FANGIRL by RAINBOW ROWELL

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

Published: September 10th 2013 (hardback), January 30th 2014 (paperback)

Publisher: Pan MacMillian
Genre: YA, Contemporary

"In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?" - from Goodreads

Fangirl has been extremely raved about online and I was thrilled when I got my copy in the mail. The cover design is beautiful and eye-catching with its simplicity. However, enough about the cover, Rainbow Rowell is a New York Times bestseller but this was my first piece of her writing. The characters were all believable which was really refreshing seeing as most contemporary novels have over-written and fluffy characters. 

Cath is our main protagonist and she is a fan-fiction writer for a series much like our beloved Harry Potter. She is very much an introvert and occasionally her 'dedication' towards writing her fanfiction gets a little tedious. She and her twin sister Wren are moving to college, something that Cath is not too fond about. The story focuses on Cath really growing as a person and learning how to be more sociable. 

Wren is a fairly unlikeable and pretty undeveloped character. I'd really like to see either a small novel or companion novel from Wren's perspective as she is the polar opposite to Cath. Towards the end of the book you start to see why Cath is so devoted to her and begin to feel more of a connection towards her. 

The other secondary characters include, Levi, Reagan and Art. Levi is effectively the most perfectly un-perfect man you could wish to read about and I can certainly see why he has such a huge following. Reagan is another character who could have her own book and I think she is a brilliant addition to the book; she's not your average friendly character, but she reminds me so much of people I know in real life and I think she's really greatly written. Art is Wren and Cath's father and whilst there isn't too much about him seeing as the majority of the book is set in college, I feel like you know enough to decide that he is completely unstable and insignificant character. 

As I said before the best thing about this book is that the characters and the plot are so relatable, the writing isn't overly fluffy and over all just a pretty good read. I will definitely be checking out more of Rainbow Rowell's work in the future and whilst this book wasn't groundbreaking in the slightest it was fun, loveable and easy.

3/5 STARS

Parked FILM REVIEW

A few weeks ago I watched the film Parked. It was one of those films that really stays with you even after you've finished watching. The film itself is a small, independent film, I don't even think it was in the cinemas (although I could be wrong). The cast was small and the plot simple: simple, but by no means any less intriguing.

This is a synopsis from IMDb "Fred Daly returns to Ireland with nowhere to live but his car. Then dope-smoking 21-year-old Cathal parks beside him, and brightens up his lonely world. Encouraged by Cathal, Fred meets attractive music teacher Jules. Growing closer, these three outsiders are set on a course that will change their lives forever."

In essence that is exactly the plot, there is no sidelines its just that. Cathal is played by Colin Morgan who is outstanding in the part. Not only is Colin a master of accents but he is able to convey emotions with a simple look. Colm Meaney also plays a brilliant part, he is obviously the more reserved out of the duo but he certainly can hold his own. Despite the fact that these two characters couldn't be any more different they are thrown together and have each other for company. Cathal hasn't had anyone in his life that he can look up to and I truly believe that he wanted to give up the drugs for Fred because he loved and admired Fred, but he was just too far gone.

I am going to make an effort to watch more independent/small films in the future because theres something so special about them. I think that its amazing that small films like Parked are just as brilliant (if not better) than films that have Hollywood backing. Its solely based on the actors and the storyline without all of the theatrics that comes with high budget films. The actors are also more passionate about it because they are not doing it for the money they are purely doing it because they believe in the story and film. Jennifer Lawrence once said that "I love doing independent films, I love being on that 20th hour of free overtime in the freezing cold with the rest of the crew and the only thing that’s keeping you there and motivating you is not money. It’s just the belief and a story that you love enough to do almost anything for…that’s why I do what I do." and I think thats the perfect way to sum up an actor's view on independent films.

I'd definitely recommend Parked, its and emotional and strangely heartwarming film, however do be warned that there is drug use, swearing and sexual references so don't watch if you don't like any of that, however, don't be put off because it is all done beautifully and played out extremely well. 

4/5 STARS

The White Queen- Philippa Gregory BOOK REVIEW

"1464. Cousin is at war with cousin, as the houses of York and Lancaster tear themselves apart...
...And Elizabeth Woodville, a young Lancastrian widow, armed only with her beauty and steely determination, seduces and marries the charismatic warrior king, Edward IV of York. Crowned Queen of England, surrounded by conflict, betrayal and murder, Elizabeth rises to the demands of her position, fighting tenaciously for her family's survival. Most of all she must defend her two sons, who become the central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing Princes in the Tower."

This is the third book I have read of Gregory's Woman from War of Roses collection, however, this was the first in the series so I've done them a bit back to front, but as I said in my other reviews (the RED QUEEN and the KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER) it doesn't matter which book you read first or last because they follow the exact same story just told from different points of view.

This is the story of Elizabeth Woodville who literally came from the bottom of the heap to being crowned Queen of England. I personally believe that in the TV show on BBC she is shown really very poorly because in the book she is far more a human with emotion rather than a Queen of ice like she is portrayed in show. In the book you get to really see things from Elizabeth's point of view; I am not saying that she wasn't a determined woman who certainly knew how to persuade her husband, but she certainly wasn't the villainous witch that she is portrayed as in the show and the other two books.

Her main priority is to have boys so that the House of York have heirs after her husband; she does this well and has two healthy boys. Not only does she have two boys she also has six healthy girls (she gives birth to another boy and girl who die shortly after birth or in their early years). So after she has done her duty as a wife her main concern is to make sure that her princes get on the throne and that the girls marry well and maybe become queen's themselves.

They always say that a mother's fury is something to be beckoned with and I truly believe that everything she did after she had her children was to keep them safe, but also to make sure that she had an heir on the throne. She certainly wasn't going to give that one up easily and she literally stages rebellions from sanctuary which despite being unsuccessful showed everyone that she wasn't going to simply give away her throne.

In both the book and the show they talk about Elizabeth being a witch and possessing the Seer quality. Do I think this is real or fake? Well no one knows for sure (and before you say "oh magic isn't real" well since you have no proof that it isn't real I will not accept that it isn't). Either way it is a gift that her daughter Princess Elizabeth her eldest daughter, also had. This created some very interesting theories and plot in the book which made her character seem all the more interesting. Its hard to say whether her curses really worked or if it was all just coincidence but either way it gives Elizabeth Woodville an air of mystery.

I'd obviously recommend reading this series, so far my favourite is still The Kingmaker's Daughter, but this is a close second. I am currently on the last but one book in the series The Lady of the River's and once the White Princess is out in paperback I will review that for you as well.

4/5 STARS

How I Met Your Mother TV SHOW REVIEW

Yes, I know, I am late (very, very late) to the party but I have recently started watching How I Met Your Mother (or as I shall now call it for the advantage of this post HIMYM). Yeah, I had seen episodes before now on and off but I hadn't really watched it, until I was stuck down my Nan's house with no internet and very few channels available. I have brought the first and second series on DVD and I pretty much watched the entire first series in one night. It reminds me a lot of Friends, I think that that is what they based it on to be honest.

It follows the life of Ted Moseby telling his children about how he met their mother, it is described as a love story in reverse. It doesn't just follow Ted's life though it follows the lives of his four other friends, Lily, Marshall, Robin and Barney. It's hard to say who is my favourite character because they all have their qualities and disadvantages.

I believe that there are eight series and that the eighth is the final series and the identity of Ted's wife. Although I don't think that this is the best programme in the world, certainly not, but it is a show that I enjoy, its warmhearted, simple and exactly the type of thing that I like to have on in the background when I am doing homework or writing blog posts etc. So yeah, if you're late to the party as well then I'd recommend you watch it if you love Friends, you probably wont love it as much but you will certainly enjoy it.

