Opal, Opal, Opal

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The fabulous Jennifer Armentrout is having an ARC giveaway of the totally drool worthy Opal on her blog (link below).

I am so freaking excited for this book. I absolutely love Jennifer Armentrout's books and I love Daemon and Aiden and Dawson and Caleb and all of the characters in her books.

So do you want a chance to get your hands on a coveted copy of Opal early?? Try your luck and enter this giveaway! I am and I'm hoping for the best! I already have a waiting list starting. (And before you freak out Katy, you are on top, seeing as you have the same name as the main character ;)

Enter, enter!

~Caly

http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/want-to-read-opal/

Opal Trailer Reveal

Opal (The third book in the Lux Series)
Available in both print and digital version on December 18, 2012
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Official Opal Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oLkv3DotkqM

Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Official Website

Anybody else excited for Opal? My friend Katy and I are FREAKING OUT. I already have a waiting list for the book and I have not even ordered it yet. SO FLIPPING EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!

~Caly

Cover Reveal: Goddess

 

 

If you listen real closely, you might be able to pick up this faint, echoing sound of a high pitch scream. Curious? That would be me, fangirling over the amazingness of this cover.

 

I did not expect to open my Facebook and see this gorgeous thing on the live stream. Who cares about what my friends are doing? Who cares about prepping for Sandy? Josephine Angelini realeased the cover for Goddess, one of the books that I am impatiently waiting for.

 

Next May we will finally get all of the answers. Will Lucas and Helen FINALLY realize that they are not cousins? (PLEASE REALIZE IT!) Will they fight this big, life changing battle against the gods? (HOPE SO!) Will Cassandra be freed from the Fates' wrath? (I hope so. She's my favorite character!) Will Helen and Lucas finally be together? And what about Orion? I love the guy but Helen needs to be with Lucas. End of subject. Any other arguements are invalid.

 

To say I am just a little bit excited is a big understatement. I have lived inside of these books for almost 3 years and I am so sad that they are ending but really happy to find out what will happen.

 

And scary thought: This will be one of the last books I read before graduation. OH MY GODS.

 

~Calypso



Cover Reveal: Shadow of the Mark

Yes...I know I am a tad bit late on this one. Between being sick all week long and then playing homework make up, I have been neglecting everything. Missing three AP classes is not a smart move.

But here's the cover for Shadow of the Mark and it's really pretty! Of course, now that I am looking at it more, it looks like the first one, only Meg is in purple instead of blue and the lighting is darker.

Who cares though? I am one of those people who must have all of the covers matching. I hate it when the covers don't match on my bookshelf. It bugs me so much. I sit there and stare daggers at the unmatching covers. Why do publishing companies do this to me?

So I'm excited to read this. I loved Carrier of the Mark and I have been waiting for this one for a very long time. I really want to know what happens. I need to know how it ends. Pah! So exciting!

~Calypso

Cover Reveal: If I Should Die

 

First thought:

 

Oh. My. God. So BEAUTIFUL!

 

Second thought:

 

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!

 

Third thought:

 

I WANT TO GO BACK TO PARIS NOW!

 



If I Should Die is the last *Sob* book in the Revenants trilogy by Amy Plum. I absolutely love these books because of one, the Paris setting. Who doesn't love Paris? I was in heaven when I was there last April. And two, revenants. They are basically hot, walking dead guys. What is not to love?

So May is going to be awesome! The last Revenant book and the last Starcrossed book comes out. Don't know whether to be sad or happy that everything is ending. I lived in these books for 3 years! Aaww!

Also, if you have read Until I Die, you know that horrible cliffhanger. I cried. Magnus posted to my Facebook wall "I finished it. And want to punch someone". Buffy called me as soon as she finished it, demanding why I let her read it. She screamed at me for a good ten minutes before her little sister told her to shut up.

Yes, we are very excited for this book. I'm hoping for a happy ending. Okay. More like I am praying for a happy ending! May 2013, here we come!

~Caly

Cover Reveal: Apollyon and Deity Book Trailer

Deity (The third book in the Covenant Series)
Available in both print and digital version on Nov. 6, 2012
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Official Deity Book Trailer
http://youtu.be/RIqKBYMSTU8

Did you read an ARC of Deity and been dying to get your hands on Elixir, the novella told in Aiden’s POV and picks up right after the end of Deity? Well, you don’t have to wait any longer. The free novella is available now. DO NOT read Elixir if you have not read Deity. It will spoil Deity for you and not to mention, you will have no idea what is going on.

