Twilight - Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Ashely Greene

Twilight
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The Gist

Isabella (Bella) Swan is a typical girl until her mom decides that her and her boyfriend are going to move to Florida and Bella soon decides to move in with her dad in Forks, Washington.  When she gets there she couldn’t feel more distant from everyone especially her dad.  Her first day couldn’t be more confusing she meets some new friends, and two of those friends instantly fall in love with her.  At lunch that day she meets the guy of every girls dreams Edward Cullen.  From the moment she saw him he was all she could think about.  At night she imagined him in her room and everywhere she went she felt he was watching her.  When she finally gets the nerve to talk to him in biology it’s a connection right away.  That is until she finds out he is a vampire.  From the point on Bella is sucked into the world of vampires, werewolves ect.  Edward tells her that they are “vegetarian” meaning they only suck the blood of animals.  Soon after finding out everything about each other Bella figures out that they are soul mates and Edward will stop at NOTHING to save her from danger, and when more vampires come to Forks Edward will do anything to save Bella from James who is trying to kill Bella.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 122 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

My friends and I went to go see this movie the day it came out and the movie theater we went too (and probably every one in the U.S) was sold out.  We were all obsessed with the books so we were super excited to see the movie.  After the movie one of my friends couldn’t stand up she loved it so much.  Looking back on the movie now it was just about average.  Robert Pattinson in my opinion plays the perfect Edward I think he captures the emotion of Edward very well and it really came out in his acting saying as his only other acting experience was Cedric Digory in Harry Potter.  The actors playing Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper and Esme I could go on for a really long time about how amazing they were.  The casting was also very well done because they are exactly as I pictured them in the book and like Edward they captured the Cullen spirit and acted like a real family.  Now the things I didn’t like.  For one I didn’t like Kristen Stewart as Bella because overall she is an OK actor but as Bella she seemed very awkward and just something about her didn’t seem right.  The other thing that I really didn’t like about this movie was sparkling effect on Edward.  It came over as very cheesy and not spent time on.  I couldn’t even tell until one of my friends leaned over and told me that he was sparkling.  The sparkling made him look like he had a disease on his chest or something and I think they should have spent more time on it.  The last thing I didn’t like is the big kiss between Bella and Edward, it was very awkward and took at least a minute for them to actually kiss.  At one point one of my friends screamed “JUST KISS HER ALREADY”.  Overall there were definitely things they could have fixed but they followed the book for the most part and I was entertained.

Real Teen Rating~ C+: Just Average


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Well, I have to tell you, when I first saw it I was in awe of this movie. I was extremely excited and couldn’t believe that Twilight was a movie. I’d bought the soundtrack (which is actually pretty good) and listened to it every day before the movie came out. I truly thought it was an amazing movie. Then. I watched it again when it came out on DVD. And I couldn’t understand why I had thought it was so amazing. The plot…well, it was made after the book, so I can’t really complain. They followed the story very well. As for the acting…I agree with the North Star, that the casting and acting of the Cullen family was top notch. They couldn’t have done much better. I give them props on that. Edward…I don’t know. Robert Pattinson played a pretty good Edward Cullen. Most of the time he looked kind of scary though. But maybe that was what he was going for. Overall his acting was good, but could have been more convincing. Kristen Stewart did not play a good Bella Swan. At least in my opinion. Her acting was awkward and almost sloppy, and she couldn’t fit into the roll. She just didn’t live up to my expectations. For the main character – a main character as famous as Bella Swan – they should have either gotten someone better, or gotten her to act better. After watching this movie a second time, I had no desire to see it in the near future, or even the semi-distant future. I was entertained the first time watching, but the second was enough for me, and will be enough for a while. In my opinion, they should have put more into it. It paled in comparison to the book. Which is really saying something.

Real Teen Rating~ C- : I'd rather read a book.

Reviewed by Living Destiny

I’m gonna say this now, before I even start the review.  Just to get it out of the way.  I never read the Twilight book series.  *GASP*  I know, I know.  You are reading the insight of perhaps the only teenage girl to not read the hit vampire series.

With that out of the way, I thought the movie was just sort of ok.  I saw it with some friends the night it came out on DVD.  We went to some premiere party (which was totally lame) and then watched it when we got home.  My first thought was, with all the hype around the books, and therefore the movie, it could have been so much better.  I knew some of the plot from the book, but mostly it was new to me, and I thought that the movie should have had more detail in it.  There was some stuff that just didn’t make any sense to me, though it did to my Twilight-reading friends.  That was pretty annoying.

