Movie: Should you Watch Along with The Gods?

I just came back from Malaysia recently, and while we were there, we watched this movie called Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. I truly wanted to watch it as I've heard nothing but good things from friends who have seen it. I was convinced enough to want to watch it with or without anyone accompanying me. 

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is about Kim Ja-Hong (Starring Cha Tae-Hyun), a firefighter who lost his life saving a little girl. Together with his three guardians, Gang Rim (starring Ha Jung Wo), Dukchun (starring Kim Hyang Gi), and Haewonmak (starring Ju Ji-Hoon), they try to pass the seven trials of hell, each with a different god before he can be reincarnated. The three guardians try to help him, as when they help 49 paragons to be reincarnated, they can reincarnated themselves as well as choose who they want to be reincarnated as. 

As the movie progresses, you'd learn of the different 'sins' Kim Ja Hong had made and the reasons behind each one. I thought the film was quite thrilling and they were able to insert some humour in it. It was quite a film, as it made my heart go through such a roller coaster ride. I laughed, I felt sentimental, I was excited, I became sad, I became angry, and of course I cried. I'm not kidding when I say I bawled my eyes out at the end. Along with the Gods used a lot of computer generated graphics/visuals, and it wasn't really perfect. There were a lot of things they could have improved, but, all in all it was okay. 

I just have to mention how cool it was to see Haewonmak (starring Ju Ji-Hoon) and Gang Rim (starring Ha Jung Wo) jumping running around flinging their swords and long coats. They definitely looked like guardians to me. It sort of reminded me of Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (Starring Lee Dong Wook and Gong Yoo) when they saved the main female lead. Anyway, it was cool and makes me want to learn about the story behind the guardians. 

After watching the movie, I felt the need to self reflect. My eyes were aching cause I cried a lot. It even looked like it was swelling. It makes you look back upon your life and remember all the things you have done wrong. It makes you appreciate life more. It reminds you to live life to the fullest while trying to be a good person. 

The end of the film hinted a sequel, and I definitely will watch it once it comes out. 

As of 23rd February 2018

Along with the Gods The Two Worlds is my favourite movie

 It is definitely worth the watch. I will start to live better now. 

XOXO- Jaly

Publisher: Unknown - 9:20 PM

Event: Thaipusam 2018

Hi Everyone, I'm here with a post from my friend today, if you remember her from my last post, Fort Canning Park (Annabelle) 

It was valentines season in 2016 when I arrived here in Singapore. 

Two years had passed and I’m still lost in the city.

I spend my free days at home looking at the ceiling (literally) and browsing fb posts repeatedly. I never had the courage to explore different places alone.

Gladly, my friend Jaly come along. We agreed on doing things in just a glimpse and making it happen the soonest time, unexpectedly. 

One of the exciting things we planned to do is to witness different events being celebrated here in SG.

First event that we have witnessed together is the Thaipusam celebration. It's a festival celebrated by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month. This 2018, it was celebrated on the 31st of January. 

I was mesmerised seeing the devotees with their Kavadi.

Below are some photos we have taken.

The Ritual

The Kavadi-bearers

The Kavadi-bearer with two container at both ends may contain rice,milk or other articles that the devotee  vowed to offer.

Some devotees pierce their tongues with skewers.

Stay tuned for more upcoming events!

Cheers!

-MEA

Publisher: Unknown - 6:51 PM

Cheap or Free Places to go to in Singapore: Fort Canning Park

  Today, I'd like to start writing about something new. I have been living in Singapore for some time now and decided it was about time I shared some information and beautiful sceneries in this wonderful country. 

When I first arrived in Singapore. I was fascinated by its cleanliness, modernity, and of how safe it is to walk around alone as a woman, day OR night. I am happy that I'm able to work and live here safely. I am not scared of going out and worrying about getting my phone stolen, or be robbed or molested when going home after some drinks with my friends. 

I remember when I first arrived in Singapore, I looked up the best places to go to as well as the best places to eat at. I also found out that a lot of these places are expensive. Then again, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, Singapore is the most expensive city in the world. Does that mean if you want to travel to Singapore, all of the place require a lot of moolah (money)? Not necessarily. I'm currently exploring the cheap/inexpensive parts of Singapore. So stay tuned as we share these places with you. 

Let's start it off with a place called Fort Canning Park. If you are a fan of parks/nature and history, I think you would enjoy this place. 

I went there with my friend, let's call her Annabelle. We decided to go to Fort Canning Park not knowing much about it, except that there was a nice park we can go to, to take photos. We didn't look it up much, but we were surprised by all of the things you can see there. 

Below are just some of the photos we have taken. If you want to see more, you can check out my Facebook page and my Instagram. 

When we first reached Fort Canning MRT, we were greeted by some art. 

Here is a map of Fort Canning Park 

We were definitely surprised that there were a lot of things you can check out. 

Here is my friend Annabelle posing for a quick pic.

The Fort Canning Arts Centre

Stay tuned for more! 

Xoxo

Jaly

Publisher: Unknown - 6:41 PM

Movie: Midnight Runners - Should you Watch it?

  Ever since I started watching Korean dramas, I just had to start watching Korean movies as well. I have recently found out about this film called Midnight Runners. Starring the handsome Park Seo-Joon and the adorable Kang Ha-Neul. I didn't wasn't able to watch the trailer, but I just knew I had to watch it. I mean, with these two boys as the main cast, why shouldn't I watch it? And? After that? Of course I was right to watch it right away. Can I just say though, there were some abs shown too, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Midnight Runners is about two police academy students, Gi-Joon (Park Seo-Joon) and Hee-Yeol (Kang Ha-Neul), and their night out looking for girls in a club. As the night progressed, they witness a young woman being kidnapped and decided to investigate. They tried reporting it to the police, but they found out that reporting a kidnapping was not as simple as they thought. They were told there were processes to follow, and it would take a long time, just for the police to start investigating. They were met with apathy, but they had nothing but empathy for the victim. They tried to investigate on their own.

Gi-Joon (Park Seo-Joon) was brought up by his single mother. He enrolled in the Police academy as he was penniless and there was no tuition to pay. He is not the brightest crayon in the box, but he makes up for it with brawn.

Hee-Yeol (Kang Ha-Neul) on the other hand comes from a well-off family, who apparently owns a butcher shop. He's also intelligent and, as he said, has great memory. Although, unlike Gi-Joon, lacks in the muscle department.

Midnight Runners is a comedy/action film. I was honestly laughing out loud a lot of times. I just loved Seo-Jun and Ha-Neul together. Their "Bromance Chemistry" was through the roof. I found them entertaining and it was thrilling to see what they were going to do next. They tried to investigate using the things they learned from school. Although, I should say that some of their ideas were a little unexpected/crazy.

I felt as if they were nothing but sincere with their friendship. They had the "best bro" act down. I was also not disappointed with the amount of fight scenes in the film. I'm not such a big fan of fight scenes, at least not anymore, so I thought it was sufficient for the movie. I preferred seeing their interactions throughout the film.

It was interesting to see these young men try to figure out how to save the victim, even though they knew that they might get expelled trying to investigate on their own. I have truly enjoyed this film, but I don't have such urge to give spoilers though.

I can only hope that most, if not all police trainees/students have the same empathy for victims and the same passion for justice. They may lack in one department, but make up for it through another. Midnight Runners, at first, was a light hearted film, but as it progressed, it makes me think about what can be improved in the justice system.

If you want some action, yet something light and entertaining, you can watch this instead. P.S. It made me a little teary eyed in the end.

I'll give it 4 out of 5 stars! 

Publisher: Unknown - 6:37 AM

Movie: Murder on The Orient Express - Should you watch it?

Since I was young, I have always liked crime movies. I can't say it's my first choice if we talk about movie genre, but I do find it very interesting. I remember watching CSI and trying to figure out who was the culprit. This movie, I'd like to share today is something I liked watching as much as CSI. 

I know I haven't posted anything for a long time, but let's just say this movie has something about it that makes me want to share it with everyone. 

→Murder on the Orient Express 

You can see the trailer here:

The Murder on the Orient Express, as the title says, is about a murder on a lavish train called The Orient Express. A well known detective called Hercule Poirot is on a race against time to find out who the murderer is. The movie will introduce a set of characters, all with different personalities and stories. You can try to guess who the culprit is, while Hercule, one by one, reveals clues. 

I liked how the whole time I had to think and watch carefully, to find clues to solve the case. Hercule definitely is a smart cookie, and as mentioned in the movie, nothing gets past him. I thought Kenneth Pranagh (who played Hercule Poirot) was just superb. His moustache is just as fabulous! 

"Everyone is a suspect." 

The Murder on the Orient Express is straightforward. Someone killed someone on the train, a brilliant detective needs to find out who the culprit is. But, it is also complex. The case will go different directions and it will make you think twice about who you think is the killer. 

Should you watch it? Yes you should! 4.5 stars out of 5!

Can't Take the suspense? Are you the type who loves for SPOILERS? Check below for my thoughts on the movie, and of course it will contain SPOILERS. 

LAST WARNING. SPOILERS BELOW

I just had a hunch! Apparently it was true. At one point, since no one person could be pin-pointed, I thought all of them might be involved. But, of course, I thought it was a bit too crazy and tried to find one person, or at least a few people who might have been the culprit/s. Yes, if you haven't watched it yet, everyone, except for the owner of the train and the detective is involved in the crime. I remembered the poster showed "Everyone is a suspect". It was true! It was right there. When I learned of how everyone on the train is connected because of one case, I also thought it was more than a coincidence. 

I just felt a little sad in the end. It made me think, is revenge really the answer? 

Their lives were all affected/changed due to one murder, will committing another one fix everything else? Hercule decided not to report it, and let everyone go, but is that necessarily correct? Hercule said he hopes everyone finds peace after it, but can they? Won't they feel guilt, even if Cassetti DID something that changed their lives forever? They were all scarred and broken, it made my heart ache, but I'm also wondering if it should end this way, as they did not have to answer to what they have done. I want to watch more of these types of movies. I'll see if I can find some good ones. 

The movie was simply incredible. Should you watch it? Yes you should. You already watched it? It was worth the time/money spent right? 

4.5 stars out of 5!

'Til next time! 

Publisher: Unknown - 7:13 AM

Movie: Train to Busan: Should you watch it?

Hi Everyone,

I've come to share a new movie with all of you. The movie Train to Busan has been recently released and I was one of the huge crowd vying to watch it as soon as possible. I have just gotten back from the cinema and I just couldn't wait to share my thoughts about it.

Train to Busan is a zombie movie based in South Korea about a group of people who try to survive by going to (by train obviously) a province called Busan. It tells you the story of several people who have very different lives. They all have different reasons why they are on the train, but it reminds us about humanity and how different people react to desperate situations. You'll see people trying to help others, sacrifice others, care about themselves, care about their loved ones.

It was definitely a good watch for me. I would even pay to watch it again. Some things happened that I didn't expect at all. The very few jump scares got me, but overall, you wouldn't really be scared because of those. Personally, what scared me was the decisions some of the characters made to survive. They've made those decisions because they were scared, but it affected me nevertheless.

I thought the characters had this special trait or this special thing about them that makes you want to know what will happen to them. I felt like the movie isn't just the usual zombie movie out there. Yes, it was about survival. Yes, it had a lot of violence.  But, I'd say it focused on the characters and their development.

Should you go and watch it? Yes you should.

You can check out one of the trailers out below :

Below, I will be sharing more about these characters if you'd like to know more, you can scroll on ahead. There will be spoilers on that are, so be warned if you do read ahead.

If you haven't watched the movie: Do I think you should read more about these characters? No, it would be better to see and learn about them yourself. But, if you're the type of person who isn't affected about the spoilers and whatnot, go right ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you!

Characters: Spoiler Alert

This is just some of the characters in movie. As much as I want to, I won't really be able to cover them all.

Seok Woo: A Funding Manager and Father who tried to buy his daughter's affection through material things. He was the typical father who got divorced/separated from his wife, but wants to take care of his child. He was financially stable, but always busy. He also had this loving mother who took care of his daughter. I understand he was trying to do whatever he can to provide for his daughter but he forgot the important part which was actually being there for her and being able to see her grow as a person. There was even this scene where he gave his daughter a Wii console, but then forgets he already got her one before. I felt bad for him when he found out her daughter's plan to leave and go to her mother. He did redeem himself though. From being the man who only cared about himself and his daughter, to a Man who cares about other people and knows the value of a life. I just cannot express how sad I was to see what happened to him. He did go with a smile on his face, but I felt like he just had to get more time with hi daughter.

Soo/Su Ahn: Daughter of Seok Woo and overall a good kid. She knows her values and isn't afraid to speak of it. She tried to correct her father when needed and showed what she tried to preach his dad. Her mother taught her the meaning of being a "good person" and she definitely took it to heart. She gave the elderly her seat when she had one, insisted his father to let people in when they were being chased by the zombies, knows judging people isn't a good thing and voiced it out, and a lot more. I just wanted to give this kid a hug in the end. I can't stress out how much my heart ached for her too when she said she practiced the song for her dad, but he never came to his recital. I respect this little girl. If only more people were like her.

Sang Hwa: The father-to-be and big guy who just wanted to take care and protect his family. He was one of the heroes in this movie. He was brave, strong, and protected everyone he could. I thought it was adorable how he interacted with his wife. He was bold and strong with others and soft and sweet to his wife. I just hoped I had heard more about his story.

Sung Gyeong: The pregnant wife of . She acted like the typical pregnant woman at first sort of commanding her husband and all that, but the movie also showed her soft side when she was with Su Ahn. I thought she was the silent rock for Su Ahn during the movie. People tried to protect them physically, but she also tried to protect who she can. She tried to fight the zombie in the last train, as Seok Woo was having difficulties fighting him off. I just want to see her give birth to a healthy child. I kept hoping her water won't break or that she won't get a miscarriage from all the stress physically, emotionally and mentally. Is it just me though, or did her baby bump become smaller near the end?

Young Gook and Jin Hee: The two students who liked each other. The girl was more vocal about her feelings, but the guy was quiet, reserved and tried to keep his feelings to himself. I thought they greatly cared about each other and it did show in the movie. They refused to leave each other till the end. I can't believe she was pushed by that old man. I just felt heartbroken for the two.

The elderly man who seemed like a homeless person: He was quiet, scared and ever seemed a little crazy. He looked like he didn't have much, like he only has the clothes on his back and his will to live to carry on. I felt he was just his luck that he was able to go to the train. He didn't have a lot, but he gave what he can. Strength and Help to the people whom he can help. He threw his jacket on the face of the zombie who was attacking Seok Woo when he was pinned down in the train station. He also gave his life to save others. He didn't have much, but he gave what he can.

