Saturday 16 July 2016

Pokemon Don't Move

Like the rest of the world I've been playing Pokemon Go. Mostly from my bed, you would be surprise how many Pokemon just stroll into my house. I caught my first two in my kitchen. I catch a Gastly while watching 'My Ghost Story', her name is My Gastly Story now. Also two crab Pokemon in my bed, also a Horsea. Maybe my bed is a ocean. Now I must fight the urge to write a poem-story with that concept at this exact moment.
Quite the balancing act.

There is are three Pokestops and a gym in walking distances of my house. I don't if that's good or not as I've not played in the game in a bigger town or city yet. One of the pokestop is technically in the middle of the the road, but that's not where the map registers it being and the other is the place I go to vote.

Whoever currently has the gym either did one of the tricks to get Pokemon Go in the UK or they're from another country, because their Pokemon are at a ridiculous level for game only been out two days. I've picked the red team and will make that gym red as blood.

What could have been?
My brother and I have been out during early morning hours trying to find pokemon. Its been a struggle with servers going down all the time and the game freezing just as a decent pokemon appears. The game also freezes after I've hit a pokemon when with a pokeball. I have lost so many because of this. Sometimes the pokemon is there and sometimes its gone from my world.

All this walking has started too hurt me. I keep having back spasms so fun. I know there's apparently cheats to make you look like your walking but I'm definitely not gonna try that cause I would probably mess up something.  I wonder how quickly eggs hatch on a plane.

That's all from me on the written form but I've tons of videos going on my YouTube as soon as I edit them. Filmed way too much today. Off to hunt for pokemon.

Wednesday 13 July 2016

Book Review: Eight Rivers of Shadow by Leo Hunt

Teen Pregnancy is gonna happen one way or another in this series.

Luke Manchett used to be one of the most popular boys at school.

That was before his necromancer father died and left him a host of vengeful ghosts that wanted him dead.


Now everyone thinks he's a freak.


To make matters worse, the mysterious new girl at school is actually the daughter of his father's deadliest enemy...

And she's out for revenge


This is the sequel to 13 Days of Midnight, while I enjoyed the first book, I had issues with it that have carried on to the next book. Most of them have doubled.

The plot was still strong but was too reliant on the sheer stupidity of the protagonist. It could be augured it's is naivety but at this point he's straight up not learning from his mistakes.The world building while interesting, it didn't compensate for the characters this time.

Luke and Elza are giant clichés. A popular jock and a snobby goth are the most unlikable stereotypes that you can find in a Teen Medium without a immediate threat; it becomes clear how characterless they are. I had a problem with the romantic aspect of their relationship in the previous book and in this one it rings even more false for me. This is a big issue as a lot of the novel is their relationship being tested and I'm just in the corner thinking you should have broke up by now, like Big Brother contestants do when they come out the house. Their bonding is experience is over and has been for months at the start of this book. Friendships are valid and in high school you be friends with people if you have nothing really in common except being outsiders and lonely. You're less likely to question your differences in friendship than a romance. Their high tolerance for each is never explained which we just know how they annoy each other.

Also both Luke's mum and Elza's parents are completely fine with them staying over at each others' places over night without a discussion. There's at least an awkward sex talk in there. That's never discussed in the book and they are just teenagers who both lucked on parents that up for having grand kids in 9 months. All of the parents are involve and actually care about their locations. This is odd absence of responsibility is just weird extension of the absent parents trope in YA. A world without consequences.

The new characters in this book are bland and American meaning their actions have little emotional consequence to the story. But I like them more than Luke and Elza so problematic again for the plot.

Random Fact: Luke has disdain towards having his Dad's last name, but he's 16 years he can change his name to his mum's (or anything) if he wants. Its the 21st century and lots of people decided to do that. If it's to show disdain towards his father, I think the back story does this pretty clearly and if to explain his mum different last name, why bring her last name up? No one actively calls her by it and the story is told completely by Luke. If meant to show Luke still wants a connection with his dad, how many people would question one line at the the start of the book this much.

I give this 2.5 stars for Ghost Fights. I like the world of this book, but the characters really let the book down. I'm not all invested in them at all after two books. Last time I said I didn't think of I would read the sequel but who knows, probably wouldn't buy it. I think I would definitely read a spin off or future work from Leo Hunt. If you a more plot person than a character person then I would recommend it to you.

I got this off NetGalley for review and is being published by Orchard Books

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Book Review: Urban Legend by Helen Grant

Surprisingly reading a whole series based off the title of last book paid off.

A GROUP OF STORY-TELLERS DISAPPEARING ONE BY ONE.

A YOUNG WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST.

A SERIAL KILLER WITH ONE TARGET HE IS DESPERATE TO HUNT DOWN.

 Veerle is trying to lie low, to live as 'normal' a life as she possibly can.

But when you've thwarted a serial killer, it's hard to do this.

ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WANTS REVENGE...

This is the final book in the Forbidden Space trilogy by Helen Grant. I have reviews of the other two books, Silent Saturday and Demons of Ghent if you're not familiar with the series.

This book is called Urban Legends and surprisingly has Urban Legends. The main reason I read this series is because I love Legends and ghost stories I picked up this book solely on this when I saw in the library and then I read the whole series. I really like the way these stories were incorporated into the novel and think think it worked really well. Urban legends are sprinkled through the main story, (my favourite is Angel Smile as its own thing while being based on a popular Legend. Also such a cute renaming).

The plot is involves abandoned buildings and more urban exploring. We have more interesting murders (be honest and admit that you rate fictional murders). I like the climax and the build up to it.

This book continues the romances from the two previous, but its quickly resolves if you're not about pointless love triangles (while on the real side of those situations, I'm just not about romances in general).

Overall, I give it 4/5 stars for lost flashlights. This was a good strong ending to the series and I'm glad that I read the whole series, just based on this book's title. I wish had written this review sooner after I finished reading the book, but Oh well. Time is fleeting thing that gets away from us all. Would had of have a better review though.

P.S. Nice final sentence. "They stood together and watched the coin rise and fall in the air, golden and glittering as it turned over and over in the light from the street lamps, and waited to see which way it would fall."

Saturday 2 July 2016

Dance Hall: Chapter 4, Vague Threats

Hello, Weirdos. It's been a while, but in honour of the first Saturday of Camp I have a new Chapter in the Dance Hall. Yeah, still need a better title. I don't even like as a working title. I will accept suggestions. I've worked on this chapter for a while, hopefully the next one will be wrote a lot quickly. This chapter does end with lots of direction for the next one. I'm still finding the characters. I don't know I've made the right direction for this story, my early starts might have been better. However, we here now so I'm just going to keep pushing myself to get through this. This story has been worth so far just with the different world building I've done and I do like ideas I've came up with. The Execution does need work. I'm going to stop review this chapter and just let you read.

Do tell me what you think and if you are also taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this session as well.

Start & Last Chapter


Chapter 4, Vague Warnings

I’m woken by someone slamming on my door. I finally got to sleep last night at around 4am. I feel goggy. What the point of sleeping when you feel worse when you wake up? I answer the door to my mother.

“Good, you’re dress,” I hadn’t bothered to get changed before getting into bed. “You’ve missed breakfast and we have to get going. Get your stuff together.”

This is my mother typical morning greeting. She is morning person where I favour the night, sticking to the stereotype. I grab my phone and bag without saying anything. I didn’t even get my phone charger out last night, meaning my phone is likely dead and Necromancy doesn’t work on electronics, that was different type of magic. Though, I can do Frankenstein thing with corpses.

“Ready,” I tell the hallway. My hair is probably a mess but I’m spending the next three hours in the car anyway. She not there, I lock the door and make my way down the stairs. We’ll run into each other eventually.

No one was in the reception bit. Disappointingly, there’s not even a feeling of eeriness in the empty hallway. People are easy to find, when they are ghost to ask. I go outside to see if she at the car. I immediately spot that she not in the parking lot. The only one presence is a ghost. It’s standing at the gate looking out into the road. A girl in Victorian style white dress, how cliché.

The dress is a clue to her state of living but I can just tell with the dead. I couldn’t explain the difference between the living and the dead. There’s just a clear distinction.

I wander over to her. She must be one of the house’s actual sprits. They don’t tend to leave their objects. Though, maybe the gate was from another place originally. It wouldn’t surprise me if even the wall paper was haunted, stolen from a derelict mansion.

“Why are clinging to the gate?” Conventional conversation with ghosts usually go no way even with the most aware spirts, so it’s best to be direct with what you wanted.

“He’ll be back.”

“Who will…” I stop at a crunch in the gravel. It’s Mr Creepy. Camp NANo The ghost is faded away when I turn back. Our discussion was over with the intruder. I ignore him and walked to the car. I try the door for kicks, my mother often leaves the door open. Its locked.

“Hello, Nova,” Mr Creeps says rattling the gates. “How did you sleep? Have any disturbances?” I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, the mattress was so lumpy that my sleep was so light that woke from the sound of the pipes ratting. Maybe you should get those replace.” I fake smile as his disappears.

“I just came out to make sure the gates were unlocked,” he pauses. “They sometimes lock and unlock themselves.” He tells me this as though it’s a secret and not something he’s tells all his guests. If true, it sounded like too rivalling spirts.

“Maybe you should get a new a lock,” I reply to his disappointment. I know I’m being bitchy, but these places give me the creeps and I can’t believe my mum wants to run one. He goes on to opening the gate, pulling them wide and use a rope try them to the fence.

A minivan pulls in as if on que, it beat up Junker that’s all scraped up on the side of it. It’s also crammed with kids. Is a spook hotel, a family hotel?
The woman behind the wheel gets out the car, abandoning just at the gate. She is dressed in bright patterns long shirt and ankle length skirt that crash with each other and just the colours on them alone.

“Is Aytia ready to go?” are the words she says to Creep. My mother’s car is sadly lock. I can’t be bother to wait with Creeps’ family. My mother must be inside.

“You’re Tella Stern’s daughter aren’t you?”

The creeps all know us then. I awkwardly nod. I saved up from follow up questions with the appearance of Junior Creeps.

“Hello Aunt Mum,” the women turns disgruntled.  I didn’t know that witches doubled as Hill billies. I guess they must exist somewhere. It probably witches just have the habit calling the unofficial head of the family a version of mother and I haven’t met one who appreciates being the one with this honour.

Aytia stuffs her bag in a boot and then throws herself in with it. Witches are not safety or law abiding butch.  The woman gets back in the car and drives off with only a wave to Creeps.

“I’ll be seeing you all round Nova,” Aytia shouts waving as me as the van flees from her father.

My mother finally came out and meets me at our car. Its doors are finally opened. We dump our bags in the boot.

“Did you return your key?”

“The ghosts did it for me,” I say with smile.

“Go and do it so we can leave. Mav would probably demand we come back as the key itself is haunted.” I’m not sure she joking or not. I would rather never come back here. It’s a threat I’m not willing to risk.

Mr Creeps is back in the hotel, so I’m forced back into the building. The hall is strikingly colder than the spring weather outside now. Empty but for the ghost manning the desk, flicking through files.

I guess Aytia did keep the ghosts at bay. I slam the keys on the desk. He doesn’t look up at the noise. Well, he’s clearly not being paid enough to deal with guests. I probably should actually give Mr Creeps the keys, so they not carried off by the sprits, but if this is really the quiet season then he would have plenty of time to find the key again. Also he really should have spares in different places with the amount of ghosts this place has.

Eh, I need to get out this house before more show up. The room suddenly darkens and file ghost disappears. I sigh and turn to leave. The Victorian ghost stands before the door blocking the way. Well, she had her chance for conversation and I don’t time for her menacing act.

I walk towards her in game of chicken. Walking through ghost feels weird, but it just in your head. You see something that should stop you moving forward, except it just the same as a rainbow or light beam. Ghosts are just light, but not. Like I said they’ll been almost no research done by anyone with any real knowledge of the sprit world. The few non-cigma scientist are more interested in the biology of magic than anything else. How powers manifest is the only nut they are trying to crack.

She doesn’t move as I get to her. I brace myself to go past her, closing my eyes. I bang against something hard. I fall back on my arse. I open my eyes, to the girl still blocking my way. I scan to see what knocked me over. She can’t be solid. It takes a lot of energy for ghost to interact with the “physical” world and it more touching things long enough to hurt someone. Maybe she pushed me for ignoring her now.

“He will be back for you,” her voice echoes, through the hall. Irrational fear fills me. She talking about herself. Ghosts like to be dramatic and corner people who can see her. She starts to move but then fades away again.

“What are you doing on the floor?” I hear Mr Creeps behind me. Ghost must be repelled by the Creeps. I get up from the floor and go out the door.

“The keys are on the desk,” I shout back glad to be out of the company of the house.

Next Chapter: Temporary Homes