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Blogger Love-a-Thon Mini Challenge (4)

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love-a-thon

I hope everyone is enjoying their time today and that everyone is finding new blogs to love! Welcome to Blogger Love-a-Thon! This is a 24 hour event that helps us bloggers take some time to show love to one another! If you are so inclined, head on over to the Announcement Post! This event is hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands! For this mini challenge I am going to get reflective and write a letter to my younger blogging self!

Dear sweet Alyssa,

What were you thinking?! Starting a blog on a whim in your last quarter of graduate school!! Are you crazy? You’re going to feel the pressure, lady, and you only have yourself to blame! In retrospect you really should have taken some time to hoard some reviews so when school takes over and blogging starts to feel like work you won’t cry and nearly quit! Don’t quit, though! Things do get better. Especially after your move to WordPress, though that move is quite a pain in the arse, I must add.

Here are some things that you have to look forward to: Book Expo America, it is amazing and you will meet lovely bloggers and authors including Lemony Snicket who is really rather handsome and just as funny in person. More importantly, Melissa Marr will hug you even though she claims that she isn’t a “touchy” person. You are going to find new books to read and more importantly, new genres. Be open to them, the books you never thought you would enjoy will turn into some of your favorite reads of all time. You will meet new bloggers who will inevitably turn into some of your best friends IRL. Twitter is your best friend and keeping up with social media is necessary, but I promise once you find your niche it is one of the best things about the whole community. Listen to your fellow bloggers, they love what they do and get just as much joy in recommending books as you do, you can trust them. Most importantly, listen to yourself. If you are struggling with a book that you feel obligated to finish so that you can review it, don’t. Don’t let these “obligations” get in the way of what you love: reading. Though maintaining a blog takes work, it isn’t your job and your obligations are to yourself first and your readers second in that you maintain honesty with them always.

Stay classy, my dear. Things are about to get awesome!

A

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Blogger Love-a-Thon Mini Challenge (3)

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love-a-thon

Welcome to Blogger Love-a-Thon! This is a 24 hour event that helps us bloggers take some time to show love to one another! If you are so inclined, head on over to the Announcement Post! This event is hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands! This Mini Challenge is to create a bookish playlist!

Years ago, I was working at Barnes and Noble and was “lucky” enough to work the midnight party for the launch of Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. Though I was disgruntled and annoyed at all of the tweens, I was in my glory because I adored the music that we had going on that night. Come to find out, our music manager had found playlists for the books on Stephenie Meyer’s website! I know many of you will be like “um ew…” over 1. Twilight (and I might agree) and 2. some of these songs are a little cheesefest (okay, emo), and there is a lot of Muse (who I just so happen to love). Nonetheless I made you a playlist for The Twilight series with with my own insight and some help from Stephenie Meyer! (Admittedly this playlist could really go for any angsty YA romance novel…ahh love)

I might have had this on repeat for the past few days…

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Blogger Love-a-Thon Mini Challenge (2)

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love-a-thon

Welcome to Blogger Love-a-Thon! This is a 24 hour event that helps us bloggers take some time to show love to one another! If you are so inclined, head on over to the Announcement Post! This event is hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands! This Mini Challenge is to create some book spine poetry! Due to things I decided to improvise! 

Friends, I have to be honest, I recently moved back home and therefore all of my books are packed in boxes and stored in our barn. Since they would take hours to dig out I decided to go through my Goodreads lists and write a little poem based on books from my TBR pile. I hope this isn’t going against the rules and, more importantly, I hope you all enjoy it. Here we go! (Links will take you to Goodreads)

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Kleopatra,

Raised by Wolves.

Crave,

Tender Morsels.

Possess,

Monstrous Beauty.

Echo.

Blood Will Tell

The Space Between

Falling Kingdoms.

Fateful,

Queen of Kings.

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I had a ridiculous amount of fun “writing” this, my English major brain was in overdrive!! I especially liked the metaphor of Cleopatra being raised by “wolves” and her fateful lifetime, like I said, I am a sucker for these kinds of things! I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts and continue on with our love-a-thon!

