Well here goes nothing....

So, I finally got off my butt and decided to throw something into a shirt design contest.  It's not a guarantee I'll even get into the contest to the voting section, but we'll see what happens.  I'm hoping I'll get at least a couple votes....  Who doesn't remember Daria and Sick, Sad World?  That's the shirt design that I chose thanks to my lovely girlfriend who suggested it.  I like it a lot.  But we'll see.

They also have a contest for The Lion King which I plan on putting one in for that one if I can.  I mean, come on, why not?  I grew up with The Lion King being my most favorite movie for the longest time.  I don't know what I'm going to do yet though.  I want something freaking epic.

I hope my tablet lasts that long.  I think it's slowly going kaput.  Poor little bastard.  It did so well for a while.  The pen is going though and I think it'd be worth more just to get a whole new set up rather than deal with just getting a new pen seeing as my specific tablet is kinda the old model.  Again, poor little bastard....

Anyway, if my design gets up I'll post a link here and on facebook so people will vote for it!  Please please please go for it!  I'd really appreciate it!

Later guys!

Book Review - The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book.... This is one weird, slightly scary book. Just so you know.

This story plays on the fear that the government is controlling us in someway and makes those that don't follow the rules disappear. Even those that have a genetic factor that makes it so the mind control doesn't work disappears. And if your parents were 'trouble makers' then it's a good possibility that you'll be thrown somewhere where you have no change to get in the government's way.

Poor Alenna seems to have nothing going for her. At ten her parents are taken by the government and she's put into an orphanage. At sixteen, she and hundreds, nay thousands of teens go through a 'test' to weed out those who'd cause problems in the government that literally has no crime. After a trip to a museum created by the leader of the new government that was created to stop all wars, she sees the Island where all teens who fail the test go. Brutal, she hopes she passes with flying colors.

But Alenna wakes on the Island panicking and not alone. In the few days she's rescued, makes friends, and fights for her life against 'drones' of the cult of the Monk. She and several members of the village that she became part of make a trek to try and make it off the island. But after several deaths, a capture of what's left of their group, and entrance to the restricted 'grey zone' with the Monk himself Alenna finds she's bitten off more than she can chew.

This story honestly kept me guessing to the very end where I paused with a twitch and thought, "What the heck did I just read?" It was different, eye opening to the point where you had to think that the events really had a possibility of happening at one point. And it also got the conspiracy theorist in my thinking. So many what ifs tumbling about my head that it had me thinking long after I put the book down.

I honestly can't wait to read the second one!

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Well, just a regular post! Sorry folks!

So, after gaining a job, hating that job, finally getting another job to make more money to actually pay bills and then losing that first job, then the other because it's seasonal.... I finally have a job I'm moderately ok with for now.  I like it though I've never been fond of working till 7 and that's my schedule next week.  Not excited but it's a job that pays above minimum wage.  And it's direct deposited into my account. So that's even better!

I really need to get my ass in gear because my partner suggested months ago to look into creating greeting cards.  There's a small market for them but I think I could do well if I just got off my ass and actually did something.  Some people are selling their cards for more than 15 bucks a pop for five or six cards!  I mean.... come on!  That's not including s and h.  I could do it.  I even have a kinda cute design group name.  I need to draw that too.  Yeesh.  Bad me.  Very bad me.

In other news, my partner and I are looking into homes.  We're getting fairly tired of the people upstairs and we just want a place of our own.  We found one that looks adorable and would be large enough for the two of us.  We don't need a lot and it would honestly be a little cheaper than what we'd be paying now.  I mean, why not?  I know they say your home is where your heart is, but sometimes you need a place to plant yourself, that you feel comfortable enough in to know you can always come back to.  We're looking for that, and for some odd reason, I really really think we should look at the place that caught our attention.  We'll see though.  My partner has a want to be out before December.  Again, we'll see.

Hmmmm..... Anything else?  I don't think so at this moment.  I'm going to go back to reading some more so I can post some more reviews.  Maybe if/when I get some card designs done I'll post them later.

Book Review - Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was one twisted tale that I couldn't put down. I almost finished it in one day but I had to stop and actually sleep! I'm glad I read it because it was so different from every story I've ever read that dealt with the story of Cinderella.

First off, a cyborg Cinderella? Didn't expect that at all and I wasn't sure how it was going to work either. But some how it works amazingly well. How she sorta fits into the world she's lived in but yet how she is still pushed to the edges of society.

Her semi normal life drastically changes after she's asked by the Prince to help fix an android, then as she's trying to fix her 'stepmother's' vehicle for little to nothing her sister becomes sick with a disease that's threatening all of Earth. She's then rushed off to 'help' with finding an antidote to help with saving not only her sister but helping the Emperor and the rest of the world. Then when she thought things couldn't get any worse they do when the Lunar kingdom's queen comes sniffing around the palace and she gets caught up in the middle of it.

With all the twists and turns through this story, I couldn't wait to see what the next chapter brought. My only problem with this story was that I knew exactly who Cinder was early in the story and I had a feeling about how the story might turn. But I still loved this book! I would definitely read it again!

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Book Review - Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls.

Anxious to avoid the traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny," the local wisewoman. But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman. Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn't howling at the moon.

Bella knows all too well that breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he's only an occasional werewolf) and a little Godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending.

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am ashamed to admit that I did not remember much from the first time I read this one! I reread it though because I just can't get enough of the author's stories.

Bella is a very strong female character who keeps surprising you around every turn. She knows how to run a home and unlike other fairy tells where the stepmother is wicked her's is quite tolerable and just a little silly. There's no bad blood between her or her step sisters either! But things go south for her when a visit to Granny turns into something she didn't expect. She handles everything in turn though and handles herself well and without the hysterics her step mother or sisters would show.

Even though I remember reading this story I was still surprised in the end. Honestly, reading through you probably wouldn't have suspected the person who practically caused this whole mess to begin with. But now that I've had a little time to think things through, it makes a lot of sense and I can see the small hints here and there that pointed the way.

And like most of Mercedes Lackey's books I'd be willing to reread this one again. This newest series of the Five Hundred Kingdoms is a brilliant twist on the classic fairy tells that we're almost always used to! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

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Book Review - The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.


Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was definitely different from the usual books I've enjoyed in the past. I enjoyed it because it was a different take on the magical world.

Mackie's character was honestly one of the best I've seen for a while. The conflicting emotions he deals with and the uncertainty of who he is during the story was fairly real. It made me think of the problems most boys his age would have. That is, if most boys his age where left behind and couldn't handle anything that had Iron. His development through the book makes his character stronger and my attachment to him even more so that it was at the beginning.

The connection to the magical world and the human world was an interesting, yet believable (in my opinion). One needing the other to survive and with such guidelines. You actually feel a little bad for some of the magical characters as you get further into the story line.

All in all, a good read.

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Book Review - Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack–and the man–she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I couldn't get to this book fast enough to see what would happen. So many changes, so much that actually was confusing because we'd been told one thing in the first book and now we're finding out something completely different. The dynamic of the characters was different but not is a bad way. It showed the desperation that some of us face when we lose a part of ourselves that had always been there. The betrayal of those that were closest to us. And the determination that comes with the fight for freedom.

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Book Review - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, what can I say about this book. First off, I really did like this book. It was different than other Wolf books out there. Twists, turns, and the totally obvious ending that would happen. But even with the obvious ending it was worth the read! And I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second book. Good thing my sister gave it to me as a gift then!

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