So I went to see New Moon yesterday with my mom (sadly my dad declined this time…well, actually, he had to go to work so he didn’t have much of a choice).

And I have to say, I had really, really mixed feelings about this one. As a movie (considering the camera, music, actors, and other cinematic effects) it rocked. Chris Weltz proved to be a way better director than the one in Twilight (thank God). But…plot wise? Uh. It sucked hard.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, by saying the plot sucked, I’m more talking about the book than the movie. Chris Weltz went above and beyond the limitations of the crappy book. (In case you didn’t know, New Moon is my least favorite book in the saga, and I, to this day, don’t have a copy of it.) In fact, the storyline is the only thing that I found fault in this time.

But enough intro. I’ll organize my thoughts in a hopefully neat and orderly matter.

Likes:

• Victoria. OMG, she was my fave character in this movie. I just loved all the action/flight scenes with her and the werewolves. And her HAIR! I wanted her hair SO BAD…before in Twilight, I know we were all worried that Vic’s hair would be too light/orange to be “the fiery red Victoria”…but I don’t know if they colored her hair digitally or  what, because her hair was THE PERFECT, hauntingly red shade. It was to the point that little girls could have nightmares about glimpses of her fiery red hair in the woods. Freakin fantastic.
• Jacob. Taylor Lautner is just so sweet. He made me, an anti-Jacob, falter in my resolve. He was just so nice and funny and warm…and his hair looked less stupid when he tied it back and later on cut it.
• the fight/running scene with Laurent. I particularly loved where Laurent GOT EATEN ALIVE. It was just SO FUNNY how one second he was all like: Mmmmm yummy Bella…and then the next: -wide eyed- OH CRAPPPPPPPPPPP -bolts for his life as werewolves crash into the meadow- . Great acting on his part. I also loved how, like, towards the end (of his life) he stopped and he got this look that clearly said: “hey. why am i running away like a wimp when I can take down these stupid dogs?”. And then he did the martial arts movie sort of thing where he just stood there and went, “come and get me, beyotches.” And unfortunately for him, they DID come and get him…and ripped him apart into pieces.
• Victoria’s running/fight scene. Dang that girl is a ninja. Since you couldn’t really emphatize with the werewolves, (they looked like the monsters while Vic looked like the heroine) it was literally like seeing one of those kick-butt action movies like Underworld. Flips, mid-air somersaults, that girl had it all…she was also super fast. I loved it how the camera sort of zoomed out to show this crow slowly flapping its wings above the forest while Victoria was jogging through the woods.  At first, I thought it was high or something, because it did look like it was dying. But just when I realized that the crow was normal and it was VICTORIA who was running really fast, the camera sped up and WHOOSH, I saw streaks of red, dark red, black, and brown. (vic and the werewolves). Pure. Epic. Awesomeness.
• the fact that they all had brand-named sneakers. I don’t know if they had sponsors or what, but I found it very funny that everyone (from Bella to the werewolves to Laurent/Victoria) had either reebok, nike, or other brand name sneakers. I mean, you’d expect them to run barefoot or something…but I guess it was for the actors/actresses’ sake b/c i doubt they had an eternal supply of foot makeup like the peeps at LOTR did.
• the Volturi. Just as creepy (maybe more so, especially in Aro’s part) as I imagined them to be. Also, Jane? YIKES.
• fight scene with Edward and Felix (the ultra buff guy who’s like virtually unbeatable). I was horrified/amazed when Felix slammed Edward into the marble floor and the floor AND EDWARD’S FREAKIN FACE had cracks running down them. Fortunately for Edward, he can heal…but you could just see the “aw man, not again, not my shiny floors” expressions on the Volturi’s faces. HAH.
• the artistic aspects of the film. I loved how in the start of the movie, they had a full moon slowly waning as the words “New Moon” slowly faded into the screen. Even my mom (former art teacher/design major) had to agree on that one. I also loved how they portrayed what the book did with the pages of nothing but the words of “October” “November” etc. They had Bella sit in front of the window and the camera orbiting around her like the Earth, as it showed glimpses of the passing seasons and her unchanging, expressionless face.
• The music. The music. The music. I loved how sad and mournful the classical piece was. I think it captured what New Moon is about really well. It almost made me cry all over again. ALMOST. I was too mad at Bella the whole time to actually cry though.
• Kristen Stewart. EXCELLENT job at the mopey, selfish Bella. She was so good that I wanted to punch her face off the screen. Hey, that was a compliment at her acting skillz.
• The Cullens. They seemed closer/more like a family this time. And yay, Jasper smiled (and actually made  one or two witty jokes. GASP)
• The pack/Native American community. Excellent casting and they all worked really well together. Their closeness was really believable.
• The fact that we could ACTUALLY SEE ALICE’S VISIONS. OMG, the scene where Edward mistakenly thought Bella was dead after the phonecall with Jacob was so awesome. HE CRUSHED THE CELL PHONE INTO PIECES. Fan-freakin’-tastic. Also, we got a sneak-peek into Breaking Dawn: Bella and Edward frolicking happily in the woods.
• Italy. They actually went to Italy to film the Volterra scenes. Must I say more?
• the peeps at Forks High School. Hahah, gotta love my nerdy azn Eric. Mike Newton was just as annoying as he was in the book. excellent job.
• Robert Pattinson’s acting. From what I remember in Twilight, he was kind of holding back as if he thought grimacing/frowning would ruin his hotness. I’m proud to say he improved in New Moon, and was very good at the scene where he pretended he didn’t want Bella and the scene where Bella kissed him (I was about to report vampire boyfriend abuse, that’s how pained he looked.)

Dislikes:

• The story/plot of New Moon. 95% of the movie was about depression and suicdal feats/thoughts.
• Bella. She’s even more annoying now that I can actually see her moping around. (excellent job, Kristen Stewart)
• the scene where Bella thought she was seeing her grandma but was really seeing herself. That old lady looked NOTHING like her.
• The fact that if you hadn’t read the book, you’d have NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. Sure there are a few small hints here and there, but you could only understand the secret looks and whispers if you’d read the books. But then again, I guess it’s the vapid fans’ fault for not reading.
• The fact that Chris Weltz didn’t direct the Eclipse (THEY’RE DONE SHOOTING ALREADY, O.O). I liked him >.>
• the 20 min long commercials at the beginning. Although I admit, I WAS happy to see the trailer for the Lightning Thief. Dang, Percy is HOTTTT.
• they skipped a lot of scenes. Making it virtually unfollowable if u haven’t read the book.
• the OST (soundtrack). I mean, the classical song is good and all, but the rest are indie rock/classical rock. Sure, they are awesome when incorporated into the movie, but by themselves…eww?
• Bella. Bella. Bella. Bella. the entire time when she was flirting around with Jacob, I wanted to strangle her for betraying Edward and messing with Jacob’s feelings.

That pretty much sums up my New Moon watching experience. Will add more if I can think of more.

“A demon is sick of doing his job in hell, and decides to take an unauthorized vacation by hijacking a teenage guy’s body and using it to experience physical life.”

That is how A.M. Jenkins, the author of “Repossessed” and “Night Road” (and many other books, but these two are the only ones I’ve read) described her book.

And before I go on to talk about the book, I can’t help but point out how eye-catching and awesome her one-sentence summary is! I bet she used it for her query letter. (In the query letter you send to agents and publishers, you have to include a one-sentence summary of your book. I had a lot of trouble with this… D:)

Repossessed has far exceeded my expectations (Yeah, yeah, I know, I probably said the same for “Night Road”…) But it’s true! Especially because the cover had me convinced that it’d be about some evil Demon wracking havoc on mankind:

And although this cover DID capture my attention and caused a reflex action in which I grabbed it and shoved it into my library bag, but it also made me hesitant to read it in fears of being exposed to just plain silly and utterly pointless immorality.

