Book Review: Dead Romantic by C.J. Skuse

Frankly, this book isn't going to win any awards for being of great literature value. It basically, a reworking of Frankenstein into a modern setting and shallow values.

Stitching dead bodies:try wool

Camille wants to find the perfect boy, with an athlete's body and a poet's brain. But when she's mocked at a college party, she kows there isn't a boy alive who'll ever measure up. Enter Zoe, her brilliant but strange best friend, who takes biology homework to a whole new level. She can create Camille's dream boy, Frankenstein-stylee. But can she make him love her?

Camile has loved anything dead and has kept dead things as pets her whole childhood (including her ran over cat). Camile meets a mysterious girl, Zoe in Graveyard filling in a grave and becomes obsessed with her(with brief thoughts of homosexuality). Camile actually switches subjects to be in the same class as the girl.

Turns out Zoe is collecting body parts, in attempt to make a boy and restore her father shattered reputation. Camile decides to help, mainly because she needs a date to the college Halloween party to make that shallow boy who dating her ex (apparently)best friend, jealous. Because who doesn't love a pig who offers to take your (and every girls' in college) virginity to get it over with.

Camile refers to the Experiment as the Dead Sexy Boy and so her annoyances really begins. Camile isn't the cleverest person but sometimes this got really unbelievable. I mean, Camile is smart enough to have passed her GSES however, claims not to know that a crowbar is an object, and not just the verb of "Crowbarring". I'm petty sure she says the same thing two other times (obviously about other words) and definitely within 20 pages says it again. We get it pretty clearly that Camile is the local idiot that likes dead things.

At one point, Camile thinks Zoe has started to kill people for parts when one of the friends she abandons at the beginning of the books goes missing with her boyfriend, for no real reason. Also she does nothing about this suspicion anyway.

Oh, yeah this is a romance, right? I think its meant to be... The romance is typical and boring. Frankly (I'm really loving that word in this review) in terms of relationships, Zoe and Camile was most interesting but I don't think either like each other that much. Camile loves dead things, Zoe makes dead things alive, they are the perfect pair.

To sum up its a good book for a light read. It was funny at points and tried too hard at others. The ending was bit too cliffhangie( also very cliché) for something that doesn't deserve a sequel. It bit too unbelievable and the characters got annoying. I enjoyed it, brief boredom aside that made me skim through the last chapters before going back and finishing it properly. I did enjoy it, but that's about it. The idea was overdone, the characters don't learn anything, repeating habits (except on a bigger scale). Read it if you're not in the mood to think too much or get too emotionally invested.

Book Review: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London, #2)

Okay, this review is so over due its not even funny. Sorry, stuff happen and just life I guess. I kinda ended up doing what Rory did with Homework in this book, so relatable yes.

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…
There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.
Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…

But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

I just like to start by saying this is the second in Shades of London series, so I'm going to write this based on that you've read the first book. So probable spoilers for the first one if haven't read. Just slight hints to spoilers to The Madness Underneath.

In all honesty, I don't remember there being a big mystery in this book but it been like a month since I read it (I know bad for writing a review, but we now have reflection and it was somewhat out of my control).

So the books starts with Rory being in Bristol with her parents and seeing a therapist and obviously not being able to actually talk about what happened, because you know ghosts. Having read the last book (like I said I'm persuming you have) you know it ended in cliffhanger sort of fashion, well that actually quickly addressed and plays a big part on this book.

 Rory has been away from school for over month, but really wants to get back to London to talk to the Shades as they are only people she knows that have clue about ghost stuff and obviously going back to school is the only way to do so (since this is a YA novel after all).

I just like to say that Rory's school stuff was portraied really well and Johnson did a really good job on that. As someone who has fallen almost that behind at school and had the horrible realisation that the battle might have already been lost, it really spoke to me and it was very similar to what happen to me almost. A lot of YA novel do seem to forget about the whole education thing, like they'll have school in them as a setting but never acknowledge that the protagist has been away from school for like a month and must be so far behind. Bravo, Johnson for having the only novel I've ever see deal with it and it was basically my favourite part.

Though, this also brings us to Rory doing something rather stupid of basically, damn I actually can't say what she does because it probably spoiler it.  I was just shaking my head at Rory the whole time, lets just say that Rory's ghost seeing and new ability make her vulnerable and she ends up doing something stupid. Though, its good in terms of the book and kinda deals with real life issue within the world of Fantasy.

One annoying mistake was made in the book and I've just got to point this out because so obviously wrong and it something that you really should check when writing a book set in a country you're not totally familiar with. Rory must be 17 if she in her last year of education by English standards. That means she not a minor in Britain. So someone doesn't know the law, but this someone trained as policemen, meaning he really should/would know this, especially as everyone knows this in Britain, its the smallish details that can really ruined a book.  Especially if the reader Autistic and notices errors easily.

On to the romance of the book, I saw it coming from the start (as in the last book), but glad it didn't go down the annoying line it could have especially since that got old with the second Twilight book (oh,Twilight you seem to haunt the world of YA). It once again done in a realistic, if not slightly cliché way at the end.

As for the ending, I did see it coming. I just felt it was going happen to someone and the someone I thought it would be was right. Though, I always tend to see the ending coming, but I just felt it was sort of cheap. Like it was just for this dramatic ending. However, I do think this is setting up for the next book and hopefully will work out fine in terms of the series.

I rated this book 4 out 5 stars. It was really good, they was just a few things that let it now.


Disclaimer: I got this book off NetGallary. So for free. Don't worry I'm honest and kinda of bitch. Just asked my Best Friend.

Book Review: Mind MGMT Volume 1 by Matt Kindt

Its the cover that gets you.

I bring to you my thoughts on collection of 6 comics that is Mind MGMT volume 1. Yeah, I just generally see more comic/graphic novel stuff as it been a while.

 Reporting on a commercial flight where everyone aboard lost their memories, a young journalist stumbles onto a much bigger story, the top-secret Mind Management program. Her ensuing journey involves weaponized psychics, hypnotic advertising, talking dolphins, and seemingly immortal pursuers, as she attempts to find the flight’s missing passenger, the man who was MIND MGMT’s greatest success—and its most devastating failure. But in a world where people can rewrite reality itself, can she trust anything she sees?

It basically about this true crime writer trying to find material for her next book and basically her last chance before agent gives up on her. She investigating a plane fight where all the passengers lost their all memories.

The investigation leads into people with strange abilities and strange weird going ons.

I don't feel any strong feelings towards this graphic novel. I wasn't really that motivated by the plot or really at all cared about the main character (maybe its because she a Ginger). I'm not completely certain why.

I didn't perpendicular like the art,this might have been a factor, but it kinda grows on you after awhile. The colouring was just really wrong to me.

My favourite parts was the narration that goes on throughout the book, especially the times where you have no idea who the narrator is.  Also I quiet liked the case files, where you told the background of certain characters.

ALSO FORESHADOWING, who doesn't love foreshadowing (and random capitalisation).

It didn't leave me up all night wondering, however its good read and think the right person might love it. I'm just not its soul reader.  I gave it out 3/5 star and recommend it to people who like conspiracy side to mystery. 

Review: Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George Orwell

I really hate the fact that all Classics are lumped togather as though that's a genre, and that there time period and actual genre don't matter. The most annoying about this trend is that its done by readers. So which brings me onto reviewing this lovely (that's probably the wrong word) little novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell. I'm going to try to review this book (other classic novels I end up reading) as though it like any other book I've read. So with that here's the given summary.

 Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Published in 1945, this powerful satire of the Russian Revolution under Stalin remains as vivid and relevant today as it was on its first publication.

I only have a brief Knowledge of the Russian Revolution, so I can't actually make a specific point about its full satire nature and more of relevance toward kinda the nature of Politics in general which I do know enough about to capably vote. 

So obviously Animal Farm is about a group of animals that take over a farm. Obviously. Orwell uses the different type of Animals to show different classes of people. The Humans are symbol of the old ways, the pigs are new politic leaders, sheep are the blind flowers, the donkey as the disillusioned oldie and it kinda gets more specific when comes to the horses (restrains self from making a Horse Meat Scandal joke). 

It basically about the nature of Politics and how masses are typically manipulated. The good example of this which I can't say because it kinda spoiler. Also that the leaders may be more concerned about themselves than each other. 

Just general points here, there is a lot of characters and does get a bit confusing by the end trying to keep up. Even though satire about Russian they is something very British about it. Making plans in pubs, farm animals and "The Beasts of England" do that.

I recommend to anyone who like History and politics (I guess should tell my sib about it then) and I gave it 4/5 stars. Its sort of depressing as its reminds that people can be terrible and that can't truly trust your leaders. It is probably one of those books everyone should read and it is quiet short.