*BOOK REVIEW* Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

So it's about time to start another book review. For all you contemporary gurus who love a funny, lighthearted romance set in Europe then check out this new novel by Angie Stanton... Royally Lost!

 

{Title: Royally Lost}

{Author: Angie Stanton}

{Total Pages: 336}

{Date Published: May 6th 2014}
{Publisher: Harper Collins}

Royally Lost is about two teens, one a prince of a foreign country and another just an ordinary girl, running away together and exploring the European countries and avoiding at least some of the countries' most significant and boring cathedrals. Let not forget about all the fun in ditching the paparazzi who's been on the royal prince's tale since day one, oh and let not forget about screwing with the Royal Guard!
So this is how this review will go so you can get the most of it and grasp my thoughts on this book clearly. I will base this review on 6 things. They are: Dialogue, Cover, Storyline's Compatibility with its Summary, Characters, How Logical Scenes and Settings are, and finally, the Pace.

So now to begin!

{Dialogue}

 

Alright so this one is going to be hard. It honestly was one serious, never-ending roller coaster. The dialogue started off rather slow with cheesy lines from everyone. After maybe the fourth or fifth chapter though the cheesy sentences and weird dialogue evened out. Maybe the author was just trying to make the awkwardness between Becca and her Dad (and stepmother) more realistic but still... some of it was unnecessary. After a good and believable dialogue, though some of the cheesiness and childish remarks returned, this time though they made more sense in the situation.

Finally the dialogue became easy and enjoyable to me, though sometimes being close to the age of the protagonist I had to sit back and just go, "this is not how a 17-18 year old should be sounding."

 

 

 

 

It sounds childish. It was like a whole bumper car scenario, you'd have sentences that just oozed cheese with "I can't believe this is our last day. I don't want this to end" and "I can't imagine tomorrow without you. I never new I could fall for someone so fast." Then on the other hand you had wonderfully developed thoughts and dialogue. So to wrap it up. Dialogue was uneven.

 

So for dialogue Royally Lost receives 3/5 stars.

 

{Cover}

 

 This is probably one of the categories I was most excited to write about. The cover is just magnificent! If your drawn in by cute, girly, covers then heck to the yeah you should pick this book up! This cover is very appealing to the eye and I find that many YA, teen contemporary, light-hearted romances are trying to accomplish that very true-to-life, cute and lovable theme for their covers.

 

Royally Lost proves this to be true and receives a 5/5 for Cover.

 

{Storyline's Compatibility with its Summary}

 

 All righty, here is the summary for Royally Lost!

 

Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

 

Now in just a few short words, this story completely mirrored what the summary suggested.

I've found books where the summary doesn't add up and the story is just a tad off kilter. I hate that. It's like being lied to. It's like this... when you order a cheese burger plain you expect to get a PLAIN cheeseburger. Instead you get lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, ketchup and your sitting there going...

 

 

 

Not cool brother. Not cool. But, thankfully, Royally Lost did not do such a thing!

 

Royally Lost gets 5/5 for Storyline compatibility.

 

 

{Characters}

 

 Characters oh characters! I do believe I'll begin with Becca.

Becca is a teenage girl--cocky and humorous but at times very uncandid. Only later does she finally sprout a backbone and become outspoken. Through the book though you can tell she's growing into her own person and finally is wanting to make some of her own decisions. Dealing with her step mother who just wants to make there patched up family whole and her father who doesn't pay attention to her or her brother, it's hard for her to really explain to them that she doesn't want to go to some stuffy cathedral, she wants to go on a motorbike with Nikolai!

 

 

It's quite noticeable that she lacks self-confidence and she is a bit cynical. Just like many teenage girls. Thank you Angie for Realism!

 

Now for Nikolai! Nikolai is SUCH a charmer! He has family problems (the reason for the journey in the first place) and has his life and future in the hands of someone else. He is tall, blonde, European and totally a sweet-natured character who deserves a lot of credit. Nikolai is very real to me now as he was through the story. I can just imagine walking through Vienna or Prague and having his smiling face and easy nature greet me. That's what readers like authors! Realistic characters!

 

Royally Lost gets a 5/5 for Characters. 

 

{How Logical Scenes and Settings Are}

 

 Now I've never been on a river cruise but I have been to Europe and based on that fact I can honestly say that the settings described are spot on. The scenery and layout is perfectly captured by Angie. Everything was correct from the cobblestone paths to the outdoor cafes. Reading Royally lost just sent me back to visiting Europe, touring the ancient castles, seeing huge clock towers and lumbering cathedrals I found absolutely boring. So Angie had her vision straight as she wrote this. The setting was beautiful. It was nice to get a taste of several places in Europe even if it being only through a book.

 

Royally Lost gets a 5/5 for how logical its scenes and settings were.

 

*Just to explain the need for this category of review, some books in past have had some very unbelievable and unethical settings. Either the genre just didn't add up or common sense just kicked in. So this is just an explanation for why I added this category.

 

{Pace}

For me pace was just a little too fast. But hey maybe some of you would run off with a random stranger just after meeting him. Who knows he may be a prince. This just seemed like a typical I don't need to know your last name sort of deal to me.

I give Royally Lost a 3/5 for Pace. 

June's Bought Books Recap

So it's been a while since I last posted but I've been working on grabbing some goodies for giveaways, buying new books, and watching the FIFA World Cup! Haha
So, this post is just a round up of everything I bought in this month of June.

 

Taken by Edward Bloor

 

Summary:
 

BY 2035 THE RICH have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer, and kidnapping has become a major growth industry in the United States. The children of privilege live in secure, gated communities and are escorted to and from school by armed guards.

But the security around Charity Meyers has broken down. On New Year's morning, she wakes and finds herself alone, strapped to a stretcher, in an ambulance that's not moving. She is amazingly calm - kids in her neighborhood have been well trained in kidnapping protocol. If this were a normal kidnapping, Charity would be fine. But as the hours of her imprisonment tick by, Charity realizes there is nothing normal about what's going on here. No training could prepare her for what her kidnappers really want . . . and worse, for who they turn out to be.

 

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

 

Summary:

 

Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

*Now I've already read this one I just wanted to add it to my collection*

Summary:

Katherine V thought boys were gross
Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.




Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Summary:

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?



If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Summary:

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.



Heist Society by Ally Carter

Summary:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

So those being just some of the books I bought I thought I'd offer some suggestions! A bit of the "if you like this than try that" so here we go!

 

IF YOU LIKE:

 

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

 

try other contemporary reads such as...

 

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han



Uriah Cast!!

It's official! Uriah has finally been cast for Insurgent! Finally...Finally it has been announced that Uriah will be played by Keiynan Lonsdale! I think he is the perfect Uriah! What do ya'll think?

YALLFest 2014 Author List!

So if any of you have been on this blog Instagram account than you would know that I am a big supporter and fan of YALLFest-- a book festival that takes place in Downtown Charleston, SC.
Last year there were many Bestselling Authors there including Veronica Roth (Divergent Trilogy), Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl), Lauren Oliver (Delirium Trilogy, Panic), Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) and so many more. A few others were David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Pseudonymous Bosch, and Margaret Stohl.

So interested yet? If you are, here is all the event info!

Who’s coming: 60 of the country’s top YA authors, including 25 New York Times bestsellers.

What: Panels, presentations and signings on three stages on Upper King Street, as well as the infamous YA Smackdown!

When: Fri., Nov. 7 and Sat., Nov. 8, 2014

Where: Blue Bicycle Books, the American Theatre, Charleston Music Hall, Upper King Street, Charleston, SC

Cost: FREE!

 

*Preview nights, keynote addresses and the YA Smack Down will require you to purchase tickets for these events. Tickets sell out quickly, please purchase tickets immediately when they become available. Tickets usually cost under $10*

 

The full 2014 schedule of panels and signings for events on Sat., Nov. 8, will be posted Nov. 1.

All venues are within one block radius of Blue Bicycle Books, 420 King St., site of book sales, book signings, literary bazaar, and more (i.e. pie sales!).

 

MUSIC HALL = Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St.

BALLROOM = American Theater Ballroom, 446 King St.

CINEMA = American Theater Cinema, 446 King St.

 

*This info is from YALLFest's website. For updates right away keep checking back in on http://yallfest.org

 



This year, not only will Margaret Stohl, Kami Garcia, Melissa de la Cruz, Brendan Reichs, and Pseudonymous Bosch be back with Blue Bicycle Books owner Jonathan Sanchez, there are over 60 authors that will be there — like “Divergent” author Veronica Roth, “The Maze Runner” author James Dashner, and “Matched”s author Ally Condie.

“YALLFest is a fantastic blend of raucous laughter, thoughtful discussions, amazing books, and of course, delicious pie,” Ms. Roth shared in a statement.

This year, the Middle Grade Storyball is also returning, where middle school kids will have the opportunity to write and publish their own story alongside renowned children’s authors; the popular YA Smackdown where all 61 authors compete in storytelling games for the coveted Golden Pie trophy and the official YALLFest band, Tiger Beat, headlined by author Libba Bray, performs.

YALLFest’s mission is to improve literacy through great YA literature and it is quickly becoming the most highly anticipated annual event for booklovers of all ages.

So with out a further a do, here is this year's, YALLFest 2014's, author list!

There are so many amazing names on here and Mrs. Roth...WILL BE BACK! Along with the lovely and shuckiest greenie of them all, James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner!

James Dashner (“The Maze Runner”) – keynote speaker
Sara Zarr (“Story of a Girl”) – keynote speaker
Sarah Dessen (“The Moon and More”) – closing keynote speaker
Ally Condie (“Matched” trilogy) – closing keynote speaker
Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia (“Beautiful Creatures”)
Melissa de la Cruz (“Frozen”, “The Ring and the Crown”)
Brendan Reichs (“Virals”)
Pseudonymous Bosch (“Secret” series)
Ann Brashares (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” novels)
Libba Bray (“The Diviners”)
Kiera Cass (“The Selection” trilogy)
Becca Fitzpatrick (“Hush, Hush” trilogy)
Gayle Forman (“If I Stay”)
Marie Lu (“Legend” trilogy)
Lauren Oliver (“Delirium” trilogy)
Kathy Reichs (“Virals” and Bones television adaptation)
Rainbow Rowell (“Eleanor & Park”)
Laini Taylor (“Daughter of Smoke and Bone” trilogy)
Scott Westerfeld (“Uglies”)
Maya Van Wagenen (“Popular”)
Rita Williams-Garcia (“One Crazy Summer”, “Like Sisters on the Homefront”)
Kwame Alexander (“He Said, She Said”)
Jennifer Armentrout (“Frigid”, “Trust in Me”)
Leigh Bardugo (“The Grisha” trilogy)
Alexandra Bracken (“The Darkest Minds”, “Never Fade”)
Matt de la Pena (“Mexican WhiteBoy”, “We Were Here”)
Jim di Bartolo (“In the Shadows”)
Christina Lauren (“Beautiful Bastard” series)
Coe Booth (“Kendra”)
Susan Ee (“Angelfall”, “World After”)
Susan Fine (“Initiation”)
Ryan Graudin (“All That Glows”)
Adele Griffin (“Loud Awake and Lost”)
Nikki Grimes (“Words with Wings”)
Lev Grossman (“The Magicians and the Magician King”)
Aaron Hartzler (“Rapture Practice”)
Michelle Hodkin (“Mara Dyer” series)
Ellen Hopkins (“Tilt”, “Smoke”)
Varian Johnson (“The Great Greene Heist”)
Michael Johnston (“Frozen”)
David Levithan (“Every Day”)
Alexander London (“Proxy”)
E. Lockhart (“We Were Liars”)
DJ MacHale (“Sylo”)
Sarah J Maas (“Throne of Glass” series)
Barnabas Miller (“Watching Alice” series)
Sarah Mylnowski (“Gimmie a Call “)
Lauren Myracle (“Internet Girls” series)
Danielle Paige (“Dorothy Must Die”)
Stephanie Perkins (“Anna and the French Kiss”)
Morgan Rhodes (“Falling Kingdoms” series)
Carrie Ryan & John Parker Davis (“The Map to Everywhere”)
Kieran Scott (“He’s So/She’s So” series)
Jennifer E. Smith (“This is What Happy Looks Like”)
Natalie Standiford (“The Boy on the Bridge”)
J.E. Thompson (“The Girl from Felony Bay”)

Rosa Salazar as Lynn in Insurgent

Lynn has been cast for Insurgent! Yesterday on Twitter we received notice that Rosa Salazar has signed to the Insurgent cast as Lynn.
I cannot wait to see her as Lynn! I think she'll make a wonderful addition and hopefully, sooner than later, we'll find our Uriah, Zeke and Shauna!

Name: Rosa Salazar
Age: UNKOWN

Character: Lynn

Movie: Insurgent (Divergent #2)

The Fault in our Stars Movie Review and TFIOS Premiere Party

June 6th was probably one of the best nights i've had in a long time. First, after lots of vaccuming and dusting, i slapped down a blue table cloth, bought some fake orange tulips, and bought lots of chocolate and had myself a very grand The Fault in our Stars premiere party! Sent out some cute little invites, (Find them Here), invited a bunch of friends (Can't help you with that one) and ordered pizza (Here). Here's some pics of how my party was set up, go and check out how to throw one yourself (Here).

 

But after you read the movie review check out the party pics below.

 

 

MOVIE REVIEW:

 

Now for the movie. It was absolutely the best movie I have so far ever seen in all my life. All the scenes were just like the book I could have cried, which I did. Shailene and Ansel played Augustus and Hazel so well it was incredible. I think the scene that broke my heart the most was when Gus wanted to buy cigarettes at 2 am and Hazel had to come get him. Also all the scenes after that when they go on another picnic and Hazel has to help Gus out of the wheelchair and he looks absolutely miserable. The funniest parts though was the egging of the car- despite the gaffe in that scene. If you haven't seen it already look closely. You can see a rubber egg bouncing away when they are trying to hide the egg carton from Monica's mom. It's hilarious. Also, the pre-funeral. It was word-for-word what was in the book. Perfect! Though John's cameo went missing we will thankfully be able to see the genius behind this heartbreaker in deleted scenes when The Fault in our Stars releases to DVD!

This was a small but accurate review and besides, I don't want to spoil to much.

NEW Insurgent Casting News<>Evelyn<>Marlene<>Edgar/ New Amity Set Photos

Here with some new casting news! We now have 3 NEW actors included into the Insurgent Cast! So with out a further-a-do meet Evelyn, Marlene and a NEW Character, Edgar! Also scroll down for set photos!

NAOMI WATTS AS EVELYN JOHNSON

 



 

BACK STORY:

 

Previously married to Marcus Eaton and mother to Tobias Eaton.
Evelyn is the new leader of the Factionless but was previously thought to be dead.

 

 

SUKI WATERHOUSE AS MARLENE

 

 

 

 

Back Story:

 

Marlene is Dauntless-born and Uriah's love interest.

Marlene, unfortunately, is a victim of Erudite's mind control serum which causes her to commit suicide.

 

 

Jonny Weston as Edgar

 

 

Back Story:

 

None is available because the Director just added him. He is not a character in the book.

 

 

 

 

I think they all are great! I can't wait to see how well they bring these characters to life! What do you think of the new additions?