MOVIE REVIEW- Divergent

  Grade: A

REVIEW

     I LOVED THIS MOVIE! JUST FEELS! Okay I had really low expectations for this adaption because of the trailers and casting but now after seeing it this movie is probably my second favourite movie adaptation. Following Catching Fire of course! Where to begin, I just loved mostly everything. They did change somethings but I didn't mind the changes when watching this.  I was only upset about Uriah and his crew not being in the movie and the fighting. I wish Tris got to beat up Molly although she did when getting the flag it just was not the same. When watching this movie I was convinced that everyone was their character. Though I did not like how they toned down Tris' feisty side in the knife throwing scene and in general. Her personality was more like the DEAL WITH IT type. The music was AMAZING it didn't feel random like in the City of Bones movie and just I loved this movie. I was constantly scared the whole time even though I knew what was going to happen. My favourite parts were the zip line scene, the Tris getting on the Dauntless train for the first time, and all the fear landscapes. I loved how in the movie we learned that there was a Dauntless way of passing the fear landscapes. Also when Tris was like "why does everyone think I am not going to shoot them?" that was hilarious. OH I GASPED WHEN I SAW THE CAMEO OF VERONICA ROTH! I am probably rambling on and on about how much I loved the movie but it is true! The only reason I didn't give it an A+ is because how the changed the ending a bit, some of the arrangement and because they took out some funny lines that where in the book. I don't know about the next one and how they are changing the directed, sadly, but my expectations are a little bit higher.

 JUST GO SEE THIS MOVIE EVEN IF YOU HAVE DOUBTS,  JUST GO.

-ArielG, The Reading Rebel

UPDATE

      Okay this is going to be an update of what I have been reading and what Fandoms I have been getting into. Recently I have been reading Homestuck a web comic which you can read online for free here. WARNING this comic is strange and weird in a lovely way. I have been marathoning episodes of the anime Fairy Tail and I am waiting for the manga to come in the library for I requested them. Personally I prefer to read manga in book format rather then online. Though you can read Fairy Tail here and watch it here. I AM LOVING THIS ANIME!!!!! Book wise I have been in a reading slump so I am slowly getting through the book Falling Kingdoms then I will read the sequel. OH AND MY COPIES ARE BOTH SIGNED!!!! On my reading list is Control, Hollow City  and the Night Circus.  If you read my Bio then you know I do like to draw so I created a deviantART account! I am also called thereadingrebel and you can follow this link: http://thereadingrebel.deviantart.com/. So thats all for now!

-Ariel G, The Reading Rebel

THE SUMMARIES OF EVERYTHING!

Homestuck

"As described on the MSPA website, Homestuck is "a tale about a boy and his friendsand a game they play together." - http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Homestuck

Fairy Tail

"Cute girl wizard Lucy wants to join the Fairy Tail, a club for the most powerful wizards. But instead, her ambitions land her in the clutches of a gang of unsavory pirates led by a devious magician. Her only hope is Natsu, a strange boy she happens to meet on her travels. Natsu�s not your typical hero�he gets motion sickness, eats like a pig, and his best friend is a talking cat. With friends like this, is Lucy better off with her enemies?" - Goodreads

Falling Kingdoms

"In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects' lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword. . . .

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?" -Goodreads

Control

"When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes." -Goodreads

Hollow City

"The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London the peculiar capital of the world. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reacting experience." -Goodreads

Night Circus

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance." -Goodreads

READING REVIEW: Birthright (ARC) by Vivian Eve

Grade: FAIL.

Percent: 59%

Stars: *

Scale of YOU NEED TO READ THIS to DON'T BOTHER: If 

you want to read it get it from the library otherwise 

don't bother.

Summarize your feelings: interesting... Bored... okay 

just end already.

"Its king murdered in cold blood by friend and foe alike, the once magnificent kingdom of Arenhed has fallen to its knees. Without a proper heir to assume the throne, the nation concedes to the rule of a cruel and villainous tyrant.

When her village is attacked by the duke and his men, 16-year-old Hedy Odell's simple life is turned upside down. She loses all that is important to her: her best friend, her mother—everything. Unbeknownst to her, she is thrust in the midst of dangerous politics and into a world where everyone—and everything—is not what they seem.

