“Bird Box” By Josh Malerman Review

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

This review might be a very unpopular opinion about this book because of my rating of this book and my opinions about this book. So if you are interested in reading my controversial opinions about this book then keep reading. 

The plot of this book, is very overrated. Because a lot of people on the internet call this book “very terrifying” but in reality this book is everything but “terrifying”. After reading this book or trying to read this book I need to say that this book is very overhyped and it gets way too much credit for being scary even thou the scariest part of this book is that the author was able to write such a long book on a story that would easily be a good short story. 

The plot of this book drags for way too long than it needed to. Because easily if this book was cut in half we would still get the same story out of it. Which in my opinion says a lot about how much irrelevant things the plot in this book had.

The plot of this book moves very very slowly. And because of this there is almost no action in this book. At the same time I feel like the plot is very repetitive. Because 60% of this book is about the mother telling her kids to “don’t speak, listen” which made me wonder if thats the mother whole dialogue with her kids.

When it comes to the dialogues in this book they are very uninteresting and unrealistic. Because the dialogues are very stilted and they feel like the characters are written by a toddler who didn’t have any idea how grown ups talk to each other.

This book has 2 timelines which it follows, and I gotta admit that if the author was so set to have 2 timelines of the plot of this book. It would have worked better in my opinion to have 2 separate books. One book for each timeline. 

I personally found the second timeline to be very boring and uninteresting. Because the second timeline talks about everything that took place as the fear and apocalyptic events were first starting.  While the first timeline was way more interesting than the second. Because the first timeline takes place 5 years into the apocalypse of this book. Which I personally enjoyed way more than the second timeline of this book.

The plot build towards this big action taking place, but the action never comes in this book which really made me very annoyed at this book and at the author of this book.

The characters in this book in my opinion feel very underdeveloped and unexplored. Because this book doesn’t use a lot of time for us to get to known the characters. instead this book jumps straight into the action, and we have to figure out everything about the characters as the plot moves forward. 

I personally found the characters to be boring and uninteresting. Because of we don’t get to know them. At the same time the characters feel very unrealistic in a way. And the mom in this book instead of giving her 2 kids names she only calls them “boy” and “girl” which is their gender because she as one girl and one boy. Which really made me question what parent would not name their kids and only call them by their gender.

The writing style in this book is very stiff. For the most partite felt like the author wasn’t that interested in writing a good book instead he was more interested in the paycheck he would get for publishing this book. Which really speaks for itself here because I don’t am that harsh about the writing style in books.

I Give This Book 1 / 5

“Seto Utsumi Vol. 1” By Kadzuya Konomoto Review

This manga has been made into a movie and a TV drama in japan.”I wish we could just spend all our high school days sittin’ and chattin’ by this river.” This seven chapter volume is a collection of the funky, off-the-wall, and sometimes cynical after-school conversations between Seto and Utsumi, two high-schoolers from the Kansai region of Japan.

This comic book tries to blend slice-of-life humor with a sports theme but in my opinion this falls flat in is presented to us as readers. 

The characters in this comic book feel very underdeveloped and like the creators of this comic book didnt exactly know what they were doing when it came down to the characters. 

The characters feel overly stereotypical in this comic book. At the same time the characters in this comic book lack nuance which made it hard for me personally to connect or care about their journeys.

The plot in this comic book is just as underdeveloped and unexplored as the characters in this comic book. Which really annoyed me a lot because the plot in this comic book had a lot of potential to it. 

The pacing in this comic book is all over the place. Because some scenes are dragging on without an end while other scenes are very rushed especially through important moments.

The humor aspect of this comic book, really misses the mark in my opinion. Because the humor which the creators tried to go with felt more cringy to me than actually being funny. 

The artwork in this comic book was easily my favorite aspect of this comic book because of how cute and clean it was. The artwork made it very easy to follow the characters and action. 

The artwork is the only reason why I gave this comic book 2 stars instead of one star. Which in my opinion speaks for itself how good the artwork was that it made me give this comic book a whole star more to the rating. 

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Strawberry Patch Pancake House” By Laurie Gilmore Review

As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available, she shudders at the thought. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees.

This book is the 4th book in the “Dream Harbor” book series. And I need to admit here that this book is in my opinion the weakest book in this series so far. But as always I will explain everything in this review so if you are interested then keep reading.

The plot is kinda of decent in this book. But it isn’t as cozy as in the other books in this series. There was something about the plot in this book that didn’t made me interested enough in it. 

The main reason why I didn’t like the plot in this book as much as in the other books in this series is because I’m not a big fan of the single-dad and the nanny hooking up and falling in love with each other. I personally am okay with a lot of things but the single-dad and the nanny has something to it which makes me uncomfortable. This is something which I don’t like in books I’m reading which is the main reason why I say that this book is the worst book in this series so far.

The majority of the book is just the single dad saying “I don’t want to live here” and “I don’t know how to be a parent”. While the nanny says “I cant believe I find my boss attractive”  and “I don’t like kids so why am I a nanny?”.  Those 4 lines are pretty much a dozen of times in this book. Which really made me bored and uninterested in this book because of how much those 4 lines are used in this book. Which made me feel like I’m reading the same thing over and over again for this entire book.

The characters here aren’t that good as they were in the 3 previous books in this book. It might have something to do that Archer is a completely new character in this series and we didn’t get him introduced to us in the previous books in this series. And when it comes to Iris, we only got her introduced to us in book 3 in this series. And even thou she was in book 3, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her or get to know her. 

In this book we don’t get to know Archer and Iris on a deeper level beside them freaking out about not knowing how to take care of a 5-year-old. All we get to know about Iris and Archer is that Iris had many jobs in her life and Archer worked in some fancy restaurants in Europe and wanted to be a famous cook. And thats pretty much all we get to know about those characters. 

The characters from previous books are pretty much none existing because we only get like 2 or 3 scenes where we get to see Kira (the main character from book 3) and we get one scene with Logan (the main character from book 1) and thats pretty much it. Which in a way annoyed me because I really loved the characters from the previous books in this series. And this book not having those characters feels in a way like a stand alone book rather than a book in a series. Because the previous books in this series had characters from the previous books in this series. 

The writing style was easily my favorite part of this book, because it was the same as in the other books in this series. The writing style in this book is easy and straightforward. The writing style is pretty much a YA writing style because of how easy and simple it is and it makes the book fast to read. At the same time the writing style really goes well with the easy going plot of this book.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Pixies #1” By Sean Patrick O’Reilly & Shawn DePasquale Review

Part one! Joe Beck is an auto mechanic with the worst luck in the world, and since a young age, his accidents have introduced him to every hospital employee within a sixty-mile radius. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen divides everyone into the Horrible and the Miserable. Joe unfortunately falls into both categories. To get the girl of his dreams Joe must discover his affliction, ‘The Pixie Curse,’ and find out how to redeem a mistake he made many years ago.

I need to admit here that this comic book has a charming premise and flashes of playful mischief, but the execution of the plot in this comic book feels uneven.

This comic book struggles to land its tone which is caught between whimsical fantasy and broader slapstick and it is resulting in a start that’s more cute concept than compelling comic. In a way because of this problem this comic book fails to engage me or interested me personally long enough to give this comic book a good rating.

The core idea of this comic book has pretty impish, storybook appeal that could support quirky adventures. But in my opinion the only audience this comic book will appeal to are young children who are learning to read and we want to give them something fun enough for them to not lose interest in reading.

This comic book has a very straightforward plot line to it while also trying to make some jokes to appear as humors to add light and breezy mood to the whole comic book.

The characters in this comic book, has a feel to them that makes them more as archetypes with limited interiority than anything else that I want the characters to be so that I can give the comic book a good rating. Because of this its very hard for me personally to invest in the characters’s stakes or journeys throughout this comic book.

This comic book has also a pretty inconsistent tone to it. Because this comic book keeps jumping from winking fantasy to noise-and-chaos humor which made me feel like the creators of this comic book couldn’t make up their minds on which way to go with.

The same thing can be said about the very uneven pacing of this comic book. Because there are some scenes which seem like they are on a marathon of how fast they are, while other moments in this comic book are very very slow. In my opinion because of this the plot feels more like a string of bits than a fully developed plot line.

The artwork in this comic book is in my opinion the best part of this comic book. Because it is very clean and cute at times. 

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“FCBD 2015 – Motorcycle Samurai” By Chris Sheridan Review

Look hard into the storm clouds. You may yet see her, mounted on her electric steed, streaking past. The last hero of the West… THE MOTORCYCLE SAMURAI! It’s been called “the new benchmark for indie digital comics.” Now discover the mad genius of The Motorcycle Samurai for yourself, as Chris Sheridan does the brings his creation to print! Top Shelf celebrates FREE COMIC BOOK DAY with 24 pages of full-color action, whetting appetites around the world for the future release of The Motorcycle Samurai graphic novel. Now saddle up and let’s ride!

This comic book tires to give us an exciting blend of action and martial arts wrapped in a unique premise, but unfortunately, it falls short in execution. Which had really disappointed me a lot because I had some high hopes for this comic book because I have read some very good comic books recently.

The storyline in this book feels rushed and somewhat underdeveloped which had left me with more questions than answers and little emotional connection to the characters. Which had disappointed me a bit.

The pacing in this comic book is pretty uneven, with scenes that jump quickly without sufficient buildup or payoff.

The concept of this comic book has had some potential. But the narrative doesn’t do enough to fully explore it or create a compelling hook.

The artwork in this comic book is competent but overall lacks the detail and energy needed to elevate the story or make the action sequences truly engaging. Overall, the visuals feel generic and don’t leave a lasting impression.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Arcana Studio Presents 2016 FCBD Ed: Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom” By Sean Patrick O’Reilly Review

Comic book legend Stan Lee’s newest creation, The Unknowns, makes it’s world debut on Free Comic Book Day! Two average teens help alien protectors disguise themselves as a touring rock group in order to take out undercover cells of invaders! Also included is the next chapter in the Howard Lovecraft series (just in time for the animated feature film, Howard Lovecraft & The Frozen Kingdom), as everyone’s favorite Cthulhu teams up with young H.P. Lovecraft in Howard Lovecraft & The Squid Kids! 32 pages of all-ages animated fun!

I need to admit here that the only reason why I read this comic book is because it has H.P Lovecraft as its main character. Which easily makes me read anything if the book or comic book has one of my favorite horror authors in them as the main character.

This comic book aims to introduce H.P Lovecraft and the monsters he created in his stories for a wider family-friendly audience which the parents would allow their young  kids to read. Which was a very unique approach to H.P Lovecraft and his satires. 

The Lovecraftian horror is very weak in this comic book because this comic book is supposed to be a kid friendly adventurous twist. But for me personally this comic book doesn’t quite hit the mark of being a good comic book.

The story in this comic book feels overly simplistic to me, and it lacks the depth or tension that could make the Lovecraftian themes truly compelling.

The narrative of this comic book is predictable and at times, feels rushed, which diminishes the potential for building suspense or emotional investment.

The artwork in this comic book is certainly unique and approachable. The artwork in this comic book clearly aims at younger readers, but it sometimes clashes with the darker tone the story attempts to convey. 

The artwork style in this comic book doesn’t fully capture the eerie atmosphere that Lovecraftian tales typically demand.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“We Shall Be Monsters” By Alyssa Wees Review

Gemma lives with her mother in an isolated antique shop in Michigan, near a small patch of woods that conceals an enchanted gateway to fairyland. She knows she’s not supposed to go into the woods – her mother Virginia has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there – and yet defiantly, curiously, she goes anyway.

I need to admit here that the only reason why I read this book is because I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book on Tik Tok. And after reading this book I gotta admit that this book doesn’t live up to the hype it has on the Tik Tok. 

The storyline in this book is very hard to get into because the storyline is very hard to get into. I personally found it to be very confusing because I didn’t know what was happening in this book as I was reading it because the storyline seemed all over the place in this book.

The pacing in this book was very very slow. The plot would take forever to go anywhere which really annoyed me because of how slow this book is. I don’t even know what the main plot in this book was, because the plot so slow and it kept switching directions very frequently.

In this book we get 2 different POVs which made me even more confused as I was reading this book. Because both of these POVs sounded very similar to me personally and because of it I had a really hard time telling the POVs apart.

The writing style here was very simple here. Almost too simple. As if it was meant for a elementary school student to read it. But it wouldn’t make sense but Goodreads ranks this book as “adult” category book.

The characters in this book seemed to me like the same character but split into multiple characters instead of being one good character.

All the characters in this book seemed very similar, and for the most part had the same thoughts and opinions which made it very hard for me to tell them apart from each other.

To be very honest here, this book didn’t feel like a fantasy book. It felt more like a fiction book because of how little fantasy elements this book had. Actually this book had none fantasy elements to make it a “fantasy” book.

