Category: Rapid Reviews

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels, Rapid Reviews

RAPID REVIEW: Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Posted on by elishasbookreview
Image borrowed from Weirdo Book Club

*No Major Spoilers*

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans —though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

So this has been on my reading radar for a long time. I’ve heard good things about this novel, so I couldn’t wait to dive into the audiobook and tear through Tender is the Flesh. So let’s digest my review of this book.

First off, none of the characters are likable. Our main character Marcos feels like a robot and I don’t feel like he changes much throughout the story. Marcos’ wife left him after the loss of their son and it has heavily affected their marriage. Not to mention his job that has Marcos doing middle management type work at the slaughterhouse leaving him drained and exhausted.

The human being is the cause of all evil in this world. We are our own virus.

Agustina Bazterrica, Tender Is the Flesh

Now, you may be asking yourself, why are you giving this book four stars? Well, to be honest, I don’t know myself. 3-3.5 just didn’t feel right for the last 30 minutes of Tender is the Flesh. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you can and get through this in 1-3 listening sessions.

Overall, this novel is alright, I would say if you’re interested in the subgenre of horror called splatterpunk then I would start here. Depending on your reaction to this, you can continue to peruse this subgenre or run away and never touch this type of book ever again.

Posted in Graphic Novels, Rapid Reviews

RAPID REVIEW: The Blue Flame: The Complete Series by Christopher Cantwell

Posted on by elishasbookreview

A cosmic action adventure for fans and readers of Watchmen, Strange Adventures, and Hawkeye, The Blue Flame tells the story of a blue collar working man/DIY vigilante/cosmic hero, who must defend Earth with an answer to the “Is humanity worth saving?” Repairman. Vigilante. Cosmic Hero. The Blue Flame is a cosmic hero. The Blue Flame is a DIY vigilante that fights crime on the streets of Milwaukee. The Blue Flame is a blue collar HVAC repairman named Sam Brausam. In the wake of a horrific tragedy, the boundaries of the Blue Flame’s identity blur even further. Now, before a universal trial, the Blue Flame must prove that humanity is worth saving. But in order to do that, Sam Brausam has to save himself. Can he? An odyssey for answers at the heart of the universe. Collects the entire series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I discovered this graphic novel on my virtual library section called “Waiting on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and I thought I’d check this out. So let’s heat up this review of The Blue Flame.

I guess I can see the similarities between Blue Flame’s Night Brigade and The Guardians. Sam aka Blue Flame reminds me a lot of Peter Quill who is the leader of the Guardians. They both have this idealistic view of humanity, while both characters have problematic qualities.

For example, after the tragedy, Sam falls into a deep depression and gets addicted to alcohol and his pain meds. When his brother-in-law gets arrested by ICE because he was in the US illegally, Sam goes to the person who tipped off ICE and beats him up which lands him in trouble with the law.

All of this on top of trying to defend Earth from being obliterated. Then it becomes more of a philosophical debate rather than a traditional superhero comic. There’s even moments of religious verbiage, and I was surprised to see that in a comic book.

Overall this comic was solid, I liked seeing the debates that Sam and the alien prosecutor got into, but it quickly got old. I’m not sure who I’d recommend this comic to, but if you’re looking for an action-packed comic adventure, I’d give this one a pass.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Non-Fiction, Rapid Reviews

Rapid Review: When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*Historical Spoilers*

This riveting narrative explores the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs, from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra–women who ruled with real power–and shines a piercing light on our own perceptions of women in power today.

Female rulers are a rare phenomenon–but thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, women reigned supreme. Regularly, repeatedly, and with impunity, queens like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra controlled the totalitarian state as power-brokers and rulers. But throughout human history, women in positions of power were more often used as political pawns in a male-dominated society. What was so special about ancient Egypt that provided women this kind of access to the highest political office? What was it about these women that allowed them to transcend patriarchal obstacles? What did Egypt gain from its liberal reliance on female leadership, and could today’s world learn from its example?

Celebrated Egyptologist Kara Cooney delivers a fascinating tale of female power, exploring the reasons why it has seldom been allowed through the ages, and why we should care.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I found myself setting a new goal recently; read more nonfiction. So, since I enjoyed The Last Days of the Dinosaurs I figured I’d try and find more enjoyable nonfiction. So let’s excavate When Women Ruled the World.

This is your typical nonfiction book, it’s dry, and it’s easy to doze off. I wouldn’t recommend this for the casual Ancient Egypt student, the only parts I found interesting was the beginning and the end with Cleopatra and the epilogue.

I’d also recommend taking notes if you have any hopes of retaining the information. Maybe this was my experience since I listened to the audiobook. I’ve thought about adjusting my rating to match my feelings on the content I listened to, but I’m too generous with my ratings.

Ancient Egypt is an anomaly as the only land that consistently called upon the rule of women to keep its regime in working order, safe from discord, and on the surest possible footing—particularly when a crisis was under way.

Kara Cooney; When Women Ruled the World

On a positive note, I liked how the author used modern examples to explain the expectations and politics of Ancient Egypt. She often brought up Hilary Clinton and her political journey, which at moments I appreciated. I think having more modern examples of the double standard that women face, especially in politics helped convey the talking points.

Overall, this is a good book in my opinion. I’m not a student on the subject, just a casual fan of the time period. I’d recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the queens of Ancient Egypt and the politics that were involved.

Posted in Bite-Sized Reviews, Book Reviews, Discussions, Personal Blogs, Rapid Reviews

2022 in Review

Posted on by elishasbookreview
Photo by ready made on Pexels.com

I don’t know if anyone else had a rough year, but for me and my household, it was a rough year. We had to kick out a roommate who had been causing a lot of headache and trouble. I was out of work, and we struggled up until I finally got hired back to a company I’ve worked for previously,

Now enough of real world stuff, let’s get into some book stats!

Overall of 2022, I read 82 books! That broke my record of any count of most read books per year! All the way back in 2018 I read 72 books. So I’m looking forward to destroying this goal in the coming year!

Now, let’s talk about top books/series I read this year. I kind of hit a hard dry spell in the last few months when it came to posting a reviewing books. However, I plan on coming to 2023 in full force! At least, that’s the goal anyway. So now for the favorites list!

  • Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldtree- This was a cute and fun adventure that didn’t involve fighting dragons, or chasing after a mad wizard. The most difficult thing they do is start a café in a town that didn’t know what coffee was.
  • Doctor Who: Scratchman by Tom Baker and James Goss- I would recommend this Doctor Who spinoff for both Classic and New Doctor Who fans. When the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry land on a strange farm, and things aren’t quite right, it’s up to The Doctor and his companions to get down to the truth.
  • The Last One by Alexandra Oliva- I found this on a recommendation list for survival stories. This one sounded unique so I decided to check it out, and even though it might not be as gruesome as The Troop by Nick Cutter, but I still think about The Last One from time to time. This a fantastic take on survival horror that doesn’t depend on gruesome details to keep you on the edge of your seat. All you need is a girl lost in the woods with broken glasses, and there’s your intro to The Last One.
  • Sakamoto Days Vol 1-4 by Yuto Suzuki- Now, I will admit this isn’t a new trope we’ve seen in manga. Way of the Househusband is the first to come to mind that uses this trope. However, what makes Sakamoto Days different is how Mr. Sakamoto got fat after retiring from the assassin world. However, even though we weighs an extra 100 pounds or so, he still knows how to kick butt like nobody’s business! This series is full of heart and humor, so this comes as a high recommendation for manga fans.
  • Rooster Fighter Vol 1-2 by Shu Sakuratani- I found this manga series from browsing Amazon, and it has quickly become one of my favorites manga series this year. It’s about a lone rooster who’s fighting kaiju not only to save the humans in harm’s way, but to seek out the kaiju that killed his sister. He makes friends along the way, and whether he admits or not he appreciates his friends dearly. Volume 3 is coming out next month and I’m hoping to read it as soon as it comes out! This series is funny and action packed.

That’s my favorite reads of 2022 in no particular order, of course out of all the books I read last year I struggled with picking just five books/series. Let’s hope 2023 is filled with more to read other than just graphic novels.

Hope you had a safe and fun celebration, here’s to 2023!

Posted in Book Reviews, Graphic Novels, Rapid Reviews

RAPID REVIEW: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Posted on by elishasbookreview

*No Major Spoilers*

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Mooncakes has been making it’s way around social media, and I have finally gotten the appetite for some desserts. So let’s dine on this review of Mooncakes.

This graphic novel reminds me a lot of These Witches Don’t Burn. They both have cute witches, and magic, but Mooncakes doesn’t have any relationship drama. I like that the romance between Nova and Tam feels natural and it’s of the popular trope, friends to lovers.

One thing I loved about the story was how Nova is deaf and wears a hearing aid. It was nice seeing disability being represented here in a positive way. Also, for Nova and her family treating Tam like she’s family even though she’s a werewolf.

One small gripe I have is how jarring some of the panels progress. One of the grandmas would tell Nova that her friend is coming over soon, and in the next panel she’s next to Nova talking like she didn’t teleport. Maybe it’s just my imagination though.

Overall, I enjoyed Mooncakes. It was cute and colorful, and even when the story gets dark, it’s still bright and colorful. I would recommend this novel for people who are undecided on whether to read it or not. As well as fans of witches, werewolves, and magic potions.