Dracula by Bram Stoker

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

Beware The Deadly Count Dracula
Jonathan Harker is travelling to Castle Dracula to see the Transylanian noble Count Dracula. He is begged by locals not to go there, because of the eve of St George's Day, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will come full sway. But business must be done, so Jonathan makes his way to the castle - and then his nightmare begins. His beloved wife, Mina, and other lost souls have fallen under the Count's horrifying spell. Dracula must be destroyed...

MY REVIEW

For the longest time, I have been obsessed with reading books that feature vampires. Although it had always been a dream of mine to read the book that has since inspired many others, I had never given it much thought other than it was something that I would get to someday. Thankfully, I took a class that had this book as a required reading, so I was able to achieve one of my dreams earlier than I thought. I'm very glad that I did.

"I bid you welcome."

This book is separated by the journal entries of the main characters; Johnathan Harker, Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra, Dr. Seward, and Dr. Van Helsing, along with newspaper clippings and other logs that give us a full view of what is happening in the world surrounding Dracula.

Nosferatu

However, we don't get a log entry from any of the vampires in the book, including Dracula himself.  This doesn't diminish the book in any way, however, because instead of getting the personal account of Dracula or his wives, we get to see them, interact with them, see the carnage that they leave in their wake, but we never truly understand them at the deepest level. We get plenty of information on what he or his wives do, but we never get why any of those things are done. This covers these characters in a shroud of mystery so that you can never really know what drives them to do the things that they do and say the things that they say.
Despite the old language that the book was written  in, I found myself reading a lot of it durng my free time, wanting to know what Dracula was going to do next and what the rest of the main characters were going to do about it. Like a Shakespearean play, after a while you get so used to the language that they use in the journal entries that you hardly notice how different it is.

Van Helsing "fighting" Dracula with sunlight

One of the things that threw me off at first was the fact that Van Helsing wasn't the young Hugh Jackman-like monster hunter that I had been used to. Instead, he was more of the wise advisor. I did like him as the Gandalf of the group after a while though, being able to research the creature that they were dealing with and how to kill it was very useful.

Dracula dancing with Anna (Van Helsing)

Instead, the role of hero was passed along to what I think is the story's main protagonist; Johnathan Harker. He is pulled into this entire mess when he is hired by the Count to help him find a suitable house in England for the Count to settle into as a second home. Johnathan is faced with a danger that he wasn't expecting, and so he decides to write home to his fiancée, Mina, but the Count is blocking his every move to escape. During his time in castle Dracula, we get a pretty good description of the Count's home, his abilities, and most of all his strange habits. But once again, this only gives us a glimpse of who he actually is, the rest is shrouded in mystery. Many times Van Helsing and their other companions praise Johnathan for his bravery in coming back to fight the thing that he ran away from at castle Dracula, and I often found myself cheering him on.

Renfield and Dracula (Dracula: Dead and Loving It)

Something that was super interesting about the book was Dr. Seward's tortured patient: Renfield. Apparently, he used to be a servant to Dracula, a service that drove him absolutely insane. During one part of the book, he is obsessing about  cats and how much he wants one, and then he starts a never-ending collection of bugs that he traps and then feeds to their predators. I haven't read a lot of books that include the mentally insane (maybe that should change), so the fact that a book as old as this one when they probably didn't talk about such things in "civilized" culture, is pretty cool.

"If ever a look meant death - if looks could kill - we saw it at that moment." -Dracula, Chapter XVI

There is so much more that I could talk about concerning this book, but I afraid that if I do this will start to look and sound like an essay, which is not what I want this to be. This book met all of my expectations as a wonderful depiction of the vampire myth, and it is very deserving to have lasted so long, well-loved by many. So go ahead, go grab it from a nearby shelf and devour its pages and the story that lies in wait inside.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 8, 1847, Bram Stoker published his first literary work, The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, a handbook in legal administration, in 1879. Turning to fiction later in life, Stoker published his masterpiece, Dracula, in 1897. Deemed a classic horror novel not long after its release, Dracula has continued to garner acclaim for more than a century, inspiring the creation of hundreds of film, theatrical and literary adaptations. In addition to Dracula, Stoker published more than a dozen novels before his death in 1912.
(Read more about Bram Stoker)

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"I only slept a few hours when I went to bed, and feeling that I could not sleep any more, got up. I had hung my shaving-glass by the window, and was just beginning to shave. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count's voice saying to me, 'Good morning.' I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind me. In starting I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the moment. Having answered the Count's salutation, I turned to the glass again to see how I had been mistaken. This time there could be no error, for the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulder. But there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed; but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself. This was startling, and, coming on the top of so many strange things, was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness which I always have when the Count is near; but in that instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chin. I laid down the razor, turning as I did so half-round to look for some sticking-plaster. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demonaic fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his had touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there."

pages 40-41

(In a bad Transylvanian accent)
Vell, that's all for now.

'Til we meet again.

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Here are some clips of my favorite depictions of Dracula!:

Dracula Untold (2014)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

Van Helsing (2004)

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Supernatural S4E5 (2008)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S5E1 (2000)

Twilight Sucks by Barely Political

{A Blast from the Past} Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

Indiana, 1818. In a one-room cabin nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his mother's bedside.
"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire. Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, young Lincoln sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.
While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving the Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for almost two hundred years - until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln. Now, using the journal as a guide, Seth reconstructs the true life story of America's greatest president. For the first time ever, he reveals the hidden history behind the Civil War - and uncovers the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of the nation.

MY REVIEW

I read this book first a long while ago in High School, just before the movie graced the screen. I'm sure that I don't need to explain the allure of this book to me, but I will for those of you who haven't read my reviews before. It is a re-written view of the Civil War, one of the most important moments in America's history, has my personal favorite President as the main character, and as I'm sure you'll find when you read the excerpt, beautiful language.

Young Abe (from the movie)

Seth Grahame-Smith created a world like ours in almost every aspect except the fact that this world, and this President Lincoln, is plagued with vampires. And no, I'm not talking about sparkly vampires that would rather date you than eat you alive. There is no vegetarian menu available, so they basically run around drinking from whoever they wish. Abe's own mother was poisoned by vampire's blood, which drove his never-ending hunting and hating of the monsters themselves. I was amazed very often at what this Abraham Lincoln would do to get the job done, how bloody his life was from the day that he killed his first until he was assassinated himself (no, that isn't a spoiler at all, trust me).

Abe and his trusty axe (from the movie)

I really enjoyed the amount of thought that Seth put into the book. When the passages were taken directly from Abe's "secret journal", it felt like an older way of speaking, like someone from the 19th century had taken a time machine to the 21st and written all of it down. I found a hard time pulling myself away from the book, the scenes were filled with so much beautiful/horrible detail that when I pulled myself out to do something else, I was thinking about it instead, and wondering what would happen next. He makes this book so real, from adding in pictures of "vampires" from around that time, to adding his own little twist to supernatural legends of America's past. It feels as if you are living when he was, breathing in the 19th century air, watching America, and Abe, become what they became.

South lawn of the White House under heavy guard, circa 1862. The man on the portico is believed to be a member of Abe's trinity (bodyguards)

Not only did it do all that I mentioned above, it also introduced me to a side of my favorite president that I wasn't aware of; the side that enjoyed writing poetry and reading stacks upon stacks of books, beginning of course with the Christian Bible. I am ashamed to admit that despite him being my favorite president, I knew almost nothing about him other than his famous hat, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the fact that he was assassinated in a theater, so this book taught me a lot about his life. For example, it gave me a pretty accurate look at his life before becoming president; the places he lived, what he did when he wasn't hunting vampires or becoming involved in politics, where he came from, etc. And yes, I checked the facts after reading this book and it is very accurate about who he was. (Without the vamp killing, of course.)

This is a gif of Abe training in the woods with his trusty ax (from the movie).

All in all, if you like supernatural tales filled with action and history, gore and peace, horror and beauty, then what are you waiting for? Pick this up and start on page 1, you won't regret it a bit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SETH GRAHAME-SMITH is the New York Times bestselling author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In addition to adapting the screenplay for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, Seth also wrote Tim Burton's latest film, Dark Shadows. He lives in Los Angeles.

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"I have no memory of driving it in - I only remember that I did. His laughter ceased and he took an awkward step. His eyes turned black in the space of a single blink, as if inkwells in his pupils had suddenly shattered - the spill contained behind glass. His fangs descended, and I could presently make out a faint blue web beneath his skin. It was true. Until that moment there had been room for doubt. But now I saw it with my own eyes. Now I knew.
Vampires were real.
His arm rose, and his stout little hand instinctively grabbed
the stake. There was no fear in his face yet. Merely a puzzlement,
as if he was attempting to sort out just how such an
object could be attached to his body. He presently lost his
footing and collapsed into a seated position, where he remained
for a moment before falling the rest of the way onto his back. His
hand lost its grip on the stake, and the arm fell to his side.
I walked around him, wondering when he would strike. Wondering when he would laugh at the futility of what I had done and cut me down. As I did, his eyes followed me. They were the only things that moved now. There was fear in them. He was dying... and he was afraid. What little color he had left him now - and rich, dark blood began to run from his nostrils; out the sides of his mouth. A trickle at first... then a flood - running over his cheeks and pooling over his eyes. More blood than I ever thought possible. I could see his soul (if indeed he had such a thing) departing. Bidding an unexpected, frightening farewell to such a long, long life - one undoubtedly filled with happiness, and agony, and struggle, and success. Filled with moments too beautiful to share. Too painful to recall. It was all ending now, and he was so afraid. Afraid of what nothingness awaited him. Or worse, what punishment.
And then he was gone. I expected my eyes to fill with tears. To feel remorse at the sight of what I had done. I admit that I felt nothing. I only wish he had suffered more.
Thomas stood aghast. "Look what you've done," he said after a sickened silence. "You've killed us."
"On the contrary...I've killed him."
"More will come."
Abe had already begun to walk away.
"Then I shall need more stakes.""

pages 59-60

Well, that's all for now!

Have a Happy Halloween!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

 

Watch the trailer for the movie that came out in 2012! (the one on the bottom is more gorey, keep that in mind)

Listen to some tracks from the movie!:

What Do You Hate? by Henry Jackman

Mary Todd by Henry Jackman

Powerless by Linkin Park

{A Blast from the Past} Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

YOUNG XING XING IS BOUND.

Bound to her late father's second wife and daughter. Bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where a woman is valued less than livestock. Bound to be alone, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society.
But all of this is about to change as Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family's money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams of the future.

MY REVIEW

I found this book years ago while I was doing a little bit of book shopping. I was looking though all of the shiny new books when I found this one, and started reading a little bit to decide whether or not I was going to buy it. Before I knew it I was a couple of chapters in and loving the world that the book brought me to. I think that part of me was enchanted by the fact that it was about a part of the world that I don't know much about, and therefore was a door into something that I might find interesting, and another part of me was interested in the subject of foot binding, something that I had never even heard about.

The above picture is of a woman with normally sized feet (left) next to the "trendy" bound feet (right).For those of you who don't know, foot binding is the tradition where women's feet were bound between the ages of four and six. This binding would make the feet smaller, preventing the foot's growth. The bindings would bend the girls' toes underneath her sole, and would wrap around their feet to their ankles. The purpose behind this would be to keep breaking the bones in the foot whenever it got too big, and would be finished in two or three years, after which the feet would be kept in bindings to retain the hoof-like shape. As the legend goes, it first became popular in the tenth century after a dancer had her feet bound like this and danced in front of the emperor on a stage shaped like a lotus flower.
The size of the bound foot even gave it different labels. A three-inch foot (or a "Golden Lotus") was the most desirable for a bride, a four-inch foot (or a "Silver Lotus") was okay too, but having a foot that was five inches or longer (or a "Iron Lotus") was undesirable and hard to find a husband with. Foot binding was made unpopular in 1923.
This trend of finding smaller feet more attractive is not that different from the trend towards small waists in Victorian England.

This is a picture of a "lotus shoe", one that women with bound feet would wear from the 1930s, balanced on top of a normally sized foot.

It was only after I had finished the book for the first time years ago that I realized that it was a re-telling of one of the most popular fairy tales around; Cinderella. All of the clues slipped past my notice; the absence of her father and mother, the presence of a mean stepmother who made her do all of the daily chores, etc. That being said, with or without your notice of what it is, this book is wonderful and well worth your time.
Xing Xing (pronounced Shing Shing) is a wonderful heroine who shows you the inside story of a woman in her time, and the spiritual responsibilities of someone like her. She's just like how you would expect a Cinderella to be; willing to follow orders, gentle, with some animal friends. Through all of her daily troubles she tries to be humble and keep a very close connection with her parent's spirits, which was a little twist in the normal Cinderella character that we see. She even goes out of her way to help keep her stepsister Wei Ping entertained who is stuck in the house until she learns to properly walk with her bound feet, a fact that Xing Xing could not be jealous over.
While Xing Xing's stepmother's name is never mentioned in the book, her character is as interesting as the main character's. She reminds me a bit of Hatsumomo (from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden) in the way that she does anything that she can to get what she wants; a husband for Wei Ping, and therefore more money for her materialistic lifestyle. She doesn't treat Xing Xing too terribly, but she does make her do all of the chores and chastises her for taking too long doing something. If Xing Xing is doing something for Wei Ping that she wasn't ordered to do, she seems to get more approval from her stepmother, but only until she does something wrong.
Wei Ping herself doesn't do much in the story due to her bound feet, but at one part she does become a pretty good friend to Xing Xing, and even shares in the love of Xing Xing's animal friends, who do a lot more. One of them, a koi with red fins and golden eyes, appears throughout the book as a source of Xing Xing's comfort. She makes better friends with the fish, and even feeds it, hoping that the legend where a fish once turned into a dragon would happen to her fishy companion. At one point, she even moves the fish inside as entertainment for Wei Ping.
All in all, if you're looking for a book isn't too long (only 184 pages, folks!), that gives you a new way to look at the Cinderella story, and a heroine that you can cheer for, then look no further!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Jo Napoli is the acclaimed and award-winning author of many novels - both fantasies and contemporary stories. She won the Golden Kite Award for Stones in Water in 1997. Her novel Zel was named an American Bookseller Association Pick of the List, a Publishers Weekly Best Book, a BCCB Blue Ribbon, and a School Library Journal Best Book, and a number of her other novels have been selected as ALA Best Books. She is head of the linguistics department at Swathmore College in Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and their children.

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"Xing Xing squatted by the water, silent and unmoving. Her stillness was a prayer.
It was answered: The sun glinted red. Only an instant and it was over, but there could be no doubt; her eyes had not played tricks: A white fish with red fins and golden eyes zipped past and under a lotus leaf. She laughed in delight.
"Lazy One, bring the firewood," came the distant call.
In the past year, "Lazy One" had practically become Xing Xing's household name. She imagined her father's wife holding one hand above her eyes against the sun that was too bright today, it had already burned off the morning fog. She imagined her frowning in impatience, then ducking back into the shadows of the cave. The girl picked up the armful of wood she'd gathered and rushed back along the path. Her hair was tied in two hanging knots that thumped on her shoulders as she ran. Hurry, they drummed, hurry hurry. The cold dirt licked at her feet. Hurry hurry.
But she was wrong. Stepmother had not gone inside. The woman shivered in the chill of spring, arms crossed over her chest. "Get inside, Lazy One." She yanked one of Xing Xing's hair knots as the girl raced past through the open door."

pages 1-2

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

Tomb Raider: The Ten Thousand Immortals by Dan Abnett & Nik Vincent

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

IN THE WAKE OF YAMATAI'S ENDURING EVIL, LARA IS THRUST INTO A DANGEROUS WEB OF MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE.

Lara Croft wants only to put her horrifying ordeal no Yamatai island behind her. Her modest wish shatters as she's plunged into a frantic race to save Sam. Desperate for a remedy, Lara searches for anything that could help her. A wisp of hope arising from a myth gives Lara purpose: the story of an ancient and mysterious artifact that could heal her friend, and possibly help explain the supernatural events she witnessed on Yamatai.

However, Lara is not alone in her pursuit of the treasure. A nefarious magnate, a shadow society, and lethal henchmen will stop at nothing to exploit the powerful relic for their own ends. The hunt drives Lara across the globe, through a twisted web of conspiracy, suspicious contacts, and life-or-death intrigue, as she seeks salvation for her friend and the truth behind the legendary talisman.

MY REVIEW

I'm sure that many of you were in my shoes when you heard that a new Tomb Raider game was coming out; I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy! A new Lata Croft, younger than the others, with actual realistically sized boobs?! Count me in!

The first Lara vs. the new Lara. It's amazing to see how much technology has advanced!

I've been a Lara Croft fan since a very young age. I used to watch my dad play the Tomb Raider games, dodging boulders, climbing up cliffs, and even admiring the amazing scenery (when we weren't defending ourselves from bad guys and animals, that is), and I always had time to watch him discover new tombs and artifacts that held a part of Earth's history. I was beyond delighted when I played the game, finding that Lara and her adventures were almost exactly how I remembered them. (I didn't remember them being THAT intense, though.)

