The Elementary Sherlock Holmes (Portico)

Synopsis:  
‘To a great mind, nothing is little’ Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes has become such an iconic figure that he’s almost real. He’s on our TV screens, he’s in our films and, of course, the books are still as popular as ever. This fascinating little miscellany tells you everything you need to know about this enduringly popular figure, and lots of stuff you don’t! It contains the plots of all the novels, character descriptions, details of some of the plethora of Sherlock websites, and highlights the best films and TV adaptations. Entertaining and engrossing, The Elementary Sherlock Holmes will satisfy the curious and enlighten even the most dedicated Holmes fan.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
Before I say anything else, I must admit that this book was not really what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading it, but I think that's because I am relatively new to this fandom. I reckon an 'old' fan of Sherlock Holmes would find this maybe a bit basic. They would definitely not enjoy it as much because this probably wouldn't reveal anything new for them.
That being said this was a very good guide to help one enter this magical world that is the Sherlock Holmes fandom. It presents the novels, the stories and gives some backstories on the main characters and adaptations.
I really appreciate the details and timelines this book provides and I loved seeing the most iconic adaptations of Conan Doyle's detective. There were some aspects that were analysed in ways I hadn't noticed before and that was a new perspective to add to the already complicated case of Sherlock.
However, I wasn't totally pleases with the way the author chose to organise the ideas. I though it was a bit confusing, constantly jumping from one thing to another with no apparent train of thought.
Overall, this was a cool, fun and fast book to read, but I still think that, to me, it fell short, in a way. It could have been a true Sherlock lexicon had maybe a bit more passion or effort from the author come through to the reader.I absolutely recommend this to someone who just started watching the most recent adaptations, like BBC's Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman or the American Elementary (both amazing adaptations, in my opinion, yet not the most recognised by older Sherlock enthusiasts), and never had any other contact with the more classic Sherlock Holmes and wishes to understand more of what's behind it.

Horrorstör (Grady Hendrix)

Synopsis:  
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
First of all, this book deserves 50 starts for concept and originality. I loved the way it was done as a catalog. Now, I must say that this could have taken a comical turn, being designed the way it was, and I was kind of scared it would. Fortunately, Hendrix obviously knows how to deliver a good horror story and used the design in his advantage: even in the first pages of the chapters we could see the evolution of the story.
However, I was not expecting this book to be so graphic and horrifying. As the plot unfolds, it gets more and more gruesome and there were some parts where I found myself wanting to puke or looking behind my back to see if any hands were trying to grab me and put me in some horrific torturing device.
With each page we get more and more involved in this story, and I couldn't get my eyes of the pages. It's so mysterious and compelling and you want to get up, but there is no way out of the Beehive (see, you want to know what that's all about, don't you?)
I absolutely loved the rhythm of the book. The pacing increases more and more and once things start really going crazy there is no way to stop it. The fall is brutal and fast and you have no way to know exactly how much.
Also, I need to mention that this book features the creepiest séance I could ever have imagined. That was truly the turning point, when we started realising what we had gotten ourselves into. Well, us and the characters. They were such a pleasure to read about and I really appreciate the fact that there was some major character development going on. Amy and Basil were my favourites and I was rooting for them the whole time. Amy, particularly, was a very interesting character to follow, as she grew into what we wanted her to become, she realised she needed to stop quitting and she fought her way out of this horror story (and then in again). Ruth Anne also shows sides of her personality we didn't think we would get to see and I believe this is what made all these characters real and not just two-dimensional.
The ending was perfect and left me there desperately wanting more, to know what happened after they went inside, although I think it works amazingly the way it was done.
The only thing left to say is that I would love to see this as a movie, I think it could become a serious classic horror movie if it was done right, and I can't wait to see where this idea goes in the near future.
Quirk Books really knows how to make amazing and beautiful books and I thank them for doing this one specifically.

Wonder - The Books of Marvella #2 (Travis Thrasher)

Release Date: January 1st 2015

Synopsis:  
As the town of Appleton is rocked by the death of a teenager, the high school year begins under a dark shadow. Brandon continues to pursue Marvel while trying to discover what she believes will happen to her. It's easy to fall more in love with her. It's easy to forget she thinks God told her she will have to sacrifice herself to save others. But Brandon can't forget about the shapeless evil that seems to watch him around corners and seep through the streets of his town. Strange things start to occur to Brandon. He starts looking for clues about the dead student, thinking this might be related to whatever evil Marvel is talking about. He also continues to battle against the guys picking on a nerdy senior named Seth Belcher. Marvel falls in love with Brandon, and he truly accepts her faith even though he doesn't understand what to make of it. Something is growing in the darkness. Something is coming. Will Brandon be able to stand up against the malice that draws ever closer? Will he be able to save Marvel from the horrors to come?

Review:
I got this ebook from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc through Netgalley in return of an honest review.
So, first of all, I didn't realise this was the second book in a series. But, although I am kind of bummed about the fact that I skipped book 1, Marvelous, that doesn't mean that I could enjoy this one. And, boy, did I!
So, this was a YA contemporary-ish, mystery-ish book, yet, to me, it read like a fantasy book, mostly because of the writing and the setting.
It had an aura of, well, wonder and magic constantly cast upon it and I couldn't help but expect some kind of magical revelation or miraculous ending. It was honestly something like a real-life fairytale-esque story.
I absolutely loved the set of characters Travis Thrasher created. Marvel was the flawed yet perfect girl, the one we can only hope will accept her place in the world in the future, and I loved her for that. Also, Brandon was our main character, the one we can't help but root for because he was such a good guy, trying to save his friends and himself from uncertain futures. I really liked the development of their relationship between these two characters in this book, and I would have absolutely loved to have seen the way it all started in the previous volume.
All of the other characters were very well developed and most of them were incredibly hateful and dislikable, anywhere from high school mean girl to murderous drug-dealers.
Another thing I wasn't expecting and that really contributed to how much I liked it was the diversity. You can just tell this comes from a man who is used to writing multiple genres, very different from each other. Wonder was mixture of magical romantic moments under the stars and murder investigations, obsessed mean ex-girlfriends and fight clubs.
All I have left to say is that this completely grabbed me from the first page and my heart was racing until the end, to the point where I stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish the book.I need the next one in my hands now... that ending didn't give me the closure I was hoping for... in a good way. I might die until the next one, just wondering what will become of Marvel and Brandon and Devon and Artie and Carlos and even the record store...
This is an author I really want to support, so I will buy his books as soon as it is humanly possible for me to do so.

UPDATE: Read my review of Book 1 Marvelous here.

A Girl's Guide to Life (Michelle Herman, Glen Holland - Illustrations)

Synopsis:  
A Girl's Guide to Life is a timeless book of warm and sensible advice for young girls, originally written by a mother for her own eight-year-old daughter. From compassion and empathy through self-expression and creativity, from thoughtfulness and helpfulness and good deeds through gratitude and heartfelt apology, from the incomparable joys of friendship to the importance of learning how and when to say no, this little book offers wise counsel that will be of use for many years to come.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
I'm going to be honest: I downloaded this book a bit on a whim, mostly because the cover was so beautiful.
The concept of this book and the story behind it, how it came to be, was actually really heartwarming, and I wish I had had something like this to read when I was younger. It accommodates all the things we've been told all our lives and makes them clear, in a way that is so important for young girls to read, but not limited to it. I believe every young child should read and follow these motherly advices and, as teenagers or adults, we can read this and look back, remember how our lives can become full and honest and rich.
In my opinion, this was an extremely sweet, heartfelt, inspiring and rereadable book that can help you at any age, no matter how many times you have heard the things it says before.
I desperately want a physical copy of this book that I can pass down to my future children, so they can take from it everything I certainly did.

A Christmas Horror Story (Sebastian Gregory)

Synopsis:  
On the night before Christmas, lock the doors to the house…
Forget the jolly old man in his red, big-buttoned suit. Because another creature is up on the roof, preparing for his annual visit to little children everywhere.With a belt of knives round his waist, a writhing bag on his back and a Santa-sized appetite, he’s a little…different to the St Nick you might be expecting. And you can leave out all the carrots and mince pies you like…but it’s you he’s after. A horrid Christmas to all, and a terrible night.Every white Christmas has a dark side. Don’t miss A Christmas Horror Story, the gruesomely festive new story from Sebastian Gregory.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
This is not the first book I read by this author, so I thought I knew what I was getting into... (I mean, after The Boy in the Cemetery I honestly believed Sebastian Gregory's stories wouldn't surprise me and creep the hell out of me anymore).
Well, want to guess how wrong I was?
Sebastian Gregory's writing and storytelling style never fails to amaze me and this was no exception. This was straight up christmas horror and I would love to see this turn into a Tim Burton movie. I think it would be one of those movies you watch on repeat every christmas to scare your little siblings. (How is this not happening yet?)
From page one until that very last moment in gave me chills and I kept looking out the window to see the shadows pass. I believe what made this just the right amount of scary and fun was the way the different time periods were weaved together, keeping us guessing and gasping at the sound of the bells.
I really enjoyed reading about the main characters, Katy, Emily and Jake, and I kept rooting for them, all the way, even though my heart was telling me nothing I could say or hope for could give this a happy ending.
On that note, that ending left me there just wanting to cry and sob and re read it and threw my phone at the wall, it was just so heartbreaking and wonderful, just like the entire story.
After all this, this book was so different from every other christmas story that it's hard to explain why you should read it, but you definitely should!
I think Sebastian Gregory is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and I desperately want more. When given the chance, I will read everything that man writes and you probably should, too.

On the night before Christmas, lock the doors to the house

For a creature is stirring, sly as a mouse,

He skulks on the roof, down the chimney with care,

Keep the fire burning for the Child Eater's here. ...

He has a thin face and little round belly,

Slurping down children as if they were jelly

Then out on the lawn there'll arise such a clatter.

Parents spring from the bed to see what is the matter.

Away to the window they'll fly like a flash.

Tear open the shutters and throw up the sash

The Child Eater springs to his feet, gives them a whistle,

And disappears into the woods and the thistle.

Until next year it drives out of sigh,

A horrid Christmas to all, and a terrible night.

Strong Female Protagonist (Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag - Illustrations)

Synopsis:  
With superstrength and invulnerability, Alison Green used to be one of the most powerful superheroes around.
Fighting crime with other teenagers under the alter ego Mega Girl was fun — until an encounter with Menace, her mind-reading arch enemy, showed her evidence of a sinister conspiracy, and suddenly battling giant robots didn't seem so important.
Now Alison is going to college and trying to find ways to help the world while still getting to class on time. It's impossible to escape the past, however, and everyone has their own idea of what it means to be a hero....
After a phenomenal success on Kickstarter, Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag bring their popular webcomic into print, collecting the first four issues, as well as some all-new, full-color pages!

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
This was so different than what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a comedic story of an ex-superhero trying to lead a normal life... and, in a way, I guess it was, but it was also so much more than that.
In Strong Female Protagonist we meet Alison (a.k.a. Mega Girl), a girl that is struggling with the concept of 'Superhero'. To me, she was exactly that, a very good female character I really enjoyed reading about. I immediately felt a connection with her and it made me feel so... I don't know, proud, maybe. It was a pleasure to meet a character like Alison.
She and all the other character came alive in this book like I'd never seen before. They weren't, in my opinion, your typical superheroes, they were just as messed up and confused as everyone else, and Alison helped us understand what that means.
Some parts of the story were actually very inspiring: these people with abilities we dream of having are trying to do good things in unconventional ways and it made me want to do whatever I can to match their actions (Feral, I'm looking at you!)Also, don't be fooled. I found the story to be very emotional at times and that was probably my favourite part in the whole thing. On that note, I consider chapter four, Buster the superdog, one of the best character backstory expositions I have ever encountered.
As for the art, I found it so sweet but it went extremely well with feel of the story and all of its characters. I was spot-on and those coloured pages at the end... cherry on top of a great graphic novel!
Lastly, the little comments at the end of each page gave this comic the comedic aspects I was expecting, on top of nerdy references, amazing art, wonderful character development and inspirational-funny dialogue.
I believe this should be read by everyone and I can only say this is a feminist (people hate that word, but here it is) nerd's dream. You can read Alison's adventures online at Strong Female Protagonist, and I can't wait to keep doing so.