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Category: Books

  • The Betrothed and Ice Princess

    Sorry if you haven’t been a huge fan of all the TV and movie content lately. Currently, it’s what’s working but I promise that I have something different coming next week. The Betrothed is actually a book title, not a TV show title, so that’s a little different I guess. But this week, I wanted to share one of my new favorite Disney movies, Ice Princess, and a new book, The Betrothed by my favorite author, Kiera Cass.

    Ice Princess, in opinion, is a Disney hidden gem. I think it was made around the time I was a young girl, so it would’ve been a movie I really enjoyed growing up, but since I grew up with satellite TV and very little exposure to Disney Channel, I didn’t know it existed until now! And oh my goodness and I absolutely LOVE this movie. It’s about a teenage girl, Casey that’s a physics whiz and it’s basically all set for her to attend Harvard and live out her mom’s dreams. Casey has the opportunity to complete a summer physics project and win a huge scholarship for the physics program at Harvard, and so she decides to analyze the physics of figure skating. Through her project, Casey becomes so involved in figure skating it turns out, she has incredible natural talent within the sport. She eventually begins competing as a figure skater and gives up attending Harvard to pursue figure skating.

    Not only did I adore this movie for the beautiful costumes that Casey wore on the ice, but I really enjoyed the character of the girls in the movie. Instead of being jealous as Casey made leaps and bounds in figure skating, the other competitive skaters supported her and truly helped her out. They made her feel at home which was totally shocking for a movie like this. In most movies, you would except the main character to face some evil, horribly-mean posse of girls, but that wasn’t the case. It was so wonderful to see girls supporting girls in the right way in a movie like this. I loved it. 🙂

    I also never realized how much I loved Hayden Panettiere until this movie! Yes, she was much younger in Ice Princess, but she was so pretty and still a very talented actress then. After seeing this movie, I’m much more interested in shows and movies with her.

    Overall, I totally recommend Ice Princess. It’s such a good movie that motivates you and just makes you feel so good.

    Now we’re gonna flip gears and talk about one of my favorite authors and her newest release, The Betrothed. I would first just like to say that my sister and I ordered a signed copy of the book. THAT’S how much we enjoy her work. Secondly, this book was not exactly what I expected and I’m not totally sure how I feel about it. If you are interested in reading, maybe skip this last part, as it will contain spoilers. 🙂

    The Betrothed follows the story of Hollis, a beautiful, strong, young lady coming from a noble family who eventually finds herself betrothed to the king, Jameson. In my opinion, Hollis and the king are a PERFECT match. Anyway, a strange family comes to seek refuge from a neighboring kingdom, and asks the king to take them in and make them members of Coroan society. Hollis is tasked with the decision since the king puts her to little tests, seeing how she may do as queen one day. Hollis allows the family to stay in Coroa and they live in the castle for some time, sort of on a “probation” to see if they truly have good intent in Coroa. During this “probation” period, Hollis has several small interactions with one of the sons of this family, who is extremely talented in sword making. Somehow, she begins to doubt her relationship with the king and falls madly in love with Silas.

    The king gives Hollis the queen’s apartments, beautiful tiaras and dresses, and all of his love and support, but Hollis eventually turns all of that down, just before Jameson plans to propose to her and runs away to be with Silas. I wasn’t too happy with this part, especially because the love Hollis claimed to feel for Silas, just didn’t seem fully supported if you know what I mean. Hollis and Silas had maybe interacted like three or four times and had kissed once, and suddenly Hollis wanted to give up BECOMING QUEEN OF A NATION, to run away with some suspicious, mysterious, and beautiful boy from a neighboring nation.

    Hollis and Silas end up married and Jameson is devastated but moves on to be with Hollis’s best friend and former lady-in-waiting (which was REALLY weird and uncalled for, in my opinion). You might think, the book ends here, right? Wrong!

    Shortly after the wedding, Silas and a majority of the people at the wedding, including Hollis’s parents are brutally murdered, leaving Hollis devastated. Silas’s mother and younger sister survive the attack but then decide to return to their former country, in hopes that their king may be merciful that they will not be found and killed there. Hollis initially plans to go back to Jameson for comfort, just to live as a member of the palace, but then decides to chase after Silas’s mother, and follow them back to their former kingdom, to meet with a friend she had made in the palace during a royal visit, and to possibly uncover if the king (not Jameson) had been behind the attack on her family.

