My Book Reviews

The Hunt by Tim Lebbon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was so disappointing.
I bought this book because the description at the back caught my attention. The part that got me was (as written on the book):

"Chris returns from his morning run to find his wife and children missing and a stranger in his kitchen.
He's told to run.
If he's caught and killed, his family go free. If he escapes, they die."

It had so much potential, but the whole thing was a little too Hunger Games for my liking.
There were several repititions in terms of describing the landmarks, and several grammatical and sentence structure errors that I had to re-read twice before understanding.

I took a few months off from reading this book because I just had no interest in it whatsoever, but didn't want to chuck it aside (just a habit/trait I have) if I could help it. Thankfully, more than halfway through, the story managed to catch my attention enough for me to actually finish it.

And then the ending...
It was almost.. meh. All that supposed buildup only for it to end just like that. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have guessed that that was it; and thought that there had to be more than this.

Bottom line, not my cup of tea at all.

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Still Falling by Sheena Wilkinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me just say: I never expected to feel this attached to Esther & Luke. Just by reading the synopsis, I knew I was probably going to feel something reading it, but... yeah.

Luke has epilepsy, and hates himself. I don't have epilepsy, but I think we've all gone through a phase in life where we just feel like we hate ourselves, or someone made us to feel that way. The voice in Luke's head sounded so familiar to me, and I couldn't help but sympathize with him so much.

Esther comes from a religious Christian family; though she, however, questions the belief and decided to not attend church. Good thing was that her parents didn't really pressure her into keep going to church. Esther feels sheltered, and a bit wary that the kids at school label her as miss goody-two-shoes.

When she and Luke gets together, she's more than aware that she isn't exactly 'in his league' (Aah, there's another relatable feeling). When he turns her away every time she tries to get past 1st base, she starts questioning if he actually fancies her, or if she's just a security blanket of sorts for him. (Hello darkness my old friend~~)

And then the cliche happens in the form of an event that puts their relationship to the test; and of course, from that emerges a new understanding of each other. BUT, as cliche as the plot may be, there are still several pleasant and not-so-pleasant (in the form of a revelation) surprises.

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The Stone House by A.K. Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The synopsis on the back of the book sounds like a typical horror novel: A (haunted) stone house that draws you in and won't let you leave. Said house conjuring nightmare after nightmare to torment the unlucky captor. But somehow, I grew attached to the story.

I was very confused when I first read it. Maybe that was why it took some research on my part to understand the peculiar (at least to me) dynamics of the story.

From the synopsis of the book, I understood that Miss Quill was the kids' teacher. I was a bit perplexed at how a teacher would be directly involved in the kids' haunted house quest, but I counted on the book to eventually reveal itself.
Then I read that Miss Quill was living with 2 other students, Charlie & Matteusz (for the record, I've been searching YouTube and all for how exactly to pronounce 'Matteusz'). And then there was something about Charlie and his involvement in 'the war'. Seeing as both Charlie & Matteusz were students, I was confused.
I read on the cover that it was supposedly from the world of Dr Who, but then I still couldn't understand how. And I couldn't stand being so befuddled in what seemed like a promising story. Also, I read More Than This by Patrick Ness before (the first book I read of his), and I loved that book. So I admit that I was slightly disappointed when I found that I couldn't make heads or tail about this one, and even tried to recall if this had been his writing style in More Than This.

So I looked up the details of the Class series. And then I learned - aaahh. Class was a spin-off of Dr Who, Miss Quill and Charlie, like the Doctor, are aliens. After that bit of research, everything made more sense.

Anyway. Seeing as this isn't exactly a full-fledged novel (being only 272 pages), it was good. It was interesting enough to keep me in a book - nerd mode; that is to say, I had to force myself to stop reading when it got too late at night or when I had other things to do/other places to be. I even got a bit teary at the ending.
The story finished off well, and I felt a sense of satisfaction at how everything played out.

Ahh. Now there's the Patrick Ness I'm familiar with.

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You in Five Acts by Una LaMarche
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FINALLY, I found a book about the dance world (Ballet, to be specific) that isn’t too cliched. This book reminds me of a paperback version of something like Dance Academy.

Not too Center Stage-y, the story revolves around 5 friends (Joy, Diego, Liv, Ethan & Dave) and their road to the final Showcase of Janus Academy. As expected, drama and love ensues.

What I really liked about this was that it was all very light. Make no mistake though, this story deals with some important and serious issues; enough to make the reader understand the severity of what goes on, but not too much that it would confuse someone who is unfamiliar with the issue.

Nothing was dragged out longer than it should, or overplayed/over-dramatised. The characters are all relatable in some way, which makes things almost seem somewhat familiar, and in my opinion, able to pull the reader into their world.

Non-competitive dancers, if you are ever looking for a decent story that revolves around Ballet that isn’t kiddish or corny, this is it.

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HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A 17th-century woman (witch?) with her eyes and mouth sewn shut roams the town of Black Springs. With it, comes what is known as the Curse of the Black Rock Witch: From the moment you buy a house there, there's no going back. You'd be under the curse forever, as will any future kids you may have, as they would be born into the town and thus, cursed by default.
The witch whispers too. Listen to whatever she's saying, and you'll be overcome by this strong urge to kill yourself. And chances are, you will. Hence, her mouth being sewn shut (doesn't seem to stop her whispers from being heard though ).
And let's face it; even before reading the book, we'd know that somehow, somewhere, an idiot (or a 'rebel', some might argue) will at least try to get those incisions open. And so all hell will break loose.

Having said that, this book still packs a punch, with twists at every corner. In the first chapter itself, the slow burn for the foreboding that is the witch had already begun. Heuvelt makes sure that readers get the idea of how it feels to have a century-old witch, eyes and mouth sewn shut and arms and feet in chains, randomly appear throughout the town; yes, even in people's homes. Can you imagine waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the witch right beside you? *shudders*

The climax is full of tension, so palpable that you can feel it just by reading the words on the pages. However, there was a small detail that had been totally unpredictable (at least to me), but in a pleasant way. There are some stupidity by some people that frustrated me so much that I was cursing and gesturing wildly by myself as I was reading (and we all know that that's the marking of a really great book, to be able to invoke such a response).

Also, read the acknowledgements.
Trust me. It isn't like usual acknowledgements where an author commonly bores the reader (as acknowledgements normally just involve the author thanking whoever needs to be thanked in the process of making/publishing the book). I read the entire thing; something I've never normally do.

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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll be honest: I went into this book having great expectations, seeing as I've been hearing how supposedly terrifying the Netflix version was.
And well, you know I'm always up for a good scare... reading-wise.

So imagine my confusion when I only had about a quarter left of the book, and there was still nothing terrifying. Spooky, sure, but nothing remotely terrifying .

That isn't to say that this had been a total fluke, of course. The plot was very immersive, and on more than one occasion, I found myself reading further than I had planned.
When we were first introduced to Eleanor, we were told that she was 32 years old. However, her imagination seemed to be that of a child, almost - daydreaming about fairies and another world. She even seemed a bit immature, almost, in her way of thinking. But she reminded me a bit of myself in her shy, socially-awkward ways, so I suppose I sort of related to her in a way. Mrs Dudley, on the other hand, was a peculiar character. And for a while, I was sure she had something to do with the haunting and/or goings-on in Hill House. But then there was a scene where Mrs Dudley seemed to actually be talking properly, to another character I've grown a dislike for, instead of her usual monotonous patter. So apparently she's one for normal conversations too eh?


Upon finishing the book, I was even more confused.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a complete wuss when it comes to horror movies; I hate them, because I get scared so easily and it tends to stick with me for longer than it should. But the reaction people gave to the Netflix version and my reaction upon finishing the book was two completely different ones!
And then I searched it up and turns out that the Netflix version had been different; for one, it referred more to the Crain family (I had been wondering why people were saying they 'felt for Theodora' when the book plot never referenced anything that might suggest that), Luke, Elanor and Theo had also been made 'Crains', and Doctor Montague is not in the picture.

Overall the book was okay. There were parts that were... I'd say eerie/creepy. But definitely not scary.

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The Dead Ex: HE CHEATED. HE LIED. HE DIED. by Jane Corry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not happy with how long it took me to finish this. In fact, I had half a mind to give it up; but the nagging in my brain told me to just finish it and be done with it... and in part because the stubborn side of me just hates ditching a book - and I only do so if/when I find that I just really, really can’t seem to latch on to the story.

For a good half of the book, it had trouble piquing my interest. I was disappointed, as the synopsis sounded promising. But it was emotionally heavy from the off - not in the sense that it makes you cry, but the story heaps on so many negative emotions that I felt mentally drained... and I mean that in the highest praise possible.

The story initially goes back and forth between the protagonist Vicki’s point of view and a little 8-year old girl called Scarlet. I knew that their stories would eventually coincide with each other (as they do), but when they’re first introduced, they couldn’t have been more different characters. And you soon learn that the little game that Scarlet and her mother plays is actually more sinister than Scarlet is aware of.

Halfway into the story, one character’s point of view ‘disappears’, and another takes its place out of the blue. That initially confused me too.

I mentioned earlier that I just couldn’t seem to latch on to the story. Fortunately, it eventually did rather later on.

And then came the punches.

Along the story, I kind of suspected what had happened and the whodunits. And I was proved right.

And then I was proved wrong.

Yes, the author messes with your mind and makes you think your assumptions were right... and then she throws a curveball.

Oh I’m sorry, I mean several curveballs.

Now you may wonder, why a 4-star rating then instead of a 5?
Well... as amazing a book as this was, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Corry is an amazing writer, as this book proves - no doubt about that. But plot-wise, it’s just not my thing.

I think this is the first book I’ve ever read that wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’m still able to appreciate the undeniable talent of the author.

A first for everything, eh?

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More Than This by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one hell of a ride. I started off not knowing anything, and I finished it knowing some things but having more questions.

I like how Ness left some things unexplained, so there’s that little bit of mystery left in the midst of the conclusion.

The story as a whole is a good thing to ponder; what if everything came to that? What would happen to us as a human race?

Long story short, there’s not much I can say about the book without spoiling it, other than what the synopsis says. But I can tell you that the story grabs your attention from the beginning right till the end.

Oh, and I’ll leave you with this little earworm: coffins. But not in the way you’d think though. 😉

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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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