Fandom Mashups (32)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
It's party time! You're going out for a night of well-deserved fun! Who are you inviting along?

1. Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass): Deadly assassin aside, I think Celaena would be a lot of fun to hang out with! Here's hoping that she's got some free time and isn't completely booked, you know, assassinating.
2. Adrian Ivashkov(Vampire Academy/Bloodlines): I still laugh at the time Adrian made up a fake fraternity (Alpha Yam Ergo forever!) on the spot to get into a college party. So yeah, there would never be a lull with him in the group.
3. Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle): I don't think Blue is quite the partying type, but neither am I, but I just want to chat with her! And if she wanted to bring along a friend, or four, plus a certain pet raven, I would be totally cool with that. ;)
4. Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices): Magnus would know all the best places to go to for an awesome night out, and he'd also have invites to all of them because he's Magnus!
5. Cole St. Clair (The Wolves of Mercy Falls): Yes, I went with two Maggie Stiefvater characters this week; I couldn't help myself, especially since Cole has been constantly on my mind lately. Cole is unpredictable, for sure, but if we're going to party, we might as well go all out, and Cole would make sure we do! :D

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (109)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Would You Rather Care for a Blast Ended Skrewt or Get Hit with the Slug Eating Curse?

Ughhh—these are both really unappealing choices. But, I can't stand slugs; they're just so gross to me. There are usually a lot of them after it rains here, and they leave slimy trails everywhere, plus they sometimes get into the house. So I guess this means I'll be taking my chances with the blast ended skrewt. XD

Review: The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson

The Boy in the Smoke (Shades of London #0.5)
By Maureen Johnson
Format: eBook
Source: Wattpad

To Sum It Up: Stephen Dene has always been the perfect son, even if his parents barely acknowledge his existence. But after suffering an unbearable loss, Stephen takes extreme action. His decision has unintended consequences, however, including a newfound ability to see what most others cannot.

Review: The Boy in the Smoke is a prequel novella to Maureen Johnson’s Shades of London novels and fills in the backstory of Shades’ Stephen Dene. Although Stephen speaks briefly about his past to series protagonist Rory Deveaux in the first book, The Name of the Star, The Boy in the Smoke delves deeper into Stephen’s character and the events that shaped the person Rory meets in book one.

Stephen instantly intrigued me from his first appearance in The Name of the Star, so of course I had to read this. He projects collected and reserved, but there’s also a hint of something more going on with his character. A large part of that something more is the focus of The Boy in the Smoke, which will break your heart many, many times over in less than 100 pages. The story here gets quite intense, but it’s not melodramatic. This is a very finely crafted novella that delivers a sizeable emotional punch despite is page tally. Although I would have eagerly read a longer Stephen story, I think this one is the perfect length, giving readers new to the series a solid induction into its world while at the same time thoroughly filling in the backstory of one of its main figures for those who’ve already read one or more of the novels.

You don’t need to have read any other Shades of London books to jump into this. I do want to mention that although The Boy in the Smoke has a serious tone to it, Rory’s narration in the novels is punctuated with a fair amount of humor. So it’s not as though the entire series is somber, if that might be a concern in continuing on with it. Because I don’t read novellas often, I tend to forget how impactful they can still be in a relatively compact number of pages, and The Boy in the Smoke was a great reminder that I need to keep a better eye out for these series shorts.

All in All: This is available to read for free on Wattpad, and I highly recommend it, regardless of whether or not you’ve read Shades of London. And if you haven’t, read The Boy in the Smoke and then pick up The Name of the Star.

Fandom Mashups (31)

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:
You need to locate a ancient magical heirloom - but - there's a time-limit. If you don't find it in 72 hours, the world will be in unimaginable danger. You need speed, quick-thinking and more time than you have. Who's going to help you locate the trinket?

1. Hermione Granger: She's one of the smartest fictional characters I can think of, and she might be able to buy us a few more precious minutes if needed with the Time-Turner.
2. Kell (A Darker Shade of Magic): Kell collects trinkets and can time travel; he'd totally understand the urgency of this situation.
3. The Tenth Doctor: Two words: TARDIS travel! And yes, I always choose Ten, because . . . David. Tennant.
4. Karou (Daughter of Smoke and Bone): She's had to track down an eclectic assortment of items before and usually with tight deadlines, so she's got some solid expertise to offer this team.
5. The Flash: Once we figure out where the item is, we can send the fastest man alive to retrieve it!

November 2015 Recap

Is it really the last month of 2015? I was writing in my planner the other day and suddenly realized, oh crap! It's the end of the month and I need to put together a recap post for November! The holiday rush is officially on, and as usual, I'm running behind. This is definitely a Time-Turner or TARDIS situation; can't someone invent those things for real already?! XD

Reviews Posted:

• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
• Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
• Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
• Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Featured Posts:

• Back to Paper Planning
• Why I Read
• Adventures at YALLFest 2015