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Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator by Leighton Grey, Vernon Shaw, and Wendy Xu – Review

As seen on The Daily Dot, Engadget, Pride, i09 and more, the Dream Daddy comics are now collected in a trade paperback! 

Oni Press presents Dream Daddy, a comics series based on the acclaimed Game Grumps visual novel video game! 

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator invites the player to Maple Bay, where they play as a single Dad new to town and eager to romance other hot Dads. The comic series tells five standalone stories, each focused on different Maple Bay Dads, their kids, and their relationships with one another. Dive into entirely new stories featuring the backstories and adventures of your favorite Dads, told by game co-creators Leighton Gray and Vernon Shaw, along with the comic industry’s top indie talent like C. Spike Trotman, Josh Trujillo, and Kris Anka!

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I want to give a huge thank you to both NetGalley and Oni Press for this eARC! I recently played the video game and was head over heels for the dad jokes, the varied personalities for each Dad, and the honest emotions that spring forth from this mostly comedic dive into the life of a dad trying to meet other dads on a cul-de-sac full of dads.

Wonderfully, the graphic novel has all of these things, and it adds more backstory to the more reclusive and mysterious dads like Robert and Damien. For my first play through on the game, I chose to focus on Joseph, and while I learned a lot about his character, I didn’t really get to know anyone else. I really liked that this novel let me see a little peek into everyone’s lives, and even gave the children of the other dads more personality and more to do than you get to see in certain story lines in the game!

I loved all of the various animation styles, and how each transition worked for the specific dad that it was focused on. I think my favorite issue in the whole thing was where the dads played DnD, but they were all fantastic little one shots that it’s almost too difficult to choose! I really hope there is another volume, because I’m in love with these dads– or do I smell a animated series next??

5/5 stars

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The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins by Clint, Travis, Justin, and Griffin Mcelroy – Review

Join Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric, and Magnus the human warrior for an adventure they are poorly equipped to handle AT BEST, guided (“guided”) by their snarky DM, in a graphic novel that, like the smash-hit podcast it’s based on, will tickle your funny bone, tug your heartstrings, and probably pants you if you give it half a chance.

With endearingly off-kilter storytelling from master goofballs Clint McElroy and the McElroy brothers, and vivid, adorable art by Carey Pietsch, The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins is the comics equivalent of role-playing in your friend’s basement at 2am, eating Cheetos and laughing your ass off as she rolls critical failure after critical failure.

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I fell in love with The Adventure Zone podcast earlier this year when a friend suggested it to me. I had never played D&D before, and actually didn’t listen to many podcasts either. I devoured all 69 (nice) episodes of the first arc within two months and was overwhelmed by the creativity, imagination, and heart put in to each episode by each of our McElroy boys.

As much as Griffin created this world our adventurers found themselves in, Justin, Travis, and Clint molded its existence around them and they all four created a beautiful, enthralling story. When I found out there was a graphic novel in the works, I was thrilled to say the least. Finally I would get a chance to lay eyes on these characters that I’ve been listening to for months.

I preordered it and waited and waited and it was worth every penny and every second. Carey Pietsch did such a great job with the art, and helped bring these characters out of my brain and onto a page! It was like meeting them all over again. The names of a few things were changed (good ole Klaarg becomes G’Nash), some things were scaled back (a very less lengthy jelly battle for one) and of course there are less mentions of rolls, checks, and hit points, but none of this takes away from the story; instead it makes a much more concise narrative.

I believe fans of the podcast and newbies alike will love it! I’m already counting down the days until we get Murder on the Rockport Express! I’m so excited for everyone to experience this world in this form. 10/10 would recommend.

5/5 stars

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Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – Review

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

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I bought this book at a consignment shop, not really knowing much about it other than it was a love story, and that it was about wolves. I thought maybe it would be something like Twilight; an addicting supernatural romance. It was, but it was more than that.

There’s no love triangle, no teenage angst, just love; the raw, emotional, and uncertain beauty of it all. It throws you in to Sam and Grace’s world, and it’s startling at first but it’s like being thrown into a pool vs dipping your toes in. You are submerged, and you are surrounded by the story for the remainder of your time reading it.

I felt very close to Grace, and the whole novel reminded me of dreams I used to have as a kid. I’ve been fascinated by wolves from a very young age. I connected to this story, and I devoured the entire series once I got my hands on all of them!

5/5 stars

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – Review

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. 

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I don’t know where to begin. This book was as deeply immersing as the VR OASIS software is in the text. It’s written to be sci-fi/fantasy, but what’s nuts and almost terrifying is that the world that we are dropped into, the world in which Wade lives… it’s not too far from possible.

It’s set in the near future, and I whole heartedly believe that we could be there in technology, destruction, and isolation by then if the state of the world does not improve. That’s something that struck me throughout; that it was like I was seeing what we were becoming. The rushing river of 80s references made my heart soar! My mom raised me on the music, games, and movies, so I connected with the characters and their quest on a personal level.

I loved the mystery of Halliday’s Egg, and I love the realistic people we are given to follow and care about. They are people we know. They are us. I could read this book again and again. I literally could not put it down.

5/5 stars

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Wilder Girls by Rory Power – Review

It’s been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty’s life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don’t dare wander outside the school’s fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there’s more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

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Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC! I had went in expecting a Lord-of-the-Flies-esque story; with girls turning against girls and a constant fight for survival. I received both of these things, but in ways that I did not expect. We are thrown into Hetty’s nightmare world, eighteen months after her life turned upside down. She has been stuck on Raxter, an island with a girls only school and a dark, hidden secret.

The girls are wracked by a disease called the Tox that attacks their bodies in different ways. For Hetty, she lives life with one eye permanently closed– and something writhing behind it. She watches her friends and fellow schoolmates suffer through flare-ups; times when the disease makes some sort of change to them that they either power through or die trying. Tensions are high, supplies are low, and the only spark of hope is the dream of a cure that the CDC, Navy, and the bordering Camp Nash are reportedly hard at work trying to realize.

Hetty and her two closest friends, Byatt and Reese, are in the front lines as everything deteriorates quicker and quicker, and we quickly see the resourcefulness and strength of not only these characters but every single girl that we are introduced to. It reminds us that even in our darkest hour, women are a force to be reckoned with. These girls are doing the best they can to survive; fighting for food, killing diseased animals, and even sacrificing others for the greater good.

In light of this, I think that the author did a beautiful job of actually living in the grief and the guilt that these characters felt after having to commit these acts. If they had to kill someone, they were stained red to their very bones as the weight of a life soaked under their skin. The other people that these actions effect react in kind; they understand the path taken but something snaps, breaks, and may never be repaired in that relationship but they continue on.

The biggest theme in this book to me was just that; moving forward. Life gets so hard sometimes that it feels easier to just let it swallow you whole. Even when it seems like you’ve lost it all, you have to remember the people and dreams that drive you. Hetty, Reese, and Byatt are all the author’s will to live personified. She wrote something in her acknowledgement that stopped me and illuminated the book as a whole. She says, “Thank you to younger Rory, who decided to stay. I would not be here without you”.

I think Rory Power created an intoxicating whirlwind of a novel. I could not put it down. I had been reading it late at night, and I would be struggling to overcome the siren call of sleep begging for one more chapter. I woke up in the mornings clutching my kindle like a favored stuffed animal or security blanket, and I would just keep going from where I had left off. The action never stopped, and the bonds between our girls were as beautiful and original as the Raxter Blues. It’s a perfect debut!

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Extinction of All Children by L.J. Epps – Review

A young adult, fantasy novel about a teenager who is the last eighteen-year-old in her territory. There will never be another child; every baby born after her has been taken away. Everyone wonders why she survived.

Emma Whisperer was born in 2080, in the small futuristic world of Craigluy. President Esther, in charge for the last twenty-two years, has divided their world into three territories, separated by classes—the rich, the working class, and the poor—because she believes the poor should not mingle with the others. And, the poor are no longer allowed to have children, since they do not have the means to take care of them.

Any babies born, accidentally or willfully, are killed. Emma is the last eighteen-year-old in her territory; every baby born after her has died. Somehow, she survived this fate.

During the president’s Monday night speech, she announces a party will be held to honor the last child in the territory, Emma Whisperer. Emma must read a speech, expressing how happy she is to be the last eighteen-year-old.

Emma doesn’t like the rules; she doesn’t believe in them. So, she feels she must rebel against them. Her family doesn’t agree with her rebellion, since they are hiding a big secret. If this secret gets out, it will be disastrous, and deadly, for her family.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book! It was incredibly hard to put down, as I couldn’t wait to see where Emma would go next. I thought that the plot was so interesting; very Hunger Games adjacent while still being a very separate dystopian universe.

I could actually envision an elected leader not only further driving a spike between all classes of people, but also taking the wildest stand on children and deciding that the key to making sure that no child ever suffers is to make sure none are every born. That is such a glaring commentary on our powers that be right now.

We are focusing on issues such as immigration and instead of helping the people whose countries are uninhabitable, our president wants us to build a wall. So too is President Esther forgetting all about the struggles of the lower class, or Territory L, to focus on their reproduction.

I gave a lower rating mainly for the writing style, which is a total personal preference, but I found it very impersonal and professional almost. At times it almost felt stilted but at the same time it kind of went along with the world the author was creating. All in all it was a fun read!

4/5 stars

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Waiting for Fitz by Spencer Hyde – Review

Addie loves nothing more than curling up on the couch with her dog, Duck, and watching The Great British Baking Show with her mom. It’s one of the few things that can help her relax when her OCD kicks into overdrive. She counts everything. All the time. She can’t stop. Rituals and rhythms. It’s exhausting.

When Fitz was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he named the voices in his head after famous country singers. The adolescent psychiatric ward at Seattle Regional Hospital isn’t exactly the ideal place to meet your soul mate, but when Addie meets Fitz, they immediately connect over their shared love of words, appreciate each other’s quick wit, and wish they could both make more sense of their lives.

Fitz is haunted by the voices in his head and often doesn’t know what is real. But he feels if he can convince Addie to help him escape the psych ward and everything will be okay. If not, he risks falling into a downward spiral that may keep him in the hospital indefinitely.

Waiting for Fitz is a story about life and love, forgiveness and courage, and what’s necessary to let go and learning what is truly worth waiting for.

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I want to thank Edelweiss for this eARC! I am constantly searching for realistic mental illness representation, as it is something that I have been fascinated by my whole life. It is something that is generally misunderstood, and though we have come a long way in the science of it all, people are still stuck with preconceived notions on how these disorders work; not knowing that they are as varied as the people that they exist in.

I loved that we followed a main character with OCD. The author states in his forward that he based Addie’s experiences on his own rituals and compulsions, and you can feel the truth dripping from Addie’s very existence. It’s not all washing hands because she’s afraid of germs, or checking that the door is locked twenty times or she can’t go to sleep, but instead she does the things she does because she’s afraid her family will die if she doesn’t.

As her symptoms get worse, she is sent to a hospital where she meets Fitz. The beginning half of this book is very light. To borrow a metaphor used throughout the novel; it is a mask of comedy to veil the tragedy. We meet a motley crew of young adults, all of whom are battling their own demons.

We watch Addie navigate through her new surroundings and watch her use jokes and laughter to distance herself from the truth of what’s happening to her. As events unfold, this mask falls away; not only from Addie, but from the book itself. It gets much darker as we delve into Fitz’s past, and see the truly ugly side of his disorder: schizophrenia.

