Horror Books

This graphic novel makes the book guilty pleasures so much more enjoyable because you can now put faces completely to the charaters though some like always do not look how you pictured them at all. Amazing all around though, the artistry is something i wish i could even compare to. Love it to death!

My bad. I didn't realize it was a comic book. Graphics are good, but waste of time if you've already read any of the "Anita Blake" series. I was disappointed in this "book."

I am very disappointed... with the reviewers who rated this book with less than a 4 star.

I remember years ago reading comic books that were declared the unsavory UNDERGROUND because they were not published by DC or Marvel. Those whose preferences were outside the superhero in Spandex had little to read. And we were SO bad for wanting something more... Glad those days are long over!

I enjoy reading books, comics, and mangas. They all come with their own sense of cinematography. Adaptations are difficult at best, especially when dealing with a story as loaded as Ms. Hamilton's can be.

The artwork is brilliant. Beautifully gothic without being repulsive. (Does ANYONE remember the undergrounds in which the characters looked like they had acid dumped on them, and it wasn't the LSD type??) I also was very surprised at how accurate the characters were to my own mind's picture of them. It was so comfortable to now finally see what they looked like and how well Ms. Hamilton described them in the prose version. (I would absolutely have hated being the person making the decision on which artist won out and the thumbnails of the various characters... there are just too many of them!!)

It's like reading a book, seeing the musical version, then the movie version. They all will not be the same, nor will they appeal to everyone. As for me, I enjoyed this one immensely, and I am looking forward to Vol 1 and 2 of Guilty Pleasures -- all right, I'm running a little behind in the reading department because I've been working on the writing department...

Reviewers, let's be a little more responsible. Some of these reviews remind me of those in the gourmet section of Amazon screaming at people to not eat goose liver and giving out bad reviews because of philosophical reasons, not because of how good or horrible it tasted.

I'm giving it a 5-Star rating. Excellent quality pressing. Great quality paper -- I like them heavier. The colors were brilliant and dark as they were meant to be. It survived my second library reading room (the bathroom) far better than I had anticipated. And when the husband "accidentally" bumped it off the sink, the corners did not get dinged, and the dust cover held out wonderfully.

So there!

Minor quibble. Not a fan of graphic novel style books. Still, it is nice to have a new Anita Blake story to fill in the history of this story line.

The artwork is beautiful, but I was expecting to get some insight into a younger Anita. Nothing new here. Buy it for the art if you are interested in that sort of thing, but not the story.

Hurley's book is a breath of fresh air. I would give this book my highest recommendation for all ages. It covers many themes that school age children and teens deal with every day in a humorous manner. It brought back many memories for me. Loved the cover and presentation of the book as well. Very unique! Buy this book now!!!

I had really high hopes for Tonya Hurley's novel ghostgirl after seeing an advanced reading copy of the novel due out in August 2008 (this despite the fact that the title is all lower case). The book design is really amazing: Taller and narrower than a mass market book, the novel immediately looks different. The dominant colors are pink and black. The cover features a silhouette in what looks like a coffin with a sash that reads "Rest in Popularity." Even the interior of the book is snazzy featuring a silhouette by Craig Phillips at the start of each chapter and a loopy border at the top and bottom of each page. In other words, this book looked really cool. Even its marketing campaign is cool. Just take a look at www.ghostgirl.com to see what I mean.

Despite all of that, I'm still not sure how I feel about ghostgirl. I was hesitant to put this novel as a CLW review at all. But, by the end of the story, it's clear that the main character is trying and she does change eventually and, since that's all anyone can ask, I decided to go with it.

And, now that I've set up the novel more than anyone would have thought possible, on to the review:

Charlotte Usher is virtually invisible at her high school. She's the kind of girl no one would miss if she disappeared suddenly. Even when she does exactly that. To be more specific, she dies. Because of a gummy bear.

Adding insult to injury, Charlotte was certain things were looking up before she died. After a rigorous summer campaign, Charlotte was finally prepared (mentally and physically thanks to intense surveillance and a makeover) to make a play for her crush, Damen Dylan-the guy every girl at Hawthorne High wants to date. Even Damen's snooty girlfriend Petula and her sidekicks, The Wendys, couldn't discourage Charlotte.

With that kind of tenacity, it's not surprising that Charlotte isn't about to let a little thing like being dead get in the way of her goal. Wandering town as a spirit with unfinished business, Charlotte decides to focus on living the life she was so close to having instead of dying with style. Much to the chagrin of her new "Dead Ed" classmates who are all waiting to learn their own lessons and finally rest in peace. What follows is a zany plot involving stalking, possession (don't worry, it's consensual), and a love triangle that has to be read to be believed.

As that description might suggest, this plot-like the book itself-has a lot of potential. Sadly, a lot of that potential is squandered. Charlotte is painfully invisible to her classmates before her death. Unfortunately she remains equally aloof from readers. At points I feel like I can see Charlotte, but not once in the novel did I feel like I knew her. (This is, to a lesser extent, a problem for the other characters as well.) While her desires are obvious throughout the novel, her motivations never quite manifest.

The actual narrative has its own shaky points. Hurley has several characters mention that teen-aged ghosts are too self-absorbed to miss their families, which seemed like an easy (too easy) way to write out an entire part of Charlotte's life. It also leaves the question of why no one tried to help Charlotte make friends before her death unanswered.

Finally, the tone of the novel is slightly erratic. The novel alternates haphazardly between morbid and flippant at breakneck speeds making the characters seem cartoonish with their odd situations and reactions to them (I'm not even talking about Charlotte being a ghost here)

Yet, I still finished ghostgirl and I still did enjoy parts of it. If you can get past the erratic writing and underdeveloped characters, this is an okay book even if it doesn't live up to the hopes created by its design.

Almost in spite of herself, Charlotte does learn her lesson and find peace by the end of the story as she begins to understand that, sometimes, there's more to life than being seen-even in high school.

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,
I pray the popular attend my wake."

This is the year for Charlotte Usher. The year that she's finally going to be noticed. She's finally going to have what she's always wanted: to be a popular girl and fit in with the head cheerleader in the school, Petula Kensington. She feels that the first day of school will be the start of her new life. She'll finally have the attention of the most popular guy in school, Damen. Who is, of course, Petula's boyfriend.

In a way she does start a new life. Although it's actually her afterlife. Poor Charlotte chokes on a red gummy bear just before she leaves her first period physics class and dies. Her hopes of starting over fresh and finally being noticed for once are all crushed in an instant. Especially when she finds out that she still has to graduate even though she's dead! There's a whole class of students from her school who have died and are still attending classes there.

Charlotte isn't giving up, though. She's still determined to win over Damen. And with the help of Scarlet Kensington (Petula's younger sister) she's sure she'll be able to do it. Scarlet can actually see Charlotte and Charlotte isn't about to let that fact go to waste. She figures she can hang out in Scarlet's body and get through to Damen that way. But her new dead classmates aren't liking Charlotte's plans too much and are making it incredibly hard for her to get anything done. Plus, the more time Scarlet spends time with Damen (when Charlotte isn't in her body, that is) the more Scarlet is starting to like Damen herself.

Charlotte is determined to be noticed. She thinks that if she can just get noticed and be popular that she'll finally move on. But is popularity really what Charlotte needs? Or is it just finally realizing that you don't have to be the center of attention to matter?

This book was great. I couldn't really guess what would happen throughout the book, which I always like. Poor Charlotte has such a rough time! Especially in the beginning of her afterlife. But she pulls through and even learns a valuable lesson along the way. I loved Scarlet's character. The way she acts towards her sister is hilarious. They are total opposites in every way. I loved all the nicknames the other dead students have, too. And I thought the ending was cute. It might not have been totally realistic, but then again this book wasn't really all that realistic in the first place. So I thought the ending fit pretty perfectly. I highly suggest checking this book out.

Reviewed by: Breanna F.

