DRESSED TO KILL Cover Reveal #HeistClub

5 Friends. One Dead Body. A Summer they’d rather just forget.

5 years ago

Amelie, Christina, Cara, Monique, and Tamara spent one summer at Christina’s family’s ranch 5 years ago. It was a time of rest; a time for peace. It was a time when they just spent days fishing, swimming, and forgetting all the troubles of the city. One last hurrah before college, they said.

But that last hurrah ended when Monique was suddenly found dead on the last day of vacation—and their lives have never been the same since.

NOW

Now is their chance to figure out the truth.

But sometimes, truths are far more complicated than they seem.

Will they find out all the answers they need?

Or are they in for something bigger…something deadlier?

Tick Tock. Don’t look back. You might be next.

 

So…recently I joined a class called #HeistClub, and I wrote a story called Dressed to Kill, which will be out soon! And well, you know, I’m always the excited early bird (lol) so ta-daaaa here’s the cover for the said novella!

What do you think? Check back here for more deets!

The Gossip Girl Tag

So…I’ve been looking for a good Gossip Girl Tag and found this one from Blue Sky Daze! I love this show so much because it’s so unrealistic–which makes it a good escape! And yeah well, I just wanted to answer some Gossip Girl-related questions so, here you go…

How did you discover the show?

I’ve been reading the Gossip Girl series early in college (around 2006) and then the next year, Gossip Girl was on. Didn’t watch it right away since I was still reeling from The OC, but I would catch episodes on TV from time to time. I’ve also collected magazines with the show in them. Then, one summer, I had nothing better to and I binge-watched Seasons 1 to 4—and yeah, well, I became obsessed with the show lol

Who’s your favourite character?

Serena Van der Woodsen. She’s such a complicated character and I like complicated, self-destructive characters. I like Blair’s bitchiness, though.

Oh, and also Gossip Girl (let’s just forget that she’s Dan, thank you very much)

Who would you see yourself being friends with on the show?

I’m Serena soooo Blair lol. And I’d like to be friends with Chuck! I loved how Serena was friends with him.

Chair or Dair?

CHAIR. I have to admit, DAIR had a lot of chemistry, but CHAIR’s meant to be! “This would not be my world without you in it.” *sobs*

What’s your favourite ship that would never actually happen?

Everything almost happened in the show lol but I hate that Rufus and Lily didn’t end up together. Tbh, I would have accepted it more if Dan and Serena didn’t end up together but Rufus and Lily did. Sucks.

If you were to be a character, who would you be?

Serena!!! I already use her name as my Facebook surname lmao. But, it would be fun to be Blair, too.

Have you read the book series?

YES. All 14. The 12 original ones, the prequel (It had to be You), and Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer, as well.

Who was your crush on the show?

You’d laugh at me but I always liked Dan lmao. And also Chuck! Because he’s Chuck Bass, duh.

What was your first initial thought of the show?

I thought it was crazy lol but I liked it. It’s a good escape.

Who was your favourite villain?

Georgina, definitely. and uhm, Gossip Girl?

That was fun! Any Gossip Girl fans out here, too? :)

This is a Story about a Cat Named Miley….

This is a story about a cat named Miley

who came to us last February

She was always bright and cheery

She liked her milk like anybody

She was crazy, she was cuddly

She was mischievous, and quite deadly

We thought we’d be with her forever

but the world had other plans

One morning we woke up

Just a few days ago, a day I’d rather forget

And he was unresponsive, unlike the usual Miley

We cried, we cried, I felt like I was gonna die

She fell down, forgot how to cat

Why would she forget how to cat

Still can’t accept it

Probably won’t for a while

I’m still living

but Inside I’m dying

We had to let her go

I still have to let go

We’ll miss you, Miley

We’ll miss you so

---

Just thought of writing something about Miley. Still processing my feelings. It’s the best I could do. 

P.S. I haven’t been drawing a lot lately so uhm, Miley, I hope you still appreciate this. Look at your eyes! :D

She Flies with Faeries Reviews: BLISS by Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney

Title: Bliss

Authors: Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney with Valerie Frenkel

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Sophia Marcus, 21, has already mapped out every aspect of her glamorous life as a Hollywood actor on her vision board. But her life right now in Toronto is anything but exciting. Attending fruitless auditions during the day and working at a douche-y club at night, Sophia is starting to feel like she’s going nowhere…slowly.

Demi Michaels, Sophia’s best friend, didn’t go to college after high school. Short of ideas for her own future, she puts her energy into building the perfect relationship with an older man. And when that relationship crashes and burns, Demi is left to pick up the pieces.

Sophia’s friend (and Demi’s frenemy) Leandra Hunting doesn’t give a crap about hard work or a loving relationship. She has other plans for her future. After college graduation, Leandra sets out to travel the world in the yachts, planes and limos of ridiculously wealthy men. Will any of them be able to show her what love really means–if she can take off her Chanel sunglasses long enough to see it?

Set in the exotic, intoxicating worlds of Hollywood, Thailand, and London, Bliss paints a relatable portrait of life in your early twenties with equal parts optimism and fear, hope and disappointment, expectation and reality. It’s the Age of Uncertainty when you can count on nothing, but, if you’re lucky enough to have one truly great friend, you can survive just about anything.

---

If you knew me, you probably already know that I do like Pretty Little Liars (even though it’s quite crazy and well, you know what it is), and I actually like checking out the first novels of celebrities (because why not?) just to see how it goes.

Well, Shay Mitchell’s BLISS actually had a nice blurb so I thought, why not?

Let’s start with the good stuff first:

1. I thought the book actually had good premise. 3 Friends, interwoven stories, growing up and what-not. That’s basically my kind of thing, you know?
2. Well, upon reading the book I realized it was pretty nice. Nothing too poetic and prose was not deep, BUT, it was quite enjoyable—especially if you’re looking for a good, light read. It reminded me of Dorothy Koomsoon, early Alexandra Potter, some Lauren Weisberger, etc.
3. I like the imagery! This book takes you places, at least figuratively. You have Vancouver, Phuket, London, etc.
4. I’d say somehow, it was also realistic because it deals with issues that 20-somethings usually deal with right now, too—just a bit more exaggerated, though…

Then, the not so good:

1. Uhm, the characters were pretty much all over the place. For 20-somethings, they’re quite immature(!), but hey, a lot of us 20-somethings aka Millenials also probably don’t know what we’re doing. My only problem is that the way it was written made me feel like they could have been more—like there was more to explore but those things just were not explored. I wished the characters actually had more depth. L
2. A couple of stereotypes. (i.e., tourists being scammed, spoiled little rich girls, etc.) They were just passé.
3. There were times when the story itself felt like it was all over the place, especially near the end and you just wish the authors would just get straight to the point already.

But here’s the thing: For a first novel, this was actually good, and I might be reading part 2, if there was any. So, yeah, over-all, it’s still worth-reading—especially if you need a light read—and something you’d be able to relate to.

#CassiesBirthdayGiveaway Time! WIN Adult Coloring Books + eBooks and Bookmarks!

So…my birthday’s coming up and I have some stuff to give away!

1 Winner will Win: [PH Only]

3 Adult Coloring Books

#StrangeLit Incredible Truths eBook Bundle

#ThePathofUs Bookmarks

#StormyHollow Bookmarks

1 Winner will Win: [Open INT]

#StrangeLit Incredible Truths eBook Bundle

#ThePathofUs eBook

#AMerryLittleChristmas eBook

Just click the link below to join!

Giveaway starts today (Oct 17) and ends on Oct 26!

Join #CassiesBirthdayGifts HERE

Favorite Lyrics: Ellie Goulding Edition

Back for another Favorite Lyrics Post! This time, it’s all about one of favorites: Ellie Goulding. Super in love with her voice, and her songs always have depth in them, too! It’s definitely the kind of music you could get lost into!

Do you also like Ellie? What are your favorite lyrics? Feel free to share! :)

She Flies with Faeries Reviews: CARRY ON by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

***

Rainbow Rowell is one of those authors whose works I’d always–ALWAYS–read. And CARRY ON, for starters, is one of those stories that I’ve waited for ever since it was announced that she was going to write it–not just as part of FANGIRL (which is one of my favorite books, ever), but on its own.

Here’s a little backstory, if you haven’t read FANGIRL. CARRY ON is this story that Cath and Wren made a fanfiction of. So, it’s basically a story within a story, which made it so cool and captivating.

You see, CARRY ON is like a mix of Harry Potter and Twilight in its own dreamworld; in its own reality. It’s not trying to pretend to be something else. It’s about finding the CHOSEN ONE, slaying dragons, falling in love with vampires, living in a world full of magic–which definitely made it an easy read. It’s one of those books you’d want to get lost in, especially when you’re feeling like this world is dampening your spirits yet again.

Let’s see. Well, I’d have to say, CARRY ON kind of started out as too “meta” for me. I was like, I’m pretty sure I already know what I’m getting, especially because there were bits of it in FANGIRL. But what’s great about this book is that the author was able to explore its world, and give us more of it in return.

I’d have to admit, there were parts in the beginning where I felt a bit bored–until ta-daaaa this mysterious character suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Oh, and that’s one of those things I like about this book, too, mind you: the fact that it’s told in different perspectives. I always like stories like that because it helps me get in the head of various characters, and not just one of them.

Okay, so, mysterious character started talking and I was like, What fresh hell is this? (sorry, obsessed with Scream Queens right now) and well, it was also nice getting in Baz’s head. That vampire is probably one of my favorite vampires right now–or ever–because he’s sexy, he’s dapper, he’s…well, he could be arrogant, and that’s what makes you like the banter between him and Simon Snow.

I thought there was a lack of banter and connection between the two in the first few parts of the book, which I would have wanted to see. Buildup was slow but man, once it started happening, it just couldn’t end and I swear, you’ll totally swoon (I sure did). Baz and Snow have this unique dynamic. I’m not a DRARRY shipper but I could totally feel them between these two (haha!) and you’d just love to read more. Their arguments are cute, but what’s better is how their feelings for each other unfolded; how we get to see them fall in love, and just get lost in it–while still trying to fight it.

Their love story is complicated, and it doesn’t help that the whole Magickal world is complicated, too–but there in lies the promise. There were betrayals. There were points when you’d feel like Oh god, that was not supposed to happen, and it would break your heart.

Another thing I like about this is that we got to see how each of the characters chose their own endings; how they didn’t just let the world trick them, and we get to understand why they made the choices their made. I guess, this book holds a lot of answers–which is good, considering I don’t know if we’re getting part 2.

All in all, CARRY ON is truly captivating. You’ll swoon, you’ll smile, you’ll laugh…maybe, even cry. But what’s important is that you’ll feel for each of the characters. You’ll root for them. And, well, they’ll help you CARRY ON.