Fairytale News | The fairytale survey.

This is a 'new' feature I came up with. I will be talking about everything that has to do with reading. From pretty new covers to discussions about books. I will post them randomly.

This is inspired by the awesome Jasmine from Flip that page, who creates fun tags like Harry Potter. So, here is the same idea but only with fairy tales! I had a lot of fun trying to come up with fairy tales and fitting questions. You can answer this survey in two parts or just answer everything in one. Please leave a link to this survey if you decided to answer them and I highly appreciate linking back for credits.

Review 236. Cayla Kluver – The Queen’s choice.

Title: The queen’s choice.
Author: Cayla Cluver.
Pages: 512.
Published: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen.
Sort: Heirs of Chrior #1.
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again. When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equaled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself. Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined…

Rating:

I’m not sure what is going on, but most of the books I’ve been reading lately are ‘meh’. I was in need of a book to blow me away and I was hoping to find it in The queen’s choice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I was looking for. This book ended up being a slow-paced story where almost nothing happens. I never had the feeling I was sucked into the story and I was always looking for more.

Author spotlight: Danielle L. Jensen.

Today I want to welcome Danielle L. Jensen to my blog.

Danielle is the author for the upcoming YA fantasy novel Stolen songbird. This book will be published by Strange Chemistry on April 1st 2014. It’s about a trapped troll kingdom called Trollus and they are desperately trying to break the curse. They hope that Cécile is the girl from the prophecy and she is bonded to their prince, Tristan, against her will. But things aren’t as peaceful as they might look..

Danielle was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. At the insistence of the left side of her brain, she graduated in 2003 from the University of Calgary with a bachelor’s degree in finance. But the right side of her brain has ever been mutinous; and in 2010, it sent her back to school to complete an entirely impractical English literature degree at Mount Royal University and to pursue publication. Much to her satisfaction, the right side shows no sign of relinquishing its domination. Source: author website.

Fairytale News | Important things to remember.

'Mel on reading' is a little feature I created as part of my Fairytale news. It's my way to show my thoughts on topics that go from pet peeves in reading to my favorite things in books.

I think we've all seen these things before. People are being plagiarized, authors are behaving badly, nasty comments, I think there is quite a list with negative situations. The thing is, aren’t we supposed to be one big, happy family? We have one of the best thing in life in common: our love for the written word. Whether we are readers who appreciate books or authors who create these wonderful stories, we have the same passion.  Please, let us remember the important things!

Review 235. Anthology Grim.

Title: Grim.
Author: Anthology.
Pages: 480.
Expected publication: February 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen
Sort: Anthology.
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today: Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Julie Kagawa, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Kimberly Derting, Myra McEntire, Malinda Lo, Sarah Rees-Brennan, Jackson Pearce, Christine Johnson, Jeri Smith Ready, Shaun David Hutchinson, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler, Tessa Gratton & Jon Skrovan.

Rating:

I have mixed feelings about this anthology. I’m not a huge fan of them, but I couldn’t pass this one when I saw it was inspired by classic fairy tales. The dark and sinister twist made it sound even better, but I was let down by many stories and by most of them I'm still looking for that promise. I found them boring and uninteresting instead of dark/twisted.

Review 234. Kristin Cashore – Graceling.

Title: Graceling.
Author: Kristin Cashore.
Pages: 370
Published October 1st 2008 by Harcourt.
Sort: Part one of ‘Graceling Realm.’

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away

Rating:

This book is what I would call a classic, good High fantasy. It has a lot of aspects I look for in a fantasy; ‘magical’ powers, interesting plot and fun characters. And you might know me by now and my antipathy for most romances, but I adored this one!

Love-a-thon: Letter to a younger Mel.

I'm nervous and thought about not posting it.. I might take it offline after a while, but for now..

Dear young Mel,

Sometimes I want to go back and hug you, innocent, shy girl. I know it's sometimes hard for you to fit in, but please be yourself. There is no need to try to change yourself for others, you are good the way you are. Let them bully you all you want, you are better than them. I know that it would be too much to ask to stand up for yourself, so be strong. Enjoy the time you spend with the friendly people and ignore the uglies! Just remember that you are not alone. Keep reading the books you love; escape in the bookish world and feel loved by your family. Because remember:

Love-a-thon: spreading the love.

This is one of the things I love about the love-a-thon: spreading some bookish loves. I’ve tried to include as many of my favourite blogs as possible, but if you aren’t mentioned: you’re still awesome!

Love-a-thon: Mad lib.

I didn’t participate in the other two challenges, but this was too much fun to pass! What do you think about my story and the boys I picked as bookish boyfriends?

One day, I was swimming with Chaol. Out of the blue, a pirate ship came out of nowhere! It was so majestic, impressive and blue. At first, we were afraid, we were petrified, but we laughed. We hopped on a flying motorcycle to make our getaway. 

As we escaped, we turned up the radio because Let it go came on and made me sing out loud. Everything was extremely smooth sailing until a lady bug appeared in the middle of the road. We swerved to avoid it, but while Chaol stayed on the flying motorcycle, I got thrown onto my side in the woods. I couldn't get up, and felt dazed as I lay there staring up at the trees. What was I going to do? I heard a crashing sound among the leaves, and felt confused. Surely, this was going to be my end. As my eyes fluttered shut, the last thing I saw was a head of red hair and blue eyes.

When I woke up again, I was on a bookshelf. My body hurt a whole lot less, and I could sit up. There was another pirate ship and Christmas tree  in the room, along with a chocolate bar and slushpuppie. The door suddenly opened to reveal Sturmhond, a concerned look on his face. I blushed and averted my gaze, but he break-danced and said, "Don't be shy. It's okay."

He came over to sit by me, and we started talking after I told him my name. We chatted about TV shows, Disney and reading and realized we had a ton in common! I thought he was stunning and couldn't help feeling a little swoony. Just as he reached out for my hand, the door crashed open and in came Duval. "Don't let him charm you away, my love!" He yelled, running at Sturmhond. They each had tablespoons in their hands and began to fight. "Stop!", I yelled, feeling so excited They didn't listen to me. Before I could intervene, Sturmhond fell to the floor and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What was that?" I asked, staring at the empty space. Duval dropped his weapon, and came over to me. "Magic, but you are safe now, little wolf." He hugged me close, and I suddenly knew that this was the real deal and not just a dream. Just as All of me started playing in my head, I woke up. I cursed my damned luck. Why had it only been just a dream?

Love-a-thon interview.

This event is hosted by Katelyn & Alexa. This is the 3rd time. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s in short a way for authors & bloggers to share love! You can find new blogs or just give some extra love to your favourite blogs. It’s actually a day for bloggers and authors to come together to share fun! There are some mini challenges, twitter chats and giveaways. The first thing we all do is sharing our interview. I’ve been busy with the start of my minor, so I decided to go for the pre-made questions this year.

1. How did you come up with your blog name?
I am a Potterhead, so my name is a reminder of the newspaper 'The Daily Prophet'

2. What genre/subject matter do you read and review most on your blog?
YA: fantasy, fairytales & retellings, Paranormal, Dystopian. Adult: fantasy.

3. Name the 3 books you're excited for in 2014!
Ruin & Rising (Leigh Bardugo), Mortal Heart (Robin LaFevers), Heir of fire (Sarah J. Maas)

4. Where in the world are you blogging from?
A cold, small country called The Netherlands.

5. Tell us -- how did you get into blogging in the first place?
I've always loved to read and write. I started out on Goodreads where I found out about the blogging world. I decided I wanted to combine two of the things I liked, so I created this blog.

6. Apart from reading, what other hobbies/interests do you have?
Watching TV shows and movies, swimming, Disney, hanging out with friends/family/boyfriend, travelling, drawing and I spend a lot of my time on my laptop.

7. If you were stuck on a deserted island, which books would you bring with you?
So, I can have several books.. Let me think. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, because that is my favorite book from the HP series. The book thief, because that's one of my favorite books ever. A bundle of Grimms fairytales and Tiger Lily for all the feelings.

8. If you were stuck in some dangerous situation (like a fire, a sinking ship, a warzone), which book boy or girl would you want to come and save you?
I'm thinking about Allie from The immortal rules. She is a new-made vampire who sticks to her humanity. I think it's handy to have someone who doesn't die easily. She is brave, strong and intelligent. We could work things out. For guys, I think I would like Chaol from Throne of glass. I think he's able to keep his head cool, so I can freak out.

9. You’re attending a party with your friends. Suddenly, the DJ changes the song and it’s YOUR song – what song would that be?
I don't have a ME song, actually. Recently I'm in love with 'All of me - John Legend' because I think it has some perfect lines. 'All your perfect imperfections' that's how I like to look at things. And 'Let it go' from the movie Frozen, because I need to remind myself to do that every now and then.

10. What 3 movies would you love to have your favorite author write into books, or vice versa?Books to movies: Cinder, Throne of glass, Shadow and bone.

Are you participating? Leave a link to your interview!

Review 233. Amalie Howard – The almost girl.

Title: The almost girl.
Author: Amalie Howard.
Pages: 416.
Published: January 7th 2014 by Strange Chemistry.
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

Rating:

If you read the blurb, you've practically read everything that was interesting about this book, so I made it shorter. The only reason I finished it was because it’s an eARC and I was far enough to feel like ending it. I don’t recommend trying to do the same. I was bored and annoyed at the same time.

First impression: Literally.

You might have seen some tweets about this new concept, but I’m here today to share you some more information about Literally! This is a website that is loosely based on Goodreads, but it’s more about yourself and less about the community.  It’s still in bèta version, but this is my first impression:

http://literally.io/

Monthly recap | January '14. Book event.

I always enjoy watching recaps from other bloggers, so that’s why I’ll be posting my own recaps. This wrap up is also my new ‘Showcase Sunday’ since I don’t have the time to do weekly hauls. Instead, I hope to capture it in vlogs every now and then.

I know I'm a bit late, but it happened because I don’t have a schedule and I had to post my Blogoversary celebration posts. So, I’m just going to post it today.

Fairytale News | Re-reading.

'Mel on reading' is a little feature I created as part of my Fairytale news. It's my way to show my thoughts on topics that go from pet peeves in reading to my favorite things in books.

I finally came up with an explanation for my love for re-reading. People sometimes wonder: ‘Why should you re-read a book? You already know what is going to happen.’ Or even ‘it’s a waste of time to re-read books when there are so many new books.’

Let me ask you a question:
Do you listen to the same songs? I bet there is a song you often play on repeat?

Now, imagine that those songs are exactly the same as books. I know that songs take less time to listen to, but you enjoy them right? You already know the lines and how the song is going to end, you are familiar with the melody, but is that boring to you? Do you regret listening to them over and over again, knowing that there are thousands – millions of other songs you can listen?

Because that is how I feel about re-reading books I love.

I don't care that I already know how it's going to end. Returning to worlds and characters I love is comforting. Is enjoying something a waste of time? I think it's sometimes good to let go of the fact that you always need to read the newest books. I don't want my blogging influence how I read, so I like to let go of the need to stay up to date every time.

Do you re-read books?

Review 232. Rick Yancey – The 5th wave.

Title: The 5th wave.
Author: Rick Yancey.
Pages: 457.
Published: May 7th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile
Sort: Part one of ‘The fifth wave’

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Rating:

This book failed to impress me. Whether it were my high expectations, the hype surrounding it or just this story, I had a hard time reading it.  It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to connect with the characters, because I still think it’s an unique setting and promise. I like the story that is created, but the plot  could have used some interesting twists.

Favorite TV-shows.

Today is the official day *bounces* I want to thank all of you for the awesome comments so far. This will be my last celebration post, but I hope to keep up with the more personal topics. Today I want to share you one of my other hobbies. I watch a LOT of movies and TV shows. I want to show you 7 of my favorite shows. Sharing this information is also inspired by ‘Life of a blogger’

My blogging methods.

I think I can say that I’m a very lucky blogger, because in my 2-years of blogging I haven’t had a blogging slump. I often see blogs taking time off while dealing with a slump and I thought it might help to share you some of my blogging methods. I’m not saying I use the best methods, but this works for me and there might be some things that will work for you too.

10 random facts about me.

My first personal post for this event. I always like to know personal things about bloggers and this seems THE perfect way. I’ve done this before, which you can find here and here. It took me some thing to think about more random facts, but this is what I came up with: