It's Olay to Not Be Super!

 

Batman: Not Super by 

Stuart Gibbs, Berat Pekmezci (Artist), Taylor Esposito (Letterer)

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0 stars

My Review on Goodreads

This was a very fun, cute and age-appropriate introduction to Bruce Wayne, who grows up to become Batman. While it takes some liberties with the storyline in service to the story, it works. Bruce gets into a school for supers (although he has no powers) because his parents endowed the school. All the usual suspects from Gotham (and Batman's gallery of rogues) and Superman as well, attend the school, and they use their powers for their own benefit instead of for the good of others.

Bruce has decided to fight to protect others in the memory of his parents, who were murdered. He isn't sure how to go about it, but he's on the path to figuring it out.

It's so cute to see Bruce as a young boy and not in a super dark way like on the Gotham show (although I enjoyed the show). This story allows for levity and a sense of hope that is often missing in the Bruce Wayne/Batman origin story. It was refreshing to see Bruce as an awkward boy. While I am a Batman/Bruce Wayne superfan, he is often shown as unfallible and someone who doesn't make mistakes. Logically, we know that Bruce had to become Batman and that took a lot of very focused training, educating and evolution. One of the things I love about Bruce is that he is a self-made hero. His super power is that he doesn't give up. I saw this in the young version of Bruce in this story. He has some hijinks that play well for physical comedy in the panels.

I also enjoyed seeing the young characters from the DC verse with their unique quirks, heroes and villains. There were a few characters that I didn't catch, but most I did. I chuckled at them all going to the same school.

The art was really good. Berat Pekmezci is an illustrator to watch for and I would like to check out more of his work. I'm not sure if this is an ongoing series, but I'd definitely keep reading it. I'd loved to see one for Selina Kyle (Catwoman).

I read this pretty fast (while recovering from a bad illness) and it made me smile and kept my spirits up.

Overall Rating: 4.25/5.0 stars.

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The Ultimate Prey

Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X Book #4)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

 I am so in love with this series. Sometimes you are afraid that new books in the series cannot live up to the hype, but with this series, that definitely has not happened for me. I love these books so much, I have reread all the first four at the time of this review. I have the other books, and I am waiting for a good time to dive back into this series. I strongly recommend the audiobook. Scott Brick is brilliant at narrating the books. For me, he's how Evan Smoak sounds.

It's not like Evan doesn't have challenging situations to deal with. It's just that he's just that damn good at what he does. And like the Hulk, you really don't want to get on his bad side.

There are parallel missions running. One in which Evan is tracking his ultimate prey, the President (you heard me right), and helping a young man who has been subjected to the most horrific situation imaginable. I just absolutely love Evan. He's scary as hell, but only if you deserve it. He's the guy you want to have your back, because he will watch your back but good. Maybe it's sadistic of me, but I love watching him rain down the fires of God on the bad guys. What I also love is that while Evan learned to be the perfect killer, his mentor Jack also taught him what love and loyalty is, and that caring man comes out in the choices he makes throughout the book.

Each scene is meticulously plotted and beautifully written. I so want to see this on the big or small screen. One of my favorite scenes is a huge spoiler, but reading it for the second time was just as fantastic as the first.

This is the best action/adventure/thriller series I've read. I love me some Matt Reilly and Scarecrow, but the Evan Smoak series has surplanted it in my mind (sorry Matt, I still love you!) If you haven't read this series, what are you doing? Do yourself a favor and pick up Orphan X right now.

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The Ten Plagues of Egypt

 

The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger #3) by Jonathan Maberry

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

Wow, this is such a good series. I love how fast-paced these books are. Despite the extremely fast pace, there's also character development and exploration. Joe left the DMS after tragic circumstances he couldn't deal with. I honestly don't blame him. I don't understand how his adrenal glands don't just shut down because these books are non-stop and they take place in what I would consider real time. He was just drifting, but Mr. Church needs him back. The world needs him. It seems as though the bad guys just keep getting worse. Now there's a matermind who is enacting the ten plagues of Egypt. Joe and Team Echo needs to find them and shut them down, because a lot of people are going to die otherwise.

These books take place on a time clock, and the reader feels the tension as the hours and minutes count down. The stakes get higher with each book. It's surprising that the culprits are so willing to murder so many people, and when you find out why, it's always compelling. Lots of surprises and some really cool new characters get introduced. There are also some really mind-blowing twists that I didn't see coming. I did predict one huge revelation, but it was closer to the end of the book. I love seeing old favorite characters pop up as well. There's always a lot of risk and these books have quite a body count. If you have fears of contagion and bioterrorism, this book will trigger you for sure.

I won't be a broken record, but man this series is a must read for me. Pick up a Joe Ledger book if you want a book that will keep your pulse pounding.

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Mad Scientists

 

The Dragon Factory (Joe Ledger #2) by Jonathan Maberry

My Review: 5 out of 5 stars.

My Review on Goodreads

I absolutely love this series. These books go hard from page 1 to the end. Joe Ledger is such an interesting character, in my opinion. He's got layers: the aggressive killer, the thinking detective, the loving man who cares about his friends, family and lover. He's not just a roided up tough guy who takes out the bad guys. I mean, Joe is not a guy you want to go up against. He's lethal. But that's not all he is.

It's not just Joe for me. I like the world of this book, I mean, not the evil people harming others, but the concept of Joe's team with the Department of Military Sciences. It's extremely larger than life. The villains are like James Bond level villains bent on world domination. There are some plot points that would just seem to over the top and silly that generally if you heard about it, you'd roll your eyes. But it totally works in the book.

There's plenty of bad guy point of view, and I think that is a good idea. Because of the fact that the villains are so over the top, it helps to get into their head and see them as characters. Having said that, I really despised what the villain stood for and they were so gross. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think I'm okay saying there are multiple villains. The other villains were super extra. Like I said, James Bond but with a Millennial twist.

