The Mortal Instruments

The Mortal Instruments is another series that has constantly kept me guessing and up all night reading. I have actually been meaning to reread this series before the new book is released in May. It has also been released that the film rights to The Mortal Instruments were optioned by Unique Features so keep your eyes open for the movie in the near future.

This series is different from all of the rest I have discussed. Even though some of the same creatures appear such as: vampires, werewolves, fairies, wizards, and demons, this story is based around the Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunters are believed to have been born from both human and angel blood and their duty has been to protect our world from demons and evil Downworlders (non-humans).

Book 1: City of Bones

            Clary Fray is a normal fifteen-year-old girl who finds out she has the Sight. When Clary was out with her friend Simon at the club she sees three teenagers covered with strange tattoos carrying unordinary weapons. She follows them and tries to stop them from killing what she thought was an ordinary boy. Surprised by the fact that Clary can see them they explain that they are Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Soon after the confrontation, Clary’s mother goes missing from their apartment and a demon nearly kills her. She is then thrown into the world of the Shadowhunters facing challenges she never thought imaginable.

Book 2: City of Ashes

Book 3: City of Glass

Book 4: City of Fallen Angels

Book 5: City of Lost Souls (out May 8, 2012)

Book 6: City of Heavenly Fire (September 2014)

*To get more information about the series, characters, books, and even information on the upcoming prospects of a movie check out http://www.mortalinstruments.com/

** All information from this post was gathered from http://www.mortalinstruments.com/.

Lost Girl

 http://www.syfy.com/lostgirl/article/faeq

Lost Girl is a new series that just started on the Syfy channel. I was hooked from the first episode because the main character is a chick that kicks ass! This show has introduced me to many new and interesting creatures that I did not have previous knowledge of. 

Ever since Bo accidentally killed her first boyfriend by “sucking” the life out of him, she has constantly been on the run. Unable to control her urges she has been skipping from town to town every time she kills. The season begins with Bo saving a girl, Kenzi, from being attacked at the bar. After getting over the shock of what Bo did to the man, the two become friends and roomies. 

After the local authorities discover the man’s body, two cops kidnap Bo and tell her that she is in fact a part of a hidden race, Fae. After learning that she is a Succubus, they force her into a battle of strength and mind and tell her to choose between the Light and Dark Fae. Bo is the first ever to refuse to choose a side, remaining neutral, and instead sides with the humans.

Soon after, Kenzi and Bo team up and decide to open a Fae/Human detective agency.  The clients that they encounter have all lead them down dangerous paths and introduced them to various types of Fae. However, Bo is convinced that someone can help her find out about her past and therefore jumps at every opportunity she can get, even if it continues to put her life on the line. 

 http://www.syfy.com/lostgirl/article/faeq  is a pretty cool page off Syfy's website that allows you to view a description of all the creatures from folklore and which cultures they originated from. For instance,  

Fae Name: Basilisk
What: A legendary reptile with extremely toxic skin that is reputed to be the king of serpents. It takes the form of a lizard-like snake with a crown-shaped crest on its head.
Origin: Medieval European

http://www.syfy.com/ in general allows you to watch full episodes, clips, and previews of various shows as well as access to in depth information about the series, cast and crew, and more.

Stardust

“A philosopher once asked ‘Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human? Wondrous really! Do the stars gaze back, now that’s the question?’” (Stardust 2007).

 http://www.youtube.com

 A couple of my friends recently told me about this movie and after some discussion I finally decided to watch it. I enjoyed this movie because of its suspense and pure sense of adventure. The official website for this movie provides a great deal of information on the movie as well as interactive games http://www.stardustmovie.com/.

 A brief synopsis: In the English village of Wall there is a cobblestone wall that separates our realm from that of the supernatural. One night a young man tricks the guard and adventures beyond the wall. He meets a princess who has been held captive by a witch. Nine months later, a baby boy is left at the wall with a letter and a name on it, Tristan.

When Tristan grows into a young man he believes he is in love with Victoria, the prettiest lady in Wall. However, in order to win Victoria’s affection he tells her he will travel beyond the wall and bring back a fallen star. Unfortunately, when Tristan finds the star he discovers that it is not a piece of Martian rock but a spirit young woman. While attempting to bring her back to his beloved, they are faced with many obstacles. Three witch sisters are after the star because her heart will allow them to stay young. In addition, a battle over the throne is in motion between all of the king’s heirs. After encountering witches, pirates, princes and much more they finally make it back to the wall only to discover that if the star is to pass, she will turn to dust!

Vampire Academy

The series Vampire Academy was written by Richelle Mead. There were six books in the VA series but the author just introduced a spin-off series, Bloodlines. I believe I read this entire series within a three days time frame because it was so intense I literally could not put the books down.

This series does not follow the typical black and white view of vampires. There are three different types of vampires in these books:

 

Moroi: Full-blood vampires born from two Moroi parents. Moroi have magical abilities tied to a specific element; earth, water, fire, air, spirit. While they can go outside in the daylight, it is uncomfortable for them and makes them fatigue. 

Dhampir: Offspring off a Moroi and a human, or a Moroi and a Dhampir. They do not have special abilities but are built stronger than the tall and slim Moroi. They serve has bodyguards for the Moroi.

 

Strigoi: The worlds fierce and most dangerous vampires. If a Moroi takes a human life by draining them dry, they become a Strigoi. In addition to, if bitten by a Strigoi, anyone will become one. These are your stereotypical vampires you hear about in other stories. They cannot go out in the daylight, kill their victims, and have no standard of morals.

The main character in this series is Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir whose best friend is Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. Rose will do anything to keep Lissa safe, even at the cost of her own life and those she loves!

*According to the International Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1686821/) it is rumored that they may make this series into a movie in 2013!

**All pictures from this post were taken from www.vampireacademybooks.com/ ...check this site out it gives you detailed information about the author, books, as well as access to their videos and merchandise!

VAMPIRE DIARIES!!!

Vampire Diaries is by far my favorite TV show! Every Thursday my friends and I cozy up on the couch together and have a blast! We get so into the show that we yell at the screen, laugh, clap, cry, and once I even did a jump heel clap!

Vampire Diaries was originally a book series written by L.J. Smith. She currently has eight books in the series and still has more to come.  The books were adapted into a TV show and they are currently half way through season 3. If you are going to check this series out I highly suggest you read the books first. The books and TV show are completely different, only the main characters names are the same and some general information. However, the book and show are amazing, different, but equally good. By clicking the link below you can get excess to the first six books in the series!

                                                             

The basic idea of the series is that a human girl, Elena Gilbert, is the most popular girl in school before her parents died in a car accident. After the death of her parents, her Aunt Judith (or Jenna) becomes her guardian. On the first day back to school she is still upset about her parent’s death and worried about how everyone will treat her. While at school she meets a gorgeous new guy, Stefan, who she is instantly attracted too.  However, ever since Stefan’s arrival horrible things have begun to happen, deaths and people getting attacked by “animals”.  As the story progresses, Elena and her friends come face to face with death many times, and to the readers’ dismay, many will meet it!

The main characters in this series are:

Elena Gilbert

Stefan Salvatore

Damon Salvatore

Matt Donovan (show)/ Matt Honeycutt (book)

Caroline Forbes

Bonnie Bennett (in show) / Bonnie McCullough (book)

Tyler Lockwood (show)/ Tyler Smallwood (book)

Meredith Sulez (book only)

Alaric Saltzman

Aunt Jenna (show)/ Aunt Judith (book)

Katherine

Klaus

*Some of the content and information on this entry was gathered from http://www.facebook.com/thevampirediaries and the video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEGA6Wcq1i8 

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series

There are currently twenty books in this series, which was written by Laurell K Hamilton. According to Laurell K Hamilton's website, "Anita Blake is an Animator, who raises the dead for a living, as well as a Vampire Executioner and U.S. Marshal for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. She lives in St. Louis, were not only do wereanimals and vampires walk the streets, they have rights as citizens".

Right now I am on the ninth book which I actually get as audio books from audible.com. I like this series because Anita is a strong, independent woman who never lets people walk over her. As the series progresses, she is confronted with obstacles which test her morals and virtues. Anita starts out as a vampire hunter in the first book and believes that all vampires are monsters, however, she soon finds herself dating not only a vampire, but the master of the city. She is also in love with Richard, the Alpha werewolf in St. Louis. Another character that appears throughout the series is Edward. Edward is an assassin who specializes in the preternatural because humans became too easy for him. Anyone who has accoutered Edward knows him as “Death” because he can kill anything or anyone without a second’s hesitation, and he is the best. Anita has been “friends” with Edward for years, well as much of a friend of Edwards that you can be. Throughout the series, Edward appears out of nowhere just as Anita needs him and in return she helps him out when he needs it. 

This post barley touches the surface of this series because there is just so much that happens. Anita encounters a million year old vampire, sadistic wereanimals, a voodoo priestess, zombies, ghouls, and much more! To learn more about this series or to see the order of the books check out the author’s website http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/works/.

**Some of the content from this post was taken from http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/works/.

House of Night

The House of Night Series currently consists of nine books that were written by a mother and daughter, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. In addition to the series, they have also written The Fledgling Handbook 101 and two novellas; Dragon’s Oath, and Lenobia’s Vow. The website for this series is below and contains information and fun interactive content.

The story begins with the main character, Zoey Redbird, getting “Marked”. In this world, people are not bitten to become vampires, instead, sometime during adolescents a vampire comforts them and magically marks them with a crescent moon on their forehead connoting that the goddess of night chose them. However, they do not change instantly but instead the genetic change takes quite some time. It is mandatory that they move into the House of Night School in order to start their training and prepare for the change. Unfortunately, not all fledglings make it out of the change alive. Some of the fledglings’ bodies reject the change and they bleed out and die. This indeed happens to several of the most unexpected characters throughout the series.  Another reason that the newly marked fledglings must move to the school is because being around adult vampires is necessary in order for them to remain healthy and alive. 

After Zoey was Marked, her strict Christian mother and step-father rejected her, leaving only Grandma Redbird to support and comfort her. While Zoey is getting accustomed to her new life she learns that she has been given a rare “gift” by her goddess, Nyx, the ability to control all five elements; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. However, life at the school quickly turns Zoey’s life upside down and she encounters love, lust, deceit, betrayals, friendships, death, and even magic that has long been forgotten!

I really hope you check this series out. I have gotten many of my friends attached to this series because of the suspense and twists that make you emphasize with the characters. I have even been so hooked into the books that I will stay up all night reading because I refuse to put it down. And the best part, the authors are not even finished so there is still more to come!

*The content from this page was from http://www.houseofnightseries.com/.

**The order of the books by pictures started with Marked (top left), goes down, then top right down, and ends with Destined.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)

Season 2: Preview - You Win or You Die

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series written by George R.R. Martin that has been adapted into a TV show called Game of Thrones. According to the game of thrones website, the author had originally intended on only making the series a trilogy, however, due to the lengths of the books he has released five books already and has two in the making. The books are as follows:

·       Game of Thrones (1996)

·       A Clash of Kings (1999)

·       A Storm of Swords (2000)

·       A Feast for Crows (2005)

·       A Dance with Dragons (2011)

·       The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)

·       A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)

So far, the TV series has been following the books pretty closely and I am looking forward to season two coming out April 1^st. Most people view this series as being targeted towards guys; however, I really enjoy this series and the conflicts that arise. What I love about this series is that the characters are so devious, mysterious, and some are just downright hideous. I was warned by the guy that recommended this series to me not to trust or fall in love with any of the characters because before you know it they’ll turn on you. Unfortunately, it was harder than it sounded and I definitely got knocked on my ass!

 The book takes place in medieval-like times where people rode horses, fought with swords, and ruled as kings. There are some fantasy creators that begin to appear at the end of the first book some of which are; dragons, white walkers (the dead that come back to life and kill), direwolves, dwarfs, and giants!

The content discussed in this post was taken from http://www.gameofthronesbooks.org/