Book Review: Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer

After coming off the intense wild ride that is Annihilation, I was really excited to learn that I got a copy of Jeff Vandermeer’s newest book, Hummingbird Salamander. With a plot just as unique as the title and as beautiful and bright cover, this book was very mysterious, and nothing like I expected. Eco terrorists, murderous strangers, clown stalkers and taxidermy with numbers behind their eyes, I can safely say that I’ve never read anything like this before.

4/5 Stars 351 pages
Published April 6th 2021 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The story follows a woman who doesn’t want you to know her name. A badass bodybuilding and hardworking woman who we just know as Jane, who also has a husband and daughter and a great job. But unfortunately, she’s also a woman caught in the middle of a very dangerous conspiracy theory that has become a reality. And you’re right in there with her, seeing everything through her eyes.

Her life is pulled into a spiral the day the coffee shop barista hands her an envelope. Inside, a key to a strange locker and an address. In the letter, it claims that the writer is already gone, and that the main character is on her own now, but not completely alone. And that’s just the prequel. After arguing with herself about it, she decides to go check it out and finds a preserved hummingbird with a note that just says, simply, Hummingbird Salamander. Like that’s the answer to all the world’s questions. This, if you can believe it, sets the tone for the entire book. A mysterious confusing, and even maddening at times wild goose chase, this amazing book is unlike any other that I’ve read, and I never saw the ending coming.

The only thing that this book has in common with Annihilation aside from the same author, is that it’s just one of those books that are impossible to speed through. If you start skimming over stuff, you’re going to be lost, and it requires the entirety of your attention. A slow burn that has a lot of violence and just really unsettling scenes.

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Overall, this is a really great book, and it’s something I never could have imagined it would be. Better for more mature readers, I recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery, but also someone with a strong stomach. And also someone who will stick through to the end no matter what. But that’s just coming from me, someone who would buy the book just to display the cover.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, he posts a ton of cute racoon content, you can here on twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having a great day.

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Weaponized by Zac Thompson Review

5/5 Stars 356 pages
Published October 31st 2017 by Inkshares

This book was outside of my comfort zone for books. Not that I don’t like a horror story every once in a while, but this was just something else. Let me tell you, the description doesn’t even give you a peek into how disgustingly shocking this book is, but not that it’s disgusting in a bad way, because I did end up finishing the book and really getting tangled up in the story. Just a warning though, it is disgusting and horrific and all the other things we love about the horror genre.

The main characters are two young adults, Trip, a boy who just wants to find a boyfriend and live the life he sees everyone else have, and Ree, a girl who was shipped from the mainland and has no problem finding anything she needs in a partner. The world they live in however, is much different than our own. After literal giants came from the sky, an infection took over the world and so did something called the Sex Wars. After that, people who contracted an insane sexually transmitted disease either died, or became a horrific amalgamation of a human body and an alien weapon.

Completely unlike anything I’ve ever read or watched, I was sucked in from the very moment I picked up this book. I had no idea that it would end the way that it did, and honestly I didn’t even expect the middle of the book if we’re going to be real here. Every turn the story took was a new and grotesque surprise. And I loved it. Appalling books like these are the reason that I want to read more horror, and I those horror books to be just as shocking and repugnant as these. Because that’s what horror is really about, isn’t it?

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Overall, I really enjoyed the story of Trip and Ree living with the changes in their lives, and their bodies, and the world around them. They did what they thought was right no matter what anyone else said. I loved the descriptions of the world that they lived in too, from the weapons made of bones that fired teeth, the dried human organ armor, and the living human tissue that grew over the cityscape. I couldn’t get enough of it, and even when I was disgusted and laughing to my friends about how awful the things I was reading were, I couldn’t put it down. And that’s exactly what I want in a book like this. Something that is really hard to do, this book was descriptive enough that it played out like a comic in my brain. I couldn’t ask for more.

If you’re interested in grabbing a copy for yourself, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the Author, you can here on Twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and reading some great books like these.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

Planet Paradise by Jesse Lonergan Review

Not really sure what I was getting myself into, Planet Paradise is a really cute graphic novel, for what the story really is. I loved the art, and really disliked everyone but the main character, but I think that’s the point. Short and sweet, I really enjoyed this book.

4/5 Stars 128 pages
Published November 17th 2020 by Image Comics

Following a person on their way to Planet Paradise with a whole slew of tourists who have also been put to sleep in chambers on a rocket, something goes wrong and it crashes down to a planet inhabited by vicious dinosaurs. They’re forced to fend for themselves and not only save their own life, but also those left alive, including a very unfriendly ship captain. But things aren’t what they seem once everything seems back on it’s way up for our hero.

There isn’t really much to say about this book, it was a nice and chill read despite the story content. I really feel for the main character, and I hope that their vacation goes better for them, as well as the rest of their life. If you’d like something short and unique to fill the gap in your reading list, than you should definitely think about checking this book out.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Faerest by Brianna Bennet Book Blitz; Info, Excerpt & Giveaway

Faerest
Brianna Bennett
Publication date: November 10th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Retelling

Mystery has surrounded Sydney White for as long as she can remember. Her mother’s death puzzled even the hardiest of investigators, but eventually, they just stopped trying. So, when Syd is presented with the opportunity to finish a degree in faery anthropology that her mother began over twenty years ago, she leaps at the chance to learn the truth. However, truth is often stranger than fiction, especially when the lines between faery and human are eroding each day. Syd will have to navigate unthinkable deals, a prince in peril she swore she would never speak to again, and an organization only known as Coventry.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Strangely, she could still feel the careful caress of his skin on hers, which of course transitioned into other memories about their final night together. ‘No, we’re not going there.’ she told herself firmly, shaking her head as if that would knock the memories from her brain.

Once she fully came back to the present, she found that Sal had already chosen a track and the timekeeper was counting down. ‘Focus, Syd. Dinner is on the line.’ she told herself, the controller’s smooth plastic familiar and comforting.

Princess Peach, Syd’s favorite character, took off when she accelerated, cruising to the front of the pack efficiently.

She made use of all of the boosters, and she was lapping everyone else within minutes. ‘It feels good to get behind the wheel again, so to speak.’ She thought, and soon enough she found herself embracing the thrill of competition.

While Sal and Syd faced off, Jamie sat between them. Each time someone got ahead of Syd on the track, the lights would strobe ever so slightly, but as soon as she reclaimed first place, they stopped.

He glanced over at Sal and caught Sal looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Jamie’s mouth went dry, and he forced himself to focus on the game. Three rounds later, Syd shot up and cheered for her win.

“YES!” She looked down her nose haughtily at Sal. Jamie watched the scripted awards ceremony unfold, Princess Peach on the top tier, Bowser in second, and one of the computer-controlled racers in third.

“Looks like you’re buying dinner!” she crowed triumphantly.

“I can’t believe I just lost to a princess,” Sal said after a beat, and Syd smirked victoriously.

“There’s your first lesson in Mario Kart and in life: Never underestimate the princess.”

Author Bio:

Fanfiction was where it all began. It gave me the opportunity to stretch my creative muscles and work out crucial lessons in the craft. I spent several years writing for free, which helped me understand the realities of the writing world early on.
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Once I got to college, I did the one thing that most advisors tell you not to do: I majored in what I was passionate about, not what would be most practical. ​
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After graduating from college with a degree in Professional Writing, I took a year off and then enrolled in a double Master’s program. In the 3 years that followed, I dedicated myself to learning as much as I could about all areas of writing and publishing.
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Nowadays, I’m a medical receptionist, soon-to-be self-published author, Medium blogger, writing coach, and podcast host. I live and work in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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Colors of Immortality (Colors of Immortality #1) by J.M. Muller Review

Honestly, I’ve very conflicted with this book. I love the idea of the story, but I feel like the first half of the book fell short, the characters seemed incomplete, and they kind of just spent a lot of time lashing out at each other, and that wasn’t very fun to read. But the second half, oh man. I couldn’t get enough. Once it moved out of the normal daily life kind of situations and into the supernatural deaths and immortality and powers kind of stuff, it really blossomed.

3/5 Stars 270 pages
Published July 29th 2016 by BookBaby

Following a teenage boy named Daniel, the story starts off with an argument between him and his newly ex girlfriend. She’s been drugged and molested at a party, and he doesn’t believe her. This is why I initially really didn’t like the book. She’s hysterical, and he’s just mad that she slept with someone else. He doesn’t care about what really happened, why it happened, and how it happened. I almost put down the book because of that. It’s really insensitive. I think there could have been a way better version of this story without that. Anyways, he goes on to work, we learn about his sad back story with his absent parents, and why he lives with his grandma. Then he’s supposed to go on a hiking date with his best friend and two girls, but when he arrives at his friends house, they’ve already left with his cousin. He’s mad, but it’s for the best. That’s when things really start to change.

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It turns out that the meeting was a trap. Supernatural beings known as Veloures, had lured his best friend out hoping to get him, but instead killed his best friend and turned him into one of them. That’s what they want to do with him. So when he goes out looking for his friend, he finds someone else, someone not human, and someone who wants to hurt him. And that’s when he meets Fantasia, instant love of his life, super beautiful goddess of a girl with healing powers. She takes him to her cave and explains everything, and gives him a choice that no one else will, become like them, or leave his life behind and run, and try to forget about everything that she’s told him, and that he’s seen.

