WW28: THE WRATH OF ANGELS

WW28 book offering: The Wrath Of Angels by John Connolly

"Did Mr Scollay try to dissuade you from coming here?" I asked.

That is our protagonist digging for answers... and he's good at it...

About The Wrath Of Angels:

In the depths of the Maine woods, the wreckage of an aeroplane is discovered. There are no bodies, and no such plane has ever been reported missing, but men both good and evil have been seeking it for a long, long time. What the wreckage conceals is more important than money: it is power. Hidden in the plane is a list of names, a record of those who have struck a deal with the Devil. Now a battle is about to commence between those who want the list to remain secret and those who believe that it represents a crucial weapon in the struggle against the forces of darkness.

The race to secure the prize draws in private detective Charlie Parker, a man who knows more than most about the nature of the terrible evil that seeks to impose itself on the world, and who fears that his own name may be on the list. It lures others too: a beautiful, scarred woman with a taste for killing; a silent child who remembers his own death; and the serial killer known as the Collector, who sees in the list new lambs for his slaughter. But as the rival forces descend upon this northern state, the woods prepare to meet them, for the forest depths hide other secrets. Someone has survived the crash.

Something has survived the crash. And it is waiting.

©2012 John Connolly (P)2012 Hodder & Stoughton

Source: Info in the About The Wrath Of Angels was taken from http://www.audible.co.uk/pd?asin=B008RMGRTG on 02/11/2012.

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

Today I Go Bancrupt

Today, I Go Bancrupt!

Today, three of my favouritest authors release books which of course I just have to buy. So where does that leave me? Hungry until the next payday.... but, Oh my!! What marvellous reading time!!

Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Book 14 of The Dresden Files series
Publication Date: 27 November 2012

About Cold Days:

HARRY DRESDEN LIVES!!! After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard. He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill. Guess which Mab wants first? Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday. Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own… His soul.

Source: Info in the About Cold Days was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12216302-cold-days on 17/11/2012.

Trapped by Kevin Hearne
Book 5 of the Iron Druid Chronicles series
Publication Date: 27 November 2012 (first publication) | 30 December 2012 (by Del Rey/US)

About Trapped:

After twelve years of secret training, Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth and double the number of Druids in the world. But on the eve of the ritual, the world that thought he was dead abruptly discovers that he’s still alive, and they would much rather he return to the grave. Having no other choice, Atticus, his trusted Irish wolfhound, Oberon, and Granuaile travel to the base of Mount Olympus, where the Roman god Bacchus is anxious to take his sworn revenge—but he’ll have to get in line behind an ancient vampire, a band of dark elves, and an old god of mischief, who all seem to have KILL THE DRUID at the top of their to-do lists.

Source: Info in the About Trapped was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13536649-trapped on 17/11/2012.

Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews
Book 4 of The Edge series
Publication Date: 27 November 2012

About Steel's Edge:

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny… Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again. Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...

Source: Info in the About Steel's Edge was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12119496-steel-s-edge on 17/11/2012.

Movie Review: Breaking Dawn (Part 2)

The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2)
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as the most prominent of the cast. Released by Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment. Directed by Bill Condon.
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: (Watched at the cinema.)

About The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2):

After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

Source: Info in the About The Twilight Saga: BREAKING DAWN (Part 2) was taken from http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1673434/ on 20/11/2012.

My Thoughts:

So I watched Breaking Dawn (Part 2) at the cinemas and I was happy enough with it. I am a sucker for happily ever afters (HEA) and I got what I wanted. However, I have to say that the Twilight series was just a long drawn out affair marketed dry to the very last drop. What would have been a spectaular movie experience is now a dried up husk of a beautiful thing. I could still see the beauty in it but the enjoyment is diminished by how they marketed it, as in they chopped the movie into little pieces to span several years. The Lord Of The Rings was chopped to bits but you can see there was a lot packed in every section/in every movie. And the sections makes sense, not just drawn out for the sake of marketing it out to dry, which the Twilight series was. I think I would be wary about watching films by Bill Condon next time. Maybe I'll just buy them in dvd format if they really look good. But go to the cinema again? I don't think so. I think I am one of those fans disillusioned by the movie outcome of the book largely contributed by how Bill Condon messed it up.

Kristen Stewart is very pretty which made up for her lack of acting abilities. But... the cinematographic effects was fantastic! I noticed it with Twilight (the first movie installment) and I am happy to see that it has persisted to the final movie installment of the Twilight saga! Gotta give kudos to the cinematographic team!!

At the end of it, I did enjoy the film and I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of entertainment value.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

WW28: SHADOW OF THE SPHINX

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Shadow Of The Sphinx by Christian Jacq

As Neferet had been called urgently to the main hospital in Memphis for a difficult operation, Pazair was feeding Mischief, his wife's little green monkey.

Presumably this Pazair is Neferet's husband and all alone... do I detect a "when-the-cat-is-away-the-mice-will-play scenario here?

About Shadow Of The Sphinx:

The time has come for the final confrontation. Appointed supreme magistrate and first minister of Egypt, Pazair and his wife Neferet must join forces against the Finance Minister, Pazair's sworn enemy, now openly presenting himself as spokesman for the conspirators who plan to overthrow Ramses the Great in order to seize supreme power. The situation appears desperate. By undermining the economy, the conspirators threaten to destroy the values which presided over the birth of Egyptian civilisation. And allies are few and far between. Where is Pazair's blood brother Suti, who has escaped from his Nubian prison? After several fruitless attempts, will the mysterious "shadow-eater" succeed in eliminating Pazair? Who is the real leader of the conspirators, the one hiding in the shadows? And who will emerge victorious from this fierce battle, on which the survival of Egypt depends?

Source: Info in the About Shadow Of The Sphinx was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62645.Shadow_of_the_Sphinx on 20/10/2012.

Review: SUPERNATURAL (SEASON 7)

SUPERNATURAL
TV series starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles
Season 7
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: DVD box set

About Supernatural S7:

Season 7 continues the journey of two brothers raised to be warriors by a "hunter" father to fight demons and everything evil that goes bump in the dark. This time around, their greatest threat are seemingly indestructible creatures born before humans existed and were imprisoned supposedly due to their evil natures. Now they are out and gearing up to rule the world. It is up to the Winchester brothers to make sure that the world is safe once more. But how do you fight an enemy that does not die? Out-numbered. And out-gunned... Along the way the two brothers are going to need all their strength to battle not only their big nemesis, but also loss and for survival. But the brothers realised that side by side the trials, you also gain strength in unexpected places and find little joys that count.

Source: Info in the About Supernatural S7 is my own pitch for Season 7.

My Thoughts:

When I first watched disc 1 of the 6-disc box set, it was like welcoming back old friends. It has been a long year waiting for the dvd box set to become available in the UK. And in that long year of waiting, I have also forgotten how scary the series could be and I have to get used to that all over again. Well, to some horror fanatics, Supernatural might be very tame. But to me it is scary enough. I am obviously not a horror fan. But for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, I make an exception... Okey, I do not want to identify with Rebecca Rosen, but I totally get her obsession with the Winchester brothers! I mean, look at them! Sooooo drool worthy!! The season finale was a cliffhanger even as it also closed the season's over-arc-ing plot. But for a season finale, it wasn't a "bang", but it did close the season's plot line. And now, couldn't wait for Season 8 to become available in the UK!!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Review: SHAKESPEARE'S CHAMPION

Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
Book 2 of the Lily Bard mysteries
Narrated by Julia Gibson
Genre: murder mystery
Format: paperback, audiobook

About Shakespeare's Champion:

Lily Bard has started over in the quiet town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, as a cleaning lady. One who works out her anger and the pain of her past in a martial arts class.

For Lily, the gym is a place to get away from her troubles, not find more of them. But when she stumbles on the corpse of a local bodybuilder, his neck broken with a barbell, the town's underlying racial tensions begin to boil over. The white victim was connected was connected to unsolved murders of black residents in Shakespeare, and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. Lily may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away once more time.

Source: Info in the About Shakespeare's Champion was taken from the back copy of the paperback edition with ISBN 9780575105270 on 05/05/2012.

My Thoughts:

I bought the MP3 audiobook and borrowed the paperback from the library. I guess I just gotten used to having a paperback to read together with my audiobooks... I know, I know, I'm awkward kind of reader... or picky... depends on your point of view...

After reading/listening to this book, Book 2 of the Lily Bard mysteries, one distinct feature comes to mind... I can say that the main difference between this series and that of Charlaine Harris's more popular series, the Sookie Stackhouse, is that the main protagonist here, Lily Bard, is not too stupid to live (TSTL)! However, this series still carries with it the distinct addictive quality of Ms. Harris's wonderful story telling quality which shines through loud and clear in this book!

I am not very fond of Julia Gibson's reading style though. Her voice has a droning monotone quality to it which borders to boring and dull. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that bad, it's just that I've heard better.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3
Pace (paperback) = 4
Pace (audiobook) = N/A
Narrator = 3

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Thank you to the RCT Library for letting me borrow this book!!

FTC Disclosure:
This paperback was borrowed from the library. The audiobook version was purchased with private funds. No money received for this review.

Review: TWO FOR THE DOUGH

Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
Book 2 of the Stephanie Plum series
Narrated by CJ Critt
Format: audiobook
Genre: crime fiction chicklit

About Two For The Dough:

Stephanie Plum, the sassiest, spunkiest female bounty hunter in America (or at least New Jersey) is back to take on her second case. She's armed with attitude and outrageous fashion sense -- not to mention stun guns, defense sprays, killer flashlights, and her trusty .38 -- and all the determination a neophyte bounty hunter can muster.

In Two for the Dough, she's after a ruthless bail jumper who has an affection for mailing Stephanie deadly notes and pickled body parts, and stealing 24 super-cheap caskets loaded with contraband. When the case overwhelms Stephanie and fast-talking cop Joe Morelli, she calls in a real pro: her grandma Mazur, a grey-haired, spandex-wearing dynamo packing heat.

Source: Info in the About Two For The Dough was taken from at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147071.Two_for_the_Dough on 16/04/2012.

Review:

Right off the bat, the audiobook cover art is downright ugly! The paperback cover art is plain jane but at least it is not jarringly ugly! And I find that as I listen to this audiobook, the story telling quality is not as engrossing as I seem to remember it was from the previous book... but this author sure knows how to build a story! Story building is where her skills lies strongest, I think. The book started off slow but picked up in a steady pace until it went really well towards the end. It went faster. It went funnier. And the best thing I like the most about this book is that it made me laugh. I am beginning to see why a lot of people likes this series. If you are looking for an audiobook to lighten up your day, this book would be a good choice.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4
Cover art = 1
Pace = N/A (8 discs)
Plot = 3.5
Narrator = 4

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries


Thank you to RCT Library for letting me borrow this audiobook!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. No money received for this review.