Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - a book review

Hey faeries! 

I have this weird thing where, when I listen to Owl City's Cinematic album, I write my blog posts faster than normal... XD *makes note to self to always listen to Cinematic when writing for this 'cause then I'd get my posts sooner XDD* And, so, I listened to it when writing this and I got this whole post done in almost an hour to two hours. :P

In case you wanted to know what Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is about, I gave a short synopsis in a blog post of mine recently. Here's the link to it!

Yeah Points

• Friendship is important to this story. (SQUAD GOALS.) Not every single friendship is super easy at first; the characters have to work at it sometimes. 
• There's a conversation about how powerful love can be. That love can overcome any challenges. And how the love of a parent can do amazing things.  
• Dumbledore is a mentor type of character to Harry. And Dumbledore is wise, but a little mysterious in the way he goes about teaching Harry.
• The writing itself is wonderful! Tracey had a perfect word describing this book: charming. And I have to agree, the book is so charming. XD
• The humor in the The Philosopher's Stone is witty and just plain hilarious. 
• And, can I say, that Draco was perfectly wonderful!!! (Except, *frowns a little in thought* he is a bully, so wouldn't that make him not wonderful...? But he issssssssssssssssss wonderful, though!!!!!!!! So I don't knowwwwwwwwww.

Nah Points

• Most of the adults in the books aren't the smartest. (Dumbledore is an exception. And Hagrid is kinda smart, too, I guess. XD)
• Harry and his friends don't get punished (most of the time) for doing wrong stuff. They have an invisibility cloak, which is quite handy to use to get past teachers to get into trouble. And Harry has to lie to get out of a certain situation, which isn't the best thing ever. :/
• There is one use of a swear word in the book. (Which I find to be odd in a middle-grade book.)
• An adult is seen once looking like he has had too much to drink and is known for getting drunk at times. (I also find this to be odd for a book like this.)
• Harry doesn't mature a ton in this book. But I think it's one of those series where it might not necessary focus on the growth of a character. And this is only the first book, so Harry will grow more in the rest of the series, anyway. XD

The Nah Points, to me, aren't that big of a deal. I wouldn't give this to a young reader, but that doesn't mean it's the worst book ever. :P If you still don't know if this is a good book or not, here's two links to other good sites for reviews. The fist one is for a site called Common Sense Media. And the second one is for Plugged In. I really don't think it's as evil as everyone makes it out to be!

To sum it up, I adored this book so much!!! Can I please have the next one already???! *wishes the second book would get to the library faster XD* Since I've read The Philosopher's Stone, I've been fangirling over it so much with both of my sisters. I can hardly wait to watch the movie this summer. <3

What are your thoughts on Harry Potter?

Tales of the Month

Hey! I actually read a quite a few books this month!!!! Woo! Go me! XDD 

Lately, it feels like I've barely been reading five books or less a month, when normally I read more, and I read a total seven books last month!!! So this feels like a time to celebrate a little. XD (Although, sorry, three out of the seven books I read last month I don't have enough words to say about them, so I won't being talking about them on here. DX)

Secret Origins by James Riley

This book is about: Bethany and Owen said they wouldn't go book jumping again. But adventure just seems to find them, no matter how much they avoid it. A stranger is watching Bethany's house, does he know who Bethany is and what she can do? Bethany drags Owen into investigating this stalker, and together they find a portal in the man's basement leading to a whole other dimension. This dimension has superheroes and super villains, and one particularly hero, Doc Twilight, seems to be the key to finding Bethany's father! But in this dimension, the world is taken over by something called the Dark, and only Doc Twilight can stop him. Only there is one small problem, where is Doc Twilight?

Oh my flipping gosh, this book was amazing. I think Story Thieves is one of my favorite series ever. I love the characters and the humor and the story telling in general! I cannot even comprehend the ending to Secret Origins... There was so much backstory revealed in this book, it's crazy awesome.

I could go on and on about this book but I think if I kept talking I'd spoil everything... So! On to the next book!!! XD

Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer

This book is about: The wolf-hybrid soldiers are still on the loose, and they're causing more damage than good. The shaky peace between earth and Luna is done for if things keep going the way they are. Iko takes it upon herself to go and capture every rogue soldier and return them to Luna. Accompanied by a handsome Lunar guard, Iko soon finds out that catching the wolf soldiers is going to be harder than she expected.

I wasn't so sure I'd like this next installment to The Lunar Chronicles series, the art style wasn't at all how I thought it would be! In my opinion, I thought the art style was more for a younger audience. What helped me look past that was imagining the characters the way I imagined them when reading the novels. Once I started doing that, I enjoyed it far more than I had before.

The story itself was good; of course, since it's a graphic novel, it can't go as in depth as the other books, so some people might see that as a bit of disappointment. I still enjoyed it. :) I will most definitely read the next one!

Twilight Princess (Volume 1) by Akira Himekawa

This book is about: Link's past is something he wants desperately to leave behind, and a little village in the middle of nowhere is a good place to hide. As Link grows to love this peaceful village and it's people, something dark is happening to the rest of Hyrule. Will Link have the bravery to face his past and stand up to the darkness threatening his home?

Normally all The Legend of Zelda comic books are rated E for everyone, but, uh, this book was rated Teen... And for a good reason, it had way more graphic scenes than any of the other books. Like, ya know, someone's arm got chopped off. Heh. :P And *sigh* don't get me started on the one opening scene with the Princess of Twilight. *cough cough* Better clothes would be NICE. XDDD

That was about it for teenish content in the book, but still. XDD 

Now, don't get me wrong, this book isn't a completely horrible you-should-never-read-it-let's-burn-it-instead kind of book. The story was really cute and told in sweet, kinda slow for LOZ comic books way. And I really enjoyed it. But since it's a much darker graphic novel, I wouldn't let a young reader read it. And I wouldn't give it to a first timer of LOZ books since none of the other books are like that. 

To sum it up, it's a grim book but I liked reading about Link's backstory and the sweet village he lives in. :)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

This book is about: Harry Potter is a young orphan boy living with his aunt and uncle and their bratty son. One day, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a note shows up on at his door. That letter changed everything for Harry. It told him he was a wizard and that he was invited to a school of magic called Hogwarts. At the school, Harry makes friends and some enemies. And it appears that one of his enemies, Voldemort, who had tried to kill Harry as a baby but failed, is up to no good again. Harry, his friend Ron, and Hermione take it upon themselves to find the Philosopher's Stone, which is the very thing that Voldemort's after. If the Stone got into Voldemort's hands, that would mean an end to the Hogwarts as they know it and who knows what other kinds of evil things would occur; and there's no way Harry can let that happen.  

AHHHHHHH, I LOVE THIS BOOK. SERIOUSLY, SO MUCH. XDD And, teehee, can you spot Draco on the cover??? XDDD

I think I will give a review on here two weeks from now. :P  So you'll have to wait 'til then to get my full thoughts on the first Harry Potter book. 

- - -

Whew, well, this was written later than I thought it would be. XD Hope that's with y'all. XDD

Have a great day! Stay fabulous, be glamorous and you'll don fine in life. XDD What am I even saying??? >.< XD

What are you reading?

Tales of the Month

Hey guys!!!

Whew, this week has been busier than usual and totally not busier, at the same time. XD I had an emergency orthodontist appointment and a couple of other appointments and went to my church's youth group, which is a bit of a drive from where I live, and of course, there was school, but it was good. :) I went to youth with my two sisters and we had so much fun! :D

Alright, enough about life stuff (for now XD) and on to bookish things!

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

This book is about: Charlie wakes up one day and he is strapped to chair and being tortured. But he has no idea how or why he's there. All he remembers is that he went to bed after a completely normal day with a pretty girl's number written on his hand. And now he has to figure how to get out of this and not get killed in the process.

This book was so good!!! I've read it twice before but reading it for the third time was just as good the other times! I like how the author gives pieces of Charlie's last day he can remember slowly. And Charlie's a really normal guy and reading from his point of view, you can totally tell that he is. The writing in the book is super fast to read, because there are short chapters and small sentences. And I also really love how morally upright Charlie, he stands up for what he believes in and doesn't let anyone tell him otherwise. Yes, he stumbles sometimes, but he keeps going back to what he knows is right. 

The Stolen Chapters by James Riley

This book is about: Owen and Kiel find themselves in a burning library with a creepy masked detective telling them that they must solve the mystery if they ever want to see Bethany again. But they don't remember how they got to the library or who the masked boy is. Owen always hated mysteries and now he seems to be living one. And Kiel lost all his magic, so how are they going to get out of this mess and save Bethany?

