Magyk Review

Do you want or love a magical world beyond your imagination? Don't bother looking any further than Magyk by Angie Sage. This novel is similar in scope to the first few Harry Potter novels with a magical world, children learning about magic and so on. The world is breathe-taking simple to explain, but rather fun in a great middle grade style especially the different chants used for spells and the characteristic of some of the wizard characters. Now this book isn't Harry Potter, but a new series in its own right that features a kingdom with wizards and a wizard's tower along with a newly crown queen by the end of the novel who is only ten years old. The story is the basic good versus evil present in most if not all middle grade reads. However, I see like some other series that this book series will become quite mature has the characters themselves age. All in all I recommend this book and its corresponding series if you want a series to grow and evolve while you read the series. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion Review

Have you ever loved a book series enough that you hoped and wished for Hollywood to make a movie or television series about it? For the Vampire Diaries, I had the exact opposite happen I enjoy the show so much that I wanted to read the source material. I said in the review of volume one of the Vampire Diaries that the novelization is completely different from the show. That statement holds true with this next installment because it follow none of the story-line from the show rather has its own agenda. All the novels and show has in common is the main characters and the general love interest between Elena and the Salvatore's Brothers. That being pointed out the writing style isn't quite bad being typical of a YA novel, where the characters talk in the language of the day which in the novel was the early 90s. The characters are independent, but occasionally get annoying to read about except for Damon, who is by far the most interesting character in both the novels and show and my favorite characters out of the all. Overall, the book series is good if you want a new and fresh version of the Vampire Diaries in between the show seasons. Don't let the vampire in your home unless you love them. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Inferno Review

What do you get with sword-welding, magic using ancient beings whom fights demons hell bent on chaos and mayhem? The answer to that question is given in the outstanding Chronicles of Nick series, in particular this review of the fourth installment Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This series falls in the dark hunters universe created by the same author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, for adults and its YA version, Chronicles of Nick is the equivalent of the Mortal Instrument series, but for males. In this series, you have kick-ass leads, both male and female with witty and thought provoking  dialogue to transition the scenes. For example, there is one section on page 160 to 167 that has a letter written by one of the minor characters about bullying for the anti-bullying club which is extreme powerful and will possibly have you in or on the verge of tears after reading it. That was just one aspect of this novel. The reason to pick up this gods filled novel is because of the main story of the title character, Nick, fighting is nature and destiny of possibly being the end of all humanity. Now this is the fourth in the series with another installment out in April 2014, but this novel answered a ton of questions however still left some more questions to be answered. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Inheritance Review

What better joy in the world than to finish an epic fantasy series. Most of us if not all of us enjoy fantasy novels be them urban fantasy, epic fantasy, high fantasy and the list can continue on to what seems like an epic proportion. I know when I finish fantasy series I feel a relief of longing because you spent a majority of your time in this world and got to know the character so, when the story is over you might not want to leave. If you get that feeling of not wanting to leave from any series especially a fantasy series, then the author did his job correctly.

Another high fantasy novel series full with cliche elements about humans, elves and good versus evil scenario. However we still love those story no matter how cliche as long as the characters and plot captivate us to forget that its cliche. Inheritance and Inheritance Cycle does just that splendidly because I saw those cliche elements on countless and I mean countless pages. Those elements were litter throughout the series such as the mentors, creating of the sword and the meaning behind the names of things. All of these elements and more are present in the novels, but I didn't care I was involved with the characters most of the time. Maybe it was easier for me to overlook the cliche elements because I am a character driven reader or I choose not to judge the novel and author use of cliches and read the novel for what it was cliches and all. The story is of a young boy turn Dragon Rider, whom strives to free all the lands of an evil tyrant's tyranny. How cliche can you get with that, but the series is great especially the journey of the author's writing style because with each new installment his writing improve each time. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Ninth Grade Slays Review

Do you want a funny and action-packed story? I personally love when the author themselves have children the age of the protagonist because it provides a real unique quality to the story. In the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer, she has a couple of boys around the same age as the main character and sidekick. That another interesting fact about novels is most young adult novels have the best minor characters because in most case I always love the minor character and the main character is a 50-50 chance of me hating the character.

Here is an another book part of a series for review, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer. For the people who can't determine what this is about from the cover or character name this novel is about vampires. What I like about this vampire series is that Vlad is true blue teenager and not 300 something year old playing a teen. Vlad has to go through puberty just like any normal boy, but he has the added pressure of controlling his blood lust. The story seems original, but some plot elements seem a little cliche. However the characters of Vlad and Henry make up for it with their charm and general naivety. Overall, I gave this book five stars because its funny, catchy and a fast-pace read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Legacy Review

My reviews are actually finally dwindling down when I will only be reviewing books on Update Monday and when I have a review to present. What does that me for this blog? First and foremost it means I will on a schedule of updates. Then the ultimate change would be fewer posts. The posts were only be on the schedule days being Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In this regard I think it will make the blog much better in content and consistency. The schedule will be taking full effect on Monday, July 8th 2013.

Another review of an outstanding five star book is Legacy by Cayla Kluver. This novel started out what a normal reader would consider a three star book, but as you continue to read the novel the characters, setting, and even the eventual love pairing develop the book into what I consider a five star book. The book in itself lean towards the fairy tale setting of princesses, knights, kingdoms and feuds. As the reader you will be transported to a fantastic world all from the mind of a young teenage girl. The prose is pure poetry guiding you throughout the story wanting to see what happen to Alera and her struggles. Now this book and like all books its not without its faults such as being somewhat cliches or having the main character, Alera, sometimes being a stubborn self-centered brat, but this is kind of taken care of with the heavily influenced medieval theme throughout the book which the author does a magnificent job in performing. Some particular scenes involve the charming Narian and the glorious Alera with their intellect conversation causing Alera to actually think about her role toward duty or love. All in all a wonderful fairy-tale for any reader. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.
-crazyC

The Vampire Diaries Volume 1 Review

Who here loves the Vampire Diaries television show? Did you know that it first was a book series before it was a television series? We live in a world where a ton of popular young adult fiction is becoming movies and television shows. I personally love that I get to see my favorite characters on the screen even if I read the book series after I started watching the show. Reading and watching the show in most cases is quite different specially in the case of the Vampire Diaries. The book series has a different twist than the show along with new characters or changes in characters. In most cases the changes are decent and helps out the show story quite a bit.

Welcome to another review of an intriguing book, which is a bind-up of The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith. Now to start off the review this series is a smokey hot hit show airing on the CW network, but similarity between the show and the books are few and far between each other. If you are a fan of the show I would warn you that when reading the books you have to separate the two forms of media because the book and show only really have the main characters of Elena, Stefan and Damon everything else is created for the show theatrics. However the book is different, but in a good way meaning you can watch the show for one variation of the Vampire Diaries and have a completely different experience when reading the novels allowing for a double dose of Vampire Diaries greatness. The thing that sticks out with the novel is that the characters seem at first to be a little one-dimensional, but eventually grow on you. My favorites parts and characters in the novel was anything really connecting and centered around Damon because he seemed to be the most rounded and well-written character out of the bunch being so calm and collective with an air of confident around him. All in all, the novel proves to me why the Vampires Diaries is such a huge hit on television because of the great source material, but the main reason for enjoying the novel series is the fact that you can get a double dose with two similar and different stories being portray in both written and visual media. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Skarlet Review

Who loves the creatures that go bump in the night? I personally have a love and hate relationship with Vampire novels because in most cases it has the Anna Rice formula of being ancient and in love with a human. There is nothing wrong with that formula, but it make finding really good vampire books hard because most of them are really a romance book masquerading has a vampire book. I enjoy those romantic vampire novels as much as anyone else, but there is a time and place for them. I would rather read about the vampires being monsters or dealing with living in the human world. If the romantic vampire books can give me that then its a good vampire book.

