15 Male Fictional Characters to Swoon Over

Hello.

Here’s the deal. I enjoy male fictional characters. Very much. And regardless of what you do or say, I don’t, never have, and never will care about what you have to say concerning my love for these characters, or of a fictional character in general, apart from the fact that this is none of your concern, and your opinion on this matter is not welcome.

Having said that, in no particular order, here’s a list of 15 swoon-worthy male fictional characters.

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1. Rafe from The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson
   
2. Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
3. Chaol from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
4. Dorian from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
5. Sam from The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
6. Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses
7. Tamlin from A Court of Thornes and Roses
8. Mac from Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
9. Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (the classic)
10. Razor (Alex) from Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
    
11. Leo from Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
12. Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
13. Elias Venturius from An Ember in the Ashes
14. John Ambrose McLaren from P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
15. Magiano from The Rose Society by Marie Lu
    

Yes, I did mention 5 characters from Sarah J. Maas books. So what? What’s it to you? HUH?!

Also, yes, I did mention Razor instead of Evan or Ben, and yes, I did mention John Ambrose McLaren instead of Peter Kavinsky. Fight me.

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I’m not going to elaborate on the reasons why I love and swoon over each of these characters, as I don’t have much time at the moment. If you do want me to write an elaborate post about these characters and list those reasons, do let me know. I have a LOT to say about these characters and I’d be happy to oblige.

Until the next post!

Read-along Update: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

SOOOOOO… It’s been a while…

In the time I’ve been gone I’ve managed to get almost all the way to the end of our October book of the month, The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd. It’s been one hell of a ride…

Where do I start?

Oh yes, let’s start by stating that this book is horrifyingly disgusting, although fascinating at that.

I said this on my other update but if you have a weak stomach, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book. SPECIALLY if you’re sensitive to animal torture and abuse.

I had my suspicions regarding what Dr. Moreau was doing, but that didn’t change the fact that I literally gagged when I learned what he was doing (and whenever it was mentioned). It’s a pretty shocking to learn, even if you think you expect it. And even more so when it’s described in such vivid details.

I never thought this book would be so abhorrent and revolting when I suggested it for us to read.

And I’m most definitely trying not to talk directly about what Dr. Moreau does, even though the whole plot revolves around it. I’ll save that for the actual review, thanks.

If you’re reading along, or you’ve read this book, then you surely know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t… Then just know that it’s quite lovely. And by lovely I mean gruesome and nauseating.

Now, let’s move on to more enjoyable subjects.

Montgomery.

You see, no matter what “crimes” he’s committed, even if they’re not his fault, I can’t help but prefer him over Edward. Don’t get me wrong, Edward’s a total sweetheart and he cares for Juliet, and I do definitely enjoy his little moments with Juliet. *cough* The waterfall. *cough* BUUUUUT, Montgomery wins the whole thing.

I’m not going to go into much detail about it, I’m obviously saving that for my review, but just know that I really, reeeeeally love Montgomery’s character.

Now, as far as plot and story goes, I’m completely infatuated with this book. I wasn’t much of a fan of thrillers or these types of book, but lately I’ve grown fond of that tense, uneasy, on edge, sort of panicky feeling that these types of books give me. I can’t get enough of them, and the fact that I just can’t get enough of this book just proves that.

There are so, so many things happening at once and just when I think everything’s solved, that we’re on the other side, SURPRISE! Something else happens, something significantly worse than the last thing. And just the constant wondering of if it’s finally over, and then finding out that it’s not, and that there are so many things that need to be resolved, it makes me so excited. I love that.

I also really love Juliet’s character, specially the fact that she knows her faults and flaws, inherited or not. I think it’s good that she’s aware of them. And that just leaves more room for improvement! I mean, she could go all Adelina, down the wrong path, but I really feel like her character has an incredible potential to improve.

And yeeeeeah! Again, I won’t go into much detail because I’m saving everything for the revieeeew, so if you want to get a full look into my opinions, thoughts and feels about this book, keep an eye out for my full review. I’ll be posting it sometime between tomorrow and Monday, as I’m planning to finish this book tonight!

Happy reading, guys!

Dear Hater…

Dear hater, this one goes out to you:

I would love to know why you feel the need to hate on a book, person that loves a book, or fandom, simply because you didn’t like it, and what you could possibly get from it. Allow me to enlighten you, give me the honors of explaining my point to you, in hopes that you realize how entirely wrong you are.

You see, EVERYONE has different tastes. Just like people would with clothes, or with food, people have the right to read, and love what they want. Having said that, there’s no point to your constant hate and critique, as people aren’t gonna change they’re opinions or tastes simply because you said so, and you’re just being a huge pain in the ass.

Another thing that you should learn is that there are more civilized ways of sharing or stating an opinion without pretty much attacking someone. The thing with opinions is that you share them, you don’t force them upon people. Nope. That’s not how it works. Everyone is entitled to have their own taste and opinions, and who are you to tell them otherwise?

And anyways, if your need to SHARE your opinions is so big, you can do it freely on your own social medias or in some other place that isn’t people’s faces or other accounts. Yes, you have the right your own opinion, and yes, you have the right to share it. Just don’t let that make you feel like you have the right to cross the line and invade other people’s space. You gain absolutely nothing with that, and you’re pretty much failing to get your point across, as no one likes to listen to a hater.

Oh, and one last thing. If after reading this, you still decide to attack me, a book I like, my fandoms, or if I catch you attacking other people, I’m very, very sorry, but we cannot be friends. I simply can’t be friends with someone who can’t respect other people’s space and opinions. If you can’t do that, then I’ve no need for your friendship, as I have friends who share my tastes, and/or respect them. So don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine, trust us.

With love (not really),

Adriana.

Read-along Update: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

  Heeeeeeey guys! First of all, I want to excuse myself for not posting at all last week, due to the incredible amount of schoolwork that I’ve been getting. I barely even had time to read, and when I did, it was dedicated solely to The Rose Society by Marie Lu, as I’d been waiting a whole year for it’s release and this was the ONE book I refused to be spoiled on by anyone that wasn’t me. So yeah, enough with the excuses. Hopefully these next weeks will be better, and I’ll be able to find time to post on most days of the week, if not all.

Now, ONTO BUSINESS!

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I’ve been reading a couple chapters here and there, whenever I find the time and I must say, I’m really digging this book. I really, really like that, at least up until now, it’s not a horror book about ghosts or anything paranormal like that. It’s about something that could very much happen in real life, something bloody and gory and highly disgusting, as well as horrifying.

WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF ANIMAL TORTURE AND ABUSE.

As a vegan, I’m wholeheartedly against animal abuse, obviously. This book contains a lot of it. It’s not a book for someone who can’t handle those kinds of things. Now over the past months I’ve informed myself on all types of animal abuse, and I no longer deny this ugly reality, so although I do still squirm, get the urge to cry and throw up, I still know that, sadly, these kinds of things still do happen. One should never turn a blind eye on all that is wrong in this world.

Having said that, I’m not going to deny myself a good story over the one aspect of it that’s very much real and not fictitious.

AND ANYWAYS, the whole point of a horror book is to horrify. I’d say they’ve done a great job at it by adding that element to the story.

As I said, I’m really, really digging this story. I like the main character a whole lot. She’s got this sense of self and dignity that even her state of poverty or the disgrace that the acts of her mad father have brought upon her life. I also really like (love) Montgomery. He’s so sweet and such a gentleman. And oH MY GOD, BALTHASAR! He’s the sweetest, most gentle man/creature to ever exist (in a fictional world, that is).

Of course, these are my opinions up until now, who knows what will happen in the next few chapters. But up until now, I’m enjoying this a whole lot. I’m very intrigued, I dig it.

REMEMBER, IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN! SHARE THIS HORRIFYING JOURNEY WITH US, SO WE CAN DISCUSS IT AND EXCHANGE POTENTIALLY INCOHERENT IDEAS AND FEELINGS ABOUT IT!

Happy reading, PEACE!

Annoying Things Non-Readers Do

I recently posted something about this on my Instagram and suddenly I was reflecting upon all of these incredibly annoying things non-readers do, and I found that there are so many of these that I decided to write an entire blogpost about it. PREPARE TO RELATE!

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They assume it’s okay to interrupt your reading.

This was precisely what I talked about on my Instagram. It particularly irks me to no end when someone interrupts my reading like there’s no harm done, WHEN THERE CLEARLY IS! It’s pretty obvious that I’m physically and emotionally invested in what I’m reading, that I’m into it, and yet they still, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, decide to interrupt me. You don’t see me interrupting you when you’re enjoying your favorite meal for something stupid, and you also don’t see me trying to talk to you when you’ve got earbuds in both ears. Unless it’s an emergency or you’re genuinely interested in what I’m reading, don’t bother! It can wait, but my need to continue reading honestly cannot! Oh, and it’s not only that they interrupt my reading, but they also make me lose my concentration and I find myself nOT BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE READING! DON’T YOU SEE THE GINOURMOUS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE YOU’RE INFLICTING UPON MY BEING?! YOU’RE BEING RUDE WHILE I’M TRYING TO KEEP MY CHILL AND CONCENTRATE ON MY READING!

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They ask you what you’re reading and make you explain what the book is about… WHILE YOU’RE READING!

You see, as an avid reader and book enthusiast, I love talking about books and spreading the word about them. I love sharing my thoughts and feelings, recommending books to people, all that jazz. Now, this? What you’re doing? It would be okay in any other situation that isN’T WHEN I’M READING! Can’t you just be civilized and wait patiently until I put my book away to ask me what I was reading? Do you really expect me to put down my book to explain to you what it’s about? To choose you over my book? No. Nope. No can do. It isn’t the time. There’s a time for everything, and this clearly isn’t it, okay? And the most irritating part about it is that most people don’t genuinely care about what you’re reading! If you don’t actually care, please don’t waste my time. *shakes head in disapproval.

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“Why doesn’t that book have a cover?”

*facepalm*

Okay, honey, let me explain to you. There are these thing that go over hardcover books, they’re called dustjackets.They come with different textures and in different sizes. They’re very pretty, very lovely, and they usually have the cover of the book printed upon them. But yoU SEE, HONEY, DUSTJACKETS MAKE MY READING EXPERIENCE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE SO I CHOOSE TO TAKE THEM OFF WHILE I READ. No, I’m not reading a book with a blank cover (and if I was, what do you care?). No, this book is not coverless. I’m just optimizing the comforts of my reading experience. OKAY, HONEY?

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“Oh so that’s like the new Hunger Games?”

Just because a book is Dystopian doesn’t automatically make it a copy of the Hunger Games. YOU SEE, within book genres there are always going to be elements that are present in almost every single book that belongs to that genre. Dystopian books are set in the future and almost always in post-apocalyptic worlds, so just because The Maze Runner is set in the future doesn’t automatically make it the new Divergent. Just because a book is about vampires doesn’t automatically make it the new Twilight. Just because a book has mythology in it doesn’t mean it’s the new Percy Jackson. AND JUST BECAUSE PAPER TOWNS IS BY JOHN GREEN DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE IT THE NEW FAULT IN OUR STARS, AND IT DOESN’T MAKE IT A SAPPY-CHEESY-SAD-ROMANCE NOVEL EITHER! GET IT RIGHT PEOPLE! That’s basically like saying that every love song is the same. They all share one element, love, but that doesn’t mean they’re all the same!

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“Why are you so invested? Why are you crying? Why are you angry? Why are you happy? Are you honestly attracted to that character? *an infinite amount of questions later* It’s. Just. A. Book.”

Excuse me? ExCUSE ME????? First of all, why do you care? Why? Oh, that’s right. You don’t, so shut up! Second of all you’re just a breathing, talking sack of blood, a stupid one at that, but you don’t see me questioning you about it! A book is not just a book. Never just a book. UNLIKE EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, books always have a meaning. And if I want to invest time and effort and feelings in my reading, then I will! I’ll still do as I please, regardless of if you like it or not. It’s not my fault you have the inability to appreciate art in the form of a book, and of understanding the power and influence a fictional character and/or a story can have over a person. And honestly, when you see a movie and it impacts you so much that you cry, or your whole way of viewing the world changes, is that okay? It is, isn’t it? Then how different is that from my situation? HOW DIFFERENT IS CRYING OVER A MOVIE FROM CRYING OVER A BOOK? TELL ME! I DARE YOU.

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They pretend to know more about a book than you do JUST because they’re “huge” fans of the movie.

Oh how it boils my blood when a non-reader tries to correct me when they only watched the movie. I’m not going to question your decision to only watch the movie, instead of bestowing the blessing of having read the book upon yourself. I’m not. It’s your decision, not mine. But do not, DO NOT, try to beat me at my own game. Sadly, movies never go as deep as the books go. No matter how great the movie is, readers will always have the upper hand in this equation. We’re not bragging, we’re not trying to act superior, it’s just how it is! We can have a peaceful and enjoying discussion about a book/movie, I’d love that. Until you correct me. We, as humans, are not perfect, and we make mistakes. Now we, AS READERS, almost always know what we’re talking about. Oh, and by the way, just because I choose to stay quiet, doesn’t mean that you’re right. It just means that I’ve accepted the fact that no matter how good of a player I am, you’re still gonna run around yelling “GOOOOOOAL,” acting like you won. What I mean by this is that I’m not gonna waste my time on your ignorance.

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(this is a very special one)

So you literally have an Instagram dedicated solely to books? Why?

*chokes* I’m sorry what? Would you be so kind as to explain to me why you have an Instagram dedicated solely to you
and your face? I mean, I’m sure miiiiiiillions of people are interested in looking at your selfies and your daily shenanigans. Right? Jesus Christ. I’m not interested in seeing your face perpetually plastered all over my feed, bUT I DON’T QUESTION WHY YOU INSIST ON POSTING PICTURES OF YOURSELF OR ABOUT YOURSELF! I get to connect with people who share my same interests in the same way you get to connect with people who are just as obsessed with yourself than you are.

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“You read books for fun? You’re so weird.”

You know, if I said that basketball is not fun, I’d get a gazillion basketballs thrown at my face and a billion explanations on how basketball is fun. I have nothing against basketball players, but it’s simply not my thing. Just because I don’t find it fun, or because I don’t find it useful in MY life doesn’t mean others can’t find it useful or fun. This is just the same. I choose to read books because it’s MY preference and something that I enjoy. I’ve never heard people question a sports player or a dancer or a singer so insistently as they do to readers. When you see someone passionately singing? You just attribute their passion to the fact that they love what they’re doing, right? Well, we, readers, are passionate about books because we love and enjoy reading, because, even if YOU don’t find any meaning in it, we find meaning in what we read. And believe it or not, reading IS fun, it’s just a matter of personal preference. We’re not weird, or socially incapable, we’re readers, just as people who enjoy singing are singers, and people who enjoy playing are players. It’s actually quite a simple concept and it’s lost on me how many people seem to be unable to understand this.

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Well, I’m going to stop here because if I don’t, I could keep going on and on and on about this. I’m sure you’ve felt identified with at least one of these frustrating situations, because at least one of these has to have happened in each avid reader’s life. It’s a given. What’s important, though, is that even when we have all of these people questioning why we love reading, we still read, and our love for reading does not falter. Anyways, if you enjoyed this post, maybe I’ll make it into a thing and post more of these sometime in the future. Who knows?

Nani’s October TBR

(it’s not as pretty as Cam’s tbr picture but just pretend that it is)

I’ve been particularly behind on my reading since June (yeah, I know, how horrifying) and I’ve decided to attempt to get myself back on track.

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So, there are about 9 or so books on my tbr this month, some of which you can see in the picture above. I’m already halfway into The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson, a little more than halfway into Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, which I’m reading for the second time around, aaaaand almost done with Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance audiobook.

Possibly after I’ve finished those I’ll dive right into The Rose Society by Marie Lu because we all know it’s the one book with the most priority on my TBR, and probably also into Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard because I’m so pumped and ready for another Rick Riordan book.

I’ll also be reading The Giver by Lois Lowry throughout the month for my English class, and I’m quite excited about it, to be honest.

Then I’ll also be reading The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd, which is our read-along book for the  month of October, and Half-Bad by Sally Green, as well as Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, because they are my bookclub’s books for the month of October aND I’M SO READY. I’M SO READY TO POOP MY PANTS.

Finally, and hopefully, I hope to be able to at least start reading Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (I think I’m ready for more Warner), and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (FINALLY!).

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It’s a pretty ambitious TBR, for me at least, as I have a crap load of schoolwork and projects to do but later on in the day I’ll be putting together my reading schedule, which is something I used to do so I’d finish books in a certain period of time, in hopes that I can read all of these, or at least come close to it.

I CAN DO THIS!

I WILL DO THIS!

(then again, maybe I don’t, bUT THERE’S NO TURNING BACK NOW)

Update: What I’ve Been Reading

I’m going to be completely honest and say that I had no idea what to post and I’m lacking inspiration, so I’ve decided to give you guys a little update on what I’ve been reading.

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Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari:

You see, lately I’ve been so occupied with school work, which barely leaves any time to read, and since I’m a huuuuuuge Aziz Ansari fan and I’d heard he’d released a new book recently, I decided to get the Modern Romance audiobook. I must say… I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this audiobook as much as I’m enjoying it, but that’s probably because I didn’t know that Aziz Ansari was the narrator of his own audiobook! He’s so hilarious and entertaining that I manage to do so many things and pay attention to everything he’s saying. There are little side comments and things that he says in the audiobook that aren’t in the actual book, it’s so fun. And something that I really like is the nice balance between comedy and actually relevant, truthful information. I only have a little bit left of it so I hope to finish it sometime during this week and have a review on it ready for you guys sometime in the weekend, maybe.

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Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas:

As some of you may know, I’m a horrible person. I own all of the Throne of Glass books and I’ve only read two of them. Oh the shame, I know! And the thing is, I have no excuse! I completely adooooored Throne of Glass and The Assassin’s Blade, and I don’t really have a reason for not continuing on with this series. SO, I decided to finally, FINALLY, dive into this series, and since I’d read Throne of Glass last year, I wanted to give it a re-read before I continued on with the rest. This is actually one of the best decision I’ve ever made. I never knew it was possible for me to like this book more than I did, but oh it’s possible. I’m so emotionally attached to this story and the characters in it, it’s destroying and reviving my soul over, and over again. Something that I also thought was that I was sure I preferred Chaol over Dorian. TURNS OUT, I can’t choose. I’m in a place where I’m team Celaena and I’ll be completely pleased with whoever she ends up with. I HOPE to have finished this by the end of the week or the next one but I have a lot of schoolwork, so we’ll see.