I thought the casting was fairly well done.  However, the two lead actors could have done way better jobs.  The whole Cullen family was well cast (I especially liked the Alice and Jasper characters), and Bella’s dad was also pretty good.  Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart were just disappointing.  I mean, I heard about the amazing Edward and Bella from all of my friends (minus the guys of course).  Edward this, Bella that.  It got to the point where I died a little inside when I heard either of the names.  Then I saw the movie, and just went WAAAA?  The characters were not impressive, and weren’t very memorable.  They were just there.

The special effects were pretty good, except for the whole sparkling thing.  I didn’t really understand that to begin with, and the movie made it worse.  To me, it sort of looked like his skin was bubbling and writhing, like boiling water.  I was kinda disturbed.

This movie was a big let down, even without reading the books.  Even the plot wasn’t that interesting to me.  I’m sorry to all you die-hard Twilight fans out there, but this movie was really bad.

Real Teen Rating~ C: If there’s nothing else to see…

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The Princess and the Frog - Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, and Keith David

The Princess and the Frog
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The Gist

Tiana has believed in hard work her whole life.  Her father always told her that if you put your mind to it, then you can do anything. And Tiana has taken this to heart. Her lifelong dream has been to own her own fancy restaurant and serve her own food to people from all over New Orleans. She works day and night to get the money to buy her own place. When her very rich friend Charlotte pays her to cater to a huge party it seems as if Tiana has finally gotten her restaurant. Meanwhile, Prince Naveen -  the broke prince of Maldonia - is visiting New Orleans and has taken notice to the richest girl in town – Charlotte. And she has taken notice of him. She’s always dreamed of marrying a prince and living happily ever after. This is her chance.  All she has to do is win him over at her ball. But thing get a little weird when – the day before Charlotte’s ball – Prince Naveen gets wrapped up in voodoo magic. Suddenly, he’s a not quite himself, Charlotte’s dancing with a Prince Naveen look-alike, and Tiana has agreed to kiss a frog.  Who is this magical talking frog? Prince Naveen. After making a deal with him – with her not knowing he was broke, and he not knowing she wasn’t a real princess – she kisses him to break the spell. But instead of her turning him back into a prince, he remains a frog and she’s transformed into one too. Now they have to travel through the bayou to find Mama Odie – a voodoo witch - in hopes that she will know how to turn them back into humans before its too late.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Run Time: 97 Minutes

Rating: G

This was a 2010 list movie. I originally wanted to see it because it’s Disney and it looked really cute. I’d heard the music was good, but I hadn’t had very high hopes. I’m really glad I watched it. Like I had suspected, it was very cute, like most (if not all) Disney movies.  In addition to that, the music was actually really good and extremely catchy. The songs were stuck in my head for hours, but I didn’t mind because they were GOOD.  Each song was a little bit different. Almost There was my favorite because Anika Noni Rose has a really good voice (well, she was in the movie Dream Girls, after all) and the song had an upbeat message. Ma belle Evangeline (my beautiful Evangeline) was completely different but it was another favorite of mine. This was romantic and really slow, but sweet. Then Friends on the Other Side was evil and creepy. All the songs were different and they really made the movie swing. The plot wasn’t completely original ( I’ve read a book with a very similar conflict: princess turned frog) but that was okay. I didn’t mind that so much because of the characters. They were unique and lovable. Overall it was another good Disney movie: predictable, but worth watching. And of course cute.

Real Teen Rating~ A- : See it with some friends!

