[BOOK REVIEW] Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Saga Volume 7

Author:  Brian K. Vaughan

Artist:  Fiona Staples

Genre:  Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2017

Year Read: 6/30/2018

Series:  Saga #7

Publisher:  Image Comics

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Gory Violence, Strong Language and Nudity)

Trigger Warning: Near Rape Scene

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Introduction:

Oh, my goodness!  How long has it been since I last read “Saga?”  Too long, I say!  TOO LONG!!!  Anyway, I finally got around to reading the seventh volume in Brian K. Vaughan’s and Fiona Staples’ AWESOME and BRILLIANT “Saga” series and oh man, do I DARE say that this volume has gotten me into TEARS in the worst way possible?

What is this story about?

In this volume, Marko, Alana and their daughter Hazel are finally reunited with each other after spending the previous volumes being apart from each other.  When the ship they are using runs out of fuel, Marko, Alana and their new friend Petrichor and Prince Robot have to go to a planet called Phang to get the fuel they need for their ship.  But, Phang is a planet that is ravaged by the war between Wreath and Landfall and they ended up meeting a family of refugees who ended up staying with Alana, Marko and their crew for a while.  Unfortunately, it turns out that the planet Phang is actually about to be destroyed and Alana, Marko, Hazel and their friends have to figure out a way to escape the planet before it is too late!

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing:  Oh, my goodness!  I just can never get enough of this series!!! Brian K. Vaughan has once again done a brilliant job at writing this volume as this volume was full of humor, drama, and tear jerking moments that will make you cry for days!  I loved the way that Brian K. Vaughn wrote the characters as I found myself really caring for the characters’ situations, especially with Alana being pregnant again and trying to keep her baby safe while surviving on a war-torn planet.  I am always amazed at how Alana and Marko managed to survive their dangerous journey in going to a peaceful planet while also having a family at the same time as it shows how strong their family is and I always loved the fact that whenever a new person comes on board their ship, they are automatically considered family.  I really liked the way that Hazel is growing up in each volume as she slowly tries to understand about the world around her, while still being the most innocent character in this series and she is always bringing in some lightheartedness to the story.  I also liked the way that Brian K. Vaughan approached the subject about what refugees have to go through whenever they are stuck in a war-torn city as I found myself sympathizing with the refugees that Alana and Marko took in and how they lost everything due to a war going on in their homeland.  I liked the fact that Brian K. Vaughan pulled no punches in this volume as there were many character deaths and intense situations that had left me shaken and it seems like with each volume, things get even more dangerous and intense for Marko and Alana and I just hope that they along with Hazel survive the dangerous journey.

Fiona Staples’ artwork:  Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at!  I just loved the way that Fiona Staples did the explosions and lasers in certain scene as they are breathtaking to look at and just jump out at you.  I also loved the way that Fiona Staples drew the different creatures that inhabited this universe as they look bizarre yet creative at the same time!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, there are some usages of the “f” and “s” words that are littered throughout this volume.  Also, there is some nudity in this volume (although not as much as previous volumes, which is saying something). So, if you do not like seeing (pardon my speech) penises or nipples, then you might want to skip over these scenes.  There are some gory scenes in this volume also, such as images of people’s heads getting blown up.  So that might unsettle some people who do not like gory violence in graphic novels.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Saga Volume Seven” is a truly FANTASTIC and TRAGIC volume that everyone who is a fan of Brian K. Vaughan’s famous “Saga” series should definitely check it out!  Now, I am off to check out the eighth volume in this series!

* 2017 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Graphic Novels and Comics

* 2017 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer (for Brian K. Vaughan), Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team (for Fiona Staples) and Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers) (Fiona Staples)

You might also like: 

• Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

[BOOK REVIEW] Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Title:  Tender Morsels

Author: Margo Lanagan

Genre: Fantasy

Year Published: 2007

Number of Pages: 436 pages

Date Read: 7/19/2010

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers   

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes and Rape Scenes)

Trigger Warning: Rape Scenes

Buy on:   Amazon  //  Book Depository 

After I read Margo Lanagan’s “Black Juice,” I thought that Margo Lanagan’s “Tender Morsels” was going to be a horrible read.  However, I was quite impressed with how improved the plot and characters are in this book are from “Black Juice.”  “Tender Morsels” is a Printz Honor Book by Margo Lanagan and it is about how a suffering woman named Liga is mysteriously sent to a world where everything is perfect and friendly and raises her two daughters, Branza and Urdda, in this heaven.  However, when wild bears and tiny men come to Liga’s heavenly world, Liga and her two daughters realized that there is another world different from the world they live in.  “Tender Morsels” might be too dark and upsetting for some readers to handle, but the fantasy elements of this book might enchant some readers.

I must admit that after I read “Black Juice,” I thought that this book was going to be no better. However, I was surprised at how much improved this book was in character development and plot development than in “Black Juice.”  Margo Lanagan has done an excellent job at making this story extremely dramatic and somewhat frightening as the characters, especially Liga, go through a series of horrifying events that will have many readers cringing at the description of these events and many readers will definitely feel sympathy for the main character Liga as she goes through so many horrendous situations during her life.  Also, readers who love dark fantasy elements will definitely enjoy this book as there is a good amount of fantasy elements dealing with other world barriers and has an extremely dark tone to the story that would intrigued many readers.

There are three main issues that I had with this book and they included strong violence, some rape scenes and confusing narration.  There are many violent scenes in this book that readers who are sensitive to violence might not be able to handle and these violent scenes include a brutal murder scene, which I will not go into too much detail since I do not want to spoil the book for people who want to read this book, but the violence is extremely graphic as Margo Lanagan goes into great detail about how one of the characters is murdered.  Also, there are two rape scenes in this book that many readers (including myself) who do not approve of rape scenes might not be able to handle.  The issue that really stood out the most in this book is the narration as the story switches from Liga’s perspective to the bear’s perspective on the story and that will confuse many readers.  Liga’s side of the story is pretty straightforward and the characters are well developed and the plot is more interesting, however whenever we get to the bear’s side of the story, there are several different characters speaking on their experiences as the bear character and it is extremely frustrating to read through since you do not know which character is speaking their tale.

“Tender Morsels” is an interesting tale about the dangers of reality versus fantasy worlds and many readers who are fans of dark fantasy books will definitely love this book.  I gave this book three and a half stars because the violence is extremely graphic and the narration is a bit too frustrating to read through as it constantly switches from Liga’s story to the bear’s story and I would have gladly just stick with Liga’s side of the story since her story is much more understanding and interesting than the bear’s side of the story.

* 2008 Shirley Jackson Award Nominee for Novel (Finalist)
* 2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award Honor List
* 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
* 2009 Ditmar Award for Best Novel
* 2009 Michael L. Printz Award Nominee
* 2010 Sakura Medal Nominee for High School Book

You might also like: 

• The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

• East by Edith Pattou

• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

[ARC REVIEW] Hiznobyuti by Claude Ponti (@archipelagobks)

Title:  Hiznobyuti

Author:  Claude Ponti

Genre:  France / Family / Abuse / Fantasy / Adventure

Year Published: 1993 (Translated from French in 2018)

Year Read:  2018

Publisher:  Archipelago Books

Source:   eARC (Edelweiss)

Content Rating:  Ages 7+  (Themes of  Emotional Child Abuse and Some Scary Imagery)

Trigger Warning:  Child Abuse

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I would like to thank Edelweiss and Archipelago Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I spotted this unusual children’s book at Edelweiss, I was interested in checking this book out since it was translated from French and I enjoy reading books that are translated from other countries (that is if I can find that many books)!  Originally called “Okilele,” “Hiznobyuti” by Claude Ponti and translated by Alyson Waters is a truly unique and delightful treat for children both young and old!

When Hiznobyuti was born, he was not the prettiest child in the world, since he had a long snout that clashes with his family’s short snouts.  Because of this, Hiznobyuti was ostracized by his family and he had to live underneath the kitchen sink to stay out of his family’s affairs.  One day however, Hiznobyuti ended up getting a message from the stars that he is needed elsewhere and Hiznobyuti decided to run away from home and go on a wild adventure with his companion Martin Clock to find out the mysteries of the world while reaching his true destination.

Wow!  I was quite impressed with this bizarre yet creative little children’s book I just discovered!  Claude Ponti did a fantastic job at both writing and illustrating this book as the story is highly creative and sad at the same time.  I like the way that Claude Ponti managed to balance both whimsical magic and sadness throughout this story as I was captivated by the magical world that the characters inhabited, especially the fact that Hiznobyuti is able to do magical things like talk to the trees and travel to the stars.  I was also saddened by the scenes where Hiznobyuti was emotionally abused by his family, especially the scene where Hiznobyuti’s father ends up locking Hiznobyuti underneath the sink by building a brick wall to trap him, which was quite upsetting.  I really enjoyed Claude Ponti’s artwork as while it has a somewhat dark and gritty feel to it, it is mostly done in a creative and cute way and I really loved the appearance of Hiznobyuti himself as he has the appearance of a small aardvark and he really stands out in the artwork.

Parents should know that there are some scary and sad moments in this book, which includes Hiznobyuti meeting up with some terrifying monsters on his journey.  Also, the scenes where Hiznobyuti is emotionally abused by his family may be too upsetting for both kids and adults, who had experiences of seeing children go through such abuse.  Also, the narrative of this book tends to get a bit confusing at times as the story tends to jump all over the place with Hiznobyuti’s adventures.

Overall, “Hiznobyuti” is a truly fantastic children’s book that every child should definitely check out!  I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since the narrative tends to be a bit confusing at times and the scenes of Hiznobyuti’s parents emotionally abusing him can be a bit hard for some children to handle.

You might also like:

• Unraveling Rose by Brian Wray

• Robin and the White Rabbit by Åse Brunnström and Emma Lindström

• The Fool and the Flying Ship by Eric Metaxas

[BOOK REVIEW] Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Title:  Caraval

Author:  Stephanie Garber

Genre: Fantasy

Year Published: 2017

Number of Pages: 407 pages

Date Read: 10/11/2017

Series: Caraval #1

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 15+ (Themes of Child Abuse and Deaths)

Trigger Warnings:  Child Abuse

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.” 

2017 is the year of new releases that are full of books that contain adventure, romance, horror and excitement and I happened to stumble upon a new release for this year called “Caraval” by Stephanie Garber and I was seriously blown away by this book!

Scarlett Dragna has lived on a tiny island for most of her life, along with her little sister Donatella Dragna and her cruel and powerful father Governor Dragna.  One day, Scarlett’s father has decided to arrange a marriage between Scarlett and a Lord that she does not know and even though Scarlett believes that this would be the only way to escape her miserable life on the island and her abusive father, Scarlett still thinks that something is missing from her life.  It wasn’t until that very day that Scarlett meets a roguish and mysterious sailor named Julian who offered Scarlet the chance to visit the place of Scarlett’s deepest dreams:  CARAVAL!  Even though Scarlett was unsure about going to Caraval because she feared that her father will punish her severely for her disobedience, Scarlett decided to leave the island once she finds out that her sister Donatella had suddenly vanished from the island.  So, Scarlett and Julian set out to the mysterious island of Caraval to find Donatella; but once Scarlet gets to Caraval, she will soon discover that her sister Donatella is a part of some sort of sadistic game where whoever finds Donatella will be able to receive a wish from the legendary magician Legend himself!  So, Scarlett and Julian try to compete in the game in order to find Donatella before it is too late!

Wow!  Stephanie Garber has truly woven a truly magical and intense story about the importance of sibling love while also exploring the importance of true love!  Stephanie Garber has done a brilliant job at detailing the magical world of Caraval as the concept of this world is that everyone is doing a performance for the people and you have to decide what is real and what is not real in order to survive the game!  I loved the fact that this book focuses on a carnival theme as it is rare for me to read a young adult book that involves carnivals and games as a major plot of the story.  I loved the way that Stephanie Garber focused on the sisterly relationship between Scarlett and Donatella as it is also rare that I had read young adult books that focuses mostly on the relationship between siblings and I loved the fact that Scarlett truly does care about her sister Donatella and is willing to put her life on the line in order to protect Donatella from any kind of danger in the world of Caraval.  But what I loved the most in this book was the relationship shared between Julian and Scarlett!  When I went into this book, I actually thought that this book was just going to be about the sisterly relationship between Scarlett and Donatella and while that was a major part of the plot, it was Julian and Scarlett’s relationship with each other that really sold me!  I loved the fact that Julian and Scarlett both brought out the positive aspects in each other, such as Julian bringing out the bravery in Scarlett that she has held back due to her father instilling fear in her and Scarlett bringing out a softer side to Julian who was introduced as being aloof and not caring about who he hurts to get what he wants until he met Scarlett.  Even though their romantic bantering was downplayed in this book, it was still interesting seeing how different these two are from each other and yet, they become quite a compatible pair!

 

For anyone who does not like some language in this book, there is some language in this book, although it is not as strong as some other young adult books.  Also, this book deals with the subject of child abuse as both Scarlett and Donatella are beaten up by their father for various reasons and that might be uncomfortable for some readers to handle.

***SPOILER WARNING!!!***

This is a bit of a small nitpick for me, but the fact that it turned out that Donatella put her own sister through the game and tricking her into thinking that she died to prove Scarlett’s love for her kind of rubbed me the wrong way.  This made me see Donatella as being a bit manipulative towards Scarlett in making a deal with Legend without telling Scarlett and it made me question about whether or not Donatella actually cared about Scarlett’s feelings during the whole ordeal.

***SPOILER WARNING!!!***

Overall, “Caraval” is a wonderful book about the importance of sisterly love and anyone who loves reading books about siblings will surely enjoy this book!  I will definitely be checking out the second book as soon as it is released!

You might also like: 

• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

[BOOK REVIEW] Alice by Christina Henry

Title:  Alice

Author:  Christina Henry

Genre: Fantasy / Horror / Thriller / Adventure

Year Published: 2015

Number of Pages: 291 pages

Date Read: 1/6/2017   

Publisher: Ace Books

Series: The Chronicles of Alice #1

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Rape and Strong Gory Violence)

Trigger Warnings:  Rape, Strong Gory Violence

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

“Pretty little Alice. We’ll make you fine and plump, won’t we, pretty girl? Pretty Alice.”

You know something?  I thought that the darkest retelling of “Alice in Wonderland” I had ever been introduced to was either “American McGee’s Alice” video game series or Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.”  But then, after I read Christina Henry’s take on “Alice in Wonderland” called “Alice,” it turns out that this book blew all the other dark interpretations of “Alice in Wonderland” away with its constant themes of graphic violence and rape!

The story starts off with Alice being held in a hospital (or a mental institution) due to her going insane a few years ago and the problem with this is that Alice cannot remember how she ended up in the hospital in the first place.  The only bits of memories she has left is that she was having a tea party with a white rabbit and it turned out that the white rabbit had raped her after the party, but Alice had managed to escape the White Rabbit’s clutches.  Meanwhile, Alice meets up with a fellow male inmate named Hatcher, who was also suffering from amnesia and seems to be connected to a mysterious monster named the Jabberwocky.  Later on unfortunately, the hospital mysteriously burns down and Alice and Hatcher manage to escape from the burning hospital and it was then that they discovered that the Jabberwocky was responsible for burning down the hospital and it seems to be chasing after both Alice and Hatcher!  It turns out that Hatcher and Alice both have mysterious powers that could defeat the Jabberwocky, but in order to fully defeat the Jabberwocky, Alice and Hatcher must obtain a rare weapon that could destroy the Jabberwocky and they head down to the dangerous and revolting insides of the Old City in order to seek such a weapon.

Wow…just wow…Just how in the world did I end up loving a book that had so many rape scenes and violence?  I guess the storytelling was so well written that I just ended up getting hooked to this book!   Christina Henry has done a brilliant job at creating a darker retelling of “Alice in Wonderland” in this book as she manages to make this book both terrifying and exciting at the same time!  I enjoyed the dark and twisted take on this tale as characters like the white rabbit, the Cheshire cat and the Caterpillar are much more villainous in this story than in their original formats as they are shown as actively trying to harm both Alice and Hatcher throughout their journey and are also engaged in enslaving most of the citizens in the Old City.

I also loved the way that Christina Henry made this story so frightening and intense as I was seriously disgusted at the many rape and sexual scenes in this story and yet I was happy that we have a strong female protagonist in Alice who would do anything to save the people of Old City from the antagonists’ grasps.  Now, I would like to talk about the characters themselves and the two characters that I automatically fell in love with were Alice and Hatcher!   I loved the way that Christina Henry portrayed Alice’s character as Alice goes through some great character development in this story as she started out as being a meek and traumatized character, but as the story goes on, she starts becoming a much stronger and independent character who tries to save the people of Old City and takes out evil with her handy little knife!  But probably the most interesting and awesome character in this story was none other than Hatcher himself!  I loved the fact that Hatcher was such a mysterious character as you wonder why he is connected to the Jabberwocky and (I know I am going to sound like a sadist here, but) I loved seeing the fight scenes between Hatcher and the various soldiers of Old City as it shows that he can easily take down anyone in his path!  But what I really loved about Hatcher’s character was his complete devotion to protecting Alice as is shows that despite him being a serial killer of sorts, he still has a good heart on his shoulders.

~HUGE TRIGGER WARNING COMING UP!~

Alright, so this book has two major issues that is often problematic with many people and that is the topic of rape and strong graphic violence.  There are many rape scenes in this book and I usually have issues with rape in books and this book was no exception to my disgust towards this issue.  Also, the violence in this book is surprisingly much more graphic than any other fantasy and horror novel that I had ever read as there are many scenes where Alice and Hatcher have to slaughter some of the antagonists in order to reach their goal and the ways that Alice and Hatcher kill off their opponents are told in an extremely graphic and horrific detail.

 

Overall, “Alice” is truly one of the best dark and twisted retellings of a fairy tale that I have ever read and I will definitely be picking up the second book in the series “Red Queen!”

*2015 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Horror