M. M. Shelley

Originally Reviewed at:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Reviewer: Me

Dead Relatives hits the ground running with the first opening scene. Our main character Orlando has a lot on his plate as his crew of zombie hunters are searching for the elusive fifth, and someone – or something – called Lexicon. For zombie lovers this novella is sure to be a fantastic creepy joy ride. There’s Magick, ghosts, zombie bulls, and bad guys who turn out to be worse than they imagined.

At first I wasn’t sure how this story was going to turn out. Not having read the previous novella The Zombie Story I wasn’t familiar with the characters and their backstories. However, Shelley does a decent job of catching the reader up on what previously transpired without overdosing readers on too much information. It was a fun quick read jam packed with tons of action. In a short amount of time we are jumping from one intense scene to the next.

I really enjoyed watching Orlando develop. He wrestles with his magical abilities and being able to see ghosts. He has a difficult task ahead of him deciding how to best use his gifts and as his friends pull him in different directions, ultimately he has to decide if he’s ready to embrace what is a natural part of him. Along the way Orlando even discovers something about his family that shakes him to the core, and when he discovers a friend is near death he must once again decided how far he is willing to go.

Overall this novella has a lot of great potential. I would like to see more character development with our side characters, their gifts, and their importance to the story. My only issue is the way in which some aspects of the story wrap up too quickly. I am hoping that we get better insight into Orlando’s family life, Ruben, Michael, and Cora in the next installment. And for those of you who are grammar fanatics, I did find some errors here and there, but nothing that should really pull the reader out of the story. However, I do suggest reading The Zombie Story first as I think this probably works best as a series than a standalone title.
… (mais)

Originally Reviewed at:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Bewitching Book Tours
Reviewer: Heather

Imagine living in a world of magic where some individuals posses it and some don’t. Some of these people even have the ability to wield more than others. Now imagine zombies who are being created on purpose, though I won’t just the reason away, and a young man named Orlando is tasked at killing them. It almost appears to be a game of sorts, and in some areas it is. Underground rings are even dedicated to fighting zombies where you can take a round in the ring. But what happens when the zombies are out in the world and not under the control of their masters?

Does Orlando and his friends stand a chance against their creator? Will they be turned as well? Who is really responsible for creating the zombies that now threaten mankind as well as those who posses magic?

This was an interesting read, and I wasn’t 100% sure how I would feel about it. It has all the parts a good story should, complete with twists you won’t see coming. The characters themselves are very solid too. The plot is well written with an exciting climax of events, and the use of magic is a nice touch. I think this story would be very entertaining to young adults ages 12 and up who enjoy urban fantasy or zombie stories.

I’ll be honest, this was my very first zombie story, though I love to watch zombie movies and television shows. Most of these just show an end-of-the-world scenario, so this was a refreshing take on zombies that I enjoyed immensely.… (mais)

Background: Book two of the Mishap series, starts were Mishap & Mayhem left off. The twins are still in the Hawaiian Islands with their grandmother, who now has gone missing and it is up to the girls to find out who took her and why, all while still dealing with the evil Mnemosyne, who has gained companions since the last events took place. On top of the twins’ dilemma, Kye is being shunned by family members who think his powers are out of control and he is a monster.

Review: Wow… loads of characters in this book. We still have some of the same from book one: the twins, Kye, Kana’i, Pele, and Mnemosyne; but now we have Viktor, James and Mira, and a bunch of family and faeries. It was a little hard to keep track of who was who, sometimes. This book is a continuation of Mishap & Mayhem, the twins are still earning about themselves and their abilities, while Kye and Kana’i are learning who in their family they can trust now that times have changed.
I enjoyed reading this book, like the last, and Mishap & Chaos just right into the action, picking up immediately, no reintroduction of characters and themes, just right on with the plot line, which I think is a positive and a negative. Positive because I had just finished the 1st one, negative because what if I hadn’t, and needed a recap? Really enjoyed how these are from the point of views of many of the characters not just the twins, gives you some perspective as to what else is going on.
I think that this series is great for anyone who likes mythology, a lot of action, and a lot of character involvement.… (mais)