Blog Tour Book Review: Hunted by Elisabeth Naughton & Excerpt

   

From New York Times Bestselling author Elisabeth Naughton, comes HUNTED,a new novella in her Eternal Guardians Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

Author: Elisabeth Naughton
Series: Eternal Guardians #8.75
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: June 27th 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source:Inkslinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Erebus – Dark in every sense of the word, a skilled and lethal warrior, and sinfully sexy by design.

Since the dawn of modern man, Erebus was Hades’ secret weapon in the war between the immortal realms. Until Hades lost the minor god in a bet to his older brother Zeus. For the last hundred years, Erebus has trained Zeus’s Siren warriors in warfare and the sexual arts. But he’s never stopped longing for freedom. For a life filled with choice. And lately, he also longs for one Siren who entranced him during their steamy seduction sessions. A nymph he quickly became obsessed with and who was ripped from his grasp when her seduction training was complete. One he’s just learned Zeus has marked for death because she failed the last Siren test.

Before Erebus can intercede on the nymph’s behalf, she escapes Olympus and flees into the human realm. In a fit of rage, Zeus commands Erebus to hunt her down and kill her. Erebus sees his opportunity to finally go after what he wants, but he’s torn. Freedom means nothing if the Siren at the center of his fantasies doesn’t truly crave him back. Because defying the gods will unleash the fury of Olympus, and if he chooses her over his duty, whether she joins him in exile or not, the hunter will become the hunted.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

If I ever doubted that I need to read this series, now I don't.

I loved that this book explores the ruthless side of the ancient gods, something that I've missed reading about, to be honest. I liked the fact that Zeus is portrayed as a bad guy, and I'm super excited to see how that will play out in future stories.

Erebus is pretty much a mystery for the entire story. I didn't feel like we get to know him well enough, but that is appropriate, since he doesn't know himself all that much. He doesn't remember his past, he doesn't know much beyond being a slave to the gods, and that makes him hard to understand to be honest. I would have wanted to see that side explored a bit more, but since this is a novella I kind of get why his story remains a mystery. All I know is that he is pretty sexy.

Sera is a good heroine. I spent a lot of time wondering about her, but once the full story was revealed, I understood why she ran away, why she stole something precious to Zeus, and why she tried everything in her power to keep the god from getting the object back. I truly felt sorry for her, especially once her past was revealed. I also couldn't help but admire how stubborn she was, even though it made no sense at the time.

I got to the end of this book and, I'll be honest, I was a bit miffed that it ended as fast as it did. I wanted to read more, which I'll definitely do, because all this mystery surrounding the war between Zeus and everybody else is making me curious. Also, I love how Sirens are portrayed in these books, like they're the ultimate army that Zeus has. Or does he?

The book is pretty sexy, and Erebus and Sera have a ton of chemistry *fans self*. I also like how they eventually allow themselves to be vulnerable around each other. I'm only sorry we didn't get to see more than a glimpse into their past as trainer and trainee. I bet that was fun. The book is really fast paced and I finished it pretty quickly. The ending was surprising, especially by how simple it all turned out to be, which I loved.

As I said before, I'll definitely be reading the entire series in the future, because I'm truly curious to see how it all started and also what it all means.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Amazon AU

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“I want to know where you’re taking me,” she said as he pulled her around switchbacks in the tunnel, her breath heavy at his side, her skin so hot against his he was starting to sweat.

He didn’t owe her an explanation. She was lucky he hadn’t decided to kill her after the way she’d lashed out. Or taken her to Zeus already. The second he’d recognized her he’d decided not to do either, though. Not because she didn’t deserve one or both but because he had his own plans for her. Plans that didn’t include the King of the fucking Gods, at least not yet.

Eventually he knew Zeus would want her back for punishment, which could include anything from having her reassigned as a servant or handmaiden or even a sex slave. And though Erebus wasn’t wild about any of those options—especially the last, unless she was his sex slave—he knew he had time. Time to have his own fun before his life-long obligations to Olympus drew him back.

Hell, he deserved some fun after the years he’d spent in servitude, didn’t he? As far as he was concerned, he deserved more than a little fun simply because he had to deal with Zeus’s incompetent Siren trainees on a daily f*cking basis.

“I’m taking you to the half-breed ruins,” he said, tugging her around another corner in the dark, deciding he didn’t want her completely defiant. Oh, he enjoyed an adrenaline-amping fight now and then, but it was so much more enjoyable when he could coax a female’s reluctance into cries of sensual pleasure. With Sera’s nymphomaniac tendencies, he knew it wouldn’t take much persuading.

“No one’s there,” she argued. “The half-breed ruins have been empty for twenty-some years.”

Exactly. No one was there. No one could hear her screams from inside its walls. No one would even know a minor god had gone off the grid there with a cheeky little nymph who made him so hard he hurt.

She tugged against this grip. “Erebus, please. This is a bad id—”

It was the please that brought him around. Or maybe it was the way she said his name. He wasn’t sure which, but something in her voice made him whip back and push her up against the cold rock wall.

         

   

Elisabeth Naughton’s HUNTED – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

June 28^th

I Smell Sheep – Review & Excerpt

My Nook, Books & More – Excerpt

Only One More Page – Review & Excerpt

June 29^th

Oh My Growing TBR – Review & Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

June 30^th

Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog – Excerpt

Rainy Thursdays – Review & Excerpt

Reads & Reviews – Review

Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt

July 1^st

A Fortress of Books – Review & Excerpt

Susan’s Books I Like – Excerpt

The Romance Reviews – Review

July 2^nd

A Naughty Girl's Novel World – Review & Excerpt

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Excerpt

The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt

July 3^rd

Brittany's Book Blog – Excerpt

Celtic Dragon Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Obsessive Reading Disorder – Excerpt

July 4^th

Ruby's Books – Review & Excerpt

Shannonbookishlife – Excerpt

Sofia Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

July 5^th

Books Need TLC – Review & Excerpt

Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents – Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

July 6^th

A small girl, her man and her books – Review & Excerpt

Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

July 7^th

Angels With Attitude Book Reviews – Review

G & T's Indie Café – Excerpt

Vampire Book Club – Excerpt

WTF Are You Reading! – Review & Excerpt

ABOUT ELISABETH NAUGHTON:

Elisabeth Naughton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Elisabeth: “I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time.

“Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories.

“My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.

“I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.”

 

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Movie Review: Dirty Dancing 2017 Remake

When I was in high school I used to watch a lot of movies, but out of all of the movies I saw then, only one was my favorite: Dirty Dancing. I used to watch it every day, sometimes more than once, that's how much I loved it. I knew all the lines by heart, and if I know anything ever remotely close to dancing, it's because of this movie. 

So it wasn't easy to hear that the movie was getting a reboot. There's no way anyone could be able to play Johnny and not make me cringe. Here's the thing with me and dancers: there is Patrick Swayze and then there's the rest. So in my head there was no way anyone could be as good as him. Then I heard that the movie was going to have 3 hours. 3 hours of dancing? With Johnny and Baby? Sign me up! I was ready for the expanded version of their story, kind of like the collector's edition sort of, but instead I didn't get that. I got a musical...

It would be easier to start with what I liked. Before I go on though, let me tell you that there are going to be MAJOR SPOILERS ahead. So be warned. 

I liked the fact that we get more time focused on Penny and Baby. We see them having a "just girls" dance, and I liked that. Nicole can really dance, and it was fun watching her. I also liked that Baby's father, Jake, tells her the repercussions of what she did by helping Penny were. Harsh maybe, but he was right. There's one dance sequence that I loved, which is the famous watermelon/"Do You Love Me" dance. I mostly liked the fact that they did their own thing, instead of copying Patrick and Cynthia's routine for that dance. And I also liked the cover they did for that song. I love the original, but their version has something fun about it, and I don't know what exactly, between the singer's growls and the piano and guitar solos. 

I also liked that at one point Johnny teases Baby, telling her to imagine to have rhythm, which, when you think about it, is a terribly sad truth about the actress. I'm so sorry for Abigail, but she's just one of those people who cannot dance.

While Colt, the guy who played Johnny, didn't seem like such a great actor in this movie, he sure knows how to dance. Remember when I said there's Patrick and then there's the rest of the male dancers? Well, Colt is definitely one dancer that I enjoyed watching perform.

