A Real Home (Christian Adventures Of Phipps School Book 1)
Sections of this page. Email or Phone Password Forgotten account? See more of Lisa Phipps on Facebook. Contact Lisa Phipps on Messenger. Gibbs Red Angus Agricultural service. Jordan Volunteer Fire Department Non-profit organisation. Volunteer Mississippi Public service. Alex Crane's Vintage Photos Photographer. In the end, I enjoyed the novel deerly , and I'll hunt for the sequel. Despite all those terrible deer puns ; May 10, M.
Gibson rated it really liked it. I know CT Phipps and I was given the audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review. You with me so far? Without going into too many specifics, Jane is from a long line of shaman weredeer shifters. She has the ability to read objects and see psychic images. Kinda like Jeff Goldblum in that 80s movie with Cindi Lauper. Using her abilities, Jane and her rag-tag Scooby gang a la Veronica Mars or Buffy team up with a FBI Wizard and mega nerd, and go up against ancient spirits, local drug lords, mercenaries, magical beasts, ancient sins, and The Big Bad Wolf.
Trust me, it makes sense in context. She faces them in true heroic fashion which any fan of the urban fantasy genre will applaud. That being said, I do have a new criticisms. First with the structure, as it felt like there was a a SNAFU with the end of the second act, being more like a third act, then late introduction to a pivotal character, and THEN the real third act.
Now, I like the jokes and the slew of Sci-Fi geek references, but the tipping point comes when the entire cast of characters quote things that no 18 year old would say, or know, or cherish. Lastly, this book does cover humans dealing with the reality of real-wold monsters, and said integration into society. The social-political impact is real and warranted considering the current time and climate.
More so, it seems that certain things are said only for a character to call it out and move on. But these are my issues, and in no way should prevent someone else from reading the book. I look forward to the sequel and the overall integration into The United States of Monsters world. View all 7 comments. Jun 18, Timy rated it liked it Shelves: Phipps in exchange of an honest review.
The full stuff can be found on my blog as well: The story is set in a small town in Michigan called Bright Falls, after the Revelation — the vampires decided it was time for a coming out and humanity had to face the reality of the supernatural. Michigan is one of the few places where shapeshifters can live in peace without being hunt down without any reason.
Although the Actual rating: Although the focus of the story lies elsewhere this conflict itself would be worth a novel. So Jane lives in Bright Falls and she wants to get as far away from it as she can get. Or so she thinks. In the shapeshifter society every race has its own role to play: The government laid out new laws regarding the freshly arisen situation and things are still rocky and uncertain.
Hence, not everyone is happy with how things are. I give you a moment to process this: Emma begs to Jane to help her find out what happened using her physic abilities. She agrees more to help his brother than care for Victoria. Nonetheless she ends up flank deep in the investigation and the mystery surrounding the Darkwater Preserve, while everyone ends up dumping long kept secrets on her. The pace of the book is a bit uneven, sometimes you wish the characters would move on from standing around and exchanging snarky comments and puns.
Although the humor saves it and there are some really clever deer puns added. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like the author tries too hard to be funny and witty or explain the joke wich totally ruins the effect it could have. Also, there were too many pop cultural references for my taste, and while it might appeal for the geeky types out there, for me it was overdone. I especially liked the banter between Maria, Emma and Jane.
Maybe in book 2. And since we are talking about characters. They are the weak points of the book. By the end Jane grew on me with her snarky, sarcastic comments her calling herself racist about every two page in one of the chapters really ticked me off though , and because I could absolutely sympathize with her on this: I want to be someone who matters.
That requires being more than just a person who eats leaves three days a month. However, I struggled to feel anything for Emma or Jeremy or the others. And they all had some crappy memory to carry with themselves too. I Was A Teenage Weredeer works with stereotypical characters — all women are gorgeous, except our MC of course, all the males are handsome or at least those who have important roles — which would be cool, if it managed to put on them a twist which would make them interesting enough.
Sure, every one of them is a shapeshifter or a mage, has their Gifts and own dark or not so dark secrets, but that hardly makes it easy to tell them apart from each other. However, it should be noted that there are a lot of serious topic being discussed underneath the YA-ish surface: Also has thoughts like this: It is a nation founded on the principles of equality and democracy but built with slavery as well as genocide.
