Review - Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Vol. #1-20)

Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective - as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest and most bizarre cases. 

Rating: 3/5

Add it // Buy it 

When I saw the Chew Volumes on the shelf at the library, I was very excited. I had heard many good things and I was reading a lot of graphic novels so I selected several of these Omnivore Editions to devour at once. (excuse the puns) I went home from the library a happy girl with many comics to keep me occupied.

Like I said, I was excited to start these and the series started out strong. There was a lot of action and a bit of a paranormal vibe to keep me interested. I really liked the kickoff to this comic and flew through Omnivore Vol. 1. It was only in the second volume where things started to drag for me.

Even though I liked the characters, I was frustrated with other aspects of this series. The world became too unwieldy. Every issue went off on another tangent and the story never felt connected to a main plot to me. What was the real question? We weren't just following Tony around for fun. What was the point? Eventually my interest started to wain.

Overall, the story stalled so often to start another plot line that didn't have any connection to what was already happening. Even if it was connected, it was left unresolved. I understand that as the story moves forward loose ends will be tied up. However, as someone who was only semi-invested in the story, I didn't care enough to stick with it.

PHEW- Ok. Yes, I was frustrated. No, it isn't all bad.

The art style is interesting. There are a lot of vibrant colors and it clearly showed all the action. This story can be gory at times and that was one of the things that turned me off. (Maybe for me personally smaller volumes in larger stretches would solve this problem) I liked the bits of extra content that were included like alternate cover choices for the issues. I do recommend these Omnivore Editions! They are a great way to move through the series quickly.

We will see if I go back to this series. Let me know if things get more coherent after Vol. 20.

Happy Reading!

May Wrap Up (Part 2)

This month has been a fantastic reading month for me. Compared to the past two months where graphic novels dominated my wrap ups because of a reading slump, novels have made a comeback. I read some truly amazing stories this month and cannot wait to tell you more of my thoughts in reviews coming soon! If you want to see what I read in the first half of may, check out my Readathon Wrap Ups from Yearathon, Bout of Books and RYBSAT. 

Books Mentioned: 

Blameless by Gail Carriger

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

As of this moment I do not have any preorders coming in June and I'm trying to keep that going. However, I could easily break down to order this title. I am a sucker for historical figures and strong ladies. The synopsis also compares this to The Princess Bride which is one of my favorite movies. I'm going to try and rein it in until I see a few reviews, but I can't wait for it to be released! The early reviews I've seen are all good and the three authors sound fantastic, but my wallet weeps so I'm trying not to order this at this moment. You go order it for me and I'll live vicariously through you! 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Expected Publication: June 9, 2016

Add it // Preorder

The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England. 

Top Ten Books I Want to Read by the Beach

Now that we've hit June I cannot stop thinking about my beach vacation. This week's Top Ten Tuesday fell just at the perfect time for me to imagine lying in the sand and soaking up the sun with a good book in hand. Check out the books I hope to read this summer with the ocean nearby.

 

   

 

My Last Top Ten Tuesday ----> Ten Books I Picked Up on a Whim

Summer Reading Goals (2016)

This summer I am hoping to read a lot of books. Every summer I have high hopes for my summer TBR. but I never accomplish them. This year I've scaled back the number of books I have as a goal and just picked a few. I'm anxious to read these!

Books Mentioned:

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas

Ungodly by Kendare Blake

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

The Madman's Daughter by Meghan Shepard

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Favorite Series - Paranormal Edition

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater 

The Goddess War Trilogy by Kendare Blake

The Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer

Penryn and the End of Days Trilogy

The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

#FridayReads (20)

This past week has been a whirlwind. My days aren't long enough to get everything done! After work I've been trying to clean up my space before I crash into bed. My very busy weekend keeps catching up to me. Either way I've finished another Gail Carriger book, but want to take a short break from the series. While it is excellent and I've been devouring it, I could feel myself starting to skim the story in the last installment. I do not, under any circumstances, want to go back into that reading slump. So I'm trying to start something different.

Review - Hawkeye Vol. 2-5

   

 You can find my thoughts on Vol. 1 Here.

Hawkeye Vols. 2-4 by Matt Fraction and Illustration team

While I enjoyed these overall, they didn't pack a big emotional punch. The art is cool and I liked the innovative way Faction and the illustrators used the art to show different points of view and Clint's disability. The plot is slow to develop, but I enjoyed the characters and where the story was headed.

Hawkeye Vol. 5 by Jeff Lemire and Ramón Pérez (Illustrator)

This volume is a different story. (pun intended) Not only is there a new writer for this volume, but a new art style is introduced as well. This fifth volume made up for the lack of emotional connection in the first volumes by far. In contrast my emotions were all over the place during this story. There's more action, the art is more interesting and Kate is involved a lot more. I like this change up quite a bit and I'm excited for the next installment. 

Individual Ratings:

Vol. 2: LittleHits - 3/5

Vol. 3: LA Woman - 4/5

Vol 4: Rio Bravo - 3.5/5

Vol 5: All New Hawkeye - 5/5

T5W - Top Books From Summer 2015

Summer reading is one of my favorite seasons of reading. Over the summer I seem to pick up more books than any other time of the year. Last summer was a fabulous reading season and I picked up so many great books. This week the Top Five Wednesday topic was a bit broad, Summer Reads, so I decided to feature books from the Summer of 2015.

1) Full Metal Alchemist Series by Hiromu Arakawa - Last summer I raced through this manga series. It was an amazing series and I'm pretty sure the librarians were tired of seeing me show up to get more copies. It is fast paced but pacts a huge emotional punch.  The series is perfect to marathon over the summer!

2) Penryn and the End of Days Series by Susan Ee - It only took me a few days to finish this entire series over the summer. I had a few days off and read the first two books for a readathon. This series is easy to speed through and I was totally hooked! If I had all three when I started I think I would have finished these three books in as many days.

3) Storm by Brigid Kemmerer - This book isn't my favorite in the series, that honor is split appropriately between books two and four*, but it is a great intro to the series and a fun read. I highly recommend this paranormal romance series for a speedy and light summer read.

*If you've read the series you know why.

4) The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - Surprisingly I read this on the beach last summer. I thought the high fantasy series would be tough to read on the beach, but the book was so addictive I couldn't put it down.

5) Rebel Yell by S.C. Gwynne - This biography of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was the best biography I read last year. It was really interesting with so much detail, but the writing style was witty and kept the book from being stale or dry. Jackson was an interesting historical figure and I enjoyed learning more about his influence.

 

Previous Top Five Wednesday ----> Top Five Characters I am Like.

Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim

Sometimes the best books I find are books I read on a whim. I really like going into books knowing as little as possible so for me picking up books randomly can be the best thing to do. These are the top ten books I've read on a whim. - Check out The Broke and the Bookish for more topics!

1) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - When I picked up this artistic looking audiobook from my library, I had no idea it would change my life. I've reread this series more than any other and I still love it after finishing the series. I'm so glad I picked this up.

2) Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour - Another library pick that I loved! This story intrigued me right away with its attention to old Hollywood and film making. The cute contemporary romance and fun characters didn't hurt either!

3) This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales - Loved this contemporary about music and growing up. I was really touched by this story and how music was such a comfort in tough times.

4) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - The last time I was at Barnes and Noble I saw Illuminae on the shelf and I couldn't ignore it. I kept circling back to this book even though I had never had a strong interest in it before. After reading the first few pages, I was intrigued enough to pick it up. I'm so glad I did! This was a fun and unique read! I can't wait for the next book.

5) The Martian by Andy Weir - Though these books are not in a particular order, this should've topped the list. I loved this book last year and I borrowed it from Overdrive on a complete whim while I was at work one day. I could not put it down!!

     

6) Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix  - I love The Abhorsen Trilogy audiobooks so I decided to try another book by Nix on audio. I ended up really liking this one even though it is quite different than his other series!

7) Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich - At the end of last year I randomly preordered this book a few days before it came out. The cover is so creepy which intrigued me so I picked it up and read it really fast.

8) Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout - On New Year's Eve a few years ago I was sick and didn't hang out with anyone to celebrate the new year. Instead I spent the whole night reading this book and the sequel. I think I got less sleep because of my book than I would have if I went to a party!

9) Frigid by J. Lynn - This is my favorite of Armentrout's new adult books. It is super cute and steamy. I picked this up on a Saturday while I was curled up in bed and read it in a single sitting. It was so addicting! Whenever I need a reading pick-me-up, I grab this book.

10)  Clockwork Angel (Manga) by Cassandra Clare - Once upon a time my local bookstore was having a buy two manga books get one free sale. So I picked up this series as manga, which I had never seen before, and loved every moment of this adaptation.

    

My Last Top Ten Tuesday ---->  Top Ten Childhood Characters to Revisit

Review - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Series: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Source: Purchased

Published: September 2013

Hardcover - 445 pgs

Add it // Buy it

Rating 3/5

CATH IS A SIMON SNOW FAN. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to. 

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath that she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Finally I read the famous Fangirl! This was also my first Rainbow Rowell read. After so much hype over the past few years, I finally sat down and just read this book.

Honestly, I'm not disappointed, but I didn't like it as much as everyone else which I was kind of expecting because contemporary isn't my first pick.

Even knowing that though, I had a few issues with this book. This story was really slow to start. It felt like nothing happened in this first and, while I could relate to Cath on a lot of levels, I also found her really frustrating. There were a few things she did that just didn't make sense to me.

After the midway point, the pace and the character started to  jive for me though. The plot developed faster and I cared more about everyone in this story. I can pinpoint the moment things changed for me and after that moment things were really good. In the end this is a lovely coming of age story I think a lot of people will (and have) relate to it. It had a lot of heart and family was much more central than I was expecting.

I know  lot of people were frustrated or disappointed with the ending , but I really liked it. I think it gave readers a chance to "write" their own future for Cath and where her journey will take her. I imagine good things for her.

Happy Reading