Movie Review: Twilight Saga - New Moon

I know I haven't posted in a long time, and this post isn't even a novel post. But I figured I should do a little update on the paranormal romance world.

So! After a long wait, I was finally able to see the New Moon Movie from the Twilight Saga today. I've already written a book review here so I'm just going to be commenting mainly on the movie. And to get to the bottom line without wasting people's time, the movie was slightly disappointing, but not so much as an absolute don't-watch-it-category movie, mainly because Taylor Lautner had his shirt off for a lot of the scenes.

So first of all, I was so glad that the movie wasn't as disappointing as the last one. I really think that having a higher budget and a different director worked in its favor. And Taylor Lautner was definitely smoking HOT when he took his shirt off.

You know, I admire Taylor Lautner, as he added 30 lbs (or whatever) of muscle on himself so that he could keep his role. And I believe it was a good choice. New Moon portrayed him well, and I bet that a lot of Edward-fans or non-Twilight readers will be joining Team Jacob after this.

But note that I will not be one of those, because my love were for the characters from the books and not the movies. But I do like Taylor a lot, and have no love for Robert Pattinson at all.

Anyway, off topic.

The reason I liked this movie more than the last one was because it was obvious that the director tried hard to stay true to the book for as much as possible. Unlike the first one, no super major scenes were cut, and nothing, at least to me, screamed WRONG like the kiss scene in the first movie. However, I think it stayed a little TOO true on some lines. You know how somethings sounds perfectly fine when it's written, but when spoken, it would just sound cheesy? There were quite a few moments of those in there. >_<

It was nice to see the CGs in this movie were very well done, and I absolutely adore Jacob's wolf form. I was quite worried about seeing some ugly wolves running around until I saw the trailer, but was still worried that they didn't portray the wolves correctly. Luckily they did. THANK GOD!!

Now what's wrong was the Vampires... Ok, I never considered them Vampires, really. I'm sorry to say, but I just kind of treated them as a different species that drinks blood when I read the book. Vampires are supposed to have FANGS!!! If you're a vampire and have no fangs, you're like... handicapped or something. You've got to have fangs to be vampires... But, off topic again.

I don't really blame this movie for how the vampires look. It was set in the first movie, and you can't really change it drastically. So I guess they were forced to "go-along-with-it." But still... >_<

My BIGGEST problem with this movie is Edward though. OMG, he was so hot and so great in the books, but he's just a lame ass ugly white... THING in this movie. I'm going to apologize in advance for people who likes Robert Pattison, but he's terrible!!! He can't act, and every time he speaks, he acts like he's a ventriloquist by not moving his lips at all. I could barely understand him on many occasions!!

Another thing is, and I think Jacob fans would definitely disagree with me, that I believe although Edward wasn't present most of the time in the novel New Moon, I still think that it is a story about Bella and Edward, not Bella and Jacob. It's about how much Bella really loves Edward and for him to realize that leaving her for "her own good" is just not an option. However, this movie did not capture the essence of it. So, it was quite disappointing in that way.

Don't get me wrong though, I still enjoyed the movie on some level, just not the way I was supposed to enjoy it. Oh... Did I mention that Taylor without a shirt on was HOT? Yah, he was HOT!!!!

Book Review - Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

Book three of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse, is a paranormal romance novel with a good and interesting plot, but very annoying characters. For that, I can only give the novel a 3.5 Pink Hearts.

Summary:

With her boyfriend being a vampire, and best friend being a werewolf, Bella was torn between love and friendship. As much as she couldn't live without Edward, she couldn't give up her personal-sun, Jacob, even though the two hate each other so much that they want to tear each other apart. As Bella try to work everything out with this complicated relationship, Jacob just had to make things more complicated by insisting her feelings towards him was much more than friendship. And to make matters worse, a group of newborn vampires were roaming Seattle, just an hour or so away from their town of Forks, and an old enemy still lurks in the shadows threatening for revenge.

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

What I liked:

I liked how the plot played out in this story, and their enemy's tactics. It was fresh, and helped to give much more insight about many secondary characters, especially Jasper. I really liked that because for the first two books, he was more like an unnecessary character, with no in depth description or characterization. But in Eclipse, he character finally developed, making him much less of an unnecessary background.

Although I fell in love with Edward in the first book, Twilight, I believe I fell in love with him all over again in Eclipse. It was just amazing how much he loved Bella, and how much he was willing to do for her.

What I didn't like:

I was never a big fan of Bella, mainly because she was just a shallow teenager, who, for no particular reasons, fell in love with a vampire. But she did not officially begin to annoy and piss me off until Eclipse. Throughout the whole story, she was inconsiderate and indecisive. Knowing how much Edward worried about her being with unstable young werewolves, she still chose to run off (multiple times) to see Jacob. Knowing how Edward would be jealous of her being together with another person who likes her more than a friend, she still constantly talk about Jacob in front of him. And then, when she finally realize Jacob's feeling towards her, she tells him no, but still continues to see him all the time. If these actions are not inconsiderate, I don't know what what they are.

In a way, I see Bella's action towards Jacob was due to her insecurity towards Edward, and would just like to hold on to somebody. But that, in my opinion, is seriously cruel. If it was in New Moon, when Edward was still nowhere to be found, I can understand, but he came back, and Bella chose to accept him again. Then why the hell was she leading Jacob on while still clinging onto Edward? Unfortunately, Bella's behavior in Eclipse made me loose a lot of respect for her.

Jacob, was another annoying character. As much as Bella did somewhat lead him on by keep going back to him, she did, after all, repeatedly said that she didn't see him that way, that she only loves Edward, and yet, he kept pressing her. I'm sorry, persistence is good only to a certain point, after that, it becomes annoyance. And that was exactly what Jacob was. And, granted, I never liked Jacob's character in New Moon, I just hated him even more in Eclipse. By 3/4 of the story, he annoyed me so much that every time he appears, I would either want to strangle him, or pray that he would die soon or something.

Conclusion:

With all that said, Eclipse was still a decent read if you have been following the series. However, for me, the only thing that held the book together was a decent plot, and a very yummy Edward. If those two elements were not present or if I'm rating this book solely on Bella and Jacob's character... argh, I don't even want to think about it. But then again, Stephenie Meyer did do a good job wrapping up some of the lines in this book, and will leave you wondering what would happen next.

All reviews for the Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Book Review - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole is the third installment of the Immortals After Dark Series. This is a well deserved solid 5 Pink Hearts paranormal romance novel that is sizzling hot with an irresistible storyline.

Summary:

Mariteka the Awaited was a witch who have not yet reached her immortality. She was born to be powerful, and yet, she could not control her powers. Either she fails to cast her spells, or she end up blowing things up. Tired of being looked down on, she entered the Talisman's Hie to prove herself, and she was determined to win. But so was everyone else. Especially Bowen, who she was attracted to instantly the first time she saw him.

Bowen MacRieve entered the Talisman's Hie determined to win the prize that would let him go back in time to getting back the mate he lost two centuries ago. Instead, he found Mariketa, who he was attracted to instantly. Despite of what his instincts were screaming out to him, he decided to ignore it for she was a witch, a race of the lore that he, as a Lykae, despises. And since she was a witch, she must have casted a spell on him making him think she was his mate.

What I liked:

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night was, like the other installments of the Immortals After Dark series, fast-paced, action packed, hot and sizzling page turner. I simply couldn't put the book down.

Before I read this book, I've always thought that Kresley Cole was going to write the story on Bowe getting his mate back, so it was a complete surprise that this story was about him and Mari, who was obviously not the mate who died years ago. The story was an adventurous one, and Bowe really melted my heart when he tried his best not to hurt or scare off Mari when his instincts take over during a full moon.

What I didn't like:

There really wasn't anything that I didn't like about the book. If there MUST be one, it would be the title "Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night," as that has nothing to do with the story really. But other than that, I think the book's perfect.

Conclusion:

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole is a must read. I definite recommend it to anyone who like romance novels with an alpha male hero paired with a strong female who can rival him. Bowe was so sweet that he would melt your heart instantly. However, although this book can be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading the previous two installments in the Immortals After Dark series before reading this book. Especially No Rest for the Wicked, as that story took place directly prior to this one, and will help the reader understand much more about the Talisman's Hie, and the lore world Kresley Cole has created.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole

Book Review - New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga)

New Moon is the second book of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Continuing on with the incredible paranormal love story between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, this book is guaranteed to make you cry and break your heart. It is certainly worth a solid 4 Pink Hearts, great read in the paranormal romance novels genre.

Summary:

With Bella recovered from the Vampire, James', attack, she was all the more in love with Edward, and well blended in with the Cullen's family. Until a paper cut on her birthday party ruined everything. Just a week after the episode, Edward broke up with her, and the whole family of Cullen's moved out of Forks in a fortnight, leaving Bella torn and heart-broken.

After being in a zombie-state for months after the breakup, Bella accidentally discovered that she would hear Edward's worried voice in her head if she begin to do things that are reckless. So, when one day she saw some broken bikes to be disposed of by a neighbor, she brought them to Jacob Black, her friend in the reserve, to fix up. The two became very close friends as Bella slowly recovered from her depression, but Jacob wanted much more than friendship from her.

What I liked:

The story was, once again, well-written for the Young Adults genre, and is definitely engaging with many surprises (good and bad). Stephenie Meyer did a fantastic job in describing the emotions Bella went through during and after the break up, and made every single one of her actions thereafter very believable and logical. The reader is bound to be led into a series of emotions throughout the book along with the heroine, Bella Swan.

What I didn't like:

Although the hero remained to be Edward Cullen, the leading male character in New Moon was actually Jacob, as Edward was MIA for almost 3/4 of the book. In the beginning, I didn't really mind having Edward out of the story for a little while, as the book was written in a first person POV, a separation between the two is bound to have him missing for a while. Unfortunately, that part had dragged on for too long. Jacob was not a character I particularly enjoyed reading. Throughout the whole series, for me, he was more of a necessary evil, a character that was necessary only to have the story move on the way it should. Therefore, having him present throughout more than half of the book was somewhat annoying. I couldn't help but to flip through the pages to see how much longer must I endure his presence before I see Edward appearing in the story again. (I was a good girl, and did not skip through chapters though)

New Moon was also not much of a re-reading material. I did re-read some parts a couple of times after I finished the book, however, because the majority of the story was so sad, I wouldn't even want to touch most of it again.

Conclusion:

As much as I did enjoy New Moon of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, and as much as I would recommend the book to those who liked the novel Twilight, please be warned that reading this novel will require the accompaniment of a full box of Kleenex. Be prepared that Edward would not be present for most of the novel, and instead, you will be reading a lot about an immature Jacob. Also, this book cannot be read as a stand-alone, without reading Twilight, New Moon will not make any sense whatsoever.

All Reviews for the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Book Review - No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

No Rest for the Wicked is the second book of the Immortals After Dark series written by Kresley Cole. This sensual adventurous paranormal romance novel will keep your heart rate up and wanting for much much more. Definitely a solid 5 Pink Hearts material.

Summary:

After making the mistake of showing a Vampire mercy, which cost the lives of her two beloved sisters, the Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold Hearted had lost all her emotions. She felt for nothing, and her only goal in life was to kill every Vampire she sees, and collect their fangs as trophies. Just prior to entering for the Talisman's Hie - the immortal's equivalent to a deadly scavenger hunt - she made a detour intended to rid the Vampire terrorizing a small town in Europe, but instead found a vampire who stirred her deadened emotions.

Sebastian Wroth was the third of the famous Wroth brothers when they were alive. Centuries ago, he was turned, against his will, into a Vampire by his older brothers, and now he stayed in his castle awaiting his death. The moment Kaderin showed up at his castle to finish him, he knew she was his Bride, as his deadened Vampire heart began to beat once again. Although he believed that they belong together, Kaderin thought otherwise, so follow her he did to join the deadly tournament of Talisman's Hie, where the grand price was something that she (and many other contestants) would gladly die for.

What I liked:

No Rest for the Wicked was very imaginative and original, and although both Kaderin and Sebastian had dark pasts, the story was a relative light-hearted read. Most of the plot were focused on the tournament, which showed us the many sides of both our hero and heroine. I soon learned to love Sebastian's gentle nature and his giving personality, and to adore Kaderin as a strong-minded capable women.

As much as I would like Kaderin to fall in love with Sebastian earlier on in the book (or at least earlier than she did, since she didn't until almost the end), Kresley Cole made it completely believable and logical that she didn't. And although there were many times when Kaderin caught herself falling for Sebastian and had to hold back, it never got to a point when I was annoyed with her for doing so.

I also really liked the part where Sebastian admitted to his brother, half way through the story, that he didn't know if he loved Kaderin, but he just had to be with her. I thought that was very real. In the Immortals After Dark series, most couples where bounded by fates to be destined "mates," "brides" or whatever. Many authors writing books with this kind of a theme often fell in the trap that "finding your destined mate" = "falling in love," which isn't necessarily true. I really appreciated that in the No Rest for the Wicked, that mistake was not made, and we could clearly see how and why Sebastian and Kaderin fell deeply in love with each other in the end.

There was also an excellent balance between the romance plot and the tournament. Never a moment did I feel that the Hie was taking over the romance plot at all, instead, it highly complemented it, and drove many situations where the two fell, bit by bit, in love with each other.

What I didn't like:

One of the things... or maybe it's the only thing, that I didn't like about this book was that Kaderin and Sebastian hit it off, physically, a little too early in the story for my taste. They actually made-out the first time they met. Umm... It did got me worrying a little in the beginning, because I don't like female characters (or male characters for that matter of fact) being too casual (yah, call me conservative). However, after continuing with the series, I find out that that was just the away things were in their kind who lives for centuries, which made this a little better for me. But it would be better if that was established earlier in the series.

Conclusion:

Kresley Cole's No Rest for the Wicked is definitely a paranormal romance novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who likes an intense, imaginative plot with a super lovable Vampire hero who knows how to respect and love a strong-minded women. Although I did begin this series with A Hunger Like No Other, this definitely could be read as a stand-alone. But please be warned that you will likely not be able to put the book down until the last page. And when you do, you will likely rush out to the bookstore to get Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, the third installment of the Immortals After Dark series.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole

Book Review - The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox is a witty, funny, paranormal romance comedy that will keep you awake all night disturbing your neighbor, because you're too busy laughing your ass off. This was the first paranormal romance that I've picked up one day in the supermarket, and it has proved itself to be well worth 5 Pink Hearts in my Romance Novels Review blog.

One minute, Lizzie Brown, a pre-school teacher, was worrying about being late to her 30th birthday dinner, and the next minute, she was thrown into her own bathroom by her biological grandmother, who she just met 30 seconds ago, with a demon emerging from her toilet trying to kill her. As her new biker witch grandmother was trying to fend off the demon by throwing magic spells from her Smucker's jars, she easily killed off the demon without knowing what she was doing. The next thing she knew, she was pronounced a Demon Slayer (by heritage), and on the back of her grandmother's Harley heading off to a whole gang of crazy biker witches for training.

On the way to Memphis for training, Lizzie and her grandmother were attacked and were rescued by Dimitri Kallinikos, a very VERY yummy griffin shape-shifter, who claims to be her protector. Within a couple hours, everything Lizzie knew about what life was were flipped upside-down and inside-out, lost everything she possessed, and where left to face the Red Skulls, the biker witch coven her grandmother belonged to, a whole new life to adapt to and a bunch of responsibilities she never knew she had. Oh, did we mention that her beloved dog, Pirate, can now talk, and her grandmother was suspected to have killed her biological mother?

The Accidental Demon Slayer was a lot of fun to read, as we go on this unexpected and hilarious adventure with Lizzie and see her develop from an average everyday girl to a brave Demon Slayer, who - well, perhaps still doesn't quite know what she was doing - saved the day, and everybody else.

Written in the first person POV, the story cuts right into action in the very first page, and not for even one paragraph after that does the action slow until you reach the very last word in the novel. Lizzie's character was also developed extremely well as we see her transformation throughout the book, both physically and mentally, and the reader could definitely feel her emotions and everything she went through just as though you were going through it yourself. And although she makes some very stupid mistakes throughout the story, but there is never a time you'd thought her "dumb," because, in a situation like hers, anyone will make the same stupid choices.

Dimitri, as I've mentioned was a very yummy griffin love interest for Lizzie, who played a big role in pushing the story forward. He had his flaws (ie. lying to Lizzie to get his way), but every bit of it was redeemed by his love towards her in the end of the story. Plus, his reason for lying wasn't unforgivable at all.

The only complain that I might have for this book is that the "romance" part was a little on the light side. Don't get me wrong, Angie Fox did a great job in convincing the readers the two fell in love, but the paranormal "action" dominated most of the story rather than the mushy, lovey-dovey feelings they had for each other. However, the story plot definitely made up for that 150%.

Although I normal very much dislike the whole idea of "Slayers," the way it was presented, Angie Fox really did it for me. All in all, this book is definitely categorized as one of my favorite paranormal romance novels, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who would like a good laugh with tons of paranormal action. I cannot wait until the sequel The Dangerous Book of Demon Slayers comes out in April.

A word of caution: Allocate enough free time to finish the novel at one go. Otherwise, you'd either find yourself deprived of sleep or ruin any plans you had for the day once you open this book.

Book Review - A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole (Immortals After Dark Series)

A Hunger Like No Other by the author Kresley Cole is the first installment of the Immortals After Dark series of Paranormal Romance novels that is well worth a solid 5 Pink Hearts.

Lachlain MacRieve, the king of the Lykae clan, has been captured and tortured by the vampires for over a century. He was imprisoned and burned to death each and everyday only to have is own immortality revive him to endure more. Until one day he sensed his mate nearby. After waiting for his mate for more than a millenia, he gathered up all his strength to escape, to get to his mate, only to find her a small fragile female vampire.

Emmaline Troy was a timid half-vampire, half-valkyrie, the first and only of her kind. Raised by a coven of valkyries who hunts vampires for fun, she had always felt out of place, no matter how much she knows everyone loves her. Gathered up her wits, she traveled to Europe wanting to know more about her heritage, only to find a powerful Lykae, claiming her as his mate and forcing her to accompany him back to his castle in Scotland.

A Hunger Like No Other is one of my favorite paranormal romance novels that I would gladly be recommending to anyone out there, whether they like the idea or werewolves or not. Lachlain, or any of Kresley Cole's Lykaes for that matter, is not your average werewolf you will find in any shape-shifter novel out there. They are of a very different nature.

Our hero is very much of an alpha male; although, he can be somewhat controlling at times, it was never difficult to see through to his intention to protect and provide for his mate. Emma, our heroine, on the other hand was very timid in the begining of the novel, and she was very intimidated by Lachlain. However, the stronger side of her could soon be seen once she regained her strength - she did not even hesitate for a second before lashing out at him and dislocating his jaw in the process. :)

As the two learn to care for and fall in love with each other, it was not difficult at all for the reader to fall deeply in love with the two characters, as Lachlain became more caring and lovable, and Emma became stronger, both mentally and physically for both herself and the one she loves.

One of the things some people did not like about this novel was one of the earlier scenes in the novel, often refered to as the "capture scene" as Lachlain physically captures Emma. There are some that would argue that there was forced seduction in the scene, and others who would go as far as saying that he raped her.

Now, the "rape" part is not true. They did get intimate under the condition that Emma was not entirely willing (emphasis on entirely); however, Lachlain did not end up forcing himself on her. The characters did not have sex until both of them were ready and willing.

Now that I've got that part out of the way, let's discuss the force seduction scene, where Emma was not 100% willing. I can understand how some people would find it uneasy to read through those chapters or even find it offensive; however, I believe it is how the author portrayed it that made the scene work for me (and many others). First of all, the reader must understand that Lachlain was tortured for more than a century, and he was in a mentally unstable state at that time. Second of all, he was tortured by vampires, which was exactly what Emma is, and that made things much worse. Put yourself in his shoes, when you've waited for your mate for 1,000+ years just to find her one of the people who have tortured you for 100+ years of your life. It was reasonable that he wanted revenge, and it was reasonable that he hated her in the begining. However, that's not the only reason why the forced seduction scene was justifiable. The cause of it was, yes. But it was how he treated Emma later on in the story that redeemed his character, how he looked pass his hatred for the vampires, how cared for Emma, and how he realized that he cannot be controlling her that made him such a lovable character.

Anyway, so that was my review for A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole, the first installment of the Immortals After Dark series - a series that everyone should give a try to, imo. This was the book where I got seriously hooked on all Kresley Cole's books. This particular novel also wont the RITA Awards for best paranormal romance, so, if you haven't read it, you should really check it out.

All reviews for the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole