Favorites of 2014 - The Carole Awards!

Happy end of 2014! I can't believe the year is already over and 2015 is right around the corner. Man...time does speed past faster and faster the older you get. This year I cut out the music section, so I can have more categorizes for books and movies. Now, let us hand out these imaginary Carole Awards (since i don't really have any - man, I wish I did have an award show named after me).  

Category 1 Movies:
Favorite Female Character.........Maleficent from 'Maleficent'
Honestly, I was stuck between 2 characters for this award, but Male gets it, because I think the actress did a wonderful job at making this classic baddie into a hero who temporarily lost her way. 

Favorite Male Character..........Adam from 'Upside Down'
I really adored him because he was smart and motivated. He wanted to be rich and wanted the woman he loved. He used his wits to get what he wanted and I respected that. Plus, he was pretty cute. ;) 

Favorite Baddie..........Richard from 'The Iceman'
The movie is about Richard, but he is a baddie. A baddie who gets rid of baddies? Yes, but he still was a baddie and went to jail for it. However, I loved him and the actor who plays him.

Favorite Poster..........Belle
A lovely poster with lovely colors. It really does pop. Also, the actress who plays Belle is pretty and her eyes are so intense.

Movie of the Year...........North & South
Another tough one, I watched sooooo many good movies this year. Even though this one is a "movie on TV" type film, it was still great and it deserves this award. The acting was fantastic and the story-line had me hooked. It even gave me the motivation to re-try this book. ^.^ 

Category 2 Books:
Favorite Female Character......Jasmine from 'The Dance of Spirits' 
She was a tough girl, who would do anything to survive, but keep to her morals no matter what. 

Favorite Male Character.......Robbie from 'The Bride Prize' 
He was simply adorable and funny. I loved that he could draw so well and he was such a gentleman and fought for his woman even though it seemed hopeless. 

Favorite Baddie...........Anara from 'A Cursed Bloodline' 
OOoooooh how he angered me! However, he certainly did a number on our heroes physically and emotionally. What a good baddie.

Favorite Cover...........'Dark Amelia' by Sally O'Reilly 
I love the colors. It seems simple, but it really is gorgeous. The mix of white, read, and then the peachy/red on her lips just seem to make it pop. 

Author of the Year...........Cecy Robson
I am so excited to see what she has next up her sleeve!

Book of the Year...........'The Korean Word for Butterfly' by James Zerndt
Like always, this part is always the hardest, especially after reading so many wonderful books this year. However, I must pick this one, because I loved it so much. It was a great story with great characters. 

What do you think? What were your favorites of 2014? :) Good luck in 2015!!!!!!!!!

Book Review: The Dance of Spirits by Catherine Aerie

Author: Catherine Aerie
Title: The Dance of the Spirits
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, and Drama
Pages: ebook
First Published: September, 2013
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

"Spring 1951: it is the fiery zenith of the Korean War, a war that the youthful US Army lieutenant Wesley Palm and his men thought that they had won... until the Chinese swept across the Yalu River. Traveling with the million-man army bent on driving back the march of "American imperialism" is Jasmine Young, a Chinese surgeon who has volunteered herself into the war for unspoken, grave reasons. Through a chronicle of merciless battles, freezing winters, and the brutality and hypocrisy of human nature, the two will find themselves weaving through the twists and turns of fate and destiny. Though their love is forbidden, their passion and pursuit of liberty cannot be quenched."

Another dark novel on my hands, but it was good. Jasmine and Wes are in the middle of a bloody war. Wes is an American who is fighting, while Jasmine is a Chinese doctor trying to save lives at the same time as trying to safe herself and try to be the perfect "communist", but her mid-set is from the old world.

So sad, so dark. War is such a nasty thing and the author does a wonderful job bringing it to life. However, it's not over-the-top. The ending was sooooooooooo sad with a sparkle of hope. I can't say what happened, but it was good, but I didn't like it. I wish that it wasn't so quick, I wish it was longer. But it was a good way to end it. I admit, I had to re-read it a couple times, because I didn't believe it happened! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anyways....I also wish that Wes had more spotlight and got to tell his background too, because I wanted to know more about him. Maybe a short story is in the works? *hint hint* I liked Wes, but I didn't get to connect with him like I did with Jasmine. I liked Jasmine and I felt so bad for her. Yes, she had a good life and it was blown up due to the Communists taking over the government, but I am proud of her, because she managed to adjust and survive. She has "thinking issues" (lol) and she gets in trouble a lot with her commanders for it, but she has adjusted well for being a rich girl. 

I can't say much else without giving up some major spoilers, but I simply couldn't put this down, because I wanted to know what happened next.

In the end, this was a good war and romance novel. Sometimes the war outshined the love story, but it felt realistic and the author did a good job showing this. I liked Jasmine and I wanted to know more about Wes. Like where he is from and what he did before the war. I felt disconnected with him, so I didn't really care about his POV. Other then that, it was a good book! If you like war and a tragic romance, I recommend this for you. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Jasmine, Tin Bo (Until he made me mad at the end....), and Jasmine's mother.
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Tin Bo (*shakes my head*)