The Heir Chronicles, Book One - The Warrior Heir

By Cinda Williams Chima 

[Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old
Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small
Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has
to take daily and the thick scar above his heart
set him apart from the other high-schoolers.

At least, until the day Jack forgets his 'medicine'.
Suddenly he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident
than ever before. And it feels great - right up until
he loses control and almost kills someone.
An incident which proves to be just the beginning.

Jack is about to learn the startling truth: he is Weirlind;
part of an underground society of magical people
who live among us. More, Jack discovers that he's 
unique: he's one of the last of the warriors, and his
power has manifested at a time when both houses are
hunting for a warrior. And until one of the feuding
houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, they'll stop
at nothing to get Jack to fight for them...]

I got bought this book for Christmas as my friend thought it'd be my type of thing, not that she'd read it herself - she just knows me that well!

And I did enjoy this book. I'd never heard of it before and as always, when getting into a new fantasy series it takes me a few chapters to get my head around the new terms, but I grasped them pretty quickly.

The prologue was intriguing and definitely a good way to pull you into the story (also nicely looped around at the end and neatly tied up).

The main bulk of the book was great though. I loved the characters, especially Jack, Will and Fitch. The mix of everyday life thrown into contrast against magical battles and sparring was very well done and I didn't find any of it boring which you can sometimes get in fantasies with all the description.

The tension throughout was brilliant, one big long adventure with little quiet moments that were cute or refreshing. The final battle (although I guessed Jack's opponent moments before it was revealed) was good, I felt it could've been a tiny bit more dramatic. I wasn't on the edge of my seat because it was the outcome I expected too.

I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series will bring though. I love the idea of ancient magic and tournaments so I'm intrigued!

Also more to come about Jersey soooooon...



☽

Finding Dory

Image from Pinterest

So, this past week I've had off work which has been nice (hence the missed post on Wednesday, my bad).

I intended to go to Ireland for the week but decided to postpone it until the Spring due to a whole host of reasons.

Instead, I went home for a few days and saw a friend and my grandparents.

Walking my dog each morning amongst the blanket of golden leaves and the crisp blue skies was also well and truly needed.

But more on that in a later post, I have a handful of beautiful autumnal photos I would love to share.

This post, though, is about Finding Dory.

The first few minutes literally had me in tears. Adeel turned to me in the dark cinema and broke his heart-shaped hands in two. I couldn't help but laugh. How can five minutes into a Pixar film bring up so much emotion?

Like with Bridget Jones's Baby, I was worried this would let the first instalment down.

It did anything but that.

It was a fun, fast-paced tearjerker of an adventure pulling on every heartstring possible.

I loved how it managed to touch on some really sensitive subjects without getting to complicated to confuse children.

The new characters - a grumpy octopus named Hank, a whale shark named Destiny and a beluga whale named Bailey - were a lovely addition, adding humour and friendship into the mix.

Nemo and Marlin were great again reprising their former roles.

But a special mention to Ellen DeGeneres needs to be given because she really is amazing. She gives so much character to her regal blue tang, you can't help but be swept into Dory's search for her long lost parents.

The plot was a simple one, but definitely didn't fail to entertain.

It was a sweet and easy watch, one great for adults and children alike.

---

Rating:
★★★★★

The Wise Man's Fear

By Patrick Rothfuss.

Narrated by Rupert Degas.

Image From Goodreads

[Sequel to the extraordinary THE NAME OF THE WIND, THE 

WISE MAN'S FEAR is the second instalment of this superb

fantasy trilogy from Patrick Rothfuss. This is the most exciting 

fantasy series since George R. R. Martin's A SONG OF ICE AND

FIRE, a must-read for all fans of HBO's GAME OF THRONES.

Picking up the tale of Kvothe Kingkiller once again, we follow

him into exile, into political intrigue, courtship, adventure, love

and magic... and further along the path that has turned Kvothe,

the mightiest magician of his age, a legend in his own time, into

Kote, the unassuming pub landlord.

Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama

as THE NAME OF THE WIND, this is a sequel in every way the

equal to its predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans.

Readable, engaging and gripping THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the

biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.]

I have a tonne of reviews to write up, so bear with me if there's not many lifestyle posts around!

I am falling more and more in love with these books. Patrick Rothfuss' writing is absolutely a-ma-zing.

There was a lot more action in this one compared to the first one, but, still, even the everyday mundane activities the book covered or the slower moments were made to be interesting yet again. 

I don't know how he does it. There's just something about the way that he writes that makes me feel so engaged, I love it. I could only ever hope to write to near his standard someday.

I still think Kvothe is a brilliant character. It was great to see him break away from the University for a bit, although this then lead to a lack of Sim and Will, but the new characters along his journey were also great. I especially enjoyed Kvothe's interactions with Tempi.

The villains were amplified upping the stakes a great deal. It was great to start off with his university rival again and then to progress onto darker, more powerful enemies on his travels.

I found the Fae aspect very interesting indeed. It shows the good and bad in people, no one is wholly good or bad but a mixture of both.

The fleeting on-off romance with Denna was both lovely and frustrating. You root for them so much but then a lot of things do end up getting in the way.

The twist at the end I did not see coming (and still am trying to understand if it was a twist or me just reading it the wrong way!), but I cannot wait for book three!! He needs to hurry up and finish writing it.

✌︎

Belle Paris

One year ago, me and my friend Yasmin decided to go on our first adventure - no parents, no solid plans and no boundaries in this beautiful city. Paris.

We hopped on the Eurostar around lunchtime and headed off into the depths of France. A couple of hours later and we were faced with the challenge of finding our hotel - which actually wasn't a very long walk from the hustle and bustle of Gare du Nord.

Our hotel, Faubourg 216-224, was actually on a street full of a whole variety of culture, from Asian cuisine to fashion. It felt more like we were in India than Paris to begin with. The hotel itself was under a lot of construction, split over two buildings not far apart on the same street, and was okay for our short four-day stay.

The room was tiny (how do they make the rooms look so much bigger in the pictures?!) and it seemed a little worn but we weren't planning on staying in the hotel for huge amounts of time, so it would do.

After unpacking and settling in for a bit, we thought we'd head out in search of something to eat. We considered going further afield but in the end found something locally and familiar. Buffalo Grill - serving huge American-sized portions, with heaps of friendliness and a whole abundance of atmosphere. The staff are even happier when you try and speak a little French!

After stuffing ourselves and receiving this cute note from our waiter, we headed back to the hotel, ready for a good nights sleep and eagerly planning our next day in the city.

✌