Comic Talk: Nightwing Vol. 1 (New 52)

Posted in Books of 2016, Genre: DC Comics, Rating: Three Umbrellas by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Nightwing V. 1 Traps and Trapezes
Writer/Illustrator: Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows
Published: October 10, 2012
Publisher: DC Comics.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Dick Grayson flies once again as Nightwing! And as he embraces his destiny, Haley’s Circus, the big top where Dick once performed, returns to Gotham City: bringing with it murder, mystery and superhuman evil. Nightwing must confront his past among former friends and enemies from his circus days, while uncovering a greater evil.

Collects Nightwing #1-7.

This launch of Nightwing isn’t necessarily a re-telling though they nerf some of the history/canon. The hero of this story, Dick Grayson, former first Robin and stand in Batman is back in his place as independent masked vigilante Nightwing. Bruce has reclaimed the Batman cowl–and while there’s no ‘on-screen’ discussion, Dick seems to be okay with the demotion.

Note: I would read Batman Vol. 1 Court of Owls before reading this trade. There are some tie-ins and some things that won’t make a lot of sense.

Haley’s circus returns to Gotham, and Dick stops in to visit with the family he had before being taken in by Bruce. He reconnects with old friends, family and an old flame (he really can’t stay away from redheads can he?) And as this is Gotham, and DC nothing stays golden for long. The owner of Haley’s dies, and bequeaths the circus to Dick. While working on accepting that new role, a new advisory rises focused on destroying Dick.

With cameos from Batgirl, Alfred and the return of Bruce later in the trade this is a very character heavy story. Members of the circus are featured–fleshed out and given backstory that ties in with Dick’s. The action is fast paced and nearly continuous, though one of my major peeves with Dick is the fact that he talks.all.the.time. He even mentions in one panel that he talks too much, and yet continues to do so. I’m not sure if this is a characteristic of Dick, or a running gag within the series, but it’s not something that I’m really fond of. The art stands on its own, though at first pass it was a little difficult to differentiate between Raya and Barbara when they meet face to face. Other than that the characters are individual and have distinguishing characteristics. The story is a little predictable, but it’s decent. The end of this trade is leading into a massive plot arc which I like a little bit better.

Overall: Not terrible, good action and art make it decent. I won’t add it to my collection, but I’ll continue reading the story.

9Jan2015

Book Review: Falcondance by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2015 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Falcondance The Kiesha’ra volume 3
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published: September 13th 2005
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating:

Synopsis:
Nicias has never felt completely at home among the avians and serpiente in Wyvern’s Court, despite his loyalty to Oliza Shardae Cobriana, the heir to both thrones. He is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Anhmik- and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams. But when Nicias’s visions become more like reality, his parents have no choice but to send him back to the homeland- and a royal falcon- they’ve tried their best to forget.

If Araceli won’t bind Nicias’s new found magic, it could destroy him. In a place where everyone is a pawn, only one other woman has the potential to save Nicias. But she holds the keys to a dangerous power struggle that will force Nicias to choose between his duty- and his destiny.

To be completely honest I’m still on the fence with this series, as Snakecharm left a bad taste in my mouth. Falcondance introduces a slew of new characters, the second generation of the books if you will, and it’s a little difficult to sympathize with any of them straight off the bat. As readers we’re thrown directly into the story without any sort of buildup or back story at all. Nicias is an interesting character, and I have a feeling he’ll play an important part in the next book.

Falcondance is a bit of an information dump after the first chapter, revealing more about the Falcons, their history, their magic and their part in the war between the avians and the serpiente. This book is far more political than the other two, focusing on an older, stricter culture than the others. It was interesting to see the differences between the three, especially through Nicias’ eyes as he’s someone who doesn’t quite fit in anywhere, until later in the story. It is a short book at just under two-hundred pages, but at times drags. The action, when it does happen is far more brutal and intense than the other two books in the series, further progressing the story and introducing some darkness to it.

Overall: Falcondance hasn’t redeemed the series for me, but I am more likely to pick up the next one rather than dropping it.

31Aug2014

Book Review: Displaced Persons by Derek McCulloch

Posted in Genre: Graphic Novel, Netgalley, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Displaced Persons
Author: Derek McCulloch
Published: February 15, 2009
Publisher: Image Comics

Rating:

Synopsis:
From the Eisner-nominated creators behind Tori Amos’ Comic Book Tattoo comes Displaced Persons, the story of a uniquely twisted and tragic family history spanning the most turbulent hundred years in the history of mankind – the twentieth century saw 99 wars, 19 pandemics, 14 genocides, and one family lost hopelessly in time!

