Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Release Week Blitz

It's that time again, the writing queen, known as the one and only Jennifer L. Armentrout has written a new adult paranormal titled Wicked, which you'll be glad to know is the first book out of a trilogy! I'm definitely looking forward to read this as Jennifer L. Armentrout's books are highly addictive, so much so that two of her books have made it to my favourites of the year, which are Wait For You and Don't Look Back. Now back onto the main event... below I have all the information about Wicked and a sneaky little excerpt, so make sure to check it!

WICKED Synopsis:

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

WICKED Excerpt:

It was him. Green Eyes. Ren. That was his name. Now I remembered. I started to step forward, but he beat me to it. Moving as quickly as a damn snake striking, he caught my wrists. He didn’t yank my arms to my sides. All he did was hold my fists away from his face.

A lopsided grin appeared on those full lips. “Can’t say I’m entirely surprised you took a swing at me.”

“Then I guess this won’t surprise you either.” Leaning back, I shifted my weight onto my left leg, but again, Ren outmaneuvered me with a quickness that was sort of embarrassing.

He stepped into what would’ve been a fantastic kick and forced me back against the wall. Then there was nowhere to go, no space whatsoever. My back was against the building, and the entire length of his hard body was pressed against mine.

Son of a bitch.

As if he could read my mind, that grin spread and the dimples played peekaboo. “Now I think we can have a conversation without me ending up bloody.”

I blew out an aggravated breath. “I wouldn’t bet on that not happening.”

 He chuckled, and the sound rumbled through me. I couldn’t even remember being this close to a guy since . . . since Shaun. “Look, I’m sorry for snatching you off the street like a kidnapper, but you were about to make yet another huge mistake.”

His apology was lost on me. “Make another mistake?”

“Yeah, like the one last night that ended with you getting shot.” He dipped his chin, and the yellow glow of the light attached to the wall above us glanced off his broad cheekbones. “I know what you were about to do.”

 “I didn’t make a mistake last night. I was doing my job,” I spat. “And I doubt your job includes grabbing chicks off the street.”

 “That would be a hell of a lot more entertaining, but the moment you thought you could engage that fae last night, you made a mistake. And you were about to do it again, you little ass.”

“Little ass?” I sputtered. “You grabbed me off the street like a serial killer!”

“And I’ve apologized for that even though you should be thanking me. I just saved your life, sweetness.”

Floored, all I could do was stare at him for a moment. “You’re insane.”

“I’m a lot of things, but today I’m your fucking saving grace.”

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

WICKED Pre-Order:

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Additional Links:

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STARS WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS | TRAILER

Many fans of the cult classic franchise were finally given a glimpse of the first official trailer for The Force Awakens, though I believe some do have issues with the cast, I think everyone was generally over the moon about getting to see a piece of the action. Even though I'm not a certified fan of the franchise I am most certainly looking forward to the day of release, from just watching a few seconds of the trailer you can tell its going to be massive on opening day. The reboot stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Warwick Davis, Lupita Nyong'o, and Gwendoline Christie.

A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

PAN TRAILER

The first official trailer for the live adaptation of Peter Pan, titled Pan, released earlier last week, though most were no doubt talking about Cara Delevingne's appearance, other stars include Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, Rooney Mara, Garrett Hedlund, and newcomer Levi Miller who stars as Peter Pan.

The story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan

THE AGE OF ADALINE TRAILER

The first official trailer for The Age of Adaline dropped online last week, which stars Blake Lively, Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, and Richard Harmon. I've waited a long time for any kind of visual's for this film so I was quite surprised to see how the story transfers to screen, put together with such an unusual cast this could very well be an exceptional film.

A young woman, born at the turn of 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After years of a solitary life, she meets a man who might be worth losing her immortality.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I've literary been waiting all year to read Don't Look Back, so when I received it for my birthday I was ecstatic!

Sam wanders around helplessly with no memory of how she got there, so when it is revealed to her that she's been reported missing for a few days along with her best friend people start to question what happened. But in order to learn the truth of that fateful night Sam has to surround herself around normality in order to regain her memories. Though what she wasn't expecting is that someone close to her knows the truth and will stop her by any means necessary to keep her silent.

I enjoyed this book so much that I sped right through it, I was constantly suspicious of everyone that knew Sam, and I was actually right about some theories, though I was not expecting that explosive ending, really I had no idea.

Sam was really fun to read along with, definitely a character relatable to everyone, the fact that you're following her journey of self discovery and redemption is one hell of a roller-coster that at times you question her sanity.

I don't think theres anything else more to say or I'll end up spoiling you, but definitely check this book out because it constantly keeps you on edge, and its now on my list of favourite books of this year, so what's more to say and read this book!

*****

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You can get Don't Look Back online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

I've been playing the Call of Duty franchise for years, so with the usual November release I brought the latest game in the franchise, Advanced Warfare.

I managed to complete the campaign of my usual two to three days, depending on how you count the hours of gameplay. With the introduction of a more modern storyline, this edition reminded me in many ways of previous Call of Duty instalments, especially Modern Warfare, Blacks Ops, and Ghosts, which is most likely due to the fact that they are all set in a dystopian future where the antagonist seizes power by any force necessary to control the world as they see fit. As customary Advanced Warfare features a Hollywood star, a Brit, and of course a betrayal we can all see coming from a mile off.

At times the game would take a few seconds to load midway through playing the campaign, which I did find rather annoying. I also found that the opening scenes to each mission would freeze which would cause a slight delay in the audio, but I guess that seems trivial as it doesn't affect the gameplay.

Advanced Warfare introduces a new feature where you have to constantly upgrade weaponry to enhance your combat skills, though I must admit I wasn't a fan of this it definitely makes you work harder to get the points you need for an upgrade.

I've yet to play multiplayer I'm hoping to try it out over the weekend as I have a free two day Gold membership trial that comes along with your purchase of Advanced Warfare.

As a Call of Duty fan it is a must to add Advanced Warfare your collection, though if you're still on the fence I suggest you watch some gameplay videos on Youtube to make up your mind, whether its worth it or not.

 ****

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You can get Advanced Warfare online or at your nearest game store.
I brought my copy from Tesco.

Birthday Book Haul

It's that time again... another book haul, however these are gifts I received on my birthday, which was at the end of October.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Scandal by Sarah Ockler

Saga: Volume One by Brian K. Vaughn

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

These books were top priority on my wish list, so I was really excited when I opened them up! I've already read Saga: Volume One which is actually the first graphic novel I have ever read, though I'm really looking forward to read the other volumes because it ended on one helluva cliffhanger! Anyway it looks like I have a lot of reading to do before the end of the year because I can expect I'll be getting some more for Christmas!

Hexed by Michelle Krys

I first heard about Hexed from Sasha over at abookuptopia on Youtube, the plot really intrigued me as I don't normally read much about witches, and also because the hardcover edition looks gorgeous naked, but unfortunately I have the paperback, so that will do for now!

Indigo Blackwood is your typical teenager living amongst the LA scene, one thing she didn't plan on being was a witch. That was her mothers dream, it was never her intention to live out her mother's wildest fantasies but somehow fate has a funny way of showing itself. Other than finding out about the witch business Indie also has the trouble of the Priary members, sorcerers Frederick and Leo, who are after the Bible, something that has been kept in her family for generations, something that she must protect at all costs. But when the inevitable happens Indie along with her friend Paige, and some other witches she's met along the way, Indie plans to regain ownership of her family heirloom before the Priary uses it for deadly intent against the witch community.

Indie is a pretty likeable and very much relatable character to many teenage girls, I really liked her sassy thoughts and comebacks about her best friend, Bianca, who believe it or not is miss queen bee at their high school. The fact that its set in LA is a location that hasn't been featured or written about in many young adult books, although there is the upcoming The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare, so it was interesting learning about the scenery. Indie's mom and next door neighbour, Paige, were very quirky characters in their own right, who both influenced Indie's final decisions in various scenarios. Of course there always has to be that one male character who is sarcastic, broody, and mysterious, which sums up stranger Bishop. However I did not like the insta-love, I really wish it would of developed gradually within a few months, not a week or two!

I found myself flying through the pages because this certainly was a fast paced book and I definitely would of liked a few more scenes here and there just to lengthen out the story. Hexed is pretty predictable however there was only one thing I didn't see coming but I won't mention that because that is pretty much a giant spoiler!

I definitely recommend Hexed to the readers of The Mortal Instruments and Angelfall.

****

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You can get Hexed online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON TEASER TRAILER

Pretty much everyone has seen the first official teaser trailer of Avengers: Age Of Ultron ever since it landed online early yesterday morning, but if you're one of the few that haven't... well watch it now! So what do you think? I know for sure that I absolutely cannot wait for this much longer, from the looks of it this instalment it's definitely going to be a lot darker than the previous Avengers film, which I'm certainly all for, let the character development continue! The second instalment of the Avengers stars an impressive ensemble cast which includes, Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johanson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Hayley Atwell, Andy Serkis, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and James Spader.

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to The Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Love, Rosie (Where Rainbows End) by Cecelia Ahern | Spoilers

With the film release of Love, Rosie this month I decided to finally read the book, which has been on my tbr pile for a while, before I watch the film!

Rosie Dunne has always spent her whole life with best friend Alex Stewart ever since they met at school when they were five years old, but all that changes when Alex's dad accepts a job offer in Boston. When Rosie finally accepts that her best and only friend is leaving she does her best to pass the time left at school studying hard enough to get accepted to Boston college, so she can be closer to Alex. But one drunken mistake at the school prom leaves Rosie in a situation that she can't very well undo because it turns out Rosie will never get to live her dreams as a hotel manager but instead a mother, a single one at that when the father of her child runs when he learns of the news. Devastated, Rosie tries her best to raise her daughter, Katie, and wonder what her life would of been like if she had moved to Boston to be with Alex.

Rosie and Alex keep in touch through letters, emails, instant messaging, and texts spanning through fifty years, which is quite incredible if you think about it, not that many people from school keep in touch these days.

At times I wished Rosie would speak her mind and not let others opinions bring her down, which also applies to Alex. I just wanted them both to express their feelings, but thats where character development comes in, so there'd be no point of the book of they said what they felt sooner, and of course they grow as people finding their own path making their own mistakes which they truly learned from. Though I really wish Rosie and Alex got together sooner as I did want them to have a family but the age they were when they eventually got together they were far too old, so that was kind of sad but also a heartfelt moment when they finally came to their senses!

