IT’S THE NIGHT BEFORE HOGSWATCH AND IT’S TOO QUIET.
Where is the big jolly fat man? Why is Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say Ho Ho Ho? The darkest night of the year is getting a lot darker…
Susan the gothic governess has got to sort it out by morning, otherwise there won’t be a morning. Ever again…
The 20th Discworld novel is a festive feast of darkness and Death (but with jolly robins and tinsel too).
As they say: You’d better watch out…
As we’re coming up to Christmas, this was the book for me. It truly is wonderful. There’s woe and hardship, a skeleton (with a cushion up his shirt) climbing down a chimney to deliver presents to children, assassins, auditors, Death, fairies, gods and passive-aggressive ravens.
There are lots of different strings of this book; there’s Susan and the children she governs, Death and Albert delivering the presents in place of the Hogfather, the Wizards at the Unseen university and the new entities such as the Oh god! of Hangovers and the Eater of Socks, Mr Teatime (Te-ah-tim-eh) breaking into the Tooth Fairy’s castle, and the Auditors who were trying to erase humanity. However, they all tie together nicely, and were all interesting. I especially love Death and the Wizards.
It’s just delightful.
“AND NOW THERE REMAINS ONLY ONE FINAL QUESTION, he said. He raised his hands, and seemed to grow. Light flared in his eye sockets. When he spoke next, avalanches fell in the mountains. HAVE YOU BEEN NAUGHTY…OR NICE? HO. HO. HO.”
From award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, Done to Death), Saga is sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and horrific monsters, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her strangest adventure yet… grandparents.
The images in these graphic novels are just stunning but it’s the story line which is the driving force to keep on reading.
This is a continuation of Marko and Alan’s adventures around space. They are trying to shield their newborn against the ever present war between their two races, with the help of Marko’s grandparents and a ghost baby sitter, whilst being hunted by a Robot Prince and Freelance mercenaries.
There is beautiful artwork, a compelling story line and lots of humour. I just wish they wen’t so expensive and so quick to read!
For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—”Cupid Day”—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.
However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.
Teen Fic meets Groundhog Day.
I enjoyed the story but really disliked the characters. I couldn’t stand Samantha at the beginning. She was popular, had an oft-desired boyfriend, close friends which reminded me of Mean Girls and was she wasn’t exactly kinder than any of them.
As she relived Cupid Day, the days that she died, over and over again, she learns new things about different people and herself, trying to change the outcome. She essentially goes through the five stages of grief; denying everything, getting angry and lashing out at her friends, bargaining trying to put thing right, depressed that nothing matters and finally acceptance. She is a completely different person by the end of the book.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
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