Just One More Chapter

I didn't ask for any of this. 

I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

 

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - you have no choice but to go along, you know?

 

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. But I never expected Oz to look like this. A place where Good Witched can't be trust and Wicked Witches may just be the good guys. A place where even the yellow brick road is crumbling. 

 

What happened? Dorothy.

 

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas. 

 

I've been recruited by the Revoluntionary Order of the Wicked, and I've been given a mission:

 

REMOVE - The Tin Woodman's heart. 

STEAL - The scarecrow's brain.

TAKE - The lion's courage.

 

and then...

 

DOROTHY MUST DIE

 

"Dorothy must Die" by Danielle Paige, was a good read. It jumped right into the story, no milling about and no excessive background story on Amy. The plot was good and interesting. The were a few moments where I found it really hard to put the book down and get back to work! I liked the way Dorothy was evil. Mining all the power from the land of Oz and being absolutely terrifying but going way over the top with punishments and laws. It made it really easy to hate her. Which you would think would be impossible after seeing the movie (must admit I haven't read the book). 

What I Didn't like about the book is, even though there was plenty of action, you didn't get it to thrown into the actual "Mission" until the very last pages of the book... Of course leaving you in suspense, which I guess works, cause I'll be ordering the next book.

I just didn't realize that it wasn't a stand alone... All good though, it was a decent read :) 

Of course, this is a Young Adult book, so that's who I would recommend it to. If you absolutely love the original Wizard of OZ... Definitely don't read it, I think it would just anger you. 

I'm really disappointed in this book... I've just seen the movie preview and I must say that, that looks disappointing too...

I really think that Roth should have made Divergent a stand alone. It was a great read. This book was boring and kinda seems pointless... Especially if they're not even going to stick to it with the movie... (What's with the box!?)

The character changes and for me, it makes me like her less, she turns into the complete opposite of who she is in Divergent. Which sucks cause she was so likable in the first book. Tris and Four seem to be arguing the whole time. 

Overall, I don't think the second book needed to be written. Slow, confusing, painful... Disappointing. 

What's better... I heard the last book is just as weird! Joys ^.^

The Delta borders have been sealed. 

The United States is changed forever. 

 

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct... but in reality, a new, primitive society has been born. 

 

Fen de la Guerre is living with her blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her leader's newborn and determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall, Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, they are each other's last hope for survival. 

 

Well...The blurb pretty much says it all. Fen's blood tribe is ambushed, she escapes with her leader and delivers the baby, the leader dies, she leaves and is on a mission to get the bub over the wall. She gets into many tricky situations and gets away fairly easy... She runs into some people she knew before, gets taken to a blood farm, meets Daniel escapes (too easily) and they work together and it all works out fairly well. 

It had so much potential to be an awesome book, but the author wrote it in such a weird way... Fen is written in first person and in the accent of, I imagine, someone from New Orleans, but it's quite hard to read. Daniel is written in third person, which is normal...

The tricky situations that they get into are resolved way to easy and quickly, and then there's just nothing for ages.... It got a little boring and personally I found it hard to read. I kept reading because I really did want to enjoy it. I enjoyed the concept of the book, but it didn't live up to my standards :/ A shame. 

Man I've been so busy! Shearing is coming up next month and we're going to be drop dead busy! We are expecting to get temperatures in the 40's quite often this Summer. Coming from a cold state, I'm not sure how I feel about that! 

Anywho, back to the books! Man, I was so excited to receive these books in the mail ON CHRISTMAS DAY! When you're out in the middle of nowhere, mail parcel's are a rare delicacy.

I'm so keen to read these books, I've been umming and arring for months about whether or not I should buy them. I caved... And brought them... No shame!

Let me know if any of you have read these books! (If you have a review on one, I'd love to read it!)

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas wherever you are! And have a fun and safe New Years!!

I've included some photo's! I hope you enjoy :) 

This lamb is not dead! We were droving them over a fairly long distance and he got a little tired, so I gave him a lift! :) 

Getting in the Christmas spirit

"The mysterious world of Kelewan is encircled by magic, mystery and murder. Here at the heart of the Tsurani empire, Mare, Ruling Lady of the Acoma, leads her people through terror and peril on a truly epic scale. She must contend wth powerful rival houses, strike deals with sinister rebel warriors, and forge a treaty with the enigmatic Cho-ja - a race of alien insectoids. But in order to restore the honour of her house, Mare must marry the son of a deadly enemy - and carry the struggle of her people into the heart of his stronghold..."

 

 

A slow steady read. If anyone has read Raymond Feist's books before, you would know that his books are reasonably fast paced and with the right amount of detail. This book is pretty much the opposite. That may be because of Janny Wurts... But personally I don't mind! It was a little slow and there was too much information or too much meaningless information but it was still enjoyable to read. I like the fact that the main character - Mara - a very young woman is thrown into a chaos! She is the daughter of a Lord and has an elder brother, therefore all the teachings of how to be a Ruling Leader were taught to her brother and not her. So when she is unexpectedly the Ruling Lady of Acoma at the age of 16, I think t's fair to say that she had no idea what she was doing or what to do!

But she learnt very quickly, and acts quite smart. She kind of twists people's thoughts, and is able to manipulate people into doing what she wants when needed. Very clever. What's more, she thinks outside the box, while staying with in honour and the rules (The Tsurani value honour nearly more than anything else). She achieve's so much in such a small amount of time and gains honour from many other houses, and gaining the respect of very important people. I've often read that Raymond Feist.. Exploits women in his books... But this.. This is great. Mara is character worth admiring. Whether or not Janny Wurts input in the novel series has anything to do with it, I'm not sure. But they have done a great job with creating a remarkable character.

It's a good story and one that is continued through another two books. I look forward to reading the rest of the series! 

If you've read any of Raymond's series (preferably the Riftwar Saga) than I definitely recommend this book. 

And if you haven't read any of Raymond Feist's books than I highly suggest that you start with the Riftwar Saga! They are beyond amazing! 

THE RIFTWAR SAGA:

Magician 

Silverthorn

A Darkness at Sethanon

Dear authors with very fragile egos who probably shouldn't be in the business in the first place: take note of the above beautiful man.

Never, ever cry...

Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean. 

 

And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on a dark undercurrents that don't make sense. 

 

Can everything you love be washed away?

 

Eureka, she had lost her mother in a freak accident... Lets call it a "Rogue Wave"... Her father re-married and had children with a control freak of a woman and she was forced to go therapists after her attempted suicide - taking a ton of pills. She just wasn't herself anymore, doesn't run anymore, doesn't laugh anymore and people feel like they are treading on eggshells around her. She was very close with her mother, her mother knew everything about her and she thought she knew everything about her mother..... But it turns out she hardly knows her at all....

On her way back to school from the therapist, a chevy ute rams into the back of her car at a stop sign. This is where she meet Ander. She's outraged by the fact that he just rammed into her car but then she looks at him and is kind of hypnotized by his turquoise coloured eyes, and ends up taking up his offer of driving her back to school. She finds Ander creepy, cute and mysterious and just overall has no idea what to think of him. Whether or not to trust him. After all when someone, who is pretty much a stranger, tells you that you're in danger and that if you're not careful you're gunna die... What would you think of that? So she goes to the ops, there's no record of him whatsoever. So now she thinks she has a stalker... But a stalker that she can't stop thinking about... And finds attractive... 

So then she and her father along with her mother's brother and sister are at the lawyer's office waiting to hear about her will. Which Eureka had no idea that her mother had. Not much is left to the brother and sister.... Nothing interesting really anyway. Eureka is given; a book (that is in an ancient dead language), a locket necklace (which is sealed shut) and a case with a rock in it.. Called the "Thunderstone". So she is puzzled by these heirlooms and seeks out information wherever she can. She and her friend end up seeing this fortune teller/physic ... Who managed to translate some of the book.... "The book of love". Eureka thought that this book was a simple fairytale... But it tells of an ancient prophecy. Her mother also left her a letter.

Ander tells her to try and get the Thunerstone wet. Which is impossible. It kind of repels water completely. And in a emergency situation, Eureka finds out that it actually creates an air bubble around her when she is submerged in water.   

Ander is a seedbearer. Eureka is a descendant of Atlantis... Well they both are descendants of Atlantis... Just of different lines. It is the Seedbearer's job to kill off the "Selene's Tearline" (Eureka). Because! If Eureka cries.. She will flood the Earth(?) and raise Atlantis.. Which is a bad thing... Because the people of Atlantis are evil and cruel... And would enslave the whole world and create chaos. Which then brings me to Eureka's best mate Brooks. He was "possessed" by the spirit of the Atlantis king, Atlas. Now Atlas WANTS Eureka to cry so that he can rule the Earth or something like that. And it's the Seedbearer's job to stop that..

So she ends up crying and started the "apocalypse" according to the Seedbearers, but of course Ander is not mad because he is madly in love with her.. Which her probably ought to be since he has followed her since the day she was born and knows everything about her. 

The next book I think she will end up facing Brooks and she will try to make the situation she's in good.... 

I apologise for this slack review! I'm kind of not with it today, I wasn't really "with" the book either. The way it was written kind of made it confusing to read (probably like this review! :P ) The author put WAY too much information where it was not needed and kind of went off track quite often. It's an alright read. I just don't think it was for me. So I think I might stick to the sci-fi fantasy books from now on! :D 

How are you all?

I'm not sure if you guys have noticed but I haven't been all that active lately... So I thought I would give you an insight as to why that is :)

I got a job last week as a stationhand / Jillaroo in South Australia (I'm from Tasmania) on a sheep station! One of my dream jobs! So I'm trying so very hard to make it work! At the moment I'm trying to get my confidence on the motorbike and the roads are a bit tricky! 

I've taken some photos and would love to share them with you! :) 

I hope you enjoy! 

The wait is over.

Click on the pic to get your copy today.

Please share, if you're so inclined. 

Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy. 

THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING.

PLAY NOW.

OR WE ALL LOSE.

 

After centuries waiting in secret, twelve unbroken bloodlines, armed with hidden knowledge and lethal training, are called to take humanity's fate into their hands...

 

Bryan High School, Omaha, Nebraska.

Sarah stands at her graduation ceremony - perfect SATs, a star athlete, her life ahead of her. Then a meteor wipes out half her school. But Sarah is not hurt and is not surprised. She is the Player of the 233rd line 0 the Cahokian. And she knows what this means.

Endgame is here.

 

Juliaca, Puno, Peru.

Jago walks the streets after the meteor hits. There's looting and violence but he's not scared. He is the Player of the 21st line - the Olmec. And he's ready.

Endgame is here.

 

China, Australia, Turkey....

Twelve meteors fall. Cities and people burn. The news is full of the end of the world. But Sarah, Jago and ten others are already plotting and planning for the fight. They are the Players and Endgame is here. All but one of them will fail. But that one will save the world.

We hope...

At the end of the blurb there's another message:

"Written into this book is a puzzle. Solve the puzzle and you will find the key to open a case of gold. Play. Solve. Endgame is here."

Throughout the book there are lots of little hints and clues with roman numerals after them and the last pages have links written with a roman numeral before them. I've checked a few of them out and they all lead to something... Something interesting! In the small print, it states that if you solve the puzzle first you win a case of gold coins worth $500,000 USD I think... So that... Is very cool haha, though I don't think I'm Indiana Jones enough to solve it. 

If you go onto this site: http://endgameiscoming.com/ you can do this little interaction video thing... You connect with facebook (they don't post anything) and turn the webcam on (if you have one) and the end result is a personalized Endgame video... I done it and my results were: 56% of survival and my "line" is Cahokian :)

Anyway my review on the book....

We start out by learning a little about the characters and their experience and such that has to do with the meteors falling. They all get their own chapter and they all have their own symbol. At the beginning of the chapter it tells you in a heading, who and where the characters are of this chapter.... All 12 Players receive a message and attend a "calling"... The 12 Players and their lines:

1. Marcus Loxias Megalos, Minoan
2. Chiyoko Takeda, Mu
3. Sarah Alopay, Cahokian
4. Alice Ulapala, Koori
5. Aisling Kopp, La Tene
6. Baitsakhan, Donghu
7. Jago Tlaloc, Olmec
8. An Liu, Shang
9. Shari Chopra, Harrapan
10. Kala Mozami, Sumerian
11. Maccabee Adlai, Nabataean
12. Hilal ibn Isa al-Salt, Aksumite

They are all under the age of 20. The Endgame training started when they were very young, and they qualify for the game if they are aged between 13 - 20. If they turn 20 or obtain a serious injury (such as losing an eye) they no longer qualify and someone else from their line takes their place. 

After they have gone to their meteor crash sites, they travel to a place where "the Calling" will be held. This is done in China though the actual "Calling" is held somewhere else but somehow they teleport to this place... Once they are all there, they are put into some kind of trans... Temporarily paralyzing them from the waist down. Then this being - known as Kepler 22b -  comes and talks to them about the game and rules, they introduce themselves to each other and then the being is gone and *poof* they're back to normal, one of these people take this disk that was hovering in the center of the circle of 12. Most of them either run or try to start killing each other....

The rules are simple, find the keys in order and bring them to Kepler 22b. Other than that there are no rules. 

That is what they must do, kill each other, because only one can win this Endgame. Even though it doesn't really say anything that all but one must die.... And I think that's what the whole book and possible series is revolved around. Much like the Hunger Games... You know? They try and change the rules so that there's a win-win situation.... But I guess they have been trained their whole lives to kill and fight and be smart ad all that and I'm guessing that they've always assumed that only one may live... And if you've read the book, then yes I know whoever wins is the one who chooses who lives.. I'm not sure!

Anyway...

After they find their way back to China and head off out of danger, they start thinking of the clue that Kepler 22b left etched into their brains. Each clue is different and is somehow unique to them, though some did have help from others. Some Players chose to team up for a while and some are just dead set on killing. Both players and normal people... 

All the characters, I find, are entertaining and interesting in their own little way. I like how they each have their own perspective of the Endgame and all have different strategies to playing it. Some characters you get more attached to more than others, simply because they appear in the book more than others... And they're also good characters. 

Lots of action and thinking parts. I was aware every minute of who the author was talking about and I think the way it was written was very well done and easy to read. Making it VERY enjoyable! I loved it. Every minute of reading it. I especially loved how it's so interactive! The effort put into both this book and the puzzle! Entertaining and so exciting.. For me anyway! 

I recommend this book to anyway that enjoys a good read. Especially if you're kinda into the whole doomsday, post apocalyptic thing :) 

By the way.... All the players have twitter accounts..... It's great! 

If you read the book please let me know! I'd love to know what you guys think of it!

Sorry but I don't think I would be able to write a decent review about the book so I'm just going to say a few things about it...

I thought it was boring. It had a few excitement parts, but for me they didn't last very long and didn't happen often enough. Though I kind of felt like I skimmed through most of the book, so that could be another reason as to why I didn't enjoy it all that much, or the reason why I'm not seeing where it's going.

It all just doesn't make sense to me. I'm hoping that the last and somewhat final book will clear everything up. I'm hoping that I understand and enjoy it!

And then I will read The Kill Order :) 

Wow, it's so painfully obvious how different the movie is to the book! Still enjoyable I guess, but there were a few things I wish were in the movie.....

After the Choosing ceremony and they jump off the train... A girl was meant to die there.. But didn't...

When Tris went to visit her brother..... It did not go down that way! 

Al didn't confess to Tris that he likes her and it also didn't show him crying in the beginning.. 

When those boys ganged up on Tris and tried to kill her they were meant to ..go to touch her.... But didn't.... In the book she hears Al's voice NOT take the mask off and see him -_-

And a few other things too I guess, I just don't understand why they have to change adaptations so much? It wouldn't have increased the time all that much I don't think...

Still good, but I just hate it when they do that, if you're gunna do something like that, DO IT RIGHT! But like I said still good and I enjoyed it.... 

Brought these today! 

The only covers that are different are Eragon and Sabriel :)

It began with a cow that just wouldn't die.

 

It became an epidemic that transformed Britain's livestock into sneezing, slavering, flesh-craving four-legged zombies.

 

And if that wasn't bad enough, the fate of the nation seems to rest on the shoulders of three hopeless individuals: an abattoir worker whose love life in non-existent thanks to the stench of death that clings to him, a teenage vegan with extreme eczema, and an inept journalist. 

 

As Britain descends into chaos, these unlikely heroes must pool their resources, escape the zombie herds, find the cure and save the world!

 

Three losers. Overwhelming odds. One outcome.

 

Yup, we're screwed.....

 

***I should note that this book is for the more mature aged group.. As there is a lot of sexual reference and swearing. ***

Wow. I probably over-starred it, but this was just pure epic awesomeness in my eyes! Zombie animals?? No more cute little kittens or puppies or horses... Or cows... Or squirrels, they just want to hump and kill you. 

Something the blurb doesn't mention is that the "zombies" are also sex crazed, meaning they try to have sex with you then rip out your throat. 

In the beginning  the book tells you about the lives of the three unlikely heroes;

Terry: The abattoir worker... He is a lot nicer of a character than you would expect.

Lesley: The inept journalist... Hopeless at journalism, but a likable character.

Geldof: The teenage vegan with extreme eczema... Also a very horny virgin... He is a funny character, throughout the book I was kinda hoping he would just get laid but no.. He doesn't... He also has the biggest crush on his math teacher and fantasizes about arousing her with hard math questions.....

And then the heroes all end up with each other at Geldof's house. Geldof figured out that there was precisely 1,247.62 animals for every armed member of the security forces, and that oddly enough, the virus didn't affect birds, or humans..... Or does it??

So they spend a few days at Geldof's house with a few other people; Mary (Math teacher), David (Mary's husband), Malcom & Tony (Mary's twin boys), Fanny and James (Geldof's hippy parents), Constance (The scientist who helped create the virus) and of course Lesley, Terry and Geldof and I'm sure that's it, fair to say... Not everyone makes it out of the house.

It did't help that Lesley, Terry and Constance where being hunted down by another member of the government (Brown) to kill them... He stays a constant threat throughout the book. 

They decided to try and get into France through the Chunnel. Whilst trying to do this, I'll use Lesley's words...

"....Drove along railway lines, sneaked through Glasgow city centre. Saw piles of bodies, animal and human, being burned. Was stopped by soldiers and taken to a refugee camp, where the army was essentially holding people captive to stop the virus mutating. Heard that soldiers were shooting people who sneezed, just in case. Saw refugee camp attacked by hundreds of cows. All on fire. Took Brown captive. Flew to Channel Tunnel in hijacked helicopter, which then crashed. Walked through the tunnel for a while. Got in gun battle with Brown, who had picked up mutated version of the virus, as far as I know the first human to get it. Killed him. Drove to France in little service vehicle, where we talked our way in....."

Overall! I think this was a great quick read! It had everything.. Literally! Embarrassing parents, zombies, bad people, good people, sex, humour, bullies.. The lot. I can see why the book won the Terry Pratchett Prize. 

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves zombies, sex humour books, quick reads, or just for someone who needs a laugh.  

Brought these books from the op-shop!

At the moment I am reading Apocalypse Cow....

Oh my gosh it is good! Haha