Kdrama Review: The Sound of Magic

 Drama: The Sound of Magic

Genre: Fantasy

Staring: Ji Changwook, Choi Sungeun, Hwang Inyoup

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

This is the first drama I've watched that's an actual musical.  I mean we always get great soundtracks, and songs happen all the time, but the characters don't break out into song and dance. But they do in this one! And it's awesome to see our Changwook singing in such a thing!

It's a story about a dude who claims to be a magician and is living in an abandoned amusement park. Our girl is really struggling in life, having been basically abandoned by her parents and having to now take care of her little sister while still going to high school. She happens upon the magician and he changes how she feels about life with his magic. 

Our boy is also struggling, more with the demands of his parents. He ends up getting to know the magician too, but is much more skeptical. He is worried about the involvement our girl has with the magician and wonders what's really going on.

And what IS really going on indeed? That begins to be the question as the story goes on. Something is up. 

Even though the story has many beautiful magical moments, there is also some disturbing bits too. An interesting juxtaposition. 

Some people I know were bothered by the singing (which I find funny because pretty sure everyone knew it's a musical going in) but I thought it was great fun and everyone was really awesome. There's really not a ton of songs either. And of course Ji Changwook is FANTASTIC as he is in everything he does. So so good!

I ended up enjoying it a lot. It's a really short drama (only six episodes I think) and worth watching!

Here's the trailer. 

And an example of one of the musical numbers. 

Book Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

 Book: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA science fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This was last month's book club book. And now it's almost time for this month's! I am so behind!

Anyway, I went into it knowing nothing. And was pleasantly surprised with how fast I was sucked in and invested.

This one takes place on a planet where a couple of groups of people are in conflict with each other. Different customs and styles and goals. The story opens when the boy and his brother from one group get kidnapped by some people from the other group, after they murder his father. Now it's a few years later and he is older and ready to try to escape and take his brother with him before it's too late. Because the brother is being changed by the power of the dude who is the leader of these people.

And the sister of this dude has a special power that makes it so if she touches people, they feel intense pain. To the point where she can kill them. And the brother uses her like crazy for his power, and she is sick of it. And ready to escape.

And the story gets great when the two of them meet. 

"Carve the mark" refers to the tradition these people have of tattooing a line on their arm for all the people they've killed. It's a badge of honor. And our boy is collecting them whether he wants to or not, even though he is from the more peaceful people. 

Oh, did I mention that the boy CAN touch the girl? Because HIS power is that powers don't work on him! Yes. Very interesting indeed!

So they get help and concoct a plan and it's a crazy plan and wow. 

And then the book ends and it's really not over! AH, where's the next book?