Writing Wednesday ~ Christmas Edition: A Gift to Remember

This prompt comes from Secondary Solutions Blog. Merry Christmas everyone!

* * * * *

It wasn't until I looked at the present that I realised what it really was.

Before me, the shredded wrapping, the card thrown aside, they all fell from view beside the box itself. The brown cardboard seemed far to ordinary to stun me into silence, but it was the paper haphazardly taped to the top that left my jaw agape.

His handwriting was the same chicken-scratch I remembered. Who'd have thought such a collected person would still have the penmanship of a 7 year old at 25. Just glancing at the first sentence brought tears to my eyes.

Melrose,

If this has gotten to you in time, then merry Christmas. If not, happy random day of the week.

That brought a laugh to my lips; he was always one to make the most mundane of days a joy.

I have been compiling this box since the 1st of January this year. In it, there is every item that brings to mind a milestone of ours this year. Whether it's the bracelet you broke on that ice skating date (I can still feel the bruises) or the birthday card that your pen exploded over (I swear, it's still wet from the sheer amount of ink that ended up on it), it's in this box.

I wish I could be there to see you open this box, truly I do. I'll be home soon, rosebud, but for now, enjoy the last year in our lives as it stands in this box.

 I love you, Caleb.

 Careful not to rip the beautiful note, I pried the cardboard lid open. Inside sat the mentioned bracelet, card, as well as several other mementos from the last year. The tickets from the film we'd seen on our anniversary sat tucked into the book I'd started crying over a couple of weeks later. Each item reminded me of something I'd experienced with him, just as he'd promised.
Getting towards the bottom of the box, the components were less frequently from shared experiences, more frequently becoming articles that reminded him of me; an old notebook that looked heavily leafed through, a copy of my favourite book with pages marked, a set of photos taken from a booth in our late teens.
Sat in the very bottom of the box, was a velveteen container. With a hiccup, shaking fingers cracked it open, revealing a golden ring with a diamond set into the shining casing. Tears couldn't help but drip from my eyes as I cradled the box in my hands, heart self-destructing in my ribs at the thought of him choosing this exact ring, of him, in his perfectionist tendencies, spending precious time picking the perfect ring to slide onto her finger.
Movement behind me brought my eyes away from the ring. "Why are you crying, rosebud?" his smile alone sent me leaping into his arms, tears drenching his shoulder in seconds. "I'm guessing you liked my present then, eh, Melrose?"
Within seconds, tear-stained cheeks met the stubble of his in a kiss that was two months overdue. "I'll take that as a yes," he whispered, pressing himself against me in a hug that I never wanted to be released from, the engagement ring still clutched in my fingers.
"Merry Christmas, rosebud."

* * * * *

Some Christmas fluff to kick you into the spirit! Merry Christmas, happy Hannukah, enjoy Qwanza, whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a god season for you.

Merry Christmas, love Eve <3

Pen and Key Life ~ Christmas Traditions

Around Chistmastime, you see a load of posts on whatever social media you major in about 'how to decorate your room' or 'what gifts you should get who', but do you ever see people talking about their family traditions? Like, when you put your tree up, or what order you have your Christmas dinner in. I know there is a Christmas tag that you can do - like Maya did - but that doesn't really get to what you actually do in the month leading up to that day.

* * * * *

Let's start with December 1st. Most people get generic advent calendars, maybe with One Direction or the Avengers on. As I can recall, I've never had one of those. For as long as I can remember  - which, I found out, was just after my first Christmas - I have had an advent village that consists of 22 houses, a church, a Christmas tree and little villagers. The village board itself is marked with the numbers 1 - 24, which are inside little boxes. With each day, you add another house to its place (my favourite house is number 9, the Post Office ;)) and take a sweet from one of those multi-pack bags you can get; this year, we found one that has sweets that I actually like (there's usually that odd chocolate that I don't like, but there isn't this year!).

In pride of place in the dining room

* * * * *

Then, the tree. We usually try and get the tree up before my dad's birthday (this Wednesday, if you wanna know). We get it on a Sunday from a local seller who sells them in his own backyard, literally. On the same Sunday, we'll troop through my room a few times going up to the loft, and then coming back down with boxes of decorations in hand. Our Christmas tree is always quite mismatched. We have red and gold baubles that are as old as mum and dad's marriage, a bauble comemorating my first Christmas, Winnie the Pooh plushies, a really heavy Bob the Builder, a peacock. I think the only thing that actually coordinates are the lights that are always multi-coloured. But I love our hodge-podge tree! We'll have Christmas music playing  whilst we decorate, if we've found the CDs. I'll end up doing all the other things, like setting up the decorations in the dining room, as well as putting decorations on the tree. To top our tree, we have a golden angel, who usually has a light up her bum.