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Collections

Reviewed by Living Destiny

I have been collecting things since I was really little.  Stuffed animals since I was a baby (practically).  Now I collect a bunch of stuff: stuffed animals still, but also rocks, pins, hats, candles, and ducks.  Yea, I said ducks.  Little rubber ducks from a claw machine at the movie theater.  Me and North and Dream all collect them.  I have, I think, ten rubber ducks.  It’s always fun to go to the machine after seeing a movie and getting as many as we can before we’re picked up to leave.  Collecting anything at all is super fun.  When I get something new for one of my collections, it makes me smile.  It sounds cliche, but its true!  My friends get me stuff for my collections sometimes.  I go through my collections from time to time and just check out all the stuff I’ve gotten over the years.  Collecting is a really fun hobby.  You can spend time on it, and you have something to show for it.  Collecting = good times with friends, good memories, creativity, interesting stuff.  If you don’t have a collection, you are deprived and you should start one PRONTO!
Real Teen Rating~ fun fun fun


Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Ha, ha…collections. Yeah. They are pretty fun and I always have a great time looking back on old collections. It’s like I get to remember what I thought of and what I loved when I was younger. *warning what I am about to say is a horrible cliche* (ha that rhymed) It’s a trip down memory lane. Yeah, the rubber ducky collection is completely real. As sad as that may be it is real. We go to the same movie theater quite often so, I guess, why not? My only other collection is movie tickets, broadway show tickets and playbills. I’m obsessive over keeping all of my tickets. I actually get really upset if  I lose my ticket before I get home. Not only is this collection full of memories, it’s a great project. I’m putting all of the tickets and stuff into a huge scrapbook. It’s a good time. So if you don’t have a collection of your own, go and get one. Like, right now.  Because collections remind you of old memories you’ve forgotten, and those memories will make you laugh.
Real Teen Rating~ wow, good times

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Psych – USA

Psych
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Real Teen Award
-Best Episode in 2010- Shawn 2.0

The Gist

A man with extraordinary observation skills works with the Santa Barbara police department, under the guise that he is a psychic, to help them solve crimes.  Helped by his partner Gus, and often his father (a retired police detective) Henry, Shawn Spencer is a fake psychic, but is convincing enough to fool everyone he talks to.  Including police chief Karen Vick, and detectives Carlton Lassiter and Juliet O’Hara.  He is thrown into police work, ranging from theft to counterfeiting to murder (and pretty much everywhere in between).

What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Number of Seasons: 5

I started following this show a year ago (ish).  It was really interesting to me, so I kept it up through the whole 4th season, and now religiously DVR every new episode.  I’m also scouring Netflix to catch myself up with the entire show, and am now on season two, episode five.  The whole concept of a psychic detective is really interesting to me, even if he is a fake.  I also really like the fact that it isn’t just murders, like most cop shows today (and I would know-when it comes to cop shows I am the queen).  They cover EVERYTHING, just like a real police station.  In the beginning of every episode, there is a little flashback to when Shawn and Gus were kids, and it always ties into the plot of the episode in some small, often weird, way.

The romance in this show is a little hard to follow, but if you keep up, it makes the show that much more interesting.  Some of the chemistry in the show is remarkable.  Shawn and Juliet have serious positive chemistry, but things are weird between them right now (end of season 4).  The chemistry between Shawn and Carlton is also strong, but in a more negative way (which is really funny to watch).  My favorite character isn’t one of the regular characters, but he is still my favorite, for reasons I can’t really explain.  Buzz McNabb is his name, and he’s a police officer with the Santa Barbara Police Department, and he works with Juliet and Carlton occasionally.  He is just awesome.  There is no describing why.  End of story.

I love watching this show and I look forward to the psych DVD’s coming in the mail so I can catch up.  Hooray for fake psychics!

Real Teen Reviews ~ A: Definitely check it out!!

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Down Periscope – Kelsey Grammer and Lauren Holly

Down Periscope
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The Gist

Lieutenant Commander Tom Dodge is being considered for command of a nuclear submarine, the USS Orlando.  For the third time.  If he doesn’t make it this time, he never will, and will be assigned a ‘desk job’.  Some of the members of the board think he is irresponsible and unconventional.  He recently brushed by a Russian trawler vessel near Murmansk, and was so rattled he ended up getting an…interesting…tattoo.  They decide he will participate in a war game to prove if he is capable or not, and if he wins, he will gain command of a Los Angeles-class sub.  One of the Admirals involved in the war game, Graham, has ‘never lost a war game’, and desperately wants Dodge to lose.  The other, Admiral Winslow, is rooting for him and tells him to ‘think like a pirate’.

So he is equipped with an outdated, diesel class submarine (called the USS Stingray), and a mismatched crew, containing the navy’s first woman on a submarine (as the dive officer), an electrician who’s taken in a few too many volts, a sonar operator with incredible bat ears, a stubborn engine man, and an uptight executive officer.  And so Dodge sets off to ‘capture’ Charleston and blow up a decoy sub in Norfolk, with some interesting results.


What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Run Time: 92 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

This movie is hysterical.  I laughed so hard I honestly thought I was going to explode.  In my house, whenever someone is feeling upset, one of us quotes this movie, and it’s all better.  It’s that funny.  It’s just really well written, and whoever wrote the script should be given a medal of awesome (although I suspect that some of the stuff was ad-libbed – the actors in this movie are really talented comedians!) Kelsey Grammer was a good choice for Tom Dodge, because he could be spontaneous and crazy.  Lauren Holly was really good in her role too.  (For those of you NCIS fans, she may look familiar.  Lauren Holly plays Director Jenny Shepard in seasons 3-5.)  But some of the funniest characters were the relative unknowns.  Toby Huss played Nitro, and Harland Williams played Sonar.  Both were hilarious characters, and definitely made the movie.

I thought the overall plot was really interesting too.  It wasn’t one of those movies that was funny but had no real substance.  It had some action in it (although not a lot), and it was really attention catching.  Also, some movies really overplay the romance aspect of the plot.  And I mean really overplay, so I wanna hurl by the end.  In this movie, the romance was pretty downplayed, only coming out in the end of the movie, and that was a big plus for me.  The casting was good, and pretty original, because of all the bigger characters in the movie, only six or seven were big names in Hollywood at the time.  (Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, Rob Schneider, William H. Macy and Harry Dean Stanton.)  The rest were relative unknowns, but they flourished in their roles.

This movie was funny funny funny funny FUNNY!!!!  It is now one of my all-time favorites, and it takes a lot to get on that list.  That old saying that laughter is good for you?  Every time I watch this movie, it adds a day to my total life span.  I’m gonna live for a while…

Real Teen Rating ~ A+: If you haven’t seen this movie you are a deprived soul!!!

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New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

* New York Times Bestselling Series
*New York Times Bestseller

* #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

New Moon

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If you have not read Twilight, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

The Gist

 Bella Swan has just survived the most traumatic moment in her life.  Her boyfriend/vampire Edward Cullen has sucked the venom out of her system and saved her life.  Now she returns to year at Forks High School with Edward by her side.  This also means that she must celebrate her birthday, which she is dreading because that means everyday she is getting older than  Edward.  At a surprise birthday arty she cuts hand on a piece of wrapping paper and Jasper goes crazy.  After that day Edward realizes that it’s not safe for her to be around him so he takes off and so does the rest of his family.  Bella soon goes into deep depression because without Edward she sees no point in living, that is until she meets Jacob Black.  Jacob has been a family friend of Bella’s dad ever since she was little.  Bella starts to grow close to Jake and starts to claim her life back.  Jack makes her come alive again and she soon starts falling for him.  One night she goes to the movies with Jessica and starts talking to some shady characters.  When walking over she hears Edwards voice and soon learns that whenever she does something dangerous she hears his voice.  Also Jake starts acting weird and pulls away from her.  Now Bella starts to do more dangerous things just to hear Edwards voice because now she feels more alone than ever.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Pages: 563

New Moon was a way better book than Twilight.  Twilight was all lovey-dovey for 3/4 of the book, (which I don’t mind) but in this book there is a lot of action and a lot of new characters are introduced and the ones that were in the last book that you didn’t really learn about really come out in this book.  Again I think that this book like all the other Twilight books are mainly geared towards girls.  These books are still pretty good though.  The great thing about this book was the introduction of the character Jacob Black.  In THIS book I really loved Jacob I think that he was a great friend to Bella and he made her feel better and he was something real to her.  Jacob was someone who could relate to her because he was closer to her than a “vampire”.  The other thing I really enjoyed about this book was that Stephanie Meyer’s writing skills really came out  strong.  When she talks about Edward leaving and the meeting in the forest that he has with Bella was really emotional.  I think this was the only moment in the entire series that I actually felt like I was Bella.  I hate to admit it but I think a tear actually slid down my cheek because what she was writing was really powerful.  The huge problem that I had with this book was that Bella whines a lot.  I think at least 200 pages of it she whines about missing Edward but worrying about her feelings for Jacob.  I know that it is probably hard to get over Edward but 200pgs is a little excessive.  Other than that if you thought Twilight was just OK then you should continue with the series because New Moon is better and has a lot more action.  (:

