5 reasons why I didn't like Tell the Wind and Fire

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

Published: April 5th 2016 by Clarion Books

Genre: young adult, dystopia, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets. 

Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised.

Lucie alone knows of the deadly connection the young men share, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.

Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?

Celebrated author Sarah Rees Brennan tells a magical tale of romance and revolution, love and loss.

REVIEW

After seeing a lot of negative and DNF reviews of Tell the Wind and Fire, I had lowered my expectations but well… There was a reason so many people didn’t like it, and I’m totally joining them. I’m sad that I disliked it so much, because it was inspired by Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, a classic I love. Moreover, I’m disappointed because for once the main character had the same name as mine, but I didn’t really connect to her. This one really didn’t work for me and I gave it my lowest rating ever, sadly. In this post, I’m talking about why I didn’t like it.

1 – This book was cliché. It was just another dystopia where a girl -special snowflake of course- ignited and became the symbol of the rebellion, when she acted to get her father out of the “bad world” and didn’t want any part of it. Moreover, this world was literally black-and-white, with a Dark City and a Light City, which was way too simplistic. Everywhere, we saw it’s about nuances of grey and there we have the clear separation. Of course, it’s talked about later on, but still.

2 – The world-building was lacking and was delivered as info-dump. Okay, this totally seems like a paradox, but that’s what happened. At some point, the main character said she should explain the world, because it would make more sense and then she does that for a whole chapter. It’s definitely not how you should introduce the world. This info-dump wasn’t even disguised. Moreover, we never get to know how humans discover magic, it just happened. This world appeared magically, almost from nowhere, it’s an evolution of ours but how did we do it?

3 – It had a love triangle with the bad guy trope. At the beginning of the book, Lucie is doing everything to save her boyfriend, Ethan. At the same time, she basically meets his evil twin and a love triangle ensue. That’s… Unoriginal. I don’t understand how readers can fall over Carswyn: of course, he has a tragic backstory to explain all of his bad actions, but it’s not because he’s redeeming himself at the end of the story that I will feel anything for him. He treated Lucie like shit during almost the whole book, clearly enjoying passing for Ethan to kiss her and all. I’m sorry, but no. Moreover, I didn’t feel the chemistry between Ethan and Lucie. So yes, I didn’t fall for the romance at all.

4 – I didn’t care for the characters. From the beginning, they were putting up acts for everyone, to convince their audience they were innocent and kind. Mostly, they felt one-dimensional and unmemorable. Lucie was okay I guess, but she felt like a hundred heroines I’ve read before, a special snowflake that will change the whole world. I liked that she didn’t want the revolution and that she wanted to be safe though, because it felt more realistic: we don’t all want to be heroes. During the whole book, Ethan was threatened because he was accused of treason. But sadly, I didn’t really care about him, because I felt like the only thing I knew about him was that he was beautiful and Lucie loved him. That’s great, but I would like more. I’ve talked about Carswyn already: his pitiful backstory didn’t make me shed a single tear, because I saw how he acted and I didn’t like it.

5 – The ending was EXACTLY the same that in A Tale of Two Cities. While I thought the retelling aspect of this book was alright -even if it didn’t have to try copying famous quotes- I would have liked to be more detached from Dickens’ work, especially the ending. If you’ve read the book, it ended in the same way, except it was Brennan’s way of telling it and there were a few alterations because of the differences between the two worlds.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? Have you read other books by this author? I heard her other books were good, what did you think of them? Do you love A Tale of Two Cities?

Grabby Hands #5 | May 2016

Grabby Hands is a monthly feature where I talk about all the books I'm excited for. April is coming to an end, we still don't really have true Spring time, but talking about May releases might help, right? There are so many books coming out in May, especially on May 3rd (apparently 30 young adult books will be published that day, but I don't want to read them all), so it might be a long post. 

                                                                              May 3rd                                                                       

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas - I reread A Court of Thorns and Roses a few weeks ago and now I'm even more excited for this one. ACOMAF will be a retelling of Hades and Persephone, which makes me so happy, because it means we'll see more of Rhysand (but it was obvious). Also, I want to know what he saw before leaving (??). Sarah J. Maas is an author I love and she made me like faeries, before I found them kind of weird, but hers are fantastic. I haven't picked a team between Tamlin and Rhysand to be honest, *hides from the fangirls*, but I'm eager to see how it'll turn out.

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan - I wasn't surprised when Rick Riordan announced his new series, but I was a little disappointed it didn't focus on Roman demigods (probably next time though). It's interesting he chose to have Apollo as a main character and I'm curious to see how he'll be as a regular teenager. I really enjoy Riordan's books so of course I'll get to this one at some point.

Ruined (Ruined #1) by Amy Tintera - DID SOMEONE SAY HIGH FANTASY? Of course I added this one to my TBR! I haven't read Amy Tintera's duology (it was about zombies, right?) but I think I will if I love this one. I like that it's about revenge and infiltrating royalty because it could go horribly wrong (but of course she'll fall in love). 

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - Morgan Matson is one of my favourite contemporary authors. I read all of her books and loved them, so of course I'm craving this one. My only complaint is that she only writes a book every two years, because I need more. But at the same time, they're so good that I can understand. While it doesn't matter what it's about (since it'll be amazing), I'm intrigued about the dogs.

Dream On (The Silver Trilogy #2) by Kerstin Gier - It's a German trilogy, finally translated in English! Actually, the second book is already out in French, but I don't care because the English cover is so much prettier, with this Alice in Wonderland's feeling to it. I loved the first book, because it was set in London, involved dreams and reminded me a little of The Raven Boys, because the main characters were a girl and four boys. I found the first book so cute and I'm excited for this one.

Warrior Witch (The Malediction Trilogy #3) by Danielle L. Jensen - I LOVE this trilogy. If you haven't read it, run away and go buy it. Then come back. Or keep on reading and then get it. Whatever. Hidden Huntress ended on a tough spot for the characters so I'm scared of what will happen. But at the same time I can't wait and I want Cécile and Tristan to have all the babies in the world (at least). If someone had told me I would love a fantasy series about trolls to death, I would have laughed to his nose. But I was wrong.

Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman - I loved Blankman's Prisoner of Night and Fog duology. She's a great historical fiction writer and I can't wait to get to this one. It is set in the 17th century and I don't need to know more, because Charles II lived more or less at the same time than Louis XIV of France (one of my faves) so yes, yes, yes. I need more 17th century novels in YA fiction, please auhors.

Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider - Spring is finally here (more or less where I live but that's another story), which means I'm getting in the mood for contemporary novels again! What intrigued me about this one was the setting, because I don't think I've ever read a book set in Hawaii. Also, it's a debut novel and you should know by now that I've been excited by a lot of debut novels this year (it doesn't mean I enjoy them all but still!).

The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass - I'm not a huge fan of the Selection series, but those books are quick, entertaining and easy to read, sometimes it's what one needs! If Eadlyn isn't a complete brat anymore and goes through character development, it should be fine!

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood - Here's another debut involving time travel! From what I gathered, the time traveling aspect is more similar to The Love That Split the World, because it's about different parts of the main character's life. I haven't heard anything about this one yet, so I'll go blind into it.

                                                                             May 17th                                                                      

The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1) by Evelyn Skye - This debut had stellar reviews, everyone is talking about it. I was already quite excited, because it's a historical fantasy set in Russia, where two magicians are competing against each other to work for the tsar. I think it must be one of my most anticipated releases of May.

Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins - Stephanie Perkins is coming back with another anthology, but the stories will be set in summer this time (hence the title, Lucie...). Authors I loved have contributed to this one, like Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, Veronica Roth, Jennifer E. Smith and Libba Bray! I'm curious to read their stories.

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes - I have yet to read a book by Paula Stokes, because I've heard amazing things about this author. I'm intrigued by this one, because the main character seems clumsy and unlucky, that's what I feel most of the time, so I think I will totally relate to her. Moreover, how many clumsy characters do we have, usually? I need people like me in fiction.

                                                                           May 24th                                                                        

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee - I read Stacey Lee's debut, Under a Painted Sky and while I wasn't its biggest fan, I found that it tackled down some important topics, mostly because the author choose to have persons of colours as main characters in a historical setting. Now that I think about it, I saw more diversity in YA historical novels than in YA urban fantasy novels lately, go figure. But anyway, I don't think I've read a historical novel set in San Francisco yet and I'm eager to see what the main character will do to help her city after a major earthquake.

Are you excited about any of these books? Have you read any of them yet? Which books are you most excited for in May?

Healing or killing: how would you save the world? | Dark Triumph & Scent of Magic

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers

Published: April 2nd 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Genre: young adult, historical, fantasy

Goodreads summary: When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

REVIEW

Like the author said in her note, this story was more personal than political, which I totally felt while reading, but I still love both books equally. Indeed, the spirit of the story stayed the same, because at first, Sybella was on an assignment, but then it became much more than that. If I was thrown away into the world right again, I found it to be slower to pick up.

I really liked learning about Sybella’s backstory, even though it was so awful, because I really got to know her. Still, it was a situation that felt realistic for this era. But I couldn’t really connect with her, with all the masks she put on her face, she felt like an actress most of the time, it was more towards the end of the book that I really cared about her. I enjoyed her relationship with Beast, I found that it grew naturally and I actually shipped them, they were quite alike.

Plot-wise, Dark Triumph went farther into the timeline, I thought it would follow the same one than in Grave Mercy, so I was quite pleased by that. The plot was thrilling and I really enjoyed following it, it also expanded the world a bit, because the characters went to different cities, the author also included the charbonnerie and other convents like Saint Mer. The characters felt closer to the people, while in Grave Mercy, they were closer to the court.

Other:

• Review of Grave Mercy 

Scent of Magic (Healer #2) by Maria V. Snyder

Published: December 20th 2012 by MIRA

Genre: fantasy

Goodreads summary: The army of the dead are coming…

Avry of Kazan, the last Healer of the mystical Fifteen Realms, has a power that can’t be matched. But in the minds of her friends and foe alike, Avry no longer exists. Now, as the psychotic King Tohon builds an army mightier than any that has been seen before—a league of undead soldiers—Avry must face her toughest, most terrifying battle alone. Fighting to be reunited with her family and her lover Kerrick, Avry must infiltrate Tohon’s troops. But does she have the power, the rare magic; to do what legend says is impossible?

REVIEW

Sadly, I didn’t like Scent of Magic as much as Touch of Power, I had a hard time getting through it and had to push myself to read it. In this one, the author chose to have two points of view, which made sense because the characters were separated, but I wasn’t really looking forward to read his chapters, they quite bored me. Moreover, Avry’s point of view was written in first person and Kerrick’s in third person, which always threw me off. Still, I liked the development about the healers.

I found the plot to be slow-moving, because for two thirds of the book, the characters were just preparing for war. I wasn’t at the edge of my seat, but there were some twists I didn’t expect, that still made me happy. I was surprised by the ending, though, so that’s a good thing.

I really liked the secondary characters introduced in Scent of Magic, especially the ones from the camp, because some characters we met in the first one weren’t there, it was refreshing. I really, really didn’t like Tohon, just like in the first one, but it’s not really a surprise. Some of his actions were childish, for example he just wants to own Avry to piss Kerrick. Moreover, it was a good thing that Avry and Kerrick were separated during the whole book, because it kind of ‘stopped’ the romance for a while, which meant no drama (for once). I hope I’ll like the third book more than this one. 

Other:

• Review of Scent of Magic

Have you read any of these books/series? What did you think of them? Would YOU be an assassin or a healer?

An impressive start to a new fantasy series | Flamecaster

Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

Published: April 5th 2016 by HarperCollins

Genre: young adult, fantasy

Goodreads summary: The first in a thrilling new four-book fantasy series from New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima, set in the same world as her beloved Seven Realms series, a generation later.

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it? 

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told that the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

REVIEW

I read the Seven Realms series a year and a half ago and I found it amazing, so I was really excited for this one – I added it on Goodreads November 1st 2014 – which says a lot. When I got it in the mail, I hurried to finish the book I was currently reading, then jumped on it quickly. Long story short: if you’re a fantasy fan, read this one!

I loved getting back into the world, because it felt familiar (the first chapters were set in the Fells) and yet like a new world, because the characters visited new places and it was set more or less twenty years later. The world felt realistic, because when we left the characters in The Crimson Crown, the situation wasn’t entirely stable, and it still wasn’t the case two decades later. It was still a world at war, more than ever, hence the title of the series, Shattered Realms. Cinda Williams Chima didn’t stay long in the places the reader already knew, like the Fells or Oden’s Ford, which was fine by me, because I discovered the kingdom of Arden and heard of the Northern Islands (which was so mysterious and exciting).

In the world-building, some little details bothered me, like the facts the months were the same as ours, when it’s a high fantasy one, and the use of French by the author, with a typo (La Ancienne instead of L’Ancienne) when I don’t even understand how the characters could know French… I guess it was used for a different society, but still.

Plot-wise, the author chose to do temporal ellipses, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. If I found it more realistic, it confused me a lot, because the author just mentioned time had passed in a sentence. Still, it allowed her to write backstory to the characters, which was quite relevant to the rest of the story, but heart-breaking in both cases. This book contained multiple points of view but mostly Adrian’s. While I liked his arc a lot and I know that we will get more of Jenna’s in the next book, I’m wondering why the author chose to call this book ‘Flamecaster’, because it’s relevant to Jenna, not Adrian, but oh well.

The story moved fast enough for my taste, but yes, it was a big book. I was pleasantly surprised when the author included healers, but also pirates and (highlight for the spoiler) dragons. Some of the twists were quite unexpected, which made me love the book even more. I guessed one of the big ones early on though, but I think it’s only the second time I read this twist (and it was in French YA fiction, so…). The ending of the book made me so eager for the next one, even though it didn’t end on a cliff-hanger. I’m looking forward to see what’s going on in the Fells, but also in the Northern Islands (who is this Empress Celestine?).

I found the characters to be one of the best parts of the story, I loved them so much. Like I mentioned, the author started the story when they were twelve or thirteen, to tell traumatizing events that shaped them. Because of that, I felt a deep connection to them very quickly.

Adrian felt like a perfect mix of his parents, I loved it. If he was a mage, he was also a healer, an aspect of his arc I really enjoyed. I was a little confused by how he changed just by meeting Jenna though. I hope I’ll get to see him with his family soon, because I’m excited to see their dynamics. Jenna was such an interesting character, we didn't get a lot of her point of view, but her arc is totally set up for the next book. I had guessed what was going on with her but I don't care, it was still pretty awesome! Jenna was a resourceful girl, but we didn’t get to see it much in the second part of the book because of the situation she was in, but I’m sure we will see that aspect of her more in the sequel.

When I read a character was named Lila I immediately thought of the awesomeness that was Lila Bard in A Darker Shade of Magic and this one was also amazing. And a smuggler. And a person of colour so finally some fantasy authors are trying to include diverse characters in this genre. Finally, Destin and Evan were mysterious and ambivalent, I really want to have more backstory about them (especially after the epilogue).

As you can say, I’m pretty enthusiastic about these characters because I found them fleshed out and relatable. But, I had a problem with… The romance. I’m sorry, but it was just a big case instalove. The main characters met and by the end of the chapter (or the next one), they just wanted to be together and do everything for the other. I’m sorry, but no. I’m so sad about this instalove, you guys, because in Seven Realms, the relationship between the main characters wasn’t instalove-y at all.

Overall, it was a fantastic first book in Cinda Williams Chima’s new series, with amazing characters and an expanded world. Since it’s a spin-off series, I think you can start with this one, but you’ll be spoiled for the ending of Seven Realms and I’m not sure you’ll have enough world-building to start one. The only thing that bothered me was the instalove, but the rest of the books was so great that it makes it a 4.5 stars book.

Did you read the Seven Realms series? Were you a fan of it? Have you read Flamecaster yet? Do you want to?

Dewey's 24 Hours Read-a-thon TBR

Hi guys!

April 23rd, meaning this Saturday, Dewey’s 24 hours read-a-thon is happening and I decided to participate this time around. It wasn’t on my monthly TBR because I decided to join on a whim, after seeing a tweet. It's time to do something about the TBR pile!

Obviously, the goal is to read as much as you can in one day and to share the experience with everyone else. During the day, there will be giveaways, mini-challenges, reading sprints; I’m sure it will be a lot of fun.

It’s only the second read-a-thon I’m participating to -I participated in Bout of Books in 2014, but that’s it- and I’m really excited, because we only have a day!

Since the read-a-thon is only 24 hours long, everyone in the world is starting at the same time, in France it makes me start at 2 p.m.

“Part of me knows one more day won't do anything except postpone the heartbreak. But another part of me believes differently. We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” (Just One Day, Gayle Forman)

Because it’s a 24 hours read-a-thon, I’m choosing shorter books to be able to finish my TBR. Maybe I will even try to start one of the books before the beginning of the read-a-thon, since it only begins in the afternoon for me. It also means I’ll finally get to some of the novellas that I have on my e-reader. Now, let's take a look on my TBR, shall we?

 Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

Morrhigan by Mary E. Pearson

The Moth and the Flame by Renee Ahdieh

Do you love read-a-thons? Do you plan on participating to this read-a-thon? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? How do you choose the books on your TBR?

Fantasy or not fantasy? That's the question. | The Glittering Court

The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead

Published: April 5th 2016 by Razorbill

Genre: young adult, alternate history (?)

Goodreads summary: Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands… 

REVIEW

The ratings are already getting downhill for this one, but it was much better than Soundless, Mead’s previous novel, in my opinion. Still, I think this one is misleading, because some people went into it thinking it was fantasy, but it’s not. It would be closer to a historical novel, but it’s not quite this either.

The concept of this book is similar to The Selection, because it’s about educating young women to send them to the New World in order to marry wealthy men. Of course, it focused on fashion and manners, which I really liked. While I was hooked straight away because of the concept, I didn’t understand why a girl escaping an arranged marriage would go to the Glittering Court, where she would have an arranged marriage. I understand that she thought she didn’t have another choice, but it still felt odd and the book was built upon it. So of course, I wasn't surprised when she didn't want to marry. Nevertheless, I really liked Adelaide’s story and Mead managed to write a good standalone, evenly paced and that didn’t bore me. She also gave enough hints about the other characters –this will be a companion series- that I’m excited to read Tamsin’s and Mira’s sides of the story.

This world had weak world-building. Because I knew it was inspired by Elizabethan England, I knew what to expect and what to imagine. Yes, there were some descriptions, but I felt like she could have explained a little more. Sometimes, countries were mentioned and I had no idea what she was talking about. I don’t really understand why the author chose to set this book in another world, because it felt almost identical to Elizabethan England. But, I love Elizabethan England, so I considered it was set in it. Yes, I’m cheating. For example, there were religious conflicts, Natives being chased from their land and so on.

I enjoyed being in Adelaide’s head in this novel. She was a regular nobility character but I thought she was brave, because she chose to go in a foreign land in order to escape her land. She was strong-tempered and stood up for her loved ones. Tamsin and Mira were different from her, but I have to say I loved them all. Moreover, I didn’t expect them to have such a strong friendship, because it was about finding husbands and I thought they would be mean to each other all the time. Cedric was compelling love interest and he had chemistry with Adelaide from the beginning –yes Mead did it again! I liked reading about their love story and I was rooting for them. All the characters had secrets and I’m getting crazy because we don’t know all of them yet. But, I found it disappointing that the main character got to know what it was about and it was a blank in the narration.

Plot-wise, I found that so many things happened, but sometimes it was too much... I felt like I read two novels instead of one! It was a rich story and Mead never stopped too long on each part –the education in the manors wasn’t a really big part of the story- which I didn’t really expect. There were many subplot points and this book went into surprising directions. Moreover, at some point, a character was almost rapped and it literally made no sense. Yes, it's an important issue but I felt it was just used as a plot tool. It wrapped up pretty nicely though, but it was also a new beginning for Adelaide, and I really hope we’ll see glimpses of her future in the next books.  

Overall, it wasn’t Vampire Academy or Bloodlines, because it wasn’t a fantasy book, but I still liked it. I don’t know if this book is for everyone, but it goes much farther than the arranged marriage aspect. I read this book quickly because it was gripping but the world-building was meh. Still, the main characters were strong-minded and I can’t even say which one I liked the more. Adelaide’s story wrapped up nicely, but I’m eager to read more. Typically, this is a case where I'm conflicted on the rating...

Do you love Richelle Mead's books? Have you read this one yet? Do you plan to?

The Get To Know Me Tag

Sooo, Geraldine @ CorrallingBooks tagged me to do the Get To Know Me Tag! Thank you so much, lovely! As you may know, I love doing tags –it’s been a while I think?- I’m excited to do this one!

VITAL STATS

Name: Lucie 

Nicknames: Lulu, Lu, P’tit Lu, Elisabeth, Babeth, Small Marmot

Birthday: February 12^th 1996

Occupation: I’m studying history in La Sorbonne, it’s my third year, which means I’ll have a bachelor of history in a few weeks! *dances happily*

APPEARANCE

Hair colour: I’m blonde but I have a lot of hair, so the hair under is more dark blonde, because it never sees the sun, haha. I need it to be summer so I’ll be fully blonde again!

Hair length: I cut my hair again two weeks ago and now it’s above my shoulders. And yes, I cut my hair myself, because it’s curly so you can’t see it if the length isn’t the same everywhere. I know it’s weird but… I don’t want to spend a lot of money on that!

Eye colour: In my family, we all have blue eyes, but we all have different shades. Mine are more steel blue (according to my boyfriend who just checked!).

Best feature: My emotionality, even though it’s overwhelming at times, because I can empathy with others easily and listen to them.

Braces: Oh my, I got mine for three years and only got them off in October of my high school senior year. I hated those so much, ugh. I know they were useful on me, though, so I get it.

Piercing: I only have my ears pierced and I don’t want anything else. Belly-button piercings weirds me out because I’m quite uncomfortable about belly buttons, which is so weird.

Tattoos: It could be pretty cool to have one but it’s hard to decide which one you want on yourself for the rest of your life, right? I’m too indecisive for that, let’s be real. So yeah, only temporary ones! At some point, I loved drawing on my skin actually.

Right or Left: I’m right-handed, but apparently when I was younger, I was holding the pen with my left hand sometimes.

FIRSTS

Best friend: Victoire, the daughter of my parents’ best friends! She’s a year younger than me but I think we know each other since she was born, or something. We were in the same elementary then middle school but because I’m two years above her (I’m a year ahead in my studies), we slowly broke apart. It’s sad, but it’s what happens to me most of the time (like when I choose to study in Paris).

Award: Uh, we didn’t really have competitions of some sort in school, I think we got an award for a swimming competition with my classmates when I was eight, but I don’t really recall it. xD

Sport: It would be ballet, because I started when I was four and half, and practiced for ten years!

Real holiday: When I was a year and a half, I went to Ibiza with my parents; I actually recall seeing fireworks, because the Real Madrid had won some competition in football. Also, my dad disguised himself as a woman (why even?) and I was screaming: “give me back my dad” apparently.

Concert: You probably don’t know the singer, except if you’re French, haha. When I was eight, my dad took me to Lorie’s concert, who was every little girl’s idol. I think I went to her concerts three times total. But one of the best ones I’ve been to was Mika’s, especially when he took his shirt off. I was like thirteen or fourteen.

FAVOURITES

Movie: ALL THE MOVIES DIRECTED BY TIM BURTON AND FEATURING JOHNNY DEPP! I think Charlie and Chocolate’s Factory and Alice in Wonderland are my favourites.

Colour: Purple! Actually it’s a colour I almost never wear, but it’s my favourite one anyway! I mostly wear blue or pink which actually makes… Purple. I’m logical like that, haha.

Song: Right now, I’m obsessed with Photograph by Ed Sheeran. I loved it before it was on the trailer for Me Before You, but now it brings back even more feels!

Restaurant: I love Moroccan’s restaurants because couscous is one of my favourite foods.

Shop: Bookstores. For clothes’ shopping, I love H&M!

Books: It’s such a tricky question, I don’t want to answer! The best book I read in March was Lady Midnight, so I’ll go with this one! Also, Emma and Julian *sobs*.

Shoes: Ballerina shoes! Now that it’s Spring, I can finally wear mine again, which makes me so happy! It’s comfy and elegant at the same time.

CURRENTLY

Feeling: Comfortable, because I’m in my bed after a long day and also very tired after this week of finals.

Single or taken: I’m in a relationship since August 2014! I know my boyfriend will be reading this and proud as a peacock. ;)

Eating: I just ate apple pie and it was so good!

Thinking about: that I need to get train tickets to go see my little brother tonight, who is in a music camp (sort of), where he’s improving his skills in trombone.

Watching: I just caught up on the last episode of the Flash and I need the next one, aaaaaah! This one had a goal and all but I think next time, it will be about confronting the antagonist!

Wearing: A flowery dress with black tights and pink ballerina shoes.

FUTURE

Want Children: Of course I do, and at least a daughter, because I’m stuck with three brothers.

Want to be Married: Someday, definitely.

Careers in mind: *runs away as far as I can* So, basically, I don’t know. I want to work in the culture area for sure, maybe curator in a museum?

Where you want to live: In an English speaking country. Do you guys know what a struggle it is to buy books in English? I either have to order from Book Depository or Amazon. I want to be able to go to a bookstore and choose! In Paris, there is a bookstore with everything I need but it’s way more expensive than TBD or Amazon, like sometimes, a paperback there is at the same price as a hardcover on TBD! It’s insane! Anyway, I’m just saying that to choose… London. It’s not too far for me, thanks to the Eurostar from Lille. Also, since I live in the north of France, I almost have the same weather that in London, most days.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

God: Yes. I’m more or less catholic, because that’s what my family is, but I don’t think one religion above the others is right.

Miracles: I’ve never seen one, so maybe?

Love at First Sight: Not love, but attraction yes.

Ghosts: I don’t know but whenever I’m alone in a house/flat or it’s the night… I have my doubts.

Aliens: Definitely! I can’t believe we’re all alone in this wide universe.

Soul mates: I don’t think so. I think there are several right people for us in the world; you just have to find one of them. Because if for some reason you’re not with the person who felt right anymore, I’m sure there will be someone else, who’ll feel right in another way.

Heaven: I don’t really like to think about it, but I hope.

Hell: Same as above.

Kissing on the First Date: Definitely! But most of the time, I figure the things out with the guy before a first date… So the kiss happened first. Except with my boyfriend two summers ago, where we actually had a date.

Yourself: YES! I’ve been getting so much better at that for the last year, a part of it is due to the blog actually, because it helped finding myself. #cheesy

Wow, it actually took me quite some time to write down all my answers! Thanks for tagging me Geraldine! :)