Book Nerd Monday: Fangirling over Illium

I'm a huge fan of the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh, and although I'm not sure who made this fan art, the artist managed to sum up this series pretty damn well in one picture. 

Holy shit look at Illium he looks adorable god dammit. I know he's like, a lot older than me, but if he was real I'd be debating making a move. Who wouldn't? If you said that you wouldn't want to be with Illium, then you're lying. If you said that you don't like this series, you're either lying or haven't read it yet.

My favourite part of this phenomenal six book series is obviously the whole thing, I don't think I could single out one little bit. I love the topsy turvy relationship between vampires, humans & angels. I think the thing I respect the most about the angel portion of the series is how well Nalini portrayed the ageing process. You could clearly grasp how an angel changed not only physically, but also emotionally, as you got to know that angel. RESPECT.

Back to my fangirling. Why did this amazing series have to end?!?!? It ended too soon!!! Too soon, I say!!! I hope we get a short story or something in the future, just to see how Elena and Raphael are doing. To be honest, they're the perfect couple because they balance each other out. It's not the guy constantly being overprotective of the girl, and if he is Raphael has good reason to. Elena fights many of Raphael's choices, usually because she's a strong independent woman and don't need no man.

LOOK AT ALL THIS FANTABULOUS FANART I FOUND! LOOK AT IT!

Although I'm not usually a big fan of this particular style, I love that weird grin Illium's got going
on - plus I'm so glad the artist included his sword.  

This is just so cute, ya know? Looooooove it!

This is my favourite piece of Guild Hunter fan art I've ever seen. Nothing
has captured Elena quite so perfectly. I mean for f*cks sake, look at those
wings.

#LoveHateRelationhsipWithDmitri

~AuRevoir!~

P.S I never knew that there was going to be an Archangel's Shadows?! I don't know if I'll read it, seeing as the other two books that weren't centred around Elena and Raphael weren't as enjoyable for me (Archangel's Storm: DNF). Still, hard not to be excited!

Something Old, Something New: March

I feel so sad at the moment. Because school has taken up most of my time and my head's been all over the place, I've had to stop reading. Even the books that I was in the middle of, I've had to stop reading. It's gotten so bad that books I started over a month ago are still sitting on my bedside table unfinished. I feel deflated, like I'm not worthy of my Bookworm title. I'm only half kidding, to be honest. As you can tell, I take books very seriously. I guess I should move on. As always, links to take you to the books' Goodreads pages are below.

☆Something Old☆

Most of the books from my last Something Old, Something New aren't finished, but I did have time to re-read Blood Prophecy by Alyxandra Harvey and my book of selected poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Both I've loved to death ever since getting them, and because I didn't have time to delve into a completely new literary world I thought it'd be okay to travel back to some old ones.

I can't properly express how much I love these books and how amazing the authors are. I've been a fan of the respective authors since I was ten or eleven and just. omg. I love.

☆Something New☆

I'm currently reading The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, and I've got less than 60 pages left. It's similar to the Hunger Games as it delves into the dystopian world of different factions of people under the rule of those who essentially don't give a damn about you. Except, there's vampires. The main character, Allie, goes through the trials and tribulations of living on the Fringe of society and almost dying many times. One night, after being seriously injured, she's given a choice between dying and becoming the very monster she hates most in the world; a vampire. The rest of the book is about Allie leaving behind the world she knew, and leaving behind everything she knew about herself. I love it omg. I also love that although there is a love interest for Allie, that isn't the dominating theme in the book.

☆Something To Look Forward To☆

I've got a shit tonne of books on my shelves that I still haven't read, some of them have been sitting there for a long time. Oops? As much as I'd love to re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, I know I have to devote the time I have reading to new books and new stories that I don't know off by heart. I definitely should read Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick. It's the third in the Ashes trilogy, something I started a loooong time ago. I haven't gotten round to it because to read this particular series I've got to be in the perfect mood, and lately I just haven't wanted to read it. Don't worry! I will review it soon!

Some other books that I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the Blood of Eden series (The Immortal Rules), Omens by Kelley Armstrong, and a lot of others that were featured in my book haul post. 

~Au Revoir!~

Links: 

Blood Prophecy by Alyxandra Harvey
Selected Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien 
Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa 
Omens by Kelley Armstrong
Book Nerd Monday: Book Haul!

Book Nerd Monday: Book Haul!

Today I decided what the hell, I'mma do a book haul. I haven't done a hall yet, and I recently realised just how many books I've bought and not read over the last few months. Oops? Maybe I'll get better at that soon!

