Review: Nevermore by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it. Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe. Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

I've never read fan fiction before ~ always kinda wary of it ~ but I'm completely obsessed with the show, Supernatural, and upon discovering that there were and endless choice of books (and I DO love to read), I decided to finally give it a shot.

Verdict: It wasn't horrible but it wasn't fantastic, either.

I loved all the Edgar Allan Poe parallels, but the rock band drama? I didn't see where it fit. The Poe murders, imitating scenes in good ole Edgar's gruesome stories and poems, were pretty insane, but I felt like it didn't get the attention it deserved what with all the cheesy "rock" concerts that Dean and Sam felt they needed to attend to gather info on a crazy woman haunting their friend's friend. Honestly, it didn't sound like the boys at all ~ stopping people from dying would be first priority. It felt like the author had too much going on at once and couldn't focus on one situation, half-assing them both.

The writing wasn't bad, but the descriptions were a little over the top. "Dean turned left on [insert street], then made a right up [insert another street I don't know], then took the one-way up [okay, now I'm completely lost]." I'm all for creating a realistic scene, but it was a little much. And the endless lists of bands and songs that Dean was obsessed with filled quite a few long paragraphs. Descriptions are awesome ~ they build the world we are drawn into and allow us to know our characters ~ but I felt, in this case, they began to take attention away from the story.

As for Dean and Sam, there were some moments that I knew who they were and others where I couldn't recognize them. These guys are supposed to be overflowing with suppressed feelings and hidden angst ~ emotions that seep out throughout their story ~ but I didn't feel as if they were experiencing anything other than slight annoyance on Dean's part because an amateur rock band was slaughtering one of his favorite songs. BUT they did sound like themselves for the most part, digging into each other with sarcastic remarks and making you grin at the ridiculousness that can sometimes be brotherly love.

It sounds like I was really disappointed, but really it wasn't THAT bad. I think being a fan of the show increases the value of this book in my point of view. Will I read more fan fiction? Probably, depending on reviews, but only because I'm a huge fan of the show.


Happy Reading Everyone :)




~ Keely ~

Musing Mondays

This week's musing asks...

If you were going to write a book, what would you write about? Would it be fiction or nonfiction?

I've actually already begun writing a fiction novel, and I'm finding it to be the most difficult yet most rewarding project I've ever undertaken.

It's about a women who loses the world she knows and the person she loves and how she finds the strength and the ability to survive her guilt. She becomes a completely different person, almost to the core of her being, except for those precious little moments she allows herself to remember. It isn't until she stumbles upon and watches from a distance a world similar to what she used to know ~ filled with trust, love, and companionship ~ that she even considers the fact that her life doesn't have to continue to be the way she's allowed it to become. Maybe she can be human again...but at what cost?

I love losing myself in this world of certainty and uncertainty and what it means to be human... I never really know where it's going to take me next, and although I'm not even close to being finished, I'm having the time of my life :)

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Booking Through Thursday

Yes! I love Thursdays! Another day closer to the three 'R's' :: Rest, Reading, and Relaxation.. I definitely live for the weekends...

This week's question asks:

Has a book ever inspired you to change anything in your life, fiction and not-fiction alike?

Whether they are fiction or non-fiction, books are the ultimate learning tool. I read mostly fiction, and although the stories may not be based on actual events, the core of these books are basic human elements we experience everyday. Love, pain, friendship, betrayal... I could go on and on and on... I couldn't choose one book in particular, but books as a whole allow me to see myself more clearly in regards to the way I react and what I think while I'm reading. I believe I'm a better person because of books; even if I haven't experienced a situation myself, I've read about someone who has, and each time I read, I gain knowledge about life.

Every book changes my life.


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Books to Movies: The Host

Stephenie Meyer has become a household name. Even if you've never read her books, you've at least heard of her and her either much-loved or much-hated Twilight series. (I'm in the 'much-loved' category, and I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit it.) In the middle of the Twilight hype, Stephenie released The Host, the first book I ever read by her and one that was completely over-shadowed by the noise of squealing Team Jacob and Team Edward teenage fans. It's a shame, really, that this book didn't receive the attention it deserved. It's more science fiction than paranormal ~ think Revenge of the Body Snatchers ~ but it's more about the surviving and thriving elements of humanity than about the conquering of the world by an alien race. Just trust me ~ it's good ;).

They made movies of all of Stephenie Meyer's other books, so it makes sense that would make one based on The Host. I stumbled upon the trailer and cast list ~ the movie will be released in March, 2013 ~ and although the trailer looks awesome, I'm a little perturbed about who they are casting as Melanie Stryder ~ Saoirse Ronan. I love her, don't get me wrong, but I always pictured Melanie as this dark Amazonian looking woman   who can outrun just about anyone. I guess we'll find out..

My preconceived notions aside, here's the trailer for The Host. Looking forward to it :).

Happy Reading (and Viewing) Everyone :)

~ Keely ~ 

Young Adult Fiction

Most of the books I read fall into the YA category ~ especially if it's YA paranormal fiction. I guess in a lot of ways, I'm still a young adult at 25, but I'm definitely nowhere near the squealy high school teens that wear "TEAM JACOB" t-shirts. Maybe that's a little harsh, but trust me, I went to the opening night of New Moon (never went to an opening night again), and I swear the sixteen year old mini skirt sitting next to me nearly hyperventilated because of Edward. Anyway, I get off point. Lately, I've been trying to expand my library, reading books I wouldn't normally read in order to get out of my comfort zone and learn something new. I love it, I really do, but there's just something about YA fiction that keeps me coming back, and I began to wonder what the insistent attraction was.

The YA books I read usually take place in a world different that the one at present. Either it's an apocalyptic futuristic setting or it's in the present where other realms exist alongside the one of humans. Typically, the hero or heroine is a young, unique person trying to find their way and discover who they are. Young adults feel so much because a lot of what they experience is for the first time. I've said many times that I'm a sucker for raw emotion, and in the mind of someone inexperienced and perhaps a little naive, you don't get any more stripped and bare than that. These characters are lost, don't fit in the normal world, and must reach inside themselves for a strength and courage they never knew they had to find themselves and discover or save a place where they belong. Now, they aren't all like that, but my favorites definitely are.

So I guess I haven't really answered the question yet: Why do I love YA? Well, I'm still figuring out who I am and what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. In a lot of ways, being in your 20s is a lot more difficult than being in your teens because the real world is all around you, and it's cutthroat. This is the time you find your place, whether it be a job, a career, or a hobby, and for someone like me living where I live, it's pretty difficult to get to where I want to be. As if I'm even sure where that is yet. I find that people see me as a little weird, different, and outside the way 'normal' people think ~ needless to say, I rarely find a group of people where I fit in. YA fiction is something I can relate to or use as an escape. I can empathize with the characters who are frustrated with the feeling of being confused or lost, and I enjoy the thought of other worlds and seeing places that shouldn't exist. It makes this real world full of people who are just trying to get what they can out of you a little easier to digest.

I guess we could say similar things about all books. They are a transport out of our reality, but they also teach us about the bare bones of  humanity and what is truly important in this life: love, honor, courage, determination, strength, loyalty... I could go on and on..

So whatever genre you choose, enjoy :)

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~