REVIEW | Saga Volume 4 & 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

I gave Saga Volumes 4 & 5 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples both a 4 out of 5 stars.

There are the 4th and 5th volumes of the Saga graphic novels, which follow the story of Marko and Alana and their baby. Each from a planet and moon that are at war with each other, Marko and Alana's baby, Hazel, shouldn't exist - and the government of both the planets want to make sure she doesn't.  Trying to survive in a universe not just at war but specifically out to get them and their child is a dangerous game, and this series is all about that struggle.

I can't get into specifics about these two volumes since they are sequels without spoilers so if you haven't yet read up to Volume 5 of this series this will be where you should go.  I LOVE THIS SERIES THOUGH.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Lying Cat is the freaking best.

I love that Hazel narrates this series, it is such a breath of fresh air to be given a series with parents who have a sex life and a child who isn't 100% naive about it? Like I get that Hazel is narrating this story in a future time frame - so hopefully she's made it to adulthood! - but I still love that this series doesn't keep all the sex stuff separate from the family stuff.

AS ALWAYS I had an issue with how quickly Alana gets so angry with Marko. Its one of the most frustrating things to read because Marko is so open hearted and lovable, Alana is fucking everything up especially in Volume 4, and she's the one getting mad in every freaking issue.

I also thought it was weird that Alana was working as a public broadcast star of a sexy show? They're on the run why isn't she in hiding? They do bring that up very flippantly but SERIOUSLY THAT WAS STUPID.

Also the giant dragon penis oh my god LOL.

Also Marko's mom is another FREAKING AWESOME person! SO BADASS I love her to death she better not die or I will freak out.

The drugs got weird. I thought it was a pretty fleshed out part of the story though, like I understood why Alana started using, and how conflicted she was, how frustrated Marko was, etc.  It was so sad to read and I'm curious to see if now that they've left that planet will that problem just go away for a new one to take its place or will we watch Alana continue to struggle, as well as Marko now that the crazy green lady gave him some too? CURIOUS.

I also am SO curious to see where the baby tv alien plot is going to go. SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

Okay I'm starting to ramble without any clear direction so I think this might be my time to say that's all and sleep dreams (or not since its the morning? Questionable.)

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner.

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner was read 31 of 2016 and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

This book is about a girl named Hope who lives in a version of our world where people are aware that the Greek gods, demigods, and monsters are still around and take part in our affairs.  Hope is a Sphinx - a part woman/lion/bird hybrid monster that is thought to be extinct but in fact never went away.  The Greek tale of the Sphinx is the story of her grandmother, but its only a partial truth.  Now Hope and her mother live in hiding, since the Gods think they don't exist and they want to keep it that way.  But when Hope's mother is murdered, she has to figure out how to remain hidden while maintaining her life without her mother by her side.

I received this book and the sequel, Demigods and Monsters, from Booktube Tours in exchange for an honest review. And I am so excited to say that it was so very enjoyable! While there were issues that I had with this book I was so engrossed in the story, I felt like I finished it so quickly!

Before going into the things I love I want to talk about the few issues I had with the book.

As many YA novels do, the insta-love KILLED me.  Athan is too perfect to be true both physically and emotionally.  And he is lovingly obsessed with Hope but only to the extent that doesn't feel creepy.  Too perfect.

The family dynamic was something that I didn't love but was also very intriguing. Hope's mom and aunt both irritated me so much because the family is essentially all in danger because of their species yet they don't tell Hope everything she needs to know when big events happen in the story and therefore frequently is pretty reckless.

Okay besides those few issues, I really loved this book. It is fast paced as I said, and there is a lot of action and intrigue.  I cannot wait to start Demigods and Monsters because there are so many unanswered questions I NEED TO KNOW.  

I also did love Hope and the friends that she makes throughout the book. Honestly I probably loved her friends more than her because sometimes she made dumb decisions that had me groaning "NO NO BAD IDEA!!" But that's pretty normal for me with the protagonists I read, especially the younger they are and I do love YA so I stick it out with that issue.

I wanted to talk about some of the things I loved about the family dynamic - in particular, Hope's aunt. I love her.  She is so freaking bad ass!  I want a short story or a whole novel based in her perspective while she's off doing her research that she's doing during this book, getting information about the people who are involved in Hope's mother's murder.  I LOVE HER.

I'm running out of things I can say without spoiling things, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasy and/or Greek mythology!

Until next time, 

MissSassyKassie