Book Review: The Last Thing I Remember

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The Last Thing I Remember, by Andrew Klavan, is a great book.  Years ago I saw it advertised in the CBD Magazine, and thought it looked interesting.  Now, last week, while I was loading my arms full of books, I found it on the shelves in the Teen section. Little did I know when I picked it up just how good it would be...  XD

Charlie West is a pretty normal kid... aside from the fact that he's a black belt in karate.  Everything is fine- he goes to school, gets good grades, practices his karate,  and plans to be an Airforce pilot.  The last thing he remembers is writing down the number of a girl he likes on his hand... everything was going great.

The next thing he knows, Charlie finds himself waking up, strapped to a chair in an empty room, bruised and bloodied all over.  And, just outside the room, he can hear the voice of a man ordering his death.

Somehow, seemingly overnight, his world has been turned upside down.  How did he get here?  Why do these men want him dead?  And, most importantly, how is Charlie going to escape alive?

This book is clean, engaging, and very exciting.  It's a Christian book, and the character Charlie is a young man of excellent character.  Some people who read the book expecting a secular conspiracy adventure novel have found the book to be a little preachy, but to a Christian it's perfect.  It portrays a young teen as he makes his way through the world, but manages to keep his purity and follow God's Will.  Charlie is a great role model- and on top of that, he's a really enjoyable character.  In fact, in my opinion, he's one of the best male literary heroes ever.  :) 

There is a bit of violence, for those who are very sensitive to that sort of thing.  But it is very clean violence, and no unnecessary gore is described.  I can't wait to read the second book.  

This book gets a full five stars from me- and even more!  :)  

-Rayne Speryll

Back-to-Back Book Review: Hero | Glint

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Hello, my readers!  Greetings to you.  :)  Today I will be reviewing two books, both of which were very, very good.  

First, we start of with Hero, by Mike Lupica.

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Hero

By Mark Lupica

Zach Harriman has always thought of his father as a hero.  As personal adviser to the President of the United States, Tom Harriman is known throughout the country as the Troubleshooter.  His missions take him all over the world, often engaging him in 'dangerous diplomatics'.  Little did Zack know how dangerous his father's job really was.  

When his father suddenly dies in a plane crash, Zach finds out all too late that his father was no ordinary man- he was superhuman.  Now his powers have been passed down to Zach, and the young fourteen-year-old in thrown into a world he never knew existed.  The men who killed his father now want him very much alive, and it is up to Zach, and Zach alone, to find out why.

This book was exciting from the very beginning.  And, as soon as it draws you in, you'd better hang on for dear life; because if you don't, the Bads just might catch you!  

Filled with a perfect mix of action, intrique, and character development, this book is fast-paced and easy to read.  It keeps you guessing  as to who the bad guy is to the very end.  Even I was surprised!  

There were one or two instances where the Lord's name was taken in vain, but that was all.  Other than that, it is a very good book that maintains its innocence while keeping the plot exciting.  William Goldman, the author of The Princess Bride  praises it highly!  :)  

This book definitely gets my approval and recommendation.  A must-read for any superhero fan!

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Glint

By Ann Coburn

This exciting book details two parallel stories.  On one end is a fifteen-year-old girl named Ellie, who's younger brother mysteriously disappears- and she may be the only one who can find him.  As the police work in their own way, Ellie sets out an a quest of her own, spiraling through the depths of her home town in a desperate attempt to find her brother.

Meanwhile, in another world, and another time,  a young girl named Argent sets out to rescue a kidnapped baby dragon before it's too late.  In order to do so, she much trek across the dangerous terrain alone, and find out who the real enemy is.  If she fails, not only is the dragon's life at stake, but her own future.

This book was riveting, even though I know that phrase is rather cliche.  However, no other term could describe it so accurately.  It was a true page-turner.  For hours, I sat huddled on the couch, my heart beating like a drum.  The story had so many twists and turns... literally, a spiraling plot.  It was filled with suspense and mystery all the way through.  Argent's story is a great fantasy story, and Ellie's a fantastic modern mystery.  My particular favorite one, to my surprise, was the modern one.  Usually I favor medieval fantasy to the real world, but in this case it was different.  Ellie's story was fascinating.  And, like in Hero, it keeps you guessing at who is friend, and who is foe.  And the ending!  Oh... the ending.  It was incredible.

This book is a little more mature than Hero.  At the moment, I don't remember any swear words, but there are some rather intense parts.  Ellie travels through the depths of her city, and encounters many people brought low by life- including druggies (not directly), immigrants, thugs, the homeless, and the mentally challenged.  There is one scene where a character references different types of drugs, but it is only in warning of what may happen if those drugs are used.
A bit of light romance is mentioned, but it never happens on-screen.  Just a warning to any who are opposed to such things.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves mystery and suspense of any kind.  In fact, I more than recommend it.  Find it.  Read it.  ;)

-Rayne Speryll

Rayne's Comedy Hour: Episode II

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Good day, ladies and gentlemen- and welcome to the second airing of Rayne's Comedy Hour: Entertainment Just For You!  Witty, hilarious, and always-family-friendly, kick back and relax as we "bring the party to you"!  XD

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-Rayne Speryll

(DISCLAIMER:  I am by no means the owner of any of these images.  All credit goes to those who do own them, and my thanks to you for creating them.)

My Illustrations and Artwork

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I've finally been able to upload some of my OWN artwork for you.  :)  So here are a few illustrations of my fanfictions, and other stories that come to mind.  I hope you enjoy it!  Let me know what you think in the comments.

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This is a portrait I did of Nightlight, my favorite character from The Guardians Series.

(I apologize for the poor quality of this one.  I couldn't crop it very well.)

And this is a portrait of my fanfiction character Tahlia, from The Legend of Korra.  You may remember her as a little girl from my earlier fanfiction Losing You.  This is the adult version of her.

This is an illustration of one of my father's sermons.  He was teaching that during the hardest times of our lives, we may think that God wasn't there.  Maybe even that He was working against us.  However, when we look back, we often find that those things that happened were merely protecting us from something even worse.  Even through our darkest hours, Jesus is right beside us, guiding us- even when we can't see Him.

These next three tell the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You'll have kind of tilt your head for the first one...  sorry. ;)

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Rayne Speryll

Updating and Artwork

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Salutations, my readers!  :)  I had hoped to have some of my own artwork scanned today, but alas, I am to busy.  I had been intending to show you some illustrations for some of my fanfiction characters that I've explored here.  However, since I cannot, I have decided to share some other artwork with you.

The following images I found on DeviantArt, and would like to thank the talented artists who created them.  :)  The pictures are so beautiful that I had to share them with you.  Let me know what you think!

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From "The Guardians"  This is an image of Pitch and his daughter, whom I (and many others) call Seraphina.  It's so cute and warm, despite the dark colors used.  Now I can totally see The Guardians series as an anime show.  :D

This one is done by the same artist, and is based on an illustration by William Joyce from the books.

Now here are some cute ones of Thor and Loki as children, along with their mother.  :)  Alas... that this sweet innocence did not last...

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That's all for now.  Unfortunately, I don't know the artists who did these last few.  Nor do I have more time to find more art.  

Until next time!

-Rayne Speryll

(Images used are by artists Roseandthorn from DeviantArt, and various others I do not know.)