Lunar Chronicles Playlist!

Time for another Music Matching Monday! Instead of the usual pairing of one book with one song that reminds me of the book, I thought I'd make a mini playlist for one of my favorite series of all time: The Lunar Chronicles. There are quite a few songs out there that remind me of the series for many reasons so I'll be sharing some of my favorites with you guys! The first four songs remind me of the individual books and the rest remind me of the series as a whole including the short stories and Queen Levana's novel. So, get your headphones ready!

1. Cinder: Shine Supernova by Cody Simpson

2. Scarlet: Catch My Breath by Kelly Clarkson

3. Cress: Bad For Me by Megan & Liz

4. Winter: Pretty Tragedy by Nikki Florres

5. Fairest: Queen Levana: Cold Blooded by JoJo

6. Series: One More by Superchick

Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Winter Themed Book Tag!

Hey, bookworms! I just want to wish you all a very happy holiday season! Now that that's out of the way, I was tagged to do the Winter Themed Book Tag created by Marissa over at For Fun Reading List so you guys should check out her blog! Before I can ramble on about how much I love the winter time, let's get the tag started, shall we?

1. Falling Snow: The colors of winter are muted. Choose a book that has whites, light blues, and greys on the cover.

For this one I chose the cover for "The One" by Kierra Cass because it's obviously gorgeous just like the falling snow. I love the cool toned colors it uses and it has a crown on it. Enough said.

2. Crackling Fire: Colder weather makes for the perfect time to sit by a crackling fire in the fireplace. What book is the best to curl up next to a warm fire with?

One thing I love more than a lot of things is having any excuse to reread one of my favorite books. So, personally, I feel like reading "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket is a good choice for anyone to pick up. Yes, it's a bit darker of a story but it's still such a beloved children's series that you really can't go wrong with it. 

3. Ice Storm: Winter storms can be brutal. What book do you love that takes the characters through a brutal season?

I absolutely love "The Last Time We Say Goodbye" because it follows our main character as she tries to morn the loss of her brother and has to deal with the question running through her head about why he killed himself and what she possibly could've done to stop it from ever happening. This book made me cry like a baby for one hour straight, which says a lot since I NEVER cry in books.

4. Winter Wishes: Spending more time indoors allows more time to dream and wish. What character is living a life that you dream about?

All my life, I've always dreamed about traveling the world and seeing new things so when I read "Anna and The French Kiss", I was in love. I would absolutely love to live the life that Anna has. I mean, attending school in Paris? Meeting awesome friends? Going to the museums? Yes, please!

5. Hot Cocoa: There is nothing like a hot cup of cocoa during the winter, as adults we often underestimate it. What book do you think should be the next big thing?

I really can't stop talking about this book no matter how hard I try. "Hello, I Love You" is one of my favorite contemporaries and I feel like it's so under-hyped. If you love music and want another Anna and the French Kiss, this book should be on your TBR! 

6. Lip Balm & Lotion: Soothing dry skin is part of the winter for many. What book is full of soothing and comforting words?

I really loved "Keeping The Moon" by Sarah Dessen, not only because of the story itself but because this book as well as all of her other novels had an uplifting message about letting your old self go and learning to live in the moment. This book also had the message of finding out who you really are and having friends to help you find out. Such a great read!

7. Peppermint Mocha: What is your go-to winter food or drink for those reading marathons of winter?

Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. It's not like I don't get enough of the stuff already with my three or four cups of it a day, but I'm a sucker for my caramel and french vanilla cappuccinos and I feel like the winter season gives me a really good excuse to stock up on my supply of the flavors as the temperature drops. I especially love to mix them with a packet of hot chocolate and throw in some marshmallows and lots of whip cream. Not very healthy but OMG is it good!

So that's it for this tag! If you want to do this, consider yourself tagged and please leave a link to your post in the comments so I can read them and stalk your blog. Because I love doing that. Anyway, read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Winter by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4)

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance, Retelling

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤ 

Page Count: 827

Book #4 in the Lunar Chronicles series

Publisher: Fiewel and Friends

Published: November 10, 2015

SPOILERS AHEAD!! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS BOOKS!

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

Reviews of The Lunar Chronicles:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #1)

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #2)

Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

REVIEW:

PROS:

1. WINTER IS FINALLY HERE! PRAISE THE LORD ABOVE!!! Anyway, now that the fangirling is done, (kind of) I'm so excited to have finally picked this book up and read it in just a few days though still not fast enough! I freaking love this series so much and I was anxious to find out all what happens to the characters and how this series wraps up! Without further ado, here's my review on this AWESOME conclusion to the series:

2. I swear that the characters in these books just keep getting better and better with each installment as we follow their journeys through earth and on Luna. I want to talk for a second about my favorite character, Cinder. I love how strong she continues to grow as she becomes more determined to dethrone Queen Levana and take back her rightful place in the kingdom of Luna and become the ruler that she knows the people deserve. I love how Cinder doesn't try to portray herself as perfect, knowing perfectly well all that is at stake and fearing so much for her friends as their journey to take Levana down becomes more and more dangerous.

We do get to see a lot more of Scarlet in this book as well, which is nice because we barely got to see any of her in the third book. She's still not my favorite character but she is very feisty and headstrong and doesn't at all give up easily which is always a nice trait in a character.
Cress also becomes a little less naive as she helps everyone with their mission and I really loved that. Cress becomes a stronger character as well as a more daring one who doesn't shy away from danger as quickly as she normally does.

Our other characters, Thorne, Kai, Wolf and the loveable Iko are pretty much the same as always which is perfect. Thorne still can't take things seriously and makes jokes at the most inappropriate times, Kai is just . . . PERFECT. Be still my heart ❤❤❤❤ Wolf just wants to finally get his chance to fight back against Levana any way he can and Iko, I swear gets sassier and sassier throughout the book. Overall, THEY ARE MY BABIES!!

3. The story line and what everything leads up to in this book is just so much craziness and epic-ness that I honestly couldn't wrap my brain around all of what was happening. There were so many twists and turns, ups and downs, excitement, fighting, action, a typhoon of emotions that it still hasn't sunken in yet that the series is over. I was a bit nervous to think about how much could possibly happen in over eight hundred pages but I was hooked into the story the WHOLE time as the story played out and our characters had to face a lot more problems than just sneaking into the palace to get their hands on Levana. So much happened in the story that it's a bit hard to imagine just what runs through Marissa Meyer's mind while writing these books. Respect.  

4. Overall, if you haven't yet read the Lunar Chronicles series, DO IT! It has science fiction, epic fighting and war scenes, adventure across space, danger, excitement, a little bit of magic and romance and it's just all around an addicting read for everyone. If you're looking for a series that seriously has so much to offer, look no further because Cinder is here! Or, Winter. You get what I'm saying.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I have no doubt that it will keep you glued to the pages until the very end. I should know, I stayed up until two in the morning last night reading and I died on page 726. My body couldn't handle it!

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

--
The Little Android: A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” set in the world of The Lunar Chronicles.
Glitches: In this prequel to Cinder, we see the results of the plague play out, and the emotional toll it takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch….
The Queen’s Army: In this prequel to Scarlet, we’re introduced to the army Queen Levana is building, and one soldier in particular who will do anything to keep from becoming the monster they want him to be.
Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: Thirteen-year-old Carswell Thorne has big plans involving a Rampion spaceship and a no-return trip out of Los Angeles.
The Keeper: A prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit.
After Sunshine Passes By: In this prequel to Cress, we see how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna.
The Princess and the Guard: In this prequel to Winter, we see a game called The Princess
The Mechanic: In this prequel to Cinder, we see Kai and Cinder’s first meeting from Kai’s perspective.
Something Old, Something New: In this epilogue to Winter, friends gather for the wedding of the century...

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer Available February 2, 2016

Paint With Me! A Bookish Creation

So lately I've been doing quite a lot of art at home and that's not just because I'm currently attending art classes. I've been in a creative block for the past few months and ever since resuming my art classes earlier in October, I feel like I've finally come out of my rut and my fingers are just itching to pick up the paintbrush or pencil again to create something on paper. So, since I've been doing a lot of watercolor paintings, I thought I would show you guys my process for creating one picture that I posted to my Instagram that I'm honestly proud of myself for being able to paint when it only took me ten minutes to do. Here's my little walk-through for you guys if you want to keep on reading!

Materials:

Left to right:

Aqua-Flo Brush- Medium

Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen- Fine Tip

Mechanical Eraser Pen

Mechanical Pencil- 2B Refill

Master's Touch 24-Color Watercolor & Brush Set

So if you couldn't already tell by the rough sketch I made on my page, I decided to paint the cover art for the book 'Winter' by Marissa Meyer which is the book I'm currently reading- and LOVING- and is also the fourth and final book in the series. I really love the cover art for this book in particular and I thought it would be fun to paint it as well as change up the colors a bit to make it a little more unique. 

I only decided halfway through the inking that I wanted to make a process post on this painting so forgive me for not having a picture of just the sketch itself. Anyway, what I did was just blocked in most of the shapes for the fingers and the apple that the hand is holding lightly and went back in to darken the lines a bit to define them so the inking would be a lot easier. I spotted some mistakes early on in the inking like how fat I made one of the knuckles in the pinkie but don't worry, I went back and fixed it during the painting so bare with me here!

Once the inking was done I went back and erased all of the pencil marks and sketches. I also inked on some of the wrinkles where the fingers are bending when I saw that the hand looked rather flat. It surprised me a little that I was able to wing it without it turning out to look really weird which is a serendipitous success. 

Next, I broke out my paints and the fun began! I honestly have no idea how to explain the way I painted the hand to begin with other than saying I just threw on a light wash of purple and continued to darken certain areas as I continued to paint. I only used one color to do all the shading for the hand to challenge myself in using as little colors as I could as practice with the medium. I was really happy to see how easily I was able to achieve that and was really loving how the colors were coming out. On some parts of the fingers where the light was supposed to be hitting it, I didn't add any color at all until the very end to keep from making the highlights too dark.

 Once I finished with the hand, I started to paint the apple with a hot pink that I first laid down a light wash of then went back in to shade the darkest parts of the apple with a dryer coat of the paint. I wanted to add some of the color reflection from the fingers so I took a different shade of purple and added a tiny bit to the shadows on the apple where the fingers are holding it.

When I finished that, I moved on to painting the stem and leaf with a muted blue color that turned out pretty awesome in my mind. I didn't paint the entire leaf in the color to make it look more glassy like it appears on the actual book cover and added a darker blue to the underside of the leaf and stem to add darker shadows.

After I finished with the apple and made sure everything looked spic and span, I thought the painting looked a little boring without anything in the background so I decided to take some of the pink, purple and blue to create a light wash of colors behind everything. I added quite a lot of water to the page so it would be easier to get the effect I was going for.

I added a few water drips to the page and also took some of the pink to create little streaks going around the apple to give it a more magical effect. You can probably see my poor attempt at fixing the pinkie by not painting the entire knuckle. It looks okay but definitely not a piece I would add to my portfolio!

I also went back in with a white Gelly Roll pen that I forgot to add into my supplies picture above to add some 'sparkles' to the apple and streaks of white to once again create a more fantastical and magic effect to the apple. I was literally just poking the page sporadically with the pen so there's no need to go into too much detail as to how I went about adding the sparkles.

You probably can't see it but I went back in with a very light wash of pink paint to the highlights on the fingers to make the skin look a little less white. It was a weird contrast between the white of the highlights with the purple skin so I couldn't just leave it the way it was.

After I fixed a couple of the shadows and added more sparkles and a signature, I called this piece done! It wasn't meant to be anything amazing, just a practice run to get to know the watercolors a bit better so if you think this painting isn't all that great, trust me, I'm so not a Van Gogh or a Magritte.

I also forgot to mention that I used a mixed-media art journal from Strathmore in their 500 Series to do this painting in. I also used a paint towel that could obviously use a good cycle wash to clean off my paintbrush and get any access paint off that I didn't want while painting.

So that's it for my bookish art creation! Let me know if you guys want to see more of these on this blog since I've been getting quite a lot of requests to see more art on my Instagram. This blog is still dedicated to books and anything book-related but I think it could be fun to throw in some art every now and then to mix things up a bit. Anyhoo, enough rambling from this fangirl.

Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Winter by Marissa Meyer Cover Reveal!

WINTER by MARISSA MEYER Excerpt

 

The cover is here! Marissa Meyer, the author of the amazing Lunar Chronicles Series, has finally released the cover for the fourth and final book in the series, Winter, out in November! This is something fans of the series have been waiting for forever, including me! I'm currently reading "Cress" but if you want to check out this series, below is the link to my review of the first book, "Cinder"!

 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.