"I hate tombs..."
Nice little joke here... :)

It must be no secret to you now that I loved the new game, so when I heard that there was going to be a book about the time following Yamatai, you bet your bucket I ran to the bookstore to secure myself a copy.

This is from a comic book that also came out and is also about Lara after Yamatai. The art style is amazing, and it tells an amazing story.

I'm pleased to announce that this book has everything that a Tomb Raider book should; action, adventure, persistent bad guys, and an artifact that will take your breath away.
Lara's state of mind was the thing that caught me off guard when I read this book. Any loud noise could send her into a state of shock, unable to do much of anything until it passes. I guess I didn't think much about what Lara was going through after she crashed on Yamatai. Since I was only experiencing it through the screen, I wasn't able to see that the things that she was doing would make anyone go insane, let alone have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).

This is part of the video game. Yes, that is blood, and yes, it is disgusting.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was the ending. It seemed to come too easily, and I think that they could have easily made another 100 pages or so (or even another book) instead of ending it. So if you are going to read this book, just keep that in mind.
In conclusion, if you are a Tomb Raider fan like me, you need to read this book. Bad ending aside, I couldn't seem to put this book down. I even missed my stop on the bus one day because I was so stuck in its world!

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"The sound came without any warning. The sharp, loud bang of a rifle firing a single shot at close quarters.
Lara knew the sound. The sudden shock of it shattered her peace of mind.
Her heart started to hammer hard in her chest. She could feel the sweat break out on her forehead and between her shoulder blades. Her throat felt constricted. Her hands began to flutter as she closed the Book. It dropped to the floor, forgotten.
"Please, no!" she said to the empty room. "Not again. I don't need this again." She got up and started to pace. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She shook out her tingling hands. Her chest felt impossibly tight.
"Damn it, Lara, breathe," she gasped. "Don't let yourself-"
Too late.
She was back on the island. On Yamatai. A hellish storm raged all around her. Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The rain fell in sheets, hard as hail. She wove her way through the jungle. Sam was missing. All she could think of was her friend. She had to find her friend.
As she approached the monastery, a great fork of lightning lit up the corpses of dozens... hundreds of men. A thunderclap rolled in across the ocean and reached a crescendo right over Lara's head, crashing around her, deafening her, and leaving a tang of ozone in the air.
When the air shock had passed, she studied the bodies for a moment. Recent kills, still bloody, lay on top of older, skeletal remains. She tried not to think about how they had met their deaths. She threaded a path through them and entered the monastery."

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Watch the trailer for the new (2015) Tomb Raider game!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

SOME RACE TO WIN. OTHERS RACE TO SURVIVE.
It happens at the start of every November: The Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Some riders live.
Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

MY REVIEW

The reason that I chose to read this book was for three reasons: I loved Maggie Stiefvater's work (I had read the Shiver series before this one), I love the ocean, and I love animals (horses are just too cool!) When you put all of that together, add a little bit of island tradition, romance, mythology, and family drama, well, there you have The Scorpio Races.
Before diving into the book, however, I want to give you a brief look at the mythology that this book was based on.:
Capaill Uisce (pronounced copple ishka) is a water horse that comes from Irish and Scottish myth. The horse is usually descibed to be made out of sea water and eat meat, and they don't discriminate, let me tell you. The racers in The Scorpio Races have to be careful because one slip-up can cause you to lose life, limb, or both.
Well, enough about that, on to the review!

Ta-da! Oh...
Yes, I know, I'm a HUGE nerd for adding this in here but, you know what? I don't care! Sulu is too awesome not to share.
^OMGosh this rhymes^
Okay, now back to the review.
...
Why are you still reading this?
....
Get back to the review!
.....
Rebel. I like you. :)

One of the things that I loved first about the book was the island. I imagined it to be sort of like Ireland (even though I've never been there), with rolling green hills and water that splashes onto the rocks that line its beaches. True, Thisby is smaller than Ireland, but I couldn't get that image out of my mind. The island also has a sheer white cliff where the Scorpio Races take place, and I sort of imagined to look like the cliffs below, but smaller. Also, the entire book takes place on or near the ocean, and I think you can guess by my theme and blog name how much I love that. :)