*deep breath*

What I didn't like. Man, this is a long list. The lift, the unnecessary background drama, the fact that it seemed to me that Johnny had more chemistry with Penny than with Baby, the last dance, which should have been spectacular, instead it wasn't, and the ending. That ending is what made me so mad, enough to want to watch the original version immediately. Here's the thing. I'm a romantic at heart, and Johnny and Baby have been my ultimate OTP since before I knew what OTP meant. Which means that in my head, after that last dance, they ride off into the sunset. The movie definitely seems to point to that, otherwise WHY WOULD HER DAD APOLOGIZE TO JOHNNY???? I always saw that scene between Johnny, Baby and Baby's dad as a sort of "welcome to the family" scene, a scene in which Jake accepts that Johnny is the one for his little girl. So to me, they are good. It's been 30 years since the movie came out and probably 20 years since I first saw it, and I still believe the same thing: they make it, get married, live happily ever after. The remake, however, shoots my dreams right in the pachanga, because they do not do that. No, they crush all of my romantic ideas, by making Johnny look like a soccer dad with a bad hair day, and Baby look like what I imagine Lisa should have looked like. It makes no sense. None whatsoever. Also, why a musical? Just...why? 

VERDICT: It's possible that someone who has never seen the original will enjoy this movie, although they'd have to be living all alone, with no friends, no internet, no family, basically no human soul near them, in order to not be introduced to the greatness that was the original Dirty Dancing. I also feel like 3 hours was a little too much for this movie. I'm not sorry for losing those 3 hours, because I watched it after a very stressful day, but I am definitely sorry Hollywood felt the need to remake a classic.

Book Review: The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

Author: Elise Kova
Series: Loom Saga #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy
Publisher: Keymaster Press
Release Date: January 10th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way.


Steampunk isn't one of my favorite genres, but it might just become one if all books are just like this one. I've heard a lot of great things about Kova's books, and I've decided to give this one a try.

There's something incredibly magical about this book, and it's truly amazing to experience. First of all, the world of Loom is really interesting, with steampunk themes blending perfectly with fantasy, in a way I hadn't quite imagined. There's magic, dragons, and technology that, strangely, work just fine together. The world itself is really complex, with a lot of stuff to understand, and a lot of stuff that I didn't quite understood at first. I kind of felt a lot like Cvareh, being thrown into an unknown world and trying to understand it. At times that proved a bit difficult, especially since there's a lot of stuff that we don't know about what happened in the bast, way before the events in the book started.

I also liked having the book told from different POVs. It helped show a bigger picture than what one side would have shown, and I loved that we got even the villain's side of things.

Ari was a really interesting heroine. She is definitely not an easy person to understand, or even like. She has a lot of secrets, and the more I read about her, the more intrigued I became. I wonder if in the future we'll get to fully know who Ari is, what her motives for hating the dragons are, and if she'll get some kind of closure. But I did respect her, to be really honest, because as cold as she wanted others to see her as, she was truly loyal to her friend, even though that put her in a lot of danger.

Florence was one character that I loved from the very start. She was witty, funny, and kind of impossible to resist. I can understand why Ari wanted to protect her at all costs and why she rescued her when she did. I also liked that even though Florence had a pureness and tenderness that made her seem soft and breakable, she found it in herself to make the hard decisions, even though she was truly scared of the outcome.

Cvareh was the character that, much like Ari, was interesting, but it took me a while to understand. I still feel like there's a lot about him that we don't know, that he's keeping a lot of things about himself hidden, and I'm curious how that will work out in the next book. But as I said, having different POVs in this book made it difficult to decide which side of the war to sympathize with, because contrary to what Ari believes, Cvareh didn't seem so bad.

The more I read, the more I understood why I had so many people urging me to read Kova's works, mainly because she managed to get me to like a story in a genre that I don't normally connect with. The only thing I would have wanted was to have more background information, to maybe understand how to navigate the world of Loom better, but all in all this book was a great series-started, and I'll definitely read the next book in the series.

Cover Reveal: Love Another Day by Lexi Blake

       

 

A man born to protect

After a major loss, Brody Carter found a home with the London office of McKay-Taggart. A former soldier, he believes his job is to take the bullets and follow orders. He’s happy to take on the job of protecting Dr. Stephanie Gibson while the team uses her clinic in Sierra Leone to bring down an international criminal. What he never expected was that the young doctor would prove to be the woman of his dreams. She’s beautiful, smart, and reckless. Over and over he watches her risk her life to save others. One night of pure passion leads him to realize that he can’t risk his heart again. When the mission ends, Brody walks away, unwilling to lose another person he loves.

A woman driven to heal

Stephanie’s tragic past taught her to live for today. Everything she’s done in the last fifteen years has been to make up for her mistakes. Offering medical care in war-torn regions gives her the purpose she needs to carry on. When she meets her gorgeous Aussie protector, she knows she’s in too deep, but nothing can stop her from falling head over heels in love. But after one amazing night together, Brody walks away and never looks back. Stephanie is left behind…but not alone.

