Start By Writing Your Story

           Every person out there has their own way of coming up with an idea when you have to write an essay for language arts. Usually though, you take inspiration from something you know about in your life or have some sort of interest in (obviously because no one wants to write about something they don't want to learn about, right?). Have you ever realized though, that when you start writing about something you know or you want to understand and learn more about, you end up writing that essay for language arts, or whatever class it's for, much more smoothly or easily. Most people don't like writing, especially writing essays for a class. Writing doesn't always have to be just for class though.
       Authors make a living by writing their own stories, by putting down their own ideas on paper and breathing life into characters that wouldn't have existed today if it weren't for them. Thanks to authors out there such as J.K Rowling and Suzanne Collins, they've given us characters that a lot of people adore like Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen. Through their stories, authors teach us lessons which we take as we go through our lives. Though you may not think so, books and authors and their writing impact us in some way at some point in our lives. I'm sure that if you haven't had a book that has changed your life, I'm sure you will soon at some point in the future. It's just impossible to go through life and not have a book impact you in some way, impact in the way you think or in the way you live your life. 
       Authors have a beautiful job. They create a world, they create characters, they create misery and happiness and they teach us a lesson. It's amazing to think that all of this is possible in just a few hundred pages or so. That's one of the reasons why I adore writing and why I'd love to be an author one day whose work is recognized and why everyone should try writing their own story in some way, whether it be by journal entries, a novel, or even poetry. 
       Writing can be difficult though. Like anything, a lot of time and effort needs to be put into your writing, it doesn't really matter what it is you're writing, anything you're writing should show that you put the time and effort into it. I think the most meaningful pieces of writing, are the ones that have had the most time and effort put into them.
       If you're writing journal entries, it's not too difficult to write because you just find the format that is best for you. Sometimes I write my journal entries in poetry format because it's less words, yet you're able to capture what you're trying to say perfectly but sometimes I feel like really getting into detail and by the time I'm done with my journal entry I have three to four pages in my journal filled, both back and front. 
       When writing poetry, it can literally be about anything. If you want to write about love then write about love, if you want to write about that delicious chocolate cake your mom makes then you can write about it. Poetry i endless possibilities. 
      Another form of writing would be writing a novel.  Writing a novel can be really difficult and it takes a lot of time. The novel I wrote took me 10 months to write and finish, I'm still in the process of typing it up and so far I have like three or four chapters typed up out of twenty something and I'm at about 10,000 words. I personally prefer to hand write my novels first though, I'm not exactly sure why, I mean I'm pretty fast at typing but I prefer writing my novels in $10.00 journals (yeah, I know, that's outrageous but it's what I do). It can also take a lot of time to research if you need to research and it takes a lot of notes and outlining. I personally don't outline and I choose not to, outlining just isn't for me, I just go along with my story and I even end up surprising myself when I'm writing. So, if I surprise myself I'm sure the readers end up just as surprised. When you're writing, the characters just end up writing the story for you, they develop their own minds and you're just the person putting pen to paper. Which is what every story should be like, I personally believe. 
      Sticking to writing a novel can be difficult though. I have many notebooks lying around with stories I've started but haven't finished and I probably won't finish since I'm really focusing on a specific series right now. 
      In the end, writing whatever you want in whatever format you want to is just amazing. Because with your writing you can change a life, as cheesy as that sounds it's true. I never really realized I loved writing until I picked up a book by an author I hadn't really heard about, Cassandra Clare, back in eighth grade. Thanks to her and a lot of my language arts teachers, I've come to realize my love for writing, and one day I want to be able to impact others with my writing. To think, my love for writing started because of someone who started her own story. 

(910 words)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

        Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare is the last book of The Infernal Devices Trilogy. It was released on March 19, 2013 following Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince. Clockwork Princess picks up a few weeks after where Clockwork Prince left off. 
       Tessa Gray, is preparing herself for her wedding to one of the boys that she loves and is struggling with her love for both boys, who also happen to be best friends (who also have a deeper bond than just friendship, they're like brothers) Will Herondale and James Carstairs. 
       For the last few weeks, it's been quiet since Tessa's enemy (Mortmain, also can go by the Magister), who's after her, hasn't bothered her or any of her friends. But those peaceful, quiet weeks are over when Mortmain steals away all of the supply of a drug that James (Jem) Carstairs survival depends on. Throughout the book, Tessa and her friends try to save Jem and try to save the Shadowhunter race, which Mortmain is dedicated in getting rid of. Along the way, Tessa tries to figure out who her heart really belongs to.
        This was one of the best books by Cassandra Clare, I have to say. The rest of her books are amazing and she's like my favorite author but I definitely enjoyed this one because it was constantly surprising me. I've said this before because it's true, usually I can predict the outcome but with this book I couldn't. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going I was proved wrong. 
       Though the story does have love in it, the love story/ triangle doesn't dominate the entire book like it does in a lot of young adult fiction. Yeah, it is involved because she loves both boys in different ways and they each lover her in different ways to but it's not always about the romance. 
      There's a lot of action because all the characters are trying to stop Mortmain from destroying the Shadowhunters which happens to be very difficult when he has a robot army preventing them from stopping him. Then there's the fact that Mortmain likes to be behind the scenes, he's not the easiest person to find especially when at one point the main characters didn't even know his true identity. 
       The characters all develop a lot, you see drastic changes in characters you didn't really expect to change and it works. By the end of the story you come to adore all the characters! You care for the characters and your heart breaks for the people who are hurt in the book. 
       All in all I enjoyed Clockwork Princess and I give it 5 out of 5 stars. 

(447 words)

Still Into You by Paramore

        Paramore by Paramore is the self-titled album for the band, Paramore. It's the fourth studio album, which was released on April 5, 2013, and the first album to not have two of the founding members, brothers, Zac and Josh Farro. The album has 17 songs and includes singles, Now which was released on January 22, 2013 and Still Into You (which is the song/ music video I'll be reviewing) which was released March 14, 2013.
       One of my favorite songs from the self-titled album would be Still Into You. I'd say it's my ultimate favorite, I enjoyed Still Into You because the song is fun and catchy, it's really upbeat and if you watch the video it totally catches the fun and upbeat tone it has to the song. The video includes Paramore just dancing around and riding bikes around the house and at one point it includes the lead singer, Hayley Williams singing as the other two band members Taylor York and Jeremy Davis ride around her in their bikes. Later on in the video, it includes shots of the lead singer, Hayley Wiliams, in a large bed in a pastel colored room as she's singing. Then there's a scene where where there's a light show of fireworks shown against the wall of the house. My favorite part of the video is when the band, Paramore is outside playing with sparklers while fireworks are going off in the background.
       The song basically talks about how you and your loved one are no longer together after having a sort of messy breakup and how you should probably be over them now because that's what's best and you're still not, you still care about them now as much as you cared about them before. Even though the song is really catchy, I think it's still possible to have an important message at the same time. And the message that I get from the song is rather simple which is I still care about my loved one and I always will, even if we did have a fallout, they'll always be an important person in my life because they had a major impact on me and that's never going to change.
       I enjoy the song because Paramore is still as great as ever and this song is the evidence for that. Even though I'll miss Josh and Zac Farro, Paramore is still a good band and it seems like all the members are happy with their lives right now. I give this song 5 out of 5 stars and the music video too.

(431 words)
        

Why You Should Read Classics

         Have you read a classic before and actually liked it? Even though you don't like to admit it, and I don't know why, I'm sure you've encountered one that you didn't mind reading. I know that when we're in school we have to read books we'd rather not read, we'd rather much read a romance novel such as The Notebook or a sports story or a paranormal book.
But I think reading classics is a good thing! It exposes you to different genres that you probably wouldn't have gotten into if you weren't "forced" to read whatever classic. I've read a few good books because of school and gotten really interested into new authors. Freshmen year I didn't mind Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, I've always enjoyed that time period in history and reading Great Expectations helped me learn a few things and I enjoyed the story.
         Another positive about reading classics is you learn new words. I feel like the books written these days don't have as much new vocabulary as classics, probably because we're not really taught those words these days which is a pity because learning new words is always great!

         Classics also teach you lessons. I know that each book has a moral but I feel like the lessons of classics teach you a lot more. The impact classics have on you is a lot more than books I read that were written now. To me, the classics, have always stayed with me longer. There are few books that written in these days that have stayed with me.

        Sure, there will be times when you don't really like one book but that's true with every genre. Sometimes you really love one book but completely hate another book, in the same genre. You shouldn't let genres limit you though, don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and try something new every once in a while. 

        Some of the books I've enjoyed include, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and Macbeth also by William Shakespeare. Currently I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, who is probably best known for writing The Three Musketeers, and I like it, it's about 1000 pages or so.

         But if you're looking to try something new when it comes to reading I would definitely recommend giving classics a chance.

(410 words)

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

      Clockwork Prince is the second book in The Infernal Devices trilogy, following the first book Clockwork Angel and the third, and final book, is Clockwork Princess which was released about a month ago on March 19, 2013. These books are written by the same author who has written The Mortal Instruments Series, Cassandra Clare. Clockwork Prince was published about two years ago on December 11, 2011. The cover shows one of the main characters, Jem Carstairs. 
       Clockwork Prince starts off where Clockwork Angel left off. Tessa Gray, the protagonist, decides to stay at The Institute in London (set in Victorian London). While she's there, she becomes allies with the Shadowhunters, in ancient race dedicated in killing demons in order to protect humans. 
       Tessa stays not only to discover her heritage and unravel secrets her parents hid but she also stays to help and support her new friends. As she becomes closer with Jem Carstairs, Will Herondale tries to rid himself of a curse that's starting to make him lose everything.
      My second time reading this book and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. The characters are amazing and entertaining. They all have their own issues their dealing with and it's really interesting seeing how they get from one situation to the next. The adventures the main characters go through (Tessa, Will, and Jem) together is really interesting because you're constantly surprised and I;m not usually surprised when I read books but the first time I read this book I was and this second time I noticed things I ddin't notice before. 
      Love triangles are typically not actually love triangles. Bot guys will usually love the same girl and then the girl will only actually love one of the guys. When Cassandra Clare writes, she makes sure that it's definitely a love triangle which means that the main characters usually loves each guy just as much as the other. And in this book you start to see the development of that love triangle. In Clockwork Angel, you have the relationship between Will and Tessa but in this relationship you start to see Jem and Tessa. Cassandra Clare writes love triangles in such an amazing way because from reading her books, you always know that the love these characters have for one another is so pure and selfless, there's just no competition between the boys in this series because they're best friends and they all want each other to be happy. 
      The action in the book I think is a little less then the first book. There aren't really any huge action scenes, just a lot of investigating. Though the book lacks a little action, the secrets and the investigation make up for it. 
       I give Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 4 out of 5 stars. 

(470 words)

To Let Go

1. To let go is like asking me to get an A in algebra class.
2. It's impossible, unimaginable. 
3. To let go, I find myself finding it hard to do,
4. especially when everything we experienced once made us stronger.
5. It's like a rope, I'm gripping firmly.
6. How can someone expect me to just forget? Let memories slide away.
7. All of those memories when we laughed and teased each other,
8. it's hard to forget one moment to the next.
9. "Memories, you must stay!" I say as if on replay. 
10. It's not fair, it's not right to ask me to begin again.
11. To let go,
12. let memories slip through my hands, like when children play tug of war,
13. is never going to happen ever again.
14. I won't listen to the rest, not even my best friends
15. I won't question myself, nope, not again. Even if it turns out bad.
16. Next time I won't be afraid to fall. 
17. I won't let go 
18. of the memories running through my head.
19. I won't let go because to taste the sweet sensation of happiness,
20. I should know what misery brings.
21. And because I'm scared of misery, I won't ever know if I'm really happy.
22. I find myself protecting my heart more than necessary,
23. I know it's wrong but it's a force of habit that I haven't learned to shed
24. because I've been broken before since I'm made out of glass.
25. But to let the rope of bad slip away, I must also let go of the best.
26. My memories are the beating heart hidden underneath the floorboards.
27. Oh, to let go!
28. To let go. 

Lines 1 and 3 I tried using anaphora which is the repetition of a word or phrase in the beginning of a line which would be the poem's title, "To let go..."

Line 1 is a simile because I'm comparing how something impossible, me getting an A, is just as impossible as letting go of some of the best and the worst memories I've had with someone.

Line 5 you see apostrophe because I'm talking to this rope that isn't actually there which happens to symbolize something as well.

Line 6 you see when I begin using a "rope" as a symbol. The rope can be identified as a symbol because I don't want to let this "rope", a rope of memories, go. You see me talking about this "rope" other times in my poem like in line 11, I don't outwardly say it but it's implied because a rope if what children usually use to play tug of war. In line 18, 25, and finally line 27.

Line 8 is where I tried to use apostrophe because I'm directly addressing something that isn't present, which are the memories. "Memories" would be the personified abstraction

Line 11 you see visual imagery because you can picture children actually playing tug of war which can also symbolize the inner struggle I'm having which is should I let go of these memories, both the good and the bad, because it's best.

Line 18 there is personification because I gave "memories" a human characteristic which is the ability to run. "Memories" don't actually have the ability to run because they're not actually a living creature with the legs to be able to run. 

Line 24 you have a metaphor which is comparing myself to glass because I identify myself as fragile.

Line 28 is an allusion. It's an allusion because in the story, "A Tell-Tale Heart", the unnamed author hides the dismembered bodies of the old man he lives with underneath the floorboards. He's then haunted by the heart of the old man. And what I'm saying here is that my memories, both the good and the bad, are haunting me.

Why You Should Go To Orange Leaf

             If you haven't been to Orange Leaf, ever, I honestly wonder why? What is stopping you from having a delicious taste of heaven in your mouth using a cute, little pink spoon? 
        I can honestly say that Orange Leaf is one of my favorite places to go to, no matter what the weather is like outside! Frozen yogurt is good at anyplace and anytime. There are many things that I enjoy about Orange Leaf, their frozen yogurt isn't the only thing I love about them.
       First of all, the variety of flavors of frozen yogurt are many. There are many choices when it comes to flavors, it'd be hard not to find a flavor you like. My personal favorites include red velvet, that is the flavor for me. That's the flavor I always get, red velvet and another one, whatever I'm feeling up to, typically raspberry though because it's another one of my favorites. There are so many to choose from though and you can fit in as many different flavors as you'd like because you pay depending on how much your little cup of frozen yogurt weights. 
        Other than your wide variety of frozen yogurt flavors, you also have your pretty great variety of toppings for your frozen yogurt. For the people who enjoy fruits, you have strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and many others! Meanwhile for the people with a sweet tooth, you have a lot of options such as sour gummy worms, Oreo's crushed up, and those little sphere things that pop in your mouth in a delicious flavorful explosion and I can't remember their names but I definitely recommend you to try them if you haven't yet! So like I said, options for everyone. If you're like me though, you'll take some of each!
       And another thing I love about Orange Leaf is the way it looks. I just love how it looks on the inside, it's different from other restaurants and it's definitely memorable as a result, even if you don't like it, but I'm not exactly sure why you wouldn't like Orange Leaf. 
         So if you haven't been to Orange Leaf, yet, you really should check this place out. Their frozen yogurt is amazing and especially since summer is coming up soon!
        
(376 words)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

       The last book in The Hunger Games Trilogy, Mockingjay was written by Suzanne Collins. Mockingjay was published about three years ago on August 24, 2010!
       Picking up where Catching Fire left off, Katniss Everdeen finds herself in District 13, a place she and the rest of Panem believed to have been destroyed. While there, Katniss is named "the mockingjay", a symbol against the Capitol and she stars in many rebel propaganda videos. As the mockingjay, Katniss leads the rebellion through videos, she isn't really allowed to fight. Throughout the book there are many losses but in the end, things improve in Panem.
        I thought this was a wonderful way to end The Hunger Games! At first I thought the book was a little too slow and had lost much of its suspense that the first and second books had but as the story progressed, I enjoyed it much more. I was constantly on the edge, more towards the middle and until the end. The ending definitely made up for the slow beginning! 
        The plot was well written and Suzanne Collins' writing was just as beautiful as it was in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire! I love her style of writing, I love how the sentences are short yet filled with so much information!
        I enjoyed how the characters were complicated throughout this series, you never knew if you could fully trust a character and what side they were actually on. Suzanne Collins definitely continued that in Mockingjay, it especially broke my heart when you asked this question about Peeta! You wanted to trust him but you also were cautious about what he was capable of,  I'm glad he was much better towards the end.
       At the very end, I think Suzanne Collins portrays the effects of war perfectly. It was very realistic, it was raw, it reminded me a lot about the wars I've learned about in school.
       All in all, this book was definitely a satisfying, tragic conclusion to The Hunger Games Trilogy. I give Mockingjay 5 out of 5 stars! 

(343 words)

Night Visions by Imagine Dragons

         Night Visions is the debut studio album by American rock band, Imagine Dragons. Imagine Dragons consists of Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Dan Platzman. Night Visions was released last year, on September 4, 2012. It includes popular songs that have been featured in movies such as Radioactive which was used in the movie, The Host, based on the book written by Stephenie Meyer. And It's Time was used in the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower which is based on the book written by Stephen Chbosky. 
        Night Visions was recorded between November of 2011 and July of 2012 at Studio at the Palms and Battle Born Studios. There are a total of eleven songs on the album which have been written by many people such as band members: Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Dan Platzman. Other people who contributed include Alexander Grant who has written other songs by musicians such as Love the Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rhianna, Airplanes by B.o.B featuring lead singer from Paramore Hayley Williams and Massive Attack by Nicki Minaj. 
        I absolutely enjoyed this album! Imagine Dragons is definitely a band I'm going to keep listening to because this album was just amazing! Some of my favorite songs from Night Visions, would include, Radioactive, It's Time, On Top of the World, and Bleeding Out are just some. 
       What I enjoyed about this album was that there are a variety of songs on this album. You have your upbeat songs and then you have your songs that are the opposite of the upbeat songs. Each song was never the same as another one or close to the same as another song on the album. Each song had its distinct sound and, to me, there was never a song that gave me the same message as another. 
       The lyrics is another reason why I enjoyed this album, they all had something I could just connect to and I could understand which is great to be able to relate to songs and be able to listen to them at the same time. 
       Overall, the songs were amazing and each person is going to have at least one song that they love because they try so many different sounds and try to convey different messages. If you haven't checked this band out yet, you really should. You could find your next favorite song! I give Night Visions by Imagine Dragons 5 out of 5 stars!

(412 words)
        

Oh, What To Do!

              For once, it's actually being normal in Iowa! Now this rarely happens when it comes to the weather in Iowa. You can get sixty degree weather then the next day it could be snowing, that is what happens here, a lot. And it's no surprise that it's happening again this week. Today, it's nearly eighty degrees out! Tomorrow it'll be back to cloudy, rainy, and forty, so we'll be back to crappy weather. I swear, Iowa's weather is more bipolar than the guys I know and trust me, they're pretty bipolar. So when we have beautiful weather like this, which happens rarely because of the bipolar weather, it's best to make the most out of the day and do things you can't do in the Winter! But what can you do?

• Go to the park! If you're not really feeling like doing much then just go to the park, there's nothing more relaxing than a walk through the park. You're able to soak in the sun and the peaceful chirping of the birds, while taking an effortless walk through the park. 
• Play a sport with friends or family. I know that when the weather is nice out, me and my best friend always end up playing basketball. So playing basketball or soccer or even a game of tennis will do! Today when I was walking through the park I saw many people at the basketball and tennis courts, trying to soak in as much beautiful weather as they could.
• Draw with chalk! Yes, I still draw with chalk. But, I mean, who doesn't? It's so fun to do when you don't have any effort to do anything but you still want to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather!
• Read or write. Maybe physical activities aren't your thing, so you cross sports off your list of activities to do, then you could always read or write under the shade! I know sometimes, before my friends come over, I'll read or write while I'm waiting for them to get to my house. It's especially nice when you don't have annoying neighbors. 
• Have a picnic. Eating outside is so peaceful because you get to relax, have delicious food and snacks, and you get to spend time with friends and/ or family. I usually have picnics with my best friends and it's always fun to do because eating delicious food that my friends make, or sometimes we order, is very delicious!
• Have a cool treat! To cool yourself off, have ice cream or frozen yogurt (granted you can do this at any time in the year because there is no wrong moment for it)! I would definitely recommend Orange Leaf! Orange Leaf has the best frozen yogurt! You have more than your typical variety of flavors and topping and the atmosphere overall is amazing!
• Take a cold shower. After being outside in the warm weather, it's always refreshing to end your day with a cold shower because then you feel crisp and clean and ready to take on the bipolar weather of Iowa!

(509 words)

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

        Clockwork Angel is the first book in The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Set in 1878, London, Tessa Gray comes to London to meet her brother from New York after the death of her guardian, her Aunt Harriet. She awaits her older brother, Nathaniel at the dock and is approached by Mrs. Dark and Mrs. Black, sisters who claim that her brother sent them to bring Tessa to him. Hesitant at first because she's never heard of them, she's finally convinced to go with them when they give her a letter written by Nate saying he trusts them. Little does she know that they will force her to unleash a power she didn't know she possessed. Later on she's rescued by warriors who go by, Shadowhunters, and she joins them in search of her lost brother and the man possibly behind his disappearance who goes by The Magister. 
        This isn't the first time I've read the book, the first time I read it was about three years ago and I thought it was okay but it wasn't my favorite book written by Cassandra Clare. This time though, the second time that I've read it, I thought it was much better than the first time I read it!
        The plot of the book felt like it was written at the perfect pace, it wasn't too slow and it wasn't too fast. Everything that happened in the book had a perfect reasoning behind it, something I didn't notice the first time I read it. 
        This time I related to the characters a lot more, I felt sympathy for them and the stuff that happened to them whether it was good or bad. I even felt sympathy towards the characters I didn't really like!
        The setting was perfect! I've always adored the Victorian Era and have been fascinated by it so that is definitely something I liked about it. It would have been nice to see more of it though instead of mainly the magical/ paranormal aspects of it.
         I give Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to the people who have read The Mortal Instruments Series if you haven't read this series yet and to people who enjoy paranormal fiction. 

(376 words)

Forever Glowing Ad Analysis

Conventional Weapons by My Chemical Romance

          Conventional Weapons is a compilation album, of ten unreleased songs recorded in 2009, by My Chemical Romance. The album was released as a series of singles between October 2012 and February 2013. These songs were made before their fourth album was, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. This was the bands final release of studio material before their breakup a while ago in March 2013.
          Listening to Conventional Weapons is a variety of different music, a lot of the songs reminded me of their albums. The World is Ugly, is one of the songs that I see that would fit perfectly with The Black Parade. The Light Behind Your Eyes reminds me of a song that would come from The Black Parade also. Kiss the Ring could have gone with Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. And I would have expected that Boy Division to be in their album; I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. The point is, this compilation album felt like almost like a time capsule. It reminded me of all of their official, studio albums and since their breakup it was nice to hear everything they ever created.
         Songs that really stood out for me because of the melody would be Surrender the Night, The World is Ugly, and Burn Bright. What I liked about Burn Bright was how it started off slow and then it got fast as it got into the chorus, it's a song that I definitely could listen to while working out because it gives out a, "I'm not going to give up!" sort of vibe. The World is Ugly has a tone that matches up with the message of the song which is saying that, even though the world can be an ugly place you're still beautiful and mean a lot to me. Surrender the Night is just a song that is easy to listen to and goes along perfectly with the lyrics. 
       I have to say that the song I enjoyed the most from this compilation album was The World if Ugly. I think it's a beautiful song that everyone should give a listen because it's a slow song but not too slow and the lyrics mean a lot to me because it's true. Even though the world can get pretty ugly and scary, there is always a person, if not more than one, that you can always count on and will always be there for you. They don't pass any judgment on you and you don't judge them.
      There were some songs that I just really wasn't into but I did appreciate the messages behind them. I enjoyed the messages behind each song, it was nice to see a mixture of their different sound throughout the years so I give the album a 4 out of 5 stars.

(474 words)

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Movie

              One of my ultimate favorite books would be The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by one of my favorite authors, Cassandra Clare. The book was published about six years ago on March 27, 2007. It centers around fifteen year-old, Clary Fray who witnesses a murder, or what she thinks is one, while she's at a club with her best friend, Simon. What shocks her though is that the murderers are kids around her age (Jace Wayland and Alec and Isabelle Lightwood) and the fact that no one else but her can see them. She soon has to team up with these people, who call themselves Shadowhunters, in order to search for her mother who was kidnapped by a Shadowhunter named, Valentine. In her search for her mother, Clary discovers things about her past that confirm that she herself is also a Shadowhunter along with her mother. In the end she becomes what her mother feared most that she would become, a Shadowhunter. 
        The film, based on the popular novels, is set to be released this year on August 23, 2013. A teaser trailer has been released so far and the official trailer was just released today (April 1, 2013). Like with all the movies based on books, there are parts that have been changed such as the age of the protagonists. Clary Fray is supposed to be turning eighteen in the beginning of the book instead of fifteen. Some characters have also been changed such as the vampire that we meet in the book named Raphael.

        The video to the left is the teaser trailer that was released last year. The trailer included some of the major scenes in the book such as the moment Clary Fray meets Jace Wayland and his fellow Shadowhunters while they're killing someone, Clary confronting Jace, the scene where Clary and her new friends are in a hotel as they're being attacked by vampires, and Clary talking to Hodge about the world she didn't know existed. This teaser trailer builds up anticipation, has a lot of action, and it's fun to see all the things I've read come to life! 
         The video to the right as the official trailer that was released, like I said already, today on April 1st. This trailer includes scenes from the teaser trailer as well as new ones such as Clary talking to her mother and the man that she has seen as almost like a father, Luke in the kitchen. Also included is the scene where Clary's mother is attacked, in her own home, while she's on the phone with her. 
      These are books that I encourage anyone to read! I encourage people to read them because though there is some romance included, it's not all about it. It's about a girl discovering who she really is in a world she didn't even know she was a part of and searching for the person she cares about the most in her life, her mother. The books are filled with action and the mystery, if you read the books then you might as well watch the movie when it comes out August 23rd!

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