The Raven Cycle

Books, books and more books! I’m back with a new series of books that you all should read… And this time the chosen ones were The Raven Cycle books writen by Maggie Stiefvater. This series is made up by four books: The Raven Boys; The Dream Thieves; Blue Lily, Lily Blue; and The Raven King.

The plot focus on the story of Blue Sargent, Richard Gansey III, Ronan Lynch and Adam Parrish and their quest to find a long lost sleeping Welsh king called Glendower. Gansey started his quest after he was killed by hornets, which he is fatally allergic to, seven years before. As he was dying, a voice told him that Glendower would let him live because someone else was dying on the ley line when they shouldn’t. So they embarked on this journey together, but there are a few catches… For starters they’re from different worlds.

Blue is the only non-psychic member of a family full of psychics and she has a course over her head… If she kisses her true love, they will die. She never thought this would be a real problem until she sees a boy emerge from the dark and speak to her on the dead walk past. This boy is called Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school who is involved in one of the biggest quests known to men. Then there are Gansey’s Raven Boys: Adam, a scholarship student who resents the privilege that surrounds him; Ronan, the fierce boy whose emotions range from anger to despair and is keeping a big secret from his friends; and Noah, the quiet watcher who notices everything that happens around him.

Although Blue promised herself never to get involved with the Aglionby boys, she takes a chance on these boys and helps them in their quest to find the King that can give them a favour. Along the way these kids become a family, grow up together and learn to love each other with their qualities and flaws.

I had heard mixed reviews when I decided to read this series… There were people that loved the books, others that didn’t liked it much and others that liked, but had some trouble reading the first books. Well, i fit myself in the 3rd category… The 1st book took me way to long to read and I don’t even know why. But then after the middle of the 2nd one, I was more quick and the story really gained so much interest to me. I really liked the magic, dreams and psychic aspects of the books, but mostly I fell in love with these characters and how they related with each other.

I loved to see Blue and Gansey get over the things that separated them and just begin a tentive friendship that later envolved to something more. But then you have Ronan and Adam… They were always so different, but they found a common ground, something to keep them intertwined. These two went through things that only them could have handled, things that made them stronger as individuals, but also together. And finally you have poor, sweet Noah that sees everything and that everyone wants to protect fiercely. Honestly, it was beautiful to read the character development all of them went through!

But there were things that left me a little bit side-eyeing the books. There were some details especially on the last book that weren’t very obvious. In fact, too many threads of the story were left open. This is something i noticed in all the chapters before the epilogue… The story ended in a weird way to me, but then you had the epilogue which solved the mistery a bit for you. But then when you started the next book, you’d feel a little left out and that something was missing. I believe that for me the 4th book misses some details that would give you a little closer of some characters that were also important. For example, the Grey Man plot, Blue’s psychic family, but most importantly Cabeswater and Glendower. Too much to know, so little information about it!

Also just a funny thing I notice, the books were mostly writen from different points-of-view, but I think it’s safe to say that each book focus more in one character’s personal life. For example, and this is probably my personal opinion, but the 1st book focused on Adam’s, the 2nd one on Ronan’s, the 3rd one on Blue’s and the last book focus more on Gansey’s. I don’t know if others felt this way too, but it seems that Maggie high-lighted some aspects in each book connected more to a specific character. In fact, that all relates to the titles of each book. Am I projecting too much? I don’t know, but this is just something that made me think.

So that’s basically it… I hope you take my advice and read these books! You’ll have a bit of everything. Magic, dreams, psychics, love, hate, obsession and a purpose. It’s certaintly a nice read, so go for it 🙂

Thank god for Netflix

I’ve been away for a while, but I’m committed to keep this blog up and running… So here is my first post of 2017!

Last year I focused on reading books and watching tv shows that I always heard good things about or were having good reviews at the time. These are the last four shows that I watched and they came from one of the best inventions of these last few years… Netflix! (They are responsible for the production and distribution of amazing new shows, but also for bringing back shows that were over [*cof bring back Pushing Daisies cof*]).

Orange is the New Black

OITNB is an american comedy/drama television show and has been on air since 2013 and it’s one of the most watched shows on Netflix. The story is based on a true story and tells us how Piper Chapman survives in prison, but mostly this series shows us how to overcome numerous struggles in prison and in life itself. Every episode features flashbacks of important events from an inmate or prison guard past that will explain to us how the inmate got themselves in prison and/or develop the character’s backstory.  Furthermore, the series focus mostly on how corruption, drug smuggling, discrimination, funding cuts, overcrowding and guard brutality have an impact not only on the prisoners’ health and well-being, but also on the prison’s ability to fulfil their responsibilities and ethical obligations. In general I loved the show and found some parts very amusing, but also so grounding. There were moments where you could identify with these prisioners and what they had to do sometimes save themselves. In the last season the subjects addressed became a little bit more dark even ending with two shocking last episodes! Neverthless, I’m very excited to see what the next season will bring us in terms of plot as it ended with a cliffhanger.

Stranger Things

Well this one is the biggest surprise of 2016… Stranger Things is an american science fiction-horror web television series set in the 80s. The first season focus on the disappearence of Will, a 12 years old boy that vanishes mysteriously. With the help of Police Chief Jim Hopper, Will’s mother Joyce launch their own investigation with a little side help from Will’s older brother. In the meanwhile, Will’s friends Dustin, Mike and Lucas discover a psychokinetic girl, Eleven, lost in the woods who claims to know where Will is so they join forces to do some investigation of their own. But as the truth is uncovered, a sinester government organization tries to cover it up, while a more threatening force is lurking close to them. This show was a hit and it received critical acclaim for its characterization, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing and homages to the 80s. If you love sci-fi this is a show that I highly reccomend because you’ll see not only the monsters, but also the soft side… What a mother will do for love and what friendship is all about. Also after this you’ll be singing The Clash “Should I Stay or Should I Go” all day and night!

 

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

This is an old one… Everybody knows Gilmore Girls and the struggles mother Lorelai and daughter Rory had to go through their life. This was a famous show from the early 2000’s that ended in 2007 with too much yet to tell. Well, Netflix took us back to Stars Hollow and everything was okay with the world again. The town was still the same… Filled with the same colorful characters that made us fell in love with the show. The main subjects are still there, issues with family, friendship and romance, as well as division between generations and social classes. In this season each episode covers a season of the year: winter, spring, summer and fall. I loved the revival… I mean there were some plots chosen for the main characters (*cof Rory cof*) that were a bit questionable, but neverthless these four episodes gave us some good, funny and emotional moments. Though I have to give a big shout out to Emily Gilmore because that was some amazing character development! With her I cried and laughed the most. But it was very nice to have all these characters back in my life even if just for a little while… I don’t know if it will happen, but I’ve a feeling this isn’t the last of these Gilmore girls. That ending was a bit open to a second season maybe?!

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Lastly but not least, this story that was always a favourite of mine… A Series of Unfortunate Events is a black-comedy drama based on the children’s novel series of the same name by Lemony Snicket. This first season focus on the first books and tells us the story of the Baudelaire’s children after the mysterious fire that kills their parents. The children are placed into the care of a distant relative named Count Olaf, an actor who is after their family fortune. Following Olaf’s first failed attempt, the Baudelaires try to uncover the mystery behind a secret society from their parents’ past with Olaf always plotting against them. The show was already renewed for a second and third season to adapt the rest of the remaining books. This story is behind fascinating, but one of the most interesting character is Count Olaf portraited by Neil Patrick Harris that once again gives us a brilliant performance! Besides this I liked how powerful some of the messages the show gives us like equality in gender and even a subtle mention to an lgbtq+ relationship. This is clearly one of those shows to look forward to in the future! But be aware, and Lemony Snicket warns you in the first minute: “The show you are about to see is extremely unpleasant. However, if you like stories about clever and reasonably attractive orphans, suspicious fires, carnivorous leeches, Italian food and secret organizations, then stay.”

They’re back!

You know I love to listen to many new artists and different types of music… But I even love more when my favorite bands that haven’t release new music in a while come back to make me happy again! So in the middle of so many artists coming back, here are my absolute faves that released albums in the last few weeks.

Bastille – “Wild World”

Only formed in 2010, Bastille makes you feel like they’ve been around for forever. This is only their second studio album, but “Wild World” is on its way to become one of my personal favorites. Their first single was “Good Grief” and what a way to start the promotion of this album. With a big variety of sounds, this album still tastes like Bastille and the amazing work they did with their first studio album “Bad Blood”. Still a recent band, they have just a recognizable sound and that’s quite an achievement for a new band. “Send Them Off!” is one of my favorites and I like a line of it that goes like “set me free from my jealousy, won’t you exorcize my mind”. Clearly a band to listen for those of you that didn’t try it yet!

Sum 41 – “13 Voices”

It has been 5 years since Sum 41 grace us with a album studio… The wait was long, but it was so worth it! This is a band that has been around since 1996 and I listened to it a lot a few years ago. I love them very much, but I have to admit I only realised they had released a new album because a friend of mine warned me… Thank you because it was amazing to listen to them again! The first music  of their new album that was released was “Fake My Own Death”, but “War” was their first single. Both are amazing examples of their original sound, the first one a more alternative metal song and the second one a more punk rock song both with more angsty themes. It truly takes us back on a journey through their career and it was a good start for their come back!

Green Day – “Radio Revolution”

They’ve been around as a band since 1986, but they haven’t release a studio album since 2012. So finally they’re back and with an absolutely amazing album, a personally favorite of mine! Last year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so it really makes us think what is about to come this year and the next. The first single of the album was a song called “Bang Bang” that brings the band back to their songs with a more political and social meaning… Wait I’m lying, almost all their songs are like that! What I wanted to say was that with so much going on in terms of politics in America, now you have Green Day speaking up again! With the same vibes of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, you’ll rock your socks out! Although, I have to give a shout out to an amazing song that is part of the album and it was originally wrote for a movie, “Ordinary World”. Billie Joe Armstrong is one of the main characters of the movie with the same name and he wrote this song. It’s a beautiful and lovely song and if you don’t cry with it, I don’t want to be associated with you! 😉

So here are three excellent suggestions of new albums to listen to! If you have more suggestions leave them in the comments… always looking for more music!

 

The One with “In Vogue”

Well doing this review here on my blog is an honour… Ink & Smith Publishing gave me the opportunity to read “In Vogue” before the release date and review it. It’s their first published book and what a great story to begin their project with. You can pre-order it here on Amazon, by the way.

(Before starting with my review I just have to say that yes I’m listening to Florence + The Machine to write this! I couldn’t talk about this story and not listen to them since their music is so heavily present in this story. It would feel like cheating on the book…)

So what’s In Vogue? This book was writen by Lucia Laurent and started as a fanfiction in the One Direction fandom but it evolved into so much more. Yes, it started as a fanfiction, but now you can’t even feel a trace of it (well, only if you’re deeply involved in the fandom and know one or two important “phrases”). Here is a little summary to keep you curious:

King of New York fashion and editor-in-chief of the prestigious Couture magazine, Miles Brodeur loves his demanding job and a routine that means he always knows what’s coming next. Deeply involved in the magazine’s content and culture, Miles doesn’t have the time or the desire for a relationship.
Alexander Mackenzie is a former model turned magazine editor who is just learning about the politics that exist at the intersection of high fashion and publishing. He’s always dreamt of turning Miles’ head and one night, at a glamorous party, his fantasy becomes reality. But Miles’ workaholic nature conflicts with Alexander’s belief that “there’s more to life than what’s printed on the pages of a magazine.”
Despite their fundamental differences, Alexander can’t help but follow Miles back to New York, and once there it becomes clear their association could be addicting – and possibly life-changing. Set in a world where the beauty of art and the written world collide, Miles is confronted by a fundamental question: is someone ever worth slowing down for?

As you can see a lot will happen over the course of more than 180 pages. But for those who like the fashion world, this is a book for you! This book made me feel like I entered the world of “Gossip Girl” with all the descriptions of fabulous clothes, shoes, accessories and life-style, while entering a soft version of “The Devil Wears Prada”.

Miles Brodeur seems to be inspired on Miranda Priestly. The same centric and focused in work character,but at the same time a mature character that cares deeply about his friends and is generous to his employees. There isn’t a mean bone inside Miles, although he can be ruthless when his work is on the line. He didn’t got that position by not respecting others or by not following an hierarchy… No, he got there because he deserved it and there wasn’t a better person for the job! But Miles will get through so much more in his personal life and he will learn that the thing he has been running from is right there.

In contrast to Miles, you have the lovely Alexander Mackenzie, Cut’s editor-in-chief. This character is always described through the book as hard-worker, but also has a dreamer… He dreams about all these things he still wants to do. He wants to explore more of the world and fashion, but not only that. He is young and fiercely loyal which makes him respected in his field. Alexander mostly dreams of love and it always seemed to me that he was looking for it and found it exactly where he was supposed to.

Then you have all these secondary characters like: Zia the brilliant creative editor of Couture and Miles’s longstanding best friend; Kane a world-renowned DJ and one of Alexander’s best friend; Dylan the Cut’s sports editor and Alexander’s other best friend; and lastly (I really have to mention this) Miles’s loyal assistent, Sabine.

You’ll laugh with these characters and cry a little bit towards the end because what good book won’t make you cry? It’s a book that gives a good representation of the LGBTQ+ community and we all know that we need more of these. We need more stories where being part of the community isn’t wrong and looked frowned upon. It’s a story where the most influential person in the fashion world is a man and he is gay. It’s a rich book where you can learn about fashion, but also on how to run a magazine and how social media can be used to improve your own work. A good structured story that really discusses real problems like anxiety and depression… On how you can ask for help even if it’s hard! There will always be someone there to hold you and help you through the dark.

The only thing that makes me sad is that we can’t see all these amazing outfits that are being described. I wish it was possible for us to be redirected to the clothes because Lucia made a brilliant job of describing them visually. Another little detail that in my opinion is lacking is more history background of Miles’s and Alexander’s family. I feel like there is a piece missing in that part, but I don’t know if it’s me that is very curious or if the story can “live” without it. Lastly, another little thing I noticed that could be different was the transictions from Miles’s to Alexander’s point of view through the story… Also it isn’t very balanced because you can clearly see that Miles is the priority maybe because he’s a more deep character. I don’t know if I’m being picky but I would also like to see more things through Alexander’s point of view.

So in conclusion I’m gonna use a 1 – 5 scale to basically say that I give this book a solid 4,5. It’s a very good book with some imperfections that are usual. No major things that will make you stop reading it or disliking it. No, it’s a book that can use some of its imperfections to tell you a happy story. A story about struggles that will be overcomed with a little patience.

Basically the question that remains unanswered and it’s for you to figure it out is “Will it be a Couture wedding?” Or will Miles let work get in the way of love?

The Foxes

Another month and I got yet another trilogy of books to share with you. This time it’s a trilogy called All for the Game by Nora Sakavic. This trilogy is divided in The Foxhole Court, The Raven King and The King’s Man. I discovered them once again through Tumblr and a friend made me read them! She said to me: “If I had to go through this pain, you’ll do it too!” Yeah we really like to suffer…

So what are these books about? Without spoiling to much I’ll just say that these books are about Neil Josten and his obsession with Exy… It’s really more than that, it’s about friendship, family and self-discovery. But the first chapter shows us a tired Neil after a game of exy that gets the proposal of his life… To keep playing exy in Palmetto State University! But you see Neil is on the run from his father since he was 10 years old and his mother died to protect him, so he can’t just simple go play for a university and have his face on tvs all over the country. Most of all he doesn’t want to play in the same team as Kevin Day (a person that remembers him of his past as The Butcher’s son) and Andrew Minyard (a guy that has some serious psychological problems and has a tendency to be violent). Well, Neil just wanted to be selfish for a while and took the proposal to play exy there!

But what is exy you ask? I’m gonna describe this like my friend did to me… It’s a violent sport close to lacrosse, played in a football (soccer) field and enclosed like in ice hockey! Each team has six players on the field: a goalkeeper, two backliners, a dealer and two strikers. To enter the Foxes team there is a catch… Every single one of them were chosen because they had some trouble/problem in their past like violence, drugs, alcohol, etc. They’re coach, Wymack, just wanted to give a second chance to those who were left behind or didn’t have any support from their families. So the foxes team is constitued by: Andrew Minyard and Renee Walker as goalkeepers; Nicky Hemmick, Aaron Minyard (twin brother of Andrew) and Matt Boyd as backliners; Dan Wilds and Allison Reynolds as dealers; and Kevin Day, Neil Josten and Seth Gordon as strikers.

These are the main characters of the story! This story will tell you their goals, their disappointments, their secrets and their strengh to overcome difficulties. They will have lots of enemies along the way… Sometimes even themselves! But maybe all they needed was a boy to unite them, to make them have a common goal and just fight until their last breath for what they wanted.

Yes of course there isn’t only pain in these books. There are good moments and a boy that gains a family that will protect him at all costs. There is some romance, mainly queer and lots of character development. But there is also lots of violence and lies. For every good thing that happens, two bad things will happen! When I finished the first book I realised that bad things would keep happening until the last chapter of book three… I thought I was ready! But somethings always catched me by surprise!

If you saw me reading I’d be smiling like a crazy person and in the next second I’d have my hand in my mouth and I was crying silently. All of these characters had demons and all of them had their ups and downs… But there was no one that could cause you more pain than Neil with his sassy mouth that would cause him big troubles and Andrew that was so high on pills that he simply couldn’t be himself. You get to know them and you basically fall in love so easily! I didn’t even realised it until the first tragedy happened and I was already so involved with them. I was crying for them and I was laughing with them!

With all this said, I’m gonna recommend this trilogy to everybody and their mothers! It’s a trilogy that will get you hooked and that it’ll most definitely cause you pain. You have to be ready for it and let yourself feel it all! You’ll get all momma bear with these characters and you’ll suffer with them. But if you have triggers for violence, drugs, alcohol and rape maybe try another thing because this story isn’t for you! So I’ll only say one last thing that it was the first thing that I asked my friend after she described these books to me… Yes, it has a happy ending! It’ll take some time, but it’s going to be a good thing 🙂

P. S. Also if you read them and are curious to know more about this world the author Nora Sakavic has a blog with extra content. And there is this amazing fanfiction called Lessons in Cartography that it’s basically the 4th book of the series that will make you very happy.

P. S. S. I’m waiting for Netflix to pick up these books and make them into a series with Troye Sivan as Neil Josten, by the way!

Suicide SQWAD

So another highly anticipated movie of superheroes premiered and this time I got a little disappointed… Yes, you guessed it I’m talking about Suicide Squad. As I told you all on one of my previous posts I was super excited for this one! I blame it on the trailers!!! Like the trailers were so well made and the soundtrack was brilliant, so I got all excited but while watching the movie things were a bit different…

(I’m going to try not to spoil people so if I do, sorry in advance!)

So last saturday I went to the cinema and watched Suicide Squad… I already read some bad reviews on the movie and I was already mentally prepared for lowering my expectations. Neverthless you always get excited because people think differently, but in this case I have to agree with some critics.

DC Universe isn’t really my favourite, but I watched Batman, I follow Arrow and The Flash too, so I have a little knowledge on the characters and the story behind the formation of Task Force X. And let me start by saying that the characters are brilliant! The characters are so rich and have such depth that it’s basically them that save the movie. With amazing performances by Will Smith (Deadshot), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Cara Delevingne (Enchantress), Jay Hernandez (El Diablo), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), etc.

My problem was with the way these amazing characters were put in the movie. The plot was really weak for a DC movie… You were getting to know these characters and then out of nowhere “boom” you’re in the middle of a war and you don’t understand very well how that happened! You don’t even know the specifics of some members of the team because some of them were more represented than the others… For example, and spoiler alert, Slipknot appeared out of nowhere and in the next second he was dead. Like, it was frustrating because you’re trying to keep up with all these new characters and you don’t get the chance too!

In terms of plot you have apparenlty two big set of villains, The Joker and the Enchantress/Incubus. But, and I agree with some youtubers, there is a third villan… Amanda Waller. Yes, I’m telling you that the head behind the creation of this squad is the bad guy too. This is a woman that sacrifices all these villains, puts a chip in them to explode them, blames them for some failures and in the end doesn’t want to compensate them for saving her life. She did all this because she thought she was in control of Enchantress and that didn’t go too well. Also if you follow Arrow like me, you dispise this woman more than anything! She has no scruples, but a brilliant performance by Viola Davis.

Now moving on to the character that I dispised the most on this movie, The Joker. I was a little afraid of this character because for me The Joker is Heath Ledger. No other actor will take that character from him. Neverthless I was a bit curious about Jared Leto and his performance because his colleagues didn’t say nice things about him… And I didn’t like it to be honest! I think his character wasn’t truly necessary besides explaining Harley Quinn past. Also his performance was a bit cringe worthy… Instead of making this character crazy as he truly is, I felt like Leto made him look like a drug addict. So I didn’t connect with him… In fact, while I was watching the movie I was always rolling my eyes when he appeared and wishing he would just go away.

But not everything was bad in the movie… For example, in terms of music I have to give it to them. The soundtrack was one of the best I’ve heard in a while. From Queen to Twenty-One Pilots, the songs really fitted the moments. I was already impressed with the music used on the trailers, but when you get Eminem’s “Slim Shady” when the squad is getting ready is truly brilliant. I never was at a cinema full of people singing along to all these songs. So kudos for some amazing musical choices!

Finally, just to say that the movie has some funny moments that truly make you laugh. Like Harley Quinn when she gets released from her cell and all her voices, or Killer Croc saying he is beautiful. Also, I saw some videos of youtubers making reviews of the movie and all of them were in agreement that the movie and some scenes were really loyal to the comic books. That to me is always a good way for the writers to go because the comics have such a rich universe. So big kudos in that aspect!

Wow this got really big, but just my honest opinion. In the end, it was an enjoyable movie and you know that everybody has a different opinion… My expectations were just set too high for this one, I guess! Neverthless, if you’re interested in watching the movie, just go to the closest cinema and enjoy some laughs and great acting!

Captive Prince Trilogy

Books can definitely change your life… There are good books that make you obsessed and you can’t stop reading… There are bad books that you just stop reading or don’t make any sense in the end… And there are “bah” books that aren’t bad, but you just read them and move on because they didn’t awake anything in you.

So I’m here to talk about a trilogy that definitely changed my life… Recently everybody and their mothers was talking about the Captive Prince trilogy by C. S. Pacat on tumblr and twitter. Comments were something like: “Read these because it’ll change you”, “These books are so good”, etc. And you know what? I’m a curious person… So after so many people saying that I should read them, I suck it up and bought the three books. It took them 15 days to arrive and it was bad because I got so anxious. So finally, a week ago they arrived and I just started reading them…

For those of you who don’t know here is a little summary of what the books are about:

“Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave. Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country. For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…”

So as you can read there was more in this story that meets the eye. It’s a story about love for your country, but also of forgiveness of your enemy. It’s about treason, but also commitment to a cause. It’s a story about arrogance and intelligence. And in the end it’s a story about two different heirs to the throne that put their differences aside to work together… That learn to love and grow up through all of their adversities. They become stronger with each other!

To say that I was addicted since the first sentence isn’t a lie. I got totally obsessed! I got so into the world designed by Pacat and fell in love with her characters. Damen and Laurent made me feel like I was intruding in their story… I was allowed to be there and participate, but it was their story not mine. It was a honour to be in that world! And the tension between them was excruciating…

Also there were moments through the three books that you could guess what would happen, but at the same time it was always a surprise. (SPOILER = like for example, when you discover that Laurent knew all along that Damen was Damianos the prince-killer! Like I was “Yes! I knew it! Laurent always knows everything”, but at the same time I was shocked at the surprising way that the author wrote that scene) It was always a surprise. You could guess a little bit of the outcome, but you couldn’t guess how you would get there. The author took you through the past and the present with such an easy discourse that got me hocked to the story.

And the politics of the books are perfectly described. You can feel the injustice and suffering of those who get involved in the schemes. You feel that not only strengh will help you win a war, you also need intelligence. Also don’t be afraid of the “pleasure slave” part. It’s a part of the story that will help define both Damen and Laurent and their perspective about the subject. Until a point in the end, that both of them want to end slavery. It’s a trigerring subject but it also changes so much since the first book that it’s worth the reading.

Even  now after two hours of finishing the last book, I’m here in my couch thinking how did I get there? How did these characters changed so much but at the same time stayed the same? What can I do next? And the ending is so bittersweet… It’s the right time to end, but also you want to know more. You want to shout to the author “Give me more, please! Take me there again”. And well, I didn’t do the request personally but apparently the author is going to release this year three new short stories about the books. One will be about Jord and Aimeric (which have a great side story), the other about Damen and Laurent (an epilogue, probably) and the last one will be a surprise. So I’m very excited to read them and please if you’re looking for something new to read, go read these books! It’ll teach you so much and you’ll fall in love with the story 🙂

‘What’s that sound?’
He could hear it even in the slave baths, muffled but audible, the sound ringing out from the highest peak, a peal of notes, proclaiming a new king.
‘Bells,’ said Damen.

“The Shadowhunters Chronicles”

So I’ve been away for a while, but I was busy finishing some books I had to read… As the title of this post suggests, I’ve been reading “The Shadowhunters Chronicles”. After six books and more or less 5 months of intensive reading (yeah I know i was a bit slow, but I had other things to do and read!), I finally finished yesterday.

I’ve some mixed feelings about it, you see. Like I only started reading because my friend Kati said that I’d like it and the tv show was about to start so I wanted to know the story. And what a wild ride! There were some good moments, but also some eye rolling moments. But overall it’s a good universe that was created. (I don’t know exactly by who since Cassandra Clare was accused of plagiarism for some books she wrote). I was pretty excited with the promise of nephilim, angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, faries and warlocks.

Let’ start with the beggining… I already said that I loved the universe and it was very interesting how all these different type of people interacted. But what really shocked me in the end was that the most interesting characters, the ones with more history, were not the main characters. It wasn’t Clary and Jace that made me devour the books… It was Magnus, Alec, Isabelle, Simon and Maia.

In the first book I was a little fascinated with Jace and even Clary was cute, but after the second book it was just another impossible romance between them. Clary had some girl power don’t get me wrong and she saved all of them, but the girls that made me feel more power were Isabelle and Maia. These two didn’t get the recognition they deserved… Both were very strong female characters that got put behind Clary. Both were fighters that lost almost everything! And poor Simon too that had the full potential to be a main character since the first book but only got recognition in the last three books. He was transformed into a vampire and it was very hard for him to fit in the Downworlders, but in the end the author took the easy way out. Dear Simon made a bargain with a demon to save his friends and forgot who they were. So sad! His relationship with Izzy will never be same even though he remembers somethings thanks to Magnus.

And don’t get me started on Magnus and Alec. Magnus is an ancient warlock with so much life experience! I was a little shocked he wasn’t given some time in the books. He was always treated like a secondary character and the author started to write his story so many times, but then at the last minute she cut out the supply! And Alec, dear lovely Alec… He was a guy that was starting to feel more for his bff and for this new warlock he met, but you can’t even read his struggle. It’s there and you can feel it so many times, but it makes me sad that it was put under the rug! Like how in the last two books you realise his father has been pretty awful to him because he was gay, but then in the last chapter it was like the author took the easy way out. I needed more from these two (thank god for fanfiction!).

Other characters too made me sad that were gone (Max, Amatis, etc.) and others didn’t get the ending they deserved! The Blackthornes for example they lose everything in the end and you get the feeling that they deserved more. They deserved that the Clave rescued their brother and that their sister could be with them. It was sad that the author started so many interesting plots and then left them! There were also details that could have been more explored…

But I got to say that what fascinated me in the end was how the villains were basically perfect for the story. Valentine, his son Jonathan aka Sebastian, and even the Seelie Queen fitted like a glove. You were until the last book to make an opinion on the Seelie Queen, but with Valentine and Sebastian you could tell that they’re pure evil. Although Sebastian wasn’t like that by choice, it was how Valentine raised him and the demon blood that circulated in his veins. Overall great characters that had what they deserved in the end, except the Seelie Queen that you never figure out what happened to her. She literally disappeared from the books after one chapter. What really happened to her?!

Also, the politics behind the books were brilliant really. The way the different factions of the society were treated and how the Clave ruled were really interesting. Some bad political decisions and probably not the best method to make some decisions, but I liked how the Clave inclunded warlocks, werewolves, vampires and even faeries in their Consul in the 3rd book. It was really interesting to see the prejudice that they had against each other, but also to see that in the end when needed they helped each other to defeat a common enemy. (And just for the record Magnus was right about the faeries, Consul!) And I liked that in the end of the book it really didn’t matter anymore if a shadowhunter was in a relationship with a warlock or a vampire. They got over it and accepted that it’ll always happen!

So, in the end, I liked the books and they’re pretty interesting. The author should have done more for some characters, but we can’t ever be fully happy about a book or a show if it wasn’t us that wrote it. Once again, thank god for fanfiction that is going to be my main source for the unfinished business, and now off to read “The Bane Chronicles” to know more about Magnus (fave character, probably!). Also I’m excited to see how the tv show is going to continue now 😉

The One With The Civil War

SOOOOOO! I think it’s safe to say you know what’s coming today… Yes, you’re right! This week it’s all about Captain America: Civil War! I have so much to tell you about, but first I promise I’ll try not to spoil anyone and if I do it, forgive me because I didn’t mean too.

I’m so excited to talk about this that I had to take two days to write this post. Like, I needed to chanel my inner fangirl but also tame the beast that is the “Stucky” shipper. So let’s start with the beggining… The movie premiered on the 28th here in Portugal and I wanted to go to the movie theater to watch it because I have been expecting this for a long time. But I live in a small city that has no cinema’s. After many tries to convince my parents to drive me to the next city which had a shopping center, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

So thursday I just thought to myself “F**k it!” and just bought a bus ticket to go to the next city alone. I spent 25 minutes in a bus and then took a cab to the shopping. I was so excited and happy to watch the movie, you can’t even imagine it. (Just a little detail that it’ll make sense in a while, the first thing I did when I arrived at the shopping center was buy a bag of M&Ms to smuggle into the cinema!) I bought the ticket for the next session and had 30 minutes to spare before the movie started.

When I finally entered the room where the movie was being shown there were about 20 people there and I had to sit next to two girls that probably thought I was crazy after my little screams of “NO!” or my hand against my heart everytime things got emotional! The trailers started and after a while the lights went out and the movie started. I was hipnotized the whole time…

So much happened! Like you’re constatly pulled in a flashback scene with Bucky that only made completely sense at the end of the movie. Then you had all these superheroes! People trying to make good for others and using their powers and abilities to fight against the bad guys. After that you had the Hobbit and one more guy making some political oppressions against them. Then they divided themselves because of that and basically Bucky. That anticlimatic kiss that didn’t make any sense in the story, please! And then the real action begins with some intense fight scenes…

On one side you have #TeamCaptain composed by Hawkeye, Falcon, Bucky Barnes, Ant-Man and Scarlet Witch. And on the other side you have #TeamIronMan made of War Machine, Black Widow, Black Panther, The Vision and Spider-Man. Let me tell you that it’s very hard to chose a side! More even after watching the movie… Because at the end you truly understand both sides and you see what they believed and wanted do was the right thing. But in my heart I was #TeamCap because I had my doubts about the political stuff and Bucky was being accused of something he didn’t do, he was being a pawn.

(ATTENTION: probably there are some spoilers here!).

So in the end and in my heart both sides won… Like both sides did the right thing and although they had some casualities physically and psychologically, they didn’t want to hurt each other. Like you can see them fighting against each other and they are controlling themselves… They don’t want to hurt their friends! (You can definitely see that between the Black Widow and Hawkeye.) They just want to stop each other from doing something wrong.

And the new characters presented to the Avengers inniciative are brilliant and fit so well… Black Panther with his desire for revenge that in the end understood that he was wrong, Spider-Man a kid with so much fight in him and with his Star Wars references (also remember my bag of M&Ms?! Yeah, they dropped on the floor between Tony’s and Peter’s conversation while the whole room was in silence!) and Ant-Man with his funny dialogue and his crazy ideas. These characters just fit! And the others just stay the same… For example, the inner struggles of fitting in a different time by Steve, the desire to do everything right by Tony, Natasha double spy work, The Vision uncertainty in humanity, Wanda coming to terms with her powers, Hawkeye being the voice of reason and Sam and Rhodes being loyal to their friends.

The only thing that was missing in the movie was a more deep connection with Bucky! This is a character that with his strenght always stole the scene and made himself present… So I feel like they should have deepened his connection with Steve! Yes, they are best friends and they make the best team together, but what about the struggles that they both went through? Bucky wasn’t being The Winter Soldier anymore, so why not make the audience understand how he was feeling? Some things to think about Marvel!

Overall the movie is fantastic and everybody that loves the Marvel universe just needs to get up of their couch and watch it! Great fight scenes, big friendships, abilities, some drama and visual effects, and it’s the perfect recipe for a great superhero movie… This just makes you so much excited for what is going to happen next on the other characters movies! It’s a great preparation for a second Ant-Man, the new Spider-Man, a future movie about Black Widow and Black Panther (separately please!), etc.

Finally I have something to confess, I want to see the movie again and again 🙂

(P.S. DON’T LEAVE THE THEATER UNTIL THE MOVIE REALLY ENDS! TWO EXTRA SCENES TO WATCH!)

A true 90’s kid: Cartoons

Today I took a trip down memory lane and watched youtube videos of songs that had a big impact on my childhood and are still very special to me… Yes, I admit it! I was watching songs from my favorite cartoons of when I was a child. I say in the title “a true 90’s kid” because I’m 24 and I watched these cartoons before I went to school or the weekends. I used to wake up like at 6am just to watch them… And it’s the only way my mom could dress me up for school! I had to watch them and stay in my little world fantasizing about battles and romance. Even today I like to watch cartoons!

As you can see although I watched a bunch of them, I was pretty selective. For example I didn’t like Dragon Ball (sorry to everyone that I offend with this one) or Ninja Turtles (although I knew the characters and the story). Also as I was doing research for this post I realised that I only watched japanese anime television series! Like in my favorites list I only got one american cartoon. I guess animes were pretty popular in Portugal in the 90’s!

So I didn’t like some of the popular shows but I think I got some good shows as my
favorites. My favorite of all time ever is still Sailor Moon! You don’t understand I used to play sailor moon and I even watched the show a few years ago… I still know the song that was used on the show, I want to name a pet “Luna” and have a huge crush on Tuxedo Mask. (Not embarassing at all!) The plot takes place in Tokyo (Minato) where a middle-school student named Tsukino befriends a talking black cat named Luna. The cat gives her a magical brooch enabling her to become Sailor Moon which was a pretty guardian destined to save our planet from the forces of evil. They assemble a team of fellow Sailor Guardians (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus) to find their princess and the Silver Crystal. The serie was so good and successful that they did many arcs of the story.

In second place on my list there is a story of perseverance and where dreams come true… It’s Captain  Tsubasa! Since I was a little kid I developed this big love of football, not playing per se but watching a game and I can say that I have a pretty good knowledge of the game. So it makes sense that this cartoon had a huge impact on me! The story focuses obviously on the adventures of a japanese youth soccer team and its football captain Tsubasa (in portuguese he was Oliver). The attention of the show is on Tsubasa’s relationship with his friends, rivalry with his opponents (Benji), training, competition and the action and outcome of each match. Some drama between opponents and you have the perfect recipe for a series about football!

Another show that always had my attention was Kaiketsu Zorro (in Portugal it was named “The Legend of Zorro”). This show was very popular here and, as the original story, focused on Don Diego de la Vega. Diego returns from this stupy trip to discover that his homeland in under the army’s dictatorship and he disguises himself as Zorro to protect the weak and oppressed. At the same time, as Diego he trys to win the affection of Lolita but he only captures her attention when he serenades her as Zorro. I guess I was enchanted by Zorro and I never forgot this show… It’s really one of those where I was excited to see it and just wanted school to finish quick enough so I could go home to watch it.

In fourth place is a show that is still very special to me and I might say I was always obsessed with this story. Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds used to appear on my television every morning and even today when I hear the beggining of the theme song I get all nostalgic (and yes I had some uni parties where I screamed it at the top of my lungs!). This was an adaptation of the classic story The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas. (Most of the characters are anthropomorphizations of dogs). As the original story, Dogtanian travels to Paris to become one of the King Louis XIII of France’s musketeers. He befriends three other musketeers (Porthos, Athos and Aramis) and falls in love with a maid-in-waiting for Queen Anne of Austria, Juliette.

 

Lastly but not least is one of those cartoons that everybody knows and watched when they were a kid: Rugrats! This show is an american animation created for Nickelodeon that focuses on a group of toddlers (Tommy, Chuckie, twins Phil and Lil, and Angelica) and their day-to-day lives. This involved a lot of common life experiences that are transformed in adventures in the babies’ imaginations. The parents of the babies usually didn’t know or understand the type of adventures their toddlers had everyday. I used to watch this show so much that I even got two VHS movies of the show for Christmas. I don’t know why I liked it, but I think it was about the concept that babies have their own and powerful imagination!

Okay my favorites list is done! But I also watched so many more iconic shows like The Fairy OddParents, Cow and Chicken, Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Doraemon, Pokémon and Digimon. The problem with these were that I only got to watch them 2 or 3 times a year because I had to watch them on Cartoon Network or another channel that I didn’t have at the time. Anyway, I think I had a pretty good childhood with all these, no? I mean I had babies, boys and girls being superheroes, dogs and football… What could I have asked for more?