Review - Oliver Twisted

The Eulogy (From the Publisher):
“FLESH, the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black.
“FLESH,” came another moan, and he turned to see two more woe-begottens behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot – toes blue from cold, arms outstretched.
The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless. Orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods. And if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you for ever. When a talking corpse reveals that Oliver will find his destiny in London, he sets out to seek the truth. Even if it means losing his soul.

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A wonderfully gruesome and original adaptation of the Oliver Twist tale.

Dearly Departed,
We are gathered here today to discuss Oliver Twisted by JD Sharpe. I count myself really lucky to have received a copy of this from the UK since I can't yet see it on the Australian publishing horizon, though I hope it does appear on our shelves soon, because this is a fantastic take on Oliver Twist that I think will make a lot of readers very happy.

Let me say right now that you don't have to be an Oliver Twist fan in order to enjoy this book. I had a rather bad introduction to Mr Dickens with Hard Times, which I've since heard is not one of his best, but it also hasn't compelled me to read more. When I started reading Oliver Twist, I was a little worried since I didn't know the original story, save what I've absorbed from pop culture references, but the strength of the story is such that it really doesn't matter if you don't know the original text.

I'm a big fan of multi-creature worlds, i.e. books whose mythologies take different familiar monsters like vampires and swamp things and put them together. This is brilliantly achieved in Oliver Twisted, with the sinister werewolves living alongside malevolent wisps and soul stealers. I also loved the history which was hinted at throughout - the opening of a Hell Mouth which explained why the world was rotten to the core.

The other thing that really struck me about this book was how well the language was written. Normally this isn't something that I mind one way or another, but the mixture of Dickensian phrases and 'normal' English achieved the perfect balance between a modern book for teens and what you might expect to find in a book from the 1800s.

I'm interested to see if there will be others in this series, since the concept of it would seem to suggest not, though the broad world in which it is set almost screams for another tale.

Twisted Packages

Today I got this in the mail:

That is Oliver Twisted by JD Sharpe and when I opened the package there was a whole lot of excited squealing going on from this little green zombie. 

I mean, how cool is that cover? How cool is that concept? And HOW COOL is that tag line? (In case you can't read it, it says 'Please sir, I want some GORE.' Equal parts laughter and groaning.)

I've only briefly dipped into it, but so far it's living up to my initial excitement and then some. Child cannibalism by chapter three (both children being eaten AND eating each other). I haven't been this excited about a book in some time. 

Which brings me to a broader gush about Electric Monkey, the new Egmont imprint which is publishing a whole bunch of really cool stuff. 

They're also publishing a new series from Michael Grant, the first of which is BZRK. I'm halfway through it at the moment and it's another winner (though what else would you expect from the Gone author?) so I'm really excited to see what this newcomer in the world of publishing has to offer the future of young adult books. Judging by this strong start, it will be a lot. 

Review - Hell's Heroes

The Eulogy (From the Publisher):

Beranabus and Dervish are gone. Bec has formed an unholy alliance with Lord Loss. Kernel is blind, held on Earth against his will. Grubbs is mad with grief and spinning out of control. 

The demons are crossing.
The Disciples are falling.
The Shadow is waiting.

Welcome to the end.

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A highly satisfying ending to what is one of my all-time favourite series.

Dearly Departed,

We are gathered here today to discuss Hell's Heroes by Darren Shan. I'd been putting off reading this for some time. Not because I didn't want to read it - quite the opposite: Demonata is one of my favourite series, and I just didn't want it to end. But after feeling a little restless for something good to read, I finally picked it up yesterday... and didn't put it down until a few hours later when I'd raced through it.

Nobody knows how to write at such a cracking pace quite like Darren Shan. I can honestly say the time flew as I ripped through the final chapter in Grubbs, Kernel and Bec's fight against the Demon universe. If you've read the rest of the series, you'll know exactly what to expect from this last book, and while there are no big surprises here, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

One of my pet peeves in YA is when a favourite character dies, and no fanfare is made (I'm looking at YOU Hunger Games!) but thankfully that isn't the case in Hell's Heroes. Without being too spoilery, yes, characters die (this is a Darren Shan novel after all) but all of them are given the proper sendoffs they deserve.

While I'm sad to say goodbye to this excellent series, I felt this was a very fitting end and I can't wait to see what Shan will do next.

Haunted Puppet Theatre: Scream Street

Many months have past and I have been untroubled by haunted puppet activity. Of course, I came up with a cunning plan to rid myself of their nefarious ways - I simply burned the house down. Oh yes. I laughed as they burned, their tiny puppety screams filling the night air. There was just one small problem.

I had neglected to check if the house was empty first.

My roommate's family had been visiting from interstate, and it was their screams that I heard rather than those of the felt fiends.

And now I write this from a very small cell. At first I'd been somewhat relieved - no room for puppets in here. But you see, I was wrong. For the cell may be very small, but the puppets are even smaller. Plenty of room for them in here, and no-one to hear me scream...

Review - Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire

The Eulogy (From the Publisher):
In Scream Street, Luke and his parents discover a nightmarish world of the undead. Luke soon makes friends with vampire Resus Negative and mummy Cleo Farr, but he remains determined to take his terrified parents home. After liberating the powerful book Tales of Scream Street from his new landlord, Otto Sneer, Luke learns that the founding fathers of the community each left behind a powerful relic. Collecting together all six is his only hope of opening a doorway out of the street, so with the help of Resus and Cleo he sets out to find the first one, the vampire’s fang. But with Otto Sneer determined to thwart him at every turn, will Luke even get past the first hurdle alive?

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): An insanely fun start to what is an excellent comedy horror series for seven and ups.  

Dearly Departed,

We are gathered here today to discuss Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand. I always shake my head at people who say they don't like series. Are they crazy? Nothing makes me happier than encountering a new series with an excellent concept and knowing I'll be able to return to it again and again. Scream Street is one such series, about Luke Watson the werewolf, Rhesus Negative the vampire and Cleo Farr the mummy. They all live in Scream Street, home to all kinds of supernatural creatures like surfer zombies and farting goblins.

I loved this from cover to cover - the excellent characters, the escapades of the three main characters, and really, what's not to love about farting goblins? Scream Street really is the perfect book for kids aged seven and up who like a bit of ghoulish fun, and I can see myself recommending it over and over again. This is one series I'm really happy to have finally started on, and I can't wait to devour the rest of them.

Review - Hold Me Closer Necromancer

The Eulogy (From the Publisher): Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak. 
Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.
 With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A hilariously dark YA read with great characters, great plot and one hell of an interesting world.

Dearly Departed
We are gathered here today to discuss Hold Me Closer Necromancer, by Lish McBride. When you read a lot of horror, it’s easy to get sucked into finding the scariest read, the goriest. Sometimes you can forget just how funny horror can be. Enter Hold Me Closer Necromancer, whose snappy dialogue and razor sharp characters had me laughing out loud.
That’s not to say it’s not without its dose of darkness too. HMCN has one of the most stone cold villains I’ve seen in a while – Douglas is less likely to cackle evilly as he is to fix you with a measured stare and slit your throat. In fact, all of the characters are brimming with personality, both heroes and villains, and points have to go to Sam for being one of the most genuinely likeable leads I’ve met in some time.
This was so much fun to read, and everything, from the writing to the plot to the world McBride has created are all pitch-perfect. And luckily there’s a sequel in the works too!

5 Skulls - A Killer Read

Review - Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf

The Eulogy (From the Publisher): When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator.
When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him.
And when a vicious beast invades his home, his gums begin to tear, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms . . .
Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan's men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy.
Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him - and master the animal within?

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): A dark fantasy adventure full of werewolves and other werecreatures.

Dearly Departed
We are gathered here today to discuss Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling. When I first started reading Wereworld, I had it in my mind that it was going to be a straight horror, one of your typical (though no less enjoyable) gorefests. And while the first few chapters are indeed pretty gory, Wereworld ends up being a thoroughly engrossing fantasy adventure complete with quests and heroes. I really loved the world that Jobling has created here, full of feuding noble families and bloodlines of different were-species: from the thought-to-be-lost werewolves to the mighty Bearlords and the scheming House of the Lion. Not only is the world of the book richly woven, the plot is a rollicking one, with plenty of intrigue and battles.Can't wait to read the next instalment in this excellent fantasy horror series!

4 Skulls - Dead Good