It by Stephen King

The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by an eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.GOODREADS

"The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did-began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain" ch.1pg.3

I started reading It in 2011 and then abruptly put it aside for a while....alright for two years. Not that I was scared or anything.......

Although I stopped reading in 2011 the first chapter has always lingered in my mind. It's to be a very well described and memorable start. On a rainy day a paper boat sailing down the gutters. A boy in yellow slickers and red goloshes in its wake. I can see it! Other memorable scenes that have stayed with me since I started in 2011, is when somebody talks through the sink addressing a strange voice that says "it's legion". This is also when I stopped reading because if there are voices coming from your sink you run...you run like hell!

It's a lengthy book of 1090 pages that spans over 28 years. From the beginning to the end you'll feel like you're friends with the characters  (the Losers) and the ending will be bittersweet. 

The seven children are the main characters and they refer to themselves as The Losers. Yes, it's sad. Each of them has their own distinguishing characteristic. Bill's the leader who grows up to be a writer and Ben an architect.  They all have some talents and some weaknesses which when confronted by the evil "It" they overcome together. Friendship is a theme here and something that's lost in the end. That's what makes the ending bittersweet. 

While reading "It" something interesting to ponder is, what It actually IS. At some point in the middle, It's something that takes the form of the thing you fear the most. Conclusion It's a.......BOGGART! Ha! And being a Ravenclaw myself with some Defense Against the Dark Arts Training this monster is just riddikulus. Well, it was, up till the story changed and more was known about where It came from ...from out there. So It's an alien?

However, at the final showdown, we learn that It's something that existed before the universe. I was reading the book together with a friend of mine and after seriously discussing what to call it we've decided on classifying It as a Primordial being. Although calling It an alien works for me too.

The characterization is really well done and I love it. Even some of the villain like characters have some intriguing backstories. Like Patrick Hockstetter one of the bullies. A boy who kills things and puts them in a fridge and believes he alone, exists. Patrick is a monster but then what is It? Or Eddy's mother or Henry Bowers background?

Something surprising was the addition of It's POV at the last showdown. I'd definitely recommend this although I'd advise not to read it at night. It's not as scary (bad) as Pet Sematary. On a side note, I'd also suggest Danse Macabre (by Stephen King) as a companion to any Stephen King books you're planning on reading. In this case for this book. I haven't finished Danse Macabre, but chapter two was very insightful and useful when reading It. 

Happy reading!

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Before the Fairytale: The Girl with No Name (Seventh Night) by Iscah

Banished from her village, a young shape shifter sets out on a journey to find her place in the world...

The first of four "Before the Fairytale" stories, "The Girl With No Name" is told in a deceptively simple storybook style with the flavor of an original Grimm's fable, but don't expect your typical "once upon a time.."once upon a time scenario. This is a coming of age tale, humorously interwoven with social commentary.

This story is recommended for older children to adult readers (9 & up) but may not be suitable for younger children.GOODREADS

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Who doesn't like fairy-tales? And even if you don't ,you've probably been introduced to some in your youth. Hansel and Gretel,  Snow White, Red Riding Hood  Mulan...wait, Mulan is a Disney movie...

The Goodreads description of the book is fairly accurate. "Before the Fairytale", is indeed written in a storybook way and very easy to read.  I, being a fan of the Brothers Grimm, could find some of that in this book. 

Like most fairy tales there isn't much characterization .

Except for The nameless girl and Leifhound: The main character referrred to as The Girl , changes a lot and learns a lot about the world and its people. Leifhound turns out to be a very wise prince. I think as far as secondary characters go, Leifhound might be the one I liked the most, because for a prince he's something different. He wants to be a good king and does everything possible so Uritz can have a good future.

Other memorable characters are the bookshop owner that helps the girl and when the girl meets the witch. When she meets the witch, this scene is very well depicted as frightening and different from the other places the girl has visited.

The girl at first starts off on her journey wanting to find her father. She comes back to the town she was born in after years without having found her dad. This is kind of disappointing though for an ending. It's not what I expected but endings are never to a person's expectations.

Although this is a fairy tale and a fantasy novel. The pegasus and unicorns took me off guard.

It's not a bad thing and it worked in the book but it was surprising and unexpected.

I enjoyed reading this book just like I enjoy reading any fairy tale book. It's amusing and simple. Plus there's a wonderfully wise prince.

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The Emerald Tablet ( Legends of Amun Ra # 1) by Joshua Silverman

Leoros doesn't have many friends. The son of a scientist and archeologist, he is constantly on the move. But when his parents make a startling discovery in Egypt, Leoros' world is turned upside down.

Description

Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil?

When an archeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together
by forces neither understands.

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.GOODREADS

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I expected this was going to be another story about a kid ending up in another world and having an adventure. Like that movie Warriors of Virtue or Alice in Wonderland. Although I suppose with all the Star Wars references it should be more like Luke saving a planet story. However my Star Wars savvy is limited to some popular phrases and yoda-talk. So I won't go there, everything I expected from this book was blown out of the window starting from chapter one.

The first chapter starts of with a disturbing and unpleasant scene. A girl being strangled by her father. The scene is very detailed, describing what the girl is feeling and how she blacks out. The father while he strangles her keeps asking her if she has ever felt hate. Eventually the girl escapes by unlocking an innate ability, she uses energy and throws her father away. That' was the whole point of the "exercise". The father,King Ankar, is the villain of the story. A man who wants to use his children and get vengeance.

The narration isn't that great. At times it sounds like an old wise science teacher or philosopher or like an enthusiastic kid playing with toy soldiers, the latter comes out especially in the scene where captain Axios is introduced. Also the narrator switches from one character to several together and describes what they're thinking and a bit of each characters background. 

This is a book with very good characterization. Every character has an interesting background but they have unpleasant personalities. But this can just be me and it's only at the start of the book. So bad first impressions. The characters are dynamic as well so they become more bearable in the second half of the book. Leoros was too accepting, he's 13, very young, goes through a portal meets an Amun Priest that says he's a kid from some prophecy and Leoros's reaction to this is basically "cool, teach me your ways". The other apprentices have unpleasant and shallow personalities. Again this changes later, while  some change for the better others not so much. The one character that changed and I liked more was Dio, I think her character grew a lot and I suppose Leoros as well. Then there's Kam's character  one of the apprentices that goes and joins Ankars army. The one character that just kept going down hill while developing a twisted obsession to a magical rod, I expected him to start calling it "my precious " at some point. 

The odd and unfortunate thing is I liked Leoros's parents, Alex and Camilla. Those were the characters I liked the most. They had clashing personalities, Alex believes in what he sees while Cam is more open-minded. The narration also switches from what's happening in Potara and with Leoros's parents trying to activate the pillar to get him back. This was an unfortunate choice in favorite characters because they died.

This is science-fiction, kind of. Leoros ends up in a futuristic kind of Egyptian planet, potara. There's a disconnection at times between the narration and  the story. Sometimes you're focused on one scene or event then suddenly they're on advanced aircraft's. 

It's still a good story, it has that old school feeling of diving into a new and interesting  world and not just some glossy young adult novel. Also a good integration of Egyptian and Greek mythology.

I'm not happy with the ending. The ending was unexpected. It felt like the scene in John Carter when Carter gets tricked and sent back to earth...only the movie didn't end there. Objectively it's a good ending, subjectively.........

I'd definitely recommend this book, if you're a sci-fi fan, or Star Wars fan, or a comic book fan then there's definitely something for you in this book. If you're looking for something new, this book has that too. 

I liked what Leoros learned about Duality , how it's about perspective and finding a balance between two things. Is this really a good book or a bad one, I guess you'll just have to read it yourself.

My review of The Soul of World (Legends of Amun Ra 2)
Grade:

**T0 review this book I was asked

The Sandman , Vol.1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

A wizard attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. Fearful for his safety, the wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass bottle for decades. After his escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On the way, Morpheus encounters Lucifer and demons from Hell, the Justice League, and John Constantine, the Hellblazer. This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings" which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl, Death.GOODREADS

Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator(s): Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg
Letterer: Todd Klein
Series: The Sandman  

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How would you feel about life if Death was your older sister?

As a whole this makes a fantastic collection of the Sandman comics. Rich with several  mythological characters and famous figures from the comic world.

 Volume 1 consists of issues 1-8. It follows Dream as he's accidentally kidnapped by a wizard ,who then out of fear imprisons Dream in a glass bottle. When the wizard had summoned Dream I was disappointed because the thing that had appeared was not what I expected Dream to look like. He looks like an alien with a flies head. Only later do we see that it was Dreams mask (one of his objects of power) which is taken from him later. I was thrilled and surprised because The Sandman looks a lot like Neil Gaiman or maybe Mr Gaiman goes around dressed as The Sandman. Unruly hair ,long dark raincoat. Or maybe he is The Sandman.

#1 and #2 follows the Sandman as he is captured and imprisoned in the bottle . While he waits to exact revenge he sits silently watching his captives while the world sleeps restlessly. Years pass and the Sandman finally escapes and then takes his revenge but must still find his lost objects (the ruby, helmet and pouch) #2 Imperfect Hosts, is where the sandman goes back to his world to find it in ruin. He then summons the Fates to inquire about the whereabouts of his lost objects:
The pouch is with one of my  favorite Englishman, John Constantine . The helmet with a demon in hell and the ruby with a member of the Justice League . This issue also sports a cameo of Batman and Robin. Notable figures are the Fates and Cain and Abel.

#3 Dream a Little Dream of Me, Constantine's appearance was something I was looking forward to but it was a bit disappointing. Then again that might not be saying much because I liked Keanu Reeves as Constantine. I have read one of the Hellblazer issues: in comparison, it's the same Constantine . The same level of cynical and depressing atmosphere. Dream finds Constantine and they go look for the pouch , which Constantine's ex-girlfriend stole. Although it wasn't what I expected it's one of my favorite issues (in this volume).

#4 A Hope in Hell, This is another of my favorites from this volume. Dream goes to hell to retrieve his helmet. He encounters Etrigan (a demon and half brother of Merlin), dream also finds hell in a different state. Lucifer is no longer sole ruler. He shares his rule with Beelzebub and Azazel. When Lucifer is introduced I was shocked because he looked like one of the damn  Bee Gees! That's not what a person expects, you know? . The demon who has Dream's helmet challenges him to a duel for the helmet. Dream wins , but Lucifer questions him "why should he let him leave  unscratched or leave at all". Dream blows me away with the  manner he escapes , he is a hope in hell and that's the reason they should let him leave.

#5 -#7, Passengers, follows the search for the Ruby. Doctor Destiny escapes Arkham asylum and hijacks a car with a woman in it. Doctor Destiny is going to get the ruby which he's altered to only work for him. Dream finds it first but the ruby resists him and takes some of his energy . Doctor Destiny shows up and takes the ruby. He plans to make the world go mad and be the king . #6 24 hours, Doctor Destiny's killing time in a diner while the world goes mad. He keeps the people in the diner there for 24 hours driving them mad and making them kill each other. Doctor destiny is twisted and really insane. Only after all the crazy has happend does Dream show up.  #7 Sound and Fury, dream challenges Doctor Destiny to a fight in his world. Dream tricks him into destroying the ruby, which gives Dream his powers back. Dream restores the world and returns Doctor Destiny to the asylum. and the world sleeps soundly.

#8 The Sound of Her Wings, This is my number one favorite. We get to meet Death, Dreams sister. She dresses in all black and has the same black unruly hair as her younger brother. She's death but she's full of life.    This issue follows dream and his sister while she reaps the living.







This comic is rated 18+. It does have some nudity and graphic scenes where people kill each other and are murdered .  There's a lot of death. The sandman has a lot of names. Morpheus, King of dreams, Dream and others I suppose. There's even a martian from the Justice League who knows him (which says something about his age). This comic has a lot going for it, good writing, good characterization and the art is pretty good if not creepy at times. It's also fun to read and meet characters you've know from other stories.So why wouldn't you read it?

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Vampire Hunter D volume 3 by Hideyuki Kikuchi , adapted and illustrated by Saiko Takaki

The third volume of the popular Japanese series comes to America in Vampire Hunter D: Demon Deathchase. The vampire hunter known only as D has been hired by a wealthy, dying man to find his daughter, who was kidnapped by the powerful vampire Lord Meierlink. Though humans speak well of Meierlink, the price on his head is too high for D to ignore and he sets out to save her before she can be turned into an undead creature of the night. In the nightmare world of 12090 A.D., finding Meierlink before he reaches the spaceport in the Clayborn States and gets off the planet will be hard enough, but D has more than just Meierlink to worry about. The dying man is taking no chances, and has also enlisted the Marcus family, a renegade clan of four brothers and a sister who don't care who they kill as long as they get paid. Beautiful illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano complement the post-apocalyptic plot, filled with chilling twists. Co-Published with Digital Manga Publishing.GOODREADS

* the description of the manga belongs to another edition. The edition being reviewed is adapted and illustrated by Saiko Takaki.

First off, I'm not familiar with the other two volumes or the story arc. This is my introduction to this manga. Not knowing certain things did bother me: like why the hell does D have a face or an ugly speaking face on his hand or why he's so mysterious and why the old guy seemed to know him. I guess being ignorant of D's background made this less impressive but it doesn't really ruin the plot,  it just makes a person curious so it's safe to read this as a stand alone. Then again I don't know why you would start at 3 when you should start with one.

The plot is predictable , I mean vampire falls in love with human, they run away, dad is disgusted, hires hunters,  girl hunter sympathizes because she likes D, a dramatic scene where the Meierlink gets killed and then human girl impales herself because she can't live without him. Predictable. 

What made it interesting was the characters and the illustrations. D's mysterious and I don't get him. Then there's the Marcus clan ( a bunch of morons, moron clan) and the Noble vampire who kidnaps the damsel. Then there's the 3 assassins from some village. They all die and the way they kept coming back was surprising and frustrating. I mean die already!

As for the illustrations. Lets see: the body of the characters ,their cloths (in this case I mean the men's cloths) are done really well and are amazing. But the faces aren't as attractive as the clothes . The faces are weird looking in my opinion but the expressions are unique and eye-catching. 

There are three female characters in this manga. I hated them all.  There's the damsel; who almost gets raped then saved by this guy who then tries to rape her and again gets rescued by a Marcus brother . Then there's the female Marcus member: she's suppose to be bad ass but is being sexually abused by her "brothers" and one of the assassins who's in this really skimpy outfit (how do you fight in that?!). The word "sexist' is swimming around in my head, but I'm not sure if I should use it. It is what it is. The assassin used her body as a weapon, the Marcus girl's a reasonable fighter but kind of weak and the damsel's too kind and naive. plus the other two aforementioned ones have these huge boobs. Maybe not extremely huge ones, but they're very apparent, noticeable. like they'd poke you in the eye or something. how do you fight with those?!

Predictable plot and crappy female characters aside, it's still a fun manga to read . I didn't know it was set in the year 12090 A.D and that this was also a science fiction manga, that wasn't as apparent in this volume as the boobs ,but one of the reasons I'd give it a try if ever I come across another volume.

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Sleepin with Fear ( A Bishop/ Special Crimes Unit Novel #9 ) by Kay Hooper

New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper returns with a relentless thriller that brings her readers face-to-face with fear itself. In this terrifying new novel, a psychic special agent finds herself caught up in a tangled web of secrets, lies . . . and evil.Riley Crane woke up fully dressed, a gun under her pillow, and covered in blood. Even more frightening, she didn’t remember what happened the night before. In fact, she barely remembered the previous three weeks.An ex—army officer, now a federal agent assigned to the Special Crimes Unit, Riley was a chameleon–a clairvoyant who could blend in with her surroundings, be anyone or anything she chose to be. The SCU’s expert on the occult, she’d been sent to the beachfront cottage on Opal Island by her enigmatic chief, Noah Bishop, to investigate reports of dangerous occult activity. But that was three weeks ago. Now she’s awoken to discover that she’s got a sexy new man in her life and an unreliable memory, and that the clairvoyant abilities she’s always depended on to protect her are MIA. Worse yet, with SCU resources stretched thinner than ever before, Riley is alone and without backup, feeling her way through a deadly game of blindman’s buff, where no one around her is quite who or what they seem. And a bizarre murder is only the first jarring reminder of how high the stakes really are.Bishop wants Riley off the case. So does powerful local D.A. Ash Prescott. Both her old retired army buddy Gordon Skinner and Sheriff Jake Ballard believe she can catch a vicious killer. But one of these four men knows exactly what’s going on in this coastal community, and that’s knowledge Riley desperately needs. For what Riley can’t remember is more than enough to cost her her life. This time evil isn’t just closer than she thinks–it’s already there.
From the Hardcover edition.GOODREADS

This is a book I picked up at the library and I have to say it was quite a ride. It's really well written and the characters are interesting and funny. Maybe a bit cliche and predictable. The premise of the story was worked out really well. I mean Riley wakes up covered in blood and has no memory of the past 3 weeks. One of her job strategies is she can pretend to be anybody so she pretends she's the same .

Riley has no memory of the 3 weeks and on the  same day she wakes up a body is discovered and she also finds out she's been sleeping with the local D.A. Again she has no memory about any of this. Riley is also a psychic, and her abilities have gone AWOL . Riley is a likable character ,she's independent and likes working alone. If there's a fight she'd go in alone, because she thinks it's her duty not to put the people she cares about in danger.

The murder is surrounded by an occult theme in the book. Riley specializes in the occult so that's why she was brought in. Ash is described as not quite handsome but attractive in a butch way. He's too good to be true for the romance part of this book, Ash is too good to be true. I mean he's  like the Beast and he can cook and is well read, too damn good to be true! Then there's Jake, the Sheriff (with a jock complex). He's character is good for some comic affect.

The mystery: like all mystery novels you try to figure out who the bad guy is. Riley is on this beach island and when the villain is revealed It wasn't really that shocking. The list of suspects was short and obvious. You could easily speculate who it would be and then one by one (at the end of the book) rule them out.

Unfortunately my library only has one other book from this series ,so I can't really get into it. Although it is a fun book to read.


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A Feast for Crows ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 4) by George R.R Martin

After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.Goodreads

Meanwhile back at the wall  reads the last chapter of a  Feast for Crows that's not a chapter. It's a letter or some words from George Martin explaining WHY Tyrion, Bran, Daenerys, Jon, Davos, Stannis and all the other characters are absent! It's very well written this letter and I'm not really annoyed He is after all the story teller and I'm just the eager listener waiting .

On to the book:  it wasn't as devastating as a Storm of Swords but I did have another reluctant phase when I saw that Cersei had chapters . I mean really ?? I had to endure being in Jaime's mind( which I'll admit wasn't so bad and even in aFfC he's becoming more honorable). But Cersei, she's just so fickle and arrogant and paranoid and I could barf. She thinks she's Tywin's son but with breasts (she actually says this or thinks this). In comparison to Jaime: When reading Jaime's pov's I learned more about what drives him and why his done so many bad things. He wanted to be the good guy but some how became the bad one. His character is flawed but he has some good in him . As for Cersei the only redeeming part (maybe) is that she loves her children and wants to protect them. She still mourns her son and is afraid  of losing Tommen. At the same time she wants to be Queen and hates Margaery and plots to have her killed. *really woman get over yourself. Her plan backfires and she ends up lock up aswell just like Margaery. In Jaime's case I came to understand him and now (aFfC) maybe like him a little bit.  Cersei on the other had........

"Whilst you snored, I would lick your sons off my face and fingers one by one, all those pale sticky princes. You claimed your rights, my lord, but in the darkness I would eat your heirs " -pg 693

When I said I could barf, I meant it quite literally. Cersei is disturbed . I think that comes out more in the end. Some time in a cold dark cell might help her. Now I see where Joffrey got it from.

Something I was looking forward too was the Martells. When prince Doran had arrived in Kingslanding in a Storm of Swords , it was impressive. Dorne was the last kingdom to bend down to the Iron Throne,Unbowed,Unbent,Unbroken are their words.They have a lot of history . Doran came for revenge and in a way he did get it. Although wen he died I expected more of a retaliation or a revolt something from Dorn! At first reading about Prince Oberyn and his meekness toward the whole thing. I was disappointed. was this what impressed me so much? Although the sand snakes and Arianne did prove to be like prince Doran. Ariane tried to crown Myrcella but her coup didn't go so well. Her failure on the other hand turned the waves. Prince Oberyn chastises her, he tells her not to mistake his forbearance for patience or meekness. What he does he does in the better good for their hearts desire. what's that you ask? well only vengeance, justice and fire and blood.

Then there's the Greyjoys, Balon's death brings his brothers back Euron 'crows eye comes back from "whoknowswhere" to claim the Seastone Chair. But his other bother Damphair won't have a godless man sit the chair so he goes and calls a Kingsmoot. oh look  at that the thieving pirates have something that resemblance democracy. Notable competitors were Asha and Victarion (another of Balon's brothers) . Euron wins , how? oh you know he has  a horn that can enchant DRAGONS. I mean really we already have a horn that can bring down the wall , Yo Martin you know  that big thing keeping the white walkers out of the realm. Why can't you add magical  blowtorches so the Westorosi people can defend themselves better rather then putting them in horrible places where they're most likely to DIE.

Victarion Greyjoy is an interestingly disturbed character. He often says he has no luck with wives. He's had three. His last wife slept with he's brother Euron which pissed him off immensely. BUT because Vicky didn't want to kill his brother and become a kinslayer he went and killed his wife instead. oh dude you missed the point of compromise..He's still pissed about what happened and I think he feels guilty aswell . He tells himself he had to do it, he often recollects the blood on his hands and her face. He wants revenge so he agrees to do something for his brother. to go and fetch he's brothers lover but he's really going to take her for himself. Oh such brotherly love

One of the castles I love the most is The Eryie. It's brilliant and impregnable. For some odd reasons I like the sky cells , they seem amazing. I'd like to see the view from one, but not long enough for me to get any notions of flying. Sansa has to play the role of Petyr's daughter Alayne. She must be Alayne at all times, even the titles of Sansa's chapters have changed to Alayne to mark this change. I don't like Petyr, he's a sneaky untrustworthy person. Yes, he's smart and could probably sell you anything you don't need but it's hard to trust this guy and now after reading a Feast for Crows I am stumped. Petyr wants Sansa to make Harry Waynwood fall in love with her so they can be married. When he proposes this I'm like * I knew it you bastard littlefinger. Then Petyr explains that Harry Waynwood is a distant descendant of one of Jon Arryn's brothers and when Robert dies Harry would inherit the Vale. No, there's more and when Sansa shows up at her wedding with red hair covered in a maidens cloak emblazoned with the Stark direwolf. The Vale will pledge fealty to her and help get Winterfell back! Petyr Baelish *who are you?! what are you up to?!

Tyrion's absence from this book is felt. Cersei has a bounty on his head and is paranoid Tyrion will come back and try to kill her. Jaime is haunted by Tyrion's words. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak... but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in thousand years.”

All right you probably want me to shut up now, but the most chivalrous knight I know is Brienne of Tarth, who's currently being hanged but I'm sure she'll think of something.

Although Davos's pov's weren't in this book ,he's name was mentioned a few times. In my aCoK review I said he was dead, and in my aSoS  review it turns out he wasn't dead and now in aFfC he's apparently dead (again) so I'm not going to comment on he's state of existence or non-existence. Let's just say he's MIA

A Feast for Crows, a very fitting name . There are a lot of crows in this book as there are bodies. Lady Stoneheart is adamant on hanging all the Fry's and traitors . She's no longer Catelyn Stark, she knows no mercy. Then again what do you expect from a zombie. Beric Dondarion is dead, he gave he's zombieness to her.

Speaking of the dead, Aemon Targeryn also dies on his way to oldtown. Sam and Gilly honour him by naming Dalla's son Aemon. Aemon Battleborn, Aemon Steelstrong very impressive names. Sandor Clegane is also said to be dead. I kinda liked him.

In this book we leave Arya waking up blind.............grrrr WHY??!

Right I was suppose to stop 4 alinea's ago, my bad. I love this series but I can't say I'm eager to read a Dance with Dragons because it's currently the last book published. Winds of Winter isn't out yet, as far as I know there isn't even a release date, and if I read aDwD now. Then what am I going to do then?! George Martin took six years before he finished aDwD, six years!! May the Seven judge you justly!

A Storm of Swords ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 3 ) by George R.R Martin

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...GOODREADS

(While) read(ing) till pages 693- 710    " Devastation"

You should know I specialize in spoilers. As the warning in the header (or whatever you call it) sincerely states. I haven't finished a Storm of Swords yet but I'm putting it aside because of the Red Wedding.  This book is amazing yet horrible and sad , badass and just, just epic! I fear picking it up and reading the rest . I fear what the other books might hold. I am  really not liking George Martin right now but also admire his writing and what he's done and doing with this work. ///Reading hiatus July 24th

Resumed reading : July 28th

Now commence very long review/rant

A Clash of Kings ( a Song of Ice and Fire , book 2) by George R. R. Martin

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles. GOODREADS

In the beginning  there's a comet with a red tail in the sky. It can be seen from everywhere. Kingslanding, the  North even in the south where Dainery's is. Everybody interprets this differently.  Stannis sees it as a sign of his victory but so do the Lannisters . This is interesting because it reminds me of omens and their parts in history, how people tried to explain natural events .

It's called a Clash of Kings because after Robert's death , Joffrey became King, A very awful and disgusting King. Either way many aren't happy with Joffrey  being King and are rebelling against Kingslanding. Rob is now known as the king in the north. Stannis Baratheon names himself the rightful king of Westeros, but currently rules over the Narrow Sea and plans to take kingslanding. Renly Baratheon also names himself king, well because he'd make a better King than his brother and he's loved by all. Then there's the vile old man, Balon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands. There's your five Kings all fighting for one throne.The only people who will truly suffer in this game they play are the people between he Kings and their armies.  

We get to learn more abut Stannis through a new character Davos,the onion knight. Stannis also has a new adviser , a red priestess of R'hllor  , Milisandre (new character) a lady from the Asshai with a new religion of the light. She uses some kind of dark magic to help Stannis , she predicts his victory and seduces him body and soul, maybe shadow to her religion. Eerie woman and odd. She helps Stannis kill his brother, Renly Baratheon. for the night is dark and full terrors. I think anybody could like Davos. He's a simple man really,loves his wife ans sons and is honest and loyal to his friend and lord, Stannis. But he dies.

Rob's still a young lad leading an army ,being a King. He has a lot of victories and he has the Kingslayer. although he needs more men so he sends Theon Greyjoy to get more men from the Iron Islands, to make an ally out of Balon Greyjoy(Theon's father) and his mother he sends  to Renly. Theon the douchebag betrays Robb and becomes a monster. Lady stark is there when Renly is murdered. She flees with one of Renly's kingsguard, Brienne (new character). 

Theon fails to convince his father to help Robb. Balon is still angry about his failed rebellion and hates the Starks and wants revenge. Lady  stark was right about  Theon, the dude is all wrong. He's arrogant and thinks he's better and he's pathetic. Eventually he gets his father's trust and together they will (try) take the Iron Throne (whatever). but no Theon will disobey his fathers orders and take Winterfell. It's not a completely  stupid plan, Winterfell is poorly guarded and the only Starks there are but little boys. Theon succeeds in taking Winterfell but then it all goes down hill from there. The boys escape, so he murders two other little boys to prove a point (whatever it  was has escaped me). On top of that he gets screwed over by Ramsey Bolton, you gotta give the author kudos for the awesome names. I liked this scene when Bolten arrived and told Theon who he was. It felt conspiracy-like. and I love conspiracies <3.
One thing I will say about the Greyjoys is, this thing about paying the iron price or the gold one. please you lot shut it, you're all thieves!!

Tyrion arrives in Kingslanding with Bron and his own guard of crazy cavemen people. I love this guy. He comes at Kingslanding with one purpose, Justice. Tyrion isn't bad not really. He'd do the right thing just like Eddard would have but he knows how to play the game, he's a pseudo-conformist. At the end of this book he almost dies and  is no longer the  Hand of the King. But he was a great Hand.

Arya's been taken to Harrenhall. Jaqen H'ghar is probably one of my many favorite characters from this book. I love the way he talked. “The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life. This girl took three that were his. This girl must give three in their places. Speak the names, and a man will do the rest.” Arya tricks Jaqen when she uses her last name. She wants to escape Harrenhall but needs Jaqen to help her. He refuses because she has one name left. Arya then says Jaqen's name instead. So if Jaqen wants Arya to take the name back he must help her escape. This he does. Jaqen leaves and gives Arya a coin and the words 'Valar Morghulis'. Arya's facing a lot of bad and ugly stuff but she's a wolf and a survivor and if George Martin kills her off ,I will be pissd off!!

One of my favorite scenes  from the TV serie  , I found it in the book too: when Tyrion arrives and sees Joffrey punishing Sansa for her brothers "crimes". Page 488-489 . My favorite quote is when Joffrey says "You can't talk to me that way, the King can do as he liikes" I imagine it the way he says it in the show. He sounds more like a spoiled brat (which he is) than a King.

There's also another scene which wasn't in the TVserie neither were the characters: The Reeds , Meera and Jojen, come to Winterfell to swear fealty. The scene of their arrival and when they swear fealty was great and it sucks it wasn't in the TVserie . I love these characters and they help Bran with his dreams.The scene is  on page 328-329 
excerpt: 

"To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater. Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless,and justice to all,and we shall never fail you. I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. "we swear it by ice and fire".

We leave the characters: after the news of the deaths of her two youngest sons we leave lady Starks in Jaime's cell asking Brienne to give her a sword, Tyrion waking up from his injuries defending the city from Stannis. Sandor has disappeared, Jon  "joins" the wildlings, Bran and Rickon have left Winterfell and go separate ways.

There's a lot going on in this book to love, hate and the scares. It's worth a read, so go on and pick it up.

Grade:

Waiting on Wednesday #1

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Right now I'm reading A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin. I am completely and utterly enamored by this crazy, wonderful fantastical story this man's created. My book store doesn't have A Storm of Swords so I'll have to order it which is a good thing because exams are coming up and I don't need the distraction. 

The book I'm waiting for is The Winds of Winter, it's the 6th book in the series. Although I'm only at book 2 I still want this book to come out fast because the last book came out after 6 years. 6 YEARS!!!.

I'll just take my time reading the current books and hope by the time I'm done there will atleast BE a release date or a cover. SOMETHING  to ease me.

What are you waiting on?

A Game of Thrones (a Song of Ice and Fire: book 1) by George R.R Martin

"In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones" G

First impressions: when I first came across this book. I thought the title interesting and beautiful. A Game of Thrones, a Song of Ice and Fire saga. Even the titles of the following books, a Clash of Kings, a Storm of Swords,a Feast for Crows. You get what I'm getting at. Pretty words. when I read about what it was about that made it seem a  bit uninteresting. Five families ,seven kingdoms. Didn't think that would be a good read. BUT I WAS WRONG. This book is more than who sits on the Iron Throne. It's about family, brotherhood, loyalty, honor,love, betrayal and there are wolves and dragons!! knights and adventure. It's more than pretty words. I've been blown away by this magnificent work of fantasy . I haven't felt like this since Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

There are a number of people narrating. We jump from one person to another, this is how the story is told. It's mainly told from members of  House Stark,but beside them we have Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryn. This is a good thing because then we get to know what's happening in different locations in the Seven kingdoms and experience it from the (many) protagonist's view point.

Some of my favorite characters:

Eddard Stark: he's the lord of  House Stark. What I liked about him is that he's honorable and knows the difference between right and wrong and will always (try) do the right thing. Sadly that's what he was trying to do and he ended up with his head on pike!

Robert Baratheon: the King of the Seven kingdoms. Although he's a horrid king, you still feel for the man. He was  once a fierce warrior and now he's a fat King sitting on this awfully uncomfortable chair. On numerable occasions in the book Robert tells Eddard how much he hates being a king and wants to run away. He dies aswell. and ruins everything!!

Arya Stark: I love her. She's a tomboy . She wants to be a knight. It's a great dream to have in a medieval world being a girl and all. She's one of the many strong female leads and I love reading her chapters.

Sansa Stark : Arya's sister , What a blind fool. She's 11 and is betrothed to the new King Joffrey Baratheon(what kind of name is that anyways, 'Joffrey"?). At the end she does get some sense and sees Joffrey for what he is. I'm really looking forward to reading more of her chapters in the other books. Her interactions with Sandor are interesting to read to aswell.

Then we have: Jon Snow : bastard son of Eddard Stark. Jon has issues with being a bastard but by the end Jon accepts who he is and has found a place for himself. There's also Sam Tarly: A Black Brother to Jon, Sam's a coward but he finds a strange kind of bravery by the end. Sam grows a lot aswell. Then we have Tyrion Lannister( the imp): you will love this guy, he's a dwarf, but is he really? another character had described him as a giant in disguise(I'm thinking maybe he is). Tryion is cunning, his mind is as sharp as a blade. I like him but I don't know who's side his one.

As you can see the characters are wonderful and (in my opinion) well developed and dynamic. Each one is their own person, has their own struggles to overcome. It's wonderful reading.

The book itself is well written ,easy to understand. The words and phrases are amazing. The different Houses and their words and sigils and histories are fantastic, brilliant and rich. House Stark is by far my favorite (also the main narrators). Their words are Winter is Coming. All the other Houses have their own words. Lannisters: Hear us roar (sigil: lion),  Baratheons: Ours is the fury (sigil: crowned stag),  Targaryns:  Fire and blood (sigil; three headed dragon). As you can see the Starks are different from the other houses. They don't boast of their strengths, their words are one of warning. The Stark sigil is that of a Direwolf. Which are really big wolves(I love wolves). 

"Here and now, you ought to see it when it blooms,all dark red flowers from horizon to horizon,like a sea of blood. Come the dry season,and the world turns the color of bronze . And this is only Hranna,child. There are hundred kinds of grass out there, grasses as yellow as lemon and as dark as indigo, blue grasses and orange grasses and grasses like rainbows. Down the shadow lands beyond Asshai, they say there are oceans of ghost grass,taller than man on horseback with stalks as pale as milkglass, it murders all other grass and glows in the dark with the spirits of the damned. the Dotharaki claim that someday ghost grass will cover the entire world,and then all life will end'<- Grass, he's talking about grass!! and yet I'm hanging on every word!

Although it has a medieval kind of feel to it. There's also scary atmosphere while everybodies fighting to sit on the Irone Throne there's a threat in the north they all ignore.  A threat of dead men who walk (whitewalkers) while more and more Rangers go missing bringing back  the numbers of men guarding the wall. The wall that keeps the walkers out and the realm save. but for how long?

A lot happens in this book. Eddard goes south to serve as the new hand of the kind. He takes his two daughters with him, Arya and Sansa. He should never have gone south! Eddard investigates the murder of he's friend Jon Arryn (former hand of the king) and discovers that the Queens children are not The kings. Then like I said Roberth dies and ruins everything. Now there's war . While Roberth's brothers plot to take the Irone Throne ,Eddard's son Robb is leading his bannermen from the north to avenge his father. Arya is being taken North by a Ranger . While Daenery's is also planning to take the Irone Throne from across the narrow sea with dragons.

There are more characters involved than just those who narrate. It's not easy telling who's good or who's bad. It seems everybody has their own agenda. Only Varys(one of the kings Councillors) seems to have a seemingly good agenda.  He serves no one but the realm and everything he does is to keep the peace in the realm (so he claims) . The people don't really care who sits on the Irone Throne as long as they're left alone, to grow old, work and watch their children grow. There's also a really simple thing to this book.

Robb's 14 and is leading an army to avenge his father. 14! in his chapters or his mother's we forget he's 14 but then the author reminds us. We're always reminded . Even in Daenerys chapters who's also very young, 13 when she's wed(sold)   to Drogo by her brother to gain an army. Arya who's 9,Sansa who's 11 (who's to wed Joffrey). Jon Snow also 14, Joffrey 12. All children.

I am desperately looking forward to reading a Clash of Kings. A Game of Thrones leaves me wanting more and with questions. Who's Jon's mother? Why was Jon Arryn going to send his son to Dragonstone? who really sent  the assassin for Bran?Is Benjen Stark alive?  I need  more of Westeros.

The author:

<- The true King of Westeros. Now if only he would stop killing my favorite characters and leave the people BE!!!!

Author George R.R Martin was asked if he had a resolution or ending to the seemingly endless conflict. He replied that the end would be a cloud of dust or snow being driven by the wind across a vast graveyard full of tombstones.

Me:Why can't we just follow the butterflies?

I've only ever read Lord of the Rings to which I can compare this to. So if you're a fan of LTR then try this book. It's Amazing! I'm telling you you have to read it. You must. It's "phantastic"

Grade:

Oustanding

Winter is coming

*Sorry if this is more a rant than a review.I had to get it out