The waiting is killing me!

 

 

As I await my ARC for The Invasion of the Tearling, I'm trying to find things to read. I have realized that during the very quick move from my little town to the big one, in my haste to get the hell out, I must have tossed some books.

I can hear your gasp of shock and disgust. Go ahead, hate me. I hate myself, if I have to be honest.

Here I had this whole stack of something like 32 books I was all set to read and now I can't find but one! I guess I'll have to read that, or barring any interest in the lone straggler, I'll have to resort to.... *gulp* my Kindle books.

Don't get me wrong, a story is a story, but I really HATE ebooks. I want to feel the pages in my hands. I want to smell them. Kindle feels so...cold. Impersonal. Like it's sex without the love. Not the best when you know what it could potentially be.

Oh well.

Let's hope the ARC arrives soon. I'm dying to find out what happens to Kelsea!

The Queen of the Tearling

The Queen of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: Paperback edition April 2015

Available in: Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle

Like any good book, you hear about it via word of mouth. I'd seen blogs, heard people talking about it, and finally I gave in, though I lacked any substantial reading time. We'd reviewed the book for MuggleNet but I'd yet to pull the trigger on a purchase. 

Luckily, a trip to London gave me plenty of the reading time I'd been lacking, so I hunted for the infamously eye-catching red paperback cover at Barnes and Noble in the airport and began reading before the plane had even taken off.

For the Harry Potter fans, you'll know the novel has already been optioned for a film which will star Emma Watson. For the non-Harry Potter fans, this is the medieval fantasy adventure story you've been waiting for!

"With the arrival of her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is ascending to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling. Surrounded by enemies, including an evil sorceress possessed of dark magic, the young ruler stands little chance of success. But Kelsea possesses fearsome weapons of her own, including the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic. As an epic war draws near, Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny begins - a wonderous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend...if she can survive." - The Queen of the Tearling

There are so many things that I love about this story. The relationships between each character, the seemingly plain-girl self-awareness that Kelsea has when it's so obvious that she is anything but plain, the mystery surrounding the event referred to as the Crossing...it all adds up to a read that answers questions but leaves more questions looming.

And perhaps my favorite thing - this isn't your run-of-the-mill fairytale Disney princess. The strength of this character and her conviction is refreshing. Yet she, and the reader as we take this journey with her, have yet to fully realize the power she holds.

I feel lucky that I waited so long to have jumped on the Tearling bandwagon, as the release of sequel to the first novel in the series is only DAYS away, and hopefully I'll get some answers to my questions! Who is The Fetch? Why is the evil sorceress so evil, yet written almost sympathetically? What is the secret of the two sapphires? Can Kelsea save her people and bring an end to the horrors they've experienced?

Is it June 9th yet?

Check back for my next review of the sequel, The Invasion of the Tearling!

Spies like us: Harry Potter and the Art of Spying

Harry Potter and the Art of Spying

Author: Lynn Boughey and Peter Ernest

Published By: Wise Ink, Inc.

Publication Date: September 15, 2014

Available in: Paperback and Kindle

Art of Spying website and blog

I've had this book on my shelf for more than a year now, having received an ARC well before its publication date. I read it cover to cover a few months before attending LeakyCon in Orlando, Florida last August. At that time, MuggleNet was asked to review the book and give a quote for the publication. I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it and provided a quote to the authors, which you can see below:

So....this just happened. "@ArtofSpying: Thanks @MuggleNet for the endorsement! #HarryPotter #ArtofSpying #IARTG pic.twitter.com/be9ziz0g6f"

— Aimee Krenz (@AimeeMarieK) July 6, 2014

Now, I'd meant to write a full review and post on Amazon but with the excitement of LeakyCon as my first real MuggleNet event since joining the team and being promoted to Source Editor, it kind of fell by the wayside. I'm about to rectify that!

My quote absolutely still holds true - what I love most about the Potter fandom is that we can really get our geek on. We re-read the books all the time, we watch the movies over and over, and when we get together as a group to discuss the series, theories and opinions and all the feels start flying around!

I consider myself to be a very intuitive person and think that I see (or in this case, READ) between the lines to what lies deep underneath. However, when it comes to Potter, the pensieve runs deeper. Just when you think you have it all sorted or you've discovered the hidden gems that Jo has laced throughout the series, someone else brings to your attention something you never thought of before.

That's what this book does. It marries the need to understand the Potter series on a deeper level with, as the title indicates, the art of spying.

"Although some Potterphiles consider Order of the Phoenix to be one of the lesser books in the series, we heartily disagree. This book is Harry's true coming-of-age story, alongside his best friends Hermione and Ron. With little to no help from the adults, the famous triad rebels against authority, organizes a subversive organization, and takes matters into its own hands! The fact that the kids must do this in secret allows them to develop important skills not only in magic, but in spy craft as well." - Art of Spying

Before this book, I'd never really thought of what Harry and his friends were doing in the series in quite those terms. What is supremely interesting to those addicted to Harry's journey and the world he inhabits is that there were so many things going on around Harry that affected him but that he just had zero clue about. He was completely new to the wizarding world and didn't understand the rules that governed it. We as readers had access to information he didn't, albeit sprinkled in what appeared to be a random sentence or paragraph that seemingly had no bearing to his journey.  Knowing what we know now, those bits of information were never random and never without purpose.

The authors, Lynn Boughey and Peter Earnest (the director of the International Spy Museum!!!), explore book five in the series - chapter by chapter, moment by moment, breaking down each one by reflecting on the action of the characters. They help us understand the various methods of gaining information, how that information informed the decision-making process, and revealed truths about each character and their motivations that we may not have seen at first glance.

Harry Potter and the Art of Spying is definitely worth the money as an addition to your Potter collection - you'll never look at the series the same way again!

You can check out the blog for the book, which I also happened to write a few guest posts for last December when Pottermore dropped clues and new information as a 12 Days of Christmas gift to fans!

Time to Commit!

It has been FOREVER since I have blogged here - life sometimes gets a little too busy to be able to get my thoughts down. 

However, after talking with some of my blogger and writing friends, I am going to once again try to make a monthly blog post, reviewing books, movies, or just talking about some of my favorite fandom things. First on my list is a review of Erika Johansen's "Queen of the Tearling", which I just finished and which Emma Watson is reportedly attached to for the film adaptation. I also just got offered an ARC of the sequel, which I am STOKED about. I can't wait until it arrives and you can bet I will review this one for you all as well!

Since I last posted in September, my life has changed a lot! I was very unhappy with my job and so therefore, most of my time was spent looking for another. I started a new position at a new-to-me company and have been busy learning the ropes. In addition to the new job, an opportunity to travel to London, England, came up unexpectedly and I had to raise funds for the trip, which took place in April. I won't go into the series of unfortunate travel experiences I had, but I will blog about my trip (once I actually got to London!) and include some pictures soon.

MuggleNet duties have kept me busy for the last two years and I love it! I write a special column for them once a week in the Casting News section, called Role Call. I also post news items for our journalists to write up and occasionally get to write some of them myself! In addition, I've taken on the added duty of our Giveaways (which we do a LOT of!). My role at MuggleNet has afforded me many wonderful experiences and perks, and they will have to pry the things I do out of my cold, dead hands if they ever try to take them from me.

Last, it is my goal to begin to write some fiction again. I've been saying this since August, when I graduated from college with my Bachelors degree, but have yet to really put it into action. I think I will dip my toes back into the Role Play scene over on GALS with my friends Bella and Misty, who have urged me in the last month to get my ass back in. Hopefully, this will lead to finding the joy in writing fiction again.

Wish me well on my journey to find the writer in me again and to bring that part of myself back to life. I look forward to revisiting my favorite characters and creating new ones, revamping old storylines and improving upon them. I hope you all enjoy what is to come.

Cheers!

~Aimee~