Sinister Urge:The life and times of Rob Zombie by Joel McIver

The first thing that strikes the eye is the vivid crimson cover-a fitting iconic imagery of the persona that is Rob Zombie.

This illuminating biography written by Joel McIver, with an engaging forward by Jeremy Wagner, chronicles the life and times of Rob Zombie, born Robert Cummings. Focussing on the man and not necessarily the concept, the biography takes us on a tour of Zombie's brain (pun intended). We meet the slightly off-centre child, whose genius was yet to be exposed to the world and move forward through decades of impressionable work. So much more than a musician, director and cartoonist amongst others, Zombie is shown as the artist he truly is. Not just a glitzy exposé of his private life, the biography emphasises the extensive body of work and the sacrifices, hard work and good times it took to create.

Having been a fan of Zombie's for many years, I was excited to get my hands on this advance preview from Netgalley. Upon completion I felt a little ambivalent however. Maybe I expected to be entertained more. The use of 70s horror movies to label the chapters was a great idea and set up an understanding of where each chapter was heading. I enjoyed the all-encompassing view of the subject matter-that each facet of his life was touched upon and no section received special treatment. In saying that however, I felt that if the author didn't like a particular part of a section like an album or movie, that it was passed over or merely mentioned. This sometimes then turned some chapters into fleshed out lists which caused me to gloss over them. The addition of the end credits, citing all of Zombie's work was a clever move-it finished the book like a movie and tied it into the chapter headings.

Well worth the read for hardcore fans as well as those meeting Zombie for the first time. Myths about his evil lifestyle and stage presence are debunked and he is shown for the gifted and driven man that he is. An entertaining and enlightening read-homage paid by the author indeed.

Eighth Wonder: The Thomas Bethune Story by A.M.Cal

It's rare that you get an opportunity to review a book before publication and land up learning about a section of history that you had no idea existed. I was fascinated by the story of the slave boy who grew up to be the Black Mozart.

The story begins with Colonel Bethune on a day that threatens to expose a secret that he has been hiding for years from the world. The Colonel is arrested and charged with slavery after it is discovered that a previous slave still resides in his house and has taken ill.

We move back in time to discover where Thomas came from and how he was integrated into the Bethune's lives. The story is evocative and rich with imagery, from the hot and humid slave traders in Virginia, to the opulent courts of the kings, queens and emperors in Europe. We follow, and in many places cling to our seats, the life of Thomas , born blind and into slavery. A small child seemingly destined to be tossed aside at an early age. It's as though we are accorded a glimpse into the private and special bond between the Colonel and Thomas. How the child proved to be a musical prodigy and silenced naysayers the world over. Focus is placed on his meteoric rise to fame and the beautiful, but most oft times, cruel path it took to get there. Throughout the story we are allowed to see the impact the relationship had on both the Colonel and Thomas's families, as well as the effect on the world and indeed the world on it. An echo is placed on the price fame brings with it. Politics and the war between the North and South are skilfully woven into the tale and add to the complexity of allegiances and inevitable desires and their actions.

As with most first time novels small faults creep through. Most of the editing niggles were corrected just before publication, and so very few mistakes linger. As a reader one bone of contention I have, is the amount of French used in the story which is not translated. Occasional words and phrases which are commonly used would be easier to read than the sometimes lengthy sentences, which make the reader feel as though they are missing part of the story.

An epic and sweeping saga of fortunes lost and won, loyalties and boundaries pushed, unquestioning and unyielding love being tested; but above all-that nothing will stand in the way of a genius whose light is meant to be shared and shone on the world.

10 Step Plan to Promote Your Book: Online Book Marketing on Any Budget-Scott Hughes

This concise and handy guide on self-publishing is an invaluable tool for those who need that little extra insight and direction in the world of book publishing.

Scott Hughes, webmaster at OnLineBookClub, has taken years of experience and summed it up in a useful handbook which is easy to read and more importantly, to remember.

The intro is succinct and sets the scene as to where we were and where we are in the publishing industry. Following this are 10 steps-many make you wonder why you never realised them sooner. Sage advice and vital info ranging from reviews, to social media, to editing, to royalties, is broken down and explained in an inspiring manner. The humour injected into this, takes what was potentially a lecture, to a quirky and ingenious guide.

And while Scott does refer to OnLineBookClub quite a bit, it shows exactly how the advice can and has worked in the real world. A gem of a book filled with suggestions, that will be remembered for Scott's emphatic quote-" Good is not good enough".

Phoenix-Weaver Series#4-Vaun Murphrey

With the new compound comes a new set of problems. Cass and Silver are about to face the most difficult event they could ever imagine. With Gerome gone, so much of the future is unclear. New friends and new foes come into the twin's lives with epic results. Is the journey for the weavers over, or will this new chapter be the start of an exciting fresh venture?

As usual with this series, I was hoping for a slight change on the previous story pattern and writing technique, but if anything the series has become slightly predictable. It's as though the author has looked at a template and gone: difficult love story-check, action scenes-check, family issues-check, drama-check. She has just taken her characters and woven them in. Now in essence this is the basis for most stories, I just felt that throughout the series this didn't work.  On a positive note , the author has envisaged a gem of an idea, but the execution is just not there. A case in point are the journeys into the web-while I am sure the author has lived these in her mind's eye and was part of the adventure as she was writing, she fails to convey her ideas to the reader with clarity. Trying to keep up with who can go into the web, in which section, what they can do and why they can't go there anymore becomes a chore-one I just skipped over. Unfortunately a few more negatives stuck out for me-the emotions and their descriptions. Sometimes people are just people. They don't need to erupt into anger like an earthquake or ride a wave of love like a tsunami (my words). Sometimes it's just best to say a person was angry and leave it up to the reader to decide on the level. Also I found her characters tend to go from one extreme emotion to the next-outright anger to bliss enveloped in a cocoon of comfort-far too quickly. While Silver and Cass have matured enough for sexual relations, I found the amount of times that sexual innuendo or info sharing was inappropriate-especially just after a battle. Certain happenings do not need to be mentioned in front of others. The story held too many epic scenes in it-boom!boom!boom! from one scene to the next without enough context set up or follow through. Corinne's fix-everything shield was a little too good to be true. And now to my favourite part-the editing. The last chapter of the previous book was copied into the first chapter of this book and six pages after this we were already mixing up where and were.

So unfortunately just an average review for me. If I was not reviewing all four books for Netgalley I don't think I would have gone passed the first one and will certainly not be going any further. I'm sure a number of people will enjoy this, but it did not hold enough interest for me. Best wishes to the author for future endeavours.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this.