Drama Review~Liar Game (Korean)

Title: Liar Game
Writer: Ryu Yong Jae
Based On: Liar Game by Shinobu Kaitana
Director: Kim Hong Sun
Producer: Apollo Pictures, Fantagio
Main Cast: Kim So Eun as Nam Da Jung, Lee Sang Yoon as Ha Woo Jin, Shin Sung Rok as Kang Do Young
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological, Suspense
Original Run: Oct 20, 2014 to Nov 25, 2014
Duration: 1 hr. 3 min. 
Original Channel: tvN
No. of Episodes: 12
Language: Korean
Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Viki ~ Drama Site

Synopsis: Nam Da-jung is an innocent college student who is sent a mysterious note inviting her to join the reality show Liar Game, a psychological survival game wherein participants trick each other and the one who ultimately succeeds wins the prize money of ₩10 billion (US$9.3 million). Tempted with the chance to pay off her debts, Da-jung joins the game and gets conned out of the initial money given to her. In desperation, she asks genius ex-con swindler and former psychology professor Ha Woo-jin to help her win the game.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 10/10

My Thoughts: 

I went into Liar Game without any expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. It was one hell of a drama! I haven't seen the Japanese version so I had no idea about the story. But I read that the Korean version is different from the Japanese. Either way, the drama was really good!

Story: I was hooked from the beginning to the end. It was all really very interesting. The games, how the players tackled the situations, especially the mystery about Kang Do Young. It always kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what would happen next. But I never expected what did happen. My favorite part was definitely the games. The pure genius of the games and then the genius of the players, especially Ha Woo Jin, was so exciting to watch! Story wise, this drama was great! It had perfect pacing and there was never a dull or boring moment.

Actors/Characters: All of the characters were really well-written and the actors did a great job playing them. Ha Woo Jin was such an intriguing character. He was a genius and I was very impressed with how he thought. But the best part was that he was a softie at heart which was sweet. That didn't stop him from being super cool. He was someone whom if I met in real life I would be in awe. Lee Sang Yoon did an awesome job playing him. I haven't seen any of his other works but to me, I feel like he will always be Ha Woo Jin.

Many people were angry at Nam Da Jung and said that she was stupid. But I didn't feel like that. She seemed very real and honestly if I, or any other person (unless they were really cunning & smart) would have been in her place we would have easily been played as well. I like how she matured though. She became more confident and smart but still kept her innocence. Kim So Eun did a good job in this role. I've seen her only in Boys Over Flowers and I loved her there. While her character in Liar Game wasn't that different from her character in BOF she did do a good job and was likable and relatable.

My favorite character was Kang Do Young and Shin Sung Rok is the reason I started this drama in the first place. That man plays creepy characters so well it actually scares me! No one could have played Kang Do Young better than Shin Sung Rok. Kang Do Young was such a mysterious and creepy character but also cool in a way little kids find superheroes cool. Or maybe I was the only one who felt that way about him... I always did like the villains better... Anyway, there's no doubt that he was a very interesting character and from day one you start wondering: who is this man? What is his story? How is he related to everything? What game is he really playing? You can never guess though. Some of his scenes really scared me, the ones in which he "took off his mask" and showed his true face. But at the end I felt so sorry for him, no matter how twisted he was. I've seen Shin Sung Rok in You Who Came From The Stars and Trot Lovers. He did a great job in both but in the former he played a similar scary psychopathic character. He was awesome in that one but I liked him better here. Maybe because his character had more depth in this drama. Either way, Shin Sung Rok is awesome!

Out of the side characters I really liked Jo Dal Goo. He added some laughs to an otherwise serious drama. And I liked his relationship with Nam Da Jung. He was a nice guy and I felt sorry for him. I hated Jamie at first but she redeemed herself and I even somewhat admired her (especially after the President Game). I don't know why but I found Lee Yoon Joo (PD) and Director Jang really irritating. I'm guessing the latter was supposed to be that way but I didn't like Yoon Joo any better either. I really liked Choi Sung Joon and Lee Shi Hoo did such a good job! He is so adorable! The other characters were good too and the actors played their part well.

Ending: My thoughts are really conflicted about the ending. On one hand I'm hating that it ended at a cliffhanger. I need to know what happens next!!! How could they end it like that?? On the other hand I'm happy because this means that (hopefully) there is going to be a second season. If there is then I hope it comes out soon.

Overall: I loved this drama! It was a great psychological thriller that really kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a thrill to watch! Highly recommended!

Book Review~My Life From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Title: My Life From Hell
Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #3
Publisher: Te Da Media
Pub Date: March 20th 2014
Format: ebook
Pages: 414
Genre: Greek Mythology, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon/Barnes & Noble ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: To say that Sophie Bloom is at the top of her game with one only week until spring equinox and the final showdown with Zeus and Hades would be, well, lying. The Goddess of Spring feels more like the Goddess of Bzz Thanks For Playing than the savior of humanity. And could her relationships be any more messed up?

Good times.

Sophie is convinced that things can’t get any worse than crawling back to her mother Demeter and begging for help. But she’s about to find out how very wrong she is.

It’s a race against time for Sophie to implement the big battle strategy in the YA romantic comedy, Greek mythology finale My Life From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book three of this teen fantasy romance series. Save herself; save the world. Humanity may be screwed.

Rating: 10/10
Source: Bought.

My Thoughts:

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOOKKK!!! I loved the whole trilogy! And it breaks my heart to say goodbye to my beloved characters. I miss them already.

Story: 

The story was awesomesauce! It was a perfect ending to a trilogy. Like the previous books, it was full of adventure and suspense and stuff I didn't see coming. The story was super interesting and had a perfect pace. This book was unputdownable! Other than the action the story contained friendship and romance and the message of loving yourself which was really relatable. I loved how at the end it all came down to love, even if it was of different kinds and differently expressed.

Writing: 

The writing, as usual, was great. Tellulah has definitely become one of my favorite writers. I love her writing style. It is so comfortable and keeps you reading. She creates a great atmosphere through her words and writes amazing, memorable characters.

Characters: I loved seeing these characters grow. I loved getting to know them better and feeling like they were my friends.

Sophie was kickass as ever.

She grew up a lot in this book and you can see how much she changed (for the better) from how she was in the first book. I love how Sophie was flawed and like normal people she didn't usually realize her mistakes. But when she did, she tried to correct them and make things better. Her actions didn't always make sense but they were driven by emotions and I understood her completely. Sophie was relatable and I loved being in her head.

Kai, oh Kai! I didn't think you could be more swoony.

We see a different side to Kai in this book. And by different I mean different! I love him still, maybe even more. I love how Kai is a bad boy but the good kind of bad boy. Not a bad boy with a softie heart but a bad boy who isn't really all that bad. I know I'm not making sense but yeah, I love Kai. He was really well-written and not there just for show. I loved his story, his personality and I loved how he stood his own as a character. He felt very real, even if he was a god. ;)

Prometheus/Theo was a really great character. I'm kind of glad that he was the more important best friend between him and Hannah. Not that I didn't like Hannah. But as a character I liked Theo better. He was a very interesting character and honestly with his story a whole novel (or more) could be written as him as the protagonist. He was a complex character and really well-written. I loved his friendship with Sophie.

The rest of the gang were great as usual. I was sort of annoyed with Hannah but I understood her position as well. Festos was cool as ever and I loved his friendship with Sophie and relationship with Theo. Cassie & Anil were adorable and played their part well as side characters. I'm glad Bethany didn't show up much, I was getting tired of that girl. A new character I really really liked was Oizys. She was a diverse, well-written character and I would gladly read books about her story.

Out of the villains we had our old Hades & Zeus who were their usual selves. We also had a new villain, Demeter, and I gotta say she was very well written! She was so twisted but still made sense.

