Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Image result for frostfire by amanda hockings  Title: Frostfire
  Author: Amanda Hocking
  Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
  Date Published: January 6th, 2015
  Genre: Fantasy
  Pages: 336 (paperback)
  Age Range: 12+






                   Summary:

     Hidden deep in the heart of a snow-covered wilderness lies the secret kingdom of the Kanin--a magical realm as beautiful as it is treacherous…
     Bryn Aven has never fit into Kanin society. Her blond hair and blue eyes set her apart as an outsider--a half-blood unable to hold a respectable rank. But she's determined to prove herself as a loyal protector of the kingdom she loves. Her dream is to become a member of the King's elite guard, and she's not going to let anything stand in her way…not even her growing feelings for her boss, Ridley Dresden. A relationship between them is strictly forbidden, but Bryn can't fight her attraction to him. And she's beginning to think he feels it too. 
     Meanwhile, there's an attack on the kingdom--one that will test Bryn's strength like never before. Finally, she has the chance to confront Konstantin Black, the traitor who tried to kill her father years ago. It's up to Bryn to put a stop to him before he strikes again. But is she willing to risk everything to protect a kingdom that doesn't accept her for who she really is? And when her mission brings her closer to Ridley, will she be able to deny her heart?


                                                    Review:

     I will be the first to admit that I have not read a lot of Amanda Hocking's books. I know a lot of people love her, and she has quite the fan-base, but I haven't really delved into her world yet. However, I think that this book was a great one to start out with. I will definitely read the rest of this trilogy, and I can't wait to check out some of her other works. I have read the Trylle trilogy, and I thought it was just okay- I liked this book quite a bit.
     Bryn is a nice protagonist. she's not my favorite, but she is still tough, relatable (as relatable as trolls can be), and fun to read about. She made a few mistakes, but none of them made me want to rip my hair out like some other protagonists. She never came across as blind or naive, and she was a hark worker. Ridley *sigh*. He was a solid male love interest. Nothing really made him stand out, but I enjoyed his presence in the book. Of course, I want them to end up together, but Ridley was just your average dude. I loved Bryn's friends. They seemed like good, solid friends without any strings attached. I didn't agree with one of their decisions, but I still liked her.
    Nothing came across as blatantly obvious to me. Maybe that's because I'm blind, but I just didn't see anything that spilled the beans about what was going to happen. Now, I'm not saying that things were SUPER STEALTHY LIKE A NINJA, but I am saying that nothing was stupidly obvious (at least to me).
     I liked the overall story arc. It definitely was leading up to some more books, but it was a good, solid book by itself too. As aforementioned, nothing was too obvious, and I actually like where everything is going. I think that Konstantin likes Bryn (creepy), and it's getting in the way of his evilness. Konstantin is a flat-ish villain, so I'm glad we threw in some more people.
     I will definitely read book two. This book was quite a bit better than I was expecting!

                                                   



Monday, March 30, 2015

The Mortal Instruments Drama "Shadowhunters" Coming to ABC Family

It's finally been announced! That's right, it's official........The Mortal Instruments is going to be a TV show!!!

I'm so happy! I totally can't wait!!

My only hope is that it's good, not cheesy and stupid, and made to amuse teenage girls. I don't want it to turn out like the Twilight saga. I mean, the movies were okay (and I mean, just okay). The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie was really, really, REALLY awful. The movie was more focused on demons and creepiness than it was on developing the characters and showing off the Shadowhunter world--which is the reason why everyone loves this series so much.


Anyway, I'm excited for this! I just hope they do it right, start from the very beginning instead of starting back up where the movie left off. I don't think they will start up where the movie left off, but there have been a few rumors going around.

And then, of course, I hope the cast is good. I hope everyone looks the part, and Clary has red hair like she's supposed to because in the movie Lily Colin's hair was not the fiery red that everyone was expecting, and everyone acts the part and is able to pull off their character.

For more information about the show, check out the links below!
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mortal-instruments-drama-shadowhunters-abc-785308
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-mortal-instruments-shadowhunters-abc-family-series-1201462608/



Sunday, March 29, 2015

Paper Towns by John Green

Image result for paper towns
  Title: Paper Towns
  Author: (The) John Green
  Publisher: Speak
  Date Published: September 22nd, 2009
  Genre: The John Green Genre, Contemporary
  Pages: 336 (paperback)
  Age Range: 14+










                  Summary:

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.


                                                       Review:

     I know, I know. I haven't read everything that John Green has breathed on, I'm a terrible fan. Still, I picked up this book because I want to see the movie, but I HAVE to read the book first. Initial thoughts? I really like the cover, I like Quentin and his open disgust for prom, and I actually really love Ben and Radar. After I read the book, things just fell a little flat.
     First, I didn't like Margo. Yeah, she had some amazing, quotable lines, but she wasn't good enough. She was selfish, flighty, whiny, and came across as a bad person. She had everything that she could ever desire, and instead, she threw it away so she could pretend to be "poor and rough it up". I really didn't like her, and even though she was the whole point of the book, she was such a minor character. I loved our lead, Quentin. He was so funny and raw and he had a lot of funny quirks. Ben and Radar were such good friends, with awesome personalities. Lacey was one of my favorite characters. I was NOT expecting her to be so... nice and perfect.
     I didn't like that we went searching for Margo. We threw everything away for Margo (even graduation), and in the end... I don't want to spoil it, but that ending was so disappointing. The car trip was hilarious, though. Ben and his inability to hold his urine for more than two minutes, Quentin's energy-drinking, Lacey's maternal qualities, the COWS, and the beer! They were all ingredients that added to a perfect road trip.
     Things worked out a little too perfectly. Like the fact that the holes in the wall lined up AMAZINGLY to a map, and the comment on Omnictionary, and the door. Things just worked out way too easily sometimes. And I expected Radar and Ben and Lacey to put up a fight about somethings, and when they didn't, I was surprised. ALSO, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT EVERYONE'S PARENTS WERE SO OBLIVIOUS??? Honestly, they were such awful parents for being so absent, and blind.
     I enjoyed a majority of the story, but the things that I didn't like were too big to ignore. Next, I'll read Looking For Alaska by John Green, and then I think I've properly read every book of his. This book does not ruin my love of John Green. I would love him even if he didn't write amazingly well, because he is such a good person. DFTBA, everyone.

                                          

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The 5th Wave is being made into a movie!!!

     For those of you who may not know, the 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is one of my favorite books. If you have a reading challenge this year, and you need an author with a Y name, GET THIS BOOK. Ya know what, get this book anyway. In a few words, I will tell you all that you need to know about this book: aliens, Evan, Cassie, survival, death. Booyah. Read it!
     Now, let's look at the cast. For the protagonist, Cassie, Chloe Moretz has been chosen. I think Chloe is gorgeous, but I'm tired of seeing her, I don't think she's that great of an actress, so she better do Cassie justice or there will be a heavy price to pay. She's been in Hugo (an amazing movie), Ender's Game (also, very good), and If I Stay.
And, here she is:
Image result for chloe moretz


Next, we have Evan. Evan is being played by Alex Roe. I don't think he looks the Evan I imagined at all. I had a good-looking, tough, fit guy in mind (kinda like Chris Pratt from Guardians of the Galaxy) . I don't like this pick.... at all.... Let's just get Chris Pratt in here. I've never heard of this guy before, so I shall refrain from judgement of his acting, but here is a picture of him:
Image result for alex roe


Next, we have Ben Parish. Ben is being played by Nick Robinson. Nick looks JUST like I imagined Ben looking. I was happy with this pick, until I realized that I've seen him act before. In Disney's Frenemies movie. SIGH. Anyway, he did do a good job, so I will let the movie people have this cast. Here's a picture of him:
Image result for nick robinson

As a bonus round, I'll throw in a few pictures of other cast members.

Maika Monroe as Ringer:
Image result for maika monroe

Nadji Jeter as PoundCake:
Image result for nadji jeter

Talitha Bateman as Teacup:
Image result for talitha bateman




I cannot wait for this movie! It is expected to be out next year, so we have some time before it's ready. Still, read the book, and then let's enjoy the movie.