This time the book was a ARC given to me in a Goodreads giveaway of Skarlet by Thomas Emson. I am going to give this book a honest review because all books need those honest reviews. The premise of the story sounded intriguing so, I went into the novel wanting to find out the juicy secret lying within. The structure of the book is broken into five parts with over a hundred chapters with just under four hundred pages which means a chapter a page. However the structure with the story was still interesting it had a steady pace throughout the novel until the climax of the story allowing for the characters to be believable and grounded. At times the book felt and is aware of its average nature because the book wasn't the greatest and not the worst it might be overlook by most people. Fair warning with this novel the language is quite heavy, but what do you expect from adult talking to adult when they are angry. If after all I said and you still reading this, then you might want to pick this up if you are into paranormal or need a new vampire series to read. I will let you know that one of my favorite part in the book was in part five which was a great tie-in to the other novels in the Vampire Trinity. All in all, this book is average in its best form allowing for people to love or hate this book or to even overlook this novel. How about you read this novel and determine if you think its a crap book, an average book or a complete masterpiece? This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Night Magic Review

In big cities such as New York or Chicago, you get the glimpse of street performers. These performances are raw and unfiltered with magic, mimics, dancing and musical accumulates. If you have ever seen these performances live, then you know actually what I am talking about. The passion in the performers eyes lets you be enthralled in his magical way. If you haven't seen these performances before, then I urge you to read Night Magic because you get a little of the street magic from the pages. 

In this spectator tale, Night Magic by Tom Tryon our main protagonist, Michael Hawke, wants nothing more than to seize fame and power after a chance meeting with an unique old gentleman at one of his street performance in the greatest city in the world, New York City. Throughout this story the reader will be pleasantly surprise with magic of both natural and unnatural sources. Young Michael, a street magician with a basic understanding of night magic, but after meeting the old gentleman referred to as the Queer Duck for most of the novel he want nothing more than to learn what the Queer Duck has to offer. 

However will our young hero be willing to commit to the ultimate sacrifice of losing everything about himself for this fame and power? This being a Sorcerer's Apprentice retelling this novel was quite rather pleasant to read. The chapters made be rather long for my taste in novels, but the story was quite detailed and enriched with well-developed characters and plot to propel the story forward. Additional concept brought to the novel by Tom Tryon was the historical information from different cultures take on sorcery and magic in general during the prologue and throughout the novel. Overall, the novel is a great piece for those reader who want some fantastical elements in an adult novel without turning to the young adult genre. I personally give this novel a three star rating for being a great stand-alone book in a world recently rocked by countless series. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Ink Exchange Review

Don't you just love those long summer nights where you can lie in bed with a good comfort read. I know I do because that's the best part of summer and reading in general; its the ability to escape from everyday life into a fantastical setting with amazing characters. What better world to visit than the world of the fey with the different fey courts. Some faerie books are quite dull or uninteresting to continue in the series, but Melissa Marr has done great justice to the fey world; she makes you want to interact with the characters and to learn more about the fey courts.

What to say about the novel Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. Well to start of with the story is a sort-of sequel to Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. The story in Ink Exchange follows a new character but returning character of Leslie, a friend of Aislinn the new Summer Queen and her struggle to survive and find herself. In comparison of the two novel I like Wicked Lovely a lot better that Ink Exchange, but I still enjoy this fey series better than the Modern Fairy Tale series by Holly Black. Melissa Marr does a remarkable job of characterizing her character and having the character drive the story rather the plot or other story element move the story along. All in all, the Wicked Lovely series is a interesting take on the fey and I totally enjoy all the characters of Keegan, Aislinn, Niall, Leslie and many others. If you are looking for exciting characters to read about then pick up the Wicked Lovely series and you will be entertained. There are still more in the series that I have let read, but if they are anything like the first two novels I can't wait to buy, read and finish the series. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 1 Review

Hello fellow readers and fans alike I actually have a special treat this day in which I review my very first manga that I have ever read before. When choosing to read manga there is many factor most readers go through such as which series, what type and so on. I went and chose a manga series to start with based on my personal taste in reading along with the fact that I have seen some of the episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist. This series is perfect for me because I enjoy a fantasy element mixed with a coming of age in which the Elric brothers are most differently experiencing in this series.

As far as a manga goes this was an excellent choice for my very first manga. I chose to read the Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 because I enjoy watching the anime show. However this isn't about the show, but rather the manga. I am glad to say that this does deserve five stars because it has every thing that I would expect from a manga/comic book. The action is very well drawn and the story has a decent paste and wonderful character development. Fullmetal Alchemist has that fantasy elements with involving alchemy and science fiction with the technological advancement by having metal arms that have weapons attached. The main characters are Edward and Alfonso Elric whom are a tragic hero because they overstep there skill level and paid dearly for there mistake. Overall, this series be anime or manga has character development, good illustration and good projection. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The Gray Wolf Throne Review

Don't you has reader love coming back to your favorite series or author? I know I totally geek out when I get my hands on the latest novel from my favorite authors, such as Cinda William Chima. Now most of the time with any novel and author I tend to wait for the book to be released on paperback unless I can't wait for the next installment. Most of the time I can wait for the novel to come to paperback to make a purchase because I tend to have the other novels in paperback as well as and I am a little OCD about the edition the book series is in.

Cinda William Chima as done it again. This story, world and magic is fantastic for any average or regular booklover. With the twisting plot of the political turmoil back home in the Fells and love life of Raisa. This novel doesn't disappoint or fail to deliver a wonderful high fantasy. I highly recommend this novel and its predecessors and sequel. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The Secret Prince Review

I love series, who doesn't love those expanding universe of your favorite characters. What makes me a life-long reader is most likely the fantasy series that I come upon and devour the core content. Every once in awhile I can learn to love a stand-alone novel, but my first and true love is series, especially fantasy. The incredible way that authors weaves the prose in creating a astounding world filled with countless characters each having there own issues and problems. Now the novels in the series don't focus on every single character populating the newly created world, but its focus in on those specific characters that have a epic tale to explain. This series, Knightley Academy,  like most other series that I read has that incredible world and interesting characters.

The second installment in the Knightley Academy series, The Secret Prince by Violet Haberdasher. This novel was astounding, fast pace read great for the summer time reads. The characters have continue physically, mentally and emotionally growing into chivalrous young men in this elaborate world created by the author, which is alternate reality of our own world. The plot continues to be gripping, but predictable at some and most of the time. However with the twists and turns provided by the author you won't be disappointed when the book is finished. All in all, the novel is worth the read and is quick to get through despite the length of the novel. Have fun reading and enjoy the numerous worlds open to the minds of all readers. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The Exile Queen Review

Wouldn't you agree that sequels are great to read? I mean you already invest a considerable amount of time in the story. You know the characters and plot from the first book. Sequels continue with those characters and plots into a new story with more dangerous challenges awaiting our heroes. The downside to sequels is that the story might end up becoming stale and dull along the way eventually leading to a possible reading slump. However in most series you don't get that feeling, but rather you get a stretched out 3 Act setup. The first in the series is always the introduction. Next comes the conflict of the story, both minor and major. Finally ending with the resolution of those conflicts established in the second act. Hence why trilogy are so popular and easy to write. The Seven Realms series has its virtue and flaws, but above those flaws its still a great series to read.

In the continuing Seven Realm series by Cinda Williams Chima, the Exile Queen picks up where you left the first book, the Demon King. In this novel you continue to love and enjoy the growing characters of Han, Raisa, Dancer and Amon to name a few. However this novel with its political twist and turn will test the bonds of friendship and forbidden attraction of everyone involved to the limits . I highly recommend this novel for any serious fantasy lover out there and in need of a great story with compiling dialog in what seem to be a new take on some rather tired fantasy elements in the surprising epic Seven Realms series and don't forget to check out the next installment in the Grey Wolf Throne and the last installment the Crimson Crown. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The Demon King Review

Welcome to another day on this wonderful earth of ours. This day is quite special because I finally finished Inheritance so, you won't see it in this weeks #fridayreads. What better way to celebrate finishing an epic fantasy than to post a review of another epic fantasy novel series. I personally love epic fantasy because its more easily able transport you to another realm where magic thrives or your imagination is the true weapon. I think that is why a lot of people tend to enjoy fantasy novels and series because they are and easy escape from their otherwise complicated life.

Life is hard I know and you know this and most people want to relax. They enjoy reading about someone else problems and determining what might happen to those characters later on in the story. It provides a relieve for at least a couple hours before the reader has to deal with their own problems. The authors whom writes fantasy novels provide to us that escape that we all disparate want and need if not just for a little while.

Cinda Williams Chima is a master story-teller. This novel was amazing, awesome and downright excellent. Magic and politic merges to create a wonderful story filled with a humble thief, hard-headed princess and power-hungry wizards. The Demon King has everything a fantasy lover enjoys and more. The characters in this novel both the main and minor are written surprisingly well and you will love or hate them. All in all, the Demon King is a must read. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Knightley Academy Review

Here is another book review from the queue that is rapidly shrinking. I would go on the record when I read books I tend to know if I will enjoy reading the book from skimming the back of the book. However in some cases, but rare I will not have a strong feeling for the novel. Some example of books that I read that I didn't love would be Wicked: Witch and Curse and Tithe. This upcoming review is like the masses in which I crave to read more and finish the trilogy even though the last book isn't published let. 

When I finished this awesome read and I couldn't wait to tell the world about this amazing story. In a world where young boys are trained in the proper decorum of being a knight and the best school around is Knightley Academy. Our title character, Henry Grim, is the first boy to pass the exam at the Midsummer School for Boys in five years, however he himself is a commoner and the act of taking the exam will change the society forever. The plot, characters and setting of Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher is somewhat a recycled story-arc with an interesting twist. The characters that are commoners are somewhat quirky and funny. They will grow on you throughout the novel and by the last pages you will really care for them. The secondary characters tied in with the plot are very reminisce of Harry Potter. Henry Grimm is an orphan with no redeeming connection to being a knight that we are currently aware of and there is an impending doom on the horizon in the form of a war between nations and ideology. One major differences between the two novels is the main goal of Knightley Academy is the characters are striving to become knights and not wizards. All in all, Knightley Academy was a quick light hearten read that contain some nifty twist and turns along the way. Once finishing the novel you will want to pick up the next installment in this series by Violet Haberdasher called the Secret Prince. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The King of Attolia Review

Hey readers, I have a question to pose to you. Have you ever read a series that you thought wasn't going to be amazing, but the further you got in the series you were proved unmistakably wrong? Personally, I love when the series is going alright not being too strong or too weak because when the series reaches that incredible plateau I am wowed beyond reason. The series that I have recently been reviewing before you starting with the Thief and the Queen of Attolia is known as the Queen's Thief series by Megan Walden Turner. At first read its just a well-done and crafted middle grade novel that any student would read just to get some necessary Accelerated Reader (AR) points. In close expecting you will find a very clever novel filled with political twists left and right. The series doesn't hit that plateau of awesomeness until this novel, the King of Attolia.

This book was awesome in so many ways, there was romance, political trickery and other mischief going on. Megan Turner knows how to spin a great story of love, betrayal and political in fighting. In this novel you have the newly crown king going through what he thought was going to be an easy plan turning out to be much harder than what he thought. The character are compelling and exciting to read about, you get enough of the king, the queen and even the newest character of Coatis. If you are fan of medieval fantasy, then this is a great novel for you, I hope you have fun reading and enjoyment in some great books like this one. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

The Queen of Attolia Review

Another review to start off the morning and I need it this morning because of the weather being drowsy. I love it when a review is in my inbox for Youtube, Goodreads or my email. If the review is written on a book that I have read I love to start a discussion of the favorite parts in the novel. On the other hand if its a review that I haven't read, then I tend to read or watch enough to determine if the novel is the right fit for me. This review is a sequel to another book so, I try not to give away any spoiler however sometimes spoiler might sneak in. Which bring me to a question I would like to ask, "Do you like spoiler or not?" I don't mind if the spoiler is a minor one, but if you tell me that a character dies or the main character chose their love interest from the love triangle then I will be highly upset and most likely shout to the moon some colorful language at you. That is why I try my very best to deliver a spoiler-free review.

The Queen of Attolia and the Queen Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner is an action-packed, trilling ride from start to finish. The characters are enjoyable and meaningful, you won't want to leave them during their spot in the novel. For a fantasy lover like me, I find this novel series enjoyable even with the lack of magical influence. The medieval feel of the scene is enough for any book lover to enjoy. If you love the romance of the lowly thief with the high born queen or the knightly battle, then this novel series and this book is great for you. Have fun diving into any Megan Whalen Turner's novels. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in, let live.

-crazyC

The Thief Review

Don't you just love reading book reviews? Sometimes they're good or times they're the worst. Good or bad I enjoy them all because its that person prospective on the book. In most case you might find a gem in that novel or the review is of a highly popular novel and its getting even more praise. That is why I review books that I enjoy and not jump directly on the bandwagon of the "In book" or the "new Harry Potter". The only time I jump on the bandwagon of those popular books is if I enjoy the author or I read the first book and base my opinion on the series/author determining if I stick with the author and go crazy for the next installment. This next author and book series that I am reviewing is one of those moment where I look forward to reading anything she writes.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner was an outstanding read and I can't wait to read the next in the series. For this particular novel picture a short and lighter read than Lord of the Rings because half of this novel takes place traversing across mountainous regions in search of a special stone. The latter half is when the action of the story picks up into overdrive. The main character, Eugenides, a thief of extraordinary skills is at first found in a prison of a local King. Then he is trusted into this journey to find this oh so special stone. While on the journey there is twists and turns, storytelling of gods and goddesses. For a fantasy with remarkably very little magic beside the gods and goddesses, this series does seem to be a must read for either fantasy lovers or those who aren't keen on the magic aspect, but rather a great story. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in let live.

-crazyC

Infinity Review

Wow, I am really getting quite a lot of posts added up. I know that its not a huge amount compared to other blogs, but for me to write this many posts I am completely in awe. I started this blog in order to share my views on the different books that I have read throughout my life along with some wacky fun. Primary I treat this blog as a review blog for the books, maybe I will eventually do more than the simple reviews and participate in more books tags from both blogs and vlogs. I love the setup that I have in place with the Monday, Wednesday and Friday because having that schedule will help me to have up-to-date content with a regular posting schedule after I post up all of my past reviews.

In today episode, I present the most shocking read of 2012 is "drum roll" Infinity: The Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This novel has it all action, drama and witty lines to keep you laughing. If you love fantasy and paranormal novels, then this series is for you. The main character is a type of character that you want to root for in everything aspect of his life; do to his mother he always is trying to succeed and become a better person with the dark forces hanging around that tasks gets quite difficult. The writing style of this novel has twists and turns for the thrill seekers and with an incredible flow throughout the novel. This book and its series will be what I talk about a lot until something comes along that blows me away like this did. This has been your surrogate crazy signing off, live in, let live.

-crazyC