BOOK REVIEW - A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

 It has been a little while since my last book review, but I have just recently finished this book and I knew I had to write down my thoughts ASAP.
I also hear it's July holidays so yay for that! What are you guys planning this Winter/Summer for any of you who are not in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Title: A Temptation of Angels

Author: Michelle Zink

Published: 2012

Rating: ★★★★



When Helen Cartwright's home is burned down with her family still inside it, she escapes with nothing but a suitcase and a vow to find out who's responsible.
Launched into an underground London, where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil, Helen learns that she is one of a select few charged with a responsibility she has unknowingly been trained her whole life to accept.

In her newfound role, Helen finds herself torn between one of her heroic protectors and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who nearly destroyed her.

Now, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Blurb by Dial Books
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I know I am little late reading this one, but Michelle is one of my all time favourite authors and I really feel like her work is extremely underrated. A Temptation of Angels certainly did not disappoint as it has fast become my favourite book written by Michelle.

The storyline was extremely gripping and really sucked you in from the first page. I loved that it was fast paced and didn't leave you bored at any second, because the beginning of some books can be a real drag, but Temptation just jumped right into it and got the story rolling pretty quickly.

I also loved the setting of the novel, Michelle always does a brilliant job of creating a dark, gothic old fashioned era, and it works really well as the backdrop of the story.

One thing I had disliked about Michelle's other novels in the Prophecy of the Sisters series, was that even though there were three books, I felt that there was still little character development and I struggled to get more into the story. I am extremely glad to say that the character development in Temptation was fantastic! I thought she created a great set of characters, and I was really able to connect with and understand each and every one.

Another thing I also found that the Prophecy of the Sisters series lacked, was good romance! I can safely say that that was definitely no issue in Temptation! It had the perfect amount of romance, without overpowering the storyline or turning it into a soppy goop! By reading the blurb I thought that it was going to be just another regular love triangle story, but this was certainly not your average triangle! The way that it comes together is really brilliant and thoughtful, I really understood the outcome due to the incredible character development.

One thing I also really loved when reading this story, was Helen herself.  It was nice to see a girl in an old fashioned setting surrounded by men, still extremely strong and determined, even though this was a time when woman had little rights and were not seen as equals to men. She reminded me of many strong willed woman from books of authors such as Jane Austen, except with a much more action packed storyline!

The cover of this book is also GORGEOUS! I no joke found myself stroking the beauty of this cover... no.. I'm the only one who does it..?
The pages are also just as beautiful, as each new chapter is covered in this gorgeous black smoke, which you can see in one of my photos, but I don't think it does it enough justice.

The only negative I can think of is that it ended slightly too quickly. I found that the story wasn't enough to be turned into a series, but the end was still a little fast. This however, was a not a big problem and the story was concluded quite well.

I absolutely LOVED this book and I definitely recommend it! As I stated before, Michelle is quite an underrated author, and I would love for her books to gain more notice.
This book would also make a great film, so for any of you producers out there, this would be amazing on the big screen ;)
Four stars!

Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how you are all going!
-Bee

MOVIE REVIEW - Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Title: Despicable Me 2

Director: Pierre Coffin

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand & Ken Jeong

Released: 2013

Rating: ★★★

I was so excited to go and see Despicable Me 2 last night...hey, you are never too old for cartoons...! And believe me, I was not the only one. The cinema was pretty packed out with people of all ages, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that others loved the first movie as much as I did!

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So Despicable Me 2 continues on from the first movie, with ex super villain Gru leaving his past behind him and entering the world of parenthood, fathering three orphans who he adopted in the first film; Margo, Edith and Agnes.
Gru is suddenly kidnapped by a mysterious agent, who takes him to an underwater lair. He soon discovers that the agency, the AVL (Anti-Villain League), kidnapped him to ask if he would go undercover on their next mission, as he has the expertise and knowledge of being a villain. The mission consists of Gru disguising as a cupcake shop owner in a mall, to investigate the suspects (all store owners in the mall) who are believed to have stolen a formula which turns any animal into a mutant. Gru, annoyed at the AVL kidnapping him and happy with his new lifestyle, refuses to participate in the mission, but after further encouragement agrees.
And on top of saving the world, a family to run and a love interest, Gru has certainly set himself up for one hell of an adventure.

