My Book Reviews

Pet Sematary by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King himself said, when asked which of his book is the scariest, that Pet Sematary was it. Well, now that I've read it, this is what I think:

I read a quarter of it, and didn't find it scary in the least. No matter. Some books take about halfway through to get to the good bits, right? So then I got through half of it. Still nothing. Not quite scary; a bit of an unease would be best fitted. I still didn't see why King himself deemed it the 'scariest book' he wrote. And I've read Cujo, The Shining, It, and the likes.

Then again, as all his fans will be aware of, the description above wouldn't quite be King.

And rightfully so.

The last 'prelude', if you will, packed so much intensity and was so gripping that I felt spooked. Suddenly being alone in an air-conditioned room, with the sound of rain pelting on my window, didn't seem too calming anymore. Suddenly the slightest sounds just about creeped me out more than it should.
And now, minutes after finishing the book, I'm still jittery. The epilogue scene is stuck in my head. I'm creeped out. Not so much scared, but disturbed. Help.

Even the epilogue ended in a cliffhanger, which made it all the more disturbing, in my opinion.

I actually downloaded the movie, thinking that I'd want to watch it after I'm done with the book.
Now I'm not so sure. At least I definitely won't be watching it alone.

I stayed up till the wee hours just to finish this book, and now I'm not sure if I can go right to bed. *gulps*

You got me, Stephen King. You got me good.

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The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The synopsis of this book really intrigued me. I got this from PageHabit's book bundle, so it had little annotations by the author. The annotations were just little random facts though, and not necessarily about the story.

As this a thin book, it is what I'd call a rather short story. 3 young adults (Henry, Russel, and Maggie) unearth a skeleton of a baby with horns and a jar of some liquidy stuff, and as expected, things start happening to the people close to the 3. The confusing thing was though, at the back of the book in the synopsis, it mentions that the liquid in the jar was red.


However, there was no mention of the colour when they first found it in the book. When the colour of the substance was described though, it was described as being brown; which is rather confusing.


Other than that, the story panned out pretty nicely. Needless to say, the 'monster' was defeated pretty easily (understandable, as it was not a thick book to begin with). The storyline didn't feel rushed either, so that was good.

Overall, I liked it. Not too heavy a plot, and no over-complicated scenes. It won't scare you silly, but it's just enough paranormality.

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*WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS, WHICH I WILL HIGHLIGHT OFF* 

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Firstly, let me just say: what's a Mitch Albom book if it doesn't make you cry, eh? And I can proudly say that I now own ALL of Mitch Albom's books! *throws confetti*

Ahem. Ok, now for the review.

Let me just say that I applaud Mitch for the depth of the subject in which he writes about. All his books tackle different topics, and he tells it as if he's a master of them. Because come on, if someone like me who isn't too familiar with music, composers, chords and whatnot, tell me you did not look up at least one of the pieces mentioned in this book. I dare you.

The story begins and is told by Music, at Frankie's funeral. Actual artistes also give their 'rendition' of how they knew Frankie Presto, compiling the story of his life. Since the beginning, you can't help feeling sorry for Frankie. He has to overcome obstacles all his life, and just when things seem to be looking up, something happens that turns him into ruins again. And all that since he was a baby, mind. All he seemed to know was heartache and pain, and yet, he was hopeful. However, as he grew up, he grew less and less optimistic. I think that very clearly explains how different a kid and an adult's perspectives are.

I admired his persistence to find Aurora. I admired her for staying with him too, despite everything. At first, I couldn't stand that she kept disappearing when she's had enough of him, yet appear again a few years later, only to do the same thing numerous times. I was frustrated that she still came back so many times.
But then I realized: she must have loved him that much. She left for a few years, hoping that he'd get his shit together before coming back to him. So I must applaud her for even coming back, after all he had put her through.

The most beautiful part, in my opinion, is at the end when everything comes together. All the missing pieces are put in place, and it ends on such a beautiful but sad note.

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99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Starting this book, I didn’t have any expectations. I was confused about the story about halfway through, but then when the revelation came, it all made sense.

And no, it had nothing to do with red balloons (or 99 of them).

I won’t say a lot for fear of spoiling it, but there is a cliffhanger at the end of about 2-3 chapters. 8 year old Grace has been kidnapped at a sweet shop, and it bears an uncanny resemblance to the disappearance of 5 year old Zoe years ago. Why is Emma’s mother acting so suspiciously, and what does widower Maggie have to do in the equation?

I never expected to love this story like I have; just when you think you’re starting to grasp it, you don’t. The story goes to and fro with a handful of the characters, giving the reader an insight to each of their lives before coming together as one beautifully.

Elisabeth Carpenter, I’ve got my eyes out for more of your books.

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*WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS, WHICH I WILL HIGHLIGHT OFF*


The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my first review with spoilers, because there are things I find confusing. So here goes....

Judging by the ratings, a lot of people seem to love this book. Me, on the other hand; I have a love-hate relationship with it, I think.

It took me a while to get used to it due to the way it’s written. There are very little conversation-openers, and the entire thing constantly shifts from ‘the now’ to ‘before’, that I had a bit of trouble at first determining which was what.

What I still can’t understand though, is how the thing all is. Offred describes having classes with the other handmaids, taught by the Marthas (or rather, Aunt Lydia in particular). But then again, in other scenes, she’s described as being the only handmaid in the household, apart from Rita & Cora who works in the kitchen, and Nick who’s the Commander’s driver. There is no mention of Offred going to another household or building for the ‘classes’, as the classes are very clearly described to be with the other handmaids as well.

Then when they have their ‘afternoon nap’, it is described (such as in the beginning of the story) that they do it in an old university gym. I originally thought that perhaps there were other handmaids living under the same roof, but then when there is a Birth Day, Offred is the only one to go from her household, to the one whose handmaid is having the Birth. That confused me.

Apart from that, it was overall okay. Maybe just not exactly my kind of thing.
Don’t get me wrong; the story overall did get interesting about halfway through. Just that I don’t really understand what all the hype was about.

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The Choice by Samantha King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out of all the books I’ve read before, this was the only one where my suspicions are about 95% true. Having saying that though, The Choice got me hooked.

Without giving too much away, I suspected Annabel’s fate from the off. I also suspected Dom & Max’s intentions (it was an either/or situation) and to find out that I had been right had been a smug moment for me.
Madeleine’s suffering was very relatable. The way King describes how Maddie is feeling seems to perforate through the pages of the book, because I felt them as if I was living it as well.

The climatic scenes got me breezing through the pages, eager to find out what happens next. The grief she felt, the relief, the panic; this book basically took me on a roller coaster of emotions. There were times I felt so frustrated with one of the characters. However, the ending was perfect, and I admit I almost got teary.

Samantha King is definitely an author to look out for; I know I’d be looking out for her future books!

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I Do Not Sleep by Judy Finnigan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very easy and pleasant read. Each chapter was only about 10 pages or less, and the font was fairly big. For a story about loss, the plot was fairly light, tone-wise.

Unlike other novels that tackle a grief-stricken protagonist, Molly was very relatable. She had her moments, but at the same time, I thought she was level-headed about it. Whenever she was being ‘unreasonable’, she would later contemplate her actions and the reactions of others. She did not wallow in self-pity and constantly feel sorry for herself; although the grief of losing Joey turned her into somewhat a zombie emotion-wise, she could still deliberate her actions after.

The theme also happened to coincide with a life event of mine, and the message that this book gave me had given somewhat of a comfort for me.

There was a pleasant surprise at the end too.

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The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was a bit hard to concentrate in the beginning. I had a feeling that I would take a while to finish this, and right I was: almost a month.

It got interesting about halfway through, and I admit that the revelation of the killer quite shocked me. The thing about me as I read novels are that I’d conjure up images as to how a character might look like. And I can say that the revelation kind of threw off the image I had about both the killer and another character.

But as with most books, you kind of know how it’s gonna end. The climax was interesting, but at the same time, you kinda knew that someone was going to eventually save the day, so that sort of played down the intenseness of the scene.

When Rhyme explained how he found out who the killer was, there was a bit that I felt didn’t exactly completely reveal that conclusion; but it might just be me.

Was it interesting? Yes, but only after almost about halfway through. Did I like it? Ehhh, it was ok. I’ve got to give it to Deaver though for the brilliantly minute details in the case/plot.

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The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I vaguely remember seeing this book in a must-read list somewhere. So when I saw it in the Bargain Books store, I knew I wanted it; to see what the hype was about.

And true enough, I loved it. I spotted a few sentence structural errors, but it wasn't as bad as Zombie Britannica. And for me (a self-proclaimed Grammar Nazi) to still rate it 4 stars despite the errors, you know it's good.

There was just something about the story that pulls you in; making you feel like you're actually living it (as all good books tend to do). I could almost feel the damp, salty air described, and the relationship between Angus and Sarah had me spooked; it seems like any one of them could snap at any moment. Though granted, I feel that Angus, as frustrated as he was, was quite patient with Sarah. And from Sarah's point of view, I can feel her anxiety; her paranoid-ness towards Angus. The both of them seem to be treading on dangerous waters (pun intended heh) with each other, and that atmosphere, I feel, was thick whenever they were together.

It might be just me, but the 'epilogue' six months later surprised me towards the end. It sounded like it was going one way, and then it was revealed that it was actually another.

An excellent read.

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Blood Born by Kathryn Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After my bad bout with a Kathy Reich book, I was a bit skeptical with this one. The former had bored me to death with with the terms used.

The little synopsis at the back of the book was interesting. Although this book had many forensic science-y terms, it was easy to keep up with. And if I came across a term that I didn't understand, I'd simply google it up.

Certain novels can be very heavy on courtroom and law terms, and can be hard to follow for someone who has no knowledge of the field. So I liked that this one had an equal amount.

Also, my frustrations with the Harbourn family are yay high. I feel mentally tired just hearing the lengths that the family goes to plan and cover up their crimes. Noelle (understandably, I think) annoys me the most.

I initially had a bit of trouble keeping up with who was who, and what their expertise were, though. And like Anya, I didn't get the initial verdict of the case. It made my heart hammer though because after that, one surprise came after the other; just when you thought it was done with.

All in all, I really liked this book, even with the little grammatical and sentence structural errors that I spotted. Might just pick up another book by Fox, f her other books are as good as this.

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A Gift to Remember by Melissa Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The only other book by Hill that I've read is The Charm Bracelet, and A Gift to Remember is similar.

Just when you think you've got it figured out, Hill throws a curveball. As you read on, I think the ending will be pretty predictable though, just like with Charm Bracelet.

It's not a heavy plot, so it goes for pretty light reading; though when Darcy goes to and fro trying to make sense of Aidan's things, and comes up with a blank, it gets a bit (predictably) exhausting.

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Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Honestly, I felt pulled towards this book from the synopsis at the back. But nothing, I repeat, nothing, would prepare me to love the book as much as I did.

I started out slow; reading at a leisurely pace. Plus I had been on holiday at that time. But then, before I knew it, I was halfway through. Really, I didn't even realise it.

This book spoke about (for lack of better word) issues that I myself have either went through, or have been thinking about. Green wrote so beautifully that I felt every emotion of the characters: the frustration, the anger, the tears. Certain scenes were so intense that I teared up purely because the scene was so heartfelt. It was amazing that it wasn't based on a true story, because everything was so descriptive.

I felt emotionally tired just reading about Emily, and I really felt Andi's frustration. As I had like a quarter of the book left to go, I thought I had a rough idea on how the story might end, and then Emily dropped a bombshell and left me wondering how on earth this problem could be solved in such limited pages left.

To be honest it was a relief when I read how the problem was dealt with; proving that all hope was not lost after all. I really felt this book, and it spoke to me on a personal level. This is the first of Green's books that I've picked up, but after this, it's making me want to check out her books too.

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Zombie Britannica by Thomas Emson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

And that's me being kind. Don't get me wrong, the plot was ok and everything, but what brought it down was the constant grammatical and punctuation errors. I don't mean to sound harsh, but honestly? It says that the author is an 'award-winner', but I'm seriously wondering how the hell that can be, judging from this book.

It also gets me wondering what on earth the proofreaders were thinking. Sure, I understand that a typo or so here and there are inevitable, but the ENTIRE book is FILLED with them. Unless of course, he didn't have a proofreader.

'Quiet' was spelled as 'Quite'. Question marks are absent where they should be throughout the book. And this may be just me, but certain names of the characters have such 'unique' spellings, that it makes me think that the author might not have known the correct spelling, and just cooked up his own spelling for it (Kathrine/Catherine = Catrin, Dana = Dayna).

The story has quite a few 'revelation' points when the author reveals how they're connected to one another. The story also ends in suspense, leaving the reader to contemplate the ending on their own.
It has it's other good parts as well, and it's an absolute shame that the bad outweighs the good.

He would've been a good author otherwise.

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book to be similar to Rainbow Rowell's books. The chapters are short and the storyline light. The story is told in Lara Jean's perspective, and was a nice, light read that was addictive.

There were several parts that got me frustrated with Lara Jean. But then again, she's a teenager.

There was one character I never liked much in the beginning, and my feelings were the same throughout the character development. Although yes, there were developments, but I still found the character very full of themselves.

There is also a particular event that I felt did not have a proper closure; and that Lara Jean throwing herself back into it without that closure was a bit... rash and unreasonable, in my opinion. The character that I suspected had been the one to send out Lara Jean's letters had also turned out to be correct, with my guessed reason.

All in all, a nice light read.

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Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew from reading the first few pages that I was going to love it. Yes I've heard of the title before, but I've never got around to reading it.

It was interesting to read about how Susie's 'heaven' was and what was in it. Without spoiling it, I have to say I was intrigued by the Ray-Ruth-Susie thing, and I'm still not exactly sure what happened. O.o

I can't seem to to put in words though the exact way that this book attracted me. There was this pull that reeled me in the minute I read the first chapter.

Give this a go if you haven't already.

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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was something of King's that I hadn't ventured into before this: short stories.

I got this for Christmas, and naturally, was filled with glee as I'm a fan of King's, and basically getting any book will fill me with joy.

When I read the first story though, I felt... disconnected. I don't call myself a die-hard fan exactly, but I felt that the first story hadn't lived up to King's usual standards. It even felt a bit.. corny, for a Stephen King story. And I was disappointed.

Thankfully though, most of the others were ok. One of my favourites had been The Dune, where the ending made me silent-gasp. There are a number of good stories in here, but there are a few misses too, in my opinion.
Perhaps King's forte are full stories, not shorts. But then again, it might just be me.

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The Hospital: How I Survived the Secret Child Experiments at Aston Hall by Barbara O'Hare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is amazing.
Not only for how it's written, but the story in itself.

More than once, I had to remind myself that this was a true story. It's easy to forget, seeing as how similar stories are usually fictional.

It broke my heart to see how she was mistreated at home, but then when she went to Aston Hall, I was appalled by how the kids were treated; how their innocence were exploited and how they were so tightly controlled.

I had mixed emotions about the nurses there. They were described as strict and emotionless, yet sometimes they showed hints of humanity; as if they themselves had not known the extent of the experiments carried out.

What I didn't agree on, however, was the person she claimed had 'saved her life'. Quite honestly, I felt that this person would not have done it if it weren't for another wee character.

One can only imagine what it must be like for someone so young to go through such torture on a regular basis...

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Thinner by Richard Bachman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first (and only, I hope) Stephen King book (although technically it's written under his pseudonym) that I felt that I didn't really enjoy. I think having taken a little over a month to finish a book that is only 340 pages long kinda speaks for itself. (Seeing as I finished It, in all its 1376 pages, in about a month and a half.)

The only thing I was taken by with this book was the fact that Billy was cursed to be thinner. And I actually wished someone would curse me thinner. The entire book was pretty predictable, I admit. It wasn't until the last chapter or so that I was actually intrigued by Billy's character change.

There was also a plot twist in the end, which I didn't see coming at all.
Or maybe I'm just unobservant.

I've got a few other Stephen King books to read, and I can only hope that his other books are not like this.

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The Kill Order by James Dashner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I could've finished this much faster, but I admit I took my own sweet time. =B

If anyone who hadn't bought this series as a set, let me just say this; if you're thinking of getting this book, know that it will not be about the Gladers.

The Kill Order is a prequel to the series, and it tells the tale of a group of people that experienced the Flare when it first arrived. In other words, this story was set years before Thomas and the Maze. Having said that, I feel that this book is 'optional' in the series, if you will. It's like a back story on how the Flare started and how WICKED was formed.

I don't think it would affect much of the trilogy in general even if you don't pick up this book.

That being said though, this is one intense book.

It's what I consider 'light reading', yes, but it's the kind where you can expect a cliffhanger at the end of almost every chapter. The scenes with the infected reminded me of the finale in The Girl with All the Gifts.

The final showdown for The Kill Order had me completely immersed, and I could feel the urgency; feel my heart pounding as I hastily scanned through the pages, eager to find out how this one ends.

There ARE little mentions of some of the Gladers (though I won't say who), but only in the prologue & epilogue.

If you want to find out how the pandemic started, then by all means get this book and fill in the plot holes. Otherwise, you can rest assured that you won't miss much.

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The Death Cure by James Dashner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is... something. I can say that in some ways, it doesn't involve another 'trial', as the first 2 books did. Though believe me when I say that it does not lack action and intensity.

There were incidents and scenes that I wasn't happy about; not in Dashner's writing, but with what happened with certain characters: characters that I had actually grown quite fond of. One such scene was when Thomas did not quite end up with the person I had been hoping for.

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Needful Things by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

See, the thing about King's novels is that they mess with your head. You get pulled into the story, so much so that you start questioning your surroundings. Needful Things is no different.

When I first found out that Needful Things was the name of a shop, I couldn't help thinking that it didn't sound.... well, grammatically correct. I privately thought that 'Needed Things' or 'Needy Things' would have fitted better.
(Alas, the grammar nazi has chosen to rear its ugly head again. Don't hurt me, Stephen.)

When I read the synopsis, it was attractive, but I don't think it did the story justice. Without revealing too much, the state of the occupants of Castle Rock disturbed me mentally. It was not the kind that scares you; it just made me feel really uncomfortable, in the best way possible-... if that even makes sense. I'll never look at arthritis the same way again, and I'll be weary of great deals for a while (FML).

As with It, the ending seems to be unlike the endings that other authors would normally choose. Maybe that's what sets King apart. He implies that sometimes, faith and belief in the simplest form goes a long way; not unlike the beliefs you would have as a child. Maybe what he's trying to say is that kids are very simple creatures. Imagination and belief runs their life, and they are able to accept most things and move on easily. Adults, on the other hand, can be too practical and overthink every little thing.
Or maybe that's just me.

But Needful Things illustrates the things us humans will do when we're desperate for something. The things we'd be willing to do.

I think that's what makes it even more disturbing - the fact that it hits so close to home: that we become different people when we're obsessed with something.

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  It by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen, Stephen.
What do I say?

The main reason I got this book had been because I was going on holiday for a while and didn't fancy going through the trouble of bringing so many books with me. So I brought It and one other book, just in case.

The first 2 or 3 chapters were, I admit, a bit boring. I had a bit of trouble remembering all the characters (I felt that too many characters were introduced within such a short amount of time that I had trouble remembering who was who; especially since King used a surname-basis to describe the initial characters). I was a bit intimidated with the size of the book as well and was apprehensive if I could finish it in time. (I didn't fancy lugging the heavy book back if I could help it, and to save space.)
But about halfway through, things started to get exciting.

I couldn't help connecting It to the Boggart in Harry Potter (hehe), but I wondered how it would fit into the 'real world'.

I expected the ending, both 27 years ago and recent, to be more descriptive in the action; I was doubtful when they confronted It the second time around without so much as a weapon of any sort. I wondered, realistically, what a bunch of kids could do (or rather, hope to do) to destroy something so powerful. The first time they faced It, I wondered if their 'ammo' was sufficient to do any proper damage to It.

And yet, I was satisfied. Satisfied with what happened, and satisfied with the outcome. I felt a bit sad to finish it, and what happens to the group in the end. It was just one of those books where you feel like you've actually lived with the characters, and what happened in the end.. I felt like it was such a waste.
But in a good way.

The way Stephen King does.

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