After the Fear

Book Title: After the Fear
Author: Rosanne Rivers
Number of Pages: 314
Genres: Romance, Action, Dystopian
Books like it: Hunger Games, Legend
My favorite quote:

"No one ever told me that in order to ignore someone, you had to be painfully aware of everything they are doing all the time."

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
You have not attended a Demonstration this month.

In Sola’s city, everyone obeys the rules. Stay away from the trigger cameras and regularly update your Debtbook, and you just might survive. But having to watch the way criminals are dealt with—murdered by Demonstrators in the Stadium—is a law Sola tries to avoid. When a charming Demonstrator kisses her at a party, however, she’s thrust into the Stadium and forced into the very role she despises.

Armed with only natural resourcefulness and a caring nature, Sola narrowly survives her first bout. Her small success means she’s whisked off to a training camp, where she discovers a world beyond the trigger cameras and monitoring—a world where falling in love with a killer doesn’t seem so terrible.

Yet life as a Demonstrator has no peace. Sola must train her way through twenty-five more Demonstrations before she can return home to her father. At the end of each battle, only one survivor remains.

Sola could face anyone in the Stadium . . . even a loved one.



My Summary: When I read the synopsis on the back of this book (see above) I thought, great, this is going to be another wannabe Hunger Games. But, if you will keep reading this review, it was not at all like Hunger Games! The plot was similar, but After the Fear had its own writing style and I felt that it was very unique. I loved the heroine, Sola, and also the gorgeous Irish Demonstrator, Dylan. Get ready for this review of an amazing book!

In Sola's world, the country is in great debt to other countries. To help pay off the debt, the country hosts Demonstrations where Demonstrators battle and kill criminals and traitors to the country. To become a Demonstrator, you are selected to "pay your debt to your country" and sent to the arena. There, the group of people who have been selected are split into a blue group and a red group. The game ends when every single member of one team is dead, and the survivors on the other team become Demonstrators and must go on a Tour, going throughout stadiums and killing the people they are thrown into the arena with until the Final Demonstration.

Sola has always obeyed the rules. Stayed in the shadows, kept her head down, and gone to watch the Demonstrations. But when she attends a party and kisses a handsome Demonstrator, she is caught and condemned, or "selected" to pay her debt for her country. When Sola survives, she is made a Demonstrator and must go from arena to arena, killing people she doesn't even know in order to survive. Much to her shock, when she arrives to the training camp, the Demonstrator she kissed, named Dylan, is her instructor.

Sola starts having problems when she keeps fainting in the arena. She doesn't know why, only that as soon as she steps through those doors, her knees buckle. She is also the only one who refuses to use a gun. As she discovers secrets about her society, her life is on the line. And although she can't stop falling in love with Dylan, he has interests in another girl and is constantly getting angry at her for reasons she can't figure out.

Between killing in the arena and trying to figure out her feelings for the boy who dragged her into it, Sola must survive the fights, and the dark truths of her world.

This book was intense, and I loved Sola. She was one of those heroines that just amaze the reader.
You will not want to ever put this book down until you have finished the last page.

I've learned that being afraid of something does not stop it from happening.

I fell in love with Dylan. Just kidding. But I did love his character, mysterious and a lot to learn. And of course, he was supposed to be handsome and he has a cute accent. Plus, throughout the book he has just a touch of sarcastic humor, which is always refreshing.

"Well." The leaves rustle once more. The trampoline dips slightly. Risking a glimpse over, I see he's leaning both elbows on the surface, palms cupping his face. "I saw you jumping around with all those leaves and I thought you were being attacked by some sort of bush monster."

In conclusion, this was one of the best dystopian novels I have read in months. It is intensely and painfully suspenseful and page turning. I was pleased that it was stuffed full of so much action. But, for all the girls out there into the romancey Chick-Lit, this definitely had some gooey romantic relationship stuff. I would recommend it to anyone who likes anything, and I would like to say thanks to all the people who recommended it to me. Put this near the top, if not on top of your TBR list.

Pros: I basically just listed a whole bunch above, but I will give you some short sentence information. Action-packed. Great plot and character development. Humor. Suspense. Betrayal. Surprises. Cliffhangers. Romance. Twists and turns. Uniqueness. And thank heavens that there was NOT a love triangle. I am getting so sick of those, authors! They are getting cheesier and worse with every book. And they are in every freaking book! Except for this one, which was a relief! Anyway, I could write the whole book down in this section as a pro because that's how good the book was. It is definitely a wonderful read for Hunger Games and dystopia fans.

Cons: As far as I know, I am pretty sure there is not going to be a sequel. Huge disappointment! Ugh. Well, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. Also, I would have liked some more info about some certain things in the society.... but whatever, I guess.

Overall Review: 5 stars.

Cautions for parents: I said I was going to start doing this but I keep forgetting to..... parents there are some scenes where brief language is used, but that is pretty much it. I would say ages ten and up can read this book. It is clean as far as "adult" scenes and very foul language. Since they do fight in the arena there are a couple scenes of violence, but nothing too descriptive.

Beautiful Creatures: Movie Review

Movie Title: Beautiful Creatures
Running Time: 124 minutes
Rating: PG13

Trailers:

 

Brief Synopsis from Official Movie Site:

 

Oscar® nominee Richard LaGravenese ("The Fisher King,""P.S. I Love You") directs the supernatural love story "Beautiful Creatures" from his adaptation of the first novel in the best-selling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), 17, has had the same recurring dream for months. A mysterious young girl is waiting for him on a Civil War battlefield. Ethan desperately wants to be with her, but there is an unknown danger-and each time a lightning bolt cracks like a gunshot, killing Ethan before he ever reaches the girl.

