Even Vampires Get Bullied! robgirlbooks' Review of Vampire Academy (the movie)

Last week I went to see the latest Jack Ryan movie and one of the previews was...Vampire Academy! While my sister and I were doing this ridiculous fist bump routine a man down the aisle said (loudly), "I have no interest in seeing that." Ha! You missed out cranky old man because I loved it!

Right off the bat we're hit with background on Richelle Mead's world of vampires. There's no way around a big info dump, so that's fine. Rose and Lissa have a bond beyond the mystical, they're best friends and that comes across in the movie. Dimitri comes across too. Seriously, he has a huge presence in every scene he's in. Lissa's accent took a couple minutes to adjust to and there were a few curious casting choices like fire starter Christian. My version of him is a tad less hot, or at least much angstier. And my version of Christian does not have an accent unless you consider hostility an accent.

The mystery isn't so mysterious since I read the books. There's a bully lurking around campus writing threatening messages in blood. And there's an awful classmate. She's more on the pipsqueak side of things. I really hated her in the books, but I just wanted to put her in a time-out in the movie. Rose has some terrific lines and delivers them perfectly. I loved the self-deprecating humor, that was spot on with the books.

If you're a die hard VA fan, I'm not sure what your take on the movie will be. There are a couple change ups and like always some of the best parts are either cut or abbreviated, but Rose rocks and she is the star. Dimitri makes you swoon. Lissa can be annoying, but she annoyed me in the books too. Christian needs a shirtless scene in the next movie. I think the action and storyline will only get better over the span of the movie franchise if there will be a movie franchise. There is no lurking scene after the credits roll, but I wanted one because I wanted more. That says a lot right there. I hope you enjoy the movie too!

I'm giving it 4 FANGY STARS!

In case you  missed it, I just released Shadow Town: Maggie Lane Chronicles #1. This is my first venture into New Adult Paranormal Romance and I had a blast! We're having a blog tour February 24-28. If you would like to join the tour, leave a comment or email me. We'd love to have you.

Zombies, Water Parks, Sass, and a Sweet HEA, robgirlbooks' movie & book mini-review marathon!!

My plan was to do a movie review marathon but November kicked my butt. I only saw 2 awesome flicks...so I added a couple quick holiday reads that made me smile the whole way through (except at the end because I wanted more).

5 STARS! World War Z is so good. I've watched it three times. You know the premise probably. The world is over. The dead walk the earth, but in this case they run super fast and infect you. Most zombie movies are about survival and sadly most of the cast don't make it. You endure a whole lot of body munching, screaming, and gore. In World War Z, you move past that because there is no survival for anyone if they don't figure out how to neutralize the zombie infestation. So it's a mystery wrapped in an apocalyptic thriller. If you've always wanted to watch a zombie flick but were scared of entrails all over the place, this is the movie for you. Plus Brad Pitt is so very awesome in it. He rocks, and tries to save the world. I love him.


5 STARS! The Way Way Back pulls you into the painful existence that is summer vacation trapped with the worst person ever. Fourteen year old Duncan is stuck spending his summer with his mom and her suck-face boyfriend. I wanted to claw the man's eyes out and kick him in a bunch of places that would make him cry. Luckily, Duncan happens upon a local water park run by a bunch of misfit adults who take him in like he belongs. I loved watching Duncan come to life and I rooted for his mom to follow suit. There's some boy/girl tension. Some divorced parents drama. And the best friend a kid could make in the form of actor Sam Rockwell. Oh how I love him. If you're looking for a feel good journey check out The Way Way Back.


4 STARS! The Gift by Karli Perrin is what I'm dubbing a smiling read. I'm not sure if I've ever read a story where the banter and chemistry entertained me so thoroughly. You have Imogen, a sassy creative writing student and Blake, the best male character ever! Okay, I'll calm down, but Blake is just too good for a tiny novelette. I want more from the pair. Author Perrin does a wonderful job making me swoon and feel giddy for the budding romance, but then the story ends and I kept clicking next page. How could it end like that? Seriously, I needed an epilogue the same length of the mini-book. If you're looking for a fun, swoon-worthy holiday read, The Gift is a great choice. I have to thank Ki at Doing Some Reading for gifting me this book. We had a great chat about it.


4 STARS! Snow Daze by Katie Mettner is beyond sweet. The characters were such solid, beautiful people I cheered for them to get their HEA. Dully is a Special Ed teacher with a heart of gold. He rocks. Snow has a doctorate and a disability that would push away some suitors, but not heart-of-gold Dully. They have a chance encounter that piques both interest and hope. The rest was a giant leap of faith. I enjoyed reading about adults going about having an adult romance. And I wasn't expecting the steamy scenes! If you're looking for a total feel good holiday romance, check out The Gift. I first heard about this novella from Tobi at Forget the Housework, I'm Reading. Check out the post and read about Katie Mettner's awesome mission.