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Blogger Love-a-Thon Interview Swap

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love-a-thon

Welcome to Blogger Love-a-Thon! This is a 24 hour event that helps us bloggers take some time to show love to one another! If you are so inclined, head on over to the Announcement Post! This event is hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books & Bands!

To welcome everyone to the event, bloggers all over have been paired up and have swapped interviews to go live at midnight. I was lucky enough to swap interviews with Lettie from Above Average Below Special! Read our interview, my comments at the end, and come back later in the day to read some really fun posts, including some bookish poetry!

So here we go…

I saw that your blog didn’t start out as a blog dedicated solely to books, what prompted you to start blogging? Why did you decide to change and focus on book reviews?


I don’t really know why I started blogging I think reading so many blogs encouraged me to start my own! Once I started my mixed blog I found so many book blogs and started doing reviews or memes which was the best part. When I ‘relaunched’ my blog I decided to focus on books because I had the most interaction and fun with my book blogging!

Do you have a literary boyfriend? (Mine changes weekly.)


I don’t usually do book boyfriends but I think I would love Roar from Under The Never Sky because he is so witty and caring, Adam from If I Stay for his loyalty and talent and Lucas from Easy for his everything!

If you could have dinner with any three people (real or fictitious, dead or alive), which three people would you choose and why?


I’m going for fictitious otherwise it’s too much choice! 
1. Chinky for the Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton, I spent so many years imagining him flying into my room for adventure that he had to make this list!
 2. Sirius Black because he must have some brilliant stories to share around the dining table!
 3. Last but not least Aria from Under The Never Sky because I really want her to explain her world and tell me all about Perry!

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?


I lived with 6 easily bored boys and 5 wildly fun girls at Uni so life was pretty exciting 24/7! From all night all inclusive parties to going out all out fancy dress style every week to throwing printers out of a 4 storey house to ‘see what would happen’ to walking out of a nightclub as the employees were setting the alarm….. Life with them was full of crazy- my life is so quiet now!

If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?


I would have been at the Palace of Versailles for the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the Crystal Palace Exhibition. I would have loved to witness every event for ‘Super’ Saturday London 2012. While I’m on a roll I would also love to witness the Roanoke Colony to see what happened to them and to have been in Kenya when Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II!I tried to limit myself a bit!

I have yet to read His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, but it is on my definite TBR for this year! What is your “spirit animal,” or if you could be best friends with a mythological creature, what would it be?


I’ve tried to read Northern Lights so many times- I’m sure I should love it! I think I would have a lion or a tiger for my spirit animal! Mythological creature would have to be a Sphinx or a Griffin just because they were my childhood favourites!

If you could be any fictional character, who would it be?


As I’ve just finished Through The Ever Night I have to say Aria, I love the world building and I want to be best friends with Roar!
 Other characters I would also love to be would be Hermione Granger, Alanna of Trebond and Lucy Pevensie!

Up until this year I have had a hard time naming a favorite author and I’m still not sure that I can say with conviction that I have one favorite book. Can you name a favorite author and title?

Why are they your favorites?
I couldn’t even name one favourite author! At the moment I would have to say my favourites are Veronica Rossi for her amazing world building and Gayle Forman for her beautiful and deep relationships! But it changes every time I read an awesome book!

What is one of your favorite quotes? Is it literary? Why is it your favorite?

Oscar Wilde is the author of loads of my favourite quotes but this one is one of the best! “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”~ Oscar Wilde. I love this one because it is so true and I am also the overdressed person at gatherings but I’d rather be over dressed than under dressed!

This one was stolen from a friends blog, I saw it and couldn’t resist: “You find yourself in front of seven identical doors, these seven doors lead to seven places: Narnia, Neverland, Wonderland, Hogwarts, Camelot, Middle Earth and Westeros. Which door do you go through? Why that door? What happens?”


Hogwarts because once I finished school I would be part of the Wizarding world and I could fulfil my childhood dream of becoming a Weasley!