I loved the usage of theatre in this novel as well. We are presented with Samuel Beckett’s play ‘Waiting for Godot’, which is a good parallel for this story, and life itself. We are all waiting for something to make sense of our lives, and the mundane rituals that we all find ourselves in. We may or may not find it, and sometimes that uncertainty brings us to our breaking point. I think the greatest message of this story is to never give up; not on others and most importantly, not on yourself.

5/5 stars

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The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees – Review

The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive?

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First, I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC! I saw the cover and read the synopsis and was 100% ready to lose myself in the fantasy. This book exceeded all of my hopes, and was like three stories in one.

We are thrust into this narrative spun with golden threads of description. I swear, this author weaves perfect pictures of places you could have never been and things you could have never seen with the most vibrant and sometimes grotesque verbiage. Things like ‘the color of a picked scab’ or talk of a ‘spider’s sky’ that is laced with silk— it was so beautiful and unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

We start out with the Witch of the Woods, then are brought to Rhea and her family, then lastly to a princess. The way these three are woven together are like a priceless, centuries old tapestry, and you are kept guessing until the last act of the story when everything is laid bare.

There is magic, fear, love, and mystical beings, but also some stand-out nuggets of wisdom. Some of my favorites dealt with the focus on family; not just blood relation, but how important your chosen family is as well, and the message of the imperativeness of being yourself; each small facet, each mask that you wear. You can be small, yet powerful. You can be frightened, but stand tall. You don’t ever have to be one thing in life. You should taste everything that it has to offer, and scream. Make your voice heard no matter how much it may scare those around you.

I can’t wait to see what this author does next, and I will gladly follow her into the Woods.

5/5 stars

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Into the Night by Kellie Sheridan – Review

After her sister’s murder, Mackenzie Winters learned to fear the night.

In an attempt to find some closure on the anniversary of the worst night of her life, Mackenzie sets out to retrace her sister’s final day. One wrong step opens a door to the truth. Not only about what happened to Evie, but about what else lurks in the shadows, forcing her to redefine the line between truth and myth.

Vampires are real. They’re hungry. And they’re only the beginning.

But Mackenzie is learning from those who have been in this fight far longer than she has.

Soon, the night will learn to fear her.

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Thank you so much to Netgalley and Patchwork Press for letting me have the chance to read and review this book before its debut! I read vampire in the description and was immediately interested.

I love Kellie’s lore; not just her vampires but the addition of beings like Sentinels and the theory that all women have a vein of witchcraft in them. I was so drawn to Mack, who was learning how to live her life again after losing her sister.

I think that the book as a whole could be seen as an amazing metaphor for grieving. She starts out wandering, unsure of her place in the world. She finds herself in a world she never could have imagined, and (even if through supernatural means) comes out of the other side of the tunnel a strong and capable force of nature.

I loved all the little twists and turns and these lovable, incredible, and powerful characters. I can’t wait for the series to continue and see what Fred’s role is, more of Theo’s background, and Mack’s mother’s own journey through the loss of her child. As a fellow Buffy stan, I think this book was made for me!

5/5 stars

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Please Send Help by Gabby Dunn and Allison Raskin – Review

In this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).

Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up.

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Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC! I fell for the first book in this series like someone had pushed me down a flight of stairs. The friendship between Gen and Ava is so genuine and they warm my heart. I was so glad to see that the authors decided to continue with another installment, because not only do I love these characters, but it is written with my most favorite story telling device!

The fact that these are through text messages and emails makes it feel so modern and intimate. It’s like we’re seeing things we’re not supposed to, getting to know two people through the places where they are most open, unlike in real life encounters.

I feel like we all wear masks, but when we’re at home, behind the safety of a screen, we are more free to be ourselves. I really love how these books are primarily about the relationship of these two friends, while life changing things happen in the background. They find jobs, make romantic connections, act on poor decisions, but through it all they are still friends even on their worst days.

It’s extremely heartening to see them get in fights but come through it stronger than ever. It’s realistic in the way that no relationship is perfect, but love really does conquer all. I was so excited by the ending which brought our two protagonists together again, and I would not say no to making this a trilogy!

5/5 stars