twilight saga: eclipse–the movie

i only saw it today so that should say how excited i was. but i would describe my drive to see it as more of a curiosity. in general, i thought it was better than the second one. but “new moon” was the worst book (or most boring, whatever) so i think all the movies in the saga will be better that it was. “eclipse” had a better storyline, better soundtrack, better acting, better special effects. i did enjoy reading that the wolves couldn’t have genitals in order to keep it a PG-13 rating. they just stuck extra hair “down there”. bella’s character/kristen’s acting annoy me and i snub my nose at pattinson’s portrayal of edward. he just doesn’t hit the mark for me. i’d sum it up by saying he’s just pansy-ish on screen and doesn’t capture the complexity and quiet strength of the book character.

i will say that i was extremely pleased with rosalie’s and jasper’s backstory. i’ve never seen nikki reed look more beautiful as rosalie and i thought the delivery of her lines was impeccable. she really is an amazing actress, just watch “thirteen”. i’m looking forward to her bigger role in “breaking dawn”. and jasper was such a cutie. i always wondered why they never really gave him a southern accent in the movies. and it was like BAM! there it was 🙂 i guess when he takes on a position of authority, the southern twang makes an appearance.

the fight scenes were quite entertaining and not nearly long enough. definitely not nearly long enough. i enjoyed the effect of when the vampires were torn apart–it sounded like breaking glass and twisting metal. bree’s appearances tugged at my heart. especially after reading “the short second life of bree tanner” and knowing how doomed she was.  i was also impressed with xavier as riley.  he acted brilliantly.  which is why he gets to be my post image.

as far as the drama went with the love triangle, i couldn’t care less. i wanted to see more of leah and seth. i feel like i cared about everyone else except bella and edward.  i’d say that the best parts of the movie for me were rosalie, jasper, and the action sequences. oh, and bella’s ring looked like a $5 piece of fashion jewelry. but that’s just me.

prophecy of the sisters by michelle zink

part 1 review
so, Lia and i are good now.  there were two specific instances, one with her boyfriend james and one with her aunt virginia, where she went balls to the wall and stood up for herself.  bravo.  along with Lia’s growing toughness, the prophecy has become more complicated and far-reaching.  by the end it’s plain that this book is definitely part of a series (jeez).  in fact, once i finished, i couldn’t help but think that the adventure has yet to begin.  that the entire novel was merely a set-up to the actual journey.  it wasn’t as much of a letdown as i would have thought.  probably because the last few chapters set up for quite an adventure and the excitement i felt far overpowered the annoying aspects.

i did have a strong emotional response to Lia’s and Alice’s little brother Henry.  he and his sisters are about the same amount of years apart as my brother and me so i just kept picturing him as my brother.  what a sweet and devoted little boy Henry is and his fate completely pulled at my heartstrings.

in the story, the worlds beyond the physical plane are called the Otherworlds.  these are dangerous places to be, especially for those involved with the prophecy.  and happily, Luisa and Sonia become a major part of the prophecy.  always good to see those two.  Alice is still lurking about and proved her insanely evil capabilities by the end.  i will never forgive her.

i felt the tide turning in the end and the adventure looming…glad i’m along for the ride.

and it never ends

omg.  why does every book i pick up inevitably have to be part of a series?  it’s completely the fashion in book-writing nowadays.  especially with YA.  my frustration came to a head when i looked over the book selection in my local supermarket this week.  i saw a book cover that looked strangely like the three covers of alyson noel’s “the immortals” series.  upon further inspection i verified that it was indeed the fourth book in the series.  good grief.  i have the third book “shadowland” in my TBR pile.  now i’m even farther behind.  i don’t even like the series but i feel compelled to finish because i’m in so deep.  ugh.  first “the maze runner” then “prophecy of the sisters” now this.  of course, those two are pretty awesome so i don’t have much of a complaint there (especially with “the maze runner” which is completely amazing).  but i do desire the satisfaction of finishing a novel and having it be the end of it.  i must finish “battle royale”.

beginning prophecy of the sisters by michelle zink

dark and bleak.  this novel even begins with a funeral.  i almost put it away because i didn’t know if i was in the mood for all that.  but i persevered. the story hidden amongst the dreariness became worth it. it centers around twin sisters in 1890 new york who slowly realize they are part of a prophecy. a nasty one. the “good” sister is established right away as Lia and the bad one is Alice. since we’re following along with Lia, i find Alice more intriguing with her secretively seductive ways. Lia is just confused and scared all the time, which is understandable since she’s finding out creepy things about herself and the people around her. her sweet boyfriend James found an old book in her father’s library hidden in a secret compartment which sets the plot rolling. an excerpt:

Through fire and harmony mankind endured

Until the sending of the Guards

Who took as wives and lovers the woman of man,

Engendering His wrath.

Two sisters, formed in the same swaying ocean,

One the Guardian, One the Gate.

One keeper of peace,

The other bartering sorcery for devotion.

there’s more and it just gets creepier.  i’m happy with the plot so far. it’s moving along by introducing characters that help reveal more about the prophecy.  i’m absolutely in love with the character of Luisa Torelli.  she was introduced not a moment too soon.  Luisa is like a steaming mug of godiva hot cocoa within this brooding wintry tale.  another girl named Sonia has also come into play and since she’s a fortune teller or “spiritualist” as they say, she has a lot of knowledge about the prophecy.  these secondary characters are lovely and i only hope Lia will hike up that petticoat and grow a set.
final review

battle royale …cont.

part 1 review
you know, when i started reading the first few pages i couldn’t help but think “why is this book boring right now?”  it consists mostly of backstory so i chucked it up to that.  and since it was originally written in japanese, maybe something got lost in translation?  anyway, boooooring.  and i was dismayed because the book weighs a ton and i knew i’d never make it through if it kept up that attitude.  but like i said before, the story completely captivates once the killing starts.  in fact, i’m on page 342 (21 students remaining).

i’m highly impressed that i can recognize each of the 42 students most of the time.  especially when they have names like yoshio, keita, tatsumichi, toshinori, etc.  That should say wonders about how well the characters are fleshed out.  the story is progressing by sorting out who has given into killing and who are the ones determined to survive and escape.  lots of violence and the descriptions are pretty darn descriptive.  as i’m learning more about the main characters, i find myself more concerned about their well-being.  some tricky stuff is coming up in the plot and some ingenious tactics are being used by some smart characters.  i feel the rapid page turning about to begin so i’m thinking the next time i post on battle royale, it will be the last.
final review

the maze runner by james dashner

i admit that i bought this book at SAM’S of all places. it was sitting amongst some other YA novels that i enjoyed. i never heard of it, but the cover looked neato so i figured “what the hell”. strangely, i seem to have really good luck with the books i pick up there. i’ve had it in my book arsenal for, who knows, maybe a little under a year now and i figured it was time to dust it off and get to readin’. my husband chose it as my next read out of a pile of to-be-read books and what an awesome choice that was.

essentially, it’s about a maze, lol.  but seriously, some boys are mysteriously sent up to the maze with their memories swiped and they build a way of life while trying to escape.  it’s not worth saying anymore because the surprises are worth it.  the author is so good at giving you just enough teaser evenly throughout the story to keep it riveting.  i had a million questions the whole way through and dashner gave just enough information to keep you hooked without divulging all the answers.  a quite even spread.  what intrigued me the most was the feeling i got early on that the maze is part of a larger, catastrophic, all-encompassing problem.  it was one of the first things i picked up on because i LOVE when stories are part of a much bigger picture.  and the best part of getting to the end of a novel like this is when it says “END OF BOOK ONE”.  that kind of thing sends me straight to google to discover that it’s going to be a trilogy!!  could you die?! ——>next book “The Scorch Trials” out October 12.

as far as the characters go, i didn’t feel one way or another about the main guy Thomas.  i was mostly thankful he was there to tell me about all the craziness of the maze.  i felt that the secondary characters were fleshed out a lot more for some reason.  one maze runner named Minho and one sort-of leader named Newt were totally awesome to me.  i felt for them more than anyone else i think.  there was one little guy named Chuck who grew on me by the end as well.  i’m happy that dashner was not afraid to appropriately kill off characters.  it helps make more of a solid story to me.  this is one of those stories where little details mean a lot at some point toward the end, so don’t skim over things that have no meaning yet.  of course, dashner has a way of introducing meaningless details with an air of foreboding so it’s not likely you’ll forget them easily.

one last point, the slang in this book is hilarious.  but i could understand if someone thought it was dumb.  it came off as cute and clever to me.  read:  shuck-face, slinthead, klunk, shank.  they are used A LOT.  enjoy 🙂

even more changes

i’m so proud. the books in the background and header are my very own. i love that they are incredibly old–they have that awesome musty leathery smell, heaven (or weird, depending on how you lean). i moved the list of reviewed books to its own page called “books read” up top. i figured this way i can list all the books i’ve read and link to the ones with reviews. i got depressed when i looked at the 2009 list because it was so small. when in fact, i read so many more–i just didn’t review them. happy to report that i’m in a reading frenzy at the moment (desperately searching for the reviewing frenzy). i’m already into my third book (prophecy of the sisters) in just a little over a week. boo-yah!

beginning battle royale by koushun takami

the first thing i noticed was that this book is extremely heavy for its size.  weird.  i’m on page 78 and it’s been interesting because the killing has started.  the plot is that a junior high class in japan is picked to fight to the death in an arena.  very “hunger games”-ish, so i like it.  there is actually a nice dictionary explanation of this killing ritual know as “the Program”.

Program n.  1. A listing of the order of events and other information […]  4.  A battle simulation program conducted by our nation’s ground defense forces, instituted for security reasons.  Officially know as Battle Experiment No. 68 Program.  The first program was held in 1947.  Fifty third-year junior high school classes are selected annually (prior to 1950, 47 classes were selected) to conduct the Program for research purposes.  Classmates in each class are forced to fight until one survivor is left.  Results from this experiment, including the elapsed time, are entered as data.  The final survivor of each class (the winner) is provided with a lifetime pension and a card autographed by The Great Dictator.  In reaction to protests and agitation caused by extremists during the first year of its enactment, the 317th Great Dictator gave his famous “April Speech.”

whaaaaaat?!  awesomeness.  makes for a thrilling and emotional story.  and before every chapter there is a current body count.  it started with 42 students, 21 girls and boys.  i’m currently at “38 students remaining”.  so far, the story has been narrated by a boy named Shuya Nanahara who is immediately likable.  all the students are on an island and have just been released from the central location to disperse within the island.  before dispersing, each student received a bag filled with food, water, and a random weapon.  keeps getting better.  they each have a metal collar around their neck which will explode if they try to remove it.  even better, the island is divided into zones and a computer will randomly select forbidden zones.  if you don’t evacuate a forbidden zone by the given time, the collar will explode.  keeps the students moving around.  there’s so much more but you’ll have to actually read it to get all the details, duh.

Shuya has witnessed the deaths of some classmates and still cannot wrap his head around the idea that they have to kill each other.  he’s still holding out hope that he can meet with his classmates and plan a way of escaping.  so far, he’s only caught up with one injured girl, Noriko Nakagawa, and they are on the run.  will Shuya keep from falling into the government’s trap and believe the only way to survive is to kill his friends?  I DON’T KNOW!  THIS MESS IS CRAZY!
part 2 review
final review

changeling

well, i had to do something!  my blog died and i’m trying to resuscitate it.  new theme for starters.  and i plan on writing with abandon.  no waiting until i’m done reading a book to review it.  it’s hard for me to remember all the awesome details by the very end.  so i’ll write as i go and maybe that will produce more posts, we’ll see.  and i have a secret:  i’ve read 4 books just in the past week, blog posts = nada.  i hang my head in shame.  i’m a terrible blog mother.  my excuse is that i just didn’t feel like writing a big all-encompassing post on each one.  too daunting and just time-consuming enough for me to say “bah! next book!”.  so a little bit of writing here and there and i dare say i’m getting excited again.  cheers  🙂

p.s.  technically “the bookend.” should be thought of as “under construction” as i will be making little (or big) changes to links and such.  don’t freak out my avid readers (ha!), change is good.

percy jackson and the olympians: the lightning thief — movie

first off, i liked it.  two hours went by and i remained fully immersed.  the action sequences had a lot of umph and power so i was glad they didn’t try to make it some soft pansy kid movie.  well, it couldn’t be a kid movie since most of the cast was approaching mid-twenties and 12 year old percy was actually 18, but who’s nitpicking?  i mean, annabeth’s blond curly hair was brunette and straight and grover’s gangly acne-ridden awkwardness was replaced by a stronger, older, comedic brandon t. jackson.  but you know, alexandra deddario has beautiful blue eyes that are striking against her dark hair and actually perpetuate a sense of godliness and brandon t. jackson was an amazing comedic relief.  and his CG goat legs came out great.  so no harm done.

i heard that the director chris columbus replaced the chimera with the hydra because he thought the chimera was lame.  but the hydra shows up in the second book.  i guess he’s just going to leave it out of the second movie since it doesn’t play a huge role.  and why make medusa beautiful (uma thurman)?  but i guess the hydra was enough ugly for the movie.  WHERE WAS CLARISSE????  THALIA?????  and more importantly, WHERE WAS ANY MENTION OF KRONOS?????  oh wait, i think they did mention him in the museum.  it just kills me that a movie will fail at building an underlying thread when the whole story is already written out.  instead, they will introduce a backstory all at once when it has less of an impact.  i mean, when the trio are in the underworld, there’s no tartarus and krono’s voice trying to suck percy down.  no shoes with wings trying to fly grover into the abyss.  luke does give percy the shoes with wings but they aren’t used at all how they are in the book.

i have to say that my favorite part was the lotus casino and hotel.  perfection.  lady gaga songs and all.  and the effect of eating the lotus flowers…you have to see it.  i didn’t really like the camp on screen.  they didn’t have separate cabins for each god.  they even made it so that poseidon built a lodge specifically for percy only.  the gods were made to be more influential in their children’s lives.  and instead of the long standing rule that gods can only act indirectly with half-blood offspring, the movie made it so that zeus made this rule because poseidon was becoming too involved with percy.  AND there’s no mention that “the big three” made a pact to never procreate again.  AND there was no waiting for your possible god parent to claim you.  everyone just accepted that percy was poseidon’s kid.  i’ve learned long ago to separate my book and movie experiences so that if something does match up, i’m impressed.  i’m excited to see the rest and hope that the liberties are at least kept on the same level as this one.