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ShadowHunters Episode 3 Review

1/31/2016

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Everything is moving way too fast in this series. Yeah, I guess there are only thirteen episodes, but does that really mean that a large spoiler has to be given away in literally episode two? To like this show, you really have to set your expectations low. 
Some of the chosen actors I find perfect for their parts. Such as Emeraude, Matt and Alberto. I'm not so sure about Dom and Kat, though. They have the looks, but it's either their acting or their lines that make them very unlike the book characters we've all come to know and love. Maybe it's both. Some of Dom's lines are just delivered in an un-Jace-like way. He's already like in love with Clary. No. In the beginning Jace treated Clary like she was a child. Now he's just like, ooh, she's hot, I want to see more. 
I'm kind of on Alec's page for this, Jace and Clary need to slow it down. I wish they had that snappy back and forth relationship to start out with. That's really what made me fall in love with their relationship. Their slightly flirty back and forths are what made their relationship so great. The show changed a lot of that, which is what really makes me not ship show version of Jace and Clary. It's really hard for me not to ship my OTP. 
Kat's portrayal as Clary is not Lily Collin's whiner version, but she's still pretty annoying. Book Calry was not nearly as annoying as either these characters. Gotta admit, I do like Kat's portrayal more. She seems stronger than Lily's version. I think her version has the potential to be better. Potential. But I have yet to actually see her character grow into someone I can sympathize with. 
Alberto seriously is amazing as Simon. He's hilarious, in a geeky, very Simon kind of way. I really appreciate the way he delivers his lines and just the personality Alberto brings to the character. So far, I've been impressed with his performance. 
As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love Matt and Emeraude as the Lightwood siblings. Maybe it's just because the Lightwoods are my favorite duo in the series, but I think I just also love the way these actors portray their characters. The lines are recited nicely and the way the two hold themselves makes me laugh, because I could see my mind's version of Alec and Izzy doing the same thing. Sure, the show Izzy is more happy go lucky and a little less female Jace (Though, Jace isn't like book Jace so I guess she couldn't really be the female counterpart of Jace anyway) and Alec. Well, he's basically book one Alec. A douche canoe. And I love it. It is amazing. The way he delivers his snotty lines are perfect. I just can't help but smile whenever I see the Lightwood siblings on screen. Their relationship is so siblingly, I love it. Izzy's subtle teasing of Alec and her urging him to admit his true feeling stop himself. I just really love those two's relationship. Book and show. The movie didn't portray it quite as well. I should really stop trying to compare the movie to the show, though, it's not going to be really useful for anything. Besides, all I can recall from the movie now is a colossal amount of disappointment. 
Camille is introduced in this episode, as is Raphael. I think it's interesting that they introduced Camille in the first season, which is based off the first book, when she's really introduced in book four. She's only mentioned briefly in the beginning, so briefly that no one takes notice unless they're rereading. I don't know how I feel about her character and the way Kaitlyn Leeb plays her. I'm going to ignore the fact that she looks nothing like the character described, because if she plays the character well, I don't care. Her character, as well as Raphael's were laughable at best. Sure, Raphael had a good line about his suit and about how annoying Simon was, but Camille's? What really confused me was her ability to freeze time. What was with that? Okay, maybe not freeze time, but how could she freeze Simon in place? Did she compel him or something? I don't recall Camille ever having that ability, she was just a cunning, cold hearted vampire bit- anyway my point is I don't understand whatever the freezing thing was. And then there was the whole thing with the bloody mary stuff. I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be a joke, but it was a really bad one.
This episode was probably the best one yet, but it was so laughable. Like I was cracking up at things I definitely shouldn't have been laughing about. Meliorn is some kind of hippy faerie. That ad me laughing. And so did the "Sexy Times" In the Episode. Sure, they changed their name to freeform so they could have more sexy things, but seriously? They really compiled a lot of "Sexy" things this episode. It felt like it was too much. Especially the Simon and Camille. I just thought that was the dumbest scene ever. In fact, most of Camille's things in this episode seemed pretty pointless. 
It's evident the show is trying to get Alec to slowly separate from Jace. NO. They are parabati. Sure, it'd be pretty interesting to see them turn against each other but NO. That is not okay. And if they do turn against each other, I'm team Alec. Sorry, Jace, but I like show Alec more than I like show Jace. 
All the steamy scenes in this episode just seemed like a ploy to get more viewers. I found them rather pointless and they just really took time away from speeding along the plot. Haha. Maybe the steamy scenes were slightly useful for something. 
​Jace and Clary stealing the motorcycle had me laughing quite hard. Ignoring the special effects, the lines and the whole stealing the cycle in the first place were dumb. I was just laughing the whole time through it. 
Clary's "You've never been in love" line had me annoyed because, jeez, Clary, have you ever been in love? Uh. No. I don't think so. 
*You've never been in love, HAVE YOU CLARY 
*The cutting of the pole was so unrealistic I died
*EXCUSE ME IZ AND ALEC ITS AGAINAT THE ACCORDS TO KILL THE VAMPS 
*When exactly did they communicate the plan to get into the vampire hotel?
*Clary getting slammed into the wall is the funniest thing this whole episode, which is hilarious because this whole episode was basically a joke (and yet it's still the best one in the series ??)
*That is a really cheap wall if an arrow will break through it to expose the sunlight
*CAMILES PHONE DEAR GOD THIS IS A JOKE
*Group shot still gets me pretty excited
* A MEMORY DEMON WTF 
*Jace, Alec and Izzy on the roof lol
Okay, those are my notes, sorry, I'm tired. That's what I thought about the third episode. Ta Da. Thanks for reading. I'll see y'all next time. 
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The 5th Wave Movie REview

1/25/2016

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Rating: 8/10 stars 
The 5th Wave is a post apocalyptic movie based on the book, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. If you want to read a crappy review that I wrote back in May 2014, feel free to check it out. I don't exactly recommend it, though, because honestly, I sucked at writing reviews then more than I do now. I'll give you the basic summery of how I felt about the 5th Wave on my first read. I disliked the book because I felt like I was dragging my feet through about sixty or so percent of it. Looking back, I realize if I had the amount of patience for reading that I do now, I would've really enjoyed the 5th Wave on my first read through. I wasn't really that interested in reading the second book when it came out, but I did because I wanted to see what happened to the characters (especially Evan Walker) after the events of the 5th Wave. The Infinite Sea was what really made me love the series. Even though many 5th Wave fans didn't enjoy the second book as much, I absolutely loved it. After reading the Infinite Sea, I went back and reread the 5th Wave and really loved it. If you want to read the 5th Wave, I recommend that you go into it with a patient mind because it takes a while to really get invested in the story line. 
Anyway, back to the movie. The 5th Wave is a very dark book, but it's lightened up by some quirky humor slipped in between the dark parts. That was my favorite part about the first book- the quirky odd humor the characters had even though they were in a seriously ominous situation. The movie, unfortunately, left the quirky humor out. While watching, I did sorely miss the odd humor, but that was my main issue with it. 
Here's a quote from me back in November 2014. 
"The movie for the 5th Wave comes out January 26, 2016. It’s a long wait, guys. The guy they picked for Evan looks a little old, honestly, but I think the movie will be great. They better do it right because if they make the movie right because this series could be the next big thing. Oh, the guy they picked for Ben is Rider from Melissa and Joey, this is gonna be weird."
​They actually changed the movie date since then, but whatever. This movie did have a lot of potential to be great, and it was pretty good. It had a load of potential and it fell short in some places. Instead of talking about the negatives, let's discuss the positives of the movie first. 

The 5th Wave movie certainly covered the darkness aspect of the book well. I really loved how it depicted the first three waves int he beginning of the movie. It had my heart racing and excited for more. The way the film had it flashback and then lead into current time was an aspect that I enjoyed. I know I said I'd start out with the positives but I just have to mention. From how I read the book, Cassie would definitely not be going out to a party on a Saturday night. I read her as an awkward teenage girl who, like me, would be at home on a Saturday night. 
Chloe Grace Moretz (Actress from If I Stay, Carrie and Kick Ass) was a great choice to play the lead protagonist, Cassie Sullivan. She has the right looks and is a great actress. I was hesitant when I first heard the news that she was going to be playing Cassie, but Chloe was able to pull of the part quite well. I quite enjoyed seeing her portray her character. 
Nick Robinson is Ben Parish. His career  really seems to be taking off. You might know him from Melissa and Joey as Ryder Scanlon or Jurassic World as Zach. He's a cutie, I'll give him that. I also think he brings good life and personality to the character. While reading this, I wasn't Ben's biggest fan- possibly because I'm 100% team Evan. In fact, while reading the first book (the first time) I couldn't wait for his part to be over, but in the movie I looked forward to seeing Ben's parts as well as his story arc. Maybe it's partially because I like the actor, but I also did actually really enjoy how he played Ben. 
Alex Roe portrays Evan Walker- my favorite character from the books. Now, I don't like critiquing people's acting because it's not something I really know and I'm not really going to critique Alex's acting. I just don't think he was the perfect actor for the part. I enjoyed his part in the movie, partially because I just love Evan Walker, and I think he has the looks for Evan, but I just don't think he said his lines in the right way. I actually don't know Alex Roe from anything. I looked him up on IMDB but didn't really recognize any of the things he's acted in previously. I did enjoy looking at him in the duration of the movie as well as his action scenes. I thought those were done marvelously. 
I'm just going to get this out of the way. I never really was attached to Ringer's character, but the movie version was just terrible. I really hate calling things terrible but I really just did not like the way Ringer was portrayed. I was hesitant about Maika Monroe from the start, mainly because she looked nothing like the part she was playing, but I would've been able to get over it if she played the part well. Instead of getting some badass who needed no one's help, we got to see a emo chick with an annoying voice. I'm sorry, but I really just didn't like how she was portrayed in the movie. And question, how the heck did she get her hands on that much makeup? Every scene you see her in, her eyes are covered in black eyeliner and I was just wondering the entire movie where she got all of it because I'm pretty sure the military didn't provide it except maybe to Reznik. If they make a second movie (I hope they do, but from what I've seen, it has pretty low ratings and didn't do to well opening night) I really hope Ringer still doesn't have all that dark make up on. And if she does, I really hope someone provides a good explanation as to how the heck she has that much make up in the middle of no where. 
As mentioned before, I really did enjoy the action scenes. I think the movie was able to build the feeling of anticipation and suspense to the perfect level before the action actually occurred. The 5th Wave is thrilling mainly because of it's numerous plot twists and action sequences. I think the movie pulled off the action sequences perfectly. Except for this one part when a character jumps like fifteen feet into the air. But we're going to ignore that and pretend it never happened. 
On the part of plot twists, I think the movie didn't pull that off quite as well. I mean, I was silently laughing to myself for a lot of the movie because I knew all the plot twists that the story was leading up to, while my friends did not. Though, afterwards, one of my friends admitted she knew one of the largest plot twists was going to happen before it did. While I'm on the topic of friends, I'll just say, I went to the movie with three friends that have never even touched the book. They all immensely enjoyed the film (as well as dissed reading books, but we'll ignore that). So, for all those who haven't read the book, I think you'll find this movie food. The main issues for me was the relationships and missing quirky humor, so if you aren't really looking for those certain things, it is very enjoyable. 
I did enjoy this movie, as proven by my high rating, but I just am pointing out the thing that I missed. 
Next subject: Relationships. I think the movie did a bad job of portraying the relationships between characters. Especially between Cassie and Ben, Cassie and Evan and Ben and Nugget/Sam. 
I think the main issue of low ratings of book to adaptation movies are the words 'in the book' because we really need to accept that, no, this is not that book, but there are some aspects of the book that I feel like we need to see in the movie. And the relationships are one thing from the book that I thought were vital things needed in the movie. 
In the book, Cassie and Ben have this awkward relationship. Ben was Cassie's high school love and Cassie, well, Ben doesn't even remember her when he meets her again. In this, it's Ben who reminds her they went to High School together and they seem to have more of a connection in the movie than in the book. Like I mentioned before, there's a kind of awkward humor that makes the character's really lovable. The relationship between Ben and Cassie was one aspect of awkward humor in the book that I really enjoyed. Ben and Cassie's relationship in the movie is just plain out weird and while the actors portrayed it well, I thought the writers really missed out on a potential humorous part. 
Cassie and Evan are supposed to have a connection, in the movie you can plainly see the writers were trying to write in a relationship between the two, but it was lacking too many scenes for anyone to actually get attached to the relationship between the two. Their relationship is also simplified down a lot, as is Evan's character. In the book, there are an ample amount of scenes showing the two go from mistrust to growing closer and closer. I missed those in the movie. There was one scene that I really wanted to see- 
"Let's establish a code for when you want to go all creeper on me. One knock means you'd like to come in. Two means you're just stopping by to spy on me while I sleep. "
And then the part that comes much later in the book-
"He knocks once against the side. I don't get it at first, and then I laugh. Let's establish a code for when you want to go all creeper on me. One knock means you'd like to come in." 
And they left it out. All the wonderfully sassy comments from Cassie and the slightly flirtatious ones from Evan.  While Cassie and Ben's relationship was wonderfully awkward in the book, Evan and Cassie's was even more humorously so. 
Ben and Sam. Their relationship was supposed to be almost like Ben is Sam's older brother. In the movie it tries to depict that, but they only really talk once (which leads into a humorous singing in the night) and then all the sudden Ben feels all protective over the little kid. In the book Ben takes Sam under his wing and you really get to come to appreciate their relationship as Ben grows more fond for Sam. 
I think a big issue was the time. If there had been more time there would have been more time to build up relationships. The movie is one hour and fifty minutes. That's really short to adapt from a very long first book. That was another factor that I was nervous about and it looks like I was right to be nervous about it, because everything felt very rushed. If it was say, two and a half hours, just that extra forty minutes would probably make the movie feel a little less rushed as well as more understandable. 
Anyway, I was going to do a spoiler section, but this review got a whole lot longer than I expected, so, no spoilery section! Sorry 'bout that but I have three tests to study for. If you're considering seeing this movie, I recommend that you do so. It's a fun, action filled movie and is quite enjoyable. Even though it fell short on adapting the best aspects from the book, the movie was still able to be quite good. 

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Shadowhunters EpIsode 1+2 review

1/12/2016

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Overall, I was pretty impressed. Somehow I had both high and low expectations for this show but I came out feeling slightly excited for the next episode and satisfied with what I had seen. The first episode starts out with the first half of that scene that was posted early- Jace, Izzy and Alec hunting the Eidolon. It's a very exciting scene, for me, at least. The music really makes the scene perfect.
I enjoyed a lot of elements of the show. There was just one thing I really didn't like about how everything was introduced *spoiler* they kind of skip over Clary's emotions about finding out she's an entire other species than the one she grew up being in. In the book, she's at least incredulous and accusing Jace of being crazy for a little longer. In the show she just like accepts it and literally a minute later she's explaining to Simom as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I just really wish they'd go over that more. Sure, the whole thing in the books is she's thrown into this world she doesn't understand, but show Clary really accepts it almost immediately. If I could change one thing about this entire show so far, I would change Clary's reactions and emotions over finding out she's a Shadowhunter. *spoiler over*
Something I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be upset over is the special effects. Personally, I'm not going to take any points off the show for its special effects. I mean, come on, it's a show on abc- excuse me, free form, what did you expect? Also, I saw the seven minute clip online and the special effects as well as how the demons looked already a sucked so I was expecting it. You have to set your standards high for somethings but lower them for others.
I'm nervous about Jace and Clary's relationship. It seems to be progressing unnaturally fast. I mean, by episode two Izzy is already remarking how "good of a team" they make. For those of you who don't regularly read my blog, you should know, I absolutely hate insta love. I don't want a romance between one of my favorite ships to be shown as insta love. Nope nope nope. Don't mess up Clace, not again.
My absolute favorite thing about this show remains to be the cast. I think the characters were casted almost perfectly. The casting of Emeraude Toubia as Izzy? Perfection. She looks exactly as I imagined her and I love the attitude she adds to my favorite character. Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood? Absolute perfection. For one, he's adorably attractive and two he brings a great humor to the character. A great line I literally just heard from him is "Where is it going?" It, of course, being Simon. Matt makes Alec's stuck-up-ness hilarious as well as endearing. Actually, I might just find him endearing because I really love Alexander Lightwood's character.
Oh my gosh, I'm writing this as I'm watching episode two and they just revealed something really big- that wasn't revealed until the end of the book. That kind of annoyed me. I guess they have to speed everything along- since they only have 13 episodes but something that's really going to screw this show over is going to be rushing the story. I can already tell they're very different from the plot of he book, but as long as the show writers don't change anything major, I'll try to be okay with it. I'm being very lenient with this show just because of how badly I want it to work out. Not a lot of series get a second chance, the Mortal Instruments did and I really want to see this book series flourish.
Anyway, I need to go to bed like now so I'll maybe write a post on the characters of this show later but here's what I think of the show. It shows good potential and as long as the story doesn't feel overly rushed, I think it has a good chance of having a second season.
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Star Wars VII The Force Awakens Movie Review