Courtesy of

I wanted to like this, with splashy art and an interesting story line. I couldn’t get past the bad narrative, slurs and random inconsistencies. I figured there would be a bit of offensive tone to this story considering the blurb, but it’s tasteless and really not something anyone should read. I can’t recommend this at all. Frankly I’m disappointed that I finished it.

27Aug2014

Book Review: Les Miserables The Fall of Fantine by Crystal Silvermoon

Posted in Genre: Manga, Netgalley, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Les Miserables the Fall of Fantine
Author/Artist:Victor Hugo, Crystal Silvermoon, Stacy King, SunNeko Lee
Published: August 1, 2014
Publisher: Diamond Book Distributers.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Adapted for stage and screen, loved by millions, Victor Hugo’s classic novel of love & tragedy during the French Revolution is reborn in this fantastic new manga edition!

The gorgeous art of TseMei Lee brings to life the tragic stories of Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert, and the beautiful Fantine, in this epic adaptation of Les Miserables!

Courtesy of

The classic epic, Les Miserables is retold here with classic manga art. I’m not fond of this art style, the wide eyed, sparkly shoujo-kawaii style art. The art aside it’s a wonderful re-telling staying true to the classic, but presenting it in a way that’s easily understood. Some of the more delicate nuances of the source material are lost in translation, but it’s still a strong story. This volume focuses on Fantine and her story within Les Mis. I found that she was even more sympathetic in this version, causing me to feel really sorry for her.

Some of the narration is repeated throughout the pages, creating a double exposition effect. I wasn’t too bothered by this, as it happens in other volumes and series. If you’re interested in reading this, and you haven’t read manga, please be sure to read from right to left (so start at what would typically be the end of the book). The art style takes a little while to get used to, and the text is a bit overblown, but at it’s core it’s a great presentation of an iconic piece of literature.

Overall: Classic literature gets the manga touch, with overblown text and pretty illustrations. I’d present this to younger readers, or those intimidated by the massive tome.

26Aug2014

Book Review: Extinction Parade Volume 1 by Max Brooks

Posted in Genre: Apocalyptic, Genre: Dystopian Universe, Genre: Graphic Novel, Genre: Horror, Netgalley, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: The Extinction Parade Volume 1
Author/Artist: Max Brooks, Raulo Caceres
Published: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Avatar Press

Rating:

Synopsis:
Max Brooks, the best selling Zombie writer in history, unleashes an all-new horror epic! As humans wage their losing fight versus the hordes of the subdead, a frightening realization sets in with the secretive vampire race: our food is dying off. This is the story of the vampire’s descent into all-out war with the mindless, hungry hordes of the zombie outbreak as humanity tries to survive them all! This collected edition contains the entire first chapter of Extinction Parade

Courtesy of

World War Z redefined the Zombie genre for me. Extinction Parade takes it one step further, by introducing a secondary supernatural creature: the vampire. In this volume Brooks sets up an epic battle of zombie vs. vampire and the winner maintains the right to hunt and feed on the dwindling human population. It’s a riotous bloodbath with gore and violence. The art is beautiful, and something that I’m drawn to when I’m looking for graphic novels to get into. The story line is something different and I’m interested to see where it goes in further volumes.

The aspect of vampires v. zombies is something that I’ve thought about–especially since both beings at their core are reanimated corpses. I found it fun to read and to see the differences between the two. The vampires that are portrayed in this book are what I consider traditional vampires. Strong, badass and rather nasty when it comes down to it. I am intrigued by the vampire’s caretaker and I am going to grab later volumes of this to figure out the story line that’s happening there.

Overall: Bloody, gory and violent this graphic novel throws together two of the undead supernatural creatures in a knock down drag out fight for food. It’s vampires v. zombies and the prize? Us.

25Aug2014

Book Review: Black Science Volume 1 by Rick Remender

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Graphic Novel, Netgalley, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Black Science Volume 1
Author/Artist: Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera and Dean White
Published: November 13, 2013
Publisher: Image Comics.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: He has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lies beyond the veil is not epiphany, but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again?

Courtesy of

To be completely up front and blunt, I enjoyed this. I like that straight off there’s a ton of action and story development. There’s a great underlying plot and it’s smart. The writing and dialogue are very smart and fast paced. There’s enough explanation and exposition that it’s not an info dump alongside great illustrations. It does remind me a bit of the television show Sliders (seriously, look it up it was amazing.)–but the differences are strong enough that I’m not feeling like it’s fan fiction.

The characters are well written and unique with their own voices. The aliens that they encounter aren’t the most creative, but I think with the way this story is going and conflict we as readers are thrust into when the story opens, it’s easily ignored. The art though—I keep coming back to it. The lines are great and the colors are brilliant and saturated with an interesting quality to them. I will be reading this series as it progresses, and I’m interested to see where it’s going from the ending point. I’ve been on a manga kick for so long that it was a little different to pick up a traditional graphic novel/comic book and read it, but I found Black Science to be a good trap door back into that genre.

