The Rising by Kelley Armstrong | Review

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control. 

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever. 

Maya and her friends wonder why they and their powers are so valuable, while I however don't see how this story is at all valuable. Seriously, I've tried to like this series, but this final book in the Darkness Rising trilogy was a DNF (did not finish). I struggled through the book until reaching chapter 43, then I promptly gave up. Couldn't do it anymore.

You know what's sad? Maya and her gang had just met Chloe, Derek, Tori, Simon, Lauren, and Kit from the Darkest Powers trilogy. That's what I was holding out for in this book, the only reason why I persisted. And boy was it a let down. My beloved Chloe, the whole Genesis gang, their characters were stripped apart and written so stupidly. It's like everything that happened in the Darkest Powers trilogy suddenly got thrown out the window, the characters I love along with it. They were written as to fit into Maya's story, and I had serious trouble seeing any of Chloe or Derek or Tori or Simon in the brief moments I read of them. I did stop after only being reunited with them for two chapters, though. 

God dammit I'm annoyed at Maya. She reminds me of the most annoying, awful protagonist I've ever read. Ever. Zooey Redbird of the House of Night series (worst series ever, don't read it), is so similar to Maya that I wanted to rip my hair our. Yet again, what character development? I'm so done trying to be somewhat positive about this series, because this final instalment has lowered the tone and was by far the worst book of the three. No character development, crappy attempts at humour, not staying true to the project Genesis gang, boring. Boring, oh so boring.

Let me just say now that I do adore Kelley Armstrong and all her other books. However, every author I love is bound to write a book or series that I just don't like. That's okay, because we're all entitled to our own opinions. Even if mine might come across as pretty harsh, I just needed to vent about how much time I've wasted on these books. It took me maybe three hours to finish each book, so that's nine hours I'll never get back. I usually hate to have this attitude about books, because I want to believe that there's always something to learn from every story I read. The Darkness Rising trilogy didn't teach me anything, no life lessons that I can apply to my life, no cool facts that I could use. 

The only real emotion I feel after reading this book (aside from annoyance) is.. well, nothing. Parts of the book that I'm sure were supposed to be serious cliff hangers or crazy action packed scenes seemed so boring to me. Lacklustre writing, storyline, and characters make for a #disappointed Jesse. 2/5 stars! Hopefully next time I won't have such an angsty post, maybe a Positive Post to balance out my chi. 

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong | Review

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is – a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. They're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

*not my image*

Maya really got on my nerves in the first Darkest Rising book, and she still hasn't redeemed herself in my eyes. I seriously want to punch her in the face, consequences and the fact that she's a fictional character be damned. I mentioned in my review of The Gathering that she's a self-righteous, holier-than-thou, little shit. I still stand by my statement, so much so that I'd be happy to help the St Clouds and the Nasts (villains of the book. Although, really, we see so little development of them that they're hardly villains) kill her. Wow, I'm really into threatening fictional characters today. That's bad, right?

Anyway, like with the previous book, the world building is well done and I really felt like I was immersed in forests or hiding out in cabins along with the characters. This series is actually based in the same world as Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy, which I fucking adore. I'll tell you, knowing this has made this series easier to read, especially seeing as we're given the impression that Maya and her gang might meet Chloe and hers. I'm down for that.

I do want to talk about character development. We had absolutely none of it (or next to none) in The Gathering, so I was anxiously anticipating some changes in Maya. Her character sucks. I was let down, as the only character development we get is her inner monologue all about admitting she's wrong, but not doing a damned thing about it and still acting with that holier-than-thou self righteous attitude. I was utterly disappointed in Maya Delaney, as she has no real concern for anyone else as friends, except maybe Daniel (her best friend) or Rafe (her sort-of boyfriend). God dammit, I don't know if Kelley Armstrong meant to write Maya as such a little shit, but she really is.

Her inner monologue and all round annoying personality overshadow other characters and their journeys. I'm in love with Sam (a kick ass female demon hunter), and you see such a huge difference in her in the second book. However, we don't really see much of it because Maya takes up all of your energy. 

One more thing that pisses me off; Nicole. Nicole was originally the cute little blonde girl, innocent & shy. Suddenly, all the blame gets shoved onto her, blame for the deaths of people in the town, for everything. The thing that bugs me about this is how spur of the moment it was; shifting the blame off Sam because she'll be more important in the series. A lot of things that happen in this book were spur of the moment, ridiculous, and completely random. And yet it still manages to be one of the most predictable books ever. 

Final opinion: better than The Gathering, but the predictability, Maya (protagonist!), and stupidity really let it down. 3.1/5 stars. I am being very hard on this book, so if you like YA romance/paranormal/urban fantasy kind of stuff, you'll probably like this. I did stay up until 12:30am to finish it, so that's got to count for something! I'm just after a bit more depth, because the characters are often very one-sided and not well-rounded. Until next time, I love you little pixies!

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong | Review

*SPOILERS!*

Sixteen year old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happens in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, the the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel...different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than it's share of skeletons in its closet.

*not my image*

I bought this book and the rest of the trilogy a long time ago, but I never felt a pressing need to read them. They'd been gathering dust on the shelf for a year or so until a few days ago when I thought I'd finally let them prove themselves to me. I'm already a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's previous works, so I did have big expectations for this book. 

Unfortunately, The Gathering didn't live up to them. That's not to say the book is bad - it's not - it's just not very good either. This book is one of those very predictable YA novels with a not so original story line and very flawed characters. By flawed I mean that our main character (and thus all her friends) shuns a girl for trying to copy her homework in year 7. 

Alright, let's get down to it. I do think that Kelley Armstrong is an exceptional writer, and have always loved her writing style in the past. She creates worlds that I fall in love with, worlds that might seem relatively predictable at first and then you suddenly realise how beautifully unique they are. The Gathering is anything but unique, because from the get-go I could predict everything that was going to happen. I'm usually quite good at predicting future story lines in YA novels because they all tend to follow the same themes, but this book took that to a whole new level. 

While this book is well written, the predictability let's the author down. From the first time you read of our resident bad boy, you know what's going to happen. I love being surprised when I read books, and The Gathering didn't give me that. What it does give you, however, is one of the most annoying protagonists ever. Holier-than-thou, self-righteous, and annoying, Maya really isn't someone I'd ever want to spend time with. Sure, she goes to one of the best academic schools ever, and puts a lot of pressure on herself to do well, but I can find absolutely no excuse for how highly she thinks of herself.

In protagonists, I find that to be the biggest flaw. If they think too highly of themselves, and think they're always on the moral high ground, or are just annoying, I struggle to keep reading. However, the very outburst prone supporting characters (of which there are a lot) kept my interested. Multiple characters had multiple different angry outbursts just for the hell of it, which kept me entertained when Maya was being boring. 

I know I sound very negative about this book, but I don't hate it that much. It's an easy YA read about shape-shifters, and I guess I should've guessed from the start that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I despise books about shape-shifters, werewolves, zombies, and angels, so I'm kind of an idiot for picking this series up in the first place. However, The Gathering is a fun read and I couldn't help staying up until 2am to binge read it. 2.8/5 stars to this book, as our protagonist Maya really lowered the bar. I will read the rest of the trilogy, and probably review them on Gypsies & Pixies as well if you guys are interested. Until next time, I love you little pixies!

I HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO | Gypsies & Pixies

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Panic Games (original name, no?), in which Jesse vents about all the shit that she really should be doing but isn't because she's on Youtube. I hope you all enjoy this instalment, make sure to leave a comment below, and enjoy!

I just realised that I have a shit tonne of stuff I need to get done before school ends. I have just over 5 weeks to get my ever-growing to do list done, and I've never thought about how little time I actually have. 5 weeks sounds like a lot of time, but I seriously doubt I'll be able to do everything.

See? Even my writing is suffering from all the goddamn stress. I'm having so much trouble stringing together coherent sentences that I should just give up. I won't, but only because I have no where else to talk shit about various books, beauty products, TV shows, movies, and people. This content is absolute gold, seriously, I should win an award.

You know that feeling you get when you realise just how much crap is on your to do list? You start panicking, your heart races, you start stress crying, and that mascara you'd applied earlier in the day gives you hella crazy panda eyes. I've been having a lot of these moments lately, probably every day, just because I feel as if I can't get everything done.

I know that I can, quite easily, because I'm that really annoying person who organises and writes lists like there's no tomorrow. When I actually knuckle down and focus, I can get stuff done incredibly quickly, but I procrastinate. When I procrastinate, I won't get anything important done, and will instead organise and clean my entire room instead. I was probably a maid in another life, exciting, huh?

Anyway, I should probably go. I hope you guys like these stream of consciousness style posts, I actually really like them. For anyone wondering when I'll be posting the next parts of my Homeschooling 101 series, I haven't forgotten about them and you will see at least one more update before the end of November as well as more updates throughout 2015. I'm thinking about making it a staple on Gypsies & Pixies, posting continuous updates every couple of months or so, is that something you guys would like to see? Let me know in the comments, and catch you guys on Friday with a book review (hopefully, but don't hold me to that).

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters | Review

Pink Truffle 

Red Velvet 

Wild Watermelon 

Tutti Frutti (my favourite!)

L to R: Wild Watermelon, Red Velvet, Pink Truffle (swatched in the sun)

Tutti Frutti (swatched in the sun)

L to R: Wild Watermelon, Red Velvet, Pink Truffle (swatched in the shade)

Tutti Frutti (swatched in the shade)

Guess who's jumping on the Revlon Lip Butters hype train? Me! Sorry, I'm not usually a follower, but I'd follow these babies to the end of the earth. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but that's how I feel about them. My go-to lip products, the best of the best, perfection. Do I sound slightly mental?

Let's get down to it, shall we? I picked up Wild Watermelon, Red Velvet, and Pink Truffle a month or two ago. Tutti Frutti hopped into my basket when I was shopping in Target today (without my permission, mind you). I must say that I never thought I'd be so infatuated with this little gems when I first bought them, and I was actually really reluctant to do so. I mean, $22 for one lip butter? How much do those assholes feel like ripping us off?

Another disadvantage to these babies is that they're no where near long lasting. After an hour and a half (maybe a little less), I have to reapply because the lip butters fade. They don't fade in a patchy way, more so they fade towards the edge so you've only got colour on the edges of your lips. Needless to say, I look a bit like a clown when that happens (especially if I'm wearing Tutti Frutti!). Other than that, I have no bad things to say. 

The colour payoff is perfect, and just how I like it. Not quite opaque, but still beautiful. They basically glide onto my lips, feeling creamy and soft, so I don't have to worry about my lips looking gross and dry. Of course, they're not an actual balm, so they're not as moisturising as one, but I'm still very impressed. These lip butters were an unabashed success in my book, and I'm very glad that (despite the price) they've ended up in my little collection. 

~Au Revoir!~

Is Homeschooling Right For Me? | Homeschooling 101

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my lil homeschooling series. Last week I just introduced the topic, talking about mainstream schooling and how it's not right for everyone. If you missed that post, click here! Anyway, onto today's topic. 

We know that mainstream schooling isn't right for everyone, and we know that homeschooling is a better alternative for a lot of people. But how do you know if it's right for you? Will you get something out of it? Will you learn a lot? Is homeschooling just a way for you to stay home and do no work? If you said yes to that last question, then homeschooling ain't for you. 

Factors that contribute to being homeschooling might be where you live; you're not close enough to a school, your parents might prefer for you to do homeschooling; they don't agree with the mainstream system. There are a myriad of different factors and reasons, but they won't apply to everyone.

I can't tell you if homeschooling would be beneficial for you or if it'd be a waste of time, so I'll just share my experiences. I have very bad anxiety and social phobia (I know that sounds like a copout, but I promise it's not), something I never did anything about until this year. My anxiety got so bad that I wasn't leaving the house, but that's not the only reason why I left the public school system. 

There were a shit tonne of reasons for me wanting to do homeschooling; I didn't feel like I was learning anything valuable to me, school sucked all the creative juices out of me because it didn't focus on the arts. There were many reasons, and on their own they didn't seem like valid reasons for doing homeschooling. To me, they were really important. To everyone at school, to my parents, I was being fucking pathetic.

Well, thanks mum & dad! Anyway, if you want to do homeschooling, but you don't know if it's right for you, then maybe it isn't. The best way to know if anything is right for you, is by noticing how much you procrastinate going forward or by how much you hesitate. 

Here's the thing; you have to be willing to try really goddamn hard. You don't have teachers chasing you if you haven't turned in an assignment, it's all you. You have to prove to everyone that you can focus and actually get something out of homeschooling. That's how you know if homeschooling is right for you. If you're not prepared to put in all the work and try your hardest, homeschooling will do less for you than mainstream school did. 

I know that doesn't sound helpful, but hopefully it will make you think. That's all I want to do with this series; make you guys think about homeschooling before you dive in. I'm a huge advocate for homeschooling, distance ed, online school, and all that kind of stuff, but I want you all to be prepared and really want to do it. I can't give you a lot of details on homeschooling because I do a slightly different variation on it; distance ed. It's basically online school at home.

Next week I'll go into a lot of depth on the type of distance ed that I do, and I'll also give you guys as many resources as I can if homeschooling is the path you want to head down. 

~Cya!~