Alphas vs. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

Chick-lit is not a genre I usually venture into. Girl wars, shopping, boyfriends? Not for me. Some of my best girl friends are Willow and other fellow readers, the wars I campaign are between dragons or demigods or mages, I shop at the library, and my boyfriends... well, I guess maybe my favorite ships from books. However, recently, I read not one, but two books in this genre: Alphas by Lisi Harrison and I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter. 

Both books are the first books in their series: Alphas and Gallagher Girls. I've read books in other series by both authors: The Clique series by Lisi Harrison and the Heist Society series by Ally Carter. Both books are about talented, powerful girls going to specialized schools, and both cover a semester at that school.

First, Alphas. Three main characters all are attending Alpha Academy, a specialized, exclusive school run by a rich but quirky woman, Shira Brazille. Skye is a dancer who wants to prove herself, especially to her mom; Allie is actually impersonating a celebrity whose invitation she mistakenly recieved; and Charlie sacrificed two people she loved to be able to have this chance at Alphas, but she knows Shira's true cruel nature. Over the semester at the Academy, Shira bans the girls from socializing with boys (which is what some of the girls really wanted at the Academy) and begins sending home anyone who doesn't measure up to her arbitrary standards -- and it's rumored she has an inside spy.

Three stars! 

Alphas didn't have that much of a plot. Most of the action, until the end, was character development, the girls chasing and/or rejecting boys, or backstory. However, character-wise, Alphas was amazing. All three of the main characters were equally developed. While they all fit into the general boy-crazy teenage girl stereotype (which I dislike, by the way), each was different, with different goals. Overall, I think Alphas deserves three stars. While the characters were interesting, the world and the plot weren't too well outlined or clear, and in general, the genre isn't my thing.

The second book I read was I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You. This story has only one main character, Cammie Morgan, daughter of a famous spy who's the headmistress of Gallagher Academy, an private undercover school for spy girls. It's Cammie's sophomore year, when she starts the hardest spy subject at Gallagher: Covert Operations, or real spy fieldwork. However, when Cammie meets Josh, a normal, non-spy boy, her spy skills are put to the test keeping their relationship intact. With her friends tough Bex, genius Liz, and unexpected-confidante Macey, Cammie has to both ace spy school and keep Josh from knowing who she really is. 

The idea of a snooty private school being the cover for a school for genius spies was an amazing, if slightly cheesy, stroke of world-building (in my opinion). The book did have some humor, since it was narrated in first person by Cammie. Action scenes were well written and not chaotic, and the characters of the girls were a little bit one-sided but they all worked together. Macey and Cammie were by far the best. At the same time, the plot was completely focused around Cammie's lying and her relationship/obsession with Josh. Even the relationship seemed to kind of start and then plateau. Finally, the ending felt unclear and abrupt to me. So overall, this book deserves also three stars.

Three stars! 

Comparison of the two: Both worlds were different from the "real world," and Gallagher Academy was definitely more interesting and well-described than Alphas Academy. Both sets of girl characters were awesome, though the Alphas were less one-sided. Neither plot was amazing: one was unclear, one didn't move except at the beginning and end. As far as the boy relationships in each: Shira's sons were more interesting and did more, while Josh was extremely flat (even considering he's supposed to be the normal boy). However, Cammie's relationship moved more clearly than the Alphas'.

Because of the characters and the worlds (and, okay, maybe because of the relationships I'm supporting), I might continue reading each series. However, neither book really blew me away: I liked them, didn't love them.

Happy reading and/or venturing into new genres and/or being an alpha spy!
~Citali

On Girl Power

Hi! It's Willow.

I'm a member of quite a few fandoms (just ask Citali!) and one thing I've come to notice that more than a few of the female characters in most works of fiction are rather underestimated. This is somewhat irritating, so I decided to write a post showcasing a few of those characters. Disclaimer: I might rant a bit, so be careful.

Wow, that was an awkward introduction, wasn't it? Told you I'm bad at them. :-)

Let's get going.

• Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter, portrayed in the movies by Maggie Smith
  
• From the first book to the last, McGonagall was solemn, strict, and severe. (Ooh! Alliteration!) She's one of Dumbledore's greatest and most loyal supporters, even becoming headmistress in his absence. 
• She has the courage and strength of will to stay at Hogwarts after Snape and the Carrows took over, speaking out against their evil ways. 
• Harry himself has so much respect for this incredible woman that he casts an Unforgivable Curse just because a Death Eater spat at her.
• Not to mention the numerous moments throughout the series when she makes her point with acerbic sharpness! ;-)
• Here's an example: "'You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off today. I assure you that if you do die, you need not turn it in.'"
• Arwen Evenstar, The Lord of the Rings, portrayed in the movies by Liv Tyler

• Let me just say, I've got nothing against the other heroines of Middle-earth. Eowyn, Galadriel, and (yes, even) Tauriel (I know she wasn't in the book, but she's actually a decent character; more on that later) are all... *precious* to me. But the thing is, most people don't see her as too important. Eowyn killed the Witch-King, Galadriel is powerful beyond belief, and Tauriel is a superb fighter. Arwen's just "the love interest"... isn't she?
• Nope. While it is true that Arwen and Aragorn's connection is romantic, Arwen is so much more. Aragorn's every word, thought, and deed during the War of the Ring is affected by her. 
• Arwen and Aragorn do love each other beyond measure, and that only serves to emphasize her strength of character.  
• Sauron's darkness is killing her and she has a chance to escape to the Undying Lands, yet she does not. 
• Her loyalty towards Aragorn ensures that she stays in Middle-earth, at perhaps the cost of her life.
• She chooses a mortal life for him. She could have lived for thousands of years more with her own kind, yet she stays behind with him, knowing full well that both of them are doomed to die. If that's not courage, what is? She made the greatest sacrifice of all.
• While we're on that train of thought, let's talk about Tauriel (The Hobbit, played by Evangeline Lilly)
  
• She wasn't in the book. I am aware of that. I'm talking in terms of the movie for this one.
• Tauriel is a captain of the guard in the Elvenking Thranduil's kingdom. She's formed a rather strong bond with Legolas, his son (spoiler alert: Poor Leggi fancies her.) Naturally, Thranduil doesn't approve, leading to quite a bit of drama.
• On her own, she's a strong, independent character. A bit more rebellious and passionate than most elves we've seen, she doesn't have the detached wisdom we've come to expect from Elrond, Galadriel, and even Legolas. She has a good heart and speaks her mind. Plus, she's brilliant with a pair of daggers.
• Wonderful, right? Not quite. Enter Kili the (somewhat good-looking) dwarf, nephew of Thorin Oakenshield. The duo flirt through the bars of a prison cell, exchange a few lines of witty banter, and BOOM! They're in love. 
• That's where things begin to go downhill for Tauriel. She falls in love with a dwarf after maybe four conversations with him-- seriously, people? The romance is mildly sweet but unrealistic. (Didn't stop me crying when he died, though.)
• The filmmakers focused on Tauriel's love triangle (Legolas or Kili?) far too much. Had they expanded on her actual character a bit more, the movies would've been far better.

Didn't I tell you it would get rant-y? Apologies. Let's continue. Two more left.

• Martha Jones, Doctor Who, played by Freema Agyeman

• Hard-core Whovians, forgive me if I get something wrong; I'm relatively new to the Whoniverse.
• As opposed to most of the Doctor's companions (Donna Noble, I'm looking at you), Martha hits the ground running. When first confronted with hostile aliens, Martha spends far less time asking stupid questions and calling the Doctor crazy than most. She makes intelligent comments and takes the Doctor to task when he needs it.
• She has the intelligence to "retire" from the TARDIS after the Master's brief reign over the world, understanding that her unrequited crush on the Doctor is going to get her nowhere. For Martha, her damaged family comes first.
• Padme Amidala, Star Wars prequels, played by Natalie Portman
  
• Padme always was mature, empathetic, and brave for her age.
• In the events of Episode I, she's a teenager, yet she's the queen of her planet. That takes a certain level of intelligence and charisma.
• She's sweet and kind but not gullible. She sees the world clearly from an unbiased point of view, often acting as Anakin Skywalker's moral compass (that is, when Obi-Wan isn't around.)
• Padme's also a pretty good shot! She's no damsel in distress; she can defend herself well. 
• Long after Obi-Wan accepts that Anakin is lost and must be taken down, she continues to hope that there is still some good in him.

That's all for today! Happy reading and/or watching and/or doing both and complaining about how much better the book is! :-)

~Willow

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison

"Think you know Rapunzel's story? Think again, because the tower was just the beginning." Jennifer Nielsen, author of The False Prince. 

