With 2013 drawing to a close, I thought I'd join the band wagon and share with you guys, my best reads of 2013! So here are my top ten (10) reads, and my pitiful reasons why you should read them!
10.Endless by Amanda Gray,3.5 Stars
It was a good read, but it has a lot of loose ends and wholes. It really needs a sequel.
9. Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield, 3.5 stars
The Chantress world was a really interesting one for me, and was really unique. I even reviewed this for my school newspaper :)
8. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, 3.5 stars
I love this series, and I love the way Taylor is going with this, but Karou was not my favourite in this novel. But you should read this series- it's totally worth the 500+ pages :D
7. The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan, 4 stars
Forbidden romance, magical powers, a curse, family ties , secret organizations, GARGOYLES, and Paris. Need I say more?
6. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 4 stars
This book was very steam punk-esque to me (I've never even read that genre yet). And it had a living prision. This book was, in a word, bad-ass! 5. Yesterday by C.K Kelly Martin, 4 stars
Imagine if your life was a lie. Imagine that you aren't from your present time period. What if I told you that this was your reality? Welcome to Freya's life, where nothing is as it seems... And it takes place in Canada. That should be the selling point right there :D
4. The Prophecy by Erin Albert, 4 stars
Abandoned as a baby and taken away to end the war between two warring countries. Just a day in the life of Layla Givens. But more she resists, the more involved she becomes. Totally loved this book, shipped the characters so hard, but then Erin Albert had to Moffat me. But it is TOTALLY worth the read.
3. Crewel by Gennifer Albin, 4.5 stars
There's a world above ours, and it was created to end all suffering. But when 16 year old Adelice is chosen to be a Spinster, she learns that her world isn't as safe as she thought it was... READ IT! Or I will go all Cormac on you! Don't get it? Well, read the book!
2. Belladonna by Fiona Paul, 4.5 stars
Belladonna is the sequel to Venom, by Fiona Paul. It's set in Italy, and is full of mystery, murder, adventure, swoon worthy guys, and of course, a secret organization obsessed with life. This book was an amazing read, I waited TWO MONTHS after its release to get it... only to lose it a month later. NOTE: When you buy this book, cherish it with ALL of your life.
1. United We Spy by Ally Carter, 5 stars
AND SO WE MADE IT TO NUMBER ONE! WOOOH! United We Spy was my Best Read of 2013. I had such a hard time reading and reviewing this book because I just couldn't part with the series. I started reading the Gallagher Girls series when I was in the SEVENTH grade- that was over 5 years ago guys! I grew up with Cammie, Bex, Macey, Liz, Zach, Rachel Morgan, Abby, Solomon, and the Gallagher Academy, that I just didn't want it to end. But alas, it did. And I loved it, even if I didn't read the wedding scene because I'm from Canada if the ending was bitter sweet for me. The series came along way from being a story about a teenage girl attending a spy school who falls in love with a civillian to an action-packed, international intrigue filled story. If you haven't read the Gallagher Girls series yet, you should. It's worth it. If this isn't for you, give it to your daughters, nieces, cousins, friends, husbands, boyfriends, mothers, dads, brothers, sisters, and spread the word about the Gallagher Girls!
So that's it for me! Any of these books part of your best of 2013 list? Any of these books interest you? Comment or tweet me @missyallydums97 :D
AND come back tomorrow for a SPECIAL announcement regarding my first ever giveaway!
It's Fangirl Friday! And, in honor of Paula Stokes being featured in tomorrow's Saturday Spotlight, I decided to feature another one of her beautiful boys from her YA Historical series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose (note: she writes the series under the name Fiona Paul). Last time, I featured the gorgeous Michael Fjordbak as His Royal Hotness, the King of Mysterious Goodlooks, Falco da Padova! (here):
So from badboy hottie to the bookish nerd, let me introduce you to the beautiful, intelligent, and the definition of a Renaissance gentlemen, Luca da Peraga!
No...not that Luca.
Love you too, but BYE Luca. I have to introduce the other Luca! *waves away*
Matt Kane as Luca da Peraga
CIAO, SIGNOR PERAGA!
So Luca da Peraga is one of the love interests of Cass Caravello in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy! (In fact, he is her fiance!).
The series revolves around a 15 year old noblewoman named Cass, who craves adventure. She (unexpectedly) finds it when she stumbles upon a dead body of a mutilated woman in her best friend's grave. Cass teams up with residential badboy, Falco da Padova, to find the murderer and her best friend's body. While Cass is out at night, dressing up to infiltrate parties and break into houses, and oh, getting to know the body the mysterious boy with the bright blue eyes, her mind can't help but wander back to her beloved Luca studying law in France to give her a good life.
Sure, she's having fun. Sure, she's had more life experience in the days after her friend's funeral than she did since her parents died five years before. But Luca has always been there for her, and without him, Cass knows that all final pieces of a normal and safe life will disappear.
Right now, the series is on it's second book, Belladonna, and it has left Luca and Cass's relationship on much stable ground than Falco and Cass at the moment. But Luca has his own secrets and plans too. So the question is, will Cass chose comfort over being free?
Anyways, enough with the dark and gloomy stuff! Let's get to know more of Mr. Proper himself!
He is 19 years old (making him four years older than Cass and three years older than Falco. it was the 1500s guys, it wasn't uncommon for women in their late teens to marry men in their mid to late forties- or something like that).
He's tall, he has brown eyes and blond hair
He studies law in France (fancy, huh?)
His father and his younger sister, Diana, are both dead
He has known Cass since childhood
He's related to some pretty crazy people
So what makes Luca worthy of this week's Fangirl Friday?
Well, I love him as a character because he brings out the girly side of Cass- she's nervous around him, is worried about her looks etc. With Falco, she taps into her feminine side as well, but both have walls and a lot of very strong opinions that either work or clash. She is perfect with Falco, but she is perfect with Luca.
But what I love the MOST about Luca is that, well... Luca isn't all that he seems to be!
Other than him being reliable and patient, kind and intelligent, Luca isn't all fun and games. If he's really mad, he won't care to unleash his temper on you. He has family members that can be classifed as insane. And, OH! And if you dare try to harm his fiancee, Cass, it is war.
In other words? Luca, along with being good-looking and smart, he is also very badass!
Falco has that fierce, protective side too, but I like seeing it on Luca more because 99.999999999999% of the time he is described by Cass as gentlemen of the year; even Marco (Cass's best friend's husband) speaks of Luca like he is the image of goodness and properness while discussing his sentence with Signor Rambaldo in Belladonna! It's weird seeing him lose his temper and fighting off crazy people to save Cass, but at the same time, its just..works!
Favourite Quote:
Luca's smile wavered for a moment. He stretched out his long legs and crossed them at the ankles. "No matter. I'm here now. Just in time to protect you." (Venom)
Favourite Scene:
When Luca saves Cass from Cristian in Venom!
Favourite Quality:
His kindness and thoughtfulness with his engagment with Cass. She is his top priority, and even asks her if she is ready to get married- he doesn't push her!
So that's it for me for Fangirl Friday! Come back tomorrow to see my interview with the real Fiona Paul, Ms. Paula Stokes!
AND if you want to know more about Luca, Cass and Falco, check out this Venn Diagram/ character sketch I found at the Paper Lantern Lit blog here!
It's Saturday Spotlight! What is Saturday Spotlight? Well, unlike Fangirl Friday where I just gush about my favourite fictional characters, Saturday Spotlight is a day dedicated to authors, their books, and any upcoming books/projects! It's a chance for you guys to get to know them more and get a glimpse into their crazy/ hectic lives!
Unfortunately, I don't have anyone scheduled for this week, but I've got some pretty exciting news!
