Fight Evil. Read Books

Books are the best weapons in the world! This is a place where I will make book recommendations and write reviews of all the books I read, helping others to fight evil!Have a book you think I should check out? Let me know!

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Omg guys. Somebody literally did the thing you do not do with bilingual characters! It’s like a direct copy of that text post. Not that I can find it now but ffs. This is from a published local author a friend asked me to read 🤦‍♀️

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Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Owen lives at the edge of the woods ruled by a witch with 8 tree siren daughters. One day trying to rescue his sister who has wandered into the wood he meets Seren, a tree siren who protects them instead of taking their lives. After this, we see Owen and Seren slowly fall into love and learn the truth of the fight between the king and the witch, and what it will take to end their war. The writing in this book is just gorgeous. I loved watching Owen and Seren struggle with their nature as well as the true nature of each other. Although it felt slow at the start of the story, once things started going wrong the pace was quick and I could not put the story down! Understanding the truth behind the war between the witch and the king, and seeing how hard Owen and Seren were fighting just for freedom and peace was heart wrenching and so, so beautiful. I absolutely loved this book.

This book was so much fun to read and the progression of the story was so natural and heart breaking but also uplifting. Seriously recommend this one if you like slow-burn romances, evil rulers and a bittersweet ending. Because of reading this one I picked up Echo North so I could read that one as well! This is truly a great book for fighting evil 😊😊

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Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin

When I started Serpent and Dove I had heard the series was going to be a duology. When I was able to get Blood and Honey, I learned the series was now a trilogy. So I took my time reading Blood and Honey. And I wish I hadn’t. Mahurin absolutely crushed it with her second novel. The story of Lou and Reid continues in Blood and Honey as they try to gather allies and figure out how to defeat Morgane. This book had what felt like slower action, but still had that beautiful setting that l loved in Serpent and Dove. It may have felt slower, but the amount of character growth and everything we learn about Lou and Reid individually, and as a couple, was amazing.

Shelby Mahurin once again crafted a beautifully dark, compelling story of romance and prejudice. And I worried stretching the series from the original duology would negatively impact the story for nothing. The amount of twists and turns, and all the events by the end of Blood and Honey blew me avay. I was destroyed at the end, and I desperately need Gods and Monsters now. Mme. Mahurin, you have beceme one of my favourite authors, and I hope you never stop writing. Your work is phenomenal.

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We boys and girls and non-binary pals, Shelby Mahurin has done it again. She has ripped my heart out, broken it, stitched it back together and left me dying for the next book. I am not ok and I will give my full review after I have processed.

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Book Dinosaurs

Posting on Tumblr my art in the past few months.

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Cute!!

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Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Lore is part of a world where every 7 years 9 greek gods walk the earth as mortals for one week. And if they are killed by a mortal in that time, the mortal gets their powers. Lore, having lost her entire Family in the last hunt - the Agon- has spent the last 7 years trying to stay out of that world. But Athena and an old friend draw her in for one last hunt. I loved this book. I loved Lore because she was such a flawed,imperfect character. Even better Bracken managed to equally write a dark, bloody story that still spoke so much hope.

In addition, this has to be one of my favourite stories that integrated greek mytholgy into a modern world. Greek myths are unique in the humanity of their gods and Bracken exemplifies that in her story. She also slowly draws out a story of misogyny and rape culture. It's shocking and jarring in such a modern setting, but also shows how much work needs to be done there. Honestly, amazing characters are placed in a phenomenal setting and a story that is absolutely captivating. And it's a stand alone book. Read this book. It earned medusa on the cover.

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Guys. This book was amazing. I took me longer than usual to read. But it is honestly one of my top reads of 2020. And this was a year to be reading.

When Kira (a xenobiologist) comes

into contact with an unknown

bio suit, it sets off a chain of

events that no one could have

predicted. The story is an

excellent examinahon of humanity,

both good and bad. Not only that,

so much consideration is given to

The science of Space travel and

character motivations that this book

resonated and blended with the real

world perfectly! Paolini may have taken

years to get us this

book, but the wait was

absolutely worth it. This blends

the best aspects ot plot driven and

character driven Sciencc fiction

into a work of art. Not once

was the plot buried or were

characters out of line. My only

issue was the sheer number of

events occurring in this book.