Elixir will be available in print. Kindle, and Nook formats on November 27, 2012.

Click HERE to read Elixir.

And we’re super excited to share the cover for the 4^th book in the Covenant Series, Apollyon, which is due out April 2013.

 

 

Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Official Website

EEEEPPP!! I am excited! Must read these books ASAP!!

Love, Love, Love these books!

~Caly

Cover Reveal: The Elite

So today Kiera Cass released the cover for The Elite (with special permission of course). And Oh My Gods, it is BEAUTIFUL! I love the covers for these books. They are probably one of my favorite set of book covers. America is in red and if you put The Selection next to The Elite, your mind will be blown from its amazingness.

Why is America pouting? What is going to happen? WILL SHE END UP WITH MAXON!?!?! Questions...Questions...

Yup. I approve. My lil' sis-who-is-not-really-my-sis and I are dying for this book. She is so going to freak when I show her the cover.

And now back to reading The Mark of Athena...

~Caly

Cover Reveal: Opal

I'm a little late for this reveal (I blame my cursed AP Euro notes) but......

The cover for Opal, the next book in the Lux Novels, was revealed!

Did you hear that scream? That was me fangirling over its perfection.

Offical Description:

No one is like Daemon Black.When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

I cannot think logically right now. I love the first two books. I love Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant novels. I need this one now, like, right now.

Opal will be out December 11, 2012 in print and digital format.

I. Cannot. Freaking. Wait.

~Caly

Cover Reveal: The Goddess Inheritance

Sorry I have been MIA with school starting up and not having enough time to read/review. But today The Goddess Inheritance cover was revealed! AND IT IS SO PRETTIFUL ☺

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with these books. The first one drove me absolutely crazy.

My review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-test.html

Then I read the second book and realized that my hatred towards the first one was a mistake. I judged it way too harshly. I think the second one is much better.

My Review:
http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-goddess-interrupted.html

AND THE ENDING KILLED ME. So I am really excited to hear that this one comes out in March 2013. Only around 200 days or so.

~Calypso

Casting News: Finnick

And we have our beloved Finnick. Sam Claflin has been officially cast as our favorite victor ever.

 

And for all those people that are complaining that he would be a horrible Finnick, are you blind? 

Casting News: Raphael

And we have a Raphael. The German newspaper, Bild, confirmed that Elyas M'Barek will be playing the vampire.

Welcome to the team, Elyas!

For all up to date info on the movie, I recomend:

tmisource.com

@TMI_Source on Twitter

@Shadowhunting on Twitter

~Calypso

*UPDATE*

Raphael will not be in City of Bones. Instead, the role is the Vampire Lieutenant because of not having the space to properly introduce Raphael. Oh well. Guess we'll have to wait and see him in City of Ashes, which fans were told, was being adapted into a script! :D

Just Crazy Ol' Me: The Mortal Instruments

     So instead of drawing fanart of my ultimate favorite books, I go crazy and sew dolls of the main characters. I have always been in love with sewing and books, so I put the two of them together and made my book character dolls.

     My major project for Summer 2012 was to make all of the major characters in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. My invisible sidekick Magnus got me into the books last summer when she was re-reading City of Fallen Angels for the upteenth time. I guess we both never expected how much I would love these books and yeah, I do love these books, ALL FIVE OF THEM.

So here are the pics I took of all of my Mortal Instruments character dolls, which I happened to finish the day before they started filming the movie!! EEP! Great timing or what?



The Clary doll. I love how she came out. I gave her freckles, ripped tights, everything. She's even shorter than the rest of them! I wish her hair was a little more curly, but sadly yarn doesn't really curl very well. But oh well. Still love her ☺

The Jace doll. Completed with leather jacket and amazing hair. He even has runes, only you can't see them because of the clothes. Sorry! It's hard getting them on and off. The only thing that bugs me is that I think his head is too big. When I complained to my friends, they said he has a big ego anyway and not to worry. Oh well. Love him just the same! ☺

The Simon doll. I just love everything about him! At first, I wasn't sure how I was going make Simon because he really had a basic description in the book: tall, brown eyed, brown hair. I wasn't sure to make him curly or straight, give him fangs or not, ect. Then Simon was cast so I went off of the actor's (Robert Sheenan) appearance. And I'm so glad I did! I love Simon's curly hair fro. It was such a pain to do and took nearly 5 episodes of Doctor Who to complete, but in the end, it turned out so amazing, I was glad I did it. I also tried to find my favorite Simon tee shirt from the books, but my friends were borrowing all of them, so I only had my Infernal Devices books and they were not helpful. So I went with the classic "Sexy Vampire Mojo" and love it. ☺

The Isabelle doll. I love the outfit I made her. The runes took a lot of time to do because Izzy had the most sewn on. I knew she would have more skin (felt?) showing, so she had every rune except the Fearless one put on and they came out really well. I also gave her the golden whip and ruby necklace. She looks really short here (that's because they can barely stand by themselves so the legs look like stumps when they are really in proportion) but she is the tallest because "nothing less than seven inches." ☺

Now time for my two personal favorite dolls:

The Alec doll. I just love this one so much! Alec and Magnus are my two favorite characters in the books, so these two just happen to be my favorite. I even gave Alec the blue scarf mentioned in City of Lost Souls. And I just realized that his shirt matches his eyes. Haha. That is just awesome. ☺ 

The Magnus doll. So Magnus was the first one I made out of the whole TMI gang. I made him before Godfrey Gao was cast as Magnus so I made him according to how I picture him in my mind. And this is pretty much a close image of him. Buffy and I call his hair "Sexy Asian Hair" and yeah, that took a long time to do/think off. And I'm so happy it turned out amazing! I was going to try going all out on his clothes, but decided on simplier style because I knew that I was making five more dolls after him. ☺

So here are just some more pics of the gang. These are not the first character dolls I have made, they are just the ones that have the most details put into their description. I'll post pics of the other character dolls eventually!

~Caly









Random Thought

How to read a Rick Riordan Book

by Calypso "Caly"

All right everyone. It's time to admit the truth. If you are a die hard Rick Riordan fan like moi, then you know that you go through one or two of the same steps I do.

There is a specific way to read a Rick Riordan book. Steps need to be followed in order to get maximum enjoyment from Uncle Rick's books. You can't pick up one of his books without going through any of these steps. It is downright impossible.

So what are they?

STEP ONE:

Prepare yourself for the heartbreak the ending will cause.

Every fan of Rick knows how each and every one of his endings leaves you with a shattered heart that just becomes mere splinters as the long year passes by. If someone is picking up his books for the first time. Wait. Wait until all of them are out and buy them as a bundle. Trust me. You will save your sanity. It's like being a demigod. The more involved/aware you are, the worst it becomes. His endings are not cliffhangers. They are cliffhangers of doom that just make you skip the cliff and go straight for the free fall into the Underworld.

Every time one of his new books come out, I have to mentally prepare myself as I walk into the store to buy it. Some people call me crazy. I don't. If I don't prepare myself, I will become crazy. And nobody wants me crazy. Ask my friends. These endings kill me.

STEP TWO:

Now that you have prepared yourself for the worst ending ever thought of, admire the cover. You know that these covers are just downright amazing. Look at The Lightning Thief and place it next to the cover of The Son of Neptune or whatever the latest one is. Admire how much your beloved Percy has grown.

Hug it to your chest. You know that it is the best purchase you have made since you bought the last one. How can any book compare to it? How can anything compare to it? Who needs food when you have a Rick Riordan book? Am I being too dramatic? Maybe. Why am I writing like this and answering myself? I'm going crazy waiting for The Mark of Athena.

STEP THREE:

You have officially bought the book. You made your mom or dad drive you to whatever store you bought it from so you can start it in the car. But wait! Before you can even dream of flipping to the front page, you have to read the inside jacket or the back of the book. Best know what you are diving into. Even though you have probably read the Amazon description a bajillion times already. It's nice to read it from the actual thing.

STEP FOUR:

Here comes the time to read the funny chapter titles. Each one gives you a hint at what you will find in each chapter. If you are reading a Heroes of Olympus book, there is no chapter titles, but simple names like Percy, Jason, Hazel, ect. Instead, you carefully flip to the glossary in the back to get a good sense on which god/goddess/monster will make an apperance. BE CAREFUL. You do not want to ruin the cliffhanger before you even start the book. That means you won't even want to finish it.

STEP FIVE:

Look for the title of the next book. Just something to do to make your heartbreak begin a little early. Coming Fall 201-Blah? AAWW!!

STEP SIX:

You are now fully prepared to delve into the book. Get ready for heart pounding action, good ol' good vs. evil, quests, the cliffhanger...You can now enjoy the book. The steps are completed. You can read the book in one sitting and then wait the killer year for the next one.

***

There you go. All of the proper steps needed to read a Rick Riordan book. Okay. Not really. Those are just the crazy steps I take to read them. I cannot read any of the books without doing that first. Crazy? Probably.

Caly



Casting News: VALENTINE

So this is what happens when I do normal stuff, like sleep. Valentine is cast. *Sigh* Why do I need to sleep?

Can we just all agree that this guy is perfect? The casting on this movie just blows my mind because it is really AMAZING.

Jonathan Rhys Meyer will be playing my favorite evil villian/daddy. Why did Valentine have to die in the end? I have a feeling if and when CITY OF GLASS is made into a movie, I will surely cry, especially if this guy is Valentine.  There's something to look forward to.

Does anybody else find that his name downright hilarious? I mean, the actor playing Valentine is named Jonathan. Hehe. I'm thinking of Jace and Sebastian here!

For full cast, check out the official movie website:
http://www.themortalinstrumentsmovie.com/

Now we just need Alaric and Raphael :)

~Caly

Casting News: Brother Jeremiah

So Brother Jeremiah has been cast! Now we are only waiting for Alaric, Valentine, and Raphael. Ugh! Why can't this movie come out so much sooner? Or that I own the Tardis? I must see this movie NOW!

Official Website that has updated cast for movie:

http://www.themortalinstrumentsmovie.com/

Stephen R. Hart as Brother Jeremiah

Frankly, The Silent Brothers creep the living crap out of me! The only one I can handle is probably Brother Zachariah, but that's only because Magnus and I have a theory on him that makes him less creepy than the others. I cannot wait to see how they are portrayed in the movie. This movie is going to be AMAZING!

 

Casting New: ALEC!!

Alec has finally been cast! And I am flipping out right now if you couldn't tell...

So Kevin Zegers is going to be playing my blue eyed baby. And he looks AMAZING! Apparently, the first Alec's scheduling couldn't be fixed...So he was next in line. He is just *sniffle* perfect!

And the official movie website is up!

http://www.themortalinstrumentsmovie.com/

AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! The wait is killing me!!



Casting News: Luke and Dorothea

So Luke and Madame Dorothea have been cast. Now I'm just impaiently waiting for Alec. He's the only one I'm really excited for (Other than Magnus...They are my favorite couple in the books!)

Aiden Turner as Luke. This isn't how I pictured him in my mind...But if we give him some glasses and a nice, red flannel shirt, I think he can pull it off!

CCH Pounder as Madame Dorothea. I like her. She has that mysterious I-know-your-future type of look to her that I associate with Dorothea.

Getting more and more excited for the movie now!

Review: Crescendo

Crescendo

Becca Fitzpatrick
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released: October 19, 2010

My review on Hush, Hush:

http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-hush-hush-calys-thoughts.html

Magnus' review on Hush, Hush:

http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/06/review.html

Description from Goodreads:

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever (if that's possible) and what's worse, he seems to be spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

If that weren't enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.

I could not put this book down. I am officially in love with these books. I cannot see why Magnus is not a huge fan, or anybody else for that matter. They are so enticing to read and just keep me entertained and anxious for the next page. I was not constantly bored with the story. I literally almost read it cover to cover.

I even found myself holding my breath and yelling at it. I think my mom is seriously debating whether or not to send me to a mental institution soon. I have become way to dedicated to yet another book series. Pretty soon, Mom is going to forbid me to buy any more books. I have become personally attached to the Hush, Hush books. I am seriously kicking myself in the butt for not picking these up sooner. Why did I have to go and put it off? Why did I never discover these books earlier in my life?

Anywho...Back to the story.

The pacing was perfect. I was never bored in this story. It kept me hooked and entertained the whole way through. I couldn't turn the page fast enough. It was that amazing.

I have only one complaint. Patch was not in the story enough. I freaking love this guy and he was absent and/or fighting with Nora for half of it. It drove me crazy! I kept wanting him to show up and take Nora into his arms. But instead, he didn't. Or Nora was to busy yelling at him. I had to force myself not to skim read ahead and make sure he was showing up. It was hard, but I managed to read without skimming. I am so proud of myself. That seriously took a lot of will power from moi. Instead, Scott shows up.

It really wasn't a true love triangle. Thank the almight lord. It was more of Nora just trying to get back at Patch, which also really bugged me. I guess that makes it two complaints then. She doubted Patch's love for her, became basically a jealous witch, and became very reckless and stupid. I had a harder time connecting to her in this one than I did with Hush, Hush. In the first one, I kind of understood why she did things the way she did. In this one, I felt myself thinking: "Why on God's green earth would you do that Nora? Are you really that stupid?" I really wished she would have just gotten over that stupid jealousy/unease of the guy and took him back. It would have made me much happier (and probably her too...)

The characters. Vee is perfect, per usual. She is still the bestest friend you could ever hope for. Patch wasn't in the novel nearly as much as I wanted him too, but I still love him all the same. If possible, he became even more sweeter and protective in this book than the first. Totally swooning like a fangirl right now. Then there's Scott. I have mixed feelings for the guy that Nora used. I can't decide if I like him or hate him. I'm going to let the third book help me with that. Nora annoyed me, but I still love her all the same. I felt the need to strangle her more in this one than the first. But it all plays out in the end I guess.

Then there's Rixon. I feel like crying everytime I think his name. *SPOILERS* I really wished he wasn't the bad guy. Then again...I'm glad it was rather him who was the bad guy than Patch. But still! It killed me when I learned he was the one who killed Nora's 'father' and then went and attempted to kill her. I really liked the guy! Now he is in Hell. Oh darn. *END OF SPOILERS*

The book surprised the crap out of me. I am usually able to predict 95% of what happens in a story. Oh he is the brother? Yup. He's the one behind the whole con. That guy is going to end up with her...no exceptions. Ah ha! Told you it was your bestie the whole time. Not the one who you absolutely hated. I blame my addiction to crime shows. This book gives you a really big twist. One that even I would have never guessed because I did not see it coming. I was like "Wow. Kuddos Becca Fitzpatrick for shocking me. You are totally amazing." If you have read the book, you probably know what twist I'm talking about. I'm not even going to put it down with my "Spoilers" warning. Nobody wants this ruined. Period.

It's a flipping Cliffhanger. *Sigh* WHY!?!?!?!?!?!?! AAAWWW!!!! I am tearing my hair out. Oh. Wait. Wait a second. What is this? Oh that's right...I HAVE BOOK THREE RIGHT NEXT TO ME!! YIPPEE!! hahahaha. You really need the third one by your side as soon as you finish this one. Don't go crazy while you wait for it. GET IT WHEN YOU READ THIS ONE. The ending will probably kill you. It's bugging me right now as I write this review. I need book three like I need air and water. That desperate? Yup.

So if you are a fan of Angels, sexy dark guys, a really big twist, TRY THIS BOOK. Buy the first one. Buy this one. GO PICK UP THE THIRD ONE. Wait until October 23, 2012 for the last one -_- Seriously, these books are really tantalizing and will have you reading cover to cover. They have quickly become one of my top ten favorites and I really want to go buy my own copies instead of borrowing from friends.

I just suddenly realize I have to wait until October 23 for the last book. *SOB* Why do authors do this to us?

Review by Calypso

And in other News...

So CW is redeveloping The Selection and it may be out next spring! They have already filmed a pilot, but the channel did not pick up the show for a full season. But it shows so much potential so it's getting another chance.

Well, I loved The Selection and when I heard it was on its way to become a show, I freaked a little.

(My review: http://www.yeahwelikemaplesyrupandbooks.blogspot.com/2012/06/review_27.html)

And when I heard it wasn't picked up, I became very sad.

But now, it's back to freakout mode!

~Caly