#sydney FUN FACT. is my second favorite forever and ever and ever | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

whimsicaldragonette · 1 year

Text

ARC Review: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Order

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Synopsis:

This smoldering enemies-to-lovers novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu puts a superstar global phenomenon and a hotshot young spy on a collision course with danger – and Cupid’s arrow – in an electric new series perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Ally Carter. Meet Winter Young – International pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him – just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling. Meet Sydney Cossette – Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She's fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance – especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders. When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter's lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organization’s inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter's bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as their mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit that there's more to Winter Young than just a handsome face . . . Romance and danger abound in this “brilliant, breathtaking ride that will leave you clamoring for the sequel.” —Tahereh Mafi, #1 internationally bestselling author of Shatter Me .

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like if your favorite BTS member (as if there is such a thing as a 'favorite' BTS member) were recruited to a secret spy organization? Now's your chance to find out...

This was so much fun! It was fast-paced and full of excitement and danger and thrilling spy action. It was also full of popstar concert vibes. I found myself thinking 'BTS' over and over again and having to convince myself that, no, Winter Young is not modeled on BTS. And then lo and behold I find in the author's note that Marie Lu is ARMY too and was thinking of BTS after all. Ha! I knew Winter's extreme charisma and humbleness and ability to connect with people and pick up choreography and training immediately were familiar. I loved Winter Young as a character. Yes, his resemblance to the various BTS members made me love him more, but he was charismatic and a sympathetic character in his own right and easy to root for. Sydney was cold and hard and buried her vulnerabilities deep behind her walls, but Winter was able to bring them out and make her a more relatable and sympathetic character. They made a fabulous team and I can't wait to see them team up again. I did guess the big bad pretty early on, but it was fun seeing how it all played out. That sort of thing doesn't bother me as I'm there for the overall experience of the story, but for people who want to be surprised by the twists it might be frustrating. Then again, Marie Lu did hide it pretty well. I was glued to the pages the whole time I was reading and there was never a moment where I was bored or frustrated with the story. It all flowed really well and was so fast-paced I never got a chance to breathe and get drawn away from it. I'll definitely be picking up the next one. *Thanks to NetGalley, Bookishfirst, and Macmillan Children's for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

Winter reminded her too much of everything. Of her awful, short-lived second marriage. Of the second husband she loathed. But worst of all, of the fact that her beloved firstborn son was forever gone, and that only Winter, her afterthought, remained.

----

He could command the attention of ninety thousand people in an arena, could attract screaming throngs whenever he stepped out any door, could be on the covers of every magazine in the world. And yet he could never convince his mother to stay.

#marie lu #stars and smoke #bts #netgalley #arc review #bookishfirst #macmillan children's #shilo reads

1 note · View note

soulssung · 2 years

Note

{12.28.21} - part two (it’s a long one im sorry)

heyooooo it me again!!!!

(had to start this message out informally cause idk, why not :P)

anyway, this is in response to your other message from last time hehehe

so, gods menu was right behind back door for songs that got me into kpop/skz, and it ended up being my #1 song of 2021 djsjfjjdd everything about that song is perfection, especially the m/v!! the camera work, the outfits, the boys themselves, ugh i can’t get enough. i can’t remember who exactly stood out for me in gods menu, but i agree that felix was very eye-catching in that video!

i’m right with you there on jisung being the boy of your dreams because literally same 🥲🥲🥲🥲 along with felix, i can’t get enough of my sunshine babies. i remember dedicating a whole night to watching funny jisung moments and other videos of him just being amazing and adorable, and i remember the way my heart melted and ached for him - it’s so distinctive in my mind and i’ll never forget falling for him. that sounds so cheesy but it’s so true :’)) <33 i can’t remember falling for felix though, i’ve always just loved him since the beginning like i probably said last time (i never remember what i say lowkey my memory is terrible, i always screenshot your responses so i know what to say djshfjdj) (ALSO AHAHA “in this essay i will…” GOT ME SO GOODNDKSJF deadass laughed out loud, but :’))) im sorry i’ll be nicer to myself <//3)

