Saturday, December 3, 2011

YA </div><div>Sisterhood

YA </div><div>Sisterhood

YA </div><div>Sisterhood

Support Cassie Clare at the YA Sisterhood Tournament of Heroines by voting for Tessa, Izzy, or Clary!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Clockwork Prince Giveaway

One thing that I love about book blogging, besides the book news, is the giveaways!! At MundieMoms, you have the chance to win a Walmart edition of the Clockwork Prince, coming out December 6th!!

"Enter to win a copy of Clockwork Prince via @MundieMoms 31 Day CP Celebration http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2011/11/infernal-devices-31-days-of-clockwork_08.html"


Thursday, September 22, 2011

In Review: Clockwork Angel


And now, I come back and review one of my favorite teen books, "Clockwork Angel", the first book in The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, who happens to be the author of The Mortal Instruments as well.

Now, I read this book before I really got into her Mortal Instruments series, and I was happy later on to discover that nothing from the latter series was spoiled at all for me in this book. I was able to follow it easily, and if I had to pick a favorite out of the two series, "Clockwork Angel" would win hands down.

There are several factors that have to do with this decision. The first would be the time period Clare chose to set the book in, the Victorian Era. I happen to be in love with that period of history in England, and I was very pleased with how skillfully the author pulled off setting the book in that time. The characters behaved as Victorian Era citizens would have behaved (with some exceptions, though they are understandable in context), and the amount of research the author put into the book definitely payed off.

The second would have to be the characters. Tessa, the main character of this series, happens to be my favorite over Clary, the heroine of The Mortal Instruments. Tessa, even though she is catapulted into a supernatural world against her will, remains strong and resourceful, considering she was a prisoner in the beginning of the book. She is thoughtful, curious, and well-read, and an all-together intelligent, likeable heroine. Granted, her curiosity does sometimes get her into a sensitive spot, and she can be a bit headstrong, but those flaws help make her more interesting. The boys, Jem and Will, are exceptionally swoon-worthy, and help to form one of the most intense love triangles I've read in a while. I can see the appeal of both boys: Will is the intense & passionate bad boy who can't keep away from Tessa even when he wants to, and Jem is the quiet & gentle good boy who only wants Tessa to be happy. (Although, here I'll be selfish and say that I'm actually rooting for Jem to end up with Tessa in the end, although that may be my bias towards sweet boys and violin playing)

There was a good balance of supernatural monsters, specifically warlocks, vampires, and demons. Faeries and werewolves are also present in this supernatural world, and I can't wait to see more in the sequel, "Clockwork Prince", coming out December 6th.

The book is available for purchase online or at your local bookstore. I definitely recommend this to any paranormal romance fan.


Thursday, September 1, 2011

In Review: Kane Chronicles


I said I would be doing book reviews on here, so I figured I'd start with the books I read most recently, which are "The Red Pyramid" and "Throne of Fire", books 1 and 2 of the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.

Now, if I had to pick a favorite mythology, I'd definitely pick Greek, because I grew up reading those stories and am very familiar with them. So, that was how I had got into Mr. Riordan's first series, The Percy Jackson books. I have to say that I loved those books and how closely they stayed to the original myths while still making themselves original by placing those myths into modern day times.

The Kane Chronicles manage to do that exact same thing, while not coming off as a complete copy of Percy Jackson. It is true that in both series, the main character (or characters as is the case with Sadie and Carter Kane) were completely unaware of their godly heritage, were catapulted into the supposedly mythological world at a time when everything was starting to come undone, and had to embark on a quest to right things while trying to figure out their powers. However, this is a formula that most fantasy novels follow, so I can push this fact aside, especially since Percy's and the Kane siblings' journeys happen in drastically different ways.

For starters, we experience the Kanes' journey as a story in the sense that they've gone through the adventure and are relaying them to use via audio recordings. Mr. Riordan does an amazing job changing the tone of the chapters whenever Carter or Sadie is transcribing their adventures. I could definitely tell a difference between the two narrators, and that makes the story more vivid and exciting.

To be frank, compared to what I knew about Greek mythology, I knew very little about Egyptian mythology. Sure, I knew that they based their gods on the images of animals and that they believed their pharaohs were either descended from the gods or heavenly themselves and I knew the names of a few of their gods. In The Kane Chronicles, the gods and goddesses manage to keep their antiquity and otherworldly dignity while adapting to modern day times (For Example: The cat goddess Bastet wearing a track suit.) This provides both entertainment and an insight into Egyptian mythology that will have the more curious seek out what the myths were truly like.

And last, but not least, the dialogue. The characters often end up bantering back and forth with dialogue that is sure to have you let out a few chuckles. I would recommend the Kane Chronicles for those who are at least in middle school, although there isn't a particular age limit. You can find copies of the books at your local bookstore or online.

My Day with Robin Goodfellow

I'm a big fan of Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, so when she offered this contest, how could I resist? I do love Ash (in a totally platonic way, Meghan, don't worry!), but I'll side with Puck over Ash, because I always had a soft spot for tricksters. :)

I feel that a perfect day can occur in two ways: 1) The day goes exactly as you planned and nothing went wrong, and 2) The end of the day is so awesome that it makes up for anything that went wrong earlier that day. My perfect day would probably be something like option 2, despite the perfectionist I am when it comes to planning.

Now, the day would begin brightly, gloriously. I'd be super excited, but also blushing like mad since I'm a nervous wreck around good looking guys, and of course, Puck would most likely poke fun at the fact that I look like a tomato. Trying to be courteous, I would ask Puck if there was something he'd like to go do first.

Of course, he'd want to go on a trip to the wyldwood, seeing as how he loves that place, and I'd agree (foolish mortal that I am) simply because I want to please him. Oh, and I want to go to the fey realm, also. Through the use of MAGIC, we manage to get there, and we actually enjoy ourselves for a while.

Then, knowing my luck, some disgruntled fey or some hedge wolves would attack, so I'd end up hiding in a tree or behind a bush or something while Puck fends them off. And this would probably end with us running for our lives out of the wyldwood and back to my hometown.

By this time, the day would probably almost be over, so I'd be irritated that it didn't go as I planned. But then (most likely knowing how easily impressed and distracted I am by shiny things), Puck would take me somewhere high in the city that I could see the stars clearly, and not be distracted by the unnatural lights. This would make up for any inconvenience I had suffered, and I would be happy.

As we say goodbye to each other, I work up enough nerve to give him a hug...and then he'd probably try and get me to turn completely red again.

Thus ends my day with Puck. :)

Welcoming

I find introductions on the internet can feel very impersonal if done incorrectly. They can come off as snobbish, vague, high and mighty, or some other disastrous adjective. So, I want to keep mine as short and to the point as I possibly can.

That being said...hi.

This is actually my third blog attempt (I never really caught on before), but I'm determined to try my best with this one. I'll be talking about books I read recently, or maybe even movies if I feel so inclined. I'll do my best to update weekly, but given that I'm a brand new college student, I wouldn't hold myself to that promise.

Now, I feel like explaining the name of my blog. I'm not going to lie; I am a HUGE daydreamer, even in situations where it's more important to remain focused. I love fantasy, mainly for the reason that it takes me away to another place, another world where I can be the best version of myself, or even someone completely different. This may sound a little philosophical or just plain silly, but I feel dreams aspire to be reality for the dreamer, and that's why people are willing to get pulled into them so easily, and never look back.

That's just a little thought of mine. Hopefully I won't be all somber and mystical all the time on here. Well, for those who did read, thank you very much! I hope to see you again!