All the Appeal of an Ambulance Siren

Published:  October 28th, 2014

Gotham City Sirens: Book One

By: Paul Dini, Guillem March (Illustrations)

DC Comics

ISBN-13:  9781401251758

This graphic novel features the bad girls of Gotham City!  Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other peoples' rules regardless of which side of the law they're on.  These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it.  But can they get along and work as a team?  And who will get hurt along the way?

Contains issues 1-13.

Review (HERE THERE BE SPOILERS, YAR!) 

I was enjoying myself pretty good for the whole volume, until that last issue. I was annoyed by the constant referencing of Hush which I've never read. But it wasn't so tied into the story that I couldn't figure out what was going on and it didn't really diminish my enjoyment -- so I was letting it slide. I also really liked the portrayal of Harley as a somewhat coherent adult, albeit one with major issues and tendency towards childish behavior. The holiday issue with Harley's family definitely gives some background on how she could've turned out so messed up. So, things were chugging along decently. Than in that last issue things got really BIZZARE! 

Selina's homeless sister Maggie, a former nun (who has been locked up in the mental hospital after going bonkers -- I'm assuming she escaped!), goes to see another nun -- a renowned exorcist. Turns out, she thinks Selina is being possessed by a cat demon of some sort and Maggie thinks she has to "free" her...then the nun's cat comes into the room and Maggie kills it and the nun, cause she's been "compromised." WTF???!!! Maggie then goes through her relics and gets possessed by an "angel" (probably not a real angel - they never are...), who wants her to kill Selina. Who she then doesn't kill, because when Selina ripped off a holy relic from Maggie's church when she was a nun, turns out she felt GUILTY and took it back. So there's "hope" of saving her...y'know, from the cat demon!!! 

I kind of want to know what happens to Ivy, who was on the verge of murdering a co-worker at S.T.A.R. Labs that learned her identity and was trying to kill her, but don't know if it's worth my effort now. Just, wow. What the actual fuck???

VERDICT:  2.5/5 Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

You Left Me Feeling Cold

Expected Publication:  January 27th, 2015

A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3)

By: Megan Shepherd

Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins

ISBN-13:  9780062128089

After killing the men who tried to steal her father's research, Juliet -- along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward -- has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors.  Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passageways, and fortune-tellers who seems to know Juliet's secrets.  Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present in within the manor's own walls.

Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor's long history of scientific experimentation -- and her own intended role in it -- forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets.  And she must decide if she'll follow her father's dark footsteps or her mother's tragic ones, or whether she'll make her own.

Review

       There are only a couple of other reviews posted for this book as of right now, but I feel like I'm the only one who was disappointed by the ending of this series, that I loved so well in the beginning.  I think the main problem for me though, is that after two books and some horrible experiences due to men trying to play God using science, Juliet still seems to not have learned ANYTHING.  In this one we go with Juliet and Co. to an estate on the Scottish moors, owned by the mysterious Elizabeth von Stein, the daughter of Juliet's late guardian - and also the last descendant of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein.  They are on the run from her father Lucy's men, after Juliet killed some people to make sure her father's work stayed unfinished and forgotten.  Elizabeth had claimed that the secrets of Frankenstein had been destroyed, but the servants at the estate are definitely not quite normal and after an incident at a bonfire celebration, she finally tells Juliet the truth about why she has been brought there - to continue the family legacy.

       We do see Juliet still struggling with her curiosity, which seems to verge on something unholy when it comes to experimental science.  Probably the part that annoyed me the most was her inability to completely quash her inner naievte when it came to the "good" that such science could do for people.  After the events of the first two books, you'd think Juliet would finally understand that some risks are just too high to be worth it and that playing God can have horrific and long-lasting consequences.  She seems to think that the greed of her curiosity is worth it though, high cost (i.e. lives) and other consequences be damned.  I did like the ending and the way that the new creation went off in search of the original Dr. Frankenstein's monster, to find someone else like him.  Also, I feel like Juliet finally gets it in the end, and won't be doing anything else monumentally stupid.  The narrative was interesting and I did enjoy the twist to the original Frankenstein tale.  But since I spent most of the novel wanting to wring Juliet's neck, I can't say it was my favorite in the series or that I was completely satisfied.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is January 27th, 2015.**

Evil Never Truly Wins

Published: April 2nd, 2013
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin # 2)
By: R.L. LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-13:  9780547628387

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Review

 

     Sybella has dealt with many horrors in her short life, but being forced back into the household of the depraved Lord D'Albret is almost more than she can bear.  She joined with the other daughters of Mortain to escape from things she can't allow herself to think about.  The Mother Superior has promised her that she will be able to kill him as soon as he's marked by Death - so Sybella returns to the house of the man she always thought was her Father.  When a battle occurs and D'Albret takes a very unexpected prisoner, his life may be in Sybella's hands.  Can she help him escape and aid the Duchess of Brittany, while escaping from the evil machinations of the man who has destroyed Sybella's happiness for most of her life?  I went into this one having truly liked Grave Mercy, and being beyond excited to read about Sybella who intrigued me through minor mentions in the first novel.  I though Ismae had a rough life prior to the convent and being trained as an assassin for Mortain.  That was before I met Sybella and had my heart smashed to pieces by her traumatic life experiences!  Her Father was a complete monster and her 'relationship' with her brother Julian was such a horrifying disaster.  After managing to heal herself even a little bit, I was super pissed that the nuns had decided it was okay to make her a spy in D'Albret's household.  I loved the character development on her part and the slow reveal of her backstory, as devastating as it was.  But I have to say that as a reader, I was entirely unconvinced of any romantic feelings between her and the Duchess' soldier, the Beast of Waroch.  Their interactions had absolutely NO spark for me and seeing how he spends most of the book unconscious or recovering from some wound or another, how strong of feelings could they have really had?  Also, I felt like the plot and pacing of action in general really dragged for the first half of the book.  It seemed like nothing really happened until Sybella rescued the Beast from her Father's dungeon, and even then it was slow going.  I've seen other people complain that Grave Mercy had a slow start, but I never felt that way reading it.  With this one, I did.  The dark sense of humor, constant wavering of faith and unshakeable belief in justice really made me love Sybella.  This was a good second book in a series and managed to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, and the battle at the end of the book definitely had my heart pounding and my blood churning.  Overall a good book, especially for fans of high fantasy or medieval fiction along the lines of Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, and Maria V. Snyder.  But I felt like something was missing for me personally while reading it.

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It became available for purchase on April 2nd, 2013.*