In war, one of the most hopeless circumstances for any side is when their enemy has possession of a very powerful, and very devastating weapon.
Rogue One, Star Wars' new solo film, is about one such struggle. If you don't already know, Rogue One takes place directly before A New Hope; Star Wars' very first film. When A New Hope opens, Princess Leia is custodian of the plans which are crucial for destroying the Empire's Death Star- a gigantic, terrible weapon capable of wiping out entire planets. Rogue One is about the brave band of rebels who launch a mission to steal those plans, and work towards restoring peace to the Galaxy.
Although different from previous Star Wars films (partly because it's the first one that isn't part of a trilogy), I think I can safely say that Rogue One is a brilliant success. It's darker and more dismal than it's predecessors, but the story-line, plot, characters, music, and cinematography all make for an amazing, unforgettable film. I highly recommend it. The set up was admittedly a bit confusing, but after the plot was established, everything started to come together and make sense. The characters were great, and there was a nice sprinkling of comic relief to lighten some scenes up a little. The writing was very good, although I would have liked the film to delve more deeply into the characters' back-stories. The music was good and went very well with the feel of the movie. Over all I thought that this movie was incredible, and is one that I'll be watching again.
Rogue One is a violent movie with it's fill of guns and explosions, but also has plenty of heart, and leaves you with the feeling that you'll never watch A New Hope the same way again. I won't give away the ending, or tell you if the heroes succeed. All you can do is hope. But, after all, "Rebellions are built on hope."
Monday, January 2, 2017
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Don't Limit Yourself to A Single Genre
Every reader has a favorite genre. For me it's probably fantasy, but for others it could be historical fiction, science fiction, romance, dystopian, or non-fiction. And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with liking a certain kind of book more than another. But the question I'm going to ask is this: Should we, as readers, limit ourselves to only reading books of our favorite genre, or should we instead explore different genres, and develop a wide range of books that we enjoy?
The answer is the latter. And to illustrate my point, here's a little story:
Say sweets are your favorite thing to eat. You'd much rather eat something sugary than ANYTHING in the world. Since sweets are your favorite food, it's okay to only eat that for the rest of your life.
Wait- what?
Actually......no. That's not okay. If you only eat sweets, (aside from the fact that you'll die) you will miss out on some EXCELLENT food. Burgers, mac 'n' cheese, soup, etc. And who wants that, right? It's the same with books. I like fantasy. REALLY like it. But if that's the only thing that I ever read, I would never have discovered what are now some of my favorite books. I never thought that I would enjoy dystopian novels. But I recently read The Hunger Games, and they are now one of my favorite series. And because I loved them so much, I've been keeping my eyes open for more good dystopian books to enjoy. There are also several classics that I like; Little Women, A Tale of Two Cities, Watership Down, Pride and Prejudice, and A Christmas Carol among them. I've also liked some historical fiction (which used to be my favorite genre). My least favorite genre is non-fiction. But I've read some very good ones; Soul Surfer, Before You Meet Prince Charming, and The Hiding Place (which I'll confess that I didn't finish, but I plan on re-reading the entire book sometime). Some other excellent books are categorized as Christian Fiction; The Robe and The Atonement Child being two of them.
Another question: What do The Hunger Games and Little Women have in common?
*DRUM-ROLL*...............................Absolutely nothing. But even though they aren't similar in ANY way, I loved both of them. In fact, they both made it into my list of all time favorites.
The bottom line is this; it's okay if there's a genre that's just not your taste. I don't normally read romance novels. But sometime I might find one that I really like. So what I'm trying to say is this: if you have a favorite genre, then great! Keep reading those books. But don't limit yourself to reading only books that are categorized into that genre. If you do that, you'll miss out on some wonderful stories that you might have otherwise read and loved. I'm going to keep reading fantasy, but I'm not going to rule out all books that aren't fantasy.
And anyway, how can you even know what your favorite sort of book is if you've only ever read one kind?
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Magnus Chase: The Sword of Summer
(I apologize for the smallness of the font in this post. I have tried numerous times to enlarge it, but for some stupid reason it refuses to change.)
Look, I didn't want to be a blogger.
I'm happy about it now, but when my parents first announced that I was going to create a blog (for school credits), I was less than enthusiastic. But here I am, writing my first post. Shall we proceed?
