Laydown Lowdown

It's the last Tuesday in March!!  Easter (and hopefully Spring weather) is just around the corner.  There are enough new releases today to fill any Easter Basket.

Romance is especially blooming this week with many new releases in the genre. One of the highlights this week is the eleventh and latest "Black Dagger Brotherhood" novel, "Lover at Last" by J.R. Ward.  I am certain my one friend is hopping up and down in excitement over this.  Other new releases in romance today are "The Emperor's New Clothes," by Victoria Alexander, "Kiss of Temptation," by Sandra Hill, "Vampires Gone Wild," a compilation headlined by Kerrelyn Sparks, and "Kitty Rocks the House," by Carrie Vaughn.

Hop on over to Mystery and you'll uncover "The Bone Man," by Wolf Haas, "The Golden Egg," by Donna Leon (that's the best part of the egg hunt, right?), and "The Money Kill," by Katia Lief.

Shake your tail over to Science Fiction Fantasy for "The Age Atomic," by Adam Christopher, "Black Feathers," by Joseph D'Lacey, "Hellhole Awakening," by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and "Angelopolis," by Danielle Trussoni.

If you're looking for a treat bigger than a chocolate bunny, "Deadlocked," the penultimate "Sookie Stackhouse," novel by Charlaine Harris is released in paperback today and I bet it contains a preview of the final novel "Dead Ever After," which is due out May 7th.  The "Sookie Stackhouse," series is a delightful blend of romance, mystery and fantasy so it deserves a paragraph all its own here.

Twitch your little nose and get on over to the Young Adult section for "Period 8," by Chris Crutcher, "Impostor," by Jill Hathaway, "Going Vintage," by Lindsey Leavitt, and "If You Find Me," by Emily Mudoch.

Are any of these books on your "to-read" list?  What are you all reading, lately?  Share with us! Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible. 

Fairy Interesting: OUAT - Selfless, Brave and True

2.18 "Selfless, Brave and True"

Tonight we get a little insight into August's descent before his arrival in Storybrooke and a lot of little pieces start to come together.
Neal's fiance arrives in Storybrooke and looks suspicious, freaking out and then proving to be far too resourceful.
August returns made of wood as punishment for his lying, cheating ways.
Snow tries to figure out what it means to have a black spot on her heart and whether she can every make things right again.
And Regina tries to figure out who exactly Greg is.

Even though everything came together eventually I feel like I spent a lot of the episode thinking "wait, what?" - not in a bad way, I just was having a hard time adjusting to some of the flashback things that happened.


I hate Tamara, but I like the introduction of a new "bad guy" who is a serious threat to Storybrooke and everyone there. With the demise of Cora (who was too wishy-washy in the end) and Regina's constant vacillations, it's kind of refreshing to have a straight up villain again. And, bonus, it doesn't look like she has any kids, so power really seems to be her only motivation.

I had a friend on Facebook suggest last week that the "her" from GrOwen had to be Nealfire's fiance and as soon as she said that I was firmly convinced it was so. I had no real proof, but it was the only thing that made sense to me. So I was pleased to see we were right! I am very curious to see what her backstory is. Why is Tamara so obsessed with finding magic?

And she is creepily good at playing dumb and angry for Nealfire and is rather terrifying, especially in that moment when she threatens and then kills the Dragon (though, honestly, I really think it would take more than a taser to kill a real dragon - on the other hand, could this work for other magical creatures? Maybe Hook should find a taser instead of coming after Rumple with his hook!)

Speaking of Hook - he's escaped and who knows where. That's pretty much it. No one seems that concerned. so yeah.

There was a very strong thread of redemption that ran through this episode. The most obvious thread being August's redemption, but we also see Emma and Henry's relationship revived and that tension resolved and, of course, Snow is desperate to see if August can be forgiven because she needs hope.

But for real. The song Snow was listening to while shooting arrows? A bit much. I love that she finally told David the truth (truth was another key theme this episode) and I loved David's response to it. Snow's look of horror when she slapped Geppetto was perfect and I really think that her tenderness toward what she has done is a strong sign that there is redemption possible for her.

I do have a bone to pick, though. All through the episode August could barely move. He's clunky and stiff and creaky and it's hard for him to walk through a room. Yet when Snow's arrow breaks off in him and she is what, 50 feet away tops, he is able to sprint back to the trailer fast enough that she doesn't see him at all? I know he was there to protect the town, but it is awfully hard for him to do that from the woods when no one knows he is there.

I'm also not entirely sure how you can use a taser on a wooden man. He doesn't have blood or a heart because he's an animated puppet. So how on earth does Tamara's attack work? (other than that it needs to for the story) And isn't wood not so great as an electricity conductor anyway?

And lame.

August becomes a little boy (WITH RED-BLONDE HAIR) again? No! I want my August back please. This is just not right. And I still don't understand how on earth that boy could possibly have grown up to look like that man.

I loved the touch with the postcard when August rode away from Neal, but BUT I really want to go back and watch the first part of the first episode because I really don't remember that guy looking ANYTHING like Neal.

And I'm pretty sure that the Tamara/GrOwen kiss was the grossest one since Cora and Sparkle Rumple made out a couple of episodes ago.

It was a good episode (though so sad no more August), but it definitely was more of a set up for the next couple of episodes than a great story in and of itself.

Really? 3 whole weeks before the next episode? Why do they insist on torturing us!?

So, did you see the Tamara/GrOwen thing coming? Did it take you completely by surprise? Do you like that the young, innocent Pinocchio gets a second chance at life? Are you wondering why all the dark brooding good looking men get killed off on this show? (it's a good thing David is neither dark nor brooding and Nealfire is a tiny bit goofy looking [you know I love him] or I would start worrying)
Are you tired of my questions and endless parentheses?

February Book Club: Beautiful Creatures

So this post is super late, because we have all been super busy! But it's here :)

Summary from GoodReads:
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

What we thought (with a little about the movie too):

Jess B. - I hated the movie... loved the book. How dare you remove key points and characters and think that it will still work? The book, on the other hand, was passionately tragic... the character flow was just lovely! I have a weakness for witchcraft novels, but this was one of my favorites! I can't wait to read the next one!

Rebecca T - The first time I read this book I was about 3 pages in before I realized it was a male narrator, which was very unsettling. Rereading it was better for me and I appreciate the way the story is told from Ethan's perspective rather than Lena's. I liked the southern atmosphere, though I wish the main characters had been less anti-south. I liked the flashback feature with the locket and some of the interweaving of story elements. However, I found the ending so dramatically anti-climactic that I have less desire to read the second book than might be hoped for. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am curious and plan on seeing it at some point. A rather mixed review from me :)

Jenn N - I didn't know whether to give my review since I didn't finish the book, but, alas... I picked up Beautiful Creatures expecting it to be told from Lena's point of view as the book's description and movie trailer implied. So, I was thoroughly confused when the book was told from the perspective of Ethan, a young man smitten with Lena. I don't really care for books from a male's point of view and I couldn't get into it. I tried to persevere on this one, but the grim descriptions of the small town were too over the top hick and small town for me to accept as realistic and turned me off to reading further.

So, as you can see, we had very mixed feelings on this book. What did you think? Have you read the books? Did you think the movie did a good job adapting the overall story line? Do tell!

This month we've been reading Sever the third book in The Chemical Gardens Series by Lauren DeStefano. Wither was one of our first books, so this series kind of holds a special place in our bookclub hearts.

10 Things I Loved About Forged by Fate by Amalia Dillin

I met Amalia on Twitter (@AmaliaTd if you are interested) a while ago and we've had fun singing Disney songs and making random hashtag conversations and sharing Thor love. So when I heard that her book was going to be published I was so ecstatic for her. I knew that she was going to be writing about Norse mythology, but the tag-line on the cover of the gorgeous book initially gave me a little pause.

It wasn't that it didn't look interesting or intriguing. It's just that I'm always a little nervous when someone writes a book adapting stories from the Bible.

Behold! Gorgeous cover!

However, I loved the book so much. So here are my top 10 favorite things about Forged by Fate.

1. The way Amalia weaves together her transformation of the Biblical creation story along with Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythology (to name a few).
2. Thor. I loved his place in the story and I am dying to see how it plays out in the next book!
3. Eve. Definitely Eve. Strong, compassionate, humble, and the mother of everything.
4. Mia! Amalia and I met through the lovely and hyper Mia Hayson so seeing Eve's sister named Mia gave me all kinds of happiness. Also Mia the character cracks me up.
5. The multiple story lines. I really like how it rotated between present day, creation, and the progression of time as seen by Thor. It moved the story line along well and helped to pull all of the threads together in a very unique way.
6. Garritt. I loved his passion for protecting Eve. And of course that leads me to
7. Reu. And the whole story of the tribe of the Lions. So cool.
8. The lions! I want a pack of lions to follow me around and protect me!
9. Ra and Athena. Though they were only minor characters they just popped on the page. Nothing flat about these characters!
10. The ending! It left me wanting more without being too horrible of a cliffhanger. Nothing was resolved, but it didn't leave me angry like a lot of books that end quite openly.

So hopefully you are a little bit intrigued about this story and will go buy it and read it yourself! I say you won't be disappointed at all :)

Laydown Lowdown

Who is ready for Spring?!!  I know I am.  I'm ready for Spring, the minute we hit Fall.  In addition to Spring being just a day away, there are also a lot of great new books to get excited today.

First up in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, gamers will be psyched to find a new "Halo" novel, "Silentium," by Greg Bear out today as well as "Shattered Pillars," by Elizabeth Bear, "The Gate Thief," by Orson Scott Card, "Queen Victoria's Book of Spells," by Ellen Datlow, and "Quintesssence," by David Walton.

Over in Romance, fans of the genre will love "Highlander: Most Wanted," by Mayra Banks, "You and I, Me and You," by Mary Janice Davidson, and "The Lost," by Vicki Pettersson.

Meanwhile in Mystery, you can uncover "Deadly Virtues," by Jo Bannister, "Children of Wrath," by Paul Grossman, and "The Missing File," by D.A. Mishani.

 
Finally, in Young Adult, Cassandra Clare's latest "Infernal Devices," novel, "Clockwork Princess," is available today along with "Inferno: Chronicles of Nick," by Sherilyn Kenyon and "Fox Foxever: The Jenna Fox Chronicles," by Mary E. Pearson.

 
Will any of these books be making your "to-read" list today?  Remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible and Happy Reading!!

Fairy Interesting: OUAT - Welcome to Storybrooke

2.17 "Welcome to Storybrooke"

Tonight we got evil Regina back in all her glory. Snow is crushed and hiding and the rest of her family is doing everything they can to protect her. Henry finally gets clued into all that is going on and is the first to come up with a plan to solve everything (hey, I didn't say it was a good plan).

And our flashback is not to fairy world, but to the beginning of Storybrooke where we get more proof that Regina has been in this spiral for pretty much ever.

We also finally return to Greg (or whatever his name is) as the intrigue builds and he runs around like some sort of Grimm paparazzi gathering incriminating footage which he continues to share with "Her." And I'm really hoping that the reveal of who "Her" is isn't lame. I have no guesses on who it could be at this point, but if I develop a theory I'll keep you all in the loop (please, contain your excitement).

I loved loved loved the flashbacks in this episode. First they really helped flesh out a lot of things about the town for me. Also, I adored getting back a few of my favorite characters. GRAHAM *fangirls* (though seeing him with Regina again and all blind and controlled was so sad) and Gus! You were taken from us far too soon!

I would love it if they did more of these kinds of flashbacks. So we know now that Storybrooke has been in Maine for about thirty years (I mean, we know Snow and August were here for about that long, but time can be weird so I wasn’t entirely sure if the town appeared at about the same time or not). And that Gold didn’t originally know who he was?! Was I the only person who did NOT see that coming?! I kept thinking (every time Regina walked past him) that he didn’t know who he was and then I just laughed at myself. But he really didn’t? I am SO curious to see how that plays out and how he ended up discovering the truth.

I love how much progress Red has made from the rebellious slut to someone who has come to grips with her life and who she is and is able to move past her own problems and be a real help and friend to others around her.

One of the most heartbreaking lines for me was when Regina asked Gepetto if Owen was his son and he said he’d never had the pleasure. I wanted to cry for him.

The second that boy and his father showed up I said “That’s Greg.” But then the dad called him “Owen” and I got confused, but I was still pretty sure it was him. I mean, what other reason would there be to have a random father/son trapped inside when Storybrooke first appeared? The name Kurt Flynn sounds oddly familiar to me, though I have no idea why.

Love that Rumple is randomly giving Regina good advice. Of course, the fact that he just killed her mother sort of damages his credibility, but you know.

I know I’ve said this before, but I just love David Charming. He’s such a great character now that the curse is over.

Side note: The perfect pastel rustic-ness of Snow’s kitchen is a little ridiculous. And looks like it came right out of a magazine.

As for Regina I was cracking up at the Groundhog Day-esque trap she inadvertently caught herself in. And I just don’t understand why she has this pathological need to believe that Snow is evil. Even when Snow is Mary Margaret and Regina pushes her, she can’t understand that Snow isn’t going to lash out.

ALSO, Regina had a daughter. A step-daughter, yes, but if she wasn’t a psychotic revenge machine, she could have had everything she wanted so long ago.

Which of course leads us to the end of the episode o_0 But let’s come back to that in a minute.

Regina’s deep-seated need for Henry is a little bit more clear now, but the whole situation with Owen/Greg (Growen?) was just crazy. The thing that I really didn’t understand was why, at the end, when she gives up and lets Owen go – why didn’t she just let Kurt go too? There was no reason to keep him if she was letting Owen go. And, of course, the question now is where in this town is Kurt and what is Growen willing to do to find his father?

And, btw, another parent/child relationship based on “I will do anything” and which is fractured by space and time. So yeah.

I know some people find him annoying at times, but I was totally with Henry this episode. Magic is causing a lot of the problems. Not all of them, because Regina wasn’t exactly a sweetheart without it, but that kind of power is not being healthy to anyone. And I was glad that he fought his way into the conversation. All of these things are affecting him, and up until right before the curse was broken, he was the only one who knew the whole truth, so, even though I understand the parental need to protect him, he needs to be in the loop or he’s just going to keep trying to fix things on his own.

Loved the moment when Emma says to Neal, “You fell for that? He’s your son!” and Neal just got this look on his face.

All right. The ending. Wow.

 

So when Henry tries to blow up the magic and then Regina capitulates (again) I was rolling my eyes. Because how many times can she do this? I was all blah blah about it and just hoping that Henry leaving with Emma would rile Regina up more.

But I was SO not expecting what happened next. When Snow shows up and asks Regina to kill her, okay, that I saw coming. But I did NOT see it coming for Regina to rip out her heart. This was pretty much my response to that:

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????????

The black spot thing was kind of lame, and I had to think – shouldn’t Cora’s heart, which we saw fairly clearly last episode, have been dark instead of glowy? If one murder, which was really in self-defense, does that kind of damage to Snow’s heart, shouldn’t Cora’s have been like a black hole? And once the heart was out why was Snow still weeping and begging. Without a heart, shouldn’t she have stopped caring?

 But I loved that Regina stuck the heart back in. Yes. Evil Regina. Mwahaha.

This should be really really really interesting. I’m curious as to where this Snow thread goes. I just hope they do Snow’s character justice and don’t just have her be evil to try to show this dark side to every person or something. She is good, and Cora’s death was necessary to a lot of extents. Maybe not handled in the best way, but it had to happen and that was really the only viable option they had. So …

Next week?! Gah!?! Is a certain someone really coming back!? And will we find out who HER is? I can’t wait!

Laydown Lowdown

Spring is definitely in the air and it seems a lot of publishers must he having a touch of spring fever as there aren't many new releases available today.

Romance lovers can get their hands on the paperback edition of "Heatseeker," by Lora Leigh today.

Mystery/Thriller maniacs can get their kicks with "Breaking Point," by C.J. Box, "Rage Against the Dying," by Becky Masterman, and "The Andalucian Friend," by Alexander Soderberg.

Science Fiction/Fantasy fiends can delight over the Terry Brook's latest, "Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara," and "Rebel Angel's," by Michelle Lang.

However, Young Adult fans have a lot to celebrate today with a slew of new releases in the genre.  "Promises to Keep," by Amelia Atwater Rhodes, "Escape Theory," by Margaux Froley, "Deep Betrayal," by Anne Greenwood Brown," "Code," by Kathy Reichs, and "The Secret Circle: The Temptation," by L.J. Smith.

 
If you're suffering from spring fever yourself and none of these new release interest you.  I recommend you contact your local used bookstore and seek out this gem....This book is unintentionally hilarious.  I loved every corny, snark-tastic minute of it. 

What are you reading this week?  Share with us and remember to support your local bookstore when ever possible.

Fairy Interesting: OUAT - The Miller's Daughter

2.16 "The Miller's Daughter"

So, I know that this should be clear, but SPOILERS ABOUND AHEAD.

Okay.

So tonight Cora and Rumple amp up the most convoluted family tree in all of history by casting doubt on who Regina's real father is and making me toss my cookies. Rumple manipulates Snow, Cora manipulates Regina, and Snow proves that she's been paying way too close attention to her step-mother's lessons. Rumple becomes the most sincere we've ever seen him and everyone gets witty lines . We also meet another jerk king that makes us wonder if there are any actual kings and queens that aren't evil.

So Cora and Regina are plotting. More. Again. Cora's line about the magic box was so poorly delivered and her lipstick was so badly applied that I feel more relief than anything else that she was the one to go. I was kind of thinking that it might be Regina, but Cora had really served her purpose and she works much more effectively as a catalyst for Regina's return to the dark side (*waves pompoms*)

Also, was it just me or did Cora's face do that creepy Vampire Diaries crackly thing when she got angry at the king?

(complete and utter side note - I was watching "Tiny" with my Mom as she is trying to catch up on the show and I realized that as Henry, Gold, and Emma are on the plane waiting to take off, the background noise announces that the airline is Ajira. That made me laugh.)

Cora managed to sum up the entire season (if not the series thus far) in one nice phrase: The choice is between power and love. Thank you we can all go home now.

There were a number of lines (and moments) that had me cracking up during this episode, so here's a quick recap of those.

Rumple when Cora gives him her name: "Sounds like something breaking."

Emma holding the invisible chalk and scribbling on the floor was hilarious and Nealfire (my new nickname for him) cracked me up. I hope he stays on. Forever. Because.

Emma to Gold: "I can't cast a spell! I can spell 'spell.'" hehe

Nealfire holding that pirate cutlass. I don't know why but I could not stop giggling. Totally not his weapon. I'm thinking a bow and arrow might fit him nicely. But not so much the sword.

Cora and Rumple's exchange about her dress: "Bride's have to be snow white." "When you see the future there's irony everywhere." Ha! However, I was confused since the dress was actually ... gold. Also, she pretty much almost fell completely out of that dress. Yikes.

Nealfire: "Who's Belle?" Emma: "Your dad's girlfriend." HAHA

And finally, when Snow was begging Regina to take the heart back and put it in Cora her ears were totally glowing. And all I could think about was the beginning of Home Alone II when Buzz holds the candles up to Kevin's ears and that distracted me through that whole scene.


Okay, enough goofy stuff. This was a really interesting episode. I liked the miller's daughter connection and, though at first I didn't really like Cora taking everything into her own hands, I liked the way they ended up twisting everything together.

The one thing you can say about Cora without a doubt is that she is basically pure evil. I don't care if you argue that the last moment proves otherwise. I will argue against it. You are talking about a woman WHO CUT OUT HER OWN HEART so she wouldn't love. There is nothing redeeming in this woman. The end.

I kind of wanted to slap Regina. She's all wait, "the whole point of this.... what is the whole point of this?" And she looks SO confused and I felt like asking her where she has been for, oh, I don't know HER ENTIRE LIFE. Cora doesn't care about anybody or anything. Why are you so surprised this is coming out now?

The casting of young Cora was well done and I loved the red motif.

I had a minor brain meltdown when Rumple and Cora started getting all smoochy and Rumple was all I'll change the contract to say that I want my first child instead of yours. And I don't care what Cora said ... there is totally the possibility that Regina is Rumple's daughter.

And with that realization and smoochy time I pretty much gagged. Because WHAT?! Also, that would mean that... wait for it... if Rumple is Regina's father, then Regina is Baelfire's half-sister and Henry's step-great-grandmother AND half-great-aunt?! EW.

I did like the way Cora made Rumple teach her magic, but in previous episodes I got the feeling that they had been working together for a very very long time. Of course, I supposed they could have collaborated after this, but that ending made it seem kind of like they hadn't really seen each other since she left him. But she talks about all of the magical things he taught her to do (like the globe location spell) so I find myself very confused.

I am really angry that they had Snow actually go through with it. I can't handle these people going evil to protect their children. Enough already. And she's not going to really go evil. The moral dilemma was enough without her actually doing it. There were other ways this could have gone down. It was just so wrong. What do you think? Do you disagree and believe this is what had to happen? If so please leave a comment and let me know why you think that because that was the one thing that really spoiled this episode for me a little bit (a tiny little bit. The other thing was the horrid green-screen blue sky behind Nealfire and Henry, but that's another point altogether).

And this was my reaction - literally what I typed out when she started talking Regina into putting the heart back in: HOLY MOLY BANANA PEAS SNOW IS WAY TOO MANIPULATIVE FOR HER OWN GOOD SHE HAS LEARNED WAY TOO WELL FROM REGINA AND CORA

So yeah.

Also, was I the only one screaming at Nealfire to PICK UP THE STUPID KNIFE ALREADY rather than threatening Regina. No one doubted for one second that she would pick the knife over her daughter and no one really thought Nealfire would actually do anything to Regina anyway.

Rumple's "death" scene was so good.


Gold's speech to Belle made me cry all over the place. I can't even take it. She's so cute and he's so cute around her and this is exactly what Baelfire needed to hear. And *sobs*

For just a tiny moment I really wasn't sure if Rumple was going to be the one to go (until my logical mind reminded me that Henry will be his downfall, so obviously he had to live). And when he reaches out to Nealfire and they have that moment it was so sweet.

But I have to admit (because obviously I have a twisted mind) when Rumple reached out and asked "May I?" of Nealfire I could only think - May I touch you with my bloody gross fingers? Because I don't know as I would have wanted to grab that hand.

And speaking (briefly and three paragraphs ago) about Belle. I want to know what's going on with Greg and Belle. Urgh. Nothing at all last episode and nothing of any real substance this episode. Can she just get her memory back already.


This episode brought out a little bit of violence in me as I vowed to hunt down the writers if they made Snow go evil, and swore that if Rumple died I was going to kill someone. Well, one out of two ain't bad.

A gratuitous picture of David Charming
because ... well, why not?

Regina's eyes when she realizes what Snow has done? Oh snap. Can't wait. And I hope she's actually evil Regina not ambivalently-evil-and-suddenly-change-back-to-good-at-the-end-of-the-episode-for-Henry's-sake Regina.

So fire away in the comments box. Did I leave anything out? Do you disagree about Cora being pure evil? Do you think Regina can keep up this back-and-forth things much longer? I'd love to get some conversation going!

Laydown Lowdown

Here's a friendly tip from me to all you kind lovely readers.  Avoid diner coffee after 9PM or you'll be sitting up like me at 12:30AM still wired and surfing the internet.  Anyways, without further adieu, I bring you this week's Laydown Lowdown.

If Mysteries and Thrillers make your heart pound, you'll definitely want to check out "The Striker," by Clive Cussler, "Evil in All His Disguises," by Hilary Davidson, "Poppy Done to Death," by Charlaine Harris, and "Night Moves," by Randy Wayne White.

Or, if Romance gets your heart racing, you may want to consider ""The Heart of a Hero," by Janet Chapman, "Seduced by the Gladiator," "Because You Are Mine," by Beth Kerry, and "White Heat," by Jill Shavis.

If Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels get you buzzed, look for "Frost Burned," by Patricia Briggs, "The Last Threshold," by R.A. Salvatore, and "A Conspiracy of Alchemists," by Liesel Schwarz.

Meanwhile, Young Adult fans anxious for the conclusion of Lauren Oliver's "Delerium," trilogy will loose sleep no more as the series comes to a close with the release of "Requiem," today along with "Death, Doom & Detention," by Darynda Jones, and "Flowers in the Sky," by Lynn Joseph.

 

Will any of this week's new book's make your "to-read" list?  Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstore whenever possible. 

Fairy Interesting: OUAT - The Queen is Dead

2.15 "The Queen is Dead"

Tonight Hook heads toward revenge and gets locked up. And left behind. Again. Rumple and Neal bond over a Hook wound and Emma finds out Neal is um, yeah. Engaged.

Back in Storybrooke Snow meets Mrs. Patmore, overhears Cora and Regina, and makes a predictable decision and then a not so predictable vow.

While in the flashback fairy world Cora is up to her shenanigans and turns out to be the grand puppetmaster. Snow has gotten older while pretending to be younger and her mother dies before we actually get to meet her.

Was I the only one that was super super distracted by young snow? I'll try to suspend my belief that she is actually younger than we've met her before even though she is most definitely older. Older older. But okay. What can you do when you have to show something earlier with a pre-adolescent/adolescent actress who is at least a year older?

No, what really drove me crazy was her facial expressions and the way she puckered her lips constantly! Gah! I wanted to just shake her.

Ahem. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system I can move on.

Today's theme was definitely honesty. Also, is it just me or are these episodic themes getting a lot less subtle? Or was I just not paying attention to it in the first season?

But truth, lies, and who is being honest or deceitful is a major part of the development of the episode.
I loved the shot at the diner with Regina viewed through the warbled glass and Snow shown clearly. Though it was a little obvious right as Snow yelled, "No more lies."

I thought Rumple's advice to Emma was a nice scene, but his interaction with Henry was kind of all over the place. I guess it's understandable, but I really didn't get why he flipped out and blamed Henry for why they were in New York.

Henry is a little bit harsh with Emma still, but when I think about the topsy turvy-ness of his life and how many things about himself he's discovered over the past year or so it's a tiny bit justified I guess.

I loved that moment when Bael Neal says "Papa" - I just like the way it shows that connection and it felt very genuine in that moment. But is it just me or is it taking an extraordinarily long time for them to actually do anything and that car couldn't have been any closer?

How much was Emma impressed that Neal can sail a pirate ship? So funny. And I had to laugh when Neal explained or alluded to why he isn't hundreds of years old. Though I think I just assumed there wasn't that much time that had passed.

MRS. PATMORE! That is all. I knew she was going to have to die, but I was so happy to have her for the episode.

I have to admit I was really expecting Snow to keep the dagger, but the choice was predictable none-the-less. And it makes more sense for the dagger to be in the hands of Cora. Who, by the way, was looking old and haggard in this episode. If they went looking to dig up the dagger is there a reason Regina didn't wear more suitable clothing? Or a reason they didn't just use magic to move the dirt? Regina looked beyond ridiculous.

BTW if something happens to David Charming the writers will feel my wrath. *shakes fist of wrath*

Also Yeah! Hook!

(So I'm a little contradictory - what can I say? :)

Did we know that Cora was the miller's daughter before? I feel like I kind of knew that in the back of my head, but at the same time it felt like brand new information. This is, obviously, how she met Rumple then, right?

I did like the weaving of the different flashbacks together in Cora's memory from all of the other pieces we've seen over the last season and a half.

You would think all of Cora's manipulation would give Regina some pause. A little more pause than she's showing.

I don't want evil Snow. Has she learned nothing from all the stories? But, well, you know, killing Cora isn't really evil, evil. right? I mean, I think that falls under prevention of atrocities rather than murder.

Next week looks interesting and I'm super nervous over who is going to die. I am thinking it might be Cora? But she's about the only one I would be okay with dying right now. For serious, though. If they kill David I will hunt them down.

So what did you think? Who do you think will die? Or was it just a scare tactic to make us watch?