YALC & LFCC 2018

YALC and London Film & Comic Con 2018

I could only go forgone day this summer but I made sure to make the most of it. Here are some of my pics from Saturday...
(yes that's me dressed as Supergirl!)

For more pics from the day then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

Who else went? My lovely friend Hayley came along again this year.

YALC & London Film & Comic Con 2018

It's that time of year again...
I'm off to YALC and London Film & Comic Con today dressed as my fav gal Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl!

I'm looking forward to meeting some of my fav YA authors, buying lots of books and of course looking at all the pretty cosplay costumes!

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

Are you headed to YALC & London Film and Comic Con this weekend?!

YALC 2017

YALC and LFCC 2017 in pictures... 

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account, but here are a few of my favs...

Panels, books, cosplay, Benedict Cumberbatch and exploring!

All the costumes, books and do I spy a TARDIS or two?! 

What was your YALC or London Film and Comic Con experience like?!

YALC Bound

YALC and London Film & Comic Con I'm headed your way dressed as the TARDIS... 

I'm looking forward to buying lots of lovely books and of course looking at all the pretty cosplay costumes!

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

Are you headed to YALC & London Film and Comic Con this weekend?!

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus - Cursed Child Review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts One & Two) Harry Potter #8
by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

What they say: Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Add to Goodreads

Buy links:
Amazon UK * Amazon US * Waterstones * Pottermore


Spoiler Free review #keepthesecrets

What I say: For anybody who knows me it shouldn't come as a surprise that I was giddy with excitement about getting my greedy paws on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I've been obsessed with all things Harry Potter since I wandered into my local Waterstones with three friends after school way back in June 1997. Where I spent my pocket money on a book about a boy called Harry. On a side note my friends spent their money on ear piercings, a burger and a biology book - so considering I've been offered upwards of £3,000 for my first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (yes it's been authenticated, yes it has the mistake on page 53, yes it's in great condition and lives in a locked box along with my first editions of all the other HP books) I wonder which of us made the best purchases... I then went on to have my own Angelfire HP fan page called Harry From Gryffindor and became a life long fan of J.K. Rowling and HP. As you can see from the picture below I still have my original Harry Potter mug which was released once the first movie was announced. My HP obsession lead to me having a Harry Potter themed birthday party at University, which happens to be the same Uni as J.K. Rowling attended and to studying Latin so I could learn about classics and where the HP spells came from (see my favourite copy of Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis below).
The reason I've mentioned my history with the series and just how much the books mean to me is to explain how high my expectations for Cursed Child were and for you to judge whether I can be expected to give a balanced non-biased review of the script...

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fits nicely into the HP canon and from the very first page I instantly felt as like a teenager again falling in love with Wizards and magic for the first time. As a literature graduate I've read numerous plays so had no problems with the script format (not that you need to have studied English to love plays). I know this has been a problem for some who didn't like the stage directions or the lack of 'novel style' flow as seen in the previous HP books. Does the play format make it difficult to connect with the characters? Absolutely not. Harry as a parent jumps off the page and reminds readers why we loved him in the first place. Albus and Scorpius shine as the new generation and made me completely rethink everything about the series.

There are twists, turns and lots of surprises. I loved falling into my favourite fictional world again (not that I ever left it) and found myself completely charmed by the story. Did I expect that ending? Not really but I love to be kept guessing.

I've seen several mentions of Cursed Child being like HP fan fiction - I'm not going to comment on that here as I feel it would be too spoilery, but if I had ever managed to write HP fan fiction like this then I'd be really flipping proud.

All the Stars in my Sky!

My Luna outfit from the Potter Party at YALC last weekend on Cursed Child release day!

From the Deathly Hallows release party all those years ago!

YALC & LFCC - Day 1

YALC and London Film & Comic Con Friday aka day 1 in pictures... 
It's generally quieter on weekdays at these sort of events which means makes it a good time to tour the venue and get a few pics before the crowds arrive. I spent a lot of time in the Young Adult Lit Con section but found the time to head into the main LFCC floors. 

Lots of lovely books and of course costumes and the squad!

Patrick Ness & Lewis MacDougal talk A Monster Calls book and movie. Plus I became Mad Queen Zili...

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

What was your YALC or London Film and Comic Con experience like?!

My Crazy and Fab Saturday at YALC & LFCC

I had a crazy, busy, extremely random and completely awesome time at YALC and London Film & Comic Con on Saturday. 
It was my first time at the event and as you can probably imagine I got extremely overexcited and snap-happy. I spent the majority of my day in the Young Adult Lit Con section but found the time to head into the main LFCC floors. 

