Remember when I wrote that post about why you should join the Divergent fandom? If I had to write that again, I would not include the movie. I hate being a hater. I seriously do, but this movie wasn’t fantastic or good. It was just okay. And I’m not saying this because I had big expectations; in fact I knew, since I had read the book, that the adaptation was going to be difficult. Then, why did I not like the movie?

In my opinion, the screenplay was terrible. Consequently, the romance between Tris and Four seemed a little bit to childish and corny. On the other hand, I did like the cast, but they couldn’t do any better with that script. Shailene as Tris was a great pick and Ashley Judd was fantastic. Their relationship was one of the best things about the movie. It was credible and sweet but it couldn’t make up for the mistakes that existed in the dialogues between Tris and Four. I actually laughed in the cinema at some lines.

As I said before, the casting choices were absolutely perfect. Many people say that Jai Courtney as Eric was a horrible choice but I honestly think that they are wrong. Jai was wonderful. He nailed his character. There are no better words to describe how I enjoyed his performance.

There’s one thing that I definitely loved about this movie: the way they captured the post-apocalyptic world.  Chicago, the hometown of the main character, Tris, looked stunning and breathtaking. Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for a better setting. The fence looked spectacular and I love the Dauntless’s headquarters. Also, I loved how we can see the differences between the five factions, especially how you immediately fall in love with the Dauntless faction and you want to become part of this wild family (even if they are completely nuts).

This movie had everything to be amazing, but the writers failed and that ruined the whole thing. I also noticed that sometimes the movie was really slow, it almost became boring. This was a serious issue because I paid more attention to their lines and I could immediately spot the mistakes on the screenplay. Nevertheless, there was a big contrast between the beginning of the movie and the end. The beginning looked like a sloth and then, bam!, the sloth turned into a cheetah. It wasn’t consistent. And by the way, the fight scenes were stunning.

Overall, in a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this movie a solid 6. The graphics looked fantastic, the casting was excellent, but the script and the lack of coherence ruined the movie. I hope they change the writers for the next movie. Oh, and they need to work out the chemistry between Four and Tris.


-Barista Alexandra-

Image: Divergent (movie) poster
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I watched Ender's Game. I finally watched it. I've been waiting for this movie to arrive at my local theatre since I don't even know when. Maybe it's been around two years now. Two years of anxious waiting since I first heard the news of a movie version of the legendary sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card. Of course, living in Korea, I had to wait an extra couple of months to watch the movie unlike my lucky American counterparts. But I watched it in the end. And it was good.

One thing that disappointed me at first was the unwelcome aging of all the characters. I mean, in the novel, Ender is only six years old! But in the movie, he looks around 13-ish? However, since it's cute Asa Butterfield, I let it go. Anyway, Asa really got into the character and seemed as though he understood him very well. On reflection, it probably would have been almost impossible for a six year old to use crazy vocabulary and to lead a fleet (not to mention, act as well as Asa did), so I guess aging the characters was a good idea. After the initial displeasure of seeing the older characters, I completely forgot about it for the remainder of the movie. Asa was, and is, the perfect Ender Wiggin. Hailee Steinfeld, Moises Arias, and the rest of the younger cast also managed the characters extremely well. It was like the characters in the original book had come to life in a slightly older version of themselves.

Every now and then, although Ender's Game is a more serious movie, humor was injected at some unexpected places. I still have a laugh with my sister whenever we talk about a certain scene where Ender acts so witty to Sergeant Dap and ends up doing around 40 (?) pushups for being a smart mouth.

If it's one fault the original novel has, it's its nonexistent descriptors. I mean, Orson does describe a few things, but not in enough detail for me to watch the scene play out in my head. While reading the novel, everything seemed so black and white and hazy, as though I was looking at things through a heavy mist. The movie, on the other hand, as a visual medium, let me FINALLY look at the setting and props in more detail. After all, Orson Scott Card himself produced the movie so the graphics must have come close to how he imagined the world of Ender's Game.

And now. The graphics. I'm usually very picky with graphics. But I barely have anything to criticize about the graphics in this movie. The Formics, or Buggers, were created tastefully. I would have said something about the aliens looking too much like the ants on our beloved Earth, but the novel describes them like that, so for now... moving on.

I know I said a little about the characters a few paragraphs ago, but I'm going to expand a little more on what I thought about them. I was extremely surprised at how every single actor managed to portray the characters so well. Asa was absolute perfection. I honestly can't imagine anyone else acting as Ender, even though I did say that Ender was supposed to be younger. Hailee was as tough as I ever imagined Petra to be. Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff was a great choice. He brought the roughness of the colonel straight into the movie. If it's one thing about the characters that I didn't like... the acting was unnatural at certain points in the movie. But oh well.

Oh, and another thing:I wish there were a little more scenes with Ender's brother, Peter. I believe Peter is very important in understanding Ender's dislike with himself when he turns violent, but Peter appeared for just a few seconds and didn't come onscreen ever again. Sure, he was mentioned a couple times, but other than that, it's like he didn't exist. Also, I would have been really happy to see Peter and Valentine's work on Earth, but I guess the makers couldn't fit their story into the movie. And it would have been beyond awesome to see a little more of Ben Kingsley as Mazer... it seemed almost like a waste to have him in the movie for just a few scenes, although they were vital scenes.

And now for my rating...

7/10

You're probably going "What?! You've been saying mostly good stuff about Ender's Game!" But hold on. I ain't done yet.

The reason I'm giving this movie a 7 instead of an 8.5, which I would have given if it weren't for this one big flaw, is that the movie skipped over way too many scenes and each scene itself wasn't as drawn out as they should have been. Consequently, there wasn't enough tension to keep me locked into the movie. Yes, the graphics were great, the characters were awesome... but the movie was missing something pretty big. Ender's Game didn't create enough tension by lengthening the battle scenes. For an onscreen battle to be great, there needs to be a whole heap of sweating and fighting going on, but in Ender's Game, after just a minute or two of fighting or so, the battle is won or lost.

IF ONLY there were just a couple more battle scenes. IF ONLY the battle scenes were a minute or two longer, especially the important battles... this movie had the potential to be perfect.

Ender's Game is a great movie. It's a pity it couldn't reach its full potential. BUT thanks to adorable Asa Butterfield and the great graphics, I would probably watch this movie again. I just wish it were a teensy bit better.


-Barista Mia-

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*MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT*

“That’s the thing about pain. It demands to be felt.”

Life may seem hopeless, worthless or unfair sometimes. But if we live in a world where happiness is the only option, where would that bring us? That is not life. That is a dream come true. After all, the world is not a wish granting factory.

John Green wonderfully explains how life works in The Fault In Our Stars. But the characters were different. They have a kind of disease you would probably curse yourself, others or even God just by knowing you have it. Cancer. The worst kind. It literally displays the word “death” to you. No person could definitely want this. And here comes the story of Hazel Grace who has lung cancer (terminal, if you might ask) and Augustus Waters, who happens to have one prosthetic leg, has Osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumour, though he seems to have mostly recovered.

Claiming both themselves as the side effects of cancer, or even death itself, Hazel and Augustus begins to develop feelings for each other. It all starts one day in Hazel’s support group. A normal day, with people with their own types of cancer. Terminal or not, they settle there in a circle in the literal heart of Jesus where they meet every Wednesday in the basement of a stone-walled Episcopal church shaped like a cross. They all sit in a circle right in the middle of the cross, where the two boards meet, where the heart of Jesus would have been. Then all of a sudden, there is Augustus -–a very appealing 17-year old teenager who makes Hazel’s simple life extraordinary.

It goes good, well, for people with cancer at least. They have time together with Isaac, who lost his girlfriend as soon as he lost his eyes, in Amsterdam to see a famous author: Peter Van Houten. All is okay. All is going fine. Then one afternoon in Amsterdam, Augustus brings news like a grenade blast. BOOM! It spreads like a wildfire like the cancer spreading to his entire body. Just when we thought Hazel was the person who has little time in the world, here comes Augustus. Again. Surprising us. We have never been so wrong, and we have never shouted at a book that loud.

We hated John Green for a second. He did not play it fair. Through this book, he had a shot gun that aimed right exactly at that very sensitive part of our hearts. Why, of all people, does it have to be Augustus? Augustus was the one and only boy next door kind of guy who was remarkably intellectual and loaded with words and thoughts that apparently can be compared to stars. Our peace of mind suffered shorty after Augustus’ death. The Fault In Our Stars had done something bizarre to us. This book, though the plot was not really that powerful and didn’t keep us on the edge of our seats, focused on something more important to its readers.

The lives of Hazel and Augustus gave us a hint on what life truly means. Life cannot be seen deeper into its soul than a sighted person ever could. Meaning, life will always have its way, whether it is in your favour or not. Life is benevolent yet omnipotent. Because of Green’s depth of thoughts, readers will have a new and immense perspective on life and death.

I would definitely recommend this book--junkies and to all. This might just make a grown man cry because all of us will definitely know that life indeed does not give you everything you’d ever hoped for. Pain is simply there to give you experience that would fill you up in your lifetime. Pain is the thing that makes you who you are.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings." --Caesar


-Guest Barista Czarina-

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The Desolation of Smaug. I had been awaiting its release for a year or so, excited and a little bit scared. I booked my tickets in advance for Friday the 13th, which did result in some bad luck as the seats were terrible. However, that was pretty much forgotten once the film started. It launched straight into the plot, without any pointless, over-the-top scene setting. Everything included in the film was pretty much vital and I think it's unfair to say that Peter Jackson has dragged out the short book into three films because he has added so much more (the White Orc, The Necromancer, Tauriel, etc were not in the book itself.) It stays true to the plot of Tolkien's novel, as well as including additional ideas of his, and what Gandalf was occupied with whilst the quest took place. There was a lot more going on in The Desolation of Smaug as opposed to An Unexpected Journey which is understandable but some may argue that this film is better than the first because of the insane amount of action. It's difficult to compare but both films are most definitely not disappointing, possibly living up to the brilliance of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

One of the main things I was concerned about was the animation and voicing of Smaug. It was something that would either make or break the film. However, he couldn't have been more glorious or terrifying. And he was portrayed pretty much perfectly by Benedict Cumberbach. His lair was equally impressive, in fact, it required all of the gold paint in New Zealand (plus more) to paint every gold coin on the set. This is actually believable when you see it for yourself, it's hard to take in. Anyway, unsurprisingly, the settings throughout the movie were beautiful. I can't cover everything in the film and comment on it as I cant stress this enough- SO MUCH HAPPENS. SO MUCH. Missing even two minutes of the film makes a huge difference. If you felt there was a lack of females in the previous film and the book, you will feel better after seeing this one. Not only are there more women, but there was more romance and the suggestion of a little love triangle (personally, I wasn't too bothered about this but I realize it might excite a lot of people). We also get do know the Dwarves a little bit better, Thorin and Kili in particular. Thorin's brave, stubborn and withdrawn character is captured well, and he barely differs from how he is described by Tolkien in the book. As for Kili, well i'm sure I speak for most people when I say he is my favourite dwarf. It's just impossible not to love him! Also, not forgetting Bilbo. Of course. In the book, he was shown as a fairly simple hobbit, whose adventurous side is brought to light as he is snatched out of his comfort zone. In the  movie, both movies in fact, Martin Freeman gives him something a little bit extra, an amusing awkward element which makes him arguably more interesting. There are no characters who could be faulted, we even got to see a different side to Legolas too (and it was damn good to see Orlando Bloom again). His character has always been a little bit of a mystery, even in LOTR, and in The Desolation of Smaug he is even more of a question mark. We are also introduced to Bard, an interesting, heroic bargeman. Again, there is much more focus on his actual character than there is in the book.

There are tonnes of scenes in this film that stand out. You are bound to be left with your mouth gaping at one point at least, or even a tear in your eye. Fights, romance, orcs, elves, surprises and witty remarks are all plentiful throughout the whole thing. And it ends perfectly, leaving you wanting more, I simply cannot wait to see what the next movie has in store for us. Peter Jackson is truly a genius and has managed to capture Tolkien's world flawlessly. My only concern with the film is the length (I reaaaally don't wanna fault it because it's a masterpiece). In all honesty, I think you'd have to already be a fan of LOTR or have at least seen the first movie in order to last through the whole two hours and forty minutes. But because I am horrendously in love with the whole franchise and the book, I freaking adored the whole thing. All of it. I was left speechless after experiencing a rainbow of emotions.


-Barista Ria-

Image: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug theatrical release poster (Warner Bros.) Read more »

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Books/HarperCollins

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review:

(spoilers ahead)

Because the movie will be released very soon, I thought it might be a good time to release my review of the book-version of Divergent. I had heard about it a lot, but I didn't have an opportunity to read it until about a month ago. It was a bit late, but I'm not sad that I was late to pick this book up. Why? It wasn't as good as everybody claimed it to be.

People around me kept telling me how awesome this book was. Well, it isn't. The entire book is a prolonged initiation process. The initiation process could have been shortened to, maybe, a third or, even better, a quarter of the book and the rest of the two books could fit in the remaining 350-400 or so pages and voila. A complete series in a single 500 page book. Yay! But no. Sigh. It was REALLY disappointing to see that this entire book revolved around this single test that doesn't seem to matter for the rest of the series. (But I could be wrong. I can't be bothered to read the rest of the series. It's just a guess.) Yikes. The only good thing about the plot is the last few chapters. The action finally picks up at the very end. Ms. Roth, don't you see how much better Divergent might have been if you had cut the initiation process by, like, A LOT and fit more actual action into the book? As the book is right now, it's depth-less and absolutely POINTLESS until the last few chapters. Sorry.

Some things in this book just didn't make any logical sense:
* I mean, what's with the train jumping? What is that supposed to prove?
* Aren't adults supposed to be leading wars and such? What are stupid teens doing leading other stupid teens?
* From my experience of encountering people, it makes more sense that EVERYONE IN THIS FREAKIN' BOOK be Divergent!
* The reason the factions came to be makes absolutely no sense. The leaders were just plain stupid. Yay for segregation, eh? Did we learn NOTHING from the Civil War?

As for the characters... I guess they were a little more bearable than the plot. One thing that bugged me is the whole overdone "I found my one true love" card. -________________- And what's more? Her one true love has a tragic, hurt past and only Tris can help him. Oh my. And Tris. Well, Tris. Hm. She was self-centered, annoying, stupid, and judgmental. Need I say any more?

*pants*

Okay. I'm done with the criticism now. On to the good parts.

It's pretty hook-y in that it kept me reading. Also, well, I hate to admit it, but it's mindless fun. So if you want to read a book that you can read without thinking much, I would suggest you pick up this book at the library.

It's FUN. Pointless, but fun.

I guess I would have given this book a 4/5 if I had read this book when I wasn't in the mood for thinking, but Divergent caught me on a wrong day, so...

2/5

Now on to trying to find a book that I actually like. (I've been having bad luck recently.) Any suggestions?


-Barista Mia-

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For days preceding the concert, I was too excited for words. I was going to see 30 Seconds to Mars for a second time. To make matters even better, they were going to be supported by You Me at Six. My two favourite number-related bands under one roof! Now that roof was exciting too. In October, the city's new concert venue, the Hydro, opened and I had heard stories about how good it was, how high up the seats were and how you could see well from any seat (I was really, really hoping the last one was true because I was in row V, which I later discovered was the very back row of the place!)

When I first heard about the Hydro, I was sceptical. What was the point of building a brand new concert venue directly beside the one we already have? I was also worried the very large building would block the view of some of the buildings in the Clyde Waterfront, which contains some of Glasgow's most iconic buildings. But as soon as I saw the Hydro from the train window, I knew it was going to be a very special place. I had not seen it since it was still being built, but what a transformation there had been! It glowed, flickering from green to blue. The only word to describe it is: magical! You Me at Six played brilliantly and I jumped about like I was on a trampoline despite most people in the seated section doing as the name suggests—sitting. Thanks to Scotrail (Scottish railroad)’s unreliability, I missed half their performance. But I thankfully caught all their best songs and I plan to get tickets to go see them when they return to Glasgow in April.

When 30stm started, it was one of those rare moments that is completely magical and stays with you for the rest of your life. The place went dark, the curtain dropped, the music began and there stood Jared Leto. But he wasn't standing on the stage. He was standing on the rigging above the stage! He was lowered down to stand beside his brother Shannon who began beating on his drums and Tomo who began playing his guitar, creating 30stm's amazing sound.

The whole concert was jam packed with brilliance: enormous balloons thrown into the crowd, so much confetti I couldn’t see the stage, and two acrobatic routines involving a hula hoop and a seesaw! But it was the music that I came for of course, and what amazing music it was. The real highlight was without the theatrics. Shannon and Tomo had left the stage and Jared stood there, one man and an acoustic guitar, taking requests—all the oldies like Hurricane and my old favourite: The Kill. There was also the most unenthusiastic rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard.