As you've probably already guessed from the title, this post is about The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan, the first book in what is going to be the Magnus Chase trilogy. I've only read this book once, so what you're going to read is my first impression of it.
Having read two of Riordan's other series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus) I had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed. The plot was genius, the characters amazing and endearing, and the humor spot on. It's about a homeless boy named Magnus who dies, goes to Valhalla (Viking Heaven), finds out that his Father is a Norse god, and embarks on a mission to keep Fenris wolf from escaping his prison. And on top of all that, he's a suspect for his Mother's murder. Yeah, this kid has a great life.
Norse mythology is confusing. Very confusing. There are nine different worlds to keep track of, all of which are somehow connected by a world tree. Also, dwarfs evolved from maggots. Don't ask.
Let's talk about the characters.
I'll admit I was afraid at first that Magnus would be too similar to Percy, the main character (and narrator) in one of Riordan's other series. This, however, was not the case. None of the author's characters in this book (or any of his other books I've read) were cliche. They were all unique, interesting, and VERY easy to get attached to. I liked Magnus pretty quickly. Usually it takes me a little longer to bond with a character, but that wasn't the case with him. The reason probably being his dry sense of humor/sarcasm, and the fact that I felt kinda bad for him. I mean, one of the first things he says is: "By the way, I've been homeless for the past two years. Some of you may think, Aw, how sad. Others may think, Ha, ha, loser! But if you saw me on the street, ninety-nine percent of you would walk right past me like I'm invisible. You'd pray, Don't let him ask me for money. You'd wonder if I'm older than I look, because surely a teenager wouldn't be wrapped in a stinky old sleeping bag, stuck outside in the middle of a Boston winter. Somebody should help that poor boy! Then you'd keep walking. Whatever. I don't need your sympathy. I'm used to being laughed at. I'm definitely used to being ignored. Let's move on." How can you not like a character at least a little bit after reading something like that?
One of the characters that look longer for me to grow attached to was Hearthstone. He was one of Magnus' only friends who posed as a homeless person (along with Blitz) to keep an eye on him, and later revealed himself to be an elf. There didn't seem to be anything special about him at first. He was nice and stuff, but whatever. As I kept reading, though, I noticed that he was the most selfless character in the entire story, and was EXTREMELY sassy (in my eyes, if a character is sassy or sarcastic then they're automatically 90% cooler) . Hearth also had a painful past; he was rejected by his parents because he was deaf. I pretty much wanted to wrap him in a blanket and put him somewhere out of harm's way. Needless to say, he turned out to be one of my favorite characters.
If I had to use one word to describe Samirah al-Abbas (called Sam for short), it would be noble. She had a lot of inner strength, a bit of sarcasm, put others before herself, somehow had the ability to juggle two different lives, and was overall an awesome person. She was Magnus' Valkyrie, which in Norse mythology is the maiden who brings you to Valhalla when you die. I loved the friendship between her and Magnus. It was so cool to see it develop, and whether or not it turns into something more, I'm certain that they'll always be very good friends.
I didn't like Gunilla. I was okay when she died.
Blitzen (briefly mentioned above) was cool too. He was Hearthstone's best friend, and extremely loyal to Magnus. He reminded me a little bit of Bes from the Kane Chronicles (which I'm currently reading, and which was is also by the same author). His obsession with fashion added humor to the story. Oh, and he's a dwarf. Did I forget to mention that?
T.J was a neat character. He was a young civil war veteran who made it to Valhalla when he died.
Halfborn Gunderson and Mallory Keen. Such a charming hate story.
X the half troll (No, seriously- that's his name). I'm not going to say anything about him just yet, but stay tuned!!
One thing I love about rick Riordan's books are the funny chapter names, of which this book does not disappoint. I will list my favorite chapter titles from The Sword of Summer below:
2: The Man with the Metal Bra.
6: Make Way for Ducklings, or They Will Smack You Upside the Head.
7: You Look Great Without a Nose, Really.
20: Come to the Dark Side. We Have Poptarts.
21: Gunilla Get's Blowtorched and It's Not Funny. Okay, It's a Little Bit Funny.
30: An Apple a Day Will Get You Killed.
33: Sam's Brother Wakes Up Kinda Cranky.
35: Thou Shalt Not Poop on the Head of Art.
48: Hearthstone Passes Out Even More Than Jason Grace (Though I Have No Idea Who That Is)
49: Well, There's Your Problem. You've Got a Sword Up Your Nose.