    Ultimately, I enjoyed the book because I always enjoy the work of Kiera Cass, but I was a little disappointed. I live for the glamour that comes with every Kiera Cass novel. The dresses she describes and the lifestyle of a palace is just so appealing and her imagery is just so vivid, that I imagine myself with America from The Selection, or Eadlyn from The Heir, and even Hollis from The Betrothed. With that said, so much happened in this book, but at the same time, it feels like nothing happened. I personally would have really enjoyed if Kiera Cass gave us the life of Hollis Brite, becoming the queen of Coroa and one of the women that she had seen immortalized by Coroa for their excellent leadership and character but she didn’t take that route. That’s perfectly fine but I would have enjoyed a slightly different story. Hopefully the next one will be better. I guess we’ll just have to see when it comes out! Maybe read along with me and we can see what happens next together! 🙂

    Have a good week everyone and stay healthy and safe!

  • I’ve Never Been So Mad at a Book

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    Photo by Humble Lamb on Unsplash

    DISCLAIMER: This post discusses a book that contains hardcore 18+ content and while that is typically not something I ever like to talk about, I feel the need to with a book I recently had to read for a class. If you’re under 18, please come back next weekend. I really don’t want you here to read this post. I don’t discuss anything in much detail at all, but this just isn’t something for you to read.

    There was this book that I had to read for one of my classes called Justine or The Misfortunes of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade. Never in a thousand years would I recommend this book to anyone nor would I ever recommend you look it up. Learning about it through this post and my experiences should suffice, because I promise you, this book is absolutely horrendous. I have never been more disgusted by a book in my entire life. 

    The book was written in 1787 by a horrible and twisted man, the Marquis de Sade. Based on the horrors expressed in his book, the Marquis CLEARLY suffered from a mental illness and most definitely trauma as a result of abuse he suffered from during his childhood. Not only was this man mentally disturbed, but he was atheistic and the ways in which he mocked and poked at Christianity make me sick. Quick disclaimer: I have nothing against atheism or people who believe there is no God, but I do have an issue with people that mock religion and bend its morals and what it stands for to satisfy their own sick pleasures and mock religion. 

    I’ll try not to go into any details, but this story is about a very unfortunate girl named Justine. She is virtuous and believes in God while her sister Juliette does not. Following the death of the sisters’ parents, Justine’s virtue finds her in a lot of trouble. She becomes a victim of extremely gruesome and horrendous sexual violence because of her religion. Each of her abusers justifies their actions, stating that Justine must suffer because that is how she will get into Heaven. They also tell her that poor Justine is bringing them pleasure by listening to her abusers and captors, so she is doing the right thing and pleasing God. Absolutely. Horrible.

    There are a few things I’d like to say in response to the Marquis de Sade and this disgrace of a book:

    1. To some Christians and their denominations, they believe getting to Heaven involves a life of suffering. The way in which the Marquis de Sade mocks this idea is sickening. No person should EVER have to go through what Justine went through in that sick novel in order to think that a life like that will get them to Heaven, oh my goodness. I was raised to recognize that some have this idea of suffering and how it helps you go to Heaven but more than anything I was raised to recognize that Jesus is my Lord and that God brought him back from the dead. With this recognition, I may have eternal life. In addition, asking God for forgiveness for my sins and surrendering my life to Him may also get me to the Kingdom of God some day. 
    2. If women were treated as poorly as the Marquis de Sade depicted in France during the 1700s, that’s just so sad and so pathetic. Sade very sickly described pregnant women and how they often would lose their babies as a result of the actions of the men in the book and to me, that was just- I don’t even have the words to describe how mad and upset that made me feel. 
    3. Finally, I acknowledge the fact that some books exist today purely for the fact that they are evidence of what literature was like in humanity’s past. In what world though, is a book like this a part of the curriculum for a class, let alone an honors seminar?! This book is potentially triggering to those who have been sexually abused and it is also triggering to those who haven’t been! The amount of detail that the Marquis de Sade puts into the many horrible, horrible events he describes is just so, so, so unnecessarily horrendous. And then to have to try and analyze a book like this to see how the author feels about the world is just an impossible task. I’m so busy trying to stop my body from shaking and get rid of the feeling of throwing up that I have no energy to delve into why Justine was branded with the mark of a thief as opposed to some other mark!!! If a person can feel traumatized from a book, I have definitely been traumatized. 

    To recap here, if you’re looking for a good book, this is NOT it. If you’re in the slightest bit curious about Justine, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PICKING UP THAT CURSED BOOK, LET ALONE LOOKING IT UP. There are better ways to learn about oppressed artists during the time of the French Revolution and there are probably much better artists to learn about from that time than the sick Marquis de Sade. There are better books to read in general…

    Hopefully I can cleanse my soul and try to erase what I’ve read in this horrible excuse of a book… Have a good week everyone.

  • Quarantine is Real- Some Ideas for Free Time

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    Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

    It’s Palm Sunday everyone! Not going to lie, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to post this Sunday, but then I got it. We’re all at home and some of us have nothing to do, so what’s better than a list of recommended movies and TV shows and other things to do to clear up those quarantine blues and boredom that may be growing?

    MOVIES

    As far as movies go, here’s a couple of movies I recommend. If you’re not really into chick flicks and rom-coms/comedy and Disney movies, this may not be your list. And if that isn’t the case, maybe this is a list of movies that you consider? I was going for a feel-good, happy, something-to-make-you-laugh bunch of movies with this list, so if that’s something you’re looking for, here are my recommendations:

    • Clueless
    • Mean Girls
    • Miss Congeniality
    • Police Academy (1, 2, or 3)
    • Parental Guidance
    • Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter is Dead
    • Bad Hair Day
    • Adventures in Babysitting
    • Storks
    • Boss Baby
    • Wreck-It-Ralph
    • Ralph Breaks the Internet
    • Cinderella (live action and animated)
    • Frozen
    • Frozen II

    TV SHOWS

    As far as TV shows go, I was going for a similar, feel-good, pick-me-up vibe for the most part. I’m not really all that big of a TV person, considering that school is typically my entire life, but when I do have time for TV, there are a couple of things I watch. If you’re gonna watch a TV show, binge watching can be a lot of fun, but I’d try to limit it to an episode or two, for health’s sake.

    • 9-1-1
    • Game of Thrones– definitely NOT a happy show to watch though, heads up
    • Lego Masters
    • The Good Place
    • Schitt’s Creek
    • Saturday Night Live– I recommend watching older seasons. In my opinion, they were just more funny then.

    BOOKS

    I’ve been reading a lot more lately, and honestly, I recommend that you all do the same. I’ve always loved reading but school literally sucks up so much of my time and it’s sad how little I’ve read over the past year and a half. This quarantine has given a lot of people so much free time. You are free to do whatever you want with your free time, but I’ve really seen this as an opportunity to develop (or redevelop) some new and more healthy habits, involving less screen time. One of those habits, has been reading, and so I’ll share some of my favorite reads of all time and as of lately that may interest you:

    • The Selection series by Kiera Cass
    • The Siren by Kiera Cass
    • Heartless by Melissa Meyer
    • The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard
    • The Jewel series by Amy Ewing
    • The Winner’s Kiss trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
    • The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chanani
    • The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins- she’s making a prequel to the series!!
    • Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – these are good movies to watch as well
    • Unstoppable by Maria Sharapova
    • Rafa by Rafael Nadal
    • With All Due Respect by Nikki R. Haley
    • Driven: A Daughter’s Odyssey by Julie Heldman

    And if you’re looking for something else to read, this blog is another option. 🙂 I’ve been posting for the past five years on this blog and I update it every Sunday, so if you’d like to receive email notifications when I post, you can subscribe at the link below! I promise you won’t receive any annoying emails, just notifications for when the next post goes up!

    Make of the most of this quarantine and good health and time with family. Most importantly, I hope you are all taking care of yourselves, friends, and family. Despite the fact that I just shared a bunch of books and TV shows and movies for you to enjoy during this quarantine, I encourage you to get outside if you can and get some fresh air and enjoy nature. We all need it. If you feel like you need someone to talk to or want to see your idea as a blog post, you can always reach me on my contact page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 🙂 Stay happy and stay healthy. I’ll see you all next week.

  • Game of Thrones: The End of an Era

    Ok. I really don’t even know where to start. Most of you will probably not know this, but I LOVE Game of Thrones. I have always been a huge fan of the show and just recently, as in like last weekend, the show came to an end. Now that my emotions have calmed down, I feel like I am ready to share how I feel about Game of Thrones season 8. For those of you who are interested in the show and haven’t started it yet or are just now working your way through the seasons, I would like to warn you that spoilers will be in this post. Feel free to click away and come back later. 🙂

    Alrighty, first off. The music was FANTASTIC, as always. Ramin Djawadi is a musical god. The music is just breathtaking and intense and exciting and beautiful all in one. I listen to the soundtrack for the entire show on a regular basis.

    Onto the actual plot of season 8 now. Leading up to the Great War, everything was a bit slow for me. When episode 3 (The Great War) came around, WOW WAS THAT INTENSE. I was sad to see Theon go, but I do believe that his character was redeemed. It was sad to Theon die but I truly wasn’t as upset by his death in comparison to Jorah’s death. Personally, I was more traumatized to see Daenerys’s most faithful and loyal advisor go down. He died protecting her and that whole thing was just so so so sad. With the Great War, I also feel like the Night King deserved a more epic death. I was glad to see Arya get the kill but I still feel like he was worthy of a more interesting death considering that the entire show had practically led up to winter coming. I feel like Melisandre was an unsung hero of the episode. Her fire powers were incredibly helpful to the Dothraki, Unsullied, and the entire army fighting to protect Wintefell. The scene where she kit the Dothrakis’ swords on fire gave me CHILLS.

    Episode 4… This was a big one for me. First of all, seeing Rhaegal die was heartbreaking. Literally heartbreaking for me. You could ask my sister and she would tell you that I was a mess. And then to see Missandei die was traumatizing too. That set Daenerys up to become the “Mad Queen”, so to say, for sure. Greyworm did not deserve to see Missandei die and honestly I was so excited for the life the two characters could have had together. This episode was probably the most frustrating for me because it was clear that Daenerys had snapped and the morally good and truly only morally good character in the show had taken a dark turn.

    Episode 5 was just a disaster in my opinion. Jamie leaving Brienne was wrong. He should have stayed with her. Considering that he had redeemed himself and come so far as a character, I thought it was pathetic to see him return to his sister Cersei. While I do believe that Cersei deserved a death better than being crushed by falling rocks, I was still pleased to see her dead. She had caused a lot of heartache in the show. Jamie, not so much. Poor Brienne. Poor, poor Brienne. Looking at Daenerys, she had lost everything. I believe her actions were extreme in that she definitely didn’t need to burn down King’s Landing but I do believe that she really had no choice. Cersei and Euron Greyjoy had taken the last few people (and dragon!) away from her life. She had truly slipped into insanity. SO SAD!

    And then with the final episode… Oh boy, let’s try not to cry thinking about it. The shot of Daenerys with Drogon’s wings behind her… breathtaking. Some of the best cinematography and editing I’ve ever seen. Jon Snow killing her. NOT SO BREATHTAKING. I feel that Dany’s death was meant to occur based on what happened in episode 5 but I completely stand by my opinion in that she did not deserve to die. That was so wrong. And then to see the last of her dragons burn down the Iron Throne and fly away with her body was so sad too. To think that Drogon would have to live the rest of his 200-year life alone was so sad, and is so sad to think about (even though I know he’s not a real dragon). To see Bran as the king of the six kingdoms was underwhelming, in my opinion too. I’ve never been a huge fan of Bran as a character and his journey to King’s Landing and journey to the throne reaffirm my opinions. His demeanor and deep, monotone voice just don’t sit well with me.

    In the end, I was glad to see Jon go beyond the wall. I was happy to see Sansa become the cunning, clever, strong young lady she had become. I was extremely happy for her to declare Winterfell as its own kingdom, making Sansa the queen of Winterfell. To see Arya leave to explore beyond Westeros was exciting too. Could there be a Game of Thrones spin-off from this? The things that made me upset: Dany’s death, the death of the dragons minus Drogon, Tyrion’s betrayal to Dany, Missandei’s death, and Bran’s rise to power. Honestly the whole season was upsetting! In a good or bad way though? It’s hard to tell…

    Some of you may disagree and some of you may not. Overall, the season seemed rushed to me. It was still an incredible, unforgettable ending to an incredible show though. It’s so sad to let go of the characters and the story and the amazing world of Westeros but I am excited to see what legacy Game of Thrones leaves behind. I stand by my girl Daenerys til the end, House Targaryen: Fire and Blood.

    Have a good week everyone.

  • A Few Good Summer Reads

    Reading is a great way to pass time, escape into another world, educate yourself, and have fun with something. Over the course of this summer, I have read many good books that I recommend giving a try. Here are a few good summer reads.

    These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

    “It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.” (Summary by Amazon)

    The first book of the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars was an intriguing and enjoyable book to read. The plot had several twists and turns that were unexpected but made the book as good as it was. Lilac and Tarver were relatable characters and their growing romance helped make the story more interesting. It was great to follow the adventure of the two survivors and uncover the dark mysteries and secrets of the LaRoux companies and the strange planet the Icarus crashed on.

     

    The Crown by Kiera Cass

    “Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has captured the hearts of readers from its very first page. Now the end of the journey is here. Prepare to be swept off your feet by The Crown—the eagerly awaited, wonderfully romantic fifth and final book in the Selection series. In The Heir, a new era dawned in the world of The Selection. Twenty years have passed since America Singer and Prince Maxon fell in love, and their daughter is the first princess to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and now Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.” (Summary by Amazon)

    The Selection series has to be my all time favorite series because of the amazing characters, love story, setting, and storyline. This book was beautifully written, romantic, and dramatic. It was too easy to get lost in the world of Illea and I was sad to see that series come to an end. While the ending of the book wasn’t quite what I had hoped it would be, I still enjoyed it and was glad to see Eadlyn and the rest of her family and friends live happily ever after. It’s so hard not to spoil anything for those of you who haven’t read it yet!

    Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

    “Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. There, before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess, and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays the only certainty is betrayal. This sweeping story of palace intrigue, class hierarchy, and deception will keep readers hurtling along, desperate to find out Mare’s fate. Her honesty and determination, quick wit, and no-holds-barred attitude will surely make readers fall in love with her. “(Summary by Amazon)

    I’ve never written a review for a book I haven’t finished yet, but this book has been so unique, exciting, and worth the long wait at the library that I feel comfortable doing so. The world and general idea of this story are similar to a lot of fiction, young-adult books I’ve read, but it has been interesting to learn more about Mare and follow her story of the transformation from her life as a Red to her new, dangerous, and somewhat exciting life as a “lost Silver princess”.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Mare and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

    So here’s a few books that I’ve found enjoyable to read this summer. If you haven’t read these books yet, I suggest giving them a try. Reading can be a lot of fun and it’s a wonderful way to sit back, relax, and pass some time. Happy reading!

  • Across the Universe: Book Review

    Across the Universe by Beth Revis is a sci-fi, young adult novel that was originally published on November 29, 2011 by Penguin Group. It is the first book of the Across the Universe trilogy.

    Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends–and planet–behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship. Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed’s scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

    Someone tried to murder her.

    Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed’s 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest’s rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship’s cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again. (Review from Amazon)

    Across the Universe was a very unique and thrilling read. Revis did a wonderful job portraying the emotions and thoughts of Amy, the main character. It was easy to understand how Amy felt and more interesting to visualize what she was experiencing on the Godspeed. The love story between Amy and Elder was cute to follow along with. I found the ending to be rather dramatic and somewhat disturbing, but other than that the book was enjoyable. I look forward to reading the second and third book of the series and can’t wait to see what happens next with Amy and Elder. I recommend this book to those who are fans of the Galahad series, Battlestar Gallactica, Prometheus, as well as Ender’s Game.

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