Cu's Reviews

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Monster by Ben Burgess Jr.

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This is a very powerful read. There is so much pain and truth in the opening poem (which was the inspiration for the story), it flows into the reader and touches the darkest recesses of the heart. All too often men are done how Kenny was done. Color, race, creed, none of that matters really, it happens to men just like it does women. Some men are a bit stronger and overcome it quickly. Others, like Kenny, the hurt is so deep that they fall. They spiral so far out of control they become the thing they hate the most. I know this from my own personal experience with someone who fell just as hard as Kenny did.
Even as you watch Ken's disastrous transformation begin, his heart still holds to finding that certain someone who will right all the wrongs that have been done to him.
I found a few minor errors that were easily over looked, the errors are very slight.
The sex scenes, and let's face it, Ken is a manwhore there's a LOT of sex in this book, The scenes are written tastefully. Being me, I'm not an overly huge fan of erotic tales and certain words, even if simply reading them to myself, will have me looking like a strawberry. This was not the case with this book. The sex scenes seem to almost be there simply because they have to be to explain the depth of Ken's anguish. They are artfully written and worded tastefully.
It's refreshing when you can feel not only the characters, but a hint of the author as well. I will by no means lie to anyone. This story is NOT for everyone. I do believe it should be read by everyone though, especially the young men who have gone through the pain that Ken did. An outcast myself, I know all too well the knife wounds that riddle Ken's heart and this made me appreciate the story all the more.
There are very few stories of this genre.. Fiction that reads like an autobiography.. That touched me in the way this one has.. In fact, only three other authors have accomplished this feat in all my thirty two years, Piers Anthony (Letters to Jenny), Jennifer Martinez (Written in the Stars), and Derinda Love (Today Only).
I applaud Benny for this work of art, something in my heart tells me that just like the other three mentioned, there's more than just a sliver of truth to the words than the author will lead on.
One small problem I had wasn't with the story, but with the female characters. When it all comes crumbling down, suddenly Ken is the bad guy, granted, he's far from a saint but those women for as strong and intelligent as Ken described them to be are pretty freaking stupid if they make their own decisions and then want to point a finger when shyt kicks them in the ass. The only instance I can honestly say Ken should have had his ass kicked for was Heather. She's the only one that he truly did wrong. Denise and Krissy knew the truth of the situation and yet still everything was pinned on Ken. And don't even get me started on some of the others...
I encourage if the reader is a male, READ this book..If the reader is a female READ this book. There are so many important life lessons in the pages of this work that it truly would benefit everyone if they read it
I give this book 5 of 5 paws and look forward to what Benny decides to let flow next.

Reviewed by
S.Cu'Anam Policar
Freaky Fiction Writing Author
Cu's Ebook Giveaways Owner
Fae Books Tour Host/Reviewer
Girls <3 Books Tours Host
LadyAmber's Book Tours Host
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As You Wish Tour Host

Monday, June 24, 2013

Knotted Roots by Ruthi Kight

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Roxie comes off as your typical spoiled rich kid. Her life revolves around her social standing, so it comes as no surprise the injustice she feels when certain events happen that threaten her very way of life, as well as the circle of friends she has. When she is forced to leave her posh New York life style to spend three months in Soth Carolina with her Grandmother, Roxie feels as though her entire life is ending. She shares her fear of returning a social pariah with her best friend Amber who promises to help try to help sway her parents to let her go where her friends will be for the summer instead, that's when everything falls apart.
As the story progresses the reader will note certain things Roxie does that will make you question, they make her question as well. The reader will find them self wanting more than anything to slap the snob and stupid out this girl one more then just a handful of occasions. There will be definite tears on more than one occasion.
There were a few minor spelling errors nothing at all drastic. They were more than likely missed due to the timelines writers and Beta Teams are under to get things done in. They will not halt the understanding of the sentence nor slow the reader down at all.
A small story hang up I found myself pondering more than once was the absolute vanishment of Amber after the last call. I do not believe that however stuck up and self absorbed a person is, someone who calls someone their best friend for x amount of years does not just suddenly stop after one disagreement. Then again, perhaps they can. There is not enough information on Amber to know why she didn't pursue her best friend, but the reader will know without a doubt why Roxie didn't.
All in all, this story is a great coming of age tale. I do hope Ruthi will write a sequel (even if Airicka has to help with the title again lol) so we can see how Roxie and the others in Perry Point at doing. These characters are unforgettable, and while the people in this story are fictional, like any other amazingly written work, they leave a very real impression on the reader. There are plenty of lessons to be learned within these 189 pages and they are ones every human being should learn.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

