Book review: Percy Jackson #1

Hi everybody!

I have decided to have a little book review corner now at my blog. Mostly because I don't go out and do a lot nowadays, but rather snuggle up in my bed with a good book. There will be reviews on everything from new YA book series to old classics as Shakespeare and Jane Austen. But I will also selflessly promote my own Wattpad story The Invisibles and everything around it.

I will start this book journey with a book I finished last week; Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

Book synopsis/The Blurb:

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy has ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. 

Thoughts on the Blurb: 

Frankly the blurb don't do the book justice. The book itself is an emotional roller-coaster with a lot of humor and sass. But the blurb is inviting enough and there is a reason (beside the big crowds of fans who told me to read them, not pointing any fingers or anything, you all know who you are) that made me want to buy and get sucked in by them.

Okay, so now let's move on to breaking the whole book down into tiny bits and pieces... or not. We'll start with the *drumroll*:

Narration:

Percy Jackson is the main of this story and Rick made a wise choice when he chose to go with first person POV for this series. I think Rick Riordan opened up many doors to a better humor in the book that way, and made it easier to understand what's  Percy's thoughts and what's not. Also it made more sense for it to be in first person POV then third person POV. Since 3rd person POV often give of a know it all feeling.

Setting:

They move around a lot in the book. Going on a not so successful field trip, meeting old ladies and being sent out on a quest. My favourite setting that will keep reappearing in the books (I hope), is of course Camp Half-Blood. Being kind of a boarding school in a summer camp format just gave me the right amount of nostalgia, being a summer camp kid myself since I was seven. What summer camp kid wouldn't want a pegasi stable, a lethal game of capture the flag and a greek god as the camp director?

Maybe I should also mention that it plays out in and around New York with some travelling here and there, so let's just say inside US boarders. Oh, and some Olympian places as well.

Theme:

It is a YA book series (I think), which means what for a fantasy book? That there is some shit going down and it may or may not escalate quickly. Some themes are greek mythology (yay!), action, friendship and a tiny little sprinkle of love.

My thoughts on the themes:

I would say that Rick Riordan made a great job with those themes, also portraying the feelings and priorities of a twelve year old. He has also turned the greek myths to something quirky and fun.

My overall thoughts and feelings on the book:

In the beginning I was a bit of a skeptic at how Rick chose to write. It wasn't my personal favourite of a writing style, but I got used to it and now there is a charm to it. It is so, so... so Percy! I don't think any other style would convey Percy's humor and feelings any better and it really is a fit. 

I couldn't put the book down and I loved the way most characters stood up to bullies and showed everybody that This is me and I'm PROUD of it. You will find friends in the main line-up and they will become your little babies. I am really hyped to continue to read the other four books in this series and then if I'm up for it The Heroes of Olympus series, too. 

And to all of you out there who have watched the movie. If you thought the movie was good read the BOOK! If you thought the movie was bad... read the BOOK!

Sunny Days + Clothing Reviews

Hello cuties!

As you all know I was supposed to post this three days ago, but my internet has been acting up for a couple of days, but now both me and the internet are back on track! Just as I promised I'm gonna present some photos -from my photoshoot- and reviews today with yet another of my lists. Shall we start with some photos then?

This one is from when my school marched through town to compete against our rival school.

It was really fun and we actually won after some defeats and struggles. It was really fun but also scary since there was such an atmosphere. Everyone was chanting and cheering.

This pic was taken when my cousin graduated from High School. It's tradition here in Sweden for graduates to ride on truck beds and go around town in them while chanting and blasting music. It's fun but it gets really crowded and nearly all ice cream machines around town broke that day since it was really hot!

This is a picture of a piece of David Cerny hanging from a building in Örebro.

This one is a pic of Ai Wei Wei's work that's just chilling around in the streets of Örebro.

A piece of Antonio O'Connell, Open House which allows you to walk in and have a look.

Some Lilacs on the way to my cousin's house.

A pic of my uncles car. Many old cars are brought to graduation to drive the graduates home. Also another custom here in Sweden. 

And here are some wild strawberries for you all!

Buttercups!

And that was all the photoshoot pictures that I won't use as review pics - and that are actually presentable.

This item is a Molly Bracken dress that I bought in Italy. It's really airy and well fitted. You can adjust the straps and overall it's really good. One con is that it's really long, as expected for a branded maxi dress. It means that if you are shorter than 170 you have to either wear super high heels or hold the skirt up all the time - I'm under 165 and therefor I have to do both. But that doesn't really destroy anything for me and I just love everything about this dress. As you can see in the picture the bottom part of the dress is made of only sheer lace and the under skirt stops a bit over your ankles, this creates a nice illusion of long legs and gives a fairy feeling to it.

The colour is an ivory colour with a tint of milk.

These pants did I find in a small shop run by Asians in Finale Ligure, along with the white jumsuit below. They are both super comfy and were really cheap. The colours are just lovely and they are easy to mix and match with other items.

The last item is a dress my mom bought in town. The dress is really nice and clings well to the body. It would go really well with a light jean jacket and some jewellery.

Well this became a really long post so I think I have to make another one for some more photos and the list.

Bye!

Korean Beauty Review + Events of the Week

Hello~

As many of you fashionistas know this week is the Seoul Fashion week and as I checked out Urban Outfitters blog I realized that South Korean Cosmetics have become more and more popular. I find it interesting and fun since I myself have been into K-Beauty for the last two years and just love everything from there in cosmetic way. So I though "Hey, why not do a K-Beauty Reviewing thing on my blog this week?" and then I went sick last Friday and I couldn't even post a regular post because even thinking hurt.

But I'm back and I will do my K-Beauty Review, so here it is:

1st one is Lady Kin's Affinitic Whitening Moisturizer:

Really great Snail Cream which is made out of herbs to work like real snail cream on the skin. Moisturizes and evens out the skin tone. I chose to buy the "night" version so that I can apply it in the evening and sleep with it. It's a transparent cream with a moist texture and gives off a cool feel on the skin while applying. It's smooth and fresh and smells nice.

Apply it with your ring finger in circular motions from your nose to your forehead and finish off on your cheeks. Since the cheeks are the hottest part of your face whatever is applied to this area will dry faster.

It comes in a cute packaging made to look like a snail. There is a pink version of the packaging, but then it doesn't come with the whitening (brightening/evening-out) effect.

So if you are not in the need of whitening then I recommend to buy the pink version since it's super CUTE!

I got the cream from yesstyle.com a great site for those who like K-fashion and K-beauty.

Link:http://www.yesstyle.com/en/ladykin-affinitic-whitening-moisturizer-yam-cream-100ml/info.html/pid.1033606006

2nd one is Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshner:

I love it! Especially good on lazy days when you just can't or don't want to take care of your face and to just stay in bed. It's a part of my everyday skin care routine. Great cleanser which does everything that it promises, and that's a lot. As Etude House writes on the product's packaging it's a 7 in 1 product. It's supposed to:

1. Maintain ph 4.5 + 1.
2. Refine skin tones.
3. Keep the elasticity of the pores.
4. Deep cleanse the pores.
5. Minimize the appearance of pores.
6. Control large amount of Sebum.
7. Moisturize the outside and the inside of the skin.

I think it does that and it's my savior on lazy days. As for the packaging:

I think it's a really nice bottle and I love the smart feel of it. It has a cap function which I find really nice and useful. You just take a cotton pad and place it on a pump kind of thingy and push down on it. It will wet the cotton pad with almost no effort, it's awesome!

It also says that you can fill a spray bottle with the cleanser and use it for moisturizing your skin under the day to control the amount of sebum on your face.

Link: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/etude-house-wonder-pore-freshner-10-in-1-500ml-16-9oz/info.html/pid.1036786188

3rd one is Etude House's Drawing Show Creamy Liner, #Brown:

This one is an Eyeliner in brown. It's texture is smooth and soft but it gives off an intense feeling when drawn. I like the fact that it comes with a brush. I myself wasn't that used to using a brush when applying eyeliner so it was quite tricky at first. Now that I have learnt my way with it it's simple and fun. Since I chose to buy the brown one it gives of a softer and more natural feel than if I would have bought the black one. Therefor I like to use it to create a more subtle and cute look than my usual edgy make up look. 

I also think that if I get the chance to buy the black one I will. Even if the brush is a big you can go down in size if you would like to. It blends easily, is waterproof and stays on all day long.

Link: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/etude-house-drawing-show-creamy-liner-bk802-black-double-shot-3-5g/info.html/pid.1031180350 

4th one is Etude House's Correct and Care, CC Cream, #Silky:

Etude seems to love their multi-functioning stuff, as this time it's a 8 in 1 CC cream. 

1. Anti-aging.
2. Stress relief.
3. Hydration.
4. Whitening.
5. Sun protection.
6. Tone-up.
7. Smooth Texture.
8. Luminosity.

Some of these things doesn't really make any sense to me, like the stress relief thing, but sure I will swallow it. As for the other 7 things this product promises to give off I myself think it does, in different amounts that is.

It's a smooth cream that gives off a fresh and youthful look. It has a nice texture which feels good against the skin and it isn't heavy. The colour is a bit pink in the tone but it brightens your face and make you appear whiter. It covers blemishes and other imperfections well.

I bought the silky one. I think it's made for oilier faces and should make them appear more like silk.

Link: http://www.yesstyle.com/en/etude-house-cc-cream-correct-care-cream-8-in-1-multi-function-spf/info.html/pid.1033055043

Okay, so that was that. Leave some comments and give me feedback on the reviews. Do you think that I should do some more reviews or maybe post my everyday routine? Give some tips and ideas on what to write about! 

Tomorrow I will go to Ullared with my mom, Olivia and Fluff. It's going to be awesome but I'm nervous/giddy/hyper so I won't get any sleep. We're going to go up at 3 AM and prepare for the roadtrip and well be going at 5 AM. It's going to be so much fun and we've been mapping out where we should start and where we will end, what we will buy first and last as well as done a list of what we need to buy.

Follow our adventure on my Instagram: @LolliesChan.

Bye!!