Book Songs (Part 4)

You can find the previous posts here, here and here. This time I'll be featuring High Above The Ground by Daughtry which is the perfect song for Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

*Minor Spoilers Ahead*

You and I both, we come from different worlds

I'm a small town kid and you're an uptown girl

We've both been hurt, we got a few scars

But it don't matter now, we're staring at the stars

This stanza perfectly describes Brittany & Alex. Alex is a small town boy and Brittany is an uptown girl. They both have scars and secrets and their lives are really hard. They've been hurt but when they're together nothing else matters. They heal each other.

When it comes to my heart you got it catching fire

Deep down in my soul I know that I would die

If I didn't have you how could I ever fly?

100 miles beyond the sky

This stanza is all about Alex and how he loves Brittany so much that his heart is 'caught on fire'. I feel like the second line explains how deep down Alex knows that his relationship with Brittany would kill him as she's from a completely different place and there's his gang as well. The last 2 lines explain how Brittany helped Alex escape the clutches of the gang. He could fly freely because of her. 

It's feeling like we're high above the ground

It's feeling like we're never coming down

Till we want to

But why would we want to?

This one's pretty straightforward. When Alex & Brittany are together it feels to them that they're high above the ground and they won't come down till they want to. But why would they want to come down when all that's waiting for them is their messed up lives and problems. When they're together they're happy and they don't have to worry about their problems.

Remember that day, we knew it from the start

We've come a long way and we're gonna go far

I see the future in your eyes

Forever and always, you and I

Alex is remembering the day they first met and how they've come so far. He sees a future with her and says that they'll be together forever.

When we're so close to heaven

Underneath the moonlight, yeah it's paradise

It's gonna be too hard to say

Goodnight yeah

With her it's paradise and it's too hard for Alex to say goodbye to her.

This song was pretty straightforward and I feel like it's completely goes with Perfect Chemistry! What do you think? Do you have any songs that remind you of certain books?

Mini Drama Reviews

She Was Pretty (Korean)

My Rating: 8/10
My Thoughts: I honestly don't know if I liked this drama or not. I gave it an 8 which is a good rating and I do remember enjoying most of it but even though I finished it a couple of days ago I don't really remember much of it. It wasn't memorable and didn't leave much of an impact. And I had to force myself to watch the last couple of episodes because I got bored watching it. The acting was average. It wasn't that good but it wasn't that bad either. Hwang Jung Eum was tolerable but sometimes she got super annoying. She overacts a lot. Park Seo Joon was okay. I liked him better in Witch's Romance. A lot of people loved Siwon and while I did like him and his character too, he got a bit annoying sometimes as well. Go Joon Hee was the only person I liked and who's performance I enjoyed. The romance was okay, nothing special. I'm tired of the childhood friends reunite plot. I loved the friendship between Hye Jin & Ha Ri! I really liked the side characters and their stories! I know I should probably rate this lower but I feel like it deserves an 8.

I Wanna Be A Superstar (Thai)

My Rating: 8.5/10
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this drama despite all it's flaws. Thai dramas really get the cute & cuddly right! First Full House, then Kiss Me and now this, all three are full of adorable OTP scenes that make me squeal! The story was okay. A little absurd at times, has many flaws but it was definitely interesting and I wasn't bored. The acting was okay too. I really liked Gypso and her character. Her character wasn't annoying as many people say. I actually really liked her except at the end when she was being really stupid. I liked Push's character too before he became a selfish idiot towards the end. I gotta say though, the characters weren't good or bad. Each had a mix of both like real people do. For example MeeDee was sweet but he couldn't take the hint. May wasn't all that bad and sometimes she was super adorable but she was also selfish. Same with the "evil" characters. All had good and bad in them. The best person though was Win's brain Tom. Win was a jerk to him but I love how Tom stood up for himself. Plus Tom was the only reasoning voice. He was Win's brain because Win was too stupid to think correctly himself. Overall I really enjoyed this drama!

