Review: Catching Fire Movie

Before I start this review, I have to admit that I am not a Hunger Games fan at all. I never liked Katniss and still don't. There were certainly some aspects of the book that I liked, but it wasn't enough for me to a) finish Mockingjay and b) like the series (which is also evident from my ratings on Goodreads). However, Catching Fire was my favorite book of the two that I read, so I was a little bit more excited about this movie. I also have to say that this series is one of the rare instances where I think the movies are better than the books. But without further ado, my review.

I think the most important aspect to hit upon first is the characters/acting. I've been feeling very conflicted on this because the movie has changed some of my thoughts on the characters from when I read the book. But I'm going to break this down in some of the different characters. I suppose I should talk about Katniss first. Like I said above, I never liked Katniss. The movies have not changed that, and I'm not sorry to admit that. I certainly think Jennifer Lawrence is a great actress, but I've been wondering how much I've been enjoying her performance. In some ways, I was first thinking that this (and The Hunger Games) was one of her weaker performances on screen. But before you yell at me, let me explain. I saw Katniss to be very emotionless in the first half-ish part of the movie. I know a lot of you will argue with me about that, but that's how I saw it. Later on, I do think it got better, but there was still something that irked me. Jennifer Lawrence's performance didn't honestly help me at all. I still feel the same way about Katniss, and if anything, the movie reinforces how much I really don't like Katniss. I get why a lot of other people do like her, but I think the bad parts I see far outweigh the good that they see. And that's when I realized that maybe that made Jennifer Lawrence a good actress who has done a great job representing Katniss. What I mean is that for those who like/love Katniss, the movies have reinforced that, but for me, among the minority, it just reminds me of everything I don't like about Katniss. Lawrence's performance is good in that I guess she has done a great job playing who Katniss really is, for better or for worse.

Next, there's Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. Let's start with Hemsworth first. I just...no. Sorry. Unlike many, I didn't mind Gale in the books (maybe because I never read past ~5 chapters of Mockingjay). But I don't think Hemsworth has captured the character's essence. Maybe part of it is the writing, but I think a large part of it is that he really seems unemotional, and that doesn't fit him, at least from how I interpreted Gale from the books. His performance has really made me dislike Gale. Who knows, maybe that's the point. Josh Hutcherson, on the other hand, I feel has done a great job. I don't even know why, but I was never fond of Peeta in the books, which is weird because in real life, I probably would like him. But I think Josh has done a great job of understanding and portraying Peeta, with a ton of emotions and expressions, and it's made me really like Peeta a whole lot more.

Haymitch and Effie are just as great in this movie, if not better (particularly Haymitch). Also, that mahogany reference? Perfect! Cinna is also still magnificent in this movie, and I'M SO SAD BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM LIKE WHY. (Just as a note, my favorites from the books were Haymitch, Cinna, Finnick, and possibly Johanna (I say possibly because I don't remember much from the books, so I don't know if I liked her).) Speaking of Finnick, MY GOSH SAM CLAFLIN. Yes, yes, yes, yes. He was so perfect as Finnick, and I just love him even more! And speaking of loving a character, Jo-freakin'-hanna! I fricking love that girl. Jena Malone, you are my favorite (not really but okay, maybe in this movie yes). Johanna was so beyond fantastic. I loved how snarky she was, and I loved her unique personality. You could definitely see the hatred she had towards the Capitol. And her attitude and personality and just everything just blew me away. I think Malone's performance was one of the best, if not the best, out of all of the actors.

On a last note about characters after that mini freak out, I don't know how I feel about how Mags was portrayed. I still loved her, and you could still understand her personality, but I didn't really like how she didn't talk. I know it was probably to get around the speech issue that I don't remember but was apparently in the books (you can see how much I didn't like the series in general...also it's been a long time).

Next, on to everything else. I loved the clock arena, and it was definitely freaky. I didn't really like that they didn't at least introduce all the tributes, which made it confusing when they showed the dead. I get that they weren't important, but I'm picky, and I couldn't stop thinking, "Did we ever see that person? Who is that?" I don't know if they were mentioned in the books, so maybe that's why, but still. But the arena was really well done in general. I also loved the Snow scenes, and the parts with his granddaughter were really well done. Caesar's scenes were hilarious as well.

I didn't really understand the huge jump in advanced technology. I get that it's the Quarter Quell, and I get that they had a much higher budget (the movie, I mean), but I don't know...it felt so weird to see such a vast difference in technology in, I believe, less than a year. I know it's not real and whatnot, and I do think that some of the technology did help to add to the movie and to make it look cooler, but I think the movie would have been just fine without that huge jump. Maybe I'm just being over picky.

The last nit-picky thing for me was the awkward scene cuts. It was definitely a lot better compared to The Hunger Games, but there were still a couple of times when this bothered me, particularly the one that cut abruptly from a dark scene to a light scene, making my eyes go WOAH NO.

In general, I really enjoyed this movie. As much as I'd hate to admit it, it's definitely one that I'd see again, and I think it was VERY well done. I would gladly freak out about the movie, as I have a bit already, just as long as you don't mention the book series to me (maybe Catching Fire is the exception but I don't really remember it) and push it in my face.

Basically, as a whole, I think the acting was phenomenal. Almost every actor brought something to their character, whether I personally enjoyed it or not. The pacing went well (if you don't mind that the arena lasted roughly 2 or 3 days and a lot of time was spent on everything before), and I loved the arena. The ending was perfect, and Katniss' facial expression? Awesome. Everyone really stepped it up a notch with this movie, and it really helped to make this epic. While I will never say that this is my favorite book-to-movie adaptation (despite its flaws, I'll always go with Harry Potter, and I'm not sorry about that. Argue with me all you want, but I will never let anything, especially THG, take over that spot. I'm stubborn that way), it's probably on my top ten list, as much as I'd hate to admit that.

Seriously, if you can, go watch it (if you haven't already). It will possibly almost blow your mind away by its greatness.

Review: Altered by Gennifer Albin (ARC)

Altered by Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: October 29th, 2013

Life. Possibility. Choice.
All taken from Adelice by the Guild—until she took them back.
But amid the splendid ruins of Earth, Adelice discovers how dangerous freedom can be. Hunted by soulless Remnants sent by Cormac Patton and the Guild, Adelice finds a world that’s far from deserted. Although allies are easy to find on Earth, knowing who to trust isn’t. Because everyone has secrets, especially those Adelice loves most. Secrets they would kill to protect. Secrets that will redefine each of them. Torn between two brothers and two worlds, Adelice must choose what to fight for.
In this thrilling sequel to Crewel, Adelice is about to learn how tangled up her past and future really are. Her parents ran to protect her, but nothing can save her from her destiny, and once she uncovers the truth, it will change everything.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from a giveaway held by the publishing company. This does not affect my thoughts on the book.
Reviewer's Note: I would also just like to add that it's been a while since I finished the book, and I'm terrible at remembering books and their plots, characters, etc, so bear with me.

I was so beyond excited to receive an ARC of Altered after being blown away by Crewel, the first book. I had high expectations, and while some of them were met, this fell short in many aspects. (Also, as a note, I now have both the ARC and a final copy, but since I read the ARC, I'm listing it as such.)

Altered picks up right after Crewel ended, with Adelice, Eric, and Jost falling down to Earth. We're then introduced to a bunch of new characters, including Dante, whom I'm still conflicted over. We also meet Kincaid, who's almost like the Cormac Patton of Earth. We also learn a lot more about Adelice's parents and what they were involved with, although the full truth only comes out later on in the story. There's a lot about the Cypress Project and the interesting man and scientist, Kairos. Don't worry, you'll learn more about all of that when you read the book. And one of the best parts, at least for me? Learning about what "The Agenda" is. If you've seen Albin's Twitter campaign and promotions, you'll find that she had a bunch of stuff set up relating to the book and using the hashtag #JoinTheAgenda (I also posted about it a few months back).

The plot was generally well-written, and there were a few plot twists that took me by surprise. Albin continues to weave a fantastic new world, leaving the reader captivated and generally engaged. There were a few times here and there where the plot moved a lot slower, but there was also a lot of character development and influential decisions that were made. It was interesting to see where all the characters were headed towards, even if it wasn't exactly what I would personally want.

But speaking of characters, I want to discuss that aspect in particular detail. I still love Adelice, but there was something about her that irked me at times. I think part of it may have been her stubbornness, though given her, ah, family, I can't say I'm surprised. Despite this, I can understand where she's coming from. Most of her emotions, feelings, thoughts, decisions, and actions are understandable. And it's wonderful that she's not strong all the time and that she's affected by her weakness.
Jost, however, really bothered me. He seems to have turned into someone completely different, and while I understand the reasons why, I hate how he's turned into someone else. It feels almost icky, but I'm holding out hope that this will change when/if he finds his daughter and gets her back.
I'm still stuck on Eric and Dante. Eric also seemed to be very different from how he was in Crewel, but there's still something that doesn't sit right with me. Dante...he's a very interesting, complex character, and I love that about him, but there was always a little part of me that was annoyed with him.
I think that Albin is really pushing for that "love triangle" or whatever it's more appropriately called between Jost and Adelice and Eric and Adelice. But it all felt so unnatural and fake. None of the potential relationships seemed real to me anymore. I had been a pretty ardent Adelice/Jost shipper, but with Jost being all...weird...it didn't fit right anymore, but it also always felt like Eric was up to something. We'll see, I guess...

Yet despite all of this, I still did enjoy the characters in terms of their complexity. I feel like a lot of what I said above are personal opinions that have more to do with how I read and understand the characters than the characters themselves. They're all interesting and very three dimensional. They all have something that they want, and they're all willing to do what they can to get that. I think that this book highlights a lot of their individual characteristics. The decisions they make reflect where they are in THIS book, and I think it sets up well for Crewelest.

Also, can we talk about that ending?! I'm glad that Adelice made the decision, even though I kept shouting "NO!" I think it showed how much Adelice learned and changed throughout the book. I think that making such a big decision and an even bigger sacrifice is monumental to her as a character. But can I just say, [SPOILER] WHY AMIE?! [END SPOILER]

All in all, while I still enjoyed the plot and Albin's storytelling, the book suffered from Second Book Syndrome. I'm hoping that Crewelest will be even better though, especially the way that this book sets it up. I'm excited to read the final book to the series! And remember to #JoinTheAgenda! ;)

You can find Gennifer Albin on: Official Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest | Tumblr

You can find Altered on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | The Book Depository

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release Date: March 30th, 2012/August 7th, 2012

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 

Where do I even begin? Before I started the book, I had kept hearing about how great this book was. Everyone seemed to just absolutely LOVE it. And rightly so! I'm just one more blogger that agrees.

I guess I'll start with the characters. They're all phenomenally written, and what I think Maas did best was that she made sure that all of the characters had flaws. Celaena, who is one of my favorite heroines of all time, was so well-written and so real, partially due to the fact that she wasn't perfect. She had her own moments of weakness, and getting to see both sides of her was great. (I also found it interesting to see how girly Celaena could be despite her, ah, profession.) And of course it wasn't just Celaena. There was also Chaol, Dorian, Nehemia, the King, and everyone! Maas builds up her characters extremely well, and they're all very well-rounded characters.

Next is the plot itself. I've always been a fan of epic/high fantasy, and Throne of Glass made me fall in love with the sub-genre all over again. The world building was beyond phenomenal. Of course, there's also a map at the front of the book. Awesome, right? Anyway, back to the plot. It felt perfectly paced, and it was suspenseful and intriguing enough to keep me interested and invested in the story through the entire book. I never wanted to put it down! If it were up to me, I would have spent the entire day reading it. Seriously, why didn't I read this book before??? I'm also really glad that although there was some light romance, it didn't overshadow the main plot. If anything, it enhanced it. And I personally thought there was enough in it for you to at one moment want her to be with Dorian and the other to be with Chaol (I was originally a Dorian fan, but I think I'm siding more towards Chaol now; thinking back on it now, especially having started Crown of Midnight, it's obvious she was never meant to be with Dorian, and they didn't seem to really come together naturally). It's interesting to see how the different relationships, all of which are very different (as in not just romantic relationships), affect the plot. I don't really know how else to describe everything I loved about this book. It was just everything!

What else do I talk about? (It's been too long since I've written a review, clearly.) Basically...intriguing, complex characters with compelling relationships, great character and world building, perfect pacing, extremely invested in the story, enjoyable style (at least personally), and a really well executed plot and story in general.

I kind of just love everything about the book, so I highly recommend it.

You can find Sarah J Maas on: Facebook | Twitter | Official Website | Blog | Goodreads

You can find Throne of Glass on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

Review: My Yellow Umbrella by Chris Robertson

My Yellow Umbrella by Chris Robertson
Publisher: Xist Publishing
Release Date: October 15th, 2013

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author. This did not affect my review in any way.
Reviewer's Note: Chris, I am so incredibly sorry that this is so late, but I've been so swamped. I hope you understand!
To everyone else, this is the first time I've reviewed a picture book, and I have no idea how to do this well, so this will be very short.

The Yellow Umbrella is short, cute, and imaginative. The illustrations are very well done and go right along with the words. It's a truly inspirational read, and I think everyone can get something out of it, no matter how old one is. I definitely recommend this to parents to read to their children.

Tour: Fearsome by S. A. Wolfe (Review)

New Adult / Romance
Date Published: 10/1/2013
Jessica Channing’s big city life should be more exciting than sixty-hour work weeks and popcorn nights with her girlfriends, but it’s not. She has worked hard fulfilling her role as a child prodigy and graduating college years before her peers. She’s the good girl, the brilliant girl.
Unfortunately, she’s also the dateless young woman.
That all changes with one phone call. Jess’s rigid, predictable life upends when she must visit a small, obscure town to deal with a relative’s death. This isn’t just any little speck of a town, though. Long lost memories come crashing down on Jess’s world when two men, the Blackard brothers, seem to lure her in.

Dylan is cover model handsome, and pursues Jess the minute she comes to town. Then there is tall, dark and gorgeous Carson, who hides his own secrets behind his hardened reserve.

For someone who has been governed by her own obsessive behaviors and fears, Jess lets her guard down and jumps at the opportunity to have an affair with a man she actually finds attractive for a change.\
There’s just one problem. Jess discovers that she can’t have a simple romantic fling because true passion does indeed come with some very big strings attached to it. She will have to own up to her own truths about love and face the two extraordinary men; both troubled in their own ways and both determined to have her.
This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers.

Now available for $0.99

Smashwords | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

S. A. Wolfe lives with her wonderfully loud, opinionated children and husband. She is a voracious reader and passionate about writing, and when those two activities don’t keep her locked away in her room, she loves hiking mountains as much as she adores all the thrills New York City has to offer.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway!

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Review

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for the tour, and it did not affect my review or rating of the book whatsoever.

Let me start off by stating the obvious. I don't normally read NA, and I'm probably still a bit young to be reading NA, but the book did intrigue me, so.

In it's most basic form, the story isn't bad. A little predictable in some ways, perhaps, but in other ways, also very surprising. There were some revelations about characters that I was not expecting, and there was enough tension at the very least to keep me reading. The tension between Carson and Dylan was particularly interesting to read, and I liked seeing their relationship evolve. (And personally, I don't like sibling love triangle plots, so that was a bit of a turn off for me.)

But I did have a problem with Jess. I just could get myself to like her. I couldn't connect to her, and while I could sometimes understand where she was coming from, she wasn't someone that I liked very much. She was bearable enough to read the book, but there was something unsettling to me about her and the way she treats people. Her reactions seemed extreme most of the time and they didn't seem to fit who I thought she was at the beginning.

There were other characters, however, that I did like. I'm still a little hesitant on Carson, but I absolutely loved Lauren and Imogene. They were hilarious and fun. Perhaps they weren't as complex as I would have liked them to be, but I think that it balanced out Dylan, Jess, and Carson, who were all so complex that it almost overpowered everything else. Thankfully there was always Lauren and Imogene.

All in all, this was a decent read. I didn't particularly enjoy the apparent telling over showing, but it was more along a fine line than completely being too much. There were a few characters that I really enjoyed and some others that were decent and interesting enough to get me to finish the book. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but I definitely think it's a bit too erm...steamy for younger readers, even if they're my age.

Review: NCIS:LA Bundle

*I AM STILL ON HIATUS*

(Note: Please excuse the really light blue hearts. I'm going to fix them ASAP, but I've been busy.)

Ascension (Aired 9/24)

This isn't related to the episode, but confession: I'm TERRIBLE at remembering TV show plots. I'll know that I've watched an episode, but I won't remember the ending (most of the time), and after a few days, I would not have a clear recollection of the episode. But anyway, I shall review it to the best of my ability.

Moving on, the episode was on the one hand predictable, but on the other hand, the execution was done so well that you're thinking about more than that. It was an extremely emotional episode, but I think the cast and writers did a great job of really portraying not only the characters and their reactions to the events but also of portraying PTSD. So many shows try to show trauma, but they don't execute it well, unlike this episode.

I'm also really glad that they got in a solid Sam and Deeks scene without making them out of character. Sam's apparent ability to bounce back fits his character, as he's an ex-Navy SEAL. And Deeks' reaction fits him and his personality as well.

And not to get to in depth with my own biases, I'm glad that they brought up, in some ways, Deeks and Kensi's current relationship. You can visibly see them treading on thin water, but you can still see the affection there. Clearly, the events have to affect Deeks and thus his relationship with Kensi. And I suppose it was their way of addressing the kiss. I'm glad the showrunners aren't rushing to get them together, but I do hope that the showrunners are smart enough to learn from NCIS and not drag it out too long. At the moment, I think they'll find that happy medium.

They really used this episode to tie up some loose ends from the last season. But the one thing that was extremely predictable and a bit frustrating was that they kept Janvier alive. It was clear that NCIS:LA wasn't going to get rid of him, but honestly, I think they need a new arc. They got away with it for so long because it made sense because of both Callen and Janvier's personalities. But it's gotten to the point where I'm just like, "Come on! I know what the finale will probably relate to..."

Impact (Aired 10/1)

This episode definitely makes the list as one of my favorites. If Ascension handled PTSD well, Impact did so with flying colors. I am so happy that they didn't dismiss the effects of torture on Sam because even the toughest of guys will break down. I loved seeing Nate back because I just love Nate, but it's clear that he still has a close relationship with the team. I'm glad that he was the one brought in to talk to Sam and Deeks, even if neither of them wanted it. Not only did Nate bring up a hidden side to Sam, but he was really able to get to the heart of Deeks' relationship with Kensi.

This episode was definitely a lot more character driven than anything, but I'm glad they're taking the time to develop and delve into the effects of the traumatic events from last season. They could have easily brushed it off, but they're using it to their advantage. And for that I am grateful.

And lastly, of course, I HAVE to bring up the Deeks/Kensi scene at the end. I liked seeing them just hanging out as friends. You can tell how much Kensi really cares about Deeks, even if she's scared to admit it. It's a sweet, touching scene. It hints at possibilities, but it leaves enough open that anything could happen. And I love that.

Omni (Aired 10/8)

I was so disappointed in this episode after the last two episodes, but maybe it was just me.

Firstly, I felt that the case was pretty easy to figure out, and I pretty much knew who had done it as soon as we first met the guy. It was probably enough to convince and trick some people, but I'm sure that for many people, it was predictable. And this episode was a lot less character-centric as the previous two.

Now, that doesn't mean there wasn't anything. There was still a lot about Deeks recovering, but it fell a bit flat in both that area, as well as others. Yes, of course the whole deal with Deeks and shooting is going to be a hot topic, but I still felt like something was missing. The way that Kensi joked about Deeks' ordeal seemed so insensitive in a time wen she should have been on high alert.

I did enjoy the Nell/Eric scenes, but even that seemed to be a filler. Sure, it was hilarious, and it was so great to see Eric stumbling over his own words, but there wasn't really any need for the whole pants and girl's night out ordeal. It seemed like the producers were trying to hard to show things building up between Eric and Nell, but it wasn't executed as well as they probably thought it was.

I'm still a bit iffy on how I feel about this episode, but for now, my rating:

Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: Sept. 17th, 2013

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Review: Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff (Galley)

I decided to make a video for this instead of writing out a review (although you can find an abridged, written review on my Goodreads).

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile 

Release Date: October 3rd, 2013

Mila has an exceptional talent for reading a room—sensing hidden facts and unspoken emotions from clues that others overlook. So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing from his upstate New York home, Mila and her beloved father travel from London to find him. She collects information about Matthew from his belongings, from his wife and baby, from the dog he left behind and from the ghosts of his past—slowly piecing together the story everyone else has missed. But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.

Review: A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 23rd, 2013

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

NCIS and Elementary Season Premieres

Just a quick update! Reviews will hopefully be written and up soon! In the meantime, here are my ratings for the two premieres. (These two and NCIS:LA are the only shows of mine that are back on, I believe. I wish I could watch all the others/start new shows, but I hardly even have time for these! And I'm still behind on my other shows!)

NCIS: Whiskey Foxtrot Tango

Elementary: Step Nine

TV Tuesday: NCIS:LA Season 5 Premiere Review

Firstly, Happy October!!!

I know the title's a bit misleading, but I don't actually have the review written yet. Stay tuned. In the mean time, here's my official rating of the episode.

I originally wanted to give it a 4.5, but I'll get into that soon I hope.

(On a side note, I hope to review a music album this week. And definitely TV shows.)

Review: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano (ARC)

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts on the following book.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Book for Young Readers

Release Date: October 1, 2013

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

This is the first time I've read any of Lauren DeStefano's books. And boy was I glad that this kicked things off. I plan on reading her Chemical Garden Trilogy someday, but for now, let's go into my review of this fabulous book.

Flashback Friday: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I realize that no one probably even cares about this book or whatever. I wouldn't either. But I had to read it for my summer reading assignment. So let's talk.

I went into this knowing that there were extremely mixed reviews. After reading it, I could see why. It's not really my type of book, and I had a lot of reasons not to like it. But it wasn't terrible.

The plot actually wasn't that bad. It got really repetitive, but Cormac actually wrote it well and there was something compelling about it. It can get boring at times, but I really loved the symbolism in the book. I liked that it made me think. I actually enjoyed the ending a lot, or at least until the last paragraph. I still have no idea what that was supposed to mean, and it just made a strong ending weak.

And there were so many other aspects of the book that I had trouble with. The first and foremost was the grammar an writing itself. McCarthy made good use of diction and syntax, but I wasn't willing to throw away everything I knew about writing just to get through this book. There's the lack or punctuation or misuse if them. There were fragments and ridiculously long run on sentences. There were no quotation marks, making it very hard to follow along with whoever is speaking. There was just so much that I couldn't get used to and couldn't push away. Maybe that was part of McCarthy's lesson. Who knows?

Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would want to make a movie out this. It was mostly predictable. It was extremely repetitive. The characters didn't even have names for goodness sake. 

Should you read it? Maybe. Would I ever re-read it? Maybe. But I wouldn't put this on your TBR list, at least not anywhere near the top.

Rating: 3/5

Due to me being sure there's not a large demand for this book, I won't add links. Sorry!

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review: Once Upon Another Time (EP) by Sara Bareilles

Tracklist:
1. Once Upon Another Time
2. Stay
3. Lie to Me
4. Sweet as Whole
5. Bright Lights and Cityscapes

Can I start by saying that I absolutely love the cover art? SO PRETTY. It's simple, but it's sophisticated (much like Sara's music!).

Review: The Impossible

A regular family - Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three kids - travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Who will survive, and what will become of them?

I actually watched this movie WEEKS ago, but I just never got around to this review...whoops. But anyway. I wanted to watch this movie ever since I saw the trailer for it in theatres.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was a really emotional movie, and I cried a lot, I'm not going to lie. It's really inspiring, and it's so unbelievable that you know it's real, as one of my teachers says. It literally seems so impossible, yet somehow, it's so true.

Review: Once We Were by Kat Zhang (ARC)

"I'm lucky just to be alive"

Eva was never supposed to have survived this long. As the recessive soul, she should have faded away years ago. Instead, she lingers in the body she shares with her sister soul, Addie. When the government discovered the truth, they tried to “cure” the girls, but Eva and Addie escaped before the doctors could strip Eva’s soul away.

Now fugitives, Eva and Addie find shelter with a group of hybrids who run an underground resistance. Surrounded by others like them, the girls learn how to temporarily disappear to give each soul some much-needed privacy. Eva is thrilled at the chance to be alone with Ryan, the boy she’s falling for, but troubled by the growing chasm between her and Addie. Despite clashes over their shared body, both girls are eager to join the rebellion.

Yet as they are drawn deeper into the escalating violence, they start to wonder: How far are they willing to go to fight for hybrid freedom? Faced with uncertainty and incredible danger, their answers may tear them apart forever.

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Here's a surprise for you--another review! :)

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. 
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. 

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

Review: The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles

Track Listing: 
1. Brave
2. Chasing the Sun
3. Hercules
4. Manhattan
5. Satellite Call
6. Little Black Dress
7. Cassiopeia
8. 1000 Times
9. I Choose You
10. Eden
11. Islands
12. December

Review: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t.

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.