The Reapers are the Angels - Alden Bell

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book ( A Little Bit of Blurb)

"Older than her years and completely alone, Temple is just trying to live one day at a time in a post-apocalyptic world, where the undead roam endlessly, and the remnant of mankind who have survived, at times, seem to retain little humanity themselves."

My Review

This book is covered in amazing reviews on the inside pages and I read every single one of them.  Instead of making me want to pick the book up and see what all the fuss was about, it actually made me nervous about reading it because I couldn't imagine it could ever live up to its reviews.

I was wrong.  This book was beautiful, articulate, sophisticated, poignant, sad, wonderful and haunting.

I was pulled in by the first paragraph, it was excellent.  So excellent I want to share it.  

"God is a slick god.  Temple knows.  She knows because of all the crackerjack miracles still to be seen on this ruined globe."

The style was very heavy, long sentences and long words flowing together so beautifully it was hard to get my head round it.  I think this was because the last book I read was written so simply that it made it very difficult for me to get into.  But once I was in, I was completely immersed.

The Reapers are the Angels is written in the third person, which allows the beautiful articulate flow of narrative while Temple, our protagonist can't read or write and often speaks very poorly.  This contrasted in the most gorgeous way to the narrative and made it even more beautiful and sophisticated.  The words flowed together as though taking a single one out would disrupt the rhythm.  As I read, I was enchanted by it.

The description was something to behold.  Every notion made me think.  Through Temple, The Reapers are the Angels muses about life, death, good and evil without the reader even noticing. 

I adored Temple as the protagonist because she was strong, independent and unashamed.  She was so convinced of her own evil that her only agenda at the start of the novel is to survive.  As the novel continues and she meets different people, the struggle within her is obvious as she wants to undo all the wrongs in her past although she doesn't believe that anything can reverse her evil.  When the truth about her past it fed to us, little bit by little bit, we feel for her as we wouldn't have done if given the truth at the beginning of the novel.

The ending was haunting and I still can't stop thinking about it days later.  It was just incredible.  And I can't believe it, but it lived up to its reviews.

Evaluation

Plot - 9/10 - post-apocalyptic journey, gotta love 'em

Way Plot Was Pursued - 9/10 - standard

Characters - 8/10 - Temple I adored and a few others but I felt I wanted a little more time with each character

Style - 10/10 - I can't praise the beauty of this novel enough

Pace - 9/10 - great, but I felt it started a little slow

Would I recommend it? Yes, I have nothing bad to say about this novel

Would I look up the author?  Yes, I need to see what else Alden Bell's written for sure!

The Reapers are the Angels was crafted and shaped like the most delicate piece of jewellery or the most beautiful song.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Ghostwriter / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com

Some Films are Greater Than Other Films . . .

And this one about tops them all.

What you want to know is whether this film ruined the book - Twilight - did it justice but only just and there were plenty of things wrong with it - Harry Potter - was satisfying and you can live with it - Divergent - or completely perfect to watch as a huge fan - The Hunger Games.

All I'm thinking about now is whether you agree with my analysis of the films listed above, but I digress.

Before I get into this I don't pretend to be a movie expert.  I don't know what makes a film good or bad.  My knowledge is pretty much whether the acting was good or not, whether the plot was good or not (or made sense) and I'm pretty sharp on my dialogue thanks to reading all day.

Well The Fault in Our Stars film had terrific acting.  It was outstanding especially Laura Dern as Hazel's mother and Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters.  He was my perfect Gus I am telling you.  He played the part exactly as I needed it to be played.

And we don't need to talk about the plot or the dialogue because all that was covered by John  Green when writing TFIOS and it remained just as perfect as in the books.  Every time there was a direct quote I couldn't help the smile on my face.

There was also this cool detail that texts and emails would pop up onto the screen for the audience to read as Hazel does which made it more fun for the viewer and more realistic than Hazel just reading everything aloud.

Of course, what everyone is interested in is what they missed out of the film that was in the book and the more I think about it, the more I remember that wasn't included but while I was watching it, these things didn't really occur to me because I was so mesmerised by the film.  After thinking about it, the things they cut weren't vital to the plot just dustings of character here and there that a film can portray much quicker than a book can anyway so it was fine.  I didn't shout out that it was all wrong so that was good.

I don't want to give anything away because I think watching it for the first time is an experience like no other but what I will tell you is Oranjee is beautiful and the entire Amsterdam part made me want to go there myself.  And the film made me want to read the book over and over again, which was the exact feeling I had after finishing the book, so they must've done something right.

Now, you will cry, there is no doubt about it.  If you've read the book you will cry when you know something is coming up.  You may even cry at the very beginning because you can't believe you're living this.  It's very emotional.  It's spot on.  The perfect mix of light and heavy just like the book.  I cried in all the parts I cried at during the book, starting when I realised that part was coming up.  I even prepared myself, not wanting to disturb the entire room.  There was one occasion that I had to hold back my sobs and do that stupid quiet breathing not to explode and weep over Shailene and Ansel's lines and ruin it for the people (if there were any in the room) that hadn't read the book.  Because I was holding it back, I cried silently for most of the film.  But I assure you, if I had been at home, you would've thought I was losing it.

All in all, I adored the film, start to finish and could watch it again and again and again.  I just have one more thing to say before you should go and book your tickets (and stock up on tissues). 

If John Green thinks it's perfect, who am I to say otherwise?

0.4 - Mike Lancaster

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

'MY NAME IS KYLE STRAKER AND I DON'T EXIST ANY MORE.'

The Kyle Straker tapes have caused much controversy, are they a true account of a past world or are they just a hoax?

My Review

0.4 had a brilliant opening from the editor, who is really the author, Mike Lancaster.  The tapes are history and our author has simply written them up as prose.  This was an excellent approach that made me dive straight into the novel.

The terrible air of foreboding throughout the novel made me keep on reading.  I needed to know what had happened to the world because the world as Kyle was telling it was our world, so what had happened since?  I could hardly put it down.  The short chapters also added to this.  I read the entire thing in two days I believe.  I just couldn't stop reading it.  It was a very quick and engaging read.

The little notes all the way through explaining what reality TV and such like were to the reader, gave me a great impression of what the 'future' was like, even though the future is never talked about directly.  It was very clever.

0.4 made me think and wonder.  I have never read anything quite like this before.  It was a Sci-Fi I could get into as it wasn't too heavy and it was set in our own universe.  I know this review it short and a little lacking but what else can I say?  I really enjoyed this book!

Evaluation

Plot - 7/10 - kept me guessing

Way Plot Was Pursued - 10/10 - I've never read a book where the entire thing is a tape recording

Characters - 6/10 - they weren't anything special

Style - 10/10 - Kyle with his honest voice was the perfect narrator

Pace - 9/10 - almost too quick

Would I recommend it? - Yes, especially if you don't usually like Sci-Fi novels but want to give one a go.

Would I look up the author? - No, I loved 0.4 but it hasn't motivated me to look up Mike Lancaster.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Ghostwriter / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com

Brilliant Week Featuring The #MovellasMeetUp

Last week I had a very interesting week.  Interesting enough that I can write a whole post about it!

First of of all on Wednesday, I was offered the ghostwriting position I'd been interviewed for!  This really kicked off the awesome week I had.  I had finally been noticed as a writer, as a good writer and now I have a freelance position to prove it.  I am, at long last, being paid to do what I love.  It may not be writing my own books, but this is almost as fun because it's writing without any of the writers' block!  I am so thrilled.  I really can't get that across in a blog post but I am.  I am so happy.  Things are looking up for my writing career.  I told you 2014 was going to be good.

Then on Thursday I found myself in London near the old Movellas headquarters to have coffee with an agent I've been emailing and sending work for . . . I don't know, well over a year that's for sure.  He recognised my interest in the publishing industry and wanted to tell me about being an agent and explain the publishing industry from his perspective.  It was a very interesting conversation though I mainly listened.  It was very eye opening and I walked away with a copy of The Bookseller, The Author (Journal of the Society of Authors) and From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake so I was more than happy.

The next day I found myself in London again.  My incredibly talented arty boyfriend took me to the Tate Modern, amazed that I'd never been to an art gallery before.  I mostly walked around making incredibly unsophisticated comments, having no idea what I was looking at, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

There we are outside the Globe.  I'd never seen that before either!

After the Tate Modern, we made our way to Soho for the Movellas Meet Up.  Unfortunately, my internet service disappeared and we had no way of knowing how to get there.  I had to phone my dad who had to instruct us over the phone.  I don't know how, but we got there.

I had a great chat with the lovely Eva and Yvonne and I also met Joe for the first time.  The new Soho office was beautiful and in an amazing location.  There was so much going on just outside the windows, the hustle and bustle of London never stops.

I got to see some of the users in real life which was bizarre.  The best part, of course, was the table filled with books!  We each got to take a Movellas tote bag and whatever books took our fancy.  Of course, almost all of them took my fancy.

Everyone else seemed to take maybe three or four but I had no shame filling my bag all the way to the top.  I couldn't be happier with my spoils!

I can't wait to read them all!  Although it might take me a long time to get round to it.  My bookshelf is getting pretty full, as my #Shelfie for Movellas showed everyone!

 I also can't wait for all the cool new stuff Movellas is going to be up to.  Or putting my new agent knowledge to use when I next send a submission out.  Or my new job as a freelance ghostwriter!

What a week!

Molly Looby
Author / Ghostwriter / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

If you got to live your last day again, what would you do with it?

My Review

I was excited to pick up this book having read a teaser for it in the back of Delirium.  But I was also cautious because I loved Delirium but didn't really care for the rest of the trilogy.  Brace yourselves, I may have loved Before I Fall even more than I loved Delirium.

Before I Fall starts of with Sam's typical day at school and we learn that her and her friends Lindsay, Ally and Elody aren't very nice people.  They're your average popular bitches you hated at school.  Think Mean Girls.  Sam and her friends were the plastics.  But even though I was reading about these people I didn't like, I wanted to follow them - much like the other characters in the book.  I don't know whether this is because I never saw the popular side of school and it was amazing to me.

Of course, as you can imagine, as the book went on, I liked Sam, our protagonist, more and more as she realised that she wasn't good person.  Sam stepped up and wanted to make sure people remembered her as a good person, even if she's only got that one day to turn it around.  I forgave her as she hadn't realised before what she'd been doing to people.  Her best friend Lindsay on the other hand, I hated more and more and more.  She was cruel and a liar and I didn't want to read another sentence about her by the end of the novel.  But as a contrast to Sam's character it was done beautifully.  It was brilliant how much I hated her.

The actual plot itself was outstanding.  When I realised it was like the film Groundhog Day I got stupidly excited.  Oliver managed to find the perfect balance because amazingly, replaying this day over and over never got repetitive - well not in a bad way.  If anything I got increasingly breathless with each repeat, the feeling of dread growing more and more intense.  There were different details each time so I was constantly building up a picture of all the threads of this one day.  It was incredible to think about all the different things happening at any given moment.  It really made me stop and think.  I was completely blown away by the description of how a person can feel in a moment.  I've always admired Oliver's perfect description.

Evaluation

Plot - 10/10 - the most amazing idea

Way Plot Was Pursued - 10/10 - day by day was the perfect way to do this

Characters - 8/10 - realistic 

Style - 10/10 - I always love Oliver's description

Pace - 9/10 - chapters were a little long sometimes

Would I recommend it? - It was just awesome.  Yes.

Would I look up the author? - Yes.  I already have done but I've added another Oliver book, Panic, to my wish list!

Before I Fall was beautiful, thought-provoking, heart-warming and heart-breaking all at once.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Ghostwriter / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com

The Other Life - Susanne Winnacker

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

I believe all you need to be intrigued about this book is the first part of the blurb.  Nope, not even the whole blurb.  This is all that pulled me in and made me part with my money.

‘3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight.  One-fifth of my life.  98,409,602 seconds since the heavy, steel door had fallen shut and sealed us off from the word.’

My Review

First, I’d like to congratulate Winnacker on writing a ‘zombie novel’ that was different from the other zombie novels I’ve read (and written).  I think that’s the hardest part about writing about zombies.  How can you do it in a way that no one’s seen before?  Well Winnacker’s Weepers were terrifying, super human, animal zombies, nothing like I’ve read before.  She kept me guessing and kept me reading.  I suppose the word ‘zombie’ isn’t even correct for The Other Life.  The Weepers were so much more.

You get thrown into The Other Life by meeting Sherry and her family in the bunker they’d been hiding in for three years, having no idea what had happened above ground.  The claustrophobia in the bunker came out and I wanted to get out as much as Sherry did but it was a brilliant way to learn about her and her family before they left the bunker and met new characters.

Speaking of them, the characters were all really relatable and different from one another.  It was great for a change to not be confused at first by the new group of characters that had been thrown at me.  They were introduced just the right distance apart and their names and descriptions were all different enough that I knew who everyone was without having to wrack my brains every time they appeared on the page.

I loved the way that Sherry was welcomed with open arms into Safe-haven.  It made so much sense for the characters that inhabit the place.  I was worried that they wouldn’t trust her and want to get rid of her but I think I’ve been watching too much Walking Dead as my worry was unfounded.

The description of the broken city was wonderful and I’m not usually a description fan.  I could see everything before me.  The empty roads, the abandoned buildings, the crumbling streets.  Just excellent.  Another reason I didn’t want to put The Other Life down.  Every part of it gripped me, even the description.

The brief snapshots of Sherry’s other life before the virus contrasted beautifully with the chapters they preceded.  Those pages were filled with safety and meaningless fears.  They made sure that you never forget that in their new lives, none of the characters were safe.  The stark contrast made me realise how naive and thoughtless we all are.

Of course, as I’ve mentioned I could hardly let the book out of my grasp, it had good pace.  From chapter one in the bunker I was hooked.  There was just the right mix of action and human emotion for me.  After all, my favourite thing about zombie novels is the way the characters react to the situation around them and how their relationships change.

Evaluation

Plot -8/10 – I was right there with Sherry the whole way

Way Plot Was Pursued - 10/10 – I loved the snippets of Sherry’s other life

Characters - 9/10 – Perfect, but I wanted to learn more

Style - 9/10 – Loved Sherry’s narration, I felt she was relatable and realistic

Pace -9/10 – Excellent, maybe a few chapters were a few pages too long though


Would I recommend it?  Yes.  If you like zombie books that aren’t really zombie books, full of apocalypse and survival, this is the one for you.

Would I look up the author?  Yes, I can’t wait to read the next one: The Life Beyond.

The Other Life was everything I wanted it to be and I could read it over and over.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com

Infinity - Sherrilyn Kenyon

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

Nick lives a normal life until his classmates start eating each other.  All of a sudden, pulled into the Dark Hunter universe, Nick realises his world is much larger and more dangerous than he ever imagined.

My Review

I found this book a LONG time ago and I can still remember the drive I had to read it.  I was super excited when I found it again recently on line because back when I first saw it I didn't have enough money to actually buy it.  That was a good sign straight away, after what must've been five years, it still sounded appealing to me.  This was also risky.  Could the book be as good as I expected to be?  For me, it was excellent, but then again it was my type of book through and through.

I don't know how Kenyon did it - maybe she's a genius - but I was with Nick from the first page and anyone who was against him was my enemy.  I was so angry at people for looking down on him because he was poor and from a bad area.  I've never been so angry at a character so quickly before so I immediately knew that Kenyon was doing something right.  Although I was with Nick all the way, I did get tired of his sarcasm and sass as the book went on.  It wasn't enough for me to stop reading, but I sort of wanted him to grow up a bit for the next book.  (I can only hope).  Don't get me wrong, he needed to be like that and it suited him as a character, I think it was just a bit too exaggerated during Infinity.

The other characters were awesome too, but it was a bit too bizarre for me that there were more demons than humans in Infinity - by a long way.  Plus, they all seemed to want something from Nick or wanted Nick himself, some for evil, some for their own gain, some for reasons I can't even remember.  It was very confusing and difficult to remember who was with who.  Saying that though, I did enjoy very much jumping into various characters heads for a page or two, I always came away liking them more.  I suppose that's the beauty of third person that doesn't usually shine through.  Well it did in Infinity.  When Kyrian and Acheron were introduced I knew this was the book for me and at once I expected perfection.

My proofreading/editor did come out a few times while reading Infinity.  A few sentences were left in that I thought didn't add anything and I would've cut.  Also once the character Eric was spelt Erik.  Just the once.  This one is just my personal opinion but other than this one sentence where the characters discuss a phrase with the word infinity in it, there was no reason for the title Infinity.  Same with Twilight if you ask me.  Why was it called that?  I suppose it makes more sense than this book being called Infinity.

What else can I say but this book had everything?  Dark Hunters, zombies (two kinds), vampires, gods, werewolves - everything.  This is my kind of book right here, ladies and gentlemen.  I can't wait to get round to reading book two.  Fair warning though, there are four books to date and I believe Kenyon is writing more (I've done a little research and her series are always HUGE!).  So if you don't want the commitment of a huge long book series, maybe the Chronicles of Nick aren't for you.

Evaluation

Plot - 9/10 - supernatural creatures, awesome.

Way Plot Was Pursued - 9/10 - I liked the jumps of point of view

Characters - 8/10 - loved them all but got a bit confused

Style - 9/10 - loved the way it all came together

Pace - 10/10 - didn't want to put it down

Would I recommend it?  Yes.  If you're looking for a new series packed with supernatural creatures, look no further.

Would I look up the author?  Yes.  I already have.  She has written a LOT of books.

Infinity was an action packed intriguing start to what I hope is going to be an amazing series.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com