As Time Goes By - Supernatural Season 8 Episode 12

*This review contains spoilers.*

• Henry Winchester was so pretty and so suave and I LOVED HIM!
• Also, this whole Man of Letters, secret society of knowledge cult thing is AWESOME!
• Casablanca reference!
• Also, the next episode is about giants and Nazis. What, guys? Really, CW? This is either going to be so terrible or so great. 

Catch Me If You Can - Vampire Diaries Season 4 Episode 11

*This may contains spoilers.*

• Yay, Elena agreed to trust Damon, that's always good. 
• I like Team Klaus versus Team Shane versus Team Rebecca
• Jeremy and Damon's dynamic is adorable!
• Oh, whoa, Kol took out their vampires!
• Aw, Damon tries to save Jeremy! 
• Whoa, are they setting up Rebecca and Stefan? I support this. 
• Uh-oh, Bonnie vs. Shane in the interrogation room? Holy shit, he just told Bonnie the truth!
• Whoa, whoa, whoa, MATT! Do not criticize Damon or Elena's trust in him! 
• Oh, no, you better go and rescue Damon!
• Ah, Klaus, I love Klaus...he is so great. 
• Oh, no! Kol just compelled Damon to murder Jeremy? What does this mean for Delena?!
• ...Are Rebecca and Stefan going to have crazy sex now? Yep, they totally are. 
• Uh-oh, Damon, if you kill Jeremy, that will put such a damper on Delena. 
• Shane is such a douche...how can I not have seen this before. 
• Oh, thank God, he knows he's compelled and he told Elena...whew, Delena can still prosper! Woooo!
• Oh, Bonnie, just fry that bastard Shane already. 
• Holy shit, is Jeremy trying to kill Damon? No, Jeremy, don't do it...Oh, God, no, anyone but Damon....WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? DID HE JUST KILL DAMON! OH MY GOD!!!! NOOOOOOOO! He's not dead, Damon must live!
• HE'S NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! 
• Oh, whoa, Rebecca...is she going to dagger Kol...
• Oh, is Elena going to talk Damon down? Aw, this is so sweet, I am crying so hard over here...
• STEFAN YOU BASTARD!!!!!
• Aw, poor Damon...Stefan, what the hell is wrong with you?
• Elena, you better push your way around that fucking bastard, he bled Damon out and you need to see him! 
• You gotta love Klaus. 
• Trouble in Stefan and Rebecca paradise? Oh, nope, they're just going to have meaningless kinky sex all night. 
• Oh, I see....kill Kol is the new agenda. I like it. 

Absolutely amazing episode as always, go watch it right now if you missed it!

LARP and the Real Girl - Supernatural Season 8 Episode 11

*This contains spoilers.*

Renaissance fairs? The Winchester boys dresses like knights and kings and such? I cannot tell you how much I am all over this! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Setting up Garth as new Bobby?
Like the good old days!!! Where the boys took out a monster a week! Woooo!
Dean wanting to play the game....that is so cute. Oh, my freaking God, that ending was the best thing I have ever seen. I am serious, if you missed that, drop whatever you are doing and watch it now!

After School Special - The Vampire Diaries Season 4 Episode 10

OH MY GOD, ELENA TOLD DAMON "I LOVE YOU!" AND HE TOLD HER "COME TO ME!"
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I thought they were just teasing us with Delena, and that Stelena would prevail, but my God, DELENA was so beautiful this episode! Ahh!

If you're not watching this show, you should be.

Torn and Frayed - Supernatural Season 8 Episode 10

*This contains spoilers*

Oh, my God, it's back, it's back, it's back!

• Kathmandu is awesome. Things like this are why Supernatural is the best show on television. 
• Dean is beautiful
• Boys, don't fight. 
• Samandriel, poor baby. 
• Whoa, whoa, Sam and Amelia?!
• Burning bush!
• There she is, baby! Wooo Metallicar!
• HOLY GOD, THERE IS HAIR ON SAM WINCHESTER'S CHEST! WHOA! Is that a thing now, do they not wax his chest? If so, that is super sexy...*rowr!*
• Whoa, Heaven's a conspiracy?
• NOOOO! NOT SAMANDRIEL!
• Dean, no, don't break up with Benny!!!!
• Oh, my God, is Sam there? Gasp, no! Gasp, she turns around and he's there! No, he's back with Dean! YES! Winchester brothers forever! 

AAAAAAAAAAH, what a great episode! 

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

*This review contains spoilers.*

This book is, of course, the sequel to Under the Never Sky which I read and adored last year! And now there's a sequel! And there's going to be a third one, called Into the Still Blue! YAY!

Since you've already read the first one, there's no need to tell you that this is amazing, but I'd like to mention a few things anyway, in case anyone has forgotten the utter genius of Veronica Rossi.

First off, this is one of those books where I can be reading it and think that no time at all has gone by, and then look at the clock and see it has been an hour and I've read a hundred pages. It's so immersive and seamless that I see the entire thing like a movie in my mind, completely unconscious of that. Veronica Rossi's prose is just inspired, literally...she's so good about everything - the setting is seared into your brain, but you never feel overloaded on description, you feel the characters' feelings, but you aren't bogged down with endless inner monologues...it's lush and sparse at the same time. It's like she's writing on pure talent and instinct or something...I can't even tell you why I'm so enamored with Ms. Rossi's style, but it's just fabulous, as always.

I also have to say, I enjoyed seeing characters I'd never thought would come back. I loved Marron, and it was nice to see him fitting in with the Tides and helping Perry. Also, Soren! I LOVED what she did with him.  Making his dad betray him, and then have him develop a rapport with Talon (the big softie! :) ) was so sweet and unique and I loved it.

Also, I adored the development of Cinder and Willow being a cute little thing. It was so cute how, after the storm, he was worried about her knowing what he was and seeing him like that, it just broke my heart. And Roar. Poor Roar. I'm indifferent on Liv, she was kind of a flash in the pan for me, but I was heartbroken for poor Roar, who I really liked a lot.

I was also totally enamored with the development of Aria and Perry's relationship. I liked the vulnerability Perry had as a Blood Lord, trying to save his people, feeling like Aria left him because he failed her. It was sweet and the trust issues that they had were very deftly handled. I fell in love with them as a couple even more in this novel than I did in the first. It was the kind of fictional coupling that makes your heart pound and your blood race, you know? I really, really cared for and felt for and loved Perry and Aria.

In short, this was an excellent read, and I continue to absolutely worship the literary talents of Veronica Rossi. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

Thanks for reading!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

*This review contains spoilers.*

This is my first novel by Maggie Stiefvater (though I did buy The Scorpio Races, I haven't read it yet), so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was really surprised with how much I liked this book, in the end.

It follows Blue, a psychic's daughter, and four boys from a prestigious private school, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. They are all a quest of sorts, which leads them discovering something magical in their little town of Henrietta, Virginia.

First, when Gansey started into his explanation of using ley lines to find the tomb of Owen Glendower, I totally screamed. (Side note: He was the last Welshman to bear the title Prince of Wales, and fought against the English conquest of Wales in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He disappeared into the mountains and was never found. A legend has grown around him, kind of like that of King Arthur being the once and future king, that he will wake and rule again when Wales needs him.) I love ley lines, and one of my college classes (History of the British Isles) actually came in handy for something! I was freaking ecstatic! I have an affinity for the paranormal, so a a family of psychics, ley lines and a quest to discovered the tomb of Owen Glendower was so welcome in a book I cannot even describe it.

The romance of the book was very understated, but, surprisingly, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book. I also really enjoyed the lush landscape of the book.  As for Blue, I really liked her as a heroine. If you were to ask me to describe her as a character, I don't think I could, though. It's like Maggie Stiefvater's characterization and development are so subtle that I can't outright tell you anything, but, while reading, everything Blue did, everything Blue was, was right.

One thing I didn't fall head over heels with was the treatment of Gansey's wealth, and the way the other characters made him feel ashamed of it. Like, when he used elevated vocabulary, he was somehow ungraciously flaunting what he had and they didn't in their faces. I guess I see the desired characterization for him, but that just felt a little odd to me.

Speaking of, I really liked Gansey. I liked his unerring dedication to his quest, his complete and utter devotion to his friends, his eternal desire to make a name for himself, do something good for the world. I don't know why, but he felt very raw to me. I almost want to call him fierce. I don't mean to say he was fierce in a shaved-head, tattoos and bad attitude kind of way (that's Ronan, by the way, and I found it adorable that he nursed a baby bird), just that he was exacting, almost? Not exacting, unflinching? I mean to say that he thrummed, you know? He felt real to me, like really real. I don't mean he was a good book character, who we can see metaphors and symbolism in, I mean that Gansey is a person, a real live person. He didn't feel literary, and like he had a purpose in the novel, like he did X in order to supplement the falling action of situation Y, he just was. Hell, he seemed more real than a lot of "real" people. He was different, fierce. Not just that he had his finger on the pulse of what it means to be alive, but that he was the very beating heart of humanity. I'm not making any sense, but Gansey is a character that I won't soon forget.