**tw before paragraph: suicide & struggle of mental health is mentioned but only for a brief moment & not in any detail, i promise. <3**

i understand not getting tattoos tbh, it is a big commitment. it’s still hard for me sometimes cause i know it’ll be on me forever and i don’t wanna regret something that i may get. i’ve never heard of v.f.d though i’m so sorry :’))) i’ll have to look it up or you’ll have to tell me more about it! if you do ever get one, i’ll be your biggest supporter hehehe <3 as for mine, my sloth & kingdom hearts tattoos are my fun ones, they don’t have a specific meaning besides the fact that it’s my favorite animal and my favorite game since childhood. my semiheart colon (my very first tattoo) definitely has meaning behind it; semicolon tattoos normally represent suicide awareness & sadly, i’ve had two loved ones pass away from it. it means a lot that this was my very first one since i miss them dearly as well as i struggle with mental health & i’ll sometimes think of it as my own permanent reminder to keep going for them. <3 :) i do hope to get many more tattoos in the future whether they’re fun ones or meaningful ones, it’s a fun way i get to express myself & feel more confident with who i am as a person! same with my hair because boy do i change my hair color often LMAO

also! i have more random questions for you if you want to answer! <3

1.) if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

{australia! i have many other places as well but all of my favorites are from sydney & i wanna visit there one day so badly!}

2.) what are 3 of your dislikes?

{frogs, cheese, and the dark; i’ve been terrified of frogs ever since i had a nightmare involving one as a child. i have a weird relationship with cheese cause i love pizza & i’ll eat some things with cheese but i hate mac & cheese and cheeseburgers & stuff :/. the dark is a little self explanatory but also has deeper explanation. that shit is scary.}

3.) outside of kpop, who do you listen to?

{idk if i’ve asked this yet, hopefully i haven’t. but 5 seconds of summer is my favorite band of all time. they’re my favorites right beside stray kids. i’ve loved them for 7 years & i don’t think i’ll ever stop! i also am a big fan of post malone, halsey, rex orange county & lots of others :)}

wowie what a long message. i never know when to end it, do i? oh welp :P i hope you’re having a lovely evening! i can’t wait for the big reveal & your gift. as nervous as i am about, i hope you enjoy it and i hope we continue to talk after the event :) <3

until next time! all my love,

your secret santa ✨🕊

heyooo kksjjdjdj (and dont ever apologize for long message, i appreciate them very much!!). and sorry for taking so long to reply :(

and definitely!! god's menu is definitely one of their best eras (esp. in styling. i LOVE everything they wear that era). they were experimental with some of the boys make up (like bangchan) and the clothes fit them soo well!! gods menu and easy forever my beloveds <3

and about spending a whole night watching jisung videos..... i completely get it, in fact that's how i became jisung biased lol i remember watching those get to know the members and thinking like damn dis boy cute 😳 jdjdj.

and i'm happy to know that i was able to make you laugh jdjdjjd.

v.f.d it's the secret organization of a series of unfortunate events!! i really enjoy the series (i loved loved loved the movie when i was a kid and the series is one of the only ones i actually have patience to watch. i just love the story and the aesthetics so much). and thanks for the support kekdkdj.

i didn't know they meant this! i'm really sorry you had to go through this and it's so sweet of you to make something like that to remember them. i'm sure they are looking up to you just as dearly and i hope it can always give you strength and work as a reminder that there are many people who love and appreciate you (myself included :))

and the hair thing. i get it djjdjdjjd i personally don't change the color all that much (i had ginger, light blonde, pink and now i just painted it back to my natural color (dark blonde) lol) but oh my i cut it sooo many times (one side undercut, both sides undercut, bobby, mid length.... you name it) and now i finally growing it (which i thought i would never do again) and i actually like it a lot :)) since you change yours so much, which colors did you got? and which ones are your favorites?

now to the questions:

01. there's so many places :(( i would love to go to italy (it's so pretty and i would love take cooking classes with one of those old italian ladies!! i really enjoy cooking (esp. for my family and friends) and there's just so much you can learn from these people yk? as well as england (if i ever get to be an exchange student (and i desperately hope so) i would choose there as my destination. and honestly any place with snow bc i never seen it and i would love to!!

02. agreed on the dark. understand the cheese bc i also don't like it on things like hamburgers etc. personally, i dont like horror movies (i'm a scared cat, there's no much i can do about it lol) and honestly the only things i can think about now are like people's behaviours lol so yeah i would say: dark, horror movies and people that think they know everything and that they always right (and who are rude when trying to 'correct' you or stuff like that. it makes me really mad jdjdj)

03. and hmm i dont stan anyone outside of kpop in a sense like there's no one i go after comebacks and this kind of jeez. but i really enjoy indie (esp. rock and folk) and the ones i usually listen the most are hozier (thats the one i get closer to stan, since i often watch things like lives etc), taylor swift, lana del rey, sufjan stevens, mitski, gracie abrams etc

ps: i used to love 5sos when i was younger (right after they released she looks so perfect) and i even wrote fics for them lol it's in pt-br and super bad written but i don't have the guts to take it down bc it's so funny and make me remember lil old me trying her best to be a writer djjdn

since you mentioned gods menu as your #1 so g of 2021, what are the other top ones? and what was your aura? mine are

