Random Thursday

I interrupt the Disney Facts Revealed month for a series of special Disney posts with facts about Aladdin in honor of the 25th anniversary! I saw all these in an article, Disney's Aladdin: 25 Magical Fun Facts for 25th Anniversary on Yahoo and I will share that link with you at the end of the month! There is no visible author on the article, just a general department.

All pictures were borrowed from the article as well!

Aladdin came out in theaters on November 25, 1995 and it is slightly inspired from the 1940s film The Thief of Bagdad which featured a powerful genie, a scheming vizier named Jaffar, an easily manipulated sultan, and a magic carpet. Abu was actually the name of the hero from this movie, so it's fitting that Aladdin's sidekick has the same name!


In early story ideas there was going to be two genies; a Genie of the Lamp and a Genie of the Ring. It was expected that Jaffar would get the ring and thus that genie and lead to an epic genie showdown!

As we all know, the merchant at the beginning of the film is voiced by Robin Williams. In keeping with the early script, this was going to be a freed genie that assumed human form. It would've been revealed to be so at the end of the film, but obviously that idea was cut.





The animators crafted the Genie around Robin Williams' rapid fire improv work. Co-director Ron Musker said that Robin did the first scene of the movie in about 25 takes, all completely different. Robin would follow the script for a little bit and then go off on his own ideas. Robin created about 16 hours worth of work that the creative team had to piece together "like a ransom note".


Among the many voices the Genie imitates in the film were Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Sullivan, Groucho Marx, Robert De Niro, Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Nicholson, Peter Lorre, and Alec Guinness. Other celebrities he channeled but didn’t make the final cut: John Wayne, George H.W. Bush, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.


Patrick Stewart was originally meant to voice Jafar but conflicts with Star Trek: Next Generation prevented that from happening.

NEW RELEASE COMNIG AT YOU!!

Hey all! A fellow blogger, Andrea Heltsley writing as Drea Shane has written a book! And it's coming out very soon! Next Monday in fact!

“A page-turner that will leave you breathless and wanting more . . .”

Drea Shane’s debut reverse-harem takes paranormal romance to a whole new level. The Luna’s Destiny is a slow-burn, sensually appealing combination of shifters and Greek mythology. The only thing hotter than the Alpha shifters is the chemistry they have with the sharp-tongued heroine, Sydney.

My name is Sydney and I’m the Alpha’s daughter. As one of the few remaining female shifters, I find our pack suffocating and overbearing. Eventually, I’ll be the Luna of my own pack once I find my mate.

Keyword: Eventually. Unfortunately for me, Dad’s called Assembly and soon our territory will be swarming with potential Alpha mates. I’d hoped to make it through the final change on my eighteenth birthday before I had to deal with mating.

My birthday signals the blending of my human and wolf souls into one. I’ll finally have access to my full shifter powers. It will also be the night I bond to the mate I have yet to meet.

As if that isn’t enough, a chance encounter with a mysterious and alluring wolf has me questioning everything. Then there’s Joe, Dad’s enforcer and protégé. I can’t figure out why these feelings of desire are cropping up anytime I’m near the pain-in-the-ass shifter. Assembly hasn’t even started, so chaos is sure to ensue.

Then, my dad drops a bombshell, a family secret that turns my world upside down. Nothing for me or the shifter race will ever be the same. It might just take the Moon Goddess herself to get me through this.

* This is the first book in a slow-burn, reverse harem series. Not intended for younger audiences. *

A Moon Goddess Novel

A combination of paranormal shifter-y goodness and Greek mythology, this is definitely a read you won't want to miss! You can preorder it here on Amazon!

The Luna's Destiny releases December 18, 2017 

 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

I NEEEEEEEEEEEED THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! OMG! I've been DYING to read this one since I read Crystal Storm last year!! I NEEEEEEEEEEEEED IT NOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!

TITLE: Immortal Reign

AUTHOR: Morgan Rhodes

PUBLISHER: Razorbill

GENRE: Fantasy YA

RELEASE DATE: February 6, 2018 

 

Review--The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she flees Kenettra with her sister to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good when her very existence depends on darkness?

Bestselling author Marie Lu delivers another heart-pounding adventure in this exhilarating sequel to The Young Elites.

  
I finally picked up Marie Lu's The Rose Society! It's time I finish Adelina's story and most likely be emotionally destroyed by the finale if the murmurs I heard about it are anything to go by! Lol! Naturally I had no recollection of The Young Elites, but a helpful summary/recap helped to fill that void and I was soon ready to dive into this one and see Adelina wreak her revenge!

Adelina wants nothing more than to have her revenge on the people who have wronged her. Such as the Daggers who cast her out without even blinking an eye, then there's Teren who helped lead her on her path that led to her disbandment, and the queens who want to see her dead as well. She will take them all out one by one if she has to, but knows she will need some help. With her sister, Violetta, at her side they will round up other Young Elites to their cause and give themselves all a little bit of justice and power.

This book was pretty exciting! Adelina is truly evolving into her villainous form and I must say, I like it! I understand her hurts and I root for her all the way. It seems everyone in this book is scheming something for their own needs. There's definitely more than one villainous character in this story.

I was also surprised by another occurrence in this book. True, this has been out for two years and the finale for a year now as well, but I can't bring myself to mention things that are surprising! No spoilers here. But let's say things take on an interesting and surprising development! I've always said something in lieu of this situation and it's why I can never believe the first part of the act when it happens because I feel like things can always change. Yes, even that! 

If that hasn't confused you enough, let's move on! Lol! We also get a possible romance in this one as well! A new character comes onto the scene and there are sparks flying here and there between him and Adelina. What it will mean for the finale I have no clue as of yet. It seems like anything is possible. Though I did like how the idea of a possible romance was sort of just that. It really didn't derail Adelina from her goals. This is definitely not a romance story and I knew that going in, but again, the little added touch of possibilities was still rather nice.

There's lots of tension and even suspense in this one! Adelina is fighting to get her group together so that she may take back the kingdom that she believes is her right. Enemies are all about. Death is always a possibility for any of them. The action was intense and I loved it! And that ending! Just when we think things might be taking a nice little pause, well Marie throws a few curveballs at us. So thankful that I can just dive right into the finale!

The Rose Society pretty much kept me on the edge of my seat and I am suspecting that I might as well maintain that position for The Midnight Star! Bring it on!!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Let's Discuss: Cheating: Deal Breaker or Not?

A long while back I wrote down a topic idea I saw again at We Live and Breathe Books, and it discussed cheating in books and whether or not it was a deal breaker for you. I'd thought I'd talk about that!

Cheating: Deal Breaker or Not?

Firstly I loathe cheating and it's sort of rare when it pops up in a book. There might be some extenuating circumstances, but all the same, I keep thinking to whoever is the cheater, just break up with one! It's so rare when it pops up in the books I read though, like I literally can't think of one book that might have had cheating in it. One of my more recent reads was close, but the guy did dump his current girlfriend of the time, because let's face it, that chick was really *itchy anyway.

This discussion is getting to be much shorter than I anticipated. Mostly because, as I said, I hardly ever come across cheating in the books I read. When it does, I'm usually just hoping that it ends. Like the cheater stops seeing one of the people they're seeing. I guess since romance is usually a side occurrence in my books, cheating doesn't seem relevant to begin with.

So while I don't care to see it in my books I read, I guess it's not necessarily a deal breaker. Granted if there was a book that revolved solely around cheating then yeah, I'd drop it there on the store shelf!

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Dead me belowdecks, sightless eyes, bloody chests. The whispers excitedly remind me of what had happened on the ship. Dead men, dead men." p 171

TITLE: The Rose Society
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
GENRE: Fantasy YA
RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Bookish Settings I'd Love to Visit

*in no particular order

10. NEVERLAND--despite already being a grownup I don't want to be one! Lol! 

9. WONDERLAND--it might be mad but I always thought it would be a pretty cool place to explore!

8. CARAVAL--wherever it may be at the time of course! It's a scary game but I can't help but want to experience it as well! Reading has obviously made me lose all sense of my mind!

7. THE HOLLOWS--hanging out with Rachel, Jenks, Ivy, and Trent would be AWESOME! Get some Piscary's Pizza and just hang out! I'd love this!!

6. KETTERDAM--yeah...I'm thinking only this just because I'd want to hang with Kaz and crew. I'll be their seventh crow! Lol.

5. DOON--a magical kingdom hidden within Scotland? Hell yeah!

4. MYTICA--I'd pretty much want to go all over the place here!

3. SITIA--I chose this country only because magic isn't banned! And you know, it might be less dangerous. Maybe. Probably not!

2. THE NIGHT COURT--I mean what other court would there be?

1. HOGWARTS--because duh! Lol! Plus Hogsmeade and every other inch of this magical world! I want to see it ALL!!

ARC Review--Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.

Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…

You’re not safe anywhere now.

