Before she was the Queen of Hearts she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. </i>When Marissa Meyer finished writing <i>The Lunar Chronicles</i>, a series of books loosely based on fairytales, everyone wondered what she would do next. Continuing along the lines of using famous stories, Meyer has devoted an entire novel to Lewis Carroll’s <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i>. With thousands of references to the original tale, and a couple of other works too, Heartless is perfect for fans of Carroll’s salient characters.
Unlike most retellings, Meyer has focused on events prior to Alice’s accidental discovery of Wonderland. The resulting novel is essentially a theory as to how the characters turned out the way they did in the original story published in 1865. Drawing attention to the predestined Queen of Hearts, a young woman named Catherine, readers discover a reason for her development into an infamous villain.
Lady Catherine Pinkerton is completely unlike the character she is fated to be. She is a kind, thoughtful girl whose greatest wish is to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, this dream is just that, a dream. With the asinine King of Hearts resolved to marry her, there is little Cath can do to avoid her royal future. At first it may appear odd that Cath is so against marrying the ruler of Hearts, but she soon makes it clear she would much rather marry for love. So, when the court joker, Jest – a similar character to the legendary Hatter – catches her eye, Catherine becomes determined to control her own future.
<i>Heartless</i> is a humorous, yet romantic, young adult novel, full of both well-known and new characters. Set in a world with morals similar to the Victorian era, it works extremely well as a prequel to <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i>. Catherine is an admirable, feministic character who readers will struggle to believe will become such a notorious Queen. What could possibly happen to vastly alter her personality? Similarly, what is it that makes the Hatter go mad, and who is Jest? Being a character unique to this novel, there is a foreboding sense that this joker, and his poetry reciting raven – cue Edgar Allan Poe references – suffer a horrible demise.
Unlike Marissa Meyer’s previous books where the fairytales were not so obvious, the storyline in <i>Heartless</i> perfectly joins up with Lewis Carroll’s imagination. With references to mock turtles, the Jabberwock and other minor characters, there is so much to discover in Meyer’s interpretation of Wonderland – it even clears up a couple of scenarios from the original tale that may have bamboozled readers initially.
Admittedly, <i>Heartless</i> takes a little while to get going, but once it has, it is difficult to put down. Fans of Marissa Meyer may be disappointed that she did not stick to her futuristic storytelling, however all Alice enthusiasts will fall in love with this book – and probably with Jest as well. Overall, <i>Heartless</i> is a delightful book that reignites our inner childish imagination.

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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
May 24, 2017
Following the success of her debut novel, Nicola Yoon’s second book, The Sun is also a Star, has been highly anticipated amongst young adult readers. In twelve hours time, senior student, Natasha will be deported to Jamaica. Her family are undocumented immigrants and can no longer remain living in the United States. Despite her best efforts, Natasha has not succeeded in getting the courts to change their mind, and now there is barely any time left. Today is the last day before things change forever; little does she know how significant this day will be.
Only half the story is told from Natasha’s point of view. The remainder is narrated by Daniel, a Korean American whose parents’ high expectations have resulted in an interview with the prestigious university, Yale. With several hours to go, Daniel is wandering around New York when a chain of events leads him into saving Natasha’s life – literally. Instantly infatuated with Natasha, Daniel attempts to convince her that their meeting is fate. Yet, Natasha’s factual, scientific brain refuses to concede, leaving Daniel with less than 12 hours to convince her otherwise.
At heart, The Sun is also a Star, is a romance novel, however it contains so many other themes. Both characters are from immigrant families whose histories greatly impact on their current and future lives. Natasha’s father’s impractical dreams have lead to this disastrous consequence, whereas Daniel’s parents are adamant that he become a doctor and avoid the poverty they grew up with. Naturally, the teens are unhappy with the way their futures are being plotted; Natasha more so, however the poetry-loving Daniel wishes he could become who he wants to be rather than who he is told to be.
Although being deep thinkers, Natasha and Daniel are total opposites, yet something is pulling them together. Whether it is love or the simply the way the universe works, the character’s break all ethnic stereotypes as their relationship races from strangers to something much more intimate.
Nicola Yoon has experienced first hand growing up in both Jamaica and New York, therefore readers can assume that Natasha’s experiences are largely based on the author’s own – presumably not including the deportation. Society generally tends to assume all people from Jamaica or Korea fit into a certain box – liking certain music, academic success, wearing particular fashion – yet Daniel and Natasha prove otherwise.
Despite the narrative being condensed into one day in the life of these two characters, there is so much going on. Firstly there is the rushing around New York trying to get to appointments on time and so forth, however the content in between these scenes will keep the reader thinking for hours. Daniel’s poetical theories about love and Natasha’s scientific explanation about the universe will make you question your own philosophy about the world. Whether either or neither of them are correct, what they do prove is the difference a single day can make.
The Sun is also a Star has a similar vibe to novels by Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan and John Green – some of the top Young Adult authors of the current era. It is a story that will pull at your heartstrings while your logical brain refuses to see chance of a happy ending. With no way of guessing what the universe has in store, this book will keep you thoroughly engaged from beginning to end.

Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Following the success of her debut novel, Nicola Yoon’s second book, <i>The Sun is also a Star</i>, has been highly anticipated amongst young adult readers. In twelve hours time, senior student, Natasha will be deported to Jamaica. Her family are undocumented immigrants and can no longer remain living in the United States. Despite her best efforts, Natasha has not succeeded in getting the courts to change their mind, and now there is barely any time left. Today is the last day before things change forever; little does she know how significant this day will be.
Only half the story is told from Natasha’s point of view. The remainder is narrated by Daniel, a Korean American whose parents’ high expectations have resulted in an interview with the prestigious university, Yale. With several hours to go, Daniel is wandering around New York when a chain of events leads him into saving Natasha’s life – literally. Instantly infatuated with Natasha, Daniel attempts to convince her that their meeting is fate. Yet, Natasha’s factual, scientific brain refuses to concede, leaving Daniel with less than 12 hours to convince her otherwise.
At heart, <i>The Sun is also a Star</i>, is a romance novel, however it contains so many other themes. Both characters are from immigrant families whose histories greatly impact on their current and future lives. Natasha’s father’s impractical dreams have lead to this disastrous consequence, whereas Daniel’s parents are adamant that he become a doctor and avoid the poverty they grew up with. Naturally, the teens are unhappy with the way their futures are being plotted; Natasha more so, however the poetry-loving Daniel wishes he could become who he wants to be rather than who he is told to be.
Although being deep thinkers, Natasha and Daniel are total opposites, yet something is pulling them together. Whether it is love or the simply the way the universe works, the character’s break all ethnic stereotypes as their relationship races from strangers to something much more intimate.
Nicola Yoon has experienced first hand growing up in both Jamaica and New York, therefore readers can assume that Natasha’s experiences are largely based on the author’s own – presumably not including the deportation. Society generally tends to assume all people from Jamaica or Korea fit into a certain box – liking certain music, academic success, wearing particular fashion – yet Daniel and Natasha prove otherwise.
Despite the narrative being condensed into one day in the life of these two characters, there is so much going on. Firstly there is the rushing around New York trying to get to appointments on time and so forth, however the content in between these scenes will keep the reader thinking for hours. Daniel’s poetical theories about love and Natasha’s scientific explanation about the universe will make you question your own philosophy about the world. Whether either or neither of them are correct, what they do prove is the difference a single day can make.
<i>The Sun is also a Star</i> has a similar vibe to novels by Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan and John Green – some of the top Young Adult authors of the current era. It is a story that will pull at your heartstrings while your logical brain refuses to see chance of a happy ending. With no way of guessing what the universe has in store, this book will keep you thoroughly engaged from beginning to end.

Darren (1599 KP) rated 2:HRS (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: 2: Hrs starts as we meet teenage slacker Tim (Jarvis) who spends his time painting London with graffiti with his best friends Vic (Smith) and Alf (Fofana). While on the school trip to a museum, the three sneak off and interrupt a science conference being hosted by conman Groad (Allen) who has created a machine that can tell when the living object inside will die.
Tim goes in the machine only to learn that he only has 2 hours left to live, left shocked, Tim sets out a small bucket list of achievable targets and while the friends target these goals, they are being chased down by the people behind the experiment who want to research and make sure Tim dies on time.
Thoughts on 2: Hrs
Characters – Tim is a school slacker with a talent for graffiti, he has been acting out because of the death of his father, which has changed him, his friends see this and his rebellious ways puts his life in danger when he learns he only has 2 hours to leave from spending time in a machine which can perform a prediction of when someone will die. He must go through a life lesson as this film unfolds. Vic and Alf are the two supportive friends, that join him on the adventure, we don’t learn too much about them without giving away spoilers. Groad is the businessman/conman that is running the operation, he hides in his apartment with fake backdrops as he conducts meetings. He is always looking to create a good face story for any PR situation. We also have the younger sister Shona to Tim that wants to look up to him only to be left disappointed most of the time and the two bumbling idiots trying to catch the teenagers.
Performances – Harry Jarvis in the leading role does a very good job, we see how his character must change over the course of the film ad he shows us this in his performance. Ella-Rae Smith and Alhaji Fofana are both good in their supporting roles while Keith Allen gives us a good performance as the shady character we see behind the curtain about.
Story – The story follows three friends that decide to ditch a school trip and end up on there on adventure after being caught in the middle of an adventure when one of them learns they only have two hours to live. This does sound like a simple fun adventure family film, which it is, though it does have deeper meaning for Tim who must learn to life lessons in this time while dealing with his own personal tragedy after not doing so when it happened.
Family – This film keeps the films moments all around the family problems Tim is facing, it keeps everything PG even with jokes adults will understand.
Settings – The film is set around London, which is good because it shows how difficult losing a parent can be in the busy city and how easy it is to rebel.
Scene of the Movie – Poetry competition.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – That pet, what was that?
Final Thoughts – This is a family film that can be enjoyed by everyone, it has good laughs, a smart character development story and a nice adventure.
Overall: Family film for all to enjoy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/07/05/2-hrs-2018/

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Dreamstrider in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Every time the concept body invasion appears in a book, I regard it with absolute awe and creepiness (an odd combination, methinks).
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Have I mentioned I feel really disturbed over the idea of someone a dreamstrider having the ability to take control of your body and access to your thoughts while unconscious, even for a short period of time?
The concept, however, is uber-cool. Smith brings us to a fantasy world where using dreams in the form of espionage is completely acceptable as a dreamstrider, Livia works for the ministry, and she inhabits another persons body while they are asleep.
If I placed Livia in a character category, she would be right next to Alina Starkov from Leigh Bardugos <i>Grisha</i> trilogy. Over the course of the book, shes on the downside; on the plus side, it fits so well with Livias character and past. Livia lived her entire life as a tunneler, trying to survive day by day until she meets Professor Hesse, where she is introduced to her potential as a dreamstrider and the good she can do for the empire for her citizenship and freedom.
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Unlike Alina Starkov (Alina is too mopey over Mal, okay?), Livias mope is more realistic. She has big dreams and strives to achieve them, crushes over her best friend (its harder for males to be one of my best friends that circle is <em>elite</em>), secretly sweet, and insecure/cautious about many things.
But enough about Livia and how shes secretly awesome even though she will never <i>ever</i> admit it. I didnt feel very into <em>Dreamstrider</em> the passphrases in the Land of the Iron Winds are written in a very rhythmic style, but I didnt care too much aside from the fact it sounds poetic. But poetry and I dont get along, and this is why I will never read Ellen Hopkins. I have nothing against the author, though.
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Ellen Hopkins aside, dreaming is a big deal it plays a part in almost everything in the Barstadt Empire, but it felt more like a cultural thing (like Greek myths are to Greeks). Im taking it all in, but the whole dreaming thing? Its just there, and the only big deal seemed to be using dreaming in detective work and finding out information. The whole point of the book is really just Livia becoming more confident in not just herself, but her abilities. By the end of the book, I felt satisfied, but I just wanted more from the book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-dreamstrider-by-lindsay-smi/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

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