Wednesday 28 August 2013

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

It's not a book about an Assassin unless someone dies horribly. 

CROWNED BY EVIL.
BOUND BY DUTY.
DIVIDED BY LOVE.
THE ASSASSIN IS BACK – AND SHE’S BURNING WITH RAGE IN THE BLAZING-HOT SEQUEL TO THRONE OF GLASS

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.
Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart, or the fate of a kingdom . . .

So this the second full length novel in the Throne of Glass series, once again writing this presumably you've read the first book (also read the novellas, they're good). I'm going to be honest that I found this review hard to write as I just didn't like it as much as the other book.
Basically, everything just proceeds from the last novel. There is some major new developments but like, yeah so what.

Like there's a weird triangle thing going on, I just really hate triangle romance thing. Its been old since Twilight and it such a lazy way of adding drama. Frankly, I find it more interesting to pair up the male corners of this triangle. Now that some drama, just think of the scandal. Also it all doesn't matter in the end really and I just want to slap a bitch.

The secrets got so annoying, like does anyone actually trust each other. I mean some of them have know each all their lives or risk their very lives for each other but no one tells anyone anything until it too damn late. By the end everything a big mess. Sort of mess which should have you begging for the next book but I could wait a year or two. Yes, I want to know what going on. However, I just don't care anymore.

There a few revelations in this book, one was sort of hinted at in the first book and the other was like "er...dur, that was obvious from book one and it means literally nothing." Also I guess some you might of not seen coming but makes sense. However, I really just didn't give a fuck.

A petpeeve (mainly from the first book but first chance to express it), is it has this whole medieval sort of thing going on and then the characters use the word "pants" to describe trouser and it really takes me out of the moment. Like that word is definitely not around till the 18th century sort of era and this series setting so isn't that. I guess if I wasn't British it wouldn't be so jarring.

Overall, I think this novel is weaker than the first in the series. To be honest, I might not have been in the best mood for this book when I read it, however it definitely suffers from Middle book syndrome. I gave it 4/5 stars for boring revelations. Will continue, though not in a hurry.

Saturday 24 August 2013

Ben Affleck is next Batman (like it or not) a.k.a why I don't care if there is ever Live-Action Justice League film

So on Thrusday, like any swinging Twenty old (fuck...I'm old), I was fighting sleep while in bed so I could finish my dinner. I woke hours later to a dead laptop, the aptapter had once again had fell out. Once retiving the adptapter from the floor and I turned my laptop back on. I of course went streight on to Tumblr and on the Batman tag (as I have been craving Batman...and superman slash). I was greeted with the news that Ben Affleck was annonanced to be playing Batman in the next Superman film. I just shrugged, wrote a respondse of some sort -"Ben Affleck, can't be worse than Val Kilmer"-and went on my dash to tumblr bit.

Started to feel something simailar panic which I ignored, I went downstairs to get something to drink, stole a can off my dear mother. All the while flashes of Ben Aflleck appear in my brain, just absently trying to picture him as Batman. I couldn't really, so pushed that thought aside.I then came back up stairs and ate cold beans. Then panic came.

I know you shouldn't judge an actor until you see them in the role, but I just can't visualise him as Batman or Bruce Wayne at all. Some people seem able to do so, however I just don't think he has the right look for Bruce Wayne. Though, it said Batman apparently only going to be in the movie for twenty minutes so I really doult Bruce Wayne come into it much unless they have the whole bumping into each in their alterergos. It such a cliche but it one writers seem hard to fight going by offical stuff and fanfiction. Also I love the whole Batman and Superman hating each (at first) while Kent and Wayne lov- liking each other. Or maybe it just be Bruce Wayne on the cover of a newspaper.


I just can't see this going well and I can totally seeing Affleck doing a DareDevil and not I don't mean a bad performance. I actually like that film but I don't know maybe it went stupidly against the comics like the Catwoman did. Now that was a fucking weird (and just plain stupid at times) film. I mean Affleck desannoance that film because people didn't like it. You can't do that. Frankly, I think you should stand by your films. Affleck just seems like a bit of a dick as well. He just not very likable, a.k.a has no charm which is another reason he would make a bad Batman.

I don't know. I guess all this means that I'm not at all excited for the live action Superman/Batman action. I haven't actually seen the new Superman film, I was going to go see it at the cinema but ended up just not going. I'll buy it on DVD anyway where it can join my good Batman films (and Batman Forever). I know everyone wants a live action Justice Film, I just don't care about the live action. I like the DC animations, I mean DC cartoons are so much better than Marvel's. I generally don't like Marvel at all, I think they just make tons of films and a few evenually have to be discent. Also they just reboot everything: Spiderman and Hunk for example.

In fairness, DC/Warner Bros. have made questionable decision and have shot themselves in the foot a few times with their films. I mean trying to make Batman less dark is obvious a big one. Anyway not every Comic character needs a film. They need a TV series of some kind. Just look at Green Arrow.

Anyway, we all know the best Batman ever is Kevin Conroy.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Book Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

In all honesty, I requested this book purely because the title reminded me of the Fall Out Boy song which I love. *briefly wanders away to think about Patrick Stump's voice*


Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn’t happened yet.

Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture – being kept apart, overhearing each other’s anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There’s no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It’s from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that’s about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future . . .


 A plus for slightly misleading summary. How is it misleading? I can't say because you know spoilers.

So this about Time Travel (and also the characters, imagine that), I really liked the theory and the rules of the Time Travel. Though, no idea why anyone would agree to do it unless they were desperate, like Em and Finn, because there's no returning to your present and you eventually disappear Basically, it has the classic backward time travelling of what would life be like if someone had the power to mess with the past. Em and Finn basically travel back in time in attempt to stop the Time Machine ever being built as the present basically sucks.

There was a sort of error, it said that European Union had all the countries of European where it only has a random few (some who by the laws of the union shouldn't be in EU at all, but that's a rant for another day). I guess you could argue that in that Timeline Em comes from that EU had been the whole of Europe but did seem she referring to the original time line a.k.a our real one.

So as the proper story, writing and characters...PIZZA. Seriously, the book divided by the POV of Em and Marina whom is actually of the time period Em and Finn travel back into. So you have Em on her mission and just what's actually going on I guess (of course till they bump into each other which isn't really a spoiler because alternating POV always bump into each somehow eventually).

The characters are likable enough, Em has some self-image issues;Finn grows on you like fungus (you know the good kind that they make antibiotics from); Marina is like 16 and needs some life experience and James frankly just has issues. So many issues.

In summary, I give this book 4/5 stars for random, silent 'E's (you have to read it to find out what I mean by that'). I like this book fair enough, not sure whether I'll read the sequel or not as I honestly don't get why it getting one. However, who knows maybe Terrill is going somewhere with it or not. The whole every book is part of a series thing is getting a bit old in the world of YA.

Saturday 17 August 2013

Monster Uni. (that reminds me...)

Hello negated readers (if you were more vocal you might not be so negated), you might have notice post appearing/ed randomly. Is there a reason? Sort of. Is it a good one? Not really, but I honestly though it was Friday till I checked two weekdaily online comics and realise that they both hadn't uploaded. I lost a day, not sure where, if found please return to me. I think it was Thursday, not sure, but I have no memories of Thursday, or maybe I have memory of Friday.

So I saw Monster Univeristy today, it really puts you in the mood for starting uni and getting kicked out before the end of the year. What a shame I'm not starting Uni this year. Oh, well there always next year.
Seriously, though August has gotten a bit away from me and I need to start applying to UCAS and decided what courses I'm applying to. English, but tempted by film things such as script writing. I'll keep you sort of posted.

So back to film. Has anyone else noticed that Pixar have released two sequals that go with the current age of the group of the kids who first saw them. I mean Toy Story 3 was about leaving childhood and change with Andy going off to college (Though, I really don't understand why he had to clear out his room, is he now banned from the house all together now or something?). And now we have Monster Univeristy which is set in a Univeristy, amazingly. I mean I know people my actually age tend to be in their third or seconded year of Uni but still.

Have Pixar just decided to go with it. Should I expect a Toy Story 4 when I'm in my 30s about Andy's kids' toys or Monster Nursing Home when I'm 80. God, those would be terrible movies if they made them.

Monster Univesty was alright. It was watchable, like I'm not dying to see again but it not the worst pixar sequel I ever seen (that honour goes to Cars 2).

So I got thinking about some of the terrible Sequels that Disney have produce saddly in my life span. Not saying all Disney sequels are bad, but for God Sake there is a sequel to FUCKING BAMI. Just honesty, don't know why anyone would think that it would be a good idea to make sequels to classic Disney films. It like Disney built my childhood to then go on to destroy it, sequel by sequel. They've gotten slightly better, but there was a time where I wouldn't have been susprized if they made a sequel to the Swode and the Stone, I mean no one likes that movie but they just might have tried it. Here a list of Sequels that they had no right to attempt but did: Peter Pan (those Fucking terrible TinkerBell movies which in she can talk and voiced by Barbie, she completely out character, Tinkerbell is meant to be hot tempted and vain (also should have been dead by Peter Pan 2)), Junge Book, Clinderella (there's two by the way), Bami (just why?) and I'm sure there's more that I can't think of (thankfully). There are few sequels that are terrible but can be justified by the fact that it was the same people who made the Original that made them but they were still petty terrible, such as the Fox and the Hound 2.

To be honest they is some sequels I liked, such as the Beauty and the Beast ones. However, those films where made within a decade of the original film (I first watched them as a kid). I also liked the TV series such as Hercules,  Aladdin, and Little Mermaid. I even like the 101 Dalmatians one, but that was more a spin off the original film with four of the puppies being the stars.

If day comes that there ever a proper Snow White film(I think there was some terrible Disney Princess thing but we're just ignore that now or better yet Forever), just remember that Walt Disney did not think that was a good idea. The same man who annoyed the hell out of 101 Dalmatians' writer for a sequel to the original book she intentionally wrote a bad one so he would leave her alone. Which probably is a better (never read either books) sequel that most of the Disney film ones. I would just like Forever After to actually mean something again.

Whilst we talking about damaged childhood, I finished watching all 99 episodes of The Animaniacs as today, now I only need to watch the watch the movie for this return to my childhood to be complete. Though, if Warner Bros. would actually release The Animaniacs dvds over here (also finish Batman: The Animated series). I would be a happy girl and they would have my money. Till then I'm a Pirate (wrong yes, but its the only way I could re-watch them as they not on TV in the UK nor can I buy them dvd forms). I remember parts of it, not all. Maybe I'll finish re-visiting Batman: the Animated series. Probably catch up on my negated books. See ya next week (I promise).

Saturday 10 August 2013

The Animaniacs (Sweet, Sweet Childhood Gold)

I recently stumbled on to something from my childhood and in true fangirl style, I sat and watched all the episodes off Youtube. Sure, if possible I would have brought the full boxset but Warner Bro. in the annoying attitude to their 90s cartoons have not released any of it at all the DVD in UK, yet it existences in such form in the states. So for now I make do with two volumes of Batman: The animated series and wait for other volumes of fine cartoons to be release my region.

Back to the much happier topic of the cartoons themselves. I fondly remember watching Animaniacs after school on BBC One children programming (which as of recently no longer exists).  I was wandering about Tumblr, like I normally do when Animaniacs related post appear and it put me in the mood to go listen to some of the Animaniacs songs on Youtube. For those unaware, one of the high lights of the Animanics being its songs.  I've had the theme song for one being stuck in my head. Though, for some reason when I sing it out loud the tune starts turn into a Fall Out Boy song. Not sure which one, but it sort of amuses for the moment.

The Animaniacs was show that several different stories in one episode and there 99 episodes. Mostly involved the Warner Brother and the Warner sister Dot. It also the launch the Pinky and the Brain that eventually got its own show and featured on shows the Executives had summoned from Hell so we won't talk about that.

There were several different recurring characters. Not all that I like, for examples I never got the Hippos, Chicken Boo or Buck and Mindy. The Good Feathers were alright sometimes. I just really the Warner Brothers and think that they probably could had a show just with them.  I also like the Good Idea, Bad Idea segment as well. Slappy the Squirrel is also very entertaining idea of an old Cartoon Stars.

Basically, I love it and you should all go watch it. It makes fun of its own network (I'm petty sure they do it before the Simpson does), the jokes are mature audience (some times adult), which one reason I probably liked it as kid. I've always hated shows that play dumb for kids. Kids are lot smarter than they get credit for and yes do like stupid stuff but so do you. Its a show that both kids and adults will enjoy and therefore stands the test of childhood. I hate when you go back to something you liked as a kid and its shit. This was and is still awesome.

It actually like a better Family Guy, in times of its songs and parodies and unlike Family Guy it doesn't become too idiotic and lazy. (I could rant how Family Guy should really just stop now.

The voice acting in is amazing as well, they basically have the best in the business for the time and there are a lot voices you should reconise (but only if you look at the credits cause otherwise you're have no clue).

That all I really wanted to say on the matter, it 20 year old show that I love and so should you. It also might explain where some of my humour came from but probably not. Anyway, I leave you with my favourite song from the whole show.



Saturday 3 August 2013

Rose in Glasgow

Rose and I have finally met again, in personal. Imagine that. It like one of us has came back to life or something. I leave it you to decide which one of us it was. (Pst, I'm Sherlock, sh...). I worked it out that we had last seen each other the week after the Sherlock season 2 finale, meaning in the space of year and almost six months the Sherlock fandom have went, utterly completely mental. Last time we saw each other (which is briefly spoken about here), we watched the first episode of season 2 together. She also moved countries again. I'm secretly jealous that she get to live in Central Scotland whist I'm left to die in hell of the borders.

Proof that I do have a "Friend"
Meeting up was deeply confusing as we were meant to meet in centre of Glasgow but stuff that that I'm myself confused about happened and we eventually met up in Braehead shopping centre which I haven't been to in eight years or something which is sad which justify my over use of the word 'which'.

So we met, went around the shops, I bought a book, bump into one of my several sisters and hang around with one of the others. I watch Rose eat the chips that taste so much like home. Glasgow chips are something I miss daily (okay, I'm not that obsessed with food but sometimes I just caved them).

John, I mean Rose.
Rose also gave me make-up tips so we strangely felt like girls. I also had time to able to stick my nails into her arms and be actually slap her. I awkwardly filmed our time together which will eventually turn on YouTube just like that MCR parody we filmed together that after two years still haven't edited. I mean the band sort of released a sort of album and broke up. I've seen them live but still want to see them again. Maybe someday when they're like sixty and I'm forty, that also when the Parody will finally be edited.

Rose doubles as a canvas.
We then I had a heartfelt farewell as Rose had a train and ferry to catch. My family and I then went to Primark and Ikea. So I got clothes and a new bookcase. I really want a Primark to open up where I live, maybe someday it happen. God, knows we have the space for it with all those empty shops. It seems like we only have a Waterstone's; several betting shops; a Pawn shop and Cash for God like places. Did I mention I really hate where I live?
Tomorrow is my sib's Birthday so we going all out to dinner with the sister that I'm still not talking to since I last saw her. Not entirely sure if she knows if I'm still at angry/annoyed/done with her shit. It hard to stay mad at people when you live with them but I don't live with her so I've unfriend her and the rest of the family off facebook. I told my mum that I had done it last night so she will never notice our time apart.

So that all this week so I'll see you next week where it have been a week since I last saw my John. *Sighs* I mean Rose and I probably should stop comparing her to one half of my OTPs.