BOOK REVIEW: Demon Road by Derek Landy

Demon Road is a 2015 novel written by Derek Landy and is the first book of the Demon Road series. It was published on 28^th August, 2015 by Harper Collins Children’s Books. The ISBN for lookup is 0008156921.

I received this book from Netgalley after I requested it.

Please be aware that there will be spoilers in this review and it is better for you to read the book BEFORE looking at my review though I will do my best to not talk about the plot in detail.

SUMMARY

Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they’re all here. And the demons? Well, that’s where Amber comes in...Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.

Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be… 

WHY I BOUGHT IT (PICKED)

I requested it from Netgalley because you can never have too much urban fantasy in my view. Also people seem to really like Derek Landy’s work so I thought it was worth at least giving it a chance.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I have not read anything from this author before what I got was a fairly enjoyable if somewhat strange ride and a very interesting protagonist. The last time I read a book with a similar sort of feel was the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. I am not saying they are all that similar but reading this did remind me of that excellent series which finished much too soon.

It is interesting that the author chose to go with someone who is viewed as an unattractive female lead. Think back through your YA collections and see how many times the protagonist had actually been physically unattractive. The fact that her “darker” side is viewed as beautiful is interesting it could also be an allegory for drug use or drinking to make yourself.

The road trip aspect of things is interesting but not all the extended class of characters actively work which is a shame because it means those stops on the journey kind of lag and you’re waiting to see what’s next in terms of destination.

If there is a problem with the book it is that there are too many stops on the journey for this initial book. I think instead of the extended journey along the Demon Road we could have done with one or two less complications with the quest and a little more insight into our characters. I suspect it is not the last we have seen of Glen so maybe we might know more of him in the next book but this was certainly some time to fill in a little backstory for Amber the snapshot of her parents coming to the school wasn’t really enough for me it is hard to envision exactly how her parents very unique approach would have felt over the years as she grew up.

I think the plot itself is pretty interesting definitely doesn’t suffer from any aspect of it that makes me think “oh I’ve seen this all before just executed in a slightly different way”. Having a protagonist with limited skills is also interesting yeah she can go horny on command by the end of it but as they have made it clear demon armour won’t stop bullets. When you add that to her non-existent fighting skills it gives you someone to root for.

Do I want to read the next instalment? Yes but how much? I’m not sure if this pushes its way to the top of my TBR but I am still eager to see what happens next. If urban fantasy is your thing and you like imperfect female protagonists this book is definitely worth your time so check it out. 

ANIME REVIEW: Terra Formars

Terra Formars was originally a manga serialised in Weekly Young Jump which was then adapted for anime in 2014. There were also two OAV (basically one-off or very short anime series) covering the earlier missions often referred to the show.

The anime ran from September 26, 2014 to December 19 2014 and consisted of 13 episodes

For those interested I did a little research and unfortunately could not find any evidence that there will be another season. There is still a manga to read though.

WHY I WATCHED

Terra Formars was marketed as a Horror/Sci-Fi which sounded pretty interesting to me and other than that it pretty much came out of nowhere. It sounded like a fairly cut and dry idea, hard to go wrong, it reminded me a bit of Gantz but could just as easily be described as Attack On Titan in space.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Terra Formars is a wild, wild ride. There is a OVA which is like two episodes wrong but I’m not whether or not you should watch it first, it shows the previous missions will be referred to in the show from the beginning so make up your own mind. So first up is Terra Formars scary? Definitely not in a jump scare serial killer behind you sort of way but more of a no one is safe so don’t get attached to that character you find endearing.

One thing of note is that when Terra Formars was first broadcast is was heavily censored (what else would you do with a horror show) so trust me when you I say you want none of that action it is more horrifying than any of the deaths on the show.

Zeroing in on the show’s core reveal it to be a battle anime (think Naruto, DBZ) with the fights being more violent but just as intricate with just as many “let me just pull this special move out of my ass” moments which will make you smile.

The explanations for the Science behind the abilities of our protagonists and the enemies is well worked though it doesn’t exactly have me wanting to queue for that surgery. The announcer is awesome I kind of want to check out the English dub to see if he is up to scratch but somehow I think I will be disappointed.

As I mentioned previously absolutely no one is safe but if you had to watch one character it has to be Michelle K Davis as one of the leaders of the crews and perhaps the most badass female anime of recent times (say last five years). She is one of the few female protagonists you see in a show where you think yeah even without her powers or abilities she still kick the crap out of most who tried to take her on.

The show isn’t all action though there are flashbacks which serve to show why people would choose to go to Mars on what could be well be a suicide mission. The flashbacks speaks of mega corporations and the divide between rich and poor growing even larger.

So if you have a strong stomach and a love of epic multi-episode battles handled a lot better than they were in Dragon Ball and if you want to see some strong women calling the shots than go pick this up on DVD or on a streaming service if you can find it.

ANIME REVIEW: Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon

Familia Myth is what I will be referring to this as from now on but having the full title is useful.

So in no particular order these are its titles.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - Eng Title

Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darō ka - Long Title

^{DanMachi - Shortended Title}

Familia Myth is the anime adaption of a light novel series from SB Creative – GA Bunko. The anime series had an initial 13 episode run and started broadcasting on April 4^th.

PLOT

The story follows the exploits of Bell Cranel, a 14-year-old solo adventurer under the goddess Hestia. As the only member of the Hestia Familia, he works hard every day in the dungeon to make ends meet while seeking to improve himself. He looks up to Aiz Wallenstein, a famous and powerful swordswoman who once saved his life, and with whom he fell in love. He is unaware that several other girls, deities and mortals alike, also develop affections towards him; most notably Hestia herself.

WHY I CHOSE IT

I was not sure about this show at first but decided to give it a try and when I checked it out on the various anime sites I saw that word most dreaded of anime fans "

WHAT I THOUGHT

I was not sure about it at first and even a look at that cover was a bit off putting somehow I could sense the harem issues but after a bit of back and forth probably 2/3 of the way into its run I took the plunge. The show is not a harem at least it is not the only thing it is. It really can be described as the typical male anime protagonist gradually proving himself and rising up through the ranks, this story has been told dozens of times but I was entertained all the same.

If I could de-construct DanMachi into its constituent parts and look at them I would probably come out having no idea how the show manages to work as well as it does. It is also interesting because this is basically an anime version of most fantasy JRPGs. The idea of experience and talent trees are presented in an interesting way.

Bell Cranel is the protagonist of the show and starts out as a level 1 adventurer (yes they have levels) who is just beginning his career. He is a nice if oblivious dude which should give you some idea of the character arc you’ll watch but still he is compelling to watch.

Hestia is a god one of the pantheon who came down to the world at some stage in the past to live with humans. She’s called the “Loli-God” down to looking like a kid, those ponytails and her other apparent assets. I couldn’t tell you why other than the obvious but she makes me uncomfortable, it is not the first time I’ve see Lolita with overly large breasts but her body combined with her personality makes it super weird.

Ais Wallenstein is the superstar of the world of Dungeon and considered to be one of the top adventurers as well as one of the most beautiful who Bell falls for in the first episode.

So to settle up if you like adventure anime and JRPGs then DanMachi is a show that is worth checking out. This initial season looks good for a renewal though I can’t confirm that. So just remember that as I said before this is so much more than a harem show.

ANIME REVIEW: Mekakucity Actors

Bear with me people this is a new feature and trying to review a whole season of an anime is very different from my episodic or single book reviews. Hope you have fun reading it.

Mekakucity Actors is a 2014 anime series that ran first from April 13, 2014 to June 29, 2014. Its producers are listed as Aniplex, Shaft and 1^st Place.

PLOT

The incidents which occurred on August 14th and 15th bring a group of young boys and girls together... They are members of a group they call themselves the "Mekakushi Dan" (Blindfold Organization) and each member possesses a strange power involving their eyes. Will the members of this peculiar organization be able to solve the mysteries behind these incidents and see the truth?

ANIMATION

The animation is smooth and incredibly well done but the animation style is fairly unique as such things go and most similar to the Bakemonogatari series which was made by the same studio. It is beautiful but very different and will take some getting used to.

WHAT I THOUGHT

This anime makes no sense.

This anime makes no sense.

This anime makes…

OH wait why didn’t they make that more clear in the beginning.

If you require require a show to have a linear plot moving from A to B and so on you need to stay well away from this show it might have an adverse effect on your health seriously at times this show can and will seriously stress you out.

Mekakucity is one of the strangest anime I have ever seen. It is not that the show doesn’t have a plot in fact the plot is rather expansive and pretty involved the issue comes around the fact that the plot doesn’t follow any simple timeline or logical progression it just tells you stuff whenever it wants and without warning. It jumps here and there and doesn’t explain itself.

Mekakucity Actors is based on a series of Vocaloid songs by the artitst Jin so perhaps that explains some of the weirdness of the show. The songs were apparently huge and spawned light novel and manga adaptions, the songs together tell a story which is something to note in terms of discussing the show itself.

There are things to recommend in this anime the art work is good but somewhat unique UNLESS you have also watched Monogatari and the related series which are all made by the same studio and do this weird thing where only the main characters have any definition and extras are often still silhouettes or disembodied voices. It is kind of creepy if I’m honest but meh.

I can recommend this if you want to take a look at a great example of non-typical anime, there isn’t a wimpy protagonist who just wants to become strong or humanoid mecha battles between warring nations. It is definitely an anime that you can’t watch passively you need to pay attention to what is going on and think about them in order to rearrange the jigsaw that is the plot of this show.

TV REVIEW: True Blood "You're No Good"

True Blood

S06E03 “You’re No Good“

I am kind of having fun with this, the series flows a lot better when you watch it with little downtime and the flow of the story fresh in your mind through writing these recaps. So grab a cool beverage and settle in so we can talk all about True Blood Season 6, Episode 3 “You’re No Good”.

Jason what is wrong with him and why oh why does no one seem to care? Elsewhere Eric decided not to eviscerate the daughter of the Governor, I can’t see how that could possibly go wrong. Reverend Newland got himself picked up by the Anti-Vamp squad.

The journalist/civil rights activists/pushy hipsters help Lafayette and Glass Jim I mean Sam back into his place after the wolves left with Emma. Lafayette gave them a warning to stay away from all things supernatural and dun dun dun it was like foreshadowing.

Billith decides that the Sun has been talking shit behind his back and he’s about to go outside to have a chat in what I have called the Brouhaha in Bon Temps I think I’m going to go with the bookmakers on this one though.

Niall heads out on the hunt for Warlow and heads down to the Fae refuge which is empty of people and yet full of blood. After Niall finishes doing some impressive fae CSI he leaves the refuge only to meet up with Ben whose last name is Flynn somehow only managed to find it a day and a half after being given the directions by Sookie. I still think he is a spy probably for Warlow but we will have to wait and see.

Jason and Sookie FINALLY have a talk after Jason spending most of last season completely nuts and he explained about his hallucinations and Sookie suggests he go to the hospital, I figure if one of the few living relatives you have left comes to you with that you might be a little more insistent but whatever.

So we head off to the Sheriff station where they have taken delivery of new anti-vampire weaponry including those UV bullets and we see it is take your daughters to work day because the kids are there and they have done another age jump, got to be good for working child actresses in Hollywood right? Anyway Andy’s ex comes in after getting scared to death by hungry vampires the night before so he takes her off for some gun training.

The wolf compound has some unexpected visitors in the form of two dick cops looking for Emma’s dad who strangely enough has disappeared from his house. They somehow manage to make it out alive after Alcide’s mate manages to scare Emma into shifting. This whole scene is a little throwaway except for a suspicious owl looking on.

Andy shows that his game is strong and manages to get back in his lady friend’s good book because as I well know chicks love guns.

Niall drops his entire millennia long back story on Ben who decides to join up in the fight against Warlow. This seemed a little weird to me I would have thought Niall would have been more secretive about what he was doing but I guess when you are royalty perhaps you see the good in people or perhaps Fae are far more trusting than humans.

Jessica and Bill make plans to avert the vampocalypse™ and Bill sends Jessica off in an inappropriate outfit to find the creator of True Blood and Bill goes off to speak to Sookie.

Meanwhile back at the Vamp Camp the Newlands are bickering and I could care less, it is not interesting in the least though that hair is more than a little impressive.

Jessica’s mission is a success because well the guy had a pulse and that outfit is all kinds of fan service. Bill’s mission ends in failure and Jason getting bounced around like a sack of potatoes we do see that he has some serious control over his telekinetic abilities, Bill also says Sookie is dead to him which was interesting to think about as we go further through the series.

The journalists/activists show up at the Wolf compound and things escalate quickly, though they were being idiots trying to secretly tape things. Side note Rikki is seriously buff, things fall apart and half the pack decides to shift and go out for some hipster snacks, Sam seizes the opportunity for a jailbreak and then loses my respect when he decides to go after the head activist putting Emma at risk of recapture.

The governor has figured out where his daughter is or at least who took her and calls Eric. Can I just ask at this point how old is she meant to be because I assumed she was like 25, finished college and was working as an intern for dad but the earlier scenes with the backstory make it seem like she is supposed to be much younger. It doesn’t take long before Eric realises the gig is up but even before that Tara steals the girl away scared that Eric might actually execute her in retaliation for the Governor’s action, personally though I wasn’t convinced.

Back at Sookie’s house, Niall and Ben arrive but then quickly set off to capture, Eric’s sister who is watching for Warlow too.

Bill gets stopped by Sheriff Andy and seemingly senses the fae scene in Andy’s car, as he gets the whole evil mastermind look going on when he is walking away. That is all that mattered in “You’re No Good” an episode that is a come down from “The Sun” but still manages to be better than the premiere. Next week I am changing up the style of the recap to be less literal and more about my feelings while watching. What did you think “You’re No Good”?

BOOK REVIEW: The Bat by Jo Nesbo

The Bat is a detective novel written by Jo Nesbo featuring the first appearance of Harry Hole. The book was translated by Don Bartlett and released on the 11 October 2012 by Harvill Secker. Despite being the 1^st novel in the Harry Hole series this book was released in English after several other books in the series.

PLOT

Norwegian police officer Harry Hole is sent to Sydney by the Royal Norwegian Police Directorate to serve as the Norwegian attaché for the Australian police's investigation into the murder of a young female Norwegian B-celebrity, Inger Holter, who was residing in Australia. 

Why I read it?

I had heard a lot of things about Jo Nesbo mostly "the new Stieg Larsson" and I really loved the Millennium Trilogy. At least here in the UK Jo Nesbo has been on posters at bus shelters and in train stations for a couple of years at least (that is how I find books often). With all that I thought it was worth checking out, in the back of my mind I knew that for some reason they started translating the books part way through the season so I guess it was lucky that I decided to start when the first book became available.

What I thought

That was a hell of a read. This pretty much sums up my thoughts after getting through the first instalment of the Harry Hole series. The book cannot be described as an easy read but it is definitely exciting. Harry Hole is a very flawed man and investigator you compare him to someone like Alex Cross whose demons are a lot more understated if ever mentioned the difference is stark. That doesn’t mean you should not try The Bat it means that you should be prepared for a darker take on the detective story.

Should you be willing to try I think you will be rewarded for the effort. The story is engaging and takes us on a tour of the darker side of Sydney and the darker side of human nature. My only issue is that the Sydney police team that Harry works with throughout this book seem to lack in the way of characterisation especially when compared with the other characters we meet.

That is only one issue though and on a whole it doesn't get in the way of the story. Harry Hole is an interesting take on the detective novel  and a gritty one at that, if you think you are up for the challenge.

TV Review: TRUE BLOOD

I can only hope that True Blood can arrest the fall from grace that took place in the complete clusterfuck  that was the last episode entitled "In The Beginning". There were so many things wrong I don't even know where to start, this whole Authority thing had some promise when it was announced but the execution was all wrong, anyone who didn't smell something fishy with Salome within 5 minutes of her appearance was either not paying attention or not breathing.

Somehow perhaps through a rare alignment of the stars Tara's storyline is one of the least sucky of the bunch, unfortunately the same can't be said of Lafayette - possibly the most dynamic characters in Bon Temps always saddled with the most horrendous of nonsensical storylines.

I have to say the karaoke did make me chuckle up until the born from blood nonsense, so maybe that is some sort of brief highlight. Yes I know I haven't talked about Sookie, Alcide or Sam, that is because they are not worth mentioning and god knows what is going on with Jason, I thought they were making him into a real character.

The start of True Blood this season was so promising but I have begun to notice that this tends to happen almost every season, two episodes or so of EPIC then everything slowly falls apart. COME ON TRUE BLOOD DON'T LET ME DOWN AGAIN.

BOOK REVIEW: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge is the first in the new book series by Kimberley Derting who is well known for her Body Finder series. The paperback was published by Allison & Busby on 15^th November 2011. I won this book from a competition as part of the Morganville Vampire ReadingChallenge.

PLOT

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really didn’t know what to expect from The Pledge, although apparently Kimberly Derting is quite well known for her Body Finder books. It was a very quick read one of the fastest reads I have ever done. The story is very different from what might be described as the usual ideas of a dystopian setting but that makes it more interesting.

The setting is seemingly America in the future where the government and ruling classes have been changed so now that all the major powers around the world are ruled by Monarchies with Queens at the head. Add in a little magic and there seems to be a lot of room for growth in this series.

I can’t really review this book without talking about ‘Languages’. In the world of The Pledge languages serve as sign of your class, they can be thought of as levels of hierarchy as people cannot understand or speak the language above their level. Furthermore it is a tool of rigid control as to even look at someone speaking a language superior to yours would mean certain harsh punishment. It is a very interesting premise and not something I have seen before and it keeps things interesting.

Charlie the protagonist seems to be able to understand all the languages she hears and her sister who should have already started speaking is seemingly mute and these are secrets that must be kept hidden.

I can definitely recommend this book as a quick read and an interesting beginning to a series. A lively and engaging setting with characters that have a real sense of authenticity I am definitely interested to see how things will work out.                                                                                                                 

BOOK REVIEW: Feast of Fools

This review is part of the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge.

 Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine is the fourth book in the Morganville Vampire series. It was published by Allison & Busby and is 352 pages long.

PLOT

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

WHAT I THOUGHT

The story of Morganville continues with this the 4th book of the series. Clare is continuing to grow and mature though still has what has become an incredibly annoying habit of saying "But..." and "You can't do that" at points where you might expect someone of her massive intellect to simply know better.

The story is moving along well and keeps you the reader interested some plots could be resolved sooner though that whole Michael/Shane thing could drive the sanest of us of mad the way they back and forth over whether or not they hate each other.

Also I expected a lot more reaction from her parents as to the whole big Vampire reveal it could have provided some comic relief or at least fleshed out their characters. We don't seem to know whether or not they have jobs or what it is they do. I am a firm believer that if a character is worth giving voice to then we should know a little about what motivates them.

I like this series and I am sticking with it give it a chance.