Film Review: Moana

Moana MovieReview

4.9 out of 5 Stars

Disney has yet to really fail me when it comes to their production of "princess" movies. Moana was incredible. Not only did it rise to and above any expectations from Disney movies, but it was so engaging and reminded me of why I love Disney so much. Everything from the animation to the music to the the little quirky jokes created a ninety minute long blissful escape to a tropical island that spits you out of the theatre happy and ready to face your dreams and the challenges that are whispered inside your head.

I love the graphics!!! Her hair is a little frizzy!!! <3

The exact opposite of Frozen, this movie took place surrounded by lush tropical islands and warm seas. With all of the snow and ice around me, that was so welcome that I may or may not have looked at how much it would cost to visit an island right about now. Sadly, nothing in my budget; luckily, I could go see Moana again and visit those tropical places in my head.

The one thing that I missed from the movie was the romance. Please don't freak out! I totally loved this movie and everything about it. There really was nothing wrong with it and no way they could have fit in romance. I actually really appreciated how Maui was Moana's friend only. But maybe I'm just that much of a romantic where I wish there was something, even minor, in the story that was romantic. Call it cliche, but I love when there's a happy romantic ending. For example, in Frozen, there was some romance, and it didn't undermine any characters at all. Anna was still just as strong and independent even though her and Kristoff had a thing by the end.

I fell in love with the music of this movie---- so many great songs are on this album. I'm not just talking about the ones with words either, the entire score is great. If you don't believe me, look at the Golden Globe nominations and you'll find that the song "How Far I'll Go" is up for Best Original Song-Motion Picture.

I hope you go out and see this movie! It is uplifting, relaxing, and another great Disney movie to get put into the books. Really, anyone, any age, can see this and enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!

Aniticipated 2017 Releases

Hello! Sorry for not posted in ages, but the end of the semester got super super busy with finals and holiday stuff. Now though, I'm ready to dive right back in!

2017 Releases I Am Dying to Read

Before I go into the list, please note that there are so many books coming out this year that I am so looking forward to reading, but I also know that there are so many that I do not even know exist yet! :) I would love comments on what you are looking forward to and anything that you think I missed!

JANUARY

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Frostblood by Elly Blake

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder

FEBRUARY

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Wintersong by S Jae Jones

The Wish Granter by CJ Redwine

Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

 

MARCH

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Unflitered by Lily Collins

The Struggle by Jennifer L Armentrout

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

 

MAY

Always and Forever, Laura Jean by Jenny Han

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

AUGUST
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

SEPTEMBER
ToG #6 (Untitled) by Sarah J Maas

NOVEMBER

Gatlon School for Vigilantes by Marissa Meyer

UNKNOWN
Untitled (Stream Raiders #1) By Sara Raasch

Untitled (Shaw Confessions) by Michelle Hodkin

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!!!

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Novelizing November

Novelizing November

Books I'm Going to (Hopefully) Read this Month

This month is going to be a combination of super busy, but also with gaps of time thrown in, so I'm hoping to get in a decent amount of reading. I just got caught up with my Goodreads challenge of 100 books and I'm officially back on track. That being said, it also means that now is not necessarily the best time for me to read lots and lots of gigantic books.... I'm sorry Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, you're going to have to wait until 2017. However, I will hopefully be reading (at least) 15 books this month. I've already read 4, so I'm relatively on track for that too.

To Read:
Rook by Sharon Cameron
Confessions by St. Augustine
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
The Prince by Machiavelli
A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray
What Light by Jay Asher
November 9 by Colleen Hoover ;)
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
In Our Time by Ernest Hemmingway
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Sandera


Already Read:
Paper Princess by Erin Watt
   (my review here: http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/paper-princess-review-with-spoilers.html)
Broken Prince by Erin Watt
Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout
Apollyon by Jennifer L Armentrout
Who knows! I may read some of these and not the rest. Instead I might pick up one of the celebrity books that I mention here- http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/celebrity-books-literary-observation.html. I'll let you guys know at the end of the month. :)

Thanks for reading!

