Saturday 30 April 2016

April Wrap Up

What a stressful month. I feel like all I've done in April was work, work, work. Oh and maybe train a little, but not much more. It's sad how little freetime I have at the moment and I hope that'll change soon, but at work we've got high season right now and I'm putting in so many extra hours. I feel so exhausted. None the less, I managed to finish three books this month. Also I think I've ever been to the cinema so often in such a short time. There are just too many good movies coming out this year and thank god did I purchase a membership at the cinema. This way I get cheaper entries.

BOOKS READ


  

1. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

CURRENTLY READING



City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

2016 READING CHALLENGES UPDATE


Goodreads Reading Challenge
Progress 20/30 (67%)
Flights of Fantasy Challenge
Progress 6/10 (60%)
Dystopia Reading Challenge
Progress 5/10 (50%)

MOVIE & TV SERIES REVIEWS


    




Blog Recap


In case you missed it here's a recap of this month's posts and Reviews.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review
❥ Waiting On Wednesday featuring Gemina
❥ My first Movie Review of Allegiant
So Many Books To Read Yet So Little Time
❥ Waiting On Wednesday featuring Tales of the Shadowhunting Academy
A Shadowhunters Week - my first theme week
❥ Day I of #ShadowhuntersWeek with a Book Review of City of Ashes
❥ Day II of #ShadowhuntersWeek with Shadowhunters Season One Review Part I
❥ Waiting On Wednesday featuring The Hidden Oracle
❥ Day III of #ShadowhuntersWeek with 5 LOL Moments in Lady Midnight
❥ Day IV of #ShadowhuntersWeek with Shadowhunters Season One Review Part II
❥ My April Movie Highlights featuring 3 movies I watched this month

INSTAGRAMMING


 

CURRENTLY WATCHING


    

Jane The Virgin Season 2 - Marvel's Agents of Shield Season 3 - Stitchers Season 2 - The 100 Season 3 - The Vampire Diaries Season 7

NEWS AROUND THE BLOG


‣ I've decided to not only post book reviews. From now on I'll also be posting Movie and TV shows reviews because honestly, that's what I spend my time freetime with. I'd love to exchange my thoughts about the things I love with you and hope you're okay with that. This blog is still and always will be a book blog, but now including the cinematic world a little.

I'd like to know

What have you done this month? What have you been up to? How many and what books did you read? Any special blog posts I should still check out if I haven't seen them yet? Let me know! :)

Friday 29 April 2016

April Movie Highlights

Hey there lovelies! Today I'm going to skip #ShadowhuntersWeek post because honestly I just haven't come up with a good idea what to tell you guys, and I don't want to just make up a post in a rush (I'm still reading for the ReadAThon though!). That's why I've got another treat for you. These are all the movies I've seen this month that I think are worth mentioning and I hope you'll enjoy my reviews! One other movie I've seen in April and I really loved is Allegiant which you can read my review of here. Hope you'll have a nice Friday and maybe you'll watch one of these movies in your local theatre tonight?!


About the movie

Title: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Release: March 2016
Rated: PG12
My Rating:

IMDB Summary

Batman and Superman clash over differing philosophies about what kind of heroism is needed to protect the world, while the public they're defending is becoming increasingly mindful of the damage that superheroes and masked vigilantes cause. However, the duo are soon forced to confront an even greater threat created by nefarious billionaire Lex Luthor.


My Review


I entered the cinema with a lot of hesitation. From the moment I first heard this movie was going to be planned I was a little concerned. Already in the comics I didn't like the idea behind this plot at all. And now on the big screen? Things could only go wrong... Or so I thought. The movie in fact was really great! Ben Affleck actually isn't that bad a Batman. Althogh I'm still and always will be Team Superman! Honestly, I do not like Henry Cavill's version of him at all though. Already Man of Steel didn't convince me at all. But the special effects in this movie were stunning! With today's 3D glasses I actually thought that the buildings were going to tumble down onto me and I really enjoyed the 4D effects from the seats in front of us that shook us, too.

Now, back to the movie. Although I don't like these adaptations of superheroes (I'm more of a Brandon Routh fangirl) I think the mix matched perfectly together. They just all seem a little harder and darker and I think that's what DC was looking for. More drama, more heartbreaks. Oh and how my heart was broken at the end of the movie. I cried for the entire last 20 minutes (silently, though I think some other cinema-goers noticed). And of course, what kind of superheroes movie would it be nowadays if it didn't end with a cliffhanger? I'm really excited about Wonder Woman! Finally she's getting her own movie, and hopefully they'll continue the story there? Because they can't just leave it as it is now!




About the movie

Title: The 5th Wave
Director: J Blakeson
Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Matthew Zuk, Gabriela
Lopez, Nick Robinson
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Release: January 2016
Rated: PG12
My Rating:

IMDB Summary

Four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth in ruin. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal fifth wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope - if she can only trust him.


My Review


Yes, I know this movie has been out for a while now, but hear me out. Somehow my country decided not to show this movie in the theatres? I have absolutely no idea why, but that's the reason I couldn't go watch The 5th Wave, which I'd been awaiting for such a long time in the cinema. So I had to wait until I could watch it online and this month I finally could. I really liked this adaptation although there were a few little things that bothered me. But that's always the case if you're a big fan of a book, right? Anyway, all in all it was greatly done! One of my favourite scenes of the book didn't make it into the movie, which was a little disappointing, but I can't change it right? I'm talking about one of the last chapters where Cassy and Ben are caught in the room with the mirror and Sammy is on the other side. And then Evan saves the day. Instead we get quite an awkward situation where Ben just gets to watch Evan and Cassy make out... Still not complaining, though.

This movie showed great potential and I really hope they're going to continue with the series. I want to know how they'll explain the whole 'alien' situation because they kind of screwed that part up. I mean, did the writers even consider the second book in the trilogy? Or did they just think they'd just take Book one and then go their own way...?




About the movie

Title: The Huntsman: Winter's War
Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama
Release: April 2016
Rated: PG12
My Rating:

IMDB Summary

As a war between rival queen sisters Ravenna and Freya escalates, Eric and fellow warrior Sara, members of the Huntsmen army raised to protect Freya, try to conceal their forbidden love as they combat Ravenna's wicked intentions.


My Review


I don't even know where to start. This movie was so great and thrilling from the very beginning. I must confess that I didn't really enjoy The Huntsman and Snow White although I've seen it twice already (I think both times early this year). I got confused for a short while during the film because I thought it would be a prequel to the first movie, but instead it was kind of a mash-up. It started years before the happenings of Snow White when Eric played by Chris Hemsworth was still a kid and recruited by the Ice Queen. And then we were catapulted into the future after the story of Snow. When I realised this I felt bad for my friend who watched the movie with me because he hadn't seen the first movie yet, but for no reason at all. He could keep up with the contents and understood everything perfectly without needing more explaining. So you don't have to watch Snow White at all to understand Winter's War.

The storyline was quite intersting, although predictable at some points. I still enjoyed it, though, and I think those predictable moments actually gave the whole movie more tension. The ending was great! (But I'm not going to spoil you, so I'll just leave it there... All I'm gonna say is: I love it, when the "villain" of a story turns out to have a heart and actually really had good motives in the depths of her heart.) I wish I could rewatch this movie already. I'm definitely going to buy it on DVD. Oh and can I just add: I loved the gowns and gears the cast got to wear. Emily Blunt's warderobe was absolutely stunning! All her dresses looked so beautiful on her and I just keep dreaming of wearing such a gown one day.

I'd like to know

Has April been as much of a movie month for you as it has for me? What was your favourite movie? Are there upcoming movies you're excited about?




Thursday 28 April 2016

Shadowhunters Season One Review II


We've reached Day #4 of my Shadowhunters Week. I do hope you guys are enjoying yourself as much as I am. As promised here's part II of my Shadowhunters Review. This post will be all about the cast and characters. If you're interested in reading my review about the episodes and show itself then head over to Part I


My Opinion on


Katherine McNamara - Clary Fray
From the moment I heard that Kat would be playing Clary I was very excited. To be honest, she looks exactly like I imagined Clary. I love how eager Kat is to do her role justice and although I noticed that she wasn't a very experienced actress before, I think she's doing a great job. You can already see how much she's evolved in season one and I think Kat will be able to really bloom in this role. As for Clary I'm still not quite sure if I actually like her or not in the show. Sometimes she just appears way too confused, hesitant or too direct for me to really like her. I can't wait to see what season two brings for her. I really love the fact, however, that she knows what she wants also does anything to get that (for example she's the one who initiated the kiss... just saying).


Dominic Sherwood - Jace Wayland
Confession: I wasn’t and still am not very happy with Dom as Jace. Do not get me wrong! I think Dom is a great actor and I like him a lot, but he’s not the Jace I imagined. Also, I think he just brings a natural hardness to the character that will make it difficult for him to show Jace’s soft sides and easily breakable heart… In my opinion, show Jace is way too aggressive. He doesn’t hesitate in blaming anyone and in quite the hurtful way and I’m not convinced by his act at all. I think Dom is doing his best and a great job at it, but I just don’t like this version of Jace.

Matthew Daddario - Alec Lightwood
MATT! Okay, where do I start? Is there even anything else to say than that Matt is absolutely gorgeous and perfect? Seriously, he’s the biggest reason for me to keep watching the show no matter what. He’s my sunshine. No, but really, I think Matt is the perfect Alec and I love his acting so much! It doesn’t hurt that now Alec has become my all-time favourite character in the Shadowhunter series (including the books). I think we’ve already seen Alec evolve so much during season one I wonder if there’s still anything left for season 2?

Emeraude Toubia - Isabelle Lightwood
How is it possible for a woman to be so perfect? I love Emeraude and her version of Isabelle and it’s the only one I can think of at all from now on. I love how she’s mature, beautiful and intelligent. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for her brother and how much she really loves Alec just softens my heart every time. We just all need to appreciate Emeraude so much more and I can’t believe that there were actually a lot of people who doubted her just because she’s Latina. I mean, come on, really?

Harry Shum Jr. - Magnus Bane
Who makes the absolute best facial expressions on the entire show? This guy! It cracks me up every single time and I just love pausing scenes with Magnus just to see what kind of face he’s making. I’ve been a big fan of Harry ever since Step Up because he’s an amazing dancer and seeing him in a role as Magnus just brings me so much joy (god is this post really going to be so cheesy for me to constantly keep using such phrases?). In the books I had some difficulties liking Magnus, but in the show he grew on me instantly and he has become one of my absolute favourite characters. But I still feel like he came on way too strong onto Alec.

Alberto Rosende - Simon Lewis
Simon has always been one of my favourites in the books and so I was a little concerned about his adaptation. But for no reason because Alberto just portrayed him so perfectly I can’t even remember how else I imagined Simon before. I think Alberto is a really great actor and for his first big role (I think?) he’s overdone himself and put a lot of the other actors in the background with his acting skills. He’s got so many different talents and I can’t wait for him to show us more. All in all, Simon is still in my top 5 characters on the show. I do think, though, that he could have become a vampire a little later on so that the writers could have explored his human nature first more thorough to the extent of making his transformation more dramatic.

Isaiha Mustafa - Lucian Graymark
If I could choose a god parent from the show I’d choose Isaiha without hesitating. He’s got all the qualities you’d want from an older friend / relative / guardian and he portrays Luke so great. We’ve seen different sides of Luke on the show and it has become clear that he carries more weight as a character than in the book and I’m really okay with that. I hope they will explore this even further in the second season.

Short recap of side characters

The character that surprised me the most was Raphael or better David Castro. Seriously, he’s too hot to be a vampire who can never feel warm or cold anymore. I really disliked him in the books, but in the show he’s such a great character! You can see that he actually cares what happens around him and to be honest I’m not that far away of shipping Saphael (Simon/Raphael)… I think Meliorn is a really interesting character and I want to see a lot more of him. Maybe as we’ll be introduced to the Seelie Queen next season, we’ll even meet more faeries. I distaste Camille so much (but I think Kaitlyn Leeb is doing a great job playing her), maybe even more so than Valentine. Which reminds me: does anybody else only see King Henry when Alan van Sprang appears on screen or is that just me? I can’t seem to shake my memories of Reign off. Max Lightwood played by Jack Fulton is just the cutest! It hurts me so bad knowing what should happen to him, but I mean they could change things in the show, right? I really like the fact that Maxim Roy and Kat actually look alike which makes it so much easier for me to like her role as Jocelyn. I wonder why they decided to wake her up so early already. Does that mean we’re not going to see Idris? I have become very fond of Lydia Branwell and hope to see Stephanie Bennett return as this character. This could be a possibility to explore more Shadowhunter families which I’d love to see! Not everything has to be as they were in the books. That’s the beauty of screen play. There’s so much more space to explore.

  

I'd like to know

What did you think of the cast and characters of Shadowhunters? Were you as satisfied as I was? Who is your favourite actor/actress or your favourite character? Who would you like to see in season 2 more?

Wednesday 27 April 2016

5 LOL Moments in Lady Midnight


It's aready Day #2 of my Shadowhunters week. How time flies by. Sadly I haven't had that much time to read a lot of City of Glass but I'm getting there. I get emotionally attached to the books I read. I cry, I smile and sometimes I just laugh out loud. I want to share some of those moments with you guys so we can laugh together (this will probably work better if you've read the book, but if you haven't: beware of spoilers! But who knows, maybe I can draw out a smile or giggle of you anyway).

 
Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare is the new book in the Shadowhunting series. It's the beginning of a new trilogy that's set 5 years after the happenings of City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6).

Check out my review!

5 LAUGH OUT LOUD MOMENTS


1. I hope I’m not the only one that just assumed that the new High Warlock of Los Angeles would also be gay. Well, he clearly told us that was not the case which was my first laugh-out-loud moment in this book.
Livvy: “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” “I’m straight,” Malcom, said, looking surprised. - p.100
2. Although the death (if you can actually call it a death since it never was a real living thing) of a magical creature always hurts, Emma’s attestation and mocking of the Fairy-language just made me giggle.
”Thy steed is no more, methinks,” Emma said to him. - p.226
3. I mean sure it must be hard to adapt to the human world after being away in Fairy for such a long time as Mark has. But this behaviour was just ridiculous. If I had to apologize to every inanimate object I bumped into, it would take me twice as long to get from A to B.
”You need to act more like a normal human being,” said Jules. “When we’re out in public.” “He doesn’t need to act normal,” said Ty sharply. “He bumped into a pay phone and said, ‘Excuse me, miss,’ on our way in,” said Julian. “It’s polite to apologize,” said Mark with the same small smile. “Not to inanimate objects.” - p.277
4. The fact that Ty actually managed to capture a skunk and hide it in his room. I think for that action alone he should be allowed to keep the animal until he realises by himself that it's not the best idea he ever had.
Tavvy discovered Ty had been hiding a skunk in his room and started screaming. Livvy was busy convincing Ty to release the skunk back into the wild; Ty thought the fact that he and Livvy had translated the Poe lines meant he’d earned the right to keep the skunk. - p.314
5. How the twins managed to convince Mark that going half naked to a party meant semi-formal still makes me giggle. Seriously, Mark, it hasn’t been that long.
Julian blinked, not quite believing his eyes. His older brother seemed to be wearing a long, slightly ratty fake-fur coat – and nothing else. […] His legs were bare. His feet were bare. Julian was 99 percent sure all of him was bare except for the coat, which was fairly loose. It was more of Mark than Julian had seen since they’d shared a bedroom when he was two. - p.322

I'd like to know

What's your reaction to this new kind of post? Would you like to see it again in the future with other books I read? When you read Lady Midnight, did you laugh at the same scenes I did? Do you even have more scenes then please quote them or tell me the page number in your comment.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Hidden Oracle

"Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by ;Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."


My choice for this week is The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo) by Rick Riordan
Expected Publication Date: May 3rd 2016



Goodreads Summary

How do you punish an immortal? By making him human. After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour. But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.


Why I'm so excited about this book?


I love love love the Percy Jackson series! I still have to read the Heroes of Olympia series, but I know that I will definitely read this book as well! It's fun thinking about Apollo becoming a human. I mean, him bothering Percy and all, we all know there's going to be a lot of drama (and sassy Percy moments!). Can't wait to get to this.


Other books by Rick Riordan



Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (My Review)

I'd like to know

What's your WoW today? Don't forget to link me up to your post so I can check them out down below in the comments. :)

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Shadowhunters Season One Review I

Welcome to Day #2 of my Shadowhunters Week. Today I'm going to share with you part I of my Shadowhunters TV review. There's so much to talk about that I just had to split it up into two parts and I hope you'll have enough to discuss about with me in the comments. So in today's Part I we will be talking about the episodes of the series. The details of the cast and characters will be discussed in the second part of the review which will be up later this week. Enjoy!


About the TV series

Title: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Creator: Ed Decter
Cast: Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende and many more
Based on: the books by Cassandra Clare
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Drama, Romance
Start Date: January 13th 2016
Rated: PG 13
Run Time: 42 minutes
My Rating:

IMDB Summary

Clary Fray is a normal teenager living in Brooklyn with her mother. One day, she discovers that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters; humans born with angelic blood that fight to protect our world from demons. After her mother is kidnapped, Clary must team up with three Shadowhunters: Jace, Alec and Isabelle and her best friend Simon on a quest to find her mother and recover her past.


Monday 25 April 2016

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes

Welcome to the official (very spontanious) Shadowhunters Week here on my blog. To start of I'd like to share with you my review of City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) which I finished rereading last week. This book does not count as part of my readathon, but should inspire me (and maybe you) to read more in the series.

About the novel

Title: City of Ashes
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Magic
Published: March 25th 2008
Read: Reread: April 2016, Read first: 2014
My Rating: 

My Copy

Publisher: Walker Books
Cover: Paperback
Purchase Location: Can't remember :(



Goodreads Summary

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father. To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father? In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.


Sunday 24 April 2016

A Shadowhunters Week

Today is a special day. Not only is this my first real post in a long time, but also I'd like to invite you all to join me in spending this entire next week (25th April - 1st May) dedicating it to the awesome fantasy world created by Cassandra Clare. For all of you, who aren't big Shadowhunters fans, don't worry, there'll also be some posts up this week non-related to this topic. But everyday there'll be a new post about my favourite fantasy world at the moment. I've been obsessing over it for two months now (more than before) and I'd like to talk to you guys about it. I hope you guys will join me in this. How you can do that? Either read some books of The Mortal Instruments & The Infernal Devices series or read some short stories by Clare and post your reviews on goodreads or your blog. Or you can talk about the show or anything else related to Cassandra Clare. Either way, just tell me about your thoughts on this franchise. 

WHAT I'VE GOT IN STORE FOR YOU


‣ So my plan is to read all things Clare this week. I've started rereading TMI this year and I want to get ahead on my schedule. So far I reread the first two books in the series and I want to continue. This week my goal will be to read as much as I can (although my time is limited because I'm very busy at work). If you want to join me, just write down your plans for your shadowhunter Readathon this week and I'll be happy to keep up with your process! 

‣ I finally want to talk to you about Shadowhunters the TV series that I absolutely love. My review will be up this week (probably divided into parts because there’s so much to talk about).

‣ There will also be a few fun posts up that I haven’t quite decided on yet. I’m thinking about a 5 LOL Moments in Lady Midnight post and maybe some other fun stuff. If you’ve got any other ideas, please tell me.


WHAT YOU CAN DO


Well, this week is quite spontanious, so it would be great if you'd help spread the word about it! If you do, why don't you use the hashtag #ShadowhuntersWeek either on Twitter or Instagram. That's what I'll be doing. Let as many people know about this week and how they can join, so that we can meet new people and talk about our favourite thing (well at least for this week): Shadowhunters! I'd be happy to see all your book reviews, TV reviews and other posts related to this franchise and I hope you'll link them up. It doesn't matter if they're old posts or new ones! Just show your work and have fun. Maybe you'll even want to participate in the Readathon? You don't have to read only books by Clare, but you can set your own goal. Doesn't matter if it's one short story, or a book or more. Just read! :)

I'd like to know

So starting today, let's do this. Will you join me? I wish you a wonderful shadowhuntery week!

