Now YOU See It #1 - Carmilla

Now YOU See It is a new feature on the blog where we're going to recommend Web Series, shows and movies to you guys! The feature will not have a set pub date, but rather will be posted as the inspiration strikes

For the first episode of Now YOU See It, I've been wondering what show to talk about. I knew from the moment I thought of this feature that I'm going to start with a Web Series, probably one loosely based on a novel of some sorts, but I didn't want to start with the obvious ones.

Luckily, Season 2 of Carmilla has started streaming, which pretty much decided things for me.

If you're asking this question (about Carmilla, I mean), Carmilla is a web-show loosely based on a J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella of the same name. Every one of the thirty six episodes is around the three minutes mark, produced by the YouTube channel Vervegirl TV and told through the eyes of Laura, a student in Silas University that is investigating her best friend's mysterious disappearance and the appearance of the weird Carmilla right after.

A little note: when I say loosely based, I do mean... Loosely based. In the best way possible; the message of the series is just about the opposite of the novella, and basically just uses the premise of a lesbian vampire. 

Yep, thats right. LESBIAN VAMPIRE.

If you're like "Um, okay, I'm out of here" because of it please don't. I know it might sound uncomfortable or daunting if you're straight, like I am, or... even you're not. It's surprisingly... not. You don't have to be a big gay lover to watch this series. 

Heck, some of my best friends are gay but I've never been big on "Gay Shows", and yet this one is just amazing. 

My favorite part of this series is actually how Lesbiasm is protrayed. Its a show that really speaks equality because not for one second does somebody ask "oh, you're a lesbian?". There is no big revelation of this fact. They're all just 100% accepting of this fact and embracing them, from episode 1, even the straight guys. No one's discussing it because there is nothing weird, or out of the ordinary, or brave or anything about being gay. It's an acceptable part of society, which means it is true equality, and it's delightful! 

The show has got an amazing kickass female-centered cast, who are all great actors (and highly attractive, too). They play their characters believably, like they are them. You'll never once think "oh, that sounded fake" or "that's so scripted". In other words, the acting is top-notch and every character is very different from one another, and is important to the plot. No one is there for no reason!!

The amazing cast, in all their glory!

As for the plot, it's like nothing out there in the web-series world. It's fantasy, and has some unbelievable shit going down in this show and yet... well, you believe it. You'll be sitting at the edge of your seat, waiting to figure out what happened and what are they gonna do next and HOLLY HELL DID YOU JUST SAY THE BOOKS TRIED TO EAT YOU?!

So, yeah. Crazy stuff. But all done so amazingly.

Being Kick Ass. Being Surprising. Being unexpected. Being WTf. 

And the best part about this show? Probably the shipping, of which you've got in abundance so your shipper heart will have a problem to go on. And it's not going to bother you one bit that they're all girls!

First up, we've got Dani x Laura 

Cute, right?

Then we have Carmilla x Laura 

Possibly cuter?!

Aaaand... Perry x LaFontaine

AWWW

It pretty much doesn't matter who's on screen, at a certain point you're going to be going KISS KISS KISS KISS KISS all the time, between the NO NO NO WHAT'S GOING ON WHAT WHAT WHAT parts.

Basically - it's GREAT FUN! It's definitely one of those underrated web series than needs more viewership, so get on with it! You can now binge watch the entire first season (which I just did again while writing this post), and then get caught up on the second one!

Nitzan★

Gifed Up: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON AFTERWORDS! 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Source: gifted hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: September 24th 2013
Age Genre: Young Adult

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates–brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

So I'm sitting here, in front of my computer, wondering how the heck do I review this book? It's like, my mind is totally blank. What do I say that others haven't? Where to begin?

Should I start with the fact I ended up reading this book because of peer pressure? I mean, the whole freakin' world loves Vicious, so I grew tired of not knowing what this was about and got it. One page in and I'm like; THANK YOU, PEER PRESSURE!

Or maybe I should talk about how this book is not a "superhero story". At least not in the "hero" sense of the word. Everyone here are definitely "super powered", in one way or another (Even Mitch, whose superpower is probably being able to stand and support the lot of them and still stay alive).

In simpler terms, everyone in this story are Loki, not Captain America. 

I can totally imagine Eli saying a similar line

And we love them, for the same reason we love Loki (more than we love all the other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, really). Because they're not strictly bad, and not strictly good. Because they blur the line between black and white to us as readers, and they make us think. 

Because we know that under certain circumstances, they can do heroic things, and sometimes they do, and sometimes they won't. And you really can't tell what's the dominant side to them.

Are they good people doing bad things, or bad people doing good things, or just people, period? 

Here are these characters, who are just so flawed, and so broken, so off the "right path", and so lost, and you root for them - you root for them like crazy! 

(Which might say something about us, and how we truly see "heroes" and "villains. Idk. We're probably mad).

I loved Victor, who by sheer quantity of POV could be considered the MC and therefore the "good"/"right" guy in this situation. Is he, though? I mean, he does some really messed up things throughout the whole thing.

And I didn't hate Eli, either. I mean, was he kind of crazy? yes. Could I... sort of, maybe, understand where he was coming from?...... I could. I could totally see how he became what he was, and how he truly believed in it.

And I thought Sydney was adorable and I adored her, yet I...didn't hate Serena, who on account of her actions I should. But just like Eli, I could understand how it became like this, even if I didn't accept it.

And then let's not forget Mitch, the underrated support system. Who is basically... us, the readers. He accepts the super powered around him. He knows the world ain't black and white. And still he follows.  

No one fit quite perfectly into the usually "assigned roles", and that's what made this book so bloody brilliant, and this is what makes this book so viciously beautiful.

And let's not even start on the spotless writing technique! The book jumps between past and present, between one character to the other without ever missing a beat. It's seamless! Even if I hated the book, I don't think anyone can ever claim Schwab is a bad writer.

Final point - on the one hand I would gladly read a sequel... and the other, I'm super afraid of all the sh*t that would undoubtly follow...

   Nitzan★

Fantasy 101 - Level One (of Three)

"Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting".

A while back, I saw this video by BookYuber Christine that made me want to make my own list of book recommendations for the Fantasy Newbies.

I've been reading Fantasy, or a form of it, for most of my life. In fact, from the moment I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the age of seven, to my 18th birthday, I refused to read anything but Fantasy. And still, Fantasy can be... hard. Especially the advanced forms of it.

You see, Christine is right. Reading Fantasy is a commitment. It's a form of art. You can't go to it like you do a contemporary novel because when you decide to read Fantasy, you decide to send yourself into a new world - and follow a completely new set of rules. It's a process. You might get confused. You might feel lost. It's that commitment that allows you to carry on and break through these barriers.

But for those of you who've never (or barely) dived into fantasy, I'd recommend not to start there. In fact, I believe you should start your fantasy career by reading books set in our reality, only with a twist. That way, you're already familiar with the ground rules. You know most of the layers of the world, and just have to acquaint yourself with the new ones, with the things that makes it unlike your reality.

It's much easier, and makes for a much smoother entrance into the world of Fantasy.

"The identifying traits of fantasy are the inclusion of fantastic elements in a self-coherent (internally consistent) setting, where inspiration from mythology and folklore remains a consistent theme. Within such a structure, any location of the fantastical element is possible: it may be hidden in, or leak into the apparently real world setting, it may draw the characters into a world with such elements, or it may occur entirely in a fantasy world setting, where such elements are part of the world. Essentially, fantasy follows rules of its own making, allowing magic and other fantastic devices to be used and still be internally cohesive."

So, here is a list of books I think you should consider as your first Fantasies. These are fantasies with few fantastical elements, usually focused on one specific "theme" or phenomena, and don't require too much from you as a reader to follow 

Small Side Note: Making this list I realized my level one books are not the best for the male audience, or girls who are not fans of romances. This probably stems from the fact level one books are very similar to contemporaries, only with a twist, and most contemporaries I read are romances. So for guys (and girls who don't like romance that much), it's not the perfect list.

But the advice stands - find a book set in our world, with a fantastical element that interests you. That would be the best introduction to the Fantasy genre.

7 Fantasy series set in our world - with a twist★
*in no particular order*

1. Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram
#Romance #Super Powers
This one is one of my favorites. For those of you who love contemporary romance - start with this one. This is a love story, where the main female protagonist just happens to have... well, super powers.
It's funny, it's fun, it's super easy to get into, and it's easy to follow. The new elements revealed in this one are centered around Jamie's powers, and you really can enter this one just looking for fun. There's no epic wars, sword-fights and heavenly beings in this one. Just a girl, a guy, and learning to deal with being unique.

Buy now: The Book Depository, Amazon

2. The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
#Ghosts #High-School #Mean-Girls #Lite-Romance
From the name alone you probably already know what the fantastical element in this one, but if you haven't figured out - it's Ghosts. This is a world just like ours, where most of the people are just like you and me - but a few special ones can actually see the souls who linger behind, and are kind of forced to help them. Such is our hero, Will - outcast, loner, "ghost whisperer", who has to help Alona Dare - mean girl, school queen, dead. The two have the most hilarious and fun conversations, and their relationship changes one another throughout the course of the series. And, yes, there is romance, for those like me who kind of need it.

Buy Now: the Book Depository, Amazon

3. Finding Sky by Joss Stirling 
#Soul-Finders #Savants #Romance #Family #Creepy-Villain
Finding Sky introduces Savants to our reality - which are basically humans with special abilities. Each Savant has a soulfinder - his or her perfect match, born on the same day and time as they are. That's the gist of it, but even the rest of it is not very difficult to follow, which is why I think this is a perfect place to start.
Finding Sky is the first in the series, which brings to the center Sky Bright - a girl who was found on the side of the road when she was little, and as she moves into a new city with her adoptive parents, might find more than she bargained for. Like, that she's a savant.

Buy Now: The Book Depository, Amazon

4. Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell
#Werewolves #Romance 
This is yet another underrated book. I loved this series and consider it one of my favorite werewolves novels--that's right, the fantastical element introduced in this one is Werewolves. Or more precisely - shape shifters. And yes, there is a slight different.
But fear not! This is not Twilight (and I say this with the utmost love and respect, as I do love Twilight. But I also acknowledge its faults).
Destiny Binds has some of the best characters, the best humor, the most unique romance (series wise. It seems standard enough most of the first book), and a heroine you can stand behind 100%.

Buy now: The Book Depository, Amazon

5. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
#Romance #Aliens 
Obsidian is the first book in a five book series. I have not read beyond this book (though I plan to) so I can't guarantee it stays this easy to follow throughout the series, but the first book is model Level One book, and I love it. It's funny, it's well written, and HOLLY HOT CHEMISTRY, BATMAN!
The fantastical element does not take up all the plot, and did I mention the MC is a bookaholic with a blog? Yeah, she's pretty awesome.
Also, I find the fantastical element here unusual for Young Adult (and honestly, I wouldn't have ruined what it is if the summary itself hasn't reveled that...) and it I think it can also be appealing to sci-fi fans - even though, as mentioned before, the whole Alien thing is not all (if most) of the plot. I hear that changes throughout the series, though.

Buy now: The Book Depository, Amazon

6. Ruby Red by Keristin Gier
#Time Travel #Romance #Mystery
Ruby Red is a trilogy of books dealing with Time Travel. I think, among all the books on this list, this one is the most complex. It's the hardest to understand. But it's not written in big scientific words that will make your head hurt. It's just a hard concept, time travel, but I thought it portrayed it really clearly and cleanly.
I've loved Gwen, the MC, who was a normal girl with a silently unusual family until she turns out to be the most unusual thing about it. I enjoyed her romance with Gideon, even if it was a bit insta love. I loved the writing.
These books, like the rest on this list, are fun, and provide a great introduction to the genre.

Buy now: The Book Depository, Amazon
  

7. Spark by Brigid Kemmerer 
#Elemental Super Powers #Romance #Different MCs #Brothers
Okay, this might be cheating because this is actually the second book in this series dealing with supernatural boys and their lady loves, but this is the one I feel comfortable recommending to you guys, as the first didn't actually impress me all that much.
However, I do acknowledge you should start with the first to properly understand the world and the the general arc of the series, even though each book deals with a different brother as a MC.
The whole series is pretty fun though (only read the first two, planning on binge reading the rest soon),  and I loved the MCs in Spark, and their story. They got me all emotional, I admit!

Buy Now: the Book Depository, Amazon

For the Fantasy lovers - which books would YOU suggest as Level One books for Newbies? 

(at the end of the three levels, there will be a post compiled of all your recommendations, so don't be shy about it! Say all you have to say and spread the love!)

Nebies - how goes it? Do you think you might just start your Fantasy career with one of these?

   Nitzan★