Friday 31 July 2015

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!



Favorite Book?
Hands down POA. Not only are we introduced to Sirius and Remus. But it's also when shit really hits the fan and Harry really starts to understand what's to come. 

Least Favorite Book?
Only because I have to answer the question am I choosing COS. I definitely do not dislike ANY of the books. But I guess COS was the least exciting for me.

Favorite Movie?
Same as why I love the book. But also because I think this movie is so well done. It's got the darker element to it but also keeps it light and funny well filled with the teenage hormones. 

Least Favorite movie?
Ugh! I could go on the longest rant here. But I'll save you guys from that. My main problems with the movie are, one, it's the shortest movie yet it's based on the longest book. Do you know how much they left out? Two, what they left in was far from the most important bits. OOTP was just by the far the worst adaptation of the series.

Favorite quote?
"The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing." Snape in OOTP

Favorite Weasley?
Ron. Always and 5ever, Ron.

Favorite female character?
Luna is quirky and weird. How could you not love her? She always has the perfect bit of advice even when she delivers it in a scratch your head kind of way.

Favorite villain?
Bellatrix. She is effing complex and messed up.

Favorite male character?
Snape has been my favourite CHARACTER since day one. Talk about complex.

Favorite professor?
Always, McGonagall. As long as you stay on her good side you'll be safe. If not, watch out. Just look at that face. She could destroy you with just her eyes. Fierce!

Would you rather A) Wash Snape’s hair or B) Spend a day listening to Lockhart rant about himself?
Snape's hair just so I could be extra close to him. 

Would you rather duel A) an elated Bellatrix or B) an angry Molly?
Bellatrix. I might have a chance of surviving that duel. She has a bit of ADD and I might be able to distract her. An angry Molly would destroy me. She's bad ass.

Would you rather travel to Hogwarts via A) Hogwarts Express or B) Flying car?
Hogwarts Express! When I went to the Wizarding World only the one side was open/built. I need to get back some time in the next few months so I can experience riding the Express. OMG!

Would you rather A) Kiss Voldemort or B) give Umbridge a bubble bath?
............... Kiss Voldemort. At least that would lead to death which is much preferable than bathing Umbridge. You can't unsee that!

Would you rather A) ride a Hippogriff or B) ride a firebolt?
Hippogriff! Buckbeack!

Is there a character you felt differently about in the movies?
Ummmm... Maybe when movie Neville got hot. I certainly started to feel differently then. 

Is there a movie you prefer to the book?
Absolutely not.

Richard Harris or Michael Gambon as Dumbledore?
Is this a serious question? Harris. He was exactly Dumbledore for that short period of time. Gambon was good, but not what I imagined Dumbledore to be.

Your top thing (person or event) that wasn't in the movie that you wanted there the most?
From OOTP I missed not having all the ministry rooms they went through. I was so looking forward to it all. Like the brain room and such. I just expected a better and bigger lead up to what is such a pivotal moment of the series.

If you could remake any of the Harry Potter movies which would it be?
OOTP. As per my earlier answer, because it was crap.

Which house was your first gut feeling you’d be a part of?
Ravenclaw. Knowledge is power, people.

Which house were you actually sorted into on Pottermore?
Which was absolutely no surprise.

Which class would be your favorite?
That's a hard one. Probably Magical Creatures just because why wouldn't I want to meet all those unique creatures?

Which spell do you think would be most useful to learn?
Accio. Mostly because I'm extremely lazy and this is the perfect lazy girl spell.

Which character do you think you’d instantly become friends with?
Ron. Mostly because we have the same sarcastic sense of humour and dry attitude. I'd get him.

If you could own one of the three Hallows, which would it be?
Invisibility cloak. Watch out, I might be creeping around you right now. 

Is there any aspect of the books you’d want to change?
That the series was still ongoing?...

Favorite Marauder?
Sirius is kind of an asshole. But a caring asshole. And I loves him.

If you could bring one character back to life, which would it be?
Poor Hedwig. She died a brave death. 

Hallows or Horcruxes?
Hallows, obviously. I'm not splitting my soul even once. Gross.


Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! Happy Birthday to my Queen, J.K. Rowling!

Brittany


Tuesday 28 July 2015

Jennifer L Armentrout's Every Last Breath Release Week Bltiz



As it is well known, Jennifer Armentrout is my favourite author. And her Dark Elements series is my favourite bunch of her books. It's so fun and has Jennifer's signature banter filled story telling. Of course there is a kick ass lady and super swoon worthy guys. It really gets no hotter than Roth. Talk about a man I wish was real. The wait for Every Last Breath has had me feeling anxious and a little scared since I devoured Stone Cold Touch months ago. Everything was so up in the air, plus the added worry of not knowing who Layla was going to choose in this epic love triangle. Clearly I am Team Roth. There is absolutely no other way for Layla's heart to go. I was lucky enough to get my copy of Every Last Breath a week ago. Obviously I ate that up in a few hours. I can't say much because of spoilers, but just know I gave it a perfect rating. The unfortunate part is that I've being stewing in my head for a week not being able to discuss with anyone. So please tweet me when you guys finish Every Last Breath. For those few that haven't started the series yet, now is the perfect time because YOU CAN BINGE! Don't forget to tweet me after you pick up Every Last Breath today. So much discussion.  

EXCERPT

Roth cleared his throat. “Shortie, look…look at your hand.”

Look at my hand? Why in the world would he be asking me to do that in the midst of all the cray?

“Do it,” he said quietly and too gently.

The dread exploded in my gut like buckshot, and my gaze dropped to my left hand. I expected to see the weird marbling of black and gray, a mixture of the demon and Warden that existed inside of me and a combination I’d become almost familiar with by now. My nails had lengthened and sharpened, and I could tell they were hard enough to cut through steel, as hard as my skin, but my skin…it was still pink. Really pink.

“What the…?” My gaze traveled to my other hand. It was the same. Just pink. My wings twitched, reminding me that I had shifted.

Zayne swallowed. “Your…your wings…”

“What about my wings?” I almost screeched, reaching be‑ hind me. “Are they broken? Did they not come out—” The tips of my fingers came into contact with something as soft as silk. My hand jerked back. “What…”

Stacey’s watery eyes had doubled in size. “Um, Layla, there’s a mirror above the fireplace. I think you need to look in it.”

I met Roth’s gaze for a second before I spun around and all but ran to the fireplace I was sure Stacey’s mom had never used. Clutching the white mantel, I stared at my reflection.

I looked normal, like I did before I shifted…like I was going to class or something. My eyes were the palest shade of gray, a watered-down blue. My hair was so blond it was almost white, and a mess of waves that went in every direction like usual. I looked like a colorless china doll, which was nothing new, except for the two fangs jutting out of my mouth. I wouldn’t show them off at school, but that wasn’t what caught my attention and held it.

It was my wings.

They were large, not as massive as Zayne’s or Roth’s, and normally they were almost leathery in texture, but now they were black…black and feathered. Like legit feathered. That soft, silky thing I’d felt? It had been tiny feathers.

Feathers.

“Oh my God,” I whispered at my reflection. “I have feathers.”

“Those are definitely feathered wings,” Roth commented.

I whipped around, knocking over a lamp with my feathered right wing. “I have feathers on my wings!”

Roth cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, you do.”

He was absolutely no help, so I turned to Zayne. “Why do I have feathers on my wings?”

Zayne shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, Layla. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Liar,” hissed Roth, shooting him a dark look. “You’ve seen that before. So have I.”

EVERY LAST BREATH Trailer



Every Last Breath by Jennifer L Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: July 28th, 2015
Pages: 400
Series: The Dark Elements #3
Add to Goodreads

Some loves will last ‘til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…


“Armentrout is a major talent…I just can’t stop reading!”

--New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter
“Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming.”

--#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines on White Hot Kiss


And don’t miss the first titles in the Dark Elements Series!





About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West
Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.
She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.






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Happy reading!

Brittany

Saturday 25 July 2015

Weekly Wrap-Up July 11th-24th


Note: Sorry it's been quiet the last few weeks. July has been zapping my energy just because of the upcoming unemployment and thus looking for a job. So I needed to step back from le blog. BUT August will be back in full swing since I'll have no excuse being unemployed and all. Lol.

Because Orphan Black took over my life last week I didn't really read much. Which lead to me not needing a weekly wrap-up. So this one encompasses the last two weeks. I read seven books during that time. One e-book(ARC) and six physical books. Two of them being re-reads.


Come Back to Me(Come Back to Me #1) by Mila Gray ****
Review to come in August.


This is One Moment(Come Back to Me #2) by Mila Gray ****.5
Review to come in August.


Nantucket Red(Nantucket #2) by Leila Howland ***
Ummmm....is it bad I read this book about two weeks ago and I'm hazy on the details? I do remember the MC's name, because it's fucking weird; Cricket. I thought Cricket matured a bit more in this sequel. She's still kind of slow on the whole growing up and moving on from high school thing. That didn't make any sense. Let's call her inexperienced. I also think her expectations of people are to high. Meaning she expects them all to know what she's really saying even when she doesn't say it. Like with the boy(I forget his name and don't care enough to find it), she doesn't want to do long distance, so she says let's pause right here until next summer. And when he calls her saying he can't do that anymore he needs her, she's like nah we can totally still keep this on pause. And then gets pissed when he moves on. Uh, your lost lady. Speak up! Anyhow, it's a cute summer duology. Nothing special. But quick beach reads.


Sweet Filthy Boy(Wild Seasons #1) by Christina Lauren ****(re-read)
Was feeling slumpy. Actually Orphan Black took over my life. So I felt picking up a favourite romance would rise me from my Orphan Black bubble. And Mia and Ansel definitely did the trick.


Dirty Rowdy Thing(Wild Seasons #2) by Christina Lauren ****(re-read)
You can't ever read just one Christina Lauren book. That's like saying I can eat one chip and close the bag. Yea no. No one can eat just one chip.


Every Last Breath(Dark Elements #3) by Jennifer L Armentrout *****
I literally can't say anything because this book isn't out yet. I got lucky and had my pre-order arrive a week early. So of course I devoured it right away, it's the finale to one of my favourite series'. But I've had to stay mum because anything I say will be a spoiler. For those that know me and what I wanted to happen in this book should probably not even look at my rating. Seriously I need Tuesday to be here so I can openly discuss!


Armada by Ernest Cline ****
I don't know what to say about Armada. I definitely feel a little let down. I may have put too much expectation on it being another Ready Player One. And that was never going to be. I don't know. I started the book the day it came out, two and a half weeks ago. It took me about that to get through it. I would read it and really enjoy it. But as soon as I put it down I didn't have the urge to pick it back up. Armada is still full of awesome sci-fi references. You don't get geekier than an Ernest Cline book. And some of the alien parts were fun. But mostly it was tedious, slow and a bit to preachy on the humanity aspect. I know with sci-fi you gotta overlook the wonky science(I'm a massive Star Trek fan, enough said) and suspend your believe, but I felt like there was too much grasping at straws with the whole conclusion of the alien confrontation. I did thoroughly enjoy Armada. I will read absolutely anything Cline publishes. I loves his true geeky nature. Which is why I'm finding it hard to give Armada lower than a 4*, when really it's probably pushing a 3.5*.


What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Most Anticipated Pre-Orders

Top 5 Wednesday is a meme started by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Find the list of all the #T5WFamily here.

I don't do a massive amount of pre-ordering. Usually I just go to Chapters as soon as they have the book in stock. Plus Amazon has sucked this past year with shipping my pre-orders on time. But I still do pre-order certain books. My most anticipated ones to be exact. Mostly because it secures the best price. And there are the few times where the book has shipped early. For the remainder of 2015 I think I have seven books on pre-order. Well right now. There's a good chance I'll order a few more(as some of my favourite authors have books releasing later this year too). So I might as well just show you what the seven are. Only two more than five. *shrugs* They're numbed based on their release date(so soonest is number seven).

7. Queen of Shadows(Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J Maas


6. Regenesis(End of Days #2) by Eric Walters


5. The Sword of Summer(Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan


4. Winter(The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer


3. November 9 by Colleen Hoover


2. Their Fractured Light(Starbound #3) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner


1. Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer


Do you guys have any books on pre-order?

Happy reading!

Brittany


Saturday 11 July 2015

Weekly Wrap-Up July 4th-10th


So I managed to read five books this week. Well one was a graphic novel and another a novella. But they still count in their own way. I was really taking my time reading Six of Crows. Anyhow, four were physical books and one was an e-book.

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery **
Find the review here.

Rat Queens Vol 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe *****
I loveeeee this graphic novel series. It's hilarious and totally kick-ass. Seriously full of a great cast of females. No gender stereotypes here. Cannot wait for the third volume.

Redshirts by John Scalzi *****
I'm not sure if you guys are aware of my love for Star Trek. Either way I love it. I grew up on TNG and the movies and my love of it continued to grow from there. So just know when I saw this is the perfect book for Trekkies it's the truth. Redshirts is blood brilliant. I love how the red shirts start to fight back(in their own way). The plot is so so so clever and hilarious. I was surprised where it went. Surprised in a very good way. And just when I thought the story was over Scalzi was able to bring it in a complete circle. Just brilliant. Plus the witty and great cast of characters just made my life. I'm so eager to check out more of Scalzi's books.

Just One Taste(Pine Mountain #4.5) by Kimberly Kincaid ***
I saw Katherine post a review for this and she said it was about an ex-marine. I love that romance trope. So onto Netgalley I went. As this is just a novella it doesn't offer a lot in the way of plot or character development. But it did give a good taste of Kincaid's writing(since this is my first book of hers). Which I enjoyed. Just One Taste is a sweet romance about realizing you are worth love. Sweet is really all I can say. Since this was a novella I didn't have the time to get fully invested in the couple. But I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to checking out more books from this series.

Six of Crows(Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo *****
I can't say much right now. My review will go up in late September. But Ahhhh!!! I missed Strumhond and The Darkling. But it doesn't matter because this book is even better than The Grisha Trilogy. The plot, the characters, the writing, everything is more than on point. 



What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Friday 10 July 2015

Mid-Year Book Freak Out



Full credit to A Book So Fathomless for coming up with these questions. Find their post here.


I saw a BookTuber I follow do a video with these questions, and I figured since I'm struggling to get reviews posted this a good post to do. And it's always fun at the end of the year to look back and see if any of my answers will have changed(for the ones that could).

1. Best book you've read so far in 2015.
I've had a really good reading year. And thus have found quite a few new favourites. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda still remains top though.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2015.
I can't choose between Fuel the Fire and Broken Juliet. so I won't. I love them both so so so much.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
Dream A Little Dream. I know it's more of a newer release but that doesn't mean I can't believe I didn't read it as soon as it landed in my mail box. 

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
Is this a serious question? Queen of Shadows. Obviously.

5. Biggest disappointment.
Based on the expectations I had for the book, I'd have to go with Never Never Part 1. How can I not love a Colleen Hoover book? Apparently it's possible.

6. Biggest surprise.
Rites of Passage. I didn't think I'd dislike it. I'm just surprised by how on point it was. It's bloody fantastic.

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you).
Easy. Heather Demetrios. Read her two contemporaries this year and absolutely feel in love. Two of my absolute favourite books from this year. And of all time.

8. Newest fictional crush.
All of them... We all know I fall in love with a new book boyfriend more than once a week. But since I'm be forced to choose; Patrick(Something Real), Connor(Addicted series), Ethan(Bad Romeo)

9. Newest favourite character.
Simon Spier. Could he be even more freakin' adorable? 

10. Book that made you cry.
Uh... I'm kind of heartless. But there a few times my eyes decided to leak. I'll Meet You There, All the Bright Places and The Last Time We Say Goodbye. 

11. Book that made you happy.
Well obviously Simon. But for the sake of being super repetitive, The Martian made me LOL so much. Which makes me happy.

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year. 
The only adaptation that I can think of(that I've seen) is Insurgent. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. 

13. Favourite review you've written this year.
I think Challenger Deep just because it was a hard one to write based on its subject matter. I hopefully conveyed how wonderful and important of a read it is.  

14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received).
This edition of Cinderella and the Little Glass Slipper. Camille Rose Garcia's art work is gorgeous. I have the three classic books she's illustrated so far. I hope there's more in the works. 

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
What books don't I need to read? All of my review books are always my priority. Otherwise there's a few authors that I need to read this year(because for some reason I've yet to read any of their work). The ones I've yet to get to are Brandon Sanderson, Victoria Schwab, and Gail Carriger.




Link me up if you decide to do this survey too.

Happy reading!

Brittany


Wednesday 8 July 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Things On Your Bookshelves That Aren't Books

Top 5 Wednesday is a meme started by Lainey at Ginger Reads Lainey. Find the list of all the #T5WFamily here.


I love to throw objects on my bookshelves. It's a good place to keep them as well as they're usually booked related. Anyways, here's a few of my favourite objects decorating my(messy) bookshelves.



Is it really a room without some Frozen?


Buzz's words if wisdom. 


I think a light up Vegas sign from Vegas(I didn't steal it. You stole it) is appropriately placed with my romances.


My new banner found a temporary home here. I plan to display it more predominately when I stop being lazy. 


The Scottish bag pipe playing bear Samantha sent me, of course found his home on my Outlander shelf. Where else could he feel more at home than there?


Do you guys have any cools knick knacks decorating your bookshelves?

Happy reading!

Brittany