My Book Reviews

A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying that I never knew this book was the third in a trilogy until I got to the acknowledgements at the end. No wonder the story seemed to have started off a bit 'in-the-middle-of-something'. Though, if I'm being completely and utterly honest, it wouldn't have made a difference. Nothing too important is lost by not reading the previous two books beforehand.

As I mentioned, the first chapter itself has already introduced all the main characters, and they seemed to already be in the middle of something. Immediately sticking out like a bit of a sore thumb to me though, had been their names. Montgomery James? Juliet Moreau? (Really? Might as well have gone all the way and made her a Montague) BALTHAZAR?? Personally, I admit that I cringed when I first read it. Although the reason of naming had been mentioned later on in the book, naming them after Shakespeare's characters (although I hadn't realised it at the time that I was reading) seemed to make it a bit... unreal to me, as if the author had wanted them to sound fancy, and failing. (Because who names their kid 'Montgomery' anymore?)

Initially, the little synopsis at the back of the book caught my attention. But about a quarter of the way through, I started doubting if I had been wrong about the book and if I would actually finish it. I pushed through more due to the fact that I hadn't wanted to start reading it and then abandon it so quickly (if I could help it) rather than because the story had intrigued me.
Halfway through, it felt as if I could almost guess how it ends. It seemed too predictable.

BUT THEN IT WASN'T.

I found myself being pleasantly surprised at the turn of events, and from then on, it was gripping. It took me several weeks to even reach a little more than half the book, and then 2 days to finish the rest.

All in all, it was okay. I wouldn't say it was bad, nor will I say it was great. I'm glad I finished it, though I know for a fact that it's not something I would re-read either. It keeps you entertained if you're bored, is what I'm saying.

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Just One...: Includes Just One Day, Just One Year, and Just One Night by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit I was initially a bit intimidated to start this book. Given how thick it is and the fact that I've not read anything by Forman before this (especially since this is 2 books in one), I was a bit worried that I might not finish it if I found that I didn't like it.

Turns out I didn't have to worry, because it was so easy to fall into the characters' stories. To cut a long story short (in case anyone needs it), in the first book (aka first part of this book), the story is told in Allyson/Lulu's perspective. After all the turmoil and unanswered questions, we go to book/part 2, which tells the story from the climax in Willem's perspective. Then, everything starts to fall in place, and beautifully so.

In the last bit, Just One Night (I wouldn't call it a third 'book', because it's only about a chapter long. It's more an epilogue than anything if you ask me), you can almost feel the tension as Allyson and Willem meet again after a year. Then as both parties explain their sides of the story, the tension dissolves as everything falls in place.

The ending leaves room for speculations, but this time, it doesn't sound quite as bad.

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The Long Walk by Richard Bachman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I usually take my time to read my books. But for some reason, I was quite addicted to this one, although the plot is fairly simple: A long walk.

Ray Garraty and 99 other teenage boys are taking part in the annual Long Walk. Participants have to walk at least 4 miles and hour minimum, and three strikes and you're out... permanently.
Literally.
They are not allowed to stand still, sit, or even rest.
Yes, they literally have to keep walking for days on end, come rain or shine, until only one is left standing. That person will win The Prize: literally anything their heart desires.
Throughout their journey, they're not allowed any outside help whatsoever, and while they can request for as many canteens of water as they like, they are only given one belt of food concentrates per day, most of it coming out of tubes in the form of paste or in jars (that's HARDLY enough to fully satiate someone in an activity as intense/taxing as this).

First of all, I get tired just READING about it. I'm not the least bit athletic, so I don't think I would even last a whole day on my feet. Hell, I wouldn't be crazy enough to even think of signing up for it in the first place. And food concentrates ?? The greedy pig in me would probably need at least 3 belts a day. =3

The ending result is pretty predictable, though I'm surprised that this book does not have the little twists that Stephen King (or in this case, Richard Bachman,) is so famous for (unless you count that teeny tiny revelation towards the end).

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One Hundred Days of Happiness by Fausto Brizzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a journey in itself. I just cannot find enough words to explain how this book so perfectly brought me along on Lucio's journey.

Perhaps one of the things I loved most is Brizzi's humour. The character of Lucio occasionally interacts with the reader, and sometimes, gives the reader a chance to think about what they would do. It may sound confusing, but read this book and you'll understand. Actually, I'd recommend this book to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU .

As with most great pieces, I bought this book simply because the synopsis at the back sounded intriguing enough for me to decide to give it a go. That, and I had been looking for excuses to buy more books. (Because of course, right?) From the get-go, you're taken into Lucio Battistini's life through his eyes. And as we all do, Lucio takes his life for granted and has never really stopped to appreciate his life and what he has.
Until he finds out he only has 100 days to live.
Then he goes on a journey to make up for everything that he has done/never done, and basically put right everything he has to before the time comes.

The story has a fairly light tone to it, all things considered; that is, until the last weeks when reality hits hard and Lucio realises that the end is very much nearing quickly.
Then things start getting steadily and understandibly heavier, taking on a more sombre tone.

As expected, the parting did me in. Some may argue that it may have been a bit predictable, but it didn't dampen the effect whatsoever. It's been a while since I actually cried reading a book (the last time probably being the last Mitch Albom novel I read, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto), and twice I had to stop so I could actually continue reading.

All in all, this is a brilliant work from Brizzi, and I would love to read all of his translated books. This will definitely be one of my more treasured books, hands down.

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Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. The plot is not complicated, and the storyline is not too confusing; though I did have some trouble with connecting the names and what their roles were in the story, for some reason.

Since getting struck by lightning, Harper Connelly has been making use of her newfound ability to make a living.
What is this ability of hers?
Finding dead bodies and knowing how they died. Along for the ride is her half-brother Tolliver Lang, who also plays a huge part in relieving Harper’s severe separation anxiety.

But when things begin to happen to Harper and Tolliver after taking a job in Sarne, they begin to suspect that they may have uncovered and disclosed more than they were welcome to.

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Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit that the first quarter of the book was a bit boring to me, and I fell asleep while reading it on a few occasions.

But when it got good, IT WAS BLOODY GOOD

The moment you think you know what’s going on, it’s almost as if Lehane does a detour and fucks you over. I definitely did NOT expect the twist, and when that happened, I had to re-read that part for it to actually sink in.

The only reason this is not 5 stars is because it bore me at the start.

But definitely pick this up if/when you can!


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So Cold the River by Michael Koryta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eric Shaw, a former filmmaker down and out on his luck and confined to making videos for events, is paid a hefty amount to go to French Lick/West Baden to do a documentary on billionaire Campbell Bradford. While there, Eric had been tempted to drink from a bottle of what looks like unnaturally cold water. He decides to take a sip out of the bottle of Pluto Water; an old brand of mineral water that had been hugely renowned for curing almost all ailments.

That's when shit slowly starts hitting the fan, because let's face it: what do you expect from drinking out of a bottle of water that old??

The progression of events is very gradual; Eric's slow addiction and his increasing symptoms made for a very interesting read. The way Koryta connected the flow of events leading to the buildup was great. After everything, it definitely piqued my interest when Koryta mentioned in the Author's Notes in the end how the places (the West Baden Hotel & French Lick) are in fact very real places. I looked the hotel up and there it was on Booking.com, and HOLY SHIT THE PLACE IS FREAKING GORGEOUS! Go look it up and tell me it isn't impressive!
All the details I read about in the story made more sense then, and quite honestly, it is grander than I ever imagined it to be. (Then again, you can't say much about my imagination... Also, my geography is horrible)

The climax is intense, and I find myself almost skimming through the pages in a hurry (as I often do when reading interesting/intense scenes) in a bid to find out what happens next. All in all, I would definitely pick up Koryta's other works and give them a go.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I was younger, I had this big (literally; the books were the size of a paper folder) purple collection of books (I think they had classics). Somehow, I was always drawn to The Hounds of the Baskervilles. I remember vaguely an illustration of a hound on top of a dead body, its muzzle bloody. Keep in mind that this was a children's version.

Fast forward to many years later, I'm finally reading the actual tale. It wasn't as exciting of a tale as I was hoping it would be, I have to admit. It's still nice though, don't get me wrong. It just had less to do with the hound than I had been expecting.

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The Treatment by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THIS BOOK.
OMG.

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is. On the day I started this book, I initially thought I'd read maybe just a chapter or so to get started, then properly read it the next day. But 'a chapter or so' became several, and before I knew it, I read about a quarter in.

IT WAS SO HARD TO PUT DOWN.

At the climax I literally had to stop myself from flying off the pages for fear of missing details. There were moment when my jaw fell to the floor because I hadn't been expecting something to happen. There were some parts that I had predicted from the beginning, but even so, Taylor wrote it so eloquently that when it came to certain revelations, there was still an element of shock to it.

I did notice 2 or 3 little sentence structure errors, but they in no way affected the pleasure of reading the story.

For some reason though, I seemed to liken Mrs H. to Dr Ava Paige, and Dr Rothwell to A.D Janson (both from the Maze Runner).

This is by far the only book (other than the Harry Potter series, of course-... Forever an HP nerd =3) that made such an unexpected impact on me.

This is definitely not my longest review, but do me a favour everyone and PICK UP THIS BOOK. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of Taylor's books.

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Against All Odds by Danielle Steel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate has 4 kids that have decided to go against the odds (not necessarily in a good way), in spite of her voicing her doubts to her kids. So if there is anything that I learnt from this book, it's that sometimes, no matter how much you love someone and want to protect them from getting hurt, you'll have to let them make their own mistakes and learn from them.

The conversation structures were very simple, and most of the description that explains the conversations were also very simply put. There is a part at the ending that I had suspected would happen a long way coming too.

Certain events, I felt, seemed too easily overcome though. Maybe it was just written that way so as to not make the story too long-winded and boring; in which case, that worked!

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Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I swear I don't mean any insult and disrespect when I say that I did not expect to love this book as much as I do. The synopsis at the back of the book, frankly, does not do the story justice.

To be honest, I was expecting a sort of run-of-the-mill story about racism and Islamophobia. But the book was such an easy read, the chapters not too long, and the story so relatable. I may not be Muslim, and Islamophobia might not be prominent here (seeing as Malaysia is a Muslim-dominated country after all), but Maya's struggles with her closed-minded parents very much resembles the life of some of my Indian friends (yes, even in this day and age).

I've been very fortunate that my parents were always open minded and understanding, but I've had friends lament about the mentality of their parents to me. Maya's life sort of felt familiar to me in a way, because it felt like I was reading excerpts of the life of some of my friends.

Yes, there are some cliches, but so does real life anyway. Major kudos to Samira!

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Conversations with Heaven by Theresa Cheung
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

WARNING: This review will have me relate some of my own experiences to what I've read. I won't go into great detail of course, but just a heads up to let you know that there will be instances where I relate something I've read in this book with a bit of my own personal experience.

I have to say, first of all, that I normally don't read books like these. No offense whatsoever of course, but it's just not something I'd sit down for hours at. However, that day at the bookstore, I felt compelled to get it, and it didn't take much thought.

The main reason, I can confidently say, was influenced by the fact that I lost my grandfather not too long ago (it's been over 6 months now, but it still feels fresh). Something about this book just drew me in.

I liked it because it contained many short stories from readers who've had experiences 'communicating' with or visions of deceased loved ones. A few days after the passing of my grandfather, whom I loved very dearly, I did dream about him. And in that dream, I felt like there was some sort of closure in it, but at that time I wasn't so sure what it meant and I hadn't want to get my hopes too high up. After reading this though, I am ecstatic to know that it really had been one of the ways that my grandfather had sent me a message.

He has appeared in my dreams several times after that, and those are the 'vivid' kind that I still remember to this day. And in each of the dreams, the message that he wanted to send was very clear; I am very sure of that now.

In a nutshell, this book has somewhat helped me get the closure I need that my grandfather really is communicating to me through my dreams, and he has, on more than one occasion, told me (indirectly) that he's doing fine up there, and that he loves me.

Thank you, Theresa. I needed that.

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The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't... scared, per se. Creeped out, yes.

I must admit that I expected for there to be a twist at the end. I suspected that things were not as they seemed as I was reading it. When you have two siblings who can see ghosts of the previous governess and driver (whom they are well aware of are dead); and whom don't really seem to mind at all, things sound fishy.

Also when they are described as very pretty/handsome, full of charm, and seem to be of close to no trouble at all, you know that something isn't quite right (because let's face it, kids are not that well behaved; even back then). My original guess (from reading the synopsis at the back of the book) was that perhaps the ghosts and the kids are plotting something over the new governess. I won't say if I'm right or wrong; I'll let you read it and see. ;)

The ending seemed to be open-ended. I have quite a few questions regarding the ending, namely: (highlight for spoilers!)

1) What happened to Flora & Mrs Grose?
2) Did they just up and left and never came back to Bly?
3) WTF HAPPENED TO MILES?? Why the heck did he just drop dead?!
4) What became of the other workers there?


Other than that, seeing as it was only 143 pages long, it was a nice, light read.


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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'll say this straight out: I liked it; I don't particularly love it though.

There was one whole chapter that basically explained Dorian's background, which I found so boring/hard to follow that I skipped the chapter as a whole; something I've never done before.

I kinda suspected what the ending would be around the second last chapter, and I was right. However, I felt like there was a chunk missing from Dorian's character early on in the book to his 'character development', I'd say. Then again, it could just be my pea-brain not processing the information as intended. =p

Other than that, it was a pretty good book.

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Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read several books by Stephen King, and I'd like to think that I could ascertain which was written in his style and which was written in Owen's style. Still, I think they blend together pretty damn well.

The element of amazing storytelling that Stephen is so famous for is prominent in this book too, though I'm unable to say the same for Owen as I've never read any of his books.

It has a good theme/plot: What would happen if, one day, all women disappeared from earth? How would the men cope on their own? There are things/reactions that you would expect from men, but what intrigued me was Evie.
As with all Stephen King's books, this has a supernatural element in it too. One day Evie appears, women start being encompassed in cocoons when they fall asleep, and removing those webs would cause chaos. Naturally, Evie becomes famous faster than Trump can say 'Fuck her right in the pussy'.
She's the only woman that can sleep and wake up without being in a cocoon, and she seems to know everything about everyone, and how things were going to end up. And what's up with that huge tree??

This deserves a nod for character development too, because one particular character that I originally felt really annoyed at, turned out to be not so bad after all. (Situations change people, as we all know.) Though one character, whom I grew to despise, met his fitting fate, I think, because that leopard never changed his stripes, and stuck with his mentality through and through.

I love this book; as I do with almost all of Stephen King's other books. I love the suspense, the addictive events, the whole shebang. What can I say? I'm a fan.

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The Dark Half by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As with all of King’s books, they have a way of sucking you in to it’s stories. I like this one (as I do most of his books, actually), and something about it sticks with me the way Doctor Sleep did.

The Dark Half dabbles with topics of the paranormal, as with most of his books. In this case, the ‘person’ in question, George Stark, really ‘isn’t a nice guy’. Apparently writer Thaddeus Beaumont’s ‘evil twin’, Stark does everything in his power to become real, take over Thad, and rule his life. Kinda like a creepy osmosis.

I don’t think I have to tell you, and I think that it would not technically classify as a ‘spoiler’, but of course good trumps over evil, and George Stark is thwarted (obvs). It was a nice touch though, I think, on how King writes out Stark’s eventual (and well-deserved) end. Stark’s weakness, which he himself had been oblivious about for the most part, had been very satisfying to read about; especially since Stark was the cold-blooded, bloody killer that he is. Of course it was nice to read about how THE feared George Stark had a weakness in which he himself had not been aware of. Makes the offing more satisfying eh?

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