Overall beautiful art with a clean, slick, well written story line makes up an interesting comic book. Worth checking out and reading.

21Aug2014

Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green.

Posted in Genre: New Adult, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Published: September 22, 2009
Publisher: Speak.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life — dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge — he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues — and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

In reading The Fault in Our Stars, I discovered John Green. I found him to be a bit pretentious (okay, a lot pretentious) but the way he crafted his world, and his way with words won me over. The Fault in Our Stars reads like a movie, and I’m glad I experienced both mediums. Curiosity got the better of me, and after a friend’s non stop barrage of tweets about Green’s other works I picked up Paper Towns from the library. I let it sit around for a few days before I picked it up and started to read.

Almost instantly I’m greeted by the same prose, the same slightly overbearing pontification of word-smithing, and yet I chug on. I try to connect with the plot, with the characters with this whirlwind of a hope of a chance of a female named Margo Roth Spiegleman and her ever present, yet cast aside straight man Q. Let me tell you, if I have to read the words Margo Roth Spiegleman again, it’ll be all too soon. What frustrates me so much with this novel is the time Q spends chasing this girl and she’s not even what he really wants. Q doesn’t even know what he wants (and here in might be the main purpose behind the story–but still).

What I take out of it, is it’s a love letter and a goodbye note left by Margo Roth Spiegleman to Q. I really like the reaction she has later on in the book. She’s wanting to be free from the societal bounds she’s put on herself–and I think Q and the Scooby Gang going after her completely undermines that. It’s a drawn out process and maddening in it’s plodding progression. Yes, it’s a coming of age story, yes it’s the last hurrah before graduating high school and stepping into the grand void of the unknown.

I wanted to love this book so hard. I wanted it to be something that after reading I went out and purchased and put on my shelf, like I did with TFiOS. I also tried really hard to keep from drawing comparisons of the two, but they just kept happening. Things would creep in, details, narrative nuances that I couldn’t help but notice. I prefer TFiOS, though I can’t deny that Paper Towns is well written and there’s an audience for it, it just didn’t happen to float my boat.

This particular quote has stuck with me though, and I can’t seem to shake it.

“– I mean at some point, you gotta stop looking up at the sky, or one of these days you’ll look back down and see that you floated away, too.” I liken this as a warning to Q, not to get so wrapped up in Margo, but at this point there’s really no turning back. Not for Q, or the reader.

Overall: Would I recommend this? Yes. Would I own this? No. I am going to read Green’s other works though.

12Jun2014

Book Review: Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Posted in Genre: New Adult, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Teeth
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Published: January 1st 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rating:

Synopsis:
Be careful what you believe in.

Rudy’s life is flipped upside-down when his family moves to a remote island in a last attempt to save his sick younger brother. With nothing to do but worry, Rudy sinks deeper and deeper into loneliness and lies awake at night listening to the screams of the ocean beneath his family’s rickety house.

Then he meets Diana, who makes him wonder what he even knows about love, and Teeth, who makes him question what he knows about anything. Rudy can’t remember the last time he felt so connected to someone, but being friends with Teeth is more than a little bit complicated. He soon learns that Teeth has terrible secrets. Violent secrets. Secrets that will force Rudy to choose between his own happiness and his brother’s life.

I am really conflicted when it comes to this book. I really like a lot of aspects of it, and then there are a few things that just drive me absolutely crazy about it. I’m going to start with the things that I did like about it. I really love the character of Rudy and how he changes through the novel. He cares so deeply for his little brother, and the sacrifice that comes with caring for a sick relative really shines through–as does the guilt of wanting to have some sort of life outside of being a caretaker. His interactions with the other characters is amazing. I love the slow burn between him and Diana and how their relationship changes, becomes something that neither of them are ready for. Despite that I think the real ‘relationship’ is between him and Teeth. What he does for Teeth in the last third of the book and how he helps him speaks so much about the way Rudy operates and the base intentions of his actions.

Speaking of, Teeth is a really interesting character. I haven’t come across anything quite like him in the books I’ve read. I guessed his origin pretty quickly, though how he came to be is quite possibly one of the weirdest conception stories in the world. I love the friendship that they build and I felt for the little one-sided romantic feelings that Teeth had toward Rudy. I think that he and Rudy play similar roles: misunderstood, protector, wanting more for themselves. Unfortunately things don’t always work out nicely. Teeth suffers in this book and there are some rather disturbing ideas (though never explicitly shown, there is mention of rape and forced oral sex). Which brings me to one of the major things I had a problem with.

