Mundie Moms

Friday, February 19, 2016

Shadowhunters TV Series Exclusive: Sneak Peak of Episode 7: Set Picture of ALEC #shadowhunters

Who's ready for next week's episode of Shadowhunters? Thank you to Shadowhunters, we've got an exclusive sneak peak from Episode 7, airing on Tuesday, February 23rd, at 9/8 CST on Freeform. Check out this set picture of Alec!

*Image is property of Disney/Freeform, when sharing please link back to Mundie Moms. 

Hello Alec!! I love this picture! I don't know about you guys, but this is similar to how I pictured book Alec. I love Matthew's portrayal of Alec. It's so spot on. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Alec in this upcoming week's episode of Shadowhunters. Check out the promo for Episode 7 below:


Don't miss the latest Shadowhunters news, promos and more on YouTubeTwitterFacebook and Shadowhunters.com. Tune in to Freeform on Tuesday, at 9 pm / 8 pm CST, to watch the next installment of Shadowhunters. Don't forget, you can watch the latest episodes of Shadowhunters, using the Freeform App!

Not Our Cup of Tea Reviews


By: Rick Yancey
Published by: Speak
Released On: May 7, 2013
Series: Book 1, The Fifth Wave
Purchase: amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks
Add it to Goodreads

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars, not my cup of tea

Synopsis: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

So, I’m going to be an outlier on this review. Many, many reviewers loved this book (Wendy Darling of Midnight Garden wrote a 5-star review). And even though I didn’t love it, I will admit that I thought the writing was quite good. What I wasn’t expecting was how it was told. I didn’t want a war/invasion/survival story. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was going to be an alien invasion story, but the aliens are in a massive spaceship hovering over Earth, and yeah, it’s a survival story in the end. The whole time I was reading it, I wished it was more of a science fiction story.

Nonetheless, the characters were well drawn, but somehow (given my personal bias regarding this genre) I never connected to the protagonists, Cassie, Ben or even Evan. I didn’t buy into the romance because it felt rushed and rather manufactured. Also, there was a part with Cassie and Evan that left me absolutely eye-rolly (it starts on page 369 in the hardcover for those of you who are curious). I did like the little brother, Sammy. His story held my interest, but there wasn’t too much of it.

As for the twists in the story, I saw them coming from the very beginning. I’m not surprised the movie was a critical flop, because while the stakes were high, it was hard to connect to the characters and therefore their stories. Now if you’re looking for a really well told science fiction tale, read ILLUMINAE by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Or if you’re looking for a survival story, I say go back and read Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE by Heidi Heilig | Blog Tour: Book Review / Giveaway


Hello and welcome to the last stop for THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE blog tour! I'm so excited to have the chance to share my review for Heidi Heilig's mesmerizing debut. 

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Heidi Heilig

Published by: Greenwillow Books
Released on: February 16th, 2016
Series: The Girl From Everywhere #1
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks 
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars - I Liked It
*I received arc / a book of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review
Heidi Heilig’s debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City to nineteenth-century Hawaii to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.
In The Girl from Everywhere, Heidi Heilig blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility with witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, and enchanting romance. 
An exciting debut, with an epic adventure. Heidi Heilig has created a spellbinding story that has the perfect combination of time travel, magic, mythology, mixed with a dash of fantasy and set in a lush historical setting. The Girl From Everywhere is a fantastically crafted story, that takes readers on unforgettable adventures time traveling through history and modern day with the use of maps. 

Sixteen year old Nix has lived aboard her father's ship, The Temptation for most of her life. Traveling through time, and present day with her father, and his small crew, including her best friend Kash. Nix has the ability to magically teleport their ship through the use of maps. Each adventure lands them at a new destination, securing them new maps and provisions they need to continue their travels along the high seas. Nix longs for something more, and with her father's addiction in finding the exclusive map that could forever change her past, their newest adventure could be her last one aboard The Temptation

Nix's father, Slate, wants to undo the past in order to save the love of his life, Nix's mom. Not taking to heart that this may result in disastrous consequences, The Temptation arrives in 1868 Honolulu to save her life. This task won't be an easy one, and it puts Nix's very existence at risk. While her father plots to secure the elusive map they need, Nix comes up with her own plan to secure a way for to rid her life on board The Temptation once and for all. 


I enjoyed getting to know the multicultural cast of unforgettable characters. I loved watching what transpired between Nix and Kash, as their relationship slowly developed from something more than just being best friends. I loved the way the elements of love, loss, obsession, free will, and destiny drove this story, and the characters to make the decisions they did. I loved this story's writing, and how easy it was for me to feel like I was apart of this story. Above all, I loved the history, and the unforgettable adventure this story took me on. 


Heilig immerses her readers into a setting so vividly detailed, you feel like you've been transported back into time. From modern day New York City, to 19th century Hawaii, to sailing the high seas of the 18th century, the imagery for this story's setting is easy conjured, and makes you feel as though you're aboard the Temptation. With it's rich mythology, and the element of magic and fantasy at it's helm, this debut is an addicting one. I look forward to what's to come in the sequel! I definitely recommend picking up this unforgettable read. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


 Photo by Adrian Buckmaster
Heidi grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks, and then she moved to New York City and grew up even more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko’olau Valley, and huddled in a tent in Africa while lions roared in the dark.
She holds an MFA from New York University in Musical Theatre Writing, of all things, and she’s written books and lyrics for shows including The Time Travelers ConventionUnder Construction, and The Hole. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their pet snake. They do not own a cat.
Find Heidi online: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest |Goodreads


ENTER TO WIN

2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE. US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


FOLLOW THE TOUR

Week 1:
2/8/2016- Brittany's Book RamblesInterview
2/9/2016- Beauty and the BookshelfReview
2/10/2016- FangirlishGuest Post
2/11/2016- The Forest of Words and PagesReview
2/12/2016- NerdophilesGuest Post
Week 2:
2/15/2016- Curling Up With A Good BookReview
2/16/2016- Reading LarkInterview
2/17/2016- Reading with ABC- Review
2/18/2016- Once Upon a TwilightInterview
2/19/2016- Mundie MomsReview



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