Mischeivous Princess

Title: Mischievous Princess/ My Bratty Princess

Type: Chinese Drama

Chinese Title: 刁蛮公主

Genre: Romance, Historical, Comedy

Episodes: 36(China version), 33(Overseas version)

Year of Release: 2005

Cast: 

Emperor Zhu Yun - Alec Su 

Situ Jing - Jang Nara

Bai Yun Fei - Lu Xing

Princess An Ning - Bao Lei

Stars (out of 5): 4.6

Broadcast Network: CTV

Synopsis: Situ Jing, a mischievous free-thinking lady, and her companion, A Ling, go on a series of adventures. She does not know that she is a princess of the former royal family. To protect her family’s reputation outside the home, Situ Jing dresses as a man and calls herself Xiao Long Xia. Concerned about the plight of the refugees which the officials have been ignoring, she comes up with various schemes to help them.

Emperor Zhu Yun has been steadily working on consolidating the empire that his father had left him. A monk once gave him a puzzle, telling him that whoever solves it will help him with the problems of the empire. He escapes from his palace to wander around the city with his companion. He befriends Xiao Long Xia after he realizes that the money she has conned and stolen from others is being spent on the refugees. When Xiao Long Xia solves the puzzle, he decides to maintain closer ties with her.

The Lord of Yunnan's sister was the previous queen who drank poison and died when the last dynasty was attacked. His son, Bai Yun Fei is betrothed to Princess An Ning, sister of Emperor Zhu Yun.

An unlikely friendship develops between the Emperor, Xiao Longxia and Bai Yu Fei, each pretending to the others to be someone else. Palace and court intrigues, rebellion and assasination plots abound.

Review: One word for this drama: AMAZING. This drama portrays all the attributes of humankind. Love, hate, revenge, power and forgiveness. Once you start watching, you can't stop. When I first started watching this drama, I thought it couldn't be good because it was about a few ruffians helping the poor. After a while though, I noticed that the plot was much more complicated. Situ Jing (who also has a con name called Xiao Long Xia) begins a friendship with the Emperor, and Bai Yun Fei (the lord of Yun Nan's son) and they both fell in love with her which led to many problems along the road. Aside from politics problems arising in the court with their relationship, the Emperor's sister, princess An Ning, is also betrothed and in love with Bai Yun Fei. And as the story unfolds, it is suspenseful to watch and try to guess who will Situ Jing fall in love with?; the Emperor: who has to maintain the court's affection, or Bai Yun Fei: who is already betrothed. There are also a few surprise plot twist in the court like when Situ Jing appears to be the lost princess from the last dynasty. What makes this drama so appealing is also the comedic scenes. That's what I loved about this drama, the director mixed the serious and the playful scenes together to create a boatload of emotion. You feel sad and happy at the same time while watching this drama. Jang Na Ra did an awesome job portraying the lively and kind Situ Jing. Plus, I think that this is the best role Alec Su played in his entire career. It suits his looks and character perfectly. The only thing I didn't like was how draggy it was in the beginning and how Alec Su had a mustache at the end. Overall, Mischievous Princess was a heart clenching tale that no one would regret watching once they're done.

Dramawiki Link: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Bratty_Princess

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Legend of the Condor Heroes 2008

        

Title: Legend of the Condor Heroes

Type: Chinese drama

Chinese Title:  射鵰英雄傳

Genre: Wuxia, Romance

Episodes: 50

Year of Release: 2008

Cast:

Guo Jin - Hu Ge

Huang Rong - Ariel Lin

Yang Kang - Yuan Hong

Mu NianCi - Liu Shi Shi

Stars (out of 5): 4.7

Broadcast Network: KMTV

Synopsis: When their husbands were killed by the Song army, two pregnant women found safe haven in foreign lands. Li Ping gave birth to Guo Jing, a sturdy but blockheaded young man who roamed the Mongolian prairie with the family of Temujin. Bao Xi Ruo gave birth to Yang Kang, a smart and crafty young man who became the son of Wanyan Hong Lie, a successor of the Jin empire. When a pact between their martial arts masters brought them together and the truth behind their fathers' deaths was revealed, one found martial arts enlightenment and a cause greater than his own while the other descended into darkness and destroyed everything and everyone around him.

Review: I LOVED this drama until the very last episode. The legend of the condor heroes is one of the best drama I have ever watched. There are a lot if reenactments but the 2008 version is one of the best. Even though the story line is not as good as the 1983 adaption, the special effects are incredible and the fighting looks completely realistic. The acting of Liu Shi Shi is a bit stiff and there are weird moments (like when Yang Kang washes Mu Nianci's feet, i mean like WTF??!!!!) but overall the actor's performances were terrific. The  story line flowed from one event to another and had a lot of surprise moments that keep the watchers entertained although it was exasperating watching watching Mu Nianci being deceived by Yang Kang over and over again. It was interesting to see to see how all the characters were connected together whether by friendship or family ties instead of the typical lovey dovey dramas. I especially loved how the ending wrapped up the story nicely despite the deaths. Thumbs up to Hu Ge and Ariel Lin for portraying their characters so well but i have to give the best actor (in this series) award to Yuan Hong. It can't be easy playing a character filled with so much hatred and compulsion. I thoroughly recommend this drama if you like an action packed, romance filled, historic wuxia drama. Prepare to be awed by this epic saga of love, hate and power.

Dramawiki Link: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Legend_of_the_Condor_Heroes_2008

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Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Type: YA novel
Genre: Dystopia, Romance, Action
Pages: 487 pages
Year of Release: 2011
Main Characters: 
Tobias (Four) 
Beatrice (Tris)
Stars (out of 5): 4.3
Publisher: Harper Collins


Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtues Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is, she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she's kept hidden from everyone, because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her. 

Review: Divergent is as it's name claims it to be: Divergent. In other words, this book is different from any other. One of the many differences is that this story actually has a moral buried in all the action; being your true self in a world that gives you little options for what you can be. The moral makes it seem more like an adult novel rather than a young adult science fiction novel that it is. It's also different because like the Harry Potter series, this story has 5 different factions (like Harry Potter houses) and they make you wonder what faction you're in. They are the Abnegation, Amity, Dauntless, Erudite and Candor but unlike Harry Potter, you choose for yourself which faction you want to be in. That's the first challenge that Beatrice has to go through, pick a faction: either stay with her family and face a life that doesn't suit her or abandon her family. As we all knew she would, she left her family, like they say in the book: faction before blood. What we didn't expect was that she would pick *Beware of Spoilers* Dauntless of all factions!! That was one of my favorite parts of the book, it was sooo interesting  reading all the conflicts in her mind. In mean what's a really good book without a really good conflict?? What was also really interesting about this book was the way the Dauntless lived. (violent and action packed) Veronica Roth described everything so well that we could see the change in Beatrice (Tris) from a small unnoticed girl to a brave courageous woman. (thoroughly Dauntless!!) The twisted romance with her mentor was also pretty interesting to read about: not too little romance, not too much romance, it was just the right amount, and it didn't hurt to learn how Four (a name for a person) is actually connected with her past. (*wink, wink*) The one thing that I didn't like was how the antagonist was always pretty clear, even at the beginning . There were no surprises, and that was pretty disappointing. But overall, Veronica Roth epic dystopian world was a blast to read. If you're not afraid of a little bit of blood, violence and action, be sure to read Divergent.  

Vampire Academy

Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Type: Young Adult book
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance
Pages: 332 pages
Year of Release: 2007
Main Characters:
Rosemarie (Rose) Hathaway
Vasilisa (Lissa) Dragomir
Dimitri Belikov
Christian Ozera
Stars (out of 5): 4.0
Publisher: Penguin Group, Razorbill

Synopsis: Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires--the ones who never die.The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir.  Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene.  And both girls will resume breaking hearts.Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's – inside the Academy’s iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger.  Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities.  Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...

Review: I admit that when I first picked up this book and read the summary, I was not interested. The story seemed to have 2 protagonists, Rose and Lissa, which I was not used to and detested. So, I read the first chapter to see if my deduction was correct. I was thoroughly surprised by this book. Once I started reading about Rose and Lissa, I couldn't stop until the very last page. Literally, I read NON-STOP. Vampire Academy was THAT good. Not only was it a fast paced story line, there was plenty of action and surprises mixed with the supernatural. No one expected *Spoiler Alert* for Victor Dashkov to turn from the good guy to the bad guy. Rose and Lissa also contrasted each other so well, despite their share in the protagonist spotlight. Lissa was weak so Rose protected her then it was switched around so Lissa protected Rose.

 It was also very interesting to read about the vampire world which is very different than the typical vampire stories. You see, there are 3 kinds of supernatural creatures: the Moroi; the mortal vampires that are capable of wielding elemental power for good. The Strigoi; the immortal vampires that are evil. The dhampir; the half human, half moroi creatures who are the bodyguards for the moroi. The one thing that put me off though was Dimitri Belikov, Rose's private mentor. Rose loves him but his looks doesn't appeal to me. A 6 foot 7 Russian tall guy that's 7 years older than Rose isn't my kind of guy. Overall, it was a pretty good book and I thoroughly recommend it to anybody looking for an action packed, romance filled, supernatural, mysterious story that takes place at an academy.