The queues:
When I came out of the station I wasn't expecting the already HUGE queues outside the Olympia (I was there by 8am), but thankfully the #YALC line was a lot shorter. Once the doors opened for early entry at 9am it didn't take long to get inside. Plus there are always lots of people to chat to whilst you're waiting (Katniss, Moaning Myrtle and the Avengers were all very friendly).

I went into the 'talk area' early (thanks to Helen for showing be around) and managed to get front row seats for the Young Authors talk, and for the #Shadowhunters talk with Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees-Brennan. Both talks were great and I especially appreciated Cassie and Sarah handing out lots of set pics and concept art from location in Toronto.

The book signings were extremely busy and because I was front row for Cassandra Clare's talk, I managed to miss that there was a ticket system for her queue. I joined the LONG line without one, only to be send to the back again for a ticket. This meant I'd queued for a long time without a ticket and ended up waiting off and on for over 3 hours & I only had one book signed by Cassandra in the end. 



BUT Cassandra and Sarah both stayed on WELL BEYOND their two hour signing slots to make sure everybody got a book signed. I'm extremely grateful to them for doing this as they really didn't have to and were both super nice!! 

My only complaint would be that the ticket system should have been implemented clearly from the start when we entered the building. I did manage to get my other books and tote-bag signed whilst waiting for my CC number to be called - I even snuck upstairs to see Luke Pasqualino aka d'Artagnan from The Musketeers and had a #Shadowhunter Rune temp tattoo done - so tbh it wasn't all waiting around (and although it was a bit of a scramble, it was my fault for missing the queue/ticket system).

I spent time in the main #LFCC areas off and on all day. Where I befriended a friendly alien who had a spare ticket for a certain time travelling BTTF talk. I'm not sure how we blagged our way past the lines, but we managed to see the entire cast on stage! 
#LFCC itself was insanely busy and hot so some people were getting stressed. I have to admit it was difficult to move around the rooms/floors, but most people seemed to take it in their stride and were uber friendly to the short girl in the zombie dress!  

I missed the beginning of The Hunger Games Quiz as I was sidetracked by a guy dressed as The Flash handing out free comics and 'Meade'. But the man running the quiz was a perfect Caesar Flickerman.

The publishers and organisers had lots of goodies to give out on the day, ranging from Penguin Platform's #FindingAudrey free coffee selfie pics, to the Lady Midnight samplers and many tote bags and badges. 


I have lots of swag which I'll be giving away soon...

Will I go again? MOST DEFINITELY! But next time I'm going for the entire weekend and I'll be wearing full cosplay!! 

Thanks to the organisers for arranging such a fun event!

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

What was your YALC or London Film and Comic Con experience like?!

I'm Off to YALC and LFCC 2015!

I'm extremely excited to be going to YA Lit Con at London Film & Comic Con today. 

As it's my first time at the event I'm going to be splitting my time between the Young Adult themed book events and between the main LFCC.
I'm not going to wear fancydress/Cosplay this time as I'm planning on checking out everybody else's costumes (for inspiration for the winter event). BUT my outfit is a Hell Bunny Zombie pinup girl dress which, I'm hoping will fit right it...

With SO MUCH going on at the event I'm not entirely sure of my plans for the day but here are a few of the things I hoping to see/do at YALC...
Shadowhunters: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees-Brennan talk.

YA: The next generation talk with Alice Oseman, Lucy Saxon,
Helena Coggan & Taran Matharu. 

Charlie Higson & Arabella Weir talk.

The Hunger Games Quiz.

Meeting publishers, PRs, bloggers & readers.

Getting as many books as possible signed by the authors...





Plus hopefully meeting people from Game of Thrones and all my fav shows/movies!

Are you going to #YALC #LFCC ? 

The Beautiful Bloggers Award

A BIG smiley THANKS to Lisabella at Lisabella Books for nominating me and the blog! 
I'm a big fan of anything celebrating blogging, bloggers, positivity and of course books!


The rules for the award are as follows:

• A link to the blogger who took the time to nominate you.
• List 7 random things about yourself.
• Nominate 7 wonderful book loving bloggers.
• Notify the amazing people you nominated for this award.

Okay here we go:

7 Random Things About Me:

1. I've been inside the TARDIS (I used to work in TV production).

2. I have first editions of all the Harry Potter books which now live in a special locked fireproof box (le sigh - for insurance).

3. Although I love all types of books including Young Adult, New Adult & Adult, my favourite book is actually a play. It's by a certain guy called Shakespeare: "Let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me." - Much Ado About Nothing. 

4. I honestly couldn't pick one favourite song or band, but sticking with the Shakespeare theme, I have to mention Mumford & Sons and Sigh No More.

5. Years ago I worked as a runner on TV show with a certain famous author.

6. I'm studying Latin and have a compulsion to tell everybody what random things mean in Latin. It's really annoying but I can't seem to help myself.

7. I love lime milkshakes. I tried them several years ago in New Zealand & have been obsessed ever since.

My Nominees - I love everything these lovelies do on their blogs: 

Alexa at Alexa Loves Books

Mindy at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

Amaris at Amarisfloria

Andi at Andi's ABCs

Jessica at Jessabella Reads

Faye at A Daydreamer's Thoughts

Katie at Bookish Illuminations

Massive to congratulations to everybody :)

Thanks so much,

Zili x

Winner, Winner - Memorial Day/Spring Holiday

Memorial Day/Spring Holiday Winner.

(Ahh!! Sorry I just realised I STILL hadn't done this).
The goodies below were up for grabs...

(Only mentioned items are signed!)
Sparkly silver style pink star necklace with gift bag (not silver) 2 x bracelets 1 x Tied garter 1 x The Keatyn Chronicles button pin 1 x Janey Rosen pen 1 x What If Butterfly temp tattoos 1 x #WhatIf Sticker (I think it's a sticker but I'm not 100% sure) Bookmarks: Black Falcon (signed by Michelle A. Valentine), Bad Rep (signed by A. Meredith Walters) & The Sebastian Trilogy (signed by Janey Rosen). Cards: The Raven (signed by Sylvain Reynard), Inferno, Hell's Kitchen (signed by Callie Hart as Hart Saint Germain), The Wishes Series & Blue Genes (signed by Sydney Jamesson). 

The Winner is:

Zairah D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner has 3 days to reply to winner notification before I redraw.

Giveaway T&C's:

I cannot be held accountable for winners & prizes - I am not responsible for missing prizes & anything lost in transit. Prizes will not be replaced (but proof of postage is gained). I check all entries before giving out prizes to make sure your entry is still valid. I'm sorry kiddies but you need to be 18 or older to enter, or have a parent enter for your (or have recognised parental permission) as some of the books are for adults. I have purchased these prizes for giveaway purposes & the giveaway is not linked to the publisher, author, company, or any social media unless stated otherwise. If you're not legally allowed to enter then your entry is void. Incomplete entries or giveaway only accounts are also void!! 

British Book Affair Swag Giveaway

I had a fab time at The British Book Affair signing in London (see my post about the day here) & because I collected a lot go goodies, I'm giving you the chance to win some.

(Only mentioned items are signed!)

2 x bracelets 1 x Tangled chapstick 1 x The Raven button pin 2 x temp tattoos Bookmarks: Michelle A. Valentine (signed), Jodi Ellen Malpas (signed), Kirsty Moseley (signed). Cards: Tillie Cole (signed), Rebecca Donovan, Aurora Rose Reynolds (signed), Carrie Elks (signed). Card With Necklace G.J. Walker-Smith Mini-book charm.

To enter the GIVEAWAY just fill out the rafflecopter form using any or all of the options below, they are: 

Free entry if you follow Zili in the Sky on Facebook, follow @ziliinthesky on Twitter, follow the blog (you can pick whether on Google+, BlogLovin', email or GFC), follow on tsu, follow on tumblr, tweet about the hop or by leaving me a comment on my Facebook page .

Bonus entries for leaving blog post comments and sharing the giveaway.

Open International! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners have 3 days to reply to winner notification before I redraw.

Giveaway T&C's:

I cannot be held accountable for winners & prizes - I am not responsible for missing prizes & anything lost in transit. Prizes will not be replaced (but proof of postage is gained). I check all entries before giving out prizes to make sure your entry is still valid. I'm sorry kiddies but you need to be 18 or older to enter, or have a parent enter for your (or have recognised parental permission) as some of the books are for adults. I have purchased these prizes for giveaway purposes & the giveaway is not linked to the publisher, author, company, or any social media unless stated otherwise. If you're not legally allowed to enter then your entry is void. Incomplete entries or giveaway only accounts are also void!!