Author: jeana84

The Redemption of Althalus – Book Review

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Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Althalus is a young thief and occasional killer known for his skill and incredible luck. A number of capers end without much monetary reward for him, until he stumbles into a shrine built to the fertility goddess Dweia. Soon afterward he meets with the wizard Ghend, who hires him to steal the Book, a magical tome that can be found in the bizarre House at the End of the World. There, Althalus discovers Dweia in the form of a black cat and learns that she has chosen him to aid her in a war against Ghend and her evil brother, the destroyer god Daeva. Together Althalus and Dweia use the power of the Book and gather together a small team of questionable heroes who must battle Ghend’s supernatural forces and armies. The thief Althalus can only hope his luck holds out for this one last task, since the very fate of humanity is at stake.

What to say about this book? Well, first, this book is fairly long, clocking in at just under 800 pages and is actually a stand alone novel, which is a bit unusual for a fantasy novel. (if you know of others, I’d love to know too)

The tone of this book very much has a feel of when it was published. First released in 2000, it reminded me of other books published around that time that feel heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings. Of David Eddings’ other books, I’ve only read his Dreamers series, which I don’t remember much of, so perhaps this is simply his writing style, I’m not sure. I don’t really know how to describe the feel I got from the tone either.

Anyway, at first I felt like the pacing of this book was a bit off. There seemed to be a bunch of stuff at the beginning that didn’t really matter to the story overall and it would jump ahead in time fairly often. Turns out that in the end, it all mattered, so that changed my feelings about the start of the book.

I wouldn’t call the story particularly original. The basics of the plot are the basics of most high fantasy novels: an likely group of individuals come together to fight against evil in order to save the world. The people making up this particular band are a bit stereotypical. You have the charismatic thief, the warrior, the priest, the beautiful girl with a special gift, a young noble woman, and a smarter than can be believed kid. Leading this group is the maternal and loving goddess, Dweia.

There’s only one race in this fantasy world: humans. As for magic…there is magic, but only Althalus really uses it and not even that much. It’s more like divine power from a Knife and a Book.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book. One was Leitha’s insistence on calling Althalus “Daddy.” Yes, he establishes the group to be a “family” and as the male leader he takes on the role of the father, but why “daddy?” It felt ripe with sexual innuendo and I cringed nearly every time she said it. The tampering with time also bothered me. That’s a really difficult thing to pull off without thinking through every little detail and I don’t think it was.

What did I like? Well, considering how generic I thought the basic plot was, there were actually a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. I couldn’t for the life of me think how everything was going to be wrapped up by the end of the book and not have a sequel. Well, it all came together nicely and you could probably tack on a “happily ever after.”

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. I didn’t stop reading it, though I didn’t spend long periods of time on it. I wouldn’t say it was bad either. My rating for this is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend this to people who are maybe just getting into the Fantasy genre and just want to dip their toes into without getting into a long series. Also for fantasy fans that don’t want to get in to a long series, this could be a good read.

Have you read the Redemption of Althalus? What did you think? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Adventures in TV – American Horror Story – Murder House

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I know I’m very late getting on the American Horror Story train. This is a show I’ve long wanted to watch but didn’t have access it, until I recently discovered that it’s available on Star through Disney+. Discovering this, I immediately started watching. I devoured it in two sittings. I probably would have gone through all 12 episodes in a single sitting if not for the annoying fact of having to sleep and go to work.

The plot of the first season of American Horror Story is a fairly typical one. A family moves into a new house for a “fresh start.” Naturally, the couple is having marital problems and their teenage daughter is unhappy and bullied at school.

Although this is a fairly common premise for a horror story that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good one. From the first moment, I felt drawn in to the story and engaged. We start off knowing that the mother of the family, Vivien, has recently had a miscarriage and her husband, Ben, was unfaithful. The dynamic between the two as they try to rebuild their life is really interesting. Vivien’s struggle to forgive her husband and let him back into her trust is very real. Vivien wasn’t a character I could immediately relate to, having never been in a situation like hers but I could empathize. As the story moved along, I felt for her more and more and was rooting for her until the very end.

Ben was not a character I liked. I don’t think the audience is meant to sympathize with him over much. He made a lot of stupid mistakes and brought on a lot of the things that happened to him all on his own. Violet, the family’s teenage daughter, isn’t the most unique character. She’s moody, and angry with her parents and the world, much like a typical teenager. That’s not to say I didn’t like her. She had her purpose in the overall narrative.

Over the twelve episode run, the history of the house is slowly revealed in flashbacks, showing all the unspeakable tragedy that the house has been host to right from the original owners. The show doesn’t shy away from showing a fair amount of gore, so anyone who doesn’t like to see that kind of stuff may wish to steer clear of this particular show. That being said, the gore isn’t really gratuitous. There’s a good mix of mystery and horror there that leaves room for the audience’s imagination to run a bit wild.

There’s a few good twists that I didn’t see coming that will keep you on your toes and have you eager to get to the next episode each time one ends. Once the season ends, there’s lots to look back on and think of that will have an even harder impact the more you think about it. Like any good horror, this one will stay with you long after you turn off the TV.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. There isn’t much that I can think of to name as a flaw or something I really didn’t like. 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this to any lovers of horror out there who haven’t already discovered this show. I can’t wait to start the next season.

Have you watched American Horror Story: Murder House? Let me know what you thought in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Narcissistic Abuse and Trauma Recovery: 10 Steps to Heal from Hidden Abuse – Book Review

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This review is going to be short and simple.

Everyone should read this book. The information in here is good for everyone to know regardless of who they are. The best way to prevent this time of abuse is to know the signs

If you or someone you know is suffering from narcissistic abuse, this book can help you get through it.

At around 200 pages it is also a fairly quick read.

4 stars.

22: The War of the Gods – Manuel Martinez and Phyllis Barash – Review

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Synopsis:

Through the pages of this exciting novel, we will find out that the world was created by 22 Gods who created the different human races to use them to increase their power. By playing a game created by the Light and the Darkness, we watch the Gods use the 22 Major Arcana Cards of the Egyptian tarot as a method of increasing their power and control over all the human race.

In the middle of all this power struggle for control of humanity, there is an unknown political and economic group named SCAN that controls all the power resources on earth. When Denise Richards, a front runner to the presidency of the United States, confronts SCAN by challenging them, they have no choice but to kill her.  

In this fascinating novel, past, present, and future are intertwined. Readers will discover the times of Jesus Christ, Pythagoras, Cleopatra, Napoleon, Hitler, and Martin Luther King, among other influential historical figures, to determine which tarot card was played by each to please the Gods in this long-lasting war between the Light and the Darkness.

My first impression of this book was one of confusion. I’m not sure what synopsis I originally read or where I got the idea from, but I thought this book was set in ancient Egypt, so when it started out in the modern era, i was, naturally, confused. So, I went back and read the actual synopsis. Things more sense after that.

Initially, this seems like a good vs evil story, but quickly shows that there isn’t really such things as “good” and “evil.” Light and Darkness are really one and the same. There a many different elements to this book including numerology, tarot cards and elements from multiple religions.

So, what did I like about this book? The authors clearly put in a great deal of research to write this book. There is a great deal of historical information about famous figures, including Ghandi, Jesus Christ and Hitler. The authors must also have studied numerology as well as religions all over the world. I was very interested in the historical figures, especially Cleopatra.

Sadly, that’s about all I liked about this book. If you are looking for a character driven novel, this is definitely not it. Oh, there are plenty of characters but I didn’t feel even a smidge of a connection with any of them. Sure I could name many of them, but i couldn’t tell you what their personalities were actually like.

This book also reads more like a text book than a novel. A lot of information is thrown at the reader to the point that it’s difficult to absorb it all. My mind wandered often while reading.

i found the constant mathematical equations especially annoying. Yes, the book is dealing a great deal with numerology so dates are constantly being added but having an actual equation in the middle of the text really threw off what little narration there was.

I didn’t really understand the need to go back to the life of Denis Richards and the goings on of the group called SCAN. Those things felt unnecessary and unrelated to the main plot. It was supposed to be about the war taking place between the Light and the Darkness, wasn’t it? There was this weird highlight of American politics that I really didn’t care for.

