Star-Crossed

***SPOLIER ALERT*** this post will contain some spoilers so beware.

Let's talk about the TV show Star-Crossed from the CW Network. I have a lot of feelings about this show. It starts off on Arrival Day on September 17, 2014 when the Atrians ship crashes on Earth. The humans assume they're invading and that leads to conflict between the Artians and Humans. A small Atrian boy runs away and ends up in the shed of the Whitehill family where their young daughter Emery finds him and takes care of him. Eventually soldiers come and take the boy away rather violently, leaving Emery thinking he's dead.

Flash forward ten years the government is starting an integration program with seven Atrian students who live in a militarized sector simply referred to as "the Sector". Out of the seven Atrians we only ever really see and interact with four: Roman, Sophia, Teri, and Drake. There are two unnamed boys and one unnamed girl. Roman is the boy Emery helped when she was a child and they get to meet again in high school. Thought the thirteen episode season we are introduced to some really great characters with depth. There's Grayson, son of the terrorist leaders of the anti-Atrian hate group the Red Hawks, Eric the bigot who learns tolerance, Emery the girl who loves Roman and wants integration to work, Gloria Garcia the teacher/government lady who is fighting for integration for her secret half-Atrian son to name a few. Each character is three dimensional and the more I learn about them the more I like them. There's political intrigue, teen angst and drama, a love triangle, the recipe for a good show even if it does have DPS (Disappearing Parent Syndrome). Except that it got cancelled before the season even finished airing in the United States and before it even premiered overseas.

This show had the most interesting premise of a show to come out in years. It was reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement in the sense that these aliens the Atrians are just trying to work towards living freely in America peacefully with humans. Plus the characters don't do annoying things like not talking to each other and being honest so there aren't a ton of misunderstandings and when there's an issue that our cast of teens can't solve the go to adults for help. I will always regret that this show didn't get another season because from the first episode I became inthralled and captivated by the stories and characters. I binge watched the first twelve episodes in a matter of days and then went back and rewatched them all with Caitie so she and I could watch the final thirteenth episode and weep together.

This show has a lot of predictable moments but I attribute that more to how the CW always sets up their shows v.s. an actual flaw with the show. There were several times when the show surprised me and how some things that you would think would be a huge issue turn into a non-issue. I also love the character development that happens in this show. I highly recommend it for anyone who is strong enough to stomach dealing with another fantastic show being cancelled before there was any conclusion or resolution to the show. It ends on a huge cliff hanger that I will never recover from.

To the CW Network I say in response to your decision to cancel this show:

In response to Romery (Roman/Emery ship):

Thank you for reading! The term DPS (Disappearing Parent Syndrome) comes from this article: http://www.thebooklantern.co.uk/2011/04/disappearing-parent-syndrome.html

Alienated by Melissa Landers

I first saw this book while I was browsing the shelves of Barnes and Noble and ultimately I didn't buy it because I wasn't sure if I would like it. So instead I checked it out from the library I work at and read it. Boy am I regretting not buying it! When I first started the book I immediately connected with Cara. She's a very realistic representation of a seventeen year old valedictorian in high school.Most importantly I liked how she and Aelyx don't fall in love right away. The book is more than half way over before they get together. So they start out with a tentative friendship and it evolves. I am so very excited for the sequel to come out so I can read it but unfortunately I have to wait until February 2015.

The book starts out with Cara meeting with her school principal and finds out that she has been selected to be apart of the L'eihr Exchange Program that she never signed up for. Cara is a little freaked out because when she expressed an interest in a foreign exchange program she didn't think a different solar system was an option. But valedictorian Cara steps up to the plate and goes through with the exchange program because when the L'eihrs made contact with Earth a few years ago they brought with them a plant that cured cancer and essentially saved her mother's life. Her parents are ecstatic at the prospect of hosting a L'eihr exchange student name Aelyx (pronounced as A-licks not Alex). They are also dealing with the reality of Cara's brother, a marine, going to the planet of L'eihr and being the first human there. Cara in true overachiever fashion emails the L'eihr in charge of the program to make Aelyx as welcomed as possible on Earth.

Meanwhile Aelyx and the two other L'eihrs in the exchange program are not as happy to be traveling to such a primitive planet and being around humans. L'eirhs have used science to breed superior beings who have risen above the need for emotions and violence. Aelyx and his generation and younger are even more special then the specifically breed L'eihrs, they are clones of L'eirhs that lived hundreds of years ago during the hay day of their planets advancement. So they have this extremely elitist attitude and have come up with a plan to ruin the exchange program and not "swap genetic material with the humans". He and Cara meet in Washington DC in the midst of a protest from people who want the aliens to return home and leave Earth because they are not willing to share the planet. In DC the humans and L'eihrs meet at a fancy party and Cara (a born and breed Midwesterner) is uncomfortable in the dress and garments her mother bought her. So her first interaction with her L'eirh exchange student Aelyx is when she accidently moons him trying to adjust herself so she can be comfortable in her clothes. Needless to say Cara is mortified and Aelyx only confirms his beliefs that humans are nothing more than apes.

Cara tries hard to include Aelyx into her social life and make friends with him and it eventually costs her her boyfriend and closest friend. Aelyx slowly realizes his misconceptions about humans and humanity is wrong and that the humans do have something to offer the L'eihrs as he slowly develops feelings for Cara whom he gives a L'eihr pet name to. While this is going on Aelyx has to convince his fellow L'eihr students to abandon their plan when he discovers that the Earth is in danger and will not be able to support life in ten years time and that the L'eirhs will fix this problem if the exchange program works because they need something from the humans. Since human and L'eihr DNA is almost identical the L'eihr ruling counsel wants humans and L'eihr to "swap genetic material" and breed the emotions and passion the L'eihrs have bred out of the current population in order to return them to the height of their society.

Over all I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to me that this book was not an offender of the DPS (Disappearing Parent Syndrome) so many YA books are guilty of these days. Cara's parents play an important role in the story as they are slowly ostracized by their community for their willingness to accept an alien into their home and lives and support the L'eihrs coming to Earth and even of the relationship Cara and Aelyx develop to a point. No father really likes anyone their daughter dates. There are some strong parallels between this book and the themes in the CW show Star-Crossed but they are two different stories in a similar genera. It was actually this book that led me to watch Star-Crossed. The author Melissa Landers had posted something about the show on her website so that's how I discovered this totally BA show that I will review here soon.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I am going to be honest I saw the anime first and noticed that it was based on a book and that's how I decided to read the book. Although I can honestly say the book is much better than the movie. The movie tones down Howl and Sophie's unfavorable personality traits and makes the film much more lighthearted than the book.

The book starts out with some introductory to Ingary, the Hatter family, and the rumors about Howl and the Witch of the Waste. Sophie has what I like to refer to as First Child Syndrome. She basically functions as a third parent for her two younger sisters and is terrified of failing because she has been told that if she were to set out and seek her fortune she will not succeed. The book references a lot of fairy tale tropes only to turn them on their head.

Through a series of events Sophie gets turned into an old woman by the Witch of the Waste. Deciding that it really can't get any worse Sophie sets out to seek her fortune and adventure. She ends up finding the moving castle of the "evil" Wizard Howl and there she meets his fire demon Calcifer and strikes a deal with him. If she can free him from the contract he has made with Howl he will return her to normal. Sophie then inserts herself into the lives of the occupants of the moving castle has "Grandma Sophie" the cleaning lady. She befriends Michael (Markl in the movie) Howl's teenage assistant and student who is responsible for the majority of the work "Wizard Howl" does and she has an odd love-hate relationship with the Wizard Howl himself. Throughout the book Sophie learns that the "castle" is actually in three places at once and it's all to help Howl avoid the Witch of the Waste and her curse she put on him because "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

So now Sophie has a deadline, free Calcifer and Howl from their contract before the Witch of the Waste's curse takes effect and she also has to deal with her sister's Martha and Lettie who have switched places and are both being called Lettie for the time being and one sister is in love with Michael and Howl is trying to capture the heart of the other, but that Lettie is in love with a man who keeps turning into different dogs and can't seem to stay human. And then there's the fact Sophie learns she herself has magic and is a powerful witch. What's poor Sophie going to do?

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I absolutely loved this book. When Cath first goes to college she is really nervous and anxious, which I can totally relate to. My second day of college I was still so nervous I threw up during class. Anyways Cath is a relatable character and the author does a good job, in my opinion, balancing Cath and her fandom love and the college experience.

I absolutely adored Reagan and Levi. Cath tries so hard to to become friends with anyone and it happens anyway almost against her will, but she loves it. I think this book did a fantastic job of showing Cath going through college like a normal scared freshman and how typically when you are in a new situation you cling to the familiar and for her that is Simon Snow. I love how the author made Cath grow as a character without making compromises and being able to stay true to herself.

I also like how Wren spiraling out of control affects Cath. She tried to not care that Wren is drinking and partying to much, but it does bother her and she thinks about it a lot and it genuinely concerned. I love how Cath is concerned about her dad and how she is still bitter about her mother leaving.Sorry there was nothing about this book I didn't like. It was light hearted, it was funny, it was deep, and sometimes it was heavy. It just was a good, engaging book. I recommend it to everyone. It's just so good.

Update 9/23/14: I met Rainbow Rowell and she signed my copy of Fangirl!

Life is complete! She was amazing. She talked about her books and some upcoming projects. She is a delight and I want to be friends with her as we could fangirl over many things and probably stay up late drinking cocoa and talking about life. I have also decided Rainbow Rowell is who I want to be when I become a real adult. She's my new role-model along with Miranda Lambert.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

I have watched the movie of this book a million times. Growing up I would watch The Last Unicorn, Labyrinth, and Princess And The Goblin all the time. As an adult I have read the books furthering my love of them. This book is so good and the movie stays really true to it. I like how the Unicorn goes back to her normal form in the end and doesn't stay human and it's a bittersweet ending. It follows the normal fairy tale guidelines and then ends with everyone alive (everyone important anyways), the unicorns are back in the world free of the Red Bull (right now I'm picturing unicorns being harassed by the energy drink...) and it's not exactly happily ever after but it's good enough.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Time Travel! Confusing prophecies! England! Oh my! It's almost like an episode of Doctor Who! Gwen is a normal teenager girl with a big family secret. She comes from a family of time travelers and her cousin Charlotte is supposed to be the next family member with the inherited gene and Gwen has been told what to do and how to help Charlotte, except Charlotte's not the time traveler Gwen is. Gwen is confused and shocked the first time she travels back and she panics because this is not how it was supposed to happen Gwen was the normal ignored teenager in her family and Charlotte had prepared her entire life to travel back in time. So suddenly Gwen finds herself trying to catch up and learn what she's supposed to know and deal with the infuriating Gideon all the while her mother keeps telling her not to trust anyone in the secret society of time travelers.

I really enjoyed this book personally. I discovered it on a shelf at Half Price Books and I fell in love. Gwen is your pretty basic teenager for the most part just trying to catch up with suddenly being special because she's a time traveler. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the idea of time travel, whether they be Doctor Who fans, readers of The Time Travelers Wife, or have seen Back To The Future Parts 1-3 a million times.

Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Caitie talked me into reading this series by comparing King Zachary to Tom Hiddleston. So I read it and fell in love.

Karigan is just trying to get home to her family to explain why she's been expelled from school. It isn't her fault, not really. But it all goes awry she stumbles on a dying Green Rider, a messenger of the king named F'ryan Coblebay who makes her promise to deliver his message to the king and not to read the contents of the letter so they can't torture the information from her. If all that isn't ominous enough he tells her to beware the shadow man. Karigan promises to take the message to King Zachary and F'ryan gives her his broach that signifies that he is a Green Rider to others. She also inherits his stubborn too smart to be normal horse she calls the Horse. (Side note I was 100% convinced the horse's name would turn out to be Sundancer or something because Caitie loves this book and that's what she named her faithful steed [read: car]. But no the horse's name is Condor which is actually way better than Sundancer and doesn't make me bust out into hysterical laughter.)

Karigan gets into a lot of trouble and I truly loved that about the book. She gets waylaid on her journey so many times by so many different things that the only conclusion any reader can come to is that Karigan is a magnet for trouble. When she finally makes it to the castle to give the message to the king, the message she had risked life and limb to deliver holds no important information. However the letter she thought was simply a letter to F'ryan Coblebay's lover turns out to be the real letter to the king in code. The Green Riders manage to crack the code and discover King Zachary's brother is planning to usurp the throne from Zachary with the aide of an Eletian who has cracked the D'yer Wall that has safeguarded the kingdom from the horrors of the Blackveil Forest a land poisoned by Mornhaven the Black. Karigan gets mixed up in these events and actually helps save the kingdom. But by the end of the book has Karigan insisting she is not a Green Rider and that she just wants to return to her normal life.