Feature Friday - Taylor Swift's Blank Space Performance at the Brits Awards

So it's Friday. But it feels like Wednesday. The first half of the week was spent hiding inside from the ice outside, and today it's snowing! So Friday crept up...but it's still Feature Friday, and this video blows me away.

If you weren't aware, you are now, I'm a Taylor Swift fan. And this performance?! Whoa! I love that she puts her all into whatever she is doing, and this is no exception. I also really like the visual effect when she starts walking out on that long part of the stage. All the dancers, her voice, her smile at the end, the visuals, it's all just incredible.

I want so badly to go see her on her 1989 tour this year, and she is in Dallas TWO DAYS after my birthday. I WILL find a way. Went to the Speak Now tour with my mother-in-law (also around my birthday) and it was just so cool! (I also sent her this video and said it was more entertaining than the entire Superbowl halftime show, just my opinion.) Anyways, enjoy the video. I'm gonna go watch the snow.

Julia

Feature Friday - The Madness Project by J. Leigh Bralick

I just loved this book. I picked it up because I loved the The Lost Road Chronicles by the same author. It only took me a year (exactly) to start reading it after I bought it...because, you know, life. And also because I have to be in the right mood to read, or in the mood to read the right genre. If I'm feeling adventurous, romance isn't going to cut it, and if all I want is a mind-numbing read, fantasy definitely won't do-I enjoy it too much! But there I was, thinking, 'I should read something,' and remembering that I had TMP, and that was all I needed to get started.

I feel like I ought to hand it to Bralick for writing a book that required more than one day to read. It's probably one of the longer books that I've read recently (for pleasure, novels for college not included). Even with its length, the story flew by and I am left wanting the next book in the series.

This cover is a recent update, and I think it is beautiful! And very fitting.

The blurb on Amazon(click to read), which, I have to say, sums it up pretty well. :) 

This fantasy steampunk world is filled with politics and magic.

Prince Tarik has, since the age of 5, been hiding the secret of being a mage. Now that he is 17, his father, King Trabin, has asked him to utilize the magery Trabin despises so much. Tarik has no idea what he's getting into, and finds out that not everything is as it seems.

Hayli is a young mage, struggling with her feeling like she doesn't belong anywhere and learning how to control her shape-shifting ability.

Tarik and Hayli have several run-ins before Tarik is given his mission, and little do they know how large her role will be in its execution.

This story touches on topics of identity, race, and peer family, for sure, as well as disparity between the poor and the rich. It is written in first-person, alternating between Tarik and Hayli, which makes for an interesting read (and also forces you to read the chapter header to know who "I" is). Each of the characters were unique and distinguishable from the others.

So, a break-down:

Pros:

• Good pacing with a great storyline that kept me wanting to read on
• Believable/unique characters
• Interesting setting (I don't think I've read anything steampunk before...)
• Magic system explained enough to make sense but remain magical, and there is definitely more to learn in the upcoming books
• Depth of thought put into Tarik's magic, especially, to be able to accomplish his mission
• Cavnish slang
• Touches on topics related to issues in today's world such as race, poverty, and politics
• There is a line shared between Zagger and Hayli which (to me) was fairly powerful
• Slow-burn romance
• Adventurous and emotional

Faux-cons:

• I want to know the rest of the story, but the other three book aren't out yet

Cons:

• I don't have any complaints about this book

So, there you have it, I would definitely recommend checking out this book if you are looking for an adventure you won't soon forget!

Julia

*still working on my reviewing skills*

Feature Friday - Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke

This week's Feature is the YA novel Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke, and I was fortunate enough to be able to watch her participate in a forum at YAK fest this year.

Let me just say that while yes, I am an emotional reader, the level of sobbing I did while reading this book was unreal, and kept my son asking me if I was ok. I am, by the way.

First thing, let's look at the beautiful cover. Admire.

Now go to Amazon, and open up the sample. Look at the amazing inside title page.

But wait! Don't close that sample, scroll down to the powerful dedication. (I'm going to play it safe here and not reproduce anything from the book.)

We then find out that there is a soundtrack, with songs written specifically for the book and performed by the Mackes' band, Wedding Day Rain, available on the book's website. How very awesome is that?!

Here is the blurb from Amazon:

Hot girls get the fairy tales. No one cares about the stepsisters' story. Those girls don't get a sweet little ending; they get a lifetime of longing.

Imogen Keegen has never had a happily ever after-in fact, she doesn't think they are possible. Ever since her mother's death seven years ago, Imogen has pulled herself in and out of therapy. When Imogen's new stepsister, Ella Cinder, moves in down the hall, Imogen begins losing grip on the pieces she's been trying to hold together. The only things that gave her solace--the theatre, cheese fries, and her best friend, Grant--aren't enough to save her from her pain this time. While Imogen is enjoying her moment in the spotlight after the high school musical, the journal pages containing her darkest thoughts get put on display. Now, Imogen must resign herself to be crushed under the ever-increasing weight of her pain, or finally accept the starring role in her own life story. And maybe even find herself a happily ever after.

If you've looked at what I suggested, certainly you didn't miss the comedy/tragedy masks of drama, did you? Those aren't just random. The first thing encountered is Imogen exercising her love for dramatic flair, in the form of ranting about princesses and stepsisters to Therapist George. Imogen's voice is immediately distinct. Influenced by her love for musicals, it is silly, snarky, and at times brutally honest. While Imogen is overweight, and that does play a part in the story, it is not the main concern, as Imogen is clinically depressed and fighting to find some kind of light. Just when she thought things were getting better, Carmella, "Ella," her step-sister, moves in.

So, thoughts:

Pros:

• Imogen's unique voice/view of the world. You can definitely see the influence of the theater.
• Macke uses just enough dialect (fish-kick, for example) for the book.
• All of the character's were their own unique identity and had their own presence in the book.
• Just enough comic relief.
• Important issues treated with respect and care.
• Super emotionally moving!
• The perfect capturing of depression is what really turned the knob on my waterworks. For me it is Imogen's idea of the pendulum swing that rings so true. The exhausting swinging back and forth, thinking you have come out just to plunge back in. Maybe it's not a new idea, but it's the first time that I have been exposed to it, and it is so perfect that it hurts to realize how accurate the swing of the pendulum of emotions is.
• Part of my connection to Imogen is that I lost my mom at a similar age, so, bonus waterworks.
• In my experience as an English major, one of the things I found repeated was the idea that "serious" literature was re-readable for the underlying themes, images, ideas, etc., that once the story is read there is still something to merit by reading it again. In my Young Adult Literature class, some of these things that we looked at and were often found in our texts were: non-traditional/broken homes, peer family, and identity (personal, social, cultural, etc.), among other things. Damsel Distressed addresses all of these things with such realistic voice and emotion that it grabs onto your heartstrings and doesn't let go.

Faux-Cons:

• I want to know the story of all the other characters.
• Not a sunshine-happy read. (It is hopeful, though.)

Cons:

• I honestly have no cons about this book.

Thanks for reading, I hope you check this amazing book out!

Julia

(still working on the way I review)