There were many a time l had

to take breaks to properly absorb

recent plot points. Even so, each

event was clear and distinct

and they all added up to a

master piece of a story!

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Today we are taking a look at The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis. This glorious fantastically amazing space odyssey follows three main characters: First Sister, Lito sol Lucius and Hiro val Akira. First Sister has no voice, and is abandoned by her captain on the war ship Juno and must adapt and gain favour of the new captain Saito Ren. Lito is blamed for the fall of Ceres in the war, and as punishment is sent on a mission to hunt down his partner at the time. Hiro was punished for the fall of Ceres by being sent on an undercover mission and goes rogue. His death as a traitor is now Lito’s mission. Abandoned, betrayed, blamed for things they had no control over, this is their story.

Oh. My. Gods. This book has it all. Everything I ever want to see in a well written sci-fi novel. The entire book is written in first person, and every chapter alternates from the POV of Lito and First Sister. We also get snippets of Hiro’s story as small “play” chapters; from a recording that was given to Lito. Each character is distinct and has their own voice. The writing is so drastically different between Lito and First Sister who are opposites sides of a war and have very different personalities and problems, that it’s almost like their parts are written by different people.

First Sister: a religious leader for her people with no voice has to deal with secrets and political plays and trying to communicate when she can’t speak.

Lito: an elite soldier that suffered a crushing defeat and now is trying to redeem himself by hunting down one of the only people he truly cares about.

More than the distinct voices in each chapter the progress of each character, the growth and changes that happen throughout the first book in the series is astounding. Not to mention the amount of representation in this book! I’m in love with every type of person we get to see. Characters cross the spectrum in this book; multiple nations and beliefs and lgbtq characters are everywhere. Honestly, Linden A. Lewis has just become one of my all time favourite authors and is someone that I would honestly love to meet: they seem like an amazing person!

Do you want to read it yet? Alright well I’ve got one last thing to really put your attention on this book: this book is easily on par with the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. Words I thought I would never say (type?). But it’s true. This is honestly one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read and I am dying for more. The action was well paced, the characters were memorable and the story is so relevant to events happening today. This book has almost everything. And what it doesn’t have it’s not missing. I honestly don’t even know what that would be. Just go read the book. Fight evil. Start a revolution.

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Today you get my thoughts on Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero! I loved this book once I really sunk my teeth into it, although I’m not going to lie I really picked it up for its feeling like an adult Scooby Doo. I mean you have all the basics for a great Scooby story: 4 kids, a dog, a creepy mystery and house and a guy in a mask. But messing kids takes it so much farther.

First, the kids are adults in this and one is dead. Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler. Also, the dog doesn’t talk. And the guy in the mask at the creepy house? He was caught years ago but was he truly the bad guy in that story? Maybe not. Meddling Kids takes place years after the guy in a mask has been caught and all the kids have moved on and grown up. They need to get back together and finish the last mystery they solved together; the one that is still haunting them. Will they solve it once and for all? Or will this drive them even crazier and truly destroy their lives?

I loved the way this book was written. Cantero did an amazing job of creating vivid dimensional characters that are unique and memorable. The setting is also breathtakingly done, and whether the scene is a bland small town or a terrifying monster attack you will feel like you are right there. I also loved the way the book was written as part novel, and part movie script. The switch between the writing styles is seem less and adds so much to the atmosphere of the story.

Not only is the writing fantastic, but the plot was gripping! The story got a little weird at points but honestly it all tied in really well. I had to keep reading to the end and there was still shocks even in the epilogue! If you enjoy horror reminiscent of Stephen King with more endearing characters and a good dose of hilarity, I highly recommend picking up Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero. It’s a perfect example of Fighting Evil by Reading Books 😉

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The Last Book on the Left

So who’s interested in some true crime? Yep, me. And the guys who host the podcast Last Podcast on the Left: Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski. I recently finished reading the book these fine gentlemen wrote covering 9 of the worst serial killers in history. It is definitely a great read for anyone who is even remotely interested likes of the Night Stalker or Dahmer; or even my own most feared serial killer BTK. As long as interested as in the psychology of killers and not in repeating these heinous acts. Please don’t go looking for inspiration for murder from true crime books. Part of being able to solve, possibly prevent and end violent crimes is being able to understand the criminals and their crimes. This is in no way a post of admiration for the crimes written about in this book or any other crimes. 

