Saturday 30 December 2017

Winter and Christmas Fandom Haul 2017

PRE-CHRISTMAS (aka. things I bought myself).

Ravenclaw Magnet
My parents got me this which was amazing because Ravenclaw merch is always the hardest house to find!!

Can you tell that I became obsessed with Marvel movies recently? And, in case you're wondering, Iron Man/Tony Stark is by far my favourite Marvel superhero... I love him too much for words. Movie Talks will be coming soon as well as fandom edits!!!!

Captain America: The First Avenger
The Incredible Hulk 
Avengers Assemble 
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Avengers: Age of Ultron 
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War 

Thursday 28 December 2017

December Christmas Book Haul 2017

Christmas came and went and books were collected. I don't get too many books for Christmas because all of my family try to avoid getting me books because everyone thinks that everyone else will get me them...

What's A Girl Gotta Do?- Holly Bourne
How Hard Can Love Be?- Holly Bourne 
These are the second two books in Holly Bourne's Spinster series. The first book, Am I Normal Yet?, was very good and has got me really excited for the rest of the series. Holly Bourne is one of my favourite contemporary authors- my favourite book of hers being, Soulmates, which reduces me to tears every time I read it. I'm particularly looking forward to What's A Girl Gotta Do? because it focuses on Feminism and that's just my sort of topic to sink my teeth into. 

Tuesday 26 December 2017

December Wrap Up 2017

With a stroke of luck, I managed to reach my reading goal for 2017! I aimed for 75 books and read exactly 75!! I think I'll lower it to 50 next year because I'm a lot busier than I used to be with college and work and, of course, my writing. I don't have as much time to read but next year, I want to focus on reading new releases more, rather than just re-reading (which I did a lot of this year).

Undone- Cat Clarke (Re-read)
* * * * * 
After banging on about it constantly, I finally re-read it! I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first billion times and I love picking up the tiny details that I missed before. This story has a special place in my heart and it's weird that soon I'll be older than the protagonist when I've spent so many years looking up to her...



Secrets for the Mad- dodie
* * * *
I don't have a massive love for Youtuber books on principle but I made an exception this once because I love dodie. I listen to her songs religiously and she spreads such an important message about mental health and other topics. This book did feel a little dense at times but it was still an enlightening read and, might add, very freaking beautiful!




Sunday 24 December 2017

Poison Study- Maria V. Snyder BOOK TALK

* * * *
I went in with high expectations and, suffice it to say, they were sufficiently met. It took a little while to get into but once I reached the 100 page mark, I was off like a shot and finished the rest in a day. I loved the unique concept (why hasn't anyone ever thought about a food taster character before?) and it set up a great world for the rest of the series to further explore.
I would compare it to Throne of Glass because the protagonists are very similar in regards to their situation and the world is full of magic, royalty and intrigue.
Poison Study follows Yelena, a girl convicted of murder who takes up the offer of becoming the Commander's food taster- testing every meal for poison. It was either that or be executed. Yelena is thrust into the politics of royalty, betrayal and hidden agendas, all while risking her life every time she takes a bite.


SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Yelena is a great protagonist. She reminded me a bit of Celaena Sardothian from the Throne of Glass series (Sarah J. Maas) because she was in a prison for murder, is given a way out of her execution and has ties to magic. Yelena was smart, fierce and had a nice determination to succeed and learn how to fight. There was a generous amount of character development and I liked how we progressively learnt about and dealt with her past with Reyad and Brazell.

Friday 22 December 2017

Book Adventures with Kaitlin!

Yes, I'm holding a Sarah J. Maas book... because you wouldn't expect any less of me. 
















Like the book geeks we are, me and Kaitlin (Liber Amoris) went book shopping! What a strange and unusual thing for two book bloggers to do, I know! And, of course, we had to document it because we're desperate for content and it'll be nice to look back at these kind of things when we're older... plus, it's fun.