53: How to Kill Giants Politely.
54: Why You Should Not Use a Steak Knife as as Diving Board.
62: The Small Bad Wolf.
69: Oh.....So That's Who Fenris Smelled in Chapter Sixty-Three.
Two random things I noticed while reading:
1: Magnus is a huge softy, which along with the dry sarcasm makes for a very interesting (and likable) character.
2: I didn't mention this above, but Annabeth Chase, one of the main characters from Rick Riordan's two Percy Jackson series, is Magnus' cousin. She hadn't seen Magnus in several years, and the two meet up in the room where Magnus' body is (he's technically dead, remember?) and talk briefly. It seemed to me that after the initial awkwardness was over, they were a little too chummy. I mean, they hadn't talked in years- and I just felt that that it went too smoothly.
WARNING:
If you haven't read this book and you're planning to, STOP READING THIS NOW. Seriously, don't go any further. I'm going to write about a really big plot twist and you probably don't want it spoiled for you.
Time to talk about X.
At the end of the book one of the biggest plot twists ever happens: X reveals himself to be Odin, much to everyone's (except Sam's) surprise. I. DID. NOT. SEE. THAT. COMING. Talk about undercover boss. The only person (as far as I remember) who Odin told was Sam, and we also find out that he was the one who told her to bring Magnus to Valhalla.
To conclude, I will list below some of my favorite parts of the book:
1: Magnus calling Gunilla "Gorilla".
2: THAT PLOT TWIST!
3: " I looked at my hallmates from floor nineteen- T.J, Halfborn, Mallory. For the first time in years, I didn't feel homeless."
4: Hearthstone's sassiness, which was only understood by the characters who could read sign language.
5: Magnus' dry sarcasm.
6: TJ, Halfborn, Mallory, and X (Odin) being ordered to arrest Magnus, and T.J "accidentally" dropping the handcuffs.
7: Sam and Magnus' chat at Sam's old middle school.
8: Hearth signing I hear you! to Magnus.
Hope you enjoyed!!!
Look, I didn't want to be a blogger.
I'm happy about it now, but when my parents first announced that I was going to create a blog (for school credits), I was less than enthusiastic. But here I am, writing my first post. Shall we proceed?
As you've probably already guessed from the title, this post is about The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan, the first book in what is going to be the Magnus Chase trilogy. I've only read this book once, so what you're going to read is my first impression of it.
Having read two of Riordan's other series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus) I had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed. The plot was genius, the characters amazing and endearing, and the humor spot on. It's about a homeless boy named Magnus who dies, goes to Valhalla (Viking Heaven), finds out that his Father is a Norse god, and embarks on a mission to keep Fenris wolf from escaping his prison. And on top of all that, he's a suspect for his Mother's murder. Yeah, this kid has a great life.
Norse mythology is confusing. Very confusing. There are nine different worlds to keep track of, all of which are somehow connected by a world tree. Also, dwarfs evolved from maggots. Don't ask.
Let's talk about the characters.
I'll admit I was afraid at first that Magnus would be too similar to Percy, the main character (and narrator) in one of Riordan's other series. This, however, was not the case. None of the author's characters in this book (or any of his other books I've read) were cliche. They were all unique, interesting, and VERY easy to get attached to. I liked Magnus pretty quickly. Usually it takes me a little longer to bond with a character, but that wasn't the case with him. The reason probably being his dry sense of humor/sarcasm, and the fact that I felt kinda bad for him. I mean, one of the first things he says is: "By the way, I've been homeless for the past two years. Some of you may think, Aw, how sad. Others may think, Ha, ha, loser! But if you saw me on the street, ninety-nine percent of you would walk right past me like I'm invisible. You'd pray, Don't let him ask me for money. You'd wonder if I'm older than I look, because surely a teenager wouldn't be wrapped in a stinky old sleeping bag, stuck outside in the middle of a Boston winter. Somebody should help that poor boy! Then you'd keep walking. Whatever. I don't need your sympathy. I'm used to being laughed at. I'm definitely used to being ignored. Let's move on." How can you not like a character at least a little bit after reading something like that?
One of the characters that look longer for me to grow attached to was Hearthstone. He was one of Magnus' only friends who posed as a homeless person (along with Blitz) to keep an eye on him, and later revealed himself to be an elf. There didn't seem to be anything special about him at first. He was nice and stuff, but whatever. As I kept reading, though, I noticed that he was the most selfless character in the entire story, and was EXTREMELY sassy (in my eyes, if a character is sassy or sarcastic then they're automatically 90% cooler) . Hearth also had a painful past; he was rejected by his parents because he was deaf. I pretty much wanted to wrap him in a blanket and put him somewhere out of harm's way. Needless to say, he turned out to be one of my favorite characters.
If I had to use one word to describe Samirah al-Abbas (called Sam for short), it would be noble. She had a lot of inner strength, a bit of sarcasm, put others before herself, somehow had the ability to juggle two different lives, and was overall an awesome person. She was Magnus' Valkyrie, which in Norse mythology is the maiden who brings you to Valhalla when you die. I loved the friendship between her and Magnus. It was so cool to see it develop, and whether or not it turns into something more, I'm certain that they'll always be very good friends.
I didn't like Gunilla. I was okay when she died.
Blitzen (briefly mentioned above) was cool too. He was Hearthstone's best friend, and extremely loyal to Magnus. He reminded me a little bit of Bes from the Kane Chronicles (which I'm currently reading, and which was is also by the same author). His obsession with fashion added humor to the story. Oh, and he's a dwarf. Did I forget to mention that?
T.J was a neat character. He was a young civil war veteran who made it to Valhalla when he died.
Halfborn Gunderson and Mallory Keen. Such a charming hate story.
X the half troll (No, seriously- that's his name). I'm not going to say anything about him just yet, but stay tuned!!
One thing I love about rick Riordan's books are the funny chapter names, of which this book does not disappoint. I will list my favorite chapter titles from The Sword of Summer below:
2: The Man with the Metal Bra.
6: Make Way for Ducklings, or They Will Smack You Upside the Head.
7: You Look Great Without a Nose, Really.
20: Come to the Dark Side. We Have Poptarts.
21: Gunilla Get's Blowtorched and It's Not Funny. Okay, It's a Little Bit Funny.
30: An Apple a Day Will Get You Killed.
33: Sam's Brother Wakes Up Kinda Cranky.
35: Thou Shalt Not Poop on the Head of Art.
48: Hearthstone Passes Out Even More Than Jason Grace (Though I Have No Idea Who That Is)
49: Well, There's Your Problem. You've Got a Sword Up Your Nose.
53: How to Kill Giants Politely.
54: Why You Should Not Use a Steak Knife as as Diving Board.
62: The Small Bad Wolf.
69: Oh.....So That's Who Fenris Smelled in Chapter Sixty-Three.
Two random things I noticed while reading:
1: Magnus is a huge softy, which along with the dry sarcasm makes for a very interesting (and likable) character.
2: I didn't mention this above, but Annabeth Chase, one of the main characters from Rick Riordan's two Percy Jackson series, is Magnus' cousin. She hadn't seen Magnus in several years, and the two meet up in the room where Magnus' body is (he's technically dead, remember?) and talk briefly. It seemed to me that after the initial awkwardness was over, they were a little too chummy. I mean, they hadn't talked in years- and I just felt that that it went too smoothly.
WARNING:
If you haven't read this book and you're planning to, STOP READING THIS NOW. Seriously, don't go any further. I'm going to write about a really big plot twist and you probably don't want it spoiled for you.
Time to talk about X.
At the end of the book one of the biggest plot twists ever happens: X reveals himself to be Odin, much to everyone's (except Sam's) surprise. I. DID. NOT. SEE. THAT. COMING. Talk about undercover boss. The only person (as far as I remember) who Odin told was Sam, and we also find out that he was the one who told her to bring Magnus to Valhalla.
To conclude, I will list below some of my favorite parts of the book:
1: Magnus calling Gunilla "Gorilla".
2: THAT PLOT TWIST!
3: " I looked at my hallmates from floor nineteen- T.J, Halfborn, Mallory. For the first time in years, I didn't feel homeless."
4: Hearthstone's sassiness, which was only understood by the characters who could read sign language.
5: Magnus' dry sarcasm.
6: TJ, Halfborn, Mallory, and X (Odin) being ordered to arrest Magnus, and T.J "accidentally" dropping the handcuffs.
7: Sam and Magnus' chat at Sam's old middle school.
8: Hearth signing I hear you! to Magnus.
Hope you enjoyed!!!
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