Excellent answers! I recently bought Under the Never Sky and have heard amazing things so I can’t wait to read it! Also after reading your answers it seems like the characters were pretty awesome! Sirius Black would definitely be on my list because I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! He might be one of my literary boyfriends as well! Your time at Uni sounds like it was epic, I bet there was never a dull moment, I can imagine a lot of naps happening during that time! To be honest, as I was thinking of my own answers I still don’t think that I can come up with an event that I would love to witness! How strange! I would definitely go with a feline spirit animal though dragons would be my mythological creature bff, for sure – a Sphinx is also amazing! I have yet to read Gayle Forman but I have heard amazing things, I need to read her books for sure! Finally, who doesn’t have a dream of becoming a Weasley!

Thanks for stopping by, Lettie. I looked forward to learning more about you! Readers, make sure you check back throughout the day, there is sure to be some fun posts!

Happy reading!

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Miniseries Review: Tin Man

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tinman-cast

We are nearing the end of Project Fairy Tale and this is my last post on a non-print adaptation of The Wizard of Oz! If you want to learn more about this fun event head over to my intro post!

The plot was so twisty on this one that I don’t want to rehash it for you all because I would rather not ruin anything so let’s talk about the new portrayal of old characters and then go forth to Netflix and watch, I say!

I LOVED what SyFy did with these characters.

D.G. was just the right amount of naivety and intellect to make me enjoy her as a character. Though a lot of her parts were cheesefest and wide eyed shock and concern, I still enjoyed her strength and determination.

Glitch (The “Scarecrow”) was hard not to love, for reasons beyond the fact that he was played by Alan Cummings. He was fun and incredibly loyal even though he “glitched” often due to half of his brain being removed by Azkadellia.

Raw (The “Cowardly Lion”) was first of all, in a magnificent costume and makeup. Second, the way SyFy portrayed him and his kind as sort of telepathic viewers was a really interesting addition. He was the sweetest and most tame of the characters which was a fun comparison to The Cowardly Lion from the original tale. In the end, he came into his own and realized that it was important to stand up for his friends and family.

The Tin Man aka Wyatt Cain – Okay first, those blue eyes *swoons* second, Wyatt and Cain are only two of my favorite names, EVER. Third, HIS INDIANA JONES HAT! I can’t even…okay but his character is THE hero, THE good guy. The one who is all conflicted and wants to “go his own way” but realizes that he has a HEART (see what I did there) and therefore must fight for the GOOD of all. Oh he was my favorite.

Azkadellia – She was beautiful and wicked to the point where sometimes I was a little bit scared of her, but I liked it. She also had a killer wardrobe so what’s not to love?

Things that made me LOL, roll my eyes, and basically remember it was a film made by SyFy:

Toto: I didn’t love their rendition of Toto for this particular adaptation. Spoiler alert: There was some shape shifting involved and I really didn’t like the character who portrayed “Tutor” as a human.

Azkadellia and her boob minions: Yeah, you read that right. Az has some pretty awesome minions, some of which are flying monkeys much like the original story. The major difference here that made me go “did that just happen…” is that Az has some nifty symbols tattooed on her upper chest. Therefore, whenever she is ready to make those babies fly she just unbuttons her little jacket, puffs out her..um..chest, gives a shake and BAM flying monkeys GALORE! I mean really SyFy, I know Kathleen Robertson is a hottie but could you not?

The plot was intricate, interesting and in some parts, very sad. In my opinion didn’t drag at all and I wanted to know what was going to happen next throughout it’s entirety. It is definitely a show that I would watch again and it made me want to watch some of SyFy’s other miniseries! I suggest taking some time and watching this adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, it is on Netflix and is only a few hours long!

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Review: A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

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lionTitle: A Lion Among Men

Author: Gregory Maguire

Publishing Information: October 16th 2008 by William Morrow

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fairy tales

Series information: Book 3 in The Wicked Years

Format: Hardcover, 309 pages

Source: Owned

Recommended For: Fans who have read Wicked and Son of a Witch and want to see more characters in the Wicked universe.

A Lion Among Men chronicles a battle of wits hastened by the Emerald City’s approaching armies. What does the Lion know of the whereabouts of the Witch’s boy, Liir? What can Yackle reveal about the auguries of the Clock of the Time Dragon? And what of the Grimmerie, the magic book that vanished as quickly as Elphaba? Is destiny ever arbitrary? Can those tarnished by infamy escape their sobriquets–cowardly, wicked, brainless, criminally earnest–to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they’re skinned alive?

Here we are again representing all things Wizard of Oz to celebrate Project Fairy Tale! If you want to learn more about this fun event head over to my intro post!

I can’t lie, it was hard to pick this one up twelve years after reading Wicked, I couldn’t bring myself to re-read and there was a little bit of confusion as I tried to remember where we were in the story. As I said before, these novels read more like companions while also working toward the major story arc so thankfully once I started reading it wasn’t a major issue that I couldn’t recall specific details from book one and two. A Lion Among Men provides another piece to the puzzle that is Elphaba and Oz. The reader follows Brr as he grows and learns how to be both Lion and “man.” Though I enjoyed the story enough, I did feel a little lost and confused as to why most details were important to the main story. That is, for the most part I was conflicted that we weren’t learning what happened after the huge bomb that was dropped at the end of Son of a Witch or what any of this had to do with Elphaba and her sacrifices. The last quarter of the book, however, tied everything up in a way that had my mouth on the ground. Maguire is a genius storyteller. He invokes so many feelings in a reader and does it so subtly that as I was reading I wasn’t realizing how much the story was affecting me but as the bomb was dropped I was left feeling hurt and raw, as if I was the one betrayed. The reader learns more about Yackle and she provides much comic relief to an otherwise dramatic and serious story, I did enjoy her parts very much though much of the back story on Brr wasn’t as entertaining as I had hoped.

It seems as if Maguire is giving us miniscule pieces to a very large puzzle. Though I was entertained enough to want to read the last book in the series, I have to be honest and say that my main reasoning is because I felt as if I couldn’t abandon the series after coming so far. Overall, I felt as if Maguire took a very long time to tell a not so long story. That being said, I do look forward to sharing my feelings about Out of Oz next week. I found that like myself, many readers were upset at how little this story has to do with Liir or Nor, but I am happy to say that the conclusion of The Wicked Years ties together every open story thread and brings the characters together so that the reader is able to better understand their stories throughout the first three novels.

“A male usually had made up his mind before you began to talk to him -so why bother?- but a female, because her mind was more supple, was always prepared to become more disappointed in you than she had yet suspected possible.”
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Movie Review: Return to Oz

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return to oz

 

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.

Back again representing all things Wizard of Oz to celebrate Project Fairy Tale! If you want to learn more about this fun event head over to my intro post!

Remember how I told you that we weren’t going to mention “The Wiz?” Well, add Return to Oz to the pile of retellings that we won’t be associating with the perfection that is The Wizard of Oz. I remember watching this movie when I was younger and I always felt as if I should enjoy it because it was somehow related to WoO and I was supposed to love all things associated with my beloved story! Now, years later, I can tell you with not an ounce of guilt that if I never see Return to Oz again, things will be a-okay.

Let’s start from the beginning..

Dorothy won’t stop talking about Oz and it’s inhabitants so Aunt Em decides that the best thing for her is a good dose of shock therapy. She drops her off at a ridiculously creepy hospital (read: asylum) to get some shock therapy. Don’t worry, she promises that she will return in the morning with Toto to bring Dorothy home…instead, a storm erupts in Kansas and the hospital is struck by lightning, making the power go out right as The Nome King Doctor Worley is about to flip the switch for Dorothy’s “therapy.” A random patient helps Dorothy escape her bonds and they run away, jumping into a river to escape Mombi Nurse Wilson. Dorothy wakes up in Oz with her chicken Billina – still not sure how the chicken ended up there but let’s go with it – and they start exploring the land. Dorothy steals finds some lunch pails hanging on a tree and brings about the wrath of The Wheelers, (these are creepy men with wheels for hands and feet.) Thankfully she happens upon a robot man named Tik-Tok who uses his special moves to beat upon those Wheelers and get Dorothy to the castle of Mombi. Turns out Mombi is well, a witch. She isn’t just any witch though, she is a witch who steals the heads off of beautiful girls, keeps them on shelves and changes them much as one would change her dress for dinner. Mombi, of course, locks Dorothy away, but not before telling her that she is going to let her age into a unique beauty and then SURPRISE steal her head. Lucky for Dorothy (again) she rooms up with a nice..um…being…named Jack Pumpkinhead. He tells her that Mombi has some special powder that will bring things to life so little Dorothy decides to make a flying contraption out of a couch and a Gump Head. She then escapes the room, steals the key and potion and Jack, Tik-Tok, Dorothy and Billina escape. Unfortunately they land in the land of The Nome King and he takes them underground and tells them that he will let them go free if they can pass a test. The test is that each will walk into the next room filled with knickknacks and find an item that is actually one of their friends, enchanted. It’s no surprise that Dorothy succeeds which INFURIATES The Nome King. He then becomes a very big and very dark and scary rock man but he is defeated because Billina lays an egg (which just happen to be POISON to gnomes) in his mouth, and the crew escapes. There is a little parade and Ozma reappears, she was the random hospital patient from Kansas, and Dorothy goes home. Toto finds her laying near the river and Aunt Em tells her that when the lightning struck the hospital it went up in flames and everyone escaped except for Dr. Worley. Dorothy and Aunt Em go back home and Ozma appears to Dorothy in her mirror, letting her know that she can visit Oz whenever she wishes. Lucky gal!

This film was described as an unofficial sequel to The Wizard of Oz and it is loosely based on the second and third Wizard of Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz, which was my favorite Wizard of Oz novel. I suppose it is because Ozma of Oz is my favorite that I really loathed this movie. I am not one of those judgy people, but the fact that this movie was made my Disney and rated PG FLOORED me. There is no way that a child would enjoy this movie without being scared and confused and quite frankly, bored. In the book it is not Mombi but Princess Langwidere from the Land of Ev who has her array of heads and I can admit that theme is a tad old for the intended audience but I think it is the dark setting and play on special effects and LOUD NOISES that made me think the film is inappropriate for young children.

I was worried that I was just biased because nothing can compare to the original Wizard of Oz but I really loved Tin Man (which I will be reviewing for you next week) so I feel a little better disliking this one..I do have to say that it definitely has a cult following so it clearly isn’t hated by all and therefore you may not dislike it as much as I did so maybe give it a try! On my end, I will stick to what I know and love and steer clear of this adaptation in the future!

 

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Love is Louder

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Love is Louder 2013

Some of you may have seen my Twitter post yesterday but to follow up, I just wanted to share a quick message with all of you readers about The Love is Louder Project. 

For those of you who don’t know, Love is Louder was started by The Jed Foundation, which works to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college and university students. Love is Louder was started by this foundation and the actress Brittany Snow to support anyone feeling mistreated, misunderstood or alone.

From their website:

“It’s hundreds of thousands of people just like you who have turned this idea into a movement.  A movement of all types of people who have come together to raise the volume around the message that love and support are louder than any internal or external voice that brings us down. Individuals, communities, schools and organizations have embraced Love is Louder as a way to address with issues like bullying, negative self-image, discrimination, loneliness and depression.  Even as we work to stop negative words and actions that hurt us, we can strengthen our abilities to cope with hard times, focus on the positive, support the people around us and reach out for help if we need it.”

I’m not asking you to do anything with this information, I simply wanted to make you aware of a beautiful cause and provide you all with ways that you can participate. The high school where I work is joining the project and the picture above was put together by myself to support the movement, if you want to get involved in any way you can visit the Love is Louder website, follow them on Twitter and tweet using the hashtag #loveislouder or simply tell someone you know.

With your help, we are getting louder.

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Top Ten Tuesday (29)

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Top Ten Favorite Romances

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

I know I don’t participate in Top Ten Tuesday every week but I couldn’t give up a chance to share my favorite romances with you guys! I actually made a hand written list of these favorites and then using very scientific reasoning I narrowed it down to only ten..so in no particular order…

Bran and Liadan from Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier – (Or every single couple in every single Marillier novel ever…) Like many of Marillier’s heroines, Liadan brings Bran back from the brink of madness. They both broke my heart and though I also love Clodagh and Cathal, Bran and Liadan were the first couple that I fell in love with. “I just knew, overwhelmingly, that if I did not touch him I would shatter in pieces. Jump, cried the wind. Jump over. I shut my eyes and moved toward him, and my arms went around his waist, and I rested my head against his chest and let my tears flow. There, said the voice deep inside me. See how easy it was?”

Bigby and Snow from Fables by Bill Willingham – Snow tames Bigby in a few ways and I just love how much he loves her. I devour all stories starring these two.

Karou and Akiva from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – This couple was heart wrenching in quite a few ways, their backstory and current love affair was beautiful and heart breaking. I can’t wait to see what happens with them in book two. “Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”

Marco and Celia from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Oh those star crossed lovers who are doomed to duel to the death, the story, setting and characters all read like a love story to me. “As he kisses her, the bonfire glows brighter. The acrobats catch the light perfectly as they spin. The entire circus sparkles, dazzling every patron.” 

Anita and Jean Claude from The Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton – Anita has many lovers and boyfriends and though Jean Claude isn’t human I still can’t see anyone else as a better fit. Jean Claude understands Anita on all levels, though they are different in many ways, Jean Claude understands her rage and how it is a part of her better than anyone. “Je reve de toi..”

Cimorene and Mendanbar from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede – I read these books a long time ago, before a good romance was a key element in my book choices and I fell in love with the witty banter between these two characters. Their love shows in subtle ways and to this day they are still one of my favorite couples. “Yes,” Mendanbar said, looking down. “I love you, and—and—” “And you should have said that to begin with,” Cimorene interrupted.

Jamie and Claire from The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – Okay maybe I didn’t love the first book but the parts I did love revolved around Claire and Jamie. Specifically, around Jamie’s love for Claire and their interactions with one another. “Oh, aye, Sassenach. I am your master . . . and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.” 

Robin Hood and Maid Marian – In every form, I love this couple. In the poems, novels, movies and songs their romance is beautiful.

Ismae and Duval from Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers – Ahh the slow burn romances always get to me! Through the whole novel I was on edge waiting for them to finally get together! “Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours….”

Wesley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride by William Goldman – How can this not be one of my favorites? Though I love the movie a tad more, their love is still beautiful! “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.” 

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Review: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

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13521Title: Son of a Witch

Author: Gregory Maguire

Publishing Information: September 26th 2006 by HarperCollins

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fairy tales

Series information: Book 2 in The Wicked Years

Format: Hardcover, 337 pages

Source: Owned

Recommended For: Fans who have read Wicked and are looking for further insight into the political and emotional turmoil caused by Dorothy’s arrival.

Liir hid in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Left for dead in a gully, the teen is shattered in spirit and body. But silent novice Candle tends him at the Cloister of Saint Glinda, and wills him back to life with her music.
What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba’s son? He has her broom and her cape – but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison Southstairs? Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up? (Via Goodreads)

Another review for Project Fairy Tale! If you want to learn more about this fun event head over to my intro post!

As I prepared my review for this book I realized how different this series is from others currently out there. The Wicked Years is a series of four books, but the novels don’t work entirely like a series or entirely like companion novels. They are their own entity, working on their own to tell a different piece of the story, yet also working in tandem to weave together a much larger tale.

Son of a Witch works more as an individual story, telling the story of Liir, Elphaba’s son and how he moves on after the death of his mother. The parts I genuinely liked about this novel were when Lirr was coming into his own. He was recognizing himself as more than “The son of the witch,” and he was cowardly, childish and mean at times but he came into his own and grew as a character. I do have to mention that I am reading Out of Oz right now and I am finding Liir to be much more likable in this novel, but we will get into that when it’s time for that review! I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Liir and Candle and I was happy with the action of this novel, it seemed as if things were continuously moving forward. When I first read Son of a Witch I didn’t know that there was going to be a third book in the series and I was seriously disappointed and confused by the ending. Thankfully we all know that there are two more books after Son of a Witch and with that knowledge I can say that the ending of this novel was genius and captivating.

I enjoyed Son of a Witch as much as Wicked, however it was a different sort of novel, telling the story of the growth of a man and not the fall of a witch.

“Happy endings are still endings.”