Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts

Monday, 12 June 2017

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (1999)

 Title: The Bad Beginning
Author: Lemony Snicket
Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Pages: 162
Published: Sep 30th 1999
Publisher: Scholastic Ink


I didn't read these as a kid and therefore chose to buy it now when I'm older as I am told they are very very good. Nevertheless, it just sat on my bookshelf for almost a year until my 10-year old sister expressed her love for the TV series. So we sat down and read two chapters every night and where we hooked? Oh yes.

The Bad Beginning is so exciting and intriguing. I love the narrator voice of Lemony Snciket as it appears very educational and it explains complicated things easily. It's very imaginative and allowed my sister and I to put on exciting voices for different characters.

The books are quite short and there are thirteen off them so you are immediately thirsting for more. Me and my sister both enjoyed it very much. If you read it alone it probably won't take you even a day. But reading it as a good night story and having my sister ask for one more chapter was part of the fun to drag out the excitement and reading it aloud added character to the story.

Plot Summary:

Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives with filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets of misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Limony Snicket

Favourite Quote:

"He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over."

My Rating:

8/10

Other Books in the Series:

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)
The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2)
The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3)
The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4)
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5)
The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events #6)
The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7)
The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8)
The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events #9)
The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10)
The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events #11)
The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events #12)
The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events #13)


Monday, 29 May 2017

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - video review

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Pages: 404
Published: Aug 2nd 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Amazing first book of the series Throne of Glass.



This video is also available on my YouTube channel WickedIdeas here.

Sunday, 3 January 2016

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005)

Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Series: The Twilight Saga #1
Pages: 498
Published: Oct 5th 2005 
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company


So when I was 10 Twilight came out as a film. I watched and decided to go straight to the book store to get it. Yes I know, I was probably fat too young to be reading about sexy, blood thirst vampires, but there you go. My mum decided to read them as well so we had our own little fandom together.

Nowadays I feel a little embarrassed to say that I was crazy about the books. Because people loved them and then they hated them and for some reason my class mates loved to hate them. I read them anyways. I did read the first books in Swedish because 1) I was 10 and 2) when I went tot buy it they only had the Swedish version in stock (which for some reason is translated to "If I Could Dream"). I do have the books in both languages as well however, and I've read the first one in English so please don't judge my 10-year-old me.


Although I hate to say that I was head over heals for the books, it's the truth. I look back remembering my poset covered room and all the things I bought that had any relationship with the books or films. The book's are that good I like to think. But then, they were. They were bloody amazing at the time, or I wouldn't have covered my room in posters and bought every magazine that featured gossip about it.


I guess I don't like to admit that I had a vampire period growing up. Yes, I read the Vampire Diaries as well and watched (have to catch up by the way).


Plot Summary:

About three things I was absolutely positive.
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part of him might be - that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Favourite Quote:
It was such a long time ago that I don't remember one that stood out to be honest.

My Rating:
7/10
It has lost it spark and I'm not sure if I was sane or not at the time. It was definitely good at the time though. 

Other Books In These Series:
New Moon (The Twilight Saga #2)
Eclipse (The Twilight Saga #3)
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga #4)

This review is also available on YouTube here.