Category: Books

Reviews and ratings of books Toi has read for pleasure.

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Books

Review: Deadblood

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Deadblood by L.A. Little

I give this book a 4 ½, but am obliged to bump it up to a 5.

LoveIt

1. I want to start off by saying that I know this author. When I learned that he had published his book, I jumped at a chance to purchase it and review it. I also figured this would be a good way for him to see that I really liked it.

2. I’m giving this book a 4 ½ for two basic reasons. 1) I wish the story were longer. Everything in it is perfectly paced and nothing is lacking, I simply wish there was more of it. Maybe there will be more stories down the road. I could definitely follow this as a series. 2) Language. While I know that the average citizen who reads Adult fiction isn’t concerned with the use of profanity, but I am (It’s the good girl inside me). One thing I can say is that the profanity in this story seems very real and natural. It’s not meaningless immature rambling for the sake of being profane, and there is not a lot of it.

3. So here’s where I tell you about the story without giving too much away. The main character is a nice guy (whose name I believe is only mentioned once) working the rock tour scene, trying to live the dream, but soon finds himself living a nightmare. This nice guy, like so many nice guys do, finds that a pretty face is too good to be true, but it’s not like he doesn’t see it coming. The comical internal conversation this guy has with himself makes you like him, but also makes you want to slap him sometimes.

It doesn’t take long for the action of this story to pick up even though the beginning seems slow. In actuality, when you reach the end of the story, you appreciate the beginning so much more. The term Deadblood is so wonderfully and simplistically explained that you almost miss it. You seem to just walk away from the story feeling like you knew it along. This twist on the legend of vampires is quite refreshing as it brings to mind the question, “How much do we really know?”

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the supernatural, but I must admit that it seems to be more geared toward the fellas (not recommended for children). I guess that’s why I like it. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy. It’s a short read that’s not too complex but is actually quite profound while also being very entertaining.

This review has been posted to GoodRead. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Books

Review: The Oath

The Oath by Frank Peretti

I give this book a 4.

LikeIt

This book is not what I thought it would be, but I liked it. The Oath tells the story of a town with so many secrets that people are beginning to die because of them, but maybe this has been going on for a while. At the beginning of the story, it is a stranger from out of town who’s the victim of a horribly violent death that begins to bring light to the existence of the Oath.  The Oath itself is a little difficult to grasp, but it seems that the people of this town have collectively decided to do whatever they want at any time and never speak of it, proudly defying the notion of consequence or sin. As everyone knows, no secret is kept forever and in Hyde River, the silence has manifested itself with terrifying results.

This book was a short and easy story to traverse. The imagery was in-depth, but not wordy. I felt as if the whole story was delivered in a matter-of-fact kind of way, as if the author was telling you the story at your house over coffee. I think what I liked best about the book was how real it seemed. I’m pretty sure I’ve been to that small town on more than one occasion. A place where people point the finger at one another, but never actually says anything.

From a fantasy perspective, the physical manifestation of sin is one of the scariest monsters I’ve come across in a while. I was intrigued by the hunting sequences and the whole predatory and prey struggle. There is absolutely nothing vulgar about this story, but it does touch on many sensitive subjects such as: infidelity, substance abuse, greed and pride, and more.

Me being me, I also liked the spiritual aspects of the story. This is definitely an adult read, but while younger children may not be able to understand the imagery or handle the dark elements, and some teens may not be able to grasp the maturity of some themes, I think this is good story for anyone.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Books

Review: Year Zero

Year Zero by Rob Reid

I give this book a 4.

LikeIt

This is a very entertaining read full of laughs and, oddly enough, a great deal of factual information I never knew. This story is so absurd that I’m not quite sure how to describe it.

Apparently advanced aliens, far across the galaxy, have been craving and downloading earth music because it’s the one thing the insufficient human race is actually good at (and the rest of the known universe is not). Then one day the superior aliens, through their mastery of legal principles, realize that they owe the people of earth an innumerous amount of royalties or something like that. While some aliens have decided to settle the matter in court, others have decided to just eliminate the problem all together. That’s where the intergalactic misadventures of lawyer Nick Carter (not to be confused with Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter) begin.

To say that the characters of this story are kooky would be an understatement. My favorite thing about the story isn’t technically apart of the story. I love the footnotes. The footnotes of this book are like a running commentary in a movie. They are informative, hilarious, and pleasantly distracting. Eventually I had to stop reading them to finish the story and then went back to read them in perspective. I guess if you’re not really a reader, this may not sound appealing.

All aliens aside, anyone who likes music will love this book. It’s also good for a laugh.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords