Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate


Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House UK
Series: Forth and final book in The Fallen Novels



The sky is dark with wings . . . .
Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.
Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.
For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.
In the fight for Luce, who will win?




Rapture is the fourth book in a dearly loved series of mine, The Fallen Novels by Lauren Kate, in fact I write because the first book in the series inspired me so much. So this series will always mean a lot to me and I will carry it with me for the rest of my life. 


As all the Fallen novels do, you simply can not predict what is going to happen and are kept on edge, gripping your book tightly, from page to page. The pace that has built up from book to book is even more intense in Rapture. Bringing us an race to run to the ending. 


Again despite all that is happening, it is all about Luce discovering herself and her past. I always hoped for what she finds and I realised quite early in Rapture she was the one. And I adore what she discovers and the stories uncovered. We find more strength in Luce, she is an heroine, a fighter, a woman who is not afraid to love, a woman who is not afraid to discover her self and be true to herself. All doubts in Daniel are erased, his love for Luce is understood and their love empowers everything. 


Rapture is also kind of like a road trip, or an 'around the world in 9 days', something like that... and for someone who hasn't got to discover the world yet, it's an experience. You learn culture and history and the world along with love and religion and faith. 


The myths and technicalities of the history of the fall the angels and so on, are so complicated that a book like this could easily become confusing, and yes maybe it isn't true but it is a fiction book after all,  and Lauren has made the story into a beautiful one, a memorable. 


The ending is what I adore the most, at first I thought is that it, is that what the big build up was for, because after a long race and build of tension I guess I expected something like a miracle or even something tragic, but the ending it has is actually perfect, it's simple and romantic and just perfect. Although Luce and Daniel could have had an immortal fairytale ending, maybe Lauren is trying to tell us that real fairytales exist in morality, and that is the most romantic ending I can think of. 


There are moments of grief and anger and disbelief along with love and admiration and pride - Rapture is the cherry upon this series of books, it does not go quietly, it leaves you crying and smiling and with a story you'll always remember. 
And now there is no more books to anticipate, I will be waiting for the movies! Though none could perceive it as perfectly as it has been written. 


Reviewed for Random House UK


I don't think you need me to rate this, you can probably tell how much I adore this series. 



Saturday, July 07, 2012

Saturday Snapshot (7th July)

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.


Yesterday was the last day of college and now it is summer break! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, I am half way through college! Scary stuff!


So me and my friends celebrated afterwards at pizza hut, it was a good day.


We failed trying to take photos like this many times..


Me and the girls


I was ill at the start of the week so not much happened other than yesterday and finishing college, hope everyone had a lovely week.


Many photos to come now that it is summer! I have art and photography projects to do which I am really excited about, nothing for psychology and for English I just have to read some classics (which I've been meaning to get around to anyway) so I am so excited for this 9 week break!


You'll be seeing more posts and reviews now!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Saturday Snapshot (June 30th)


Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

This week I...




I bought a pretty necklace
I made my sketchbook in fine art
I changed my room, once 
...twice
I defaced some cards
and I've started sketching again

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Harry Potter Competition



Celebrating 15 years of Harry Potter magic
The search for UK and Ireland’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan

From an idea born on a train journey, to its creation in a small cafe in Edinburgh Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the book that started a global phenomenon.  Rejected by many publishers and with an initial hardback print run of 500 copies, it has now sold over 90 million copies worldwide. It is the book that put Harry’s destiny in motion and created a whole new generation of readers. It is hard to think now that before 1997 none of us knew about Hogwarts, Quidditch or Voldemort (who was voted as the favourite literary villain in a recent Bloomsbury poll).

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Bloomsbury is launching a nationwide competition to find the UK’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan.

Bloomsbury is inviting fans to write a letter of no more than 50 words explaining why they love HARRY POTTER. We are looking for the most creative, clever and entertaining reasons and, while the word limit is set to a strict 50 words, entrants are encouraged to draw, doodle and make their letters as elaborate as possible.

HARRY POTTER fans can only enter by visiting a local bookshop or library and posting their letter in the specially designed postboxes. Over 1800 bookshops and libraries have already signed up to take part. The competition will run from Tuesday 26th June to Tuesday 31st July 2012 after which we will name the UK and Ireland’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan. The winner and runners up will be announced on Saturday 1st September.*

The competition is an ideal opportunity for fans to show how much they love HARRY POTTER as well as supporting their local bookshop or library. Details of how to enter and a list of participating bookshops and libraries can be found on the website:www.bloomsbury.com/harrypottercompetition

Press release is attached as well as 15 facts about the first book. Bloomsbury has created an exclusive short video to celebrate this anniversary which will be available from 00:01 on the morning of Tuesday 26th June. The video can be viewed at www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter and can be requested as a link from 9:00am the same day.    

*The winner will receive a family holiday to experience the magic and excitement of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ only at Universal Orlando® Resort and a leather-bound, signed, dedicated and numbered 15th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The limited number 15th Anniversary Editions are exclusive to the competition and cannot be purchased elsewhere. Fourteen runners-up will also each receive a leather-bound, signed, dedicated and numbered 15th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

For more information contact IAN LAMB on 020 7631 5726 or email ian.lamb@bloomsbury.com

Notes:

·          Entry to the competition is only available through bookshops and libraries in the UK and Ireland. Terms and conditions apply, and no purchase is necessary. Other international competitions will be running in other territories.

·          Bloomsbury will be unable to return any entries. All entries become the property of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc; by participating in the competition, entrants consent to the use and publication of their names and contributions by Bloomsbury.

·          The Harry Potter novels have now sold approximately 450 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 73 languages. J.K. Rowling has generated huge popular appeal for her books in an unprecedented fashion. She was the first children’s author to be voted the BA Author of the Year, and also win the British Book Awards Author of the Year. J.K. Rowling lives with her family in Edinburgh.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Having a 'moment'



Sunday 24th June 2012

It’s funny how life always finds a path you didn’t know was there, how small changes in direction occurring within each single day, days you may remember or you may forget, that you don’t notice until you are at a destination and you don’t understand how you got there.  
But when you turn back, you see all the signs that led you here, all the footprints you left as you waltzed your way through life. Did you even notice the roses that bloomed and withered and dried around you?
You can’t live once you get to your destination, life’s ultimate destination is death, you have to live the journey. All the traffic you get held up in, cherish it.
Waiting is dangerous; it steals time from under your nose. Time is not like a book you discard and go back to read, time passes by chapters you can’t go back and re-live, time is infinite but only one way. 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

You guys... I finally watched The Hunger Games

So.. well.. wow.


BUT..


No comparison to the book right?


Movies never compare to books though, they can't take away the magic of the tradition book!
(PAPER BOOKS ALL THE WAY NONE OF THAT E-READER STUFF, NO PAPER)


A lot of the detail I really missed in The Hunger Games movie. Mostly because I read the book very recently and when I read, because my active imagination and creative side of me I see the story in a lot of detail like a movie in my head and I guess was kind of comparing the movie to the version I saw when I read it.


A small thing I really wanted to see was the scene where she finds Peeta and he says 'hey don't step on me' and grins so you can only see his teeth because he's covered in mud.. that part in the book really stood out to me for some reason.


Also I missed that they didn't show all the time Katniss spent healing Peeta and washing him and everything and then when Peeta takes care of her when she returns with the medicine, small details like that.. I know the movie would have been really long.. but who would mind right?


It did creep me out a bit that the girl from District 2 (Clove) was the actress from Orphan a horror movie.. so yea she creeped me out a tad. And Hamitch is the gay guy from Friends With Benefits so I had a ergh to love him rather than despise him at the begininning.


Though, I did like that added part about District 11 going nuts, that was a nice touch. Also the actors for Katniss and Peeta... perfect look and attitudes for the part, so all in all, the movie is pretty damn good and the districts like the way they dressed in 12 to the capitol was pretty much spot on to what I expected.


But it had to be, since the book was bloody amazing.



Saturday Snapshot (June 23rd)

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.









I kicked off my photography project this week, I live a five minute walk from the beach and go there a lot to shoot. I was mostly experimenting with double exposures on my film camera (photos have not been developed yet) but I brought my SLR along too. 





My polaroid also arrived this week (very excited to text this out) 


This was a lovely cute surprise I got in the post. I was team Erudite UK!


I dyed my hair (though it's fading already, back to dark soon I think). 
And yesterday my first film arrived for my polaroid, so if there is some sun this weekend I will be testing it out! *yay*

If you like my photography, I finally made a flicker account so you can find me here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mazzlouisephotography/
And if you're a flickr member leave your link and I shall check your page out!
Hope everyone had a lovely week, enjoy your weekend.