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley
Ghostgirl won't be published until August of this year. It's such a fine read I couldn't wait to tell you about it.
Charlotte Usher, a teenager shunned by the popular crowd at her school, decides to start out the new school year on the right foot. Tired of being ignored, she changes her look to something more trendy and less frumpy, then dares approach the "populars" to try to get into their clique.
She quickly finds herself falling for the boyfriend of one of the most beautiful and popular, and of course thoroughly bitchy, girls in school. Determined to get close to this boy Charlotte volunteers to become his physics tutor, a subject he must pass in order to continue playing on the football team. Before they can have their first study session Charlotte very inconveniently dies, choking on a gummy bear in an empty classroom. Since no one really knew her well to begin with, she's very quickly forgotten.
After her death Charlotte's initiated into the world of dead teenagers, kids who still attend school but in a different dimension alongside their living peers. Before the children can go on to the "next place" they have to pass a test determining what they've left undone in their lives. Only once this is rectified will they truly be free.
Though the premise sounds grim, the reader quickly comes to accept the juxtaposition of dead and living characters. Parts of it are a little gruesome - especially the ghosts of the teenagers who died violently and have issues with skin falling off - but it's not prohibitively scary for children 12 and up. The book is like an Edward Gorey print brought to life, or a more fleshed-out version of the film "Beetlejuice." Though the thought of it is creepy it's done skillfully.
Author Hurley is an independent filmmaker, and it's no stretch to imagine this book being made into a movie. It has a lot of potential to be comedic, gross enough to satisfy kids, but still delivering the message about the importance of living life fully. It's a delightful read, grim but never completely morbid.

ghostgirl
Tonya Hurley. Little, Brown, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-316-11357-1
Hurley, an independent filmmaker, debuts with this glittering comedy, a prime exemplar of what might be called demento mori, a growing subgenre of satire about teens who will not or cannot die. Charlotte Usher's plan to catapult herself from the ranks of the invisible to the heights of popularity at Hawthorne High--no possibility for allusion goes unturned--hits a major snag on the first day of school when she chokes to death on a gummy bear. Sent to Deadiquette school along with other teen spirits, she skips out, still determined to woo her longtime heartthrob, never mind that "he doesn't even know I'm alive." The jokes stay sharp, from the goth girl who gives her a "make-under" to throwaway lines (caught breaking some cardinal rules, Charlotte mutters to herself, "I'm dead"). Plotlines raise the stakes, putting Hurley's consistent wit to the service of classic themes about claiming identity. While the author has a built-in fan base from her ghostgirl Web sites, high-impact design will ensure attention from casual browsers as well. An elaborate die-cut with stamped acetate on the cover dares readers to laugh at a silhouette of a cartoon girl in an open casket, an effect heightened by the extra-tall trim size; inside, pink-and-black graphics liberally adorn the margins, epigraphs to chapter openings, etc. And given the polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)

Well, this is only about the fourth or fifth King book I've read so I am in no way an expert. But I think I have figured some of his style/trademarks. "Cell" is an entertaining read. I liked the premise, not as hokey as I first thought, the characters were likeable, and it kept me interested throughout.

However, the ending was weak, as others have mentioned and made me hate the book the second I finished reading. Also, not a lot happens the entire novel. I mean, it is almost 500 pages long and I could sum it up every bit of action in a couple of lines. They go here, there, somewhere else, that is it. Is this 500 pages worth of narative? No, but as always, King is very, very wordy and repeats himself over and over. Whatever happens near the beginning you can bet will come up again and again throughtout the novel. It is all very meandering. I don't like that. A story should build and build as it goes and Cell only kinda does that.

I found this was the case in Dreamcatcher and here again in Cell. Get over it, Pixie Dark is finished, I don't care what happened, let's move forward, shall we? Still, I found it fun overall and can't fault him for his poor traits as a writer b/c his good traits outweigh them.

Great story - funny in bits, cared about the characters. I loved the descriptions of Boston, New Hampshire, of course, Maine. Not "throw the book down" scary, but there was enough blood and gore to keep it very interesting.

This was a departure for me, as I usually stick to "chick lit", but I've always enjoyed the occasional King thriller and this one didn't let me down - I loved the focus on what today is thought of as a "regular" part of our lives, but in fact, this book makes you look at cellular technology as being mysterious and it seemed plausible that there could be something scary going on and King found a way to bring the message home "loud and clear".

I have never been a huge King fan, but I grabbed this one for a change. I was very surprised. This book moves along fast and has some great action and suspense. He makes cell phone zombies sound so real! His descriptive ability is still amazing. His vocabulary and characters are spot on. King has not lost his touch.

This was the first book I've ever read of Stephen King and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt the character development was done well and each character brought their own unique personality to the mix.

I loved the idea of cell phones being the cause of the outbreak, it was defiantly better than the typical viral cause.

One of the things I didn't like were the weird abilities the zombies acquired at the end. I like the pure random violence of the zombies at the beginning, and even though the idea of an evolving flock of zombies was interesting--I just feel it was a little awkward coming from mindless zombies.

The second thing was the cliff hanger ending, it didn't take away from the story, but it would have been nice to know what the result of that final phone call was.

King can really tell a good story. But he does not this time. What could otherwise have been a good zombie apocalypse is spoiled by the author's constant pop culture references. It got so out of hand at one point I threw the book across the room when King had his characters (who were running for their lives at the time, mind you) weigh in on a fight in the media between has-been dj Moby and rap/actor Eminem. This is just one example. And there are hundreds. Every time you are about let go and enjoy the dark spooky narrative, a silly conversation like this popped up. Ruined it.

Once I started I couldn't put it down until I was done. I can't wait for the next saga of the Hallows to see what will happen next. If you are in to the paranormal these books are for you!!!

Tink's titties, this was one of the best books i've ever read! one of the rare times i cried.. emotionally charged, exciting, unpredictible. If you have read the prvious books, you're gonna looooove it!

This was an amazing entry into the Hollows series. The artifact from FFOC is creating chaos and everyone wants to get their hands on its power. Meanwhile, Rachel is getting even more involved with Demons, and this time they won't leave her alone! Relationship drama overheats between Kisten, Ivy and Rachel. There is a definite sense of resolution with this book, but there are still enough unresolved issues to keep me eagerly anticipating the follow up. In response to some of the bad reviews I've read: Yes, this book needed some editing. It wasn't enough to bother me, but it was enough of an issue to notice. The fact is, however, that this is a solid novel. The action is intense and the last 100 of pages or so I was actually in tears. Rachel isn't perfect, but she has good intentions. Her love and loyalty for her friends are an amazing thing to witness. This is a girl trying to do the right thing in a world where the wrong things are everywhere. In a publishing world where too many amazing authors are churning out incomplete, half-hearted versions of our past favorites, Kim Harrison is still giving us fleshy, character driven, action intense, complete volumes. Also, as we can see from this installment, Kim is also not afraid to take risks. I loved this book and while I wasn't personally happy about several things that happened within, I can say that I believed these events will only make the series stronger. If you enjoyed the previous Hollows books at all, you certainly need to grab this one up...just bring along some tissues.

In all fairness, this was the first book I read in this series so maybe I didn't appreciate the full depth of the characters and their personalities. I had high hopes for it after reading good reviews online and in the Romantic Times Book Reviews.

Having said that, Rachel Morgan was the most unlikeable character I've ever met between the covers of a book. Rachel annoyed me as a know-it-all, overbearing character who took it upon herself to walk all over everyone, including the FIB. I know this is a fantasy novel but I rolled my eyes more times than I could count at some of her actions; it was the first time in memory that I didn't care if something bad happened to the lead character and her friends. I love good, exciting action in a book but I didn't get hooked into this story until the last 50 pages and then I was disappointed and angry about what happened to the only character I actually liked in this book. I might need to go back and pick up Book 1, starting the series from the beginning but I don't have the patience for it right now. I wouldn't recommened For a Few Demons More unless you've read the prior books in the series and enjoyed Rachel.

I like the world, I even like the lead Rachel, and I'm interested in how the various intertwined love lives will resolve - but this book needed a tough editor to do the following: rip out 200 pages of pap, get the tension back into Rachel's decisions between her male lover, and wannabe female lover, remove the obvious plot devices that were something of an insult to the reader, and get the fear factor back into things. Rachel deals so casually with demons that will take her soul, yet is more concerned about a glance at a taunt set of buttocks that when it happens, it grates, then irritates, then finally insults the reader. It could and should have been better than this!

This is a unique book and well worth the read, even if you are not a "Supernatural" fan. It is purportedly written by Dean and Sam Winchester, and they, of course, cannot refrain from making smart remarks about one another. This makes the book fun to read, but what makes it truly interesting is the fact that writers didn't make up the stories for the TV series and then publish them in a book; this folklore, myths and legends have been around Man started putting sounds together to make words. As you read this book, you cannot help but wonder where such folklore and legend originated. What did someone see, hear or feel some dark night that lead to such tales as Bloody Mary, the wendigo, werewolves, hellhounds, sthriga, or the thousand other creatures or demons we've read about? I highly recommend this book for its uniqueness and its peek into that dark, frightened corner of the human mind.

I'd first heard about this book on a "Supernatural" fansite, and right away, I knew it would make a great read and it was the kind of book the series begged to have written: something that cataloged and expanded on the lore of the dozens of creatures which the Winchester brothers have tussled with over the course of the series -- and a few they *haven't* tussled with yet, which makes me wonder what lies ahead for next season! The first person POV makes it seem like the boys are relating their experiences to you first hand, and the excerpts from John Winchester's journal give you all the details you could ask for on the creatures he's dealt with and the life of a hunter. An excellent addition to an excellent series!

I thought this book was really cool, and being a huge fan of the show, it was awesome to see some of the back story associated with the creatures they encounter. It was a fun read, and having it told from Sam and Dean's perspective along with the snippits from their dad's journal was a great idea. It made me want to learn even more about the crazy monsters, spirts, demons and ghouls they descibe.

Ii is very cool because you will know every ( Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls On Supernatural)I Recommend it

This book is awesome. It really helps you get a better understanding of the monsters, spirits, demons and ghouls that are a part of the show. If you are unsure about something or you are just curious to learn more about the monsters, then you should invest in this book. It's fun to read because later, when you watch the show, you can say "Hey! I know that too!".

SPOILERS

Great book, I particularly enjoyed the artwork by Brett Helquist. The man has got serious talent. I loved the fish, and while I regret to say I still haven't figured out the hidden code, they were still awesome. (And was that a dragon at the end?!) As to the actual story, great writing as always. The mystery had many twists and turns and was nowhere near predictable. However, I do have complaints about the characterization. I was glad that we got to see Tommy in the story, but it really seemed like Balliett took one or two of each character's prominent traits, and that's all they got, no further development. Petra had her books & The Invisible Man, Calder had his pentominos, and Tommy had his collecting. That's all. Just a little 2D, IMO. The "red herrings" were the cleverest thing EVER. I really do think Petra, Calder, and Tommy are the new Ron, Harry, and Hermione ;) Great balance, as always, between the art, history, and mystery. I thought this one was much better than Chasing Vermeer, and I really hope I get the sequel soon!

Book 2 in the continuing story of Petra, Calder and Tommy doesn't disappoint. Great references to art and literature to keep your child thinking.

The Wright 3 is the sequel to Chasing Vermeer. The book takes place in modern day Chicago. Only instead of saving a painting Clader, Petra, and Tommy are saving a house. The Robbie house to be exact, The Art Institute wants to cut the house into quarters.These parts of the house will be shipped to four different museums to be put on display. But not if the team of Calder Petra and Tommy have anything to do with the seperation.

This book is written to keep your mind moving in differnt directions, so that the culprit isn't obvious the first three pages into the book. The Wright 3 is an exellent Mystery. Personally I don't like mysteries but this book was intriguing. I don't only think of it as a mystery but as an adventure book also. This book is not like any other mystery you have ever read.

Since the book has three main characters it naturally has three points of view. But they are all VERY differnt form one another. The one thing all the differnt veiws have in common is the problem at hand, which is saving the Robbie House. But each one has a different idea how to save the house. For example Petra thinks a certain book is connected to house somehow. Im Not going to tell you because I think that is a spoiler. But this book does have a history with Mrs. Sharp.

My point of view Igove this book two thumbs up or five stars however you want to fraise it. The Wright will change the way you look at the world. I believe for the better but that's your decision. Also if you don't like mysteries just try it. You might turn out loving this genre. I did.

The Wright 3 is the sequel to Chasing Vermeer. The book takes place in modern day Chicago. Only instead of saving a painting Clader, Petra, and Tommy are saving a house. The Robbie house to be exact, The Art Institute wants to cut the house into quarters.These parts of the house will be shipped to four different museums to be put on display. But not if the team of Calder Petra and Tommy have anything to do with the seperation.