I Give This Book 1 / 5

“Neelakshi: The Quest for Amrit Preview” By Ryan Foley Review

21-Page Preview! Neela, or Neil as she prefers to be called, is transported to the land of the demons where she is Neelakshi, the blue-eyed dark maiden of an ancient prophecy. Her quest is to obtain Amrit, the nectar of immortality and give it to the demons, who are not the evil creatures of myth. On the contrary, the demigods appear to lust for power more than the demons. Will Neelakshi obtain Amrit? And will she hand it over to the demons

Let me start this review by saying that this one is just a preview for the entire comic book. And I read it because I wanted to see if the full comic book was worth the money and time I would spend on it. And I’m gonna give you the answer for that at the end of this review.

This preview tries to introduce us to a rich, mythologically inspired world. But in doing so it struggles to make a strong first impression. Or even to make it memorable or interesting for people like me who’s this preview is first introduction to this comic book series.

This preview shows a promise and potential for this preview to could have been a good preview which would get me interested into continuing reading this series.

This preview feels rushed and somewhat confusing. At the same time this preview leaves key elements underdeveloped or unexplored which really annoyed me because I couldn’t get a clear picture if this series was good enough for me to get into.

The story in this preview tries to blend fantasy and adventure with cultural motifs, but the pacing hampers the build-up of tension and character depth.

At the same time the main character in this preview feels pretty underdeveloped. And the protagonist’s motivations are unclear.

The world-building in this preview is very weak. And I felt like this preview lacked a lot of context to fully engage me personally.

The artwork in this preview is competent but inconsistent, occasionally lacking the clarity and detail necessary to bring the narrative to life.

So will I buy and read the full version of this comic book ? I don’t think I will. The main reason behind this is how poorly this preview was very uninteresting for me personally.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The New Atlantis” By Francis Bacon Review

In New Atlantis, Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where “generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, piety and public spirit” are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem. The plan and organisation of his ideal college, Salomon’s House (or Solomon’s House), envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences.

This book is a utopia themed book which really surprised me a lot in how bad it is. I tend to like utopia books like The Hunger Games and Ready Player One. So when I got to this book I had some high expectations for this book which it didn’t live up to.

The vision this book has for a future society is very ridiculous. Because the way this book describes a utopian society made me think “I don’t need to be Nostradamus to know that this shit will never happen”. 

The reason why I say this book is ridiculous is because the characters in this book considers the Africans to be the ‘little foul ugly Spirits of Fornication’, the American Indians super ‘savage’ and the Chinese ‘foolish’. As you can notice that book throws into the plot very wide generalizations about people with different ethnicities.

The plot in this book seems very stereotypical and like it was written as orthodox christian propaganda. Which really made me like this book less than I already did.

The writing style in this book is pretty weak. Because it felt like the author of this book didn’t know what he was doing. And even the writing style in this book feels like a pure orthodox christian propaganda. Which I personally hate the most in books when the book turns out to be an religious propaganda book.

However this book had some good moments throughout this book, but those moments were pretty rare. Because most of the time this book felt like reading a torture device in literature form.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Motorcycle Samurai: A Very White Bolt Christmas” By Chris Sheridan Review

On one dark and blustery night, the townspeople of Nowhere, nestled all snug in their beds, dream of soft fluffy things wrapped in bows. In this strange land, The Stranger, dressed all in red, comes calling with eight tiny minions in tow, The Stranger swoops to the rooftops, and readies to descend down the stove-pipes. But White Bolt, awake and at the ready, is perched to say, ‘Howdy’. In the vein as the holiday specials of childhood, Chris Sheridan, Top Shelf brings you this amazing Guided View Native title just in time for a long winter’s solstice in the high desert.

This comic book tries to give us a good blend of holiday themes with action-packed storytelling. But in reality this comic book falls short of delivering a memorable or engaging read which would have been good enough for me to give it a good rating.

This comic book has a concept that had potential for being quirky, fun and interesting. But the way it is presented to us feels uneven and lacks the depth needed to hold the interested of the reader. Which happened to be while reading this comic book.

The pacing in this comic book is pretty uneven and awkward. Some of the scenes in this comic book are dragging with no end without much purpose and others rushing past key moments that could have added emotional weight or humor. 

The characters in this comic book come across as one-dimensional, making it very hard for me to connect or care about their journey. Which for me means a low rating, because if I cant connect or care about the characters’s journey I wont like the comic book / book. 

The artwork is in my opinion the best part of this comic book, but in the end the artwork doesn’t add much to elevate the story. Which again isnt a good thing for me personally.

There’s a sense that the issue leans too heavily on novelty without developing a strong narrative or meaningful themes.

I Give This Book 2 / 5