Krampus - Review

Author: Brom

Genre: Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 357

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. It started off with a bang and sucked me right in. While I didn't really like Jesse, I was curious to see how he fit into the story. The book is full of action and gore, and keep making a list of characters that needed to do horribly. In fact, I tore through the first half of Krampus pretty quickly. The last half, that's where I got stuck and had a hard time picking the story back up again. I am glad I stuck with it though because I apparent the ending.

Let's start with the positives!

I loved the artwork that accompanied the story at the start of each chapter, as well as the character portraits. There is no doubt that Brom is talented, and these were a wonderful added visual. Brom's artwork is stunning, and it's always an added bonus to see the characters through the author's eyes.

I do have to admit that I don't know much about the Krampus mythology, but I did enjoy the story that Brom weaved in this story. It was a great mix of the legend of Santa Claus and Norse Mythology. I lot of time and research went into it, and it felt flawless with a mix of characters I recognized. I thought he melded the two stories wonderfully.

Isobel and Vernon were probably my two favorites characters, even if they were side characters. Isobel because despite what she was, and everything she'd been made to do, she had this heart of gold. She seemed to be Krampus's compass when he was lost. And Vernon because of his snide comments and pure sass. Every time things went sideways I worried about them both. As for our main character Jesse, he was kind of the worst. I spent most of the book wanting to high five him in the face with a chair because he was hot-headed and just making things worse. A lot of white male rage... he tempers out toward the end, but he still wasn't my favorite.

As for the plot itself, like I said the first half is great. There's a ton of action and build-up to the showdown between Krampus and Santa. I was excited to see what kind of terrible things Krampus was going to do to the General and his boys. The book was hard to put down and the showdown with Santa was everything I wanted and the setup with the general was both gross and amazing. It was after that I started to drift away from the story. 

There were a couple of side plots that just seemed to drag the story along and I found myself reading the story less and skimming more. Sadly the book became easy to put down, eventually, I did pick it back up to see what to the Dillard because I was hoping for something terrible. I'm glad I finished because I did like how the book ended overall.

HAPPY READING!!

December Wrap Up

Well, this is it, the last day of 2020. It's hard telling what the next year will bring. Though, I am hoping I'll be back to work soon. I miss going to work, as much as I enjoy being at home, this is too much at home. Of course, that being said I did read fourteen books this month. Most were kind of middle of the road for me, but there were a few gems hidden here and there. 

The upside to all of this there wasn't much of a change in the way I celebrate the Holidays, except that I was actually home for more of them. Got to video chat with my family on Christmas Eve for a little longer than normal, and had a nice call Christmas morning as well. Though our usual house guest was missing which was the biggest bummer! Our New Year plans are to stay at home and watch all the movies we can on HBO Max. And snack. All while I cross my fingers that I get to go back to work on Monday while planning to be home another three weeks.

Books Read:  14
BINGO Books: 1

Pages Read: 

Currently Reading: The Night Will Find Us

Bout of Books 30 (Jan 4th - Jan11th) - I have no idea what I'll be reading for this and for no plan. I don't even have a pla-!

I got a few fun books for Christmas from Ma and a new book stand for above my fireplace. My Gran and roommate also got me some book money that I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to spend. 

How was the last month of the year for everyone else? Did everyone manage to make their Goodreads Goal? Anyone else get books over the Holidays?

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

Huge shout out to my Ma who sent me these for Christmas! These were are an absolute gem. Both my roommate and I thoroughly enjoyed these on Christmas morning. They are wonderfully illustrated and humorous. I loved that in P is for Pterodactyl there is a glossary in the back for each word. The tongue twisters in No Reading Allowed were fun as well, especially so early in the morning for us. Both of them are fun coffee table books, as well as an addition to any young libraries!

So this was a series I didn't know existed until once again my Ma gifted them to me. This is a fun parody of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. It was okay. I wasn't sure what to expect out of it. It gets three stars since it made me laugh a little, but I think I'll stick the original story

This was a cute collection of cat stock photos turned into cat meme. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say "Best Ever", but this book did get a few chuckles out of me. A fun coffee table read or white elephant gift. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

An audacious novel of feminine rage about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history--and the men who drove her to it.

They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams--their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she'd given up, what was taken from her, how she'd suffered, surely they'd understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That's all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

Why I'm Waiting: The story of Belle Gunness is crazy, and intrigued to see how Camilla Bruce spins her story.

HAPPY READING!!

Fantastic Tale of Nothing - Review

Author: Alejandra Green & Franny Rodriguez

Genre: Middle Grade / Graphic Novel

Format: e-Book

Pages: 320

This was an absolute gem of a find at my local library. It hooked me right from the start with the artwork alone. Each page is done in full, bright colors, that bring the story to life. There were so many tiny details to take in that I'm sure I missed little things on each page. Even reading this in ebook formate I could tell how beautiful each page was. For me, I felt it was a wonderful addition to the story to see the forest and the way the magic of this world worked. And, the facial expression they were able to pull off with Nathan was brilliant. 

It wasn't just the art that was amazing, but the story as well. While I'm not a huge fan of the Chosen One trope, I didn't mind it being used here. The story is set up more about this epic quest to save the world of Nothing, and the fact that Nathan is the Chosen One is sort of just a consequence of that. It's also easy to push aside because the story doesn't take itself too seriously. It's filled with humor and fourth wall breaks. I even started to pick up on the random lyrics hidden with the dialog. It's light-hearted and despite being well over three hundred pages, moves quite quickly.

In fact, quite a lot happens in those three hundred pages. As Nathan's quest unfolds, we are also given the backstory of Nothing came to be. I loved the difference in the artwork between the present and the past. It made it easy to keep with the switch in timelines. As well as helped the story to keep moving, a story inside the story as both Nathan and Haven learn about the world around them. 

Despite the massive amounts of information that gets thrown down within this story, I was able to keep track of everything in mind as I read. Even when I put the book down several times because of real life, it was easy to pick up again. 

The side quests were another fun part of this story. Because what's an epic quest without side quests? What I liked about the side quests how they tied into each character. It allowed a bit of back story for each character and made it easier to connect with them. Bardou is without a doubt my favorite of the questing party. And, I was glad he got some closure with his past through this first book.

I adored this first book and cannot wait for the second!

HAPPY READING!!

2021 Reading BINGO

The 2021 Reading BINGO card is ready to go! A couple of things are changing with this new board: we've added two more people to the game and this year everyone has the same BINGO card. I'm excited to see how everyone fares with this year's squares. As usual, I'm just going to fly by the seat of my pants and hope the books I pick end up being a BINGO book. It'll be fun to see what everyone else picks up for each square. I can't wait to see what covers come out of the "Terrible Covers: square. I do love a good bad 1970s fantasy cover, the ones that look like they should be painted on the side of a van! It's going to be amazing!

As usual, anyone can join in with the new board! Just make sure to link it back to me here on, Bookish Whispers. The rules are simple: no re-reads and all formats (ebook & audio) count. The goal is completely clear the board. The challenge started on January 1st and runs through the entire year. And, if it makes anyone feel better. In all the years my roommate and I have done this challenge neither of us has managed to clear every square of our boards.

So have fun with it and drop my comment below if you going to participate with us this year!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way, they're all going to find their way here

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope… 

HAPPY READING!!

Happy Holidays!

Mini Reviews

This is a cute little story about how the grass always looks greener on the other side. The artwork was fun and colorful and flowed with the story nicely. I really liked the art changed as a story was being told to more famous art designs, type, it was cool to watch that happen as the cats moved through a story inside a story. However, the story itself was a bit clunky for me. There were parts that didn't feel like the fit, and the whole side quest didn't feel like it was needed. Considering the moral of the Garden Story itself. So by the time you realize that it almost feels like there are two morals competing against each other, but neither character seems to learn anything, and then the story ends. So three stars because it was a cute little story.

This was my second go-around for Memento, but this time I listened to the audio version. I love the cast that reads this series! I also really love this series. This was a great addition to the series, and I'd forgotten that it leads right into the first book. Just like all the other books, this cast brought this short story to life, and I love AIDAN so much. Even if he is a psychopath.

Bookstram made me do it! This book came across my dash this week and on a whim, I looked to see if my local library had it. I was in luck! This was a really cute version of the story of Santa, and how everyone celebrates the magic of Holidays differently. I thought the artwork was fun and colorful. It was a quick, fun read that had me giggling as I read it out loud to my roommate. 

HAPPY READING!!