Next week, I will be featuring one of my favourite authors: Paula Stokes!
Paula Stokes is also known as Fiona Paul, writer of the YA Historical series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose (if you don't know what it is, browse around my blog, I fangirl over the series a lot of times!).
I got a chance to do a mini interview with her about writing YA Contemporary and Historical, having an alter-ego, her new upcoming book The Art of Lainey, and of course, her cats!
Stop by next Saturday, October 12th for my interview!
To my fellow bloggers in the world, SPREAD THE NEWS! Tell everyone you know on Twitter, Goodreads, Blogger, Wordpress, Bloglovin, and Tumblr about my feature! And tell AS MANY authors/ upcoming authors about Saturday Spotlight!
Any interested authors, feel free to visit my Contact Me page for more info if you would like to be featured on Saturday Spotlight!
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!
Author: Fiona Paul Pages: 352 Status: 2nd Book of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose Trilogy Release Date: July 16th, 2013
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
In Renaissance Italy, love, lust, intrigue and secret societies converge to stunning results!
In the second in the stunning Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose—the only evidence that will prove he’s innocent.
So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who is working for the Order’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.
Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time? Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.
Two reviews in ONE day! I'm getting really tired of typing, but alas, I still have an English essay to write for Monday. *Sighs*. I REALLY didn't expect my teachers to give so much homework the first week back.
But anyways, let's get on with that Belladonna review. And I'll try not to put many spoilers, but I can't guarantee anything. So if you don't like spoilers, don't read on, and don't read the Venom review below either.
Belladonna was a REALLY action-packed and was the complete opposite from the first book. Belladonna had all the qualities of an AMAZING and compelling book.
The book starts off with Luca getting arrested. It's really weird for everyone-and for Cass- that golden-boy Luca would be arrested for such a big crime against the Church.
He tells her that Joseph Dubois (from book 1) was probably behind his arrest and that he wants the Book of Eternal Rose, which Luca 'claimed' he had. Cass then goes on a trip to Florence where she tries to find the Book, but finds herself in a city obsessed with killing 'vampires'.
When I got to the part of the book where they were talking about Florence being full of vampires, I was really upset- I immediately thought the book was going to take a turn into the supernatural genre. Then I realized that it was during the time periods of the books that Europe was pretty obsessed with witch burnings and erradicating the supernatural in the name of the Church, so I calmed down.
I was really in love with the pace in the book! Book 1 was a little slow (like many book 1's) but Belladonna had a good pace and a complexity to it that you usually don't get from sequels, which, I find, are mostly used as a filler for the next book. This book was used to fill in the gaps and answered questions left from the first book (like what is the Order of the Eternal Rose, and why Joseph Dubois and creepy Angelo de Gradi are all connected). In addition to learning more about the Eternal Rose, we also learn about Belladonna, the namesake of the book. She is mysterious, eerie and creepy, but is described by everyone in the book to be the most beautiful and youthful person in Florence- at the age of forty. I imagine her like Kate Winslet with the timeless beauty, but personality wise, she's much more self-centred, vain and cruel (which is what Kate isn't).
But the action, the mystery and the character devlopment was beautifully written.
I loved how Cass went from the meek, naive noblewoman and slowly came out of her shell in Venom, but in Belladonna, you see her grow a lot. I think her development may stem from the fact that this book revovled AROUND Cass and her task, and not Cass and her boys. Yes, you do see sexy Falco and Luca the Gentleman in the book, and yes, they both play an important role in the book (Cass's mission DOES revolve around her fiance), but for the majority of the time Cass was either on her own or with Mada, Siena or Feliciana.