This book is written to keep your mind moving in differnt directions, so that the culprit isn't obvious the first three pages into the book. The Wright 3 is an exellent Mystery. Personally I don't like mysteries but this book was intriguing. I don't only think of it as a mystery but as an adventure book also. This book is not like any other mystery you have ever read.

Since the book has three main characters it naturally has three points of view. But they are all VERY differnt form one another. The one thing all the differnt veiws have in common is the problem at hand, which is saving the Robbie House. But each one has a different idea how to save the house. For example Petra thinks a certain book is connected to house somehow. Im Not going to tell you because I think that is a spoiler. But this book does have a history with Mrs. Sharp.

My point of view Igove this book two thumbs up or five stars however you want to fraise it. The Wright will change the way you look at the world. I believe for the better but that's your decision. Also if you don't like mysteries just try it. You might turn out loving this genre. I did.

I first learned of Blue Balliett with the publication of her second book "The Wright Three". As a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, I was intrigued by the premise. I have not read the previous book, "Chasing Vermeer", which features Calder and Petra as amateur sleuths, but I definitely will after finishing this book. Balliett is a gifted storyteller, perhaps too intelligent for run-of-the-mill children's books, so it's a good thing that "The Wright Three" is anything but common.

The story begins with Tommy Segovia, former best friend to Calder Pillay, moving back to the Hyde Park area. Calder has made a new friend in Petra Andalee, and Tommy feels left out, desperate to be friends with Calder if he doesn't have to accept Petra in the process. As the sixth-grade year winds down, their eccentric teacher arouses their interest in the local Wright landmark, the Robie House, which is doomed for destruction. It is to be cut into four pieces and housed in art museums around the world. With Tommy, Calder, and Petra discovering interesting details and artefacts about the Robie House, they eventually put aside their differences to come up with a way to save the house. But the house may want something else entirely, for the closer the three children get to figuring out the mysteries associated with the building, the more they begin to believe the house is alive.

"The Wright Three" is an extremely readable and enjoyable book. The plot relies heavily on coincidence, and the resolution seems a bit rushed after such a tremendous buildup. But I have to credit Balliett for quoting from classic works of literature (Wells' "Invisible Man") and weaving pentominoes, obscure mathematics and codes into the story. You can tell that she truly loves the subject matter, and can even forgive the liberties she's taken with the facts. Brett Helquist's illustrations are gorgeous, as usual; perfect artwork for a book that explores the mysterious connection between art and life.

Well being a vampire is not it's all cracked up to be, Betsy is now the Vampire Queen and Eric Sinclair (since she had sex with him) is now the King and the two are fated to rule for a thousand years. Wonderful... Along with that and getting a job selling shoes as Macy's, Betsy's also got to deal with the fact that someone is killing vampires around town and appears to be gunning for her.

Book 1 in the Queen Betsy series, "Undead and Unwed," was thoroughly hysterical. Book 2 doesn't achieve the same level of laugh-out-loud hilarity, but it's still a good follow-up and fun read. I'm looking forward to reading the third book, though with perhaps slightly less enthusiasm than I had for the second book. Although the novelty of the Betsy Taylor story has worn off slightly in "Undead and Unemployed," the final chapter (not the Epilogue, but the one preceding it), had me bursting out laughing as did most of the first book. By no means is this a "can't miss" book--and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read book one--but for those who enjoyed the first book in the series, I'd recommend this second one.

>>>>>>>>Viewer Discretion Advised<<<<<<<<
Everyone has there own opinion but me being me I enjoyed it. I actually started smiling when Betsy founf out that Sinclair was moving in to the mansion. Yes it was funny but I NEVER laugh out loud at thing.. I'm only laughing silently to myself.. or in my head... so you see where this could get a bit confusing. I gave it a 7.6/10.. above averge but not THE BEST. Enjoy.

MaryJanice Davidson is one of my fav authors. This was the first one I ever read. I actually saw this at a walmart & and bought it. This was a really funny book and I LOVED Sinclair. Lol.
I reread this novel alot until the next one came out.

Betsy is a funny childish character. She doesn't act--or talk like 30 years old woman. Her love is shoes is funny, and I feel the same way about mine.

