2014, action, ARC review, Book Review, fantasy, mystery, supernatural, urban fantasy

[Review] Night Terrors – Tim Waggoner

May 20, 2014 Joey @ thoughts and afterthoughts 1 Comment

Book Title: Night Terrors (Shadow Watch Series #01)
Author: Tim Waggoner
Number of pages: 352

Synopsis:

It’s Men In Black meets The Sandman.

Meet the fine men and women of the NightWatch: a supernatural agency dedicated to hunting down rogue nightmares that escape from other realms when people dream about them, while ensuring that other dream-folk are allowed to live among the regular, human population… as long as they play by the rules

(re: Goodreads @ Night Terrors by Tim Waggoner)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– Look beyond the cover design, if the synopsis interests you—consider the read
– Multi-layered storytelling focusing on crafting an atmospheric, dark urban-fantasy with fast-paced action sequences while underlining a comedic approach to nightmares
– Imaginative parallel world building that highlights the melding of each dimension in each other’s world; and also integrates juxtaposed personalities (day/night aspects) of the incubi
– Characters can still be rooted for but there is a lack of development masked by quirky and witty dialogue/bantering
– Reiteration and reaffirmation of thoughts may read and feel burdensome but they are not necessarily infodumps

Initial Thoughts

I will certainly be the first to admit that clowns are a no go if given the choice. From It to Bozo the Clown to Are You Afraid of The Dark….let’s just say that my childhood isn’t very fond of them–which is funny I guess because I’ve seen so many variants through television and Cirque shows etc. After reading the synopsis, I was like “okay, cool—sign me up” then the novel opens up with this dedication:

“This one’s for all the coulrophobics out there. Mr. Jinx hopes to visit each and every one of you real soon.”

Like…pls….my heart can’t take it. ….but I trod along.

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of Night Terrors through NetGalley for an honest review. I extend my thanks to Angry Robot for providing me the opportunity to review this book. By discretion of the author/publisher, quotes were removed from this review.

Disclaimer: There may be spoilers inherent to this review from this point onward.

Continue reading [Review] Night Terrors – Tim Waggoner →

meme, top ten tuesday

[Top Ten Tuesday] – #20 – Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn’t

May 13, 2014 Joey @ thoughts and afterthoughts 23 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. I thought this would be a fun way to share a condensed version of potential rambles and thoughts that I have.

This Week’s Theme:
Top Ten Books I Almost
Put Down But Didn’t

Initial Thoughts:

When a book is cracked open, you never know whether or not you’ll find yourself enjoying it by the end. And during the read, there might be times that you’re fed up with plot or character antics, confused with how things are happening, or are simply not enjoying the experience as you had hoped. So it turns into a gamble: to continue or not to continue. If you’re like me, always giving things a chance past-expiration point, by the time you might decide one or the other…you’re already done the book. And so you ask yourself: was the payoff worth it?

Books that I almost put down but didn’t:

Backward Glass (David Lomax)

I ended-up really enjoying this novel. But truthfully, there was so much work involved to keep yourself afloat with information management which weren’t necessarily infodumps…but it was hard work to keep tabs on mental notes.

The Waiting (Joe Hart)

A lot of nothing happens in the beginning. But like all horror films (or books, I guess), all things serene and pleasantly full of mundane activities is thrown out the window once the shit hits the fan. Because when it did, I was considering putting it down because of the wtf factor increasing one-million-fold.

When You Were Here (Daisy Whitney)

Mumsy passes away..and he’s all like: *rage* *rage* “wtf you promised me you’d attend my graduation. why did you die?”
Oh Danny boy…your antics are so rage inducing.

Continue reading [Top Ten Tuesday] – #20 – Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn’t →

2014, meme, music monday

[Music Monday] – #7 – Nightwish – Storytime/Last Ride of the Day/Scaretale

May 12, 2014 Joey @ thoughts and afterthoughts Leave a comment

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by the Total Book Geek. The purpose of this bookish variant is to match a book with a particular song; whether it is character defining, a narrative element, or just an overall book defining track.

So why am I doing this? Well if I had to choose to only have one of the five traditional senses, it would be sound perception above all else. And hey I think it’d be neat to share music I listen to on a daily basis!

This Week’s Song:
Storytime, Last Ride of the Day,
& Scaretale – Nightwish

Book Selected:
Night Terrors – Tim Waggoner

Initial Thoughts:

So after weeks of mellow music, I’m going to bring in a curveball with this selection—it’s symphonic metal. This genre may not be for everyone, but if you’re willing, have a listen! You can skip my long rambles and just listen to the music if you wish, it’s going to be a long post that makes no sense whatsoever (even to me…).

After reading Night Terrors by Tim Waggoner – it was basically a no-brainer that I had to choose something from Nightwish’s – Imaginaerum album. The high-concept of the album is quintessentially a metaphorical reflection on one’s life at a point near death—namely to engage life retrospectively through the eyes of a child. The basis of the term: Imaginaerum, is for all-intents-and-purposes, a spin on sanitarium to depict a world where one’s imagination can be healed.

Continue reading [Music Monday] – #7 – Nightwish – Storytime/Last Ride of the Day/Scaretale →

thoughts and afterthoughts.