The Adventure Zone

The Adventure Zone by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

Normally, as this is a graphic novel/comic book, I would put it as a listing in the Comic Book Chronicles, but I have things I want to say about this one. THINGS.

An amazon summary, "Welcome to the Adventure Zone!

SEE! The illustrated exploits of three lovable dummies set loose in a classic fantasy adventure!

READ! Their journey from small-time bodyguards to world-class artifact hunters!

MARVEL! At the sheer metafictional chutzpah of a graphic novel based on a story created in a podcast where three dudes and their dad play a tabletop role playing game in real time!

Join Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric, and Magnus the human warrior for an adventure they are poorly equipped to handle AT BEST, guided ("guided") by their snarky DM, in a graphic novel that, like the smash-hit podcast it's based on, will tickle your funny bone, tug your heartstrings, and probably pants you if you give it half a chance.

With endearingly off-kilter storytelling from master goofballs Clint McElroy and the McElroy brothers, and vivid, adorable art by Carey Pietsch, The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins is the comics equivalent of role-playing in your friend's basement at 2am, eating Cheetos and laughing your ass off as she rolls critical failure after critical failure." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

A brief note on my background, I was a part of an after school club in high school that played Dungeons and Dragons. It was really fun and I loved every gaming session. I have since dabbled in the game on and off since then over the years, but never had a solid campaign.

Which brings me to my next point. If you've never played Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) or any other kind of role playing game, I highly doubt you're going to understand the jokes, mechanics, or even story of this book. It's all heavily intertwined with D&D.

Within the first few pages, the characters have spoken to their dungeon master, and are declaring different abilities or spells they're using. Which, makes sense, if you've played D&D. If you haven't played D&D, I have high concerns that the nuances of how the characters are behaving/interacting with the world are lost on you.

That being said, is the story funny? Yes.

Is it an illustrated D&D adventure? Yes.

Does it feel like how a campaign would most likely normally go? Yes.

Will people who have never had anything to do with D&D enjoy it? ehhhh, most likely not.

I'm not bothering with a summary for this book review since you can sum it up with "The beginnings of an intricate D&D game". 

ALL OF THAT BEING SAID.

If you have played D&D, would you enjoy this book? PROBABLY YES. There is a ton of stuff scattered throughout the pages for D&D players. There's a lot of fun ingenuity for tackling different situations while also having some classic missteps throughout the story.

I did enjoy the book, but again, I think it's intended for the audience of people who have at least played one game of D&D. It's fun, I'd recommend trying it once.

Happy reading!

We're Not From Here

We're Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey

This book will be published on May 5, 2019. I read an advance reader's copy, and there will undoubtedly be differences between the version I read and the published edition.

That being said, there are also themes of immigration within this story and a lot of correlating themes as well. If that bothers you, perhaps skip this book and book review.

An amazon summary, "Imagine being forced to move to a new planet where YOU are the alien! From the creator of the Tapper Twins, New York Times bestselling author Geoff Rodkey delivers a topical, sci-fi middle-grade novel that proves friendship and laughter can transcend even a galaxy of differences.

The first time I heard about Planet Choom, we'd been on Mars for almost a year. But life on the Mars station was grim, and since Earth was no longer an option (we may have blown it up), it was time to find a new home.
That's how we ended up on Choom with the Zhuri. They're very smart. They also look like giant mosquitos. But that's not why it's so hard to live here. There's a lot that the Zhuri don't like: singing (just ask my sister, Ila), comedy (one joke got me sent to the principal's office), or any kind of emotion. The biggest problem, though? The Zhuri don't like us. And if humankind is going to survive, it's up to myfamily to change their minds. No pressure." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

The humans have destroyed Earth and have colonized Mars. However, they're Mars colony isn't doing well, and they need to find another home, soon. There are three schools of thought; return to Earth, seek out a planet to terraform, or go coexist on planet Choom. This story is centered on the group that chose to coexist on planet Choom.

They travel 20 years while in deep sleep, but at the end of the 20 years, it turns out Choom was no longer interested in coexisting with the humans. A planet that once held 4 species only holds 3... what happened to the fourth species? 

In a desperate attempt to prove that humans can coexist with the other species, Lan and his family are going to do a trial run of being down on the planet. Everything must go well for the other humans to stay on the planet as well (they're currently in the spaceship orbiting Choom). Lan and his sister Ila go to school while their parents try to work different jobs on the planet.

...but the Zhuri (main species on the planet - look like giant mosquitoes) are very resistant to humans and Lan's family has no idea why. As the kids attend school, they find out that not everyone agrees explicitly with the proclaimed views of the Zhuri government... and something definitely happened to the fourth species.

That's enough summary.

So there was a lot of culture shock portrayed throughout the story, as is appropriate when trying to live on a different planet with aliens. I really liked those aspects.

I also thought the family dynamics within Lan's family were interesting, as it felt like due to the ongoing tragedies they had experienced and their desperation to make it work, they were also determined to work as a family (a notable exception to Ila a few times).

The humans also seemed to be left with mostly the ideal people; people who strive for species survival and have given up many trivial customs and habits they had while on Earth. It also may be the year 2028, or sometime after that, and we're not given a concrete reason as to why Earth is dead. Presumably, some ecosystem disaster happened rendering the planet "dead", but that wasn't spelled out.

All that being said, I really liked how the alien technology was introduced, and also the subtle and overt differences in the species. I suspect there will be a book two where some nuances may be delved into, but I would also be content if this was a stand alone book.

I think the book did a good job of delivering a message of the benefits of understanding each other and achieving a coexistence, and it also did a great job of not beating the reader over the head with that message at every moment. It gave the scary moments their just due of being well, scary, and for all the right reasons.

It was a pretty solid book.

Happy reading!

The Lantern's Ember

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck

This is one of those books that I just picked up because the cover was kind of like hauntingly beautiful, and seemed to imply a different kind of adventure was in store.

...plus it may also be a semi-retelling of sleepy hollow.

An amazon summary, "Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It's difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern--one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal--or not-so-mortal--soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O'Dare. 
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack's warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire--and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.
Colleen Houck, the New York Times bestselling author of the Tigers Curse series and Reawakened series, breathes new life into classic folklore in this wild, twisting adventure propelled by the spirit of Halloween." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Jack is a lantern who guards the crossroads between the mortal world and the Otherworld. A witch wind has blown into his crossroads, and he's on high alert to find the witch who caused it. Hes been at a couple crossroads in the past where a witch wind has blown, and it didn't yield very pleasant results... to say in the least. A lantern is usually a mortal who has had his soul removed and placed in a container of some sort. Jack's happens to be in a gourd (imagine a jack o' lantern). 

A young orphan comes into a few days later, and her name is Ember. She is the cause of the witch wind, and Jack vows to keep her safe and out of sight of his master for as long as possible. He doesn't want to see what happened to the others, happen to her. He has a vague suspicion of what happens to the witches.

Ember grows up under the watchful eyes of Jack. She can sense him and visits him at his crossroad even though she can't see him. The village boys have eyes on her, but she has no time for them (it's also roughly the 18th century by the way). There is one boy in particular who she befriends and he's an inventor. Ember knows she's a witch, but she's never been taught how to harness her power, and she's not entirely sure what she can even do. There's one thing she's certain of, she has to go to the Otherworld. ....which is precisely what Jack needs to stop her from doing.

That's enough summary because anything more may just be too much.

First and foremost, I love how many allusions and references were made to Halloween, kind of like a play on words but also perhaps an origin story. It's marvelous.

Secondly, I freaking adored Ember. She's like the perfect kind of badass for this story; a lady who fights against stereotypes, isn't afraid to speak her own mind, deviously clever, and well, packs a magical wallop. I also super adored how much Ember sought a peaceful resolution over any other alternative. So good.

Thirdly, Jack was so good. I feel like he straddled the gray area between knowing what the right thing to do in his heart is, but also his obligations to his "job" (really servitude). His soul is in the hands of "the devil" kind of, and it'll take him 1,000 years to pay back the debt. He's made it about 500 years so far, and he does worry about being away from his post....but his determination to protect Ember spurs him on. It came across as more endearing rather than obnoxious to me.

Fourthly, the best friend Finney was such a weirdly perfect balance to the rest of the group.

Fifthly, there's a vampire who is everything you would expect out of a suave vampire but who can also be kind of surprising.

...I just want to be done counting.

HOWEVER. I really liked the story so, so, soooooo much... until the end. The end wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't what I was looking for to an ending. There were a few too many things to me that were wrapped up a little too nicely for me... but everything else about the book was very solid. Even like the last few pages were adorably great. But, I'm still pretty held up about just a bit of a too neat ending. Too many things lined up too well, even though they were still filled with very fun homages to Halloween.

Happy reading!

Pay Attention Carter Jones

Pay Attention Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt

I've previously read Orbiting Jupiter also by Gary D. Schmidt, I liked it a lot, but just didn't review it here. So here's the Amazon Link in case you're interested. It's pretty good, but also kind of sad. Good sad.

Anywho. This book was published on February 5, 2019, but I read the advanced reader's copy. Undoubtedly, there will be some differences between the version I read and the published edition.

An amazon summary, "Carter Jones is astonished early one morning when he finds a real English butler, bowler hat and all, on the doorstep—one who stays to help the Jones family, which is a little bit broken.

In addition to figuring out middle school, Carter has to adjust to the unwelcome presence of this new know-it-all adult in his life and navigate the butler's notions of decorum. And ultimately, when his burden of grief and anger from the past can no longer be ignored, Carter learns that a burden becomes lighter when it is shared.Sparkling with humor, this insightful and compassionate story will resonate with readers who have confronted secrets of their own." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

On the first day of school, the Jones house is in a mild state of chaos. Carter is trying to help his mother while she puts braids in his younger sister's hair, another sister can't find her favorite yellow socks, and the other sister is trying to make cereal but the milk is spoiled. A knock sounds on the front door, and Carter answers it only to find a gentleman standing there in a suit. He basically closes the door on him, tells his mother, but the knock sounds again. So Carter's mother tells him to basically make him go away. Carter re-approaches the gentleman, explains the current chaos, but curiously, the butler tells him to go pack his backpack for school. Carter is understandably skeptical, but does as he says.

The gentleman returns with milk, new socks, and ferries the family to school in the "eggplant car" (he drives a very purple car). Come to find out, their grandfather has passed away, and this gentleman's family has been in service to his grandfather for a long time, and even thought his father is away in service in Germany, the gentleman has come to help the family. ...he's basically a butler.

Also, there's cricket involved.

That's enough summary.

I loved this book so much. The butler enters their lives and slowly makes it better. He does little things that kind of gives them routine and helps them so much...even in the midst of their grief.

I described this book to one of my friends, and they asked if it was basically Mary Poppins. I'm going to say no, not just because there's no song and dance and all that jazz, but there is cricket... BUT, also because the lessons taught throughout the book are done in such a different way.

Also, I won't ever pretend to be interested in sports, or understand them, or anything. I'm just incompatible with sports. So, when cricket came up, the book did a great job of explaining all of it, and all the teamwork that happened was great because you know sports, teamwork stuff. I think it did help the story, and definitely didn't detract from it at all.

It was a great, great story.

The whole family is really charming, and a dachshund pet who throws up whenever it's excited is also, somehow charming.

Happy reading!

Song of the Abyss

Song of the Abyss by Makiia Lucier

This book will be published on August 27, 2019. I read an advance reading copy and undoubtedly there will be differences between the version I read, and the published version.

This is book 2 in the Tower of Winds series. I reviewed the first book, Isle of Blood and Stone, HERE. I really liked the first book, and I think you would get more out of book 2 if you read book 1, but I kind of think you can read book 2 without reading book 1. Just accept the world as it is.....but really, read book 1 because it's also amazing.

An amazon summary, "They came in the night as she dreamt, in her berth, on a ship sailing home to del Mar. After, they would be all Reyna thought about: two carracks painted scorpion black. No emblem on either forecastle, no pennants flying above the mainmasts to hint at a kingdom of origin.

     Never a good sign.   
     As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer.
     But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna's escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors--her captain, her countrymen--have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.
     Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I would guesstimate this book roughly take place maybe 10 years or so (give or take a few due to my memory and math skills) after the first book. Reyna has grown up with aspirations of being an explorer for the kingdom of del Mar. She's returning from a yearlong voyage, when she's woken in the middle of the night by her bodyguard who says the ship is being commandeered. They quickly destroy all maps that would reveal del Mar's trade routes to the attackers. However, the bodyguard mentions the crew seemed to shuffle by without resisting the attackers, almost as if they were blank. The bodyguard cannot swim and escape with Reyna, so they end up shoving Reyna out of the window and into the treacherous sea below. The serpents might kill her before she reaches shore.

That's literally, just the first fifteen pages of the story. I was CAPTIVATED (pun intended, HAR). Everything from there starts an adventure of Reyna going home (and accidentally bumping into a prince of the neighboring kingdom after her escape), to trying to find out what happened to the ship she was on and the crew.

Literally, this is another one of those books where the less said, the better because there is so much intricate story telling that I don't want to lure readers off from the complete experience.

That being said, I LOVED Reyna. She's freaking awesome and everything I hope to find other female lead characters being. She has a great sense of self, determination, cleverness, and strength. It's just refreshing to read someone that also feels authentic. Good, this is good, good, stuff.

The world building was also on point, phenomenal. The first book did a wonderful job, and the second book only added more. The lore of the world simultaneously enhances the story and also gives the world a sense of being it's own character almost. It kind of reminded of the Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (which I reviewed HERE), but in that story, the island also took on it's own personality of sorts. The island became a character in a sense. I would say the world of this book almost becomes a character in a sense because of all the different wonders it holds. ...am I being vague enough? Hmmmm.... 

I also enjoyed so much of the relationships between all the characters. I do kind of wish we got to see a little more of del Mar, but only because I loved reading so much about del Mar in the first book. There were a few scenes on del Mar, and they were pretty great, but again, I mostly just wanted to see del Mar because of book 1. Book 2 did a very lovely job with it's various different parts of the world, but sometimes I just want to see ...home... I guess. Yeah I know, whatever. I'm a tough customer.

The story itself also had a lot of mystery elements to it, which was pretty excellent to see how all of it revealed in the end.

Would highly recommend. I stayed up late one night just to finish this book. It's that caliber of good.

Happy reading!