The Dragon of New Orleans

The Dragon of New Orleans (The Treasure of Paragon #1) by Genevieve Jack 

Kindle Edition, 350 pages
Published March 5th 2019

New Orleans: city of intrigue, supernatural secrets, and one enigmatic dragon... 

A deadly curse....For 300 years, Gabriel Blakemore has survived in New Orleans after a coup in his native realm of Paragon scattered him and his dragon siblings across the globe. Now a jealous suitor's voodoo curse threatens to end his immortal existence. His only hope is to find an antidote, one that may rest in a mortal woman.
A lifesaving gift...After five years of unsuccessful treatment for her brain cancer, death is a welcome end for Raven Tanglewood. Her illness has become a prison her adventurous spirit cannot abide. Salvation comes in the form of Gabriel, who uses dragon magic to save her.
A harrowing price...To Raven, the bond that results from Gabriel's gift is another kind of captivity. Can Gabriel win Raven's love and trust in time to awaken the life-saving magic within her? Or will his fiery personality and possessive ways drive her from his side and seal his fate?

The Dragon of New Orleans is an exemplary paranormal romance, although it starts off with two people dying. Regardless, it brings all the feelings I like not because of the sex but because Dragons! C'mon! Paranormal Romance is one of my favourite genres, and yes, there is the sexy time if that sorta thing turns you on.

Ravenna Tanglewood is suffering from brain cancer - a bitch, no doubt about it- and she is very near death when a mysterious dark figure appears before her. She thinks Death has come for her and is just a figment of her imagination but, his name is actually Gabriel Blakemore and he has come to save her by giving her his tooth. This is his price to saving someone he deems worthy, in turn, they must be willing to work for him. He's gentle and reasonable and doesn't force anyone really, but if they want to live? They do what he says or not.

A dragon from Paragon, Gabriel Blakemore is dark and drop dead gorgeous with a voice like Clint Eastwood :) There was something about Ravenna that drew him to her and in the course of history, literally, we find out she is descendant of a powerful witch/sorceress. She didn't know that about herself, neither did he, only she had psychic powers before cancer. Her history proves interesting, the paranormal aspect, and New Orleans? I Love. She was fortunate Gabriel saved her. After 3 months they meet again because with his tooth they are bonded moreover, Ravenna's witchy powers become more prevalent. One night she comes close to being raped and he senses something wrong and rescues her yet again. He is protective of his investments because Dragons are like that. They like to sit on and fiercely protect their treasures. Smaug anyone?

What a wild and perilous adventure they embark on! Gabriel needs her like a moth to a flame or something cool and metaphorical like that lol

A witches curse was slowly killing him, draining him of his magic, which if he didn't find a cure, he would die or turn to stone. In the realm of Paragon, there is a mountain and magic. His mother was supposed to be dead because Gabriel thought his uncle Brynhoff (fuckhead) killed her and his brother, Marius, the ruler and king, but Raven and Gabriel portal to that realm and learn that his mother IS VERY MUCH ALIVE and ruling beside Uncle Brynhoff! What an interesting world that was! It was amazing they got out alive but barely.

Back in New Orleans...
We were introduced to Gabriel's brother, Tobias who is the main character in the next book 'Windy City Dragon'. He's a doctor in Chicago. That brings us to why they are living in our world. Let's just say it was Eleanor, their mother who sent them here. And the plot thickens :)

 I Loved It! 5 amazing skulls because dragons duh :P

"The smile he gave her was sexy enough to melt her dress."

About the Author

The USA Today bestselling author Genevieve Jack writes wild, witty, and wicked-hot paranormal romance and fantasy. Coffee and wine are her biofuel, the love lives of witches, shifters, and vampires her favorite topic of conversation. She harbors a passion for old cemeteries and ghost tours, thanks to her years attending a high school rumored to be haunted. Although originally from the Midwest, she adores the beaches of the southeast, where she spends her days with her laptop and one lazy dog.

Waiting for Jon - Funny art

Meanwhile beyond the Wall 😂 #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/5d6ABXoEKN

— Jon Snow (@LordSnow) May 19, 2019

Tormund flirts with Brienne in Game of Thrones. I loved the part in E2S8 when he says "Is the big woman here?" :)
How he came to be called 'Giantsbane' is that he killed a giant when he was young then slept with his wife. He was nursed on her titty for years. Reminding us of Robin and Lysa Aryn. I loved Tormund because he was hilarious right from the beginning. We meet him in the true north beyond the wall at the time of the capture of Jon Snow by the Wildlings. "I smell a crow," he says.

My Review of Shadow of the Fox

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, Emily Woo Zeller 👍👌
Length: 14 Hours and 45 Minutes
Kindle Edition, 416 pages
Published October 2nd, 2018 by Harlequin Teen, Harlequin Audio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Shadow of the Fox is amazing! I love Yumeko-san the Kitsune. Kitsune is a Fox with magic abilities that mostly trick people into seeing things that aren't there. They are demon like but Yumeko isn't a bad kitsune, she doesn't use her powers to harm anyone. She is useful.
The books intrigue begins and ends on a mysterious note surrounding a very young and seemingly ordinary servant girl named Suki, who lived and died in the royal palace chambers of Lady Sitome, the king's concubine, who is also a powerful blood witch. In fact, she kills Suki for insubordination. Now Suki is a ghost aka a Yurei, who sticks around for reasons unknown, probably because she wasn't ready to die, and she wants vengeance on Lady Sitome. It appears the ghost succeeds when the very same handsome flute player she meets, in the beginning, ends up stabbing Lady Sitome in the heart. I thought Shadow of the Fox was so well written, I never saw that coming.

The story takes us on a journey of sorts with Yumeko-sans being entrusted with a piece of a Dragon's Prayer in the form of a small scroll. It is an important piece of paper because Legend has it, that every one thousand years, a mortal is given the opportunity to summon the Dragon and ask to grant 3(?) wishes for good or bad, only the person's heart has to be pure, otherwise the dragon will tear its soul to shreds. Or something like that lol.
There are evil beings who are trying to find the 3 parts of the Dragons Prayer for themselves as well.

Anyway, Yumeko is given specific instructions by her Monk Master to find a certain man in the feather temple in a city far away. He will give her what information she needs, and where to take the scroll. I can't remember the exact names and places off the top of my head, so you just have to bear with me :)

Yumeko encounters lots of trouble with weird creatures who would kill and destroy her. She knows she is being followed. She also meets a couple of travelling companions, who unbeknownst to each other have their own agenda for accompanying Yumeko along her way. Her companions are quite remarkable and if I am not mistaken one of them is the flute player guy that Suki met? I could be wrong. I haven't checked but I am almost certain he is.

The Iron Throne Was Ruined!

Game of Thrones S8: E6 'The Iron Throne'

There will be spoilers

My initial reaction to the final episode of Game of Thrones was extremely disappointing. IDK I felt that the show went downhill faster than a landslide. I swear, in large part, because it replaced logic, with something other than what was right. Did nothing feel right according to Dan and Dave Dumb and Dumber?

They made mistakes and ruined a great show IMO. There are no heroes in D&D's fantasy, only monsters and tyrants. Even the face of Arya as a killer almost makes the Night King look like a hero. I don't care if the cinematics were outstanding, it certainly wasn't the main reason for being a great show. I hate Greyworm for becoming such a brute killer, killing the Lannister soldiers and for taking Jon and Tyrion as prisoners. He should've died in the battle of Winterfell. I am not mad over Cersei and Jamie's death either. I never cared about Jamie fucking Lannister. There was no redeeming him or Cersei and now, Daenerys.


What about Bran ascending the throne? It's just laughable. Bran's story was that he became the Three-Eyed-Raven. Isn't that enough? That he had to be King as well, is just wrong IMO. He had a major story arc making him something other than human. He should have been an Oracle, not the King of The Iron Throne that doesn't exist anymore!??? WTF? 😖 I get that he is a keeper of memories sort of like the boy in The Giver by Lois Lowry, which is cool. I mean, Bran was cool enough that the Night King would spend his entire existence in the pursuit of killing him, so he could erase every single living memory. It still doesn't make much sense but whatevs. The Long Night was a short end to grumpkins and snarks aka White Walkers.
Daenerys' dragon burning the Iron Throne was cool, I mean, it made sense to take his anger out on the very reason that killed her instead of taking it out on Jon. Those swords melting were Valyrian steel baby! Screeeeeech!

I was also extremely disappointed with Jon's character assassination. That took the cake. Everything else didn't matter to me, 'burn them all' for all I care but do not touch my boy, Jon. Bran becoming King felt like a comedy. It was never that. Sure all the remaining characters are happy because they were paid well.

The one thing I relished which is surprising was the death of Daenerys. I wasn't even sad. It was my favourite scene. She wasn't thinking right after burning an entire city to the ground. Jon agonized over the choice he had to make, and in the end, it was the right thing to do. Her lust for power changed her and she snapped, probably because all those who loved her were dead and Jon's love wasn't enough. Why wasn't it enough? I mean she could have conceded to Jon being the one true and rightful heir to the Iron Throne and gave it up out of love for him, but NO!!! What madness!! Ruling together would have been a welcome sight! Just like in the Age of Heroes. When Jon catches her ogling over the iron throne, it felt like she forgot reality basically, like she didn't just burn down a city killing innocent lives. I must admit I do think her Mad like her father because there was no regret or remorse or guilt over what she did. She never thought about the repercussions or what her next move was, she should have at least listened to Jon, but she gave no indication of stopping her tyranny. Jon's advice about forgiving Tyrion and showing mercy to all who didn't want her to be queen didn't matter. Alas, she couldn't and would not do it.
I loved Jon Snow more than I did Daenerys and I was upset when he died in Season 5. Out of all the characters he was the better one so to even think of reducing him to a criminal is incomprehensible. He was so mishandled and I was so disappointed because Jon Snow was my favourite character and they butchered him! Fuck Fucking Fuckers! So for the murder of Daenerys Targaryen Jon had to appease one fucking unsully. Greyworm. Tyrion handled the matter by sending Jon back to the Wall! As if there is a place for him in the Night's Watch! Sam and Jon are the two last remaining members. The show delivers him to the Wildlings making it seem like he's the king in the north like Mance Rayder. Inconsistent much!? Anyway, I'm happy about Sansa becoming Queen of the North/Winterfell but the way it was executed and presented was incredibly shitty. Long may she reign!

This person pretty much sums it up like this:

Arya went West, Jon went North, Drogon went East and the show went South.

This video's perspective on the last season of Game of Thrones is basically how I see things.

Why "Game of Thrones" Final Season is a Massive Disappointment

In my biased opinion, this alternate end demonstrates coherence, a thousand times more than any other imagined ending. It illustrates Tyrion as the hand of the king, one dragon to rule them all,(3 dragons would have been fine too,  although I don't see Tyrion as Targaryen :/) Jon Snow aka Aegon Targaryen as King on the Iron Throne, Daenerys as his aunt/wife/queen/close second, whatever name she wants to be called, quite frankly.

Art credit

I am looking forward to the books ending.

Daenerys is not the Mad Queen!

Warning

I watched Game of Thrones Season 8E5 'The Bells' on HBO Sunday night. I don't like what people are saying about Daenerys Targaryen. Things like 'Daenerys snapped and abandoned all her principles.' Fuck that! In the words of Cersei "It felt good to watch the city burn to the ground" "It felt good to see her entire world fall apart. It feels good...". It was time to settle the score. Neither Cersei nor Jamie cared about the innocent people of their city so why should anyone else? I know the show's writers Dan Weiss and David Benioff are to blame for the internal logic being so messed up. It doesn't make sense anymore.


I felt emotions were high as ever before between Tyrion and Jamie
A little tear ran down my face welling up inside me.

Varys was caught writing a letter to the capital regarding Jon Snow being the rightful heir to the Iron Throne just like Nedd Stark. It felt like Sansa had accomplished what she intended to do about telling Tyrion who Jon Snow really is. Spoiler Alert -Jon Snow is Aegon Targaryen FYI. Sansa broke her promise and divulged the truth to Tyrion who told Varys and well, news travels fast. Dani's claim to the throne was threatened by Varys' betrayal. Dani fought for the throne all her life but all Sansa ever wanted was to be queen. So, when it is all over, who will sit on the Iron Throne?

After hearing what Varys had done, Daenerys burned him alive. Ho hum, it is what needed to be done. I mean, I am not mad because of it nor did I cry.

Dani confides in Jon saying it was as much Sansa's fault for the death of Vary's.  She sought intimacy with Jon who only reassures her she was his queen and that he doesn't want to be King, but that was not enough. She had been alone with her grief for days with nobody to console her. Her trusted advisor, Ser Jorah and close friend, Missandei were all dead. She wanted something deeper than sex.

Tyrion failed to change Dani's mind about destroying Kingslanding. She says she will back away if Cersei surrenders but will she? I'm not mad at her decision. Does anyone in their right mind NOT want Cersei dead? I doubt it. Dragons are meant to destroy things, that is what they do. I am just sorry that Dani lost the other two. Kingslanding smells like dead people and shit anyway. It should've been levelled to the ground a long time ago when Stannis attacked the city and lost the Battle of Blackwater Bay.

Euron Greyjoys fleet and the Golden Company could not protect the city from the Mother of Dragons. Nor could the scorpion machines. I was pleased to see that Drogon knew better to avoid those iron spears. I saw the city being ravished with fire. It was so satisfying to see those ships taken out one by one! The scorpions too! The golden companies leader didn't have much screen time did he. Oh well.

The Dothraki and Torgo Nudho aka Greyworm killed him. Greyworm is out for blood as much as Dani. He wants revenge for the loss of Missandei. I'm not mad about it, in fact, I don't blame him at all. I blame Cersei. Qyburn informs his queen that they should go somewhere safer because they are in danger but Cersei refuses to believe it. She is truly the Mad Queen IMO. I am absolutely fine about what happened to her and Jamie. I am just sad for Tyrion who lost both of them after he tried so hard to save them. I also didn't like Arya getting more screen time. Not again, please. We see her riding off into the distant sky (down the street) amid the rubble and destruction that was Kingslanding, on a pale horse...

I feel the need to mention Varys, Euron, Cersei and Jamie, Sander Clegane aka The Hound, Ser Gregor The Mountain zombie, Qyburn and the leader of the Golden Company were all wiped out. That means Tyrion, Arya, Jon Snow, Daenerys and Drogon, Greyworm, Ser Davos survived this episode and everyone else in Winterfell or elsewhere.

I liked this show more than the previous one, even though I still think the writing is horrible.

My Review of The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publishers Summary:

MY NAME IS KVOTHE I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me. So begins a tale unequalled in fantasy literature--the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

I came to realize the Prologue and Epilogue are written about the same time of night inside the Waystone Inn. Kvothe had red hair which was of some significance apparently. He obliges to tell his story to the Chronicler, Devan Lochees. Both parts end with the same words

..."It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die".

Kvothe is both a legend and a myth. He and his Fae-student Bast, are posing as InnKeepers for reasons I don't know about yet.

Kvothes' story begins when he was a child before he enters University. He was orphaned after losing his parents and his entire travelling troupe on the road. All his life he has made it his business to seek the culprits who killed his parents. He believes them to be The Chandrian because of the 'Blue Fire.'
Patrick Rothfuss' story fluctuates back and forth to the present at the Waystone Inn and is told as a retelling of Kvothe's past to The Chronicler Devan Lochees. It is quite good and interesting. I liked it a lot. I liked both time periods.

Kvothes parents used to be singers and played music. Kvothe learns to play the lute that belonged to his father. One day as he was practicing, his lute strings break. Determined to find new strings in the city, he finds someone who he catches a ride with and climbs aboard a caravan headed for Tarbean.

I thought it was a shame that he didn't earn money by playing his lute but external circumstances prevented it. He becomes a beggar and gets into trouble with another group of kids. Pike breaks his lute, unfortunately. It was all he had left of his parents. He gets pretty beat up too and for the rest of his time in Tarbean, Kvothe is tormented and lives in fear of this kid called Pike. It was brutal living on the streets begging for money but he learns to survive with some luck.

He is taken in by Trapis the monk who cares for the poor and the sick children. Trapis tells a story about Tehlu and Encanis which I found fascinating lol. Living in Tarbean was a dark, unpleasant and painful time for Kvothe. He learned things he never would have known otherwise like Denner resin bleaches your teeth! lol

There are many things and reasons as to why I loved this book and I actually think it is amazing. Denna was Kvothe's love interest and even though she might've liked Kvothe back, she becomes more elusive and difficult to track down when other prospects vie for her attention time and time again. I am quite curious to know what happened to her over the time we don't hear anything from her. She would be an interesting story as well.

About the Author

Patrick Rothfuss was born in Madison, Wisconsin to awesome parents who encouraged him to read and create through reading to him, gentle boosts of self-esteem, and deprivation of cable television. During his formative years, he read extensively and wrote terrible short stories and poetry to teach himself what not to do. Patrick matriculated at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, initially studying chemical engineering which led to a revelation that chemical engineering is boring. He then spent the next nine years jumping from major to major, taking semesters off, enjoying semesters at part-time, and generally rocking the college student experience before being kindly asked to graduate already. Surprisingly enough, he had enough credits to graduate with an English major, and he did so grudgingly. Patrick then went to grad school. He’d rather not talk about it. All this time Patrick was working on “The Book,” as he and his friends lovingly titled it. When he returned to Stevens Point he began teaching half-time while trying to sell The Book to publishers. In the process, he disguised a chapter of The Book as a short story and won the Writers of the Future competition in 2002. This put him into contact with all the right people, and after deciding to split The Book into three installments, DAW agreed to publish it. In March 2007, The Name of the Wind was published to great acclaim, winning the Quill Award and making the New York Times Bestseller list. All this success was wonderful. Patrick eventually had to stop teaching in order to focus on writing, though he screwed that up by having an adorable baby with his adorable girlfriend. He started a charity fundraiser called Worldbuilders and published a not-for-children children’s book called The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle in July of 2010 through Subterranean Press, which was adorable, and seriously isn’t for children. After a great deal of work and a few cleared throats and raised eyebrows from his patient editor, Wise Man’s Fear came out in March 2011 to even more acclaim, making #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Life continues to rock for him, and he’s working hard on writing the final installment of the series.

Website | Goodreads

Arya Does Not Like Heroes

Last night we saw S8E4 -The Last of the Starks on HBO. After the Long Night and the defeat of the Night King, it left casualties to which the remaining characters said farewell to their fallen comrades. I was mostly sad about Theon.

Back inside the castle of Winterfell, Dani declares Gendry to be Lord of Storms End. On the heels of his new status, he seeks out Arya to become his Lady and asks her to marry him. Arya refuses because she has never been a lady, reiterating that's not her, obviously because she is an assassin. Gendry can find another suitable girl I'm sure.

Ever since Daenerys arrives in Westeros she hasn't been herself, in fact, I like her less. Finding out about who Jon really is, seems to have dampened her spirits lately and I don't like that she can't be as happy as everyone else over the idea that Jon is a war hero and everyone respects and likes him, more than her evidently. If she isn't careful she almost seems a little jealous. UGH! However, confronting Jon about his identity reveals her wanting to keep it a secret but Jon needs to tell his sisters, to which Daenerys objects and thinks it is a mistake to tell anyone. She fears to lose the throne? I mean, if that is her biggest problem, then she doesn't deserve the throne. It isn't right of her. Jon adamantly reassures Daenerys that she is his queen and nothing will change that. He doesn't want to be king yadda.

Another thing is Brienne and Jamie. I would have liked Tormund and Brienne to have slept together tbh lol. At least Tormund wouldn't have broken her heart as Jamie did.

The hound says he has unfinished business in King's Landing and is met on the road by Arya who says she has unfinished business as well. I wonder. Does it mean Sandor and his brother, Gregor, will duke it out finally? Does Arya still want to kill Cersei? I am hoping it doesn't come to that and that Cersei and the Red Keep will be destroyed with Dragonfire.

I don't have a clue what will happen to Jon and Dani, to be honest. It looks like one dragon is left as we saw Rhaegal destroyed by Euron Greyjoys fleet. Gosh, what a $#@!

The Long Night Was Dark and Dull

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Game of Thrones S8E3 was definitely the darkest episode and the shortest Long Night ever. I mean without Melisandre it would have been even darker no pun intended and terrible. She lit up the skies and the screen with her magic, setting Dothraki swords blazing with fire. It was kind of sad to see her throw away her necklace and become a 400-year-old woman again.

Arya running through the castle from zombies brought her closer to death as ever before. Now we know Beric Dondarions purpose and why the God of Light brought him back to life time and again.

 "What do we say to the God of Death? - 'Not today'!" 

Still, it was too late for Lyanna, Jorah, Theon, Beric and Edd and where the fuck was Gendry? What happened to Sam? Were Jon and Sam the only two left of the Night's Watch? I am happy no one else died.

I was hoping dragon glass would penetrate deep into the Night King and turn him into a human again and life would all be bright as sunshine. Lol. It was known a long time ago that the Night King was the only thing that needed to be killed. How fanfuckingtastic is that?

However, this episode was dull, listless and uninspiring. I hated that the Night King uses his power to manipulate the weather. It was the most frustrating thing to watch Dany and Jon flying in the storm on their dragons with next to no visibility. They were losing until Arya gains some giant balls and kills the Night King. Danys dragon could not do it. Jon could not do it.

Bran becoming the three-eyed-raven is the main reason the Night King has pursued this long. Nobody wants to kill Bran more and in order to create a perpetual night, it was crucial to erase all of Brans memories.

Dan Weiss and David Benioff's writing the scripts for the last two seasons is not the same as if George R.R.Martin wrote the damn book but there is "a genuine question about the show’s internal logic" and I think we can all agree.