Avatar, James Cameron, Movie/Film, Watched October 4th 2010

Pandora, an alien planet, native to the Na’vi, who are appear primitive however are very evolved. The planets environment is poisonous to humans, so in order for humans to have free movement they create a hybrid, called Avatars. Avatars must mind link with a human to access the free movement they want on the Pandora. Jake Sully, a paralized, former marine gets to experience the feeling of running being able to once again move his legs, through his own Avatar. However gets entangled with a Na’vi woman falling in love, and soon has to decide which side he wants to fight for, in a battle of survival. 

I thought Neytiri and Jake were the most interesting characters. The movie was mainly focused on Jake and his perspective, so it was a high possibility that he would be one of my favourite characters, but it wasn’t just because he was the main character it was because of the change he went through. At first he is on the side of the military however over time his perspective on things begin to change. One of the many reasons being Neytiri. I found Neytiri to be a very brave, strong and wise character. She stood up to her beliefs and wouldn’t back down for anything. After seeing her do this I knew it was one of the many characteristics that I believe I have, and I respect anyone who is the same that’s the main reason she caught my attention. 

Jake Sully slowly started becoming on of the natives, he felt as if the planet was now his to protect. Jake Sully: “It’s over Quaritch!”  Col. Miles Quaritch: “Nothing’s over while I’m breathing!” Jake Sully: “I kinda hoped you’d say that” Both Jake and the Colonel where fighting in what they believed in. Jake believed that Pandora was the better cause to fight for. That the Na’vi people are peaceful and didn’t deserve the destruction of their planet because humans wanted the minerals on Pandora. However the Colonel believe that he needed to fight with his on species. They would both fight till the end, they would fight for their planets or the ones they now called home no matter the consequences. 

Deciding whether or not to follow the colonel orders or to follow what is in his heart. Jake had to make the huge decision on who he wants to fight for, whether or not to go against his people or the girl he is falling in love with. It’s inspiring to see a man go against everything he grew up with, everything he knew . He shows us that it isn’t impossible to go against everything you know, that you can do anything all you have to do it believe it will work, and it will. Jake also taught the audience that it is important to follow your heart or you will never be truly happy. 

Head vs heart, it’s one of the hardest decisions a person has to make, everyone struggles to decide which one is best in a  situation they are in. It relates back to so many people that it would be impossible to count how many. However the decision is different for everyone another term for it would be logic vs emotion. In reality people would usually try to avoid the decision completely because they don’t want to witness the outcome, for it would usually entail losing something in the process of it all. The best example would be the most common for people, relationships. Whether or not they should listen to their heart and be with a person, or use their head and chose not to. Choosing between your head or heart will always be a struggle for a person. 

“Avatar” the title of the film is rather simple. It tells us the main focus in the movie being the Avatars, however you wouldn’t know this unless you watch the film. However the title did tell us that the movie was about an unknown species of some kind, without stating it. Since there isn’t anything on Earth called Avatars the name would either have to be something supernatural or alien. With that simple title it has related back to the movie and intrigued people because the name Avatar hasn’t come up before causing curiosity, making them want to watch it. 

Aliens, adventure, romance. “Avatar” has it all. If special effects is something that bugs you, and your thinking its an old movie, the special effects are probably terrible, than think again. “Avatar” is one of the most famous films ever made, it has close to everything you want in a movie, it ranges from war to romance in a couple of seconds. This film is good for all ages. Especially if space  and the future of it is something that interests you then this movie is a most on you watch list. 

Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas, Novel, Read August 5th 2019

Celaena Sardothien has won the kings competition, becoming the official new royal assassin. However far from loyal to the crown, a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidants. Continuing the charade, she pretends to do the kings bidding, and it shall test her in ways that could jeopardize everything she cares for. Yet more dangerous forces gather beyond the horizon, forces that threaten to destroy her and the world, she will have to make a choice. How will her loyalties unfold, and what side is she going to fight for. 

Chaol and the king are  known for being mysterious and hiding secrets from people. This is the main reason that they are both very interesting. Chaol has been hiding this from Celaena mainly however during this novel, he had to decide where his loyalties lie, following him through this decision, was quite interesting to see how he would side with. Then there was also the king who keep the most secrets hidden from the public eye, having him as the main suspect for all the strange activity in the kingdom was interesting, always wondering what exactly he was hiding from everyone and the things he was doing inside his castle. 

“The best lies were always mixed with truth.” after reading this quote I realised that the was one hundred percent true, mainly because that is what I would always do. If you mix the truth into your lie then it will always be more convincing, than a regular old lie, if it is more believable to you they it will be to whoever you are lying to. It wouldn’t  hurt as much if you are telling someone you really care about a hal lie compared to if you told them nothing but lies, it makes it easier for yourself. The other memorable moment I found was when I read this “The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realised she was home.” To finally be able to call someone your home after the horrors that she went through is amazing. It takes courage to be able to admit that you finally found something that isn’t just a myth. Something that you don’t want to lose. This hit me hard because I haven’t been able to admit to myself that I have something special mainly because I am scared to lose it after I do since it’s already happened to me three times. 

Celaena has to fake the deaths of all the people that the king wants dead and not getting caught in the process. Celaena pretends to be under the king’s command to try find the person responsible for her best friends death only to find out the truth behind the king and his power. She is struggling after just losing her best friend to the darkness that the kingdom holds inside its walls, and yet she is striving to uncover the darkness more than ever before. No matter what is thrown at her she is still striving for her end goal, get rid of the evil inside the kingdom, no matter the cost. This shows how much a death can affect a person. We become blinded by emotions, only one thing would usually stay in our minds revenge or justice.  In reality humans would let their emotions consume them, allowing for the emotion to take over. Controlling how we would act, think and function. Our emotion and generally used to survive, thrive, and avoid danger, but when we lose something that is dear to use all that can go out the window. We become blind in hatred, think why, why did this have to happen. We can make irrational decisions because we are mad at the world, or we start seeking justice/revenge. The perfect example to use for real life would the one the novel picked. The loss of a loved one. When a loved one’s life is taken by someone else their family would most commonly seek revenge on that person. This would probably result in the person that killed the family member. The majority of people wouldn’t think about doing that unless they have been blinded by their emotions, but since they are feeling so many emotions they hope that by killing that person it will make them feel better. Overall humans can do many things when clouded by strong emotions 

“Crown of Midnight” can be broken up into two pieces to explain the novel. Crown stands for the throne or also known as the king. Midnight is the hidden secrets the kingdom holds, as well as the secrets that Celaena is keeping from the king/throne. In just those three words, it can describe the main ideas of the novel, which is something all novels normally do. This has to be done to capture the audience into reading it, and already it tells you the main theme without you knowing it. 

Mystery secrets and more. Are you someone that likes secrets and keeping your own. If that is something you enjoy doing keep reading because there is more. “Crown of Midnight” is full of secrets, the ones that the kingdom hides as well as the ones Celaena doesn’t trust anyone else to keep but herself. The mystery behind it, will Celaena get caught, will the kingdom fall into the darkness, so many possibilities, what will happen.  This novel is readable for almost all ages, unless you are 7 or younger and are struggling to read then I wouldn’t advise reading this novel otherwise go wild.  

Empire of Night, Kelly Armstrong, Novel, Read July 11th 2019

Moria and Ashlyn village is now gone.  Betrayed by their friends. Now they are stuck as prisoner of court, unable to help the children of edgewood, waiting for the emperor to decide whether or not to help the children who still remain in the clutches of heartless Alvar Kitsune. Finally the emperor allows the girls to rescue the children accompanied by Prince Tyrus and a small group of men, in hopes to stop the raging war inside Alvar Kistune, but also the one he wishes to unleash. 

Gavril and Tyrus caught my attention the most this time. After Gavril was found out by Moria about knowing his father was behind the attack on the village, it came to my mind that he is very mysterious and no matter how well you might think you know a person that doesn’t mean they are being completely honest with you. Anyone can hide this from others however some can even make a whole new persona for themselves if they want to. There was also Tyrus, at first I thought he was nothing but a mere prince that was friends with Gavril, but then he became a lot more involved in the story. He actually became one of the main characters, and I found Moria and his relationship quite interesting because I was unsure as to how he was going to approach his feeling about her since Gavril and her also had a small thing going on between them. 

“Well, that wasn’t at all humiliating,” he said. “Please tell me I didn’t shriek. And if I did? Remember I am of imperial lineage. Lie to me.” Tyrus said this in hopes for Moria to say that he didn’t shriek like a girl. This just makes you think about how much a reputation can mean to a person, for it can all be destroyed in a second. No matter how badly someone might want to gain their repetition back it will take years to rebuild. This is the same in more than just reputation it can also be loyalty, but either way it will be hard to gain and easier to destroy. That’s why it is important that we know what we are doing and make sure that that would be the best thing to do in a situation. 

To save the children and the upcoming war. Moria and Ashlyn have to face the evils that Alar Kitsune keeps throwing at them. Mysterious creatures that were never supposed to exist, are now coming at them from every angle. No longer knowing what it is that they are supposed to do. What their purpose is. The ancestors have left them in the dark, leaving them with a gaping hole where the answers are supposed to be. Hope being the only thing holding them together. Hope is one of the strongest emotions a person can have, it can also cause the most emotions as well. Everyone has hope, without it we would all be a big mess, that would be close to impossible to clean up. Showing that Moria and Ashlyn are relying on hope as the main source of power, tells the audience that no matter the situation there is always going to be a part of us that believes our troubles will get better. Hope it can be both a good thing and a bad. It can keep us going when we feel like giving up however it can also make us believe in something that in reality will probably never come to pass which can lead to more heart break. Hope,  an optimistic state of mind. Hope allows us to go up against something with a mindset for success hence increasing the chance to come out of the situation in the way you hoped. Common examples of hope would be in world wars. Everyone is hoping for it to be over so they could get their loved ones back. Thus giving them drives to win and get through it all, compared to if they had no hope then they would give up. Its human nature to hope without it we would be lost. 

“Empire of night”. This title represents the main things in the novel. Moria and Ashlyn try to do everything in their power to save the children that have been taken by Alvar Kistune. The man behind all the darkness that has been brought upon the land, the one who commands the army of the dead, the man who wants a war no matter the cost. “Empire of Night” represents the army of the dead, the things that haunt people in the night, shadows that can’t be seen, destroying anything in their path. 

“Empire of Night” is recommended to anyone who likes reading mysteries with action/fighting. If someone enjoys lots of action, and thinks that this novel won’t have much, so it’s not worth reading then think again, because this novel definitely has action and lots of it. Along with the mysteries about what is happening and why, so if you enjoy thinking about all the possibilities that could occur in a story then start reading. However if you are younger than 12 then please remember that this story does go into a lot of details with blood and guts, so bewear. 

Maze runner, Wes Ball, Movie/Film, Watched January 11th 2019

Thomas, a teenager with no memory of who or what he is doing in the middle of a giant labyrinth. Arrives in the glade the centre of the giant labyrinth. All others who arrived there before him have all been through it all before some longer than others. Thomas curiosity and courage helps him become apart of the society all the boys have made for themselves. Soon becoming a Runner, those in charge of analysing the always changing maze, to find the path to freedom. 

Thomas was my main focus in the story. Thomas was the first person intrigued because he was full of curiosity, and was extremely brave or just stupid. However, his curiosity was the thing I focused on the most since he didn’t understand how the glade worked, why they were stuck there and what  was beyond the walls. At that point I didn’t understand much of it either, so I felt like he was acting in my place, for I would of done all the same things to figure out what was going on. That’s why I enjoyed thomas’s character because it related back to my own personality, as if he was a reflection of myself. 

“We don’t belong here. Somebody built the maze. I think it’s time we find out what we’re really up against.” Thomas is determined to go into the maze to learn what it’s all about. He knows that if they can figure it out, they can ultimately escape from the Glade. Thomas isn’t like the others, he shows that he is determined to find out what is really going on. All the other gladers know it to.  “You’re not like the others. You’re curious. But if you want to stay here, I need to know that you’re going to follow the rules.” even Alby knew that it wouldn’t end well if thomas continued to break the rules, so he tried everything so that he wouldn’t. Alby sees that Thomas is different, more headstrong than the other boys. This instantly makes Thomas a risk to them all. A risk that Alby isn’t sure he wants to take a chance on. 

Deciding whether or not they should risk their lives in the maze or live the rest of their lives in the Glade. Thomas would risk everything to find out the truth that the maze is hiding. He would risk everything to find a way out. Not everyone believed that risking their lives was worth it. This caused a huge disagreement between people because when Thomas started breaking the rules the maze started changing in ways that it hadn’t done in 3 years. The audience starts to decide whether or not you would want to risk your life finding out the truth and to see the real world or to stay somewhere where you will always be kept in the dark about what might be outside the walls. It stirs curiosity in people wondering what we would do in those situations. Choices, in the real world everyone struggles with them. They are what can decide our fate how our lives will end up, so it’s only fear to be afraid of them, but without taking these risks in life that might lead to something so much better or maybe something worse.  It’s the risks in the choices, deciding whether or not it’s worth it. Some people say the greater the risk the greater the prize, but people also say the greater the risk the greater the loss. The world wars started as a choice that leaders made they thought about the risks that it would involve if they did choose to start a war. They could lose lots of men and land however they thought about gaining land as well. When it came to making the final decision they both choose to go to war in hopes to gain land. That choice had a lot of risks they could lose everything and yet still they choose to fight. Choices are made and risks are taken people make them all the time, but that doesn’t make them easy. 

