The Changelings (War of the Fae #1) by Elle Casey

I almost don’t even know where to begin with this review…Wow. This book was beyond awesome, it absolutely blew me away. And for being a YA Novel, this story exceeds my standards for all YA Paranormal, which definitely raised the bar. Far from your cliché paranormal YA, and certainly doesn’t have PA feel as it unfolds to the middle of the book. There is a certain scene you’ll come to, though, which has a sliver of similarity and most likely inspired from Hunger Games, but with a twist. But all in all, Elle Casey certainly has a charming way with storytelling, giving us a full action-packed scenes, and vivid, dynamic characters. I am totally in love! Each character introduced to us has superb depth which gives readers a chance to relate and attach.

The Changelings

I don’t know exactly how to classify this book in terms of audience genre, though, honestly. It revolves around high school aged characters, but there are curses so vividly chanted by our Heroine quite often, but in a way that fits to whatever the mood she may be in, so it doesn’t feel like it’s obnoxiously placed throughout the story, but does indeed paint tough portrayal of our protagonist and her bold personality.

And though I wouldn’t call this a Paranormal Romance, there is a hint of potential first-love bonding, so beautifully written, where our heroine struggles to admit she has “sappy” feelings.

This book starts off as two normal highs-schoolers in central Florida, Jayne, a crass, potty mouthed teenager and her dorky friend Tony she picked on for years, but secretly cares for him more than she does for anyone else in the world. When both start having trouble at home, Tony takes everyone by surprise causes a scene to rescue Jane from family drama and run away together. They soon find themselves amongst other teenage runaways led by an older teen, named Jared. One day, Jared returns to their hideout with an ad for a “Fitness Interview” each person selected will receive $500 at the end of the job. Must be 18 years or older to participate. Well, obviously they lie, but what’s to lose at this point? The strange interview is completed and all but one runaway are selected to go. The adventure begins when the kids are on the plane to their destination for the ‘job’ and are offered a drink. Jayne who was suspicious ever since the interview, (she’s the hard-@ss of all the kids) watched her friends plop down in their seats next to her. Needless to say, she did not go down without a fight, she kicked and swung punches till she was hit with a tranquilizer, and even as she went down, she still told them where to shove it. Comical.

When the children awake, they are no longer in a plane, but in a cottage… and standing there greeting them is… a Dwarf in combat. Jayne began to believe she was seriously drugged or she was finally losing her mind. They find themselves in the middle of a Fae War…and they are the contestants… Each child learns they obtain a personal ability. Jayne is the most hilarious upon finding hers. If you want an idea of this enchanted forest puts obstacles in their way, I can tell you it’s like a mystical, fae-like Hunger Games, just more deadly, mysterious and scary.

I could go on forever about this book, but then what would be the point in reading if I were to do that? This is a must read! I can’t emphasize it enough, I can almost guarantee if you love hilarious, Fantasy/Paranormal novels with a smart and feisty heroine who has a strong head on her shoulders, with Elle Casey is a YA/Paranormal GENIUS! I want to get my hands on some hard copies of this series for my collection. They will be going straight to my top shelf at home!

Upcoming Book to Movie Adaptations!

So, book to movie adaptations as we all know, can be either a hit or miss. I’ve learned to walk in with low expectations so I don’t feel like crying and throwing a tantrum on my way out of the theater by the end of the movie. But I don’t know about you, I still feel like this obligation takes over me, the curiosity of seeing my favorite characters coming to life in some shape or form is something magical to experience. Though, I disagree with a lot of the casting over past films of my favorite novels, it’s still fun to follow and compare. So, here is a list of movies coming out within this year and the next. Hope you  find something you’ve read or interested in. =) Happy reading and viewing, all! Please keep an eye on this post for added adaptations, being in the awesome world of book blogging, I stumble upon news quite often, and will be sure to keep you all informed! If you feel I have missed any, please by all means, let me know. =)

“The Host” by Stephanie Meyer: Most of us should know this by now. It’s a good chance we may see a second installment as well if this is a success. (((I have a review for this movie coming up soon, a VERY HAPPY REVIEW!!!!!)))

 “Catching Fire” Second installment of The Hunger Games. This will be released in November 2013.

“Adept(The Wiccan Diaries, #3)” – by T.D. McMichael

“The Great Gatsby” : by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The Hunter (Parker, #1) “:by Richard Stark

“Shiver” (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) :by Maggie Stiefvater

“The Two Faces of January” :by Patricia Highsmith

“Prodigy “(Legend, #2) :by Marie Lu

“Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus “:by John Gray

“Shadow and Bone”: by Leigh Bardugo- This is the first installment of the Grisha series.

“Vampire Academy- Blood Sisters” by Richelle Mead- First installment to a long vampire series. Released in 2014

“World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks- Supposedly this year, it will be filming.

“Wicked Lovely” by Melissa Marr- Awesome series of the Fae world. Supposedly filming this year.

“Odd Thomas (#1)”- by Dean Koontz- Supposedly filming this year!!!

“Uglies (Uglies, #1) “by Scott Westerfeld- (YA-Sci Fi)

“Carrie”(remake) by Stephen King: Horror/Thriller/Fantasy/Adult

“The Giver”- Let me tell you how excited I am about this one… *DANCES AROUND LIKE A LOON* This is to this day, STILL my favorite book. The first Dystopian I ever read. They are not sure when it’s going to begin casting/filming, but I will keep you updated on this one!

Maximum Ride: James Patterson- (YA/Sci-Fi) I am also very excited about this. This has GREAT potential of being an amazing movie.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children- (Thriller/Paranormal) YAY!!! They are not sure when they will begin casting, though.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (YA/Urban Fantasy)Released in August

The Night Circus ( a Fantasy) by Erin Morgenstern: Another favorite book of mine. Still in the talks.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (YA/Horror/Fantasy)- Casting not yet taken place

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (YA-Fantasy) ANGELS YAYYAYAYAY!! They don’t have a set date yet for though. It is still in the talks.

“Divergent” by Veronica Roth (YA/Dystopian) Next year (2014)

“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card (Sci Fi/YA) This year sometime. (Starring Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford) Click here for IMDB information

 “Fallen” by Lauren Kate (YA/Fantasy/Romance) More Angels!! (still waiting for news on this one, actually.)

“The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan” (YA/Dystopia/Post Apocalyptic)- Zombies.. OH my. This will be filmed this year

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest” – Part two of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo …Still in the talks

“If I stay” by Gale Forman-  (YA, Realistic Fiction, Romance)  Date is not yet released for production.

“The Looking Glass Wars” by Frank Beddor- (YA Fantasy)- Production information not yet released.

“The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)” by ick Riordan- (YA Fantasy) Everyone know’s about this one by now, though. Excited! This will be released this year.

 “The Raven Boys” by Maggie Stiefvater- (YA Paranormal)- Still in the talks for production

Dreamfever #4 Fever Book- Karen Marie Moning

Ah, yes. Will I ever be able to read another book from another author ever again?

It’s for sure. I am in love with this series! The character development in this series is seamless. The transition we experience with Mac, is beautiful.

We witness Mac as a careless, boy-crazy, materialistic girl, and then suddenly thrown into a world she had no idea existed, beyond paranormal existences after going to Ireland to find answers about her sisters death.  After meeting an enigmatic man named Jericho Barrons, she learns more about who she is and what exactly her sister was looking for, and then is off to hunt a dark and evil book to help restore the walls between our world and the Fae’s coming down. She learns she is the most powerful Sidhe-Seer, and it is up to her to sense the where-abouts of this book and get to it before the evil Lord Master.
It was tough for her to accept her new world at first, everything she never believed in, was actually so very real. Everything pink and girly about Mac, melted away, and a new, dark Mac has emerged. She witnessed death, stolen beauty, learned what vengeance feels like, saw the most evil occurrences that proved to her, that she needs to be a fighter, the world is in trouble, and she plays the biggest part and must do what she must to save the human life. She finds her self in so much trouble on this adventure, so many thrills, and now a cliff hanger! This is the best I can do without spoiling anything! I wish everybody would read this series!

Hank Quense- Falstaff’s Big Gamble

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This was an advanced copy that the Author gave me to me in exchange for a review. Thank you, Mr.Quense =)

Take a dash of Shakespeare, pour in a teaspoon of fantasy, and add a gallon of comedy, put it on the fryer and there you have it, a sizzling and joyous novel of adventure and fantasy!
This was one of those books I couldn’t put down once I started. The characters jump right out of the page, scenes so well played out that keep the reader giggling, and facepalming. I got wrapped up in the outrageous troll scenes, twisted plots, running my imagination wild! Constant bickering between the trolls, the ludicrous battle plans, and one very confused elf, are just few of the many gems I found in this book. All your favorite Shakespeare characters are portrayed as Dwarves, Elves, Trolls, in this witty, comical, and adventurous tale of a whole other world called Gundarland. I think this could well be another great Shakespeare-tragedy spoof.
I love how the author takes famous quotes and turn them around slightly to fit the scene, for example, Hamlet and the, “To bee, or not to bee,” in regards of his beekeeping business that he is trying to pursue and establish, even though in spite of his mothers and the new king’s wishes. Hamlet is to revenge his father’s death while Othello has been set up by the grand Godmother. This is one you will have to read for yourself with no spoils!
I will most definitely be recommending this book to everyone I know, and especially the people I game with online who are very much into Lord of the Rings, Everquest 2, and World of Warcraft. Mostly because this is how I envisioned the book. It made the book an even more fun read imagining that the characters were people I have gamed with over the years who played as these certain races.

J.R. Ward- Dark Lover

J.R. Ward

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J.R. Ward is no noob when it comes to characters and romance. I know I am severely late on beginning this series, but this Black Dagger Brotherhood series just knocked out all my other Vampire novels back a few notches on my shelf. I was half expecting this as her other books have captivated with me a thrill of heart flutters and sighs and cheers!

I absolutely love her version of Vampires. You have to have been born a vampire. As simple as that. Maybe a human woman fell in love with a male vampire, and they got the dirty down, and conceive, or maybe the mother was bitten while pregnant and the blood circulates to the womb. Not all females survive pregnancy though. They will not transition into becoming a vampire until they are in their mid-twenties, but when they transition begins, their survival is not guaranteed. They must drink the blood of the pure vampire to have a better shot. But all in all, a human cannot be turned by being bitten. They also feed off other vamps, and not humans. Though, they are sensitive to light and will incinerate if caught in the sun.

There is only one pure blooded vampire left to this day, and his name is Wrath. The king who refuses to take “throne” but leads his warriors, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, who protect the race from hunters called the Lessening Society. These lessers have sold their soul to the Omega, to live long and fight.

So, with this little background and history lesson for ya, I bring to you the butterfly’s in your tummy and those lungful sighs by speaking of the dirty and romaaannnce.
I am absolutely captivated by this series, which is a given since I am a total fan-girl for J.R.Wards style of writing. J.R. Ward does an outstanding job of providing us stories of love-at-first site, though, there was one scene I could only think of that infamous quote with Will Ferrell’s headshot, “Well, that escalated quickly.” Nonetheless, I am still head over heels for our main protagonists Beth and Wrath.

Beth is a half breed vampire who doesn’t even have a clue that she’s anything other than human and has grown up in foster homes her entire life. She robotically lives her busy and boring life day to day when all of a sudden, it seems like everyone out in the world is out to get her. Her father whom she believed to be dead just as her mother is, is alive and part of the Brotherhood. He has watched over Beth covertly, and realizes that she is nearing her transition. He’s begged Wrath to get to his daughter and feed her his blood to help her survive; Darius is afraid of being alone and is ready to approach Beth, to have her in his life. Wrath declines but alters his decision after a turn of tragic events. He decides to honor his brother, and grant his last wish. He will help Beth transition. Though, the man who has never loved is at a loss of words when he sees this dark haired beauty. He struggles with his emotions. After some hilarious and thrilling encounters of Wrath trying to approach Beth to explain what she is, she finally accepts the truth, and comes to live with him.
Wrath struggles with his feelings for her. He is afraid to love, and afraid to hurt her. Watching him gather his emotions, deciding whether he wants to stick around or not after she’s done with him and the change, is a beautiful story in itself. This powerful monster melts with every touch and hold from this beautiful girl.
J.R. indeed does not fail us again with a wondrous novel. It’s both exciting and romantic. The plot turns and mysteries in this book will have you thinking one thing, but out of the blue, another outcome is presented leaving you shocked. Ward does a fantastic job letting the reader attach to each and every single one of her characters. There are SO many characters in this book, but there was not a single character left without a perfect backstory to get the reader to relate, understand and love or hate each of them. Perfectly done! I will probably rewrite this review as I read further into the series.

Mark Mackey’s Genesis: the Elizabeth Chronicles

Mark Mackey’s peice of art

A sweet and exciting tale of a young girl named Elizabeth from Planet Tarnex-4 who escaped an invasion to overtake her kingdom, leaving behind her sister and parents whom she believed to be captured by the invaders and killed. She landed on planet earth and was found by a family in Nevada whom decided to adopt her. Elizabeth leads a normal earth life with her new family, until trouble arises when people begin to feel uneasy, there’s something different about Elizabeth. Elizabeth grows into such a herione, would make any girl proud. There are many twists and exciting thrills to this book and I would hate to spoil anything, so I recommend this to anyone who’s very into Sci-Fi Fantasy. A wonderful thrilling book for all ages of YA and up!

There are so many characters in this book, and I love the author’s ability to flow between the different dialogues of each character, and to maintain realistic emotions of each person while staying true to their age, the children, adults and droids. Mark Mackey has a wondrous imagination, superb grammar and editing skills, truly a piece of art.

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Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus! (A favorite of mine!!!)

An absolute favorite of mine!

Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
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This novel is set in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s in a classical yet dark and enigmatic tone. Erin Morgenstern feeds your imagination with vivid pictures with words that cast you into an unknown and exciting world.

The gist of this story is that two young illusionists were trained by rivaled senior Illusionists -to “compete” in a “game”- since childhood. The two children were never told who their competitor was, nor did they know when the “game” would start, or which venue, but were only told, “You will know when the time comes, and you will compete till there is only one left…” Never did they imagine would they fall in love in the midst of a mysterious circus…
Though the reading did give me some Tim Burton vibes and reminds me slightly of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, it’s a completely original story and unlike anything I have ever read.

I feel this book contained more than just a magical world, something much deeper than your average plot of a book; it shined to life a magical depth of the meaning of love, in all forms. The tone was very enchanting, poetic, and colorful even despite the black and white theme. I believe Morgenstern broke out of the cliché style of writing, and gave us something so brilliant and excellent enough to be an instant classic read. I am in love with this book, and dare I say I’d love to see this as a series.

The Mind Readers – Lori Brighton

A thrilling YA Paranormal book!

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The Mind Readers

So, sometimes I love to browse the freebies on Amazon Kindle, and stumble upon these little gems.
This is the first book in an Indie series, narrated in first person, and great for all YA readers of all ages. Cameron Winters is perfect heroine, who has the ability to read minds. In avoidance to expose Cameron’s abilities and to not attract attention from a private investigation that’s been hunting her kind for years, her grandmother moves them around constantly, causing Cam to never really have any friends. She was doing well in a small quiet town, till strange things began happening…A handsome boy just like her shows up in town and persuades her to come with him to a training facility for children owned by a wealthy man who instructs people just like them, to use their powers for good and protection.

This novel flows at a mysterious, quick and thrilling pace, leaving the reader to believe one thing but then given a turn when least expected. This author is a brilliant!

I would have loved to have built a relationship with certain few other characters that are mentioned and have important parts in the first novel; because I feel they are very promising in the rest of the series. And the ending was just astounding. I was predicting a cliffhanger in some way, but the cliffhanger we get, I am almost positive you won’t see it coming either!

My feelings on The Mind Readers: This book was cute and pleasing at the start. As the book went on, I became curious, the author tries to throw off the reader and make us reconsider who we’re rooting for the entire book. Last two chapters…BOOM! *jaw drop* A bitter-sweet cliffhanger.
Definitely not a cliché YA reader, what I appreciate about this novel too, is that it isn’t just about the romance , barely at all. It focuses on a strong heroine who fights for good, and nothing else.

About Me and TheBooknatics

Hello! And thank you for stopping by. =) I cannot wait to share with you my thoughts on different books I read. My friend and I have an awesome Facebook page where together, we share books from all sorts of genres, and will be soon recording live Hangout sessions to be broadcasted on Youtube. We are always looking for new people to join in on the fun! On these hangouts we will be doing all sorts of activities, such as Book-Alike Casting Call. A gag we will record interview character look-a-likes from different books and fan requested books, as the actual character. I am so ecstatic about this segment!

I also love to browse the Kindle app for free books to keep me engaged with reading as I am waiting for a new book, and love to rate and do reviews for books that don’t seem to have any feedback yet. You  won’t believe the gems I find in there for free! Keep an eye over here on my page to see what sort of buried treasure I find =)

On this blog, however, will be my personal thoughts and reviews as I am reading a book. A lot of my stuff you can find on Goodreads.com, but I will be sure to post some here and there. Also, if you are an author and looking for people to review your books and spread the word, I am always up for it! I have had several books mailed to me to be reviewed and have found it to be quite a thrilling hobby. Inbox me for my contact information. =)

I can also be reached on the following Sites for anyone interested in joining my friend Krystle and I on our bookly adventures:
http://www.Facebook.com/TheBooknatics
http://www.Youtube.com/TheBooknatics
http://www.goodreads.com/Solaisky

Other than that, I am greatly thankful for all those who stick with me as I read =D