This haul won't contain books I've bought recently that I have read, because hopefully I've got something else planned for that in the upcoming weeks. I'm also really sorry I haven't been posting many book reviews lately. Finding time to read has been a little difficult, but hopefully I'll be able to review more and more books as time goes on.  

Click "Goodreads page" under each picture to find out more about the book!        

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I hope you all enjoyed seeing what books I've bought over the past few months, I know I love seeing any sort of haul whether it be on a blog or Youtube. They're fun to make as well, so let me know in the comments if you want to see more. Suggest any other ideas for posts as well, if you like! I love you, little pixies!

~Au Revoir!~

Book Nerd Saturday: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

OH MY GOD A RANDOM WEEKEND POST, WHAT? 

This isn't a review, this is an oh my god what do I do? post. I'm very tempted to buy The Darkest Minds because I've heard brilliant things about it, but I can't decide. This afternoon I've been looking around the blogosphere and sites like Goodreads to find more books that I really want to read. Most of the books I have at home that I haven't read yet, I'm not very interested in anymore. I'll read them eventually, but for now I want a book I can sink my teeth into. If The Darkest Minds was a vampire book that'd be a frickin' awesome pun.

Basically, I don't know what to do. I was very bad and researched as many spoilers as I could, but I couldn't find the book anywhere to read for free online. I read things for free online because if I'm not 100% sure about buying a book (unless it's cheap) then I often regret it. I know, I'm horrible, I should actually the books. But no one can blame me for not wanting to purchase the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. However, I think I'd happily fork out a tonne of money for The Darkest Minds. 

But will I regret buying this book? 

I can grasp the basic premise of the book, and I think I understand some of the characters. So basically if someone asked me a question about the book, I could answer them, albeit with not much depth. I haven't even read and the feels are already taking over. I know what happens at the end, and it's like my heart is the Wicked Witch of the West. It's melting, and not the good melting either. 

I'm going to bite the bullet! And once I read it I'll post a book review. Pinky Swear. *jinx back, double pinky, round the side, double pinky, jinx back*

~Au Revoir!~

Miscellaneous Friday: Bohemian Decorating on a Budget

The bohemian style, whether it be fashion or decor, is very unique. In the early 2000s it was at its height of popularity, but since then bohemian decorating has slowly wormed its way out of the spotlight. This is a good thing and a bad thing; good because you'll be able to find rarer, more individual and unique pieces for your room; bad because some things suddenly become freaking impossible to find. 

Decorating a room in the bohemian style can be the cheapest, but also the most expensive way of decorating. Most things you buy should hopefully be pretty cheap, but there's always that gorgeous piece of antique furniture that would look so awesome in your room… but it's too expensive. That's okay! This Miscellaneous Friday is all about bohemian decorating on a budget.

☆Know where to look☆

No matter what your budget, you'll always be able to design a lovely bohemian room if you know where to look. Go to second hand or op shops, they're a godsend. A lot of the furniture and decorative pieces are there because they are out of style, or because they just look too old. That's fantastic for bohemian decorating, because old looking furniture is something that really enhances the room, rather then make it look gross. A dressing table from the 1940s, a desk that looks like it belongs in Jane Eyre, a Tiffany lamp, a cheap 70s mirror. You name it, if you go to the right op shop, you'll most likely find it.

The difficulty with op shopping is that it can be kinda disheartening when you don't find something. The whole point of going to a shop like that is to discover untold treasures of bohemian decor, so you've got to look really hard. You might go to Salvos one week and the next week you'll see a cute ornament that is exactly what you're looking for.

☆Go with what you've got☆

There might be some things you see online that look perfect for your room, but are too expensive. But if it's a decorative piece like a lantern, throw, or something homemade on Etsy - can you make it yourself? Sure, it might not look as awesome as something you buy, but cheap homemade things are a huge part of bohemian decorating. It personalises your room. 

You should also take a good look around your house, another family member's house or a friend's house to see if they've got anything worth taking. Of course, make sure they don't need it first. Or steal it in the dead of night and murder someone who catches you, whatever. But seriously, try going to your grandparent's house because you never know what you'll find. Maybe look through your old things from when you were little. You never know!

A big part of going with what you've got is painting your walls. If you're on a budget, you probably aren't able to paint the walls. I wasn't, but I just have a lot of my art on the walls and that works fine. To fix the problem of painting walls, just hang sheer curtains around the walls or scarves. Things like desks and dressing tables that can't be chucked out can be covered with scarves and ornaments!

☆Get clever, get crafty☆

What I mean by this is that if you have, for example, a throw that you love but don't really want on your bed, why not hang it up on a wall? If there's some cute wind chimes just lying around, hang them from your ceiling. An awesome idea is to put things like saris all around the room; the ceiling, your bed, hanging on your door. It looks awesome!

Getting crafty is all about turning one thing into another. Maybe there's an old crate or chest or box that can be turned into a small table in your room? The possibilities are endless, it just depends on your style. Don't put a piece of furniture in your room just because. You've got to give this room love, wink wink. 

☆Shop carefully & responsibly☆

It's finally time to go out and shop, but you've got to be careful. Sure, you might have picked up a few odd things from random stores for the room you're decorating - but that doesn't mean you can just buy whatever. If you're on a budget, like I was when I redecorated my bedroom, it's like saying goodbye to fun shopping and hello to crying because I couldn't afford something. You've got to really love something to buy it, otherwise you might not like it in month and it wouldn't have been worth it. By worth it, I don't mean whether it will work in the room because nothing has to match in a bohemian room, but just be responsible. Places like Hot Dollar & The Reject shop are brilliant.

The reason I didn't have fun when shopping in malls for my room is because I was so damn picky, I still am. I'm very particular about what I put in my room, and I was also very scared about spending too much money on my room. But in all honesty, you don't have to worry about that stuff too much. Just make sure that everything you buy for your room is well loved by you.

☆Be random☆

I don't know why I put this in, but I felt like I had to. Being random in how you decorate is a really important part of bohemian decorating. Nothing has to match, it can be however you like! If you want to glue 3D flowers and butterflies to your ceiling, go for it (I did this, no joke). You can display makeup or treasures from holidays in jars, basically anything cute can go in a jar and it'll get heaps of repins on Pinterest. Use different fabrics and textures on your bed, hunt around for patterned and unique bedspreads and cushions. If you want to hang your necklaces from cute doorknobs on your wall, why not? 

I love the bohemian style, because it can be whatever you want it to be. One person's idea of bohemian is probably not another person's idea of it, and that's my favourite thing. Everything is unique and different.

~Au Revoir!~

Book Nerd Monday: Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters Review & Rant

So, I saw Vampire Academy at Hoyts about a week ago. I'm really not sure how I feel about it. 

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie despite it's disappointing performance at the box office and the critics' opinions. The movie was predominately for the fans and I'm pretty sure we all loved it even though there were a few things we'd like to change. 

I keep trying to remind myself that the actors aren't actually acting the characters from the book, but rather what's scripted. For timing and cinematic reasons the characters were changed a little, and that's something that as a fan of the books, it's hard for me to accept. Nonetheless, casting was spot on. 

Lucy Fry's performance was phenomenal. She did a fantastic job as Lissa and I was really impressed with the way she handled Lissa's emotional roller coaster. I wish the movie had a slower pace so we got to appreciate Lissa's transformations and also her developing relationship with Christian. 

Speaking of Christian, Dominic Sherwood is hot. You'd be blind to not realise that, and it kinda makes me a little biased in writing about him. The Christian we know from the books is transposed quite well onto the screen, but I feel like there are moments when you're just sitting there thinking huh? But he did a great job, he really did. Hotness aside. 

When I first found out that Zoey Deutch would be playing Rose, I freaked out. She didn't seem like a good fit and I was pretty disappointed. Until I saw the movie, of course. She's the perfect Rose Hathaway, I loved almost everything about her performance. There were some cringy one-liners that I wish hadn't made it into the final cut (now that's some frickin' fire magic? really?), but I don't care. Zoey's awesome.

If the VA movie was going to be a direct copy of the book, then I'd want Danila Kozlovsky to jump ship. However, because there are quite a few differences between Blood Sisters and the book, I was able to really appreciate Danila's performance. Sometimes he was hard to understand, but he's all round perfect so it's fine. The way he says Roza made every girl in the theatre swoon.

Sarah Hyland. Hmm, she did a fantastic job as Natalie, I must admit. She got it so right that I can overlook the fact that she looks nothing like a Moroi. Sarah did a brilliant job and I want to hug her for it because at first I was really worried about who would play Natalie. Her final fight scene was really cool, too. 

I'd like to point it out now that Sonya Karp's story was altered quite severely. Everything was changed, and although Claire Foy did a magnificent job, I wish we were able to see a Ms Karp that was truer to the original story. In the books she doesn't have anything to do with the attack on Saint Vlads in Shadow Kiss, and yet... Cameron Monaghan's character Mason was so true to the book that I wanted to cry. Perfection, A+. Unfortunately, Mia weirded me out. Sami Gayle is great and all, but the Mia we see in the movie isn't quite on the wavelength we'd like her to be. Ashley Charles' Jesse got a poor storyline, not gonna lie. His thing with Rose just wasn't what I thought it would be. But he's a magnificent actor!

                   

  

I think the biggest thing about the movie that pissed me off is that they made Headmistress Kirova seem so much more evil than she actually is. It pissed me off and I kept whispering profanity at my friend next to me in the cinema, I mean come on. Having said that, Olga Kurylenko did an awesome job acting all evil. I just hope there's more VA movies so we can see how awesome Kirova actually is. Gabriel Byrne did a great job with Victor, and I don't have any complaints. Superb.

In general, the movie was superb and I'm absolutely thrilled that we got the chance to see such beloved characters come to life. On the other hand, I doubt we'll be seeing any sequels due to how the movie did in theatres. I'm desperate for Frostbite because I need Mason and Eddie. The feeeeels!

If anyone involved with the VA movie's sequels stumbles upon this post (no matter how unlikely), then listen up. In the first book, it's not that dark. So don't go bitching about it being all high school drama. The second book features a main character's death, so how's that for dark? The fans of the books adored Richelle's work and are thrilled with how the movie turned out. We need some sequels, we don't want this movie turning out like Beautiful Creatures. Please, please, please give us Frostbite. We don't care if it's a low budget movie, and we don't care what anyone else says. You want petitions? We'll do it. You want us to rally together and protest? A bit of a stretch, but sure, why not.

I'm sorry for not giving an in depth review, but I couldn't take notes during the film and I've kinda forgotten everything. I'll leave you with this; in the cinema, every single girl there was continuously saying things like I can't deal, oh my god the feels. And that makes me really happy. Well done to the VA Movie team, it was awesome. Even if the fans don't get to see some sequels, we really did enjoy it. 

~Sweet, Sassy, Molassy~

Miscellaneous Friday on Saturday: My Favourite Youtubers

Youtube is basically my life. I'm on it constantly; catching up on new videos, watching old videos I'd totally forgotten about, shipping Youtubers who would make the perfect couple (Troyler!). Although I don't have my own channel, I still feel like I'm part of an awesome (and to be honest really weird) community.

I thoroughly enjoy watching all the channels I'm subscribed to, but there are 20 that I felt were worth mentioning in My Favourite Youtubers list. Without further ado, let the countdown…begin!

#20: Natalie Tran

Natalie makes hilarious videos! They always make me laugh, and she is honestly one of the loveliest Youtubers I've ever come across! P.S she's gorgeous omg.

communitychannel 

#19: TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool

These sketches involve really pissed off Barbies, heaps of swearing, and awesome comedy! The characters are eccentric and the extras with the voice actors are a great bonus.

TheMostPopularGirls

#18: Lisa Schwartz 

Lisa looks so beautiful and adorable. She makes hilarious videos as well as a few lifestyle videos thrown in for good measure. #TEAMSHISA

lisbug 

#17: Kalel & Anthony

First of all, these two are one of funniest and cutest couples on Youtube. They're hilarious, adorable, and engaged. They do a bit of everything when it comes to their videos; lifestyle, comedy, etc. 

WatchUsLiveAndStuff

#16: Jack Douglas

Jack basically corrects bad grammar on the internet in hilarious ways, does awesome parodies, music videos & sketches and also occasionally vlogs. THIS GUY IS TOO BRILLIANT FOR WORDS.

jacksfilms

jackisanerd

#15: Steph Gibbs

Steph is one of the less well known Youtubers, but he deserves a lot more exposure! He's sweet, adorable, funny, and is really passionate about Youtube. Plus he owns two cute Guinea Pigs… Juuust saying.

Steph Gibbs

#14: Lindy Tsang

To most people, she's better known as bubzbeauty! The reason I love Lindy is because she's so helpful and honest in her videos. I love her beauty videos, sketches and vlogs a lot, but I can't say I've come across many Youtubers with her ability to reach out to people. Lindy is a lovely woman, and has worked very hard to get where she is today. I'm proud!

bubzbeauty

bubzvlogz

bubbiosity

#13: Sawyer Hartman

Sawyer is an aspiring filmmaker who turned to Youtube as an outlet. I'm so glad he did because yes he's hot, but he's also really funny and extremely talented! I love him!

sawyerhartman

Sawyerhartman2

#12: Fleur :)

For the life of me I can not remember Fleur's last name. God dammit. Anyway, hot gorgeous is she? She makes beauty & lifestyle orientated videos as well as amazing vlogs! Plus, she and her husband Mike are ridiculously adorable, as are their two dogs.

Bride De Force

Fleur DeForce

FleurDeVlog

#11: Connor Franta

Connor is gorgeous, there really isn't any point denying it. He's also absolutely hilarious, and makes great Youtube videos. A majority of his videos are comedy based, but he retains a serious edge and I respect that.

ConnorFranta

More Connor

our2ndlife (collab channel with 5 of his friends)

#10: Alfie Deyes 

This photo is adorable. Alfie is adorable. He and Zoe are adorable. End of discussion. He actually makes awesome videos, he just has commitment issues with his channel and rarely uploads on time. 

PointlessBlog

PointlessBlogTv

alfiegames

#9: Olga Kay

I want Olga to narrate a ebook, her accent would make everything so fabulous. 

But in all seriousness Olga has worked so hard in her life from moving all the way to the U.S from Russia to being in the circus and Youtube. I have never met Olga, I doubt she know who I am, but I'm honestly so proud of her. 

P.S her videos are absolutely hilarious. OLGA, I LOVE YOU!

MooshVille

Olga Kay

Olgakay2

OlgaKayGames

#8: Jim Chapman

Oh lord. Every time I see a photo of Jim posing I can't decide if I want to just die or laugh. This is basically my motto for watching Jim's videos. He's absolutely hilarious, gorgeous, and he 'n' Tanya are perfect. Sure, there's no such thing as perfection blah blah blah but they are perfection I swear it. 

Jim Chapman 

vlogswithjim

#7: Tanya Burr

I still don't know how I should place Tanya & Jim. I want to put them both in 7th, but they don't have a joint channel. Anyway, Tanya's gorgeous. Deh. Her videos are beauty and lifestyle orientated, but she also throws in some absolutely hilarious videos as well. She has a lip gloss and nail polish line coming out! #tanyaburrlipsandnails haha. Also, Tanya is the nicest person ever. I'm being honest, I can't believe how sweet she is. 

Tanya Burr

tanyasvlogsandhauls

#6: Joe Sugg

Here is Sugg number 2. The only reason he's lower than Zoe on my list is because I forced myself to order this list. I hate myself sometimes. Anyway, Joe's videos are usually about making his viewers laugh. He gets friends to wrap him in bubble wrap, and eats disgusting vegetables. Joe is also absolutely lovely and brilliant. One more thing, Joe deals with some criticism about him only getting noticed because of his sister. Kind of sick o' that crap guys.

ThatcherJoe

ThatcherJoeVlogs

ThatcherJoeGames (coming soon)

#5: Tyler Oakley

Tyler is fabulous, unique and hilarious. His videos are a great way to brighten your day if you're feeling even the slightest bit sad and he is just an awesome person. If I ever got the chance to meet Tyler I think I'd scream and die. 

Tyler Oakley

extratyler

#4: Hannah Hart

The reason Hannah is on my list is because she's absolutely hilarious, but also has a very serious side even when she's completely drunk and trying to make toast while drinking wine. I love her, her videos and everything she's offered the world. 

P.S She's got a book coming out in August guys be excited.

MyHarto

yourharto

#3: Troye Sivan

This guy. This fabulous little guy right here is awesome. 

I can't think of much else to say about him because I'll start gushing about how much I love him. Maybe I'll save that for another MISCELLANEOUS FRIDY post. Nonetheless, he's hilarious, sweet, and I ship Troyler as hard as the next person. 

P.S It was so brave of him to make that Youtube about coming out a while back, I reaaallly love you Troye.

Troye Sivan

More Troye

#2: Zoe Sugg

And here's Sugg number 1 (because she's older, not better, they're equal). Zoe makes lifestyle and beauty videos, as well as some pretty funny collabs. I respect and look up to Zoe quite a lot because she deals with anxiety like I do. Also, she and Alfie are a lovely couple. Oh god the feels, the feels.

Zoella

MoreZoella

#1: Louise Pentland

I have the utmost respect for Louise and am constantly in awe of how lovely she is. Although I'm not the world's biggest fan of the colour pink, I'm very glad I have a little sprinkle of glitter in my life. I can't explain how happy I am for Louise's success in the beauty community, on Youtube, and of course with her beautiful family. Louise, I really love you.

Sprinkleofglitter

SprinkleofChatter

All the people on my list have inspired me in some way. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy and lame, but it really is true. This is especially true for my top 5; they share so much of themselves online and I don't think they realise just how much of an amazing impact they've had on millions of lives. Now that the cheesy stuff is over, all the Youtubers out there are just awesome. I love 'em.

I hope you guys liked reading about my 20 favourite Youtubers, I'd love to read about yours! Comment below!

~Au Revoir!~
P.S Look out for a review/rant post about the new Vampire Academy movie! I saw it yesterday!