Paper Princess Review WITH SPOILERS

Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Review WITH SPOILERS
3 out of 5 Stars

First things first- this is not a young adult novel, so do not read this if you are not old enough. :)
I had heard this title floating around before with great things being said about it, so I decided to pick it up. Paper Princess was good, but I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype that was surrounding it for me. I still enjoyed it! But at the same time, I would not recommend it to all my friends and I don't think it would be one of the top books I would recommend. It was a very interesting and the writing was so easy to read. There were just one too many really uncomfortable moments for me, and I think part of the reason that they were so uncomfortable is because we suddenly meet these Royals and they aren't developed so well...... There's definitely lots of room for them to grow and develop, which I am really hoping happens in the next book. Which, by the way, I will be reading. This book may have just not been my thing, so if you are looking for a new adult romance, then this will definitely fit the bill.



SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:

Ella: While I love how her character is so independent and strong, but she's also rash. A part of me actually appreciates this aspect of her character because it is a reminder that she is still only 17 and does not have the maturity of an adult, nor should she, even though she has had to take care of herself for the past two years.

Reed: When I said earlier that there is room for these characters to be developed, I was thinking especially about Reed. The thing is, he is developed really well in book 1, but I feel like there is still more to him that could be developed in the next book. He is like the dad of the family. That is my current hypothesis at this moment. His own dad is always gone and he cares so much about his brothers that I think he has taken over the responsibility of looking out for them in whatever way he needs to. *cough the ending cough*. I don't think (I hope) that he ended up sleeping with Brooke at the end because of some ulterior motive. I really hope so, and I think that goes with his character too.

PLOT:

I'm trying to figure out right now what the major plot line was. Ella gets taken to rich neighborhood. She meets creepy bratty family. Earns their trust. Trust broken. There were no really compelling plot lines in the book. The entire thing was about Ella and Reed. Huh.

WRITING:

The writing was easy to read, and I think the only spots where I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book weren't out of the words so much as the character development and lack of knowing the Royals. If the family is developed more, I think I would enjoy this book a lot better because then I think a lot of the creepy factor would be taken out. They would seem more human to me? And by that I mean that they would seem more humane and less inconsiderate.

I'm pretty sure I have said stuff like this in other reviews, but just because I did not love this book does not mean other people won't too. Who knows- maybe I'll love the next two books. I personally found the character development to be lacking, and as a result of that, there were times that I was really feeling a creepy factor and I did not enjoy that. I will continue on with the next book though, because I really am hoping that the characters will be developed more and we get to know them better.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Paper Princess

 Paper Princess by Erin Watt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First things first- this is not a young adult novel, so do not read this if you are not old enough. :)

I had heard this title floating around before with great things being said about it, so I decided to pick it up. Paper Princess was good, but I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype that was surrounding it for me. I still enjoyed it! But at the same time, I would not recommend it to all my friends and I don't think it would be one of the top books I would recommend. It was a very interesting and the writing was so easy to read. There were just one too many really uncomfortable moments for me, and I think part of the reason that they were so uncomfortable is because we suddenly meet these Royals and they aren't developed so well...... There's definitely lots of room for them to grow and develop, which I am really hoping happens in the next book. Which, by the way, I will be reading. This book may have just not been my thing, so if you are looking for a new adult romance, then this will definitely fit the bill. 
[
CHARACTERS:
Ella: While I love how her character is so independent and strong, but she's also rash. A part of me actually appreciates this aspect of her character because it is a reminder that she is still only 17 and does not have the maturity of an adult, nor should she, even though she has had to take care of herself for the past two years.
Reed: When I said earlier that there is room for these characters to be developed, I was thinking especially about Reed. The thing is, he is developed really well in book 1, but I feel like there is still more to him that could be developed in the next book. He is like the dad of the family. That is my current hypothesis at this moment. His own dad is always gone and he cares so much about his brothers that I think he has taken over the responsibility of looking out for them in whatever way he needs to. *cough the ending cough*. I don't think (I hope) that he ended up sleeping with Brooke at the end because of some ulterior motive. I really hope so, and I think that goes with his character too.
PLOT:
I'm trying to figure out right now what the major plot line was. Ella gets taken to rich neighborhood. She meets creepy bratty family. Earns their trust. Trust broken. There were no really compelling plot lines in the book. The entire thing was about Ella and Reed. Huh. WRITING:
The writing was easy to read, and I think the only spots where I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book weren't out of the words so much as the character development and lack of knowing the Royals. If the family is developed more, I think I would enjoy this book a lot better because then I think a lot of the creepy factor would be taken out. They would seem more human to me? And by that I mean that they would seem more humane and less inconsiderate.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm pretty sure I have said stuff like this in other reviews, but just because I did not love this book does not mean other people won't too. Who knows- maybe I'll love the next two books. I personally found the character development to be lacking, and as a result of that, there were times that I was really feeling a creepy factor and I did not enjoy that. I will continue on with the next book though, because I really am hoping that the characters will be developed more and we get to know them better.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Review of A Torch Against the Night

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Review WITH SPOILERS
5 out of 5 Stars

HOLY BOOK FEELS!!!!! ***screaming internally for eternity*** I am definitely going to consider this as one of my favorite books of 2016. Sabaaa Tahir wrote such an intense story, but it was shrouded in beautiful words that brought all of the scenes, happy and sad, to a point of distinct reality within the minds of the readers. Not only were the emotional moments written spectacularly, but the politics of the world were expanded even more, if that is possible. A Torch Against the Night is the perfect mix of fantastical, political, suspenseful, and romantic. 

 SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:


Laia: I am really curious about those power things that show up in this book. They're mentioned a bit, but I really want to learn more about them and I would love if they are used more in the next books. OH! She actually annoyed the hell out of me with her flipping between Elias and the-other-guy-whose-name-I-can't-remember-at-this-moment-but-I-know-it-begins-with-a-K (I remember now, his name is Keenan) but is secretly the Nightbringer. Grrrr...... oh well. Besides that one little snag that bothered me, I thought that Laia was, again, an incredibly strong character. When shit gets real, she is the kind of person to stand up, take charge, and clean up said shit.

Elias: ELIAS. Elias. Elias, ELIAS. I think this was one of the more painful things in the book (and there were many): he dies withing the first quarter of the book! True, he is not completely dead yet, but he is dying. And it is confirmed that he is dying. And then THERE WAS NO LOOP HOLE. Seriously! All of the crap that he has had to deal with, and he still dies in the end. And not only does he die, but his work STILL isn't finished and he STILL can't have his happy ending with Laia because the spirits are bitter and jealous!!!! I JUST WANT HIM AND LAIA TO BE HAPPY WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT??!?!!!?!?!

Helene: This poor child. She's only trying to serve the country she loves and she is dealt an absolutely miserable hand of cards for it. NOT. FAIR. I didn't appreciate her character as much in the first book, but now all I want is for her to be happy and in charge and get complete and total revenge and compensation for everything bad that has happened to her. Helene for the next Emperor.

PLOT:

I swear, this is the year that defies the sophomore slump phenomenon in the book world. There is so much jammed packed into this one book that you didn't have the option of taking a break from reading. The book and the plot and how things moved demanded that you keep turning the pages. And what is really interesting, is that this is a set up book. Yes, there are major plot development within this book itself that gets resolved in this book alone, but there was still so many other aspects and elements that are just lying there now. As a reader, I really appreciate this because not only was ATATN fantastic alone, but now I REALLY can't wait for the other books in the series! The thing that is going to kill me is that WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2018 FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!! HOW DO I SURVIVE THE WAIT!?!?!?!?

lol this is the German edition but I love the cover!

WRITING:

Sabaa Tahir's writing is captivating. This is one of the books where you can easily forget that you are reading a book because the writing is so seemless and engaging. It is gritty and somehow beautiful at the same time. I have to say, one of the things that Sabaa is superb at is her description. Gory scenes are gory x10. Romance scenes are x10. Creepy scenes are creepy x10. People.... the creepy scenes....... *shudders*



This is one of those books where people are either in complete love with it or they were bored entirely. Personally, I don't understand the second option is a thing, but I also totally respect the difference of opinion. For all of us that loved the first book, you will love this second book!! If for some reason you are looking ahead even though you have read neither of the books, now would be a really good time to catch up on them because there are going to be two more!!! I love them. I think they're amazing. I highly recommend them. And I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Thanks for reading!