Afterlife

"Destiny awaits Bianca and Lucas. . .

Bianca and Lucas have always believed they can endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire- the very creature he spent his life hunting- they are left reeling. Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can only turn to one place for help. . . Evernight Academy. Bianca is determined to remain with him. But with the vampire leader of Evernight raging a war against wraiths, her former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her new ghostly transformation has given her. A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at them, but is their love strong enough to survive the challenges after life?"

So, one thing this synopsis is missing is the word conclusion or finale or end. I still can't get myself to except that the Bianca-Lucas story is over!

Plot: Overall, the plot was pretty good. I think Claudia Gray spent a little too much time in the beginning, and rushed the big ending, but other than that, the plot was great.

Main Characters: Who here loves Lucas? *raises hand* I love Lucas! He is sarcastic, sweet, loyal (and not to mention pretty good looking if I do say so myself.) Bianca has the perfect guy ever! Then there's Bianca. So, she's stuck in her pj's the rest of her life. So, she sees no way to ever be technically alive again. Does that stop her from being optimistic? Of course not!

Cover: I love the color scheme! Grey makes the hot pink stand out, and for some reason, it looks so cool. It's cool how it matches with the other covers, and it's sad to think it will be the last...

Overall Rating: I am going to give this book a 3/4. I loved it, but it seemed as though the ending was too rushed and not explained enough. Though, I doubt any ending with the words "final book" on it could ever make me happy. Definitely read this A.S.A.P! If you haven't started the series? Read the first, Evernight, and have fun!

Sweet Daydreams, Brooke P.S. Claudia Gray is coming out with a new, really interesting looking book called Fateful. You can read about here: http://claudiagray.com/faq.htm. It comes out September 13, 2011 for you Claudia Gray fans, Titanic fans, or just plain bookworms out there!

Music Monday: CMAs Winners

The music scene is kind of silent right now, except the fact that the Annual CMAs were on last night. I did not watch them because it went on too late. I know people have mixed views on country, so I won't make you listen to any of it, but here are the winners from last night's awards.

Entertainer of the Year
Brad Paisley

Song of the Year
"The House That Built Me" – Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin

Single of the Year
"Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year
Revolution – Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist of the Year
Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert

Vocal Duo of the Year
Sugarland

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum

Musician of the Year
Mac McAnally

New Artist of the Year
Zac Brown Band

Musical Event of the Year
"Hillbilly Bone" – Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins

Music Video of the Year
"The House That Built Me" – Miranda Lambert

I just did the most major awards, but that doesn't mean that the other awards are not any less important. If you want to check out the whole CMAs, click here!
 
P.S. To quench some of that Twilight thirst you might be having, here's a video of Rob Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon presenting at the CMAs:

Peace and Fangs,

Alisha

Quick Interview with Cassandra Clare

I am so glad to say that Cassandra Clare has graced Black Nailed Reviews with a quick interview over her upcoming release of the fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Fallen Angels, and her writing process. Here is my interview with her:

City of Fallen Angels will be in third person, so what are some things we will see from each character?
Well, all my books have been in third person so far! From Clary we'll see her adjusting to Shadowhunter training, from Jace, some pretty low points, from Simon some serious internal struggles. I would say everyone is tempted, and everyone falls prey to that temptation. No one's really safe.

How will CoFA build on the rest of the series?
It really kicks off a new cycle. What it has is this set of relationships that are in place, and then it proceeds to explode some of them and build on others. But it's not a continuation of the same story. There's a different villain. There's a different scope to the conflict. A lot of the conflict is internal. The characters are very much struggling with who they are and what they want.

What was the most exciting scene to write in CoFA?
Without giving spoilers? I'll honestly say in a lot of ways, the last few pages.

How was it expanding on Simon's life as a vampire?
Fun. Simon hates being a vampire. He doesn't like blood. He thinks it's gross. He's just kind of annoyed by the whole thing, which is fun to write, because the whole dark, brooding vampire thing goes so against Simon's grain, which is basically cheerful and ironic.

With the first movie under way, are there any scenes from City of Bones you want to be in the movie?
Well, keeping in mind I've no control over it, I wouldn't want to lose the greenhouse kiss or Magnus' wild party.

Is there anything you worry about with the book being made into a movie?
Sure, but I have actually watched my friends go through this — having their books made into movies — and one thing I've learned is you seriously cannot get bent out of shape about every little new development. Nothing's forever in Hollywood until the cameras roll. Until then, I regard all news as provisional.

Lastly, is there any advice you would give to upcoming writers?
Read. Read a lot, read out of your comfort zone, read good books and bad books. Just read.

Remember to buy City of Fallen Angels on April 5th! Over Eat Read Love, I talked to Cassandra Clare about her life in the categories of eating, reading, and love.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Summit Optioned Rights For Immortals/Riley Bloom Series

Summit has snatched up another pararomance book series. Alyson Noel has announced on her official blog that "Summit Entertainment has optioned the dramatic rights for all 10 books in both The Immortals & The Riley Bloom series."

I have been reading the series and I have been liking them so far. I have only read the first three, but am getting to the rest very soon. I am really excited to see this on the big screen, but a lot of readers and fans seem to compare the books with Twilight. The absence of adults, secluded new girl, mysterious new guy, and so on. I have noticed the similarities as well and while it seems pretty similar, I'd still see these movies. But, I do think that because of those similarities and with Twilight coming to an end, Summit needs a new edge and since Mortal Instruments are coming out soon, they need to move quickly.

Tell me what you think of these news and who you think should play what!

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha