I have been influenced a lot by music, and recently my music tastes have really changed, thanks to my best friend. I have went from pop to punk pop or even punk rock. So, I would like to suggest some amazing bands/artists about whom I have gotten acquainted with and you need to listen to these.

Here are my top 5 favourite artists/bands:

1. Fall Out Boy.

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in the early 2000s. The below pictures are of the band members, namely (left to right) Joe Trohman (guitarist), Patrick Stump (lead vocalist), Andy Hurley (drummer) and Pete Wentz (bassist). Their newest album is American Beauty/American Psycho. A few of the well-known albums are Save Rock And Roll (2013), Infinity On High (2007) and one of my personal favourite Folie à Deux (2008).

Click here for their songs.

2. William Beckett.

Aasjfirejoejfhe. Where do I even begin with this handsome beast? Former lead singer of The Academy Is…, William Beckett even has his solo songs. Both of the artists were introduced to me by my best friend, and she has corrupted me by his beauty and I just can’t- His voice is just. Heaven. His last album was Winds Will Change EP (2012), I believe. One of the reasons why I started listening to him were the fan fictions my best friend sent me, and yeah. Let’s just say I fell in love with him and his voice. You need to listen to him if you haven’t already.

Click here to listen to his asofehfcdfb voice.

3. Foster The People.

Foster The People is an indie pop band formed in 2009. The band members below are as follows (from left to right) Jacob ‘Cubbie’ Fink (bassist), Mark Foster (lead vocalist) and Mark Pontius (drummer). They are comparatively new with just two albums. Torches (2011) and Supermodel (2014). I personally loved Torches and it drove me insane. It is amazing. This band was introduced to me by my a friend and I recommend you to check them out now!

Click here to listen to them!

4. The Academy Is….

The Academy Is… was an American band formed in 2003. Before disbanding, they were signed by the Decaydance imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. The members shown below are Adam T. Siska, William Beckett, Michael Guy Chislett, Michael Carden and Andrew Mortek. They have over 6 albums. My favourite song is Phrase That Pays and it is amazing. They are amazing. I was introduced to this band by fan fictions, first and then I was made to listen to them by my best friend, and let’s just say I do not regret it.

Listen to them here

5. Janet Devlin.

Janet Devlin is an Irish song-writer/singer, who by the way is just 20. She came into spotlight when she performed in The X Factor UK. Her cover of Elton John’s Your Song caught my eye, and without saying anything ahead, I fell in love with her voice. She has 3 albums, out which Hide & Seek (2013) is the first one and also my favourite. Few of my favourite songs of hers are Wonderful, Working For The Man and Crown of Thorns.

Click here to listen to her wonderful voice!

By Kobi:

I really got into music when I got into books. I have always loved P!NK and I always will, but now I have moved over to the Alternative genre. I cannot stand most mainstream music these days as every second song is about sex. I prefer songs with actual meaning that I can relate to. So here are my top 5 artists/bands you need to listen to.

 1. Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive is an Australian band from Sydney. I found this band only recently seeing that one of my friends liked them. I listened to them instantly fell in love with their songs. Formed in 2008, consisting of Jenna McDougall (lead vocals), Whakaio Taahi, Jake Hardy (guitar),  Carm Adler (bassist) and Matt Best (drummer). Although the band was only formed in 2008 the group says that they were jamming in their parents basements long before. Songs written about their past and their future, it’ll be very hard to find one that doesn’t relate to you.

Listen to their awesomeness here

2. Misterwives

Misterwives is a great band that I stumbled across when watching MTV’s Finding Carter, as their opening theme is Misterwives song Vagabond. They only have about 10 songs out at the moment but all their songs are amazing. Most of them make you want to jump up and start dancing others are great for relaxing. Mandy is the singer who has a beautiful unique voice. Etienne (drums) and Will (bass) Jesse (keys/trumped/accordion) and Marc (guitar) are the musicians. Recently they have just released their debut album ‘Our Own House’ which is absolutely amazing. You should seriously go check out!

Check out their amazing music here

3. Panic! at the Disco

Panic! at the Disco is probably a band you’ve already heard of but if you haven’t then you should go listen to them right now! I love their songs. Some are fun and crazy, others are deep and meaningful. Panic!at the Disco have been making music since 2004 (and I only heard of them late last year) If you want to dance around to some funky songs, definatly check them out!

Check the out here

4. Jaymes Young

Jaymes Young is a very different type of singer. He’s quite a moody singer. The main reason I like his songs is because 3 of them relate to books/characters I love. It was funny how I came to loving his music, I had just finished a book called, The Rosie Black Chronicles: Dark Star when my friend came over and started singing a song with the words ‘dark star’ in it. Immediately I started fangirling and found the song. soon after I listened to the rest of his songs and found more that related to some other books. If you wish to listen to a song by Jaymes then you should defiantly start with ‘Dark Star’.

Listen to him here

5. Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz is more of a chilled out pop singer. With songs about love and the real world on top of a beautiful voice its a recipe for success. Over the years he has had some of his songs reach the billboard top 100. Jason is slowly climbing his way to fame. If we lived In a different world with different people I think that Jason would already be up there as one of the best singers.

Check out his beautiful voice here

Tandy Angel comes from a very wealthy family but her life has never been perfect.  One night when her parents are murdered and Tandy, her brothers and their parents assistant are the only ones in the house, they all become the main suspects of the parents murder. Tandy takes it upon herself to find her parents killer even if the killer is one of her family members or even herself.

Pros of this book:

• The behind the scenes family issues
• Great writing style. James Patterson uses the writing style where the book is written like Tandy is actually talking to you.

Cons of this book:

• Predictable
• Unrelatable characters
• Additional story lines start to develop but then are just forgotten about.
• No build up towards the ending of the book.
• The detectives working on this case did nothing but make accusations.
• Tandy starts talking about something interesting that happened in her life but then just stops talking about it and start talking about something else.

Even though this book was pretty crappy I’ve heard that the next book in the series is pretty good, It’s not a top priority but I will read it one day.

Overall I give this book a 4 out of 10.

SPOILERS – DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ CONFESSIONS OF A MURDER SUSPECT

I found this book a let down. The more I think about it the less I like it. There were a couple things I loved about this book but there were so may things that made me not like it.

For example I absolutely loved the way this book was written, like Tandy was talking to you and I liked all the family secrets. How her parents had given her and her brothers pills to enhance their abilities. And her ‘boyfriend’ and what happened with that. But that was all I liked.

As I said above this book was super predictable. I did what anyone would do with a mystery book, throughout the book I tried to work out how the people were killed. When we were first told that they were killed with poison I connected the dots and also thought about how Tandy didn’t hear and sounds when her parents were killed it had suicide written all over it, even the dumb detectives should have been able to work that out, but I was in denial, I thought it would be boring if a book that such a potential to be great ended in a suicide. But sure enough… That really ruined this book for me. I have an image of sherlock in my mind walking into this crime scene taking one look around and saying, “Why would you waste my time! Its a damn suicide!” before stomping off.

Still I am interested in reading Confessions: The Private School murders and Confessions: The Paris Mysteries. I want to find out more about Tandy’s crazy life. I hope we will get to learn more about her ‘boyfriend’ and about the medication their parents made her take. I am going to try and get these books soon before I lose interest.

Thank you for reading this review!

What did you think of Confessions of a Murder Suspect?

What did you like? What didnt you like?

Who did you think the murderer was?

Please let me know in the comments!

When I finished this book I through it across my bed then sat there crying for a few minutes. Then I went to tell my mum about the book and I wasn’t able to get any words out without crying. To me, that is a sign that I loved the book. And I did.

Jem has always seen the numbers, she has seen them since she was a baby but she has never known what they meant. But then when her mother dies she realises what the dates really mean. They’re death dates. When she looks into people’s eyes she sees the date that they will die. One day when she is waiting in line for the London Eye when she notices that everyone standing around her has the same death date… today. What comes next sends her running from the cops, trying to protect her secret and tying to save her one and only friend.

I cannot find anything to fault with this book.This book is written perfectly. The romance is really nice. The characters are relatable. The story line is very intriguing and fast-paced. The cover is awesome! I love this book so much. It is defiantly up there with my favourites. Honestly I would recommend this book to anyone no matter what you read.

Over all I give this book a 9 1/2 out of 10.

SPOILERS – DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ NUMBERS

This book wasn’t exactly what I had expected it to be. On a review I read it made it seem like this book was about a girl who could see peoples death dates and one day she goes to some city and she sees a lot of people with the same death date so she takes it up on herself to try and stop a terrorist attack or something from happening. I thought it was a very interesting concept but I didn’t know how it was going to work. So I read it anyway then realised I had gotten the wrong idea about it. I much preferred how this book played out. I liked the terrorist attack on the London eye and how them running away made them suspects. I absolutely loved reading about them running away from the cops. I found that this book kept me on the edge of my seat.

The romance between Jem and Spider was kinda perfect, I loved the night in the barn where they finally expressed that they loved each other. And even before that you knew that Spider loved Jem, how he stuck up for her all the time.

I didn’t understand how the cops let her stay inside the church, I understand that it is a house of God and all but if she was being considered a potential terrorist wouldn’t the cops go in and get her against her will? I’m happy they didn’t but it just seems odd that they didn’t.

Now lets talk about Spider… Well we all knew that through out the book that he was going to die but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we kept hold onto that little bit of hope that maybe he wont die. Maybe Jem will stop it some how. Until the time came. I thought that Jem really was going to kill herself then Spider came along and I realised what was happening…

AND IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH! We then find out that Jem gets pregnant with Spiders child. It made cry even more how she described Adam. When she said that she didn’t see the numbers anymore I realised that Adam could now see them. And sure enough, that’s how the book ended.

I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the second book I WANT IT NOW.

Thank you for reading this review!

What did you think about this book?

What was your favourite part?

What did you expect this book was about before you started reading it?

