Music for your Muse no. 2

This Friday's song.

Shadows

Yey! I finally read Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the prequel to Obsidian.
This is the story of Dawson, Daemon's twin brother (just as hot!) and also a Luxen alien.

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane.

Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in.

Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

~ Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series

The Page Turner

I wonder how he turns that last page...:))

Review: The Summoning

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was a much darker story than what I've read in a while. But, while the beginning wasn't exactly my cup of tea, what followed was great. A really good story, with really good characters. The idea of making a sanatorium the main location for the story is brilliant!
I recommend this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.



View all my reviews

Music for your Muse no.1

I'm going to start this thing where every Friday I'll post some songs/videos here that I like and inspire me, sometimes in a good, sometimes in a bad way, or just songs/videos that simply make me laugh.

This week's songs are:

Hellsing Ultimate - Evolution

Jessica Jay - Casablanca 

Strays - Wolves Rain

Black Lab This Night 

Naruto - I want curry 

Narwhals 

 

Dreams/TWH Trivia

I have the weirdest dreams!
And if dreams are supposed to be a reflection of our subconscious mind I'm screwed. In. So. Many. Ways.
I never have nightmares though so I guess that's one point for my odd wired brain. I can watch a ton of scary movies, get scared daily or read horror stories. I never really get nightmares. Vivid dreams yes but nothing really scares me inside my mind.
If I read a lot of the same thing (like a really thick book, say Tolkien's LOTR) I usually dream myself inside the story (The Shire), not necessarily as the main character but sometimes just a bystander or I watch the dream from a bird's point of view. Same with movies, say Supernatural. I remember watching the first season in one day. I dreamt a lot of weird shit that night but nothing scared me.
I also remember my dreams, most of them in the morning (or if I wake up in the middle of night). If I wake up before the dream is over (don't ask me how I know it isn't over, just a feeling), sometimes, if I fall fast asleep right after waking I get to continue my previous dream. Which is really cool but doesn't happen often.
I remember a lot of my dreams, even some I've had years ago, probably because they were so special they stuck around. I also had recurring dreams which is awesome because when I have them I become aware I'm dreaming and know what will happen next.
The really good dreams I write down in a notebook so I don't forget ever. Most times I turn them into stories. The Witching Hour started initially as a dream. Completely different from what it has become, but still a dream.
In my dream, I was in a bed with a wolf and my alarm clock sounded. There was an earthquake and I knew we were being attacked. I ran out and started climbing on the mountain (it was a dream, the mountain was conveniently located outside the house and was extremely easy to climb) because I knew I had to get to the top where the Ninth Circle was located (I kid you not, in my dream I was thinking with Capital Letters:P) and warn the mages there of the impeding danger.
You see, for the first year after creating the story, TWH was named The Ninth Circle and had a mountain with nine circles of magic (I kept the mountain in the last version too but with no particular interest to the story). Shortly thereafter the ultimate mage that was seated at the top was killed and his body impersonated by a demon (sounds familiar?). Cassie was born at the same time as the mountain and her name remained the same all throughout the struggles of me creating the story. I needed a hero for her so Aime came to life. His name changed for a while to Remy but that fell through and he became Aime once more. He was a werewolf for a few months until I changed my mind and cut that part out. Lena appeared from the start, and also kept her name from the beginning. She was the sister, the friend, the sage and now became the maid/best friend. There was at one point a Michael since I wanted someone in my cast human but he didn't last long (don't worry Mickey, I'll get a spot for you somewhere, not gonna let you die). Evell appeared around the fourth or fifth version as the prince's sidekick, an episodic character, but demanded a life of his own, so I made him the illegitimate son of the elves' dead King, step brother of Leithas. He somehow still manages to charm everyone, more than any other character of mine. Let's see, who else do we have? There was Arakay, a Fire Wizard, who became someone completely different in my latest version, but fear not he's cooler here. Taegan is a late addition, less moronic as the story progresses which is a surprise since I made him an idiot at the beginning. As is Kasdethion. Kas was an interesting character to create and I still don't bloody know if he's gonna turn evil or good at the end. He's just that annoying, refusing to tell me his story. There will also be two more characters (at least) appearing in the story later on which are seriously just made up (as in I thought about them for some months now but created them last week). There are also Cassie's dad and mom. Her dad dies in EVERY version of this story. I'm not really sure what that says about me. I love my dad. Anyway, her mom only dies in a few versions... which is weird. Anyway. Gabe, Aime's brother is also a late addition, like two drafts ago addition because I needed a reason why Aime would want Cassie's hand in marriage when her country isn't even near his own. And if he was the crown prince it would be kinda awkward to travel between countries to govern them. So I made him a second son so he can marry a princess and rule his own country. I don't like how much of a pussy he turns out to be in this version. I swear he was hotter and cooler in earlier versions. Which is way I'm going to change a few stuff, dialogue and whatnot in the earlier chapters of TWH latest version so Cassie can fall in love with him (cuz so far he just doesn't cut it for her). Yeah, major spoiler? I want Cass to fall in love with Aime and him with her. BUT.. they're just so damn stubborn, I might not make it and Cass will fall for someone else (NOT Evell - Evell is SOOOO completely NOT for Cassie - I have something else in mind for him).
Right... Ending this long rant about TWH and dreams, let's continue with the dreams and other stories of mine which have spawned from my ever boiling imagination.
There's A Dragon's Tale, which takes place in Ylenea, way before Taegan ruled there (maybe a thousand years or so). I don't remember what I had been reading but I remember dreaming of a knight and a pair of twins and dragons and a wild dragon lady and a witch and it kinda stuck. So, obviously, I made a story out of it.
Captive Magic also started with a dream and changed from there.:) This girl is taken captive by a magician and has to dig a well over the course of one night otherwise she dies. She is helped by every servant because she kinda helped them somehow too (I have no idea how, I'll make something up; in the dream I knew the servants owed her their lives). So she manages to dig the well overnight. The next day she goes surfing (yeah, it was a mixed dream, this part will not get in the story... probably) and then break the mistress' hold on the magician's heart and frees him. I have such a convoluted mind even I don't understand myself sometimes.:) Anyway, the story I made from this changes (duh!). There is a poor country and a queen with three daughters and there's an all powerful magician who asks as tribute one of the queen's daughters. The queen sends her youngest because she's the weirdest of the bunch. And that's kinda the furthest I got with that particular story. Had some stuff drafted out somewhere but I can't find the papers and can't really remember everything I wrote there.
Anyway. Witch Dream is one of the stories that I'm writing in my own language. It's a blend of steam punk, victorian era houses and dresses and a lot of egyptian lore, magic and stuff. And to think I dreamt all this shit in one hour of sleep in the afternoon... The human mind is odd.
The Sleeping Beauties is a twist on The Sleeping Beauty story that I dreamt a few years ago. It kinda turned into a parody though, nothing really resembles the dream anymore.. or much of the story.:))

Yeah, lately I've been having this apocalyptical dreams, with zombies and shit. Here's a preview into my brain:

I dreamt the end of the world. I was with other people and family and friends somewhere next to a bridge filled with gargoyles and angels. There was a ship nearby. A lone, deserted ship with nobody on board. But as we stepped on the bridge the gargoyles and angels came alive with the lost souls of the people on the old ship. Their faces were white with hollow eye sockets and mouths that wanted to suck our souls out. We ran as fast as we could but more of them followed us. More of them came to life. They were gaining on us when we jumped on the black soil that covered the damaged concrete on the other side of the bridge. They took some but most of us got safely on the other side.

There was a child there that stole my silver rings and ran. I couldn't catch up and I knew that now I was doomed. I ran after him anyway. There was someone with me who got us a very old motorcycle with an attachment to it. We jumped on and while he/she tried to start the engine I looked around and what I saw was sad. Mud and weeds, black soil filled with sharp rocks. And all around, small animals, chickens, cats, dogs, foxes, ferrets, writhing on the ground in agony after they had touched the soil.

We left in a hurry, me trying to no end to let my family and friends know not to step in that putrid soil, not to eat or touch anything that had once been there. People were trying to get underground to protect themselves from the lethal air and the larger mutated animals and humans. There was a conveyer belt going deep inside a mountain, transporting both people and food and other things, like clothes, books and different substances. Large electronic objects were also transferred inside the mountain.

I saw the child who had stole my rings and finally caught him. But I was too late. Even with the rings on my fingers there was nothing I could do anymore to stop what was already put in motion. I grabbed the child from the oncoming waves of terror and despair that the undead were bringing and I fled.

