3 Star Reviews – Page 9 – The Book Corner Chronicles

“The Traitors: The Interactive Game Book” By Alan Connor Review

June 25, 2025March 25, 2025Posted in Book reviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Book Reviews, Mystery / Thriller Book ReviewLeave a comment

I need to admit something here before we start this review. I hate reality shows, and “The Traitors” is the only reality shows I actually enjoyed and watched front to back. And when I saw that this book being released in knew I had to buy and read this book. With that being said, lets review this book.

I had a a fair share of fun with this book, even thou I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book. Because the reality that I’m the type of person who hates reality shows really quickly caught up to me when I was reading this book. And I would get bored and uninterested with this book as I was reading it. Which of course didn’t surprised me because I don’t know what I was expecting getting into this book knowing my hate towards anything involving reality shows.

This book is very faithful to the main reality show, but I personally had hard time following which who the characters were and remembering who was who in this book. Because I really didn’t give a shit about the other characters in this book which more or less made this book less fun in a way.

In this book we get those generic reality shows characters, the old retired lady, the jock, the plastic barbie with no brain cells, the smart girl, the introvert girl, the motorcycle guy, the freelance guy, you know the rest pretty much. As I’ve said above I had a hard time remember who was who in this book because I didn’t remember the names but rather used the nicknames I had for them.

I had a really hard time remembering who I had conversions with in this book, and who did what in this book. Because this book didn’t gives us the big suspense or the bond to other players which the show did, which was the main disappointment I had about this book.

However this book gives the psychological warfare which I really liked, because you have to think what to need to chose to not get kicked out off the game or not bet murdered by the traitors or not get suspected by the faithful if you are the traitor. I personally love the psychological aspect of mystery / horror of novels / shows / movies which of course made me like this book more for that aspect of this book.

But I need to admit that it took a awhile to finish this book because I would take those long breaks from it since there were many times where I would get bored of this book. And I really didn’t want to DNF it so I just waited a few days before getting back to the book to continue reading it.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Mwumba: Preview” By Bruce Brown & Lizzy Brown & Eduardo Savid Review

June 24, 2025April 23, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

10-Page Preview! Mwumba is the story of a little girl named Cassandra; the ruler of the jungle Mwumba. Everything in Cassandra’s world centers on her, and that’s just the way she likes it! For the first time, a mysterious monster has come into her jungle and is not only breaking sacred Mwumban law by eating vegetables, but worse yet, is taking all of the attention that rightfully belongs to her!

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 introduces us to the imaginative world of Mwumba, a place filled with creativity and charm. Which I found to be very interesting and fun to read.

The concept of this preview is delightful, capturing the essence of a whimsical adventure. Which made me give this preview some extra point for doing.

The storyline of this preview is engaging, but it has a lot of moments where the story goes down heal. Because of how introductory it feels at times which didn’t help with me wanting to read the full version of this comic book. Because it left me wanting more depth and more details.

The characters in this preview are introduced to us with personality and potential. But the personality aspect here is pretty weak, we see the glimpses of the characters’s personalities but its not like the personality aspect is always presented for the characters.

The main character in this preview is pretty likable and has hints of a rich inner world and motivations. And easily the main character is my favorite character in this preview.

When it comes to the side characters in this preview they show some glimpses of them having something which would make them standout. But for the most part the side characters feel pretty one-dimensional and flat

The artwork in this comic book is pretty vibrant and lively which was my favorite thing about this comic book. Because of how perfectly the artwork is complementing the playful tone of the narrative.

The artwork in this preview bring the whimsical world to life, enhancing the overall appeal. And in a way it had drawn me into the charming setting of this preview.

This preview tries to give us the themes of imagination, adventure, and self-discovery. Those themes are present in this preview, but at times those themes feel pretty underdeveloped at times and those themes aren’t fully explored as I wanted them to be. But at the same time those themes offer us both entertainment and substance.

So will buy and read the full version of this comic book ? Yes I will. It might take some time for me to actually read the full version of this comic book because I have been way too optimistic when creating my TBR list for this year and I don’t know if I get the time to read the full version of this comic book this year. But I will read the full version of this comic book at some point in time.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Shadowlaw: Preview” By Brandon Easton & Scott Kester & Ryo Kawakami Review

June 19, 2025April 23, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

In a future world of giant mechanized warriors, a rebellious soldier is sentenced to life in a distant prison colony. Once there, he finds himself the only man who can stop an advanced race of Vampire lords from taking over the world after they break their restricted feeding treaty with the human race. As he battles on, he must also cope with the growing realization that his very presence in the colony may be a part of their dark designs.

This preview gives us a pretty compelling mix of science fiction and political drama. And I personally love stories with political drama. So of course I would like this preview.

The concept of this preview is intriguing which had drawn me immediately into a world of darkness and conflict of this preview.

The setup of this preview is engaging and fun for the most part. The narrative feels very weak and introductory. Which annoyed me a lot while I was reading this preview. Because I felt like this preview was leaving out things which would get me more interested in reading the full version of this comic book.

The characters in this preview are introduced to us with potential, showcasing hints of depth and complexity. However, the preview only scratches the surface of their motivations and backgrounds. Which wasn’t enough for me personally to like the characters in this preview.

The artwork in this preview effectively captures the gritty, futuristic atmosphere of the narrative. Which really made me give this preview some extra points for. Because the visuals in this preview are sharp and dynamic, enhancing the mood and immersing us in the dystopian setting of this preview.

This preview tries to gives us the themes of power, control, and resistance which add more depth to the narrative of this preview. While these themes are compelling, their exploration remains surface-level in the preview which again annoyed me a fair share.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Fix: Preview” By Jeff Aden & Bryce Lee Review

June 14, 2025April 23, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

An undercover cop (Victor Campbell) enters an old warehouse to meet with “The Fixer”, the muscle bound vigilante who has been independently and aggressively taking drug dealers off the streets. Victor is shocked by what he sees in the warehouse office, a former fellow SWAT officer (Kent Dawning) who had been assumed dead for over five years. But not only is Kent alive, he is the Fixer. Kent, who looks nothing like his former self, now looking more like a tweaked out drug addict tells the story of how he became fixer for the first time and how it has consumed him to the point where normal life is no longer a option to him.

This previews sets sets up a crime-based narrative filled with intrigue and tension. Which I personally found to be very interesting, intriguing and fun to read.

The concept of this preview is promising because it has the elements of corruption and redemption woven into the plot. Which made me give this preview some extra points for because I liked what this preview was doing with the concept.

The storyline in this preview had captured my attention as I was reading this preview. But I need to be honest here and admit that at times it feels somewhat introductory because it doesn’t five away a lot of the details of the full comic book. And in a way it helped this preview because it got me all interested in reading the full version of this comic book.

The characters we are introduced to in this preview had the potential to be very good characters. Because the characters in this preview showed us glimpses of complexity and moral ambiguity. But this preview only touches on their motivations and backgrounds which left me a little bit annoyed at this preview.

The artwork in this preview effectively captures the gritty atmosphere of the story, using a dark and edgy style that complements the narrative. Which made me give some extra points to this preview. Because the visuals in this preview enhance the mood of the storyline and creates a intense and suspenseful setting.

This preview tries to give us the themes of crime, morality, and redemption which in a way adds depth to the narrative of this preview. While these themes are compelling, their exploration remains surface-level in the preview, which again annoyed me a little bit in this preview.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Continuum Preview” By Steve Snyder & Brian C. Hailes Review

June 12, 2025April 23, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

After an event dubbed ‘The Longest Day in History’, the world has been left in ruins. After years of searching for new planets to call home, scientists have found a way to make a one-way trip through time.

This preview sets up an engaging sci-fi narrative filled with potential. Which I personally found to be very intriguing and interesting.

The concept in this preview is intriguing, featuring elements of time travel and alternate realities. While the storyline captures interest, it feels somewhat introductory. Which really got me curious about the full version of this comic book.

The characters in this preview are introduced with promise, showing glimpses of depth and complexity. Which really got me interested to see the characters in the full version of this comic book. However, the preview only scratches the surface of their motivations and backgrounds, suggesting that future issues will delve deeper into their development.

The artwork in this comic book complements the sci-fi theme with detailed and imaginative illustrations. The visual style enhances the narrative, effectively capturing the futuristic setting and adding to the story’s allure.

This preview tries to give us the themes of time, reality, and human connection are present, offering thoughtful layers to the narrative. While these themes are compelling, their exploration remains surface-level in the preview, likely to be expanded in the full series.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“The Turn of the Screw” By Henry James Review

June 9, 2025March 23, 2025Posted in Book reviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Book Reviews, Fiction Book ReviewLeave a comment

A young governess arrives at Bly, a country home in Essex, England, to care for Miles and Flora, two precocious and pure children. But as ghostly visions take shape, the obsessively protective governess soon fears for the safety of her wards – only to wonder if these hauntings are a conjuring of her own imagination.

I need to be honest here and say that I’m very torn on this book, because on one side I really liked this book but on the other side I didn’t. But lets start this review and unpack this book and my opinions about this book.

This book has some very good horror moments, but those moments are very rare at least in my opinion. And the time between those good horror moments is very long and that as good.

The writing style in this book could have been better, because the sentence structure in this book is very long. There are times were a sentence in this book can be close 200 words long, which in my opinion its too long for one single sentence.

However this book has a nice gothic vibe to it which I always love as you might know if you have read my previous reviews. And the battle between evil and innocence in this book is pretty okay even thou I didn’t like it quiet so much as I wanted because I felt like there was something missing in this aspect at least.

The beginning of this book was very good in my opinion but the further I got into this book, I began to less and less enjoy it.

The story here is okay, it reminded me of “The Haunting of Hill House” but written poorly. Which pretty much gives you a good summary of I think about this book.

The majority of the characters in this book were pretty shallow. I just couldn’t bring myself to like the majority of characters in this book, thou I did like a lot the main character. There was something in the main character which really made me feel like me and the main character could easily be friends.

In my opinion this book is pretty overrated, because a lot of people say that this book is very good but after I read this one for myself I need to say that I have different opinions about it. I personally wouldn’t say that this book is “very good”, what I would say about this book is that it is pretty average.

This book had a very good and scary vibe to it, which really made me give this book some extra points for having.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Every Waking Moment: Preview” By Jeff Dyer Review

June 8, 2025April 23, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

10-Page Preview! What would you do if you never had to sleep again? When billionaire Grant Auden develops a new medical procedure that eliminates the need for sleep, the world’s most powerful protectors, The Idealists, undergo the procedure in order to show mankind the benefits of staying forever awake. But as the heroes work tirelessly, reporter Emma Troy discovers an unexpected and alarming side effect – without sleep, there are no dreams.

This preview sets up a narrative centered around psychological tension and mystery. Which I personally found to be very interesting and intriguing. Because I tend to love stories about the psychological mind fuck mystery and horror.

This preview has a concept which is engaging and has the huge promise of suspense and depth. Which really shown how much potential this preview had.

The storyline is very interesting because it is about all the things I love in horror and mystery stories. But at times the storyline in this preview seems somehow underdeveloped which left me wanting more depth and details to the storyline to fully be interested enough to buy and read the full version of this comic book.

The characters in this preview had a lot of intriguing potential. But the potential in this preview wasn’t used fully in my opinion.

The main character in this preview shows signs of complexity, though their full depth and motivations are not completely explored in the preview.

When it comes to the side characters in this preview, I gotta admit that they were pretty average in this preview. Because they don’t have a lot of personalities which makes them standout as much as the main character.

The writing style in this preview conveys a sense of tension and unease, which work very well with the narrative’s psychological themes of this preview. The writing style is very clear and engaging though the preview could benefit from more detailed world-building to enhance immersion.

This preview tries to give us the themes of perception, reality, and psychological exploration are touched upon, offering a thoughtful layer to the narrative. While these themes are compelling, their exploration remains surface-level which really left me with mixed feelings if I wanted to read the full version of this comic book.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Heart of Darkness” By Joseph Conrad Review

June 4, 2025March 23, 2025Posted in Book reviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Book Reviews, Fiction Book ReviewLeave a comment

River steamboat captain Charles Marlow has set forth on the Congo in Africa to find the enigmatic European trader Mr. Kurtz. Preceded by his reputation as a brilliant emissary of progress, Kurtz has now established himself as a god among the natives in “one of the darkest places on earth.” Marlow suspects something else of Kurtz: he has gone mad.

I need to admit here that this book might be a little overrated by a lot of people, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book, but after actually reading this book I need to be honest here and say that it isn’t as good as people claim it is. But at the same time I need to give this book some credit because this book has a few things I really liked about this book. But lets talk all about those things in this review.

The first thing I really liked about this book was that out was very well written, it was like the author knew what kind of words to use to complete grab my attention and not let it go until the very end of this book even thou I wasn’t that interested in the plot.

But at the same time the writing style could have been better on few fronts here, one of the issues I had with the writing style in this book was the fact that the paragraphs are very long and dense, which really made it hard for me to really enjoy the book and give it a good rating.

The last thing I need to mention about the writing style is that it is full of those four-dollar words which in my opinion would very quickly get boring and uninteresting.

Another thing which I didn’t like that much about this book is the fact that it uses endless metaphors and the rare dialogs we do get in this book end up being those very big and bulky paragraphs of one character’s monolog before the other character starts his / her’s monolog.

Another things which I really didn’t like about this book is the fact that the author was jumping from one topic to the next constantly and in the blink of an eye. Which really made it hard to get invested in the plot of this book because the topics would constantly change. At times I felt like the author was on cocaine or heroine and was just rambling about stuff without knowing about it because of how often and quickly the damn topics changed in this book.

But at the same time this book had some good moments, because it touches onto some topics I found interesting, and when the characters doesn’t go onto those very long monologues, I actually liked this book a lot even thou I wont probably read this book again nor recommend it to anyone.

