Doctor Who The Blood Cell Book Review

Doctor Who: The Blood Cell

James Goss

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Series: Doctor Who 

Profanity: Mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 15 +

Author Information: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/james-goss/




Summary:

"Release the Doctor - or the killing will start." 

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space - the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the worst fraudsters and the cruelest murderers. So he's certainly not impressed by the arrival of the man they're calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor.

What does impress the Governor is the way the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape. And keeps trying. Finally, he sends for the Doctor and asks him why? But the answer surprises even the Governor. And then there's the threat - unless the Governor listens to the Doctor, a lot of people will die.

Who is the Doctor and what's he really doing here? Why does he want to help the Governor? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers...

Review:

The first thing to capture my attention about The Blood Cell was the blurb on the front cover promising death if the Doctor wasn't released. It was all I needed to want to dive headfirst into the story to see where the story would take me. From the blurb to the last line The Blood Cell had me hooked, so hooked that I read the entire book in one sitting.


This Doctor Who story is told from a different point of view than most of the Doctor Who books I've come across. It's written in first person from a man simply known as "the Governor." While I was reading I was reminded of when I listened to the Doctor Who Audio book Dead Air (read by David Tennant). The first person narrative is pulled off through the clever use of it being a journal of what had happened, which is similar to the recorded narrative of Dead Air. This takes some of the focus off of the Doctor in the beginning of the story, but because of the nature of the prison and my curiosity to find out more about the Governor I didn't mind. 

James Goss did an excellent job writing both the Doctor and Clara. He masterfully incorporated the 12th Doctor into the story and I loved getting to see more of one of my favorite Doctors. Clara is brilliant in her parts as well, easily stepping into each new situation with the Doctor. As with all the Doctor Who books I've read recently featuring Clara I'd love to see more of her but for this story she fit just fine. The other characters in this book were also well written and interesting. I found myself really liking a few, and really disliking others. The Governor interested me from the very beginning and I truly enjoyed getting to know him and his back story.

The Blood Cell is a little darker than most of the Doctor Who books, but this doesn't at all take away from it's enjoyment. It balances the dark with the Doctor's quirky and often laugh out loud funny reactions to situations and people. Can anyone say sonic spoon?

Overall I was very pleased with The Blood Cell. It was a great chance to get to see more of 12 and Clara as well as give me an entertaining read between DW episodes. I'd recommend it to anyone in need of a good Doctor Who fix.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest review which I have stated above.

~Dawn 

A Tale of Light and Shadow Review

A Tale of Light and Shadow

Jacob Gowans

Rating (out of 5): 4

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: Sept 9, 2014

Series: Blithmor

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: None

Violence:Mild

Sexual Content:Very Mild

Age Recommendation: 12+

Author Website:
http://www.jacobgowans.com/

and

http://www.blithmore.com/ 

  
Summary:

Enter Atolas, a world where swords and daggers both extend life and end it; where magic is feared by all but a few; where feuds and friendships influence kingdoms and courtships. Henry and Isabelle have secretly sworn to marry despite his lowly station. Though Henry is but a carpenter, his devotion drives him to commit an unthinkable act that may cost both of them their lives. Unknown to either, a dark prophecy has set in motion events which will affect not only them, but the thrones of rulers throughout all of Atolas by eclipsing the world in shadow. But all is not lost while hope remains in the guise of an unlikely hero and the strength of friendship.

Review:

I was very excited to be able to read a Tale of Light and Shadow. After reading it’s short prequel, The Fool and the Dragonox (previously reviewed on Amazon found here) I was very interested in reading more from Jacob Gowans, all that to say, I really enjoyed reading this book.

A Tale of Light and Shadow is a light fantasy adventure set in a world of magic and adventure. All Henry wants to do is marry his childhood sweetheart, Isabell and live a normal life. His plans however are interrupted not only by a scheming father, but by an emperor and a prophecy that if allowed to be fulfilled will have dire consequences for the entire land. Through the book Henry’s bravery and leadership are tested while his friendships are pushed to the limit. But overall there is still hope.

Jacob Gowans writing is excellent easily pulling readers into his world and is never jarring or sloppy. His descriptions are wonderful always painting a clear picture in my mind of what’s going on. A Tale of Light and Shadow is engaging tying together elements of adventure and fantasy. I found myself on the edge of my seat at times eager to see what happened next and how the characters would get out of whatever situation they’d landed in. I often laughed at Maggie and Ruther’s banters and I was pleasantly surprised to meet James.

The characters in this book are very well written, each one shining with their own unique personalities. I found myself drawn to each of them in different ways, which is odd for me. I tend to really like one or two characters in a book but Jacob Gowans has managed to make each of his characters shine in a way that was delightfully unexpected. The more minor characters all also had charm to them as well, as soon as I met the King I liked him. The Emperor really stood out as a villain as well.

A few characters did stand out a little more to me however, those being James and Ruther. I found myself wondering about both of them through the book and I was always eager to see another glimpse of their past or personalities.

There were a few things that I really enjoyed about this book. The first is a small thing, but I was delighted when I realized that Atolos was an acronym for the books title, A Tale of Light and Shadow. I thought it was very witty and I can’t help but smile every time I see either the title or the name Atolos. I love it when author’s do things that that, because it just adds to the book. Speaking of the book, the ending blew me away and has left me desperately wanting to read the next book this this series.

My biggest problem with this book was the pacing in the beginning. It wasn't until almost halfway through the book that I really felt the story start to really move. I kept waiting for something to happen as Henry and Isabella continually put off leaving town. It was suspenseful in the beginning, and there were quite a few times where I thought, "Things are finally going to start happening!" but after a while their stagnation in town just got old.

Overall I loved A Tale of Light and Shadow. I am still eager to see more from Jacob Gowans and I cannot wait until the next book in this series comes out. I’d recommend this book for anyone interested in fantasy or adventure. The magic element is light and so it will still appeal to fans who aren’t experienced with fantasy.

Note: I received an advanced readers edition of this book from the publisher for my fair and honest opinion which I have stated above.

~Dawn

Doctor Who The Crawling Terror Review

Doctor Who: The Crawling Terror

Mike Tucker

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Series: Doctor Who 

Profanity:Mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 15 +

Author Information:
http://www.themodelunit.co.uk/
and
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Mike_Tucker


 Summary:

"Well, I doubt you'll ever see a bigger insect."
Gabby Nichols is putting her son to bed when she hears her daughter cry out. 'Mummy there's a daddy longlegs in my room!' Then the screaming starts... Alan Travers is heading home from the pub when something rushes his face - a  spider's web. Then something huge and deadly lumbers from the shadows... Kevin Alperton is on his way to school when he is attacked by a mosquito. A big one. Then things get dangerous.

But it isn't the dead man cocooned inside a huge mass of web that worries the Doctor. It isn't the swarming, mutated insects that make him nervous. It isn't an old man's garbled memories of past dangers that intrigue him.

With the village cut off from the outside world, and the insects becoming more and more dangerous, the Doctor knows that no one is safe. Not unless he can decode the strange symbols engraved on an ancient stone circle, and unravel a mystery dating back to the Second World War.

Review:

The Crawling Terror is the first Doctor Who book I've read featuring the 12th Doctor as portrayed by Peter Capaldi. This book did a great job of highlighting some of the new Doctor's personality traits and using them to really fuel the story. It follows a basic Who plot line, with the Doctor and Clara getting involved in a situation that is far larger than they first realized. The story starts fast paced and never lets up pulling readers along on an adventure that takes them from a tiny town to far off planets and back in time to WWII.

Despite the basic plot the story really takes off and deals with some of the more interesting qualities of the new Doctor. Mainly his aversion to/ irritation with soldiers.Soldiers play a key role in the entire plot of The Crawling Terror and it's wonderful to see how the Doctor reacts to each new situation with them. Clara's relationship with the Doctor is also explored briefly. For a lot of the book I felt like Clara wasn't getting as much time seen as she could, but by the end she really got her chance to shine and I felt like it made up for the lack of her in the beginning.

This story takes place sometime after the second episode of the new series of Doctor Who. I began reading it shortly after watching the first episode and I was a little confused on a few points because there are a few things mentioned that take place in Into the Dalek. I would recommend watching at least the first two episodes before diving into this book and not using it as an introduction to Capaldi's doctor.

I really liked the fact that the Doctor did use the TARDIS to go back in time in this book. It's the first time I've seen him do that in one of the DW novels and I really enjoyed getting to see it utilized for more than just the opening and closing of a book. Not to say that the TARDIS doesn't play key roles in other Doctor Who novels, I just really liked the way it was used here.

Overall The Crawling Terror was a great addition to the Doctor Who franchise. I really enjoyed it and would read it again. I was introduced to the Doctor Who novels with Mike Tucker's earlier DW book The Nightmare of Black Island and I'm glad to have had my first 12th Doctor book experience from the same talented author.

I would recommended this book to any Doctor Who fan, just as long as you've seen a few episodes of the new season. It truly has the feel of Doctor Who.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest review which I have stated above.

~Dawn

Another Update!

Image found: here

Hello everyone! I wanted to give you another update since it has been a while since I've posted.

A lot has happened since my last update post -or any post for that matter- starting with me being back in school. So far it has kept me pretty busy, but not too busy to read. I've got quite a few books that I'm getting ready to review. I'm also working on an About Me page for this blog (I know it's about time right?) and I've got a few ideas for some other pages that I am toying with.

The biggest thing that has happened since we last chatted was that I was in a car wreck. Last Sunday I was rear ended, resulting in my car being totaled. I walked away from the accident, but my Doctor has me in Physical Therapy. Let me tell you, it's not fun...well some of it is. Like the massages I get every so often... have you ever had a massage in a place where you were really hurting? Yep it's nice.

Anyway I'm off to keep reading and writing... in the meantime, let me open things up for discussion:

Is there anything you want to see me post about? Any books or movies your curious about and want to see a review over? Any thoughts on massages or car accidents?

Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.

~Dawn

The Diamond Thief Review

The Diamond Thief

Sharon Gosling

Rating (out of 5):5

Genre:Young Adult

Release Date: October 1, 2014

Series: Diamond Thief

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: Very Mild

Violence:Very Mild

Sexual Content:Very Mild

Age Recommendation: 14+

Author Website: http://sharongosling.wordpress.com/





Summary: 

No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.

Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

Review:

I've said before that I have a weakness for a good thief story and so it comes as no surprise that I was immediately attracted to The Diamond Thief. The fact that it was also set in Victorian London with a steam punk/fantasy twist had me hooked almost before I began reading it. And after I finished it I loved it even more.

I really enjoyed the story, it could have gone many different ways and still been wonderful, but I like the direction Sharon Gosling took it in. I really enjoyed the sprinkle of both steam punk and a little bit of fantasy into the story. There were so many mysteries dotted through the story I had fun wondering which would tie into what and how everything would turn out. There were a few moments where I wondered why a character was brought in so suddenly or how someone could have possibly survived a few of the more crazy situations but overall I really enjoyed the story.

The characters were all very fun to get to know as well. I really enjoyed Rémy's fiery attitude and Thaddeus was absolutely charming with his always do the right thing attitude. I also really enjoyed the other characters especially J and Desai. J was endearing while Desai had a mysterious charm to him that I'd love to see more of in the next book. The only character who really bothered me was the Professor, his personality seemed to shift a little too often for me.

Another thing I loved about this book was the dialog and syntax. Many times when I'm reading everyone sounds the same when they speak. This was not the case in the Diamond Thief. The cast of characters were from many different places and walks of life and the way they spoke reflected that. This aspect of the book was one of the charms that really made me like it.

There were a few plot holes and many things that seemed too easy or coincidental through this book. Despite that I really enjoyed reading this book and I am eager to see the next one. I hope that the holes in this book will be fixed in the next book and I am eager to read The Ruby Airship. I see a lot of potential in Sharon Gosling and I hope to see more from her. 

I would recommend this book to teens about 14+. mostly because there is a little coarse language in the book but it is infrequent and very mild when used. Anyone looking for a light read, a steam punk adventure, a Victorian era book, or even a little romance should take a look at The Diamond Thief.


Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest review which I have stated above.

~Dawn

Princess of the Silver Woods Book Review

Princess of the Silver Woods

Jessica Day George 

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Fantasy 

Release Date: December 11, 2012

Series: Twelve Dancing Princesses 

Series Volume: 3

Profanity: Very Mild (if any)

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 12 +

Author Website: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

Summary (found on Author's website):

Princess Petunia has been kidnapped! Except...it was really more like an accident. Oliver, the leader of a band of thieves known as the Wolves of the Westfalin Woods, didn't mean to do it. And now he must make things right. He will confess to the king and deliver the princess to the grand duchess's estate.

But Petunia's safety is far from secured. As children, she and her eleven sisters had been cursed to dance endlessly at the midnight ball of the fearsome King Under Stone. Troubling dreams of the ball are once again haunting Petunia, and she can't be sure they are mere nightmares. When she and her sisters fall into a carefully laid trap, who but a handsome woodsman can save the day?

Jessica Day George's romantic and adventurous new tale is part Little Red Riding Hood, part Twelve Dancing Princesses, and wholly enchanting.

Review:

Princess of the Silver Woods is the third installment of Jessica Day George’s fantastic Princess of the Midnight Ball series. This book focuses on the youngest of the 12 sisters, Petunia. When she first appeared in Princesses of the Midnight Ball she was very young so I was excited to see how she’d progressed. We also get to see more of her other sisters and get a glimpse into their lives and what’s been going on since the events of the previous two books. 

Petunia has grown up to be quite loveable. She is dead set on making it on her own and can be deadly with her pistol when needed, but she’s not quite as tough as Poppy. When the story starts she is on her way to meet old friends.  Her plans run awry when her carriage is attacked by a pack of wolves, or rather a pack of thieves calling themselves the Westfalin wolves. Things are further thrown into disarray when she finds out the reason they are robbing carriages and meets their handsome leader, Oliver. Her spunk seems to fade a little bit as the book progresses, but she never loses her charm. 

Oliver as a character is your pretty basic ‘prince’ and while others may see him as bland I thought he was perfect for Petunia. This story was more about action and unraveling the mystery behind the Palace Under Stone and I thought Oliver fell into place very well with how late he’d been pulled into the girl’s predicament.

As with the other two books in this series Jessica Day George paints a beautiful story filled with romance, adventure, mystery, and suspense.

Princess of the Silver Woods is a perfect finish to this series. In this book we finally get to find out more about the origins of the King Under Stone and his sons as well as unravel more of the mystery behind the curse the sisters have been fighting against since the first book. I was very excited to see the big reveal and it wasn’t anywhere near a disappointment.  

Princess of the Silver Woods was a great wrap up for this whole series. I really enjoyed seeing all of the princesses back, and loved getting to know Petunia more. I’d recommend this series to any fan of Fairy tale retellings or just good princess stories.

 

~Dawn

The Struggle with Snack Machines

Image Found: here

Everyone has had the experience of having a snack machine steal their hope (don’t lie, you’ve felt the sting), steal their sustenance (debatable), and worst of all steal their money (true). Recently I had a similar experience. I was at work and hungry. Well to be fair I wasn’t exactly hungry but I did have a craving for junk food. It’s a habit I’m trying hard to break, and I guess the snack machine thought it would give me a hand in doing so.  

It did so during an attempt to at obtaining a delicious Grandmas Peanut Butter Cookie. Instead of simply dropping the cookie into my waiting hands the snack machine decided to push the cookie to the side instead of out. Normally when a snack machine jams you can shake it, kick it, or if you’re really desperate put in more money to get it to release it’s yummy snacks. Not this time. The cookie wasn’t stuck in the spring but jammed up against the wall and spring, there was no getting it out now. 

Not wanting to give in to defeat I dug my last 50 cents out of my pocket and tried for a bag of chips. I mean what are the odds of it jamming a second time, on a completely different food? 100% apparently. This time squishing the bag of chips up against the row above!  

After kicking, shaking, and glaring I gave into the inevitable. I was not getting a snack. 

The problem with this whole scenario isn’t so much the snack machine -even though it is a worthless hunk of money stealing metal- it’s the snacks themselves that are the problem for me.

I said at the beginning of this post that I’ve been trying to break my snack machine habit. Too often when I’ve got change to spare I find myself scoping out the machine wondering what to choose. I am by no means overweight or super unhealthy but I do want to live better. Exercise and healthy eating all go a long way to living longer and having a better life. Science says so. 

So why is it when I am faced with the choice of the snack machine or bringing an apple to work do I usually choose the cookie instead? 

Is it the convince? Is it that the snacks just taste better? Is it that I don’t have time? 

Yes, yes, and ye- wait no that last one is just an excuse. There are many reasons I choose the sugary snacks but usually it’s just due to excuses or a lack of self control. In a way I’m thankful to the snack machine because it reminded me that I’m not actually going to die if I don’t have a snack. In fact I’ll be even better off without it’s calorie packed goodies filling me up. 

What do you think? Have you had any similar experiences? 

~Dawn