Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Rate:

Goodreads Description:

Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak―but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life―and her future―forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?

The bestselling series that has captured readers all over the world reaches new heights in this sequel to the New York Timesbest-selling Crown of Midnight. Packed with heart-pounding action, fierce new characters, and swoon-worthy romance, this third book will enthrall readers from start to finish.

Review: 

Not going to lie, I went into a slump after reading the last one (Crown of Midnight) and it took me about half of the book to get over xD Like I was forcing myself THROUGH the slump xD That and I wanted Celaena somewhere else xD But about the 60% mark I got into it once again and all was well in the world and I was back on track with this series!

Stuff, as any  good book does, started scalating quicker than I could understand when it came to this book. At one point it took all I had in me to not scream in the middlke of class as hard as Dorian. 

Like shit! I just... My feelings man, Maas plays with your feelings. Not just when it comes to him but when it comes to all of her characters she always manages to do something that you wish you could say you expected and even if you did, you werent ready to face it.

I feel like I have said this for the past 2 books and Ill say it for this one again. 

Maas, youre a fucking QUEEN!

I would say SLAY, QUEEN, SLAY

But you already did.

Recommend it?

Still a hell yes

Game of Pages: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Review by Angela

Discussion by Valeria and Angela

Review:

The book "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" is the second installment of the Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling.

Harry returns gladly to Hogwarts, where he has found very good friends on his first year. But very soon some strange things happen in Hogwarts, animals acting weird, people getting petrified and messages are being written at walls with blood and the legend of the chamber of secret reappears. This all brings the school to be in enough danger that its whole existence is threatened. Harry and his friends try everything to find out what's going on in order to prevent this. 

Yet again, J. K. Rowling invites us with this book to dive in the great wizarding world. The book, which is a bigger than the first one, is once again hard to stop reading. We learn more about the characters and the history of Hogwarts, also we get to know some new characters. All in all, it's once again a masterpiece!

Discussion:

Favorite scene in Chamber of Secrets?

A: Ugh, these questions are always so hard :O

I guess that would be…. Ehrm... Where they go in the chamber and Lockhart’s obliviate spell fires back on him and he has the brain of a baby. LOL.

V: I mean, I ask these questions and I know I need to answer them but when it comes to it, I just ask myself why I wrote it in the first place, like I don't know what to say. I guess my favorite for this would probably have to be when Harry is telling Dumbledore everything and its just this moment of like okay, shit will be fine now.

One thing you wished was different in this book?

A: I absolutely hate spiders… I mean they are okay in the book, but still I hate this scene. But in the movie!!! I despise this scene, I sometimes have to look away… and I hate to look away!

V:  Hahaha I'm pretty sure as I wrote the question I had an idea of what I wouldve wanted to change but now that you mention the spiders I cant help but agree. MAYBE I would actually include them in the book more!

Hear  me out!

Spiders fear the monster, so why not add spiders trying to flee from inside the chamber when Harry is down there and maybe even skeletons of spiders in the tunnels, to show like oh yeah, there is a good and solid reason why they fear it, just look at all these bodies!

Would you follow the spiders?

A: Nope. Nope. Nope. I think my answer to question two already had this reaction coming.

I would rather stay in the dark then having to follow the spiders… I mean, I wouldn’t even follow the little ones, because yeah there just too many!

V: HELL NO!

Like are you kidding?! If Ron is scared and he followed them I would be absolutely petrified! Okay not petrified because I would be able to move but I would be absolutely shaking like a leaf and when i'm super scared I tend to talk a lot more and laugh so that would totally be me. 

When you first read the book, did you honestly think Hagrid was guilty or innocent?

A: That’s a hard questions, because that was a long time ago. It was about 7 years ago…

So everything I now say might not be the truth, it’s just how I think that I thought that time..

LOL.. J K Rowling writes very convincing so I think I found him guilty back then. But yeah I can’t be sure.

Except, I use my time turner, but yeah still it was too long ago … L damn

V: I don't think so, I was convince that it was Draco, sure they proved otherwise but I was still very freaking convinced that it was Draco and his father was either helping him hide it or in the castle itself.

If you could be any character in the series who would you be?

A: Well first character that pops up my mind is Bellatrix. But then again, she dies and nope, don’t wanna die this young.

I would go with Hermione, not because I particularly like her, but because she is super intelligent and will achieve great things in life.

She also knows what real friendship and sacrifice is and she grows stronger with every experience.

V: Hermione too, I mean who wouldnt want the brains she has and in the movie the freaking beauty! THAT GLOW UP THOUGH! Like have people know that pretty much without you the CHOOSEN on (one of them) wouldn't have been able to do it without you (and Ron). 

But hey, Mrs. Weasley is not a bad option either. Mrs. Weasley is seriously underrated! She has a loving family and husband and lord help those that fuck with that.

Favorite quote from this book and why?

A: The chamber of secrets has be opened enemies of the heir…. Beware

I love how it kinda rhymes… and yeah it pretty much sums up the story of this book

V: "Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward." - Sassy Draco

Although there are tiny segments that are also super funny xD But i'll stick with a single quote. A sassy as fuck burn.

Book or movie? Why?

A: Always the book. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like the movie, but the book is always better.

It has more details, helps to understand the story and the decision that the characters make better J

V: The book! I mean for me all the details in the book are just something to really keep in mind. You all will eventually see in the future just how special details are to me.

Who did you originally think the heir of Slytherin was?

A: Again, hard to say… See Answer to question 4.

But probably Draco Malfoy, because the book leads to it…

V: Totally thought it was Draco, pretty sure I mentioned that in the whole Hagrid question, so more details there. 

One spell you wish you could know/ master?

A: The Imperio curse… It can be used in a bad and in a good way.

But I think having the ability to control people that they do what you want is very useful.

As long as no one with bad goals uses it to become the most powerful person in the world or something.

V: I mean, same as Ang, but overall, is apparating a spell? I mean I sure as hell would like to appear anywhere, imagine! Oh shit, Jennifer Lawrence is in So-So cafe in Italy?

BOOM! 

Here I am as well!

Important lesson from this book?

A: Never believe a memory.. It can be changed, remembered wrong or something similar.

And never say you are someone (lockhart) that you aren’t.. Because one day someone will find out or you’ll mess up a lot.

V: I mean, for me I guess it would be to me its to really be aware of everyone around you. No one expected it to be Ginny in a way, she was being influenced. But like had they paid more attention to her, her brothers, they would've been able to tell something was off. 

Guys!

Thank you so freaking much for reading this weeks post! We might be taking a Harry Potter break for next week, just so you all aren't annoyed

Is that even possible? It's Harry Potter

We shall see how things go this week.

- Valeria and Angela

Review: Crown of Midnight Sarah J Maas

Rate:

5/5

Goodreads Description:

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for

Review:

OH LORD JESUS

I got to say, right off the bat I liked this one more than the first one. I have just started to read Heir of Fire so I of course have yet to know if it will be my favorite out of the series but I would have a hard time believe otherwise.

The deaths are brutal! But the way Maas wrote Celaena is a reminder to everyone of what she is trully capable of but the way she did it

simply destroyed me.

This installment seemed a lot more violent than the first one, a lot more graphic at least. Not that im complaining

On the contrary, it kicks everyone in the but that dare says that YA is not a strong genre.

Bow down to Sarah J Maas for creating a bad ass character who also has a heart

Who cares for those around her yet will kick some serious ass and not hesitate to do so in order to defend her loved ones. Her writing pulls people in, even when you seem to find yourself in the deepest of slums.

Recommend it?

Get it NOW NOW NOW NOW

Game of Pages: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone By J.K. Rowling

Review by Angela

Discussion by Angela and Vale

Review:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (Philosophers Stone) by JK Rowling is about a young boy named Harry Potter, raised by his Aunt and Uncle after his parents deaths and who was said to live a perfectly normal life, thank you very much. Shortly before his 11th birthday things start to change for Harry and he finds out he is actually a wizard.

Harry then attends Hogwarts, school of witch craft and wizard, but that doesnt mean things are all bright and happy for Harry, for he now finds himself having to once again face the evil that once defeated his parents, but considers himself lucky as he now has 2 great friends, named Ron and Hermione, at his side, and along as he has them and the whole wizarding world exists, he is willing to fight for it all.

This book is a very easy read, as it is a middle grade book. Yet it still has very complicated scenes, as the we are submerged into a whole magical world of fiction. You get to meet some fantastic characters and other characters you cant help but hate, you see characters dealing with girl drama and other things that would be normal for any young child. You can forget everything around and it is hard to stop reading. I believe I read it within 2 hours or so. I think either you love it or you hate the book. There is no in between. And dont get discouraged by the fact that its considered a "childrens" book if you have yet to read it. By definition it might be but there are countless of adults who enjoy this series and knowing the world.

So get your copy, make yourself comfortable, and dive into the wizarding world. 

Discussion:

If you had an invisibility cloak, what would you do with it? 

A: That's a very hard question.. I honestly don't know. I can't think of a situation where I would have to use one. 

V: To be honest, probably nothing good, I feel like the thing I would do the most is steal books, as bad as that is, I would steal books xD

What subject would you be most excited to study at Hogwarts? 

A: Probably potions, because it's a incredible what those liquids can do. From mixing love potions to mixing death... 

V: That's actually a hard question, while, as Angela said, potions is pretty darn incredible its also dangerous,

 I mean its one wrong step and you could die! Then again, i cant think of another class I would want to take and be able to achieve mastering.

What is your house and do you feel like you fit the category? 

A: My house is Slytherin. I always liked Slytherin the most, but when I finally did house quizzes I knew why. This house has so many good qualities, for example the great ambition and I can relate to everything that house stands for. (Slytherin is not bad, but if you have Slytherin characteristics it depends in which way you wanna act on) 

V: So I always liked Slythering for some reason, could honestly be because of the color scheme xD but I took the Pottermore quiz and got Ravenclaw which actually makes more sense xD Kinda. I don't consider myself to be particularly intelligent but I do love reading, if my blog hasn't told you all as much xD Sadly I don't have much Harry Potter merchandise but I have been working in a Ravenclaw scarf! So that's good xD So yeah, I am now a proud Ravenclaw with a slight tendency of Slytherin.  

Who is your least favorite character and why? 

A: Ron Weasley. I never liked him and I can't really tell why. He's just someone I can't stand. 

V: Cho, movie cho is gorgeous so its hard to hate HER! But I cant stand book Cho.

What do you think Dumbledore actually saw in the mirror of Erised 

A:  I think he saw his dead sister... 

V: Same here, after I found out about his sister I couldn't help but think that that is who he saw in the mirror, him and his sister together.

How do you think Harry would be different if he had wrong up in the magical world instead of the Dursleys  

A: Harry would be very selfish (he already is a bit in my opinion) and he would love himself more than anything else. 

V: I feel like he would be somewhat like Malfoy, very stuck up about his parentage but somewhat even more bitter because he doesn't have his parents. As if he deserved everything good coming his way. Then again, depends on who raised him, if someone like Hagrid raised him he might be more like his dad, I do have this idea of McGonagall raising him, which would be cool because shes so strict she wouldn't allow him to step out of line but would be teaching him stuff as he grew and her being all motherly particularly for his birthday is just sweet, I feel like he would be more like Neville if that was the case.

If you could have one magical pet, what would you want to have? 

A: I would want a cat. Because, who doesn't want a cat? 

V: I wanna say a dog but its not something allowed at school.... overall a dog, but for school a cat! That would just be so cool! 

What do you think would've happened if Harry was sorted into Slytherin? 

A:  I don't think that harry would have turned bad, like he was afraid of. I think the whole Harry vs. Voldemort thing would be interesting, as he would probably be friends with the Malfoys'... 

V: Well he would've been a bit more influenced at first maybe, but overall miserable since he is so different from the Slytherins', he might even get bullied not just for defeating the dark lord and who he is but also because... come on, he would be in the dungeons, all gloomy and stuff. Its like he was back at the cupboard.

Which character do you identify the most? 

A: I identify the most with Bellatrix Lestrange. I know that sounds weird, but I still think she's the most underrated character in the series. She is a very strong woman, who is icecold on the outside, but she would do anything for the loved ones. (She does everything for voldemort, even kill). Yeah she is a bit crazy, but aren't we all a bit crazy somewhere? She is a strongwilled person, who knows what she wants. 

V: I identify a bit with a few characters. Hermione because I love learning new things, even as im reading I like looking up things mentioned in the books, like places, clothing, words I dont know. Ron because FOOD YAS! Harry because his friends mean so much to him. Bella because shes insane , like in the membrane.

Would you be able to give up your technology to go to Hogwarts? What is one thing you simply wished you could take to Hogwarts, that you cant live without?

A: I think I could. Because there I have my friends living with me (so no need for texting them) For staying in contact with my parents there we have the owl post and for staying up to date we have newspapers. I think staying at hogwarts is so adventurous and interesting, I won't be bored and feel the need to have my cellphone. Only thing that will be hard, is probably not listening to music...

V: Same as Angela, I could live without it but if I could take something it would have to be my ipod. As fun as Hogwarts is, I can't live without music, my ipod is essenitial! Its a bad day if I dont have headphones with me! 

Thank you guys so much for reading, we really do hope you enjoyed and send us an email if you have any questions, comments or feedback!

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Rate:

4/5

Goodreads Description:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review:

Okay so I made up my mind to read this series after everyone was hating on the author after the 5th installment was published (or even a tad before I think) 

Everyone was having this huge reactions and I was just looking at it all like what the crap, if everyone is reacting like this to a plot twist, that means she is GOOD, for everyone to have a shit fit, it means they really got into it xD Like epic proportions of shit fit.

So I was like damn, I wanna get into a book like that enough to hate the author like that for a plot twist.

So I checked them all out from the library.

And I got to it. 

Slowly but surely the book made its way to being interesting. At first I wasnt very sure I would even finish the book, it was a tad tedious but towards the end I found myself having a harder time to put it down.

The day I finished I thanked the big people above that I checked them all out because I just could not wait to read the second installment and just this morning (10/3/16) I started reading the second book and was so into it I wanted to take it to school.

Alas I didnt because I was going to have soooo much work and I had to study for tests that I decided it would be better for my grades if I left it home.

This is the first book by J Maas that I finish

I own A Court of Thornes and Roses but have yet to finish it, and own the second book as well.

Im glad that I read and finished this one first though, I wasnt feeling so good about ACOTAR so its better to have had a possitive first experience with this author that I have been assured is fantastic, than one that was seemingly negative. WELL

Not negative but I wasnt getting pulled into the book so much.

The characters for Throne of Glass are funny and interesting, I dont think I found any of them annoying which for some characters in this genre the authors end up accidentally making them annoying when they were trully trying to make them seem full of strength.

J Maas did a fantastic job a creating a balance with Celaena in the strength and feelings department.

So KUDDOS for that!

The whole plot thing I was suspecting it from about the 1/3rd mark of the book but even when it is revealed it still manages to make you gasp.

Now, I am even more excited to finish the book due to the fact that it is set to become a television show so yay for that!

I cant wait to see who is cast as Dorian, Chaol and Celaena!

Recommend it?

SURE THANG

If you are a fan of The Hunger Games, this is a series for you 100%

Review: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

Rate:
5/5

Goodreads Description:
From the author of the beloved New York Times bestselling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and the creator and star of The Mindy Project comes a collection of essays that are as hilarious and insightful as they are deeply personal.
In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it's falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you're constantly reminded that no one looks like you.
In "How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet's Confessions", Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, ("Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn't the land of appropriate-this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman s traditional hair color is honey blonde.") "Player" tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. ("I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.") In "Unlikely Leading Lady", she muses on America's fixation with the weight of actresses, ("Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they're walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.") And in "Soup Snakes", Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak ("I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.")
Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who's ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who've never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

Review:
Mindy Kaling is a queen
She managed to make me laugh out loud in this incurably hilarious book of hers. She doesnt even seem to have to try.
In telling us the most simple parts of her day to day life she manages to turn them into a fiasco just short of comedy genius.
She manages to through in there some serious undertones which makes it all the more entertaining.

Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child- J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Rate: 

2.5/5

Goodreads Description:

The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. 

Review:

Okay I feel like I will say this a lot. But the only way I can forgive this is if I look at it as if I had read a fiction. Instead of it being a book to be taken as canon. 

If you havent already gotten where I am going with that previous sentence and my rating. Ill come out and say it.

I was disappointed.

Oh no, its going to be one of THOSE reviews.

Yeah.

It is

The characters where ackward to me and forced and various points in the text. The characters we once knew from the previous books seemed to be completely gone. I understand that they are grown up and incluenced by all the things they had to go through but come on. What they made them seem like what just a complete 180 from the original them. Ill give kuddos to the fact that they played with our feelings with some of the scenes and go through different possibilities of the future for previous actions. 

But again, on the way they changed the characters, without spoiling on who it is, I will only say this. They mutilated what was thought of a previous character, they just dragged him/her through the mud!

That is literally what is felt like. In a particular part of the play, it feels a if I was reading fanfiction withing fanfiction. Funny enough, the overall plot twist of the book I had been discussing with my best friend before, like months before release, how she used to have this idea as a kid from the Harry Potter world, and then I read the play and something parallel to what she told me happens, I found that to be kind of funny.

This book left me a lot more questions and unrest than I wouldve hoped or expected, this just leaves all these sorts of questions that J.K. Rowling and company will need to write about to make the whole world flow smoother.

If you read the book, you might have the same thoughts as to what I am talking about.

Over all. Im glad I read it just to have it out of the way in my life buttttt I wont be considering it to be a real thing in my life, ill just blissfully act like it was fanfiction. I am hoping that the acting in the actual real life play will make me feel better about this installment though, that my minds rating for this will go higher.

Recommend:

 If you are easily swayed from one way of thinking easily, then maybe you should skip out on this one. As hard as it may be. Unless you can look at this as some fanfiction you shouldnt take seriously.