What's App-ening Wednesday? #11: Disney's Frozen Free Fall

Hello everyone! What's App-ening Wednesday has officially made the move from the main blog over to The BLT here.

Today we bring you ANT's take on Disney's Frozen Free Fall!

"The latest Candy Crush knock-off that has hit the App Store is Disney's Frozen Free Fall. Granted the concept is nothing new, but the delightfully sparkly graphics means that I can just let it go (heh heh...hm) and enjoy the game. The characters from Frozen, that sit above the screen as you play, are a particularly nice touch. If you enjoyed the movie and are a fan of glitter then this app is definitely for you."

- ANT

Book review: ConscienceSarah on 'Sabriel'

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 978-0007137312
Original image

Review:
Before I start this review, I’d just like to congratulate the author of Sabriel, Garth Nix on having the best name ever. Apparently it is actually his real name, which is pretty cool, and I think it really sets the bar high for any aspiring authors who want to come up with memorable pseudonyms.

Anyway, onto his book. I really enjoyed reading Sabriel, much more than I thought I was going to at about the ‘Chapter 2’ mark. This was mostly because the first couple of chapters are set in Ancelstierre, a much less interesting land than the Old Kingdom, which I’d been given a taste of in the prologue. It’s a pretty good job the prologue was there actually, because I may well have given up on the book otherwise, thinking it would just be set in Ancelstierre. It’s a difficult setting because it’s not quite Earth and not quite Old Kingdom and I found it hard to place in my mind. Nevertheless, once the story managed to get going into the Old Kingdom, I found myself getting into it a bit more; that’s when the magic and necromancy started really getting good. I thought the concept of the land of the Dead was really effective. It’s a simple system to understand, but manages to remain eerie and other-worldly which I think is quite a difficult balance to get right. I was also convinced by the end that Sabriel’s branch of necromancy actually required some skill, because at the beginning I was thinking ‘Bells? Really? Anyone can ring bells.’ (I’m aware I’m probably showing myself as being completely ignorant about the art of necromancy here, so apologies if anyone is offended by my stupidity.) In a nutshell, I think Nix did a great job of making ‘binding the dead’ cool.

Whilst there are some interesting characters in Sabriel, there aren’t actually very many of them. This isn’t because there are loads of boring, unnecessary characters; there just aren’t many characters in general. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a criticism, it just means that a lot of the book is made up of Sabriel’s disclosed thoughts. However, out of the characters I have to pick from, Mogget is definitely my favourite. Although he’s frustrating at times, his sarcastic humour made me smile (I rarely lol at books) and I feel he’s a worthy companion for Sabriel. I was also very, very happy and excited when the character of Touchstone was introduced. The reason I was so excited? Well, sad, predictable and shallow as it is, I was crying out for a love interest. I’m actually very ashamed of myself for this and I was shocked at how easily I fell into the trap of wondering whether Sabriel and Touchstone would ever get together, but it made for an enjoyable read. Sabriel’s character was very well developed too, and Nix used the clever plot device of having one character who only meets her at the beginning and the end to demonstrate how much she’s grown as a person. Also, I never developed a strong dislike for her which is a plus for any main character (or maybe it’s just me that finds main characters get annoying, I don’t know).

The story itself was actually structured differently to how I expected it to be. There was an event a few chapters before the end that I thought would be the climax, but after it was over there was another climax. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but as a reader it really threw me off. If anything though, I think it helped make the final few chapters even more dramatic because I was ten times as shocked at every plot twist than I would normally be. The ending also left a suitable amount of intrigue in my mind as to what would happen in the two sequels. One question I really hope get’s answered: what was Sabriel’s dad’s real name? I shall keep you posted as to whether I find out this insignificant plot point.

ConscienceSarah

Blog currently undergoing transformation...

In the following weeks, we aim to revive this blog and turn it into a platform focused on all things entertainment-related!

The launch will be on Monday 8th September. You won't want to miss it ;)

Perfect Sandwiches

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #13: A late Ode for my Publisher

A late Ode for my Publisher
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Their punctuality sooths my inner sloth 
They forget the odd capital and mark of question 
But my works are on time 
Unlike my own rhymes 
Which neither have a time nor a direction 
Perhaps I should write ten at a time 
Cough cough 
I’ve done that already 
It was fun 
I felt special 
So I thank you for your acceptance 
Your artistic digestion 
No matter how blunt or racial 
I know I’m no poet 
And yes I do know it 
And with my poems you can’t be expectant 
And thank you for Gerry 
And on the contrary 
Thank you master 
I really owe you

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #12: Dedication to Mrs Holdich

Dedication to Mrs Holdich
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Beauty, birds and nests
Don't shake the tree or get shived in the chest
Animal cruelty isn't funny.

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #11: Men's cardigans

Men's cardigans
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

What are men's cardigans
Mandigans
I see what I did there
You don't need to
You don't need your eyes
Don't let the Wadz bite 

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #10: Oesophagus

Oesophagus
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

What does water go down
An oesophagus
No
An apocalypse, to and fro
A flood
Sticks and mud
A river of pain
A river of blood
Donate.

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #9: Blisters

Blisters
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Don't pop blisters
It hurts

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #8: Hornet

Hornet
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Hornet in my ear
How queer?
I killed it
Bullseyeee
That is all.

Wadz's Poetry Wednesday #7: Colours

Colours
By A.E.D. Wadsworth

Blues, greens, sunset oranges
Golden browns and horizon reds
These are colours.
I like colours.