book reviews – Kristen Brand

Turn Back the Pages: Bandette

Turn Back the Pages is a feature where I spotlight a comic that is not fresh and new. It may have come out a few months ago or even a few years ago. Maybe it was hyped and popular, or maybe it was an underappreciated gem. Whatever the case, it’ll be a great comic that’s well worth a read.

I’ve been craving comfort reads lately, probably to offset the rush of anxiety and depression I feel whenever I look at the news. Bandette is everything I could ask for when it comes to making me feel better. It’s cute and charmingly campy, and I was all smiles the whole time I was reading it.

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I mentioned Volume 1 of Bandette in my Netflix Book Tag post. Since then, I’ve finished Volume 2 and have Volume 3 on hold at my local library. It’s just that much fun.

So what’s the premise? Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Bandette

Book Spotlight: Red and Black by Nancy O’Toole Meservier

We can all probably use something good to read right now, so you may see a few more book spotlights from me in the coming weeks. Escaping into fiction while supporting authors is a win-win for everyone–especially when there are superheroes involved.

This week, I’m spotlighting Red and Black. I featured it in a new superhero fiction roundup when it first debuted and hosted a blog tour stop for the sequel, Black and Blue, but I only got around to reading it within the last couple weeks.

Too many books, too little time. It’s the eternal struggle.

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Book Description

Dawn Takahashai knows all about superheroes.

She’s been a fan of them for years. So when she’s granted an impressive powerset of her own, she dives right in, eager to prove herself as Bailey City’s first superhero: Miss Red and Black.

Her first challenge is Faultline. He’s powerful, smart and, as a henchman for Bailey City’s first supervillain, standing right in her way. But that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that under the mask, Faultline is Alex Gage, a working-class guy trying to scrounge together enough money to help support his younger sisters.

Dawn has no idea that the charming and seemingly straightforward Alex is Faultline. Alex has no idea that the adorably awkward Dawn is the superhero he clashes with at night.

And Dawn and Alex have a date next week. Continue reading Book Spotlight: Red and Black by Nancy O’Toole Meservier

Vintage Sci-Fi Month: The Zero Stone by Andre Norton

Used bookstores have certain sort of magic. It might be the smell of old pages filling the air like fairy dust, or the chance to stumble upon a hidden gem with a story lost to time. And no two stores are the same, each one giving us a new maze of bookshelves to explore.

There’s a used bookstore about thirty minutes from my house that’s extra awesome because it also sells comics. Its sci-fi/fantasy bookshelves are hidden in the back, and they’re a treasure trove packed full of more stories than I could read in a lifetime. Looking over the rows of spines to pick out my next purchase is always an adventure.

I bought this one mostly because it has a cat on the cover.

Continue reading Vintage Sci-Fi Month: The Zero Stone by Andre Norton

Back from Vacation with Photos and Mini Book Reviews

The Florida Keys are awesome.

There’s a reason I chose it as Dave and Val’s vacation destination when I wrote Kill Them All. And I’m happy to report that my trip went a lot better than theirs did and wasn’t interrupted by rocket launchers and complex, supervillain-related plots. 😉

In all seriousness, I had the perfect honeymoon. It was wonderfully relaxing and filled with beautiful sights and excellent food. Coming back to reality this past week has been tough. Continue reading Back from Vacation with Photos and Mini Book Reviews

Turn Back the Pages: Secret Six

Ah, villains. Some, we love to hate. Others, we hate to love. And some, we just can’t get enough of because despite their poor decisions, twisted moral code, and tenuous grip on sanity, they’re just so darn charismatic and fun.

Enter the Secret Six.

Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Secret Six

Turn Back the Pages: Gotham Academy

I love gothic mysteries. I love Batman. I really should have read Gotham Academy sooner.

This book is full of gothic tropes. Gotham Academy is old, mysterious, and has a dark history. One building is even boarded up and abandoned for secret reasons. The girls’ dorm is possibly haunted. A group dressed in cloaks and masks conducts arcane rituals on campus in the dead of night. There’s even a vampire! (Okay, so he’s a bat-mutant made by science, but he looks super vampiry.) It’s seriously the best. Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Gotham Academy

4 Haunting Halloween Reads (that even a wimp like me can’t put down)

I’m a total wimp when it comes to horror. My imagination is so overactive that just watching the preview for a scary movie or reading a recap can freak me out. So when I do read something spooky, it’s because I’ve been sucked in by the amazing atmosphere, characters, or premise.

Like Crimson Peak. It’s terrifying, but I couldn’t resist that gorgeous gothic atmosphere.

Here are some books that are undeniably scary yet so good I couldn’t put them down and hide. If you’re looking for an atmospheric Halloween read, look no further. Just don’t blame me for any nightmares. Continue reading 4 Haunting Halloween Reads (that even a wimp like me can’t put down)

Turn Back the Pages: Red Sonja

Turn Back the Pages is a biweekly monthly feature where I spotlight a comic that is not fresh and new. It may have come out a few months ago or even a few years ago. Maybe it was hyped and popular, or maybe it was an underappreciated gem. Whatever the case, it’ll be a great comic that’s well worth a read.

My first exposure to Red Sonja was that weird movie from the 80s, so while I was aware the character existed, I wasn’t a particular fan. The chainmail bikini is not a fantasy trope I generally enjoy, and I doubt I’d have been interested when the comic series was announced if the writer hadn’t been Gail Simone—one of my all-time favorite people in comics.

I caught previews and snippets of the issues online and was hooked. When the first trade paperback came out, I had to buy it.

Best decision ever. Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Red Sonja

8 Great Superhero Anthologies

I love a good anthology. Getting a dozen stories in one collection, discovering new authors, diving into new worlds—what’s not to like? Fans of superhero fiction are particularly lucky, because there are a lot of good superhero anthologies out there. In honor of the release of Heroes and Villains, the new boxed set that contains Hero Status along with nine other novels, I want to spotlight four of my favorite anthologies and four on my to-read list.

Wild Cards

Back in print after a decade, expanded with new original material, this is the first volume of George R. R. Martin’s Wild cards shared-world series. Continue reading 8 Great Superhero Anthologies

Turn Back the Pages: Spectacle by Megan Rose Gedris

I love when stories have circuses. From the magic and mystery of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern to the weird and eerie Dead Moon Circus in Sailor Moon, the setting has so much to offer. I can even appreciate the creepy circus aesthetic in horror movies even if I’m way too much of a wimp to watch them.

So I was hooked when I first learned about Spectacle by Megan Rose Gedris. Here’s the blurb:

Pragmatic engineer Anna works as a psychic in the Samson Brothers Circus, but she doesn’t believe in anything supernatural—until her twin sister Kat is murdered and comes back as a very demanding ghost. Sharing a room with her sister was hard, but now they’re sharing a body while trying to identify the killer. With few leads, a troupe full of secretive folk, and strange paranormal occurrences popping up around the circus, solving the case seems near impossible. But the murderer in their midst may be the least of their problems… Continue reading Turn Back the Pages: Spectacle by Megan Rose Gedris