Fade (Dream Catcher #2) - Lisa McMann

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

* New York Times Bestseller
* New York Times Bestselling YA Series

Fade
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The Gist

Working for the captain has changed a lot. Janie now has a full scholarship to college and a paycheck every time she completes a case. But now Janie has to take on a new and dangerous case. She has to take down asexual predator found among the teachers at her high school. When Janie and Cabel hear about the new case – and that Janie will probably have to be used as bait to lure the predator out of hiding – Cabel immediately objects. And Janie accepts. Now Janie must discover the predator among the teachers she thought she could trust and risk her well-being in the process. Meanwhile Cabel continues to firmly object to Janie being a part of the case at all. Janie continuously tells him that she can take care of herself. While Janie tries to juggle the case and her relationship with Cabel, she continues to find out more and more about herself as a dream catcher, and how that part of her life will effect her future.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 248

I liked this one better than Wake. By a lot. Thankfully, this one actually had a plot. The characters were both better than Wake and worse. Sometimes they (mostly Cabel and Janie) could get pretty annoying, but most of the time they were loveable and even more sweet than in the first of the trilogy. I know that my gist was weird and kind of rambling, but the book was better than that. The plot had more substance. That’s why I found this book to be so much better than the previous. I need a book’s plot to be defined or I find it childish and sloppy. This wasn’t the case here. Janie had a mission to complete and she was determined to complete it. Simple enough but, in essence, good. Much better than the non-existent plot of Wake. Also, the characters were a high point in this book, too. They seemed like real people. They were normal people, which made them great characters. They brought life to the story. For some reason, they seemed even more believable in Fade. Finally, I found the writing style in Fade better than in Wake. In Wake, I would occasionally find myself confused as to what was happening in the story. Here though I can’t remember a time when I had to stop and rethink. Janie and Cabel were also really cute in their relationship. They weren’t too over-the-top gooey, gushy romancey. They were just right. It was really sweet. Another good thing: I found myself laughing at the sarcastic jokes and puns.  I love when a good book has a few hilarious one-liners. I’m always pleasantly surprised and break out in laughter randomly. Maybe that doesn’t define a good book, but right now I’m in a book slump (not reading any good books lately    ) so it’s good enough for me. Overall, it was better than Wake by a lot. So if you liked Wake, you’ll love Fade.

Real Teen Rating~ B+ : Wait for Vacation.

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White is For Magic - Laurie Faria Stolarz

★Check out our Exclusive Interview with Laurie Faria Stolarz★

If you have not read Blue is for Nightmares, read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

White is for Magic
Buy it here and support our blog

The Gist

After finally catching the killer and saving her best friend Drea, Stacey has returned back to school.  She has also finally caught the eye of Chad and is very excited to now be in a relationship with him.  Now she is having more nightmares which mostly revolve around crazy stalkers and the little girl she used to babysit, Maura.  While all this is happening she soon becomes in contact with the new student Jacob.  He is a complete mystery to her and now has to deal with her conflicting feelings for Chad and Jacob.  Jacob then soon reveals to her he also has dreams about the same things that are happening.  Now they have to team up to find out who the murderer is and stop him before someone else is hurt.


What We Think

Reviewed by The North Star

Number of Pages: 301

I apologize for the very bad gist above.  I have not read this book in a long time so I tried to write from what I remember.  I liked this book better than Blue is for Nightmares.  I think that she evolved the characters much more in this book than in the first book.  I also loved the character of Jacob, he is probably one of my favorite characters ever in a series.  Unlike Edward, he has flaws and isn’t afraid to admit to them.  The other thing that I liked about this book was that they brought back her past with the little girl that she used to babysit.  In the first book she left it very open ended about what happened with her so I was ecstatic when she decided to write the whole book basically about Maura.  With almost every book though you get some negatives.  The one thing that really bothered me in this book was Chad.  He was extremely awkward while dating Stacey in this book.  I’m not sure why he was just the way he acted around Stacey was just very strange and it seemed as he was trying to make the relationship work when both of them knew it wouldn’t.  Other than the awkwardness between Stacey and Chad I really enjoyed this book and if you liked Blue is for Nightmares then you guaranteed to love White is for Magic.

Real Teen Rating~ A: Go Buy Now!


Reviewed by Dream Catcher

I read this almost immediately after reading Blue is for Nightmares, because I had liked that book so much and couldn’t wait to see what happened next to Stacey and her friends. I was excited for Stacey about her romance with Chad and I thought it was the cutest thing in the world. I’d been rooting for them all along and now they were finally together. YAY. And then there was Jacob. And all thought of Chad flew out the window. I mean, Chad was cute and sweet…but I prefered Jacob. Mysterious (how cliche of me to say that). Secretive. And all that jazz. Yeah, so anyways the addition of Jacob as a character made the book interesting. Because it would be too easy if everything was happy happy joy joy with Stacey and Chad. Jacob adds the jealousy conflict and is just a good all around character. That was a really long rant on Jacob alone. Creepy. Oh well. He was a good character! Continuing with all that is character Stacey was as dependable as ever and Dara was as…I dunno. There’s really no way to describe her. Dara was just as Dara as in the first book. Which is good. She’s a great best friend character. Amber and PJ were just as random and crazilly loveable. Love them. Now with the plot: I really liked it. I thought it made the perfect sequel plot to the first book. Now instead of Dara being attacked its…well read and see! I always love Stacey’s psychic dreams. They’re creepy and haunting. Just like the plot. It’s kinda creepy (and book about a stalker would have to be just a little bit creepy) but not I-stay-awake-at-night-scared-out-of-my-mind type creepy. Just the right level of creepy-ness. One thing I honestly loved about the plot was the fact that it wasn’t an almost exact copy of the first book. So many series now are pointless because they basically just repeat the first book’s plot over and over with more/different characters of another venue or something. Which is exceedingly stupid. But not this series. This series has substance. The plots are similar in that they’re creepy and about kinda-stalkers, but they differ enough that you’re never bored when you’re reading them. You always want to keep reading just to see what happens next and you really grow to love the characters. I have to say I agree with the North Star in saying I liked this even more than I liked Blue is for Nighmares. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like Blue is for  Nightmares, just that I liked this book even better. So if you liked Blue then you were certainly LOVE White is for Magic.

Real Teen Rating~ A : Go Buy Now.

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Exclusive Interview with Kimberly Derting (Author of The Body Finder)

The second after we finished The Body Finder we knew that we had to talk to the genius behind it and here is what she said:

RTR: What inspired you to be a writer?
Kimberly: I’ve always wanted to write, although I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of writer I would be.  As a teen, I had big plans to be an Investigative Journalist, until I found out what traipsing around scary, war-torn regions of the world actually looked like (snakes, bugs, sniper gunfire!).  So I decided to try to write fiction instead…far more fun and much safer!

RTR: How long did it take you to get The Body Finder published?
Kimberly: It was like a whirlwind. I got an agent, went on submission, and got offers all in the course of a couple of months. While that may sound incredibly fast (which it was), I do have stacks and stacks of rejection letters for another manuscript that I wrote before The Body Finder.

RTR: How did you come up with the ideas from The Body Finder (specifically Violet’s ability and echoes)?
Kimberly: My husband loves it when I get this question.  He will jokingly (I think!) call himself my “co-author” because he was the one who first said:  “What if there was a kid who could find dead bodies?”  Of course, what he conveniently forgets is that his idea was for a middle-grade boy adventure…and that I’m the one who actually wrote the book!
Once I had the general idea for Violet’s ability, the rest actually came pretty easily.  It was so fun to sit down and create the rules of her “gift.”

RTR: What are your guilty pleasures?
Kimberly: Skittles, Tea, and Pirate’s Booty popcorn…although I’ve never really felt guilt about any of them.

RTR: If you could have lunch with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
Kimberly: Hmm…that’s tough.  I think I’d choose JK Rowling, mostly because she’s such an incredible writer, such a huge super-star, and so extremely private that I’d probably never actually have the chance in real life.  Her or Oprah.  Gotta love Oprah!

RTR: Do you have any weird talents or hobbies?
Kimberly: I’m pretty boring, although I can walk on the tops of my toes.  Does that count???  My daughter has inherited this wonderfully useless talent as well.

RTR: Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Kimberly: Yes, although there were points in my childhood when I wanted to be a Veterinarian, Princess Leia, and a Lady Trucker (doesn’t everyone go through their “Lady Trucker” phase???).  But mostly a writer. 

RTR: Do you consider Violet’s ability a gift or a curse?
Kimberly: Of course as an outsider (and as the author), I think it’s pretty cool.  Plus, the way she uses it in The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead would make me lean more towards the gift side of things.  Violet might have other thoughts about this.

RTR: Which character from The Body Finder do you relate to the most?
Kimberly: Although Violet and I can both find dead bodies by the echoes they leave behind (umm…yeah, right…), I have to say Chelsea!  My husband always tells me that I don’t have that internal filter, which is exactly like Chelsea.  It’s fun to shock people once in a while!

RTR: Would you ever want Violet’s ability?
Kimberly: Not a chance!  I’m definitely a run-the-other-way-screaming kind of gal.

RTR: What do you think your echo would be?
Kimberly: Mmm, chocolate…
Yep, definitely something chocolate-related.  (Is it bad that I’ve actually given this some thought???)

Thank you Kimberly!  We can’t wait until Desires of the Dead!!!!

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Wicked- Original Broadway Cast

Reviewed by The North Star

Song Time: 1 Hour and 11 Minutes

Wicked
Buy it here and support our blog

Wicked is a musical loosely based on Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (which is basically the prologue to The Wizard of Oz). It follows Elphaba Thropp(The Wicked Witch of the West) as she embarks on an adventure at Shiz University with her sister Nessarose.  She soon finds out that she has been paired with Galinda (Glinda) Upland who is the exact opposite of her for her roommate.  When bad things start to happen they band together and form a bond, stronger than any before.  Wicked was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Orchestration and twice for Best Leading Actress, for Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. Idina Menzel won the Best Actress award, and the show also won the Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design.  Wicked also won 6 Drama Desk Awards and an Olivier Award.  The singers in this show are AMAZING and I couldn’t think of a show that was better cast than this one!

No One Mourns the Wicked- 7/10- Like the ending this is a great way to start off the show.  The orchestration is beautiful, and it starts you out with a lot of information that is very important down the road.  They tell you how the Wicked Witch of the West was born and how she had a troubled life as a baby and child.  This just isn’t my favorite song, probably because of the length but other than that it is a really good way to being such an amazing show!

Dear Old Shiz- 5/10- This is a strange song, because it is a transition song between changing sets and costumes and what not so it probably wasn’t the most well thought out song but the orchestration is really pretty and the harmonies sung by all the Shiz students are spot on so it isn’t terrible but just not that great.

The Wizard and I- 11/10- When I first heard this song it was my instant favorite of the CD and was for a long time.  Idina Menzel has a voice that everyone could only dream of having and this is the first song that she sings in the show.  This song is one that you find stuck in your head for days after listening to it and humming down the hallways or even around the house.  Very catchy and worth buying!!!

What Is This Feeling?- 11/10- This song makes me laugh every time I hear it.  In this scene Elphaba and Glinda are having a battle because they have just been made roomates and they can’t stand each other.  I love this song because it is sung by Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel who are sound extremely beautiful when they sing together and they also even on recordings have mounds of emotion, so you can almost imagine the scene in your head.  The best part though has to be the end and if you have listened to the song you know what I am talking about.

Something Bad- 7/10- This is just a strange song……Dr. Dillamond sings it to Elphaba about how all the animals that can talk are turning back into animals who can’t talk.  The only reason this song is getting such a high grade is because Idina Menzel sings in it and when she has her little moments it really shows you what an amazing voice she has because William Youmans is just a decent singer and so when she comes in you get chills.  The thing that I really dont like about this song though is the random goat noises he makes.  Baaaaaa

Dancing Through Life- 10/10- I really like this song even though it is quite long.  It explains a lot that is happening and has happened like No One Mourns the Wicked.  This is also the turning point in the show when Elphaba and Glinda realize that they can be friends and they have some things in common.  This is also the first time you hear Boq sing and I really like his character.  He is a little munchkin boy who is hopelessly in love with Glinda and would do anything for her and you start to see his character bloom.

Popular- 11/10- This song is a song that gets stuck in your head FOR DAYS!!!!!!!  Glinda is telling Elphaba about how she is going to be Popular now that they are friends and is also giving her a make-over.  This song is extremely catchy and always makes me want to get up and dance with a hairbrush.  Even just listening to it right now I find myself singing random parts against my will.  Whenever your feeling down listen to this song it always seems to cheer me up.

I’m Not That Girl- 9/10- This is a very sad song.    Elphaba is singing about the boy she is in love with but unfortunately he is love with another girl and how she’s not the girl that he wants.  This song is really really pretty but one I tend to skip on my iPod.  I think the lyrics are beautiful and everything but it just isn’t my favorite on the CD.

One Short Day- 10/10- This song is very upbeat and happy.  Kind of the polar opposite of the song played before.  Elphaba and Glinda have just arrived for the first time in Oz (The Emerald City) and they can’t believe what they see.  I really like this song because it has a really nice beat and really makes me want to visit Oz because of all the good things they say about it.  I love the part in this song when they combine the beginning and the second part of the song together because it is really cool how it all fits even though it is to completely different tunes.

A Sentimental Man- 1/10- This song is just flat out terrible.  Luckily it is only 1 minute and 17 seconds but even that is too long.  Joel Gray is a good singer but on this song he sounds awful.  Every time this song plays on my iPod I quickly change it and I don’t think I have ever by choice wanted to listen to this song…  There is anything good to say about it so just DON’T buy it!!! (Unless you are buying the whole CD) (:

Defying Gravity- 11/10- This is probably the most famous song from the show.  This is when Glinda and Elphaba has reached pretty much the climax of the story and have to decide something that will impact them both whether it is good or bad.  This song is amazing and one that always puts me in a good mood after I listen to it from some reason.  Maybe it is the harmony created when Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel sing together or maybe it is the incredible lyrics, but whatever it is it is amazing!!  If you are unsure whether or not to buy this album then at least buy this song and For Good because I guarantee you will find yourself listening to them on repeat for hours.

Thank Goodness- 9/10- This is a really long song but the song that opens the 2nd act.  I think that it is a good way to open the 2nd act because all during intermission you want the show to come back on so to come back to a long song was very nice!  You learn a lot in this song about everything that has been going on in Oz while you were gone.  This song has a nice beat and is just an all around good song there isn’t much to say about it…it is just good! 

Wonderful- 9/10- I really like this song and when I first listened to the CD it was my favorite of the whole CD.  The Wizard of Oz is singing to Elphaba about how he established Oz and Munchkinland and how they all love him there.  They say the word wonderful about 50 times in this song, so the title is very suited.  This is song that after listening to it a few times you get sick of Joel Gray’s voice.  Don’t get me wrong he has a very good voice but you can’t listen to it to many times or you get sick of it.  The reason I can listen to it so many times though is because of Idina Menzel’s voice in the end.  It is a lot like Something Bad you really begin to appreciate her voice!

I’m Not That Girl (Reprise)- 9/10- This is a very short but sad song.  It is only 50 seconds but Glinda sings about how she had everything and then lost it and now she’s not that girl.  For some reason I never skip this song on my iPod.  Whether it is Kristen Chenoweths voice or the subject of the song I never skip it.  An all around good song just a little too short for me even though it is a reprise.

As Long As You’re Mine-10/10- This is a duet between Fiyero and Elphaba.  This song is extremely passionate and just listening to them sing to each other gives you chills down your back.  Like almost every single song on this CD it also has very strong lyrics. They sing about how they never thought they would get so lucky yet they are standing there having everything they have ever wanted.  This is also an amazing song because it is Idina Menzel and Norbert Leo Butz who have voices that are OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!  Just an amazing song!

No Good Deed-11/10- This is one of my favorite songs on the whole CD.  Elphaba is talking about everytime she does something good something very bad comes of it and how all of her friends are now hurt or worse off than they were before.  I really like this song because the lyrics are really powerful.  Was I really seeking good
Or just seeking attention? Is that all good deeds are, When looked at with an ice-cold eye? I really like that line because when you think about it, it is really true.  I hate to saw it but most good deeds are just that. Overall, this is a very powerful song.

March of the Witch Hunters- 6/10- I really don’t like this song very much.  All of the ozians and others are going to hunt down the Wicked Witch of the East for everything that she has done.  I just don’t really like the beat of the song or the orchestration but the reason it is getting such a high grade is because Christopher Fitzgerald sings in it and I love his voice!  I always skip this one on my iPod.

For Good- 12/10- This is one of my favorite songs ever!  The lyrics are really powerful and it is a really sad moment in the show because Glinda and Elphaba are saying goodbye to each other and get emotional while doing it.  They are singing about how they both have changed each others lives and how it was such a good thing that they were lucky enough to know each other.  This song to me is just really powerful and I can really relate to what they are singing about and the arrangement is beautiful.  All in all, it is an amazing song that should be on your iPod no matter what!

Finale “Wicked”- 8/10- This isn’t my favorite song on the CD but I think that it is a really good song to wrap up and end the entire show.

In short this show is amazing!! There are only a few songs that I really don’t like and the rest I could listen to all day and be happy.  This CD is totally worth buying and if you have the time, you will not be disappointed if you go to see it on Broadway!!!!!  One of the best shows of the decade by far!

Real Teen Rating~ A- : At least buy a few of the songs!

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

No One Mourns the Wicked – 8.5/10 – Good start to the show. Dramatic with the chorus of Ozians and higher Glinda part. Nice harmonies and I really like the lyrics.

Dear Old Shiz – 4/10 - Don’t like this song so much. It’s a chorus song with lots of harmonies. But it’s only talking about the school and it’s kind of boring. Not my favorite song. I skip over it when it comes on my iPod.

The Wizard and I – 11/10 - Love this song! It’s basically a song that’s all Elphaba, and her voice is amazing. The only thing I don’t like about it is the beginning that has Madam Morrible singing. That part’s just eh. But other than that it’s a really dramatic, big-finish type song. REALLY good.

What Is This Feeling? – 9/10 – This used to be one of my favorite songs on the CD but after listening to it for a while I got kind of tired of it. It’s still a good song with funny parts like the talking in the  beginning. Good song, but not the best.

