Sheep Book Review: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

The Immortal Crown: An Age of X Novel

Book 2

By: Richelle Mead
Adult Fantasy 

Plot: 

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret. 

You can hate me now, I made a big mistake with this one...I didn't read the first instalment. My bad! But saying that, I really don't think I "needed to", and I only say this because Mead did an excellent job of catching me up. Now I don't recommend this to first comers of this new seriers. Apparently I missed out on a lot and I will go back and read the first one at some point. 

Get to the review already! Wow, this was absolutely a very unique reading experience for me. A whole new world of crazy has been created here. Monsters of the most human looking kind, crazy God and Goddess worship and factions of humans trying to get in on all the action. It's off the wall politics at times, yet down to earth and heart felt. 

In a nutshell, I liked every page of it! I've not read anything like this. But somehow I can feel the realness of the world, it's so vivid and dynamic it should be in history books. Maybe it will be some day! Who knows, the gods of old could come back and kick all our butts. 

If you like lore along the lines of Odin and Freya, then you'll love this series. It's full of adventure and heartache. You wont be able to put it down and by Thor as my witness, you wont want to! 

Getting 5 Sheep 

KD 

Comic Review: Dark Swan: Storm Born Issue #4

Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she''s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld''s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past...

Writers: Richelle Mead, Grant Alter

Artist: Dave Hamann

Cover Artist: Dave Hamann, Hennyson Rosero

Page Count: 27 Full Color

This has become my favorite graphic novel. Not only do the colors “pop”, the artwork sets the perfect tone for the story and ‘hubba-hubba’ are the men sexy. As an added bonus, the writing is some of the best I have experienced in this medium. They have captured the snarky attitude found in most Urban Fantasy books and Eugenie has me literally laughing out loud. Even though I have not yet read the novel the comic is based upon, the authors and artists are able to efficiently build and depict the complex world of the story.

Issue #3 left Eugenie and her band of misfit minions in trouble after they crossed into the Other-world looking for a human girl who had been kidnapped by the Gentry. There was much ass-kicking all around and Eugenie did manage to escape, but she discovered why the males of the Otherworld wanted to get in her pants so bad. It seems her biological father was the Storm King and there is a prophecy associated with the birth of her first son. And it isn’t the good kind of prophecy (like they ever are <G>). Eugenie confronts her mom and step-dad and finally finds out the truth. She must now decide what she is going to do with the information.

On top of all the life changing events, Kiyo (the OMG sexy shifter we met back in issue #1) has showed back up and seems very protective of Eugenie. To make the plot even more interesting, she seems to be smitten with him.

Of course this issue also ended with a big cliff hanger and I will be impatiently waiting for the next issue.

5 Smiting Sheep

SS (edited by BAK)

Sea Lion Books LLC is a newly established publishing house which specializes in all formats-hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market in urban fantasy, paranormal, and young adult genres.

You can find Sea Lion Books:

Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Dark Swan: Storm Born Issue #3 + Give Away

Regular cov

Storm Born Issue #3

Writer(s): Richelle Mead, Grant Alter

Artist Name(s): Dave Hamann 

Cover Artist(s): Dave Hamann, Jennyson Rosero

Page Count: 32, Full Color

“Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she’s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures.
When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld’s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past…”- Dark Swan: Storm Born

I love this graphic novel because it is funny, sexy and action-packed. In my reviews of Issue #1 & #2 I mentioned all the smexy men, and guess what? We meet yet another one! He is one of the Gentry, did I mention my weakness for Fae? <G>. And as always the artwork colors pop and the facial expressions and body language speak volumes.

Incentive cover

This issue picks up where the last one left off, instead of going into a flashback or skipping forward. Eugenie has summoned up the three quirky spirits she has bound to her. She needs to go into the ‘Otherworld’ in her flesh body and wants their help to find King Aeson, a Gentry King, who has kidnapped a young girl from the mortal world.

The three spirits are a funny bunch; Volusian is a powerful, but evil spirit that often tells Eugenie he is going to kill her as soon as he can break free from her. Nandi is a Zulu woman who was killed for being a witch and Eugenie has promised to give her peace after three years of service. Understandably, Nandi is full of gloom and doom. A real Debbie Downer <G>. And then there is Finn, a pixie-looking man who isn’t bound to Eugenie like the others, he just likes to hang around.

Eugenie and her team head into the ‘Otherworld’ to find King Dorian (here is the smexy man I mentioned earlier). He is King Aeson’s enemy and Eugenie hopes he will help them rescue the mortal girl out of spite, if nothing else. King Dorian is both arrogant and flirty with long red hair and looks smokin' in his Puss in Boots get up. He can’t help Eugenie directly, but gives her a guide to lead her to Aeson’s castle. When Eugenie and her team arrive at Aeson's there is an action packed bloody fight because Eugenie and company have been lured into a trap.

Action-packed, snark, smexy men and evil doers with pictures (did I mention smexy men?). This comic is all that and a bag of chips! Sea Lion Books was kind enough to provide the first 6 pages of Issue #3 for your pleasure! You can see 6 pages of Issue #2 here.

5 “Rock’n the Green Cape” Sheep!

SS (edited by BAK)

Give Away:

Sea Lion Books has offered a copy of Issue #1 and #2

1. Tell me if you read graphic novels. If you do, what is your favorite?

2. leave a way to contact you and if you are a follower (followers get double entry)
Contest ends Sept 10 at Midnight

Sea Lion Books LLC is a newly established publishing house which specializes in all formats-hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market in urban fantasy, paranormal, and young adult genres. Sea Lion Books LLC's recent roster of authors include: International Bestselling author, Paulo Coelho, New York Times Bestselling authors Richelle Mead, Richard A. Knaak and more to be announced.

Find Sea Lion Books:
webstore
Facebook
Twitter

Urban Fantasy Comic Fun

Dark Swan: Storm Born
written by: Richelle Mead & Grant Alter
Art by: Dave Hamann

I am a big Urban Fantasy fan, but I haven’t had the chance to try Michele Mead’s Dark Swan series yet so I was excited to hear her first book, Storm Born, was going to be made into a comic book. I have become a recent convert to comics and graphic novels and I really love the mixing of art and fiction.

“Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she’s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures.
When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld’s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past…”- Dark Swan: Storm Born #1

Dark Swan: Storm Born will run 8 issues long, coming out once a month. The first 4 will be made into a graphic novel at the half way point, and then the last 4 will be released as a graphic novel at the end of the run. The comics are being published by Sea Lion Books LLC, and they were kind enough to send me digital copies of Dark Swan: Storm Born #1 & #2.

I absolutely love this comic. It is fun and fast-paced with a snarky heroine and most importantly, a smexy otherworldly man with visuals ladies! ;) Speaking of visuals, the art work is eye-catching and the colors pop. There is also a hint of sensuality to it, it is definitely an adult’s comic. There is some nudity, but the naughty bits are strategically covered .

Volume #1 introduces us to Eugenie Markham, a shaman for hire. She banishes spirits and all sorts of Fey creatures if they break into the human world. This is an open Urban Fantasy world where magic and supernatural creatures are well known to ordinary humans and are seen as ordinary. The first two panels had me laughing at Eugenie trying to banish a spirit from a shoe. The first volume does a good job of introducing us to Eugenie and her world. She has a cheesy and good-looking roommate who seems only interested in getting laid, and she has a good relationship with her mother and step-father. Something you don’t see a lot of in UF.

The first issue sets up a major story arc; for unknown reasons the otherworldly creatures Eugenie hunts and kills are now wanting to get to know her; in the biblical sense as she puts it. She has also been offered a dangerous case to help find a young girl who has been abducted by the Fey. And you can’t have a kick-ass UF heroine without a mysterious sexy man (did I mention there are pictures? ). This volume ends with them in bed and then….can’t give it away .

In Volume #2 Eugenie discovers, after a night of passion, Kiyo might not be who he said he was, but he disappears before she can banish him. She has another paying banishing job and gets more veiled references about the Otherworld’s interest in her. We get more information about Eugenie’s parents and their role in her life and she decides to take the case about the abducted girl, which means she must physically cross over into the Otherworld, this is unusually upsetting to her mother. It ends with her summoning what appears to be a demon.

Dark Swan: Storm Born is a comic worth checking out.

I give it 5 Banishing Sheep!

SS (edited by BAK)

Sea Lion Books LLC is a newly established publishing house which specializes in all formats-hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market in urban fantasy, paranormal, and young adult genres. Sea Lion Books LLC's recent roster of authors include: International Bestselling author, Paulo Coelho, New York Times Bestselling authors Richelle Mead, Richard A. Knaak and more to be announced.