A Shiver of Light (Merry Gentry Book 9) Review

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Amazon Storyline: I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because “Princess” looks so pretentious on a driver’s license. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but I wouldn’t be the only one for much longer...Merry Gentry, ex–private detective, now full-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but when she learned she was about to have triplets, she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has plagued the high ranks of faerie for centuries. Now nobles of both courts of faerie are coming to court Merry and her men, at their home in exile in the Western Lands of Los Angeles, because they will do anything to have babies of their own. Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, is a more dangerous problem. He tried to seduce Merry and, failing that, raped her. He’s using the human courts to sue for visitation rights, claiming that one of the babies is his. And though Merry knows she was already pregnant when he took her, she can’t prove it. To save herself and her babies from Taranis she will use the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as the Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and her dearest loves, and they will face down the might of the high courts of faerie—while trying to keep the war from spreading to innocent humans in Los Angeles, who are in danger of becoming collateral damage.

My Thoughts: Hamilton finally continued to story of Merry Genty. The last book was released in 2009 so many of the fans were excited to hear that we would get a new installment to the series. I think a few of the fans may have given up on the series but I must say that you need to come back. Hamilton draws you back into the world that she has created quite well and you will find yourself quickly reinvested in the series.

The Good: Hamilton finally moves the story along and the babies are born, named, and father's revealed. Great forward movement of the story and a shocking tragedy occurs.

The Bad: Hamilton constantly repeats herself with the descriptions of Sholto, Darkness, Frost, and Rhys. I find myself skipping over the purple darkness and little Jackie Frost descriptions. It can get to be a bit annoying and feels like unnecessary filler.

Overall: Pick up the book. You will be happy with it. I look forward to seeing where the story goes. Hopefully it will not be another five years before we get another book.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite

Gamer Corner: Vikki

Welcome to this week's installment of Gamer Corner, where Fangirl Review interviews a gamer and gets her thoughts on the gaming world and learning what she is enjoying at the moment. Hi Everyone, I decided to make myself the gamer for Gamer Corner starting the next year of Fangirl Review.

Tell me a little bit about yourself? What rig do you currently game on? What kind of gamer do you classify yourself to be? ie. PC, Console, Tabletop, LARP as well as Hardcore, RPG, etc.

I'm Vikki (yes that is how I spell my name). Born and raised in NJ. I have been gaming since I was a kid and have always found it to be fun and love it when I finally beat a game. I consider myself a fun gamer. I am not sure how to classify myself other than I play. I do like to play on consoles and handhelds. I would love to get into gaming on a PC but I do not have the money to invest right now.

What is your first memory of gaming? 

It would have to be playing Atari at my grandmother's house. My Aunt and Uncle had it and we got to play it! Plus my parents would my brothers and I roller skating and bowling. We had to do the activity first before we were allowed to play arcade games. To this day I still love arcade games and I have an addiction to pinball games.

What game are you currently playing right now? Do you enjoy that game, why? How’s the overall game play and graphics?

I am currently playing Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies. I am playing it on my breaks at work. I want to have it done before the Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton makes it to the US. I have always enjoyed the game and I love the extras of the new game that were not present in the earlier ones.

Would you recommend it, why?

If you like games that make you think, then you will like this one.

Are there any games coming out that you are looking forward to?

I am looking forward to Splatoon, Smash Bros, and Dance Central; oh and of coarse Zelda in 2015. Just had the chance to play the Destiny Beta so I am interested in that as well.

If you could design your own game what would it be like?

I mentioned this on a podcast. I would like to combine Dance Central with Rockband. Basically you will have the lead singer, back up dancers, and the full band working together to play through the whole song. There will be times that the lead singer will have to jump into the dance moves just like any singer with back up dancers. I think it would be fun to have all my friends working together to play though Living on a Prayer (yes, that is my Jersey coming through, #dontjudgeme)

Thoughts on this new generation of consoles – Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One?

Okay I am going to share my thoughts and I am sure some people will think I am crazy. I think Wii U was the only console that actually moved forward this generation. The gamepad is a sign of forward thinking. Xbox One decided to do a much needed upgrade to the Kinect. A major issue with Xbox and PS is that they are still too invested in their previous consoles and the new consoles are not backwards compatible. It is hard to jump to a new console when you have so many games you cannot play on the new one.

What are your thoughts on the gaming industry?

I am so over DLCs. Give me a full game not a half game that I paid 60 bucks for and still need to pay more to get the whole game. The industry has become so focused on money that innovation overall has left the building.

10 years from now, where do you see the industry? Are you happy with that direction? If you had the power, what direction would you have the gaming industry go?

10 years from now I see some of the consoles having died out. The PC industry is booming and why pay 60 bucks for a game when you can pay less for a better version on a PC? Or the industry can truly move forward and bring innovation back and people become invested in quality. That is where I hope the industry would go. I guess we shall see.

Favorite Game (can include tabletop) of all time and why?

This is a hard question. Do I say Resident Evil which is a game I love or Ocarina of Time which brought me back to my love of video games after taking a break? Or the classic Mario Bros 3 that wowed me as a kid? I just don't know. I will pick these three for now.

Would you like to share your gamer tag and the system so others may add you? 

Nintendo ID: ProfessorWhite
Xbox Live: ProfessorWhite

That's me in a nutshell. If you would like to be interviewed for Gamer Corner, please send me an email to Fangirlcontact@gmail.com

True Blood S7 Ep.5 “Lost Cause”

Recap: Eric releases Willa.  Eric and Pam head to Dallas to look for Sarah Newlin.  They get some information from Sarah’s secret vampire sister, who is infected with the Hep-V virus.  Eric and Pam sneak into a political social event.  The Yakuza crash the party and kill many, including Sarah’s parents.  Eric catches Sarah.  Sookie ends up being the unexpected hostess for a party at her house.  Lettie Mae sneaks out to go to the party.  She stabs Willa to get some vampire blood.  She does not succeed.  

Andy proposes to Holly with the Stackhouse family ring.  Bill has flashbacks of Civil War time while he is at the party.  Jessica catches Lafayette and James having sex.  Jessica storms off and Jason tries to talk to her about it.  Lafayette explains to Jessica that she really doesn't know James at all. Violet hears Jason having sex with Jessica, but does not confront them.  After the party is over, Sookie is left alone in her empty house to think about Alcide.  Bill realizes he is infected with Hep-V.   

Review: So what do you do after a bunch of people die?  You throw a party!  I get the whole celebrate life idea, but the party was just awkward.  Violet is probably going to get her revenge on Jason and Jessica next week.  I knew Jason would mess things up with her somehow.  I don’t know why he thought he could be faithful to her.  The Lafayette and James encounter was bound to happen.

I am waiting to see if anyone gets killed next week.  That’s the only thing to look forward to each week.

My question this week is: Why would you throw a party at someone’s house without telling them?

Please let me know what your comments or thoughts are.

Veronica Fitzpatrick

Twitter: @RonnieLauren

Teen Wolf S4, Ep. 5 "I.E.D." Review

Show starts with a blonde running from the school. She is bleeding and has had her hand cut off. She is being hunted by Violet and Garrett is able to kill her. Stiles starts his board of death. Stiles and Scott tell Mr. Stilinski about the hit list. They believe there are two more keys and Lydia is working to decipher the rest of the list. They believe that the numbers will add up to 117 million dollars. Liam has to play against his old school. Derek meets with Liam in the locker room. It was a test in which Liam failed because he becomes angry quite easily. Derek lets Scott know that he will be good at being an Alpha. Lydia is still not able to figure out the list. Malia suggests calling on Meredith who is another banshee. 

Stiles tries to persuade Kira and Scott to stop the game but they decide to go forward. Violet and Garrett are going after Liam during the game. Liam reveals that he was diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder aka IED. There they go revealing why they named an episode. Liam is able to tell Scott and Stiles who paid for the keg. Meredith shows up at the police station she was heading to the high school to find Lydia. Great moment between Liam and Mason. It made me smile. Derek takes Mr. Argent to their underground vault. Argent plans to take Kate to a werewolf jail. Derek has been losing his powers and wants to figure out why. 

Game time! Liam loses it and the other team scores a point. Lydia and Malia show up to the police station to talk to Lydia. Kira gets to play in the game for the first time and scores. Meredith gives the number 2436. They yell at her that it is not a phone number but she stays firm that is the number they need for help. Argent is prepping his weapons when Araya Calavera shows up. She is able to break him down and have him do the chant "We hunt those that hunt us".

Malia believes the numbers are actually letters. Lydia deciphers it and types in the name Aiden and comes up with more of the list. The guy that Liam was going up against, Brett, was a werewolf and ends up being confronted by Violet after being infected by Garrett's Blade. Scott rushes to the locker room and sees Brett still alive. Violet makes a try for Scott but finds herself overpowered and knocked out. Lydia notices that Deputy Parrish is on the list as well. 

My Thoughts: So the key to break the codes have been Allison and Aiden so far. They are two that have died tragically due to supernatural crap. That makes you stop to think who the last name will be. It has be someone who has died on the show. Who do you think the last name will be? I think based on the names that the Benefactor may not be a human but in fact supernatural. Is he clearing the area of supernaturals to make way for himself?

I do not think Argent has gone back over to the not caring hunter side. I think he may have a plan in order to get Kate. Derek is losing his powers. OMG! What did Kate do to him. Is he going to become human? He was a born werewolf so will he just die? So many questions.

S/N: What do you think Parrish is? Is that why he is so accepting of Lydia and her powers?

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite

Teen Wolf S4, Ep.4 "The Benefactor" Review

Derek and Mr. Stilinski are at the crime scene. Derek notes that he can smell the blood and fear of a young male. Scott has Liam in his bathroom duct taped. Stiles realizes that Scott bit and kidnapped Liam. They sit down to tell Liam what the bite might mean. Liam makes a run for it and they pull a three stooges moment by falling down the stairs. Liam gets away. Peter walks into the loft and takes an axe to the chest from the Mute. Stiles is fitting the chains on Malia and Mr. Stilinski walks in. Awkward moment. He decides to just walk away. Scooby Gang is going to the Lake House and will be inviting Liam to a party at the house. Peter is okay but Derek must use fire on him to heal up the wound in his chest. 

Scooby Gang finds out Liam was kicked out of his last school for destroying his teacher's car. Apparently he has anger issues. Deputy lets Mr. Stilinski know that the glove on the mute was military and modified. They hack into the computer and see a message from the Benefactor and realize that the Mute is an assasin. Lydia now has to host a party while everyone else is off managing their change. Kira and Scott work on handling Liam which results in Kira having to knock him out. Stiles is locking up Malia. Turns out the guy who brought the keg to the party is a werewolf he is able to calm himself and then gets beheaded by some chick. She takes a pic and walks away to join the party. She goes to hook up with some guy at the party who has a text from the Benefactor saying the money has been transferred. WTF! 

Lydia sees a freshmen gong upstaris. All you hear is music but you cannot hear them speak. She drops a glass of wine. When the door shuts she realizes she cannot hear the noise downstairs. It is a sound proof room. She appears to be having a weird banshee moment. She starts to play a record and sees weird faces start to come out the wall. Kira and Scott slow dance and kiss at the boat house while they babysit Liam. Liam breaks the chains and takes off. Malia's chains start to break and she tells him to run. Stiles is able to talk Malia into control and she hugs him in thanks. 

Mr. Stilinski and Derek are in the school and they realize it was a trap for Derek by the Mute. Derek and Mr. Stilinski fight and subdue the Mute but Peter comes out of nowhere and attacks the Mute. Peter turns him into meat. Scott is chasing after Liam. Scott is caught by Liam but is saved by Mr. Argent. Great music! Great moment. I had to smile! 

The sound that Liam was hearing were hunter traps. Liam is trapped. Mr. Argent points out that Liam is his Beta and he needs to take care of it. Kira finds Lydia. She can hear the key to break the code. Lydia uses her computer and the key is Allison's. It lists all the supernaturals in Beacon Hills. It is a deadpool and they are all on it. Liam talks to Scott. He begins to pour his heart out. Scott stands up and tells Liam he is not a monster but a werewolf. Epic music! Great motivation moment.

My Thoughts: 

Okay wow! I really think we have not met the Benefactor to date and I do not believe they are tied to Kate. I looked over the list and I wonder who some of these other names especially with the larger numbers next to their names. Okay, theory time - I think Argent will be upset that Kate alive but will try to be there for her. I think he does not want to lose any more of his family. 

I think Scott working with Liam will really be helpful. I think he can finally help Liam to learn control. I like that Scott did not use his Alpha power to control Liam but rather stood up as a man to talk to Liam. He wants Liam to know that he is a human first. I really need for Lydia to start to learn all her Banshee powers. I am tired of them learning things after the fact. It is time for her to learn about herself. 

S/N When is someone going to tell Malia about Peter being her father?

Post by Vikki 

Twitter: ProfessorWhite

Fangirl's 1 Year Anniversary Contest

Hi Everyone,

One year ago today I decided to start a blog. I started a blog previously, Morbid Moments, but it was scoped too small and I could not expand. I decided to write about all the things I enjoy like graphic novels, graphic tees, video games, movies, books, television shows, etc. I thought it would be something small to do but I was surprised at how big it became. I understood the basics of promoting via Social Media but then I started to really push and understand the large community on Google Plus. I made the Google Plus page for Fangirl Review a few months later. I purchased the domain name in September and I was on my way.

I met a lot of great people on Google Plus who have truly supported and uplifted me. I want to say thank you to my Google Plus family especially +Jay Flemming  and +KrisTen Slevin. The two of you truly embraced me on Google and continue to uplift me. I want to say thank you to my friends and family who have helped make Fangirl such a success. I have been awarded my first Press badge which happens to be for NY Comic Con and I believe it is a beginning to more successes in my second year.

A special humble thanks to the contributors to Fangirl! Thank you to Andre, Veronica, Sam, Jasmine, Ivan, Rich, Tara, and Curtis. Without you I would have quit. You guys really have helped and made this website better. Special thanks to +james crittenden  and Jac, the two of you really made this website fun and an extra thank you to Jac who was the first Lil' Gamer Corner. I also want to say thank you to Julian, my awesome graphic artist. Thank you for making the website look so great.

I wanted to show appreciation for everyone's support. There will be a contest for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post with what was you favorite post on Fangirl Review and why. It is that simple. I look forward to seeing what you guys enjoyed. Winner will be chosen on 08/01/2014 at 8pm EST. I will reply on your comment that you are the winner so make sure you check back.

Again a humble thanks,

Vikki