Genre: Supernatural


Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Blog Tour: Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld

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I received this book for free from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Blog Tour: Spill Zone by Scott WesterfeldSpill Zone by Scott Westerfeld
Published by First Second on May 2, 2017
Genres: Graphic Novel, Horror, Supernatural, YA
Source: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
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Goodreads

Nobody's ever really explained the Spill. Was it an angelic visitation? A nanotech accident? A porthole opening from another world? Whatever it was, no one's allowed in the Spill Zone these days except government scientists and hazmat teams. But a few intrepid explorers know how to sneak through the patrols and steer clear of the dangers inside the Zone. Addison Merrick is one such explorer, dedicated to finding out what happened that night, and to unraveling the events that took her parents and left her little sister mute and disconnected from the world.

This was a creepy, weird book, interesting graphic novel.  I don’t tend to read a lot of them, but I do enjoy them on occasion. This one has beautiful artwork and a pretty crazy storyline. I thought that the illustrations really brought the story to life and added a creepy factor to it.  The characters were great too and though we don’t learn too much about them yet, it really makes the anticipation for a sequel almost unbearable.

Addie is the main character. She takes care of her little sister now that her parents are dead. Thanks to The Spill. No one is allowed in the Spill Zone, but Addie sneaks in and takes gorgeous, haunting, and chilling photos of it. It’s super dangerous, but that is the only way for her to make enough money to help her sister. She has some collectors who will pay big bucks for the art.

Lexa is Addie’s little sister. One of the few survivors from The Spill. She also doesn’t talk. None of the survivors do. She does have a doll, Vespertine who she communicates through. It’s no normal doll though. It’s living. It just needs to recharge in the Spill Zone sometimes. Vespertine travels with Addie on occasion and keeps Lexa company other times.

This book gave me the creeps at times. The creatures in the Spill Zone, the atmosphere there, and mostly Vespertine. There’s always that presence of danger, not just in the Spill Zone, but everywhere. In the Spill Zone though, any trip there could be your last. I thought this was a great graphic novel and can’t wait to see what comes next. You need to see and read this for yourself. Get a physical copy if you can because an eraser would not do this beauty justice.

I was also sent a gorgeous photo that was one of the ones taken to use for illustrations. Unfortunately, my iPad thinks the file is too big and won’t insert for me so I will have to add it later when I’m on my computer.

Don’t forget to check out the other tour stops. Click here to go to the fierce reads blog tours page.

Review: Don’t Stay Up Late by R.L. Stine

Review: Don’t Stay Up Late by R.L. Stine

Posted by on 03/19/2015 • 16 Comments

I think I’m not alone when I say R.L. Stine was a huge part of my childhood. Back when I was still in grade school, I found it hard to be committed to reading… the books I read just didn’t stick with me and it was difficult to keep being engaged after 10 pages, but R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books changed that. I loved his books. I loved how it helped nourish the reader in me and how it nurtured my love for reading. I was so fascinated with the notion that mere words could scare the daylights out of me.

That’s why I wanted to read Don’t Stay Up Late, his newest work. I wanted to feel that nostalgia again, and see what the author has to offer many, many years since the last time…

Review: The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Review: The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Posted by on 09/25/2014 • 16 Comments

The Fall was so very unique and the writing: wonderfully atmospheric. Having really enjoyed Bethany’s Masque of the Red Death (I have yet to read the sequel), I knew that I was in for a stunning read. Masque was very well written, gorgeous in its melancholy, really – and that’s what I love the most about these historically creepy novels: the way they enchant you into their eerie settings. The Fall was no exception. I felt transported into this ancient house which was truly a character in and of itself. I could see every crack and hear every faint footstep. You could say that I was sufficiently creeped out.

Madeline is living with a curse. A curse revolving around a house that feels alive and vengeful, a house they…

Review: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Review: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

Posted by on 07/25/2014 • 13 Comments

Even with the great premise and creepy as heck scenes throughout, I can’t say I liked this one much, unfortunately. Though this is all due to the writing, and if you’re a fan of it you will have a much better experience with this book than I.

The writing is one that, although may work for some, I could never get used to. The narrative voices (plural because I “think” there were more than 1, but I’m not 100% sure…) are in 3rd person which is always harder for me to connect with regardless, but in this case even more so because of this particular all-knowing perspective the author adopts. Then when you add in the fact that the perspective changes – often abruptly without a chapter change or even…

Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Posted by on 05/30/2014 • 8 Comments

I’m slowly learning that I am very picky when it comes to the type of “mindfuck-ey” books that I like. There are some that I love, that skyrocket to the very top of my favourite books list (like Another Little Piece, Lucid or Complicit to name a few) and then there are some that just never grab me and seem to almost go over my head. Falling into this group is books like (Don’t You) Forget About Me and now The Vanishing Season. There were definitely things that I appreciated in this novel but I never connected to it in any way nor did I come to care about the relationships.

Maggie’s family has had to downsize after her mother got laid off from her job in Chicago. They move…

Waiting on Wednesday (98)

Waiting on Wednesday (98)

Posted by on 10/30/2013 • 34 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week:

This sounds so up my alley it’s not even funny! It sounds like it’s being told from the ghost’s point of view (unless there’s a twist :D). Plus it’s Jodi Lynn Anderson! I haven’t read anything by her yet but she’s highly praised.

What are you waiting on?

Review: Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee

Review: Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee

Posted by on 10/28/2013 • 19 Comments

Oh my word this was weird. Like, disturbingly weird. Talking minister cat/squirrel/dog, deadly fog, walking corpses and all! Fortunately it was the kind of weird that was so weird it was creepy. Unfortunately, the weird turned into the religious which is almost always a complete turn-off for me.

In simple terms, this story is about the end of the world. We don’t understand exactly what’s going on at first. Everything is kept very cryptic with a constant ominous vibe. Little by little we learn about the earth’s condition, about what happened to bring it to this point including bizarre happenings that makes us wonder just how crazy it all is. The creepy definitely was my favorite part of this novel. When their dead mother’s corpse started walking about, it…

Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Posted by on 09/25/2013 • 19 Comments

What a nail biter! Unbreakable has a creepy cover with an equally freaky story. For all of you supernatural thriller fans out there this one is not to be missed!

I made the mistake of starting this book at midnight; a book that has crazy happenings and intense goosebump-worthy scenes right from the beginning. Every page had me delving deeper and deeper under the covers just so I would stop imagining hellish demon ghosts at the foot of my bed! And by hellish demon ghosts I mean exactly that! You won’t find Casper in here. By page 32 my heart was already pounding from the horror of this unexplained supernatural evil that started to haunt Kennedy. Ok if I’m being honest, I kind of loved it. I’m a sucker for…