Watching on Wednesday: Rise of the Guardians

Title: Rise of the Guardians
Type: Movie
Age Group: Youth
Release Year: 2012
My Rating: 4.5/5

Jack Frost came to Earth without knowing why he exists. All he got from the Moon is his name. So for hundreds of years, he creates snow storms and dominate the winter season with his magic.

This holiday season, Santa receives a visit from an unexpecting and dangerous guest at the North Pole. He immediately calls out to all of the Guardians (Sandman, Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy) for a meeting. They realize that Pitch, the Boogeyman, is back and he is out to make sure the children around the world no longer believe in the Guardians.

The Guardians ask the Moon for help and it reveals to them that the next Guardian is Jack Frost. Will this forgotten legend be able to defeat Pitch?

After my exams, I really wanted to see a movie to just kick back and relax to. I debated between this and Wreck-It Ralph. This movie won because I wasn't able to make it to Wreck-It Ralph. A lot of people hyped about it online and a friend of mine claimed to watch the movie in theatres twice because it was just that good. And she was definitely right!

Rise of the Guardians has stunning visuals from the very start to the very end. Watching it in 3-D definitely brought some of it out (though I feel it would be fine to watch it without the 3-D version). I absolutely love the uniqueness of each Guardian. It's fun to see how each character is interpreted. For example, the Easter Bunny has an Australian accent with an attitude. I found the world and the different dimensions created in this movie to be very fun, always with never-ending surprises. I wished, however, they gave us a glimpse of other creatures. Like the leprechaun that was briefly mentioned. 

The story is very heart-warming, especially when it gave more insight to Jack Frost's past. I think this is an absolutely perfect movie for the whole family this holiday and something anyone can really enjoy. So if you are trying to decide what movie to hit up this winter, definitely check out Rise of the Guardians!

4th Annual YA Novel Discovery Contest

Just passing on a message for YA writers to be! :)

~~~

4th Annual YA Novel Discovery Contest
Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with
ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

No query? No pitch? No problem!
Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win exposure to editors and a review of your manuscript from one of New York’s TOP young adult literary agents, Regina Brooks.

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo
In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks AND receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop, plus a collection of gourmet teas from Possibiliteas.co!

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors from Scholastic, Feiwel and Friends, Random House, Harelquin Teen, Kensington, Kimani Tru, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster and Sourcebooks. In addition, they will receive a year’s subscription to The Writer magazine!

First 50 Entrants will receive a copy of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

The rules of the contest are simple and entering is easy. Submit entries of ONLY the first 250 words of your manuscript and the title via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php.

One entry per person; anyone age 14+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). 

Entries for the YA Novel Discovery 

Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1st, 2012 until 11:59pm November 30th, 2012 (ET).

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Navah Wolfe Simon and Schuster, Tracey Sherrod Harlequin Kimani, Krista Viola Random House, Nicole Raymond Candlewick, Rachel Griffiths Scholastic, Aubrey Poole Sourcebooks, Mercedes Fernandez Kensington, Nataysha Wilson Harlequin teen, Laura Whitaker Bloomsbury, Anna Roberts Feiwel and Friends and Kendra Levin from Penguin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.

So enter now! http://bit.ly/YAContest

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults and You Should REALLY Write a Book: How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, Bil Wright Winner of the Stonewall Award, as well as Sundee Frazier—a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. Her authors have appeared in USA TODAY, NY TIMES, Washington Post as well as on Oprah, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSBNC, TV ONE, BET and a host of others. As an agent, she is known for her ability to unearth raw talent and develop successful 

authors.

For more information contact Regina Brooks
info@serendipitylit.com
@serendipitylit
www.serendipitylit.com/facebook

Watching on Wednesday: Girls

Title: Girls (Season 1)
Type: Show
Age Group: Older Teens +
Release Year: 2012
My Rating: 5/5

A TV series following real problems of a group of girls in their 20s living in NYC.

LOVE IT. Yes, straight to the point with this review. It's one of the very few modern shows I find that tackles life issues in a more realistic way compared to something like Gossip Girl. Each girl has their very own unique personalities and quirks that contribute to the show. I admit, one of the girls, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), can get a little too animated for me. But I absolutely love love love Marnie (Allison Williams) because not only is she stunningly gorgeous but I love her caring for her best friend Hannah (Lena Dunham) and her stern persona. 

What I enjoy watching as well are the sex scenes. Nothing explicit but a lot more realistic with what sex would be like in real life compared to the glamorized version in Hollywood. It can be awkward sometimes and Girls definitely brings that up.

There is no direct plot line because the show follows the girls' lives day-to-day. I really don't mind it because I personally enjoy how it's a show I can relate to. Such as how relationships fall apart and time changes everything. If you want something more plot-driven, Girls may be a little bit harder to get into. 

The one thing that I did find bothersome once in awhile is the lack of proper transition from one episode to another. It doesn't happen for every episode but I realize that it would time skip and you suddenly would be like, "What just happened? When did this just happen?". However, overall I highly recommend this show. I watched episode one after another after I started until I was done. I am very eager for the second season this winter!

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Title: Speechless
Author: Hannah Harrington
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 272
My Rating: 5/5

Chelsea Knot loves to gossip. She can't help it. Once she hears something, she must tell it to someone. But what happens when she revealed something she shouldn't have that resulted in someone almost getting killed? Chelsea takes on the vow of silence so she will never end up hurting anyone else by her words ever again.

I read Harrington's debut novel, Saving June, last year, which I highly enjoyed. In my opinion, Speechless is even better than Saving June.

The story didn't not take long to develop, which I love. Chelsea caught a classmate she knew having sex at a party. He was with another guy. Thinking that she would get a good laugh out of it, she proceeded to tell a group of friends at that party. She received an unexpected reaction of homophobic disgust, resulting in a couple of the guys to beat up the classmate later on. Originally, Chelsea had that "I don't give a damn" attitude until there was a bad turn of events due to her gossiping habits. I was proud to see that she immediately saw how wrong the actions of her so-called friends were and spoke the truth about it, even though her best friend wanted to pretend nothing had happened. Everything in her life immediately changed and everyone she used to know shunned and bullied her right after.

During her vow of silence, a girl that was friend's with the victim befriended her. Chelsea was unsure about this act of kindness initially, but graciously accepted the friendship. As a reader, you get to see how she internalizes her surroundings and grows as she starts to learn the reality of her "friends" from the past and those who truly care for her. Her being silent allows her to take in so much more than she could ever have known. From start to finish, Harrington created a novel that is truly engaging and would have you think critically about the current issues on bullying and homophobia. It's one of those novels that leaves a lasting impression which gives you sympathy for the protagonist from start to finish.

Speechless encompasses real issues, real characters and a story that anyone can truly connect to.

Review copy provided by Harlequin Teen.

New Blog! Dedicated to Toronto Cafes!

Hello my lovelies. I would like to announce that I have created a new review blog! I created The Toronto Cafe Blog just a couple of days ago and is most excited to get it fully running! 

I know a majority of my readers are U.S. based and won't be familiar with the Toronto area, but for the few out there that does live somewhere in or near Toronto, this blog would be great for those who would like to try out some cafes in the city.

I am very eager to get my cafe blog up-to-date (with over 30 reviews pending because I have visited so many cafes this past year and only decided on making the blog now!). I honestly haven't been this eager since I first started Stop, Drop, and Read! This will be a new journey for me, especially since I will be reviewing in a different perspective and be trying something new. I want to try to integrate the Toronto community and learn more about this amazing city as much as I can. I hope you will follow me through my cafe adventures and maybe be able to go to one of these cafes yourself!

Of course, I won't stop with Stop, Drop, and Read! because I do intend to post whenever I get the chance. Upcoming review is Speechless by Hannah Harrington and I will post it on Twitter once it's up!

So please check out and follow/like/share/etc The Toronto Cafe Blog! :D You guys are amazing!

http://torontocafes.blogspot.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/TheTorontoCafeBlog
https://twitter.com/TorontoCafeBlog

Hottie by Jonathan Bernstein

Title: Hottie
Author: Jonathan Bernstein
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 312
My Rating: 2.5/5

Alison is the perfect student. She is friends with everyone, comes from a rich background, and has the coolest boyfriend ever. Oh, and of course, the most beautiful girl in her grade. Her reputation as the new class president is flawless.

Except when she went into surgery to get the perfect face symmetry, something goes drastically wrong. Luckily, her face is fine, but she ends up with the ability to shoot flames from her fingers! What in the world?? With her newfound powers, it should be all cool but everything else in her life starts falling apart! Her so-called best friends abandon her, her boyfriend turns out to be a cheater and her stepmother doesn't make her life any much easier. When she unexpectedly becomes friends with a geeky classmate she wouldn't have ever thought of twice, life becomes a little more exciting when he makes her realizes her potential. How will she handle her newly obtained skill and fix all the other things that went wrong in her life?

I had very mixed feelings with this novel, with Alison especially. Her character throughout the novel was very incoherent. She was first introduced to as the perfect all-around character who was just been elected class president and everyone seemed to be in love with her. Then right after she became a very materialistic girl who worried about her beauty (despite already being the "most beautiful" girl in class) with her friends; which then led her to beg from her rich father to pay for face surgery! I thought that part alone was a little bit ridiculous because she was like, what, 15? Another character change, but maybe it went hand-in-hand with her materialistic, shopping addiction and everything-about-me personality was when you got to see how she was with her step-mother. If you read the beginning how perfect she was, you would expect her to have that goody-goody two shoes persona who would be doting to everyone, especially her family. But instead, she acted childish and tried to annoy the hell out of her step-mother every chance she got. Her character got annoying pretty quick. 

However, she did learn some lessons as time went on as different things happened. Despite being an annoying girl, I gave her some pity for the fact that her friends backstabbed her because they were envious and pretended to like her (which I honestly didn't really see why). Her character became more tolerable towards the end. 

As for the plot itself, I was actually thinking of giving up on the novel before half-way because the plot wasn't going anywhere for awhile. Yes, she got her power, and yes, she used it here and there. There was some drama but it was a lot of self-absorption I felt on her part. There wasn't anything that made me want to read into it anymore. But, I did stuck with it til the end to see how it would go. I did like the plot twist that finally occurred in the end when the novel picked up (which was a little late into book imo). But because of it, I did enjoy it for a slight period of time.

What Hottie needed was more consistency and an early start of the main problem. If these two areas had some  improvements, the novel would have been an easier read. 

Won copy by Books By Their Cover.

Kamisama Kazoku by Tapari & Yoshikazu Kuwashima

Title: Kamisama Kazoku
Mangaka: Tapari & Yoshikazu Kuwashima
Age Group: Older Teens
Series is: 5 volumes and ongoing
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1
My Rating: 2.5/5

Samataro Kamiyama is the son of God and is pretending to be human in order to learn more about humans because he is next in line. Tenko is his childhood friend and also his guardian angel, making sure that he stays on the right path. However, how is Samataro to learn anything if his magical family keeps meddling with his life??

If I was to sum up the first volume very briefly in words: comedy, angels, and cleavage. It's one of those really light-hearted series that you cannot take for seriously. I assume not until later on when there will be a life-changing moment for the protagonist. Samataro is a carefree person who's not too serious with his role, neither do his parents (his parents being more childish than him!). But there isn't much to his character nor to the surrounding ones. 

With no driven plot, it made it hard for me to enjoy the manga because I found the style of the story to be lacklustre. Despite the attempts of trying to make it funny by having sexy slip-ups here and there, the comedy didn't do much for me. It's readable and the art isn't bad. It's just one of those series that you will forget the plot and characters of almost immediately. I don't recommend buying but if there's nothing else on the library shelf, it doesn't hurt to pick up for a brief read. 

Watching on Wednesday: (500) Days of Summer

Title: (500) Days of Summer
Type: Movie
Age Group: Teens +
Release Year: 2009
My Rating: 5/5

Tom believes in true love. When Summer, the perfect girl, enters his life, everything seems to be complete. That is, until later on in their relationship Summer suddenly breaks it off with him. This is a story that starts from the very beginning, documenting Tom's life with Summer until the very end. In this very real love story, you will be captured by the bittersweet memories of Tom's life and the heartache he has to go through. 

I am so happy to have finally watched this movie. This is the perfect romance movie. Why? Because it shows that sometimes the love of your life at that moment may not be the one you end up with. Love is about going through the happy moments, the heartbreak, and the final closure. Sometimes, one may have to go through this more than once. This is what reality in terms of love is like. This is the story of where the main character has to go through a true heartbreak first before finding the right person. I greatly appreciated how romance was portrayed in here as you could see Tom and Summer being very close one day and then falling apart the next.

I love the acting for both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. They portrayed their characters perfectly. Joseph played Tom, a young man who truly believes in love and finding that happily ever after. While Zooey played Summer, a lovely young woman who doesn't believe love exists and it is a fantasy that people come up with. Together, they are perfect, but yet not perfect at the same time. You are able to watch the dynamics of two completely opposite people interact in a very real way.

I think any romantic would enjoy this movie regardless. It's fun, sad, and quirky all at the same time. And in a small way, it gives you hope.

My Monday Mailbox (July 23/12): Swapping Edition

I went back through my archive and saw that I haven't made a MMM for almost a year! I have been receiving novels here and there throughout the year but it has been very sparse since I no longer review actively; which is why I don't do this meme anymore. However, this past Saturday I went to a swapping event where people traded in books, DVDs, and CDs! I brought in 32 picture books and came out exactly with 32 items. Since I do have a lot more books on hand, I will try to get through them some more!

CDs

Tub Ring - Fermi Paradox

Ahead of the Lions - Living Things

Meowingtons Hax 2k11 - deadmau5

Sweet Kisses - Jessica Simpson

Bye Bye Boyfriend - Fefe Dobson

DVDs

17 Again

Down with Love

Will & Grace, Season 1, Disc 4 (Ep 18-22)

Paranormal/Horror/Thriller

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Dead Room by Heather Graham

Deep Down by Karen Harper

Midnight Club by Christopher Pike

Hot Case by Patricia Rosemoor 

Exposed by Alex Kava

Young Adult

The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen, The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

The Agency: The Body and the Tower by Y.S. Lee

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before by David Yoo

Romance/Chick Lit

The Single Life by Liz Wood

Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

Hot Spot by Susan Johnson

Undone by Carly Phillips, Donna Kauffman, & Candace Schuler

Contemporary

Genes, Girls, and Gamow After the Double Helix by James D. Watson

The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith

Manga

Kamisama Kazoku vol. 1 by Tapari & Kuwushima

Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic Days vol. 1, 6 by Fumino Hayashi

Guardian Hearts vol. 1 by Sae Amatsu

Junk: Record of the Last Hero vol. 4 by Kia Asamiya 

Shakugan no Shana vol. 3 by Yashichiro Takahashi, Ayato Sasakura, & Noizi Ito

Short & Simple (10): Gothic Horror Special

I haven't been able to review as much this summer as I hoped because I ended up taking a summer class. But! It's an English course so I have been reading quite a bit of Gothic Horror for this past month. So I will give you a quick take of my opinions on the reads I had to do thus far! All these stories could be found online for free if Googled. :)


Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelley
Age Group: Adults
# of Pages: N/A (Read online edition)
My Rating: 4/5


Sentence Summary: Victor Frankenstein desire to create a man goes awry, leading to his downfall.


Speaking Straightly: Everyone who knows of Frankenstein but have yet to read the novel would be in for a surprise. Definitely a captivating read and one would much sympathize for the creature compared to what has been portrayed in Hollywood for years. It questions the morality of playing with life and death and as well as playing the role of God.

~~~

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Age Group: Adults
# of Pages: 229 (Oxford World's Classics Edition)
My Rating: 4.5/5


Sentence Summary: A gorgeous man wishes to be young forever and it comes true, while a painting of him begins to age and decay with every corrupted deed.


Speaking Straightly: This is a brilliant and dark story that captures the Victorian's fascination with aestheticism and the corruption of the human mind. Wilde writes a very captivating plot and mindset of the protagonist, Dorian. I was able to chuckle in a couple of places here and there, something I wouldn't think I would be able to do for a 19th century lit. I admit though, towards the middle, it got slow for a couple of chapters. However, it picks up again. Definitely recommended.

~~~

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Age Group: Adults
# of Pages: 200 (Broadview Literary Texts' Edition)
My Rating: 3/5


Sentence Summary: A respectable doctor is strangely associated with a brute with a mysterious background. For what reason may that be?


Speaking Straightly: Luckily this is a novella and it wasn't a very long read. However, I wasn't captured by this story compared to the first two. I guess maybe I more or less knew the end result? The content and writing weren't bad though and I can see why it's a classic, especially for its era. 

Short and Simple (9)

Title: Arisa
Mangaka: Natsumi Ando
Age Group: Teens
Series is: Ongoing with 9 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 2
My Rating: 4/5


Sentence Summary: Tsubasa's guess of who the King really is might not turn out to be that person after all!


Speaking Straightly: I really like the continuation from the first volume so far. It seems predictable where the story is going, but the mangaka is definitely great at building up the suspense regardless! It might be even a tad darker than Zodiac P.I. I highly recommend this series for fans of Natsumi Ando's other works and shojo mysteries!

~~~

Title: Time and Again
Mangaka: JiUn Yun
Age Group: Teens
Series is: Completed with 6 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1-2
My Rating: 4/5


Sentence Summary: Haunting stories that follow the exorcists-for-hire, Baek-On and Ho-Yeon during the Chinese Tang Dynasty.


Speaking Straightly: I enjoyed the first two volumes of this series very much. Similar to Nightmare Inspector in terms of what the stories are like (but a lot less dark). Each story is tragic in its own sense and a couple would have Chinese myths incorporated. I absolutely love the Chinese's historical outfits, so it was fun to see a manhwa based on a time period that had some of the best clothing!


Highly recommend for anyone would like reading mangas/manhwas that have a few stories per volume, each unique and scary on its own. 

Watching on Wednesday: Snow White and the Huntsman

Title: Snow White and the Huntsman
Type: Movie
Age Group: Youth +
Release Year: 2012
My Rating: 4/5


Once there was a kingdom that was ruled by a strong king and queen. They have a daughter who they named Snow White. The kingdom was happy and prosper...until the passing of their beautiful and gentle queen. The king was devastated and ended up getting drafted into war. He found a prisoner in the hands of the opposing side; a striking beauty. He took her as his new queen. Little did he know, she would be the death of his kingdom.


Many years have passed and Snow White has finally escape the grasps of the evil queen. Will she be able to reclaim her kingdom in her father's name before she gets captured?


If anyone has followed me since the start of the Twilight craze, you'd know how much I detest that series. With that, I was never fond of Kristen Stewart. However, when I saw the commercial for Snow White and the Huntsman awhile back, it really captured my attention. It seemed that Kristen could be really be okay in this movie. And honestly, she was! I can't say her acting was amazing, but, it's a start and I'm more lenient if she is to star in another movie.


In my personal opinion though, what made this movie was Charlize Theron. She was absolutely phenomenal! I had never seen her acted in any other movies or shows before this one and I absolutely adored how well she played out her character. Her acting gave the evil queen so much life and made her so three-dimensional. She's my favourite character in the movie because there is so much history that makes her who she is. And can I say how absolutely gorgeous she is? I am in love with her outfits and hair! (Second to her, my next favourite character is the Huntsman. Chris Hemworth's accent is TO DIE FOR).


The storyline is very dark and has that twisted fairy tale element. The fantasy effects are very nice and I enjoy that. But, I felt it were the actors that made the movie what it is. 

The Dirt by Lori Culwell

Title: The Dirt
Author: Lori Culwell
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 205
My Rating: 2.5/5


Living with a rich and famous family would make life so much more awesome, right? Not for Lucy Whitley. Her family has been in the tabloids on and off, especially since her mother disappeared many years ago, taking one of her sisters with her. Just when Lucy's father is about to remarried and she's about to go to boarding school in Europe to escape her crazy life for once and for all, an unexpected guest shows up and ruins the wedding! Will her dream of leaving her life now ever come true?


Three years ago, I reviewed Lori's first novel Hollywood Carwash, which I highly enjoyed and still recommend to this day (click the title to check out my in-depth review). So when I was asked personally by Lori to do a review for her latest novel (and her first in the YA world), I was honoured. Hollywood Carwash gave me a lasting impression, so I was hoping The Dirt would give me a similar effect as well. However, The Dirt was a take-it-or-leave-it YA novel that had many similar cliches amongst the stories within its genre.


With a setting where the main character is surrounded by the rich and beautiful, there would always be that one mean pretty girl. In this novel, it's Lucy's older sister Sloane, who is in charge of a group called the PG (what it stand for is unknown) and dominates the entire school. I'm used to reading about that it-girl making the protagonist's life a living hell, but the fact that they are related was too much for me. If you are not heavy on realism like I am, you could pass this by. I found it unnatural for Sloane to treat her sister the way she did. And I won't get into the unrealistic cliche of this one high school girl "controlling" the school and the people around her.


The pace and story of the novel wasn't picking up too quickly for me to keep wondering what was going to happen next. I have to admit, the climax was definitely unexpected. I felt that there was so much more that could've been done in the novel to take it to the next level, considering how it ended.


I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys stories that revolves around the rich and the popular and doesn't mind reading something that doesn't require a lot of thinking.


Review copy provided by Lori Culwell.

Snapshot of Books

My house is getting its floors redone so my bookshelf from the top floor had to be transferred down to the basement. I haven't been reviewing novels for so long so it surprised me the amount of novels and mangas I have collected within the span of a decade or so. These are just the ones on that one bookshelf, I have plenty of more beyond this. I think I would have a minimum of 500 books altogether. And a good 50 novels I still haven't read yet (which I will try to pull a couple out to read this summer hopefully...)

It doesn't look like a lot unless you're there in person, haha. How many books do you think you have in your collection?

Short and Simple (8)

Title: The Color Trilogy: The Color of Earth

Mangaka: Kim Dong Hwa

Age Group: Older Teens

Series is: Completed with 3 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1

My Rating: 2/5

Sentence Summary: Ehwa is a young girl who lives with her widowed mother. Ehwa learns and grows each day as she is exposed to the different aspects of life and becoming a young woman.

Speaking Straightly: I can see why this manhwa is raved about. However, it's not my style. The manhwa focuses heavily on her and her mother dealing with romance. I personally found it too slow-moving for my liking. This is more for people who enjoys a very realistic story on a day-to-day basis.

~~~

Title: Akumetsu
Mangaka: Tabata Yoshiaki
Age Group: Older Teens
Series is: Completed with 18 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1
My Rating: 4/5


Sentence Summary: When Japan's economy is at its worse, the citizens are losing hope while the rich of the rich are reaping the benefits from the country. A mysterious masked man by the name of Akumetsu is out to rid the evil of Japan in the name of justice.


Speaking Straightly: This is a more violent type of manga where it's villain against villain (depending on how you view Akumetsu). It's similar to Death Note where the protagonist has a certain way of viewing justice and doesn't mind getting rid of those they believe shouldn't be alive. However, the difference between Light and Akumetsu is that Akumetsu doesn't mind going out and getting his own hands dirty rather than doing it behind magic or whatnot.


Many shonen fans will love this series.

The Heights, the Depths, and Everything in Between by Sally Nemeth

Title: The Heights, the Depths, and Everything in Between
Author: Sally Nemeth
Age Group: Tweens/Teens
# of Pages: 263
My Rating: 4/5

Lucy Small is not-so-small because she towers over everyone in her grade! Meanwhile, her best friend Jake is the shortest boy in their class! Being together makes them the funny duo.

When the new student Gary comes along, things started to change for the two best friends. In this heart-warming story about growing up, it is one that anyone can relate to.

Being someone who is particular with the protagonist's age whenever I am reading, I was pleased with the turn out of this novel. I loved the innocence of the youths because it gave something refreshing to read compared to a majority of YA novels.

This novel is set in the 1970s, which is definitely a nice touch because it makes everything oh-so-more innocent. Reading from Lucy's perspective, you get to see the things that she has to go through. As any young tween, she has school problems and family problems. With her father out to find himself, it's only her and her mother for the majority of the novel. When he father did come back, she had to deal with the probability of him leaving again. Meanwhile at school, Jake has gone off with Gary and not being himself. As well, he is really against the idea of his mother dating someone. From a tween's perspective, the problems and events are very realistic. One can definitely relate, especially having to gone through that age or is going through that age.

Overall, I found this to be a great read for anyone who would like to pick out something more age appropriate for a tween. It has to do a lot with growing up and the little bumps in life.

Won copy from Teens Read Too (no longer active).

Q4U: What were your reading phases?

Q4U (Question 4 U) is a feature on Stop, Drop, and Read! that likes to pop up on a random day. A question is asked for you to answer, where it could range from getting feedbacks for the blog to a start of a fun topic!

I remember my very first school book fair in first grade. I was absolutely awed by the amount of assorted books they had out on display and I couldn't choose what I wanted. I forgot how many books my mom purchased for me that day, but I remember that I got one picture book that were about colourful butterflies. That was my first real book purchase.

I didn't actively start reading until third grade however. One day, I decided to go to the library. My goal was to finish a chapter book each day (I sped read through Artemis Fowl and all I remembered that there was something about fairies and a thief...). From then on, I was hooked onto reading in general.

Fast-forward to grade six, anime was starting to get popular. My friend was obsessed with Inuyasha and introduced the series to me. Once I got into it, I started browsing for the manga version of it. Next thing I knew, I was COMPLETELY obsessed with manga and anime. I completely ditched reading novels altogether and heavily focused on reading mangas. I collected quite a bit from then and through high school with about 200 mangas in my collection at the moment (I did ended up selling about 12 of them when university started).

While in my manga phase, I wanted to get back into reading regular novels during the start of high school. That was when I started to look into YA novels. I did not dive into the world on YA completely just yet. I wanted more books, but I liked the idea of winning one. This was when I went online in search of an online YA book giveaway (I won my first book from In Bed with Books! Hi Liviania!). After discovering the existence of book blogs, I decided to take a shot at it too. I thought it would be a great way for me to keep track of the books I have read thus far (and this was before I discovered the existence of ARCs). Therefore, the next few years I dedicated my reading and reviewing YA novels along with mangas (for older bloggers, you may remember my most active years from 2008-2010).

After I entered university, my readings became less and less frequent. Now that I am in my second year, I have no time to read at all. Especially since I have joined a student organization that I am dedicating a lot of time to. All I read now are the latest releases of a manga that has not yet been licensed called Cage of Eden (Eden no Ori), which is once a week.

I have no idea if this will change anytime soon, highly likely not (until summer break that is). So...

What were your reading phases?

Giveaway: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infinity

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description: At 14, Nick Gautier is an average kid who runs with the wrong crowd. But on the night he decides to go straight and refuses to mug an innocent tourist, his crew turns on him and just as he thinks his life is over… a new one begins.

Kyrian of Thrace isn’t just a vampire slayer, he’s a Dark-Hunter and he introduces Nick to a world that he never imagined.

With new enemies who make his old ones look like wimps, Nick must either measure up or get sized for a body bag. It’s kill or be killed and this kid who was born on the wrong side finds a strength inside him that he never knew existed.

Now if he can only find someone to help battle the demons that don’t reside inside...

~~~

Loving the summary of this novel? Eyeing Infinity for awhile but never had the chance to pick it up? Today is your lucky day because I am giving away one copy of Infinity away!

Entries:

+1 Be/come a GFC follower (Mandatory or no entries!)

+1 Tweet and leave link

+2 Blog and leave link

Giveaway is opened to Canadian and US mailing addresses only! Giveaway ends on April 4th, 2012 at 11:59 EST.

Trailer Tuesday: Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infamous

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description: The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters. Now Nick's saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume...

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That's the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn't the average teenager. He's a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He's learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn't the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or...

Q4U: Which fictional character will be your Valentine?

Q4U (Question 4 U) is a feature on Stop, Drop, and Read! that likes to pop up on a random day. A question is asked for you to answer, where it could range from getting feedbacks for the blog to a start of a fun topic!

I was actually planning to put up another Q4U but realized that since today is Valentine's Day, I've decided to post something more fun!

To be honest, I don't have a fictional book crush right now. But since I am obsessed with True Blood (the TV series), I'm pretty sure the books would be the same (since I've never read any of them yet). So my fictional Valentine would be Eric Northman! (Before he got his memory wiped in the latest season of course).

Which fictional character will be your Valentine?

Giveaway: Cinder by Marissa Meyer Audiobook

First giveaway of 2012! :) For anyone who would like to try Cinder, but have no time to read, this is perfect because you could listen to it instead during commute or in the car! Description of the novel:

Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…. Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

If you would like to see the trailer of the novel, click here!

Now for the giveaway rules!

Entries:

+1 Mandatory! Be a GFC follower

+1 Tweet or retweet this link (leave username): https://twitter.com/#!/StopDropandRead/status/155802243277402113

+1 For every other way you spread the word online (blog, tumblr, etc. simply leave link for each)

Open to US mailing addresses only. Giveaway ends on January 31, 2012 11:59 PM EST.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Title: The Future of Us

Author: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Age Group: Teens

# of Pages: 356

My Rating: 4.5/5

It's 1996 and the internet is not yet wildly used. Emma receives a new computer from her father so her friend Josh gives her the new AOL CD-ROM to install. After Emma installs the program, she lands on a page called Facebook. Except, Facebook is not yet invented!

Emma can see her profile from the future with details of her life in snippets. After getting over the initial shock, she sees this as a chance to fix her future! Josh worries that she may be messing up their future completely by attempting to correct the little things in the present.

It's rare for me these days to request a novel to review because I have a huge TBR pile and am so busy these days. But when I skimmed the synopsis of this novel, I had to read it! I was looking forward to the end result before I even started!

What I found to be amusing was that Emma took everything from Facebook that her future self wrote so seriously. I know for a fact that when I complain about something on Facebook, it really is not a big deal as it sounds. Even if it is, it's not like my world is coming to an end. But Emma doesn't understand that and takes everything for word. She attempts to avoid one of her future husbands by tracking him down and decide not go to the university that he goes to. The more paranoid she got, the more I started to get irritated with her character. I supported Josh's stance on leaving it all alone. However, his future is that he would get married to the prettiest girl in the school and have a successful life. So I could understand that Emma criticized him because he might not want to ruin his perfect future.

I very much enjoyed this novel because it has such a unique concept. I always wanted to have a glimpse of my future to see what it is like if I am going at the pace I am right now. I think people would find this novel appealing because of the overall idea of being able to alter your future if you know exactly what will happen. I know I would be a hypocrite and say I won't, but I am pretty sure I would tweak somethings here and there.

The one thing that kept this novel from a 5/5 rating is [MINOR SPOILER ALERT] the fact that it doesn't reveal the future of either characters at the very end. I was so peeved! I was hoping that in the future once Facebook did come out for Emma and Josh, they would go on it. Then the story would end with Emma or Josh updating something that concludes everything. But, unfortunately not. [SPOILER ENDS]

I think this is a fun and non-cliche novel that anyone (especially for those who lived through 90s and uses Facebook today) can read.

Review copy provided by Penguin Group Canada.