Here is my second post on my new book blog. This time I’ll be talking about a few book to movie adaptations. This will include Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief, Eragon and Stormbreaker (Alex Rider series).
Well, here’s a poem I wrote some time ago for a school poetry competition:
The little girl stares at me, smiling,
Never aging, never miserable.
Unchanged, she is suspended
In Time.
I hear stories of her often-
Her voice is gruff,
Her tongue is sharp,
Her cheekiness unrelenting.
‘Futi bra ya mainini Manyara
yakadgiwa negonzo!’,
She once told guests,
Speaking of the woman’s bra,
Bitten by a rat, as she sat
In the very room,
Blushing though not red.
Always I laugh,
Always I am in wonder.
Her voice was gruff,
Her tongue was sharp,
Her cheekiness unrelenting.
‘What happened?’, you wonder.
She grew up and changed.
She crossed the ocean,
Leaving country and home.
She yearned to be British, to fit in,
The transition was not easy-
Change never is.
Though she learned English,
She herself, never would be.
She fought with boys,
Ridiculed by name
and height,
But this was just a phase.
In the end she learned value
In her heritage,
But time spent wishing
She was someone else,
Has made her a stranger,
A tourist in her Motherland.
I am not the little girl-
My voice is alto,
My tongue more practiced-
Still my cheekiness will forever
Be Unrelenting.
Perhaps the little girl inside
Will always remain,
With me…
By Mary-Ann Mufunde
Hey readers! I’ve decided to start vlogging so you can get to know me a little better, and because it has come to my attention that there are some books I haven’t reviewed that would just be easier to vlog about.
Seeing as how you’re already on my blog, you can ignore the advertising in this vlog.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Here’s my review of The Lost Prince
When I finished The Iron Knight, I was very happy for our protagonists. They were finally getting the happily ever after treatment. But I was distraught that the adventures into the Nevernever were finished. Kaput. Finite. Over…
Then I heard about Kagawa’s upcoming novel and the setup novella and I was ecstatic.
You have no idea how excited I was for this sequel series! The possibility of Meg and Ash having a kid? It’s something fans only ever dream about. Authors don’t usually oblige this fantasy and string it into words.
But before review the book, let me briefly comment on the covers. First is the UK version:
It was not the first to come out but it was the one I had to purchase, as I reside in England. After first seeing the US cover I was prepared to be completely underwhelmed by the UK version. I was astounded by the what was eventually produced, however.
Intro
TLP was written from Ethan’s point if view. A 16 year old Ethan. I found it hard to believe that he was now 16, and not that sad-eyed, frightened four year old from the first book. And boy had he grown. I felt a little pervy, ogling at at his exposed torso on the cover. Oh well…
Now the problem with this book is that after the previous series, we as readers already have such high expectations. For the most part, Ethan was a sound, well rounded character. Sure, he was a jerk most of the time, especially at the beginning to Kenzie. But the ass hole thing was just the mask he wore so he didn’t get hurt, or hurt others around him. I think it’s quite curious that he can see faeries, and in turn they know that he can see them.
My concern with this book was a slight lack of orginality. The Iron King featured Meghan plunging into the Nevernever with Ash and Puck in order to find her missing brother, who as we all know (Should know!) was kidnapped by- you guessed, the Iron King. The Lost Prince featured our all grown up protagonist, Ethan, braving the Nevernever with a friend to find another friend, who like Ethan all those years ago, was kidnapped by one of the fey. So what’s different?
New Characters
Ethan
Meghan’s once sweet little brother has grown into a brooding teenageer. I’m sad to say, I don’t think that’s just a phase. Of course Ethan doesn’t WANT to push everyone he cares about away, but he has to. I really liked Kagawa explaining the memory he had of a friend he let get close to him. Of course I don’t like what the fey did to her, but it made me understand. I understand why Ethan loathes Ash but I get rather defensive when it comes to the former Ice Prince, now Prince Consort and Iron Knight. But then, he lost a sister. At least if she were dead he would have some sort of closure, but he has to live knowing that They took her and made her one of Them.
Ethan is skilled in Kali, this type of martial arts that I’ve never heard of. Which is totally awesome. I once tried kickboxing. I loved it but my mum couldn’t afford to pay for me any longer, which was a sad time. But for Ethan, self-defence is the difference between life and death because They are out there. I’m not really sure what Ethan saw in Kenzie, but I’m glad it wasn’t insta-love. They got to know each other gradually.
Kenzie
This girl is tenacious. She gets what she wants, eventually. I don’t mean that in a spoilt little rich girl kind of way, even though she is a rich girl. Kenzie wants to be a reporter. She’s one of those people who has to know as much as she can, always seeking for knowledge- the latest scoop. And boy has she got some questions for Ethan Chase. (Too bad they never do that interview). She’s the one who thinks up quick, logical minded plans when the team get into a jam. These plans tend to be non-violent ones which is good because you can get seriously injured when fighting the fey. Love her or hate her, it’s clear she’s here to stay. I’ve heard some fans of Goodreads say that Kenzie gets on their nerves and to be honest, I don’t blame you. She also has this secret that is mentioned later on in the book. If I’m honest, I didn’t see the need for it.
Final Thoughts…
Like it’s predecessor series, The Call of the Forgotten is exploring the rise of a new species of fey. This idea would be all too boring and samey-samey if not for the fact that it was a very DIFFERENT kind of fey. Another good thing about this one is the air of mystery it still poses at the end, and the fact that there in NO LOVE TRIANGLE! So happy about that one 😀 I would have liked it if there had been more humor, but there was still enough action to keep be going.
Also, everyone looks 16. Ethan is 16. Meghan, Ash and Puck look 16/ 17, and their son IS 16! Can you imagine if your father looked the same age as you? But I guess when he has mad Unseelie/ Winter powers like Ash you’d still be a little scared of him. All I had to deal with when I was younger was beats. I’m African man but ICE?! ICE?! Don’t talk to me about ice.
My Rating
New year, new targets. This year, I aim to read at least 40 books. Last year it was 30. I’d aim for 50 but what with exams coming up, I have too much at stake to get side tracked. The next 5 months will determine where I end up for the next FOUR years. University here I come!
So far I’ve read 6 books. Here’s the list:
#1 The Goddess Hunt by Aimee Carter
Unlike my other reads, this one is a novella. This one was multi narrative. It wasn’t always necessary though. What I don’t understand about Kate is how she can just go off on a holiday with James just like that after everything that has occurred. He was going to replace Henry! The Castor and Pollux story was cool but I think it needed a bit more but seemed to me that Zeus was overreacting, even for him. What a dysfunctional family!
#2 Endure, by Carrie Jones
And so the countdown to Ragnarok begins.
Zara is now a pixie, and is also Astley’s queen. But she still loves Nick. It’s hard to believe that this character is the same one who used to whisper phobias to herself all the time. Little Miss Peace is now she is fighter trying to save her town, and potentially the world, from a pixie invasion. I know a similar transformation that occurred in a favourite book series of mine. It was the Iron Fey series’ Meghan Chase. By the Iron Queen, she was there with the rest of them, fighting it out, much like Zara does. I liked how Jones resolved the love triangle in this book, although I think she took a bit of a risk. Still, I liked it and I found it believable. I also really like Hel. She was pretty nice and I like how Jones incorporated Norse Mythology. If I had made as many transformation as Zara had, I think I’d be even more messed up than she was if I’m honest.
#3 Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
This one was a strange book. The origins behind it, The Arcana cards, was unfamiliar to me, which excited me. Yet at the sane time I was a big unnerved. But that might have been my reaction to the whole post-apocalyptic thing, and if course the romance which had me cringing from time to time.
Jack was a strange fellow but I loved how Cole used his background to shape him. The MC (what was her name? Evie? I’ve read too many books this month.) got in my nerves from time to time. Jack wasn’t all bad and sometimes she treated him like dirt and I didn’t like that. But then again, he had faults if his own, especially his lustful nature. I’m convinced that the only reasons Cole went for the post-apocalyptic thing is because they’re really trending, it gives the characters a reason to be travelling extensively, and it somehow justifies all the male character’s REALLY uncontrollable lust. Like seriously, can’t they control themselves!
I didn’t like the post-apocalyptic thing because Cole didn’t really explain how it had gotten that way. I mean I guess neither did Evie but at the moment I don’t think that even the author has that part figured out either.
#4 Intertwined by Gena Showalter
I’ve already written an extensive review about this book so you should go over there to check it out. I don’t want to reiterate myself but basically it’s a story about a guy with four different voices in his head, who he believes are different souls. And one of them predicts is death. He seeks to set them free so that he can live a normal life… And falls in love with a vampire along the way.
#5 The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Ethan Chase has grown up now. He isn’t the same helpless boy who kidnaped by faeries anymore. He’s 17 now, but the fey are still a part of his life because he has the Sight. The fey are constantly making his life miserable which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t hurt the ones he loved too. When a mysterious new species of fey emerge and kidnap a halfling, Ethan embarks on a quest to get him back.
Mmm… Does this plot seem familiar? Yes I thought so too. But do not fear, there are enough twists and turns to keep this story interesting, with appearances from out fave characters from the previous series as well.
#6 Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz
So the final book in the Blue Bloods series has finally come out. After reading Wolf Pact I was definitely ready to see Bliss again. GoP finally tied up all the loose ends in the series. I really enjoyed it, with the exception if the very last chapter which I thought was very odd. I’m happy for all the characters and Cruz did a good job portraying Lucifer, which I had been wary about before. There is enough suspense, action, and of course romance to keep you going. My only problem was thy the characters would occasionally get distracted. I mean, this is an end I the world situation and you’re busy doing what? (I will not be spoil sport and tell you what Sky gets up to). It’s a shame that it’s the end, but what a great ending it was!
#7 Supernaturally by Kiersten White
After yearning for a normal life for so long, Evie finally gets her wish. She’s left a little bit disappointed by high school, but she loves her locker. Although she may have escaped IPCA, they are in need if her again. And of course there’s the relationship problem. She’s worried about how Lend is immortal and whether she should tell him. In this department, I think she gets on my nerves a little. Why can’t she decide? Still, I sympathise.
I wish Reth appeared more often, but I kind of liked Jack. He was an interesting addition. Some say the villain was obvious, but it wasn’t obvious to me. Overall, with the lack of Reth and Lend, there was quite a lot to be desired in this sequel by I have hope for the final book of the trilogy.
I haven’t posted any artwork in a long time so I thought I’d post a few Iron Fey stuff in celebration of Julie Kagawa’s latest book, The Lost Prince. And because they aren’t many, I’ve added some of my favourite character quotes.
Puck, by mseregon
Quotes:
“Oh, so we’re playing nice now? Shall we have tea first? Brew up a nice pot of kiss-my-ass?” (The Iron King)
“Me? Die? Didn’t they tell you, princess? I’m Robin Goodfellow.” (The Iron King)
“Crazy Ash doesn’t have the same ring as Don’t-bother-me-or-I’ll-kill-you Ash.” (The Iron Knight”
Grimalkin, by RottonNymph
Quotes:
“I am a cat”
“The Winter prince and Oberon’s jester agreeing on something. The world must be ending.” (The Iron King)
“Do try and stay out of trouble, human. I will be terribly annoyed if you manage to get yourself killed.” (The Iron Queen)
Meghan Chase, by AllicynLeiaAllen
Quotes:
“Good God, the Ice Prince was making jokes now; the world must be ending.” (The Iron King)
“Right, cause I’m bleeding all over the place for shits and giggles” (The Iron King)
“I could handle goblins and bogeymen and evil, flesh-eating horses, but giant freaking spiders? That’s where I drew the line. (The Iron Daughter)
Prince Ash, by lilgrimmapple
Quotes:
“Touch her, and I’ll freeze your testicles off and put them in a jar. Understand?” (The Iron King)
“Insult her again and I’ll cut your ***** into so many pieces they’ll never find then again.” (The Iron Queen)
“You made me feel alive again” (The Iron King)
There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High…
Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:
One can time travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can possess another human.
One can tell the future.
Everyone thinks he’s crazy, which is why he’s spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.
Together they’ll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger… but not everyone will come out alive.
I recall first hearing about this book at the back of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa as an advertisement by Mira INK. The synopsis sounded interesting but I more or less dismissed it, instead determine to Kagawa’s sequel. I never would have guessed that I would have ended up liking this book as much as I did. It was utterly addictive. I finished within 2 days, and that is no easy feat when you’re stuck up to HERE with A level coursework and examination preparation. It’s no wonder my friends think I’m insane.
Anyway, on with the review…
Haden “Aden” Stone has 4 souls in his body + his own. Each of these souls has their own power, which makes him a beacon for trouble. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, he has been sent from one mental instituion to the other, even being adopted from time to time. All he wants is to find a way to free the souls inside him. I really admired the relationship he had with the souls, and found it a little touching that he helped them pick their names. Things would have been far easier if they had remembered who they had been in their previous lives. It isn’t until one of them remembers their past life that Aden can really confirm that they are the spirits of dead people. It might have been a bit more interesting if one of the souls had been antagonistic, but their family banter was great all the same.
Being a YA book, romance was always going to have a part to play. Aden has being having dreams of a mysterious girl. It’s pretty clear that he’ll be having a romanic relationship of sorts with this girl and I’m not surprised when she finally appears. Victoria is a vampire princess. Sorry, minor spoiler there. She is strong, powerful and of course, beautiful. I’ve read a lot of YA books so really I find her a type-cast with not much in her to make her particulalry unique. She has the slight “Oh- I’m- A- Monster” thing that a lot of vampires are represented as going for her. She is often disgusted with herself and doesn’t want Aden to see her for what she is- a blood thirsty parasite. So yeah, she’s essentially the female Edward Cullen. It’s pretty ironic too considering that her name is Victoria, the name of the vampire who wants to kill Bella for revenge. Did I hate Victoria? No. Did I like her? Not overly. I regard her with a cool indifference. It’s funny because I think I kind of liked her before, but my opinion has changes slighlty upon reflection.
The other main character is Mary-Ann. First thing you should know about her? She’s a complete Mary-Sue. She hasn’t got a lot of depth to her. Her life starts off more or less perfect. She’s in the popular crowd, dating the popular guy. She’s even a straight A student, even though she pretty much seems to hate working. She does it so that her dad can be proud of her. At least that’s one insecurity she has. One step to becoming more flawed and understandable. When we first meet her, I’m afraid that she’ll fall in love with Aden, but thankfully the one thing this book does not have is a LOVE TRIANGLE. I think I’d die or at the very least chuck this book back at the library I found it in if it did.
There is even a romance between Mary-Ann a certain wolfman but I think I’ll let you discover that on your own. Team Riley <3 The plot mostly consisted of trying to uncover the secrets surrounding Mary-Ann and Aden’s lives. For some reason, Aden is very powerful and has attracted the attention of lots of different magical creatures. And I mean lots. The vampires were the first, but then there came the witches, faeries, demons and goblins. Even angels and a motley of other creatures were mentioned. Were all these supernatural creatures necessarry? No. Did they add to the story? Not really. I mean, sure they make the whole situation seem more dire, but in Aden’s point of view it was scary enough jut to have caught the attention of vampires. My advice would have been to choose only two or three creatures. Perhaps vampires, werewolves, and the witches. There is of course a way of having multiple creatures in a book series, but you have to make it believabe. Of course the other issue is the fact that Aden is apparantly fated to die in the near future. So how about you pick up this book and read about his fate? Overall, I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, but at the same time, I did find it slightly lacking in some areas. Aden was a likeable character. He was both brave and vulnerable. Cute (even allegedly hot) but not conceited. And Mary-Ann was Meh. I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate — or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.
– Synopsis from Sarah Beth Durst’s Official Website
I loved Durst’s idea. Gods needing human hosts in order to walk the earth. The nomadic life of the desert people, who depended on the gods in order to survive was also well thought out. So when the Great Drought threatens to kill them all, each clan must sacrifice one boy it girl, a vessel, who will give up their body for their god or goddess. In turn, this deity will look after the clan. Our protagonist, Liyana, is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice but on the night of her ceremony, her goddess does not come. Abandoned by her clan, she is left distraught. Eventually she embarks on a quest with the trickster god, Korbyn, to find the missing gods.
Sounds promising, right? And it was. Unfortunately we spend half of the book gathering forces with the other vessels, which to be honest gets very dull after a while. I know finding the others was necessary but couldn’t Durst have spiced things up a not with an interruption? They could have made another detour or two to liven things up a bit.
My other complaint would have to be the segments with the emperor of the Crescent Empire. It wasn’t clear that he had some sort of involvement with the rest of the story and I was often tempted to skip his chapters near the beginning. Some hint that he was even in the same timeline would have been helpful.
Liyana was a strong character. She was smart, wise, and resourceful. I read a review on Goodreads that criticised her viewpoint in the ethics of gods killing mortals in order to inhabit their body. For the majority of the book, she is perfectly fine with this sacrifice and so this reader was frustrated that she didn’t question it and change her mind. Liyana is a very loyal character so if she believed that this was the only way to save the ones that she lived, the that’s what she would do. If you look at it that way, then you can only admire her. But towards the end, she does take a different perspective on things when she discovers that there is another way.
Atmitedly, the ending was not to my liking. A brief love triangle appears and after a showdown with some super pissed sky serpents, it’s all over. I don’t like how her relationship problem is solved but I’m glad that she didn’t die. It’s pretty clear to me that there won’t be a sequel which saddens me. No more Korbyn. Can I just state that he was my favourite character?! For a long time he was my only reason for continuing this novel.
So what do I rate it?
Well, it’s been a very long time since I have blogged. I have a very good explanation for that. It’s called A-Levels, that stage in the British Education system before university. It’s really stressful. I apologise for neglected this blog and it’s followers.
Anyway, quite some time ago, Riordan’s sequel to The Son of Neptune was published. As busy as I’d been, I completely forgot about it (shame on me!). Then I realised I was broke anyway :'(
But then I got some money from the BOD (Bank of Dad) for a school trip to Canterbury. It was not my decision. To go there and buy the book but there was a beautiful Waterstones store & the MoA was being displayed by the window.
All the books beckoned to me and I finally gave into my weakness.
But you don’t care about that! You want a review. Well here we go:
“Seven half-bloods must answer the call”
The very first thing that astounded me at the end of The Son of Neptune was the possibility that the Romans and the Greeks could actually work together. Both Percy & Jason had integrated themselves in the worlds of their opposing camps, and that gave the readers hope. The Mark of Athena see Percy and Annabeth finally reuniting. It’s so romantic and it just made me so happy.
But in classic Riordan style, something goes horribly wrong and the Romans and the small cohort of Greeks have a fall out and everything goes nuclear.
The prophecy (or two):
So obviously you can’t go through a Heroes of Olympus book without referring to the Greay Prophecy, and so our Seven demigods (one can only assume at this stage that the are the Chosen Seven) seek to close the Doors if Death. There also happens to be another prophecy directly referring to The Mark of Athena, and it’s no spoiler that it has something to do with Annabeth. But what is The Mark of Athena? Well, I can’t spoil that one for you. Riordan is cryptic about his prophecies (as usual- but then, all prophecies should be!) and neither one seems to have a definitive ending. The cliffhanger at the end will attest to that. It’s so amazing many fans have dubbed it the ‘Rickhanger’. You’ll have to read the book to find out why.
The Characters:
One of the the things that strike me most about this book I’m afraid is the cover. This isn’t just me being superficial. Like many fans I waited a year for this book with not much more to go on but the book cover for quite some time. So when I saw Percy and Jason going head to head like that I felt like I was being torn apart. Is Riordan going to make us choose between them? It turned out that the reason for that fight was different to what I had imagined. Having said that, it was pretty clear throughout the book that the two demigods had a sort of alpha male rivalry going on. Both were used to being leaders and so when they end up on the same quest, it’s hard for them to adjust. You should see the tension emanating between them when they both try to sit at the head table! No wonder Zeus and Poseidon don’t get along. Both were born to lead.
What can I say about Annabeth in this book? Brave would be an understatement. She knew the risks that she would face; knew of the enemy that awaited her but still she had enough courage to do what needed to be done. Separating herself from Percy when they had just gotten together must have been heartbreaking. And when two certain children of the Big Three had their Alpha Mall stand-offs, she was there to do the leading. Gotta give her a lot of respect in this novel.
Leo, Leo, Leo. He had to put up with a lot of stick in this one. From the word go he’s being blamed for something that wasn’t his fault. He feels like the seventh wheel… I mean, you’ve heard of the 3rd wheel so being the 7th must REALLY suck! Then of course there’s the weirdness between him and Hazel. Sorry, I can’t elaborate on that one.
There are some interesting characters that appear of the godly variety, such as none other than Nemesis herself. You know, the one that took her kid’s eye out as payment. You remember Ethan Nakamura, right?
Then there’s the matter of finding out about what really happened to Sammy and how a certain demigod fits into this link.
The Plot: Unfortunalty I can’t say I remember much about this book now, having read it in October or November or something. Seems so long ago! I can however tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it and I know you will too! (Well, I hope so anyway). One of favorite parts (spoiler alert!) is when they meet Dionysus’ Roman version, Bacchus. Totally awesome 🙂
And now I will leave you with these nice pictures I found online about how much I want the sequel, The House of Hades:
Okay, it’s a new month, and we’re all going back to school, or college or whatever. Yeah :/ I wanna cry :'( Here’s some art work that I’ve compiled to cheer everyone up:
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Admittedly, I’ve never read a single book in this series, and I probably never will, despite the movie that’s coming out. It’s nothing personal, honest. I’m just a bit sick of vampires and stuff, and because naturally I think I’d just compare it to Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods series.
Jace and Clary by kara-lija
LIST OF CHARACTERS : (from Left to Right) MAIA | ISABELLE | MAGNUS & ALEC | JACE & CLARY (lower) | LUKE | SIMON | RAPHAEL by far-eviler
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen by daekazu
THG by Gigei
The Twilight Saga
It has come to mind that I barely ever post Twilight fan art. That phase of my life is just over, as far as I’m concerned and if I watch the last movie, it is simply for closure. And because I have a feeling that they’ll go against the events of the book and have a giant free for all fight against the Volturi. I don’t know why, but I was sad that there was no limb tearing action in the last book.
Edward and Bella by lenity
The Twilight characters by Hyo-pon
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
I still haven’t given this series a go but maybe one day to see what all the fuss is about…
Patch and Nora by lenity
Patch and Nora by loriLUNACY
The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
I bought the first two books a few months ago but I’ve had no time to read them! I’m a bad, bad person!!!
Sam and Grace by achelseabee
Grace and Sam by Fatal-Drug
Well that’s it for this month I’m afraid. I know, I know. You want more. Until next time!