Tormented by nightmares, Hedy must navigate both the treacherous landscape of the noble courts and the conflicted waters of her heart if she is to get her revenge. One misstep, and she may suffer a fate far worse than death..."- Goodreads

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

     Before I begin I would like to thank the publisher for the ARC and in no way is my review influenced as you can probably tell by my rating of this book. I seem to be the minority of people who did not like this book considering on goodreads everyone else who received an ARC loved this book. Let me start by saying this is the first book in a while that I abandoned because of my dislike towards this novel. This book has potential to be amazing but the way it was executed was terrible, in my opinion. The characters were 2D there was no depth and personality! The main character went from not being able to protect her family and friends to all of sudden being an expert at, oh you guessed it, archery! Yes I know of all things archery. A quick note to writers archery is something you do not want in your book because it will associate your story with The Hunger Games. Back on track, if she was okay at fighting already why didn't she help? The love element was forced and felt stiff. Plot was boring and reminded me of Graceling which was brilliantly done. There was no world building and just the story was blah. Just remember I am judging this based on the first 200 pages since I couldn't get through the book.

Be the judge yourself and pick up the book when it releases at the library. 

- Ariel G, The Reading Rebel

READING REVIEW- The Nightmare Affair

       

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Grade: B-

Percent: 73% 

Stars: ***

Scale of YOU NEED TO READ THIS to DON'T BOTHER: Get it at the library when you can or on your e-reader. 

Summarize your feelings for this book in a sentence: Weird... what... okay... interesting... it is that character obviously... cute... wait... I KNEW IT! HUZAH! 

"Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target." - Goodreads

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

      You probably have not heard of this book because it is one of those books that are overshadowed. I picked it up because I just browsing Indigo with my $10 gift card and I saw that nice cover. The book sounded like a nice cute fun read and that was exactly what it was. The characters were fun but kind of were the same. Dusty was likeable and sarcastic but didn't develop at all. The mean girl character I wanted to punch, yeah she made me violent. Which was probably what the author wanted so we were on team Dusty. The plot was  entertaining. Though I guessed who was part of Team Evil, but the author had me doubt it throughout the book. The only thing that turned me into a squid of angry was the way the author formed one phrase. That phrase was 'I have to do that/this' the way I wrote it here is how I say it. The author phrased it like this 'I've got to do this/that". You don't 'got' to do anything, you have to! Sorry that was just really annoying.  Maybe it was just like that because the author is from Ohio, oh well. Dialogue was okay and just the book was okay. 

If you are looking for a book that will get you out of  reading slump pick this book out.

Ariel G, The Reading Rebel

ANIME AND MANGA- Fullmetal Alchemist

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!! IT IS AS AWESOME AS IT LOOKS!

"Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg...and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders...even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are..." -Goodreads

     FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST GUIDE

     Okay before you go and try to watch the anime or read the manga you need to know somethings. Trust me I went into it blindly and was confused about how the anime is set up. Okay for the anime there are two series, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) is the original anime series but because they adapted it before the manga was done the plot eventually became not loyal to the manga. This is because the show was moving at a quicker pace than the manga and needed to come up with a different plot to keep the story moving.  Click here for more information concerning the original series. Now Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) is the recreated anime that stays loyal to the manga.  Click here for more information about this series.  I know it is confusing and if you want the original story just go and read the manga online or in physical copy. In the manga there are 108 chapters and 27 graphic novels.  Find out more about it here. Okay now onto the review

     

SPOILER FREE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST REVIEW

Grade: A

 Percent: 90%

Stars: *****

My thoughts in a sentence: what... whAT... okay... AWESOME... HAHAHHA... AWESOME... COOL... ME TOO... yeah I'm not going to get anything done today... Huh?... WHAT... FEELS... *tears*

     This is going to be a quick to the point review because I probably will not be able to explain the how awesome Fullmetal is.  The characters are well developed through out the story and all have something I like in them. Except for the bad guys I don't like them but yet the story has me enthralled with the evil characters' story lines. Every character develops throughout the series and you don't notice it until the end because you understand after all they went through this is how they would end up. Edward Elric is my favourite in the whole series! He is funny, awesome and can win a fight. Which is perfect because that makes him hard to hate. Since this series revolves around him mostly I don't lose interest. The plot drags on sometimes but then all of a sudden it just takes of running and you try to catch up! This leaves you marathoning the anime and manga! In the story they have one major goal and everything revolves around that one thing. No plot wholes or confused story lines it has just one solid goal. The goal of the character' makes sense, you understand their determination and reasoning behind why they want the stone. The plot is dark but is lightened through humour. Every time Edward rants about how he is short a burst out laughing. Partly because I do that when people say I'm short and general it is hilarious! Don't worry Edward I don't like milk either. 

Go and check this anime/manga out. The whole thing in general is as nice and awesome as a hamburger with french fries!

 

- Ariel G, The Reading Rebel

Some fanart stuff!