This is book two in the series of Undead/Queen Betsy. I loved book one and thought that this one was a bit less impressive than it. Background: Betsy was killed and turned into a vampire without even knowing what hit her. Since then she has been fulfilling the prophecies of the Book of The Dead (vampire bible), which is what makes her the queen. In book two she tries to hold down a job (shoe department at Macy's), find the killer of vampires, relocated into a mansion her best friend bought, and is trying with all of her might not to sleep with Sinclair (the vampire king). You'll find it fun and a stepping-stone for book three.

NEGATIVES
- Mignola doesn't seem to handle the story as good as John Byrne, who wrote the first Hellboy collection. Mignola is a way better artist than he is a writer
- There are many plot moments and entire scenes that make me wonder why they were included at all. There is a scene where Liz accidentally causes another teammate's death, which would be great for tension and character development, but it never gets paid off. Liz just doesn't appear again after that scene--the only payoff we get is Hellboy reflecting on how everything in the mission went wrong. There was an entire subplot about Rasputin's Nazi followers and this talking head that they find... but it never contributes to the main arc of the story. They just seem like random scenes thrown in with no discretion, and really take away much needed page space from a story that is was already a bit convoluted.
- Again, due to the major page space that deals with plot elements that didn't need to be dealt with, we don't get as much Hellboy as I expected. He's the character I come to read about, but he seemed almost secondary, as if the subplots took up so much space that his character arc was only sprinkled here and there. In his afterword, Mignola says that the subplot involving the Nazi's was much smaller in his original plan and the talking head wasn't included at all. The story might have been stronger had he stuck closer to the original plan, in that case.

POSITIVES
+ The binding of this book is substantially stronger than that of the first book. The cover of the Seed of Destruction literally had to be glued back on, but this one remained strong through the entire read and shows no signs of letting up
+ Mignola creates some truly creepy moments, especially with the demonic Hecate and Baba Yaga.
+ The art shows great improvement as well. Though Mignola still sticks to his high stylized angular method, the colors and details jump out way more than in previous Hellboy stories. The amount of elbow grease that went into achieving that effect is apparent.
+ The cover gallery in the back is simply perfect. Though I'm not sure how a one of them relates to the actual content, each cover is astounding. There is a cover that is just plain cool, a beautiful heart-wrenching imagine, and a few really funny ones. As far as extras (which this is rife with, what with an epilogue crafted especially for the book as well as both an introduction and an afterword)
+ The aforementioned epilogue is a great look into Rasputin's feeling after the events of this story, and features Mignola's best writing in this volume, which gives me hope that he's improved with time.

Overall, it's not as strong as the first volume, but its still a series that is well worth continuing. Judging from the quality of the epilogue, Mignola (as a writer) has improved with him. I trust that, by the next volume of Hellboy, I will be able to give this series at least '8/10' reviews.

6/10

Some good, old fashioned monster hunting. A death in New York leads to a vampire in Romania, the possible offspring of something a lot worse.

The team gets a new member when a homunculus is discovered, and finally, have to deal with that witchy-poo Baba Yaga and some other strangeness.
More top notch Hellboy goodness.

This is definitely awesome. Continuing Mignola's story of the big red devil with a giant stone fist, volume two explores deeper into the mythos of Hellboy. A must read.

Hellboy is just light-years ahead of almost every other comic I've ever read. The plotting and dialogue is almost literary and the art is just fantastic.

Wake The Devil is better than its predecessor, "Seed of Destruction". The writing is far more cohesive, entertaining, and flows without the hiccups that plagued "Seed".

Rasputin returns with another presence from beyond calling the shots, but Mignola also works in a few more historical or legendary figures, including Dracula (or a stand-in for him), Baba Yaga and the Furies, as well as introducing new characters like the goddess Hecate, the evil industrialist Roderick Zinco, the "brain in a jar" mad scientist Herman Von Klempt and several other well-characterized Nazis. Mignola also adds a touch more overt humor to this volume along with some terrific banter and a sense of history between Hellboy and his B.P.R.D. compatriots, hints more at Hellboy's mysterious destiny without veering into "chosen one" cliches and basically maintains and even widens the eclectic mix of genre influences while seeming more focused and sharper in general. There's nothing really wrong with Seed of Destruction, but Wake The Devil is really where Hellboy comes together.

One of the things that really struck me about Wake The Devil was that the characters seemed to be having more fun, and that comes across in some ways as Mignola having more fun as well. Flying solo without Byrne as scripter and obviously bolstered by the success of his first Hellboy effort, Mignola seems more confident of himself, more sure that Hellboy is what he wants it to be, and that confidence comes across not just in a more complicated backstory for the villains but in a general sense of fun in the characters. There's even some outright slapstick, such as Hellboy's jetpack failing or Abe's sardonic "Hellboy's blowing things up again" when Castle Giurescu goes up.

What I really liked, though, was a slight shift in the dialogue. Though it's not so noticeable as to be jarring, Mignola does sort of get away from the more bombastic and Silver Age elements of Byrne's scripting in this volume, replacing it with a more wry tone that veers from scholarly to regular guy with ease. Quotes from William Blake and pompous, insane rants by Rasputin exist alongside good Hollywood banter like Hellboy heading off to Romania in search of good food with the Bendis-like turn of phrase "paprika chicken, baby!" Hellboy in particular benefits from an infusion of a little more humor and confidence, trash-talking his opponents and muttering to himself in self-deprecating tones when he gets himself into trouble. Of course, it's not just in the humor that the dialogue shines, as Mignola has a gift for the villainous turn of phrase, as when Nazi villainess Ilsa utters the memorable bon mot "Oh, I would cut open the world to see it bleed." Now that's what I call a bad guy line of dialogue!

Leaving aside the manner of the storytelling in terms of dialogue, Wake The Devil also benefits from a complexity of design. The plot that Hellboy goes out in search of is tracking down a vampire who may or may not be the legendary Dracula. In the course of this investigation, he runs afoul of his old nemesis Rasputin, who is tied in with an Elder God-like "Dragon" and a trio of Nazis who originally helped raise Hellboy, as well as a mad scientist villain that Hellboy had a run-in with in a previous short story. What's amazing isn't just that all of these villains (a good half dozen in all) are so interesting and well-fleshed-out on their own, but that Mignola's tale links them all, from vampire to Nazi to mad monk to mad goddess to Russian witch/goddess, and it all just flows so well together. There's a sense of a tapestry behind all of this, and if Mignola hadn't figured out by this point just what Hellboy's actual destiny was and how he tied into all of this, well, his script certainly had this reader fooled on that score.

The only aspect of Wake The Devil that isn't an improvement on Seed of Destruction is the artwork, because it would have been very difficult to improve upon. Mignola does open the book up a little, shedding some sunlight and open spaces on the B.P.R.D. and getting them out of creaky mansions and swamps exclusively, but he maintains the mood with European castles, forgotten labs and haunted forests too. The change in colorists, from Chiarello and Hollingsworth to Sinclair, is also a slight change but can't really be called an improvement, as all are expert colorists and Sinclair's work here is excellent, perhaps a little stronger on the brighter, sunlit aspects than Hollingsworth or Chiarello might have been but otherwise just a continuation of the strong coloring we've already seen. In addition, Mignola has some spectacularly choreographed action scenes in Wake The Devil. Probably the most memorable is Hellboy's brief but powerful showdown with Giurescu, but his fight with Hecate or the Furies is equally impressive.

Luna Nueva es el segundo libro de la saga por Stephenie Meyer y sin duda una buena y emocionante continuación para todos los amantes de estos libros.
La novela comienza en donde nos quedamos en Crepúsculo, con el noviazgo de Bella Swan y Edward Cullen, sin embargo, parece que las cosas entre ellos no van a funcionar tan bien como antes: un accidente en el cumpleaños de Bella hace que Edward se de cuenta que su presencia y la de su familia, es peligrosa e innecesaria en la vida de Bella. No les voy a decir qué resulta de esto, pero basta mencionar que el peligro sigue latente en la vida de nuestra protagonista y esta vez se van a unir a ella nuevos y viejos personajes que vienen a cambiar su destino de forma radical.
Verdaderamente, les recomiendo este segundo libro porque contiene la dinámica de Crepúsculo y ahora Stephenie nos añade sentimientos nuevos que nos hacen desbordarnos de tristeza, alegría, desesperación, terror y amor por el destino de nuestros personajes favoritos.