I have exams in a month and I need to study so I won't be posting much from now on. Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'll be gone for some time. Take care!
~Hira
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Drama Review~Witch's Romance (Korean)
Writer: Lee Sun Jung, Ban Ki Ri
Director: Lee Jung Hyo
Producer: Group 8
Main Cast: Uhm Jung Hwa as Ban Ji Yeon, Park Seo Joon as Yoon Dong Ha, Han Jae Suk as Noh Shi Hoon, Jung Yeon Joo as Jung Eun Chae
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Original Run: April 14, 2014 - June 10, 2014
Duration: 60 min.
Original Channel: tvN
No. of Episodes: 16
Language: Korean
Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Viki ~ Drama Site
Synopsis: Ban Ji Yeon is a single 39 year-old woman. She works as a reporter and is very enthusiastic about her work. So much so that she is often called a “witch” at work. She doesn't believe in true love, because of her past experience when her boyfriend disappeared prior to their wedding.
Yoon Dong Ha is 25 year-old young man who runs a small errand center with his friend. He looks like a happy guy, but he lost his girlfriend by an accident. Sparks fly when Ji Yeon and Dong Ha meet, and despite the age difference, they find a lot in common with each other, including their scarred hearts.
My Rating: 10/10
My Thoughts: I loved this drama! It was different and amazing! Greatly executed, it had talented actors, a good story and amazing music. It was very enjoyable.
Story: I don't usually like noona romances but this one was daebak! It had a great story though I did not like the second male lead part. That was boring and made no sense. But the rest of it was amazing! It didn't have any twists and turns or huge birth secrets. There was a mystery around the leads' past but it was simple and believable and wasn't too heavy. The romance was epic and the lead couple had amazing chemistry! There was plenty comedy and cute stuff and I enjoyed the side stories as well, like Ban Ji Yeon's mother's.
Actors/Characters: In my opinion, the characters of this drama were very well-written. All had depth and seemed real. All except No Shi Hoon. He was cardboard character who had no personality. But more about that later. I'll start with Ban Ji Yeon. I've seen Uhm Jung Hwa in a couple of movies and I've liked her but I really enjoyed her performance in this drama! She was great in the funny as well as the emotional scenes and I felt like she captured the character really well. I liked how throughout the drama Ban Ji Yeon acted like an adult and acted her age. It was adorable how, when she fell in love, she giggled like a teenage girl. All in all, I really enjoyed her character.
I was very impressed with Park Seo Joon! I haven't seen him in anything else so I wasn't really expecting anything but I was very impressed with his acting and his portrayal of the character. He has very good facial expressions and usually his face shows his feelings. Also, he makes the most adorable faces (see above gif)! Yoon Dong Ha was a nice, sweet guy and exactly the kind of guy I would want! I loved him! He was adorable and perfect! He was sweet and caring and just adorable!
No Shi Hoon, as I mentioned, was a very uninteresting character. He had no personality or soul and the reason behind his actions was never revealed. In fact his character wasn't developed at all. Han Jae Suk didn't appear that much that I could say anything about his acting. He was okay I guess.
I very much enjoyed all the side characters in this drama. I loved Ji Yeon's mother! Her relationship with her mother was very much like my own with my mother so that was very sweet. And I really liked her romance with Ji Yeon's boss. I loved Dong Ha's roommate! He was funny and adorable and such a sweetheart! And his romance with Eun Chae was really cute! Ji Yeon's friend and her husband were funny and cute and just perfect! And I really enjoyed all the office workers, especially Team Leader Byun who's character was written really well.
Overall: I really enjoyed this drama. It was different and really good and I loved the romance and comedy.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Book Review~Haveli by Zeenat Mahal
Author: Zeenat Mahal
Publisher: Indireads
Pub Date: June 12th 2013
Format: ebook
Pages: 93
Genre: Romance
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site
Synopsis: It’s the 1970′s in Jalalabad, an erstwhile princely state in Pakistan. Chandni is a self-proclaimed cynic and prefers to be called C. An orphan brought up by her domineering grandmother, a.k.a. The Broad, C is rebellious, quick-witted and stunningly beautiful.
When Taimur, a.k.a. Alpha Male, enters the closed universe of the haveli, he is smitten, but he’ll never admit it.
The stakes get higher when the father, who had so cruelly abandoned her at birth, returns and C’s dream of reuniting with him becomes a reality. But now she has to choose between her father and his hand-picked groom on the one side, and Alpha Male and The Broad on the other.
Rating: 10/10
Source: Provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
My Thoughts: This book was nothing like I expected but I absolutely loved it! I was expecting a serious historical novella (I hadn't read the synopsis) but what I got was a fun rom-com. I loved every moment of it and read it in one sitting! I recommended it to my best friend and she loved it so much that she read it multiple times! She even said that the book was like a drug and she was having withdrawal symptoms after finishing it.
Story: The story was awesome! It not only had an epic 'love-hate' romance but also included the themes of importance of relationships and growing up. Zeenat Mahal writes relationships really well! Be it a familial relationship or a romantic one, she writes them true and genuine and is able to capture the heart and essence of it. In this short novella she was able to do just that and it really captures your heart. The story isn't without it's own twists and turns as well and keeps you guessing what will happen next. It was a fun journey.
Writing: I love Zeenat Mahal's writing! I loved it in 'The Contract' but I love it even more here! She is hilarious and witty and so much fun! She shows rather than tell and it is easy to lose yourself in her books. As I wrote before, she writes relationships really well and she creates amazing characters! She is definitely one of my favorite authors and I have loved all her works till now.
Characters: I enjoyed all the characters in this book very much! They were all very realistic, even relatable, and so much fun! I loved being in Chandni's head! I adored her sarcasm and wit but what I loved about her was her innocence! Everything about her felt so real. She easily became one of my all-time favorite fictional characters! And the nicknames she gave to people were hilarious!
Taimur was such an awesome bad boy! I'll admit, I was too busy admiring the awesomeness of Chandni to give much attention to Taimur. But my best friend was head-over-heels in love with him. So much so that she wanted her very own Taimur. So Taimur must have been amazing! I found his little crush on Chandni very cute and their bickering was adorable! I loved the angst and chemistry! The angst is the best part about love-hate romances and it was handled really well in this book.
All the other characters were a lot of fun and written extremely well! The Broad was probably one of my favorite characters and she reminded me a lot of one of my friend's grandmother. My friend's grandmother, like The Broad, was very strict but you could see she had the best intentions at heart and loved her grandchildren. The Broad was very much like that. I really liked Chandni's relationship with her half-brother. It was very much like my relationship with my brother. Chandni's father was written really well as well.
Overall: I really loved this book! I think everyone should read it, even if you aren't related to Pakistan or South Asia in any way. It's a great book which has lots of heart and really good writing!
About The Author:
‘Haveli’ and 'The Contract' are Zeenat’s first two published novellas. Her latest novel, She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, has just come out and is number 2 on amazon asia list.
She can be contacted on the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/zeenatmahal.author
Her email: zeenatmahal@yahoo.co.uk
website: http://www.zeenatmahal.com
http://www.indireads.com/ir_author/zeenat-mahal/
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Drama Review~My Princess (Korean)
Writer: Jang Young Shil
Director: Kwon Seok Jang
Main Cast: Kim Tae Hee as Lee Seol, Song Seung Heon as Park Hae Young, Park Ye Jin as Oh Yoon Joo, Ryu Soo Young as Nam Jung Woo
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama
Original Run: 5 January 2011 - 24 February 2011
Duration: 1 hr. 2 min.
Original Channel: MBC
No. of Episodes: 16
Language: Korean
Links: IMDb/MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Viki/DramaFever ~ Drama Site
Synopsis: An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette.
However, Hae Young is put in a precarious situation when he finds himself drawn to Seol, the girl who will take away his inheritance if the monarchy is restored.
Trailer:
My Thoughts: Oh. My. God. I don't think I have ever seen a more frustrating and annoying drama! I was expecting a light, fun drama but this turned out to be so exasperating that at times I was emotionally drained watching this. I had to take a break to calm myself down. I have never shouted at my computer screen but I did while watching this drama. I don't know why I got so invested but just thinking about this drama is making me angry again!
Story: I did not understand the political stuff AT ALL. I know that may be my fault since I'm not into politics and stuff but a drama like this shouldn't have complicated politics. I didn't understand the history either. I didn't get most of the reasons for the characters' actions. The second female lead arc was so annoying! Why couldn't anyone see the evil stuff she was doing? Why was she doing all that evil stuff? I'm guessing it's because she was crazy. But why did she get a happy ending then? Evil people already get happy endings in real life, I don't want that in dramas as well!
Honestly though, this drama started out really well. It seemed light and funny. The female lead was refreshing and bubbly and for a change the male lead was nice to her. I had high hopes for this drama. I don't know why they had to add such annoying politics and evil schemes.
Actors/Characters: I liked Lee Seol in the beginning. She was funny and wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind. After the introduction of bitch Oh Yoon Joo, I was hoping Lee Seol would be confident and fight against her. At least say something to her face and show her who's boss. But no. Lee Seol had to be this stupid girl who falls for Yoon Joo's tricks every time and never stands up for herself! Yes, I know. She eventually did fire her and all. But by that time I was way too tired. She should have done something earlier. Kim Tae Hee's acting wasn't bad though. And I did enjoy a couple of scenes. I'm blaming the writer/director.
