An Original Obsession

Hello!

I've found a new obsession. Yep. You heard right. A. New. Obsession. It was once Suits (it still kind of is) but now I have a new one that may even have more of a hold on me than Suits. You did read that right. I am hooked on this TV show - I even dreamed about it the other night! I've watched a lot of television shows since Suits but I've never loved any enough to tell you guys about them. Until now.

So I should probably tell you what this show is before I ramble on about it...

The Originals

It's a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries, which is a show I went off a long time ago; after about season 3/4 I think I stopped watching, I thought it was starting to get a bit repetitive but, oh my god, I'm addicted to The Originals, more so than I ever was to The Vampire Diaries. 

It's definitely a lot more of an adult show than it's parent show but I think that makes it a lot better. Obviously it's still gory and bloody - they're vampires, what do you expect? - but it seems to do it in a less teenager-angst way. 

Not going to lie, I have a bit of a thing for Klaus and Elijah too. It's the best of both worlds; Klaus, a bad boy; Elijah, a noble bad boy in a suit. You can guess which one I favour, I'm sure.

I have avoided this show since I first heard about it because I'd gone off The Vampire Diaries and I thought it was basically just going to be the same thing but with different characters. It's not. Not at all. Not in the slightest. It's just not. It's completely different, the characters are more mature, and played by some brilliantly skilled actors may I add, the story lines are bigger and, I would say more talented and gripping but maybe that's all down to the actors.

I was never a massive fan of when Klaus and Elijah and Rebeckah and the rest of the Original family came into The Vampire Diaries but that was because very little was known about them apart from how much they were hated and feared, but this spin-off lets you further into their lives and I have fallen completely head over heels in love with the characters.

Joseph Morgan, who plays Klaus' character, and Daniel Gillies, who plays Elijah's character, are two amazingly gifted actors. For me, they make the whole show. They're not just two stone-hearted, thousand year old vampires who like to kill people for fun, they actually show a lot of emotion and go through some difficult battles throughout the first season. They don't just randomly kill people either, I'll throw that out there now. Hayley, who is played by Phoebe Tonkins, is also brilliant. She's a strong, independent character who you get the feeling can cope completely fine on her own and doesn't need other people to do everything for her - she doesn't rely on the men of the show, basically. The first few episodes I watched, although I was gripped, I did get the horrible feeling it was going to be a love triangle - which I really hate - but it turned in a completely different, unexpected direction and nowhere near a love triangle. It does have a little bit of chemistry and spice in there too, which I love - I'm such a hopeless romantic.

Elijah is without doubt my favourite character, it's something to do with his whole demure and the kind of person he's portrayed as, constantly standing by his brother even after all the horrible things his brother has done to him. The way he's always the protector. And the fact he nearly always wears a crisp suit helps too... I do love Klaus too though, with his whole mysterious character and hidden emotions, he has that cheeky smirk as well, no one can hate that. I'll stop swooning over the actors now. Sorry.

The whole show is simply fantastic.

The season finale is one of the best I've ever watched too, and I've watched a lot of television shows. It's heart-breaking whilst hopeful at the same time. I don't want to give anything away but it's possibly the best episode I've ever watched on any TV show.

I've just started re-watching season 1 on Netflix as I die slowly waiting for season 2 to be released. I'm that addicted that I'm struggling to live without the show in my life - I managed to watch the whole first season in three days... I have no life. 

I have no idea what else to say about this show apart from how frickin' brilliant it is. Everyone needs to watch this because I personally guarantee that you will fall in love - not just with Elijah (or Klaus, if you prefer).

Katie x

Story Time... Bite 2!

Hello!

So, a couple of months ago now, I posted a short story that I'd written. I was terrified. It was the first one I'd ever publicly posted and I didn't know what people would think about it, or if anyone would even like it and read it. 

It actually turned out to be quite a popular post (I was soooo happy with how it was received that I later posted a different story (HERE) if you want to check that one out, too). Back to the first story though; there was even one lovely man who commented telling me he'd love to read more of it at some point.

