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Witchy, Witchy (Spellbound Trilogy, #1)
Witchy, Witchy (Spellbound Trilogy, #1)
Penelope King | 2012 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
4
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I got this as a freebie back in 2012, I think, and only really got around to reading it as part of "We Heart YA groups" A-Z Challenge.

I ended up DNF'ing at 20%.

It wasn't bad or anything, just not enough happened in that first fifth of the story to grab my attention and to make me want to continue reading.

If something other than her starting a new school and learning she's a witch (though she should have figured that out by herself already), oh and meeting a cute boy and his dog, then I might have wanted to continue but like I said, the plot was moving far too slowly for me.
  
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
2018 | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Not Bad
The trailer lead me to believe that this movie was going to suck, but it was actually pretty good. The main protagonist is a boy named Lewis. He movies in with his uncle, whom he has never met before, after the death of his parents. He soon realizes that strange things are happening in his new home, and once his uncle explains that he is a warlock Lewis takes an interest in learning magic.
This film had a lot of moments that made me laugh mixed in with a few serious themes. Lewis really struggles throughout the film. He has a hard time fitting in with his peers, and he is still grieving from the loss of his parents. Sometimes the serious moments felt a little forced, but over all they weren't to bad.
I think older kids would really enjoy this movie. I would be hesitant to take a really young child to this one. They might be frightened by some parts, but really that will depend on the kid.
  
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Wings (Wings, #1)
Aprilynne Pike | 2009 | Young Adult (YA)
6
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book had some good, some bad, some supremacy, some mediocrity. here's my warning now, that this has spoilers in it.

good: a wild twist. the idea that fairy's are plants never once crossed my mind, the idea that Laurel had flowers growing out of her back instead of actual wings was... kinda weird but also really cool. and in my opinion, the good over-weighed the bad.

bad: i remember very vividly that the boy she falls in love with is introduced in the first paragraph (or second, or something like that.) and that totally gave away that part of the plot. i knew right away she'd become involved with him. i would have liked the author to develop his character a little more, or develop Laurel's character a little more, before introducing him.

supremacy: it had me hooked from about the fifth chapter to the twenty-second. i literally read for five hours. that's a long time for me. i mean, i read A LOT and ALL THE TIME, but five hours at once? seriously. the only other times that's ever happened was for twilight and harry potter. very nice, Aprilynne.

mediocrity: the writing itself, the prose, the sentence structure, was not all that fabulous. it was just basic sentence structure most of the time, and ok vocabulary. the words themselves were not poetic and artful, something that you find in Edger Allen Poe or J K Rowling.

the last thing was the end. it left you hanging, a little. which, as a writer, is a smart and mean thing to do at the same time. i'm a writer, and in every single one of my books i leave my audience hanging. but as a reader, it's annoying. i the one thing i want to know is what happens about her and the boy thing? who does she end up with? i'll bet that the boy she met at school ends up with the girl who's had a crush on him forever, and she goes back to her fairy-boy. (can you tell i've forgotten some names and don't have the book with me?) whatever. but i hope there's a second one, because that one little thing will bug me from now until whenever the new one comes out (if there is one.)

of course, again, the book was addictive, and had a great twist. i will say that if i ever had a chance to read it again, i would probably not do it. but i will (if there is one) read the sequel. all in all, i did like this book. quite a lot. and i do recommend it to anyone who likes romance, fantasy, or adventure.