Usotsuki wa Dareda Manga review

Author: Yukimura

Artist: Yukimura
Genra: Yaoi

Year: 2006

Original Publisher:

Core Magazine 

Volumes: 

  1 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary

Ichita and Hiromu are childhood friends and neighbors. But when Hiromu sees Ichita making out with another guy, he calls it "disgusting" and stops speaking to Ichita. Does Ichita just want his friend back? Or does he want something more from Hiromu?

My Thoughts on the Manga
I will say this first, it's such a sad cute story about two friends, with a great background story between the two and a great story of how they got together.

Ichita has been depressed ever since Hiromu and him stop being friends. He's a cute guy who is afride of Hiromu thinking badly of him again. He learns that he loves Hiromu but could never tell him. He works as a hair dresser and his boss has only started to like him and has been trying to get Ichita to date him but Ichita only has eyes for his old friend Hiromu (though he doesn't know this at first). Hiromu has always notice Ichita though he doesn't know how to express himself till it was almost to late. He's possive and has always had feelings for Ichita but only recently did he realized what those feelings were. Things get worse for both Ichita and Hiromu but soon they do settle their feelings for one another.

Ichita and Hiromu use to be friends but a incident happens at school during their highschool years that made them grow apart. Soon though they start talking again due to the help of Ichita's grandpa and though it's aqward at first they still try. Things between the two get worse from a miss understanding and that's when Ichita starts to think about moving away with his boss who has feelings for him.

This manga's story really draws you into their old friendship and their new relationships. Not to mention you wish for more because the manga ends to short.

Rating

4 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Obocchama no Otanoshimi Manga review

Author: Fuji Morita

Artist: Fuji Morita
Genra: Romance,  Shoujo,  Smut  

Year: 2008

Original Publisher:

Shogakukan  

Volumes: 

  1 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
“Young Master, please stop teasing me!”
“How am I supposed to do such a thing to you, Master?!”

After my Mom gets into an accident, I had to go in her stead to be a maid in the noble Takaido household. However, it’s not an ordinary maid job, I am assigned to serve a slightly perverted and saucy young master?!

My Thoughts on manga
Despite how the cover looks it was a really good manga with lots of scenes that makes you laugh and even if Obocchama(the master) is perverted you still end up liking him. Not only that but the drawings are well drawn for a shojo manga. Though this is a clique maid manga where the rich falls in love with the poor it is still good either way.

Ayumi Nakajima is our main character of this manga. She is a normal 19 year old girl who wants to help out her mom who is sick. So she goes to the Takaido house hold to be a maid instead of her mom. She couldn't help but fall in love with Obocchama even with his perverted ways. Obocchama is our male main cahracter he is the youngest of his siblings in the Takaido house hold. His father has big plans for him for taking over the family company/business. He falls in love with Ayumi who is different from all the rich people around him. Though trouble happens when his brother appears and his old tutor who both dislike Ayumi being with him but despite that he still loves Ayumi.

The romance is actually a bit fast due to it being 1 volume and the story it's self is only 3 chapters. Though there is some trouble with their relationship, for example how Obocchama has an arrange marriage to a rich girl. Then you have the brother who wants to take everything away from Obocchama that he cares about as well as the tutor who tried to break them up. Despite all of this both Ayumi and Obocchama prove their love for each other.

Design




As I mention above this manga has good shojo drawings of both the guy and the girl. Though there is detail in the faces and hair, the outfit designs are kind of basic. Some minor details as well is that the backgrounds sometimes lack details but that is to make the characters stand out more.











Overall
If only this story was longer it probably would have been rated higher but still if you like perverted young guys who are cute then check this manga out if you find the time.

Rating
3.5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

.5

The Unquiet (arc) by Jeannine Garsee Review

The Unquiet (ARC)

Author: Jeannine Garsee   

ISBN: 1599907232 (ISBN13: 9781599907239)
Release Date: July 17th 2012
Format : Paperback

Pages: 400

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal,
Contemporary, Mystery, Ghosts

Summary
Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

My Thoughts on the Book
Who would have thought a ghost teen book could actually be scary? Not only do people begin to act weird, there is even death in this book. I did really enjoy this book, and yes, a story focusing on ghosts is a first for me.