Real Teen Rating~ A- : Read it  


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

This is my favorite book in the twilight saga. The order probably goes New Moon, Twilight, Breaking Dawn, then Eclipse. What I liked about this one was that there was actually a plot. Hallelujah! Granted, the plot certainly wasn’t a work of pure genius. It was alright, nothing remarkable. Nonetheless, a plot is a plot, and that already makes it better than the first book in the series. The characters were basically the same. Except Bella whined a lot more because she couldn’t live without her boyfriend. And there was a lot more Jacob Black.  And – gasp – Edward was absent from most of the book. Maybe that’s why I liked this book better…Anyways. A lot of people say that they didn’t like Jacob. But in this book he was my favorite character. He was sweet and caring, but not in a possessive, creepy way like Edward was sometimes. As a character in this book Edward was kind of annoying. I mean, if you’re so convinced you’ve found your true love why would you leave them? If they didn’t love you back then obviously you’d leave…but when they begged you to stay? Just didn’t seem right. The writing itself is as good as in Twilight. Which, obviously, was great. Not much else to say about that. Good writing is good writing, despite Bella’s occational whiney-ness.  I like the title of the book because it’s really dramatic. Also, it’s kind of yours to interpret. It’s never really spelled out why it’s called New Moon, but there are clues and symbols and all that jazz. The cover is really dramatic, too, and I love how all of the covers are something red on black background. It looks so cool and (like I said) dramatic. I love how this cover is a wilting carnation.  A red carnation is a symbol of eternal love. So the fact that it’s wilting means probably symbolizes Bella and Edward’s “eternal love” dying. Sad. But spot-on for what the books about. Overall, I think this is a good book. I know there’s a lot of hype and all that. But honestly, I would recommend this book to people. If you haven’t read it yet, read it.

Real Teen Rating~ A : Go Buy Now.

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The Amazing Race - CBS

*12 Primetime Emmy’s 

The Gist

12 teams compete in a race around the world.  The 12 teams are made up of couples who are somehow related (brothers, sisters, best friends, married couples, newly dating etc.)  and have to face obstacles on the way.  First there is detours, where the teams have two choices between tasks, (ex. eating an exotic food or counting how many bells are in a building).  Then there are roadblocks where one team member must complete a task on their own, (ex. rolling millions of bails of hay until they find a clue).  The last team who checks into the mat (Pit Stop) with the Phil may be eliminated because sometimes there is a non-elimination round where the team is saved but have to complete an extra task in the next leg.

What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Seasons: 18

I started watching this show a couple of years ago when my family and I went on vacation and were in the hotel room and wanted to watch something.  From the first minute we were hooked we were rooting for a team to win and a team to get kicked off.  This show is really good because you really start to pick sides on the show and it’s really interesting because every episode they go to a different country in the world and always have to do new tasks.  I know that my descriptions of some of the tasks isn’t that good but the tasks they have to do are extremely hard.  When you watch them its hard to believe that they are doing this every 12 hours.  Every day in school on Monday Dream Catcher and I talk about who got kicked off and usually the team we hate stays on.  This is a great show for everyone but I think it is geared more towards families.  The other great thing about this show is that if you miss a week then you don’t miss much because in the first 5min they go over everything so if you missed the last week then you are instantly get caught-up.  The Amazing race is also very fast-paced so you are interested the whole time because they switch between the teams and it’s always great to see when the teams fight with each other and plan to take each other off.  This is a show to check out!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: MOST DEFINITELY SHOULD WATCH!

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Mind-blowing. Some of the things they have to do on this show are completely crazy. Like climbing head-first down a sky-scraper. I mean, yeah, they were strapped to a harness…but still…I’d be scared out of my mind if I had to do that.  But this really is a good show. It’s not annoyingly boring (though some of the contestants are aggravating) and I look forward to watching it every Sunday. There’s never a dull moment because the tasks they have to do are either crazy, extremely intricate, funny, or would-never-do-that-in-a-million-years-so-I-can’t-wait-to-watch-these-people-do-it. The North Star was right (in my opinion) in saying that this is more for families. But I’m sure non-family people would enjoy this show too.  And if you’re thinking, Well, I don’t like reality TV, then think again. My dad doesn’t like most reality TV but he likes to watch this show. SO…I would really recommend it. If you like adventure, exotic places, crazy stunts, and hating people (contestants) you’ve never met before, you’ll love this show, and look forward to it every week.

