Review: Fairy Blues by J.L. Bryan

Title: Fairy Blues
Author: J.L. Bryan
Series; Songs of Magic #2
Pages: (?)
Publisher: J.L.Bryan...the man himself!
Date Published: January 20, 2012
Format: eBook
Genre: Paranormal (YA) (Faries)
Source: Provided by Author!

Synopsis:
With their enchanted instruments charming the crowds, the Assorted Zebras attract interest from record producers, and soon they’re off to cut their first album and music video. Jason and his friends don’t know they’ve just become pawns in a sinister plot by a cabal of evil fairies... Meanwhile, Aoide and her band pursue a new strategy for regaining their stolen instruments, one that will take them into the most haunted region in Faerie

My Review:

Fairy Blues starts right where book 1 left off and the Assorted Zebras are getting more famous than ever, with the help of their enchantingly magical music. I have to tell you...Fairy Blues is a drop-kick of magical awesome to the face :) I wasn't really sure Jeff could top the freaking amazeballs that he threw at us in the end of Fairy Metal Thunder...(Hello...unicorns turning into hot pink dragons dueling with guitarists and the power of rock and roll! YEAH!!!) But that was before we got to meet Banshee-wolves, Leprechauns, and the total cuteness that is Jason's little sister. Really...You cannot get much better than that!

There is a TON of cool stuff going on with the Assorted Zebras in this book! They make a not so well informed choice in agent and record label...leading them to the inner sanctum of a centuries old leprechaun family who of course deal in two things: luck and gold...Jason, Erin and the rest of the Ass.Zebras (BAHAHAH ) would like the gold and good luck, but it seems like all they can find is the bad. They have to record stupid pointless songs that don't mean anything, and even though they are rich, they find out that being basically owned by the Leprechaun Corp. takes up any time that they'd have to spend it.

Man...All I can say is that Erin and Jason better get together soon or I'm going to somehow transform into a character and go slap Erin silly until she sees just how amazing Jason is! Come on! How can she still be with that douche Zach?? He totally has his sights on Erin's fame and money and it just sucks that she doesn't seem to see it! Seriously! DROP THAT LOSER! Go with the super cute bandmate who knows your coffee order before you do and HELLOOOOO Loves you!!! *sigh* I really have to read Fairystruck now...I don't know if I can take it not knowing if they don't get together.

It's kind of like there are multiple stories going on all at once. Aiode and her band are one plot and Jason and his band are the other. We see a lot more of Jason, but I would love to see what happens when worlds collide and the bands go head to head. Actually...I'd also like to see more of fairy land in general, because dude...fairy land is so effing cool. It is definitely reminiscent of Candyland...what with the molasses marshes, the sugarswamps and all sorts of other things. I would love to just explore and poke around with the unicorns and fly with the fairies, and be terrified in the haunted forests...Seriously...Vacation to fairyland anyone? Anyone?

I give Fairy Blues 4 Keys! Really what else is left to be said? I have such a great time when I'm wrapped up in this story. It's a breath of fresh air and a total joyride. I can't wait to start Fairystruck and I totally think this series is one of those that you would want to read when you need something bright cute and fresh. J.L.Bryan is amazing at creating fabulous characters, and even more fantastic worlds unlike anything I've seen before.

Review: Alexander Death by J.L. Bryan

Title: Alexander Death
Author: J.L. Bryan
Series: The Paranormals #3
Pages: 310
Publisher: J.L.Bryan Books
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Won from Author!

Goodreads Description:
While Seth searches for Jenny, Dr. Heather Reynard of the CDC unravels Seth and Jenny's secrets. Alexander opens Jenny's mind to her deep past, and to the full horrific extent of her powers. Torn between her feelings for Alexander and Seth, and between her past lives and her present, Jenny must prepare to face her enemies in the final, catastrophic battle...

My Review:
How much do I love the Paranormals series? SO much! I have been with dear Jenny and Seth from the very beginning it feels like. I have been a long time supporter of the series and J.L. Bryan's books in general. I really need to get around to reading Helix, which is the only book of his I have yet to read. He has such amazing books that I am super surprised that he is still and indie-author. I feel like some publisher should have swept in and scooped him up after the first Jenny Pox book, or at least at the release of the Haunted ebook...oh well their loss, and our gain. Alexander Death is the epic conclusion to this series and is just as fast paced, original, and interesting as the first two. I actually think I liked it even more than Tommy Nightmare. There was a ton of action in addition to the usual awesome character elements that are so strong in the first two books.

Alexander was the big change in this book. I almost fell in love with him actually. At the end of Tommy Nightmare, we left Seth being manipulated by Ashleigh once more, and he is still too weak to stop her from messing things up. I was upset at him for not being the strong, capable person that Jenny is. When Alexander comes sweeping in, bringing both power and intellect, you can't help but start to swoon. He's determined where Seth is confused, strong where Seth is weak, and yet...there's a dark edge to him that you can't seem to shake and it makes you wonder if you can trust him. Seth at least seems to possess a genuine heart, while you're not entirely sure if Alexander has humanity. Then again, the bad boy thing can be appealing. I guess I'm short a moral or two, but if someone kills in defense or to prove a point, I'm not too upset about it. Even a little bit of necessary torture doesn't bug me if the ends justify the means. Unfortunately, when is enough enough? Once you've crossed that line, how far do you go? It's tricky when you're dealing with shades of grey, right and wrong, good and bad...and where Seth is mostly white/light grey...Alexander could either be a dark grey or black...

Sorry to go off on tangents, but all this comparing the two boys has made me go all intellectual. It makes me want to ask you guys a side question...what do you think makes supernatural characters so appealing? Besides the obvious like superpowers, and usually good looks, and super strength, what makes them so much more attractive than normal human boys? And oddly, I'm thinking that it might be their humanity. Alexander is as lovely, if not more so than Seth. But...he's still otherworldly. He is "other" while Seth has become humanized and though he has his share of scary and awesome powers, he also has emotions, feelings, and morals. Think about it. We love a bad-boy, because we think that we will be the one's who can take his motorcycle riding, rough housing, womanizing behavior, and dive deeper into the "real" him who is a gentle and caring lover. It's pretty powerful stuff. It makes us feel needed and important and special. Now add in a paranormal aspect. Of all the fantastic things and people they have seen, they choose us. What appeals to us about them isn't that they are magical and fantastic, but that when they have a choice, they will lose the death, the destruction, and the pain and give it up to be with us mere mortals.

Jenny herself was very different in this book. I loved seeing her coming into her power, but she made such odd descisions and choices that she kind of threw me for a while. There was one heart-stopping minute when I really thought she was going to go over the edge into darkness and kill someone she loves with the pox on purpose. I was happy that she found the strength inside her to be her own person and to stop letting everyone manipulate her. I thought that it was really horrible that just as she escaped Ashleigh and her evil manipulations, she finds herself at the mercy of someone who is just as conniving. It was really ironic that the one with the power to make you love her had less of an effect on controlling Jenny than someone who just used good old fashioned persuasion and common sense to color her feelings and perceptions. Very nicely done. There were layers upon layers of story and plot that all intertwined excellently! I totally loved it!

In this book, you really don't know who to trust. Nothing is as it seems and you can't even trust your own emotions let alone the characters. There are twists that you wouldn't even dream of and lots and lots of character development. Also action. The final battle scene is epic and terrifying and heart-stopping. Characters are turning on each other left and right, and with a cast that has such terrible and awesome powers, things are going to get ridiculous up in herrrr. Alexander Death is seriously one of the best endings to a series. It ties up all the loose ends nicely without leaving any glaring questions. At the same time, there is a possibility that there could be spin off or future novellas in the same world so you are left with a little bit of hope. I'm just sad it's over! I'm going to miss Jenny and the gang! Even the total beotch Ashleigh was like an evil frenemy to me!