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I definitely enjoyed watching Despicable Me 2 and it definitely did the movie franchise justice.
The storyline they chose was great because it brought together a lot of different genres; action, comedy, romance. It really is a great movie for the family, because people of all ages will love it!

The one thing I must comment on first, and the thing I believe stole the show was Gru's minions. They were certainly a highlight in the first film, and did not let down in the second. I could see myself going to watch a spin off with purely just the minions! These little guys are hilarious and had everybody laughing out loud! If somebody can teach me minion talk, please give me a call.

The next thing which Despicable Me would not be the same without, is the three children Margo, Edith and Agnes. In this film, Margo meets the boy of her dreams and Gru, like any other overprotective dad, does anything he can to separate them. I loved this storyline because not only was it was extremely comical, but it also highlighted Gru's love and protection for the girls.
And Agnes, who can resist those eyes? Whenever she is on the screen my mind is just saying awwwwww! So cute!

Gru also has found love in this film, and my, is it just so adorable! But don't worry, I wont spoil much of that for you! ;)


The animation of Despicable Me is also fantastic! There was one point in the film where two characters were in the middle of the ocean, and boy I actually thought it was real water. The 3D glasses even had me reaching out in front of me. I don't care if I got some weird looks...

Overall Despicable Me 2 was a fun, enjoyable movie which I would definitely recommend you go see with the family or if your up for a laugh! Three stars.

Next stop, Monsters University.

Have you seen any new films lately, or are planning to? Let me know in the comments below!

-Bee

MOVIE REVIEW - Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Title: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Director: Tommy Wirkola

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen & Peter Stormare

Released: 2013

Rating: ★★★

This film has been getting pretty mixed reviews, but here is what I thought of it!

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We all know the classic Hansel and Gretel tale right? Well Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters has taken the story to a whole new level.

The movie begins with the classic Hansel and Gretel tale. Two kids get thrown into the woods by their evil step-mother. They find a house made of Candy which is occupied by a witch. She tries to eat them, but they push her into an oven (wow, and these are called fairy tales?!) But instead of just ending there, fast forward fifteen years and Hansel and Gretel are now super hot and famous witch hunters.

The two are called to the town of Augsburg, where they are to investigate the strange disappearances of several children in the area. And these are no ordinary disappearances, because yes, you guessed it, witches are behind them.

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I actually really enjoyed watching Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, even though it kind of wasn't what I expected. I really liked the concept of the movie and it was quite a new fresh twist on the tale. I'm really digging the whole fairy tale remakes right now.

Even though the story is set quite a long time ago and the set looks old fashioned, the characters and the script is very modern and I quite liked the contrast.

The acting was all round fairly good in the movie, but I really enjoyed seeing Gemma Arterton play Gretel. I was a huge fan of her in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and although she plays a completely different character in H&G, she still nailed the sexy and feisty persona.
Even though Jeremy Renner is such a familiar face, I haven't actually seen a whole load of his movies, but I will definitely be checking some out as I thought he did a great job as Hansel!

Now it's that time for the not so great things about the film.

First off some of the graphics in the film weren't that great, mostly it was the design of the creatures, which was a bit of a let down but I know that the film didn't have the biggest budget.

Secondly, and probably my biggest qualm with the film (and I have noticed other peoples biggest qualms), was the amount of fake blood and random gore.  I mean, don't get me wrong, some of the action was totally amazing but some of it I just found it really over the top. The movie would have been a lot better and a lot less cliché without it. Luckily this didn't overpower the film, as thankfully, there wasn't that much of it.

I did however, really enjoy the ending, which wasn't that cliché and was pretty bad ass. ;)

I'm going to give this three stars, because I genuinely did enjoy it.
Oh and just warning guys, this is definitely not a family film.. :P

Have a great weekend,

-Bee

BOOK REVIEW - Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

Hello, hello, how has everybody been?

If you don't already know who Elle and Blair are, they are Youtube beauty gurus, and first time authors. Beneath the Glitter is loosely based on their lives and their fame through Youtube. As a viewer of Elle and Blair's video content on Youtube, I had been really excited to finally get a hold and read this novel!

I hadn't actually read some chick-lit in a while, so here are my thoughts:







Title: Beneath the Glitter

Author (or in this case Authors): Elle and Blair Fowler

Published: 2012

Rating: ★★ 1/2

Welcome to a place where dreams are made.  And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems.After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite.  Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor.  But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal.  Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

Blurb by St. Martin's Griffin

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Okay I don't exactly know where to start with this book, so I guess I am just going to dive into my notes and go from there.

So after two chapters of reading this book I had kind of already established what I had thought of it. And it wasn't exactly that great.
It actually reminded me of something that I would of thought up when I was a little younger, like a 'made up' story. And I know that sounds ridiculous. ALL stories are made up. But I still like to pretend they're real. Like to be able to live within the novel through whatever is being written.
But Beneath the Glitter was just giving me some artificial world, and quite a predictable storyline.

The writing just has a lot of dialog and descriptions of people and places. They didn't do too badly in the character development department, but I would have liked to see a little more.
I definitely feel that younger readers would really enjoy this, yet I felt that it was meant to be written for an older audience.

I would however, really like to point out that Elle and Blair did a pretty good job for writing a novel with little experience, and I know I am totally making this book sound terrible, but it actually wasn't that bad.

HOLD UP. I must be confusing you.

I would definitely call this book a guilty pleasure, because despite the predictable storyline and not so great writing, I actually kind of found myself getting pretty addicted to it once the storyline started to get rolling... okay maybe a bit more than a little.
I really began to look forward to reading it.

Oh and did I mention that the cover of this book is actually really cute?

Although the storyline was based around Elle and Blair's life and fame around Youtube, Youtube itself wasn't a big part of the story and it was only mentioned a few times within the book.

The book ended with a mystery and was intended to leave the reader guessing, even though I think I have nailed what is going to happen (very unsubtle villains :P).

I can certainly say though, that I am looking forward to the sequel which comes out next month I believe, and is titled Where Beauty Lies. When the time comes I will do a review of that and tell you guys what I think!

I spent a while thinking of my rating for this novel, and I was very close to boosting it due to my slight addiction, but once I had weighed out my thoughts and read over my notes I knew that two and a half stars was pretty fair.

So tell me, are you a viewer of Elle and Blair and have you read Beneath the Glitter? If so, leave a comment below. And if you haven't, leave one anyway, because I love to hear from you guys!

Until next time,
-Bee

MOVIE REVIEW - Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Director: Richard LaGravenese

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson & Viola Davis

Released: 2013

Rating: ★★★ 1/2


Time has certainly flown since my last post! I feel pretty bad for already needing to give excuses, but I have had a seriously busy month! Could you ever forgive me..? *Bats eyelashes*

Well today I will be reviewing Beautiful Creatures as you can see by the title. This movie came out a few months ago and I totally missed it in cinema! I haven't read any of the books (I have heard they are quite good), so my review will be from a complete outsider!

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So Beautiful Creatures follows a boy called Ethan Wate, who lives in  a small, secluded town called Gatlin. Ethan wishes to escape Gatlin, and plans on applying to the farthest college possible once he graduates.
But something stops him in his tracks, as the mysterious girl that he has dreamed about for months has suddenly moved to Gatlin... and she is not all that she seems.
As strange events start to take place after her arrival, Ethan discovers that she bares a dark secret, one that has deadly possibilities.

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The first thing I would like to say about Beautiful Creatures is that I was glad it was in the point of view and narrated by a male. It is more often that I see movies like this told by the female so it was a nice change.

Prior to watching, I had read many mixed reviews about this movie, people who loved it, people who didn't, and people who were just so-so. It has also been stated many times that it is just a Twilight rip off, but I highly disagree.
Yes, I did think of Twilight at some points because of whole paranormal relationship thing, but that's really as far as it goes.

Beautiful Creatures definitely deserved a lot more recognition than it has received, as it is an extremely underrated movie. I mean if Twilight has grown into the success that it has, I really am stumped at why Beautiful Creatures has not taken off.

First of all, the acting is fantastic! It isn't exactly an all star cast (Wait.. except for Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter) but they have still done a really great job with casting! The two leads Alden and Alice (wow they sound like a couple) I had never seen before, but I will definitely be looking out for more of their work in the future.

This movie also had a great set of characters, many refreshing personalities and each were developed really well.
The costuming of this film I also have to make a note of, I loved the whole 1800's gothic vibe!

I can say that I really enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and found myself genuinely wanting to see the next one. I would definitely recommend this film. I hope that they will be able to make a sequel, as the low income has made an unsteady future for the series. *Crosses fingers* Please do not let this be another Golden Compass!

Three and a half stars.

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Please tell me in the comments below if you have read or seen Beautiful Creatures, and I would be really interested to know, if you have read the books, what you thought of the movie. Oh and do you think they are worth the read? I have been thinking about it for a while!

Oh and thumbs up for 10th post guys ;)

-Bee

BOOK REVIEW - Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I'm a few days late uploading this as I have been super busy and haven't had any time to take any pictures! I finished this book a few days ago and wrote this review straight after! :)

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HOLY HELL. I am actually speechless... and trust me, that's not often. The only way to explain my brain right now is IOGAKbslizvqkavskjvzwkuqavdlvqwlauvc.

I actually cannot believe what I have just read. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver has completely thrown me off balance. Just five minutes ago I jumped out of bed like a crazy person, feeling like I was suffocating and almost starting to hyperventilate (I know I'm dramatic). I just can't contemplate life anymore.

Okay enough of my rambling and onto the review:

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: 2012

Rating: ★★★★

Pandemonium is the follow up to the book Delirium, the story is set in a dystopian world where the government has declared love a disease (I have a review of the first book right here). It is narrated by Lena, now 18 years old.

I can't really elaborate on the story more than I have in my last review, as I really don't want to spoil anything!

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I really don't even know where to start with this review.

Pandemonium has quite a different feel than the first book Delirium. I remember I enjoyed the first book, but this one I absolutely LOVED. And it's not often I like the sequel better than the first novel.

The chapters in this book are separated by 'Now' and 'Then', as it switches between the past and present until they both kind of merge together at the end. I thought that this style of writing was extremely clever! It left you guessing a lot of the time as to how the 'Now' came to be, which was slowing revealed in each 'Then' chapter. I was absolutely HOOKED to both of the storylines, and was disappointed when each chapter would end because I wanted to continue the 'Then' story, then I would get hooked to the 'Now' story and want to continue with that. EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER PEOPLES.

Pandemonium was also a lot more engaging than Delirium. As I stated in my Delirium review, I loved the storyline, but sometimes I felt like it went a little slow and I wasn't always jumping on my chances to read it. It was so different when I was reading Pandemonium, as I was staying up as late as possible to read another chapter, and putting off other things I probably should of been doing *cough* sleeping, eating, breathing *cough* just to have an extra hour of reading.

I once again felt an extreme connection to the main character Lena, as the writing of this novel really allows you to understand her situation, and how this world, although it sounds ridiculous, could in fact be a reality.
There was also INCREDIBLE characters in this book. I felt that Delirium lacked a little bit of character development, but this book really nailed that right on the head! It's a little harder to develop other main characters in first person novels, but Lauren Oliver really did a fantastic job in Pandemonium!

And now for what I have been trying to get out of my system for pretty much all of this review, it has actually clouded my judgement...

THE ENDING

HOLY HELL.

I was shocked. I just did not expect it at all. I thought the ending to Delirium was a pretty big shock, but I really was caught of guard with this one.
Really, I write notes in the duration of reading a book so I know exactly what my thoughts were at the time, and there is a dot point that just says :

BOOM

... I mustn't say anymore or else I know I will spoil something.

Well another review has come to its end.
You will definitely be seeing a review of the third and final book in the series 'Requiem' quite soon and a review of the 'Delirium Short Stories' !

Until then, stay tuned for other book and movie reviews!

Have a lovely week!

-Bee

MOVIE REVIEW - Great Expectations (2012)

Title: Great Expectations

Director: Mike Newell

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, Robbie Coltrane & Jessie Cave

Released: 2012

Rating: ★★★


I have been meaning to watch this film for ages!! I missed it in the cinema and completely forgot to watch it! I finally got the chance tonight and I thought I would share my opinion :)

So, Great Expectations; a lot of you probably already know this storyline, but for those of you who don't, here is a short blurb:

Phillip 'Pip' Pirrip (Cool name, huh?), is a poor orphan who is looked after by his sister and her husband, following the death of his parents. After an encounter with a escaped convict, a woman driven mad by love and the beautiful, but heartless Estella, Pip suddenly finds himself entangled in a great mystery; an unknown benefactor places a large fortune upon him, wishing for him to become a gentleman.

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First off, I would just like to state that I am a Great Expectations fanatic. I am a huge fan of the book and have seen many adaptations, so I am quite the critic when it comes to them! :P

Great Expectations is by far one of the best books ever written. The overall plot is extremely unique and original, and the characters are mesmerising. Great expectations is one of Dickens' most famous novels, and for this reason there has been countless adaptations of this movie.

Okay so I guess I'll start off with the positives.
The acting was, as expected, fantastic. They had a mostly all star cast, and I really thought all of the actors and actresses did an extremely good job and were very believable.

Mike Newell is also a very well known director, directing films such as Harry Potter, Mona Lisa Smile and Four Weddings and a Funeral. He again did a great job, and the setting and costumes of this film were also perfect and very true to the book.

Now, this may be me just being picky, but I really feel like the main let down in this movie was casting. I don't know if it is just me, but I really didn't think that most of the actors and actresses cast were suitable, excluding a few exceptions, which I will mention later.
First of all, Helena Bonham Carter in my opinion was not a great choice for Miss Havisham. I am a huge fan of Helena's work, and her acting was great, but I just don't think she was right for this role. Miss Havisham is a woman who has been driven mad by love, loss, pain and revenge. Helena played the role more like she had just come out of a mental asylum, which was quite entertaining, but not true to the book or the character.
I also have my ongoing battle with finding the perfect Estella. Holliday Grainger is certainly very beautiful, I again just wasn't feeling like she was right for the part. This may be because the true Estella in my eyes is Jean Simmons in the 1946 Great Expectations, which has got to be my favourite adaptation. In this film, the script also changed Estella's characteristics slightly, which I felt took the edge out of her character.

The two actors that I felt were absolutely perfect choices, were Jessie Cave as 'Biddy' and Olly Alexander 'Herbert Pocket'. Although they are slightly minor characters, they definitely stood out when I watched the movie!
Jessie Cave has come from 'Ron's annoying girlfriend' in the Harry Potter series, to a truly fantastic actress (and comedian!?)! She has a very bright future ahead of her!
I had actually never seen Olly on screen before, and was quite surprised to see that he had only been in a handful of films. I hope to see more of him in the future, his portrayal of Herbert was absolutely perfect!


Again, this review might be just me being picky, I know people who haven't read the book who have given this 5 stars, so maybe knowing too much about it has spoiled it for me. On its merits alone, this was a great movie! I do however, think that if you haven't read the book you would enjoy it a lot more, as you won't be as particular as I am!

Three stars.

Comment below your thoughts on this film if you have seen it, or the book if you have read it :)

Have a lovely week!


-Bee