Joss Whedon”s Dollhouse continues, written by television-series mainstays Andrew Chambliss (the CW”s Vampire Diaries, co-writer of Buffy Season 9), Maurissa Tancharoen (Spartacus), and Jed Whedon (Dr. Horrible) The Rossum Corporation”s Dollhouse technology has gone viral with a synchronized phone call that wiped the minds of everyone it reached, turning them into mindless killers. Those who avoided the call – including show favorites Echo, Alpha, Mag, Zone, and Griff – must try to survive in the sudden apocalypse and be wary of Rossum”s expansive technological reach. This is only the beginning …

Paperback, First Edition, 160 pages Published April 11th 2012 by Dark Horse ISBN 159582863X (ISBN13: 9781595828637)

I am a fan of the TV series so  I thought I would give this one a try, just out of curiosity. I found that the art and the story were very well put together and detailed and I’d recommend it.

In this story, it’s all out war when anybody who picks up the phone can be turned into a soldier for the bad guys by a high pitched noise that erases their brain function and makes them a fighter body. It gives everybody the look of being zombie-like in character (minus the eating of people) and they are out to kill those that have not been converted.

Nobody is safe, even Dollhouse workers cannot avoid the conversion if they hear the noise.
Echo takes over as many people as possible to fight back, that is, she transfers herself into other people’s brains to take over their body. Some of her bodies die and some make it to the meeting point where they begin to form a resistance group who try to break into the company’s headquarters and take control of the brain-washing technology.

My favorite part about the story was the young boy that gets a computer plate put into his head, and by doing so he can just put a usb port in containing the knowledge he needs and upload it into his brain as required. He learns new languages and fighting skills in an instant. That was completely awesome.

If you have watched the TV series the Graphic Novel is an extension of that, it starts off where the show ends. For those who want to continue on with the characters, this was a fantastic way to do it, just as adventurous and great visuals as well.

Just an end note for those of you that do not know what Dollhouse is – the story or the television show. It’s about a company that uses young people to go on assignments. They hook the “vessel” up to a machine that downloads the software the girl needs to complete the mission into her brain. While she is on her mission she only knows what was downloaded into her, becoming a completely different person. When their missions are complete, they go back to the Dollhouse where they await their next mission and get the physical attention they need from the doctor for any damage that may have happened. They have no recollection of who they are or what happened during their assignments, they become an empty vessel until they are needed again.

Everyone dreams of getting the kiss of a lifetime – but what if that kiss carried some unexpected consequences for the soul? Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers’ souls:

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today’s savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to He…moreThree tales of supernatural love speak about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.

Having come away with mixed feelings following Laini Taylor’s debut YA novel The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I entered into this anthology with slight trepidation, despite glowing reviews, gorgeous illustrations and the presence of a fairy tale-style theme. However, I was very pleasantly surprised, and have come away with a greater appreciation of Taylor’s writing style and her unique handling of mythology.

All three short stories were compelling and beautifully crafted in their own right. The first and shortest tale, The Goblin Fruit, is of course based around Christina Rossetti’s famous poem The Goblin Market, and is a simple tale of temptation and desire. Despite being raised on family warnings against the danger of faerie folk, teenage loner Kizzy risks everything to chance a kiss with the new, handsome boy at school, who is suddenly paying her a great deal of attention.  This story captures effectively, within less than 40 pages, the distinct feeling of longing that dominates an isolated and awkward adolescence, and it’s notably dark ending is to be applauded.

In Spicey Little Curses Such as These, Taylor moves her focus from British to Indian folklore, incorporating the Hindu concept of heaven and hell into a tale of a beautiful young woman who grows up mute due to a curse forced upon her by a vindictive spirit. This was by far my favourite of the three tales, due in large part to the exotic Indian setting, the incorporation of diary entries, and the quite sweet and plaintive romance that featured.

The final and longest selection in the anthology is Hatchling, an amalgamation of the fae concept of a changeling child, and elements of the Zoroastrian faith. Esme discovers, just before her fourteenth birthday, that her mother may have been hiding vital secrets from her, and that her fate and past may somehow be linked to a mysterious race of fanged demons. This tale was in many ways the most graphic and mature of the trio, but Taylor remains suggestive as opposed to provocative, and the content makes for a much more poignant emotional journey for all of the characters.

