Tag: NetGalley

The Year of the Geek – James Clarke

When I a teenager I’d buy a new page a day calendar each year. You know the squarish desk ones that have an inspirational quote each day? This book reminds me of those, except this is Fun Facts: Geek Edition. And it’s in book form so it doesn’t matter which day you start.

This is the book you’re looking for if the geek in your life is a sci fi and fantasy all rounder. It covers movies, TV shows, comics, games (computer and board) and books.

Because there are so many entries (365 because apparently nothing notable has ever happened in sci fi or fantasy on 29 February), I’m going to share one fun fact per month.

🕹️ On 25 January 1947, a patent that described one of the earliest computer games was registered.

🍿 On 28 February 1985, Terminator’s John Connor was born.

🧝‍♀️ The first Comic-Con happened on 21 March, 1970.

🍩 The Simpsons first aired on 19 April 1987.

🧛‍♂️ The Buffy the Vampire Slayer finale aired on 20 May 2003.

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🦈 Jaws was released in American cinemas on 20 June 1975.

🍿 Indiana Jones was born on 1 July 1899.

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👻 Ray Parker’s Ghostbusters theme song made it to #1 in America on 11 August 1984.

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📺 The Jetsons was first broadcast on 23 September 1962.

👽 Fox Mulder joined the FBI on 24 October 1984.

🎩 Alice in Wonderland was first published on 26 November 1865.

🎂 Stan Lee was born on 28 December 1922.

While I would have preferred it if less births and deaths were mentioned, overall this was a fun read. I particularly liked the infographics. I don’t think I’m enough of an all rounder to want to consult this book each day but I did enjoy reading about the franchises I love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Aurum Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The Year of the Geek is a fascinating look into geek culture. Each day will tell a different story from the sci-fi universe, from famous franchises and figures such as Star Wars, The Matrix, Peter Jackson and Luc Besson, to lesser known stories, including the French cult classic City of Lost Children, the Japanese anime Akira and bestselling German novelist, Marcus Heitz. With text written by self-confessed geek James Clarke and accompanied by over 100 infographics that have been specially commissioned for this book, The Year of the Geek celebrates all things geek in a new and intriguing way.

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City of Nightmares – Rebecca Schaeffer

Welcome to Gotham Newham, a city that can literally crawl with villains, where the authorities are more likely to bribe you than help you. It’s mouldy, it’s smoggy, it smells like “urine and dust, barbecue and burnt coal.” It’s also where you’ll find the the cult that Nessa joined three years ago.

“It’s not a cult.”

Uh huh… It’s called Friends of the Restful Soul. Tell me that’s not a cult!

Ness has been a coward (her words, not mine, but she’s not wrong…) for eight years, ever since her sister turned into a giant spider and started eating people.

See, this is a world where your nightmares become Nightmares. Don’t understand the difference? Well, a Nightmare is what happens when you don’t drink the tap water laced with Helomine or remember to down some Nightmare-prevention drugs and allow yourself to dream. Dreaming results in you waking up as your worst fear.

I had such high expectations for this book that I didn’t think it was possible for it to meet them. I wanted to hold onto my hope so much that I put off reading it for weeks. I needn’t have worried. I was hooked by the second page and I read nonstop until I finished.

Ness is living her best scared life. She runs away from any person, location or situation that could maybe, possibly be dangerous. It’s a good thing she has her badass best friend, Priya, to protect her and the brick box that she calls home (previously the janitor’s closet), the only place she feels safe. Our Ness has trust issues.

I can’t get too close to anyone, you never know who’s already a Nightmare – or who will turn into one.

Badass Priya runs towards danger and is looking forward to the day when she gets paid to kill sea monsters and sky monsters. Basically, any monster will do. Just let Priya at ‘em!

“If it’s attacking me, I kill it. If it’s attacking other people, I kill it. If it’s not attacking anyone, I don’t kill it. I feel like it’s a really simple distinction.”

Then there’s Cy the sigher. He’s probably my favourite character. When you get to know him, you’ll want to be his friend too.

The Nightmares are brilliant, the mayor has an attack pterodactyl and Ness is definitely a cult member.

“Still not a cult.”

I urgently need the sequel!

Favourite no context quote:

“He was still my husband. We just couldn’t communicate anymore because I don’t speak giant cockroach!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer in this thrilling young adult fantasy about a cowardly girl who finds herself at the centre of a criminal syndicate conspiracy, in a city where crooked politicians and sinister cults reign and dreaming means waking up as your worst nightmare.

Ever since her sister became a man-eating spider and slaughtered her way through town, nineteen-year-old Ness has been terrified – terrified of some other Nightmare murdering her, and terrified of ending up like her sister. Because in Newham, the city that never sleeps, dreaming means waking up as your worst fear.

Whether that means becoming a Nightmare that’s monstrous only in appearance, to transforming into a twisted, unrecognisable creature that terrorises the city, no one is safe. Ness will do anything to avoid becoming another victim, even if that means lying low among the Friends of the Restful Soul, a questionable organisation that may or may not be a cult.

But being a member of maybe-cult has a price. In order to prove herself, Ness cons her way into what’s supposed to be a simple job for the organisation – only for it to blow up in her face. Literally. Tangled up in the aftermath of an explosive assassination, now Ness and the only other survivor – a Nightmare boy who Ness suspects is planning to eat her – must find their way back to Newham and uncover the sinister truth behind the attack, even as the horrors of her past loom ominously near.

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Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas

Story Adapter – Crystal S. Chan

Illustrations – Nokman Poon

One thing I love about Manga Classics is they introduce me to classics that I’ve never read and give me enough of the story that I feel like I’ve got a handle on the basics. They also give me a better idea of whether I want to go ahead and read the novel or not. Then there’s the fact that they’re manga, a format I love more with each one I read.

I’ve picked up the general story of The Count of Monte Cristo over the years but couldn’t even tell you how. I haven’t read the book or watched the movie.

I think in this case it would have been helpful if I did know more about the story before I read the manga. There are so many characters that there’s a character relationship guide at the end of the story. Even with this, I was a bit lost at times. While I got the gist of the story, I’m sure I missed a lot. I am interested enough to try to tackle the book at some point.

I love manga illustrations. The characters are always expressive and I’m just a tad obsessed with doe eyes. This story is illustrated beautifully. I particularly liked the detail of the clothing and the backgrounds.

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I’m definitely going to be reading more Manga Classics.

Thank you to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, a young merchant sailor named Edmond Dantès is falsely imprisoned for life, laying to waste his plans of marriage and hard-earned fortune. Following several long years in prison he has managed to escape and reinvent himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Christo. It is the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Count has been plotting his revenge on the three men who had him falsely imprisoned. With a new identity, an incredible education abroad and a vast fortune, has returned completely unrecognisable to those who had committed their crimes against him.

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Dead Weight – Terry Blas & Molly Muldoon

Illustrations – Matthew Seely

Jesse had her hopes set on attending a fashion program this summer. Her parents had other ideas. She’s just been dumped at fat camp for two whole months!

While this is Jesse’s first fat camp experience, some of her fellow campers have endured multiple admissions. It seems that Camp Bloom doesn’t have the best success rate. Maybe someone should speak to the chef…

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On campfire confession night, Jesse and Noah witness a murder. There’s nothing like murder to inspire an impromptu cardio session.

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To be fair, if someone told me I couldn’t eat chocolate for two months, I might get a bit stabby too.

Jesse, Noah, Tony and Kate take it upon themselves to solve the murder mystery.

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This was an entertaining read. I loved the characters, the representation, the sleuthing and the lack of body shaming.

Throughout the story you discover why each of the main characters are at the camp. My favourite backstory was Kate’s.

Matthew Seely’s illustrations complemented the story well, adding to the humour. The characters are expressive and I loved the colour palette.

I’d like to see Jesse, Noah, Tony and Kate solve another mystery together.

Welcome to Camp Bloom, where you can transform from a crying, fat caterpillar to a happy, skinny butterfly. If someone doesn’t kill you first.

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Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Deep in the Oregon wilderness sits Camp Bloom, a weight-loss camp where “overweight” teens can “get in shape.” Jesse would rather be anywhere else, but her parents are forcing her to go. Noah isn’t sure if he wants to be there, but it’s too late to turn back. Tony is heartbroken at the thought of giving up his phone and internet. And Kate… well, she likes the hikes, at least. As far as these four teens are concerned, it’s just another boring summer.

Until one night, when Jesse and Noah witness a beloved counsellor’s murder. The body’s gone by the next morning, but a blurry photo leads to one clue – the murderer is one of the camp’s staff members!

But which one? As Jesse, Noah, Kate, and Tony investigate, they quickly discover that everyone’s got their secrets… and one of them would kill to keep theirs hidden.

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Book Towns – Alex Johnson

It probably shouldn’t delight me so much to learn that there’s an International Organisation of Book Towns, but here we are.

A book town is simply a small town, usually rural and scenic, full of bookshops and book-related industries.

I’m in need of a round the world trip now that I’ve read about book towns in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and Wales.

For each of the book towns explored in this book, you’ll learn its history as well as some must browse bookstores and festivals, and websites so you can delve deeper. There’s plenty of information to entice you to spend your book budget in each town.

I’m always on the lookout for fun facts. Here are my favourites…

Hay-on-Wye, Wales was the first book town. Bookseller, Richard Booth, came up with the concept. He also crowned himself King of Hay in 1977 and declared his town an independent kingdom.

Book stalls in the grounds of Hay Castle

P.L. Travers was living in Bowral, Australia as a teenager when she created Mary Poppins. In 2011, 2,115 people created a very appropriate umbrella mosaic.

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Fontenoy-La-Joûte, France has a signpost in the village centre that points to other book towns around the world. It also points you to some other locations, including “Atlantis, and Edgar Rice Burrough’s fictitious ‘hollow earth’, Pellucidar.”

You need to be between ten and fifteen years old to use Biblio Tøyen, a library in Oslo. It includes a Volvo truck with a kitchen in the back and reading sofa in the bonnet.

Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon, Portugal is the world’s oldest bookshop. It opened in 1732.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

The so-called “Book Towns” of the world are dedicated havens of literature, and the ultimate dream of book lovers everywhere. Book Towns takes readers on a richly illustrated tour of the 40 semi-officially recognised literary towns around the world and outlines the history and development of each community, and offers practical travel advice.

Many Book Towns have emerged in areas of marked attraction, such as Ureña in Spain or Fjaerland in Norway, where bookshops have been set up in buildings including former ferry waiting rooms and banks. While the UK has the best-known examples at Hay, Wigtown and Sedbergh, the book has a broad international appeal, featuring locations such as Jimbochu in Japan, College Street in Calcutta, and major unofficial “book cities” such as Buenos Aires.

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Hedgewitch #2: Woodwitch – Skye McKenna

Illustrations – Tomislav Tomic

When we first met Cassie, she was just about to run away from her boarding school. It’s a good thing she did, too, because that decision led to her meeting a talking cat named Montague (now her familiar) and finding the family she never knew she had in Hedgely. There she learned that the magic she’d previously only read about is real.

Hedgewitch, the first book in the series, gave loner Cassie somewhere to belong and introduced her to new friends and witchcraft. Thirteen year old Cassie is now a fledgling witch. She lives with her aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch and Cassie’s Coven Mistress.

Central to the story is Cassie’s search for her mother, who’s been missing for seven and a half years. Aunt Miranda won’t let Cassie go to Faerie to search for her mother until she becomes a fully qualified witch so Cassie is working hard to earn the badges that will allow her to take the final test.

Cassie has the support of her new best friends, Rue and Tabitha. When some people in Hedgely begin acting oddly, Cassie and her friends take it upon themselves to investigate. The Hedge may as well be magnetised given how frequently the girls find their way there when the wards are weakened.

I’m really enjoying this series and am keen to read the next book. The characters are interesting. The central story of each book is resolved, while the overall arc is advanced. I need to go on vacation to Hedgely so I can visit all of its amazing locations.

I need to spend days in Widdershin’s bookshop, whose proprietor understands the value of first edition books. On the way, I’ll be visiting Marchpane’s, the bakery and sweet shop, and Bramble’s, the tea room. I hope Aunt Miranda doesn’t mind company because I’m moving in to Hartwood Hall.

Favourite quote:

‘But books can change you, change the way you see the world, and then there’s no going back.’

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Welbeck Flame, an imprint of Welbeck Children’s Limited, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Step into the magical world of Hedgewitch, where the land of Faerie lies just beyond our own…

Cassie has settled into her new life in the village of Hedgely, but as the nights grow longer, a dark shadow creeps out of the vast, magical forest of the Hedge.

When villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the desire to find a mysterious object, Cassie, Rue and Tabitha decide to investigate and discover that whoever is controlling the villagers is seeking a faery relic: a dangerous enchanted weapon, hidden somewhere in the village.

Their witchcraft training is put to the test as they venture deeper into the Hedge, encounter the ancient ‘Watchers’ of the wood and race to find the faery treasure before it falls into the hands of the Erl King.

Witches aren’t born, they’re made…

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Sacred Lamb – Tim Seeley

Illustrations – Jelena Đorđević

We meet Kellyn West in a graveyard. She’s a social media influencer doing a livestream when Clay Coogan decides it’s time for her viewers see what her insides look like.

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Maybe if Clay wasn’t so verbose, he would have finished the job before Detective Olivia Hubbard arrived.

“I … I’m the dreaded creature, gliding beneath the water, hidden behind tints of azure.”

Um…

“They’ll put a box in a box in that box, and none of it will matter.”

Oh, just die already, Clay!

End flashback.

Clay has been classified as a Sequel Killer because, you know, they never stay dead! Kellyn has been awarded a designation of E.V. (Endemic Victim) and a place in the Endemic Victim Protection Program. She’s on her way to Sacred Lamb, not that that sounds ominous or anything.

There she meets such famous E.V.‘s as Bambi Mondale and the Babysitter. They’re not all thrilled to be getting a new neighbour.

“You’re weak. You’ll break. You may be safer here. But we aren’t safe from you.”

To be fair, the bloodshed does begin fairly soon after Kellyn’s arrival.

In theory, having a bunch of E.V.‘s living in the same town is supposed to keep everyone safe. In reality, if you’re planning on going on a final girl rampage, Sacred Lamb is the ideal destination. I’m only surprised it took forty years for the carnage to arrive at Sacred Lamb.

“… There’s nothing to see here.”

I love slashers and was hoping for The Final Girl Support Group vibes. I really liked the concept and the story had a strong start.

I expected to get even more into the story once the blood started to spill but instead it lost me. Thanks to group therapy, we learn the backstories of some of the other final girls but I didn’t connect with anyone in particular.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and TKO Studios for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A meta-horror story about survival, obsession, men, women, and chainsaws.

Sacred Lamb is a secret town where the survivors of endemic slasher killers (think real-world Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger) reside in a ‘witness protection’ to stop innocent people from being murdered when the inevitable ‘sequel’ occurs and the slasher returns from the dead.

Social media influencer Kellyn West, who just recently dispatched “her” own slasher killer Clay Coogan on a live stream, is the newest resident. Feeling more locked away than protected behind the barbed wire fenced-in town, where the government has hidden away these E.V.s (“Endemic Victims”) since the slasher spree started in the 1970s, Kellyn has to team with an old woman, and the original Survivor Girl, known only as “The Babysitter” to rally the EVes and survive as an army of slashers start showing up, seemingly back from the dead, and back for blood.

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Such a Pretty Smile – Kristi DeMeester

Lila’s mother, a famous artist, keeps her past a secret from her daughter.

Tell me. Tell me about before.

Thirteen year old Lila wants more freedom but her mother refuses to give it to her.

Caroline is haunted by her past. She’s convinced that The Cur is back and wants to protect her daughter from experiencing what she has.

“There are things that I’ve seen … Things I can’t ever forget.”

Told by Lila in 2019 and Caroline in 2004, this is a story of fear, nightmares and accidental art. It’s the past intruding on the present, it’s patronising men, it’s equating being good with being safe, it’s about what happens when we refuse to be silenced.

I was interested in the relationship between this mother and daughter. I wanted to find out what had happened in Caroline’s past. Some of Caroline’s art fascinated me.

As I read about Caroline’s sculptures, I could see them. There was some repulsion attached to them due to some of their components but I could imagine myself finding treasures from nature, random leaves and branches (not some of the other objects Caroline uses), and attempting to create art from them.

I expect this will be a polarising read. I finished reading this book over a month ago and still don’t really know how I feel about it. Where this book lost me was the ending. After having me hooked until that point, I just didn’t buy the explanation. Maybe I missed something and a reread will fill in some blanks for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

There’s something out there that’s killing. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of girls, on the verge of becoming women, who are known as trouble-makers; those who refuse to conform, to know their place. Girls who don’t know when to shut up.

2019: Thirteen year old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. Not the school psychologist she’s seeing. Not her father, who has a new wife, and a new baby. And not her mother – the infamous Caroline Sawyer, a unique artist whose eerie sculptures, made from bent twigs and crimped leaves, have made her a local celebrity. But soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorised by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice – until she is punished for using it.

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears dogs everywhere. Snarling, barking, teeth snapping that no one else seems to notice. At first, she blames the phantom sounds on her insomnia and her acute stress in caring for her ailing father. But then the delusions begin to take shape – both in her waking hours, and in the violent, visceral sculptures she creates while in a trance-like state. Her fiancé is convinced she needs help. Her new psychiatrist waives her “problem” away with pills. But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that the men around her can’t understand.

As past demons become a present threat, both Caroline and Lila must chase the source of this unrelenting, oppressive power to its malignant core. Brilliantly paced, unsettling to the bone, and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile is a powerful allegory for what it can mean to be a woman, and an untamed rallying cry for anyone ever told to sit down, shut up, and smile pretty.

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Joy – Corrinne Averiss

Illustrations – Isabelle Follath

Fern adores her Nanna, especially her smile, but Nanna doesn’t smile much anymore.

“It’s like the joy has gone out of her life.”

“What’s joy?” asked Fern.

“Joy is what makes your heart happy and your eyes twinkle.”

Fern takes it upon herself to find some joy and borrow it for Nanna. All afternoon, Fern feels the “whooosh! of joy” but no matter how hard she tries, her catching bag remains empty.

Dejected, Fern returns to her Nanna and tells her about her mission and all of the joy she found.

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I really liked the relationship between Fern and her Nanna. I loved that Fern was so determined to find some joy for her Nanna but at the same time it saddened me that she was so aware of Nanna’s depression and that she felt responsible for making her feel better.

Fern’s ideas for trying to essentially bottle joy were adorable. I loved the solution: time and connection with a loved one.

Isabelle Follath’s illustrations complemented the story. The characters are expressive and colour is used well to highlight different emotions. I particularly liked the colours and shapes used to depict joy when Fern is attempting to collect it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and words & pictures, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, for the opportunity to read this picture book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Fern’s Nanna has not been herself of late. And when Mum remarks that all the joy seems to have gone out of her life, Fern decides to fetch the joy back. With her catching-kit at the ready, she goes to the park and finds joy in all sorts of unusual places. Whooooshh! But Fern soon realises that joy doesn’t fit in a bag, or a box or a tin! How will she manage to bring some back to Nanna?

Emotional, funny and uplifting, this beautiful picture book has a strong message about empathy and maintaining loving relationships with our grandparents. Guaranteed to bring a bit of joy into every reader’s life, this story is a pure delight.

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How to Sell a Haunted House – Grady Hendrix

When her parents die suddenly, Louise returns to her childhood home in Charleston. She and her brother, Mark, haven’t spoken in three years. Together they’re going to be confronted by the past, along with a house overflowing with their mother’s ‘art’.

“I don’t think we’re weirder than any other family,” she said.

“Trust me,” Constance said. “You guys definitely are.”

With family secrets, the power of belief, creepy dolls and a puppet with abandonment issues, this case would be right up Sam and Dean Winchester’s alley.

I’ve seen every Child’s Play movie and enjoyed watching Ed and Lorraine Warren deal with the carnage Annabelle left in her wake. I was just a tad obsessed with The Final Girl Support Group. With all of that in mind, I was ready to fall in love with this book and was looking forward to being creeped out by it, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

Despite wanting to believe, I never did, and that took a lot of the fun out of Pupkin’s antics for me. Instead, I found him and his sing songy delight at causing chaos irritating. I liked Mark some of the time but never warmed to Louise. Aunt Honey, who managed to snag most of the good lines early on, didn’t have as much page time as I’d hoped.

I loved the funeral scene. I’m still craving some Pizza Chinese. If I didn’t find Pupkin so annoying I probably would have been able to suspend my disbelief and get caught up in the mayhem, but I couldn’t escape him.

Because my love of The Final Girl Support Group is so big, I’m going to call my experience with this book an aberration and look forward to falling in love with my next Grady Hendrix read.

Favourite no context quote:

“You’re like some kind of emotionally abusive octopus entangling everyone in your word tentacles.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Mostly, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. But she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

Some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

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