What I Want From Castle Season 7

Like me, you're probably gearing up for tonight's premiere of Castle, rewatching the last episodes, reliving the gasp-worthy finale, and maybe making some silent demands to ABC about how the show is evolving.

I love Castle. I'm not worried about where season 7 is headed or how it will affect the show itself. I'm excited to see what they have in store for us and I have confidence that it's going to be great, as always.

No, what I really need from Castle is to see Ryan as a first-time dad.

 

Confession: I have a soft spot for Kevin Ryan.

Rephrase, I adore this character. He cracks me up, I love the camaraderie between him and Javi, he's loyal, he's kind of a goofball but he's smart, he always gets suckered into Castle's stories about curses and zombies, he rocks the sweater vests and three-piece suits. He's not ashamed to do what he thinks is right. In all honesty, what I love most about Ryan is that he is a do-gooder, even if it's not a cool thing to be. (Though, face it, Seamus Deaver makes it cool.)



He's always adorable, and everything leading up to the birth of his daughter was outrageously adorable. His jitters and his doubts about being a good father, trying to prepare and fumbling, and being completely terrified by Cosmo in "The Good, the Bad, and the Baby."

ADORABLE. 

Added with the epically dramatic fact that he and Javier were trapped in a burning building with little chance of escape while Jenny was in labor, that picking the name for their child could have been the last conversation Ryan had with his wife, and Castle's good record of inserting bits of character story for flavor in a generic episode, it crushed me that I never got any hint of how Ryan was handling his new role as a father.

There wasn't a single mention. Zilch. Nada.

WHERE ARE MY DADDY RYAN FEELS?

It baffled and disappointed me. The show did an excellent job of showing Ryan's ever-evolving relationship with Jenny, from her first introduction to the birth of their child, skillfully dropping tidbits in non-Ryan-focused episodes to make it feel natural in the work environment of the show.

After "Under Fire," I was all set for a tidal wave of Daddy Ryan feels. Showing off baby pictures to everyone who will look at them, gushing about how Sarah Grace Ryan is so beautiful and smart, getting new photos texted from Jenny every twenty-minutes because Sarah smiled or waved her hand or fell asleep with her cheek squished funny. Coming into work exhausted because the baby was up all night. Having Ryan constantly startled awake would have been a good gag for an episode. Again, worrying about being a good dad. Realizing that there is nothing in the world he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

Granted, there is a scene after Ryan comes back from paternity leave where he shows off a picture. A scene. Singular. I wasn't looking for another Ryan-centric episode, I just wanted to see how this development would affect him. I anticipated more.

So, ABC, you have a lot to make up for. I expect a great many Daddy Ryan feels this season. You can't leave me hanging on this, because it's messing with my Castle groove. Ryan is the kind of dad who would gush. Like, the Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist kind of gushing.

You can resolve your cliffhanger and send us all on a chase to find Castle, but after that I need a decent look at Ryan as a first-time dad.

I need it.

 

BOOK REVIEW: Strays by Cheree Alsop + Giveaway Winners

This review originally appeared as a booktube review on my YouTube channel. The video is available at the bottom of the post, or you can read it starting NOW! =) 

Strays is the first book in indie author Cheree Alsop's newest YA series, Werewolf Academy. This story is about werewolves who live in secret in the modern world. They live in secret partly because your run-of-the-mill everyday human would be terrified of them, and partly because there's a group actively trying to exterminate them. So yeah. Secret is a good way to go.

This series centers around orphan siblings Alex and Cassie who live full-time in the first and only school specifically for werewolves. Wolves live in packs, so every school year the students are divided into packs to learn to watch out and take care of each other. This was my favorite element of the book. On the one hand, it's very realistic because the packs have become very cliquey. There are specific Alphas and they always pick out the same pack every year -one pack is usually full of brawn, the next brains, etc. This frustrates Alex because he understands the true nature of the pack. It isn't about being the strongest or the smartest, it's about having the best mix of all these characteristics. The qualities of the pack members shouldn't be similar, but dissimilar and balanced. I love the intricacies of the pack politics, if you will, and how Alsop combined them with the more common clique and bully problems of school life.

