Earth and Skye

The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan and Robert Venditti

I already knew what was going to happen in this story – I’ve read the novel that it was based on. But it was still beautiful and stunning. Almost impossible to forget. There is just something so beautiful about this graphic novel. It’s a lot lighter than some of the graphic novels that I tend to read. It’s also great to see a graphic novel interpretation that actually envisions things like I did. It didn’t ruin my perceptions by being something so totally different.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

I was actually a little disappointed by this. I’m absolutely fascinated by Nelson Mandela, and I looked forward to finding out a little bit more about the man behind the power and story. I didn’t really get much of that from this story. To me, it was mostly about politics, not actually about the journey and the story of the man. Not exactly my cup of tea.

Cosmobotica by Costi Gurgu & Tony Pi

This short story was kind of reminiscent of Illuminae. Or at least, that’s how I found it. Space ships. Mysterious forces taking over. Robots. It was a fun little adventure. One that was just enough to give me a break in the middle of my studies.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I knew as soon as I grabbed this book that it was going to be sad. I mean, it was all over the media how tragically beautiful it was a while ago. What I didn’t expect was that I would finish it and feel like my heart could have possibly grown ten sizes. Kind of like the Grinch. It was that moment of painful WOW that I just sat there in shock.

Wicked Games by Angela Knight

This is definitely not a collection for the faint of heart. It’s pretty graphic and intense. Although, to be fair, Knight does warn the reader of that in her introduction. She admits that some of this is seriously intense and based on the approach to the genre in the past. Which isn’t exactly PG or really all that great to women at times… I love that this book comes with a warning though. Not only did it make me laugh, but it was also great to know exactly what I was getting into before turning the first page… and to know that you probably shouldn’t read this in public.

Stroke of Midnight by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, L.A. Banks & Lori Handeland

I absolutely adored this sensual, shapeshifting paranormal romance collection. There was just something about it that was completely impossible to put down. That got my heart pumping. That made me want to run to the nearest book shop and buy all the books. And spend days on end just reading. There was just something that made me fall head over heels with this collection.

No Human Hands to Touch by Elizabeth E. Wein

So this story is disgustingly sick and twisted. And so many levels of not okay. But it’s also kind of impossible to look away from. The way this is written is completely engaging and enthralling. Even when you are kind of totally hating the characters, you still don’t want to look away and forget about what you’re reading.

Somnus’s Fair Maid by Ann Downer

The combination of fairy tales and regency romances is absolutely perfect. I love the perfect Victorian setting. I loved the retelling of a great, traditional fairy tale. And I just loved the way that this story unfolded. The combination and the style wasn’t what I expected, but it was definitely one of my favourite short story retellings that I’ve read in a while.

Giants in the Earth by Dale Bailey

The mine setting of this story is kind of brilliant. It is a little creepy, kind of intense and definitely eerie. Something that I think works perfectly in a story which features monsters. It also adds to this feeling of tragedy throughout the story. Something about being deep underground and working in the worst of conditions for the love of his family…