GIVEAWAY! The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead
IT’S SO CLOSE!!
I’m super excited for this book! It’s probably my most anticipated book of the fall/winter of 2013! I’m so excited that I’m in the mood to share the wealth with fellow Bloodlines enthusiasts, so there’s no better way than a giveaway! I’ve decided to get with the times and make my life easier by going the rafflecopter route! You’ll find it’s not much different from before.
How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): My giveaways are only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy who are 18 years of age or older. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT POST AND INDICATE YOU HAVE DONE SO ON THE RAFFLECOPTER WIDGET! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email and/or Twitter. (Make sure you check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post. The next three opportunities are for bonus entries. Overall, there are up to 4 chances to enter. The more entries the better your chance to win! Good luck!
The giveaway will run from 11/12/13 - 11/24/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Movie Review! The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
When her mother disappears, Clary Fray learns that she descends from a line of warriors who protect our world from demons. She joins forces with others like her and heads into a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld.
My general thoughts:
It wasn’t great, but I didn’t fall asleep either so I guess the one plus is that it wasn’t boring? I’m 95% through the first book and there were definitely some differences. Some purists will have a field day ripping it apart. I felt as if it was a extremely rushed in first half. They got to all of the big scenes while cutting out a lot of character development that would allow us to become invested in the cast. Don’t get me wrong, I could have done without some of melodrama we’re subjected to in the books, but I just felt like this cut things down way too much. It’s even harder to buy into Clary and Jace. I think Jace is more appealing in the movie as opposed to the books where I often found him annoying, probably because we’re getting a smaller dose of him here. But I felt no chemistry at all between him and Clary in the film. It felt forced and honestly I laughed at the attempts at romance.
There were other laughs too, but a number of them were probably unintentional. There’s this one scene that feels like the film pays homage to the beginning of the Wesley Snipes’ Blade when he clears out a vampire house set to techno music.
The third act was probably the most entertaining part of the film, but it strays from the book quite a bit in an attempt to cut down running time.
On the plus side, I think it’s better than Twilight’s first film, though admittedly I am not a Twilight fan. I only read the books and then saw the first two movies before tapping out (and no, I don’t think I’m missing out on anything). I also think it is probably better than that disastrous upcoming Vampire Academy movie, though that’s not saying much. The trailer told me all I need to know for that one and really the trailer for Mortal Instruments did as well. There were no surprises in terms of the mood, acting, plot, etc.
The effects were well done, but the demons weren’t how I imagined them in the novel. I feel like they missed out on an extra level of scariness. I would watch the second film if this one grosses enough money to get a sequel. I’m sure it will.
In short, I’ve seen worse book adaptations, but this is far from good even though it was entertaining. Readers of the book should watch it. I’m new to this series so I will be taking my time.
Vampire Academy Movie Trailer is out!
I’m sorry but this looks like a hot mess. It doesn’t capture the feel of the books at all and if that’s Dmitri…I’m just all kinds of meh on this one.
Bloodlines Overview - I. AM. HOOKED!!
So while reading the Vampire Academy series, I initially planned to take a break before reading all three Bloodlines novels, however certain parts of the ending left me so surprisingly bereft of satisfaction, I was eager to see what Richelle Mead planned to do to fix it. So I picked them right up and didn’t let them go! I am so glad that at least three of the novels were out before I read them because Mead is certainly a fan of cliffies (if that’s not an already coined short form of “cliffhanger” then I’m coining it now), and the end of book 2 would have driven me nuts.
I didn’t really expect myself to become invested in this spinoff to the extent that I have considering its predecessor didn’t impress me much, though I enjoyed it a bit at times. The main character this time is Sydney. While I didn’t mind her in Vampire Academy, she wasn’t a major standout for me and I wasn’t particularly attached to her. Not to mention, her alchemist background didn’t seem intriguing enough to carry a whole series. These were my initial thoughts and reservations of course. However as I read the books I found their background to be one of the most fascinating of the entire series. Their politics, their history, their secrets, it’s all so very well-played out and I am excited about how Sydney’s evolution as a character is going to impact their world and ideals.
While they have a few cameos there’s not a lot of focus on Rose, Dmitri, Lissa or Christian, and I can honestly say I don’t miss them at all, even though Dmitri a scent amount of screen time in the second book.
Adrian has catapulted onto my top fave vamps list. Again, like Sydney, I didn’t completely love him in VA, but I liked him and was extremely sympathetic towards the raw deal he got at the end. But this spin-off is where he’s really started to shine. He’s in a great environment with Sydney and everyone else. I am totally invested in this ship , their forbidden love, and the inevitable challenges it will bring. Though these books are YA, I’m convinced Richelle Mead is a master at writing steamy scenes without going into the rated R territory, but she does push the PG-13 limit. She certainly gets an A in chemistry because these two really have it. This is the first ship this year for a new series that I genuinely care about even with their impossible odds that just seem to become more and more impossible as the books go on. It’s more complicated than what I was expecting in a YA, but I don’t feel the same sense of angst and hopelessness like with Rose and Dmitri. Adrian can be hilarious at times so maybe that’s why.
As I said, my love for this series caught me completely off-guard. It’s now easily one of my favorite series ever and I cannot wait for Book 4. I get worried when I care this much because I don’t know how things will go, but if all goes well the ride will have been fun and rewarding.
The true test for me is when an urban fantasy series with a strong vampire presence is able to make me care about other species and plot lines within the story. The Hollows managed to pass that test as I am now more invested in the elf/demon plot than the vampire plot. And now I can safely say that Bloodlines has joined that shortlist. Heck, it’s the reason why I can now make one!
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