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Becoming Alpha
Becoming Alpha
Aileen Erin | 2013 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Tessa McCaide has a unique gift of seeing visions. She is able to touch someone and see something from their past. Only she doesn't care too much about her "gift" she sees it as a burden.

Living in LA with her mum, dad and brother Axel, she is called 'Freaky Tessa' by everyone except her family.

One day her father gets a new job in Texas and they decide to move for Tessa so she can be happier and be nearer to her mum's family. Tessa's mum's side of the family believe they are all witches. (Which they are, but Tessa doesn't really believe it at the moment, even though having her gifts aren't normal... So why can't they be witches. Her gift must mean something right?)

Tessa and her brother Axel want to find out why they are moving and what their dads new job is. She touches some paperwork of her father's to find out some more about where they are going and this new job of his. Once she touches the papers she sees what she normally sees 'a vision' only this time it's not the past. It's the present and the two people she can see, can sense her. Which has never happened before. Tessa doesn't tell her brother what she saw...

A few days later they move to Texas and there she starts her new school. On moving in day her dad's new boss Micheal Dawson arrives to give them the keys and warns them about Wolves in the area and to stay clear of them and they will do the same. He brings along a guy called Dastien from the school that they work at; where Tessa's new dad's job is. To help them move in. But Tessa and Dastien share some sort of connection. It turns out that they both remember eachother from the vision.

Tessa begins her first day at her new school and starts to make friends. (though she doesn't really like the people there) The same day she gets invited to a party. A few days before the party her and her brother head to the mall where she meets Dastien again and they again share that connection. They both flirt a little and you see there is a attraction. But why?

A fight soon breaks out and there is a clear divide between her new school and the school where Dastien works. They all hate eachother. This is also something that happens at the party that Tessa's invited too. When she's there her and Dastien share a kiss. Which leads to him biting and scratching her...

A few days later she's become a werewolf, because of Dastien which is illegal in their world. And her whole life has been turned upside down. She now has to live and go to the school where Micheal Dawson works and live her life as a Werewolf.

But not everything is a smooth as that. Fighting Vampires for one and having the local coven around and hating her for being biten. Things are about to turn bad for Tessa and her new life.

This book is great story, with werewolves and actually scary vampires. It has it cheesy moments and the young, young adult writing with the romance can be very 'lovely, lovely' which I guess can seem too young for me. But it's a series I've read before that I needed to continue and finish so I am I doing that now. So baring that in mind, it is a great book and series.

3☕ – NOT A BAD BOOK

Love, Christina ?
  
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
Benjamin Alire Saenz | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

Over the past couple of years, social media, particularly Tumblr, has been raving over Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s multi-award winning novel, <i>Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</i>. As a result, I have wanted to read this book to see what the fuss is about. Unfortunately, libraries and bookstores in the UK do not appear to stock any of Sáenz’s novels.

When I saw an ARC of <i>The Inexplicable Logic of My Life</i> was available for request on NetGalley, I took the risk, having not read any of Sáenz’s work, and requested a copy. And I am truly glad I did. What, from the blurb and book cover, could result in a mundane Young Adult novel, turned out to be a thing of true beauty. The prose is almost poetic and full of emotion; it not only tells the story, it makes you feel it too.

The narrator, Salvador “Sal”, is beginning his final year at El Paso High School with his best friend Sam. Normally, the first day of school is something he looks forward to, however he feels differently this year. Something within Sal has changed, something indescribable but there all the same. Something that makes punching someone in the face an automatic reaction.

Sal’s dad is gay. Although not his real dad, Vicente adopted Sal into his extended Mexican American family after the death of his mother when he was three years old. He could not have asked for a better parent, but something is niggling in the back of his mind: who is his birth father?

Whilst Sal soliloquizes about his feelings, the reader is introduced to best friend Sam – a girl who, despite an erudite vocabulary, is not afraid to cuss and swear. Sam also understands what it is like to not truly know who you are, as does Fito, another friend, with terrible relations. Tragic events pull the three together, giving them a new chance at being part of a family despite not being blood related.

Sal, Sam and Fito try to help each other through their problems, ruminating together over their pasts and contemplating the unpredictable future. Despite each character suffering from grief, their friendship gives them a purpose and the encouragement to carry on.

<i>The Inexplicable Logic of My Life</i> covers so many themes it is impossible to categorize. Sam, Fito and Vicente are all encumbered with something that could ostracize them from society – their sexuality, race, drug addict parents – but they never let this get in their way. Sal, on the other hand, struggles somewhat, believing he no longer knows who he really is. He questions everything: how does he fit into the world around him? What right does he have to graduate and go to college?

With great efficacy, Sáenz explains through Sal’s voice, the importance of believing in yourself, letting yourself be loved, and accepting things for what they really are. All the main characters are trying so hard to belong; they do not realize that they always have belonged.

<i>The Inexplicable Logic of My Life</i> is a story of grief, death, family, friendship, fathers and words; a graceful, almost lyrical, narrative that gets to the heart of human existence and uplifts the spirit. The expressive language has a great emotional impact on the reader – have your tissues at the ready – and resonates within the soul. With quotable lines that you will wish you had written yourself, I guarantee you will love this book.
  
Nanny McPhee (2006)
Nanny McPhee (2006)
2006 | Comedy, Family
6
7.3 (18 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: Nanny McPhee starts when widow Mr Brown (Firth) is struggling to keep a nanny to care for his seven children led by the oldest Simon (Brodie-Sangster) who has always planned to push the nanny away with schemes that will leave them in terror. Reaching the end of his potential candidates, Mr Brown is drawn to a mystical Nanny McPhee (Thompson).

Nanny McPhee uses different methods to get the children in order, using her magic, with the warning When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I have to go. Can the children be put into order before it is too late.

 

Thoughts on Nanny McPhee

 

Characters – Nanny McPhee is a magical nanny that comes when families need her most, she uses the magic to push the children into following her rules, letting them learn from their mistakes unlike any previous nanny. Mr Brown is the widowed father of seven that runs a funeral parlour, he has become distant from his children because of the added pressure of needing to find a new wife as h is clearly stricken with the grief in his life. Evangeline is the help around the house, she is learning from the children in a way that sees her being one of the only adults that can get through to them. Simon is the oldest child that plans what the rest get up to, he needs to learn the biggest lessons as the others will look up to him most.

Performances – Emma Thompson is wonderful choice as Nanny McPhee, she always has your attention on screen no matter what she is teaching. Colin Firth is a great choice in this role, he has the fatherly side down and a man that needs to find love. Kelly Macdonald works well in the maid role in the film bring a calm to the chaos the children usually have. Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the lead of the children stars shows that he was one of Britain’s best at the time.

Story – The story follows a widow that must find a new wife within a month, but is struggle to make sure his children have a nanny after they have chased the rest out of town, a magical nanny comes along to save the day and teach the children a lesson. This story does tackle adult themes like grief and learning to communicate with your family after a tragic loss. We don’t overly focus on the serious side of the film because this is meant to be a kids movie, which is fine, which does pose the question just why would somebody have seven kids and not be able to control them. We do get to through the usual life lessons that the children must learn without being anything special.

Comedy/Fantasy – The comedy in the film usually falls into the slightly more immature level which is more for the children audience, the fantasy comes from just how Nanny McPhee operates.

Settings – The film is set in the house that Mr Brown lives in with his children, it shows that he is in the upper class in the time they are living in.

Special Effects – The effects come from how Nanny McPhee pulls her magic to make the life better for the children.


Scene of the Movie – The wedding.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Overly childish jokes.

Final Thoughts – This is a simple enjoyable family fantasy film that can be enjoyed by the whole family, it doesn’t bring anything new, but it doesn’t break anything too.

 

Overall: Fantasy film 101.
  
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mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated Still Me in Books

Nov 25, 2017  
Still Me
Still Me
Jojo Moyes | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
9
8.7 (31 Ratings)
Book Rating
First chapter has me hooked.
I was lucky enough to receive a sample of the new Jojo Moyes book, Still Me, via Netgalley.

The blurb; Lou Clark is back in the ALL NEW Jojo Moyes novel Still Me, follow-up to the Number One international bestsellers Me Before You and After You. Read the first chapter here! Lou Clark knows too many things . . . She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London. She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him. What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to meet someone who’s going to turn her whole life upside down. Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it’ll hurt. Lou won’t know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything.

                          ~

I absolutely love Jojo Moyes’ books, she writes in a way that gently pulls you in without you even realising, then by the end of the first chapter you know you’re completely hooked.

I’ve only read the first chapter of Still Me but already I feel as if I’ve met up with an old friend – Lou Clark – and can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

The story begins with Lou arriving in New York, about to start a new job as a companion to ‘a rich mans wife who gets depressed’.

I’m looking forward to reading about life with the Gopnik family and the adventures Lou will have on Fifth Avenue New York.

The only trouble with reading the first chapter of Still Me is that now I have to wait until 25th January 2018 to read the rest of the book.
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Solo in Books

May 10, 2018  
S
Solo
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Blade Morrison has reached a pivotal point in his life. He's graduating from high school, about to turn eighteen and has his whole life in front of him But with a famous father who is always in the media and a girlfriend whose parents can't stand you, it's hard to find your place. When Blade discovers something about his past, it will change his future forever. Set on two continents, inspired by rock and roll, and written in poetic verse Solo is one of the best books I have read this year.

Thank you to Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Blink YA for the opportunity to read and review this book and be a part of the Solo Launch Team.

This is the first book I have read by Kwame Alexander or Mary Rand Hess and I have already picked up another at the library. This book was built on a love of music. Every character has a connection to music in some way shape or form.

Blade is yourtypical teenage boy, but for the fact that he has a famous father, Rutherford Morrison who is a rock and roll star who has fallen from grace. Often in the media because of an incident involving drugs or alcohol, Blade is tired of being there to pick up pieces that eventually fall apart again. After the loss of his mother Sunny, the family was never the same. When Blade discovers something about his past and given a letter his mother wrote to him for his 18th birthday, he sets out on a quest to find out where he really belongs.

Full of love, loss, addiction and music, Solo, although written for the YA crowd is a book people of all ages can enjoy.