Discussion: Fiction v.s Reality

There are so many things I love in books and movies that I think are absolute ugh in real life. 
Or maybe they just don't happen in reality.

For example, MAKING OUT.

Like this is so freakin' cute, I can't even!

I fangurl SO SO SO hard in books and movies.

They just aren't complete with an amazing kissing scene.

Forreal.

And then there's this in real life....

Okay. Maybe not everyone.

There are a handful of very cute pecks and kisses I see on the streets.

But the full on making out, with the tongue in mouths that I'm such a fan of in books?

They aren't very attractive in real life.

In fact, I'll probably look away in disgust if I see people doing that.

**cough cough**

Especially those kids in schools.

Seriously, stairways and busy hallways are not the most remote place to make out, guys.

Number 2: DRAMA

I'm not super into over dramatic and cheesy novels/movies, but they could be quite useful.
I mean, how would a book go on without a bit of a misunderstanding with a catfight along with it?

They help the story move along. 
And when the guy has another girl....
I love how it adds to the romance.
Then the main character has to admit they're jealous, etc.

But then in real life....

Those fights at school?
Girls screaming at each other.
Ugh.
Friends backstabbing.
No. Just no.
#Getmeouttahere.

Omg. Those fights in the hallways. When they're by your locker, I'm just trying to get by without getting hit.


Number 3: THE POPULAR GUY IN SCHOOL WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A PLAYER and A JERK.
And then a perfectly average and innocent girl steals his heart.

They also tend to be the jerks who have a soft side. Or a story.
The main character falls for the perfect guy.
Get rid of his mean attitude.
Then she becomes the most popular girl.
Yeah. It's cheesy and such a cliche.
But I NEVER get tired of them! They're so so so cute!!

Then there's real life....
where there is not only 1, but a whole group of cute boys.
And forreal, NO ONE would date a jerk. I mean, someone would.
But I would never date someone whose messed up and plays around with people. I mean, come on.



And please, I mean.....all those boys are TAKEN. Truth to be said, those popular guys tend to be upperclassmen seniors and juniors who have steady girlfriends since forever. 

Life just doesn't work that way.

Plus, they are actually nice. That's how they got popular in the first place......


Number 4: CELEBRITIES

Ummm....I'm trying to find a boy celebrity that's actually high school aged.
But I don't really remember any, so I just randomly picked Dylan O'Brien.
Why can't Dylan go to my school?
Despite the fact that he's too old.
But in books, celebrities be coming out of small towns and things.
And all these romances.


I MEAN THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE THOUGH.

For once.
Not the romance part.
But maybe the celebrity from your school.
Since like most people become famous, then date famous people.
It just doesn't happen that much.
You know, like one in a million chances.
What are the chances of actually personally knowing someone (like you have their cell phone number and everything) and then they become famous?

For one, I don't. Personally? No.

Friends of friends of friends? Yes. How? I have absolutely no idea. 


Number 5: AMAZING HIGH SCHOOL LIFE. TOTALLY STRESS-FREE.

I mean, yeah! High is totally supposed to be fun~
Go to parties.
Yeah. They happen.

But then when one thing is on the main character's mind....like chasing after a guy, school is just there because she has to be at school. The lockers, bathrooms, and occasion unhelpful teachers are involved to aid the story along.

But guys, what happened to homework?
How is the girl out all night and then go to school.....the next morning not tired or anything.
AND THEN BECOME THE VALEDICTORIAN WHO GOES TO HARVARD.

WHAT? How does that even work? 
Like there's something called tests and SATs!
I mean, it isn't that important compared to the romance....



But in real life, I think you'll flunk out when you do this. 
For one, I have like 5 hours of homework just for taking 2 AP classes, and I'm not even close to being valedictorian.
And there's something called sports that make you get home at 6pm.

*sigh*
I think I'm jealous.
What an easy life.
And the parties I go to are SOOOO calm and quiet compared to these things I see.


~
Well, that was a fun post to write!
Do you guys agree on these?

:)
What other ones can you think of?

Book Review: Damascena by Holly Lynn Payne

Damascena: The Tale of Roses and Rumi
by Holly Lynn Payne 
Release Date: June 5th, 2014
Publisher: Skywriter Books
Paperback, 342 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Retrieve a Copy:
       Amazon | B&N

Goodreads Summary: Holly Payne’s spellbinding tale brings the unparalleled poet, Mevlana Rumi, to life, and transports readers to the enchanting world of 13th century Persia. Simply but elegantly told, the story unravels the mystery surrounding a legendary orphaned girl, who discovers her gift of turning roses into oil. Named after the flowering rosa damascena, the girl reluctantly assumes the role of a living saint for the miracles she performs—longing for the only one that matters: finding her mother. Deeply wounded by the separation since birth, Damascena undergoes a riveting transformation when she meets Rumi and finally discovers the secret of the rose. 

Imbued with rich historical research and inspired by the devastating disappearance of Rumi’s most lauded spiritual companion, Shams of Tabriz, Holly Payne has courageously opened herself to receive Rumi’s teachings and offer a timeless love story. Inspiring and magical, the story of Damascena transmits the wisdom of the heart, inviting us to transform our pain into love.

Cindy's Review: 

**Copy provided via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.** 

At a Glance/The Cover:

I absolutely love historical romance. The gentlemen back then are sooo much proper than the cocky, arrogant guys nowadays.

This book sounded very poetic and rosey. :) I expected some romance and some drama. Some more poems and flowers. 

Before reading this, I had no idea who Rumi was, but Damascena gave a great image. 

The Characters/My Opinion:

Damascena - As readers, we follow Damascena's journey, from since she was born to a young lady. Damascena doesn't know her destiny and fate. She was raised by Ivan, who was a young man, working in the chapel. He later was so filled with jealousy and hate that he became evil and possessive of Damascena. That's when she left, and her adventure begins.

There are so many people worth mentioning but one of the most important ones includes Shams, who appeared to Damascena in time of need. He was like a teacher, a master who aided her with her knowledge of roses. It was him who allowed her to see her true talent. 

As time went on, Damascena continued on her journey and met Rumi, the legendary poet, greatly respected by many. How she got there? It kind of explains it in the beginning, but you probably won't understand untill the end. At Rumi's, Damascena continues to find her true self and the secret of the roses. There, Damascena matures even more. 

By this part of the book, I really thought Rumi was her soul mate. And apparently, he is. But he had a wife. And he was probably like 50 years older than her. I thought it was weird. And their romance was a bit questionable. Although there was a deep relationship going on between Damascena and Rumi, it wasn't the romantic type of love. It was the deep, understanding kind of love. Someone that understands your soul. 

Overall Thoughts: 

This novel itself was like poetry, with a gentle breeze of words making up a novel. Although I'm not the type to read these deep down novels.....I can't even explain it. It's like those soothing music you listen to when you're sad or nostalgic, helping you remember yourself and everything you want to recall. It kind of also reminds of meditating, with wind breezing by on a cool day. Very peaceful.....that kind of feeling. Like the close your eyes and breathe in and breathe out. 

Damascena took me to places I've never been to before. The 13th century of Persia turns to be pretty fascinating. It was a fun read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

The Rating: (1-10): 7~

**Sorry that my review is all over the place today. I took the PSATs this morning and I think that just fried my brain. UGH.**

Happy Reading~

Blog Tour: Remake by Ilima Todd

Welcome to my stop on the Remake Blog Tour

hosted by iRead Book Tours.

Blurb: 
Male or Female?

Nine is the ninth female born in her batch of ten females and ten males. By design, her life in Freedom Province is without complications or consequences. However, such freedom comes with a price. The Prime Maker is determined to keep that price a secret from the new batches of citizens that are born, nurtured, and raised androgynously. 

But Nine isn’t like every other batcher. She harbors indecision and worries about her upcoming Remake Day—her seventeenth birthday, the age when batchers fly to the Remake facility and have the freedom to choose who and what they’ll be. 

When Nine discovers the truth about life outside of Freedom Province, including the secret plan of the Prime Maker, she is pulled between two worlds and two lives. Her decisions will test her courage, her heart, and her beliefs. Who can she trust? Who does she love? And most importantly, who will she decide to be?

Cindy's Review:
At a Glance/The Cover:
I was captured by the blurb. As of now, I'm more into chick lits than dystopian genres, but when there was a review opportunity for one, why not try it? And I didn't regret it! AT ALL. It would be like a normal book I would buy or check out at the library. The plot and storyline was definitely captivating and I enjoyed this story immensely. :)

The Characters/My Opinions:
Nine - Nine is the main character of the book. She's number nine in a batch of 10 girls obviously... and she looks different from the rest of them. She's an experiment. She has the freckles, while everyone else looks 'perfect'. Nine feels insecure and gets bullied by the other batchlings. And it's come the time to make a decision for her future. For her looks. For the rest of her life. 

Theron - Theron is Nine's best friend. He's one of the male counterparts of their batch. He's part of the 10 boys, and look normal like the rest of them. Unlike Nine's hesitant decisions, he's already got most of his future chosen. 

Nine and Theron's relationship in the beginning. I swear I see that spark. But the batchlings just think they're harmlessly playing with each other like friends. They have underdeveloped bodies and no hair. I know, it sounds and looks weird, but that's how the story goes. They are like oversized children. But there's still heart thumping going on and the sparks. 

And I was fangurlin' about their cuddles and such. So who knows to my surprise there's another guy in this story. 

Kai - That name tho. :) I like it. Yeeep. But at first, I really didn't like Kai. He appeared as a jerk. He seemed really rude. And I was like 'there's Theron, no way you can come in'...but later on...Okay, first, I'll tell you how Kai fits in. 

On the day of Nine and Theron's remake, the plane crashed. And that was Nine's first sight of the outside world. Outside her safe Freedom One where the Prime Maker protected her. It's a scary, dangerous place, full of sharks and people who don't believe in Freedom. The rebels. 

When Nine wakes up in an island, with strangers helping her, she learns more about the rebellion. Their ideas. And their principles. And she learns about family and love. And of course, she meets the guy. 

And throughout the rest of the book, we see their relationship develop and see them know about each other more. And throughout the time period, Nine's off her hormone pills, so she's actually looking more like a teenage girl now, if you're wondering. 

Overall Thoughts: 
The romance was a bit of a surprise for me. :) But I'm happy with how everything went. 

I have to say, this is one of the best blog tour book I've read. Ever. 

So yes, I enjoyed this one immensely. 

If you're into dystopian novels, come check this one out! :)

The Rating: (1-10): 9

The Author: 
Ilima Todd was born and raised on the north shore of Oahu and currently resides in the Rocky Mountains. She never wanted to be a writer even though she loves books and reading. She earned a degree in physics instead. But the characters in her head refused to be ignored, and now she spends her time writing science fiction for teens. When she is not writing, Ilima loves to spend time with her husband and four children.


Links: 
Website: http://ilimawrites.blogspot.com/
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
​Barnes & Noble

2014: Movie News Updates~

There are soooo many movies coming out this year~

that I need to emphasize on the sooo.

There was a giveaway hop for the books to movies

and I'm advertising it a bit too late, since it literally just ended.

You can find the hop HERE. 

So this post is an update of more upcoming movies~

Or movies that came out the 2nd part of the 2014. 

You can find my post about 2014 movies HERE. 

Hope you enjoy~

1. The Giver

Okay. I haven't watched this one yet.

I don't think The Giver was as big of a blast as the others ones coming out. No one was really talking about it as much.

Maybe I'll decide to give this one a watch.

And Taylor Swift's in it. Haha. I don't know what to make of that. 

For those who did watch it though, what did you think?

Release Date: August 15th, 2014

2. If I Stay

This one garnered a bit of attention. 

I haven't watched this one yet either.

I'm a bit behind in my movie-watching schedule.

I recently just found out the girl is Chloe Moretz. 

From the Teen Vogue magazine. 

Okay...#random

What else can I say?

I thought the guy wasn't that attractive.

So if I do watch it, I hope they're acting is really good.

For those who did watch it, what did you guys think?

Release Date: August 22nd, 2014

3. The Maze Runner

This movie was already mentioned in the first post. 

But that was because I was super excited for this one to come out~

The book was a fun read. 

And BAE's in it~ :) 

I'm talking about

DYLAN O'BRIEN.

Okay. So I did watch this one.

Kind of.

And well, I'll try to post the movie review later.

But yeah, action packed. AND I LOVE THE MAZE. I think it's like the best part of the movie. Besides seeing Dylan of course. 

If you also saw The Maze Runner, what ya think? 

