google-site-verification: google935433b691795853.html KRISTY BERRIDGE: 2012-06-17

Saturday 23 June 2012

Danger Mouse

Sometimes I hate Saturday posts. I've barely just finished doing the Follow Friday meme before I drag my tired ass off to bed and then boom, it's Saturday, I have to work and then pull down the post I just put up and a erect a new one.
Yes, I sound like a disgruntled council worker, but truly, on a Saturday, sometimes I'm brain dead and really have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for a decent read for you all. Alas, today is no different. My rather uneventful life has thrown yet another mediocre week at me that I feel obliged not to bore you with. So, in light of the fact that I am truly uninspiring this week, I thought I'd post about a friend who consistently makes me laugh with her urban tales of foreign room mates, and her unashamed deluge into foot and mouth disease.

I'm going to call her "Danger Mouse".
So Danger Mouse has a way with words, sentences recently erupting from her mouth like; 'I'd slaughter an orphan for parents like yours', and 'I'll give you five cents to saw my foot off'. Although, nothing quite beats, 'Agh, my cat scratched my palm and now I look like the Easter Jesus'.
Other stimulating conversations with outsiders have included:

Stranger: 'You should have seen my son when he was born. He was two pounds nothing with long legs like a frog.'
Danger Mouse: 'So did you take lots of photos of him among shrubbery?'. *deftly shows how small baby could have hidden in dense foliage with long spindly legs*
Stranger: *laughs politely, looking for exit*

Danger mouse has also informed a gay man that 'no sucking is allowed', scared the crap out of her boss by hiding in storage cupboards and screaming 'boo' in an effort to see how quickly she can cause angina, and I hear, confused someone who has narcolepsy with a necrophiliac.
Um ... yeah.
I love Danger Mouse. She is a petite showstopper with a seemingly endless stream of irrational thought and an honest to God deranged sense of humour. I'm not sure how I'd cope Monday mornings without her. Thanks, Danger Mouse - for giving me a Saturday blog I can reflect on, knowing there's an excellent chance you might kill me next time I see you in some weird and wonderfully "Dangerous" way.
Happy Saturday all,

Kristy :)

Friday 22 June 2012

Follow Friday #34


Happy Friday everyone!
Yes, it’s that time of week again where bloggers unite to participate in the Follow Friday venture. The idea behind #FF is to promote traffic to your own blog, make new friends with other like-minded bloggers and discuss new and interesting topics each week.
Participating is simple. First you need to follow my blog because I’m totally awesome, then you can follow me on Twitter @kristyberridge (actually you don’t have to do this, it’s wishful thinking), but do follow my blog or assassins will get you …
Then you must follow our illustrious hosts Rachel of http://www.parajunkee.com/ and Alison of http://www.alisoncanread.com/ If you want more details on how to enter your own blog in the follow and hop, all directions are on their webpages
Now, once you’ve followed, check out my answer to this week’s questions and don’t forget to leave a comment so I can do the right thing and follow you back!

This week's question: If you could "Unread" a book which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time, or because it was THAT bad?

My answer: Truthfully, this is a horrid question. You see, I'm an author. So knowing the hard work that goes into writing, editing and publishing a novel means that I cannot ever bad mouth another's written word. Yes, there are some books I feel like dousing in kerosene and lighting up the night sky with, but that doesn't mean I'm going to muddy their efforts in print. 
So, in light of that fact, I have to say that I do like the flip side of this question. And yes, as lame as it sounds I wish I could unread Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga and Stacia Kane's Downside Ghost's series. Why? Because I loved them both so much I'd love to experience them for the first time again. There's nothing quite like the rush of a great book that you simply cannot put down.

Kristy :)

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Book Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

Ever since The Shifter series I have been quite a fan of Rachel Vincent's writing. I fell in love with Faythe, Jace, and Mark but unfortunately Blood Bound has left me a little cold.
Following the story of both Cam Caballero and Liv Warren from first person perspective was to say the least, extremely jarring. For at least the first ten chapters I had a moment where I said to myself 'who the hell am I now?' before settling into the chapter, knowing in just a few short pages I'd be once again be taken by a new perspective. For me as both a writer and a reader, I prefer one angle of first person narrative and then a flip to third person so it's still identifiable who the protagonist of the story is. This is the first novel I've ever read where this has happened, and although I found no fault with the writing itself, this was more than a little distracting.
The characterisation was good. As per usual Vincent delivers a highly intelligent piece with plenty of twists and turns, however, I did at one point find myself flipping through the pages, wondering when all the back and forward bickering dialogue between characters was going to end. Sentences like 'Get a room already' or 'Just shoot the bastard' flew through my head at regular intervals, tampering my enjoyment.
On a much more positive note, I found the entire concept of the book fascinating - Shadow Walkers, Blood and Name Trackers, Jammers, and other supernatural entities with talents for finding, binding, killing or flushing out anyone and everyone to serve the purposes of two major crime syndicates was thoroughly entertaining. Yes, we've all read about the poor bound workers of crime families, sold, bargained, or chastised into slavery under the guise of protecting loved ones etc, but Blood Bound took it to the next level, exploring the depths of the underworld with a new and interesting twist.
Liv and Cam, once lovers and now estranged by certain events of the past and the syndicates they are now bound to, must work together to solve an unspeakable crime - the murder of a mutual friend's husband and the unfolding plot of stolen abilities, human trafficking, and the kidnapping of certain, useful children.
Relying only on their abilities, trust for each other, and the loopholes within their bindings, they are forced to work with some less than savoury characters to prevent an all out syndicate war and hopefully dispel some ghosts from the past.
All in all, I couldn't fault the plot or the writing of Vincent as she cleverly interwove a deceitful tale of love, lust and betrayal. Although the first half of the book was incredibly slow, the inevitable showdown at the end was worth the wait. I give this book three out of five fangs.

Synopsis:
As a blood tracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv's learnt to survive by her own rules.
Rule number one? Trust no one.
But when a friend's daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe. And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam.
A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv is tired of being a slave to destiny. She's ready to play for the forces controlling her world at their own game, no matter what the cost.