Tag Archives: young adult

Book Review of Sam Enthoven’s The Black Tattoo

I bought a copy of Sam Enthoven‘s The Black Tattoo because one of the very first reviews of my own book compared the two. Honestly, after reading it, the only similarity I see between the two books is that we both used the Japanese terminology for the swords our characters heave about.

Description from Goodreads:

Jack’s best mate, Charlie, has always been effortlessly cool. When Charlie wakes up one day and finds a mysterious, moving black tattoo on his back, it’s a clear sign that he’s even cooler than Jack thought. To top it off, Charlie has got super powers also.

Or does he?

Jack soon learns the terrifying truth: Charlie’s incredible powers come from an age-old demon called the Scourge, who is using Charlie to bring about its evil master plan. 

When the Scourge vanishes with Charlie, Jack and Esme, a girl with super powers of her own, follow their friend from the streets of London into Hell itself, where they face horrors that may well cost them their lives.

Slightly spoilerish Review:

This book isn’t at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be all dark and serious. Instead it falls somewhere closer to the writing of Terry Brookes or Douglas Adams (minus the sci-fi). It is funny. Yes, yes, the universe is in danger of being snuffed out in one abortive act of finality and everyone is in danger, but the characters (Jack especially) are still able to recognise the absurdity of the situation and let an exasperated explicative slip. Jack’s insistence that most things in his life are just ‘typical,’ even when everything around him is most assuredly not is an effective running gag that made me laugh more than once. 

Granted, he’s a pretty useless hero. I’ll admit that for much of the book I lent toward agreeing with other reviewers who disliked him because of this. Even after hints that he might have finally been given a few extra abilities of his own nothing materialises. He remains totally and utterly normal. But toward the the end I started to suspect this was the point. He is the most powerless individual in all of Hell. He is simply below notice of the movers and shakers of the underworld. But in the end he is also unquestionably the hero. As defenceless as he is (and knows he is) he twice marches into the bowels of Hell to rescues his friends…”and apparently the universe.” He willingly offers his life in place of his best friend in order to correct the actions of another and save the world. Such courage is almost superhuman by itself, more so since there is nothing but unassuming backbone to support it. 

Esme is just plain awesome. I always love a well-honed warrior and just go gaga over a female one. I suppose I should at least mention Charlie. He’s a git. He just is. 

I got fairly tired of all of the ridiculous descriptions of the different demons. A whole section of the middle seemed dedicated to this. The story seemed to lag a little, bogged down by one description after another. Similarly there seemed to be a lot of ‘great black wings wrapping around them’ going on. It seems that one description apparently covers a lot of different sounds. All-in-all, I enjoyed it.

Review of C.E. Wilson’s Oath of Servitude

Author, C.E. Wilson sent me an e-copy of Oath of Servitude.

Synopsis from Smashwords:
Teague’s was the charmed life of a popular athlete that came to a crashing halt. Cailin is a pixi learning the price of nonconformity in her rigid clan. She fears the darkness. He is trapped there for all eternity. But when the two of them are thrown together, they begin to discover the light within themselves.

Review:

Oath of Servitude makes an interesting contribution to the paranormal genre. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book based on Pixi, or at least not one intended for anyone over five. I was a little afraid it might come across as super cheesy, but I’m happy to say that isn’t the case. The subject is handled admirably and makes for an enjoyable experience.

The story is a good one. While it focuses primarily on Cailin’s ability to help Teague come to terms with his situation, there is a lot more going on in the background. Most of it I think is intended as a set up for the future books, because there is no resolution even attempted here. You are left wanting to know both what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. I don’t mean this to suggest that you’re left wanting in the sense that something is lacking but that you are left wanting out of interest. There is no doubt goodness to come.

The characters are easy to engage and empathise with, especially Teague. Individually I really liked him and Cailin…together, not so much. I had a hard time reconciling their sizes and never could accept their burgeoning feelings for one another. I honestly think that I would have preferred the story without the romance element, but that is a personal opinion only. I also thought that the whole thing felt rushed, not the writing but the plot. If Teague’s situation was so bad that Owen is willing to call in his last resort, I find it unlikely that Teague’s demeanour would change so dramatically so quickly. Same for Cailin and Teague’s friendship. They have to overcome fear, trauma, mental injury, and more. Could they really have done all of that in a few short weeks? The book is relatively short, so it feels like there is room to expand. Again, this is just a personal opinion here. All-in-all, it is well worth reading by YA fans, not to mention a mere $0.99. I look forward to seeing more of C.E. Wilson’s work.

What Kills Me

Book Review of What Kills Me, by Wynne Channing

Author, Wynne Channing sent me an copy of What Kills me. I’m so grateful, ’cause I really enjoyed it.

Description from Goodreads:
An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.

So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.

How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

Review:

What Kills Me was a pleasure to read. The very beginning left me wondering if ‘Zee’ was going to be one of those ultra goody-two shoes that are simply too pure to stomach, but she wasn’t. I liked her immensely. She was strong, without being cold; sarcastic, without being irreverent; and vulnerable without being a sniveling weakling in constant need of protection. Don’t get me wrong, she needed protecting, but she wasn’t one of those useless female leads who just flails about waiting for the hero to do all of the work. The hero, by the way, is also fabulous. Lucas is just as strong as you would expect him to be, but shows a surprising depth of emotion, despite his gruff exterior. Yummy!

What I loved most, however, was the witty repartee between the two of them. It was done very well and I think warranted five stars all by itself. It was often used to lighten a tense moment, without making either character appear oblivious to danger or overly flippant. I did think Uther’s timely arrival there at the end was a little too convenient, but by that point I was so afraid the whole thing wasn’t going to wrap up and be a cliff-hanger that I has too happy to care.

After reading the book and Channing’s bio I have to admit to feeling a little inadequate. Apparently she is an awesome writer with an awesome job. I would ask how any one person could be so lucky, but it would be naive to think that there is no connection. I am definitely up for reading another of her novels in the future.