AllMemesMusic Monday

Without Me by Halsey – Music Monday

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by the insanely funny Drew @ the Tattooed Book Geek. It’s a great way to ease into the week because it doesn’t require a lot of research or writing. You just pick a song that you dig and talk about it, as much or as little as your little heart desires. That’s it.

Most of my aural time is spent with podcasts or audiobooks. So for a song to be on my mind a lot, it’s gotta be one heck of an ear worm. As is the case with Without Me by Halsey.

When I first started listening to it, I wasn’t pay real close attention to the lyrics, and it felt like a genuine love song. Then I started to pay attention and quickly realized it’s about a toxic relationship.

Check out some lyrics:

Found you when your heart was broke
I filled your cup until it overflowed
Took it so far to keep you close
I was afraid to leave you on your own
I said I’d catch you if you fall
And if they laugh, then fuck ’em all
And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet
Just so you can take advantage of me
Tell me how’s it feel sittin’ up there
Feeling so high but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky
Does it ever get lonely?
Thinking you could live without me
Thinking you could live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why
Thinking you could live without me
Live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why
Fun fact about this post: I don’t know how to pronounce Halsey. Is it HALL-see, or HAILS-ee? Someone please tell me, because my internalizer is broken over this one.
AllContest of Covers

Contest of Covers – Round 1 Wrap-Up

Posted on by J.W. Martin

This post is about a week late due to the whirlwind lifestyle that is thrust upon me when my job gets stupid-busy. There was also work-related travel involved, and the few days left over died at the hands of pure unbridled laziness. You have my deepest apologies.

Round 1 of the Contest of Covers was exciting. Some of the match-ups gave voters a really tough decision, while other match-ups were no-brainers. Here’s how to field ended up:

Round 2 will feature 4 match-ups and some tough decisions. If you thought some of round 1’s choices were hard, round 2 is going to be on a whole other level.

The first match-up of round 2 will (hopefully) be this Wednesday. See you then!

Fun fact about this post: More work travel this week, hence the “hopefully.”
AllMemesTop 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Debut Novels

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Feels like it’s been forever since I took part in one of Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesdays. It probably hasn’t been that long, but sometimes life picks up the pace, and everything seems to fall away and then you go, “how do I do stuff again?”

Top 5 Debuts Novels. Those lucky melon farmers that get their first book published and are met with fame and acclaim. I hate them. And I love them.

The Martian

The Name of the Wind

The Bear and the Nightingale

Red Rising

Ready Player One

Fun fact about this post: Harry Potter isn’t physically on this list, but it’s there in spirit…

 

AllContest of CoversDiscussion

Sea of Rust vs. Ogre Enchanted – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Another close battle! Nevernight pulls out the victory by ONE VOTE. Many people struggled with the decision on this one, some even refusing to cast a vote because they were so stricken. The second round is going to be incredible!

Round 1 – Match 8

This is it. The final match of round 1. And it involves my only personal nomination of the whole contest: Sea of Rust. It’s up against a wonderfully illustrated cover that leaves the eye dazzled and the mind asking questions, Ogre Enchanted.

This cover has everything. A beautiful forrest, magical sparkles, some kind of magic rune, and a hooded figure (either basking or freaking out) with some considerable body hair issues. The colours are very nice here as well. Even though they’re coming from different elements, there’s a nice blend from orange to magenta to blue. And in that same gamut, it almost seems like the world is changing from Fall to Spring.

The way the light plays across the whole scene is nice. But especially how it plays with the cloak, shining through in places, showing us something but not everything. It’s a nice touch.

I can’t get over the colours in this cover. Even though there’s no foil or embossing to speak of, seeing this cover second hand really don’t do it justice. Everything bleeds into the next thing. Metal bleeding into rusty metal. Rusty metal bleeding into a rust coloured sky. Sky into sand.

The graveyard of mechanical parts ramps up curiosity. Especially when one, which looks quite whole and untouched by rust, seems to be reaching into the centre of the sun. Our title is a simple font, which I’m a big fan of. Simple doesn’t mean bad. Usually, it’s quite the opposite. Think of every cover you’ve ever seen where someone tried to use something like Comic Sans or Papyrus because ‘it’s different.’ Plus, the text has been treated to look like it’s painted directly on our rusting metal. And you know how much I like the text being part of the scene!

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and stay tuned for ROUND 2, beginning soon!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

BooksReviews

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Posted on by J.W. Martin

GODSGRAVE
by Jay Kristoff

St. Martin’s Press
September 5, 2017

 

THERE WILL BE NO GODSGRAVE SPOILERS HERE, BUT THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR NEVERNIGHT (BOOK ONE) SPOILERS.

 

 

 

From Goodreads:

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

Ok, everyone. I’m so behind on all my reviews. Behind isn’t even the right word. More like buried. But I had to crawl out from underneath to rave about this one, because holy crap! I was already a fan of Nevernight, but Godsgrave is next level.

We continue to follow Mia after the events of Nevernight, and once again we’re treated to a story split in pieces. A chapter of backstory, then a chapter of the present. Back and forth. And they’re both fantastic. Every time a chapter ends, I didn’t want it to. I didn’t want to shift from the past to the present or vice versa. But a paragraph or two into the next chapter and I was firmly rooted in that narrative and didn’t want to leave.

Kristoff does this marvellous job of giving us something new and unique while still feeling enough like the original Nevernight book. Not an easy task. How do you make something seem old and new at the same time? Step 1: read Godsgrave. Step 2: Give up, knowing you’ll never be as good as Jay Kristoff.

Many of the characters from the first book are mentioned or seen briefly, but the majority of the story takes place with a new cast of characters. That may seem disappointing at first, but these new characters will worm their way into your heart and won’t leave. Unless you stab them. Then they’ll stab back. And Jay Kristoff will stab you both. I get the impression that the characters from both book one and two (those are still alive anyway) will be meet in the third. And probably stab each other.

Let’s talk about what I didn’t like about Godsgrave: it ended. It ended and I have to wait approximately forever for Darkdawn. Seriously, that’s the only thing. I even liked the footnotes this time around, which were a source of annoyance in Nevernight. I can’t figure out if I enjoyed them this time around because I was expecting them, and thus more mentally prepared, or it was because Kristoff wrote the footnotes with a much more cynical voice. It’s probably a combination of the two.

In summary, anyone picking up Godsgrave can expect dynamite writing, characters reaching right off the page (to try and stab you), answers to some questions you’ve had since Nevernight, and a whole pile of new questions you never had before. Did I miss anything? Probably. Trust me. Just read it.

Fun fact about this post: This book caused me to want to curse out loud many, many times.
AllContest of CoversDiscussion

A Curse So Dark and Lonely vs. Nevernight (UK Edition) – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Our most recent match saw Red Rising take the win over Opposite of Always, snagging two thirds of the votes. And I know what you’re thinking. No, I didn’t vote. I wanted to, but I felt like I was too close to it to make an objective decision. Fortunately, others didn’t have that problem. However, Red Rising will have to take on Pride in the next round… yikes.

Round 1 – Match 7

A Curse So Dark and Lonely has depth. Those thorns and branches seem to go on forever. Looking at it, I find myself trying to look deeper, actually moving my head around for a better angle, hoping  to see something more. 

The text plays nicely with the foliage as well, branches threading through and between letters. Anyone who’s been following this contest knows I’m a big fan of the text and elements playing together. 

Color scheme and aesthetic are both on point as well. It’s night time. I’m lost. I’ve stumbled into something that has massive thorn bushes as far as the eye can see and I have no way of getting out. I’m stuck and feeling hopeless. Very well done.

Nevernight is a completely different animal. When it was nominated, the UK version was specified, so that’s what we’re looking at here today.

On the surface, the imagery is already effective, but then we look deeper. Other images emerge from the feathers and now we’re seeing people and things from the story. Once having read the story you could even go back and see actual events blatantly taking place (though anyone who hasn’t read wont make sense or spoiler from them.)

