R.I.P. Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Liverpool Demon by Moore & Reppion

PUBLISHER:

Dynamite Comics

I received a download of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review

I find Sherlock Holmes stories  very atmospheric. I’m always able to envision the locations and action from Doyle’s narratives, especially in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  One look at this gorgeous cover by Francesco Francavilla and I new I wanted to read this graphic novel collection. Though The Liverpool Demon is not canon (not written by Doyle), it has the feel of a true Holmes story.

Set in August 1888, the story opens with  Holmes and Watson  celebrating a recently solved case with drinks at a local hotel. While ruminating the recent case the pair  are invited to dinner by a former colleague of Watson’s. After a pleasant evening,the two awaken to find the rail lines flooded and travel to England by rail impossible. While Watson is contemplating alternate transportation, Holmes sees an interesting piece in the paper that causes him to stay.

A demon has been spotted and has brutally murdered a homeless man. Interest piqued, Holmes checks back into the local hotel and asks the local police to show him the body, which turns out to be a gory mess! Holmes sees enough to stay put and begin to investigate the threads of the case.

This is a really creepy tale. There are bloody corpses, strange animals, creepy tunnels and vicious thugs that aren't too happy that Holmes is sticking around.

The art on this book is fabulously gothic. Lots of dark shadows and creepy shadows. Holmes and Watson have to immerse themselves in the seedier side of the port city and the artistic team does a great job of portraying the squalor and danger of the times.

Each issue in this trade collection leads the reader closer and closer to the solution of several mysterious threads with a high speed, thrilling finish. I really loved this collection and want to see more from this team. A perfect, creepy read!

This is book 1 of my Peril The First Challenge and for :

Review: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

 

 

 

 

Publisher:

Harper Collins

Source:

Purchased

 

AH!! The lure of the free e-book! Bored with your current read? Free E-Book! In the middle of a self-imposed book buying ban? Free E-Book! I had heard blogger buzz about this series for awhile and I had been in love with the cover for some time when I heard on twitter that Sweet Venom was free for a short time. That was over eight months ago and I just got to this book a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the characters.

 

The book opens dramatically with a snapshot into the world of Gretchen: Monster hunter. In a few pages Tera brings the reader up to date on Gretchen’s world and her motivations. I loved the snark in Gretchen’s narrative voice. She is practical and kickass!

In Chapter two we meet Grace Whitfield who is completely different from Gretchen in many ways. Grace is an honor student and a computer whiz. She has moved to San Francisco to attend a prestigious school and is dealing with a little stress over uprooting her family.

Things start of  well for Grace until she starts seeing things. Huge smelly creatures wandering the world yet not drawing the attention of anyone else, or so she thinks until she meets Gretchen, who surprisingly  happens to be her identical twin! Soon Grace is drawn into Gretchen’s world and through her investigative skills learns that the two of them are not alone. There is another G to the family line: Greer, which means the girls are triplets and know that they have found each other all hell is breaking loose!

This book is a textbook case of what I love about YA paranormal series. Tera does an amazing job fleshing out each girls personalities and by alternating chapters with the different POV we learn more about the girls then they are willing to share with each other.

Really looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Sunday Share 9: Faking Fall, A Darker Shade of Fiction, Reading Updates

 

 

 

 

Happy Sunday everyone! As I sit here typing this I’m drinking tea from my new Jack Skellington  and watching the sun pour through my blinds. It’s mid September but her in Los Angeles it feels like summer hasn’t left us just yet! Fall is one of the only seasons I miss from my East Coast upbringing. Yet fall can also be felt through traditions and rituals.

 

Here are some of my favorite Fall Rituals that I’m enacting despite the heat:

 

 

Cinnamon Brooms

I get so excited when these pop up at my local Albertsons! These brooms make great decorations and infuse your home with a wonderful fall smell. I will probably buy two or three of these this year and I always buy one for my friend to decorate her house with, its been a tradition for the past four years and she keeps them year round :) 

OREOS

Maybe its the food coloring but I always find Halloween Oreo’s much tastier than the regular ones!

 

Scary Movies

 

 

 

I usually spend most of October watching some of my favorite horror films but I couldn't resist Friday’s Jason marathon on SyFy. It was interesting rewatching the films but I really didn't enjoy the later ones at all. Parts One and Two will always be my favorites.

 

Scary Shopping

Like Christmas Decorations I can’t resist buying a few things for Halloween year after year. I scoped out some goodies at Michael’s craft shop but I'm waiting for more markdowns. I did get this awesome kit for $4.00:

 

 

What I loved about this kit was that it looked like an evil Blender! The Doctor Dreadful line are kits that let you make gross looking but edible drinks. I’m looking forward to trying this out!

 

Dark Fiction

Fall has always meant adding A darker shade of reading to my TBR pile: Horror, Thrillers, Mysteries, Gothic Romances, they all just fit wonderfully with the season. I’m participating in these challenges:

 

 

And will spend the entire month of October reading and reviewing darker themed books for my HallowREADS event.

I recently completed these two books that really fit into my themed reading:

 

 

I’ve also signed up for the blog tour of this book:

Though it isn’t horror it is a book of rivalry and villainy!

 

Reading Stats

I’m at 265 books Read

That's 10 books from my Goodreads goal!

Though Goodreads does count novellas as books which isn't really fair:) So once I meet 275 I’ll do a break down of books vs novellas to get a true feel for my yearly progress.

 

Happy Fall & Happy Reading!