Book Review- Spells

(From Goodreads) Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever. 

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?


Certainly not one of my favorites. I decided to read the next book in this series because I hate not finishing series. 


Anyways. The books was really slow throughout. I'm going to say that now. 

What I did like about it was the fact that we actually got to see Avalon, which is what I wanted to happen. And I know I mentioned that in the last post about the first book, Wings.  Avalon was very interesting and I adored seeing how the author described it. 

I loved the summer fey's houses the best. They were cool. I also enjoyed seeing how they don't use money there and instead you can have something if you really like it. I enjoyed meeting the other fey and learning about the fey Laurel knew before she went to our world. 

It was cool to see Tamani's mother and the little girl who stayed with her. Although I wasn't sure who exactly she was. I got confused. The play that Laurel went to was interesting, especially the twist on The Midsummer's Night Dream. 

But beyond those things, I didn't really like the story. It was good yes, but really slow. You didn't even see trolls really until the very end where we find some things out.  The characters were okay although most of them just ended up annoying me. Especially the stupid love triangle. 

This is going to be a short review, but I just don't have that much to say about this book. The cover is beautiful though. 

On Goodreads: Spells

Website: Aprilynne Pike

Book Trailer:

Sincerely,

Sareh

Writing Tips- You're Awesome!

I had a really awesome post idea for today that I wanted to share with you today. But being me, I didn't write it down. So now I can't remember what it was. 


Anyways, I decided I'm going to write a post today about not being afraid of what you write. In case you're confused here's what I mean. 


Don't be afraid of how others will perceive your work. 


If you want to write about that subject then go for it. My latest WIP involves a lot of blood and violence. Not that there's a lot of fighting, but the culture involves a lot of taboo subjects and things people might get squeamish about. 


For a while I was worried that people wouldn't want to read it because it involves human sacrifice and things that go along with that. I even describe it in detail during a couple parts of the story. But then, I've been thinking: just because someone else wouldn't want to read this doesn't mean I shouldn't write it. 


So then I've kept the parts and decided that if they need to be taken out later on, they will. If not, I'll keep them. 


Your writing is awesome regardless of what someone else says. 


No matter what the reviews say or the comments you might get, your work is still awesome. As long as you think so. If you want to write about something you're passionate about or something that you feel needs to be included in the story, go for it. 


Everyone has an opinion and not everyone is going to like everything that you write. That's life. But the other thing is that there's at least one other person out there who will at least like what you write. For everyone person who doesn't like something, there's another who does. And that's okay. 


But...


Keeping that in mind, you should still consider the other side. Even if someone completely hates your work, you should still accept their opinion and consider what they're saying. Maybe they can offer advice on something that you missed or something that needs to be worked on. Their opinions and comments can be just as helpful as praise. 


Don't let it go to your head.


This goes both ways. Don't let praise go to your head and think you're the best writer out there. There's always something you can improve on or learn. Even J. K. Rowling isn't the best writer out there and she probably still has things she can learn or improve. 


Don't let the negative comments get to you either. Just because someone doesn't like something you wrote doesn't mean you're the worst writer ever. You're not. And don't even think about throwing that work away just because someone said they didn't like it. It may not be your best ever, but its still good. 


And if you have second thoughts about your piece, take a step back, breathe, and look at it a second time. Maybe not right away, but give yourself enough time that you can look at it with a clear head.   


Writing takes practice just like anything else and you can only improve by reading and writing as much as you can. You cannot get worse. 


Also, keep in mind that you're not alone. There are thousands of writers out there and remember this: for every published writer, there's another thousand wanting to be published. That may or may not be true, but you get the idea. 


Everyone has their ups and downs. Some days, I feel like the worst writer out there. And other days, I feel awesome. That's life too. 


So in short, remember these key things. 

1. You're awesome no matter what someone says. Writing and in life in general. 
2. Don't be afraid to write what you love. You never know, you could change someone's life. 
3. You're not alone. If need be, find other writers you can talk to who understand.
4. Writing takes practice. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again... and again. 
5. You can only get better. 
6. Life is full of ups and downs. Its how we respond to them that matters. 
7. There's always something to learn or improve on. Unless you're God.
8. Every author started like the rest of us: unpublished and with a story to tell. 
9. Don't give up. Dr. Suess got over 200 rejections before The Cat in the Hat was published. 
10. On earth, the sky is blue. 

Sincerely,

Sareh

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Readers and Birdies,

Happy thanksgiving!

