Showing posts with label korean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label korean. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

BLOG TOUR: Brazen (Gilded #3) by Christina Farley - Ashley's Review + GIVEAWAY!



Today we’re super excited to be celebrating the release of BRAZEN by Christina Farley! BRAZEN is the third and final book in the Gilded series about a sixteen-year old girl who must use her martial art skills and wits to save her family, friends, and country from an evil Korean god.

To learn more about this series, visit the Gilded Series website. Watch GILDED's book trailer here!

Be sure to pick up the letter for this stop at the end of this post to earn extra points in the Kindle Fire or $50 Amazon gift card giveaway! Collect all the letters during the blog tour to spell out the secret message to earn more points.

About the Book



Find it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads | Indie




Ashley's Review

You guys. This series. I've been anxiously awaiting this conclusion to the Gilded series since I finished reading Silvern, and it did not disappoint. I mean, I loved the first two books - they're full of action, romance, mystery, mythology, friendship, and incredible world-building. But this book. This book is probably my favorite in this series! 

First of all, the ending of Silvern almost killed me. I needed this book immediately, and I was so sad that I had to wait a year to read it. I mean, it was SO worth the wait, but the choice Jae had to make was horrible and definitely a no-win situation. Most of this book deals with the consequences of her choice, and follows her as she tries to make amends and right things that are even necessarily her fault. She's separated from her friends, family, and Mark, and most of them believe she's dead. It's terrible, and I don't envy her at all. 

One of my favorite things about this series is the incredible world building. I thought that this book would have less, since it is the third book, but I was so wrong. Jae travels to new places in both the real world and the spirit world, and I really enjoyed seeing them through her eyes. There's a lot more showing than telling, which is how I prefer my world building, and the descriptions are beautifully written. I felt like I was in China, and in the temple, and on the docks with Jae. I've never even been to any part of Asia, but I felt like I was seeing all of these incredible places with my own eyes. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the mythological creatures and gods. Some are familiar from previous books, some are brand new, and most of them I'd never even heard of before reading this series. I love learning about other religions and myths, even if it's from a fantasy book. I'll probably spend an afternoon researching Korean and Chinese deities now, just so I can reread and get even more from these books. And speaking of deities, Kud is awful. I mean, there are times when he doesn't seem so bad, but then he reverts back to his normal self and it's horrible. I felt so terrible that Jae was in such a bad position. 

Without giving too much away, this is a book you NEED in your hands ASAP. Especially if you've read Gilded and Silvern. It ties up pretty much all of the loose ends and is just a really excellent conclusion. I'm so glad this series turned into a trilogy, and I can't wait to read more from Christina! Also, can we just take a moment to admire that cover? GORGEOUS. Absolute favorite in the series. 5/5!!

About the Author

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the Gilded series, a YA contemporary fantasy series set in Korea. GILDED was nominated for Korea's 2014 Morning Calm, Ohio's 2015 Buckeye award, and the Tome’s It List. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. Christina's adventures sparked her to write stories, infusing the real world with fantasy. Currently she writes from home in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown.


Find Christina Here: Website • Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Tumblr • Goodreads • Instagram


The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of BRAZEN, Christina is giving away a Kindle Fire (US only) and a $50 Amazon gift card (international). The letter for this stop is  N. Collect all the
letters from the blog tour to earn more points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday, November 17, 2014

Gilded by Christina Farley - Paul's Review


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Gilded

Author: Christina Farley
Publication Year: 2014

My Pre Reading

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for. 


------------------------------------------------------------

Review: This book was a slow read for me. I never really connected with it. I found the Korean mythology really interesting as well as the rest of the Korean culture. The food is referenced often and when my favorite Korean dish, jopchae, was mentioned I may have squealed just a little bit. 


My problem with the book may have just been that it is targeted to a younger audience. I had problems with the way the science was presented. When a story takes place in the real world, but has magical or paranormal elements truly existing, the science needs to at least sound plausible to me. In this book, the mythology matched up too well with the actuality. The scientists seemed to know too much for things they were unsure if they even existed. There is a secret society, but it just didn't blend well with me. The whole science and grounding of the paranormal felt awkward. This is random, but I also just didn't like the way the word metamorphosis was used. 

I also didn't connect with the characters, especially the protagonist. The way the paranormal elements were dealt with when it comes to belief were hard for me to follow. 

This book felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie from the late 90s or early 00s. It had the cheesy elements and the cool paranormal imagery to match. I could totally see this as a DCOM from that era featuring Brenda Song, although she is Thai and Hmong.  

This review turned out more negative than I thought it would be. I did enjoy this book, I just didn't connect with it as much as I wanted to. I give it a 3/5 and suggest it to readers who enjoy contemporary paranormal stories that may be a little cheesy. If you like Paranormalcy by Kiersten White or Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, you may enjoy this. I will be reading the sequel, but I need to step back from the series first. I hope you can connect with this book more than I did.


--PAUL

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Gilded by Christina Farley - Paul's Pre Reading


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Gilded

Author: Christina Farley
Publication Year: 2014

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for. 


------------------------------------------------------------

Why?: This sounds like an awesome paranormal YA set in a foreign country. I'm interested in the Korean mythology this book will show. I don't know much about the Korean culture, but i love Korean food. 


Expectations: I'm expecting a fun paranormal YA with a female protagonist, maybe something in the style of Paranormalcy.    


Judging a book by its cover: This cover is pretty cool. I like the font of the title and how it appears to be made of metal. The spirit bird thing also is awesome. It's quite ethereal and makes me interested in reading this book. 



--PAUL