Bitten, Kelley Armstrong

I recently finished Bitten, a urban fantasy novel by Kelley Armstrong. This book had been recommended to me awhile ago and I finally got around to reading it. This book was not what I expected. It surprised me at almost every turn. The TV series is quite different.


Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.

But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her "family," she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she's increasingly uncertain if it's the right one.

Like I said, this book surprised me. I wasn't expecting it to be so outwardly romantic which in retrospect sounds ridiculous. Anyways, Elena's an awesome character and she changes so much throughout the novel which I loved. In the beginning she is constantly trying to shrink herself down -- something very much in line with what a lot of women do. With Phillip she gets to be normal but she doesn't get to be herself. That is something I found pretty disturbing but quite realistic. And then, when she is called away, back to Stonehaven, she almost does a 180. And ends up hooking up with her ex-boyfriend/ex-fiance--the first night. That I found was shocking and not what I was expecting after watching the series on TV. Personally, their relationship I found unsettling. Mostly because as you find out, he is anything but the perfect boyfriend.

I don't really like their relationship. Much. I don't like how fast it was for Elena to hook up with Clay. I was kind of disappointed in that. But at the same time it makes her more real--more imperfect I guess. And it is pretty clear right from the get go that she and Clay have a lot of history-Philip, though nice-ish is more a rebound than anything else. To be honest, I don't really like Philip, he's kinda controlling and when Elena's with him she's always trying to shrink down. I don't like that. It is sad to read.

Her hold in the human world was all but gone when she stepped foot into Stonehaven which was different from how she acted in the TV series. In the TV series she holds on tight to that part of herself and stays away from Clay for as long as she can. While in the book, it is more like she splits up her life; she lives two lives, and steps into the one at Stonehaven completely, almost seamlessly.

Kelley Armstrong is a really great author. I adored her clear and definitive writing style as well as I loved the way that the Pack is so accurately depicted as a wolf pack. The behavior of the individuals is so much like a pack, it is almost strange to read about because it is so well done.

This book was good--full of adventure and romance, a strong story and character growth.
I'm really curious to see how it turns out. What happens next.  

Spotlight On Television: The 100

The 100 is currently on season two. It is a post-apocalyptic drama that started back in 2013 on the CW. It is based on the book of the same name, by Kass Morgan. 

Personally, I started watching The 100 this year on Netflix after surgery. And let me tell you, it is a pretty incredible show. I agree with what most of the critics say, this show has its fair share of stereotypes, but honestly, they make it work. Each character is relateable in some way and this show has a similar feeling and is reminiscent of Lost and Terra Nova.

I love the way they tell the stories in this show. As the seasons progress you get to learn more about each character`s personal story and you get to see what made them the way they are. What drives them and what scares them. We are introduced to Clarke and we watch her story unfold and understand why she is the way she is. But the story becomes even more complicated when we learn about Bellamy and Octavia, and learn more about the Ark and what it was like living in it.

The premise is extraordinary: this story begins 97 years after a nuclear war wipes out nearly all life on earth. The only known survivors are the people of the Ark. The Ark was created by the 12 space stations that came together after the war. Life on the Ark is hard. Any and all crimes are punishable by 'floating' unless you are under eighteen. 'Floating' is the horrifying practice of throwing any rule breakers out of an air lock.

Yes, even after a nuclear war us humans are still executing one another.
Unfortunately, under the circumstances, it is actually understandable why all crimes are dealt with so ruthlessly and punished so severely.

About 2, 400 people live on the Ark, they are ruled by the Chancellor and the Council. When the life support system on the Ark begins to fail--100 "expendable" juvenile delinquents are sent from the Ark down to Earth. The teens are aware that it's a test to see if the earth is habitable yet. They find out that for the most part, the earth is habitable.

The teens and kids land on Earth and begin to form a sort of community. Earth, a place they had only ever dreamed about and seen from space, becomes their home. Problems arise when two conflicting ideals emerge in the form of the leadership. Clarke and Bellamy are at odds over how they want this new world to work. Bellamy wants to be free of the Ark while Clarke who represents moral leadership wants to save them.