Weird huh? This is the kind of stuff I write to not forget my dream. Anything and everything that I can remember, images, sounds, smells, sensations, etc. And I dream these stuff on a weekly basis at least. It's cool though, it feels like I'm inside a story every night.

And this is just some of the stuff I write about after I DREAM about them. You should see the weird stuff I invent when I'm bored. Dragon girls, japanese culture kitsune monsters, pirate stories (cuz I WANT at least one pirate story), vampire stories (same reason)... My imagination knows no boundaries. I swear I can see a story everywhere, in every little thing. If there isn't a story I make up one.
I guess it's true what they say, all storytellers are really liars in disguise. Because, let's be honest, liars don't... lie, they make up stories.:D And I'm a HUGE liar.
Right. Now... to really end this awfully long post:
Cheers!

Review: The Initiation

The Initiation by L.J. Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Interesting book and a great start to a series. I like how the author created the characters, very different from each other, somehow as if they complete, create a whole only by being together.
I've read this series a few years back and then watched the series on TV. Not exactly the same and I have to say, the books are vastly different than the TV-series.
This is a book I'd recommend if you like love stories and witches.



View all my reviews

Seraph Inn - Inverloch

 Inverloch

Inverloch

The story of Inverloch centers around a young man named Acheron, from a horned wolf-like race called the da'kor. After a chance encounter with an elf, he finds himself setting out on a seemingly innocent mission - that of trying to locate Kayn'dar, another elf who has been missing for the past twelve years.
Meeting up with new friends and companions along the way, he quickly begins to learn that the world is not quite the peaceful place he believed it to be - embroiled with prejudice, racial segregation, and hidden danger. And the truth behind Kayn'dar's disappearance is something none of the party would ever expect...
Start date: June 2004
Approximate size when finished: 750 pages
Estimated end date: Mid 2007

Author Bio

Name: Sarah Ellerton
Country: Australia
DOB: 27th September
Occupation: Unix/Windows Systems Administrator
Email: artsangel@gmail.com
Click here for my blog!
I'm a self-confessed computer geek with a passion for games, comics, and drawing. I ventured into the web in the late 90s to showcase my amateurish Wheel of Time and Final Fantasy fanart, eventually deciding to experiment with the world of web comics and create my own characters and stories. My ultimate dream would be to see one of my stories adapted into a game or movie some day :)

~ from the author's website (link in the title)

 This is one of my favorite webcomics so far. It has love, suspense, magic, elves, thieves, fighting and all the other ingredients. In addition to the story it also has beautiful artwork. Across the 5 volumes you can see the author's style change, become better, the strokes more definitive, not wavering, the colors more... there.
This is a funny, charming story between a da'kor and an elf (not the average love story - bonus points for that). We have the journey, the friends, the enemy. It's like a fairytale for older teens and, well... for people in general (I'm not exactly a teen anymore).
Enjoy!

Game of Thrones Season 2

I can't believe it ended! And exactly when it was REALLY interesting!
I enjoyed the last episode of this series. Dany got a backbone and there were a lot of scenes with her dragons, Theon got knocked over his dumb head and there was a really sobbing scene with Tyrion which I liked. Shae became a very likable character.
But it annoyed me soooo much that I'll only get to see the next season NEXT YEAR! Why? Do the actors need vacations?! Damn! Work for your fans and forget vacations!:)

Obsidian

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

source: www.goodreads.com

This was the funniest book I've read in quite some time. Daemon, the male lead is sarcastic, ironic, funny, arrogant and a complete jerk sometimes. He's also nice and caring when the need arises. Also... he's an alien. :D PLOT TWIST! Yeah, it was really something to read about aliens. I think I've read about dozens of things as main characters (werewolves, vampires, ghosts, elves, banshees, witches, kitsune, and so on) but this is the first time I've read about aliens (and I don't mean here stories about UFO's and shit).
The female lead, Katy, moves with her mom to a backwater town where she meets her neighbor, Daemon and his sister, Dee. Dee and Katy become fast friends even if Dee's brother doesn't approve of this. In fact, Daemon tries to be as obnoxious as possible to drive Katy away. But underneath it all, there is romance, and while they fight and argue almost throughout the book, Katy and Daemon are so obviously attracted to each other that is kinda of annoying to see Daemon fight his urges to kiss and touch her.
Funny thing about this book: there are countless times where the author makes fun of the Twilight series. Now, I own and read the Twilight books and when I read them (I think I was seventeen) those book seemed perfectly ok. I was 17 with the need to read everything and like most things. So, while I occasionally make fun of some stuff, I also prefer to think myself capable of seeing both parts of the coin. I read those books and at the time liked them. Would I read them now? Probably not. Would I like them? Again, probably not. But J. Armentrout makes fun of those books while incorporating some similar stuff in hers so, it seems kinda ironic. I mean, Eddie sparkles, Daemon is a being of light. Similar. There are several instances where one character watches the other sleep. Kinda ironic you see?
Don't get me wrong, this is a GOOD book, among those I like. But it has some stuff in it that rubbed me the wrong way.
Either way, I recommend it (especially because of the half-naked scenes:P).


Here is a list of books written by the same author (Jennifer Armentrout):
 J.A. Booklist
I've only read Obsidian, Half-Blood and Daimon from that list but I'm catching up.

Layout change

So... I changed the layout. Got bored of the last one. What do you think? Did you find any glitches in this one? I'm too sleepy now to check for everything but I will tomorrow. If you find something wrong, tell me.
Cheers!

Sketches June 3rd

bunch of sketches 02-03. June 2012

Evell Fan Service:P

Fighting stance I guess?

The pose Cassie struck when she had to stay for her portrait (chapter 1 of TWH I think... maybe ch 2...)

Wedding to whom? Smexy bride.

Eydis, THE goddess

Shoulders look so bloody wrong but I'm getting closer to drawing the perfect Aime.:) ABS ABS ABS

I was going to watch the first season of Smallville (cuz I never saw ALL the episodes) but got bored after maybe 6 episodes and while the episodes were still running I just listened and started drawing (small attention span that way...). Good thing I can do multiple things at once (breathe, draw, listen to music, eat maybe?:P). I mostly watched Smallville for Tom Welling's anyway (terrible unsporting of him not to them more often).
A friend asked me the other day what I see first in a guy, I answered with the logical: "From the front or the back?"
And that is because I look at a guy's ass first (I'm a perv that way, yeah) and then back, shoulders, arms, legs, head, if he's from the back and eyes, abs, chest and the rest if he's from the front.
Maybe that's the reason I'm so fucking obsessed with drawing guys with abs lately (these two are only the latest attempts).
Hmm... Then I look for the voice. At the right timbre I melt.:)) And after he opens his mouth... I get to see if he actually has a brain and a sense of humor (those are required).
Ok, concluding this evening's pointless rant, enjoy the fan service (Sis, Evell's for you!:P)

Random Rant

I don't know why but every time I want to make a new post I'm at a loss for words. And right before bed I get these amazing ideas for stuff I could talk endlessly about. But right now I'm sitting in front of my monitor and can't think of a single thing to talk about.
It makes me remember a post I found on 9gag some time ago, about how we, humans are like a game of SIMS for God. And when we can't remember something is because God deleted that from our memory. Somehow it seems better than admitting I'm so darn forgetful.
Maybe that's the reason why I like lists. They bring order to my mind. Also... I like checking things off the list.
Anyway, since I can't remember what I wanted to talk about, I'll just name this post Random Rant and go on from there.
This week I found a great offer for books, 7 for like... 2 dollars each (the first 4 from the Vampire Diaries series and the Secret Circle trilogy), and I convinced some friends to also order so that I wouldn't have to pay the transport (it was an offer from a website). I'd already read the books but I have this glitch in my brain that makes me crave to hold the books in my hands and call them mine (Gollum-like obsession for books I guess). I'll soon need a new bookcase, since mine is already full.
Moving on... let's see... I also found someone willing to exchange a book with me. I have two copies of Tempted from the House of Night (moron that I am, I bought two by mistake) so I'll give one and get a copy of Untamed (which I'm missing). Yey!
Moving on yet again.
I'm looking for a new place to stay since I really hate the house I'm in now so I might turn M.I.A. for some time if I find something new (lots of stuff to move plus there will probably be no internet) but I'm jumping ahead, I haven't found anything yet.
Next chapter of TWH will be up tomorrow and the next on Wednesday. Still working on the rest but I did manage to get the following line in:

“Walk the plank, ye scurvy dog!”

I'm really proud of that because I've wanting to use that line in a story for some time but couldn't find a good reason to.
This part of chapter 11 will stand next to the Shovel part from chapter 5.

I'm going to end this useless post now.
Cheers!