Harry Potter Parody

CALLING OUT ALL HARRY POTTER FANS!

(you have to see this video!)

Hey guys,

I know this video has been out for some time, but my friend showed it to me last night and it pretty much just made my whole LIFE. I loved it! I cannot begin to explain how much this video made me laugh :D

This parody was made by two talented sisters; Hilly and Hannah Hindi. Check out their youtube channel, all their videos are amazing!

Check it out. Although I loved the WHOLE video, my favorite parts were the ending scenes, when their at the movies. CRACKED ME UP <3

Review: The Faerie Ring

Title: The Faerie Ring (The Faerie Ring #1)
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 352
Challenge: None
Source: Publisher
Buy the Book: BN / Amazon

My Rating:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.
Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist. Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…-summary from goodreads.com

Let your mind roam free and transport yourself back to old London during the times of Monarchy and Faeries. Yes, that’s right Faeries. The year is 1871, and the only thing that’s keeping the Fae from starting an all out war with the humans is a tiny, but significant Faerie Ring. In order for the balance and peace to be kept, the ring must be in the hands of the Monarch. Enter Tiki; an orphan of the streets. Tiki steals for her survival and for her family of orphans; Fiona, Toots, Shamus and little Clara. One night after falling asleep on a car­riage, Tiki wakes up in a luxurious estate. After roaming around the kitchen (and stuffing her pockets with food), she stumbles upon the library. Here she comes to set her eyes on a ring that was left behind. A ring who’s value is to great to turn down (hey, her orphans have to eat), so she steals it. Little does she know that the estate she was in was Buckingham Palace and the ring she stole is actually the Queen’s ring; The Faerie Ring, the only thing keeping a species war at peace.

I loved Tiki, she has a sort of heroine complex when it comes to the orphans. She takes care of the few people around her that she can call family and I admired that about her. It slightly reminded me of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys… except with reversed genders. Her orphans were so sweet, I wanted to reach into the book and give them a hug to help ease their pain and suffering. Rieker was mysterious but I also enjoyed his character very much. He likes Tiki and tries so hard to be the “hero” of the orphan group but things never go according to plan because Tiki doesn’t do well with plans.

Prince Leopold, the Queens son, was also a fun character to read about. His disbelief was funny at times, but once his mother falls ill (because the Faerie Ring has gone missing and this usually leads to disaster) he notices disaster is about to strike and will now stop at nothing to get that ring back. He feels guilty because he was the last one to have it before it went missing (bad, Leopold! Bad!). My only complaint would have to be the actual Fey elements. The concept of Fey (as a species) was present throughout the whole book, but the actual Faeries don’t come out until the almost end. I guess you can say I was expecting a bit more of a fantasy novel, but what I got instead was a Historical-Victorian adventure. Which was still awesome and super fun, but I wanted my faeries.

In My Mailbox #9

6 books this week. I got lazy towards the end, when it came to editing, and decided to just make it one whole clip... This is me; 100% on a late Saturday night. Forgive my random randomness :)

A big thank you and shout out to 2 special ladies...

Krys over at
http://www.bibliopunkk.net/
&
Rachel over at
http://www.fiktshun.com/

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. This meme spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection this week is:

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

by Richelle Mead

June 2012

Razorbill

 

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students—children of the wealthy and powerful—carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.-summary from goodreads.com

I really enjoyed book one, Bloodlines, and I'm curious to see what happens next! I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for an earlier publication date. That or some steamy Adrian scenes... Don't judge me. Things were getting good between him and my favorite Alchemist, Sydney... I hope they take their comradeship to the next level <3 Adrian is a great guy and he deserves a happy ending. Wouldn't you agree?


What's your WOW this week? Share your links. Thanks for stopping by! 

Review: Wings

Title: Wings (Wings #1)
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Harperteen
Pages:294
Challenge: None
Source: Own
Buy the Book: BN / Amazon


My Rating:

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.
In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.-summary from goodreads.com

When I first picked up Wings, I didn’t know what to expect. Considering the fact that it’s been out for some time now, I hadn’t read any recent reviews on it. What I did hear was awesome things about the love interest, Tamani (we’ll talk more about him later on). And although I did rather enjoy this new, fresh world that Pike has created, the story was just too dull. In my opinion, Wings should have been better classified as a Middle Grade fantasy read, rather than Young Adult.

The story follows Laurel, a teenage girl who is trying to adjust to attending school for the first time after being home-schooled her entire life. Everything seems to be going fine; she even managed to get herself a boyfriend (David), until the day she wakes up with a lump on her back. The lump blossoms into flowers, and Laurel soon learns she's a faerie. Not just any faerie, she’s a changeling.

Let’s begin with my first pet peeve; I thought it was too convenient that Laurel quickly accepted what she was. I wish there would have been more of an emotional reaction. But it was kind of like, “Oh, I’m a faerie?! Cool.” I seriously thought to myself, “WTF!? I would totally be cowering in a corner.” Secondly, Laurel was a very difficult character to relate too. Plus, she just seemed so plain-Jane. Yeah, she’s a fairy and is pretty much the personification of perfection (literally…. Perfect body, no acne, doesn’t need food to survive), but she had no personality. Now that I think about it, none of the characters had anything going for them. Her parents were only around when necessary, David (although I did like the fact that he was a nerd) was also very boring… everyone in the story was just dull.

The only character with even a breath of life is Tamani. Oh goodness…. Tamani…. Tam is the exception of my would-be Middle School classification. I absolutely loved him. David just didn’t do it for me. I’m sorry to all you David lovers, but he was just too ordinary for me. I tend to have high expectations for my leading men, and Tamani fit every single one (and more!). The only bad part is that he doesn’t show up until 80-something pages in. I’d get so frustrated with Laurel at times for always choosing David over Tam. I mean, I get it; he’s a loyal and trustworthy guy, but he does not compare to the magical awesomeness that is Tamani. Or at least, that’s my opinion.

Lastly, the ending felt so rushed. At the final showdown between Laurel and BLANK (don’t want to give to much away now), a gun is thrown into the mix… A GUN! You’re a freaking magical creature for crying out loud! Use some magic, strength or fairy dust…. Anything! A gun just seemed so human, a quick and easy way to end the battle…. You know what I mean? Of course, the ending doesn’t resolve much, leaving plenty of room for the next book in the series. Despite my complaints, I will be reading book two. I'm interested enough to see where the story goes, and plus, I want more Tam <3

Review: Tiger's Voyage

Title: Tiger's Voyage (Tiger's Saga #3)
Author: Colleen Houck
Publisher: Splinter
Pages: 560
Source: ARC Publisher
Buy the Book: BN / Amazon


My Rating:

With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections--leaving Kelsey more confused than ever. Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, TIger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step closer to breaking the curse. -summary from goodreads.com

Adventure, peril, culture and romance- this book has it all! 

The blend of mythology, the Hindi language and culture in Tiger's Voyage is complex and altogether captivating. I was fascinated by the journey to visit the five dragons and all the adventures my favorite trio (Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan) had to accomplish to retrieve the Pearl Necklace of Durga. I'm constantly impressed by how much research Colleen does and all the planning she must have done before writing these books. Everything fits together seamlessly, and it's really impressive! I really loved the dragons and the fact that everything was based just as much on Chinese folklore as Indian.

As far as teams…. I’m leaning a bit more towards Kishan (don’t judge me). If you’ve read my past reviews for books one and two, you’d see that I am a dedicated Team Ren fan (even have a book boyfriend post dedicated to him, here). But in Tiger’s Voyage Kishan really does step up his game and at the same time Ren is losing his. But regardless of their actions, they are brothers… Their two side of the same coin, and you can’t help but love them both.

In all honesty, I truly believe that Ren is definitely more suited for Kelsey but sometimes I think they’re relationship is not healthy. They argue all the time and when they do make up, the first thought to come to Kelsey’s mind is “I can’t live without him”…. Am I the only one who see’s this as unhealthy? Don’t get me wrong, I often times think that their best interaction comes when they're fighting…. but I just found their relationship a bit strange this time around.

On the other hand, Kishan is every bit as good-looking and wonderful as his brother. He is much more straightforward and not so sensitive or poetic. Instead of writing a song for a girl he'll just grab her and kiss her, thus telling her how he feels (much more my type). So you can kind of tell why I’m ready to jump teams here… :)haha!

Overall, although Tiger’s Voyage wasn’t my favorite book in the series, I loved every minuet of it. I cannot begin to explain how FAR away next fall is. I need my next dose of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan to take me away, NOW!

Review: Shatter Me

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 342
Source: ARC Publisher
Buy the Book: BN / Amazon


My Rating:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.  -summary from goodreads.com

A breathtaking debut!

Tahereh Mafi's debut novel begins by introducing us to Juliette,a 17 year old girl whom has been locked away from society for 264 days... why? Because, Juliette has a secret; a gift, a curse: her touch is dangerous, possibly lethal to others....

Lets talk about the aspects that made this novel such a huge success (for me, personally). Let's begin with the writing. Dear Lord baby Jesus, Ms. Mafi can write! I was completely blown away by her style of writing. With her cross outs and descriptive writing, Ms. Mafi gives you insight and subtext to Juliette. I felt as if I was there with her, experiencing what she did, feeling what she felt, I felt in on her secret and I didn't want anyone else to find out. I wanted to help her guard it. I felt like it was me and Juliette against the world, together. I've never been so engaged in a novel.

Enter Adam. All my defenses break down and I am vulnerable, weak..... I am Adam's. Adam has got to be one of the most swoon-worthy YA males I have ever read about. Loyal, protective, charming and sexy as hell. Adam and Juliette easily make my top 5 YA couples. The secondary characters were also great. My favorites are Kenji and Warner. While being complete opposites, they were just awesome.

The only minor problem I did notice (and have seen it being mentioned around the blogosphere) is the similarity to X-Men. Now, being a big comic nerd, I picked up on a lot of similarities between Rogue and Juliette. It's the truth, but SHATTER ME comes with its own twists and surprises.... It really is unique. Plus, I loved reading about a heroine that stands up for herself and doesn't let others run her life. Juliette has a fieriness and bravery that I wish I had.

Overall, SHATTER ME is a unique and intriguing story that every YA lover must pick up. Action, romance and spunk- this book has it all! Haven't read it? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Click the link above and order yourself a copy :D You won't be sorry.