BOOK BLITZ: Clan, by Realm Lovejoy

Hello, peps! Welcome to the book blitz for Clan, by Realm Lovejoy =D We have an awesome excerpt, cover analysis and an awesome giveaway bellow! Climb in and enjoy the ride 😉

Clan

by Realm Lovejoy

Publication date: November 12^th, 2013

Genres: YA Sci-Fi

Clans are Unity.

No variation. No deviation.

On Clades, to be a Clan is to be an exact copy. A perfect society cloning themselves to survive, even as the zombielike Frags threaten to overrun them on an unforgiving planet.

Clan 1672 (privately known as Twain) was never supposed to survive the Incubation Tank. But he did. Illegally. He is different from the other Clans.

A secret that could destroy him.

Maisy and the Missing Mice, from Elizabeth Woodrum (The Maisy Files #1)

Hello, again! So, I decided to try to review a book per day until I catch up with myself. Of course I can’t promise anything, but trying is important, right? 🙂

I’d like to talk today about a lovely middle grade mystery that I received from Lola Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review: Maisy and the Missing Mice, the first one in The Maisy Files series, from Elizabeth Woodrum 😀 Thanks so much for my review copy! Let’s do this 🙂

*Oh, I’d like to take a moment to explain why I have a lack of bookish pictures on my reviews lately: I haven’t got a second alone with my iPad to take nice pictures. My parents are always using it, 24/7, and now that I’m back to work I don’t have a single moment of the day in which I have the damn tablet all for myself, haha! I’ll try to take some decent and pretty pictures this week before they get home 🙂

Maisy Sawyer has two passions on her life: mysteries and cherry lollipops. Even being only a fourth grade student, she is considered her school’s professional detective and always helps people solving their mysteries… In exchange for cherry lollipops, of course!

At first, the robbery of the school’s mice seemed just another regular mystery on Maisy’s schedule. But it all became personal when the thief, The Black Boot, decided to also steal Maisy’s cherry lollipops collection. That just went too far.

Now it’s not only a matter of helping the school getting their mascots back. The Black Boot went too far and made it personal. And Maisy Sawyer never left a mystery unsolved.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

This book was insanely cute. It was so refreshing to read a so well-written children’s book! ❤ I won’t lie, the mystery is really obvious, but I can really see middle grade students grabbing this book and reading it in one sitting (like I did) to find out who stole the mice and Maisy’s lollipops, haha! (like I did, because I needed to know if I was right, haha!) I had some small problems with Maisy’s behavior – she did things too right sometimes, to the point that it became unnatural for a kid on her age to have that level of awareness of her surroundings – but overall, it was a delightful read. Four stars ❤

The narrative is third person from Maisy’s point of view, which really works for the suspense of the mystery. I liked Maisy, she was a very cute kid and has a great future as a detective 🙂 Woodrum’s writing style was fluid and simple, but sometimes it felt too simple. For example, she would always use “but” instead of mixing it with “however” or any other synonyms and while I understand this is a middle grade book, a child can feel how repetitive it gets. I talk from experience, as I’ve been an assiduous reader since I learned how to do it, with the age of seven – ironically, I was the last child on my classroom to learn how to read, haha! But after I got the hang of it, I never stopped, oops!

The plot was good and well executed. The mystery wasn’t that complex – it is a middle grade book, after all – but I liked that the author didn’t make it too easy too. I think a child can solve it too, but nothing is outrageously obvious 🙂 I was highly satisfied with all the technical aspects of Maisy and the Missing Mice!

Now, let’s talk about characters. While I really appreciate that Woodrum didn’t treat Maisy as a naïve and vulnerable child just because she is young, there were times in which Maisy’s maturity was beyond forced. I get that she tried to “teach” children what they should do, but it’s from the young nature to be impulsive and reckless. I was a mature child myself and even so, I did impulsive and reckless things all the time and my mom would end up fighting with me. My point is, I missed a little this natural aspect of a child in Maisy.

On the other hand, there is this scene in which Maisy’s classroom is leaving for their break and Maisy sees some children with their coats on and suddenly decides she wants her coat too. While I think this is perfectly normal behavior among children, it felt forced on Maisy, because she was so decided and couldn’t care less for what her colleagues and friends thought. Contradictory much?

Anyway, even with those small problems, I still loved Maisy and the other characters. They were overall very real and relatable, as we saw little habits that make people who they are 🙂 Veronica, her best friend, was lovely ❤

Overall, if you like a good mystery for children or is looking for a good middle grade book – who knows? – you totally should give Maisy and the Missing Mice a try 😀

Thanks so much for reading my review ❤ Also, thanks again to Lola’s Blog Tours for sending me my review copy!

BLOG TOUR: Supernatural Freak, by Louisa Klein

Hi, there! Welcome to the blog tour for Supernatural Freak, by Louisa Klein! This one is on YA Bound Book Tours 🙂

Supernatural Freak
by Louisa Klein
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: January 30^th, 2013

When paranormal expert Robyn Wise is offered an outrageous sum of money to cure a boy who is turning into a dead tree, she’s very sceptical. A politician ready to pay that much to make his son stop growing branches instead of hair? Come on! She’s more likely to be abducted by aliens. This is a trap. Or much worse. And, of course, it’s much worse.

The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland’s power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.

Robyn’d rather stick a pencil in her own eye but, to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of her.

There, she discovers a terrible secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland’s enemies for good, but puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.

You can find Supernatural Freak in ebook format 🙂

Amazon │ Barnes & Noble

 And guess what? We have no one less than Louisa Klein here with us today! *–*

Thanks so much for indulging me and agreeing to tell us 5 curiosities about Supernatural Freak and its writing process! I pass the word to Louisa now ❤

 5 Curiosities? Uhm …

 1) In early 2009, I dreamt about a boy turning into a tree. The dream was kind of blurry and it left me with a lot of questions: who was the boy? What kind of spell was transforming him? The answers were that the boy was the son of a very powerful person, like a prominent politician, and that the tree was actually a dark portal. Still, I was clueless about the boy’s saviour. She came to me in another dream, a few weeks later. She wore old jeans and snickers, was skinny and didn’t look like much but God if she could fight! I had found my heroine.

2) I started writing Supernatural Freak right after I broke up with my long-term boyfriend. He insisted I wasn’t good enough to write a book and I was very eager to prove him wrong.

 3) My ex and I lived together. Once I broke up with him, I was homeless and could afford only to live in shared houses. I moved six times while I was writing the book, dragging around not only my regular luggage but what I called my ‘supernatural bag’, which was an old, huge satchel filled with notebooks and chaotic pieces of papers containing the first draft of my first book.

 4) I wrote the majority of the first part of Supernatural Freak in a Star Bucks, two blocks away where I was living. My favourite table was the one near the window, since I hate artificial light and said window was huge. After a while Linda, a mature waitress working there, started calling it my “writing table”. Whenever I showed up, she would wink at me and say: “Your writing table is free, love, hurry up!”. She ended up being my very first fan, she was the very first person who downloaded Supernatural Freak from Amazon … THANK YOU, LINDA!

 5) I am allergic to a number of substances and one of them is alcohol. I can drink only a very limited amount of it, like half a glass of wine, not more, or I get very sick. Nevertheless, when I finally finished Supernatural Freak, I was so excited that I invited my flatmates to the pub and ‘get drunk’. I mean, finishing my first book was the biggest accomplishment of my life, so screw my allergies! For once, I wanted to be like anyone else. That’s why I ordered a whole pint of beer which was, well, kind of daring. Reckless. OK, just plain crazy. What happened is that I drank the beer and then … Who knows. I have a blurry memory of me vomiting into the pub’s toilet and then nothing. All I know, is that I woke up in my bed the next, with the mother of all hangovers. I had to deal with a massive headache and sickness for over a day and with being teased by my flatmates for the rest of my life. I had become the joke of the house, my flatmates all being strong drinkers! Bottom line is: to celebrate the release of Supernatural Fog, I went to the cinema and drank a coke!

 I’m so incredible happy that you proved your ass of an ex wrong! I’m sure Supernatural Freak is awesome and you are awesome too, Louisa! I also can’t handle alcohol, I get awful stomachaches right after one single drop of it 😦 You’re not alone on the coke’s team, haha!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY ❤ I’m so happy and honored /o/

Faced with being alone in the middle of nowhere at night, the true Londoner doesn’t lose her head but takes a deep breath, smoothes her jacket, and goes in search of a bobby or a black cab. Only foreigners freak out in such circumstances. Londoners, on the other hand, being the most British of all British people, never ever freak out. Still, when you are a paranormal expert who’s in a deserted area of the Docks and are supposed to heal a werewolf with the aid of a shaman who hasn’t shown up, I’m afraid the only reasonable reaction is to…

“Run!” Mr Wilson growls, getting worryingly hirsute. He has a point. A skinny girl in her twenties is no match for a werewolf, and I don’t think that telling him I’m a dog person would make much of a difference. Trouble is that he’s standing between me and my car, so my only option is to run in the opposite direction. My feet sink into the sand of the Thames’ shore, the river a creepy black ribbon untouched by the full moon’s rays. It takes what looks like ages to cross the sand and reach the building site a hundred yards away. I should have never trusted that damn shaman. How could I have been so stupid? A long howl fills the air. My client has now fully transformed. In a second he will pick up my scent and hunt me down.

Louisa Klein lives in the UK but was born in Germany and brought up in Southern Europe by a German dad and an Italian and French mum, which made her a little confused at first. She has a degree in Medieval Studies and a postgraduate one in Marketing. She’s been working in publishing on and off since she was 17 and currently is a freelancer and an Urban Fantasy writer. At night she puts on a mask and fights British crime. She gets very little sleep.

Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads

One lucky INTERNATIONAL winner will take home a digital copy of Supernatural Freak!

To enter, just click here and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

 That’s it, thanks for reading! Also, thanks to Louisa for being here today and to YA Bound Book Tours for my spot on this tour! 😀

BLOG TOUR: Pandora’s Mistake, by E. B. Black (Fate of Eros #0)

Hello, there! Welcome to a very rainy, windy and cold Wednesday! SUCH A BLESSING! I couldn’t stand another day full of dryness and heat 😦 Anyway, this post is dedicated to Pandora’s Mistake, the beginning of the Fate of Eros series, by E. B. Black! This tour is being hosted by Bewitching Book Tours!

Pandora’s Mistake

Fate Of Eros #0

By E.B. Black

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Release Date: March 10^th, 2013

100 pages

Cover Artist: Calista Taylor

Pandora was created to be the perfect woman. She has the beauty of Aphrodite, the intelligence of Athena, and the gentleness of Hera.

As the first and only woman to exist, Pandora is the center of attention everywhere. Men lust after her, even vow to start wars over her. She’s a good girl, so she keeps her distance.

The problem is Prometheus. He’s Pandora’s box. He’s ripped to shreds and killed every day as punishment from Zeus, but he never repents for being a bad boy.

Zeus has warned everyone to stay away from Prometheus, but she’s curious. He’s handsome and she desires him.

If she opens the box of her desire, it will unleash Prometheus’ inner demons.

Should she risking losing everything she cares about for one night of lust?

You can find Pandora’s Mistake in both ebook and paperback! OH, AND GUESS WHAT: the book is currently FREE on Amazon US!!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

 

As they neared the top, a shape came together in front of her. A man laid spread eagle and strapped in chains. His face was pleasing to her eyes, even scrunched up. His beard wasn’t scraggly like Epimetheus’ was and his muscles contorted with barely restrained power. She imagined what he would have looked like if he wasn’t covered in blood. Her stomach somersaulted at the beautiful image.

Every time he screamed, the fireball above their heads grew for a moment and illuminated his shadow. A giant raven sat upon his chest, pecking away at bare intestines. She had seen birds, but never a black one that was almost as large as she was.

It glanced over at Pandora. Its unfeeling eyes glowed white as if it had captured a tiny bit of sun inside its pupils. Green liquid leaked out the side of the raven’s mouth. It foamed at the mouth like it was rabid. Pandora bit her finger nails.

A river of blood pooled from Prometheus’ stomach where his intestines had been ripped to shreds. The raven bent down to peck more inside his belly. He devoured little bits of pink innards. Prometheus was dying or being eaten alive at least.

Pandora tugged on Epimetheus’ arm. “We should help him.”

Tears formed in Epimetheus’ eyes. “I’ve tried; we can’t.”

“Why not? He’ll die if we don’t do something.”

Pandora could barely breathe. She felt helpless and afraid.

The man screamed and Epimetheus wrapped his arms around Pandora, pinning her to the ground. Fire exploded around them and Epimetheus’ eyes rolled back in pain. The storm of fire above them had gotten so large that a piece of it had escaped and struck Epimetheus’ body.

They both stood when it was over. Blisters covered Epimetheus’ back where his clothes had burned away. She touched the damaged skin gently. He roared in response and she jumped back. The skin sewed itself together before her widened eyes.

She had seen Epimetheus attacked by a bear once. It had entered their cavern in the middle of the night. It had ripped his chest open, but he had regenerated in the same way.

“His name is Prometheus,” Epimetheus said. “He’s already died many times. Titans like us regenerate, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling pain.”

Their eyes met.

“Why is this man important to you?” Pandora asked.

“He’s my brother,” Epimetheus said. “Zeus chained him here to punish him.”

Pandora crossed her arms. “And you want me to feel sorry for him? He must have done something terrible if Zeus thought he deserved this.”

Epimetheus shook his head. “You have a lot to learn.”

He grabbed her hand and she clutched it tightly. Although Prometheus was restrained, the fire bursting from him was not. Pandora was scared her skin would melt. The crackling of the fire above their heads was deafening and the heat made her eyes feel dry.

Epimetheus read her mind. “It’s not as bad when he’s further from death.”

“I thought gods couldn’t die,” Pandora whispered.

“We can’t. Our souls do not travel to the Underworld like they do with humans. But our bodies can become so damaged that we black out for hours and lose our heartbeats until we are able to regenerate again. It’s a type of death, but not a permanent one.”

They were near the edge of the cliff, next to Prometheus. It overlooked the places they had traveled since they left the cave. Bright specks from campfires decorated the path. They glowed against the darkness like grounded stars.

“Prometheus suffers because of all those people who live down there,” Epimetheus said. “The reason they have warmth and food is why he’s being tortured, but none of them care anymore.”

Pandora’s chest constricted painfully. This couldn’t be true. Zeus had been such a kind god, explaining things to her slowly when she didn’t understand them. He wasn’t capable of this.

“Some of them cared at first,” Epimetheus said. “But when they tried to loosen his bonds, the crow would devour them instead. Unlike Prometheus, they wouldn’t be able to rise from the dead the next day. He begged them to stop, insisting that he could handle it, but I don’t like the way they flaunt their fires in front of him. They should be ashamed of what they have, rather than callous.

“Every time someone lights a fire, Prometheus dies a little faster that day. It’s why he usually dies at night-people light their campfires and the raven pecks harder. Prometheus gets upset from the pain and those bad feelings make the raven peck harder as well. He dies.

“If all of the humans were to put out their fires and vow to never use them again, Zeus might let him go, but they won’t. Prometheus says it’s because they die without fire, but I think it’s because they’re selfish.

“This is why, as my wife, you are never to light a fire. Fire is his curse, not our blessing.”

Pandora nodded her head, chewing her lip.

The raggedy pile of a Titan lying in front of them moaned. He had also shrunk himself. It was strange that he should care about making humans more comfortable when he was being tortured like this.

He spoke and his voice was hoarse. “Epimetheus, is that you?”

Prometheus cried out and the fire above their heads grew larger. Epimetheus pushed Pandora close to the ground just in case.

The fire died down and Epimetheus knelt next to his brother. The bitterness melted from his face and gentleness took its place as if he were gazing at a beloved pet or baby. He stroked Prometheus’ cheek and the fireballs burning above them calmed. “Shh! Don’t speak! You need to save your strength!”

“Please don’t be angry.” Prometheus’ eyes glowed with love in the light. “To see humanity, my creation, at peace, makes this suffering worth it. I’m glad Zeus chained me here. It allows me to witness all the good I’ve done.”

“Don’t speak that way,” Epimetheus said. “Nothing is worth seeing you like this.”

“Humanity is worth it,” Prometheus said. “The way their skin glows in the sun is the envy of the gods. They’re beautiful.”

Pandora looked down at her arms; the silver flecks in her skin shone in the firelight. Most of the time they weren’t visible, except when the sun was bright or she was near a campfire. She had heard once that humans had specks of gold in their skin, during a time when they could tell the future and walked among gods. Pandora wished she was from that time, rather than from the age of silver, where the wealth and gifts of Mount Olympus dwelled just beyond her reach. But humans had sunk to a new low ever since Zeus took over, which was why their skin had silver in it now. If only she knew the future, maybe she’d be able to understand her world a little better.

“Humans give the gods something to live for and take care of,” Prometheus continued. “They create and love like we do. They are not evil. It’s Zeus that is. Never trust anything Zeus gives you. It will lead to your downfall.”

Pandora’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. She had been a gift from Zeus to Epimetheus. Was he insinuating that she was untrustworthy? How dare he! He didn’t even know her!

Prometheus was sweating. His breathing grew heavier and he went into a seizure.

“It’s time! He’s dying again,” Epimetheus shouted.

Prometheus passed out and the inferno above their heads swirled like a tornado. Pandora shielded her face as ashes rained on her. She could feel her arm hair singeing.

“It’s getting dangerous-we need to go.” Epimetheus’ expression hardened as he wrapped his arms around Pandora. She clutched his chest and let him lead the way.

And it is with great honor that I tell you that Black agreed to stop by the blog! *–*

Thanks so much for being here, Black! And for indulging me and revealing 5 interesting facts about your novel! 😀 But enough chit chat and let’s see what Black has to say about Pandora’s Mistake! ❤

Five Interesting Things About My Novel, Pandora’s Mistake…

5)Pandora was the Eve (think Adam and Eve) of greek mythology. She was the first woman ever. Just like with Eve, the myths say that she was the downfall of man.

4)Pandora was the first human woman, but she wasn’t married to a human. Zeus gave her to a titan named Epimetheus. Most people who have heard of Pandora do not know her husband’s name. (Annelise: That’s very true, I didn’t know that! =O)

3)Zeus didn’t create man according to greek mythology. The titan, Prometheus, who also was the one who gave fire to humans, was the one who made men. He’s one of the characters in my book. He’s punished every day for these acts by a raven who pecks away at his liver.

2)Before the Olympians of greek mythology, there were the titans. They were the gods before any of the Olympians were born, but Zeus overthrew them and punished several of them. A lot of them still existed in the mythology and several of them are characters in my book, Pandora’s Mistake.

1)Pandora’s box wasn’t a box, it was a jar. That’s what the originally version says and I used that version in my book.

Awesome, right?! I can’t wait to devour my copy of Pandora’s Mistake!! 😀 Again, thanks so much for being here and indulging me, Black!!

E.B. Black is the annoying author who lives in the head of a nerdy housewife named Elizabeth. Elizabeth tries to live out her days by walking her dog, spending time with her husband, doing housework, and watching television, but E.B. Black makes her drop everything to type out weird fantasy stories. Elizabeth is asking anyone who read this to please send help.

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One lucky winner will take home a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

To enter the giveaway, just click this link and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks for reading! And, of course, thanks to Black for being here today and to Bewitching Book Tours for making this tour possible, haha!

Movie Review: Austenland (2013)

Hi, there! Yes, I’m making a movie review, haha! I’d like to start this post by saying that I’m not Hollywood’s biggest fan. It’s nothing personal, I’m just not really a movie/tv person. I have determinate shows that I like to watch and a small selection of favorite movies that I don’t ever tire of, just like a wide animation collection, but I don’t really crave or care about new movie releases with frequency. It’s easier to sit me on the couch and order me to read a book than order me to watch something – just ask Jenny, she will confirm that to you. My last time at the movies was a forced going to watch Star Wars. And before that, I went to the movies to watch the Minions movie.

Now that you have my whole profile of boredom, you understand that watching a new movie is a big deal to me and that the fact that I chose to review it is a happening. I do intend to review more movies in the future, but for now, it’s new and it’s cool 🙂

And my first movie review is for a book adaptation that I was actually craving to see: Austenland, based on Shannon Hale’s book [review here] and produced by no one less than Stephenie Meyer.

Austenland

2013

Directed by Jerusha Hess

Cast

• Keri Russell as Jane Hayes
• JJ Feild as Mr. Henry Nobley
• Bret McKenzie as Martin
• Jennifer Coolidge as Elizabeth Charming
• James Callis as Colonel Andrews
• Jane Seymour as Mrs. Wattlesbrook
• Georgia King as Lady Amelia Heartwright
• Ricky Whittle as Captain George East
• Rupert Vansittart as Mr. Wattlesbrook
• Richard Reid as Nigel

Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice (1995), a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as viewer 🙂

I’d like to start this saying that I had no expectations when I started watching Austenland – it was going to start on one of the endless movie channels at TV and I stopped to watch it. And even so, I was let down. (If you liked the movie, I advise you to stop reading this review here. It’s not my intention to offend anyone, but I don’t have many nice things to say about Austenland =/).

I really enjoyed Keri Russell, the actress that played Jane, the main character, and I loved that Jennifer Coolidge was part of the movie even with the adaptations on her original character. It was the only good humor escape among a very dull and sufferable movie. I hated the overall casting choices, the figurine was poor made and the adaptation itself left a very funny and light book without any emotion or point in existing. I’ll talk more about each subject in detail, but overall, this is a two stars production: it’s so weak that you won’t even have the energy to hate it.

Setting: 5 stars

I have to take my hat off to all the locations shown in the movie. I loved the mansion that held Austenland itself, the way Jane’s apartment was decorated and all the small things that screamed how much she loved Jane Austen. The photography of the movie is also very beautiful and bright – I really love bright movies, I feel like they are getting rare based on all the trailers that I watch, haha!

Figurine: 3 stars

Honestly? They could have pulled off a better figurine for everyone. Sometimes I really am sure that people that put the movie together simple haven’t read the book. Yes, Jane had a third class package for Austenland, but her clothes were simpler, not outright ugly. They were even colorful! On the other hand, I liked the clothes that they designed to Jennifer Coolidge, they really brought the best on her. But I may be being partial here because I really love her. Hmm… Anyway. I really feel that they could have put more effort into this.

Soundtrack: 2 stars

I’m one of those people that think that you don’t have to notice the music in the background of the movie; you have to feel it. Like when you start to watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the main theme starts playing and you shiver in anticipation, you know? If you actually notice the music, two things happened: a) you highly identified yourself with that song, that moment and it was oh-so-special for you; or b) you hated it and are annoyed, hoping that it just stop playing. I fell into the second category watching Austenland. Several times I found myself bothered by the songs in the background.

Casting: 1 star

SERIOUSLY. I was so frustrated with this casting that I actually rolled my eyes every time that Mr. Noble walked into scene. I have always been picky and downward exigent when talking about males to admire, so I know I am a tough audience on this point, BUT COME ON! NEITHER of the guys in Austenland were not even close of enjoyable! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! There are so many beautiful and talented actors out there! HOW COME AUSTENLAND MANAGED TO PICK ONLY UGLY AND INISPID GUYS FOR ALL MALE ROLES IN THIS MOVIE?! I just can’t. Oh, and Lady Amelia Heartwright also was a disappointment. The book is very clear when highlighting how good she is at that game and how much she prepares herself for her vacations at Austenland. What I saw was a pathetic girl that pretended to know what she was doing and people pretending to be impressed when they actually hated her. Not at all what happened and Lady Amelia Heartwright perfection in this game is a crucial point for the plot and for Jane’s breakthrough. JUST. NO.

For who I thought was well casted: Keri Russell as Jane Hayes, Jennifer Coolidge as Elizabeth Charming, Jane Seymour as Mrs. Wattlesbrook and Rupert Vansittart as Mr. Wattlesbrook.

Script and Adaptation: 2 stars

I know you can’t put the whole book into the movie, but all the cleverness in the dialogues were gone; only a pale shadow of the brilliantism of Shannon Hale’s book remained. Characters were completely distorted and I can barely connect book with movie. So much time was wasted in stupid scenes that the movie became dull. This was supposed to be a comedy, but I didn’t even got to laugh while watching. I only smirked a lot, haha! I feel so bad for it, because it’s not a popular book and I don’t see many people watching Austenland and being willing to give the book a go 😦 Also, the movie failed to show how living the dream really hit Jane; despite my likeness of her, sometimes she really felt like a whining and indecisive bitch to me and it is SO NOT like that! It’s hard to believe that you actually can live in the “perfect” world as it was her case, you have to conceive what is real and what is not and this is so tiring and frustrating! And guess what? You won’t find any of those dilemmas in the movie. Oh, and guess again: THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BOOK! You don’t need to give up fantasy, but you have to know when to separate it from reality, to regulate your expectations for the real world. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck inside an imaginary bubble and never be truly happy, once that everything will still be fake in the end of the day.

Seriously: or you are in to do a good job and a great movie or don’t. Bother. With. It.

Overall, I recommend it for fans of Jennifer Coolidge, as she shone as always, and for people that really are curious about book to movie adaptations and about Stephenie Meyer producing a movie. See for yourselves how big this tragedy could be.

Oh, and I would only like to remember that Stephenie Meyer said she hadn’t had the time to do something nicer than Life and Death for Twilight’s 10^th birthday her only score in life may I add, but had the time to screw what could have been a lovely and funny movie. I bet we will reach Twilight’s 20^th birthday without Midnight Sun and with more screwed movies, if I know my lucky well. And I do.

That’s it, thanks for reading my first movie review and I’m sorry I complained a lot, but I simply had to put it out. It wasn’t my intention to offend anyone, including Stephenie Meyer. I honestly hope you enjoy Austenland more than I did if you ever decide to pick it up.

Next movie review: Into the Woods

Cemetery Tours, from Jacqueline E. Smith (Cemetery Tours #1)

Hello, again! I’m so proud to announce that, as you read this, there are already TWO BOOKS DOWN on my TBR pile for the #12daysofbooksmas2 readathon! 😀 Both are from wonderful Jacqueline E. Smith, that kindly sent me her books in this series in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much! But today I’m only talking about Cemetery Tours, the first book in the series 😀 Let’s go!

from my Instagram ❤

The Story

Michael Sinclair has seen ghost for the past 27 years. He grew up ignoring the held people in the afterlife and was really okay with his discreet job at the local library, with his shabby apartment and his roommate and best friend, ghost Blink. Then Kate and Gavin Avery happen in his quiet life.

Kate suffered a car accident and has no memory for the past two years and so. With the loss of memory, came a condition called Color Anomia, which makes Kate forget the name of all colors, despite still being able to recognize them. It’s a little annoying, but after everything she went through, Kate is just happy to be alive and moving in with her brother. Gavin, in the other hand, seems always sick, but not one doctor was able to figure out what was wrong with him.

Michael and Kate hit it off right away and develop feelings for each other, but the knowledge that a ghost haunts Kate and Gavin’s apartment and the arrival of an old frenemy collapses every aspect of Michael’s boring life. Now he has to decide whether he wants to continue to live a lie or fight for a chance of an almost regular life beside Kate. Assuming he’s going to survive his frenemy’s quest…

The Analysis

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

This book rocked my weekend! I was excited to read it for months (even talked a bit about it here), so it was only natural to choose it to be my first on this readathon 😀 I loved every single aspect on it, truly. Jacqueline did a hell of a job here and Michael has become another book boyfriend of mine! ❤ A 5 stars reading with a major cliff hanger that made me feel blessed that I already had the second book in my e-reader, haha!

me after finishing Cemetery Tours

However, enough chitchat. Let’s get serious.

The narrative was third person with alternating points of view between Michael and Kate and some special scenes with Gavin’s. I love this style, as I already said quite a few times over here, and it worked out well, for the reader to see that both Michael and Kate had their problems, but they still felt better together than apart. There were no loose ends, just that major cliff hanger for the next book – which I was more than fine with, haha!

The plot was amazing and very intelligent. Smith writes on a way that keeps her reader second guessing every single character that is not Michael or Kate all the time, it’s amazing! And even when you think you figured out who is behind everything or why all of that is happening, Smith doesn’t allow you to be sure until the deed is done. I LOVE THIS KIND OF BOOK! *–*

Lately, I’ve been lucky to befriend some awesome characters, as you may have realized during my last reviews, haha! With Smith’s book, it wasn’t any different. I loved Michael and found him to be a very believable character, as he is very insecure about his ability to see the dead. I already read some books in which the main characters could see/ talk to ghosts and this was the first time that I felt like I was reading about a real person that could have been my neighbor. Kate also was a super refreshing female protagonist, as she doesn’t depend on Michael or Gavin and actually saves Michael’s ass more than once. Kate also is a very real woman and I made her an example. Even when she screwed up a bit thanks to Luke (I’ll get to him in a bit), I wasn’t mad at her, because I felt she was only human, you know?

But let’s talk about the major narcissist of the world, Luke Raine. He’s Michael’s frenemy and Kate’s idol, so I hated him in the begging, but he is a good guy. You know, somewhere really deep inside where his ego never gone and all, haha! I have no feelings for Gavin, good or bad. I mean, he was a douche several times, but a harmless douche? I don’t know, I just have no hard feelings for him, haha! Oops!

Another aspect that really caught me off guard on Cemetery Tours was the healthy state of Michael and Kate’s relationship. They pin for each other’s company, but it’s not an Edward and Bella kind of pinning where the couple die if they don’t get to breath the same air, haha! They were always cool with themselves and highly appreciate some privacy moments, which is pretty rare in almost any romance book. I liked that! 😀 WAY TO GO, JACQUELINE! ❤

Bonus point: character’s growth. Michael, Kate, Gavin and even Luke grow a lot when they start to spend time together and this is palpable. Of course that Michael’s that changes the most, as he is super social awkward and shy, but all of them had their souls marked with the happenings in this book.

This is the perfect ghost themed book series, in my humble opinion, as it has adventure, ghosts (duh), mystery, comedy, suspense and the right amount of romance. If you like any of those elements, JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. SERIES.

That’s it! Thanks for reading and thanks once again to Jacqueline, for sending me those awesome books! 😀 The review for Between Worlds will be here by tomorrow night, keep an eye open ;D

TBR of the Week: Cemetery Tours (Cemetery Tours #1), by Jacqueline E. Smith

Hi, there! Welcome to my Sunday-ly section, TBR of the Week! I’m going to enjoy this to actually talk about the book that I’ll read next 😀 This section usually has no commitment to the order of my TBR list, but this time things just wrapped up, haha! Later today, a review will be up on the blog – I’m not sure if I’ll finish Shielded Past or Ten Count’s first, so, I won’t promise which one, haha!

Anyway, today’s book is called Cemetery Tours, first one in the homonymous series by dear Jacqueline E. Smith! I won this book from her in exchange of an honest review and I’m finally being able to read it! (Will start it today even <3) Thanks again, Jacqueline!!

Three Days, Three Quotes; Challenge Tag Day 3

Hello again! My awesome friend Ellen, from Eveningreads, tagged me to do the Three Days, Three Quotes tag and we’re on final day, day 3! Thanks three times, sweeting!

Just remembering the tag rules:

Rules
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day. (I just started the blog, so I’ll be nominating only one person per day, okay? Sorry ><)

My last quote comes from a book I’ve read last year, called The Devil’s Grin, first book of the Anna Kronberg Thriller, by Annelie Wendeberg. I’m sorry I didn’t take note of the book page, but here we have it:

“But each friend will provide a different angle of our character, and we would be lucky to find one who is able to see the whole picture and still respect all of it.”

And my last victm to be tagged will be dear Aetheristrux, from The Amazing Life of a Bookworm 😀

Thanks for reading and you can check Day one and Day two, if you’d like!

Hanayome wa Oku-san, from Yuki Shimizu

Hello, everyone! Some days ago I was having troubles to sleep, so I decided to pick up a one shot manga to pass my time and tire my eyes. I found a perfect manga by chance, that was Hanayome wa Oku-san, from Yuki Shimizu. The title can be translated into “Oku-san, The Bride”.

The manga is very short, with only two chapters, but it was enough to steal my heart. The main characters, Nana and Oku (not my favorite Japanese names, but one can’t have everything), met at college, where Nana was known as The Prince of Good Fortune, as any girl who slept with him was said to have all her wishes granted. Oku had a crush on him, so, one day, he asks Nana to sleep with him, as he was in need of some luck in his life – or so he tells Nana.

After that one time of passion, Oku quits college and had to change his life, to never see Nana again. Until they end up working at the same place.

Their workplace was a wedding venue called “White Bell”. It had two chapels, a smaller one and a big one, both with gardens, a room for the couple spend their nuptials and what they called “The Pride of White Bell”, their wedding dresses collection. It counted with lots of dresses signed by international stylists, so it was the highlight of the venue.

Both Nana and Oku were assistants, available for the marring couple, helping to make all the decisions and preparations, both before and on the special day. Nana was the most requested one, as his “prince aura” never left him. The White Bell wasn’t functioning in all its capacities yet and it was only a matter of time for Nana to quit the place – and that was killing Oku. He knew that, after the fake wedding presentation for potential customers, it would be over again.

What both men didn’t know was who would turn out to be the groom and bride of this fake weeding 🙂

Now, before anything else, I have to praise Shimizu-sensei’s art. Her traces are just gorgeously beautiful! I love lean and masculine men, with delicate drawing like Matsuri Hino’s and Kaori Yuki’s. It’s neat and perfect ❤

aren’t they perfect? ❤

Short and sweet, with the right amount of drama, lots of romance and a perfect end, Hanayome wa Oku-san is an awesome reading for yaoi/boys love lovers, like me 🙂

That’s it! Thanks for reading 😀 Do you also like yaoi mangas?

Review: All In With The Duke, from Ava March (Gambling on Love, #1)

Warning: this book is about a male homosexual romance in the 19^th century. If you don’t like this gender, you should stop here 🙂

Hello, guys! Today I’ll review one of my favorite books all-time and one of the May Favorites, once I started my Instagram account before the blog (by the way, follow me :D). All In With The Duke is the first book of the Gambling on Love series and the last one, Viscount’s Wager, will be released on August 10^th, so I’m going nuts, haha!

my precious baby ❤

The book tells us the story of Max, a duke who suffered a huge amorous deception and decided to never love again. Max is not the kind that falls often, but when he does, he dives in deeply and Johnathan, his former lover, left and blackmailed him. After such a disaster, Max shuts himself down for other relationships and only considers it again after his friend Rawling thousand nudges. All Rawling’s sweating wasn’t in vain and Max goes to Rubbicon, a brothel, that his friend assured him that could fulfill any wish Max had.

There, Max mets Tristan, a young man that has a giant debt with the owner of the place and a closet larger than Paris Hilton’s. Ok, just kidding, but he loves clothes ❤ Their first night together is explosive, even with just hands and mouths involved. Max gets addicted to Tristan’s body in the act and Tristan was shocked to realize that he wanted very badly to see Max again – and he usually couldn’t care less about who was on top of him.

Used to controlling everything beyond his reach, Max believes that he has power to control heart as well, so he makes an indecent proposition to Tristan that would change their lifes for good.

It’s one of the bests M/M historical romances I’ve ever read. Ava is the kind of writer who shares the characters’ love with the readers, you know? Their feelings are so true, so intense, so hot that you can feel it on your skin while reading, it’s pure magic. I loved Max since the first scene. I have a weak spot for powerful and confident men who know exactly what they want. He was so manly and unpredictable that it was love at first read, haha! Tristan also surprised me a lot: I thought he was going to be submissive and frail, but he has an unbreakable spirit – I dare to say, even stronger than Max’s. The plot is brilliant and almost gave me several heart attacks – thanks to the mutual stubbornness of the couple.

Another great point is the lovemaking. Their nights together were pure art, romance and with not even a hint of vulgarity. However, I have to say that this is a trademark of Ava’s: her characters always burn with such a passion that the reader feels like he belongs with then, right there. There were also some scenes that led me to tears – some of pain, some of joy, as I wasn’t seeing any way for them to be together with their differences. We also get to know Jack, one of the protagonists of the second book in the trilogy, which is pretty cool 🙂 I love this kind of book where there the stories are all happening at the same time, but you have a different perspective at each time – Grace Burrowes also does that greatly.

That’s it, guys! Thanks for reading 🙂 Did you know Ava March or read this book?