Cosplay Antics: MCM Part 1

 

 

Cosplay Antics will be a behind the scenes look into what Cosplay really is, the creations of favourite characters from books/graphic novels/manga/anime/Disney as they are being made and the final product before meets. We will also be including some guest posts from other Cosplayer's.

Back in May this year, I went to my first major Cosplay event outside of Cardiff, MCM in London. To prepare for the Cosplay event, I started the costume I wanted to wear back in the previous September

Note- I cannot use a sewing machine, so everything I do is glued or hand sewn. Not bragging or anything. ;)

What I wanted to do, I decided to Cosplay the Classical/Dapper Mickey Mouse. There were a ton of things  I had to do to complete the outfit, which included;

•  Top Hat with ears,

•  Bow Tie,

•  Shirt,

• Waist Coat,

• Pants/Trousers,

• Boots and Spats (boot covers)

• Cane.

Waiting on Wednesday (#55)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Captive by Aimee Carter

 

 Expected publication: November 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

 

 

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?

 

 

 

 

 

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

What're you waiting on?



Teaser Tuesday (#35)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

 

 

 

 

 

Title: Falls the Shadow

Author: Stefanie Gaither

Publication Date: September 16th 2014        

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young  

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

 

 

 

 

 

I took some of the flowers from my sister's funeral, because I thought her replacement might like them as a welcome-to-the-family present.

                                                              -Page 1 in ADE.

 



Because after all, people were easy enough to fool, if you knew how to do it.

                                                               -Page 4 in ADE.

 

 

 

Alright, I'm cheating. I finished this Sunday night and haven't started a new one yet, so using this. But, I loved it. It kind of reminded me of Jennifer Rush's Altered series, it's different, but when it came to the characters, they had that...spark, the characters just worked together, they bounced off one another, and that always makes it fun to read. :)

 

 

What're you reading? 

 



Review: The Girl from the Well (yes, that well)

 

The Girl from the Well
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publication Date: August 5th 2014        
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~
 

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story 

 

 

 

The Girl from the Well is one I'd love to say I loved, the concept was perfect for me. The ultimate scare because I absolutely freak out when it comes to these types of spirits/myths, as of Bloody Mary. The Ring scared the crap out of me, a few years ago insomnia kicked in and I couldn't sleep and I was too tired to read so I put the TV on, and guess what it just happens to be on? Yup. The Ring. Right were she's coming out of the well. Needless to say that night I didn't sleep at all and decided to stare at the static just to make sure nothing moved.

Stacking the Shelves (#54) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? The heat has been worse this week than it was last week and if the heat doesn't kill me, my hay fever will. I bought a few this week and received the best random surprise in the mail from Penguin, in the form of a little something new from Richelle Mead, which will be in my physical stack next week. Can you guess? ;) Yup. Silver Shadows. I was waiting until the series was finished to read them, but, but it's so tempting now.  I'm also rewatching Criminal Minds since I haven't watched it since season 7, and nothing says summer like serial killers, right? Also, how freaking cute was season 1 Reid?

For Review

Edelweiss

 

 

 

 The Bargaining , Remember and Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You  

(Thanks to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss )

 

 

                                                        

                                                                 What did you get this week? :)
 

Recap

• Monday I reviewed: The Young World by Chris Weitz
• Teaser Tuesday: The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery
• Waiting on Wednesday: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
• Thursday: Welcome Amber & Introducing two new Features
• Friday I reviewed: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Review: Let's Get Lost

Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid
Publication Date: 1at August 2014
Publisher: Mira Ink
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

One girl could change four lives forever…

Mysterious Leila, who is on the road trip of a lifetime, has a habit of crashing into people’s worlds at the moment they need someone the most.

There’s Hudson, who is willing to throw away his dreams for love. And Bree, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. Elliot who believes in happy endings…until his own goes off-script. And Sonia who worries that she’s lost her ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. But Leila’s trip could help her discover something bigger — that sometimes, the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way

Let's Get Lost is a book that sneaks up on you. You think road-trip, fun (which it is), light and fluffy (which it is not), something to get lost in (which you do), but not once before starting it did I think substance or significance. I know, I feel bad, but hear me out. I'm not a contemporary reader, sure, I've been reading a lot of them lately, but you can only take so much fun light and fluffy before reality starts taking on a Disney feel. While each person's story in Let's Get Lost ends in a way you want it to, it's not an easy journey getting there. Which, is what I absolutely loved about it. You want something? You want something to happen? You fight for it. You go and get it. You don't give up. And sometimes, it'll work itself out. And if it doesn't? You learn from it and take it with you.  Leila gave that to the people she came across, people like her, who needed a little guidance, and while Leila didn't feel like she had that herself, she gave that piece to them. By the end of it I was crying. I'm chalking that up to reflection. But, simplicity and subtlety is powerful, and that's the substance and significance Let's Get Lost brings.

Welcome Amber, and Introducing two new Features!

Hello! This is Kirsty for a minute before I hand you over to Amber, who is coincidentally also my cousin (I know- who knew?) She'll take care of you, promise. I've been wanting to do something on the blog for a while, something different and fun but didn't know what to do, and then Amber said she wanted to start blogging about the things she does (which, we'll get to that in a minute), and we realised, hey, it's to do with books and tada! Amber will now be taking over the blog on most Thursdays, under our features; 

 

 Cosplay Antics

 

Cosplay Antics will be a behind the scenes look into what Cosplay really is, the creations of favourite characters from books/graphic novels/manga/anime/Disney as they are being made and the final product before meets. We will also be including some guest posts from other Cosplayer's.

Waiting on Wednesday (#54)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
 

Expected publication: September 16th 2014 by Putnam Juvenile

 

 

 

 

 

 

The riveting follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The 5th Wave, hailed by Justin Cronin as “wildly entertaining.”
How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate

 

 

 

 

 

Aliens! Aliens! Bad Aliens! I loved The 5th Wave, so really I should've chosen this earlier, but you know.

 

What are you waiting on?

 



Teaser Tuesday (#34)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

 

 

 

  

Title: The 100 Society

Author: Carla Spradbery

Publication Date: 4th September 2014        

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

 For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.

As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.

With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...

 

Speculation has arisen that a gang of vandals known only as 'The 100 Society' is once again targeting local building and landmarks.

The 100 Society was founded more than twenty years ago by the notorious graffiti artist known only as 'A'

                                         -Both taken from page 24 in ARC.

 Because A- is everywhere, bitches.

What're you reading?

Review: The Young World

The Young World
Author: Chris Weitz
Publication Date: July 29th 2014         
Publisher: Atom 
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 Welcome to New York, a city ruled by teens. After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he's secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind. The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park ...and discovers truths they could never have imagined.

I have mixed feelings about The Young World, for a few reasons, on one hand it's fun and full of action, but on the other...the pacing was a little off for me. Then there's the characters, on one hand I liked them eventually, but on the other hand, they were hard to get used to... but I'll get to that in a minute.

Stacking the Shelves (#53) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? It's been a slow-ish week here, everyone in the UK, enjoying the heat? I hate the sun. And the heat. I'm a total winter person, because I'm pale and I burn. Learnt something this week. I sound like an idiot on the phone, but I have an interview, so you know, I'm okay with that. Also, I'm not alone!

 

Now, onto the books...

 Had a few awesome surprises in the mail, one I'm freaking out about, even though I did get approved for the ebook last week, it just showed up in the mail this week. I didn't think I'd get one since Abrams and Chronicle brought a lot of proofs to YALC last week. But Tina (@TinaMories) at A&C is awesome.
 

 

Review: Wild

Wild
Author: Alex Mallory
Publication Date: July 8th 2014        
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

In this action-packed and timely "Tarzan for the digital age," Cade, a teen raised in the wilderness, is brought into modern civilization.

The forest is full of secrets, and no one understands that better than Cade. Foraging, hunting, surviving-that's all he knows. Alone for years, Cade believes he's the sole survivor. At least, until he catches a glimpse of a beautiful stranger...

Dara expected to find natural wonders when she set off for a spring break camping trip. Instead, she discovers a primitive boy-he's stealthy and handsome and he might be following her. Intrigued, Dara seeks him out and sets a catastrophe in motion.

Thrust into society, Cade struggles with the realization that the life he knew was a lie. But he's not the only one. Trying to explain life in a normal town leaves Dara questioning it.

As the media swarm and the police close in, Dara and Cade risk everything to get closer. But will the truth about Cade's past tear them apart?

Wild was...well, wild. It wasn't as clichéd or cheesy as I thought it was going to be. I mean, we've all seen Tarzan, right? It wasn't like it at all, it must be hard to try and write an integrating wild  character into the world of our own, without hindering on believability. The interactions between Cade and our other characters were done well, particularly with Dara, and when it came to explaining to Cade about the world we live in, to certain objects and machines he wasn't told about by his mother, I didn't roll my eyes or anything. I know.

DNF Round-Up: June

This is probably my last DNF Round-Up for a while, since I read all my July books and didn't DNF any, and I've almost finished my August books and haven't DNF'D any there either, so two months of full book reading, I'm happy. 





I didn't finish The Truth Against the World because it was 1) boring and 2) about Wales and Welsh people. Welsh people should not read it.

05/25				"A Welsh person reading a book about and set in Wales. What could go wrong?..."
05/26			14.0%	"Yeah and dw i'n hoffi coffi, but what the fuck has that got to do with anything?"
05/29			14.0%	"You're on hold. Go sit in the naughty corner."

 



 

 

Yeah. I got to 14% and put it on hold. I never picked it back up.

 

Now, I didn't finish this because 1) boring (see the trend?) and 2) this should be marketed towards the younger YA than YA. It's kind of between MG-YA, it was just...ugh. I read the first 30% and then skimmed to 50% and gave up.

 

 

06/01	marked as:	currently-reading
06/01			20.0%	"Ugh, this is painful."
06/03	marked as:	read

The whole "pretending to be a boy and they don't know she's a girl until oops they do' rubs me the wrong way for some reason, especially because she's liking the one guy and yeah, if it's supposed to be a transgender or gay romance, I'm for it, but because it's not, it just got weird.

And they all talked...weird. The adults didn't sound like adults, and that more than anything in a book, makes it all...off for me.


 

Waiting on Wednesday (#53)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Half Wild by Sally Green
 

Expected publication: March 25th 2015 by Penguin UK

 

 

 

 

After finally meeting his elusive father, Marcus, and receiving the three gifts that confirm him as a full adult witch, Nathan is still on the run. He needs to find his friend Gabriel and rescue Annalise, now a prisoner of the powerful Black witch Mercury. Most of all he needs to learn how to control his Gift – a strange, wild new power that threatens to overwhelm him.Meanwhile, Soul O’Brien has seized control of the Council of White Witches and is expanding his war against Black witches into Europe. In response, an unprecedented alliance has formed between Black and White witches determined to resist him. Drawn into the rebellion by the enigmatic Black witch Van Dal, Nathan finds himself fighting alongside both old friends and old enemies. But can all the rebels be trusted, or is Nathan walking into a trap? 

 

 

 

 

 

There was no doubt what I was going to pick this week after seeing the cover reveal. I know a lot of people didn't really love Half Bad, but I did, it just really worked for me, so of course I can't wait to continue the series!

 

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (#33)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title: The Moment Collector (AKA The Vanishing Season)

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publication Date: August 7th 2014        

Publisher: Orchard Books

 A haunting mystery, romance in the vein of The Lovely Bones by New York Times bestselling author.
"The yard of this house is a graveyard of moments and everything left behind is a clue. And I am here to dig."

There's a ghost haunting 208 Water Street. She doesn't know who she was, or why she's still here. She does know that she is drawn to Maggie, the new girl in town, and her friends - beautiful, carefree Pauline and Liam, the boy who loves her.

But the ghost isn't all that's lurking in Gill Creek... Someone is killing young girls all across the county. Can the ghost keep these three friends safe? Or does she have another purpose?

A key is buried under the front stairs of 208 Water Street. Scorched on one side, was it in a fire? Who lost it, and when?

 

 

For me, it's a clue, a piece of the past. Because the yard of this house is a graveyard of moments, and everything left behind is a reminder: sand paper, a bracelet, a love note, some letters, a match, a movie stub, a postcard. All of Door County is a burial ground. All the world. And I am here to dig.

- Both taken from the preface on page 7 in ARC.

 

 

 

I'm around half way through it so far, and though it did suck me in from that preface- I mean, how could that not? Despite that, it didn't grip me all that much in the beginning, until now, but the writing is beautiful. :)  Scratch that. I just finished it and oh, the feelings.

 

 

What're you reading? 



Review: The Winners Curse

 The Winners Curse
Author:  Marie Rutkoski
Publication Date: July 3rd 2014        
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~  
 

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart

 

Warning: This review may contain ramblings that might not quite make sense.

Oh, The Winners Curse, I love you, I love you, I love you. You were delightfully cruel.  And brilliant. And amazing. Did I mention cruel? Exceptionally cruel.

Stacking the Shelves (#52) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

How was everybody's week? I was supposed to be going to YALC but something come up.
 :( Hopefully next year, but hope everyone who's gone is having fun! I'm stalking checking twitter for updates.
 

For Review

Netgalley

 

 

 

Frozen and A Song for Ella Grey 

(Thanks to Hachette and Netgalley )

 

 

 

What did you get this week? :)

   



 A recap of posts this week

• Monday I reviewed: The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno 
• Teaser Tuesday: Feral  by Holly Schindler
• Waiting on Wednesday: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• Wedenesday Cover Reveal: Phobic
• Thursday Cover Reveal: Crossing the Ice 
• Friday I reviewed: On the Fence by Kasie West

Review: On the Fence

 

 

 

 

 

On the Fence

Author: Kasie West

Publication Date: July 1st 2014        

Publisher: HarperTeen

~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~  

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

 

 

 

Hey, seen all the squeals and happy happy reviews over On the Fence? Well this is another one. First, I have a confession. This is my first Kasie West book, yes, I know.  I feel slap-yourself-in-the-face-stupid that I've waited this long to read one, and ohmygod cuteness overload. I think it's my quota for the month. I'm not a cutesy reader, only when it's Jennifer E Smith, but even I was smiling all the way through it. LOOK WHAT YOU DID BOOK. And I get it now, I do.

Cover Reveal: Crossing the Ice & Giveaway

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 Synopsis

 

 

 

Falling hard never felt so good.

Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though...

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?

 

 

 

 

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Crossing the Ice

Cover Reveal: Phobic & Giveaway

 

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 Synopsis

   

 

 

Fifteen-year-old Piper Crenshaw knows her house is strange. It’s never needed repairs since it was built in the 1800s, and the lights flicker in response to things she says. As if those things aren’t creepy enough, it’s also the place where her mother committed murder.

To prove she’s not afraid of where she lives, Piper opens a forbidden door, which hides a staircase that leads to the ceiling. That’s when the flashbacks of the original residents from 1875 start, including a love affair between two young servants. Each vision pulls Piper deeper into not only their story, but also her house. Piper confides in her best friend, Todd, whom she's gradually falling for, but even he doesn't believe her. At least, not until her house gets axed during a prank, and the act injures Piper instead, cutting a gash the size of Texas into her stomach.

Piper realizes her house isn’t haunted—it’s alive. To sever her link to it, she must unravel the clues in the flashbacks and uncover the truth about her mother’s crime, before she becomes part of her house for good.

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How good does that sound?
 

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Phobic

Waiting on Wednesday (#52)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
 

Expected publication:   February 10th 2015 by Harper Teen
                                 March 26th 2015 by Orion (UK)

 

 



 

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army, she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a superhuman ability she didn’t know she had.

Except . . . her blood is Red.

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard—the leaders of a budding Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince and Mare against her own heart

 

 

So, I saw this everywhere last week, and it sounds freaking amazing, so why not? 2015 though, WHY?!

 

 

 

What are you waiting on? :)