These tend to be a bit too frequent, over-amplified, and are occasionally awkwardly phrased, but not so much so that it hampers the enjoyment of the story. The bulk of McDoniel’s writing is filled with pop culture references, witty descriptions, and asides. Clearly a group in dire need of vanquishing. And we won’t even think about those Salvatore brothers.īile is pitted against a group of modern vampires who are intent on reshaping their society according to the rules of “Proper Vampirism,” complete with recruitment pamphlets, achieving optimal physiques before being turned, no cussing, and sexual prowess. Definitely not a romantic seducer like Edward Cullen or even Gary Oldman’s Dracula. Think The Master from the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Petyr from What We Do in the Shadows, or Max Schreck's Nosferatu. A thousand-year-old denizen of the night, Bile is awakened from a long hibernation to discover, among all of the other modern-day advances, that vampirism has taken a decidedly sparkly, GQ-cover-shoot turn for the not-so-horrible.īile is a proper monster, you see. In much the same vein (Pun intended!), Jim McDoniel's An Unattractive Vampire brings us the story of Master Yulric Dunnwulffe Bile.
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Sign up to the Pop Culture Collective newsletter here to keep up to date with Mike & Ria’s many releases: Megan’s Instagram is but to hear more from her (& Mike), go to, for at least 1 episode of “Afterthoughts” every week, plus there are unsplit full-length episodes of GCC and more, so if you want to support the show and get more content, please check it out! Ria’s Instagram: & - Ria’s Show/Podcast Collective: Listen to Mike, Megan, Ria & JAC discuss Volume 1 of Star Wars Visions here: They dsicuss themes, characters, comparisons to Volume 1, voice-acting, animation and all other aspects are discussed, so strap-in for a second look into the more experimental side of Star Wars content! In more detail, the trio discuss the 9 episodes in release order Sith, Screecher’s Reach, In The Stars, I Am Your Mother, Journey To The Dark Hand, The Spy Dancer, The Bandits Of Golak, The Pit and Aau’s Song. THE STAR WARS VISIONS ANTHOLOGY IS BACK! BUT HOW DOES THE SECOND VOLUME COMPARE TO THE FIRST? Megan & Ria return to discussion Star Wars Visions with Mike! The trio discuss the 9 new anthology episodes in Volume 2, which are from animation studios across the world – tune in for found easter eggs, episode reviews, thoughts on the themes & messages, animation-style discussions and so much more! Too bad no one told them murder isn't an extracurricular. And in some cases, it's deadly.Īlexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Thomas Hardy does his best to distract me, and it's the slow-building rage against all men ever that manages to keep my attention for a solid thirty-five-minute stretch. Alexa Donne is the author of Brightly Burning and The Stars We Steal, sci-fi romance retellings of classics set in space. Don’t miss the alternate ending for The Ivies Beware: spoilers ahead. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. The Ivies Alternate Ending by Alexa Donne Bonus 0 comments When it comes to sabotage, the Ivies are at the top of their class. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions.among other things. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. "Twisty and thrilling.boarding school murder has never been so much fun!" –Kara Thomas, author of That WeekendĮveryone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. "The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition." -Kirkus Reviews Enroll in this boarding school thriller about a group of prep school elites who would kill to get into the college of their dreams.literally. However, while Lord wasn’t the featured villain in volume two, he was a significant part of the story, and his role as main villain of this volume was pretty heavily foreshadowed at the end of the book. Lord’s presence feels like slick timing, with the character featuring as the main villain in Wonder Woman 1984, hopefully already released by then. She’s determined to fight back against what she perceives as the god of war and try and bring Themiscyran values to the world of man. Diana is preparing her sisters for an attack from man’s world specifically, government weapons dealer Max Lord and his A.R.E.S. After successfully beating back Uberfraulein, the leader of an invading Nazi force who the Amazons attempted to rehabilitate after her capture, Wonder Woman has become queen of the Amazons. Volume three picks up right where the last story left off. 3, the finale of Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s multi-year graphic reimagining will be arriving in stores this march. As Grant Morrison wraps up his sprawling multiversal epic in The Green Lantern (presumably with issue #12 in February, if the schedules line up), the architect of the modern DC Metaverse will also be finishing his foray into Earth One. Whilst the novel does offer the intriguing glimpse into Edwards perspective, I must admit that the extensive inner debates, occasionally became overwhelming, leading me to skip paragraphs in search of a more balanced storytelling experience. The book not only reignited the beloved series, but also delved somewhat deeper into the complex world of vampires and wolves. In fact, if I have to be brutally honest, Twilight is what got me back to reading and writing after life just kind of side tracked me for many years, I am sure Twilight also made many people read for a first time (which is one of my biggest arguments with twi-hard haters), as it equally created a bunch of other things many might question.Īnyway, getting back to this review – Midnight Sun was the highly anticipated novel that offered the unique perspective, from Edwards point of view. (Because these are books, I re-read every now and I am not ashamed to admit it).