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The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson:

I was trying to save this book for when I could give it my full attention… I couldn’t. I COULDN’T RESIST TEMPTATION, OKAY?! The Kiss of Deception is one of my all time favorite books and it’s one that I hold very dear to my heart. I’m a massive fantasy fan, and a huge fan of anything medieval, so I can’t help feeling like this book was made for me. Anywaaaaaaays, point is, I know I’ve made a mistake by starting this book now, but I don’t regret one bit of it. As soon as I started reading it I got hit by a huge wave of nostalgia and an uncontrollable surge of excitement and I love it. I’m not very far into it but what I’ve read, I’ve loved, and the reason why I haven’t read more of it is because of school. SCHOOL IS THE CULPRIT. I hope to have finished this by the end of next week or the one after that because like I said, I have a shit ton of schoolwork.

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Armada by Ernest Cline:

I started reading this book and I was completely in love with it. It’s full of so much geeky and gamer references, how could I not love it? Well here’s the catch. I’m reading this book on my phone because I haven’t had the chance to get an actual copy of the book, and there are so many details and things to this story that I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something by reading this on my phone. Surely the placement of everything is different, and I can’t really appreciate the timelines and journal entries and all of that when reading the e-book version of this, so I decided to take a break from reading it, at least until I get a physical copy and can sit down and give my full attention to it for a hours, as it has so many details and descriptions and things and I want to be able to read and process all of it. I don’t want to miss out on anything. Hoooopefully I’ll have read this before the end of the year but who knows? We’ll see what happens.

Also, the cover of this book reminds me so much of Galaga, which I love, and that just makes me like this book even more.

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Well, there you have it folks. Hopefully (I keep saying hopefully, what’s wrong with me?) you enjoyed this little update and please excuse me if I don’t post one day or the other during these next few weeks, I have soooo many things going on at the same time and I’m only one person, so please bear with me. BYEEEEE!

The Rose Society: Anticipation, Theories, and Stuff

*WARNING* THIS POST CONTAINS VERY SPOILER-Y SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

As you all know, the absolute goddess that goes by the name of Marie Lu, who wrote the Legend trilogy, also wrote one of my favorite books that I’ve ever, EVER, read, The Young Elites. After reading the Legend trilogy, she IMMEDIATELY became one of my auto-buy authors. So naturally, when I heard she was releasing a new book, I was ecstatic. *lots of hype later* I couldn’t get the book as soon as it came out, much to my dismay, but I got it for Christmas! Yes! I finally had it in my hands! It was finally time to devour this glorious new acquirement. FINALLY! *opens book* *dies*

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING! WHy DID I NOT BUY THIS WHEN IT CAME OUT?

And THAT my friends is how I became a Young Elites enthusiast, a term I use to express my belief that everyone should read The Young Elites by Marie Lu. I was completely blown away by the uniqueness, darkness and beauty of this book. Completely and utterly fascinated. I fell so in love with this book that I would not (still haven’t) shut up about it. My long-time Instagram followers are all witnesses of this crazed obsession of mine with this book. I raved, and raved, and raved about it. I posted 958592843857 pictures of it on Instagram. I tweeted about it again, and again, and again.

(Marie Lu favorited a couple of those tweets. I may have fangirled a little bit. Just a little.)

I continuously stated that everyone, EVERYONE, should read this book. I got my friends Fiderly and Kaysia read it. I even got my cousin to read it, and in case you’re wondering, she is, indeed, a Young Elites enthusiast. Basically, it’s a universally known fact that I, Adriana Vélez, LOVE THE YOUNG ELITES.

I anxiously waited for news of the sequel to this book. The ending of The Young Elites left me highly intrigued, I wanted to know who this seemingly badass, Maeve, girl. I wanted to know what they’d do about the Enzo situation. I wanted to know if Adelina would FINALLY cross paths with a certain character that I wanted her to cross paths with ever since they mentioned his name (I’ll talk more about this character later on, hold your horses). I wanted to know if Adelina’s hair survived her rage and somehow still look badass, even if it was all chopped up (I care deeply about hair, don’t ask). I wanted to know about Maeve’s group of elites. I wanted to know who’d be a member of The Rose Society. I wanted to know everything. I NEEDED to know everything.

Then the title was revealed. THE ROSE SOCIETY, DUH! ThEN THE COVER WAS REVEALED. I almost peed my pants.

*hyperventilates*

*screeches*

*bangs head against floor*

It. Was. STUNNING.

The White Wolf was on the cover. THE WHITE WOLF WAS THE COVER! *vomits rainbows profusely like the Snapchat filter* That was it. I couldn’t handle the wait. I was gonna go insane. I am insane. I needed this book in my life and the wait was eternal, so I consoled myself by preaching the amazingness that is this book, looking up artwork, pictures and tumblr posts of it. I fangirled with my cousin, Loris, again and again (bless her soul for existing). AND FINALLY, I theorized. I spent an incredible amount of time thinking about The Young Elites and theorizing on what would happen in The Rose Society. The ending made way for so much, there were so many possibilities. So I came up with the following theories.

Oh and how can I forget Marie Lu’s announcement that The Young Elites had a movie deal thingamajig. THE YOUNG ELITES IS GOING TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE. I don’t know when, BUT IT IS! I will get to see everyone’s cool hair and eye colors and their faces and the world and everything. A MOVIE!

Anywaaaaaaaays, on with the theories.

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THEORIES:

My first theory and the one I’m most proud of and sure of: MAGIANO.

You see, this character was mentioned quite a few times. But he never appeared in the book. I kept waiting for him to to appear, to cross paths with Adelina. But he never did. You may be wondering why I was so eager for this character to appear, so I’ll tell you why. The first, and most important reason is this:

“Magic is a shortened term derived from “Magiano’s tricks,” coined from the exploits of the famous young charlatan, Magiano, who was never captured by the Inquisition.”

If Magiano’s power is to”magic”, and Adelina’s power is illusions, do the math. Magic and illusions go hand in hand. It’s very clear that they’d make a very powerful team.

My second reason is that Adelina is looking for Young Elites to join The Rose Society. If she’s looking for Elites, and it’s clear that she and Magiano would make a powerful team, he MUST become a member of The Rose Society. IT’S OBVIOUS!

My third reason is pretty evident. If Magiano kept being mentioned, and he was the only Young Elite (that wasn’t in the Dagger Society) that was mentioned by name, isn’t that kind of… Foreshadowing? She’s literally telling us he’ll be of high importance in this story.

My fourth, and last reason is that *spoiler* Enzo is dead. *sobs* Even if they revive him, it wouldn’t be the same (again, we’ll discuss this later). And on top of that, Raffaele kicked her out of the Dagger Society. SOOOOOO, that can only mean one thing. We need a new love interest and/or male companion to swoon and fangirl over. And Magiano seems like a perfect fit to me.

Also come on, Magiano seems like the name of a really, really cool (and potentially hot) guy. Just say Magiano out loud and you’ll see what I mean. Magiano. Magiano. MaGIAno. MaGIANO. MAGIANO. M A G I A N O.

My second theory, Enzo Valenciano.

*sobs at the mention of his name*

As you all know, our dearly loved, smoking hot prince (literally), is dead. And as you all know, Crown Princess of Beldain, Maeve Jacqueline Kelly Corrigan, has the power to revive the dead. Those two facts make it quite apparent that there’s a high chance that Maeve will bring Enzo back to life. She has to!

Now going along with the fact that Maeve can revive the dead is this:

“She knows that if she opened his chamber door and gave a command, his eyes would turn black and he could very well kill everyone in the palace yard. But she doesn’t, so he remains quiet.”

“For the first few years after he returned, Tristan was himself again. Alive. Normal. Then, slowly, he began to change.”

“Maeve smiles sadly at her brother’s silence, then touches his cheek. She can feel his strength even now, a strange, unnatural power coursing through his body that she alone, who chose to bring him back, has the power to unleash on the enemy of her choice.”

Taking into consideration the situation of her brother’s revival, we know that if Enzo was brought back to life he wouldn’t be the same. And even if for the first few years (or months, or days, who knows?) after his revival he “was himself again,” he would still be inevitably tied to Maeve’s power and control, so Enzo and Adelina being together again isn’t a very likely option, and neither is Enzo returning to the Daggers.

He’ll be brought back to life. I’m almost 100% sure that he will. Now, when in the story this will happen, I’m not sure. It could happen right away, at the beginning of the book. It could be the climax of the book, his revival unleashing some brutal conflict, or something. OOOOOR it could happen at the end of the book, leaving us in a major cliffhanger, which is the one I’m leaning towards the most.

My third theory, after Enzo’s revival (if he is, indeed, revived).

It could go a lot of ways. I think one option that would be very likely is that all three Young Elite societies could be at war, the winning prize being Enzo. You see, Adelina would want Enzo back. She fell hard for him, and she must feel incredibly guilty for killing him, even if it was an accident. She’d want him back, and I’d bet she’d want to say sorry. And she’d probably also want him on The Rose Society as well. The Daggers would also OBVIOUSLY want him back, he was their leader and founder of the Dagger Society, after all. And then Maeve would want to keep him in her society of Elites, as she was the one who would’ve brought him back, she wants to keep her power a secret (and everyone knows of Enzo’s death), and he’s pretty much bound to her, so she’d want to keep him close. I’m not 100% sure about what will actually happen though, like I said, it could go a lot of ways.

My fourth and last theory is more like a random thought, and it involves Teren Santoro.

I think it’s possible that Teren may not always be the main villain of this story. It’s a random thought, not something I strongly believe or am sure about, but it could happen. What if Marie Lu decides to pull a Tahereh Mafi on us and Teren becomes the new Warner? Don’t worry, no one could ever be the new Warner, and I’m strongly on board with the whole idea of Magiano and Adelina, but you get my point right? Right? ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN!

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Going back to me fangirling with my cousin, here’s a little fact about us. We both, somehow, have the same guilty pleasure. Spoilers. We love spoilers. But only when we ask for spoilers or look for them ourselves. Not being randomly being spoiled. No one likes being spoiled like that. You see, we both have the horrible habit of reading the last pages of a book before finishing, and sometimes even before starting it, and we both have the equally as horrible habit of losing our patience and looking up spoilers online. Like I said, it’s a bad habit (THAT WE’RE GUILTY OF INDULGING ON EVERY SINGLE TIME)

Well, I had looked up The Rose Society and accidentally (I promise it was an accident) gazed at one if the reviews. I read something and tried to keep my cool, but I couldn’t. One of my theories was true. ONE OF MY THEORIES WAS TRUE! So… I may have googled it. I was curious. I wanted to be sure that this was real. I swear I didn’t open any of the websites that popped up, but on the descriptions of the things that popped up, I read it again. HOLY CONFIRMATION, IT’S TRUE!

I was losing it. I’d lost my chill the minute I opened The Young Elites, and I was losing it all over again with this spoiler. So naturally, I tell my cousin. She loses it, we both lose it. Lots of fangirling and blabbing later, here’s what went down.

“That’s it,” she says, “I need spoilers.”

“nO!” I answer “WE MUST RESIST TEMPTATION! WE DON’T NEED SPOILERS, SPOILERS NEED US!”

“That’s bullshit. I. NEED. SPOILERS.”

“LORIS, DON’T DO IT! WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR TOO LONG, DON’T RUIN IT NOW!”

“I DON’T CARE, I NEED SPOILERS!”

“Okay. OkAY. Promise me you won’t look up any spoilers until you read the book and I promise I won’t do it either.”

“…”

“PROMISE!”

“Fine, I promise.”

And THAT, my friends, is one of the most painful and regretful promises I’ve ever made. I REGRET IT SO MUCH! I DO NEED SPOILERS! I NEED TO KNOW, BUT I REFUSE TO BREAK MY PROMISE! AND IF I BREAK IT THAT MEANS LORIS WILL BREAK IT AND NO. NOPE. I WILL RESIST.

(if you understand this picture that I JUST had the genius idea of creating, I greatly appreciate your existence, and we can be friends)

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IN CONCLUSION TO THIS SEEMINGLY FANGIRL-Y POST, The Rose Society comes out on October 13th of 2015. That’s in less than two weeks! I pre-ordered my copy of it off Amazon, and you should pre-order yours too, if you haven’t already. I’ve had so much fun writing this, I hope you like it and that it is as funny to you as it is to me. BYEEEEEEEEE!

(that’s me with my copy of The Young Elites, btw)

What Do You Love About Life?

Every Friday, in my school, we do a reflective diary kind of thing in which our teacher will give us some questions, and we’ll answer it and express what we think about it. Today’s question was “what do you love about life?” So I thought I’d share my answer, as I think people often need to be reminded of what life is and what it’s actually worth.

I love EVERY SINGLE THING about life.

I love that as much as it can be beautiful, it can be ugly, and that no matter how ugly it gets, it is always, ALWAYS, bound to get better, and that even when your day is going horribly wrong and you feel like you can’t keep going, one single, simple thing can turn your whole day around. I love nature and the complexity of everything in it and outside of it, and the complexity of life itself. I love that our brains and the way we are made enables us to create things such as gorgeous stories and delicious foods, that we can make art and express ourselves by using colors, by using our bodies and by using our voices. I love that no matter how smart we get, we can NEVER stop learning and improving. I love that everything is connected to everything, and that one thing can lead to another. I love that our words leave a bigger mark than we could ever imagine, for what is said will never be able to be unsaid. I love that the simplest of things can make us smile, and can remind us of another. I love that we get a say in who we are and what we do. I love that we’re flawed and make mistakes and that we’re able to learn from them and that they keep us grounded, reminding us that no one is perfect, and the closest to being perfect we can get is by being perfectly imperfect. I love that everything happens for a reason. I love that it is granted to us as an act of mercy and grace towards us, flawed and sinners as we all are, don’t deserve something of such worth. I love that there is love and compassion and passion and loyalty and honesty and mercy and grace and forgiveness.

I love that IT HAS A MEANING.

It’s baffling how even though we have all of these things to appreciate about life, including the gift of life itself, we seldom realize how much it’s actually worth. It’s value is truly… Ineffable. We complain, and complain about our struggles and problems when we have all of these other extraordinary things given to us, without asking for anything in exchange. No matter how bad it can be for us, how many reasons to complain one can find, there will always be at least one thing worth smiling, one thing worth living for. Think about it, if for every bad thing we thought about we thought about two good things, how much happier would we be?

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

Life is something of indescribable worth, and the fact that I get to own it, that YOU get to own it, that we all get to be a part of it, I love that.

Face Care Tips and Tricks

The way I see it, a well cared for face is most definitely a beautiful one. Having said that, here are some of the little things I do to keep my face well cared for.

• The first thing I’ll recommend you do is very, VERY simple. Wash your face. That’s it. I always wash my face when I wake up and before going to bed as it’s a nice way to keep my face clean and fresh for the day (and night).

• Another thing that I find is an essential in my “face care routine” is using as much natural products as possible. The less chemicals, the better. Lush products are great for this part. They’re fresh and natural, plus they smell really good. Another product that’s really good for this is Castile Soap. It’s a vegetable based soap, and it’s hypoallergenic, so it’s great for those of you who have really sensitive skin. Also, it’s very inexpensive, so you don’t have to go out of your way to get a product that does something good for your skin.
• Something that goes hand in hand with keeping your face fresh and clean is taking your makeup off as soon as you get home and if possible, try going out without it every few days. It’s good for your skin to take a break and breathe as much as possible. If you feel better going out with makeup, that’s fine. Just make sure you take it off as soon as you get home, and never EVER fall asleep with makeup on. A good place for getting good, inexpensive makeup remover is TJMaxx. They always have a good selection of makeup removing towelettes, which I find are easier and a lot more comfortable to use than liquid makeup remover. And don’t worry about being naked faced, you’re honestly beautiful with or without makeup. YOU’RE FABULOUS!

• The next thing I’ll suggest is moisturizing your face, preferably after washing it. Something that I always do is put my moisturizing cream in the fridge. That way, every time I apply it, it’s cold and all the more refreshing. Plus, the cold actually helps seal your pores, which is always great. The moisturizing cream I use is the St. Ives Timeless Skin, collagen elastin facial moisturizer. It’s fairly inexpensive and you can easily find it in drug stores.
• Staying on the moisturizing note, keeping your lips moisturized is just as important as keeping your face moisturized. My lips get really dry, really easily, so I always try to carry around some lip balm with me and apply it constantly. I basically use any lip balm I find, I’m not picky with those, but EOS lip balms are honestly so great, and so cute, and they smell so good. Also, something that’s really cheap and works as a perfect moisturizer for your lips is vaseline. Although I personally prefer EOS lip balms or Chapsticks over it.

• This one may seem a little odd, but try to keep your hair out of your face from time to time, specially if you struggle with acne. Having your hair in your face all the time can make your skin oily, as the oils from your hair are constantly rubbing against your skin, and it may ultimately lead to getting acne. I personally don’t like having my hair in my face, so I’m almost always tying it or pulling it back. There’s a grand variety of cute hair accesories to keep your hair in check. Tiny hair clips, hair tyes and bobby pins are by far the cheapest and easiest to wear, and you can find them almost anywhere, so that’s great if you’re like me and you’re always losing these. Now, if you want to spice up your look a little bit, Claire’s has an incredible selection of headbands, clips and pins. Remember, tying your hair back doesn’t mean you can’t look beautiful, by any means. You can look just as fabulous with your hair back as you can with your hair down.

• This isn’t a “face care” thing as much as it is a lifestyle thing, but a healthier diet always leads to better skin. I’ve never been much into greasy foods, or incredibly sweet things, and I’ve always drank a whole lot of water, and I think that without even noticing I was taking care of my skin, in a way. People have always commented on how clear and smooth my skin is, and only recently that I became a vegan and did some research did I learn that my skin is the way it is because I’ve always had a healthy diet. So try eating healthier, as often and as much as you can, AND STAY HYDRATED!

• THE LAST THING I’LL RECOMMEND, is read. Sure, this doesn’t make your skin prettier but it does make your mind healthier. It’s like food for your brain. It also makes your vocabulary richer and ultimately more beautiful. And just overall, I really believe reading makes you a better person. It gives you a better deeper understanding of life, it’s such a great form of entertainment and if anything, it makes you a thousand times more beautiful in my eyes.

So yeah, these are things that I live by, and even though I don’t always follow all of these, I try my best to follow them all as often as possible. Like I said in the beginning, a well cared for face is most definitely a beautiful one, not to mention a healthy one. I most definitely recommend you give these a try and see how they work out for you. I hope this was of any use to you, and that you liked it, and yeah! SEE YOU SOON!