21 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in Giveaway Tags: blogiversary, giveaway, giveaway winners, giveaways
The entries have been tallied and drawn and it’s time to announce the winner of my blogiversary. Thank you to everyone who entered, I am amazed at the response every year. It’s so wonderful to see my little blog reach so many people, and of course it’s always great getting new book recommendations.
The winner was drawn via Rafflecopter and I’m very pleased to announce that the winner is
The winner has been notified by email.
Congratulations!
20 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in 5 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, LGBTQIA Tags: alexis hall, Audiobook, five stars, joe jameson, london calling
Published: 2 August 2022 (print)/2 August 2022 (audio) 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca/Dreamscape Media
Pages: 416/13 hrs and 35 mins
Narrator: Joe Jameson
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
Wanted:
I honestly don’t know why I wait so long to read Hall’s novels because they are all so wonderful that I feel like I could have been revelling in their complexities and intricacies for longer if I had dove in sooner. I instantly fell back in love with these characters and Hall has made their next stage together better than ever. The previous events have been woven is so it never feels like a recap. You get caught up with the relationship between Lucian and Oliver and the comments of the past book never feel clunky or jarring. The natural reminder works in world and is a great way to remind readers what has happened before and why these characters are the way they are.
What makes this series so special is the demonstration that emotional issues are complex and ongoing, nothing is fixed overnight. Through the light humour and the adorableness between these two, Hall manages to cover serious topics without ever changing the tone or becoming preachy. The issues that are important to Oliver and Lucian reflect their character and it’s a wonderful way to highlight the concerns of real life through characters, see how there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, and more importantly, how one issue can be viewed differently by people in the same community.
Hall explores topics like the social queer community as well as society and governmental class with tact and incredible sly comments, all without making it A Thing or feeling like an agenda is being pushed. It’s real through the characters therefore it feels like it belongs in the story. What I adored through this approach is how many issues are addressed and how there are valid criticisms on both sides. Oliver’s points are valid, so are Luc’s so there is balance. Luc is never the only bad guy and Oliver’s own issues pair well with Luc’s so there is never one right side. It is a wonderful point of conflict that also helps readers understand that there are a lot of issues far more complex than they first appear. What also makes it wonderful is Luc has tact and reasonable observations and we can see his growth from being a proper disaster in the previous book which is incredibly heart-warming.
The only real critique of this story is the complete overreaction by a character to seeing a man put his arm around a woman and having a conversation. Given the fact you know what this man’s job is and have no other basis for any other misdeeds, it’s a lot of pages wasted. Truly, if I was with someone who overreacted that much over something so small it would be worrying. But that’s beside the point. Minor critique (that bugged me a lot). And yes, we could say it is in character if we must, but it still annoyed me which I recognise is a me issue. Other than that, phenomenal book.
To be fair, all the characters are a mess in their own way. It is greatly reassuring to see this in people who aren’t teenagers. People in their late twenties and thirties are allowed to be a disaster too and while they can have serious jobs and marriages you are allowed to be imperfect. For all my own overreactions to minor plot points I did love these characters, faults and all. Hall’s writing makes you envious of their friendship and makes you wish you had these kinds of relationships and friendship groups. The ride or die of your teens can still happen as an adult and found family is very much a thing even with real family nearby. Jameson does a fantastic job once again bringing them to life through the audiobook and they are are vivid and alive as if there was a movie playing in front of me. A testament to Jameson’s skill and Hall’s writing.
I didn’t read the blurb before I started reading so when I realised the strong Four Weddings and a Funeral vibes I was impressed with myself until I realised it was openly referenced in the description. Nevertheless, it is a perfect comparison because the four weddings and a funeral aside, the chaos of this friend group is similar and I loved that.
I knew this was going to be a five star book three quarters of the way through. Hall has created another amazing book and chapter in Lucian and Oliver’s story. I am so glad to add this book to my shelf. I might seriously need a reread of book one as well because almost immediately I fell back in love with these two adorable fools and I am too impatient for book three to get my next fix.
You can purchase Husband Material via the following
Wordery | Angus and Robinson | Blackwells
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
15 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in 5 Stars, Graphic Novel Tags: carey pietsch, clint mcelroy, five stars, Graphic Novel, griffin mcelroy, justin mcelroy, taz, taz: balance, the adventure zone, travis mcelroy
Published: 21st February 2023
Publisher: First Second
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Pages: 352
Format: Graphic Novel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
The Bureau of Balance has located yet another Grand Relic, and this time it’s…time? A small mining town called Refuge has been locked away behind an arcane bubble, and somewhere inside it the Temporal Chalice is causing unknown mayhem. Taako, Magnus, and Merle are launched into their investigation, but they’ve barely had a chance to get their feet under them before the situation literally falls apart. When the town clocktower strikes noon, Refuge and its citizens are destroyed in a sudden chaos of flame and ruin, and our heroes’ relic hunting — along with their lives — comes to an abrupt end.
But woah, what’s this? It’s 11AM, they’re alive again, and Refuge definitely hasn’t just been exploded? Looks like a classic time loop, friends. This town is trapped in its final hour, and so are the three of them. And in order to escape, they’ll not only have to solve the mystery of what happened to the Chalice, they’ll also also have to resist what it offers: the chance to rewrite the worst days of their own pasts.
Every time there is a new book published I have no doubt I’m about to go on an incredible adventure. The team does a fantastic job translating this story from podcast to visual medium and they’ve smashed it once again. This a continuation of The Adventure Zone series and takes our trio of heroes onto their next adventure. For all the goofs, jokes, and magical D&D content, this a powerful story about consequence and how decisions we make impact our lives.
There is a quick and cute catch up if you can’t recall what happened in the previous book, helpful considering the early scenes reflect the events of The Crystal Kingdom. I am always amazed at how the introduction to each book and the reminder of our key players can be so seamless, clever, and funny. It’s a skill of the format and the layout, between McElroy’s adaptation and Pietsch’s illustrations, that creates the winning combination.
The interlude has been woven into the story again and we learn how the characters have levelled up and gained new items, but other interlude moments have also been slotted into other parts of the story is key moments which keeps the original story and character development without taking away from the new arc. More importantly (to me), the greatest scene of the podcast is kept in there, something I wasn’t sure would happen on copyright grounds but it’s there and truly if I got nothing else from the arc I was glad that was there. (Here it is in animation form for your enjoyment).
But I do get a lot more from the arc. Spoiler free but the use of the layout in telling this story is remarkable. You get to keep all the moments that make the learning process and story unfold, each increment and bad choice, every cycle, all with the benefit of not taking up page after page and too much space. This happened with the podcast too, but the summarised version of the graphic novel makes it funnier and saves time without abridging the story.
Pietsch again has phenomenal illustrations. I love the hints and guides to let us know who is talking, with each character designated a symbol to help readers know who is speaking if they aren’t visible on the page. The colours are vibrant and the scale is beautiful. Large double page spreads that show vast caverns, the epic heights of temples, or the power of a detonation. Pietsch’s rough sketches and designs have also been included at the end of the book so you can pour over the process of creating the stunning visuals for the book and how layouts and town planning came about.
This arc has huge reveals in terms of overall story, but also, ironically, is a little patch of time by itself. There is a complicated story being told in between the humour and the stunning visuals which is what makes it such a beloved arc. We’re nearing the end and as more information is uncovered, more questions are asked and the cogs of conspiracy start turning in your brain. If you’re impatient the podcast is ready and waiting, or if you want to catch up previous arcs there’s four phenomenal graphic novels to catch up on.
You can purchase The Eleventh Hour via the following
09 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: 3 Stars, aaron blabey, children's picture book, picture book
Published: 1st December 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Illustrator: Aaron Blabey
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
‘I need a hug. Will you cuddle me, Lou?’ ‘What? With those spikes? Get away from me! Shoo!’ All this little porcupine wants is a hug. But with such prickly spikes, will she ever get the cuddle she craves?I am fascinated how I can love some of Aaron Blabey’s work and dislike others. I am not a huge fan of Pig the Pug. At All. I don’t know what it is but that dog gets on my nerves. And yet, I love Blabey’s other works. This book in particular is amazing because it doesn’t go where you expect it to go.
With an echidna looking for a hug there’s laughs abound. Of course no one will hug him, they dismiss him, they are rude to him, they practically flee from him. You feel so bad for this echidna.
The rhyming verse makes this an easy page turner, but Blabey has a remarkable skill in saying a lot with only a few lines of verse. There is emotion and heart, a whole story is captured in a few words. It’s funny but filled with heart at the same time.
The illustrations and formatting doing great work conveying story and meaning as well. The characters move around the page to show action and the text shows emotion and tone through stylisation and size choices. That is a benefit of picture books, they are allowed to play with form so much more than many novels. Not that this has a lot of change to regular form, certainly I have seen more dramatic shifts, but I was reminded how clever it can be in telling a story. Especially one like this where heart and humour work together so well.
The ending is beautiful. I love how two ostracised people find comfort in one another. I liked that they had each other, and I also actually quite enjoyed how no one else learnt their lesson about being rude and mean spirited. It is always wonderful if you can show people changing their minds or being taught about their wrong behaviour/opinions, but sometimes you can’t convince people to like you, to be nice or compassionate, but you will find others like you who will support you. Which is a great lesson to show kids, especially one hidden in an otherwise humorous book.
You can purchase I Need A Hug via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Blackwell’s
08 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in 5 Stars, Graphic Novel, Long Lost Reviews Tags: #llr, clint mcelroy, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, taz, taz: balance, the adventure zone
Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.
Published: 13th July 2021
Publisher: First Second
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Pages: 272
Format: Graphic Novel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Star
A desperate call for help interrupts holiday celebrations at the Bureau of Balance, and sends Taako, Magnus and Merle on a high-stakes mission to find and Reclaim a fourth deadly relic: a powerful transmutation stone, hidden somewhere in the depths of a floating arcane laboratory that’s home to the Doctors Maureen and Lucas Miller. An unknown menace has seized control of the stone, and is using it to transform the lab into a virulent pink crystal that spreads to everything it touches.
It’s only a matter of time before this sparkling disaster crash-lands, but in order to find the stone and save the whole planet from being King Midased, our heroes will have to fight their way through a gauntlet of rowdy robots and crystal golems, decide whether they can trust the evasive Lucas Miller, and solve the mystery of what—or who—has put them all in peril, before there’s no world left to save.
I love the entirety of The Adventure Zone podcast but this was also my least loved arcs so I was surprised to see how much I loved the graphic novel. I mean I still loved it, I loved all of the campaign, but it never stuck with me the ways the others did. Which is weird given how much stuff happens in this arc and how it started shaping the entire rest of the campaign into the masterpiece it becomes.
Seeing it visually play out reignited my admiration for Griffin’s storytelling and Clint’s ability to convert an audio into a visual medium. The illustrations by Pietsch were in top form once again and the effect of the crystal is balanced nicely, the feeling is conveyed of a place entirely crystallised while not becoming an eye sore for the reader.
The catch up on the previous book is as fun and informative as ever. I like how it changes each time, and the way the characters themselves reference previous arcs is a great fourth wall break. I also loved the way the interlude is included: bookending the story with the voiceover of the GM Griffin tantalising us with what is to come and cryptic messages.
This arc introduces some great characters like Kravitz, as well as Boyland. Not to mention the silent reference to the fun with elevators, Hodge Podge, and so many more memorable and quotable moments. The eater eggs and foreshadowing is a delight to those who know the podcast, and are fun additions to engage new readers.
The character designs for new characters are great, and just perfect in the Pietsch style. The end pages of the book include artwork from other artists which include their own designs and interpretations which was fantastic. As great as Pietsch’s are, I loved seeing fan art over the years of the podcast and seeing what people came up with. To have a selection included in the back as a bonus was a delight.
Clint adds a new approach to the characters as he must when adapting from a semi causal real play podcast, but he keeps it in line with the characters people know and love, keeping Griffin’s story on track and true. Key moments remain true and critical scenes and fan favourites keep the humour, romance, and drama going.
While it may not be as action packed as the others, and consisted of more puzzles and storytelling, it is still another step in the journey of this little band of misadventurers and I am keen to see it continue.
You can purchase The Adventure Zone: The Crystal Kingdom via the following
QBD | Booktopia | Blackwell’s
