New Year at Hogwarts | Pottermore Sorting

In celebration of this year, 1st September 2017, being nineteen years later, the last canon scene featured in the Harry Potter books, I've decided to share with you my Pottermore sorting experience as unfortunately I never received my Hogwarts acceptance letter.... 

I've been a member of Pottermore since about 2014, so I've been using it since before the big change in the sorting quiz and the format of the website. I think I preferred it before but I'm definitely getting used to it! When the website changed, there was an option to reclaim your old house, which I did because Hufflepuff is the greatest house and I wouldn't want it any other way. Still, I got curious, so I made a new account and did the test again. I was actually terrified I might be sorted differently so I was very happy and relieved to be sorted back into the house of the just and loyal! I really enjoyed the new sorting quiz, it's a really interesting way to find out what you value most and although the questions seem vague at first, it's a lot of fun. If you've never actually been sorted on Pottermore, I would highly recommend doing it because it's a great way to connect with other fans and the test was devised by JK Rowling herself so what are you waiting for?! 

I know a few people are actually disappointed to be sorted into Hufflepuff *gasps* So, I think it's important to remember this is the house of Tonks, Cedric and Newt Scammander, some of the most renowned wizards! And who wouldn't want to be part of a house which values hard work and loyalty, those are clearly great qualities. Also, the whole Hufflepuff aesthetic is very bright and sunny which I love. And for bonus points, the Hufflepuff common room is right next to the kitchen so need I say more? I mean I could, but we'll move on.

I was really excited to discover the new Ilvermony houses and get sorted! I didn't really know much about any of the houses at first so I was eager to learn more about Thunderbird. Apparently, it's the house that represents the soul and values adventures, which are great traits to have. To add to that, Porpentina Goldstein of the Fantastic Beasts movie is a proud member of Thunderbird so if you've been sorted into this house you're among the best Ilvermony have to offer! Furthermore, JK Rowling and Evanna Lynch have both been sorted into Thunderbird on Pottermore so what better reason is there to be proud of your house?!

So I actually own Cedric Diggory's wand but on Pottermore I have a unicorn hair core, hornbeam wood 14 1/4 inch wand! I think part of the reason you're assigned a wand is to make the sorting process even more realistic, which is what we all need really seeing as we all have a complex after never getting that sorting letter... 

I remember when you could first discover your Patronus, a hugely exciting time for all us Potter fans! As someone who always thought theirs would be a hamster or something slightly pathetic or something I was pretty happy to discover it was a dolphin! On Pottermore, it doesn't tell you the significance of the dolphin but a bit of digging revealed that apparently having the dolphin as my Patronus signals me to be an adventure-seeking and social person who can sometimes appear incompetent due to asking for help. Interesting! Though this isn't from the official site so I took it with a pinch of salt.

An Evening with Victoria Aveyard | Talk and Book Signing with the Bestselling Author of Red Queen

A spoiler free summary of Victoria Aveyard's Talk and Book Signing!

I was lucky enough to meet Victoria Aveyard on her Liverpool stop of her UK Red Queen Tour! She was promoting her collectors edition of Red Queen and gave a talk on everything from how Pokemon inspired the powers of protagonists Mare and Cal to how she feels the way society is socialised may have limited people's impressions of her books. It was an honour to hear Aveyard speak, she was a funny and intelligent lady with a wild imagination and it was clear she inspired myself and many other young minds in the room. 



There was a hum of chatter as all the fans awaited her entrance but as soon as she neared silence fell as the moment we were all anticipating arrived! Seated in front of the small crowd, Aveyard was initially interviewed by Lucy Richardson, who was clearly as big of a fan as anyone else in the room, before a Q&A session with the audience. An imaginative and creative author, Aveyard discussed being a visual writer. She explained how the first idea for Red Queen popped into her head as an image of a girl about to be executed who then electrocutes her executioner and evades her impending death. She was intrigued by this story and decided to explore it. Usually a screenwriter, Aveyard felt this narrative wouldn't work on screen and set about writing a novel. Red Queen was born and Victoria spoke of how she loved world building and enjoys drawing fantasy maps in her spare time. Initially, the series was to be 3 books but Victoria felt she couldn't reach an ending in King's Cage and so the fandom eagerly awaits the fourth and final instalment in which she has promised even more plot twists, which she is renowned for. (I still haven't recovered to be honest). The most shocking thing Aveyard revealed was that in her first draft of Red Queen, Mare's brother's power was initially going to be time travel but it was going to impact the story too greatly and so she was advised by her editor to change it and so Shade's power became teleportation.


With an evil laugh, she revealed to us she has never been afraid to kill off characters, as long as their deaths aid the story, drawing parallels between the death of Dumbledore and Obe-Wan Kenobi and how the death of a mentor allows character development. Victoria also discussed with us how she loves a strong female character, revealing her favourite to be Sansa Stark, who she is a self-confessed 'stan' of! This led her on to explain how Game of Thrones has inspired the fantasy side of the series, which was probably inevitable considering how big of a fan she is. Relating to the nerds in the room (myself included) when questioned about how she came up with the powers for her characters, Aveyard excitedly told us she was inspired by Pokemon, referring to Mare as Pikachu and Cal as a Charmaleon. She was also eager to talk about LGBT representation and how she hopes to add to a more diverse narrative in YA literature, something she hopes she's always improving on. Aveyard also acknowledged that the way society is socialised has led to a potentially narrower audience of readers as sometimes boys are reluctant to pick up her books that perhaps appear more feminine. She doesn't however feel limited by being marketed as a YA author as she sees her audience is vast due to the many themes she covers, such as fascism, oppressive class systems, terrorism and war, all relevant to our world despite being set in a dystopian fantasy world. 

A final piece of advice for aspiring authors in the audience was to always finish a draft! Aveyard assured us that it is far harder to complete a perfect first draft than to just draft all of your ideas and edit it after. She advised making notes of what you want to improve later and also warned against trying to mirror another author's journey to publishing. She ended her talk warmly thanking us for coming and then patiently met every fan and signed everyone's stack of books, happy to answer any extra questions and take pictures. An incredibly smart author and a lovely lady!

Visit Victoria's website: https://www.victoriaaveyard.com/ and follow her on twitter

Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

“I don't know why it's so hard for people to admit that sometimes they're just assholes who screw up because they don't expect to get caught.”

Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule. Sports star Cooper only knows what he's doing in the baseball diamond. Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime. Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.

And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won't ever talk about any of them again. He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it's no accident. All of them are suspects.

Everyone has secrets, right?

What really matters is how far you'll go to protect them.

This book has been described as "Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club" and I suppose that's true to some extent in that the whole book really lacks originality. It was one of those books where the whole idea for the plot is very exciting but the actual novel doesn't live up to the hype and seems kind of lackluster. I found the characters to be very cliche of a teen novel, there really wasn't anything unique about them, which was quite disappointing actually. I was also kind of gutted that all four of the protagonists seemed one dimensional and undeveloped, all of their backgrounds and their individual stories weren't given the time they deserved as the author flitted between them all each chapter. It was interesting getting everyone's unique perspective but the readers don't really get a chance to fully understand the characters, meaning none of the scenes are particularly shocking or emotional.

What I love most about murder mystery novels are the plot twists that usually have me gripped and hanging on to every word but all of the supposedly surprising revelations in this novel were predictable and I'd already guessed them. The scenes in school were overly cliche and unrealistic as well, and I appreciate that it is a work of fiction but it does make it harder to enjoy the book and relate to the characters when that's the case. Also, the overly done, typical bad boy romance in this book was poorly written. If done well, it could have added a lot to the plot but as it was it just wasn't believable or relevant. 

This book was marketed and hyped up as a shocking murder mystery book with some unlikely teens banded together who bond over their shared experience as falsely accused but it just didn't live up to that at all. It was slow and not fast paced as a good thriller should be. I can't recommend it but you should always read a book for yourself to make your mind up!

3/10

If You Liked Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon...

Everything Everything is a beautiful, sweet coming of age romance with the stakes being slightly higher than usual when protagonist Maddy leaves the house to chase her true love despite being confined to her home due to a rare medical condition. Maybe you loved the film, released in the UK August 18th, and you want to read books of a similar genre. Therefore, if you loved this novel, here are my top 10 books you should read next!

1. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This book will always be a favourite of mine and I think at least one element of the story will mirror your own experiences of growing up. It's a story about two siblings experiencing their first love and loss at the same time but in different ways. It's beautifully written and full of bright, vivid descriptions. It reads almost like poetry, a truly perfect novel.







2. Ask the Passengers by A S King

A friend got this book for me and I'm so glad she did because it's completely changed my perspective on things. A coming of age novel mixed in with the beginnings of a teenager asking philosophical questions, despite being fiction it feels like a very true story. Astrid is beginning to discover her sexuality and find first love while struggling with the constraints of unaccepting parents and judgey small town life.






3. A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
This book is about an anxious, mute teen girl who finally finds her voice communicating through sign language with her deaf boyfriend Rhys. It's a lovely story as neither is dependent on the other in developing themselves but instead supported in a healthy relationship that feels as perfect and sometimes painful in all the ways first loves do. 







4. The Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Living with a rare form of amnesia, Flora has no recollection of anything longer than a few hours ago and her last memories are from when she was 10. Her parents keep her overprotected and when the chance arises, Flora travels halfway across the world for an opportunity to make her own memories. Very reminiscent of the rebellious streak in Maddy when she defies her mother!






5. When We Collided by Emery Lord

When I say this story is vibrant, I'm not just talking about the front cover! It's an absolute rollercoaster of first love and a beautiful exploration of the feelings of both people involved. The intensity of it all will keep you gripped as a reader and the realism in this novel is what really makes the story. Nothing is sugercoated!







6. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

If what you're looking for is a genuine first discovery of romance then look no further than the novels of YA romance author Jenny Han! A perfect read for the summer, you can practically feel the rays on you as you're reading. Protagonist Belly begins falling for family friends Conrad and Jeremiah while discovering her independence as a young woman. Definitely worth the read!






7. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
This novel is a little different to the others in this list but if you liked Everything Everything I'm guessing you really love a coming of age book! Outsider Elise discovers an underground DJ scene where she finally feels accepted and as though she can be herself despite a traumatic incident in her near past and difficulties at school. 







8. Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

A beautifully honest book about two young girls discovering themselves through their first relationship. Megan doesn't speak but bubbly new girl Jasmine brings out the voice in her. Something has happened that Megan cannot speak about but around Jasmine, she can finally speak. One of the best YA LGBT romance books with a mystery thrown in.








9. Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

Set in LA, everything about this book screams that it needs to be made into a film. Vibrant Emi and her best friend Charlotte are working on a film when they embark on a search for an old Wild-West movie star's grand daughter, all while being left with the heavy responsibility to do something epic while staying in her brother's flat for the summer. Hope, betrayal, loss and guilt make this a recipe for a perfect coming of age novel.






10. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Lovers of Rainbow Rowell probably hold this novel to be the single book that embodies all the best elements of a YA romance/coming-of-age story. Eleanor and Park have an intense relationship, realistic to that of when your 16, all whilst exploring their identities and struggling with problems in their personal lives. A fantastic read that I fully enjoyed and can definitely recommend. 

My Dream Adaptation of Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour

Review: After The Fire by Will Hill

“Love changes how you see everything. It blinds you, but in a good way.” 

Father John controls everything inside The Fence. And Father John likes rules. Especially about never talking to Outsiders. Because Father John knows the truth. He knows what is right, and what is wrong. He knows what is coming.

Moonbeam is starting to doubt, though. She's starting to see the lies behind Father John's words. She wants him to be found out.

What if the only way out of the darkness is to light a fire?

After The Fire by Will Hill is a fantastic novel with a brilliant narrative and a disturbing yet gripping plot. This book is unique in that I've never read anything like it and yet it's a novel that should be shared because it shines a light on religious cults and how easy it is for someone to take power and manipulate something peaceful for their own personal gain. I cannot recommend this book enough, having been partly inspired by true events it's certainly an important story to tell and I think Will Hill has done a fantastic job of doing so.

Moonbeam's story is told out of chronological order, jumping between the past and the traumatic events she suffered, and the future as a psychiatrist and government agent attempt to help her heal and piece together the truth. This creates a really interesting narrative that made the book gripping and full of suspense.  

What Will Hill gets right is despite outlining all the horrific events inside The Lord's Legion, a Christian cult, he does not attack Christianity or make it seem a violent religion followed only by the gullible. He also does not disrespect any members of religious cults, instead exploring the complex reasons why people are attracted to them, portraying each character as genuine human beings, who are both compassionate and flawed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a unique YA read that's grounded in real life. Also, it's great for anyone with an interest in religion as it explores how a peaceful, genuine faith can be twisted to oppress and take advantage of others. Definitely worth the read!

9/10

If You Liked The Mortal Instruments...

Have you ever read a series so good it seems like nothing will ever compare? Ever finished a book so brilliant you NEED to find others like it or you fear you'll never read again? Have you ever got yourself into a reading slump because every other book pales in comparison? We've all been there, and for me it was about 6 years ago when I first got into The Mortal Instruments series. Therefore, I felt like I was in a position to help you guys out! Here follows my top 10 books you'll LOVE if you're obsessed with The Mortal Instruments. 

1. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

So it's the amazing writing style of Cassandra Clare that combines all the elements of your favourite fantasy novels that's got you gripped? Have no fear, she's a fairly prolific author with a few more series to sink your teeth into. Set in Victorian London, The Infernal Devices follow Tessa as she's thrust into the world of Shadowhunters. If you're a TMI fan, some old favourites such as Jem and Magnus feature in these novels so it's a great follow on. 








2. Half Bad by Sally Green

If you're attracted to the darker side of YA fantasy, then the Half Bad series is perfect. The story follows Nathan as he lives isolated, kept in a cage after being rejected for being the illegitimate son of renowned Black witch Marcus. Nathan is a half-code, sticking out in his family of White witches and he struggles to survive the persecution, all while being aware that while there is good in him, the evil could still win. Definitely worth a read!








3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
If you loved The Mortal Instruments, I'm guessing you're not opposed to a headstrong female protagonist, namely Celaena Sardothien, a trained assassin competing to win her freedom while living undercover as a Lady in the castle. This series is set in a fantasy world and if what you love in TMI are those mythical, magical elements, then Throne of Glass is packed with those too, and full of action, violent scenes to quell the need for Shadowhunting the series probably ignited.







4. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson
Perhaps what, or who, you're missing so much since finishing TMI is the free-wheeling bisexual warlock Magnus Bane and his boyfriend, the reserved and serious Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood. This novel is a collection of short stories from Magnus' past and his life today with Alec and should be enough to treat your TMI withdrawal symptoms in the short term. 









5. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
This series was one of my favourites for a long time and if you love a good YA fantasy novel, it's perfect for you. The story follows Ethan as he delves into a world of dark magic that's been living right under his nose for his entire life. He falls in love with the mysterious, complex Lena but their powerful love will have consequences as a family curse threatens to put all their lives in danger. The film came out a few years back, but the book is always better! 

6. The Novice by Taran Matharu 
If you loved the mythical world of demons in The Mortal Instruments, then you'll probably enjoy this book! After summoning a demon and being wrongly accused of a crime, Fletcher travels to Vocans Academy, a school for Summoners to learn to control their power. This book has a vividly created universe in which its set, which is always key to a brilliant fantasy novel so if you like the sound of that then definitely check this book out. 








7. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

This book is a fantastic story of dark and forbidden teen romance between Nora and fallen angel Patch. It feels quite reminiscent of Twilight at times but also has the forbidden love elements of Clary and Jace's relationship. The two find themselves in the midst of a battle between Nephilim and fallen angels. If you were fascinated by Nephilim in The Mortal Instruments and the angelic side to mythology then Hush Hush is a great series to move on to. 

8. Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Like I mentioned before, Cassandra Clare has written a lot more books to sink your teeth into, one of those being The Iron Trial co-written with bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles Series Holly Black. Aimed at a younger audience, the story follows young magician Callum Hunt as he tries to fail the entrance exam to the Magisterium. He fails so spectacularly that he is forced to join the academy, plunging deep into a world of magic he has been taught to reject all his life. Accompanied by his two friends, Call delves deeper into the frightening yet attractive world of magic and discovers some dark secrets from the past. I can't recommend this book enough and being lucky enough to attend a book signing on their UK tour, I had the pleasure of hearing Black and Clare's genius firsthand. 

9. Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston

This book is unique among many YA fantasy novels in that it's set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world in which a dawn of new magic is coming. Readers follow the marked Nat as she relies on shady Wes to help her in her journey to the mythical world of The Blue. This book is filled with danger, mythical creatures and strong protagonists and really sticks in my mind as something different in the over-saturated YA fantasy genre. 

10. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

This series feels almost too reminiscent of The Infernal Devices but if what you're craving is a fix of the supernatural underworld then this could be for you. Lady Helen is making her debut into high society but stumbles upon a dark world of demonic creatures and dangerous power. If you love a kind of 19th century Pride and Prejudice style novel then you'll almost certainly love The Dark Days Club as balls and promenades collide with the fight against demons.