KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS

ACOTAR - 5:21:00 AM

Zombie Apocalypse Tag!!!

Hey guys! This is going to be my first book tag! I'm super excited because I saw this over at My Tiny Obsession and Panda Hearts Boo...

Pages: 355

Publication Date: March 4th 2014

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

ISBN: 0374384681 (ISBN13: 9780374384685)

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Now, What I Thought:

I don't exactly know how I did it but I managed to read this whole book in about 4 hours... That is the BEST record time I have for reading a book. I'm pretty proud of myself and clearly this book lived up to it's hype by how fast I read it. I honestly just seemed to speed through it and ~~wanting~~ needing to know how this book will end! I really liked the world this was set in. I felt as if it was so different and unique that it was refreshing to read about. The politics, history and war in this world is just amazing. I LOVED reading all about the past and what happened with the war between Herrani and Valorians. It was interesting to read that the Herrani's were the ones on 'top' before the 'brutish' Valorians came and took it from them. Instead of causing excitation with the Herrani race, the Valorians took them as slaves. Pretty sad for the Herrani's. Obviously towards the end of the book I wasn't a big fan of the race but I get why both sides did what they did. The great thing about this book was that the politics, history and even the way the dystopian world was, was so logical. I actually made sense of what was law and the rituals/customs they had. I've never read anything by Rutkoski but I really like her writing and how she made this dystopia so believable and understandable. I didn't find myself confused at any of the 'ways of life' the Valorian's lived as well as the Herrani.

As for the characters!!!! Let's start with:

Kestrel: Absolutely amazing. I've always said my favourite protagonist from any book had to either be Celaena from Sara J. Mass's, Throne of Glass series or Taryn from Tijan's, A Whole New Crowd series. Well, Kestrel definitely tops those by a long shot! I was so impressed that Rutkoski managed to make her so strong and liked even though physically, she wasn't much of a fighter. Instead, her main weapon was her mind. In the beginning chapters her father even compliments her saying,

"Her father gave her a level look. “Your military strength has never been in combat.” Which was another way of saying that she was a poor fighter. More gently, he said, “You’re a strategist.” Kestrel shrugged. Her father said, “Who suggested I draw the Dacran barbarians into the mountains when they attacked the empire’s eastern border?”All she had done then was point out the obvious. The barbarians’ over reliance on cavalry had been clear. So, too, had been the fact that the dry eastern mountains would starve horses of water."

I mean... It's pretty clear she knows her shit and she's very talented in the sense that she knows how to think her way out of any problem! We do however get to see her physical strength get put to the test, which to be honest, was one of my favourite scenes in the WHOLE book. The fight she had with Irex was just laughable. She would have clearly lost if she hadn't used that strategist brain of hers and think her way out of being killed! I honestly think Kestrel was such a brilliant character, I can't wait to read her smart and witty mind in the next novel!

Arin: The first time we get introduced to him and Kestrel described him was basically when I knew that this rough around the edges, hot ass looking dude would be our love interest. I, at first, liked him a lot! I thought he was great and understandable considering he was just bought to be slave for a family, I would be pretty hostile as well. And finally when we get that knowledge that he's actually not all innocent as he seemed to be. AND. What he had been doing around the house was so not innocent AS WELL. Well....... I kind of freaked. I almost put the book away because I couldn't stand him anymore. I can say 100% having finished the book now, I still very much dislike Arin. Maybe the next book will change that but honestly, that betrayal and then for him to expect her to still be all lovey eyed with him.. As Cher would say from Clueless, AS IF.

Jess: From the beginning to the end, I always liked her. Her loyalty really showed towards the middle and that touching devotion Kestrel shows Jess at the end is truly touching. I LOVED Jess. She was such a breath of fresh air and seemed to be the perfect best friend Kestrel needed. It's no secret that Kestrel is a strange, non conforming to society norms, type of girl. And Jess is honest about that and even says so out loud about her friend. They are the two perfect duo that I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more of in the next book! Though, I wonder if the events that happened in the last chapter of this novel will throw a rift between them two, concerning Ronan. And speaking of Ronan...

