Monday, December 15, 2014

GIF TAG

I’ve been tagged by the lovely Cambrie over at And So the Book Begins to do the GIF tag!!! I want to tag…………….
Wow. Guys. I have NO BLOGGER FRIENDS.
Somebody please come be my friend so I can tag you in these awesome things!! Comment below if you want to be my friend and fangirl hard about random things.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
One of my all time favorites, and I have finally stopped crying near the end. It’s mostly gross internal sobbing and heartbreak now.


Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell
This has been on my TBR list for quite some time, and I really should get around to reading it. 


Eragon by Christopher Paolini
This book is just awesome. Mostly because it has dragons, and also because it was written by a seventeen year old. 


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
I have stayed away from this because the cover and the name give me the shivers.


The Iron Trial, by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
This book has horrible reviews… so I think I am going to stay away from this one.

smile animated GIF


Just One Day by Gayle Forman
I HAVEN’T EVEN READ IF I STAY OKAY DON’T JUDGE ME 

deal with it animated GIF


Hey, so if you want to be my blogger friend, I totally tag you.
Here are the books:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
These Broken Stars by Amiee Kaufman and Megan Spooner
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Paper Towns by John Green
and
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Mockingjay {Movie Review}

Mockingjay Movie Review

This will forever be my favorite story to tell about Mockingjay: I went with my best friend to go see it during opening week, and she fell asleep during the movie. I am not even kidding about this; I looked over, and she had quietly dozed off and was missing the {very boring} film. I must say, I was extremely disappointed in this installment of the Hunger Games series. Catching Fire still holds to be the best, in my opinion. My only hope is that part two will redeem part one.

    Mockingjay was fine, as far as telling the story well and laying down the plot; what it lacked was the proper action. With as many parts that they could have made interesting, you’d think it would be a great movie. However, I found myself becoming impatient during most of it; it was quickly failing to keep my interest. Peeta was seen hardly at all (which was understandable) but Katniss and Gale seemed like an old, depressed married couple. The highest point of the movie was building up quite nicely and then abruptly fell flat. My favorite scene would probably have to be when Katniss is giving her “speech” to President Snow and all of Panem after a hospital in District 8 had been bombed. Her famous line “Fire is catching; and if we burn, you burn with us” rang throughout the theater, and I finally saw Katniss the Mockingjay instead of Katniss the mope. What happened to our strong antagonist? All we see is her weak side; her brokenness as she finds District 12, the tears running down her face as she sees what the Capitol has done to Peeta, and her horror and fear as she realizes that President Snow has set a trap.

    This is definitely okay. I am not saying that Katniss is not allowed to have feelings; she is a human being and it makes her much more real to see her weaknesses. Despite this, I felt that it was too much weakness. There is a point where you look at yourself, stand up, dust yourself off, and say, “I can get through this. I am the Mockingjay. I will not let the Capitol tear me down; I have survived so much. I am strong.” Instead, the Mockingjay seemed like a spineless Bella Swan. This isn’t Twilight.

    I think the media has missed the point of the Hunger Games. Willow Shields, the actress who plays Prim, has touched on my same opinion. The media seems to say, “Team Peeta or Team Gale?” And that is the first question everyone else asks to each other. Personally, I don’t think the Hunger Games is about the love triangle at all. They seem to miss the entire point: A sadistic and controlling government is getting out of hand. A regular girl is the one to step up and say, “This is wrong, why is nobody doing anything about this?” She is the only one, or rather, the first one to be brave enough to stand against something that is immoral and wrong, to speak out, and to take action. I think this message is important in real life; in many different aspects of life. If something is wrong, whatever it is, if those in power are controlling it, nobody tends to speak up. Because they feel insignificant and like their voice does not matter. I am here to say that everyone’s voice matters; look what a girl from District 12 did to save her entire nation! We need to stop being quiet and start voicing our own opinions, being ourselves, and standing against those in power who are doing wrong things.
    I feel like this message was not included in Mockingjay. It felt like they forgot what was really important here; except for a few scenes that showed the real Katniss Everdeen and not a sniveling seventeen year old girl. I think the best part of the movie, personally, was the soundtrack. I have included the best songs below. 