Yong Suk: COO of Stallion Express and antagonist of the story. He was the cause of so many deaths in the movie. I think he believes in Survival of the Fittest. In this case, yes, he was a grumpy old man, but he was still human. He was scared and did what he did because he wanted to live. People will say he was greedy and shouldn't be called human at all. But if we were in his situation, what will we do? I'm not condoning his actions. I hated what he did. So many people would have lived, if not for him. I'd even call a lot of what he's done Murder. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'd like for us to think of what we'll do if we were in his situation. Will we try to save other people too? Or will we focus on saving ourselves even at the cost of other people's lives? Just think about before he died, he confessed, he was scared and almost broke down. I feel conflicted about this character. I want to hate and be angry at him, but I feel a little sad for him too.

Do you think people are the way they are because that's who they truly are? Or do you think there is a reason for their behaviour? I think, there is always something that influences us as human beings. It includes the way we were brought up, the family we have, the friends we hang out with, the environment we live in. These are just some of the things that influence us as human beings. If someone was brought up in this all-for-yourselves environment and taught only the fittest will survive, do you think he will think/react differently in emergency/desperate situations? If someone was taught to be a caring person who should be 'good' to other people and have moral values, do you think they will react differently in emergency/desperate situations? I guess all these things are subjective and all these things don't have a straight answer.

Another thing I noticed was how the Elderly man who looked like a homeless man acted towards other people in comparison to the supposedly rich COO of Stallion Express. The COO definitely had more in terms of money and whatnot, but who do you want to be like more?

These are the things the movie made me think about.

I'd like to ask you what I asked myself, and I'd like you to really think about this: What would you do if you were in their situations? What type of person will you be? Which character will you most likely be like?

I'll stop here before I go on and on about this as I have a lot more things I want to say and ask. Thanks for reading this far!

Hopefully I'll get to see more movies like this. This is a 4.9 out of 5 Stars for Me! I usually just make it a 4.5 or so, but this one will have to be a special case. I want to make it a 5, but I just wished some things ended differently

Publisher: Unknown - 2:19 AM

Movie Review: The Finest Hours

I wanted to watch something while I was having lunch when I came across this movie. I was actually looking for a Romantic Comedy when I came across this film. When I started the trailer, I thought it would be more of a love story with a dangerous obstacle, but it wasn't. I am so glad it isn't just a love story, it was so much more!

I just watched The Finest Hour, and boy was I moved to write this review. I'm supposed to be working tonight, but here I am watching this movie and writing this review about it. I guess you can say this is how much I liked the movie. It is actually based on a real story. The amazing story of Bernie Webber, retired US Coast Guard and how he and his 'crew' set out to find survivors of a sinking tanker/vessel, The Pendleton.  

I don't want to get in too much detail of what happened in the story as it is better for you to watch it in whole. To be honest, I didn't even finish the trailer when I decided to watch this movie. I wanted to see it in its whole. Although, You can see the trailer at the bottom if you want to see it. 

They had such a nice cast. I felt like they fit their roles just nicely and that they all did a good job. The effects are very well done. It didn't feel like a cheap movie that just wanted to rush everything and get it out to the public. Disney always do great movies and I got surprised to see that this was one of them. When I see/hear Disney, princes and princesses, or animated movies come in mind. I'm not complaining though, this was definitely a great decision on their part. I loved this movie!

I think people focused on Bernie and his team's effort to save the men on the boat, as it is such an amazing story, but in my opinion, we need to also point out how Ray Sybert, Pendleton's Chief Engineer (You'll learn more about later on) tried to keep the boat afloat amidst those circumstances. The vessel WAS sinking, but he was trying his gosh-darn best to prolong their lives. It also showed a glimpse of the love story of Bernie and Miriam.

I had to mention though, I honestly didn't really feel the deep love between Bernie and Miriam at the start, because I felt like he loved her, sure, but he was just going with what she wanted. Although they were able to redeem themselves at the middle part and at the end. My heart went soft, and I just crumbled at the end. Team BerIam! 

I cannot explain how much my heart ached for the Pendleton crew and their fight for survival. I felt like my heart was racing when they were trying to steer what's left of their vessel. They broke into groups, but then finally worked together as one after Ray Sybert became their officer-in-charge/captain. 

It was truly an incredible story, I just can't get over Bernie's determination to go through with his mission to save what's left of the Pendleton Crew. I also would like to applaud his team for stepping up and volunteering even though they know they might not come back.

That's it for now! Thank you so much for spending time to read my review. I truly appreciate it. I would like to end this post with a quote that just struck me. In my opinion, this was the best line in the film. 4.5 Stars ! 

"We All Live or We All Die" - Bernie Webber. The Finest Hour 

Publisher: Unknown - 2:55 AM

Why I Went Missing: My Fallout with Blogging

Hi Everyone,

I know it has been quite some time since I last posted something here. I remember the last time I tried to start writing again, but unfortunately I failed. I guess I have been busy with work and everything around me that I wasn't able to put blogging as one of my priorities. I feel regretful for I have failed to continue writing for quite some time. Writing has been one of my interests ever since I was young. Don't get me wrong, this blog is still important to me, it's just that I don't know how to fit it in my busy work schedule, or at least that' what I keep telling myself.

I believe in the saying "If there's a will, there's a way", but I guess I didn't want to write/blog enough for me to actually try. I can say I had a fall out with blogging. I felt as if I didn't have the heart to create something. I have so many things I want to share, and so many things I want to talk about, but I didn't. I dwelled on the excuse that I had too much going on, but in reality, I can squeeze in a blog post once in a while.

I believe I've lost touch, with my writer side. I think I've forgotten why I started blogging in the first place. I noticed how I wanted to showcase a specific item, book or food for the sake of getting more readers, instead of sharing that particular thing because I want to. I got pulled into this blackhole where getting more views was more important than actually sharing my opinions. I didn't even write as much as I wanted to say because I feared people would think it was too long. I lost my way. I got off track. I forgot the reason I started blogging in the first place, My love for sharing my opinions with the world.

Blogging was my outlet. If I wanted to express how I felt regarding a particular book, I would elaborate by making a blog post. If I wanted to express how I felt regarding a certain dish, I would share how I felt through writing a blog post. It made me happy to write and share about my experiences.

Over these last few months I've started feeling the itch to write again. I wanted to write again, but this time, hopefully I will stop looking at the views and start focusing on how I want to share my experiences. Don't get me wrong, I also love writing for my readers, knowing they are interested in what I write. It's just that I won't focus on the number of views I get for the things I share. I cannot promise you my posts will be consistent again, as I will still try to work out how I will squeeze in writing with my work schedule, but I will try.

I would like to thank everyone who stayed with me and checked my blog even though it has been dormant for a long time. I hope you will continue to read and check out my posts in the future. Also, I would like to share that I will be writing some posts where I will write how I feel and my daily experiences. Yes you read that right, I will be writing about my life and daily experiences. Although, if you are not interested in this and is more/only interested in the items I share, I don't mind. Don't worry, you will be able to pick which ones to read and not read anyway. By the way, I apologise if this post was sort of all over the place. I'm just blurting out everything I feel and think.

I guess this is it for now. Thank you for reading this far down and I hope you check out my blog again soon!

Note: I will be doing some changes regarding the layout and template soon <3 p="">
Xoxo
-J Publisher: Unknown - 7:58 AM

Book Review: Into A Million Pieces by Angela Cook

Hi everyone!

I've gone missing for a couple of days, but I'm here now! I've been very busy with graduation, my birthday event as well as my move to Singapore. Yep, you read that right. I moved to Singapore, so I wasn't able to blog. It took quite some time to pack as well as settle in considering the other things I had going on, like I said, graduation. As I'm writing this, I am already exhausted. I'm very sleepy, but I had a little time so I thought I'd make this now. I've finished the book 2-3 weeks ago and I've read it a second time this week, I just couldn't write about it sooner. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Into a Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook. 

Genre: Paranormal
Goodreads

Synopsis:

"Allison McKready is a succubus. So is her twin sister. But while Allison spends her summer break hiding in the library behind her Goth makeup, Jade fools around as often as she can. Allison can’t believe Jade would ignore their mother’s fatal example so recklessly, but concealing a cursed bloodline and its dangerous effects is far from Allison’s only problem. Mean girl Julie’s snob mob is determined to ruin her summer, and Aunt Sarah’s Bible thumping is getting louder. Only her new friend, Ren Fisher, offers safe haven from the chaos of her life.

When one of Jade’s risky dates leads to humiliation and sudden tragedy, Allison reels, and Ren catches her. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her fear that she’ll hurt him—or worse—in an unguarded moment. The choice is coming—love him or save him—but Allison might not live to make it. One way or another, the curse will have its due."

My Review: 
I have to commend the author because I was honestly very entertained by the book. I wasn't sure about it during the first chapter though. I wasn't sure if I would like the book. I was interested when I read the synopsis, but I just wasn't hooked yet. Come in a few chapters and I already got hooked. I like that there was humor, the kind that makes me laugh out loud or chuckle. I also liked that it involved heart-wrenching moments.  

The characters and the plot was unique. This is the first time I ever read about a story about a succubus, especially a love story involving one. Surprisingly, I loved it. It was something different from stories I usually read. It's not exactly something that is very different in terms of genre, but character-and-plot-wise, it is.

I also really liked the characters. I liked Jade and Allison and their personalities. They are very different even though they are twins. I do believe that sometimes twins really do contrast one another. Once you read further down the story though, you'll see they are more alike than they think, than you think. I also really like Ren because of how he easily makes me believe that he's this really nice guy who tries to look at a person for who he/she really is.

This book is unpredictable. When I got to around the middle of the story, I thought I knew what will happen. I was already expecting a certain outcome. I thought I had it, but apparently, I did not. Regarding Jade's actions, I didn't think it will lead to that. I was so confident about what I thought will happen next, I didn't think about what actually happened.

Overall, this is a very good read. Surprisingly, I found it better the second time I read it. I was also able to better appreciate the first few chapters. If you are looking for a unique, but good book to read, this is it! I really did enjoy reading it and I think that most people will. This books makes you feel happiness, sadness, pain, anger and love. It makes you feel so many things for not only the main characters, but also the secondary characters.

Note: I'm not sure if the story has a sequel, but I'm hoping it does. I will be waiting for it to come out. Angela?

Straight up 4.5 Stars!

Buy Links:

Amazon

Kobo

About the Author

Angela V. Cook lives a very unexciting, but never boring, life with her husband and two children just outside of Detroit. Like most writers, she's been making up stories for as long as she can remember and can't imagine a life that doesn't involve creating worlds.

Angela loves to write novels for teens because it's the best outlet for her sarcastic personality, immature sense of humor, and love of romantic firsts. Her idea of the perfect day involves a quiet house, a good book, and a piece of cheesecake. Or two.

For more information, visit www.angelavcook.com

Thanks for reading! 

Hugs,

-J

Publisher: Unknown - 7:05 AM

Release Blitz: Fading Away by Dannielle Wicks

Hi All!
I'm very excited to help announce that Fading away is now available! It looks very interesting. I feel like this is definitely going to be a good book.

Fading Away

Hardest Mistakes Book 1

by Dannielle Wicks

Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC


Release Day April 7th

Amazon: Kindle: Buy HERE

Amazon: Paperback: Order Paperback HERE

BLURB:

"One night.

One stupid mistake.

Changes everything.

SAMMY STEVENS was tragically orphaned at the age of nine and sent to live with a foster family in the town of Miakoda Falls.

She’s constantly bullied at school by the arrogant, selfish, one and only… KAI JORDAN.

Kai is your typical entitled teen who’s on the verge of attending a university and having everything he ever wanted handed to him.

But all that changes when he is involved in a car accident after a night of partying…

He’s suddenly and painfully brought into the world of the supernatural.

Kai turns to the last person he ever would’ve expected, Sammy, as he struggles with his new identity and watches the people closest to him move on. And he is forgotten.

As Kai and Sammy grow closer, Kai must figure out a way to either fight to stay human or risk being stuck forever, as a prisoner of his own body…"

Excerpt:

-- My door swings open before I reach it and I smack into a naked chest.

“Oh. Sorry.” My face heats up in embarrassment. Kai smirks down at me and walks past. “Hey! 

Where are you going?”

He doesn’t stop as he looks over his shoulder. “I heard Ashlee leave.”

“Kai! Come back here!” I yell and follow after him down the stairs and into the main hallway. “You can’t just walk around the house. What if Ashlee comes home? She’s not going to knock; she’s just going to walk in. This is her house. Besides, she said she would be right back.”

Kai stops so suddenly I nearly collide with him again. “You worry too much, Sammy.” I narrow my eyes. He’s started calling me by my nickname. I’m not sure if I’m okay with that.

“Aren’t you cold?” I challenge, referring to his naked top half. Not that I’m complaining, but I know for a fact he owns a t-shirt and it’s like minus a million in here.

A brilliant smile lights up his face. “Nope.”

As if on cue, the front door clicks open and Ashlee shuffles in, hands full of plastic bags. “Sam! I’m back with the Chinese! Get your butt down here!”

Kai turns to me, silver eyes wide. As soon as Ashlee rounds the corner from the front door she’ll see him. “I told you,” I whisper frantically as I drag him into the small hall closet.

“Sam?” Ashlee’s voice sounds so close, she must be just outside the door. I exhale a heavy breath as her footsteps echo up the stairs away from us. The light seeping under the door makes everything look dark grey. I realize then that my hands are pressed up against Kai’s bare chest and he has his arms wrapped tightly around me. We both let go at the same time and look away.

“I understand why I’m hiding in the closet,” Kai whispers, his breath tickling the hair on top of my head. “But why are you in here with me?” I glance up to see his quirked eyebrow, and scowl at him, pressing my lips together tightly.

“Shut up! I didn’t exactly have time to think this through, okay?” His quiet chuckle echoes through the small space, I narrow my eyes in annoyance and twist to stare at the gap under the door.

I can feel the heat radiating off Kai’s skin. I slowly lift my head to look back up at him. He’s gazing down at me with his mouth slightly open, his silver eyes glitter in the dim light. The atmosphere becomes heavy and tense, crackling with electricity; I’m caught in his gaze, slowly leaning closer to him. His hands come up and barely brush my arms. I inhale a shaky breath and take a half step back, biting my lip. My back hits the wall of the closet with a soft thump, breaking the spell. Kai’s eyes widen and he looks away quickly.

“I should get out there, before she sends a search party.”

He nods, still not looking at me and I move to open the door.

“I’ll save you some dim sum?” The corner of my mouth lifts in a small smile; I grasp the door knob and slip out of the closet. I shut the door behind me with a snick and lean back against it, shaking my head. What was that? Pushing off the door, I walk down the hall into the kitchen to find Ashlee… --

Author info:

Dannielle Wicks currently lives in the town of Kingaroy, Queensland in Australia. She is a TV show nerd and lover of cars. She has always had a love for writing, even in school. She used to hide her writing notebook inside her textbooks just so the teacher wouldn’t notice what she was up to. She loves reading, especially paranormal romance. When she’s not writing or working, she competes in Speedway Sedan Racing across the state.

Links:

Website

Facebook page 

Twitter - @DwicksAuthor

Goodreads

Tumblr

Instagram

Thanks for reading !

Hugs,

-J

Publisher: Unknown - 7:01 AM

Games: Risk of Rain Review

Risk of Rain is a rogue-like RPG dungeon crawling game made by Hopoo games and published by Chucklefish that gets quite hard the longer you play with its set of 12 characters (on the day I'm making this) that have unique skills. You'll be quite amazed by how you can be of help in multiplayer there is couch co-op, an online multi-player and a huge arrangement of items with special abilities.  You can play single player where the game gets quite hard. Me and my friends like playing this game with it having just 12 characters. It's quite fun and the game is continuous so you can play the game for like 7 hours. The enemies in the game are just like the final bosses from most RPG game.

It gets harder the longer you play and the game can be completed in just an hour so. You can just play it again and I would never forget about my favorite character in the game, Sniper. He is the only ranged character that has to reload but the most helpful character in the team [for me at least] and the hardest to master. The game is good, but is still getting updates by the developer so more stuff for you to enjoy if you like hard games. I definitely recommend this to you if you like Rogue-like games.

The game is Php319.95 on Steam and is one of my favorite games.

I'll rate this game 5/5 (12/12 Characters) Denkai aprroves

Buy it from: Steam

Publisher: Unknown - 9:34 PM

New Contributor: Denkai Aisato

Hello Everyone!

I'm very excited to announce that there will be another contributor in this blog. He is my real life younger brother and he will be writing about games and a few books. I thought it will be a great way to train him in writing English articles.

He wanted to introduce himself to your guys!

"Hello there
I, Denkai Aisato, will show you the amazing world of Gaming. I'm a new writer in this site and i hope
that you'll check out what I have instore for you guys. I would mostly write about indie games or games that have small communities. Sometimes I would post triple A games like Call of Duty or Final Fantasy. I will be showing you something different from the mainstream games that you see.
I will be showing you different game genres from multiplayer,rpg,retro,etc. On some occasions I will be posting about manga,manhwa and some other books. See you then!"

I just wanted to introduce him to you guys! More posts two come! I hope you'll support his posts as you have supported mine.

Here's a cake to celebrate!

Thanks for reading!

-J

Publisher: Unknown - 9:17 PM

BookTalk: Spoilers: Ravished by Ayden Morgen

Hey Everyone! 

I've recently been working on several "BookTalk" posts, and I decided I'll be publishing this one first. If you didn't know, this post will be something like a spoiler filled post. If you'd like a spoiler free post on this book, kindly check my general book review for it here: Book Review: Ravished by Ayden Morgen. I made BookTalk, because I wanted to talk about certain events in the book and share feelings I have for certain events that could spoil the book for other readers. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I received the ARC in part of a book tour, which is my last post, as you can see here: Book Tour: Ravished by Ayden Morgen Excerpt + Giveaway. If you haven't seen it, make sure to check it out first.

As part of the tour - 50% of all sales will be donated to the Love146 charity to end child trafficking and exploitation the first week of the tour. Then 10% to Love146 and 5% to a Woman's Shelter in the US from then on. I think this is a great cause! You wouldn't just get a nice book to read, but you'll also be able to help people out. 

Note: Mature content below. If you are not comfortable looking at such content, kindly check my other posts instead! Thanks!

RAVISHED (The Teplo Trilogy)

By: Ayden K. Morgen

Publication Date: 04/05/15

Genre: Erotic Romance/Suspense

Pages: 432    

Buy it here!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Synopsis:

"When Tristan Riley drags Lillian Maddox onto the dance floor at Teplo, he intends only to protect his cover… at least that's what he tells himself. But the lovely Lillian would tempt a saint, and Tristan is far from a gentleman. Beneath the bright lights of the Vetrov family's dangerous club, the weary DEA agent finds himself captivated by the ballerina, coaxing them both into a reckless, erotic encounter.

But Tristan isn't prepared for the intense connection between him and Lillian, or for the fallout of their tryst. In a matter of days, their lives careen wildly off course, catapulting them both into a deadly game of hide and seek with the Vetrov family and one of Mexico's deadliest drug cartels.

Trying to keep his hands to himself while working alongside Lillian to stop Anton Vetrov's deadly new drug proves almost impossible for Tristan, but what choice does he have when being with her might get her killed? He should know: his entire family was murdered by people just like Anton.

When the stakes are raised and innocent lives are lost, will Tristan be able to let go of the guilt, or will he destroy his chance at happiness with Lillian before it ever truly begins?"

Spoilers Below:

"Death, it seemed, didn't care if she regretted her choices or wanted to make amends"

Well, that was quite a prologue wasn't it? I thought it started out great because it already started with quite an action. It already had me asking who exactly is Kalani and Paulo? What will be their relevance in the story? 

I then find out Kalani is one of the many faces who is embedded into Tristan's mind as he tried to take down the ruthless Vetrov family. I felt so sorry for Tristan. The moment 

"Tristan wanted her to be the innocent, out of place woman she portrayed"

She was! I was furious at Tristan for what she did to Lillian. I think the thing that made me hurt for her most was how he implied that she deserved to get her leg broken. How could he say that? Even if she broke the guy's heart, she did not deserve getting her leg broken like that. I can't even imagine how much pain she went through because of it. I did not like Tristan one bit that time. The moment Jason was talking about how she had a file with a red flagged address, I just thought she couldn't be part of it. I thought the worst scenario was that she was a Vetrov herself. Stretched, but I cannot believe she's manipulating him. In the words of Zoe, Tristan, you stupid, stupid man. 

"Duty. Responsibility. Some days, he hated that either mattered much to him."

Yup! Tristan was a man of Duty and Responsibility. I thought it makes him a lot more manlier! It also makes him that much more dangerous [physically and emotionally] for Lillian. I love books where characters struggle so much for each other, and this book wasn't an exception. I loved the whole, 'Tristan didn't know what to do about Lillian' as much as I hated reading about how much pain they were in. If he was just any normal guy, I'd think he was too moody and complicated to be liked and even loved by the heroine, but the author makes him into this hero-like guy who has his priorities in life. Priorities that get in the way of his personal life! Gosh! 

"Zoe opened her mouth to argue and then shook her head and stomped off toward the kitchen muttering under her breath that if they killed each other, she wasn't cleaning it up. She'd just step over their bodies and go stay with her parents."

I just had to put this in here! I thought Zoe was adorable! They were in such a serious situation, but she makes me giggle because of her actions. I would love to read about her and Jason's story after the trilogy.

"But sometimes, the end justifies the means. They did what they had to do to keep people alive, and let the courts sort out the rest."

It does. There is always the exception to the rule. I thought these agents were good men. They try and keep people alive, even when those people are drug addicts. They are to be blamed for the choices they made, for using drugs, but their lives shouldn't be discarded because they made mistakes. 

"This was her life dammit, and she was done rearranging it because he was an ass"

"Tristan eyed the wall-to-wall shelves of books and DVDs, the uncomfortable looking furniture, the photographs spread across the wall, and saw nothing but her determination and persistence, and his own selfishness."

I really like Lillian. She is this strong beautiful woman who knows how to work hard to get what she wants. Unfortunately, she was part of a world that broke her dreams down. It was very true what she said about her world before. The people that surrounded her wanted fame or fortune. She just wanted to dance, but they spoke behind her back, or they talked badly about her. It happens in real life. I doubt it will ever change. People throw rocks at things that shine, as one of Taylor Swift's songs would say. 

"Duty. Responsibility. Lillian"

That done it! He is as some people would say, moody, egotistical, annoying, hot tempered, too secretive and a-pain-in-the-butt, but he is also caring, sensitive, scared man who has this terrible past. I can't even talk about how he might feel/think growing up after learning why his parents died. What I do know is that he loved Lillian. I know it. Jason knows it. Zoe knows it. He knows it. He can be very troublesome, but someone he keeps making up for it. They way he went back and forth with Lillian was annoying as hell, but it is forgotten or at least set aside when he starts describing how he feels about Lillian. 

"You do this shit because you feel like you have to do it. Because you were a thirteen-year-old kid and your parents were murdered. And that isn't your fucking fault, but you punish yourself anyway. You feel guilty because they were coming to get you or because you survived or who the fuck knows why you do this to yourself, but you drive yourself insane with this shit because you think that's what you deserve"

This is probably one of the things that made me feel sad for Tristan. He grew up doing the things he did, choosing the job he has because of what happened in his past. I understood why he's this hard-shell Lillian can't easily break open. He was hurt so much that his whole life revolved around that one tragedy... until he met her that is. 

I felt like the story was really good because they were caught up on exposing the Vetrov family and stopping the drugs they plan on shipping internationally, but like what I said in my general book review, it stalled a lot while they were trying to gain access to the storage room in Teplo. I felt like I just kept reading about Tristan and Lillian's intimate moments. I would have loved to get to read more action now. 

Also, I noticed how I never really got to read about Lillian's friends after she got home. They were so caring about her. They knew how much trouble she got into with Tristan. He broke her door! She was left crying and to top it all off, there was the talk with Jason in the hospital. I just felt like they were suddenly out of the story, even when they were like an important part in Lillian's life. I also thought I wasn't going to be able to read about Lillian's father. At least I feel like something more will go on involving him in the following books, 

Lastly, I got so excited about the sneak peak in the end. I felt like that was very important for me to want to read the next book as soon as possible. I've been waiting for Tristan to finally tell Lillian about his feelings. He was such an *ss when he made her go home and wait for him. I just feel like book 2 is going to be a lot better than the first one. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I feel like I'll get more action there [Vetrov vs Tristan?] or maybe because I'll be reading about Tristan's admission that he loves Lillian, I don't know. What I do know is, I hope the author finishes it soon because I'd like to read it. 

This was a 3.5 Star read!

Thanks for reading 

-J

Publisher: Unknown - 10:27 AM