“Maze Runner” the title had to relate to the movie. All movies need to give a little bit of information of the movie in order to determine whether or not the audience what’s to watch it. The movie title relates to the movie because everyone is in the centre of a maze and in order to get out, they need to find a way through the maze. In the organization the boys created roles, one of these roles was a runner. The runner had to venture into the maze and figure out a way out. However know one could until Thomas came. He ran into the maze without any knowledge trying to save the leader of the glade, Alby. After Thomas started breaking all the rules, the gladers decided that he should become a runner. Henceforth way they choose the title “Maze Runner”. They needed to runner through the maze to find a way out that being the main focus of the story. 

Anyone who enjoys a good mystery “Maze Runner” is the movie to watch. The film is full of uncovered mysteries, the film is about uncovering the secrets the maze holds. Why where the boys sent down to the glade? Why does the maze keep changing? And why are the grievers created? If you want to try and solve the mysteries as much as the boys in the glade the start watching. However this is something I would recommend to people over 12 in case you scare easily because there are some points in the film where it can get a bit scary for some viewers. 

Sea of Shadows, Kelly Armstrong, Novel, Read June 19th 2019

Twin sisters, Moria and Ashyn, have been given a very dangerous task, for they must travel through the forest of the dead, the place where all the empires worst criminals are exiled. Each year as the Keeper and Seeker of edgewood, they must quiet the angered souls of the damned. However the spirits have other plans 

Moria and Ashyn are the two main characters that I found interesting. The history of the Seeker and Keeper, and the roles they had to play. Now that they had come of age to take over for the previous Seeker and Keeper, I got a much better understanding of what it was that the Keeper and Seeker had to do in order to keep their village safe. Moria being the Keeper she was tasked to remain in the village and insure that no spirits of the damned would pass the barrier between the forest and the village. She had the power to banish them, and keep them at bay. Ashyn as the Seeker of the village she had to venture into the forest every year to put the enraged souls of the damned to rest, so they are unable to seek revenge and punish the ones who put them in their, for their crimes. 

“See? It’s a menace. We may have escaped a thunder hawk, but ultimately, we will perish . . . killed by my hair.” I found this quote quite funny since all girls would usually be so precious about their hair or nails, and yet Moria could care less she found it annoying. However that wasn’t the only thing that the quote opened my eyes to. We don’t really think much of it, but even the littlest things can be used against us, no matter how big or small it can still impact our lives. “Night was her time. The Keeper. Bond-mate of the cat. Protector of the night. Daughter of the moon.” I have always thought I had a better connection with the darkness rather than the light, and this quote made me think a lot about myself. I felt as if it represented me the best it could, the only difference being I would have a dog by my side and not a cat. 

All the monsters and myths are coming true and in order to get to save the children from their village they must find a way through it all. Moria and Ashlyn have to get to the children before they suffer the same fate that their village had to injure. One by one the monsters are picking them off. Even through it all they still manage to find the positive side to things, something people struggle to do. People are wired to think about all the bad things that are going on that they forget to think about the bright side. Their village may be gone, but the children are still out there, and they can still revive edgewoods olds tradition once they find a way to get them back. Seeing the light side to things may be hard but it is always worth it because without it people would never be able to see a future worth living in, and that can take dark turns. Positive vs negative. This is something that has been wired into almost everyone’s mind. No matter how many good things are happening in life we always think about that one negative thing even if it is a tiny thing. The negative always outweighs the positive. The question is why. Its human nature, we want the positive things to happen ALWAYS, and when we don’t get it we only think about everything wrong in life, the stuff we don’t want, or the stuff we want but can’t have. It has been proven that a person who sees the bright side and one that is grateful for everything tends to live longer than someone who always thinks negative thoughts. People should become more aware of their surrounds and be more grateful for the things that come their way.  

“Sea of Shadows” is very fitting to the title because it holds a lot of the novels content without saying to much. Ashlyn has to go into the forest to put the vengeful spirits to rest so they are unable to harm the people in here village or anywhere else. However the seeking takes a dark turn when shadows start to kill people one by one in the forest then going for village. There are too many shadows to fight, and the dark of the night makes it very hard to see them. Sea stands for a large amount unable to count and shadows stands for the shadows stalkers black smoke that appears as a shadow but so deadly it can kill all that stand in its way. It is a very title to use for in it also draws in the reader. If the title of the novel sounds catchy or similar to something they would want to read then it would instantly catch their eye, and they would most likely read it. 

“Sea of shadows” would be recommended to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, plus some gory details in the mix of it all. Anyone who likes blood and guts and uncovering mysteries, then this would definitely be a book that is worth reading. Even if your not a fan of blood and guts that much, then it can still be a novel for you because their isn’t too much of it. Only enough to give a bit of a scare to its readers. It is definitely a novel worth reader/giving a go. 

Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas, Novel, Read May 22nd 2019

The king’s son, Prince Dorian is looking for the next royal assassin. Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen year old trained assassin, has been imprisoned in a salt mine for a year, regarding her crimes against the king and his empire. She has now been offered a deal by the prince. Win the competition and become the next royal assassin, serve the king for a couple of years and freedom will become hers once again. 

Celaena Sardothien and Dorian where the most interesting characters. Their decision and roles that they played, have been quite interesting, the first thing that I wondered was why Dorian would pick Celaena out of all the people he could’ve chosen to compete in the competition to become the royal assassin to the king. The second thing was Celaena her background was very intriguing, learning everything that she had to do and had to go through to become an assassin. Everything she did had a hidden meaning sometimes it would be to get her freedom but then it could be saving people from the secrets that the kingdom of Endovier hides.

“We all bear scars,… Mine just happen to be more visible than most.” This quote really stood out to me when reading the book because all people have scars, and yet only a few of us have visible ones. I took it to heart because you can never truly understand a person until they decide to share their scar and secrets with you. Ever person has a reason for who they are and why they turned out the way they did, the only difference is that some people can either have more visible scars or more internal scars, either way I don’t believe we should judge someone on what we see on the outside to be what is on the inside of them. That quote was from Celaena and I will remember it forever. The other quote from Celaena was “My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name’s Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I’d still beat you, no matter what you call me.” Confidence and strength. That is what I took from this quote, she wasn’t going to let anyone tear her down, no matter what. Even though she might not be one hundred percent sure that she would win the competition, she still wouldn’t let anyone get rid of the confidence that she had. She was metally strong enough for anything. 

Celaena has to become the king’s champion without getting herself killed for their is a dark presence killing all the king competitors. Celaena has to solve murders in the castle, for the king doesn’t seem to care that all the competitors are dying off one by one. She ventures through the castle and its hidden tunnels hoping to find some evidence on what is truly happening or else something dark will take over the castle completely if it hasn’t already. Her life is still at risk but she still faces it head first. No fear. This is moving for the readers because it shows that even though her life is on the stakes, her main goal to to stop this evil, that is killing the competitors before anymore damage is done. Her bravery and morals encourage others to do the same, that we should stand up for what we believe in, no matter the risk/cost. In reality everyone has different morals. These morals define us, whether we are the stereotypical good or bad. Morals are usually driven by people’s personal beliefs. While most people have the same morals such as keeping your promises, people can also have some that aren’t good such as stealing or the most common being, killing. Our morals are what would determine our actions and responses. If we decide to kill someone, like some people would then those would be that the actions of your morals. Showing you wouldn’t care whether someone lived or died. 

The title of the book is called “Throne of Glass”. The novel suits this name because of all the content the the novel contains. The novel talks about a young assassin who will have to fight in the king’s competition in order to gain her freedom. However there are many struggles that she must go through in order to become the thrones royal assassin. The throne itself is very fragile because darkness is slowly corrupting it and making it harder for it to remain pure. “Throne of Glass” works well for the content inside the novel because the throne is slowly breaking like glass. The king wants a champion for the throne but darkness is corrupting the throne making it more fragile like glass. 

This story would be really good for someone who enjoys fantasy and mystery. Someone who likes finding out the truth hidden beneath the surface. If a person enjoys unraveling the truth, the darkness people hide inside themselves then this would be a really good story to read. This novel is mainly out uncovering the secrets that people in the kingdom are hiding, so for anyone who likes the truth and unraveling peoples secrets then this is definitely the novel for them.