Review: The Weavemaker by Paul Wigmore

"Or what, you're gonna tickle me with your little tickle machine again? Oh please don't do that...it hurts my sides to laugh so much." -Saul, The Weavemaker

I recieved an ARC of "The Weavemaker" by Paul Wigmore, in exchange for an honest review.  

I have been among those desperately awaiting this book, and when Paul started posting teasers on Facebook, I was more than completely hooked and anxiously awaiting the release of this book.  Or apparently an advanced reader copy, placed in my hot little hands! You can find links to pre-order "The Weavemaker", which releases THIS SATURDAY 10/31, and to purchase "The Tapestry" at the end of this post, and I HIGHLY recommend that you do get your hands on both of them! 

I've diverged from my usual format of writing reviews, simply because I'm still struggling to find the words to express my love for this whirlwind nightmarish novel.  This book has provided me with the reasons I absolutely love reading the horror/thriller genre.  For those who have read Wigmore's first publication, "The Tapestry," you will not be disappointed with the return to this particular universe.  No, you won't be disappointed at all. 

There are moments in this book that have had me laughing out loud, and many that have once more reminded me why I do not read this particular genre once the sun has gone down and the moon has risen into the sky.  Some books are best left for daylight reads only, and this definitely fits the bill.  

This story takes place where "The Tapestry" left off, bringing us right back into the action as Saul attempts to heal himself and fully regain his power and ultimately take control of the between. This book, much like "The Tapestry," is not for the faint of heart or those who cannot handle a bit of gore in their horror stories.  

I think one of my favorite relationships and interactions in this book is that of Seb, Sophia and Clara.  The three of them interacting together, as well as with the rest of the universe is something that I absolutely adore.  Sophia, Seb's daughter and his princess, is smart and absolutely spot on to help through the chaos that her world has become.  

When Sprite comes into the picture, I can't help but laugh a bit at him and his interaction with Seb, Clara, and Sophia.  Sprite dresses as he's perceived, and is quite snarky but in a polite, matter of fact way at least in my opinion. 

Saul...well, how do you describe Saul.  Pardon my language, but the best way to describe Saul is this. A twisted fuck.  Then again, what does one expect from a demon hell bent on controlling the between and getting a hold of the Tapestry?  Nothing short of absolute mass chaos and murder.  The things that Saul can make a person do...to want to do.  That he brings out in others will send chills down your spine. 

Many of the fantasy novels I've read have used vastly different creation techniques, however, I have found my favorite creation device in Wigmore's stories.  The tapestry is a unique world creation device, and the fact that it allows for so much more to be added into the story is all the more a delightful device to use.  The way that the threads align to create each and every person, good or bad - the relationships that spark among the living threads of the tapestry.  It is enough to make one truly wonder if our world is a Tapestry. 

Once again, I am left singing Paul Wigmore's praises.  He has crafted a novel that has floored me and once again left me thankful that Saul is safely contained within the pages of the novels and not roaming the real world.  

Thank you again Paul for allowing me to be among the first to read this fantastic story and I very much look forward to reading more of your work. 

Purchase Links:

The Tapestry by Paul Wigmore

The Weavemaker (Tapestry #2) by Paul Wigmore

BotW: 10/18-10/24 - Malice by Griffin Hayes

This week's book of the week is one that is near and dear to my heart.  I am a huge horror fan as most of you know, and there are quite a few fantastic horror authors that are out there.  However, I've been a huge fan of this author and honestly own quite a few of (if not all) of his works on Kindle, and even was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of my favorite novel of his in paperback, signed.  

This author is absolutely wonderful, and I'm glad to share his work with you and feature this novel with you this week here at Confessions!  So, without further adieu, I give you this week's Book of the Week: 

Malice
Griffin Hayes

I highly recommend reading this book during daylight hours, or if you read it in the dark do not do so before you are going to bed.  I will not be blamed for your recklessness of reading this too close to bedtime! You have been warned! 

I have owned this book for several years now, and have my review posted here on the blog, you can click here to find it.  

Set in Millingham, Massachusetts, there are several unexplained suicides happening.  There is a common thread to all of these deaths.  The authorities have no idea how or why the victims are killing themselves, or more importantly - why they are gouging out their eyes.  

Lysander Shore, a seventeen-year-old, knows that the deaths aren't suicides.  He knows that there is a serial killer stalking Millingham.  The killer has a list, a list dating back 350 years, and as Lysander continues to dig - he soon realizes he is next.  

The writing in this book is phenomonal, and I've always been a sucker for a story that leaves my skin crawling and leaves me afraid to turn off the light for fear of what goes bump in the night.  

If you are looking for a fantastically dark and twisted story, I highly suggest Griffin Hayes' Malice! 

BotW: 10/11-10/7: Ready Player One

Welcome back to the book of the week! Took a couple of weeks of, mainly due to real life being an absolute and total nightmare.  Now, things are settling down and I'm getting things back up and running! This week's book is one that I've read on my Kindle and listened to in audio, because I absolutely love it.  It's narrated by Wil Wheaton, an actor and geek that I absolutely LOVE! 

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

If you are a child of the 80s, lover of video games, and pop culture in general - this book is absolutely the book for you! It's stunning and by far one of my favorite reads! I highly recommend this book, and I'm even including a guest review which will hopefully inspire you to pick up this book - no matter what format! 

Guest Reviewer: C. S. McClendon

Review:Ready Player One

In 2011, Ernest Cline broke on to the scene with his first novel.  Yes, I know I am a bit late on the band wagon, but having only just discovered the audio you'll have to cut me a little slack.  I have now read the book four times, most of those back to back.  I find Cline's writing refreshing, and easy to slip into, particularly for someone who, like me, depends so heavily on various audio formats.

The book reads almost as if it was meant to be an audio track.  When Cine mentions a song, or t                                                           he sound track of a particular game (both liberally salted throughout the book) I can all but hear the sounds of the 80's, the decade when Both Cline and  I did most of our growing up.  This book, for a that it is a work of Science Fiction, set in the not so distant year of 2044, does a fantastic job of transporting the reader back to the 1980's, and making us feel a surge of nostalgia for those lost years

I love to read dystopian fiction.  It is a favorite genre of mine, from 1984 to the Hunger Games series.  I have read wonderful dystopia, as well as having fought my way through books of the genre that make me feel like I have just spent a week reading stereo instructions.  Ernest Cline, manages to create a world that I both love and fear. I can see us as a race, landing ourselves in the dark,  rusty jungle of the Portland Avenue stacks if we aren't very careful.  Cline has brought us  a world that could easily be waiting just around any corner.

***

If you spend any significant time reading audio books, then you know as well as I do that the writer is only one part of the puzzle.  The right narrator can take even a bad book, and lift it up out of the mud to make it enjoyable.  On the other side of that same coin, a poor narrator, one who isn't on his game, can take even the best story, and scare a reader off of it for good.

In this performance of Ready Player One, Wil Wheaton, who is a child of the 80's himself most certainly brings his A game.  From the first few words, the reader, (or listener in this case) is able to hear the voice of Wade Owen Watts.  With slight changes in his inflection, and a skilled actor's ear for accents and dialect, Wheaton brings to life the full cast of Cline's characters, both the heroes we want to cheer for, and those few oily villains we want to see take a shot to the back of the head.

Working together, Ernest Cline and Wil Wheaton bring the reader a work of cyber-punk art that every audiophile's collection will be enriched by.

***

I won't lie.  This story, for all that I was several years late in finding it, has very quickly become one of my favorites.  You can tell by the fact that I have already reed it several times over.  I knew within the first half hour of this nearly sixteen hour work of audio dystopia that it was going to be one that  I was going to have  trouble putting down, even when it was time to go to bed at night.

From the very first pages, I knew that Wade Watts was a kid just like the awkward geek that I was, and in a lot of ways, still am. As a member of the 99%, Wade finds himself in a game that quickly turns into a fight not only for his own future, but for the future of the world as he knows it.  Can he turn a single lucky break into a victory against the evil minions of I.O.I, the Sixers, who have shown themselves more than willing to stop at nothing to win, and who are not afraid to kill to win?  Can he save both his world and his friends?  These are only some of the questions we hope to find answers to as we draw toward the end of the game whose winner will have the power to change the world forever.  Will Wade and his friends find a way to win the game?  Will they all survive to see the end?  Nothing is certain.  It is all up for grabs, and if you are like me, you will find yourself racing to the end to find the answers.

So I leave you with a question of my own....  Are you Ready, Player One?

Halloween Countdown: 23 Days

Okay, so yesterday I shared with you some of my favorite Stephen King books.  Today, I'm going to share with you a glimmer into one of my favorite Halloween movies.  This, is one of my favorites and it isn't entirely one that is all that scary, but it's one that I watch repeatedly watch much to the annoyance of the people that I live with.  However, I don't have a copy of it anymore, and I'll have to remedy that! 

This is probably right here on the top of my list a far as Halloween movies go! The soundtrack, the story...ALL OF IT! Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy are my absolute fave trio of witches!  That and Thackery grew up to become Timothy McGee on NCIS! 

Bette Midler's version of "I Put a Spell On You" is by far one of my favorite versions of this song from the movie!  I can't help but dance in my seat and sing along when it comes on! Decidedly love it, and gets me in the spirit of Halloween even more! 

This song was written specifically for the movie and having Sarah sing it is something that makes it even creepier because of the haunting quality of her voice.  It sends shivers through my spine, hearing this haunting call to summon the children to become sacrifices to ensure that the Sanderson sisters can stay alive beyond that single Halloween night. 

Thackery Binks has some spunk and unfortunately that is what gets him in the most trouble! However, the spell is so fun to hear, and I have no desire to piss off the Sanderson sisters! 

Wish List Wednesday!

Welcome to this week's Wish List Wednesday! Where I share with you some of the books that I desperately want to add to my shelves! Seriously, most of what you see will be stuff from when a couple weeks ago I was left completely attended in a Barnes & Nobles! So, with that said, this week it won't be books, but it will be some of the Funko Pops that I absolutely fell in love with and want to use to decorate my shelves! 

Love meh all of these! Really! The Captain Mal and Zoe are requirements simply because I am a Browncoat and absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Firefly!  I am deeply saddened that it is damn near impossible to get a 2nd season of Firefly - even though dear Wash did not survive *sadpanda* 

Halloween Countdown: 24 Days

This month is by far one of my absolute favorite!  It is the month of Halloween, and probably my absolute favorite holiday (well aside from Christmas of course!).  This month I will be sharing with you some of my favorite spooky stories, movies, and various other things! Why? Because it makes my heart happy and I'm all about Halloween and things that go bump in the night!

Over the next few weeks I'll be featuring my top five favorite authors in this genre, and these are in absolutely no particular order, they are just my absolute favorites: 

Stephen King

Joe Hill

Paul Wigmore

Griffin Hayes

Ted Dekkar 

Who doesn't love a good Stephen King book? I mean really! Something that makes your skin crawl, makes you look over your shoulder, worry about who is knock, knock, knocking on your door! 

I have several favorites by this author, and I'll just share a few of these titles with you as recommendations for this ghoulish season!  Just remember, just don't read them before bed!  You've been warned! 

Redrum! Redrum! This book, coupled with the paranormal event hosted at The Stanley Hotel where this book is centered absolutely top my list of Stephen King favorites.  This is a book that I constantly re-read and immerse myself in the terror  that builds within the pages.  I'm also a fan of the movie, as well as the sequel to this book Doctor Sleep. 

As if clowns were terrifying enough, we venture into Derry, Maine and meet Pennywise the Dancing Clown.  Terrifying.  This book is another one of my favorites, and it pretty much solidified my fear of clowns all over again in the thousand pages of this book.  It also makes me never, ever, ever visit Derry, Maine! This movie is again, right up there with my absolute favorites when it comes to spine-tingling, hide under the blanket thrillers! It also is pretty much the only role, where Tim Curry absolutely terrifies me. 

Okay, I've mentioned before my absolute lack of desire to visit Derry, Maine.  This book, revisits the boys from It, twenty-five years later. Things in Derry are no different than they were twenty-five years ago as those four boys, now men, reunite in the woods for their annual hunting trip.  This time, it's to deal with a creature from another world! As if we needed a second warning not to visit Derry, Maine.

What are some of your favorite Stephen King reads?