The danger of this strange dream world, however, is preferable to Ethan's waking existence in Gatlin, South Carolina, a small, conservative Southern town that hasn't caught up to the 21st century, where nothing ever changes and nothing ever happens. Trapped at home with a father who has completely withdrawn since the sudden death of Ethan's mother, Ethan yearns for a life he can only read about in books.

But Ethan's mundane world is shaken up with the arrival of Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), the beautiful and enigmatic niece of Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons), the reclusive owner of gothic Ravenwood Manor. Ethan finds himself immediately drawn to Lena, even though destruction seems to inexplicably follow her and it becomes apparent that she is a Caster, with powers beyond her control. The town, led by conservative Mrs. Lincoln (Emma Thompson), wants her banished. Even Gatlin's all-knowing librarian, Amma (Viola Davis), is afraid history may repeat itself-a history of family secrets and a curse that looms for Lena as she approaches her 16th birthday. It is that time when a Caster is chosen by the forces of either the Light or the Dark.

But Lena's fate may already be sealed by the curse that draws both her and Ethan into a tangled web of spells and peril from which there may be no escape.

 Ethan Wate is the main character of this movie. Every night he is haunted with dreams of a beautiful girl, but he can never reach her. He lives in a small town called Gatlin, and it seems that he can never escape, especially after his mother has died in a car crash. But his dreams for leaving Gatlin soon change when the girl he of his dreams (literally) shows up on the town's doorstep.


Lena Duchannes is a different type of girl. She is something called a Caster, sort of like a witch. When Casters turn sixteen, they are claimed for either the light, or the dark. Except, in Lena's family, they don't get to choose how what they are claimed for because of an old curse in the family. If Lena is claimed for the Dark, she will become an entirely different person than the Lena that Ethan, and everyone else knows.




 Macon Ravenwood has not left his creepy old mansion for years, and no one has ever seen him. So when his niece moves into town, everyone is nervous about her because they know the legends: Ravenwoods are magical folk and not to be messed with.
They have no idea how right they are.
Macon must protect his niece from her mother, the most powerful Dark Caster of all time, Sarafine, while trying hard to keep Lena good enough to be claimed for the Light.

Amma has taken care of Ethan ever since he was a little child, and especially now that his mother died.

Especially now that he is in love with a Caster.

As it turns out, Amma knows more about Casters and the other world living with mortals than Ethan ever would have expected her to. And she will do anything to protect her boy from the dark magic, and from the most dangerous magic of all:

Love.

 

 

Once a good girl but now a Dark Caster, Ridley is Lena's cousin and former best friend. She is a Siren, someone who lures people in (men especially) and makes them see what she wants, do what she wants, and even think the way she wants them to think. This type of power can be dangerous, especially when all Ridley wants is for her cousin to become Dark along with her and will stop and nothing to get it.

 

 

 

Link is Ethan's best friend, and has been since Ethan can remember. But just because he is not in love with Lena does not mean he is safe from the Caster world.

His mother is (unknown to him) being inhabited by Sarafine, one of the most dangerous Casters and not the best choice to kiss him goodnight. And on top of that, Ridley has set her sights on him and Link can't say no to neither her beauty or her power.

 

 

Do not be fooled by this nice actress who once played the role of Nanny McPhee. Now she is the baddest of all the villains: Sarafine. Sarafine is on the prowl. Being the Darkest and most powerful Caster of all time, she will do everything she can to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps and aids her in destroying mankind forever.  And above all, she will make sure that Lena is not claimed for the Light.

 

 

MOVIE REVIEW:

 

For those watching this movie who have read the Beautiful Creatures series, you might be extremely disappointed. One thing this movie was not good at was following the storyline. At all. However, even though I have read the books and was slightly frustrated because of this, I loved that I was surprised because they added some new twists and turns that we did not see in the book. It was a great movie and I enjoyed watching it.

 

A note on the rating for those who have children watching this movie: There is some violence and scary images that would probably scare children under the age of ten years old. There is also a bit of crude language and swearing, and some brief scenes that might not be appropriate for younger eyes. Keep one finger on the mute button and one on the fast forward if you have any younger children watching this movie with you.

 





 

 

What this movie is about:

This movie is based on the bestselling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It is about a boy named Ethan Wate whose ordinary, small town life changes forever when a girl named Lena moves in to town. Lena is different, and she is beautiful. And Ethan has been having dreams about her for months. She happens to be the niece to Macon Ravenwood, a man who lives in the creepy mansion on the hill who everyone is afraid of. And Ethan can't help falling in love with her.

 

Lena has a dark secret: She is a witch, although they prefer the term Caster. Casters have special powers and can do magic. On a Caster's sixteenth birthday, they can choose if they want to be Light or Dark. Except for Lena's family. They are cursed, and on their birthday, the moon will Claim them to be Light or Dark. And Lena's birthday is coming up soon. If she becomes a Dark Caster, the Lena Ethan knows will cease to exist.

 

Lena's mother is the most powerful Dark Caster of all time: Sarafine. And she wants her daughter to follow in her footsteps and become Dark. Lena is a Natural, she can create lightning, and storms, and control the weather by making it rain and snow. She is, therefore, even more powerful than Sarafine, and, if she turns Dark, has the potential ability to wipe out the human race and bring her mother to power. Sarafine will stop at nothing to blacken Lena's heart and turn her dark. Her greatest weapon to do this? Ethan.

 

 

Lena must search the Book of Moons to find a way to reverse the curse before her birthday, so she can claim herself to the Light and not become the Dark that she fears she will be. She is running out of time, and if she fails, life as we know it will be gone forever. Will Ethan's love for her be enough to keep her in the Light? Or is it the one thing chaining her to the Darkness? Find out in this wonderfully filmed romance.

 

 

 



Beautiful Darkness

Book Title: Beautiful Darkness
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Sohtl
Genres: Fantasy, Witchcraft, Romance
Books like it: Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Redemption
Favorite Quote: “I had never been this mad at her before. It was one thing to be attacked by someone you hated, but this was something else. This was the kind of hurt that could only be inflicted by someone you loved, who you thought loved you. It was sort of like being stabbed from the inside out.”  

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:

 Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

My Summary:

My Review for Beautiful Creatures was one of those really short reviews from the past, so I hope that this post is a lot better and a lot more detailed. The truth is, I bought this book for only two dollars on the Kindle Daily Deal! It was amazing and I loved Beautiful Darkness, although it was not (in my opinion) as good as Beautiful Creatures. If this review is kind of lacking in detail I apologize because I read this book in January and keep forgetting to do it, so I am going off of memory here.

The main problem in this book is DEPRESSION. Of course, Lena is devastated by the death of her Uncle Macon. Ethan still does not know that his life was traded in exchange for Macon's, but he does know that Macon died and it is pulling Lena forever away from him. When Lena starts to withdraw, and keep secrets, Ethan is worried about her. And when he keeps finding her with another boy, he wonders if her love is lost. When Lena gives him the devastating news that she is leaving, Ethan watches his life slowly fade. And to top it all off, he is having odd hallucinations that only he can see. The second book in the Caster Chronicles is intriguing and will definitely delight the readers of Beautiful Creatures.


I must say, in the beginning of this book, I was like, why did I pick up this book? And then I got to the finale and I wanted to slap myself! Why did I ever doubt these authors? Push through the first hundred or so pages! You can make it!

Ridley is definitely my all time favorite character. Yes, I know she was one of the main villains. I don't care, she is such an amazing bad girl! I was excited when she became one of the main characters in this book. Also, some new characters were introduced, including a girl named Olivia, a boy named John, and a cat named Lucille. I loved Olivia, or "Liv," as she prefers to be called. She was an awesome British nerd girl (and everyone knows that I love British nerds, you just have to watch Doctor Who). John is a very interesting twist, but I will not spoil anything about him. And the cat was an amazing cat.

Pros: This was an okay and average book. It had some twists and turns and new surprises.
Cons: This book was nowhere near as good as Beautiful Creatures. I think it is always disappointing when books do not get better as the series progresses.

Review: 3 stars

Waiting on Wednesday #4

This is our fourth Waiting on Wednsday hosted by a blog called Breaking the Spine at www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com

The book I am waiting for this week is:




It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?


Thanks to Jack over at YA Bookstop for putting this book up there and catching my eye! This book looks unique and intriguing and I am so excited!!!

Uglies

Book Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfield
Number of Pages: 425
Genre: Dystopian
Books like it: Pretties, Specials, Extras
My favorite quote:
“What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to party. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to "the Smoke" and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The "Special Circumstances" authority Dr Cable offers Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.


My Summary:
Well, to all of the Uglies fans out there, I am sorry for this awful review, but I just did not connect with it, and in the next few paragraphs I will tell you why. This was such an awesome idea and it could've been awesome if the author had not totally ruined it.

This book is about a girl named Tally who lives in Uglyville. Her dream, {like ours nowdays is to be rescued by a dashing knight in shining armor} is to be pretty, like all those in Prettyville. In her dystopian world, their society has brainwashed everyone into thinking they are plain old ugly. So when everyone turns 16, they get this surgery that makes them breathtakingly beautiful, "Pretties," who then get to live in Prettyville, a village full of parties and fun and laughter, a dream come true to all the Uglies.

As Tally is reaching her sixteenth birthday, and excited to finally be a Pretty, she meets a new girl named Shay. Shay does not want to be Pretty, and insists that Tally is beautiful, and that the society {aka the Specials} has brainwashed her into thinking she is ugly. She teaches Tally that breaking the rules is fun, and also how to ride a hoverboard. Tally loves her new friend and is thrilled to know that Shay has the same birthday as her so they can turn Pretty on the same day.

However, Shay has different ideas. She tells Tally about the Smoke, a place where people can escape the operation and live by their own standards and rules. She tells Tally that she is running away to the Smoke and wants Tally to come with her. However, Tally can not bear the thought of being ugly forever, so she refuses. When Shay goes missing, the Specials confront her and tell her that if she does not agree to find Shay and betray her, they will never make her Pretty. Tally has a choice to make: Betray her best friend or stay ugly forever.

I know, this book sounds amazing, right? I wish it were so. And those of you who liked Uglies, hurrah for you, and I am glad that it worked for you, but I am a book reviewer, and not every book out there is perfect. Uglies had many , many problems.

First off, my biggest problem with it was the romance. In the middle of the book, these two characters meet and about twenty pages later they are kissing! I was like, dude! WHOA! How about taking it slow? I usually am okay with romance but this one was terrible! I did not even feel like they were in love. The boy told the girl the aforementioned quote, and it was really weird. I felt like we were thrust into this romance that there was no buildup to, and the boy drove me crazy! There was absolutely no development of his character, he was just like a whisper in the wind, so bland and monotone. I didn't understand him at all.

