I actually didn't get a chance to post this last week, but here's my book haul!
Look at those gorgeous titles! I got them last Saturday and at the time, I had 9 books (including those ones up there) to read.
I also got this lovely book in the mail from Epic Reads (btw, I never knew how much I was missing out until I actually watched their vlogs).
And yeah, I got a lovely Epic Reads bag with *book shimmy* on it :)
AND this Friday, I got this book from the mail as well:
I currently have 11 books to read plus 5 ebooks. Yeah.
I was going to read two of my library books this weekend and planned to finish one of my ebooks, but the problem is that I actually missed TWO DAYS of math and economics, and a day of English. And on top of that, I've been sick since Wednesday, and my fever started disappearing only yesterday. My weekend was busy (I had three days of math homework to finish, I'm currently crying over the fact that I still don't understand what I'm doing in economics, and I have to make study notes for my French novel study/essay). Oh, and I was so sick to the point where I couldn't watch Catching Fire.
On the bright side: I watched the Day of the Doctor. It was a beautiful episode! :D I have sooooo many thoughts on what's to come and have soooo many theories! Unfortunately, I can't put gifs onto these posts using the Blogger App, but I can post pictures, like this end shot from the 50th special:
Like I said, I just have soooooo much going on that I didn't have time to make a Throwback Thursday post for this week! I just really wanted to finish all my homework and assignments before the break, but unfortunately for me, my teachers assigned MORE stuff for me to do during this Thanksgiving holiday! Yay!
But other than getting assignments and homework, my day was pretty okay. Till, you know, I got caught eating. TWICE!
I DO eat breakfast in the morning, let's get that straight first! I eat usually some toast with jam and butter, waffles (I LOVE waffles!), or something Filipino that my mom whips up when she has the time. I don't usually get hungry after lunch, but at school, I just feel so hungry by second period! The problem? We're not allowed to eat in class because it's against Sabrina's Law.
So, I chew gum to keep my mind of food or I eat a mint. A LOT of mints. But today, I just got so hungry :( So I started eating my apple slices. For anyone that wants to eat in class, DO NOT do what I did: eat when the teacher is looking straight at you and having a conversation with you. Seriously, don't.
In my defense, she wasn't originally talking to me in the first place- she just happened to look at me and ask me a question in the end. THAT'S how I got caught. So never, ever, eveeeeerrrrrr eat in class when the teacher is not focused on work.
When I got to Economics class, I was getting my books out and was reaching to pull out an apple, but my teacher suddenly walked in. So I was caught red-handed right off the bat and didn't even to eat a slice 3A!
You think I would've learned to be more covert when eating an apple in class, but apparently, I'm not really covert. I guess this is a sign to never eat again in class since it is against the rules. I should really just stick to mints, at least I don't get in trouble as much!
Happy Fandom Friday everybody! Instead of the Fangirl Friday that I had originally planned to do, I decided to dedicate this post to my fandoms!
1. Love and Loyalty Run Deeper than Blood
Vampire Academy: With over 8 million books sold world-wide, a 6 book spin off series, and a movie to premiere on February 14th, 2014, the Vampire Academy is one of my all time favourite series and Fandoms.
The Books:
There are 6 books in the series: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice. Despite it's name, it is NOT your typical vampire story!
The Vampire Academy series revolves around 17 year old half vampire, half human (also known as a Dhampir), Rose Hathaway. She has been trained all her life to protect and guard her vampire BFF Lissa Dragomir. After an accident that bonded them psychically, Rose and Lissa escape the walls of their school St. Vladimir's, only to be dragged back by Dimitri Belikov...who happens to be Lissa's new guardian. Together, the two face many hardships: social discrimination, psychological issues, bad romances, betrayal and enemies that make the Volturi hide in a corner.
The books are amazing, and what drew me to Vampire Academy was it's complexity; there's romance, there's humour, there's adventure, there's self-discovery, and there's growing up.
Richelle Mead uses her talented writing skills to bring out the human side of this vampiric world she has created, and brings you on a journey along with the characters.
I highly recommend this series to anyone that hasn't read it! And if you know ANYONE that has read this series, they will tell you that this series is amazing and WORTH the read.
Despite the series ending in 2010, the world of Vampire Academy lives on. Bloodlines (the spin-off series), tells the story of side characters from Vampire Academy, and features cameos from the previous series! So if you're looking for a fix before the movie, I suggest you give the sound off series a try. There are three books out now: Bloodlines, the Golden Lily, the Indigo Spell, and the fourth book, the Fiery Heart will debut November 19th, 2013.
SO JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON, THERE'S STILL TIME!
The Movie:
Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters (the name of the movie) will be out on February 14th, 2014. Also known as Valentine's Day. But I guess it won't compare to VA Day :D
The movie stars Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway (Beautiful Creatures), Lucy Fry (Lightning Point), and Danila Kozlovsky (We Are From The Future). The movie will also star Gabriel Byrne, Cameron Monaghan (Shameless), Dominic Sherwood (The Cut), Sami Gayle (Blue Bloods), Olga Kurylenko, and Sarah Hyland (Modern Family).
I AM SO HYPED!
With Vampire Academy being one of my favourite series of all time, I am seriously excited that the book to movie adaptation is FINALLY being made.
According to interviews with Mark Waters (Mean Girls), Daniel Waters (Heathers), and Richelle Mead herself, the movie is VERY loyal to the book. I mean, look at the trailer:
And another thing I love is the cast! I mean, they're all pretty good look and they've all got some serious acting chops (they're résumés are all impressive. Good job casting!). But the one thing that I love is that they are totally interactive with their fans. I even got a chance to do an impromptu interview with one of their Dhampirs, Nate Shaw!
It was pretty cool. Now only if I can get Dominic Sherwood to notice me...
2. Bowties are Cool
Doctor Who is like the fandom of fandoms. You have people from other fandoms in this fandom, and it's pretty amazing.
Now, I didn't grow up watching classic Doctor Who (sorry, my family didn't own a TV while growing up & didn't get this awesome experience), but I have been a loyal fan of the series for a while. I have a love for the new Doctors (yes, I'm an Eleven, sorry Tens!), but have a lot of respect for the Classic Doctor Who (they kept it running for 26 seasons!).
What I love about Doctor Who is the action and the adventures, but most of all, I love how it makes me feel like a little kid again. Whenever I watch Doctor Who and watch as the Doctor takes out the sonic screwdriver, I just...I feel like I'm a kid again, believing that super heroes do exist and that there's one out there for me.
I just love Doctor Who. I just do. I'm just really upset that I have basic cable now and won't be able to watch the 50th Anniversary special OR the Christmas special D:
3. 221B Baker Street
I promised myself that if I can't live in a TARDIS, I'll live in a house with the number 221 and add a 'B' on later. Or live on a street called 'Baker Street'.
BBC's Sherlock is another fandom of mine. I love the show for various reasons, but Moffat penning it is not one of them (like seriously dude, how could you end Series 2 like that?).
From the acting to the mystery and to the modern day spin, I love Sherlock so much (#Sherlocked), I tried (and failed) reading the original books to get an understanding of the characters, like Moriarty.
4. When All Shall Know the Truth, the Truth Shall Set ye Free
IT'S OVEEEEEEEERRRR! AND I FEEL SO ALONE!
Well, no not quite really, but it really IS over.
Yup, the final book of Gallagher Girls series (by Ally Carter), United We Spy, just released this Tuesday. I haven't gotten it yet, but I heard there some HUGE plot twists!
I have yet to read the book, but when I do, I'll do a much more lengthy (and nostalgic) post of my love and adoration for the series.
Like seriously, I started reading the series when I was twelve. That was four years ago. FOUR YEARS! I feel so old now :(
But seriously, this fandom is theBritish Bombshell, and I think the reason why I haven't picked up the series yet is because I just don't want it to end!
Sadly, Trenzalore calls...oh wait, wrong fandom.
5. William? Walter? Wesley?
Another series by Ally Carter, Heist Society stole me from my heart the second I heard that the protagonist was about a thief named Kat (I giggled when I first read that).
Unlike it's Gallagher counterpart, there is no big story arch tying all the books together. It's a series of books that tell the adventure of Kat Bishop, a girl of a family of thieves, and how she navigates the man dominated world of stealing.
I personally enjoy Ally's style of writing; it's clean and isn't totally all doom and gloom like most of the YA series I have read.
It does, however, feature a very handsome billionaire that goes by Scooter (which is weird because his intials are W.W).
6. No one is falling down before any angels today
Fiona Paul (aka Paula Stokes) is one of my new favourite authors! Her debut book, Venom, literally just took me away!
It's YA Historical, set in Renaissance Italy, the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy tells the story of Cassandra 'Cass' Caravello, a 15 year old girl from Venice craving for freedom. Instead, danger and adventure seem to find her after she goes out late at night to visit her dead friend in her tomb. Cass grows throughout the series, learning a lot about herself, her family, and solving unanswered questions that have left her as an orphan: what really happened to her family? Who or what is the Order of the Eternal Rose?
If you love the Gemma Doyle trilogy, The Stravaganza series or the Cross My Heart books, this series is definitely the one for you!
So that's it for me for Fandom Friday!
My next review will probably be Monday or Tuesday, and will either be on my farewell to the Halo trilogy or my new found love for the Infernal Devices series. And don't forget to follow me on @missyallydums97!
The world of the Internet has been alive and full of news all week! Unfortunately, without my laptop, I haven't been able to post as much as I wanted to. So here is my first weekend roundup!
1. WHOVIANS OF THE WORLD, MATT SMITH AND JENNA COLEMAN ARE FILMING THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! I REPEAT, MATT AND JENNA ARE FILMING THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! Have you seen the pictures going around? Matt's apparently wearing a wig, and the pictures show Jenna as Clara holding what I think is a turkey (or a chicken).
*WAILS* It's going to be a sad Christmas this year with Matt leaving Doctor Who, but at least we got Peter Capaldi as the 12th and final Doctor. Oh. And this poster for the 50th anniversary special.
Isn't exciting? I am DYING TO KNOW John Hurt's purpose as the 'forgotten' Doctor. And flipping David Tennant and Billie Piper are going to be on the show! I'm so excited!!!
2. You can now read the first two chapters of United We Spy by Ally Carter here! And you can also watch the trailer for the final Gallagher Girl adventure over here! The final book will be out in Canada and the United States on Tuesday September 17!
And 3) You can read Fury by Elizabeth Miles FOR FREE UNTIL TOMORROW! So check it out here now!
And if you guys aren't following me on twitter (I'm @missyallydums97- GO FOLLOW ME NOW!), you probably haven't heard, but I'm finally jumping onto the Infernal Devices bandwagon! YAY!
So that's it for me, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Author: Gennifer Albin Page Count: 357 pages Release Date: October 16th, 2012 Status: Book 1 in the Crewler Trilogy Received From: My public library :)
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.
**MAY CONTAIN SOME**
Jumping into the story with the knowledge of it being dystopian, I already knew that there was going to be a lot of story building, new terms and words, but Albin is able to create a story and a narrator that is able to keep the reader informed and in the know of what's going on.
The story is about Adelice Lewys, a girl from the Western Sector of Arras. In her world, everything is ruled by the Guild, and when a girl turns sixteen, she is to undergo training for a month and is tested to see if she has the ability to become a Spinster, a person that can weave time. Adelice has been demonstrating these abilities since she was about eight years old, but she worked with her parents to hide her abilites for her testing.
Unfortunately, she slips up and ends up weaving her surroundings without the use of a loom, and knows that she is to be taken away to live a privileged (yet lonely) life in the Coventry, the home of the Spinsters. She decides to play it cool and not tell her parents, but the Guild comes barging into her home, causing her family to execute an escape plan that (sadly) fails, leaving her parents dead, her sister reassigned to another family, and her being taking away to the Coventry to begin her life of glamour, restrain and solitude.
There, she meets the arrogant, sketchy and somewhat alcoholic Cormac Patton, who seems to have some crazy plans and radical ideas; the crazy Eligble trainer, Maela, who wears everything on her sleeve; her kind but secretive mentor, Enora; Maela's handsome yet confusing lapdog, Erik; a fellow Spinster named Pryanna, the not-so-team player; the blue-eyed head valet, Jost Bell; and the Creweler herself, Loricel.
Adelice tries her best to avoid using her gift, but when Malea and Pryanna start playing dirty, her mentor Enora dies, and Cormac (who was also the leader of her Retrieval and the person behind her parent's execution) still has the power to manipulate her by using her newly reassigned sister against her, Ad learns that their interst to keep her alive is due to the fact that she is the next Creweler.
She makes a lot of mistakes and refuses to be put in her place, she makes her final decision that changes the lives of her loved ones, but leads her to a place that no Creweler can ever manipulate, Reality.
After reading the book, I was left completely lost for words. The end of the book just was....WOW! It was already 11:30pm-ish when I finished and I had sacrificed studying for my French test today (which I know did not turn out well), so I wasn't really able to grasp my emotions and figure out how I was supposed to feel.
But now, reeling from yesterday's emotional events and re-reading the parts of the book that I either dog-earred or book marked (which was pretty much the entire book!).
I loved how Albin was able to create a dsutpian world with it's own background and orgins. Yes, sometimes I did find several of the terms misleading, but Albin has this amazing ability to use her character, Adelice, to make us part of her journey.
Unliike most books, she isn't completely clueless in the beginning. She's a little bit of Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series in the sense that all the information is already with her and she knows the ins-and-outs of the world. Adelice knows the world of Arras and understands that living a life of a beautiful Spinister will leave her sacrificing a lot more. She knows how the world works, but at the same time, she doesn't know how the lives of those in the Coventry work. And that's where she learns how to grow as a character.
I love Adelice as a character, and I love her interactions with Cormac, especially their banter.
"Miss me?" he asks.
"It hasn't been that long," I remind him.
"I'm sure it's felt like a lifetime," he says, running his
eyes down me. "Adelice, you are looking... malnourished."
"Cormac, you're looking overdressed."
"Good," he sneers. "Now the hair matches the attitude."
-Crewel, page 122
There are times when she is very scared and she is unable to process her emotions (like when she drank a bottle of wine by herself), but it is understandable with all the loss she's experienced. But then there are moments like her conversations with Cormac that her personality is just perfect.
Another thing I liked from this book are the villans. Ooh! They just got under my skin so much, but in my opinion, any antagonist that makes me want to throw a book across the wall is just brilliant. But the anatagonists in this book come from all different forms, so I was pretty much going crazy the entire book.
Loricel is the Creweler in the book (aka, the Spinster with the power to weave without a loom), and whenever Adelice was with her, I was either really upset that she was so cryptic or really interested with the information she was giving Adelice. My favourite thing about her was that she reminded me a lot like Hannah's grandma from Pretty Little Liars (or was that just me?).
AND THE BOYS! OH IT'S THE BOYS *coughs* (sorry, That's So Raven reference).
Jost and Erick are so...I...they were just AMAZING, let's put it like that. I can't even tell you how I'm supposed to feel with them. Ablin doesn't make the love triangle like a typical one, and there was A LOT of plot twists in it. I was able to figure the Jost-Erick thing pretty early on in the book, but Jost's little story in chapter thirteen just threw me off so bad. Like:
But what I liked the most about this book was the plot. THE PLOT IS AMAZING GUYS! Unlike most first books that just drag on and on with story building and information, the plot is really fast pase, and you find yourself trying to figure out what's going to happen to Adelice after something bad happens. There are times when Adelice is in such a bad situation, you just don't know what she'll do. I actually thought she'd crack under the pressure, but she proves she's tough.
There is SO much restriction in this book, it makes the Giver, the Chrysalids and the Hunger Games look like jokes. The world that Albin builds is a world that has been woven from matter and the fabric on time, and sits above our Earth. Everyone and everything belongs to that overall weave, so if you misbehave, those Spinsters can remove you from the world by cutting your string and then reweave everyone's memories to make them forget you. Or they kill you. Or, they can reweave you and make you forget who you are, which is what is usually chosen instead of death.
It's an amazing world, and an amazing book! I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars, because although the characters are amazing, the world is nicely built and the plot is structured nicely, the terms will have you going back and forth alot, trying to make sense of what's going on. BUT IT'S WORTH THE READ, SO GO GET IT!
And I can't wait to get my hands on Altered, available October 29th, 2013!
It's another Wednesday in September, but as I type this, I am currently melting in my chair.
For some reason, my part of Canada just happens to have 34 degree weather-and that's without the humidity! Now I know some of you guys are probably wondering why I'm complaining about nice summer weather, but to be honest with you heat + humidity + black uniform pants and a cotton polo shirt, then factor in a nearly thirty minute walk with a bag full of homework, 'summer weather' turns into a nightmare!
But other than that, I'm super excited for today's Waiting on Wednesday books, United We Spy by Ally Carter and This Song Will Save Your Life by Lelia Sales, both coming out on September 17th, 2013!
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.
Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.
I've been picking up a lot of dysutopian and contemporary books lately that all tell a coming-of-age story. I guess it's because it sort of applies to what's going on in my life right now (aside from nearly DYING from the heat).
These two novels stand out for me. TSWSYL is a story that I can relate to in some ways, and while I found that my passion is more of the English than Music department, I find that using music to figure out who you are is inspirational, because I know people who found themselves in the Arts (or in other forms of expression) and they have just flourished and became their own.
And UWS is the 6th and final book in the Gallagher Girls series. *WAILS* I have been reading the Gallagher Girls since I was in the seventh grade, and now that the final book is coming out, the reality of me growing up is slowly hitting me (but not quite yet). I know very well that our Gallagher Girls in the UK have already gotten their paws on the book (I think) last week and have read the final book. There have been mixed reviews (you can't please everyone), but I have my faith in Ally. BUT IT'S THE LAST BOOK PART THAT MAKES ME SO UPSET! But in the words of the 11th Doctor:
