ShakespeareZombie

ShakespeareZombie

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Haunted by Danielle Vega

I've never read any of Danielle Vega's books, but I've heard she writes some pretty scary stuff. I decided to give her newest book a shot to see if it scared me. Unfortunately (Or should I say fortunately?), the book was not very scary for me.

Hendricks and her family- mom, dad, and baby brother- just moved to their very small town. Her parents flip old houses for a living, sell them, then move on to the next. Something about Steele House makes them decide to stay. For Hendricks, it's a chance to start over.

We find out through the book that they moved to get Hendricks away from her ex-boyfriend. They had to get a restraining order, they changed phone numbers, and finally decided to move away. So when the weird stuff starts happening in the new house, Hendricks is more focused on the past that's still haunting her...when she should be focused on the ghosts haunting her now.

Through her new friends, Hendricks finds out that a young girl was found murdered in the cellar of Steele House. That girl was the sister of Hendricks' neighbor, Eddie. His brother was the one who killed her. So...that's awful. Now, there are invisible cats jumping through walls, ghosts destroying wine bottles, stabbing doors, and throwing babies around. A desperate Hendricks seeks help not from her cool new friends or the sweet boy who wants to date her, but from the loner-next-door, as you do.

The two crazy kids end up visiting a New Age store in a nearby town to seek help to perform a séance. They perform the rituals and fight back as the ghosts continue to terrorize them, but emerge victorious...or do they? There are still more secrets to be revealed, plus a very abrupt and strange ending. The Haunting didn't end up "haunting" me very much at all. I liked the characters and Hendricks' trauma stemming from her ex-boyfriend was affective. The parallels between the physical haunting and emotional haunting were interesting, and I sort of thought it would be more psychological than actual ghosts. Alas, the actual haunting was not as satisfying.



Friday, September 27, 2019

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan


It's the summer before senior year, and Elouise/Lou is determined to make it the best, most epic summer yet. This plan centers on winning over long-time crush Nick. They work together at Magic Castle Playland, a small local amusement park. Nick is one of the diving pirates, but Lou has spent her two years serving as a hot dog outside the food stands. Unfortunately, Nick has a girlfriend, the pretty, nice, literally-plays-Cinderella Jessa. How is a hot dog supposed to compete with that?

Other than her tragic lack of love life, Lou has to face the unfortunate truth that Magic Castle Playland will be closing. The owner has announced it will be the last year. The park she loves, where she grew up, will be torn down and turned into a factory. This is unacceptable, of course, so Lou brings her coworkers together to come up with some fundraising ideas to save the park.

Unfortunately, plans on the love life front don't work out so well. Because she can't get close to Nick, Lou plots to find love for her best friend Seeley. She schemes to get her to go out with fellow ride operator Angie. Unfortunately, things don't work out on that front. Then Eloise comes up with the "bright" idea of pretending to date Seeley. Then she can get close to Nick without making Jessa think she's a threat, she can feel out their relationship, she and Seeley can fake break up, and Nick and Lou can get together.


Thankfully, it's not a case of pretending to be gay to impress the boy. Seeley is a lesbian, Lou is bisexual. This plan is still problematic for a LOT of reasons. Most important and biggest of these reasons being that Seeley is obviously in love with Lou. She just can't see it until it's too late.


The majority of Hot Dog Girl is cute and fun. Lou could be a little annoying, especially when she was too obsessive over Nick and making every little thing between them have to mean something, and when she was being rude to Jessa for no reason. I'm really not sure I actually liked her, to be honest. I will say that I was surprised to have a bisexual main character. I thought it would be the story of Elouise trying to get the boy while her lesbian friend also tried to find love in the background. The story ended up going in a different direction, and I really liked the change from what I expected.



What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

“I believe in love at first sight. Fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you’re thinking. I don’t mean it in the our souls were split and you’re my other half forever and ever sort of way. I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.”
Arthur is staying in New York for the summer while interning at his mom's law office. While out getting coffee one day, he runs into the boy of his dreams at the post office. This boy is going to send a package back to his ex-boyfriend, but the postage is more expensive than anticipated. Before they can exchange names, the dream boy is gone. Some might give up at this point, but Arthur knows that the universe brought them together, and the universe will bring them together again.


Meanwhile, dream boy, AKA Ben, is not having the best summer. He has to attend summer school with his ex. Ben's best friend Dylan, who is girl crazy, has a new girl he is seeing. So Ben is feeling both stupid and lonely.


To help Fate along, Arthur decides to post a Missed Connections notice at a coffee shop. Dylan's girlfriend finds the notice and gives it to Ben. Arthur and Ben find each other and everything is perfect! Well, maybe not perfect. They come from very different backgrounds- Ben's family is poor and Arthur's is rich, Arthur will be headed to Yale next year, Ben is in summer school and has no idea what he'll do after graduation, if he graduates. They also have to deal with slightly clashing personalities and end up having to redo their first date a couple times to get it just right.


The worst of it is when the constantly late Ben plans the date of Arthur's dreams but accidentally ruins it with his flakiness. That one hurt. The universe brought them together, but their relationship has a lot of obstacles, biggest of which is what will happen when Arthur leaves the city after the summer.


I really love Becky Albertalli's books, and while I haven't read any Adam Silvera, I definitely have his stuff on my To Read list. So, I was psyched for What If It's Us, and I really enjoyed the story. The characters are a lot of fun, not just Ben and Arthur. It's a really sweet love story, and I'm glad I read it.

Monday, June 24, 2019

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

"
Emoni has always had a passion for cooking. Ever since she was young, she had an instinct for adding extra flair to her recipes, almost never making the same dish the same way twice. Some even claimed that her cooking is magic, even brings back forgotten memories. Emoni isn't sure about that, she just likes to cook.

During Emoni's senior year, her school finally introduces the perfect elective: culinary arts. This class will focus on Spanish cuisine, and there will be a special trip to Spain. It's an exciting opportunity, but also challenging for Emoni, who will have to work very hard to make sure she graduates while also juggling a part-time job at a burger restaurant and the full-time job of raising her two-year-old daughter. An extra class, and an expensive foreign trip, seem out of the question. Yet, Emoni still signs up for the course.

Culinary Arts is amazing, seeing all the kitchens and utensils finally put to good use. Unfortunately, starting with the basics gets Emoni feeling a little antsy. When the teacher criticizes her for adding a little extra flair to a dish instead of sticking to the recipe, Emoni starts to skip the class. It seriously worried me because I cared about her and worried about her academic future, and it also worried her new friend Malachi. Emoni doesn't have much time or interest in boys, but new student Malachi shows a lot of interest in her. Despite her initial protests, Emoni eventually warms up to him.

With the Fire on High was a really great book. It was really hard not to care about the characters, especially Emoni. I rooted hard for that girl. I would love to try her cooking!

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

I very much enjoyed Poston's Geekerella, so I was excited to get back into that world with The Princess and the Fangirl. It's set in the same universe, but focuses on different characters at the same convention in a time far, far away...or maybe like a year or so.

At the latest ExcelsiCon, the new Starfield movie was a smashing success. Now, they are gearing up for a sequel. The only person not excited is leading lady Jessica Stone. Her Amara was killed off in the first film, and Jessica hopes she stays that way. Jessica had been a "serious" actress, and she wants to get back to indie films that earn Oscars, not sci-fi popcorn flicks. She also has a tendency to read every tweet and negative post about her, and the fandom is not kind.


Meanwhile, Imogen Lovelace practically grew up at ExcelsiCon. Her top priority is the #saveamara campaign she started. She even rented a booth with her online friend Harper so she can hand out buttons and get more signatures on her petition. The trouble starts when Imogen is mistaken for Jessica and pulled onstage during a Q&A. Nobody can tell that she isn't the actual actress, although her positivity towards Starfield makes some people suspicious given how much everyone knows Jessica Stone hates Starfield.

That should be the end of Jess and Imogen's encounter, but Jessica needs a stand in. The director of Starfield gave her some important documents, and Jessica threw them in the garbage. It turned out to be a copy of the script to the Starfield sequel. Now, someone is leaking the script on twitter, and it's only a matter of time until someone finds out it was her script. Imogen will take over as Jessica, doing meet and greets for the fans, while Jessica mans her booth with Harper and investigates the leaker.


The girls learn valuable lessons from switching lives; Imogen finally feels seen, but learns some of the downsides to celebrity, and understands why Jessica doesn't want to be Amara. Jess appreciates the anonymity of being Imogen, and starts to understand what the Starfield movies, and Amara, mean to a lot of fans. Of course, they both also fall in love. Imogen clashes with Jessica's prickly assistant Ethan, but anyone can tell it's one of those love to hate you/hate to love you things. Jess, for her part, falls for Harper. There's even a big declaration of love scene that is adorable.


All in all, The Princess and the Fangirl wasn't quite as good as Geekerella but it was fun and it helped me out of my reading slump. I liked that we got to see more of Elle and Darien. I also liked that Jessica fell in love with a girl, and it wasn't a Big Deal. It's a pretty good time, and I hope to see more Once Upon a Con books in the future.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying Sally Thorne's The Hating Game. It had that sexy back and forth, love-hate thing going. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot of fun, plus nicely steamy and romantic. So it comes as little surprise that I would be excited for Thorne's newest book, 99 Percent Mine. The sad reality is that I'm not that into this book.


Our heroine is Darcy Bennett, bartender and former award-winning photographer. Darcy is one of those rebellious young ladies who acts first and thinks second, someone who tends to leave the country when things are going badly. She is madly in love with Tom Valeska, her twin brother Jamie's best friend. Darcy and Tom never seemed to get their timing right- he told her he loved her, she flew to Europe for the first time. Now, he is engaged to a perfect woman named Megan, and Darcy is alone with her candy and her casual flings.


The twins are about to renovate their grandmother's old house so they can put it up for sale. Tom is just starting his own construction business, and they hire him to take on the job. Darcy plans to pitch in, despite her heart condition. When Tom finally admits that he is no longer engaged, she comes on a bit too strong, to put it delicately.


When it seems like they will never be anything more than friends, it suddenly changes. He's really jealous and overprotective when she's around his crew. They go out for drinks, one thing leads to another, and it seems like Darcy finally has Tom 100 percent. That's the perfect time for Jamie to show up.

99 Percent Mine isn't bad, but it's not as good as I wanted it to be. I don't really like any of the characters, except maybe Patty the dog. But I also don't hate them. A lot of the romance seems a little unearned, or maybe I just don't get how it moves from point A to point B, which probably explains a lot about my actual love life. Overall, it's well-written and sort of sweet. I'm always a sucker for a happy ending.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich

"We start with stars in our eyes/We start believing that we belong/But every sun doesn't rise/And no one tells you where you went wrong..."

Fresh off my obsession with the musical Hamilton, I decided to check out the show Dear Evan Hansen. As I am a poor woman who doesn't live anywhere near Broadway, I did this by listening to the soundtrack. It's sad and amazing and so emotional. When I received the Dear Evan Hansen novelization from Pajiba Krampus Exchange, I was excited for more insight into a show that I've only heard in song form (And once I decided I wanted to know what the song "Words Fail" looked like on stage and looked it up on YouTube and it was a mistake, I cried, it was traumatizing).

Dear Evan Hansen is a story based upon a lie. Evan is a normal kid, a little overlooked and a lot anxious. His mom is a nurse and enrolled in night classes, so she doesn't have a lot of time to spend with him, but she tries. She tries a little too hard sometimes, but Evan can be hard on her. Evan's dad lives far away and is busy with his new wife and a new son on the way. Evan is starting his junior year of high school with zero expectations and a newly broken arm from his internship at the local park- he climbed a tree and fell out of the tree.

Evan's therapist gives him an assignment to write letters to himself as a way to get to know his mindset. They always start "Dear Evan Hansen." One day, Evan is printing out a letter at school to take to his appointment when Connor Murphy takes it from him. Connor is an angry young man, and a bit of a burnout. In the letter, Evan mentioned Connor's sister Zoe, Evan's crush, and thought Evan was trying to make fun of him. Connor runs off with the letter, and Evan panics. He doesn't know what Connor plans to do with the letter, but he knows it won't be good.

All that worry was for nothing, because the next day is normal. Connor isn't even at school, and neither is Zoe. They don't show up for several days, and then Evan gets called into the principal's office. Connor and Zoe's parents want to tell him in person that Connor killed himself. They found Evan's letter on him, a letter addressed "Dear Evan Hansen" that concludes with "Your best friend." Evan tries to tell them that Connor wasn't his friend, that he was the one who wrote the letter. They don't listen, especially when they see Connor's name on his cast.

Evan still wants to clear the whole thing up, but he eventually sees that by continuing he can give the Murphys some comfort. He asks his (family) friend Jared to help write some emails that establish Evan and Connor's secret friendship. He makes up a story where they were at an old apple orchard when Evan broke his arm, that Connor was the one who found him after he fell. Soon, overachiever Alana urges Evan to start the Connor Project, a website in Connor's memory. They plan a fundraiser to reopen the orchard as a memorial.

Evan's life ends up improving quite a bit because of the lie. He starts dating Zoe. He doesn't need his anxiety meds any more. The Murphys even offer to pay for his college tuition, though Evan's mom refuses. In fact, she is surprised to hear about Evan and Connor's friendship. Evan has been lying to so many people for so long that it just can't last, and won't end well, no matter how good his intentions were.


I really enjoyed the novelization of Dear Evan Hansen, though I thought it might be unnecessary. I've heard the songs, so I thought I knew basically the whole story, but there was more the songs don't tell you- more story, plus some insights from Connor's ghost. I very much hope to actually see the entire show live someday. This book was almost as good as seeing the show, and made me cry almost as much too.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way, Gabriel Ba, Dave Stewart, Nate Piekos, and Tony Ong


I became interested in reading this series after watching the trailer for the upcoming Netflix series. It looks very fun and Wes Anderson-esquely quirky. So, I figured it was a good excuse to read the graphic novels first.

In a mysterious worldwide event, forty-seven women, most of whom had not shown signs of pregnancy, gave birth. Of these children, millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves, AKA the Monocle, managed to track down and adopt seven. His reason for collecting the children? "To save the world." The children are gifted with powers that they use to fight villains and save the day, though it seems that their upbringing leaves something to be desired. Twenty years after saving the world from a murderous Eiffel Tower controlled by zombie robot Gustave Eiffel, the Umbrella Academy returns home for their father's funeral.

The Academy consists of:
Number 1, Spaceboy, AKA Luther, is basically the leader and has powers of strength. He spends most of his time in outer space with his robots. The Monocle forced him to have his head attached to the body of a gorilla after an accident (I'm not sure when that happened- it wasn't in the books, I read it online). He has a thing for Allison, but thinks she wouldn't love him because of the gorilla body.

Number 2, the Kraken, AKA Diego, tends to fight with Number 1 and is sort of abrasive in general. He spends his time underwater and can hold his breath a long time. He does have a thing for Vanya.

Number 3, the Rumor, AKA Allison has powers of manipulation. We learn that she was married and has a daughter.

Number 4, the Séance, AKA Klaus can communicate with the dead, possess people, levitate, and move objects with his mind. He is very goth and kind of dramatic.

Number 5, AKA the Boy, disappeared after the Eiffel Tower incident. He emerges at the funeral looking the same age he was back then, claiming to have travelled through time and seen the end of the world. He took a very long time to figure out how to make his way to the past to warn them, and though he aged normally in the future, when he returned to the past he was ten years old again. He is very fast and very violent.

Number 6, the Horror, AKA Ben, passed away at some point...or did he?

Number 7, AKA Vanya, is the only child without powers. Because of this, she was treated differently from her siblings, not special. As an adult, she wrote a memoir about growing up like this, My Life as 00.007. She is a talented violinist and is asked to play with a Orchestra Verdammtem. At first she turns them down, but after a disastrous meeting with her siblings, she changes her mind. Vanya is turned into the White Violin, who can kill with a single note, and will be used to bring about the end of the world.

I liked The Umbrella Academy, but I can't help feeling as though I'm missing parts of the story. It feels a little like this was an established series that expects you to have some prior knowledge coming in, but it's actually a new thing. There's still a third volume coming out later this year that might improve things, and I'm definitely going to check out the show next month.