Something Bad – 7.5/10 – This song is pretty weird, especially if you haven’t seen the show. I’ve never really been a huge fan of this song, because half of it is sung by a goat (not that I have a problem with goats, it’s just a little bizarre sounding), but it’s grown on me a little. The parts where Elphaba singing are really good, though. I especially like the very end line, “It couldn’t happen here…in Oz”. I don’t know what it is, but I really love the notes to that part.

Dancing Through Life – 9.3/10 - The first song Fiyero sings. An eternity-long song. Everyone jumps in and sings at some point, all talking about the dance they’re planning. The fact that Fiyero is singing about being lazy and not doing work – like it’s a good thing – is a really funny part of the song. A lot happens in this song.

Popular – 9.5/10 - A Galinda song. I love this song because it sounds so superficial and mean while Galinda claims to be helping Elphaba. Funny and cutsie.

I’m Not That Girl – 12/10 - I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. Elphaba sounds so sorrowful. One of her best songs. The melody is so beautiful and the lyrics are just amazing. My favorite song of the show.

One Short Day – 6/10 - This has never been a favorite of mine. I always considered it filler. Nothing special. After listening to this CD over and over for years I don’t feel any different. Something about this song is just very lack-luster to me. Boring. Oh, well. I’ll listen to it, but kinda grudgingly.

Sentimental Man – 2/10 - My least favorite song in the whole show. Sung by the Wizard about how he always wanted to be a father. Ick. It’s just an all around gross song. Bad vocal, bad lyrics, icky. Just no.  If there was one song from this show that could vanish off the face of the earth and no one would care about, it would be this song.

Defying Gravity – 10/10 – Good, dramatic song to end the first act with a flourish. Elphaba and Glinda but mostly Elphaba. This is the signature song of Wicked, basically. This is the song they always use when they advertise the show and everyone loves it. All around really good song about breaking free.

Thank Goodness – 8.9/10 – A happy celebration song that starts off the second act of the show. Glinda with her high soprano solo and Madame Morrible’s weird little talk-sing part. A section I really like is when people are gossiping about the wicked witch, like she has an extra eye, or can shed her skin like a snake. Its funny and is so like real gossip (rediculous) that it’s funny.

Wonderful - 8/10 - I've never really liked this song. It was just okay to me. But listening to the lyrics...they're really funny. He's talking about where he comes from and how basically everybody there lies. Sound familiar, anyone? Haha but anyways that part got a chuckle out of me, so I should give this song some credit. What I don't like is how many times he says WONDERFUL and how huge and overly-dramatic the instrumental parts are. Not just verging on corny. TOTALLY corny. But other than that the song's okay.

I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) - 9/10 - I didn't want to give this a 9 because it's so short I really don't think they should have put it on the CD. They left out another song that's in the show (Wicked Witch of the East sung by Nessarose, which I really wish they had put on the CD because it's amazing), not a reprise! But the song is sad and pretty so it deserves a 9. Every time this song comes on my iPod I skip it because it's so short and I don't think it'll be worth listening to because it's the shortest reprise on the face of the planet. But I just listened to it, and up until the very end note everything is just okay. Pretty, but not that remarkable. The very last note makes the song; it's sad, pretty low and just awesome. Don't ask me why because I have no idea.

As Long As You're Mine - 11/10 - I love this song because it's so sweet and romantic. The lyrics are really great because...well because they're ROMANTIC! I don't know. I especially love Fiyero's lines. They're amazing. I also really love the dramatic and dark-sounding beginning sounds. Don't really know what instrument that is, but it sounds awesome! Just a really great song.

No Good Deed - 12/10 - A WONDERFULLY bitter and angry song. At the same time she's really have a major pity party. Talking about how her life has been terrible up to this point and every good thing she's ever done has been thrown back in her face. It's actually a really powerful song...despite the fact that she's telling everyone to just stop doing all good deeds...it's still amazing. The string instrument in the background is really cool (I'd never noticed before but when you actually try to listen to it it makes the song EVEN BETTER). Really adds to the song. Then there's the big dramatic finish. It's big. It's dramatic. What else could you ask for? Amazing.

March of the Witch Hunters - 8.8/10 - I like this song. It's an angry mob singing. That's pretty crazy. This song really tells a lot about the story of Oz, too. Which is good.  The violin in the song's background is really intense. It sounds angry. It's really cool. The only thing is there's this one part where the lyrics are "witch hunters I would join you if I could" but there's not really enough time to say that whole thing, so it comes out as "joinyouifIcould" and doesn't really sound like much of anything. I've tried singing it like them and it's always hilarious. Good, but not great song.

For Good - 9/10 - I aways thought this song was kind of boring. Sure the lyrics are pretty good and touching, or something but the song always seemed to lack luster for me. It's kind of grown on me (mostly because it's like the North Star's favorite song) and I like it more than I did before. Not my favorite.

Finale "Wicked" - 8/10 - A good finale song. Using parts of "For Good" and "No One Mourns the Wicked" with Glinda and the chorus of Ozians. It's sad and kind of cool because it makes you think differently about the very beginning of the song. I can't think of a better way to end this show.

Real Teen Rating~ A- : At least buy a few of the songs!

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David Archuleta- Something ‘Bout Love

Reviewed by The North Star

Song Time: 3 Minutes and 58 Seconds

It’s the finale of the 7th season of American Idol and it is between David Archuleta and David Cook.  Ryan Seacrest opens the envelope and announces that David… Cook has won American Idol Season 7 and David Archuleta is the runner up.  Ever since his second place finish David has not stopped perusing his music career and has done quite well in the past 2 years.  He has come out with 2 albums (David Archuleta and Christmas from the Heart) and recently he came out with a new single for his next album titled Something ‘Bout Love.  I am going to warn you in saying that I LOVE David Archuleta so my review may be a little biased.  I really do like this song, I think that it is a great work-out song and has a really nice beat to dance to.  This song is my second favorite of his (next to A Little Too Not Over You) but it is slowly creeping to the top of my list.

The song is about even though things may not be going great and love may be hard to find but to always have hope.  I think that is a really good song to sing about especially to the target audience which is teenage girls.  Most teenage girls dream about that one guy that they will find and fall in love with instantly. That is extremely rare to find so this song sets it in perspective that it might not happen and things will seem terrible at some point but you will find someone.  (:

The other thing that I love about this song is that David sings it.  My obsession aside he has an amazing voice and not only that he has vocal paralysis and the doctors told him that he was most likely not ever going to sing again.  To be able to beat the odds and have your voice back again and then to come and have a voice like his is CRAZY!!!!   He is really an inspiration and an amazing singer who hopefully will be played more on the radio!  In short, this song is worth $1.29 on iTunes and you will be listening to it for hours on end and then finding it stuck in your heads for weeks after!!

Real Teen Rating~ A+: Look it up RIGHT NOWWWW!!!!

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Exclusive Interview With Cassandra Clare(Author of the Mortal Instrument Series)

After becoming OBSESSED with the Mortal Instruments we talked to Cassandra Clare about how she got her ideas for such a great story and other random things!



RTR: If your life was turned into a movie, who would play you?
Cassandra: I’m sure it would be one of those things where they can only make the movie if they cast someone really famous and I’d wind up being played by Tom Hanks or something.

RTR: What are your favorite songs on your iPod?
Cassandra: It depends on my mood. Right now it’s a song called “This is My City” from the Skins soundtrack.

RTR: If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose?
Cassandra: Oh, goodness. Oscar Wilde?

RTR: What is your guilty pleasure?
Cassandra: Gossip blogs like D-Listed and TMZ.

RTR: Do you have any weird talents or hobbies?
Cassandra: I really can’t think of anything. I don’t even collect weird stuff. I like crazy shoes — I spend a lot of time on http://www.irregularchoice.com/

RTR: How did you come up with the whole angels/demons concept?
Cassandra: Well, I didn’t invent angels and demons! But I think I know what you mean; I’d read a lot of urban fantasy at the time that drew on folklore — stories of goblins and elves and vampires. I wanted to write similarly styled urban fantasy but drawing on mythology – tales of gods, angels and demons. Every culture has its angels and demons, its good and evil divinities.

RTR: What compelled you to write a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series?
Cassandra: I’d always wanted to write historical fiction — I kept telling myself it was a crazy idea, like always wanting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, because historicals are an insane amount of work. But I was in London crossing Blackfriars Bridge and I had this sudden strong image in my head of a girl and a boy, in the period costume of the mid-Victorian era, standing on the bridge at night — and from one end of the bridge, unseen by them, was an army of clockwork creatures approaching. It was very eerie, and at first I tossed it around as the idea for a short story,  but the characters and the tale grew, and as they did so I knew I wanted it to be part of my Mortal Instruments universe and for these characters to connect up with the ones from TMI.

RTR: It seemed like the series was pretty well summed up in the last book. Why write a fourth book to the series?
Cassandra: I’ve seen differing opinions as to how well summed up it was! I was content with it as an ending, but it did leave plenty of hanging threads — would Clary go back to school?  Jace ended the series without really having nailed down a sense of his own identity.  And what on earth would happen to Simon, who hadn’t chosen a girlfriend, hadn’t told his mother he was a vampire, and now carried the Mark of Cain? I’m going to paraphrase Chekhov, who said that if you see a gun in the first act of a play, it has to go off by the third act or the audience will feel cheated. If you put the Mark of Cain on a character, you owe it to your readers to at some point show them what happens when it gets invoked. Now, all of those things can be left to readerly imagination, but I did think I owed more of Simon’s story. When I sat down to write it out, however, I realized that in fact there was a much bigger story I wanted to tell about these characters and what happened to them after Valentine was gone. That was how City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire came into being as they are now.

RTR: Who do you like more: Jace or Alec?
Cassandra: I don’t know how it is for other people, but I don’t really have a relationship of liking and not liking with my own characters. With other people’s characters, sure, but they don’t live in my head.It’s not even a question of “Who would you kill off?” because that’s just about serving the purpose of the story. I love them equally; they serve different narrative functions, but they’re both fun to write.

RTR: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Cassandra: Read. Try to read 60-70 books a year. Read outside the genres you like. Experiment with other genres, other types of books. I get emails all the time from people who say they don’t like to read, but they want to learn how to write. But we learn by example. You have to do the first to learn the second.

Thank you Cassandra!  We can’t wait until Clockwork Angels and City of Fallen Angels!

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Salt - Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofer

Real Teen Award
- Worst Character/Actress 2010- Angelina Jolie

The Gist

Salt
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Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent in Washingotn D.C. … or is she? This movie follows Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who is accused of being a Russian sleeper spy. She is also accused of being the spy that will assassinate the Russian and American president and start the greatest war in order to make America fall to pieces and Russia rise to be the dominate country. While trying to make sure her husband is safe, prove herself innocent, and run from the CIA who is following her, she is launched into a series of events that reveal her true identity. Thorughout the movie you get flashbacks to her childhood in the Soviet Union and her older life in America. As the plot unravels you find out whether Evelyn Salt is a Russian spy or a CIA agent. Which is it?

What We Think

Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer

Run Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Watching the movie trailers on TV it looked like this movie was going to be a new unique spy movie. I was wrong. True, we haven’t had a lot of action spy movies come out lately that were worth seeing. So when you put out a girl heroine instead of a boy, and you make that heroine be played by the most loved action actress of all time, obviously you are going to pull in a lot of money. This movie made me extremly confused. There wasn’t alot of detail  at the beginning so when you got thrown into the plot head first with no information it was a little like watching Lost from the middle of an episode and then watching a random episode from another season. I was lost. Angelina Jolie of course played her usual self. It wasn’t anything special, not award winning or anything. I felt like I was watching the same thing over and over again. Every scene was either Salt escaping and making a scene or she was killing somebody, with explosions in the background.And of course as always, Angelina can not die. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but every movie she is in even if her brain gets blown out of her head she is still living. She gets shot in the back… oh she has a bullet proof vest on! She jumps off of a ten story building, no big deal she has cat like reflexes.Oh and just to let you know, even though she can lose tons of blood she gains it back unnaturally fast because she is Angelina Jolie and she is amazing like that. I thought that the whole movie was a little over the top. The only thing that I will give props to is the producers for making this a regular hour and a half movie and still getting us so acquainted with the character. The snippets of her past really let you know what she was like so you knew her better than most characters in normal movies. That was the only thing that I liked about this movie. The husband was cute but you didn’t know him enough to get attached to him. Finally,i felt like I was in the movie theater.The whole reason people go to see movies is to escape from the regular world. I like it when I slip into the movie and it keeps me entertained. During this movie I was watching the other people in the theater,  and then eventually flattening out my candy bag, till it was perfectly straight… that’s how bored I was. The movie was definatly action packed, there was explosions and machine guns to the extreme, and if that’s your thing well I guess that you would like it, but it seemed a little extravagant to me.

Real Teen Rating~ C+ : Just Average


Reviewed Dream Catcher

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I desperately wanted to see it. It looked like a great action movie with some butt-kicking moves from Angelina Jolie. My sister went to see it before me, and told me it was awesome. So I was excited.  Sadly, I was disappointed. In short, all it was was a bunch of people getting beat up by Angelina Jolie. Don’t get me wrong, that was very entertaining. Well…at first. But after the first few fight scenes I got tired of watching people get killed. Angelina Jolie was just pure terrible. When watching her I was watching the definition of bad acting. GAH. I hadn’t heard of any of the other actors from the movie before I saw it, and they weren’t anything amazing either. They weregood, but not very memorable. Now the fight scenes were pretty intense, but it all got to be a little over the top. Like ShoreWhisperer said, only Angelina Jolie can kill Angelina Jolie, because apparently she was invincible. No matter the numbers of people against her. No matter the fire-power. No matter how strong or trained the other person was. She could not be killed. Which sometimes was a little ridiculous. The plot was also lacking. I could guess what was going to happen before it would. So not only was there hardly any plot, but the little bit of plot that there was extremely predictable. I may have been able to deal with that, but the worse part was that I was got bored while I was watching it. I would glance around the theater and sigh every so often. Then I’d find my mind wandering. That’s not a good movie. But, thankfully the whole movie wasn’t like that. I was entertained for some of the movie. One thing that I liked was the flashbacks that had her and her husband. I kind of wish there had been more of them in the movie. There were only a few, and I think the movie would have been a lot better (less mindless exploding) with some more scenes like that. Maybe it would have given some more meaning to an otherwise meaningless movie. Now to the most important part of my review. Позвольте мне присоединиться к вам . Do you know what that means? Yeah, I didn’t either. It means “let me join you” in Russian. But they said it so much during the movie I learned the words! I’m kidding, I looked it up on bing translator but they seriously did say it a lot in the movie. I can’t think of anything else to say. If I remember it at all, I’ll remember it as a BAD movie. It was a definite let-down.

Real Teen Rating~ D- : I wouldn’t bother at all.

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Princess of Glass - Jessica Day George

If you have not read Princess of the Midnight Ball, read at your own risk, this contains spoilers!

The Gist 

Princess of Glass
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Poppy isn’t used to being alone. She almost constantly has her twelve sisters around her, and when she doesn’t, she’s sure to have the company of her twin, Daisy. But, as a part of the heir exchange program, Poppy is shipped off to another country, alone, in hopes that she’ll marry someone there, and create an alliance between those countries. And she’s all anybody can gossip about.  The people of Breton have heard of Westfalin’s slipper mishap, but don’t know the entire story. So half of them think Poppy and her sisters are spoiled princesses trying to get attention. The other half think they’re witches. Either way, the gossip is a bit of a shock to Poppy, and she has trouble adjusting to her new life in Breton. But Poppy isn’t the only foreign royal in Breton. Christian, the prince of Danelaw, is also a part of the exchange program. He’s heard of the slipper scandal, too, but isn’t going to just sit around and talk about her. He wants to talk to her. Meanwhile, Ellen Parker – and formally rich and spoiled girl – tries to adjust to her new job as a maid.  But she finds that she just can’t do it. However hard she tries, nothing works for her. She’ll fold laundry and when she turns away it seems to unfold itself. She’ll be mending clothes and as she sews more holes appear somewhere else. But she knows what she’ll have to do to escape the life of servitude she’s living now. She plans to get prince Christian to marry her, so she’ll become a princess, and have everyone waiting on her again. And she’s prepared to do most anything to get what she wants. When Poppy senses magic, she knows something is terribly wrong. Especially when all the men in Breton mysteriously fall in love with a woman who nobody’s heard. Lady Ella has set her sights on Prince Christian, and Poppy isn’t the only one who suspects that Lady Ella may not be who everyone thinks she is.


What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Number of Pages: 257

Finally! I finished the gist! I don’t know why, but I couldn’t find the right words to say for the longest time. As it is, it’s still not a very good gist, but it’ll have to do. So this is another of Jessica Day George’s books. Her latest, to be exact.  A sequel to Princess of the Midnight Balls. Gah. I wish she would stop writing sequels! However, this one wasn’t that bad. I liked it just as much as I liked the first, maybe more. I’m not sure. Either way, it wasn’t all that bad. Warning! Jessica Day George has a fetish for fairy-tale re-tellings!  Can anyone guess what this one is based off of? Lady ELLA? That’s right. It’s a creepy twist on Cinderella. And it’s like no Cinderella tale I’ve ever heard. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I actually really liked this version of Cinderella, even though the main character wasn’t Cinderella… Anyways, the plot was unique and kept me interested the whole time. I finished the book in two days, if that means anything. I thought the characters were also pretty good. Poppy was a strong, intelligent main character, not at all a damsel in distress. Christian was the perfect gentleman, though a bit clueless at times. The evil character was not only evil, but creepy. I would not want to mess with them. Ever. The only problem I had with characters was the awkward dialogue. At times, some of the dialogue would be stiff and uncharacteristic, which was a little odd, but maybe that’s what the author was going for. But overall, that didn’t bother me so much. The title and cover were just ehh, I think. I’m not sure if I would have read the book at all if I hadn’t known the author already. I think maybe she needs to work on her titles…but, that’s just my opinion. I can’t think of much else to say. Characters were pretty good. Plot was different. Yeah, that’s about it.  Overall, the book was good, but not great. I wouldn’t read it again, but I’d still recommend it to people who’ve liked Jessica Day George’s other books.

Real Teen Rating~ B : Read it, but there’s no rush.

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