Please let me know in the comments! 

Here are a list of books we are looking forward to next year:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Gosh, I love this cover!

Red Queen is Victoria’s dabute novel that is coming out on the 10th of February. This book is about a society that determines what you are by blood colour. People with red blood are regular humans where as people with silver blood have powers. Humans are the people living in poverty where as the super powered people are the rich. This book is centred around a human girl, Mare, who soon discovers that she has deadly powers of her own even though she is a red blood. This book gives a slight Hunger Gamesie feel but I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this book because it looks amazing!

Click me to read an excerpt!

Th Good Girls (The Perfectionists #2) by Sara Shepard

I cannot wait for this book! The way the first one ended… GAHHHHH. The Good Girls the second book in The Perfectionists series by Sara Shepard should be coming out sometime in June. The first book was about these 5 girls who all share the same hate for this guy in their school named Nolan. One day they plan the perfect murder for him but they never would do it. One day they wake up to find out that Nolan has been murdered exactly how they planned. But they didn’t do it… This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a murder-mystery/contemporary novel. If you’ve never read a murder-mystery/contemporary this book would be a great start!

The Game of Lives (The Mortality Doctrine #3) by James Dashner

 The Game of Lives is the third book in James Dashners’ thrilling series The Eye of Minds/The Mortality Doctrine that comes out on the 25th of August. This series is set in the future where virtual gaming exists they call it the Vert Net. They Vert Net was a great place until a gamer named Kaine starts corrupting other players so they can never leave the Vert Net. Michael is an experienced gamer and also a b  it of a hacker so the government hires him to go in to the Vert Net and find out where Kaine is hiding. This book is full of twists and turns that make you want to keep reading forever. If you’re into gaming or adventures be sure to pick up this series!

The 5th Wave #3 by Rick Yancey

I predict this book will be called The Last Star!

The third book in the 5th Wave trilogy is being released some time in August. The 5th Wave is such a great well written book set from multiple point of views but mainly follows a girl named Cassies’ story throughout an Alien apocalypse. There is not much I can say without spoiling this book but this is a very intriguing book that you probably would love.

The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium #2) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

The Copper Gauntlet is the second book in the Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare coming out some time in September. This book continues to follow Callum’s story throughout magician school. Even though this book is a middle grade novel it is still an entertaining read.

Firebird #2 by Claudia Gray

I NEED THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW! The sequel to A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray should be released sometime in November. The first book in this series is such a thrilling ride! It’s about this girl named Marguerite who has two scientist parents who have invented a something called the Firebird, a device that can transport you to another dimension that you exist in. When Marguerite’s farther is killed their lab assistant Paul becomes the prime suspect Marguerite takes the responsibility of chasing Paul through the dimensions to bring justice to him. This is a crazy good book that you wont want to stop reading.

Here are some books you Book Fanatics might be looking forward to!

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black to be released on the 13th of January

Fairest by Marissa Meyer to be released on the 27th of January

I Was Here by Gayle Forman to be released on the 27th of January

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead to be released on the 10th of Febuary

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver to be released on the 10th of March

The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2) by Danielle Paige to be released on the 31st of March

Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins to be released on the 7th of April

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings to be released on the 21st of April

The Heir by Kiera Cass to be released on the 5th of May

 P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han to be released on the 22nd of June

Throne of Glass #4 by Sara J. Maas to be released on the 1st of September

The Rosie Society (The Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu to be released on the 6th of October

 Winter (Cinder #4) by Marissa Meyer to be released on the 24th of November

So I have read 52 books this year lets try and pick my top 10 out of that! Errr this is going to be hard.

1. THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY by Suzanne Collins

Well I technically started this series in 2013 but I finished it in 2014. So… It counts! The Hunger Games is a popular series that I am sure you have all heard of and possibly read. This is the series that got me into reading. If it were not for these books I would not be here today.

 2. A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU by Claudia Gray

That cover though! Oh my gosh, this book gave me the feels! This book had me hooked straight away. I couldn’t put it down. This a story about a girl named Marguerite who’s parents are scientists and have invented this device called the Firebird which can transport you to alternate dimensions that you exist in. After her father is killed and the prime suspect is her parents lab assistant Paul who has stolen one of the firebirds and has jumped to a new dimension. Marguerite, with the help of another lab partner Theo, takes it up on themselves to chase Paul through the dimensions and to apprehend and possible kill him. This is such a fast paced thriller that flew through this book. You will probably love this book if you are into sci-fi/adventure books with bits of romance thrown in. I cannot wait for the second book to be published!

3. THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey

I picked up this book because of the cover and I read it almost instantly after I got it. I finished it in two days then I had a huge book hang over for the next two days. I love this book so much. It’s very well written and I love the plot. This book is set during the alien apocalypse mainly in the point of view of Cassie Sullivan then eventually throughout the book more peoples points of view are added. This book is very intriguing as it is always making you second guess who you trust and the flipping between the past and present of Cassie’s life is also very interesting. I defiantly recommend this book to any one.

4. THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusac

This book! Gosh I am so happy I picked up The Book Thief. This book did take me a little while to read but when I got into it I didn’t want it to end. This is a very interesting book to describe to someone but lets give it a shot. The Book Thief is set during World War II in Germany. It’s about this little girl named Liesel who’s mother is a communist on the run so she gives up Liesel to this German couple. Liesel cannot read or write so the man, Hans, who is looking after her begins to teach her. Liesel soon finds that she has a love for books and begins to “borrow” books. But the interesting thing about this story  is that it is told from Death’s point of view which gives a verytwist to this story that I loved. If you haven’t read this book, go and pick it up right now! 

5. THE MAZE RUNNER SERIES by James Dashner

There are a lot of mixed feelings about this series but personally I loved it! Although I do agree with people when they say that the beginning is slow, I to did experience that but when you get towards the end of this book the pace does quicken, then the second and third books are just great! This book is about a boy called Thomas who wakes up inside a maze with a few dozen other boys. He has no memory of how he got here or of his life, the only thing he remembers is his name. Thomas is different he wants to be a runner, one of the people who work their way through the maze trying to find a way out. The Runners have been working for about 3 years to find a way out and they haven’t found anything. Will Thomas be the one to lead them to safety? This book is full of twists and turns. Something I enjoyed about this series is that there isn’t really too much of a love interest for Thomas. Because come on, if this really were to happen there wouldn’t be any time to love someone. But over all I thought this series was great and I cannot wait for the 5th book in this series to come out next year as well as the Scorched Trials movie!

6. THE ROSIE BLACK CHRONICLES by Lara Morgan

This is a lesser known series but I really wish more people would read it because it’s so freaking good! Personally I think it’s just as good a The Hunger Games and Divergent. The Rosie Black Chronicles is set 500 years into the future after the melt when the sun harmed the earth in many ways. New Perth has been split into 3 devisions the Centrals (the upper class), Bankers (the middle class), and the Ferals (the lower class). Rosie is a Banker, one day she finds an unusual box no knowing the secrets of the box Rosie finds herself on the run and having to trust to strangers. On a trip from Earth to Mars, Rosie slowly finds out the secrets of the box. This series is absolutely brilliant! I would love to read this series again some time soon. It’s a shame that you can only get this book in Australia but it is seriously worth getting!

7. THE GONE SERIES by Michael Grant

I brought Gone purely by seeing the slogan “Suddenly it’s a world without adults and normal has crashed and burned.” A world without adults? Awesome!! Well you would think so but ha ha nope! As a dome drops over … beach everyone over the age of 14 disappears, kids develop supernatural abilities, animals become mutated, and a creature lurks in the darkness. This series is an intriguing sci-fi adventure. This series isn’t for everyone. The series can be quite gruesome sometimes but it is not over done. So if you enjoy supernatural/mystery/drama books than you should enjoy this series.

8. DELIRIUM TRILOGY by Lauren Oliver

Love is a disease! By the age of 16 you are injected with the cure for love, gotten a husband chosen for you and the amount of kids you are to have. Lena cannot wait to get the cure, she’s been ready her whole life. When she goes in for an evaluation she comes across this security guard who secretly watches her during the evaluation. Through out the next weeks she keeps running into him. Soon she gets the disease and she falls in love with him. Okay that might sound cheesy but this book is crazy good. Delirium has its edge-of-your-seat moments that keep you wondering what’s going to happen next. These books are great for anyone no matter what you like to read you’ll probably love this trilogy.

9. THE EYE OF MINDS by James Dashner

I picked up this book about a month after reading The Maze Runner. I am so pleased I read this book when I did because a week after reading it the second book in the series came out which was really needed because the ending this book is crazy. The Eye of Minds is set in the future where virtual gaming exists. Michael spends most of his time on the Vert Net playing games with his two internet friends. Michael is a gamer but is also an expert hacker so when an evil gamer named Kaine begins hacking into gamers and making it impossible for them to leave the Vert Net, Michael and his friends get hired by the government to find him. Parts of this book reminded me of my adventures while reading The Scorched Trials. If you’re a gamer or just love a book with a bit of  an adventure, be sure to pick up this book.

10. BLACK ICE by Becca Fitzpatrick

Not many people like this book but I really did, I had never read a contemporary-thriller before so I didn’t really know what to expect. Black Ice centres around a girl named Britt, when summer holidays come around Britt and her bestfriend Korbie decide to go on a hiking trip. In their way to the mountain a surprise snow storm hits which causes them to seek shelter. When they finally find a safe place to stay two men running away from the law, take both Britt and Korbie hostage in a desperate escape to get off the mountain. This is a thrilling story of survival that keeps you second guessing everything. Although there were a few flaws in the plot this was still a very interesting read.

Sayali’s Favourites:

Although, I didn’t manage to read as many books as Kobi did, I still read around 30 books this year. And it’s going to be just as hard to pick out 10 books for me, just as hard as it was for Kobi. So, here we go, my 10 favourite books  of 2014:

1. THE INFERNAL DEVICES SERIES by Cassandra Clare

I’ve already done a review for these books, so you can go check it out here.

2. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky

Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a coming-of-age novel. It’s about a teenager called Charlie, who is socially awkward and hasn’t really been active his whole life. But, that changes when he meets two young people at his own school, Sam and Patrick and then he starts enjoying his life even more. The book is a series of letters sent to an anonymous person. Charlie is a very intelligent person but he is an introvert so he’s always this shy and awkward person. The ending of the story taken an interesting turn and leaves the readers in tears. The book was adapted into a movie 2012, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Erza Miller. Although, I don’t like book adaptions into movies, this movie was an exception since it delivered to its utmost.

3. CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE by Cassandra Clare

City of Heavenly Fire is the last book of the #1 Best-Selling book series The Mortal Instruments. It’s an epic battle between the Shadowhunters and Clary’s brother Sebastian (aka Jonathan.) Lives are sacrificed and loves are lost in this finale of The Mortal Instruments. Honestly, this was a bit devastating for me, since one of the characters that I loved died and it was just painful. I won’t write anything more about this book, since I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this book was worth waiting for a year, is all I’ll say. If you’re being lazy to read this book, because it’s too long, don’t be and just go ahead and read it, I promise you won’t be let down, at all.

4. THE DEVIL WITHIN by Alhad Kulkarni

Devil Within is by an Indian author, and also one of my mum’s colleague’s books. I normally don’t read books by Indian authors, but his was an exception. Alhad has managed to fit a lot of suspense in around 200 pages. Once I started reading it I couldn’t keep it down. It’s an amazing book, and if you manage to get your hands on it, please do read it. It’s basically about a person called Andrew and how is life changes after meeting the love of his life Jenny, who is not who you think she is. You can even find a Kindle edition for the book.

5. PAPER TOWNS by John Green

Paper Towns is the third book written by the #1 Best-Selling author John Green. I don’t think I need to write a lot about this, since the book is so full of suspense, I don’t want to ruin it for you. Anyway, the story in short will suffice. Basically it’s about this teenager called Quentin Jacobsen. He has a wild night (not sex.) with his long time crush, Margo Roth Spieglman and the day after that she is nowhere to be found. So, the story basically revolves around how he and her friends try to find Margo. This book was announced to be made into a movie in 2014, and is currently going under production, I believe.

6. THE BANE CHRONICLES by Cassandra Clare

The Bane Chronicles is written by #1 Best-Selling authors Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. The book is a compilation of 11 short stories of Magnus Bane, one of Clare’s immortal characters from The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments. If you are a fan of the series mentioned, then you should definitely read this companion book since it makes you bubble with excitement after just getting glimpses, or just even reading about a few certain characters in the books. This book is amazing, and it made me cry and laugh and everything at the same time.

7. FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl is a very cute book that revolves around the life of twins, Reagan and Cath. They have been influenced by the books, Simon Snow (somewhat like Harry Potter.) and Cath has been writing fan fictions under the name of Magicath and becomes very famous for her fan fiction Carry On. 

8. THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak

Go, check what Kobi has written up there!

9. THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

Go, check what Kobi has written up there!

10. THE IRON TRIAL by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

The story revolves around Callum Hunt, a young magician, who gets into a university of magic and his adventures with his new friends Tamara Rajavi and Aaron Stewart. Although, the book may seem like a rip-off of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, but once you start reading this book, you’ll realize it’s more than just a rip-off. Written by #1 Best-Selling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, The Iron Trial is the first book of five books of the Magisterium series. It’s a thrill to read this book with so many ups and downs and heart breaking moments, as the trio struggles to get keep up with the other young magicians. The next book comes out this year, and I can’t wait to read it!

(Duh.)

The Infernal Devices is a Best-Selling trilogy written by Cassandra Clare. This trilogy is a prequel to the Best-Selling Series The Mortal Instruments, also written by Cassandra Clare. Theresa Gray, also known as Tessa,stumbles into a world of Shadowhunters, after arriving in Victorian England. Kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, Tessa finds out a secret about herself she never knew. This is when the Shadowhunters come in, and help her to discover her identity, and a series of adventures unfold, leaving Tessa marveled.

Plot:

Now, you’ll get to see more of Herondales, Lightwoods and the fabulous Magnus Bane, of course. The essence of the Victorian England was rightly delivered by Cassandra Clare. The story takes place in the 1700s. The Pandemonium Club, which was mentioned in City of Bones, the first book of The Mortal Instruments, is forming under the leadership of vampire Alexei de Quincey. We have a special appearance by Camille Belcourt in all of the books, looking stunning as always.

Then, there is this sort of stupid person. His name is Axel Mortmain, who is trying to create these (awesome yet) evil clockwork angels and then he binds them with demon energy, so that they were living but not really. (That is so cool.)

