Review: Howling For You by Chloe Neill

Title: Howling For You
Series: Chicagoland Vampires, Book 8.5
Author: Chloe Neill
Publisher: New American Library (NAL)
Length: Approx. 88 Pages
Publication Date: January 7, 2014
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★½☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Jeff Christopher is a shapeshifter and ally of Chicago’s Cadogan House of vampires—he’s also a tech whiz and mostly-legal hacker. And the only protective shields he’s never been able to find a way around are those of the powerful Keene Family.

For a long time, Jeff has only had eyes for the beautiful Fallon Keene. Unfortunately, she is the only sister of the lethal North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene. The intricate balances of power and politics make it all but impossible for Fallon to trust her feelings.

But fate takes a hand when the Pack’s totem is stolen—threatening the Keene family’s rule—and Fallon enlists Jeff’s help to retrieve it before the Pack is thrown into chaos. Can she and Jeff find the totem, and restore order, before it’s too late? And will Jeff finally be able to prove himself to the only person he truly loves?

First off, the short story comes with a two-chapter preview of the next Chicagoland Vampires, Wild Things, which comes out on February 4, 2014. Honestly, I love that sneak peak, I can't wait to read another Merrit and Ethan story.

Now the review...

I have mix feelings about this short story. On one side I love the chance to learn more about the shifters in the Chicagoland Vampire series, on the other I had a small problem with part of the resolution.

In the end I liked the story, I wish it was longer. Is very sweet and straight to the point. I'm curious to see how this particular plot line develops in the next books on the series.

MAJOR SPOILER COMING, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. 

You've been officially warned. 

Movie Review: Resident Evil: Retribution

Movie: Resident Evil: Retribution (also: Resident Evil 5)
Genres: Horror, Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Runtime: about 96 minutes
Format: 2D and 3D
Rated: R
Studio: Constantin Film
Country: USA
Language: English
Official Website: http://www.residentevil-movie.com/site/

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Producers: Paul W. S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Don Carmody, Samuel Hadida, Robert Kulzer
Writer: Paul W. S. Anderson
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand, Sienna Guillory, Shawn Roberts, Aryana Engineer, Colin Salmon, Johann Urb, Boris Kodjoe, Li Bingbing.

Release Date: September 14, 2012
Find it: At your local Cinema
Scores:

Metacritic: 39/100 (critics); 5.6/10 (users)
Rotten Tomatoes: 27% (critics); 56% (users)

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Hey everybody, let's play "name that quote," shall we? Can you name which character said this particular line and which of the Resident Evil movies is it from?

"You are all going to die down here!"

Well, if you said "The Red Queen, Resident Evil 1," you are CORRECT!! Congratulations! You are either a fan of the movie franchise or well acquainted with your pop culture.

If your answer was "The Red Queen, Resident Evil: Retribution (or RE: 5)," you are most certainly CORRECT as well. Congratulations! You have officially been tortured at the movie theater.

Movie Review: The Avengers

Movie: Marvel’s The Avengers
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 143 minutes
Format: Regular and 3D
Rating: PG–13
Studio: Marvel Studios
Country: USA
Language: English
Official Website: http://marvel.com/avengers_movie/

Director: Joss Whedon
Producer: Kevin Feige
Writer: Joss Whedon

Music: Alan Silvestri
Based on: The Avengers by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson

Release Date: May 4, 2012
Find it: In a theater and Imax theater near you
Scores:

• Metacritic: 69/100 (critics); 8.6/10 (users)  
• Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh: 93% (critics); 96% (users)  
• My rating: ★★★★★

No wonder the movie has made millions, it’s amazing! It is the funniest of all the superhero movies to date. Now I want to see it again.

Did you saw Thor? If you did, know this, Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is back and with a thirst for vengeance. If you didn’t saw that movie, Loki is Thor’s adopted little brother, who believes he is the only one fit enough to be king.

So Loki is back searching to get revenge on Thor by taking over Earth and subjugating every last human being, whom he compares to ants. Yup, according to Loki, we are ants and he is the boot. His weapon of choice to take over worlds? The Tesseract, known in the comic universe as The Cosmic Cube; it’s a self-sustained source of immeasurable power. Humans (world leaders) want to use it and uncover its secrets to solve the worldwide energy crisis –or so they say– while Loki has other plans for it. So naturally, humans are scrambling in order to avoid succumbing to Loki’s reign of terror. In comes Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) closely follow by Agent Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) with a plan, a last hope that will prove either the perfect solution or the biggest mistake ever; The Avengers Initiative.

The Hunger Games (Spoiler Free)

Movie: The Hunger Games 

Genre(s): Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Action-Drama
Runtime: 2:22
Format: regular
Rating: PG–13
Studio: Lionsgate
Country: USA
Language: English
Official Website: The Hunger Games Movie

Director: Gary Ross
Producer(s): Jon Kilik, Nina Jacobson, Suzanne Collins, Robin Bissell
Writer(s): Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley

Release Date: March 23, 2012
Find it: Currently in a theater near you.
Scores:

• Metacritic: 68/100 (critics); 7.8/10 (users) [http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-hunger-games] 
• Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (critics); 95% (users) [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games/] 
• My rating: ★★★★★

Yesterday was the release day for the hugely awaited movie based on Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. The dystopian tale of survival featuring Katniss Everdeen and her role in the deadliest games in Panem.

Disclaimer: For those of you who have not read the book yet or do not plan to read it, this is my shorter, spoiler free review of the movie The Hunger Games. If you have read the book and would rather want to read my spoiler-splashed review click here.

Whenever I see that my favorite books are being turned into movies or TV, I get small panic attack. It is so rare for a movie to follow a book closely that most of the times I feel like I am watching a completely different story. Sometimes these adaptations/variations simply work, for example: True Blood (I love what they did to Lafayette’s character) other times they fail to reach the bar set by the book.

The Hunger Games (Spoilers Alert)

Movie: The Hunger Games
Genre(s): Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Action-Drama
Runtime: 2:22
Format: regular
Rating: PG–13
Studio: Lionsgate
Country: USA
Language: English
Official Website: The Hunger Games Movie

Director: Gary Ross
Producer(s): Jon Kilik, Nina Jacobson, Suzanne Collins, Robin Bissell
Writer(s): Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray
Main Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley

Release Date: March 23, 2012
Find it: Currently in a theater near you.
Scores:

• Metacritic: 68/100 (critics); 7.8/10 (users) [http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-hunger-games] 
• Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (critics); 95% (users) [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hunger_games/] 
• My rating: ★★★★★

Yesterday was the release day for the hugely awaited movie based on Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. The dystopian tale of survival featuring Katniss Everdeen and her role in the deadliest games in Panem.

Disclaimer: If you are reading this review I am assuming that you read the book and already know the story and what happens in it. What I want to do here is to just mention what I thought of the movie in general, the castings, the settings and the accuracy of the story. If you haven’t read the books yet, and/or simply don’t want spoilers, please visit this link instead.

Whenever I see that my favorite books are being turned into movies or TV, I get small panic attack. It is so rare for a movie to follow a book closely that most of the times I feel like I am watching a completely different story. Sometimes these adaptations/variations work, for example: True Blood (I love what they did to Lafayette’s character) other times they fail to reach the bar set by the book.

Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1
Author: Kevin Hearne
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Reviewed Format: ePub
My Rating: ★★★★★

To be honest, I picked this book because of its cover. I thought I had found a book that I had seen in Goodreads some months ago but I couldn’t be more wrong.

Let’s start by clarifying, this book is not the one I originally thought, this is an Urban Fantasy novel (I was expecting a Paranormal Romance) about the last druid on earth and his battle to protect our planet from the destructive forces of evil.

When I started reading it and realized that it wasn’t the right book and I had no idea what to expect off of it, I hadn’t research it before hand and it sure wasn’t following the plot I had pictured. However, I cannot be more pleased that I made this mistake. For it allowed me to discover a fantastic action/adventure story, and an UF nonetheless; I had missed those recently.

Atticus O’Sullivan is the last druid alive, he is a 21-year-old Irish man (a 21-centuries-year-old that is) living in hiding from the rest of the magical community, calling a small town of Arizona home. His life is rather simple, he owns an occult shop near the University campus selling everything from tarot cards to medicinal teas to the town’s people, he trims the garden of an old lady near his house and has the occasional spat with a neighbor. He also had man’s best friend by his side; a beautiful Irish wolfhound named Oberon that, hands down, is my favorite character in the entire book. You see, Oberon can talk to Atticus through a mind connection; by far the funniest lines in the book are always spoken by Oberon. I enjoyed this book a lot, is one of those reads that you can sit back and finish it in a day or two while just loosing yourself in the story and forget your problems; after all Atticus has enough to go around. The book is action packed, and beautifully written. My favorite part of the book is its intrinsic connection with nature and the role it plays in the healing of both the body and the mind.

Underworld: Awakening

Movie: Underworld: Awakening
Genre(s): Action, Fantasy, Horror
Runtime: 88 minutes
Format: 2D and 3D
Rating: R
Studio: Screen Gems
Country: USA
Language: English (with Spanish subtitles)
Official Website: http://www.entertheunderworld.com/

Director(s): Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Producer(s): David Kern, Gary Lucchesi, James McQuaide, Tom Rosenberg, Skip Williamson, Henry Winterstern, Len Wiseman, Richard S. Wright
Writer(s): Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski, Allison Burnett, Kevin Grevioux, Danny McBride
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, India Eisley, Theo James, Kris Holden-Ried

Release Date: January 20, 2012 (USA); January 26, 2012 (PR)
Find it: In a theater near you
Scores:

• Metacritic: 39/100 (critics); 7.2/10 (users)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 31% (critics); 75% (users)
• My rating: ★★★☆☆

Underworld: Awakening opened in theaters here in Puerto Rico this past Thursday. I have been a loyal fan to the franchise since the very first Underworld made its debut, so naturally by Friday I was, with ticket in hand and boyfriend in tow (not that he minded ~.^), walking into the cinema to enjoy the next chapter of this epic story. We managed to find some decent seats in the top level of the fully packed cinema. 45 minutes of movie trailers and same commercials that I can watch home and the movie began. Approximately an hour and a half later the credits began to roll and I was left with a feeling of “that’s it?!” Let me explain…

–  –  –  –  –  DISCLAIMER: SOME SPOILERS AFTER THIS LINE  –  –  –  –  –  –