Looking for Alaska Review

Starting this book, I was expecting John Green's usual wisecracks, general yet accurate statements about life, and a lot of feels.

I definitely got his wisecracks and his general but accurate life-is statements, but was utterly low in the feels department. Don't get me wrong, the thing that happens "one hundred and thirty six days" after the start of the book is sad, but not the kind of  dry heaving, pride-swallowing sobs I experienced during The Fault in Our Stars. Perhaps it was the warning on the first page "one hundred and thirty six days before" that tipped me off, or that in high school everyone was asking people as they read the book, or as soon as they finished "Did you cry?" that let me know some shit went down. But I knew exactly what was going to happen and so wasn't too affected by it.

Another thing I didn't like was Miles. That's right, the narrator himself. He is so whiny and so ungrateful and the way he spoke to his parents at the beginning and was just an over-all know-it-all dick. Ugh. I like the transition in the after portion, but didn't actually like the after portion until about 3/4 through the section. I didn't even really like Alaska much. The way she talks to people, uses people, I can't understand how Miles found her attractive at all.

I did like the humor. Despite my loathing for all of the main characters and redundant religious allusions, there were plenty of parts that were hilarious. It just sucks that during the parts where I was supposed to be sad or maybe introspective about some profound philosophical epiphany I just wasn't moved.

3/5 stars because it's John Green, and I know he can do (and has done) much better and for the overall message of the book which I can appreciate. I'd say this book is PG-15 for some pretty graphic stuff.

<3 The Reviewer

Fifty Shades Movie Review

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I was not expecting much with Jaime or Dakota based on the trailers and interviews because it looked like they had absolutely no chemistry. I was also worried that they had tamed Ana because of the trailer’s. Within the first 15 minutes I realized that they had brilliant on-screen chemistry and they vamped up Ana’s sass for the movie and I loved every second! A lot of things changed. And I mean a lot. But not in such a way that we lost who the characters were or changed what the story was about (or how it generally happened). I can see why EL James got mad just because they did change a lot. Because of her presence though, it seemed that they were able to keep enough of the original novel, including original dialogue that made the story what it was.

The chemistry. At first, it was just like the trailer. And then pretty much as soon as she fell into his office and they started their conversation I felt it and I went “okay, now I see what the casting director’s saw.” I thought they both looked like too much of softies to play either character, but as the movie progressed, Jaime really brought Christian in his darkness and his levity, to the big screen and really made him real. Same with Dakota. I really was terrified of this girl because they chose probably the worst takes in their archives to use for the trailer, but very soon after the movie started I knew she had that smart mouth that Christian and readers fell in love with.

Kate’s involvement in the relationship was well executed because in the book it seemed very sudden. Like she was on team-Christian and then in the last 100 pages or so she suddenly hated him like night-and-day with not imbetween. 

The way they executed the boat-house scene was very interesting. They changed it pretty much 360 and made it wholly different from the book. And though it sort of bothered me how they did that, I enjoyed it as a movie-goer.

Also the way they executed the contract-negotiation scene was very different but I loved it!

The sex scenes were pretty graphic but not quite as much as I was expecting. I think they played it safe just to make sure they could get an R-rating. I heard a rumor that they will release the NC-17 version either in a couple of weeks or with the DVD but I don’t know.

How they got Christian to spill the beans on his past. This actually angered me. It was like they wanted the audience to know but didn’t want Christian to actually tell Ana the truth. I loved how all of their little arguments were handled when Ana would pester him about the touching thing, and how we could see Christian’s barely reigned in anger at being challenged and dealing with these new feelings. He just tells her everything while she’s sleeping and while I can see that being a good way to handle it (kind of) it doesn’t help Ana any and so doesn’t do anything for the story. That was one thing that needed to happen as it did in the book. They probably just wanted to take out another sex scene and so got rid of it.

The. Ending. It was changed quite a bit, but the “how hard can it get” part was intense. Very. Intense. Starting with the argument where he shouts “it’s what I am!” all the way to the end of the movie was just… spectacular. And what I loved about it was the incredible pain in Jaime’s eyes. He was fighting with his nature, his fetish, what he has known to bring him comfort and sexual satisfaction. He now feels it is wrong and feels torn about it for the first time and all of that is communicated in his eyes as he does this. That scene gave me goose-bumps because the chemistry as well as the raw emotion on their faces MADE this scene and made it so important, so heavy that it seriously gave me chills. Everything after that was just a long wave of chills.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and think that anyone that liked the book will definitely love the movie!

5/5 stars

<3 The Reviewer

Enough of the Fifty Shades Shaming!

Enough!

Hey guys. I saw Fifty Shades today and will post the review for it tomorrow. But first today, I want to start off by explaining why I don’t dislike, and even like Fifty Shades. I may lose some followers, and to those followers, I am truly sorry it has to be this way. I value each and every one of you but I just have to say this. I am so, so tired of Fifty Shades-shaming. There was little to no complaint before the book was popular and only slightly more controversial when the book was planned to be made into a movie. At first it seemed the only complaint was that it was poorly written. Where I can see how it is not written perfectly simply due to the fact that it was initially a fanfiction, I can understand that being a complaint if you are disappointed that she didn’t spend another three months reviewing and sophisticating it’s diction when a publisher says it’s fine. Then it was just awkward to read it in public because EVERYONE knew what it was about. Okay, that’s perfectly fine. BDSM isn’t really something we openly talk about in public, especially at the kids’ soccer games or ballet recital rehearsals. Now the movie is here and all of a sudden, Christian Grey is an abuser. Now, I have seen lists of reasons why people don’t like Fifty Shades and I can tell who has read the book and has a little bit of backup for their criticism and who clearly hasn’t and is just making shit up. Let’s start with the criticisms that are true or I think are on the fence, but will agree with.

Stalker. Yes, he has stalker tendencies and Ana on MANY occasions expresses her discomfort with this.

Possessive. I would be lying if I said he weren’t. He is very territorial, which I honestly don’t think is too far past reality. For couples either just starting out or who have been together for a long time, they rely on trust and communication to keep “tabs” on each other. And though the term “keeping tabs” has a negative connotation, it’s simply true that we in the modern age are not only capable to, but do keep tabs on one another constantly. There are several people that have automatic updates on facebook to tell EVERYONE where they are. People text 24/7 asking “where are you?” “where are you?” “where are you?” Christian just has a different way of going about it because it’s the only way he, in his damaged mind knows how. So apart from knowing where everyone is at every hour of the day, there is also when someone comes into the picture trying to mess things up. This has happened to me on several occasions with my girlfriend. Guys thinking that I’ll have them on the side because they think that bisexuality is synonymous with polyamory (that’s another discussion for another rant) brought out my girlfriend’s possessive side (and though it wasn’t necessarily fun I understand her discomfort and her feeling like she needed to stay close), or by stupid girls that thought they could tempt my girlfriend that made me want to keep tabs on them to make sure there was no funny business.. In moments of intimidation, even if cognitively you know there is no threat, I believe it is human nature to protect what your brain has decided is yours on an emotional level. We were dating exclusively and these people coming in to our lives seemingly threatening to come between us. Now, this is not admirable behavior so keep in mind that we were adolescents at the time and still relatively new to the dating world. Christian also has the mentality of an adolescent. In his mind he is totally justified in his pissing contests and in staying close. Now is this admirable or okay? No. But he doens’t know any better, and Ana does eventually help him see that he was being ridiculous.

Jealous. I believe this is covered in Possessive.

Bad tempered. There is no hiding that this man has a temper. He gets angry very, very easily. But he also is relaxed relatively easily and amused quickly. He just has crazy, crazy mood swings, like an adolescent. But never, not once does he lay a hand on her. Does he say some things that are not nice? Yes, not frequently, but yes he has. Haven’t we all?! I know SO many people that have said downright awful things to their partners that they regret for the rest of that relationship, simply because they were angry. Is it an excuse? No. But I’d say it is safe to say that nearly everyone has done this or will do this eventually.

Controlling. Yes, Christian Grey is a control freak. It goes well beyond what is considered normal and acceptable. To his defense, he truly in his messed up mind thinks he needs this. He finds out later however, that he doesn’t require it but that controlling people gives him comfort to make up for years of having none. Does this excuse him? No. And don’t worry, for the critics that have not read the book, Ana let’s him know in more ways than one that his “control-freakery” is not acceptable. Though she does acquiesce to his need to guarantee her safety and understands the times he acts out in his concern, she also lays down a line to how far he can go before she feels uncomfortable and controlled. This is a struggle throughout the trilogy until they find a fine line and find a method to ensure Ana feels she has her freedom and independence, but Christian doesn’t go out of his mind with anxiety.

Threatening. He does threaten her, though generally in a sensual manner (or what to himself may sound sensual). For instance threatening to take her over his knee, it’s a kind of sexy threat (to him, a man with a sadism fetish), and generally Ana just rolls her eyes at this and continues on the conversation. There are a few times he says it with a growl or a gruff tone and Ana reminds him to keep his hair on despite the intimidation. Generally it is a loose threat that he does not intend to make good on, just wishing to make a point. Now, this doesn’t really sit well with me either because despite the intention, the fact of that matter is that he is intimidating her. As the story progresses however, she takes less and less of it and even starts to fight back when she feels he is trying to intimidate her. This for him is just another way for him to make sure things go his way and before anyone reverts us back to the controlling part of my argument, let me remind that though it may not be intimidation (for quite a few people it may be) may not be the way that most people go about it. We all have little manipulation tactics. For me, it’s guilt-tripping. If I have associates on my shift that won’t listen to me for whatever reason, I tend to guilt-trip them by letting them know everything that is on my shoulders relating to work to show them how much of an inconvenience their attitude or inefficiency is to me. This actually generally works and does get them to work faster. For others it may be something else, either aggressive or sneaky. Anywho, the threatening I will list as a “true, that happens” and whether in or out of context it’s not a good thing, but it’s something Ana (as a strong character) addresses.

Demeaning. Synonyms for this include: humbling, humiliating, mortifying. No. Just no. He actually empowers Ana, letting her know how beautiful she is, how capable she is of doing whatever she set her mind to, whether it be a publishing assistant, a publisher, or a CEO of a publishing house. I can’t think of one time that this man ever intentionally put her down whether as a woman or a human being.

Manipulative. I believe this was covered in controlling and threatening.

Selfish. Who isn’t?! Skipping this with a virtual eye-roll.

Violent. No. Just no. Now, if we are talking about when he is in the playroom and he hits her, then out of context certainly that would be considered violent. But it was intended to elicit a sexual response, which it did in most cases for that 1% of the time that it doesn’t she lets him know whether in a calm or aggressive manner and he feels like shit about himself. If we are talking about the spanking situations, let me point out that there was a time in the book where she asked him not to and he backed right the hell up. Any time she says no, he backs the hell off.

Ignores Consent. Bull. Shit. There was never a time in this series that he did not ask for consent or if he didn’t, if she said no as I said he backed the hell up. He was not going there. Clearly whoever said this had not read the books and was just making shit up. 

Ignores Safewords. Again, bullshit! Are we even reading the same book at this time or are people just making shit up? He even allows her to come up with her own safewords that she will definitely remember so… no, he takes safewords very very seriously.

Abusive. I believe that this entire argument was about proving he is not an abuser. At times he can even be an enabler. He brings her up, makes her feel beautiful, confident, sure in herself. For those people that label him an abuser, I wonder if they have been in a sexually/psychologically abusive relationship. If they have, then fine, they have their reasons though I do not see eye-to-eye with it because I did not have the same experience. I have been in a sexually and psychologically abusive relationship. There are certain romance novels I can’t read if there is something about abuse and there have been a few novels I put back for a phrase that was said or a character that reminded me of my abuser, sometimes I can return to it and sometimes I can’t, it just depends. I will give you guys that he is charismatic and slick as an abuser, but Christian himself is not an abuser. He does not force Ana to do anything she doesn’t want to, he reminds her all of the time that she can walk out at absolutely any time and he won’t stop her. Now, he does some shitty things that he feels shitty about, but we all do! The circumstances are clearly different, but the fact remains we all do stupid shit to hurt people, sometimes on purpose and sometimes on accident and then when it does hurt someone, we feel bad about it. And for those that didn’t read the book, I’ll inform you that Ana is perfectly capable of handling herself as she does leave him at the end when she decides this lifestyle is not for her and it’s not healthy for her. At the beginning of the second installment, she is a trainwreck and so is he, they meet, talk it out and Christian agrees to hang the rules and try just being together as a normal couple because he can not stand being without her and can’t stand to see her in pain.

This is a story about a man with an adolescent’s mind in a grown up world needing to escape in his fetish where he feels comfortable and comforted. He is accustomed to getting anything he wants without question, and when this woman that he is inexplicably drawn to comes into his life and challenges everything, he must adapt and alter his own brain chemistry to have the best of both worlds, love with the family and white picket fence, and his fetish which ties his past to his present and even his future in a way that works for him.

What people need to remember is:

-This is a fetish novel. Is it completely accurate? Likely not due to the fact that not all BDSM practitioners are self-made billionaires and so probably can’t afford everything he can as far as an elaborate playroom with all of the BDSM fixins.

-This is occurring between two consenting adults. One that is about five years older than the other. This isn’t a huge age gap so it’s not like he is preying on a teenager or a child, and he does not do anything with/to her that she does not consent to.

-It was a goddamn fanfiction first. So to those expecting quality let’s even put fanfiction aside and remember that this is an erotica novel. It is intended to elicit a sexual response to written word. And for many it does that. Don’t judge. We all have our weird quirks. Some watch porn, some read it, and some just have very vivid imaginations.

So please. Enough of the Fifty Shades shaming. If it’s not your cup of tea that’s fine, but enough of the name calling and shaming for the millions of women that read it and thought it was sexy. Christian Grey is not an abuser, this is not about enabling abusers, this is not glorifying rape culture. 

So just quit.

A Title, a Release Date, and a Cover!

At last all, we have a title for the fourth installment of the Throne of Glass series! The title will be

Queen of Shadows

It won't be released until September 1st... 

So even though I'm minorly upset...

... Okay, quite upset.

I've got more news!

End of Days, the third installment of the Penryn and the End of Days series has a cover! 

It's preettty!

Pretty awesome, right?

So, just thought I'd share with everyone following closely enough to be as excited as I am!

Delirium review

Just finished Delirium. I’m a little overcome with emotion I’m not ashamed to admit. That was a pretty intense final scene.

What I Liked: 

The overall idea. I also like the thoroughness of it. The Book of Shh…, the nursery rhymes, the new religious texts, etc. It gave a depth that some YA doesn’t have, which I definitely appreciate.

Moderate symbolism. The Governor statue, and certain little things that symbolically added a depth to Lena’s inner monologues.

Their relationship/Alex. Alex is that passionate character, but not so passionate he’s unrealistic as a male character, that I love to read about because they are generally paired with a more complacent, weaker character. It generally works because this is a relationship where the female generally benefits from witnessing his strength and becomes determined to strengthen themselves emotionally, and in the case of these dystopian novels, physically. In real life it's important to build each other emotionally, psychologically, and maybe if you're that kind of couple sure, physically too. So I’m excited for the next book to see where Lena is emotionally after all of these ordeals. 

The ending. Very charged, very emotional, and the epitome of sacrifice. Love it, wouldn’t change a single thing, and I’m happy they didn’t change that (pretty much the only thing they didn’t change) in the pilot.

What I Didn’t Like:

Lena’s Weakness. Earlier I said that I loved Alex for his passion and his strength. Well, the downfall to that is usually, the passionate and strong character is paired with a weak character, generally pretty annoying. Lena annoyed the piss out of me, not going to downplay it. But I’m already seeing a slight transformation and I am hoping she continues to strengthen herself to further the cause and just to better herself.

The Romeo and Juliet references. Unless the ending symbolically or literally ends in double suicide due to unescapable circumstances, or there is a feud between their families, or they get married three days after meeting... no, not even then. I’d say no novel should make any sort of reference to Romeo and Juliet. ………

EVER!

Overall, I loved Oliver’s writing, I enjoyed her style a LOT better than the bluntness of Before I Fall, and I loved the thoroughness of this society she created without love or anything referring to that emotion. The concept itself got me thinking about the pros and cons of living without love. Of course I chose that it’s much better to live with it than without it, but it was still an interesting inner debate I’m proud to say no one will ever have to witness.

I rate this novel 4/5 PG-13, and will report on Pandemonium soon! Tune in!

If I Stay Movie Review

I saw If I Stay quite a while ago, and was so super stoked since I read the book a couple of months before. I’m going to put a spoiler in for this review… I loved it! The film blew me away just like the novel did. Every character was significant, every event flowed into each other.

What I Loved: 

Though I wasn’t sold on Chloe Moretz playing Mia in the appearance department, her portrayal was flawless! She really became the Mia I pictured.

Adam was more flawed in the movie than he appeared in the novel, which I loved because too many times we have a perfect book-boyfriend and he’s perfect and nothing is wrong and he’s just an angel and perfect… Can we say unrealistic? We all know Adam is a fucked up guy with a past and does some fucked up stuff. But through all of that I fell in love with him in the novel and I did all over again in the movie. Well done!

Her parents were perfectly cast and performed beautifully!

The music was spectacular! It’s very difficult to capture the essence of music in writing, which Gayle Forman nailed, but I was concerned about how well they would translate the music elements to screen. I have no complaints. The music worked with the scenery, the mood, the characters incredibly well and Adam’s songs were beautifully written/composed.

What I Didn’t Like:

Though they touched on Adam and Kim’s stressed relationship, I do wish they had focused on it a little more in scenes like at the hospital both when he was kicked out as well as when he was absolutely losing it.

5/5 stars! Absolutely adored it!

I will surely buy the movie once it comes out on DVD and bluray and I will watch it again and again and again. I somewhat hope for Where She Went to come to the big screen as well, but I’m not sure…

What did you think of the movie? Also, would you like to see them come back for Where She Went?

The Mortal Instruments: Book vs. Movie Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc4CiTvQ-YE

I would say that it is safe to say nearly everyone has seen this trailer or this movie cover, or both! 

Even though the movie came out about a year ago, I read the book around the same time, and I decided to hold my book review until after I saw the movie and let me just go ahead and say that at first I absolutely hated the movie!

They changed a lot mainly just the order of the plot or how certain events unfolded. But after a couple of days to mull over these changes before writing the review, I’ve decided that I actually kind of like these changes!

Let me explain a little more clearly.

Book review:

What I LOVED!!!:

Romance! Whoa, do I love romance! And I just gotta say that action is not such a bad thing either. Cassandra Clare seems to have a knack for describing action, blood, and making the whole situation not so… well… forced or lame. We’ve all read those action stories where everyone threw everyone through the air, and the ever present “somehow landed perfectly on their feet,” pummeled people into the dirt, and screamed each others names so much you wonder if they just say it so many times to make sure they haven’t forgotten. But along with the action was beautiful romance and beautifully scripted scenes of adorableness and romance.

The plot. The book flowed like a dream! I haven’t read a book that flowed so nicely since Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Every detail given had a purpose, had a thought, had a revelation tied to it whether it be in the next two pages or the next several chapters.

The angst!!! Despite how much action there is in this book, those beautiful bits of romance I described added so much of the teen angsty mess that I love and hate so much. Let’s face it ladies, we’re complex creatures and you just can’t have nice things sometimes because we just have to have situations be total pains in the arse. (See my vent on romance novels for more of a rant on this topic). The angst that I hate (love to hate is more like it) added a lot and defined this novel as what it is. This is a paranormal romance novel. There can not be a romance novel without angst (once again, see the reasons we can’t have nice things in my other topic). Bottom line, it’s a romance novel with some kick ass action!

Emotion. Cassandra Clare has a talent for describing emotions that Clary and other characters are feeling. She has a knack for finding all perspectives and interjecting them to make the reader just that more insightful on the full weight of each situation these teens find themselves in.

What I HATED!!!! 

The angst! Like I said, love to hate!

WTFFFFF????!

Okay, I’ve gotta say it [MAJOR SPOILER ALERT HEEEREE!]

The whole incest thing. Really? Just really? THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGSSSS!!! As soon as a girl, a perfectly relatable character that is headstrong without being a bitch, finds a guy who is (I’ll admit a pain in the ass, but that pain in the ass guy in a good kind of pain in the ass way) not totally irritating, they end up being RELATED?!!!!? I mean… REALLY?! Clare… WTF?!!!?

And on top of themes of incest, they just go ALONG with it! They just believe the villain.

Yeah. Because that’s my first instinct is to BELIEVE the guy who is hollering and preaching about cleaning races. To paraphrase Clary from the movie, “you know… when people start talking about superior races and keeping blood pure things do not go well….”

That doesn’t make sense to me at all!!!!

I rate the first installment of the Mortal Instruments series 5/5 stars!!! <3

Okay, now on to the movie review!

The movie was a bit complicated for me. On one hand, it is different from the book, but on the other hand, after a little bit of thinking, I realized that is not such a bad thing for this series. Let me explain.

Needless to say there are going to be a LOT of SPOILERS because of the fact I will be comparing the movie and the book. So if you have not read the book and want to or have not seen the movie and want to (I highly recommend either!!!!) please skip to where I review the actors.

Changes:

1. They show a lot of the scenes that Clary wasn’t there for. This change was great for the film adaption. It made it more like a… well, movie. I always hate those movies where they are made for the book fans (ie, Cloud Atlas, Beautiful Creatures). As a movie goer, despite the fact that I knew what was happening behind the scens, I was pleased that they gave those explanations as they were happening, to spare me from questions from the friends I went with.

2. How Clary and Jace meet. The movie version was just… a lot more awkward than I felt it needed to be. It seemed to go a lot smoother in the book and for that reason I rate that scene pretty low. 

3. Isabelle and Alec being there for the big Vampire invasion. I honestly did not like this change. Out of this change, there were a million others. IE, Simon did not become a rat. I felt there was some significant symbolism to this but oh well, it was thrown away. What did they replace it with? Puncture wounds on his neck. I just don’t think it was supposed to be that obvious, but I guess leading the horse to water...

Overall, I was just disappointed that they went to the battle because this was Jace and Clary’s fight and I felt like it should have stayed that way. Don’t get me wrong, the scene was AMAZING!!! I loved watching the fight, especially those few moments when Jace was concerned about Clary.

4. The kiss. There wasn’t a lot of change with that one and I liked how they did it overall. :3 The kiss was not absolutely horrid to watch, something new for teen phenomenons nowaddays *Cough cough* Twilight. And that awkward aftermath!!! Wow they did a great job! Writing and playing out.

5. Valentine’s deceit. When he tells Jace about the relation, I liked how it happened in the movie the same as in the book. Either way pleases me. However, what I don’t care for as far as plot goes, is the fact that Valentine fights Jace. Like, knocking the shit out of him type of fighting. What kind of father would do that? So for the plot reasons I hate this change because it doesn’t really help him argue his “you’re my son” lie. Valentine is smart, that’s his character because who has ever heard of a stupid villain? It can’t be done! But this fight was STUPID!!! Valentine would not risk Jace seeing through his lie like that! As far as the action goes though, the fight was VERY well choreographed and I loved watching it!

6.  The mortal cup. Okay. That is the one MAJOR change that I am actually very upset with. First of all, at the end of the book

*MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!*

they don’t even have the cup in their possession. But in the movie, Clary kept the card to keep the cup hidden. Call me crazy, but changing a MAJOR event… oh let’s say the ENDING!!!! I would say is not very smart. >:( 

C’mon people! Think with those noodles called brains!

So now I’m just curious how they are going to recover from that…

9. The portal. I could deal with the portal being revealed and played with early in the movie. That was cute and whatever… but… they blew it up! 

I sure hope that they didn’t need that in the future because that fucker is gone!

8. The very end. I do have to say though, that I liked Jace telling Clary he didn’t believe their “father”. It was super romantic and sweet and it really redeemed the cliffhanger we received from the book. 

Things they COULD have thrown out:

1. Alec’s sexual orientation. Though it will come into play a lot more in the future, and the fans probably wouldn’t have liked it being tossed out… but if anything out of the fight he and Clary have, I felt that his sexual preferences were on the bottom of the priority list as far as what is most important to the plot. Movies aren’t always that great at character development whereas books have as much time as the author pleases to have it. If anything I think Alec’s less than impressive Demon killing rate would have been something to throw at his face than his love for Jace. 

THE ACTORS:

Lily [Clary]: Well… She was good. In my opinion not a 10/10. She’s… okay. I found her acting pretty over the top at times and incredibly unbelievable through… well… most of it. I understand that she is playing a tough role because Clary herself is going through some tough times and doesn’t really know how to react herself… But honestly, Lily tried just a BIT too hard. I hate comparing actors… but she was ALMOST as bad as Kirsten Stewert in the first two Twilight movies. The same way Kirsten breathed WAAAAAAAY too much in an attempt to seem flustered or nervous, < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vlQd9w0w_4 >  Lily was a little too excited to rush through her lines to figure out what was going on. Though I will definitely say that she redeemed herself as the romance picked up and as Clary gained her confidence. I love her looks though. She is a gorgeous girl and I thought she looked JUST like the Clary I imagined in my head so plus to the casting directors on that one! I predict she will get better as the series continues and I definitely look forward to seeing the growth! I give her a 7/10 on her performance.

Jaime [Jace]: Okay, I have to admit a bias here… I have loved Jaime’s work since I saw him play Antony in Sweeney Todd. I think he is an excellent actor and this movie is no different! He plays cool very well and fights very, very well! I will spare everyone my fangirl review of Jaime and just leave it at I really don’t have any complaints. The one liner jokes were delivered very well and he was able to pull off a very complex character. My overall review is 10/10!

Robert [Simon]: I didn’t have high expectations with Simon, mainly because he wasn’t my highest priority while reading the books, but Robert really did blow me away! He turned a pretty small (but VERY significant character) not only significant but memorable! He was believable, and at times pitiful! I loved his portrayal of a guy being friend-zoned (we have all been there I’m sure).  He plays freaked-out well (something I think Lily can learn from him as I feel he didn’t over-act it and gave us the accurate amount of freak out without well… Kristen Stewert-ing. 9/10

Jonathan [Valentine]: Whoa! He has come a long way from August Rush and Tudors. I watched August Rush soooo many times as a kid and so it is very surprising to me that I didn’t see August’s dad every time I saw him. I saw Valentine. He was able to recreate himself into a new character (I truly appreciate that because I sometimes have those actors that I love for one role, and that one role—period.) He honestly became Valentine for me. Though I feel bad for him because he had to deal with some pretty lame writing. IE, he had to fight his own son even though I think we all agree that was probably a stupid move on Valentine’s part (or should I say the writers?) So for the script he was given, I think Jonathan absolutely NAILED it! Also, they changed his look. Not his fault, but still frustrating. 10/10

Overall for he entire series I give it a 9/10 and agree with the PG-13 rating.
<3
The Reviewer

Before I Fall

A Mean Girls Groundhog day for Sam Kingston where she relives the last day of her life for a whole week.

The beginning was so irritatingly Mean Girls, I almost abandoned it. But with encouragement from my Tumblr followers, I finished, and I will admit that I am glad I finished.

What I Liked:

With each day she grew up a little bit, obviously. I liked the Samantha she became, the Samantha that didn’t care what people thought and finally stood up for her best interests. 

Slowly falling in love with Kent. It reminds me of John Green’s “I fell in love the same way I fall asleep. Slowly at first, then all at once.” It felt like that, and having experience in the falling in love department, I can honestly say that that is how it feels.

Despite the irritating metaphors and similes, I liked Sam’s attitude. Yes, she was a bitch, it’s not always super easy changing one’s ways, and though it shouldn't take a death-experience (nonetheless near-death) to have one decide they need to be nice, at least it happened before she died.

What I Didn’t Like:

It kept reading as though some of the other characters knew what was happening. Like saying you’ve been acting strange, or the fact that on the last day Sam somehow miraculously knew that the seventh day would be her last. Anyone notice that? She said on her way to Kent’s party that it would be her last. How does she know? I doubt she meant that even if she comes back she won’t go to the party anymore. She tried that, and besides that if she wanted to be around Kent, his party would be the best place to be. So… yeah, little plothole there, pretty irritating.

Her trying so desperately to save Juliet (Hate that name, for the record but luckily I see no R&J references so… I guess we’re okay this time). I understand apologizing and doing what you can, but honestly (SPOILER) I don’t think that killing off Sam was the best thing to teach. Do what you can, but after a while, the responsibility does not fall on Sam anymore. Sensitive topic, so I’ll leave it at that.

(SPOILER) The teacher/Sam action was ridiculously creepy. I understand why it was necessary, but still it was creepy. Also, another plothole with that scenario, on the day after that whole creepy action happened, he was super creepy with her, more than he was on the other days, as though he remembered what they almost did, or it implies they’ve done it before. Why would he be more creepy with her that day even without her flirting when he hadn’t been the other days when she was flirting? Hmmmm….

Overall, despite some holes, and despite the horrid Mean Girls quality, I enjoyed the story and what Lauren Oliver had to say about what it means to be a good person and the overall topic of dying.

3/5