Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Boy on the Bridge (The Girl With All the Gifts #2) by M.R. Carey

The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey
My Rating:

I absolutely love The Girl With All the Gifts. It’s such a fresh and compelling take on the zombie genre. Naturally, I was excited about finally reading the second and final book in the series. Sadly, it was a miss for me. Its saving grace is the epilogue, but even that cannot save this lackluster prequel.

The prequel takes place on the Rosalind Franklin (Rosie), which is the special tank, RV, and lab that was seemingly lost to time and shrouded in mystery when it was discovered in The Girl With All the Gifts. We follow the lives of a group of scientists and military personnel who were specially selected and sent out to collect and study samples from the “hungries” a decade into the zombie apocalypse. Living in close confinement for several months, the crew of the Rosie is pushed to their limits before things start to go south, which is where the story begins.

Unfortunately, lightening does not strike twice with this prequel. One of the main problems is that there’s a classic stereotypical mystical autistic character, Stephen Greaves. He’s the smartest person present on Rosie. At some point he was actually fixing a part of Rosie based on a manual he once read and some questionable instructions from another character. Not only did he fix it, but he fixed it so fast that he had plenty of time to collect samples and return before anyone knew he was up to something. Stephen is a scientist, mechanic, midwife… you name it and he’s probably it.

The other problem is that so much of what goes on doesn’t make sense for a group of highly intelligent characters living in a small space. So much could’ve been prevented by simply communicating with one another. Plus, everyone but Stephen is unbelievably unobservant. I find it hard to believe that so much would go unnoticed, especially in such a small living and working space. I believe that they would get on each other’s nerves, grow sick of one another, and start fighting over petty things. What actually occurs doesn’t even make sense for these characters.

There are some good things about this story, such as the group of second generation hungries. The story expands on the social structure, how they operate, and how they are also friends and family rather than a random cluster of zombie kids on the move. However, it was slow going and I wish that Carey devoted more time to this since we were revisiting the second generation. It would’ve been interesting to have a couple chapters from the perspective of one of these kids.

I also enjoyed the epilogue, which sends us twenty years into the future, and let me know the fate of some of the surviving characters I grew to love in both installments of the series. Again, I wish that we could’ve seen how the second generation hungries, who are a combination of human and zombie, evolved over time. I’ll settle for the epilogue, which gives us a glimpse of how both species of humanity have survived and evolved over twenty years.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

A Body in the Trunk (Myrtle Clover Mysteries #12) by Elizabeth Spann Craig

A Body in the Trunk by Elizabeth Spann Craig
My Rating: ★★★★

When one of Myrtle’s neighbors goes missing, she’s quick to aid his distraught wife in the search only to find him dead in the trunk of his car. With a new murderer on her hands, Myrtle and Miles investigate the life and death of their late neighbor and follow the clues the killer has left behind. Before they know it, the killer strikes again, pushing the duo to hurry up and find the murderer before he or she targets another poor soul.

I love this series. Myrtle’s antics never fail to make me laugh. Plus, the great cast of characters that make up her small town have been hilarious since the moment I started this series some time ago. We have Myrtle’s son, who irritates her more than usual because he thinks she’s having money troubles. Erma and her never ending ailments never fail to make me laugh, especially because she reminds me of my younger brother. Miles cousin and resident psychic, Wanda, is always a great addition. I love that she has been featured much more than I ever thought she would when I first started the series. There are so many wonderful characters in this book that I could go on about them for some time. They’re such a fun and goofy cast that I’ll miss when the series eventually comes to an end.

In addition to the characters, I love Myrtle’s hilariously large gnome collection that takes over her lawn every time she’s irritated with Red. It’s even more fun now that her gnome collection has been spruced up by some questionable gardening in another one of her daughter-in-law’s new hobbies. I think it’s wonderful that the gnomes have been getting some extra love in the last few novels. I wouldn’t mind if she had another temporary art installation done with them in the future.