Since this was my first book by Maggie Stiefvater, I feel compelled to say that I've been missing out. Like I said, the romance was more understated than you usually see in a YA novel, and there are many things left unanswered, but, as a whole, the novel was seamless...like a living organism, almost. Again, it's hard to define why I feel so strongly about this book, but I do, and I will definitely be checking out the sequel(s), as it is book one in the Raven Cycle, and purchasing the collected works of Maggie Stiefvater as soon as possible.

I really recommend this book, I don't know what it was, but this book is something you shouldn't miss.

Thanks for reading!

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

*This review contains spoilers.*

I adore the Bronte sisters, so, in the tradition of reviewing classic literature for pleasure reading, I perused Charlotte's lesser known novel: Villette. If you don't know, Charlotte is my third favorite Bronte sister, but I was still expecting greatness because I did enjoy Jane Eyre, even if not as much as Wuthering Heights. 

I loved the character of Lucy Snowe very much. Her habit of being out of the way, the manner in which she never feels real, never feels like she partakes in life and instead sits aside and observes is so me it's scary. Believe me, I appreciate the passion and vivacity of Cathy and Heathcliff, or the pride and combattiveness of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but I identify so much more with Lucy's character. For her alone, I recommend the book.

I also really enjoyed the  romance of John Graham Bretton and Paulina; it was adorable how it morphed from her childlike fascination to his adult infatuation.

Speaking of, how everyone kept turning up in each other's lives was marvelous and so beautifully done.

Also, the backstory and plotting around Paul Emmanuel, my God was that juicy! I mean, wow, I was floored at how intricate and mysterious it was.

I also found myself continually intrigued by the veins of Catholic vs. Protestant and French vs. English that came across in the novel, from a sociological standpoint. (Protestant and English came off the better, in case you're wondering.)

The love story. Oh, the love story. Honestly, I can't see it. I don't get it. One minute, Paul is a cantankerous blowhard who needs his ego stroked and his presence pandered too, and Lucy hates him (as I did), and then she finds herself in love with him and he with her...I just don't get this part of the book. That may be me, and you might enjoy the love story.

Also, the love story of Ginevra Fanshawe and Count Alfred de Hamal...priceless.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but then again I really love Victorian novels and the Brontes already, so I can't speak objectively on the merits of this book in particular. Nonetheless, I would recommend it.

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

*This review contains spoilers.*

So, I was looking for something to read on Barnes and Noble's website and, lo and behold, Kim Harrington has written a new book! Yay! I adored Clarity and Perception, so, of course, I picked this up.

As always, I find her books incredibly readable. It took me a few hours, and - it's a  murder mystery, too - I was guessing and re-evaluating who I pegged as the murderer constantly, but I never felt that annoying, impatient sense of "For God's sake, just figure it out already," that I get with some books.

The love interest is Donovan O'Mara, and he's great...cute, angst-ridden, tortured, lonely...he's really great, and everything you'd expect or desire.

I really enjoyed Jade, though I didn't identify with her as much as I did Clare, though I did really appreciate her bravery.

Is this book one that will stay with me forever and impact my life immensely? No, but it was a very lovely way to spend an afternoon and I highly recommend you read it!

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

*This review contains spoilers.*

In my tradition of reviewing classic literature for the casual reader, I read The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson, who also wrote Treasure Island.

Essentially, it's the trials and tribulations of Richard Shelton, a young squire who is trying to avenge his father and rescue his love, Joanna, all while avoiding death at the hands of either Yorkists or Lancastrians during the tumultuous times of the Wars of the Roses.

The book had a decent pace, and I finished it fairly quickly for a non-contemporary novel. I really liked the Medieval feel the dialogue was given, though I could take or leave the author's habit of occasionally breaking the fourth wall to remind the reader of something.

The book was a lot of action and scheming, but there was some humor at the end, in the character of Alicia Risingham. I think her character was there for the comedic element, but I didn't really get the joke, so I didn't care for her or her sections of the book at all. At the beginning the love story fell flat for me, but towards the end, I really liked Richard/Joanna, especially how bold he was in openly declaring his feelings for her.

I also liked the history of the time period, and the way Stevenson put in Richard III in the end. However, if you're unfamiliar with Shakespeare of English history, a lot of the ending may be confusing for you.

I don't want to say that I didn't like the book, but I don't want to say I liked it either...it was okay, I suppose. There wasn't enough character depth for me to really, truly be invested in the character...I wanted Richard to win and get back Joanna because he's our protagonist, not because I felt for his plight.

I recommend picking this up only if you have nothing else to read and want to read something, or you really, really enjoy English history.