Monday, March 6, 2017

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard Book Review




Goodreads Summary:


If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.



Review:

Wow.

We all know what happened in the first book, and that makes me really suspicious all the time. Throughout this book, I'm always questioning everything.

'Anyone can betray anyone.'

That sticks with me while I'm reading this book.

There are a lot of epic actions. The recruitment scenes are the ones I really like, for some reason. Kind of reminds me of X-Men: First Class movie. It's also fun to discover new abilities and powers from the Newbloods. It took me a week to finish this book, because some parts, though not many, are very slow and there were times when I feel like I'm tired of reading it, which is weird because whenever I'm reading a really great book no matter how long it is, I could never put them down. It's a bummer that I feel that way for this book.

Of course, this book has a great amount of shock factors like the first book. There is one part in the book that I hate. I hate with all my life. I hate with all my might. I don't want to spoil anything, but watch out for a certain death. This death involves one of my favorite character, so I cried when it happened.

I don't feel like talking about the relationship between Mare and Cal or Mare and Maven, because I feel like I have to get into it more before making any judgements. But I know for sure that I love Cal, and I still don't know what to feel for Maven.

THAT ENDING THOUGH.

THAT.

ENDING.

I'm giving this book a 4.5/5 stars. A promising sequel to an on-going series, I can't wait to read the third book in the series!
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Friday, March 3, 2017

February Wrap Up

I'm very happy with myself right now.

Last year was a hard year for me, and I wasn't always in the mood to read. I wanted to do everything but read, which is absurd and so not like me. I didn't even complete my Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge. Embarrassing! But this year I want to redeem myself and read more books, because reading is something I love and I do best. I'm not going to fail on this matter.

I admit, I didn't finish any book throughout January. I was busy with finals, so I had almost no spare time let alone a time to read, and I like to invest my emotions to the books I'm reading. Though I'm happy to say, in the month of February, I've read 7 books! Pop the confetti, this is an achievement worth celebrating!



I'm happy to tell you that the books I've read so far are books that I enjoyed, some of those piles are books that I love very much. You can see the reviews of those books on another post, which I will link for you:


Storm and Silence (read through Wattpad)

In The Eye of The Storm (read through Wattpad)

Legend

Critical Eleven

Before I Fall

Everything, Everything

Red Queen


I'm so happy with myself this month (re: February). I hope I won't have any more reading slumps, because I'm missing a lot of good books that I probably should've read through that time period.


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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Book Review



Goodreads Summary:

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.


The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.


That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.


Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.


But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...


Review:


Wow, oh wow.

When I first read this book, I had a hard time getting through it. It took me two months to finish this book the first time, but now I got a chance to re-read this again and it only took me two days. I admit, this book is kind of hard to follow at first. The world this book sets in is a little bit complicated and complex, and I didn't really pay attention to it the first time. But after reading it again, I LOVED IT. My initial thought was that this universe and the world of this book is underdeveloped, but then I learned that I'll know more on the second book, which I can't wait to read. With all of those being said, I can't help loving the world of Red Queen. The Silver's ability is amazing and I'm amazed by it. This book has an amazing concept and it's also unique on its own way.

I love a book that can make me feel thousands of emotions, especially towards the character. I love Mare, because of her fierceness and her ability, which to me is VERY COOL. I also love Cal, sweet, sweet Cal. Maybe it's just me that is fascinated with princes and guys with power but handling it with compassion, but I LOVE CAL SO MUCH! Gosh. There are characters in the book that I really love to hate, and I love to hate this character because of his betrayal. Speaking of betrayal, THAT PLOT TWIST THOUGH! I love the shock factor that this book has. I know what will happen at the end of the book (because it's my second time reading it), but this book still got me SHOOK. The plot twist just blows my mind completely.

There is a little bit of love triangle happening on this book, but I absolutely love that the love triangle thing isn't a major problem in this. I love that it's there, because it just adds more drama, but it's not overpowering and it doesn't conceal the main problem on the book like other books I've read.

I give this book a 4.5/5 stars. I wanted to give this book a 5 stars, but even after reading it the second time, I still kind of struggled to understand some parts of the book. There are also parts of the book that reminds me of other books, but I didn't really mind it. So, I think 4.5/5 stars is a good enough rating, and I hope that the second book will be great! I can't wait to read it.

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Saturday, February 25, 2017

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Book Review



Goodreads Summary:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.


Review:

I literally devoured this book. I stopped reading on page 22, because I have to go to sleep. When I woke up this morning, I immediately started to pick this book up again and read. I can very much say I like this book very much.

The story is really unique. I also liked the plot, which was very unpredictable. I still can't believe with everything that happened to the main character, Madeline. This book is really fast-paced in my opinion, and with that being said, I think this book lacks of resolution and problem solving. With everything that happened--the big thing that happened--I was hoping that there will be more to tell, so that I can understand why everything happened the way it did. I was hoping that the ending would tell me more about what happens to Madeline. So basically, I wasn't satisfied with the ending.

Relationship wise, it was very cute. I liked Olly instantly, but this was also very rushed. I feel like I didn't learn much about him. Sure, I like him, but I feel like there is nothing that can make me fall in love with the character. Usually with type of books like this, I want to be able to fall in love with the love interest of the main character, but I don't get that on this book. Though the romance of this book is heartwarming, and I still like it, despite everything. But I'm sure I don't love it.

I also love the illustrations on this book, makes it really cool to read. Nicola Yoon's writing is very enjoyable and I love her writing style as well. I will be sure to get another book of hers in the future!


Overall, I'm giving this book a 4.5/5 stars. It's a pretty book, and if you're looking for a quick, heartwarming read, this will be great for you!
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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Book Review



Goodreads Summary:


For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Review:

I decided to re-read this book because there is going to be a movie adaptation. I read this book a long time ago, so I kind of forgot some parts of this book. I want to refresh my memory before watching the movie.

I like the story. I already liked it the first time I read it, but I had a hard time finishing this book the first time I read it. I was hoping that I won't be feeling the same, now that I'm older, but it just kind of happened again. Some parts of the story is really tiring for me. There are books that I just can't put down, and this book isn't one of them. Sometimes I got bored and all I wanted to do was put the book down. But with that being said, I still like this book.

I like how sensitive this story is. I like the main character's development. Sam's realization that to solve the issue, she has to make a change in her life. That everything that happens to her is based on everybody else, too. It's really deep and I can see why this can be someone's favorite book.

The last time I rated this book, I gave it a 4 stars. But I think that's just too generous, haha, so I'm going to give this book a 3.5/5 stars! This isn't my favorite book, but I would recommend this book for everyone to read. And I can't wait to watch the movie, I hope it'll be great!

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Critical Eleven by Ika Natassa Book Review



I picked this book up because the movie adaptation for this book is in process. And I like the cast. My friends liked this book, so I thought why not give it a try? 

I've known about this book for a while now, even before the rumor about the movie came around. I've thought about picking this book up before, because I've heard numerous of people liking this book, but I never got around to do it. But when I saw the review on Goodreads, I became...hesitant. This book got mixed reviews. I see a lot of 5 stars, but I also see a lot of two stars. I saw people's reviews saying that they can't finish it, they have to put it down and never pick it back up, and that they have to skip a few parts because they just couldn't't take it. I'm the type of person that sometimes can get carried away by what people say about a book, but in this case, I'm not.

This book gives me Colleen Hoover vibe. Though, this book is not as good as Colleen's, but it's good enough to be a good book. I think this book reminds me of It Ends With Us by Colleen, but without the huge problem that's going on on that book. This book also reminds me of Ugly Love, it reminds me of a certain complication, but this book doesn't surpass that for sure.

But this book is really good, to be honest. I love the two POVs thing, and I said this on another review, because with two POVs I sunk deep into the story even better, especially with the matter that is talked about on the book. I like a book that makes me learn, a book that gives me more knowledge, this book has it, and at times a little bit too much knowledge. There are parts of the book that talk about something that completely doesn't have to be on there. Like there are a lot of parables on that book, for example, the things that Ale's father talked about. It's a good idea, but then after reading it, it got me thinking "so....what's the connection?". Maybe I'm not smart enough to understand, or don't know much to know what he's talking about, but I don't know. I think that's why I give this book 4 stars rather than 5.

I also don't like the ending. I feel like there's no closure whatsoever. It feels like it hangs. I want to read about how they talk about things, how they compromise, how they finally reconcile. And I didn't see that on the book. Nevertheless, I still liked it. And this is also the first Indonesian book that I've read in a long time. I can't remember what's the last Indonesian book I read, maybe because they don't matter that much to me. But this book is good, and I liked it.

4/5 stars!
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Legend by Marie Lu Book Review



I hate that I'm late for the hype of Legend. I've always known that this book is great, because of the reviews and people's talk, but I'm glad that I finally do read it and I must say I LOVE it! I love how the books that I'm reading at the beginning of the year are books that I end up loving, and I hope this series would be my favorite series yet.

This book is fast-paced. It has a great story line and amazing plot, and I love how this book makes me go "woah, that's smart!". I also love the two POVs that's going on in this book. It kind of gives me more insight of what's actually going on, and makes it easier to follow. This is the first dystopian book I've read in a while, I think, and I was just about to put a little rest on reading dystopian books, because I want to read more contemporary. But this book makes me not want to stop reading dystopian books and makes me want to read more, because I used to love to read dystopian books so much!

As for the characters, I love them. Maybe the reason why is because they are both smart, and I'm a sucker for smart characters. Like I said, this book is fast-paced, but somehow getting to know the character isn't that hard. I also love how the relationship between the two characters goes, and how easily they got connected.

The ending though, it was a little bit heartbreaking for me. I was crying my eyes out somehow, maybe because I was just being too emotional, but it's so sad for me! Maybe others have it different, but the last part of the book hits me really hard!

I'm giving this book a straight out 5/5 stars! I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy, and I hope I will love it as much as this one.
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Thursday, February 9, 2017

In The Eye of The Storm by Robert Thier Book Review



Oh My God. Where do I start? Usually, the 2nd book of a series is not great, hence 'the 2nd book syndrome'. But in this case, it's not what happens.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I can't say that enough I think. The characters are still amazing and there are more humor in this one than the first one, and I just can't believe how amazing this book is. There are chapters that for the life of me I can't get enough of and I know I won't forget. There are chapters that made me choke and couldn't breathe. I swear this book is great and this series is going to be my favorite series of all time. I love the story, and I can find the action part, the humor and the romance in this book.

This book is not in any way less than the first book, but I have to admit the first book is better. Why? BECAUSE THE FIRST BOOK HAS MORE CHAPTERS!!! The first book has 97 chapters and this one only has 34, and that makes me mad. I want more! But I don't need to worry, because I know that there will be another book in the series, which makes me excited!

I couldn't put this book down. This book made me scream, made me laugh, made me cringe (in a good way?), GAH! this book makes me fall in love with Mr Rikkard Ambrose even more. And I love Lilly even more too! *Mild Spoiler* there will be a LOT more 'action' between these two, just throwing it out there. I LOVED THOSE SCENE THE MOST THOUGH!

I give this book 5/5 stars! No doubt, this book deserves it!
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Monday, February 6, 2017

Storm and Silence by Robert Thier Book Review



At first, I thought this would be the kind of Wattpad book that involves "Master/Sub" relationship. Boy, I was wrong.

This story is great for those of you who like historical fiction, romance and a little bit comedy. I really love this book, and I never thought that this would be my FAVORITE book on Wattpad and my favorite book of the year. I am so happy that there is a physical copy of this book and I will be sure to get it and re-read it again, because that is how much I love this book.

I love the characters (well, some of the characters). I REALLY love the protagonists here, though Mr Rikkard Ambrose may appear that he is not suitable to be a protagonist, but don't worry he is a softy inside and very, very lovable. Very much. Lilly is a very likeable character, and she can get really annoying sometimes, but she's really funny too.

The story is really amazing! It will give you the chills of the love-hate relationship the main protagonists have, it will also give you the thrills of the adventure and mystery. I think this book is a joy to read. I love Sir Rob's (that's how we readers call him) writing. And I found out that he is not a native English speaker, which is ASTOUNDING, because he writes beautifully. If I didn't open his Wattpad profile, I wouldn't think for a second that he is not a native English speaker. I'm not a native English speaker myself, and I wish I could write as beautifully as him.

It is a really long book, and some parts of the story really drags on and bores me. I also think that some parts of the book shouldn't really be in there, because it doesn't really mean anything, but I don't mind it. I still love this book anyway.

OH, did I tell you about the ending? IT. WAS. UNEXPECTED.

I give this book a straight 5/5 stars. I will be reading the second book right away! (And I LOVE that the second book is also available on Wattpad for free reading. Isn't that amazing?)
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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Brand New Day

Tomorrow is a brand new day, and I'm saying that just because I haven't done anything productive today. Not even a little bit. Just so you know, tomorrow is the start of Finals Week, and I haven't studied anything. Not one bit.

I have a weird way of studying, like I see some of my friends study things in advance, and I can't do that. I have to study the day before the test, or else, if I study two days prior the test, I will forget what I studied on the day of the test. So, I'm not risking that.

In other way, I want to be prepared, because the 2nd semester is coming and I want to ace all my tests and I want to get great score. I mean who doesn't, right? And believe me, I have and am trying my best for this semester, and thank the stars college hasn't messed with me yet. Fortunately for me, tomorrow's subject is General English, so I don't worry that much. My class got an A2 level on english, so what we learn is basically basic english and I feel like that's an advantage for me. 'A' on English, here I go!

But I really have to study though, even a little bit. And I don't know why or what makes me write a blog post about it rather than actually studying. Oh well, I'm giving myself a pep talk! As for right now, I'm listening to Taylor Swift. I'm in a mood for Taylor Swift at the moment.

More about finals week, I can't believe it's already the end of this year's semester. Next semester is going to be big, hectic, and maybe a little bit crazy. Into to PAC (Performing Arts Communication) is next semester, along with Intro to Public Speaking (if I'm not mistaken), and other projects from other subjects. I have to be ready for that. If I thought the first semester was hectic, I don't know what's coming my way (at least, that's what the lecturers said).

And after finals week, it's HO-LI-DAY!! Yes, I am so ready for holiday and just taking my mind off of things and just winding down. And I think I'm going to find something to do during my time off from college,  so I wouldn't be as useless as a person than I already am, ha ha! I'm also planning to hang out with my friends more; my high school friends, my college friends, or my middle school friends even. I haven't asked anyone to hang out with me though, I mean, I'm planning 'mentally' but I don't have any plans scheduled yet.

Anyway, I really do need to study. I'm gonna have to find the courage to do so.


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Friday, January 13, 2017

My New Love for Jazz

New discovery!!! I think I like Jazz.


I watched La La Land yesterday. So it's a musical, with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as the stars. It's a great movie, I really liked it, and it kind of revolve around Jazz. And right now, I can't stop listening to the movie's soundtrack and I love, LOVE, Mia and Sebastian's Theme. I don't want to give anything away, but the song played at the end of the movie and my friends and I were literally bawling our eyes out!

Speaking of the song, it kind of makes me want to play piano again. The melody on that song is so beautiful that it kind of my old sparks and love for piano. I know, you probably think that I have too many things or "sparks" for things, but it's true. I used to play piano a lot, and I knew how to play a lot of songs, but as I get older, I lost interest. I sometimes still play piano if I want to, but not so much lately. I think a lot of things grow out on me as I get older. My passion for piano, my writing, my will to live (just kidding). But seriously, I need to get something right on track.

And I don't know what to do with my extracurriculars. I join radio and english club, but that's about it. Just joining. And not doing anything with it. I want to do something, and I don't want to seem like I have excuse for everything, but last year has been hard like I've mentioned (but also partly great), so I couldn't take anything seriously. It's also kind of my fault, because I just got into college and at one point I take things too fast, and when it all started to catch up on me, I back out. Something that I need to figure out how to deal with really quickly.

That's something I can make as my 2017 resolution:

  1. Take things slow. 
  2. ALWAYS THINK THINGS THROUGH!
  3. Take challenges. Looking back to 2016, there are things that I regret not doing.
  4. Calm. Down.
I don't know what's the reason behind number four. Maybe the same reason as number 1? I don't even know.

Anyway, my new love for Jazz still stands. I have been searching for the perfect Jazz playlist on Spotify, but I haven't found out that perfectly fits me and my mood. As for now, I'm gonna go and look some more.


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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

"New Year, New Me"

It's 2017!

I cannot believe it. I mean, I'm writing this blog post on January 12th, so my excitement is a little bit overdue. As for the title, I'm thinking about getting my blog up daily. My writing has been lacking and I want to get more into it now that I'm 19 YEARS OLD!!! Crazy.

I read somewhere that as you get older, time passes faster. And it's crazy to think that next year I will be an adult, a woman. I will be a woman next year.

And yes, as I was saying, I want to write on my blog daily now like I used to back on 8th grade. It was a fun time. It was kind of like my "unbecoming" as an aspiring author. Honestly, I don't know what kind of content I would be posting here. Probably about life in general? I don't know. But I just feel like by writing and posting on my blog, it will spark the flame I had when I was deeply-crazy-in love with writing.

2016 has been one of the hardest year of my life lately. Things happened and some of them I had to get through alone, which sucks. But a lot of good things also happened in 2016; things that I'm grateful for, things that I'm wishing I could relive. Last year was the year I really found out the meaning of life, finding truths about things that I didn't know exist. Last year was literally the year that I discover more about myself and life.

I graduated high school last year, which was AWESOME! I miss my best friends terribly, but we're on our own now, studying and what not. One of the highlights of last year was graduation. It was pretty awesome.



Look at those! I was so happy. And on that picture with my Mom, I had to carry my heels, because it WAS PAINFUL!

And last year I also had my senior prom. It wasn't like anything from the movies (it was okay), but I still had a good time.




2016 was also the year I met new friends. Very cool new friends. I never thought that I would love college so much. It was nothing like high school, it was way cooler than high school. The friends I made was undeniably funny, chaotic, loving, and a bit crazy. Honestly, I never thought that I would find new sets of groups of friends that I can connect with easily on such new and foreign world. I am glad to find these new friends of mine, or else I don't know if college would be bearable.

But 2016 wasn't the year that I finally find 'love', or whatever. If anything, 2016 was the year that made me...doubt in the meaning of love. Or true love. Maybe because I haven't found 'someone' yet, but there is a reason why I'm in doubt. The reason that I cannot share.

A lot has happened since I posted anything on this blog. I didn't think that I would write anything anymore in here. An idea kind of struck me to make this brand new blog post on 2017! Frankly though, I have tried to post several times on 2016, but I didn't think those post are worth posting. I kind of want to start new, start fresh. Giving away new ideas other than same old, same old, you know?

Nothing else that exciting happened last year, nothing that worth remembering, but I have a high hope that this year would be my year. I'm sure of it.

Oh, and also, I have been really active on Spotify. I make playlist every month since August '16, so make sure to check those out. I will be posting the link on the bottom of the post, on every post!


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