Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters movie news

We finally know the whole cast of the Vampire Academy movie!! I'm just so excited to write a blog post about it... Really want to see the movie soon!! :)

The movie is going to be out in cinemas on February 14th, 2014. Yes, on Valentine's Day. And it's going to be great!

I like the cast, they're good for the characters they're playing, more or less (quite better than the TMI cast, in my opinion), and the movie can be really good, if they more or less follow the book (please...).

So here you have the list of actors and actresses, in case you haven't seen them yet:

- Zoey Deutch plays Rose Hathaway.

- Danila Kozlovsky is Dimitri Belikov (he's Russian, which means real accent!!).

- Lucy Fry is Lissa Dragomir.

- Dominic Sherwood plays Christian Ozera.

- Sami Gayle is Mia Rinaldi.

- Ashley Charles is Jesse Zeklos.

- Cameron Monaghan plays red-head Mason Ashford. 

- Sarah Hyland (yes, from Modern Family) plays Natalie Dashkov.

- Olga Kurylenko is Headmistress Kirova.

- Claire Foy plays Sonya Karp.

- Gabriel Byrne is Victor Dashkov.

- Joely Richardson plays Queen Tatiana from the Ivashkov family.

So what do you think about the cast? I'm just really excited to see them working together and let's see how the movie looks like! They're filming in Europe, in the UK most of the time, and they're going to include some photography scenes from Montana, where the book really takes place. And I think it's perfect that the actor playing Dimitri is Russian, because we are really going to be able to listen to a beautiful Russian accent while falling in love...

Author Richelle Mead is happy with the cast and with everything movie-related, and she's just as exctited as we all VA fans are. The only thing they've really changed (that we know) is the title. Blood Sisters instead of Vampire Academy. Why? Don't know, really, but if they leave the whole saga as Vampire Academy it's okay for me. 

What do you think? Like the cast members or not?

  

Arcadia Awakens, Kai Meyer (Arkadien #1)

Synopsis:

To New Yorker Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic, and wholly unknown. But when tragedy strikes, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where her sister and aunt have built their lives and where centuries of family secrets await her. Once there, Rosa wastes no time falling head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both intrigue and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Ancient myths brought to life in the Sicilian countryside, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a long history of familial bloodlust prove to Rosa that she can’t trust anyone—not even her own family. Torn between loyalty to her aunt and love for her family’s mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love . . . or run as far and as fast as she can.

I was recommended this book by a person in Twitter, saying I would totally love it and that it was amazing. The author himself replied to our tweets, and that made me want to read it even more, because he had shown to be a normal person like all of us, accessible to everyone by a social network, which is great. 

Well, anyway, I had decided to read the book when I was told that it was only in German and English, and a few other languages I don't speak, so I had to find the English version, which is not easy here. So in my trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, with my parents, I found it at this small bookshop and bought it without even thinking. I had been waiting quite a long time to find it. 

But it took me a couple of months to have time to start it, even if I had really wanted to earlier. But I did. I started it and loved it since the very first page. I loved the main character, Rosa, because she wasn't obvious like many other main characters in other books are. The shoplifting thing surprised me, and I loved finding out more things about her as the story went through. And Alessandro... omg. I loved him since the very first sentence he said, and it was as clear as water that Rosa, underneath her strong attitude, was going to fall head over heels for him. And I did too. 

The rest of characters were beautifully described, not in a page, but through the whole book. It's great to find a book where you don't get to know the characters in the beginning, not even the main ones. It's nice to get to know them page by page like we would if they were real people. 

When Rosa finds that tiger in the woods I was like ok, I guess what's going to happen. And it does happen. I kind of expected it. But I did not expect the consequences of that situation and everything it happened later. Most of it was unexpected. And I really like that. I was afraid, when I guessed the tiger thing, that the book was going to be plain and expected, but it finally surprised me and erased my doubts. 

So I really loved it and I'm really happy they recommended it to me, and I will recommend it to anyone. Now everything I want to do is find the next two books that complete the trilogy and read them all. Let's see what happens. 

Wattpad

Wattpad? I love that website! It's just so great that there's this place where we can all post our own stories so people can read them, and also read amazing stories or even novels that other people post. 
When I found it for the first time, all I could do was read and read other people's works, and it took me some time to post my first short story. Then I post my second one, and it wasn't until this week, after almost a year, that I uploaded my first one. It would be great if you checked them out, you know, and comment or vote or share or whatever...
What I was saying, this webpage is completely addictive, if you find something good to read, and I've spent hours reading this stories people post. The problem is that, that people post them. So maybe you're reading a great story with many chapters and you reach the end of one and it says "I'll upload soon", so you check when was this published and tell yourself than "soon" is going to be soon. But it's not. Weeks go by and it hasn't been uploaded... And that freaks me out, so what I do is always check if the story is finished. But sometimes you find something so good that it's worth waiting (hadn't happened to me yet). So I really recommend you to go check it out if you haven't already. And, by the way, don't read it in your phone. The app is great, and the font can be made bigger and stuff, but I've ended up with a headache many times, but continued reading just because it was really interesting. 

So I hope you like it. 

By the way, these are the links to my short stories, if you want to check them out (I'd appreciate that...) :)

Erasing memories

Walking through the forest

Sadness 

Sant Jordi

On April 23rd every year, in my country we celebrate Sant Jordi (St George), which is the Book Day here :) That makes it one of my favourite days of the year, because it's my opportunity to get new good stuff to read... Traditionally, women give books to men while men give red roses to women, but I've always wanted to break traditions... Why would I want so many roses? I mean, one is great and nice and beautiful and all that, but then they die... And what I really want on that day is new books! So like a month before the day I start telling everyone how much I would love this and this and that book, and maybe they'll get it for me...

So this year for Sant Jordi, which was last week, I finally got:

- Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion. I was so excited when I got it! The movie has just come out in cinemas here, but I'm not going to see it until I read the book, so that's what I'm currently reading... It looks great for now :)

- The dead of night, by John Marsden. I wasn't really sure I wanted this book, because I didn't buy it when I saw it some months ago... But my sister bought it for me, and now I'm excited about it, because I didn't expect it, but I really liked the first book. John Marsden's idea for the plot is really good. So let's see...

- The Selection, by Kiera Cass. I've been wanting this book for a few months right now, but I never really found it in a bookshop. Someone recommended it to me by Twitter, and I looked at the synopsis and stuff and I really liked how it looked so... But then I went through a few blog posts from different blogs making review about it, and I saw this one which said that buying The Selection was the biggest mistake she ever made, but the rest of reviews were quite good, so I decided to go for it and try, because only my personal opinion will decide what I think about the book. So I'll tell you when I'm done. 

- Splendor, by Anna Godbersen. Ok, this were the 17.95€ best spent in years. I've been looking everywhere for this book for four years, and I had already started to give up... Because I love the The Luxe series, I loved the first three books, and I have them in Spanish. So the right thing to do was wait until the fourth one was published. But it didn't for a long time... I remember looking everywhere on the internet for a publishing date or something about it, but the results were none. I decided to buy it in English, even if my collection will be a bit... different that way, but there was no way I was waiting any longer. So when last week I found in in a bookstore, I think I almost screamed and cried of happiness... I grabbed it and wouldn't leave it for anything till I got home, and my mom was starting at me like I was crazy... Whatever. But I was so happy I had found it!! Now let's hope that it's worth a four-years wait. 

Shaman, Noah Gordon (Cole Family #2)

Synopsis:

Robert Jeremy Cole, the legendary doctor and hero of The Physician,left an enduring legacy. From the 11th century on, the eldest son in each generation of the Cole family has had the same first name and middle initial and many of these men have followed the medical profession. A few have been blessed with their ancestor's diagnostic skill and the "sixth sense" they call The Gift, the ability to know instinctively when death is impending. The tragedy of Rob J.'s life is the deafness of his son, Robert Jefferson Cole, who is called Shaman by everyone who knows him. Shaman's life is difficult. First, he must learn to speak so that he can take his place in the hearing world, and then he must fight against the prejudices of a society where physical differences matter. As Shaman struggles to achieve his identity, the Coles, along with the rest of America, are drawn into the conflict between the North and the South.

I adore Noah Gordon. Completely. This is the second book I've read by him, and the two have been incredibly amazing. He just writes in this awesome way, beautifully but also cruel when necessary. Both The Physician and Shaman are incredible books about the life of being a doctor. They show the good and bad things of following the medical profession, and they tell the story of a life. 

Shaman is the story of this boy, Rob J. Cole Jr. (called Shaman by everyone), who is deaf. But that does not stop him from living his life. With the help from his family and from Rachel, he can learn to live with his deafness and to stop it from being a huge problem in his life. 

The book begins with Rob J. Cole's arrival to the US, and how he starts a family while being a good physician. Then he has his son, and his indian friends and he starts developing a life in a zone where that was nothing before. 

I love how Noah Gordon tells his story with realistic writing. There isn't the girl who falls in love with the boy that loves her and the live happily ever after. The girl can get married with someone else, you know? And this is only an example of how Gordon tells the unfairnesses of life, because bad things also happen. People die, people go to war and maybe they don't come back like they left, people leave... But people also fall in love, keep a life-lasting friendship, have a loving family, save lives...

This awesome book, as well as the rest of the series following the Cole family, have to be read at least once in a lifetime. It's just something that has to be read. 

Divergent movie news

The cast and other information for the Divergent movie were announced less than two months ago, and not everyone is happy about them, it's not how we imagined the characters while we were reading them. 

- Shailene Woodley plays Tris Prior, the main character of the book. 

- Theo James is Four, the other main character, and the character we girls were most looking forward to know. 

- Kate Winslet will be Jeanine, the evil one in the film. 

- Ansel Elgort is Caleb Prior, Tris's smart brother. 

- Zoe Kravitz is Christina, Tris's new friend in Dauntless, brave and reckless. 

- Maggie Q. will play Tori, another Dauntless member. 

- Ben Lloyd-Huges plays Will, one of Tris's new friends. 

- Ben Lamb will be Edward, another friend. 

- Christian Madsen is Al, another friend. 

- Jai Courtney is Eric, the Dauntless leader Tris doesn't seem to particularly like.

Uriah, Peter and other characters are still being cast, even if there are many rumours that haven't been confirmed yet. 
The movie is currently being filmed in Chicago, USA, but I'm not sure if they started yet...
So what do you think? Are the actors like you imagined the characters?

Girl Saves Boy, Steph Bowe

Synopsis:

"The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life."

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher?

No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…

But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way.

But Sacha’s running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.

Have you ever read this short (about 200 pages) but well-written book, beautiful and simple? The kind of book you read in a day but that you think about it later? That's Girl Saves Boy. 

I can't believe the authour wrote it when she was a 17-year-old! I love how it's written, the simple but beautiful way Steph Bowe narrates the story. It's really nice that each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters, Sacha and Jewel, because that helps to know what is going on inside their minds in that specific moment. 

I love the character's names in the book because, I don't know if it's only for me, but they aren't particularly usual names. 

The only thing in the book being a bit... unreal was that almost every main character (Sacha, Jewel, True) have lost someone really close to them that they love... They have all had disgraced lives and that's why they understand each other, which is a bit tragic, don't you think?

But I think the book was awesome. I loved it, and I really think Steph Bowe has real talent for being that young (for an author), which is great. 

Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

Synopis:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to 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.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. 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.

It took me more time than expected to read the book, because I was just so busy with school and everything, but I finally did. I loved the book so much!! I'm a real fan of Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, and I was told that it was similiar to it, and I had heard about the TV series, and it was a best-selling book for the last two years, more or less... So all those reasons made me want to read it soon, and I asked a friend of mine who had recommended it to me a long ago if I could borrow it, and he gave it to me saying I would totally love it. 

And I did!! I loved the story, and I'm in love with so many characters... I specially love Arya, and I'm in love with Jon. I also love Catelyn and Ned, and Daenerys, and even Tyrion. The list could last for a long time. 

I feel like every single detail in the book is planned from the very beginning. I love having a map inside the book so I can picture perfectly where the action is happening in every chapter. I love how George RR Martin writes, because he's writing is both beautiful and cruel when it needs to, so it can express whatever he wants us to feel in that moment. 

And there are just so many characters... And houses, and ancestors, and places and... I don't know, it's just that you have to have a great memory to follow  the whole book. I really like that every chapter is focused on a single character, explaining whatever happens to them but without forgetting the rest of them, which is really nice. 

And now everything I want to do is watch the series (the part belonging to the book I've read, that I think it's the first season) and find the next books to read them soon!! 

Have you read it? What do you think about it?

Catching Fire trailer

Finally!! The Catching Fire trailer finally aired last night, but thanks to timezones, I had to wait until this morning to watch it (it was the first thing I did when I woke up). 

What do you think about it? I loved it, ok? But, I don't know, I expected many different things to be in it. By the way, there are going to be spoilers here, so if you haven't read the book, you'll maybe don't want to read this...

I really expected more scenes in the arena to appear in the trailer or something because, you know, that's what the book is about. But yeah, just like I thought while reading Catching Fire, Katniss doesn't get to the arena since more or less half the book, so... I guess it's okay to show in the trailer why does President Snow want old winners back to the arena. Which I think it's unfair, by the way. You know, if you've fought against 23 people to survive and fight for your life, and you've been lucky enough to win, why do you have to do it again? The good thing about going to The Hunger Games was that you can never be selected anymore...

Finnick didn't appear in the trailer, right? They should have shown him, because he's one of the characters the fandom seems to like most. And the other winners, from the other districts, should have appeared as almost main characters. 

Katniss's kiss with Gale appeared, though, and some other things I didn't want my sister to see because she hasn't read the book. If you already know what's going to happen, it's not fun to read it anymore. 

But now that we have the trailer, November 22nd looks a bit closer to me... I'm really excited to see what the movie will look like!! 

If you haven't watched it yet, you can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2-FdZ6TY78

Tell me if it doesn't work. 

What else do you think was missing in the trailer? Or what do you think was too much to be shown? Have you read the book?

Movies I'm looking forward to...

Lately, many books are being or have been made into movies, so we are all really excited to see if the story in the big screen is just like it was in our minds, if the cast that has been chosen for the movie is as good as we made up the characters in our minds. 

The list of movies I've been or I am looking forward to...

- Perks of Being a Wallflower. After reading the amazing book, everything I wanted was to see the movie, but when I finally had time to, the movie had been out of the cinema. Can't believe I haven't watched it yet...

- Beautiful Creatures. Don't judge me, but I haven't been able to finish the book yet... I just... it didn't catch me... So I didn't allow myself to see the movie because I hadn't read the book. 

- The Host. I read the book during the summer of 2009, and it's been a long time since then... But I was so ready for the movie! For once, I'm really happy to be Spanish, because I was able to watch the movie last week, on the 22nd, while the rest of the world is waiting to see it tomorrow, March 29. 

- City of Bones. It's going to be out in cinemas on August 23, and I'm just so excited!! I've read every single book there is about the Shadowhunter world, and I can't wait to see it on the big screen! I'll write a post about it in a while :)

- Catching Fire. After the great movie The Hunger Games was, the incredible amount of people who are inspired by the movie, everyone who's read the book... They have millions of fans expecting with excitement the movie premiere November 22. 

- Divergent. This book was fantastic. I loved it and recommended it to everyone I know. I'm really excited to know it's going to be turned into a movie, and the cast was announced very recently. I'm going to write a long post about the cast and what I think about them, because they aren't really as I imagined. It's schedule to come to cinemas in March, 2014. 

- Blood Sisters. Have you read the Vampire Academy series? Because I totally love them and since the moment I heard the rumour that there was going to be a movie based on them, I've been impatiently waiting for news. The cast has been recently announced, and they seem quite perfect for the roles. They've changed the title from Vampire Academy to Blood Sisters. 

Have you read the books? Are you as excited as I am for the movies?