The night did have some slightly worse parts. For one, 30stm kept us waiting twenty minutes before arriving onstage. Also, they never sung This Is War, which is currently my favourite of their songs as well as From Yesterday.

All in all, it was a magical night and my only wish is that I arrived at the train station a minute earlier so I didn't have to travel on the next train (AKA the snail express). I hope the next concert I see, which will hopefully be You Me at Six, will be equally amazing.


-Barista Ellen-

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Now I know the official album release date for Midnight Memories is November 25th, but iTunes managed to muck things up and accidentally leak all the songs to One Direction's new album. Yes, that means everybody got to listen to the songs before anybody got their hands on the actual physical copy of the album.

As soon as I caught a whiff of the hysteria that was all over Twitter when everybody found out about the leak, I just had to rush over to YouTube to have a listen. Seeing as I managed to free two hours of my time, I listened intensively to each of the songs and now... here's my review:

I am a Directioner. But the problem is, I don't really like any of the boys' songs. Sure, their tunes are catchy and such, but they weren't songs I would download onto my phone to listen to while on the subway or bus. Nope. They were just bland pop songs that I couldn't care less about. Don't you glare at me, people! I still was and am a Directioner. I loved the boys, just not their music.

Anyway, when I heard that Midnight Memories is supposed to have a new sound for the boyband, I got a little curious. And the fact that the boys had more control over this new album of theirs really made me look forward to the album. I mean, considering all their interviews, the boys actually have a good taste in music! Ironic that their songs aren't as good as the bands and singers they always mention.

So, like I said, when the album leaked online, I took a listen to all of their songs one by one. What I heard absolutely shocked me. Almost every single song was completely different! Not only from their previous albums, but also from each other. And that's not a bad thing. The juxtaposition of pure pop to rock to folk rock was absolutely gorgeous. There's a song on the album for everyone. I guess all five of the boys have different tastes in music. The songs they wrote really bring out their individual music styles.

Louis and Liam seem to have a rock fetish. Harry seems to have a love for the most unconventional music style--folk rock. The songs Niall co-wrote were very cutesy and pop-y. As for Zayn, well, as the quiet man he is, he didn't co-write as many songs as the other boys, so I can't say much about his music taste.

Midnight Memories was a big shock for me. I was so used to listening to normal pop from these boys that I wasn't expecting much musical growth from them, but oh my. This album is amazing. Sure, there are some songs that I didn't enjoy listening to like Diana and Best Song Ever, but the majority is actually good music. Even my dad who normally hates music listened to Happily and Midnight Memories and at once asked me who sings the songs. He was absolutely flabbergasted to hear that it was co-written and sung by One Direction of all people.

I feel a little guilty writing this review before the release of the album, so I'm not going to give any more deets about the music. I'm just going to close this blog post now with a: GO BUY THE ALBUM EVERYBODY! It's good music, yo! (I'm planning on buying my own copy although I've already had a listen. Yeah. It's that good.)


-Barista Mia-

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Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.


On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.


Review:

(slight spoilers ahead)

I know, I know. I should've read this book a little earlier than I did, but I didn't have many chances to go to the bookstore. I finally went to one a week ago and picked up this book. I had heard about it and was super excited about the premise. Of the four amazing books I picked up, I read this one first. Everything about it was just so compelling. And when I read the book, I was not disappointed. Mostly.

Here are my thirteen reasons why:

Reason #1: The voice -- Although a man, Jay's got that teenage boy/girl voice down.
Reason #2: The premise -- Caught my eye as soon as I heard about it.
Reason #3: It's suspenseful -- I could literally feel my heart beating faster as I read the book.
Reason #4: It was original -- Very hard to find nowadays, Imma tell you that.
Reason #5: The execution -- The dual narration was confusing at first, but then it brings much more insight into Hannah.
Reason #6: It's relevant -- Many people say Hannah's reasons were unbelievable, but the reasons are relevant and many teens commit suicide for the same, if not, similar reasons. Dramatic? Yes. Unbelievable? No.
Reason #7: It's clever -- It's clever how every little thing adds together.
Reason #8: It's impossible to put down -- I just couldn't. I had to know what was going to happen next.
Reason #9: It makes me think -- Nowadays, many books are mindless. Not this one. There's actually a message Jay's trying to convey. (Read: Reason #12)
Reason #10: It's realistic -- Scarily so. I'm sure Hannah's reasons could relate to many people whether they're suicidal or not.
Reason #11: The pacing was perfect -- It was fast enough to keep me reading (I have a hard time with slow-paced novels). And it was slow enough for me to digest everything that was going on. With dual narration, it takes a little more time to sink everything in.
Reason #12: The message -- Everything impacts something, so think before you act.
Reason #13: The ending -- It was such a perfect ending and really shows what we, as people and teens, should do next.

Now, for the bad...

Hannah's whiny character annoyed me. Her voice and the language she used just made her seem overly dramatic like she was just joking around with the suicide (though, I guess, it could be just to scare the hecka out of the people the tapes were given to). The voice suits a teeange girl, that's for sure, but this girl committed suicide. I get that Jay wants to portray her as an outgoing girl, but when she did these tapes, she already decided on her suicide. Shouldn't we get a depressed Hannah as opposed to a bubbly, sarcastic one? Maybe we could have the bubbly, sarcastic one through Jay's memories, but in the suicide tapes, it sounds wrong. To me, she's a drama queen who committed suicide just as revenge to those who hurt her.

Also the reason Clay was on the list of thirteen reasons why? Just stupid. I mean, why not just make the main character guilty as well? I really, really hate Gary Stus.

Overall, I thought this was a good book. I didn't like the characters very much, but I enjoyed reading it. I wasn't emotionally invested in the story, but it kept me reading.

3.5/5 from me. What about you? What did you think of the book?


-Barista Mia-

Image: Thirteen Reasons Why (Razorbill) Read more »

Title: Damselfly
Author: Jennie Bates Bozic
Publisher: Jennie Bates Bozic LLC

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

In 2065, the Lilliput Project created Lina - the first six-inch-tall winged girl - as the solution to a worldwide energy and food crisis. Isolated in a compound amidst the forests of Denmark, Lina has grown up aware of only one purpose: learn how to survive in a world filled with hawks, bumblebees, and loneliness. However, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, she discovers that she’s not the only teenager her size. Six 'Toms' were created shortly after Lina, and now her creators need to prove to the world that tiny people are the next logical step in human evolution. In other words, they need to prove that reproduction is possible.

Um. No thanks. Lina's already fallen in love with a boy she met online named Jack. Only he has no idea that thumbelina1847 could literally fit inside his heart.

When her creators threaten to hurt Jack unless she chooses a husband from among the ‘Toms’, Lina agrees to star in a reality TV series. Once the episodes begin to air, the secret of her size is out. Cut off from any contact with the outside world, Lina assumes Jack is no longer interested. After all, what guy would want to date a girl he can’t even kiss?

Slowly, very slowly, she befriends the six young men who see her as their only ticket to happiness. Perhaps she can make just one guy’s dream of love and companionship come true. But her creators have a few more twists in store for her that she never thought possible.

She’s not the only one playing to the cameras.

Review:

3/5

I was given Damselfly in exchange for an honest review, so here goes. Reading the synopsis and reviews in Goodreads gave me high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I was a little disappointed.

The good: It's a BRILLIANT premise. I absolutely fell in love with the idea of little pixies and a reality TV series. Whoop! Who wouldn't be pulled into the book with a premise like that? And the plot was very exciting too. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing was beautiful. And the voice was one I could just click to as a teenager. As for the main character, Lina, when her rebellious side popped up (dying her dress black and her hair purple? You go girl!) I was totally rooting for her. She seemed like a cool person to read about. Someone who, even though she's stuck in Lilliput, will stand up for herself. The first three chapters were a little drawn out, but then when the action started, it was like BAM! I also loved the big twists Jennie managed to squeeze into the plot, so good job on that!

The bad: Things went downhill near the middle of the book. Lina started to get very weak. I get it that she had a reason to not rebel, but seriously? She's acting for the reality show just for a guy she has never ever met? I don't know... I'm not entirely against online dating, but how the heck is that the real thing? Even Lina said herself that being with Jack online wasn't anything like being with the Toms who actually had heat. And speaking of characters, I found myself disliking most of them. After Lina lost my affection, I couldn't find anyone to root for. I guess George (Lina's caretaker?) was a good character, I liked him, but he was missing for most of the book. I really loved Row (one of the Toms) while I was reading, but I found myself disliking him also. Sigh.

Overall: I really, really wanted to enjoy this book, but I found myself too distracted over the manipulative characters that I couldn't really fall in love with the book. It was a good book to read, and I had fun during the five hours poring over this book, but it's not one I would read again.


-Barista Mia-

Image: Damselfly (Jennie Bates Bozic LLC) Read more »

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

Review:

For those of you who haven’t heard, this is the first book in a series that’s attacking the universe of teen girls. No film or TV series yet, as far as I know, but I have high hopes for one in the future. This is the kind of book that even girls who think of reading as a chockingly boring pastime can get carried away in.
Now, the only reason I had a copy is because it came as a “free gift” in a magazine. (Seriously, the whole thing of calling gifts free- if they are gifts, of course they’re free!) I don’t usually go for gossipy, giggly, terribly-written lit. In a strange way, though, I do relish a little silliness sometimes, so I brought the book on holiday with me.

So, here is a list of characters and what you can expect from them.
Cameron/Cammie/”Chamelion” Morgan. Cammie is perfectly happy in the Gallagher Academy for geniuses and geeks, until she meets Josh.
Josh. The amazing, cute, hot, sweet guy. Every book needs one.
Bex. One of Cammie’s best friends. A Brit who has looks that everyone is jealous of.
Liz. The other best friend, a mini genius and maths+tests+homework-

obsessive.
Mr Solomon. Hot new CoveOps teacher.
Mrs Morgan. Cammie’s mother and headmistress. The kind, understanding and beautiful mother we hear about in movies.
Macey. New roommate, who comes out of her strop in the excitement of getting Cammie and Josh together.

The book starts with a clutch of normal girls in a, well, totally abnormal school- a girls’ boarding school for spies in training. A school where they are experts in fourteen languages by the time they’re in sophomore year, and have tests in “Covert Operations” which ask them to find out what Mr Moskowitz drinks with his doughnuts.

Whilst doing just this, Cammie Morgan magically awkwardly collides with a guy who immediately appears to her as an epitome “normal boy”, who, naturally, she has to lie to about her reason for retrieving a coke bottle from a bin, and who, naturally, she has to fall in love with.

Luckily, Josh is intrigued by this girl who has a cat called Suzie that likes to play with bottles (lie), who is “home educated- for, like, religious reasons” (lie). But she is completely in adoration of him, and a secret relationship blossoms. (Not a lie.)

Whether it’s over Josh’s belief that Cammie is a homeschooled out-of-townie who spends her summers in barns in Mongolia or not, Cammie is sitting on a rainbow. Amidst all the exhiliartion, Cammie finds herself guilty over making herself up, but there’s no way she can tell Josh the truth about why she’s studying phD-level chemistry- the Gallagher Academy is a secret to the outside world.

My first thought: close to crap. How freaking cliché can a writer get? Everything reeked of barely-hidden cheese.

Then I got further into the novel, and gosh, was I addicted! It was a fun and fast-paced lil story and I didn’t want to leave it when torn away. My copy now has a host of turned-down page corners and wrinkly sections where I dropped it in the bath; yes, I read it in the bath.

And my final thought? This book is special. Sure, I could say that about almost every book I read, but it’s true. Never again will I say popular books aren’t deep and all that. This book deals with in a way that should connect with you all. To be honest, our lives and emotions as young teenagers are pretty cheesy anyway. Plus, the whole Cammie and Josh thing is just sooo cute.

-Barista Sabita-

Image: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Disney-Hyperion)

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Title: Starkissed
Author: Brynna Gabrielson
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Kissing movie star Grant West may be every teenage girl’s dream, but when it happens to Sydney Kane, it’s nothing but a nightmare. Sure he’s cute, but having her face plastered all over celebrity gossip blogs is not something she’s interested in. Now cheerleaders are trying to befriend her, reporters won’t stop calling, and her mother keeps chasing her with a curling iron so she won’t be caught by the paparazzi with flat hair ever again.

Forgetting Grant is all Sydney wants and Colin, the guy she’s had a crush on since seventh grade, seems like a pretty good way to do it. Then Grant shows up at Sydney’s door begging for a second chance and the more she gets to know him, the more she isn’t sure she wants him to go away. But with Grant in the picture, Colin is backing off and she definitely doesn’t want that. Everything is a mess and Sydney doesn’t know what to do, who to choose, or how to make those pesky cheerleaders leave her alone. She only knows one thing for sure, being STARKISSED isn’t a dream come true at all.

Review:

4/5

*WARNING: very slight spoilers*

I picked this up hoping for a cutesy read because I wasn’t in the mood for studying. Starkissed turned out to be the exact thing I needed. A cute, romantic comedy that is impossible to put down, I read it in two hours nonstop and I never noticed the time ticking by.

As a rule, I’m a sucker for storylines where a rock star/movie star boy falls for an ordinary girl. Because, hello? Harry Styles anybody? And this book was so my style. I think the biggest thing that sold me was the characters. Especially Sydney. She’s so lovable and relatable. I could definitely feel Sydney’s pain with her being the only plain one in her family. And honestly, I believe everyone has felt that way at least once in their lives. When she was being compared with her sisters at school, and when she was comparing herself with her sisters... If Sydney were real, she and I would be best friends.

But the best part? First of all, I’m not very emotional, which leads to occasional emotional attacks in which I cry for hours straight nonstop, but that’s a different story. I could literally feel Sydney’s pain and happiness. My heart beat so fast whenever Sydney’s was. My heart broke when Sydney’s did. My heart leaped when Sydney’s did. I haven’t felt so connected to a main character for a long time. I think it’s got to do with me and her having so many similarities personality wise, though I would definitely say she's so much braver than I am. I could see myself acting as she did, and I could see myself thinking as she did. We would totes be crying on each others' shoulders as we bathe in our un-awesome-ness.

From time to time, I would find myself hating Syd’s family (See? I even made a nickname for my fictional best friend!). They would sometimes really piss me off. Leaving Syd to go to NYC themselves? I hate you! But I got to know them better, and eventually got to understand them at the end.

And the two boys. Hm. What should I say? They’re confusing. There’s no other way to put it. But I’m not saying they’re confusing in a bad way. It was a good kind of confusing, because it got me guessing about who Syd would end up with, though I knew who it would be. Speaking of which, although I knew who, I still speculated. It kept me on the edge of my seat, hoping Syd would end up with my favorite guy character.

The epilogue was epic. Nice touch, Brynna Gabrielson.

If I had something bad to say about this book, it would be that there weren’t enough scenes with Sydney and THE HOTTEST BOOK CHARACTER OF ALL TIME. More, I say, more!

I would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a quick, fun read that will make you fall in love with the characters and every teenage girl out there.

Oh and P.S. I don't like the cover. I thought Syd was supposed to be a brunette? But whatevs.


-Barista Mia-

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I’m not going to write about Take Me Home, or Little Mix’s new (uh, fairly new) album, although I do love these and they are great for rocking out to whilst eating chocolate with your friends. 1D are terrific, but they’re not, well, deep, are they? Do you really want to listen to them singing about having parties with girls whose daddies are dentists when you’re feeling down and out? It’s my opinion that we all get the miseries from time to time, even if some people are more, unfairly, lucky than others. If you ever want something new to listen to that’s still uplifting but not so in-your-face-we-have-everything-cheerful, look up Sara Bareilles' new album, “The Blessed Unrest” on YouTube. After one listen, I was in love. It’s a beautiful combination of creative ramblings like the ones normal people don’t actually do but that I think everyone should, and your classic love gumph; “Cos Ah caaaaaaaan’t have youuuuuuuuu.”

No, these songs really are inspiring. The single, “Brave” pretty much voices exactly what I need at the moment...



Then there’s the song “Satellite Call”, which reminds me of the night sky and the universe and a whole lot else.



Then there’s “I Wanna Be Like Me”, which I think a lot of us could find something worthwhile in. Lying in bed eating ice cream and thinking you wanna be like yourself is sure to cheer you up, as soon as you realise it’s true!

Overall, the album has a brisk but dreamy tone, as if Sara is talking in a stream of conciousness out of her brilliant creative mind (which, may I add, I know nothing of except what she shows in this album,  because I had hardly even heard of her before finding it.) Oh, and “Brave” has even been compared to Katy Perry’s “Roar”, yes! In actual fact there’s not much similarity except that the opening bars of music sound the same, and loosely, both the songs are about getting guts and bein’ brave. And magically turning into animals. Well, that’s just Katy. Sara, on the other hand, is perfectly happy with descriptions of gravestones and constellations and little black dresses.


-Barista Sabita-

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