If the design itself doesn’t speak to you personally, there have been reports on the internet of copies of this book selling for insane amounts of money. The cover certainly isn’t the only reason for that, but I’m sure it contributes. 

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

AllContest of CoversDiscussion

Red Rising vs Opposite of Always – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

After a few close ones, we’re back to blow-outs! Pride wiped the floor with Harry Potter, even if it was the Slytherin Anniversary Edition. Many voters voiced their frustration at having to vote against the beloved Harry Potter, but Pride is an absolutely beautiful cover!

Round 1 – Match 6

Oh my heart! I’m not sure I can take this week’s match up… Although I didn’t nominate Red Rising, it is one of my all-time favourite books. However, as we’ve said before, we’re not voting on the book as a whole. Just the cover. Let’s get into it.

Black and red. Very cool, very classic. The style of the graphic is an odd choice. It’s not simple enough to be minimalist, but not detailed enough to be intricate. It floats somewhere in the middle, which I think might be a missed opportunity. The title running up the side is nice. A little more uncommon and leaves lots of “white” space, which you all know I like. Where this cover really excels is as a part of the trilogy. All very similar design. One red, one yellow, one blue. However, this contest is for single covers only, so that really shouldn’t be taken into too much consideration.

Opposite of always is a really different cover. The colours are attention grabbing, for sure. The art style is great and the illustration leaves me with questions. Which direction should we follow the stairs? Up as we watch a couple get together? Or down as one drifts apart? And why does the dude change his clothes while the lady does not? Font is an odd choice, but it works. Would have liked to see it more engrained in the graphic. Curve of the S tucked behind her hair, a foot wrapped around the P. Stuff like that.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

AllContest of CoversDiscussion

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 20th Anniversary Edition vs. Pride – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Our fourth match was the closest one yet! A mere 2 votes gave the eerie Salt to the Sea the win over the ornate Gilded Wolves. We’re now at the halfway point of the first round. If you thought it’s been hard to decide so far, just wait until the second round!

I’d also like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been taking the time to visit these posts and cast their votes. It’s massively appreciated!

Round 1 – Match 5

I think this week’s match is going to be a tough decision for a lot of people. I know we’ve all been trying to keep decisions unbiased based on the inside of the book, but we’re talking about HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER this week!

And it’s not just any Harry Potter cover. The specific cover nominated was the 20th Anniversary Slytherin cover. (which might actually count against it!) The entire series of covers were a polar opposite to the originals which were very animated with lots of action happening everywhere the eye wandered. These anniversary editions are simple. But as we’ve discussed before, simple isn’t always easy.

A beautiful shade of green for the “white space” (yes, it’s still called white space, regardless of the color, even when black) with a beautiful version of the house badge. The Harry Potter font at the top has been untouched from the original, which is a really nice string to keep it connected to original design. This cover (as well as the others in the series) seems to be aiming at looking like a literary classic, which, let’s face it, IT IS!

Pride is something special. Beautiful metal appearance that, if real, could only be handmade and extremely expensive. 

Juxtaposing this initial high-class, costly look is the title, hastily spray painted complete with several runs. It’s not just a font overlaid on the image, either. Look at the way the spray differs when crossing some of the decorative edging. It really looks like some rich family plaque has been defiled, and that really works for this design overall.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below. Share this post with family and friends and let’s see how many votes we can pull in this week!

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

AllContest of CoversDiscussion

Salt to the Sea vs. The Gilded Wolves – Contest of Covers

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Previous Match Results

Match 3 was a close one, which was nice to see after two complete blowouts. Hot Dog Girl managed to knock off The Hate U Give. I would all that an upset as far as book popularity goes, but I’m glad to see that we’re all voting based on the quality of the cover design and not based on feelings on the book as a whole!

Round 1 – Match 4

Today’s match will see the highly decorative going up against rock-solid design and photography.

Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea is a chilling cover to look at. From the imagery to color scheme, the message is pretty clear: ‘abandon hope, all who enter here.’ Without knowing anything about the book itself, we know there’s a storm brewing and we’re in the middle of a large body of water with nothing but a few life preservers around us. Is rescue coming? Is something else coming? I could look at this cover all day.

The Gilded Wolves, by Roshani Chokshi, is quite the opposite. It gives me more of a feeling of hope and growth, but maybe with a bit of exclusion mixed in. Again, if we’re looking at the cover alone without knowing anything about the book, we aren’t told much. We’re on the other side of what might be the front gate to wealthy property? Gilded Wolves may be a reference to rich people who are also cruel, who might live at the very property we’ve been shut out of. It sure is pretty, though. 

I like that the title has been made part of the image. If not for the difference in color, it looks like it could be part of the metalwork, and notice the way a leaf has come forward to obscure just a portion of the letter V.

This might be another tough one, but I’ve been wrong before.

Which will you choose? Leave your vote in a comment below.

Note: Between education and career, I have over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design. While I don’t pretend to know everything about design, and it will always be extremely subjective, I feel like I can speak about it with a modicum of authority (or at the very least, I don’t sound completely clueless.)

AllDiscussion

Hyped Books I Haven’t Read (and might not!)

Posted on by J.W. Martin

This is a really fun post idea that I stole from Meeghan Reads, who originally stole it from Kristin Kraves Books. Both are great posts and should be read immediately. Probably even before reading this one. Mine can wait….

You’re back! Honestly, I wasn’t sure you were coming back. In fact, I was just about to leave.

Let’s do this! Most of these books are runaway successes that just about everyone has read and raved about. And for one reason or another, I haven’t. Some of them are on my shelf and I just haven’t found the time. Some I’m still trying to figure out if it should be on TBR or not. While others haven’t managed to pique my interest, and probably won’t. There might be some unpopular opinions here, so grab your pitch forks and light your torches now. Just to save time.

Books I PROBABLY won’t read (never say never, right?)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I’m not really interested in hearing about Evelyn’s first husband. The six after him don’t have a chance.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

This wildly popular series has yet to make me curious. I have no reasons as to why. It just hasn’t. Sorry. #notSorry

When Dimple Met Rishi

Romance. Meh.

Dumplin’

I fully support the idea/concept of this book, but I don’t think I want to read it. Gives me the impression I’d be reading a sassy version of Dance Moms.

Books I might read (we’ll see)

Turtles all the Way Down

Seems like more romance, but the fact that it mentions Star War fan-fic in the description moves this up to the maybe pile.

Divergent

Maybe it’s because I’ve already watched the movie that puts this one so low on my list. The movie was fine. Didn’t blow me away, but kept me interested. I think I’ll eventually audiobook this series.

Outlander

The story doesn’t scream at me, but I’m a wee bit obsessed with Scotland, so that might end being the deciding factor.

Books I’ll PROBABLY read

The Night Circus

Honesty time. This book was going to be in the “probably won’t read” section until I actually read the synopsis. I don’t know what it was, but something about this cover made me think it wasn’t a book for me at all. Seems like I was wrong. Don’t judge a book by it’s… how does that go again?

Children of Blood and Bone

This is another one that the cover put me off of. But I’ve heard way too many good things about it to ignore it.

Books I WILL read!

A Darker Shade of Magic

This might be the single book that’s been waiting the longest for me to crack its cover. Pretty much since I started blogging, it’s been there. Taunting me.

Warcross

Video games? Enough said. I’m in.

Scythe

This might be the year of Shusterman for me. I already read Challenger Deep, and this one will be happening this year as well.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This one was sent by my good friend Sam when she held a give-a-way. It was already on my TBR, but getting my copy from Sam for free put it pretty high on the old TBR!

The Cruel Prince (currently reading!)

This would have been in the MAYBE section, but the audiobook came up through the library, so I jumped. I’m only a few hours in, and it’s entertaining so far, but it’s not knocking my socks off. Maybe my expectations are too high?

Fun fact about this post: Believe it or not, there actually are some popular books I HAVE read!