But going back to the boys...I know very well that fans of either Falco and Luca are probably at war with each other. Luca wasn't in the book much (he was heavily featured in the beginning and the very end), but his spirit was very present throughout the book. I really liked how Paul was able to keep him alive. As for Falco. Falco, Falco, Falco...That boy is such a handful. He was much more distant in the book and played a much symbolic role throughout Cass's time in Florence, but he ended up breaking a lot of hearts in the end. I know that, for anyone that read the book, it seems like Cass made up her mind due to Falco's compromising scene near the end of Belladonna, but let me remind you: the book goes missing. THE BOOK GOES MISSING AND NO ONE KNOWS WHO TOOK IT! Let that sink in guys.
The plot was beautifull written and everything flowed well. I loved everything about the book, even it's tragic ending and mysterious epilogue.
It's arguable to say that there are A LOT of loose ends, but we'll have to wait till March to see what happens.
I would have to give Belladonna 4.5 out of 5 stars! It's DEFINITELY worth the read.
Pages: 435 Author: Fiona Paul Status: 1st book in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose Trilogy Release Date: October 30th 2012
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.
When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco? Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself
I fixed my blog guys! I'm so happy, you don't even understand. Now, I can fianlly review two of my favourite books that I (personally) think haven't been getting enough recognition: Venom and Belladonna by Fiona Paul. The books are the first and second book of the Eternal Rose trilogy, with the third and final instalment, Starling, coming out on March 2014. I am a huge fan of the series, and I have been waiting pretty much FOREVER to review them.
I read Venom back when it was first released last year, and recently got a hard copy of Belladonna last week. I finished Belladonna the same day I got it, but my laptop broke, I had no access to a computer for DAYS (posting on mobile is TERRIBLE), and my blog had a few glitches. So, I decided to do a double review on the books. And I'll try my best to steer clear of any spoilers.
This book was pretty...steamy, to say the least.
As the first book of the series, I wasn't expecting it to be full of action or anything, since most first books in series (ESPECIALLY trilogies) do a lot of world-building book 1. I knew that there was going to be romance (as hinted by the book), and that it would either be a hit or a miss.
The beginning was a little slow with the funeral, and I found myself flipping through the pages and a little upset that there was so much description that I nearly put the book down. Then BAM! The romance that I said that would either be a hit or miss just made me want to read more.
We are immediately introduced to Cass, our protagonist, at her friends funeral, and throughout the ceremony we get a lot of description of how her life is, the people around her, etc., and her love interest, Falco da Padova, the swoon-worthy bad-boy artist from Padua. While sneaking out one night to the graveyard beside her aunt's place (very Haunted Mansion like) and discovers a dead person in her friend's grave. She and Falco go around Venice looking for the killer and her friend's dead body. They discover that not everyone is who they seem, and it's the last people they would ever expect to be behind the deaths of numerous girls floating up in the canals of Venice.
I liked the suspense that came with trying to solve the murders, but I found that the mystery behind Livi (Cass's dead best friend) and her missing body to be predictable. I like how we got to see Cass slowly come out of her shell and realize that serene Venice isn't as serene as she thought it would be, and I liked the historical accuracy that came with how some households (mainly Dubois's estate) did function (I'm a history geek).
I found it enjoyable, but I felt like I was reading to see where Cass and Falco would end up. Since I already had a good idea as to what happened to Livi's body and who stole it, I really did stick around to see who WAS the murderer and how the two would end up when all the secrets of the book exploded in their faces.
What I didn't expect though, was the return of Cass's long awaited fiance, Luca da Peraga, and I enjoyed that alot. And near the end of the book, when we got to learn about his family history, yeah, that threw me off! I was left wondering how it would affect the last two books in the series.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, but there were times (mostly in the beginning) that I found a little slow. But the book picked up pretty fast and I couldn't stop reading till I finished the book. There was a lot of romance and relationship in this book, but there was also a lot of development with these relationships as well, something that I found very interesting (most book 1's don't change relationships as drastically as Venom), but I know that it will lead to more devlopment in the future books of the trilogy.
There was mention of the Order of Eternal Rose in the book, and it did play a sneaky, background role. It wasn't the centre of it, and there was a lot of holes pertaining as to what it was, and what they did exactly but I guess that's what's going to make the other books very enjoyable.
