Book Review: Traffick

                                                               Traffick Review

Traffick is by Ellen Hopkins and is the sequel to Tricks and it follows the same five characters as they deal with the fallout of the first book and try their best to recover and move forward with their lives which is easier said than done. Cody who's life hang in the balance at the end of the last book is alive but paralyzed from the waist down which is something that understandably makes him feel like things are hopeless and that everyone should just give up on him because maybe he deserves what he got. Ginger is in a sort of halfway house for teen girls forced into child sex trafficking while she waits for her grandmother to take her back home which will be considerably safer now that her mother can no longer work as a hooker since she's dying of HIV. Seth has now found a new man to be a kept man for but one that allows him more freedom and this time he's playing things safer than he was before and he's thinking about a future outside of sex work. Whitney is trying to beat her addiction to heroin as well as Bryan as she deals with the PTSD that she got from what Bryan put her through. Eden is staying and working at a safe haven for teens who got involved in sex work as well as deciding to contact the people from her life before and figuring out what to do about the people at the camp she was sent to.

This novel is one that I think was a very good and much needed sequel to Tricks since this book mainly dealt with getting out of and recovery from sex work which I think is something that people need to see is possible even if it's hard and sometimes dangerous to do. This book was still plenty gritty and raw like the first one was but it had a more optimistic feel then the first one because it shows that even if you went through Hell or you're damaged you can still find ways to move forward with your life in a positive way.

In this novel I found that the characters who's stories I was most invested in were Cody, Whitney and Seth. It surprised me a little bit who my favorites were in this book because in the first book Cody and Whitney annoyed me to no end but seeing them own up to their mistakes and struggle to move forward with their lives changed my opinions on them. Overall I really loved this novel and I would like to know what you thought of this novel or the first.

TV Review: How To Get Away With Murder: I Want You to Die(2.07)

                      How To Get Away With Murder: I Want You to Die(2.07)Review

• I find it interesting that in the flash forward that Connor and Michaela are leaving the Hapstall house to talk to someone about Annalise or something but seems unrelated to the reason why Wes and Laurel are there. I also find it interesting that Wes is the one that brought the gun that night.
• I was a bit surprised when Wes found Levi's gun because I had forgotten that Levi said that he stashed it there a few episodes ago.
• I liked that scenes of Annalise asking a student in her class about what known facts about Mother Thersea could make her look guilty intercut with scenes of Laurel, Connor, Michaela and Wes coming up with arguments about why the unknown Hapstall cousin is the real murderer of the Hapstall parents.
• I'm worried for Nate since it seems like he might be charged for helping his wife commit suicide.
• I like that Eve came back to help defend both Nate and Annalise for the charges that could come from Nate's wife's death.
• I was glad to learn that Asher's involvement with the gang rape is only that it happened at a party that he was throwing but I still understand why Bonnie doesn't want anything to do with him right now.
• The case that Annalise takes this episode is with a client that has been harassing a woman and the last three of her spouses until the most recent one committed suicide likely because of said harassment. Honestly I completely understand why the woman wants this man in jail because he is both creepy and delusional and very fixated on her.
• I liked that Wes considers making 85,000 dollars a year to be a lot and that Asher thinks it's cute that Wes thinks that because it shows how different their backgrounds are.
• I liked that Annalise made use of the fact that the victim was an alcoholic as a reason why he might've committed suicide and made the victim's wife confirm that in court for her.
• I found it a bit disturbing to listen to the victim's call to 911 right before he committed suicide where he says it's all because of him.
• I felt bad for Laurel when Annalise told her that she couldn't come up with her own ideas which isn't even true considering that she's the one that came up with the alcoholic angle earlier this episode.
• I was surprised to learn that Frank asked Oliver on his own to work on the hacking angle to figure out if the hapstall cousin was in town on the night of the Hapstall parents murders which he was. I liked that Connor was upset that Frank got Oliver more involved in things and I like that this anger clearly comes from a place of concern for Oliver's well being.
• I liked that Annalise and Eve fantasied about a life together away from everything that makes it too complicated for them to ever truly be together.
• I liked that Asher did originally want to help the girl rather than cover things up but in the end that's what his dad decided to do and he never did anything to make things better for her and I can understand that is reason enough for Bonnie to be mad at him.
• I liked that Oliver finds everything that seems to go on in the Keating house more interesting than his own job and that's a big part of the reason he's so willing to help even though Connor has been very clear about how he doesn't want him there because it he knows it's not safe for him.
• I liked that Michaela found out that there was DNA found at the Hapstall crime scene that didn't match anyone that lived or work in the house.
• I liked that Annalise actually thanked Oliver for all the work he has done for her despite not actually working for her and I like that Oliver said that she seems much nicer than Connor said she was.
• I liked that it looked like Even through Nate's case but that she actually has a plan to get him off but it would take more time to get the win.
• I liked that Laurel figured out that the DA and the woman who's husband had just died were sleeping together. I liked that this piece of information is what helps Annalise win her case.
• I liked that Annalise told her client that the woman he's obsessed with hates him, he has no chance with her and he's pathetic and she's done with him.
• I liked that Laurel pointed out that she's the one that keeps everyone else in the house in line so that Annalise doesn't have to and I like that Annalise tells her that she knows and that she doesn't pay much attention to Laurel because she knows she doesn't have to.
• I liked that Eve and Nate got the blood sample switched out somehow with the help of the nurse.
• I liked that Wes asked Even why she helps Annalise even though she can get in trouble for helping her and I like that Wes told Eve that he doesn't get a choice about whether or not he helps Annalise.
• I liked that Eve figured out that Wes was the one that really killed Sam and it seems like she has a connection with Wes that existed pre-show.
• I liked that when Oliver decided to lure the Hapstall cousin out using a dating website and used Connor's picture instead of his own that Connor told him to stop with the low self-esteem and got mad at him for him behaving so recklessly.
• I liked that Connor went along with the plan to legally get the Hapstall cousin DNA mainly to protect Oliver and I liked that even though Michaela and Frank thought the plan was good that Laurel clearly has her doubts and calls to tell Annalise about them although she doesn't answer.
• I felt really bad for Bonnie when she was confronting Annalise about how she had no right to show Asher what she did about Bonnie's childhood and I can understand why Bonnie wishes at this moment that Annalise would die because having that kind of secret revealed is terribly violating.
• I liked that Annalise told Frank to shut down the mission because it is a terrible idea.
• I'm really worried about Oliver since the Hapstall cousin snuck into his apartment.

TV Review: Falling for Innocence

                                                     Falling for Innocence Review

Falling for Innocence is a K-drama(Korean drama) about a ruthless businessman Kang Min-ho who is dead set on destroying his father's company that was stolen from his family shortly after his father's death and because of the actions of those who betrayed his father he ended up loosing both of his parents at a young age. Min-ho has made it so that his only purpose in life is to destroy that one company and he believes that everyone who is part of that company to be his enemy including a secretary named Kim Soon-jung.

Kim Soon-jung is a dedicated and good hearted secretary that has great love for the company that Min-ho is so determined to destroy, the primary reason why she sees the company as a force for good is because of the jobs it has given the factory works who she is close both because she went to school with many of the factory works children when she was young and because father of fiancé works there. At the beginning of the series Soon-jung is in a happy relationship with her fiancé Ma Dong-wook who is sadly killed a few episodes into the series.

A big part of the reason for Min-ho's ruthlessness is trying to destroy the company comes from the fact that he is dying of a heart condition and things start to change for his character when he gets a heart transplant fairly earlier on. After the heart transplant and spending more time with Soon-jung, Min-ho slowly starts to change his ways partially because he's no longer dying but mostly because of the influence that Soon-jung has on him that makes him want to be someone that she would actually like to spend time with.

The part of the series that I probably found most enjoyable was Min-ho and Soon-jung's relationship because it was one that developed gradually over time, it drove a lot of the plot and character development of the series and when they started getting along they were really cute together which is always fun to watch. One the things that was most enjoyable about the relationship was the fact that Min-ho didn't seem to understand what he was feeling at all and he act like an awkward dork whenever he was trying to impress Soon-jung because he was completely out of his element.

A big part of this series had to do with the business of trying to destroy or save the company with Min-Ho trying to destroy the company in the first half of the series before deciding to save the company in second half of the series and discovering that running a company is a lot harder than taking one down. For the later half the series Lee Joon-hee who is also a childhood friend of Soon-jung and a romantic rival is also a business rival for Min-ho who pays back to him what he had done to others in the past.

The character of Joon-hee is one that was a bit hard to figure out at first because he kept a lot of his true self hidden from everyone even his closest friends who have known him since he was in elementary school. Joon-hee is someone who is willing to do absolutely anything to get ahead and that is something that made him pretty dangerous but that is also one of the main reasons why Soon-jung would never even consider being with him, the other reason is of course that she's only ever seen him as a friend and no matter what he demands of her that's not going to change. There were times when I did feel bad for Joon-hee such as when it was revealed that he was always looked down upon because he comes from a low-class background but in the end he did too many bad things and showed pretty much no remorse so in the end he was a character I didn't really like but was well-written and important to the story.

Overall I thought that the story and writing were enjoyable although I did think that the romantic and comedic aspect of this drama worked better than the more dramatic elements that were involved in the business and police investigation storylines. I thought that the acting was overall pretty good if at times a bit over the top but I think it was suppose to be so I guess that's okay. In the end I enjoyed this drama mostly for the romantic bits and I would recommend even though I know it's not the best one out there it was still really fun and enjoyable. Please tell me your thoughts on this series.

TV Review: Revenge: Exposure(4.19)

                                                  Revenge: Exposure(4.19)Review

• I felt bad for Louise when she figured out after Emily revealed her real identity just how much Nolan was keeping from her and I dislike that Victoria is taking advantage Louise's emotional state to get the zip drive of all the information that Louise's brother took off Nolan's computer.
• I liked that there was a bit of a call back to the pilot when Emily tells Nolan that Emily Thorne no longer exists like she told him in the pilot Amanda Clarke no longer exists although I'm still calling her Emily because that's what I'm use to calling her.
• I liked that David was able to cut a deal for Emily so that she doesn't have to go to jail for fraud.
• I liked that when Nolan tells Emily that Tom Kingsley is coming after her that the two of them think back to his takedown and I liked how Nolan remarked that is when the two of them become a team and that Emily tells him of course she remembers, I just like seeing how clearly fond they are of each other now and seeing how far they have come over the years.
• I liked that Louise started doubting what Victoria was telling her about how Nolan is a bad person and was even somewhat understanding about why Emily hid who she was and why Nolan had to keep her secret.
• I understand why Ben is so angry with Emily and there really is nothing she can say to make things better but I don't really know why he came over to talk to her if he already knew all that.
• I dislike how Victoria tells Louise all about what Emily did to her but never once mentions what she did Emily that made her want to go after Victoria, I just hate the way that Victoria always tries to play innocent in her feud with Emily.
• I liked how Louise told Nolan that no one is going to as important to him as Emily and I like that he can't even deny it because it's just so true, I just always love when people can see how much Nolan loves Emily.
• I liked that when Nolan could see that Louise was upset that he still tried to talk to her and find someway to comfort her, I just really enjoy the friendship that these two have.
• I liked that when Emily was confronting Tom Kingsley that there was a recap of some of Emily's most memorable takedowns.
• I liked that Emily and David worked together to convince Tom Kingsley to not go through with his plans to take Emily down because he would regret.
• I liked that Margaux was most focused on putting out the word that Daniel wasn't a killer rather than trying to take Emily down.
• I liked that Margaux finally admitted that she lied about Emily pushing her and I like that Margaux doesn't want to help Victoria takedown Emily because she knows that revenge won't make anything right.
• I felt bad for Nolan when he had to admit to Emily that he kept files about their takedowns and that Victoria is now in possession of those files and Emily is understandably furious at him and he is heartbroken that he might have done something that would end up allowing Victoria to destroy her.
• I liked that Emily went to the press to tell her side of the story and to make it impossible for Victoria to ever tell her side of the story.
• I liked how when Nolan was saying that he no longer has Emily and that he was never really important to her in the first place that Jack tells him that isn't true that him and Emily are the dynamic duo and that Emily couldn't let him go even if she wanted to.
• I really loved the recap of Emily and Nolan's relationship I loved seeing all their moments together and I liked that I got a vaguely romantic vibe from it whether or not that was intentional.
• I liked that Emily told the report on national television that Victoria destroy her childhood and made sure that she stopped believing her father. I liked that she told them that finding out that her dad is actually innocent is what saved her so she saved him the only way she could.
• I was really sad when we saw Emily talk about how Amanda died because of her revenge and I was a bit annoyed to have to see Aiden again but I understand that Aiden is someone who was important to Emily.
• I liked that Emily somewhat told the report that Victoria has killed someone and I liked how she told everyone how Victoria has a dark heart and is the one who's really dangerous.
• In all honesty it would have made more sense for Jack to tell Nolan that he's in love with Emily than for Nolan to tell Jack that he's in love with Amanda because we saw a lot more evidence of that both in this episode and the series as a whole, it's just that Jack and Emily is a ship I always knew the writers want me to ship but I just don't see why they should be together or even that they actually love each other.
• I was sad that Margaux eventually went back to Victoria's side with helping her takedown Emily but I do feel bad for Victoria outside of her relationship with Emily because in her relationship she's clearly the bad guy.
• I liked that David told Emily how proud he was of her and I like that you can tell just how much he loves her.
• I liked that Emily seems to be letting go of control and that for the first time she's okay with a lack of control.

Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

Book Review: Hex Hall: Spellbound

                                                           Spellbound Review

Spellbound is the third book and final book in the Hex Hall series and it starts off with Sophie dealing with the fallout of the end of the last book. Sophie starts off the book fearing for her father's, Cal's, Archer's and Jenna's lives since they were in danger when she left them and she has no idea where they are now. Not only that but Sophie has to deal with yet another revelation about her family when she finds out that her mother is part of prodigum fighting family which makes her one to. Sophie deals with a lot of questions right away and doesn't seem to have any answers on how to keep her loved ones and the world safe from the Casnoffs.

By the mid section of the book Sophie knows what has happened to everyone she cares about but she is now trapped at Hex Hall without her powers along with Archer, Jenna and Cal. The group along with Elodie's ghost have to come up with a way to stop the Casnoffs and it's a task that seems to become even more impossible as time goes on.

Overall I really enjoyed this book it was both a lot of fun but also had a lot of great dramatic plot elements with the plot twists and insights into the characters emotional states. I really loved all the major characters and how they worked together, I especially loved the friendship between Sophie and Jenna and the romantic pairing of Sophie and Archer. I overall thought that this book was a great way to end a great series and I wish I could say more about this book's plot but I feel like there are too many spoilers that would be revealed if I did that. Please tell me what you thought about this book or entire series in the comment section below.

TV Review: How To Get Away With Murder: Two Birds, One Milestone(2.06)

                 How To Get Away With Murder: Two Birds, One Milestone(2.06)Review

• In the flash forward seeing Frank react emotionally to Annalise possibly dying seemed pretty strange but the fact that he was acting made it feel less weird. I also find it concerning that Cathy seemed dead in the backseat of frank's car.
• I liked that despite Laurel not entirely believing Wes about Frank having something to do with Rebecca disappearing that she still thought that there was enough evidence there for her to try to spy on Frank.
• I liked that Oliver tried to get Connor tell him what he did that could land him jail is by making a list of terrible crimes and having Connor cross them out. I also think that it is for the best that Connor distracted Oliver before he got too close to the truth.
• I like that Wes seems to be somewhat bothered by the others thinking he's crazy and I like that Laurel's opinion seems to mean the most him.
• I like that Laurel, Michaela and Connor tried to convince Wes to let the Rebecca thing dropped because they don't want Annalise to find out that they are going crazy again.
• I like that Annalise showing Asher the tape of Bonnie when she was a girl was something that made him change his mind about testifying about what he knows. I also like that Asher is shown to clearly care a lot about Bonnie with the way he reacted to seeing the tape.
• I like that when Asher told Annalise that Sinclair has something bad on him that she told him that she was going to protect him as long as he didn't testify.
• I liked that Annalise gave Bonnie the credit for Asher changing his mind but I also like that Bonnie is skeptical that it was actually her doing.
• I find it funny how Asher told the others they have no idea about the shit that goes on in this house because they all know so much more than him.
• I like that Frank told Annalise that while Wes was distracted by the suitcase that he was by no means giving up finding out what happened to Rebecca.
• I liked that Annalise was able to get Sinclair to drop Asher's case entirely and I like that Annalise made it clear that she didn't really understand Sinclair's obsession with taking her down.
• I liked that Annalise told the group that while she has no clue whether or not if the Hapstalls are guilty but she does know how it feels to have people expect the worst of you and that is something that leads her to tell them that they need to find another suspect in order to make their clients look guilty.
• I liked that a phone call that Annalise didn't want to take because she thought that it was unimportant turned out to be a new case with a client that killed her abusive husband in self defense.
• I liked that Asher told Bonnie that what Sam tried to do to her was not okay and that he wishes he could do something to make things better and just by saying that Bonnie felt like he did.
• I like that Bonnie is concerned about Asher's father's reaction to his refusal to testify and I liked that when Asher was wondering if Annalise could really protect him that she told him Annalise takes care of everyone.
• I liked that Asher came up with the idea that the Hapstall biological parents as potential suspects and I liked that Wes laid out a good case for that to be true.
• I liked that Annalise figured out that her client used what she told her to stage a crime scene.
• I think that it's probably for the best that Nate wants to distance himself from anything involving Annalise.
• I kind of like that Catherine record what they were saying behind her back because they have lied to her in the best and I liked that Annalise was mad at them for bad mouthing their clients in their own house, I also liked that Asher kept pointing out that he wasn't part of that.
• I was so sad to hear that Nate's wife died but I liked that Annalise went over to his place to try and comfort him.
• I liked that Laurel, Wes and Connor were all into at least checking out the biological parents as potential suspects and I kind of dislike that Michaela is completely dismissing the idea because she was adapted and because Wes was the one that laid out the case for the biological parents as suspects and she blames him for everything that goes wrong in their lives.
• I liked that Laurel told Wes that they were just going to ask Frank if Rebecca is dead and of course he lied to them.
• I liked that Annalise admired her client for getting someone to make a false witness statement about seeing her husband abuse her.
• I was worried when the DA told Annalise that she could be charged as an accessory to murder based off of how long their phone conversation was.
• I'm not sure how I feel about Annalise using Asher's father to win her case and get rid of Sinclair.  
• I liked that they found out that the Hapstalls have secret cousin who they can use as a possible suspect.
• I liked that Laurel still somewhat believes that Frank could have killed Rebecca and I find it funny that Frank's offended that Laurel thinks he could kill someone when we know he has before.
• I liked that Frank introduced Laurel to his family since it showed a different side of him.
• I find it interesting that Annalise brought up a lot of new information about Wes's mother and I liked that Wes told Annalise that this didn't have anything to do with Wes's mother and that Wes pointed out he can't trust her because she always keeps things from him.
• I felt bad for Asher when his father disowned him because of the way that Annalise decided to use his father for her own gain.
• I'm worried that something bad might happen to Oliver since he hacked into the guy that is most likely the Hapstall killer's computer and he hacked right back into his but I liked that Connor was worried about him and didn't want him to get anymore involved in this case.
• I'm glad that in the flash forward it appears that Catherine is still alive.

Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.

TV Review: Scream: Psycho(2.02)

                                                       Scream: Psycho(2.02)Review

• I liked that that when Emma came out the house claiming that there was collage of her entire life and that she saw someone that Brooke made sure that the two of them got out of there rather than sticking around to possibly get killed.
• I'm glad that Emma went home and told her mom what she saw at the pig farm and I liked that her mom both told her about how they used to visit the farm when Emma was little and that she agreed to go back to the house that night with Emma.
• I was surprised that when Emma went back to the house that the room was empty but I kind of liked it because it puts into question Emma's mental state.
• I liked that Emma told Kieran all about what happened the night before and I liked that Kieran opened up to Emma about how things were right after his dad died. I also liked that Emma questioned whether or not it was too soon for her to come back to school.
• I'm a bit worried about Noah investigating the accomplice theory especially since it involves meeting up with people he finds in the comment section of his podcast and I'm also worried about Audrey and what she might be willing to do in order to keep her secret.
• I liked that Brooke was honest to Emma about how Emma wasn't making sense the night before and how she thinks that Emma might have been hallucinating and how she thinks that makes as much sense as anything else after everything they all went through, I also just like that it was clear that Brooke was concerned about Emma's well being.
• I liked that once they figured out that Jake hadn't contacted any of them since the other night that they all started to find it a bit weird.
• I thought it was funny to learn that Jake once faked mono for a week to get out of something.
• I liked that the show, showed us how scary Audrey can be one she thinks that someone could be doing something that could reveal her role in things.
• I like that Noah is noticing that something is off with Audrey and he can tell that it was something to do with the accomplice theory but he clearly doesn't understand why that is such a sore subject for her.
• I like that Audrey is playing nice with Noah rather than being aggressive with him like she was during the last episode but I still don't like that she's lying to him although I understand why she is.
• I liked that when Emma told Zoe that she was sorry for missing their morning study session that Zoe was understanding because she too went through something a while ago and I liked that she told Emma that focusing and working hard is the way to move past things.
• I liked that Brooke finally sent a text message to Jake because she's more worried about him being alive than any fight they might be having.
• I liked that Gustavo pointed out that the humans are pretty much the biggest predator out there.
• I liked that Emma decided to talk to her psych teacher when she realized that she was still struggling with everything and while I thought that the teacher gave some good advice I dislike that she was recording Emma without her knowledge.
• I was never really worried about Kieran moving in this episode but I am a little worried about what kind of trouble his aunt Tina and cousin Eli may cause him later on.
• I liked that Brooke was taking Jake's radio silence seriously enough to think of filing a missing person report but didn't because she got a text that she believes is from him.
• I kind of liked the conversation that Brooke and Gustavo had about the Lakewood six. I both liked and found it a bit creepy that Gustavo has a ranking for all of them but I can't really argue with his logic behind the rankings. I also liked how Brooke told him that he doesn't really know anything about the Lakewood six.
• I liked that this episode established that Kieran is the person that Emma trust the most to talk about everything she went through and I liked that when her mom saw this she did everything she could to make sure that Kieran stayed close.
• I find the character Eli interesting because he looks very clean cut but he clearly comes from a very broken and low class home and I liked how he told his mom that the life they have been living is horrible and I like that he low keyed manipulated her into staying in Kieran's house.
• I liked that Emma went and confront her fears by going back to the dock where she and her mom were almost killed by Piper.
• I dislike that the killer is manipulating Brooke into thinking both that Jake is still alive and by making it seem like he wants to make things right with her because it's only going to make it harder for her when she finds out that he's actually dead.
• I liked that Brooke told her dad about how her and Jake have been dating but I'm sad that she did what he wanted her to do after he had already died.
• I both like and dislike how Noah refuses to give up on the accomplice theory because he knows that the clerk knows something and he'll take any little piece of information he can get to figure out the truth of what really happened.
• I liked that after dealing with things Emma wanted to have dinner and really talk things out with her mom.
• I was surprised to see that Emma's dad is back in town and I'm interested to see if she'll want anything to do with him.
• I liked that Noah said in his podcast that as much as he loves a climax of a story he also values suspense and that he's pretty sure that once he finds the truth he's looking for he probably won't like what he finds out.
• I'm glad that Audrey found Jake's body because I'm just glad that someone now knows that Jake is actually dead.

Please tell me your thoughts on this episode.