Book Review: The Feast of the Drowned (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #8)

The Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up ★★★★★
format: audiobook
genre: science fiction

disclaimer: For some reason, I repeatedly typed the title out as "The Feast of the Damned" which is why the url is like that. Sorry!

summary:

If you ever wanted an episode of Doctor Who, but every character is played by David Tennant, this audiobook is for you! The Feast of the Drowned is a short adventure about the Tenth Doctor and his companion Rose, who investigate a sunken Naval ship that Rose's friend's brother was on when disaster struck. After the sinking, ghostly apparitions of the victims begin appearing to their families, begging for help before "the feast."

pros:

• The audiobook is narrated by David Tennant, who reads the story with all of his enthusiasm and David Tennant-isms. It's funny listening to him jump from his native Scottish accent, to the Doctor's British accent, to a minor character's American accent, and back again. I think it would be impossible to be bored during anything read by him. I'm sure I would have gotten much better grades in school had my textbooks been narrated by him.

• I liked the spooky, mysterious story. It was a bit gorier than an episode of Doctor Who, though not in an overwhelming, horror way.

• There was a strong cast of new supporting characters.

cons:

• There wasn't much I could find wrong with this, except for my normal amount of annoyance at Mickey. It seemed like he was just sorta there, and that they plot could have been carried easily enough without him.
  
  

Sorry, Mickey.

overall thoughts:

This was a short, fun listen! I did pay $4.99 for it on iTunes, and while it was worth it, the price for such a short audiobook does not have me in too big of a rush to buy the rest of the books in the series, but I'm sure I will continue to listen to these in the future.

review cross-posted: Skyler St. Clair on Goodreads & Skyler's Bookshelf Reading Blog

applicable challenges:

Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge - Borrowing (a book with a character from a different book - The Doctor)
SFF Virtual Badge Collection - The Monster Badge

Book Review: Baby Got Bite

Baby Got Bite by Maz Maddox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

rating: 4 stars ★★★★☆
format: ebook
genre: fantasy (paranormal), m/m romance

summary: This is a lovely bite-sized story about a vampire who has been hiding in his coffin after a bad break up in the nineties (admit it, we've all been there). He hates Halloween but agrees to go to a Halloween party that an attractive Starbucks barista invites him to. Somehow, I still can't escape "The Siren" while at home, trying to enjoy not making froofy drinks all day. It turns out, the barista is not all that the vampire, who goes by the alias "Vincent" after the Pulp Fiction character, thought he would be. Vincent finds it hard to fit in due to his 90's catch phrases and lack of current pop culture knowledge. He leaves the party and finds a man named Ben smoking outside. He's dressed like a character from "Clerks" and is sweet and accepting of Vincent and his quirks. They go back to Ben's place and, well... I'm sure you can guess the rest.

pros:

• BODY POSITIVITY! I was absolutely thrilled when Ben was described as being a little on the "softer" side, no six pack and head-to-toe model physique that it a very common trope in m/m romances. Yet, Vincent sees him as sexy, irresistible man. Every time I read more of Vincent's thoughts about Ben, the smile on my face grew wider.

• This story had me giggling from beginning to end. Vincent and his banana costume and his social awkwardness could have been uncomfortable to read, but it was written in a way that made Vincent very endearing. I felt for him as he struggled to fit in with the hipster crowd. The humor was clever and not too over the top. My favorite line embodies the overall feeling of the story: "I leaned over, my banana suit squeaking sexily as I did." In addition, there was the protagonist's casual references to murdering people and drinking their blood.

• I loved both Ben and Vincent. They had great chemistry and I want more of them!

cons:

• It ended a little too early for my liking. Right when things were about to get exciting, that was it. Cliffhanger. I was looking forward to the resolution that never came.
  
  

overall thoughts: This was a fun (and free, from the author's website) read from beginning to end. I would recommend it to anyone who likes humor, great characters, and a touch of steamy romance.

Review cross-posted: Skyler St. Clair on Goodreads & Skyler's Bookshelf Reading Blog

Applicable challenges:
Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge - Favorites (a book with your favorite color on the cover) - purple

SFF Virtual Badge Collection - The Uncovered Diamond Badge

SFF Virtual Badge Collection Reading Challenge 2021

This is where I'll be keeping track of my Spells & Spaceships (how cute is that name, by the way) SFF Virtual Badge Collection reading challenge books. I love the twist on BINGO reading challenges and the graphics for the badges are wonderfully done.

year participating: 1st
rules/limitations: none
hashtags: #sffbadgecollection

• The Artificial Intelligence Badge: This badge is acquired by reading a book featuring artificial intelligence, or 'A.I.'
• The First Contact Badge: If humanity met extraterrestrial life for the first time in this book, pin that badge proudly!
• The Space Opera Badge: Make sure to add this weirdly tasty looking badge to your collection by reading a book set in space, or on other planets.
• The Epic Fantasy Badge: Epic fantasy usually involves a quest to solve a problem affecting the whole world or universe, making it particularly epic in scale. Epic fantasy usually has multiple main characters and a grand story.
• The Non-Human Badge: Get a hold of the Non-Human Badge by reading a book in which the protagonist or one of the main characters isn't a human being.
• The African Inspiration Badge: A book inspired by Africa, its culture, history, or people.
• The Monster Badge: The Feast of the Drowned (Doctor Who New Series Adventures #8) by Stephen Cole
• The Debut Badge: Read an author's debut novel to unlock this badge.
• The SPFBO Badge: A popular event many readers look forward to each year. The Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off, hosted by Mark Lawrence, whittles down around 300 self published fantasy books each year, to 10 finalists. To earn this badge, read a book that made it to a SPFBO final, past or present.
• The Big Battle Badge: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• The New Release Badge: To earn this badge is simple–just read a book released in 2021!
• The Animal Companion Badge: Get yourself The Animal Companion Badge by reading a book featuring a character that is buddies with an animal. Cute.
• The Big'un Badge: If you're reading a physical copy, you may need some help to carry it! Complete a book that is over 600 pages to earn this badge.
• The Asian Inspiration Badge: Claim your Asian Inspiration Badge by reading a book inspired by the culture, history, or identity of Asia.
• The Uncovered Diamond Badge: Baby Got Bite by Maz Maddox (64 ratings)
• The Dragon Badge: If the book has a dragon, the badge is yours.
• The Big Screen Badge: If a book has been adapted for TV or film–or if it's in the works–get it read and earn your big screen badge.
• The Sea Setting Badge: Read a book that is set at sea, or in which most of the story takes place on the water.
• The Standalone Badge: This badge is awarded to readers who complete a book that has its story wrapped up in one book; it is not part of a wider series, trilogy, or duology.
• The Post-Apocalyptic Badge: This badge can be gained by reading a book with a post-apocalyptic or a dystopian setting–the world is on the decline, life isn't good. Those that remain are just trying to survive.
• The Collector 2021 Badge: Collect them all + read a book of your choice to unlock the prestigious collector badge.

books completed: 3/21
date completed: