Hamilton Book TAG

   Welcome to the Hamilton book TAG!

   Just like basically everyone else in the book community, I'm obsessed with Hamilton. For

those who don't know, Hamilton is a musical that is basically the big thing right now. Getting tickets is basically impossible since it's just THAT good. It took me a while until I actually checked it out, despite having seen people talk about it on twitter like crazy. But once I checked it out, I can't stop anymore.

   This TAG was created by maureenkeavy over on YouTube and I discovered it through polandbananaBOOKS. Of course I immediately thought that I simply have to do it too. So strap yourselves in and let's get this party starting!

   THE QUESTIONS:

   1. The Room Where It Happens: Book world you would put yourself in.

   Okay, this is probably my favorite song of the entire musical because of just how upbeat and fun it is, a great song to dance to. But that's not the point. 

   Okay, the answer I think is definitely a no-brainer, since I'm sure everyone and their grandmother will say this very same one: Harry Potter. I mean, why would you want to live in any other fictional world when you can live in the wonderful world of Harry Potter. And don't tell me I can't pretend I'm 11 so I can go to Hogwarts.

   2. The Schuyler Sisters: Underrated Female Character.

   This one was a tricky one because I had the option between going with an obvious or different answer. In the end I think I want to go with the latter, a non-obvious answer. So, I will go with Maddie Freeman from the Awaken trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky. I love her character, love the trilogy, and am really sad that so few people have read it and appreciated her and the world she fights against.

   3. My Shot: A character that goes after what they want and doesn't let anything stop them.

  Another one of my favorites from Hamilton. This was actually the first song I ever heard from it during their live stream from the White House.

   For this one I'm going to do with Penryn from Angelfall. Throughout the entire book her only focus was finding her sister and she didn't let anyone get in her way of doing just that. There was no getting sidetracked, no forgetting about it for half the book and then being offered some lame quick solution, but it was THE thing on Penry's mind.

   SPOILER WARNING!

   4. Stay Alive: A character you wish was still alive.

   Because I don't want to bring up any dramatic spoilers, Allegiant looking at you again, please simply refer to answer #6 for this one, though ONLY if you you're all caught up on BBC Sherlock, or don't care about the show.

   SPOILER WARNING!

   5. Burn: The most heartbreaking end to a relationship you’ve ever read.

   This song is beautifully tragic and filled with emotions, I love it.

   My answer for this one will definitely be Champion by Marie Lu. I don't even know how to formulate my thoughts for the way this relationship ended.

   6. You'll Be Back: Sassiest villain.

   For this one I will just go ahead and take a TV show character, who also happens to be a book character actually, simply because I can and love this character lots. Of course I am talking about the one and only James Moriarty from BBC Sherlock. I love that series, I love Moriarty, I love the actor who plays him and the way he plays him. He is sassy and amazing.

   7. The Reynolds Pamphlet: A book with a twist that you didn’t see coming.

   I will not answer this one because, just like Christine (polandbananasBOOKS) I REALLY don't like to know about a twist before going into a book. I want the twist to take me complete by surprise and not be wondering all through the book WHEN it will come. That isn't the point of twists!

   8. Non-stop: A series you marathoned.

   The series that comes to my mind, besides my usual answer being the Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkins, is the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I bought this one maybe a week before my mock exams, which might have not been my wisest move, and one I picked up the first book, I felt myself unable to stop until I was done with all six of them. My grades ended up pretty good despite that, so there was no damage done.

   9. Satisfied: Favorite book with multiple POVs.

   Love, love, LOVE this song.

   I'm not quite sure if this book counts, but I will just pretend it does for the time being, and say Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. This book blew my mind while I read it and I am anticipating the sequel like nothing else because I HAVE to know how the story continues. If you've not read this one yet, definitely give it a chance even though it's a massive book. The audiobook is also truly amazing with a while number of different voice actors reading the different characters. So good!

   10. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A book/series you feel like will be remembered throughout history.

   As much as I would LOVE to say the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin, Some Boys by Patty Blout or The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati, we all know the one and only true answer to this question is Harry Potter, because Harry Potter. No need for further explanation.

   And that was it, that was the Hamilton Book TAG. I had so much fun doing it, and of course listening to Hamilton while answering because that's just a must and a given. What are your thoughts on Hamilton? If you do this TAG, leave a link in the comments below or tweet it at me (@Alice_Reeds) so I can check out your answers!

Top 5 Wednesday - Books over 500 Pages

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This week we are talking about chunky books with more than 500 pages. This is an interesting one because I'm not too sure if I have many of those, at least not in English. The thing with German books, or those translated into German, is that due to the language they are always way longer then the originals so maybe I will have to cheat a little. We'll see! Again, no particular order here.

   #1 The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - 546 Pages
   This book. Just this book! It's awesome but the end. Oh the end it gets me every time. So many feels and tears and just I cannot even. This book has the perfect length and just leaves you wanting the final book, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, asap. If you pick up the books now they are already all out so you can marathon them and won't know the awful suffering of waiting a year for the last book to come out. Lucky you.

   #2 Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead - 588 Pages
   Again, a great final book to a outstanding Vampire series. So many feels, so much action and just so much going on. Perfect.

   #3  Battle Royal by Koushun Takami - 617 Pages
   So violent and so bloody. It's been a while since I last read this one or watched the movie but it was a good one even though I have to admit I did struggle a bit with the names.

   #4 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - 576 Pages
   What an ending to a phenomenal trilogy. Beautifully crafted and just perfect. I did tear up a little a few times but all in all this was a great read and a perfect ending to The Infernal Devices Trilogy.

   #5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling - 870 Pages
   Longest book shortest movie. Weird. But I think this one was one of my favorite Harry Potter books, close behind Deathly Hallows. But it truly is crazy long. In German it is even longer - 1080 pages in hardcover.

Top 5 Wednesdays - Couples

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here!

   This week on Top 5 Wednesday we are talking about our favorite couples, or so called OTPs. For those who might not know it, OTP stands for One True Pairing but let's face it, we all have like a huge list of OTPs. Again, these are in no particular order.

   #1 Mara Dyer & Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
   I love these two. They are perfect together. Mara is such a twisted character and Noah is so broken himself but together they heal each other. I love the dynamics between these two. How at first Mara almost hates his guts and they tease each other but in the end they fall for each other in just the most beautiful way possible.

   #2 Rose Hathaway & Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
   Do I need to explain this choice? I mean I think I've talked about these two surely the most often or at least as often as I've talked about Mara and Noah. They are both really strong and distinct characters with minds of their own and just reading about those two, about their relationship and everything is just so funny and heartbreaking and I loved all of it.

   #3 Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
   I must admit, at first I wasn't the biggest fan of Peeta for reasons I cannot remember but as the story continued over the books I started to love Peeta and just the way Katniss and Peeta start to feel for each other and then everything that happens in Mockingjay. It's just perfect, heartbreaking to a point that's unexplainable. These two are amazing and I love them.

   #4 Maddie Freeman & Justin Solvi from Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
   Maddie and Justin, so different yet so amazing together. At first Justin tries to keep their relationship on a mission level, meaning no feeling besides 'we have to because our cause makes us' but once they finally become a thing it's amazing. Especially the way their relationship unfolds, changes and grows over the second book. Just so good. So good.

   #5 Nastya Kashnikov & Josh Bennett from The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
   Here we also have a case of two really broken characters who manage to be the savior of the other one. Nastya is gone through a horrible thing and isn't willing to speak to anyone ever until she meets Josh. At first she just watches him but once they start to become friends and everything starts to unfold it's perfect.

Taylor Swift Book TAG

   Hey guys!
   I recorded this TAG a few days ago and finally came around to edit and upload it. I must admit I'm not the biggest fan or listener of Taylor Swift but this TAG was fun. PLUS I've never seen a TAG before which mixed music and books so props to the creator of this TAG.

   By the way, you who is watching this video, feel yourself tagged to do this video too if you want.

   Cheerio!

Top 5 Wednesday - Female Characters

   Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Lainey & Mindy. Check out the Goodreads page here! 

    So this Wednesday is all about female characters. They are in no particular order.

 
   #1 Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)
   I absolutely love Katniss. She is a amazing and strong character. She is special and the journey she goes on, which all started by volunteering in order to save Prim, is just... I'm lacking the words to describe just how much I am a fan of Katniss. 

    #2 Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)
   I am a huge fan of Rose. She is so sassy, witty and funny. There aren't many female characters like her out there. I had a great time reading the Vampire Academy series thanks to her great narration. 

    #3 Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)
   Do I need to explain this one? I don't think so. 

    #4 Maddie Freeman (Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky)
   Maddie will always have a very special place in my heart because Maddie and the Awaken-Trilogy introduced me to the world of dystopian novels which I fell in love with. The development that Maddie undergoes is great and realistic, which you can't say about a lot of character developments in some novels out there. 

    #5 Mara Dyer (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin)
   Mara is amazing and just such a (probably) unreliable character. But, her narration is outstanding and amazing. The journey she takes us on is brilliant and I love each and every page of the Mara Dyer books.

BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS (shameless plug) BONUS

   #6 Bexx Kajan (Into the Unknown by Alice Reeds)

   It takes time to warm up to her simply because Bexx was trimmed into believing in herself, even to a point where she seems utterly egocentric, but once you start to see what she is just as vulnorable and human as everybody else you'll like her. She is only getting to know the world as it really is and discovers something that we feel is something basic and normal, but for her is new and foreign - emotions and feelings. And yes, she is my protagonist so it's kind of pre-destined that I like her but I think if you give her a chance you might like her too. 

Your Bookish Identity TAG

   Hey guys!
   This TAG was originally created by LittleBookOwl over on her BookTube channel but I decided that instead of filming a response I will simply write about it on here. That is simply because I've been filming so many TAGs lately yet I didn't post that much on here.

   THE QUESTIONS:
   - What dystopian/fantastical world would you live in?
   Okay, let's be real for a second. Who would at their right mind want to live in a dystopian world? I mean would you like to live in District 12 or the Divergent version of Chicago? I don't think so. I wouldn't want it either so I'm going to go with a fantastical world, which I guess I'm going to be super uncreative in answering, because I would like to live in the Harry Potter world and go to Hogwarts (just like anybody else who grew up with Harry Potter or simply has ever read the series) and meet all the awesome Harry Potter characters and learn magic and all that cool stuff. I mean who wouldn't?
 
   - Who would your partner be?
   Do I really need to answer that question once again? I mean I've talked about HIM so many times already that I am sure you all know who I will name but okay. 
   Brace yourself for no surprise here: Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy Series. I mean he is Russian (yes!) which also means he has that amazing Russian accent (double yes!), he is really tall (yes!), he has long hair (I'm a total all for that so hell yes!), he is mean, sarcastic and grumpy (hell yes!) and he is just a total badass. What did I tell you, no surprise here, like at all. He is and will ever be my fictional husband, which I think we've established already a long time ago.

   - Who would be your godly mother/father? [Percy Jackson]
   Can I be honest with you guys for a second? Yes? Okay, because I need to confess that I have actually never read the Percy Jackson Series. Like ever. I mean I watched the first movie but like it just didn't throw me off my feet and I couldn't get myself to read the books so yeah. Sorry. Please don't hate me.

   - Would you be a downworlder or nephilim? [Shadowhunter world]
   As awesome as being a Nephilim must be, I don't feel like I could really risk my life over and over and over again to hunt down yet another daemon that crawled into our world. Therefore I think I would rather be a Downworlder, or to be a little more specific, I think I would be a Vampire. I mean I already sleep was too little and my eyes dislike bright sunlight. And, if I would be a Vampire I wouldn't have to sleep at all which means I would have so much more time for reading and writing. Just imagine how many books I could read or write. So yeah I think I would totally be a Vampire. But not a sparkly one.
 
   - Which house would you be in? [Harry Potter]
   Slytherin, like obviously. I mean even Pottermore told me I belong there. And I know that the students from Slytherin are like supposed to be the evil ones whom you should not want to be but I just feel like that is the place for me. Gryffindor is simply overrated. Besides that I love the color green and, I'm quoting a friend on this one, I'm an evil mastermind so therefore I am perfect for Slytherin.

   - Which faction would you be in? [Divergent]
   Well, I think the only one I would fit in at least a bit is, no surprise here, Dauntless, like probably anybody else who answered this question ever. But in all honesty I could never be in Amity or Candor like I wouldn't manage a day with the people from the other factions because that is just not who I am. I mean I'm surely not a very fit and sporty person like Dauntless are supposed to be but hey I could hit the gym if I wanted to, right?

   - What would be your daemon? [Northern Lights]
   So I had to google this one because I had no clue which series this is or what the deal is with the daemon BUT I found it and now I know. So, the daemon is a creature that is supposed to reflect on your inner being so maybe I could be like a wolf? I mean I love wolves and they are just the best and I feel like I have like a inner wolf. And yes i know that just made me sound crazy of some sorts but that isn't anything knew now is it?

   And that is it for this TAG. Feel free to go and do it too (if you do leave a comment below with a link or something so I can check it out) and also check out LittleBookOwl's video.

   Cheerio!

May Wrap Up

   So, that was May, wasn't it?
   A lot of things happened over May, like my finals or my birthday which means that I acquired a lot of books and, despite studying and stress and all that fun stuff, I also read quite a lot of books - 11 books. Most of the books I read were very satisfying and therefore got quite high ratings, only two disappointed me - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, for which you can find a review I did on my YouTube channel, and More Than This by Jay McLean.

Book of the Month:
Vampire Academy (Russian Version)
Why? Because Russian version,
hella awesome!

   And this time, I have two new "categories" for you guys:
   Book of the Month and Most Anticipated Read. 

Books Read: 

• Frostbite by Richelle Mead [5 Stars]
• Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead [5 Stars]
• Blood Promise by Richelle Mead [5 Stars]
• Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken [5 stars]
• Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead [5 Stars]
• Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead [5 Stars] 
• More Than This by Jay McLean [3 Stars]
• Bad girls don't Die by Katie Alender [4 Stars]
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [3 Stars]
• City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare [5 Stars]
• Riot by Sarah Mussi [5 Stars]

Most Anticipated read:
City of Heavenly Fire
Why? Do I need to explain why?

 Books Acquired:   

• Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken
• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
• Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski
• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Delleria
• Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Paperback) [5 Stars]
• More Than This by Jay McLean
• Академия вампиров - Охотники и жертвы  (Vampire Academy - book one in Russian) by Richelle Mead
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• Riot by Sarah Mussi (via NetGalley)
• City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
• Retribution by Amy Rachel Thompson (via NetGalley)
• Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe (via NetGalley)

~ In Progress ~

• Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Still struggling with the 12-year-old-protagonist factor...)
• Retribution by Amy Rachel Thompson (currently I'm struggling with this one. I'm leaning toward giving it a 2.5 star rating because the characters are pissing me off and the whole lost souls, exiles and so on business is still really confusing and I don't know...)

   A lot of books will arrive soon so I am excited to get to those and in general I hope I can keep up with my reading. I mean, on GoodReads I said, for the GoodReads Reading Challenge 2014, that I want to read 50 books this year but, because I'm already at 35 and we only just finished May so I might increase my goal to like 65 or something. I'm not sure yet. And in general I want to step up my YouTube game and also just be able to post more reviews and interesting stuff for you guys. We'll see, we'll see. ;)

April Wrap Up

   April is over and went by quite quickly, but, I got some reading done and acquired a few new books, which is always exciting!

Books Read: 

• Shattered by Terri Terry [5 Stars]
• To all the Boys I loved Before by Jenny Han [5 Stars]
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (re-read) [5 Stars]
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (re-read) [5 Stars]
• Alice im Zombieland by Gena Showalter [4 Stars]
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead [5 Stars] (Definitely WAY better than the movie!)

Books Acquired:

• To all the Boys I loved Before by Jenny Han
• Altered by Jennifer Rush
• Alice im Zombieland by Gena Showalter
• Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• Frostbite by Richelle Mead
• Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
• Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
• Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
• Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

~ In Progress ~

• Frostbite by Richelle Mead

   I'm hoping to get through the Vampire Academy Series quite soon, because oh boy I need to know what will happen! I've been warned about book 2 and 4, which only makes me more curious, which I'm not too sure is a good thing, considering the fact that my finals are just around the corner. But, after my finals are done, very exciting stuff is coming up so stay tuned, 'cause you ain't wanna miss that!

Review: Vampire Academy (Film, 2014)

Titel: Vampire Academy
Original titel: Vampire Academy
Erscheinungajahr: 2014
FSK: 12
Länge: 104 Minuten
Hauptdarsteller: Zoey Deutch (Rose Hathaway)
Lucy Fry (Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir)
Danila Kozlovsky (Dimitri Belikov)
Gabriel Byrne (Victor Dashkov)
Basiert auf dem gleichnamigen Roman von Richelle Mead.

   Rose wäre eigentlich ein ganz normaler Teenager, wäre da nicht eine winzige Kleinigkeit: Sie ist halb Mensch, halb Vampir – also ein Dhampir. Ihre Freundin Lissa hingegen ist ein Moroi, also eine friedliche Art von sterblichem Vampir, die von Dhampir-Wächtern vor den Strigoi beschützt werden müssen. Die Strigoi schließlich sind die wahrhaft bösen, Untoten und unsterblichen Blutsauger, die nicht nur auf Menschen, sondern vor allem auf Moroi Jagd machen, weil deren Blut sie noch stärker macht.
   Rose und Lissa kehren nach einem missglückten Fluchtversuch an ihre Schule, die Vampire Academy, zurück. Dort haben sie jedoch nicht nur mit dem üblichen High-School-Drama zu kämpfen, sondern ahnen langsam, dass sie einer noch viel dunkleren Bedrohung ausgesetzt sind. Also beginnt Rose, sich von Dimitri zu einer Wächterin ausbilden zu lassen, um ihre beste Freundin in Zukunft beschützen zu können. Doch tote Tiere und andere merkwürdige Vorfälle häufen sich und drohen, das Band der Freundschaft zu zerreißen. (moviepilot.de)

   Ich muss schon mal vorneweg sagen, dass ich die Bücher bisher noch nicht gelesen habe und daher die beiden Versionen, Film und Buch, nicht miteinander vergleichen kann. Ich kann aber schon mal sagen, dass ich durch den film Lust bekommen habe die Bücher zu lesen, und, da ich nun mal ein kleines bisschen zum übertreiben neige, habe ich mir kurzerhand das komplette Vampire Academy Box-Set auf Amazon bestellt.
   Nachdem ich zunächst ende Januar, oder so in dem dreh, die Trailer zu Vampire Academy gesehen hatte, musste ich einfach nur lachen, denn die Trailer tendieren doch eher zum lächerlichen. Ich hatte sofort das Gefühl das sie mir eine billige abklatsche von Mean Girls verkaufen wollen, nur eben mit Vampiren, daher waren meine Erwartungen, als ich den Film nun endlich gesehen habe, doch recht SEHR niedrig. Jedoch wurde ich doch positiv vom Film überrascht.
   Konträr zu meiner ersten Meinung, hat der Film eine unterhaltsame Story und Charaktere die herausstechen. Sicher, es ist ein Vampirfilm – oftmals wenn ich bei Büchern oder Filmen sehe, das sie was mit Vampiren zu tun haben, lege ich diese sofort wieder weg, den ich kann Vampirgeschichten mittlerweile nicht mehr ertragen – aber es ist eine etwas andere Art von Vampirfilm. Bei Vampire Academy werden die Vampire nicht ganz auf die traditionelle Art und weise dargestellt, was so viel heißt wie, dass die Moroi Vampire nicht unsterblich sind und die Elemente beeinflussen können, was Dracula ja doch eher nicht konnte. Jedoch gibt es dann die Strigoi, die hier die bösen sind, die unsterblich sind und doch eher der traditionellen Vorstellung endsprechen. Ach ja, dann gibt es auch noch die halb-Mensch, halb-Vampir Personen, die Dhampire, die als Beschützer für die Moroi trainiert werden. Ich muss zugeben, die Autorin hat sich wirklich Mühe gegeben sich mal was einfallen zu lassen, was etwas anders war als der ganze Rest.

   Schauspielerisch ist der Film auch recht gut. Die jungen Hauptdarstellerinnen, von denen ich nur Zoe Deutch kenne, denn sie spielte in Beautiful Creatures (ein wirklich sehr schlechter film) mit, haben eine solide Leistung angeliefert. Ich liebe den Charakter den Zoe spielt, also Rose Hathaway, denn sie ist einer von diesen eher schnippischen und lustigen Charakteren, der durch seine lustigen Bemerkungen aus der breiten Maße heraussticht. Von den männlichen schauspielern und Charakteren war der russische Kampftrainer Dimitri Belikov, dessen Darsteller ich zuvor noch in keinem film gesehen habe, jener der für mich am meisten herausstach (auf eine gute Art und weise). Witziger weise finden die meisten Mädchen die anderen Jungs in dem film toll, jedoch sticht für mich nur er aus der Maße heraus. Naja, vielleicht ist es auch einfach die Tatsache, dass er Russe ist (jap, I have a thing for russian guys…) und einfach anders aussieht als die anderen männlichen Mitschüler von Rosa und Lissa.

   Das einzige was ich so wirklich sagen kann, das es mich nicht überzeugt hat, waren die Kampfszenen die an manchen stellen recht unrealistisch aussahen. Und dann gibt es noch eine kurze Szene, bei der alles irgendwie viel zu einfach und schnell gegangen ist, die mich ein kleines bisschen gestört hat, jedoch werde ich euch nicht sagen welche, denn ich will nichts Spoilern.

   Alles im allen ist der film definitiv unterhaltsam und sehenswert, auch wenn eine Freundin von mir, die die Bücher liebt, ihr absolut grauenhaft findet. Wer weiß, vielleicht werde ich meine Meinung auch ändern, nachdem ich die Buchvorlage von Vampire Academy gelesen habe. Mal sehen.

Ich gebe Vampire Academy 3.5 von 5 Sternen. (Ja, das ist das erste mal das irgendwas auf diesem Blog einen halbe Stern bekommen hat, aber ich kann mich einfach nicht zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen endscheiden…)