Blodeuedd Reviews: Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin

Blurb
My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound…

Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they’re after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.

Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul? 

My thoughts:
I have noticed that some mentioned an UF vibe, or was it UF heroine? Anyway that does make sense. Sure it's a fantasy world, but the heroine, Raine does feel like an UF heroine and it could just as well have taken place in our world with the same plot.

Raine is cool, she finds things with her limited magical abilities. Her family are pirates and her love life has taken some hits cos of that. I liked her, she had a good head on her shoulders and could take of herself.

Other memorable characters were, Tam (I liked him), her cousin Phaelan (seemed nice too), Mychael (I sense something here), and well more. Friends who will help her, and baddies that will try to stop her.

Because the plot is that Raine comes across something many wants and they will hunt her down.

Fun enough to make me want more.

Paperback, 345 pages
Published May 29th 2007 by Ace 
Raine Benares #1
Fantasy
Own

My 23rd Birthday & Book Review: Daughter of the Reef by Clare Coleman

Author: Clare Coleman
Title: Daughter of the Reef (Ancient Tahiti #1)
Genre: Historical Fiction & Drama
Pages: ebook
First Published: December 1992
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

"Tepua, the daughter of a chief sails from her coral atoll home toward her planned, and ritually mandated, marriage. But she never reaches her destination because a violent storm damages her vessel and leaves her stranded on the shores of Tahiti, a land previously unknown to her. She is made unwelcome because of her foreignness and is victimized because of her weakness and innocence, but her spirit is strong and her will to survive and thrive is boundless. The world of Tahiti is very different from the one she has known, beautiful, savage and mystical by turns. But she is determined to build herself a new life and, in the process, she will change the destiny of all for generations to come."

This took me a little bit of time to get through, because the beginning was slow, but after about 30 pages it got better. Drama ensued and it made the story better. I was at first really, really worried this was soley going to be a boring ol' story, but there is a lot at play. There is a love triangle, political intrigue, and a growing into a woman story. Some parts where very, very dry, but the not dry parts did make up for it sort of. 

I actually didn't mind the love triangle. Crazy, right? It wasn't over-the-top and it wasn't annoying. It didn't take over the whole story. Honestly, though, I knew who she was going to pick after a certain event and plus she would be a fool to pick a certain someone. Okay...after a while, it was no longer a love story - the one boy was trying to fight for her, but she was not having it because he was an idiot and did stupid things. Idiot.

ANYWAYS

It was a fun adventure. It was certainly an interesting location and I'm glad I saved this for winter time. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, I wanna go to the beach and be all warm and stuff. I def recommend this to those that want a huge change of scenery in their reading especially to escape for a moment from the cold. 

The ending....now THAT was a twist I did not see coming. Honestly, I don't know what made Tepua change her mind. I was lost on that front. I think the author forgot to mention her change of her somewhere, because I thought her one ultimate goal was set in stone if occasion arised. Did I miss her change of heart? Mmmmmmmm.... 

ANYWAYS

In the end, this was certainly a good shake-up in my reading. It was a good way to end the year. :) A nice book about love, politics, the ancient world, and a girl turning into a woman story. I liked how it ended, so I'll have to see what the second book in the series is about (I hope its about a different character or something - because I liked the ending Tepua got). I do recommend this to those that like historical fiction and are looking for a change up in their reading. Well, I shall stamp the last book of the year with 3 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Tepua & Tepua's sister-in-law (I can't remember the names that well lol)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Tepua's brother & the main bad guy

~*~

By the way...IT IS MY BIRTHDAY! WOOT WOOT! 23 years young today! I'm not really doing anything today. I decided this year not to party it up or go out. Just chilling at home with Boyfriend like a cool kid. 

Last Book Blog Walkers for 2014

This challenge is organized by Felicia over at the Geeky Blogger's Book Blog
Saturday:  1 mile walk Sunday:  1.5 mile walk  Monday: Nada (power was out during my normal work-out time, so I lazed about with a book) Tuesday: 30 mins yoga Wednesday: Nada (had work and then went straight to Boyfriend's familys) Thursday:   .50 mile run/jog, 3 miles bike, & 10 mins weights (Then to my familys for xmas) Friday: Nada Conclusion: A poopy week again, but I blame the holidays and being lazy. ;) Thursday was fun though! Boyfriend actually went to the gym with me. :3  

Movie Review: Painted Skin - The Resurrection

Length: 2 hr & 11 mins
Released: 2012
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, & Fantasy
Rating: Unrated (I would say about PG-13)
Where I Got It: Netflix

SUMMARY:
An ancient fox spirit embarks on a diabolical quest to become human after escaping an icy prison, and becomes bound to a disfigured princess who seeks the love of a noble guard as her kingdom crumbles in this lavish supernatural epic. Confined to a frozen cell for centuries, malevolent fox spirit Xiaowei regains her freedom and seeks to preserve her beauty by seducing men and consuming their hearts. Should a man offer her his heart willingly, Xiaowei will become mortal, breaking free of the underworld and experiencing living among the living. Meanwhile, as a dark cloud falls over her kingdom, Princess Jing flees, hiding her deep facial scars under a mask of pure gold while seeking the love of her former protector, who remains haunted by his failure to save her years prior. When destiny brings Xiaowei and Princess Jing together, the battle for the princess' heart begins.

TRAILER:

REVIEW:

This has been sitting on my TW list for a while and I was so excited when this popped up on Netflix!

This was a weird, weird movie. Super weird...but a good weird. I really want to watch the first movie (I did not know that existed), so I can get more of a back story of the Fox Demon, Xiaowei. It's totally a stand alone movie, but I would like to see what Xiaowei really did to get frozen for 500 years. Ugh - totally horrible fate btw!

The effects were totally awesome. Some were a little cheesy, but overall they were all really cool and very pretty. I especially loved the cliff scene - just for the fact of how pretty it was. The rest of the scene and how we got to the scene was not...well...happy. But yea.

The acting was good and the fight scenes were pretty good too. One scene near the end made me shake my head. Huo was an idiot. I love the actor, I really do, but goodness Huo needed a good punch on the face. *SPOILER ALERT* Yes, lets blind yourself RIGHT before the big battle, because you cheated on your love due to be seduced by the beauty of the Fox demon. Let's prove your love later buck-a-roo. Tsk *SPOILER ENDED* However, I did love the fact that Jing and the Fox demon did become "friends" in a sense. It was unexpecting, but I thought it was an interesting turn of events. 

In the end, this was a fun adventure. I loved the acting and fight scenes. Huo was an idiot, but I love the actor so I tried looking past it. Princess Jing deserved better, but hey...the heart wants what the heart wants and she had loved him for as long as she could. A couple scenes were cheesy, but they were awesome. I do really want to watch the first movie, because I think I would understand some of the references, but it did stand well as a stand alone. I shall stamp this with 4 stars, it's more like 3.5, but I rounded. :)

Favorite Character(s): Jing, the Fox Demon, and Que'r (I loved her love story with the demon hunter, it was cute)

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Huo (I love the actor, but the character needed a punch in the face)