Hmm, seems like I all I read this month is memory loss books. XDD  *squeals* Can Owen and Kiel get any cuter???! Seriously, every time there was a scene with one or both, they did something adorably cute and maybe stupid. XDD I say stupid in a endearing way. The first nine or ten chapters of the book are called stolen chapters because most of the writing is black out and only a few words are visible. And as the book goes on the author reveals what was written in those chapters. 

The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

This book is about: Clay has always lived in a cave with no way outside because it's not safe. He and his four friends have been told for as long as they can remember that they are the special dragonets who are supposed to stop the war that has been going on for twenty years. But how will they stop a war if they don't even know how the sun feels on their scales? They haven't even been able to talk to other dragons beside their three guardians and each other. They want freedom, not fate. It time they make their own choices.

It was so cool to read this book as a graphic novel! The pictures were beautiful colored and the dragonets had so much emotion! I love going back to read about the first arc in the Wings of Fire series, it made me love it more. <3 The artists were very talented and the backgrounds were really awesome looking! XD If you haven't read the Wings of Fire yet, you totally should and then read this graphic novel!! It's amazing. :O

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

This book is about: Sophie can read minds and that makes her a standout from everyone. No one understands her and she feels like she's all alone, even in her own family. Then she finds out there is a world, called Eternalia, out there where people are like her. She wants to find more about it. When Sophie gets there, with the help of a blue eyed boy named Fitz, she is told she cannot go back to her earth because she is an elf, like the people who welcomed her in to Eternalia. And elves are forbidden to go to earth. Soon, she goes to a school where elves are taught how to use their powers. And, as she struggles to fit in, she finds out her mind holds memories that shouldn't be there. And people would kill to know those secrets.

This book looks like it should be an adventure kind of book. It's not. If you are expecting that, you will probably be very disappointed. But! If you read the book expecting a magic school story, you'd be fine! Because that's basically what it is. XD The main character is twelve and she's different than most twelve year old's in books. Most of them think they can do things without the help of an adult (and somehow they can! XD I don't think I could do what most twelve year old kids do in books. XDD), but Sophie, well, she goes to the adults she trusts most and tells them her problems. And then she lets them deal with it! :O Like what! I know that's what I would've done when I was that age, but a book twelve year old wouldn't! XD I just found it kinda of interesting that she did that. And I kinda felt like her powers came too easy for her. (There was only like two subjects in school that she struggled with. And all the rest she could do wonderfully at with her perfect photographic memory. :P)

And, you know what's weird? I can point out more things that aren't super well done in the book, but I still enjoyed it, surprisingly. I can't deny that two of reasons why I want to keep reading the series is because of how beautiful the covers are drawn and I want to know who the cute guys are on the fifth book are. XDD

The Keeper of the Lost Cities makes me think of an anime show I've watched a couple of episodes called Uta no Prince-Sama. In the show, there's like six to ten guys that are friends with the one main girl character. And most of guys like that one girl. XDD And in The Keeper of the Lost Cities, Sophie's friends are mostly guys, who like her, and there are a bunch more guys in the school that like her, too. XDD

Oh! In case you plan to read this book, the guy on the cover is not Fitz. And even though it sounds like Fitz would be the most important guy in the book, he's not. :( That guy on the cover is a boy named Dex. XD

- - -

I went to a craft store and bought myself a pencil sharpener. I needed one because the one that my family owns breaks the lead on colored pencils a bit too much for my liking. :P 

When I got home, I opened the package up and admired at my new sharpener. It looks pretty cool. XD 

But...

There's one problem.

I have no idea how to open it to empty the pencil shavings.

Seriously.

Everything I do doesn't work! >:( XD  I think I will need to look it up. :P

I don't know why I felt like saying that. XDD 

Welp! I hope you have an awesome weekend!!!

Have you been reading lots lately? I haven't been reading as much I'd like to. XD Oops.

Tales of the Month

Wow! I can't believe it's time for another Tales of the Month blog post. :o I haven't read a whole lot of books last month that I feel like talking about, so sorry if this post is a tad on the short side. 

