Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Or as I like to call it, Turkey-Murder Day. I just wanted to write a little post to say that I'm very thankful for friends, family, and this blog and everyone who's read my posts. Hope everyone's having a great Thanksgiving, and eat lots of food, om nom nom. Yeah, my family doesn't believe in the concept of "turkey." But we do have shrimp pasta and green bean casserole. Stay safe!

P.S. I have, like, five blog posts I have to finish, and they'll be up at least this week... Hopefully.

Much love,
Lauren

Book review: House of Hades by Rick Riordan

So this has been long over-due, I finished the book when it first came out, so about a month ago. I didn't write a review for it until now, because my laptop's been dead, and I couldn't find the charger. I really loved this book for many reasons, and I'm highly anticipating the last book of the series.

Rick wastes no time, diving right where we left off. Percy and Annabeth fell into Tarturus and left the other demigods to travel to the House of Hades. They're freaking out and aren't necessarily sure what to do next or what path to take, since there are monsters attacking, constantly, and this is when you realize that they really depended on Percy and Annabeth.

I really liked the Tarturus scenes. Not because of Percabeth or anything like that, but I just thought it was cool. The two of them are really impressive as characters, and as soon as the land, they waste no time to fabricate a plan. They're getting to the point and getting what they need to do done. You see, in some YA novels, let's say, after the characters just escaped a near death trap, they idly stand there and give each other that I'm-glad-you're-not-dead hug and all that gist. And here I am thinking, what the heck, you guys could be doing something more productive than standing there, get to it. But no, they're on the ball and working as a team. I think it's great, because most couples start fighting and blaming each other for stupid reasons. They're past the point of fighting, like how they used to in the PJO books, and I think that part of the reason is that they've been friends with each other for such a long time. But seriously, though, Tarturus was just awesome and a lot more different and darker than what we've read, and I loved that Rick brought back old characters, like Kelli and the empousa, and the fact that they were forced to experience the pain of how the monsters and their enemies were killed, like when Annabeth turned blind temporarily, like Phineas.

Another thing that I kept noticing was that Percy kept mentioning the whole bad guy/good guy thing. This is character development. Percy is starting to realize that just because they stopped Kronos and everything doesn't really mean that they're that good of people. Remember, after he made the gods let Calypso free, he didn't make sure that it actually happened. After Bob helped him, he just left him there to clean up in the Underworld.

"Even as he said it, Percy felt like a liar. He'd left Bob in the Underworld and hadn't given him a thought since. What made them friends? The fact that Percy needed him now? Percy always hated it when the gods used him for their errands. Now Percy was treating Bob the same way."

 

When they walked into that death trap with Akhyls, Percy started gagging her with her own poison.

 

"He didn't want to stop. He wanted to choke this goddess. He wanted to watch her drown in her own poison. He wanted to see just how much misery Misery could take."

 

Percy's bitter, he's bitter at a lot of things: towards the gods, monsters, Gaea, ect. He's tired, and he's done with having to deal with, well, everything. When he says "He wanted to see just how much misery Misery could take," he means he wants to see just how much pain and sorrow and misery that she can withstand, like he does, having to deal with seeing his friends die in the Titan War, the pressure of fulfilling the prophecy, and the gods using them for their own benefits and treating him like toys, he never really gets a break.

Now it's time to talk about the other characters. Again, they're operating with out the other two, but you really get to see them work as a team and see their awesome personalities and traits and what they can bring to the table.

The best character, though, would have to be Frank, hands down. No, I'm not talking about how he's not chubby, anymore, and how he's got the muscles and stuff. No, just no. Frank develops into a leader and a soldier, directing armies and leading them into battle, versus the chubby, cute, shy kid who didn't have that much confidence back in Camp Jupiter. And I just think he's developed nicely, in this book.

Okay, so can we talk about Nico freaking DiAngelo, please? I don't care that he's gay, I really don't. It's just that it was a little, hmm, how do I say this correctly, unexpected? So he did everything out of... love? I honestly thought he did it because of the whole Bianca thing, like he never really let go? Here's my problem with this, it didn't really seem real? Like, it didn't transition smoothly, we all know Nico's this really creepy kid who likes to be alone and prefers the dead over the living. Yeah, but since when was he ever angry? But I saw this picture on Instagram, and apparently it wasn't really planned and about how he thinks it's important that we shouldn't ignore a person's sexuality, and I totally agreed with him. Since it wasn't planned, I'll let it slide.

All in all, the book was amazing, and I'm just really glad that there's not yet another cliffhanger and that the characters are okay. Hopefully, my dad will let me preorder Blood of Olympus from Barnes and Nobles, since it's the last one in the series, and he knows how much this series means to me. Tell me what you thought of the book in the comments. I have homework to do, (bleh) so until next time.

-Lauren

 





Eye of Minds, Rapture, The Midnight Dress, and Ender's Game

Hey, guys, this is just an update, I've been reading three books, lately. Well two, but when I'm done with those, I'm starting the third. Now I know what you're thinking: You can't read two books at the same time, it's like starting one series before finishing another. I know. And guess what? I break that rule, I do what I want. I finished House of Hades [a while ago], started reading Eye of Minds, and now I'm on to Rapture.

I'm doing a review on HoH, later, but that's not the point, I picked up EoM because i figured, hey, I like James Patterson, I mean, he wrote The Maze Runner, which I love, so why not? I read the blurb and found out it was about the Internet, sort of. It's about a world where people can go in and out of a game called the Virtnet as freely as they choose. I love the Internet as much as the next girl, but I mean, I'm not really a gamer. I'm not saying you specifically have to be a gamer, but I think you'd like the book more if you were. I like the book, I do, but I'm not pulled into the story like i was with TMR. I'm going to finish it, but I just haven't had time, because of school- too many projects and tests.

As for Rapture, when I read the Fallen series over the summer, Barnes and Nobles didn't have the book, and I couldn't order it off of Amazon or anything. So i just couldn't finish the series, but then Lauren Kate had a book signing--that I didn't go to--and I got it. I'm debating whether or not to do a book review on it, but I might not.

The last book I got was The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee. I'm really excited to read this book, I feel like it has a cozy atmosphere, and it's mysterious in a calm manner.

I'm going to see Ender's Game on Sunday, and I'll definately do a review on the movie, the book is amazing, and I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

By the way... 15 MORE DAYS 'TIL CATCHING FIRE AND 16 'TIL THE DOCTOR WHO 50TH ANNIVERSAY.

-Lauren

Book Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

So I finished Allegiant this Sunday, and I figured I should write a review to help myself cope with the ending. So here goes nothin' .

The Cover:

Isn't the cover great? Everyone's trying to figure out what the water means, and I realized after I finished reading that the water is the tears of the fandom.

The Book:

First, I'd like to point out that I didn't like the plot much, not that it wasn't good or anything, it was great. But, I just kept asking myself, Why are they in the Bureau? What are they doing there, what's the purpose? But then I remembered, so it's okay. Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough (to be fair, my family was watching football when I read this) but the book itself, I loved. The things that Tris and Tobias talk about are just so interesting, for example: 

 “She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love... That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be done for people who need your strength because they don't have enough of their own.”

“You don’t believe things because they make your life better, you believe them because they’re true.” 

"Knowledge is power. Power to do evil...or power to do good. Power itself is not evil. So knowledge itself is not evil.” 

The plot was well-paced, nothing felt dragged, things kept happening, and there wasn't a time where they weren't just sitting there doing nothing, except for, like, meals and all the Fourtris scenes. 

Let's get to the elephant in the room, shall we?

Tris's Death:

At first, I was numb with shock, I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I admit, I was mad, I thought, Why would she do this, why would she kill off Tris?! But then I thought about it.

Tris didn't die in vain, she died accomplishing what needed to be done, and she saved her city, her mom and dad's city. That's why the future looks so bright two and a half years later, because of what she died doing. She died displaying her selflessness, wisdom, and bravery. She died as Tris, not Tris the GP, not Tris the Dauntless, or even Tris the Divergent, but as Tris, who would rather have herself die than her brother for the wrong reasons. She died knowing she'd leave Tobias behind if it meant that everyone else in the city and future kept their lives. And in that moment, she really was being selfless. And what did her mother say? "They'll take care of each other." And what were Tobias's final words of the book? "But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other." Honestly, it was a beautiful way to end the book, Tris dies finally and completely understanding what it means to be selfless, and she knew what the benefits and consequences were. In Divergent, she wouldn't let Tobias get shot, but shot Will in the head. She was being selfless, protecting someone she loves, but she'd rather live than die, shooting Will, which tells us that she doesn't comprehend what it is to be selfless. In Insurgent, she was also being selfless, but to an extent, because she kept throwing herself out there, being reckless and self-destructive. She realizes that her parents didn't just give up their lives for her to act that way. Finally, in Allegiant, she sacrifices herself so that the city and everyone she loves can have a better future, even if it meant dying.

Tris undergoes character development. In Divergent, she says, "Can I be forgiven for all I've done to get here? I don't know. I don't know. Please." In Allegiant, she says, "Can I be forgiven for all I've done to get here? I want to be. I can. I believe it." She's done so much for her city and people that she believes she can be forgiven, and she has.

In conclusion, I'd like to thank Veronica Roth for creating a beautiful series that I will continue to cherish and love in the future, the books have taught me so many things, like being the kind of person you should be and how to act. You've changed my perspective and morals about life and myself as a person. No one's ever done that, and I applaud you.

If you haven't read Divergent, I highly recommend it, it's such a fantastic series. Please tell me what you thought of the book and your feelings on the ending.

Be brave.
-Lauren

Divergent Trailer

I GOT LAZY AND DIDN'T REVIEW THIS UNTIL, LIKE, A WEEK AFTER THE TRAILER CAME OUT. Oops

Let's talk about the Divergent trailer, shall we? Now if you haven't heard of/read Divergent, here's how it goes: It's a dystopian YA novel (trilogy?) written by Veriniaca Roth. Now I know what you're thinking. Oh, it's just another typical YA book in a dystopian world with a love triangle, blah, blah, blah. Wrong. The book takes place in a futuristic Chicago where everything's separated into factions, Erutide, Amity, Abnegation, Dauntless, and Candor. Together, the leaders of those factions rule the government. At the age if sixteen, you get to choose whether to stay or leave your faction. Our main character, Beatrice (Tris) Prior, leaves Agnegation and chooses Dauntless, and then stuff happens. That's all I'm gonna tell you. Oh, and there isn't a love triangle. Let's get on with the actual review. 

"The future belongs to those who know where they belong." Jeanine Matthews. Excellent choice, Summit. She has the right characteristics: blonde hair, blue eyes, ect. But that doesn't really matter to me, whether or not they look like how the author described them in the books. With just that one line, I got chills. I think she'll be great.

Here's a thing I don't get: why is everything orange? I mean, look at this.

    

Everything looks amazing. Everything looks suspenseful, thrilling, exciting, ect. I got chills throughout the whole flippin' trailer. And for me, that never happens. Usually, I'm really critical about trailers, but I actually think they'll do a good job with this. The acting's really good, and I don't really have anything bad to say.

BUT CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THAT KISS?! 

Tell me what you think in the comments, what you liked and didn't like and whether you think the movie's gonna be good or not.

-Lauren

Movie Review: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

So I finally got to see CoB today, and I thought it was fantastic. Now that doesn't mean I thought it was the best movie adaption I've seen, but it was a lot better than most (Percy Jackson). Even though some parts were out of order at the beginning, they stayed true to the dialogue, and I loved it. Of course they didn't have everything in the movie, they had extra scenes that weren't in the book, like Jocelyn being kidnapped and Clary and Jace's conversation about why she's been drawing the runes.

 

The acting was great, I almost cried. Almost. Especially when Simon said, "I'm the one who's always been there for you, not him." I basically lost it. Every character did an awesome job portraying their characters. I didn't see Jamie on screen, I saw Jace. When one of them got hurt or tortured, in Luke's case, I died a little bit inside. It just felt real, I don't know how to put it in any other way.

 

 

 

Every great movie has fight scenes! Okay so not every movie, but this one had quite a few of 'em. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for fight scenes. There was the one when the two guys-- I think it was Pangborn and Blackwell, I don't remember their names--were trying to find the cup, the one at the hotel Dumort, and the one between Jace and Valentine. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's all of them. They left me on the edge of my seat with my eyes glued to the screen.

 

Sadly, I couldn't find a picture of Jocelyn beating the crap out of the guy with a frying pan, but here's a picture of Simon shirtless, instead.

 

 

All in all, the movie was great, filled with action, romance, humor, and a great--and maybe confusing--plot. (I just don't want to go into further detail) If you haven't seen the movie yet but have read the books, I highly suggest you don't spend your time comparing the movie to the book. Yes, they got stuff wrong, but it's still a good movie. For the people who haven't seen it, go see it. That's all I'm saying. Tell me what you thought of the movie in the comments.

 

 

Now, I have to get back to fangirling about the Divergent trailer.

 

-Lauren

 

 

 

 

 

 



New CoB Clip on Yahoo Movies

If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it here.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie comes out in 15 days on August 21st, and they just released a new clip on Yahoo Movies. I'm a really huge fan of the books, and this clip just got me even more excited. In the clip, they show the angelic power rune that Clary (the protagonist) draws, which I think is awesome because they have to focus on the big picture since it's the first book and can't have all the little details. 

Then, they show Pangborn and Blackwell, I guess you could say, "breaking and entering" into her house and trying to find the mortal cup and taking Clary's mom. You get to see Jocelyn's (her mom) amazing fighting skills. It's great that they added this in because, in the books, you don't really know what's happened, just that Clary comes home to find the house wrecked and her mother missing. 

Meanwhile, Clary's interrogating Jace (one of the main characters) about why she's suddenly drawing the runes and why she can see him, yet no one else can. They added a little part where two guys are near by and hear her yelling at him, but they don't see anything. It's nice to see a little bit from a mundane's perspective. 

Then, there's the ravener demon. I don't know if raveners can take on the form of another living creature or not-they can't-, but it took in the form of a dog. I imagined that it was snake-like, but it looks sort of slimy and like it has legs. When Clary ran off after her mom called, she didn't have Jace's sensor, so instead of using that to kill it, she used a fire iron-I think that's what it's called. It's a pretty cool and smart alternative, despite, you know, almost setting the entire apartment on fire. 

The clip showed a lot more than the movie trailers did, and it's five and a half minutes long. I suggest reading the books, they're amazing. Before or after you watch the movie, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't read it before you go watch it, like, the day before. You'll end up disappointed and judgemental, so just don't read it before you go see it. If you go see it. Tell me what you think in the comments and whether or not you'll be seeing the movie and/or reading the books. 

-Lauren

Hardcover vs. Paperback

I don't know which one you prefer, but I honestly have mixed opinions with both. Let's start with some pros and cons.

Hardcover

Pros:

• They last longer than paperbacks.
• They're more durable.
• The pages don't tear as easily, since they're thicker.

Cons:

• The binding isn't all that great after a while.
• The spine gets separated from the binding.
• The dust jacket tends to get creased, torn, folded, ect.
• The corners of the book itself tends to curve inward.
• It costs more than the paperback. 

Paperback

Pros:

• It's cheaper.
• It's smaller compared to the hardcover.
• It's easier to carry around.

Cons:

• The cover starts to peel. (That's what happened to my copy of City of Bones.You can check that book out here.)
• It has smaller print. 
• If the pages get wet, it's harder to dry the pages.
• It's easier to ruin because of the thin pages. 

The reason to this post is because I think that there are some books that are special and deserve to be in hardcover, and there are some books where you just feel that you should have it in paperback. And then there's the ones that you can't decide on, so you grab the first copy you see. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I hope this helped in any way possible. Feel free to tell me your opinions in the comments and follow.

-Lauren

Sherlock Season 3 Trailer

It's been two years since Sherlock had a season, and BBC decides to release a 26 second trailer, I suspect Moffat. Ever since the trailer came out two days ago, Tumblr has decided to make 8763838 posts, gifs, and edits about it. I mean, John has a freakin' mustache, something happened to Lestrade's hair, Mycroft suddenly got fat, but most importantly, JOHN HAS A FREAKING MUSTACHE! I know that three years has passed between seasons two and three-it's close, though, it's been two years since the Sherlock fall- it just doesn't feel like it. I'm really excited to see John's reaction to seeing Sherlock alive. Three years is quite a long time. When I first found out it was a three year span in-between, I didn't understand why it had to be that long, but then I started thinking. Sherlock needed things to mellow down a bit before he came back. I'm also excited on seeing what happens between Molly and Sherlock-I ship them-because she didn't have as strong feelings for him in season 2. But, let's not forget what he said about how Molly "always counted" before the scene with Moriarty. I can't wait to finally understand how Sherlock faked his own death, although I do have some theories. In other words, I just can't wait six more months for the season. Tell me what you thought of the trailer and what you're excited for in the new season, and I'll be sure to reply.

-Lauren

Peter Capaldi as the twelfth doctor

As all the Whovians know, Peter Capaldi will be playing the twelfth doctor as of today. To be honest, I was hoping the Doctor would be a ginger this time, but apparently not. I mean, his last three companions -except for Rory- were ginger, and his last two incarnations wanted to be ginger, so you can't really blame me. As for Peter, I really don't know what to say. He definitely isn't as young as  David or Matt (he's 55), but I think he'll make a great Doctor. I think I'll wait until we actually see him as the Doctor until I make any further judgements. I'm really sad to see Matt go, especially since he got that haircut, but I think we should keep an open mind.

-Lauren

Introduction

My name is Lauren T. and this is my blog, The Bookworm Corner. Here I will post about my favorite books, things to read, and the occasional TV show or book adaptation (among other things). I'm just starting out, so we'll see how it goes, but feel free to send me an email or leave me a comment to let me know what you'd like to see, and how I'm doing!

Lauren