Book Review: Worship Me by Craig Stewart

Worship Me

by Craig Stewart
August 1, 2017
358 pages
Publisher: HellBound Books Publishing LLC
Something is listening to the prayers of St. Paul’s United Church, but it’s not the god they asked for; it’s something much, much older.

A quiet Sunday service turns into a living hell when this ancient entity descends upon the house of worship and claims the congregation for its own. The terrified churchgoers must now prove their loyalty to their new god by giving it one of their children or in two days time it will return and destroy them all.

As fear rips the congregation apart, it becomes clear that if they’re to survive this untold horror, the faithful must become the faithless and enter into a battle against God itself. But as time runs out, they discover that true monsters come not from heaven or hell…
...they come from within.


It is hard for me to find a horror story that I can buy into and feel on a visceral level. Worship Me was a wonderful surprise. The author does an amazing job of creating relatable characters. But in this case, I feel like the author created individuals. None were just thrown in as monster fodder. And there is a lot of messy killing in this one.

Not only were the characters realistic, the plot which seemed predictable, was actually not. I did not see the twist at the end. It was a "Holy crap...no, he didn't. HA!" moment. Some deaths you see coming, some you don't. You quickly realize there are no special snowflakes in this story.

There is physical horror (gore) but it isn't slasher porn. It was appropriate for the "monster" and its end game. There is also psychological horror as humanity breaks down and people make their choices. 

The writing is excellent and I hate to do this because everyone compares horror writers to him, but Stewart's storytelling in Worship Me reminds me of early Stephen King.

This would have been a 5 sheep but the big showdown fight at the end went on for too long and stretched what I thought the human involved was physically capable of handling. A little over the top drawn out unnecessarily. I might have skimmed through some of it... but everything else was spot on!

4.25 "This is gonna hurt" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:
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Craig Stewart is a Canadian author and filmmaker who learned how to count from the rhyme, "One, two, Freddy's coming for you."

He's a creator and connoisseur of everything horror; never afraid to delve into the dark, and then a little further. His written works include short stories, film scripts, articles, and most recently, a novel.

He has also written and directed several short horror films that have enjoyed screenings across North America.

Selah's Manga Mania Reviews: Boys Over Flowers, Vol. 1 (Hana Yori Dango) by Yoko Kamio

Boys Over Flowers, Vol. 1
(Hana Yori Dango)
by Yoko Kamio
October 29, 2013
36 total volumes
208 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media, shōjo 
Genre: Romantic comedy, teen, YA
Tsukushi Makino is accepted into the prestigious, Eitoku Academy. Life changes dramatically for Tsukushi when her friend falls on Tsukasa Domyoji. Tsukasa is the explosive leader of the "F4," a group of the most powerful, rich and handsome boys. Domyoji refuses to accept Makiko's apology and Tsukushi steps in to protect her friend. A red tag appears in the Tsukushi's locker the next morning which is a sign from the F4 that she is to be bullied by the school. Tskushi continues to stand up to her oppressors.

So, obviously, I’ve developed a thing for sparkly, dramatic, over-the-top shojo manga through the years. Partially, it’s what I’ve been exposed to, partially it’s because some series do some really interesting things and tangent into unique areas before coming back to the main plot. Admittedly, it’s also because even if it’s not something I’m a million percent down with story-wise, I’ll absolutely get behind it if it’s completely cracked out and over-the-top.

This does not mean it is bad. It just means it’s different and I’m likely reading shojo for reasons that differ from the rest of humanity.

With that in mind, I’ll likely be going through some shojo (or shoujo) titles in the next few weeks, because we’re ramping up toward Valentine’s Day, winter is an opportune time for cuddly romance, and honestly some of these titles are just so balls-out ridiculous it’s amazing.

With that in mind, we’ll start with one of the classics.

Boys over Flowers (or Hana Yori Dango), might seem familiar to some because it’s been interpreted as an anime, a J-drama (Japanese drama), a K-drama (Korean drama), and all sorts of other dramas. Seriously, if you want a long-term romance series, this is the big daddy out there. This is the best-selling shojo manga of all time. And it is amazing.

Tsukushi is a poor student whose family has managed to get her into Eitoku Academy, school to the rich. The other students consider her beneath them, a weed (which is emphasized by her name, one of the little things English readers might not always pick up on). The school is socially ruled by the F4, a clique of 4 of the most elite, richest, hottest dudes in the school which is led by Tsukasa Domyouji. After a confrontation with the group, he takes an interest in her. They start off as massive adversaries and eventually, there is mutual interest and the rest of the series is more or less them trying to stay together/be given a chance together.

This is the severe cliff notes version because this thing is like 36 volumes long. And it’s worth every bit of it. This ain’t your typical CW angst show material, yo (Though it should absolutely be a CW show. Why we don’t have a version of this makes me want to scream into the void).

Highlights include:

A love triangle between Tsukushi, Tsukasa, and Rui (another F4 that is partially attempted to be solved by basketball at one point.

Various times the school goes after Tsukushi at Tuskasa’s whim, but then he changes his mind – this includes a moment where he gathers the thugs who went after Tsukushi, strings them up by their ankles from the roof of the school, then encourages Tsukushi to cut them down and let them fall.

Rui’s model friend that he was in love with but never confessed to because of how he relates to people shows up so the love triangle becomes a weird square until she decides to become a lawyer.

Tsukasa has an arranged fiancé he doesn’t know about because half this series is his mother trying to prevent him from marrying down.

There are lookalikes of various characters.

Various characters are framed in certain situations that they then have to figure out

Tsukasa has amnesia at one point and by then the rest of the F4 is helping him get together with Tsukushi so they have to un-amnesia him

Various moments when Tsukasa and Tsukushi go on random field trips (where like the whole school is apparently shoved on a big boat and goes to an island or goes skiing or whatnot) and they get lost or thrown into situations that almost lead to intimacy but not quite.

So typical high school stuff, amirite?

I mean you could use this series as a list of shojo tropes and I’m sure some of you are wondering what I’m on at the moment.

Joy. I’m on joy, my dudes. And chocolate.

Here’s the thing: through it all, it works because of the characters. To start, neither Tsukasa or Tsukushi is terribly likable. We root for Tsukushi because we’re more like her (well most of us probably are), but she’s not a typical nicey-nice heroine. She’s prickly. She’s defiant. She’s stubborn, and not in accessible ways. She’s awesome. Tsukasa may start off somewhat borderline psychotic (and I get this only works because fiction), but his experiences with Tsukushi cultivate his empathy (and really that of all the F4).

There are some fantastic moments with side characters and it’s really interesting that this series choose to develop some rival characters into friends for the protagonist. Because it’s so long, it can do things that movies/series/books we’re used to can’t really do and venture into territory they don’t. A lot of the cast ends up sticking around or popping back up, and have their own moments with other side characters that lead to them slowly changing their views.

It’s a decent look at the economic strains of Japan and something that I think we really don’t always try to understand. You get a look at how Tsukushi’s father is handling the recession and what that means for her and others – and because her rich classmates just don’t get it because they don’t have to deal with that sort of thing, it’s a contradiction and setting that brings about some really interesting and funny moments.

Yeah, you’re going to get frustrated with the characters, but you also grow to develop a love for them. You want things to work out, even if in the real world they probably wouldn’t. You end up not minding all the bizarre twists and turns and drama because it’s different drama than what we see in our entertainment every day. Granted, I prefer the mid to end of the series because I do think it’s a little bumpy to start (especially if you’re not used to reading these kinds of plots), and I like some moments more than others, but I will always love Boys Over Flowers. It was my first long series that I read and remains one of the best.

And seriously, let’s have our own drama version already because I maintain this is one of the few things that could be adapted somewhat easily and still work.

F5 sheep

***

About Selah Janel:

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

Book Review: Defying Magick (The Witch Blood Chronicles #1) by Debbie Cassidy

Defying Magick (The Witch Blood Chronicles #1)
by Debbie Cassidy
August 22, 2017
342 pages
Being left behind to hold the fort every time the world needs saving, sucks.

For Carmella Hunter, a witch blood with practically no magick, being surrounded by powerful friends has taken its toll. For once it would be nice to be the one doing the saving. Stuck in a dead end job in Piccadilly’s favourite bakery, Carmella spends her days making cinnamon rolls and her evenings feeding the homeless, all the while dreaming of making a difference.

One huge pastry order for the Covens annual meet and an attack of flu germs leaves Carmella delirious with a fever—too delirious to avoid a fateful bargain with a djinn named Paimon. Bound to do his bidding, his seductive voice in her head and his infuriating arrogance make the partnership a trying one. With Paimon, Carmella gets her first taste of power. A power she must use to track down the monsters hunting Paimon’s people. Suddenly Carmella isn’t so helpless anymore.

Things get complicated when her boss, and close friend, goes missing, and the enforcement agencies don’t seem too bothered about looking for a celestial dancer who likes to sleep around. With the help of Mal Banner, the Piccadilly Coven Elder Witch and self professed playboy, Carmella finally has the opportunity to be the hero she’s always wanted to be.

But someone doesn’t want Carmella digging. Someone will go to any lengths to make her stop.

Embark on a new journey. Scroll up and grab your copy today!

The Witch Blood Chronicles is the spin off series to the hugely popular Gatekeeper Chronicles coauthored with Jasmine Walt, and although it can be enjoyed as a standalone series, the author recommends reading The Gatekeeper Chronicles first for maximum impact.


Binding Magick is the first installment in a new urban fantasy series, The Witch Blood Chronicles. Carmella Hunter, a witch blood, works in popular London bakery. The only magic she’s capable of creating, however, is her delicious cinnamon buns. Carmella has never been able to properly tap into her witch powers. Instead, the talented baker focuses on helping others. As the operator of a soup kitchen and shelter, Carmella’s life is firmly rooted in the daily grind until she finds herself bound to a seductive and all-powerful djinn, Paimon. On a mission from another dimension, Paimon recruits Carmella to help him solve the mysterious disappearance of his people. The disappearance of Paimon’s people coincides with the disappearance of paranormal beings in Carmella’s world, so she’s motivated to help. With access to Paimon’s powers, Carmella finally feels equipped to delve into supernatural mire to find answers.


I liked this story. It has all the ingredients of an excellent urban fantasy. Carmella is beautiful, talented, and sassy, but flawed. Ergo she’s relatable. The storyline is creative and action-packed. Cassidy weaves loads of romantic tension throughout the story, which I love. The table is set for an engaging series; there are many directions Carmella could take in life and love. Another feature I found interesting was Cassidy’s use of Hindu deities as the basis for the story. I found this to be a refreshing and original touch in a genre that more commonly relies on Western constructs.

While reading, however, I felt I was missing loads of backstory. I found that Witch Blood Chronicles is a spin-off series. The Gatekeeper Chronicles, co-written by Cassidy, is the story of Malina Hayes, Carmella’s best friend, and supernatural assassin. While the series are separate, they take place in the same world. I suspect readers familiar with Gatekeeper would’ve had an easier time navigating book one of Witch Blood. Nevertheless, I’ve downloaded book two and am eager to see where Carmella’s newfound powers will take her. The series is currently available for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Four Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction. Debbie also writes dark, diverse Urban Fantasy fiction, under the pen name Amos Cassidy, with her best friend Richard Amos.

The Story Behind the Story: Kismet: The Birth of Outcast Station by Jeanne Adams and Nancy Northcott

Kismet: The Birth of Outcast Station

by Jeanne Adams and Nancy Northcott

Even outcasts deserve a shot at redemption.

Sometimes a chance remark sparks something that’s a lot of fun, especially when the spark lights up two writers.. We were talking on the phone one day, discussing our writing plans for the rest of the year, when Nancy commented, “I’m thinking of writing a space opera. I like reading it so much that I think I would enjoy writing it.”

“Really?” Jeanne responded with great enthusiasm. “Me, too! Want to do it together?”

And so Outcast Station was born. Its real name is Paradise Station, and it encompasses the planet and an orbital space station out in the far reaches of colonized space. The nickname, Outcast Station, came about because the place is the dumping ground of the Federated Colonies. It’s jokingly referred to as the place careers go to die. Anyone in government service who’s a slacker or crosses the wrong person lands there. So do people who can’t make sense of their lives and are desperate for a new start.

We thought exploring lives of the misfits on the station and the planet would be fun because, as noted above, even outcasts deserve a shot at redemption.

We decided to launch the series with a two-novella anthology, with one story by each of us. That sounded great on paper, but then came two or three weeks of building the world in a series of emails and marathon phone calls as we came up with a history of the Federated Colonies. We then had great fun inventing the huge, pterodactyl-like rocs, the buffles that were the equivalent of North American buffalos, and the bacca crop that’s the core of the planet’s economy because it’s used in pharmaceuticals. Then we turned to inventing various non-human races, which was also fun. As we wrote our individual novellas, we refined and expanded the world, depending on what we each devised as the stories grew.

Jeanne created BVax, a pharmaceutical company that is one of the foundational pieces in the worlds we’re creating. With BVax, you’ve always got a resource when an unknown plague or virus strikes. You’ve got a member of every major expansion/expedition team and station unit who’s essentially above and beyond the law when it comes to recognizing and stopping the spread of spaceborne plagues and viruses. It makes for interesting challenges, not to mention fascinating personalities!

Jeanne’s hero in The Accidental Plague, Dr. Ravinisha Trentham, faces the usual issues with being BVAX on a station (Not a marshal, not a tech, not medical staff, per se…) as well as being the new kid on the block, so to speak. In addition, she comes from a world that’s been known for its negative contributions to Galactic expansion. She’s got an uphill battle to win over her fellow station inhabitants, even on a place like Outcast Station.

Already the subject of gossip and dislike due to her origins, Ravi has to put all that aside when a major plague breaks out onstation. If they can’t solve the riddle, then everyone will die. Hell of a way to start the new job, right?

Nancy, who likes police procedurals, created the Federated Colonies Marshals Service. These marshals serve as the local law enforcement and so are more like the marshals of the old American West than the present US Marshals, whose duties have wider scope and don’t generally include things like arresting drunks or solving murders.

The outcast hero of Nancy’s story, The New Badge, is Deputy Marshal Hank Tremaine. He was a rising star in the marshals service until he crossed the wrong man. Even though his decisive actions were necessary and resulted in a successful hostage rescue, they left his immediate supervisor looking ineffective. That’s never a good career move. So Hank was sent to the purgatory known as Outcast Station. He’s determined to keep his head down and his nose clean and get out of the place as soon as his three-year rotation is up.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. The Chief Deputy Marshal for Paradise Station is a buddy of Hank’s old boss. Within 48 hours of landing on the planet, Hank is assigned to a murder case in a place where he doesn’t know the ground or the customs. Solving the case could help him redeem his career from the disgrace of being posted on Outcast Station. Failing, however, will torpedo his hopes.

To read excerpts from both novellas, click here: http://www.nancynorthcott.com/welcome-to-outcast-station/?action=excerpt

The excerpt for The New Badge follows the one for The Accidental Plague.

Thanks to I Smell Sheep for having us, and thanks to everyone who stopped by. Do you have any questions about the characters or the world? What’s your favorite outer-space story?

Welcome to Outcast Station

by Jeanne Adams,‎ Nancy Northcott

August 31, 2017

312 pages

Welcome to Outcast Station

Even outcasts deserve a shot at redemption.

The Accidental Plague by Jeanne Adams

Outcast Station is a backwater, but for BVax Scientist Ravinisha Trentham, any posting is better than washing dishes. Ravi is top in her graduation class, but only Outcast would hire a McKeonite. Someone on the station wants her dead, but when a plague breaks out, Ravi may be their only hope. If the murderer gets to her first, everyone will die.

The New Badge by Nancy Northcott

Deputy Marshal Hank Tremaine crosses the wrong person and lands at Outcast Station, the armpit of Terran space. His hostile boss promptly assigns him to a backcountry murder. Solving it will help redeem his reputation and get him posted somewhere more civilized. But failing to find the killer will bury his career once and for all.

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About the Authors:

Jeanne Adams is an award-winning suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal suspense author who really knows how to get rid of the evidence… She’s written for traditional publishers, while concurrently stepping into independent publishing. Find her books on all major digital outlets. Featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Jeanne’s books are consistently hailed as “Best Suspense Books of the Year!” by Romantic Times.

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Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman. Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy and YA romance. A sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the action, and high stakes (and sometimes magic and romance) she loves the books she writes.

Reviewers have described her books as melding fantasy, romance, and suspense. Library Journal gave her debut novel, Renegade, a starred review, calling it “genre fiction at its best.”

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Book Review: The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) By Genevieve Cogman

The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4)

By Genevieve Cogman
January 9, 2018
Publisher: Ace
Paperback Pages: 384

eBook Pages: 372.
ASIN: B06XR1NH33 ISBN: 9780399587429
In a 1920s-esque New York, Prohibition is in force; fedoras, flapper dresses, and tommy guns are in fashion: and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon political contest. It seems a young Librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can’t extricate him, there could be serious repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.

Irene and Kai are locked in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They’ll face gangsters, blackmail, and the Library’s own Internal Affairs department. And if it doesn’t end well, it could have dire consequences on Irene’s job. And, incidentally, on her life...

The fourth title in Genevieve Cogman's witty and wonderful The Invisible Library series, this current novel has plenty of action and adventure, and of course, books! After being commissioned to find not only a rare book but a young Librarian connected to the book they also might be helping dragons searching for it. This is not good as the Library has always remained neutral between dragon and Fae politics. Librarian Irene and her assistant, dragon, Kai, land in Prohibition-era Boston, only to find the library there destroyed and neither the Librarian nor the book in sight. After a run-in with a dragon, Hu, they escape and take a train to New York City, where they are thrust into the middle of a political fight with dragons, mobsters, and Fae.

This fantasy mixed with Steampunk has been set in Victorian-like worlds (except the Library—which is a more modern setting), this time we get a world set in the 1920s, which is one of my favorite eras of history. There’s something about gangsters, flappers, and more during this time, that has always fascinated me. The Lost Plot delivers the time well. If like me, you enjoy the Roaring Twenties, adventures concerning libraries, Librarian heroes, and fantasy and traveling between alternate realities, The Lost Plot, will give you what you want.

Review: The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library Novel)
Review: The Masked City (The Invisible Library #2) 
Review: The Burning Page (The Invisible Library Novel)

I give The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) 5 sheep.

Pamela K. Kinney

About the author:

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Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author, who has written for several role-playing game companies. Her work includes GURPS Vorkosigan and contributions to the In Nomine role-playing game line for Steve Jackson Games: contributions to Exalted 2nd Edition and other contributions to the Exalted and Orpheuslines for White Wolf Publishing: Hearts, Swords and Flowers: The Art of Shoujo for Magnum Opus: and contributions to the Dresden Files RPG for Evil Hat Productions. She currently works for the NHS in England in the HSCIC as a clinical classifications specialist.

She has had three books of her series about the multidimensional Library accepted by Tor Books, and the first two books, The Invisible Library and The Masked City, are now available. Her novels are represented by Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency.