Category Archives: books/book review

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Book Review of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Sometime last year I won a copy of Seth Grahame-Smith’s  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter from CuriosityKilledThebookworm.

Description from Goodreads:
Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother’s bedside. She’s been stricken with something the old-timers call “Milk Sickness.”

“My baby boy…” she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, “henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose…” Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Review:
I have to confess. This book was significantly better, or more serious, than I expected. I really thought it was just going to be a silly gore-fest. It wasn’t at all. It was an artful blending of history and fiction. I wish I had enjoyed it more. It is written as a retelling of Abe’s life after someone studies his personal diaries, interviews people, etc. I had a really hard time engaging in this narrative style. I’m not suggesting it was done anything but masterfully. In fact the book is quite well written (though I didn’t think the pictures contributed anything). I just couldn’t loose myself in it, I’m sorry to say.

I did feel incredibly sorry for Abe and his losses, could appreciate the position he found himself in and enjoyed his tenuous relationship with Henry. However, I absolutely cannot accept Henry’s final decision concerning Abe and can’t believe Abe would have accepted it. I thought that last little tidbit was a a complete cop-out on the authors part. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty predictable, but I could have done without. I also would have liked to know a bit more about Mr. Smith. I liked him in the beginning, but he never resurfaced.

I’m glad to have read it, but I’m also a little happy to be finished. If you know what I mean.

Book Review of Joanne McGonagle’s An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night

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An Ordinary Toad's Extraordinary NightAuthor, Joanne McGonagle, sent me a physical ARC of her children’s book, An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night.

Description from Goodreads:
An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night is the story of a young toad named Andrew, pondering whether his life would be more interesting had he been hatched a frog.

Andrew embarks on his first solo hop to ask his grandpa some questions about what it means to be an amphibian. The story is blended with factual information that compares and contrasts the similarities and differences among toads and frogs.

A young reader’s curiosity will be piqued as they consider the unique attributes of the individual creatures that make up a species, perhaps sparking the light of conversation in their hearts and minds.

Review:
I read this with my children (6 & 3) and enjoyed it. The artwork is beautiful and the story is quite educational. However, I’m uncertain of the age range the book is intended for. I found that it was a little long to hold the interest of my two children until the end, but had quite a few words that would likely be too complex for a young reader on their own; as would some of the species break downs, for example the difference between an ordinary and common toad. I can really see this book appealing to a 9 or 10-year-old who is already interested in amphibians.

I respect the book’s goal of informing readers about a less glamours species and trying to spark interest. As the author says, “Frogs and Toads need help too.” It certainly does that. By the end of the book my girls and I had a much better understanding of a toad’s biology. We also appreciated the books theme to love yourself, differences and all. I thought most of the book flowed well, though I could have done with some contractions so that it didn’t feel so formal. There was also some subtle wit, for example the way Andrew’s mother appears to be oblivious to the way his name already marks him as different from his siblings while asking him why he always has to be different. Final call, I’ll have to give it the nod. It’s worth adding to the library shelf.

Stone Guardian

Book Review of Danielle Monsch’s Stone Guardian

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Stone Guardian

Author, Danielle Monsch, sent me a copy of her Entwined Realms novel, Stone Guardian. I also happened to notice there is a Goodreads giveaway running to win your own copy. Go here.

Description:
Gryphons flying past skyscrapers? Wizards battling it out in coffeehouses? Women riding motorcycles with large swords strapped to their backs? All normal sights since the Great Collision happened twenty-six years ago.

Well, not normal for everyone. Larissa Miller may have been born after the Great Collision, but as a history teacher who lives in the human-only city, she has never come into contact with any other race or species, nor has she wanted to. Her life is as ordinary as it gets – that is, until one day she walks out of her apartment and is attacked by a mob of Zombies, only to be saved by a Gargoyle.

Gargoyles trust no one outside their Clan, but due to a cryptic prophecy, Terak, Leader of the Gargoyles, has been watching over the human woman for months. While he can find no reason why the woman has been singled out, something about her stirs every protective instinct within him. When the attack confirms that the threats against her exist and are real, he convinces Larissa that though their races have never been allies, the best chance of discovering why she has been brought into his world is by working together.

In the course of their investigation Terak becomes entranced by his little human. But when he discovers why Necromancers want her and the great reward that awaits him if he betrays her, he must choose between the welfare of his Clan and not only Larissa’s life, but the fate of this New Realm as well.

Review:
I generally quite enjoyed this. It had a good story, a little humour, some romance, and a couple kick-ass females (always a plus). I’m thinking Fallon, Aislynn, Laire, The Oracle. Unfortunately Larissa, the heroine, wasn’t one of those awesome women. She was alright, not stupidly stubborn or so naive she practically begged to be victimised, but there didn’t seem to be much to her. She was a bit of a shadow puppet until Terak came along and gave her some substance. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed her well enough, but her life basically consisted of work and letting her father and brothers control her life in an incredibly patronising fashion.

As much as I might complain about the way Larissa caved to her male family’s whims I was also a little disappointed that the family, who played quite a prominent role in the beginning, had almost no place in the bulk of the book. The small inclusion of one of her four brothers was almost a distraction it held so little relevance. Her family was really important to her. Much of her life was structured around them and their overprotectiveness, so I found their absence conspicuous, especially at the end.

The mystery of why everyone was looking for Larissa kept me guessing until the end. Though I have to admit that I found it odd that she could just keep going home when so many baddies were after here. Did none of them know how to dial 411? Having said that, I quite enjoyed Reign as an antagonist. He and his obsession with Fallon piqued my interest for future books. As did Fallon’s strange conversant at the end. I have my guess, but we’ll see.

I liked Larissa and Terak as a couple, but I have to admit the sex scenes did little for me. The first one was too smooth for two virgins (and I’m still wondering about Larissa’s lack of hymen). The last one…well no, it was just wrong on too many levels to list. But beyond this one small complaint I liked them together. I especially liked Terak.

There were a few typos here and there, mostly missing particles. It wasn’t particularly distracting. The book was well written. The dialogue was comfortable and Larissa was quite witty at times. I look forward to the continuation of the series.