OK, with that out of the way, I really enjoyed reading this book and the amount of research that went into each chapter. I especially appreciated the way each chapter covered one killer, and the details of their lives, their crimes, and how they got caught in the end. Although the material covered in any true crime book is always heavy, having on author write the main details while having the others join in with comments aside from the main text helped to relieve some of the tension from the pages. This made the book far more palatable despite the violence that was described. In addition, one of my favorite features was that the names of all victims were used repeatedly throughout the text unless the victims were unable to be identified at any point during the investigations into these crimes. When any crime is committed, we have a tendency to remember the perpetrator, especially serial killers, and forget the victims who were real people who suffered, not just a number showing how lethal a killer was. 

Honestly, I think the reason I really want to recommend this book is because it gave a clear, factual stories of famous serial killers that most people have heard of, without exaggeration, without admiration and with a lot of respect given to the victims and the police forces that were able to solve these crimes(although with quite a few jokes and comments towards certain mistakes that shouldn’t have been made). 

Honestly, reading true crime books is one of the clearest ways we can fight evil, because by understanding it we can help to prevent what lead to many of the violent crimes described in The Last Book on the Left. So go pick up this one or other true crime books (I have a few I can recommend) and remember: this is one of the clearest times when Read Books. Fight Evil. is so very, very true. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43261154-the-last-book-on-the-left

(Warning: this book does contain illustrations that while cartoon may be unpleasant viewing for some people so please be warned about that.)

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Today’s review is Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper! It’s a historical mystery following Audrey Rose Wadsworth as she fights against the male dominant society, learning forensic science and family secrets to stop Jack the Ripper during his murder spree in 1888. This is the first novel in a series of four books, and although I don’t normally enjoy historical fiction without a bit of the fantastical, the mystery of who was Jack the Ripper sucked me in and kept hold until the end!

I’m not going to lie. This book was slow to start for me. The first one hundred pages or so was a bit of a fight to stay invested, since there was a slow build to learn the characters and their motives. But once the story really started into the mystery, and we actually started to understand Audrey Rose, I couldn’t put the book down. Audrey Rose is an aristocratic lady doing things that no woman is approved to be doing in the 19th century. And she has fire. She’s also smart and emotional. It’s great to see both aspects of a female character, where she doesn’t have to sacrifice one for the other.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mystery, stories of Jack the Ripper, or historical fiction. The historical aspect isn’t always accurate, but the characters are well written without going too far out of the norm for the age, and the mystery is gripping! It took me to the last 100 pages to figure out the killer; even then I wasn’t sure until it was revealed! Stalking Jack the Ripper was really well written and there were unique descriptions that conveyed the feeling and setting without taking away from the story.

This book also clearly shows the struggle for any smart woman during a time when all they were to do was manage households and marry well, even if that didn’t interest them. And although Audrey Rose the protagonist rebels in an obvious fashion, we also see how other women of the time work within the constraints of society. A great book with strong female leads and men willing to adapt (even if that is sometimes unrealistic).

If this sounds like something you need to read, then do it! I will be making my way through the rest of the series as time allows, and can’t wait to see what everyone thinks! And if nothing else, this book also demonstrates how you can fight evil by reading books!

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When I post stuff to the wrong blog...

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Today’s review is for something a little different. This is the graphic novel series Maneaters by Chelsea Cain. I love graphic novels. I grew up reading Nausicäa and Marvel and some DC and the way a story can be told through images and words is always incredible. What I love about Maneaters is that not only does it have a great story line but it’s also a big F*ck You to the patriarchy!

The main storyline follows Maud a young girl who is in a world where menstruating women turns into violent big cats. Usually panthers (which would be cool, amiright?). Because if this, society has implemented estrogen into the water supplies to stop menetruation as well as coming up with all this stuff for boys that are estrogen free. In other words, it’s a society that has taken a change in how women react to menstruation and is using it to boost males and knock down females.

BUT. Our main characters don’t take this lying down. As you read through the three comics you see how Maud and her friends and family are fighting and rebelling. It’s subtle at first but it definitely happens and it is amazing. This comic takes something that is definitely not talked about enough (menstruation, the effect it has on women young and old, and how that is used to put women apart) and makes a satirical dramatic story out of it. Although Maneaters shows is something that isn’t actually likely to happen, the effects and the cost to women and men worldwide is well demonstrated and definitely makes you rethink our current society.

If you enjoy graphic novels, if you want to do some thinking about feminism and problems facing women, and want to look at some incredible art, please take a read of Maneaters!

Keep fighting that evil; keep reading those books. After all ignorance is truly a universal enemy 😉

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Right. Long time no post but eh...quarantine makes my anxiety real special. Anyway. Who’s heard of this book? No one? Great. Here’s why y’all need to go read this PHENOMENAL debut. First thing: female assassin. Aka badass chick killing people for money. Who wants out but needs to pay off debt for training from the guy who “saved” her. And she gets the job that’ll pay all of those debts. If she can do it.

So what happens when it goes wrong? She starts working with the targets brother and discovers a bigger mystery than either one thought possible. Not only is the plot engrossing, the diversity of the characters and their depth is limitless. I mean every. Single. Character is impressive for their skills but then also have so much depth and diversity I wasn’t able to pick a favourite character. I was only able to decide which characters were evil.

Honestly, if you’re a teen fantasy fan, and you’ve enjoyed things like Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin or the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas then I highly recommend this book. It is the first in a series, but it also ties up at the end well enough that you know there is more and you are not left dying of a cliff hanger. So please take a read if you want action, adventure, and some of the most diverse and well written characters.

And as always, remember: Fight evil. Read Books.

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No review today, but I thought I would update anyway to let you all know that every animorph book is available as a free ebook with permission from the author! I know I’m going a little stir crazy with all the isolation requirements atm and the best way for me to alleviate that is books! That’s why I started this blog. It’s my own personal covid-19 coping mechanism. Let’s me discuss all my favourite books even when I can’t see people. And more than that, I want to share books that you can get even without leaving the house. Follow the link to a great series that deals with kids growing up, alien invasion and being able to turn into animals!

Keep on keeping on, and remember to fight evil and read books!

https://animorphsforum.com/ebooks/

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3 nights. 800 pages. That is the basic summary of my reading of House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas. This book was phenomenal. I could not put it down. I honestly loved Maas’ writing before this book, but she has blown any and all expectations I had out of the water (and I had a lot)! I laughed, I cried and I devoured this book because it was. Just. That. Good.

House of Earth and Blood stars Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae girl, and Hunt Athalar, a fallen angel. Together they are asked to solve the murder of Bryce’s best friend from 2 years ago as well as a string of new murders currently happening in Crescent City. Trust me, as simple as that sounds, the story that is weaved in this book is so intense and complex you will never see the twists and turns coming. Not to mention the characters are stunningly real, relatable and honestly my new favourite people. They are a mess, and broken and down right awful sometimes. But it is so perfect for the story. Honestly, everything I want to say about this book is not going to emphasize enough how amazing it was to read House of Earth and Blood. In writing this book I feel like Maas took everything I already loved about her books, and turned it up to 11. She took everything that was amazing in her YA novels, and turned them into near perfect writing in her adult fantasy debut.

Honestly, I really hope you all go out and read this book. It will change your life. But if you’re not ready for a dark gritty adult fantasy, then at least pick up Throne of Glass or A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas amazing YA series. I promise. These books will help you fight all kinds of evil - in society, yourself, or even kind that dwells in boredom and isolation!

Keep on fighting all! Remember, Fight evil! Read Books!

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Today I am going to review Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. At first glance, can I just say the cover is gorgeous?! The premise for the book is a witch, Lou, ends up married to a witch-hunter, Reid. They hate each other, Lou is hiding the fact that she is a witch and they are both just trying to get along as best as they can in the situation they are now stuck in. Totally a teen romantic fantasy trope, right?

WRONG! There is so much more to this book than the romance and awkward situations going on with Reid and Lou. There is drama, political intrigue, crimes, magic, family secrets, religious fanatics! And everything unfolds in the most beautifully described setting I could ask for. The setting is described by the way the characters interact with it and is such a beautiful mix of the New Orleans french quarter and victorian France. If you enjoy fantasy, if you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, and if you are looking for a good book to blow your mind, please give this one a try!

And remember every book you read helps you fight evil!