Thursday 28 May 2015

Paper Towns: John Green | Review | FTM



Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

- Goodreads Synopsis

This Review Will Be SPOILER-FREE

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Frankenstein: Friend or Fiend? -RQK

So a lot of people have different opinions on whether Frankenstein is really a friend to people or a fiend. Here is a short essay styled post about my opinion on this topic.
Cite: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831.


Frankenstein’s monster has a unique personality. In some ways his personality is very similar to a normal human, however it also does reflect certain things that are specific to him being the first of his kind. Similar to any human this monster has feelings and thoughts. He can feel things both emotionally and physically the same as any person. In the book the monster describes his physical pain, and the feelings that come along with it when he says, “Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (101). This monster also shows that he has similar cognitive abilities as man when he found delight in knowledge. This knowledge lead to him reflecting upon the nature of man, as well as the meaning of his existence (85). In many ways such as these the monster is the same as any other person, however the monster differs in that he is the first of his kind and has been continuously rejected. Unlike a normal human this monster didn’t have to physically grow up, but he did have to learn the ways of survival. Where we usually have a parent or somebody to teach us, this monster was left alone to fend for himself.
Frankenstein’s monster wants a companion who can accept and understand him. This is made clear when he makes his request to Victor, “My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects” (104). The search for companionship is not an uncommon goal of humans, but for him this goal is much more difficult. He is the only one of his kind, therefore the idea of him having a companion who can really understand him isn't likely. As for Victor making him a companion, he went through a lot and felt an immense amount of guilt after making this monster. He won’t easily, if at all, be persuaded to do it again (104).
The monster started out like a child, slowly discovering the ways of life. I concluded this from when he first says, “A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses” (70). At the beginning he started with a clean slate, but as time goes on his experiences cause him to reflect upon various things that later contribute to his opinion of himself. An example of an experience would be when he had stones thrown at him when he entered the village. This event caused him to feel disgust and resentful of his appearance (74). People assumed him to have evil intentions. They judged him based off his appearance and rejected him for it. He has the potential for good and evil. This monster was not created evil, but instead innocent, no different than a human child.
I think that Frankenstein's monster very well could have been good, but people's assumptions of him lead to him choosing to be evil. He tried to be kind, but all people ever saw was his outwards appearance. He collected and left wood for Felix on numerous occasions (80). THis so called monster chose to do this kind deed and was repaid by Felix attacking him when he saw him (97). THe cruel treatment and hatred towards him have contributed to him becoming so hateful that he chose to take on the role people assigned to him. Their quick judgement of his character based off his appearance made him into a monster when all he wanted to be was their friend.

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Frankenstein: My Ending- RQK

For my english class I had to write my own ending for Frankenstein by: Mary Shelley. In my ending Victor and his monster get to have a final conversation and well I thought it would be something interesting to post! I am not really the best writer, but yea... I took quite a few quotes from the original book that I thought fit well and I do reference where I got the quotes.

Book Cited: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831.


Victor was lying in the captain's quarters when he suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw his creation standing at the edge of his bed.
“Frankenstein,” said the monster.
Victor replied bitterly, “Daemon. Have you come to complete your vengeance?”
“Frankenstein, you are deeply mistaken,” the monster answered calmly.
“Mistaken? I have no doubts of your evil nature. If you are not here to finish me, then you must be here to gloat in my last moments how you managed to take everything away from me,” Victor yelled while in tears.
“No. In your last moments I have come to ‘ask thee to pardon me’(163),” said the Daemon.
“You want me to forgive you?” Victor asked.
“Yes,” responded the creature, “I want you to forgive me, your own creation whom you left alone and abandoned to suffer in misery.”
“Your misery? Am I to feel pity for thee who devoted his life to sending me to the darkest corners of madness, and misery by killing all I love?” Victor said as he hid his face in his hands. “As you can see, ‘the strength I relied on is gone’ (161). If not for this I would be fulfilling my duty to my species by destroying you with my bare hands, the evil being whom I foolishly brought into existence.”
“I understand that you despise me and my existence,” the monster said angrily. “ ‘I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all thou lovedst’ (163). But do you really think that this whole time I have been ‘dead to agony and remorse’ ” (163)?
Victor screamed at the creature, “well if you are not, tell me why would you do such a thing? What kind of normal being with a conscious would hunt down all the love ones of somebody?!”
“Well that's the thing”, the monster said softly, “I never thought I ever would. I was disgusted and appalled by the cruel acts you humans have performed against one another throughout history. Even so I ‘falsely hoped to meet with beings who (...) would love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding. I was nourished with high thoughts of honour and devotion. But now crime has degraded me beneath the meanest animal. No guilt, no mischief, no malignity, no misery, can be found comparable to mine’ (165). When I look back upon all my sins I cannot believe I am the same creature whose thoughts were once only about beauty (165). ‘But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil’ ” (165).
“That may be so,” said Victor, “but ‘your repentance is superfluous’ (163). ‘I momentarily expect my release’ (162) and with it your vengeance shall be complete. If you want to give compensation for your sins then you will leave and never cause mischief again.”
The monster stands there silently for a moment before he replies. “ ‘Fear not that I shall be the instrument of future mischief’(165). But ‘am I to be thought the only criminal, when all humankind sinned against me?’ (165) ‘It is true I am a wretch’ (165) who has ‘murdered the lovely and the helpless’ (165). I have pushed you, my creator to ‘irremediable ruin’ ” (165).
Victor interrupts him saying, “Humankind sinned against you? You murdered everyone I ever cared about in cold blood! You're an evil creature who should never have seen the light of day!”
The monster silently heads for the door, but he stops just before he leaves. He doesn’t turn around, but he says, “ ‘you hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself. (...) I think on the heart in which these hands will meet my eyes, when the imagination will haunt these thoughts no more’ (165). However my work is not complete. In order to ‘consummate the series of my being’ (166) my death is required. Like thee I shall soon die and ‘these burning miseries’ (166) I have felt will be extinct with me. My spirit will finally be able to sleep in peace (166). Farewell Frankenstein.”



Sunday 10 May 2015

March/April Wrap-Up- RQK

So I haven't posted for a while... In my defense I was studying for an exam.. (blah) Anyway I AM BACK!
So I didn't read many books in March but I did read in April which is why I joined these two.


The first book I read in March was "BZRK RELOADED" by: Michael Grant. This book is the next book in the BZRK series. This series lies in the science fiction type genre that brings in the whole idea of nanobots. I like these types of books because they bring in ideas of things that could very well happen. In a generation where there are constant technological advances I find these stories to be extremely interesting as they could very well come true to some degree. This story is  really unique and I would recommend this series to anybody is interested in science fiction novels! I rate this book 4/5 stars.


The second book I read in March was "Frankenstein" by: Mary Shelley. I actually had to read this book for my english class. I never knew the story of Frankenstein and it was really interesting to know the true story of such a classic tale. We also did watch the movie and I was surprised at how different they actually were. I actually really enjoyed the story. I was shocked at the ending however as I really didn't expect it to end as it did. I usually don't read a lot of classic books but I did enjoy this one and would recommend it to everybody! I rate this book 4.5/5 stars.


The first book I read in April was "Firefight" by: Brandon Sanderson. I had to wait a few months for this book which was sad because I was so excited! I absolutely loved the first book Steelheart it is just phenomenal! This series definitely makes me think of like superhero and supervillain comics because its of people with different sorts of powers. In this version however its the powers that actually make them turn evil, turn them into power hungry killers. Its really unique and I just love it! I think that anybody that loves superhero type stories would just love these books! I rate this book 5/5 stars!
*Brandon Sanderson is also our Author of the month! *


The second book I read in April was "The Rule of Thoughts" by: James Dashner. James Dashner is also the author of the popular series The Maze Runner. This book is another Science fiction novel. I just love the idea of this book. The internet is a very central part of our society now. This book tells of a future where the lines between online and real life are blurred. A world where the definition of a person doesn't strictly indicate a human. It is a interesting concept and I just found it extremely intriguing! I rate this book 4.5/5 stars.


The third and fourth books I read were graphic novels of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by: Rick Riordan. I really love the Percy Jackson books and I just thought why not read the graphic novels? I am so sad that they never did finish the movie series, but I am glad they have things like this that allow me to see a more visual interpretation of the stories. If you have read these books I highly suggest you read the graphic novels as well they are very well done! I am not sure if I can rate graphic novels really but I rate it 4/5 stars!


The next book I read was "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Anybody who knows me knows that I LOVE SHERLOCK HOLMES! He is how I got to really love books in the first place. I started out being hugely into mystery novels and though I have branched out I still really love these books. I have read this book before, but I reread it for my english class and I also had the opportunity to see the play which just was amazing! I recommend all Sherlock books to everybody!! I rate this book 5/5 stars!!


The sixth book I read in April was "Half Wild" by: Sally Green. This is the sequel to Half Wild. It took a while for me to get my hands on this book because I seriously couldn't find a bookstore that had it! (what??!) When I finally did though I read it within a few days! I couldn't put this book down! I really just love these books! I definitely ship Nathan and Gabriel! These stories are about witches. It tells of their corrupted and messed up society and the wars and or battles of the black and white witches. I usually am not a huge fan of witch type stories, but I really enjoy this one and am impatient for the next one to come out! I rate this book 5/5 stars!


The last book I read in April was "I am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Navigator" by: Pittacus Lore. I absolutely love this series and I have read every book including the short stories! Including the short stories I personally own 16 of these books!(mostly on ebook) These books incorporate the idea of extraterrestrial life. I really am into the whole Science fiction stuff and I am just super obsessed with this series! I just highly highly recommend this book to everybody and anybody! I rate this book 4.5/5 stars!


Friday 8 May 2015

The Wicked Will Rise: Danielle Paige | Review | FTM



In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestsellingDorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.


To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die....

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?

- Goodreads Synopsis

This Review May Contain SPOILERS

Monday 4 May 2015

Who I Picture As My Characters | FTM


Sabrina's life wasn't strange, her nose was constantly peaking into books, and she had a very loving family. What more could she ask for? An answer. All her life Sabrina felt a tug, a tug telling her that she was different. There were secrets kept from her, unexplained black-outs, suspicious deaths and so much more. Little did she know that the life that she thought she knew wasn't really her life or that was what she was telling herself. What was she?A Robinson?A Moonlight? No. She is the Crescent Moon.

- Wattpad Synopsis


Ever since I started writing Sabrina which was years ago, there were some people who I always pictured as the characters that I wrote about. If my story ever gets published and get's picked up for a movie (probably will never happen) I would want these people to play my characters. Maybe not all of them but definitely Sabrina and Charles.


Georgie Henley as Sabrina Moonlight

If you didn't know already, Georgie played Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia is one of my favourite book/movie series and Georgie was one of my favourite actors from the series. I honestly don't know what made me, I guess fan-cast her as Sabrina it just happened. I've always pictured her as Sabrina, if a miracle happens and my story get's turned into a movie I would really love for her to play 'Sabrina' (Again, probably never gonna happen)













Will Swenson as Ameero Moonlight

Will is more well known in the theatre world, and I discovered him because of his portrayal as Javert in Les Mis on Broadway! Fantastic singer and fantastic actor!














Nicole Kidman as Sabrenta Featherwind Moonlight



I always envisioned Nicole as Sabrenta, mainly because I have a huge obsession with the movie Moulin Rouge.




















Ramin Karimloo as Anecto Moonlight

Ramin was someone who I always pictured as Anecto, I discovered him because because of The Phantom Of The Opera; He's just really good at playing the psychotic characters.







Max Irons as Charles Incotac


The second actor is Max Irons! I don't remember how I discovered Max, I feel like I just looked at him and was like oh you look like a Charles.



















               
             Lucy Fry as Mirabelle Incotac


I discovered Lucy Fry from the Australian TV show, Mako Mermaids. I'm not even ashamed to say that I watch that show, I have a weird attachment to the past series (H20: Just Add Water). It's a good show alright, it's just one of my many guilty pleasures. She later on portrayed Lissa in The Vampire Academy film. She is also somebody who I just recently pictured, I just saw this picture and was like you're channelling Mirabelle right now.















Sierra Boggess as Lavender LilyCarter

Sierra is an actress who I truly admire, she is of my musical theatre icons, she's so talented and it's one of my dreams to see her live one day! If you are not experienced with her work, just type her name into you tube and listen to her voice because I love her.














Those were just some of the actors that I envisioned as my characters! I never really envisioned an actor for every single character, but I have a few so I thought I would share them! Maybe in the future I will share more if I end up having more.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and if you're interested please check out 'Sabrina' on Wattpad. 

http://www.wattpad.com/story/29067173-sabrina/parts


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