Books - Inheritance Cycle

I received the last book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini for Christmas and i'm in the process of reading it right now.  So far it is amazing.  I can't provide a full review yet, but I will have a more in depth review once I have finished it.  I just wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to check these books out.  They are fantasy fiction novels with dragons, elves, dwarves, and magic.  Give them a try!

Animals - Wolfquest and Wallpaper

Nothing new on the review front today, but I did find some awesome wallpaper for my computer and a new computer game.  It's called Wolfquest and it's free!  It's educational as well as fun, it allows you to be a wolf and live out the life of a normal wild wolf. Click Wolfquest to check out the game.  Also I will include some of the wallpaper I found just in case anyone finds it as cool as I do.  I am currently sporting the Gray Wolf on my background, but I will probably put the leopard or cheetah up in a couple weeks.

Fun Fact: Cheetahs are the only cats that do not have retractable claws.

Gray Wolf

Leopard

Cheetah

Animals - The love between a cat and his boxes

Maru is quite the cat.  He is like many cats in that he has a love obsession with boxes.  I hope I have a cat one day, just like him: chubby, playful, and lover of boxes.

Cinema - Gnomeo and Juliet

So I watched Gnomeo and Juliet tonight...more like No-more and juliet!  I went into this movie thinking it would be bad and I was correct.  There wasn't anything original about it and I could have been watching something so much more entertaining.  The only decent aspect about it was the fact that Elton John was part of the musical soundtrack.  James McAvoy and Emily Blunt tried to pull off these characters, but it was a wasted effort because you can only do William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet so many times before it feels like a repeat.  The only character I took a liking to was the mushroom.  It acted like a dog and was just cute.

FINAL EVALUATION:
This movie sucked to say the least.  It was unoriginal and lacked creativity.  I am giving it one star out of five just because they were able to acquire Elton John's music on the soundtrack.  Other than the music, it was a waste of time watching and I would highly recommend NOT watching it.

Cinema - Underworld: Awakening

I went to a 3D movie for the very first time today!  

I've seen all of the Underworld movies and they are quite good.  They are your typical vampire and werewolf movies for the most part, but Kate Beckinsale is continuously kicking butt which is always a plus for women because it portrays a strong, independent female character.  Underworld: Awakening was all action packed and lots of blood.  I sat down in the theatre with two friends one minute and the next, it was over.  It felt like a really short movie.  That may have been due to the awesomeness of it or it could have been because it was actually a short movie, only 88 minutes.  I'm used to movies that are towards two hours or more (i.e. The Lord of Rings series), so it felt exceptionally short.

FINAL EVALUATION:
I would definitely give this movie four out of five smileys because it was full of action and it didn't disappoint in the blood factor.  It's rated R with good reason, but the blood wasn't too horrific or fake.  I thought the 3D would make me sick to my stomach, but it was subtly done for the most part.  Only one specific scene where the camera was spiraling in some ice did I feel any sickness.  The only bad thing I would have to say about 3D movies is that wearing glasses on top of glasses feel a little awkward at times, but it is bearable.

Books - The Infernal Devices series

INTRODUCTION:
This is my first day of my ABC blog and I wanted to start out by sharing the book I just finished.  It's called Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.  It's the second installment to The Infernal Devices series (first book is Clockwork Angel) and i'm looking forward to the third one.  This series is set back in the 1800's where it was considered scandalously unheard of for women to wear pants and social gatherings were designed for ladies to dance with sharp dressed gentlemen.  While the normal world is dancing away their problems, a hidden, almost invisible, world lies in plain sight unknown to mundanes (humans).  Vampires, werewolfs, warlocks, and other paranormal creatures occupy the darkest corners and try to upset the balance of the world.  Where there is evil, there is always its counterpart.  Shadowhunters.  They are half angel (nephilim) warriors determined to vanquish demons from earth.

ABOUT THE BOOKS:
Clockwork Angel centers around a girl named Tessa Gray that moves to England in search of her brother.  Once she reaches the shores of England she is kidnapped by paranormal creatures and they are bent on teaching her what her true identity is for their own gain and their masters gain, the Magister.  Tessa ends up living among Shadowhunters (Charlotte, Henry, Jessamine, Jem, and Will) and asking them to help her find her brother.  Of course there is always a love interest in these books, so you have two Shadowhunters, Jem and Will.  Will is the typical bad boy and Jem is the sweet, kind-hearted one.  Every girl always falls for the bad boy and Tessa is no exception is this book.

Clockwork Prince allows for more development of the main characters and a greater connection for the reader to have with them.  This book starts where the first one left off, Tessa has found sanctuary with the Shadowhunters even though she isn't a Shadowhunter herself.  The Magister is still after Tessa's abilities and Tessa doesn't know whether she loves Will or Jem.  The identity of the Magister is revealed and the reader gets more insight as to why he has a vendetta against all Shadowhunters.  This one contains all the drama: love triangle, deception, revelation, traitors, and discovery.

MY REVIEW:
I would highly recommend these books for those interested in fantasy fiction novels or even for those willing to try something new.  They have all the twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and the characters are crafted so carefully, they feel like real people.  Most people will see the word vampires and will think no way i'm reading this, it's another Twilight book, but these are vastly different and much more enjoyable books.  Vampires are but a tiny piece of this world that Shadowhunters watch over.

FINAL EVALUATION:
I would give this book 3.5 out of five smilies because it has new fantastical ideas and it's interesting to read, as well as having an ending that just screams for the next book to be read.  It starts off a little on the slow side, but it picks up and snares your attention.  I wouldn't give it five stars because it isn't the worlds greatest book ever written but it is by far one of the best i've read so far this school year.