 


 

Friday, November 14, 2014

BLOOD OF OLYMPUS {Review}

18705209At the start of this book, I listed in my brain my favorite characters (of the seven) from least favorite to most favorite.

It went as follows: Annabeth, Percy, Leo, Jason, Hazel, Frank, and Piper.
However, at the end of the book, I would rearrange that order to: Percy, Leo, Piper, Annabeth, Jason, Frank and Hazel.

The biggest change is, quite obviously Piper. So, here is a breakdown of what to expect from the seven main characters (with no spoilers) as well as Nico and Reyna.

Nico: I'm putting him first because, after an ENTIRE SERIES and almost another ENTIRE SERIES has passed by, Nico finally gets plenty of chapters from his point of view. For some reason, Nico has always been one of my favorite characters- I always vote for the mysterious, misunderstood underdog. You finally get some insight into how Nico actually feels and views the world, and why he pushes everyone out. He has some extremely heroic moments, and he becomes the character like your little, wicked awesome brother. He's so cool, yet lots of parts in the book I just wanted to give him a hug. AND HE RAISES THE DEAD GUYS LIKE IS THAT NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU READ THE BOOK OR WHAT.

Percy: Although we did not get any POV from him, he does have some heroic moments himself. Mostly, though, he is just there because you want some Percabeth moments (which you will get, guys. Especially on *cough* page 394 *cough*.

Annabeth: Annabeth befriends Piper throughout this book, and you do get a scene where they go on a mini adventure together. Other than that, I think she was just there for the same reason as Percy. She definitely isn't in it as much of the others.

Frank: There is basically not much in this book about Frank, other than the occasional "Frank turned into a wild boar" or "Frank turned into a dragon" or "Frank turned into a fluffy pink unicorn with rainbow wings." Okay, you got me on that last one. But that would've been so. cool.

Hazel: She does the occasional awesome stuff with her mist and the "I can raise treasure from the earth and stuff," and she has a important role in one of my favorite scenes with the goddess, Nike. But if you wanted some Hank moments, I think you will be disappointed. (Okay, that is totally not the ship name for Hazel and Frank, but it was either that or Frazel.)

AND NOW ON TO THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK
(except Nico- he's so importantly awesome that I had to put him at the beginning)

Reyna: At first I wasn't to ecstatic to learn that Reyna was one of the only five characters getting a POV, but trust me, all my doubts were washed away. Because she is freaking. awesome. Be prepared for a real ride of awesome butt-kicking and Hulk-smashing from her. It's amazing. She is in almost every single one of the fight scenes, and when stupid Octavian takes over her position she is just like "I AM STILL THE PRAETOR OF ROME. BOW DOWN TO MY AWESOMENESS." We get to see into her semi-emotionally scarred past- I feel like her and Nico both have this connection about pain and sacrifice and stuff. There is one particularly feeling scene with her and her sister, Hylla, who is also the leader of The Amazon. As in the awesome warrior tribe, the Amazon, not the site where you can go to buy books. (On a completely unrelated note, you can buy this book for eleven dollars there). To conclude this long paragraph, Reyna is a really awesome character and I'm really glad she got her own POV.

Jason: I'm still not sure how I feel about Jason, although I do think Piper is so cute with him. (What is their ship name? Pison? Japer? Jiper?) He did some heroic things and had some awesome buttkicking scenes, but, maybe because his background is still somewhat unclear to me or maybe I just don't like him, I was getting tired of his POV and honestly just wanted to skip it and have some Leo humor or Nico raising the dead and stuff.

Speaking of Leo.........

Leo: For all of you who totally ship Cleo, (WHICH IS THE BEST SHIP NAME ON HERE SO FAR) you will be happy. Also, there is a lot of sarcastic, witty comments (obviously) which should make a lot of you happy. Some heroic moments, lots of character development, and TONS of sarcasm. (Wait, I said that already.) HE'S JUST THE BEST CHARACTER OKAY.

Piper: She really surprised me.... her character completely changed from what I viewed as a particularly weak one to one that kind of grew on me. She was in a lot of action scenes with Annabeth, and in the end, she had a lot of heroic moments. She wasn't going gaga over Jason or whining about why she wasn't a good daughter of Aphrodite. She was like, I WILL BE AWESOME AND SAVE THE DAY. And she did. A lot.

So, that's it. Just a character breakdown. All you really need to know about this book is that it is action packed and FREAKING AWESOME.  It is indeed really sad to see the series end, but I felt like it ended how I needed it to. 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Album Review: Taylor Swift 1989


When a sixteen year old girl from Reading, Pennsylvania, signed a contract with Big Machine Records, she had no idea how much her future would change her forever. Her self-titled debut album, Taylor Swift, was a huge success and was at the top of the country music charts for 24 consecutive weeks. The singer has currently won seven Grammys and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and 75 million digital single downloads. Her new album, 1989, became #1 in over 80 countries. She has released four other albums: Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012). For “Fearless” and “Speak Now,” she mostly stayed in the country genre, keeping her acoustic close and donning cowgirl boots. For “Red,” Swift kept one foot in country and one in pop, pleasing fans of both genres. For “1989,” the singer plunged both feet in the latter genre, as it is her first official “pop” album.

During her reveal of the new album in a livestream, Taylor explained that the album was based off of music from the 1980s. “The idea that you can do what you want, be who you want, wear what you want, love what you want — bright colors, bold chances, rebellion. The idea of that was so inspiring to me,” said Swift. The title, “1989,” is both a representation of that idea and the year the artist was born.

The album opens with an anthem to the Big Apple, entitled “Welcome to New York.” The singer expresses her enthusiasm for the city by singing “It's a new soundtrack/I could dance to this beat forevermore/The lights are so bright/ but they never blind me.” The third track, Style, has a hip-hop beat that makes it sound mysteriously exciting. “Out Of The Woods,” the second song to be released from the album, may have a new sound, but it certainly contains classic Taylor Swift lyrics, such as “ Looking at it now, last December/We were built to fall apart, then fall back together.”
“All You Had to Do Was Stay” and “Wish You Would” are both fast-paced songs that tell about two failed relationships. In “I Wish You Would,” she sings, “I wish you would come back/wish I'd never hung up the phone like I did.” In “All You Had to Do Was Stay,” she hits a high note on “Stay,” and sings in a shake-of-the-head manner, “Had me in the palm of your hand/then, why'd you had to go and lock me out when I let you in.”

The eighth track, entitled “Bad Blood,” might be mistaken to be Swift releasing her anger on one of her exes, but she insists it was another female singer that was the fire behind this song. The lyrics are chanted and angry, as Swift chides “Band-aids don't fix bullet holes/you say sorry just for show/If you live like that, you live with ghosts.” While the song might not be as great as “Better Than Revenge” (Speak Now, 2010) it is a passionate song full of bitterness from a friendship that was betrayed…. Taylor is definitely not sorry about this one.

Some of the most memorable tracks, however, appear near the end of the record. The ninth song, entitled “Wildest Dreams,” slows down as Taylor becomes breathless and alluring; sounding like singer Lana Del Rey.  It begs, “please don’t forget about me,” through the lyrics “Say you’ll remember me/standing in a nice dress/ staring at the sunset.” Though the lyrics of “How You Get the Girl” might be a bit cheesy and sound like the soundtrack of a chic-flic, she uses a clever method of storytelling. “This Love” is the slowest song on the album. Swift sings regretfully about a lost love that has been revived. “This love is good, this love is bad/ This love is alive back from the dead.”

“I Know Places” starts out with Swift singing in urgent tones, and throughout the song, the beat becomes fast-paced as she encourages the one she loves to run away with her. “They got the cages, they got the boxes/ and guns, they are the hunters, we are the foxes.” she sings. “I know places we can hide,” she tells him, pulling him along. The song is intense and invigorating as the beat quickens and adrenaline and desperation is fused into the lyrics.  

The final song, entitled “Clean,” closes off the album nicely. It is a slower song with a more inspiring message than the previous tracks. Swift described it as a song that she hoped would “help people overcome things.” The song discusses becoming clean life’s catastrophes as she sings sadly, “The water filled my lungs/ I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing.” Later in the chorus, she sings “When I was drowning/That's when I could finally breathe.”

Possibly the highest point of the album, however, is the second track, entitled “Blank Space”, which was the second single off the album (the first being “Shake it Off). The song features instrumentals that definitely sound like a modern version of an 80s sound. The lyrics are catchy and sassy- Swift makes fun of her reputation of breaking the hearts of all her boyfriends. She teases the boy that wants to steal her heart “'Cause we're young and we're reckless/ we'll take this way too far/It'll leave you breathless/or with a nasty scar.” The chorus ends with a satisfying sound of a pen click as she says slyly, “I got a long list of ex-lovers/They’ll tell you I’m insane/But I’ve got a blank space baby/and I’ll write your name.”

Old die hard Swiftie fans have nothing to worry about with this new album- Swift steps up her game with a faster paced, exhilarating album that will leave listeners content and excited for the next installment.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

WINNERS

Winning Genre: Cute Contemporary Romance
Winning Sub-Genre: Two archenemies since childhood realize that there is a spark between them.
Main girl character name: Emilee
Main boy character name: Lawrence

Other character names:

Derek- (31% vote)
Scarlet- (54% vote)
Crystal- (31% vote)
Markus- (54% vote)

The first chapter will be out two weeks from tomorrow!!! I'm really excited for it.

Let me know what you guys think.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

PLEASE READ

I am starting something exciting! You guys kept begging me to write more fanfiction, (after those few that I posted last year) so as a fun alternative, I will now be doing "Writing Wednesdays". I will post a new chapter every week and you guys get to decide what happens next!! To get started, I have a quick three question survey that I need to have as MANY RESPONSES AS POSSIBLE in order to get started. Please share this link with your friends and take it!! I look forward to writing with you. If you have any questions, comment them below.


Love, 
Sarah XOXO

Here is the link:

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

NEWS

So, a while ago, I wrote a Fanfiction for The One by Kiera Cass and a lot of you liked it and have been begging me to write something else. So I've decided to start posting a part of a continuous story every other Wednesday.

If you want me to write about something particular, whether it be Fanfiction or just plain fiction, please submit your ideas to the contact form on the left and then we will vote on them next week. Please have your ideas submitted by Saturday!!! Also, send some character names, that will also be a part of the poll.

Thank you, darlings! Have a great day and please submit.

Sarah

     

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

TBR Book Tag

 Thanks to the beautiful Cambrie from And So the Book Begins for tagging me to do the TBR Book Tag.


How do you keep track of your TBR pile?
Um- see, I am really disorganized about that. I have the Goodreads app on my phone, and whenever I see a book I’m like, OH I NEED THIS. And so I scan it and add it to my Want to Read List. But mostly I just go into the library and improvise. If I have a favorite author and I know I want to buy their newest book, I put it into my nonexistent budget plan.

Is your TBR mostly printed or eBook?

It depends on the book. If the book is from my favorite author/a book I’m positive I’ll love/a book that I’ve already read and love, I will definitely say printed. I am a big fan of being able to hold a physical copy. However, if I just want the book for a fun read, I will always get the eBook.
How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

I basically have my list, and I go into Barnes and Noble and choose the one on sale. No, I wish I could do that! I go into the library, start alphabetically, and pick up the first two or three books that are available from my list.

A book that's been on your TBR list the longest?
Thank you, Goodreads! Apparently Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors. I’ve had that on there for two years now. It’s probably time to start reading it.

A book on your TBR strictly because of it's beautiful cover?
The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz. I mean, who cares about the average three star rating- look at this!!!

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

Icons by Margaret Stohl. Seriously. I’ve checked it out from the library three times now and it just sits on my shelf without ever being opened. It’s really kind of ridiculous, but I can’t bring myself to start reading it. Procrastination for the win!

An unpublished book on your TBR that you're excited for?
Um, I have like, a million. Here are the top ten: [in no particular order]

  1. The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
  2. Winter by Marissa Meyer
  3. The Paris Mysteries by James Patterson
  4. Captive by Aimee Carter
  5. Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  6. Fairest by Marissa Meyer
  7. Princess Academy #3 by Shannon Hale
  8. Illusionarium by Heather Dixon
  9. Heist Society #4 by Ally Carter (PLEASE LET THERE BE ONE)
  10. The Heir by Kiera Cass

A book on your TBR that basically everyone has read but you?  

PAPER TOWNS BY JOHN GREEN.
I JUST CAN’T EVER FIND THAT IN THE LIBRARY AND I DON’T HAVE MONEY TO BUY IT AND I JUST
ARG

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends you?

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. And I keep meaning to read it, but guys! ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL BOOKS IT’S LIKE ONLY BEING ABLE TO GET ONE FLAVOR AT AN ICECREAM SHOP.

A book on your TBR that you're dying to read?
I am really wanting to read The Young Elites by Marie Lu, which actually comes out today :) I don’t know if I have the money to buy it, but I am sure going to try. Be expecting a review of The Blood of Olympus up later tomorrow!!

How many books on your Goodreads TBR shelf?
Ugh I never update my TBR shelf on Goodreads anymore, but it says 137 books. I guess I better get started crossing off this list. That’s what happens if you don’t start reading- it just keeps piling up!

Taging:

Guys, I have no blogger friends, so therefore, if you would like to do this book tag, go ahead, and just say that I tagged you in it.

Loves!
Sarah

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

October Newsletter

Quick comment: October is the BEST MONTH for New Releases! I've been saving every gift card and every penny just for this month. Be careful for how far you scroll down, or you might spend all your money!!!

Blood of Olymus by Rick Riordan
Release Date: October 7th

18705209
Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.


The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Young Elites by Marie Lu
Release Date: October 7th

17984141Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.


It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Atlantia by Ally Condie
Release Date: October 28th

17731926For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.


Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

The Body Electric by Beth Revis 
Release Date: October 6th 

Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.
22642971

But not all is at it seems.

Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…


Someone’s altered her memory.


Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.



So who can she trust?

The Paris Mysteries by James Patterson
Release Date: October 6th

18719296The City of Lights sets the stage for romance, drama and intrigue in the latest Confessions novel from the world's bestselling mystery writer!


After investigating multiple homicides and her family's decades-old skeletons in the closet, Tandy Angel is finally reunited with her lost love in Paris. But as he grows increasingly distant, Tandy is confronted with disturbing questions about him, as well as what really happened to her long-dead sister. With no way to tell anymore who in her life she can trust, how will Tandy ever get to the bottom of the countless secrets her parents kept from her? James Patterson leads this brilliant teenage detective through Paris on a trail of lies years in the making, with shocking revelations around every corner.

The Rouge Knight by Brandon Mull
Release Date: October 21st

Magic and danger abound in the second book in a series of fanciful, action-packed adventure; (Publishers Weekly, starred review) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series.


Cole Randolph never meant to come to The Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try and save them. Now he's trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death.


17571273Cole's search for his friends has led him to Elloweer, another of the five kingdoms that make up The Outskirts. He's accompanied by Mira, Twitch, and Jace, new friends he's met here in the Outskirts who each have their own important missions.

The group is following news that Mira's sister, Honor, could be in danger. However, Cole and Mira are soon the ones facing direct threat, and must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Their journey brings them across familiar faces, some more welcome than others, until their paths ultimately cross with the infamous man known throughout Elloweer as the Rogue Knight.


Will he turn out to be an unstoppable enemy, or a key ally?



Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his new friends try and outwit the High King, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Maze Runner {Movie Review}

The Maze Runner

As A Movie: 7.3
If you go and see this movie without having read the book, it’s a pretty dang awesome movie. There is little character development, but the visuals and the set are amazing and the plot line itself is just cool. This movie never stops moving- there is always something exploding or people running away, or these creatures {The Grievers} coming to get everyone while things are exploding and people are running away. This a great action movie. If you are coming for a chic-flic STAY AWAY because this doesn’t even have hugging or hand holding. Got it? Sometimes Theresa’s British accent came out very obviously during certain scenes; she might need to work on her American-ness, but other than that I loved the character choices.

Like Dylan O’Brien, who acted EXACTLY like I thought Thomas would be like. He is prime, man. (Prime is how my best friend usually describes the visually attractive people.)

But can we talk about Newt because I just




From Book to Movie: 5

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE MAZE RUNNER, STAY AWAY.

I had two main problems.

  1. They didn’t even do the MAP SCENE. Like, Thomas doesn’t even figure out the whole the-code-is-in-the-maps thing. I’m serious. They completely left that part out which just confuses me so much because I don’t get why you can leave that part out and I am so confused that I am writing run on sentences about it.

  1. They didn’t do the whole Thomas-and-Theresa-have-telepathy thing. Instead they did this weird thing with dreams.

ONE THING THAT WAS AMAZING THOUGH WAS THE VISUALS. SPOT ON. The Maze was EXACTLY how I pictured it, if not better. The Glade was great as well, although I don’t know where the stick houses came from…. I thought they had more civilized places to live. The Grievers were pretty dang awesome, even though I imagined them sort of differently… but everyone has different pictures in their head, I guess.

Oh well. Another thing (as forementioned) that was kind of weird is that at different points in the movie, Theresa suddenly had a British accent, and then it was back to an American one. If I caught it, you would think that the directors would catch it.

Overall, some minor problems, but overall I loved, loved, loved this movie. Awesome action scenes, gorgeous visuals (including the men) and mostly a great book to movie plot line. Go see it and have lots of fun!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

MINI REVIEW: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

15839984Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

This book was kind of a dark twist on Beauty and the Beast, but unlike other failed attempts at this kind of story, Cruel Beauty actually pulls it off.

Cruel Beauty is a mix between Greek Mythology and The Beauty and the Beast. Here is my suggestion: if you don’t know anything about Greek mythology, do some research (perhaps by reading Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan) before you start this book.

“If one of us had to die, it ought to be the one with poison in her heart.”

Our main character is named Nyx. She has been destined to marry the evil ruler of her kingdom ever since she was born- and forced with the task of saving her people by trapping him- and herself- in his house forever, never to escape.

Nyx has built up burning rage and hatred for everyone- her father, who forced her into this horrible deal, her aunt, who replaces her mother’s place in their home, her sister, who everyone loves and adores, and most of all, she hates herself for the poison in her heart.

When she turns seventeen, she goes to marry the horrible monster that she will be trapped with forever. She goes unwillingly, afraid, angry, determined and prepared for anything. Anything, that is, except what happens-

She falls in love with him.

He isn’t anything what she expected- protective, caring, and maybe even loving. He makes her feel something she has never felt before- the wickedness coming out of her heart. As she learns more about him, she realizes that the treachery and despicable acts he has done to her people may not be entirely her fault.

“They said that love was terrifying and tender, wild and sweet, and none of it made any sense.
But now I knew that every mad word was true.”

This book wasn’t anything I expected it to be. It was so different from the other retellings of Beauty and the Beast that I’ve read, and yet at the same time it was so intense, dark and thrilling that I couldn’t put it down.

Were there some character flaws that I disliked? Some holes in the plot? Some annoying, cheesy quotes? The answer is yes. You might be confused- but here is my verdict. Pick this up to be entertained- not to find a new favorite book. It’s good, memorable, fresh; but not what I would consider to be amazing.

Short and sweet because I am out of time! See you guys in a few days for another review!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

TOP TEN LIST: Classics

10. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire Moors, she finds it full of secrets. The mansion has nearly one hundred rooms, and her uncle keeps himself locked up. And at night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors.


The gardens surrounding the large property are Mary's only escape. Then, Mary discovers a secret garden, surrounded by walls and locked with a missing key. One day, with the help of two unexpected companions, she discovers a way in. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

9. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

37449The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. 

8. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

3685A horse is a horse of course unless of course the horse is Black Beauty. Animal-loving children have been devoted to Black Beauty throughout this century, and no doubt will continue through the next. 
Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness.
Black Beauty tells the story of the horse's own long and varied life, from a well-born colt in a pleasant meadow to an elegant carriage horse for a gentleman to a painfully overworked cab horse. 
Throughout, Sewell rails - in a gentle, 19th-century way - against animal maltreatment. Young readers will follow Black Beauty's fortunes, good and bad, with gentle masters as well as cruel. Children can easily make the leap from horse-human relationships to human-human relationships, and begin to understand how their own consideration of others may be a benefit to all.
7. Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

12297Hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country," Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter reaches to our nation's historical and moral roots for the material of great tragedy. Set in an early New England colony, the novel shows the terrible impact a single, passionate act has on the lives of three members of the community: the defiant Hester Prynne; the fiery, tortured Reverend Dimmesdale; and the obsessed, vengeful Chillingworth.

With The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to forge from our Puritan heritage a universal classic, a masterful exploration of humanity's unending struggle with sin, guilt and pride. 

6. Emma by Jane Austen 
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'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.'


Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

5. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
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We owe The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) to Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend Fletcher "Bobbles" Robinson, who took him to visit some scary English moors and prehistoric ruins, and told him marvelous local legends about escaped prisoners and a 17th-century aristocrat who fell afoul of the family dog. Doyle transmogrified the legend: generations ago, a hound of hell tore out the throat of devilish Hugo Baskerville on the moonlit moor. Poor, accursed Baskerville Hall now has another mysterious death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the culprit somehow be mixed up with secretive servant Barrymore, history-obsessed Dr. Frankland, butterfly-chasing Stapleton, or Selden, the Notting Hill murderer at large? Someone's been signaling with candles from the mansion's windows. Nor can supernatural forces be ruled out. Can Dr. Watson--left alone by Sherlock Holmes to sleuth in fear for much of the novel--save the next Baskerville, Sir Henry, from the hound's fangs?

Many Holmes fans prefer Doyle's complete short stories, but their clockwork logic doesn't match the author's boast about this novel: it's "a real Creeper!" What distinguishes this particular Hound is its fulfillment of Doyle's great debt to Edgar Allan Poe--it's full of ancient woe, low moans, a Grimpen Mire that sucks ponies to Dostoyevskian deaths, and locals digging up Neolithic skulls without next-of-kins' consent. "The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul," Watson realizes. "Rank reeds and lush, slimy water-plants sent an odour of decay ... while a false step plunged us more than once thigh-deep into the dark, quivering mire, which shook for yards in soft undulations around our feet ... it was as if some malignant hand was tugging us down into those obscene depths." Read on--but, reader, watch your step! --Tim Appelo

4. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
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Introducing one of the most famous characters in literature, Jean Valjean - the noble peasant imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread - Les Misérables (1862) ranks among the greatest novels of all time. In it Victor Hugo takes readers deep into the Parisian underworld, immerses them in a battle between good and evil, and carries them onto the barricades during the uprising of 1832 with a breathtaking realism that is unsurpassed in modern prose. 

Within his dramatic story are themes that capture the intellect and the emotions: crime and punishment, the relentless persecution of Valjean by Inspector Javert, the desperation of the prostitute Fantine, the amorality of the rogue Thénardier and the universal desire to escape the prisons of our own minds. Les Misérables gave Victor Hugo a canvas upon which he portrayed his criticism of the French political and judicial systems, but the portrait which resulted is larger than life, epic in scope - an extravagant spectacle that dazzles the senses even as it touches the heart. 


This Signet Classic edition is a new version translated by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee, based on the classic nineteenth-century Charles E. Wilbour translation.

3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

119787Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.


Bradbury’s powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which, decades on from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock. 

2. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

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'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang'

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.

47885051. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the series of short stories that made the fortunes of the Strand magazine, in which they were first published, and won immense popularity for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The detective is at the height of his powers and the volume is full of famous cases, including 'The Red-Headed League', 'The Blue Carbuncle', and 'The Speckled Band'. Although Holmes gained a reputation for infallibility, Conan Doyle showed his own realism and feminism by having the great detective defeated by Irene Adler - the woman - in the very first story, 'A Scandal in Bohemia'. 
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