Saturday, February 16, 2013

Beautiful Creatures Movie



I saw Beautiful Creatures and OMG, I think the movie is better than the book. Here's what I liked about the movie, unlike the book which was such a drag just getting through the pages and the poor characterization of the main character that we are inside their head a majority of the time, the movie gets right to the point of the story, and doesn't lag. I literally fell asleep reading the first book in the series which read like a carbon copy of Twilight. The actual novel series just really lacked characterization. I look forward to when Beautiful Creatures is going to be released on DVD.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.  Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.





 

This is the last book in the Castor Chronicles following the love story of Ethan and Lena. At the beginning we find out The book was written in dual point of view, and I was glad that the books finally put Lena's character. It felt nice to actually read what she was thinking most of the time. I think the writing of the dual point of view would have worked out fine if the authors didn't have the point of views switched after every every one hundred pages, and if it was apparent that we were actually in different POVs the views were too similar lacking characterization. It didn't have that dynamic feel to the beginning. The beginning tends to be a little depressing. The plot became to predictable for the ending. It really takes four books just to find out who Lena's parents really are? The series really just lagged on just to keep the books going. If you are someone who has been following the series from the start you may be happy with the book, and you may or may not be happy with the series ending.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again. 
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in 

the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.



I have never read any of Nicholas Sparks books, I only read one of his books Message in a Bottle, and I found that book to be unappealing. I recently picked up the book to read because I am very picky. I refuse to watch a movie based on a book without reading the book first. I found this book to be quite enjoyable. The book really falls under the romance-thriller suspense. There are parts filled with so much romance and suspense the reader can find their hearts racing between the chemistry of Katie and Alex. Sparks has really good writing, and for a male writer, his romance novel fulfilled my expectations. I am very excited to be seeing the film and to compare what was kept and removed from the film.




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What — or who — will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?
For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself — forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask. Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.


The style begins to feel the same like the first two books where the reader has a really hard time getting into the story. It's also really hard to feel the love between Ethan and Lena in this installment in the series like we did in Beautiful Creatures itself. Ethan is just a wonderful Southern gentleman and he treats Lena with so much respect, makes my heart melt. It takes a really long time to get into this book. Another issue is the interaction between the characters it feels really forced. There is still trouble between the Castor world and the Mortal world. It's not until the end something really horrible and tragic happens.

Next on the Reading List

After sending out queries, and revising my work for the next #DVpit. I have been reading. Finally after weeks on my library e-book holds. I...