Healer (Korean)

My Rating: 10/10
My Thoughts: Wow! Just... wow! I mean... I never expected this when I started Healer. I had heard a lot of good stuff about it and I had great expectations but I never thought it would be this good. Healer is like in a league of it's own! Amazing, well-written story. It was so interesting throughout and kept me guessing. I loved the mystery and it was all so cool! Awesome acting! All of the cast was seriously so good! Ji Chang Wook is love! Not only is he super hot but he's also super talented and he did an awesome job! Now just please go play a creepy, hot serial killer because I would love to see you in that kind of a role! I also loved his character! He was so adorable and cool and hot and adorable!! I loved Park Min Young. I've always liked her as an actress and she didn't disappoint here as well. And Young Shin was so cute! All the characters were really well-written. I loved Yoo Ji Tae. This was my first time watching him and I gotta say I'm impressed! The rest of the cast was amazing too, especially Kim Mi Kyung as hacker Ahjumma (she is my new role-model) and Jeong Gyoo Soo as the creepy assistant. I also really liked the music! The soundtrack is so good! All of the songs, including the instrumentals, are great! This drama was seriously amazing! It made me laugh, it made me cry and it was a perfect blend of romance, action, mystery, suspense and comedy. Plus the OTP is beyond adorable so you can't help but ship it and the OTP scenes will make you melt!

Book Songs (Part 3)

I did 2 'Do songs remind you of books?' posts a couple years back (1, 2) and I'm here with another one! This time I'll be talking about This Love by Taylor Swift and how it reminds me of The Mediator Series, particularly Suze's and Jesse's relationship and how Suze feels about it.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in

I know this is meant to be symbolic in the song but in the book Jesse literally came with the water. Suze met Jesse when she moved to Carmel-by-the-sea and there are long descriptions of the sea before Jesse is introduced.

In silent screams

In wildest dreams

I never dreamed of this

I don't think Suze could have dreamed in her wildest dreams that she would fall in love with a ghost.

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

The love she has for Jesse is good because it makes her happy but bad because she can't really have anything with him. He's a ghost. The second line quite literally goes with the book because Jesse actually came back from the dead.

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me

These are the lines that first reminded me of The Mediator Series. In the last book a quote is mentioned which goes like "If you love something, let it go. If it was meant to be, it will come back to you." The lines of the song are almost the same. Suze lets go of Jesse but then he comes back to her.

This love left a permanent mark

This love is glowing in the dark

The love Suze had for Jesse left a permanent mark on her since she repeatedly said she could never love someone else like that. The second line is not only symbolic but Jesse quite literally glows in the dark.

Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave

Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees

I think these lines explain how Suze was when Jesse disappeared. How broken and sad she was and how his smile was her ghost.

And that's it! Do you feel like This Love was written for Suze and Jesse? Do you have any songs that remind you of certain books or characters? Comment below! 

Sunday Spotlight~The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot

The Mediator Series is one of my all-time favorite series. I've loved it for years and frequently reread my favorite scenes. I recently reread the whole series and here I am with a review!

Writing: I love Meg Cabot's writing! She's one of my favorite authors. I love how her writing is so easy to get into. I'm sucked into the stories she has created. It's like I'm right there with the characters going on these adventures. Her writing, especially in The Mediator Series, is very light. There's a lot of humor and sarcasm which is my favorite thing. Her books are a lot of fun to read. But there are also some serious topics discussed between the lines.

Story: I love how there's a different story in each book but all the books are connected trough Suze's story. This series would make such an awesome TV show with each book being a season. I love the individual ghost cases. It's like CSI but with ghosts! I also love Suze's individual story. The books are full of action and mystery and friendship and romance.

Characters: Meg Cabot writes such relatable and interesting characters! I loved all the characters in The Mediator Series! I became very attached to Suze. She's such a strong, amazing character! I love her witty, sarcastic humor and how she protects the people she loves. She's sassy and kickass and one of my favorite characters ever!

Jesse, oh Jesse! Not only is he the perfect book boyfriend, I love him as a character! He's smart and kind and so gentlemanly! He's seriously the most adorable puppy ever! My heart melted whenever he said "Querida"! His relationship with Suze was so cute! Not only the romance, but their friendship was amazing! Jesse was my first book boyfriend and to this day he holds the number one spot.

I remember really liking Paul the first time I read these books. This time around though my thoughts changed a lot. Paul was a jerk. He was selfish and manipulative and though I don't hate him, I don't love him either. I get why he's like that but it's his choices and actions. He could choose to be a better person but he doesn't. And I'm sorry but sexual assault of any degree is not right with me. Paul kinda lost any respect I had for him. Even as an evil mastermind and if you know me, you know how much I love evil masterminds.

Suze's brothers were so much fun to read! Mostly because I'm also a single sister of 2 brothers. And I could relate to a lot of stuff in that respect. I loved how Sleepy cared for her as a sister and the fights between Suze & Dopey were really funny! And don't get me started on Doc! He was the most adorable thing ever! He cared for Suze so much even though he was so young and it was seriously so adorable I can't even!!!

I really liked Suze's friends! They weren't just side characters, they had their own lives and stories as well. Suze's stepdad was really sweet and so was her mom. All the characters were really well-written and played their parts well in the story.

Overall: As I wrote before, The Mediator Series is one of my all-time favorite series. It's a perfect blend of comedy, romance, action, mystery without getting too serious. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Anime Review~Akatsuki no Yona

Title: Akatsuki no Yona

Writer: Mizuho Jusanagi (Manga), Shinichi Inotsume

Director: Kazuhiro Yoneda

Studio: Pierrot

Main Cast (Voice Actors): Chiwa Saito as Yona, Tomaoki Maeno as Hak, Jinko Minagawa as Yun, Yusuke Kobayashi as Soo-won, Masakazu Morita as Kija, Nobuhiko Okamoto as Shin-ah, Junichi Suwabe as Jae-ha, Hiro Shimono as Zeno

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Original Run: October 7, 2014 - March 24, 2015

Running Time: 25 min

No. of Episodes: 24

Language: Japanese

Links: MAL ~ Wikipedia 

Synopsis: Princess Yona lives a life of luxury and ease, completely sheltered from the problems of the seemingly peaceful Kingdom of Kouka; however, the sudden murder of the king and betrayal of her beloved cousin Su-won places Yona's life in mortal peril. Forced to escape only with Son Hak, who is both her childhood friend and bodyguard, the naïve princess soon discovers that Kouka is not the idyllic place she envisioned it to be. Poverty, strife, and corruption run rampant, making reclaiming the throne nothing more than a wishful fantasy given the kingdom's current state.

Based on the popular manga of the same name by Mizuho Kusanagi, Akatsuki no Yona follows Princess Yona on a coming-of-age adventure as she faces the harsh realities of her kingdom. With only a mysterious legend to guide her, Yona must discover a way to restore Kouka to its former glory while being pursued relentlessly by the forces of the new King of Kouka.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 10/10

My Thoughts:

I. LOVED. THIS. ANIME. I fricking loved it!!!!! It was ssooo good!! Like I can't even!!!!

Story: The story was amazing and extremely well-written and thought-out. It had comedy, romance, action, drama, tragedy. Basically it was a perfect blend of everything and I loved every minute of it! From start to finish it was an intriguing adventure and I loved going on this adventure with these amazing characters. I really like how the romance was more of a subplot and the story was very character driven.

Animation: I loved the animation! Not only were the characters nice to look at (Hak!!! <3) but the landscapes were extremely beautiful! I'm very picky about the animation but I was very happy with it in Akatsuki no Yona.

Characters: All the characters were well-developed and each had his own backstory. I loved all of them! I've never been so attached to a character as I was to Yona! I was cheering for her so hard throughout the anime! And I was so so proud of her! That arrow scene blew my breath away! One of the most amazing scenes I have ever watched! Yona started out as a selfish, clueless girl but by the end of the anime she was a completely different person. I loved watching her grow and change like that!

I loved Hak and how much he cared for Yona! I loved his relationship with her. How he supported her and pushed her and protected her. I really liked his backstory and he was an amazing character. So were all the other supporting characters. The dragons and Yun. They weren't only there just as supporting characters or love interests. They all had a complete character arc and I got really attached to all of them. Most of their backstories made me cry and I really loved each of them.

Suwon was a very complex character. He cared about Yona and even Hak and I think he truly believed what he was doing was right but he went about it the wrong way. He was smart and cunning which I liked about him and I do like him very much as a character but it took time for him to grow on me.

Overall: Akatsuki no Yona was one of the most amazing anything I've ever watched and I highly recommend it. The only problem is that it isn't complete which of course is a problem with almost every anime based on manga. I don't know if there will be a second season or not but I'm tempted to read the manga to find out what happens next.

Book Review~City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Mortal Instruments #1

Publisher: Walker Books

Pub Date: January 1st 2007

Format: Paperback

Pages: 506

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon/B&N ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Rating: 6/10

Source: Bought

My Thoughts: I've had the first 4 books of The Mortal Instruments since, I think, 2 years and with the TV show coming in 2016 I decided to read this. I went in with very high expectations because this series has a HUGE fandom and I guessed it must be pretty amazing for people to love it this much. Sadly I didn't enjoy it all that much.

Writing: The writing was good but it wasn't the kind I like. The book was written in third person and it was highly plot driven whereas I prefer first person and the book to have equal proportions of plot and characters. The writing was actually good but as I said, it wasn't my type.

Story: The story was definitely interesting. The world building was really good and overall it was suspenseful and intriguing. But there were dull moments that I desperately wanted to skip.

Characters: The characters were my biggest problem, particularly Clary. Clary was so annoying, there were times I wanted to slap her! She was such a cardboard character. She just didn't feel real to me. More like a robot. A very irritating robot.

Jace was my favorite character. He was witty and funny but most importantly he was believable. I really enjoyed reading his scenes. Those scenes are the only ones I liked.

I honestly don't remember much about the other characters. I remember the names and personality traits but I didn't feel anything for anyone. They were just there.

Overall: I didn't like this book much. While I did somewhat enjoy the story, I couldn't feel anything for the characters. I do plan on reading the other books because I already have them plus maybe it'll get better. But I think in this case it was more my fault than the book's. We just didn't get along.

About The Author:

Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts.

Website~Blog~Facebook~Twitter~Goodreads

GIVEAWAY~10 Signed YA Books + $200 Giftcard

Love to read young adult fantasy, paranormal romance, dystopian and scifi?

Win 10 signed books from bestselling YA authors, and a $200 Amazon giftcard to buy more books (to be read with tea, blankets and cookies).

Winning is easy – just signup for the contest and share: every time one of your friends signs up as well, you get an extra chance to win.

JOIN NOW!

Elementals Cover Reveal

Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

Title: Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows

Author: Michelle Madow

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Series: Elementals #1

Format: eBook

ISBN: 2940152448849

Synopsis:

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

Pre-order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks 

Giveaway:

Michelle is offering one lucky winner a signed paperback ARC of Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YjA1MGVmMjkwYTE2NWQzYWI3ODNiODExNGJiNGU0OjE1MA==/

About the Author:

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook!

Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

Currently Reading & Watching

I have a couple of days free before the entrance tests and interviews start again. So I'm reading and watching a lot of stuff these days. Here's an update:

CURRENTLY READING

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I'm not loving this as much as I expected to but I'm really enjoying the story and I love Jace! I had a hard time getting into it but I started enjoying the story half way through the book. I'm still unable to connect with the characters, especially Clary, but I'm guessing that's because of the third person narration. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series though and I can't wait for the TV show!

2. Twilight/Heaven Sent (Mediator #6) by Meg Cabot

I'm rereading The Mediator series and loving it just as much as I did the first time around! I'm on the last book now. A lot of my thoughts about specific characters changed reading the books this time. I'll cover those in a Sunday Spotlight post. I can't wait for the seventh book!!

3. Locke & Key by Joe Hill (Audio Production)

Wow! I've listened to a couple of audio books but never an audio production and this is so cool! It's like listening to the audio of a movie. It has cool sound effects and music and it's all acted out. I can imagine it happening in front my eyes. I'm really enjoying this!

CURRENTLY WATCHING

DRAMAS

It seems like almost all the dramas I'm watching are related to birth secrets and childhood friends and I'm kinda getting sick of it. 

1. She Was Pretty (Currently Airing)

This has a childhood friends story but I don't mind it too much. I started watching it because of my love for Park Seo Joon but I stayed because of Siwon. Seriously, he's amazing in this! Major second lead syndrome! I'm not loving it but I am enjoying the story and I actually really like the female lead!

2. Kiss Me (Currently Airing)

Another childhood friends story. This is the Thai remake of Itazura na Kiss. They made a couple of changes to the story and I love them for it! They made the male lead into less of a jerk robot and more of a human being with real emotions. And I love the amount of fluff this has! It can get a bit absurd sometimes but I don't care because AoMike! <3 

3. D-Day (Currently Airing)

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS DRAMA! Not only because I'm a soon-to-be med student and this is one of the best medical dramas I have watched but because this drama has a really good storyline and one of my best OTPs ever! I really love everything about this drama, from the story to the characters to the rare cute OTP moments.

4. Kill Me, Heal Me (Completed)

Don't kill me please but I'm not really enjoying this as much. This has family secrets and childhood friends and whatnot and these things are really getting on my nerves. Plus I really don't like the female lead character. Hell I'm not even liking Park Seo Joon in this! The only person I do love is Ji Sung because he's an extremely talented actor and he's doing such an amazing job! But I have a hard time watching this. My mind wanders off and I just don't care about what is going on. I have zero interest in the family secrets and most things just irritate me. I'm pushing through though, hoping it'll get better for me.

5. Healer (Completed)

Saved the best for last. This drama is SO GOOD!! Like I can't even!!! I've restricted myself to watching 2 episodes each day otherwise I'd finish this in one sitting! This one also has past secrets and childhood friends and all that stuff and it does annoy me sometimes when it comes up but it is intriguing enough that I want to know what happened. Plus I'm totally in love with all the characters!! Especially our boy Healer! Damn, I could stare at Ji Chang Wook's face all day long! Wait, I already do that... But I can't help it! I mean look at him! And I adore the leading lady and this OTP! The story and characters are really well-written and I'm pretty sure this drama will end up in my all-time-favorites. Also, I love the OST! The music is so good that I downloaded the OST 4 episodes into the show. If you haven't seen this drama yet them please do yourself a favor and go watch it now! You won't be able to stop!

TV SHOWS

1. Once Upon A Time (Season 5)

I'm so glad this is back! I'm really loving Dark Swan and Camelot and Merida and the whole new story this season! Plus so much Captain Swan!! My heart is soaring! I can always count on OUAT to take all my worries away!

2. The Vampire Diaries (Season 7)

This has gotten so much better after Elena's departure! I don't know if it was that Elena was boring or that the writer's have improved but I'm loving the story this season! It is all so interesting! The Heretics, the three years later, the stone. I love where this is going!

3. Reign (Season 3)

What in the world are you doing, show?! How am I supposed to defend you now, huh? Ugh! I was hoping Reign would improve this season and while I'm happy on the politics front, everything is else is such a mess. This show has not only ruined all of my OTPs but also made me hate characters I used to love! I absolutely loathe Elizabeth. Completely hate her. I was hoping so badly that they would make her into a strong female character, you know something they failed to do with Mary, but apparently a strong female character is too much to ask for from Reign writers. Especially considering what they're doing with Catherine. The ONLY character left that I actually like is Francis. Who is *SPOILER ALERT* going to die! There's Bash too but he has so little screen-time that he might as well not be in the show at all. Not to mention all the absurd things that are happening this season. I really hope this show gets better. Or else even my love for Adelaide Kane won't be able to keep me watching.

4. Supernatural (Season 11)

I actually forgot I was watching this until I checked my list. And that my friends is how Supernatural is this season. Forgettable. I still love Sam, Dean and Cas and I'm actually pretty happy with the amount of Destiel we're getting considering last season it was next to nothing. And the story this season is interesting too. I think it's me who's getting tired of it. I do enjoy watching it still. But I'm not as enthusiastic about it as I used to be.

5. Sleepy Hollow (Season 1)

I'm not watching this "officially". Just an episode or two when I'm in the mood. I'm in love with Ichabod Crane! IN LOVE! He's so funny and adorable! I also love Abby! And their relationship. The story is sometimes hard to follow but it is pretty interesting.

ANIME

Akatsuki no Yona

I'm only watching this one anime. I wanted to watch anime and I tried a couple upon my brother's suggestions but didn't like any of them. Then I saw an adorable picture on Tumblr of Hak & Yona and searched for the anime. The premise sounded good so I started watching it. And I'm loving it so far! The story, the characters, the animation and music. Love everything! Especially the OTP <3

Wow! I didn't realize I was watching this much stuff until I made this post... Well I deserve it after studying so much for so long! So, what are you watching & reading?

Cover Reveal~Spark by Holly Schindler

“In my hometown, the restoration of a former movie theater on the town square provided the genesis for my new YA novel, SPARK. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of seeing their name in blazing neon across a gigantic marquee? Let me invite you to dim the lights and draw back the velvet curtains—let your imagination run wild as you enter my fictional Avery Theater, where literally anything goes…”

—Holly Schindler

When the right hearts come to the Avery Theater—at the right time—the magic will return. The Avery will come back from the dead.

Or so Quin’s great-grandmother predicted many years ago on Verona, Missouri’s most tragic night, when Nick and Emma, two star-crossed teenage lovers, died on the stage. It was the night that the Avery’s marquee lights went out forever.

It sounds like urban legend, but one that high school senior Quin is now starting to believe, especially when her best friend, Cass, and their classmate Dylan step onto the stage and sparks fly. It seems that magic can still unfold at the old Avery Theater and a happier ending can still be had—one that will align the stars and revive not only the decrepit theater, but also the decaying town. However, it hinges on one thing—that Quin gets the story right this time around.

Holly Schindler brings the magic of the theater to life in this tale of family ties, fate, love, and one girl’s quest to rewrite history.

About the Author:

Holly Schindler is the author of three previous YA novels: PLAYING HURT as well as the critically acclaimed FERAL (starred PW review) and A BLUE SO DARK (starred Booklist review, ForeWord Book of the Year silver medal, IPPY gold medal). A writer of books for all ages, Schindler’s MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, has made the master list for children’s book awards in Illinois, South Carolina, and Alabama. She is also a hybrid author, having independently released comedic women’s fiction (FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS) and the forthcoming PLAY IT AGAIN, her adult follow-up to her YA PLAYING HURT. She can be reached through her author site: hollyschindler.com, and hosts special sneak peeks and giveaways for subscribers of her newsletter: tinyletter.com/hollyschindler.com.

Spark “Premieres” May 17, 2016, but you can buy your “tickets” now. 

Links to pre-order -

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Holly-Schindler/dp/0062220233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443300868&sr=8-1&keywords=spark+holly+schindler

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-holly-schindler/1122566794?ean=9780062220233

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062220233

Add to your TBR list -

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26155766-spark

Book Review (ARC)~Get Real by Tellulah Darling

Title: Get Real

Author: Tellulah Darling

Series: Get REal #1

Publisher: Te Da Media

Pub Date: September 26th 2015

Format: ebook

Pages: 358

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary

Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon/B&N ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: Get Real is a romantic comedy, urban fantasy whirlwind with sass, sex, and swoon, set in the world of “Cadabras"–humans with magical powers.

Francesca Bellafiore is a good Jewish girl, living up to family expectations that she use her magic to heal others. Underneath, she’s a wannabe badass with her heart set on becoming a detective and solving magical crimes. But nice girls don't disappoint their moms.

Party boy Rafael Muñoz does everything possible to publicly disappoint his high profile father. Privately, it's a different story. His carefully crafted bad boy reputation masks the fact he’s a master illusionist, forced into solo covert ops. The role is wearing thin and Rafael longs to be part of a team.

When Francesca meets Rafael at a friend's party, she's taken by the sexy stranger. Until he speaks. Beautiful plumage doesn't compensate for spectacular ego. Rafael finds Francesca's sweetness a turn-on. For about five minutes. Judgmental golden girls are more trouble than they're worth. Then a terrified girl with reality warping powers, locked and loaded on their destruction, whisks the pair to Manhattan. Francesca and Rafael are caught in a web of magic, minions, secrets, and enough sexual tension to power NYC. Desperate to prove themselves, their only chance to save the city and survive is to team up, trust each other–and maybe even fall in love.

Provided they don't kill each other first.

Rating: 2/10

Source: Netgalley. Thank you to the author and publisher.

Cover Talk: I love the cover! It's so fun and sexy and instantly catches your eye!

*Be ready for a long negative review featuring Infinite reaction GIFs*

My Thoughts: Let me just start by saying I love Tellulah Darling! I have read all her books and I have loved all of them! In fact The Blooming Goddess trilogy is one of my all-time favorite book series ever and I'm even planning on rereading it after I finish rereading The Mediator series. I love Tellulah Darling's witty writing and amazing characters! And she herself is such a nice person! So when I got Get Real from NetGalley I was ecstatic! I mean Tellulah Darling is one of my favorite authors! I would buy her books without reading the synopsis. So I was expecting another amazing book that would blow my mind. Sadly, I was highly disappointed with this one. It's not just that I had my expectations up high. This book just didn't seem like it was written by her. No honestly, I had to check a couple of times while reading to see if this was actually by Tellulah Darling or I had misread the name. Now this does not mean I don't like her books anymore or that I would stop reading them. I still trust her and I'm pretty sure she'll soon come up with something I will love. But unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. And now I'll tell you why.

Story: Oh wow, I finished the book a couple of hours ago and I can tell you I have no idea what just happened. I don't understand the world of Cadabras at all. I didn't get the "powers" and the whole Minna business just whooshed over my head. I seriously had no idea what was going on most of the time and I had to reread pages to kinda get a clue of what was happening. I don't know if it was my fault or that the world building wasn't that good. I mean, I seriously did not understand what happened in more than half of the book. If you ask me to give you a summary, I wouldn't be able to tell you what went down. It was all so weird and confusing that most of the time I had this expression on my face:

Writing: Again, the writing was so weird. I didn't understand most of the phrases and dialogues. Now I admit that English isn't my first language but I can assure you I understand it better than my first language. But I didn't understand much of it in this book. At first I really tried to get the meaning, I reread and tried to figure out what was being said. But I got tired of it and then if I didn't understand something, I let it be. Which I guess caused most of the book to be incomprehensible to me.

Also, there wasn't a lot of difference between Francesca's and Rafael's chapters. I sometimes forgot who's chapter I was reading and who's voice I should have in my mind. As I said before, the world building wasn't good and I had a hard time picturing anything in my mind.

Characters: None of the characters was at all memorable or likable. Most of them were annoying or boring. I really did not like Francesca at all! She was whiny and mean and irritating. She made me so angry! I was okay with her at first. I mean people change over the course of a book. And she did in some ways. But none of them were good! She just became ever more irritating! To the point where I just wanted her to leave. She frustrated me so much!

Rafael wasn't any better either. He was tolerable but annoying and even though I tried liking him, I just couldn't. I do prefer him to Francesca. At least he wasn't as stupid as her. But he wasn't at all memorable. Just like the rest of the characters in the book. I still don't understand Minna at all except that she made me go

many times. I don't really remember the rest of the characters much so I can't say anything about them.

Romance: Romance was the only thing about the plot I understood. Do I ship them together?

They were not good for each other. Not only did Rafael deserve better, I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. There was no build up, no get-to-knows, no friendship. Just a lot of sexual tension, And that never works for me. Both of them were just very frustrating and annoying.

Overall: I'll say it again, I love Tellulah Darling. I'm not saying this because I feel bad for writing this review (which I kinda do) but because I don't want to keep you from her other amazing books because of this review. Seriously, go check them out! And if Get Real interests you, then check this out too. Maybe you'd like it better than I did. But I personally wouldn't recommend this book. It just wasn't for me.

About The Author:

Website~Twitter~Goodreads~Facebook

Tellulah Darling
noun
1) YA & New Adult romantic comedy author because her first kiss sucked and she's compensating.
2) Firm believer that some of the best stories happen when love meets comedy and awkwardness ensues.
3) Sassy minx.

Both a hopeless romantic and total cynic, Tellulah Darling is all about the happily-ever-after, with a huge dose of hilarity along the way. Her romcoms come in a variety of heat levels and flavors; straight up romantic comedy, shaken with Greek mythology or stirred with urban fantasy.

Sassy girls. Swoony boys. What could go wrong?

Extras:

My reviews of:

• Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls
• My Ex From Hell
• My Date From Hell
• My Life From Hell