tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59727026436019852292024-03-12T20:45:15.672-07:00The Purple Raven's BlogThis is my little corner of the world. I'll pretty much talk about whatever I feel like, from world events to movies to book reviews. I do enjoy reading, especially independent stuff. Just like indy movies, there are some real gems out there, if they're DONE RIGHT. I'm so sick of Hellywood and their overglittery crap. You don't need all that mess to tell a story. A good story should stand on it's own merit. That's what I look for in indy movies and books.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-38497290122442251932010-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:002010-09-15T11:45:22.609-07:00Movie Review: Zombie Strippers!Yes, you read that right. Once more it's that time of year where you KNOW you have to get your quota of bad 'horror' movies in. And I think this one nearly filled it!!<br /><br />I happened to catch this drek on my cable's Free Movies section. I often like to check out movies that I might have missed, or investigate ones I've never heard of, or just get nostalgic and catch the ones I might have seen ages ago. Once seeing that title, I knew I had to check it out, despite KNOWING it would be bad. It was an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back.<br /><br />Zombie Strippers! stars porn whore Jenna Jameson and Robert Englund. Why in HELL one of my fave actors of Freddy Kreuger fame would WANT to be in something like this boggles my mind. Maybe he did it just for fun. The only reason i checked out the movie was because he was in it, and naturally, he was the only likable character.<br /><br />Well, for one, this movie came out back in '08. I never heard of it--I guess it was one of those flicks that got swept under the rug like a lot of bad B-movies?? The plot is pretty goofy--some Marines are sent out to eradicate a zombie outbreak in a lab, (some sort of government virus was created to reanimate soldiers after they died, you know, that whole 'Super Soldier' idea) then one of them gets bitten by a zombie, and escapes from his comrades, winding up in a strip joint. He attacks bitchy stripper Jenna Jameson, and then it's all downhill from there. Englund plays the owner of the club, who is terrified of his girls touching him and getting diseases from them, often spraying the air around him (or them) with what I liked to believe was Lysol. His character alone was pretty funny. Other than that, you might be tempted to see something else...quick.<br /><br />Once Jenna is infected, and the guys actually happen to LIKE seeing the grotesqueness/hotness of a 'zombie stripper', then the other girls start to follow suit!!!! Geez-louise..... if you saw a friend of yours jump off a bridge for the hell of it, would you do the same?!?! Unfortunately, Englund does not come out of this situation, as he winds up getting a lot of 'face' from one of his nasty strippers, sounds effects good-n' plenty. *Vomit bag, please...*<br /><br />It's got a lot of gross special effects and all that, but still, if your an average guy who likes zombies and going to titty bars, you'd like something like this, especially if you have some sick fantasy of making out with a actual dead woman. Nothing says 'gross' like seeing disgusting-faced, bloody, half-naked zombie women doing strip teases, right? I'll give it a 2 1/2 for grossness, but this kind of movie is just plain silly, as we knew it would be.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-5814512932917335002010-06-29T10:35:00.000-07:002010-06-29T10:54:56.439-07:00Movie Review: DaybreakersFor some reason, I waited a loooong time to check this out. One, I really despise movie theaters and the annoyances of people that don't know how to shut the hell up. Two, I'm really not a big fan of Ethan Hawke. But I'm sorry I waited as long as I did to check this out. I LOVED this flick! Imagine a world where everyone is a vampire, and the blood supply is dangerously low, and to top it off, the longer you go without blood the more you'll devolve into a feral, uncivilized vampire creature?!? wow. Ethan plays the role of a hematologist trying to create a synthetic blood supply before the real deal (human blood) becomes non existent. But in the meantime, humans are being hunted down like animals! I liked the futuristic overtone with the 40's style of wardrobe. For some reason, it really worked! A quite intelligent piece, and very well done! Ethan plays his role to the hilt, as does William Dafoe and Sam Neil (and whodathunk you'd see HIM in a vampire role??) With a very intriguing, unique plot and lots of bloody gore, Daybreakers is definitely worth checking out, and gets 5 stars from me!