Tuesday, September 22, 2015

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

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:

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Book & Movie Review~If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay #1
Publisher: Definitiions
Pub Date: July 8th, 2014
Format: Paperback (Movie Tie In)
Pages: 210
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Synopsis: A cold february morning...
A snowy road...
And suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone.

Except one.

As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.


Trailer: 

Rating: 7.5/10
Source: Bought
Cover Talk: I love this cover! I like the movie tie in cover better than the original one.

My Thoughts: Hmm... I liked this book but honestly I didn't think it was as amazing as everyone says it is. I did enjoy reading it but I didn't get attached to the characters and I'm pretty sure I'll forget about it soon.

Story: The story was nice. A bit different from the usual stories and sad. I liked the themes of family and love. I'm a very easy crier but while I did tear up during a couple of scenes, I never full on cried while reading this book. I think it's because I wasn't really attached to any of the characters. Nevertheless, the story was good and I did enjoy it.

Writing: I really liked the writing. It had a kind of poetry style to it. And I liked the alternating present, past storytelling. I would definitely love to read more books by Gayle Forman.

Characters: Mia wasn't very relatable to me. I'm not into music that much and while some aspects of our personalities do match, I just couldn't relate to Mia. Sometimes she kind of irritated me, though I'm not sure why. I'm pretty sure it's me, not Mia though. 

I really liked Adam but as I said before, I couldn't really connect to him the way I wanted to. I felt the same way about all other characters. They didn't feel real to me.

Overall: This book feels like a hazy dream. I can't remember much about it even when I try to remember. I mean I know what went down but I can't remember how it made me feel. I think because it didn't make me feel all that much.

Movie: I know I sound like a hypocrite but I absolutely loved the movie! I'm one of those people who believe that the book is always better than the movie but this was an exception. The movie gave life to the book. Made the characters real. I cried so hard while watching the movie! And I absolutely loved the music! The casting was great and I'm glad that they stayed true to the book but they also gave the book a new life. While, to me, the book felt like a hazy dream, the movie felt like real life. I loved Mia, I loved Adam, I loved the story, the characters, everything! The movie made me laugh and cry and I really enjoyed it a lot! And I don't usually listen to movie soundtracks but I absolutely loved the one for If I Stay! The music was beautiful and amazing!

Favorite Quotes: 

“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.” 

“I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard.” 

About The Author:

Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in such publications asJane, Seventeen, Glamour, Elle, and The New York Times Magazine, to name just a few. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday Spotlight~Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead


I was going to review these separately but I don't think I'll be able to do that (too busy :() so I'll just be spotlighting this series on here.

Well I finally joined the Vampire Academy fandom! And I can safely say that I loved these books just as much as you guys did. Now let me tell you, I'm trying very hard to conceal my inner fangirl. But can I have just one fangirl moment? Please?










OH. MY. GOD. Ilovedthisseries!!!!! And I think I read it at the perfect time, when I needed these characters the most to get me through tough times. So first of all, I would like to thank Richelle Mead. For writing such amazing books, for creating characters that feel like friends and for getting me through a very tough time in my life. THANK YOU RICHELLE MEAD!

Website~Twitter~Facebook~Goodreads~Blog

Okay so I'm going to do this post like I do reviews, except the reviews of all six books would be in one post.

Writing: I loved Richelle Mead's writing! There's never a dull moment in any of her books and they suck you in so much that I felt like all that happened to Rose actually happened to me. I could feel what she felt and all the events feel like memories. She really engages the reader and it's very hard to put the book down. I finished almost all of them in one sitting.


Story: The stories of all six of the books were amazing! So many events occur in a single book but it never seems cluttered or rushed. There are a lot of plot twists and many of them I didn't see coming. The world building was so good that I felt like I lived in that world. The stories were very interesting and always kept me guessing. There was mystery, romance, adventure, heartbreak. These books took me in, broke me up, then mended me. It was like I was transported into them and my problems didn't exist.


Characters: Richelle Mead writes such amazing, true characters! I loved each and every one of them! All of them felt real and human. They made mistakes. Some were good, some were bad. But all of them, even the minor ones, never felt unnecessary. They felt just as important as the main ones. They had depth and character and this realness to them that made them feel like real people.


Rose was amazing! She was so badass and witty and I instantly loved her! I loved how she cared about Lissa so much. She had an impulsive nature but she was also a quick thinker and an amazing fighter. I loved the vulnerable side of her. Of course I loved how strong she was, but the thing that made her so real and relatable was her moments of weakness and vulnerability. That's what made you realize, 'Wow! She's like me!' I loved being in her head and she's definitely one of my favorite protagonists and narrators!


I loved Dimitri!!!! He's officially my favorite book boyfriend ever! (Maybe after Jesse & Damon :P) I loved how sweet and caring he was! I'm a sucker for good guys and he was like the epitome of good! I really admired how he respected Rose and treated her like an equal. I just really really loved everything about Dimitri! And not just because Rose loved him but because his actions showed that he was truly an amazing person!


I really liked Lissa. She was sweet and kind and sensitive and to be honest I saw more of myself in her than in Rose. But I wasn't much like her either. Lissa was sensitive but she was also strong and there was something admirable about the way she carried herself. She was one of those people whom you really want to be like.


My best friend fell in love with Christian! She has a huge thing for bad boys and she loved Christian! I admit I had a crush on him too. I loved his sarcastic remarks and dark personality. But I also loved how he genuinely cared about his friends. And despite his past he didn't let it put him down. Well, not too much.


Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. What do I say about our boy here? First, I'll admit I love Adrian. Not as much as I love Dimitri but Adrian is high up on my best book boyfriends list. This boy was a hot mess to be honest. And at first I really couldn't figure him out. But Adrian was smart, and sweet and funny. And he was at times so adorable I wanted to give him a huge hug! I love how complex his character was.

Well I can't mention all the characters but overall the characters, even the minor ones, were written really well and I loved almost all of them!

Relationships: Relationships were a dominant theme and super important in these books.


I loved Rose & Dimitri's relationship! As I said before, it was based on mutual respect and I loved the friendship between them. This is my ideal kind of relationship. That is why I was Team Romitri from the start. I loved the connection between them. I loved how they understood each other so perfectly. I don't know if that kind of love actually exists but it sure was amazing reading about it and somewhat experiencing it through the book.


Rose & Lissa's friendship was super important and I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish for a friendship like theirs. (Well, maybe not someone who reads my mind :P) Their friendship wasn't all roses and sunshine. Both of them made mistakes and sometimes took the other person for granted. They had fights. But they supported each other and were there for each other no matter what. Especially Rose. But I think Lissa cared just as much about Rose as Rose did about Lissa.


Rose & Adrian were kinda dysfunctional if you ask me. Don't kill me please! But despite her claims, Rose was never really with Adrian. And clearly they weren't right for each other. Adrian depended on her too much. And I think that's the kind of relationship Mead was trying to show. I haven't read Bloodlines yet so I can't say much but I'm pretty sure Sydrian would be different than Rodrian.


I loved Lissa & Christian together! They were so adorable! They were the true meaning of soulmates. I loved how they were this normal couple and both had insecurities and there were up and downs in their relationship but they finally found their way back to each other. Do I sound cheesy? I don't care!


I really liked Rose's relationship with her parents. Sure it wasn't the best relationship but her parents loved her and I'm glad she worked out things with her mom. She only wanted what was best for her. And boy did I love her father! He was funny & clever and so much fun to read! I would say I had a bit of a crush on him but then I would seem extremely creepy :P Either way, loved that guy!


I loved all the friendships in this series! Boy, these were some loyal friends! And Rose was lucky to have them because good friends like these are hard to come by in real life.


Movie: I really liked the cast of the movie but the script ruined it and they weren't able to capture the true essence and feeling of the book. The story was much deeper and darker than the movie made it out to be. It wasn't completely bad but compared to the book it just wasn't that good. It did not do the book justice at all.

Overall: I love this series with my heart and soul and would recommend it to EVERYONE! Go! Read this series now! And become a fangirly mess like the rest of us!


