Allison Ivy's Blog

Don't @ me.
Do you hate the "nice guy" trope in pop culture? I'm talking about the characters like Hal in Dreamworks' Megamind or Simon Lewis in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I'm talking about Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"But, wait. Isn't Xander one of the good guys? Part of the Scooby Gang?"
Xander is a good guy. No doubt about it. But he's far from a "nice guy." He's the type of guy who asks Buffy out and lashes out when her answer isn't up to his expectations. Granted, this happens when he's a hormonal teenager, but let's look at other examples, shall we?
In the season six episode, "Hell's Bells," Xander leaves Anya at the altar on their wedding day. While the action is condemned by his friends, Buffy and Willow still welcome him back and forgive him almost immediately. On top of this, he polices how Anya rebounds. Having sex with Anya almost gets Spike killed all because Xander can't see Anya with anyone else. News flash: You shouldn't have left her at the altar if you didn't want her rebounding!
Meanwhile, the whole Xander/Angel dynamic is on a constant loop of "Angel's evil. Buffy can't date him." Although Xander doesn't say this, his intent is clear in the earlier seasons of Buffy.
But time after time, Xander gets a pass by every character in the series (except, maybe, for Anya) because he's Xander-the nerdy, loveable, funny guy.
Buffy is far from a flawless show, but it would've been incredible to have an episode (or one measly scene) where Xander is called out for his bull****. Have Buffy scold him for telling her to "kick [Angel's] ass" when he should've warned her that Willow was close to restoring Angel's soul. Let someone be on Anya's side for once after the whole "Hell's Bells" debacle.
Good guys aren't always "nice guys," and I wish the show embraced the issue rather than ignoring it altogether. 

Courtesy of Amazon.com
We’re all guilty of it. Pick up your phone to check the time or reply to that one e-mail and pretty soon, you’re sucked into a cyber rabbit hole that would put Wonderland’s to shame. It’s only natural, then, for television and film to begin portraying this type of obsession.The 2010 Syfy take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice, dives headfirst into a world overrun with people who will do anything to feel alive. They’ve become numb to the world around them. This is seen most prominently in the oysters—the people kidnapped by the queen’s “suits” or minions to be drained of their emotions.
Image courtesy of SyfySocial media, though it’s touted as serving as a connection to the world, it is widely critiqued by many as being a clear disruption to normal human interaction. Having a phone in public areas has opened up a world of technological addiction. Much like the oysters of Syfy’s Alice, the present day populace is kept docile and oblivious to their surroundings in favor of the alluring cyber-world. The internet, then, is our Wonderland. Image courtesy of Syfy
Amid the sea of characters overcome with addiction, there is one character that stands out. Charlie, the last white knight of Wonderland, has spent decades in a forest away from technology. In the absence of everything and everyone else, Charlie focuses all his effort on inventing things. He has his own alarm system set up around the perimeter of his home, his own hunting traps (a pit full of spikes), and time to reflect on the world around him.
What were your thoughts on Syfy’s Alice? Was there another message you saw in the film? Discuss it below.

I know many of you may be wondering what The Dragon and the Double-Edged Sword (TDATDES) is so here’s some info. Some of this you can find in the synopsis, but this is a more detailed look.     TDATDES is a YA fantasy set in the years 2588 and 2599. (It’s a dual timeline story following Lysandra when she’s 12 and 23). This is after humans are extinct. It follows a mermaid, elven warrior, and a human. Huh? But you just said humans are extinct? Patience, my friend.     Duke Virginio Ormani II from 16th-cent. Italy finds himself in 2599 and is cursed to walk as a dragon in daylight. He has a father and sister. His mother died of scarlet fever.     Lysandra (the POV character of TDATDES) is a mermaid with no magical ability. She is an anomaly in that respect. She’s headstrong, kind to the point of naïveté, and ready for adventure. Her go-to weapons are her sai swords, which she likes to spin on her fingers.     Cyali is an elven warrior and Lysandra’s protector. He’s heavily tattooed and in a relationship with Lysandra. They’re also best friends. (You’ll get to see their first meeting in the book.)     Our antagonist is Pushka, a blue-skinned witch who wants to save the human race. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing, right? It’s her execution that leaves something to be desired.     There will be a map of the three western lands (Tiernen, Incendia, and Lamia).
That’s all you get for now, but I hope this shines a light on #TDATDES for you guys. I can’t wait for you to read it.          Want to see what these characters look like? Check out the official Pinterest board for TDATDES here.
          You can preorder the book here or add it to Goodreads here.

     Self-publishing a debut novel is fairly straightforward, right? Write the book, edit, then publish. Simple.
     Not so.
     Sure, you can publish the first completed draft that comes about, but chances are, it'll look like crap.
     Something I couldn't prepare myself for was the amount of time and effort it takes to self-publish a book. On top of the grammar and plot, there's the formatting to worry about, the front AND back cover, the copyright page,the acknowledgments, the title page ... The list goes on. If you want an ebook of your novel, that's a whole 'nother can of worms.
     All this to say, guess what, world? I did it. I made a thing (which you can preorder the Kindle version of or add it to Goodreads).
     Would I self-publish again? Absolutely.
     Because the accomplished feeling you have when it's all said and done is like nothing you've ever experienced before. It's a rush of anxiety, of anticipation, of dread in the best way.

So if any of you read my previous post on #TheReadingQuest, you'll know I had some pretty ambitious notions. However, I ended up not reading a single book.

Why?


I'm self-publishing my debut novel, The Dragon and the Double-Edged Sword (Twitter thread here for more info). The past month, this project has consumed every waking thought. I had to re-introduce myself to Photoshop in order to complete a cover for the book. Along with that, I've been having issues with formatting the book for Createspace.


I hope to start reading a lot more once I figure out this whole self-publishing thing, but TDATDES is scheduled for release on December 5th.


How did you fare with #TheReadingQuest?

This summer was full of book buying for me and more reading than I usually get to do. I'm currently reading #6 of the 14 books in this haul.
Up first ...

I'm way behind on the Lauren Oliver train (I've only read Delirium), but I recently saw Before I Fall and figured it was time for me to read something else from her. I have to say, Vanishing Girls and Panic did not disappoint! However, I ended up liking Panic more.

Read my review of Vanishing Girls here.

And my review of Sister, Sister here.

These next two books I had never heard of before picking them up, but I'm so glad I did! Follow Me Back is a great read, especially for the frequent Twitter user. The Couple Next Door kept me guessing until the last third of the book.

You can find my review for Follow Me Back here.
And my review for The Couple Next Door here.

The book from this haul I'm currently reading is ...
Look at that cover! It's designed like a VHS tape. It even has faux stickers like "Be Kind Rewind" on the corners. I love it so much, and the story is intriguing so far.
Recently, I went on vacation to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. There was a bookstore there, so naturally, I had to grab some. Here's what I got from BROWSEABOUT BOOKS IN REHOBOTH, DE:
Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody, Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh, Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
And there you have it! Fourteen books I can't wait to finish reading. Which of these have you read? Any favorites? Let me know!

Hey, all! I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be participating in Read at Midnight's #TheReadingQuest from August 13th - September 10th. I will post a blog update of my progress the first and last days of the challenge and also every Friday while the challenge is going.

Here is the Quest Board of each path you can take once you sign up for the challenge. All info about #TheReadingQuest (point system, character classes, FAQ's, etc.) can be found here.

The graphics and artwork are courtesy of Aentee at Read at Midnight and CW from Read, Think, Ponder respectively. I do not claim ownership of these graphics/artworks, and they are used for this challenge only.

Going by the board above, I will be a MAGE starting with 10EXP and 10HP.

MAGE TBR:
One Word Title - Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
Contains Magic - Frostblood by Elly Blake
Based on Mythology - The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Set in different world - Heartless by Marissa Meyer
1st book in a series - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (overlaps with KNIGHT)

If I miraculously finish this path, I will move on to ...

KNIGHT TBR:
1st book in a series - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (overlaps with MAGE)
Verb in title - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Weapon on cover - And I Darken by Kiersten White
Red cover - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Movie adaptation - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Want to sign up for this awesome reading challenge? Go here: https://readatmidnight.com/2017/07/29/thereadingquest-sign-up/
Have you read any of these books, yet? Are you participating in #TheReadingQuest?

My 9-month-old puppy, Ozzy, included just because.Back to the blog post. What is "Through the Ivy" about?

Good question.

Since I am new to blogging, I'm going to need you to bare with me until I get the hang of things. I plan on posting twice a week starting August 1st (Tuesdays and Fridays) on the topic of YA books.
More info to come, but I'm excited to start this journey!
As for the blog's name, it relates to my pen name, Allison Ivy, which I use for various social media accounts. 

Why "Allison Ivy?" I thought it sounded cool.







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