We must acknowledge both sides of our heritage to forge the future. I Was A Teenage Weredeer is a rather light, fun read with pop cultural references from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Buffy and many others fan probably will deerly love and enjoy. Those who like YA will find this an enjoyable read with a snarky heroine, several supernatural species and a mystery that holds a few twists. Underneath the cheesy, sarcastic surface however, are some thoughts which sets this book apart from the typical YA crowd. Plus the fact it has weredeers!
It has that effect on you whether you liked it or not. View all 6 comments. Jun 07, The Drowsy Bookworm rated it really liked it Shelves: I thought the narrator did a good job voicing all the different characters, from a crimelord dragon shifter to vampires, werewolves, teenagers with New York accents, etc. It was easy to listen to and the story moved at a swift pace. The plot itself contains many elements: Thus begins the unrelenting cycle of events that unfold throughout the book. The story takes a lot of turns, and we learn quickly not to take everything at face value.
One of the characters is constantly quoting sci-fi movies. Overall I enjoyed the story. It was something different, and I love any book that treats supernatural beings and magical occurences as completely normal so that we can enjoy the fun of it rather than dwell on its unlikelyhood. I received a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
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Jul 07, Aubrey Law rated it really liked it. Imaginative and fun story. Jun 21, Paul Lavender rated it really liked it. King of Humour Charles Phipps throws enough puns around in this book to bury a fleet of buses. Looking forward to reading the sequel. Jan 28, A. Justice rated it liked it. This was a fun mystery with a likable narrator, an eighteen year old community college student and waitress named Jane Doe. Jane and all her family are weredeer, and they live in a contemporary-feeling United States in which supernatural beings like vampires and were-creatures are "out" in society.
The same are also under threat, as their humanity is not recognized by the US government, and depending on which state they live in, they may be legally killed. By setting his story in a state Michiga This was a fun mystery with a likable narrator, an eighteen year old community college student and waitress named Jane Doe. By setting his story in a state Michigan where supernatural creatures do have the right to exist, Phipps leaves the issues of oppression and dehumanization in the background and focuses his story on the murder of the most popular girl in town, a werewolf who was Jane's high school nemesis as well as the sister of Jane's best friend.
When Jane's brother is arrested for the murder, Jane sets out to prove his innocence and quickly meets and develops flirtatious relationships with both a magic-wielding FBI agent and the local crime lord, who is also the FBI agent's adopted brother. There were a lot of things I liked and a lot I didn't like in this book.
Overall, it has good ideas, likable characters, and a nicely atmospheric, rural small town setting strongly and probably deliberately reminiscent of Twin Peaks. However, there is too much dialogue and too little action for a book intended to be an urban fantasy thriller. The action sequences, when they occur, are well done, but the characters spend far too much time talking and dropping a boatload of pop culture references, which undermines the dramatic tension.
I especially found Jane's vast knowledge of scifi and fantasy books, TV, and films to be highly implausible for an eighteen year old, and the banter and name-dropping got in the way of the storytelling. Wraith Knight, another Phipps novel that I loved , also had a lot of winks and nods to other works of SFF, but they were more sparingly and subtly integrated into the storytelling.
Aug 06, Aaron-Michael Hall rated it it was amazing. I Was a Teenage Weredeer by C. I rather enjoyed the numerous deer puns, witty quips, and the carefree nature of I Was a Teenage Weredeer by C. I rather enjoyed the numerous deer puns, witty quips, and the carefree nature of the story. I Was a Teenage Weredeer is an entertaining story, but there are a few important issues that are dealt with as well. Prejudice was a topic reiterated throughout the narrative at times, a bit too much.
Since there are a plethora of different shifters, there is also a hierarchy of sorts. We experience a growth in Jane as she uncovers secrets whilst coming to terms with who she is during her investigation to aid her brother. I Was a Teenage Weredeer was a quick and easy read. Anyone who favors urban, shifter fantasy will probably enjoy it.
Jun 06, Al Burke rated it it was amazing. We've got a sarky hero, pop culture references up the yin-yang and a twisting plot. Yep, we're in CT Phipps territory. The US government has finally acknowledged the existence of supernatural beings and accepted them as citizens. The rest of the country is not so forward-thinking, hence the existence of hamlets like Bright Falls, Michigan, where beings such as weredeer Jane Doe can exist in relative peace.
Jane is your average awkward but cool year old and the fastest p We've got a sarky hero, pop culture references up the yin-yang and a twisting plot. Jane is your average awkward but cool year old and the fastest pun in the west ba-doom-tish. As a weredeer, crappy though that may sound, she has some enhanced abilities, such as the power to read objects' history. This ability, useful though it may seem, gets her dragged into solving a murder involving her family, werewolves, vampires, an FBI detective who's a cross between Dirk Gently and Constantine, and other weird creatures. Jane gets dragged down the proverbial were rabbit hole, and must face her own past, the future she's avoiding, and a whole host of supernatural beasties.
The author writes fast-paced, fun novels, and American Weredeer is no different. If you like urban fantasy, humour, murder-mysteries or deer puns hindsight was my favourite , then you have to check this one out. Aug 16, Susanna Schwacke rated it really liked it.
I Was a Teenage Weredeer
This was a fun romp through an early Laurell K. Hamilton-esque style of world, complete with a snarky main character. I enjoyed this book greatly, as well as the sequel. The characters are interesting, though I have to admit that the proliferation of J-names gets a little confusing. And, I do think that there may have been a character name changed at one point in the writing of it, as I found 2 separate names referring to the same character.
My sole significant problem with the book was the fact This was a fun romp through an early Laurell K. My sole significant problem with the book was the fact that whomever proofread the manuscript may have taken a nap or two. I'm an editor, so I tend to notice mistakes and find it hard to get past their existence, hence the reason this book didn't get the full 5 stars I would have been inclined to give it without the booboos.
All-in-all, it's an entertaining book. If you like Laurell K. May 22, Sean E Britten rated it it was amazing. If you watched more than one season of True Blood you probably remember after vampires "came out of the coffin" the show kept introducing more and more supernatural species and elements until the whole thing started getting faintly ridiculous. I Was a Teenage Weredeer takes this to it's logical conclusion with a huge host of supernatural creatures living openly and no one batting an eye at teenagers who turn into deer playing at being detectives, and it totally works beautifully.
However, just b If you watched more than one season of True Blood you probably remember after vampires "came out of the coffin" the show kept introducing more and more supernatural species and elements until the whole thing started getting faintly ridiculous.
However, just because all these vampires, shapeshifters and others are living openly alongside humans, and have been legally absolved of crimes committed before they became known to the world, doesn't mean the sins of the past have been totally forgotten The story has twists and turns to keep you entertained while its straightforward enough to let you enjoy the introduction to the setting. Similar to Phipps' Supervillainy Saga, he builds a terrific world through pop culture and background mentions.
The creatures are great as well, my favourite was the kelpie. I would recommend this story to anyone although for fans of the Dresden Files or The Hollows series by Kim Harrison it's unmissable. Looking forward to reading more from this series! May 29, Frank Dorrian rated it it was amazing. Ok, so I'm very, very overdue to review this book - I can only apologise, I've had a number of shitty things happen in my personal life over the last month that really took the wind out my sails, so to speak, and I've let almost everything on the periphery slip majorly.
But, as all things eventually come to pass, normality also returns, piecemeal, and I've finally got the concentration to sit down and do this book a review that will do it justice instead of 'buck gud, read buck'. This is the secon Ok, so I'm very, very overdue to review this book - I can only apologise, I've had a number of shitty things happen in my personal life over the last month that really took the wind out my sails, so to speak, and I've let almost everything on the periphery slip majorly.
This is the second book of Phippyboi's I've read this year, the first being the excellent Agent G, and again, it's not my usual cup of cranberry-infused green tea, Urban Fantasy being something I've never really explored or considered before now, but I actually really enjoyed it - so I guess I should probably thank the author for expanding my horizons beyond darkness, misery and characters obsessed with personal gain.
I stress the probably in that last sentence. I, like many other reviewers it seems, have been infected by the puns. Though, if you're observant enough, you'll have caught the deer pun two paragraphs ago. I found the writing style to be a lot more developed and mature in this book than in Agent G, but it is still certainly identifiable as a Phipps product - its packed with sarcastic American-style humour from start to finish, but the story also manages to handle serious themes at the same time, such as race and politics Stateside, and the challenges adolescents face in a world that is currently changing by the day.
Despite how tongue in cheek it is, the concept of a weredeer is actually also really fucking impressively creative, and I imagine that it'll be one those things people wish they'd thought of after reading. I'm a Scouser, and we're dryer than a box of your nan's crackers, for the most part, so a lot of the humour glanced off me where I'm sure it'll hit others right in the funny bone.
Overall all though, deffo enjoyed it, a lot more lighthearted than what I usually read and write, and to be honest, I started reading this at the beginning of a really shitty time, and it put a smile on my face. Jul 12, Raychel rated it it was amazing. Can't wait to read the next book in this series. Sep 29, Rebekah rated it really liked it Shelves: I received a free copy of this book in an Amazon giveaway and was deerlighted.
This is my first leap into the work of C. Many types of werecreatures live openly in this world, and they operate within a certain hierarchy, with werewolves being at the top. As Jane Doe uncovers details of her town's past, she must face her own prejudices about other shapeshifters and trample her assumptions about good and evil. Allow me to fawn over the character development, as it seems to be a strength he I received a free copy of this book in an Amazon giveaway and was deerlighted.
Allow me to fawn over the character development, as it seems to be a strength here. A young woman, resentful of her dependence on her parents, but not quite ready to hoof it on her own. She finds herself on an unexpected hunt when her brother is accused of murder, and suddenly she has way more riding on her shoulders than she feels ready for.
Her snarky attitude shows she's willing to buck the system, and there are enough pop culture references to assure us she's a proper geek. The cast is filled with a wide range of characters, with interesting backgrounds that are gradually revealed as the case unfolds. I would have liked to have seen Jane's connections to some of them deepen. She's a bit awkward with expressing emotion and doesn't always follow her hart's desire, but we do get a sense of more to come. The pace plateaued for awhile just when I wanted it to pick up, but overall this is a fun read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal detective stories and, of course, puns.
You don't have to admit to enjoying the puns. Oct 11, The Nerd Book Review rated it really liked it. We discuss this book on the podcast The Nerd Book Review. I was surprised by this book in a good way.
I would probably give it a 4. At the end, Father had sold a wheelbarrow and a musket for a small stake. Will the national honor tend your hurts? Will the national honor be there when you are in a position of need? As useless as a rock in a field. So we marched into Canada, and lo the Canadians smash us and slaughtered us and threw us out on our ears, and for good measure took our forts along the Lakes and roused the Indians against us, so that we have spent the last two years scrabbling to get back to even, never you mind conquering Canada.
The White House burns. Fort McHenry is attacked. The Battle of Bladensburg, a devastating setback for American forces, plays out.
Phipps, Phips, Fipps, Etc.
Henry sees plenty of death—and of course is dragging his dead Mother along in the cart, occasionally letting others take a peek at her decomposing corpse. He wakes in the darkest hour to find the light that takes the color out of the world, leaving only blacks and grays. An exceptional novel, the book relentlessly defined the passion, the fear, the atrocities, the visceral responses to the annihilation of fellow human beings, and places those responses squarely in the body of one terrified eighteen-year-old boy.
The effect — devastating: The book placed the reader in the midst of WW II and never spared a moment of grisly detail. For this Vet from another war, this book, more than most other novels about war, captured the harsh realities of battle on the line and in the minds of those sent to fight. If ever there were an antiwar statement in the form of brilliant prose, this is it. This was a tough book to read, but an inordinately important one, and an exceedingly fine novel by a gifted poet. He shared at book's end three 'accidents' that awakened in him the thirst for knowing just what happens that causes accidents, are they incidental happenings, are they part of a larger plan, and how do we ever know the complete truth of an 'accident'.
True, in that novel the accidents are those involving cars - or are they? The manner in which Arvin approaches all aspects of his writing makes evident that the crossing of human paths, disjointed or disturbed time frames, the attitudes and memories and physical stigmata of things that happened before - all of these are either accidental happenings or part of a greater universal conundrum, perhaps understood by no one. Nick Arvin knows his way around constructing stories and he is unafraid to share information with his reader that will heighten the experience of becoming engrossed in his involving novels.
He definitely has the gift! Now six years later he offers another historical novel, this time stepping in to the War of and the war of racism. Someone has lied— the slave Radnor has lied to Henry, or someone has lied to Radnor: He runs through wet heat and spongy mud, through clouds of gnats and sprays of pale flowers, a small boy, lean like a figure cut from a length of wood too thin for the intended shape.
Mad Boy: An Account of Henry Phipps in the War of 1812
When a bramble scratches his leg, he stops to yell at the plant and kick it. Then he runs on. From ahead drifts the sound of an English voice, which Henry would notice if not for the noise of his own breath, rushing blood, fury. Why would Radnor lie? Who would lie to Radnor?
He jumped to his feet and raced away before Radnor finished explaining. Henry wants to talk to Mother; Mother will know what to do. A poignant tale of a young man burdened by an outsized undertaking. Nick Arvin is an author of significance and importance in our literary scene. Sep 08, Laura rated it really liked it Shelves: Picaresque is the perfect word to describe this rollicking adventure tale. Our roguish protagonist is only ten years old, but he manages to live a lifetime of adventures during a short span of time.
Wouldn't be surprised to see this as a movie one day. Jeff Bridges will play the bad guy. OK, wow, I was not expecting this! I mean, what should one expect from the description 'boy takes dead mother's body to the ocean during the war of and has some adventures along the way', but still.
First, the writing is truly excellent, with so many evocative descriptions: Here is just one example, chapter 5 "He comes upon a party of sodden soldiers working by lantern light in a dim, fulvous scene, wielding axes and saws to fell lobloll OK, wow, I was not expecting this! Here is just one example, chapter 5 "He comes upon a party of sodden soldiers working by lantern light in a dim, fulvous scene, wielding axes and saws to fell loblollies, sycamores and blackgums into the road.
They are ancient trees with trunks as big around as wagon wheels, and when the wood gives way they fall through the night-dark air with mysterious, tortured sounds- the screams of old hard fibers parting, the clash of branches, the collision with the earth. The plot is enjoyable and well-paced, and the other characters interesting. I liked that it was set during a war that I never really understood - gave me a reason to read a bit more about the War of , though from my reading, I think I would have sided with the Brits alas.
Most families have a version of a backstory about one or more members, a story that is often emotionally complicated, sometimes scintillating, sinful or sinister. The author uses a fascinating character, the dead-but-talking mother, as a kind of deus ex machina to push the reader and the boy to consider such possibilities and to give a flavor of this family's backstory and explore the existing dynamics. This was a very unique but central 'character' or plot device in the story. All in all, a truly enjoyable read. I am not sure it truly deserves 5 stars its not Les Miserables but I couldn't leave it at 4.
Jul 02, Susanna rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed this book, not least because it's so different from Arvin's other books, but still feels written by the same person. I wouldn't necessarily pick up a book about the War of , although the war is more a matter of circumstance than an educational element in this story.
Instead, the story is a picaresque adventure with many loops and twists, funny bits, and reconnections and encounters that are outlandish enough to just about seem possible. Near its beginning, the story feels a I really enjoyed this book, not least because it's so different from Arvin's other books, but still feels written by the same person. And all takes place against the backdrop of the changing politics of slavery and liberation, not to mention cultural revenge by the British soldiers who would like to burn down the adolescent nation that rejected Mother England's protective wing.
It's easy to miss among the adventure, but Arvin's writing is sparely beautiful as always: When Henry shifts, the newts dart and vanish: Mosses grow on the boles and the road. Swaths of ferns spread under the trees. For a time he walks beside a long still pool that shows himself back to himself. He alternates walking with trotting at a wolfish pace, sweating lavishly.
Trotting has the happy effect of outdistancing the worst of the mosquitoes. Aug 16, Mike rated it it was amazing.