1. bright as yellow by the innocence mission

2. a burning hill by mitski

3. lisboa-madrid by anavitória

4. futile devices by sufjan stevens

5. chemtrails over the country club by lana del rey

my mood was yearning and wistful (which ngl i thought it was quite funny)

long ass answer but there you go djdjnd. i so excited to see your gift (but i will be honest and say i'm even more excited to finally meet you) i definitely hope ee continue to chat after the event bc i had a lot of fun talking to you :))

#✉️ asks #xiesecretsanta #dearest ss anon🕊️✨

0 notes

susebron · 7 years

Note

ohhhh. maybe... i don't know... all the numbers. yes let's go with all 100 of them

i sincerely hate you and these took forever to answer so you better read ‘em all!!!!!!!! but also thx bc some of these were v nice and fun to answer

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? more cereal than milk bc i came for the cereal, not the milk

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? if i’m in a good mood, yes. if i’m in a bad mood…. not at all

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? reciepts usually but i very much prefer actual bookmarks; specifically those with a magnet

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? with honey or sugar and lots of milk

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? i sincerely feel confused about how to smile properly??? so i guess a bit. like i can’t smile on order. i did as a kid but if i did it that way now, ppl would Wonder

6: do you keep plants? i had a cactus a while ago called robert plant but he died. my mum is currently keeping some plants in my room tho and i decorated one with some plastic dinosaurs but they are definitely not my responsiblity. i mean, robert plant died

7: do you name your plants? if you read the sixth answer, you would know that yes i do

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? writing i guess. idk it’s usually Metaphorically my feelings but i do make attempts to keep a diary sometimes. it doesn’t go well for long

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? not really

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? i really really really like sleeping on my side. i’m currently forced to sleep on my back and i do not like it

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? if one shouts sir yes sir then the other one has to shout I CAN’T HEAR YOU PUSSY #tbt @13000ants

12: what’s your favorite planet? tatooine which makes no sense

13: what’s something that made you smile today? leif gw persson was on tv

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? there would be books everywhere

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! neutron stars can spin at a rate of 600 rotations per second

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? um. macaroni and cheese or pasta salad. NO WAIT milk-stewed macaroni

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? tbh i’m content with my hair colour

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. that one time i thought sydney was in asia #tbt @weeplittlelannister

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? i do! idk i have one more diary-like, one with lists and drawings and shit… but also a calendar with is also somewhat a bullet journal

20: what’s your favorite eye color? what kind of q….. lmao oscar isaac’s

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. my mum gave me aleather messenger box, like a post office bag or whatever and I Love It. it’s tbh never big enough to fit everything but it tries

22: are you a morning person? no

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? read

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? i was gonna say my grandfather but then i realised there is no way he wwon’t end up telling my grandmother ausifsafa. idk. my stuffed elephant

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? me and william once broke into this storage room where we live. he stole one of those long light bulbs and hit me in the head with it. it hurt

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? just normal chuck taylors. off-brand tho of course lmao

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? mint or y’know…. bubblegum

28: sunrise or sunset? both

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? i know this says friends but listen. when @sneutrinos talks about physics or physicists he admires… his eyes are like Glittering and it’s endearing as fuck. makes me want to listen (or watch lmao) him talk about it for hours

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? yes

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. the best way to describe my socks and usage of them is that my nurse the other week when i was getting dressed to go home was like “oh! you’re wearing mismatched for rock the socks day (a day to uplift/celebrate down’s syndrome) and i was like “i guess….. but this is also just how i wear my socks” i very rarely end up having matching socks?? it just??? never happens even if i try

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. lmao idk if this was after 3am but i remember that one time me and @kkruel were ranting about his dorm neighbour showering at like midnight but literally just shrugged it off when the ceiling caved in saihfoasp

33: what’s your fave pastry? pastry is such a loose term though??? there is so much to choose from??? but i’m like really feeling muffins lately

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? i had a bunch but let’s talk about the one stuffed dog i got when i was like six and is still like brand-new because i was terrified of ruining it so i just…. occasionally gave it a pet. nothing more

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? i do, i do. i prefer certain pens, even if the ink’s only black, and i tend to use them more than pencils.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? nirvana unplugged would fit so much i had to go listen to it

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? i mean i like when it’s clean but i don’t mind if it’s messy… as long as it isn’t Messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves! flour

39: what color do you wear the most? um probably blue or black

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? i honestly don’t really own any jewelry. i do have a watch that i use sometimes but it doesn’t really have a meaning other than that my mum bought it for me during one of our trips to uppsala. so i guess it does mean something after all lmao

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? i really loved nimona. it was hilarious and amazing

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! idk i really like espresso house because they have really good chocolate muffins but it’s always crowded and overpriced. wayne’s also has good muffins and are usually a bit cheaper, a bit less crowded

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? i guess micah and his dad lmao

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? um probably last tuesday

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? i mean i guess?

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. my mind is BLANK

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? ticks. oh this said FOOD. um. mustard

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? i can only think of my trauma-based fears and they were usually about water and losing my parents??? i’m not sure i’d say either is the biggest fear now, but i still feel really uncomfortable in muddy water

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? p sure the last i bought was highlights from the original french production of les misérables

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? as a kid i used to collect popcorn boxes from the movies? i think i only have lotr ones left

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? i associate @conradsricamora with conrad’s cover of ain’t no sunshine

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? i like the meme about ted cruz as the zodiac killer but it’s not from this year. uh. i can’t think of a 2017 meme

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? i’ve seen beetlejuice and pulp fiction and i love them both. one’s the perfect funny rainy october night movie and the other’s just… wow

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? idk someone on grey’s anatomy. mum’s been watching it a lot lately

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? gosh idk. i hope nothing too Dramatic

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? their love for their hobbies. like when someone is really intensively into something and it’s so Obvious. i love that

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? it always makes me feel so good. and i mean… yeah…. who doesn’t…

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? um @itsjustaheartache is the wine mum and @caesarsbuddy is the vodka aunt because…. they just are

59: what’s your favorite myth? um anything to do with swedish trolls tbh

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? tbh i love poetry but i’m a bit picky with it. but i’ll read anything by richard siken

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? um my aunt once gave me a cp3o pen for christmas. like that was it. i think it was in the 1 dollar bin

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? no i don’t but if i have to, i prefer orange juice

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? i really like them organized but i have so many books that i just.. give up a lot

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? it’s late so probably dark, dark blue. perhaps even black

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? all my friends at this point lmao

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? idk… flowery

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? like it’s time to travel to middle earth

68: what’s winter like where you live? it’s either really cold and snowy or no snow and probably really rainy

69: what are your favorite board games? dnd or monopoly

70: have you ever used a ouija board? no and i fucking never will

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? rn it’s my pokémon tea that my dad’s gf got me

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? lmao i definitely need to write everything down which i’ve failed to do lately and i hate it

73: what are some of your worst habits? procrastination

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. gay

75: tell us about your pets! one is satan but also the sweetest??? v interesting mix. she is honestly so good. and the other one is chunk in cat form. also p good

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? i’m trying to finish my assigned math tasks for today but ashfpsao god damn ebba made me answer all these 100 q’s

77: pink or yellow lemonade? neither? i’m not a big fan of lemonade

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? i haven’t seen the movies so i was neutral… and at this point i’m neutral evil about it. stop it

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? john boyega exists so that was a cute thing of his parents to do

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? blue at dad’s and like white/cream-ish at mum’s…. bc blue felt most neutral and the other one was already there, so

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. sea with a touch of caramel

82: are/were you good in school? lmao

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? um. tbh anything by led zeppelin

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? i’d want some, sure, but i’m uncertain of what. probably something relating to ryan dunn at least

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? it’s been a while since i had time to but i really love captain america, sweet tooth and…. tbh i’m not picky???

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? i love them. esp if it’s by king diamond. if i have to choose one of his, it’s got to be them or abigail tbh

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? the lord of the rings trilogy and the star wars original trilogy. also artifical intelligence

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? resistance

89: are you close to your parents? i mean yeah? in different ways but i’m close to both of them which is v nice

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. it is really neat with beautiful old buildings and lots of book shops. or at least a bunch of good book shops. also actual shops dedicated to comics or gaming. also a v nice tea shop

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? i’m hoping to move to a new city this autumn, so there’s that

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? i don’t get cheese on pasta unless it’s mac and cheese

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? a luke skywalker inspired ‘do

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? um some family friend on facebook

95: what are your plans for this weekend? um. study, probably

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? i procrastinate. def

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? infp, leo, hufflepuff

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? i don’t remember when it was but i know that i did not enjoy it

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. anything by led zeppelin or stromae. a specific song though is the freshman by the verve pipe

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? no. no. you do not mess with time ok

#philipsunshea #tag: asks

4 notes · View notes