So I was writing a review for New Moon for my school blog, and it turned into something a lot longer…

Synopsis (of New Moon):

The ever-popular sequel to Twilight, New Moon, has been constantly praised by “Twilighters” while being bashed by, basically, everyone else. This is the new hype, if you will, of glittering vampires and the fragile human who just wants to be like them. New Moon takes place only mere days before Bella’s 18th birthday, which she truly does not want to celebrate. Why, you ask? It will make her, officially, one year older than Edward. But her birthday comes, nonetheless, and with it a birthday party (planned by Alice, of course). But while she is opening a present, Bella gets a paper cut, and Jasper’s bloodthirsty side takes over. Edward soon decides that it is better that he leave Bella alone, because he believes she will be “safer” that way. While Edward is gone, Bella becomes close friends with Jacob Black (whom she soon discovers to be a werewolf), rides motorcycles, and jumps off cliffs. There you have it.

Review:

Ah, Twilight. More of a right of passage, really, than a well-written, memorable saga. There are two ways you can feel about this saga: You can love it.

Or hate it.

Most of the people who still love it, did not read books previously, and are still blinded to the fact that Stephenie Meyer is just appealing to that teenage fan-girl part of our brain. There are also children out there, little fifth graders, who have read the series and essentially become hypnotized by the fact that there might be a real Edward out there for them. I have seen this first hand.

The people who hate it either discovered at the first page that this was a terribly written series, or discovered later after their “Twilight Phase” (like me) that Stephenie Meyer basically just took a bunch of adjectives, threw them in with 1/2 of a good idea, and then dragged it on into four books.

Truly, Twilight is written as more of a girl’s obsession over a boy. There is no character development (Bella is the same boring, hollow person she was in the beginning, just in vampire form), the book is anti-feminist (Bella completely relies on Edward even for walking so she won’t trip), and Bella is a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is a character that is essentially “perfect” and “flawless”, the kind of character that anyone could fit themselves into. And…I just realized I’ve written a lot, so I’m just going to stop here. (Oops.)

<3 Lindsay

As always, Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern do not cease to impress me. The series continues with Razo’s younger sister, Rin, who has always felt isolated from her family. Rin has a special connection with the trees that no one understands; they seem to calm her instantly. But lately, the trees have not been “speaking” to her. When her older brother Razo comes with his girlfriend (or beau, I suppose. I’m not sure what they would call her in that point in time.), Dasha, she sets out with them to see the city, and find who “Rin” truly is.

Shannon Hale’s use of magic as “languages” brings you even closer to the characters, as you discover with them what their true potentials are: whether it be water speaking, animal speaking, or fire speaking. I always find her books refreshing from the typical stories out there, and I look forward to other books she may write.

To reserve Shannon Hale’s Forest Born, click on the picture

~Lindsay

So I realize I haven’t posted anything in a while: I have been UBER busy with my first year of high school. Who knew that one actually had to study every night to get good grades? I also joined a lot of clubs, which keeps me even more packed then usual. In all of this, I am sad to say, that I completely forgot about this blog. And I apologize. So now I will review a book. Let’s see, the last book I read was Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins…

**WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS (Hunger Games and Catching Fire)

Being the sequel to the book Hunger Games, of course I expected a lot from Catching Fire. And all of my expectations were greatly exceeded!! This book had the perfect mix of romance, horror, and suspense. It’s the kind of book that keeps you at the edge of your seat–the kind of book that you read while you’re walking down the hall to your next class. And that’s exactly what I did. Actually, I seem to have developed this jedi-like talent for dodging people while still walking down the hall and paying attention to the story.

Catching Fire takes place in a desperate future world, where there are twelve districts ruled by one greedy, dicatator-like Capitol that controls their every way of life. To keep the districts in line and “remind them” why the Capitol rules, they hold the annual Hunger Games. Every district must provide two “tributes” ages 12-17 who will all be sent to an arena to fight to the death. Last Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark were sent to fight, and both won, thwarting the Capitol’s attempts to overpower them. Now President Snow, leader of the Capitol, is furious with Katniss and Peeta. And the districts are rebelling.

Catching Fire not only satisfies fans of the trilogy, but will leave a gaping cliffhanger that will leave them (and me ) begging for the sequel.

–Lindsay

To reserve this book, click on the picture.

I just recently read Star-Crossed by Linda Collison, and it was an excellent book! It is about a girl named Patricia Kelley who is a very well-off gentlewoman. But when her father dies suddenly, she hides on a merchant ship to get to Barbados and claim the sugar cane farm that her father promised her. Little does she know that along the way she would meet friends she never expected, and fall in love. Star-Crossed is a wonderful read that had me practically cheering at the end. 5 stars for Star-Crossed!

To reserve this book at the library, click on the image

So I was searching through the library last week, as I often do, and I found an interesting book titled, Sirena, with a picture of a mermaid on the front. The only mermaid story I’d ever read (okay, watched) was Disney’s The Little Mermaid, so why not open my horizons to a new kind of mermaid story? I had read Donna Jo Napoli’s Spinners and was convinced that this would be another magical deep fairytale to touch me deep within.And I was right! Sirena is  a quick read, took me about one morning to finish, but it’s a story you’ll remember long after you’re done. It is a little dark, as most of Napoli’s books are, but at the same time it is a beautiful tale that is completely unexpected. Sirena (which my dad told me means “mermaid” in spanish ) is about a mermaid (duh) who falls in love with a human. Unlike The Little Mermaid, the whole point of Sirena is to find a human guy and make him fall in love with you. If the mermaid succeds at making him fall in love, she will be granted eternal life.  The mermaids lure the humans to the shore with their sweet songs and then the humans would fall in love with them because of the sound of their voices. When an accident happens,  Sirena runs away to a hidden island to stay away from the  humans forever. If you like mythology, you will absolutely love this book!

You can reserve Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli (and you’ll get it as soon as I turn it back in, heh heh) by clicking on the picture.

So, I’ve been debating for a very long time if I should publish my story on the internet. In case you didn’t know, this unnamed story of mine is one that I’ve been working on for about four years now (off and on. I think I started sometime in the fifth grade. I have a terrible memory.)  There are a lot of websites that I found that will publish your stories for you on the internet. While I think that it is a good idea, I find it demeaning. I don’t want my story to be out there with millions of other stories, just another grouping of text in an ocean of words. That’s why I want it to be published. Okay, maybe that’s redundant. There are also millions of books out there. But unlike the stories on the internet (which anyone can post), they’ve been accepted into the world by a publisher. That’s what I want, more than anything. But I also want people’s opinions. I want to know before I try to get it published that maybe someone will like it. I’ve already asked my friends to read it, and I have one friend who’s also writing a story, and she gives me excellent feedback. But unlike my friends, everyone else isn’t obliged to tell me that they like it. The rest of the world (well, everyone in this blog) can pretty much be as blunt as they’d like, and there’s nothing I can do about it (unless it violates the rules. That’s different.). And I think I’m ready for the blunt opinion of the internet. Before I post my prologue, however, I want to set something straight. Please, please, please don’t copy my writings. I really don’t think anyone here will, but just in case. This is my life work (okay, my almost-four-year-work. I exaggerate.) and I really would not appreciate copycats. Thank you. And without further ado…

The twin princesses slept soundly in their cribs.  Two guards stood at the door to the bedroom, and two more by the window in the back. A small two-year old boy with blue eyes as large and deep as oceans tiptoed up to the guards in the front, hoping he would be able to sneak in the door.  He had no such luck.  The taller of the two guards held out his large hand in front of the child’s face.

“No entry.” He stated in a rumbling voice. The boy seemed to be slightly deterred, but he pressed on with his incentive.

“Sir, I just wanted to see the baby princesses. I promise, I won’t hurt them.” The boy tried to sound as official as the guard, but his voice was small and squeaky.  The shorter guard laughed, turning to the guard who had denied the boy entry.

“I don’t think he’s much of a threat, what’s the harm?”  He tousled the little boy’s dark hair.  The tall guard’s face softened a bit, and he pushed the door open a crack so the boy could walk in. He hesitated only for a moment, but then entered the bedroom.

The boy gazed at the baby in the crib, his large eyes opening even wider with fascination.  She’s just like a little porcelain doll. The baby girl’s features were pale and fragile: she had a tiny nose, full lips and thick eyelashes.  The boy reached through the white wooden bars and softly stroked her cheek. The baby slowly opened her eyes.  He pulled his hand back, but she snatched it, studying his fingers with her amber eyes.  She then lifted her eyes to meet his, as if evaluating the boy if he was worthy to hold her hand.  The princess seemed to like what she saw.  Her newborn lips curved up into a tiny smile.  The boy smiled back, his heart warm.

Suddenly lightning flashed, and thunder struck as the two guards in front of the window fell onto the ground.  The other guards fell as well, and the boy released the baby’s hand and sped over to the short guard whom he had just spoke with.  He shook the guard’s shoulders, and screamed for him to get up, but his attempts were futile.  They were all out cold. 

A chilling wind blew on the boy’s back. He turned around, and the window was open where it hadn’t been before.  Someone’s coming for the princess. He became very nervous very fast.  A figure appeared in the window, wearing a dark cloak.  The boy ran back to the baby’s crib, holding his hands protectively in front of the white wood of the bars.

“I’ll protect you, porcelain baby.” He whispered. The figure slid smoothly to the crib, cackling softly. He turned off both of the baby monitors.

“Well, hello there. I see the queen has hired a two-year-old boy to protect the newborn princess. Sorcerer as you are, do you really think that you can defeat me, boy?”  The boy was speechless with fright. He gulped.  The tall figure moved down to eye-level with the boy and glared at him.  The figure had yellow snake-like eyes that made him shiver all over. He began to whisper something sinister in an ancient language. The boy’s heart stopped suddenly, and his blue pupils began to turn black. He began to feel an odd sensation all over his body, as if water was flowing under his skin.  His balled-up fists were now covered with water that cooled quickly and turned to ice.  The child punched the figure hard, causing the man to stagger backwards.  He growled lowly and slapped the boy in the face, sending a shock through the child’s body.  The boy was flung into a nightstand, knocking over a music box. He lay on the floor, unmoving.  The baby princess cried out.  The figure angrily snatched the princess out of her crib.  The porcelain baby cried out louder, but the figure covered her mouth with his hand.  Her sister woke to the second scream, and began to cry, knowing that something horrible was happening.  Footsteps approached down the hall, but when they came to the bedroom, they were too late. The mother found the boy lying on the ground, twitching with aftershock. He was clutching something in his fist, so tightly the veins were popping out. An old man gently unwrapped his fingers to find that in the boy’s hand was a shining amber amulet.

if you have any questions or comments, or if you don’t understand something, please comment. Thank you!

Adam's Newest Album

So I was surfing around on iTunes, and I found free music! I must be pretty slow to have my iPod for two years now and not see the “Single of the Week.” It was called Fireflies by Owl City.

I raised my eyebrows for a moment, questioning the sanity of a band who called themselves “Owl City.” What does Owl City mean anyway? I’m still wondering. But after all, I’d heard odder band names.  So I shrugged in late summer boredom, and listened to the little snippet of the song that iTunes gave me. Let me just say that it was love at first sound! Excited by my new discovery of this band, I googled Owl City. I found the official blog or whatever, and it turns out that this “band” is actually one guy named Adam Young. There is something about his electronic/pop music that just touches me right here ~touches heart~. It’s deep, catchy, and highly original. If you don’t believe me: listen to some songs! Some suggestions to start you off: Fireflies, Strawberry Avalanche, and the Saltwater Room.  Also, if you want to go to the official website, you can click on the picture . And hey, if you like Owl City, I’d love for you to comment on this entry! Have funnn!

<3 Lindsay <3

A Certain Slant of Light was a very beautiful, inspiring book that was both heartwarming and spiritual, and may even make you question the meaning of life…The story is told in the perspective of a spirit named Helen, who can’t seem to find her way to heaven.  She has many “hosts” that she was attached to, but they could not see, hear or feel her. She wandered for many years until she meets a boy named James who can see her. James is also a spirit, and the two fall in love. The story is about Helen and James’ struggle for love, and also their strive to remember their past and finally move to the future. To reserve this book, click on the photo, or click here

Hey, guys!  I’m Lindsay! I’m 14 years old, and love to write!

Here’s what I’ll be blogging about…Mostly, I’ll be writing summaries of books, especially fantasy and romance novels. Most of my posts will be pretty long, I expect, definitely more than a paragraph each. I can’t help myself !

I really want to help people find great books to read, but also tell them which not to read, so expect good and bad reviews.

I’ll also probably blog about movies, since I see a lot of them, but be warned that I’m more picky about movies than books. Any additional posts will be about whatever pops into my head at the time ^_^.

I  really hope that you enjoy what I write, and maybe my reviews will help you find books and topics that you like as well!

<3, Lindsay

The Luxe is a book that you have probably seen at Barnes and Noble or Borders on that “summer reading” stand. Or perhaps you’ve seen the other books in the series: Rumors, or Envy.  My friend has been telling me about this book for the longest time, trying to get me to read it. Finally, I gave in and bought it, but it sat on my shelf for a very long time before I really got into it. I have to say that, like Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, it is difficult to “get into” but once you do, you can’t put it down! The Luxe follows five teenagers in the year 1899:  Elizabeth, Diana, Penelope, Henry, and Lina. Their home of Manhattan is ruled by gossip and yellow journalism, and strung together with expensive dresses and parties.  The Luxe is full of dirty scandals, shocking twists, and even forbidden love . It is written in a very effective way: switching the point of views between characters every chapter.  Almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger that leaves you shocked, horrified, and maybe even disgusted.  I can’t say too much else without spoiling it…so read it! You can read an excerpt for free (legally) at: http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061345685; to request a copy from Wake County libraries, click here.