A secret that will change both their lives

A year later, Stephanie runs afoul of an evil mercenary who vows to kill her for failing to save his son. She runs to the only people she trusts, Liam and Avery O’Donnell. She hasn’t come alone and her secret will bring her former lover across the world to protect her. From Liberia to Dallas to Australia’s outback, Brody will do whatever it takes to protect Stephanie from the man who wants to kill her, but it might be her own personal demons that could destroy them both.

     

Click to Pre-Order!

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Smashwords and Kobo coming soon!

       

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Blog Tour Book Review: Arranged by Lexi Blake

   

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Masters and Mercenaries #13.5
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, BDSM
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: April 25th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Kash Kamdar is the king of a peaceful but powerful island nation. As Loa Mali’s sovereign, he is always in control, the final authority. Until his mother uses an ancient law to force her son into marriage. His prospective queen is a buttoned-up intellectual, nothing like Kash’s usual party girl. Still, from the moment of their forced engagement, he can’t stop thinking about her.

Dayita Samar comes from one of Loa Mali’s most respected families. The Oxford-educated scientist has dedicated her life to her country’s future. But under her staid and calm exterior, Day hides a few sexy secrets of her own. She is willing to marry her king, but also agrees that they can circumvent the law. Just because they’re married doesn’t mean they have to change their lives. It certainly doesn’t mean they have to fall in love.

After one wild weekend in Dallas, Kash discovers his bride-to-be is more than she seems. Engulfed in a changing world, Kash finds exciting new possibilities for himself. Could Day help him find respite from the crushing responsibility he’s carried all his life? This fairy tale could have a happy ending, if only they can escape Kash’s past… 

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

It's not a secret that I love this series, and I was super excited to find out that the playboy king would get his story told.

The thing that I loved most about this book was how it touched on the delicate subject of male submissives from a cultural point of view. It's true that society believes that men should be the dominant ones, while women should be 100% submissive, at least from a sexual perspective. Seeing Kash try to reconcile his status as king and a sexual sub was really interesting. I also loved how Ian, the ultimate Dom, gave Kash a really great speech about that. Blake really knows how to deliver some really powerful words, and she managed to do just that in this book.

Day was a wonderful heroine and I would have loved to have more scenes with her outside of her relationship with Kash. I would have wanted to see her battle her way through politics and changing the lives of so many women and girls with her ideas.

Kash was an interesting character. It's really great to see he's not just the playboy I thought him to be, he was pushed by circumstances out of his control into that life, as a way to hide from his problems. I don't agree with how he did that, but I get it. I would have wanted to see a more complex scene following a certain really dramatic scene between these two, because I feel like the way it was dealt with wasn't as dramatic as what happened between them, but in the end it all works out.

I totally didn't anticipate who the bad guy of this story was. I had my eye on another character, and I'm very happy that in the end it turned out to be someone else.

All in all a great addition to the world of Masters and Mercenaries, and, as usual, I cannot wait for more!

Amazon  | Amazon Print

 
  “Are we a happy couple?”
“I don’t think we’ve had time enough to be sure of that yet, but I know we were once.” She’d thought it through in a way she never had before. She had a much different view of those months with Kash in England. “You were courting me back then, weren’t you? You wanted me to be your girlfriend.”
He sat down in the plush chair that dominated the sitting area portion of his bedroom. Normally they stayed in the living room, but he’d wanted more privacy. This was the only place in his suite that wasn’t covered by CCTV, the only place where they could truly be alone. Everything about the space was masculine and decadent, including the man himself. With his hair disheveled and his chest on display, it wasn’t hard at all to see him as a primal male.
One she’d dearly enjoy taming.
“I don’t think you realized it at the time.”
She was willing to admit her faults. “I didn’t. I had my nose in a book most of the time back then and I had little experience with men. No, I had no idea you were interested in me beyond copying my notes from class when you slept in.”
“It would surprise you to know that I often thought about sleeping in with you.” His voice had gone low and gentle. “I was crazy about you back then, Day. I find myself in the same position today, but I don’t want to scare you. I know you think we should take this slow and I will honor your wishes, but I want this marriage to work. You see me as a playboy, but I don’t want to be some forty-plus player who trades on his money to keep young girls around him. I think it might be time for me to find out if I can be the king my father would have wanted me to be.”
It was all she needed to hear. If he wanted to try, she was ready. Despite his reputation, she’d fallen right back into a peaceful friendship with him. He’d been the old Kash, supporting her when she needed it. He’d asked her questions about her work with the education department and then gave her ideas on how to handle the parliament. He hadn’t told her what she should do. He’d suggested, debated.
“I think you’ll find me less averse to giving this marriage a real try than you think. I was planning on talking to you about using the Palm Ceremony to begin to explore what we could be as a couple.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure what that means. You want to talk? Or have counseling? Because that sounds terrible.”
“I was talking about sex, Kashmir. I thought we could use this time to see if we’re sexually compatible.”
He popped up out of his chair like an eager puppy. “Yes. I think that is a brilliant idea. We should start now. Don’t worry. I intend to be gentle with you.”
She didn’t move at all. “Like you are with your lovely flowers?”
“Women deserve a man’s care,” he said quietly. “Day, I can’t erase my past.”
“I don’t want you to.” He misunderstood her problems with his statement. “But I do need you to understand that I’m not one of those flowers. I’m not here to sit at your side and bat my eyelashes in the hopes that you’ll buy something for me. I don’t work like that. I don’t care about your money.”
“That is easy for you to say. You’re about to have access to all of it, aren’t you?”
He had a point. “Even if I wasn’t, that wouldn’t be why I would want you, Kash. Sit down. We have some things to talk about before we get started. Come here close to me.”
He moved to the chaise she was sitting on, lowering himself down with a sullen frown. “I knew there would be talking.”
She was fairly certain his lovely flowers did very little talking, but he would get used to it. “Why did you want me back then?”
“I liked you. I liked talking to you. I liked being around you. I rather liked who I was when I was around you.” His expression softened. “I don’t think you knew how alluring you were to someone like me. You didn’t understand how beautiful you were, so you didn’t use it against me. Most women do.”
“Well, that happens when you surround yourself with women who are mostly valued for their looks. I don’t blame them. They’ve been told their beauty is the only thing worthy about them. If you want to meet women who don’t feel that way, you should probably expand out of models and actresses.”
“Well, you would be surprised how many gorgeous, sexy physicists turn me down because I’m not smart enough for them.”
       

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Comic Book Tuesday #21: Justice League, Volume 1: The Extinction Machines by Bryan Hitch, Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomey Morey

Author: Bryan Hitch, Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Tomey Morey, Richard Starkings, Sean Parsons, Jesús Merino, Matthew Clark
Series: Justice League, Volume III #1
Audience: +16
Genre: Comic Book, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: January 18th 2017
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A part of DC Universe: Rebirth!

A new day dawns for the Justice League as they welcome a slew of new members into their ranks. The question remains though, can the world's greatest superheroes trust these new recruits? And will the members of League be able to come together against an ancient evil that threatens to reclaim not just the world, but the entire universe!

Masterful storytelling, epic action, and unbelievable art come together in Justice League from best-selling comic book writer Bryan Hitch (JLA) and superstar penciler Tony S. Daniel (Batman, Detective Comics).

Collect: Justice League 1-5, Rebirth

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of this review in any way

After reading my first Flash comic book, I tried to keep my excitement and my expectations under control, because I feel like the hype surrounding these comics, both due to the various forms they exist in, and the fans themselves, can influence the experience of reading them a lot. And as I manage to do that, and as I read more and more of the stories from the DC universe, I'm starting to understand why are these comic books so well-loved.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I was able to understand most of what was going on, even without knowing some of the most important details, like Superman's backstory. The story is a pretty simple one, with someone attacking Earth, trying to destroy the planet, and the superheroes trying to save the day. But I loved the aspect of "stolen powers". The creatures attacking the planet kept going on and on about how each superhero stole the powers they had, making some of the guys from the team doubt themselves a little bit. It was a really interesting idea, seeing all these really famous characters doubting themselves and also seeing how they dealt with it all. I am also intrigued by the fact that, even though they saved the day, the heroes didn't manage to find out who was attacking the planet. I liked that a lot, because it just means I'll definitely check the next volume out.

As far as the art goes, that one was fantastic. Each panel was more beautiful than the previous one, and there wasn't too much text, which I also liked. There were panels where the art seemed a bit different and it seemed as if the drawings for certain characters had some changes in them, but other than that I pretty much liked this issue. I'm curious to see what some of the older versions of the Justice League looks like, as opposed to this one. All in all, I was pretty surprised to how enjoyable I found this book, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the next volume.