Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Trailer Reaction

I'm SUPER excited for this movie (like every other Harry Potter fan), so I've decided to do a trailer reaction/talk/review. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, what are you doing with your life?! I've already lost track of how many times I've watched it! But you can watch it here if you haven't already.

First of all, I love the feel/aesthetic of this movie so much! I love the fact that it is set in the 20s in New York. If you didn't know, I adore movies and books set anywhere between the 20s and 40s; I think it makes for an atmospheric and fascinating setting. The costumes and set for the movie really makes the feel of the movie amazing. I mean look at Newt Scamander's coat! It's absolutely gorgeous (and so are the other costumes)! 

Also, who are all these new characters?! I can't wait to see who they are, because the only character we really know about is Newt. I'm also excited to see where the plot goes since we know so little about Newt Scamander and the wizarding world in the 1920s. Plus there is a whole new wizarding culture to explore since the movie is set in America this time!

Now let's talk about the actual beasts. We only get to see a handful of them in the trailer, so I'm hoping there will be lots more in the actual movie.

My favourite is the mole thing in the last picture! It's so cute! The blue, winged creature is also pretty cool, and I don't even know what the thing inside his suitcase is supposed to be.

It was also mentioned that Newt was expelled from Hogwarts and that Dumbledore argued against his expulsion, so hopefully they will expand on that. I wonder if we'll see a young Dumbledore?

And finally, I wanted to talk about the music. It was so GOOD! I loved how they incorporated some of the old music (Hedwig's Theme) from the original Harry Potter movies. It was just done so well and it really added to the overall greatness of the trailer!

Overall I was really pleased with the trailer! I loved the aesthetic/feel of it, and the cinematography, costumes, setting and overall quality was fantastic (*wink*). I can't wait for November! Let me know down below what your favourite part of the trailer was!

The Hamilton Book Tag

So, lately I've become a little bit obsessed with this musical, Hamilton. If you haven't heard of it before, it is a musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton (one of America's founding fathers) and the American Revolution through hip-hop/R&B songs. It's SO GOOD and I would definitely recommend checking it out (it's on Spotify). So, I'd thought I'd do this tag, which was created by Maureen Keavy. Link to her video here .

Anyways, here we go.

1. The Room Where it Happens: A Book World You Would Put Yourself In

I'm going to go with the obvious choice here and choose the wizarding world of Harry Potter. I would absolutely love to live in that world! Ever since reading that series I've wanted to attend Hogwarts!

2. The Schuyler Sisters: An Underrated Female Character

I think that Zu from Alex Bracken's The Darkest Minds trilogy is pretty underrated. She has been through A LOT at such a young age and I think she is one of the strongest characters in the series because of this. She need some more recognition!

3. My Shot: A Character That Goes After What They Want and Doesn't Let Anything Stop Them

Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series definitely goes after what she wants. She is a super strong female character and is willing to manipulate and kill for whatever she wants.

4. Stay Alive: A Character You Wish Was Still Alive

SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK THIEF.

I wish that everybody from The Book Thief was still alive. Especially Rudy, Hans and Rosa since they died during the bombing and not of old age like Liesel.

5. Burn: The Most Heartbreaking End to a Relationship

SPOILERS FOR THE DARKEST MINDS.

The end to Ruby and Liam's relationship (kind of) in The Darkest Minds was super devastating and frustrating since Ruby didn't have to erase herself from Liam's memory (and they are one of my OTPs). The fact that it also ended in a cliffhanger made it that much worse.

6. You'll Be Back: The Sassiest Villain

Here I'm going to have to say Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock, which is kind of cheating since I've only seen the show and not read the stories (I know, I'm terrible). But Moriarty (played by Andrew Scott) is my favourite villain of all time, he has some of the best dialogue, and impeccable taste.

7. The Reynolds Pamphlet: A Book With Twist You Didn't See Coming

There were a ton of scheming and twists in Queen of Shadows. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've read it.

8. Non-Stop: A Series You Marathoned

Last Year I marathoned all of Rick Riordan's completed series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles (with a break between each series, mind you). I read all of PJO first, then later went back to marathon HoO, and then again later that year I read KC.

9. Satisfied: Favourite Book With Multiple POVs

I'm going to have to go back to one of Rick Riordan's books, The Mark of Athena. I was super glad that we finally got to see some of the story from Annabeth's point of view, and I loved her narration!

10. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A Book/Series That Will Be Remembered Throughout History

Harry Potter obviously! Enough said.

BONUS QUESTIONS!

11. Helpless: A Relationship You Were Pulling For From the Start

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. OTP, OTP, OTP.

12. Ten Duel Commandments: Favourite Fight Scene 

The fight scene at the end of The Last Olympian was great. The whole book was basically one huge battle, it was amazing!

13. Say No To This: A Guilty Pleasure Read

I don't really have an answer for this question. The Selection series maybe?

14.  What Comes Next: A Series You Wish Had More Books

Again, Harry Potter! I think everybody wants more.

15. Right Hand Man: Favourite BROTP

I'd have to say that one of my favourite friendships would have to be the golden trio from Harry Potter, but I also really love [Spoiler (ish) for The Throne of Glass series] Aelin and Lysandra's friendship.

16. What'd I Miss: A Book or Series You Were Late to Reading

PJO and HoO. I only got around to them last year (crazy right?!)!

That's it for the tag! You should definitely go check out Hamilton if you haven't listened to it yet!

Easter Reading!

This long Easter weekend I hope to get a good amount of reading done! Yesterday (Thursday), school was cancelled due to bad weather, so I ended up getting a five day weekend! Unfortunately, I've been a sick since yesterday afternoon, which has limited my reading a bit. 

Currently I'm reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, and I'm about 80 pages in. I hope to finish it and then move on to A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (finally).

So far Miss Peregrine's is pretty good and I'm enjoying the narration! Can't wait to finish it so I can watch the trailer (and then the movie when it comes out)!

Well, that's it for this reading update. What are you guys reading over the Easter break?

Book Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

This synopsis contains spoilers for the previous books in the series.

In the fourth installation of the Throne of Glass series, Celaena Sardothien, who has now embraced her title of Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, returns to the kingdom of Adarlan to deal with her past and fight for her country.

Overall this book was really great (even though it took me a while to read). It has become my second favourite book in the series next to the first novel. Characters changed, new ones were introduced, ships sank and battles were fought. I would recommend reading The Assassin's Blade before you read this because it has connections to the novella woven in, and it gives the story more depth.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Spoilers ahead.

Some of my favourite parts of this book were the epic battle scenes, specifically the one between Manon and Aelin. I was glad that we the two characters met, and I thought the fight between them was amazing and well written. I also enjoyed the final battle at the castle with the King of Adarlan, Dorian and Aelin. Magic was freed (finally), Dorian became himself again (mostly) and the King died. But as it turns out, he might have just been a chess piece in a bigger plan, Erawan might just be Perrington. I also loved how Aelin and Dorian's magic worked together seamlessly. 

Manon's chapters also got more interesting. She's starting to become more "human", and tensions seem to be rising between and her grandmother. The scene where she fled Morath while Kaltain burnt it to the ground. I think it will be interesting to see where her character will go in the next books.

Another one of my favourite parts of the book was when Aelin was planning to kill Arobynn. The dinner, Aelin playing up Celaena's character, the part where I thought she was under Arobynn's control, the extreme scheming, everything about that part of the book was just great.

Finally, can we just talk about the characters and their relationships? Aelin's character certainly changed quite a bit, maybe to the extent of it being a bit unrealistic. She and Chaol have both changed so much that I think we've come to the conclusion that that ship has sunk. A relationship between Aelin and Rowan seems to be building though, which I'm fine with this, but I don't love them. After reading about her and Sam in The Assassin's Blade, I just don't think that Aelin and Rowan's relationship is as great. The one relationship that I absolutely loved though was Aelin and Lysandra's! I love that we got an amazing friendship between two female characters, something that I think we need to see more in the YA genre.

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

In the land of Mytica, three countries rule, Auranos, Limeros and Paelsia, but not for long if things continue to head downhill...

Four individuals are pulled into the brewing war of the three countries. They must deal with political 

maneuvering and the consequences of war on top of their own personal issues.

Pampered Princess Cleo of Auranos is trying to cope with the murder she witnessed before her own eyes. And when her sister falls sick, she sets out on a quest to find a magical legend as a last resort.

Jonas, a rebel from Paelsia, is angry and wants vengeance for his brothers death. He finds himself a leader of a rebellion for his oppressed country.  

Magnus, the heir of Limeros, is the King of Blood's son. But he doesn't want to end up like his father when he is to become king. Meanwhile, his sister, Lucia, begins to discover the secrets of her heritage.

Rate: 3.5/5 stars

I thought that I was really going to enjoy reading this book. I'd heard great things about this series, and the concept sounded like something I would enjoy quite a bit. But it turns out, I didn't like as much as I thought I would. At first I gave this book a four star rating, but when I began to think about it more, I realized that not a lot happened, and I didn't like it as much as I thought. Overall, the book was just okay. I think I'll continue with the series, but it's not on the top of my list.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

For the most part, the characters in this book didn't amaze me. Although I did think that Magnus was decent, but maybe that's because I like morally grey characters. The rest-- Cleo, Jonas and Lucia-- didn't do too much for me. They just didn't seem as fleshed out as some other characters I've read.

I wished that the magic system was explored a bit more. We got to see some of the things that Lucia could do, but that was only until the second half of the book, and even then we barely saw any of it. I think that elementia could be a pretty cool magic system if we got to see more of it.

Another thing that I wished we got to see more of was the action. During the war scenes, we barely got to see any of the actual fighting. It was kind of skimmed over by the author. Action is one of my favourite things in a book, so I was disappointed that there wasn't too much of it in this book.

I thought that the war in this book took too long to develop. I was kind of let down by the overall plot. Interesting things did happen though, Cleo went out to search for an ancient watcher, Lucia discovered her magic, alliances were made, as well as betrayals. But it was just the way it was executed that made me like it less.

Also the fact that Cleo and Theon fell in "love"quite quickly bothered me. They only really realized it right as Theon was dying. I didn't care much about his death anyways. 

The book overall wasn't horrible, I just didn't love it like some people. 

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

In the prequel to Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, we learn more about notorious assassin, Celaena Sardothien's, dirty past. The Assassin's Blade consists of five intertwining short stories, all featuring the world's finest assassin. 

Celaena works for Arobynn Hamel, who gave her a place at the Assassin's Guild many years before. Since then she has become his protégé, and the worlds best assassin. In these novellas we follow Celaena as she travels far and wide on assignments for Arobynn, along with what happened leading up to her capture and enslavement in Endovier. 

Rate: 4.5/5 stars 

I decided to pick this up since Queen of Shadows (book four of six) is coming out this fall, and I wanted to read it before then. Also, I heard that some characters in this book will be showing up in Queen of Shadows, so I though it would be a good idea to read this before it comes out. I really enjoyed these short-story-prequels, and that's saying something, because I'm not a huge fan of short stories. I thought each novella was great (although The Assassin and the Healer was lacking a bit for me)! I loved how they each had their own storyline, but were all part of one big story. As per usual, there was lots of action, and great writing! I highly suggest that you pick this book up if you are a fan of the series. And if you haven't started reading this series yet, get on it!

SPOILERS AHEAD.

First off, let's talk a bit about the first novella, The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. We got to see a bit of Celaena's softer side in this novella. We saw that she does actually have a heart, and isn't just a cold, hard killing machine. I thought that it was great that she freed the slaves, even when it was against her orders, and I thought that it was great that Sam joined in. I really love when Celaena does things like that for the good.

The Assassin and the Healer was lacking for me as I mentioned above. It was still good, but I enjoyed the others far more. I didn't care too much for Yrene, and it was a bit boring compared to the other stories.

Next was The Assassin and the Dessert. I liked how we got to see that there was more than one place for assassins, and it was interesting to see the stark difference between the two keeps. I was not expecting that betrayal from Ansel. But it just made the story just that more interesting. I did like their friendship while it lasted though. I think that it was good for Celaena to have a friend of the same gender. And you could tell that she definitely still cared for Ansel at the end.

Fourth was The Assassin and the Underworld. This one was quite good, my second favourite actually. We began to see just how treacherous Arobynn could be. I loved the storyline of this one, it had lots of action (which you may have noticed is what I love in a book)! The scene where Celaena was trapped in the sewer was probably my favourite. I was really glad Sam showed up to save her (and they finally became a thing! I was waiting for that the whole book!). But the worst part was when Celaena realized that the person she was hired was actually working for the rebellion and not against it. And just think, this was only the beginning of Arobynn's horribleness.

The fifth and final novella was The Assassin and the Empire, my personal favourite. The action, the romance, the betrayal, it was all great (and horribly sad). Sam's death, although we knew it was coming, was just horrendous. I felt so bad for Celaena. And then she finds out that his death and her capture was all a plan set up by Arobynn, making it even worse. But this novella was still so amazing. I just loved it because of all the tragedy, that's what made it so good. 

Overall these novellas were great! I can't wait for Queen of Shadows to come out in the fall! 

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Joel wishes he was a Rithmatist. He wishes that he could create elaborate defences, bring his chalk drawings to life and defend the American Isles from the deadly chalk creature know as wild chalkings. But sadly Joel is the only student at his school that isn't from a wealthy family or a Rithmatist. 

But things begin to change when students begin to disappear from Joel's school, leaving blood at the crime scene. He befriends a Rithmatist, Melody, and the two are assigned to help the professor that is investigating the crime scenes. And they begin to discover things that could change the world of Rithmatics forever.

Rate: 4.5

I have yet to read something by Brandon Sanderson that I didn't like. This was a pretty great book in my opinion. The world building was great as always. The magic system was elaborate, interesting and well put together. Plus I loved the characters, especially Melody. I also enjoyed the steampunk/gearpunk aspect to the book. I thought the illustrations of the chalkings and defences at the end of each chapter really helped the readers understand the magic system better. This book was super unique and it left many directions for the rest of the story to go.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Like I mentioned above, I love the characters in this book, especially Melody! I loved her spunk and overall personality. Plus, her friendship with Joel was great! Melody was the dramatic one, whereas Joel was the more thoughtful type, plus  were the two odd ones out, and it made for a great friendship. I loved how at the end, they teamed up at the tournament and won. That was a great scene to read. 

I really loved the magic system in this book, it was just so great! The chalkings and the defences were so cool. It was quite mathimatical, and sometimes complicated, and I know some people may not have liked it as much because of this, but I thought that was what made it so great. I really love complex magic systems, story lines, ect. Iv've come to the conclusion that Brandon Sanderson is a genius.

The end was a tad complicated, and I don't have the book with me (it's currently floating over the ocean) to look back on, so please excuse the vagueness (if there is any).

I loved the ending. The mystery, the Rithmatics, ect. The fact that Inspector Harding was being possessed by a forgotten was quite interesting. That changed things quite dramatically. And the same goes for Professor Nalizar, but we never found out exactly what he was. 

Then there were the newly discovered Rithmatic lines. That also changed things quite a bit. There could be many more out there that haven't been discovered yet. 

These two things combined leave the story line wide open. Many things could happen in the next book. You never know. But I'm excited to find out!