Dorothy Must Die Review

This was not one of my favorite books. 

I'll just warn you now. There are a few spoilers, but if you're okay with that than by all means keep reading.

After Dorothy's adventure in the Wizard of Oz, a new girl drops in from Kansas. Amy Gumm lives in a trailer with her mother, who isn't all there for her. When a tornado happens to pick her up and throw her into Oz, Amy realizes that the books and movies weren't made up. But, she didn't ask to be in Oz. She definitely didn't sign up to lead a revolution. So with Good witches turning bad, and Wicked witches turning into heroes, Amy kind of at a lose on who to trust.

I don't blame her. Yeesh.

Honestly, it was slow. The first half of the book is bogged down with inner monologue talk. The main character keeps rambling on and on, without much development. Amy learns how to fight and all, but it's too drawn out. The only excitement is when the Cowardly Lion (who isn't so cowardly anymore) shows up and eats people. Then, by the second half, there was some action, but again it was very slow. The climax was extremely anti-climactic, where Dorothy escapes and our main character is whisked 
away on flying monkeys. Personally, I would have preferred more interaction with the three main Oz characters: the lion, scarecrow, and tinman. Now those were great twisted characters! It's too bad they weren't more up in the front of the story. 

Lion is basically King of all animals and eats people who are punished by Dorothy. Scarecrow (my personal favorite) becomes a mad scientist who experiments on people and animals. There's even a moment where Amy realizes that Scarecrow is injecting brain fluids into his head to function. And Tinman has a buzzsaw! How cool is that? 

But no, no the book focuses more on a slow to act protagonist. I get it. She's not some fighter or anything, but come on. In a realm where magic is kinda everywhere, you'd think she'd get a handle on something more useful than concealing a knife.

Stars: 1/5
Recommend: No thanks

Image from Goodreads.com

On Writing About the Stars

Stars? You mean celebrities right? I thought this was a book blog?

Chill everyone, this is still a book blog everything's fine. When I say stars, I don't mean celebrities but, come on, the cast of Supernatural would be so awesome to write about. Anyway! The stars I'm talking about are the literal stars in the sky. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I'm in the middle of writing a novel about them.

My story revolves around a girl named Skye who has major trust issues. You may have heard about her in my rant about people stealing work in my "On Writing about Demons" post.

Now Skye isn't a friendly person. She keeps to herself a lot of the times and doesn't like socializing. Can you guess her star sign? Right! She's a Scorpio.

So the reason why my newest post is about stars is because it's not the easiest topic to write about. I've been researching the Zodiac signs for 3 years now. THREE YEARS. My entire college career has been spent so far on research for this novel, because a lot of it is different from book to book. So if anyone out there wants to write about Zodiac signs, here's a few things to keep in mind.

1) Pick a style and stick with it! Like I said, there are tons of versions out there, so if you're going to write characters based on Zodiac signs, then choose one style and stick with it.

2) Choose a universe! If any of you have read Zodiac by Romina Russell, then you know that her version of the Zodiac takes place in a sci-fi galaxy type universe. Mine is in a modern day universe. So! When choosing your characters, take into account when and where they will be and who knows it may also aid in character development.

3) Craft your characters! This is probably harder than picking a style, because you are having to pick the characteristics to give to your character. For example, Cancer the crab is a very much at home sign. However, that could mean different things. Is Cancer meek and quiet like mothers in the 50s just doing housework and respecting their husbands? Or are they in control of the house while working two jobs, raising kids, and overall doing everything perfectly on their own as a single parent? Figure it out.

4) Determine your villain! So, we hear "Zodiac" and "Villain" in the same sentence, we think the 13th sign. That's fine if you want to go down the traditional route, but if you come up with something else keep in mind how they fit into the universe.

So those are a few things I thought would be useful. I may post on other topics later on. Until then, see you later!

Karma Bites

Title: Karma Bites
Author: Stacy Kramer
Genre: YA; Fantasy
Pages: 348
Time to complete:  1 day
Book Summary:

Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders.

Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma.

Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up.

But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways.

Ouch!

Review:
Karma Bites was THE funnest read I've had in a long time. It's definitely geared towards a younger crowd, ten to fourteen year olds, but I'm like 21 so who cares. All the typical middle school players are there; the jocks, the cheerleaders, the band geeks, the smart geeks, the loners and a few special people that can go back and forth between the groups. That's what the main character of the novel, Franny, is, a floater. And the stress of it is making her crazy even before the first day of seventh grade.

So when her very interesting and well traveled Grandma gives her a glimpse at a magic box, Franny sees a way to "fix" things. Give a seventh grade girl with an imagination a little bit of magic and sit back and watch the mayhem begin. 

It feels like Franny's world is in a free fall from the first magic she uses. It all starts when the hair dye she's using turns her hair bright orange. Her mother is having a meltdown and can't help. So she turns to her eccentric grandmother who pulls something out of her closet and pours it on her hair making it go back to it's original color. But, it was a magic potion and the side effects make Franny say exactly what she feels. She talks to people that aren't socially acceptable and talks back to a teacher which results in her being sent to the principal, a first for her. She demands answers from her grandmother when she gets home and finds out about a secret box with magic recipes she just can't keep her hands off of it. She doesn't seem to remember her grandmother's warnings about messing with the universe as she fixes this and that. But all her plans seem to go awry and it takes someone powerful to put things back in place. Through it all Franny is trying to juggle friends, cliques, seventh grade, divorced parents, lies, magic, unraveling friendships and boy troubles and it all becomes a big complicated mess.

I really didn't want this to end. It was fun to read and remember what we called junior high school and the things that seemed so big back then that are so small now in comparison. I wanna go back. I'd rather take on the cheerleaders than the bank any day of the week! I recommend this book from preteens to anyone that wants an easy read about middle school and how much trouble a girl with a little bit of magic can make. I'd definitely read this again. 

Original Characters Series: Ariel

So, while coming up with new ideas to blog about, I took the time to look at possible books to read for the future and started remembering how back in high school I would create my own characters to place into the stories and make them more enjoyable to me. Then it hit me! Why not share my characters? Sounded like a good idea so I'm going with it.

I guess I can share one now. My first one is from the Percy Jackson series, obviously. I don't know what it is about this series that makes me so head over heels for it, but I have fallen hard for it.

So this is Ariel (see picture.) Yeah, I know she's upside down. She's doing a flip cause she's cool like that. Ariel is the daughter of Ares, but the twist is that she's nothing like her siblings. Her and Clarisse are polar opposites of each other, and while Ariel could technically be the head counselor due to having completed more quests, she chooses not to.

She's got a lot of issues, though, like she's very possessive of her friends because of this mentality that as the daughter of war she's the only one strong enough to keep them safe. It's her Achilles heel. Other things about her are that she's very strong, she's athletic, has mastered every weapon she's come across, and she can read. Okay, that last one sounds weird, but if you're a fan of the Percy Jackson series, you'll know that's a big deal since a lot of half-bloods have dyslexia. However, despite all of this, she's still considered an outcast at camp because she's so much different from any of them.

So there you have it! Ariel, the daughter of Ares, was my first ever OC and I'm still really attached to her. She'll come back around sometime soon since she has more to add to her story, but that'll be later. Thanks for reading everyone! Bye-bye!

David Inside Out

Title: David Inside Out
Author: Lee Bantle
Genre: YA; LGBT; Romance
Pages: 184
Time to complete: 2 days


Book Summary:
David Dahlgren, a high-school senior, finds solace in running with the track team; he's a fast runner, and he enjoys the camaraderie. But team events become a source of tension when he develops a crush on one of his teammates, Sean. Scared to admit his feelings, David does everything he can to suppress them: he dates a girl, keeps his distance from his best friend who has become openly gay, and snaps a rubber band on his wrist every time he has "inappropriate" urges. Before long, Sean expresses the thoughts David has been trying to hide, and everything changes for the better. Or so it seems.

In this thoughtful yet searing coming-of-age novel, Lee Bantle offers a raw, honest, and incredibly compelling account of a teenager who learns to accept himself for who he is.

Review:
Ohhh where do I begin with this one....Um, I'll be honest here. I hated this book. I really, truly LOATHED reading this book. So, it follows this kid David and him discovering he has a crush on his track teammate Sean. Now, I know that not every book will have a happy ending (thanks Vlad Todd series), but this book has no ending or purpose at all. The summary says it's an honest account of a teen who learns to accept himself, but I didn't see it. I will be spoiling it in the rant below, so if you want to read this book, look away.

SPOILERS!!
My biggest question is: what the hell is wrong with Sean!? Is he gay? Is he straight? Sideways? Please someone tell me cause he confused me so much. Sean sneaks into Davids house, has his sex, and then leaves like nothing happened. Call me crazy, but that's a crap thing to do to someone. Every chapter that went by I kept thinking this is it, there's going to be some happiness for David and then Sean just runs away! UGH! Sean, really? I feel sorry for David for having to go through that, but that's as far as my sympathy goes for these characters. None of them have any meat to them. They are so flat and two dimensional that it makes me cry.
END SPOILER!!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this book a 3 ONLY because seeing David go through this made me sorry for him and want to hug him. 

Bookmarked: Spring Break

Hey guys!

So for most of us, Spring Break is just around the corner. I know I'm excited to get away from the hectic life of being a full time college student for a week. So tonight, I'm going to introduce my latest idea. I'm calling it "Bookmarked." Bookmarked will be where I post five book recommendations. Whether they be themed, like for spring break, or based on genres such as romance, horror, etc.


Spring Break Reads
I'm not going to go into full detail for each book, but a general plot summary and why I want to read them will be here. Let's get started!

1. Rebel of the Sand by Alwyn Hamilton
2. Splintered by A.G. Howard
3. Upside Down by Lia Riley 
4. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 

First up: Rebel of the Sand. From what I've read in the general summary, this is about a girl named Amani who has some badass shooting skills but she's stuck in a dead in town in the middle of the desert. Oh, and there's magic and djinni (what Americans know as "genies"), but they're evil. I now right. So think female Aladdin with an attitude, a gun, and Robin Williams is trying to kill her. My thoughts? It just sounds interesting, and really the idea of exploring a different culture and gaining something from reading is too good an opportunity to pass up. 

Next: Splintered. This is the read for any fan of Alice in Wonderland. Basically, the main character Alyssa is the descendant of the original Alice that Lewis Carroll wrote about, and just like Alice, Alyssa's not all there. She can hear bugs and flowers talking to her, much to her disapproval. I assume that this book will follow a similar line of the original story envolving small doors, tea parties, and apparently the bandersnatch is making a comeback. Either way this is one book I am looking forward to reading. 

Next: Upside Down. Time for sap! This is my romance pick for Spring Break, and it is so sterotypical boy meets girl and they use each other to get away from their problems. Why did I choose this one? Maybe I want to read a small, cheesy romance novel once in a while (twenty-one years old and still single. Ouch.) Back to the story. Natalia has gone on a "find myself" journey to Australia and meets Bran, who is just getting over his own relationship issues. They slowly fall in love and things ensue in the book. I don't know what ensues but something does, as it must in a romance novel.

And finally: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Warning! If you've got a problems with the LGBT community, to trash this blog guys. Just be cool and choose another book to your liking. Simon is gay, as the book says, and he's fine with that. He's not flaunting it or anything, he knows who he is and just goes on like normal. Until someone gets a hold of his email and uses it to blackmail him. Now, Simon doesn't care if he's outed, but his pen pal Blue is another story. There really isn't much else to tell seeing as the book blurb is pretty vague on the details but hey more fun for me, right?

So there you have it! Four books for the Spring Break week if any of you decide to get out of bed and buy the books. So to everyone enjoy your break whenever it may be and I'll post again soon. Bye!

On Writing About Demons

Hi guys! Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been busy with college and holidays and whatnot but I'm back. At least for a little while.

As some of you know, being a writer isn't easy. It takes a lot of time and energy just to hammer out an idea that most people would enjoy reading. Afterwards, there's the long, long, LONG period of writing, rewriting, editing, crying, angry outbursts, and the inevitable existential crisis that comes about before you finally look at your work and say, "Ugh." Some time after that, you finally feel it's as perfect as you can get it and you either post it online if it's a fanfiction story or you go and get it published somewhere (or do it yourself since it's cheaper that way.)

Why am I giving out a lesson on how hard writing is? Well, it has come to my attention recently, thanks to an online group I'm a part of, that an author named Bella Madison has stolen someone's fanfiction about Destiel and has published it as an iBook on iTunes. She changed the names and Cas' gender and claimed at her own. Now, me being me, I was curious about it and decided to look her up. Sure enough she has not just one, not two, but THREE books that she stole from fanfiction authors. Not cool. It's not uncommon for an author to save up their works and publish them after a few days or weeks, but she's published 17 books in the span of 2 months. She's also been a Goodreads member since December of 2016, and yet her bio says she wrote her first novel at 15.

However, after some digging, it's not just stealing works and publishing them. Madison has even stolen her bio for her Goodreads account. Her bio was originally from New York Times bestselling author Roni Loren, she just changed the city she lives in and omited the part where Loren has a masters degree in social work. Other than that, Madison's bio is a word for word copy of Loren's.

People like her, they really make me feel disappointed. What kind of person does this? Writing isn't just about putting out a bestseller and getting famous. For some of us, myself included, writing is a way to deal with our own personal demons. A novel I've been working on these last few months revolves around my character Skye and she has loyalty and trust issues because of her past. She questions everyone's intentions. Why? Because that's how I've experienced the world. The things I've seen and experienced gave me that kind of thinking and it imprints itself on all my characters. I remember reading that "authors reveal more about themselves than they realize when they write", and it is true.

So, seeing someone like Bella Madison taking credit for something an author worked very hard on and put her own heart into, it makes me feel like she's spitting on her. Please, don't let people like her get away with something like this.

It's wrong.

It's plagiarism.

So, there's the heavy hitting post for the day. I'll be back soon for another book review. Until then guys, Carpe Librium and have a good day.