The Hate You Give: Angie Thomas | Spoiler-Free Review | Faith

I'm going to start this review off by saying that I am absolutely thrilled that it has been receiving so much praise. I am also thrilled, that is a #1 NYT Best seller. Not to mention that it has also already been adapted into a film. That being said, I would like to point out a few things. I was straying away from this book really because I don't like reading hyped books because in the end I find that I can be left disappointed. The next thing, diverse books are very important to me. And I do not really go out of my way to read said diverse books. The fact that this book is written by a woman of colour and that it tells such an important story and has an impactful message---that is the reason why I picked this up. Not because it's a popular book.

I had been wanting to read this book ever since I heard it was coming out, and that was a while before it was published and became widely popular. I often get turned off by popular books because in certain cases---it can be over-hyped. I'm not here to say that this is the case with The Hate you Give, but at the end of the day... No book is perfect. Every book I deem to be "perfect", I know that it has flaws just like everything in this world. Now, was I disappointed with this book? Hell no. Now, did this book meet my expectations? In a way, yes.

A Court of Wings & Ruin | Spoiler-Free Review | Faith

I read this book a number of days ago, so the feelings are no longer fresh. However, saying that I would like to point out my thoughts still remain the same. First off, when I first read A Court of Thorns & Roses, I merely thought it was okay. I was absolutely blown away with A Court of Mist & Fury, and I was disappointed with A Court of Wings and Ruin.

There are many flaws with Sarah J. Maas's books, one of those things being diversity and just realism in general. I could probably go into a whole other review just talking about how white, and how heterosexual almost of all Sarah J. Maas's books are. This is not the review for that though.

For me as a reader, I believe the quality of each of Sarah J. Maas's books has gone down. If you compare the storylines--sure the stakes are greater. However the quality is not nearly as what it used to be. 

With A Court of Wings & Ruin, I found myself being constantly pulled in and out of the story itself. For the first third of the book I was heavily enthralled and once I reached around the middle I found myself being less and less enthralled. 

This book was way too long. The length did not add anything unique or intriguing to the book---it simply added more time. And it seemed like it was added to make the reader feel like there was something coming when in reality it isn't really that exciting. I honestly think this book would've been so much better if it was only around the 500 page mark. The length made the whole pacing thing out of proportion.

Putting the disappointing storyline aside---I still love the world and characters. I think characters and storyline are factors in a book that Sarah J. Maas can never disappoint with. It's such a rich world, and it's always so much fun to read about.

The characters always have such great backstory, although I did feel like they were a little bit more bland in this book. ESPECIALLY Rhysand. I felt that many characters in this book lacked the depth they had in the previous books.

A very random note, this book had some extremely quotable moments. 

To avoid spoilers, I will end this with that I was expecting more from a finale, and the fact that this is the last book from Feyre's POV. I was expecting to go out with a big bang, instead we ended off with like a really anti-climactic boom if that makes any sense. I rated this a 3.75 out of stars, and in my opinion that's a very fair rating. It's a solid 75%. I don't know, I've just been seeing so many people rating this a 4 or 4.5/5 stars when they've had like even more problems with it than I have. That number is an 80%, in my opinion it's a little high when they clearly have so many faults with a book.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

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Wonder Woman Review | Faith

So if you think I'm actually going to sit here, and actually critique the film---I'm so not. Wonder Woman, is the top grossing superhero origin movie, and there's a reason why. For me, it is by far the most empowering super hero film.
You know, when I saw the trailer for this months, and months ago I was ecstatic. HOWEVER, having seen the past DC films such as Man of Steel and Batman Vs. Superman---you know that takes down your expectations QUITE A BIT. I'm a DC fan, I want every film they make to be as amazing as Wonder Woman was. What I took from this film is that, I want to be wonder woman when I grow up and--I have a girl crush on Gal Gadot.
With every superhero movie, and TV show I've watched this is by far my favourite. The way the story is told is just so different than any other super hero based film. It's very much a film that's like YES I CAN, AND I WILL. It's inspiring while not physically trying to show that it's trying to inspire if that makes sense. 
This film is so empowering because Diana knows that she's awesome. I also loved how she gave absolutely no shits over what people thought of her.
Wonder Woman almost brought me to tears---and if it weren't for my eyes being so dry I'm sure I would've cried. You know the scene where she has her shield and she's just going for the bullets---AH YES IT WAS SO FREAKIN EMPOWERING. I WAS LIKE YESS. What got me the most was that she was inspiring others to fight back, and that was a very powerful moment.
I think what I love most about Diana's character is her innocence. SHE IS THE FREAKIN GOD KILLER, yet she is the purest of them all. 
If I'm going to be honest, there were definitely moments where I would be like, that could've been done better or---the pacing there should be a little quicker. However, comparing it the past DC movies recently released---It was incredible. Putting the fact that I'm comparing the two aside, just the fact that this is the highest grossing Super Hero origin story in theatres--you know that says something.
One of my favourite parts of this film was the fact that we never had to be told that Diana was a hero. I found that with certain DC TV shows for example, the energy we get from it is really like--I'm a hero and I want everyone to know it. With Wonder Woman--she's just doing what she feels what's right in her heart, and she doesn't care for the title. And I strongly believe that factor alone is what separates this from all super hero related films.
Another factor about this movie that I loved was how people based it was. Even though it was about Wonder Woman (obviously) we still get that essence of what she's fighting for--who she is fighting for. And I absolutely loved it because it was done so well. It didn't get lost in the glorification of Diana being a hero.
This review is very jumbled yes, however if I were to continue the only thing you'd be getting out of me would be---I LOVED IT SOOOO MUCH. And you know I'm not sure if you want to read 50 paragraphs on me rewording the exact same thing. So if you couldn't tell already--THIS WAS A 5 STAR MOVIE FOR ME. She is a goddess.
Thank you so much for reading!
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Character Profiles | Writing | Faith

This is yet again, another post in the writing segment of this blog. Is it a segment--I guess so. Anyway, one of my favourite parts of writing is creating characters. For me, it is probably one of the most things to do when developing a story idea. In a previous post, I wrote a piece about who I picture as my characters. Since I've jumped back into my revisions and really would like to keep this blog on it's feet I've decided to do a whole lot more with my story. So one day I sat down and asked myself---What can I share from my story that won't spoil or give away too much. The answer to that is CHARACTERS. 

Just letting you know, I am basing this profile off of an example made by one of my favourite writers, Jenna Moreci. You can go check out her example HERE

Age: 18 years 

Race, Ethnicity & Culture: Sabrina is a witch. Sabrina's cultural background mainly comes from Europe. Most of her blood would be Scottish and Irish. Although it's a little bit difficult to describe her culture as she is a witch and her DNA would be a bit different. 

Height: 5'5-5'6

Appearance: Sabrina has a shade of deep natural auburn hair. Brown eyes, a round-ish face and button like nose. 

Skin is relatively rosy, but also has a warm undertone so that she isn't always completely flushed.

Sabrina also kind of has that face that's almost doll like? Quite innocent looking.

Where is she from? Sabrina was born in her homeland--Moonlight Kingdom but she doesn't remember because she was an infant. Sabrina had to leave the realm because her uncle who is known in this world as The Shadow Ruler wants to kill her. 

She then was raised by her father alongside her adoptive brother Lander in a little town called Sedbergh, Cumbria.

Family: By blood, Sabrina has her father Ameero, mother Oddette, cousins Susan and William. Not to mention her dark warlock uncle Anecto. She also has an adoptive brother, Lander.

Her mother Oddette died during childbirth---or so she thinks...

Susan and William, daughter and son of her uncle Anecto and aunt Lavender Lily Carter.

Friends: Sabrina did have friends in Sedbergh but it was always difficult for her to connect with them. They were never on the same wave length as her. However when she get's to Moonlight, she begins to form bonds to the people with her. Mostly Charles...

Skills: Learning to fight... She's kind of a work in progress.

Occupation/Schooling: Sabrina was planning on going to University/College but she kind of got thrown into a magical realm. So that's been put on hold. Her occupation? The Crescent Moon, A.K.A the destined killer of her uncle---The Shadow Ruler.

Hobbies: Reading, stargazing, reading and more reading. Also---READING!

Introvert or Extrovert? Sabrina is an introvert who prefers to be alone but still craves the need for human interaction.

Strengths: Her caring nature? Sabrina is quite caring in my opinion but she honestly still has to learn her strengths. She's still discovering herself.

Weaknesses: Sabrina is very in denial. She refuses to see the truth because she is unwilling to accept reality. She is too comfortable with settling for things so when negative or problematic things do come in her way she's just very like---NOPE!

Fears: Losing the people she loves, and also losing the trust of the people she has learned to care for.

Insecurities: Everyone in this realm has been already so disappointed in her being the Crescent Moon. So Sabrina already has this huge thing to live up to and people are already disowning her abilities. She is very afraid that she's not going to be able to do what she's meant to do as well being responsible for many people losing their lives.

What would she die for? Anyone she loves. She would die for anyone she loves if it meant they would live she would gladly give up her life for them.

Age: 21

Race, Ethnicity & Culture: Charles is an Incotac Warlock which means he has the ability to control wind and air etc.

Height: 5'8-5'10

Appearance: Charles is quite lean. He's lean but not very broad.

He has short slightly curly blonde hair. A chiseled jaw and chin. Also a long-ish face.

Where is he from? Charles was born and raised in Incotac Kingdom.

Family: Mother who has mysteriously disappeared. Father. Siblings, Frederick, Mirabelle and Winifred.

Friends: Charles is kind of awkward. He does have friends but to say that he's good at communicating would be a little much. He mostly socializes with the people who are in the castle and his siblings.

Skills: Swords, Throwing Knives is what he is most proficient in. He can use and wield other weapons but he mostly uses swords.

Occupation/Schooling: Charles has a very good education. However he is slightly more advanced than most warlocks and witches as he spends most of his time broadening his mind.

Hobbies: Crafting swords and other weapons, Reading/studying, stargazing, fight training.

Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert.

Strengths: The ability to take control of a situation, he's really good with words.

Weaknesses: I don't know if this would be a weakness but he falls in love really hard. He gets really wept up in it.

Fears: Being alone. This doesn't mean he is afraid of losing anyone to death--he honestly really isn't. Death is obviously very saddening but he is more afraid of losing someone to some outer force. His father lost himself in his drinking so in his eyes he lost a parent even though he's still alive.

Insecurities: Being judged.

What would she die for? Charles would die for anything and anyone if it was for the greater good.

Age: 23 years 

Race, Ethnicity & Culture: Jeffrey is an Anglow Warlock, he has the ability to control and create fire etc. Jeffrey ethnicity is mostly African, which reigon of Africa is unknown. 

Height: 5'7-5'8

Appearance: Jeffrey kind of has a darkish olive tone. His hair colour is black or a very dark shade of brown and is quite short in terms of length.

Where is he from? Jeffrey was born and raised in Anglow Kingdom.

Family: Jeffrey had a father, a sister and a nephew. He believes all of them to be dead.

Friends: Jeffrey did have friends but they all died in a fire that destroyed his entire kingdom.

Skills: Can wield fire, knows how to ride a pegasus, great with a sword.

Occupation/Schooling: Jeffrey is fairly educated, how much of it he remembers---I don't know.

Hobbies: Pegasus riding.

Introvert or Extrovert? Extrovert.

Strengths: I feel like Jeffrey is a very critical thinker, and likes to analyze things before he jumps into anything especially battle. He's a hard thinker this one.

Weaknesses: He can often let his emotions get in the way. Jeffrey is very much a character that let's his emotions cloud the bigger picture.

Fears: Being without family, facing Anecto, the curse that said he's destined to die.

Insecurities: Now that his family is gone, Jeffrey is very in the mindset that nobody can love him. This doesn't mean ROMANCE. It applies to all types of love. In his eyes, there is no one in his world for him to love and care for.

What would he die for? What and who Jeffrey would die for is currently gone. However this does not mean he will not find other people or other things to die for.

THESE WERE THREE OF MY CHARACTER PROFILES. I really hope you liked reading through them knowing nothing of my story! Character related stuff is always really fun for me, so even if you didn't understand anything I still loved writing this piece.

My Thoughts on Game of Thrones Season 7 | Faith

Before you ask--No I have no read any of the Game of Thrones books. Like many others I have watched these past six episodes, and it's almost a guarantee that my heart is going to stammer like nobody's business. There's been a lot of argument on whether or not season 7 is the best or worst season. And I've come to think about it a little. My conclusion is that it's not the best season but it's also not the worst season.

In terms of depth, this might be the worst of them all but entertainment value? I would say it would be one of the best. If you do any research on the show you'd know that they're straying off the books, only because the other books in the series are not published yet. This season has been one of the most entertaining in my opinion. And I think it's the fact that it's so entertaining, that it's making people think that this is the best season by far when it reality it isn't.

A lot of stuff has happened within the 6 episodes we've seen. What I've noticed is that the show runner's are taking this opportunity to do everything they have ever wanted, or are confirming every single fan theory there is. 

A running trend with Game of Thrones is there never ending ability to produce filler episodes that really do nothing to advance the plot. Now the trend with season 7 is producing CGI dependant and plot twist based episodes. I would be lying if I said I didn't like it.

With the final episodes coming our way, they obviously want to be talked about. The episodes they are producing are doing just that. Sure, there are some negative comments about it, but you know what really matters? The fact that we are talking about it. The more buzz, the more popular it gets---I didn't even know it was possible for Game of Thrones to get more popular but somehow it's getting bigger.

What I've noticed with each episode is that it makes my blood boil. If you think about it, this season has been quite predictable. The characters will contemplate an action, and we the viewers can usually predict whether or not they will carry out said action. However, even though it is heavily predictable, it's one thing to picture it and it's one thing to physically see it in front of your eyes. When you see it, it makes it set in stone and that's what gets us talking about the show.

You want proof? Look at my tweets on Twitter.

Game of Thrones the TV show got far because of the books, and I do believe and I think it's pretty obvious that most of their success comes from the books. Now that they're sort of non-existent the writers are like OH NO what makes our show good is gone. So what do they do? Make it incredibly jaw dropping and ENTERTAINING.

So, regarding episode 6 of this season. At first I predicted they were gonna kill Dany but then I realized it wouldn't make sense for this section of the story. Then, I was like they're going to kill the dragon and turn into an zombie ice dragon. Then I went---NO THEY WOULD NEVER TAKE AWAY DANY'S DRAGONS AWAY. You see how wrong I was? This is the process. A Fan has a theory, fan dislikes theory and wishes it never to happen then what do you know? IT FREAKIN HAPPENS.

The show runners behind Game of Thrones are clever is all I have to say really.