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-47031133742027087762010-05-07T06:16:00.000-07:002010-05-07T06:23:44.785-07:00BOOK REVIEW--BOLEYN-TUDOR VAMPIREI read the preview of this book, very eager to read more, and the the rest of it did NOT disappoint!! I was given the opportunity to read it before it was officially available and I was sooo happy! Being told in Anne's POV, we get to see many sides to her--her logical side, her religious side, and her devilish side, all executed in a fashion only Anne could have done if the horrors of a vampire really did happen to her in real life! I was so drawn in to this story, I couldn't put it down. And the things she did to Charles Brandon and Cromwell were just "YUCK"! lol! There's even a bit of a twisted, sick romance between her and Thomas Wyatt, but their adventures and the horrors that follow are dominant in this novel. Tudor history has been turned on its head and then some! Now THIS is an Anne for the ages, an Anne you've never seen before, and if you're a horror fan, you'll be happy she got her revenge the way she did! Vamps, zombies, ghosts--this book has it all, with Tudor flair! Available now at <a href="https://www.createspace.com/3441214">https://www.createspace.com/3441214 </a>Or you can visit the author's webpage for the free 2 chapter download plus check out the trailer for it: <a href="http://bloodtouch.webs.com/BOLEYN.htm">http://bloodtouch.webs.com/BOLEYN.htm</a> Absolutely 5 stars!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-3897601969288951962010-04-30T07:19:00.000-07:002010-04-30T07:54:27.582-07:00BOOK REVIEW--Play Dead by Kody Boye<span style="font-weight: bold;">PLAY DEAD</span> is a awesome collection of creepy short stories that will definitely hold your interest! This was also a free book provided by the author a while back, but in my opinion, he should officially have his work published with a publishing house! I love this guy--he's so straightforward and blunt and to-the-point with everything, including his life---which makes him so REAL in a world full of cookie cutter jerkoffs.<br /><br />Now onto his book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lamia</span> was eerie. very eerie. A guy who lost his wife meets a 'monster' on the beach one night, the <span style="font-style: italic;">lamia</span>, and this man comes close to losing his life if not for the ghost of his dead wife!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rage</span> felt like a losing-all-hope-for-humanity type of situation when animals become infected with a plague that causes them to go fucking bonkers. A man and his son and a woman try to flee for their lives, and you REALLY feel for these folks and what they go through to survive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pig</span> was a story that seems like it could have been a spin-off of Rage, but as a more isolated situation. A huge-ass pig in the Florida Everglades gets a taste of human flesh and becomes a man-eater, <span style="font-style: italic;">literally</span>. For the people of the area, it becomes a case of "kill this sucker or be killed" and the pig won't give up without a fight!<br /><br />Lastly we have a story of the same books title, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Play Dead</span>. A group of kids have developed some sort of sick twisted game in which they have to go out in the middle of the woods, and perform certain little 'ritualistic' acts in order to keep up their reputation of being cool, in a way, and some of the characters in this story made me want to slap the crap out of them for their typical highschoolish b.s.-- but hey, they're teens, and most teens do the typical stupid stuff. But the game starts to go pretty wrong when a demonic creature of sorts get involved and people start to die for their foolish acts.<br /><br />Boye can weave tales that will pull you in and writes characters that are very believable, characters you can feel sympathy for, while wanting to absolutely <span style="font-style: italic;">kill</span> the bad guys in the stories. I'll be looking forward to checking out more of his work. Absolutely 5 stars!<br /><br />Find him at http://kodyboye.com/ or http://kody-boye.livejournal.com/ . Actually, he's scattered all over the net, facebook, twitter, myspace and youtube, so go check him out asap!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-26780923148231437402010-04-03T07:54:00.000-07:002010-04-03T07:59:29.527-07:00SNEAK PEEK OF NEW NOVEL BY CINSEARAE S.Okay, go and run over to Ms. Cinsearae's website<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://bloodtouch.webs.com/boleyn.htm">here</a> and grab a free sneak peek of her upcoming novel, Boleyn--Tudor Vampire. I read the first 2 chapters and I'm totally hooked and cant WAIT to get this book when it comes out. Seeing Anne Boleyn as a vampire, I'd love to know what she does to everyone who betrayed her. And I liked the trailer she made for it as well, it fits the mood of the story perfectly! *Grin* The sneak peek has been getting some cool comments, besides my own, lol, so go get it! :) I just hope King Henry gets what he deserves.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-64023193212249730422010-04-03T07:44:00.000-07:002010-04-03T07:54:12.700-07:00MOVIE REVIEW: ALICE IN WONDERLANDIs it me, or does anyone else feel like Tim Burton was latched to Disney's ball-and-chain when he did this movie??!?! Ugh. I felt like I was trapped in a weird CGI world, unable to escape. Nothing's wrong with a little bit of eyecandy, but I felt this movie was overkill. I did like some of the characters though, like the TweedleDee and Dum, the Cheshire Cat, and the March Hare. Helena as the red queen and her big-ass head had me chuckling with her monotonous "Off with her head!" line, and Jonny Depp was just freaky as all hell. I did like his take on The Mad Hatter though, although I could hear little snips of "Willy Wonka" and "Jack Sparrow" in his voice sometimes, lol. I liked his makeup, too. But his eyes turning red whenever he got pissed? That was a bit freaky too, lol.<br /><br />I SWEAR if Tim was given total creative freedom, he could have made this look was darker than it was, but I guess Disney was telling him to keep it kid-friendly. *Sigh*<br /><br />Sayit with me guys...'Disney is evil'!!! lol! I'll give this a B- *grin*.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-27175094483175126582010-03-12T04:40:00.001-08:002010-03-12T04:43:50.279-08:00Whoo-boy.Bad, bad me....Here I am, sitting on a small pile of reviews I've done, and haven't found the time to POST them. Hey--college kid here, so you'll have to forgive me. I DO have schoolwork. I'm really not the kind to be tethered down to 'blogging'. It's fun, and I love reading books and reviewing them---so maybe I just need to get some sort of schedule together as to when I can actually COME here and post stuff. I'll get it together guys, promise. Even if it's just once or twice a week, I'll do it.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-60248711269003381822010-01-08T07:34:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:40:56.293-08:00New Year's SlackOkay, I've been slacking. bad. The holidays aren't a help, and by the time everything had gone away for another 365 days, there were times when I just didn't feel like sitting in front of a PC. Bleah. It's not like I <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to slip away into blog oblivion (I'm practically there as it is) but I just don't have that extra 'zip' in my life that makes me want to sit here and type every single day, lol.<br />On a plus, I have a lot of reviews to post up, so I'll be doing that shortly. A Happy New YEar? We'll see.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-40760553227199782332009-11-19T06:37:00.000-08:002009-11-19T06:41:31.665-08:00Holiday BLAHS!!!Ugh, is it me, or have the holidays gotten tired and trite? With the economy and everything else seeming to be rolling downhill, it's no wonder people look more and more like emotionless zombies to me. It makes me wonder what the heck happened to the good 'ol US of A. No, we've seen the progress of how we came to be (or should that read 'digress'?) but one thing's for sure, the holidays have lost their true meaning over time, and mankind has killed it's spirit!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-35016953451763776572009-10-12T08:56:00.000-07:002009-10-12T08:58:48.416-07:00BOOK REVIEW: ABRAXAS:THE HAYWIRE HALLOWEENOH MY GOD....if you're a Halloween freak, you are in for an ABSOLUTE treat with this novella! Like I mentioned in the review of the chapter sneak peek, Abraxas: The Haywire Halloween has Abraxas vampire clan member Jonathan, wanting to go out for Halloween. On their travels, he finds a skeleton key pendant that helps him unknowingly unleash his secret wish for everyday to be Halloween. That's when all hell breaks loose! Whatever people are dressed up as, they become it, and heaven help you if you're wearing a rubber mask! Everything from paper bats to rubber mice come alive, and even...you guessed it...the dead. (Which has the same affect for folks dressed up like zombies too!) And I liked the 'nod' to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"---thanks to Kurt, who can't stand zombies whatsoever, lol. I LOVE this guy!!With Kiera's help, they soon discover a creepy little demon with goat's eyes named Ock who is the mischief maker, so the clansters set off to make things right, by getting rid of him for good.<br /><br />Despite all of the chaos, all the characters bounce off each other so well, you feel like youre right there with them, witnessing the mayhem. The vivid descriptions of everything happening is just awesome, and the action is nonstop. Jonathan quickly learns to be careful of what he wants, because Ock looks for 'loopholes' in his wishes, making the wishes more wosre than what he wants--and Jonathan uses his last and final wish to end themadness, along with a banishing ritual that they all join in to get rid of him--which sounded really, really disgusting, lol.<br /><br />Halloween lovers, this book is so kick ass, it's OFF my 5-star scale, lol. This is a crazy as hell horror-comedy romp you won't be disappointed with.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-38717999015822288132009-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:002009-10-01T08:11:47.588-07:00YAY! it's October!Well, it's officially October first, and can't wait to get my Halloween on, lol. One thing's for sure though, I will NOT be going out to Bumblefuck just to do a goofy scary hayride!!! The drive through huge farmlands and dark pastures isn't fun anymore! Besides, I think I've done them all, lol. Happy October, folks!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-62166518786985658872009-08-19T05:29:00.000-07:002009-08-19T05:39:22.239-07:00BOOK REVIEW: THE ZOMBIE COOKBOOK by Various AuthorsWOW! I <span style="font-weight: bold;">LOVED</span> this book!! <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Zombie Cookbook</span> is comprised of several short stories, poems, and recipes that include the use of zombies. I'll go over each one individually.<br />"The Wokking Dead" by Ms. Fabian is a funny 'ZombieBusters' type of story, taking place in a Korean restaurant, Seoul Food. Using paint thinner, chainsaws, flame throwers and even Super Soakers loaded with their own zombie-killing concoctions, this group of 'Busters is not one to be played with! "Secret Ingredient" by Ms. Haselton, has Annie and Sam, owners of the L-Double-J Ranch, hiring a zombie named Clete to help her out in the kitchen! Although Anne is definitely not fond of having a zombie in her kitchen, despite Sam's defense that Clete is well-trained, and can cook a damn fine meal, she can only tolerate this very mismatched cooking duo for so long, and comes up with a tricky tactic to put an end to things once and for all. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer! "A Zombie Named Clete" by the same author is a tiny tribute poem to the zombie in the aforementioned story. "Beer-Battered Zombie" is a recipe by Ms. Butcher that had me in a fit of tears--You'll be saying "Ew!" while laughing your head off at the same time! "The Right Recipe" by Ms. Neiswender tells the tale of Paul Clemmons, Food Editor of Zombie Cookbookery Publications International. Checking through his emails containing comments about the latest book of zombie recipes, (while ignoring the badly-spelled death threats) he gets an unexpected surprise from a pizza delivery person that'll put <span style="font-style: italic;">him</span> in the position of the one being eaten instead of the zombies! "Quick & Easy Zombie Pastie" by Ms. Sender is another recipe that made me say, "Holy crap!" while laughing my butt off again. This particular recipe invloves the use of puffer fish as well, and does double duty as a 'refreshing smoothie'! "Express Cuisine" by Ms. Marshallsay, has Ruby, a tired secretary trying to get home on the train, facing a grave dilemma and a bloody brawl when a few zombies are discovered on board, the reason for the dilemma even more strange! "Brain Food" by Ms. Girtman is a flash fiction piece that packs a lot of the 'yuck' factor as a zombie husband tries a bit of an experiment on his quickly-decaying wife. "Brain Salad for Dummies" by Mr.Virtes was a very amusing short containing ingredients to keep a zombie off your trail while you escape them. (Leaving a TV on helps a whole lot too!) "A Zombie’s APB" by Cinsearae S. has the tale being told by a ranting, raving, ticked-off zombie, fed up with eating humans, as he claims we don't taste good anymore! Being so over-medicated, and pumped full of 'chemicals' and with occasional non-organic parts in our bodies, he gives a few hilarious incidents that prove his point, not to mention an idea to lure in only 'au natural' people for his kind to eat! "My Big Fat Zombie Wedding" by Ms. Fabian was a really cute, 'wedding of the century' story, as a human and zombie get married, not to mention the other paranormal guests that come to the reception, plus a special recipe for an 'Intel on Ice'--almost tempting, except for one ingerdient, lol! I also loved the cool intro from a special metal band from Amsterdam, called "The Zombie Cookbook"! Check them out at thezombiecookbook.com! Lastly, the artwork contained in this tome, done by George Silliman, compliments the book <span style="font-style: italic;">perfectly</span>, not to mention the book cover itself, done by Ms. Santiago!<br />The Zombie Cookbook is kick-ass, 'pee-your-pants' funny, and definitely worth checking out! For those with a dark, twisted, sick sense of humor, GET THIS!! 5 Stars! Available at DamnationBooks.com! Find it <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615720378">HERE</a>!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-12404115588047580222009-08-05T04:58:00.000-07:002009-08-05T05:18:28.114-07:00HP & The Half Blood Prince--REVIEWOkay, so I FINALLY got some decent seating arrangements in the movie theater and no morons to bother me or annoy me. Yay for once!<br /><br />As for the movie--of course there would be tweaks--it wasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> bad. They threw in some stuff that never happened in the book of course, and I was pretty disappointed with the ending. Here I was, expecting to see the big showdown between Hogwarts and the Death Eaters, and all we get is Bellatrix jumping up on a dining hall table, kicking around some dishes and utensils, breaking some windows and blowing out all the candles in the hall. I'm like, "WTF?!?! That's ALL they're gonna do?!?!" And there was no funeral for Dumbledore! Another disappointment! I did, however, like what Hogwarts did in the event of his death. The glow from everyone's wand dissipating the Death Eater skull cloud was pretty cool.<br /><br />Was it me, or was Lavendar Brown even more annoying than she was in the book? lol.<br /><br />Again, not sure if it was me, but something about this installment seemed a bit...empty. I know these stories are getting darker and more involved, but that 'oomph' was missing in this one. Everyone was stellar, don't get me wrong, but once more, they tried to cram everything into 2 hours. If someone never read the books and only watched the movies, one would think the movie was really awesome, but for us who have read them, <span style="font-style: italic;">we know</span> what is supposed to go where, what was left out and what was added, lol.<br /><br />Draco is ugly. I don't care what anyone says. he is not 'hot' to me, lol. He sprouted into this wiry, goofy stringbean of a kid. Harry has gotten to be very handsome though, and Hermoine is beautiful! Still can't say much for Ron, though, lol.<br /><br />The cave scene was pretty cool--all those dead bodies, yeesh.<br /><br />Overall, on a scale from 1 -5, I give this one 3 1/2.<br /><br />My faves so far have been the first 2 and Goblet of Fire.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-90790250106144345362009-07-07T13:42:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:53:16.550-07:00REVIEW: A Love Story, or Be Careful What You Wish ForWOW! Erotica and Horror, perfect!… And intricately weaved in this short story by Mistress Rae about a hooker who gets WAY more than what she bargains for when she picks up a mysterious man. They start making out behind a XXX store before they take things indoors, and that's when the real (ahem) trouble starts. (And the inside cover art is HOT and nearly 99.9% nude if you like sexy demon-men!) The hooker’s brains were in her you-know-what when she picked up this particular doozy! Steamy and lusty, you’ll get into this story quickly, until WHAM!--you’re completely gotten at the end! This was wicked, evil fun, especially if you don’t mind dark humorous twists. I for one, love them! 4 1/2 stars!! And it's only $1.00. too! Can't beat that, lol. Find it <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/a-love-story-or-be-careful-what-you-wish-for/7358171">HERE</a><br />(this review also appears on it's "buy" page.)Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-36217809054757073482009-07-03T16:03:00.000-07:002009-07-03T16:15:04.227-07:00Potter, Potter, Potter....Okay, you guys know I'm a bit of a Potter geek, so I'm counting down the days until Half Blood Prince comes out, lol. Even still, I think I'll wait it out another week so all the other goofballs can get it out of their system, and I'll be able to watch it without other people getting on my nerves by talking, lol! And having re-read the book to refresh my memory, I'm HOPING this movie will stay close to the book, and they don't screw up the ending in some way. Trust me, you'll hear me bitch about it if they do, ROFL!!!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-51079153772826163342009-06-16T16:08:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:52:52.435-07:00BOOK REVIEW: ROADS TO RUIN by John NeumeisterNow <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> was a fun entertaining read! Roads to Ruin is a short story collection, dotted with poems and pics, all relating somehow to traveling on the road. "Round and Round" is a story of an adulterous man having to repeat getting in an accident over and over and over (in his mad dash to get away from the woman's husband, this is his personal hell!), "Ruin" tells about a traveler who wanders into a witch's house, that in actuality doesn't exist, and "Nothing There" tells a story of a paranoid mother who takes REALLY extreme measures to make sure her daughter remains 'pure' when she goes out on a date with her boyfriend, and "Watch for The Exit" is a hilarious story of a group of friends on a road trip that goes TERRIBLY WRONG when they're followed by a cop with no face...and "D-Tour" is about a disgruntled family on the road, forced to take a detour that becomes oddly...<span style="font-style: italic;">diabolical</span>. I LOVED this collection, and I hope Mr. Neumister comes out with more. GETS A 4 1/2!!! (this review also appears at the book's buy page, <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/roads-to-ruin/1114751">HERE</a>)Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-33283716971682250742009-06-16T16:03:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:55:58.945-07:00BOOK REVIEW: ABRAXAS: Seeing Green, Book 4 by Cinsearae SantiagoMs. Cinsearae does it again! Wow...freaky and creepy. What can I say? Demonic possession is the focus in this installment, as Ryan's covetousness over Christine makes him vulnerable to invasion by a demon of jealousy. (We start seeing hints of it in "Affaires de Coeur" from the last book) Afterward, matters get more pressing as the demon needs to be exorcised before it becomes a more permanent fixture by killing Ryan's soul--and Christine's!--in order to have a chance at gaining Abraxas' powers. The seductiveness of this demon in disguise is so unnerving and eerie, and Christine is sooo conflicted, i felt so bad for her!--I couldn't put this down yet again. I was however, disappointed to see that Edward's out of the picture for now, and I hope he won't be gone from the series entirely. But I am growing fond of 'Jonathan'--he seems like a weird, quirky kid, (especially after checking out another sneak peek from an upcoming Halloween book in this series!) alas, as always, we're left on another cliffhanger, and I REALLY can't wait to see what happens in the next book!!! KUDOS, AND GETS A 5!!! (this review also appears at the books buy page, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/abraxas-seeing-green--book-4/7232303"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HERE</span><br /></a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/abraxas-seeing-green--book-4/7232303"><br /></a>Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-81655342056430332612009-06-06T06:16:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:57:12.673-07:00BOOK REVIEW: MY PROM DATE'S A VAMPIRE---by Kitty KeswickThis short story was adorable! Typical goth chick (and witch) Wendy stoke gets dumped by her boyfriend just days before the junior prom. Her fave hangout is the local cemetery, where she enjoys eating her Ben & Jerry's icecream! She meets Matt Glascow there, a vampire which she takes to very quickly---who escorts her to the prom. It has a cute, happy ending, although I would have loved to seen this story expanded out a bit more--- I mean, the principle of her school is a werewolf! (Her vampire date encounters him for a split second, which is why the principal 'reveals' himself. After all, vamps and werewolves don't get along well and get quite irked when one steps on the other's 'territory'. ) GETS A 3 1/2! (find this at<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thewildrosepress.com"> www.thewildrosepress.com</a>)Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-5638239690223363972009-05-05T04:49:00.001-07:002009-05-05T05:09:55.778-07:00Something to give you a good laugh...And in a fun way! One of my favorite indy authors, Cinsearae S., was guest blogging with another author, Christy Poff, over at AuthorsByAuthors Blogspot for a week. One thing that made me laugh my head off was this crazy-ass interview conducted by HER CHARACTERS out of her <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"Abraxas"</span> series. Just for the hell of it, if you have time, check out the blog post: <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com/2009/05/cinsearae-christys-last-interview-today.html">"HILARIOUS INTERVIEW WITH..."</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span>to see what I mean. That's the most creative interview I've ever seen, lol!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-19963806428432819042009-04-27T07:39:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:58:58.907-07:00REVIEW: A LOOK INTO THE MIRROR DARKLY by THE GRATISTA VAMPIRE CLANI was patiently waiting for the next collection of works from this group, and once more, I'm happy to say I was NOT disappointed. The themes in this anthology might be considered 'touchy' by the more stiffer and mundane-minded, but once you read this, you'll see that it's not what you think.<br />"Pain" is received on many different levels and can be taken in so many ways. Sometimes, one's pain is another's pleasure. There's a wonderful medley of stories here, some hilarious, some quite sad, and some even mildly erotic. I was quite intrigued with Mr. Mullen's "The Gomorra Incident", as well as Mr. Glascow's "Vinaigrettes of Pain" in which he offers excerpts from stories he's written--which I hope one day to actually read in their entirety! "Contemplating The End" by Spider was a hoot--the ending will throw you for a loop! And my jaw dropped when I read "Hotline", again by Mr. Glascow. (What a twist on the whole 'suicide helpline' thing!!!) Ms. Poff's "Vampires Hurricane Ball" was a spicy treat. Camille, Dominic, Spider, and Phylis give their haunting offerings of poetry, and once again, Ms. Santiago wows the reader with her gothic photography, and I am very much in love with the cover as well. another image that really caught my eye within the book was of a large stone staircase and what looked like the ruins of a piece of a 19th century mansion or something! And although Mr. Boye's story, "Bastion's Pride" was a more conventional piece this time around, it was still dark enough to fit into the category of 'pain of loss' VERY well.<br />I give this group another round of applause. <span style="font-weight: bold;">GETS A 5</span>.<br /><br />You can find it <a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-gratista-vampire-clan-presents-a-look-into-the-mirror-darkly/6679298"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HERE</span></a> in print or e-book!<br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-gratista-vampire-clan-presents-a-look-into-the-mirror-darkly/6679298"><br /></a>Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-66590071184710611102009-04-24T05:10:00.000-07:002009-04-24T06:14:08.543-07:00BOOK REVIEW: EMBER, by Bettie SharpeA fairy tale like no other! I was wowed at this dark, Cinderella-ish tale, where prince Charming doesn't quite live up to his name, and our heroine, Ember, isn't exactly a raving beauty either--but a <span style="font-style: italic;">witch</span> instead. Her stepsisters aren't cruel, but kind and caring <span style="font-style: italic;">courteseans</span>!-- having moved in shortly after Ember's mother dies, and her father takes the eldest for his wife, bringing two 'sisters' with her.<br /><br />Gaetane, a witch, bestows the prince with a blessing and a curse, to be perfect in everyone's eyes, every woman desiring him, and every man respecting him. There wold be nothing in the world that wouldn't be done for him. This ''blessing'' over time causes the Prince to long for real truth, love and honesty. Ember is the only one who fights the curse, and it is Ember that the Prince now yearns for--the one who could possibly love him for who he truly is. The big question is, will she give him what he craves?<br /><br />This short story is so vivid, I felt like I was right there! I enjoyed the use of 13th century verbiage sprinkled throughout the story, and I liked the characters, especially Ember and her talent for using fire. The story takes you back to days of old, when enchantments and magic were very real. A very enjoyable story, you can still read it online at her website, or grab a print version of it (and I LOVED the cover!) at http://www.lulu.com/content/1727481. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Definitely kick-ass & gets a 5</span>!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-63431065928338781442009-04-16T11:55:00.000-07:002009-04-16T12:00:58.753-07:00GOD, ROB! NOOOOO!*SIGH* and I've recently found out that Rob Zombie will continue the Halloween franchise by doing Halloween 2, due for a summer release. ARGH!!!!! And I've also found out that Billy Bob will not be playing Freddie Kreuger, but a "Watchmen" movie actor instead. My head hurts.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-43099373181639143442009-04-09T14:10:00.000-07:002009-04-09T14:23:27.583-07:00Can't WAIT to get my hands on THIS bookOkay, so I'm lurking around (Ahem...following) Ms. Santiago and her kick-ass <span style="font-weight: bold;">ABRAXAS</span> series. I am totally hooked. One thing I like is that she offers free chapter downloads for the more impatient folks, like myself, lol. and I happened to discover she has a 'Halloween' book coming out that will revolve around the Abraxas 'clansters', mainly Jonathan, who's severely piqued my interest from the chapter download I got. All I can say is, he's a <span style="font-style: italic;">WEIRD</span> kid, lol!! I LOVE the in-your-face style she has, and how fast paced and exciting things go. The download alone was a severe TEASER!!! And the book trailer was so cool!<br /><br />However, I'm still trying to wait patiently for book 4 in her ABRAXAS series, "Seeing Green", and hopefully some of the mysteries in this series will be unraveled a bit more in this volume.<br /><br />You HAVE to check her stuff out at<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://bloodtouch.webs.com/abraxas.htm">http://bloodtouch.webs.com/abraxas.htm</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>You WON'T be disappointed if you love the dark, gothy stuff.....Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-86015707987160738242009-03-10T13:50:00.001-07:002009-03-10T14:17:42.781-07:00REVIEW: The "Twilight" SeriesYeah, I'm know, I'm late jumping on the Twilight bandwagon. But, I have to say, I'm kinda glad I didn't rush it. I'll give my brief review of each book.<br />Okay, so the first book was 'meh'. I had to keep in mind that this is a teenager talking and the characters will have teeneageish ways. Okay. Fine. But sometimes I just wanted to strangle Bella. I've never seen or read of a character so clumsy and so uncoordinated that she could trip on her own shadow if possible. That was the one thing that irked me about this one. New Moon was better. I happen to LIKE Jacob. A lot. I love his sarcastic humor. And I just couldn't believe how much Bella pined away over Edward disappearing on her like that. I'm not being hard, but still, get a backbone, girl! Eclipse wasn't bad either, but Breaking Dawn left a lot to be desired. Halfway through the book, I caught myself wondering, 'When is this going to end?' One of the many things that irked me about the last book was the readers got gypped out of reading about Bella and Edward making love for the first time. There's no descriptions whatsoever about the act itself. It's like a 'fade to black' and then it's the next day. WTF?!<br />Bella's changeover was absolutely hideous. It's not enough that she gets pregnant and has a supervamp growing in her at practically triple speed, but she wants to have the baby while still human, which very nearly kills her. to save her, Edward injects her with his venom, (so that kills the whole 'romantic' changeover thing) and also, despite being a newborn vamp, she's not all psycho crazy like how everyone tell her newborns are. She's her regular boring self. And her first hunt--she goes out in a satin dress and stilettos?!?! (At least she had the sense to take them off.)<br />And God--is she ever the worry-wort. That got on my nerves too. Even the other freakin' characters in the book kept telling her not to worry about things.<br />The happy ending was just too cheesy for me. it was like a win-win-win without any real sacrifice. And Bella was right. She was a selfish person. She wanted Edward and Jacob, and in so many ways, she did get them both.<br />Okay, I can understand the whole vampire craze-thing going on lately, and how folks just loooove happy endings, and need an escape from reality. We all need that every now and then. But I prefer a bit more excitement, tension, something to keep me turning the pages. I found myself taking nearly a month to finish the last book. I can consent to the fact there were a lot of other readers not too satisfied with how this series ended as well, but no matter, Meyer has made her millions and has her fans, so negative comments don't really mean crap to her, lol.<br />My fave characters out of this series? <span style="font-style: italic;">Jacob and Alice</span>. Not Bella and Edward. Surprise!! They seemed more 'alive' to me than everyone else.<br />This series just seemed average at best. Not wonderful, but ok. I have yet to see the movie, but again..I'm in no rush.<br />PS---Renesmee is a HORRIBLE name for a child.Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5972702643601985229.post-82611878547282180412009-02-17T09:30:00.001-08:002009-02-19T12:26:49.433-08:00REALLY HATING the moviegoing experienceOkay, so it was bad enough having to go see that stupid Valentine's 3-D ''horror'' movie with my bf---but I'll be fair--since I'll be dragging him to see Harry Potter 7 this July...but the sucky movie isn't the issue here...it's the movie going EXPERIENCE. You spend way too much on junk at the concessions---I don't, I always bring my own stuff---then you sit in a disgusting theater with sticky floors covered in candy wrappers, gum (or pray tell what else) under your seat, leftover food garbage, tissues, the list goes on. Then you have to deal with idiot teens who don't know how to shut the hell up, are constantly playing with their cellphones--the glaring blue lights in the dark are really irksome--the occasional screaming little kid or baby, and I swear on my life--wherever I sit, there's some loud asshole not too far away that completely annoys me, EVERY TIME we go to the movies, or someone taller than me that sits IN FRONT OF ME!!! It's just another reminder as to WHY I don't bother, and just wait for the movie to come out on DVD. If my bf didn't want to go see that drek of a horror flick, it wouldn't have bothered me a bit. And when it comes to seeing HP, I always wait at least two weeks so all the crazy kids can get it out of their system, and check out a theater far away. *sigh* it's so ridiculous to have to go through crap like this...!!!Purple Ravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03049612489008899386noreply@blogger.com3