City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)

Title: City of Lost Souls
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series?: The Mortal Instruments
Synopsis:
The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

 Why I Read This: 
I read the other books and wanted to read this one too, after the cliff hanger of the last book.

My Thoughts/Review:
"Harrowing" is a good word to describe this book (in more ways than one).

Clary, Simon, Jace, Sebastian, Maia, Jordan, Alec, Magnus, Isabelle and the Clave are all back for another installment of The Mortal Instruments series! While trying to figure what the heck is wrong with Jace for hanging out with Sebastian like they're brothers or something, Clary discovers that something is horribly wrong--Lilith's magic has bonded the two together; neither can die without the other dying, as well. Jace is submissive to Sebastian and loses himself, though he retains his love for her (no matter how twisted it becomes). Clary makes a move and acts like she's joining them, when she's actually communicating to Simon what's going on. Meanwhile, everyone else is trying to find a way to kill Sebastian without killing Jace--and they discover a solution that could end up killing someone in the process of getting an impossible weapon. Alec and Magnus have more relationship problems--problems bound to happen with a mortal and an immortal. Alec is tempted by an offer to take away Magnus' immortality, but will he take it? Will Jace live or die? Will Jace even get away from the control of Sebastian? Will Clary be able to pull of her most dangerous stunt yet? Will Maia and Jordan get back together? Will Simon and Isabelle be a happy couple? Who knows. You'll have to read to find out, I suppose.

On another note, we find out quite a bit about Sebastian in this book. I guess he's not all that bad of a guy, but still. Evil. Genius. Gotta admire his brains, though he does seem to underestimate Clary quite a bit, which wasn't necessarily the brightest move.

All those relationships that grow? Clary and Sebastian (as bro and sis of course), Clary and Jace, Simon and Isabelle, Maia and Jordan, and several others.
All those that crumble to dust? Sebastian and Jace, Simon and Maia, and Alec and Magnus (O.O)

The Alec/Magnus scenes were heart-wrenching and if they don't get back together, I will be forced to send angry fan letters to Cassy Clare because THEY ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. I CRIED DAMMIT.

Anyway, it's an okay book overall, but it didn't live up to my expectations, to be honest. The first three books were better than these past two, and I hope the last one will be getting better. The plot was kind of all over the place, but I can deal with that as long as I can piece it together. It was still pretty clear in the direction the book wanted to go.

I won't hold as high expectations for the next book, but I definitely will read it. I didn't stick with these books thus far just to give up now. It's happening.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

SORRY (&Pottermore stuff)

Oh my God, guys, I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting lately! I have been super busy with summer projects (and school starts today for me so I probably won't be getting on a whole lot anyway). I'm sorry!

In other news (because the guilt is eating at me and I'm going to ramble about it if I don't stop now), I have a Pottermore account!

Actually, I have seven.

Yes. 7. VII. Sept. Seven.

WHY do I have seven different accounts, you ask? Well, it's simple. I'm very easily amused and I liked seeing which wand I would get each time. PLUS the sorting!

OHMYGOD THE SORTING.

I was sorted seven times. Every time I was sorted into the same house: Slytherin.

Because I'm just awesome like that.

ANYWAY.

I like Pottermore, but I don't have a ton of time for it, and plus you guys come first, like always.

But if you do happen to have a Pottermore account, my main account is GoldHex25191. Feel free to friend me/challenge me to a duel/whatever else you wanna do.

Just thought I'd explain to you guys. Once again, I'm sorry. I'm really, really, really sorry.

~Jessicah
P.S. There's a 'Contact Info.& Stuff' tab now which has my Twitter, Goodreads, email, and Tumblr.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

Title: City of Fallen Angels
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series?: The Mortal Instruments
Synopsis:
The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And - most importantly of all - she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine's Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary's best friend, Simon, can't help her. His mother just found out that he's a vampire and now he's homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side - along with the power of the curse that's wrecking his life. And they're willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he's dating two beautiful, dangerous girls - neither of whom knows about the other one.

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.
Why I Read This:
I read this because I had read the first three books in the series and was excited about where I thought this was going to go.

My Thoughts/Review:
I was very disappointed with this book. It took me forever to get through, and I even started on two other books while I was reading it because it was so boring nearly the whole time.

The entire book was just one big boring blob that was leading up to the very end of the book. There was next to no action, none of the stuff that I love Cassandra Clare's books for. It was okay, but not good. As of right now, I think TMI should have been a trilogy because this book was BORING.

There were two redeeming qualities: the ending (which was fairly awesome, considering the rest of the book), and Clary's training (which I was soo looking forward to). But they weren't even that redeeming.

Sorry guys, I can't really say much else because there's not much else to say. I just didn't like this book very much. It almost hurts me to give such a bad review of a book by Clare because I love her writing so much normally. Sorry, Cassandra.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Important

Guys, I'm really sorry that I didn't get on and post Friday or Saturday. I've been at my grandparents' house with my mom. In East Texas. There's no signal, and the WiFi was turned off and my Grammy didn't turn it back on until today.

There's been good food and everything, and I like being with my family, but I haven't been able to read because the book I'm reading requires the internet, which I didn't have until now. I'll work on some more posts, guys. Sorry!

I really didn't know that I was going to my grandparents' house. My mom sprung it on me right before we left. I'll post later or tomorrow. Later, guys.

~Jessicah

Creativity and How To Overcome Writer's Block

This is going to be a short-ish post. Just a fair warning.

 

So, what's up, guys? If you write or do something creative, then you might want to check this out. This isn't just for writer's block. It works if you're in a funk for anything: drawing, sketching, painting, crafts, sculpting, photography, etc.

 

The important thing is to keep your creative juices going. It doesn't matter what you do to keep it going--you can be a writer and paint or something to keep the creativity up. You can do all sorts of things. The important thing is that you're doing it and keeping up creativity and using your brain to think of different ideas.

 

Also, get inspired by every-day things. The little things are what make the big things, and everyone likes when big things are made from their work, no?

 

It's just that so many things tell you to just keep going and stick with it. Well, if you're blocked on something, you need to remove the block with flow. Honestly, I've never given it a ton of thought until now. I always thought that I'd just get over it sooner or later, so why bother trying to get over something that's so hard to overcome? It's actually not so hard.

 

I love to write. I also love to draw/sketch/paint. Even sculpt, when I feel like it. A lot of authors also do some form of art, just because they're overflowing with creativity, or because they wanted to keep up their creativity and not get burned out doing just one thing. You can get burned out really easily if you don't watch it, but it's different for everyone. You can even just start on another project, and that might help, just for the sake of thinking about something different and new. It really does help.

 

Anyway, that's my take on writer's block and being in a funk. Stay creative, guys.

 

~Jessicah

Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters (2013 MOVIE)

Hey, guys. So, I saw PJO: SoM earlier today! It was pretty awesome.

Title: Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Release Date: August 7, 2013 (US)
Rating: PG
Duration: 106 min.
Synopsis:
Based on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters. In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to find the mythical Golden Fleece while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising.

 Why I Watched This:
Because I foolishly thought that this movie would be better and more to the plot line than the last movie and I couldn't help it: I love those books. I had to see what they would do this time.

My Thoughts/Review:
I had never been so excited to see a movie IN MY LIFE. I've never gone to a movie on the day of the premier, and I was begging people to go see it with me! I just could not wait. I was so excited. I thought that maybe, just MAYBE, the director might have seen the light and realized that he did not need to screw with the plot line of the books so damn much. I get it, you have to make a few changes when making a movie from a book to fit it all into the time. BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SCREW WITH THE ENTIRE PLOT LINE OF THE ENTIRE SERIES.

I was sooo disappointed. It was good and had good graphics, but the plot line was too screwed. I hated it. If I hadn't read the books, it would've been awesome. But I did read the books. Several times, in fact. I fell in love with the books. My mom even said that she thought the movie was amazing. I simply told her that she needed to read PJO when she gets done with LotR (I'm practically in charge of what she reads).

The graphics were amazing and all, and I really liked some things that they did. However. It was so lacking in the humor that Rick Riordan had in his books, the banter, the everything. So many things were too....dull. Or too overdone. Or too LEFT OUT. Half the story line of the book was left out of the movie. The half that was left out was replaced by bits and pieces of skewed information from other books. IT SUCKED.

THE PROPHECY WAS CHANGED! WHY OH WHY WAS THE PROPHECY CHANGED?! THE PROPHECY WAS SOMETHING THAT I LOVED IN THAT SERIES AND THEY CHANGED IT! ALSO, THAT PROPHECY WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN YET! So disappointed!!! ARGH!

I hated this movie; I think it was an awesome movie, great actors (Logan Lerman is one of my fave actors, to be honest), but I just didn't enjoy it like I thought I should. It was way too skewed for me to enjoy it. Maybe I'll enjoy it once I've watched it again. Maybe my expectations were too high. I don't know.

If there's one thing this experience has taught me, it's that I will never get so excited about a movie again. I don't wanna be disappointed like this again. Ever.

On the bright side, at least Annabeth's hair was blonde(ish) this time, like it should be. PLUS, Clarisse was really pretty, though she was kind of OOC most of the time. PLUS, I really liked the character of Tyson, though he was also OOC part of the time (but only a little; not a whole lot). PLUS, Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson was still hot. Oh, and we were *coughFINALLYcough* introduced to Dionysus, who is kind of important considering HE'S A GOD AND ALSO THE CAMP DIRECTOR AND HATES PERCY'S GUTS.

OH AND WE GOT TO MEET GEORGE AND MARTHA YAY EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN'T AS FUNNY AS IN THE BOOK BUT STILL.

Okay, so the barrier was pretty cool, but I still wasn't very pleased over all.

So, as this is really turning out to be a rant about the movie, I'm just gonna go ahead and give the rating.

I give this movie 3.5 stars out of 5.

~Jessicah

Writing

Hey, guys. So. I'm in the middle of writing a novel. Any advice, anything you can point out to me would be FANTASTIC. Or even links to advice, or something. I know, I could just Google advice for aspiring authors, but I thought I'd get some input from my followers first (no matter how few they may be), and people who just stop in as a guest may have some advice or something that I'd love to take a look at. Trust me, everything helps, no matter how little.

