Lenni Reviews: "Tartarus" by Eric Andrews-Katz

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

The Titan, Echidna, has escaped from her underworld prison and vows vengeance on the Olympians who put her there. But the power of the old gods now resides in their descendants. Twins Adrian and Annelise have been unaware of their godly lineage until Echidna attacks them and an artist named Zack reveals himself to be another descendant of the gods. They must defeat Echidna before she destroys them and takes back the world under her rule.

While an interesting concept, the beginning felt so slow, I had trouble getting into it. I also had issues believing these characters were in their late 40's. The way they speak, you would think they were in their late 20's or early 30's. And this applies to all three of our main characters. If you want a believable set of older characters, Deadlight Jack is a perfect example. When I am reminded of their age in this book, they all seem terribly immature.

The best parts of this book for me were how the mythology is intertwined with real life. I have always been a huge fan of Greek Mythology so seeing the legends brought to life was cool. As for the romance elements, they are an afterthought. Zack and Adrian have this love/hate relationship with these random moments of intimacy as if to say "B.T. Dubz, they're in love now."

All in all, it was cool to see the mythic creatures and characters again but the rest is oddly framed. 3 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Better with Bacon" by Matthew Lang

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

David, Patrick, and Li Ling have been a trio for years; with Patrick and Li Ling dating since high school. Two weeks before Valentine's Day, Li Ling dumps Patrick and ends up in David's bed. But Li Ling calls the next morning and she's pregnant. Assuming Patrick will go back to her, David takes a job assignment out of town to drown his sorrows in work and random hookups. Will these friends turned lovers come together or is all hope lost?

What's great about this book is having a collection of decent people. It is such a trope to have randomly bitchy or manipulative people in order to make the main characters look even better but here, the characters act SO rational, I almost didn't believe it at times. I think I have gotten too used to massive irrationality in my love stories...

It's also great to see a more multicultural cast. More stories need more non-white characters.

Now, I will freely admit I requested this title to review because, bacon. Bacon is amazing. So, my biggest gripe is that bacon wasn't shamelessly crammed into the plot as much as possible. But that's just because I'm silly. Other than that, my only other gripe is how some characters are too rational in some areas and not rational enough in others. David runs off without talking to Patrick AT ALL. He could have waited 10-20 minutes but then again, the rest of the book wouldn't have happened.

All in all, this was a cute read! I enjoyed it and give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Episode 1 Boruto Uzumaki (Review)

Reviewed by Justin D Williams

The Hidden Leaf Village is located within the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Boruto Uzumaki lives here and he's the son of the village leader, Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage. One day, Boruto saves a boy named Denki Kaminarimon, who's being picked on. Denki is physically weak, so he is unable to stand up to the bullies. On his way to the entrance ceremony at the Ninja Academy, Boruto sees Deki again. He notices that his chakra is warped and that he is acting strangely.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is off to a great start. Fans of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series are going to love Boruto. The first episode is a nice reintroduction to The Hidden Leaf Village. In episode one we get a feel of who Boruto is as a person. The term like father, like son is clear here. Boruto gets into trouble as much as his father but deep down has a good heart just like his father Naruto. However there is something that really kept me intrigued. Boruto and Naruto are not in the best of terms. Boruto has resentment towards his father because he is always working and has responsibilities to The Hidden Leaf Village. Hopefully later in the series the seeds planted of this resentment will be further explore. The conflict of a son who father is a hero and the son not really caring about that legacy is something I'm hoping to see. While Boruto has the same beats of previous series I think the tone is refreshing that he is a character that isn't just little Naruto. He is more fun to watch, more charsamatic and as stated the dynamic of his resent to Naruto is going to make an interesting watch.

Fans will also enjoy to see what happens to some of their favorite characters. There is some characters that Boruto interacts with at the Academy that will have fans go hmm who kid is that they look familiar. There is tons of easter eggs, callbacks to the previous series and it is a feel good watch. In episode 1 we get introduced to Boruto and his new friend Denkai. Denkai is being bullied by some kids and Boruto comes in to save the day. The two really hit it off and Denkai feels weak and wants to get stronger after his encounter with Boruto. Denkai relationship with his father is always not ideal. However Denkai is not as rebellious as Boruto. He is a character that is a push over but you can see layers of something darker which I hope gets explore later.  Overall episode 1 was a great start to the series. The animation, music is a little lighter in tone but still holds the core of Naruto mythos. Fans of Naruto will easily sit back in. New fans to Naruto this will be a good start for you to get into the world. Great episode with plenty of humor, some seeds of conflict, a hint of the first arc nemesis and tons of easter eggs.

Final Rating 4.5/5

Ghost in the Shell Movie Soundtrack (Review)

From the pages of the original 1989 Japanese manga by iconic Masamune Shirow to the 2017 Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment’ big screen adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson as its heroine, this immortal tale seamlessly lends itself to the ebb and flow of electronic music. 2017’s official soundtrack album, Music Inspired By The Motion Picture Ghost In The Shell [Paramount Pictures via Kobalt Music Recordings]—due out on March 31--threads together 12 tracks elegantly befitting of Major’s unpredictable cybernetic war and personal journey to uncover the secrets behind her dark past.

Ghost in The Shell movie soundtrack captures the tone and spirit of the anime. The twelve track soundtrack features compositions from Kenji Kawai, Johnny Jewel, Boys Noize, DJ Shadow, Above & Beyond, IO Echo, Tricky, Ki-Theory and Gary Newman. The album opens up with a great remix of Kenji Kawai Ghost in The Shell main theme “Uta IV” from Steve Aoki. The song brings a more epic feel with the addition of drums and synths sound. The opening track is not only the best track but it is the stand out track on the album. From there we go to the track “The Hacker” by Johnny Jewel which builds the tone of tension and I feel that this is the main theme for the antagonist. Other tracks such as Aokigahra Forest, Escape and Enjoy the Silence and Free Fall are all good tracks. Each song really gives a mystery and cyberpunk feel that captures the spirit of Ghost in the Shell. The music has a consistent tone throughout the album which works very well. A soundtrack needs to capture the tone and feel of the scenes plus the atmosphere. All these artist did a stellar job of connecting the feel and tone of Ghost in the Shell. This is an album that fans of Ghost in the Shell will enjoy.

Top Five Tracks

Uta IV Reawakening (Steve Aoki Remix)

Scars

Escape

Enjoy the Silence

Surge

Tracklist

01) Kenji Kawai- "Utai IV Reawakening" (Steve Aoki remix)

02) Johnny Jewel - "The Hacker"

03) Boys Noize - "Cathryn's Peak"

04) DJ Shadow ft. Nils Frahm - "Scars"

05) Above & Beyond - "Surge"

06) IO Echo - "Aokigahara Forest" (Album Only)

07) Tricky - "Escape"

08) Ki: Theory - "Enjoy The Silence" (Album Only)

09) Johnny Jewel - "Free Fall"

10) Gary Numan - "Bed Of Thorns"

11) Johnny Jewel - "The Key"

12) Kenji Kawai- "Utai IV Reawakening"

Saban's Power Rangers (Review)

Reviewed by Justin D Williams

Minor Spoilers Ahead

Five ordinary teens must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove - and the world - is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so, they will have to overcome their real-life issues and before it's too late, band together as the Power Rangers.

I have mix feelings about Power Rangers after leaving the theater. On one hand I really like it and then on the other hand I feel disappointed. The new entry of Power Rangers sets up the same premise of the first generation of Rangers that was in the 90s. Five teenagers with attitude  are chosen to be defenders of Earth. In this case it's more like Angel Grove. Power Rangers succeeds in character development. Out of all the incarnations of Rangers this version is the best in the bunch. The movie does well giving time to each ranger so the audience can connect with their character arc. Jason lives wild and has trouble with the law. Zack has to deal with a sick mother. Kimberly has to deal with an action that affects her friendship. Trinity has to deal with battle of sexuality. Billy doesn't fit in and has battle a medical condition. The way each arc is presented is well done and you will get behind these characters. If there is a standout ranger it's Billy. Not only is he the comedy relief but he is the heart of the rangers and the film.

 In regards to storytelling the Power Rangers succeeds. The problem with Power Rangers is the film not knowing what tone or audience it's trying to appeal too. I was really loving the mature, realistic sometimes gritty aspect of the film. The film had me invested but once the rangers got their suits the film goes oh wait we have toys to sell and product placement to do. This is where the film went from a Power Rangers to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers of the 90s and it wasn't a good thing. The cheesy final act ruins what was a very good first two acts. As cool it is to see them kick ass and fight with the zords the build up is not felt due to the chessy fun. I'm not saying the battle had to feel like serious but it would be nice to see some cohesiveness with the tone. You can't go serious for the age 13 and 18 to silly for age 4 to 10.  The constant shift in tone took me out of the movie and I hope in future installments they will correct it.

Overall Power Rangers is a good film. The acting is solid and the cast have great chemistry, the fights scene while subpar does enough to entertain. The movie has the worst product placement ever! I mean this is worst than Man of Steel product placement. The product placement ends up being part of the plot which really hurts the film. Krispy Kreme you got your money worth that is for sure. The music is generic and doesn't standout. There isn't much of an original score instead we get songs like Kanye West Power which ruins the fight scene. I'm happy to say you do here very briefly the 90s Power Rangers theme which got a huge pop from the audience. If you're a fan of Power Rangers this is a good film to see. It has good character development for the first two acts. The only one underdeveloped is Rita. She is a one note and over the top and doesn't fit the tone the movie was going for in the beginning. The movie was actually better without the suits. The movie is not bad but will leave some disappointed. However either way this movie should be seen in theaters at least matinee. It's Morphin Time.

Final Grade 3 and 1/2 stars out of 5

Lenni Reviews: "Dreadnought" (Nemesis - Book One) by April Daniels

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*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Danny is out secretly buying nail polish and ends up thrust in to the middle of a superhero battle. Defeated, Dreadnought transfers his powers to Danny, giving him super human abilities but the female body this transgender teen has always wanted. But not only does Danny have to deal with coming out as the new Dreadnought, she also must come out to her strict parents, the Legion of other heroes, and content with Utopia, the cyborg villain who killed Danny's predecessor. 

After reading "Black Angel" I was a little nervous about another LGBTQ YA novel. However, this book is much like "Rebel Genius" in that I was hooked and entertained for most of this despite being outside the target demographic.

This novel touches on the good and bad about being a trans teen with the added flight of fancy that if anyone bullies you for being trans, you can pummel them into the ground. Danny is such a great kid, you can't help but root for her and just outright DESPISE what she's put through. And, as a comic book geek, this also makes for an awesome superhero story. There is genuine peril Danny has to deal with as a budding super-heroine and despite the world ending consequences; the story doesn't feel like it gets bogged down when dealing with the issues surrounding a transgendered individual. Some reactions are almost TOO evil but I think that's just the part of me that is desperately holding on to a shred of hope in humanity. It doesn't pander, it doesn't preach; "Dreadnought" is a well-written, wild ride, and if it's the start to a series; I look forward to more. 4.7 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Windsinger" by A. F. E. Smith

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Mirrorvale has long stood in a precarious 'truce' with the surrounding kingdoms; held together with the fear of the changers. Now not only overload but a mother, Ayla Nightshade attempts to broker a formal peace treaty with an ambassador from the neighboring kingdom of Sol Kardis. After one day of hard negotiations, the ambassador is found dead. Suspected of murder, the race in on to prove Ayla's innocence and prevent all out war.

Across the the three books (this is the third Darkhaven novel) the writing quality, world building, and character depth has been consistently entertaining and well executed. The build up is slow to a rip-roaring climax; leaving plenty of time to be intrigued and entertained. The characters are especially interesting in this outing, with even the side characters having story arcs ramping up several times to push them to the limit and end up with some great development. It can seem a little trivial in the grander scheme of things but it was good to get to know them.

I do hesitate to give away too much and end up spoiling some pretty major plot points. Suffice it to say I am loving this series and hope to see more. 4.7 out of 5.