I had written more to it then but I wasn't happy enough with what I had to post it on the interweb for everyone to read. However, after a lot of editing, and basically just re-writing it actually, I think I'm happy with this little section, so I thought I'd post it on here!

Once again, I'm completely open to feedback and criticism - it's the only way I can ever improve!

So to Tim, who commented on not only the first part of this story, but the first story I'd ever posted for anyone and everyone to read, thank you so much. You have no idea how much that one little comment meant to me.

Here is part two of the story.

(If you didn't read the first part then just click HERE, otherwise I think you might struggle to make sense of this post and you're probably just wondering what I'm cracking on about!)

Bang, Bang - Part 2

“Don’t. Move.” The figure whispered.

Rose stood stiller than the statue in the town centre; the one that she sat under eating her lunch every day. Mundane memories like that seemed pointless now. She stayed in the exact position she had found him in. She was struggling to take breathes when necessary and the fear in her eyes couldn't be mistaken.

“I’m really sorry.” The figure whispered.

She was still facing him, her eyes staring into his. Rose could see the fear from her eyes mirrored in his. He was scared too. How can the one holding the killing device be the one that's scared? She thought.

“Please don’t move.” He whispered, again.

She wanted to nod. But she didn’t want to go against his commands. She didn't want to move. 

She stood still. 

Completely unmoving. 

Her heart pounding in her chest – she could feel it in her head. In her feet. She could feel her hearbeat everywhere. 

She continued to stay in the same position he had told her to; staring at his face. His scared face.

The sound of the trigger being pulled rang throughout the shop and Rose collapsed on the floor.

She stayed there for several minutes. Motionless. She had moved, though. She hadn't meant to. She'd moved. 

Rose mentally assessed her body, trying to focus on any points of pain. None made themselves obvious. She wondered if this meant she was already dead. She tried to remove herself from the darkness that was surrounding her. A pale figure was standing in her line of view, though. Her whole body jolted back, hitting a large shelf of tins, several of them falling around her. 

Great. Those can't be sold now. The boss is not going to be happy about that. She mentally chastised herself - she was in a do or die situation and she was thinking about some dented tins of peas!

She sat there, her body shaking, staring at the pale figure but all he did was continue to watch her. His deep, midnight blue eyes scared and… pleading?

He closed his eyes, squeezing them, like he was trying to crush images and memories with them. She took the moment to try and observe him. His pale skin made him look like he'd been hiding from the sun for his whole life. It was the first time that she had taken him in properly, his dark hooded jacket hid most of his face but there were still a few black strands of hair that managed to peek out. His head was bowed and his eyes still shut. Rose made a further assessment of him. His shoulders seemed broad but she couldn't see much underneath the baggy hoody. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes; they were more prominent thanks to his pale skin. He couldn't be any older than herself... Mid-twenties, maybe?

Rose tore her eyes away from him, looking to her right. The cash desk draw still sat wide open. She wondered why he was still here if he’d taken the cash. Why? Part of her hoped someone had heard the single gunfire bang as they were walking past the little shop . She knew it wasn't likely. Not many people randomly walked past the remote, village shop.

She averted her eyes to the right instead, her mind still swirling with “why’s”.

A growing pool of red covered the cream-tiled floor.

The gunshot hadn't been a mistake.

A whimper escaped her body, ruining her vow of silence.

A hand came out to touch her shoulder and she flinched. It jumped back to its owner’s side.

“I’m sorry.”

Rose finally looked at him. Her eyes meeting his. Her stare was that cold that he was the one to flinch next.

“I’m sorry.”

She was starting to wonder if those were the only words he knew.

The fear she had felt was being overtaken by anger; she quickly crawled to her boss’s side. Her hands fluttered around his wrist. She was once taught how to look for a pulse but she couldn't remember where the best place was to check for it.

She pressed her forefinger into his inner wrist, praying for something. Hoping.

“He’s already dead.” The voice was closer behind her than she had thought and she jumped again. “I made sure it was instant. He didn't suffer. It was quick. The bullet went straight through his heart. He didn't suffer.” The last three words were no more than an airy whisper so much so that Rose wasn’t sure whether she had heard it or imagined it.

“You murdered him.” Apparently from anger came bravery. Or stupidity. Rose couldn’t decide which.

“Please don’t say that.”

She turned to look up at him, only to find he was knelt down; at the same level she was.

“You murdered him.” She repeated. Her tone colder than the snow that crunched outside.

“Don’t say that!” He shouted and swiftly stood, turning his back to her.

Rose had found her answer. It was definitely stupidity. Her fear came back in full swing; her anger melting quicker than the snow would when the mid-day sun shone tomorrow.

An Ode to a Book

Hello!

I'm sure a lot of you know, and can even just see by looking at this blog, that I love to read.

Well, I read a lot of books whilst I was on holiday but right now I'm on an unfortunate book ban seen as I have a lot to read for my uni course - it sucks. Shakespeare, I hate you... No offence.

However, when I implemented the book ban on myself, I said I wasn't to buy anymore books, nothing was said about re-reading...

So, to get around my self-imposed book ban, I decided to re-read some of my favourite books and it has made me realise how much I truly love one book in particular.

Samantha Young is the author who has provided us with the beautifully wonderful book that is On Dublin Street. So you can consider this blog post either a mini-review or my declaration of my undying love for this book. It's up to you. Although it's probably more the latter.

The story follows Jocelyn (a.k.a. Joss), a girl who has just graduated from university in Edinburgh and is looking for a new apartment to live in. However, she's originally from Virginia but when her parents died in a tragic car crash and she was left an orphan she made the decision to leave after high school and head to the University of Edinburgh.

She falls in love with a luxury flat as well as it's one existing occupant, Ellie Carmichael, unknowingly at that point that she has also met and lusted after Ellie's brother, Braden, too. 

Braden has a well-known reputation of being a womaniser as well as a wealthy businessman in Scotland but this doesn't stop the undeniable chemistry that Joss and Braden share from making an impact on their relationship, but both of them are unwilling to commit to anything serious.

Although we get to know most things about Joss's past from the beginning, she keeps her pain from her friends, and now Ellie and Braden too, something Ellie especially doesn't understand due to her open, chatterbox nature but it's easy to see that Joss's character is used to fending for herself, not being open. 

So there are the basics! I could recite ever moment of this book, easily, but I don't want to ruin it for you, so it's just a quick synopsis type thing!

It's no surprise that I'm in love with Braden. Obviously. I'd worry if I wasn't. He comes across as the sultry, sexy businessman with an epic sense of humour but his character develops into a lot more than that as his friendship with Joss unfolds. We find out about his past, his family and why he values his relationship with his sister so much. To a certain extent, I have to admit, the business side of him strikes me as very Christian Grey-esque but better... A lot better. And a lot sexier. Braden's one of those dream characters who you literally end up dreaming about. Fifty Shades was not a book I massively enjoyed though, and I certainly didn't dream about Christian, so don't let that one similarity put you off!

Joss's character is what draws me to love this book so much. The suffering she had to endure at such a young age made her shut people out because she thought that if she loved and cared for people it not only made her weak but it would lead to them getting hurt. As the story develops, we see her character slowly grow in strength and become more confident with her feelings and her insecurities.

A part of this is definitely because of her new flatmate, Ellie. Ellie is one of those characters who you can't help but fall in love with and just want to swaddle in cuddles; she's so sweet and kind that it makes you want to be like her, even if she is a fictional character! She's so open that living with someone as closed as Joss is difficult for her at first but their friendship blossoms and, as it does, so does Joss's confidence to trust people and open up more - it brings a tear to my eye!

One of my favourite quotes is from Ellie's character and seen as it's one of the few that can't be classed as a spoiler, I'm going to share it with you:

""Did you just call me a numpty?"

"Yup. A delusional one."

"What, may I ask, is a numpty?"

"A person demonstrating a lack of knowledge of a situation; a silly person; an idiot; a dumbass. A delusional numpty: Joss Butler's stupid, idiotic, blind misconception of the true nature of her relationship with my brother, Braden Carmichael.""

I don't know why I love that quote so much, I just do. Maybe it's the humour in the idea that, in Scotland/England/UK in general, a numpty is a concept most people know. The best English teacher I ever had had an extreme love for the word, too, so maybe that's why! It's at this point that you remember Joss hasn't loved in Scotland all of her life - it's like a little reminder.

Of course there are the general struggles on the way but it's the twist about three-quarters of the way through that you don't expect that makes it so different. Most books have some kind of 'shocking' (supposedly) twist near the end that's supposed to make you think it's not going to work out anymore but in On Dublin Street it really is an unexpected but expected one at the same time... if that makes sense. If you're observant enough, you'll spot the signs leading up to it but it has effects that you didn't realise it would and, if you're anything like me, it will have you rocking on the edge of your bed...

It's so well written, the characters are so lovable and, for anybody who lives near Scotland or even just in the UK maybe, the setting in this book will seem so familiar to you, it will feel like you're there. 

I only live about two hours away from Edinburgh and there is not a single detail in this book that isn't true when she's talking about the streets of Edinburgh and the castle and all of the lovely fine points about the place - it makes me want to go back there so bad! I've seen quite a lot of reviews where people have complained that the book could probably be set anywhere, Young just says it's Edinburgh, but anyone who knows Edinburgh will know there is only one place this book could have been set and it's already there.

For those of us who fall in love with books and characters so easily, Samantha Young has kindly provided us with a series which follow different characters from the book whilst still letting you know how your favourites from the previous book are getting on! It's perfect!

This is in my top five favourite books... maybe even my top three, actually! I feel this book deserves all the love and more. A million out of five stars, easily (yes, that is possible)!

If you're looking for a book to read then this is definitely it... unless you're not into the kind of YA fiction genre, although I still think you should give it a go because I think there's something for everyone in this book.

Happy reading!

Katie x

Story Time!

Hello!

I thought I'd be brave today (just like yesterday's post, HERE, said I should be) and share a story with you that I wrote a little while ago in a creative writing workshop. It's only a very short one and we had to write it in both first and third person, so here is the third person version but I can always post the first person one later to give you a bit more insight, if you want! I have also expanded on the story since then, so there is a bit more to it now but this is the original, short version. Let me know what you think, I'm open to criticism too, just make it constructive, pretty please!

Bang, Bang.

The noise echoed through the tiny, corner shop, making it all the way to the small staff room at the back where Rose sat, staring into her steaming cup of coffee, her hands wrapped around it to absorb the heat. Her head slowly lifted up a minute after the loud bang, a frown spreading across her pale face. She sat for thirty or so seconds longer, staring at the door expectantly, but nothing happened. Resigned, she stood up and, slowly, headed for the door, the plimsolls on her feet dragging across the old, carpeted floor. She pulled the heavy fire door, the strain showing on her face from the weight of it, heaving out a big sigh as she let it swing shut, her cup of coffee still sitting half empty on the edge of the table where it was left.

She walked through the short hallway to the shop floor and stopped. She stood in the middle of the aisle staring at the visibly open cash desk. You could see the slight tremble in her hands as they hung, limply by her sides and the hairs at the nape of her neck were all stood up on edge, alert.

There was another resounding thud that resonated through the small shop, coming from behind where Rose was stood. Her eyes closed momentarily and her previously heavy breathes came to a halt. It was several minutes before she reopened her eyes again and gained her composure. Slowly, her body started to turn, her clumsy feet turning a second later. The movement stirred the resting dust bunnies, letting them mix and swirl in the air before finding somewhere new to hide; somewhere safer. As she stood staring at what had been behind her only a minute ago her breath got lost in her throat, caught on her terror. Less than a couple of centimetres away from her face was a gun, a calloused finger resting on the trigger.