After Tessa ends up getting kidnapped by the Dark Sisters, because she has these shape shifting powers, like the Eidolon demon, and they are training her for the ‘the Magister’, William Herondale, a much hotter version of Jace, rescues Tessa and takes her to the Institute where she finds out about her being a possible warlock. *PLOT TWIST* She doesn’t have a warlock mark. So, apparently she’s so weird combination of two creatures.

So, now that Mortmain is after Tessa, she becomes a damsel in distress again.But this time, Will isn’t the only Shadowhunter helping Tessa. James Carstairs, who later falls in love with Tessa, and almost gets married to her, as well as the Shadowhunters around the world and Magnus Bane helps them get rid of Mortmain. (As the series expands.)

All throughout the trilogy, there is action, drama, adventure and romance, all packed into one heck of a series. I, for one, couldn’t put any of the books down because they were so well written.

Characters:

• Theresa Gray, a shape shifter, American, falls in love with both, Will and Jem, but ends up getting married to Will. Her love for books is the primitive thing we learn about her. Tessa and Will bond over the mutual love for A Tale of Two Cities.
• William Herondale, is a Shadowhunter, son of the controversial Edmund Herondale. He runs away from home when he was twelve, and ends up at the London Institute. As I mentioned before, he is a much hotter version of Jace, and has the same sense of humor, attitude, and almost everything that defines Jace, except Will has black hair. He ends up getting married to Tessa, as I mentioned above. He has a very special bond with his parabatai, Jem and would do anything to keep him safe. Literally, anything.William in seen with Magnus Bane, in many scenes and hilarity ensues when two fabulous creatures come together.
• James Carstairs, a Shadowhunter, is half Chinese and half British. After a battle at the Shanghai Institute, his parents die due to a demon attack, but he miraculously survives. But, the Greater Demon’s poisonous attack leave him addicted to opium, a drug, which makes his hair white and his eyes grey. He can’t live without the drug. The drug also shortened his life. When it finally consumed him, and he was on the verge of death, he decided to become a Silent Brother. Jem is later seen in The Mortal Instruments as Brother Zachariah. The last book, City of Heavenly Fire, Jem finally gets rid of all the drug he had in his body and becomes a mortal again. He meets Tessa in New York, and the two rekindle their romance.
• We have the Branwells, Charlotte and Henry Branwell, who are the care takers of the London Institute.
• Jessamine Lovelace, is an equivalent to Isabelle Lightwood, but she is not as badass as Isabelle. She dies in Clockwork Prince.
• We even have the Lightwoods, and some hilarious turn of events with them, in which one of them turns into a worm.

One of the special things about these books were the poem lines before every chapter. They gave the essence of the Victorian-era England and even the chapter titles, they were very apt.

The books in the trilogy:

• Clockwork Angel
• Clockwork Prince
• Clockwork Princess

Favourite Quotes:

“They say you cannot love two people equally at once,” she said. “And perhaps for others that is so. But you and Will—you are not like two ordinary people, two people who might have been jealous of each other, or who would have imagined my love for one of them diminished by my love of the other. You merged your souls when you were both children. I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did.” — Tessa, Clockwork Princess.

“I can offer you my life, but it is a short life; I can offer you my heart, though I have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain” — Jem, Clockwork Prince.

“It is the mundanes who look at me and see something they do not understand—a boy who is not quite white and not quite foreign either.”
“Just as I am not human, and not demon either,” Tessa said softly.
His eyes softened. “You are human,” he said. “Never think you are not. I have seen you with your brother; I know how you care for him. If you can feel hope, guilt, sorrow, love—then you are human.” — Clockwork Angel.

What critics say:

“A purple page turner.” –Kirkus Reviews.

“The tale drags in places, but this crowdpleaser’s tension-filled conclusion ratchets toward a new set of mysteries.” —Steampunk.

Overall, this is an amazing read. And I would recommend you to read these books, if you haven’t already. And if you have, go read them again!

*P.S. If you read this review, and got the books spoiled for you, that’s your fault because I had put up a spoiler alert at the start of the review.*

Do share your thoughts about this review and also what you thought about the books!

I’m assuming most of you know what this show is about, but if not, The Walking Dead is a horror/drama series set it the zombie apocalypse that centres around this group lead by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and their struggles during the apocalypse. This show is now on its 5th season and is better than ever! Its fast paced and makes you wish you could watch the next episode straight away. I started this series in April and watched all the way up to season 4 then had to wait in anticipation for season 5. If you love survival stories than this series is for you!

2. Sherlock

Here is another popular series you probably know of. Sherlock is a retelling of Arthur Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is set today in London. Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) works with John Watson (Martin Freeman) to solve interesting cases that all some how involve Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Sadly Sherlock is a mini series so we only have 3 seasons so far with 3 episodes per season that have a running time of about 80 minutes, plus we have to wait till 2016 for season 4 but that doesn’t stop this series from being great! If you love murder/mystery stories definitely start this series!

3. How To Get Away With Murder

How To Get Away With Murder is a new TV show on ABC. This is a very intriguing series that follows the story of a lawyer, her five interns and the cases they take on, while they later in the series deal with a case of their own. This show has its inappropriate moments but over all is an intriguing show. Just watch the first episode and you’ll be hooked!

4. The Mysteries of Laura

The Mysteries of Laura is a new comedy/drama cop series new to NBC. This show centres around homicide detective Laura Diamond (Debra Messing) who works with the NYPD who juggles her day job with raising two children as a single mother. This is a great series if you want a laugh but you also want there to be interesting plot-line throughout the show.

5. Bad Judge

Sadly Bad Judge has been cancelled for the second series but is still a fun series to watch. This series Is about Judge Wright (Kate Walsh) and her interesting and funny cases she has to deal with as well as her crazy life. This is a great series to binge watch if you don’t want to have to think about anything that’s going on.  They even make Harry Potter references every so often!

6. Person of Interest

Person of interest is a science fiction crime show where there is a supercomputer that can detect terrorist attacks which is only what the government cares about. What the government doesn’t care about is that this computer can also detect if a single person might a perpetrator or a victim. Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) is the inventor of this machine and has taken it upon himself to save these people the government doesn’t care about. He works along side John Reese (Jim Caviezel) to determine if that person that the machine finds is the victim or the perpetrator. This is a very interesting fast paced series that I very much enjoy.

7. Forever

Forever is a new series to ABC. Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd) is a medical examiner who studies the death of criminal cases as he tries to solve the mystery of why he can’t die. his first death happened 200 years ago when he was shot on a ship ever since then if he dies he wakes up in a body of water naked. His immortality also causes him to never age. He finds himself working with Detective Jo Martinez (Alana de la Garza) to solve cases of the NYPD. This is a great series to watch if you love cop shows with a sci-fi twist plus informative parts about the past.

8. Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf! This series is most popular around teenagers and tells the story of Scott McCall’s life as a werewolf. This series is fun and sometimes a little creepy to watch. The supernatural element isn’t over done but is still good enough to keep you watching. Over all this series is always making you want more. If you like supernatural stories then you should like this.

9. Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars is a very intriguing murder/mystery/drama series. This series is about 5 girls who have a sleep over but then in the middle of the night one of the girls named Alison goes missing. A year after her disappearance they find her body out the back of her old house. After finding Alison’s body the 4 other girls start receiving messages from a mysterious ‘A’  this causes fear and curiosity in the girls as they try and find out the secrets of who this ‘A’ person is. This is great if you want a series that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Last but not least another comedy cop show with more comedy than cases. This show features an array of interesting characters and what they get up to in their quarters in the NYPD. This show is full of laughs and is a great show to just sit back and watch.

Sayali’s Favourites:

Since I live in a country where the national language is not English, the shows here are shown much later than when you saw them. Since, there are very less English TV shows I watch, I’ll be posting only 5 of my favourite series, instead of 10. Apologies in advance if it wasn’t released I 2014 in your countries. Here are my 5 favourite TV shows of 2014:

1. MasterChef Australia Season 6.

As the title suggests, this TV show is a culinary competition, where participants cook against each other for the title of MasterChef Australia. Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Columbaris, the judges and presenters, judge the participants on their skill, presentation and knowledge of food. The winner is given a book-deal, some money to start their food career and of course, the title of MasterChef Australia. This show made my love for cooking and food grow bigger and I learnt a lot more about the food industry, thanks to this show. I can’t wait for season 7!

2. The Amazing Race Season 25

This is one of the shows, I live for. I started watching from season 19, and I have been hooked since. Basically there are 12 teams, each of two, in a race around the world. Phil Keoghan, the host who has been hosting all the 25 season, gives information about all the places they visit, making it interesting, to know stuff around the world. One team is eliminated at every leg and the winner wins $1 million and the winner of The Amazing Race. Season 25 was different and even more interesting since it was the silver jubilee and for the first time in The Amazing Race history 4 teams raced in the final leg. I would recommend for you to watch this show, if you are an adventure junkie and love to watch travel shows.

3. New Girl Season 4.

Season 4 focuses on Nick and Jess trying to become friends after their break up and Schmidt and Cece’s friendship after Cece calls it quits with Buster. Winston is struggling to become a cop, and Coach is trying to become a better teacher. Jess is shown to be dating one of her colleagues. The season it still going on, and the episodes are getting funnier than ever.

4. Two Broke Girls Season 4.

Season 3, and these girls are still utterly broke, still working at the diner and still pursuing their dream of having a cupcake shop. And guess what? They do get a small cupcake window, just behind Han’s little diner. Celebrity appearances like Kim Kardashian really made fans watch it more. Sophie, being my favourite character was shown a lot more in this season. The season is still going on, and I can’t wait to watch more of it.

5. The Big Bang Theory Season 8.

Season 8 returned with much more laughs and a LOT more Sheldon, who unfortunately made an exit in the last episode, ending the season on a cliff-hanger. This season gave birth to new relationships. The season also focuses on engaged Penny and Leonard, giving the people who ship both of them plenty of time to fangirl. It’s heard that all the 5 actors have signed a 3-year contract and we will get to see them for 3 more seasons! I can’t wait for it!

Do tell us your  favourite shows of 2014 in the comments, and tell your experience of the above shows!

Here are some great movies I watched in 2014!

1. MOCKINGJAY PART 1

Click here to watch the trailer!

2. THE MAZE RUNNER

Click here to watch the trailer!

 3. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Click here to watch the trailer!

 4. VERONICA MARS

Click here to watch the trailer!

 5. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Click here to watch the trailer!

 6. THE GIVER

Click here to watch the trailer!

 7. LOVE, ROSIE

Click here to watch the trailer!

 8. IF I STAY

Click here to watch the trailer!

 9. DIVERGENT

Click here to watch the trailer!

 10. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

 Click here to watch the trailer!

Sayali’s Favourites:

Since I’m not a big fan of book adaptions, mine won’t have any book adaptions. I mostly watched animated movies, since I am still a huge fan of those, and sci-fi movies! Here are my top 10 favourite movies of 2014: (And I would recommend you to watch them.)

1. Guardians of The Galaxy.

2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Click here to watch the trailer!

3. Big Hero 6.

Click here to watch the trailer!

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past.

5. How To Train Your Dragon 2.

Click here to watch the trailer!

6. The Hungover Games.

Click here to watch the trailer!

7. Rio 2.

Click here to watch the trailer!

8. The Lego Movie

Click here to watch the trailer!

9. Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Click here to watch the trailer!

Lastly a movie that was released in 2013, but I watched in 2014:

10. Despicable Me 2.

Click here to watch the trailer!

Do tell your 10 favourite movies of 2014 in the comments!

About the cast:

Lily Collins, plays Clarrisa, aka Clary.

Jamie Campbell Bower, plays Jace Wayland, one of New York’s Shadowhunters, who falls for Clary. His character is very shrewd, fearless and self indulgent. Although he is also a person who doesn’t really open up to anyone, which Jamie, unfortunately didn’t manage to portray.

Robert Sheehan, plays Simon Lewis, a mundane with no special powers. He is Clary’s best friend since she could even remember, and miserably in love with her.

Other characters, such as Isabelle Lightwood played by Jemima West, Alec Lightwood played by Kevin Zegers, Lucian Graymark played by Aidan Turner, Jocelyn Fray played by Lena Headley, Magnus Bane played by Godfrey Geo and Hodge Starkweather played by Jared Harris were given secondary importance even though the books clearly gave them equal importance as Clary, Jace and Simon.

Pros of watching the movie:

• You don’t need to read the book.
• You’ll understand everything that’s going on even if you haven’t read the book.

Cons of watching the movie:

• You’ll want to kill the director. (If you’ve read the books.)
• It’ll be as if you’re being tortured. (If you’ve read the books.)
• You’ll want to kill everyone who comes near you. (If you’ve read the books.)
• YOU’LL WANT TO BURN EVERYTHING. (If you’ve read the books.)

About the music score:

There are around 20 songs in the movie, scattered. To be honest, I didn’t really see the need to have a music score, since the movie was already so influenced by animation and graphics. Anyway, the background score was worth mentioning since the song When Darkness Comes caught a special interest in me. The music score is composed by Atli Örvarsson.

Listen to the sound track here

Before the film was released, it was announced that a film adaptation of the second book City of Ashes, would start production in September 2013 with a 2014 release date. In August 2013 after the film opened below expectations, Kulzer, Constantin’s co-president, explained even if it performs moderately, it would warrant a sequel, noting increasing book sales, and soundtrack revenues. Although, the series is  now being rumored to be made into a daily soap. (I don’t know why they’re trying so hard.)

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOKS. 

So, if you are a fan of books and were looking forward to watch the movie, then this is going to be a disappointment for you. If you are like me, a person who hates books being adapted into movies, then I’d rather you not watch it, because I’d been tortured to the limit after watching this movie. The movie is nothing like the book. It’s as if they’ve taken Cassandra’s book, stolen her setting and everything and then made it into a story of their own. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t watch it.

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS.

Go read the books.

CRITICS SAY:

Slant Magazine – “The movie blasts by for a while as an odd and busy slice of highly watchable garbage.”

The A.V. Club –  “Borrowing every single component of its complicated plot from other sources, The Mortal Instruments is hodgepodge claptrap, but there’s a faint flicker of fun in its introducing-the-world passages.”

Reviews given by various people.

Official Poster of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. The poster shows (right to left) Clary Fray, Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood and Simon Lewis.

Thank you for reading! Do tell your experience in watching the movie in the comments, and rate the movie.

Most of them make you want to jump up and start dancing others are great for relaxing. Mandy is the singer who has a beautiful unique voice. Etienne (drums) and Will (bass) are the musicians. They started making music together in late 2012, when the three shared a love for making music.

When it became time to start a live band they realised they needed something more, so Jesse (keys/trumped/accordion) and Marc (guitar) joined the band. To find out more, check out their website and their YouTube.

If you know of any unique artists or bands that I should know about tell me in the comments!