It's The Veronica Mars Movie Motherload!

If you're lucky enough to live in or around San Diego or you're just lucky enough to have the scratch to travel that far AND you're also lucky enough to have scored tickets to Comic-Con, well, I'm pretty jealous of you right now. Why? Well, because evidently ALL THE THINGS happened this weekend at Comic-Con. Most notably?  

A friggin' Veronica Mars movie sneak peek!!!! Check it and then fangirl the fuck out!!!



Ok, compose yourselves, Marshmallows. Cos you know we've GOT to discuss the shizz outta this thang! So let's begin:

Yeah it is!!!! But...

The boys. Why are they wet? Or more importantly, why are they wet and not shirtless? I call shenanigans!

So, turns out V isn't a private eye like dear old dad, Keith. She's a fancypants lawyer now. Note the businessy blazer.

And even Jamie Lee Curtis has taken a break from sharing her secrets on how to keep your pooper on the regular in order to do an ACTUAL MOVIE! Was Activia one of the Kickstarter backers? Or did Kristen Bell put in a good word for JLC after they played the mother/daughter duo in that movie You Again? Either way, it's Jamie Lee Curtis, y'all!

The Mac is back! And she's got a super sleek, short new hairstyle. I don't know where the girls are or why they're so fancifully dressed though. Is it a reunion? Maybe because shortly after V and Mac's run-in with Dick, this happens...

Yeah y'all, check the ring cos Weevil is MARRIED! WHAT?!?! To who?

Is it Gia? Is Weevil married to Gia? Is he the one that sent her that sweet bouquet? But how the hell would Weevil and Gia get together? Ok, maybe I'm reading too much into this scene. Let's get back to the reunion. Is it a Neptune High reunion?

If so, then why would Piz be there? He didn't go to Neptune. Veronica met him at Hearst College in season 3. So, if this is a high school reunion maybe Piz is there because he and Veronica are TOGETHER!!! *squeeeeeees*

But if Piz and Ronnie are together, what the hello is she doing in Logan's car?!?! I'm so confused.

 

Now that certainly looks like a Neptune High reunion! People fighting! Most likely PCHers vs. the 09ers. *sigh* Just like old times, y'all. :)

Too bad we have to wait til 2014 to finally see it. I. Can't. Wait!!!!
So, what did you guys think? Are you too fangirled up to type right now? Me too! I'm at a Jessica-Spano-on-caffeine-pills level of excitement here!
What are you looking forward to the most? The mystery? The romance? The nostalgia?
And most importantly, which side do you land on: Team Logan or Team Piz? You know my answer. (Piznarski all the way, baby!)
Hit me up in the comments and let me know what you think.

And if you thought the Veronica Mars news ended there you are awesomely mistaken.  V's story will continue on even after the movie ends! In book form!!! Rob Thomas will reportedly be working with Alloy Entertainment writing two books that pick up wherever it is that Veronica's big-screen story leaves off. This is amazing news, seeing as any VM fan worth their salt knows, originally Rob Thomas envisioned the world of Neptune as a novel anyway.
As a book-slut, I'm totally for this idea. In fact, I think it's been a long time coming. I mean, someone really should've offered up this whole book deal as a way to reward hardcore fans for staying the course even through the somewhat-sucky third season. After that, someone should've just decided "hey, let's just write grown-up-Veronica adventures! that would be totally awesome! and plus the fans totally deserve it!"
Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!?!?

Well y'all, this is almost too much excitement for your girl to handle. So I'll end this post with the cutest pic evs! It's the Marshmallow and her Soda Pop! Awww! I am SOOOOO excited for this movie to FINALLY happen!!! And then the books, guys! The books!!!

  

JK Rowling's New Book Look! Plus Books Into Movies Linky-Dinkage

Yes! We FINALLY get a glimpse of the cover of JK Rowling's new book! Which we'll get to in a minute. But first, it's time for more Books Into Movies news! Are y'all ready for all this booky and movie-y(?) (that doesn't sound right.) goodness? Alright, well here we go...

i'll start off with the news that i'm not all that jazzed about, to tell you the truth. So the latest Catching Fire casting rumor is that Jena Malone has been offered the role of Johanna Mason. Are y'all like me? Are you thinking "do huh?" i just don't know about this one. She's not even remotely who i pictured playing Johanna. Although, yes, truth be told, i didn't actually have an actress in my head that would be the perfect Johanna but i know that if i did it wouldn't be Jena Malone. i'm dying to know what y'all think about this news. Do you think Jena is a good choice? Do you have a better chickie in mind? Hop on down to the comments and tell me who you think deserves the part. 

Johanna Mason? i don't think so.

  
While we're on the subject of The Hunger Games, i'm sure you all know that the DVD will be out soon. August 18th to be exact. You can preorder it right this very instant from loads of stores. If you preorder from Best Buy you can get a free District 12 keychain. Target boasts an exclusive 3 disc deluxe set. While Barnes & Noble offers up a cloth poster of Katniss for their preorderers.     

We haven't had any news on the Mortal Instruments movie in awhile so how 'bout i give ya a lil' dish. The role of Isabelle Lightwood has been cast. It goes to an actress by the name Jemima West. Never heard of her but we'll see how she does. Truthfully, Isabelle was one of my fave characters from City of Bones (the only book in the series that i've read so far. i know! Don't judge me!) But i'm guessing everyone is all set to drool over the Clary/Jace coupling. i think i'm in the minority of liking Isabelle and being firmly on Team Simon.
Anyhoo, what do you guys think of the cast so far? Are you excited to see the Shadowhunters hit the big screen? Tell me your POV on the whole sitch in the comments.

LoTRers get ready to lose your shizz cos The Hobbit is on the July 13th issue of Entertainment Weekly! There's a HUGE spread with pics galore. Plus, geeky added bonus: there's also a Comic-Con preview! (P.S. the Oz the Great and Powerful poster art is super a-mah-zing!)   

The last little bit of news i've got for you involves this lady, i don't know if you've heard of her, a Ms. JK Rowling? Yeah, turns out she's got a new book coming out called The Casual Vacancy. Even though there's very little known about the book, peeps are already clamoring to get any piece of info they can on it. This week's bread crumb? It's the cover, y'all! Take a look and tell me what you think.

Well. It's very simple. And gives us exactly, um, NO CLUES as to what the book could possibly be about. But i'm still super duper excited! Oh and btw, the book will be out in stores September 27th.

So that's the news ya needs to know this week. Come back very soon cos i'll be dissecting the latest trailer for Breaking Dawn Part 2. There might be jokes made about Kristen Stewart's inability to look non-constipated. Oh hell, who am i kidding!? OF COURSE there will be jokes made about Kristen Stewart's inability to look non-constipated. You know you don't wanna miss that!

EvilEva Reviews... Daughter Of Smoke And Bone

EvilEva reviews ...... Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Dissecting The Cover:

I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY HATE this cover. Just looking at it makes me wanna vom all over myself. I don't even know specifically what it is that I don't like about it. I just really, really hate it.
And after reading the book, I don't really understand how the cover correlates with the story. I don't know if the blue mask is supposed to represent Karou's blue hair or if it's supposed to be Madrigal in her mask at the Warlord's birthday. Either way, I HATE the picture.
I think the typeface of the title is pretty cool. Maybe if the cover had been more minimalist, like just the blue feathers on the back cover, I would have liked it more.
I think it'll be interesting to see what kind of design they use for the sequel. Hopefully not another big ol' masked head that's all up in yo grill.

Let's Review:

Karou isn't your average art student, living in Prague, drawing beautifully grotesque monsters in her many sketchbooks. The monsters Karou sketches are very real. In fact, in many ways, these monsters are her family.
Like Brimstone, her curmudgeon boss/father figure who sends Karou on mysterious errands, collecting teeth from various hunters around the world and returning them to him.
Karou doesn't know what Brimstone does with the teeth or what their significance is but she's somewhat content with being paid in small wishes for her troubles.
Then one day Karou is unable to gain access to the portal that leads to Elsewhere. Because it's now an inferno, emblazoned with a black handprint.
For unbeknownst to Karou, a war has been raging for years against her chimaera family and angels called the seraphim who are responsible for the charred portals. 
When Karou has a run in with one of the seraphim, she's ready for a fight. But she's unprepared for what the angel has to say. The truth about her family, about their war, and the truth about Karou herself.

Here's What I Think:

How can I even begin to review this book? Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a BIG story, coupled with a BIG sub story at the end. And it's all connected.
Karou's story is what starts us off. Karou lives in Prague where she takes art classes with her BFF Zuzana, tries to minimize all contact with her ex Kaz, and, oh yeah, works as a tooth-thieving liaison for her chimaeran boss Brimstone.
Then one day her world is turned upside down when the portal between the regular world and the chimaeran world goes up in smoke and is rendered completely useless, cutting Karou off from the only family she's ever known.
Even though it takes 140 pages to get there, this is really where the story begins. Because it's at this point that Karou truly meets Akiva.
And then shit starts getting crazy. Mysteries start to unravel, the truth starts to come out and then suddenly we're transported to a different time, a different place and a different girl by the name of Madrigal. 
Madrigal is a chimaera that has, ahem, a history, shall we say, with Akiva. 
I actually liked Madrigal and Akiva's story more than his story with Karou. Which is kind of odd, considering. 
You'd have to actually read the book to find out why preferring one girl's story over the other's is odd. It's much too spoilery for me to share. 
Anyway, I liked Madrigal and Akiva as a couple. Their story was this tragically romantic Romeo and Juliet type story. And I'm kind of a sucker for that. 
Again, I know that probably sounds weird to my fellow Daughter of Smoke and Bone readers, but I can't help it. I just liked their story more. 
But, swoony times aside, both Karou's and Madrigal's tales are beautifully written with rich descriptions of this fantastically weird world that Laini Taylor has created. 
As someone who hasn't traveled much, I appreciated the vivid depictions of Prague, Morocco and even the fictitious Loramendi. It helped me sink into the story and allowed me to feel like I was right there with Karou, haggling over teeth with Izil in Marrakesh; through the dark passages behind Brimstone's restricted door; and promenading through the Serpentine with Madrigal and her friends. 
It's kind of funny though, that one of my favorite aspects of the book is also my only gripe about it. 
Why, you may ask? Well because I felt like there were times when the author was a little too descriptive. I mean, I like to visualize as much as the next person, but I don't need 3 whole paragraphs describing a door. Just tell me why Karou is going through it. 
That was my one and only problem with the book. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent in this strange world of war torn realms and star crossed lovers.

Swoony Times:

Okay, you guys, I've gotta admit, Akiva is pretty friggin' swoony! He's strong and hardened and intimidating but he's also gentle and sweet and loving. He's kind of the Mr. Darcy of angels.
At the beginning of the book, Akiva is all business because something happened to him (can you say tragic past?) forcing him to shut down his feelings. But then he meets Karou and there's just something about her. Thus Akiva starts to soften and we see the sweet, protective side to him start to shine through. 
There are a few great kissy bits between Akiva and Karou but the hot stuff really smolders when Akiva and Madrigal are together.

Bonus Shizz:

Otherworldly Creatures!
Daugther of Smoke and Bone is full of angels (aka the seraphim) and demons (aka the chimaera.) And Laini Taylor does a wonderful job of describing them, both the exquisitely beautiful and the tragically grotesque.  
I don't know which my imagination got a kick out of more, the angels with their beautiful perfection and their amazing, powerful wings. Or the monsters with their multi-animal mutated bodies.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

The Scale Of Judgment Says:

......4.
A beautiful story of love and war, monsters and angels.

More Hunger Games Movie News And Other Movie News That Isn't Hunger Games Related

Here's yet another Hunger Games clip for you, my friends! Does anyone else get the feeling that we're one clip away from just about seeing the entire movie already? i mean, give us a little something to look forward to in ONLY 11 MORE DAYS, Lionsgate!!!!!!!!
Anyhoo, here's part of Peeta's interview with Caesar Flickerman. What do you guys think?



And i'm sure my fellow Hunger Games fangirls have already checked this out, but for anyone who hasn't, here's the link to find your Hunger Games name as well as the way you'll be killed.
i'm Beetee Bogsworth from District 4 in the 20th Hunger Games and i was killed by eating raw Jabberjay. Seems like kind of pussy way of dying, but whatevs.

In other non-Hunger Games news, another person i don't know has been cast in that movie i don't care about. i'm, of course talking about the Beautiful Creatures adaptation. The role of Link will be played by Thomas Mann.
Is anyone really fangirling it out over this movie yet? If so, please tell me what you think about the casting choices so far as i didn't really care for the book and thus i don't really care about the movie.

That's all the scoop i've got for you today but visit again soon for even more dish.
And don't forget, The Hunger Games movie comes out in a mere 11 days!!! March 23rd it's going down! Fangirl it out in the comments section.

EvilEva Reviews... Lola And The Boy Next Door

EvilEva reviews ...... Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.   

Dissecting The Cover:

I'm not completely cover slutty over this one but I do like the fact that it stays true to the story. I love the pastel colored houses in the background. I love Lola's wig too! (I actually have one similar, minus the black streaks, courtesy of my Hitgirl Halloween costume.)
I also like that Cricket Bell looks very "Cricket Bell-ish." The rubber bands, pinstripe pants and the star drawn on his hand are all nice little touches.
But I think Lola's outfit isn't nearly Lola-y enough. Plus her eyes are a little too Zooey Deschanel for me.

Let's Review:

Lola Nolan is a colorful character. She loves dressing up in costumes and wigs. Not just for Halloween. Every Day!
In fact, one of the things that Lola wants the most is to show up to winter formal donning an incredibly over-the-top Marie Antoinette gown, complete with an elaborately wonderful, sky-high wig!
She would also like it if her dads would approve of her of her boyfriend, Max. Who's in a band. And has tattoos. And is slightly older than Lola. (Ok, so he's 22 and she's only 17 but they're totes in love, y'all!)
But what Lola would really like more than anything is to never ever EVER see the Bell twins EVER again. EVER!
But, of course, right before junior year, there they are in the lavender Victorian next door. Calliope, the beautiful ice skater who ruined Lola's life. And Cricket, the adorable inventor who broke Lola's heart.
Well Lola has no intention of getting mixed up with those Bells again.
But.......
Cricket is just so cute. And such a snazzy dresser. And he's so sweet and friendly and funny. And his bedroom window is like, Right There.
Suddenly Lola is feeling the swoony stirrings she felt before. 
But she has Max. And she loves Max.
But she loved Cricket first. And can you ever truly get over your first love?

Here's What I Think:

As you all probably know from this little nugget of fandemonium, I'm a HUGE fan of Stephanie Perkins. In fact, I'm writing this review from her bushes. Ha! Just kidding!
Anyway, call it the influence of too much Supernatural-watching on my part, but I'm fairly certain Ms. Perkins has made some kind of awesome-story-writing deal with a Crossroads Demon. Or she could just be insanely talented. But whatever the case, be it natural gift or something far more sinister, homegirl can friggin' WRITE some YA!
Lola is a fun character. She "doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume." I love that about her! Halloween is my absolute fave holiday and I do it BIG, so the idea of someone having the balls to glam and crazy it up Every Single Day is beyond awesome in my opinion.
But Lola isn't the only cool character. There's also her BFF Lindsey Lim who is Made Of Awesome!!! Lindsey is not only a great bestie that completely supports Lola even though she kinda hates Lola's boyfriend. Oh no. Lindsey is also an amateur detective that hearts Nancy Drew! She's smart and sassy and she totally reminds me of Lane from Gilmore Girls if you substitute a music obsession with sleuthing!
Lola also has two incredible dads. Nathan and Andy are tough but sweet. They care for Lola so much and i thought that their relationship with her, as well as with each other (plus their relationship with Lola's birth mother) was really great.
And lastly but certainly not leastly, there's Cricket Bell. What can i say about Cricket Bell? Well for starters he's the super swooniest! Cricket is the shy, sweet boy next door. He's got a unique style that Lola loves. He's an inventor. When they were little, he built Lola an elevator for her Barbies. And now that they're older, he helps Lola build her elaborate Marie Antoinette costume. He's tall and nerdy and I LOVE HIM!!!
The friendship/romance between Lola and Cricket is so sweet and it's written in classic Stephanie Perkins style. Meaning, it's that slow-burn, y'all.
Throughout the book you just want them to get together already! It's just that really sweet love when you've known someone for so long, and they know all your secrets, and they were your first kiss, and it's all so innocent but now so passionate, and you just want these two crazy kids to be together forever.
Lola and the Boy Next Door as everything that makes a story great. I LOVED it!
It's another book (much like Anna and the French Kiss) that I wanted to hurry and finish to see how everything plays out but I also wanted to take it slow and stay in Lola's world as long as I possibly could. And to have that ability to write a story that makes you feel that way?
Well that's either just great story telling! Or possibly a Crossroads Demon deal. ;)

Swoony Times:

Ok, if Lola didn't fall even a tiny bit in love with Cricket I would seriously question her sanity.
He's just sooooooo sweet!
But lucky for us swoon-lovers, Lola does fall for Cricket. Like I said before, it's all about the slow-burn swoon. Lola finds herself falling for Cricket but she thinks she loves Max and something happened in the past with Cricket that Lola can't get over so she doesn't want to fall for him because of that but she also can't stop thinking about Cricket and what's a girl to do!?!?
So because of this slow-burn, there's more crackling sexual tension than makeout sessions and declarations of love. But that's totally fine because sometimes the implied swoon is way hotter! (Especially if your crush is Cricket Bell!)

Bonus Shizz:

IncrediBesties!
Lindsey Lim is Lola's best friend. And I so wish she was mine! She is soooo friggin' awesome! She's a fellow Nancy Drew fangirl, so much so that she's nicknamed Lola Ned (check out Noteworthy for the reason why!) Also aiding in her awesomeness, she and Lola marathon eps of Alias, Dollhouse and Pushing Daisies! Only 3 of my fave, unjustly cancelled shows! 
Plus she's game to dress up as Lola for Halloween even though Lola's style is vastly different from her own.
Will you accept this Be Fri necklace, Lindsey? Because I think you're awesome and we could totally start up our own bomb ass detective agency! Will you be the Gus to my Shawn? The Mac to my Veronica? The Ned to my Nancy?

Special Guest Star Appearances!
Guess who works with Lola at the Royal Civic Center 16?! Anna and St. Clair! Yeah, from Anna and the French Kiss! Stephanie Perkins' other amazing book!
They're still together and cuter than ever! I love when authors sneak in characters from their previous work. It's like a nice little wink-wink, nudge-nudge to their fans.

Beloved Pets!
I love reading books in which the characters have a beloved pet. Probably because growing up I was never allowed to have one. If I could have had a pet, it'd be puppy all day long, baby!
So I really liked that Lola had an adorable mutt named Betsy. Which is short for Heavens to Betsy! Which might be the greatest name EVER!

Pie Maker!
One of Lola's dads is a pie maker! Which totally reminded me of Ned the pie maker from Pushing Daisies. Which was a totally amazing TV show that should have been on waaaaay longer than 2 seasons. The facts are these: I miss that show!

The Boy Next Door!
There's just something about the boy next door that is oh so swoony, amirite? And Cricket Bell is the quintessential boy next door. He's sweet and funny and a tad dorky. But he always seems to know the right things to say and do.  
In my book, Boy Next Door totally trumps Bad Boy every time!

Impala Alert!
Lola's hot rocker BF drives a '64 Impala! Only 3 years off from being completely awesome. ;) But I did squeal with fangirlish delight when I saw the mention. Even though Max so doesn't deserve to drive a Metallicar. :P

Noteworthy:

Here are some parts of Lola and the Boy Next Door that were particularly noteworthy in my opinion.

From page 30:

Lindsey Lim fancies herself a detective. This is due to her lifelong obsession with mysteries, ever since she received the Nancy Drew Starter Set (Secret of the Old Clock through Secret of Red Gate Farm) for her eighth birthday. Hence, "Ned." She tried to nickname me Bess, Nancy's flirty, shop-happy friend, but I wasn't pleased with that, because Bess is always telling Nancy the situation is too dangerous, and she should give up.
What kind of friend says that?
And I'm definitely not George, Nancy's other best friend, because George is an athletic tomboy with a pug nose. George would never wear a Marie Antoinette dress- even with platform combat boots- to her winter formal. Which left Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. Ned is actually useful and often assists Nancy during life-threatening situations. I can get down with that. Even if he is a guy.

From page 125:

"I don't wanna talk about guys anymore," I say. "Can't we just rehash Alias instead?"
There's only one type of television show that Lindsey and I agree on: shows that involve solving crimes while wearing cool disguises. Alias, Pushing Daisies, Dollhouse, Charlie's Angels, and The Avengers are our favorites.

From page 231:

Lindsey's walls are painted classic Nancy Drew-spine yellow. Her complete collection of the novels is lined up in neat rows across the top shelves of her bookcase and below them, alphabetically by author, are titles like History's Greatest Spies, Detecting for Dummies, and The Tao of Crime Fighting.

So, now after all that are we all in agreement that Lindsey Lim is the shit? I thought so.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 5!
Stephanie Perkins does it again! i can't wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After!!! Which is described as being the final book in the Anna/Lola companion series. Ok, I just had a sad. Then I had another sad because Isla won't be out until sometime in 2013. :(  

It's A 50-Days-Til-The-Hunger-Games Celebration At EvilEva's Trailer Park!

It's only 50 days until The Hunger Games hits theaters! Which means it's only 50 days until i lose my shit!!! So in honor of the 50-day-mark the fans have been gifted with this new trailer. Which is pretty much just made up of all the other trailers we've already seen, plus like 20 seconds of new shizz. But let's face it. That's not gonna stop us from watching it like one billion times. We're gonna watch it and we're gonna like it, dammit! (Even if they got the whole Mockingjay pin thing COMPLETELY wrong.)

*squeals with fangirlish delight*
March 23rd, y'all. Don't forget. 
Now go back to fangirling like a maniac. :) 

EvilEva Reviews... Divergent

EvilEva reviews ...... Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Dissecting The Cover:  

I actually like this cover. It's simple but to the point. It gives you a sneak peek without telling you the entire 487 page story.
There's a symbol and a cityscape and that's perfect.

Let's Review:

Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian society in Chicago which has been divided into five factions- Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Amity and Beatrice's home faction, Abnegation.
When Beatrice turns 16 she must take a test, attend a ceremony and choose which faction she'll devote her life to.
Beatrice has never felt particularly selfless so she takes a big risk and makes a big change, choosing Dauntless instead and renaming herself Tris.
She and the rest of the initiates must survive a series of grueling tests to prove themselves worthy of the Dauntless name.
For Tris these tests are mentally and physically challenging. And as a transfer from Abnegation, it's difficult for Tris to find where she belongs in this new faction.
Add to that the fact that Tris may be different from the other initiates. And in a dangerous way. Plus the fact that she's starting to have feelings for one of her instructors, a mysterious boy named Four.
But Tris doesn't have time to worry about all of that because she soon finds that all is not what it seems. And that there may be something ugly lying beneath this seemingly perfect society.

Here's What I Think:

Prepare yourself cos it's about to get real fangirly up in here.
Got your confetti ready? Well toss it on up in the air cos I friggin' LOVED this book!!! Yeah, three-exclamation-point-love!
This is Veronica Roth's debut novel and homegirl brought it!
It would be very easy to right this off as "just another dystopian novel." But don't. Because it's so not.
This is an amazing book with compelling characters set in a captivating dystopian setting that'll have you feverishly flipping the pages until the very end. At which point you'll be longing for the chance to read Insurgent, the sequel which will be out May 1st. And then you'll be all like dammit why does May 1st have to be so far away.
Anyhoozies, yes it's true this is a book about "holy crap the world has gone to hell and we've been lied to our entire lives and dangerous secrets are being kept from us," but it's also a coming of age story. There's danger, sure, but there are also sweet parts where you realize that even though Tris is totes badass, she's also just a teenage girl trying to find herself and her place in this world. So she's part Sydney Bristow, part Angela Chase.
The Sydney part is kicking ass at initiation. But the Angela part is finding it hard to make friends because Tris has the misfortune of hailing from the seemingly most hated faction of them all, Abnegation. She eventually makes friends though. She bonds with three fellow transfer initiates Christina, Will and Al.
But Tris also makes a few enemies, initiates that are jealous of how awesomely Dauntless she is. And they're all too happy to make trouble for her, what with the constant teasing and the nearly killing her and all.
Then there's Four. Oh, Four. What can I say about Four? Four is one of Tris's instructors. He might like her. He might hate her. Maybe he's indifferent. Tris can't tell because one moment it seems like Four might kiss her and the next he's throwing knives at her head. Tres confusing, no? 
So Tris is just your normal girl. Dauntless initiation is her high school. Christina, Will and Al are her besties. Peter, Drew and Molly are her bullies. And Four is her Jake Ryan. 
And then things get cray cray. Nothing is as it seems. People she thought were her friends betray her. Everything she thought she knew is a lie. And it's all about to get worse. 
Well, worse for Tris and her friends but better for the reader. Cos shit gets real, y'all. Veronica Roth is not afraid to kill off beloved characters. She is not afraid to point out their flaws. That's one of the things that I really liked about her writing actually. She wasn't afraid to make her characters flawed, to make them real and less than perfect. Her characters don't always do the right thing. And I'm not just talking about the baddies. She shows that good people can do bad things too. And that's life.
I think it made Divergent disturbingly real. And I think that's what makes it such a great story.    

Swoony Times:

Ok, I'm gonna do something weird here and compare this book to Anna and the French Kiss. Now I'm sure all of you that have read Anna are probably thinking "Evil Eva, since when did you start obviously doing hard drugs?" Well y'all should know that I prefer hugs to drugs but regardless here's my actual point: Much like Anna and St. Clair, there isn't that much sexy business happening between Tris and Four. Instead of blatant makeout sessions and boot-knockin', it's more about the sexual tension. And holy crap on a cracker, y'all, do Tris and Four have some sexual tension! My loins were all "hold the phone. why are we so excited? this is all secret glances and little smooches." And I was all like "pipe down, loins, I'm trying to enjoy this." What I was trying to convey to my loins (and now to you, dear reader) is that sometimes it's the little things that are waaaaaaay hotter. Tris and Four prove (like Anna and St. Clair before them) that swoony times don't have to be all in yo face. Sometimes the slow swoon is the very best swoon!

Bonus Shizz:

Dystopian Societies!
Y'all, books about dystopian societies have been killing it for me lately! First there was The Hunger Games trilogy, then the awesome sauceness that is Delirium, then the super heartbreaking The Knife of Never Letting Go and NOW the totes mcgotes amazing Divergent! This whole "dystopia is the new vampire" is really rocking my socks off. And it's one book trend that I'll happily keep reading.

Kick Ass Chicks!
I always love a book with a strong female lead and Tris does not disappoint. She's small and her whole life she's been taught to defer to adults and keep her opinions to herself. So when she finally gets the chance to choose her own path, she takes it. Not only does she choose a faction other than her own, she chooses one that couldn't be more different from everything she knows. It takes a brave girl to buck the expectations placed on her in order to follow her heart and choose her own destiny. And Tris is a very brave girl indeed.

Tattoos!
Tris gets a few tattoos in Divergent in order to fit in better in her new faction. I'm not super butt-crazy in love with tattoos. I do like them though. It's kinda like having a sticker. On your body. For All Of Time! And I LOVE stickers, y'all!!! I don't have any tattoos YET but since this year I'll turn the big 3-0, I've decided to get one on my wrist. I've been thinking about this for a while and so I've picked something that's meaningful to me. I liked that Tris' tattoos meant something special to her too, that she didn't just get a rose or a butterfly just to look especially Dauntless. Not that a rose or a butterfly really strike fear in the heart of, well, anyone but you know what I mean. A rose or a butterfly are like the go-to tattoos for girls. I liked that Tris thought outside of the box but also stayed true to who she is. No offense to anyone out there that has a rose or butterfly tattoo.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

The Scale of Judgment Says:

...... 5!
An amazing action-packed adventure with realistic characters dealing with shizz that will break your heart! 

EvilEva's Trailer Park Presents: Books Into Movies For All Ages!!!

There seems to be Books Into Movies overload coming our way. And there also seems to be a little something something for everyone. So i've compiled a little listy-poo for you guys starting with some kid-lit, Dr. Seuss awesomeness and ending with THE OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!

First up we have The Lorax which is of course based on the book of the same name written by the best children's book author EVER, Dr. Seuss! . The movie stars the vocal talents of Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Betty White and little Danny Devito as the lorax. It's set to hit theaters on March 2nd, 2012. 



Next up, more kid-lit! This one's not headed for the big screen but the small. SyFy is at it again, taking a beloved classic (previously Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz) and turning it into a SyFy Original Movie Event. This time they're taking on Peter Pan and making a prequel titled Neverland. The trailer tells us that this is before Peter met Wendy, before the boys were lost and before Hook became Captain. So it sounds like a pretty interesting premise. The stars of this miniseries are Charlie Rowe, Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, and Keira Knightley as the voice of Tinkerbell. Neverland begins December 4th at 9pm and you can catch the conclusion December 5th at 9pm. 



Keeping with the fairy tale theme, here's the trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman. This one stars Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth. It's supposed to be in theaters some time next summer. i gotta say, the graphics look pretty cool. They've even made Kristen Stewart look less like she's about to stick her head in an oven. God, CGI is such a wonder, huh?



So this isn't based on a book but the main character, played by Charlize Theron, is a young adult author. Which i think is pretty cool cos when are our folks ever represented in anything?! Not that the character that Mizz Theron is playing seems to be doing real YA authors any justice. She seems like a ginormous mess of a person.
Anyhooties, Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt also start in this flick which comes out in theaters December 9th.



i posted a trailer for Girl With The Dragon Tattoo a while back but this one is more "movie trailer" less "movie clips coupled with Euro dance music." So if you haven't read the books, this trailer will give you more insight into what you can expect from the movie. It stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. You can catch it in theaters starting December 21st.   



And now the biggest of all bigs:
FINALLY!!! THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE TRAILER!!!



Ok, i don't know about y'all but i totally fangirled it out while watching this!!! In my opinion this movie is going to be awesome!!! i think the official trailer is totally rad and i think we'll all be eating our hats when March comes. i hope so. i hope that we were all totes wrong this whole time that we've been bitching and moaning about certain casting choices. Maybe i'm being a little too optimistic here. But i'm really hoping for a little more Harry Potter a little less Twilight. Agree?

So what do you guys think? Which movies are you super excited to see? Sound off in the comments section.

The TBR Back Burner Challenge Round 10 Reviews

This month I decided to read the two books from my TBR pile that seem to be constantly mocking the ever-loving shizz outta me. That would be Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
It seems to me like all other book bloggers (and perhaps every other person on the face of the planet) have read and hyped up these books. So now I'll FINALLY know what the big friggin deal is! Hooray!

EvilEva reviews...... Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. 

Anna Oliphant is perfectly content living in Atlanta, attending Clairemont High with her bestie Bridge, and crushing on her hottie coworker Toph.
But for Anna's senior year her Nicholas Sparks-esque father decides to uproot her from everything she knows and loves and ship her off to a boarding school in Paris. Not that Paris isn't awesome. It's just not home.
Anna doesn't know anyone, she certainly doesn't know her way around and she barely even speaks the language! So senior year could possibly be super disastrous.
But thanks to the kindness of Anna's dorm neighbor, Meredith, she's welcomed into a little group of friends. Which includes the very handsome Etienne St. Clair.
St. Clair is sweet, confident, funny, charming, gorgeous and he has an accent! And a girlfriend. Not a problem. Anna's fine with simply being St. Clair's best friend. Until she starts having Feelings that suggest she'd really like to be Something More.
What's an unsupervised lovestruck girl in Paris to do?

Holy friggin sexy swoon, Batman! This book is like falling in love for the first time. Not a crush. Not lust. Full-on knee-weakening, palm-sweating, pit-in-the-stomach L-O-V-E! Stephanie Perkins knows what she's doing, y'all!
Now I know why this book has been hyped so much. Cos it totally deserves to be! See, this book has turned me into a gushy schoolgirl. Ok, focus! You have a review to write.
So. Anna is the main character of this tale, obvs. And we love her. She's not "traditionally" beautiful. She's real, she has flaws which, as a person with flaws my damn self, I really appreciated. Plus, girlfriend's got a personality! And interests! She's gaga for movies. In fact, going to the theaters is what pushes Anna out of her dorm room-size comfort zone and inspires her to check out other things that Paris has to offer. I would totally be the same way. Scared of getting lost in a strange city where you don't speak the language. But I know eventually my need for reading material would kick my ass outta my room.
Now onto the sexy business! At the beginning of the book, Anna's really attracted to St. Clair. But then she finds out he's got a girlfriend, so Anna slips into The Friend Zone cos she'd rather be friends with him than nothing at all.
But the more they hang out together, the swoonier things get. And I think that shows what an amazing writer Stephanie Perkins is because there was really very little physical hanky-panky going on in this book. It's all about the stolen glances and accidentally grazing hands and almost kisses. It's all very swoontastic!
Plus the backdrop is Paris so you automatically have to multiply that swoon by 10 in order to properly gage the swoonitude of Anna and the French Kiss.
So sexytimes are important but so is friendship. And Anna is lucky enough to acquire some really great friends. Meredith is the first to befriend Anna. Mer is super sweet, sporty and smart. (She's also got a thang for St. Clair so there's even more drama in this already thick drama stew.)
Then there's Rashmi and Josh, the couple that fight hard and love harder.
And, of course, St. Clair, who I've prattled on about enough already.
I really liked the group dynamic. And as much as I enjoyed the St. Clair swooniness, I wouldn't have minded if the whole group was together more.
We're also introduced to Anna's BFF in Atlanta, Bridge and her BSC (Before St. Clair) crush, Toph. And even more boy drama ensues there!
Plus we get to watch Anna discover the city and herself as she tries to figure out what she wants and who she wants to be.
All in all, Anna and the French Kiss is a really sweet story that you'll totally fall in love with! Or as the French would say *le sigh*

The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!

 

EvilEva reviews...... The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

Todd Hewitt and his trusty dog, Manchee, live in Prentisstown, a strange settlement of New World where men can hear the thoughts of every other man (and animal) in an endless stream of unbearable Noise.
One month shy of becoming a man himself, Todd heads to the swamp on a quest for apples and finds something else entirely. He finds complete silence. And in Prentisstown, silence is dangerous.
Especially when it's in the form of a young girl. Because there have been no women in Prentisstown for years.
So when Mayor Prentiss finds out about Todd's discovery, he begins to form an army, intent on hunting down Todd, his dog and the girl. 
It's up to this small band of unlikely heroes to head for the rumored big city settlement of Haven to warn them and try to prevent another war.

As y'all might know I've gone a little dystopia crazy as of late but I kinda can't help it because all the ones that I've read have been so good. The Knife of Never Letting Go is no different.
It's told from the point of view of Todd, a 12 year old (maybe 14 depending on what calendar you use) who's unhappily happy living in this little town solely inhabited by men whose thoughts he can hear 24/7 with his dog, Manchee, and his guardians Ben and Cillian. Todd has lived in Prentisstown nearly 13 years, minding his own business as best he can and then suddenly one day his whole world is upended. Todd finds a girl and silence, both of which are completely foreign to him. Soon after Todd also finds out that his whole life has pretty much been a big fat lie. It seems even through all the Noise, secrets can still be kept in Prentisstown. Things become unsafe for Todd. The mayor has started an army and as if that isn't bad enough there's also a loony preacher that's out to get him too. So Todd's given a rucksack of things he'll need like a journal written by his mother, food, clothes, a map and a knife and told to make his way to another settlement, one that Todd didn't even know existed.
He takes along his awesome dog, Manchee, who totally reminded me of Dug from Up! and the girl who he learns is named Viola. And together this little band of misfits head out to find help and hopefully answers. 
I can't really tell you too much more because anything else would be spoilery.
I will tell you this though, the first few chapters are a little slow because it's mostly Todd semi-explaining the world around him without giving concrete information like what the heck a spack is and why he's referred to as a "Whirler boy" by some of the local animals.
But the story started to pick up around the fourth chapter and it was fun tagging along on this journey with Todd, Viola and Manchee. I mean, as fun as running for your lives can be. This story is pretty intense. And the kids are younger, so if you're looking for the swoon you found in The Hunger Games and Delirium, you're barking up the wrong tree. The Knife of Never Letting Go is about survival and what it takes to really, truly be brave. And Holy balls with that ending!
If you like your dystopia on the heavy side, with more running and less smooching, then this is the book for you.

The Scale of Judgment says...... 4.

So yay! I FINALLY read these majorly blog-hyped books! Now I know why they were so majorly hyped! If you're still wondering, I would suggest you go ahead and read them so that you too can be in the loop! :)

The TBR Back Burner Challenge: Round 8 Reviews

I've heard so many wonderful things about both of Lauren Oliver's books and they both just happen to be mocking me from my TBR pile so I decided that now would be the perfect time to buckle down and read them. So this month I'll be taking on Before I Fall and Delirium. Join me, won't you? 

EvilEva reviews...... Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

 
Sam Kingston's life is pretty golden. She has a tight knit group of friends, a hot boyfriend and she's popular! But one night one small moment changes everything. There's an accident and Sam is thrown into a sort of limbo. She has to relive the same day, her last, over and over. Has Sam been given a second chance to right her wrongs? If she can figure out how to repair the things she's done can she change her future? Or is Sam destined to live in a loop, stuck in that fateful February day forever?  

Truthfully, I didn't know if I was going to like this book. In the beginning Sam and her friends are the popular, mean girls that rule the school and have something snarky to say about everyone that isn't in their little clique. It was actually kinda hard to like Sam at first. But as the story progresses so does Sam. 
She starts to see that the people she thought were losers/sluts/freaks actually aren't that bad. In fact, they're pretty great. 
And she realizes that some of the people she's chosen to surround herself with aren't really as awesome as she originally thought. 
I liked learning these different characteristics of the various people in Sam's life right along with her. So I liked that she relives each day differently. Everyday she wakes up, she's frustrated or angry or euphoric or resigned to her Groundhog's Day-like fate. Some days she really wants to change and others she just says Fuck It. 
I thought that made the book really interesting, seeing which path Sam would choose. Would she have nice moments with her family or would she argue with them? Would she break up with her boyfriend or spend first period making out with him in the parking lot? Would she tell Lindsay to stop making fun of people or would she laugh right along with her? Would she finally see what an awesome sauce catch Kent is or would she continue ignoring him? 
There were so many possibilities and so many ways the story could (and did) go. And I think Lauren Oliver handled each really well. I enjoyed her writing style (and thus can't wait to begin Delirium!) 
And even though the chapters and the book were long it never felt that way. It all added up to a really great, interesting book. 

The Scale of Judgment says...... 4 and a half.

EvilEva reviews...... Delirium by Lauren Oliver. 

Love is a disease. Now known as amor deliria nervosa, love has been outlawed.
Lena can't wait for the day she turns 18 and is able to be cured. She fears she'll end up like her mother, infected with the sickness and willing to give up everything for it. Lena is certain the cure is just the thing she needs to save her own life. 
And then she meets Alex. 
And she starts to have feelings that scare her, feelings that go against everything she's been taught.
Lena is falling in love.
And now that she realizes love isn't a sickness, it isn't something to be feared, there's no way she can go back to her normal life with her neatly mapped out future. 
Lena has to find a way to be with Alex. She has to find a way to make it over the fence that encloses the city, and into the Wilds where she and Alex can be together, free of any rules. 
But the regulators are always watching.
And anyone caught showing signs of being infected are sent away to the Crypts, locked up for the rest of their lives. 
Or worse--- immediately put to death. 
But love is worth the risk. And Lena has to try.

I got the deliria...... for this book! Oh my God, y'all! I LOVED it! Go out right now and Buy This Book! And then when you get back from your Delirium-gettin' boot up the ol' computer and preorder Pandemonium cos you're gonna wanna know what happens next. I do! I just finished reading Delirium and already wanna read it again. It is sooooo good! I don't even know if I'll be able to pull off a decent review because of my overabundance of fangirling right now. 
Alright, calm down, girl and explain to the nice people out there why this book is so fanfuckingtastic.
Ok, so it's a dystopian setting but it's not so dystopian that people have crazypants names and are on the verge of quite possibly having to eat each other for dinner. In Lauren Oliver's future craphole cars and electricity are luxuries. There are labs where you go when you turn 18 to be cured of that pesky little thing called love. Everything in your life is dictated to you. Your college, your major, your job, your mate, where you'll live and even how many children you should have. Love is completely forbidden. You can't so much as hold hands with someone unless you wanna be hauled off to the Crypts. You are taught that love is bad for you.
The whole premise is so interesting to me because when you begin the story you think (or at least I did) that this is just gonna be about sexytimes love and how these crazy kids can't live without it. But the author delves into the concept even deeper, what it's like for a parent to have a child and feel not love but indifference toward them, not to hold them when they fall or when they're scared or when they cry. So it leaves you feeling like the adults are kinda Stepford-y. Everything is either black or white, there is no gray area. There's wrong and there's right. The cure is right and falling in love is very wrong.
And this is how Lena feels or rather how Lena is taught to feel. Then she meets sexypants Alex and her whole world, everything she knew and all of her beliefs are shaken to their core. This is what makes Lena such a great character. She's conflicted by her sudden and unexpected love for Alex and also by her duties to her family. 
And speaking of Alex, he is so super swoontastic! I wanted to jump the fence into the Wilds with him too! He definitely gets Book Boyfriend status on this blog!  
Even the secondary characters were great and memorable. I loved Hana, Lena's bestie. She was totally there for Lena and aided in her rule-breaking.
And even though she wasn't in the book that much, I LOVED me some Gracie! Lauren Oliver made her seem so sweet and fragile and I just wanted to snuggle her up and keep her in my pocket. 
Delirium, much like love itself is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It's so epic and wonderful and tragic and amazing and I can't say enough good things about it. Y'all, for serious, Get This Book. You won't regret it. 

The Scale of Judgment says...... 5!      

EvilEva's Trailer Park Presents: The Hunger Games Teaser Trailer

When they said "teaser" they weren't kidding, huh? Just a lot of Jennifer Lawrence running through the woods.
But who really cares cos at least we finally have something! i can't wait until we get more. Maybe some bits from the Capitol, a little Peeta, a little Rue, shots of District 12, and can i please get a little Haymitch?!
Truthfully though, this could have simply been Jennifer Lawrence taking a stroll through the woods sans the bow and arrow, talking to squirrels and i'd still totally wanna see this movie. 
So. Now that we've finally got it, what do y'all think? Sound off in the comments section. 

Peeta And Gale: Unveiled

So first they gave us a glimpse of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and now Entertainment Weekly is giving the boys their turn. Here is a look at Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as Peeta and Gale...  

And here is my reaction to this photo...
What the what?!?!
Why does Peeta look so pissed off? He's supposed to be the sweet bread maker! Instead he looks like he's about to bitch slap the photographer. And why does he look like a ginger? He's supposed to be blond!
And Gale looks like a pussy. He looks like a male model, not a hunter that wants to overthrow the Capitol and defend his family! And why the fudgesticks is his shirt tucked in?!?! It makes him look like some sorta sexy ranch hand on the cover of a cheesy romance novel! Like he would shovel shit and then grope your heaving bosom in the barn!

i wasn't really sure about these two as our Peeta and Gale to begin with and now i'm a little freaked because seeing them in their Hunger Games garb has done nothing to soothe my worried mind.
i just REALLY hope they don't fuck this movie up. i mean, think about it, this is all we have left to look forward to. There will be no Harry Potter salve to put on our hearts for bad book-into-movie end products.
Hopefully the odds will be ever in our favor on this one. *crosses fingers*

Know The Snow (And Other Hunger Games Movie News)

Today we got another big piece of casting news for The Hunger Games movie! Donald Sutherland will play the evil President Snow. i never really thought of him as a possibility but now that i'm kinda forced to since he'll be playing him and whatnot, i gotta tell ya, i don't hate it. In fact i think he pulls off that whole charming yet kinda creepy vibe really well. So i think that he'll make a great addition to the cast.

In other casting news, Nelson Ascencio has been cast to play Flavius while the role of Venia goes to Kimiko Gelman. The Avox girl whom Katniss meets in the Capitol has also been cast. She'll be played by Amber Chaney.

And lastly, here are some ALLEGED photos of Jennifer Lawrence from the Hunger Games set. She's wearing a blue dress which i find a little odd cos i don't really remember Katniss wearing dresses except when designed by Cinna. And this one looks kinda Dorothy Gale to me. Prim (or the actress that plays her) looks to be in one of the pics so i'm assuming it's when they were still together in District 12. WAiT A FUCKiNG MiNUTE! Didn't Katniss borrow a dress from her mother when she was setting out for the Capitol? Am i just making this up? Remembering it wrong? Damnit, i need to read these books again! 

Well what do you think of our President? The other characters? And what about those ALLEGED photos? Dish it up in the comments section, guys.