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.

EAT BEAUTIFUL: Grain-free, Sugar-free and Loving it by Megan Stevens

Having been on the Banting diet for a while now, I am constantly in search of a low carb and low sugar dessert that I can offer the family. This book does not disappoint at all.
After seeing recipe upon recipe that required almond or coconut flour (both of which are not exactly cheap), I was pleasantly surprised to find so many recipes with loads of alternatives. I had never even heard of carrot flour, which is definitely so easy to make. The photos that were available gave me hope since these unconventional recipes looked the same as anything I have ever eaten-nothing says disappointment quite like being promised a chocolate cupcake and receiving a flat brown cookie type mess. The book does not really offer dinner type meals, but more snacks, desserts and add-ons, which is great as there are so many options. I really liked the way that there are substitutes available for some of the ingredients, as well as a number of different types of the same dish. The addition of the explanatory introduction as well as addendums detailing reasons as to why not to eat certain foods were very helpful. As for instructions on how to make your own nut butter and sprout nuts-well call me the domestic goddess! And finally-pizza that is guilt free!
Definitely recommending this one-beautifully presented and well thought out.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Vector-Weaver Series#3-Vaun Murphrey

This is the third installment in the Weaver series.

It's time for the twins to return home, and as usual when it comes to Cass and Silver, nothing is done quietly. From the moment they arrive the sweet homecoming they expect turns into attempted assassinations, fights, whirlwinds, betrayals, re-ignited love, discovered powers and new beginnings. So really-just another day then!

This third book was much easier to read. The narration from Cass seems to work better for the story-maybe it's the maturity level that allows you to understand from Cass's POV instead of the flitty and snarky persona that Silver demonstrates. Some negatives cropped up again for me. There is a heck of a lot of action in this book-especially for the short amount of time in which it takes place. The problem with this is that the incidents seem to be forced into the text artificially (time and depth wise) in order to explain certain happenings. This makes an entire book only about a few major happenings. I felt what James offered to do (with regards to his present situation) after the homecoming, considering he and Cass had been in contact in the Web the entire time, proved him to be very shallow. For the character to be such a big part in Cass's life, we really don't know that much about him. A lot of crazy things happen , especially since the status quo has not really changed in the time they have been gone, yet everyone just seems to accept this and move on.  A few niggles too-while some of the Weavers have immense strength (but certainly not superhuman), twisting someone's head off raised an eyebrow and again the amount of injuries that people suffer but seem to shrug off beggars belief. Money also seems to be no issue in all this-so much is destroyed yet there always seems to be something bigger and better around the corner. I also felt certain important parts to do with Cora's history that may have explained more about the present situation were brushed over. The editing was a problem again-too many extended similes and metaphors are used to try and describe something-in one chapter over a few pages there were up to three per page. Simple mistakes like now instead of know or you and not your as well as missing words in sentences or punctuation errors are extremely detrimental to the story.

I will say however, that this is the best book in the series for me so far with regards to the improved writing, the flow of the story and a better fit for the characters. The short story at the end of the book helped to explain certain issues but there are many unanswered questions that will hopefully be settled in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to review this book.

Changeling-Weaver Series #2 by Vaun Murphrey

This is the second installment in the Weaver series.

Cassandra and Silver are being pursued by Shiva-a dangerous being from another world. In order to save them Kal must take them to his world to be protected by his people. Or so he hopes. Will his people accept the chimera and protect them as family would, and will they live to tell the tale of these new experiences?

Having found the first book a good start to the series, I had high hopes for this follow on but found it really difficult to read. In fact trying to review this book becomes complicated as so much of the book did not leave a lasting impression. A few issues that I found negative (without allowing spoilers) were right from the start the fact that Silver had taken over the narration. While I understand the reasoning behind it, her flippant and sarcastic attitude, especially for someone her age, in one who is meant to be special, is hard to take. When arriving on the other world, they are bombarded with hatred from others. There is so much antagonism towards them in particular, it seems contrary to what has been promised for their protection . At this juncture in the book an enormous amount of new information is thrown at the reader which is only explained much later and you find yourself rereading passages to make sense of words which cuts into the flow of the story. At one stage the twins refer to a character who they remember when seeing a hair wrap-but I could not recall a mention of this character at all! The violence towards the girls and the amount of injuries they sustained seemed excessive-even during the time period before healing could occur some cuts took place at bone level yet the girls hardly seemed phased about the pain. As with the previous book, the sexual innuendo and offerings for someone so young did not seem right. It is never fully explained what happens to a male when sexually turned away, even though focus is placed on not encouraging this. The time jump at the end leading towards the encounter is not enough to justify the missing years and experiences. The singularity issue was also never fully explored. And unfortunately editing mistakes crept in like the incorrect use of where and were or its and it's. Authors write in the style that pleases them and hopefully pleases the readers, and this subjectiveness does not always bode well with everyone. A case in point were the phrases "invisible thoughts eluded me" and "she was a carefully controlled loathing cake with an icing of distaste and filling of fury"-to me this dropped the audience level significantly.

And yet even with the myriad of negatives, the series still holds promise. The idea remains interesting and with two books in the series remaining, I am hoping for tighter writing, emphasis on the important sections of the plot and a more cohesive fit of characters and ages to situations.