This week, the fifteenth installment of one of my favorite series, The Dresden Files, was released. I looked at it with hesitancy as the last two books haven't been that enjoyable compared to their predecessors. Harry had gotten himself in quite a predicament after the conclusion of the twelfth book, Changes, and, quite frankly, it dragged the next two plots along at a slow, dismal pace. The momentum of the series was seemingly at a standstill while Harry dug himself into a deeper hole. I also noticed a change of tone in Harry's usually sharp wit. While it's understandable after all he's been through - when you're on the fifteenth book in a series... you gotta keep in mind that it's the fifteenth book in the series. After a while, readers expect a path towards resolution and maybe even happiness for the characters. I prepared myself for a continuation of this lack of movement. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

Skin Game held many of the original elements of the series that had been missing for quite a while. Firstly, Harry was actually on a job for the first time in a few years. Since he started the series as a little-known crime-solving wizard - the original hook for the series, really - he has gained more momentum, more titles, and has gotten thrown deeper into Fae politics. Underneath all of that, the original feel of Harry going on a job, fighting the good fight, was lost. Skin Game brought that feel back and then some. While under the command of Mab, he went after one of his old foes, Nicodemus, and opened up a new doorway to the illustrious urban fantasy world that Jim Butcher has created: Greek Mythology. An automatic win, in my books. But I could be biased.

Another element that really helped regain the flavor of the series was the appearance of the entire Scooby Gang. At some point, each of the main characters (save Thomas, unfortunately) made an appearance. And they were all civil! Sort of. I'll be waiting for that Harry/Thomas brotherly awesome in the next installment, but, until then, I am very satisfied by the plethora of amazing characters I got to read.

The last hundred pages of the book were by far the most intense. Harry met a freaking Greek god, the final battle kicked a whole bunch of ass, and, in true Butcher-style, a last-minute curve ball was thrown into a plot that seemed completely covered. Also, my girly Harry/Karrin feels were very happy by the end. I honestly almost cried. Twice. I don't want to give a full play-by-play, but by the time I finished the book, I was fully satisfied while simultaneously getting impatient for the next installment.

Also while reading the book, I discovered something about my own writing, weirdly enough. I guess that whole "reading like a writer" thing actually taught me something. Anyway - I tend to break paragraphs in odd, fragmented ways when I write prose to bring attention to certain phrases/one-liners/etc. I didn't realize this tactic was unique until I took a few writing classes and got complimented on my stylistic choice. Flattered, I took it as a good sign. Little did I know that I was actually mimicking one of my favorite authors - Jim Butcher. I realized this a few chapters into Skin Game and had a little laugh. It's not uncommon for writers to adopt traits from each other. In the end, I believe everyone's style is unique while also being a hybrid of traits from others.

In conclusion, I was very happy with Skin Game. It rekindled my love for the Dresden series and made me eager for more. I have nothing but high hopes for the last few books in the series - and a few worries, obviously, but mostly on the character front. I always put a little too much emphasis on that. Oops. Anyway, I give this a 4.5/5 - there were a few minor things that didn't tickle my fancy but they were vastly outnumbered by other, better, elements.

Well, it's been a few days since I've seen the newest X-Men movie so I feel I've had enough time to mull it over during my breaks of hideous sickness. Being bed-ridden does that - gives you time to think. Not only about a movie you saw a few weeks ago but how horrible you feel. Seriously. Gross.

Anyhow, this review contains spoilers so, as always, proceed with caution.

As a whole, I was sort of let down after exiting the theatre. The plot, while compelling and action-packed, lacked a certain something that made the other films so great (let's not count X3, just for arguments sake). I think it started with my brother pointing out the poster on our arrival to the theatre (see right). Mystique and Wolverine are at the forefront, followed by a young Professor X, Storm, etc. It's no coincidence that the two frontrunners are X-Men's darling and Hollywood's most in-demand actress. While I am not diminishing each actor's talent or their ability to hold the lead role in a film, I merely suggest that perhaps too much attention was paid to them - to the point of negating the other character's presence at all. For me, I was most excited to see the past and future Magneto and Professor X crossing paths. The only glimpse we got into that possibility was a two minute heart-to-heart, which was all sorts of amazing, but a little underwhelming after it was over.

I believe this film made many promises about the crossover without following through with the results. If they would have marketed it differently, maybe I would have gone in with different expectations. As it is, I went in expecting an epic time-battle with all of my favorite Marvel nomads banding together to defeat a mutual enemy. Instead, I got an unpredictable Erik screwing things up for everyone. Again. I also got an vengeance-driven Mystique and drug-addicted Charles (who had an underlying sexual tension that I actually kind of enjoyed?). While these were formulae for a great story-arch, I completely discarded them because of my disappointment about the latter issue. Call me picky but I like me some time-travelling sci-fi and I thought X-Men was the perfect franchise to use it. I just wish they exploited the surefire formula for success more, well, successfully.

On the positive side, I loved Peter Dinklage's role in the film. He was just brilliant as an ignorant scientist. That man can do no wrong in my eyes. I also loved how all of the characters were very true to themselves - yes, even stupid Erik with his stupid mood swings. Mystique was a bit harder for me to wrap my head around. She arguably has gone through the most changes since we last saw her in First Class. I only wish we knew what kind of changes. We know that Erik was framed for the JFK murder and left his followers to their own devices. Now Mystique is pissed at him, and they share an intimate moment in a phone booth (or something), hinting of a possible romantic past. Since it's never fully explained, I can't see how Erik has no problem going after Raven nor why Raven hates Erik. I can only guess. I suppose as long as we get that sequel, I shouldn't complain.

As hinted by the last scene at the end of the credits (a la Marvel predictability), the new villain was introduced: Apocalypse. It was more of an introduction of his powers and his history, but still made me curious and excited about the new installment of the series.

I'm going against the grain on this one and giving Days of Future Past a 3.5/5. I'm sure the score would be higher if the film came through on the trailer's promises. While films don't always have a tendency not to do that, I expected more of X-Men and Marvel in general. Come on guys, get your shit together.

I was going to post this last night after I got back from the movie to make my deadline but returned late and felt like a review written while I was half-awake wouldn't be one worth reading. It would have been a disaster. A funny disaster, probably. But still a disaster.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE BOOK AND MOVIE VERSIONS OF DIVERGENT

This weekend, I finally got the chance to watch Divergent for the first time in theatres. I read the book last summer but put off watching the movie 1) because I was very busy at the time it came out and 2) I'm still mad about the ending of Allegiant so I was kind of boycotting it. Maybe.

Divergent premiered with many eyes watching and waiting to see if it would become the latest casualty in the search for the next YA hit franchise. While I believe these expectations to be "The Next Hunger Games" are unfair and unjust to YA books everywhere, they unfortunately make a difference in box office terms. Many great YA series have been panned because of their "unsuccessful" adaptations and there was debate whether or not Veronica Roth's best-selling series would be among them. Turns out Divergent had just the right ingredients to draw in a large audience and can be deemed a success in its own right.

I went into the theatre with dilapidated complacency, mostly brought on by the amount of time I waited to watch it. With this neutral outlook, I was able to sit back and actually watch the movie instead of picking it apart like I usually do with book-to-movie adaptations. Plus, it helped that I didn't reread the book right before watching the film. So my outlook is one of whom that is familiar with the book but doesn't have it committed to memory.

Honestly, I really did like it. With all thoughts of Allegiant out of my head, I looked at Divergent as it's own story - which it is, really. It's the beginning to a revolution, as so many YA dystopian stories are nowadays. The film kept the momentum and tone I loved about the book: something both daunting and hopeful. The audience developed with Tris through her trials and triumphs. I did, however, notice a lot violence from the Dauntless initiation period cut down in regards to one-on-one combat and training. Specifically, with the character of Peter. In the books, Peter is a sociopath and it's no secret. In the movie, he's just a bully. While his fight scene with Tris was kept in and added to his asshole-image, the audience only sees him as a boy making all the wrong choices - which comes to fruition in the final battle sequence (SPOILERS. Highlight white space to reveal) when Peter is standing guard without the influence of the mind control serum. A very disturbing scene involving a knife was not included, which would have made Peter a contestable villain. I'm not quite sure what the angle of this was - perhaps to make Peter more sympathetic as a character? Maybe to portray Kate Winslet's character, Janine, as the main antagonist? Regardless, I'm eager to see what role he'll be playing in the future films.

Also noticeably absent was the role of Uriel, another one of Tris's friends in the Dauntless initiate class. His positive and flirtatious attitude would have been a welcome reprieve from the dark overtones of the film. The whole Tris/Al relationship was also understated. While Al's romantic feelings were unrequited in the books, I believe they were important in his overall motivation for (SPOILERS) the cliff scene and his eventual suicide. While it was clear that he was a weak-minded individual, his romantic feelings also added to Tris's emotional distance and how Four was the one to help soften that disposition.

While the movie did not follow the book verbatim, I still think it was a wonderful adaptation. It helped me remember what I loved about the first book in Roth's series. The Divergent trilogy as a movie franchise looks to be in good shape, if it's gross income thus far is any attestment. The sequel has already begun filming. While I have mixed feelings about the third book being split into two movies, as do many people, I still look forward to future installments and wish the best for this new success story in the world of YA book-to-movie adaptations.

The Vampire Academy book series is one that captures its readers. It's sexy, daring, funny, and even original.

I don't understand all of the hate that is coming out about this movie. I absolutely loved it. Of course, I had my stipulations, but all around I really enjoyed it. And, before you ask, yes I read the book. Honestly, I am insulted you would even suggest such a thing.

A lot of the problems people had about the movie are mostly to do with it being so slow-moving. And to that I say: Have you read the book? I read it for the first time this summer when I heard the movie was coming out. I had been recommended it before but never had much initiative to read it until I saw the first trailer for the film. And, I'll admit, it was pretty hard to get through. I'd heard so much about it. Heck, even my dad read it (which isn't that much of a surprise since he's more of a SciFi nut than I am... but still!). The majority of the book takes place at battle school, as does the movie. It focuses on the many battles Ender had to face such as the battles between armies and his personal demons, as does the movie. So really, I don't get why everyone is whining so much about it being so boring. My coworker, who hadn't read the book, holds that opinion, which I respect. But I honestly don't understand why people who read the book hated the movie so much. The acting was good, the visual effects were stunning, and it followed the plot as well as it could with the book's vast timeline.

Now, I'm not saying the film didn't have its weak points. SPOILER ALERT. PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID MAJOR MOVIE GIVEAWAYS.

Peter. I wanted more of him. At the beginning of the book, we see that Peter is pretty much a psychopath. Now, the movie does allude to this. But then it just drops it. The movie version of Ender and Valentine do discuss later that Ender is not like Peter, yada yada yada. But if you didn't read the book, you really wouldn't understand what that meant. Peter is a guy who tortured living animals. I just wish that the movie would have emphasized Peter and his relationship (or lack thereof) with his family.

They also way overplayed Petra and Ender's relationship. I understand why - it's explained in this Wired interview with Orson Scott Card - but it was still unnerving to witness. Especially since I know in the books they have a significant age difference. *shivers*

My final point is a positive note to end on. Card has openly said that the movie is "damn good" so... there. I like it. Card is obviously fine with how it turned out. Now I'll just go off and bake a cake so we can all eat and be happy.

Robert as Simon was just... I felt like I was reading the book all over again. He was the Simon I never knew I wanted. But boy was I glad he was there! He was easily my favorite. Hands-down. Isabelle and Alec were also perfect. Even though their presence was toned down a bit in favor of the Jace-Clary-Simon dynamic, they were still phenomenal whenever they were on screen.

The only thing I didn't like about the cast was Magnus. I mean, Godfrey was pretty good... but he just wasn't as enthusiastic as he could have been. I warmed up to him towards the end when he had his moment with Alec (WHICH WAS JUST SAIDHKLAEWASX SO FREAKING CUTE AND AMAZING). He plays Magnus's soft side very well but I would love to see a more vamped-up and enthusiastic Magnus in the future films. The contrast in his personality when he was around Alec was one of the reasons I loved him so much in the books. Hopefully they'll work on this when they make City of Ashes.

The movie overall was almost dead-on to the book, keeping in some of its key moments and lines. That being said, there wasn't a whole lot of time to breathe. As a fan, I loved watching the scenes I had read come to life on screen. I was a kid in a candy store, let me tell you. But after the movie, some of the people I went with were experiencing a kind of whiplash. One that had them asking me questions to verify if what they got from the plot was correct or not. They loved the movie just as I did, don't get me wrong! They just had to confirm certain things that happened. It was a lot to wrap their heads around.

The last thing I want to talk about is the ending. SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT AHEAD SO PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT MAJOR SPOILAGE.

Towards the end is where the timeline of the book skewed a bit. They had the final battle at the Institute. Which was fine because I completely understand why they did it. The movie was already nearing two hours and adding another location and the journey to it would waste time that could be spent on other things. But with that came some changes. Valentine never captured Jace so their whole shebang was in the library. I really liked how we got to see Jace's reaction to being told the news that he was Valentine's son. But in the books he recognised him right away as his father, cementing the lie of his and Clary's relation. So that was a bit odd to me that he took more convincing.