All in all, this was not a book I enjoyed. it took me a long time to get through it as I just couldn’t spend long periods of time reading. My brain just couldn’t handle the economic explanations.

My rating for this book is 2/5 stars. The historical fact saved it from 1 star

I personally wouldn’t recommend this to my friends who are readers as I’m sure their tastes are similar to mine. People who have an interest in numerology, history and American politics might enjoy this book. Sadly, it just wasn’t for me.

Have you read this book? Do you agree with my review? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Adventures in Music – K-pop #1 – Stray Kids #1

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If someone had told me five years ago that I was going to be a K-pop fan today and I would have glared and said “yeah, right.” I’d long since moved away from a lot of pop music, having gone through the teenage Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls phase, and had started in on heavier stuff like In This Moment and Five Finger Death Punch.

Then I started watching Korean dramas and came across one called Dream Knight. This show, though a bit corny and low budget, starred the boys from GOT 7. When I realized that they were an actual band, I decided to see what they were really like. I found the video for Just Right on YouTube, which started by adventure into K-pop.

Stray Kids is a fairly new band, having debuted in 2018. The first song I ever heard by them was Side Effects. That song led me to Miroh, which I didn’t love at first, but has since grown on me. From there, I found more and more of their songs (mostly through music videos on YouTube) like Victory Song, Voices and District 9.

So, naturally when they come out with a new video, I’m fairly aware of it. Not like a hard core fan, but I do become aware of it fairly soon after release. Recently I saw the video for Back Door, which is, correct me if I’m wrong, their latest release as of the time of this posting. Well, I loved it. Everything about it. The video is fun, the dancing is awesome and the song makes you want to dance along (since I can’t really sing along).

Naturally, the next step was to purchase the album, which I did yesterday. This morning, I gave it a listen while working. It played through 2 or possibly 3 times. There were no songs that I didn’t like or wanted to skip. Back Door continues to be the song that stands out the most to me but I also liked Wow and B Me.

I purchased another album at the same time but I’ll talk about that in a different post.

Do you like Stray Kids? Have you heard their latest album, In Life? What did you think?

Magic Slays – Kate Daniels #5 – Book Review

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Synopsis:

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price.

This review will contain spoilers if you have not read the previous books.

Kate has left the Order of Merciful Aid and has opened up her own business, which so far hasn’t gone well for her. When she finally gets a real paying job, she of course jumps at the chance and is ready to get the job done and get paid. Of course, this job isn’t as simple as it seems at first and quickly goes sideways, as many things in Kate’s life do.

At the same time, Kate’s adopted niece, Julie, decided to run away from school again. Deciding to “put her to the test”, Kate doesn’t just go pick up Julie and haul her back to school. Kate isn’t really “mother” material but she is definitely guardian material. She’s teaching that kid to be resilient and how to survive in a world that will very likely want to destroy her.

Kate is now living in the Keep as Curran’s mate. At the end of the previous book she more than earned her place as the alpha female of the Pack, even if that isn’t really what she wants to be.

This book has a lot of twists and turns. In the course of her investigation, Kate comes to learn a great deal of about her past that she never knew before. Including things that a shed a whole new light on her mother and how Voron raised her. Learning these thing also casts Curran under suspicion.

I haven’t been Curran’s biggest supporter from the beginning, so I found this whole “does he love me? Does he love me not?” thing a little annoying. Personally, I would still love it if Kate just took off somewhere and found a way to deal with her biological father on her own, but I know that isn’t going to happen.

Curran needs a good punch to the nose sometimes. Though Kate has hit him on multiple occasions so I don’t think that will actually do any good.

Overall, this book is a great read. It’s fast paced and action packed and hard to put down.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading!

I apologize if this isn’t the greatest review. I recently had minor surgery and am still on painkillers. I just wanted to get this written before i start the next book.

My Top 5 Mobile Games

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For this list, I’m looking at my favorite mobile games of all time. There’s not much more to say about that, so without further adieu, here we go!

5. Sims Free Play – I don’t actually play this game anymore, but I still think it’s a great games. There is lots to do to keep a player entertained for hours. I stopped played because once I maxed out levels, things became a little tedious and I felt like I spent too much of my time playing.

4. Merge Dragons – Like merging things? Like dragons? Enough said.

3. Merge Magic – I’m putting Merge Magic a bit ahead of Merge Dragons, even though they are basically the same game, because there’s something about the colours and the creatures in Merge Magic that I like just a little more.

2. Candy Crush Soda – There are several candy crush games, but my fav is Soda. Not sure why exactly, but if I’m in the mood to crush candy, Soda is my candy crushing of choice.

  1. Charm King – this was the first match 3 games I played on an Iphone and indeed one of the first ever mobile games I ever played. I may take breaks from it from time to time but I always end up going back.

What are you favorite mobile games? Do you play any these? Let me know in the comments below!

Anime Review – The Earl and the Fairy

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I read the manga version of the Earl and the Fairy a few years ago, so when I came across the anime version on Tubi, I decided to give it a go. I ended up watching all 12 episodes in one sitting.

Lydia Carlton is what is known as a Fairy Doctor. She can see all manner of fairies and it’s her job to mediate between the human and fairy worlds. On her way to London to meet her father, Lydia comes across Edgar. Edgar is in search of a treasured item called the Merrow Sword. Whoever possesses this sword will be acknowledged as the descendant of the Blue Knight Earl, who once ruled the fairy realm. In order to find the sword, Edgar needs a Fairy Doctor.

Although he initially tricks her into helping him and basically kidnaps her, Lydia chooses to help him because she dis a kind person and she sees more in him than what is on the surface.

I enjoyed this anime in the way I enjoy many anime like this. It’s most fun and light hearted. The overall story isn’t particularly intense or even that original. It’s fairly predictable, as many anime like it are.

At it’s heart, the Earl and the Fairy is a romantic anime, surrounding the developing relationship between Lydia and Edgar. At only 12 episodes, it’s fairly short so there isn’t that much development. I would actually like it if more of this was made and their relationship could be fleshed out more.

Overall, I give it a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. It’s nothing spectacular but watching it isn’t a waste of time either. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic comedy anime.

Get 50% of an ebook on Book Lovers when you use my promo code JEANA50.

Magic Bleeds – Kate Daniels #4 – Urban Fantasy Book Review

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Synopsis: Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.

When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.

This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family… 

This book didn’t begin the quite the way I would have expected. It started with a bit of an emotional hit on our poor heroine.

This book was pretty action packed, and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I felt bad for Kate many times. Her life isn’t easy and trouble has a way of finding her.

There was a part of me that really wanted Kate to walk away from everything. I wanted her to pack a bag, grab her new attack poodle and just disappear somewhere beyond all the politics and random messes that surround her. I thought it would be an interesting way to go but of course, Kate isn’t that kind of person. She will never abandon people who need her.

My opinion of Curran fluctuated a great deal in the book. I went from mildly disliking him to outright hating him to actually liking him. Will I continue to like him? Maybe. We’ll see.

A great deal happens in this book. Quite a few things change for Kate. The eventual confrontation with her biological father is looming on the horizon. 7 more books to go. What will happen next?

Get 50% off on an ebook on Book Lovers when you use my promos code JEANA50.

Magic Strikes – Kate Daniels #3 – Review

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Synopsis:

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.

But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games – an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament – she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community…

I devoured this book in two days and loved every second of it! From the first word, I was engaged and didn’t want to put it down. If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to work the next morning, I probably would have stayed up the entire night reading.

I continue to love Kate as her character builds and her secrets are slowly revealed. In this book, we get some glimpses into her past and what her childhood was like.

Curran is still an arrogant alpha male, but his behaviour has become a little less “I’m going to get in her pants because she said no” to “I’m going to get in her pants because I like her”. I feel confident Kate and Curran are going to end up together. Poor Kate, she knows logically why she shouldn’t get together with him, but her body has other ideas.

More of an overall plot to the series is developing, and I’m really pumped to see how it all plays out. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much more there.

I give Magic Strikes 5/5 stars! I highly recommend it to anyone who love urban fantasy, especially series like Mercy Thompson. The relationship between Kate and Curran reminds me a bit of Mercy and Adam near the beginning.

Have you read this series? What did you think? Do you agree with my love?