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Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Dreamz in Books

Jun 12, 2019  
Dreamz
Dreamz
A. R. Von | 2013 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

Word Count: 12,470

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.54/5 stars

My rating: 3/5 stars

To be honest, I automatically started to dislike this book because “Dreams” is spelled with a Z. And while it was okay, it was not as good as it could have been.

Wunder has been dreaming about a man for as long as she can remember, always the same man. The dreams leave her aroused to no end at night. Unfortunately, this man doesn’t exist in her life, at least not yet. But her love life is nonexistent and thanks to her being half zombie, that’s not going to change any time soon.

Little does she know that her dream man exists and his name is Pete. Not only does he exist, but he’s been dreaming about her as well. Pete is also half zombie and lives in the next town over with his uncle. When he moves to Wunder’s town to recover from a huge zombie attack, will they finally get to meet in real life?

You can get this book for free on Smashwords.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it’s a cool story with some damn good world-building. The explanation behind a half zombie, half human is actually logical, or as logical as anything to do with zombies is. This also sets up a lot of potential plotlines for the other books in the series, all of them sounding interesting. And the Resilient Infected Police, or RIP, have a fantastic name.

Also, I can always appreciate a bad-ass girl who knows how to kick some ass, zombie or otherwise.

But learn to fricking edit.

Aside from the grammatical and punctuational atrocities that made my eyes widen in horror while I was reading this, there are so many strange things in this story that aren’t even rookie mistakes. This story is as loose as your post Taco Bell shit.

Never mind the crazy summaries and excessive telling instead of showing. I’ve seen that so many times by now, I’m almost immune to that. What I haven’t seen is a fucking tree fetish.

Yes, ladies and gents, you read that right. Either Wunder loves trees a little too much, or the author does. Why else would Wunder interrupt her retelling of a very hot and kinky sex dream to describe at length the tree she’s tied to, when she first saw it, and how beautiful she thinks it is.

Damn, Wunder, get back to how your sexy dream man is dominating you. I don’t have patience for this arousal-killing nature shit.

Also, A. R. Von got so distracted with setting the stage for future plot lines that she totally forgot to dazzle the reader with the current plot. There was an awful lot of talk about how Pete’s town attracts zombies a lot more than normal towns do, and about the life test they have to take every month to make sure the people aren’t dead, although I feel like the rotting flesh would give it away. (Also how does a person keep their zombie side secret when being blood tested monthly for proof of life? Asking for a friend).

But the current plot of restless RIP agents going to save a town from a hoard of zombies while having kinky dreams is sadly neglected. The exchange between Wunder and her friend feels more like a free write than a final draft and the epic battle is slow-paced and anti-climactic.

Then at the end, Pete asks his uncle about Wunder, and Pete is able to tell him all about Wunder’s famous reputation of being an all-around badass, which brings up the question: how does Pete, who lives with his uncle and works with his uncle in the RIP not know even a little bit about Wunder’s existence when his uncle is able to recognize her on sight and gush about how awesome she is?

But I do like Pete and Wunder. Wunder is a bad-ass and Pete is sexy as hell. The chemistry between them is great. While there’s only a promise of a love connection in this book, I do believe they have a very juicy love story ahead of them.

Unfortunately the story needs massive editing and the dialogue and action often feels forced. I’m tempted to read the next book in the series, just to see how the love story plays out, but I doubt I will because I have a feeling the other stories are as unedited as this one was. But if you still want to check it out, you can get it for free on Smashwords.
  
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10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed this book even more than the last in the Paladin series. Everything was fleshed out more and there weren't as many spots that needed some editing.

I loved Blake, he was wonderful, and I liked Brenna too, after she got over her having to argue over every little thing in the beginning of the book. I get that people grieve differently and it took her a time for the death of her father to hit her, but I do not like romances where the heroine argues against everything the hero asks (or sometimes demands) she do, especially when it's for her own good - you know like living. I actually felt their love for each other in the book, where Dark Protector was lacking, and I liked how there was more background on the Paladins, so the book was wholly enjoyable.

