My Favourite Fictional Schools

It's that time of year again, back to school season. Whether you're going back to school as a student or teacher or your school days are long behind you, I thought that today it would be fun to reflect on some of my favourite fictional schools. Because whether you hate school or love it I think we can all agree that there are some fictional schools we'd all love to attend.

Deepdean from Murder Most Unladylike 

I was one of those children who always wanted to go to an all-girls boarding school and Deepdean - the school that our main characters Hazel and Daisy attend in the Murder Most Unladylike series - takes me right back to those days. Okay, so people get murdered on the regular but that just adds to the creepy historical boarding school allure don't you think? Whether it's exploring the school solving crimes or having a bun break with Hazel, Deepdean is a school I'd love to attend.

Aglionby Academy from The Raven Boys 

Next on the list is Aglionby Academy and thus my fascination with old buildings and boarding school continues. Like Blue, I'm totally enchanted by The Raven Boys and I'd love to attend a Latin class or two in Borden House. The Raven Boys is so atmospheric and perfect for fall reading.

The Red Church from Nevernight

The Red Church is not a school for the faint of heart gentlefriends, for The Red Church is a school that trains the most feared cult of assassins. That being said, it’s by far one of my favourite schools on this list. It won major points for its library, a metropolis for "dead books" including all the unfinished books out there in the world that have been abandoned by their authors. I was in my element exploring The Library of Niah with our main character Mia, let’s just say it puts the Beauty and the Beast one to shame.

Watford from Carry On

If you love Harry Potter (especially the fanfic based on this world) you will love Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Watford is a school for magicians and has some serious Hogwarts vibes. If you like stories about chosen ones, magic and have always considered yourself a Drarry shipper this is the back to school read for you!

The School of America In Paris from Anna and the French Kiss

If you're more of a contemporary reader I'd highly recommend heading back to school with Anna and the French Kiss. The School of America In Paris is exactly as its name suggests. Going to a boarding school in Paris has been my dream since reading and watching Madeline as a little girl and this book brought that all back to me! Autumn is the perfect season to explore Paris and having Étienne St. Clair as your lab partner and tour guide makes the experience even better.

St. Vladimir's Academy from Vampire Academy 

This is an oldie but a goodie. Vampire Academy is one of the books that made me rediscover my love for YA back in the day and this series still has such a big place in my heart. St. Vladimir's Academy is a school for vampires where half human half vampires are trained to protect Moroi - the royal vampires in this world. This series is seriously addictive, so much fun and honestly stands the test of time now that vampires aren't the in thing anymore. Just don't judge this one on its movie okay? I promise the books are better.

Hogwarts from Harry Potter 

Obviously, I couldn't list my favourite fictional schools without including Hogwarts. Like so many people who love this series Hogwarts is my home and every September I get nostalgic to hop on the Hogwarts Express and read this series all over again. If for some reason you've never read Harry Potter but have been meaning to this is the perfect time of year to do so. From getting sorted into your house, to dinner in the Great Hall, to exploring the castle grounds Hogwarts is hands down the school we'd all love to attend and is one we'd all go to willingly no matter our age.

If you've started back at school I hope you have a wonderful year! 

I'd love to know, what’s your favourite fictional school?

Harry Potter Book Tag!

Hi guys, I've loved reading everybody's answers for the Harry Potter Book Tag recently so when my lovely friend Faye did the tag earlier today and opened it up to everyone I knew I just had to do it because who doesn't love talking about Harry Potter right!?

What house are you in? 
Hufflepuff! Although I definitely have some strong Ravenclaw traits too, especially when it comes to books.

What is your patronus? 
A white stallion - he's super pretty and I couldn't be happier.

What is your wand? 
Rowan wood with a Unicorn hair core 11" and Quite Bendy flexibility. I love that I've got rowan wood because according to Pottermore it is "reputed to be more protective than any other, and in my experience renders all manner of defensive charms especially strong and difficult to break. It is commonly stated that no dark witch or wizard ever owned a rowan wand, and I cannot recall a single instance where one of my own rowan wands has gone on to do evil in the world." So I think my wand paired with the fact that I'm a Hufflepuff means that it's very unlikely that I'll ever go dark!

What would your boggart be? 
Probably somebody that I love in pain or hurting.

What position would you play in Quidditch? 
Lololol me? Sport? I'll be in the kitchens smuggling snacks for everyone after the match.

Would you be a pure blood, half blood or muggle born?
Muggle born as neither of my parents have read Harry Potter. 

What job would you want to have after graduating Hogwarts? 
I'd love to be a Magizoologist possibly specializing in dragons.

Which of the deathly hallows would you choose? 
The Invisibility Cloak I'd love to be able to sneak around undetected.

Favourite book?
Goblet of Fire for sure! It has the Yule Ball, Dragons and Cedric Diggory what more could you want?

Least favourite book?
Order of the Phoenix. I just remember finding it overly long and boring at times but honestly I love them all!

Favourite film? 
Deathly Hallows Part 2 - there's so much action and it gives me all of the feels!

Least favourite film? 
Same as the books, Order of the Phoenix.

Favourite character? 
It alternates between Hermione, Luna and Neville depending on the day.

Least favourite/most hated character? 
Umbridge, obviously.

Favourite teacher at Hogwarts? 
Remus Lupin I love him so much and find his opinions on chocolate to be spot on.

Least favourite teacher at Hogwarts? 
Either Umbridge or the Carrows *shudders*

Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series? 
I don't think so...

If you could save one character from the finale battle who would you save?
Oh god this question is just MEAN for making me choose, but probably Lupin because he's one of my favourite characters and also because then at least poor Teddy can grow up with a parent.

END

That was so much fun! 

If you'd like to take part then consider yourself TAGGED!

Bookish Christmas Gift Guide 2016

Buying books for book lovers is really hard because we already have ALL OF THE BOOKS! My family notoriously never know what books to buy me for Christmases and Birthdays unless I specifically ask for them because they never know what I already own, some even flat out refuse to buy me any books because I already have "too many" (as if there is such a thing!) So today I wanted to put together a list of alternative bookish gift ideas that aren't books for anyone wanting to buy something for the reader in their lives. There are always so many book blogger Secret Santa's going on at this time of year and the gifts in this guide would make perfect bookish presents with something to offer every reader.

Bookbandz

 
I absolutely love a good bookmark and these handmade Bookbandz have to be some of the prettiest bookmarks out there. The bandz are made to order with different charms and beads to suit any taste. There are some beautiful Christmas charms available at the moment including gingerbread men, Christmas trees, angels and more. The owner Karen can also make bookmarks in the style of your favourite book with a charm of the books cover taking pride of place in the center surrounded by matching beads. For a unique, handmade, bookish gift you really can't go wrong here. The bandz are priced at £5 each or 3 for £12 so they're perfect if you've got a few people to buy for. To see the full range visit Karen here.

 Klevercase

If the reader in your life prefers e-readers to psychical books then a gorgeous new e-reader case may be the way to go and Klevercase offers some of the best in my opinion. Their cases are designed to look like books and are made using traditional bookbinding techniques. There is a design to suit any reader although my personal favourite has to be the Book of Spells design inspired by Harry Potter. The cases are made to fit all of the popular e-readers and a really nice touch is that they can be personalized with a message for an extra cost. To see the whole Klevercase range visit them here. Prices vary depending on the e-reader.

Stack of Books Earrings

Another gift that I am absolutely loving are these bookish earrings. I think that they are so cute and make a really lovely gift if you'd like to give the reader in your life something other than books this year. There is so much bookish jewellery out there so it's worth shopping around to find the right style for the person you are buying for but for me personally it doesn't come much cuter than this. The earrings retail at £16.00 and can be bought at The Literary Gift Company.

 Bookish Mug

Another brilliant gift from The Literary Gift Company are their bookish mugs. I've given these as a gift before and they always go down a storm. Again there are many different mugs to choose from in this style ranging from reading, writing, blogging, tweeting etc so you can choose the best fit for the gift recipient. This mug costs £9.95 and is the perfect choice for anyone who doesn't like to be disturbed when they're reading (aka all of us!)

Bookstore Scented Candle

We all have that friend who can not get enough of the smell of books and at last that smell has been captured in candle form so that your room can smell like your favourite bookstore. Frostbeard are an Etsy seller that ship worldwide and some of their candle fragrances include Winterfell, Sherlock's Study and Pemberley Garden's to name a few. This would make the perfect gift for anyone who loves to burn candles whilst reading. To check out the full range visit Frostbeard's Etsy store here.

 Reading Journal

Another option that would be particularly perfect for book bloggers is a reading journal. I've kept a reading journal ever since I started blogging and I would be lost without it. They're a great way of keeping a record of what you've read and are great for jotting down thoughts about a book before reviewing. I particularly like this one from The Literary Gift Company selling at £9.95 I think this would make a nice, thoughtful gift for anyone who likes to keep track of their reading.

 Evie Seo Designs

My biggest recommendation for bookish gifts is for Evie Seo's designs over on Society6. Evie's artwork is so beautiful with a focus on books. Her designs can be printed on to t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, tote bags and pillows to name a few. Her range is extensive covering many different fandoms so if you're struggling to find the perfect gift you are guaranteed to find something here. I recently received the tote bag pictured as a gift and it's such good quality with thick handles and plenty of room inside. I can't see anyone disliking something by Evie and there are so many options depending on your budget. To view the complete range visit Evie here.

 I hope this gift guide helps make your Christmas shopping a little easier 

and that you find the perfect gift for your favourite book lover!

Book Recommendations Based On Your Hogwarts House

I definitely subscribe to the idea that you can tell a lot about a person by what Hogwarts house they're in. This year I've found myself thinking "Oh, that's *such* a Slytherin book! So and so would love this!" more and more often. So today, just for fun, I've decided to give you some book recommendations based off of Hogwarts houses. Whether you're brave, cunning, loyal or intelligent there's something here for everyone. Except muggles. Muggles should probably leave now.

Gryffindor 

 "Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry" - Wikia

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper 
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I think that Faith is the most Gryffindor character that I've come across outside of the Harry Potter books. She acts first and thinks later and treats the whole world like it's the Faith show. Her act first attitude gets her into heaps of trouble but her chivalry always manages to get her out of the situations she finds herself in. These books are absolutely hilarious and every Gryffindor will relate to the awkward situations Faith gets herself into.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 
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The Throne of Glass series is a firm favourite for most people but I think that Gryffindors will especially love it. The main character Celaena Sardothien is a total Gryffindor who has buckets of bravery and daring. Sure, she makes some bad choices along the way, but her heart is always in the right place. Celaena is also incredibly charismatic and delivers killing blows to her enemies with all sorts of Gryffindor sass.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 
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Simon is another character that just screams Gryffindor. He's incredibly funny and brave and again has that whole chivalrous attitude going on, especially when it comes to his love interest the mysterious Blue. I think that every Gryffindor will appreciate Simon's courage in this contemporary coming out story and the red cover will go perfectly in the common room.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson 
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After Harry Potter, the Mistborn books are my favourite series of all time. The first book The Final Empire is an epic high fantasy that follows a heroes quest to defeat the greatest evil their world has ever seen. Gryffindors will love the character of Kelsier and appreciate the bravery of both him and his crew as they sacrifice everything to defeat evil.

Slytherin 

 "Slytherin house values ambition, cunning and resourcefulness" -Wikia

The Young Elites by Marie Lu 
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Slytherin friends! Finally a book has come along that follows the villain of the story, not the hero. Adelina Amouteru is Slytherin to the bone and after a life of being hurt, she wants to be the one who gets to do the hurting. She's got an extraordinary power and has ambitions to grow stronger. Despite being the bad girl you can't help but want her to succeed on her journey.

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
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I feel like this book has everything a Slytherin could ever want and it comes as no surprise as author Mel Salisbury is basically Slytherin headgirl herself. This book has betrayal, sin and poison and is basically darkness itself. There's also a brilliant evil queen who could give Cersei Lannister a run for her money! This book is perfect for reading under the table during potions and check out that beautiful green cover!

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 
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If Fantasy isn't really your thing (are you sure you're a Slytherin?) then try this contemporary read about three girls who are taking names and getting revenge on those who have wronged them. This book is full of surprising twists and despite the acts of revenge getting more and more serious as the book goes on you can't help but will the girls on to claim vengeance as theirs.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
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Dangerous and exciting Six of Crows is the perfect Fantasy/ Heist story. Slytherin's will love (and probably relate to) this group of criminals who'll stop at nothing to pull of their heist. To be a crow you need resilience, cunning and determination - traits that I think fit perfectly with Slytherin house.

Hufflepuff 

"Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play" - Wikia

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard 
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As a Hufflepuff myself, I know how deeply we care for the people we love, especially our friends and Beautiful Broken Things portrays the special connection we have with our best friends. Caddy is incredibly loyal to Suzanne and Rosie and will do anything to help and support them even if it means putting her needs aside. Hufflepuffs will admire the strength of the friendships in this book.

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens 
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Hazel Wong is the most Huffliest Hufflepuff I've ever come across in fiction! She's incredibly hardworking but often lets her best friend Daisy take all of the credit because she's that loyal. Besides, as long as they have time in their detecting to stop for a bun break Hazel doesn't really mind. Hufflepuffs everywhere will connect with Hazel and also salivate at all of the mentions of the lovely cakes she consumes as she goes along.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
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If like me you're a sucker for those sweet, selfless Hufflepuff boys then look no further than Fangirl! Levi is the ultimate Hufflepuff book boyfriend. He's kind, patient and loyal and makes my heart do all kinds of weird fluttery things. I'm a massive champion of the nice Hufflepuff guy who - let's face it -usually gets overshadowed by a charismatic Gryffindor or a sexy Slytherin so it's good to see a Puff as the love interest in the story instead of the typical sidekick best friend.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard 
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Although I wouldn't place Safiya and Iseult in Hufflepuff house it's their epic friendship that makes this book very Hufflepuff in my mind. These two heroines have an epic friendship. They're incredibly loyal to one another and nothing can break them apart. I also like the Hufflepuff  house colour clothes that Safi is wearing on the UK cover.

 Ravenclaw 

"Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, and wit" - Wikia

Night Owls by Jenn Bennett 
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I think that Ravenclaws will really appreciate the creative minds of these two characters. Both Jack and Bex are really into art and I think that Claws will find Bex's dream to illustrate science text books especially interesting because it's a career you don't see every day and is really fascinating to learn about as you read this book.

Geek Girl by Holly Smale 
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Harriet Manners is the most Ravenclaw character I've ever come across. She's constantly talking about all of the obscure facts she knows and is incredibly smart and enthusiastic about school and learning. The facts that Harriet shares throughout the book will really appeal to Ravenclaws and I think they'll find her geekiness very relatable.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski 
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The Winner's Curse is an incredibly refreshing Fantasy read. Instead of a Gryffindor or Slytherin as the main character Kestrel is without doubt a Ravenclaw. Instead of using her fists she uses her brain to fight her battles. She's got a mind for politics and is incredibly bright which I think all Ravenclaws will appreciate.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab 
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This book centers around a very different sort of library where the dead rest on shelves like books. I think that Ravenclaws will be completely fascinated by this concept and will feel right at home in the library setting. Can we also take a moment to appreciate those house colours? I'd say this would be perfect to read in the library instead of doing homework but you're a Ravenclaw. Enjoy this one in your down time.

 Have you read any books that you think would be perfect for a certain Hogwarts house?

Blog Tour: From Sketch to Cover Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban‏

Welcome to my stop on the Harry Potter blog tour celebrating the new cover for The Prisoner of Azkaban! If you follow my blog you'll know by now what a massive Potterhead I am and so I'm thrilled to have some exciting Harry Potter goodness to share with you today. But for now, the reason that we're all here, can we all just take a moment to admire the absolute beauty that is the new cover...

and the artwork on the back cover is equally wonderful!

Blurb from the back of the book
When the Knight Bus crashes through the darkness and screeches to a halt in front of him, it’s the start of another far from ordinary year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter. Sirius Black, escaped mass-murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort, is on the run – and they say he is coming after Harry. In his first ever Divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry’s tea leaves ... but perhaps most terrifying of all are the Dementors patrolling the school grounds, with their soul-sucking kiss...

 From Sketch to Cover 

See Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban develop before your eyes in this amazing GIF!

Three exclusive facts from Jonny Duddle 
Jonny Duddle, jacket illustrator for the new Harry Potter children’s editions reveals three facts about the cover of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

·This was the only cover for which I had a clear vision in my head of how I wanted it to look, before I even started the rough. 

·To get good reference photos of the cape, Sammy’s little sister shook the cape continuously, whilst he stood in position. 

·Harry, Hermione and Sirius are all in the background, surrounded by dementors. 

I think that Jonny Duddle has done a fantastic job of capturing the magic of the Harry Potter books. I'd even go as far as to say that they are my favourite editions to date! I have no doubt that these stunning covers will convince a whole new generation to discover the magic for the very first time. In case you haven't read the series yet and need any more convincing to check out this beloved series multi award-winning British children's writer Annabel Pitcher is here today to talk about why the series means so much to her.

Annabel Pitcher and Harry

When I was a teacher browsing the Times Educational Supplement, a secret part of me was always disappointed that there was never a post advertised at Hogwarts. I would have grabbed the first available owl and applied for it in a shot, packing my bags faster than you can say Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore. That I believed it were possible is why I fell in love with Harry Potter in the first place. 

In the opening pages, we are not thrown into a fantasy universe. We are shown our world, with all its square-house, suburban drudgery. We see ourselves as muggles and recognise the worst parts of being human in the curtain-twitching, hosepipe-toting Dursleys. We feel Harry’s frustration because it is our frustration, and together we both long for there to be something – anything – more. And then the owls come, and with it the promise of adventure in a world skilfully interwoven with ours. This is magic, almost within our grasp. It is a wall in Kings Cross. An innocent-looking red phone box. An invisible house on an otherwise ordinary street. That is the charm of the series for me. Harry’s universe is so tantalisingly close and intimately recognisable that it feels as if it really does exist.

Bloomsbury Publishing has relaunched its Harry Potter website to support the new children’s editions. The new Harry Potter site uses the Jonny Duddle artwork from the new children’s editions and includes pages of information on the bestselling series as well as exciting new content from Magical Downloads to a Harry Potter Quote Generator. Check out the new site at: http://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Make sure you stop by Readaraptor tomorrow for the next stop on the blog tour!

Review for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter

On Friday 6th April 2012, only 6 days after opening day, I was one of the first people to go to The Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter. For those of you outside the UK or for anyone who simply doesn’t know Warner Bros have opened the studio’s that they filmed the Harry Potter films in to the public for the first time. The tour itself consists of the actual sets, props, costumes etc. that were used in the films, along with behind the scene’s secrets being revealed for the very first time on how the films were made, a chance for you to try Butterbeer, Chocolate Frogs and numerous other Wizard sweets and treats, go crazy in the gift shop that sells legit Harry Potter merchandise and even take a ride on a broom and/or the Weasley’s car! Me, my friend Rachel and her sister Beth booked our tickets wayyy back before Christmas in 2011 so needless to say this is something we’d been excited about for a very long time! I had a fantastic time and thought I’d share my experience and a little bit about what you can expect and generally just talk about if it’s worth a visit and the price to give you an honest opinion if you’re thinking about going.

outside the studio

Firstly the studio itself is just outside London in Watford. At first we got a little bit lost as there are no signs for the tour until you’re literally only a few minutes away. However we called the tours customer service for help and they were brilliant in giving us directions from where we were (turns out ten minutes away, typical huh? Fun Fact: Whilst waiting they spew you with random Harry Potter trivia, nice one!) Anyway we soon found the place and in the end it wasn’t hard what with the HUGE Harry Potter posters on the outside and all. Then we did all the boring stuff like collecting our tickets and that really impressed me there wasn’t a long queue at all and they seemed to move everything along really quickly which was a bonus. A word of warning you have to have booked your tickets in advance they don’t sell tickets at the studio and you actually won’t be allowed into the car park unless you have your booking confirmation. A standard adult ticket is £28 or for diehard fans like myself you can pay an extra £10 more for a souvenir guidebook and a digital guide which is basically a mini tablet and headphone set that you can listen to as you go around the tour that gives you extra info, this isn’t something you get to keep though so bare that in mind. I went for the Guidebook/Digital Guide ticket and to be honest if I was to go again I probably wouldn’t bother. As a total fan girl I was running around like a loon and couldn’t really be bothered with listening to the extra’s so that was a bit of a waste of money and you can always buy the Guidebook there which again is alright but basically shows you everything you see on the tour with nothing new to offer and is a keep sake more than anything.

When you go into the building you have an allotted time as to when your tour will begin. What I really loved though was instead of waiting in one long queue for ages you could stop in the café to get a bite to eat or visit the gift shop until it’s your turn. And then when you do queue up for your slot it doesn’t take long at all I think we were waiting for around 15 minutes if that and there are plenty of props and pictures around to get the tour going already.

waiting to go in!

The tour itself begins with a screening in a cinema talking a little bit about the making of Harry Potter and then includes a message from Dan (Harry Potter) Rupert (Ron Weasley) and Emma (Hermione Granger) basically introducing the tour and saying this is their second home, the place that they grew up, which I thought was a really nice touch and really amps up the excitement in the room to bursting point. Brilliantly, when the clip finishes, the screen lifts up to reveal the door to the famous Great Hall. The tour guide gives a true to story “Welcome to Hogwarts!” and then the doors open and you step into the Great Hall itself.

door to the Great Hall

The Great Hall was a highlight of the tour for me and a brilliant way to kick things off. You don’t have a tour guide for the whole of the tour just this first section as he tells you a little bit about what you can expect from your visit and the general rules. Fun Fact: Our tour guide was asking some little kids at the front the names of the Hogwarts houses, they seemed like the shy kind and they weren’t really biting so I holla out from the back “Ravenclaw!!” (my favourite house) and had the embarrassing moment where everyone turned to look at me and the tour guide looked kind of bewildered, what can I say? I was excited! A similar situation also happened when he asked what everyone’s favourite moment in the Great Hall was, again tough crowd, although I do think someone mentioned the Yule Ball so I belted out from the back again “When Mcgonagall duelled off with Snape!” yeah…

inside the Great Hall

Anyway I’m not going to tell you about every single part of the tour because we’d be here forever. The tour takes around 3 hours to look around in general and heck I’m 900 and something words in and I’ve only reached the beginning! I will however tell you about the parts that stood out to me.

The Great Hall

The rest of the tour is self-guided a nice touch as there’s nothing worse than being ushered along by a tour guide. Heck I would probably grab hold of the nearest prop and refuse to be moved until I was finished looking (who am I kidding? I would have refused to move at all and would hide out and live there if I could! “This isn’t a concrete block this is HOGWARTS!” Yes I was THAT girl the one that the people who work there really earned their money with that day.) The whole tour was fantastic but here are some of my highlights in no particular order.

where it all began...

The outdoor section was AMAZING! Privet Drive, Godric's Hollow, The Hogwarts Bridge, The Knight Bus, Hagrid’s Motorbike, The Weasley’s car, The Riddle Grave, the huge Chess pieces and Butterbeer all at the same time?! Yes please! My other favourite part was walking down Diagon Alley which is an actual street! The Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the outdoor area are defiantly the parts that make you feel most like your actually in the Harry Potter Universe and I loved that feeling more than anything else.

Knight Bus

Diagon Alley

Props and set wise my favourite pieces were the Yule Ball ice sculpture which was just absolutely stunning in real life.

so pretty! Yule Ball ice sculpture 

Neville’s cardigan, that his gran knit him, that he challenged Lord Voldemort in, do I need to say anything else about THAT Cardigan!?

THE CARDIGAN!!!

The Invisibility Cloak actually has a lot of detail to it and is designed beautifully which you don’t get to see in the films, what with it, you know, being invisible most of the time.

Cloak of invisibility 

so awesome! Tom Riddle's Diary

Dumbledore’s office was an incredible set and again made me feel like I was actually in Hogwarts. As did Snapes potion room which was suitably creepy and dark. I loved seeing some of
the smaller props like the Horcruxes, The Philosophers Stone, Neville’s remembrall, the golden snitch etc. And I found a nice touch was that some of the sets had things that were moving on their own just like magic! The Burrow had to be my favourite for that with Mrs Weasley’s washing up and knitting going by themselves! There were so many impressive props but the thing that actually made me gasp out loud was the Hogwarts Castle model something you don’t get to see until right at the very end of the tour. It’s huge and beautiful, and you can just see how much work and love and care went into it. It absolutely just took my breath away; in a word it was magnificent. And I loved how the lighting changed from night, to dawn, to day, to dusk so you could see Hogwarts in all its glory. It was just so impressive and definitely one of the biggest highlights of the trip.

just a small part of Hogwarts model

After finishing the tour the last section ideally leads out straight into the gift shop where you can buy SO MANY THINGS!!! And if you’re a crazed fan girl like me can actually end up spending a fortune! You can buy anything from the Harry Potter sweets, to Wands – literally any character you can think of they have their wands available to buy, to the books and DVD’s, to cuddly toy Headwigs and Buckbeaks and Unicorns, to outfits and costumes, to mugs and keyrings and stationary there is everything you could think of. I spent just over £70 on The Marauder's Map, a The Marauder's Map mug which says “I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good” on it which I love, a Time Turner Keyring, A Chocolate Frog, and a Pink Pygmy Puff cuddly toy. But I could of easily spent so much more if I didn’t stop myself I really wanted the Elder Wand but alas I already have Hermione’s wand which Rachel brought me back from The Harry Potter resort in Florida so I called it a day right there. I’d say the things are fairly priced considering, I mean of course they’re overpriced, but at places like this what isn’t? Basically I think they could have charged a lot more if they wanted and Rachel and Beth told me that some things were actually cheaper over here than the resort in Orlando so considering I didn’t think it was too bad personally, as an ultimate fan girl, but parents of children wanting a chocolate frog for £7 each might disagree! What I like about the tour though is that you can pay a standard ticket price which for an adult at £28 I think is really good and you can build on your experience from there, parking is free, you can bring your own food and drink, so if I wanted I could have spent £28 on a ticket and came away happy after a wonderful day, how much you spend on top of that is entirely up to you.

stuff of dreams!

Dobby!

My only regret about the trip is that I didn’t get to have a go at flying on a broom. When queuing you can expect to wait an hour and at the time of day we went we just didn’t have that spare time to wait before the studio closed. I think a lot of people who visit at a later time will have that problem as the flying is right in the middle of the studio you can’t really judge how much time you’ll have left to look at everything else. I personally think it would have been better to place the flying separately like the gift shop as something to do either whilst you’re waiting if you get there early or something to do after, that way you’re not worrying about time or what else you have left to see. Despite the hours wait though it did look fun you get a good few minutes riding over London and Hogwarts in a cape and can of course buy pictures at the end. It was really fun to see that adults were just as eager to have a go at flying as the kids!

never realised Helena is so tiny!

So that was pretty much my experience visiting the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter and already I want to go again! If you’ve made it to the end of this mammoth review I salute you! I wanted to try and edit it down but there was just so much that I wanted to talk about and I hope you found it helpful. For more information about the tour you can visit their website here. Please note that I am not in any way affiliated with the tour and this review is simply an honest opinion from a huge fan of everything Harry Potter.If you’ve been to visit the tour let me know what you thought and if you’re planning on going I hope you have as much fun as I did!

P.S This!

me (left) and Rachel (right)

and this!

I SAT WHERE RON WEASLEY SAT A MERE FEW DAYS BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cough* that is all.

Breaking News!! J.K Rowling’s New Book Deal

Yes. I’m not shitting you my friends. J.K Rowling queen of book land has today announced her plans to write and publish her first novel for adults. Here are all the official, important stuffs that you no doubt want to read…

"Little, Brown has world English rights to the first novel for adults by JK Rowling, the company announced Thursday morning. Little Brown UK publisher David Shelley will serve as Rowling's editor and Michael Pietsch will oversee publication in the US. All other details--title, pub date "and further details about the novel will be announced later in the year." But one important element has been settled: While the world waits for Pottermore and the Harry Potter ebooks, Little, Brown promises they will publish "both in print and ebooks."

Rowling says in the release: "Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life." Rowling was represented by Neil Blair at The Blair Partnership."
- Publishers Marketplace

Wow. I kind of gave up hope that this day would come I mean Jo certainly doesn’t need to write another book after the mammoth success that was Harry Potter, but with all of the Harry Potter films now finished with I think this is a really good time for the next chapter in Jo’s writing life. I don’t mind that her new book will have nothing to do with Harry or that world and that it’s going to be different. I don’t think anything will ever compare to Harry Potter it was a masterpiece, a little piece of real life magic, and that stuff surely only comes around once in a lifetime? So I’m reluctant to compare the new novel not only because they will be so different but also because I really do believe that Harry Potter was a rare and beautiful thing. Instead I’m mostly intrigued to read something new from Jo and to see how she’s developed as an author since writing the Harry Potter books and to as an adult now enjoy an adult book by her, hopefully as much as I did the Harry Potter stories when I was a child. How do you guys feel about this news? As soon as I hear any more info on the title, cover, synopsis etc you can rest assured that I will be all over it and keep you updated! Feel free to fan girl/boy me in the comments, let’s get our celebration on! *puts on the sorting hat and jigs around with a butterbeer*