And Tally, the main character. She had a multiple personality disorder. I felt like she was changing people over and over and OVER! Do I want to be pretty, do I want to be ugly, do I want to do this blah blah blah blah. I think she was not that well developed either. Shay was the only character that I liked, or had any personality.

I really had to push through the first hundred or so pages of this book. It was like going to a play and watching the start where they have to explain everything, and it was SO BORING! There was no action in those first hundred pages, either. There were just so many things wrong with this book and I really did not like it. Sorry to all the Ugly fans and sorry to all readers.

This blog is for telling the truth. I praise the good books and tear down the bad ones.
Maybe this book will work for you.
I hope it does.

Review: 2 stars {Although there was no foul language in this book.}

The Fault In Our Stars

Book Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Number of Pages: 313
Genres: Romance
Books like it: This is a uniquely wonderful book and I refuse to compare it to any other book.
My favorite quote: There are so many! One of them is a picture (below to the right) and here is another one that I hope does not spoil anything:

"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.”  

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Summary:

This post is being written mere seconds after finishing the Fault in Our Stars. I don't know what to say. My thoughts are stars which I cannot fathom into constellations. At first, when I was reading this book, I could not see why it was the Young Adult winner for 2012. But as I reached the last few hundred pages, I knew, oh, how I knew. You cannot put this book down, nothing else in life is worth doing until you read the very last words on the very last page. I read this book in two hours, which is indeed a record time for me. Another thing about this book, it made me cry. Not in an emotional sense, real actual tears. It is the only book in my entire reading experience that I have cried, and the words have blurred on the page. This book reveals the beautiful, tragic truths of life. And I loved every word of it, although I want to ask Mr. Green, why? WHY?

A small side note, none of the photos on this post are actually mine.




This might possibly be the longest post in the history of our posts. But you know what? If you have not read TFIOS, please plow through this. It will have absolutely no spoilers unless you hate quotes and you have to KNOW about this book. Please!

While surfing the internet of other reviews on our friend Goodreads, I actually found a very long and detailed review about how terrible this book was. Can you imagine that? Well, I suppose one could find fault in amazingness. The only thing in this book I really disliked was the SWEARING! Call me a goody-two shoes if you want to, but I absolutely HATE dirty language. You don't need to ruin a piece of literature with crude words. Ten pages toward the end, it dropped the f-bomb. I was ready to cry, like, really John Green? You just lowered my respect for that character.

Well anyway I do suspect that you want to know what this is all about, eh? Why is this book so popular? This book is gut-wrenching, and there is a sense of desperation because Hazel, the main character, is dying. And there is something that lures the human mind when there are two people in love and one of them is dying. It is cruel, and it is sad, but it is real life.

 Some of you are probably wondering right about now if this review is going to be longer than the actual book, but I promise you I am getting over the ranting and into the summarizing. Here it is, my official, heartfelt summary of the Fault in Our Stars:

The Fault in Our Stars is about a girl named Hazel who is past her deadline for life, by two or three years. She carries around a oxygen tank, and is ready to give up on life. Until she meets a boy at her Cancer Support Group. He is gorgeous, funny, and much to her surprise, interested in her. As she gets to know him better, she learns that cancer is not the ending of her story, it is only the beginning.

Hazel knows she is hanging on to life, but her one lifelong dream is to meet the author of her favorite book, An Imperial Affection, whose words she felt described her life. But at the ending of the book, it ends midsentence. Hazel assumes, since the girl in the book had cancer, that she died. But she desperately wants to know how the rest of the book goes on, and the only way she can know that is to meet the author in person.

When she was ready to give up, and she thought her life was over, Augustus Waters showed her that in reality, her life was just starting, full of endless possibilities she never dreamed could happen to her. Green spins a breathtaking tale of love, hope, and meaning in this novel about life.

This was the first book I ever read by John Green, and I must say, I HAVE TO READ MORE!! I loved his characters, and although Hazel was charming, I found Augustus quite funny.

"How about I call you when I finish this?"
"But you don't even have my phone number," he said.
"I strongly suspect you wrote it in the book."
He broke out into that goofy smile. "And you say we don't know each other."


 


 So, I have decided to do this new thing with my reviews where I tell parents who are concerned about what their kids are reading the cautions of each book.

Cautions for Fault in Our Stars:

Some language, including the f-word
Some puking scenes as one side effect of the cancer
Briefly described "safe sex" (it really only says that they get into bed, but still)


In conclusion  to this very long review, I would like to say that this book screwed up my emotions forever. Not really, but it did take me on and I quote "a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friend." If you read this book, bring a box of tissues. And your favorite teddy bear. And although this book was really sad, but maybe not in the way you might think, the writing was beautifully brilliant .And I loved it.

I just did basically all the pros and cons in the writing above, and since you are getting tired of this review, I will just say, this definitely deserves five stars.

XOXO

Sarah

Allegiant Predictions

 Allegiant Predictions

 

Introduction:

Here is my official book prediction for Allegiant, the third book in the Divergent series. It is my first book prediction ever and I hope that you guys love it. I worked really hard on it and know that even though the real book will be even more amazing I hope that these are some pretty good guesses as to what will happen.

Warning: This post does contain spoilers if you have not read Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Like, huge ones.

Please feel free to comment. I would love to hear your thoughts and maybe even your own list of predictions for Allegiant. All that I know is that as soon as Allegiant comes out, I will be waiting for it and reading it within a day.
Warning: This list is very very long, so make sure you have some time on your hands.

1. They are definitely going to go outside the fence. If they go out of it at the first of the book, I predict that they will either find another and better civilization of people, or that Tris will meet another boy on the other side and Tobias will have to fight for her. (Just because the author will love to bug us/love triangles are popular/so there are complications in the relationship.) Enough with the romance, though! I definitely think that their next conundrum (love that word) will be the horrors that wait for them on the other side of the fence, and also the shocking secrets about their society.
2.  There has to be a fight! I know most girls are like, I am a lover, not a fighter, but I am a fighter and a not-so-big of a lover. And plus, every series except for Twilight, of course, I hated the Breaking Dawn ending, has an EPIC fight at the end. I hope nobody that I really love dies or gets hurt, though. I do know that good always wins, but that doesn't mean that the journey to get there is always easy. Please let there be a long, descriptive fight and a lot of obstacles!
3. I have this feeling in my gut that someone is going to betray everyone else, and I bet that it is actually going to be Susan. WHY SUSAN, WHY? Think about it.... she is the nice, beautiful girl that is Tris's friend. Why would she be a traitor? Mwhhahhaha that is the best part because I, my friend, am no ordinary girl. And so I am thinking outside of the box, and yes, crossing the line.  Susan is the perfect traitor. Nobody sane would suspect her, but she left for Amity in Insurgent and never came back. Plus, she is big time in love with Caleb.
4.  Caleb. Boy do I have a lot of predictions about him. First of all, not expecting the huge bomb that he was a freaking traitor. I see a lot of 'em but  I did not see that one coming. I hate the rule of their society "Faction before blood." Families are the strongest bond of love there can ever be, especially with parents like Tris's where they loved her so much. I can not believe he betrayed his own sister that he used to love for some Erudite scum. Ugh. Okay, enough ranting about the past in Insurgent and more on the predictions. There are really only three main ways that he could go. The first one is he stays a evil traitor to his family. Tris must be heartbroken because we all know how much she loved her brother. He could be the nefarious villain in the finale to my favorite series. And if he is the villain, at least he is a smart one. I know that if he is the bad guy, that is going to be a tense quarrel between brother and sister. The second one, which would be my third choice out of the three to happen is that he redeems himself at the end by sacrificing himself for one great big cause. At least then he can be a good guy again and he helped save the world. The third option, my second favorite after the first option is that he was possessed that entire time by some evil Erudite injection but they find some way to cure it and he becomes good again. And yes, also ends up with Susan.
5. I definitely think some things will be revealed about Tris's parents in Allegiant. Her mom has always been one of the most secretive and alluring characters in the Divergent trilogy. I definitely want to find out a whole bunch more about her. Why is she so interesting, you say? Well, for starters she was Dauntless before she transferred to Abnegation, of all places. That is definitely an interesting switch. From fearless and brave and strong to humble and selfless? That is a really big jump, and I think it is quite interesting that Tris went from Abnegation to Dauntless and her mom went from Dauntless to Abnegation. That just shows that Dauntless is in Tris's blood and bravery maybe is just an act of selflessness, like Tobias said. Also, she was a big part of the data that Tris found at the end of Insurgent, and a big part of whatever is on the outside of the fence. I don't think her father was a very big part of the book, or at least not as big as a part as Tris's mom, but we will have to see, I guess.
6. Veronica Roth has always been good at dropping what I call the W-bombs.... whoa bombs. She actually surprises me and leaves major cliffhangers much more often than regular books. I think that in Allegiant, we are going to find out a lot of secrets about the characters and the society/world outside of them, although I have said that already. I really hope that we learn why those with Divergence are immune to the stimulations. I think it is because they cannot be brainwashed by society into one value of life, and therefore cannot be brainwashed into something created by society. So, basically, I think all the ties are going to come together and there will be a lot of W-bombs.
7. I really hope that the ending will surprise me. Like The False Prince by Jennifer Neilson kind of surprise ending. So many books are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy to predict when it comes to the ending. So I hope that something happens in the end that makes me throw the book against the wall, pick it up again, and read the passage over and over again. I hope it is gut-wrenching and cruel of Roth and I hope that I will hate it at first, but most of all, I hope that I will never see it coming, You must think I'm crazy, but I hate books that I can guess the ending and be spot on.
8. For all the girls out there reading this list, I know what you are saying, what the boys out there are begging me not to say. "Please, Sarah, please." Okay, okay, I will say it: There is definitely going to be some mushy gushy lovey dovey stuff. Like kissing, and romantic things that will be said etc. etc. I really hope I get a new romantic quote because the last one was from the Forgotten Locket that I read ages ago. It goes something like this:
   "I won't catch you if you fall because I won't need to. You were always meant to fly."
   Well anyway, anyone who hopes that this is not going to happen, all the kissing and hugging scenes, it is going to happen. This is partly a romance book and in a romance you don't just do nothing.
9. I know there are going to be relationship problems between Tobias and Tris. There has to be. Tobias is not the romantic all the time guy like Edward Cullen. No. He is a bad boy who is learning to be fearless and loving a girl in the process. Everyone has been saying they hated Insurgent because there were so many romantic complications. My reply to that on Goodreads was:
   "I mean geez everyone I knows complains about the complications with the relationships and the character development. News flash: This is a book about real life, people.
   
   And yeah, it is a romance, but that's not the whole point of it. Part of it is a crumbling society trying to find bravery.
   
   As for the relationship complications, I loved them. It kept me hooked, and I always feel like romances in books nowdays  are too perfect. This one was great because in real life, you are never not going to fight with the one that you love. It was much more real, and they actually have LOVE, not some mushy teenage hormones."
   
   I really hope Veronica Roth keeps it that way but also gives us some romance that we want.
10. I hope to see Tris overcome some of her fears..... and her depression over loosing her parents. I felt so sad for her when she lost them, and I really hope that Tobias will stop being a jerk about telling her to stop being so depressed. I mean, geez. Plus, she really should get over some of her fears and maybe Tobias will stop being afraid of loosing her and just love her instead. (In case y'all don't remember, his fear of his father was replaced by loosing Tris. I know that they can't become fearless, but I hope they will become brave.

Okay, so I was only going to do ten for this, but here is a special treat: A major plot twist. I can't write as beautifully as Roth does so bear with me.

I suck in my breath, my heart beating wildly in my chest. For a second I feel relaxed, and then a wave of major confusion hits me. Where am I? It looks like the room they took me to when I was sixteen to administer the tests. One more glance around confirms that it is that room, the very same one. What am I doing here? I am lying down on a bed, and no one else is around. "Christina?" I call. "Tobias?" No answer. What happened to me? I get off the bed and start for the door when someone opens it.

Tori.

"Tori, what is going on? What happened to me?" I ask. She says nothing and shuts the door. "Tori?" I ask again.
"I'm sorry to inform you of this," she said, "but you have been in a simulation."
What she says does not make sense. I think back to the last thing I remember. It wasn't a simulation. "What?" I say, "When?"

She takes a deep breath.  "From the moment you stepped into this room to be tested. Going through the Dauntless initiation, going to the Erudite to sacrifice yourself, battling Jeanine Matthews, it was all a simulation."

At this I get up and slap her across the face. "Where is Tobias?" I hiss at her.

"Tobias isn't real, Tris," she says softly. "We knew that he was the only one from your faction to go to Dauntless, so we used his name in the simulation. He wasn't real."

I don't believe her. No simulation could last that long. I march out of the room and run down the hall. Tori follows me. "Tris, wait," she says.

"I don't believe you," I spit. "I'm going to find him, and prove you wrong."

"He's here," Tori says, grabbing my arm. "We've called him in, look."

She points across the room, and I see him, his familiar blue eyes glinting in the light. I run over to him as fast as I can.

"Tobias!" I throw my arms around him. "Tori tried to convince me that it was all a trick, that you were just a simulation, but I knew you weren't!" I kiss him, and he lets me, and when I break away he stares at me, breathless.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He looks at me. "Who are you?" he asks back.

My world fades to black.

Movie Review: Epic

Movie Title: Epic
Running Time: 102 minutes
Rating: PG
Trailer:

 

Brief Synopsis from the official site:

 

What is Epic? EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures,  to save their world...and ours.

 

The Characters:

 

MK is the main character of the movie. She goes to live with her dad, who is crazy about his work: proving there are small people living in the forest. She thinks he is cuckoo until she is magically shrunk and discovers that there are, in fact, little people living in the forest.  

 

  

 Queen Tara is the queen of the leafmen living in the forest. She  is voiced by Beyoncé. She must find a new pod to become queen of the forest before it is too late.












Nod was one of my favorite characters. He is a fast flying ex-leaf man in the movie. He is also the main male character, fighting alongside MK to defeat the evils of the forest.  He is played by Josh Hutcherson, who starred in Bridge to Teribithia and is best known for playing Peeta Melark in the Hunger Games Movie.

MOVIE REVIEW

 

 

When I first got in the car to go see Epic with my family, let me tell you, it was definitely not my first choice on the list of movies that are currently in theaters. Let's just say I did not regret my decision to come to the movies that day, because Epic is a fun family movie, and it is cute and well thought out.

 

Epic starts off with Mary Katherine, referred to in the movie as M.K. She is a girl coming to live with her father, who is a bit crazy. He believes that there are small people living in the forest, traveling too fast for humans to see them. M.K. does not believe him until she herself is shrunk and discovers the world of the leafmen.

 

Nod is one of those leafmen, or he was, before he quit. He is a fast flyer on his bird, but he is the kind of guy who wants no boundaries. He definitely did not plan on a pretty girl coming into his life and looking for help. M.K. was given a pod by Queen Tara, who chose the pod to be the next queen, to watch over it and keep it safe until the next full moon. Which should not be a problem, except for the evil villains of the story:

 

Boggans. This one up here is called Mandrake, and you do not want him living in your garden. He is the king of the Boggans, a species that destroy the forest and battle with the leaf men, who mend the Boggan destruction to keep the forest alive. If Mandrake can prevent the ceremony for the pod from happening, he can create a Son of Darkness instead of a new queen. Without a queen, the forest could never mend after the Boggans destroy it, and the forest will be dark and under Boggan rule forever.

 

 

 

I have to say that my favorite character, although Nod is pretty awesome, was the slug. If you watch the trailer at the top of this review you will get a hint about what I'm saying. It is pretty hilarious to watch him try and flirt with M.K. He and Nod will fight to the end to get the girl, let me tell you.

 

 

In conclusion, Epic was a pretty Epic cartoon, although I have no idea why people are calling it an Epic failure. I thought it was a good family movie and mildly humorous. If you liked Rio go ahead and see Epic. You will not be disappointed.

 

 



Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Title: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Author: Jessica Day George
Number of Pages: 336
Genres: Romance, Fairytale Retellings
Books like it: The Rose Daughter, Beauty, Kissed
My favorite quote: “Love’? What do you know about love?”
"It’s at the heart of every story,” Rollo said with authority. “If humans could avoid falling in love, you would never get yourselves into any trouble.”

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servants. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess. 
 (cont) When a great white bear promises untold riches to her family, the Lass (as she's known) agrees to go away with him. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle. To unravel the mystery, the Lass sets out on a windswept journey beyond the edge of the world. Based on the Nordic legend East of the Sun, West of the Moon, with romantic echoes of Beauty and the Beast, this re-imagined story will leave fans of fantasy and fairytale enchanted.


My Summary:

One of my favorite genres of the bookish world is fairytale retellings. The first books that I ever read as a kid were the brothers Grimm. I fell in love with their stories and grew up loving fairytales of any kind. My absolute favorite fairytale has always been Beauty and the Beast. So, naturally, since this book was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I liked it for the most part. It apparently was also based on a Nordic legend, which I have never read and will have to hunt down on my kindle. Although this was an odd version of Beauty and the Beast, I could see the similarities.

In a land far away, a cold and harsh winter has stretched on for more than a hundred years. There lives a girl called the Lass, for she was the unwanted ninth child of a poor family, and her mother will not give her a name. Her oldest brother, Hans Peter returned from the sea so many years ago, but he is different. Changed, and sad. The Lass knows that he has a secret, too dark and cursed to speak aloud.

The Lass's life changes forever when a white bear, called an isbjorn, shows up at her doorstep and claims he will not harm her or her family if she will come live with him for one year and one day in a castle of ice. In return, he will give her family wealth beyond imagination. The Lass accepts and goes to live with the strange creature in the palace of ice. She finds that it has many deadly secrets, and as she falls deeper in love with the isbjorn, she discovers he is a prince who was cursed by an evil queen (of course). Can she save him before it is too late and she looses him forever?

Okay, so another big part of this book is the Lass's "gift." When she is young, she frees an enchanted deer and he grants her one wish. He gives her a name and kisses her forehead, which, as it turns out, gives her the gift to speak and understand the animals. There is a wolf named Rollo who is her pet and a big part of the story line.

In the very back of the book, there is a glossary on how to pronounce the names in the book. I suggest that if you read this book, go to the glossary when you reach a complicated looking name so you are not pronouncing it wrong the entire time. For example, Erasmus is pronounced er-az-mus.

Pros: This book had a sort of poetic flow and I liked the sense of storytelling in it. If you want more pros, I basically just listed them in the paragraphs above. Another pro is that you can read this story to little kids, like a chapter at a time just before bed or something.

Cons: I have read all of Jessica Day George's work, and it is cruel but the truth to say that this book is my least favorite that she has written. The reason that I could not give a very lengthy review for this one is because the start of the book drags on, and to tell the interesting parts would literally give away the ending. I was not totally interested until page 199, and until you get to that point everything is a slow drag. Page 200 and on for the rest of the book is pretty good, so just push through the start and you will be fine. So, true that this does have a lot of similarities to Beauty and the Beast and the tale West of Moon East of Sun, (which by the way, I did read while researching for this review) it is not the best fairytale retelling that I have ever read.

Review: 3 stars

COMING SOON!

A huge list of my predictions for Allegiant will be released sometime during the next two days. If I can get it done that fast. I'm serious, I have like twenty predictions. Too bad that the title is not Detergent. That would have been so funny........

 

Anyway. if the list is done and you have some different opinions than I do, please comment! I am so excited to write up this list!

 

XOXO

Sarah

 

FINAL Summer Reading List Update: #25

The Runaway King

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

 

 

Well. that's it then. My Summer Reading List is finished! With a total of 25 different books, this will be one reading summer! Again, you can do it with me and add your own books or take some off from my list. I will hopefully be reading and reviewing these books throughout the month of June-August. If I get done with all these books early, then I am going to start on the Fiction Fall Challenge. In the Fiction Fall Challenge I will be reading 10 new released and TBR books including:

 

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Champion by Marie Lu

and The Uprising by Lisa Strasse

COVER COMPARISON

  

Personally I have always loved the UK cover (the one on the right) much better than the US. It has so much more about the book hidden in it, and I think they are much more interesting than a picture of Cammie. For example, the US cover looks like a graduation (which there may be in the book, I guess) whereas the UK cover looks much more like a spy girl series. Do you see what I mean with the other covers, too? If you take a look at them you will find the UK ones much more interesting:

 

 

 

 You can take a look at the other ones and see what you think. In the series there is also Only the Good Spy Young and Out of Sight Out of Time (my favorite one!!!)



 

 

XOXO

Sarah

  

 

Cover Released: United We Spy by Ally Carter {Gallagher Girls #6}

United
            We
                  Spy

 

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

 

 

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK! Thoughts? 

 

Waiting on Wednesday #3

This is our third Waiting on Wednsday hosted by a blog called Breaking the Spine at www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com

The book I am waiting for this week is:







I liked the first ones as a kid, so of course I am going to read this one! Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
 

Princess Poppy, the bouncing baby daughter of Queen Marigold and King Christian of Zandelphia-Beaurivage, is in terrible danger. The kingdom’s former torturer-in-chief and poisoner-in-chief have joined forces to kidnap the baby as an act of revenge for their exile! Can a ragtag parade of rescuers—including the king and queen, the evil kidnappers’ mortified children, five dogs, a white elephant, and a washed-up wizard—save Princess Poppy in time?

Summer Reading List Update 22-24

I skipped a day without a SRU and I forgot to do it yesterday. So here is 22, 23, and 24.

Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
Jim Hawkins has a bad attitude. What's more, he enjoys having a bad attitude about everything — especially about church.
Garth Plimpton is a fanatic. He's spent so much time studying the scriptures and thick books on archeology that he can't carry on a normal conversation with other kids. That's why they consider him a nerd.
Through an unusual chain of events, these two opposites become fast friends. It all began when Garth told Jim a simple truth:
“They really existed, you know.”
“Who?” Jim asked.
“Nephites,” Garth replied. “Every character in the Book of Mormon ate, slept, died, was buried . . .”
That statement, taken for granted before, would soon echo deeply in the two boys' minds — because they were on the trail of a chilling secret. At the root of this secret was a faded Indian legend that old men told children to make their eyes grow big. As Garth and Jim put the pieces of the puzzle together, they accidentally stumble upon a mysterious passageway hurling them into another world — an ancient American world.
Join Jim, Garth, and Jim's pesky little sister, Jennifer, as they journey in a land where the names Helaman, Teancum, and Captain Moroni are more than just words on a page. A world where danger and suspense are a way of life. . .

 

 

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess.

 

 

Clockwork Princess

(isn't the cover gorgeous???)

 

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy. Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

 

FANGIRLING: THE CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE

Newest snippet:

His eyes shone when he looked at her, green as spring grass.

He has always had green eyes, said the voice in her head. People often marvel at how much alike you are, he and your mother and yourself. His name is Jonathan and he is your brother; he has always protected you.

Somewhere in the back of Clary’s mind she saw black eyes and whip marks, but she didn’t know why. He’s your brother. He’s your brother, and he’s always taken care of you.

 

 

Snippet #2:

 

 A moment later, Helen had returned; she was walking slowly now, and carefully, her hand on the back of a thin boy with a mop of wavy brown hair. He couldn’t have been older than twelve, and Clary recognized him immediately. Helen, her hand firmly clamped around the wrist of a younger boy whose hands were covered with blue wax. He must have been playing with the tapers in the huge candelabras that decorated the sides of the nave. He looked about twelve, with an impish grin and the same wavy, bitter-chocolate hair as his sister.

Jules, Helen had called him. Her little brother.

The impish grin was gone now. He looked tired and dirty and frightened. Skinny wrists stuck out of the cuffs of a white mourning jacket whose sleeves were too short for him. In his arms he was carrying a little boy, probably not more than two years old, with the same wavy brown hair that he had; it seemed to be a family trait. The rest of his family wore the same borrowed mourning clothes: following Julian was a brunette girl about ten, her hand firmly clasped in the hold of a boy the same age: the boy had a sheet of tangled black hair that nearly obscured his face. Fraternal twins, Clary guessed. After them came a girl who might have been eight or nine, her face round and very pale between brown braids. 

The misery on their faces cut ay Clary’s heart. She thought of her power with runes, wishing that she could create one that would soften the blow of loss. Mourning runes existed, but only to honor the dead, in the same way that love runes existed, like wedding rings, to symbolize the bond of love. You couldn’t make someone love you with a rune, and you couldn’t assuage grief with it, either. So much magic, Clary thought, and nothing to mend a broken heart.

“Julian Blackthorn,” said Jia Penhallow, and her voice was gentle. “Step forward, please.”

Julian swallowed and handed the little boy he was holding over to his sister. He stepped forward, his eyes darting around the room. He was clearly scouring the crowd for someone. His shoulders had just begun to slump when another figure darted out onto the stage. A girl, also about twelve, with a tangle of blond hair that hung down around her shoulders: she wore jeans and a t-shirt that didn’t quite fit, and her head was down, as if she couldn’t bear so many people looking at her. It was clear that she didn’t want to be there — on the stage or perhaps even in Idris — but the moment he saw her, Julian seemed to relax. The terrified look vanished from his expression as she moved to stand next to him, her face ducked down and away from the crowd.

“Julian,” said Jia, in the same gentle voice, “would you do something for us? Would you take up the Mortal Sword?”

 

 

WHO DO THEY MEAN BY THIS:

 

 

Another snippet:

 

“Simon,” said a voice at his shoulder, and he turned to see Izzy, her face a pale smudge between dark hair and dark cloak, looking at him, her expression half-angry, half-sad. “I guess this is the part where we say goodbye?”

 

 

 

 

 

“No killing,” Jordan said. “We’re trying to make you feel peaceful, so you don’t go up in flames. Blood, killing, war, those are all non-peaceful things. Isn’t there anything else you like? Rainforests? Chirping birds?”

“Weapons,” said Jace. “I like weapons.”

“I’m starting to think we have a problematic issue of personal philosophy here.”

Jace leaned forward, his palms flat on the ground. “I’m a warrior,” he said. “I was brought up as a warrior. I didn’t have toys, I had weapons. I slept with a wooden sword until I was five. My first books were medieval demonologies with illuminated pages. The first songs I learned were chants to banish demons. I know what brings me peace, and it isn’t sandy beaches or chirping birds in rainforests. I want a weapon in my hand and a strategy to win.”

Jordan looked at him levelly. “So you’re saying that what brings you peace … is war.”

“Now you get it.” 

 

Alec looked down at the shattered pieces in disbelief. “You BROKE my PHONE.”
Jace shrugged. “Guys don’t let other guys keep calling other guys. Okay, that came out wrong. Friends don’t let friends keep calling their exes and hanging up. Seriously. You have to stop.”
Alec looked furious. “So you broke my brand new phone? Thanks a lot.”
Jace smiled serenely and lay back on the grass. “You’re welcome.”