Book Review-Last God Standing by Michael Boatman

Title: Last God Standing

 Author: Michael Boatman

Series: First in series.  

Published:  April 3 2014 by Angry Robot

Length: 400 pages

Source Publishers:

Other info: Book 2, Who Wants to be the Prince of Darkness comes Spring 2015

Summary : When God decides to quit and join the human race to see what all the fuss is about, all Hell breaks loose.Sensing his abdication, the other defunct gods of Earth’s vanquished pantheons want a piece of the action He abandoned.Meanwhile, the newly-humanised deity must discover the whereabouts and intentions of the similarly reincarnated Lucifer, and block the ascension of a murderous new God.How is he ever going to make it as a stand-up comedian with all of this going on…?

Review:  Yahweh, aka the Abrahamic god, has decided he's had enough of being God.  Therefore, he quits, joins the Human Race and tries to live life as a stand-up comic. However, with gods of old pantheons trying to take his place, and a now-human Lucifer to deal with, this isn't going to be easy.

I was really looking forwards to this. Multiple pantheons, all the myths, all wrapped up with a big dose of comedy? Right up my street.

It starts off well. The dramatis personae sets up an interesting c premise, featuring my favourite gods from various mythologies, plus a few more I was less familiar with.

Lando has a good voice. I liked him and his comedy could be good if it wasn't wrapped up in a whole load of other stuff. I also liked Yuri, Lando's family, and Suhrabi. I love the way the gods are presented-Zeus and the Morrigan especially.

The thing that let it down most was the plot, and the way it just went ways I don't really get. The bit with Hannibal got good at the start, then relaxed a bit earlier than I  was expecting. The whole thing with Lucifer, Gabriel and the angels was very predictable, but turned out well. But then there's this whole bit in the middle where I think Lando swaps bodies or something with another guy. I say I think. I honestly don't know what happened there, but it changed Lando for the last quarter of the book. Also, the god battles, while fun, were also a bit confusing in that they went everywhere in time and space and were hard to follow.

Also, I didn't get the comedy that I was promised, apart from in small bits ie  introduction of the gods. Or maybe it just wasn't my kind of humour. Either way, sadness from that. 

Despite this, I will read book two. Just because  Hell. And game shows.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to a book with a really good premise that just wasn't put together as well as I was hoping.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Cover Reveal- Delete by Kim Curran

You know how much I love these books, where if you want, you can change a decision you made, even if it's not always for the best...
Anyway, Kim Curran's Shift was released December 2012 and Control was released last August (me: seriously??? How has the time gone past?)   And this August, DELETE is being released. And here's the cover.

Given Control's giant cliffhanger, and the firey colours  on the cover of this, I'm expecting big things from Delete!

I also like the way that the stakes seem to have gotten higher as the series progresses- look at the background- warehouse to modern city skyscrapery things to the Houses of Parliament.  Exciting.

Finally, did I ever tell you about Kim's other project, Glaze? No? Well, check it out here. It looks awesome. 

Book Review- Death and Mr. Right by Kendra L. Saunders

 

Title: Death and Mr Right

 Author: Kendra L  Saunders

Series:  N/A

Published:  1 October 2013 by Spence City

Length: 264 pages

Source: Spence City Share Group (Thanks Kayleigh)

Summary :  It is March 32nd, the day that doesn't exist, and Death, the agent of nightmares, has been demoted and exiled to live among mortals for the rest of his unnaturally long life. Everyone knows They don't look lightly on important items getting lost or an agent falling in love.
Can the diva-like Death navigate the modern world, recover what was stolen from him (the names of the damned ooops!) and get his job back? Or will he fall in love with Lola, the pretty thief who got him into all this trouble in the first place?

Review: Death is the agent of nightmares. Well, was. He's just been fired and exiled to life among humans because he lost some paperwork and now wants to try and find Lola, the thief who stole them, and get his job back. As long as he doesn't fall in love.

I read this book purely because of the title. When I read the summary, it wasn't what I was expecting from the  title, but still it sounded good.

Death and Lola are both absolutely adorable.  They're both funny, Death especially with his thought processes , and I found myself  just really wanting to be friends with them and Mr Right, who seemed like a more secondary character than his being named in the title. Also, I loved Death's blue hair. Just because. Blue hair.

This is most definitely  primarily comedy. Standout moments include  Death on earth at the start  and Death finding his obituary. The plot aside from this is good, involving someone who wants to be the next agent of nightmares, and so tries to stop Death getting his job back. It's paced well- reading it isn't difficult.

I saw someone else compare this to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I agree with this comparison-both are crazy, unpredictable fun comedies. This just has a  more romance and  has supernatural elements and bureaucracy instead of space and aliens.

Overall:  Strength 3.5, just more a 3, to a light hearted, dark contented, romcom.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Theatre Review- The Collected by Dominic Bray

This will be on at the Oxford Firestation on Thursday 6 March. You should totally go and see it.

Title: The Collected

Writer: Dominic Bray

Performed by: Timeless Theatre Productions
Directed by: Hannah Phillips

Major cast: Rebecca Bujeda, Alex Hudson, Declan Kitchener, David Cox

Seen at: Bucks New Uni

Warnings: abuse

Review: Lily, after growing up with an abusive father, lives with neighbours Tom and his aunt Maggie. Tom and Lily's friendship grows, as does Tom's love for Lily. But then everything goes wrong. War breaks out and young men are called to the front line. There, Tom becomes best friends with Eddie. Meanwhile, Lily leaves for London and trains as a nurse. Later, Eddie is injured and is sent back to Lily’s hospital. Love and life tangle as death watches over them all.

I went because one of my friends is a cast member (Eddie) and it was advertised as something inspired my Marcus Zusak (I loved The Book Thief with all my heart) so of course I had to go.

The first act is mostly character and relationship exposition, with comedy, and a little seriousness. It was nice to watch, and but felt a little dragged out in some places. The second act was where the major conflict happens, and this was really intriguing to watch as relationships change with simple actions.

Maggie, the nurses, and Eddie provide comedic relief in the first act, with words, actions, and, in Eddies case, getting Tommy to make out passionately with his helmet. In the second act, we see completely different sides to them, which I liked.

I really like the fact that Death is ALWAYS  on stage, in the shadows, observing, and narrating as scenes change. I also find it interesting that he always has a drink with him. He does however have a tendency to spoil things, which takes away from the emotional impact of certain things happening.

The girl who plays Lily is a really good actress-emotion pours off her, and you really feel for Lily. I also liked Tom and Eddie, and Maggie. Tom, I feel bad for in the way his character developed after the war takes its toll on him.  The ending isn’t particularly happy, and is satisfying when it does end (towards the end, there’s Death interrupting to make little speeches more and more which made me think that it was going to end when the story wasn’t done yet, but luckily that didn’t happen.

Overall: Strength 4 tea to a small production that pulls you in from the start and doesn't let you go.

Book Review- Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Title: Level 2

 Author: Lenore Appelhans

Series:  The Memory Chronicles #1

Published: 15 January 2013 by Usborne

Length: 330 pages

Source: Bought

Summary : Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind

Review: Felica Ward died and did not go to heaven. Instead, she is in a blindingly white afterlife known as Level 2. There, she replays memories over and over again- memories of Neil, a boy who she knew when she was alive and really wants to see more of. Then, someone else in Level 2 dies. Then, she learns about a rebellion, and has to decide what she's going to do about it.

 I liked the idea of being able to rewatch your memories  and the concept's originality  made me really excited to read Level 2.

It was fun when we started seeing the memories, with the whole set up seeming a bit like fantastical  Youtube. I also liked this way of seeing characters' backstory.

The romance, while being set up as a love triangle by the publishers,  isn’t really one, but I liked the way that it was slowly built and we get to see two sides of Felicia.

Felicia,  she doesn't accept answers without questioning them, which I liked about her. I also liked wondering about what happened while she was a live, and finding it out. I didn't really connect or care for any of the other characters. Julian is pretty much the opposite of Neil, one being badboylike and the other one being sweet and kind. 

I like the mix of computer/scifi elements, and the religion and mythology of the angels and the general world that Lenore has built up. The angels aren't the ones you often see in YA, mysterious romantic things, but they’re very good new interpretations. I would have liked to know a little more about them.

The plot, I got a little lost at points, but the ending was good.   The little ending there was. The whole rebels vs Morati thing is finished off very quickly, possibly a bit too much so.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book where I was hoping for more. I’d still like to read Level 3, though.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Three Year Blogoversary! Wow.

Explanation for that gif of Misha Collins dancing like a maniac: That is essentially me when I reaslised I've been reading and writing about books for three years now. It does not seem like that long.

First, some stats. Since starting Death Books and Tea, I have....

• Posted 711 (712 with this) posts
• Had 1761 comments made, which I find amazing considering my comment sprees happen once in a blue moon
• 
  
• Gained lots of followers. I'm not going to try and count them, because some people follow me in different ways. But I'm amazed that so many of you stick around for my ramblings. Thank you.

I'm sorry, but I can't host a giveaway at the moment. Spent too much money on books (and other things like birthday presents and postage and club fees...but mostly books).  Instead, I'm going to do shoutouts of awesomeness. All these people are people I've either met in real life or have just talked to on the interwebs, and have a lot of love for. 

People

• Alek Cristea
• Leo Cristea (Jet Black Ink)
• Georgia (Bibliomaniac)
• Charlie Morris
• Lisa (Over The Effing Rainbow)
• Stacey (The Pretty Books)
• Cait (The Cait Files)
• Tom Easton
• Laura Lam
• James Dawson
• Kim Curran
• Lou Morgan
• Tom Pollock
• TomPL
• Liz de Jager
• Darren (Bookzone for Boys)
• Raimy (Raimy Rawr)
• Bella (Cheezyfeet Books)
• Amy (Amy Bookworm)
• Caroline (Portrait of a Woman)
• Liz (Planet Print)
• Jim (YAYeahYeah)
• Andrew (The Pewter Wolf)
• Lucy (Queen of Contemporary)
• Cicely (Cicely Loves Books)
• Jesse Owen (Books4Teens)
• Laura (Sister Spooky)
• Amber (Mile Long Bookshelf)
• Kirsty (Overflowing Library)
• Beverly (A Reading Daydreamer)
• Sean Cummings
• Emma Marree
• Chelsea Pitcher
• M and Little M (We Sat Down)
• Ryan (Empire of Books)

Publishers

• Angry Robot/ Strange Chemistry
• Hot Key Books
• Hachette
• Headline
• Random House
• Harper Collins
• Macmillan 
• Solaris
• Indigo
• Titan
• Walker
• Oxford University Press
• Quercus

I'm fairly sure that I will have missed at least one person off this list. Probably more of you. That doesn't mean I don't love you. I just  can't think of you at this time. 

To everyone who  reads this blog, favourites, comments, publicises, chats to me...thank you.  I really appreciate it.  I hope to carry on blogging and being friends with you guys for a long time.