Basic Info
Standalone or series? Melanie - Book 1 in a new series. Category Melanie - Children's (Suggested age on Amazon 5-10 - Personally I think it skews younger) / Picture book. Official Blurb About The Book Jonathan's relentless begging for a dog has backfired, but he has a plan, or so he thinks! Will the antics of nine neighborhood dogs help him get a dog of his own? What could go wrong? Laugh aloud while following Jonathan and his furry friends around the neighborhood as they scheme, plan, and learn the importance of hard work and responsibility. This playfully illustrated, humorous story is a fun read for any child, 5-10 years of age, as well as adults. Whether you have a dog or not, No Dog in my Yard is an entertaining picture book that can be read over and over while teaching children that trying their best just might pay off. How did we get this book? Requested review and it was a free download on Amazon. Why did we choose to read this book: I will generally consider any request and I know some of the Musers have younger children / grandchildren. And Now To The Review!
General Review
Melanie - The story is familiar and the illustrations are very well done. My biggest issue is that the writing is done in rhyming couplets, which is common in books for this age group, but in this case they should have taken a little longer in the editing process to sharpen them up. There are definite instances where the rhyming and spacing feels forced, and if you were to read it aloud would require extra thought to make the sentences flow. Final Thoughts Melanie - . It's cute but needed a tighter eye in the edit process to push it to the 5 star level. Rating Melanie – 3 1/2 rounded up to 4 as sites don't allow 1/2 stars. Pineapple word for this article is Puppy ** Disclosure** Any Links To Buy On Amazon Are My Amazon Affiliate Links. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - Which helps provide for the giveaways!)
Dave - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"The year was 1986. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase all had hit comedies of their own, scorching each of their brands on the backsides of the public. Then the time came for “Three Amigos!”. The three comedic geniuses banded together to create one of the best forgotten classics of its time. That is, of course, if you're a fan of theirs. If you aren’t you probably wish it would stay buried and forgotten. But we like to resurrect things and remind you of them. So we won’t let it rest. In this feature, the trio play actors whose onscreen adventures as the Three Amigos caught alot of attention and adoration from fans worldwide. That changes one day when their latest film flops and they are fired. But a return performance is in order in Mexico. This isn’t just your average performance though. This town is terrorized by a real bad guy and his gang and the city expects them to show off their Hollywood skills and scare them away and rescue the innocents like they do in their movies. Whether they manage it or not, with this team you can’t go wrong. Check out the trailer and then scroll down for the giveaway! The Pineapple word for this article is Amigos And Now For The Giveaway Melanie's Muses will be giving away a "Three Amigos" Prize Pack featuring the movie from Jennifer, and a Book (Literally because it has a cowboy on the cover), and stickers from the Melanie's Muses Prize Hoard. For your chance to win- FILL OUT THE FORM and tell us: Who would make up the other 2 of YOUR 3 Amigos and why?
Book Review With Mel and Sue - In Every Generation (In Every Generation, Book 1) by Kendare Blake4/26/2022
Basic Info
Standalone or series? Melanie - Book 1 in a new series Susan - Book 1 in a new series Category Melanie - YA Vampire Fiction (Not listed as "Fan Fiction" but it should be). Susan - What Mel said lol Official Blurb About The Book Return to Sunnydale in a brand-new series by New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Frankie Rosenberg wasn't yet alive when her mom, Willow, her aunt Buffy, and the original Scooby Gang destroyed the Hellmouth and saved the world from the First Evil. These days, life in New Sunnydale is blissfully quiet. Frankie is just trying to survive her sophomore year at the rebuilt high school and use her budding magical powers to make the world a better place. But that world is suddenly plunged into danger when the slayer community is the target of a deadly attack, leaving the future of the line uncertain. Then Frankie discovers she's sort of freakishly strong. Oh, and there's something Willow never told her about her true identity. Cue the opening credits. Quicker than she can carve a stake, Frankie discovers there's more to saving the world than witty one-liners and stupid hot demons. now everyone looks to her for answers, but speaking up has never been her strong suit. And it's hard to be taken seriously when your mom is such a powerful witch she almost ended the world once, while your greatest magic trick is recycling. Despite the many challenges standing in her way, Frankie must assemble her own bumbling Scooby Gang, get dressed up in Buffy's (vintage '90s) clothes, and become a new slayer for a new generation―before whatever came for the rest of the slayers comes for her next. How did we get this book? Susan got it - and then told Mel to get it so we could review it lol Why did we choose to read this book: The cover looked pretty fun and it's Buffy! (Also Melanie had read Anna in the Blood by Kendare Blake before and loved it) And Now To The Review! First Impressions: Melanie - . This sort of reads like Fan Fiction. I was excited to see how many of the original characters were being introduced and then I wish they hadn't. Susan - I was excited to see how the Scooby gang would be as responsible adults, how the events of the final every episode of the TV show would have on them, as the book was sold to me on being a continuation of the show...but like Mel, I wish they had just left well alone. General Review Melanie - Honestly, I am not sure how this got published outside of a bad fan fiction forum. Kendare Blake doesn't stay true to the cannon of the series at all, instead making up her own version which doesn't make any sense to me at all. She absolutely ruined one of my favorite characters, and to make matters worse she can't even make the story version she invented work within her own rules. Some of the most sacred plots from the series are trivialized, and don't even get me started on the unnecessary menstruation jokes. I'm also not sure who this book is meant for. Readers new to the Buffyverse wouldn't understand 3/4 of the references and fans of the series won't appreciate the liberties taken with the world for apparently no good reason. Greg and Susan got to hear LOTS of complaining as I read it - but Susan kinda asked for it because this was after all HER idea! Susan - Yeah, yeah, yeah... blame Susan! To be fair, everything Mel said is true. I think for me, as a reader and writer who has a strong love for characterization, the main character Frankie didn't just it for me as this badass lead like we had with Buffy, Faith and other slayers. Honestly, I would have thought she was Kennedy's kid rather than Willow's because she was that bloody annoying. There were also far too much emphasis put on trying to make Frankie relevant, and like Mel, the menstruation jokes made me roll my eyes so much, I gave myself a headache. Melanie - You know she DID read like she would have been Kennedy's kid and even THAT would have been more believable that what actually took place! Susan - Right???? But in all seriousness, the entire book felt forced, like the pressure of writing a book in such a cult classic took its toll. Big events from the Buffyverse were thrown in so that we all knew that the author had actually watched the TV show, but they were so played down that it was painful to read. And then there was the big bad...no spoilers...but the villain of the story had nothing on the ones that came before them and couldn't hold a candle to Darla, Drusilla, Caleb, and Spike in his glory days...hell, even Professor Walsh and Adam were better bad guys then they had in this book (And I like to pretend that season never happened cause it was shite!) Melanie - Yep that season was pretty bad! (I mean it had the Beer episode so enough said there …) Final Thoughts Melanie - . She trashed the lore, she ruined the characters, and she copped out on the ending. Run as far away as you can from this book if you had even the slightest love for the original series. Susan - Even the glory of Spike couldn't save this book from the Armageddon and I would suggest avoiding it as much as Anya avoids bunnies. If you want a better read to satisfy your Buffy lust, then pick up a copy of Kiersten White's Slayer duology, if you can look past the fact that the book is based in Ireland, but has very little accurate Irish knowledge in it. Rating Melanie – Scraping in at a 2 star - mainly for the cover art which is pretty awesome so I guess at least it will look nice on my shelf. Susan - Being generous by giving it a 2 star, mainly because Spike was awesome and the hardcover had a nice etching of the Buffy logo on it. Melanie – Agreed - the Buffy logo etching is nice! And having read this back - our review is WAY more entertaining than the actual book! You are all welcome! Be sure to let us know in the comments below if you liked our "double take" on the same book and if you have a book you would like us to read just let us know!
Pineapple word for this article is Slayer
** Disclosure** Any Links To Buy On Amazon Is My Amazon Affiliate Link. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - Which helps provide for the giveaways!)
Dave - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies""I watched something totally brainless on tv. If that is what you are looking for, I have the movie for you-- "Josie and the Pussycats". Based the 1970's cartoon series about a female pop rock band, they released a live action movie in 2001 starring Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid in the main roles of the band members. Other notable stars are Alan Cumming, Parker Posey and Seth Green. It pretty much bombed at the box office but I think it has missed the mark with most viewers. It has a little bit of a cult following now but took some time to achieve that status. As a fan of the animated series, I was interested from the start of production when the news broke. Maybe some fans just didn't get it. Maybe they just didn't enjoy it. Anyway, here we go. The plot is when Josie and the Pussycats get signed to a label, the record company is putting subliminal messages in their songs (and other artists too) planting seeds telling the fans what to listen to, what to buy, all the latest fads, etc. The ultimate inside joke in all of this is the insane amount of product placement all over the background in nearly every single scene. I know some people consider this movie a nightmare but I think the only nightmare would be for the legal department to get clearances for all these products. It definitely isn't anything Oscar worthy or even remotely close to it. But if you are looking something fun to just watch and not have wild expectations with, this is the movie for you. Check out the trailer and then scroll down to enter the giveaway! Pineapple Code Word For This Article Is - Josie And Now For The Giveaway! Melanie's Muses will be giving away an "Josie & The Pussycats" Prize Pack featuring the movie, a choker, and Cat Ears from Jennifer, Sleep Mask, Pop out hairbrush, Hair Clip, Clip In Hair Extensions, Wristband, Teddy Wrapped Small Towel, Necklace, Earrings and sticker from the Melanie's Muses Prize Hoard. (I think the hair extensions were sent in by Vicky Pond - sorry if I got that wrong) For your chance to win- FILL OUT THE FORM and tell us: Are You A Trend Setter or A Trend Follower? (Feel free to share examples)
Melanie -Hard Cell is a new documentary style comedy show written and starring Catherine Tate. Although mostly known in the US for her role as companion Donna Noble in Doctor Who, in the UK Catherine is well known for her comedy and sketch entertainment shows. Followers of our live may have seen Greg or I doing the "Am I Bovvered" bit from a sketch with David Tennant that was released for Comic Relief (which I'm including for those that might not have seen it.) **Fun Fact - as I rewatched the clip I realized that the girl sitting next to Lauren (Catherine) is in fact Niki Wardly who also plays Anastasia in Hard Cell!** Hard Cell takes Catherine's talent for creating crazy characters and pushing it out of the box. Unlike many American shows, in the UK they don't shy away from using some more unique actresses. Set in a women's prison, one of Catherine's main characters is the Governor who believes that creativity is the key to rehabilitation. This leads her to the bright idea of having the inmates put on a musical! This all takes place as a documentary crew follows them around as this new idea is going to be televised! Without spoilers, I will say that Greg and I watched all 6 episodes in one sitting. For those that know Greg - this in itself tells you how much we enjoyed it. With that being said there is a LOT of English humour in this, and that definitely sits a little differently than a lot of US style. For example they bring in Cheryl Fergison (who is known for playing Heather Trott in a UK Soap "Eastenders"). There are a LOT of jokes made in reference to this which I am sure will fly over the heads of many Americans leaving them with the impression that this isn't funny. Now you know the inside joke, perhaps it will make more sense if you watch it. Also on that note - Christmas 1986 - Den Served Angie with Divorce Papers. Something I doubt anyone from England would fail to know - but if you watch - you can thank me later! Overall the humour is crude, the characters are larger than life and completely insane, some of the accents are not the best, but OMG It was FUNNY! Greg and I laughed A LOT! Oh and that ending? Let's just say we are now planning a rewatch to see what clues we can see! We have theories and if that doesn't intrigue you I don't know what will. This isn't a show for everybody, but I don't think it's designed to be, and having read some of the other reviews on the show I personally feel that certain American sites that didn't even make it past the first episode shouldn't be posting "stream it or skip it" reviews on a subject they quite clearly don't understand.... but that is a rant for a whole other day. Check out the trailer - it will give you a good idea whether or not this is for you. If nothing else you have to respect the fact that Catherine not only wrote this, directed this, and produced it, but plays 6 characters ... FIVE OF THEM BEING MAIN CHARACTERS in this!!!! (Governor Laura, Inmates Ros, Big Viv, & Ange, Prison Guard Marco (from Essex), and then Ros's Mother Anne Marie. Pineapple Word For This Article is BOO
Jenn - Jennifer Rhodes met Melanie back when True Blood was popular and they have been friends ever since. She loves TV (especially things that make you smile), Doctor Who, Finding new shows, and regularly provides awesome fandom items for Muser Giveaways. Jennifer is now a proud member of the VIPers - the Melanie's Muses Spotlight Feature Team!We all know the original "Beauty and the Beast" story, but did you know they sometimes take this Disney fairy tale and turn it upside down? Like with "Beastly", which is a different take on the story but still actually really good, though I’m not talking about "Beastly" here though I do recommend it for anyone who hasn’t seen it. Ok back to what this article is about and that is "Beautician and the Beast". A beautician played by Fran Drescher, yes, the one from "The Nanny" which I loved as well, goes to a different country hired by their President to tutor his children, though she’s not really a teacher. She does hair. Wait, what? Anyways she ends up getting along with the children of this so called President, though he’s not really that at first, but Joy helps him along the way to realize that he’s not really the monster or beast that he thinks he is, or that everyone else sees. Does Joy stay with her beast and live happily ever after. Well even though this movie is a little older, and you may have seen it already others may not, so my advice to them is sit down watch, and find out because this is not one to be missed. Melanie -I love this movie! It's super cute and it kind of a mash up of a bunch of stories like Beauty and the Beast (obviously), but also think The King and I or Sound of Music. A European Dictator (OK so maybe that is bad timing but the movie is still cute) needs a "teacher" to help his children adapt to how the world is changing. I mean minus the dictator this could also very easily be a Hallmark movie so it gets bonus points for that. Really about all there is left to say is check out the trailer. The pineapple word for this article is Makeover And now for the giveaway ..... Melanie's Muses will be giving away an "Beautician and the Beast" Prize Pack featuring the movie and a choker from Jennifer, and Cat Ears, Headband, light up scrunchie, pop out hairbrush, and stickers from the Melanie's Muses Prize Hoard For your chance to win- FILL OUT THE FORM and tell us: What is your favorite version / retelling of Beauty and the Beast? (Book - Film - Whatever) Comments about the article are encouraged - but for now only qualifying entries on the form will go in the hat! What your answer is will not influence whether you go into the hat - Only that you answer the question!
Winner will be announced during the Live show on April 24th (and then posted here on the blog as well on April 25th if the winner isn't at the live.) Full Rules Below! Good luck everyone! Rules Only comments posted on THE FORM will be considered. This is open internationally. If you win and you cannot accept mail due to Covid issues we will hold the prize until such time as you can. Some exceptions may apply based on Post Office Regulations. Melanie's Muses takes no responsibility for rules beyond her control. Void Where Prohibited. Sharing is always appreciated but is not required for entry. Winner Will Be Picked At Random. One Entry Per Person / Household Prize is provided via Melanie's Muses and will be mailed by her. Winner will be announced during the live on Sunday April 24th posted on this post on Monday April 25th Winner will have 48 hours to claim by messaging their address to - https://www.facebook.com/MelaniesMuses/ Or prize is considered forfeit. Failure to claim will result in a no future giveaway entry being counted for 30 days. We want people to claim their prizes! Don't get on the list! Any questions please contact Melanie on the Facebook page
The Other Half Of The Grave Releases April 26th 2022 - Available For Pre-Order Now!
If You Haven't Read The Night Huntress Series I HIGHLY Recommend Reading AT LEAST Halfway to the Grave & One Foot In The Grave Before This One!
Generally Info The Book
Standalone or series? Book This is a little different. It is "Technically" listed as Book 9 in the series. It is in fact Book 1 - but updated and told from Bones' (the other main character) perspective. How did I get this book? I was invited to review an ARC Why did I choose to read this book: I LOVED the Night Huntress series. I have read them all numerous times (including the spin offs - although for me they will never beat the original set) Genre Urban Fantasy And Now To The Review! First Impressions: I know the original Halfway To The Grave version (told from Cat's point of view) like the back of my hand. I was excited to read it from the other side, and was interested to see that Jeaniene had made the decision to update certain parts to make it more relevant to today's readers. (The original was released over 10 years ago and we all know how technology has changed). General Review This book is fantastic! I will admit that the cover did throw me off a little. To me that isn't Bones. To me Bones will forever be "Spike" from Buffy in my head. This guy looks a little more like he would wolf out than vamp out, but I read a post where Jeaniene had said that she didn't even try and get the Bones from her head - more went for the energy. That's OK - I just won't look at the cover lol If you love the original series then this is an absolute must read. Although the story is for the most part the same (minus tech updates), there were parts of the original where Bones was off doing other things - and as a reader it was almost like a glimpse behind the curtain. The updates feel very natural, in fact I loved this so much I am now rereading the originals (again). Final Thoughts If you haven't read the Night Huntress series, I supposed technically you could start with this point of view and then go back and read the other one. Personally I would suggest reading at least the first 2 Night Huntress series books first (I say 2 because the very end of this one does jump forward to a scene partway through book 2 and this would be a massive spoiler). If you've read and love the series already you can rest assured that this one does not disappoint. Rating: 5 stars from me (ignoring the cover) - and a real hope that we get more of the story from Bones' POV! As always let me know what you think in the comments! Pineapple Word For This Article Is Kitten ** Disclosure** Any Links To Buy On Amazon Is My Amazon Affiliate Link.(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - Which helps provide for the giveaways!
Dave - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"In a zombie apocalypse, its survival of fittest. Literally. You don’t have to outrun everyone. Just outrun the person behind you. Columbus wasn’t kidding when he added cardio to the list. But before we jump ship into a different movie entirely, lets get back on track to “Resident Evil”. That’s what this was supposed to be about. Sometimes my train of thought leaves the tracks completely. After making a boatload of video games, this franchise got infected with the t-virus allowing it to spread and mutate into theaters led by the star Milla Jovovich. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole as she fights off zombies, demon dogs from hell and all kinds of other nasties in Raccoon City and other places as she travels to take down the chain of command culminating with The Umbrella Corporation. Alice has some help along the way but in these types of movies, they don’t always live to the end. Sometimes the star doesn’t even make it that far. Admittedly, I’m not a big zombie fan. I like a few movies but it really needs to grab my attention. I will never say “I have to see this! It has zombies!!!!” You need to lure me in with something else. And this did just that. Alice has led us through 6 movies before the reigns got handed over to Claire for the “Welcome to Raccoon City” reboot. Now this is a different story. We already met Claire in the other series (live action AND animated) but I guess this serves as a backstory for her and her brother. Yes, there were also a few animated features which proves that once it starts to mutate, there is no stopping it. The next step of the infection to spread will be in the form of a Netflix series in July. This takes place at a later date and doesn’t seem to include Alice or Claire. So we will be following new people. Most of the movies were very good. A couple failed to connect and had me praying to get bitten just so I wouldn’t have to sit through anymore (I’m look at you, “Extiction”). Even the reboot was better than that one— and thats saying something. But the subsequent movies after that 3rd installment made up for the flaws and things improved allowing the ship right its course to finish the story. This new series comes 20 years after the first feature film. We’ll see how it looks and if it can live up the precedents set by the games and other movies. After this long, we have to decide if we are going to break new ground or burn it all down to rebuild. You know fire is one thing we can use against zombies, right? Melanie - I have to say I LOVED the video games back in the day lol ........ Also the pineapple word for this article is Zombie Trailers for the original game - the first movie - and the upcoming series! (Super short apparently)
And Now For The Giveaway Melanie's Muses will be giving away an "Resident Evil" Prize Pack featuring the 4 movie collection, and a Horror wrist band from Jennifer, and a Paperback of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a Warm Bodies Card, and random stickers from the Melanie's Muses Prize Hoard For your chance to win- FILL OUT THE FORM and tell us: What is your favorite Zombie Movie? (As a Bonus Dave and Melanie would like to know if you were turned do you have a TBE (To Be Eaten) List? )
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