Hello, People of the World!

So, like the title says, HELLO!

So. Um. Hi.

I'll get right to the point because I'm not exactly very good at all this small talk crap. Even though I'm typing, not talking.

Whatever.

Anyway, so, I've been gone for quite a while. (Yes, I heard that "Thank you, Captain Obvious" statement you just made. Don't think I didn't.) So, I'll apologize now for all my absence(s), and all my future ones.

I had my reasons.

That's pretty much all you need to know, though I will tell you more, and I will try to not make it seem like I'm just making excuses, even though I don't really need to make excuses, since it is my blog and all. And no, I am not throwing myself a pity party. I just don't like people misunderstanding things and all things that come from someone are easily misunderstood, let alone things being typed.

But for you two loyal followers (who I appreciate very, very much!), and maybe a little for those of you who just happen to drop in sometimes, I will say that I have been super busy with school and life drama and lots of school and life drama. Oops, I said that twice. Well, I must say, school does take up a lot of time. And one's life drama kind of exhausts one. ("One" being me, in case you didn't catch that.)

So, if you really wanna know more about why I was gone, ask. I really don't mind at all, and actually appreciate it when people care enough to ask about what's been going on.

If you're fine with my crappy little explanation, I'm really okay with that, too.

I just thought I'd let you know why I haven't been on here in forever.

Just to clear things up:

I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS BLOG.

If I have to take a temporary hiatus status, so be it, but I will not abandon it. It may change as I get older, as I grow, since it is a part of me and will grow with me, but it will never be abandoned.

I'll post about new books and things soon. Later guys. :)

~Jessicah

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.

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 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 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

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

The Goddess Test (The Goddess Test #1)

Aimée Carter did a wonderful job with The Goddess Test. It was not exactly what I expected, but it exceeded my expectations, which is good. I really, really liked this book.

I love Greek mythology--really, I love mythology of any kind, Greek mythology I just happen to like more than the rest--so I might be a little biased, but it was still an amazing book.

Katherine Winters was a normal girl with a mom who was sick from cancer who just wanted to go to her hometown once more--until she wasn't. Kate's life soon gets tossed into confusion as she goes to her new school and finds that not all the inhabitants of the small town of Eden are as friendly as they seem.

Ava, the most popular girl in school, pulls a prank on Kate with some disastrous consequences. Kate will do anything to save her life, and when a stranger comes along and offers to do just that, she takes his offer, even if she doesn't know what the consequences will be. He soon comes to collect.

However, when she discovers that this is no ordinary thing, she also discovers that her best friend is not what she originally thought--and neither is she.

**

Kate Winters was an amazing character, though she did seem a bit Mary Sue-ish at times, though they were few and far between. I could see her growing throughout the book, and that's always a plus when characters grow. I really liked Kate and I felt that I could relate to her for almost everything. My mom had cancer too, so I really got that. It's scary, and everything she did was very....human. No matter what other people say, she has a lot of flaws, which is a good thing. She's loyal to a fault, like many other heroines, but that's okay. It's not a bad thing. At least, not to me. I could really relate to her relationship with Henry, though, and I was really hoping she would come out of her shell a little more to make him come out a little more, but I still loved it even if it didn't happen as much as I wanted it to. I just wish she didn't pile everything on herself; all the blame and guilt for things that weren't her fault. :/

Henry was hard to read--I mean, like, his personality, not the places in the book when he was there. But I'm pretty sure that was on purpose. It was fun to see how he developed, even if we didn't get to see a whole lot of him at first. I didn't fall in love with him, but I do love him. I'll always have that soft spot in my heart for tortured souls. He was quite nice most of the time and I liked the scenes when he was finally showing emotion! I loved those scenes to death. It was really, really nice, and Henry was a really nice character.

Ava was an awesome character. I loved her with all her flaws and everything--and I'm really glad that she had them because beautiful people are normally portrayed as flawless, which is so not true. So I really loved the way Ava was written! :) She really felt...real. Like, I could go up and hold a conversation with her and everything (even if it would be torture if she tried to talk about make-up or clothes!). That was a definite plus for me in this book.

Kate's mom was awesome. That's all I can say about her.

Ella was fun to read about. Er, maybe funny is the right word. Her and Ava in the same room together... *snicker*

Everyone else you'll just have to read about for yourself, and trust me, you will want to read.

**

I figured out like halfway into the book who the culprit was, but I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't have caught what gave it away for me. So, have fun guessing! :)

I really, really liked this book, all the twists and turns of the journey, and I will definitely be following the series, probably very closely.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

By the way, everyone, I have a Twitter (@JHopeReviews), a Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/JHopeReviews), and a tumblr (http://jessicahhope.tumblr.com/). Go check 'em out! :)

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)

Ethan Chase's life has been anything but normal. He's been able to see the fey all his life--he was even captured by them when he was young and forced to be used as bait while his sister tried to come save him. But now, Ethan's all grown up, and he won't take that crap from faeries anymore.

Julie Kagawa's The Lost Prince is the first book in her new spin-off series, The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten. This book centers around Ethan Chase and his less-than-willing help of some certain fey.

Ethan has been living in fear of the fey ever since he was a 4-year-old, and old habits die hard. He's been pushing everyone away from him for years because he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. However, when he moves to a new school, and even when his bad-boy rep. trails close behind him wherever he goes, one girl doesn't let this more-than-minor detail hinder her.

We soon find out that Ethan's fears of people getting too close to him were kind of right, much as I'd like to blame them on paranoia (and he did have more than his fair share of that). After more than one attempt on his life, as well as one on the girl's--Kenzie's--at a kali (which you'll find out about soon enough ;D ) and other martial arts contest, he decides that all bets are off, and while he may hate to do it, he makes one of the hardest decisions that he's ever made: to willingly go into the Nevernever.

Ethan seeks out Meghan's help after not seeing her for years, though he is still justifiably angry with her and Ash. Everything he goes for is against him seeking her help, but he didn't really have a choice. However, when he gets to Meghan's palace, everything just kind of...falls apart.

Ethan soon learns that Ash, Puck, and Meghan were keeping secrets from him and his new friend, Kierran. Secrets are uncovered, betrayal is felt, lies are said, and nothing can ever be the same anymore--for anyone.

**

Ethan was a character that I liked, but I didn't fall in love with him like I wanted to. Believe me, I wanted to. He seemed so gorgeous and awesome and stuff, but I just couldn't fall in love with his personality. He was too...cynical, I guess. I could understand it, but he was paranoid about everything and everyone, and he acted like everything that had ever happened was his fault. I would say he's masochistic, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. It was just annoying how he kept blaming himself for everything, even though he knew it wasn't his fault. I felt like he though everything evolved around him, that everything was his fault--which is kind of self-centered and...selfish. I just wasn't crazy about him. However, I did love his kali. :) Filipino martial arts, baby! :D I fangirled and squealed so much because of that!

Kenzie was annoying a lot of the time. She may be bold-faced and all, but I felt like she was kind of perfect for most of the time, which kind of ticked me off. I do not like Mary Sues. Even though I kind of hated her for the most part, I was glad that she was finally able to get Ethan out of some part of his self-loathing. At least she was good for something, other than pushing the plot along. I was just like

  
Kierran wasn't how I wanted him to be, which I know sounds really bad, but hear me out on this. Kierran didn't feel like major character any of the time--except maybe near the very end. He wasn't...good enough for me, I think. I just wasn't satisfied with him at all. And it annoyed me. Now, I wanted to fangirl over him as much as the next girl, it just didn't happen.

Don't even get me started on his love interest. OMG, I hated her. I even made a point to forget her name. I'm just not gonna start on that Mary Sue.

Grimalkin was back and was as awesome as ever! :D One of the few highlights of the book, but still. I loved him for his part that he played, even if he does just look down his nose (figuratively) at us humans. He's awesome and he knows it.

Now, the moments I turned the pages for--the moments with Puck and Ash! Puck was his awesome self as always, it just seemed like he was even more amazing and hilarious in this book than the others. Maybe it was just because I missed him so much and he wasn't there most of the time. Either way, I loved the moments where he was there, and those were moments that I kept reading the book for. Ash was also amazing! I got to see him in daddy-mode, which was AWESOME! I was fangirling and squealing and all around just happy dancing. I didn't realize how much I had missed those two (Puck and Ash) being together until the scene towards the end of the book where they were there and...I'm gonna start squee-ing again if I don't stop now.

Meghan was...different. The one time that we got to see her, she was so not the her from all the other books, and I guess that has something to do with being the mom of a guy who you knew might kill your little brother if they ever met (which you would know if you read Iron's Prophecy, so I'm not spoiling anything you shouldn't already know), not to mention being the Iron Queen must've been pretty hard on her, too, even with Ash and Glitch to help her. It wasn't the best moment in the book...Except for when Ash was there and I was fangirling all over again.

Todd was pretty cool, and it was really sad that he was kidnapped and stuff, but he was also annoying.

**

So, I was pretty annoyed with practically all of the 'main' characters. The highlights of the book were Ash, Puck, and Grim. Well...Leanansidhe was comforting in that she would never change, but it wasn't the same. Ethan was okay, but he wasn't bloody brilliant or anything like that.

However, I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Iron Fey series, and I will gladly be following this series. You may develop a different opinion than mine about the book--it may be better for you.

I liked this book, but it wasn't fantastic for me. By the way, that cover up there? That's what pulled me in. Well, that and my love for The Iron Fey. Ethan's pretty hot, I must say.

I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Iron's Prophecy: The Iron Fey #4.5

Iron's Prophecy by Julie Kagawa was a very interesting read that I loved a lot. There was Meghan and Ash, of course, but there was also the return of a few very awesome characters.

This novella is all about what's to come in the new spin-off series of The Iron Fey, and reading it definitely helped me understand more of what was going on in The Lost Prince. It's all about Meghan and Ash's future together.

When a familiar Oracle decides to show up at Ash and Meghan's first Elysium together, things start spiraling down. Of course, Mab takes it the wrong way and thinks that Meghan did something to betray them. Oberon grudgingly takes the side of Meghan and Ash and herself run off to meet whatever waits for them.

Grimalkin can't stay away from the excitement for long, we all know that! So he decides to show up and help Ash and Meghan with where to find the Oracle.

After everything, Meghan sees things that can never be forgotten. She has to make a decision, though. But what she sees doesn't make it any easier.

This novella was amazing and I never knew what to expect next. As always with her writing, there twists and and thrills and perks all over the place, making it something I absolutely adored. It served its purpose, which is always a plus, but it did more than that, too. It gave me anotehr thrill of adventure and got me looking forward to the next book(s).

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

~Jessicah

Winter's Passage: The Iron Fey #1.5

Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa is a novella that explains a lot about Ash and Meghan. It shows their passage to the Unseelie Court and introduces someone new to us as well. I highly recommend that you read this before reading The Iron Daughter, the second book in the Iron Fey series.

This novella starts off with Meghan and Ash, on their way to the Winter Court--as per their contract--when they realize that they're being hunted by...something. After deterring it for a while, they meet up with a familiar furball and find cover. However, they are soon found anyway and attacked.

This book focuses on Meghan and Ash's relationship, especially Ash's feelings for Meghan.

On a completely different note, this book made me revert into being the fangirl that I know I am. It was a little boring for me at first, but it was worth it.

I really liked this novella and i felt like it helped me understand more of Prince Ash. It also helped me not feel like he was as much of an ass as he was portrayed to be in the next book.

I'm giving this novella 4 stars out of 5.

~Jessicah

The Iron King: The Iron Fey #1

In the world of faeries, you can never be too careful. Julie Kagawa's The Iron King has taught me a few things about the mysterious fey.

For example, faeries are not, under any circumstance, the little dainty fairies and pixies with all that shimmering crap around them that you see on Disney Channel. They are powerful. They are deadly. They act only in the interest of themselves. It's their nature.

The rules are simple. Don't eat or drink anything from Faeryland. Don't accept gifts from fey. Don't make bargains or deals or contracts with the fey. Don't thank the fey for anything. Oh, and try not to piss off any faerie queens while you're there.

When Meghan Chase suddenly gets pulled into Faeryland, she doesn't know what to expect. She had been living a pretty normal life with her family, except for the act that her dad disappeared when she was very young. However, she had a new family with her mom, step-dad and half-brother, and it was normal. Not always good, but normal. Her sixteenth birthday, however, was the turning point for everything.

Evil faeries kidnapped Meghan's little brother as a bait to lure her after him. Her best friend, Robbie Goodfell, says that he knows a way to get him back.

They take a little trip to the land where most fey reside, and Meghan finds out a few shocking things along the way, including the true nature of someone she's always trusted and her true heritage.

Meghan faces jealous faerie queens, more monsters than you can count, mysterious talking cats, a dark and dangerous (not to mention handsome) faerie who seems to have it out for her and many other things. She learns that those myths about fey that Shakespeare wrote about in A Midsummer Night's Dream may not be so mythical after all after seeing things that people in the real world would put her in a loony bin for if she ever dared talking about them.


Meghan's character was very well thought out. I understood her and I could see everything from her point of view very easily. I related with her a lot. She's brave and clever. She's loyal to a fault. She'd do anything for family, and I really admire her for that. She coped with a world of fey extremely well, all for her brother. She's miserable a lot of the time in the Nevernever, but she just kind of deals with it.

**

SPOILER

Puck. What can I say about the Great Prankster? Robin Goodfellow is an amazing character, probably my favorite, even though we didn't get to see him very much in this book. The redheaded faerie jester of the Seelie Court is constantly making jokes, even in the face of his supposed nemesis and archrival. He's always sarcastic and brings along a feeling of humor and absolute loyalty in the story. He has my complete and total approval.

**

SPOILER
Ash was pretty good. I don't see how Meghan fell for him, but I have to admit that he was pretty amazing at times. He was constantly in warrior-mode, silent and brooding and always alert... Except for that time when he and Puck were dueling and didn't notice that Meghan was being carried away by a bunch of gremlins. Yeah. Not the smartest thing ever. But he was constantly fearless. He could only be fearless because he knew he was powerful, though. However, he did have an icy casing around him at all times--no, not literally...though it came close at times.
**

SPOILER
Grimalkin was AMAZING. I love the cait sith. His bluntness is always a welcome reminder to come back to what's in front of you instead of thinking about other things too long. He's the most amazing guide you could ask for. The thing is, his help always comes with a price. The master of favors knows exactly how to word things to make them seem like they could mean nay number of things. He's just that smart.

The Iron Fey

So, as I'm sure that some of you are aware, there's this series called The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa. I'll be posting reviews for all of these books very soon. That includes the novellas, as well as the spin-off from the series, The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten. Stick around for those exciting installments to this new blog

~Jessicah