Another thing I found quite interesting is that Alex, our main character, is not an Alpha male. He is not the leader of any pack. In the natural order of werewolves, the highest rank he will ever hold is second-in-command. Of late, I have been very intrigued by the idea of a story where the main character is more of a sidekick or secondary hero in the grand scheme of things, and this is the closest I've ever read to that.

But things aren't all about cliques and school troubles. Very soon our werewolf boarding school endures more than they're usual amount of trouble when the man who murdered Alex and Cassie's parents sets his sights on the twins.

To Read or Not to Read?

Cheree Alsop is an independently self-published author. I am very picky about the quality of the books I read and so I'm overly cautious when it comes to self-published materials. If you're the same way, don't worry about Alsop. Hers are good quality novels and more people should definitely be reading them.

Strays gets four stars from me, and I'm very interested to learn more about this world of werewolves.

Going in, I must mention that Werewolf Academy is a companion series to Alsop's first werewolf books, called the Silver series. More like a spin-off, set many years later, which retains some of the original cast in supporting or minor roles. The two series seem to overlap quite a bit, but Strays does feed you enough background information that it isn't necessary to read the Silver series first. I didn't, and I enjoyed Strays very much.

Verdict: To Read

Giveaway Winners

Onward! Now that you're all dying to read this book, let's find out who our two winners are!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Congrats, winners! You should hear from me shortly.

Bummed you didn't win? Don't be. I'm giving away another set over on my YouTube channel. All it takes is a like and a comment to enter! This ends Wednesday, Oct 1, so don't miss out. Thanks for playing, everybody!

Did anybody else notice the total number of entries was 42? The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? Because that kind of made my day.

Original Review:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Break ALL THE CLICHES!

"I'm not falling for it," I said when Ward shot Victoria Hand and revealed himself in actuality a Hydra spy.

Right.

Sure he is.

I mean, the blood dripping down Hand's hand was convincing and all, but a few episodes down the road, I knew she'd pop back up alive and well and it will all have been an elaborate ruse to decimate Hydra.

Why? Because the whole oh-look-we've-been-infiltrated-by-the-enemy-and-one-of-our-own-is-actually-a-spy twist is totally cliche. I've lost count of the times I've seen it pop up in a TV show, and it's always a lie. It turns out they were originally planted as a spy but now they've grown to love their former enemy and couldn't possibly betray them, OR it's all a ruse from within to bring down the baddies.

I refused to fall for it this time. Episodes passed, and as Ward and Garrett plotted how to bring Coulson's team down from the inside, I kept waiting for the moment Ward would turn on him. "Nope. Any second Ward's going to secretly contact Coulson and say 'Okay, here's the deal...' "

Because the main-cast character is NEVER ACTUALLY A BAD GUY.

Over the years, I've come to terms with this fact. A good guy might be suspected, they might be planted, they might have been a bad guy who turns into a good guy, but they will never be a real-life, turn-on-Phil-Coulson kind of bad guy. 

Because this supposed traitor is usually my favorite character, I'm generally okay with it. I experience a panicked moment of 'Oh, don't you dare!' and they don't and I'm always glad.


But...but... the possibilities.

In the back of mind, I always wonder, 'But what would happen if they really WERE a bad guy?'  Because, ohmygumdrops, the new ground! The unpredictability.

When Ward killed Agent Eric Koenig and I realized he actually *was* Hydra...yeah, I was surprised. Perhaps slightly devastated. But unbelievably excited.

My mind is racing with all of the things they can do with this new storyline, with the incredible potential for character development. So. Much. DEVELOPMENT.


This was only one of several cliches they went on to shatter in last season's final episodes.

One of my pet peeves about 'cliffhanger' finales is when they leave the main character in a life-or-death predicament and want you to wonder whether they'll survive. Of course they're going to survive. You can't very well have a Rizzoli & Isles without Rizzoli or Isles, or Castle without Castle. So after FitzSimmons' stint on the bottom of the ocean, we're not left to wonder whether or not Fitz will live, because of course he's going to live, he's FITZ! What they make us question is what condition will he be in? Honestly, this is such a better way to leave me hanging. I've fretted the show's hiatus wondering whether Fitz is going to be partially paralyzed, or suffer some short- or long-term brain damage, or- or-

The possibilities are endless. After all, Ward really was Hydra, so I have no idea what kind of gall these writers have. They could do anything, and I am looking forward to the character-building ramifications of it all.

