Exiled by M R Merrick Review – By Lauren

I read this with recommendations from Dayna as per. She actually said she didn’t now whether it was my type of book and it wasn’t. However that doesn’t me I didn’t like because I did!

In a few words : Chase is a demon hunter and is exiled from the circle. Chase meets Rayna and Marcus whilst killing vampires. Turns out Marcus knew his father and mother. Rayna is a weird one. She is a witch but very much like me minus the magic so I really liked the character! The characters are very well-developed, they all have a little something about them that makes them different. I loved how he developed the demons, they were slightly different from your every day demon’s. (ha because we do have them you know!) I wanted more of Marcus/Tessa because it was sooo cute. The good thing about Exiled is the humor and relate-ability! I laughed out loud quite a few times.

I was hooked from the beginning, it seemed to be my type of book. Then about 60% the way through it turned rather Buffy-ish as Dayna has said. Now I am not a fan of Buffy so it kind of put me off a bit but I still liked the story.

Then the very last few pages, it turned around again. It returned to the more serious supernatural/paranormal side of the book. The side which I like. So I cannot say I loved it and I cannot say I didn’t. I am in between. I would recommend people to read it, its such an easy and enjoyable read. It’s written very well and I think Merrick is a terrific writer. There is something about his story that made it different.

You can see a more in-depth review here by Dayna.

More The Hunger Games Photos from EW – Lauren

 

Torchwood: Miracle Day Review – Steph

EPISODE 3:

This episode was so much of an improvement from episode 2! It was all about what Torchwood is about – living on the edge, fights, sneaking around! it was great!

The main plot of the episode was very much linked form last week when the doctors found out that they would need to manufacture more drugs to cope with the growing population of the world. In the last episode i was questioning who  Jilly Kitzinger was and in this episode i am coming to the conclusion that she is clearly linked to the scandal of drug company. Jilly invites Dr Vera to a ”meeting” at her central working place but when Vera asks Rex to tag along things go pear shaped. Dr Vera has actually been taken to a presentation all about the demand for drugs AND instead of Rex turning up Gwen enters the building in order to hack Jilly’s computer. Meanwhile another star of the show who we all hate – Oswald Danes has been making TV broadcasts all over the world to say how he thinks you should not have a prescription to get access to drugs. Oswald has also faced some haters who beat him up at the side of the road and Jack and Rex get a little bit involved (but not with each other!).

I found this episode very gripping and was a triumph compared to last weeks episode. I enjoyed seeing the return of the cyber contact lenses that Gwen had kept and felt at ease when Torchwood started to solve ”Miracle Day” rather than Dr Vera and her panel of doctors. I did think that some of the more sexual scenes may not have been appropriate (Jack and the barman), especially as it was just after the watershed, but i can see what the message of the scene was. I also like how this episode was more beleivable…seeing Esther upset about leaving her home and family to be a part of Torchwood, seeing people annoyed that Oswald was still free – it just all added to the effect. Rex’s character, i know, is someone who many of you don’t like due to his personality of being cockey and quite ignorant. I agree with you all but i think in this episode there was room for Rex to have these traits as it proved that Torchwood can handle situations like this by themselves. I am beginning to really like the character of Esther, i loved the scene between her and Gwen at around 20mins into the episode..very emotional and some outstanding acting on Alexa Havins part.

I was happy to see that the comedy in this episode was toned down in comparison to episode 2. I think the main gags were Esther correcting Gwen with lemonade being flat, ATMs, Cell Phones etc. i really liked that realistic touch that everyone in the UK/US can relate to! My only concerns for the upcoming episodes is that Torchwood: Miracle Day lasts 10 episodes..and i am intrigued to see how far they can make this story line effectively last. Your comments?

here is the bbc trailer for next weeks episode:

Peeta and Gale: The Hunger Games

I had reservations about Josh playing Peeta in The Hunger Games but after seeing this I can see him as Peeta! What do you think? Are the boys what you imagined?

Breaking Dawn Comic Con Scoop!!! Steph

OMG! Hold your breath TWI HARDS!

at comic con this year there was not just one, not 2, but 3 clips released! This year Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Bill Condon headlined the Twilight: Breaking Dawn panel and other cast mates joined such as Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser and Julia Jones! Many Comic con goers were surprised by Robs new hairdo – with half of his hair shaved off! but not to fear, this is for the film he has just wrapped, Cosmopolis! So, without further ado…

*SLOFL does not own any of this video footage*

the other honeymoon clip can be found at perezhilton‘s website!

As for the interviews – questions ranged from ”What was it like acting with a baby?” to ”What was it like seeing Kristen naked?!” but i found a clip of some of the more funnier questions asked..so here is a special treat for all our amazing viewers!

as for more ”insightful” interview clips i would suggest you go and watch Clevvertv‘s interview clips – they are in 3 PARTS!

thanks for watching/reading!

Wolfhardt (Madly Book #2) Book Launch & Giveaway

We are very excited to announce the release of Wolfhardt by M. Leighton. It is an absolutely magical read that we think you’ll all enjoy! The front cover is just beautiful! Here is a little bit about the Madly series:

MADLY: BOOK 2, WOLFHARDT

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a mermaid princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, Madly’s home beneath the sea. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?

Find out in book two of the Madly series, Wolfhardt.

Madly Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Wolfhardt, we are giving away the e-book which includes both Madly, the first book, as well as Wolfhardt. The contest will end midnight (UK time), 1st August 2011 and is an international giveaway so everyone can enter.

All you have to do to enter is tweet “Madly” to @SLFictionLovers. You must also be following us to be eligible for the giveaway.
The winner will be chosen using random.org. We will announce the winner on 2nd August via Twitter and we will also post it on the blog.

Any questions just leave us a comment.

Good luck guys!

**********The giveaway has now ended**********

Torchwood: Miracle Day (episode 2) Review – Steph

So, after the cliff hanger Torchwood left last week I was hoping for something bigger and more exciting than episode one. I was slightly disappointed that this weeks episode was more about talking and resolving the problem of ”Miracle Day” although I am aware that you can’t always have chases, helicopters etc.

In this episode the CIA agent Rex Matheson is taking Torchwood – Jack and Gwen back to America where he says they will be interrogated as he thinks Torchwood is the cause  ”Miracle Day”. In this episode i began to dislike the collaboration between Cymru Wales with Starz. When I was reading your comments I could see where you all were coming from and as I was watching this episode i could clearly see your arguments. In this episode Jack and Gwen (Torchwood) were not solving the problem of ”Miracle Day” but it was the doctors – some of whom were irrelevant as we only met them in this episode, therefore making less of an impact on the target audience <– yes, I am referring to the man with the iPad. I missed the old Torchwood.

However, on the more positive note..

I enjoyed how Russell T Davis added a twist to the story by making the CIA want to get rid of anyone who has been in contact with Torchwood (Rex and Esther) as this gave more substance to the episode, i particularly enjoyed when Rex’s co-worker from the CIA poisoned Jack (the last mortal) with arsenic. In my opinion the main event of the episode was Gwen creating the antidote for Jacks arsenic poisoning which resulted in her tearing the plane apart, the in which they were being taken to the States in. I also enjoyed how Russell T Davis added some lighter jokes to the episode such as the dilemma as to whether the air steward was gay or not and also the fact that he wasn’t allowed to talk to Jack or Gwen. However i found that at one point Davis may have gone one too many with the jokes and started to turn the situation into a scene from a comedy.

A few questions were risen during this episode..Who is the woman who is handing out business cards to Oswald Danes and the Dr? Why is the CIA trying to get rid of Esther and Rex and Torchwood? What is going on with Oswald Danes? I am beginning to feel quite uneasy with Danes, he makes me feel on edge, so great acting there! I also found this episode quite emotional, for instance when Gwen is taken away from her husband and daughter – Eve Myles really conveyed that anxiety and pain well! and overall this scene was very tense.

I was hoping for some more gore in this episode as there was so much in the previous one but to my dismay there was only snapshots of the first episode in the beginning and towards the end when we see that Rex’s co-worker (he broke her neck) has her head back to front. Hopefully next week’s episode will go back to the normal Torchwood standards!

Overall this episode was good. Yes, it was exciting but not to the level that episode one was. However the trailer for next week looks a lot better!

I would just like to thank everyone who commented and shared my last Miracle Day review. I enjoyed reading all of your feedback and i would love it if you could discuss Torchwood more in the comments below! i would also like to thank the SLOFL team for checking stats and sites for me while i was on holiday, i came home to the surprise of being mentioned on the BBC website, all of your comments on my review AND the fact that my review had over 600 views!! THANK YOU! -S

here is the starz episode 2 trailer

here is the episode 3 bbc trailer

*own nothing

The Secret Circle Preview! – Lauren

Who’s excited?!?! I am!! First episode is on Thursday September 15th in America.

The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates Review by Lauren

The Sleepwalkers is totally not my general genre however I saw this and thought I’d give it ago. I had reservations about it being a bit over imaginative and hard to visualize I was totally wrong.

A brief description of this book is hard to do without giving away any spoilers. Caleb a budding journalist was planning on a trip to Africa after graduation, however when he received a letter from an old friend back in Florida his plans went out the window. Caleb and Bean decided to go back to his childhood town, where his father lives to find her.  However his father is not there. There is something wrong in the town. Christine is not there, she is in the Dream Centre and she did not send the letter. Kids are going missing and the Dream Centre is not the Dream Centre.

This is a very fast paced gripping horror. Not the type of horror that will scare you to death but it is definitely creepy! Page one is straight in with the plot as no setting the scene was required. It gripped me completely. All my reservations went out the window as I was thrown into this world of The Sleepwalkers.  

There are only a few words to describe this but I think it will confuse you. It’s humorous, scary, creepy, cleverly written, lots of twists, disturbing, unsettling all in a good way. It is very well written, I could actually read it and imagine it happening. It wasn’t too far-fetched at all.  I couldn’t put this down.  If I had it to hold I mean. I actually got an ARC of this. It is due to be released in October 2011 (don’t worry we shall remind you!). I am so glad I have been introduced to this author as many good things are to come from him.

To me this is a starter horror by this I mean it gently allows you to slowly enter into the young adult world of horror without disturbing you.  I have recommended this to be added to all my friends reading  lists!

 I rate this 4.5/5

The Well Review by Dayna

The Well-Peter Labrow.

Trapped. Missing. Cursed. Fourteen-year-old Becca Richards and her stepbrother have fallen to the bottom of an ancient well. Their parents are away; they won’t be missed for days. The predatory man who had been stalking Becca now switches his attentions to her best friend. Two women who know where Becca is trapped are desperate that she should never escape. Over the course of a week, family, friends and strangers are drawn together by a terrible shared fate – from which not all will escape. ‘The Well’ is a darkly gripping tale about how we respond to the hand fate has dealt us – and the consequences of our choices. The Well deftly intertwines a story of supernatural horror with a tale of one of the greatest fears of modern life. As the book progresses, the two stories become one – driving relentlessly towards a single, thrilling finale. The Well is a fast-paced, riveting story that will grip you – and keep you guessing – until the very end.

Totally creeptastic! An incredibly chilling and disturbing read. When I saw the title I thought, “What on earth could happen in a well that takes 260 pages to explain?” as it happens, a lot! I really like the fact that the book is written from each character’s point of view. It makes a change to know what each character is thinking. The main focus of the story is on Becca and Matt who fall down a well after fooling around but you also get to know the lives of the other characters. Each characters paths then eventually cross and it’s a race against time to get Becca and Matt out but there is a much, much darker reason as to how they came to end up in the well which unravels as the story progresses.

Labrow doesn’t sugar coat stuff and is brutally honest about certain things that happen in the book which I found shocking at times yet refreshing; he really does get inside his characters heads and have them talk, think or do things that, when you think about it, would actually be quite realistic for a person to do or think but are usually too shocking for most authors to reveal in their books. I have to admit there were times when I found certain parts quite unsettling but I just couldn’t stop reading – It had gripped me by its’ claws and refused to let go. It had me scared witless at times and if this was a movie I’d be hiding behind that cushion throughout the whole film – seriously! It has been years since I have felt so scared and creeped out by a book that I was afraid to go to bed in case of nightmares. Stephen King, you have some serious competition there my friend!

If you love your horror and being scared silly, then this book is definitely for you!

I rate this book 5/5

Check out the trailer!

Visit Peter Labrow to find out more!

The Well can be purchased from Amazon as either an ebook or paperback .

Note: This was a review copy given to us by the author.