Corinne, or Rinn to her friends, is our main character of this book, and she isn’t like most girls you read in Young Adult books. You learn that she is actually bipolar and has to take medication for it. She puts her past behind her to start afresh at her new school. With her medication, she acts like a normal teenager and even makes friends right away. When she’s off her meds, she really does change. I did as my mom about bipolarism, as she does have something similar to it. She did confirm that once a medication is given, you have to keep taking it your pills, because it will never get better. This is shown in the book when Rinn goes off her medication. She begins to become reckless again and starts to hear things. Rinn's character is believable because of this unfortunate reality.

Nate is your everyday popular boy. He’s not a jock, but he is in the school’s band. You know right away that Nate isn’t shallow, staying with Rinn even when she told him her whole story about how she’s bipolar and what happen three months before. He sticks with her even when he wanted to have nothing to do with the ghost.

There were a few other characters that made the story run, each following their own character typecast. Meg, Tessa, Lacy and Dino are the key secondary characters. Meg, Tasha and Lacy are all from the popular group. They meet Rinn and each react in a different way towards her. Lacy was the brat of the group, mean to everyone that she doesn’t like. Meg is happy and is a good friend at first. Tasha is the daughter of Rinn’s mother's friend from long ago. Dino is an outcast of sorts. He did weed and would always try to get Rinn’s attention even when she wanted nothing to do him.

The romance is quite normal. Rinn is reluctant to fall for Nate at first, but over time she does start to like him. In turn, Nate doesn't run from her, or think any differently of her when he finds out about her problems. Nate seems drawn to her because she's a new face in the small town, someone interesting in monotony. They begin to date soon after meeting each other, and he becomes the only one that she can trust with her plans about the ghosts. They do appear to be right for each other, as their relationship grows over the span of a few months, and Nate doesn’t care much about Rinn’s condition.

The plot is new and quite interesting to me. It's very easy for a book about ghost hunting to become comedic and campy, but the author did a good job in making this book exciting. That being said, it was a bit slow in the development to the main plot line. I enjoyed reading the book, ready to find out what will happen next and which character the ghost will effect badly next. What I also liked was how the story also had a background on Rinn explaining her past and why her and her mom moved away from California.  They also explained why the ghost appeared and how she’s connected to the parents of Rinn and her friends.

Design


It took me a while to figure out that if the picture is of a girl laying upside down so that her hair fell into the water because of the way the image is it looks like the girl is trying to surface the water. This effect is cool in the way that it gives incite to some details of the book. I do love the placement of the title and author's name on the cover. It's placed well and what I like is that the author's name is different but it doesn't hinder the title of the book.





Overall
It's a great paranormal book about ghosts, if you like this type of thing I do recommend taking a look at this book.

Rating
4 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Sumanai!! Masumi-kun Manga Review

Author: Kaname Itsuki

Artist: Kaname Itsuki
Genra: Yaoi

Year: 2008

Original Publisher:

Houbunsha

Volumes: 

  1 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
Shiraishi Shoutarou, a novelist, just learnt that his young and honest editor-in-charge, Osanai Masumi, would marry his precious daughter. But his daughter went missing right before the wedding!
So now, Shoutarou is living under the same roof with the man who was supposed to be his son-in-law...

My Thoughts on the Manga
It's a really cute short story about these two characters. From beginning to the end of the manga I loved the whole manga.

Shiraishi is such a great father who cares so much for his daughter who he has taken care of by himself since his wife walked out on them. So when she comes to him saying how she is going to marry his editor Masumi it surprises him.  Then just as suddenly his daughter disappears on the wedding day and he decides to have Masumi live with him, that's when their relationship starts.

Masumi has been in love with Shirasishi for such a long time. He even became a editor to be close to Shiraishi. Luck would have it that Shiraishi's daughter asked him something big and in the end he endded up staying with Shirasishi. He doesn't know how to express himself and is kind of embaressed to do so. At first it was hard trying to hide his feelings from the older man but soon they both realized their feelings.

For a one shot the romance ran slow and smoothly. They were so cute in the build up to them both having the same feelings for one another. It wasn't long before they got together and even then it was really cute.

The plot was great and ran smoothly for it being only a one volume manga book. It sentered around Shiraishi and Masumi and their releationship growing from just editor and writer to lovers. Even the twist about Shiraishi's daughter was a big influence for Shiraishi and Masumi to get together.  

Design

The design of the manga is simple, there is some detail in the hair face and background but not to much. The mangaka did put detail in the clothes though as you can tell and the hands. Masumi is the white hair guy and Shiraishi is the dark hair guy. As you can see you would have never though Shiraishi is older then he looks because it actually looks like he's really young while he has a daughter who is 21.









Overall
This was an alright story, It could have been better but I didn't mind it to much.

Rating
3 out of 5 Howling Wolves

In My Mailbox[18]

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren where you can learn about all the awesome new books I've picked up this week!

Here are the list of books I've receive in the last couple of weeks with a link to their goodreads page:

Bought:

Once by Anna Carey
Crossed by Ally Condie

Won:

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock Witch Way Bends by Olivia Hardin Cupid Painted Blind by Multiple Authors

Free:

Tell me about your IMM I would love to see it!!

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Hidden

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

For this week I thought I would put down the next book in the house of night series. That's right I love this series and I love how long the series is so far!

Hidden
(House of Night #10)
Expected publication: October 16th 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

In the must-read tenth installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling vampyre series, Darkness won’t stay hidden for long… “Move over Stephenie Meyer.” –People
The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on the New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for more than 140 weeks and counting. With nearly 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty-eight countries to date, and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now in Hidden, the tenth installment of the series, the stakes are higher than ever before.

Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight. Chaos reigns at the House of Night.

Once by Anna Carey Review

Once

(Eve Series #2) 

Author: Anna Carey  

ISBN: 0062048546 (ISBN13: 9780062048547)

Release Date: July 3rd 2012
Format : Hardcover

Pages: 368

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian,
Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Series: Eve #2

Summary
When you're being hunted, who can you trust?

For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America.

But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America.

Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

In this breathless sequel to "Eve," Anna Carey returns to her tale of romance, adventure, and sacrifice in a world that is both wonderfully strange and chillingly familiar.

My Thoughts on the Book
There is just no word to describe how this book made me feel. It was the best sequel to a book I’ve read in a long time. It had twists and an ending that will leave you wanting to read the next book right away. However, that it comes out next year.

The only problem with the book is there is one annoying character after another. Just when Eve found a way to be safe and trust the people around her, they turn their backs on her. Whether it was to turn her in, or keep her so that they had a bargain for the king, Eve wasn’t safe anywhere. Not to mention that her only friends are locked up from the world, hoping to be free soon.

Eve is a lot stronger in this book then in the first book of the series. In the first book she was a naive kid who knew nothing of why she was really in the schools, but now she knows everything. She grew strong when she was with Caleb and even more strong when she ended up staying with the “Catile”.

Caleb has always been good on surviving on his own and it hasn’t changed at all in this book. He’s smart, and makes sure to stay hidden from potential captors after the king puts a warrant on his head. He also does what he can so that he and Eve can see each other in secret so that she and him are safe.

Eve and Caleb don’t have a lot of chances to show their love of each other. The main problem is Caleb going into hiding, and Eve being in the capital city. They have to keep their relationship a secret or risk Calab’s death. Despite the risk, they do find ways to be together and I love them doing this. They love each other and nothing will change that. Not even at the ending of the book do they stop loving each other.

This was just as good as the first book, it drew my attention right away and I couldn’t stop reading. It was full of action, adventure and betrayal, not to mention you learn of the reason why the king wanted Eve. Though at first you let out a sigh of relief that Eve was safe, but soon you learn that it’s more like a prison then a place she could call home. It gets better when Caleb returns and they are together once more. The ending will leave you sad and wishing what happen didn’t happen.

Design

The cover is simple but does show an area that has happen in the book. I love how the red hair of the girl stands out so well against the purple background. The Title is large and stands out well against the background catching your attention right away. The author's name doesn't take away from the overall look and feel of the book which is well done.






Overall
Great sequel to a great book series, I highly recommend reading the Eve series if you like Dystopian type novels.

Rating

5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

The Perses Effect by R.E. Robinson Jr Blog Tour

The Perses Effect

By R.E. Robinson Jr

Blurb:

The world has been changed forever. Death and mutation have swept across the planet leaving some of the survivors altered into non-human races and gaining powers that would take time to comprehend. Always thinking ahead Evan Root invited family and friends to live on his farm shortly before the comet that started it all was destroyed.

As the remaining population rebuilds Evan Root and his wife Jordan are producing bio-fuel to use and trade. On a routine trip to the market murmurs of disappearing town’s people span the crowd. While at the market Evan’s group is ambushed and when he finally makes it back to the farm he finds out his wife has been abducted. Evan feels her abduction has everything to do with her power.

Hoping it will lead him to his wife Evan and his companions must discover who or what is behind the disappearances while defending themselves at every turn.

Book Trailer

Amazon 
Amazon Paperback 

Barnes and Nobels Hardcover      
Barnes and Nobles Nook

Facebook
Goodreads

 Author

Ronald E. Robinson Jr. served in the US Army and has a criminal justice degree. He lives in Georgia with his family.

The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski Review

The Mayfair Moon

Author: J.A. Redmerski    

ISBN: 9781468185

Release Date:   February 6th 2012
Format : ebook

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal,
Urban Fantasy
Series:The Darkwoods Trilogy #1

Summary
After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.

Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.

As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.

My Thoughts on the Book
I’m not usually surprised by werewolf books, but this managed to do just that. In most of the werewolf books I read, they turn into a wolf. In this book, the werewolves turn into Lycans, or half man-half beast. I don’t usually read werewolf books like this, but this book made me love it from beginning to end.

There is so much character diversity, but they all fit and work well together. Adria is the main character of this book. She was close to her sister Alex, back when they lived in Athens, Georgia. Alex acted like a more like a mom then their real mom, and taught Adria things like how to drive stick in a car. She even tried to get Adria to date boys she picked out, but Adria wasn’t into dating. They were sisters and looked a lot a like, but Adria always wondered why boys liked her sister more. After a incident that caused the sisters to move away to Maine, things changed between them. Adria learned to deal with the incident and even tried to put it behind her. She went to a new school and managed to make her friends right away.

All of Adria’s friends are different. Harry is the normal person of the bunch. He likes to skateboard, and is actually quite good at it. He is also Adria’s first real friend. They could talk about anything, and she loves to spend time with him. He has a crush on Zia, someone who Adria met back at school for a brief moment. Only later did they became friends, when Zia picked Adria up from the highway after crashing her bike. (Read to find out why she crashed!) Zia is a great fun person, who really cares for Adria. Zia also loves to try and get Adria and Isaac together, even when it doesn’t work at first. You also meet people who live with Zia and Isaac, some of whom don’t really like Adria because of how Isaac feels about her.

Isaac is very quite when Adria first meets him. He doesn’t speak a lot, but you know that everyone listens to him. It's to the extent that even people who'd rather not listen to him can't help but do so. He’s a really good guy, but trouble seems to follow him and Adria. I don’t think he gave Adria (or the reader) a good first impression about him, but he's a character that draws people to him.

The romance in this book was slow, just the way I like it. It took time for the two characters to learn to trust each other and to start liking each other. The attraction was instant, but them becoming a couple and loving each other took time. They did have some bumps along the road like jealous girls who also want Isaac, not to mention that while she is human he is something completely different. Though nothing broke them apart from loving each other all the way to to end of the book.

The plot line of this story is what drew me into this type of werewolf book. It was written very well, and character development was also well done. I loved every moment of it. It comes with a twist you didn’t think possible, and it will leave you wanting to read the second book all the more.

Cover Design

The design of the cover that was used on this book is a lot more better then the orginal cover design. The orginal cover was very plain, but this one draws you in with the model’s faces, and the hand around the girls waist makes you do a double take to see if it's a human or werewolf hand. I just think everything works together. The title and author's name work well with the background image, not taking your attention away from it. I can’t wait to see the cover artwork for book two.





Overall
I liked every moment of this book and I'm excited for Book two, I reccomend this book to anyone who likes a werewolf tale that is not your normal everyday werewolves.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Iced

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This is my first time doing Waiting on Wednesday and it looks so cool that I guess I will just list what I'm seriously looking forward to! The book I've been waiting to read for a long time now is Iced by Karen Marie Moning!!!

Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever World #1)
By: Karen Marie Moning
Expected publication: October 30th 2012


Summary:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Dounimo Naranai Manga Review

Author: Kiriyu Kiyoi

Artist: Kiriyu Kiyoi
Genra: Hard Yaoi

Year: 2009

Original Publisher:

Frontier Works 

Volumes: 

  1 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
Yosemine Takumi is a difficult student to handle. He's used to get what he wants by using his family's strength in school. The new Infirmary Nurse, Tsutsui, is determined to change all that. He's not going to let himself be bullied by Yosemine, or anyone else, after all these years. But Yosemine has fallen head-over-heels in love with Tsutsui-sensei and set the goal on owning the nurse for himself!

My Thoughts on the Manga

Yes this manga is a mature yaoi manga is a 18+ yaoi so if you haven't tried to read yaoi before I suggest not to start with this manga. As well as if you don't know what Yaoi means I reccomand looking it up so you don't have a heart attack hehe!

Wow it's been so long since I've read a very good manga with great plot line, great character design and great other things... If only there was more and it would have been even better.

Takumi is the bully of the school, because he is the directior's son he could get anyone in school either fired or expilled if he felt like it. It's because everyone stays away from him cause he is the directors son anyways, no one can stand up to him until he meets Tsutsui, the schools nurse. Takumi can be scary at times but other times he's really playful and childish. He gets happy really fast when it comes to Tsutsui.

Tsutsui is so relax and trusting he always has men hitting on him or trying to have their way with him. This is why he left his last job, he's cute and wants to help Takumi not to act mean towards teachers and students anymore. He even starts to fall in love with Takumi after a while.

It's a great plot with slow romance and great character development. I really do like the side story about Takumi's father and the person that works for him. I loved every moment of this manga and I'm sure you will too!


Design

Detailed work in the characters, the mangaka takes time in working on the hair of the characters and the clothes. She puts lots of work into them so your main focus is on the characters. The nurse is the guy with black hair while the delinquent student is the one with white long hair.







Overall
Great story and very addictive read, I recommend it to anyone who can handle yaoi manga.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

The Haunting at Blackwood Hall Blog Tour!

 The Haunting at Blackwood Hall

Author: Barrymore Tebbs
Genre: Historical fiction, Paranormal, Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Publisher: self-published
Type: Ebook
Words: approx. 63,000

Purchase:
Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble

Summary

Blackwood Hall is a house shrouded in silence. Nine-year-old Alice Fenn communicates only through her music. Jonathan Fenn and his sister Judith guard a terrifying family secret. The servants refuse to discuss the mysterious disappearance of a former governess. A drawing room séance attempts to make contact with the spirit of Elizabeth Blackwood. And when a diabolic madman holds the residents of Blackwood Hall hostage to an insidious reign of terror, governess Claire Ashby finds herself in a living nightmare of drug addiction, pagan rituals, and murder.

In the tradition of the great Gothic Romances, The Haunting at Blackwood Hall is a thrilling ghost story brimming with bold new twists on the beloved conventions of a bygone era.

Excerpt:

It was early, but I felt myself growing sleepier by the moment. I hadn’t been given laudanum since I was a child, and the effects were completely foreign to me. My vision grew dim, and I found I could barely hold up my head. Alice, bless her heart, came to me and pecked me lightly on the cheek, then made an effort of drawing a blanket over me.

I fell into a strange and troubled sleep. I dreamed of a line of monks marching solemnly through the ruined abbey by moonlight. Their torches cast dancing shadows against the crumbling stone walls. Then, I saw a rider on horseback, a proud black stallion which I recognized as Nigel Kent’s mount, only the face of the rider was an ugly, twisted visage like the face on Alice’s doll. Alice was there as well, and her mother came and took her by the hand and the two of them disappeared behind a stone arch and Alice was lost to me forever.

I struggled up from the nightmare and looked about the room. Alice was asleep and the fire had died down low. It must have been the dead of night. But I distinctly heard the sound of the door handle turning, and when the person on the other side of the door realized it was locked, the handle began to shake and rattle so loudly and with such force I thought the door would be torn asunder.

“Stop it! Stop it!” I yelled, and with great difficulty I hauled myself from the bed. The moment I was on my feet the shaking of the door ceased abruptly. I went to the door and laid my ear against it. I listened for a moment, but heard neither dog nor man on the other side of the door.

Satisfied that what I had heard was only a figment of my imagination, or the remnants of that horrid nightmare clinging tenaciously to my mind, I turned to go back to bed…
…And distinctly heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall.
 
Author:

Barrymore Tebbs is a photographer and writer living in Cincinati, Ohio. His writing draws on a long Gothic tradition from the cult TV classic Dark Shadows and Hammer Films, to 20th Century Gothic writers known for deep psychological undercurrents such as Shirley Jackson, Daphne Du Maurier, and Thomas Tryon, to create the Psychological Gothic, all served with a liberal dose of black humor. Very black.  He is the author of Night of the Pentagram, The Yellow Scarf, and the psychological thriller Black Valentines.

Blog/Website | Facebook

Book Trailer

Gray Moon Rising by S.M. Reine Review

Gray Moon Rising
(Seasons of the Moon #4) 

Author: S.M. Reine    

ISBN: 1937733203 (ISBN13: 9781937733209)

Release Date:  June 3rd 2012
Format : ebook

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal,
Fantasy
Series: Seasons of the Moon #4

Summary
It’s been almost a year since Rylie Gresham was bitten by a werewolf on Gray Mountain. Now something is beckoning her back to the place she was attacked, along with every other werewolf in the world. But they aren’t the only ones heeding the call. A group of hunters notices them gathering and sees it as their chance to wipe out the entire species.

Seth is about to graduate high school when he learns of the final hunt. He secretly plans to save Rylie and his werewolf brother even though he has to play along with the hunters to do it. But Rylie doesn’t want to be saved. She’s already decided to solve her problems with a silver bullet if answers aren’t waiting on Gray Mountain.

One way or another, everything is about to end—whether it means Rylie’s liberation or the end of her life…

My Thoughts on the Book

WARNING!! This is a review of the LAST book in this series. May contain some spoilers!

This final book of the series was fantastic! I couldn’t believe how it ended, and I’m quite happy with the ending that was given. There was a lot of struggles to make it to have a happy ending, but I do wish that the series was a little longer. 

Rylie really grows through the series. As the series progressed, Rylie had grown to hate her wolf. In this last book, she has reached a deep depression over what she is. From the moment she first became a werewolf, she has not enjoyed it. However, with the help of her boyfriend Seth, it has been liveable till now. In the past, as she struggled to control her werewolf, she had tried running from him, but Seth still cares for her and will always love her. By the end though dispite all that has happen she learns to accept who and what she is.

Seth doesn’t think of himself as a hunter in this book, due to his relationship with Rylie. He can’t stand the thought of harming werewolves. His dedication for Rylie extends as far as him going with the hunters with the purpose of trying to stop them. However, his mother is along the hunters, it’s dangerous for both Rylie and Abel, his brother. 

Abel is actually a lot nicer in this book then in the previous books. It made me like him a lot more and wish he had his own book so I can see if he finds someone to love him. He does help Rylie a lot in this book, by keeping her calm when she starts to lose control, and also keeps her safe from the hunters. He’s a really great guy and I wish there was more of him.

This book series isn’t all flowers and happiness. It's about being a wolf and having a curse, a curse that could cause the wolves to hurt people. Something is calling every werewolf in the world to Gray Mountain. They have all been having strange dreams and they need to get to that place. This book I found better then the others for all the action it has in it as well as guessing what’s going to happen to Rylie and Abel as they try to escape from the hunters who are trying to wipe out ever werewolf there. Not to mention a little mistake Abel says about Seth that causes Rylie to doubt her boyfriend. 

You will enjoy this last book of the series as much as I have believe me it’s well worth it being the last book, making you wish there was more.

Rating 

5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Sora Log Manga Review

Author: Mitsuki Kako

Artist: Mitsuki Kako
Genra: Comedy, Drama, Romance,
School Life, Shoujo

Year: 2008

Original Publisher:

Shogakukan

Volumes: 

  4 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
Our protagonist, Hikaru, is a member of the astronomy club at her school. On one beautiful starry night, she encounters a tall boy with blonde hair that looks almost white. However, he turns out to be...?!

My Thoughts on the Manga
This is just so very cute, I enjoyed every moment of this manga. I don't see why people get upset about memory loss, I think it just adds to the story making it more interesting about finding out the past between characters.

Hikaru is such a kind person and a little clumsy at times. She takes the time to get to know people, through out the story you may think she's a little slow when she thinks everyone around her is nice people. This is why she's so cute when she firsts meet the Blond hair boy Asou. She hears everyone talk bad about him but the thing is he's just not understood and she sees this and wants to get to know him. Even though he tries to push Hikaru away quite a few times she doesn't care and keeps coming to him. Eventually she even falls in love with the quite boy with bad rumors about him.

Asou isn't understood by most people, he is always a loner because he doesn't think it's worth trying to explain to people he isn't like what the rumors say about him. He then meets Hikaru by her bumping into him late one night. He catches her and calls Hikaru "Weird". Even though he disperatly tries to keep Hikaru away she doesn't stay away and soon he can't help but starts to fall for the weird girl crying up at the stars that one night. Soon even though he's quite Hikaru understands him and he starts to trust her.