Release Date: September 19th, 2014

4. Gone Girl

This one isn't a YA book, but it was mentioned a lot by bloggers and normal people alike. 

Not trying to offend anyone. I meant normal people as in people who aren't as crazy about books as us. We're unique, not normal~

I actually read the book waay back in 7th grade and had absolutely no idea or interest to it. 

Maybe because it was for a more mature audience. 

And I liked romance. Not breakups and problems.

So of course, I didn't watch it yet.

Apparently, it just came out this month! 

Wow! I'm really behind. 

Did any of you guys watch this one?

Release Date: October 3rd, 2014

5. The Mockingjay Part 1

Can you believe it? 

It's coming out in like a month!

Catching Fire was great, so I really hope Mockingjay really lives up to my expectations. :) 

Trailer:

Release Date: November 21st, 2014

6. Other Honorable Mentions

There are some books that I didn't know became movies. 

Avalon High (2010) and Ruby Red (2009). 

And I literally just finished Avalon High.

<3 it~

Ruby Red is in German, so I watched the dubbed one. 

---------

Okay. Of course, there's also 50 shades of grey...

but I don't promote erotica here, so...

I did watch the trailer though. Haha. 

And the cover of Beyonce's song was pretty good.

Otherwise, I don't think I'm watching it.

What are some books to movies YOU'RE excited for? 

Book Review: Guardian's Nightmare by Darren Simon

Guardian's Nightmare (The Last Princess of Latara #1)
by Darren Simon
Release Date: May 3rd, 2014
Publisher: Divertir Publishing LLC 
Paperback, 169 pages
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Get a Copy:
      Amazon | B&N

Goodreads Summary: Charlee Smelton is an average thirteen-year-old girl struggling to adapt after her family moves to San Francisco. She thinks her biggest obstacle is facing the bullies who brand her a nerd and a dweeb. She's wrong. Her life is about to change-for the worse. First, she receives a gift of the ugliest, most old fashioned bike she has ever seen. Try as she might to ditch it in the city, she just can't seem to escape that very mysterious two-wheeler. Then come the visions of a world across a dimensional divide, a princess in fear for her life and a dark knight pursuing her. Are they just dreams or something more? For Charlee, everything she ever thought she knew about herself soon crumbles as she starts down a path to discover her true self, and she will need that hunk-of-junk bike more than she could ever imagine. Without it, she might not be able to find the hero in herself-the hero she must become to save her friends, family, her city-the world-from an evil only she can defeat. An evil she allows into this world.

Cindy's Review:
**I received the copy from the author for an honest review. This had no way influenced my opinions.**
 At a Glance/The Cover:
I decided to give Guardian's Nightmare a go because I really enjoy fantasy and I have nothing against middle grade. I mean Percy Jackson is absolutely fabulous. So more hidden world's of magic? No problem! 

Oh yeah. And the fact it takes place near San Francisco~ Ayyyy.

The Characters/My Opinion: 
Charlee Smelton - Well, let's start off with the main character. The blurb does a real good job describing her, so what else can I say? Her dreams gave a good insight about what's going on. Although she is a bit misguided on who to trust at first. And well, she was likable, like a kid would be. 

Magic Bike - I think this bike gets an honorable mention considering how helpful and what an endearment it was. This kind of those monkey sidekicks who knows when to dive in and save your life. Except without the cute face and arms. But I can imagine the handlebars as ears or something. :)

The Good:
Normally, I would just group this into my opinion, but since I'm supposed to be doing a helpful review, not a crazy rant about how much I ship the characters haha. Okay.  So here is the good.

Guardian's Nightmare was a fun read about evil ladies and magic. An ordinary girl gets her chance to become the hero. And no doubt, she's a secret princess. Love secret things. :) And I liked how the evil witch is like her aunt. Those crazy relations and special items like the magic bike and the medallion.

The Bad:
Honestly, I think throughout the book, the writing could be more sophisticated. Maybe it's because it's for a middle schooler, but I think the author could have used more metaphors. What's that broad topic called again? Right, figurative language. There was a lot of descriptive scenes and passages, but he could take it even farther. You'll be surprised how advanced some of these kids are. I mean, there were a lot of similes, but something that requires self-thinking and realization makes the book more interesting. 

Next, a reason why I love middle grade books like Percy Jackson is for his humor. I think middle grade books definitely needs some suspense and humor. It keeps a reader interested and keep the pages turning. And less drama. These YA love stories have waaay too much drama. Not necessary that I don't like it...

Overall Thoughts: 
Otherwise, it was an imaginative read filled with a hero fighting for her land. 
So check it out if you guys have time~ OR maybe encourage your younger cousins or kids to read it instead. :) 

The Rating: (1-10): 7~

Happy Reading~

Optimistic October Releases~

It's another month already~

October is my busiest month yet.

And books are coming like crazy. :D

There are soo many coming out this month..

I just can't~

Lemme introduce them to you. :)

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5)

by Rick Riordan

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

Thoughts: It's the last book in the series! I feel like I've grown up with Percy Jackson or something. Although the series get crazier and bigger each time, I'm still happy to continue reading. But I kind of hope it stops here. I mean, yeah, I WANT MORE PERCY. But Percy's gotta grow up and live his life like a normal human being. 

AAANND. Rick Riordan's writing a new Norse series!!!! Yaaass. I'm checking that out~

The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)

by Marie Lu

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

Thoughts: Omgomgomg. It's coming out already? I swear it was just yesterday I was wondering about the release date. I thought it comes out 2015 or something! Obviously I haven't been keeping up since there's a whole bunch of blog posts and giveaways for this. OMG. I CAN'T. I JUST CAN'T. I'm so excited to read this! I'll be so juiced when it gets into my hands. HAHAH. :)

In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3)
by Alexandra Bracken
Release Date: October 28th, 2014

Thoughts: And here it is! The last installment of The Darkest Minds. OMG. I absolutely loved the first book! And I've been waiting so long, I might need to reread the series all over again to get all those feels again. :) 

Ruby and Liam though. They need to be together. And then there's Cole. I dunno. I really need to reread the series again. Haha. 

Snow Like Ashes (Snow like Ashes #1)

by Sara Raasch

Release Date: October 14th, 2014

Thoughts: I've been seeing this book around so much. And now that I read the summary, I definitely want to read it! Like OMG YAAAAS. High Fantasy. Warrior girl. Best friend love interest. What else could I ask for? I hope the writing really lives up to its synopsis! 

The one and only problem I have so far is the love interest's name: Mather. Really? Mather? I think it could have been hotter. But maybe there's a hidden meaning or he has a special name....:)

Talon (Talon #1)

by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 28th, 2014

Thoughts: I mean, it's Julie Kagawa. I read a preview of the book and it seemed like a fun book to read. Although I was looking to some romance but I don't see any....yet. Anyways. This book is about dragons. That can be humans. And dragon hunters. 

Either way, I might check this one out if I have time, because I'm not really into dragons. But maybe this can change my mind. :D

Black Ice

by Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

Thoughts: Haven't checked this book out yet, but it seems like it's a standalone.....woah. This is more like a suspense, yet hints of romance. And all those grim blizzards and murders. It seems like it would belong in my English textbook. Not that it's a bad thing. Lately, I been reading so much about deaths like Into the Thin Air and Of Clay We Are Created. 

Hmmm. Maybe I'll check this out. Just to see which boys she ends up with. :) 

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

by Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, and more...

Release Date: October 14th, 2014

Thoughts: Omgomgomg. It's like my favorite authors all in one! Especially Stephanie Perkins! I can't get enough of her awesome characters and romances. Anna and Etienne. <3. 

And it's the holidays already!!! Times go by so fast. *tears. I don't even know why I'm so emotional, but it's just those warm-flutter feelings of the holiday. :)

Atlantia

by Ally Condie

Release Date: October 28th, 2014

Thoughts: This sounds like an interesting book to read. :) And that's a lovely cover there. I think she's a siren. Because there's no mention of mermaids and they live underwater...

I'll definitely check this one out. :) 

Remake 

by Ilima Todd

Release Date: October 14th, 2014

Thoughts: Since I'm doing a blog tour for Remake, I might as well do some early promotion. It is actually a book worth reading if you have some time~ If you like dystopian and just a random book to enjoy, here's one for you~ :) 

Well. There's a lot more books coming out this month, but here are the lovely mentions. 

What are the books you're waiting for to come out this month?