Ah, so, that's pretty much it for now. Later, guys. Please help?

~Jessicah

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series?: The Mortal Instruments
Synopsis: 

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.

Why I Read This:
I read the first two books in the series and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I'm very glad that I got over my fear of mainstream books being horrible (because not all of them are *coughMortalInstrumentscough*)

My Thoughts/Review:
City of Glass starts out with Clary getting ready to go to Idris with Jace and the Lightwoods. Jace is trying to get her to stay home, so he gets Simon out there to try to convince everyone that she changed her mind, while he had tricked Clary into thinking it was another time. However, it all goes wrong when some Fallen attack Jace, Simon, and the Lightwoods. They rush though the portal to Idris, taking the injured Simon with them, and leaving Clary behind in New York.

Clary soon finds out what happens, throws practically a temper tantrum, and makes a portal to Idris, nevermind the danger. She accidentally drags Luke along, and they land in the middle of a lake that the is like poison to Shadowhunters. Clary accidentally swallows some water, but they are now at Idris, on their way to Alicante, so there's nowhere for her to get help. Her and Luke get into Alicante illegally, so they can't let anyone know they're there, but Luke requests the helps of an unusual woman in the city to help Clary get better.

Clary's not supposed to go out because she's there illegally, but she does anyway, and she goes to see Jace and the Lightwoods, oblivious to Simon's dilemma, and that ends in heartbreak.

Meanwhile, Simon is being kept in the Gard's prison and coerced to try to sell out the Lightwoods.

Jace and Clary slowly but steadily find out more about their pasts, their family's past, and breakthrough discoveries are made. Their forbidden love is at an all-time high, even though they're trying harder than ever to make that not-so-obvious. The time comes to face it, to face everything, and to make hard decisions that could just result in the deaths of not just themselves, but lots of other people too.

This book was a great ride, though I didn't feel some emotions as I think I should have. I didn't get so sad where I should have, I didn't cry, I didn't get extremely happy. It's just not as much of an emotional roller coaster as I would've liked for it to be.

It was a good plot, with lots of twists that I didn't see coming. However, I had to skip through some parts because they were too boring for me to read all of it.

We find out more about Jace in this book, more than ever before, and we get to watch him grow even more, too. Same with Clary and Simon. Simon was a nice relief from Clary there for a while. I liked his point of view. Jace's point of view was also a nice change, but I didn't like it as much as Simon's.

Magnus was in here a lot more, which is an awesome thing.

I really liked this book, but it was not as good as its predecessors. I don't know what else to say. It was nice, but not fantabulous or anything.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)

Title: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series?: The Mortal Instruments

Synopsis: 

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

Why I Read This: 

I finished the first book and I couldn't wait to pick up the second book and pick up where the first book left off!

My Thoughts/Review:

The book starts out slightly more captivating than it did in City of Bones, but it still wasn't a great beginning. I guess beginnings aren't Cassandra Clare's strong point.

It starts out with a poor, foolish warlock summoning a demon for Valentine, and all goes as planned--for Valentine. From there, the story winds into several twists with the unusual family of Jace, Clary, Luke, Valentine, and Jocelyn, as well as their close friends, the Lightwoods. We meet the boy, Max, and the adult Lightwoods, as well as a few other interesting characters. There are shenanigans, as always, but there are more dangerous aspects of what's going on and no one seems to be worthy of trust any more, even if they're telling the truth. Jace is locked away and Clary is worried and there's a love triangle and then there isn't and then there is--oh my, Ms. Clare, why can't your characters make up their minds?!

I really liked this story. It was constantly keeping me on my toes, wondering what would happen next. However sucky the beginning of the story may be, Cassandra Clare knows how to finish. She knows how to do things with an edge. I liked the plot of this story, and I was really worried that certain characters would die, since she seems to have no qualms about what she does to Simon in the book.

I loved Clary, but she was slightly more annoying in this one than the others. Jace was my favorite in this book (not exactly surprising), but I hated that he seemed to be blind to the others' feelings. I suppose that's just part of Jace, though. Simon was fun, but not one of the greatest characters ever. I liked him, but I was in love with Jace. Alec was cute. Magnus was awesome. Isabelle--I'm glad she didn;t show up too much. Max was so adorable! I didn't like Maryse or her husband, and I ended up having quite a bit of respect for Imogen. I loved all the twists with the characters; they all seemed so real.

"I am not," Alec said, through his teeth. "Just because you said dragon demons were extinct—""I said mostly extinct."Alec jabbed a finger toward him. "Mostly extinct," he said, his voice trembling with rage, "is NOT EXTINCT ENOUGH.""I see," said Jace. "I'll just have them change the entry in the demonology textbook from 'almost extinct' to 'not extinct enough for Alec. He prefers his monsters really, really extinct.' Will that make you happy?"

I really don't know what else to say about this book other than that I absolutely loved what Cassandra did with everything, and that I'll be picking up the third book in the series as soon as I finish this review, so I guess this is it.

I give this book 4.75 stars out of 5.

~Jessicah

The City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Title: The City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series?: The Mortal Instruments
Synopsis:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

 Why I Read This:
Some friends on goodreads made a topic about TMI and convinced me to *finally* read the book. I have been thinking about it for a long time, but I never really wanted to because is so mainstream, and most mainstream stuff is either really well-deserved to be mainstream and is genius, or it's a load of crap. Typically, it's the load of crap option. LUCKILY, The City of Bones is the first option and I'm really glad that I was convinced to read it.

My Thoughts/Review: 
So, lemme get the bad out of the way before I start on the good, since the good outweighs the bad by a lot.

This book starts out not very well. It didn't hook me from the first few pages, which really sucked because I've been reading some really awesome books here lately that had me hooked from the first pages, the first few paragraph, and in some cases the first sentence (*coughDivergentcough*).

That was pretty much the only thing I didn't like about it, except that it didn't make me cry at the parts that it was supposed to. Now, I'm not usually one to cry; I didn't cry at most of my family members' funerals. However, books are different for me. I get into the character and I disappear in the mix and swirl of emotions. I always, always, end up crying where I'm supposed to cry, where there's so much emotion in a character. My eyes did water when reading certain parts, but I didn't cry. I thought it was weird, and not necessarily bad, but very strange.

Now for the good.

There were a lot of long words in this book; most I knew what they meant, but some were words that I'd never even seen before. I like when an author uses long words. It gives me a sense of pride because I think, People do know how to use English in this world! Maybe there's hope for the human race, after all! Because, let's face it, most people nowadays are illiterate and hate to read and write. So, yeah. I liked the long words. I learned something new, which is weird because I usually know all the words that are used in a book. I just....really liked her diction.

I liked the scenery she did. She was awesome at descriptions, and at just fitting them in with everything and everyone else.

I loved the characters in this book. All of them. No matter how much they annoyed me or betrayed my feelings, I loved them. Clary was....different. I liked her as a heroine, even when she couldn't do a whole lot, because she was real about herself. She knew she was afraid. She felt guilt. She felt so many things. She was so real that I felt like I could have a conversation with her and not freak out because she's just so real and you hardly think of her as being not real. I feel like I'm best friends with her or something.

I loved Jace's character. I like the way he was written, and he also seemed really real. It was awesome, and I fell in love with him. I fangirled about him and got frustrated at his behavior towards Simon and then about his behavior towards Clary. The twists with this guy were not totally unexpected, but it was still a surprise. About a third of the way through the book, I thought, Okay, so this is gonna happen. I can tell. and then 100 pages later I thought, Nope, nevermind, it's not gonna happen because it can't now MWAHAHA I'm almost glad it can't! and then it happened.

Simon was another guy I fangirled over. It's hard to say anything more about him, especially if I liked him or Jace more (WHICH I DO NOT KNOW WHO I LIKE MORE DON'T ASK). I don't really know what else to say about him, other than I thought he was cute and sweet and nice.

Isabelle and Alec. Okay, I really liked Alec, I did, but I was not expecting that character twist. At all. I was totally shocked when Clary said it. Just....*shock*. And Isabelle was really grating on my nerves there for the longest time, and then I felt pity for her, and then she was badass and I didn't know what to think. I guess she was pretty decent, but she wasn't my favorite.

The plot of this book. Oh my goodness, it was such a good plot! I loved it. There were so many twists and so much suspense.. I got all tense and stuff. She had her world carefully planned out, and it put a new spin on the world of fey and vampires and werewolves.

And then there was comedic relief! I've never laughed so much or so hard in my life! I loved the comedic relief! I'm so glad she had it, just enough for the book, because authors nowadays are not getting in enough comedic relief (either that or they make their whole book into a comedian act).

Overall, this book was just really, really good and I loved it! I'm so glad that I read it. It was way over my expectations (which were pretty low, actually).

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Naming Your Characters

This is my first post with writing tips, so don't take 'em too seriously. I'm not a published author yet, but I still want to give advice that I think would help with other peoples' writing.

So, if the name comes naturally, that's great. That's awesome for you. However, for many of us writers, naming characters is a struggle because we think too hard about it.

For example, I think that I struggle with character names because it has to mean something for me. Like, I'll go to Google Translate (I know, it's really a bad translator, don't get me started) and type something in English just to see the Latin outcome, then I'll look at the Greek outcome. I look at the outcomes and see if I can get a name from either one of them, and if not, I look at Japanese, then several other languages. I'm just trying to get a name that I know what the meaning is.

Or I'll go look on several webpages to see what certain names mean. I just like to know what the name means when I give it to a character.

My characters are like my children, they have to be given significant names.

Here's my advice for those of you who struggle with a character name:

• Don't think about it too much. You're over thinking something that should be super simple.
• Give your character a short name that's easy to write. One or two syllables would be best. At the very least, have a short nickname for the character. It's a whole lot easier to write. Take my name for example; 'Jessicah' isn't something that you want to have to type out when your ideas are trying to flow, but Jess is easier. Try to stick to 3-5 letters and it's probably a good name/nickname

I am by no means a pro at character names, but I thought I'd share a little bit of insight on it with the world. It may or may not work for you, and that's okay. You don't have to go by this. It just might make it easier for some struggling writers out there.

~Jessicah

The Prince of Denial

Title: The Prince of Denial
Author: Doug Wilhelm
Series?: N/A
Synopsis: 
The Prince of Denial is a YA novel that portrays the impacts on young teenagers of living with an alcoholic or addicted parent. Recruited to play a key role in an intervention that will confront his dad’s drinking and drug use, Casey at first refuses, then begins to break through to the reality that his family has never before acknowledged. With multiple characters, a strong vein of humor, and an unexpected outcome, The Prince of Denial is a young adult’s adventure in facing the risks, and discovering the power, of living your truth.

 Why I Read This:
I saw it on NetGalley and thought the title looked interesting. I looked at it closer and found that I'd never read a book like this before. I feel like some of the same elements of the book go on in my house (my dad is not an alcoholic, but other things). So I decided it would be an interesting read.

My Thoughts/Review:

Casey Butterfield does not want to admit that his dad has a problem, even when it's so obvious that he does. He cleans up after his dad, he cleans the whole house, he cooks, he does everything. He just wants to make it alright for his dad, make it to where he won't be angry when he gets home. He hurries home after school every day to make sure everything is perfect.

But Casey soon has to live up to the truth of what's really going on in his house. He begins to realize that maybe things aren't okay, maybe there is something wrong with what was happening, and it wasn't all fair to him. Along with the help of a couple of friends and one unusual adult, he begins to breakthrough all the walls that were put up and talk about the truth of it all. He starts to become himself, even if pain and anger and sorrow have to come out for him to get that way.

I really liked The Prince of Denial. I loved how it addressed that unspoken rule that you're not supposed to talk about any problems that you're having or that your family is having, you're not supposed to speak the truth out loud, like it'll make it true if it's out loud, but if it stays inside then it's not quite true. I have experience with that, so it really spoke to me.

I liked Casey's character a lot. He seemed like the typical teen who's hiding the stuff that goes on at home from everyone else, and then he starts to become who he really is and be a real teen and I love it when he does that. When he becomes a teenager instead of a just a little boy. He finally faces the truth and it's what's best for him. He was really well thought out and everything.

Tara was okay. I wasn't crazy about her, but I didn't dislike her either.

Oscar was a character. Geez, I loved Oscar! I love funny guys, so that went well with him.

It was pretty boring on a lot of parts, though, and it was all I could do to keep turning the pages. It was very slow and not exciting at all until near the end. It was just very hard to get through.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

The Academy - First Days (Year One, Book Two) (The Academy #2)

Title: The Academy - First Days

Author: C.L. Stone

Series?: The Academy

Synopsis:

Sang Sorenson used to be the invisible girl in class. As a new student to Ashley Waters High School, Sang hopes that her new friends will be the change she’s been craving and will make fitting in a breeze.
But Academy students aren’t there to take it easy. The high school is overcrowded and rife with violence. When fights begin, Sang will uncover the true reason the boys traded in their private school life for a public one.

This year, Sang will no longer be invisible. This year, Sang is a target.

The principal and vice principal are hot to take Sang down, and her own mother is determined to entrap Sang forever in her belief that the safest place to be is in the shadows. Despite this, Nathan, Luke, Kota, North, Silas, Victor, and Gabriel will discover Sang’s unyielding loyalty.

And they will sorely need it.

The Academy, supremely influential.

 

Why I Read This:

I was in love with book one of this series and thus looked all over for a copy of book two, which I do not regret having to buy to read. It was only $3 for my Kindle edition, so it's not much, but I think I would've paid more if I had needed to because I was interested in it.

 

My Thoughts/Review:

This sequel to the first book of The Academy series was amazing. I loved it through and through. While it doesn't have my usual likes for supernatural and things like that, I have always loved a good spy book.

 

This book starts off when Sang Sorenson and the boys are going to go to their first day of school at the new high school. Of course they stood out, they wore better clothes than everyone else, they were new, they were 7 freaking hot guys and one girl who kept to themselves. Them standing out quickly becomes a problem. Fights ensue, people are hurt, and everyone must stand together to stay out of it.

 

Sang has a problem with staying out of fights when people are beating up on her friends. In turn, she gets hurt. In turn, the guys are pissed, but also glad that she stepped in. She seriously needs training. Bad.

 

I loved Sang, don't get me wrong. She's probably my favorite heroin ever. I think she's so clueless that it's funny sometimes, but I get why she's clueless. I mean, she's never had friends before. We're going through more of what happened in the first book, except better than ever, and on a bigger scale. Now, Sang has to avoid certain people in school instead of just her mother, though there's a bit of that in there, too. Sang is so brave and loyal, as well as quite clever, though she tends not to realize it. I absolutely loved her character and while there were a few things I would've done differently, I admired her for the things she did. It was pretty awesome.

 

Kota, North, Silas, Luke, Nathan, Victor and Gabriel were all wonderful in this book! I lived for the moments where they showed up. I'm having trouble with maintaining who my fave is. I think it's still North, but I'm starting to like Kota, Victor, and Gabriel even more. And Luke. And...everyone else. Dang it! I love  them all, but I'm still in love with North. :) They're all so amazing!

 

So, I highly recommend that you go get this book. It's pretty awesome. Go find it and read it.

 

I can't wait for the next book to come out! The Academy - Friends Vs. Family (Year One, Book Three)! It sounds uber-good! I'm keeping it on my list of books I'm waiting for to come out!

 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

~Jessicah

The Lone Ranger

I went and saw The Lone Ranger (2013) at the movies earlier today, and I thought I'd write a review about it. It's too good not to.

Title: The Lone Ranger
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 149 min.
Release Date: July 3, 2013
Synopsis: 
From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' 'The Lone Ranger', a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

Why I Watched This:
I have been a long-time fan of Johnny Depp (I mean, who isn't), and of course I wanted to see his latest movie! But, also, I have been wanting to watch this movie since I saw a preview of it a while back because it looked really cool and action-y and adventure-y and....kinda hilarious.

“I can’t decide if this horse is stupid or pretending to be stupid.” -Tonto, about the 'spirit horse' after it dragged John back out of the grave
My Thoughts/Review:
I absolutely adored this movie. One, I love Johnny Depp anyway. Two, this movie was pretty awesome on its own.

John Reid is a law-man in the Ol' West, but he's more of a lawyer than a ranger. When he gets stuck on the train that just so happens to have the notorious criminal Butch on it, heading to his execution, everything goes wrong as his gang tries to get him back. That's where Tonto comes in. Tonto is this big Indian (Native American, because everyone back then called them 'Indians') guy, who wears paint on his face all the time and a bird on his head. It's kind of weird, actually, but then again no one knows what to expect form an Indian in the West. It's the age of expansion and the railroads are growing by the day in Texas (WHOO TEXAS MY STATE BABY), no matter how much it has to hurt to 'progress.'

John gets to his home town after some shenanigans on the train there, and we find out that his brother is a ranger who has the girl of John's dreams and everything else that goes with it. Soon, though, John, his brother, and a few other rangers have to go searching for the criminal that escaped. That's when the real adventure starts. Heartbreak, greed, loyalty, corruption, insaneness, death, law, and so-called 'justice' all clash together and the lines blur as to what is what anymore. The Lone Ranger is born.

**

So, this movie was hilarious. Honestly, I loved John, I really did. I felt like I could've fallen in love with him. BUT, I just loved Tonto more. Maybe because Johnny Depp was playing him, maybe because of his being funny without trying, maybe because of his sarcasm/cynicism, I don't know. I just liked him better.

We could really see the plot unfold as it went along, and there were several twists and turns, but I was lucky enough to hypothesize during the movie about things that would happen, and most of the time I was right. However, don't think the movie is predictable. It's not. Get over that belief right now before you watch it because it's anything but that.

The characters also grew as it went along, though it was a very slow, painful, drawn-out process. It was hard to tell that they were changing at all because of them changing so gradually, but most of the people (*ahem*Tonto and John) turned out for the better. I'm really glad it was told the way it was. It was a twist I never thought of, and I loved it.

Stache: [as Tonto and John are running down on top of a moving train, they run into Stache at gunpoint] Going somewhere?
Tonto: Yes.
John Reid: [with chained hands in the air & connected to Tonto] No.
Tonto: Yes.
John Reid: No.
Tonto: Yes.
John Reid: No.
Stache: Shut up!
Tonto: [after a pause, Tonto see a mail hook approaching] Yes.
[the mail hook snags John's chains and hauls him and Tonto off]

**

This movie was all-around amazing and had so much awesometasticalerificexpealodociousness that it was bursting at the seams! It was amazing! Long live Tonto! (You'll get it after the movie... Maybe.)

I happily give this move 5 out of 5 ranger badge stars. ;)

~Jessicah

Introductions (The Academy #1)

Title: The Academy - Introductions

Author: C.L. Stone

Series?: The Academy

Synopsis:

With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.

When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.

Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another?

Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.

The Academy, ever vigilant.

Why I Read This:

I was browsing NetGalley for anything that caught my eye, and this just so happened to. I'm quite lucky that it did catch my eye, because I had never heard of it before, an I'm really glad that I was able to see this place with Sang and everyone else.

My Thoughts/Review:

This was an amazing book, full of unexpected little quirks and fun things. It had me roaring with laughter at some points, then it had me crying. I feel like my emotions were on a roller-coaster ride that I did not consent to, but had fun on nevertheless....which is a good thing.

Sang Sorenson has never really had any contact with people before. She has....but she hasn't. She hasn't ever had friends, and definitely not any guys who hung around her. She's different. Her mother is practically a control freak and won't let any guys come around her, or she goes ballistic.

Sang wants freedom from the cage her mother has her in, though. And her unexpected meeting with these boys could bring with them just that. Plus, she'll have a chance at having a real relationship with someone as a friend. Soon, though, she finds out that there are secrets that have to be kept and tension rises. Can she stand being left out of the loop with her new friends, though?

**

I loved Sang. I could really relate to her. Well, not about being literally trapped in my house by my mother and all that stuff, but the way she acted. She isn't sociable, obviously. I can relate to that. The books thing, the hair thing, a lot of things and little quirks about her just got me relating to her. I happen to have controlling parents, as well, so I could relate a little on that spectrum. I just adored how real she was and how real everyone's reactions were.

Kota was awesome, as were all the other guys! If I had to pick a favorite, though, I'd have to pick North. I have this thing for bad boys, and he definitely has that image.

**

There were so many scenes that I loved in this book, but I don't want to spoil them! I can't wait to read the next book! I will definitely be keeping my eye on this series! :)

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Just a warning. Don't read this if you haven't read Divergent, please. It'll make it a lot easier, I promise.

 

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Series?: Divergent

Synopsis:

One choice can transform you, or destroy you. Every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

 

Why I read this: I fell in love with Tris and everyone else in the world of Divergent the first time around, so I wanted to pick up this book as soon as I heard about it!

 

My thoughts/Review:

This book picks up right where Divergent left off, starting with Tris's extreme guilt about Will and struggle with the loss of her parents. Tris's respite in Amity is short, however, and she soon finds out that Amity will not involve itself in the war. Soon after, Tris and the others head back to the city to seek the help of Candor and meet up with some unexpected friends. After that, everything goes to hell and we're even worse off than when we started. Get ready for the ride of your life. Relationships are tested, secrets are unveiled, friends turn enemy, and no one knows what the truth is anymore.

 

So, I loved Insurgent. Maybe it wasn't quite as awesome as Divergent, but it was only a smidge away. Action, conflict, just a sprinkle of romance, adventure, something new at every turn, and twists that I was honestly shocked about. I love how the book started off exactly where Divergent stopped. Most series skip a while in between books, and I'm glad this one didn't.

 

**

 

Tris- I love how she's so bold, and stubborn, and resilient, etc. She has to be one of my favorite heroines ever. She doesn't take crap. However, she's so secretive (i.e. not telling anyone about killing Will) that it destroys her from the inside out, and it destroys all her relationships, too. She gets to where she starts recklessly risking her life instead of really thinking it through like she used to. I mean, at least before she knew what she was doing when she risked her life. She's amazing and all, but still. That was unspeakably stupid of her to risk her life so many times without thinking it through--really thinking it through--and it's not really surprising that it's hurting the people around her. She thinks that they won't miss her a ton, that she's less important, but SHE'S WRONG. Argh! Why can't heroines ever get that through their heads?! I am glad that she seems to grow throughout the book, though, just as she did in Divergent.

 

Four/Tobias- So, by now I hope we all know that Four's name is Tobias, or else I know that you didn't actually read the first book. Four is as stubborn as always, but we start to see a softer side to him. He's willing to do anything for Tris--well, anything except putting up with her stupidly endangering her life, which I get. He doesn't wanna get hurt like that. He doesn't want her to get hurt like that. Four is so convinced that he's right, though, and his pride really hurts him. He starts becoming too naive, so much so that he can't tell when someone's trying to dupe him or not. And I don't know where he gets off lecturing Tris about secrets because he has secrets of his own. I'm glad that Tris points that out, too. And he's so misunderstanding of everything! Yes, Tris should've been more forthcoming, but she had her reasons, and the least he can do is respect her decisions and trust that she had reasons (no matter how stupid they were). Even through all of that, I still loved him. He's still really smart and stuff, just not smart enough sometimes.

 

Is anyone else even worth mentioning? I mean, yes, we have Marcus and Jeanine and Christina (who ends up being okay again at the end) and everyone else, but they're all secondary characters. I do feel like they're all real people though, not just flat characters. Veronica Roth has a way with her characters that I love.

 

**

 

I liked the role that being Divergent played in this book, and that we're finally kind of getting a little bit of what it means to be Divergent. There are twists and turns everywhere, and several of them I would've never suspected, especially the one at the end, but it was still pretty awesome all together.

 

I cannot wait for the next book to come out! I will be anxiously waiting until it comes out this October!

 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

~Jessicah

Divergent (Divergent #1)

Let's tell a story, shall we?

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, an avid reader who was obsessed with books and writing came across a title she did not recognize. This girl looked over the series once or twice, read a bunch of reviews, and
figured that it was going to be exactly like the Hunger Games and wasn't sure if she really wanted to read it or not. However, she had nothing better to do, so she sat down with her laptop and began to read it.

That girl (A.K.A me) was so wrong I feel like I should apologize to myself and Veronica Roth for even entertaining the thought at all.

I am sorry, Veronica Roth. I should not have underestimated your levels of pure an unadulterated awesomeness.

Divergent was an amazing and original story, not at all like the Hunger Games. Much, much better than that! Now, I'm not usually one for a dystopian novel, but this....this makes it work. The first line caught my attention... The rest of the book held it. It's that simple

"THERE IS ONE mirror in my house."

I was just like what? What just...? Who only has one mirror in their entire house? I have 3 in my bedroom alone! So, I kept reading.

"It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair."

Um... Okay? I'm sitting over here, lost, trying to figure out if there's a book I missed and trying to figure out the math for the 'second day of every third month' thing.