Sunday, September 6, 2015

Drama Review~Oh My Ghost (Korean)

Title: Oh My Ghost
Writer: Yang Hee Seung, Yang Seo Yoon
Director: Yoo Je Won
Main Cast: Park Bo Young as Na Bong Sun, Jo Jung Suk as Kang Seon Woo, Kim Seul Gi as Shin Soon Ae, Im Joo Hwan as Choi Sung Jae
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Run: July 3, 2015 to August 22, 2015
Duration: 60 min
Original Channel: tvN
No. of Episodes: 16
Language: Korean
Synopsis: Bong-sun, a timid young woman, is possessed by the ghost of a lustful virgin. She has zero self-confidence, and because of her extreme shyness, she doesn’t have any close friends. At the restaurant where she works as an assistant, she’s not particularly good at anything, and mostly just gets yelled at a lot. Her grandmother was a shaman so from a young age she’s been able to occasionally see ghosts, though it’s not until she meets the lascivious ghost that she gets possessed totally.
Sun-woo is a conceited star chef who’s overflowing with confidence in his food and his skills. Bong-sun harbors a secret crush on him, though he doesn't take much notice of her for two reasons: because he’s always surrounded by women and because he’s hung up on an old flame. But then one day, Bong-sun starts acting differently, shedding her mousy personality, and ends up constantly on Sun-woo’s mind.

Trailer: 

My Rating: 10/10

My Thoughts: Umm.. wow! I was not expecting this drama to be this good! I picked it at random out of the currently airing dramas because I wanted to watch something light and funny and this seemed right up my alley. It was all those things but it was also so much more!


Story: The story was full of mystery and suspense and love and emotions and loads of cuteness! I loved every moment of it! The romance played out so well! But more about that later. The mystery of Soon Ae's death and creepy officer Choi was so good! There were scenes during which I actually got goosebumps! The drama played the supernatural element really well and it blended with everything else. From start to finish this drama was perfectly constructed, with great consistency. Despite the ending being a typical drama ending, it was done right for a change. It left me satisfied and even though I miss these characters, I'm very happy with how the drama ended.


Actors/Characters: I loved the cast! Such talented actors, all of them! And deep, well-written characters. Na Bong Sun was my favorite character! She was so adorable! And I saw so much of myself in her! I connected with her a lot and most of the time I just wanted to give her a huge hug! Park Bo Young did a mind blowing job, playing Na Bong Sun and Shin Soon Ae. You could differentiate between the two girls with only her demeanor. She was so good with both characters, both of which are complete opposites. This girl deserves an award! 

Look at my adorable puppy!

Is it just me or does Jo Jung Suk has a Gong Yoo vibe? He's just as gorgeous and just as amazing an actor. I mean everyone in this drama is an amazing actor! And Jo Jung Suk wasn't any different. I loved Kang Seon Woo! He was somewhere between a bad boy and good guy. He was sweet and adorable and had depth as a character. Loved him!


I love Kim Seul Gi! I love the quirky character she plays so well! And she was perfect as Shin Soon Ae. She made me laugh, she made me cry. It was just so much fun to watch her onscreen. Her performance was really great!


Onto my second favorite character, Choi Sung Jae. Hey, don't look at me like that! I have a thing for psycho characters. :P But honestly though, how amazing was Im Joo Hwan's acting? Makes me want to check out more of his dramas. One second he is the nicest person you have ever seen and the next he has this sinister, murderous glint in his eyes and the look on his face will haunt your nightmares. No but seriously, I loved his character! I felt sorry for him but he was also so scary! A very interesting character.


Yaay for ahjumma friendships! I seriously loved Seobingo and Seon Woo's mother! They reminded me of the only thing I loved in The Heirs (other than the Chan Young/Bo Na couple). They were so adorable and funny, together and separately. So were all the people who worked in Seon Woo's restaurant. They were such a goofy, endearing group! I also loved Seon Woo's sister and her story was heartbreaking! I loved how pure and innocent she was. And my heart broke for Soon Ae's father. Her brother was so cute!


Romance: Na Bong Sun and Kang Seon Woo are ssooo adorable together!!!! Like I can't even!!! Their cuteness had me smiling like a lovesick fool! I seriously loved the two of them together! And even though I liked Soon Ae, I was team Bong Sun from the start. The love triangle was very interesting and I loved how it played out.


Overall: I loved this drama to bits and pieces and if you haven't seen it already then what are you waiting for?! With romance, mystery, great acting and amazing story and a pinch of scary this drama will make you fall in love with its awesomeness!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Update

Hey folks! I hope you all are doing well! I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I've been studying for the MCAT which, despite my hard work, didn't go that well. So now I'm busy studying for other university entry tests.

I don't have much time for the blog, I don't think I'll ever have. I've thought of ending it but I don't think I can do that. So I'm going to leave it up and update from time to time. Write reviews & stuff occasionally.

Thank you all for following me and reading my posts! I'll try to update as much as I can.

Good luck for the new school year and please pray for me!

Lots of love
~Hira
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