BOOK REVIEW: Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

BOOK REVIEW: Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

I feel like Memory Police has such profound meaning but I cannot dig a well deep enough  inside my brain where I could find that meaning. As of now, it's loss that comes to mind first then I'll just go along as I type this overthought review.

It's not my first time reading a novel from a Japanese author and so far, I found the way they tell a story direct, yet metaphorical and deeply sensational. I could just read it simply, but I still find that it holds so much meaning that is so BIG for my tiny brain to process immediately. 

So to summarize the gist of the story, there is an unnamed island where our narrator resides. In this island, the disappearance of random things is just a normal thing to get through on a day to day basis. For them, there's no point in holding on to something that has no meaning to them already. One day she finds out that a person close to her remembers and they tried to find a way for her to hide that person from the Memory Police.

For a reader who looks forward to character and plot development so much, this would be such a huge letdown. I was actually waiting for something to stir up in the gaping holed hearts of most of the people on the island. But as you might have guessed, that was never the intended purpose of the book. It was never meant to entertain and give answers to a curious mind. It was meant to be questioned and here I am answering all my questions through real life association. Am I supposed to analyze it like a requirement for an english class?? Am I overthinking things?? Maybe?

Also, for someone who reads -um- typical american novels or sci-fi or dystopian or whatever, it could be hard to swallow the ending of the book. It wouldn't satisfy the curiosity that we have for the whole duration of the story. Like, who were the memory police? What's the mechanism of the disappearances?? Where did the 'people who remembers' go? What?! Wha-? I need answers!.... Yet, after all the initial outbursts of emotion, when the mind wandered back to the story, there was something bitter and sweet and salty and sour about the book and the meaning buried deep within the words of the author is still, well, buried at the back of my head. hahahahhha my mind's still reeling but nothing's getting caught on the line.

Lastly, I just want to say that I was deeply impressed by a change of voice within the story. It was written so harrowingly beautiful that I decided that I wanted to follow this other story line that just popped up. I didn't realize my idiocy at first since the characters of the book were all shrouded in mystery. I thought the identities of these people would unravel themselves on the chapters to come only to find my mouth agape in surprise because I didn't realize I was reading fiction within a fiction. How did I miss that? 

Here are the bits and pieces of nonsense that I could come up with considering I am not an expert with nitpicking literary masterpieces.

LOSS & GIVING UP

It's hard for me to piece together the puzzles but I do understand that the whole disappearance thing depicts loss, and how the people who remains (the one who remembers) hold on to what is left. 

Everyone knows how hard letting go is - how hard it is to hold on when the one you're holding on to is already succumbing to the loss themselves (without a fight). It's tragic but it's reality and the way the book portrayed it is full of desolation. My heart was so sad the entire book.

EXTINCTION

Halfway through the story, the thing I associate with the disappearances was the extinction of animals and superannuated things. For example, in this lifetime, dinosaurs were long gone even before the existence of human beans, yet we remember them even if we don't have a use for them anymore. Or the floppy disks or walkman. We don't have use for those anymore, yet we remember that they existed.Wait, dunno what my point is. I don't know why the book has to forget the things that have disappeared, maybe this was a shallow association. lol, maybe there was more meaning to the disappearances. hahhhhaha

SILENCING VOICES

I thought the book would focus more on the memory police hence the title, but the memory poilce were only present at times and their history and the reason why they existed or how they came about weren't tackled. So looking back, I think that they signify the silencing of voices and can be applied through all sorts of life aspects. It could be about a child's opinion being silenced by an adult which could result to loss of assertiveness. Oooor government silencing the voices of its people therefore the loss of their right to free communication or speech or something like that.

The memory police could mean a lot of things and that's the only thing I could compare it to in real life.

THESE WERE MY NOTES DURING THE TIME I WAS READING THE NOVEL

The book seemed reminiscent and full of regret.




In reality, a lot of things have been thinning in the world. Slowly crumbling and disappearing into ashes. I find that I'm afraid of how this book would end. What was this book trying to tell me? 



OMG, I am quite nervous about R's intention. gurllllllll!!! I thought he was a spy at first but then again, I thought O-M-G! He has retained memories! And then, yep, that's it. He's a wanted man.



There was this sort of feeling emanating from the words of the author. It was so direct, yet beautifully descriptive, it was like the words are honey bound to be consumed completely. The mystery that was put around the identity of the characters were mournfully depressing! They don't have names, yet I know them. I was briefly disconcerted by the fact that there were two stories, with one I've yet to unravel.




I knew from the very beginning that there was something about the old man. I just dismissed the idea entirely but came back like a gust of wind and it made sense. He was wise not just because he's old but because he remembers.... everything.



Oh wait, I've jumped to conclusions yet again. Oh goshhh, this is not turning out the way I thought it would.



