Apocalyptic views.

Thoughts? Opinions? Views?

- E

Book List: Wings of the Wicked (#4)

My Ultimate Book List is a collection of books that I really, really want to read, whether they have been released or not. Some of these books might not be on the shelves yet; some of these books might have been on the shelves for ages. It doesn't matter. I just really, really want to read them.

 Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. 
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. 

She’s been warned. 
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself. 

She’ll be betrayed. 
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay. 

Right, so there's this pretty amazing, good book called ANGELFIRE by Courtney Allison Moulton. It involves reapers and swords and angels and great characters. And a bunch of fight scenes I think you'll love (well, anyone who enjoys reading fight scenes anyway). And if you enjoyed Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series (or her Infernal Devices one) you might like this. Even though Will and Jace are pretty different. But still.

The point is, the sequel to ANGELFIRE is coming out soon (WINGS OF THE WICKED), and the first 100 pages of the book are up! Well all right, this probably means nothing to you if you haven't read the first book yet, but it means quite a bit to me. Which is why I'm posting it here. I guess o.o Even though I still haven't read it yet. *punches homework in the face*

But in case you have read the first book, here's the link to blog post that has the link (heh :P) clicketh me.

What's more, the lovely author is also hosting a contest...to see who can win the ARC of a pretty interesting book called INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows. The link to that contest is here. And the summary for INCARNATE is here.

That's it, guys! That's all I've got to say.

Actually, no. I lied. I have some other things to mention.

First, if you're a fan of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls books (and even though it's totally out of my genre, I am a huge fan), The Gallagher Academy web site is up. If you haven't heard about this yet, this web site has some exclusive scenes, excerpts, and what not that are in the POV of many of the characters--including Zachary Goode. (Because Zach is amazing <3) Ally's next book in the series, Out of Sight, Out of Time will be out in March, so...remember that :P

Second, have you guys read the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent? Because those books are pretty good too. At one glance, it might seem like another Twilight-Saga-based-series with the whole "helpless girl falls in love with mysterious guy!" thing. But it's not. Because there is another character in the series who is awesome, much more awesome than Mysterious Guy, who isn't even that mysterious. His name is Tod. And I suggest you read the books because Tod's pretty amazing. (My vocabulary's pretty bad tonight.) (Also, read the books because the word-building is quite unique and interesting--Tod isn't the only reason I've kept up with the series, though he is a main one.) Check her blog out for more info, or just read the summary here for My Soul to Take (book 1 of the Soul Screamers series).

Ahh...promoting books. Spreading the love.

What good books have you guys been seeing around lately?

- E

2012 !

It's not 2012 yet, but it's very, very close. 4 hours and 33 minutes for me. Anyone watching the ball drop at New York City? Anyone going to the ball drop? Because if you are, I'm extremely jealous. >.>

This blog post isn't going to have much words in it. I'm just sharing a bunch of pictures with everyone...these pictures belong to their respectful owners, and I found every single one of them on We Heart It.

Before I post them though, does anyone have any New Years resolutions?

This has absolutely nothing to do with 2012.
I just felt like adding this because I thought it was hilarious.
Ha ha ha. :P

So, 2012 begins tomorrow. Will we survive the dreaded APOCALYPSE? Only time will tell.
Here's to not dying before 2013, eh? Cheers!

- E

Chicagooo. Chicago.

Hey guys! Merry belated Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/the Other Holiday Which You Celebrate in the Month of December!

So I'm currently in Chicago right now and I just recently visited author Veronica Roth's (author of Divergent) alma mater, Northwestern University. The weather today wasn't so great: freezing and cloudy, but not cold enough for it to snow (apparently). In other words, during the tour, I felt like I was being hit by an icy hammer repeatedly because the wind was that rough, and it gave me a massive headache afterwards. But actually, it was worth it. (Now that I think about it, that simile doesn't really make any sense...) Northwestern's campus is amazing, and definitely better than the University of Chicago's campus--the college I visited first--which is way more cramped and city-like. And since I grew up and currently live in a pretty large town/small city, I like huge, spacious areas. I like to see trees and the sky. The suburban life. So yep, I was pretty impressed with Northwestern, and I love how it's more of a liberal arts school, the field I'm interested in the most. I actually really hope to go to Northwestern at the moment, but since I'm still a sophomore in high school and Northwestern is somewhat difficult to get into...well, we'll see, I suppose.

Today was day three of my stay in Chicago, and it's been...all right. I guess. It's my seventh time here, so, you know, once you've been to a place seven times for vacation it becomes...not so exciting. At least it is for me. But that's okay! Because I got to visit Veronica Roth's alma mater! And I loved it! And I also love Veronica Roth and Divergent! And I'm going to stop using so many exclamation points!

Anyway, the thing with Chicago is that it's crazy. And it's a large city, so there's the traffic problem, and the huge buildings-blocking-the-sky problem, and the messed up parking problem...and other various...problems. This probably isn't what it's like in the Chicago suburbs, but I haven't been to the suburbs yet, even though the hotel I'm staying at is supposedly located in a "suburb" (and if it is, there really isn't anything suburban about it. Grr.). And for those city folk reading this blog post, this isn't supposed to be offensive! Like I said before, I grew up in a fairly large town or small city, or whatever you want to call it, so I'm not used to this. And I don't really like it either. So please don't be offended D':

But really. Cities.

We went to Chinatown again, though, which was pretty fun. Ish. I mean, many of the stores sold the same merchandise for the same price, but the restaurants were great. The food was delicious. And we're going back tomorrow!

All right, I said I was going to stop with the exclamation points, so I shall.

I'm still not used to the fact that time is now one hour behind. I come from the Eastern Time Zone, and I believe Chicago's in the Central one, which means it's one hour behind. Every single device I have that can tell time--phone, iPod, watch--is still set at Eastern for some odd reason (not so much odd for the watch and maybe even iPod, I guess, but my phone should be automatic. I guess it isn't. Hrmm...). Now whenever I check the time, I have to subtract one from the hour--really hard work, I know.

And that's my life in Chicago so far(!) Not that exciting, I know...
What is exciting is that on Friday, I'm finally going to see Breaking Dawn. And then Wednesday, school starts again. Oh, and Sunday, 2012 begins. Will we survive 2012? Only time will tell. *cue scary music*

- E

A post in bullets.

Some facts about today:

• This is my second blog post this week. (That's right. I believe I deserve a pat on the back. *pats herself on the back*)
• I should be doing my physics PEPSI (Problem-Solving Exercises in Physics--which doesn't even spell PEPSI, unless you scramble/rearrange the letters or something) problems right now, instead of writing this blog post and half-staring at my 8th draft of Depravity.
• My 8th draft of Depravity is currently at 106,000 words, 399 pages, double spaced, size 12 Cambria font.
• I want to make it exactly 400 pages.
• I should be finishing up my last page of THINGS TO DO list today, but that probably won't happen.
• I have chair auditions/playing test grade tomorrow for the French horn and I'm freaking out because I can't play my parts the way I want them to.
• At least, I can play my parts. Just not the way I'd like to play them.
• I really want to watch Spirited Away again today.
• Last night was the first time I've watched Transformers 3 with my sister (and the first time I've watched it, ever), even though we should have been watching The Help.
• I still need to finish the book The Help. I should have finished that before The Last Hero. 
• Now I have Clockwork Prince to read and An Abundance of Katherines to read in the near future.
• I am somewhat stressed.
• My physics and chemistry finals are on the same day and I haven't started studying for either.
• I have had these spontaneous urges to write.
• I think I should have gotten my PSAT scores back by now, but I haven't.
• I have gotten my scores for the PLAN though. Apparently they're not very spectacular, although I think if I hadn't missed eleven questions on the science part, they would have been much better.

- E

Rant on The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (and a tiny bit on first person vs. third)

Some of you might remember one of my posts awhile back, a post about the book The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, and how I was so excited because it was the first book of the second series of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians. Well, not exactly a second series, considering it features new characters and a whole new plot (although Percy and the original cast of his series are included as well). But you know, it's based off the same concept.

Recently, I borrowed The Lost Hero from a friend and devoured all 400-something pages of it in the span of a day and a half. It was new, different, creative, interesting. It kept me reading practically non stop (obviously).

HOWEVER.

It was also disappointing. Why? Because it's written in third person, in order to portray the three main characters better (it switches point of views every few chapters between each character). And after asking my friend (who also owns the second book of the series, The Son of Neptune, which I am now dying to read) and after some Googling, I realized that The Son of Neptune is written in third person as well. Which is bad.

The problem? The Son of Neptune has Percy Jackson as one of its main characters. And in the first series, it was written in first person, not third. Which means I'm used to reading Percy in first person. Which means I've developed a more inner relationship thing (that sounds weird) with him. Which means I also expected THIS series, the second one, to be written in first person as well so I can do more inner relationship connecting with Percy. 

But it isn't. And it's just...it's just...no. Nooooooo!

I MISS PERCY. I WANT TO READ HIM IN FIRST PERSON, NOT THIRD. I WANT TO CONNECT WITH HIM!

Of course, it doesn't mean I can't connect with him in third either. I mean, just look at the Harry Potter series. Every single book is written in third person, and I've connected fine with all the characters.

But first person point of view brings a much closer relationship between the reader and the main character. In a way, I've connected with Percy more than I've connected with Harry. This is why I can't just happily accept this sudden change. It'll be super weird and horrible and depressing. And it will only make me miss Percy more, which I already do, after reading a whole book dedicated to JASON instead of PERCY, even though, I suppose, it is partially your story. (Stupid Jason with his stupid Golden Hair. NO ONE LIKES YOU. Well, maybe I did a little, but only because you kept the book interesting.)

Right now, I'm reading the first chapter of The Son of Neptune online, and after skimming through it, I'm already disappointed. I didn't feel the rush of connection with the main character I'd once felt after reading the first few words of a Percy Jackson & The Olympians book. I feel like I've just lost Percy...like he's there, but far away, and absolutely unreachable. I miss him. Now I want to reread the whole first series, but I can't because I only own the first and fourth books...

Maybe I'm being a little over dramatic about this. But honestly, PERCY. I MISS YOU.

Come back!
As of now, the only reason I want to read The Son of Neptune is because of the good, fantastic plot line of the series. But part of me still wants to chuck the book into the fire once I get my hands on it.
And then, of course, I have another worry. In the Heroes of Olympus series (AKA, the second series), there are seven main characters total. Seven! Will there be like seven different point of views then in one book once all of these characters join together? Because if that's the case, then oh my goodness...

- E

*flails arms*

I'M BACK!
I'm back I'm back I'm back.
*Takes in a deep breath*
*Exhales*
I am back.

Has anyone missed me? Any at all?

No?
Well, I've missed all of you fine readers (6 total). And I hate my extremely slow laptop for stopping me from posting entries of my...riveting life.

And I do have so much to tell you all.
First, high school is gross. Once upon a time, I liked school. Thought it was interesting. Fun, even. Now? Not so much.

Don't get me wrong, school is still interesting, and I'm not like all emotional and depressed when I'm there (and I'm not emotional nor depressed anyway. at least I don't think I am), and there are lots of people who make me happy and who make me glad to be alive (and what not). But the point is, high school can get so tedious, so annoying, so exhausting...with all the homework and the planning and the tests and the drama...
I mean, sure, college is probably like this too (and I can't wait for college. FREEDOMMM!), but I feel like it would at least have some kind of originality to it. Some uniqueness. Because high school is like elementary school and middle school, just harder. But college...is individualized. Alone. It's up to you to do everything.

Not sure if I'm making any sense.

In other news, I've gotten back to writing again! Hurray! Remember my post over the summer about how I finished one page on my "LIST OF THINGS TO DO" document? Well just before Thanksgiving break, I finished TWO pages. TWO. *nods slowly* Mmmhm. Two. Still, it might not be impressive to you, but to me, it's just amazing. Flabbergasting. Especially since I did it in the time span of the weekend.

Moving along from my writing life (and I'm going to write this weekend too, I promise!) and onto gloomier topics...winter formal is tomorrow night. Now, despite my belief of having fun at a dance even without a date, I think I'm going to skip this particular one. Again. Maybe I'll wait until next year, or the year after, or something. Or I might just skip all of them and go only to Prom. There's just something unappealing about dances, for some reason. I'd rather just stay home, watch Food Network, rent a movie, and then play Just Dance 3/Super Smash Bros (if I had it -.-) with my sister and my friends (well, I would do it with my friends, if they weren't all going to formal. so just my sister then.) Which is, in my opinion, the Ideal Night.

What about you? What's your opinion on school dances?

- E