The Buttersmiths' Gold (Evertaster Companion Prequel) by Adam Glendon Sidwell

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As stated in the Forward, Reading Evertaster is not mandatory before reading this book. This book tells the tale of how the butter came to be. A very fitting companion to the trilogy if I do say so myself.
The story begins at some point after Felicity's helicopters come and whisk the Johnsonville's to complete their part of the creation of the One Recipe, which left Braxton, Torbjorn, and Storfjell knocked out on the viking long boat with the cows (who were still doing all the rowing).
The viking brothers tell Braxton that while everyone thinks vikings love blueberry muffins above all else that the best food in all of Midgard is the butter! With further prompting, Torbjorn begins to weave the tale of his clan's butter and why is it better than any other in all the world.
I found myself chuckling as I read of Torbojorn's first venture into the biggest village in Midgard. To viking style, there was most certainly a brawl that would more than likely become a legend.
There is so much actual Norse myth and legend woven into this story, it was a delight for me to read. I'm as huge fan of all things Midgard as anyone that knows me can attest lol.
I do hope the author will make other companion stories for the trilogy, like the how the eggs came to be, or Arreviderci's chocolates. I'd most definitely be interested in those stories too and I'm sure others would be as well.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.

Course of Legends (Evertaster 1) by Adam Glendon Sidwell

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I won't even try to lie, when I first saw this book I was almost positive I was not going to like it. I had opted to review it simply because it was not something I had read before and I simply love finding new things.
While I was so sure I would hate this story, the exact opposite became the reality. Evertaster is the most outside the box story I have ever read in my life. I found myself arching an eyebrow more than once at the ingredients I found in here.
I have to wonder about Guster's very unusual name when his entire family has normal names, but honestly, with how unique Guster is, the name is more than fitting.
I was telling my other half about the book and my six year old over heard and now she wants to go joggle cows for butter! Yes, yes that is how odd this story is!
I loved the character names, most of which will make you smile. This story has almost non stop humor, action, and advenure and is sure to please readers from infancy to a thousand!
I await The Delicious City and The Final Season most eagerly and give this book 5 of 5 paws.

Reviewed by
S.Cu'Anam Policar
Freaky Fiction Writing Author
Cu's Ebook Giveaways Owner
Fae Books Tour Host/Reviewer

Girls <3 Books Tours Host

LadyAmber's Book Tours Host
B3 Book Tours Host
I Am A Reader Not A Writer Blog Tour Host
Shades of Rose Marketing Tour Host
GWR Tour Host
As You Wish Tour Host

Aberrant (Aberrant 1) by Ruth Silver

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Aberrant starts out pretty much like every other Dystopian book I've read so far (which isn't very many). Like the others, some unknown virus wiped out most of the human race some however centuries ago. Everyone in Cabal, like in all Dystopian books, has whatever population remains divided into main groups. You have your citizens, who in live in cities walled off from the rest of the world and are controlled by the reigning government...And you have your rebels who live outside the sanctioned wall cities. As usual, the government and the rebels hate each other, and the citizens have it drilled it in their heads that nothing is outside the "safety" of their walled city. Also, the same with most Dystopian books (even a few select Dystopian listed as Sci-fi), love is no longer a factor in marriages. The government chooses your mate and you have to deal with it.
Now that I've listed the similarities, I'll tell you what makes Aberrant different from any Dystopian book I've ever read. Some of the rebel cities are just as forceful and corrupt as the government they are against...And natural conception is a thing of myths from before the Red Plague (this book's killer virus). Enter Olivia Parker, the girl everyone wants for one reason or another and her best friend Joshua Warren.
I really do have to give Olivia props. If I'd gone through half the crap she seems to find herself in almost every chapter, I'm almost sure I'd have either lost my sanity or killed myself.. Or someone else o.O Olivia, while having a small nervous breakdown here and there, pretty much remains a strong character never once wavering from the things she wants the most in life.
There is plenty of action and near heart stopping moments in this book. Aside from a slight easy to miss typos here and there it's a gripping read the reader will be unable to put down. I read it in three hours. I kept telling myself that I didn't have to rush. (As I'm writing this on my note pad I'm cursing my cable company for the week I'm going without net atm). Even though I no longer had the deadline looming over me, I still HAD to continue to turn the pages to see what happened next.
So while many will sit there and whine and complain about the similarities this book has to other Dystopian books (I haven't read enough of them to know if the reason they're all based like this one is what makes the genre), I urge the reader to look at the differences this story will bring. These differences make this book a must read for any lover of the genre.
I hope Ruth is working on a sequel to this book and if she is I look forward to reading it.
I give this book 4 of 5 paws

Angelstone (Dark Angel 2) by Hanna Peach

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Angelstone begins with Alyx and Israel in Tara. It's a tad more intense then Angelfire. The emotions that seemingly just run amok in this book are felt in every instance by the reader.
I particular liked the scenes in the dreamscape. Alyx's fear of Michael rolls off her in wave after wave and every bit of that fear latches onto the reader. Just like with Angelfire, the reader will easily forget that they are not part of the story.
Jordan, Alyx, and even Passar have some very strong emotional sway in this book. I found their emotions and scenes were a bit easier to follow this time around than Israel's.
As with book one, book's two descriptions are up to par, the reader will flawlessly slide in and out of each scene seamlessly.
This one definitely has a higher emotion rate, and if the reader is one of those who emerces themselves into a book with everything they are, there will definitely be some anger and tears as tears.
I without a doubt await Angelsong book 3 in this series.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

S.Cu'Anam Policar
Freaky Fiction Writing Author
Cu's Ebook Giveaways Owner
Fae Books Tour Host/Reviewer
Girls <3 Books Tours Host
LadyAmber's Book Tours Host
B3 Book Tours Host
I Am A Reader Not A Writer Blog Tour Host
Shades of Rose Marketing Tour Host
GWR Tour Host
As You Wish Tour Host

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Zombie Cruise by Janiera Eldridge

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This is a short story so please keep that in mind as my review may reflect the shortness of the story.
All I can say is ..Wow...
I spotted only 2 or 3 minor errors but my copy is an ARC so it was expected and I think I was told about them before hand.
Anyway this story for all of it's shortness, will definitely get your heart racing and your blood pumping. The twists that seemingly come out of nowhere totally take you off guard and slam the "reality" of the situation home to the reader more than once.
Once again Janiera Eldridge has amazed me with her talented way of making her vision be seen by the readers as vividly as if it were the reader experiencing it.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Angelfire (Dark Angel 1) by Hanna Peach

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This is possibly the longest the book I've read this year so far. But it's absolutely worth the read. This story is woven like a tapestry. Each scene is detailed perfectly and you slide into the characters flawlessly. There was more than one night were I was so engrossed in Alyx's endeavors that when something went bump in the night in my house, I jumped a few feet in the air and had to wait a few seconds to still my racing heart.
I find less than a handful of errors in the writing, none of which will interfere with the reader's flow. This story will grip the reader from the first line and hold them captive until the end leaving the reader wanting more. The unexpected twists the story takes will definitely stun the reader.
This story is definitely the start one hell of an epic adventure for Alyx and her friends. I look forward to starting Angelstone to see what happens next.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

Monday, June 17, 2013

Dreamz (Wunder 0.5) by A.R.Von

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This story takes place before Wunder. This one focuses more on the zombie infestation and how Wunder trains with her teams to eliminate the infected.
It definitely gives you a bit more insite on Wunder, and you learn things about her that you didn't get a chance to in book one. Here is where Wunder and Pete first meet.. Even if they don't officially meet until book one.
One nice change about this prequel is you not only get into Wunder's head.. but you get a taste of Pete's as well.
I wonder if book two if the reason Wunder and Pete were sharing dreams before they met will be explained, after all I'm sure both are just as curious about it as any one that reads this book will be.
As this is a short I really can't speak anymore on it without giving anything away. I do look forward to book two in the series though.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws

Surfacing the Rim (Piercing the Fold 2) by Venessa Kimball

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This book picks up right where Piercing the Fold left off. The surprises the read meets in PtF are no longer a shock and even the characters are starting to adjust to some of them.
The writing style is consistant in this book and the reader won't have to worry about a sudden change in how the characters think or act.
This story has a bit more action in it and the reader will find old characters and some new in a ton of danger. Discoveries and realizations are made that will make the reader think and ponder.
I found no errors in the story and I eagerly await Ascending the Veil.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws