Book Review: The D'Evil Diaries by Tatum Flynn

Book: The D'Evil Diaries by Tatum Flynn, Illustrations by David Shephard

Source: Purchased paperback at The Book Depository

Genre: MG



Summary (on Book Depository): A hilarious, crackling, original debut about an unlucky demon, perfect for fans of Derek Landy and Eoin Colfer. Twelve-year-old Jinx is hopeless at being evil. Which is a bit of a problem when you're Lucifer's youngest son. But when Jinx runs away from Pandemonium, the walled city he's lived in all his life, he bumps into dead girl Tommy - who's been sent to Hell for accidentally feeding her nasty uncle to a circus lion - and unearths a conspiracy that could up-end the entire underworld. Cue shenanigans involving carnivorous carousel horses, death-trap-riddled libraries and hungry quicksand. Now the fate of the realm rests in the hands of its most unlikely demon and a girl who shouldn't be in Hell at all...

In a year of many books left unfinished (thanks a lot 2015) D'Evil Diaries was a book I could finish in an evening because of how engaging it was. Yes it is under 300 pages but that has nothing to do with the good writing and beautiful illustrations. Tatum and David collaborated to bring us a book that showed us a different side of hell and boy was it one 'hell of a ride'.

The novel starts with Jinx son of Lucifer who can't seem to do anything right in the evil department. Which is very bad for a demon. As his father gets more fed up with him and all other attempts at being evil fail...Jinx runs away and meets up with Tommy, a girl who should not be in hell. What ensues afterwards is a crazy adventure that brings to light a secret coup and puts the entire balance of good and evil in jeopardy.

I really enjoyed this book. You had an engaging story, wonderful illustrations, a main character that you could identify with at some point in your life, a mischievous girl that might remind you of a friend at some point in your life, hair raising adventure and the reminder that no matter how evil you might there is someone that you care about and if not even being evil, that is not necessarily a good thing. There are also secondary characters to love including Loiter who you have to get the book just to find the essence of this guy. How a lazy being can command a scene is shown in spades. While there was an issue of the book getting a bit cliched with the overly awkward boy and then this strong personality girl just happened to be named Tommy. Tatum made up for that quick with an attack of crazed 'horses' and the story quickly got back on it's amazing track. Plus it was nice to have strong characters no matter their gender being shown and not flung in your face. A strong female character is great but I don't want a 'Katniss' flung in my face. Nor a 'Gayle' either, it goes both ways. Tatum was able to balance the strength and weaknesses of her characters very well and any falter made was quickly made up for with engaging storytelling and a novel that flowed and kept you engaged from start to finish.

Rating: 4 Stars

Purchase: The Book Depository

Funny enough I met Tatum last year on Twitter via a hashtag dealing with refugees. After chatting with her I decided to check her twitter account, discovered she was a writer, checked out her website and saw a book I knew I had to buy. Plus she has Calvin as her Twitter avatar. Major cool points.

Today is the debut of the second book in the series and I couldn't be happier for her. Of course I pre-ordered my copy months ago and it has already been dispatched. Also late last year I bucked into the illustrator David on Twitter as well and he is a cool chap. Definitely a great artistic talent and the only illustrator I check on who is not doing Teenage Ninja Turtles. Priorities. Congrats to you both and thanks for helping to bring such an awesome book into the world. Oh and the publisher.



Tatum Flynn: Website, Twitter

David Shephard: Website, Twitter

Waiting on Wednesday: The Curiosity House

Waiting on Wednesday is held weekly by Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases bloggers are excited about. So without further ado here is my pick.

Book: Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Summary: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head.

Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events.

When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts. This sensational new series combines the unparalleled storytelling gifts of Lauren Oliver with the rich knowledge of the notorious relics collector H. C. Chester.

What you will find in this book:

    A rather attractive bearded lady

    Several scandalous murders

    A deliciously disgusting Amazonian shrunken head

    Four extraordinary children with equally extraordinary abilities

    A quite loquacious talking bird

What you will NOT find in this book:

    An accountant named Seymour

    A never-ending line at the post office

    Brussels sprouts (shudder)

    A lecture on finishing all your homework on time

    A sweet, gooey story for nice little girls and boys

Learn more about the series online at 

www.thecuriosityhouse.com

Purchase: The Book Depository, Amazon

I found out about this book at Lauren's website and then I read the story of how she got the idea. That was when I knew I had to purchase this book which is book one of a series with the second soon to be released. Unique MG's are a great find and I am excited to get my hands on this book.

Monday Mishmash: First Timer!

Hi this is my first time taking part in Monday Mishmash a weekly meme sharing your thoughts and happenings. You just grab a button and create your post. Sure I guess I write it differently from most but moving on....

1. Over the weekend I started doing a fan movie sketch for a Fantastic Four reboot. I know that sounds crazy or silly but I truly believe that this movie can be done right. All I will say right now is that my version has Fantastic 4 facing The Skrulls and Dr. Doom becomes a bit of an anti-hero but not so much so that it eliminates his villainous personality. More is coming but I am thinking of trying to pitch this thing through fan sites to see if I can get some creative juices pumping over at Fox. Seriously they need to get a hit, I mean Ant-Man made it. ANT-MAN! No, I don't care that it's a Marvel property, if Ant-Man can make it so can Fantastic Four with the right movie. There.


Oh and I shot the origin story in the head. None of that for half my fan movie. Time to go Deadpool fans on this property.

2. Yesterday I found out Dragons: Race to Edge has Season Two up and naturally I had to watch the first seven. How did I miss the email update on Friday? How! Loving it so far though.

3. So I started a MerryWeather retelling of her long before Sleeping Beauty. Yes I did. I am also thinking about a MG with Saint Nick being the bad guy. So....

4. I really should get to seeing Star Wars The Force Awakens.

5. Took a few days off ghostwriting. Monday will have be back in the saddle with plenty of time to spare thank goodness. At least I got #1 going during that time.

6. Happy to say Victoria Aveyard, author of The Red Queen series responded to a few of my tweets over the weekend. Collar pop.

                                           

So there you have it, my first MishMash. This meme aint half bad. Thanks Kelly Hashway for introducing me to this with your own cool posts. See you guys tomorrow, hugs!

IWSG: 2016 and Waiting on Wednesday

Happy 2016 everyone and welcome to another IWSG. I can happily say my insecurities still involve writing and health. Why am I happy? Because I know it could be worse. I could be crippled by my insecurities and personal issues but I am not. There are also no new epic disasters to report and that is always good. So I thank God for protecting me and wish you all a great day.

Waiting on Wednesday is held weekly by Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases bloggers are excited about. So without further ado here is my pick.

Book: The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

Release Date: March 3, 2016

Summary: Lorelai, crown princess and fugitive-at-large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. She'll have to be stronger, faster and master more magical power than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen. When the queen's huntsman - a dragon-shifting king - tracks down Lorelai, sparks fly between them. Can the king overcome his predator side - and can Irina's dark magic be defeated?

Purchase: The Book Depository, Amazon

So there you have it guys an IWSG and a WOW in one post. Stay smiling and good day.

Cop Racism: More Black People shot 'Accidentally'

I truly thought I would be covering something else today. Random and exciting. Sadly I saw this in the morning and felt I had to share it. Now I understand that being a police officer is a very hard job to take on and respect anyone who does so. But these kind of shootings need to stop. Like one of those says in The Young Turks video, cops have both lethal and non-lethal weapons for a reason. It is coming to a point where I genuinely believe people need to form some kind of private neighborhood watch force and only call cops when there is a lethal criminal in their mist. There were also at least two serious instances last year (including one where the man was still in his car) where lethal shooting of white people by cops were blatantly unnecessary. So while yes it has been mostly reported to be happening to black people, no race is completely safe from this. There needs to be action and juries need to stop letting these cops go with a slap on the wrist. The question should not be if the shooting was intentional or not but with all the training cops get was a gun necessary in the situation at all. I mean tasers and batons and etc. are there aside from the gun for a reason.

Well that's my thoughts and the video I saw is below. Let me know what you think and be safe my friends over the holidays. Of every race.

Cover Reveal Fanfiction and Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays fellow bloggers and I am happy to share with you the cover for my wattpad fan fiction story Evil Strikes. Chapter One will be published January 15, 2016. Evil Strikes is my fan sequel to the Disney television show The Descendants. In this fan fiction novel new villain kids will emerge and Auradon will come to see a whole new danger emerge. Fan favorite's will also return.

Wattpad Account: Queendsheena12

Usually I post my fan fiction on Fanfiction,net (multiple accounts, like 5) but Wattpad has an interesting mix and I plan to post a few there. But most will remain on my other accounts. The current story up there is one I started on my old accounts but stopped. This upcoming one though is spanking new and only available there. If you are interested in seeing my other fan fiction work message me and I'll send you the username. Now unto the reveal.

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Holy cover. Isn't it beautiful? The artist of this lovely creation works over at Cover Lust Designs. Visit anytime to check out her beautiful pre-mades or order an original cover. Will also be posting reveals on Facebook and Twitter. 

Merry Christmas!

Boston Christmas Tree - Source: Wikipedia

No matter how you Celebrate Christmas I wish you a wonderful holiday and a prosperous New Year. I will be back blogging on Monday the 28th.

Personally my family and I will be celebrating the birth of Jesus and enjoying some excellent home cooking. Nice to relax with your parents when neither you or your siblings have kids. Quiet.

P.S. : Over the holidays like any other day of the year sometimes stupid arguments pop up. For example.

Source: Saw it on Facebook

Please try to rise above the fray or come up with a cute answer if you must. Here's mine below. Happy Holidays and this meme popped up on a debate on if the song White Christmas is racist.

Note:  I am black and since White Christmas deals with snow all I can think for other colors is this. Pink - Someone throwing a streamer in your face. Black - Tar? Yellow: Rain I will not step out in. Blue: Shit the sky is falling! Run! Red: Someone got their eye poked out by that bitch throwing skittles. Green: Who just threw grass? So at the end of the day I'll just stick with White Christmas.

Waiting on Wednesday: Return to the Isle of the Lost : A Descendants Novel by Melissa De La Cruz

Waiting on Wednesday is held weekly by Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases bloggers are anxiously awaiting to get their hands on.

Today I am sharing a sequel to a book based off the popular Disney television movie The Descendants. 

Book: Return to the Isle of the Lost : A Descendants Novel

Release Date: May 3, 2016 (Book Depository) / May 24, 2016

Summary from The Book Depository: There's no place like home. Especially if home is the infamous Isle of the Lost. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay haven't exactly turned their villainous noses up at the comforts of Auradon after spending their childhoods banished on the Isle. After all, meeting princes and starring on the Tourney team aren't nearly as terrible as Mal and her friends once thought they would be. But when they receive a mysterious invitation to return to the Isle, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay can't help feeling comfortable in their old hood-and their old ways. Not everything is how they left it, though, and when they discover a dark mystery at the Ise's core, they'll have to combine all of their talents in order to save the kingdom.

Purchase: Book Depository, Amazon

I really enjoyed the television movie and got the first book soon after. The characters are fun to follow and it will be very interesting to see what they get up to in this upcoming book.