Ladies and gents, we have ourselves a WINNER!

AND THE WINNING MARK IS....

I have contacted our winner and will be sending her info to Michelle Zink ASAP!

Congrats to my winner! And expect more to come soon, folks!



(P.S. Have I mentioned I just started college? If I'm a little late on posting reviews, forgive me. My schedule is C-R-A-Z-Y!)



~Angel

Review: A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: For the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen--terrified, but intrigued--is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

This is one of my all time favorite books. Ever. I actually read A Certain Slant of Light a while back and can say honestly -- it completely blows Twilight out of the water. In my eyes, this should be a HUGE bestseller, as well as it's author -- the delightful and talented Laura Whitcomb.

In A Certain Slant of Light, you see through the eyes of a ghost that cannot move on -- Helen. You see the life of the dead in a beautifully written masterpiece. And life as a ghost is an unseen life, until, after 130 years of being invisible, human eyes finally see Helen as she drifts around in an English class. Though this frightens Helen a bit, she still feels drawn to the young man that sees her.

This haunting novel will make you feel like it's all real. And with such a powerful ending... well, you'll just have to see.

~Angel

Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She's not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
Until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book--an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family--and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Let me tell you something right now -- if you have yet to read this book, or haven't even heard of it -- you're missing out on something spectacular. And by the end of this review, you'll be dying to get your hands on a copy. Like, for instance, I was supposed to post this review before I left for my trip to Boston and Salem. But I took my sweet time reading this book because I didn't want to rush it. I savored each and every page, just as I hope everyone that reads it will.

Bertie, the lead role in Eyes Like Stars, is quite the character. I always love a book with strong main characters that you just have to fall in love with, and Bertie is just such a character. She's different, and flawed. Most everything she does seems to backfire somehow. Teamed with her ever present (and mischievous) comrades -- the fairies Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed -- she usually gets into trouble.

There are others that add to the delightfully diverse cast. One of my favorites was Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid. Or Ariel, an airy spirit from The Tempest. You admire Nate and how he treats Bertie. And Ariel -- well, he is just one of the most memorable characters ever.

The Théâtre Illuminata, Book One: Eyes Like Stars is a book for everyone -- young or old; actors or readers; lovers or fighters. I highly reccomend you purchase Eyes Like Stars now. You'll be begging for the sequel, just as I am now.

~Angel

CONTEST! Design-Your-Own Mark

In honor of the gorgeous book, Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink, I'm holding a contest! And Michelle Zink is providing the prizes! Trust me, you're going to want these, because I want them!

Here's what you've got to do:
Design a mark using markers on the inside of your wrists and take a picture. Then email it to me (with subject line as CONTEST) at angel_young13@yahoo.com or upload it somewhere and link it to me. Once I get all the pictures in, I'll pick a winner. Simple, right?!

Now, here's what you could win:
Prophecy playlist CD, Girl with a Pearl Earring DVD, craft store gift card (Joann Fabric, AC Moore, or Michaels), Prophecy bookmark, Prophecy magnet, signed Prophecy poster, lip gloss, candy.

Let's put a Due Date on this of... Friday, August 28th. I'll annouce the winner on August 29th.

So, get to it! I want to see your marks!

~Angel

In My Mailbox (2)

I have returned, my lovelies! And so, I shall share with you what I've recieved in my mailbox!

- "Eyes Like Stars" by Lisa Mantchev (ARC) -- A FANTASTIC book! Expect my review later this week.

- "Shrinking Violet" by Danielle Joseph

- "Prophecy of the Sisters" Michelle Zink (ARC)


And I'm thinking about posting about recent books I've purchased, but it's still up in the air for me.

~Angel

I'll miss you all. *sniffle*

I'm going out of town Thursday, and won't be back for a week. I shall be in Boston and then Salem. =]

I shall return, and when I do, I'll gossip all about it.


~Angel

Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Movie)

Okay, since Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series, came out yesterday, I thought I'd review that this week. I'm a HUGE hardcore Harry Potter fan, and have been since the first book came out. Granted, I love the books a million times more, the movies are still pretty good.

With the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie, we watch as young Harry has to learn to live as The Chosen One in the public eye. But it is obvious within the first few moments that Harry is also growing up, and with that, he is focusing on more than just Hogwarts and death and Voldemort. He's thinking about life and girls. He's showing his youthful side, the side of him that is occasionally overshadowed by his duty to protect himself and those he loves.

And Harry isn't the only one -- Ron and Hermione return in this movie, too. This time, we see more of the romantic side from the characters. There's snogging (making out) and love potions involved. Not to mention, the occasional broken heart.

Ron is trying out for Keeper on the Quidditch team, all the while being obsessed over by a girl, which stirs up jealousy, and also provides some of the much needed comic relief in the movie. And while we start to see the more confident side of Ron, we begin to see just how close Hermione and Harry are. When one is hurting, the other is right there for them.

Another important piece of both the movie and the book is Draco Malfoy. Personally, I am a huge fan of Draco, and everything he brings to the table in the Harry Potter books. So, of course, Half Blood Prince is one of my favorites because Draco is such a key character in it.

We start to see just what Draco is made of, and just how dedicated he is to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. While Harry is the Chosen one for the good guys, Draco is the Chosen one for the dark wizards. He is given a specific task to accomplish, which worries his mother. So, to ensure her son's safety, she requests a professor to protect Draco while he is away at Hogwarts: Snape.

This is one of the darkest and more heartbreaking of the installments. Though the movie was very good, and I did enjoy it, I was also somewhat disappointed. Several important things to the final story were replaced with romance. Though I understand it's place in the movie, I still wish they would have given more to the idea of the Half Blood Prince. But the acting was phenomenal -- each actor provided their best performances yet. Daniel Radcliffe showed just how much he has grown as an actor, providing the amazing range Harry needed to go through during the movie.

Though I wish some more of the story could have been in it, I understand you can only fit in SO much. So, all in all, I really loved it, and highly suggest you go see it, especially if you are a fan. =]

~Angel