Waiting on Wednesday-Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where we show off books that we want to read but have not been published yet. 

So last week I went through my TBR list (some of it) and did a mini cull. Despite this, I still have a shedload of books on there....

Title:  Styxx
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: 3 September 2012
Summary from Goodreads:  Just when you thought doomsday was over…

Centuries ago Acheron protected the human race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.
As the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs. Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s willing to trade his life for Acheron’s.
Bethany was born to set right the wrong that left her family imprisoned for eternity. Now that she’s out, nothing will stop her from fulfilling the bargain that freed them. She must take the life of the last remaining Atlantean and she will not fail. But things are never what they seem and Acheron is no longer the last of his line.
Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or more will suffer.
Yet it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even when it’s your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your very soul?
Why I want it:  I love the Dark Hunter world immensely. Styxx and Acheron are amazing characters with complicated history between them. Acheron's book was enormous. This one kind of is. So much expected from this!

What are YOU waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday #40- Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where we show off books that we want to read but have not been published yet. 

Title:  Inferno (Chronicles of Nick #4)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: 4 March 2013
Link to / Summary from Goodreads: The heat is on, and a new threat to humanity has risen…Nick has his driver’s license and he’s not afraid to use it. But turning sixteen isn’t what he thought it would be. While other boys his age are worried about prom dates and applying for college, Nick is neck deep in enemies out to stop him from living another day. No longer sure if he can trust anyone, his only ally seems to be the one person he’s been told will ultimately kill him.But life spent serving the undead is anything except ordinary. And those out to get him have summoned an ancient force so powerful even the gods fear it. As Nick learns to command and control the elements, the one he must master in order to combat his latest foe is the one most likely to destroy him. As the old proverb goes, fire knows nothing of mercy, and if Nick is to survive this latest round, he will have to sacrifice a part of himself. However, the best sacrifice is seldom the sanest move. Sometimes it’s the one that leaves your enemies confused, and you even more so. And sometimes, you have to trust your enemy to save your friends. But what do you do when that enemy is you?
Why I want it: Have you seen how much I fangirl over this series? How much I love this world? How awesome I think Nick and Ash and Caleb and Simi are? If not, you must be new here (here's my reviews) ... BUT WE HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR *wonder who decided to put the date so far ahead* In the mean time, I’m looking forwards to the Chronicles of Nick movie, and manga, and Dark Hunter TV show. Oh, and while I thought they might use a yellow background, it didn’t turn out as bad as I’d feared it would. *goes back to fangirling over Nick*

What are YOU waiting on this week?

Book Review-Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infamous

 Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series:  The Chronicles of Nick #3

Published:  12 Mar 2012

Length:358 pages

Warnings: violence, sex references 13+

Source: Publisher for review

Other info: The other two in the series, Infinity and Infamous have been reviewed on DB&T. Currently we have a giveaway of Infinity going-click here.  Sherrilyn has also written (not for teenagers) the Dark Hunter series, the Knights of Avalon and a lot more. The Dark Hunter series has been adapted into a manga series, that is suitable for teenagers.

Summary : Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him. He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is. And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.  Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.  Even himself.

Review: I think I’ve said it before. I love this series. I read the Dark Hunter series, I read the Dark Hunter manga, it just makes sense that I read Infinity. And the next one. And the next one. Nick’s still in a bad way-finding out that your “uncle” is yourself from the future, trying to prevent you from being (like his other attempts at safeguarding you) put into mental hospitals, sucked into Nether-realms and worse. And as he learns more and more about his powers, and what he can do, he becomes closer to either saving the world or destroying it. Just what every fifteen year old needs.

If there’s one great thing about the series (and trust me, there’s more), it’s the huge mix of characters. We get gods and goddesses, familiar and unfamiliar, demons (Simi is my favourite thing about this series), Dark Hunters, vampires (current favourite is Virgil, the lawyer), shapeshifters (The bears at Sanctuary), a fair amount of humans, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. At least, I think there’ll be four. We’ve only met two. I want to meet the others. And Nick of course. The good thing is that, while there’s so many, I can still keep track of them. If I really wanted to, I could draw out a neat(-ish) map of character relationships. And all the characters have their own personalities. Individual, interesting and really good to get friendly with.

Nick is a great character. At the start, there’s a paragraph that sums up exactly why I love him “Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier-smart mouthed, streetwise kid. Typical teenager. Gaming guru. Anime and manga obsessed otaku. Socially awkward around any girl his age. Total evil.” And from there, he just keeps growing. His relationships with his mother and many other characters develop, and you see him understand and take control of his powers and general life a bit more. And his lovely little romance with Kody. Too bad she [ERASED FOR SPOILER].

As well as the demonic powers coming into play aspect, there’s also another plot running sideon. A nasty website has been started saying the worst things about almost everyone. Nick’s attempts to deal with everything being said about him and his friends are interesting, and his powers shake a couple of things up, which makes me happy for the characters involved.

 The world building is so good. No, that’s not the right word. The world should have already been built. The atmosphere. Yes, that’s it. It’s so easy for me to believe that in New Orleans, there is a set of hunters and paranormal creatures running around protecting the world from evil. Really, I want to go there. Not just the New Orleans Kenyon has created, but also New Orleans (the real one in Louisiana).

Overall:  Strength 5 to a great continuation in what is one of my favourite series. Can’t wait for book 4, Inferno. Should probably catch up with the Dark Hunter series while I’m waiting. But that’s a whole different thing entirely...

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Giveaway-Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

If you've  been following for a long time, or generally know what books I like, you'll probably know that I've been waiting forever for the next book in the Chronicles of Nick series, Infamous. It's the third in the series, but in case you haven't read the first, the US publishers are kindly supporting a giveaway.

Infinity-Sherrilyn Kenyon (Goodreads|My review)
At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity. Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead. But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu. As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

The winner of the giveaway will win a copy of book one in the Chronicles of Nick series, Infinity.  To enter you have to...
--Be at least 13 years old, or have parents' permission
--Have a US/Canada mailing address
--Leave a comment with a broken email address (such as  deathbooksandtea at gmail dot com) and answer the question "If you were in Nick's position, what would you do?"
--Do this by 1159pm GMT Sunday 1st April

Good luck!

In My Mailbox 9 And Other Things

Going to have another go at updating the mailbox thing regularly...let’s see how well I do XD

Here’s my library stash... 

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas-The Film, The Art, The Vision by Frank Thompson I love this film. 

Card Games by Collins. Long story, but you know our book club is also an "argue, eat, read, argue" club? Well, it's morphing into an "argue, eat, read, argue, play cards, argue" club. 

Shakespeare Made Easy Hamlet & The Merchant of Venice. No, not studying either. I just love it when people re-write Shakespeare into modern language. 

The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar. Had it on my to read list for a while, saw it in my library, picked it up. 

For Review

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown via Netgalley. Mermaids don't get enough love. 

Witchblood by  Emma Mills. Vampires in Manchester? Sorry, but it's just that I don't think I read enough paranormal books set in England.

News (I'm also going to TRY and update with any news that I can think of. This may or may not work.)

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (review here) has been shortlisted for the Kitschies Golden Tentacle 2011 award for debut novels. For more de  tails, go here (sorry about the website name. It's not what you think and is perfectly safe for work), or here for info about what it's up against.
• There's an extract of Infamous!!! HERE! And I love our (The UK) cover!

Any other exciting things happen this week? 

Cover to Cover #3- US, UK

The third of the feature in which I showcase the covers, whether or not I like  the stuff inside them. This time it's US,UK, which is me comparing the American and English covers for various books. Which do you prefer? And do they match up to where you live? US cover first, then UK. Hetalia fans will understand the title...

Black Swan Rising

UK wins because the setting just looks more intriguing.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

US wins because it subtley suggests what's happening, making you read on.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

US wins because the red and black on the UK looks a lot like Twilight.


Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

UK wins slightly because it jumps out more. Actually, I like both of these.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

US wins because it gives a better sense of the sea monster element.

The Hunger Games

UK wins because it gives a better impression of the world and what's happening. (Also, I love the cover where you can flip it so you get a picture of Peeta if you want it. I got that one)

Infinty by Sherrilyn Kenyon

US wins because I like the symbol in the background and the way it's mirrored throughout the rest of the series.


So, I seem to like the American covers a bit more. Shame when I live in England, isn't it....Anyway...it's the actual writing that counts...but I still love pretty covers!
What's your favourite?

.............................
Oh, and speaking of Sherrilyn Kenyon, I know that this book isn't for the YA market, but she's one of my favourite author's and I just want to point out that her newest Dark Hunter book, RETRIBUTION is out today.
Here's the trailer.




Actually, there's a lot of new releases out this month that I'm excited about. Comment on what you think of these new releases too!

Cover to Cover #2 and exciting news!

News I found out literally seconds ago! Sherrilyn Kenyon's books will be turned into films and whatnot, starting with Infinity. It says so here! I can't wait!

And that is strangely appropriate, what with the theme of today's Cover to Cover- this time, its books that have been made into films. And then re-covered especially for the film. Which has turned out terribly. The book/film cover that is. Not the actual film. Well maybe the film, but that's not the point of this feature. This will feature the title of the book, a pre-film cover, then the cover for the film and any thoughts.  Onwards...

A few pictures. Not too large. Open if you want to.

Independence Day and My Favourite Authors.

***DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE 100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!***

So to all Americans, Happy Independence Day. Have fun partying or whatever it is you do. The reason I'm here today, on this day which is actually very ordinary for people like me, ie those in the UK, to talk about the people for whom it is not an ordinary day, ie those in the USA. And seeing as this is a blog about books, I'm going to talk about the authors who live in the USA. And before we go any further, that failed picture at the top is America from Hetalia Axis Powers. Reading books by American authors. I thought a flag would be boring, I currently have an  obsession with Hetalia, and I was bored, and I couldn’t be bothered to find a picture for it and…anyway, various things lead to that picture. And on to the main bit.


There have been some  good authors from USA (thinks of ravens).There have been some very good authors from USA (thinks of barbecue sauce loving demons). And there have been some very bad authors from the USA(thinks of sparkly vampires). For the purposes of today's blog though, I'm going to focus on the good ones, because heres a list of my personal favourites.

Waiting on Wednesday #12: Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Waiting on Wednesday is  a weekly bookish meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where we show off books that we want to read but have not been published yet. 
Title: Infamous

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: 1 February 2012
Goodreads: Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself.

Why I want it: Have  you not noticed how much I love Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nick and Simi? If not, then go read my reviews of the other two in the series, Infinity and Invincible. And if you haven't read those two, I suggest you do. Because Nick's world is amazing, fully imagined, and has a manga and 20 something (adult) books to go along with it. 


What are YOU waiting on this week?

Book Review-Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Invincible

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Chronicles of Nick #2

Published: 22 March 2011

Length: 309 pages

Warnings: demons, blood, mild rude joke x1  (the new principle: Richard Head- we can call him Dick Head and say its just his name) , what is basically vampires, shapeshifters, necromancy, a little dating which doesn’t go very far

Other info: My review of book 1, Infinity, is here and there will be a third book in the series. Sherrilyn Kenyon has also written for adults the League series and the Dark Hunter series, the latter which is also a manga for young adults. You can find Sherrilyn Kenyon on Youtube, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and at her website.

Summary  from back of book: When teenager Nick Gautier was saved from almost certain death by a mysterious warrior, he had a feeling his life was set to change. Fighting the undead has taken the place of fighting with his teachers (well...almost!) and Nick is learning to rely on his powers to protect the world from evil he could never before have imagined.
then, just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, he wakes up to find himself enslaved in a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul. But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

Review: Its the second book in the chronicles of nick series, and its jvery good, just like the first. It begins with a large dose of Nick and Kyrian's sarcasm, when Kyrian has to explain to Nick that he really isn't a vampire, just something that only can come out at night, has ridiculously long fangs, is pretty near immortal and is not a vampire. Despite Nick's overly cautious attitude, Kyrian wins, probably because Nick realises that there are even weirder things going on in life. In the form of his new football coach, who is attempting to collect personal items of everyone in the class so he can control them. And the fact someone is on a murder spree of fourteen year old boys, which Nick is. The reasons for this will become clear as you read on.

We meet a few new characters, my favourite being Death, aka Morty, a chef for Sanctuary and volunteer for the suicide helplines. We also meet Aimee and the rest of the Peltier clan, a family of shapeshifter bears who own Sanctuary, a pub and sanctuary for other paranormal types, and a few more. Again we meet Acheron and Simi and Kody and Bubba and other familiar faces.

Sherrilyn Kenyon once again brings New Orleans to life with full description, and the plot is brilliant, full of mystery, paranormal stuff and a little bit of romance.

It also leaves us expecting more-the relationship between Nick and Uncle Ambrose needs to be explored (readers of the Dark Hunter series should have worked it out) and I generally want to see what else happens to Nick that makes him into the guy we know in the DH series.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea because its great fun with a good story and something for everyone.

Book Review- Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 Title: Infinity

 Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

 Series: Chronicles of Nick #1

 Published: 25 May 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin

 Length:  306 pages

 Warnings:  Profanity, gore, kissing

 Other info: Reviewing today because the sequel, Invincible, is out tomorrow (22 Mar 2011). Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series has also been made into a manga (review coming one day).

 Summary from Goodreads: At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.
But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.
As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

 Review: The book starts with a speech from Nick Gautier, discussing free will: an interesting opening that sort of sets the tone. It then switches to an account of Nick's teenage years. He's the guy from a poor background who the bullies pick on eternally and is decidedly average. We are introduced to Nick's sarcastic nature within a few pages which, while not for everyone, certainly made me laugh.

Nick is saved after his friends desert him, by Kyrian, a tall blond man with comebacks as sharp as Nick’s: who is looking for an employee. Nick takes the job: running around, doing odd jobs, for a thousand dollars a week. Nice pay. Nick is then sucked further into the world of the dark hunters, demons and was hunters. Plus, there’s a load of zombies to fight. Anyone else think this makes for good reading? I did. The Chronicles of Nick was designed as a spin off to Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, and those of you familiar with it will recognise a lot of familiar faces. If you haven't read it, no worries. The Chronicles of Nick works perfectly as a stand-alone series too. The action was fast paced; something always seemed to be happening, from   an attempted mugging to a zombie attack to chasing down said zombies.

We meet a lot of Dark hunter characters: a young Tabitha, into vampire slaying even then, Acheron, the all-powerful Atlantean god, and Simi, his Goth demon who will eat anything with a good serving of barbecue sauce. There's also original characters, my favourite being Bubba, the techie with a fair amount of guns and also services weapons.

You will probably find this shelved alongside paranormal romance. This is wrong. Although there is a little romance in it, to me it seems to have been added in as an afterthought, not dominating the story. That’s left to the action, sarcasm and humour, the latter two being highlights for me. One of my favourite scenes in the whole book is when Nick wakes up, on the street after a fight. Simi, being extremely sweet and funny, asks "excuse me, Mr Human. Are you homeless? Can I eat you?" cue a lot of laughing, no matter your taste in humour.

Overall: I give this strength 5 tea because it’s a quick, funny easy read that won’t take too long to read but will leave you talking about it forever. It won’t suit everyone though.

Open For Discussion (1) : Werewolves VS Vampires

Hello and welcome to the new feature on this blog that is called Open for Discussion. Its where me, and some other people discuss various topics, relevant-ness unknown, share opinions and see what you think. Yes, this has been censored to the best of our abilities Editors comments in square brackets. Most of this was actually said. We recorded our chatting on a phone then typed it up. And as script form, you do not get the idea of how much we shout over each other and the chaos that ensues.  Please prepare for total irrelevance and if you do have a problem, feel free to keep your opinion to yourself. If you would like to add something to the discussion, please do.  What do you think of today’s topic, WEREWOLVES VS VAMPIRES?

Nina: Today’s debate is about vampires vs. werewolves, Mimz taking vampires, Nina taking werewolves and Katy being neutral and [to Katy] you’re supposed to be starting a discussion.

Katy: hello!  What first. Starting with werewolves

Nina:  um, their transformation is more dramatic than a vampire’s, the lot of fur, elongating fangs,

Katy: I thought vampires had the fangs as well

Nina:  no, they wouldn’t have started with them

Katy: Shut up

Mimz:  vampires are perfect because [irrelevant and inappropriate comment]

Nina & Katy: no, we can’t say that on our blog

Nina: [to Katy] can she be neutral and you are vampires

Katy: Ok

Nina:  Talk about vampires in a more literary sense

Katy: erm, vampires suck blood, don’t most creatures do that like mosquitoes and leeches

Mimz: you know the house of night series, drinking blood [if you know what drinking blood in the HoN series means, you know, if you don’t, you don’t want to know.]

Katy: we don’t care about you

M_ it’s basically [refers to above comment]

Katy: Ignore that because Mimz is stupid. Werewolves are hairy and ugly and vampires aren’t necessarily hairy and ugly.  They can be but all werewolves are ugly

Nina:  only at the full moon

Katy: well they’re all hairy and ugly when they’ve done the transformation

Mimz: I don’t want a doggy in my apartment every month. I want a fit vampire I don’t care if it drinks my blood.

Nina:  that would be good because then we wouldn’t have to live with you

Katy: just stop going on

Mimz: wait, would could you do with it

Katy: you’re an it?

Nina:  I don’t know. Right, something vaguely on topic. Limits of a vampire, erm,

Mimz: [indistinguishable noise]

Nina:  we don’t care. Limits on vampires. Depends on the mythology really. They can all be killed with a stake but then so can anything.

Katy: werewolves can as well

Nina:  yes they can.

Katy: and they can be killed without a stake, they can be killed with a gun. Technically it’s a silver bullet, and there’s lots of silver everywhere. You don’t see that many wooden stakes these days

Nina:  that’s because it’s sort of hard to conceal a long wooden stake than it is to conceal a little bullet in your pocket

Katy: or a bracelet made of silver, or a necklace or an earring,

Nina: so if you’re a werewolf you’re sort of screwed

Katy: let’s see, if they [vampires or werewolves] want to protect something, a werewolf can only really do that once a month.

 Nina:  sometimes werewolves are strong in human form as well.

Katy: who cares?

Mimz: JUSTIN BIEBER [she’s obsessed, no matter how much she claims she isn’t]

Nina:  No-one cares

Mimz: I care

Katy: he’s not a vampire or a werewolf. He’s a slug.

Mimz: he’s awesome

Katy: that is your opinion and no one cares. His secret has been revealed he is a slug. [Pokes Mimz in the arm]

Mimz: ow! I think I broke my arm!

Katy: then why are you clutching your nose?

Nina:  back to the debate. [To Mimz] think of a good thing about vampires that has nothing to do with [her previous train of thought]

Mimz: both of them are sexy. They sparkle!

Nina:  no, we are not talking about twilight because that does not count as a book.

Mimz: ok, they drink blood. They go up to somebody and they drink blood

Katy: they drink animal’s blood. They’re part leeches. Leeches are part slimy, but they sparkle in the sun.

Nina:  do they

Katy: well they’re shiny

Mimz: have you seen a leech

Nina:  hand drawn pictures [artwork, they didn’t claim to be scientific drawings]

Katy: they’re black and wriggly

Nina:  and then on the asylum [Emilie Autumn] forums, they’ve got pink and white stripes

Katy: that makes them worms. You’re a little deluded.

Mimz: PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN!

Nina:  let’s think of something

Mimz:  I’ve thought of something- wait is it vampires or werewolves?

Katy: I don’t want you on the team, can I kick her off?

Nina:  I thought you were supposed to be neutral

Katy: Am I?

Nina:  let’s just talk

Mimz: vampires are always young while werewolves age don’t they

Nina:  not in the parasol protectorate series where they’re immortal as long as they haven’t got a preternatural holding onto them wiping out their abilities

Mimz: [ignored last comment] but they stop being werewolves

Nina:  no, they’re still werewolves; they’re just in human form

Katy: I think vampires are still a lot a better. Werewolves have square faces if you think about it. They come in a sort of trapezium shape

Mimz: werewolves are just disturbing. They’re scary they’re weird

Nina:  moving on

[Discussion from all of us in which we work out that intimate relationships with both vampires and werewolves would be considered illegal]

[Katy is pulled out to speak to a friend then comes back]

Katy: we shall ignore everything Mimz says that’s to do with [her previous train of thought]. I’ve got another one. Wouldn’t it be easier trying to look after a werewolf food, cross-contamination, cooking

Nina:  werewolves in human forms tend to be able to eat human food, where vampires, when given human food, tend to sick it up. It’s hard to keep a vampire because you need fresh human blood

Katy: you don’t have to worry about cross contamination because you could just give the slab of meat raw to the werewolf

Mimz: can I just say, whether you are vampire or a werewolf you are screwed. Go die in a pit

Katy: why a pit? I understand how a werewolf can die in a pit, of hunger or something. How would vampires die in a pit, a stake through the heart in a pit?

Nina:  Mr Crepsley. [Darren Shan, the Saga of Darren Shan]  Put a stake upright in a pit and the vampire falls on to it. 

Katy: why do they kill crepsley again?

Nina:  it’s basically an accident he falls in

[Nina and Katy both laugh at how Mr Crepsley dies]

Katy: ok. Vampires are often quite stupid and werewolves can be as well

Nina:  do werewolves or vampires have a better sense of smell?

Katy and Mimz: werewolves

Katy: but then you think about Karin [Chibi Vampire, manga]

Nina:  actually she can’t really drink blood

Katy: the rest of her family can

Nina:  werewolves they’re a little more convenient in terms of waking hours

Katy: Vampires can be helpful by taking on the night shift they’re good for the economy.  You see loads of male and female vampires and hardly any female werewolves. That sexist.

Nina:  you get Nina from Being Human [yes that does have some books out].

Mimz: You watch it? Is that any good?

Nina:  yes

Nina:  werewolves can be slightly more interesting and they’re more predictable. You can just keep the wolf in the basement on the full moon when they’re evil and vampires are sort of evil all the time

Katy: Mimz, have you got anything more to say about vampires

Mimz: secretly, I think Katy is a vampire

Katy: no, that’s not true. And not helpful

Mimz: I think, I don’t care what you think, but vampires can have children, with more half vampires

Katy: werewolves reproduce

Mimz: well they stop it after a bit of time don’t they? Twilight, they stopped reproducing

Katy: that’s because twilights retarded

Mimz: and so are you

Nina:  This is irrelevant, we have run out of time, and so ends our debate.

[Here are some slightly saner comments on the matter from friends and other people I found on the internet.]

Cool cookie: werewolves are very very hairy and vampires are quite pasty but they are both hot in Twilight.

Katy (afterwards): Manga vampires can look good but all manga werewolves look strange

Nina (afterwards): Seconds above. See Gin, the werewolf from Rosario and Vampire

Booksrme: were-wolves petrify me so that leaves me with vampires

Dormouse: werewolves because they’re only evil in wolf form but vampires are always evil.

Team Jacob forever: Vampires are super cute. Werewolves are soooo fit!

Tom Riddle: Vampires are beautiful and can in fact become vegetarian making them much safer than werewolves

Nina (afterward): Please ignore above comments from two twitards who may or may not be completely sane.

Wops: They are both a load of [rubbish]

Iza: werewolves are better because vampires are like mosquitoes and blow Death the Kid’s [Soul eater, manga] arm off damn them!

Nina:  Please note Iza is currently obsessed with Soul Eater and may or may not do a guest review of Soul Eater at some point.

Iza: KID DAMMIT! DEATH. THE. FREAKIN’. KID. And a werewolves helped him out as well ;D

Mysterious person: Werewolves because they’re cooler.

Someone: Werewolves are cuddly

Owl: vampires can come out every night. Werewolves have to wait for the full moon.

Maddie: Werewolves are cuter

Nia: vamprires are cool and they can suck blood and fly

Westy: Werewolves because I think they’re less intimidating.

Other someone: I think they’re both interesting because they’re cursed to do things they don’t want to.

Stephanie at Books are a Girl’s Best Friend: I don’t really read vampire and werewolf books, so I don’t know...

Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of Infinity: Both equally because they’re awesome, but in entirely different ways.

Gail Carriger, author of the Parasol Protectorate series: I just don’t find vampires that sexy. I like the idea of a hero who’s kind of scruffy and buffoonish and a little lost in his alpha–nature, rather one who is all sleek and urbane.

Matt Haig, author of The Radleys: Vampires have less body hair issues, and every night beats full moon. So werewolves don’t come close.

So...after hearing those comments on vampires and werewolves, of varying degrees of sanity, what do you think? Bloodsucking leeches or shapeshifting dogs?

You decide. Let the war continue below.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that highlights the books we can't wait to be released. This week, Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Title: Invincible
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Chronicles of Nick #2
Release Date: 22 March 2011 by St. Martin's Griffin
Summary from Goodreads:Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse...
Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.
His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.
But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...
Why I want it: I read the first in the series (Infinity, with review coming at some time), and absolutely loved it. Its full of sarcastic humour, and sharp replies, with a good zombie story underneath. Invincible promises to delve further into the world of the Dark- and Were-hunters, which I'm looking forward to.
Excerpt: Link to first chapter, on Facebook
Website: Official website


Nina xxx