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

You know what's funny? I read this book January of 2017 and I reread it again in December because I wanted to read the rest of the series. And I didn't remember a single thing about the book! XDD So it was almost like a new book for me. :P 

The book is about: Two kids who travel to another world, Lyrian. And at first all they want to do is get home, but that slowly changes when they realize how desperate the people of Lyrian are for a hero. An evil wizard named Maldor is in control of Lyrian and he is manipulative and a big fat meanie. No, he's not actually fat. He's just really mean. XD

I like the fantasy world in the book. The author definitely knows how to make up creative creatures and people. :D And I like the main character's quick thinking. XD   

The Story Thieves by James Riley

This book is awesome!!! The main characters are the cutest. ^.^

The book is about: Owen, a boy who is very bored with his life. And all he wants to do is read his favorite series about Kiel Gnomenfoot. And one day Owen finds out that one of his classmates is half-fictional. Which means that she can travel in and out of books! :O And so Owen convinces the half-fictional girl named Bethany to take him into his favorite book. And crazy adventures ensue after that. XD

I love this book so much. I hope my library gets the other four books in the series soon! If they don't, I'm going to have to sue them until they do!!! Wahaha!!! I'm so evil!!!!! Not.  XD The Story Thieves is hilarious, I was almost laughing on every page. :P

Everland by Wendy Spindale

Yesh, I know I mentioned this book before, but I had to mention it again because it's so good. XD And it's Peter Pan!!! XD 

If you want to read a more detailed review of  what I think of Everland click here!  

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce and Laura Geringer (Could this title get any longer? XD)

I have so many fond memories of my dad reading some books in this series to me and my sister and my mom. ^.^ This book feels a bit like a classic to me. And the beautifully drawn pictures just add to that feeling. 

The book is about: The book is about a magical village called Santoff Claussen, where anything is possible if you believe. Nicholas St. North (you would sooner know him as Santa Claus) comes to the village and meets the wizard that lives there and befriends a young orphan. And many adventures are had as they try to stop the Nightmare King and his Fearlings.  

You probably have heard of the movie Rise of the Guardians, right? This series is connected to that movie! Seriously! The author, William Joyce, is the director of the movie. XD But this series takes place long before the Rise of the Guradians, which is pretty cool because you get to learn the backstories of some characters. :D

- - -

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed seeing what I have read in the past month! 

Can someone please make winter break longer? DX

What were your favorite books you read last month?

Everland - a Book Review and My Sketchbook LIED to Me

Hey faeries! How was your Christmas? Did you get any wonderful presents? :O Or were you on the Naughty list? XD I know I had a wonderful Christmas, full of laughs and good memories. C:

In fact, the book I read over Christmas is the one I want to talk to you about today. Everland is a Peter Pan retelling! :O There aren't a whole lot of those from what I've found. (If you know some good Peter Pan retellings, please write the title down for me in the comments! I'd love to read it.) Everland is actually the very first Peter Pan retelling I've ever read. :o :P

Yeah Points

• The book is set in a steampunk world! And I looooove steampunk. XD To me, it felt like it was a steampunk World War II book, but I'm not so sure because there was the mention of fist bumping. Soooo, yeah, not quite sure about the time the story takes place. :P
• The cover is gorgeous. 
• The characters were beautifully written. Pete and Gwen were the cutest thing together. <3 Bella is a tough young girl, but I love her. ^.^  Mikey is a super sweet kid. (Hook is a wonderfully evil-yet-not villain. He reminds me of Zuko from Avatar.) 
• The author, Wendy Spinale, writes in so many references to the original Peter Pan and I loved them all! Even if you haven't read the original, you'll still catch a bunch of them! 
• I really like the backstories that were told in this book. They intertwined nicely. ^.^
• Pete was adorable. XD I really want to draw him!!!
• Spinale follows the plot of the original enough to give the book a familiar feeling but it's not so predictable that it follows it completely.

 Nah Points

• There is about two uses of a not-so-nice word. I don't think it's a swear word. But I know it's definitely not a good word. So, yeah. :/
• And there were a two or three descriptions that were on the graphic side... (Like, I don't really want to know exactly how a rotting skeleton looks like! DX)   
• There is a character that develops a crush on a woman that could be his mother. Like, EW. Thankfully, the lady does not feel the same way. Whew. :P But, yeah... that was a little gross. But, before, you cross out this book completely and say "No way, I'm not reading this," that point in the plot is not important! The author doesn't focus a lot of attention of that little crush, thank goodness! XD I just had to mention it because it was weird and yucky. :P 

To sum it up, I really enjoyed the book! And if you like Peter Pan or just steampunkish reads, you should read it! :D

- - -

See this sketchbook? Yup, that's mine. XD (Wow, I can't believe I haven't shown you faeries what I draw in before this. XD) Well, this is the sketchbook that lied to me.

My parents gave me and my sister, Lostfairy, some really nice new markers for Christmas. And they are not normal markers either. With these markers, you can blend them. :O XD

(The brand is Touchnew.)

So me and my sister wanted to try them as soon as possible. :D She had drawn this really cute chibi Frisk from Undertale and was going to color it and I drew a quick chibi mermaid to color.

Here's my drawing when I finished it, by the way.* :3

So my sister and I were happily coloring our drawings, when all of a sudden, Lost flipped over the next page in her sketchbook. And, lo and behold! There. On her next drawing that she wanted to color. There were dots! Dots, I tell you! On her perfectly perfect picture! :O 

And, then, I checked my next page, too. And look!

*It's so messy! I'm not used to the way the ink from the markers spreads. DX :P

Gah! I have dots on my next page, too! D: I thought my sketchbook could handle markers like that... 

See? My sketchbook says it's "ideal for markers." Like, what! How could you lie to me sketchbook!!! DX *cries forever* I'm so mad at you sketchbook! *throws it into the fire and cackles and cries as it burns*

...

Heh. 

Uh. Ahem! Never mind that outburst. XD

I think I need to get a different sketchbook if I want to use my markers. I'm thinking a sketchbook where you can use watercolor colored pencils will work. :P But, I'm not sure! XD 

- - -

Okay! I drew a few drawings already this Christmas break! And I really wanted to show them to you. :)

I drew Barry!!!!! From The Flash!!! :D Barry does this pose. A LOT. XD So I had to draw him doing it. :P I think I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Here's the reference photo I used. 

I couldn't find a dark enough blue to match the navy he is wearing in this picture. XD

This is Lostfairy's idea. I had ran out of ideas for what to draw and she told me to draw Newt (from the Maze Runner) in a Christmas sweater! Newt is my favorite character in the whole series! So how could I say not to drawing him in a Christmas jumper?! (Oops, I meant sweater. You know when you start using British terms, that you've watched too many DanTDM videos... XD) Anyway, Newt is kinda of a grumpy character sometimes so I drew him frowning. XD Yeah... he does not look happy to be wearing a Christmas sweater. :P

By the way, I tried to make him look like he was leaning against a wall. But... yeah, that didn't work too well. XD

One last picture!

Chibi Christmas elf!!!* 

Okay, this was first going to be a chibi unicorn girl. But it started to look more like a Christmas elf, instead. So that's what I did! 

I had a lot of fun with her two toned hair. :) 

*Lostfairy pointed out that the elf's furry shoes look like reindeer hooves. And I have to agree! XD I didn't plan that! 

You may have noticed that I put a watermark on my pictures. Well, just recently, I found out just how easy it was to remove something from a picture and for it to look almost normal. So I thought I'd put a watermark so no one would steal my art. I do not think you loyal faeries would steal it! It's just a precaution. 

Welp, I hope you enjoyed the post! Have an amazing weekend!!! 

What have you been doing on your Christmas break?    

Tales of the Month and CHRISTMAS ART RAFFLE!!!

(The main picture is not my own. The words were added by me.) 

Do you guys remember my struggles last month with choosing a name for my monthly book series posts? Well, I'm happy to tell you that I picked one!! Thanks to my ever helpful brother, Josiah, who came up with the name, I chose Tales of the Month. :)  

Escaping Peril by Tui T. Sutherland

WINGS OF FIRE IS SO GOOD. I love that series a ton. :D And, like all the books before Escaping Peril, this one definitely lived up to the greatness. The cover is pretty awesome. :3 And the title has a DOUBLE MEANING. :OOO  Like, how cool is that?! And the ending. Oh my word. The ending is sooooooo amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I must keeping reading the series! XD

Playing Cupid by Jenny Meyerhoff

Playing Cupid is so cute. XD The character drama was fun to read. <3 I love short, little, fluffy reads like this. I love all the characters in the book. And Clara, the main character, has a secret admirer, which is so cute!!!* It was really unique reading about the matchmaking business that Clara owns. 

**It's pretty easy to tell who the admirer is. But don't worry! I won't spoil it for you!!! XD

The Fever Code by James Dashner

The Fever Code is fantastic. Seriously. So. Amazing. All the books in this series were awesome but this one takes the cake. I loved reading about how the maze was built! It was soooooo sweet to also read about the Gladers when they were little kids. :3 And the ending of the book made me want to start The Maze Runner series all over again! XD I don't know what else to say about the book without spoiling everything. :P But let me just say again, I love love love The Fever Code so much.

Solitary by Travis Thrasher

This book was so not what I expected. It was different, but I think it was better than what I thought it would turn out to be. Solitary felt a little like a romance-- no wait. It did feel like a romance and with a bits of horror-ish elements thrown in. There wasn't really a whole lot happening for the first half to three quarters of the book, but it was definitely setting the scene for the next three books.* And the feeling for the book was spooky. I loved it.** XD

*Even if there wasn't a lot of action, it was still a really fast read. The short sentences and speedy dialog and small chapters made it that way.  

**Even if Chris was a... well. A little girl crazy with his crush. XD He thought about her constantly. XDD 

- - -

Now we finally come to the part you all were waiting for. THE CHRISTMAS ART RAFFLE. *does jazz hands* XD 

This is the first Christmas for Faeries and Folklore, so I thought I'd do something special. And a raffle came to mind. :) 

Now, there will only be one winner and two runner ups. The winner will get one fully colored picture done by me. And I will draw on paper and color it with colored pencils. And the two runner ups will each get one sketch/drawing where I use just my drawing pencils. 

The rules are simple. XD

• In the comments down below, write a number from 1 to 100.
• Give a brief description of what you want me to draw if you win. There's only one condition though, I don't really anything else besides manga and chibi humans, so please only ask for a human. XD And if you want, you can say which style you prefer most, manga or chibi. 
• Please don't be a sore loser if you don't win. Who knows, if this goes well, I will surely have another raffle. :D
• And the entries have to be in by the 9th of December, which is a week from now. XD

The winner's and runner ups' art will get posted on Christmas Day! :D I can't wait to see what you faeries want me to draw! XD

What books did you read last month? What do you think of the Tales of Month's name? Are you as excited for Christmas as I am?!! XD (I was ready for Christmas a month ago. XDD) What do you think of the raffle? Are you going to enter? 

Caraval - a Book Review

Alright, faeries, I know what you're thinking, this is a magical book about carnivals and clowns and romance. Right? Wrong! This book is not about carnivals. You were right about one thing. It has romance. :P But no carnivals, no clowns, no elephants, no ringleaders, no unicycles. No, wait, scratch that. It does include a unicycle.

Yeah Points

• The place called Caraval is so awesome! There was an air of mystery about the whole island and its inhabitants. And you're not sure who to trust and what's really real. And, like they often remind you in the book, "it's just a game..." 
• The way the Stephanie Garber describes the Scarlett's emotions is very unique. Scarlett feels in color and then the author says what the feelings are behind the colors. It made the book really beautiful sounding and poetic. I enjoyed it. :) Here's a quote from it:

 “Shades of the rich ruby love she’d felt during the game mixed with hues of deep-indigo hurt, turning everything just a little bit violet.”  -Stephanie Garber, Caraval

• Julian was a dashing young man and quite clever. He had a Captain Hook (from Once Upon a Time) and Carswell Thorne (from The Lunar Chronicles) feel to him. 
• Legend was a very intriguing character. I'd like to learn more about him in the second book, Legendary. 
• The book had a very different take on magic. It was hard to tell real magic from fancy tricks in Caraval. There definitely was some real magic, but it didn't always come the way you think magic would. 

I really only have one thing against this book and it was, sadly, a rather major thing in the plot; and it was the romance. 

Nah Points, Ahem, I mean, Nah Point

• I really, really, really wanted to love the romance between Scarlett and Julian totally. But I couldn't. I just can't. There were to many incidents where Julian or someone else (like Dante) was looking at Scarlett lustfully. Like, ew, why. And Julian had to pretend to be Scarlett's fiance which meant that they had to have the same room in a hotel. And Julian did not seem to mind that problem one bit. (Double yuck.) Thankfully, Scarlett could avoid anything bad from happening. Here's a example of Julian's... "charm":  

“Inside the house, violin music, richer than the darkest chocolate, started playing. It seeped outside and whispered to Scarlett as Julian’s smile turned seductive, all shameless curves and immoral promises. An invitation to places that proper young ladies didn’t think about, let alone visit.”  -Stephanie Garber, Caraval

How could I root for any of the guys in the book when they acted like that?

Also on a side note, there were a few characters that got drunk. :/ Phooey.

- - -

All in all, I did enjoy the book. It was written quite well and I truly wish those distasteful things weren't in there, but they were. So I'll just have to live with it. But I wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers at all. I think I'll give this book 3 stars.

- - -

I want to say... Happy Remembrance Day to all my Canadian readers!!!! And happy Veteran's Day to all my American readers!!! I'm so glad we live in such awesome countries!!! :D   

Have any of you faeries read this book? If not, will you? And if you have, what did you think? And what do you think of my nickname for you readers? Does "faeries" sound good to you? :D   

Books of October + This Needs a Better Name

Wow! It feels like October really flashed right by.* :O I can't believe that it's the 4th of November already! 

I've been making this a monthly thing, writing about the books I've been reading. When I started doing it this last month I was gonna just do my favorite books I've read in the past month. Now I decided I'm going to change that and do any books I've read and feel like talking about. And this series of posts needs to have a better name. I tried to come up with names but they are all really cheesy. XD I wrote a list of names and you guys can tell which is best or you can suggest a totally different name in the comments.

Beware! The names you'll read below may be too cheesy and awful. If you get hurt in the process of reading them, Faeries and Folklore will not be responsible for it.  

• Faery Good Books
• Books, Books and More Books
• Tales of the Month (credit to my bro for this name. XD )
• Folkish Books
• Opus of the Month (credit to my sis, Lostfairy, for this one)**
• Reading Creations (credit again to Lostfairy)
• Reads I've Been Reading 
• I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO NAME THIS POST SERIES AT ALL.

Yeah, that was all I could come up with. :( Thank you, Josiah and Lostfairy for your help!!! It was much appreciated! XD

Now on to the post I promised you all! 

*Wink, wink. Did you see what I did there? XD

**Opus means books. XD

- - -

The Kill Order by James Dashner

I don't know what to say about this book. I have such mixed emotions about it. I really, really loved the story and plot and snuff, buuuut there were a few more swear words in this book than in the first three books.* What I did like about the book was that we finally got to see what the world was like after the Flare and before the Cranks were around and before WICKED stuck their noses into EVERYTHING! *glares at WICKED disapprovingly* The book had a very different feel to it, but it was also very much the same as the other books.**

I'm really looking forward to reading the final book in The Maze Runner series! 

*That was kinda disappointing. :( 

**That makes, like, zero sense when I say it that way, but it's true! XD

Crossed by Ally Condie

I loaf this series so much! XD This book again had a slight hint of bitter sweetness about it. I love the romance between the characters.* I'm not sure if I liked this book as much as the first one, but it still is a book I would buy and recommend. :) I liked how the book was from both Cassia's and Ky's point of view. I loved learning bits and pieces of their past, it was so sweet and sometimes heartbreaking. 

*Ky is my one of my book baes. XD  

Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson

If you have not picked up a Suzanne Nelson book, what are you waiting for?! Go pick one up NOW!!!!  XD Seriously, though, they are so good. I've read Cake Pop Crush before but it was just as good the second time round as it was the first. This was the first ever Suzanne Nelson book I read and it has a special place in my heart. ^.^ The relationships between all the characters was so enjoyable and cute. Dane was a real cutie. XD

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkin

This book is such a fabulous classic. The humor and style is priceless. ^.^ I've read this book a long time ago and reread again last month. I forgot most of what happened so it kinda felt like a new-ish read for me. I loved the characters way more reading it this time round and I was far more connected to the story than before, too. Bilbo is such a sweet little hobbit. And Gandalf has this uncanny ability to come when he's needed most. XD It's great! 

If you haven't read this book yet, you totally should! 

Save the Cupcake! by Lisa Papademetriou

I love reading this book so much! The characters feel so real. And the recipes in the book are really unique!* The book is a beautifully written story about friendships and how they can change for better or for worse. So the book can kind of feel really sad but there's a enough happiness in the book for it to be a middle grade novel. 

*I haven't tried them out yet, so I don't know if they taste good. XD

Sticks and Stones by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins

Like the first book in the Upside-Down Magic series, this book was a delightful, quick read! The story and characters are just as charming as they were before. And in Sticks and Stones the authors write the book from two of the characters' point of view, instead of one. :D I loved learning more about Bax's backstory in this book. 

Wayfarer by R. J. Anderson

Wayfarer is sooo different from the first in the series, Faery Rebels! Honestly, I'm not sure if I like that or not. In the first book I loved Knife and Paul together tons, and in the second one I liked Linden and Timothy together buuuut not nearly as much. :/ I wish I had liked this book more because the first book is one of my favorites now and I wanted the second book to live up to that. 

Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy Wayfarer! I liked seeing what the world looked like from outside the Oak and the new magical abilities were really cool. It just simply wasn't my favoritest book in the whole wide world. :P

Unblemished by Sara Ella

This book was good and kinda cheesy at times. I'm not sure if there were too many deaths that weren't actually deaths. Like if the main character thinks a person is dead, they most likely are not; and if someone else in the book says someone is dead, they are more likely to ACTUALLY be dead. The romance in there wasn't too bad. I like Ky and Joshua a fair bit.* But the main reason I want to read the next book is the epilogue. Seriously, it's the epilogue that draws me in to read more.  

*There is way too many Ky's (or Kai's) in the book world. DX :P  

- - -

How was your month? Did you get lots of reading done? Have you read any of the books I talked about? Which post series name do you like best? Do you have a better name?

Best Books I Read in September

Hey people! I don't know about you, but I've been reading a lot of good books lately and I want to share a few with you! :D

Here goes nothin'!

Winter Turning by Tui T. Sutherland 

[source]

Man, this was a great book. The first part of the Wings of Fire series was good but not great. And now that we have a new set of dragonets to read about, it's just been fabulous!! The main character for Winter Turning was fun to read from his point of view. The main character, Winter, and another dragon named Qibli have the greatest snappy remarks to each other all the time.

If you haven't started Wings of Fire you totally should!

Matched by Ally Condie

[source]

I loved this book so so much. The writing style was a tad bit hard to get into but once I was in, I was totally in! XD The book wasn't so much about romance as I thought it would be, but that was completely fine. It was such a bittersweet book, just enough sweetness to counter the bitterness. And the story was so beautiful, gah! I just love it so much. XD

Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins

[source]

Yes, I know this is middle grade book but sometimes those are just to cute to resist. XD And this book was definitively cute. The plot was sweet, the characters were adorable, and the different types of magical abilities was awesome. ^.^ And the humor in the book was so perfect for the book. I like this book a ton. :3

 Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

[source]

I read this book years ago and for some reason didn't like it that much. I reread again last month and I LOVED IT!!!! The way the fairies did things had a magical feeling even if they weren't magical anymore. The author has such a different take on fairies and it's awesome! Also, the romance was so darling between the main character and the boy. :) I think I may now have a minor crush on Paul... >.< XD

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

[source]

Oh my goodness! This book was the darlingest thing ever!!!* I can't even!! I love this book soooooo much. Reading about all the characters you know and love as younger kids/tweens was adorable. This series, The Lunar Chronicles, is probably on my top list of book series. The characters were just priceless and the romance was the sweetest thing ever. (I could fan girl over Kai for forever...) 

If you haven't read that series yet, you must stop reading this and head straight to a bookstore and buy 10,000 copies to read and give to your friends. (Cause, trust me, you'll be recommending this series to everyone who you meet. It's that good.)

*Yes, I know "darlingest" isn't a word, but it should be!

The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

[source]

The author who writes this book is so creative. He takes the fairy-tales we know and turns them completely upside-down! I love the mystery and adventure feeling in this book. It may be a reread for me but it feels like a familiar book and a whole new one at the same time.* The humor can be a little boyish at times but I still find it funny. XD Most of the time, anyway... :P

*Maybe because I forgot a lot of what happened... Or it's that good of a book.

The Return by Dayna Lorentz

[source]

DOGGOS! HOW CAN YOU NOT READ A BOOK ABOUT DOGS???! This was the last book in a trilogy called Dogs of the Drowned City and it was really sweet. Because dogs. I loaf doggos so much. XD The ending of the book was perfectly bittersweet. And the cover is so awesome! Shep and Callie are the cutest dog couple ever. <3 

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

[source]

You may or may not be able to tell by now, but I love fairy-tales, especially retold fairy-tales. So this book was very fun to read. I liked how it was a different take on people from our world going to another one, because the main character was from the fairy-tale world and the second main character was from our world. ^.^ The author sense of humor was clever and sometimes just kinda kooky. Even the author's bio in the back was funny. XD

Behind the Gates by Eva Gray

[source]

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. But it was way better than I first thought! I don't think I've ever read a dystopian book where it takes place at a boarding school and this one did. The characters's personalities were all unique from each other, so that was a plus. XD I liked how all the characters had to each use their skills to figure out what actually was going on at the school. And the boys that are in the book for a little may possible be the best thing in there. XD 

What books did you read last month? Have you read any of the books I talked about in this post? If not, YOU MUST READ DEM ALL!!!!!! (Kidding! XD Maybe, sorta, not. :P)