Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia By: Cindy Pon

Title: Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia
Author: Cindy Pon
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 338
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Geared Towards: Teens

"She eased the courtyard door open and stepped into the silent alley. She dared not look back; Ai Ling walked as fast as she could toward the moonlight. And away from everything she had ever known and loved."

Summary (From Front Flap): No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved-despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family-to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banashed to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Someting terrifying-a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her jouney to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard...she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help...and perhaps more.

Wdebo's Review: FINALLY, a book set in Chinese culture!! When Silver Phoenix first started circling through the blogosphere, I was way excited to read it, and when I saw it in my library shelf I freaked out, I was so happy, when I started it, it was actually very very good, it was quite a good read. Though there was some awakward parts in the writing, it was still pretty smooth for the most part, and a good read.

At first, since I didn't read the summary or anything, when there suddenly was magic all over the place, that surprised me, I thought it was just about a girl running away from a creepy 60 year old man who wanted to wed her, so the talk to magic and monsters was surprising, but after a while I got into it, and it just seemed to suck you in. There is always something about Chinese monsters and fairytales, I remember growing up and hearing all these stories and they were just so...I don't know how to say this...but the more you hear the more you want to hear, the danger in all the stories and excitment is just awesome-ness.

Ai Ling is a very great character, she is a very strong character, she fought for what she believed it and didn't just take it all, and not do anything about it, like many women were expected to do in China during that time. And Chen Yong is a great male character...I was hoping for a bit of romance between them, there was some like just a light sprinkle on the surface, but I guess if there was a giant amount of love between them, that would just ruin the mood that the story was trying to convey.

Cafe Cover Chat: As most of those who read my blog know, I am an ABC (American Born Chinese) so I am always a big supporter of seeing Chinese people on the cover of books, as happy making as it was to see an asian model on the cover, it pissed me off that the cover doesn't covey a very chinese-y sense to it, just because you photoshop a few dragons onto the background does not instantly make it Chinese! (B-)

All in all, a very good story, with a very strong heronie, with the mystical-ness of a Chinese Fairy.

Grade: B+

Wdebo :)

Salem Falls By: Jodi Picoult

Title: Salem Falls
Author: Jodi Picoult
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 434
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Release Date: August 6, 2002
Geared Towards: Adults

"Jack came to Salem Falls, expecting to turn over a new leaf...but was seen as a stain on community. People waited for him to make a mistake that might lead to his exile."

Summary (From Booklist): When Jack St. Bride arrives in the small town of Salem Falls, all he wants is to escape his past. He's spent the last eight months in jail, after being falsely accused of having an affair with an underage student at the school where he taught. In Salem Falls, he gets a job as a dishwasher at a local diner and tentatively begins a romance with the diner's owner, Addie, who is still mourning the death of her young daughter, born after Addie was raped in high school by three drunk boys. As she and Jack fall in love, they both see hope for the future. But their newfound love is threatened when the residents of Salem Falls learn of Jack's conviction and begin harassing him. When, predictably, a teenage girl accuses Jack of raping her, he finds himself back in jail, fighting a serious charge and the town's prejudice. Addie wrestles with her doubts and memories of her own rape, but she believes in Jack and goes on a quest of her own to find out the truth about Jack's initial conviction, even as the Salem Falls trial opens. Unfortunately, the novel spirals down into cliche, toward an all-too-predictable ending.


Wdebo's Review: Yes, like the Booklist person said (A side note-I've been very busy so I wasn't able to write a summary...very sorry) the ending was perdictable, but it was nice. Even though, like all Jodi Picoult books there are slow parts that are just way too slow that make you just want to skip it or just chuck the book to the ground but there still are some very good parts.

The story centers around rape, but it is like a modern day Crucible/Salem Witch Trial. I finished reading The Cruicible right before I read Salem Falls, and I was like, oh wow, this is just perfect. The irony of the whole thing is that in Salem Falls it is the witches that are starting the crying out, instead of well, against the witches, and I seriously hated them still.

I felt horrible for Jack during the whole book, he's so unlucky, seriously....

Cafe Cover Chat: The cover is like all the other Jodi Picoult covers, I like the newer one more, which you can see HERE. Except the dress pants of the model is very weird...(B-)

All in all, a good Jodi Picoult book, not the best of all her works but it's still good.

Grade: B+

Wdebo :)

Contest: Night World #1 and Night World Fan Guide

Now, through the Vampire Diaries (Which, I still need to read) craze...has come Night World. And what do I have for my lovely blog readers? Well, just five copies of the first Night World and five of the Fan guide...so let's see that's...ten winners!! :)

Yeah, exciting huh? I'm really want to read these books!! So, here is a brief description about each one...

Night World No. 1: Secret Vampire; Daughters of Darkness; Spellbinder
Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend. Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

Night World: The Ultimate Fan Guide

You loved Secret Vampire and are counting down to the Strange Fate apocalypse. But who was the first made vampire? How do you properly greet a witch? And why are shapeshifters and werewolves rivals? Prepare to test your Night World knowledge with trivia questions from all nine books; get the inside information about the clans, the soulmate principle, Circle Daybreak, and the four Wild Powers; and take two quizzes to find out how you fit into the Night World.

Best of all, L.J. Smith shares her inspiration for the series, answers the questions you've been asking, and even reveals fun facts about herself in this official guide. Plus, look for the sneak peek at the dramatic conclusion to the series, Strange Fate!

Doesn't that just sound great?

If you want to check out the trailer just click HERE!

And join the Facebook page HERE!

Not gonna do a question this time, so all you have to do to enter is comment!

Contest will end...December 24 (A month!)

For extra entrees all you have to do is....

+1 Becoming follower

+2 Already being a follower

+1 Adding this contest to your sidebar/blogging about it/facebooking it..etc. etc. anything publicity related just send me the link :D-You can have one for each thing you do just send the link

+1 Adding me to your blogroll (Or if you already have b4 that's ok too!)

+1 Following me at Twitter (there is a "follow me" button on the side)

+2 Get creative!! Make a button, or anything artisy/creative for this book and/or contest! Then send me the link~I want to see! :D

Please remember to add contact info!!!

Good luck!

Wdebo :)

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to hold this contest for them~

I Really Like You-Fahrenheit

-English Subbed-

I love this song!! Mainly because it was the insert songs for Hana Kimi (My first Taiwanese Drama) + First Fahrenheit song...but anyways...enjoy!! It's adorable. Love Fahrenheit!

Hope you enjoy! And please comment!

Wdebo :)

Random Entertainment Clips (14)

-English Subbed-

This episode is classic! Haha I love it!! Both Kahlil and Jam are both AMAZING musicians. And of course Show is hillarious, and Butterfly Jie Jie and Show are cute together!

Enjoy...

Part 1 (Haha Music )



Part 2 (And Butterfly Jie Jie's english...lol XD)



Part 3



Part 4 (Their duet is REALLY good!-And it's in english too :) )



Part 5 (Awesome magic trick!)



Hope you enjoy and please comment!

I did not sub any of this~

Wdebo :)

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Ok, it has been a very long time since my last WOW post but here it is!!

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine~

This week's book is...

Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw

Summary: “Evangeline,” he repeated, calling at a whisper. “Evangeline.” He was not calling that she may hear, he was calling that somehow her soul might know that he was devoted entirely to her, only to her. “Evangeline, I will find you.”

Eva and Gabe explore the golden forest of their seaside Maine town, unknowingly tracing the footsteps of two teens, Evangeline and Gabriel, who once lived in the idyllic wooded village of Acadia more than one hundred years ago. On the day that Evangeline and Gabriel were be wed, their village was attacked and the two were separated. And now in the present, Gabe has mysteriously disappeared from Eva.

A dreamlike, loose retelling of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous love poem “Evangeline,” Anxious Hearts tells an epic tale of unrequited love and the hope that true love can be reunited.

Why I Want to Read This: Love retellings...there is just something wonderfully beautiful about them...and a fairy tale like story is always enjoyed. And might I say that the cover looks beautiful! Except the model's mouth is weird. I don't know if I can wait till May!!

Release Date: May 1, 2010

What are you waiting for?

Wdebo :)

Momo Love

Title: Momo Love
Chinese Title: 桃花小妹/Tao Hua Xiao Mei
Amount of Episodes: 13
Theme Song: What If I Fall In Love With You? By: Cyndi Wang (Love this song!)
Ending Song: Very Quiet By: Fahrenheit
Starring: Jiro Wang (Fahrenheit) as Shi Lang, Cyndi Wang as Tao Hua, Calven Chen (Fahrenheit) as Xue Zhi Qiang, Ken Zhu (F4) as Qi Ge, Lan Jun Tian as Cheng Ge, Ding Chun Cheng as Zhaun Ge, Godfrey Gao as He Ge and Jing Wong as Yun Yi.
Adapted From: Japanese anime Momoka Typhoon
Reccomended For: Teenage Viewers

Summary: Cheng Tao Hua (Cyndi Wang) is the youngest of five brothers. After the fourth brother, her parents were trying hard to have a daughter...and were disappointed to see another son, Yun Yi (Jing Wong) staring back at them. So when they finally got Tao Hua, they were over the moon with happiness.

Tao Hua's brothers always pampered her and sheltered her so much that everytime a boy confessed to her, they would beat him up and make sure he didn't see Tao Hua again. The real test came when Shi Lang (Jiro Wang) comes and makes Tao Hua go ga-ga over him (How can you not? I mean Jiro!!) The brothers don't know what to do, do they beat up Jiro (but he hasn't done anything) or do they wait it out and see what happens between Tao Hua and Shi Lang?

Episode 1 Part 1 (Sorry no eng sub...but I'm sure you can find it on Google)



Wdebo's Review: From the opening song...I fell in love with this drama. (I love the opening song...so kawaii!) The drama is adorable...and has this calm in it that just makes for great viewing!

And also Jiro is very very hawt...(He looks good in his new haircut), so it does make the drama better. And the dog in the drama is sooo cute!! And must I say that I just love all the characters especially Yun Yi...I feel so bad for him tho...he is always left out!

Ok, so that is defidently not the longest review ever...but there's only been 4 episodes out...so I'm sorry :)

Grade: A

Wdebo :)

****************

Other dramas Jiro is in....

It Started With a Kiss [Click HERE for review]
Rolling Love [Cute! Currently on episode 7, I like it!]
Hana Kimi [Click HERE for review]

****************

Other drama(s) Cyndi is in...

Smiling Pasta [Click HERE for review]

My Accompany (Wo De Yi Lai)-Jolin Tsai

I love this song!! Jolin sounds very good...she can sing really well even when she's not doing her dance songs.

But, I'm really not sure what the title means, it's just like the one I can count on...my rock. Haha I suck at translating from Chinese to English.

Anyways...hope you enjoy! Such a beautiful song...and the MV is sweet...and the guy in the MV is very CUTE (His name's Jason I think)

Click HERE for Jolin's TTS

Hope you enjoy! And please comment!!

Wdebo :)

Mercy By: Jodi Picoult

Title: Mercy
Author: Jodi Picoult
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 400
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Release Date: April 3, 2001
Geared Towards: Adults
About (New Feature-for Jodi Picoult Books!) : Mercy Killing

"He wondered how he could have been so blinded by something shiny and new and elusive that he couldn't at least give equal credit for the strength of something stable, and strong, and his."

Summary: Cameron McDonald is the police chief of the small Massachusetts town, Wheelock. Nothing really ever happens in this small sleepy town, until one day, Cameron's cousin, Jamie, rushes in to confess that he has killed his wife.


Jamie MacDonald and his wife Maggie were madly in love, everyday was their honeymoon until Maggie was diagnosed with breast cancer which swiftly spread into her bones then crept into her brain. Maggie, drowning in pain, begged her husband to kill her, because his immense love for his wife, Jamie complied.


Cameron's wife, Allie, is one of those wives that loves her husband more then he loves her. She puts him on a pedalstool, idolizing him. She is a rock next to her husband...something that is always there for Cameron, Cameron has never thought much of their love, until one day, a beautiful stranger appears and shatters their love connection forever.


Wdebo's Review: Yeah for Jodi Picoult! I love Jodi Picoult books, even though there are some that you just have such high expectations for that sometimes they just disappoint you because of the high expectations you have. I thought Mercy was going to be one of those books, it started out slow, it was hard to get into, and I just wanted to set it down as soon as I could. However, after a bit it started to pick up pace, and got more and more interesting until it became a classic Jodi Picoult page turner.


As usual, the writing is highly addictive, it's amazing how Jodi Picoult is able to pick a controversial issue and turn it into an addictive read. I remember a few years back in my town where there was a family that pulled the plug on their daughter that had been in a coma for a few years and there was just a huge uproar over it...I thought of that a lot while reading Mercy.


I really hated Cameron (I can't find a nicer way to say it). He was an egotistical, arrogant jerk. I couldn't sympathize at all with him, even when he was all borken and sad at the end, I just wanted to laugh at him and say Ha! You got what you deserved! On the other hand, ugh, Allie annoyed me with her meekness. You can say I didn't like their whole family :P


Cafe Cover Chat: Hm, defidently not my favorite Jodi Picoult cover, but it's ok. (B-)


All in all, another wonderful read from the amazing Jodi Picoult! Sure to get you wondering bout what you would truely do for love.


Grade: B+


Wdebo :)

Bad Girls Don't Die By: Katie Alender

Title: Bad Girls Don't Die
Author: Katie Alender
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 346
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Release Date: April 21, 2009
Geared Towards: Teens

"I go closer, and walk around her to see her eyes. They are wide open. A trickle of blood drips from the side of her gaping lips.

She is dead.

Next to her is the precious doll, whose hair is still clutched in Sarah's hand.

I step closer-

And suddenly the doll's eyes pop open, bright green and glowing."

Summary (From Front Flap): Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence; dysfunctional like her parents' marriage, her doll-crazy, thirteen-year-old, Kasey; and even her own antisocial, anti-cheerleader attitude.

When a family argument results in tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunctional to dangerous. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green; she uses odd, old-fashioned language-and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her weird behavior. Their old house is changing too. Doors open and close by themselves, water boils on the unlit stove, and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough for the girls to see their breath.

Alexis wants to believe it's all in her head, until these seemingly harmless occurrences become life-threatening-to her, to her family, and to her budding relationship with the student concil vice president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey; but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

Wdebo's Review: Wonderful, wonderful debut novel by Katie Alender. It seems to have this learned, experienced nature that many debut novels don't posses. Katie's writing flows well and grabs your attention from the get go. Bad Girls Don't Die is a fantastic novel that scared the hell out of me, mainly because of the whole mention of dolls. Seriously, if it was about a haunted cat it probably wouldn't have scared me as much as a story about a haunted doll.

The only thing that I didn't like about the book, was how, in the close to ending, everything just swirled around really fast and was hard to get a grip upon, it seemed that everything before was written very slow mo then suddenly we get to that part and everything is speed up. I think she should have taken some more time to describe what was happening to match the tempo of the rest of the story. Also, some parts just seemed like a badly acted out children's theatere, how a lot of things just seemed to be conveniently there to help.

But I loved the ending, it was seriously adorable...and just a totally diffrent mood then the rest of the story...which in other books would annoy and piss me off, but in her's it just seemed to work.

Carter is seriously so wonderfully adorable. I love him!! He is so sweet and cute...except a bit slow, if I do say so myself.

Cafe Cover Chat: The cover is very haunting and scary like the book, except would a possesed person really take that much time to paint their toes dark red? (B)

All in all, a wonderful debut novel that is a sure need to be read! And a total page turner...for those who like a little mystery, scary story, this is the book for you!

Grade: A-

Wdebo :)

Reflection (Mulan)-Chinese

So, I've been rewatching Mulan...and I overly love all the songs!! XD My fav has to be I'll Make a Man Out of You, but I do really love Reflection....and here is Coco Lee's version...her voice is amazing....and she looks so pretty!

So, this isn't the actual MV, because they won't let me embedd it...but if you, the real MV is HERE. This is just the song with clips from Mulan...but enjoy!

Hope you enjoy! And please comment!

Wdebo :)

Kahlil Fong (方大同)

Ok, it has seriously been AGES since my last TTS post...so here I am...with another ABC (American Born Chinese) to share with you all..woohoo!![I just had to add this picture...just because it looks cool :) ]

So, first a little info on Kahlil.

Born in: Hawaii...Moved to Shanghai when he was 6

He Speaks: English, Mandarin, Shanghainesse, Hawaiian Pidgen English, and Cantonesse
Born: July 14, 1983 (Age 26)

The thing I like most about Kahlil, is he doesn't just go with the whole "look" of Taiwanese idols...he has so much talent he doesn't need that, not like a lot of the Taiwanese idols...who only have their looks and not an ounce of talent in them.

Anyways...onto the music....

Kahlil has SUCH a soulful voice...it's AMAZING!!

Here's his cover of Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You By: George Benson (It's in English!)..and it doens't hurt that it's a simple song...and fun to sing to :D The MV is pretty ugh...but the song is awesome.

And 紅豆 (Red Bean)-Very nice song by him

Hope you enjoy! And support Kahlil! And please comment!

Wdebo :)

How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation By: Simone Elkeles

Title: How To Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation
Author: Simone Elkeles
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 257
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: November 1, 2009
Geared Towards: Teens
Extra Info: This is the third book in the How To Ruin series.
From: Thanks to Flux for sending me a review copy!

"God, take care of him, I pray silently. Because he's my past, and my future"

Summary (From B.O.B):

Guess who's jetting off to

the Holy Land this summer!

Yes, it's me-Amy Nelson-Barak. I've volunteered for ten days of military training in Isreal with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a "fun" summer experience. Okay, so I didn't sign up to probe I'm not a princess stationed at the same base.

Too bad nobody told me:

~It's hot in the Negev desert...like, so hot your makeup melts off and you get under-boob sweat spots.

~You can't sleep in until 11 AM

~You shouldn't kill bees with your flatiron-don't ask.

~Peeing in a hole isn't easy (when you're a girl)-double don't ask.

When I find out our team leader is my boyfriend Avi, I'm totally psyched...until I learn he has to treat me like all the other recruits. Can you say OY VEY!

Wdebo's Review: Oh. My. God. I absolutely ADORE the How to Ruin series...they are just so easy to relate to (the teenage sarcastic voice part not the dating-a-hot-Isreali-soldier-and-being-part-Isreali-myself part). Amy is such a great character...her voice is funny and just seems to voice everything that a teenager would actually think.

I absolutely love her storyline and writing, the writing is very simple but just so addictive...it just pulls you in and makes you want to read until the very end to see what kind of shananigins (lol-love that word) Amy can get herself into...and the total heart pounding romance she gets with Avi. Except the first page is kinda cheesy...the "Hi My name is..." is very Junie B. Jones...but I guess it does help you get into the story again. The How to Ruin series just seems to get better and better with every passing book.

Fav character? Avi def! OMG he's like the perfect guy in the whole world. He's perfect because of his imperfections...(Too perfect people are weird and kinda scary...that just makes them unperfect?) he has problems too, but he's a) hot b) a soldier c) very romantic and just seems like the perfect guy except for the small *Spoiler Alert!* he kissed another girl more then three times! Gasp *Spoiler ended* but apart from that I wouldn't mind having my own Avi next to me :)

Cafe Cover Chat: I like the cover a lot it's very simple and the white and pink lettering contrast nicely..and I really like the curly font it's pretty. (B+)

All in all, all How to Ruin lovers will not be disappointed...such a great story. And for those who haven't discovered the How to Ruin series yet...go out and get the first one (list of titles on the bottom), I hope you enjoy!

Grade: A-

Wdebo :)

********

Books in the How to Ruin series...

1. How to Ruin My Summer Vacation [Click HERE for review]
2. How to Ruin My Teenage Life [Click HERE for review]
3. How to Ruin Your Boyfriends Reputation