But then I opened the page and was greeted by the awesomely rich and complex voice (not physically) of Kiriel, a “Fallen Angel” (He says so himself that he prefers that name, and not Demon). Kiriel, as mentioned above, is a sort of mirror in the way he relentlessly reflects the sins and crimes of the people in Hell so that they exist in constant misery and regret. After thousands of years of experiencing second-handedly life on Earth, he gets curious and ventures up, searching for a body. And lucky him, there happens to be a moody, reticent boy who is just seconds away from being hit by a bus.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Kiriel DID NOT technically ‘hijack’ the body. The boy (whose name is Shaun) would have died anyway. Kiriel chose him specifically because he decided that he would be doing the boy a favor by saving him and keeping his body alive.  At least, that’s what he told himself over and over again to ward off the obvious guilt and grief that constantly seemed to bind him like shackles.

NOT that he was depressed and mopy all the time. No, Kiriel was too busy exploring to worry. (He only worried about those kinds of stuff at night, in bed.)

I have to say that “Repossessed” has really altered my perception of life. It was very amazing and thought-provoking to “see” the world through the eyes of a non-human. I think Jenkins did an excellent job in pointing out the fact that people often are too caught up in their own petty affairs to experience and live life.

One of my favorite ways that she did this is when Kiriel, in his new body, takes a bath…for 2 1/2  hours. HAHA. The boy’s family was all like: What the heck is up with our son?!
The mom’s immediate conclusion: le gasp. He must me in love! Aw…how cute.
Uh…WRONG. More like, your son just got body-snatched by a random demon.

Haha. I admit it. Once in a while, I like reading preppy books where girls fight over hot guys (usually in school), stab each other in the back (oooh, burn), and simple love triangles where it’s either two girls and one guy or two guys and one girl (which, I now realize, is less common…hm…)

Which is why I picked up this beauty over here:

((this is the full book jacket, those of you who’ve seen me carry around the books have probably seen how the front cover extendes over to the back.)

First off, I’d like to say a few words about the book cover: OH MY GOSH THAT DRESS IS AWESOMELY BEAUTIFUL AND LOOKS AS IF IT IS A MAN-MADE TORTURE DEVICE!! WE SHOULD ALL GIVE THE PEOPLE WHO MODEL FOR BOOK COVERS A RAISE! haha. so….shiny and long.. @.@

And now for a random video from the publisher, Harper Collins that basically tells you just how ’scandalous’ the book is. LOL

I love the music when it gets to “dangerous gossip”. haha. And the costumes always make me laugh. I wonder, was 1899 fashion in Manhattan really that…frilly. -childish giggle-

Okay, back to business. The Luxe is basically “Gossip Girl” set in 1899. The story jumps around from one character’s perspective to another, and each character has a secret from another character…so the plot is just one ,big dramatic irony. The reader knows everything. The poor characters, however, do not.

In the video, the girl wearing the pink dress is Elizabeth Holland…who I must say, I have the most respect for. She is really the nicest and most naive out of the characters (and thus is, traditionally, the main character). She even agrees to marry to this complete and total stranger in order to save her family from immense debt! The bad thing about her, though, is that she’s sort of a doormat (like most nice people are). She only does what she truly wants at the end of the book, where she feigns her death (oooh, a dramatic and ‘fatal’ plunged into the Hudson River) so she could escape society’s curious gossip and flee to California where her true love awaits.

The girl who has on the black…smock or whatever that thing is is Penelope Hayes.  She is my second least favorite character…because she is an honest and total B*tch. She is so stuck up and conceited and just the worst kind of blue blood (they’re all blue bloods, by the way, no, not the vampire blue bloods, but the actual epitome of New York social life ,blue blood.) EVER. She uses everyone and everything to her own advantage, likes to show off her wealth and brag about how awesome she is, always wears the most ‘exquisite’ dresses. Basically your late nineteenth century, stereotypical cheerleader/queen bee/etc.

I mean, come on, she even LOOKS mean. I have to admit, she’s pretty though. In the Wicked Stepmother from “Snow White” kind of way.

(Penelope in her favorite outfit: a dramatically scarlet dress.)

Now, for the guy that we all hate and all the girls love: Henry Schoonmaker

(((PICTURE THANKFULLY NOT AVAILABLE)))

OMG. He is like…the epitome of…two-timers. Although he DOES learn his lesson AFTER ELIZABETH’S SUPPOSED DEATH, he is a total playah for the majority of the book.  He also serves as a foil (ohoho, Honors English!) to Elizabeth because he’s out doing whatever he wants, getting drunk, and being all moody after his dad arranges a marriage between him and Elizabeth (who he thinks is a total bore) while Elizabeth just bites her lip and goes along with it calmly (even if she’s in love with this other dude..aw…)

Reasons why I hate him:
1.) Before the engagement, he has dated…what 5 girls? And also, he tried to seduce this MARRIED LADY. And also Penelope (who falls totally head over heels in love with him and becomes even MORE b*tchier by plotting against poor Elizabeth).
2.) DURING THE ENGAGEMENT, he sees Diana, ELIZABETH’S SISTER, (pictured below) BEHIND HER BACK. HOW LOW CAN A GUY GET?! And, I guess Diana could be blamed for this too, but she’s honestly too young and is kind of, sort of like Juliet in the way she’s totally inexperienced in love and therefore falls deeply in love with him.
3.) … And while he’s not seeing Diana, he’s either just standing there, refusing to talk to Elizabeth more than absolutely necessary in front of all those people (what an embarrassment) and getting himself completely wasted by hanging out on bars in yachts and such. D:
4.) He’s just a spoiled, little brat. All he does is mope around and complain. And drink. And seduce Diana. Rinse and repeat.

Diana:

I actually sort of like Diana in a way that she is a deviant from the norm and is really spunky. lol. I mean…it’s not her fault her first love is engaged with her sister…is it? There’s great character development in her and I related the most in her. (She’d rather read than go to social balls and is kind of a nerd. lol in a good way.)

In fact, according to this personality quiz I found in the publisher’s website (such awesome goodies…)

I am most like Diana. Haha. Not that I’m being seduced by pedophiles, of course.

Overall, it was really interesting how the high society of Manhattan revolved back then and how strict everything was…I’m kind of glad that we deviated from all those manners…(which spoon is which, again?)

A big theme that Anna Godbersen seems to pound you with, though is: Being beautiful, rich, and popular, doesn’t necessarily guarantee happiness.

This made me think a lot about the celebrities of today…and question their happiness…

Oh, by the way, before I forget. I JUST LOVE THE COVERS OF THIS TRILOGY! The models on each of the books just fit them SO WELL. I think these covers are like one of the best examples of potrayals of the main characters…(I just hope that they don’t randomly decide to do a book with Henry on it. -_-;)

Title says all. This circumstance is usually pretty uncommon (THANK GOD), but recently I’ve read two books with this sort of dilemma. 1.) Twilight Series and 2.) Revelations (latest book of the Blue Bloods series…yes, it’s about vampires.)

I mean, I don’t know if it’s because girls can’t resist the sex appeals vampires have or something else because both books have the girl literally loving BOTH her sexy vamp bf and her not-so-sexy but cute human guy. Except, in Revelations, Schuyler (pronounced Skyler) is a half-vampire herself… that has spent most of her life living as a human(not a fledgling like Bella) It’s a nice psychological thing and all, where the girl has to choose between her human self and supernatural vamp self, but COME ON!

Now, there might be a chance that this bugs me because I’ve never been in love and have no idea what it feels like. But is it POSSIBLE to love TWO PEOPLE PASSIONATELY at the same time?!!? Feel free to let me know when you find out.

But still, it is a HORRIBLE plot device because it requires a dues ex machina (in the form of the author manipulating the plot like Stephenie Meyer did with the birth of Renesmee and like Melissa de la Cruz did by having Mimi assault Jack ((the smexy vamp bf)) and force him to realize that she is his soul-mate (complicated bonding stuff. Apparently it’s inescapable like werewolves being imprinted.)

Unlike other love triangles (which are only slightly annoying) the heroine CANNOT solve the problem by herself and is TRULY A TWO-TIMER! (and spends a large part of the book moping about how sucky she is and how she feels sorry for the guys).

Don’t get me wrong, I still loved Revelations and Breaking Dawn and thought both were awesomely epic. Revelations just had bad timing and was published around the same year, not letting me recover from my last fit of annoyance for Bella. D:<

I am going to promise right here and now that I am NEVER going to include one of these in my writing. NEVER.

This post was prompted by the fact that the  last two books I’ve read both coincidentially have the best guy friend winning the girl…something that doesn’t usually happen. (Well, not in the books I read, anyway.)

Now, in most books, the best guy friend is usually the dude who LOSES the girl to the hot, sexy BOYFRIEND. The best guy friend is the one that the girl always complains about her boyfriend and makes him feel so totally miserable because she has no idea that he’s been crushing on her since…what, fifth grade? LOL.

But no, these two guys in these two books won the girl…which I totally did NOT expect because I’d already marked these guys down as losers and was actually rooting for the boyfriend. (Like I did with Jacob in Twilight)

1.) City of Bones:

Now this is Jace.

(Yeah. They put the “boyfriend” on the cover. HAHA without a shirt on! Although, I don’t recall there ever being a scene where he’s shirtless…mmm maybe when he’s, like, injured and recuperating, maybe? I think they just put him half-naked to show the tattoos though., which ARE a significant part of the book…and very eye catching.)

He was totally winning against the guy best friend, Simon Lewis, who was like a total nerd and whose role for most of the book only consisted of doing favors (and creating awkward moments) for the main character, Clary.

Clary was totally all out for Jace…but then….SHE FINDS OUT IN THE LAST PAGES OF THE BOOK THAT JACE IS ACTUALLY HER LONG LOST OLDER BROTHER!!!!!!!

And of course, Simon is very happy about this. Because the top contender has been disqualified in terms of incest.

I dk. I personally thought it was a cruel thing to do to the characters. I mean, it’d be like Bella finding out that Edward is really her great-great grandpa. D: Clary and Jace were like: uh…-blush- -walks away from each other-

But congrats to Simon, all the same.

2.) Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Will is basically the same as Simon. But before the book actually begins, Will is more ahead of the game than Simon. He’d just kissed Naomi the night before.

Too bad Naomi trips on the top of the stairs, hurts her head, and totally forgets everything about him and later on just thinks he’s nothing but a best friend/co-editor of the school’s yearbook.

Naomi is sort of, kind of confused. (Who can blame her, she is an amnesiac, after all) First, she tries hanging out with her OLD boyfriend, a total, body-obsessed jock named Ace…but finds out that she doesn’t like him anymore and has no idea why she went out with him in the first place.

Enter James. Who actually called 911 after seeing Naomi fall off the stairs and is one of the classic dark, sexy, and brooding types.

How Will wins Naomi in the end: James, who has throughout the story shown some signs of mental instability, goes back to a temporary asylum type facility and later on graduates from high school, “drifting apart” from Naomi.  The lonely Naomi has no one to talk to than Will and by means of thoughtful presents (he actually compiled all the videos and photos of the four years she forgot when she fell off the stairs and gave it to her on her birthday…aw…) he wins her back. Yay.

I personally think that being the best guy friend/best girl friend is the hardest place to be when it comes to romantic relationships. I mean, you have to watch the girl/guy you love obsess over this other guy/girl and cry on your shoulder, complain, etc. when things don’t go well. How totally awkward and sucky.

SO, although the two guys’ victories  were technically prompted by weird plot devices thrown out by the author, congrats to both characters and for winning the girl after persistently staying by her side.