#Dayna Lorentz

[crowclubkaz]

💚👁️🕸️ In honour of The Magnus Protocol releasing today, here are some book recommendations based on The Magnus Archives Fears!! 🕸️👁️💚

Detailed list of books below the cut!

For more book recommendations, especially queer horror, check out my Bookstagram @hauntedstacks

The Buried ⚰️ - Into the Sublime by Kate A. Boorman - Stuck by Ben Young - The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling - The Deep by Nick Cutter

The Corruption 🦠 - What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher - Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris - The Honeys by Ryan La Sala - She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

The Dark 🌑 - Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes - Nightfall by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski - No Power by Todd Kirby - The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The Desolation 🔥 - Firestarter by Stephen King - Burner by Robert Ford - Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta - Burn the House Down by Kenna Jenkins

The End 💀 - Funeral Girl by Emma K. Ohland - Pet Sematary by Stephen King - Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune - This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

The Extinction 🦴 - Lost Signals by Max Booth III - Bride of the Tornado by James Kennedy - No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz - The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones

The Eye 👁️ - Video Palace by Maynard Wills - Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie - A History of Fear by Luke Dumas - The Watchers by A.M. Shine

The Flesh 🦷 - You’ve Lost A Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca - Carnivore by Justin Boote - A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers - Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Hunt 🏹 - Hunt by Alexandra Nisneru - The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins - Survive the Night by Danielle Vega - The Hunger by Alma Katsu

The Lonely ☁️ - Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan - Solitude by Michael Penning - Dark Matter by Michelle Paver - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Slaughter 🥩 - Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin - Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine - American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis - The Summer I Died by Ryan C. Thomas

The Spiral 🌀 - That Darkened Doorstep by Catherine Jordan - Mind the Mirrors by Amanda Leanne - Grey Noise by Marcus Hawke - Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling

The Stranger🕴️ - It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames - My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix - The Deep by Alma Katsu - The Outside by Stephen King

The Vast 🪂 - From Below by Darcy Coates - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - Floating Staircase by Ronald Mafi - Nightmare Sky by Red Lagoe

The Web 🕸️ - The Taking of Jake Livingston - The Fervor by Alma Katsu - The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig - Come Closer by Sarah Gran

If You Like The Magnus Archives 💚 - Thirteen Stories by Jonathan Sims - Family Business by Jonathan Sims - Gas Station by Jack Townsend - Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

[lemonboywriter]

I FORGOR

Omg

I WAS READING FOR HOURS

I got lost in reading Wayward creatures by Dayna Lorentz, good fucking book

Anyways

Someone knocks on your door and gives you marigold

(Day of the Dead time~!)

I LOVE MARIGOLDS😭🫶

HAPPY DAY OF THE DEAD UAYAYAYAY!!!

[cyborgpotatoreads]

The Reading Rush TBR

My tentative and ambitious TBR for the Reading Rush is a full 7 books. A few of them fit multiple prompts, so I can still complete all the challenges even if I don’t read all 7, but I’m gonna try and read like I’m 16 again. A book a day babey

friend me on the reading rush website!

Read a book with a purple cover

Read a book in the same spot the entire time

Read a book you meant to read last year

Read an author’s first book

Read a book with a non-human main character

Pick a book that has 5 or more words in the title

Read and watch a book to movie adaption

[bookseraph]

Drew: "It's the goddamned mallrat!"

Marco: "I'm your knight in shining armor, you ass."

[hobgoblinhomebody]

This was a precious little book that carried a lot of truths with it as well. I loved watching Reenie grow from this untrusting girl to someone willing to let an owl that's become a piece of herself--that has helped her grow--back into the wild, and seeing her acknowledge her prickliness and apologize for it, and just generally become more open to the world. And the same goes for Rufus, who fledges from a nervous owlet to a bird that believes in himself, because of her encouragement--and a little tough love from his older sister. I appreciated the detailed way the author incorporated the sport of falconry, as well as her clear experience with the court system, revolving around children's living situations, and I thought that Reenie was a really well-rounded character. Her situation, desires, and emotions all felt very true to me, and I think that is going to resonate with readers.

[shortstackfan]

Reading while I’m at the laundromat.

Synopsis off the back of the book: “Wheb a biological bomb is discovered in the air duct of a busy suburban mall, the entire complex is shut down and all inside are quarantined. At first, there’s the novelty of being stuck in a mega mall with free food and gift certificates. But it isn’t long before supplies start dwindling and widespride panic surges through the place. Of the thousands trapped, 4 teens, each with his or her own story, are anxious to escape and help their loved ones survive. But it isn’t easy to stay calm when the truth is deliberately kept secret. Marco, Lexi, Ryan, and Shay are about to find out that in desperate times people can change and not always for the better.”

[librarianreadseverything]

Pretty enjoyable “survival of the fittest” disaster book. A group of people quarantined inside a mall after a bomb is found, civilization breaks down, etc. It was a quick, easy read, and I’m looking forward to reading the other two in the series.

[a-dorin]

Well since you asked: what was your favorite book series you read growing up? Mine’s the Percy Jackson series (and Heroes of Olympus but I consider those like the same series)

so i have a few favorite book series that i read as a child/preteen & i still love them today!

warriors by erin hunter

percy jackson and the olympians by rick riordan

heroes of olympus by rick riordan

dogs of the drowned city by dayna lorentz

guardians of ga’hoole by kathryn lasky

i also really liked dork diaries by rachel reneé russell and the graphic novels by raina telgemeier! john green was a favorite of mine but a lot of his books are the same content wise.

[lelenoir]

19 and 29 mwah

19 - poem?

i feel like i've answered this before,, if i have then it's still the same. it's icarus in love by david jones!!

i've loved you

as icarus loved

the sun--

too close

too much

im thinking of writing something based on this 👀

29 - book longer than 500 pages?

shit ok i had to look at my books on the book shelf for reference (based on the thickness of their spines) no easy way out by dayna lorentz,,, it's about these peeps quarantined in a mall because there was like this hazardous disease spread around the mall and now all of them are infected. the main guys wanna get out because everything is turning to shit. im still looking for the sequel but no luck so far 😭

favorite asks

[smilejusttosmile]

A soft stay at home ask (in legit no order or even looking) 1/8/16/23/29

1. I have a playlist called Might Drives on my spotify and it's really calming/relaxing to me..definitely one of my favorites (jess if you ask me specifics from it and I can elaborate (: )

8. A non fiction book..I'd probably write about my life even if nobody would read it I feel like it would be cathartic

16. How I wake my body up 🤔 I guess I usually stretch my body to full length while laying on the floor

23. The last book I finished was No Safety In Numbers by Dayna Lorentz and let's just say it hit a little too close to relating to what's going on in the world today but I enjoyed it

29. Favorite quick recipe: s'mores rice crispy treats. You need golden grahams, marshmallows, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and butter...melt the butter and marshmallows in a pan add golden grahams until fully clumped together then add mini marshmallows and chocolate chips while it's still warm them transfer to different pan to cool...fucking delicious 😁🤓

[booksofteacups]

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'm No Longer Interested in Reading

So apparently REALLY do need to clean out my TBR.

It is hell week aka three exams in like four days so this is again going to be a bit of a short post, which I am kind of bummed about because I want to talk about why these are no longer on my list, however I am thinking about doing the Down The TBR hole meme thing so I can talk about them on that. The Maze Runner by James Dashner The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross When The Wind Blows by…

[bookseraph]

Shay: "My sister is just, well. You have a little sister?"

Marco: "I'm the little brother, so you'll get no sympathy from me."

[goodbadanduglybooks]

Quick Review: No Safety in Numbers

Quick Review: No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Rating: 3/5

Review:  Quite a few people really have heavily criticized this book, but I'm of the mindset that you sort of have to judge things within the category that they're in. This book is not meant to be a literary masterpiece, nor do books such as these generally have strong character development or fantastic writing (see Gone by Michael Grant--ridiculous writing but wonderful plot). So mediocrity in the characters and writing is not the reason why I'm giving this book three stars. I'm rating this book sort of low because the plot was not up to par. Some parts of the plot dragged, with more scheming and confusion than action. I also think that even for a plot as drastic as this, the reactions are somewhat unrealistic. I am going to continue with the series but I don't expect much from it. This book is mostly just a good plane read--some entertainment but no true value.

Purchase here

[emmybooknook]

The Rule of Three by Eric Walters, a novel.

This book is different from others that I’ve read in that it is a more action-style survival book. Most survival books I’ve read have that natural air of mystery around them. Like in the “No Easy Way Out” trilogy by Dayna Lorentz, the apocalypse setting was caused by a virus that leads to panic in the mall. While in this book the apocalypse scenario is caused by a “computer/electricity outage.” I put it in quotes because the use of generators has been used to supply energy and cars that don’t rely on computers are still active. I can see why the author took this approach to tell his story because other high-action events occur that don’t necessarily surround total apocalypse scenarios.

One thing I want to touch on that made me kind of dislike the book was the lack of commas. Don’t get me wrong I am not the perfect writer. I am just some 20-something writing these little book reports in my spare time. I am by no means a professional. So, take my criticism with a grain of salt.

I am a big fan of an oxford comma and I like having a comma to note a natural breathing point or pause in the sentence. Some of the author’s sentences lack these and require a stop and reread of the sentence to get the desired meaning. It’s not a huge hassle but can break the natural flow of the book.

Anyway, into the meat of the book.  MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

This book is definitely interesting in its own right just maybe not for me. I prefer books with a more total apocalypse vibe and ones that play on the mystery surrounding such a situation. But that doesn’t mean this book doesn’t have its own fuel of mystery fire. Herb, one of the main set of characters in the book, is ex-military and has a lot of training in de-escalating situations and negotiations. Some of which I find kind of convenient to the story, but not too convenient. There are still some surprises to be had.

Something that was kind of unintentionally nostalgic for me was the realism of the power outage. Back in middle school, my grade did a S.T.E.M project about this exact scenario for some reason. I don’t remember what caused them to make us do this because I don’t think the other grades had to do it. Anyway, we were separated into different groups to tackle different aspects of the new day-to-day life. I did like how the book touched on some of these, from dealing with sewage to lack of refrigeration. 

I love the start of the book. Weirdly, something I enjoy about apocalypse books is the sudden halt to normal life. It’s such a weird vibe. I like how Adam is a regular high school kid that is then thrown into this mess. I also like how close he is to the reality of the situation sometimes. It lets us see the opposing forces of “striving to be an adult” versus “I would like to keep my innocence and youth.” It’s something that every teenager must go through at some point, just usually not to this extent. It’s a fine balance that the author does well to achieve.

SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS

These events don’t necessarily “change the course of history” for the book but are significant plot points. Continue at your own risk.

Herb can be kind of badass

There are two high-action events where Herb comes in real handy. The first is towards the beginning of the book when they are trying to buy chlorine tablets for the eventual water crisis due to lack of electricity. Adam, our main character, is one of the few people with an old enough car that can still run, this is a positive and a negative. It’s a negative because it draws the attention of people desperate enough to start fights with others in order to get home. Herb handles this nicely. He shows his pistol to get the men to back off but also de-escalates the situation by leveling with them.

The second is towards the middle of the book when they are trying to move farm supplies from a friend’s farm to the neighborhood where they can be better protected. Their convoy of supplies is interrupted by some people trying to protect their own neighborhood. A discussion of “cow tax” quickly escalates into life and death negotiations. Herb manages to stand up for himself and persuades the men to let them go. (Actually, he lies and says that he’s part of a raid party that is stealing the cows and he is willing to kill the men if they don’t step off.) It’s funny he pulls the ‘call an ambulance but not for me’ meme.

My favorite Herb quote “We have to be like a duck … calm on the surface but paddling like crazy where nobody can see it”

Brett is an oddball

Brett is a rookie cop and is a part of the neighborhood. There is a scene where they are collecting abandoned cars from the highway for parts and fuel storage and Brett takes this time to have some fun and smash some car windows and headlights. Adam is put off by this. It’s understandable because of how Brett talks about it, like he almost doesn’t respect authority. This point is brought up in later conversations between Herb and Adam. It makes me wonder if there is betrayal further into the story.

There is still more to this story. The book ends with this battle against a “rival compound”, but there are still unanswered questions. What made all the power go out? Will Herb ever disclose his government work? Will the power come back on? What issues will continue to arise as life tries to go on without power? I’d like to know where this story goes so, I might be getting the second book.

Recommend for people who like an action-style book. 8/10

[canis-specialintris]

I have a bunch of wolf/dog fantasy recs from my childhood !

Survivors series by Erin Hunter

The Last Dogs series by Christopher Holt

Promise of the Wolves trilogy by Dorothy Hearst

The Good Dog by Avi

Wolven series by Di Toft

Nightshade trilogy by Andrea Cremer [16+]

Child of the Wolves by Elizabeth Hall

Kävik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey

Dogs of the Drowned City trilogy by Dayna Lorentz

Spirit Animals series by Brandon Mull et. all

Wereworld series by Curtis Jobling

Wolves of the Beyond series by Kathryn Lasky

A Dog's Purpose series by W. Bruce Cameron

Swindle series by Gordon Korman (not fantasy but still)

Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

Bunnicula series by James Howe

White Fang by Jack London

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Numerous Goosebumps books by R. L. Stine

Numerous The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids books by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones

Some Pokemon books by assorted authors

The Last Werewolf trilogy by Glen Duncan [18+, very dark]

I always love your informative dog posts and your puppies in general. Just wanted to say thank you and that I appreciate this blog a lot!

I was curious if you knew any good science/structure books and any fantasy books about dogs maybe?

Thank you for your kind message!

My absolute favorite dog book about structure is "Structure in Action: The Makings of a Durable Dog" by Pat Hastings. This book is different than a lot of other structural science books because instead of framing a dogs structure around what is correct in its standard, it frames it around the context of what a dog does and may be bred to do. It also breaks down structural terms as well as the benefits and flaws of certain points of structure on dogs. Overall a really helpful book and a pretty easy read.

As a fantasy enthusiast myself I'd say that fantasy books feature wolves a lot more than they feature dogs which is unfortunate and adult fantasy specifically can be really unkind to canines in general as a way of projecting how "dark" and "grim" their world building is. Not to say that dog death trope can't be effective (any of the wolf deaths in ASOIAF actively slaughter me...), but I do grow a bit tired of endless animal companion death.

That being said Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy is a favorite of mine and features a nice human/dog bond, although be warned this is not a happy ending sort of fare. For a more wholesome experience Gaspode from the Discworld books is a joy (he's kind of like a proto-Dug from Pixar's Up). the Malazan series features a number of canines.

For non-fantasy Winterdance by Gary Paulson is a must, it's true and hilarious. For non-recovered wolf kids like myself some of my favorite books of all time are The Sight and its sequel Fell by David Clement-Davies. My copies are so tattered.

[cannibal-wings]

Ten (Writing) Questions

I was tagged by @karnacasraven

1. What time of the day are you most productive at writing?

I write the most between 9PM and 3AM. Typically later in the day because I’ve had a chance to do other things that my brain might nag me about. I usually make a mug of cocoa (doesn’t matter the outside temp) and write before bed.

2. How many WIP’s are currently in progress? And if more than one which one is your favorite?

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Let me go check. I have ELEVEN active WIPS meaning one’s I’m currently working on, I rotate depending which AU I’m in the mood for. Three of those are currently updating on Ao3 Survivors, Wings Over Dunwall, and Dark Craving. One is my novel. The rest are either one-shots or long form fics that I don’t want to post until they are done to minimize the amount of WIP I have on my Ao3. My favorite? God, Survivors probably, I’ve been working on it since 2014. Of my newer projects I’m having a blast with my Prey fic and Wings Over Dunwall.

3. What’s your favorite OC couple?

From my own novel, Miles and Wayde. I’ll never not love them with power of a thousand burning suns. Miles and R is really good too, but they’re not romantic, just host and parasite.

My other fave couple has to be my OC Nate with my friend @thepunchlineislesbian​‘s OC Edward. Ed and Nate are so fucking cute together in every single AU we’ve ever done. From monsters to mythical creatures to fucking warrior cats they are the cutest fight me.

4. What’s the least favorite book you have ever read?

In school I was never fond of The Great Gatsby. I never took to stories where cheating on a loved one was the central theme. Never liked how much my class loved the story.

As far as non school related books go... I’ve been reading a lot lately, (bless half price books) and so far I’ve picked up a LOT of good titles. But there was one stinker in recent memory a book called No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz. Wow was that book a dud. It was just awful all the way through. Great idea terrible everything else. Someday I’ll start writing book reviews and this one will get no mercy.

5. If you could live in a world from a book, which one?

100% I would leave my life right now to go live in the world of the Raksura from The Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. No joke, see ya Earth I’m going to be a Raksurian Warrior thank you very much. Sterile, have wings, can shapeshift, shiny scales and sharp spines, beautiful culture AND I get disemboweling claws? Sign me up. Beyond that there’s no humans, beautiful towns with unique culture, wonderful landscapes, interesting and deadly wildlife, it just sounds like a blast to explore from the sky on wings or an airship. Sure there’s always the threat of being eaten alive by the Fell, but hey, nothing’s perfect.

6. Did someone inspire you to write?

Yeah some fucking bullies when I was child. haha. No really, that’s how it happened. I got picked on a lot as a kid, so I stayed inside and read a lot of books and wrote a lot of stories. I had notebooks filled with dumb story ideas and I never stopped. Sure as I got older I got some style inspiration, Rob Thurman comes to mind, but mostly it was me who inspired me. I had stories I wanted to tell and no one else would tell them but me. So I did.

7. How often do you write?

I try for daily. At least one paragraph a day, or one line of dialogue. I do a personal NaNoWriMo in June or July and actual NaNoWriMo in November. Mostly I’ve found that if I work slowly bit by bit I can blow past writer’s block. Doesn’t mean shit gets done fast, but at least it’s getting done. I also use the “Don’t Break the Chain” method of motivation. Where I’ll set a goal for what has to be done a day, then every day I complete the goal I get to make a little X or a star on the day in a calendar. The idea being that after a few days I won’t want to break the continuous chain of stars or X’s. Some people make literal paper chains too.

8. Did someone you know inspire a certain OC?

Nope. I try not base any of my OC’s on people I know because I find it too weird. I can’t even write self insert stuff without getting paranoid. Once I tried to do a fic for a Homestuck Session between my friends and I backed out because it was too weird to be writing about people I knew as if they weren’t real.

9. What’s your favorite setting to write about?

I’m a huge sucker for either Urban Fantasy or Sci Fi with a dash of post apocalyptia. Survivors (novel version) is Sci Fi, but my novel about bird people co-existing with squid people is fantasy. Someday I’ll pen a proper urban fantasy as well. 

10. Do you have a certain song or playlist that you listen to while writing?

Yes I have several. Depending on my mood. I’ll put on a Fallout 4 Diamond City Radio mix, a 24 hour electro-swing station, or soundtracks from games. Recently I’ve been playing the soundtracks from Dishonored 2 and Prey. The Bloodborne soundtrack gets played frequently too. I have to have songs that either don’t have lyrics, or have lyrics I’ve heard so many times I can write without having the urge to sing along. But I can’t write without music on, something has to be playing in the background or it just won’t work. In high school I used to write to J/K-pop, Vocaloid, or Homestuck albums.