May 2012

Coming Soon May 31, 2012

Just For Fins- Coming Soon!

When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does.

But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Lily knows this is a seven seas–sized problem: from sea animals dying to oil spills and threats to humans. They’ll need to create some serious waves to make the mer community aware and get it to join together to make things right. Even if that means facing one of the iciest queens in the mer kingdoms.

Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and Quince after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave!

In this third installment in the series that began with Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people as well as for the humans she loves.
-Synopsis from Goodreads

Action May 30, 2012

Snow White & The Huntsman

I honestly had no idea that this movie was also a book. I’m going to watch the movie for Chris Hemsworth, but I wonder whether I’ll actually every get round to reading the book. I would have preferred reading it first but the book comes out about the same time that the movie does, which is a bit strange. I’ve had problems with reading books after watching the movie, such as Eragon, however I loved reading The Time Traveller’s Wife, though saw holes in the movie after reading the book. Has anyone had similar experiences?

Release Date: 5th of June

Now pardon me whilst I stare at Hemsworth, and the other movie promotional posters.

Faeries May 29, 2012

Quotes to Remember

Books are awesome and I just wanted to share some of my favourite quotes. They aren’t my Top Ten, or else I think I’d have a lot more Rick Riordan quotes, but please enjoy them nonetheless.

“Well don’t expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear”

-Mockingjay by Suzzanne Collins

Niall: Don’t be an ass

Irial: There are some things you can’t command, my king

– Niall and Irial from Faery Tales & Nightmares (either Stopping Time or Old Habits, I can’t remember) by Melissa Marr

– Carter Kane from The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

“Grim, wait. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
Grimalkin smiled. “I am a cat.”And, just like that, he was gone.”

-Grimalkin from Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Queen

Just found this awesome photo manipulation of Grimalkin. Link below. I am not responsible for this amazing feat of awesomeness.

http://destinationpopculture.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/iron-queen-contest-julie-kagawa.html?showComment=1338292041048

“With great power… comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.”

-Nico Di Angelo in Rick Riordan’s The Last Olympian

“Did you know that ‘I told you so’ has a brother,Jacob?” she asked cutting me off. “His name is ‘Shut the hell up’.”

– Bella Swan from Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn

“No, Elenore’s something else. You’re beautiful. Especially when you look at me with that ‘boy he’s a condescending asshole’ expression….Yea. Beautiful.”

– Deirdre from Maggie Stiefvater’s Lament

“Do you think he’s cute?”I rolled my eyes. “He’s a god, Mom. Of course he’s cute.”

– Kate from Aimee Carter’s The Goddess Test

“And try to remember what we discussed, Susannah. A mediator is someone who helps others resolve conflicts. Not someone who, er, kicks them in the face.”

– Father Dominic from Meg Cabot’s Love You To Death (Shadowland in US)

“Love. It’s so close to hate, it’s almost indistinguishable. But this is how it was for the two of them. Love and hate. Life and death. Joy and anguish.”

– Jack and Mimi Force from Melissa De La Cruz’s Revelations

Fantasy May 28, 2012

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

I read this weeks ago but between procrastinating and revising for my AS levels, I haven’t had time to review this. So here it is!

I won’t even lie. I saw this at my local bookstore and just went ‘Wow! Fabulous cover!’ But at the time I had been looking for another book, so I took a note of this one and then googled it. After reading an excerpt, I was hooked. There were so many unanswered questions, left by the air of mystery. What was the Feed? Who was Cole? Enticed, I readied myself for another visit to the bookstore, and I was left spellbound. So here is the summary that I found on Goodreads:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld… this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem:

Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s…

So, my first disappointment was that this dress didn’t actually feature in the novel. Nikki wore the same black dress to two different events, but never the stunning red one that is on the cover. I can forgive Ashton for this, but I have a thing against unrelated book covers. Yes, I’m talking to you Stephanie Meyer. Neither her titles nor her illustrations have anything to do with her novels. Eclipse is the one exception as I believe it to be a metaphor for the love triangle. And they even tried to get the apple to link in during the first movie. But I’m getting off topic.

This book left me gasping and crying. So much for her happy ending. I don’t mean to give anything away, but if you intend to read this, be prepared for some heartache.

I loved the use of mythology in this novel. It’s funny that I read it right after The Kane Chronicles and it somehow managed to link, even though the other other trilogy is based on Egyptian mythology and I was led to believe that Everneath was based on Greek myth.

My favourite character was Jack, without a doubt. Cole was strange, but I liked him in a ‘I love to hate him’ sort of way. He reminded me an awful lot of Paul Slater from Meg Cabot’s Mediator series, as both characters seem to be infatuated with the protagonist, but she isn’t interested. And they are both very creepy.

I RATE THIS A 4/5! You can’t go wrong reading this. Unless you hate romance, then maybe you should try something else.

Reading List of the Month May 26, 2012

Juggling!

So I have this slight problem with reading one book at a time. I’m aware I’m not the only one. But this has gotten really bad. If anyone has noticed, I’ve been ‘reading’ Heist Society and Madame Tussade for a few weeks now. At least. But I am also now allegedly reading Matched and The Goddess Test. Am I reading all of these books right now? Yes. And no. I have started all of these books. I had to stop reading the first two due to exams, but I have one more exam left and started reading the last two yesterday. Which will I finish first? Probably The Goddess Test as it appears to be the thinnest, and I’ve spent mosts of my day reading it already, instead of revising.

Anyway, I’ll let you know who one the race. And be honest. Have you ever read more than one book at a time and what do you think the reason is for this? Are you doing it right now? If so, please comment and tell me what you’re reading 🙂

Action May 26, 2012

COMING SOON

Artemis Fowl & The Last Guardian

To be Published 10th of July 2012

Seemingly nothing in this world daunts the young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. In the fairy world, however, there is a small thing that has gotten under his skin on more than one occasion: Opal Koboi. In The Last Guardian, the evil pixie is wreaking havoc yet again. This time his arch rival has reanimated dead fairy warriors who were buried in the grounds of Fowl Manor. Their spirits have possessed Artemis’s little brothers, making his siblings even more annoying than usual. The warriors don’t seem to realize that the battle they were fighting when they died is long over. Artemis has until sunrise to get the spirits to vacate his brothers and go back into the earth where they belong. Can he count on a certain LEPrecon fairy to join him in what could well be his last stand?

US Cover

UK Cover

My Verdict: Well I myself have not read the previous book as I felt that the series should have ended a long time ago. Things got way too confusing after the time travelling business but I won’t stop fans from giving it a go. The US cover is stunning but it takes away a lot of the secrecy I know Arty likes. He would never reveal himself like that! But boy does he look good. As for the UK cover? Meh. Sorely disappointed. I hope Colfer ends this series with a big bang!

advice May 24, 2012

Tackling Writer’s Block

All too often, writer’s get stuck when writing. Sometimes it’s easy to overcome, other times it’s much trickier. When you can write about almost anything you want, you would think that the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, it is the writer who determines how far they can go. So what do I do to overcome writer’s block?

I give it a break. This can be helpful if you’ve been writing for a long time and if you take some time off, you may feel a lot more able when you come back to it. This is not helpful when you have a deadline to make, however.
I write from another character’s perspective. Exploring how other character’s feel about events can open up doorways into a process of thinking that you might not have otherwise thought of. I would like to warn you not to get too carried away though.
Write another part of your story. Who says you have to write everything in chapter order? Right now I’ve written chapter 9 without yet finishing chapters 7-8. Heck, I’ve written chapter 14, but now most of the chapters between that! When you are the writer, you ar win control. Well, most of the time. Your characters may feel that it is up to them to lead you in the write direction.
Talk to your characters. I know this may seem a little crazy, but I read somewhere that Stephen King did this. I’m not entirely true if it’s accurate but I gave it a shot, when I was alone, thankfully. It seemed to work for me. Pretending that your characters a real can help you empathise with them. (ah! Just nearly got struck by Stefan, who’s insisting he’s real!)
I read my chapters out loud to myself. I find that it’s like when I compose and playback sections of the song to myself. I hum a tune and see if it works with what I’ve previously composed. The same can be said for writing. Reading it out loud brings the story to life in a way, keeping it in your head doesn’t. Plus it helps if you’re as egotistic as me. I’m in love with my own voice. You may disagree with the quality of it if I ever get my audio produced.

Well that’s all I can think of for now. Sorry, if it doesn’t help. I’m happy for you if it does.

Don’t let writer’s block tackle you, tackle IT!

Mufunde, out
x

Coming Soon May 24, 2012

Kiersten White Competition

So I’ve just entered a competition being ran by Kiersten White for the ARC to her upcoming novel, Endlessly, the finale to her Paranormalcy trilogy! This is my entry for the biggest disappointment if I were to meet a supernatural:

Finally got myself a genie but he’s so stingy he won’t give me all of my three wishes. How is one wish enough? He’s not even anywhere near as cheerful as the one from Aladin.

Don’t miss the finale! TWO more months!

Action May 24, 2012

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy

Alex Rider Series: Ended with Scorpia Rising

I loved Alex. He was like a young James Bond, only cooler and funnier. He went through a lot and this is obvious form the way the series evolved. When he was captured in the earlier books, he would always banter with the villains. Later though, it was far too serious for this and there was a much darker tone. The threats became much more sever. In the first book, he was threatened to have his face carved. In Ark Angel, he nearly faced having a finger chopped off. In Snakehead, he nearly had his organs removed. Very severe. But through it all, Alex has persevered and I very much like his character development.

Favourite villain: Yassen Gregorovich (first appearance: Stormbreaker)
Favourite vialliness: Julia Rothman (first appearance: Scorpia)
Favourite mission: Skeleton Key

Wicked Lovely Series: Ended with Darkest Mercy

I’ve blogged about the Wicked Lovely series before, but basically it is about the different faerie courts. This includes the Summer Court (mostly featured in book #1 and #3), the Dark Court (mostly featured in book #2 and book #4), the High Court (mostly featured in book #3) and the Winter Court.
What is unique about this series is that there is an ever changing multiple narrative throughout the series. This series will entice and grip you. Don’t forget to read Faery Tales & Nightmares, the companion novella!

Favourite character: Irial, King of the Dark court
Favourite couple: I’m caught between Leslie & Niall, and Aislinn & Seth.
Favourite book: Ink Exchange

Missing/ 1-800-Where-R-U-? Series: Ended with Missing You

Jess Mastriani is your typical 16 year old girl with anger management problems. Things take a turn into weird lane when she gets struck by lightning and gains powers to locate missing people through her dreams. Thinking that her new ability is a gift, she begins making anonymous calls to help the police find missing people, but then the FBI try to find her. Then she accidentally finds someone who didn’t want to be found. (Synopsis for the first book, When Lightning Strikes)
And of course there has to be some romance, so queue Rob Wilkins, bad boy extraordinaire. They met in detention! He helps her out through all the madness. But what with him being on parol, he doesn’t think that the two of them can be together. 🙁 Sad times.
This series is exhilarating and thrilling. With action, drama and romance all wrapped in one.

Favourite book: Sanctuary
Strange fact: The protagonist, Jess, and I BOTH play the flute!

How appropriate that the last book is called ‘Missing You’! I miss you too Jess!!!

The Mediator Series: Ended with Twilight/ Heaven Sent (UK title)

Suze Simon is your usual ghost buster extraordinaire! So she’s basically not a typical 16 year old. When her mother remarries and moves them to sunny California, she has a lot of adapting to do, what with her new school run by nuns! Then there’s the hot ghost who’s been dead for over a 100 years living in her bedroom. I don’t know what she had to complain about. This six book series was engaging, and thrilling. There was romance and just a hint of horror (come on! I scare easily!). Read it before you’re undead!

Creepiest character: Paul Slater
Favourite villain ghost: Jesse’s ex

The Hunger Games: Ended with Mockingjay

Oh, I’m sure there isn’t a single self respecting teenager alive (living in America and most countries in Europe, at least) who doesn’t know about the amazing Hunger Games Trilogy.

Favourite Tribute: Apart from the protagonists it would have to be Finnick. Sexy!

The Kane Chronicles: Ended with The Serpent’s Shadow

So Rick Riordan has ditched his toga for a crook and flail. In this amazing new-ish series (well, the last book was out May 1st 2012), brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane find out that they are descendants of two great pharaohs. And that they are magicians! You’d think that would be awesome if not for the ancient gods that their father accidentally unleashed on the world. And now if they don’t stop Set, the evil god of Chaos, it’ll be the end of the world- no pressure! ( my synopsis for book #1, The Red Pyramid)
This series captured much of the same humour that made The Percy Jackson series so amazing. This one has two equally engaging narrators and it’s filled with adventures you’ll love to relive.

Favourite god: Bes (Anubis came REALLY close)

Favourite goddess: Bast

Favourite Carter quote: “Noble” I agreed. “That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of pigeons”- The Serpent’s Shadow

Favourite Sadie quote:

Favourtie Horus quote-
Carter: “She’s almost as annoying as you”
Horus: “Impossible! No one bests Horus!”- The Red Pyramid

Favourite Ra quote: “I like Zebras… Weasels are sick”

Most detested villian: Setne

WELL, THAT’S ALL OF THEM. FAIR THEE WELL!

*sobs

Art May 19, 2012

More Art to Celebrate :D

Well, I couldn’t help notice that a lot of people viewed the art that had featured on my blog last time, so here is some more:

THE HUNGER GAMES SUZANNE COLLINS

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark by plank

Gale, Katniss and Peeta by daekazu

THE KANE CHRONICLES BY RICK RIORDAN

Carter Kane by CelticBotan

Sadie Kane by bibbidy-boo

THE MEDIATOR SERIES BY MEG CABOT

Suze and Jesse by YukoRabbit

Jesse and Suze by moonynia

MAXIMUM RIDE SERIES BY JAMES PATTERSON (I need to get round to reading this!)

Max by starwarsgirl345

The ‘flock’ by sundang

THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS BY RICK RIORDAN

I’m not sure who the official artist is, but these illustrations were compiled together by falconfliesalone

Left to right: Hazel Piper Jason Frank Percy. And Leo sitting down. By magnetic-porcupine