Ronan: Super hot. Super available. In love with Kestrel. What's not to love back!?!? Well the fact that Kestrel knows in her heart that he's not for her. Towards the end I really did think Ronan had a chance, I was actually routing for him more than Arin, since my hatred for him was stronger than ever, but poor Ronan. He does get shot down indefinitely and I'm sad to say that I'm pretty sure tat ship has sailed 100%. We know he's Jess's brother but we don't really touch on their family other than the siblings. I wonder if we will get to learn more of their family and how they are so close to the general's daughter.

General Trajan: I just wanted to touch upon this character because Rutkoski really did go all out with her characters and made the stereotypical father in charge not so typical in this book. It was a welcome refreshment when I realized that the general isn't all that mean and typical 'dad' like in many YA dystopia novels. I actually quite like Kestrel's father and I'm glad we'll get to read about him in the next book. After what's happened now, I hope we'll actually get to see more of him and understand him better! I liked how he could be nice and caring yet have that fatherly figure in him. He made sure that his daughter knew he was to be obeyed but not out of cruelty or oppressiveness, but out of caring and the love for his daughter and her safety. He was just another one of Rutkoski's great characters in this series.

The book ended with a satisfying cliff hanger for what is to come in the next book, but it wasn't unbearable. I quite like how abruptly this ended and I'm pretty glad I read this so late because now all 3 books are out, YAY. Time to get reading and hopefully I'll have read the whole series by the end of this week, or at the rate I'm going, by at least Friday. Also, the cover is just so impeccable, definitely a plus for me!!!!!!! LOVED THIS!

as if - 4:44:00 AM

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski | Review

Pages: 355 Publication Date: March 4th 2014 Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux ISBN: 0374384681 (ISBN13: 9780374384685 ) Wi...

Air Date: May 15, 2016

Time: 9 pm EST

TV Channel: HBO

Director: Daniel Sackheim

Writer: Dan Weiss and Dave Benioff

Run Time: 59 min

Tyrion strikes a deal. Jorah and Daario undertake a difficult task. Jaime and Cersei try to improve their situation.

WARNING: Major SPOILERS. Do not read if you are not caught up to Season 6, Episode 4. May contain book spoilers.

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Considering this episode is 59 min long rather than the standard normal time the episodes air, I was expecting something big to happen from the beginning! The episode starts off with the emotional reunion of Jon Snow and Sansa Stark! There could not have been a dry eye watching that scene! I was so excited, I still feel so happy right now knowing the fact they finally had a reunion and saw each other. Hopefully this is the first of many Stark family reunions. We get some reminiscing and banter between the two as they catch up. I really enjoyed that scene and again, so happy they've joined forces! Sansa will be the pull and sanctuary on Jon's mind back to Lord Commander and just sanity in general. I also noticed the little easter egg with Jon's line, "If I don't watch over you, your father's ghost will come back and murder me." That was kind of a little hint and egg toward's last week's episode with Bran and the Tower of Joy incident. Dave and Dan are wonderful writers, also very meticulous and creative, when Jon said that line, it was for a reason. We get a little standoff between Brienne and Davos/Melisandre. It was pretty clear that Brienne very well knew who killed Renly and I have a feeling that it will be mentioned again. Also, the fandom is just going crazy right now because of Brienne and Tormund! I actually ship it myself and we all know they are going to have a moment with the sultry looks he keeps on giving her ;).

We finally get a little scene in The Vale with Robin Arryn and Petyr Baelish. We get a little display of power when Baelish shows off that Arryn will follow whatever he says to the T. Am I the only one that had a chuckle when we heard Arryn speak? Damn, did that voice drop from puberty. I'm also been a fan of Baelish, so I'm happy we finally get to see him and plus, in next week's episode with Sansa. Now that is going to be an awkward scene. It's pretty clear that Arryn is going to send some if not all (he is impulsive) his army to Sansa and Jon to fight Ramsay. We know that in episode 8 or 9 there is going to be a super long battle and I'll put my money down that it's going to be the fight for the North and Winterfell.

We then jump to Meereen where we have Tyrion trying to bargain with the slavers themselves. It's pretty clear that the people of Meereen, Missandei and Grey Worm are not for this plan and make it known, which can be a problem in later episodes. I feel as if the people are very close to giving up on Daenarys and will revolt themselves. It's going to be really interesting if the a little civil war is coming to Meereen with all of these opposing sides and the Queen of Dragons not there to rule.

In Vaes Dothrak, Jorah and Daario have a little spat over Daenarys and it's revealed to Daario that Jorah has Greyscale. By the progress of the Greyscale I'm pretty sure that Jorah will live till at least season 7, so that's a little comforting. There is no way they'll let him live and I feel as if that death will set Daenarys off to King's Landing to essentially rule. In the city itself, it seems that the High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen is on Daenarys's side and will be a character of guidance and advice (like Jaqen H'ghar is to Arya Stark). We have that awesome scene where Daario and Jorah make themselves known to Daenarys that they are there to take her back but she insists on staying and saying that, they'll never make it out of Vaes Dothrak alive.

At King's Landing we have Queen Margaery having a little chat with the High Sparrow and it seems like she impressed him with her knowledge of the Book of Stranger. There is a little easter egg when the High Sparrow comments on the fact that as a cobbler in his past, he walked out without putting on any shoes. It's a little tribute to the novels because it's a well known fact that the High Sparrow does not wear shoes in the books and they even showed it on the TV series so at least we got a backstory to that little detail. During that scene they do say the word, 'Graveyard' twice, which is also a little tribute and maybe easter egg(?) towards the the Gravedigger theory???? If you have not read the books, the Gravedigger theory is that Sander Clegane (The Hound) is still alive and is rumoured to be the Gravedigger (a man who digs graves for each person he's killed). This, eventually leading to the fight between The Hound (if he is the Gravedigger) and his brother Gregor Clegane (Robert Strong in the novels). There is some pretty compelling evidence towards this theory; In the novel, A Feast for Crows, Brienne describes the Gravedigger as:

"From the way he moved, it was plain to see that he was lame."

"[He] walked with an awkward lurching gait of one half-crippled."

Then, in, A Storm of Swords, Arya describes the last time she saw The Hound (Sandor Clegane) as:

"The Hound was still weak, every movement slow and clumsy. He slumped in the saddle, and sweated, and his ear began to bleed through the bandage. He needed all his strength just to keep from falling off Stranger."

Clearly, both are crippled and hurt and the little easter egg Dan and Dave wrote in this episode's script with the double mention of 'graveyard' isn't by accident. There are obvsiouly way more clues that further deepen this theory such as, the Gravedigger scratching Dog and since The Hound's family crest is three black dogs and is known to have close relations with dogs, it's pretty compelling evidence since the Gravedigger too, is close with dogs.

Still in King's Landing, we see Loras with Margaery, Cersei with Tommen and finally Cersei, Jaime, Olenna and Kevan. It's now known that the High Sparrow means to have Margaery do the walk of atonement as Cersei did. For obvious reasons, they all know that can not happen. Since Margaery is Queen, the people can never see her do what Cersei did because then they lose all respect for their Queen. If that happens, Margaery will never rule the people fully because she'll be made a joke of. Olenna and Kevan and Cersei and Jaime agree to have the Tyrell's army, which is the second most largest in all of Westeros, to fight the High Sparrow, Faith Militant and make sure Margaery is in the Crown's custody. We've already scene a little snippet of that happening in the Season 6 trailer months ago so I'm super excited to see all of that drama!

In the Iron Islands, Theon Greyjoy returns to Pyke. He claims he does not want the thrown and insists that Yara, his sister, have it and he'll help her. It's pretty weird to see her so hostile to him considering she had that little fling with him before. It's not like incest is a rare thing to happen in Westeros but I was still a little surprise how mad she was at him. It's so sad to see Theon so broken down and he even says so in this scene. Ramsay did break him and the line when Yara said,
"He sent us one of those pieces, that's why I came for you." (Clearly meaning his penis)
And then Theon just starts crying.... UGH SO SAD. I truly feel as though everything Theon has done in the past can be forgiven and forgotten because he has definitely paid for his mistakes, if not more than he should have. It was a sad scene and I feel like Yara and Theon are going to be very close in the upcoming episodes fighting against Euron.

OMG. I was so sad to see Osha die. Everything she said was so true and she really was a great manipulator. It was pretty sad to see that she truly does care for Rickon and even till the last moment she died, she was still trying to kill Ramsay. I will definitely miss her!

Now, back at The Wall in Castle Black, we finally get the Pink Letter, or at least the TV version of it. It was obviously going to be different from the novel considering in the TV show, the Nights Watch has already mutinied against Jon Snow and Sansa is with him now rather than in the novels, it being much earlier in the storyline. It's still a nice adaptation from the novels and it clearly marks the battle that is going to happen between the Starks and the Boltons for the North and Winterfell. I honestly can not wait much longer to see that awesome fight and it is going to be so cool to watch it on the screen!!!!

Now, the last scene of the episode that made it a 59 min special!! We are back at Vaes Dothrak and during the Khalar Vezhven, the khals are all trying to figure out what to do with Daenarys. She has this awesome battle with words between her and Khal Moro,

Daenarys: "Don't you want to know what I think?"
Moro: "....We don't care what you want. This is the Temple of Dosh Khaleen. You have no voice here, unless you are Dosh Khaleen. Which you are not, until we decide you are."
Daenarys: "... You are small men. None of you are fit to lead the Dothraki. But I am. So I will."
[Khals all laugh]
Moro: "All right. No Dosh Khaleen for you... Did you really think we would serve you?"
[Daenarys puts hand on ledge of fire]
Daenarys: "You're not going to serve. You're going to die."
[BAM, CRAZY FIRE KILLS EVERYONE]

For offensive and strong language purposes I've had to leave some of the dialogue out but wasn't that scene just awesome? Daenarys really kicked ass and I mean yeah Dan and Dave bent the unburning thing a little too much. The only reason why Daenarys was able to walk through the fire with the hatched dragons in Season 1 was because Blood Magic was involved, other than that, Daenarys can be burnt and can't actually walk through fire. But since the show is the show and the books are the books, I guess they can get away with bending the rules a little. It really made such an impactful scene and I did get what they were trying to do. It's essentially the sequel to Daenarys unburnt, and it's showing the Dothraki, yet again, that she is not to be messed with. I think they got the picture LOL. So that means in the books, Daenarys can get burnt and in the show, Daenarys is 100% all the time immune to fire. It was such an empowering scene for the Dothraki to just automatically kneel when they see Daenarys walking out of the fire, naked. That is definitely one of the top favourite scene for GoT.

This episode seemed like the calm before the storm type of scenario. We do have that great scene at the end but still, it seems like some huge battles are coming very soon. I think next episode and the one after that are going to be a little more timid and calm before episodes 7-10. We shall see though. The next episode's trailer is already up and we're finally going to have some Sansa and Baelish moments AND Bran with the Wights and White Walkers!!! Exciting!!! Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 5 Trailer.

Photo Credits: HBO and Emergency Awesome.

A Song of Ice and Fire - 9:14:00 PM

Game of Thrones: Book of the Stranger (Season 6, Episode 4) | Recap/Talk

Air Date: May 15, 2016 Time: 9 pm EST TV Channel: HBO Director: Daniel Sackheim Writer: Dan Weiss and Dave Benioff Run Tim...

Release Year: 2014

Genre: Drama/Romance

Length of film: 1h 45m

Director: Shana Feste

Following their high-school graduation, Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde), a sheltered but privileged teen, becomes enthralled with David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer), a working-class youth with a troubled past. Though Jade and David quickly fall in love, Jade's father (Bruce Greenwood) strongly disapproves of the relationship, while David's father (Robert Patrick) advises caution. However, their parents' disapproval only makes the love-struck teens more determined to pursue the intense affair.

The trailer for Endless Love

Now, What I Thought:

I've never actually done a movie review before so please don't compare this to the blogs that focus mainly on these. I was browsing Netflix just 2 hours ago and I came across this film and I thought, "Oh what the hell, I want to feel inspired." Boy did I make the right choice!!! I really thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Something I did not know coming into it, was that it's actually an adaptation from Scott Spencer's novel, Endless Love, published in 1979. Whether I'll go ahead and read the book, I haven't decided yet, but I will definitely write a review on it if I do. This movie was very romantic yet inspiring. I found myself relating to Jade quite often and I understood what she felt and was going through. I really loved the character David. I found him genuinely sweet and caring, and those are traits that many lead male roles nowadays often lack. As for Alex Pettyfer, meh. I was never a fan of the actor, I found the only thing wrong with the casting part was him, everyone else was beautifully casted. I did like his little british accent cameo in the film; FYI, the actor is actually from the UK so that's why I did find it funny when he whipped that out.

Can I just express how much I love the actress who played Jade! She was fantastic! I honestly couldn't think of a better actress to play such a beautiful, timid, butterfly of a character! I use the word butterfly because I really did feel like she just opened up and blossomed (Jade, not the actress haha) towards the middle and was finally getting to live her life. You could really tell that her eldest brother's death affected her more than it did Keith (Jade's other older brother). I really liked that we even got insight on Keith's own relationship and the parents! Their mother really is such a cool person and so understanding. I liked that small detail that she was a pronounced writer before and how we got some knowledge on how her life has changed.

I did often understand where Hugh, Jade's father, was coming from, definitely. I understood that suddenly this boy comes into her life and she wants to drop and throw away her ambition for med school just to spend more time with him. It would seem absurd if that happened in real life and I'm more than sure my own father would act the exact same way, if not more aggressive. The producer really made him the 'antagonist' of the film when they added some details about his marriage (for obvious reasons I won't name what). I still actually liked him better than David's father, Harry. For some reason Harry really rubbed me the wrong way. I found him shallow and just wanting his son to stay and take over the shop. A parent is supposed to let their children go at some point to find their dream and live their own life, not keep them back with guilt for leaving you. I just didn't like how Harry approached things and his hesitation when David was clearly so happy to even be considering college.

All in all, I really enjoyed this film and I will probably re-watch it soon, as I usually do with my favourites. This has definitely been added to "My List" on my Netflix account, rest assured. The drama was fantastic, the romance was amazing and the whole journey between Jade and David was absolutely lovely. The movie left me inspired and really happy so all pluses for me! Go watch it!!!!

college - 4:10:00 AM

Endless Love | Movie Review

Release Year: 2014 Genre: Drama/Romance Length of film: 1h 45m Director: Shana Feste Following their high-school graduatio...

Edition: Kindle

Publication Date: May 13th 2016

You know that group of people in school that everyone fears? Popular. Beautiful. The in-crowd?

That was my family. Kind of.

We were above that group. We held court over everyone else. We were the best looking. We were the mysterious and elusive ones. Most of the girls wanted to (and did) date the guys, but they didn’t want to be one of us. They couldn’t be. They were our prey.

We were the feared.

But like every family, nothing is as it seems. That was my truth.

Kellan was in his own league. He was our leader and he was the one no one messed with. No one dared. He was ruthless, powerful, and no one could match him…

Except for me.

I was about to find out just how different I was from my family.

**Evil is a full-length paranormal romance stand-alone.

Now, What I Thought:

I first read this book in December of 2014! It was only 18 chapters long at the time and boy were they great chapters. I honestly can't believe I've waited 3 years for this book to come out. It really does feel like yesterday when I first read it and fell absolutely head over heals in love. The whole novel, from start to finish was exquisite! I know I say that about a lot of books but come on, 3 years and it finally came out and all it took were 8 hours to finish it... That's got to speak for itself. Tijan is one of those authors who you know will come out with an amazing story and make you really invested. None of her books should be read lightly, and this one is no exception. Evil was exactly like the title, evil. The word has so much meaning and different variations of it that this book is a cluster ball of it. Tijan actually gives the word a total different shade and viewpoint of what our main protagonist, Shay, and her opposite, Kellan, do. This book was really refreshing and I'm so happy I finally got to finish it!

"Slowly, almost gently, I slid a finger underneath one of his and yanked it backward. Kellan held his breath, but let me hold his finger at bay. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. They seemed to sparkle in the moonlight...I smiled, and then I yanked his finger the rest of the way until the bone snapped. Kellan didn’t move, not an inch. When it was done, after a moment of silence, he rasped, “Are you going to break the rest of my fingers?”"

Shay was so fully charged the whole time, we were just waiting at the edge of our seats for the explosion! It was so much fun reading about Shay and what her siblings, Kellan, Vespar and Giuseppe, would do to toy with people. Out of Kellan and Shay, my favourite character had to be Gus. She was so real and funny. She did not give a shit most of the time and I did love her bond with Vespar. I really liked how Tijan chose to focus on what other people do/think/act when the siblings are around. We really get insight on how everyone is nervous around them and the fact that a Braden was never to be crossed. The siblings could do whatever they felt like and the rest of them weren't allowed. Tijan made high school drama so cultivating and dangerous! I loved the instant rivalry between Shay and Vasper and we all knew from the beginning that he would never fully love her.

"Kellan interrupted. “You could’ve stopped him long before I came around the corner. You knew I was coming. Why didn’t you stop him?” “Maybe I wanted to hear his rhetoric on how hot I must be for him.” “Don’t be funny, Shay. You’re not the funny one, remember?” I smirked. “That’s funny. I don’t think that role’s been taken in our family.” Kellan’s hand tightened on my arm. He pulled me closer and bent his head to my ear. “You always wait for me. Why?”"

I loved Kellan's inner struggle with himself and it really showed his deepest and emotionalist side of him whenever he would try to comfort Shay about being 'evil' yet it would stir the inner turmoil he had inside of himself. The characters in general were all so deep thought and you can see the amount of detail Tijan wrote for each of her characters.

"Damien grabbed an apple and paused, shooting her a look. “Don’t start, half child. I can eviscerate you with a thought.”"

Whenever Tijan writes and publishes a new book, I already except it to be a masterpiece. Not one of her novels have cease to disappoint me so I knew it was a safe bet that this wouldn't be any different. I loved this book so much and I'm happy that finally after 3 years, I can now know how Shay and Kellan ended and that I will miss this book so much! The characters are very unforgettable and I am not looking forward to the book mourning period I'm going to have after I post this blogpost.

"“For the record,” Damien said two days later. “I think this is incredibly stupid.” Kellan stood next to me, holding my hand, and grunted. “For the record, no one asked you.”"

angels - 7:18:00 PM

Evil by Tijan | Review

Edition: Kindle Publication Date: May 13th 2016 You know that group of people in school that everyone fears? Popular. Beautiful....

Pages: 279

Publication Date: May 3rd 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062392174 (ISBN13: 9780062392176)

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Now, What I Thought:

This was a fitting end to the whole series I will admit. I probably should've stopped at the third book of The Selection Series. I did like Eadlyn's P.O.V and storyline but now having finished everything, it would've been a nice and clean end to the series in, The One. I found Eadlyn's plot to just be excessive to the original beautiful storyline of America and Maxon. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret reading The Heir and The Crown but some part of me does wish I had stopped at the original trilogy. As for what happened in novel, nothing really did happen much except for Eadlyn's journey as a person with maturing and the fact she found out whom she really loved. As for events, nothing exciting I must admit.

I know it's a book literally about a bachelorette competition but when America was in the hospital fighting a coma and Eadlyn still went on a date and continued EVEN THOUGH she was pronounced regent of Illéa. I mean, she was the only one that could stop the competition, did she? NOPE. Your mother is literally almost dying and you go on a date... Ok? I was so not expecting her to end up with who she did! I really did think it was going to go a total different direction! I kind of felt bad for the person who was so blatantly rejected because I was routing for him!

HONESTLY. How many times did Eadlyn proclaim her love to someone? I'm actually thinking of going back and counting because it was getting ridiculous. I ended up being happy with who she ended up with but it was a hell of a journey to get there holy crap. I was pretty shocked what Maxon did towards the end. It was pretty unrealistic for a king to do that so easily and I don't think that was a smart move. I mean, with all the negatives I'v been saying, the book really was a fitting end to Eadlyn's story. I did like her growth and maturity from The Heir to this book. The epilogue was sweet and I liked how we got to see the next heirs to the throne.

God forbid, if Cass writes another continuation series about THEM, I'll be gobsmacked. I seriously doubt that but it's a funny thought to have. So with that said,

Goodbye Illéa, Goodbye America, Goodbye Maxon, Goodbye Eadlyn and GOODBYE THE SELECTION SERIES. For real now...

p.s. One thing I can say is that, I'v always loved the covers... they are all, collectively, stunningly gorgeous!

beautiful cover - 4:42:00 PM

The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass | Review

Pages: 279 Publication Date: May 3rd 2016 Publisher: HarperTeen ISBN: 0062392174 (ISBN13: 9780062392176 ) When Eadlyn be...

A Song of Ice and Fire - 1:35:00 AM

Quote of the month- April

Pages: 279

Publication Date: October 10th 2000 (first published January 28th 1813)

Publisher: Modern Library

IBSN: 0679783261 (ISBN13: 9780679783268)

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues.

Now, What I Thought:

The novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a classic romance story. Published in 1813, the story is about a girl, Elizabeth Bennet, and how she comes across issues, such as love, manners and marriage in the early 19^th century in England. The novel was originally named First Impressions but was changed because the publishers wanted Austen to have a theme with her other book titles, such as Sense and Sensibility. The book itself has become one of the most popular novels in the Romantic and English literature categories. The novel is so popular that the book has sold 20 million copies worldwide. Many books after this, tried imitating Austen’s writing and themes but no one could ever match her specific writing style. Austen portrayed an excellent view on social standing and wealth, also, how they are not necessary in that word. The novel has various aspects to it; most of them are about love, social class, marriage and wealth. In the entire book, Elizabeth Bennet has to struggle with decisions that involve marriage and family. There are many factors that cause social dilemmas in Pride and Prejudice. Three examples of social dilemmas are: marrying for love and not for wealth, social class, and reputations to uphold.

The first line in the novel is, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”. This is a perfect example of what the most known theme is in the book, marriage. In the 19^th century, when the novel was set in, it was known for wealthy men to marry wealthy women. It was very uncommon for a wealthy man to marry out of love, and not social status or for their social benefit. In Pride and Prejudice, a great example of this is Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. At first, they both thought it was absurd to think of each other romantically because of their different social backgrounds. As the novel progresses, it is clear that both Darcy and Bennet forget the stigma against marrying for love and do end up falling in love and finally, marrying each other. Another example of this would be Mr. Collins and Elizabeth Bennet. Collins, being a wealthy but insensible man, tries to court Bennet and even asks to marry her. After refusing him because of the fact that she did not love him nor liked him at all as a person, it showed that even a refusal to such a wealthy man would be a crazy notion in those times. Again, this is another good example of marrying for love and not wealth because Bennet did the right, but unusual thing. That would have changed her social reputation completely.

Another social dilemma in the novel is reputation. In that time, a women’s reputation was one of the most important things to uphold. There are numerous times when a person’s reputation is almost ruined. For example, it is common knowledge that Mrs. Bennet only wanted her daughters to marry wealthy men, to uphold and improve the Bennet’s reputation and status. This is almost ruined when Darcy sends a letter to Elizabeth explaining that he refuses to let Mr. Bingley marry her sister, Jane. He states,

“The situation of your mother's family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father".

It is clear that Darcy disapproves of Mrs. Bennet’s ways and will not let his friend be used just for reputation and to improve their family name. Another example is Lydia Bennet and Mr. Wickham. He, being an officer in the militia, seemed charming but secretly, a man in debt that runs off with a 16-year-old and ruins the family’s reputation. Mrs. Bennet is obliviously thrilled that her young daughter is the first to marry and to what seemed to be a respectful young man. Even after the fact that the knowledge of his debt was made publicly and he runs away with her out of wedlock, she (Mrs. Bennet) is still very oblivious and exclaims her joy. By Lydia running away, even if under the influence of charming Wickham, it ruins any chance her other sisters had for marrying a respectful man.

Lastly, social class was and still is a very popular theme in the 19^th century. Austen did a very good job portraying that in her novel because it is a reoccurring feature that can be found in different spots in the book. Similar to reputation, the lines of class are strictly drawn in society. The perfect and most popular example in the novel is Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship. When they had just met each other, it was clear that Elizabeth was not impressed by Darcy’s attitude. Darcy’s biggest struggle in the entire book was the fact that he was falling in love with someone of a totally opposite social class as him. Back then, this was a foreign concept to everyone and that resulted in him being confused and his attitude towards Elizabeth. He thought that if he outwardly showed disgust towards her, he would force himself to dislike her. This attitude does in fact really offends her and made her determined to hate him. This is why she refuses his first proposal. He did state,

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you".

This showed the transformation of his earlier thoughts about her “not handsome enough” to his unrequited love, or so he thought. There is a reason why that quote is one of the most famous romantic lines in the history of romance. That single line showed that Darcy had overcome the borders and lines that social classes have and it showed that finally, true love wins over everything in the end.

In closing, the novel, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is one of the most cherished, love stories in English literature. Austen wrote the most memorable characters, some being Darcy and Elizabeth. Their love story is known throughout all over the world. In this novel, the idea of marrying for love and not wealth was accomplished, the reputation of someone did mean a lot back then, and the lines of social classes were broken in the end. The message that is portrayed in the novel is one of the best-known messages out there- love conquers all.

19th century - 8:24:00 PM