipstick.
I totally felt Elle’s resistance in letting Sage into her life and letting her know about the fandom she’s in. It feels so public and obvious online, but people are dicks IRL and I can totally understand Elle’s hesitance to let her in. And I might have squealed a little when Sage was all for Elle’s nerdiness and even more, all for helping her out. Elle’s fairy Sage mother, if you will. It’s funny because sage is used in cleansing and smudging out impurities, something Sage the character does to a T, from Elle’s costume to her home life.
Catherine was the perfect villain and I loved how Poston teased just a little bit with Catherine maybe being a little shred of human and then ripping it all away. Some may think she’s a bit too much, but people like her are definitely out there, taking their shit out on children, and they suck just as much in real life.
And of course the evil step-sisters. Sort of. The lengths one will go to in order to be famous on the interest is pretty on point with all these influencers. And I liked how the other eventually grew a spine and stood up to her sister. Although at the end, where even the rest of the evil one’s friends turned on her, there wasn’t really any buildup for that so it was rather out of nowhere what happened, although I still support the actions for obvious reasons (if you’ve read the book).
Darien’s struggle is definitely real, I think even for people who aren’t in the spotlight, balancing their nerdiness with their real lives. I mean, we see that in Elle too. He’s doing peak fan fantasy in playing Carmindor, but stressing himself out about it as well because everyone thinks of him as nothing more than a vapid face when, in reality, he’s the ultimate Starfield fanboy (without the toxicity) and worries every second he’s in costume that he won’t do the character justice. Fanfiction writer turned up to 11, trying to stay OC and all.
The romance was super cute and how they kept missing each other and were RIGHT THERE but had no idea and how everything ended up. I think people might think that’s too much of a fantasy, but this whole book is a love song to fandom, and everything Elle experiences is peak fangirl fantasy. I mean Anna Todd wrote an entire series using real person fanfic for One Direction and blew it all up. The entire FIFTY SHADES series is fanfiction. These things do happen nowadays. So yeah, still very much a fantasy to live a fan’s dream. But not totally out of reach, I don’t think.
It even had the downsides to fandom, like the people who are a bit too into it all and like to rub in your face how much of a fan you’re not or how you’re not a real fan because of X and how awesome they are because of “all the things they know” and all manner of shitty elements of fandom. That spoke to me too, unfortunately. I’m sure everyone who’s ever been in a fandom has experienced that nonsense at some point.
Seriously, a love song to fandom, I fell in love with GEEKERELLA. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do, mainly because I didn’t expect it to speak to my entire fangirl life, from the forums to the cosplay to attending cons. It’s all in there, like Poston ripped the experiences right out of my brain. Loved it.
Super cute concept and I think the execution of the story is in line with the tone of Clue, for sure. I think the movie was a little wackier, but IN TSuper cute concept and I think the execution of the story is in line with the tone of Clue, for sure. I think the movie was a little wackier, but IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE was definitely playing to that. A tip of the hat for all the character names, because what would Clue be without a Mrs White or a Colonel Mustard? Not Clue, that’s for sure.
The story itself took a while to get going. The first third of the book was all exposition, with the murder happening around the 100 page mark. That’s a pretty slow-moving murder mystery. I expected a murder almost immediately because, you know. That’s the catalyst of Clue. But I had to wait. And wait.
And the situation with Vaughn’s brother being a twin, either I completely missed that tidbit when that relationship was first introduced at the beginning of the book or it was truly first mentioned like two-thirds of the way in and it really threw me for a loop. If the former, my bad for missing it. If the latter then my discombobulation was warranted and it was a total shoe-horned element of the story. That doesn’t quite feel right to me because that feels like a really big thing to just drop closer to the end of the story without any foreshadowing, but without being able to go back and read through the book I can’t confirm.
Other than those things, though, I thought IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE was a fun read. Like I said before, tone is spot on and the characters are quirky, some to the point of cartoonish, which I think is the point, and it makes for a fun, exciting whodunnit. There were some pieces left dangling at the end, but since this is the first in a series I imagine it’s not the last we’ll be hearing from any of these characters. I’m not in love with the book, but I certainly liked it enough. I don’t think I’ll seek out the next book in the series, but if I come across it naturally, somehow, I’d be willing to read it.