There is a lot of things to be thankful for and for us in America, this is our day to show it. For those out of the USA, take time today to show and tell people how much and what you're thankful for today. Today is a day to celebrate and the day to spend time with people we love.

So here's a list of some things I'm thankful for:

• For all of you awesome readers! Without you, 30 something people who read my blog, and all the other people who stop by here, I wouldn't be here. Because well, lets face it, what a blog without it's followers and readers to read/listen/watch it? I've grown so much since starting this and I've learned so much! I hope that all of you get at least one thing out of this blog and I hope you will continue to do so. 
• For God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Because They're awesome and amazing! God for sending Jesus, being there for all of us when we need it, forgiving me over and over when I mess up, and listening to me when I ramble on in my prayers. Jesus for dying on the cross and rising again so that we all might be saved and come to know Him. And for the Holy Spirit for giving me the words to speak and love and whatever else it is that He does. 
• For my family and friends because they're awesome people too. They've given me so much support it's amazing! 
• For my school and the time we've been given off from it. I have amazing teachers and classmates. 
• For my pet dog, she's so cute!
• For being able to write awesome stories, books, etc. Draw, read, and dance. 
• For books because without books I'd be bored to tears and I've learned so much from them!
• For the government even though I may not agree with them, God put them up for a reason so I guess I should be thankful we don't have a tyrant who says I can't have freedom of religion and speech. 
• For today being sunny where I am. 
• For all the amazing blogs I read. 
• etc. 

So what are you thankful for? What are you doing for Thanksgiving today?

Oh! That reminds me! I'm officially published now! I don't know if I've mentioned it before...but I've been published in my school advent devotional booklet! Okay so, its nothing big big, like a book, but it's something, right?

Sincerely,

Sareh

Game Night! Fill in the Blanks!

Once upon a time (add name) went to/on a (place/ activity) and while doing so (name) met (another name) who was (adj.) with (adj.). (Name) loved (object/place/etc) and would often (verb) while running his (animal). One day (2nd person) decided that (he/she) would (verb) to (person). (Person) was (emotion) and (always/never) spoke to (name) again.

Really bad fill-in-the-blank, but hey, fill in the blanks and posted your responses in the comments! Or if you have your own fill in the blank story, let us know!

Book Review- Chosen

So I just got done with an epic musical at my school. We did Beauty and the Beast with me as the broom (although everyone thought I was some random Hawaiian girl), a villager, and one of the wolves (I looked more like a Russian wolf because my "ears" were more of a hat). And because I'm finally done with it, I'll be able to blog more! Yes! The musical was fun and I'm glad it's over, but I'm sad at the same time. 


Anyways. 

(From Goodreads) Think with your heart and prepare to die for you have been Chosen.

The land of the Forest Dwellers has been decimated by the Horde under the watchful eye of the vilest of all creatures, Teeleh. Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Forest Guard, is forced to lower the recruitment age of his army from 18 to 16. From among thousands, four new recruits are chosen to lead--and perhaps die--for the greater good.

The chosen four are sent on a quest to prove their character, but their mission takes a dramatic turn when they are intercepted, sworn to secrecy, and redirected to a different endgame. Now they must find the seven lost Books of History. Books that have power over the past, present, and future. Books whose words are alive. Books sought by the Dark One that control not only the destiny of their world . . . but that of ours as well.

So the author, Ted Dekker, is one of my British litature teacher's favorite authors. I remembered he mentioned him back in freshman year and then he has almost all of his books in his classroom. Plus I've been seeing this series in my library but I haven't been able to find the whole series. Until recently when I discovered that my teacher had all of the books in the series. 

One of the neat things I found out about this author is that most of his books are all somehow connected or related. The other neat thing is that you don't have to read the different series in order that they were written to get one series. So I was able to get into this series without having to read another series first. 

Another cool thing I found out about these books are that even though they're fantasy, they're Christian books too. Which is awesome. The other cool thing about this is that although Christianity wasn't like "BAM!" in your face, the themes of Christianity was subtly woven into the story with clues that I picked up on. Like Elyon (God/Jesus) and Teeleh (Satan). And the lakes were like physical representations of God's forgiveness for us. And the skin illness was sin. 

So onto the story, the characters were all good although I wasn't really sure that I liked most of them. Johnis was cool, as was Silvie, but I didn't like the other two chosen teens. They were good, but not my favorites. I like the whole alternate reality thing and the whole idea of the books. 

My favorite part are the Roush, the fuzzy white bats. They sound adorable and I wish they were real so I could hug one. They were funny too. If I had to say if they represented anything I would say they represented angels. 

Well there's actually not much I really want to say about this book. It was good and I enjoyed it. The plot was exciting and interesting, plus orginal. The characters could have been better but they were good too. I wish we could have learned more about their culture and why there's only seven lakes left.

On Goodreads: Chosen

Website: Ted Dekker

So have you read books where the author somehow connects a story to another? Did you have to read the other one to get the one you read or could you read them separately? 

Sincerely,

Sareh

Writing Tips- World Building

World building is very important. It's probably easier if you're writing in a real-world setting and even harder if you're creating your own world. In any case, it requires research and thinking.

First Step: Research
World building has two things to build a great and believable world. Creativity and research. When one researches, one must remember that you do not need everything you research. In other words, you must figure out what to read. If you're using historical parts in a fantasy novel you probably don't need the most credible sources. Although it's also good to make sure you have true facts in case you end up using something that makes you sound like you don't know what you're talking about. But even if you're creating your own version of a culture, you'll still need to use your imagination.

Even though one must be careful about how much you research because it can quickly take up your writing time and you may never end up starting the story, how much one researches depends on how closely you want your story to relate to true facts. If you want your story's culture to sound like something from Ancient China, you may want to research that culture unless you want to loosely base your culture off of it.

But besides researching historical facts, researching scientific facts and other things will make you sound like you know what you're talking about. You might ask why you need all this researching if you're writing a fantasy novel, but you see, there's these things called plausibility and realism.

Plausibility vs Realism
Plausibility is making your fantasy sound real, as if you're almost there. Realism is using facts from the real world to help make your world sound real. Without real facts, you might end up making your work harder than it has to be.

Tips to help your world:

• Make a list of rules and stick to them: If your world uses time travel and you can hyper-jump to a planet, make sure that if so, you can hyper-jump during any time of the novel unless there's a reason why. If your spaceship can do so during one chapter but can't the next, why? 
• Create maps and research them: I love making maps. They can be very helpful in not only knowing what your world looks like and deciding where things are, but they can help with traveling. They can help you decide what routes to take, where buildings, towns, and geographic features are. How long does it take to get to the next town? How far apart is one town from the next? Knowing where deserts commonly are found and why can be useful. Knowing weather patterns and what causes them are the same. 
• Stick with real things or have a reason not too: If you decide not to have gravity or some universal rule, make sure you have a reason why. Maybe a gaint spell came along that caused the world to loose its gravity. Or it has something to do with being closer or farther away from another planet or maybe it's less dense or more dense. 

What Creatures inhabit your world?

Three tips to decide what flora and animals are normal in your world:

1. There are no created animals, all the animals and plants we know of exist.
2. There is part created creatures/plants, part animals we know of existing: Creatures that don't really exist live in the same world as animals and plants such as deer and coconuts. Remember that the animal kingdom is arranged in a pyramid with large predadors at the top and a larger number of smaller creatures at the bottom.
3. There is no creatures that we know of exist: In other words, you created all of your creatures and plants. Remember that your creatures should fill the same roles as earth animals. Like horses. Although your creature that has a horse-like roles can do things horses can't like flying.

Government

Creating your culture's government is very important. Every society and culture has some type of government. And characters are often a part of something government related. Some types of government can be:

• Empires
• Kingdoms
• Anarchy
• republic
• city state
• feudalism
• dictatorship/totalitarian
• communism
• federation

And then these governments can be separated by even more things like:

• patriarchal
• matriarchal
• militaristic
• theocratic

And within these are even more things your people can be apart of. States, armies, secret societies, government agencies, guilds, and other things ran by governments. 

Creating Culture

Many things help create culture, things like:

• Religion- What someone believes in can greatly affect the culture. How often do the characters pray? Are they deeply religious or not so much? If your culture has religion, recall that religion usually affects every day life and almost everything that people do. In Christianity, most people might go to church every Sunday or some people go once in a while. Muslims pray several times a day. 
• weights and measures- Things like pounds, miles, and quarts are part of the system that America and one other country uses. Everyone else uses things like the metric system. The American system was based on how long the average person's arm or foot was, while the metric system is based on the number ten. How do people count time? By the postion of the sun or the moon? How much does something cost? And what do they use to decide that? Coins, feathers, shells?
• sayings and slang- What people say, how they say it, and what they mean by it differs from culture to culture. Where I live, people say something is "breast" when something is awesome or cool. My cousin says "cool beans" when something is cool. I bet people over in Africa have their own slang for when something is cool.
• diet and food- What does your culture eat? Meat, just veggies and fruit, or both? Also remember that many cultures have different foods from other ones. Italian is very different from Chinese food. Or something that's a common dish in Africa would be exotic in America. 
• music, art, and pop culture- Music and art all say something about people's culture. The Egyptians are famous for their hieroglyphs and the sarcophagus that hold mummies. While the Olmec in Ancient America carved giant heads.  
• prejudice/racism/tolerance- Back in WWII there were many anti-Jewish feelings. People were racist or against Jews. People can be prejudiced against fat or malformed people. Some people tolerate certain groups of people but view them as like second class citizens. 
• manners- Is it polite to bring food when you visit another home? How does your people greet each other? Its important to know what is rude and what isn't. As is how to show respect to someone of higher rank. Do they bow or salute? 
• clothing- The type of clothing and how they wear it contributes to culture. People in India wear saris while the traditional dress for the Japanese is the kimono. Is their outfits made out of cotton during the summer and wool in the winter? Are bright colors worn in the summer and spring while dull colors are worn in the winter and fall?

So what are your favorite created worlds?


Sincerely,
Sareh

In The News- Finally! A News Post that Doesn't have Anything to do with Animals!

New Eye Surgery causes stir

Dr. Gregg Homer of Stroma Medical in Laguna Beach, California thinks he's finally found a way to change brown eyes to blue after nearly 10 years of research. Using a laser, he's discoverd that he can remove brown pigment from the surface of the iris and leaves the blue pigment underneath exposed. 

Apparenlty it takes up to three weeks for the body to fully change and adjust to the blue color. While the Dr. says that there is no signs of tissue damage during testing, there could naturally be side effects yet unknown. Even though he has about a year left to finsih the remaining research, he says that the operation will be avaible in the world in 18 months and about three years for it to arrive in the States. It's $5,000 for the 20-second surgery. 

Since this sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, we contacted Dr. Conswalla Shavers, a surgeon at Park Avenue Lasek in New York City, for a little medical insight. She laughed at the description of this procedure and said it was unnecessarily dangerous with many potential side effects. "I'd imagine that the risks would outweigh the benefits in a patient," she said. "It could release too much pigment into the anterior chamber that can clog up the draining system in the eye. This makes the pressure go up and causes glaucoma." 

Is the prospect of blue eyes worth permanent vision damage? We think not. And Dr. Shavers says there's no guarantee you'll even end up with baby blues. "What's to ensure there's definitely blue pigment underneath? You could remove brown pigmentation and there's just more brown pigmentation underneath." Blue eyes are a recessive trait, but even if your parents are carriers there's no way of knowing what shade, if any, lies at the bottom of the iris.

A far less risky option is contact lenses. And besides, with contacts you can get other colors besides blue. You can read the whole article here.

Jane Austen...Murdered?

 The famous author of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Senseabilty, and Emma is believed to have died of bovine tuberculosis or Hodgkin's lymphoma (a type of cancer). But Lindsay Ashford, a crime writer, believes that famous author died of posion. When Jane Austen was in her 40s she had written six novels and while working on a seventh, she came down with a condition. Ashford read about the symptoms in some of Austen's letters where she states that she has been left with discolored skin. 

Because she had researched poison and contemporary forensic techniques for her crime novels, Ashford was able to identify Austen's symptoms as potential arsenic poisoning. Arsenic would also explain Austen's slow decline and fatigue. Asford's suspicions were heightened "after she learned that a lock of Austen’s hair on display in a museum tested positive for arsenic."

As Flavorwire reports, arsenic does not necessarily equate to murder, as we're so often led to believe, because "a doctor could well have prescribed a medicine containing the element." Still, Ashford wishes not to rule out the option.

You can read the whole article here.

Girl Survives being Stuck in a Car Wreck for more than Two Days. 
In North Carolina a nine-year-old girl was pinned in a car wreckage for almost two days, surviving off of pop-tarts and Gatorade. The crash unfortantly killed her father, thirty-nine-year-old Douglas Landon. Jordan Landon of Cove City was airlifted to a hospital Sunday night after she was cut out of her car that had been turned upside down since Friday night. 

Amazingly, the girl was able to stay calm throughout the ordeal and was reportd to be talkative. She is expected to fully recover. The police report that her father was going over 100 miles per hour but friends say that they don't believe that Douglas would ever speed. It appears to be unknown was caused the accident in the first place.  

You can read the whole article here.

Sincerely,
Sareh