My Book Reviews

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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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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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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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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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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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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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So yes. I finished it in one sitting.

As if you needed a reminder as to why JK Rowling is THE QUEEN. Honestly.

This book dragged me on an emotional roller coaster, and I mean that in the highest praise possible. It's hard to review this without spoilers, but I'll try.

There were so many moments were I gasped in shock, and felt my skin prickle because I knew from the get-go who was not to be trusted. And I was right.

Many readers said they got emotional within a few chapters in, but I didn't; although the pain described in the book was more than relatable. The part that really got me, however, was the last bit. Harry watching as it all happened. I can only imagine how it must feel like, and couldn't help but cry.
Another scene was in the hospital, the conversation Harry had with the other person. Broke my heart. =(
Almost every single revelation in the book was a shocker. You think you know what it's about, and then *BAM* surpriiiiseeee.
I can't imagine what watching it on stage must feel like, because then everything intensifies and feels more real.

But all in all, if I could give this 10 stars, I would.

Bow down to the Queen that is Rowling, because she's done it again.

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The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HOLY SHIT.

When I got this book I knew that it was supposedly good, but it was far from what I was expecting. The Girl with All the Gifts was fresh and original, and though the main essence is similar to what we've read/seen many times already, Carey puts a fresh spin to it.
More times than I can count, the revelations in the book made me gasp, curse, and literally break out in cold sweat from feeling my heart hammering in my ribcage at the finale. I actually let out a huff of breath when I was done with the book; it felt like I had actually seen it all played out in the pages.

I've read a fair share of zombie novels, and you can almost spot the similarities in them. But this... it fucked with my brain. In a good way, of course.

When I read the title, I wondered what the possible 'gift' could be. And then when I read it, I wondered how what Melanie had could possibly be considered a 'gift'. But you'll get the explanations in due time as the story progresses.
What is amazing about this book is not the average thrill that comes with regular zombie novels. Just when you thought you had something figured out, something else happens to change the course completely. It's like the M. Night Shyamalan of books. My heart is still thumping as I'm writing this now.

It's fascinating to watch (read?) how Melanie slowly learns about what she is, why she's different, and chooses to use it to help. Another thing I was amazed about Melanie was how smart she and all the other kids at the base was. That not only did they have the 'gift' and are able to control it, but that they could actually be taught. And in Melanie's case, her ability to feel such affection (or rather, love,) towards Miss Justineau.

This is definitely one book that I will treasure for a long, long time.

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Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yes, this is another book in which I stayed up late to finish.
Because I LOVED it.

Truth be told, the thing that initially drew me to it was that it involved dance being part of it. (That, and it was on sale at the book store.) When I opened the wrapping up, I was hesitant for a while that I may not like the story after all. I couldn't be more pleased to be proved wrong.
I first fell in love with the protagonist because she was so darn clumsy..- like me. I could relate to Lauren's mishaps, and she did things that I would've done too. Halfway through the book, I couldn't help noticing though that the storyline bore somewhat of a resemblance to a bit of what I went through myself. Bits and pieces here and there seemed so uncannily familiar, it felt a bit creepy.
Also, without giving out too much, let's just say Cate's dilemma is the reason why I've never, and never would do what she did; not even in a spur-of-the-moment thing. I'm only too aware of the possible consequences to even dare to attempt such a thing. (That, and I've never thought of myself as attractive enough to even think of doing it).
The little surprise reveal from Emily also had me gasping, because never in a million years would I predict that outcome.
Honestly, it's a hilarious read, and after reading, it's hard not to feel curious about taking some salsa classes. That's all the 'spoiler' I'm going to give. ;)

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The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like all his other books, I love this one. And yes, I am aware that I got into this one rather late, considering this was one of his earlier books. Mitch has the ability to, I feel, make the reader feel contented and assured by the end of his books. Whether you laughed or cried, at the end of everything, you will feel like you're not alone, and that better days are up ahead.
In this, Eddie, who feels like his life was worthless and boring, dies and goes to heaven. But before he steps foot in actual heaven, he meets 5 people that will teach him something about life.
The message I like most in this story is that although you may feel that your life is worthless, you have had in fact affected someone's lives along the way; even if you never knew it. Good or bad regardless, your actions will unconsciously affect someone in their life. It makes you look back at your life and how you're going about at it, which is another trait of Mitch's books.
You may not relate specifically to the story, but the lessons are general. Everyone can relate to them.
The only thing that I felt didn't really leave an impression was the reason given for the estranged relationship between Eddie and his father. I felt that if you've been bitter about your dad for so many years, an event or two won't change that judgement. Well, at least in my opinion.


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Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I actually finished reading it last night, but am only just writing the review now. I'm giving this 5 stars due to the humour and shocks throughout the book. I thought the second book (Hollow City) was great already, but the third book is amazing. Absolutely hard to put down, and truth be told, I had more than one 'aww' moment.

I wished this wasn't the end of the trilogy, but I think Riggs stopped at just the right time. Rather than drag a story out just because it was received well and eventually becoming boring, I think the Library of Souls ended at just the right note.

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I could give this book 100 stars, I would. I actually feel ashamed that I have only just picked up this book to read. But then again, perhaps there was a reason for the timing.

I could've finished this in one sitting or 2 days at most, but I had been a bit occupied, and I was trying to drag out finishing this story because I was waiting for a book I ordered to arrive. I've finished this book, and my ordered book has yet to arrive. Anywho...