I loved the main character, Puck (Kate) Connolly, not only for her I-don't-need-a-man charm, but for her overall rebellious and tomboy ways. Again and again Puck has to prove herself in this book, and where others may have quit, found some other way to fix their problem, she kept fighting.
She is the first girl to ever compete in the races, not because there was a rule that there would be no women there, but rather it was (quote unquote) "too dangerous" for them, and men just so happened to be the only ones who had ever wanted to race before. Not saying that this is sexism, just saying that it was tradition. By being in the races, she was breaking the tradition that was when the races first began. As you can imagine, the men who were racing weren't exactly happy about that.
Sean Kendrick was a good, strong character as well. A horse lover and trainer his entire life, he works for a horse trader and gets paid for every race that he wins from said employer. His father died in the races because, Sean said, he was scared, so when he goes on his capaill uisce Corr, he is fearless, taking him only as far away from the shore to keep Corr sane. In the beginning, you don't know much about him, but as you read on you begin to grasp at his personality. By the end of the book, you know him as well as you know Puck.

This is a picture of some fan-made November cakes that are sold during the Scorpio Races. The ingredients involve lots of orange, honey, frosting, and caramel, and they sounded SO sweet! The recipe is at the back of the book so that you can make them, but if you don't want to wait, Maggie Stiefvater posted a recipe on her blog: http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-name-is-maggie-im-perfectionist-and.html .

Another thing that I loved about this book was the relationship between the riders (mainly Sean and Puck) and their horses or capaill uisce. You could really tell just by reading how close Puck and her horse Dove are, and even Sean and his red capaill uisce Corr are closer than ever. Nothing needs to be said about their friendship, you just see it in the way that they talk to and act around their steeds. I think that this was a very important part of the story, and I'm glad that she took the care to add that in the book.
All in all, this book is a must read. You can probably tell how much I love it by how much I've typed above this, but I really think that you need to read this book. It'll make you gasp, it'll make you cry, and there are going to be some times that you are going to laugh and love the characters even more. And that, dear reader, is what makes a great story.

This is a painting of a capaill uisce.

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"SEAN
It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.
Even under the brightest sun, the frigid autumn sea is all the colors of the night: dark blue and black and brown. I watch the ever-changing patterns in the sand as it's pummeled by countless hooves.
They run the horses on the beach, a pale road between the black water and the chalk cliffs. It is never safe, but it's never so dangerous as today, race day.
This time of year, I live and breathe the beach. My cheeks feel raw with the wind throwing sand against them. My thighs sting from the friction of the saddle. My arms ache from holding up two thousand pounds of horse. I have forgotten what it is like to be warm and what a full night's sleep feels like and what my name sounds like spoken instead of shouted across yards of sand.
I am so, so alive."

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

"But I suppose the song that really embodied the book for me by the end was "An Toll Dubh" by Runrig. It plays with the tradition a bit, and it's a little hungry sounding, and it's got a lot of heart. I like to think that defines The Scorpio Races, too."
-Maggie Stiefvater

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Today's review is about:

THE SUMMARY

(The summary on the back mainly talks about how it's an 20th century classic, blah blah blah, so I'm going to write this one myself. Please bear with me.)

It all starts when Nick Carraway moves to West Egg in New York, next to the infamous Jay Gatsby who is known for his stylish parties, and not for his face. Before he knows it, Nick is pulled into Gatsby's life through a party invitation, where he learns of Gatsby's never-ending love for Daisy, his cousin. This book will leave you guessing, and will shock you till the end.

He seriously should've gotten an Oscar for The Great Gatsby!

MY REVIEW

This is the first (and hopefully last) time that you will hear this from me: I liked the movie better. The fact of the matter is that the book hooked me in the beginning, but couldn't seem to keep my attention throughout the rest. I don't know if it is because I knew what was going to happen, or because I thought that I had something better to read or something.

Although I didn't like it, it still had elements that charmed me from beginning to end. Gatsby's demeanor and love for Daisy is what made the book, not the little tea parties and meetings in the middle.

The story would capture my interest, but before I knew it, I was being set right back into on of the tea parties and getting very bored. I think that it could have done without the constant tea parties and general blabber (but save the tea party with Daisy, it was too cute!)

I'm not, however, trying to dissuade you, dear reader, from reading this book. My opinion is my opinion, so while I did not like this book, many of you out there will love it. As for me, I'm going to stick to the movie (which was EXTREMELY accurate!).

A LITTLE EXCERPT

In my younger and more vunerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

Well, that's all for now!

Thanks for reading!

~Sea-Solo

To you, old sport.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Listen to Young and Beautiful from The Great Gatsby soundtrack!

http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/

Visit the movie's website!

Peaceweaver by Rebecca Barnhouse

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

Sixteen-year-old Hild has always been a favorite of her uncle, the king of the Shylfings. So when she protects her cousin the crown prince from a murderous traitor, she expects the king to be grateful. Instead, she is unjustly accused of treachery herself.
As punishment, her uncle sends Hild far away to the heir of the enemy king, Beowulf, to try to weave peace between the two kingdoms. She must leave her home and everyone she loves. On the long and perilous journey, Hild soon discovers that fatigue and rough terrain are the least of her worries. Something is following her and her small group of guards - some kind of foul creature that tales say lurks in the fens. Will Hild have to face the monster? Or does it offer her the perfect chance to escape the destiny she never chose?

MY REVIEW

If you were looking at the cover of this book and thinking: "This book looks like fun", well then you would be absolutely right! Believe me when I say that the cover isn't the most exciting thing about this book, but rather it is the extremely believable story that lives within it!
When reading, you form theories on how the book is going to end, and one by one they are all disproved until you get to the end, and even then nothing is for sure. That is one of the things that I loved about this book, it keeps you guessing until the very end, and then you have to somehow suck yourself out of the story so that you can go on to other books.
The cover is what really drew me in at first, and I'm happy to say that this IS a book that you can judge from the cover. The cover art depicts very realistically the horror that you encounter later in the book, a fight between Hilde and whatever that is, so take comfort in the fact that it won't catch you completely by surprise (even though it will surprise you still).
Hild's blackouts are intense and unpredictable and make you wonder what in the heck is going on, which makes it really fun to read. Still, this book is very violent, so we (my class) were thinking that this would be appropriate for ages 12+.
Another thing that is wonderful about this book is the fact that it looks at the sort of aftershock after King Beowulf (yeah, that's right, THAT guy) died while defeating the dragon. Even if you haven't seen or read Beowulf, the story is explained very well, so you don't have to force yourself to read it if you don't want to (though I would recommend it, just so that you have read it and have said bragging rights). The tie-in with another Medievalist novel was a good move and really sets you into the time-frame.
With all of that comes another plus: Norse mythology. Once again, if you don't know anything about Norse mythology, don't sweat it, because that is explained as well, and although it is a major part of the book, you don't need to know much to dive-in, feet first. (Pretty much if you watched Thor or Thor: The Dark World, you'll be fine.)
And the rest? Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself, won't you? ;)

A LITTLE EXCERPT

Within Hild, something snapped. White-hot fury filled her, and without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed her skirt in one hand, her sword in the other, and ran blindly toward her cousin. In less time than it takes a hawk to plummet from the sky after its prey, she was across the practice area, shouldering Arinbjörn aside and pushing with her sword. Her arm jolted as the weapon met resistance, but she shoved back against something she couldn't see, then shoved again, pushing her blade in front of her as it buried itself in something solid.
Everything stopped. Insects in the grass quit their chirring mid-note, the breeze in the birches held its breath, the bright autumn sky blanked into white -
-and then a weight was on her sword as the man standing in front of Arinbjörn staggered.
Now her own lips were parted and she stepped back, taking her blood-spattered hand from the sword, which was still embedded in the man's guts, and looked over his shoulder at Arinbjörn. A tuft of her cousin's hair was sticking up on one side, she noted incongruously. It gave him a comical appearance.
A raven cawed, unlocking the stillness, shocking the world back to life.

(pages 56-57)

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Visit Rebecca Barnhouse's website!:
http://www.rebeccabarnhouse.com/index.html

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

"A road's a kind of holy thing...
it brings all kinds of people and
all parts of England together."
Eleven-year-old Adam loved to travel throughout thirteenth-century England with his father, a wandering minstrel, and his dog, Nick. But when Nick is stolen and his father disappears, Adam suddenly finds himself alone. He searches the same roads he traveled with his father, meeting farmers, pilgrims, minstrels, priests, and thieves along the way. Through these encounters, Adam discovers that somewhere in the crowds of people are his father and his dog. But will Adam be able to find them and end his desperate search?

