Overview
I actually read/finished some books! I'm gonna review them for you. Also, an Altador Cup Update and a Housekeeping section.
SPOILER WARNING
I am absolutely horrible at keeping spoilers out of my reviews, especially when rereading stuff. If you have not read any of the Harry Potter series and/or seen the movies, the following review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone contains spoilers for the entire series. Also, if you haven't read the Women of the Otherworld series, my review for Spell Bound also contains spoilers.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - Review
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I'm a Harry Potter fan. As such, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the book that got me into J.K. Rowling's magical world. That said, I tend to skip over it when I reread the series. This is for several reasons, which I will outline below, before I get to the reason I shouldn't skip over Sorcerer's Stone as often as I do.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is largely a setup book. The reader gets what is basically a book-long info-dump interspersed with actual plot. That said, much of the info-dumping is necessary as the reader is in the same shoes as Harry: neither has any idea what the Wizarding World is like. However, in large info-dumps serve to make the book choppy. While we don't necessarily need to know what's going on hour-to-hour and day-to-day, I personally felt as though delving into the day-to-day stuff more often would have been helpful to break up all the jumping around that happens. There are also a lot of plot-conveniences throughout the book that hinge on characters being in certain places at certain times to overhear random bits of dialogue in order to create the red herring villain: Professor Severus Snape. I enjoyed Snape as the villain on the first read, but knowing about that upon reread ruins the magic, as it were.
What I really enjoy about rereading Sorcerer's Stone is the foreshadow-y clues sprinkled throughout the pages. Sirius Black is mentioned in the first chapter, though he doesn't come back up until Prisoner of Azkaban. Horcruxes, while not explicitly named or expounded upon, are mentioned. We see the after-effects of Voldemort using one of them. It's the only way he could even show up in the book. Professor Snape is initially set up as the villain. By the end of the book, and ultimately the end of the series, we see that he's not. We get a slight mention of the Marauders in this book, or at least a mention of their exploits, when Dumbledore tells Harry that James saved Snape's life. These, along with many other bits and pieces, are reasons rereading Sorcerer's Stone is so much fun.
In addition to the foreshadowing, there were certain bits of the story I really enjoyed. The depiction of Hogwarts at Christmas really stands out. I also quite enjoyed the Gringotts plaque -- I've got that thing memorized. I do really want to punch Ron in the face for all the things he said to Hermione in this book, though. That was before they became friends, but even so, he was really cruel to her.
If you are reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time -- I don't know why you're reading this review if you are, first off -- this is the book that gets you into the series. It might not be the best example of Harry Potter brilliance, but it works as a nice introduction to the series.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is largely a setup book. The reader gets what is basically a book-long info-dump interspersed with actual plot. That said, much of the info-dumping is necessary as the reader is in the same shoes as Harry: neither has any idea what the Wizarding World is like. However, in large info-dumps serve to make the book choppy. While we don't necessarily need to know what's going on hour-to-hour and day-to-day, I personally felt as though delving into the day-to-day stuff more often would have been helpful to break up all the jumping around that happens. There are also a lot of plot-conveniences throughout the book that hinge on characters being in certain places at certain times to overhear random bits of dialogue in order to create the red herring villain: Professor Severus Snape. I enjoyed Snape as the villain on the first read, but knowing about that upon reread ruins the magic, as it were.
What I really enjoy about rereading Sorcerer's Stone is the foreshadow-y clues sprinkled throughout the pages. Sirius Black is mentioned in the first chapter, though he doesn't come back up until Prisoner of Azkaban. Horcruxes, while not explicitly named or expounded upon, are mentioned. We see the after-effects of Voldemort using one of them. It's the only way he could even show up in the book. Professor Snape is initially set up as the villain. By the end of the book, and ultimately the end of the series, we see that he's not. We get a slight mention of the Marauders in this book, or at least a mention of their exploits, when Dumbledore tells Harry that James saved Snape's life. These, along with many other bits and pieces, are reasons rereading Sorcerer's Stone is so much fun.
In addition to the foreshadowing, there were certain bits of the story I really enjoyed. The depiction of Hogwarts at Christmas really stands out. I also quite enjoyed the Gringotts plaque -- I've got that thing memorized. I do really want to punch Ron in the face for all the things he said to Hermione in this book, though. That was before they became friends, but even so, he was really cruel to her.
If you are reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time -- I don't know why you're reading this review if you are, first off -- this is the book that gets you into the series. It might not be the best example of Harry Potter brilliance, but it works as a nice introduction to the series.
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong - Review
Spell Bound picks up the morning after Waking The Witch ends, skipping nary a beat getting into the action. Spell Bound continues to follow Savannah Levine as she works a case that turns out to be much bigger than she'd started out believing. Largely, Spell Bound takes all the loose ends from Waking The Witch, expands upon them, and then ties them up fairly well while at the same time creating something to carry readers into the next, and last, book in the series.
I really enjoyed Savannah's journey through both cases and her life. It was a lot of fun seeing her get things done without her powers, even if she usually had a "babysitter" alongside. Savannah is fully fleshed out here as she unknowingly gets ready for the apparent war to come.
I also enjoyed the cameo appearances of Elena, Clay, Hope, Jaime, Jeremy, and Cassandra. Getting all the Council characters working together in one place was awesome. Seeing them through the lens of Savannah was also quite fun. Usually we're seeing her through their eyes. Of course, rounding out the very fun cast were Karl, Adam, Paige, Lucas, and Sean to lesser extents.
Adam acted and reacted pretty consistently through the book. However, he did do a ridiculously quick turnaround from being pissed at Savannah. That bit threw me and didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the goings on, even if he thought he'd found a way to get Savannah's powers back. It was so weird I didn't even think that was actually Adam.
I thought the various "villains" of Spell Bound worked well together and apart. They transitioned quite smoothly from one to the other, at least. While they gave Savannah some trouble, they were mostly ancillary to what was going on in Savannah's head while they were around.
The questions asked, but not really answered were actually quite welcome. It was like watching a TV show and coming toward the end of a season. I do wonder who this Giles person really is, or rather, what he is. I wonder who "took" Savannah's powers and is pulling her toward becoming a Champion.
Overall, Spell Bound kept me engaged every step of the way. I found it very hard to put down. While Spell Bound is definitely not as stand-alone as previous Women of the Otherworld books have been, I'm really happy with how it was presented and how it ended. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.
Altador Cup Update
It's a bye day today. Perfect for giving an update.
Shenkuu ended this round fourth in the Alabriss Bracket. We're currently tied with Terror Mountain for 10th place overall.
Housekeeping
Tonight I may or may not have Initial Reactions up for Warehouse 13 due to shopping that needs to happen tonight.
I'm thinking of starting a Tumblr... so I can share pictures and stuff I've found around the internet. Currently I'm doing that through my Twitter feed, but... I keep forgetting about it so... a Pleiades Tumblr might be coming soon.
Love ya, Jessie. 
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