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| Clyde looks a bit shaggier today |
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| Most of my graphics are stored here |
Just Finished
"Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 2 by James Tynion IV contains Chaps 6 - 10 in this horror graphic novel series. And the title tells it all, basically. Something is killing the children in the small town of Archer's Peak, Wisconsin. In these chapters we find out more about Erica Slaughter, the young woman trying to put an end to the horror and to the organization at Slaughter House in Chicago for which she works. We also find out more about the creatures that are 'killing' the children.
It's a terrifying, beautifully drawn story, skillfully depicting the town's reactions to what is going on, even though they, for the most part, can't see the creatures. Erica is trying to destroy the creatures while Slaughter House is sending her minder to cover up what is going on. I don't want to go into too much detail because it is a short graphic novel but a great deal is going on that you don't want to miss.
The police are helping the families try to identify the bodies and are themselves suffering from a kind of PTSD. Erica is trying both to keep the children safe while using them as bait... sort of. It's a scary, scary story, but so well done. The art work is stark filled with purples and reds and blacks. The characters are all wonderfully presented. The story moves either traditionally within a page and then jumps across to the next page before returning to the left page (did I describe that correctly? Once you start the story, it's difficult to put down. It flows quickly and intensely. Great horror if you are a fan. Vol 3 has been ordered. (3.5 stars)"
Women Authors Whose Work I've Been Enjoying - Leigh Bardugo
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| Leigh Bardugo |
"Six of Crows is my first experience with the fantasy of Leigh Bardugo. It is the first book of (2 so far) in the Six of Crows duology and a continuation of the Grishaverse. The Grisha are magical people, accused by many other races of being witches and sorcerers, as I understand it so far.
Six of Crows is a perfect gang story and heist story. It's only weakness is that there is a second book following up on the adventure. But even that does not take away from the excellence of this story.
The story takes place on the merchant island of Kerch. Kaz is hired by one of the merchant society to find a Shu scientist, Bo Yul-Bayur, who has made a chemical drug that enhances the capabilities of Grisha. It also hooks them on the drug and drives them insane. The Merchants want to get the scientist so they can control the drug and stop enemies from using it.
Kaz is a lieutenant of one of the gangs of Kerch and he takes along members of his gang to the Ice prison at Dierholm where Yul-Bayur is being held by the Fierdan, enemies of the Grisha, so they can use the drug to defeat their enemies. The prison is supposed to be impregnable, hence the great heist story. It's a great, fascinating adventure with a great team of crooks; Kaz, the leader, his right hand man (woman) Inej, aka The Wraith, Nina, a Grisha Healer (the various levels of Grisha and their talents are outlined at the beginning of this story), Jesper, a jack of all trades and weapons expert, Matthias, a Fierdan soldier with a relationship (if you can call it that.. a love / hate relationship) who knows the workings of the Ice Prison, and Wylan, the son of the main trader and somewhat of an expert with bombs, a great story and wonderful dialogue.
The story is told from the perspectives of the main characters, jumping from one to the other as we learn about them, their personalities, their past, the connections with each other. There are twists and turns a-plenty as other gangs try to break into the prison and foil Kaz's team. It's a rich world that Bardugo has created, with fascinating peoples and just a wonderfully complex story. I have to say it grabbed me so quickly. The story is dark and gritty, but there is humor at the same time. Everything about it was amazing. I can't say enough positive about it. Ocean's Eleven meets Game of Thrones. I need to explore this world more. (5 stars)"
"Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets—a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world."
"'I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina,' he said.
'You and I are going to change the world.'The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the world of the kingdom's magical elite — the Grisha. Could she be the key setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a man of seductive charm and terrifying power. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina's childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can't she ever quite forget him?"
Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale's secret societies. Their eight windowless "tombs" are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street's biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living."
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