3.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I absolutely adored this book. The art was amazing, at times creepy and other times cute, and often blending the two in a most excellent way. The infoI absolutely adored this book. The art was amazing, at times creepy and other times cute, and often blending the two in a most excellent way. The information the book provided was on point. It let you have that supernatural element you’re looking for, but ground you in reality with it too. I especially liked reading the Godzilla part because I’d just listened to a podcast that talked about similar things, about how Godzilla would basically be too big for his body and wouldn’t be able to move. Plus Beccia mentioned The Lost Boys in the vampire section. Automatic favorite book for that.
I know this is being marketed as a children’s book, but the amount of information in here makes me think it’s not for very young kids. Unless they’re super into this stuff and it’ll hold their attention. Otherwise it’s a bit dense for really young kids. Maybe 8 and up would be a good place to start. But hey, if you can start them younger on the creepy and the kooky, I full support that. And MONSTROUS would be a good place to start them.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Why? I knew immediately that this was supposed to be a sardonic, black comedy type of book. Maybe satirical. Comparing it to Where did I stop? Page 63
Why? I knew immediately that this was supposed to be a sardonic, black comedy type of book. Maybe satirical. Comparing it to Twin Peaks was enough to tell me that. Thing is, Twin Peaks didn’t set out to be the ridiculous show people know and love. That was the style at the time it came out and that’s how it aged. So missed mark there, I think. I just wasn’t digging the humor, though. The two main characters are just not appealing, complaining about everyone and everything. Based on the reviews I read some off-color things happen later in the book that I’m guessing weren’t supposed to be taken seriously but did. This book actually reminds me of Heathers, which I loved, but no way in hell would that kind of humor fly now and I think that’s evident. I just think the book missed the mark all around and its intent didn’t really translate to the page....more
This books was great. A super short, zippy read that was equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking. Why heart-breaking? Because WHY THE HELL DON’T WE HThis books was great. A super short, zippy read that was equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking. Why heart-breaking? Because WHY THE HELL DON’T WE HAVE ANY OF THIS IN 2018???
It’ll take you an hour, maybe two, to read NEW EROTICA FOR FEMINISTS, and it’ll make you laugh. For sure. But once you get a little bit of distance from it, once you can step away from the book for a moment and really let it all seep in, you’ll go, WHAT THE HELL. Because what these ladies are talking about, what they’re poking fun at and drawing attention to, are really simple things. Like being listened to, left alone, and trusted. About not having our bodies up for public discussion or being considered a bitch for deigning to have an opinion about something. For not wanting to get interrupted or mansplained to. It’s really very simple.
But apparently it’s not because we needed this book. And I’m sure we’ll need more books like it and I hope more books keep coming out that are like it until finally, one day, shit finally sits right and it’s not needed anymore. So until then laugh. Laugh until you cry. And then drink whine and continue shredding the patriarchy piece by piece. And do it wearing a great shade of lipstick. Or not. It’s your choice, after all.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Ugh. I love Calin’s comics. Her drawings are fantastic, her humor is spot on, what’s there not to like? I found her on tumblr after having seen some oUgh. I love Calin’s comics. Her drawings are fantastic, her humor is spot on, what’s there not to like? I found her on tumblr after having seen some of her comics randomly all over the place. When she did the Kickstarter for her book I just had to buy into it. And it was well-worth it. If you’re real human being, especially a real woman, just trying to exist in this world that wants everything from us and you feel like you fall short, try to get your hands on STILL JUST KIDDING. At the very least follow Calin on tumblr. Everything she puts out is amazing and hits right in the home button.
The slang was completely over the top and outdated. Words like whacked, beyotch, and pshaw are mid-90s to early naughts slang that has no business in The slang was completely over the top and outdated. Words like whacked, beyotch, and pshaw are mid-90s to early naughts slang that has no business in a book that’s presumably set in the present and was published in 2016. Not only does it date the book, but it dates it incorrectly. I think it’s more so the author writing in the wrong setting because there were a few mentions of flipping phones out that had me going WTF. Again, there is nothing here that would lead me to believe this story is set anytime other than the present and was published in 2016. No.
And then there were the weird lack of contractions. For being in a teen’s head, whose POV has those grossly outdated, un-ironic slang words, it doesn’t use contractions for half their thoughts and speech. It’s inconsistent and makes for some jerky, rocky reading. You just end up with these parts where contractions would be more natural within the dialogue but instead you get I am a lot, or there is, or do not. I don’t know if that was stylistic or what, but I didn’t like it.
Storywise I thought it was okay. Because of the writing itself I couldn’t get as into the story as I originally wanted. Ultimately the concept was more appealing than the actual execution of the story. I liked Mana as a character away from the author’s writing (if that makes any sense). I thought her development throughout was good, but her voice just kept her at a distance for me. Mostly I just don’t think this book is really well-written, as least technically. Idea’s solid, but that’s about it.
Ridiculous is hard to do because that line between hilariously ridiculous and just outright ridiculous is pretty thin and it differs from person to peRidiculous is hard to do because that line between hilariously ridiculous and just outright ridiculous is pretty thin and it differs from person to person. But VIKINGS VS UNICORNS hit me right in the good part of ridiculous. It’s hilarious. Like laugh out loud hilarious.
It’s definitely some level of satire, taking the manliest of manly vikings and pitting them against snarling, rainbow-crapping unicorns who are some nasty beasties that will annihilate the crap out of you if given the chance. The characters are sort of caricatures but aren’t that over the top ridiculous. They’re kind of that bumbling sort of funny but also the kind of serious funny that you come across when you’re pitting manly vikings against Lisa Frank’s army of snarling unicorns. The balance is really great, I think.
The art isn’t the greatest but it isn’t bad, either. Not the best I’ve ever seen but still good. It’s really the story that did it for me. It really sucked me in, had me laughing and wanting to read on. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there are any more within this series. At least not at the moment. This one is almost a year old and nothing else so I’m wondering if it’s dead. It would be a shame if it is.
So I loved the art in this comic. Like a lot. It’s truly beautiful, all the colors and shading. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
The story on the othSo I loved the art in this comic. Like a lot. It’s truly beautiful, all the colors and shading. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
The story on the other hand . . eh. It’s weird. Why are all these zombies at this military-like camp? Are they training for the zombie army? And why is Sarge just a head on a stick? Not a whole hell of a lot he can do. Is the guy who pushes him around on a cart supposed to be his arms to whip these zombie kids into shape?
And then they’re searching for his body, like it has some kind of mind of its own. I don’t know. I don’t feel real rooted in this world. Granted I think the comic is for younger kids, like middle school at most, so I think a lot of backstory gets skipped. But I end up with a lot more questions than what’s answered, mainly because it gives zero exposition. Not even really trickled throughout unless you want to count the ghost story of Sarge’s body. But even then everything’s existing within a bubble.
Young kids would probably like it. It’s amusing enough and the visual are fantastic. But it’s lacking in its story, for sure.
2.5
I received a copy of this comic from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
This book is adorable. I’m sure Broody would hate to be called adorable but I never read books with him in them anyway so I don’t care what he thinks.This book is adorable. I’m sure Broody would hate to be called adorable but I never read books with him in them anyway so I don’t care what he thinks. I really don’t, though. Read a lot of YA books with this kind of stereotypical character in them. Luckily those types of books don’t really pique my interest anyway (plots are usually way too romance-centric and I find a lot of that kind of YA romance pretty insufferable for all of these Broody-type reasons) so I don’t have too much experience with them, but just enough that I can appreciate the satire.
I love how he exists in this ever-morphing main character village just waiting to get plucked up by an author to be used in yet another cookie-cutter book. Blondi was the best part of the book, if I’m honest. Always the voice of reason cloaked in a sarcastic tone and totally discredited because she likes to wear lipstick (how very CS Lewis).
Believe it or not there are some excellent writing tips in here. Basically do the opposite. All the opposite. I was writing a short piece of erotica at the same time as I was reading this and I had my characters have matching heartbeats. And then I get browbeaten with that term in BROODING YA HERO and I just couldn’t live with it. I had to change it. Because it really is so incredibly stupid.
I laughed a lot reading BROODING YA HERO. It’s very heavy with satire and it is a lot to take in. I was bordering on it having been just a bit too much but I ultimately got through it just fine. I can’t wait to get myself a finished copy so I can see all the artwork that will be included.
So if you like satire and you can laugh at all the ridiculous tropes and cliches that run rampant in YA, you’ll love BROODING YA HERO. Not sure whether it’ll make you want to become a main character or not. At least not one in one of Broody’s stories. How droll and unnecessarily dramatic. 🙂
4.5
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review....more
That book cover is perfection. I’d seen it out for a while under it’s original cover, the school photo of the girl with her back to the camera, all huThat book cover is perfection. I’d seen it out for a while under it’s original cover, the school photo of the girl with her back to the camera, all hunched over. But once I saw this I had to have it. Even if the book sucked, I must have this book cover. Because it’s lovely and reminds me of Blockbuster and video stores and all things cheesy horror.
Lucky for me MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM far from sucked. OMG I swallowed this book whole. Definitely reminiscent of those older horror movies from the 80s where it starts off quirky and innocent and totally teenager and then it just takes a big ol’ flying leap off of a horror cliff once the crap starts hitting the fan. The only thing is I think the blurbs make it out to be far quirkier and silly than what it actually is. There’s some serious silliness at the very end that actually had me laughing and going ‘what the . . .’ in the middle of a seriously spooky scene, but that was about it. The culmination of the story is where the silliness really is. But everything else? It’s creepy and exactly what you’d think of an exorcist story without it taking itself all that seriously.
I loved the song titles for chapter titles and how the 80s was there without being THERE in the story. Hendrix fit those aspects in seamlessly (like Abby’s makeup and hair, the mix tapes, the diet fads). It wasn’t just these time bomb drops meant to immerse you in the decade. The story did that excellently. If anything I’d compare this to Stranger Things with a little more humor and four chicks instead of four boys at the forefront.
There were some aspects of this story that were creepy and cringeworthy. For all the quirkiness, Hendrix did his job working in the horror too. This would be an amazing Friday night Halloween horror movie as it drills into Abby’s life and upends everything. And what a great character. All of them were great characters, but Abby especially. You watch as everything around her falls apart and she just keeps hanging on and hanging on. Even when everything looks its absolute worst she still has a fingernail in the game.
This is a re-read book, without a doubt. Even though there was one scene in particular that had me practically gagging. If you’ve read the book you know which one I’m talking about. Blech. But I am so happy this book turned out to be everything the cover told my soul it was. The world needs more of these books and I really, REALLY hope there’s a movie or a TV series or something in the pipeline for this. I really, really do.
This book is just incredibly adorable. Initially I wasn’t sure if it was an adult book in comic form or a kids book because some of the humor does getThis book is just incredibly adorable. Initially I wasn’t sure if it was an adult book in comic form or a kids book because some of the humor does get a little dark. But reading the blurb on Goodreads it calls itself a chapter book so children’s book it is!
I freaking love the art. Especially when the characters get all bug-eyed or insensate or chuffed. And the shark getting dressed up in women’s clothing. Ha! Looking at Blabey’s other books on his website he seems to have a style that really speaks to my amusement. Just those googly-eyed characters that look a bit frazzled . . . they speak to me and they just move in.
It’s a cute story too, about a wolf who’s sick of the bad rep he has just because he’s a wolf so he tries to do good and recruit others to do good and they look at him a little side-eyed for doing it. Eventually the wolf gets them to go along with his plan and they may or may not have a different view of things by the end of their escapades.
THE BAD GUYS has a good little message about not judging a book by its cover and one bad deed doesn’t forever brand a person as bad and all of that. So good for kids in that regard. But as an adult (usually) I was so incredibly amused by the jokes and the art that I want to keep reading in the series! I just want to look at the pictures. It’s nice to look at the pictures every once in a while.
5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
There really isn’t much to this book except drill sergeant stories, which are hilarious. But there isn’t much to critique. I’ve never been in the miliThere really isn’t much to this book except drill sergeant stories, which are hilarious. But there isn’t much to critique. I’ve never been in the military, but I’ve had people around me grace me with a number of hilarious-in-hindsight stories about basic training (among other things) that certainly fall in line with what’s in this book. It’s a super fast read; I read it in about an hour on a train from Philadelphia to New York. And I was laughing my ass off doing it. Don’t know if people were giving me weird looks or not and I don’t really care. A lot of this is absolutely hilarious and I couldn’t hold it in.
This is a good stocking stuffer little book that, unless you’re a corpse or just entirely without a sense of humor you’re going to find AWESOME SH*T MY DRILL SERGEANT SAID funny.
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