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Waiting On Wednesday: Tales of the Shadowhunting Academy

"Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by ;Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."


My choice for this week is Tales of the Shadowhunting Academyby Cassandra Clare
Expected Publication Date: November 15th 2016




Goodreads Summary

The New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling collection of short stories chronicling the adventures of Simon Lewis as he trains to become a Shadowhunter is now available in print for the first time with ten brand-new comic illustrations! Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be. But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D. Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the fan who just can’t get enough of the Shadowhunters.


Why I'm so excited about this book?


Well, some of you might have noticed that I'm a really huge fan of the Shadowhunting world created by Clare and that I've been obsessing over it for the past few months now. My hunger for new information and stories from my beloved characters is nearly impossible to still and I really, really hope that there are many more books to come. Sadly I haven't been able to read these short stories yet as I don't have an e-reader (yet), but I can't wait to get a physical copy of all the stories together.


Check out my reviews of some of Cassandra's books


  

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1), Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) & The Bane Chronicles

  
Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince & Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices Trilogy)

I'd like to know

What's your WoW today? Don't forget to link me up to your post so I can check them out down below in the comments. :)

Monday 18 April 2016

So many books to read yet so little time

Today, I'd like to talk to you guys a little. I haven't been active in the past two weeks really and I haven't posted anything in that time. The reason for that is that I had to work a lot (I had to work for 12 days straight and this weekend was the first time I got some free time for myself again. So, it's not far to fetch that I haven't been able to read either.

I'm really disappointed about this, but also too tired to really care. I tried catching up a little on the internet this weekend, but all I really did was watching all the tv shows I missed and catching up on a few older ones. I might have to say that I got caught up in a little reading slump which is sad because I started rereading such a great book, which doesn't deserve to be tossed into a corner unfinished.

I’m going to try to read more now, because I hope to have a little more time again, but honestly, I just have so much work to do at the moment that I don’t think I’ll be really able to concentrate on City of Ashes right at the moment. Or any book for the matter. I had this huge plan to read a lot of books in April, but I’m just not going to be able to do so. There are so many great books in my shelves waiting to be read and I just feel so bad for them for not doing so. Also, I’m really struggling about my promise to myself not to buy any books that aren’t new releases because of my too big TBR pile at home.

So what I’d really like to know from you guys is how you’d go about a situation like this? Do you have any tricks or tips how to manage your free time next to your work/school schedule? How do you get out of a small reading slump if you actually really like the book you’re trying to read? I’m open to any suggestions that might help me get this situation under control because I just feel like I’m wasting my time and I’m not doing anything besides work and training.


I'm currently reading:



City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

Friday 8 April 2016

Movie Review: Allegiant


About the movie

Title: Allegiant (The Divergent Series #3.1)
Director: Robert Schwentke
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Naomi Watts, Miles Teller
Genres: Mystery, Science-Fiction, Dystopia
Release: March 2016
Rated: 14+
My Rating:

IMDB Summary

After the earth-shattering revelations of INSURGENT, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths. Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a ruthless battle ignites beyond the walls of Chicago which threatens all of humanity. In order to survive, Tris will be forced to make impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love


Wednesday 6 April 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: Gemina

"Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating."


My choice for this week is Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff



Goodreads Summary

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed. Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik Malikov the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion. When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own surivival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands. But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.


Why I'm so excited about this book?


I just finished reading Illuminae last Saturday and I really liked it! Now with the cliffhanger at the end of the book, those who have read it already will understand why I^'m anticipating the next book in the trilogy so much. Also, the summary sounds so good! Can't wait to read more about this great sci-fi story and I really want some more of AIDAN's POV (I never thought that I'd be reading from a computer's point of view on day).


Other books in the series



Illumine (#1) (My Review)

I'd like to know

What's your WoW today? Don't forget to link me up to your post so I can check them out down below in the comments. :)

Monday 4 April 2016

Book Review: Illuminae


About the novel

Title: Illuminae
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Genres: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Action, Space
Published: Release Date
Read: October 22nd 2015
My Rating: 

My Copy

Publisher: One World Publications
Cover: Paperback
Purchase Location: Kinokunyia, Singapore


Goodreads Summary

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again. Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.