The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

From Goodreads:    After defeating the evil General Onox in Holodrum, Link returns to Hyrule. One day, Impa, Princess Zelda's attendant, asks Link to accompany her into the forest to find Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. But Veran, the evil Sorceress of Shadows, has possessed Impa in order to deceive Link. Veran then possesses Nayru and travels back to the past to kill one of Link's ancestors so that Link will never be born! Link once again battles across time to save Hyrule - and himself!









My Thoughts:

-    Most of the story is like a bad cartoon, but the ending is decent.

-    Why can't we get a Link that is like Raven? He was SO cool, and he was all dark and mysterious. I want a Link like that.

-    I think these mangas are geared towards kids, and I wish they were more YA or something. Zelda fans range in varying ages, and I wish these appealed to a wider audience. 

Previous Books in the Series:

  

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Goodreads Says:    After sealing Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, Link returns to the time when he was a boy. Peace has returned to Hyrule, but his old friend Navi is missing. While wandering the forest in search of Navi, he meets Skull Kid, who is wearing Majora's Mask, an artifact said to grant your wishes. The mischievous Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time from Link and turns Link into a Deku Nut!











My Thoughts:

-    I've never played Majora's Mask, and I think I'm okay if I pass.

-    This story was really weird, and the characters were weird.

-    The moon was super creepy. 

-    I liked how Link used masks to turn into different races. That would be fun to do in the video game. 

Previous Books in the Series:

 

Serendipity

My Thoughts:

-    For some reason, I haven't reviewed movies I've been watching. Sorry friends! I'll start to remedy that.

-    I sat down and was surfing Netflix, and I randomly decided to watch this movie. I knew nothing about it, but it had John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, so I said "What the heck?"

-    The movie was lame! Why do I even bother with chick flicks?

-    The whole movie is about the main characters looking for each other. They don't even interact that much. Ugh!

-    Jon and Sara's characters aren't that interesting.

-    Jon's best friend was the most interesting character. He was entertaining.

-    The music was weird, and never seemed to fit the moment.

-    John Cusack didn't age well. He was a lot cuter as a teenager, but his voice is awesome!

-    Kate Beckinsale is SO pretty!!

-    Overall, the movie was boring and nothing really happened. It was lame!

Princess in Love

Goodreads Says:    Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo may seem the luckiest girl ever. She's a princess, for starters. She also lives in New York City. And while she's no supermodel, mirrors do not crack at her reflection. Best of all, she finally has a boyfriend.

The truth is, however, that Mia spends all her time doing one of three things: preparing for her nerve-racking entree into Genovian society under the slave-driving but elegant Grandmere, slogging through congestion unique to Manhattan in December, and avoiding further smooches from her hapless boyfriend, Kenny.

All she wants is a little peace and quiet...and a certain someone else to be her boyfriend. For Mia, being a princess in love is not the fairy tale it's supposed to be...or is it?

My Thoughts:

-    Is Mia going to grow/mature anytime soon? Or at least have some character development? I've read this series before, but it has been a while, and I remember being this annoyed with Mia. I guess not a lot of time has passed. It has only been a couple months in the timeline. 

-    It really bugs me that Mia is more concerned about stupid teenager stuff than her introduction to the Genovian people. Her priorities are all messed up. She needs to take a step back and look at the big picture. I wish the book had more of Mia training to be a princess.

-    I'm SO tired of Mia worrying about "self-actualization" for herself and everyone else. 

-    Lilly is a lame friend. She is very critical and doesn't seem to care about anyone but herself. Tina is a WAY better friend and a lot more supportive. Mia can actually talk to Tina and be open with her.

-    I do have to admit that I like the Mia/Michael relationship. Michael is hot. . .at least he is in my head.

-    I kinda feel bad for Kenny. He seems like a really nice guy, and Mia shouldn't have encouraged him like she did. 

Previous Book in The Princess Diaries Series:

(covers are linked)

 

Princess in the Spotlight

From Goodreads:    Just when Mia thought she had the whole Princess thing under control ...

Things get out of hand, fast:

Since Mia's the brand-new crown princess of Genovia, indomitable dowager princess Grandmere arranges a national primetime interview for her. With just a few innocent remarks, Mia manages to enrage her best friend Lilly, practically get one of her teachers fired, and alienate the entire country of Genovia. (Population 50,000, but still!)

There's the havoc of the interview's aftermath and her dreaded princess lessons at the Plaza. Plus an unexpected announcement from her mother, and intriguing, exasperating letters from a secret admirer. Mia is swept up in a whirlwind of royal intrigue the likes of which hasn't been seen since volume I of The Princess Diaries.

What's an heir to the royal throne to do?

My Thoughts:

-    Mia is still a spaz and still obsesses over EVERYTHING!

-    Mia's mom is a basket case. Does she ever do any actual parenting? I feel like Mia takes care of their apartment and lives more than Helen.

-    I do enjoy all the pop culture references. They are one of my favorite things about these books. 

-    Donald Trump is EVERYWHERE!! No one can escape him, even in a 15 year old book!

-    I still don't like Lilly, and I'm not sure about everyone else. 

Previous Book in The Princess Diaries Series:

(covers are linked)

A Step from Heaven

Goodreads Says:    When Young Ju is four years old, she learns that her family is leaving their small fishing village in Korea to live in Mi Gook. Young Ju has heard enough about Mi Gook to be sure the place they are moving to is paradise, that she and her family are going to heaven.

After flying through the sky for a long time, Young Ju finds out that Mi Gook is actually a regular earthly place called America. And it doesn't feel at all like heaven. A STEP FROM HEAVEN follows Young's life from the age of 4 all the way up until she is ready for college, as we watch her change from a hopeful girl into a hardened young adult.

My Thoughts:

-    Feel free to grab your torches and pitchforks for my opinions, but remember they are just my opinions and I don't expect anyone to feel the same. 

-    Even though I am Korean, I have never been on the diverse books bandwagon. Honestly, I don't think it matters. If Katniss had been black, Indian, Asian, or of any other race, it would not have changed who she was or what she had to do. A lot of readers picture different looking characters in their head anyway. Why should it matter what race a character is? One of the joys of reading is that your imagination takes over and you create what the characters look like to you. I don't think the way to get rid of racism is to point it out and make race obvious. Personally, I wish people just didn't notice. I love being Korean, and I am very proud of the way I look and where I came from, but I don't always enjoy it when people blatantly point it out. Aren't we all different and unique?

-    After reading this book, I understand why we need diverse books a little better. Yes, it was nice to read about a little Korean girl. I couldn't sympathize with everything, but I did love reading about the things I could relate to, like the impossible to deal with Korean hair. And yes, because this character was Korean, I felt for her a lot.

-    But again, her situation and story could have happened to ANYONE! Any race of child could have moved to a strange country, had an abusive alcoholic father, and dealt with a lot of the things she had to deal with. This story is not exclusive to Koreans, but to many children. 

-    I liked the use of the Korean language and how things were phonetically spelled.

-    I really felt for Young Ju. Her parents were confusing, and this is a beautiful story of how she finds herself.

-    I loved the way the book was written. It was poetic and lovely, and I liked how it portrayed the struggles of immigrating to a new country.

Ghost Circles

From Goodreads:    Natural disaster and supernatural evil collide in the seventh volume of the epic BONE series.

A long-dormant volcano explodes, blacking out the sun, mowing down trees, and filling the land with soot and ash. The Lord of the Locusts has been released. Against this apocalyptic backdrop, the Bone cousins along with Thorn and Gran'ma Ben struggle to reach safe haven in the city of Atheia.

Meanwhile, Lucius Downs lies severely wounded and trapped with the villagers in the camp at Old Man's Cave.

My Thoughts:

-    I shouldn't have taken a break in between books. I don't remember what happened very well.

-    Through all the doom and gloom, there is still humor, and the humor is what makes these books enjoyable. 

-    How does Thorn know so much all of a sudden? All of a sudden she has mystic powers and knows what is going on?

-    Barttleby is back!! Yay!

-    The story has turned darker. The Bone cousins keep some things light, but the story is darker.

-    I'm still not understanding everything, but I'm hoping it comes together at the end.

Previous Bone Books

(click covers to see my thoughts)

  
  

Fruits Basket: Volume 7

Goodreads Bit:    Tohru and company have been having a lot more fun ever since Kisa came to visit. Now it's time for Tohru to meet another member of the Zodiac-the skillfully sarcastic grade-school student, Hiro! One way or another, this tyke will have to deal with his resentment of Tohru and his affection for Kisa. Where will he find the answers? In the fabulous 7th volume of the super-popular Fruits Basket, of course!










My Thoughts:

-    Hiro is a jerk! He really bugs me! I just want to smack him!

-    Almost the whole book was about Uotani's past. While it was interesting, I really wish the main story would pick up! What is the conflict here!?!?

-    Yuki's fan club needs to die! I can't believe there are whole chapters just about them. What a waste.

The Previous 6 Volumes:

(click on the cover to see my thoughts)

  

  

The Musketeer

My Thoughts:

-    The opening credit part was bad.  It looks really fuzzy and terrible.

-    Why do the French musketeers have English accents?

-    The acting is terrible!!  The dialogue didn't help either.  It was pretty bad.

-    I don't like that the musketeers were portrayed as drunks and slobs.

-    The scenery, costumes, and props were the best part about the movie.  The cardinal had some major candlesticks!

-    Some of the stunts were really cool, but SO out of place.  I kept wondering if this was a musketeer movie or a Jackie Chan movie.  

-    One of the songs is a Superman ripoff!  It plays during the end of the movie and during the end credits.  It is the Superman Theme!!

-    The final battle rain...was LAME!!  The rain kept getting turned on and off, and in some parts, it looked really bad.  

-    The overall movie was pretty cheesy, and not the good kind of cheese.

-    The Disney live action version is much MUCH better.  I recommend watching that instead of this.