I'll have to rate this book a 4.3 out of 5 stars. There's a lot of action, a lot of romance, a lot of suspense and mystery that WILL hook you and make you want to continue the trilogy!
Last week, I was lucky to get a reply from actor/dancer Nate Shaw who was willing to do an impromptu interview with me on twitter, but alas, my luck has run out and unfortunately I wasn't able to get a reply from anyone! (Conor Maynard, Dominic Sherwood, Ed Holcroft, and Michael Fjordbak, I'm looking at you!).
Instead, I decided to feature Falco da Padova, a character from one of my new favourite YA Historical Trilogy, Secrets of the Eternal Rose! The trilogy currently consists ofVenom and Belladonna, with the final book Starling coming out on March 20th, 2014.
The series revolves around Cassandra 'Cass' Caravello, a fifteen year old noble woman from Venice, Italy currently living on a tiny island outside of the famous city- surrounded by a graveyard. Her parents are dead, her fiancé Luca da Peraga is in France studying law, and her best friend Liviana Greco has just died. She meets Falco da Padova, a swoon-worthy artist with a knack for getting into trouble by chance.
Together, they embark in a series of adventures to solve Jack-the-Ripper like crimes while learning more about the real Venice and it's dirty and dark secrets. As the series continues, their relationship changes drastically as Cass seems destined to live her life putting her feelings aside and making decisions based on what's better for everyone else, and Falco is on his way to become a true artist.
The trilogy is currently on it's second book, Belladonna, right now and (without giving any spoilers) has left all the characters walking on a tight rope relationship wise. Although the trilogy is at its climax at the moment, one thing is for sure: Falco is a constant throughout all three books, and spices up the story line by bringing his Italian Renaissance mysterious-ness and hotness!
Michael Fjordbak as Falco da Padova
So here's a bit of info about Mr. Mysterious and Sexy himself, Falco da Padova!
He is seventeen years old
He has curly brown hair and eyes as blue as the Adriatic
He is an artist; he loves to paint and draw
He has a scar underneath his right eye
He was born outside of Padua, Italy
What makes this fictional character worthy of today's Fangirl Friday? Well, other than his ability of being super hot, he's totally sarcastic and to the point!
He tells it like it is, and if you don't get it, he'll tease you relentlessly! Despite being born in the 1500s and fictional, he is totally down-to-earth and doesn't really think much for the luxurious life. He understands that no matter what social standing your from, there are pros and there are cons!
Falco also has a little bit of a bad boy side: he get's into fist fights, drinks and was once a tomb raider (yeah, he totally gives Laura Croft a run for her money!). But what makes his character so amazing is that all his layers (yes, even that annoying part of him that he keeps guarded) makes him a relatable and likable character (Luca fans, give me a sec here).
Sure, he's a bad boy that's too mysterious for his good; sure, he may pull at the heartstrings of all the women around him; sure, he may be annoying as hell sometimes; and sure, he may not be a stable guy. However all of those flaws make him real character and make him a real person. Cass may be the narrator of the trilogy, but Falco is definitely the heart. He's a guy with a shady past who tries his hardest to make things right. He may not be reliable and stable as Luca, but he is a hero in his own right.
FAVOURITE QUOTE:
"Let me go," she said. "Or I'll scream"
Falco released her. "Please, not that again. My head still hurts from the last time." (Venom)
FAVOURITE SCENE: When Falco and Cass see each other for the first time in Belladonna
FAVOURITE QUALITY: His sarcastic sense of humor. For example, the graveyeard conversation at the beginning of Venom:
"I discovered a dead body." Hearing the words brought back the true gravity of the situation, and panic shot through her all over again. She hugged her arms across her body to keep form trembling.
Falco laughed tersely. He made a sweeping motion with his hand. "Of course you have, my dear. We are literally surrounded by the dead."