1/9/2016

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Rating: 8.5/10 stars
I'll admit, I watched this movie a while ago. The first time I saw it was two days after Christmas and then I saw it again. It was just as good the second time as it was the first. I'm sure I could watch this movie a hundred times and not be tired of it. See, Star Wars is one the large things in my childhood. Haha, actually at one point when I was in kindergarten I decided I would have three kids and name them Han, Leia and Luke. That is no longer the plan. 
Two big 'childhood' movies are coming out this year. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first. The second is Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them-- it's in the Harry Potter world. I hope Fantastical Beasts is just as good as The Force Awakens. 
Anyway, back to the Force Awakens. I got super excited for it as soon as I saw the first trailer- a whole year before the movie actually came out. There are so many things I've loved about The Force Awakens. For one thing, watching just the beginning made me smile because of the nostalgia I felt. The Force Awakens is a lot like A New Hope , it starts off on a deserty island, someone gets captured, everyone is looking for an impossibly adorable droid etc. That's the main reason a lot of people disliked the movie. While it was reminiscent of A New Hope, The Force Awakens added a new an intriguing twist that I seriously enjoyed. 
My favorite character is definitely Rey, even if for the first half of the movie I thought it was Emery  because she says I'm Rey very quickly. Don't get me wrong, I do like Finn, I just think I find Rey more interesting as well as a better protagonist. 
Then there's Kylo Ren, he's kinda like  the new Darth Vader. Except he's ugly (I mean Darth Vadar was ugly but not before he was Darth Vadar), bratty and annoying. I have a feeling the arc of the series is bringing him the light side but nah, I just want to see him chopped to pieces. 
My all time favorite part of the movie, was seeing our old, beloved characters return. Especially Han Solo and Chewie, though seeing Leia and Luke was fun, too. Han still had his hilarious sas and I almost cried just seeing his character back on screen. 
I was a little hesitant when I read the idea of the story- Luke's missing and everyone's looking for him. Sounds dumb, I know, but while it does sound like a dumb story line, somehow the actors and director were able to manage to make it a spectacular movie. 
In the end, I really enjoyed this movie and can't wait until episode 8. 
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Loosely My 2016 TBR

1/4/2016

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How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading. 
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book. 
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast. 
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more. 
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one. 
Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing. 

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This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with. 
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?) 
Here's the synopsis: 
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing. 
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Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come. 
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II. 
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series. 
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet) 
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book. 
Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."


Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year. 

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Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good. 
​Released March 29, 2016.
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The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!) 
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun. 
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016

P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out. 
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A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am. 
release date: August 30, 2015
No cover released yet. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015. 
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Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books. 
Release date: April 5, 2015
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Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute. 

Never Always Sometimes: 

Never date your best friend.

Always be original.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.


Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

first and Then: 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.


Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done! 
​
Here's the synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
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Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.

Synopsis: 
Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released) 


Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers. 

release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released. 

The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. 

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book.  Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!) 
Release date: August 2, 2016
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Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy.  Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...) 
Released: February 23, 2015
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess.  I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it. 
Released: May 24, 2016

Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
​-Anj
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    Anji Cooper

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