Real Teen Rating~ A : DEFINITELY check it out!

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The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3) - Kelley Armstrong

Real Teen Award

-Best Couple Read in 2010- Chloe and Derek

*New York Times Bestselling Author

If you have not read The Awakening, then read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

The Reckoning

Buy it here and support our blog

The Gist

 After much sneaking and hiding and running Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori have finally found what they’ve been looking for; someone they can trust. Instead of having to worry about being caught by the Edison Group, they can  finally let their guard down a bit. They have Andrew to look after them. As soon as they arrive at the Anti-Edison-Group safe house Andrew introduces the group to their new teachers. Russell is a shaman and is there to fill in as their doctor for a while. Gwen is a witch, and is there to teach Tori how to control her spells better. Last (and creepiest) is Margaret, a fellow necromancer, and tutor to Chloe. Though Derek and Simon fully trust Andrew, they aren’t so sure about the others. Gwen is so scatter-brained, and Margaret is so stern and Russell is so…creepy. Something just seems a bit off about everyone there. But they’re probably just  being paranoid. That’s the result of living on the street and being wanted escapees of the Edison group.  As the four try to uncover the mysteries of the Edison group and other genetically modified super naturals, they discover things that shock them, and secrets they wish they’d never even heard about, and truths that have them wondering who they can trust, or if they can ever fully trust anyone again.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 391

I loved this book so much! I think it was my favorite of the entire series, and that’s really saying something, because I LOVED the Summoning, and the Awakening. This book is a lot more intense than the other two, and there are so many questions answered. It was one of those books you couldn’t put down for a second. The moment I started reading I couldn’t stop until I finished the book, 391 pages later. I’d been looking forward to reading this book for a while now – ever since I finished the Awakening – and I was most definitely not disappointed. I bought it the day it came out and finished it two days later. The only reason it took me so long was because I had to study for a HUGE history test and couldn’t read more than ten (give or take a hundred) pages that night. As always, the writing style was great, the characters were funny, sarcastic, and amazing, and the plot was not very surprising…but still fantastic. I could rant endlessly about how much I enjoyed this series, but I’ll spare you. It was an amazing conclusion to the Darkest Powers trilogy. Yes, trilogy. Meaning this is the last we’ll hear of Chloe Saunders and her incredible zombie powers. Yeah, this made me sad too… However, a book that is supposed to be related to this incredible trilogy by Kelley Armstrong is the Gathering, coming out in Spring of 2011. I, personally, can not wait! Anything by Kelley Armstrong is good for me! Read this and be amazed, as usual! A suspenseful read full of action, betrayal, and romance. The stunning final chapter of the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Real Teen Rating~ A+ : Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!


Reviewed by The North Star

The Reckoning was by far the best book in the Darkest Power Series.  This book had the most interesting story and the best characters out of the three.  Derek was super sweet in this book and most times I found my-self awwww really loud and having people give me death stares.  Simon was also amazing and even though there were some extremely awkward parts with him and Chloe he was still amazing.  The rest of the characters were the same if not better than the previous two books.  This book kept me reading into the deep times of the night and even once while walking down the hallway.  The only thing that I didn’t like about this book was the fact that it was the last book and how a lot of the questions in the series weren’t answered.  In an interview she stated that in later books to come she will give answers to these questions, so not really a big complaint.  Everything else I was going to say was stated above by Dream and so that pretty sums up what I was going to say.  Everyone who has read the Darkest Power Series should finish off with this one because it was magic!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: Why are you still reading this, go buy this book now!

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Clash Of The Titans - Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes

The Gist

Clash of the Titans
Buy it here and support our blog

Every since Perseus was a boy hes felt out of it.  His father found him floating in a box in the ocean and tells him everyday how much he loves him and how special is but Perseus although he loves his father feels he doesn’t belong.  Twelve years have passed and rebellion has started against the gods.  Man is burning down temples, tearing down huge statues and not even praying to the gods for help.  The problem is that the gods need the prayers to stay powerful, so Zeus allows his brother Hades to scar man into praying them again.  The thing is that Hades is secretly planning to overthrow the gods because they tricked him into the under-world.  Back on earth Perseus is traveling with his family when a group of soldiers takes down a huge statue of Zeus while Perseus is traveling with his family on a boat and the pieces of the statue start to damage the boat and Hades gets really mad at them for disrespecting the gods so he sets out to destroy the soldiers.  In the process he takes down the boat and Perseus’ mom, sister and most importantly his dad all go down in the ship.  After this Perseus is taken into the town of Argos and swears total vengeance on Hades for taking away his family.  He soon learns that he was destined to defeat the Kracken and sets out on a journey to collect the items he will need to defeat the Kraken before the eclipse when it will either destroy the town or they have to sacrifice the princess Andromeda.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Run Time: 106 Minutes
Rating: PG-13

First off I love this movie.  When I saw the commercials I was a little hesitant to go because it looked kind of creepy, but on Easter my family decided to go.  Of course we saw it in3-D and it was amazing.  The 3-D was really well done and just like Alice in Wonderland it was a depth perception thing and so it just made the movie seem more real.  Also the special effects in this movie was awesome.  There were a whole lot of weird creatures and monsters in this movie and they did a really nice job with it.  The Kracken was one of the greatest special effects I have ever seen.  Medusa was also really awesome she had a huge tail and her hair was all snakes and it was really fantastic.  The other thing they really did well was the Greek mythology part of it.  If you have read some of my other posts you would know that I hate it when people mess up the movies and books or movies and general facts but this movie completely followed the story of Greek mythology except for they messed up a little in Perseus’ love life (don’t want to say what happens).  Other than that though they completely followed all the myths and I love that, mainly because I am a Greek mythology fanatic but they did a really nice job and I even learned some new things about Greek mythology I didn’t know before.  Even if you don’t like that kind of stuff you will probably like this movie because the action is so intense and your edge on your seat the whole time not knowing what is going to happen.  Overall this is a must see movie.

Real Teen Rating~A+: If you haven’t seen this movie you are a deprived soul!


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Unlike, the North Star, I was not at all hesitant to see this movie. Ever. I wanted to see it the moment I heard about it. Greek Mythology? Gods? Perseus? Kraken? Seriously, that is a movie MADE FOR THE GODS! I was extremely excited to go, but couldn’t until weeks after it was out. Okay, before I continue my review I must first explain that greek and roman mythology is basically my obsession. I get very annoyed when people get their facts wrong. So. I would have given this movie an A+, had they actually followed greek mythology! They got knocked down an entire + for that! Seriously, though. The movie was great except for their slaughtering of greek mythology. WARNING: I’m going to rant. For one thing: why is Io there at all? She died years before Perseus was even alive! And another thing: why was Medusa’s story really OFF? It wasn’t like any Medusa myth I’d ever heard, and I’ve heard a few! And another thing: Io was not a woman, she was a cow of some sort. Literally.  Another thing: Andromeda’s mother didn’t insult Aphrodite, she insulted Poseidon. Oh, and why was it called Clash of the TITANS if there were no titans in it at all? Those things really annoyed me. On a happier note, the acting was amazing, and the special effects were phenomenal. Though it didn’t really follow actual greek mythology (some of the time) the movie was very good and is a definite MUST SEE. Oh, and if there are any greek mythology fanatics out there who are hesitant to see the movie now, don’t worry. It’s a great movie, and you’ll make it through and love it. Note: I’m not giving it an A+ simply because of their mythology errors; that’s all. Everything else about it was truly amazing. Thank you for enduring my ranting.

Real Teen Rating~ A : You MUST see this movie!

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Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) - Maggie Stiefvater

Real Teen Award:

-Best Book Read In 2010

-Dream Catcher Award

* New York Times Bestseller

Shiver
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The Gist

Grace Brisbane lives for the winter. During that time of the year, a yellow eyed wolf known to Grace simply as her wolf, watches her from the woods in her backyard. She’s had some sort of odd connection with him ever since she was attached by a group of wolves when she was eleven. Now, after six years of watching him from the porch, or from the swing in her yard, or from her bedroom window, she begins to wonder if there’s more than just wolf in those yellow eyes. Sam Roth lives for the summer. During that time of the year he sheds his wolf skin and becomes a normal boy.  He’s tired of watching the girl he loves from afar; he wants to change. He’s tired of being a wolf for half the year. When the two of them meet, they know they’ll do anything to be together.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 392

 This book is so much better than I described in the gist. From the moment I started reading – from the very first page – I couldn’t put it down. It’s been a while since I could honestly say that.  When I wasn’t reading it, I was either thinking about what I thought was going to happen next in the story, or I was thinking about wanting to read it. That’s when you know a book’s good. Though this was a slight problem during my geometry class (a.k.a day dreaming), this was an amazing book. First of all, the writing is simply fantastic. It has a nice poetic style to it that is very refreshing.  Most often, I find authors’ writing is kind of choppy and straight to the point.  This was not the case here. I absolutely loved the way the author wrote this; it really got you into the story. I felt like one of the characters.  Second, the characters – Grace and Sam - were so real.  The character development makes you feel close to them. You watch them make hard decisions and you feel the pain they feel. There were parts that were so sweet they made me cry, and sections so sad I just felt like curling up in a ball and lying there for a while. It was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. But, if you don’t like romance-y books, I wouldn’t recommend you read this. There are things in the plot that don’t have to do with romance, but it is centered around Grace and Sam’s relationship. It was an incredibly sweet book that I couldn’t put down for a second.

Real Teen Rating~ A+ : What are you doing still reading this, go buy this book now!


Reviewed by The North Star
I read this book after Dream kept going on and on about how I had to read this book and how it was amazing and so cute and I am the ultimate sucker for a cute love story, so I thought why not might as well try it.  I loved it so much.  Everything about this book was amazing (except for one part that gets a little awkward).  In a way people may think this is book is like Twilight but for werewolf lovers, but it’s not.  The actually story is much better because it is a little more believable than Twilight and in my opinion I think that the writing style is better because she goes between the two main characters so that you can read what they are thinking so that you can get both sides of the story.  I think the thing I liked best about this story was that I actually liked the female character.  Most of time I in romantic teen fiction the author will make the girl really annoying so then the reader feels bad for the guy because he has to put up with her but in this case I really liked Grace.  She was a very strong character and she knew how to hold her own.  This book is perfect for anyone looking for a great book to read and just like Dreamand I waiting for the sequel Linger to come out this August!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: What are you doing still reading this, go buy this book NOW!


Reviewed by Living Destiny

I read this book because of incessant badgering by North.  You’ll notice she does that a lot.  But this time it was well worth it.  It was a really amazing book!  I always like the whole fantasy ghosts-vampires-werewolves-witches-warlocks-other-worldly-spooky-stuff, and this book has some of that, so I was hooked pretty much before I read it.  And then I read it, and it was a scary sort of addiction.  Sam is totally adorable.  He’s such a gentleman and he’s so sweet and cute and he’s just awesome.  Grace is really good too.  I like her because she isn’t whiny or rude or weak like a lot of female characters.  She is strong and smart and kind of pushy, but in a good way.  Sam and Grace have such good chemistry.  Some of the scenes were so sweet I went back two or three times to reread them.  Maggie Stiefvater did a really good job wrapping the whole book, so it could stand alone.  Still, I’m glad she’s making into a series.  Stay tuned for Linger!!!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: What are you doing still reading this, go buy this book NOW!


Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer

So once again this book was showed to me by North. I thought that it was going to be a another person trying to live up to the Twilight phenomena. So I read it. I ended up liking it a lot. The characters were fun and non-annoying. For the first time in a while I found the narrator, and main girl sensible and down-to-earth. I liked her a lot. Grace was one of the best characters that I had ever found in a book. Then there was Sam, he was cute and charming and the boyfriend that everyone would want (except for the part when he changes into a wolf when it gets cold out.). I instantly fell in love with both of these characters. I thought that they way the developed throughout the book was described well too. They went from a couple who was still in the “honey-moon phase” if you know what I mean. They were always happy, they never fought. Then Grace came to reality… he was going to change back and this time never come back she would never see him again. Then they start to grow as characters and you can feel yourself understanding what they are going through too. One thing that I really liked about the book was the chapters had the temperature on the page so you knew what was going on and why Sam would have problems. This book was unique in so many ways. There is no way that you couldn’t fall in love with book, and as you do you’ll be falling in love with both the humans and werewolves of this book.

Real Teen Ratings~ A+: What are you doing still reading this?? Go out and buy this book NOW!!!!!

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