I don’t like non-consensual sex as a plot device. And while it’s not explicitly shown, it’s implied through dialogue and some imagery between Teeth and a couple of the fishermen. I don’t know where it fits in, and I think the story would have been just the same without the sexual violence. I also feel that the book could have been longer. I want to know more about the world, the island and why certain things work the way that they do.

Overall amazing characters and relationships make this story.

8Jun2014

Book Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Posted in Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Historical Romance, Genre: New Adult, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Chime.
Author: Franny Billingsley
Published: April 12th 2012
Publisher: Speak

Rating:

Synopsis:
Briony has a secret. It is a secret that killed her stepmother, ruined her sister’s mind, and will end her life, if anyone were to know. She has powers. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and a great mane of tawny hair. He is as natural as the sun, and he treats her as if she is extraordinary. And everything starts to change . . . Chime is a haunting, brilliantly written novel that will stay with you–its magic, its romance, its world like none other.

Kristen from the Book Monsters sent me this book in our swap (along with Fangirl) and I found myself quickly getting swept up in the story. Chime is very layered and interesting. I would actually compare it to The Scarlet Letter (yes that classic that most of us were forced to read in middle/high school). Briony is a wonderful character, strong and focused in her goals. She has a few desires and more than a few secrets. She’s dark and mysterious and little by little we’re shown her world and what’s going on. Things are done a certain way with roles being fulfilled. Until Eldric comes along and shakes everything loose. He’s everything she’s not. Goodness and light with a streak of wonder and adventure. He challenges her and I think they make a great pair. They balance each other well. The characters in this book are some that I’ve never seen before. Their interactions are amazing and electrifying. No one is who they really seem to be, and each character, even the most minor grows and changes as the story goes on.

I really enjoyed the mythos and superstitions of this world. The magic aspect and magic v. religion/faith. It takes a really interesting turn especially in the last few chapters. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t but there are quite a few shockers that left me reeling.

There is one thing that kept me from rating this book higher. Briony’s narrative took me a very long time to get into. She’s very flighty and changes the subject and goes off on mental soliloquies and tangents that have absolutely nothing to do with what’s currently happening in the novel. It’s a little too jumpy and sporadic, but given time and patience it’s enjoyable.

Overall strong characters, beautiful imagery, but a flighty narrator creates flow issues. Would recommend to someone looking for a different take on witches with a bit of a historical twist. Thanks so much Kristen.

24Mar2014

Book Review: Desire by B.L. Wilde.

Posted in Book Tour, Genre: Erotica, Genre: Romance, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Desire (The Seductors Series #1)
Author: B.L. Wilde.
Published: November 30, 2013

Rating:

The Summary:
Jade has worked as a Seductor in a secret organization for five years now. Her main job? To earn the trust of her targets and secure the object or information her company was hired to steal—by any means necessary. She’s damn good at it, too.

With five years left on her contract, she is handed an assignment that turns her world upside down.

Oliver Kirkham is the attractive, young CEO of Kirkham Industries, a weapons manufacturing company, and is currently in possession of some very important blueprints—blueprints that could change the way war, as we know it, works. He’s extremely focused and doesn’t have time to date, at least until he comes to the rescue of a shy but very alluring Jade Gibbs.

What happens when one night of passion turns into more? Will Jade allow her feelings for Oliver to get in the way of her mission? Or will she do what she was hired to do and secure the steal?

I’m torn with this book. It’s a great story with extremely strong, well voiced characters. But on the other hand it feels a little rushed and I’d really like to know more about Jade and the other Seductors. The author hints at relationships (both romantic in nature and platonic) between the various characters that work in this secret organization, but there’s not enough there to build a mental image of their relationships. I would have rated this higher if I could have gotten to know Jade and her backstory more.

However, I did enjoy this story. Jade is an amazing character–most of the time in this type of book the female character (main or supporting) is seen as a wilting flower, or damsel in distress just waiting for the hero to come in and sweep them off their feet. Jade has nothing of that, even while pretending to be something she’s not. Her interactions with Oliver were interesting, I liked how the ‘love/lust at first sight’ gave way to feelings, and compromised missions. [No further spoilers 😉 ] The character of Oliver was great too. An alpha male who went after someone that he wanted, but at the same time there’s tenderness and gentleness that I find isn’t in a lot of alpha-male characters. He and Jade are electric together and I found myself falling for them together.

The plot was decent, it worked with what the characters had set up, and worked well with the world. I enjoyed the ending. I won’t talk anymore about that, other than I really liked it and it left me wanting more. I want to know more about where the characters go from here.

Overall: few repetitive phrases, and a too mysterious heroine on the downside, but the story carries itself well and redeems itself slightly.