The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

First I would like to congratulate Cassandra Clare and Holly Black on this new series! Writing with friends is always fun. Secondly I would like to scold them for rewriting Harry Potter. Yes that's correct, this book is an almost identical copy of Harry Potter. The differences in the two books are slight but there. Firstly Call, our main character, knew what he was where Harry did not. Secondly Call didn't WANT to go to the Magisterium at first (but loved it when he got there), where as Harry welcomed going to Hogwarts.

The book was entertaining but I could not get over the fact that it was a lot like Harry Potter. A boy goes to a magical school for young people who can do magic, finds some friends, makes an enemy and has a good time. Here's the synopsis for the book:

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst – and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him — a place that’s both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come…

Alright now that I've gotten what I didn't like about the book out of the way let me talk about what I did like. The fire elemental lizard was absolutely adorable and now I kind of want one of my own... Along with a wolf pup... I mean I've always liked wolves but now after reading this book I want a furry little Chaos-ridden wolf pup for Christmas.

The characters were pretty well thought out and developed over the course of the almost 300 page book, each having their own sets of problems and revelations about them. My favorite would have to be either Aaron or Call. Tamara was a cool character, very Hermione, but I didn't LOVE her like I loved Call and Aaron.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars for being entertaining and having well thought out characters. It would have gotten 4 out of 5 but it was A) too short and B) kind of a rewrite of Harry Potter with a little twist.

Blonde Ops by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman

I received Blonde Ops when I went to Teen Author Carnival. It wouldn't have been something I would have picked up because of A) the cover and B) the title. Maybe I would have picked it up if I had just been able to read the summary without seeing the title or cover. But besides that I really liked this book. Bec, the main character, is definitely my kind of girl. A kind of punk she is at the mercy of her mother as she is sent away to be the ward of a woman who runs a fashion magazine. And where might this place she is sent away to be? Well Rome of course! Torn between two guys, running around doing errands for the magazine, and trying to uncover what happened to the woman, Parker, who's care she was in.

I enjoyed the mystery and setting of this story, along with the character Bec. She is one of those characters that you are endeared by and rooting for until the very end. Especially when the odds are stacked against her. This girl is seriously resilient and a kick ass girl, she doesn't just lay down and take what's going on without a fight. She travels around Rome in hopes of thwarting a plot against the First Lady while also trying to find out who tried to kill Parker.

I give this book a four out of five for having kick ass characters, a very beautiful and amazing setting, keeping my interest, and a mystery that kept me reading until the very end!

Chasing Before by Lenore Appelhans

I had gotten this ARC while at Teen Author Carnival, finally I'm getting to review it. Chasing Before picks up where the Memory of After (also known as Level 2) left off. We are reunited with Felicia and Nate as they navigate Level Three, where they meet old friends and enemies. But the Morati's reach still holds as odd explosions happen all over Level Three, claiming the lives of some in Level Three. And as Felicia tries to find her place among those in Level Three she finds herself faced with the realization that she's not safe here. Felicia must once again trust those that might not have her best interests in mind as she navigates this new world, with the threat of losing Nate once again. But something else is wrong, it seems that some of her memories are missing. Particularly the ones that pertain to her death. Who will she trust, and who will she not?

This book had so many curve palls it kept me very interested. Especially when it came to the new relationships and characters that were in this story. Felicia's navigation of this new world was very interesting especially with how she kept Nate out of the loop. I give this book a four out of five for the interesting curve balls, the growth that was shown in Felicia, and for the very cool new cast of characters we got to meet.

Oceanborn by Amalie Howard

This book was sent to me at my request from the publisher, which I am truly grateful for. I love this series and I especially love books by Amalie because she always delivers a book that entertains. This second book in the Aquarathi series had so many twists in it, new characters, and even new betrayals. Our favorite girl Nerissa, newly crowned Queen but not yet having her peoples full faith, has to once again leave her homeland to help Lo who has become sick. She finds that not only is Lo sick but he has no memory of her or of what he is. Now in a race against the clock she must find a cure, but something sinister lurks behind what's wrong with Lo. She must side with an enemy who only wants the best for Lo, and together they will save him from whatever sickness has plagued him.

But behind this there is something else lurking in the waters, ready to strike. But you'll just have to read the book to find out what THAT is!! This book was a total roller coaster of awesomeness. I give it a four out of five for character development, story development, and of course because it brings back together a cast of characters that I love.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

Normally I don't like and or won't read books like this but I was so intrigued by the fact that it's a hardback book with no dust cover and such a vague cover that I just had to get it. The story was creepy, which I expected it to be. The girls in this story were so three dimensional which made me want to read about them. There's definitely something about good religious girls doing horrible things that makes for a good story. And that's what this story was about, religious girls doing horrible things to somebody different than them. My favorite characters in this story were Sofia and Brooklyn, because they were outsiders to the inner circle of three girls that run the school in this story. Riley is one of the inner three, the leader, and she is totally evil. But really she's like any other teen girl who's a roaring witch with a capitol b. Riley manipulated the other girls in this book into doing her bidding which was entertaining in how she did it. She used religion against these girls to make them do terrible things to Brooklyn.

I give this book a four out of five for having well developed characters, a great story line, and for honesty scaring the pants off of me! Books that showcase what people are actually capable of really scare me but yet intrigue me at the same time. Human nature is a very interesting thing, as well as human capacity for violence. This book showcases that.

Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I've been reading Sherrilyn's books recently ever since I stumbled upon the Chronicles of Nick about a year ago. Night Pleasures is the first "official" book in the Dark-Hunters series which follows those characters we love from Nick's series in all of their glory, and even some characters we've not yet heard of. The first book in this series is called Fantasy Lover but I have yet to get my hands on that one, unfortunately.

Night Pleasures is all about our main man Kyrian and Nick even makes an appearance!! Kyrian unfortunately gets chained to this girl named Amanda who is from a wiccan family, Tabitha's family. Yep that's right! Amanda is twin sister to Tabitha which is why she gets linked to Kyrian, because of mistaken identity. Now Amanda is dragged into the one world that she didn't want to be in.

This book brought what we love about the Chronicles of Nick and turned it into something fans young and old (more on the more mature side than anything since this is an adult novel) can love. With Kyrian fighting not only demons but his own past this made for one heck of a book. This book has many dark aspects to it and some history which I love, especially since it delves into Greek myth and history which holds a special place in my heart. Over-all I give it a four out of five stars for keeping my interest and having such a cool story line with a great cast of characters. Amanda isn't just some damsel in distress which is great, but is a bit whiny in my opinion. That was probably my only problem with this story. Of course Kyrian never disappoints in this novel and if you love him you'll love this book.

What's Been Going On...

From the middle of July until September I had been getting ready to leave for college. Because of this I was still reading but not as much as I normally do, and also I was unable to write blog posts. This sucks because I've had three books (ARCs) that went unposted about. I'm going to post my reviews for 5 books in the next hour or so. Yay!

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This review has been sitting here for awhile waiting to be posted, so I'm very very sorry for that. But without any more waiting here it is.

I've been a follower of this series only after I found out about a movie one year before it came out, I fell in love with it! So it was only logical I'd follow my favorite Siren on an adventure into my home turf, New York, with her Linkubus for a whole new brand of trouble! And MAN was it TROUBLE! Filled with new characters, a sexy new Caster who's just... Wow. He's amazingly awesome and I love him but no spoilers yeah? Okay! But anyway this boy healed the broken pieces of my heart Kami and Margaret left when they (spoilers) killed off my yummyness Larkin. So there's the plus for that, right? Of course!

I ate this book up, it was wonderful. The plot was great and they really captured what New York is like, sometimes I did wonder if Dark and Light Casters (but mostly Dark) wandered around the city making the strange things that happen everyday well... Happen! My New York was portrayed perfectly in this story, just like I had remembered it. And of course you know Rid brought the sass AND the glamor as always to this book. Link was Link, just as he always is only this time more rock and roll! (if that names any sense)

Anyway over-all this book is worth reading especially if you like Ridley, New York, Link, and sexy awesome hot dudes. So go check out this book alright?! ~winks~

Why cosplayers shouldn't get their cosplays dry cleaned.

So when I attended AnimeNext on Saturday I wore my Tsunade cosplay. My cousin had bought me ramune to drink and I asked my friend who was cosplaying as Kirito to open it for me since I couldn't move out of my chair to do it myself (my feet were killing me). He opened it for me and it exploded all over me, which is not his fault at all!

I said "Well okay no real biggie" and when I got home put it aside to bring to the dry cleaners. This past Sunday I dropped off that cosplay, a gown, and my Princess Serenity cosplay to be dry cleaned. I picked up my order on Tuesday and upon returning home and unpacking everything noticed that my Tsunade jacket was completely ruined. The emblem that is on the back of the jacket was puckered and torn in places, so now that part of the cosplay is completely ruined. I was upset and went back to the cleaners who informed me that it wasn't their fault, I asked for them to clean it and that's what they did. My advice to all of you cosplayers now is: don't dry clean your things unless you have to and even then be very careful. If your cosplay consists of something that could possibly be ruined by heat, water, etc. then hand wash it yourself since only then can you actually be able to be careful of the places that could be ruined.

That was my fun, has anyone had a similar experience? Feel free to share!

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Official Trailer With English Subtitles

Oh my god my childhood... MY CHILDHOOD!!

Watching the trailer reminded me exactly why I love Sailor Moon so much, because it's utterly awesome! As soon as I turned it on I got chills and continued to have them the entire trailer. It was beautiful, the art was fantastic and the Japanese voice actors for Usagi and Luna fit perfectly!! I can't wait to watch the show when it airs July 15th, hopefully crunchroll will have it available to watch and if not I'll find a way! "In the name of the moon, I will punish you!!"

Delirium Pilot

So after 41 minutes of screaming at my computer I finished watching the Delirium Pilot. The actors were great and dedicated to their roles but I didn't like how they went about this series. The Pilot basically skimmed over the entire first book and parts of the second book, normally this isn't done when a book is being turned into a TV series as seen with True Blood, PLL, and Liars Game. (or even Vampire Diaries) Honestly I would love to see where this would have gone but am at the same time very happy that it wasn't picked up to be a show with more than one episode. How can you have a successful show when you went over most of your material in the Pilot episode?!

Overall I wasn't too impressed with the show as a whole, but the sets that they used, the clothing, and the actors made it very promising. The music that was used was very nice and I enjoyed the little twist with Lena's father was very interesting considering it was originally (in the book) a twist with her MOTHER. The Delirium Pilot is free to watch on Hulu's website so go check it out for yourself, hopefully you will appreciate it like I did (or more-so then I did).

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Finally I'm getting around to writing a review for this. I had gotten this a few days after it came out from the event she went to in PA. Right after that I started reading it, taking my time to get through it and fangirling over scenes with Magnus and Alec (or Magnus, or Alec).

Okay now that that's out of the way let me get into reviewing this mass of a book. So besides fangirling over scenes where Malec were concerned (and listening to First Love by Utada Hikaru which fits them so perfectly!) I fangirled over Luke, and Sebastian... Because those are my two guys. They're awesome even if one is evil.

So to some of the stuff in the book... It was awesome to read about the twists and betrayals that were put into place by Sebastian especially because of the fact that the others didn't know about it until it was almost too late. Jace was as sexy as ever which is obviously no surprise since he's always sexy, period end of discussion. Clary was also as awesome as ever and it was nice to see how she would do anything for Jace which we already knew but was pushed back into our faces throughout the book.

Now onto the ending of the book... Wow. Amazingly awesome and I can't believe what happened. I can't say WHAT happens since that would give everything away and be totally unfair to those who haven't read and or finished the book. Let's just say that the person who dies isn't who you think it will be. Oh and if you didn't know someone was going to die then... Sorry to spoil that but now you have something to obsess over until you finish the book.

I can't wait for the Dark Artifices series because I just know it's going to be epic!

Seamonster Novella by Amalie Howard Cover Reveal!!

Wow!! This cover is different than the other ones but it does fit the yummy Speio! I love Speio because he's just awesome and sexy and yummy and perfectly awesome. Honestly I can't wait to read this because of how much I love Speio. Amalie is such a great writer so honestly I know this novella is going to be amazing. GO get your copy from Amazon right now because I know you won't regret it!

They say that love is the death of duty …

Speio Marin is land-bound, tied to the side of the Waterfell queen-to-be, Nerissa. There's only one problem--she wants nothing to do with any of the Aquarathi or her undersea kingdom, preferring instead the freedom of pretending to be human. Torn between his own desires and his duty to serve his future queen, he spirals into an abyss of malcontent. Speio’s mistrust of humans is no secret, and he sees them only as a threat to the existence of his people.

Until he meets Anya Delmonico--a mysterious and enigmatic girl, teetering on the edge of survival. Anya is sedate and secretive, yet reckless enough to brave a hundred-foot cliff jump. Caught between a dark past and an ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go, Anya knows that getting involved with anyone new is the last thing she should do. But when her past catches up to her, Speio turns out to be the only one she can trust, refusing to let her face her demons alone.

When Anya discovers the truth about Speio, putting her life in mortal danger from the Aquarathi as well as her own sinister pursuers, will he risk everything to protect her? Or will he choose duty above all?