Her refuge at Stillhouse Lake has become a trap. Gwen leaves her children in the protective custody of a fortified, well-armed neighbor. Now, with the help of Sam Cade, brother of one of Melvin’s victims, Gwen is going hunting. She’s learned how from one of the sickest killers alive.

But what she’s up against is beyond anything she feared—a sophisticated and savage mind game calculated to destroy her. As trust beyond her small circle of friends begins to vanish, Gwen has only fury and vengeance to believe in as she closes in on her prey. And sure as the night, one of them will die.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Killman Creek is Rachel Caine’s conclusion to Stillhouse Lake that brings about a most satisfying conclusion to the trials that Gwen and her kids and Sam had to endure. Melvin, her murderous ex-husband has broken out of jail and in his sick and demented ways, he is determined to kill Gwen for turning his children against him and all that jazz. But before he does that, he wants to completely ruin her life.

Gwen and Sam are determined more than ever to put an end to Melvin Royal. It’s not going to be easy though since they have no idea where Melvin is. He continues to use the people who make up Absalom, as we’ve learned that Absalom is not one person but many. While Gwen thought that this person was always trying to help hide her and her kids for a price, she learned that she was very, very wrong. If they can track down a member of Absalom, they can hopefully, track down Melvin himself.

This was quite the suspenseful read! The heroes trying to chase down the psychopath murderer, not knowing who they can trust, because Absalom members can be anywhere, be anyone! It’s positively insane!

This time around I was surprised to see that there were many more points of view in the story. Nearly positively the first one was just straight up Gwen’s point of view. This time we get Gwen, Sam, and even Connor and Lanny. I found it most interesting to read from the kids’ points of view, as they were staying safely secluded with Javier while Gwen and Sam went hunting for Melvin. I feel like they went through just as much pain and sorrow as Gwen did. Theirs was a different sort of pain though. They each have a lot to deal with and there was some pretty surprising things to come out of it for both of them! I’m still left in shock over Connor’s ordeal!

Without giving too much away, I will also mention that something happens in this one that basically leaves Gwen on her own entirely. And ironically, it sort of reminded me of one of Rachel’s Weather Warden novels where everyone thought that the “bad guy” was the real Joanna and that the real Joanna was the bad guy! It was mindboggling! It had me sympathizing for poor Gwen since they all believed what they thought was true.

I almost sort of wonder, what things would’ve been like if Rachel had included chapters from Melvin’s point of view. Though he is one seriously evil dude, I don’t know if I could’ve handled such a thing! But, as I said, it makes you wonder when things are all said and done.

I am nearly positive that this series has now concluded based on the ending. It was a very satisfying conclusion. One that I think readers will enjoy and be content with! No cliffhangers or unanswered questions for the most part. All the loose-ends were wrapped up in some way or another. Could there be more books to come? Anything’s possible, but I do truly believe that this journey with Gwen is done!

If you’re looking for an edge-of-your-seat thriller than this is definitely one you will want to check out! It’s definitely different in some ways from your average thriller as in this one, we have the ex-wife of a serial killer and how she does everything within her power to keep her children safe from the people who would do them harm, as well as their murderous father! Rachel Caine is a name to remember for many books, but now we can add in the thriller genre as well!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars


Killman Creek releases December 12, 2017

 

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.


That I actually read two books in this crazy week astounded me! Things were just so busy with the end of the month. I would thought Thanksgiving week would've been worse but it really wasn't!

Last Week I Read:

This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong (ARC)--Review to come at a later date

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins (4.5 stars)

About to Start Reading:

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

What I Plan to Read this Week:

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Waiting on Wednesday

Random Thursday

Winner-Winner Chicken-Dinner!

Book Blogger Hop

Challenges Wrap-up: November

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


Surprisingly this was yet another tamed week! I only got 2 books! Which was shocking! Of course, we're getting into December and with the changing of dates for some books, I no longer have any December releases. Sad sigh...but here's what I did get:

The Brightest Embers by Jeaniene Frost--now I can finally finish the series!!

Steelflower at Sea by Lilith Saintcrow--how I missed that Steelflower finally got its sequel I don't know! I do know that since it's been years since I read it I will be doing yet another re-read!! It's an epidemic I tell you!! These re-reads!! Lol!!

And then here's my Black Friday DVD collection in all its glory!! All that's missing is the latest Pirates movie which was not on sale at all! :(

 

Challenges Wrap-up: November

CHALLENGE 1: New Release Challenge

One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter  (10/31/17)

Killman Creek by Rachel Caine (ARC)  (12/12/17)--review to come next week!

CHALLENGE 2: 2017 Series Ender Challenge

I failed to finish any this past month, but I'm already on a roll for December!!

CHALLENGE 3: 2017 Discussion Challenge

Series vs Standalones

This was a busy month, again I'm hoping to get more in this month! Already thinking I will join this again next year with an even higher goal since I surpassed my goal this year!

CHALLENGE 4: Rock My TBR 2017 Reading Challenge

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black  (9/13/13)

Scythe by Neal Shusterman  (11/22/16)

Tithe by Holly Black  (10/1/02) 

Ironside by Holly Black  (4/24/07)

Review--Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark’s battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend—her world goes crazy all over again.

Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenage girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from.  Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town…which means her life is on the line yet again.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings the fun once again in the finale of this pitch-perfect romantic paranormal comedy series.

Another series finished! Reading Lady Renegades was a blast! I remembered my love for Rachel Hawkins’ words! This lady knows how to do snark very well indeed! While the book isn’t packed with laughs, there’s a lot of serious things happening, there is still a decent amount of light-hearted moments that were truly funny indeed!

David has left town in order to protect Harper. His Oracle powers are getting stronger and he doesn’t want to endanger Harper by having to let her protect him from all the dangers in the world and bad guys that are after him. Harper has been feeling pretty sore about David leaving. She misses him. Then suddenly one summer evening, she is attacked by another Paladin who claims she will kill Harper in order to protect the Oracle. Which obviously, Harper has no intentions of hurting David even if she knew where he was.

It’s when battling this new Paladin that Harper’s powers go haywire and fail her in a crucial moment. If it weren’t for Bee’s intervention, she might have been killed indeed! Then Blythe rolls back into town and it’s the last thing Harper and Bee need, but she claims that she wants to find David and help him out, she’s on her own path of redemption for all the chaos she previously caused. And since Harper and Bee want to find David, they decide to take the road trip with Blythe to do just that!

While a fairly short read at just over 250 pages, Lady Renegades was still a delightful, action packed, suspenseful kind of read! I was eating up the pages eager to find out what would happen and if Harper and David would be reunited. For as the girls continue to look for different clues on how to help David and find him as well, the growing realization that Harper may have to kill the boy she loves is starting to dawn on them.

Since I can’t really remember the first two books well, I can’t say if having brief moments of David’s point of view in this one was new or not! Needless to say, we get to see what David is up to every now and then. It’s sort of heartbreaking too. He never asked for these powers that he suddenly has and they’re just too much for him to handle. And since he’s not sure who he can trust anymore, he’s sort of floundering…and somehow making more Paladins!

The plot was a tad simplistic too. Not that that’s a bad thing or anything. Just saying. The road trip is about finding David and ways of helping him. Naturally encounters with these other Paladins delays the girls on their journey. But it does make for intense altercations!

Sadly, since Harper and David are separated for the majority of this book, there’s not a lot of romance in this one. Which is kind of heartbreaking after hearing both David and Harper’s thoughts of one another. Though there’s a sort of nice moment towards the end, but the sort of is key there. I won’t get into further details though.

But oddly enough, the lack of romance didn’t bother me so much. There was a great bonding time happening with Harper, Bee, and even Blythe. I can’t really remember why I was supposed to be hating her—memory problems again—but I must say I really liked her path of redemption she had going on. Sure, she still had a few Blythe moments, but by the end I can honestly say I didn’t hate her anymore! Lol!

The ending! Wow, that ending! This is definitely an ending that will take you by surprise! I don’t think Rachel could’ve done it any better! It was positively the perfect kind of ending for a series finale. While a part of me still has a sore heart over it, I know it’s for the best!

There’s a reason why I love Rachel’s books so much, they are truly works of art! They are filled with incredible heroines, a healthy dose of humor, great friendships, overcoming all odds of impossibilities and just overall incredible amazing storytelling skills! I cannot wait to see what she cooks up next!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

 

Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict! 

 

 

 This week's question is: What is your favourite Christmas-themed read? (submitted by Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte)

 

 

MY ANSWER: I don't really have a favorite Christmas-themed read. I really can't remember how many of my books I've read over the years took place at Christmas at any one point.

 

Ones that comes to mind of course are Harry Potter--pretty sure they all had a bit of Christmas time in them!

 

Oh, Holidays are Hell!

 

Here is one that actually fits the bill!! It's a collection of 4 novellas that involve the holidays! I do have one!!! :D