There were times when I really didn't like Ruby as I found her annoying and I just wanted her to vanish but other times I found myself laughing at her snide comments. I certainly did not like Greg one bit his character seemed very off and I did wonder why he was ever with Rosie if he kept going to these 'business meetings'. Throughout the whole book I really wanted to know what Kevin was up to when we didn't hear from him as he was quite a hidden and mysterious character and only really showed up when he wanted something. I was quite surprised at the turn of events when Brian showed up the minute Rosie made her mind up to flee the country, I really did want her to leave even if that meant Katie not knowing who her father really was.

This format of writing is very unique and of course very fast paced, I managed to read Love, Rosie in two days! Overall I really liked this book, though I felt as if there was something missing, which is why I've rated it a total for four stars.

****

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You can get Love, Rosie online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

October Book Haul #1

More books I brought this month...

Amazon

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

As you might already know I did buy a used copy of Where Rainbows End and I wasn't entirely happy with the condition so I brought the film tie in edition, which I'm now currently reading!

The Mile Long Bookshelf

Amber from the mile long bookshelf began a free book giveaway at the beginning of the year and due to the success and popularity Amber continues to collect any unwanted/unread books and host giveaways on a first come first serve basis which you only pay for delivery, however only UK residents are eligible as international shipping can be quite pricey! Anyway here are the books from a giveaway earlier this week...

Winger by Andrew Smith

This is probably one of the most talked about and hauled book on the booktube sphere that I've never actually heard any feedback or reviews about it, so I hope its as good as people claim it to be! Winger is about a fourteen year old Ryan Dean West experience through boarding school, though guessing from the cover design he gets into a few fights!

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

I've heard a lot of buzz about this book through booktube, so I'm pleased to finally own a copy and uncover the events that led sisters, Carey and Jenessa, living in the woods with their mentally ill mother.

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

I'm slowly building up my Vampire Academy collection, I previously marathoned the series this summer but I've yet to read the Bloodlines series, so now I own book one and five.

TOMORROWLAND TEASER TRAILER

The highly anticipated Disney movie, Tomorrowland, has just released its first official teaser trailer, it stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Judy Greer, and Hugh Laurie.

Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

AMERICAN SNIPER TRAILER

The trailer for Clint Eastwood's latest film, American Sniper, was released earlier this week, which stars Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Jake McDorman, and Luke Grimes.

A Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills.

My Top Favourite Books From 2014 (so far!)

With the year drawing to a close I have selected my favourite books of the year, including standalones and series, though the amount of my favourites are probably subject to change as it's not quite the end of year! What are you favourites so far?

Standalones

How To Love by Katie Cotugno

This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

After a traumatic experience Valerie has spent the summer secluded away attending therapy sessions to relive her mind of the awful day when everything changed in her small suburban town. Now Valerie must return to complete her last year of school, but she must face the guilt of the infamous Hate List she created with her boyfriend Nick which so happened to leave a wake of tragedy behind them. Will her classmates be so forgiving and will she forever forgive herself.

Series

Wait For You by J. Lynn

Avery Morganstern wants to begin her life again and by that she wants a fresh new start, she choses a college on the other side of the country, so very far away from home where nobody knows her or what happened to her on that fateful halloween night, though with hints along the way we get an understanding of how Avery became the person she is today. But when Avery is late for her first day of class she accidentally bumps into socialite Cameron Hamilton, a guy who knows pretty much everyone on campus, except that he doesn't know her but as sure as hell wants to. Who would of thought that the first guy Avery stumbles into would be the one to bring the spark back into her life, but will her secrets hold her back from an undeniable attraction.

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

No one knows what really happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Its been weeks since the angels have fallen and taken over the world. Seventeen year old Penryn Young finds herself battling through a post apocalyptic world, though something she didn't plan on was stumbling into an angel dispute. The angels are angry with Penryn and take her sister, Paige, it's Penryn's mission to find her with the help of an wingless angel.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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.

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

In Throne Of Glass we meet Celaena Sardothien, one of Adarlan's greatest assassins, who has spent an entire year at one of the harshest prisons in the land, Endovier. It is known that most prisoners can survive up to a month, however due to Celaena's excessive training she had the mental and physical abilities to survive the conditions of Endovier. But now Celaena is given the choice, enter a competition to serve as the King's Champion, if she wins Celaena will fulfil her contract with the King and will finally be given her freedom. Though if she does not succeed Celaena will be sent back to Endovier, knowing that she won't be able to survive for another year she accepts her sponsors terms, who just so happens to be the King's son Prince Dorian.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Stephanie Perkins, I must admit I wasn't very interested about Anna and The French Kiss, but once it came up on iBooks for a ridiculously cheap price I made the purchase. Though it was only last week that I finally decided to read it on my trains journeys to uni.

Anna is forced to to study abroad in France for her final year of schooling, although unhappy with the decision Anna find that she's not entirely alone as the school she's placed at is solely for American citizens. Which is where she makes a new group of friends, however one of those friendships goes too far, causing a rift between friendships that cannot be salvaged or can it?

Anna in my opinion was so annoying the first hundred pages, if not more, she kept whining about how the move to France had ruined her life. Anna should of been more grateful that she got to spend an entire year living in France, something that most people can't afford. Its these experiences in life that we can look back on, which is something that I can relate to as I also spent a year living in Spain when I was younger, something that I greatly miss. Another annoyance was that Anna kept making a big deal about that she was the new kid and couldn't speak the language, sometimes in life you've just got to get through with it and do not care what people think about you, don't waste your life on these things. But when the pace started to lift Anna's annoyance slowly deflated, which finally allowed her to mature and actually speak to the locals for once without getting embarrassed.

When introduced to St Clair, he was presented as the most charismatic, charming, social boy of the year and probably the whole school, so there wasn't a great deal of what not to like about him. Though St Clair seemed very mysterious throughout as we didn't get to see his actual self through all those layers he's been building up, probably due to an abusive childhood.

I guess the only disappointment I had with this book was the predictions, because I guessed most of them way early on, but who can expect contemporaries to be completely predictably free because they aren't.

I'm not sure if I'll continue with the trilogy as I read a sample of Lola and the Boy Next Door and I just could not get into it, but I do like the premise of Isla and the Happily Ever After, so I may come back to those later, but who really knows, maybe I won't. However one thing I do like about the trilogy are the covers, which are stunning, so kudos to whoever designed them. Anna and the French Kiss is a toss up between three or four stars, but for now its three.

***

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You can get Anna and the French Kiss online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from iBooks.

TAKEN 3 (TAK3N) TRAILER

It's that time again when sequels are made just for money and just lose the plot, Taken is one of those sequels. The first was thrilling, the sequel was almost up to par, and now with the release of the first official trailer for Taken 3, we get to see who's 'taken' this time... plot twist nobody does unless you consider the death of Lennie which I suppose counts as 'taken'. At one point I thought I was watching a remake of The Fugitive, but nether the less I will still watch this final instalment in the Taken trilogy, it will be interesting to see how the conclude the trilogy. Taken 3 stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Jenssen, Forest Whitaker, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, and Andrew Howard.

Ex-government operative Bryan Mills finds his life is shattered when he's falsely accused of a murder that hits close to home. As he's pursued by a savvy police inspector, Mills employs his particular set of skills to track the real killer and exact his unique brand of justice.

JAYMES YOUNG - WHAT SHOULD I DO & I'LL BE GOOD

Jaymes Young is having a pretty busy month with the release of three songs that coincide with the release of his EP, which includes of Habits Of My Heart, Come Back For Me, What Should I Do, I'll Be Good, and the stripped version of Moondust. I'm personally loving the vibe of these new tracks, which of course are on a continuous repeat, so stop what you're doing and listen to this EP!

LEGEND OF KORRA TRAILER | BOOK FOUR

The trailer for the final season, also known as book four, has been released and the fans have become ecstatic that the Legend Of Korra gets a three year time jump, which I'm also excited about too! That would make the main characters now in their early to mid twenties, so it will be interesting to find out how much they've developed, character wise, over the past three years. Just by watching the trailer I can tell this is going to be an epic season, along with the surprise announcement towards the end that there will be a beloved character from Avatar: The Last Airbender making an appearance! Have you guessed who it is yet? No? Then watch the trailer to find out!

Avatar Korra fights to keep Republic City safe from the evil forces of both the physical and spiritual worlds.

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN TRAILER #2

The second trailer for Men, Women & Children was released earlier this week, with this trailer we get more insight about the characters in the film. It stars, Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler, Ansel Elgort, Will Peltz, Judy Greer, and Kaitlyn Dever.

A look at the sexual frustrations that young teenagers and adults face in today's world.

LOW DOWN TRAILER

As most of you know I've been following the Fanning's career for years and I was quite surprised to see a trailer for Elle Fanning's new film Low Down, one that I've heard next to nothing about. From what I can gather the movie takes place throughout the years of jazz pianist Joe Albany's life and with such an exceptional and talented cast this can only mean Low Down will be marvellous to see. Low Down stars Elle Fanning, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, John Hawkes, Glenn Close, Burn Gorman, Caleb Landry Jones, and Taryn Manning.

A look at the life of pianist Joe Albany from the perspective of his young daughter, as she watches him contend with his drug addiction during the 1960s and '70s jazz scene.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Ever since I saw the trailer for the film adaptation of The Giver, I knew I wanted to see it, but the one thing I didn't know was that it would be based on a best selling book. So I eventually went to get myself a copy of the book.

Jonas has spent every year of his life going through the different stages of the Ceremony, an event that takes place every December. Jonas will be joining the Twelves, which is the most nerve wrecking stage as the Elders assign you to your career. However Jonas gets assigned to the rarest career of all, the Receiver of Memory, the Elders selected Jonas for the most honourable assignment, one that has deadly secrets no one wants to admit.

I must say it took me about half of the book, which was probably 100 pages in, to actually feel somewhat connected to the storyline. Butt it wasn't until after the Ceremony that intrigued me and of course by then I was starting to fly through the pages.

The setup of the Community was so sterile and controlling, the fact that the Community choses everything for you, that you don't get a say in the matter really irritated me. For instance the 'family unit' setup is so stiff, Jonas' Mother and Father were both assigned to each other as partners to raise a family which includes Jonas and his sister Lily. However all the children in the Community are adopted and again are assigned to their family unit, all these assignments must be applied for and accepted by the hierarchy of the Community. I'm quite surprised that the children of the Community weren't interested about finding their birth parents, though I guess any information about them would be classified or they'd have some sort of full on rebellion on hand.

I'm glad Jonas figured out that there was something sinister going on behind the scenes while he was doing his training, the fact that the Receiver can ask for anything he or she wants is a good way to source out information. Though I think the ending could of been considerably better as it was suddenly thrown upon us and then just stopped with a very flatlined ending, so I have mixed feelings about the whole point of the story.

The only likeable characters were the Giver and Lily, both were humorous and spoke their mind, unlike Jonas who only ever wanted to please his parents and obey every rule he was given, I guess he only ever wanted acceptance. I felt that Asher and Fiona were only ever background characters who were essentially forgotten towards the end as both had made their own paths who couldn't fathom the changes that Jonas was going through.

I really didn't like Jonas' Mother, she felt cold and unloving towards him and Lily and was more like an overseer in their household. Though Jonas' Father didn't have some great qualities especially around the children meant he was more likeable, though he did hide a dark secret that eventually made Jonas question everything he was made to believe. So in the end both his parents were deceiving him from the truth about their Community, a factor that forced Jonas to make a very difficult but certain decision that would change everything they had ever known.

One thing I did not realise is that The Giver is part of a quartet, a four book series, so I'm not sure I'll be reading the rest of the series as the sequels continue with new characters. Overall I think this is a good book for younger readers which is the current target audience, I think its due to the characters being twelve and under that maybe I couldn't relate as well as I should have. I would definitely recommend to readers of Divergent as both have their similarities.

***

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You can get The Giver online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Asda.

PAPER TOWNS CAST FEMALE LEAD

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that the female lead has finally been cast in John Green's book to movie adaptation Paper Towns, its the one and only it girl of the moment Cara Delevingne.

Fault's Nat Wolff is playing the male lead in the film, which will be directed by Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank). 

Towns follows a teen named Quentin (Wolff) who has had a crush on his neighbor Margo (Delevingne) since they were kids, but they grew apart as they got older. When Margo recruits him for some acts of rebellion and revenge, he finds himself getting close to her again only to lose her when she suddenly disappears. 

Paper Towns reunites several players from Fault, including screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and Temple Hill's Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen, who are back to produce.

What do you think of the casting? I'm interested to hear Delevingne's American accent, as not all actors can master the accent. I suppose I should better start reading the book as before you'll know it the film will be out!

Heir Of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

I've never sped through a series as much as I've sped through this one, so as soon I had finished Crown Of Midnight I was relieved to find out the next sequel, Heir Of Fire, was due to be released in a few days time. I must say, even though I've probably mentioned before, the covers for this series are absolutely amazing and I think whoever designs them need to be awarded for how visually stunning they truly are, especially my UK editions, how I wished they made them in hardback over here!

In this instalment we find that Celaena has already been in Wendlyn for a couple of weeks and has since been scouting Prince Galan's palace, though still contemplating on how to handle the situation she's been tasked to do by the King. But Celaena isn't the only one scouting in Wendlyn as it turns out she has been summoned by Queen Maeve, the Fae Queen and her long distant aunt, who's sent Prince Rowan to retrieve Celaena. Celaena will have to face her fears to unleash her true self in order to defeat the King and find the answers she is looking for, but the most lingering question of all is which persona will she chose in order to take down the his kingdom. Will she be Celaena Sardothien, the worlds most lethal assassin and potential Kingslayer, or Aelin Galathynius the heir to Terrasen who's returned to take back her kingdom thats rightfully hers to rule.

However I did find this one very slow to begin with that I almost put it down, but as I kept reading it certainly picked up the pace. But it was only towards the end when I flew through the pages, every page kept me hooked and once I eventually got to the end I wanted more. So Heir Of Fire has left me thinking of how long I have to wait and I'm especially looking forward to the title and cover revelation, again another readers struggle waiting for sequels.

I like how with every book Celaena is slowly maturing and thinking of others for once, something that she has not done in a long while. Of course the mature factor has to do with the fact that she's getting older every two books, as she turns nineteen in Heir Of Fire and before we know it she'll have turned twenty by the end of this series. Celaena definitely struggles with the responsibilities she's been tasked with and often contemplates of other ways out of her duties, even resulting in her downfall.

We also got a few new characters, Aedion, Celaena's cousin, Manon a Blackbeak witch, Sorcha a healer, and Rowan a full blooded Fae. Now I must say I really liked Aedion and Rowan as some new additions to the story and who's perspective I loved reading from, but I found Manon's part a bit lack lustre. I found her story so boring at times I wish I could of skipped her parts, but I'm guessing she's going to be a major player in the game soon so I couldn't really miss any of the vital details. I also felt that Sorscha was just added just so Dorian could have some company, but her role does spark something at the end, so maybe it wasn't that pointless after all.

The fact that theres always death in these books mean that everyone is mortal, something none can come back from, there are so many books from this genre that have one or two deaths. But I swear this is constantly like Game Of Thrones, no I haven't the books just the TV series, the point being you never know who will be safe, that no one is ever safe in any world.

SPOILERS below...

So we found out from Queen Maeve that the King of Adarlan can use the Wyrdstone collars on the living or dead, and with the power he demonstrates he could easily conjure an army. So I was thinking about an earlier scene, we heard that the king had ordered the slaughter of the slaves at Calaculla and Endovier. Now the King has got thousands of dead slaves to dispose, and he loves testing out his new experiments, well now that he knows his Wyrdstone collars work I'm guessing he's going to use all this dead weight as his own personal army.

Now that Celaena is heading back to Rifthold I'm looking forward to her reunion with Arobynn, he will truly feel her wrath descended upon him, though I do feel he will have a few tricks up in his sleeve, so I wouldn't consider him out of the picture just yet.

I could not absolutely believe what happened to Dorian at the end, whenever he ever gets taken down I hope there are no casualties but Celaena and the others are going to have to do it soon before he rots himself from the inside before its too late to ever come back from.

And one more thing before I sign off from the spoiler/theory department, Celaena said to Rowan she's going to call in as many favours in as she can, so as you can probably guess I think we're going to see all of the characters from The Assassins Blade combine forces with Celaena to fight through this war and settle it once and for all.

****

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You can get Heir Of Fire online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

THE 5TH WAVE CAST ANNOUNCEMENT

The Hollywood Reporter have revealed that Zackary Arthur will play the role of Sammy in The 5th Wave book to movie adaptation along with Chloe Grace Moretz taking the lead role as Sammy's older sister Cassie.

The role is central to the story because Moretz's character's main motivation is to rescue her sibling.

16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.

Other roles have been previously announced, though not all main roles have yet been claimed, so far Nick Robinson has been cast as Ben Parrish, Cassie's crush, Alex Roe as Evan Walker, Cassie's friend and protector, Maika Monroe as Ringer, Ben's teammate, Liev Schreiber has not disclosed which role he has secured though many believe he will be Colonel Vosch.

MOCKINGJAY PART ONE TRAILER #1

Everyone in the The Hungers Games fandom has been counting down to this day ever since the announcement was made a week ago. So finally the time has come and the first official trailer for Mockingjay: Part One has now been made available to watch, after a few teasers have been surfacing we now have the full thing! I certainly cannot wait for the next few trailers to appear and of course the movie itself!

Katniss Everdeen reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the autocratic Capitol.

SERENA TRAILER #1

The first official trailer for Serena has debuted which stars Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, and Blake Ritson. This was originally filmed in 2012 slated for a 2013 release but after some post production problems, mostly dubbing, it was eventually pushed back due to Lawrence's unavailability, by being high in demand.

In Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George Pemberton's timber empire becomes complicated when it is learned that his wife, Serena, cannot bear children.

The Queen Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

I think at this point now everyone has heard of The Queen Of The Tearling due to it being announced at the beginning of this year Emma Watson would star as the titular character, as well as executive producer along with the crew of the Harry Potter franchise. The Queen Of The Tearling is a trilogy piece, though the author, Erika Johansen, could essentially add on another trilogy or even prequels or future novels told from the descendants or fan favourite characters should it gain an already greater success.

For a debut novel, I'd say the writing is up to par with a lot of already influential and established authors, who have taken an even longer time to get where they are. The fact that a film adaptation is in the works really says something when the novel hadn't even been released yet, so the studio have a lot of faith with this trilogy. I would definitely recommend The Queen Of The Tearling to the fans of Game Of Thrones and Throne Of Glass. Though I must point out that some of the material within the novel is explicit, so if your comfortable with reading about some heavy scenes and language then this book is for you!

Kelsea Raleigh has spent her entire life secluded in the forest, living in a little cottage with her foster parents Carlin and Barty Glynn. Both of her foster parents were selectively chosen for their individual skills to help mould Kelsea into a person who can wield these skills when she reaches her nineteenth birthday. When the day comes Kelsea will be escorted by the Queen's Guard, as she is the last living heir in Tearling fit for the royal throne, a throne she has known about her entire life which she has ultimately been training for. With a bounty on Kelsea's head since the day she was born she must reach her throne before her enemies come to end her.

The beginning did seem rather slow but as usual I kept pushing myself until I got to the hundred page mark, which is where things got pretty interesting, so if you end up having the same problem just keep pushing on through.

I found that the more I read the more I was warming up to Kelsea, she always went through the many different scenarios that could play out if she made the wrong choice, a choice that could effectively ruin her kingdom. The fact that Kelsea stood by her decisions and forced them by any means necessary meant that she would not for a minute be told what to do, she didn't want to become her mother, Queen Elyssa, who ruined their kingdom into turmoil.

I also really liked that we had some historical passage at the beginning of each chapter, these passages reference to Kelsea's ruling. Thus meaning that she will make a great Queen, a True Queen, one that will forever change the ways of her kingdom.

I did find Kelsea's infatuation with The Fetch rather annoying because she really didn't know him at all and that she's constantly thinking over the conversation they had, but I won't say anymore or I'll ruin it for you. I really liked Kelsea's relationship with the Queen's Guard and of course Lazarus, however I had to remain weary of some characters because of a traitor that laid in their midst.

The character development in the first book alone was beautiful done, Kelsea went from being defenceless to becoming a warrior who tested her limits, a banished girl who became a leader. Kelsea gained everyone's trust and loyalty, the fact that Lazarus was amused by her since the moment they met but now totally respects her really says something.

At first I was confused with the P.O.V switchover but then as I kept reading it was easy to tell who's perspective I was reading from, the P.O.V's ranged from Kelsea, to the Red Queen, to The Fetch, to complete strangers. It was really interesting reading from the Red Queen's perspective as she is the neighbouring Queen who wrecks havoc among her kingdom that her own people are afraid of her. But to be honest she only seemed to be interested in the slave trade and how that would effect the economy and how it would reflect badly on her, not the makings of a true Queen.

Kelsea's decision to honour her foster parents really touched me when she announced to the public that she would now be referred as Queen Glynn, Kelsea Raleigh Glynn. So as you can expect I now cannot wait for such a long time for the as of yet untitled sequel.


SPOILERS below...

The question remains, who is Kelsea's father? It seems that everyone wants to know and the people who do know are either sworn to secrecy or dead. But I do have one theory and another outlandish theory, so I'll start with the more plausible one. I think it may be Lazarus the Mace, it just a feeling I have as his character is still quite a mystery, though my other theory is The Fetch, but when I did read through a particular scene I had to cross him off the list unless it was a red herring. Also we've learnt that The Fetch is someone who is dead but still among the living and we know Thomas knows him, so who is this other mysterious character?

****

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You can get The Queen Of The Tearling online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

So continuing weeks after Throne Of Glass Celaena has been obliging to the Kings requests, we start off where she is in the middle of her third mission. While Celaena's out and about on those missions she still has to come to terms with the fact that she has been tasked and chosen by Queen Elena to diminish this evil that is plaguing the glass castle before it further seeps into the world.

I must say Crown Of Midnight was well written compared to Throne Of Glass Sarah J. Maas definitely toned down the exclamation point department! There were so many twists and turns and yet again more betrayals and hurt for Celaena to deal with, I suppose there comes to a point in her life that she says enough is enough. Celaena awakens the animal within that has suppressed all her rage and seizes to gain control of the situation, only to push and hurt people closest to her.

Again we get to see the point of views from Celaena, Nehemia, Chaol, Dorian, and the King, which is something I love about this series we constantly get to see through the other characters eyes and see how they react to some situations. Whenever it switches between P.O.V I never once mistake who's perspective I'm reading from, which is something that is quite hard to do considering having to write about multiple characters, linking each scene together hoping that it will make sense to the reader.

SHIPS!

Well I think the ultimate Celaena ship was her and Sam but now thats never going to happen, but I'm crazy enough to have a theory that magic could potentially bring him back but I reckon that will be a no go, though you'll never know so I'm just putting it out there for the meantime. The next best ship is Celaena and Chaol, though I'm not sure what the ship name for that is, actually I don't know any ship names but bare with me. The reason I ship Celaena with Chaol is because he reminds me so much of Sam, though I have nothing else to say on that topic. I do have a feeling that Celaena will end up being with Prince Dorian at the end of the series, its just another sneaking suspicion I have.

SPOILERS below...

I know some people were shocked with the end revelation but I happened to see it from a mile off when reading The Assassain's Blade, so Crown Of Midnight confirmed my suspicions. I knew Celaena had a dark mysterious past that she kept hidden within herself which explained why so wanted to experience freedom of a 'normal girl' but what I did not see coming was that she was Fae, I mean I guessed she had some sort of special blood ties within her but reading about her transform that was the ultimate revelation for me. I. Did. Not. See. That. Coming. Which is why I gave it such a high rating over the previous two books.

*****

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You can get Crown Of Midnight online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from The Book People.

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

So I had initially held off reading the Throne Of Glass series because I had a feeling I wouldn't like it, but as usual the books I end up thinking I won't like I end up enjoying them more than I'd intentionally thought. It took me about a week to read The Assassin's Blade, I had trouble getting into that one the most, and it took me the whole weekend to read both Throne Of Glass and Crown Of Midnight, so a book a day.

The Assassin's Blade is a full bound book comprised of five short stories or as most people say novellas. The events that take place in The Assassin's Blade take place a year before Throne Of Glass, so we get to see Celaena Sardothien in action and follow her through her most adventurous journeys yet.

I made a point of reading The Assassin's Blade first instead of publication order, after all this is a prequel and I wanted to know as much as I could about Celaena Sardothien's backstory. Celaena starts off as a sixteen year old girl ready for any mission she is contracted to do, but something strikes a nerve in her and ruins a deal she was sent out to complete and seal. However due to Celaena disobeying orders she sent away to the Red Desert to serve her punishment, from then onwards we follow Celaena's journey to and from the Red Desert and also who she encounters along the way.

Of course throughout Celaena's journey I could see things coming from a mile off, though there was one thing I did not see coming and that was a really tough scene to read through. However there is still a question that lingers in the back of my mind about one thing that hasn't been brought to light in the next instalments. If you've already read The Assassin's Blade keep reading if not don't read the rest of this paragraph and move on to the next. Okay, so the question I really want answered is who killed Ben, Celaena's mentor, when Sam mentioned he could of possibly been set up by Arobynn I wondered why but I feel it is the same reason of what happened with Sam, Arobynn didn't like sharing his belongings or was it something more sinister?

Though I did find it particularly slow to begin with I was definitely on the edge of my seat towards the end, by which Celaena is now seventeen and making choices that will forever change the rest of her life. This made me want to read Throne Of Glass because I had to know what would happen to Celaena once I had grown attached to her character, (the fact that she's a kickass assassin and has time to read and has taste in clothes makes her feel so much more relatable than any other character I've read about), and how she would deal with being betrayed, considering she is the most lethal assassin in Adarlan.

Definitely recommend to the fans of The Hunger Games and the Grisha trilogy, Throne Of Glass is a six book series.

****

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You can get The Assassin's Blade online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from Amazon.

September Book Haul #1

I was looking through Amazon last week and found some really good bargains, so these were the books I got!

The Queen Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

I've heard about this book ever since it was announced Emma Watson would be starring in the film adaptation with the same crew from the Harry Potter franchise. I'm not sure how many books are in this series, so I'm guessing it will be three to six books, like most series out there.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

I heard about this book earlier this year on the UKYA Twitter chat, I believe the author wrote the book when she was seventeen or eighteen and has been compared to John Green. Oseman has a two book deal, however both books are stand-alones, so I can't wait to read an English set book for once, considering most are set in America or some magical land!

Hexed by Michelle Krys

This book in particular intrigued me as it is not what it seems, I've heard from a lot of book talks that this is quite a funny book, more along the lines of Mean Girls meets Hocus Pocus. So I'll see whether its as good as it claims to be!

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

I've been wanting to expand my bookshelf with a new post apocalypse series so I decided to pick up the first instalment of the Monument 14 trilogy, which is about the weather taking an unexpected turn for worse and causing chaos for the world. Somehow through all that chaos fourteen kids survive the deadly hail storm and take refuge at their local supermarket, but without adults how will these kids cope.

The book takes place within twelve days, so we get to see how the kids survive as each day passes by, especially since the kids range in ages from sixteen to about six. This meant that there was a lot of tension between the big and little kids because of how they treated each other and dealt with heavy situations. I also really liked the fact that it included a map of the supermarket, so I could use it as a reference when the characters would mention a part of the store.

The beginning was quite difficult to get into because of all this new terminology I was given and to be honest I was kind of bored but I persevered and kept reading, which was an excellent choice because of how everything leads up to an ultimate decision and well... cliffhanger.

The main protagonist is Dean who is one of the older kids, however he is known for being a loner at his high school which he is determined to change by being involved in the decision making process by voicing his suggestions and concerns. Though at times I did find Dean to be quite annoying but it kind of subsided over the course of the book.

Sometimes I would forget about the existence of some characters and even merged some together, so I'm hoping they'll have more involvement in the upcoming books.

I was completely surprised when Astrid made her shocking reveal at the end, I was not expecting it at all. I wonder how that will play into the scheme of things over the next two instalments.

In all I think I will stick around with this trilogy as I really want to know whats going to happen with these characters in the next stages of their survival adventure.

****

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You can get Monument 14 online or at your nearest available bookstore.
I brought my copy from The Works.

JAYMES YOUNG - COME BACK FOR ME

Ever since I saw the announcement that Jaymes Young would be releasing a new song I've been counting down the days, because as you know I'm a fan and also his songs are amazing and something entirely different from what I'm used to listening to. Well earlier today Come Back For Me was realised via Jaymes Young's official soundcloud page, which is now playing through my laptop on repeat.

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN TRAILER

The first official teaser trailer for Men, Women & Children has been released, which stars Ansel Elgort, Emma Thompson, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, and Adam Sandler.

A look at the sexual frustrations that young teenagers and adults face in today's world.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

The Hate List has been on the top of my wish list for awhile and I finally managed to get a pretty decent second hand copy considering this book is quite expensive to get a hold of in my country. I've always been intrigued by the story and how it can told as it's quite a delicate matter.

After a traumatic experience Valerie has spent the summer secluded away attending therapy sessions to relive her mind of the awful day when everything changed in her small suburban town. Now Valerie must return to complete her last year of school, but she must face the guilt of the infamous Hate List she created with her boyfriend Nick which so happened to leave a wake of tragedy behind them. Will her classmates be so forgiving and will she forever forgive herself.

The theme of Hate List is quite tricky to write especially since it happens the most in America, so it has to be written in a delicate way which I thought was beautifully done. I really liked the fact that Jennifer Brown chose to write flashbacks, which lead up to the events of the shootings and the major fallout afterwards. This definitely had a nice steady pace, which I thoroughly sped through and that I now consider one of my all time favourite books.

Throughout I followed what Valerie had to go through, emotionally and physically after the shooting, as she had to come to terms that her trusted boyfriend Nick wrecked havoc on school grounds taking out all the people that were listed on the Hate List. Valerie hated the fact that she indeed was responsible for the tragedies because of that list, something that was created to take out her anger on but majorly backfired when Nick used its entirety for something dark and sinister. The fact that Valerie thought she knew Nick so well but indeed only knew one layer of him and not actually what his true intentions were, another thing she feels guilty about because she didn't pick up on his behaviour sooner.

Of course with such a complex theme Valerie had to deal with the hate campaign against her, which subsided with time and even became civil with her peers again, which was mainly due to popular girl Jessica, the girl she saved. Val also had to struggle with the fact that her friends from before had abandoned her in her time of need and tried so hard to make amends of a somewhat fragile relationship with them.

Overall I thought this book was very realistic as we get the insight of Valerie's thoughts and memories before and after the events. I'm still unsure about the ending, as I'm not overtly keen on open endings, but because of Valerie's roller coaster life I like to believe that she's making a better life for herself somewhere faraway without being known as the personal reminder of what went wrong in her town.

*****

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You can buy Hate List online.
I brought my copy used from eBay.

TROYE SIVAN - HAPPY LITTLE PILL

Troye Sivan has released his first single Happy Little Pill via Youtube, which is now my most replayed song of the day! Sivan's full EP, Trxye, consists of five songs which are available to purchase over at iTunes.

iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/trxye/
Youtube: youtube.com/troye
Twitter: twitter.com/troyesivan
Facebook: facebook.com/troyesivan
Instagram: instagram.com/troyesivan

Tumblr: troyesivan.tumblr.com