Angel Reads

04 Jan

TV Review: Shadowhunters 2×01 ‘This Guilty Blood’

Posted by angelreads Season 2, Shadowhunters, TV Series Reviews 1 Comment

shadowhunters

This Guilty Blood Shadowhunters: Season 2 Episode 1

Episode Name: This Guilty Blood
Release date: 2nd January 2017
Running Time: 42 minutes
Starring Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Toubia, Isaiah Mustafa, Harry Shum Jr.
Directed By: Matthew Hasting
Watch: Freeform (US) – Netflix (Worldwide)
Episode Reviews: Season 1 | Season 2

The Institute is in upheaval after Jace departs with Valentine. Clary, Alec and Isabelle are desperate to find Jace. Jocelyn has a lot to catch up on, now that she’s awake.

This Guilty Blood:

Warning: This will contain spoilers from season 1.

Last year I started reviewing each episode of Shadowhunters week to week. It was something that I enjoyed as it let me really think about the show. So I have decided to do it again. There are going to be over 20 episodes this season, so it’s going to be some hard work, but I cannot wait. I hope to get each review up, every Wednesday.

New Season, Some Changes

I didn’t know what to expect with this new season. Season 1 was okay, there was a lot of problems, but overall I still enjoyed. And then there was a shift in direction for the show. There are new showrunners, new directors and new things all round. However, Iquitet enjoyed episode 1 of season 2.

This Guilty Blood starts off where season 1 ended. With Jace (Dominic Sherwood) leaving with Valentine ( Alan Van Sprang) and the Institute on High Alert. I really enjoyed jumping straight into it. Normally when a new season starts, it has been a couple of months and we are ‘recapped’ on what has happened.

I felt there was an improvement in the way the camera moved and CGI. I liked the way the weapons have changed and they no longer look like lightsabers. They look more like swords.

This Guilty Blood sets the stage from what I expect for the first half of season 2 – the chase for Jace. With Jace off with Valentine, the Institute in on high alert. They not only need to find Jace, but Valentine who is also in possession of the Mortal Cup. But, not everyone is who they seem and not everyone wants Jace to come out alive.

New Leadership

With the fall of leadership at the New York Institute, the Clave has sent in someone new. Victor Aldertree (Nick Sagar) in This Guilty Blood. We hear his name briefly in City of Glass, but his never mentioned again. The writers have taken him and melded him to a Clave Soldier.

Victor Aldertree, is, like my little sister put it a ‘bum head.’ He has this demeanour about him that rubs me the wrong way. He was walked in like he owns the place and even Maryse Lightwood (Nicola Correia-Damude) is somewhat on high alert. Victor not only ‘request’ that all Downworlders leave, but puts the institute on lockdown.

Clary (Katherine McNamara), Isabelle Lightwood (Emeraude Toubia) and Alec Lightwood (Matthew Daddario) don’t take this kindly and they all want their brother back.

Standout

One of the standout scenes from This Guilty Blood would have to be when Simon (Alberto Rosende) is in the Jade with and there is a little disagreement with Luke’s (Isaiah Mustafa) wolves. It was this classic Simon scene and it put a smile on my face.

There is also a scene with Simon and Clary, where they reminisce on how much their lives have changed. How they have gone from being normal teenagers to drinking blood and killing demons. They scene now only showed the friendship between Simon and Clary that we love from the books, but also Simons feelings bubbling to the surface.

Tension

Jace and Valentine. Alec and Magnus (Harry Shum Jr. ) Clary and Jocelyn (Maxim Roy). It’s building and building and then it’s going to explode.

I don’t really love the tension between Alec and Magnus so soon after they have gotten together, but I totally understand the reasoning behind it. Jace is trying to show his worth to Valentine, while being conflicted with his inner thoughts. I loved the tension between Clary and Jocelyn. It was perfect. So much so, that I disliked Jocelyn as much as I did in the books.

Not only is there tension between these pairs, but with Jace’s disappearance everyone is on high alert. Most of this season should be dealing with Jace joining the dark side and this tension will add to everything. And layer upon layer it’s going to create a bang.

In The Mortal Instruments there is a lot of character driven scenes as well as being focus on their wellbeing and relationships with others. I hope they keep this tension up and show the ‘human’ problems that people from this world can have.

Dialogue

As much as I did enjoy this episode, I still feel that the dialogue needs some work. Although it was better than season 1.

The dialogue isn’t lose enough, it still feels forces and sometimes out of place, it’s like they are reading from a script at times. But, I don’t think it’s the acting. The dialogue is just jarring and knocks me back a little. Hopefully this will get better as the season goes on.

Overall

I really enjoyed this episode. I have loved the changes from season 1 and I cannot wait to see what season 2 brings us. I am really for tension, heartbreak and banter.

Have you watched Episode 1 yet? Did you enjoyed it as much as me? What are you looking forward to most from season 2? Lets’s Chat!

03 Jan

Top Ten 2017 Debuts I’m Excited For

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 7 Comments

Debuts 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list that members at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone join as you please. This week’s topic is: Top Ten 2017 Debuts I’m Excited For.

I feel like 2017 is going to be a big year for YA and hopefully in a good way. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday it’s all about debuts for 2017. It’s rare that I think about debuts before they have been published or reviews start coming in, but here are some that I am excited to read. Nevertheless, like always these are in no particular order.

Daughter of a Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller: A pirates daughter who allows herself to be captured by enemy pirates to find a map that will lead to hidden treasure. Nevertheless, things don’t always go to plan. Coming February

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement that sounds powerful and moving. The Hate U Give is the struggling of doing what is right and for justice. This debut is something I cannot wait to read, however, I think it’s going to tear me apart. Coming February

Cold Summer by Gwen Cole: Kale can time travel. One day he is a high school drop out, the other a soldier in World War II. Haunted by PTSD and his life falling apart, all Kale needs to find out that he will die in WWII – but now he must survive. Coming May

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles: I already have an ARC of this one, but I have yet to pick it up. The Edge of Everything is an epic romance fantasy adventure that straddles two worlds. Coming February.

Poison’s Kiss by Breeana Shields: A teen assassin that can kill someone with a single kiss. She has killed dozens of boys, but what happens if the next boy she has to kill is the one that she loves. Coming January

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough: As a toddler Erin spent 3 says next to the corpse of her murdered mother. Now, fourteen years later she finds another body. However, Erin thinks her mother’s killer has struck again. Coming February.

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Ronda Belleza: With planets on the brink of war Rhee and Aly are thrown together to confront a ruthless evil that nevertheless, threatens the fate of the entire galaxy. Coming February

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts: Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle. However, before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Coming June

The Hidden Memory of Objects by Danielle Mages Amato: When her brother dies and the police to nothing about it, Megan turns to the things that he left behind. She can see memories attached to some of Tyler’s belongings, however, those memories reveal a brother she never knew. Coming March

Frostblood by Elly Blake Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers from the cruel frostblood ruling class. However, when her mother is killed for protecting her, the rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby’s powers are unpredictable. Coming January

What debuts are you looking forwards to in 2017? Do we share any of the same? However, have you already read some fo the books on my list? What did you think of them? Let’s Chat!

You can find me on twitter at @angel_reads, Facebook, instagram, tumblr and Goodreads. You can also follow Angel Reads on Bloglovin and via email (in the sidebar).

01 Jan

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2017

Posted by angelreads Announcements 3 Comments

Happy New Year

Welcome, 2017! Last week I was here wishing you a Merry Christmas and now it’s time to wish you a Happy New Year. I can’t believe how quickly 2016 went. It was like I was here yesterday writing this new years posts.

2016 has been a hell of a year. I started my second year of uni, Angel Reads was going well and I was feeling good. And I was ready to read all the books coming out in the year.

Reading for 2016 wasn’t the best year 5-star wise. I only have 14 that were 5 stars or close, while I read about 100. It’s the most that I have read in a really long time, and I loved reading so much. I just wish that I had more that I loved.

This year also had some ups and downs both personally and YA community wise. I managed to graduate from my first uni course, get into another one and do my first internship. The internship was incredible – I was in a publishing house working with publicity and marketing. Not only did I have an amazing time, it also cemented that publicity in the field that I want to work in. I can’t wait to do more internships and hopefully in the future work here, in the publishing industry.

The community this year has been hard sometimes, there has been lots of drama and plenty of misunderstandings. I think that we do need to talk about the issues that arise in the community. But I also believe that social can be hard to get issues across. I hope that 2017 isn’t surrounded my fights that break out every day.

Lastly, I would love to thank YOU. 2016 has been a great year for me here at Angel Reads, I have loved every minute of it. Thank you to my followers who have been here, commented on my posts, and talk to me on twitter.

Bring on 2017 New