The book lover's Lament

So I love books. [This is where everyone reading says “DUH”] And while I haven’t found the next book to captivate me, the last two books I read took me about three days, but stuck with me for the next few weeks. This is great, because for a few weeks, I get to live in another world. Unfortunately, after the book fades in my mind a little, I may or may not get depressed because I’m not living in a fictional world. And how do I cure this? With another good book! (Don’t tell me I have a Problem.)

Anyway, I present to you, my latest obsession: The Books of Faerie Series

Lament and Ballad
By Maggie Stiefvater


Lament is about sixteen year-old Dierdre, an excruciatingly introverted musical prodigy. At a music competition, she meets Luke Dillon, a boy just as mysterious as he appears. As Dierdre spends more time with Luke, she discovers things about herself no one would ever believe. Luke has his own secrets too; of a dark world of faeries and these secrets will put the lives of Dierdre and everyone she cares about at risk.

…And that’s all I will say. I read the book only having a vague notion of what it was about, and it is an experience I would highly recommend. I read descriptions of the books after I had finished both and was very glad I hadn’t read the blurbs before I started the series. The descriptions give away information I, personally, would have left for the reader to discover on their own. So if you get to the end of this post and want to get these books DON’T READ ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THEM.

Lament is a very captivating book. The world in which the story exists is very complex and the relationship between the humans and the Fey is very clever. Dierdre is a very strong, likeable character and everything that happens or that she does is very believable. The supporting characters, as well, are well-rounded, without needing pages of backstory. The plot moves at a really good pace, and everything is so well plotted and described in such detail, with such vivid language, that it’s almost impossible not to imagine yourself in the story.

Something that really appealed to me was the depiction of the Fey. They are the dark and cruel Faeries as opposed to the light Fairies that are prone to flitting. In this series the Fey enjoy taunting and playing with humans, much like cats enjoy playing with mice, and it gave a fantasy story a really nice dark edge.

Ballad takes place a few months after Lament, but instead of being from the perspective of Dierdre, it’s narrated by her best friend James. And another… *Ahem* girl… named Nuala. I was dubious at first; as a general rule, I vehemently dislike it when narrators change throughout the series (I'm looking at you, Narnia), however, Ballad pulls it off, and it’s really good. More depth is brought to James, and he really evolves as a character. What’s also interesting is to see how Dierdre changes even though she isn’t the focus of the book. (No spoilers, I promise.) The style, quality and humour is consistent with the first book and is just overall amazing.

I'm only a little bit obsessed.

Feisty Chick-O-Meter: 10/10

Age rating: 13+

Rating: 10/10

Book or audiobook: Book

Stand alone or series: Series

Length: Lament: 325 pages Ballad: 353 pages

PS: Book three...2015... Just saying...

And finally, after...some...weeks

Now that I'm back from a *Ahem* hiatus *ahem* *cough cough*, here’s the follow up to last *cough* time’s post; Teya's List of Most Anticipated Movies of 2014 (TLoMAMo2014). If you want my apology as to why this post is coming in March as opposed to January, read my previous blog, and keep your disappointment to yourself.

So now, before I pass out from guilt, here it is:

The Lego Movie
Starring Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Allison Brie

Could I give you an accurate description of this movie without looking it up? Maybe not. From my understanding Emmett is an ordinary minifigure, and through a case of mistaken identity, he teams up with other famous Lego figurines (ie. Batman and God) to save the Lego world. Obviously I can’t say anything about the quality of the movie, but from the trailers I’ve seen, it looks silly, has smart jokes and doesn’t take itself too seriously-What’s not to love?

Is it out yet? Yes. Have I seen it yet? No. Will I see it? Duh.

How high are my expectations? Reasonably high.
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Somewhat
Release date: 7 February
Length: 100 mins

Veronica Mars: The Movie
Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colatoni 

Let me tell you a little story. About two years ago I discovered the wonder that is Veronica Mars. Funny, smart, witty, epic and full of awesome strong characters, I quickly became obsessed. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, Veronica Mars is/was about a teenage private eye, but instead of being  a fluffy Nancy Drew-type show, it’s gritty, dark, edgy and most definitely at the top of my favourites list. The show ran for three seasons between 2004 and 2006 when it was cancelled.

Flash forward to about this time last year when I discovered that the Veronica Mars Team for lack of a better phrase were crowd funding a Veronica Mars Movie via Kickstarter. Of course I contributed. The goal was to raise 2,000,000 dollars. The end total was over five million. I think it’s pretty safe to say now that the movie got made, and one of the perks of being a backer was that I got to receive updates as the movie progressed. From the trailer, it looks like it’s filled with awesomeness snark and everything Veronica Mars fans expect from it. I haven’t watched it yet due to download issues, but you can bet I will see it.


How high are my expectations?  So so so so so high
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Lie on the floor pathetically disappointed
Release date: 14 March
 Length: 107 mins

Divergent
Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

You know by now that I have mixed opinions on the Divergent series, however, after reading Allegiant, I think I’ve forgiven Veronica Roth. NOT FOR SHATTERING MY HEART THOUGH. *Ahem* I’m sorry for that. If you’ve read Allegiant, I’m sure you know how I feel.

Anyway, I was somewhat dubious about the movie, but the trailers look amazing and the actors – at least from what I’ve seen from trailers and clips – seem to be really well cast. Also I can tell you from reading the books, that lots of epic battle scenes will ensue. Just saying.


How high are my expectations?  Oh my goodness, so high
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Oh my goodness, so disappointed
Release date: 18 March
 Length: 139 mins

The Fault in our Stars
Starring (oh look!) Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, William Dafoe

Do I really need to make a comment about my love for The Fault in Our Stars? This is the movie that I am at the same time counting down the days to, and terrified to see. So much is riding on this movie. Okay maybe that last part was a bit overly dramatic, but still. I don’t know if the casting is right or not. I think I just need to withhold judgement until I’ve seen it. If it’s another Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones, it will be blacked out of my memory for all eternity. And don’t tell me I’m too invested in the fictional.


How high are my expectations?  I can’t even express how high
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Hnnnnnnnyyyyaaaaaaa……
Release date: 6 June

Mockingjay, Part One
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

I have mixed opinions of the Hunger Games book series. I loved the first book, but the other two got increasingly frustrating. The movies however… The Hunger Games movie? Meh. The Catching Fire movie? I might go so far as to say it was better than the book. And I don’t say that often. Catching fire was a really good, strong, movie, without Katniss’ annoyingness from the book. If Katniss can stay as strong as book one Katniss in the Mockingjay movie, and everything else stays at the level of the previous movie, it has the potential to be an amazing movie, and I am willing to say “ the movie was better than the book.” It better be good.

(Seriously though, what’s with splitting movies into two parts?)

How high are my expectations?  Seriously High
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Seriously disappointed
Release date: 20 November



And so after five (ish) weeks, here you go. Don't say I never gave you nothin'.