It took time before these two got together which I like. It took a while for Asou to trust Hikaru enough to let her stay by his side. Then slowly over time the develop feelings towards each other and even over come some obstacles. These two are just so cute together I'm sure you will love to read this manga.

The plot is mostly about those two learning to be with each other and then learning about a past that has been forgotten by Hikaru. Hikaru doesn't remember anything from when she was four years old but her brother does and he starts to try to keep Asou away from Hikaru. While this was going Asou Sister in Law is also trying to keep Hikaru away from Asou because she wants him to go back to playing the piano and she things that Hikaru would stop this from happening. You will see these two grow closer together and grow to trust each other more and more.

Design
I'm putting to Images because I just fine this manga to cute to not show the style of the author's drawings. She puts tones of detail into the hair and clothes that the characters wear. The eyes are also like most shojo eyes which draws you in. I ove how the characters look showing how sweet and cute they are. Not to mention how good looking Asou is in the manga.

    

Overall
If your looking for a cute story with a great background story I highly suggest reading this manga. You will get sad and happy at the same time at how cute Hikaru is and how kind she is.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Storm Book Tour

Storm

Author: Bernard Lee Deleo

Release Date:  October 18th 2011
Format : ebook

Summary
FBI blackmailed Storm Crandall; but only after Storm hacked their database. At sixteen, she’s under cover at a high school, looking for clues involving five missing girls. Besides computer skills, Storm has game in the magic department. A sect of the Temple of Set soon finds out power comes in many guises.

With two FBI agents posing as her parents in the city of Warren, Ohio, Storm finds love, allies, and tragedy in her hunt for answers. By fulfilling her end of the bargain, Storm can buy her way out of spending the days until her eighteenth birthday in a juvenile detention facility.

Storm’s FBI handlers discover their young charge can do more than type fast. Their first encounter with the creature behind the disappearances shows the agents they need Storm for far more than information gathering as a high school spy.

Teaming up with an enigmatic young man attending classes with her, Storm begins unraveling a horror no one anticipated. When the case morphs from serial kidnapping into a supernatural witch hunt, Storm and her friends, under the guidance of the FBI agents, scramble to stay alive while tracking down monsters, both human and inhuman. '

Review
This book was real interesting, from the characters to the plot line. Things happen that I didn't expect it to happy the way it did and just the overall feel of the book kept me reading till the end.
 

Our main character Storm has a really unique name for a character in a book. First time I’ve seen one in a story so it caught my attention right away when I read the summary. For being a new kid for a week she has already made friends with a couple different people and it started by talking to one person in particular which is Logan. There is one problem I found with this character it’s that For one character, she has too many nicknames. It becomes frustrating keeping track of them all. Even Storm is frustrated by all the nicknames she has:

“I‟m going to forget what my name is if I stay around this place much longer,” Storm muttered, hanging up the phone.

Sure, people have nicknames, but usually only by a small group of close friends and family. They don’t get a nickname from everyone they meet.

The side characters all work together to make the story work. Logan with his background in the army did well in helping Storm when she needed it. Not to mention that he really is a good guy despite what people think due to his scars. As for the FBI agents they are both a good laugh, there names are Ted and Janet but Storm loves to make fun of Janet and call her Scully from X-files. They both know how to do their job and how to stay undercover until the need to present themselves came around. Then you have the four other girls, which are Tracy, who Storm met and talk to first becoming quick friends. Then you have the three silly girls Carol, Chris and Nancy, the reason they are silly is because they went to the park where the killings happen by themselves.

I had one problem that I found a little surprising in this story. Storm and Logan only began talking a week after Storm moved to the school, and somehow after the event in the forest, they turn from just being friends to being something more when Logan kissed Storm. Yes, there was some attraction between the two of them, but that kiss was too fast. It seems like the author wanted the romance to happen right away, placing it in the beginning of the book rather then the middle or end. The focus up to that point was on the monster of the park. This romance appears out of left field. At this point in the book (page 104 of 213), Storm's only had friends for two days after being at the school for a week, and now suddenly she has a boyfriend. Yes, this is a fantasy book, but that's not what happens in a real high school situation.

I did enjoy the plot, it was interesting but a bit to predictable. I was never surprised by anything that happen. Not to mention that it had a lot of let down scenes, where you expect something bad to happen but something else always stops it before it does happen. Besides that I could tell that the author did plan it out the best she could for what felt like a short story. Oh, one thing did surprise me, I never clued in on there being actually witches in this story so I did like that twist.

Rating

3 out of 5 Howling Wolves