The teens become divided when half of them don't want the Ark to know that the earth is habitable and they begin to take off there sensor bracelets. The kids and teens soon discover that the dangers they will face are more than just that of their peers, in fact, the earth may be beautiful but it is not without its own dangers. And though they thought they were the only survivors they're not.

Television Spotlight: Castle

Castle

Mystery writer, turned sorta-cop-detective hunts down killers with the NYPD's, Detective Beckett, in order to find inspiration for his next book.


Highlights in this series


• Firefly references 
• His love of ice cream 
• Laser tag 
• The espresso machine

Nathan Fillion, as Richard (Rick) Castle 

Stana Katic as NYPD Detective Kate Beckett 

Tamala Jones as Lanie Parish 

Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito

Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan

Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle 

Castle is an American crime drama television series; following the lives Richard Castle and Kate Beckett. Castle, a wealthy best-selling mystery author played by Nathon Fillion, is called into the NYPD to consult on a case when he decides that Detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katnic, is his muse.

I have to say it is an awesome show. You ever hear of binge-watching TV? 

Well, that is what I've done with this series and what you will probably do. It has become my favorite because honestly, Castle, is just so awesome. Not only is it entertaining but it is actually very engaging, you really end up loving the characters.

Honestly, Rick Castle is just hilarious.
He's a complete dork. Like so many awesome people, he comes up with wild theories, believes in ghosts, is a best-selling author, plays poker with James Patterson, and by god, he name-drops like any proper nerd.

Honestly, I`m not that into cop shows, I mean I've watched Criminal Minds on and off (because, well psychology is fascinating) but because Nathan Fillion is in it, I decided to give it a try. He is always awesome--I'm a huge fan of him and his work. The cast is fantastic, they bring the character's to life--and I believe you'll enjoying watching how they grow and evolve over the seasons. 

The series is on season six right now, he's still working with Beckett, writing, and procrastinating.
This series focuses mainly on the relationship between the Castle and Beckett. But it also focuses on the lives of the other characters, it also focuses on the murder of Beckett's mother and how Beckett has learned to cope with it.

This show is a must watch.
It is hilarious.
It is engaging and it is fantastic.

!!! FAN EXPO 2012 !!!!

The third largest fan gathering in North America. 

Fan expo was this last weekend, August 24-26. Fan expo is *for those few who don't know* is a gathering of fans from horror, comic, Sci-fi, Anime and Gaming. Basically a gathering of nerds and costumers, alike. They had authors, actors, amazing vendors, Xbox, the space channel was there. 

Fan expo is in its 18th year, and has grown in numbers. It features of 700 exhibitors and well known, and up-and-coming actors, authors and TV/internet personalities.

This was my first year at fan expo, I stayed for Saturday, which needless to say wasn't enough. There was so much to do, and so much to buy. My mom, brother and sister, and I went. We each got to meet Chris Sarandon, who is most known for his voice acting of Jack Skellington. My sister got his autograph which was really cool. As you all know, I love to read. LOVE to read. So going to fan expo was awesome in the way of that, they had publishing booths and seminars. Kelly Armstrong was there, Lesley Livingston, also I met a brand new author Marie Bilodeau who I love. I hadn't heard of her before fan expo. 

I loved being there, the convention center is huge, the food is WAY overpriced, it would be completely impossible to have enough money there. By that I mean there is are many vendors and books, and movies, and actors that I wanted to meet, get my photograph with, and get their autograph, I don't think there is any amount of money that you would be %100 satisfied with. 

Saying that, even though my family and I did not have a lot of money we still had a blast. Fan expo isn't just limited to one genre, it has four. It is huge. It was awesome. 

This is defintely something you must do before you die. Have you heard of Revolution? It is the new CityTV program that airs September 17th. CityTV was there handing out posters for the cast to sign, the wait was long but worth. I have to say that it looks really good and I'll be trying to catch it.