Race For Your Life, SkyBlew (Review)

It's been a while since I did a geek who do music review. However SkyBlew is back with a brand new EP entitled "Race For Your Life, SkyBlew." After a listening to the album twice I can say he has done it again. SkyBlew just keeps getting better and better with each release. This guy truly has the Hip-Hop I've been craving. His music has not pigeonhole himself as a geek rapper. Instead of going that route he just gives you himself. In a world of music where many play characters for sells. SkyBlew gives you authenticity in his music and you feel it.

The album is great lyrically, production wise, with a few concept songs that make references to pop culture of the past. Songs like "Spirit Detective 2" which is a brilliant nod to the anime "Yu Yu Hakusho" makes references to the show but maintains the theme of the song. The song is about a man who won't give into demons and will continue to be a solider of light. It's clever tracks like "Spirit Detective 2", "Dwayne Wayne"  and "Picture That" that will have you take notice if you haven't to SkyBlew.

I have to say that is truly is a great album. But in the world music it's not just the artist alone. The people behind the production job is to compliment the talent of the artist. "Race For Your Life, SkyBlew" has fantastic production from producers Scottie King who owns it on my favorite track of the album "Picture That." I love this beat it's sounds soulful but at the same time like I'm going into a RPG town. Scottie King lends his talents to other tracks and it's home run each time. SkyBlew also continues his collaboration with Backdraft (see SkyBlew his album Journey in 1st Person for more) and you can hear the chemistry when great lyrics mix with great beats. Backdraft and SkyBlew fit like a glove and when you hear the production on the song "The Ballad of Patience" you will see why I say that. Don't wait for me to tell you check it out. Other producers such as U'Nquie Music, DJ Reimi and Englewood all do fantastic on the tracks their production is featured on.

Overall if you looking for music that is authentic with positive vibes and great lyrics and production. "Race For Your Life, SkyBlew" is the album for you. 16 tracks and I didn't skip on track. Great album and a must listen too if you like music with substance.

Rating - A+

Stand Out Tracks
Flowers PT. 2
Spirit Detective 2
The Ballad of Patience
Dwayne Wayne

We Are Robin Vol 1: The Vigilante Business Review

Spinning out of the pages of BATMAN! The teenagers of Gotham City have adopted the "R" and made it their own. A new Robin? No, hundreds of new Robins! The Boy Wonder has inspired a movement in Gotham, where different people of all creeds, colors, genders and religions have donned the "R" insignia to combat crime. But will this clean up the city...or make more trouble than it's worth?

We Are Robin has done something I was waiting to see for a while. This comic book has manage to show how Batman & Robin have become a symbol of change and hope in Gotham. As explained in the synopsis above a group of teenagers inspired by Batman take it upon themselves to take crime head on. These young teens adopt the symbol of his sidekick Robin by wearing Robin colors and his symbol. The main protagonist Duke Thomas who readers can meet for the first time in Batman Eternal.

Duke parents have been missing after an attack from The Joker. He has been in and out of foster homes and different school due to his behavior. Right from the beginning I was immerse in the world. We usually see Gotham from the perspective of our heroes like Batman and The Bat Family. However We Are Robin depicts Gotham from the perspective of the people. We see how poverty, broken homes and violence spreads all over Gotham. Gotham is truly a place you don't want to live. We Are Robin uses the living condition of Duke and the other Robin's to show why Gotham needs saving. It's a city that doesn't just need Batman but needs ordinary citizens to step up even that means using your fist.

The main key element that makes We Are Robin such a good read is the characters. Each Robin was presented with an introduction, backstory and a glimpse of their everyday life when they are not trying to save the day. I found myself not being able to put it down as each Robin's backstory was presented or a glimpse into their lives. This great use of characterization and development will have you turning the page after another. This is clearly an origin story for a group DC Comics hopes will be a driving force in a few years. Since this is a origin story the young Robin's are learning the ropes from someone who I won't spoil. Like any hero story in comics, mistakes are made and lives are loss. Duke and the others make decisions that have consequences and I love the cliffhanger ending that leads into The Robin Wars. 

Overall We Are Robin is a great read. The story has interested characters, the setting is dark and gritty and the art style is great. If you want a story about the citizens of Gotham and a more in depth look at the city. We Are Robin is the book you should read.

Final Grade 9.0/10  

Prison School Review

There was a time when the Hachimitsu Private Academy was a revered and elite all-girls' boarding school on the outskirts of Tokyo but a recent policy revision is allowing boys into the student body. On his first day, Kiyoshi Fujino discovers that he's one of only five boys enrolled at the school. Completely overwhelmed by the thousands of girls on campus, the few boys find that their situation is less than ideal.

Lenni Reviews: "Pathfinder: Exodus Book Two" by Gun Brooke

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In the wake of utter chaos on their home planet, the Oconodians are fleeing their world on a massive ship called Pathfinder. Due to riots caused by Changers; people who have developed various sorts of powers, this ship will take them on a long journey to a new world. Chief engineer and seasoned soldier Adina Vantressa has the responsibility of keeping all two million people aboard safe by overseeing the proper functions of all the systems keeping them alive. One of those millions is Briar Lindemay; a nurse who, along with her sister Caya, have boarded the ship in search for a better life. Briar joins the expedition as a nurse but also is hiding the fact that her sister is in fact a changer and Briar has illegally boarded the ship to protect her young sister from the violence at home. Thrown together by an obvious sabotage attempt, Adina and Briar become fast friends with a chance at something more. But the same sabotage that brought them together was not the first and with Caya's ability to see visions increasing in strength, Briar is forced to decide if her budding romance is worth risking her sister's safety or Adina's life as well.

The science fiction elements to this story are spot on and very interesting. This novel starts off running and doesn't stop for very long; even when the main characters are trying to get to know each other. What is gratifying about this book is since the situation is so dire, every character has no other choice but to be strong. Male or female; every character is a professional trying to ensure the survival of millions of people during a major interplanetary evacuation and resettlement so nobody is whining here. I know readers are sometimes on the lookout for strong female characters in particular and Brooke gives us an excellent balance of capable people where gender isn't important.

As for the romance, if you're looking for some steamy trash, this isn't the place. In  my opinion, this is a science fiction novel with romantic elements and a couple of steamy scenes here and there. And I mean mature rating steamy, so don't be shocked by some woman on woman sexytimes.

Coming into this series on book 2 makes it so I cannot comment on how this book relates to the first but Pathfinder does end with the promise of more. But since the romance was so secondary in my opinion, I would love to see more about how these adrift settlers manage when they get to their destination. This is not to say that the romance is not executed well, it's just the story surrounding it was very cool. Briar and Adina are a cute couple and your root for them to come through the chaos around them. Kudos so you, Brooke! I look forward to book 3.

Lenni Reviews: 'Rule of Three' by Lore Graham

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Ian is an adept magic user but his rival, Jae, always teases him that he doesn't take any chances with his work. Finally having enough, Ian does the research and summons a demon he can show off to Jae to prove he can do something risky. The demon Ian ends up with is an incubus named Alistair; and a sexy romp progresses from there.

This short novella gives you exactly what it promises; a smutty romp with two guys and a demon. It has the sort of pacing that occurs when you need to get three men in bed and naked in under 50 pages; rushed and dirty. But, yeah, that's the price of admission here, folks. You don't get short erotica for the character development. Alistair is my favorite by far, of course. He seems to have the most personality out of the three.

What made me stumble was the replacement of pronouns like "his" "him" and "he" with "ze" and "zir." I just rolled with it after awhile. If you are looking for a quickie with some magic and fun, 'Rule of Three' isn't half bad! A little short for $3.99, in my opinion; but if you are looking for a m/m/m fantasy short story, you may want to check it out.

Lenni Reviews: 'Just A Sketch' by A. J. Marcus

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Leo Caldwell leads a mundane life as a tech support operator at a call center. He doesn't date much and spends most of his time with his two best friends; Julie and Felix. The three of them decide to change things up by taking an art class together and that is where Leo meets Aud Sorenson, artist and owner of the Bright Thoughts Gallery. The two have an immediate attraction and under the guise of Aud wanting to sketch Leo, they begin to date; touching off a whirlwind of drama that tests their budding relationship to the limit.

This is a cute little love story but when I say whirlwind of drama, I am not kidding. The moment these two meet you are rooting for them but Aud gets a  stalker who threatens their lives and causes so much trouble, Aud and Leo simultaneously question if it's all worth it and knuckle down to stay together. It's all very sweet but as a reader, I had to wonder if these two got hexed or something because so much goes wrong so quickly. This male/male romance does end in a happily ever after (noted because some readers prefer their romances that way) but I think I would have liked to see the sketching featured a little more. It is in the title after all and that initial reason for them to meet up got lost a bit in my opinion. But that's me being very nit-picky.

In the end, this is a cute little story that was fun to read. Aud and Leo are almost too adorable and the smutty scenes aren't over done or silly. It's just spicy enough to make the book interesting but not tawdry. If you like your overly sweet couples in a tidy 200 page romp, Just a Sketch is worth the read.

This book will be available from Dreamspinner Press on December 4th, 2015.

Lenni Reviews: 'Into the Darkness' by A. M. Rycroft

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Aeryne Ravane, a sword for hire, has been on a mission to discover the treasures of the deceased hero Tynan Selvantyr. Having been raised on his tales, Aeryne is excited to explore The Black Caverns and learn her hero's secrets; but the treasures contained therein are so much more than gold as she discovers even heroes have their deadly secrets.

This book is more about the journey than the result, in my opinion. Aeryne meets a young thief, the ghost of her hero, a vampire, and magic priests on her quest to defeat evil and come to terms with her past. Clocking in at 467 pages, the final climactic battle is around the 400 page mark. I did enjoy watching the main party of this sword and sorcery novel come together and grow as a group, the settings are well described and fun (or scary when applicable) to read; but there were points that had me muttering the dreaded "are we there yet" because I wanted the bad guy to get what was coming to him. It began to drag towards the middle there, but it picked up and it was worth reading through to the end.

All in all, Into the Darkness is a pretty cool book with some interesting characters. Everyone is fallible and real, and the story is overall fun if you enjoy these types of fantasy novels.

Review: Marvel's Jessica Jones on Netflix

image credit: Netflix
 

Hey O&G fans, on November 17th we got a chance to see an early screening of the first two episodes of Marvel's Jessica Jones. It was a red carpet event and the stars and cast were in attendance for the screening. For those who aren't familiar with Jessica Jones or the Alias series created by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos, here is a quick history of the character:

Jessica Campbell Jones Cage     (comicbook History)

Midtown High student Jessica Campbell was present when Peter Parker was bitten by the irradiated spider which gave him his powers. She had a crush on him, and had just plucked up the courage to speak to him when he was distracted by the bite. She also had a celebrity crush on teen heart-throb Johnny Storm.

Jessica's father received tickets for Disney World from his boss Tony Stark. On the way home, their car collided with a military convoy carrying radioactive chemicals. Her family was killed, and, after spending several months in a coma, she awoke, stirred by the first coming of Galactus outside her hospital room. She was placed in an orphanage and adopted by the Jones family. Jessica later discovered that her radiation exposure granted her super strength, limited invulnerability, and flight (which she never fully mastered during her superhero career).

REVIEW

Ok Marvel and Disney went a completely different route with this series making it extremely dark and the results were AWESOME! Jessica Jones stands out as a decidedly mature project, which immediately lets you know this is really not a show meant for kids. I will admit when Kyristen Ritter was first cast as Jessica Jones, I was a little skeptical about it considering this was a Marvel/Disney series, but after the first episode..... I was so wrong, she is perfect for the role.

The series doesn't start with her early career as a Superhero, but with the darker side of her life after her encounter with the purple man and the private detective agency she runs. The flash backs and story about her experience will keep you intrigued through the first two episodes and definitely wanting to see more ( so its a good chance you will binge watch this series the entire weekend).

Ritter is assisted by a strong supporting cast, including Mike Colter as Luke Cage, setting up his character before he gets his own Netflix/Marvel series next year. Colter and Ritter have a fun chemistry together and there’s a lot to enjoy seeing them banter across a bar. Carrie Ann Moss is brilliant as Jeri Hogarth, a powerful lawyer who sometimes employs Jessica. Kilgrave, the show’s main villain, played by the Doctor himself, David Tennant doesn't show up till the second episode but his presence is felt throughout the first ep.

This is a must watch series and something you will be discussing after this weekend. With a strong start Marvel/Netflix has another hit under their belt.

By Sean Tucker