April 11th | Weekly Wrap Up #32

I meant to put up a weekly wrap up last week and then it completely slipped my mind - weekends go by so fast no matter what - but I wanted to definitely make sure to put one up this week since yesterday (today as I'm typing this) is the beginning of a week long read-a-thon, which I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done it.

Books:
Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1) by Ridley Pearson (4/5)
I decided to reread this series so I can finally finish it - it's a 7 book series and I have the last one to read, but these books are fun. And I honestly remember nothing from this series. Also there's a spin-off series now. This is one of those, not guilty pleasures, but they're just not really... good. They're fun to read, Disney related with the characters, but mostly it's just fun. (finished at the very end of march so including it)

Disney at Dawn (Kingdom Keepers #2) by Ridley Pearson (3/5)
Mildly regretting the reread, but the rule normally is that series like this get better. This one is just a little too drawn out, maybe way too drawn out, it's ridiculous. Either way, I'm going to keep going - because I do enjoy this series, and I like the characters.

The Raven Boys (TRC #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5)
I think it was my third time reading this book - honestly I thought I'd read it more, but probably just because of my love for this series. I'm not sure how much I've talked about it on here, but I am literally in love with this series, these characters. It's been a long time since I've felt like this about a series, it might be my second favorite series of all time (And it's not done yet! The Raven King comes out this month, though!! I am excited and terrified and very sad - but I'll be able to reread all four in a row all the time, which I'll be doing a lot, probably).

Disney in Shadow (Kingdom Keepers #3) by Ridley Pearson (3/5)
This one way way better then the second, but still dragged. It just had more happening during that dragging out of things, but it was also longer. Not regretting the reread as much after finishing this one, hopefully I get to the point where I don't regret it anymore.


Stuff:
Mostly not much has been going on since I got back from Ithaca - I went to Ithaca, by the way, I don't remember if I mentioned this here, probably in passing. Saw friends, shopped, drove for miles where there is nothing to see but trees/rocks. It was a lot of fun, though, and I'm glad I went.

Not so glad for how I was not feeling so good after, but thankfully I'm better now (hopefully). However, vitamin D thing still kind of has be knocked on my ass. I definitely don't think I've mentioned that here yet - the lowest vitamin d my doctor has ever seen, obviously I strive to hit new lows. Joking aside - never, I keep telling people that - it explains some of my not feeling so hot recently, a surprising amount of them, but most notably: exhaustion, brain being cloudy/memory not so good (though, my memory is normally not so good), but hopefully I'll be back to normal soon. I've taken 3 doses of the 50,000 whatever capsules, just 5 more to go.

Besides my random health problems - which are still not solved magically with learning that, not that I expected them to be, but it would of been nice - I haven't been up to much. I finally started working out again after being too tired/in too much pain to, and have more energy from that. Hopefully that continues.

I also went to a random wizard rock, kind of, show that was during a libraries' Harry Potter day. Sometimes I forget how many small children are into Harry Potter, might be because I haven't been to a show outside of a house party in over a year, not even a con. My first library show, though! (I'm pretty sure, unless I'm forgetting something, which is possible). It was so strange it was surreal.

So it's been a quiet two weeks, but I'm okay with that. I'm hoping for it to be a mostly quiet month, which it looks like it's going to be - some stuff to get done, start on, but no big plans or anything.

What have you been up to? Reading?

Let me know, happy reading!

Book Review: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)

Book: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)
Author: Ridley Pearson
Genre: adventure, mystery, fantasy (middle-grade)
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: August 25th, 2009
Date Finished: May 14th

Story Notion: Huh. I might finish this series, I do have book two...

Plot: (from Goodreads):
In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more. This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Walt Disney World after hours and wondered what happens at night, when the park is closed.

Review:
I wasn't really sure about this book. I bought it on a whim the year before last, I think. We were at Disney after a convention and it was next to the cash register and I'd probably had less sleep that whole week then ever before, so I bought it, for something to read on the plane. Obviously, that didn't happen. What actually happened, if I remember correctly, is I passed out on the plane - unsurprisingly. (LeakyCon wears you out).

I didn't end up picking it up until, as writing this review, last year. I've just reread it recently and realized I'd never reviewed it in any sense. I definitely, now having read all the books out, think that this is definitely the weakest of them. It's setting things up, the start to a long series, but - I still really enjoyed it.

It surprised me the first time I read it, I wasn't honestly expecting much out of it, but I was immediately sold and so glad I had the next book in the series ready to go. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, without pause.

Overall it's a good start to a fantastic series. I love the characters and the plot, and all the weird things that happen that will probably make me never look at certain rides the same way again. The characters are definitely a little underdeveloped a bit at first, but not enough it bothered me.

If you're a Disney fan, or if you're not because I'm actually not a giant Disney fan, more casual, then you should give this series a chance. Or - adventure mystery fan.