Fallen, Torment, Passion By Lauren Kate

Synopsis: Some Angels are Destined to Fall
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

My thoughts: When I started reading Fallen, I had no idea what it was about until I got to chapter 15. Before that, I kept reading with the purpose to find out what was the big secret. And I have to confess, it blew my mind. We are first presented to Luce, a girl that is sent to Sword & Cross reform school because she was thought to be a suspect of a mysterious fire that killed her boyfriend. But it wasn’t her fault! It was the shadows, who followed her everywhere she goes and she doesn’t know why. When she first met Daniel Grigori, she has a kind of déjà vú because she feels that she knows him. And, even though he keeps avoiding her, she can help herself to be drawn to him. Another character that appears is Cam, a seducting, hot guy that will try everything – literally – to have Luce’s attention; and of course we can’t forget Luce’s roommate, Arriane, sort of a rebel girl, and Penn, the only friend that Luce made.  When you find out what Daniel is hiding so much from Luce – which I’m not going to tell (hehehe) – you get so chocked that after a while you connect every single thing and you think “how could I be sooo blind? OMG! Daniel can’t be that! And what about the others?”. Yeah, I totally understand you. Every page is a little box of surprise right?

Synopsis: LOVE NEVER DIES

Lucinda is sure that she and Daniel are meant to be together forever. Now they are forced apart in a desperate bid to save Luce from the Outcasts–immortals who want her dead. As she discovers more about her past lives, Luce starts to suspect that Daniel is hiding something. What if he has lied to her about their shared past? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

My thoughts: After you have found out what Daniel really is, you think that nothing is going to separate him and Luce right? Wrong! In a desperate maneuver to protect his love from the Outcasts who are trying to kill Luce, he takes her to Shoreline, a school where the students aren’t normal boys and girls. And there she meets Shelby and Miles who are half what Daniel is. There she learns how to control those shadows that keeps following her.  As the story goes on, you start hating Luce so much that you almost give up reading. Please don’t otherwise you won’t know the end. She starts suspecting Daniel, thinking that maybe he is lying and that they are not supposed to end up together after all. With that thought the book ends with such a chocking scene that you ache for the next one, Passion.

Synopsis: "Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever."

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

My thoughts: This is the BEST of them all in my opinion! In this one we aren’t presented to just one Luce: but to hundreds of her while Luce searches for the truth about her and Daniel; and the same goes to Daniel: hundreds of him. And you think through the whole reading “How can you be so ungrateful Luce? He loves you isn’t that enough?”. The only new character is Bill, a gargoyle that decides to help her finding out why she keeps dying, but he has second intentions and plans for her and her beloved one. They go to the most historical place imagined: from Russia at World War II to Egypt at the Pharaohs period! Between getting into one Announcer – the shadow – to another, this book shows us an image of the extension of Luce’s and Daniel’s love for each other and that the forces of Hell are planning something very big that, if it’s not stopped, threaten to erase the whole story of both of them.

 
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Dracula In Love by Karen Essex

Synopsis: This variation on Bram Stoker’s Dracula tells the story from Mina Murray Harker’s point of view. As a child, Wilhemina was given to strange dreams and sleepwalking, which so alarmed her parents that at age seven she was sent to a boarding school for young ladies to “learn to control herself and her urges.” And she did become a proper young lady, with a proper fiancé, a young solicitor named Jonathan Harker. But the bewildering dreams continue, and one summer, which she is spending in Yorkshire with her friend Lucy Westerna, she sees a mysterious shipwreck at Whitby. After that the dreams become more like memories, and a presence, which she cannot see, follows her. Essex, who has been praised for her historical novels, has drawn a detailed picture of England at the end of the nineteenth century, including some of the horrendous psychological practices introduced from Germany. Essex’s twist on Stoker’s plot is sufficiently original, and the quality of her writing makes this novel stand out among the vampire offerings.

My thoughts: What a marvelous reading! We are presented to Dracula by the girl of the story: Mina Harker. With her, we discover an entirely different point of view of The Count. If you read Dracula, you probably thought that he was an ugly, mad and evil vampire; but after you read Dracula in Love you will wonder if you were correct. In this book, we are presented to a totally different Count, one that had fell in love and have been waiting for seven hundred years for his love to accept him again. With a lot of sexy scenes and romantic quotes from our handsome and rich Count Dracula, this is a “must read”, especially if you read the original Dracula and want a different way of thinking. Mina goes through many situations – from being attacked by a lunatic while sleep walking to find out that she is half immortal (SPOILER). The book shows us that maybe the Count wasn’t a vampire at all: just an eternal Merlin! With an astonishing end, Karen Essex shows us that even immortal beings are able to love someone and wait for them.

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Educating Caroline by Patricia Cabot

 

Synopsis: Lady Caroline Linford is horrified to discover her fiancé, the Marquis of Winchilsea, in the arms of another woman. Unfortunately, Victorian society considers such masculine peccadilloes a trifle; canceling their imminent wedding would be unthinkable. But Caroline's wish is for the man she is to marry to desire only her...and she seeks lessons in the art of romance from the best teacher - London's most notorious rake.

 Braden Granville may be a famous lover but he has no intention of taking part in Caroline's scheme - until he learns she has something he wants - the name of his own unfaithful fiance's lover. As their passionate tutelage begins, sparks fly - and the lines between teacher and student fall away. Now there is just one last lesson to learn - on the subject of true love, the heart chooses its own unpredictable ways.

My thoughts: Educating Caroline was one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read! We are presented to the sweet Caroline Linford, who discovers her fiancé in the arms of another and, instead of crying, she looks for the Lothario of London, Branden Granville – who is handsome, sexy and despite of all, very sweet – to teach her the art of seduction.  Branden, however, doesn’t want to have a thing which such a prune. How is he supposed to teach her the art of seduction? It doesn’t even make sense! But, still, he accepts it, because she has what he wants: the name of his fiancé’s lover.

                Their first lesson is the funniest: she gets to his office – he worked with weapon production – sits down right in front of him, and, full of naivety, pull her glasses out of her reticule and her little notebook. He just stares at her, thinking “What in the name of God did I put myself into?!”. As class begin – he was teaching how to have the best environment for seduction – she suddenly asks: “Can we skip to the kiss part?”. JUST LIKE THAT! He almost chocked at that one. She is asking him, the most infamous man of all London, to teach her how to KISS PROPERLY?! Really?

As the lessons follow, both realize that something happens between them, but neither of them wants to see much less accept it. The narrative get hotter e funnier page after page, as well as their love. The book shows that it doesn’t matter how you look like, how wealthy you are or where you came from, love can happen.

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The Lonely Hearts Club de Elizabeth Eulberg

Synopsis: Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . .

My thoughts: a good book. A good story, but the end seemed a little blurry. What about now? What is Penny Lane’s position in all of this? If the book’s title is “The Lonely Hearts Club” and the main target is to show that women can live without a date and be happy, why we didn’t see this kind of ending? Penny, our main character, could have continued without a guy. The end seemed like a happy ending instead of an ending that is committed to the title.

                Despite that, the book is really funny, so you laugh a lot. The situations that our main character goes through are great, creative and a few may be chosen as realistic.

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Filme A Fera(Beastly)

Sinopse: A história do filme segue Kyle Kingson, um jovem que tem tudo, inteligência, beleza, riqueza e boas oportunidades, mas possui uma personalidade perversa e cruel. Após humilhar uma colega de classe, ele é amaldiçoado por ela para se tornar tudo o que ele mais despreza. Enfurecido com a sua nova horrível aparência, ele vai atrás da garota e descobre que só terá a sua beleza de volta se fazer com que alguém consiga amá-lo, algo que ele considera impossível. Ao ver o que o filho se tornou, o pai do garoto o manda para o Brooklyn com uma empregada e um professor cego. No local, ele se envolve com um viciado em drogas e sua filha, que o ajudarão a descobrir o verdadeiro amor.

Minha opinião: Um versão mais moderna de A Bela e a Fera, mas dessa vez quem vira fera seria o Gaston, que se achava o tal. Nesse filme somos apresentados a Kyle, um rapaz que, apesar de ser lindo e popular por fora – e o ator Alex Pettyfer cumpre bem esse papel – é cruel por dentro. Quando ele humilha uma garota só porque ela era diferente, esta lhe lança um feitiço que o deforma, deixando-o do jeito que ele era por dentro: feio. O único jeito de quebrar o feitiço seria se alguém se apaixonasse por ele e lhe dissesse eu te amo até a primaveira, mas quem amaria um monstro? Uma bela história que, mesmo não sendo da Disney, leva aquele toque de luz no fim do túnel. Enfim, é um ótimo filme, com uma linda mensagem no final: a de que nós não devemos olhar as aparências somente e sim o interior das pessoas. Recomendado, ainda não foi lançado no Brasil, mas tem na internet.

Gênero: Romance

Plot: The plot focuses on Kyle Kingson, a wealthy and arrogant high school student. During an environmental event, he disrespects a classmate, who is secretly a witch in disguise. The witch then casts a spell on Kyle to disfigure his body and face, giving him a year to find love or be left with his monstrous appearance forever.

My thoughts: A modern version of Beauty and the Beast, but this time who becomes the beast is Gaston, that thought he was amazing. In this movie, we are presented to Kyle, a boy that, despite the fact of his beauty and popularity – that is well acted by Alex Pettyfer – he is cruel and mean inside. When he humiliates a girl just because she was different, she casts a spell on him, turning Kyle into a monster. The only way to break the spell is finding someone who would fall in love with him and say “I love you” until spring, but who would love a monster? A beautiful story that even though it’s not from Disney, it keeps that idea of light at the end of the tunnel.  Anyway, a great movie, with a beautiful message at the end: that we cannot look only the appearance, we have to look the interior of people.

Genre: Romance

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Água para Elefantes de Sara Gruen

Sinopse: Desde que perdeu sua esposa, Jacob Jankowski vive numa casa de repouso, cercado por senhoras simpáticas, enfermeiras solícitas e fantasmas do passado. Por 70 anos Jacob guardou um segredo. Ele nunca falou a ninguém sobre os anos de sua juventude em que trabalhou no circo. Até agora.

Aos 23 anos, Jacob era um estudante de veterinária. Mas sua sorte muda quando seus pais morrem num acidente de carro. Órfão, sem dinheiro e sem ter para onde ir, ele deixa a faculdade antes de prestar os exames finais e acaba pulando em um trem em movimento - o Esquadrão Voador do circo Irmãos Benzini, o Maior Espetáculo da Terra.

Admitido para cuidar dos animais, Jacob sofrerá nas mãos do Tio Al, o empresário tirano do circo, e de August, o ora encantador, ora intratável chefe do setor dos animais.

É também sob as lonas dos Irmãos Benzini que Jacob vai se apaixonar duas vezes: primeiro por Marlena, a bela estrela do número dos cavalos e esposa de August, e depois por Rosie, a elefanta aparentemente estúpida que deveria ser a salvação do circo.

"Água para Elefantes" é tão envolvente que seus personagens continuam vivos muito depois de termos virado a última página. Sara Gruen nos transporta a um mundo misterioso e encantador, construído com tamanha riqueza de detalhes que é quase possível respirar sua atmosfera.

Minha opinião: livro maravilhoso! Nele somos apresentados a Jacob Jankowski, um senhor de 93 anos que, numa casa de repouso, começa a relembrar sua vida trabalhando como veterinário do circo dor Irmãos Benzini, O Maior Espetáculo da Terra. Entre lapsos de consciência e sonho, ele conta sua história desde a faculdade de veterinária até sua saída da vida de itinerante. Um personagem encantador e sarcástico, Jacob se apaixona pela esposa do esquizofrênico chefe do setor de animais, Marlena, e com ela e a elefanta Rosie – seu segundo amor – vivem uma linda história de amor, superação e medo do dono do circo, Tio Al, e o marido de Marlena, August. A autora dessa obra, Sara Gruen, fez inúmeras pesquisas sobre a vida de circo e de elefantes, entre elas Topsy e Old Mom, animais que provaram sua força e inteligência. Um livro muito envolvente e com cenas muito engraçadas, Água para Elefantes é uma ótima para aqueles que adoram o circo.

                O filme também é maravilhoso! Robert Pattinson faz o papel de Jacob muito bem, assim como Reese Whiterspoon faz o de Marlena. O entrosamento entre os dois é eletrizante e hipnotizante. Uma única crítica, porém: houve certas mudanças que tiraram um pouco o vínculo com o livro. Um exemplo é a retirada do Tio Al, que no livro é o dono do circo; e a mudança no nome de alguns personagens, como o primeiro filho de Jacob. Mas no todo é um filme romântico maravilhoso e que merece ser assistido!

Gênero: Romance

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A Garota da Capa Vermelha

Sinopse: Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), uma bela garota ligada a dois homens. Ela é apaixonada pelo melancólico forasteiro Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), porém seus pais a prometeram em casamento ao abastado Henry (Max Irons). Inconformados com a situação, Valerie e Peter planejam fugir, até que tomam conhecimento de que a irmã mais velha de Valerie foi morta pelo lobisomem que vaga pela escura floresta que rodeia o vilarejo onde moram.


Minha opinião: Eu gostei desse filme. Nele somos apresentados a Valerie, a “chapeuzinho vermelho” – literalmente – do filme. Catherine Hardwicke fez um ótimo trabalho acrescentando um ar mais maduro ao filme, com um triângulo amoroso e suspense. O legal desse filme é a dúvida levantada, porque você nunca sabe quem é o lobo mau! Só se sabia que ele tinha olhos castanhos e assim, tudo mundo tinha olhos castanhos também com exceção da protagonista. O que vale a pena também são os atores que fazem parte do triângulo amoroso – que, por sinal, são bem bonitos e completamente opostos nos personagens.
                O ruim desse filme foram as cenas de flashback que fizeram parecer mais um episódio de novela, ou algo menos profissional do que era. Muitas cenas não tinham sentido e, por vários telespectadores, esse filme está sendo comparada A Vila.

Gênero: Suspense
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