The end was nicely done without being too sappy, and I ended up reading the excerpt at the back for the next book, which I cannot wait to read! I hadn't looked up the books at all and didn't know Barak was getting his own book (and then Cullen, yay!). It's going to be hard for me to wait, but I don't have the money to get either of those books (poor me :P) right now. I guess I'll just have to impatiently wait with other paranormal romances.
4.5 stars
  
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Frank Carter recommended Nevermind by Nirvana in Music (curated)

 
Nevermind by Nirvana
Nevermind by Nirvana
1991 | Alternative, Rock

"I first heard Nirvana probably when I was 11 or 12. There was an older kid in my neighbourhood who used to listen to them on a boom box on the back of his BMX, but I didn't know what it was. I remember it sounding like a car crash, like nothing I'd ever heard before, so violent and aggressive. Also this kid was pretty cool, he had a chopper bike and a jean jacket, he might even have had one tattoo. I just remember thinking 'he's a badass', while I was on my neon bike and wearing shorts. I didn't stand a chance. I never spoke to him, I just asked his little brother what it was, and then later I was in a record store with my mum and we saw Nirvana Unplugged…, and I said 'I love this band!'. I think she was so shocked that I had said I loved anything at all that she bought the album on cassette and it was what we listened to on the school run. It was then I first started truly caring about delivery, I'm less bothered about the actual songs. I'm interested in art, I consider myself an artist more than a musician because I can't actually play an instrument. I nearly chose Bleach because that's catharsis on tape, but everything about Nevermind is iconic, it's got everything you could want from Nirvana."

Source
  
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
2012 | Drama
I will defend these pretentiously indie YA movies to my last breath; they're my bread and butter, cringe and all - and this one was forever used as the template for quite nearly every single one of these things from then on. The only reason most of this feels so basic, superficial, and emulative in comparison now is because of how many carbon copies of itself this spawned ("13 Reasons Why" is literally just this in *spades*, right down to the eerily similar lead performance). Of course I laugh heartily at lines like "Let's go be psychos together" and "I feel infinite" (wtf who talks like this lmfao) being delivered with a straight face and zero winking, but I'll once again defend how fake-deep this all is because have you ever fucking met a high schooler? They live in the most overexaggerated, toxic, self-absorbed, pointless milieus ever - so naturally this deliciously campy melodrama perfectly represents/exemplifies that. Sweetly and bitingly captures the essence of that time in our lives when we really thought high school mattered, and our worlds were so so small - but also has a nostalgic youthful energy headlong into the poignant transition towards adulthood. Very bittersweet, those last ten minutes are deliriously weird, bro. As somebody who loathed high school, I love this sillyass, weepy movie - it means every ounce of its cheese. Totally understand why people hate this.
  
I Sleep Around
I Sleep Around
Sue Ann Jaffarian | 2024 | Biography
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Honest Look at Van Life
In this memoir, authors Sue Ann Jaffarian talks about her decision to buy a camper van when she retired and hit the road full time. She discusses what lead to her decision and the steps she took to get ready for her new adventure before detailing what life was like that first year on the road. She talks about the joys (visiting beautiful places, making new friends) and the pitfalls (dangerously bad weather, problems with her van). She also talks about how her new life changed in 2020 as we were all trying to shelter in place.

As a fan turned friend, I have followed her journey from the time she first made the decision, and I was thrilled to read this book and get a good look at how she is adapting to his new life. The book is filled with practical advice and a realistic look at what life can be like. As I said, she covers the good and the bad, and I appreciated the balanced approach. Still, overall, she loves her new life, and that comes through. If anything, I wish we’d heard more about places she’s visited along the way, although the discussions we do get make me want to hit the road and see them for myself. If you want an honest look at the life of a full-time nomad, you’ll love this book.
  
Ravished by the Rhubarb (The Rhubarb Effect #3)
Ravished by the Rhubarb (The Rhubarb Effect #3)
JP Sayle, Sue Brown | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Apollo doesn't like custard!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I love reading weird stuff, and this series by Sayle and Brown hit the nail on the head every time!

Apollo thinks his mate rejected him, and tries to not be in Glass' company. But Glass did NOT reject Apollo, he was just overcome by meeting his mate. In an effort to get Apollo to talk to Glass, the pair are set up on camera duty, and Glass brings a bag of things. Turns out, the pride and or the bunch of rhubarb (which has a name but I can't remember it!) was sneaky and someone swapped the contents for some more adult toys!

What I am really enjoying about these books is that while they are a lot, and I mean A LOT of fun, there is some drama here too. In this book, Apollo thinks he can't have his mate, because he doesn't like custard. And, you really need to read the other books to get what I mean by "custard" :-p

There is a way round that, and the pride comes good with their ideas to see both Apollo and Glass happy. And they get VERY happy!

Red and Gordon are next and we might find out just who wants Red and more importantly, WHY!

4 absolute fun stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Naomi Forrest (42 KP) rated City of Ghosts in Books

Dec 31, 2018 (Updated Dec 31, 2018)  
City of Ghosts
City of Ghosts
V.E. Schwab | 2018 | Paranormal
9
7.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not too creepy, just right (0 more)
Having to wait for the next book (0 more)
I haven't read any Victoria Schwab before though I do have another of her books to read and I know that she is extremely popular, particularly for fans of the young adult genre. This book piqued my interest as a middle grade ghost story so when I found it at a gorgeous second hand book store in Alnwick, Northumberland (you trade your old books in for new ones, it is amazing!), I snapped it up.
Cass is a brilliant protagonist....she's weird, she knows she's weird and she embraces her weird. We live in a world of fashion rules and being told that being different is wrong, even now in 2018. To be the generic carbon copy makes you popular. As Cass says:
'I know you're supposed to want to be one of the popular kids....It just seems like it would be exhausting...Smile, but not too wide. Laugh, but not too loud.'
From this quote alone, you just know that Schwab understands pre-teens and teens. She has been there. Cass is a brilliant character to empower the intended audience and show them it's good to be different. The other big character in the book is Cass's best friend, Jacob, who often has amusing little retorts to Cass and adds humour throughout the book. Oh yes, and he's dead! Apart from this interesting fact and also that he saved Cass's life, the bond between the two is like any other friendship and I get the feeling we will see more of these characters. It is hinted at in the story that Jacob remaining in the world of the living may create problems so it raises a lot of questions about what is coming. I was constantly questioning throughout the book, where did Jacob come from? Did he die saving Cass? Why has he not crossed over? How can he come through the veil? The writing just flows so easily and is told through Cass's eyes. I'm not always the biggest fan of present tense writing in novel's but the use of first person really put me into Cass's world and I had to know about the veil! (I was also a big Ghost Whisperer fan).
This book also has one of my favourite things, a cute little map at the start. However, unlike the often fiction maps that enhance the story, this is Cassidy's map of Edinburgh, which is pretty awesome, especially as I know the places on it, living just an hour's train ride from the city. It shows the main places you would expect, as well as Blackwell's book shop (it is a good Blackwell's too, bigger than Newcastle!). I just love maps in books, I spend ages pouring over them and it really adds to the pictures in your mind.
Of course, being a ghost story, this novel is quite edgy for middle grade but absolutely age appropriate and Schwab is so skillful at pushing the tension right up before diffusing it at just the right point. I get scared even by some young adult ghost stories (no lie) and this one was borderline comfortable for me. The description perfectly set the scene and I truly felt like I was in a foggy graveyard in the dark, or underground in Mary King's Close. I love how Schwab drew on Scottish history and Scotland's love of ghost stories and seamlessly weaves them with the fiction of this ghost hunting American family. I think a lot of children who I come across and potentially across the country may have been to Edinburgh so it makes the story a little bit more accessible while the fantasy creates a boundary from it being too scary. Cass is also a big fan of Harry Potter and the frequent references throughout will really resonate with contemporary children who also love the series.
I loved this book and can't wait for what follows on. It is definitely an exciting addition to a class bookshelf for the ghost story lover but would be a gripping book to share with your class just for pleasure. Brimming with tension, spine tingling atmosphere and completely relevant to the modern day pre-teen, I recommend whole heartedly.