My reaction to Inheritance. (Christopher Paolini)

          I started my Inheritance journey back in 2006, when I was randomly roaming around my middle school library and a book with a dragon on the cover caught my eye. (I've always adored fantasy, so this was right up my ally). I pulled both Eragon and Eldest off the shelf, and began reading almost immediately. It only took me about two weeks to read both books, even at my young age, and it was no surprise that by the end of the duration I was absolutely in love with Eragon, Brom, Saphira and Arya.
          At the time, I knew that I had awhile to go until Brisingr came out so kept the story alive in me by being excited for the 2007 film adaptation and by naming my new-pet mouse Arya. Unfortunately, the film was made and released during the writer strike so it was no where near what it could have been. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed seeing my favorite characters come to life.
         Brisigr came out in Fall 2009, and I was EXTREMELY excited for it. But when I finally got my hands on it, I could not get into it at all. I tried like three times over the course of a few weeks to get past the first like 30 pages and it simply wasn't possible. I'm not sure if this was because of the slow pace, the huge gap between me reading the first few books and book 3. I lost interest in the series after that, discouraged by what I couldn't seem to get into. It wasn't until Fall 2012 when Inheritance was released that I got back into the series.
          When Inheritance came out, I still wasn't feeling the series. But I have this HORRIBLE tendency to spoil things for myself, so I made the terrible mistake to read the last page of the book in Target. And my god was that once of the worst things I have ever done. I literally almost started crying in the middle of the store. (For reasons that I will explain and elaborate my feelings on later.)
          I decided that the best way for me to get back into Eragon's world would be to re-read all the books before I read Inheritance. Given that I had not read Brisingr, I figured that would probably be a good idea. So I gathered my copies of the books and gave them a retry. I finished Eragon with great speed, it's in my opinion the best written one especially regarding the pace. From there I re-read Eldest, then started my third attempt at reading Brisingr. And it was a struggle. It took me a lot longer to get through that book than I initially planned on it taking. There is just something SO deterring about that book. But alas, I struggled through it and finished.
          Once I picked up the fourth book, I was extremely curious as to how it was going to play out, especially since I knew how it ended... I actually really liked Inheritance for the majority of the book. I loved all the conflict in it, especially when Nasuada was captured and tortured. I was enthralled with how she brought out the good in Murtagh and how he came to love her. (I shipped it SO hard). Now the problems started coming towards the end of the book. As a reader, I was perfectly content with what was going on. It was perfect in my opinion, everything was turnout out to be good and okay... until the very end. My sanity downfall started with Murtagh leaving Nasuada cause he believed that he could never be with her and thought her being away from him would be better. AFTER ALL THEY HAD BEEN THROUGH!!! So that made me angry. But then Paolini had to go and make Saphire be buddies with Arya's dragon, so I started shipping that friendship. And of course Eragon and Arya were going swimmingly. But. He. Couldn't. Even. Give. Me. That.
          Let me just stop for a second to explain something before I get to my biggest complaint about this damn novel. Ever since I was in 6th grade, I have loved Eragon and Arya together and wished it to happen EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR SIX YEARS!! That is a LONG time to ship a pair of people you knew it your gut should be together. And this may seem extremely petty that I got so upset about this, but seriously having everything beutiful and expected TORN AWAY from you after six years is freaking heart wrenching. I digress, back to the story. So everything was going peachy, Arya told Eragon that maybe after this was all over they could be together, which made me literally tear with happiness. Then Eragon, that little idiot says NO. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF PINING AFTER HER HE SAYS NO?!?! He wants to go and raise dragons away from everyone else.... that made me extremely angry. And then it just ends with him sailing down a river away from everything he has known and loved. Like what??? (Funnily this was foreshadowed in the first book.) So I was freaking pissed and cried myself to sleep.

* I finished this book November of 2011 and am now writing this review cause it made me so angry even till this day *

Fortunately, I also texted my one of my best book buddies my reaction so I'll type out what that said. And that was recorded like RIGHT after I finished, so enjoy!

"So I finished. And I honestly can say that I haven't cried at the ending of a series since Hunger Games... till now. I was depressed from 735 onward, I cried at 800 for like 5 minutes then was even more depressed till the end of the book, of which I sobbed (like ugly crying) at the last page. My fav pages were 490-496. They revolve around Nasuada and Murtagh of coarse <3. But u know Paolini couldn't even give me that! Oh no romance would just be TOO much for him! No Murtagh just kinda dissaperars and Nasuada just keeps reigning. So another big heartache. But it's NOTHING compared to the Arya/Ergaon thing. That, to be, is absolutly HEARTBREAKING. How dare Paolini do this to me?!? 6 YEARS OF WAITING, 6 YEARS!! And they don't get together?? No. Eragon has to go off and train the new dragons. Does he decide to do this in Agalasia? No he goes off into no mans land where he is never to return. Nbd, just leave behind everyone that you love. Whatever. Even after Saphira and Mr. Green Dragon start hanging out... They don't get to be together either. So no relationships work besides Ronan. And don't even get me started on the whole Hero thing. Does every hero that has a great burden thrust upon him have to be "damaged" and go off on their own?? In LOTR, Frodo goes into the West, in HG Katniss goes off to D12 to live and raise her family. In Eragon, he goes out of the realm. And that may be all symbolic and shit but WHAT THE FUCK. Do NOT make me go through 6 years of Eragon and expect me to be okay with him just leaving EVERYONE behind. I am NOT okay with that, at all. It is not bittersweet, it is bullshit. If Paolini knew he was going to end it that way, (and I know he did) then he should have never ever hinted and hinted at their relationship and gotten readers hopes up. That is NOT fair, at all. Actually it is cruel. and then to go make Murtagh fall in love, then wisk that away too? What is he trying to do?? I'm only one person! I don't like to go to bed depressed, tear streaked, and heartbroken. It's not a good thing for me! Why can't he just have a good freaking happily ever after?? It really wouldn't have downgraded the series at all."

Moreover, this book destroyed me. But I would rate it 4/5 stars anyway.

Downton Abbey

Unfortunatly I just recently comepletely delved myself into the Downton world, having only seen bits and peices of the show before now. But I do consider myself lucky that I could just keep pedaling through the episodes and not wait a week between them. And to be quite frank, I probably would have lost my mind if I had to wait.

I am writing this post because I am apsolutely in love with Downton Abbey, I think it is incredible; and if you have not started to watch then what have you been doing with your life??? And I am not only gearing this towards british crazed, period drama fans that eat this stuff up for breakfast. I mean just in general you need to watch this show, just for the story if your not a big classic fan.

Let me just start off listing everything that is fantastic about this show:
- Music
- Cast
- Story
- Cinematography
- Costumes
- Acting
- Set
And I think that covers it.. if u havn't noticed I mentioned everything vital in a show. So go go go watch!

Btw my favs are Mary, Matthew, Branson, Sybil, Gwen, Anna, and Bates. Thought u should know :)

Finnikin of the Rock

I literally believe that Melina weaves her words and characters with magic because every sentence and plot line is soo intricate and beautiful that I am amazed on every page. It astounds me that she hasn't been given critical fantasy acclaim because these stories are incredible. I particularly loved the relationship between Isobea and Finnikin, they were both soo loyal to each other! I would reccomend this book to anyone who loves fantasy.
I figure myself to be vry lucky, because I just haphazardly picked this book off of my library shelf and went into it blind. I really only grabbed it because bk 2 was sitting next to it and it boasted 600 pages. Since I love series and long books I went for it, and I am very glad I did.

Book Review of Froi of the Exiles

I went into this book very wary. I didn't exactly like Froi in Finnikin but as soon as I delved into bk 2 and his mind, I actually liked him more than...more I went into this book very wary. I didn't exactly like Froi in Finnikin but as soon as I delved into bk 2 and his mind, I actually liked him more than Finn. (Which sounds awful, but I really do like him!) I also would have to say that I enjoyed this book better than Finn because it was wayy more complex. Which I didn't think was possible. But it was. Specifically with Quintana, to me she is one of the most dymensional characters that I have ever encountered. Besides the fact that for most of the book she is carrying 2 souls inside of her, she still was soo intricate. Another thing that I enjoyed in Froi, was still seeing the bond between Finnikin and Isobea. They are soo much in love with each other that it melts my heart. Umm what else... I don't really feel like telling u what the book is about because there is a summary right next to the book name on here so I would be wasting my breath. But what it doesn't tell u is about the ending. I don't want to spoil anything but lets just say, it mashes up everything that you believe to know. End of story!

Embrace Review

Started his book this morning and barely put it down. I mean I had school and track but otherwise no. I was initially intrigued by the cover, yes I am one of those people. I'm ashamed but I won't lie. I have read alot of angel books so the mythology has always intrigued me.
I gave this book five stars for a few different reasons. First the writing is very good, which really just provides a good base for a book. Next, I really liked the characters. Violet and Linc especially. I connected right away to their relationship and I felt like they had a good one from the start. So it would be safe to say that when Phoenix was introduced I wasn't exactly a happy camper. He was very dark, and too intense. Don't get me wrong, I ALWAYS go for the bad guys but he had something off about him. U can read it to find out what. But I will have to admit that his hair is pretty wicked. Sorry for ranting about the men in the story but Violet's relationships with them are pretty crucial.
I cannot wait to get my hands in the next books in the series and I am really rooting for the Linc-Violet relationship. I think they belong together. So overall, great book.




http://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Jessica-Shirvington/dp/1402268408/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336520714&sr=1-1

American Beauty

It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I realized there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in.

 

I believe this to be one of the most beautiful and incredible quotes in cinematic history.

My response to Mockingjay back in 2010

4:47 PM 8/24/2010
So not too long ago I finished the third and LAST Hunger Games book, Mockingjay and the book was amazing and sad at the same time. Unfortunatly she did not end up with Gale, which is horrid, but I don't really think that Gale was the one for her. She changed alot in this book and even though I could see his love I know that it was something that was not truly for her. I desperatly hope that he will find love again in District 2. But the really horrible thing was how the book ended.. the last 20 pages or so were so mournfull and lonesome. I felt like Katniss didn't have anyone anymore. She just went back to her district, without her mom, gale, or .... prim. I have no idea how she dragged herself there at all I wouldn't of been able to go back to that place. Not with all the death and destruction that came along with it. Idk I just feel that Katniss lost herself and it's depressing. So I'm all sad then Suzanne Collins goes in and makes such a beautiful epilogue that it moved me to tears. I mean reciting Rue's Lullabye is just sooo heartbreaking in itself, and her children playing on the grounds of destruction; hoping for a new day to come where there will be utter peace. It's just sooo touching and sad. Bittersweet is the perfect word.
Amazon Review:
Personally this book was very bittersweet. It was filled with such charactor development that one couldn't help but get attached to all the charactors and with every death it seemed harder to read. The charactor depth of Katniss was the most shocking of every tragic thing that seemed to happen in Mockingjay. For the first time in the whole entire trilogy you saw how much of Katniss was already dead. That she had died in the first Hunger Games book. Once she came home from that there was no longer any peice of her left, she had already died. I realized that as soon as I started to read Mockingjay, Katniss was soo shattered and fragile. No matter what she seemed to overcome or battle she still came off as a shell of her former self. She was always wanting to find herself, which I don't think she ever did.
The epilogue and the last 20 or so pages that really made be quite sad and happy at the same time. The last 20 more or so pages left me feeling really drained. The first thing that made me really sad was Prim's death, right after recovering from Finnicks I wasn't prepared for another blow. But Suzanne delt us one anyway. I thouhgt her death wasn't needed neccersarily and I had felt that so much of Katniss's previous life had been destroyed that it seemed cruel to have her little sister taken away from her after that. After Prim's death Katniss kills Coin and I was completely fine with that but after her "trail" she was sent back to District 12. Which I think is terrible! She had lost EVERYTHING and then she was sentenced back to her death ridden town. Cruel. And then to top it all off she seemed to loose everything after that. Her mother couldn't come back to the District, Gale seemed to drop off the face of the planet without a proper exit (I was Team Gale btw) and she was left to live a "normal life" in District 12 with only a few other people. Now the epilogue I thought was actually beautiful, although I was upset that she didn't choose Gale I saw why she took Peeta and the fact that they had 2 beautiful children together made me really happy. But the most heartwrenching part of the epilogue was the part where she recited Rue's Lullabye. That's when the tears started for me :( It was just a very deep and touching part of the story. At that point in gave the reader hope that maybe her children would learn of the horrors that happened upon the grounds that they played. But then, again, it wasn't really practical that Katniss is living this kind of normal life. She will never truly recover from the games, neither will Peeta, and I think that is what is soo compelling with this story. I don't think that Suzanne Collins ever really wanted her to be perfectly normal again, she wanted her to be human and humble. And having that kind of bittersweet ending is truly moving.
Overall this book is definitly worth 5 stars. If I could give it more then I would. It was a story that delved into the brutality of war and the hardships of love. And in the end couldn't be described as anything less of extrodinary.