I've enjoyed this show from day one, because it's great fun. #CoulsonLives and then some. But I adore it now because I don't know what to expect. There are certain cliches in television storytelling that everyone falls into, and the writers at S.H.I.E.L.D. are throwing them out the window. Not only is it an awesome expansion of the Marvel universe, with great characters, but as a TV show it's covering new ground. Break the cliches, I say, BREAK THEM ALL.

With the last few minutes of the Season 1 finale, I must admit I thought they ruined the incredible potential for cliche-shattering the writers had begun to build for themselves. 

Really? REALLY?! The moment Garrett 'died', every single person sitting in my living room shouted at the television. "Cut off the head! Cut off THE HEAD!" 
And they were doing so well! They were chopping cliches down left and -

 

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

I don't know about you, but I'm totally ready for whatever cliche-busting they have in store for us this season!

For the Love of Firefly

For the last several years, I've told myself I'm going to do some fun Firefly post on Unification Day -and then I forget. This is a day early, but it's basically a giant I-lurves-Firefly-so-much post.

Favorite Episode:

It's tough to choose. Obviously. But I have always loved, loved, loved Shindig. Mal and Inara, a duel of honor, Captain Tightpants, Kaylee and the poofy dress, the 'good man' speech -it's good stuff.

Favorite Character:

I can't choose. This is more than me being indecisive and horrible at picking favorites.  Every time I watch Firefly, my favorite character is different. First it was Mal, then it was Simon, next it was a constant tug-of-war between Jayne and Wash. Who knows who'll be next?

They all have such strong presence and personality, not just stereotypical, who can be self-contradicting, and they mesh and clash with different people, and there are so many interesting dynamics, and -and -all of the things! 

They don't agree. They're not all moral. They're not all immoral.

There are so many different personalities and views expressed here, and what I like is that no single view is favored. It's a very real and interesting look at how people are. Perhaps the confined space of the ship brings it out, or just the fact that it's an incredibly well-written show, but it is the characters that I love so much.

Firefly made me realize that I adore complicated characters, and it made me realize how much more interesting a story is with characters who clash frequently. Not argue, but clash for genuine reasons. I live for those protagonists who really struggle with things, who are divided, or just want what they can't have.

That is one thing I've always loved about this show.

The One Thing I Wanted to See

Everyone has that one episode or that one storyline they want more than anything to see played out, to know how it would end.

I'm all about conflict and awkward reunions. What I wanted to see was an unexpected crossing of paths between the Serenity crew and Gabriel Tam, Simon and River's father. With a possible connection of Simon's fist to his father's face. Perhaps several.

In the episode Safe, in the flashbacks when Simon tries to convince his parents something is wrong at River's school, I always got the feeling that deep down, Gabriel Tam knew that Simon was right. He knew something was wrong with his daughter, but he chose to believe everything was okay. What kind of repercussions would that decision have? What would happen if he saw River and what they did to her? How would he react? What would he do? How, what, why, why, why?

My feels hurt just thinking about it. Poor River and Simon. At least they have their crew.


I will leave you now to curl up with your favorite episode or take off in hot pursuit of some glorious Browncoat party, because I know some awesome person somewhere is totally having one.

GIVEAWAY: Werewolf Academy by Cheree Alsop

Every once in awhile I get an email from author Cheree Alsop, and every time she's announcing a new book. She is one of the most amazingly prolific writers -never mind YA writers- that I know of, and I'm happy to be giving away even more of her books. Some day, we'll have to get Cheree to tell us how she manages it!

Cheree has just released the first two books of her new series, Werewolf Academy. This is a spin-off of her original werewolf series, Silver. I'm halfway through Strays right now, and I'm having a hard time putting it down. (Honestly, only the thought of someone else getting the chance to enjoy it dragged me away to write this post!) I'll have a review up soon.




Strays:

Werewolves are struggling to survive. Jaze and those who remain of his pack build an Academy to protect the children who endured the genocide. Alex and Cassie arrive as orphans after losing everyone they love. The twins find themselves in a new world where they have to survive the politics and dangers of being a werewolf in a world that wants them destroyed. But outside forces have found them. Can Alex protect his sister and survive the attacks of a man who wants them dead and will stop at nothing to see it happen?

Hunted:

The threat towards Alex and Cassie has intensified. Alex may no longer be safe at the Academy. Drogan will stop at nothing to find him, and the deadly force the Extremist is prepared to use threatens anyone Alex is with. Can Alex find the reason for the attacks and stop Drogan before everyone the werewolf cares about is in danger? Alex has to find the source of the questions that have put both his heart and his life on the line, but the answers might be more than he is prepared to accept.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
For those of you leaving comments, let's have you answer this completely random question: Would you rather be a werewolf, a unicorn, Godzilla, or a master of disguise who could pass off as all three?

Good luck, everyone!

Cheree Alsop is the author of several young adult series, featuring everything from werewolves to angels to superheroes. What more could you want?
You can find her all over the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter |
You can also find her books at Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords |

BOOK REVIEW: The Hangman's Revolution by Eoin Colfer (W.A.R.P. bk 2)

This review originally appeared as a booktube review on my YouTube channel. You can watch the original or read the text review below.

This sequel was five times better than the first book, The Reluctant Assassin *. And I really liked the first book.


There were two things that I absolutely loved about it. I mean, aside from the great story, fun characters, and hilarious banter.
 
One: W.A.R.P. stands for Witness Anonymous Relocation Program and -surprise, surprise- we're dealing with time travel. In the Hangman's Revolution especially, Colfer turns the whole time travel thing on its head. Time travel is hard to write, boys and girls, because you can't please everybody. There's always someone who nitpicks about how something doesn't add up because it would effect the time stream or it's paradoxical or something. There are many different types or theories of time travel and they don't always agree. Someone is always going to have a problem with something when there's time travel. But Eoin Colfer anticipated this.

"Time travel creates chaos, and chaos doesn't follow your rules. That's why it's called chaos, dummy."

The book is full of similar quotes by Charles Smart, Colfer's inventor of time travel, and come on people, you have got to give him props for that. He takes the biggest issue with time travel fiction, and he turns it into a recurring joke in the book.

Now that's not to say that Colfer skimps on the actual time travel stuff. He doesn't brush the logical aside with a joke. Not at all. The effects featured all make sense, and it's a really clever use of the time travel story.

Two: OTTO MALARKEY.

I love Otto Malarkey, King of the Battering Rams gang, and I have ever since I first read about him. One of the great things about this character is that he's a carry-over from Colfer's novel Airman (which is also really, really good). Otto showed up in The Reluctant Assassin and I cherished and relished every moment of his presence. He quips, and he beats people up, and he's totally obsessed with his hair. He had a bit part in the first book, which was great, but I figured it would kind of be a one-off thing, so the moment he walks into this book my reaction was something like

 

To Read or Not to Read?

Okay, so great story, awesome characters, the reunion of our spunky heroine and favorite assistant magician/assassin, and some lovely mucking about with time travel.

Unlike the first book, I was sucked into this story from page 1. Starts right off with a bang, and really doesn't let up. It's full of Colfer's true-to-form action, wit, and adventure, and I didn't realize just how much I'd been missing that. 

I also got to see a little more into the heads of Chevie and Riley in this book, which I really enjoyed. I am hoping that the next book delves much more heavily into Riley. He's the most interesting character to me, and I would love to see more from him.

The one thing that didn't ring 100% true for me was the villain. He was more the calm and calculated, 'everything must be reasonable' type, and I just didn't really feel it. I did enjoy the minor villains much more, so they kept the evil side interesting for me.

I have seen many one-star reviews for this book due to no character development. I'll be honest. There really isn't any character development. The characters have great personality and interaction, the story is fast-paced, and there's so much action that I didn't really notice the little growth of the characters. So yes, there is a lack of character development in the book, but the book itself isn't lacking.

This one gets five stars because I enjoyed every moment and the pages flew by. What really had me squealing with fangirl glee was Otto Malarkey and how much Colfer twisted history around.

Verdict: TO READ. 

*You can find my review for The Reluctant Assassin in text and on video.

Reading Rocks: The 'True' Identity of Jack the Ripper, NUMB3RS, and DNA Profiling

I sat down to my computer Sunday morning to write today's blog post and -lo and behold, in my Facebook news feed, someone has discovered the identity of Jack the Ripper!

Maybe. Supposedly.

Russell Edwards, amateur Ripper sleuth and author of the upcoming Naming Jack the Ripper (release date Sept. 9), claims to have proved the identity of the most infamous serial killer in recent history, with actual forensic evidence pulled from one of the crime scenes, no less.

Take this with a grain of salt, of course, considering nearly every article I've read about this has bracketed the word proved with the ever-skeptical quotation marks and doubtless the wide-eyed sarcasm that always accompanies a pair of air quotes.

Edwards bought a blood-stained shawl at auction that supposedly came from one of the Ripper crime scenes -the murder of Catherine Eddowes- which was apparently never washed or cross-contaminated in 126 years. DNA pulled from the shawl has been 'matched' to descendants of the victim, Eddowes, as well as the man Edwards purports is the true Ripper, a mentally disturbed hairdresser named Aaron Kosminski, one of the original suspects in 1888. 

Dr. Jari Louhelainen, who tested the forensic evidence for Edwards, has not yet revealed the methodology of the DNA testing he used, and I have yet to find any specifications on it. With the book's release date only two days away, I can see why they're being tight-lipped about that. "You want to know? Buy the book!"

I've decided to add my two cents to the online frenzy. I'm not a Ripper expert or an amateur sleuth or scientist, so why? As a testament to the power of reading, my friends.

People always say you can learn tons from books. Not that I've ever disputed this, but I've never been a great reader of non-fiction. Talk about the Big Yawn boring. This year, though, I have made an effort to read more non-fiction and, as I skimmed through stories about this Ripper discovery, I realized that I actually had two cents to add because of the NF book I'm reading right now. The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: Solving Crime with Mathematics by Keith Devlin and Gary Lorden is written for the most part in everyman terms, so even I can grasp most of it (and math and science have never been my strong points). Just last night I was reading up on the chapter about DNA profiling.

Talk about timing right?

I've always assumed the margin for error in DNA profiling is astronomical, otherwise it wouldn't be such an effective forensic tool. To a point, this is true. It all depends on how many markers you're testing, and the more the better. Tackled in pages 89-104, I learned that testing nine identifying markers of a DNA sample against a database of 65,000 yielded 144 separate matches.*

As I said before, mum's the word as to the methods Louhelainen and Edwards used to match DNA, like just how many markers they used. The fact that Kosminski was already a suspect increases the probability of the DNA match in general, but if they only tested six or seven markers, the odds would greatly decrease for a true match because so many other samples could have those same six or seven markers.

In reading through these articles about the 'identified' Ripper, a lesson my dad always taught came back to me: "Never believe statistics."

Why? Because a statistician knows how to twist the statistics to show what he wants you to see. 

I once saw the statistics that proved sharks are not as dangerous as people think, because more people are killed by vending machines than by sharks. See? Here is statistical proof. Sharks are just misunderstood majestic creatures with lots of sharp teeth. It's all well and good until you realize that people have way more exposure to vending machines than they do to sharks, something the statistician fails to point out.

The same idea applies here.

On the whole, I think Edwards and his publisher have accomplished a great marketing ploy. The number of markers tested, the possibility of sample cross-contamination in the lab, the likelihood that the shawl was never washed or contaminated in 126 years -all of these questions have flooded the Internet to dispute or argue the claim. Everyone has a theory. Nobody, as far I've seen, actually believes that this forensic 'evidence' is going to hold up. And you know most of them are going to grab a copy of this book to see whether the methods of Edwards and Louhelainen are infallible or not. I know I want to.

I don't know, this was just a single instance where something I read has made me think, has sent up a cautionary light in the back of my mind.

Reading is fun. Reading is informative. I've felt very intelligent while reading The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS just because I could understand a good deal of it, but the fact that I've been able to implement some of this new knowledge into actual practice just proves the intelligence gained isn't completely imagined.

So, yeah. Reading rocks, guys.

*Don't lose complete faith in this form of forensic evidence. At ten markers, 'a few' matches were found; at eleven and twelve, only one person was a DNA match, and that turned out to be a sibling. Done right, this is still an effective tool in the crime-solvers arsenal.

Pecksniffian: An Author's Highest Honor

Pecksniffian.

This is an actual word. I'm not making it up, I swear. I can't even remember where I first heard it, but I do remember thinking whoever invented it might have been sniffing glue. 

The word's true origin is a way better story.

Pecksniffian: Uncuously hypocritical (Merriam-Webster)
                Affecting benevolence or high moral principles. (Oxford English)

This word is derived from the name Seth Pecksniff, a character in Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit. This, I think, is one of the highest honors society can bestow upon an author.

Book sales are great. Seeing your name in huge print on the cover of your baby would be wonderful, and listening to readers tell how your words affected their lives would be amazing. 

But for one of your characters to have such a huge impact on society in general that they turn his name into an adjective, that the easiest way someone thinks they can relate a real world situation to their peers is to use your character as the ultimate example?

That is a true success for a writer. 

I'm not ashamed to admit I want this to happen to 'Rodney'. How fun would that be?

"Don't be such a Rodney, Adrian," Sharona could tell Mr. Monk. "It's just a little dirt."

"Quit the Rodney freakout, Indy," Marian Ravenwood would complain, "They're snakes."

"Sorry I Rodneyed," I might say, red in the face after fleeing from a bumblebee.

It could happen, right?

BOOK REVIEW: Dark Dancer by Jaleta Clegg

Steampunk fairy land.

That is what first drew me to this book, and it didn't disappoint. There are elves and pixies, mushroom fairy rings, magic, and machines. The world Clegg has created here is fascinating, part traditional fairy folklore, part steampunk.

(Strictly speaking, 'steampunk' isn't a completely accurate description, as steam isn't really what powers the machinery. It's better than that. Clegg went and invented a whole new 'punk' genre: Magicpunk.)
 
This blending of steampunk-style machines with magic was my favorite element of the entire book because it works. The steampunk and the magic aren't in conflict with each other, but symbiotic. Granted, there is some repercussion in the world because of this symbioses, but that's just a plot bonus. Clegg found a way to make something new out of the two elements, rather than to try holding on too hard to their traditional connotations.


My fascination with Clegg's world doesn't stop with the magicpunk. There's an interesting twist on the old English feudal system going on with the politics here, bindings and oaths, and a natural order of the fairy land tired of being ignored. There is so much about this world to learn, the pages go by fast.


The story itself is mainly plot driven, but interesting enough to keep my interest. The main character, Sabrina, learns she is the answer to a prophecy in the fairy land, and everyone wants her allegiance. Or her death. There doesn't seem to be anyone she can trust, except maybe the dashing elf outlaw pirate captain on board his airship. Yep. Dashing elf outlaw pirate captain. If Dark Dancer didn't have you at 'steampunk fairy land', Captain Joren and his airship should pull you in.


Aside from Captain Joren, there's a whole fun band of characters -including a rather short-tempered pixie, a personal favorite of mine. I did wish I could have gotten better acquainted with them all. Being primarily plot-driven, it didn't delve too deeply into character development or back story, which I would have really enjoyed. I got the same feeling with these character as I did when I first watched 'Serenity' before ever seeing 'Firefly' -namely that there's a great cast of characters, full of fun rapport, but you've caught them in the middle of something, and it would be better to find the beginning.
 
Bonus points to Clegg because this story presented the perfect trappings for a love triangle, or at least dual love interests, but she resisted, and the book was definitely better for it.


I wish Sabrina -and myself- had more of a chance to become better acquainted with the fairy land. A lot of what she learns about the world and its people is second-hand or from a distance. A sequel or companion novel to explore more of the world wouldn't be remiss, though isn't necessary. Still, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

To Read or Not to Read?

While there was a lack of character development here, I think the fascinating world balanced it out. (I'd still love to see some more background info on Joren, like how Mikkle is previously acquainted with him, etc.)

The ending wrapped up the main story, but I still had questions. There were elements stretching back as far as Sabrina's childhood that weren't entirely answered, at least to my satisfaction.

The world building was steady, but not suffocating or overbearing. Clegg also managed the story well, balancing two villains and half a dozen conflicting sides throughout the story. The book is short and sweet, goes by fast, and leaves a sweet aftertaste of pure guilty pleasure reading. (Did you catch the bit about the elf pirate?)

Dark Dancer by Jaleta Clegg gets 3.5 stars, and is definitely a fun read.

Don't miss Jaleta Clegg at Salt Lake Comic Con September 4-6!


Find Jaleta online:
Website | Blog | Google+

Check out more of her books
Amazon | Smashwords