First stop was the book shops (obviously). We went into the Works where I picked up the Poison Study series that I'm actually currently reading (they were too beautiful to say no to!) and Kaitlin picked up Wordplay. We then went to WHSmith and had a great time waiting for a deserted aisle to take photos and trying to balance my phone precariously on bookshelves and putting a timer on it to take a picture. (Important note: remember to turn your phone on silent so it doesn't beep really loudly in the middle of a quiet shop and make both subjects jump like hell.)















Tuesday 19 December 2017

Gifted MOVIE TALK

88%
I was in a huge Chris Evans kick after watching many Captain America movies as well as the Avengers and I stumbled on a load of interviews on Youtube with him and co-star Mckenna Grace on this movie. I looked into it, watched the trailer, watched interviews with the two of them.... and here I am.
I've watched this movie twice now and my sentiments are exactly the same:
I loved this movie. It was so full of heart and made me cry on multiple occasions. It had a nice amount of humour dipped in that kept it light and funny. And I have to say, the acting in this movie was phenomenal. Chris Evans did an amazing job in his role and the leads had great chemistry but the actress playing Mary, Mckenna Grace, was flawless and the best part of this movie. Despite only being a child, she outshone every other actor and it was stunning to watch how perfectly she performed her role. (Also, in real life, she's just as eloquent and adorable. I've watched many interviews with her and she's so sweet and mature for her age. Plus, she played a young Caroline Forbes in The Vampire Diaries series 6 which immediately earns her bonus points on my scale. I can't wait to see where her career goes next).
Gifted is about a girl called Mary who is extremely talented and is a mathematical prodigy. It follows the struggle between being a kid and facing the pressures of her talent. It focuses on her uncle, Frank, who takes care of her but quickly struggles with custody issues. This movie is so heart-warming and I would definitely recommend it.
Ps. All the following edits in this review have been created by me and please don't use them without credit x

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
The one thing that really allowed this movie to shine was the chemistry between Frank and Mary. Both actors did a brilliant job and the bond between these two characters was a pleasure to watch. It drove the entire movie, the plot, the emotion, and made it truly special.
They were also great as separate characters.

Saturday 16 December 2017

The Joy of Christmas BOOK TAG

Yes, yes, I must be really struggling for content as I'm doing yet another tag. I just thought it'd be nice to do some more Xmas tags on the run up to Christmas and they allow me to mention books I may not usually praise as much.
Plus, I'm struggling for content....

1. Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release are you most anticipating?
A Court of Frost and Starlight- Sarah J. Maas
I don't think this is particularly a surprise. The ACOTAR series is my ultimate favourite and I cannot physically wait for the spin-off books to come out. This instalment is set a little while after ACOWAR and, while Sarah says it will be a novella, I'm betting it will end up as a full length novel (we all know what happened with Tower of Dawn). But no matter how long it is, I will treasure each and every page because these books have the best ever characters and plot points!



2. Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing it's praises?
The Morganville Vampires series- Rachel Caine
I don't feel like I talk about these books enough. Yes, it's a daunting series with 15 books and a novella but I can safely say it's worth it. The plot is so fun and the characters are hilarious and simply amazing. The good thing about having such a long series is that the relationships become so complex and intricate and the character development is so rewarding. It's not your typical cheesy-vampire books and I definitely need a re-read of this series.


Thursday 14 December 2017

Game of Thrones 4x01 'Two Swords' TV TALK

I'm so happy to be on season four!!! This show is seriously addictive and I know as I finish all the seasons, I'm going to dive straight into the books (I don't want to read them at the same time as watching the show because I don't want to get too confused).
This show is extremely popular and it deserves all the hype it gets because it's genius, the characters are great and the plot is one giant surprise.

TV TALKS:
Season 1:  1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05  |  1x06  |  1x07  |  1x08  |  1x09  |  1x10
Season 2:  2x01  |  2x02  |  2x03  |  2x04  |  2x05  |  2x06  |  2x07  |  2x08  |  2x09  |  2x10
Season 3:  3x01  |  3x02  |  3x03  |  3x04  |  3x05  |  3x06  |  3x07  |  3x08  |  3x09  |  3x10

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Jon Snow has a hearing in this episode and he tells the commanders of the Night Watch about the wildling plans and they let him off with no punishment despite the crimes against the Night's Watch he'd committed.

Tuesday 12 December 2017

Jurassic World MOVIE TALK

75% (movie rating)
It took me way too long to watch this movie, especially as it has Chris Pratt in it. And, honestly, I loved it. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but in the best way possible. For some reason, I had odd low expectations and now I'm just so ready for the sequel to come out next year. 
The effects were amazing and watching the dinosaurs was just so satisfying and exciting. The acting was great and the plot progressed nicely with a satisfying end. It was a lovely twist on the original Jurassic Park and I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
I really loved the set up of this world. Seeing the amusement park in it's entirety was stunning and, if it was real, I would definitely end up visiting a theme park full of dinosaurs. We got to see some of the rides within the park and it looks so amazing. If our technology advanced enough, it would definitely happen in real life (despite the unnecessary extremes of health and safety nowadays).

Saturday 9 December 2017

All I Want for Christmas BOOK TAG

We're nearing the festive season, I'm struggling for blog post idea so..... a tag!!! I saw this tag over at Stephanie's Book Reviews so I'll link that if you want to check it out.
And, we begin...

1. What fictional character do you want Santa to leave under your Christmas tree?
Katy Swartz (The Lux series- Jennifer L. Armentrout)
I feel like Katy being thrown into my life would be perfect. She's the ultimate bookish fangirl, even to the point of having her own blog, and she's funny, sassy and strong as well. I think we'd get along really well and it'd be nice to have her keep me company.

2. What character do you want to kiss under the mistletoe?
Rhysand (ACOTAR series- Sarah J. Maas)
It will always be Rhys. No question.

3. You write your Christmas list for Santa, what are the top 5 books on it?
Heartless- Marissa Meyer
Stalking Jack the Ripper-Kerri Maniscalo
Till Death- Jennifer L. Armentrout
Warcross- Marie Lu
Scythe- Neal Shusterman

Thursday 7 December 2017

Westworld 1x06 'The Adversary' TV TALK

This show is getting better episode by episode. I was on the edge of my seat through the whole thing and may have been shouting at the TV screen- full fangirl style. This show is expanding so much and the characters are developing at an outstanding rate. It's so enthralling to watch and things are really beginning to build up for the end of the season.

TV TALKS
Season 1: 1x01  |  1x02  |  1x03  |  1x04  |  1x05


SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
Let's start with Maeve because she owned this episode! Her actions in this showed exactly why she's my favourite character.
She begins back at Westworld and consciously gets a newcomer to kill her so that she can wake herself up in the modern world. She resumes her conversation with Felix and gets him to show her around the tech complex. It was amazing to watch her discover everything about the hosts and to realise that everything she does is controlled.

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Writing Diary #14 - Nanowrimo Winner!!!

I complete Nanowrimo!!! With my final word count coming to 50,524 words!!

The first half went really well but it got harder and harder from the half way point. Nevertheless, I managed to finish my novel and, as a whole, I'm really happy with it. Doing this prequel novella of my current work in progress has been so insightful as I've delved into a certain character's past and it's helping plan and plot for the future.

I'm really happy I participated in Nanowrimo even though it took a lot out of me. It got very draining and it got to a point where I'd dread writing every day. But it did push me to finish this novella and I'm pleased with how it's turned out. Currently, I don't think I'd do Nanowrimo again but... by next year I'll probably be raring to go at it again. Typical.

Saturday 2 December 2017

December Releases and TBR 2017

Releases
Love, Life and the Lists- Katie West 
The Young Queens- Kendare Blake 
Instructions for a Secondhand Heart- Tamsyn Murray
Shadow Girl- Liana Liu 
Ever the Brave- Erin Summerill
Three Sides of a Heart Anthology- Renee Ahdieh, Sabaa Tahir, Veronica Roth and more!!!
Foolish Hearts- Emma Mills 



TBR
Secrets for the Mad- dodie (Book of the Month)
After buying this as soon as it came out last month, me and Kaitlin (Liber Amoris) have decided to make it our December Book of the Month!! I love Dodie Clark as a Youtuber and am really excited to start this book.