October 13

Shadow of the Dark Angel by Gene O’Neill

Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com

While Shadow of the Dark Angel has similarities to Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lector books it has differences as well. In this book, Katy Green and John Cato are a team of detectives hunting a sexual serial killer. However, unlike Harris’ books, Shadow of the Dark Angel is neither a mystery book nor a police procedural. Instead, O’Neill has filled his book with minute details that lead to explicitly fleshed out characters, at the expense of the storytelling. At best, it’s an extensive profile of the detectives and the killer but what it possesses in detail it completely lacks in tension and plot momentum.

O’Neill’s style of presenting characters and events without genuinely storytelling works in a short form, but keeps readers at an arm’s length in this novel. In the end the minutiae of the characters’ daily lives and psychological health take precedent over the story, leaving out the police work and much of the actual solving of the crime. It’s also frustrating that the author dedicates a lot of time to describing a book Katy Green is writing that is a blatant reference to another of O’Neill’s books, and the reader may feel cheated that the author is using the book to advertise his other works, while sometimes ignoring the plot of this one.

Although Shadow of a Dark Angel is not without its merits, it is a disappointing read. Available only as a pricey limited edition, Shadow of the Dark Angel is best left to O’Neill fans and collectors.

Contains: Explicit language, violent situations, sexual situations

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October 5

Disclosure Notice

Thanks to this I will now be informing readers where I received the books I review. (Because an $11k fine per instance is not something I can afford.) I have not done this previously because I haven’t wanted publishers and authors who donate books to me to be harassed by the less than professional people out there who are looking for free books.

You’ll find this information in the categories section, meaning down at the bottom (or top, depending on the theme I’m using) you’ll see tags like “Horror”, “Fantasy”, “Zombies” and “YA”. I’ll be adding to this new categories which tell where I received the book in question.

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October 5

Monster Moon: Curse at Zala Manor by BBH McChiller

Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com

In the vein of “The Goonies” and There’s a Batwing in My Lunchbox by Ann Hodgeman comes Monster Moon: Curse at Zala Manor, the tale of AJ and Emily, two friends who get caught up in a centuries old pirate curse cast on AJ’s family line. This book has it all- secret tunnels and talking animals, mad science and real monsters. This is the perfect Halloween themed book for in class reading in elementary schools and early middle schools. Equal parts scary, mysterious, gross and silly, it’s pure fun. It’s definitely recommended for all collections aimed at fostering a love of reading.

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October 1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life

Season 8: Book 4
ISBN: 9787595823106

Despite the last three volumes having different writers they’ve all held deliciously true to the Buffy-verse while not letting the storyline becoming dull or repetitive. With this addition the story moves the focus back to Buffy and to the large story arc, Buffy vs the mysterious Twilight. Except it moves at this plot from a side arc rather than straight forward.

It cannot be coincidence that a temporal anomaly sucks Buffy into the future right when Twilight has been trying to convince her of the futility of her spell to make all the Potentials into genuine Slayers. Whoever Twilight is, they are fighting to kill Buffy, to destroy the spell so the balance between good and evil will be restored.

So whether the anomaly and Buffy being present is due to Twilight’s interference or not, Buffy landing in a future words where a Slayer is at war with her twin, who has been turned into a vampire, seems only to reinforce Twilight’s attacks on Buffy’s resolve.

But the main player in this tale doesn’t appear to be either the strange, lonely Slayer, her vampire twin with the Slayer’s memory, or Twilight. Instead the direct story behind Buffy’s time trip is sadder and closer to home than Buffy could guess.

While ultimately a sad volume, so much is left undone, unexplained, unseen or heard that it takes from the depth of the final scene. Readers can only hope that the Buffy-verse continues its habit of baiting, teasing and most of all, delivering.

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