The Fault in Our Stars Movie Trailer

I just wanna give a shout-out to The Fault in Our Stars movie trailer that was released today! If you don't know the Fault in Our Stars is a book by John Green (review here) that is being made into a movie starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The movie is set to premiere on June 6th, and I can not wait to see it! Without further ado, here's the trailer...

I hope you all enjoy this trailer as much as I did, because the feels are reals. This movie looks so good, and I'm really excited especially with all of the vlogbrothers videos that were on set. If you missed any of them here they are for your enjoyment:

Okay, that's all I have to say. I will have another post up soon, leave a comment below if you liked these videos or want more posts like this in the future. Happy Reading!

Book Review: Sun and Moon by Elizabeth Paradise

I received this book through NetGalley, but it was released December 8th of 2013. 

Imagine having your world turned upside down. You realize that nothing is what it seems. Emily and Ashe were born without magic in a land that ranks you on how powerful your talents are. Suddenly the source of that magic is destroyed. Emily and Ashe are forced to fight their way through obstacle after obstacle to find the truth about who they are, and how they can save the lives of people in not only their own world, but other dying worlds.

I thought this was a decent book, the summary and cover immediately grabbed my attention. The blurb sounds very promising, but as I read it I found that I was disappointed. The characterization and romance fell flat, as well as some of the world building. Emily and Ashe fell in love the second they laid eyes on one another, and they had no problems with that. They barely know each other, in fact the only thing they know about each other is that they were born without magic.

Emily and Ashe are constantly complaining about how inadequate they are, even after they've acquired the most powerful magic in Alasia. Emily is indecisive about whether she wants to have powers or not, claiming in the beginning of the book that she doesn't want magic but later in the book she is seduced by the promise of unlocking her magical potential. Emily often feels that she can't accomplish anything so she doesn't even really try, she just gets frustrated and gives up. 

There are also some parts of the book that are repetitive, or unnecessary. As a character, Raelyn didn't really do anything. She was sort of a love interest for Ashe but he never really showed an interest in her, and most of the time she was just scared or she was trying more powers. Even her betrayal to gain power didn't affect the overall story much. 

Overall, this book was okay. It did have some redeeming qualities, the magic for one. The author did a great job of hooking me in and making me want to keep reading, because all of the worlds intrigued me. I wish we could've seen more of the different worlds, and what they're like rather than just a basic description of it. I decided to give this book two-and-a-half stars because it has lots of potential, but it could use some improvement.

"It was as if Predilon pulled his worst fear right out of his dream, and brought it here to face him once again"

"Emily's hair shimmered with the power of the sun, appearing like a flame dancing about in a breeze. A wind flowed through the depths of the root grove, catching at the skirt of her yellow dress. Her skin ignited in a current of shimmering power. For a moment it captivated him. He had never seen her so beautiful before, but he knew it couldn't be a good thing"

Daily Distractions - Music

You may not know this but I have a huge obsession with music.  There's nothing like a good song to get lost in while you read, but sometimes that very song can be what distracts you from reading.  Sometimes when I really like a song, I can't help but sing and dance along and then I get completely distracted from what I'm reading.  Music is one of the many joys of life and I don't know what I would do without it.  I spend lots of my time listening to music and am constantly open to learning about new bands.  Comment with any suggestions! This is my favorite bands and songs in no particular order (because I'm indecisive).

Bands/Singers:

One Direction- World famous British boy band, and I must say I'm a fan. They're adorable, and their music is upbeat and fun to listen to.

Little Mix- A British girl band! Their songs are really empowering, especially for girls and women, and their voices are amazing.

Bastille- What to say about Bastille? Bastille could easily be my favorite band; ever. Their music is absolutely amazing, and its so meaningful. I feel like every single one s their songs has an underlying meaning, and that makes me love each song even more. If you've never heard of them, go check them out now. I recommend "Of the Night", "Pompeii", "The Weight of Living, Pt. II" (or Pt. I), "What Would You Do", and any other song of theirs. 

Ed Sheeran- Ed Sheeran also has really meaningful music, but his songs aren't as fast paced. They're really great and you should definitely check him out if you haven't already.

Selena Gomez- I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of Selena Gomez, she's a great singer and actress. I've loved her ever since she was Alex on Wizards of Waverley Place, and I own every single one of her albums. I feel like I've grown up with her, even though I'm still in high school! She's really great, and her music is really upbeat.

Coldplay- Coldplay has great music, my whole family loves Coldplay. Some of my favorites are "Yellow", "Christmas Lights", and "Viva La Vida".

Imagine Dragons- I found out about Imagine Dragons last year through one of my dance teachers, and I fell in love with their music. The first song of theirs I listened to was "Demons" and I was hooked, that night I looked up the rest of their album and downloaded it immediately.

Marina and the Diamonds- Marina and the Diamonds is an alternative singer, and she has a really great sound to all of her music. I really like listening to her songs, and her voice is amazing!

Songs:

Black & Gold - Sam Sparro

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

Oh Darling - Plug In Stereo

Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ke$ha 

Good Morning Sunshine - Alex Day

Dirty Night Clowns - Chris Garneau

Gold Forever - The Wanted

Coming Back Down - Hollywood Undead

Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song - Matt Hires

I'll Make A Man Out of You - Mulan

Love is on the Radio - Carrie Hope Fletcher (This isn't one of her original songs, but I really like this version of the song she performs with her brother)

In addition to the songs I specifically selected, I love any and every song from the artists above. I just wanted to single out some other songs that I enjoy listening to.

Book Blogger Hop: January 24th-30th

I'm back to the Book Blogger Hop scene! I was checking my e-mails and this post came up and I really liked the question. I really hope to start doing this hop more regularly because it's a lot of fun. Without further ado, here's this weeks question:

Do you think you will ever read every book in your TBR stack? 

My answer:

I like to think that I'll read every book in my TBR stack, and I really hope I do. I honestly think I will read all the books that I actually own, maybe not all of the ones I find on GoodReads and don't buy for years. There are just so many good books out there, and I tend to buy lots of them. I have quite a few from elementary school book fairs that I have yet to read... maybe I'll get to those soon.

What books do you guys have on your TBR shelf that you think you'll never get to but really want to? Do you guys have TBR shelves, or are your books just scattered everywhere like me? Ah, Bookish thoughts.

Book Review: Scintillate by Tracy Clark

I received this book as an eARC on NetGalley. This is the first book in Tracy Clark's The Light Key trilogy, and it comes out February 4th.

Scintillate is about Cora, a girl who's in love with Ireland, her birthplace and the place her mom went missing 12 years ago. The book starts off and Cora is sent to the hospital because of a high fever, and when she wakes up she can see auras. In the hospital, Cora meets the Irish exchange student Finn, and there seems to be an instant connection. Finn's aura shines all colors of the rainbow except for one ball of dark yellow curled up in his stomach at all times. When Cora sees her aura for the first time she is surprised to find that unlike everyone else, her aura is a single color: silver. And then there's the man with a pure white aura, and death seems to follow him wherever he goes. Cora goes on a quest to find her mother, and her answers about her mysterious aura, but will she like everything she finds?

I thought this book was very interesting, the premise definitely intrigued me. A girl who can see auras, when is that not cool? I really liked that her parents play a role in the book, they're a constant thought in Cora's mind, not just forgotten about half-way through so the plot can continue. 

One thing that did fall flat for me was Cora and Finn's romance, it was pretty much intsa-love. And in a way that's what it's supposed to be, but I'm not sure how that might play into future books in the series. 

The descriptive language in the book is beautiful, and the way Tracy Clark describes Ireland is truly magical. This was a great book, I'll definitely be looking for it in stores, and I plan to continue this series. I recommend this book to all YA lovers, and I gave it four stars for enjoyment level. Comment below if you think you'll get this book in February.

One of my favorite quotes from this book is the opening line, because it's so descriptive and haunting. "I was kindling for the fire raging in my body. Whole one moment, but soon reduced to ash. And the world would forget I had ever existed when the wind scattered me to the stars."

"When the final chord of the last song reverberated through the coffeehouse, the audience jumped to its feet and applauded wildly. The force of the energy from the crowd knocked the breath out of me, making me dizzy. I dared a look at the people in the room. The colors were unbelievable! Such power. It rolled toward Finn in a wave, a tsunami in slow motion. I had the impulse to leap in front of him, to protect him from it."

"A mighty flame follows a tiny spark"

"His words came out like a puff of black smoke. The gray-black hovered over his mouth a moment, curled around his lips and throat, then slowly dissipated. His lie lie was a cannon shot in the mist. It struck me in the gut. A condensed ball of yellow rolled from him floating like a polyp, an enormous cystic secret. He was lying to protect that secret."