Top Ten Tuesday|| Top Ten Reasons I Love Once Upon A Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that other bloggers are welcome to join in, to create Top Ten lists on varying topics. This week it's Top Ten Reasons I Like X

I loved the thought of kind of having a freebee. That is until I actually sat down to think about what I would do. This topic was actually really hard because I have so many things that I would love to rant about to you. Like reasons why I like a particular book series. I finally decided to do this on Top Ten Reasons I Love Once Upon A Time because this is my all-time favorite TV show. 

1 The Characters

The characters that make up this show are all wonderful. They all have strengths and they all have flaws. They are so expertly crafted and depicted. Of course, this is a TV show where the characters are all from fairytales but they have such amazing twists to their personalities which makes them so original. The bad guys, aren't always totally bad or incapable of redemption. They also aren't ugly or depicted as such. In fact, some of the bad characters are the loveliest and they are all so complex. Our evil characters all have things that make them completely human--Mr. Gold loves Belle so much, Regina loves her adopted son and Maleficent loves her daughter and hopes that she will have a better life and be a better person. The good characters have flaws--Snow couldn't keep a secret, and Emma has a horrible trust issue. 

I became so invested in these characters and I feel what they feel and cry if something happens to them. You learn that some of the bad characters just do what they do because of their childhood and they want redemption. And then you have the bad characters who are just plain evil and nothing will change their mind even though you terribly want them too.  I've gone to hell and back with these characters and I love them so so much!

 

2 The Sass and Dialogue

This book has a ton of sass. Regina is the master of sass and then you have Pan who was just reeking with it. The sass makes the show so much better, it just provides comic relief from some of the events that are happening around them. All dialogue is also beautifully done. As well as the timing of the dialogue. For instance, we can't have two characters say "I love you" to each other unless something horrible is about to happen to tear them apart. The timing of the dialogue is everything in this show. Plus, some of the dialogue is amazing and so wonderfully thought up. Some of my favorite lines of all time are in this show. 

3 It's Hilarious

Humor is a must for a angst filled show and that is exactly what happens with this show. This show has so many funny lines and funny tidbits that help you get through the angst filled episodes. Trust me, there's a ton of those. 

4  It Tears Your Heart Out

I know this might seem horrible to you but sadness and angst is what makes a show addicting.  If nothing happened, would you want to watch TV shows? I wouldn't. We live for these moments whether we'd like to admit it or not. This show has a lot of heartbreaking moments and they are what keeps the story/show going. They are all positively tear-jerking and you just want the show to resolve already but you keep watching because you just can't stop.

5 The Costumes

The costumes that these characters/actors wear are gorgeous. I love the girls costumes but Hook's outfit is pretty nice too. Regina Mills has some of the best outfits ever. I shall put a couple up above because they are all so amazing and nice to look at.  I feel like the costume a character wears show a bit of their personality which is the case with this show so I naturally love the costumes. 

6 The Friendships/Family Relationships

I love the friendships in this show. Friendships are so important in shows and a good strong friendship, makes me so happy. There are a couple strong friendships in this show such as Emma and Regina. They didn't use to be friends. In fact, they used to hate each other but now they have a strong friendship and I don't know what would happen if this didn't exist. The show would probably be a mess. There are also friendships that aren't just two people. Basically the six or so main characters all have a strong 'friendship' and are very good at teamwork which helps a lot. 

The family relationships are also super strong. There is the bond between Emma and her parents as well as the bond between Henry and his adopted mother and actual mother. These relationships didn't just happen. Emma didn't know her parents until she was twenty-eight years old so it took a little while for her to get used to all of it. Henry also didn't know his real mother until he was around eleven. But the relationships between family members are a huge part of this show and help move it forward. 

 

7 The Ships/Romance

Ahh...romance.  This show has a lot of it. And it also has you wanting two characters to get together for seasons on end and when they finally get together, it's heaven.  *cough cough Captain Swan cough cough* Basically, my OTP is in this show. Well besides Stydia because, let's face it, I have like twenty OTPs. It's a thing. 

The romance is cute, angst filled and beautiful. Most of the relationships in this show are beautiful and you just want them to be together forever and ever but that isn't always the case. The last season had a ton of angst and sadness for certain couples and ships were crashing and burning everywhere. It was a nightmare though the season was amazing!  

8 They incorporate fairytales/fairytale characters into the real world, perfectly.

When This show is basically a twist on all the fairytales you know and love. They introduce new fairytales and fairytale characters/villains every season. We've had amazing, unique stories for them. This show incorporates the characters into the modern/real world so well, that it's almost like they've been here their entire existance. This is one of the reasons this show is amazing. They also have a few characters from the modern/real world and they have relationships with fairytale characters and it's all so beautiful

 

9 Strong Female Characters

The amount of strong female characters in this show is endless. There are so so many, that is hard to count.  We have Emma Swan who is such a badass, Regina Mills aka The Evil Queen and her skills with magic are amazing, Red from Little Red Riding Hood who is actually a wolf, Snow White who is badass with a bow and arrow, and many many more. I love the female characters in this show because they are all strong, both in mind and body. The girls literally rule this show. 

10 The Level of Hotness

When Most of the characters are generally good-looking but let's talk about some of the guys here. For example, Killian Jones aka Captain Hook. He is so attractive and he's a pirate. Come on guys. Don't you feel me here. Then we have Peter Pan. Peter Pan is supposed to be a young kid right? Well, in this show he is a very attractive teenager and I'm sorry, if you don't find him attractive, I don't know why I'm talking to you. JK, you can think whatever you want. And we also have Sheriff Graham who is also super attractive but he was sadly only in the first season. Lastly, we have Jefferson aka The Mad Hatter. Okay, Jefferson is played by Sebastian Stan who also plays Bucky Barnes, and everyone likes him. I loved Jefferson. He was creepy but so good-looking and sweet. 

That is it. This is technically last week's post but I had to post it today because I didn't finish it last week. And can you tell, I have an obsession with this show?

Music Monday #17

I got this idea from the blog Trust in the Words. 

Mustang Kids by Zella Day ft. Baby E

It was such a struggle, trying to figure out what song to use for this post. I have so many songs I could have featured but then I remembered that this song's video came out this week and I am obsessed with the song. I love Zella Day. Her song: Hypnotic is one of my favorites. 

What's in your headphones?

Happy reading everybody! <3

JUNE BOOKS ON MY SHELF!

June Books on my Shelf!

I got this idea to call it Books on my Shelf from http://cornucopiaofreviews.blogspot.com/

Today I am going to be doing my June To Be Read (TBR). This TBR is actually much longer than I intended but I figured since exams are next week and then I'm done, I can get a lot of reading done. I have already read two books on this list and I am going to see if I can get another two done this week. Now, let's get into my TBR.

The first book I have on this list is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I finished this book last week and let me say, it was one of the saddest books I've ever read. So many people have been reading this lately, so I knew I had to read it as well. 

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

The second book I have on this list is The Winner's Crime by Marie Rukoski. I loved the first book which I read last month, so I am going to be reading the second book this month. I am already almost halfway through this book so I hope to finish it asap.

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

The third book I have on this list is Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. I read the first book a couple of months ago and it was amazing. I finished this book already this month and it was so good. I will put a review up after exams. 

tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

The fourth book I have on this list is The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey which I am about halfway through and hope to finish it this weekend. It is amazing so far and I really like this series. 

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

The fifth book I have on this list is The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. People have said such good things about this book so I am so tempted to read it. 

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.' to 

The sixth book I have on this list is The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. I decided to put this book on this list because it is a Contemporary and who doesn't love reading contemporaries in the summer?

Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that?

The seventh book I have is Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  Onyx is the second book in the Lux series. I read Obsidian last month (I think) and it was amazing so I am going to be reading this one this month and so far it is pretty good. 

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

The eighth book I have on this list is The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. I have wanted to read this for almost six months and I am finally going to try it. 

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

The ninth book I have is The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am so excited and it is amazing so far. Can't wait to finish it. 

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

The last book I have on this list is the Persutopia Book of the Month. It is Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I am actually really excited for this book and hope to read it soon. But I have to buy it soon. 

She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from. 

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey [The 5th Wave #1]

This is a spoiler free review!

The 5th Wave

Written by Rick Yancy

Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction/Dystopian

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 7, 2016

Pages: 457

Source: Library

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Review:

I read this book pretty quickly because I wanted to see the movie adaptation of it. And I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. It was such an action packed dystopian book that it was hard to put it down.

COVER

I actually think the cover is really intriguing. It makes you want to know what the book is about because of what is on the cover. I feel like it is a cover that would make you pull the book off the shelf.  

WORLD-BUILDING

This is set on earth and there isn't much world-building because of that respect. But we do get to know a lot of new places such as the “safe heaven” for the people after the aliens attack. Any world building we got, was really interesting.

Then there are the characters.

CASSIE

We first meet Cassie when she is in the forest. Then we have flashbacks to what her life was like before and during the alien attacks. Cassie was by far my favorite character in this book. She had so many strengths and she knew exactly what she wanted and what was important to her. She is. determined to find her little brother who had been taken to a “safe haven”. She is a great fighter and very strong willed and strong minded. She doesn't let what others say and do get in her way. She also has a strong relationship with her little brother which I liked.

EVAN

Evan…he's a total mystery. You aren't sure which side he's on at all and he's always making decisions that are super fast and quick and don't always make sense. He jumps head first into danger for Cassie though he hasn't known her for long. But he does have some redeeming qualities such as he's loyal and kind. He treats Cassie after she's hurt as well.

I confess, I still don't know what to make of him. I'm not sure whether I like him or am for his and Cassie’s relationship. I don't hate him but I am still slightly confused as to whether I tolerate him or love him.

BEN (ZOMBIE)

Ben. I loved him so so much. He does seem rather cold and calculating at times which was weird but I liked him more than Evan. You knew he would do the right thing and protect those he cared about. He developed such a good relationship with Cassie’s brother that I was shipping him and Cassie so so much.

RINGER

Ringer was cold and didn't seem to have many redeeming qualities. She tended to do her own thing and not listen to Ben. But then later she got a little better and I tolerated her. She's still not my favorite character at all but she's not as bad as she first seems.

SAM

Sam. I love him. He's Cassie’s little brother and just the cutest. When he's basically taken to a military camp to fight, he doesn't complain. He goes with it. He develops a strong friendship with Ben and I think he really admires him for his strength of character. Also Sam was called Nugget at the camp and it's so adorable.

PLOT

I can't believe on most reviews, I forget to talk about the plot. Well the plot was fantastic. It had so much action and adventure. I must admit that the point of view changes confused me at times but it gave us different character's thoughts on what was happening which really helped me see everything clearly. The book starts off in the action and then does flashbacks so we can see what happened before. The plot was very unique and exciting which I loved.

ROMANCE

I must admit, I didn't think the romance would be this insta-lovey but books have a way of surprising you. To be honest, I didn't really like the romance. It happened way too fast and I don't think anyone could feel the way the characters thought they did, in that short amount of time. I like romance they develops slowly over time and gives us readers something to look forward to. Evan and Cassie didn't do that. Only a week or so after they had met bs passed and Evan was already kissing her. Ben and Cassie would probably work better because it would be slow-burning.

WRITING

I liked the writing which helped me fly through this book. It helped the story be fast paced and action packed.

Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend this book, it has aspects of sci-go, action and dystopian. The characters are three dimensional and the plot is amazing. I would be down for a re-read anytime

Quotes from the Book:

“Some things you can never leave behind. They don't belong to the past. They belong to you.”

“We’re here, and then we’re gone, and it’s not about the time we’re here, but what we do with the time.”

“Cruelty isn't a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit.”

“You can only call someone crazy if there’s someone else who’s normal. Like good and evil. If everything was good, then nothing would be good.”

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns