2013 was a year full of great movies

There were so many movies that I loved last year and there's still some that I haven't got around to watching yet. You'll notice there's been a lot of sequels released this year and I've enjoyed them. Here is a list of all the fantastic movies that I loved and if you haven't seen any of them yet then get on it!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Needless to say I loved this movie. I am a HUGE fan of Lord of the Rings and I will snatch up any chance there is to be in this world again.

 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

In one word: Flawless. Catching Fire was so amazing and true to the novel, I can not wait to see what they do with the next two movies. Good for people who may not have read the books. 

We're the Millers

So hilarious and crude at times but it made it all the more funny. I was laughing through the whole movie. I love Jennifer Aniston and she is gorgeous in this, she's done quite a few good comedies lately. 

World War Z

Such an epic movie, so suspenseful! I hate zombies but this wasn't the usual gore zombie movie, it was more of a quiet scary film with an interesting storyline.  

This is the end

This was an unexpected awesome movie. I had heard nothing about this and was surprised at how funny, scary and weird this was. A real favourite and what movie with the Backstreet Boys in it isn't awesome?! 

The Conjuring

WOW this was scary! One of the scariest movies I've seen and I've seen a lot. I hear there is going to be a sequel and I can't wait for that!

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Benedict Cumberbasch kicks butt as a bad guy, he is becoming a favourite guy of mine. I really liked the first Star Trek movie and this one goes one up on that. I don't think I'll ever be a trekkie but I enjoy these movies. 

Elysium

I was surprised by this one. I didn't know much about it and found myself really enjoying the story.  A dystopian type movie with Matt Damon at his best.

Oblivion

Tom Cruise is a great actor, may be a bit of a weirdo in real life but I love his movies. Another dystopian movie that makes you think and appreciate life. 

Epic

What a cute movie. It was funny and had a great message, some really good voice acting and the actors chosen for the characters was great casting. Lots of familiar voices. 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Magical fun and very uplifting. Made me believe in magic, all actors were marvelous in this. Jim Carey is quite strange though... 

Iron Man 3

Is this the end of Iron Man? Robert Downey Jnr is back and so is the suit or should I say suits. There's more laughs, action and evil in this installment of the loved iron man franchise.

The Hangover: Part 3

A great wrap up to this triology, the second wasn't all that great so I was hoping this was better than that. It was and so many funny moments with all our favourite people. 

Warm Bodies

Another zombie movie on my favourites list?! Yes, but it wasn't gory either and there was some romance thrown in. Haven't read the book but want to now. 

Monsters University

We get to see Mike as a child and he is so adorable! This wasn't as good as Monsters Inc. but I still thought it was good. The story was little predictable but it was a great way to show us how Sulley & Mike became best friends. 

Oz the Great and Powerful

The wizard of Oz is a favourite movie of mine and it was lovely to see more of wonderful land of Oz. Lovely colours used and a fantastic story.

What movies are on your favourites list from last year?

The Darkest Minds Never Fade

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken

Rating: 3 out of 5 hearts
507 pages
Released: October 2013
Buy it @ book depository

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

Review

 

To be honest I was a little disappointed when I first started reading. I loved the first book so much and it took me until halfway through the book before I started to truly enjoy this. I think this could have been because the first part of the book was Ruby being part of the league. Ruby had been taken by the league and helped them with their missions. She had changed so much since she had been with the league, it's like she had become numb and empty and because of this the story also came across a bit dull.

Once Ruby went on her secret mission and we come across some of those favourites characters from the first book does the pace pick up again. I can look past this slow start because the rest of the book was so good.

I mentioned in my review for the first book that I hope we get a bit more information about why/how the kids got their powers, we don't know exactly why/how but we are given hints and I can't wait to see everything revealed in the last book.

There was a jaw dropping moment at the end of the book (not as much as the first) but it was devastating enough. Those who have read this may know what I'm talking about, I almost cried :(

Thank you to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for my copy.

On the cover 

 

I read this book on my kindle so I didn't really have a proper cover on this. So I've decided to talk about the above cover because I think it looks wicked! To me this looks like a compass crashing through ice and wire which has a lot do with the story. I think this cover is good for guys or girls and makes it look like an epic book!

What I'm reading next: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Eve and Adam or is it Eve and Solo?

Eve & Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
291 pages
Released: October 2012
Buy it @ book depository

And girl created boy…

In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

Review 

 

Eve & Adam is a fast-paced and unique sci-fi tale full of weird scientists, grisly experiments, secrets and a sprinkling of romance. The story focuses on genetics and shifts backwards and forwards between our main characters Evening & Solo. Later in the novel we read from Adam's point of view once he is created. 

When I first heard about this book I thought it was going to be about a girl creating a boy, falling in love and maybe even teaching him all there is to know about life along the way. That wasn't what this book was about at all, there was a lot more to it.

I really enjoyed this, I found the story intriguing albeit a little predictable. I've read many people going on about the characters being a bit flat but I liked the characters. Evening wasn't all that interesting but Solo was a cool cat and I found myself liking him straight away. Another character who was extremly likable and funny was Evening's bestfriend Aislin. Although Adam's name is a main part of the title he was a very small part of the book.

All in all I found myself liking this book, I liked it as much as "BZRK" (also by Michael Grant) but for different reasons. I found out that Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate are married. How fun would it be to write books together! I also found out that there is a planned sequel to this book, I felt like this ended really well and didn't feel like it needed a follow up but I will still give the sequel a go.

 

On the cover

This is the main cover that I'm used to seeing and I do prefer it over the one pictured above. I love the bright colours compared to the simple black, blue & white of the other cover. The lightning spark is reall awesome and this cover draws me in and makes me want to read it

What I'm listening on Audio to next: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Totally BZRK

BZRK (BZRK #1) by Michael Grant

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts

407 pages

Released: February 2012

Buy it @ book depository

"Set in the near future, BZRK is the story of a war for control of the human mind.  Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal:  to turn the world into their vision of utopia.  No wars, no conflict, no hunger.  And no free will.  Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human.  This is no ordinary war, though.  Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain.  And there are no stalemates here:  It’s victory . . . or madness.

BZRK unfolds with hurricane force around core themes of conspiracy and mystery, insanity and changing realities, engagement and empowerment, and the larger impact of personal choice. Which side would you choose?  How far would you go to win? "

Review

I had no idea what to expect from this book and I was thrown into it with a bang and a plane crash! The book is told from multiple points of view. Sadie, the tough rich girl who doesn't care that she's rich, Noah, the romantic, Bugman, the young badboy and Vincent the weird guy who can't experience any type of pleasure. Very different characters thrown together in this thrilling ride. Slightly dystopian and science fiction rolled into one, so for fans of both these genres should definitely put this book on their 'to-read' list.

Something I really liked about this book was the way Michael Grant described parts of the body in extreme close up, it was truly amazing. In one scene, he is describing what a biot (a microscopic biological robot) can see from it's point of view to find out it is sitting on a person's eyelash!

The villains or should I say villain in this story is truly evil and grotesque to boot. Enter the Armstrong twins Charles & Benjamin who are actually conjoined twins so I guess that kind of makes them one person. They share a leg so they have three legs but the middle one doesn't actually function properly and hangs there limp most of the time, EW! Their horrible looks aren't the only disgusting thing, it's also their mad vision for the human race...

I didn't really like how this ended though. Sometimes with Audiobooks I can, without knowing, drift off. I don't know if that's what I did at the end of this book. That seems bad because then that may mean the end was boring if I drifted off. It's been about 2 weeks since I finished it and I can't seem to bring back to memory what happened in the end! I guess that may be a good thing because there's no cliff hanger for me to pine over.

On the cover

I've seen this cover a few times before reading it and I didn't realise straight away that there's an robotic insect type thing inside the eye. That is a perfect depiction of what happens in the book. Little robotic insect like things crawl inside people's eyes which leads to their brains...

What I'm listening on Audio to next: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

The winged kids are Nevermore

Nevermore (Maximum Ride #8) by James Patterson
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
368 pages
Buy it @ Book depository
Released: August, 2012

"One last chance...for Max, Fang, and Dylan...before it all ends.
Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming."

Review

My final thoughts after reading this were that I'm a tad disappointed with the ending. I know it would be really hard to try to end a series that has been going for quite some time. I can't tell you if the world gets saved or not because that would ruin everything if you haven't read this. I have to say though that I guess the ending was ok. At one stage I thought Patterson had taken the easy way out by killing off the main character and saying that's the end but luckily he didn't.

I remember the feeling I had when I read the first book in the series, it was exciting and I had never read anything like it before. After about the fourth or fifth book it was starting to lose that charm. With the main plot of each book being about mutant teenagers saving the world, it gets a bit old very quick. So I have to admit I'm glad that the series was coming to an end. Usually for any series ending there's a sense of sadness as you will never read about these characters again or join them on their adventures but I didn't feel sad. I felt like it had run it's course and was ready to end.

I read my review for the previous book Angel and realised how much I really liked it. Unfortunately this isn't how I felt with this one. I've been reading the manga versions of this series and it's been really good, I've enjoyed reliving the past with pictures.

On the cover

For me this cover symbolises the end because it's so washed out and the colours are dull except for the small splashes of red, blood maybe?

What I'm reading next: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

Books i'm pining for January

"Books I'm pining for" is a feature for new and old books that I want to read. So I thought I would share with everyone these books and to find out what books you are pining for. I missed out on my November books so enjoy these!

Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

I've wanted to read this one for ages now, I think it's time to read another Dystopian book.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Initially this wasn't on my 'to read' shelf but I've heard some great reviews about this and it sounds good!

Anna dressed in blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake
Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

How can you not want to read this after reading that blurb, also the second book in the series is out now so it would be a good time to read the first.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

This book sounds really interesting and I just love that cover, the red shoe and the title font are wicked!

I am not a serial killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells
John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it.

He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential.

He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation.

Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t demand or expect the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the objectivity to recognize that there’s something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat---and to appreciate what that difference means.

Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can’t control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.

Maybe sounds a bit like Dexter and that could be the reason why I want to read it...

The Fault in our Stars by John Green
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.

Another book I've been hearing lots of good things about and I really enjoyed the John Green book I read so I'm looking forward to this one.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Ooo sounds like the perfect book to curl up with and get a good scare!

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I love a good romance story and a bad boy thrown in for good measure.

What books are you pining for?