But, fortunately, I soon see that this was a bloody brilliant way to open a book. It got my attention and held it. I wanted to know where this was going. It was pretty awesome. No book has ever done that to me before (and I've read a lot of books)

**

So, I'm hooked. In this dystopian world, there are 5 factions, and each of them represents a different thing: Selflessness, Peace, Bravery, Truth, and Knowledge. Every year, there's a choosing ceremony for those who are in their 16th year (you know, 16-year-olds). They get to choose which faction they will live in for the rest of their life, and choosing a different faction than the one that they came from certainly meant being cut off from their family. But before the ceremony, they take an aptitude test. A simulation. It shows them which faction they would be most suited for. Most people only get one faction.

People who get more than one are called Divergent. This is not a good thing to be.

Beatrice Prior's choosing year was this year. Her aptitude test... Well, let's just say it wasn't normal. Beatrice is from Abnegation--Selflessness. She's always had trouble with being selfless, though, which makes her decision even harder.

Eventually, she chooses Dauntless (Bravery). Which is awesome and all for all of us readers, but for her, it's like turning her back on almost everything she knows because they're so different.

Which just makes this story all the better.

I won't say more because I'll get things confused and I don't want to do that. It's easier if you just read it yourself and see. You'll know what I'm talking about.

**

Tris was my favorite character. She's so clueless sometimes, but I love that she knows her flaws and that she has certain limits (even if she doesn't respect them all the time). She knows what's up and doesn't take well to being mistreated. She stands up for herself. Seriously, every heroine EVER could take a few notes from her, because she really doesn't let anyone get away with pushing her around. She's pretty awesome all around, if I do say so myself. I really liked being in her head, seeing everything from her point of view.

Four was pretty cool. I really liked Four. And the romance between Tris and Four? I had no clue if it would come or not. Veronica Roth kept me hanging in the balance on whether they were really going to get together or not! It was refreshing, how she did the romance. It was really nice. I loved it.

Everyone else was okay, but Christina did get annoying sometimes...okay, a lot. Al's sniffling and crying was really annoying, too, especially when it's coming from Tris' point of view.

**

I really don't know what else to say about this book because I'm afraid if I say too much the dam will just break and everything that happened will come flooding out of me. Which would suck because I don't wanna spoil it for you. It's really, really good. It's one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.

It's pretty much awesometasticalerificexpealodocious (yes, it's my word. Yes, I made it up).

I just... These books... I can't even... Too awesome (which is weird considering I'm awesome incarnate but whatever)... It's like..

I am so excited for the next book! :D

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars (in case it wasn't obvious).

~Jessicah

The Goddess Inheritance (The Goddess Test #3)

The Goddess Inheritance was, at the beginning at least, very intriguing. We all know that there was a huge cliff-hanger ending the last book, and we now know what Kate's been doing for the last nine months--you know, with her being pregnant and all.

So, this book was a bunch of ups and downs and awesomeness and crying, but it was a very satisfying ending.

Kate can be so dang frustratingly good sometimes and I wanna strangle her for it. I know, it's not good to strangle people for being good, but she's good all the time. And her martyr complex. Seriously. She needs to see a therapist or something. Also, she keeps putting blame on herself for everything, though I should've been used to it by now.

I loved Milo and seeing more of the gods' and goddesses' powers, especially Kate's visions. I really liked Cronus in this book because he seemed more real. And....I don't know. Just real.

Henry was pretty badass too, but he needs to go to that therapist with Kate to get something done about hose martyr complexes. 

Ava has been my favorite character throughout the series and I never doubted her once! I will always have a special place in my heart for you, Ava.

Near the end, it was very sad. But it was a very satisfying ending, no matter what. I really liked it.

The book was pretty good, the plot was well-developed, and I liked many things about the book. However, Kate was getting on my nerves again, sitting there and not doing anything. :/ It's a good thing she eventually got over it.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Goddess Interrupted (The Goddess Test #2)

Goddess Interrupted was much better than the first book. However, it was not so great, once I thought about it.

I was so very frustrated with everyone in here. Except Ava. She acted pretty much the same and wasn't as annoying.

So, this is the continuation of The Goddess Test. James and Kate just got back from their vacation and it's now time for Kate to go home. To the Underworld. Unfortunately, there's something big going on and no one will tell her what it is.

When she finally finds out what it is, she blames everything on herself. Kate, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were a freaking masochist, but I have this feeling that you're not. You're so ready to be a martyr! Stop it! Just...stop! I have so many problems with all the blame that you're taking on yourself for things that have nothing to do with you! Argh!

Henry is captured after treating Kate pretty badly. I get that he doesn't know how to show the affection. I really do get it. But he could've kissed her or something, and all the misunderstanding and bad feelings between them would've just gone away in the first place! When they finally started talking near the end, I was so happy. Finally they would get over everything! But no. Not everything happens how it should.

Persephone is back, and she's an annoying bitch, for the most part. I won't say for all of it, but mostly, yes. She does things only if it means she'll benefit. It's so freaking annoying. 

Henry shows Persephone more affection than Kate. Wow. That pissed me off. I can't even.

Calliope is back and crazier than ever. The insane woman actually thinks she'll kill Kate. HA.

This whole thing was very frustrating! All the misunderstandings and everything where any normal person would've probably been able to solve it sooner!

I did like the plot development, though. I will say that. Really, the book wasn't all that bad, the characters were just very frustrating at times. You may see it differently, I don't know. Go see for yourself.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah