Okay, so I'm suffering from a lack of motivation when it comes to Firework so I'm starting a new project: Time Catchers. I don't have a plot yet, but once I do, I'll post the blurb on here.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Monday, 11 April 2011
Music Monday: 11th April 2011
This week's song is Down on My Head by Yellowcard.
I picked it because the album it's on - Lights and Sounds - was my recent writing music, and this is my favourite song on it.
I picked it because the album it's on - Lights and Sounds - was my recent writing music, and this is my favourite song on it.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Review: THE DUFF by KODY KEPLINGER
Blurb:
Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames him “the Duff”, she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
The DUFF is a sexy, honest story that kept me reading and that is a fine example that the best young adult novels are the ones that deal with real-life in a frank manner. The plot focuses on Bianca, who, after kissing him, starts a sexual relationship with her enemy Wesley Rush to escape the problems at home and with exes. But by the end, she realises that things aren’t as simple as she thought they would be at first. It is a witty, red-hot plot filled with so much tension that the first time I read it, I just had to keep on reading, just so I could find out what happened next, and at the end, my heart cheered!
Bianca is a sassy, cool main character that I really connected to. She is real and honest and amazing. Wesley, her love/hate interest, is a total asshole, but a sexy one at that, and I can’t help but root for him and Bianca. I just think they’re kind of perfect together, even though they’re both completely fucked up and crazy. Jessica and Casey, Bianca’s two best friends, are the sort of friends I wished I had when I was younger. They’re cool, funny, crazy and loyal. Toby Tucker, excuse the awful alliteration, is Bianca’s adorable, dorky love interest. And when I say he’s adorable, I mean he’s really adorable. Like, little lost puppy adorable. Bianca’s mum and dad are as equally as fucked up as the kids and add the edginess that makes this novel so honest and real.
The novel is written in first person from Bianca’s point of view, and I love her voice. It’s sassy, honest and even funny at times. The language used fits Bianca’s snarky, pessimistic view on life perfectly. And it helped me connect with Bianca, because I think I talk like that a lot of the time! And I’m sure there’s a lot of female readers who would feel exactly the same way!
To be honest, this is one of the few books that I couldn’t find any major flaws in. And just confirm, I can definitely see this becoming a future young adult fiction classic.
Rating: 10/10
Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames him “the Duff”, she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
The DUFF is a sexy, honest story that kept me reading and that is a fine example that the best young adult novels are the ones that deal with real-life in a frank manner. The plot focuses on Bianca, who, after kissing him, starts a sexual relationship with her enemy Wesley Rush to escape the problems at home and with exes. But by the end, she realises that things aren’t as simple as she thought they would be at first. It is a witty, red-hot plot filled with so much tension that the first time I read it, I just had to keep on reading, just so I could find out what happened next, and at the end, my heart cheered!
Bianca is a sassy, cool main character that I really connected to. She is real and honest and amazing. Wesley, her love/hate interest, is a total asshole, but a sexy one at that, and I can’t help but root for him and Bianca. I just think they’re kind of perfect together, even though they’re both completely fucked up and crazy. Jessica and Casey, Bianca’s two best friends, are the sort of friends I wished I had when I was younger. They’re cool, funny, crazy and loyal. Toby Tucker, excuse the awful alliteration, is Bianca’s adorable, dorky love interest. And when I say he’s adorable, I mean he’s really adorable. Like, little lost puppy adorable. Bianca’s mum and dad are as equally as fucked up as the kids and add the edginess that makes this novel so honest and real.
The novel is written in first person from Bianca’s point of view, and I love her voice. It’s sassy, honest and even funny at times. The language used fits Bianca’s snarky, pessimistic view on life perfectly. And it helped me connect with Bianca, because I think I talk like that a lot of the time! And I’m sure there’s a lot of female readers who would feel exactly the same way!
To be honest, this is one of the few books that I couldn’t find any major flaws in. And just confirm, I can definitely see this becoming a future young adult fiction classic.
Rating: 10/10
Monday, 4 April 2011
Music Monday: 4th April 2011
This week's song is Pretty Handsome Awkward by The Used.
I picked it because I think it fits Will's feelings towards the bullies in the part that I'm writing at the moment. That is all I am saying. ;)
I picked it because I think it fits Will's feelings towards the bullies in the part that I'm writing at the moment. That is all I am saying. ;)
Friday, 1 April 2011
Announcement
Okay, so I know I said that I wouldn't be doing anymore writing until I finished all of my coursework, but I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, so I decided to have a flexible plan, where most of the day, I will do coursework, and I will write from 9PM until bed, whenever that is each night. Of course, that means that Music Mondays are back on, starting this Monday coming up! Yay!
Monday, 28 March 2011
Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF GLASS by CASSANDRA CLARE
Blurb:
Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?
City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, and is in the same sexy, dramatic and addictive vein as the previous two – City of Bones and City of Ashes.
The plot begins a few weeks after the events of City of Ashes. There is the continuation of the romantic subplot that has been going on since City of Bones, but the focus of the main plot, which is set in Idris, the home of the Shadowhunters, is on whether or not the Shadowhunters should fight with the Downworlders (vampires, warlocks, faeries and werewolves) against Valentine, who is trying to change the world of Shadowhunters to something that he thinks is a better world, or against them completely. By the end of the book, it is revealed what the Clave, the Shadowhunter government, decide to do, and whether or not they follow through with the plans they have made.
The characters are still as sexy, fierce and amazing as they were in City of Bones and City of Ashes. Especially Jace, of course. Can you tell I’m in love with him yet? Clary and Simon are still one of the perfect examples of friendship for me, and Alec and Isabelle are still ultra-fantastic supporting characters, as are Luke, Magnus and Jocelyn. There is another villain added to the mix – teenager Sebastian. He is equally as clever, manipulative and vinvidictive as Valentine, and makes the perfect sidekick.
I am going to be completely honest here. I couldn’t find anything wrong with City of Bones at all. Not even the beginning or the end!
Rating: 10/10
Amid the chaos of war, the Shadowhunters must decide to fight with the vampires, werewolves and other Downworlders – or against them. Meanwhile, Jace and Clary have their own decision to make: should they pursue the love they know is forbidden?
City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, and is in the same sexy, dramatic and addictive vein as the previous two – City of Bones and City of Ashes.
The plot begins a few weeks after the events of City of Ashes. There is the continuation of the romantic subplot that has been going on since City of Bones, but the focus of the main plot, which is set in Idris, the home of the Shadowhunters, is on whether or not the Shadowhunters should fight with the Downworlders (vampires, warlocks, faeries and werewolves) against Valentine, who is trying to change the world of Shadowhunters to something that he thinks is a better world, or against them completely. By the end of the book, it is revealed what the Clave, the Shadowhunter government, decide to do, and whether or not they follow through with the plans they have made.
The characters are still as sexy, fierce and amazing as they were in City of Bones and City of Ashes. Especially Jace, of course. Can you tell I’m in love with him yet? Clary and Simon are still one of the perfect examples of friendship for me, and Alec and Isabelle are still ultra-fantastic supporting characters, as are Luke, Magnus and Jocelyn. There is another villain added to the mix – teenager Sebastian. He is equally as clever, manipulative and vinvidictive as Valentine, and makes the perfect sidekick.
I am going to be completely honest here. I couldn’t find anything wrong with City of Bones at all. Not even the beginning or the end!
Rating: 10/10
Monday, 21 March 2011
Announcement
This is an announcement that there will be no more Music Mondays or any other posts related to writing for a while. This because I have had to have a writing hiatus until I finish and hand in all of my uni coursework. There will still be reviews though, so I'm not abandoning you completely, don't worry! :)
Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF ASHES by CASSANDRA CLARE
Blurb
Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of demons and Shadowhunters - but can she control her feelings for a boy who can never be hers?
City of Ashes is the second book in The Mortal Instruments series, and is just as sexy and enthralling as City of Bones.
The plot continues pretty soon after the events of City of Bones, and this time the focus is on the relationships between Clary and Valentine and, what seems to be prominent, between Jace and Valentine. This is set against the backdrop of Valentine trying to turn another of the Mortal Instruments - the Soul Sword - so that he can use it for his own means. Whether or not he succeeds is revealed by the end.
Clary is still as down to Earth and sassy as she was in City of Bones, but there seems to be another layer of her personality revealed by the end - the determined, 'fighting' layer. Jace is still unbelievably sexy and charming, and I must confess that I think I am falling in love with him. Alec and Isabelle are still adding another layer to the romantic subplots that were introduced in City of Bones, and the adults, who now include Maryse and Robert Lightwood, Alec's and Isabelle's parents, add a touch of 'real life' that this series' teen audience can relate to - something that confirms this series' ability to become a future fantasy classic.
Just like City of Bones, there was only one thing that annoyed me about City of Ashes. But it wasn't the end this time, it was the beginning. There is a prologue that irritated the hell out of me because I thought that the events in it could've been revealed slowly in the rest of the book.
Rating: 9/10
Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into New York City's terrifying underworld of demons and Shadowhunters - but can she control her feelings for a boy who can never be hers?
City of Ashes is the second book in The Mortal Instruments series, and is just as sexy and enthralling as City of Bones.
The plot continues pretty soon after the events of City of Bones, and this time the focus is on the relationships between Clary and Valentine and, what seems to be prominent, between Jace and Valentine. This is set against the backdrop of Valentine trying to turn another of the Mortal Instruments - the Soul Sword - so that he can use it for his own means. Whether or not he succeeds is revealed by the end.
Clary is still as down to Earth and sassy as she was in City of Bones, but there seems to be another layer of her personality revealed by the end - the determined, 'fighting' layer. Jace is still unbelievably sexy and charming, and I must confess that I think I am falling in love with him. Alec and Isabelle are still adding another layer to the romantic subplots that were introduced in City of Bones, and the adults, who now include Maryse and Robert Lightwood, Alec's and Isabelle's parents, add a touch of 'real life' that this series' teen audience can relate to - something that confirms this series' ability to become a future fantasy classic.
Just like City of Bones, there was only one thing that annoyed me about City of Ashes. But it wasn't the end this time, it was the beginning. There is a prologue that irritated the hell out of me because I thought that the events in it could've been revealed slowly in the rest of the book.
Rating: 9/10
Monday, 14 March 2011
Music Monday: 14th March 2011
This week's song is Umbrella by Vanilla Sky.
I picked it because I think it fits Carlo perfectly. :)
I picked it because I think it fits Carlo perfectly. :)
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Review: THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES by CASSANDRA CLARE
Blurb:
Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City – and the dangers of forbidden love.
Firstly, I must confess that at first I thought that this would be a paranormal romance novel. How wrong I was. City of Bones turned out to be a sexy tale of identity, war and fantasy. Though I don’t know if that’s the best order to put them in. The romance is only a subplot and not the stereotypical sort of forbidden love either, which made me very happy, though it is kind of twisted. But then again, I love it when creative people show the signs of having twisted imaginations.
The story actually focuses on Clary (short for Clarissa) Fray who, when on a night out with her best friend, Simon, she sees two armed boys following another, who has gone into a store room with a girl. These three teenagers turn out to be Jace, Alec and Isabelle. And from that moment onwards, everything changes for her, and we join her on her journey of identity and magic…
The characters are equally as sexy as the plot, especially Jace, who becomes Clary’s love interest. The other teenage characters, Simon, Isabelle and Alec, add a layer of complexity to the romance subplot that makes for enjoyable reading that seems to be hard to find in a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal YA romance novels lately, and the adult characters, Jocelyn, Luke and Hodge, add another layer of complexity to the overall plot. But the complexity works because it is written in such a way that by the end of it, it’s as clear as a new mirror. The antagonist, Valentine, is sinister and clever – a ‘perfect’ villain for such a sexy, sassy novel.
The novel is written in third person, mostly from Clary’s point of view, occasionally from others. It is sassy and clever, just the sort of voice I love in YA when the MC is a girl, but it still has a touch of magic about it that keeps me reading – if it wasn’t a fantasy, I might not have liked it unless it fitted the character – especially when it came to descriptions. The way Clare describes places especially creates vivid images in my mind that seem so darkly magical and fantastic. This is definitely a strong point of hers.
There was just one problem I had: the end. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody, but let’s just say, if it was me, I’d have got rid of the last chapter.
Rating: 9/10
Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City – and the dangers of forbidden love.
Firstly, I must confess that at first I thought that this would be a paranormal romance novel. How wrong I was. City of Bones turned out to be a sexy tale of identity, war and fantasy. Though I don’t know if that’s the best order to put them in. The romance is only a subplot and not the stereotypical sort of forbidden love either, which made me very happy, though it is kind of twisted. But then again, I love it when creative people show the signs of having twisted imaginations.
The story actually focuses on Clary (short for Clarissa) Fray who, when on a night out with her best friend, Simon, she sees two armed boys following another, who has gone into a store room with a girl. These three teenagers turn out to be Jace, Alec and Isabelle. And from that moment onwards, everything changes for her, and we join her on her journey of identity and magic…
The characters are equally as sexy as the plot, especially Jace, who becomes Clary’s love interest. The other teenage characters, Simon, Isabelle and Alec, add a layer of complexity to the romance subplot that makes for enjoyable reading that seems to be hard to find in a lot of urban fantasy/paranormal YA romance novels lately, and the adult characters, Jocelyn, Luke and Hodge, add another layer of complexity to the overall plot. But the complexity works because it is written in such a way that by the end of it, it’s as clear as a new mirror. The antagonist, Valentine, is sinister and clever – a ‘perfect’ villain for such a sexy, sassy novel.
The novel is written in third person, mostly from Clary’s point of view, occasionally from others. It is sassy and clever, just the sort of voice I love in YA when the MC is a girl, but it still has a touch of magic about it that keeps me reading – if it wasn’t a fantasy, I might not have liked it unless it fitted the character – especially when it came to descriptions. The way Clare describes places especially creates vivid images in my mind that seem so darkly magical and fantastic. This is definitely a strong point of hers.
There was just one problem I had: the end. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody, but let’s just say, if it was me, I’d have got rid of the last chapter.
Rating: 9/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)