MY REVIEW

I was assigned this book for my Medieval Lit class, and loved it so much that I had to share it with you guys!
The adventures that you go on with Adam are fun and hold your mind until the last page. All the while, you are wondering if everything will turn out all right in the end. The music and minstrel's tales held the book together and really transported you back into the middle ages.
Adam is a very lovable character, with a big head sometimes, but is always out to make people happy, no matter what he himself is feeling at the time. As a reader, you watch him grow up, following him in his quest to find his dog and his father.
The most important thing that this book did for me was it reminded me of what it was like to be a kid. Many times in our lives we want something that we don't have; adulthood and childhood being one of the things we want throughout our long lives. We forget, however, about what it is to be a child, and this book brings us back. We feel the same sort of mystery and adventure as with any book, but rather than making us long for said adventure, it reminds us of the children we once were. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all. :)

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"Nick!" shouted Adam. "Nick!"
There he was. There was Nick in that boat, and every minute the strip of water between them was widening. "That's my dog!" he cried. "He took my dog!"
The people on the dock at once gathered around him with exclamations and questions.
"When the ferry comes back, dearie," said a pleasant-faced woman, "you can have my place and I'll wait for the next one."
When the ferry came back! By that time Jankin would be gone, and Nick with him. They were nearly to the other shore now.
Adam took his harp from his shoulder and his bundle; he unfastened his belt and wallet and took off his shoes, and piled them all together. "Watch them for me," he said to the friendly woman.
Then he dived.

Well, that's all for now!

See you in the next one!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Listen to Sumer is Icumen In, a medieval song mentioned in the book!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

MY REVIEW

I had avoided this book for a long time because of its subject matter, but after reading it I'm convinced that the subject matter is the reason that YOU, dear reader, need to read this book. It is extremely inventive with the way that it shows cancer, not like the disease that makes someone somehow less of a person and weak, but rather just as a reason to go out into the world and LIVE. The characters in this book, despite their illness, move on, fall in love, and go through troubles, just like you and me. The only difference between us is the cancer, but that doesn't make someone less human.
You fall in love with the characters in this book, and you cry when something bad happens to them. Instead of being drifted away into their land, you are sucked into their lives and thoughts, the setting modern day Indiana. I actually had finished this book in 4 days, so it isn't that hard of a read, but it really pulls you in to the point where you spend nights awake tearing through the pages, and from time to time I had to remind myself the this book is purely fictional. That's how real it really gets.
I absolutely LOVED the main characters (Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac). They were extremely funny and thoughtful, questioning the things around them and creating metaphors for everything, from scrambled eggs to an unlit cigarette. And the romance? It wasn't fake, but rather was as real as you and I.
In the end, it was an amazing read, and I think that John Green is going to be added to my list of favorite writers for this one. It will make you laugh, cry, think, and hold your breath for the next chapter.

WARNING: I would recommend this book to 7th grade age or older due to mild cursing and a sex scene.

A LITTLE EXCERPT:

We finally taxied out to the runway and the pilot said, Flight attendants, prepare for departure, and then two tremendous jet engines roared to life and we began to accelerate. "This is what it feels like to drive in a car with you," I said, and he smiled, but kept his jaw clenched tight and I said, "Okay?"
We were picking up speed and suddenly Gus's hand grabbed the armrest, his eyes wide, and I put my hand on top of his and said, "Okay?" He didn't say anything, just stared at me wide-eyed, and I said, "Are you scared of flying?"
"I'll tell you in a minute," he said. The nose of the plane rose up and we were aloft. Gus stared out the window, watching the planet shrink beneath us, and then I felt his hand relax beneath mine. He glanced at me and then back out the window. "We are flying," he announced.
"You've never been on a plane before?"
He shook his head. "LOOK!" he half shouted, pointing at the window.
"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I see it. It looks like we're in an airplane."
"NOTHING HAS EVER LOOKED LIKE THAT EVER IN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY," he said. His enthusiasm was adorable. I couldn't resist leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
"Just so you know, I'm right here," Mom said. "Sitting next to you. Your mother. Who held your hand as you took your first infantile steps."
"It's friendly," I reminded her, turning to kiss her on the cheek.
"Didn't feel too friendly," Gus mumbled just loud enough for me to hear. When surprised and excited and innocent Gus emerged from Grand Gesture Metaphorically Inclined Augustus, I literally could not resist.
(pages 146-148)

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo out!

EXTRA! EXTRA!
Watch the TFiOS trailer!:

Watch this special episode of Teens React featuring the TFiOS trailer!:

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: