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Hello Bookworms, Today I wanted to show you the books I read this month. It felt like the month of March went by so fast, but also so slow. So this month I wanted to read, Wicked, and the Series of the Mortal Nicholas Flamel Series. I did that... well I didn't read Wicked. I have no idea where Wicked is right now. Truth be told I didn't even look for it. I read 5 books this month, and my average for the month was 3.8 stars. That would be because of a one star DNF. My April TBR will be posted tomorrow on my Youtube Channel at roughly 11am. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Nobel 5 Stars Review> When kingdom come, there will be one. In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown. The Alchemyst By Michael Scott Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Nobel Review > 5 Stars Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty and Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects - the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time. The Magician by Michael Scott Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Nobel Review> 4 Stars Ashes to ashes… California: In the hands of Dr. John Dee and the Dark Elders, the book of Abraham the Mage could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. The most powerful book of all time, it holds the secret of eternal life—a secret more dangerous than any one man should ever possess. And Dee is two pages away from the knowledge that would bring the Dark Elders into ultimate power. His only obstacle? Josh and Sophie Newman—who are eight thousand miles away. Paris: After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris. The City of Lights. Home to Nicholas Flamel. Only, this homecoming is anything but sweet. Niccolò Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He's in hot pursuit, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. Every day they spend without the book, they age one year: their magic becomes weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is growing clearer and clearer. It's time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic. Fire Magic. And there's only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel's old student the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world's only hope. If they don't turn on each other first. The Death of Joan of Arc by Michael Scott Michael Scott’s first-ever exclusive ebook short story delves into the world of the bestselling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and offers readers a never-before-seen lost story—the story of two warriors who would become sisters. Joan of Arc was not burned at the stake in Rouen, France in 1431. She was rescued from certain death by Scathach the Warrior. The truth about that day is revealed in the last will and testament of William of York, and it will leave you wondering: does Joan of Arc still walk the earth? Currently Reading:The Inquisition by Taran Matharu Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble Review > Coming soon In this sequel to The Novice, Fletcher is put on trial by the Inquisition and discovers his tragic origins. Soon after, a competitive challenge is given by the King and his council to the graduating students at Vocans--to go behind enemy lines and complete a dangerous mission. The reward--an army of their own and peace between dwarves, elves and men. Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas By Michael Scott Years before Sophie and Josh Newman met Nicholas Flamel, two legendary warriors fought together for the first time. Billy the Kid and Scathach the Shadow. Now that lost story can be told . . . Billy the Kid is immortal. And being immortal means following unpredictable paths. With this exclusive eBook, Michael Scott offers readers a never-before-seen short story from the world of the bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: the tale of how Billy the Kid and Scathach meet for the first time and join forces against the unseen, deadly and eternally hungry vampyres who control the city of Las Vegas—where Scathach must face her greatest fear. DNF BOOKSThe Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Nobel Review > 1 star Prudence Clark lives a seemingly normal life in Cambridge with her best friend’s family. But a series of strange events compounded by a wave of kidnappings is about to turn everything she believed about her existence upside down. A brutal attack catapults her into a new reality – one that makes her the most important refugee of the Council of the Five Kingdoms. Now, she’s charged with the task of finding the King’s runes to stop Alanel, the most malicious and ruthless being, following his escape from prison. Alanel has declared war on the king of Arkana. Now, even more shocking truths come forth, exposing long-held secrets about Prudence’s past and her destiny. Her newfound knowledge will prompt her to embark on a treacherous journey to face dangerous beasts in the most inhospitable of places. But her journey will not be alone, she’ll be joined by the Company of the Rose, brave warriors that will fight by her side, and hopefully, lead to the retrieval of the runes before it’s too late. What did you read this month? Have you read any of the same books I read? Let me know what you thought!
Katelyn Costello https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient
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 Hi Bookworms,
How are you doing? I am a little stressed out. I have a lot of stuff coming up for school. If you didn't know I am a theater minor and with that comes helping people out with shows, obviously lol. I will be in tech week, which is the week leading up to the show were we set light and sound things up, up until April 22nd for the various shows. I also am taking four English classes this semester. Three out of four want a final paper.... So I will have somewhere between 23-29 pages of academic writing and a test on Shakespeare to do this month. If anyone has a suggestion of what I can write about for 10- 12 pages about Moby Dick please send me a message I am at a loss hahaha. But on top off all this fun I am doing Camp Nanowrimo! My goal this month is to write just 30,000 words. 1000 words a day, of creative escape during a very busy month. I am going to try to finish my manuscript from Nanowrimo. I feel like a lot of it is going to handwritten because I won't always be able to open up my laptop. So my beat up floral will be with me at all times. I might cry if it is not haha. It is a little 5x7 notebook so it is perfect for throwing it in my purse or backpack. This week I have mainly been prepping for Camp writing a sort of outline for a few character, and a lot of brain dumps. Are you doing camp Nanowrimo? Add me on Camp Nanowrimo and gain so more information: http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/ladykate100 I can't wait to hear what sort of writing projects you are working on. Katelyn Costello https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient  The Magician
Book #2 The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Michael Scott 4 Stars Hardcover, First Edition, 464 pages Published June 24th 2008 by Delacorte Press Ashes to ashes… California: In the hands of Dr. John Dee and the Dark Elders, the book of Abraham the Mage could mean the destruction of the world as we know it. The most powerful book of all time, it holds the secret of eternal life—a secret more dangerous than any one man should ever possess. And Dee is two pages away from the knowledge that would bring the Dark Elders into ultimate power. His only obstacle? Josh and Sophie Newman—who are eight thousand miles away. Paris: After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris. The City of Lights. Home to Nicholas Flamel. Only, this homecoming is anything but sweet. Niccolò Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He's in hot pursuit, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenelle. Every day they spend without the book, they age one year: their magic becomes weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophecy is growing clearer and clearer. It's time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic. Fire Magic. And there's only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel's old student the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world's only hope. If they don't turn on each other first. My Thoughts: Book two, felt like it went by for me a bit slower than the first book. This book spends the time entirely in Paris, a place I have never been but I felt so settled into the city. (This book is one of the reasons I need to visit Paris. Someone please take me!) The descriptions in this book really made it work for me. My biggest pet peeve with this book was Josh. He felt so, so whiny to me in this book just because he didn't have his powers yet. Please stop whining you are fine. I love the fight scenes in this book, so much magic and fighting. I don't really have much to say on this one honestly. This is my least favorite book in the series, but because we mainly focus on whiny, whiny Josh. Again, we had the bad ass fighting women, with Scatty and Joan of Arc. But I am excited to get to reread the next books. #10days https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101  Hello my little writing fiends, I have to admit I didn't do a terrible amount of actual writing this week. If you didn't read my update from last week I finally finished my draft after spending nearly fifteen weeks editing it. I took it so slow in an effort to get things right. I realize now I called it draft two. But it should be like draft 4 with how many times I have gone over the first part of it. But a trip to get paper, and using most of my moms ink, I have my 153 page manuscript. I have gotten my first beta reader woo. Thanks Martha for jumping on board the bookworm army. I know I would still really love to have more readers. So, if you would like to help me out let me know I will stick a little form below for you to fill out and it will send an email directly to me! Some of you may be working on your own projects and I would love to help. I know I personally cannot take on 10 beta swaps but I would want to help you with a few. It would really mean a lot to me if you would help. This is a project that I have been working on for so, so, long and I want to get it so right before I start moving toward querying as I plan to do this summer. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101  The Alchemist
Michael Scott Paperback, 390 pages first published May 22nd 2007 5 Stars Goodreads | Barnes and Nobel | Amazon Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty and Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects - the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time. My Thoughts: The Alchemist is the first book in the series "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel." In just two weeks time I get to meet Michael Scott the author of this series. So I wanted to do a reread before I went and met him. because of course I want to have his work fresh in my mind. I gave this first book in the series a five star rating. The first book in this series is so great. I love it because Scott doesn't hold back. He throws you right into the world but as the twins Josh, and Sophie learn about the magic world within ours we do as well. It is a series that is so interesting if you know mythology but, Scott writes in a way that if you didn't know any mythology you would be totally fine. One of my favorite parts of this book and the series in general is how strong the female characters. Granted some of the characters are based off of strong women from history and mythology, but I believe that they are written in a way that they are inspiring to all who read them. I know I have always wanted to be like Scatty. She always seemed like such a badass. And I have to admit I am partial to Joan. (I found out that she is actually now St. Joan of Arc the paton saint of France; martyrs; captives; military personnel; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; soldiers, women who have served in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service); and Women's Army Corps. None of these apply to me but she is still the one I chose for confirmation.) This book keeps you going, I duel read as a physical book as well as an audio book and I finished it in little over a day! I highly suggest you go grab this book, this series it is sooooo underrated and under the radar. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient Dear Bookworms, Today I wanted to bring you a different blog post. While we are halfway through March I thought I would still share with you my goals for the next few months to help hold me accountable.
9. Do yoga twice a week 10. 3.5 GPA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient Hello Bookworms, How are you doing? I am currently snowed in, with a hyper puppy and some crazy siblings. However, I am happy to say that I made it through my second draft, as you could probably guess by the title. But after a long day of editing I made it through. I see a few things I need to think about before working on those chapters. I didn't really add too many new words, I am still hovering just over 50k words, but it's okay. Maybe the next time around I will add more. For right now, I am not worried about it. For now I am going to print this new manuscript, get a bit cup of tea and really start preping for camp nanowrimo. But in the meantimeI have started writing the second book as you know for nanowrimo and feel much better about the writing of the second book. I have to fix this. That is where you come in. I am looking for some beta readers! I would like some 8-10 freinds to help me with this writing project. If you are a person who: 1. likes to read fantasy YA 2.have done some prior beta reading or reviewing 3. Have strong but constructive opinions. 4. Are willing to answer questions about the text every few chapters 5. Are willing to engage in conversation about chapters after completing them. 6. "Everyone has the chance to choose to be good" Shauna Flynn tells her ex-fiancé after she has to run from her home. Shauna and her sister Taytra came of age this year, which means it is time for them to be tested to see if they are a fritual. A descendant of a powerful elf able to control the elements. When Shauna's powers are revealed, her home is attacked by the Dark One's, a sect of elves that don't want their magic tainted by the blood of man. When the Dark Ones attack, she is forced to flee, while her family is held, hostage. She must find the other four Frituals, so they can bring their powers together and stop the reign of terror the Dark One's Magic will bring on the land. Currently resting just over 50k words If this sounds interesting to you. Send me a message, and we can get in contact and discuss being one of my betas :) *Note- this book has not yet been to an editor, it is in my plans but I wish to have plot and structure set in stone before paying to have changes made. If you have any grammar edits, I would love to hear them, but I am more looking for structure feedback right now. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101  *I was sent a free Ebook for an honest review. Thank you to Fabi Ghittoni for this copy. This will not change my opinion on the book* The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose By Fabi Ghittoni ebook, paperback, hardback Published February 2nd 2017 Rating: Didn't finish I go to 72/251 Synopsis: Prudence Clark lives a seemingly normal life in Cambridge with her best friend’s family. But a series of strange events compounded by a wave of kidnappings is about to turn everything she believed about her existence upside down. A brutal attack catapults her into a new reality – one that makes her the most important refugee of the Council of the Five Kingdoms. Now, she’s charged with the task of finding the King’s runes to stop Alanel, the most malicious and ruthless being, following his escape from prison. Alanel has declared war on the king of Arkana. Now, even more shocking truths come forth, exposing long-held secrets about Prudence’s past and her destiny. Her newfound knowledge will prompt her to embark on a treacherous journey to face dangerous beasts in the most inhospitable of places. But her journey will not be alone, she’ll be joined by the Company of the Rose, brave warriors that will fight by her side, and hopefully, lead to the retrieval of the runes before it’s too late. My Thoughts: I really tried with this book I did. But I couldn't get through it. I was given the book by Fabi Ghittoni on February 23, and I was really excited to read it. If you go to Ghittoni's instagram you see the beautiful cover everywhere. The cover design and interior design are amazing however I could not let that deter my opinion. So this story made me think of Narnia with the transpatation back and forth between a magical realm and Cambridge. I feel like I would have really enjoyed this more if I had a better grounding in the world, however we only saw bare bones details, or what we did were so repetitive I wanted to snap my phone. I never want to see the words "High arching" or "Lofting ceilings" again. I found the redundencies to grate on my nerves so much I had to keep putting the book down. One thing that I may have just grwn accustom to, but I found it hard to get past. There was no internal voice. I realize I only read 70 pages of the book, however, we only saw the charecter's thoughts once. Once! If you were transported to another world, and were told all these unbeliveable things you would be freaking out, nothing. The character really hated this character but she just said she did. I didn't really believe why they did? I never know what Prudance thought! It made it sooooo hard to get into it. Of what I read I felt like if it had a lot more editing it would have been really good so sadly I had to give this one a low rating. I hope in the future we can see better work form Ghittoni.  About the Author: Fabi Ghittoni is an Argentina-based attorney and writer. Since childhood she experienced love for literature and fiction (Greek mythology being her first catch). She is also an avid reader and bookstagrammer. She graduated from law school at the very young age of twenty two. After obtaining her degree she decided to pursue a writing career. The Elven Tales is her debut novel, and the first of a five book series for kids, young adults and fantasy readers. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA
twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101 Hello Bookworms, Today I wanted to talk to you about something that you may see places that until this year I never really thought about. That is: What is an ARC? An ARC is and Advanced Reader's Copy of a book. These are the books that authors or publishing houses will send out for review. This is how you see that books have reviews on Goodreads or Amazon, before the book has even come out. This is also how books get the little blurbs on the back of the book like: "This book was so masterful it is the new Harry Potter..." You know what I mean, pick up just about any book you own and look on the inside jacket, or on the back of the book and you will see all sorts of amazing things other people say about the books. On Monday, you will see a review for the first book I was ever sent by an author to read. Now this author in particular was looking for people to review her work. But if someone isn't openly promoting that they need reviewers how do you go out and find ARC's?
Currently Reading: Magus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book #2 The Hammer of Thor Rick Riordan Page 185 /480  The Inquisition Taran Matharu 34/359 Have a great day everyone!
Katelyn Costello http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/ladykate100 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101  Hello Bookworms,
How are you? I have been busy working and planning planning for Camp Nanowrimo. If you aren't sure what Camp Nanowrimo, it is run by the same people that doe Nanowrimo, but this time it is more flexible. Instead of doing 50k I will be able to choose my word count. I am not really sure what my word count will be yet, I am still working on outlining the end of The Fritual's Fatel. If you want to know a bit more about Camp Nanowrimo and Nanowrimo I did a video on youtube last week all about my Nano experience.( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8O2lvaGdzc ) So what have I been doing to help my writing progress? I have been busy rereading all that I have written and edited, and am making a "reverse outline" of what I have written and plan to start a full outline this week. If you wanna know more about my outlining process you can look back in my posts from January where I discussed it breifly, or subscribe to my Youtube channel where this weeks video will be on creating an outline. My writing goals this month:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient101 |
Katelyn CostelloA lover of words, reading and writing. Archives
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