* * * * *

Onto Christmas Eve. Mum finishes work around 1:30, and we used to get bacon butties from a van, but now there's a McDonald's across the road we'll get something from there. I'll spend the afternoon wrapping the presents for my family so they're ready for Christmas Day. Then we'll go to the Crib Service at my grandparent's church, with my entire maternal family in attendance. When we were younger, me and my cousins would have McDonald's instead of having a dinner with the rest of the family, then watch a DVD, but now we're older, we eat as a family (there's 12 or so of us). My cousins and I, once we get kicked off the table so the 'adults' can gossip, will stick a DVD or something on and usually start messing on with the balloons we get from church (they say 'Happy Birthday Jesus). We'll stay there until 10 o'clock or something, get handed our presents from the cousins on our way out the door, and go home. At home, the prep for Christmas dinner begins. I'm not part of the prep stage, so I'll just get ready for bed. Then, I'll set out the drink and food for Santa and carrot for Rudolph (my parents take turns, the dog probably gets the carrot, now I think about it). We then chuck some reindeer food around the garden - for those not in the know, reindeer food is basically oats mixed with glitter that you sprinkle outside your house, so the glitter and oats attract the reindeer to your house.

* * * * *

On Christmas Day, I'm the first to wake up, always. I have to wait for my mum to be presentable (shower, put makeup on, turn the oven on, make a cup of tea, and return) before I go into mum and dad's room to open stockings. After the stockings, we go downstairs to open the rest of the presents. We each get a different section of the living room to our presents. It's bacon sandwiches for breakfast on Christmas, whilst we tidy all the presents into piles. The grandparents usually visit  with presents, and basically it's presents, and family for the rest of the day.

* * * * *

Christmas dinner is like a military operation. We have starters, either patè, prawn cocktail or orange juice for my sister who doesn't do either of those. Then Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and I mean all the trimmings; I seriously don't know how we fit it all onto the table. Every year, we try and set our Christmas pudding on fire and actually getting a good picture of it, but we don't usually manage. I myself don't like Christmas pudding, so I always have vienetta instead. 'Table presents' are then handed out by my mum. I don't know exactly what defines them as table presents, but I just like doing it. We end up sitting in the living room for ages messing on with presents whilst my dad falls asleep somewhere! I watch the Doctor Who Christmas episode on my laptop, then go to sleep.

* * * * *

Boxing Day, my family usually throws a house party in our house, so we have to put y parent's presents upstairs and prep everything for the buffet. Family come around throughout the day, and it's just a nice time with family and everything.

* * * * * 

That's my Christmas traditions for you! Merry Christmas everyone :)

Eve <3

Clothes Show Live 2014 ~ Haul and Swatches

So on Tuesday, I travelled down to Birmingham (5 hour drive) to attend the last day of the Clothes Show Live. This post is going to be a haul of what I got with swatches of some of the products!

BAGS!!!

Although Maya managed to get all she had been excited for in the first ten minutes, it took until we saw that the Rimmel London stand had reduced their goodie bags from £10 to £5. They'd sold out of the Kate bag, so I went with the Rita bag, simply because it had two nail polishes in it!

Fix & Perfect Primer, Sweetie Crush Polish in Violet Swizzle, Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Starlit Black, Rita Ora 60 Seconds Polish in Midnight Rendezvous, Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm in Give me a Cuddle, Extra 3D Lash Mascara in Extreme Black, Sample Matte BB Cream in Light

Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer (unsmudged and smudged) & Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm

Sweetie Crush Polish in Violet Swizzle

Rita Ora 60 Seconds Polish in Midnight Rendezvous (flash makes it seem bluer than it is, but my room is dark, so I need the flash)

My next hit was at the Model's Own stand where they were running a deal where you could pick out 5 nail polishes of your choice and then get a bag of other cosmetics and a magazine (not pictured) all for £10. One Model's Own polish retails for £5 alone, so it's an incredibly good deal.I actually picked two polishes each for my two sisters for Christmas and the last for myself, so I managed to get in a bit of Christmas shopping whilst I was at it. :)

Goodie Bag includes 2 eyeliners, a lip gloss, a lip balm, a due eyeshadow, a 4 way buffer, a black nail art pen, eyelash curlers, 4 sponge applicators and 2 cosmetic sponges

Hed Kandi in Disco Heaven, Sophie's Pink, Beetlejuice in Pinky Brown, Disco Pants in Paradise Garage, Hydra Gel in Blue Glint

Goodie Bag includes 2 eyeliners, a lip gloss, a lip balm, a due eyeshadow, a 4 way buffer, a black nail art pen, eyelash curlers, 4 sponge applicators and 2 cosmetic sponges

Lip gloss and the two eyeliners

Duo eyeshadow

Next up after the fashion show we watched (amazing dances and music (Elyar Fox sang at the start), though the fashions were a bit weird) I decided to finally cave and get the Barry M goodie bag, which we'd been avoiding all day, because we were hoping it would reduce in price, but with only half an hour left to shop, me and Olivia went to buy it at £10, a great deal once again.

Goodie Bag includes magnetic polish, textured polish, crackle polish, glitter polish, 2 polishes, Dazzle Dust, Fine Glitter Dust, Metallic Liquid Eyeliner, Lip Lacquer Crayon, Lip Gloss, Eye Crayon

Magnetic Nail Paint in Magnetic Violet, Instant Nail Effect in Black, Glitter Nail Paint in Gold Glitter, Nail Paint in Dusky Mauve, Textured Nail Effect in Atlantic Road, Nail Paint in Racing Green

To find swatches, go here (I was having trouble with blogger, so I gave up!)

Dazzle Dust #96 Gold, Fine Glitter Dust #22 Black Gold, Loud Mouth Lip Colour in Tell-Tale, Matte Eye Crayon #8, Lip Lacquer Crayon #4, Metallic Liquid Eyeliner #6

The eyeliners, lip lacquer, lip gloss and dusts

So there we have it! I also bought a present for my sister, but I won't be posting a picture of that, as she has the link to this blog, and I don't want to spoil it!

I'm sorry there was no Writing Wednesday this week, as you can probably tell, this post took a while with swatching and picture taking and finding the names of the products. We'll be back to normal next week!

~ Eve

NaNoWriMo Failure ~ Blame it on the Procrastination

I'm far too much of a failure, I'm sorry to the very successful NaNoWriMo community. This is the story of my complete and utter failure to NaNo.

So, a couple of days towards the end of October, I saw Elizabeth posting a load about NaNoWriMo prep, and I thought, 'yaknow what? I'm gonna do it this year'. And I was ready!
I already had an idea, Advocates of the Moon, and even a perfect opportunity to be productive.

And that, my friends, was my downfall

You see, I was to be on holiday for the first 10 days of November, which got me thinking that I'd be able to sit and write instead of sitting and reading my holiday away.

Of course, it worked nothing like that

Whilst on holiday, I wrote one sentence of Advocates of the Moon, whereas I managed to read a full 24 books. Well done, Eve!

Of course, I hadn't done anything all holiday, so I thought, maybe I'd end up writing a bit once I was home.

I need to stop making excuses

I am a procrastinator, well and truly. I accept that, and surely in acceptance, I can begin to move past it, but I think I've just gotten lazier. I spend far too much time on youtube, g+, and just anything to keep me away from homework. It's not a rare sight anymore to see Eve the Swot doing homework on a lunchtime due in for the next lesson. It's not a rare sight to see me cursing myself because I completely forgot we had a piece of homework due.

So, perhaps my New Year's Resolution 2015 should be to reduce my procrastination obsession.

Or maybe I should delete my internet accounts to cut out the middle man.

Yeah, no! Then I wouldn't be able to blog about my failures!

Anyway, congrats to the people who actually achieved something this NaNoWriMo, and I'm sorry for letting you down! Maybe next year! Later x

Writing Wednesday #2 ~ Treat

So this may sound a bit garbled, a bit rushed, and it probably is. I'm currently sat in a pub writing this intro. It got to Monday night that I realised, s**t, Writing Wednesday in a couple of days! So yeah, I'm not the best at organisation, as can be seen in my school planner, which has been pretty much empty since I returned from my holiday a week into this half term.
So, yeah, I had no ideas for Treat. It's such a vague prompt that could lead to so many different possibilities (kind of the point, I know); so my brain kind of shut down at the idea of all those variables.
Don't expect this to be good, I'll try and get on track for next week!