Romance: Kai & Sophie were!!!!

They were dysfunctional but exactly how I imagine a real couple would be (seeing as I don't have any experience myself). I loved seeing the serious side to their relationship and having them work through their problems. It made them more real. They were perfect together! It's been a long time since I have loved a couple so much. These two were sexy and adorable and everything in between.

Overall: I really really loved this trilogy and would definitely visit this world again. I would highly recommend this if you like romantic comedies with action and a badass heroine. It has an awesome plot, great writing, well-written characters, sometimes witty sometimes meaningful dialogue, it was a really good experience reading this book. I don't usually like series, I'm more of a standalone girl, but I really enjoyed this.

About The Author:

Tellulah Darling
noun

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.
3. Sassy minx.

Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Tellulah Darling is a firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy. Which is why she has so much fun writing YA romantic comedy books. Her books span contemporary, teen fantasy romance, and YA Greek mythology, and range from stand alones to series. For Tellulah, teen romance is the most passionate, intense, and awkward there is – a comedy goldmine. Plus smart, mouthy, teen girls rock.

Extras:

Enter the Temple O’ Delights (subscribe to Tellulah's exclusive mailing list) and get excellent bonus features, giveaways, newsletters, cover reveals, and insider scoop on new books. Sign up today and get immediate access to:

2 scenes from Kai’s POV:

• His first meeting with Sophie in My Ex From Hell and
• An Important moment in My Date From Hell. (Includes spoilers.)

Excerpts from all three books in The Blooming Goddess Trilogy

• My Ex From Hell,
• My Date From Hell and
• My Life From Hell to try before you buy.

Team Kai, My Ex From Hell, and My Date From Hell Book Buttons

Excerpt from Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls and The Making of Sam and Ally.

All you have to do is opt-in.  Just click subscribe and you’re all set. Sit back, relax, and let the bounty roll in.

Book Review~My Date From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Title: My Date From Hell
Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #2
Publisher: Te Da Media
Pub Date: October 31st 2013
Format: ebook
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Romantic Comedy
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: Sophie Bloom’s junior year has been a bit of a train wreck. After the world’s greatest kiss re-awakened Sophie’s true identity as Persephone (Goddess of Spring and Savior of Humanity), she fought her dragon-lady guidance counselor to the death, navigated mean girl Bethany’s bitchy troublemaking, and dealt with the betrayal of her backstabbing ex, Kai (sexy Prince of Darkness). You’d think a girl could catch a break.

Yeah, right.

With Zeus stepping things up, it’s vital that Sophie retrieve Persephone’s memories and discover the location of the ritual to stop Zeus and Hades. So when Aphrodite strikes a deal that can unlock Sophie’s pre-mortal past, what choice does the teen goddess have but to accept?

The mission: stop media mogul Hermes from turning Bethany into a global mega-celebrity. The catch? Aphrodite partners Sophie and Kai to work together … and treat this suicide mission as a date. Which could work out for Sophie’s plan to force Kai to admit his feelings for her–if she doesn’t kill him first.

Add to that the fact that BFF Theo’s love life and other BFF Hannah’s actual life are in Sophie’s hands, and suddenly being a teenager—even a godlike one—seems a bit like … well, hell. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?

The YA romantic comedy, Greek mythology fireworks continue to fly in My Date From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book two of this teen fantasy romance series. Breaking up is easy; dating is deadly.

Rating: 9.5/10
Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

This was me as soon as I finished this book. WHAT. THE. HELL!!! But we'll get to that later. For now I'll say, THIS. BOOK. WAS. AWESOME!! I'm sorry I'm shouting caps-locking so much but I frickin' loved this book!!

Story: I loved the story! I liked it better than the previous one. It was full of adventure and comedy and romance and I had so much fun reading it! I loved all the twists and most of them I didn't see coming. The pace of the story was perfect and I never got bored. And that ending!!!! Good thing I already have the next book!

Writing: The writing was awesome! I loved the witty dialogue and the descriptions. The way Tellulah writes, it really transports you into her books. I especially liked the way she wrote the stuff that happened in the previous book. It wasn't too detailed so it didn't bore the reader and it managed to remind you of what happened. Everything was very well-written.

Characters: We see more of the personalities of the previous characters and a lot of new characters are introduced as well. I loved Sophie! She became easy to relate to. Underneath the goddess powers she is just an average teenage girl and that's what really makes her relatable. I love her sense of humor and her badassery! She felt very real.

Kai!!!! I'm crushing so hard on Kai!! I'm so glad we got to see a lot of him in this book. We get to learn a lot about him and his swoony-ness just keeps increasing! Under that bad boy exterior he's so sweet!

I really liked Hannah. She's pretty cool and an awesome friend. I'm glad she got a bit of her storyline in this book. We also get to see a lot of Theo and his past. I did not expect a lot of what was revealed about Theo. But I do like him better now.

Out of the new characters introduced there is Theo's love interest Festos who is a pretty cool dude! And Hannah's love interest Pierce who is adorable! We also had a new bad guy, Jack a.k.a. Hermes who played mind games and really good ones at that. And we have Aphrodite who was really funny and definitely not was I was expecting!

Among the old characters there was Bethany who was still a witch but of bigger magnitude. I kinda felt sorry for her. There were also Cassie and Anil but they were only side characters. All the characters were written brilliantly and felt real.

Romance: I loved the romance! It progressed a lot in this book and we had 3 couples. Kai & Sophie, who are my OTP!! Seriously, I love these two together! They are epic on so many levels! I loved their bickering but I loved those honest, sincere talks of them even more! Oh my OTP heart! Romance hardly ever makes me cry but theirs did.

Our next couple is Theo & Festos. Tellulah wrote homosexual love really well and Theo & Festos were adorable! Our last couple is Hannah & Pierce who were so so cute! The romance was really well-written with each relationship being different. The friendship was great too.

Overall: I loved this book! I'm loving this series! These books need to be made into a TV show ASAP! Please someone, make it happen!!

About The Author:

Tellulah Darling
noun

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.
3. Sassy minx.

Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Tellulah Darling is a firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy. Which is why she has so much fun writing YA romantic comedy books. Her books span contemporary, teen fantasy romance, and YA Greek mythology, and range from stand alones to series. For Tellulah, teen romance is the most passionate, intense, and awkward there is – a comedy goldmine. Plus smart, mouthy, teen girls rock.

Book Review~My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Title: My Ex From Hell
Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy #1
Publisher: Te Da Media
Pub Date: April 1st 2013
Format: ebook
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Fantasy, Romantic Comedy
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:
a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy, Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy. 

Rating: 9/10
Source: Netgalley.
Cover Talk: I like the cover. It's definitely eye-catching. It doesn't specifically go with the book but it doesn't not go with it either. It's more on neutral territory. I love the font and especially love the name of the book! The best thing is that it's mentioned on the cover that this book is book 1 in the Blooming Goddess trilogy. I hate it when it is not mentioned on the books that they are part of a series.

My Thoughts: 

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I frickin' loved it! It's been a while since I've been so invested in a book that I forget everything else and it's only the book and me. This happened with My Ex From Hell. And I loved every moment I spent inside the world of this book!

Story: I loved the story! It was filled with suspense and romance and so much sass! I've always liked stories about Greek mythology, it was so much fun to read Ms Darling's take on it. The mystery about Persephone's memory, all the action, the story regarding the dragon, everything was so intriguing. I wanted to keep reading and not stop until I had gotten all the answers. I loved the romance, even if there wasn't much of it. It was only at the beginning stages but I loved Kai's and Sophie's bickering and their witty back and forth remarks.

Writing: I've read Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling and I loved it! I loved her writing in this book too. She has such an easy-going style of writing, you really feel drawn by it. It is fun to read and you might even find yourself laughing out loud. She writes great characters, male and female both. I love her writing style, it's the kind I want to read when I'm stressed and need a break from the world. She creates such a great atmosphere that it's only you and the book. You feel like you are in the world of the book along with the characters.

Characters: As I said, Ms Darling writes great characters. I loved all the characters, even the bad ones because all were so well-written. I'll start with our protagonist. Sophie Bloom is a sassy, independent, witty girl who kicks ass and still manages to be like your average teenage girl. Even though sadly I'm nothing like her, I loved being in her head! I loved her sense of humor and wittiness.

Kai, oh delicious swoony Kai! I found myself a new book boyfriend! ;) Kai is yummalicious and as soon as I read about him I texted my best friend to tell her about him. You see, we share a mutual love for fictional boys. I texted her parts from the book (since she couldn't read the book herself because she is in the mids of her exams) and together we swooned over Kai! He's a bad boy (well he's son of Hades, the king of hell. What'd you expect?) and so good looking. But he's more than that and I'm sure we'll find that out in the next books. He reminds me of the lyrics "He's so tall and handsome as hell. He's so bad but he does it so well." from Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift.

I loved Hannah! She's the side-kick/best friend. She's a geeky hot girl but I liked her personality. Sophie's relationship with Hannah reminded me of my own relationship with my best friend. They both accepted each other for who they were, even all the weirdness. And Hannah was a courageous girl. I liked that about her.

Theo was adorable! I really liked him! He was a 'tell it like it is' sort of person and his history with Persephone was really interesting. I loved how Sophie doubted him because it felt so real. If I had been in her shoes and if someone wasn't coming clean, even if that someone was my best friend, I would be doubtful of him too. So I'm glad Ms Darling wrote it that way.

Brittany was a witch. But she was written really well. She was a bully and I'm glad Ms Darling didn't take the 'broken bad guy' route and showed Brittany as a truly evil, attention hungry, selfish queen bee.

All the side characters were great and played their part well in the story line. I loved reading about the Greek gods!

Overall: I really loved this book! I'm half-way through the second one and that one's even better! I'm really enjoying this trilogy! Highly recommended!

About The Author:

Tellulah Darling
noun

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

1. YA romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2. Alter ego of former screenwriter.
3. Sassy minx.

Writes about: where love meets comedy. Awkwardness ensues.

Tellulah Darling is a firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy. Which is why she has so much fun writing YA romantic comedy books. Her books span contemporary, teen fantasy romance, and YA Greek mythology, and range from stand alones to series. For Tellulah, teen romance is the most passionate, intense, and awkward there is – a comedy goldmine. Plus smart, mouthy, teen girls rock.

Book Review~Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pub Date: August 30th 2011
Format: ebook
Pages: 387
Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead, keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

Rating: 8/10
Source: Bought
Cover Talk: How awesome is that cover?!! I love it so much I got a poster made of this cover. I love the creepiness, the little details like the veins on Anna's shoulder. The blood, the petals, everything is so cool!

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It was like reading Supernatural from Dean's POV except this Dean's a teen and his mom is alive but there's no Sam. Haha! Sorry, but that's how I felt reading it. :P

Story: The story was really interesting. It was really cool how Cas was a ghost hunter. Anna's story was super intriguing and there was a lot of stuff I didn't see coming. I was expecting it to be more scary but I wasn't really scared. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of scary scenes and one did get my heart racing but being in Cas' head who was used to it all it felt like I was too and thus I didn't feel scared much. I loved the friendship aspect of the story.

Writing: The writing was really good. I could imagine everything happening around me, I really got immersed in the book. I also liked how it was easy to follow. I loved the descriptions, the writer created a good atmosphere.

Characters: I liked Cas but I couldn't really relate to him. Maybe because he was a boy or maybe because he wasn't very much like me. I did like him though, he was very much like Dean. He loved his parents and over time he came to love his friends too. I understood his fears and decisions. He was well-written.

I really liked Anna. She was a very interesting character. I really wanted to know more about her. She was smart and witty and strong. Just like I like my girls.

I liked how Carmel was not stereotypical and she was likable. I liked Thomas and Morfran as well. All of the characters were actually pretty likable but none of them were very interesting (except Anna).

Overall: This book was good and interesting. While I enjoyed the story and liked the characters, I didn't really connect with any of them. It was still a fun experience, reading this book.

About The Author:

Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master’s degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn’t make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis.

Drama Review~My Lovely Girl (Korean)

Title: My Lovely Girl, My Lovable Girl, She's So Lovable, Too Lovely Girl For Me
Writer: Noh Ji Seol
Director: Park Hyung Ki
Main Cast: Jung Ji Hoon (Rain) as Lee Hyun Wook, Krystal Jung as Yoon Se Na, Cha Ye Ryun as Shin Hae Yoon, Kim Myung Soo (L) as Shi Woo
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Original Run: September 17, 2014 - November 6, 2014
Duration: 60 mins
Original Channel: SBS
No. of Episodes: 16
Language: Korean
Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Viki/DramaFever ~ Drama Site

Synopsis: Lee Hyun Wook is the composer & producer of an entertainment company. After losing his girlfriend in an accident, he then meets and falls in love with his girlfriend's younger sister, Yoon Se Na, who dreams of becoming a music producer.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 6.5/10

My Thoughts: 

Finally this is over! This drama was so boring it was almost a torture to watch. Why did I watch it then? I used it as background noise when I did my homework. I can't do homework if there is silence and music distracts me too much. What better background noise can there be besides a boring drama? I still got the story completely. It was very typical.

Story: Well it wasn't anything different. I could pretty much guess everything that was going to happen. It was off to a good start, it was interesting and all, but about through half of it it went downhill and by the end it was so boring that I was seriously considering dropping it. 

Actors/Characters: Rain was awesome! I haven't seen any of his works before but I was aware that he's a pretty good actor. I got to see it first hand in this this drama. It was like he really understood the character and all his expressions, even the subtle ones, were spot-on.

I loved Krystal in Heirs. Here though she fell a bit flat. Her acting was boring and her expressions were bland. She went well with her character though.

Oh Myungsoo. Why must you make me go through this pain? I would be lying if I said that L and Hoya weren't the reasons I started watching this drama. But it was so painful to see Myungsoo's acting, I even cringed at times. I wanted to stop the poor boy, he looked so awkward and in pain. I didn't like his character either. He was supposed to come off as cute and Myungsoo did pull it off,what with that face and all, but if you look at the character itself then Shi Woo was a bit obsessive and stalkerish and very irritating.

Hae Yoon was right there with Shi Woo competing for the 'most obsessive' award. She won by a landslide. She was ssssooooo annoying!!! Like girl he doesn't like you and never will. Give up, it's been 12 years!

Seo Jae Young was supposed to be the evil guy. He was okay, mostly he just annoyed me. The other characters were okay as well. Hyun Wook's father was very annoying. His wife was actually pretty funny and I liked her. I really liked Se Na's friends, they were such a cute couple. Hyun Wook's best friend was cute (for an ahjussi) but some of his opinions annoyed me. Oh that ANA employ was pretty funny too. I noticed that they introduced some characters but never showed them again. The best example would be Yoo Ra Eum who is also on the poster. I was sure she had a more important role but she only appeared for a couple of episodes and her scenes didn't make sense either.

Romance: I read in many comments that people didn't like the romance between Rain and Krystal but I actually found it pretty cute. Their scenes together were adorable, especially when they were joking around and having fun.

Overall: This was an okay drama. I would've liked it more had I watched when I started watching kdramas. But I've seen a lot of great dramas now and this was a meh one. I would only recommend it to new drama watchers.

Sunday Spotlight~Don't Look At Me Like That by Song Ji Eun (Song)

A few weeks ago I came across a music video on YouTube while listening to kpop. It was the MV for Don't Look At Me Like That. I instantly fell in love with the song, the singer's voice, the lyrics, the music video. A couple of days later I discovered Secret and I loved their songs as well. Then I realized that my favorite singer in Secret is the one who sang DLAMLT! So here I am, featuring the song that has been playing non-stop on my iPod.

DLAMLT is a song about forbidden love. You can take it in any context. The bottom line is that it's about a love that is not generally accepted in society.

The lyrics are beautiful. (You can read the English translation below.) The singer, Ji Eun, is asking people to not look at her like she has done something wrong. All she did was fall in love. She's telling people not to judge her.

Ji Eun has a really stunning voice. I love her voice in Secret songs but I had no idea she was a solo artist as well. Now I have most of her songs. Even though she's good with upbeat songs as well I like her voice better in ballads. This song is definitely my favorite one by her. 

I love the music video! It is a symbolic one. Ji Eun is treated as a show piece and the masked people represent the people who judge and ridicule. It does go with the song. Ji Eun looks very different in this music video. Not bad, actually quite the opposite. She looks stunning and beautiful. But very different.

Overall I really love the song and like the MV as well. I would highly recommend you listen to it, it's a really beautiful song.

Music Video:

Lyrics:

When the lights start to turn off, I quietly go to meet you
A flower blooms in the world that’s only filled with thorns
Why? Why not?
They whisper and go against us
Why? Why not?
We’re so in love

Don’t look at me like that
We’re just in love, that’s all
Don’t hate on us, however you’re viewing us
We’re just a little different
Just leave us alone

Can’t we live in a world where time stands still?
Why? Why not?
We did nothing wrong
Why? Why not?
We’re so in love

Don’t look at me like that
We’re just in love, that’s all
Don’t hate on us, however you’re viewing us
We’re just a little different
Just leave us alone

Tell Me What Is Wrong
Tell Me What Is Wrong
Tell Me What Is Love
Tell Me What Is Love

I want to love however I want
I won’t change no matter what anyone says

Don’t look at me like that
We’re just in love, that’s all
Don’t hate on us, however you’re viewing us
We’re just a little different
Just leave us alone

Update (Currently Reading & Watching)

Hello hello! Hope you are doing well! Finally winter is here! I love winter!

I know, I haven't posted in ages. This year is so much harder than the previous one! My life consists of classes, studying and sleeping. I'm even behind on all the shows & dramas & books. I cannot wait for this year (academic) to be over! But then there will be MCAT and University applications and what not! Oh when will this be over?!!

I had forgotten about the blog these past few weeks. Then a lovely reader commented on a post and I realized that people actually read what I write. Which prompted me to start posting again. I missed writing as well. So here I am! Since I don't have any reviews to write I'll just update you on the books I've been reading and the stuff I've been watching.

Currently Reading:

1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

I love this cover so much that I got it's poster made! This is the only book I'm actually 'currently reading' because I'm reading it in ebook form and it's easier to read on my phone. It is less scary than I thought it would be but it's good. I'm through about half of it and so far it's been nice. Not 'oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-awesome-I-can't-stop-reading' good but good that it doesn't bore me and is interesting.

2. A Thousand Bones by P. J. Parrish

I started this a while ago, after I finished another crime novel. It seemed pretty good and interesting. It's too bad I haven't had time to read it.

3. Just Jane by Nancy Moser

I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Jane Austen but I do like her work and I love anything Pride & Prejudice related so I bought this. It's a bit boring but that, I guess, is to be expected from a work like this, no? I'm taking my time going through this one.

4. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

This one I've been reading for quite some time now. The length is so much that it's overwhelming! And it's a book that I once start it's pretty hard for me to stop. So I have to be careful when I read it. And since I've been so busy with studies I haven't been reading it at all. The weird thing is that even when I put it on hold for long periods of time I still remember everything that has happened before when I read it again. This hardly ever happens, I'm not this good at remembering. But with Game of Thrones I get so immersed in the story that I remember it.

Currently Watching (TV Shows):

1. Once Upon A Time (Season 4)

The Frozen and Snow Queen storyline is so awesome! The plot is getting so interesting and each episode is so much fun to watch! I'm loving it!

2. Supernatural (Season 10)

Supernatural is going okay. There haven't been any episodes yet, this season, that I have loved but we are only 5 episodes in. I'm sure something interesting will come up.

3. Reign (Season 2)

Reign is awesomesauce! It's seriously so so good! All the actors are doing such a great job and the story is so good and compelling! I'm loving this one!

4. The Vampire Diaries (Season 6)

Things are actually better this season with TVD. I'm not loving it but it is keeping me interested. And Mr Smolderholder!!!! 'nuf said.

Currently Watching (Dramas):

1. Bad Guys

Oh my, this drama is just all levels of awesomeness! Drop everything and go watch it now! You'll love it! Great cast, amazing story, good cinematography, this drama is all-around perfect!

2. High School - Love On

I feel like I'm the odd one out because while almost everyone seems to be loving this one, I can't keep myself from rolling my eyes. It was pretty good in the beginning but now the characters' actions don't make any sense, Sungyeol seriously needs psychiatric help, so does his mother and Woohyun and Seul Bi need to run away and be their cheesy selves together. Even then, it's fun to watch. I get to laugh at the stupid stuff these characters do.

3. Misaeng (Incomplete Life)

Im Siwan, where have you been all my life? This guy... ugh, this guy!!! And this drama!!! I've only watched 3 episodes but I have a feeling that this drama is only going to get better. Amazing directing, great cast and awesome story! It feels so raw and real. Really hits you in the feels. Ten minutes feel like an hour and even then this drama doesn't get tiring. It is so different and rare, it's really one in a million. And I love it!

4. Liar Game

This one is so awesome! All the mind games and the suspense literally keep me on the edge of my seat! The cast is amazing and Shin Sung Rok!! But I'm really loving Lee Sang Yoon as well! It's a good thing I haven't seen the Japanese version so I have nothing to compare it too. But I'm really enjoying Liar Game!

5. My Lovely Girl

Finally this is over! It was sort of like torture, watching this one. Especially towards the end. I still haven't seen the last two episodes yet. Will get around to it eventually. I'm glad it's finally over.

Currently Watching (Variety Shows):

1. Roommate 

This season is so funny! I can't stop laughing and by the end my each episode my stomach hurts from laughing too much. All the new members are awesome! Even though I would prefer if they showed the previous ones a little more too. I'm loving Jackson and Park Joon Hyung! They are so funny and cool! And Jackson and Young Ji are so cute! I ship them!

2. We Got Married (SunHee Couple)

I saw Kwanghee on Hello Counselor and he was so funny! And I've loved Sunhwa since Marriage Not Dating. So when I came to know that they were on WGM together I decided to watch their episodes. I'm glad I did because these two are so funny and cute! They are by far my favorite couple from the ones I've watched up till now. Me being such a huge fan of best friend romances, I really enjoy watching these two. And sometimes I get appearances from Siwan which is a great bonus!

3. We Got Married (EunRim Couple)

Boy oh boy are these two a breath of fresh air! They are so adorable and funny! They are very close to becoming my favorite couple! I liked So Eun in BOF but I never gave much attention to her. (She's great in Liar Game BTW). I've seen Song Jae Rim in Surplus Princess and I loved him there. I had no idea what to expect from them though but I decided to watch them on WGM because I'd been reading about them all around the internet. I can see why people like them so much. They are so cute together you can't help but love them!

Wow that's a lot! No wonder I'm so behind on everything. I don't know how I end up with so much on my plate. I really need to learn to control. Oh well, this is my update. What are you currently reading/watching?