So Obviously I give Alexander Death 5 Keys. It's an epic ending to an epic series. This is a TOTAL must read. Really, I can't praise this series and this book any more if I tried. If you've been reading my blog and still haven't even started Jenny Pox, well, you should know that I'm dissapointed in you...I would be sending a special mix of Andra-pox to rain down on you until you go get it. So there :P Have a great week you guys and thanks for stopping by!

Review: Tommy Nightmare by J.L. Bryan

Title: Tommy Nightmare
Author: J.L.Bryan
Series: The Paranormals #2
Pages: 284
Publisher: J.L.Bryan Books
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Won from the author!

Goodreads Description:
While Fallen Oak recovers from the Jenny pox, someone new is hunting Jenny.Like Jenny, Ashleigh Goodling belonged to a pair of opposites with powers that mirror each other. Now Jenny and Seth must face the opposite of love...

My Review:
Tommy Nightmare takes place pretty much right where Jenny Pox left off. There is a brief introduction to Tommy as a child, and let me just say that if you cry easily, you will want a box of tissues and some ice cream for when you begin this book. Poor Tommy is ostracized by the other kids in his foster family for something he can't help. His touch inspires fear and nightmares in others, so naturally no one wants to associate with him and that is a horrible way for a child to grow up. J.L. once again accurately captures some of the evils that still exist in today's homes and families like emotional abuse, fanatical religious practices, and psychosis. I knew from the introduction that Tommy would be an adversary to Seth and Jenny for at least part of the book, but seeing him be turned from a caring and innocent little boy into a cold and cruel man hardened by the world was awful. You really get to see inside his head and see the transformation taking place even though you are powerless to stop it. I feel like this makes you side with Tommy despite how seemingly evil he becomes. Something from the first few chapters sticks and makes you hope that he sees the error of his ways and recovers from his horrible past. Well...that doesn't happen in this book but fingers crossed for book three!

One thing I thought was really interesting was that you could really tell that J.L. was a male author...nothing too overt or distracting, but you could definitely see the difference in turn of phrase and description. Forgive my language right now...but for one thing...I've never heard of female authors referring to boobs as "tits" unless they were deliberately being crude. The way that certain parts of the female anatomy were referred to implies a certain amount of locker-room talk in the author's background. ahaha. There were other little things like that, such as the heavy-handed way that Seth dealt with talking to Jenny about their futures that just screamed male author. I'm not saying that all men don't know how to talk about emotions and the future...but females tend to do it much more eloquently and with a lot more feeling and description. Nothing too noticeable like I said, but there were some interesting things that caught my notice. I found myself wondering if all male authors described certain things in certain ways, or if it was specific to J.L. I feel like I don't read enough male authors to have an accurate opinion so I will have to try harder in the future to do so.

There wasn't a whole lot of action in this book, but there really didn't need to be. There was a lot of traveling, a lot of each character using their designated power, and a whole lot of unveiling of each character's psyche and inner thoughts. I thought J.L. did a brilliant job of switching point of view. Sometimes when the switch is done clumsily or in a weird spot, the transition between characters can jar you out of the moment and make the book take longer to finish. That was so not the case here. I found myself caught up in each character's individual voice and thoughts. Speaking of that, the characterization is really strong all across the board and I was really excited to get a glimpse into all of the kid's past lives. You really learn a lot about people when you view them in different lives for thousands of years lol. The only character I felt was a little neglected was Esmeralda. I feel like her character could have been a little more fleshed out and thoughful, though I do have hopes for her in the next book. There was some dream-memories, some real memories, and a lot more of Ashleigh Goodling than I wanted...

Oh. My. God. Ashleigh Goodling seriously has to be the most evil villain that I have ever met. I remember her being horrible from the first book in the Paranormals trilogy...but in this one. Just wow. I can't even think of the words to describe how awful she is. It's not blood-curdling, it's not ice-cold...ok...just go with me for a minute...she's like...the most delicious thing you can think of. Are you thinking of it? (mine is a delicious German chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips and that awesome caramel/coconut topping) Ashleigh is that treat, laced with cyanide, and little barbed spikes. She will kill you, painfully and slowly, and you will enjoy it the whole time. Even that semi-convoluted description can't describe this she-devil. Never in my life have I found a character that gave me creepy chills the way that Ashleigh does. Not any of Stephen King's terrifying monsters, not Dean Koontz's...no one...seriously J.L.Bryan writes characters like they are living, breathing, incarnations of pure emotion and I can't get enough. Ashleigh may be so evil she's like choking down fire and brimstone...but you love that she's there giving Jenny, Seth, and now Alexander a run for their money. As weird as it is to say this, but the villain truly makes this series so great. I totally love to hate her.

Once again, J.L. Bryan has spawned some of the coolest characters, most interesting plot twists, and epic scenes that you can possibly imagine. Of course I will be giving Tommy Nightmare 5 out of 5 Keys. I am even thinking of taking a page out of the Bookish-brunette's book and creating a rating for those rare books that are over 5 stars. Seriously. If you still haven't begun the Jenny Pox series, I refuse to speak with you until you do. It is that good. You're already on the computer...now just open up a new tab, go to B&N, Amazon, or the Book Depository, and order not one, but all three of The Paranormals trilogy in your preferred format. DO IT NOW!

Review: Fairy Metal Thunder by J.L. Bryan

Title: Fairy Metal Thunder
Author: J.L. Bryan
Series:Songs of Magic #1
Pages: 187
Publisher: J.L. is self published!
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Won from the author!

Goodreads Description:
Jason, Erin, Mitch and Mildred (“Dred”) are the Assorted Zebras, a teenage garage band in Wisconsin with no fans and no gigs. Then Jason sneaks into the fairy world and steals four magic-fueled musical instruments, the kind fairies use to enchant and trick humans. The new instruments make the band a huge overnight success, on their way to rock stardom. But the band members aren’t exactly ready for fame, fortune, or the supernatural creatures sent by the fairies to track them down.

 My Review:
Jason has been having a tough time. He and his band have been struggling to get gigs. They are good, but no one seems to like them enough hire them, and now The Assorted Zebras will be breaking up as two of their members go off to college. Not to mention the fact that Jason is in love with the lead singer Erin. This would probably be a good thing if it wasn't for her perfect boyfriend getting in the way. He also has to deal with judgemental parents, and a crappy job at the local fast food restaurant. So understandably, dear Jace is pretty blue...that is until the night when he chases down the little man who steals his moms earrings and ends up crossing the boundary into Faerie. That little man? Yeah, he's a goblin...and now Jason is even more screwed because the Mad Queen does NOT allow humans in her realm. I think you can guess the punishment for those mortals who break a crazy queen's law...So Jason makes a break for it, after making a side trip and stealing 4 magical instruments of awesomeness. Now his band literally plays like magic and is gaining followers and fans at a terrifying pace...but that's not all the attention they are attracting, because sooner or later the instrument's rightful owners are going to want them back.

Fairy Metal Thunder is definitely not like anything else I've seen in the paranormal/fairy type genre. I'm not even sure what makes it so unique. There is just this totally refreshing essence to the book that just gives it something extra. You get to see the human perspective as well as two different fae perspectives and the point of view fluctuates between male and female so you get a really well rounded cast and sense of what's going on in the book. Also...Just look at that cover. I'm usually not much of a cover-lover, but I think this one really kicks ass. The only way it could be improved is with a real model, but I'm not sure if they could capture the fairy-ness that makes the cover so fantastic.

You know that feeling you got when you took your first trip down Diagon Alley with Harry and Hagrid? Well that was a little like how it felt to see Faerie for the first time. There was so much going on, and all sorts of new creatures to see and discover that I felt like I couldn't read it quickly enough. There's always a movie playing in my head when I'm reading, but the description of this new world was like an ultra-vivid, H-D, 3-D experience for the mind. I also really liked the imagery and extremely thorough descriptions of the instruments and how to play. I'm not sure, but I feel like J.L. Really did his research for the book. That, or he actually played in a band, which would be pretty bad ass. :) Regardless, the concerts, filming the videos, the music; all of it was really well written and fun to read. You could just jump right in and be part of the story. This was definitely a one sitting book for me! Omigosh...and the fight scene at the end??? Shape changing unicorn/dragons and fighting magic with music is a pretty fantastic sight to see. You'll seriously have to check it out.

I would have liked to have more of a feel for what the fairies do, see, and think. You kind of get a glimpse into their world from Aoide and Grizlemor's perspectives, but I didn't really connect with them or their story while they were narrating. Through Jason's eyes we get to see the vibrancy and life of the magical world. When the goblins, fairies, unicorns, etc come to the human world, there is no description from their perspective of what the differences are between the worlds. When they narrate, it world goes from vibrant to simply descriptive. I feel like their dialoge and descriptions would be so much better if they were as developed as Jason's.

I give Fairy Metal Thunder 4 out of 5 Keys! I had a great time reading it, and one of my only complaints was that it was too short. You all know about my hatred for books that don't tell a full story in one novel...so I won't blather about it. I will just state that it is my preference that books have a complete story arc in each novel, rather than seeming like chapters of one big book. Regardless, I really enjoyed reading it! I can't wait for the next book in the series to hear more about the Assorted Zebras :)

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan : Review

Title: Jenny Pox
Author: J.L. Bryan
Series: The Paranormals #1

Pages: about 300
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Won from Supernatural Snark ages ago

GoodReads Description:

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague. She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love. But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all. Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

My Review:

HOLY AWESOMESAUCE...J.L.Bryan is a WONDERFUL author. I was seriously floored with how much I loved Jenny Pox! I won it in a giveaway a while back, and I hadn't really gotten around to reading it. I'll be honest...the only reason I bumped it to the top of my TBR was because I needed a "J" for my alphabet challenge...lol but now, I'm seriously going to have to drop everything and go read Tommy Nightmare as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on it! I remember reading The Haunted Ebook way back when it first came out, and the same fantastic writing style mixed with interesting and believable plot and characters made Jenny Pox just as good if not better. I almost have no words for it. The story is so original...and creepy...and just awesome. I can barely handle it!

 I absolutely LOVE J.L. Bryan's characterization. Jenny is sweet, strong, and even remains empathetic despite being ostracized by the majority of the town, who have been the only people she's known her entire life. I'm not as good of a person as Jenny is. I feel like if people treated me the way they treat poor Jenny, I would have poxed the whole g*****n place ...end of story. Of course, we actually want to like Jenny, so that doesn't happen. Jenny is a beautiful person for dealing with her curse and still caring for those who isolate her. And then when those she loves need her, she turns fantastically bad ass which is a fantastic thing to behold. Jenny’s relationship with Seth is amazingly well written as well. It's tentative and unsure at first, and then develops into something sweet and fun. It isn’t rushed and actually seems realistic…well, as realistic as it can be with a girl who infects people with a deadly disease with a single touch and a boy who heals them.

I think the most interesting character was the villain, Ashleigh.  Consider for a minute these people: Sauron and the One Ring, Lord Voldemort, Hitler. What do these men all have in common? They are slightly less evil than one Ashleigh Goodling, resident mean girl of Fallen Oak. Ok maybe Hitler still has one up on her...but she comes pretty freaking close. This chick was the anti-christ incarnate. She is a classic example of killing with kindness. She has that super irritating skill of being able to say absolutely nothing wrong, but being able to cut down your confidence, abuse your self esteem and change your own words around to mean something totally different than what you said for her own purposes. Ashleigh manages to manipulate pretty much the entire town for her own ambitious ends. Even people who don't agree with Ashleigh are helpless to stop her, because she's always a step ahead of everyone else, setting them up to fail. It is up to Jenny, who has to deal with her curse as well as Ashleigh’s hate, to basically stop Ashleigh from taking over the town. 

One of my favorite themes in this book was dealing with the attitude of the American South. The referencing of racism as if it was an acceptable and understandable thing was kind of a shock to me. I believe the quote was something like..."Hunky McHunkster had a great body and was on the football team, but Ashleigh couldn't date him...he was black..." I know it was for the benefit of characterizing Ashleigh and providing a background of the attitude of the community, but it was still odd to see something written out like that. My neighborhood growing up is literally one of every kind of ethnicity imaginable. Our neighbors next door and adjacent were both African American families. The next door neighbors on the other side are Chinese, and the ones directly across the street are of Indian origins. The rest of the subdivision is just as diverse, and I can’t imagine judging anyone based on their skin color. This definitely is not the case in the south. The religious overtones of the work are juxtaposed against the racist background to create a nice irony. This book gives a great depiction of the troubles that the American South currently struggles with, including racism, religious discrimination, etc.

The ending was simply amazing. I was going to be seriously upset because of all the death and destruction going on, and when righteous judgement sweeps through South Bend...boy does it...but then you get a seriously unexpected twist and then everything is right in the world again. Well...other than pretty much 97% of the town being dead...but they were racist sheep bastards anyways so no skin off my nose. I have yet to find a paranormal book that is as original and captivating as Jenny Pox in YEARS! At the very end, a twist brings to light exactly what is “wrong” with Seth, Jenny and Ashleigh, and opens up possibilities for the next book Tommy Nightmare. I was SO excited to hear that there was going to be a sequel! The book ends with a nice tie up of loose ends, and there isn’t a cliff hanger (thank god) but there are openings for another story which I look forward to hearing in the next book.

I will definitely give this book a 5 Keys out of 5 along with my recommendation for every single one of you readers out there to go find a copy for yourselves. I currently have a paper copy, a copy on my nook, and one on my kindle...just because it's that awesome and I wanted to make sure I have a copy everywhere I go....THAT good people. I wish there was some like...award or something I could give J.L. Bryan for seriously rocking my face off. I think I put Jenny Pox down once....for about 3 minutes and then I picked it back up because I couldn't stand not finishing it. I'm sorry if I'm blathering on and on...but I enjoyed it sooo much and I wanted to share the love! Check it out! oh, and Happy Monday to my lovely followers!

Review: The Haunted e-book by J.L Bryan

Wow. Just Wow...I somehow found my way to J.L.'s Blog the other day, where I read about this book's blog tour. I checked out a couple of links, reading interviews and such, and I found myself liking the hilarious interviews and just the general banter that the author supplied. Though it isn't true for all books, typically when I like the flow the author has in real life I like the way they write as well. This was no exception. 

The haunted e-book was everything you wan in a horror book. There was suspense, blood, gore, all that good stuff. But there was also a very good, intricately woven plot, something I find missing in many books lately. In addition,the story played on natural fears that many of us have, from the monster literally hiding under your bed, to the fear of being forgotten. I found that last fear especially meaningful. One of the struggles I myself have been dealing with is leaving my mark on the work. It is a timeless conflict...going all the way back to Achilles. You know...go to Troy and you will be known for thousands of years but lose your life, stay here and you will have an amazing family but after they are dead no one will remember your name...that whole chestnut. I feel like a writers attempt to leave their mark revolves around their work, because as long as their book is being read, part of them is alive. This is the premise of how the villain in Bryan's work stays alive and becomes stronger.

The diction in the book bears notes of Stephen King-ism without being quite so graphic, though believe me, the book has its share of disturbing imagery. All together the creepy and disturbing air of the book lends itself to the plot, and the characterization of the villain Jonah. Definitely something you should pick up if you aren't afraid of spending a few nights staring into the dark for Jonah over your shoulder.


I'm not a big fan of the cover, but it fits with the book and is actually explained in the story...which makes it cool by me :) The only major thing I didn't enjoy in the book was the one episode of sex. It was bland, kind of tasteless, and made me feel uncomfortable reading it. I think this MIGHT be because it was written by a guy, and i think Bryan might have less of an understanding of how a woman wants her sex (complete with hot, sexy paranormal who swears to love me forever(and can do so cause he's immortal) thank you very much) lol. But other than that the book was very enjoyable.


-Overall Report---
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 7/10
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 4/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10 ( fits with the book but is still kind of bland)
Total= 89/100 or an A- A very good book by my new favorite indie author :)