As horrifying as the future is, she sees it all.
Sibyl
Forsyth doesn't know which is harder: navigating the supernatural realm
or staying afloat at Hillside University. After all, she can't seem to
register for classes.
When she receives a terrifying vision of a
sacrifice happening at the next Blood Moon, Sibyl is hellbent on
tracking down the demon who's initiating the gruesome ritual. But
solving this mystery is harder than she imagined. Teaming up again with
her reliable sidekick, Vago, and other allies in her fight against evil,
Sibyl vows to save the innocent victims before they're sacrificed. Can
she save the town before it falls prey to evil's reign?
If you
enjoy stories with supernatural visions, suspense, budding romances, and
a heroine who has a lot of heart -- then you’ll love Pond's latest
urban fantasy series!
My Review:
Sybil is frustrated by the lack of detail in her latest visions which show women being gathered by a demon for a blood sacrifice ritual. She knows that she needs to find out where this is taking place to stop it, she knows that Vago needs to find the Holy Rock, and she needs to work out what the new and scary dreams she is having mean. Her frustration doubles when Vago, Eli and Marlo all sign up for college. Marlo and Eli have taken on so many classes that they are having to leave most of the research to Sybil. Vago on the other hand has become obsessed with Brooke, the beautiful assistant to his rock star professor, and Sybil doesn't trust her at all.
The stakes are raised when Sybil, who is hanging around the campus reading Esther's books, starts to hear about missing girls on campus and suspects that they have been taken for the blood ritual. She is sure that Professor Whitmore is bewitching the women that he comes into contact with on behalf of the demon but any attempts to get into his class or office to snoop around seems doomed to failure with his security detail keeping people away. There are also evil dogs following Sybil and her friends who seem to be working for the demon and trying to stop Sybil and her friends. Coastview is in danger again but the divided group are unsure how they can stop it.
Sybil and Eli aren't getting any time to be alone with this new crisis looming and there are other things on her mind too. Marlo has discovered that her trauma has given her an unusual gift which could be crucial in the coming battles if she can learn how to use it properly. Eli is still trying to learn to control his lightning ability and Vago is meeting with the members of his new Pack but can't seem to get motivated to look for the Holy Rock, despite Esther and Sybil both telling him how important it is. Aunt Ruthie is working at a historical manor that is hosting a women only event for the Professor, and a few new allies start to appear from within the town itself. I really like the mix of characters and the way the plot is presented as more important than the teen romance going on in the background.
I'm not a big reader of YA now but I really like this series. I liked that there is a blind MC who is still trying to adjust to her day to day issues, while dealing with the supernatural things affecting her town. I liked that her guide dog Vago is actually a dog shifter though I sometimes do prefer him in his dog form! Marlo and Eli are interesting characters who have developed their own special abilities and are still struggling to learn how best to use them to help Sybil. Aunt Ruthie is also in for a shock when she finds the human form of Vago in his room instead of his dog self!
I've very much enjoyed the first two books in this series and I look forward to reading more about Sybil and the gang in the future.
Read February 2018
4 stars.
When mankind is visited
by Three Great Apocalypses, the only thing standing in their way is a
feckless but loyal, easily distracted yet occasionally ferocious German
shepherd named Bones, a one-time cadaver dog with the Pittsburgh Bureau
of Police. This is his amazing story.
In Bones, our hero
must battle a plague of dangerous parasites that brings the dead back
to life with the goal of destroying the planet. Shepherd finds
Bones delivered to earthquake-devastated Los Angeles to hunt for
survivors only to run afoul of armies of rage-driven rats and birds
emerging from the rubble. And when mankind reaches its final hour and a
pocket of surviving Indians are all that's left of humanity, it falls on
Bones to save the species before civilization is wiped out forever in Alpha.
Three
Apocalyptic novellas of nature run amok, three interwoven stories that
feature a German shepherd at the center of the things, three stories
with so much action you might just explode reading them.
My Review:
I tried to complete the complete omnibus of Bones adventures but could only find an email copy of this one which is parts 6-8, and focuses on Bones part in three apocalypse events. The book takes the form of three novellas, which all focus on a different apocalypse event that Bones is involved in.
1) A marine biologist discovers new species to bring back to his lab, unaware that his sterile lab equipment has been used by several people who failed to clean up after themselves. This reaction between the specimen and these chemicals starts a horrific outbreak. Bones and his handler Billy have been called to a junkyard to find a missing woman but as they leave the scene, there is a car crash that kills a couple of people and Bones is puzzled to find a dead man rising out of other car and coming after him. He flees back to the other police at the junkyard to find a zombie apocalypse beginning. Now Bones has to try and help the surviving humans in the area survive until the authorities get everything under control.
2) Bones is living wild in the mountains when the military find him to embark on a new mission-to go into the disaster zone of Los Angeles to find any survivors of a massive earthquake that has killed millions of people. He is given to a new handler Elizabeth but they become seperated when a second deadly earthquake hits the area. Bones ends up with another group of survivors who are looking for a way out provided by a few military officers on a rescue mission...but the rats and birds in the city have become sick and are looking to attack anything that is moving in the city.
3) A full apocalyptic virus has wiped out most of the population of the United States with only pockets of humans who are slowly grouping together for survival and security. Bones is on a mission of his own, to get back to his original owner Lionel in the house that they once shared together but he comes into contact with a group of survivors who need his help when a roving band of deadly dogs are attacking all the humans in the area. Can Bones help them to survive? Will he then be able to continue on his final mission to find Lionel?
The POV of this book features seeing things through the eyes of Bones, and getting an idea of what a dog might be thinking as the events unfold around him. I liked seeing that for a change. We also follow the adventures in each book of the humans that Bones comes into contact with. I totally love Bones-he's a tough police dog and is brave in his defence of any humans that need his help. I just want to adopt this furry guy! I enjoyed his adventures especially the first one with the zombie mutation disease. The third was the lesser of the stories as I didn't like some of the characters in it but overall it was a good read.
I'm not going into details about the plots of each story as that would ruin it for everyone else. If you love dogs and apocalypses you might want to check out Bones if you can get a copy.
Read February 2018
3 stars.
OK here is my second update of the year on
how all my challenges are going so far. My aim is to ensure I make
progress on each of them, however little that is, every month of the
year. I don't expect to complete them all, but a nice dent in each one
will be good!
My Goodreads Reading Challenge
Read: 40/200
DNF: 10
DNS: 5
Total: 55
Verdict-Decent start but didn't read enough this month. I only completed 15 books.
Horror Writers Challenge
Read: 2/24
Verdict-Getting two done is par for what I need each month to complete the challenge. I didn't read any towards that challenge this month. Next month is horror month so that will change.
Series Catch Up
Read: 13
DNF: 0
Verdict-I only added one of the Kitty Norville series to my list this month, giving me a total of 7 read in the series so I need to read more of that in March. However I did catch up on 4 other series that I had targeted. 7 last month, 6 this month is ok.
Kitty Norville-1
Zompoc Survivor-2 (completed trilogy)
Dark Days-1 (Up to date, 1 to be published)
Extinction-1 (Completed final book in series)
Iron Druid-1 (up to date, 1 to be published)
Get 'Em Orf My Bookshelves!
Read: 5/40
DNF: 2
Total: 7
Verdict-Pleased to get five read last month but just 2 DNFs this month. Not great.
Peggy Webb-Elvis and the Dearly Departed
W Bruce Cameron-The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man
E Book Blitz
29/100
Read: 16
DNF: 9
DNS: 4
Verdict-More effort required on this one! I'm lagging a bit...
Stats Breakdown:
Male Authors: read-21, DNF-8
Female Authors: read-19, DNF-2
DNS: 4 (all male)
Star Ratings: (includes DNF)
1 star: 2
2 star: 8
2.5 star: 2
3 star: 11
3.5 star: 1
4 star: 17
5 star: 7
not rated: 7
Genres: (read only)
NF: 5
UF: 14
Horror: 4
Apocalypse: 9
Zombie: 5
Fantasy: 1
Cozy: 1
SF: 1
Publishing: (read only)
Indie: 23
Big: 17
Pages: (read only)
0-99: 6
100-199: 11
200-299: 13
300-399: 7
400+: 3
Welcome to my Game of Thrones Gossip,
where us fanatics get the chance to discuss everything we love
about this amazing TV series. I
decided to do a whole series of these discussion posts that let us say
everything we want and enjoy every second of it! Please feel free to comment fully and without restriction!
I have to warn you that it is important
that you have seen all six seasons before reading any of these posts because these posts and blogger
comments will be exploding spoilers all over the place. If
you haven't watched the series and plan to, be warned that it's a bad
idea to be here right now! I take no responsibility if you read on and
things are spoiled for you.
Now I'm looking at the main characters introduced in
season three, what our season two characters were doing and
looking at all the bests bits. Enjoy the season three posts!
Jon Snow is faced with his greatest challenge yet-he is on a mission to convince the wildlings to take him in, spy on them, escape and report back to the Night's Watch to prepare his brothers for the coming battle. Ygritte leads him into the camp where Jon gets an idea of their numbers and sees his first giant, while she stops kids from throwing things at him.
As they enter the tent, the Lord of Bones tells a bearded man that Jon is Ned's son and that he killed the Halfhand, which attracts his attention. Jon kneels to the man and calls him 'Your Grace' thinking he is Mance, which amuses everyone. It is Tormund Giantsbane, one of Mance Rayder's most trusted people. Mance tells Jon not to kneel as no one is expected to do that beyond the Wall. He asks Jon why he wants to join them but doesn't believe that Jon merely wants to be free. Jon tells him about Mormont turning a blind eye to babies being given to the White Walkers and says he wants to fight for the living, which Mance accepts.
Jon is with the wildlings as they march south, getting his first look at what a warg is-how Orell uses the eyes of an eagle to scout ahead for them. Orell tells them that he saw the Fist of The First Men in the aftermath of the battle and that there were many dead crows. Jon is unsettled and fearful for all his brothers but tries not to show it. By the time they get there it is only dead horses that they find, laid out in a strange formation. Both Jon and Mance are well aware that the dead are now marching as wights.
Tormund, Orell, Jon and Ygritte are in a small group who are told to go over The Wall and attack as a diversion to the south while Mance sets up his army from the north. A large fire will be lit to tell Tormund when the southern attack is to begin. Jon is aware that his loyalty is being tested so he decides to answer Orell's questions about the patrols and manned castles honestly. The only lie he tells is that there are 1000 men guarding the Night's Watch and Tormund warns that despite liking him, if it turns out to be a lie, he'll kill him.
Ygritte seduces Jon and he breaks his vow. Away from the wildlings, he and Ygritte can just be together and Jon can forget about his dangerous mission. Ygritte wistfully declares that they could just stay in the cavern together forever and he agrees. She is smart enough to know that Jon has not abandoned his crow brothers so easily but she tells him that he has also made a committment to her and expects him to be loyal to her, wherever his allegiance lies.
Climbing the Wall is a harrowing ordeal as during the climb, the ice cracks around Ygritte causing her to fall and pull Jon with it. Orell cuts the rope to send them to their doom but Jon has been able to get a grip and save them both, reaching the top of the Wall. A furious Jon confronts Orell who says that Ygritte understands that sometimes difficult decisions are taken and she is not complaining. When they come across an old man with horses, Jon tries to stop them killing him as a murder will cause more investigation from the Night's Watch than missing horses. Orell orders Jon to kill the innocent man but he can't and has to fight his way free when Tormund orders his death with help from Summer and Shaggydog, leaving a stunned Ygritte behind. She later catches up with him and Jon is happy to see her, admitting that he does love her but he must serve the Night's Watch. As he goes to leave she tearfully fires three arrows into him as he rides for Castle Black.