*   *   *

"So, where're we going?" She asked, her pace quickening just to keep up with his gate.
"I told you," he sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "It's a surprise!" He tried to put as much enthusiasm as he could into the word, but after having to repeat the phrase for what must be the tenth time, the enthusiasm was waning some.
"And I told you," she argued with a petulant lip that would put the best of 'selfie pouts' to shame. "I hate surprises!"
"You'll like this one," he whispered, eyes scouring the horizon ahead before turning with a reassuring smile plastered onto his face. "I promise. It's a treat, for getting through your A Levels."
"You don't even know the results yet, I could've done crap for all you know!" She retaliated, yet still keeping her pace with the lanky boy she was following.
She couldn't put her finger on it, observing his back as he stormed ahead; he was just ... off. Whether it was his quickened pace or the nervous way he was looking ahead of them, as if waiting for something to appear, she couldn't tell exactly which of his ticks was setting her more on edge.
She pulled up short when he turned to her, with what to him may have felt like a reassuring smile, but honestly gave her more reason to worry. "Nearly there," he exclaimed, voice sounding strained. "What's that face for, Luce? I promise it's a nice surprise!"
As much as Lucy would have loved to believe her boyfriend, the tone of his voice was nowhere near as convincing as he intended.
Lucy was wondering where exactly 'nearly there' was - they must have been walking for half an hour, at least - when they finally crested the hill they had been ascending. Apart from the car at the other die of the green, she couldn't see what this 'treat' of his was.
She finally saw it, however, when the driver's door of the parked defender swung open. Out stepped a man, his strides confident, eyes hidden behind large sunglasses, which he proceeded to remove, revealing eyes that were as terrifying as they were hypnotic. The blue depths held an eery quality, a malicious glint of triumph. "It's been a long time, little sis," he breathed with a leering smile.
Instead of focussing on he man before her, the man she had been old she wouldn't have to worry about seeing again, she rounded on the one behind her, the traitor.
"You tricked me!" she yelled, voice filling the green, the hurt of the betrayal painfully evident.
"He made me, I swear, I wouldn't have done this on purpose!" He had been perfect, a boyfriend she knew she could fall back on; yet now, he'd let her keep falling.
"Think of it as an accelerated reunion. Change your name and move away as often as you like, Melody, but I will always be able to find you, and you know it."
A shudder ran its course over her spine, taking her mind away from her brother, his confident stride bringing him all the more closer to her. Even as she tried to step back, to run back to her boyfriend - traitor or no, he'd at least try to protect her, or so she hoped - but, too late. James' hand curled malevolently around her upper arm, the vice-like grip holding firm.
"Trick or treat, Melody," he whispered into her ear, the triumph in his eyes a permanent reminder of how royally screwed she was.

*   *   *

At 11:49 pm, this still counts as a Writing Wednesday, no matter how rushed/undeveloped it is! I'm so sorry, this twist is about as inventive as a slug, but I couldn't think of anything else, please don't kill me! Then I won't have a chance to redeem myself this time next week!

Until next time, Eve

Writing Wednesday #1 ~ Dance

To start this Writing Wednesday off, I'm going to use this as a hint ;)

Yes, I had to start off Harry Potter themed, I'm so sorry! No, I did not read Goblet of Fire to make it exact, as this is only a sort piece, but if I were writing a full-on fanfiction, I probably would, because I'm obsessive like that!
So, weighing in at 1325 words, we have Dance! Enjoy x

Writing Wednesdays: The Resurrection

So, me doing Writing Wednesdays ... That lasted didn't it? But, I have new resolve, and a new set of prompts!
So I, as an internet hobo and hopefully budding writer, follow a few writing accounts. So, of course, I keep a document on my computer full of prompts and tumblr screen shots. It's currently 10 pages long with ideas ranging from Cupid shooting the wrong person to being able to see the date someone dies.
Scrolling through it the other day, I found this...

I honestly didn't even know I had this, but can you see the potential? I can cater this to any character, to characters from my own [potential] novels to fanfiction original characters, or even just random characters that come to mind.

So, the first, 'Dance', will I think be a fluffy pair, but I can't decide who yet. Expect that next Wednesday, whoever it is :)

Eve x

Holiday Book Recommends

So, as I mentioned before, I went to Lanzarote for 10 days, and if you don't already know, I'm a reader, so of course, I spent a couple of nights scouring amazon for books to take. I generally look up 'free young adult books' into the kindle section, and usually get a few good ones. This year, I downloaded 29 free books and a novella which was the 4th in a series I like (77pence). Of those thirty books, I managed to read 23! I know, I've been disowned by several friends for it, but what else am I going to do?
So I'm now going to list my Top Ten of those 23, which were all free at the time, but if they're not any longer, I will list their prices!

*WARNING: INCREDIBLY LONG POST!!!*

The Woods - Harlan Coben

Now £5.49 on kindle

Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again. For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six- year-old daughter as a single father after his wife has died of cancer. Balancing family life and a rapidly ascending career as a prosecutor distracts him from his past traumas, but only for so long. When a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor's family are threatened.

Is this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive? Cope has to confront so much he left behind that summer twenty years ago: his first love, Lucy; his mother, who abandoned the family; and the secrets that his Russian parents might have been hiding even from their own children. Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to the light.

I personally love Harlan Coben books, his writing's brilliant. This reminded me of some sort of Friday the 13th parody, but it brought so much depth to it and plot twists and personality. You felt for the characters, for their losses and traumas. As a mystery, it reveals the right things at exactly the right time, which Harlan Coben has perfected.

The Brightest Kind of Darkness - P.T. Michelle

Now £2.99 on kindle.

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate...until she dreams a future she can't ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

This one brought a new idea that I have yet to see, I've read books about mind-readers, even about people who have premonitions, but not about someone who dreams a day ahead. It brings about questions of morals, makes you wonder why these things are happening to these two characters. The characters themselves are interesting, with personalities and back stories that you find out slowly, just right for books like this.

Project ELE - Rebecca Gober & Courtney Nuckles

Free on kindle!

Millions have already died, and thousands more are perishing daily. As a last ditch effort to preserve the human race, the government implements Project ELE. With the earth heating at rapid speeds, all remaining survivors are forced to turn to F.E.M.A. shelters to wait out ELE's wrath.

Willow Mosby's life, as she knows it, ends the moment she walks through the shelter's door. Willow has to quickly adapt to the new challenges that shelter life demands, which includes making new friends and working a full time job.

Soon after making an interesting discovery, Willow and her friends start exhibiting strange abilities. Seeking answers, they embark on a mission to find out what these new abilities mean and whether they are a gift or a curse.

This new adventure can send her world crashing down around her. The question is: Can Willow survive the fall? 

I've yet to read a dystopian novel that sends people into actual camps. It does raise good points, fully details the emotions that Willow feels at her loss and integration into the FEMA shelter. Although you can draw a couple of conclusions before they're revealed, it still maintains a good level of suspense and steady pacing, and I can't wait to read the rest, because it has me intrigued.

Venom - Kristen Middleton

Free on kindle!

When Melody Williams goes missing at a concert, at Club Nightshade, her eighteen-year-old cousin, Chelsey Fairfax, sneaks into the club to find answers. Little does she know that some mysteries are better left hidden. 

Meanwhile, Venom is in town, a hot new band from Europe, and the owner of Club Nightshade wants them there permanently... 

Although this isn't the best written, it satisfied my need for some supernatural beings! Although there is a slight pacing issue towards the end, it was nice to be able to read something without that much to it. A girl does get tired of long books, you know.

The Beautiful Ones - Lori Brighton

< Can you guess? Free on kindle!

Some say we’re special, and that’s why we’re kept in seclusion. Beyond those walls evil lurks and innocent prey would be lost in minutes. Gone. Destroyed. Forgotten.
Others say the opposite: we’re locked away because there’s something wrong with us. If we roamed the outside world, we might taint the beautiful ones. A species so pure, that to merely be in their presence is a gift.

As for my beliefs…I’m not sure.

But I do know one thing: neither of those reasons explains why it is that they come for us only after we’ve passed the age of sixteen. Whether we want to go or not, we’re taken through those iron gates. Escorted away from the only home we’ve ever known, escorted to our destiny—whatever that destiny may be—never to be seen again. 

Lori Brighton is a writer who has already acquainted my kindle via 'the Mind Readers' series she wrote, which also began with a free book before the whole series found its way onto the device, and I think she may have done it again, unfortunately for my parents' amazon account. It shows life from both sides, from inside the walls, and on the outside, and on the outside ... the twist is amazing! Methinks The Chosen Ones will be gracing my kindle soon!

Open Minds - Susan Kaye Quinn

Free on kindle!

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden underworld of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her. 

I've read books about mind readers before, but not from the angle of everyone else being a mind reader and you being a minority. A good premise with a well-paced plot, it raised, for me, questions about society, about how we treat minorities, and how people who are the odd ones out want to change to fit in. It reminds you to be proud of your differences, but also to not use them to your advantages too much.

The Amulet's Flaw - Jess Strider

Free on kindle!

All that Rebbie knows about the world is changing... again. 

After two years of living in a nation where peace has reigned for centuries and inherited magic is merely controlled, the curious Rebbie Barrett has finally managed to get used to Between after years of asking questions. But when she discovers a mysterious amulet left alone on the ground, she is left with more questions than answers once more when its magic causes her pain - something that the magic she knows can never do. Then the questions never end when visions about Between's recent string of disappearances start to somehow invade her dreams, revealing pieces of a convoluted mission led by someone named Orenda that all seem to connect with the same amulet that Rebbie touched before. 

Plagued by these persistent dreams and their results, Rebbie is forced to watch the unfolding events of a rising darkness that nobody has anticipated - and with it, she discovers the impact on the unfortunate others who witness the true and terrible nature of the amulet firsthand. 

Rebbie is determined to never see the amulet's true nature herself, but to Orenda and her growing number of followers, she doesn't have a choice. 

Although this book is longwinded with several information dumps, once you get to the action, you get to it! It's certainly like nothing I've read before, with magic and trainee magicians, you'd think it'd be like Harry Potter, but the premise is like no other. I felt drawn into the madness that the amulet left in it's wake, and I'm currently drawn to getting the second one. Again, RIP my parents' amazon.

Guardians: The Girl - Lola StVil

Free on kindle!

After his death, Marcus found the love of his life...

Unfortunately it's not his sexy, telekinetic angel girlfriend --- it's Emmy Baxter... a human.

Between torture, demon attacks, and midterms, Marcus and Emily must fight their feelings for a devastating prophecy has predicted: 

"Should Angel and Human unite, humanity will perish."

The beginning of this book certainly draws you in, but afterwards it tails out slightly. It falls into Twilight-style romance. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed learning about the Guardians and their traditions, and that blurb really doesn't do the premise justice, it's much more that the angel romance, but when it gets into it, you kind of forget that fact as it's drowned by the Marcus feels. Perhaps I would enjoy it a bit more if the pages weren't bulked up by the angel feels.

Perception - Lee & Elle Strauss

Free on kindle!

Seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP--a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans.

Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they've created between those who have and those who don't. He doesn't like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe's carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She's in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Much like The Uglies by Scott Westerfield (which I have yet to read, but would like to), Perception focusses on genetically altered people, who age slower, don't blemish and are pretty damn generic. Zoe begins her quest for her brother unknowing of what it's like to not be a GAP, and the learning curve she experiences is refreshing. She goes from tenacious ignorance to blissful acceptance, and I'm sure, after the ending it had, I will be collecting the trilogy.

A French Girl in New York - Anna Adams

Free on kindle!

Maude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the North of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. 

One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt. Maude will dive into a new fascinating world discovering New York City, music, family, love and the truth about her past.

This book reminds me of the Geek Girl series, just on a different platform. You follow Maude from her neglecting home through highs and lows in New York, through fear of her family, love, friendship and troubles. You not only learn about the characters, but about the industry as well, getting a look into the eyes of child stars, of how they feel and deal with their fame.

One Lovely Blog Award

So, I've been tagged for another award, this time by my gorgeous friend, Maya of ohemgeeitsmaya. This was actually two weeks ago, but with holiday (very nice, thanks for asking) I haven't gotten around to writing this.

So, the rules are as follows:

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.

2. List the rules and display the award.

3. Add 7 facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other bloggers. 

5. Follow on Blogger the person who nominated you. 

(I think I was probably Maya's first follower, so, yeah XD)

Some Lovely Facts

1. I'm from the North East England, have lived here my whole life, yet people ask where I'm from, expecting me to be from down south (another favourite as 'are you posh?')

2. I was born the morning after my godfather's wedding (yet he forgets my birthday)

3. I wanted to be a writer when I wrote a story about a dragon world in year 4 (age 8)

4. I shouldn't be let loose with kindles, or free books, I'll gladly download them all

5. I'm quite happy to sit in an empty school for hours if I have to perform afterschool

6. I am actually quite the violent person, which surprises people

7. I think the meaning of my name is incredibly suitable for me. Eve, in hebrew, means mother of all, which, anybody who knows me in real life, will agree with!

Nominations

M of The Little Life of Me
Taylor of The Curse Books
Hannah of Perfect Companions Have Pages and Prose
Natalia of Ma Nouvelle Mode
Elizabeth of Confessions of a Teenage Writer
Alyssa of A Little Spot to Write
Archie of A Bundle of Contradictions
Millie of Millie C Beauty

Afraid that's all the people I can nominate who weren't already by Maya. Should be fun to see everyone else's facts!

Musical Madness

In the life of Eve, I got a C in History, have just finished my controlled assessment in English, which was only 4 pages long, compared to other people's 7 or 11, and I have a cold the day before a trip to the freaking coast, which is colder, and windier than inland! Go Eve
But that's not what this post is about, so I'll shut up about that!
*WARNING* This post is extremely long because of pictures, so expect a lot of scrolling *WARNING*

Following my trip to see the Lion King at Sunderland Empire a couple of weeks ago, I realised something that's slightly sad, slightly enlightening - I'm a musical theatre nut.
Whether it's performing or watching, I'm thrilled by the amount of work it takes to present this feats of music, dance and acting.

Let's start with Music
Music in musicals are so much different to just listening to something on you iPod or even in a film. You get the raw energy of the performer in their voice. You can hear the emotions, and it's beautiful. Not going to lie, I got chills a few times whilst they were singing, because the sheer power in the songs was phenomenal.
And it's not just the singing that fascinates me, it's the instrumental as well. I was on row B and from where I sat, I could see the two drummers on the balcony, and the drum sets they had were massive and so varied, but the sound was incredible!

I actually had a slight bit of trouble sitting with a straight face through Circle of Life knowing that the first lyrics translate to 'Here comes a lion'
Literally

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba

[Here comes a lion, Father]

Sithi uhm ingonyama

[Oh yes, it's a lion]

Dancing
In no way am I a dancer, but I do know how to appreciate it (says the girl who blatantly ignores Strictly) but the dancing in the Lion King was exceptional.

Do you see all this? Do you see the majesty?
The time it takes for this stuff to be learnt is amazing, and I cannot describe watching it live, seriously, it was so ... just so!

Costume
I will probably not be the first nor the last to say that the costumes in the Lion King are bloody incredible!

DO

YOU

SEE

THE

MAJESTY

OF

THESE

DESIGNS???

If I were wearing a hat, it would have been off to the designer (Julie Taymor, also the director and person responsible for the masks, puppets and additional lyrics!). It says so much about the characters, and the mechanics of the lion masks had me baffled. I reckon the masks had some sort of mechanism connected to their spines,because their masks were only ever down when they were bent over, and raised when they stood.

Acting

I love that you can have the freedom to stick to the character as they are written, or you can add your own spin to it. For example, Zazu was Glaswegian, but he was played by a Welshman. And you know that part in the film where Zazu is in Scar's little cage and he has to sing for him? The Zazu at Sunderland started singing the Proclaimers 500 miles in the strongest Scottish accent.

Also, Timon, I loved how he was improvised. He literally started singing Let it Go at one point!

Set/Props

In the Lion King, there were only a few actual set pieces that weren't acted out by extras - they were astounding - but I love how the actual cast, not just the extras, learn how to move the set pieces and put them in place. It was the same when we saw Fame in July, there were only two pieces of set that could be turned around to portray different classrooms, and the main cast knew exactly how to release the hydraulics and lock them in place.

So yeah, I'm really appreciative of musical theatre, and I'm very happy to announce that in our school's 2015 production of Joseph, I have today been cast as ... Dan! He's the fifth son, and I can't get over the fact that you've got cool, old time names like Reuben, Simeon, Levi (Mikasaaaaaaa), Judah, and then you've got Dan! How do you get from Reuben to Dan? Anyway, I'm quite happy with the role, as after finding out I wasn't in the running for narrator, I was slightly worried that many of the Joseph characters are one-hit wonders, with only one or two songs to themselves, but the brothers feature quite a few times, so I'm happy :)

I actually go on holiday a week tomorrow, so I think I will post once more before then (I was thinking maybe a what's in my carry-on sort of post) but I may have changed phones by then, so I may have the type of phone that I can blog from! You never know :)

Bye, Eve

Hobbies and Obsessions ~ Part 1 ~ Badminton

So, I thought I'd start this series that is just, a kind of 'getting to know Eve' thingy-mah-bobby. So, every so often I'll write about my hobbies/obsessions, of which there are ... many.

So, this week's hobby is ... Badminton!!!

I've been playing for 6-7 years now, I forget, but it has been forever, the only people who've been there the same amount of time as me are the old lads who rent the back court and the instructors (who, according to my mum have been there less time than me, oh well!)

So what got you into badminton?

 It was actually through my best friend of the time, Gi (no, she was not actually called Gi, but I'm obviously not revealing her name). She called me up one Tuesday night when we were about 8, asking if I wanted to go with her to a club that her grandmother ran. So I started attending, when the cost of the sessions was only around 75p (oh, the good old days). I remember I was wearing a pair of my sister's trousers, and I think one of my sister's old tops, neither of which were meant for sports, but oh well.

Anything interesting happen over the years?

At first, it was just me and Gi, then when we were ten, our friends A and C joined up, and we had a load of fun the four of us. Then, Gi's grandma sprained her ankle, and had to leave the club to one of the instructors, who's kept it going for the last 4 years or so.

Gi and A left a while afterwards, about halfway through year 6, C hung around for longer, but she left too, and returned last year for a time, but I don't mind.

Any perks?

Free t-shirts!

Over the years I have had 3 shirts from the club. 

- The first was an over-sized red t-shirt, with a tiny logo on the chest. Kinda crappy.

- The second was a black polo shirt with red detailing and the club's name written on the back. I had that for 4 years or so, and it had only started getting small 6 months or so before they got a new shirt in

- The third I'm not particularly fond of, it's kind of a polo shirt, but it's loose, and I can't name what the material is, but it's kinda clingy, kinda baggy (according to the label it's polyester, ugh). It has purple detailing, and the same club name on the back, but the letters are already peeling off, and I've only had it a few months.

Of the three, I definitely prefer #2

Perk number two is the fact that you get to meet so many different people you've maybe seen around school but never actually spoken to. I've met several year nine boys (I'm year 10) and they're usually the lads I hang around with simply out of laziness, they usually play winner stays on first to five, so you don't play for that long. I've also played badminton alongside people half my age, twice my age and quite a few ages inbetween.

What equipment have you used?

Over the years, I've only had two rackets, both of which were from the brand Carlton.

My first racket I dinged up to high hell, it's shape resembles more of a polygon than the egg shape it's supposed to look like. 

What a PowerBlade Sword should look like

What mine looks like

 The second is a Carlton Isoblade 450 in pink and purple, which was a Christmas gift off of my grandparents a few years back. It's served me pretty well so far, is quite light, smashes shuttles well (a must with me) and is pretty minus the dings in the handle.

My current racket

Learnt anything?

- Back tramlines are in for singles, out for doubles
- Side tramlines are out for singles, in for doubles

- If you're serving, you're on the offensive, so you play front and back (applies to doubles)

- If you're receiving, you're on the defensive, so you play sides (applies to doubles)

- If you're serving an even number, serve on the right, odds on the left

Any tips?

- If in doubt, just smash the freaking shuttle

- Don't be scared to mess up, I've found that sometimes when you mess up, you end up winning a point anyway.

- Try not to act hostile towards your doubles partner, they're the ones watching your back (or your front/side). You are a team, act like it, even if it is just for the 21 points you're playing.

- I advise against trick shots. I've never been keen on them, and I personally feel that they aren't all that effective.

Hopefully this is interesting (sorry if it isn't) and maybe helpful to people like +Maya Gibson, who is joining my club next week to pass the Physical section of Duke of Edinburgh, which I will be talking about later :)