"The last time I read a book this funny, this smart, and this charming, it was written by J. K. Rowling." Melissa Anelli, author of Harry, A History. 

Grounded is newly one of my favorite fairy tale remixes, a retelling of one of the most classic princess stories: Rapunzel. As the original story goes, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower by a witch who uses the girl to either stay eternally young, gain dark magic, or both, depending on the telling. However, lucky Rapunzel is rescued from her tall tower by a price who climbs her long, golden hair, and she lives happily ever after. Huzzah!

But this Rapunzel is different. Rapunzel has been raised by Witch, who fills her tower with magical items that obey Rapunzel's every command. Witch also gave Rapunzel books -- about Rapunzel herself, and how princes trick her into going to the ground, then lead her into trouble at the hands of dirty peasants or dangerous trolls. Luckily, Rapunzel-in-the-stories only has to cry for Witch's help, and then she will "live happily ever after, with Witch to love and protect her always." Happy to stay in her tower and completely disdainful of princes and the ground below, Rapunzel is completely struck by surprise when one day, a peasant boy enters her tower and demands he give her the cure -- because Rapunzel poisoned a fairy. But Rapunzel can't remember a thing about this non-prince boy or the fairy she is accused of killing. The boy leaves when Witch returns, and Witch tells Rapunzel that the fairy is a powerful magic one: her magic is killing Witch. Rapunzel must embark on an adventure with Jack the peasant boy, meeting fairies and family along the way -- because she wants to save Witch. 

I absolutely loved this book! Unlike some fairy tale remixes where you already know the story, Grounded keeps you in the dark until the end: everyone knows that the Witch is evil... but Rapunzel believes she is not. Who is right in the end? Who is good, who is evil? Is Rapunzel right, or is  the rest of the world? The final decision is beautifully and perfectly written, and you can see that neither Witch, Rapunzel, the fairies, nor Jack, are a sterotypical cliche storybook character. 

I'm hoping for a sequel to Grounded! Rapunzel is a spunky but innocent protagonist, which makes for great humor; Jack and Tess have lots of potential for adventure. The fairies, Rapunzel's family, Jack the Beanstalker, the White, and the world of Tyme in general all have lots more in store -- I'm keeping my eyes peeled for Tyme Book 2 (according to rumor, there'll be six!)

Definitely five stars!
Happy reading!
~Citali

Get Ready to Rock... Yourself Back and Forth While Crying!

Willow here, with (yet another) list. This one (as the title suggests) is about works of fiction that leave fans in tears and bereft of their ability to even. However, for this list, I'm not limiting the content to books. Movies and TV episodes count, too.

Beware: Spoilers.

Let's do this!

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K.Rowling)
• Do I even have to explain this one?
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (J.R.R.Tolkien)
• This is heartbreaking in both the book and the movie because FRODO! NO! Apologies. I suffer from the occasional fangirl attack.
• If you didn't cry at this part, look up the song "Into the West" by Annie Lennox. 
• If you still didn't cry, then either I'm overly emotional or you're an Uruk-hai.
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• 2 words: Order 66. Need I say more?
• Also, Mustafar.
• The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)
• Again, no explanation required.
• BBC Sherlock Series 2 finale, "The Reichenbach Fall"
• John's reaction is more heartbreaking than the actual fall.
• Doctor Who Series 2 finale, "Doomsday"
• ROSE! NO!
• Sorry again.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Pietro! We really didn't see that coming.
• Brisingr (Christopher Paolini)
• Oh, Oromis...
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5 finale, "The Wrong Jedi"
• Oh, for goodness' sake, Snips, stop it.
• Now We Are Six (A.A.Milne)
• There's a chance that you haven't read this or didn't think it very sad. I personally found it heartbreaking.

(Violently sniffs) What? No, no, I'm (sniff) fine. It's not like (sniff) I'm dissolving into a puddle of (sniff) feels right now or (sniff) anything.

Happy (sniff) reading! 

~Willow

Fairy Tale Remixes

Citali here. Willow's the booklist expert, but here's my first one: fairy tale remixes. You might ask, what's a fairy tale remix? I see it as a fairy tale retold, in a different genre, a different world, or simply in different words by a different author with a new twist.

Everyone knows some fairy tales, and there are too many to count! There are the common ones that everyone knows: The Frog Prince; Cinderella; Little Red Riding Hood. There are the more obscure ones, maybe not so well-known: East of the Sun, West of the Moon; The Snow Queen; The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Finally, elements of fairy tales that aren't tied to one particular tale are still very much parts of fairy tales: dragons, unicorns, fairies.

Here's my top five list of remixes (there are way too many to write them all down! I'm trying to stay concise and only list what I've read recently). I added short descriptions/synopses/teasers for each! No particular order, and one could argue what fairy tale is being retold in each: consider them all good books for the genre, and ones you definitely should read!

1. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley. (dragons) This author is one of the best at fairy tale remixes. This book is different from most that she writes, though: it features an earth where dragons are real, and Jake lives in the national park of Smokehill, one of the last dragon sanctuaries in the world. Dragons are going extinct, but it's illegal both to kill (poach) a dragon... or to save its life. 
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. (Cinderella) Willow and I mention this book and its series a lot. Why? It's really good, with a great concept, characters, and plot twist! Quoting one review, it's "Cinderella among the cyborgs." In a futuristic earth, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic, living with her stepmother and two sisters in New Beijing. When she and her android Iko meet handsome Prince Kai... adventures follow!
3. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. (East of the Sun, West of the Moon) Another great fairy tale remix author! This remix is simply a retelling, not a different genre or world. A girl whose brother has been missing is whisked off to a polar bear's ice palace, where a mystery surrounding her family, the bear, and the people of the palace must be solved....
4. Enchanted by Althea Kontis. (The Frog Prince) This book is a mash of many fairy tales, not just one... and amazing! Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and whatever she writes comes true. When she meets, befriends, loves, kisses, and eventually leaves a frog that she meets in the woods, Sunday sets off events that will snowball into a fairy-tale escapade to untangle love, secrets, and royal goings-on...
5. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman. (assorted fairy tales) Not so much a retelling but an idea that involves fairy-tale elements. Elizabeth accepts a job as a page at the New York Circulating Materials Repository, where along with her new friends and fellow pages Anjali, Aaron, and Marc, she learns about magical items in the Repository and how pages are disappearing, items are losing their magic... and someone is behind it. 

Happy reading,

~Citali

Deep and Serious Thoughts on Adaptations (No, Not Really)

'Sup? Willow here. A lot of our favorite books have been adapted into movies, and we've noticed that occasionally the movie-makers mess up. For example, the movie adaptations of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books were... well, if I was being polite, I'd call them less-than-perfect, and if I was being honest, I'd call them abominations. To name a few others, the Eragon movie and The Hobbit trilogy, while enjoyable films, were hardly faithful to the novels they were based upon. I mean, come on, people, how hard is it to make a movie that's 100% identical to the book?!?! Just kidding. :-)

Adaptations aren't always horrible, though. The Harry Potter movies were well done, not straying too far from Rowling's works. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a masterpiece (no, seriously, it won a bunch of Oscars and was a huge hit.) BBC Sherlock, a television show chronicling the exploits of a 21st century Sherlock and Watson, captures all the thrill and drama of the original books while rooting its characters firmly into the modern world. 

Sorry. I got carried away, didn't I?

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is a list. (What? Booklists are my thing.) This time, it's going to be ten books that would make excellent movies-- provided, that is, that the filmmakers did their jobs properly. 

Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (I've mentioned this before, it's a great book.)
2. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (Does anyone else think Robert Downey Jr. would be really good as Halt?)
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (It's a futuristic Cinderella story with a really epic plot twist. If you haven't read it yet, DO SO IMMEDIATELY.)
4. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland (They'd need a lot of CGI to pull this one off, though.)
5. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstien (This book isn't really that well known, but it's good. It's like The Westing Game meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, only with books instead of candy.)
6. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (So sweet! And sad! And heartwarming!)
7. The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Simple and a bit slow at times, but a good read.)
8. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (This was in my last booklist, too. All I have to say about it is: Bucket.)
9. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forrester (It's been called "Little House on the Prairie meets X-Men.")
10. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (Don't be put off by the title. It features a kingdom of evil stone demons.)
11. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Yes, I know I broke the rule, but you would, too, if you'd read the book. I'm not making sense, am I? Bad Willow.)

Just because they haven't been made into movies yet doesn't mean you can't read them! I suggest you get going!

Until next time, happy reading!

~Willow

Camp NaNoWriMo

I (Citali) mentioned this earlier in my introduction, but while Willow and I both love to write as well as read, I'm actually (without you, sorry, Willow) participating in a writing challenge this month (July)! 

This challenge is known as Camp NaNoWriMo: NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. At Camp, participants sign up, challenging themselves to write a novel in a month. The "novel" is defined by word count: at Camp, participants can set their word goals to anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000 words in a month. 

The organization NaNoWriMo hosts three writing events per year: November is the "actual" NaNoWriMo, where the word goals are 50,000 words in a month for everyone. In April and July is Camp, where word goals are set by the "campers" themselves, projects don't have to be novels (poetry, short stories, or nonfiction are all perfectly fine!), and campers get to work as a community in "cabins" where the campers can see each other's current word count progress as well as chat with each other. 

As NaNoWriMo itself says, 

"Throughout the year, National Novel Writing Month welcomes nearly 500,000 writers to start creative projects. They value:

• Diversity. They support writers of all ages and backgrounds, from over 200 countries around the world. 
• Empowerment. Their projects help people learn what they can accomplish when they're determined. 
• Community. They encourage participants to form and sustain creative communities, both on-and off-line."

What's not to love? If you didn't know, several "actually" published books, including one of my favorite series, The Lunar Chronicles (the books Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress), were written during NaNoWriMo, which makes it even more special for me: walking in the footsteps of amazing authors! I got started with NaNo in April at the first Camp session of the year with a (wimpy) word goal of 10,000. I'm doing it again with a "much higher" (ha!) goal of 10,500 words. This time, I'm more than 3,000 words in! (That's a lot for me. Come on, give me some slack here.) I'm terrible at actually starting any projects, or finishing them, as Willow can tell you. NaNo has really helped with that... at least for now. I'd encourage any word lovers to join this! For Camp in April or July, go to campnanowrimo.org. In November, students or kids up to age 18 can join the Young Writers' Project at ywp.nanowrimo.org, or anyone over 13 can use the "actual" NaNo website by going to nanowrimo.org. (yes, I know, extremely subtle plug. Oh well.) 

Happy writing, everyone! 

~Citali

The First Booklist!

Hey! Willow here. This is my first time writing a booklist, so bear with me, ok? Thanks. You guys are the best.

So here's the deal. Every time we post a booklist, it'll be based on a specific theme or topic. We'll make a list of our top ten books that pertain to that topic. They'll be listed in no particular order. If a book on the list is part of a series, we'll include the name of the series.

Right, so here we go! Today's topic is Mystery and Espionage. Ready, set, list!

1. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (Spy School)
2. Heist Society by Ally Carter (Heist Society)
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society)
4. Codename Zero by Chris Rylander (Codename Conspiracy)
5. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs (FunJungle)
6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Tales of Alcatraz)
7. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
8. Holes by Louis Sachar
9. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl)
10. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (39 Clues)

That's it for now. Happy reading!

~Willow

Introductions

Hi! This is our first post on this new blog! Here we're going to be talking about everything, but mostly books, movies, and fandoms, since that's what we're into. 

I'm Citali, one half of The Fangirl Archives, and I'm super excited to be starting this blog with my best friend! I love The Lunar Chronicles, Wings of Fire, The Selection, Ender's Game, Artemis Fowl, Ecotopia... and a lot of fandoms you've heard of too, like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. :-) You could say I'm more on the obscure interests side, or the diverse interests side. I'm into sci-fi, nonfiction, fairy tale remixes, and a sprinkling of historical, so you'll be getting anything and everything from this blogger. I do a little bit of creative writing at Camp NaNoWriMo, so you'll get some updates on that too. Wow, I'm really bad at introductions... well, hopefully you guys will get to know me better (and realize that I don't usually change subject this crazily most of the time) as we keep blogging!

Hello, wonderful readers. I'm Willow, the other half of the Archives. Before I say anything else, you guys should probably know that I'm just as bad (quite possibly worse) at introductions as Citali. The two of us are going to be blogging about books, movies, and fandoms, as Citali mentioned earlier, but we're also going to post reviews, recommendations, trivia, and more! Unlike Citali, I'm probably going to be focusing more on the fantasy side of things. Um... let's see... what else do you put in an introduction? I can't think of anything else to say, so until our next post, happy reading!