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This is why I liked the book. The supernatural beings were so different than any others I’ve read about, but the beginning of the book is just so hurtful and mean I really couldn’t get over it. I didn’t like the main character very much because of his insensitivity, and I mean, I get that he’s a teenage boy and they have their ego to worry about, but I think that was really pushing it. Like I said earlier, I think that the first half could have been rewritten in a way that it matched up more to the second half, and I would have absolutely loved it. That’s just me though. I might be a little too sensitive to topics like that. I would recommend it to people with a strong stomach who like young adult books about supernatural beings, and their afterlife. The book itself isn’t particularly gory or violent, until the last chapter of the book, but that being said, the last chapter was the most exciting and heart wrenching for me.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link!

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to keep up with them!

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day, and you’re staying safe.

Run To You (Seasons of Love #1) by Jayne Townsley Cover Reveal

Run to You
Jayne Townsley
(Seasons of Love, #1)
Publication date: November 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

A friend of the family has done despicable things and has his eyes set on Rin and she has no idea what he has in store for her.

Rin lost her mother four years after the murder of her best friend on the night of their high school graduation. Although her mother’s death was unexpected, there is nothing suspicious about it whereas Hannah’s death is an open cold case. At least Rin thinks her mother’s death was nothing more than an untimely tragedy. Going on the long dreamed of post-college vacation that she and her friends have been planning since grade school, she hopes to leave the pain behind for a bit and relax in the Florida sunshine.

Kevin loves his life and his job as an Army Ranger. When he and his Army brothers use some well-earned time off to visit Panama City Beach, he’s not expecting to meet the woman who will change his life forever. A woman being hunted by an unknown monster intent on keeping them apart by any means necessary.

Can Kevin keep Rin from Hannah’s fate? Or is it his turn to face loss like Rin?

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Siena (The Forestfolk #1) by Zoe Blessing Review

A bit different than the usual paranormal books I read, Siena is a story of a fifteen year old girl who’s only known captivity her whole life. As a child, she discovered her ability to heal, and after her loud mouth half brother blabbed about it, her mother was executed for hiding her secret, and she’s been a slave ever since. She often wonders if this is all life has for her.

5/5 Stars 186 pages
Published April 21st 2017 by Pennydragon Press

Told through the first person viewpoint, we really get the nitty gritty of Siena’s life and slavery in the beginning of the book. Pushed around by everyone in her compound, they use her powers and don’t care about her health or safety. She knows why people keep their abilities a secret, being called an horrible names. Little does she know that everyone else is just jealous of her power. 

One night, her compound is raided by a neighbouring one while their warriors are out scouting. They take down everyone in their path. Except for Siena, who narrowly escapes with her life. She finds a new home and a new life with the Forestfolk, originally a refuge camp in the middle of the woods. They accept her and her gift with welcoming arms. But bad things are happening to the people that were captured from her original camp, and she can’t stand around and let it be. She has to do something about it.

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I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into with this book, but once I started it I completely devoured it, finishing it in just a few hours. I couldn’t get enough. The kindness in the hearts of these characters, even though they’re fictional, gives me hope for the people in our real lives. It’s a story of blossoming in the right conditions, and doing whatever you can to stay there. And if something bad happens, just keep going, and it’ll be okay eventually. You’ll find people who love you for you, and I think that’s the moral of the story.

If you’re looking for something very different in the way of magical powers and the woods, then this is the book for you. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book, and really just suck myself into that one as well. This book really taught me a lesson that I hope stays with me for a while, if not forever, at least.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Lost Solace (Lost Solace #1) by Karl Drinkwater Review

4/5 Stars 273 pages
Published October 15th 2017 by Organic Apocalypse

Though I haven’t read anything from author Karl Drinkwater before, I’m intrigued by their other works after this book. I was a little confused at first, but once I was into the book, I really was into it. You know I love a good sci-fi space adventure, and this just adds another story to my list of ones I really enjoyed. A really nice cover, a very unique story, unlike anything I’ve read before, and an action packed plot, I couldn’t put it down.

Following a girl named Opal, it shows her life as she flies through space in a stolen military ship with an insanely upgraded artificial intelligence, who she’s named Clarissa. It begins with her in chryo, and Clarissa waking her up and making her food. Though they haven’t known each other for very long, they’re very familiar, and are headed to a lost ship, something they’re not even sure is anything more than a myth. Opal is hoping to not only get rich off of what she finds on it, but to find information to her past on it also. All that, without being caught by the military. What a dream that was.

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What she finds on the ship, however, is beyond anything she could have imagined. A kind of alien species, or something like that, that has bonded into a ship, and created something grotesque and horrifying and really interesting and insane all in one go. Flesh cakes the interior, creating turrets that seem to grow out of the wall at key points for attacks, and horrifying monsters spawn again out of the wall to track not only Opal, but the military that tracks her down to kill her.

This book was very interesting and unique, and even though it’s not my new favourite, I’m glad I got the chance to check it out. If you’re looking for a very different and action packed sci-fi adventure, this is the book for you.

Grab a copy for yourself here through my Amazon Associates link!

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter if you’d like to keep up with them!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Slippers And Thieves (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4) by Christina Bauer Review

4/5 Stars 362 pages
Published October 2020
by Monster House Books

Has it really been two years since I read the third book in this series? It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. Either way, I’m back reviewing another one just in time for the new one to come out in November!! I’m so excited. I love these books because they’re so delightfully cartoony in the best way possible. The characters are kick ass with their powers and just their lives in general, and this book is no exception to that rule. I had a lot of fun reading this, and I can’t wait to start the next one in a couple weeks.

Unlike the last books, this one follows Bryar’s best friend, Elle, and her partner Alec. Both Cinderella templates, Alec is a powerful warlock and a warden, and likewise Elle, though she has a little more trouble with school, being that she’s the warden of Fae magic, and an enchanter. The problem being that she has no fairy wings, because her parents removed them when she was a baby to protect her. The other students love to tease her and always pretend that she’s easy to forget, even though she’s probably much stronger than any of them. The chapters alternate between Alec and Elle, giving the story a much needed and refreshing take, and letting you see both sides of what’s going on with the characters.

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The author begins with a bit of an explanation, though I don’t really think it was necessary. This story begins when the two are fifteen, showing their lives before their eighteenth birthday and the events that lead up to creating the people that they are today. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters like that, because it had been so long since I last read one of these books, I needed that refresher. I really came out of this book feeling like I learned a lot more about them, and also the world that they live in.

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This time, the characters don’t go on any kind of big adventure outside of New York. All the events that take place in the book are inside the city, and occasionally in the land of the Fairies, and interacting with the Queen of Hearts. I thought that the two blended really nicely together, and one of the things I really enjoy about this series is how seamlessly these kind of old worn out fairy tales are brought back to life in modern times with kick ass characters. I just can’t get enough. Aside from the school situation, Elle has to deal with her evil stepmother and horrible step sisters, the death of her parents, how to come to terms with her magical powers, and the fact that Alec’s going to be forced into a loveless marriage in almost no time at all. I think that if you’re into young adult fiction with a touch of romance and a whole lot of magic and fantasy aspects, than you’re going to love these books, and I highly recommend checking them out. They’re probably my favourite series from the author, and I can’t get enough.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author on social media, here’s a link for that!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing great.

The Matriarch (Women of the Dust #1) by Annabelle McInnes Review

4/5 Stars 358 pages
Published October 12th 2020 by AKM Publishing Pty Ltd

Are you looking for a romance book that isn’t so heavy on the romance? Something about a world so far in the future that where The Matriarch and her Hoard lives, all there is, is dust? What about a book that shows no matter what happens you still have to be strong? Than this is something you might want to check out. Though I do think as an adult, I’m too immature to read real romance books, this wasn’t so hot and heavy, and more focused on the actual story, and that’s what I really enjoyed about it. Once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down.

Yolanda inherited her Matriarchy through the death of her mother, after battling disease for too long. Though her mother was a warlord, aggressive and dominant, Yolanda is very caring, and willing to sacrifice herself for the good of her people. And that’s what her people love about her. A Horde of battle women, they’re charging after their enemy with little supplies, because that’s what they need to do to end the war that has destroyed both sides for almost ten years. What she doesn’t expect, though, is an evil man leading an army of children. And his son to put an end to him before she ever has the chance to.

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If you know me, you know I love books about apocalypse, no matter what the actual topic is. And that’s why I grabbed this book as soon as I saw it. Though I’m not usually into real romance books, I was able to put that immaturity aside for a bit, but this book made it easy to, because there was only really a couple parts where it was romance driven. Inside this book is an epic adventure about a woman who learns to care about herself and someone else she never thought she would, a man who’s her enemy’s son. They join forces not only to save her people, but to try to save his as well, and they head out of the desert and deep into the mountains to the horribly sexist group that controls the land around The Matriarch’s home. The people that not only denied her because of her gender, but because she’s not willing to just lay down and let them do whatever they want to her and her own. They’ve taken her water, but she’s going to fight to get it back.

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I really enjoyed reading this book because it was really exciting, and the characters were a lot different than the others I’ve been reading about lately. War torn but still tough, they did what they have to do for their people, and even though I’m not into romance novels, I think this book made me realize it’s not what I thought it was, at least for the most part. I’d love to check out the second book, and maybe even dip my toe into more in the genre, if they’re all this interesting and action packed. I think you’d like this story if you’re looking for a strong leader who just wants to save her people, and a really interesting story about that.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here through my Amazon Associates link!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can follow them on Instagram here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing great and staying safe, and I hope you have a great Canadian Thanksgiving/Indigenous Peoples day!