Park Hae Young was okay. To be honest, I don't remember him much. I did like how he was nice and not a mean, rude jerk. He was very different from the conventional male leads. But he wasn't very memorable. I'm racking my brain here trying to remember something about him but all I can think is how annoying it was that whenever Lee Seol did something stupid he cleaned up the mess. I would've liked it if Lee Seol wasn't this stupid. And that she would clean up her own messes. Other then that I don't remember Hae Young much. Song Seung Hoon was good. I don't remember having any problem with his acting.
Oh my God I don't think I have ever hated a character more than I hated Oh Yoon Joo! She was so evil! And crazy! Very crazy! I wanted to slap her so hard! I was hoping one of the characters would do it. But no. Not only does she not get a slap but she also gets her happy ending! I mean, come on! I didn't hate her this much for her to be left like this! She was a selfish, crazy bitch who had no justification for her actions. I didn't have any sympathy for her even when that was the card the writer was playing. I'm not sure what to say about Park Ye Jin. If she made me hate the villain so much then she must have done a good job, right? But the most annoying thing about her was the robotic straight face she always had. It was like she didn't have any emotions. I think that is why I wasn't able to sympathize with her.
Nam Jung Woo was probably my favorite character. He was the only person smart enough to see through Yoon Joo. He also countered her tactics. He was nice and considerate without going overboard. He was the only person who seemed human. And the only person I was rooting for. Why, oh why did he choose Yoon Joo?!!! He deserved someone nice, not a selfish bitch like her! I think Ryu Soo Young did a pretty good job.
Out of the side characters I simply adored Lee Gun (the chef) and Court Lady Shin! They were adorable and funny and awesome! I hated Lee Dan (Lee Seol's sister)! But what I don't get is if she is punished for all her doings, why wasn't Yoon Joo too? (No, I am never letting this go!) Lee Dan wasn't nearly as bad as her! And her actions were understandable as well! I don't remember any of the other characters. The grandpa seemed sort of crazy.
Overall: This drama just wasn't for me. I know a lot of people loved this drama but it had too much of an "Indian drama" feel to it and I really don't like Indian dramas. Oh well, maybe you'll have better luck with it.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Book Review~Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzar + Bray
Pub Date: September 18th 2012
Format: ebook
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Contemporary
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon/B&N ~ Book/Author Site
Synopsis: SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
Rating: 8/10
Source: Bought.
My Thoughts: Despite this book being very slasher-film-esque, I enjoyed it a lot! I really don't like slasher-films. They have too much gore and not enough brains. I prefer psychological thrillers for my horror fix. Despite all that, this book wasn't bad. It had all the slasher-film cliches: a bunch of teens in a remote place, no communication to the outside world, and they start dying one by one. Even my mom was like 'Isn't that a typical horror movie story.' Yes, it is. It has been done so many times that I'm pretty sure you will be able to guess who the killer is from the start. Even then people enjoy these kind of stories. And I did too.
Story: The book was fast-paced and had a lot going on. There wasn't any dull moment and I liked the rush of it. I liked not having to use my brain and just go with the flow. There were many plot holes but as with any slasher-film, they didn't matter much. I didn't like the romance. I like my horror without romance. That is why I didn't enjoy the romantic scenes much. But the rest of it was good. There were some scenes that scared me and overall the book kept me really invested.
Writing: I actually really liked the writing. It was easy for me to envision the scenes as they were described really well. The pacing was good and the suspense was handled well.
Characters: I didn't really care much about any of the characters which is a good thing because that's how slasher-films are. They were stereotypical and sort of predictable. But I did enjoy them.
Overall: Ten was an enjoyable book. Especially if you are looking for a fast-paced, slasher-film-like thriller. The story is interesting and suspenseful and keeps the reader hooked.
About The Author:
In 2014, Gretchen debuts her first series, Don't Get Mad (pitched as "John Hughes with a body count") about four very different girls who form a secret society where they get revenge on bullies and mean girls at their elite prep school. The Don't Get Mad series begins September 16, 2014 with GET EVEN, followed by the sequel GET DIRTY in the summer of 2015, also with Balzer + Bray. In addition, Gretchen has contributed an essay to the Dear Teen Me anthology from Zest Books.
Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. Gretchen blogs with The Enchanted Inkpot and was a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels. She is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
You can find Gretchen on Twitter, Facebook, and on her blog.
Hello!
I'm really sorry I've been MIA for so many weeks! My finals are starting from 7th May and I'm having so many revision tests right now! And when I'm not studying, I'm either sleeping or reading or watching dramas. So I haven't had time to write.
I have a lot of pending reviews and discussion posts planned out and I miss writing and blogging a lot! So hopefully I'll get some free time before the next round of tests start and I'll try to write up some posts then.
I hope your year is going good! I can't believe it's March already! Stay safe and healthy! Take care!
~Hira
I have a lot of pending reviews and discussion posts planned out and I miss writing and blogging a lot! So hopefully I'll get some free time before the next round of tests start and I'll try to write up some posts then.
I hope your year is going good! I can't believe it's March already! Stay safe and healthy! Take care!
~Hira
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
