Book Review: Haunting Adeline

 Haunting Adeline by H.D Carlton

Quote: "I walked out of that House of Mirrors a completely different person. And after last night, I don't think I will ever be able to go back to the Adeline Reilly before Zade."

Plot: Adeline moves into her grandmother's house, which is said to be a haunted house since Adeline's great-grandmother, Gigi was murdered there. There is still no clue who killed her. While going through Gigi's letters, Adeline finds out, her great-grandmother had a stalker! And soon enough, Adeline gets herself a stalker as well. Now, since the moment Zade Meadows saw Adeline, he wanted her and when he wants something, he gets it by hook or by crook, even if he has to become her stalker.

And, the cat-and-mouse game begins!  

My Personal Views: First of all, this book is not for kids as it contains dark and mature themes. This book also ends on a cliffhanger and if you are not a fan of that, then I suggest you avoid this one. 

Now that we are done with the warnings, let me just tell you how much in love I am with Zade Meadows. The dude is dark for sure and has a couple of screws loose but the way he talks about her?? The best male point of view according to me, I've ever read. And above all, he is actually doing the world some good without having any backstory of his own. This was actually kind of what surprised me and I am still contemplating if I liked it or not. I mean, everything that a human does, has a backstory of its own which Zade lacked. I am still not sure if giving Zade not any story was a brave idea or a stupid one.   

The story overall was a mystery which I loved about it, kind of kept me on the edge of my seat through each chapter. The story is of course well written and my first read of the author. This book is really thick and at first, I was not sure if I will be able to read all of it but as the story progressed, I was hooked. 

Haunting Adeline screams the he-fell-but-she-fell-harder trope. I really enjoyed the book and Zade Meadows in that book was just like a cherry on top.   

I will be reading the second part of this book very soon, of course after I read some other books!  ;) 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Movie Review: Good Will Hunting

 Good Will Hunting

Quote: If I asked you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet, but you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feelin’ like God put an angel on Earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her be there forever. Through anything. Through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleepin’ sittin’ up in a hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes — that the terms ‘visiting hours’ don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much.” — Dr. Sean Maguire

Plot: Will Hunting is a 20-year-old orphan, who has a photogenic memory and is a natural genius. While being a janitor at MIT, he comes across a problem that was a challenge from a professor to his graduate students and when he solves it anonymously, Will comes across the Maths professor who is bound to make him see what a genius he is. But when he is sent to jail, the judge allows him parole only if Will will attend the professor's Maths classes once a week and see a therapist. That's where Dr. Sean Maguire comes in and makes him see life like it never was for him. 

My Personal views: When I got into the movie, I knew it would be a great one after all, it has won the Oscars right? And the movie did not disappoint.

I've always been a fan of feel-good movies as much as I feel that in real life, it is the utmost bullshit. 

The story contained romance, comedy, and some best dialogue deliveries. I mean, it is Robin William we're talking about. What else can you expect?

The story talks about how being a teenager/ youngster is not an easy job. I was quite amazed at how this simple thing was portrayed so well by the long-time friends Affleck & Damon.

Making a movie that is so simple yet impactful, not many can do this job. Even though the plot had a quite predictable ending, it was the journey that lead up to that ending that made this film deserve the reaction it got, to be honest.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Top 5 Best Anime Opening Songs

It might be too obvious to say but Anime has some kickass opening songs. After all, when people say that nothing is complete without a little bit of music they might not be totally wrong.

When it comes to anime opening theme songs, we all might have our own set of favorites (or for some people it might be too difficult to choose) but which ones are those that can be called the greatest of all time? 

Just like every other anime fan, I have my own anime playlist some of which I am sharing with you all (sadly). Check out my top 5 favorites of all the anime that I've watched until now. Not going to lie, it was a little bit difficult to choose, but eh, you gotta choose what you gotta choose. 

1) Unravel by Toru Kitajima (Tokyo Ghoul)

If you've watched Tokyo Ghoul then how can you not have this banger as one of your favorites? In my opinion, one of the reasons Kaneki Ken Vs Jason's fight was legendary is because this song was playing in the background. I have been kind of vibing to this song ever since I heard it, I am not going to lie. 

2) The World by Nightmare (Death Note)

Death Note might not have been one of my favorite anime but this song remained with me for sure. When I started watching Death Note, I remember listening to this song and thinking how cool this song was.  

3) Blue Bird by Ikimono-gakari (Naruto Shippuden) 

Okay, I am pretty proud to say, I knew this song was a banger before it started coming in my Instagram reels. The voice of the singer is pretty amazing. Naruto has had its fair share of some of the greatest openings but this one tops them all for me 

4) Haruka Mirai by Kankaku Piero (Black Clover)

I recently started watching Black Clover (of which I have yet to write a blog about but I haven't finished watching it yet) and it's an amazing anime. This is the first opening song of the anime, and it honestly kicks ass.  

5) Paint by I don't like Mondays (One Piece)

This opening song is the recent opening song that is appearing in the One Piece anime. I am up to date with the anime and the manga as well. I want to make a blog about this anime as well, but it is never-ending, right? Lmao. I actually sing along with the song whenever it comes up and now that I think about it, I probably look funny when I do that. 

Anyways, these are my top 5 best anime opening songs that I think are just bangers and the greatest of all time. 

Book Review: The Alchemist

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Quote: "What's the world's greatest lie?"

"It's this: at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

Plot: The Alchemist is a story about dreams, love and what does truly destiny and life mean? This is a fable of a shepherd boy named Santiago, who goes in a search of treasure after having recurring dreams about it. In his journey, he encounters life-threatening situations, friends, love, and some choices he has to make in the pursuit of the treasure. 

This is an unforgettable story about listening to our hearts and following our dreams.  

My Personal Views: For me, personally the story got better over time, and when I reached almost the end. The end is actually what caught me by surprise. The story was pretty good and the message it delivers is also something that I think, we should all follow in our daily lives. As someone who never thought would be a fan of "self-help books" I never thought I would like it. 

The best scene was the whole conversation that happened between Santiago and dessert, wind and sun. That was where I think the author's real thoughts and writing shone the brightest. It was quite interesting to read.

However, as much as I liked the book, at times I felt bored. Sometimes I felt it took too much of a spiritual turn and as someone who is not much of a spiritual person, I wasn't interested in reading that.

Also, I think, better than the book, Paulo Coelho's (The author) author's note??? Best author's note I've ever read!!! There was this whole interview of his also that was in the book which I super liked. I liked the author's personality and his way of thinking far better than the book. He sure looks like an intelligent and has-it-all-sorted kind of person. I would love to read his autobiography if he ever does decide to write that.   

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Anime Review: Tokyo Ghoul

 

Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida

Quote: "Sometimes good people make bad choices. It doesn't mean they are bad people. It means they're human."

Plot: In the world of Tokyo Ghoul, humans are not the superior beings who are the last in the food chain, but there are Ghouls. Ghouls are beings that survive by eating humans and are more powerful than them. They hide from the authorities who hunt them for the welfare of human society. Kaneki Ken, a simple and kind boy gets in between these two worlds when he goes on a date with a sweet girl, thinking what could really go wrong? 

In a world where both species are fighting to survive, who can decide who is wrong and right and who will win in the end? 

My Personal Views: Let's start with Tokyo Ghoul's season 1 opening music. I found the song, Unravel, quite beautiful. The lyrics and the music were really heart-touching. I am not usually someone who likes Japanese music, but after Blue Bird, Unravel is the only anime music that has stuck with me.

I had heard great things about Tokyo Ghoul and to be honest, Season 1 stuck up to the expectations but unfortunately, I can't say the same about season 2. I could literally see the downfall. Not going to lie, the plot is actually a masterpiece (even in Season 2) but what I did not like about season 2 was how it did not follow the manga which resulted in the plot having gaps and not understanding many of the scenes.  

Considering it was a dark anime, the storyline was actually pretty good. I felt in the first season that Kaneki Ken was too much of a goody two-shoe but ohmygod when he fought Jason? That whole fight was so badass and Kaneki became quite badass in the second season. I also liked how they changed his whole look in the second season with all the white hair and black nails (even though how he acquired those looks was quite painful and heartbreaking). 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

John Green just has a way with words.

 In life, you find very few people who you think can understand human feelings extremely well and even fewer people who you think can convey those human feelings extremely well on paper.

Asking questions about life that might actually matter, that's what John Green has been asking through his books.

Young Adult writer John Green is one of New York's best-selling authors. He has written novels like The Fault in our stars, Turtles all the way down, Paper town, etc. He started making videos on Youtube with his brother and eventually started writing. He still has that youtube channel which has now more than 34 Million subscribers. 

The first book that I read by John Green was The Fault in our Stars which was recommended to me. At first, I thought, it would be just another typical romantic book but I actually ended up liking it. 

(If I could I would have put the whole letter by Gus here <3)

More than liking the story plot I think, the way he writes is what attracted me to his books the most. Through his books, he talks about loss, grief, death, teenagers, and their emotions. It's the way he writes his teenage characters as well like he knows exactly what a teen feels at each particular moment and how exactly they would react. 

Then comes the quotes in his books. If you would say that most quotes that are quoted by people are from John Green's books, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest. I literally have to keep my pen with me whenever I am reading one of his books as I have a habit of marking my favorite quotes. If you would see my purchased books of his, you would find so many markings, which (to be completely honest) has happened while reading his books only, until now.

After reading Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters's story in The Fault in our stars (and watching it), I started reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson in which John Green co-wrote the novel actually lead to a big disappointment. I ended up disliking the book. After that, I took a long break not only from John Green but books altogether. 

But then after I started reading again, I ended up reading another of John Green's works, Looking for Alaska. I was not going with high expectations with this one after my encounter with the last John Green book, but ohmygod was it everything and more.

(Here, if I could I would've put the whole book <3) 

What I personally like about his books (to which many of his fans might relate) is the way he keeps it real. You know there is death and grief out there but there are friendships and love out there too, and he knows it to his heart. And I think he does an excellent job of showing the same through his words.  

  

Book Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Quote: "We are all going. McKinley said to his wife, and we sure are. There's your labyrinth of suffering. We are all going. Find your way out of that maze."

Plot: Miles Halter in search of his great perhaps goes to a boarding school in Alabama, where he meets a girl named Alaska Young. She is reckless and screwed up which draws him to her. Miles makes friends and finds himself doing things he has never done before. Miles didn't even know it but his life had changed the moment he met Alaska Young.  

My Personal Views: Now, from the plot written above, it might look like a very romantic book, which it kind of is but it is still so much more than that. This is book is about friendship, life, teenagers, and death. Everything that I love in a book, to be honest. 

Oh my god, when I read John Green's The Fault in our stars, I knew he was a fantastic writer but to write his first book this amazing? God, John Green is something else. The way he writes is just out of this world. He wrote the facts of life so beautifully in the book. 

This book was beautiful.

Even though, I could not find the chemistry between Alaska and Miles that much (which I get was not the point of the whole story). But the quotes, which I always crave in a book, were so great, so beautiful. I was in awe of the writing and the words. 

There was a lot of talk about death in the book, which is an interesting topic in itself, and the way Green described the different facets and facts of life was commendable. I read somewhere, some reviewers had written that they wished they were young when they read the book but I disagree. I am 21 and I found the book just as much interesting and life-changing as I would have if I was a teenager.   

I had read Will Grayson, Will Grayson of John Green after reading The Fault in our stars, but unfortunately, I found it too boring for my taste so I was a bit hesitant while purchasing this book. But honestly, this one was so worth it.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Twisted Hate

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang.

Quote: "I had closure but no one told me closure was such a bitch. It clawed at my bones and ripped a bloody gash through my heart until every breath became a battle. But instead of trying to assuage it, I embraced it. Because even though pain hurt like a motherfucker, it proved you were still alive, and it was only after it faded that you could finally heal."

Plot: Jules Ambrose is the best friend of Josh Chen's sister. Since the minute they met, they hated each other's guts and it has been the same ever since. Whenever you would see the both of them together, you find them bickering with each other. However, as people say, there is a thin line between love and hate. One night of passion leads to an agreement, enemies with benefits. But, is that all their relationship going to be?

My Personal Views: This book was..hm, how do I explain it? To be frank, I did not like it. There I said it. I guess, after reading Twisted Games I set the bar too high, which lead to disappointment. I mean, sure, it was cuter but for me, Twisted Games was much better. The banter between both main leads just did not feel natural, hence I just could not feel their chemistry.

The writing was surely good, but the plot was not. I had expected much more than what I got, that's the main reason I guess. The whole stealing and stuff just did not feel that much of an interesting story to me. For me, I sure felt Rhys and Bridget had much better chemistry than Josh and Jules ever did.  

Out of the whole book, I think my favorite part was when Josh apologized to Jules. I think out of the whole book that is where I felt their chemistry shined brighter than ever to me.

Even though this story was just not for me, I still am gonna read the last part. Stella and Christian's story is next!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5

TV Show: The Boys

 

The Boys (Season 1, 2 & 3)

Quote: "When they're apart they're absolute fucking rubbish. But you put them together, they're the goddam fucking spice girls" 

Plot: A superheroes series, where the superheroes are not your good, kind and always helping hands but actually are corrupted jerks. 

My Personal Views: When you hear the word Superhero, you always imagine a good-natured guy who will always come to save the day. But this series shows you the face of your supes that you won't like at all or you never even imagined. 

If I have to use one word for the whole 3 seasoned series, it would be Badass. Oh, definitely badass. Each character is terribly badass. Let's be real, as much as you might hate Billy Butcher, you know he is a fucking badass. And, let's not forget our girls, Starlight & Kimiko. I mean that Season 2, last episode, catfight? I mean whattttttt....

That scene honestly left me speechless. See? That's what I like about this series, they don't show women as someone who should be kept safe or should be fantasized about, I mean, I love how the whole 'Girls are actually strong' is portrayed in the whole show. And thank god! They're not shown as weak girls who always need to be saved. On the contrary, Kimiko is shown to be the strongest amongst the boys (even though she is a supe) which I think is a first. 

Each character has their own story and their own demons to fight. I have a love-hate relationship with Billy Butcher. His sarcasm? Love it. The way he treats his pals? Hate it. You have to appreciate his sarcastic remarks, come on.  

Honestly saying, I did not think I would like it when I started seeing it because I did not even know what it was really about when I started it, but after seeing all of the seasons until now, let me tell you it was really amazing. Sure, it is very R-rated and has very disgusting scenes but eh, you gotta appreciate the plot though. 

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Book Review: Twisted Games

Twisted Games by Ana Huang.

Quote: "Ours was a story destined for a tragic ending, but when you were already on a train headed off the cliff, all you could do was hold on tight and make every second count."

Plot: Rhys Larsen has only one job- to protect his clients. He is the new bodyguard of Princess Bridget. Rhys is broody and stubborn, qualities that Bridget hates about him. Rhys can see the fire that is Bridget Von Ascherberg, especially when they both argue. It is a game that might involve rules and hearts getting broken. 

My Personal Views:  When I started reading Twisted Games, I had expectations that it would be better than the first one as Twisted Love was cute but could’ve been better and Ana Huang served it just right. 

For me, Twisted Games was far better than Twisted Love, not only in the plot but also in the characters. First thing first, let’s talk about the plot. Just like probably Ana Huang’s every book, it was a whole lot of cliché (which I am not complaining about, trust me) however, this book’s cliché was a lot digestible. Scenes were obviously better written and better expressed. Coming to the characters, personally, I think Rhys & Bridget had much more chemistry than Alex & Ava ever did. There was cute and sarcastic banter which only helped in making their chemistry better. That whole hate-to-love trope goes good I guess (I am expecting it does because the next twisted book is filled with it). 

They introduced Christian in this one, which was kind of a surprise to me because I thought he would come straight in book 4 or 3, he was linked to Rhys another thing I did not expect. Talking about surprises, even though the whole plot was well-written but the story was something that was quite expected but the surprise came when I saw who was the real culprit behind the camera & video stuff. I mean, I seriously did not see that coming (especially for the PR). This twisted book was actually kind of nice to read, filled with cute Rhys &surely miss Bridget moments. I will surely miss their banter.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Anime Review: HunterxHunter (HxH) *Contains a bit of Spoilers*

HunterxHunter by Yoshihiro Togashi

Quote: "It was a minor change. Something somewhere shifted. If I had been this way from the beginning, while I am no god, what I could do with this world, No. Perhaps only now can I see it this way." 

Plot: HunterxHunter is about a boy named Gon Freecss who is set out to become a hunter and find his father Ging Freecss, who is a world-renowned Hunter himself. In this journey, Gon makes friends and also goes through life risking missions.   

My Personal Views: OH MY GOD, HunterxHunter is so good. Not going to lie, after I started it, I did not think it was going to be THIS legendary. Though my favorite arcs were Yorknew City and of course, Ant Chimera arc. My least favorite was the Greed Island arc. Let's first talk about why I did not like Greed Island arc. I think it was because it felt like more of a filler to me. I mean, sure, it was interesting to watch Hisoka working with Killua and Gon but Yorknew City and Ant Chimera arcs were much better. Now, talking about the Yorknew City arc, before watching Ant Chimera arc it was my top favorite. I mean, have you seen the Phantom Troupe characters? Each one of them has their own personality and I loved watching them. Kurapika got much more screen time in it so it was pretty good. And that scene where Chrollo waves his hands like he is the conductor of an orchestra, while the whole city burns? Cold, bro. 

However, Ant Chimera became my top favorite arc in the end. When I started watching this particular arc, sure, it was good. The fights were great and even when Gon turned berserk? It was going pretty good. But when I saw how Mereum and Komugi died at last? Bro, that broke my heart into pieces. Togashi has done such a perfect job writing Mereum's character. He made Mereum a legend, to be honest. I think this has happened for the first time in history when a villain died not because of a cold fight with the hero (even though he had a pretty good fight with Netero) but because of love. 

The changes that Mereum developed over time, the way his character was so well-written, and the way the whole of Mereum & Komugi's story was so well-written. God! They became my favorite anime couple for real. When I saw that Mereum had come back after his fight with Netero, I did not like it, to be honest. I thought his comeback would be kind of an insult to Netero's amazing power and I was filled with questions since Netero died who would kill Mereum now? But the way his ending was written, made me take my words back. I think the way he died with Komugi, both of them breathing their last breaths together, was so beautiful!!! Made me cry my eyes out. Also, when Mereum said what he said to Palm, about spending his few moments alive with Komugi. OH. MY. GOD. Was Mereum even a villain???

Coming to the last few episodes of HxH, I always thought whenever Ging and Gon will meet, it is going to be epic but at the back of my mind I thought it will be a, you know, kind of a heartbreaking reunion. But when they actually met?? That was so hilarious! And I totally liked this reunion better than having a heart-to-heart reunion. 

Then, when Killua and Gon parted ways, that kind of made me nostalgic, and also when they showed their whole story. At the end of it, they showed the whole storyline, basically everything that Gon and Killua have gone through. They also included Komugi and Mereum's story, which was so cute! 

When I see or read scenes or animes like this, so deeply well written. The first thought that comes into my find is how can someone come up with something so awesome? How can a human write something so incredible? I am all praises for Togashi's work. One of the best artists of all time.    

Also, I heart HunterxHunter is coming back! Super excited to see that too!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5