Hard to believe things could get more dire since Patient Zero, but Maberry managed it. It was quite a ride. There is so much emotional trauma in this book, it's hard to read about, quite frankly. However, it's also unputdownable. That's the dilemma. I really love this series.

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Rollercoaster Ride, With Zombies

Patient Zero (Joe Ledger #1) by Jonathan Maberry

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

 Reread completed in October to November 2021 on Audiobook

I have been listening to these on audiobook, narrated by the excellent Ray Porter, and I decided to go back to and listen to the first book in the series, because I wanted to experience it audibly. I loved listening to it. Honestly, the audiobook upgrades this to a five star. I really love this series.

I love how over the top it is. I love the characterization. I love the action. I love the science mixed with the James Bond type villains. I especially love how highstakes the plots are, and how there's very little slowdown of the story. Yet, the writing still allows for character development and emotional resonance. I would love to see these as a tv series one day!

I could go on and on about things, but I'll keep it simple. I'm really glad I took the time to reread/listen to this one. I think I might go ahead and listen to Extinction Machine since it's been a minute. Jonathan Maberry really knows what this action reader craves, because when I pick up a Joe Ledger book, it keeps me on my toes and I know I'm in for a wild ride.

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Setting the Stage

 

Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

Yikes. I read this and I never added it to my currently reading shelf. I think I read this in the winter, Februaryish. I found this really slow. I think it's more an expansive introduction to the characters in Geralt's life, such as Yennefer and Ciri. It's very talky. While I like dialogue and character development, I was jarred by how different it was from The Last Wish. I haven't watched the tv show yet, but I imagine it's nice to have this introduction into the world.

I'm not a big fan of political maneuverings in my readings, and that's a huge part of this book. Also it's sort of a coming of age as a big focus of the book is Ciri. Ciri's story is tragic, yet she is giving a second family of sorts, and an adoptive father figure in Geralt.

I don't know if it was just me, but I felt like Geralt wasn't in this one as much. That's a big part of why I was disappointed. I also missed the folklore bits. There's more stuff about magic systems and the religious practices, and of course, the political maneuvering. I missed the monster hunting and fighting a lot.

I am still excited about this series and will definitely keep buying and reading the books, but sadly, I found this one a little dry.

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Acheron, The River of Woe

 

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter #14)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review on Goodreads

I'm over a year late writing this review. I read this back in July 2020. The audiobook was an entire experience, which a character like Acheron highly deserves. The mystique of his character was something that kept me as a reader continually wrapped up in the series. Acheron was something like a guardian angel who watched over his crew with the fierce devotion of a father. While he could not always prevent bad things from happening, he strove to protect his Dark Hunter family and moved mountains to see things right. Acheron's ongoing presence in the books is as a mentor, a sage, a friend, and an ally. Now, his story became the focus, and I was here for it.

Kenyon goes back to the beginning, when Acheron was born, and the formative years of his life, and it is heartbreaking stuff. Talking about trauma. It's hard to put into words how to describe how reading about Acheron's past made me feel. It was like a history story that I was seeing unfold but I was not able to emotionally detach from. Having seen where he came from, I can truly understand his devotion and protectiveness towards his Dark-Hunter family. I always loved Acheron, but I love him even more after reading his book.

It was honestly a relief when the story moves to the present and there's hope for Acheron to have a happyish ending. I really liked Tori. I actually think she's perfect for Acheron. Despite the huge age difference between them (like 11,000 years), there wasn't a gap or a feeling that they were mismatched. Her story was compelling in its own way, but it didn't take the smoke away from Acheron, because frankly, this is his story. She's sweet but also feisty and independent. Acheron has a protective streak, but he also needs a heroine that doesn't need to be over-protected or coddled. Their interactions were a balm to me after all the horrible stuff that Acheron went through and that toxic relationship with Artemis he'd had over millennia that served to cause him nothing but pain and actually made things worse for him in the long run.

This book did give me insight into the complicated relationship between Acheron and Artemis, and I get that dynamic and why he continued to be in that twisted relationship with her throughout the series. I can't say I feel more sympathetic towards Artemis, but I understand her feelings and connection to Acheron more. I'm glad that this book offered some closure on that.

As for the ongoing story in the book, and how it ties into the series--Well I think that it was well done how the plot does have an aspect of completion, but also ties into the ongoing Dark-Hunter storyline. I liked the concept of overcoming what one's fate seems to dictate, or in other words, taking command of one's fate. It's great to see some of the gang show up, and it made me sad to see how Nick and Acheron are at odds. As a lover of Simi, it was really gratifying to see the evolution of her relationship with Acheron and why Acheron calls her his daughter.

There was so much to love about this book. It was really long. The audiobook was (I just checked) 23 1/2 hours. But it didn't feel bloated. I was surprised at how much of the book was about Acheron's past, but it makes sense. Acheron is a hugely important character to the Dark-Hunter series. And there is so mystique about him, it only made sense that Kenyon took the time to delve deeply into who he was. While it was extremely painful at times because of the relentless cruelty that Acheron suffered, it was also enthralling to explore his character and to fall more deeply in love with him. He is a very strong person to have gone through so much and to be so good and kind for all the abuse that others inflicted on him.

Just a note about the audiobook. Holter Graham is a fantastic narrator. If the narration had been substandard, there was no way I could have listened so long and tolerated all the awful things that Acheron experienced. I have read one or two other books with him, and I would strongly recommend him. I definitely recommend this audiobook.

Final thoughts: I am well aware how late I am in reading this book. I can't regret that I finally read it when I did, in the midst of the hellscape of 2020. It was the kind of all in read I needed at that time.

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