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The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James // BOOK REVIEW + MY RIDICULOUS THEORY

SPOILERS AHEAD

Book: The Sun Down Motel

Author: Simone St. James

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Paranormal, Adult

Synopsis: The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

What I thought about it..

This was fun. I never thought I'd enjoy it this much. When I started reading it I was kinda doubtful because I'm in a reading slump and I'm not sure I will enjoy it. Also, because this was under Thriller / Horror genre, I thought that I will need to be super invested in reading this in order for me to feel the right feeling (e.g. be scared lol). I didn't feel scared though but I was still so into it that I stay up 'til 4 a.m. just to keep reading 'til the end.

The Story

It revolves around Carly's investigation about the mysterious disappearance of her auntie - Viv Delaney - thirty five years ago. It was narrated alternately between Viv's point of view way back in 1982 and Carly's that is the present day, 2017. I like this story because there was no character here that I get annoyed with, unlike with most of the mysteries I've read so far. They are nice and even the bad guys are portrayed well. Maybe what I don't like at first was how these young girls crack the crime and the police didn't. That's what I hate about mystery crimes, when the protagonist started to play amateur detective (as Alma Trent, a character from this book, puts it). But this was kinda okay and not exaggerated.

My Theory

By the time I finished this book and knew the ending, I realized how stupid my theories are. I was laughing to myself when I think about it. My theory is that the traveling salesman is a time traveler. He can travel through space and time and I was very sure of it when I've read on Carly's chapter during her first horrible run in with the ghosts of the motel, that there was a guest who signed up under the name James March but she didn't saw him. And I didn't read an explanation about it in the end, so who is it? Was it the traveling salesman's ghost or was it Viv who secretly went there and put her diary in the candy machine and sign his name instead of hers? Because towards the end when Carly actually saw the ghost and he checked-in, he didn't sign his name. So I thought, this is some kind of a horror and fantasy story because of the time traveling part lol.

My Verdict

Although I still have questions where the salesman do the crimes, I think this book is pretty decent and is keeping up with its 4+ stars on Goodreads. This is a good read... thrilling, nice.

MY RATING

★★★★☆

Lord of the Flies by William Golding // BOOK REVIEW

Book: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure

Synopsis: At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate; this far from civilization the boys can do anything they want. Anything. They attempt to forge their own society, failing, however, in the face of terror, sin and evil. And as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far from reality as the hope of being rescued. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”

What I thought about it...

I was in a reading slump for months and when I noticed that this is the next book on my To be Read list, I was ecstatic because it's short and is in the Adventure genre. But boy I was wrong. It was difficult to read. When I look at a page I was horrified how long the paragraphs are and how many words there are. I'm in a reading slump, I can't read... so words and long paragraphs annoy me.

The Characters / Story

I hated Ralph to the core, he was mean. I don't like that he called Piggy, piggy. I, at least, want to know what Piggy's real name is. He didn't even redeem himself up until the end. The only characters I like in this story is Piggy and Simon. At first I was kinda liking Roger but then... shh. This story was hard to read and hard to imagine. These are kids and I can't look at it the other way especially when I've read so much about what the story meant. I didn't see the adventure. I want more in the ending. I want justice. Justice.

What went wrong...

There are so many symbolisms in this story that I don't get it. I've read a review where they said that you have to have a child's mind to understand it but the amount of symbolism in this story is so many that I felt like I'm an idiot. I also think that those symbolisms are the reason why so many loved this book. I'm sorry, I just didn't get it and I hate the feeling of not being able to feel or understand when I hated a book others loved.

My Verdict

I might re-read it. I can't blame the book because I read it in the midst of my reading slump. I was forcing my self to read and I guess whatever it is that I read, I will feel horrible about it even when it has a good story.

MY RATING

★★☆☆☆

Reading Slump // Tips

I've been on a reading slump for the past four or five months already and until now I'm still on it. I'm on book 45 out of 80 books on my Goodreads Reading Challenge and it's October three days from now. How am I going to finish all 35 books in three months? 

But I'm competitive and I'll do my best to finish my challenge. So I've been browsing the internet about the secrets of other readers on how to beat this slump and below is the summary of what I've learned, some tips on how to beat it. But before that, what the heck is a reading slump? Well, according to Urban Dictionary, "reading slump is a reader's worst nightmare; not being able to pick-up a book because you just can't, you just can't read."

So here are the tips I found on the internet:

1. Read. Don't watch.

When you have a free Netflix subscription, won't you do the same? I'm so addicted to their crime documentaries so on my spare time I watch instead of read. But I don't want to blame it all on Netflix because PUBG and Mobile Legends are probably the main culprits as to why I'm so lazy to finish my reading challenge. So yeah, try to pick up a book and read a few pages and when you get bored, stop and do other things. That's how I finished Chaos Walking series, but I don't know what's the difference now that I can't even finish a single page. It's on the reader, I guess?

2. Read something short.

This is what I'm doing now. Instead of reading some series, I switched to reading some children books that are a hundred pages long and which the plot is not too heavy. I really think that what triggered me is The Grisha Trilogy series so I think I needed to read a short one.

3. Or change the genre.

I don't pick what book to read next based on genre, I pick it based on what I put in my shelf first so I don't know if genre is a factor here. But maybe.

4. Re-read your favorite book.

I haven't tried it. But I tried it on Korean drama series. Back then I was really lazy to watch another series or if I start one, I always leave it midway so what I did was I re-watched my old favorites. I can't say though that it helped me go back to watching Korean dramas again. Maybe this one I should try because as Bustle said in their article that kinda gives me hope is that our favorites are like our security blanket, they give us courage and comfort.

5. Join a book club or find a reading buddy.

I don't have both. But I think it will really help you with both when you're in a reading slump and when you want someone to discuss how exasperating or how great a book is. I think it will help when being in a reading slump because girl, you have to keep up with them if you don't want to just sit there feeling lost in their discussion.

6. Take a break.

Let's not be too hard on ourselves. Sometimes all we need is a break. It's pretty normal for any reader to experience it. We all hate it but, I think, it's inevitable. After all, if you don't read a book in a day, a week or a month that doesn't mean you're not a reader or book lover. Me not finishing this year's Goodreads Reading Challenge will certainly make me not less of a reader.

Do you have any suggestions on how to help me beat this reading slump? Please, please let me know.

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin // BOOK REVIEW

Book: A Kiss Before Dying

Author: Ira Levin

Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Synopsis: A Kiss Before Dying not only debuted the talent of best-selling novelist Ira Levin to rave reviews, it also set a new standard in the art of mystery and suspense. Now a modern classic, as gripping in its tautly plotted action as it is penetrating in its exploration of a criminal mind, it tells the shocking tale of a young man who will stop at nothing--not even murder--to get where he wants to go. For he has dreams; plans. He also has charm, good looks, sex appeal, intelligence. And he has a problem. Her name is Dorothy; she loves him, and she's pregnant. The solution may demand desperate measures. But, then, he looks like the kind of guy who could get away with murder. Compellingly, step by determined step, the novel follows this young man in his execution of one plan he had neither dreamed nor foreseen. Nor does he foresee how inexorably he will be enmeshed in the consequences of his own extreme deed.

What I thought about it…

 

I don’t know what the heck did I just read. 

I started this just before sunset and finished it before the clock hits midnight. I thought I was gonna enjoy it but man, I was left disappointed and appalled. 

I was surprised it was very short and I have to Google what really happened, I doubted if I have the right copy or what I just read was just a joke.

 

My Verdict

 

I didn’t find this mysterious or suspenseful or anything in that genre.

I think it was more on the comedy and ridiculous side. I know murder is no fun and it’s a serious business but this was just plain ridiculous. But the reviews say otherwise so I think I’m definitely missing something here.

 

MY RATING

★☆☆☆☆

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3, The Grisha Trilogy #3) // BOOK REVIEW

Book: Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3, The Grisha Trilogy #3)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis: The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

What I thought about it…

 

By book 2, I started to care less about the story, everything and everyone. I don’t understand what’s happening anymore and who the new characters are. Their adventure to find the firebird is tiring and the, again, cat-and-mouse-hide-and-seek-stuff with the Darkling is all so exhausting. The characters are not themselves: Alina was totally different but then I don’t think I know her at all because I don’t have a clue what she was like before she became Sankta Alina. Mal was okay, boring as usual. Zoya’s attitude changed (which is not so her) and Genya somewhat became less of a person (not her appearance but her character’s (under)development). Nikolai’s cool attitude I missed and I don’t remember who and where in the story did Harshaw, Ruby and one other guy popped out.

 

What went wrong…

 

The first book was a good adventure and it’s so fun for me. But then second book was a filler and this third one I just don’t feel anything at all. Like I only pushed myself to finish it so I can get to the Six of Crows Duology and it’s frustrating to continue reading something that annoys you. This was way harder to read than Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking Series.

 

My Verdict

 

Finally made it. Finally I can start reading Six of Crows Duology (which is now a trilogy) and though this last book brought me in a 3-month reading slump I still rated it 3 stars.

 

MY RATING

★★★☆☆

The Babysitter by Sheryl Browne // BOOK REVIEW

Book: The Babysitter

Author: Sheryl Browne

Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Synopsis: You trust her with your family. Would you trust her with your life?

Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?

As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.

But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants …

Mark is in a race against time to protect his family. But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?

What I hate about it...

You see, Mark Cain is a detective, a good one at that. And yet he didn't have a clue that a criminal is living under their roof, under their noses. Clearly, this husband and wife isn't the brightest bulbs in the room. Also, I know it's easy to say and Mel was drugged that's why she's thinking the way she was thinking, but it's just senseless to say that her husband is the one drugging her when it's the babysitter who's been feeding her and giving her the meds. Yet she never doubted a single thing about this too good to be true babysitter.

Also I was so exasperated when I'm almost few pages away from the ending and still there are unresolved dilemmas (Cummings for one) and more dilemmas that kept popping out and I worry that it may not be resolved or no conclusion will be reached in the end.

What I hate more about it...

What I don't like at all is the fact that Mark and Mel don't realize what Jade was doing. They have no clue 'til the end. And it was, in fact, Jade who revealed who she was when she lost control of herself in front of Mark and when she slapped Mel and shouted in her face. So much for being a good detective, Cain.

What the fudge...

In the summary of this book it says, "Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants..." Well, no, I don't think Mark investigated Jade and I don't think he recognized her until she practically tell that to their face. I also don't think that he knew what she wants. Or maybe I missed it all because I practically skim read throughout the latter part. This is poor.

My Verdict

This was okay. Well-written but it's annoying. 

MY RATING

★★☆☆☆

What You Did by Claire McGowan // BOOK REVIEW

Book: What You Did

Author: Claire McGowan

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult

Synopsis: A vicious assault. A devastating accusation. Who should she trust, her husband or her best friend?

It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again.

When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted—by Ali’s husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them is lying—but which? And why?

When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.

My Thoughts

This review has been pending for so long. I've finished reading this book a couple of months ago but I only felt the need to review this because I want to give reviews to the books I read starting August last year.

I was so mad at this book. I was so mad at all the characters here especially with Ali. Ali, a supposed feminist who fights for women's rights, who hates rape. I know it's easier said than done especially if it's your husband who's involved and you can't think straight. But her friend, Karen, is a rape victim and she doesn't wanna believe that because it's her husband who's the suspect? She's like invalidating what happened to Karen because (SPOILER) her husband and Karen has an affair?

This story is messed up. I can barely remember details so that's it for now.

My Verdict

Not worth it. Don't bother. The plot may be intriguing but meh.

MY RATING

★☆☆☆☆

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides // BOOK REVIEW + FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

“Remember, love that doesn't include honesty doesn't deserve to be called love.”

SPOILER ALERT

Book: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult

Synopsis: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him...

What I like about it…

 

It frustrates the hell out of me and I like it. I kept figuring out what happened to Alicia but I just can’t crack it. When Alicia started talking about what happened that night and Theo said she’s lying, I then thought, “Damn it. Alicia is really crazy. She’s lying and she’s unreliable.” I mean, most of the books I’ve read in this genre (the girls anywhere particularly) always make the female leads have some illness, make them unreliable by being a drunkard, divorced with husbands but in the end what they see is what they see and they’re always right and not just hallucinating, they don’t lie… they’re honest. But here, Alicia is really crazy. Or was crazy. There was a scene where they were smoking in the courtyard and she’s telling Theo everything but then she suddenly turned and walked back inside and I was like, “Alicia what now? Talk cos there are few pages left of this book.” But you know it was really good because it kept me at the edge of my seat. Forget the plot holes because there are loads of it. The anticipation and mystery and thrill blinded me. It was oh-so good.

 

That night…

 

Damn I like it. I love it, actually. I love it that Alicia did it and not some crazy twist that she didn’t do it. It was very painful for Alicia to be sentenced to death, again, by the love of her life. She was blindsided and I am too (with this story). I have no right to tell who should die or who shouldn’t but since it’s fiction I’ll be brave to say that the cheater husband deserved it. She shot him in the face, atta girl!

 

Questions 

• Why did Alicia let Theo read the diary if she recognized him?

• Why did Theo want Alicia to start talking even though Alicia going back to normal will lead to a possibility that she might recognize and expose him?

• There was a part where Yuri told Theo that Jean-Felix was in the waiting room of the Grove and when Theo went there, he was gone. What was he doing there?

• What does Jean-Felix mean when he told Alicia, “You need to be careful. You’re way too trusting. The people around you… you trust them. Don’t. Don’t trust them.” Does this mean he knows something about Gabriel? No conclusion.

• Also with Max, there was no conclusion whatsoever. Like, why did Theo think that he’s dangerous? And why did Tanya seemed so scared of him? And in the end he was the one so sad and so heartbroken of Alicia dying. I mean of course he was sad because he loves her but there was no conclusion at all.

• Why was Paul lying even when Theo told him that he knew about Paul asking Alicia for money because Paul was gambling. What can he get from still lying? It’s not as if he has something to do with what happened to Alicia.

• Why did Theo not get Alicia’s Alcestis painting when he was there when Gabriel chose his life over hers?

• Why did Gabriel bring Alicia to Christian West? Not to treat her but to make her crazier, is it? And was Christian so mean to Alicia? I’m guessing he just doesn’t want to get exposed that he’s doing some illegal part-time work. And why was he rude to Theo, too?

• What really happened in the end?

• That was it for Kathy? She’s the other part that completes the cheating duo and that was it for her? I wanna know her reaction when she discovers that Theo played a part in Gabriel’s death.

• I think, and what I less like about this, is that Alex Michaelides made it appear like all the characters have questionable motives and are all suspicious so we don’t know what’s happening.

My Verdict

 

I don’t know about people who said that this book was boring and just like some other poorly rated thriller / mystery but this was brilliant for me. It was, maybe, slow in the beginning but I enjoyed every bit of it. Very highly recommended like I want someone who I can discuss this with.

MY RATING

★★★★★

Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2, The Grisha Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo // BOOK REVIEW

“The less you say, the more weight your words will carry.” 

SPOILER ALERT

 

Book: Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2, The Grisha Trilogy #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Adventure

Synopsis: Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

 

What I thought about it…

 

Set right after Alina and Mal escaped the Darkling while they were on the Fold, they’re living a normal life away from Ravka when one day the Darkling and his Grisha barged into their boardinghouse and summon his shadow soldiers. So Alina and Mal were, again, captured by the Darkling and were in the middle of the sea looking for yet another amplifier, the Rusalye. Detained in a whaler under the command of a weird privateer named Sturmhond and his rogue Grisha, Alina and Mal was hopeless. The Darkling wants Mal to track the Rusalye and they found it. But shit happens. Sturmhond betrayed the Darkling and freed Alina and Mal just to bring them back to Ravka and deliver them to his client. When they get to Ravka, Sturmhond turned out to be Nikolai, the youngest son of the King. Proposing for them to work together against the Darkling, Alina will bring the Second Army back but she will have to gain the trust of the remaining Grisha. She also have to tame her powers and make the most of it now that she has two amplifiers. But she’s changing and everyday she hungers for more and more power. Deep inside her there’s a gnawing part where she knows there’s something missing until Nikolai showed her the little book that the Apparat gave her and in there shows that there was yet another amplifier – the firebird.

 

Characters

 

Recurring characters include Alina and Mal (of course) and also the remaining Grisha after The Darkling’s coup against the King – Zoya, Sergei, Marie, Nadia and David– and then Baghra, who we discovered is actually the Darkling’s mother and Botkin, the instructor tasked with preparing Grisha for physical combat. On the opposing side is the Darkling, Genya and Ivan and some unnamed Grisha.

 

New characters include Nikolai, the youngest prince, who was rumored to be a bastard, then his two loyal Grisha soldiers, Tolya and Tamar who are twins and some other Grisha who remained on the Little Palace was also there but not much exposure until book three. There’s also stupid and idiot and arrogant Vasily, the oldest son and the heir to the throne.

 

The only character developments are of Alina and the Darkling. I mean of course they are the main leads but isn’t others important too? Like Mal, was he ever just a talented and handsome tracker? Anyway, the Darkling learned how to summon his shadow soldiers. He also learned how to magically appear in front of Alina like an apparition. On the other hand our damsel in distress turned leader of the Second Army and the powerful Sun Summoner Alina only became hungrier for power. But she also learned how to do the Cut (just like the Darkling). Aside from that there’s nothing more remarkable that she can do.

 

What went wrong…

 

This book is a filler. Nothing really extraordinary happened because the book was filled with Alina and Mal’s back and forth bickering, miscommunication and lover’s quarrel. What’s also annoying is the cat-and-mouse / hide-and-seek stuff between Alina and Mal against the Darkling. Alina became a power hungry brat. I hated her here as much as I loved her character in Shadow and Bone. She’s changing and though she’s aware of it, she’s not doing anything about it. The Darkling was nowhere aside from that appearance during the first few and last chapters. Unlike others, I’m not smitten by him. I don’t ship him with Alina and though I’m irritated with Alina and Mal’s lover’s quarrels, their relationship is the one I’m rooting for. I was annoyed with Mal, yes, but I always root for the underdog. Also, I would say, there was a part where I want Alina and Nikolai to be together – in the back of my mind. But whatever, Alina being the apple of the eye of almost (if not all) the men in this book is absurd that I kept rolling my eyes every time.

 

My Verdict

 

This was sad because I loved the first book. I’ve read some reviews that the first book is the less enjoyable one but I don’t think so. Although I was not bored while reading this, still, I was disappointed. I’ll still continue to read the series just so I can get to Six of Crows Duology.

 

MY RATING

★☆☆☆☆

I Was Here by Gayle Forman // BOOK REVIEW

“Anything that kills hope is a sin.”   

Book: I Was Here

Author: Gayle Forman

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Synopsis: Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.
 
When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
 
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

What I think about it…

The story / plot were okay. I thought this story has something to do with Meg and Cody’s friendship but I was wrong. It was more about Cody not forgiving herself, misunderstanding each and every character in this story – be it another main character or the background characters. Cody comes across as a whiny teen. She’s also super judgmental like it amazes me how she makes up stories in her head and point fingers to Ben, Tree, Richard, Alice and herself. Thank the Lord that this is a standalone book. The only thing that I liked in this book is the part where Cody and Ben stayed in Richard’s home and attended the congregation the morning before they leave for Laughlin. It was intimate, for me. You see, talks about forgiveness have a sore spot in my heart. Anyways, I also think that Cody and Ben’s love story was so instant and not necessary in the plot. If it happened in the Epilogue I might understand but during her investigation about Meg’s suicide? Meh.

My Verdict

I was ecstatic when, finally, I get to put my hands on this book. I’ve wanted to read another Gayle Forman book after I’ve cried river of tears from If I Stay ten (or more) years ago. Since then I’ve been tucking Forman’s books in my TBR, waiting for the right time to come. But this was a disappointment. Now I kept looking back if I was just an overly emotional teen when I read If I Stay back then.

MY RATING

★☆☆☆☆

Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1, The Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo // BOOK REVIEW

“The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak.”

Book: Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1, The Grisha Trilogy #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Adventure

Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

What I think about it…

The Story

Alina and Mal were inseparable, they grew up together in an orphanage and years later they were both working in the First Army. Alina was a cartographer and Mal was a tracker. As they were crossing the Shadow Fold, which was the home of volcra, Mal was injured and Alina, wanting to help Mal burst out of bright and blinding light that killed (or kept away) the volcras. Alina woke up confused with what happened and suddenly she was standing before the Darkling pleading before him that she was not what they thought she was – a Sun Summoner. The Darkling, being always right and one of the most (if not the only one) powerful men in all of Ravka, sent Alina to Os Alta to tame her power, leaving Mal all alone in the Kribirsk.

Oh I love this story. This was new to me and although it was a little bit confusing in the beginning because of many unfamiliar and weird words, I still loved it. Actually the unfamiliar words are help build the magic that’s what’s keeping me from reading it because I literally think that I’m inside their world.

The Characters

I was actually kind of not feeling Alina or Mal’s characters at first but as I went on and get to know them better, I am with them in their adventures. Alina who looked so thin and sickly actually has powers as strong (or as destructive) as the Darkling’s. Keeping her powers make her weak and weary but she does it anyway because of Mal. On the other hand, Mal is an attractive and talented tracker.

The Darkling is the second most powerful man in Ravka (only next to the King, not that the King has any powers. Maybe just out of respect?)  has plans about the Shadow Fold and about the Sun Summoner. A lot of reviews I’ve read gushed about him but I don’t find him that interesting. Shadow and Bone focuses more on building up their magical world so I think there’s not much exposure of the Darkling. As what is described in the book, he is a handsome one hundred something year-old guy. But beneath that handsome face lies decades and decades of secrets and darkness that Alina is yet to discover.

One of the most notable and consistent background characters in this book is Genya the Tailor. She’s like the make-up artist slash fashion designer in this day and age. She can make people beautiful or more presentable. She’s working under the Queen but the short story The Tailor, which I read before the second book, Siege and Storm, talks more about her life, her motives and whose side she is on.

My Verdict

Though there was endless of story and less dialogues, it didn’t bore me. I would not say that it was a slow book but I do understand that for Leigh Bardugo to create a magical world like this one – Grishaverse – she needs to build up the characters and the magic or powers that they possess and the world they’re living in itself. That’s what worries me before, actually, about fantasy series – that it will bore me to death because a lot of building up is going on and a lot of vocabulary will be thrown here and there and that I will have a hard time to cope up but now I learned to love this kind of genre and series-es (is there such a word lol). So what’s keeping me from giving it a five-star? I don’t know too. I just don’t feel it. I usually feel when to give it but I didn’t feel it here. But this was an amazing book. This is just book one and I’d say that it already surpassed the Uglies series that I love. I only pick this up because I badly wanna start reading Six of Crows Duology but knowing that they are in the same world made me read this trilogy first and it didn’t disappoint. I’m happy with my book choices lately.

MY RATING

★★★★☆

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan // BOOK REVIEW

 Even when I detach, I care. You can be separate from a thing and still care about it. If I wanted to detach completely, I would move my body away. I would stop the conversation midsentence. I would leave the bed. Instead, I hover it for a second. I glance off in another direction. But I always glance back at you.

Book: The Lover’s Dictionary

Author: David Levithan

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Poetry

Synopsis:

basis, n.

There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you're in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.

If the moment doesn't pass, that's it―you're done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it's even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover's face.

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

What I think about it…

I don’t really have much to say about it so here goes nothing…

I love how it was creatively written and it’s easy to read too, however I’d like to understand more about the story. Though I think the story written that way made it so much more interesting that it kept me wanting for more, still I feel like it was so vague and there’s something lacking. It’s not boring but the way it was written made it more confusing like I was thinking if the characters are still in love with each other? Are they still together? What really happened to them? I’d like to think that they’re still together but I’m not sure because there was no conclusion at all.

My Verdict

This was my first David Levithan book and I like the way he writes. This book gave me feels but I rated it only two stars because again, I think it was so vague. I’d like to pick up more of Levithan’s books though. It looks like he makes great contemporaries.

MY RATING

★★☆☆☆