The characters in this book were okay for the most part when they weren’t doing those very energy draining monologs which I really hated. But I gotta say that I liked them because they weren’t too complex but they still had that unique thing which made them feel like real human beings rather than characters on a piece of paper.

The plot in this book is pretty much all over the place. Because as I’ve said before, the author dumps from topic to topic in seconds in this book, which is really hard to follow the main plot in this book without getting confused and wonder what the fuck is happening.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Valiant Next: 2015 Preview” By Various Review

June 3, 2025April 22, 2025Posted in Comic Book ReviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Comic Book ReviewsLeave a comment

In 2015, the story starts here with VALIANT NEXT – an all-new wave of ongoing series and prestige format projects from some of the premier creative talents in comics today. Beginning in December with THE VALIANT #1 (of 4) by Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, and Paolo Rivera, VALIANT NEXT continues with five blockbuster new series in 2015. Following the critically acclaimed, smash-hit success of VALIANT FIRST in 2014, VALIANT NEXT will present six new starting points perfect for readers new and old. Featuring an exciting selection of new series starring Valiant’s biggest, most-demanded heroes alongside all-new, never-before-seen characters, VALIANT NEXT is the NEXT epic evolution of Valiant’s best-selling, fan-favorite publishing line.

I gotta admit here that the preview has various different snippets from different comic books in the Valiant series. I personally heard a lot of good things about this comic book series, so I decided to read this preview to see if the comic book world of Valiant is worth the time and money.

Each of the snippet from different comic books in the Valiant series really offer a unique and fun flair to the series, which I liked a lot. The diversity in storylines—from action-packed adventures to character-driven narratives—adds excitement and variety.

But each snippet is so short that you can’t fully grasp the depth of each plot. Which is the main reason for the low rating of this preview comic book, even thou I liked it a lot and I will continue the series because of this preview.

This preview introduces a range of intriguing characters, each with distinct personalities and backgrounds, which really hooked me into this series. But while the characters show potential, the limited space means their development is only hinted at, and we don’t see much of it in this preview. But in a way, this gives the series a benefit because it leaves us as readers curious to see how these personalities will evolve in the full series.

The artwork in this preview is consistently high-quality, with each series featuring its own distinctive style. The artwork in this preview effectively captures the tone and energy of each story, enhancing the overall appeal, which drew me into the Valiant universe.

The themes that this preview tries to give us here vary across the different stories, including heroism, identity, and conflict. While the thematic elements are compelling, their exploration is limited by the preview’s format.

So, will I buy and read this comic book series? Yes, I will read this comic book series at some point in time. It might not be this year because my TBR list for this year is very packed, so I don’t know if I will have the time to get into this comic book series this year. But I will buy and read this full comic book series at some point in time.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” By Lewis Carroll Review

June 2, 2025March 22, 2025Posted in Book reviewTagged 3 Star Reviews, Book Reviews, Fiction Book ReviewLeave a comment

On a drowsy afternoon by a riverbank, a young and distracted Alice follows a rabbit into a fantastical underground world that grows curiouser and curiouser. Dared, insulted, amused, and threatened by a succession of anthropomorphic creatures, the indomitable Alice falls deeper into a swirl of the imagination where logic has no place.

I gotta say that this book had disappointed me, since I was expecting to love this book. Because I remember watching the Alice in Wonderland movie with Johnny Deep and Alan Rickman when I was 8 years old (yes I am a 2002 kid) and completely loving that movie, So I was expecting to also love this book. But oh boy was I wrong on this one ? But enough of chit chat, lets get into the review.

I gotta say that I love the plot, because it is filled with crazy surprises, amazing adventures, very rational beheadings and tea parties. Whats there not to love about this plot right ?

I feel like the narrative this book, makes the entire plot feel less fun like it tries to hard to contain the plot and make it seem realistic. But then again it could be just me here, wouldn’t be the first time I had a controversial take on a book.

For some reason this book took me very long to finish because I needed to take breaks from this book as I was reading it because I would get tired and bored off this book in a way. But in the end I finished this book, which I am really happy that I did.

To be honest here if I didn’t know the basic plot of this book from the 2010 movie of Alice in wonderland and pop culture, I wouldn’t like this book as much as I did. Because I found it very hard to actually focus long enough on this book to get into the plot.

The characters here were okay, but we don’t get to know them a lot in this book. Because this book does have a lot of characters in this book and we simply don’t get enough time to get to know them on deeper level as I wanted to.

The writing style in this book wasn’t that good as I expected it to be. Because it is very simplistic, in my opinion way too simplistic for even children which is primarily who this book is aimed towards.

I Give This Book 3 / 5