The Species of Blessing Avenue
Registered by Greyflank of Brick, New Jersey USA on 11/28/2016
This book is in a Controlled Release!
This book is in a Controlled Release!
1 journaler for this copy...
This seemed like an interesting furry/transformation book.
I liked two things write off about this book before getting past the introduction. One is that it's got a werelion lead. I like that a lot. The other is that it was inspired by characters created for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Role Game.
I made the mistake, even though I was warned, trying to read this as a novella and not the three separate stories that they are. In this review, I'll try to correct that as I go along.
I made the mistake, even though I was warned, trying to read this as a novella and not the three separate stories that they are. In this review, I'll try to correct that as I go along.
The Species of Alone
Izzy is a high school student and a werelion, although that doesn't come out until the big fight scene. And not that I'm surprised after reading the introduction and back cover.
The story does read as if written by a high school kid. He's all buff and, despite claiming to hate jocks, he comes across as a jock himself because of his attitudes and behaviors. I like that his love interest is straight and he's reluctantly OK with that.
I had a some minor issues with Izzy confessing/confronting Joshua at the end of the story. It was an awkward scene, of course, but it felt like an awkward scene awkwardly written.
Izzy is a high school student and a werelion, although that doesn't come out until the big fight scene. And not that I'm surprised after reading the introduction and back cover.
The story does read as if written by a high school kid. He's all buff and, despite claiming to hate jocks, he comes across as a jock himself because of his attitudes and behaviors. I like that his love interest is straight and he's reluctantly OK with that.
I had a some minor issues with Izzy confessing/confronting Joshua at the end of the story. It was an awkward scene, of course, but it felt like an awkward scene awkwardly written.
The Species of Rivals
This story jumps right into the tracking a murderer, who turns out to be a monster, as it does so often when your town sits on an unnamed hellmouth that attracts this sort of thing. Things. Lots of things.
Izzy is dedicated to fighting these monsters, if only to piss his father off (or so he would have you, the reader, believe). The Werelion gets to fire off a bunch of quips as his teenage arrogance and his insecurities struggle a bit to fit in the same head.
Of the three, this is the superior "monsters hunting monsters" story. I enjoyed meeting the third cast member, Quinn, who's pretty new to the school as well as being new to the whole monster hunting business.
This story jumps right into the tracking a murderer, who turns out to be a monster, as it does so often when your town sits on an unnamed hellmouth that attracts this sort of thing. Things. Lots of things.
Izzy is dedicated to fighting these monsters, if only to piss his father off (or so he would have you, the reader, believe). The Werelion gets to fire off a bunch of quips as his teenage arrogance and his insecurities struggle a bit to fit in the same head.
Of the three, this is the superior "monsters hunting monsters" story. I enjoyed meeting the third cast member, Quinn, who's pretty new to the school as well as being new to the whole monster hunting business.
The Species of Triumph
The monster hunting plot was wonderful. The Dad interaction subplot was less than wonderful, and that may be entirely due to what I mentioned above. On my first read thru, I treated this as a novella and this story suffered the most because of Izzy vs Dad and how that drama just sort of dissolves away by the end.
This is because the father/son dynamic in the first two stories is turned on its head. In a stand-alone story, without knowing of what has come before, I might have enjoyed the young werelion's befuddlement more. I would assume other stuff happened off screen to justify the change.
Instead, Dad's change reads as sort of arbitrary. Of course, that's just me.
The reader here for the monster hunt won't be disappointed and there is some nice, more explicit male on male action which is sweet as Izzy still a little arrogant and a little awkward, even with Quinn.
All in all, it's a good collection of tales in a universe where I would not mind reading a novel or two but I am not sure if I would hunt it down.
The monster hunting plot was wonderful. The Dad interaction subplot was less than wonderful, and that may be entirely due to what I mentioned above. On my first read thru, I treated this as a novella and this story suffered the most because of Izzy vs Dad and how that drama just sort of dissolves away by the end.
This is because the father/son dynamic in the first two stories is turned on its head. In a stand-alone story, without knowing of what has come before, I might have enjoyed the young werelion's befuddlement more. I would assume other stuff happened off screen to justify the change.
Instead, Dad's change reads as sort of arbitrary. Of course, that's just me.
The reader here for the monster hunt won't be disappointed and there is some nice, more explicit male on male action which is sweet as Izzy still a little arrogant and a little awkward, even with Quinn.
All in all, it's a good collection of tales in a universe where I would not mind reading a novel or two but I am not sure if I would hunt it down.
This is a Memorial Release For Teddy Sexton.
Teddy passed away July 24, 2012. Since then, I've given myself the job of spreading the books he left behind as if they were his ashes. Not all of the books I'm releasing during this time were his; but the bulk have been. I still have many, many of his books left to share.
******
To the finder of this book, please enjoy it. Please share it with someone. Please help it travel. Thanks!
Teddy passed away July 24, 2012. Since then, I've given myself the job of spreading the books he left behind as if they were his ashes. Not all of the books I'm releasing during this time were his; but the bulk have been. I still have many, many of his books left to share.
******
To the finder of this book, please enjoy it. Please share it with someone. Please help it travel. Thanks!