What I enjoyed most about this collection, aside from Taylor’s often lyrical and poetic style, was the inclusion of moral grey areas for many of the characters. Rather than just sticking with the traditional notion of good vs. evil, as so many fairy tales do, presented here are people whose motives are not always clear-cut and whose loyalties can shift. This made for a much more credible portrayal of human nature, while still retaining the magical essence of a classic piece of folklore or mythology.

Also, it can’t be denied that the accompanying illustrations for each narrative, as crafted by Taylor’s husband, Jim Di Bartolo, are absolutely stunning, and compliment the tales brilliantly. These could potentially make amazing films!!

Lips Touch: Three Times – Laini Taylor

Scholastic Inc.

ISBN – 0545055857

266 pages

Released October 1st 2009

Channel Seven has added perhaps the most vibrant jewel to their crown recently with the introduction of the new program ‘Once Upon A Time.” The premiere was on Tuesday the 15^th of May at 7:30pm.

After months of dangling the carrot with an incredible advertising campaign backed with a fresh, catchy theme song by Kerri Roberts, our wait was finally over. So now that we’ve seen the first episode, what’s the verdict?

The general storyline synopsis I’ll nick from L. Hamre on IMDB (the best place to find out about all things movie or TV related)

Emma Swan gets the surprise of her life when Henry, the son she gave up 10 years ago, arrives on her doorstep. Returning the boy to his adoptive mother becomes complicated when Henry reveals a stunning theory to Emma. Everyone in Storybrooke, Maine is a fairytale character under a curse, and Emma – as the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming – is the one who can save them all. The story unfolds; interweaving scenes of the drama in the sleepy New England town and the inhabitants’ past lives in the world of fairy tales. The timeless battle of good vs evil is ready to begin again.

Probably the first thing that impacted me was the cinematography and post production digital effects; mainly to do with light quality and the way everything looks so clean. Small things like that were the cherry on the top of an already beautiful set and a carefully chosen cast.

Jennifer Morrison, perhaps better known for her role on the medical drama, House, as Dr. Allison Cameron, struts into her role as Emma Swan with the guts of an action hero. We first meet her on a run to pick up a parole violator and between the smart ass lines and the killer heels, she’d won me over before the tag.

As for villains, I’m guessing we’ll have a new queen bitch in town with Lana Parilla, you may know her as Sarah Gavin from 24, but I think her role as the evil queen in Once Upon a Time will thrust her well and truly into the bad girl hall of fame. Her best line ever of, “This is my happy ending,” puts a new spin on happily ever after. I don’t think anybody bothered to ask who’s not happy with the storybook endings. Makes you think.

As for the guys, I’m sure we’ll get a better gist of Prince Charming in the weeks to come, but I think both Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin will be just as interesting to see evolve.

I have a feeling this show will be a non-traditional look at following your dreams and inner strength.

Can’t wait to follow along and let a little magic into my life.

What did you think of Once Upon a Time?

Welcome to Life With Lisa!

School is finally out! I know … what school goes until the end of June? But who cares, it’s over, I’m free, and now I can do whatever I want, pretty much whenever I want!

With all of this free time on my hands, I decided to do a lot of catching up (I hope to read every single book in my shelf by the end of the summer)! Which means, reading and reviewing series that I’ve been meaning to read for a while now, but just haven’t gotten around to them. I find myself having a hard time reading series, just because they do have more than just one book, not saying series are bad, but I just find myself picking up stand-alones, or trilogies.

Do you guys find yourself doing that too? Or is that just me?

The Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard!

*I have read the books 1-7 a year or two ago, but I never wrote reviews. So I hope to re-read, finish and review the entire series, before the summer is over!*

The House of Night Series, by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

*I have read up to book four, but also never wrote reviews! I hope to re-read this series, finish and write reviews on them! The series is a little confusing but I hope to be able to finish them and write a review for each book!*

And the novellas…

The Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead.

*I just started purchasing and reading this series! I have read and reviewed book one, which I loved, so I hope to also finish this series!*

And the final series I want to finish this summer, is the Mortal Instruments series, by Cassandra Clare!

*In this series, I already read and reviewed books one and two, so I hope to continue and finish books three, four, and so on!*

I have tons of reading to do this summer, and I can’t wait to finally get things squared away and be able to dive into these awesome books! Do you have reading goals this summer? Comment down below, and let me know what they are!!

Lisa