The Red Queen- Philippa Gregory BOOK REVIEW

“1453, Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort is a strikingly pious child. Saints’ knees he stigmata, she has a fierce and unwavering sense of destiny, if not a nun, then she’ll be Queen of England and sign her name Margaret Regina: Margaret R.

Still a girl, Margaret is sent to a loveless marriage in remote Wales. There she gives birth to a son whom she names for the King, he cousin Henry VI of England, who is sinking into madness. Determined to put her Henry on England’s throne, regardless of the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she sends him into exile and pledges him in marriage to the daughter of her enemy Elizabeth Woodville.

Meanwhile, devoted in her belief that her House is the true ruler of England, Margaret feigns loyalty to the usurper King Richard III and masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of all time.”

Before reading the book but watching the TV show I have come to the conclusion that Margaret is slightly mad. Driven by her belief that it is God’s will to put her Henry on the throne. She is as the blurb states in a loveless marriage at the start and an even less so one later on, married only for personal gain and a place in court.

After reading the book you can’t help but feel so sorry for Margaret Beaufort. She was a disappointment to her mother because she was a girl and not a boy, she is given a betrothal when she is only 6 and gets re-betrothed when she is 9. She is only 12 when she finally marries and is a widow at 14 after carrying her husband’s child. Then to make matters worse she is made to re-marry to Henry Stafford and forced to give up her child. Well, I don’t know about you but my childhood certainly wasn’t that bad. Her mother is wicked woman and an absolute beast; I just simply cannot understand how a mother can have so little love for her child. It must have really sucked to be a girl in Margaret’s time, to never have a say in your life, but instead it be all to do with your parents and later your husband is a completely horrendous thought.

She continues to be told what to do throughout her life but she always holds on to the unwavering sense that she is doing the will of God, she believes that he speaks to her. She will stop at nothing to get her son on the throne of England. She even marries to get a place in court so as to get her closer to getting her boy on the throne. She is a very strong, pious woman.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the Kingmaker’s Daughter purely because of the amount of battle and I felt as if Margaret kept repeating herself about the will of God, which of course is supposed to happen because that is what she lives for and is the main plot line and her driving force behind everything she does, but I did find it getting a little bit trying. If anything I am more intrigued to read about ‘The White Princess’ Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter, which is due to be released sometime in August. She seems to be a rather significant figure in both of the books towards the end of them and I’d like to find out more about her.

The Mortal Instruments- Cassandra Clare BOOK REVIEW

Possible spoilers if you’ve not read all of the books in the series

Fuelled by the release of the Mortal Instruments being made into a film franchise and by the recommendation from a friend I began reading these books a while ago.  The first in the series of five books (so far, I believe that there will be a sixth coming out soon) called The City of Bones kickstarts the series.

It follows the characters of Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus and the standard villain Valentine. Clary realises pretty soon into the book that she isn’t the normal human that she thinks that she is but has Shadow Hunter blood in her, and Jace, Isabelle and Alec, similar to herself are Shadow hunters that only she can see, the only difference is that they are trained fighters and she is not. Simon is what the Shadow Hunters call a mundane. It’s a pretty good book with a pretty good plot. However, there is a twist at the end of this book that makes me want to cry, because it is just so horrendous and gross, if you’ve read the book then you will know exactly what I am talking about.

It’s neither ground breaking nor something to be ignored, as it clearly hasn’t been. I believe that the general consensus of this book and all of the others in the series is you either love it or you hate it. Of course, I have to be awkward and say that I am completely passive about this series of books.

The second in the series is City of Ashes. Originally I couldn’t even remember what had happened in this book and had to re-read the blurb and a synopsis online before I could refresh my memory: take that, as you will. It just goes to show that this is a building block in the series, a filler if you will, a book that needs to be there so the next makes sense but doesn’t really fulfil your needs. Clary and Jace’s ‘relationship’ makes me want to throw up, seriously that is messed up.

This book is a lot more fast paced than the first, I’ll give it that but then the first in a series of books is always fairly slow. Simon is really developing as a character now that he is a vampire. I feel as if the most disappointing character in the entire two books is Valentine; I am not scared of him, nor do I think he a very good villain, he’s by no means sneaky or conniving enough, considering he is supposed to be trying to overthrow the clave he’s pretty predictable. Villains in novels like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games even Twilight for goodness sake are characters that you fear and you are constantly worried for the character. You don’t know that everything will be solved and be okay but with this series you just know that they will sort everything out in a way that is so ridiculously simple its stupid.

Third is City of Glass, this is my favourite in the series. This shows the ‘gang’ going to Alicante to basically fight a war. Can I just remind you all that Clary is a non-trained Shadow Hunter with absolutely NO experience. Suddenly just because she can use Runes she is undefeatable and yet Jace, arguably the best Shadow Hunter there is gets killed, then brought back to life. Really? Oh and Valentine is defeated. Okay fine, I know this sounds like I am bashing the book but it was the best to read but possibly the one with the worst plot. So much happens that you’re left feeling like “what the hell just happened” and not in a good way. Also why is it that Clary always seems to be making out with people she thinks are her brothers? What is going on in the author’s mind?

The fourth book is City of Fallen Angels. This book is incredibly slow right until the very end when all the action happens within about 5 chapters. (that’s an estimate number, don’t quote me, but lets just say it wasn’t long enough and was squeezed into a ridiculously short space when it should have been the focus of the book). After the finishing the very last page you are left with the sentence on most people’s lips “seriously, are you being serious Clare? This is ridiculous”.

She should have stopped writing these books after City of Glass. It makes no sense to carry it on, the main villain is dead, and everything has been resolved. Why bring up a can of worms now? Clary and Jace’s relationship is again a huge source of annoyance for me but for a completely different reason than last time. This time is because it is foolish- they finally are able to have each other in a non-gross way and yet they find fault with each other and there’s yet another reason why they cant be together.

URGHHHHHHHHHH there are so many faults in these books. I haven’t read the fifth one, I have it waiting on my shelf but I don’t think it will be read any time soon. This is another case of what I was talking about here when the author wants to milk the story for as long as possible but in short she/he weakens the plot by doing so. I think that you should read these books and come to your own conclusion because apart from the fourth book, whilst I was reading, I was fairly happy with the story, its only when I sat down to write this review that I realised the faults with it. So my advice is to read them and never review them.

If you don’t want to take my view for this then I suggest you go on Goodreads and read the reviews left by others on there; there’s definitely some interesting ones on there for your entertainment.

The Kingmaker's Daughter- Philippa Gregory BOOK REVIEW

“Anne Neville and her sister Isabel are daughters of the most powerful magnate in the 15^th century England, the Earl of Warwick, the ‘Kingmaker’, born with royal blood in their veins. Widowed at fourteen, fatherless, stripped of her inheritance and with her mother locked in sanctuary and Isabel a vengeful enemy, Anne faces the world alone.

But fortune’s wheel is always turning. Plotting her escape from her sister’s house, she finds herself a husband in the handsome Dyke of Gloucester, and marries without permission. Danger follows her and she finds she has a mortal enemy in the most beautiful queen of England. Anne must protect herself and her precious only son, from the treacherous royal court, her deadly royal rival, and even from the driving ambition of her husband.”

I have been wanting to read these books for absolutely ages, it was only when books by Philippa Gregory were made into a BBC television show (called the White Queen which is based on the books ‘The White Queen’, ‘The Red Queen’ and ‘The Kingmaker’s Daughter’.) that made me want to read them even more. You see, despite them always being on my reading list they always got pushed back in favour of something else. I think this is because I had some reservations because they are of course novels based on history. Whilst that may be true; they have far more dimension and entertainment than that of your average historical novel. The books are described as being fiction based on facts; which means that the main plot and what ultimately happens is all true, but some parts have been exaggerated and made into fiction to make it more enjoyable for the reader.

I don’t claim to know much if anything about the Cousin’s War or more commonly known as the War of the Roses but you don’t need to know anything about it to be able to understand and enjoy these books. You may also learn a little something about what happened along the way although I suppose you have to take it with a small pinch of salt because there are bits of complete fiction interspersed with fact.

Although this is the fourth in the series of books, it doesn’t seem to matter which you read first because ultimately they are all based on the same plot just with different view points. I chose the Kingmaker’s Daughter as the first one to read because Anne Neville’s character interested me from watching the TV show, (well that and it was the only one left in the shop).

Anne Neville is an extremely complex character; she has always been a follower and so when it is her chance to rule and be the better of the two Neville sisters she jumps at the chance. However, her path to the top is certainly not an easy nor enjoyable experience. Whilst she marries for love in secret soon it turns sour and she lives in constant fear of the Queen whom she believes is her mortal enemy.

I don’t believe she ever reached full happiness or if she did it was very short lived, I feel sorry for her and in some ways respect her for carrying on when her world was falling apart. She defiantly had a tough life with little who truly loved her. I believe though that when the book ended it ended with her finally being at peace.

This is definitely a must read if you are a fan of the BBC show or just a fan of historical novels. I finished this book within a day of intense reading, considering that this is a 400+ paged book, that shows you just how good this book was.

I am about to read the next books in the series and so I will also review them, once I have finished them all I will write another review telling you whose side I am on- York or Lancaster.

Pet peeves of a fiction obsessed sixteen year old

I have probably done plenty of these posts that either tell you more about me or more to the point what annoys me, but this time I'm going to make it more topical. I am going to talk about things in literacy, films and music that irritates me to the end of the earth and back again.

1. When people bend the page of their books and/or bend/break the spine on their books.
Okay, I do think I have a slight OCD when it comes to looking after books and if you look at about 95% of my books in my bookcase, despite having read each book several times, you will not find a single break in the spine or a bend in a page. (Apart from the dreaded initial break that you get just from opening it, but even that one is so faint you can barely see it). Literally whenever I see anyone doing either of those things I just want to slap the book out of their hands and repair the damage immediately. This is also why I very, very rarely lend my books to people unless I know they can be trusted to treat it carefully. This is also another reason why I cannot deal with library books and have never ever read a book from the library because they are always so tatty and broken that it just takes the enjoyment out of reading for me. The care of books is something I do not take lightly, my friend.

2. When there is a misprint or spelling error in a book.
This is just careless on the publishers part; although, granted, its a very rare thing to happen and even more rare with printed books. However, I've noticed especially on E-Books there can be careless mistakes and it takes you a few time to read over the sentence to understand what was trying to be said. It's extremely frustrating because the amount of times that a book is read and re-read and re-re-read before its published silly mistakes should be seen and sorted out.

3.When films based on adaptations just get the casting all wrong.
I know that everyone has their own ideas about what a certain character looks like when they are described in a book. For example, when I read a book I imagine most of my characters as cartoons and so I find it hard to describe a character to another person who is not inside my head. However, sometimes I really do question if the casting people have read the books at all; take the new Divergent movie for example, Shailene Woodley and Theo James look nothing, absolutely nothing like how I would have imagined them (you know if my brain wasn't weird and turned everyone into cartoons) I just feel like its disappointing for the fan of the books. I understand that it would be impossible to find an actor that everyone loves and imagines in the place of their favourite character but at least attempt it. Harry Potter is a fine example of brilliant casting and costume; you can just tell that the casting people took the time to read the books and study the characters with detail. I am just left feeling like that in today's Hollywood, film companies are more interested in whacking out as many films as possible without really investing too much time into them.
p.s I'm sure these actors mentioned above are good, I've yet to see them in anything but this comment is made purely on their looks (vain, I know right).

4.When books could have been finished but the author tries to milk it.
This is extremely frustrating when you find a decent new book series, you read the first few and it seems that all of the events have been rounded off well and nicely, however, then the author keeps writing new books with weaker plots. This makes the series loose its integrity and makes the reader get bored and disengaged with the writing. Authors need to know when its best to put a series to bed: know when to quit, go out on a high. Particular examples of this are The House of Night series and The Mortal Instrument series. The House of Night currently has 10 books in the series when realistically they could have stopped writing them at about book 5/6, I really cannot be bothered to continue reading the rest in the series because it is getting boring and silly. The Mortal Instruments could have been finished on book 3, that would have left the reader wanting more but not really needing it, the 4th book was lacking compared to the others and took me a long time to get through it. What I am trying to say is that if you want to write a successful book series then you need to know when enough is enough, you want the reader to want more but that they don't necessarily need to have any more because the story is strong enough without it.

5.When films change what happens in the books in a very sucky way.
Sucky isn't the most sophisticated adjective but it describes what I am talking about in the best way possible. When a film is based on an adaptation, I understand that somethings have to be changed so that they make it cinematically pleasing but when they completely change the way an event happens in the book to something that to anyone who has read the books just does not make sense, then you know you have a problem. Take Harry Potter (probably the first time I am criticising it on my blog, take note because it wont happen very often, haha) in the last film (Deathly Hallows part 2) Harry snaps the Elder Wand in half and throws it away... however, in the book, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his old trusty wand and then returns the Elder Wand back to Dumbledore's grave. According to the film Harry no longer has a wand after he does what he does because it does not show him fixing his previous wand. To any fan of the books this will come as a very large annoyance, it would have taken the film makers literally about 2 minutes to show what happened in the book but instead they decided on a scene that is just stupid.

The Complete Harry Potter Film Music Collection CD review!

I am arguably one of the biggest Harry Potter fans that I know and I'm not sure many would dispute with me there, so it therefore seemed almost like a crime that I did not own a CD with the soundtrack from one of the most iconic franchises of our generation. I decided that the best thing to do what to get a CD that had the most popular and iconic tracks first and then possibly buy others from the individual films, so after stumbling across this CD completely by accident I made the purchase and within a few days it was at my doorstep.
The tracks on the CD are split 8 ways so each film has its own individual section and there is 34 songs in all on two CDs. What's interesting is that when I was listening to it in the car with my mum, she did not know the names of the tracks but for the most part could tell you where each track is played in each film; this just shows how iconic and brilliant these pieces of music really are. They tell the story remarkably well and in my opinion Harry Potter has the best soundtrack in modern day films because it is all completely original and all completely made for specific parts of the film, which helps the watcher feel more connected and invested in the scene.

The Complete Harry Potter Film Music Collection 

preformed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 

I'm sorry the picture quality is not amazing but if you would like to see a better list of the tracks on the CD click here

All in all my absolute favourite tracks are of course the infamous Hedwig's Theme, Leaving Hogwarts and Lily's Theme (which always makes me cry).

I do not have a least favourite track because this CD is truly a masterpiece only reminiscent to the incredible legacy of the Harry Potter franchise. A must have for all Potter fans.

Who-Ology book review

First of all: if you are any sort of Doctor Who fan then buy this immediately. This book is full to the brim with facts, figures and funny quips from all 50 years of Who. For someone who is a fan of the show but doesn't have access to the older Doctor Who episodes, this book enables you to get closer to the past regenerations and learn just as much as if you were to watch the episodes.

 I'm going to let it speak for itself and show you a few pictures from the book.

It goes through all eleven Doctors and gives you general facts about each man. Including what they did before Who, date of birth, first and last regular episode of Who, etc.

This was interesting because it shows you exactly who is in his family and for a man who thinks he's alone he certainly has a decent size family. 

This is my favourite page in the book: it shows you all of the first and last words from the Doctor, I personally think that these two sentences from each magnificent Doctor captures their personality and the way the captured and made their Doctor different from the others extremely well.

So there are a few pictures of pages from the book; but so as not to spoil it completely for you, I will give you the advice to go out and get it straight away. It also would make a pretty amazing present for any Who fan: past or present.