308: Ever After High: Once Upon A Time

Synopsis

 Read these exclusive introductions to all your favorite characters to find out what their lives are like at home! A new chapter is about to begin at Ever After High, and all the students are preparing to start their Legacy Year. In just a few weeks it will be Legacy Day when they will sign the Storybook of Legends and commit to live out their fairy-tale destiny, repeating the famous stories of their parents.

This volume collects together for the first time 12 short tales, including five BRAND-NEW stories. For the first time, find out what Dexter and Darling Charming, Cedar Wood, Lizzie Hearts and Kitty Cheshire were doing just before school started. This collection also includes the stories of Apple White, Raven Queen, Madeline Hatter, Briar Beauty, Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman, and the fairy tale The Tale of Two Sisters, which were previously only available online.

The Good, The Bad & The Meh (My Thoughts For Each Story)

I definitely started 2015 better than how I ended it. The first book I finished this managed to be good. Usually, the first book I read every year is a dud so this is awesome. I decided to reread all the stories in this book I already read for free last year. I wanted to refresh my memory and see how I felt about them now. I did not regret and feel the rereading was a waste because everyone’s stories was interesting to follow.

Overall, I like I really really liked them. The Storybook of Legends  was focused mostly on Raven Queen and Apple White, mostly Raven Queen though. So it was nice to go beyond these two. I like how Shannon Hale added little quirks to the characters who have to live out these legends. Each character has an internal struggle and personality that fits them. One thing you will not see in the webisodes is the love for their families  that is shown in almost all of these stories.

Cedar Wood

This gets a thumbs up for not only having Cedar have her own story but it was interesting. This got me more excited than the introductory chapter for her in A Wonderlandiful World. Me reading her introductory chapter on my phone while I was bored is the entire reason I decided to continue reading this book. You get to see her family relationship with Pinocchio. You get to see her inner turmoil being who she is. I got to see her in a way that the show does not show her.

Ashlynn Ella & Hunter Huntsman

I like the romance that is a part of the stories. The great thing about the romance is that the characters do not have to do all these graphic things to make me feel their relationship. Each character separately deal with their own struggles so the story is not just about the beginning of their romance. It is also about them as people.

 Briar Beauty

I like that you get a sense of how dangerous falling asleep randomly can be.  I just realized Briar Beauty has a condition that mirrors if not straight up is narcolepsy. The family thing I mentioned earlier applies here. I forgot about the inner turmoil of Briar Beauty since watching the webisodes. I attribute this forgetfulness in how the writers deal with Briar Beauty. She is very much put to the background in the show and all the books in the ever after high series that are not this one. This oversight of the characters is very much a reason that I am getting annoyed with certain characters (Raven Queen, Apple White, and Dexter).

Apple White

You may possibly be annoyed by this story. If you are this is not the story you need to read to see Apple White get checked. Read The Storybook of Legends. The show checks her a bit but not like I feel that the book does. I feel that this story is good at showing how naïve, oblivious, and how much Apple White needs to grow. I think the creators and Shannon Hale are conscious of her faults. The showing that they are conscious of her faults helps me to be okay and when she is really annoying tolerate her. All her growth is in the first two books in the series.

Raven Queen

I’m falling a bit out of being into her because she feels like a average rebel (and how the writers keep trying to say her and Cedar are friends but they never truly feel like it. This friendship aspect bugs me to a possibly absurd degree. Also, it may be because the two first books were about her.) I don’t have as much love for Raven Queen as when I first started this series so overall this story was a ugh to me. Thinking about it she is not a bad character but I’m more into everyone else than her.

Dexter & Darling Charming

Dexter is such an average dude loner guy. This simple fact at first made me a bit eh to his story at first. Then as I read further the adventure and quiet moments of depth came in. It showed moments that I could empathize with. Darling is the opposite of her brother but is a princess. Her story gave insight into one of the characters from Dexters story (speaking of characters from Dexter’s story there is one other character who I kind of think would make a good character/doll). I got a sense of why Darling would feel the way she does about her destiny. I think she is an interesting character but I don’t know if I’m completely into her as a character. The thing is that her type of character is done a lot like Dexter so she suffers like he does in my esteem. As contradictory as it may sound they are still good characters. I did enjoy their stories. One thing that bothered me a bit is the timeline between the Charming siblings. They should not be signing the storybook of legends at the same time, right?

Maddeline Hatter, Kitty Chesire, and Lizzie Hearts

I like that they are showing what the wonderlandians have to deal with their home not being livable.

I don’t have a lot to say about Maddeline Hatter and Lizzie Hearts except I liked their stories.

Kitty Chesire part was interesting because of a specific reasons I don’t want to give away. I will say that it is kind of difficult in my eyes to get into her head because the Cheshire cat has been very much known for its questionable motives. The story showed this which I liked a lot.

A Tale of Two Sisters

It didn’t go in depth or as far as I thought it would. This story has something to do with The Storybook of Legends. I think the length and mystery the series needs to keep kept this from being as good as I thought it would be. There are some points that the story contradicted itself. I can’t tell if it was on purpose or not but yeah.

The Meh

There is some things that don’t add up such as signing of The Storybook of Legends by Darling and Daring around the same time. One of them has to be younger so they would not be signing the book at the same time. Also, there are stories that happen around the same event but the stories  have minor  errors. I am putting this here because it is neither good or bad. It is just something that bothered me a little bit.

 

Random Facts About Books I Own (1)

• won the goodreads choice awards
• to be a motion picture soon

• going to be a mini-series in February trailer here
• (opinion) I don’t like this cover or the covers for most of these editions.

• going to be movie in theaters
• (opinion) based on the trailer I have zero urge to see it
• (opinion) I’m not into classics right now so my urge to read this is at eh level

I’m excited about some of these books getting movies/tv shows but doesn’t it feel like everyone is getting one these days. The more I think about them getting adaptations and how much these adaptations are going to suck the less excited I’m getting.

Rumored To Have Adaptation Coming/Already Has One

It  and every Stephen King book ever written.

• own the most books by him

It is funny that the authors I own the most books by I have the least urge to read. *cough* Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Agatha Christie *cough*

2014 Resolutions: In Reflection

1. Read all the books I own until there is 80 or none [deadline: January 1, 2015]

This is the last year in my challenge to read all the books I own. Yep, this did not happen. My reading output did not match or exceed my reading input. I spent most of my time of being in school not reading books I owned.  

2. Read more diverse

Last year my eyes opened  to so many problems with my reading. I could not go back into ignorance because  it was making me so angry. It is a matter of my reading happiness. I want to read books that are creative and not about the same old things. I want to read awesome books that include different race characters. I want so many things that I hope I can find this year.

My main problem in going as far as I could have gone with this goal is because of me not accepting a few things:

A. I do not have to stick to novels to get diversity.

B. Lack of focus

Not knowing what diverse books I want to read. Not knowing where any of these books were located. In combination to that…

C. SCHOOL

This is going to be the theme of why I did not get a lot of my goals completed. School sucked the life out of all my plans. Not having the time to look for books like I usually do.

In positive news I did read more diversely than in the past. Most of the diverse books I read were comics. Comics breathed life into my reading this year.

3. Delve more into these genres: horror, adult fantasy, mystery, and just explore more genres

Among the many problems with my reading last year I know that I was focusing my reading on genres that were not for me.  I need to read the genres that are consistently overlooked in my reading. The crazy thing is I feel that I kept going even though I kept repeatedly for years knowing that certain genres were not doing it for me. While  I like ranting I do not want to spend this year ranting and wasting my time on books that are not for me.

Same reasons as diversity.  I did get more into comics which are still awesome by the way.

4. I need to be on top of things

I need to be conscious of what I want as a reader. Last year, I spent a lot of time barking up the wrong tree and going around in circles. I need to be brutally honest and direct. I do not want to spend this year like I spent 2013.

I did way better with this but I need to do way more. I definitely know that I got caught in this.

5. Stop putting books on the hook or side.

Odds are you do not like x book now and will not like it in some magic future were that makes all its problems go away.

Still true. I think that I need to work on not giving so many chances to books I think will not be good.

6. DNF even more books

I finished a lot of books that did not deserve a finish. This year I need to embrace dnfing because it is my best friend.

I did. I just don’t have the time to convince myself a book is good. The biggest thing that has helped me is remembering the feeling of a good book. Ditto the things I said on resolution number 5.

7. Plan more while not losing mood reading

I need to be scoping out books and planning themes more. I think creating themes will be fun while serving the purpose of helping me choose what I need to read.

I just did not have the time to do this. I did not finish one I love girls in dresses book. I really did not read that many books I own this year.

8. Read more than one book this year from my favorite authors

Yes…I think I did this. I didn’t do it as much as I wanted though.

9. Don’t pressure myself to read!

I went through a period where I question if I did this. It was during a time when I did not know what to read and didn’t have the time to think as hard as I usually do. The college library is set up differently so I didn’t just explore and find random books. I was going through a lot of other things dealing with school. I just felt like I wanted to read if anything. I did not have time to do all my other hobbies so I felt like this is all I have. I just picked books that were question marks around if I would like them. I questioned myself if I was just getting books to fill space. Ugh, then I felt like I was in a reading slump which I probably was.

Non-book Related

10. Support my other hobbies a lot more.

Yes! I did not really watch any Asian dramas or playing the sims. I came back into the Asian dramas not knowing any of the new shows that was airing. 

Birthday Bookhaul 12/14/14 & Holiday Haul

I actually got books on my birthday, yay! Books that I have a high chance of liking.

I was scrolling tumblr with my family when I found something that made me want to read A Wonderlandiful World so bad. I heard that there is going to be more into the backstory and just life of Cedar Wood. I knew she was going to have a point of view but did not think that they would do this. I already like that it gets more into Lizzie Harts (I only read the prologue and a bit of the first chapter which has her point of view in it). Don’t be surprised if this is the first book I read in 2015.  Either Ever After High Or:

I’m happy to see all the couple of Monster High. I’m more than likely going to get into the couple dynamics when I review it.  I really want to talk about it. I’m looking forward to this book and Ever After High. I don’t usually request books for Christmas or my birthday because I have a high not liking books threshold. But I like these series so much that I went against that this year.  I’m so excited for these two series.

Christmas Haul

Then I received Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid for free because I am part of the harlequin teen panel.  They send you random books of their choosing for free in December and June.

I read a bit of it (3 chapters). I don’t like it.

Cons:

I don’t feel amazed. This book is about discovering the little treasures that are apart of small towns but I was not amazed by the discoveries. I don’t feel anything from the characters. There are moments when the guy character is trying to express how amazing the girl character who this book is about is. I feel nothing. The characters and settings don’t come alive. I should feel like I’m going on an adventure.

I don’t think this book is bad. I just feel that it is not for me.