As I mentioned, I usually take my time reading a book. But this one demanded to be read. I enjoyed learning all the lessons in the first 11 'lessons', but on the 12th one, things started hitting home for me. I cried, I laughed. Then I laughed through my tears.

Just reading this book makes me (and others, I'm sure) feel like I know Morrie personally, which makes it all the more harder to finish it. I highly recommend this book to everyone. And I mean everyone.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sooo I finally finished the book. And ladies and gentlemen, please, PLEASE excuse the next sentence.
Because WHAT IN THE FUCKITY FUCK JUST HAPPENED IN THE ENDING??! Holy shit, this book is full of surprises! I'm not ashamed to say that the scene towards the end had me gasping, complete in dramatic hand-over-mouth fashion. There were just so many surprises all in that last chapter, that upon finishing the book, I immediately pre-ordered the next one. I had originally thought that if this second book ended in some closure like I thought it would, I wouldn't buy the third book and just leave it at that (not because I doubted that it'd be a good read; rather, because my purse had been rather sad lately).
But nooooooo. The book was amazing; way better than the first, although I had liked that one too. Can't wait for the third book to launch and continue to sink my teeth into peculiardom again.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book, in my entire reading experience, that I went so far into the chapters in one sitting. Yes, even more so than I did for the Harry Potter series. (Then again, HP had waaay more pages than this, so...)
Anyways, I can always tell the quality of a thriller/horror story by how easily other (regular) sounds in my room are able to make me jump while reading. In this case, my text message tone made me very literally jump out of my skin at one point of reading. At the back of the book, Hugh Howey says that the book 'demands to be read in a single sitting', and I couldn't agree more. Had I more hours when I first started the book, I'd have probably finished it in one sitting.
The only thing that I was a bit disappointed with about this book was that it was not revealed what the 'creature' was, or why people went mad and killed themselves when they saw it. I had been dying to know what it was, and why it had the reaction it had to people, and even animals. Other than that, this book has brilliant creep and suspense factor.
Now allow me to excuse myself as I search to find out if there were any Easter Eggs that I had failed to notice in the book, or if I had been that dumb to not catch on about what kind of 'creatures' these things are.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is common for me to feel attached to a book after I've finished it. It is also rather common for a book to make me cry. It is a bit common for a book to make me rethink my choices and path of life, but it is very rare for a book to affect me so much that I change my thought process completely.

I relate to Sarah Lemon. I think quite a few of us would be able to. Perhaps some would relate to VIctor instead. I'm not sure if Victor's story affected you as much as Sarah's story did to me, but either way, it is a lesson to learn.

As is common with Mitch Albom's books, I was left in tears towards the end. I won't go so much into detail here, but I will explain in my blog later.

The bottom line is, if you're not already a fan of Mitch Albom, I suggest you pick up one of his books. Now. Mitch is a brilliant storyteller and his books always has some brilliant lesson layered in it. His books also have the ability to touch your heart in a special way.

So 5 stars for this. Definitely a brilliant read!

How Life Works by Andrew Matthews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's depressed, not feeling too happy about themselves, or just needs a confidence boost.
Actually, I recommend this to EVERYBODY. I was actually going through a depression 'relapse' (if you could call it that), and this book really helped me cross over to the bright side again (no, I'm not exaggerating). Something about the way Andrew pens his book just makes things seem more... hopeful, I think is the word? Plus it's humorous as well, which is a plus.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So yeah, I finished it.
UGH.
I just... I can't with this book.

The first 15 chapters or so are okay; basically just building up on Jane and her life at Gateshead, Lowood, and then Thornfield.. And THEN it gets interesting.

And I mean really interesting.

I've always had soft spots for the male protagonists in olden novels like these (Darcey, Rochester, etc), and I'm betting it's mostly because they're normally portrayed as rich, romantic, and gentlemen-y. I wouldn't say 'handsome', because in Jane Eyre Mr Rochester is described as not exactly fitting the bill as a 'handsome' fellow.

But MY GOD. I've heard of this book and I actually just happened to pick it up at a book fair last year (Big Bad Wolf) just because the synopsis at the back of the book seemed interesting, and I had wanted to get as many books as I could, and hey, it was a period book. I love stories set in those eras.

But I didn't expect to love it as much as I do.

Seriously.

I was over the moon as I came towards the end of Chapter 23, (I actually screamed and kicked around as I read it on my bed; I SHIT YOU NOT) and at the second to last chapter, Chapter 27, I CRIED. I FREAKING SOBBED as I was reading it.

I truly felt Mr Rochester's heartaches, and Jane's hardship. I shipped them so hard (too much Tumblr, so sue me for the language) and, well... to avoid spoilers, let's just say there was a moment where both were so stubborn I felt like reaching in the book and just smashing their heads together. UGHH.

Just like The Last Song, this book will probably leave its effect on me for days after I've finished.

But it's a contented feeling. I finished it with a smile, and a feeling that everything fell into place nicely and that it all worked out as it should. I'm happy with this book.

VERY happy.

A feeling something only being a bibliophile can bring. <3 data-blogger-escaped-br="">
Yes, way better than sex.
Unless, of course, it's with Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch.
Or BOTH.
But still.

Next book: Life Without Limits! =D