Wait what? Was it mentioned at first that the woman who lost her voice was the story that the protagonist was writing? I was trying to decipher the identity of that woman because I thought it was another POV! I was shocked when after a horrific turn of event, the protagonist suddenly stopped writing and I was like, WHAT!?!?!?!

REVIEW
NOTES

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray Book Review

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray Book Review

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

“Ten thousand skies, and a million worlds,and it still wouldn’t be enough for me to share with you. Nothing less than forever will do.”

After quite a long while, I've finally found the luxury of indulging myself to the series I have left behind [Two down: Gemina and this; Two more to go: A Gathering of Shadows and Glass Sword], and I'm quite happy to be catching up. It wasn't an easy year for me so Christmas vacation was the only break I could grab to be jumping in multiverses and I'm SOOO freaking happy!

Title: Ten Thousand Skies Above You

Author: Claudia Gray

Series: Firebird #2

Published by: HarperTeen on November 2015

Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Romance, Fantasy

Setting: Paris, New York, etc.

Format: Paperback, 432 pages

Copy Source:  Bought, NBS

Purchase: Fullybooked [PH] | Amazon | B&N

My Rating: 4.5 Roses

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents' invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.

Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared.

The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.

So, before I go on with anything, I can't not ever praise the brilliance of the cover art of this series. I mean, they're always a feast for everyone's eyes. I will never not praise this art and I love the artist for her/his genius art.

I guess it was wrong for me to delve in with this right after reading Gemina, because, O-M-G if you haven't read my crazy review about it, you won't know the depths of my crazy-ass reaction over that one. Anyway, Gemina is just over the top O-M-G for me, so Ten Thousand Skies Above You kinda fell in flat for me just a little bit the whole time I was reading it. I mean, I read A Thousand Pieces of You and I fell in love with it (finished in less than 10 hours, 5 hours, I think), but I wasn't as thrilled with this one as I was in the first book.

Don't get me wrong, this book is still awesome in its own way, but there's so much that is happening and most of it are dragging, and I got bored, I don't even know how to start this review.

EVERYTHING ABOVE IS JUST BLAH, MY REVIEW [LEGIT] STARTS HERE :P

See how the highlighted line segued the next book along with the title of the book. Nice!

Ten Thousand Skies Above You takes you (again) on another epic dimension traveling that wouldn't let you catch your breath for a second. The parallel universes tackled in this sequel cannot be compared to the glamorous and chill dimensions that are visited on the first book.

A Thousand Pieces of You may tell you that there are a thousand beautiful possibilities out there but the gruesome reality that there are also war-torn and scarred universes are discovered in this sequel. I guess at first that was what made me kind of disappointed with the book because the magic that captured me from the first book was stripped off by the reality of the second book. 

Firebird series talks about endless possibilities and I love that Ten Thousand Skies Above You showed the readers the two sides of these possibilities. It ventured more on the destruction of the beliefs of our main characters. Mainly, Marguerite has always believed that every person is the same in every dimension but somehow she has come to a conclusion that there might be some fault to her belief, and that every dimension's person is unique in their own little sense. I mean, I guess I would also question her belief because we are talking of "POSSIBILITIES" right here. You cannot say that if I am honest in my dimension, that somehow, deep down in the core of my every self in different dimensions, I would have that same quality. The possibilities are if there's an honest me, there would also be a liar me somewhere on the other realm of possibilities but there would be dimensions that I am truly honest just like the "me" in this dimension. So yeah, Marguerite, you should probably question your belief, because so far, you've already seen enough.

There are parts where it is extremely dragging and I just want to skip parts but I can't bring myself to doing and there are also exciting parts and some self-discovery.

It is so hard for me to read this book because I am TEAM MARKOV but I just started to like Theo because of this book. He is so ideal and romantic that I've come to a point where I just asked myself, "Did I just become Team Markov because of Lt. Paul Markov in Russiaverse???" Now I'm thinking that Marguerite is just blinded because she thinks that destiny will always bring her back to Paul but we cannot erase the possibility of her being destined to Theo as well. If not, it's not totally impossible, though. I've discovered a lot about Theo in this book and I hate that Claudia Gray made us love Theo and somehow we got to know a side of him that's different from the Theo we hated from the first book. So could there be a chance that Theo?!!?!?!?! OMG! Idk what will happen but whichever of the two, I'll be gladly accepting it.

Lastly, let me tell you why this book is just perf. I love that the girl protagonist doesn't need constant saving from her knight in shining armor because she's the damsel ready to leap through worlds for the one she love. Now, I'm excited for A Million Worlds With You because there would be a spaceverse in there! I can't imagine how Claudia Gray would pull that off but shiz, the adventures will be concluded in that one. *Eggzoitsss!*

Gemina [The Illuminae Files #2] by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Gemina [The Illuminae Files #2] by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

"A  whole sky of different stars"

MIND=BLOWN! Yep, another mind effin' blowing experience from Ms. Kaufman and Mr. Kristoff. EEEEP, bravo!! I can't put these into words, but if I don't, my reactions will probably get lost in the paradox that the universe is correcting, which for me, means that my mind will dump some stuff into oblivion. Sorry, that's how it works.

Gaah, I'm literally squealing like a lunatic with the ending of the book. Wait.... lol. I'm composing myself. Now if you're thinking that Illuminae was effin' awesome, well, try riding the Betty Boop and get your ass to Heimdall and tell me that Gemina freakin' surpassed all expectations that Illuminae just gave you because I'm not kidding when I say Gemina is gazillion times more awesome and action-packed than Illuminae. I still love Illuminae just the same but damn, this book is a roller coaster ride of surprises.

Aside from the thrilling action-packed story, the illustrations were still freaking awesome and add to that the journal illustrations from Mari Lu, the author of Legends Series, well that has gotta count for something, and that something just spelled A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Title: Gemina

Series: The Illuminae Files #2

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers on October 2016

Genre: Sci-fi

Setting: Outer Space [Jump Station, Heimdall]

Format: Paperback, 659 pages

Copy Source: Gifted by Kathleen

Purchase: NBS[PH] | FullyBooked[PH] | Amazon | B&N

Rating: 4.9 Roses

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

The sequel happened, I think, just minutes after the ending of Illuminae, where, on the other side of the universe, our two new main characters can be found. Hanna Donnelly and Nik Malikov is aboard the jump station, Heimdall, where the Hypatia (where Kady and Ezra is aboard) is trying to get to for safety. The book is still told in series of cctv footage, IM's, emails, and documents that are presented into court because someone's gotta go to prison for trying to wipe out Heimdall and Hypatia, right?

At first, I didn't really liked the idea that I won't be seeing Kady and Ezra in this book because I was really excited to see how they were doing right after the end of Illuminae. Progressing, I found myself liking these two new dark protagonists. Hanna Donnelly is the daughter of Heimdall's captain who happens to cross paths with our Nik Malikov, who is a part of this sort'a notorious criminal group called House of Knives (HoK), some time in the past and became her provider in the illegal drug department. Yeah, these two are pretty effed up in some ways. But anyway, they're cool. Kick-ass in their own little ways.

The romance element is just right for me. I liked that Hanna is not overboard in love to this bad boy Nik even when they were working together as kind of a team on the first part of the book. She knows that she has her doubts about her present love interest but this is unlike any other book where all the readers know that there's something brewing in there and it will happen despite everything that is on her plate. This is not that type of love story. She remains where she's ought to be and just broke free when she needed to be, so the brewing romance between Hanna and Nik is just perf.

This is a pretty long book and despite the illustrations, you'll still find that it's a freaking long story. There's just so much happening inside this long book that you will think halfway through, "How will this end?", and then you're like 100 pages before the end and you're like, "There's so much happening!! How will this end?", and yes, it's just hard to be sitting on the edge of your seat you feel like it should end right there somehow but disasters just keep coming in all directions and it's getting hard to breathe because of all that is happening. You would think that the worst part is over but no, the worst of the worst just keeps coming at you in surprisingly thrilling actions that would make your jaw drop, with a hint of a smile, in the end saying, "WHAT THE FAAA!!! THAT ENDING!!!! WATDAFAAA!!", yeah, that was my reaction, but that's not half of it. My reaction was just indescribable. *laaaugh!*

I want to talk about the book more but I can't anymore. I might slip and ruin the experience of reading the book blinded, but if you read it already, some of my thoughts can be found below, let's talk!

* * *

Reading Gemina months after Illuminae got me blinded and in a state of i-don't-remember-much-of-illuminae, so a little recap from BookSeriesRecaps will help you big time. There was so much that happened in book 1, so much spaceship names to remember and I forgot them all so it's best to have a little recap just like I did because rereading the entire book would take forever and that will suck for an excited person like me. HEHE

I guess I was expecting too much from this book because Illuminae is so grand that it demands its sequel to be grander and surprisingly, Gemina exceeded all expectations and it still made my eyes go wide not once, not twice but three effin' times! The first one was kind of predictable for me but it still made me go WTF you *bleep bleep bleep*!! The second one was like WOOOOAH there you pooh bear, you're makin' my head dizzy!! The last one was the BEST! My eyes just popped out of its socket. But fear not, they're still intact, they're just cool like that, detachable and all. So kidding aside, yes, the last part leading to the ending was just PERFECT. I don't know if I should be dismayed because of the cliffhanger but it hanged in a perfectly good state and it wrapped up, AGAIN, in a way that will make you curious and excited for the next book. Gosh, that ending was perfect.

Now, how would the next book top this masterpiece? Ugh, I can't even begin to fathom the possibilities that are brewing inside these authors' minds! GENIUS!

ALL LIFE FORMS ABOARD MY VESSEL:

THIS IS WHERE YOU SHOULD STOP IF YOU HAVEN'T READ GEMINA YET :P 

BYE FISHES!

• Okay, is it just me or I just did not get the point of the whole lick-the-lollipop virus thing-y? I thought there would be a clever twist to that one, but lo, I really don't know its purpose and where it came from and why it was included in the book. That virus song is part of the book and it would make no sense if its sole participation is only to annoy the heck out of all the people riding the elevators. I am really hoping that there's more to that one. Gemina is still an unfinished story and Hanna still has some explaining to do on the next book so maybe the next installment would give light to my little issue? :D
• Ha! Ha! The author never fails to fool me!! I should've known not to get fooled by the deaths of major characters! HA! I mean, Illuminae totally got me into believing that Kady and Ezra fckn died heroes but they are ALIVE! HAHAH!!!! You got me there! And yes, I thought I won't be fooled this time around because there was this nagging feeling within me that I should be careful into believing these authors hahahah. So the first thing I watched out for was the traitors. I know there would be traitors within a 5-cm radius of our lead character,  and yes, there was, and I was like, "huh! you can't fool me!", and I thought it would end there so I totally let my guard down and there goes the authors attacking me while my defense was down, and there goes me believing that Nik was dead and then Nik was dead the second time around and then Ella was dead and then Ella's dead the second time around and then Hanna was dead and then just.. I thought it was tragic that everyone died.... Literally EVERYONE. But yeah, I was fooled!!! Breaking Dawn Ptart2 all over again feels. Yes, that's how good it is, damn. These brilliant minds never cease to amaze me.
• I don't know what is happening when all hell broke loose! I have to reread and reread because there's this paradox and the universe is going to destroy itself and oh my gosh. I mean, the whole time I was reading the book, it was hell all over the place with the killings, the alien parasites, the traitors, etc. and then there's this two universe that will *poof* if our little Hanna fails, so yeah, no pressure there, highness!
• The deaths! The death tolls were seriously high in Gemina! I seriously love the X-ing part of the enemies. I mean, they were bunch of idiots! They were being played by girls and they were slowly being decimated because they're bunch of idiots.
• Halfway through the book I was wondering who analyzes the footage shown on the black pages. It is freaking creepy, the way I feel like the slimy slithering alien parasites were thinking and speaking in their minds, gosh, creeps the eff out of me! And then, at the end of the book, I just thought that maybe it was AIDAN, because it downloaded all the files just in case none of them survives to tell the tale. And I'm really guessing it was him. Gah, so creepy!
• All in all, despite the similarities, it's totally different from Illuminae. Illuminae has zombies and hackers and space airplane soldier (I don't know how to coin it) as lead characters while Gemina has alien parasites and multiverses with a martial-artist-strategist and drug dealer as protagonist. The alien parasite is not as scary as the zombies in the first book though. It is not terrifying and it did not play a much bigger role in Gemina.

If you haven't yet, you should definitely read both books or you'll miss out on all the fun the universe has been having! :D

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge Book Review

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge Book Review

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Credits to Katherine for the calligraphy

I think it's already pretty obvious by my blog design that Belle is my favorite, and I am not that well-read on re-tellings of classic fairy tales so I gave Cruel Beauty a try and I absolutely loved most parts of it. *wink*

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Website: http://www.rosamundhodge.net/cruel-beauty
Published by: Balzer + Bray on 7th April 2015
Genre: Fantasy Retelling (fairy tales & mythologies)
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Copy Source: Bought (Fullybooked)
Purchase: NBS [PH] | Amazon | B&N
Rating: 3.4 Roses

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

This book is an intricate story of interwoven mythologies, fairy tales and other enchanting stories. It is good and well thought of. It is dark and twisted but confusing. For me it is a new and refreshing take on Beauty and the Beast and that's what I like most about it, although it's a really, really different story.

In this novel, Belle is named Nyx, and she has a twin sister named Astria (I think, please do correct me if I'm wrong. I tend to forget names easily). Beast is called Ignifex, which is not his real name. There is some hint of Rumpelstiltskin's story blended in this book so Nyx has a choice of guessing Ignifex's name, and when she does, she can have her freedom back. Bearing in mind that this is a retelling, some things are better when it's twisted, so true love's kiss may or may not work. What do you think? I think you need to find out yourself. :D

It's a mind-blowing novel, really effin' twisted to its core. Genius craft, but the ending was a bit too confusing and I did not like it (I don't know if it's not well-thought of or what). It was going great right until the curse was broken, and I think this might be the first time that I loved a book that has a not so great ending and not so great rating for me.

Nyx is not a very strong character in terms of kick-ass-ness. You know, you'd really think that she is since she trained her whole life for the purpose of killing Ignifex, but the training was not physical, damn. But to be fair, she's definitely not your typical damsel in distress. She knows what she have to do but is torn between love and duty; she knows what she's supposed to feel but she's torn between hatred and bond of family. It was kind'a irritating, her fickle mind and indecisiveness,but I guess it's her character. I can't say I love it, but I can't say I hate it either.
Ignifex is supposedly the villain, but mind you, he isn't. It's easy to fall for Ignifex because he is kind and not at all evil; he is vulnerable and and charming and really, really beautiful. I love him I love him I'm in love with him *heartsssss*
I was really doubtful of Shade even from the beginning, I can't trust him. I find it hard to trust a lot of characters in books, because authors are so damn good in making you love a character you will hate in the end *HAHA, ehem to those authors*. But I guess I was both right and wrong to doubt him, and it would do you good to find that out for yourself.

The world was great, but it's kind of confusing and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it but I guess it was okay. I feel like the world is trapped inside a book (like Read Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer)  because of the description of the sky: the world is trapped under a dome of a parchment sky. Again, to be fair, it's not all about the world, because what's fascinating was Ignifex's shifting castle itself. The castle held secrets and doors that should never be opened and things that should never be touched.

I loved how some things unfolded itself, especially when the truth about Nyx's world was revealed, I was sooo mind-blown, I'd have to read it again to wrap my head around it well because I was so shocked at that genius plot-twist. Like OMG!

This was made by my sister, Katherine. She's so great with this, and as a practice, she agreed to write the calligraphies for this blog. So sweet.

The ending was good. but the events that happened before that was *uhhhhh what just happened??*. It's confusing and crazy and I don't know where I was standing at that moment because I was totally lost and I did not like it at all.

It's a great book for me, but with some faults and flaws. Even with those, it was a great debut novel, so congratulations Rosamund Hodge, you did great!  *smiles brightly*

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes SPOILER REVIEW

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes SPOILER REVIEW

Monday, February 15, 2016

A fitting quote for the book. Credits to Katherine Codico for the beautiful handwriting.

Right after finishing the book, I immediately typed down my thoughts on my phone so as not to drown out all the other feelings that I might have an hour or a day later. I don't want to feel nothing as I jot down my emotions, I still feel sad, yes, but it's not as intense as when I was originally typing my review. This is a retype, by the way.

Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Website: http://www.jojomoyes.com/books/me-before-you/
Published by: Viking Adult on 31st December 2012
Genre: Contemporary Adult Fiction
Format: Ebook
Purchase: NBS [PH] | FullyBooked [PH] | Amazon | B&N
Rating: 4 Roses

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

"The thing about being catapulted into a whole new life---or at least, shoved up so hard against someone else's life that you might as well have your face pressed against their window---is that it forces you to rethink your idea of who you are."

I felt as if the world crumbled down on me after finishing this depressing book. It's a mix of right and wrong choice during this month, but it's definitely a wrong idea to read on days surrounding February 14. I still can't believe these books are allowed to exist, though. It shouldn't be legal for authors to crush their readers' hearts just like that and get away with it. I believe I do love books that gives me a good cry (sometimes ugly cry too, which is ALWAYS!), but this book was not just an ugly cry kind of book but a freaking depressing cry kind of book.

Let me start by saying do not read beyond this point, because this is definitely a SPOILER review.

I'll start with the basics, so that your eyes won't dart to a word that would finish off the entire book. Honestly, on a very different circumstance, I would've already put down the book few chapters later. It is a very descriptive book and if it weren't for the movie that would star two of my faves, I wouldn't have finished it. Obviously I did. The reviews are freaking flying high with a five on the book community, and I would've given it a five too, if it were not comprised of 75% story telling/descriptions and 25% dialogues. I just felt as if I was deprived of Lou-Will moments. Their dialogues, as less as they are, are very enjoyable. The banters and everything are just perf, and even though the book was not keen on the romance side, the little moments that there was was just rewarding. Some made me cry too.

It is a slow paced love story. Something that most books are not. Insta-love, as we would've called it, but this is different. Will and Lou's love blossomed to the point where none of them knew at which point everything changed. Maybe Will found it out first, we just don't know, because he has no POV, but Lou stayed in denial for too long, or she kept her eyes closed because she's taken, but she definitely fell hard and it was painful. SO.FREAKING.PAINFUL. SO.FREAKING.HEART-BREAKING.

Will's death gave birth to a new Louisa, but I know that it's not for long because something in her would definitely die with Will. I was selfish because I believed that this would be a happy-ending kind of book. Up until the last few chapters, I held on to a tiny string of hope that there would be a miracle, that Will might be well or that there might be a possibility of getting better, but there was never hope from the start. It is All the Bright Places all over again. I know that it is a really hard position for Will but the moment that there are words in the book that implied that people are never enough to make you want to fight, is just painful. I just can never stop myself from thinking of all the "might have been"s even when there is nothing I can really do to stop an inevitable ending.

The death was sudden, as was the ending. Like WTH?! The last night of their vacation and the moment Lou walked away,was, I thought, the last time that I would cry, but I was, again, wrong. The death was not at all cry-worthy but my hands were shaking as I read the last chapters and I realized I was already sobbing, not because of the words, but because my heart was shattering, like the impact of the sudden death was creeping into me in slow motion. The fact that the words were not the reason behind my tears just made me cry even more, because I know that deep down, I was really affected by the tragic ending. To the last pages of the book, I thought Will would write the saddest goodbye letter to Louisa, but he did not (and I was expecting).Typical Will.

Lastly, I don't think I would be reading the sequel because I still can't accept that Will is gone and that Louisa would eventually find someone new, which is so selfish of me, but I guess I'm still mourning and I can't think of anybody else for Lou at the moment.

I was really emotional about this review and I could have told you more but this is already really long as it is. So buh-bye!

NOVEMBER 9 by Colleen Hoover Book Review [Non-Spoiler]

NOVEMBER 9 by Colleen Hoover Book Review [Non-Spoiler]

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Website: http://november9book.com/
Published by: Atria Books on 10th of November 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Setting: Los Angeles, California
Format: Trade Paperback, 320 pages
Copy Source: Borrowed from Daniela :)
Purchase: NBS [PH] | Amazon | B&N
Rating: 5 Roses

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

I freaking cried a handful of tears finishing this book until 12:30 in the morning of February 3. Sorry, I just have to say the date even though it's far from November 9. HAHA

I knew deep down in my heart that Colleen Hoover will never make an easy character. She will not craft one that has no less than a dramatic past that may be connected to a series of downfall in that character's present happiness. I mean, I think it's her best formula and I never did like the way she wove it in her past novels that I have read, but I can certainly say that I loved how she made November 9 made me feel otherwise. This is my third CoHo novel, and I can finally say that finally, after three long novels, I finally found that one CoHo I can finally swoon about.

The moment that I finally got to the first glimpse of the connection between Fallon and Ben, my eyes went wide with disappointment, and in my head I was saying, "not again!", but I did not waver. I kept my mind open for the possibility that I still might like it, because all my friends loved it. I made the right choice because despite the first wave of disappointment, I found myself in tears and then I knew right then that whatever the ending might be, I already knew that this novel has captured my heart even with my initial distaste with the plot twist.

I felt both heartache and happiness and I was satisfied with both feelings. The fourth, fifth and last November 9 was definitely the ones that would broke your heart into fragments and it can only be mended by the truth found on the last remaining pages.

This book was not quite original, but unique in its own way. There's this one scene where Ben said that he would be insulted if their story is compared to One Day or Sleepless in Seattle since it is an entirely different concept to what they were doing. Which is true, somehow. Before Trilogy (movie) is the closest that I can think of. Maybe I'll do a separate movie review for that, so I'll talk a lot about it there.

All in all, this book was great. The dialogues are witty and the characters are lovable and memorable, plus the fact that Ben was a writer and Fallon was a reader and everything just falls into place for me and this book. Another book to place on my favorites' shelf. *wink*

Obsidian & Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

Obsidian & Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

Thursday, January 28, 2016

OBSIDIAN
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens.


The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.


If I don’t kill him first, that is.

OBLIVION
Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen..

***REVIEW***

I've read Obsidian two years ago, and I was nearly done with the third book, Opal, when I stopped continuing the series. I have no reason behind that, I just suddenly forgot that I was reading the Lux series maybe because of my college life spiraling down or whatever, but I did stopped. I decided to reread Obsidian when I found out that Obsidian is written in Daemon's POV (Oblivion), and I read these two books, alternating between chapters because I think it'd be good to see same scenarios in different heads, that is Katy's and Daemon's.

I can't believe that even though I've already read Obsidian a few years back, it still didn't cease to enthrall me with its charm and kick-ass-ness (there's no such word, Ishie!). Reading it again for the second time, I still wasn't spared from Daemon's green eyes and I still fell for him over and over again (three times now, because I've read Obsidian twice and Oblivion once*wink*).

Jennifer L. Armentrout is just a genius in making hot male protagonists and seeing Obsidian again for the first time through a different perspective is just refreshing. Maybe you'd think that it would be boring because it's just the scenes from Obsidian just changing some stuff, but it's not. You would freaking enjoy Daemon's arrogant and cocky thoughts as he tries so hard to stay away from Katy but found himself doing the opposite every single time. As much as it is fun staying in Katy's malicious head, it is so much more fun in Daemon's undressing (HAHA) and brooding thoughts.

Katy is a representation of the book nerd in all of the bookworms in existence, mainly us. She's a book blogger and vlogger, who freaking met a freaking hot alien and the hotness is freaking all around that you just can't help but be envious. Like, hey, I review books too, where's my hot neighbor alien?! Katy, you are freaking lucky but unfortunate at the same time. I just know that you are in the center of a freaking war that not even Daemon is aware of yet (I think).

I admit that there are some parts that are way better told in Katy's POV, especially the fight scenes in the end. It is much more intense in Kat's because she is a fragile human that can die at any moment (which is totally impossible, though, because there are still other books in the series where she'll be POV'ing on once againg) and you can feel every pain searing through her.

I really love this series even though I'm not done with all the books yet. This is a gut feeling, but I know I will. *wink*

Rating: 5 ROSES

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Book Review

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

I was freaking excited when I received this book as a gift during our class christmas party. I had sore throat that time and i had a hard time speaking because my voice is super hoarse but when i opened the gift, I squealed an ugly squeal because the orange cover peeked and said "Hi!!!". I wasn't really expecting it because it's too expensive so it's a real shock.

So anyway, I finished this super thick book in 3 days I think? I read it with my classmate and I was forced to finish it one night because he finished it super fast, and I was like, "What the??". So I finished 400 pages or less in just one night.

I was astounded even when I started this book because it is really creative, and even though I only watched one star wars movie in my entire life, the book reminded me of that in the beginning. And then came Star Trek because of the space ships I think? and when I was in the middle, all I can think about is Legend by Marie Lu set in space.

This is my first sci-fi and I can say it's a good experience. I try all kinds of genre and reading my first sci-fi ever did not disappoint me. I prolly am going to watch all Star Wars movie in one go when I am already done with my holiday stuff with le fambam soon.

Title: Illuminae
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers on 20th October 2015
Genre: Sci-fi
Setting: Outer space
Format: HArdbound, 599 pages
Copy Source: Gifted
Purchase: NBS[PH] | Amazon | B & N
Rating: 4.5 Roses

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

• I cannot tell you enough how f*ckng beautiful this book is. Every bookshelf should own an Illuminae because it's really beautiful inside and out! Plus, all curse words are censored in black pentel pen like thing-y. I mean, what other book does that?! Yuhh, the awesomeness can't be contained, what with the schematics of the space ships, blowing of planets and all those cool intergalactic, interstellar whatever stuff that is going on inside this 599-page book! YOU.SHOULD.DEFINITELY.READ.ILLUMINAE!
• This book is a crazy experience for me. Not the usual type of book I read all the time because the story is told in transcripted files from intercoms, cctvs, chatbox, and others. It was really cool even though I had a hard time following in the first half (I was bored, in other words), but after 200 pages, I think, I.WAS.HOOKED!
• The second half was a real page turner. You can't even fathom the crazy stuff that happens along the way. So many deaths and shocking revelations that you never want to close the book until the end. And when I say SHOCKING REVELATION, you'll really get shocked big time. I don't want to spoil anything but there is a part in the book where I literally stood up and said HO-LY SHEEZ! with wide eyes and I had a hard time moving on after that. Guhhh.
• I think it's been such a long time since I last read a book with relationships that aren't built on sexual tension. Ezra and Kady's relationship is a series of funny IM's and conversations that makes you want to smile or giggle or laugh. Their banter turned to not too sweet conversations in the span of the book. I tell you, this is the only book where you'll get OD'd with chat flirting.
• The ending was way better than I thought it would be. It wrapped up in an awesome way that gave way to the second book which is really intriguing, by the way, because you know that there's a bigger war in play and Illuminae is just the freaking start. Illuminae blew my mind and I have no idea what more secrets and bam bam bam! the next book would offer! I.AM.EXCITED!!
• All in all, PEW! PEW! PEW! Read or I'll shatter your space ship into tiny gazillion pieces!
  

  

  Glimpse inside the dust jacket and inside the book itself. Amazeballs *O*

Kiss Kill Love Him Still by Jamie Blair Book Review

Kiss Kill Love Him Still by Jamie Blair Book Review

Monday, January 4, 2016

Title: Kiss Kill Love Him Still

Author: Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller

Published: 10th November 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Format: e-ARC

Copy Source: The Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tour

Rating: 2.5 Roses

Jackson Landis kept secrets. It's how he got girls into bed, the grades he wanted, and a reputation for being the life of the party.

But now he's dead, and no one knows how or why. Especially not the four girls whose secrets he protected. Secrets so scandalous they could cause each girl to lose something valuable. Secrets so dark, someone may have killed for them.

The four girls - a campus drug dealer, an overweight bookworm, a closeted lesbian, and a spoiled princess have one thing in common – they’re terrified the things Jackson knew may not have died with him. As Reggie, Haddie, Val, and Livie try to piece together her own role in Jackson’s death, each girl realizes Jackson had some not-so-pretty skeletons of his own.

Which makes a girl wonder, who really wanted Jackson Landis dead?

Am I supposed to be impressed with this book? I was really intrigued at the synopsis. I really wanted to know who killed Jackson Landis, and the way the blog tour was executed made it more exciting to find who the real murderer is.

Finishing the book, I was really disappointed at how it ended. In my opinion, I think this book is better as a standalone. The ending sucked and making a sequel would be trying too hard to make it longer. Although I may never know right now if the sequel would be better than what I am imagining, but as of the moment, I'm giving it 2.5 roses. I really didn't love the story, at all, and the way it ended made my decision not to love it even more solid than when I was halfway through it.

I don't love the characters enough but I am curious as to who is the killer. Maybe I'm just going to google for spoilers when the next book comes out. Taaa!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover Book Review

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover Book Review

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Title: Ugly Love

Author: Colleen Hoover

Published by: Atria Books on August 2014

Genre: New Adult

Setting: San Francisco, California USA

Format: E-book

Purchase: NBS [PH] | Fullybooked [PH] | Amazon | B & N

Rating: 2.5 Roses

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn't think it's love at first sight. They wouldn't even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn't want love, she doesn't have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don't expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can't handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

______________________________________

Note: I wrote this short review after the long one below because I can't decide on what to rate Ugly Love. The review below is spoiler-free, but read at your own will. I just don't want to spoil you with the characters.

I am starting to hate stand-alones right now. It's a real challenge for authors to wrap up novels in a single book. I thought I would love this book by CoHo but I did not. I am starting to feel like I am picking the wrong books of CoHo to start with. I've read two books and I love the way she writes it and I love the cover but the story just never did it for me.

All in all, this book is steamy and squeal-worthy in some parts. What drove me to finish the book, aside from Miles, is my curiosity. I want to find out why Miles is the way he was. Maybe this book was beautiful but it did not suit my taste since I hate women degrading themselves for men.
I enjoyed sweet and romantic Miles (and how he FLEW in love with me :P), as usual, just like with FSOG, the only parts I love were the sweet, romantic and billionaire Grey (LOL).

I can't decide, so this book is actually 2.5 roses, all because of sweet and romantic Miles and the source of his brokenness (NICK BATEMAN IS AN ADDED BONUS TOO!), Cap and his wit, and the lesson about love, of course. There is no beauty if there is no ugly side to love, and that's just true.

______________________________________

I started this book on December 24 then I stopped.... I picked it up again on the 28th and finished it during our ride home from Ilocos on the 30th. I gotta tell you, it gets pretty awkward at times since I'm in a van with 14 other peeps and I am reading steamy scenes without their knowledge! There are also times when I want to giggle and squeal but I supress it because they might ask what I was reading and I don't want to broadcast to my family that it was Ugly Love. Haha, I have a bookworm cousin and she might know a thing or two about it.

So anyway, I am battling real hard with myself on what rating I am going to give this book, so I guess I am going to break it down first then decide at the end of this review.

Characters

Miles is a really hot guy that is worth all your saliva. He's pretty damn hot, srsly. But hotness aside, I love how his character unfolds in his 6 years earlier POV. You just can't resist both the past and present Miles, even though Miles as a character in the flashback POV seems too stalker-y and I found the poetic feel to it kind of creepy and it doesn't suit Miles at all.
He is f*cking sweet and sentimental, though. Gaaah! Add him to the listof my boyfies, a-kay?

Tate is... ugh. Why do you even exist if you'll just become a "liquid"? (Read to know what I mean)
She is a very weak character in this book. She's a protagonist, yet she's not worthy of anyone's time. There was no depth to her, she's just a "liquid" that becomes a slave to her "solid" Miles. She's just as obsessed as Miles was with Rachel (Miles' ex).

Corbin is someone I look forward to. There's more to him than just this book and I am curious. Please make a novel about him please, Colleen!

I thought Dillon would be a big part as antagonist but he's just a filler. Just to show how hypocrite Miles was.

.........

Attraction is a really strong force between two individuals and I can understand that about all the couples in this book. All relationships here are just attraction, physical attraction to be exact, and infatuation.
What I didn't see on the book was the development of feelings into something more than just attraction, into something more than just sex. Like, what did Tate like about Miles and vice versa? Oh wait, erase that, we all know why Tate fell in love with Miles. What I don't understand is why Miles fell in love with Tate. Haha. Yes, she has a kind heart, what else? Maybe she's sexy and good in bed? Hahaah way to go.
I just don't like Tate as a character. There was no depth to her and I kind of hate how she handles things. I hate the way she picks herself up then just lowers it down for someone else. I hate that. I really hate that. Miles knows how to be a boyfriend but he is disrespectful as a man, and Tate disrespects herself too much to allow Miles to disrespect her the way he did.

This is a standalone novel so I can understand that Colleen Hoover needs to compress everything in a certain number of pages, I just didn't like the way it was wrapped up. The epilogue kind of made up for some, though. It shows how Miles can really love a person when he really wants to love her. But his thoughts, though, still creepy.