The mystery itself was another good one. I figured out who it was around halfway through the book, which didn’t take away from the story. It was still interesting to watch Myrtle and her sometimes reluctant sleuthing partner, Miles, investigate as well as continuing to live their lives. They have such a wonderful friendship and Miles tries his best to hold Myrtle back when he can. I like that we visit characters and locations that we see in past novels as well as slowly venture into different areas of Myrtles life as the series continues. I can’t wait to read the next installment when it drops!

Monday, May 21, 2018

Murder on the Green by H.V. Coombs

Murder on the Green by H.V. Coombs
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Avon Books UK through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ben Hunter is running himself down while running his restaurant when he gets a surprise offer from a celebrity chef, Justin McCleish. Justin wants to hire Ben to join his temporary kitchen at the local opera festival only to reveal that he really wants to hire Ben as his muscle. You see, Justin is being blackmailed and word is that Ben will find the blackmailer and put the hurt on them for a price. Disappointed, Ben takes the offer because the money is good without the intention of roughing anyone up. As he looks into the blackmailer, it quickly goes from blackmail to murder, throwing him into the arms of danger.

Coombs brings us a variety of characters that are interesting to meet and follow throughout his story. Ben is an interesting character that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like at first. He’s stubborn and very stuck in his ways, but he’s also activity working to make positive changes. The main thing that he’s working on is his anger management issues, which we watch him struggle with on and off throughout the book. It’s also the main reason why he is disappointed in the real reason Justin approached him. Ben’s staff is wonderful and caring, and then there’s Justin’s staff, which are each complex once Ben digs below the surface. I also loved meeting many of the characters that pop in and out of the story, like the coven of witches and Slattery.

The mystery is an entertaining one as well. What starts out as a simple case of blackmail quickly turns into a murder mystery, which then transforms into yet another mystery that throws Ben through a loop. It was so much fun watching the twists and turns unfold as well as how the characters deal with it. Every time Ben thinks he’s got a handle on things, something new gets tossed his way and we get to watch him hunt down new leads and come up with theories.

My only complaint is that there are a few passages that reference something that occurred in the past. These passages made it seem like there was a previous book rather than something that is just backstory to these characters. It was enough to make me check to see if there was a previous book because I seriously questioned whether or not I accidentally started on the second in a series. All in all, it’s a funny and entertaining book that takes on some serious subjects in addition to the murder, such as drug abuse and physical violence. If this is something up your alley, I highly recommend picking up this book.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Spell on Wheels, Vol. 1 (Spell on Wheels) by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, Nate Piekos

Spell on Wheels, Vol. 1 by Kate Leth, Megan Levens, Marissa Louise, Jen Bartel, Nate Piekos
My Rating: ★★★★★

When Andy, Jolene, and Claire’s place is broken into by a jealous ex who is being aided by an unknown powerful entity, the three witchy friends embark on a magical road trip to retrieve their belongings and face off with those who wronged them. We learn about the trio, their relationship with one another, and their magical abilities as we follow them on their journey. Along the way, we meet a variety of interesting characters who unknowingly purchased their stolen goods and learn more about the magical world.

I was excited to finally start reading this graphic novel and it did not disappoint! I loved the three main characters, Andy, Jolene, and Claire, as well as learning about how they became friends and their magical abilities. It was so much fun following them as they used their abilities to track their stolen items and get closer to cornering Claire’s foul and jealous ex. Not only are the main characters fun and interesting, but the people they meet along the way are as well. I love that each person they tracked down were full of surprises as well as unique and memorable. I’m excited to hopefully meet at least one of these characters again in future volumes, should there be any.

It’s also wonderful that the cast of characters introduce us to a variety of people from different walks of life. There are LGBT relationships, mystical beings, supportive friendships, and members of the occult. I love that the story reflects reality because there have been so many cases of all white stories when that’s just not the way life works, so it’s a huge plus when stories include people of color and that they aren’t stereotypes. There’s also feminist themes, a lot of humor, and it really takes a dig at emotionally abusive relationship and supports positive relationships.

Plus, the artwork is absolutely stunning. Every single panel is gorgeous and I loved looking at the sketches and concept art featured at the end of the volume. It was a joy to admire.