Author: elishasbookreview

I am just a 30 something trying to figure out how to survive in this crazy world. I want to share my love of reading with everyone! I want to introduce people to some underrated or unknown authors. I also blog about other media I consume such as TV, Movies, Podcasts, and Video Games.
Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

ARC REVIEW: Miao-Shan: The Awakening by G.A.M. Morris

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

**I was given a copy of this novel by the author**

***Miao-Shan: The Awakening will be hitting ebook shop January 15 2019***

When ten-year-old Chow Lei witnessed her parent’s brutal murder at the hands of Hong Kong Triad members she was emotionally scarred for life. Her grandmother adopted her and attempted to help Lei heal emotionally, but only when Lei joined a Shaolin Kung Fu school did any emotional healing occur.

After a year of training, her grandmother reluctantly agreed to send her to the Shaolin Temple. Lei had continued to improve at the Temple to further her Kung Fu training as well as learning compassion towards her peers. At the Temple, she was renamed Miao-Shan, from a legend about the Chinese Buddhist Goddess of compassion, Guan Yin.

This novel isn’t the kind of story I’d read often. I find the culture gap to be intimidating. However, with this novel, there is a helpful list of key terms and important historical events relevant to the story. Having that there helped me understand the slang terms and historical events of the time.

Watching Lei, soon to become Miao-Shan was fulfilling as well as entertaining. Watching her grow as a person who has seen things that no one ever should make her journey more relatable.

This novel has a cast of loveable characters. Even when the story shifts to the leader of the triad’s perspective, seeing where he started and how the triad brainwashed him makes him a more personable and likable character that’s easier to understand.

One of my favorite parts of this story is how Miao-Shan grew up at the Temple and gained a friend in a young boy named Lee. Even though Lee took the vow of celibacy when he became a monk, I wanted the two to be a romantic couple. They had really good chemistry, and their friendship was really heart-warming.

When you’re finished reading this story you won’t find any loose ends, everything wraps up nice and neatly and is presented in a likable and fulfilling ending. This was an entertaining read for all adults to enjoy.

All in all, I enjoyed this read. Sure it was a bit of a rough start getting used to the slang and culture of the story, but once I got the hang of it, I enjoyed this novel in its entirety. I would recommend this novel for lovers of martial arts, historical fiction, and Oriental literature.

Q&A with G.A.M. Morris

Buy on Amazon!

Posted in Book Reviews, Graphic Novels, Manga

REVIEW: Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale Vol. 1 by Kikori Morino

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*No Spoilers*

In a world that has flooded, Nagi lives deep in the mountain. When she happens to run across a giant spider, they make an unusual pair. Needing each others company, and enjoying home-cooked meals. Join them in this strange friendship as they spend their days cooking and enjoying life in the wilderness.

I found this manga series on an app called “Manga Rock” where you can read mangas for free. I thought this would make for an interesting and quick read. So I gave it a try!

I am afraid of spiders, especially tarantulas. I’ve had a fear of spiders ever since I can remember. So this manga gave me the major creeps. Somehow, the art style and design choices made me tolerate this spider friend.

I love how each chapter is not only centered on this unusual friendship but on the meals they share together! I love the cozy and homey feel of this story.

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As Nagi waits for her father to return from his latest adventure, it is comforting to have a friend in a world filled with beauty and danger. Nagi can rely on nature to provide her the ingredients she needs for her home-cooked meals, but there are wild dogs in the forests around Nagi’s home. Seeing the spider friend protect her makes the desolate world a better place overall.

I thoroughly enjoyed this simple manga. It has heart, character, and yummy recipes to enjoy for yourself. I would recommend this manga for lovers of “Slice of Life” and home-cooked meals with a story attached to them.

Posted in Movie/TV Reviews

MOVIE REVIEW: The Meg (2018)

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

I have been looking forward to this movie for a while. I was finally able to borrow it from my local library and watched it this past Monday.

The plot is your basic shark/monster story. Something attacks an underwater submarine, and the sole survivor is laughed at by everyone. Only to find out several years later, an exploration pod makes the first trip into the famous Mariana Trench, and things go haywire fast.

Only one man, Jonas, played by Jason Statham, can save the day. Can he save everyone? Or will he repeat history and become another sole survivor?

This movie is loosely based on the novel The Meg by Steve Alten. I read the novel in 2012, and I still remember the novel fairly well. The only problem I had with the novel itself was I didn’t understand the machinery involved with the dive.

The thought of a shark larger and more deadlier than the Great White shark sparks the imagination and the fear of adventuring into the deep end of the swimming pool. The Megladon shark was a real organism that lived in prehistoric times. It killed mainly whales and other, smaller sharks.

They went extinct when the ice age occurred and a combination of drastic temperature change in the ocean, and the whales changing their diet caused the Megladon to become extinct due to lack of food.

Unlike most monster movies, the characters aren’t stereotypes or cardboard characters. I felt like I could relate to the main group of characters. It was refreshing to see this change.

I’m not sure how accurate the movie really is, but sometimes it’s better to have fun than to critique a monster movie. Megladons are no longer around, but that doesn’t stop the mind to imagine and fantasize about a world where these prehistoric monsters did exist.

I will definitely be adding this to my “favorite movies” list. If you would like to hear my opinions on some of the movies I watch, let me down in the comments section below!

Here’s a video from PBS discussing the Megladons in more detail!

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with the knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

This Young Adult novel travels from Ancient Rome to a futuristic Earth where time travel is possible. I was intrigued by the plot of this story. I am familiar with Doctor Who so time travel is a genre I enjoy.

As a fan of Doctor Who when someone is born “out of time” that spells trouble. The laws of nature do not bend to our will. And when something is out of line, nature will correct itself no matter the circumstances.

I felt like the romance between Far and Priya, the ship’s doctor was natural. She and Far had a friendship before the Invictus first launched. Far would short-circuit medical droids because of his unnatural date of birth. So Priya would arrive and troubleshoot the problem, and that’s how they first met.

The other romance between Far’s cousin Imogen and the ship’s engineer Gram felt forced and awkward. They are polar opposites. Gram felt like an android from the many sci-fi movies. Stiff, robotic, genius as he plays Tetris and has a collection of solved Rubick’s Cubes. Imogen is bright, dying her hair a new neon color every day. She’s the ship’s historian, and she loves to have fun and party hard.

So for unnecessary romances, I only found one of them unnecessary. I wish they could have remained good friends and grow in that way.

This novel is fairly well-paced. Action-packed, and keeps you on your toes by trying to figure out what’s going on with the mystery of the unusual girl Elliot and her secrets she was keeping from the Invictus crew.

This novel is 400+ pages. If you prefer shorter novels, then you’re out of luck with this one. However, if you enjoy audiobooks, the flow of the novel made the over 400 pages go quickly.

Overall, I thought this novel was good. It was action-packed with plenty of time travel and world building. My only downside was the one unnecessary romance, and a few nitpicks. Other than that, I felt like this was a good, well written, Young Adult novel for any age to enjoy.

Posted in Book Reviews, Graphic Novels, Marvel Comics

REVIEW: Daredevil: Back in Black Vol. 4: Identity by Charles Soule

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

**This volume has some PG-13 language**

There’s a bounty on Daredevil’s head and it’s big enough to bring out every contract killer in New York City. You’ll never believe who the client is – or who takes on the hit! Then, we find out how Matt Murdock put his double identity genie back in the bottle. What price did he have to pay? And who got left behind in the process?

Netflix introduced me to the superhero known as Daredevil. I find this character to be complex, and believable. He has a constant inner conflict with himself. He wants to believe he’s doing good, but at the same time, he’s putting the people he cares about in harm’s way.

I’ve enjoyed the Daredevil comics I’ve read so far. You can tell that the Netflix series took the source material to heart. I felt like I was back to watching the Netflix show again. The art symbolizes the differences between New York City (dark, muted tones) and San Fransico (bright, crisp colors).

I felt like this story was well written on its own. I didn’t feel the need to read the previous volumes in this story. Not a lot of graphic novel volumes are that way. It was concise and easy to follow and understand.

The main villain in this story was a surprise. I did not see it coming and I was blown away. ‘Wow! How is Daredevil going to get out of this one?’ I asked myself.

I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to lovers of Marvel Comics, Daredevil, or superheroes in general. I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel, and I will be reading more of Daredevil in the future!