Word and Question Poem

Because of me moving house and everything I totally forgot writing a poem for the Word & Question game over at Shredded Cheddar.
Luckily Enbrethiliel reminded me as I had a really cool question.

So here's my poem (and it rhymes this time too):

***
The sun was shining bright
Not a cloud in sight

So we wanted to go on a trip
By car or bicycle or maybe on a ship

Where to go, what to do
Something fun for me and you

Let’s go to a farm, I said
We’ll bring lemonade and bread

Feed the ducks and milk a cow
It will be great, let’s go now

I know a farm, you cried
Great, lead the way, I replied

So on our way we went
With food, drinks and even a tent

But after a trip with lots of sunshine
We were suddenly stopped by a canine

And a guard with a big gun
If I’d had the courage I would have run

What are you doing on Parchman Farm?
The guard said
Leave here quickly or you might end up dead

So we ran on home, barely escaping harm
Next time I get to pick the farm!
***

Word: Sunshine
Question: What are you doing on Parchman Farm?

Here There be Monsters - Short Story Review

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Here There be Monsters by Meljean Brook (from the Anthology Burning Up)

What is it about:
Two years ago, blacksmith Ivy, desperate to flee London, purchased her overseas passage by agreeing to spend the voyage in the bed of the pirate captain, Mad Machen. Saved at the last minute by his rival, Ivy scraped out a new life in Fool’s Cove…until Mad Machen finds her, forces her to accept a job that will create a monster, and reminds her that she still owes him the price of a journey…

What did I think of it:
This Steampunk story is part of an anthology that's all about hot paranormal romance, so not too surprisingly the focus of the story is a romance, which is quite intense and worth reading all by itself. That being said: for a short story there's some amazing world building and Brook paints a Steampunk setting that has me excited and hungry for more. There's even mention of zombies, although unfortunately enough it's just a mention, but as this story is a set up for a series I think we can expect the zombies to make a real appearance in future stories. I really like how the characters in this story are affected by the Steampunk influences around them both physically and mentally and I must say I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series - The Iron Duke - to learn more about this cool and intriguing world and the characters that populate it.

Why should you read it:
Steampunk and Pirates! Need I say more?

* I won this book at vvB32 Reads and this review is entered in vvB's Iron Seas Challenge

(expect a review of the other stories in this anthology soon)

Legacies - Book Review

Legacies (Shadow Grail #1) by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

What is it about:
Who—or what—is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy?
In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is spirited away to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns she is a legacy—not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic.
All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit’s hasn’t manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn’t sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlann Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake.
But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what’s happening—before one of them becomes the next victim…

What did I think of it:
A very decent start of a promising YA series. There are some easy fixes here and there and lots of teen gullibility, but I've learned to accept the latter in YA fiction and know probably too much about occult matters to be fooled by the first. That being said: Even though the 'normal teen finds out she/he has magic powers and gets to go to a magic school' has been done many times by now, this is an original story and I really liked the diversity in characters which lead to interesting interactions. One point that might be perceived as negative by some: The story does end with lots of things still unresolved. It has me looking forward impatiently to the next installment anyway.

Why should you read it:
It's a suspenseful and promising start of a new YA series

The Drained Brains Caper - Early Book Review

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The Drained Brains Caper (Chicagoland Detective Agency #1) by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Tyler Page

What is it about:
Raf knows Megan is trouble from the moment she steps into his mom's pet food store asking for a tarantula. But there's one thing you can count on in Chicagoland: weird things happen several times a day.
Megan is a vegetarian, manga-reading haiku writer. She definitely doesn't fit in at Stepford Academy, her new summer school. The other students are happy to be in class. Too happy. And everyone looks and acts exactly alike. That's weird.
Megan is determined to dig into Stepford's secrets, but soon she's in way too deep. Raf may be the only human being she knows who can help. But with zombified students, very mad scientists, and the school psychiatrist on their trail, they're going to need a whole lot more help.
We did say that Chicagoland is weird...

What did I think of it:
This is a comic meant for ages 9-14, which is clear from the straightforward storyline, but it's certainly funny enough that it's entertaining for older age groups too. I really liked Megan, she's a quirky character and shares my love for Haiku. I did have a small problem with the drawing style. In some things it resembles Manga, but in others it is very lifelike and that didn't fit together in my opinion. Megan's head for example is drawn in a Manga style and I would have expected a small (unrealistic) body to go with it, but instead the body had normal human proportions which made it feel weird for me.

Why should you read it:
If you like reading Manga-like comics you might enjoy this.

The Drained Brains Caper (Chicagoland Detective Agency #1) will be released on September 1st

* I got this book for review from the publisher through Netgalley

Teaser Tuesdays - Legacies

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Listening to him talk was like listening to a Shakespeare play. Only creepier. She wished he'd stop pacing around. It was making her nervous.
(Page 78, 'Legacies - a Shadow Grail Novel' by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill)

Henry VIII: Wolfman - Admitting Defeat

Henry VIII: Wolfman by A.E. Moorat

What is it about:
Henry VIII was the best and bloodiest King ever to have sat on the throne of England. This fast-paced, exciting, gory, inventive and just plain gross retelling of his reign will bring to light the real man behind the myth. When it came to his size, Henry VIII was known for being larger-than-life, with a fearsome temper and bloodthirsty reputation to match; more beast than human, some might say...Be dragged kicking and screaming back 500 years into Tudor England...

Why didn't I finish it:
I have to admit defeat! I read and loved Moorat's previous book 'Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter', so I was sure I'd like this book about Henry VIII being a werewolf too. Moorat's writing style is funny, most of his characters interesting at the least, but Henry VIII: Wolfman had one major flaw for me: there were too many different storylines and characters criss-crossing all over the place and I lost track of the story and characters. I might try to get back to this book some point in the future, but for now I just can't get myself to continue.

Why should you read it:
If multiple storylines and lead characters do not disturb you and you love werewolves and history, this might be your book.

The Black Jewels Trilogy - Book Review

The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

What is it about:
Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Realm readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, the Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But the Queen is still young, still open to influence - and corruption.
Whoever controls the Queen controls the Darkness. Three men - sworn enemies - know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love - and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining

What did I think of it:
This is fantasy at its best! Bishop paints a dark and nasty world and intriguing lead characters who have been tainted by this darkness, but luckily never taken over completely. It does make the characters act ruthless and brutal from time to time, but Bishop writes so well you can understand why her characters act like they do and I couldn't help but cheer them on.
Bishops writing is both pleasant and rich, she succeeds in having me hooked to a story even when explaining history and stuff like that, which in other books usually has me losing interest. One negative thing: When it comes to magic Bishop created a system with jewel ranks and this sometimes confused me and had me turning back to the explanation in the front of the book to figure out what jewel was more powerful.

This trilogy is also available in three separate books: 'Daughter of the Blood', 'Heir to the Shadows' and 'Queen of the Darkness', but I can tell you you will want to have all three books close as the first two end at points that would have left me frustrated if I hadn't been able to read on.

Why should you read it:
Dark Fantasy, superior writing, intriguing, ruthless characters!
What more could you want?