Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar's Revenge by Erin Hunter

Today's review is about:

THE SUMMARY

THERE WILL BE A WARRIOR WHO MUST SEEK FAR BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CLAN TO DISCOVER WHERE HIS HEART BELONGS...

As a young apprentice, Tallpaw's life is marred by a tragedy that fills his heart with bitterness, and he sets off on a dangerous path in search of revenge.

A map of the territories.

A LITTLE CONTEXT

The books in the Warriors series by Erin Hunter follow the clans that live in the wild and the cats that live in them. Each clan has different abilities; Riverclan's cats are adept swimmers, Windclan's cats blend in with their flat surroundings and are fast, lean, and swift, Thunderclan's cats are excellent stalkers, and Shadowclan's cats are skilled at skulking unseen though the undergrowth. They are guided by Starclan, their ancestors and past warriors. When a cat dies, a person they knew who previously passed visits them and guides them to Starclan. Apprentices become warriors, medicine cats, and leaders only with their blessing.

The cats start first as a 'kit, then a 'paw, and then a warrior or medicine cat (ex: Flamekit, Flamepaw, and then Flamepelt). Leaders are given nine lives and have the name 'star (ex: Flamepelt to Flamestar). They appoint deputies (vice presidents, if you will) and manage the ceremonies that change a cat into an apprentice and warrior, along with keeping the clan together and leading them into battle if necessary.

You can learn more about the clans and the cats by visiting http://www.warriorcats.com/.

Before reading Tallstar's Revenge, I would recommend reading Into the Wild, the first book in the series (shown below) and the rest of that series.

THE REVIEW

I'm going to be honest with you: despite my Erin Hunter and Warriors obsession, I hadn't read one of these books in a long time. I know, I know. The third series really shook me up, and I wasn't sure if I liked the stories anymore.
That was all changed with this book. I was transported back into the clans, this time as a cat named Talltail with a wicked past. Just like in real life, sometimes when it rains, it pours. I'm not going to say what happened to him because you need to experience it for yourself, but it will make you gasp and feel sorry for our black-and-white hero. You understand his bitterness, and share his pain. This is what I liked most; that fact that kept me reading long into the night and it kept my thoughts throughout the day. This book takes you through so many twists and turns, it's hard to put down!
I was introduced to death and revenge, something typical to the Warriors story, but with a new look. Instead of seeing the destruction left in it's wake, we are blind to how far revenge takes him until Talltail realizes it himself.

I loved immersing myself into the world of the Warrior cats again. I had forgotten how beautiful the world was. Definitely read this one. :)

Talltail racing across the moor.

JUST A LITTLE EXCERPT
Shrewpaw sprang into the air. Tallpaw froze for a moment, then, seeing daylight beneath the young tom's belly, he ducked beneath it and bucked like a rabbit. He felt Shrewpaw's weight on his back, and pushed his spine into his denmate's belly. Shrewpaw yelped as Tallpaw tossed him backward. Tallpaw turned on his hind paws. Shrewpaw was writhing on the grass. Tallpaw reared over him and Shrewpaw stared up, his eyes wide with shock.

Well, that's all for now!
See you next Saturday!
~Sea-Solo out!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

To learn more about Erin Hunter, Survivors, and Seekers, go here:
http://www.warriorcats.com/

Other Warriors Super Editions:

 

Movie/Book Music: Peter Hollens does LOTR songs!

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{A Blast from the Past} The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Today's review is on:

THE SUMMARY

Vladimir Tod

NORMAL EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENT?

OR POWERFUL VAMPIRE?

Junior high really stinks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers and no one to teach him, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs.When a strange substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he realizes he has a much bigger problem: He's being hunted by a vampire killer who is closing in - fast! This first book in this ghoulishly funny series leads readers on a nail-biting adventure that is filled with dark characters and mystical glyphs, secret identities and hidden agendas, unearthly powers and teenage angst.

MY REVIEW
I started these books when I was in middle school myself, so reading this one was truly a blast from the past. I loved coming back to the world of Vladimir Tod, a character that I understand now more than 5 years ago. The constant vampire jokes and references made me laugh, and the serious moments filled me with dread.
The characters Otis Otis scared me once again as I was swept into the mind of a young male vampire. Unlike the Twilight saga, love isn't the focus. He has a crush on a girl named Meredith, yes, but Vlad focuses more on the vampire world and his parents. Just like Vlad, you learn things about his parents, their pasts, and also about vampires and how they are.
I am also sympathetic toward Vlad because of the bullying that he receives in the book. I'm sure that many of us know how it is to be in that situation.
Basically, this book is a rollercoaster ride of emotion that I would recommend to anyone. I've really loved re-reading this book. :)

A LITTLE EXCERPT
He was spooning a big, sweet glob of half-frozen blood into his mouth when the doorbell rang. With a hurried swallow, he dropped the empty container into the biohazard box beneath the sink and popped the plastic fangs over his shrinking canines. With careful steps, he snuck over to the wall just to the right of the archway and peeked over at the front door, where his aunt was greeting Henry with a hug.
Vlad jumped out from behind the separating wall and held his cheap cape out with both arms. "I vant to suck your blood!"
Henry doubled over, roaring with laughter. When he straightened he slapped Vlad on the shoulder. "That's a sweet costume. Check me out. You'll just die." Henry placed his fists on his hips in a pseudo-Superman pose, and when he turned his head, Vlad's jaw dropped at the sight of two small holes on Henry's neck.
"No way." He stepped closer to inspect Henry's bite marks. They were flawless. Vlad had only seen one actual vampire bite on a human before, and Henry's handiwork was very close to the real thing. "What did you use?"
"Silly Putty and raspberry jam."
"Seedless?"
"Well, duh. Can't have seeds in my wound. Might get infected."

See you next Saturday!
~Sea-Solo out! :)

To learn more about Vladimir Tod, go here:
http://www.vladtod.com/

Movie Commercial: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green!

TODAY'S ARTICLE IS ABOUT:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I'm sure that many of you have heard of the great John Green. Book writer, vlog brother, and all around awesome guy. For those of you who do not know John Green, here is a little piece of his bio from http://johngreenbooks.com/.

In 2007, Green and his brother Hank ceased textual communication and began to talk primarily through videoblogs posted to YouTube. The videos spawned a community of people called nerdfighters who fight for intellectualism and to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck. (Decreasing suck takes many forms: Nerdfighters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight poverty in the developing world; they also planted thousands of trees around the world in May of 2010 to celebrate Hank’s 30th birthday.) Although they have long since resumed textual communication, John and Hank continue to upload two videos a week to their YouTube channel, vlogbrothers. Their videos have been viewed more than 200 million times, and their channel is one of the most popular in the history of online video. He is also an active Twitter user with more than 1.2 million followers.

He has kindly shared his journey on the set of The Fault in Our Stars with us through his vlogs with cast members and the pictures that he posts.

Here is (going from left to right) John Green, along with Ansel Elgort (Augustus Waters), Nat Wolff (Isaac), and Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace Lancaster).

ABOUT THE BOOK/MOVIE

The Fault in Our Stars follows Hazel Lancaster, a girl who had a tumor-reducing miracle that bought her a little time, but knows that she is terminal. This all changes when she meets Augustus Waters at Cancer Kid Support Group. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

As you can see, no amount of tom-foolery happened during the shoot.

You might be wondering why I would find this story and its occupants interesting, given the fact that I have voiced anti-romance feelings in the past. The truth is that this subject is very close to my heart, and perhaps a little fresh. My grandmother recently lost her life in the battle with cancer, and there isn't a day that I don't think about how much time I wasted when I was near her, and I wish that she could've lived longer. This book, though, seems to say that it doesn't matter how long you live on this world, but rather it's what you do with the time that you have.

I have been recently avoiding the book because of the thing I stated above, but now that I've seen the trailer, I feel it is my duty as a reader and lover of stories to envelop myself into the book, no matter how hard it is. Definitely going to buy it today. :)

John is very excited about this book becoming a movie, as this video shows. :)

AND NOW A SPECIAL MESSAGE

Mr. John Green, if you are reading this, thank you for the time that you have put into your many books and videos. I think I speak for all of Nerdfighteria when I say that we love you and the stories that you tell.

Thank you. :)

Well, that's all for now!

See you next Saturday!

~Sea-Solo out!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

More of the vlogs off of the set!