Synopsis (from Goodreads): What if Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on purpose?
Princess Aurelia’s kingdom is plagued by the Eternal Slumber, a disease progressively ensnaring the minds of her subjects. After Aurelia wishes for the means to revive her brother, her sinister fairy godmother presents an ominous Aurelia must stab herself with a poisoned spindle.
Accepting this fate plunges Aurelia into a nightmare where victims of the Eternal Slumber are being held hostage by a dark djinni. However, Aurelia’s brother isn’t the only familiar face she finds herself reunited with; Everett, the love of her life who mysteriously disappeared years ago, is there as well. As the djinni’s power grows, Aurelia must decide who to save before the djinni escapes and enters the waking world.
Failing on her quest could trap her in the dream world forever. Will she forgo her chance at a happily ever after and protect her brother, or will she choose to rescue herself and the man she loves?
No matter who she chooses, someone will be doomed to remain in the nightmare that never ends.
To Defy a Dream is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is one of twelve novellas in The Shattered Tales, a collection of twelve fractured retellings of your favorite fairy tales. They can be enjoyed in any order, so fall in love with the swoony sweet romance, magical adventures, and tale-shattering twists one happily-ever-after at a time!
My Review
I discovered Mary Mecham on Instagram, when a reel of hers was suggested to me. I thought it was clever and funny so I decided to follow her. Not long after I learned that she writes fairly tale retellings with no spice. In fact, she markets herself on being a “no spice” author. I’m personally not a fan of spicy books, so I was immediately intrigued and added her books to my Amazon wishlist. To Defy A Dream was one of two of her books I got for Christmas.
This book hooks you in from the very beginning, opening with a quick run down of what is happening in the kingdom and what the Princess intends to do. In no time, she has stabbed herself with the spindle and thrown herself into the dream world where many of her subjects, including her brother, are trapped.
To Defy A Dream isn’t a very long book, being only 150 pages, so it does move quite quickly. Thankfully, it doesn’t feel rushed. Instead, it keeps with the sense of urgency that is established at the beginning. A solution to the sickness needs to be found, and the heirs to the throne need to return. In true fairy tale fashion, we get a little twist and everything works out in the end.
At the time I read this, I was in a pretty bad reading slump. I’d been reading a fairly long series that was starting to feel like too much and so I just sort of stopped reading. When I felt like I actually wanted to pick up a book again, my eyes fell on To Defy A Dream. Being fairly short and geared more towards YA, I figured it would be a nice easy read. It was exactly what I needed and I’m hoping this has kick started me back on reading more regularly.
My rating for To Defy A Dream is 5 out of 5 stars. There was nothing I could find fault with in this book. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings where the female lead has a more kick ass role.
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Acclaimed author Elizabeth Haydon returns with a heartbreaking tale of love and valor in The Hollow Queen, the eighth installment of her USA Today bestselling Symphony of Ages series that began with Rhapsody.
Beset on all sides by the forces of the merchant emperor Talquist, the Cymrian Alliance finds itself in desperate straits. Rhapsody herself has joined the battle, wielding the Daystar Clarion, leaving her True Name in hiding with her infant son. Ashe tries to enlist the aid of the Sea Mages. Within their Citadel of Scholarship lies the White Ivory tower, a spire that could hold the key to unraveling the full extent of Talquist’s machinations. Achmed journeys to the reportedly unassailable palace of Jierna Tal, to kill emperor Talquist—all the while knowing that even if he succeeds, it may not be enough to stop the momentum of the war.
As they struggle to untangle the web of Talquist’s treachery, the leaders of the Cymrian alliance are met with obstacles at every turn. Rhapsody soon realizes that the end of this war will come at an unimaginable price: the lives of those she holds dearest.
My Review
I’ve been trying to think of how best to write this review. I started reading it back in January, got about a quarter of the way in and then just…stopped. To say I’ve been in a reading slump would be a bit of an understatement. I didn’t read anything for nearly 5 months, which is very unusual for me.
In the last week or so, I picked up the Hollow Queen again. I read a couple chapters here and there, then last night I started reading and finished the book.
This is honestly one of the worst reviews I’ve ever written. The amount of time it took me to read it and how I basically forgot most of what happened in the beginning of the book really makes it hard for me to really say anything negative or positive.
What I will say, is that if you have read the rest of the series, The Hollow Queen is a must read. It brings a conclusion to the war of the Known World and wraps up things nicely. I know there is a ninth book, that I do intend to read, but I’m not sure it needs to be read. The Hollow Queen wrapped everything up so nicely I’m not certain this next book is really necessary. I guess I’ll find out.
My rating for The Hollow Queen is 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you for reading this random and not so great review!
Welcome to my first comparison post. This will be a series of articles comparing and analyzing the drama My Marry Husband Korean and Japanese version. As this will be a one to one comparison, each article will contain spoilers, especially when we get to the later episodes. Let’s begin with an introduction to each series.
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): Kang Ji Won’s marriage to Park Min Hwan is strained due to his selfishness, unemployment, and a domineering mother. Ji Won is the family’s sole breadwinner and does all the household chores. When she is diagnosed with terminal cancer, her world shatters further as she discovers her husband’s affair with her close friend, Jung Soo Min. A confrontation leads to her tragic death at Min Hwan’s hands. However, Ji Won wakes up 10 years in the past, before she married Min Hwan. Determined to change her fate, she plots to make Soo Min marry him instead. Meanwhile, Yoo Ji Hyeok, her colleague, secretly harbors feelings for Ji Won and conceals a hidden truth.
Characters:
Kang Ji Won – Main Protaganist
Park Min Hwan – Ji Won’s Husband/Boyfriend
Jung Soo Min – Ji Won’s Best Friend
Yoo Ji Hyuk – Ji Won’s Boss
Number of episodes: 16
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): The protagonist Kanbe Misa, who has always lived a life of a “supporting character” because she is too kind and always puts others first, believes in her best friend and husband and continues to do her best, but she loses her life due to their betrayal. However, she suddenly realizes that she has traveled back in time to 10 years ago. Misa plans revenge to ruin her former best friend and husband, but her encounter with Suzuki Wataru, a department manager with whom she had no connection in her first life, brings about a new change in Misa’s heart as she seeks revenge…
Characters:
Kanbe Misa – Main Protagonist
Hirano Tomoya – Misa’s Husband/Boyfriend
Esaka Reina – Misa’s Best Friend
Suzuki Wataru – Misa’s Boss
Number of Episodes: 10
Marry My Husband Episode 1 – Korean
The first episode of the Korean version opens with Ji Won in the hospital, looking very ill. Her best friend, Soo Min comes to visit her, looking well dressed and successful. Soo Min offers words of comfort then Ji Won goes for her chemo treatment. During the treatment, Ji Won reflects on the past 10 years and how she got to where she is now. She married Min Hwan and appeared to have a good life ahead of her. Soon, the flashback turn to her mother in law berating her for not having children, Min Hwan quitting his job to trade stocks and Ji Won’s life slowly becoming a nightmare.
After the chemo treatment, Ji Won is informed that her hospital bills have no been paid and if they aren’t soon, her treatment will not continue. Unable to reach Min Hwan by phone, Ji Won leaves the hospital and catches a cab to go to her apartment. During the cab ride, the driver takes her on a different route and shows her a beautiful road lined with cherry blossom trees and the blossoms falling like snow. When they reach the destination, the driver insists upon returning her money to her as this will be his last day as a cab driver. Reluctantly, Ji Won takes the money back.
On entering the apartment, a pair of red high heels are in the entry way, the same red heels Soo Min had been wearing earlier. Voices can be heard from the bedroom. Ji Won approaches slowly, listening as her husband and best friend discuss her impending death and how an insurance policy will pay them handsomely once she dies. Ji Won confronts them in a rage and an arguement ensues. After being berated by the couple, Min Hwan pushes Ji Won and she hits her head on the coffee table, killing her.
Suddenly, Ji Won is standing up, looking remarkably healthy as Min Hwan approaches her, saying her name. She shakily puts her glasses on to see him clearly and immediately attacks him. The Director of the company they work at, Ji Hyuk, steps in to stop the fight. Ji Won continues to try to attack Min Hwan, but the Director continues to stop her, and at one point deflects a boiling hot kettle from burning her. Confused and angry, Ji Won runs from the building and outside, losing her shoes in the process. Her boss follows her, retrieves her shoes and tries to get her to explain what is going on. As Ji Hyuk is finding the shoes, Ji Won realizes that it’s 2013, 10 years in the past.
Ji Hyuk gets a cab and takes Ji Won to her apartment where he gives her some money, knowing that she left her purse and cell phone at work. A bit later, he brings her some food and drinks, but only leaves it at the door for her. Min Hwan shoes up a bit later with her stuff and convinces her to go out for a drink with him. While out, he admonishes her when she tries to have a drink because he thinks she’s pregnant. Ji Won says that she isn’t and tells Min Hwan she wants to break up. He chases after her when she leaves and loses his temper, slamming her against a wall and yelling in her face. The two end up at the police station but the officer they’re speaking to dismisses the incident as a “lover’s quarrel” and says that since she wasn’t hit or has any broken bones, to go home.
At some point, Ji Won looks at the money the cab driver returned to her and notices a heart drawn on the money. She remembers her father doing that on money he gave her when she was a teenager and she believes it was her father’s spirit in the cab.
Later, Ji Won runs into Ji Hyuk at a bookstore and the two share a meal. Remembering the stocks that Min Hwan had previously purchased that did well, Ji Won buys the same stocks. She plans to use her knowledge of the future and what did well to make money in the stock market.
The next day at work, Ji Won changes an incident she remembers where she injured her knee. Not long after, she gets the same injury just in a different way. At this point she realizes that she can’t change the future completely, that certain things have to happen but that she can change how they happen. This is when she decided to transfer her fate to Soo Min, wanting her to marry Ji Won’s husband instead.
Marry My Husband Episode 1 – Japan
The Japanese version of Marry My Husband beings with Misa in hospital, writing letters, presumably to her friends and family. Her best friend Reina comes to visit her, telling Misa how much she means to Reina. Misa is given permission from the hospital to go out for a day. She goes to a grocery store and while there she gets a call from her life insurance company, informing her that the beneficiary on her policy has been changed from her grandmother to her husband. Confused, Misa leaves the stores and tries to get a cab. The first two pass her by and then a third stops, the door opening on it’s own to let her in. The cab driver takes her down a road that shows her the 4 seasons. When he drops her off he refuses her money, saying this is his last day as a driver. He also gives her a handful of candy.
In her apartment, Misa notices a pair of red heels in the entry way. The same red heels Reina had been wearing earlier. From the bedroom Misa can hear her husband and her best friend talking about her impending death, wishing she would just die already. Misa confronts them and an argument ensues. Leaving the apartment, Misa threatens to tell the insurance company the truth, that Tomoya’s mother changed the beneficiary on her policy illegally. Desperate for that not to happen, Tomoya follows Misa, trying to get her phone. In the struggle, Misa falls to her death over the balcony.
Suddenly, Misa wakes up in an office, a colleague asking her about a presentation. Misa is, of course, confused, flees from the building. She realizes that she is young and healthy and not in pain. She runs around and stops to eat, glorying that she actually has an appetite. While eating, she gets a call from her colleague. She’s supposed to be giving a presentation for work. Panicked, she leaves and runs out to catch a cab. Upon arriving at what she believes is the correct location, Reina calls her, apologetic, saying that she gave Misa the wrong address. Misa rushes to the new location, tripping and hurting her knee along the way. During this, Misa is remembering how this all happened the first and is able to switch a security card that didn’t work for one that days, She flies into the elevator and runs directly into the CEO of her company, not knowing at first who he is. He makes a somewhat rude remark about the scarf she is wearing and offers her his business card.
In the boardroom, Misa begins her presentation. Though she is not as flustered at the first time she did the presentation, she tries to shift the focus of the products she’s talking about and ends up saying odd things that make no sense to people who haven’t lived in 2025. Her supervisor berates her for the poor presentation, just like the first time she lived through this.
That evening, she goes to a bar with Tomoya, Reina and Reina’s boyfriend to watch a Rugby game. While there, Misa accidentally runs into a waiter and gets beer spilled all over her. When the game is won, Tomoya tries to kiss her but she dodges and Tomoya ends up kissing Reina’s boyfriend instead. At this point, Misa is starting to realize that she can’t change her past so easily.
The next day at work, Misa is daydreaming while waiting for a kettle to boil when the CEO, Suzuki suddenly appears and knocks the kettle away. He ends up with the same scar that Misa had previously had from the kettle. While trying to help him with the burn, Suzuki says some rude things to Misa.
Later, Misa is out for dinner with Tomoya and she remembers how that night went previously, the way she acted so meekly. Tomoya proposes and she agrees. As they are leaving the restaurant, Reina appears with flowers and gives them to Misa. Walking along the street, Misa watches Tomoya and Reina and thinks to herself “Reina, marry my husband.”
Episode Comparison
The protagonists in each version have both had difficult lives and been pushovers, however, Misa is certainly more meek than Ji Won. Min Hwan is more aggressive than Tomoya, while Reina seems more passively aggressive then Soo Min. The Japanese version focuses a little more on Misa individually while the Korean version begins to build the relationship between the main character and her boss right away. Ji Won has multiple interactions with Ji Hyuk, while Misa only speaks to Suzuki twice in this episode. Both times he is very standoffish and rude.
I feel like Jo Won catches on to what is happening to her faster than Misa. She certainly tries to break away from Min Hwan right away, while Misa does not try to break up with Tomoya.
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): After her father’s murder, Yoon Ji Woo seeks revenge by infiltrating the police under the direction of Choi Moo Jin, the head of a powerful drug ring. As she goes undercover, she partners with rule-abiding detective Jeon Pil Do, while Cha Gi Ho, the head of the Drug Investigation Unit, targets Choi Moo Jin. Meanwhile, Choi Moo Jin’s loyal subordinate, Jung Tae Joo, and former gang member Do Gang Jae, who seeks revenge, add to the complex web of crime and betrayal.
My Review
My Name is a fairly typical revenge story. Yoon Ji-Woo witnesses her father’s murder, and after the police do nothing to investigate and find the killer, she turns to a crime boss to help her get revenge. She trains to become an amazing fighter and join the police force so she can find the person who murdered her father. It’s the type of show where nothing is really as it seems and there’s a twist around every corner. Unfortunately, those twists have become predictable and I was pretty sure from the beginning how it would all go.
That’s not to say that the show isn’t good, it is. Han So-Hee, who plays Yoon Ji-Woo, did all of the physical stuff herself to the point that she collapsed from exhaustion during filming and had to be hospitalized. I think he doing that really connected her with the character, who basically went through hell to get where she wanted to be. This woman endures constant harassment from the male members of the crime ring, to the point where she is almost raped. She constantly has to prove herself and stay on her toes because no matter how much she trains, she can’t gain the same physical strength as male opponents.
I thought I knew how it would all go and how it would end but then the last episode happened. I try to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible but in this case, I just need to vent. So.
****Spoilers for final episode ahead****
By the final episode, Ji-Woo has made some choices that are going to land her in a lot of trouble, but she also connects with her police partner Pil-Do in a romantic way. He convinces her not to take out revenge by killing Choi Moo-Jin and instead allow the law to punish him. Then, Pil-Do is murdered right in front of her by Choi Moo-Jin. Just dead, shot in the head, no chance of recovery. This of course motivates her to go after Choi Moo-Jin directly and kill him herself. Yes, she achieved her goal, got her revenge and survived, but for what? She finally had a slight chance to find some semblance of happiness and then that happiness was torn from her. This honestly made me so mad and I wish she had just died from her injuries at the end. At least things would have had a sense of closure that way. Instead, she survives and the ending is left open for a possible sequel.
****Spoilers end here****
My rating for My Name is 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good action show with twists and turns, even if those twists and turns are kind of predictable.