įor those of you that want to read these books together, this is how you can go about it. Naturally, I had gotten my hands on the initial leaked chapters for Midnight sun and even enjoyed reading the two together at a time. As a devoted, and once upon a time – borderline stalker fan – of Stephanie Meyer, I was filled with anticipation for the release of Midnight sun. Would you like to pre-order a vanilla pudding with vanilla toppings from our vanilla menu?Īo Haru Ride is a shoujo romance slice of life manga adaptation of the same name. But is she prepared to sacrifice her bubble of normalcy and risk losing her friends in the process? However, Kou Mabuchi is not the warm boy that she remembers from her days in middle school he is now taller, more charismatic and withdrawn-making him far less approachable.įutaba believes that if she returns to her former self, Kou will begin to take notice of her again. When Futaba finds out that Kou has returned-with a different last name this time-she can already feel the butterflies in her stomach. Unfortunately, that spell abruptly ended on a sour note when he suddenly stopped attending school and never came back. Nevertheless, scattered among Futaba's unpleasant memories are the treasured moments with the boy she had a crush on, Kou Tanaka. Ostracized by her female classmates in middle school for being a little too popular with the boys, she desperately strives to avoid a similar situation in high school by being unnecessarily noisy and graceless. While most young girls make an effort to show off their feminine charms, Futaba Yoshioka deliberately behaves like she wants to repel anyone who might be attracted to her. They don't know what they've let themselves into when they take Earwig home with them. Turns out the woman is a witch in need of an assistant/slave and the man a mandrake, a rather grumpy but well-mannered demon. She doesn't want to leave, but a strange couple come one day and pick her to everyone's surprise. It's the last book she wrote entirely herself.Anyway, the story is about a little girl, Earwing who lives happily in an Orphanage, with good friends and people who do what she wants. I know it is a young children's book, but I could see the potential story that DWJ could have expanded it into. I might have given it more stars if it had been a little longer and in more depth. I could have finished it in an hour, but spread it out over a few days mixing it up with the other book I started. It’s also great fun to watch as he opens up and throws fears to the wind, figuring out how to stand tall in his own way. Their relationship progresses pretty fast, but it makes sense that it does: both are lonely, and Whyborne in particular has been hiding his desires and repressing everything for a long, long time. Both of their pasts become absolutely key to the investigation, laying them bare to each other (in more ways than one, hurr hurr) and forging an incredible bond. At first, he’s just meant to translate a coded book for the detective, but he quickly finds himself drawn in deeper - partly due to interest in the case itself, and a large part because he finds himself attracted (of course) to Griffin. Whyborne is a philologist working in a small museum who gets suckered into helping an ex-Pinkerton detective (Griffin) unravel the murder of a museum patron’s son. Charles, this is definitely going to be for you it has many of the same hallmarks. Charles’ work - and this series crosses over with one of Charles’ series. Hawk’s work for a while, partly at the urging of Portal Bookshop, and partly because I already loved K.J. To avoid Vexley’s clutches and a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Waverly Green’s newest arrival, enigmatic Lord Ashford ‘Syn’ Synton, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature. And now it seems Vexley isn’t the only scoundrel interested in securing her unique talents as a painter. The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows notorious rake-and satire sheet legend-Lord Phillip Vexley to blackmail her. With a powerful artifact and his own future at stake, Envy is determined to win, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin-and passion-like no other… Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way. And when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows he’ll be called much worse before it ends. These are wicked names the Prince of Envy welcomes. Shteyngart knows that families are about nothing if not ambivalence. How can both be true? Because they are, and I really felt the pull of contradictions in this memoir. When Gary gets to the top - bang, the father knocks him down, a fact that goes forgotten for a very, very long time.Īnd yet Gary describes his father as his best friend. His mother's brand of parenting involves "loving" put-downs - she dubs him "Failurchka" - which means, roughly, "little failure" and his father's involves inducing this son to climb to the top of the wooden ladder he's installed in a part of the living room called the Athletic Corner, in order to bulk up little Gary's strength and end his fear of heights. Yet, as an only child who immigrated from Leningrad to Queens with his parents in 1979, with no brothers or sisters to provide narrative distraction, he not only provides an intimate look at himself, he also by necessity put his parents under a fairly strong magnifying lens. Gary Shteyngart's dazzling, highly enjoyable book is the story of his life - a story that he owns, along with all the details. What's potentially more troubling than a memoirist out for revenge? One who's only out for truth. Meg Wolitzer's most recent novel is The Interestings. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. 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