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hey everyone! I just updated some things on my movie page! Did Annabeth's actor dye her hair blonde for the movie?!?!?!?! Also don't forget to check out the Anastasia Forever page for updates on everything Joy Preble! What's coming up? Well I am procrastinating my homework so I started reading a new book that is AMAZING! I also got a really cool book for my Birthday called the Goddess Test, which was signed by the author. Reviews to come, until then check out my pages and stay tuned!

Mystery,Myths, and Murder: Ripper

SPOILER
Dear Boss,
Aren't M words fun?? Endless possibilities!! So yes, I have found another book about one of the very first serial killers. Now, before I review the book RIPPER,  I HIGHLY suggest you read my review for The Name of the Star (<<<<<<link here), another book about Jack the Ripper including an amazing modern day paranormal twist. I will be comparing these two books but I'll get to that later. For now, Stephan Petrucha's book, Ripper. 

Okay, so right off the back of the book I new what the ending was. Now I won't say what I knew, but I think the front and back covers were poorly done. Don't get me wrong- I think the picture on the front is very cool- it's the words. Like how it says, "You thought you knew him, you were dead wrong." So, I don't want to sound stupid, but who is he talking about? My first guess was J.T.R, but isn't the whole point that no one really knows who Jack the Ripper is? The problem is it can't be about any other characters because they are all new to us,  ergo we can't "think we know them." Then I flipped over the book and knew the ending immediately. Then I read the inside cover and proved my theory. 

Also, he wrote very...funny. For one thing, he had very little description for characters, and almost too much description for certain places. He is mainly a writer for graphic novels so there is no description needed. I was just disappointed because I honestly don't know a ton about 1890's New York, like how they dress or the type of technology they had. I honestly loved the characters! You had the classic hero Carver, who wanted more than anything to become a detective, searching for his biological father. The strong willed intelligent junior reporter, Delia, who helps Carver in his search. And then you have   Mr. Hawking. He is kind of Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allan Poe, and an entire mental institution all wrapped up into one interestingly odd detective. I will be honest; at first what was supposed to be this cool "Sherlock Holmes gone rogue" character just came off as...weird. Now as the book progressed, he sort of grew on me and added interesting twists to the story. What I loved about this book is that unlike most Saucy Jack  stories this one takes place in NEW YORK which is where they believe the Whitechapel Killer hopped over to after he was finished with Mary Jane Kelly. 

The book is about Carver Young, an orphan in search of his biological father, who is adopted by a famous retired detective named Albert Hawking. In his search he somehow gets mixed into an investigation of a train of murders in New York, and you won't believe who the man behind those killings is (did the title give it away?). My opinion of the book definately changed while reading. So while one chapter I was really enjoying it, the next I was hating it, and then the next I was rolling my eyes. The book did have a twist at the end but honestly it wasn't a very good one. I thought that was going to happen by the middle of the book, then discarded the theory because it didn't make sense. You know how in Scooby Doo they will pull off the monster mask to reveal the person, then pull off another mask to reveal another person. That's kinda how this ended. There were some other things that didn't make sense about his disguise but if I tell you you'll know who it is.


Okay so all that being said I did enjoy the story. It has a couple  of cool characters like Carver and Delia, and an exciting plot. The author has a unique view on Sherlock Holmes. I liked what he said "Doyle is the genius." Which I never really thought about but now that I do he is sooo right. Throughout the book Carver came across some incredible gadgets, and peculiar characters. What I didn't realize is that a lot of what was in the book was true!! Like the Midnight Band of Mercy,  who were a group of people in the late 1800's who would collect cats from the street and kill them. 

The Name of The Star v. Ripper
If' you are like me and love reading murder mysteries, then I highly suggest reading both of these! They are pretty much exact opposites. Both of these books were pretty creepy but what was cool is that they both focused on different aspects of the killings. Ripper's creepy-ness mainly came from the actual killer. Carver always felt like he was being followed so the book had a lot of suspense. J.T.R would leave the bodies in ironic or noticeable places, which showed how much of a game it was to him, making him not only creepy but also psychotic. On the other hand, The Name of the Star focused on the actual killings. The suspense came from wondering who would be the next victim of the new J.T.R. As you learn throughout the book (The Name of the Star) they aren't normal killings, which opens up a whole new possibility for the killer. Ripper took place in the 1890's in New York, and The Name of the Star takes place in England present day. Also The Name of the Star mainly talks about the "From Hell" letter and Ripper talks about the "Dear Boss Letters". Two completely different stories about the same event! I just find that really cool.  

Okay to sum up this very large post I did enjoy the book, I was just kinda disappointed by certain details.
I definately recommend reading this book! Probably middle school and up depending on the reader. It is fairly creepy but not  SUPER creepy or gruesome. If you read both books post in the comments and tell me what you think. Please Comment & Subscribe!

Yours Truly
-Candlewaster
P.s-Sorry I know I accidentally posted it before I was finished.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?: The Anne/Ethan Romance

Hi again everyone! Today, not only did I give you guys a deleted scene from the AMAZING series known as DREAMING ANASTASIA, but now I also have a guest post from the one and only JOY PREBLE! Enjoy this inside scoop of whats really going on with Anne+Ethan!!!

What’s Love Got to Do with It?: The Anne/Ethan Romance

Joy Preble

Joy Preble

The guiding force of the DREAMING ANASTASIA series is the relationship between
Anne and Ethan. Anne knows from the second she catches blue-eyed Ethan stalking
her at the ballet that there is just something about him. And in fact, he proceeds to
turn her life upside and sideways because it is Ethan who peels back Anne’s normal
world and reveals a world of Russian fairy tales brought to life, of a hidden princess
and an illegitimate royal son driven by vengeance. When they touch – and I always
knew that their story would begin with a physical touch setting things in motion—
everything changes.

Anne is no longer just the girl who dances ballet and goes to school and mourns the
death of her brother to cancer. She is a girl with power to save a princess, power to
right ancient wrongs and ultimately, the power to break a curse that is holding her
birth grandmother captive. But power comes with a steep price. And when Anne
accepts Baba Yaga’s bargain so she can save Ethan in book 2, she steps into the
witch’s forest in a way she has up until then refused to do. Of course, I wanted her to
do this for love, even if she has trouble admitting that’s what it is.

This is problem for Anne and Ethan: they do not come easily to loving each other. Or
rather, Ethan comes easily to loving Anne, even if he feels that he does not deserve
her or a second chance at life. Which is exactly what she gives him when she rides
out of the witch’s forest with Anastasia, allowing Ethan to regain his mortality.
While Viktor yearns to live forever, Ethan wants only to have what he lost for a
cause that was never what he believed it to be: to live and die in the proper time.
That he has found the love of his life makes him both deliriously happy as well as
guilty as hell.

And Anne, well, she’s a smart girl. Even when she’s not, she has Tess watching
her back, making sure she sees things as they are. Anne sees loving Ethan as an
impossibility. He is too old even if he looks young. He has secrets and a long, long
past. She is only sixteen. And yet I think she loves him from the moment he tells her
his story. But she holds back; she is indecisive. In fact, these traits hurt her in all
aspects of her life. She has trouble committing. Ethan, on the other hand, is an all-in
kind of guy.

So what did I do to these two? I made them inhabit a reverse fairy tale. It is Anne
who ends up saving Ethan over and over. It is Anne who is the hero. And ultimately,
it is Ethan (no spoilers for book 3 quite yet) who needs redemption and forgiveness
before he and Anne can be together. A happily ever after, but hard won. And not
without suffering and sacrifice. This is after all, a Russian fairy tale. No one knows
endurance like the Russians.

And so it goes: Ethan and Anne, circling and circling love, each running from the
other, each doing the hero’s job. The question becomes, will they figure out that they
belong together before it’s too late?

Of course they will!

But with these two, love isn’t simple. I think that makes them equal parts of
smart and stupid. Not forbidden love. Not crazy love where the passion burns out
everything else—and I think we all need some of that in our lives.

When Anne and Ethan finally figure out that they belong together, it will be a love
that entwines them like two puzzle pieces, marveling at how perfectly and easily
they fit. And how foolish they were not to know it.

DELETED SCENE!

Hey guys! Below this paragraph is a deleted scene from the Dreaming Anastasia series. I've already read it and it's AMAZING, so read it then give me your opinion in the comments section!

Here is a bit of background on the scene from Joy:

“It occurs after Anne and Ethan have found Professor Olensky murdered in his office. They are desperately trying to figure out what to do and being chased by Viktor's henchman Dimitri. And my initial impulse was that I very much wanted them to share their first kiss on that El train platform. It felt like the perfect moment -- the classic 'everything is going crazy and this is the person I've been running from but really he's exactly the right person for me' passionate kiss... followed by danger looming and breaking them apart.”

And then, we’re alone.

The wind’s whipping our hair and Ethan’s still holding my hand, our fingers lacing together. Neither of us says a word. The wind swirls a piece of newspaper around on the track and a couple of pigeons peck at the platform across the tracks, looking for bits of food.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan says as a twenty-something guy wearing an unzipped grey hoodie over his green scrubs plops himself down on the bench across the tracks and the pigeons, startled, fly off to search for other crumbs. He lets go of my hand and thrusts both his hands in his jacket pockets.

“You’re right. It is your battle. Probably as much as it is mine.” He blows out a breath.

“We were all so certain after the assassination that at any moment we could find a way to fulfill the prophecy. Get Anastasia back. Restore the Romanovs to power through her. But we didn’t. Ten years passed, then another ten. Then – well, it’s easier than you think for the years to slip by. Each time I though I’d found the girl who could do this, it turned out I was wrong. And each time, I think I just slipped a little farther from the person I used to be. The person who was so clear of his purpose. I never gave up, but I think I stopped trying as hard.”

Ethan stops. Looks down the track for a bit. There’s no train in sight. Across the way, a tall girl in a denim mini and black leggings joins scrub suit guy on his bench. She’s bobbing along to whatever is playing in her headphones. Everywhere I look, it seems, the world is going on like normal. Except I know it’s not.

Ethan’s gaze holds mine, his blue eyes so tired and sad that I feel like crying except I think I’ve used up my quota of tears today. “If Viktor’s betrayed us,” Ethan says, “it’s because I let him. Because I just stopped paying attention. And that part, I do have to bear alone.”

I’m not sure what to say to him. In fact, I’m pretty sure this is one of those times where I probably don’t need to say anything. But he’s standing there in such pain that I start talking.

“We’ll find her, Ethan,” I say, even though I’m not at all sure that’s ever really going to happen. “I mean, you found me, didn’t you?”

And then we just stand there. The wind dies down for a bit, although I can tell from the clouds that it’s going to pick up again soon. Underneath my feet I can feel a slight vibration. Far down the track, our train is coming. Ethan steps closer to me. My heart beats harder: thump, thump, hop in my chest.

I study his face. Those blue eyes. That shaggy chestnut hair all tousled from the wind. 

He’s going to kiss me. And I guess it should be weird or whatever. But it’s not. It’s just me and him – and okay, the two strangers across the way – and all the other stuff just sort of drops away. Because when you’re going to kiss someone – really kiss someone – it’s got to be just about that and not anything else.

And then he does. Kiss me, I mean.

He bends down a little, cause he’s taller, and presses his lips to mine. And it’s way better than the kiss on the forehead. And way, way better than the dream kiss since this time he’s just kissing me, not trying to suck the life out of me. His lips are warm and full and sweet, and they feel good against mine.

So I kiss him back.

 “I almost lost you, too,” Ethan whispers against my lips. His breath tickles and little sparks tingle their way down my spine. “Here, I’ve just found you, and I almost lost you.” We kiss some more. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. I rest one hand on his shoulder – right where he’s got that lion tattoo etched into his skin.

In novels, you always read phrases like ‘they kissed and time stood still.’ And until now, I’ve always thought what a load of crap that was. Cause even when I was making out with Adam Greene, time was marching right along.

And maybe it’s because Adam was a sort of slurpy kisser. And that’s why my mind kept wandering to images of Buster lapping water from his dish. 

Or maybe he just wasn’t the right one.

But right now, time is still. And Ethan’s lips, and his hands that are resting against the small of my back, are filling my head so completely there’s no room for anything else.

But then our train pulls up to the platform. The doors open, and I let Ethan take my hand and lead me inside. We settle into our seats as the train gives a lurch and starts up again, headed downtown. I’m sitting next to the window. Ethan’s looking at me like I’d always hope someone who’d just kissed me would look at me.

And then he’s not. Looking at me, that is.

Because he’s looking out the window beyond me. Back over, I realize as I turn my head, to the staircase that leads up the platform we just left. Watching as the familiar figure of Dimitri rushes into view, just as the train picks up speed and carries us away.