Va Par

Shatter Me is about a 17-year-old girl named Juliette Ferrars, whose touch is lethal, who was imprisoned by the Reestablishment due to an accidental murder. The Reestablishment is basically this story's modern government or organization that aims to fix planet Earth. Pollution is at all time high, hunger and scarcity is very common, animals are either endangered or at a point of extinction, and epidemias are all over the country. Juliette has been imprisoned for months and hasn't touched anyone in 264 days. Everything changes when a boy, Adam Kent, was put into the same cell as hers. He isn't what everyone expects him to be and served as a warrior for Juliette's safety.

I was very attached to the story because; Tahereh's writing style and the words with strike-troughs, which depicts Juliette's second thoughts, isn't what we usually see on today's novels. Juliette's POVs are well-written and sends you to a stream of consciousness and roller coaster of emotions. As the story progresses, Juliette becomes less vulnerable and develops her own strengths. It reminds me very much of the mutants in X-Men.

On the negative side though, I feel like it doesn't really distinguish itself compared to other widely-known Dystopian novels (i.e. The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.). Their “world” feels very hollow and “almost” did not play a vital role in the story. I was still left with a lot of queries and confusions that were remained unanswered. The ending was highly flawed and left it without resolving anything. I really hope I could get all of my answers in the sequel otherwise.

In conclusion, Shatter Me remained to be really interesting and I was very fast-paced. It introduces new concepts in the Dystopian genre. I highly recommend it to people who have a thing on superhumans, science fiction and paranormal romance.

4.4

The best ASOUE book I've read so far. I love how the story is starting to have a bit of depth in it. For instance, we were introduced to the Quagmire twins (supposed to be triplets) who were also orphans whose parents died in a fire along with their third sibling. Vice Principal Nero was also very despicable, as well as the cheeky Carmelita Spats. Basically, the misfortunes of the Baudelaires are getting worse in every book. The vocabulary was excellent, it has characters that could potentially still be around in future books, and it gives the series new places to go. A book in the series you should look forward to! Now I'm off to read the sixth book (and probably the last one I'll read since I just decided to take a break from this series) - “The Ersatz Elevator”.

3.4

I just finished this last week and I finally had the sudden guts to review this because I need to get all of my thoughts on this book to everyone and it's been bothering me the entire week.

I have a love and hate relationship with this book (seems like everyone does). At first I thought it was just some cheap romance about a college girl and a rich entrepreneur but holy shit...THIS BOOK CAME TO ME BY SURPRISE! I had no idea it almost entirely dealt with BDSM (this term is nsfw so you better just google it if you're curious)!!!!. I was all “what the fuk” the entire time.

But despite all of that, I found the story between our two main characters, Ana and Christian, captivating and life changing. Their chemistry was just full of passion and luscious fu**ing. This book made me more comfortable with topics about genitalias, dominance/submission, and erotic copulation. And as much as I hate to admit it, the quite explicit scenes gave me intense sexual desires and blushing hahahah.

I'm looking forward to reading the sequels because I heard it gets way more intense and their chemistry continues to grow into a more serious relationship. I would recommend this books IF AND ONLY IF you're mature enough to understand the nature of sex and of course if you're open-minded.

4.4

I don't understand why people hated this book and never found it compelling. Here's my review, nonetheless:

I fell almost instantly in love with this book. From the very first page, I was sucked into this world that was so full of horror and tragedy and yet also so fascinating and interesting. The Darkest Minds hooked me with its well-developed world, heart racing action, and characters that made their way easily into my heart.

I loved that this book was so gritty. Ms. Bracken holds nothing back and really tries to give the reader the perspective of what poor Ruby's life is really like. The writing is beautiful and I honestly loved every page.

For our protagonist, I very much enjoyed Ruby to the fullest extent! She is so brave and actually very heart-broken. The things that the kids had to deal with in the camps were appalling and she actually comes out pretty unscathed for the most part. The fact that she could hold it together makes her an awesome character.

But what literally left me speechless was the end of this book. There were ~almost~ tears in my eyes. I'm such a sap, I had all kinds of feels going on! This book has the first chapter of the next book and I honestly could not bring myself to read it without having the finished copy right in front of me. I knew that once I started, I would not want to stop.

I'm actually looking forward to reading its sequels because I heard they're much better than this one. I highly recommend it to EVERYBODY. It doesn't matter what genre you like. This book has something for everything.

4.3

I've already seen the film before picking up the book. It's quite odd because I found the film adaptation so much better than the “The Fault in Our Stars” movie, and it's the opposite when it comes to the books (me liking TFiOS better). I don't want to go into detail when it comes to why I said that, so here's a short review of what I think of this book.

First of all, it's a very light-hearted book, so don't expect too much if you are used to reading really sad books about terminal illnesses. the focus is on the humorous and awkward life Greg has with his friend Earl. That is not to say that the “dying girl”, Rachel, is not important or that her illness doesn't affect the protagonist. It's a very realistic snapshot of Greg's life; it doesn't revolve around any one specific thing in the novel. Instead it's complex and the reader is taken through what he feels is important to document. You get out of it what you want.

Something that was totally note-worthy about this book was Mr. Andrews' writing. He incorporated a lot of different writing styles, like for example, a lot of the dialogue was written in film-script style, which I guess was there purely because of the two main characters' interest in film-making. That played a big part in the story. Anyway, it was completely new and different to me and I really appreciated its singularity. Also, a lot of the time, the author referred to the reader and it was sort of like he knew exactly what I was thinking and it was wonderful (sort of like breaking the fourth wall in television and films).

This book is either a hit or a miss. Seriously, it is worth the read. One thing I can guarantee is it's an extremely unique story, and lovable up unto the end. Here's a heads up though, this book has a healthy serving of language and explicit themes in it.

4.5

I decided to read this book after countless recommendations from my friends, who quoted and referenced it often (all the “I go to seek a Great Perhaps” is getting really annoying tbh). After only a few “chapters” in, I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It is written in a style that gives me the impression that the main character is sitting down with me, a year or two later, and personally telling me the story. It makes a great deal of literary and historical references but always explicitly states them as such and never comes off as pretentious. It's simply a joy to read (if joy is the right word, since often it produces emotions that are anything but joy). Above all, it's real. It does not censor itself, but cuts right through the crap and tells it exactly like it happened. Even if the truth is embarrassing.

I said “chapters” because the book is divided up rather unconventionally; instead of following a linear progression (chapter 1, chapter 2, ... chapter 30, etc etc etc), each section is titled as “one hundred twenty-seven days before” or “forty-six days after,” and so on. This is because the entire book revolves around one central event that occurs roughly in its center, and as it is told from the perspective of the main character, Miles “Pudge” Halter, time exists only as a distance before or after this event.

Alaska was the most fascinating character to me, something I think John Green intended. I was hooked by her just as Pudge was–she continually intrigued me, made me laugh, frustrated me, mystified me. (I re-read her line “Ya'll smoke to enjoy it, I smoke to die” several times. She's just so meta.). I am hardly ever affected by character deaths but as soon as I got a few pages into the “After” section I had to put the book down for a few minutes to absorb what I had just read. I was actually in a minor stage of denial for a few pages. I kept thinking, “Alaska's not really dead, is she?” Maybe John Green was trying to pull off another Paper Towns kind of story-line. When I came to accept it, I shared Pudge's and The Colonel's (Chip Martin) desparation to find out WHY.

At first I felt a little gypped by the ending: was her death an accident or was it a suicide? But after I thought it through for a while, I decided that it was better that John Green left us not knowing. Why? The world is full of mysteries. Not everything that happens in life is completely resolved (sad truth).

While it's not the most entertaining, out of the entire novels I've read in my life, Looking for Alaska definitely falls somewhere in the top 10 or 50 or 100 of the best written coming-of-age novels. I would definitely recommend this book to any age group, but especially anyone who is interested in writing and wants to see an example of great literature.

This book's storyline really captured my heart. Despite the confusing narrations of this book, i still managed to understand the flow of the story.

Just like Lennie and George, all of us have dreams and hopes and plans in life. We have to go through thick and thin just to achieve them. But if by fate, it doesn't always go well on us and those dreams or hopes or plans weren't always meant for us.

This book also reminds me of the society. The third world countries to be exact. It's a dog-eat-dog world and you have to keep moving just to survive.

But despite all the negativities of the story, i learned that we must value those people around us. The people who support us - our friends, family, etc. No matter what they do, no matter how much of an idiot they are, we must give them our love and respect. In return, they will give us more love than we could've ever imagined :)

The last few chapters have very weak plotlines. But overall, it still remained to be a good series. The cliffhanger was just right as well :)

OFF TO THE SEQUEL!

4.8

DEAR MOTHER OF GOD PLEASE SPARE THE CHILDREN!!! T_T

I just don't understand why this is a children's book when it's clearly meant for adults??? Nevertheless, here's what I thought of this book.

Like the Chaos Walking trilogy (I've only read ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go', by the way), this novel is filled with gut-wrenching emotional intensity, though it's a very different type of story. The writing is aimed at a younger audience, but Ness doesn't shy away from the complexity that his subject demands.

It's just so powerful to read about young Conor O'Malley's life through his innocent narration, and how the monster reveals all the truths about his life and the end–HOOMAAAYYYGAAHHHDD. I was just sobbing I could barely finish it, and books rarely move me to tears. What the monster shows Conor triggers many emotions at once, I would be greatly surprised if you walked away from this book feeling like you didn't love Conor, or his mother, or his grandmother for the matter. I even loved the monster.

I picked up this book thinking (based mostly on the title and cover) that it would be a standard YA horror. No, it isn't - not AT ALL. It isn't even horror. I was completely blown away by this book, by its heart, its truth, and its story. This book touched me in a personal way. I lost my beloved grandfather to an illness in October 2015. I have been conflicted with many thoughts, emotions - ranging from anger to sadness, to affection that may or may not have been fully expressed, to guilt - for maybe not fully understanding what was happening, maybe not asking enough questions, sometimes feeling like there should have been more that I could have done for him, but somehow knowing there was nothing at all I could do to change their path. Through all of this, I have learned that acceptance is a long and narrow road if you are not willing to let go. Conor's story gave me hope that, god forbid I am ever faced with a struggle like this again, I will have the courage and strength to speak my truth before it is too late.

I'm glad this book exists. Patrick Ness nailed it, even if I'd probably be tempted to slap him if I saw him right now (lol just kidding). I just heard that it's going to be a motion picture soon and I hope they can do it justice. I don't know if the big screen can capture the insane beauty of this book, but I hope it can, so that the message of it can reach more people. This book should be required reading. It should also be sold with tissues T___T

4.7

I should've been finished with this book, or even the series in general, if only I haven't been doing constant summer vacations around northern and southern Luzon these past few days. I finally had the time to finish this today and here's my quick review for The Battle of the Labyrinth.

This book is well-worth reading. It lived up to my expectations and it just keeps getting better and better. New characters and gods were introduced and it gives us new elements on the darker world of Greek mythology as it draws closer to the final book and the battle between the gods and the titans.

Riordan's writing never failed to amuse me. He's constantly witty and humorous throughout the entire book and he's always giving way to all the characters. He uses them all appropriately without getting too confusing and somewhat forgettable.

I'm actually running out of favourable adjectives on how amazing this book is. This is by far the best one in the series in my own opinion at least. I highly recommend this book (or even the series) if you want a never ending adventure.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.8 Stars

What a fantastic ride it has been with this series. The first two books were amazing but this final book didn't satisfy me. It has many loose ends and the level of intensity went down by a landslide. To be honest, the first half of this book was really boring that I'm having second thoughts if I should still continue reading or just maybe read the summary on the internet. But thank goodness it started to pick up pace during the last 20 chapters. I didn't like how this series ended. I think it's highly flawed. I expected more answers at least, and a cure for the Flare.

I felt like James Dashner pulled off a “J.K. Rowling” because he killed most of the characters whom Thomas cared the most, with the exception of Brenda and Minho. Thomas didn't gain back his memories, thus their involvement with WICKED and the trials still remains a mystery (at least for me). I really wish the ending was more conclusive.

Okay, I'm starting to feel like my opinion is too biased so yeah, I might update this after I read The Kill Order. My opinion that's written here is true otherwise.

4.3

An improvement compared to the first book, although it was basically the same life lessons. This was another quick read and I really loved the storyline of this one. Violet once again shows her cunning knowledge in tools and devices, Klaus's bookish personality saved their lives, and the adorable Sunny is still that too-mature-to-be-an-infant baby. Count Olaf's Stephano disguise was really funny and ridiculous as well! Mr. Monty, on the other hand, is supposed to be this great and perfect guardian for the Baudelaire orphans, too bad we have to see him perish in such a short time. Hope these kids find their perfect guardians soon and get out of all of their misfortunes. Off to the third book, which is “The Wide Window”!

4.0

This was such a quick read! It only took me like more or less an hour to finish this. Actually, I remember reading this book in my Elementary school's library before, and re-reading it made me realize how intriguing this book is. It's a good book to start off the ASoUE series and it doesn't disappoint at all. The Baudelaire siblings were introduced and you can't help but immediately sympathize with them. Count Olaf left a really convincing impression as a villain. The story/plot teaches a lot of valuable things from real life skills, to grammar & vocabulary. I am pretty much looking forward to reading the next 12 books of this series. In fact, I'm about to start the 2nd book of this series - which is “The Reptile Room”.

The idea of these children stranded on an isolated island and trying to find ways to survive is a fascinating plotline. The fact that these children create their own little groups is also quite captivating. If this were to happen in real life, the grouping of the boys would have most likely happened because as history can back up, people always separate themselves based on difference, whether it be due to opinions or race, people always segregate themselves. The symbolism in this book is heavily implied. Ralph for instance is the leader, and it is implied that he is the voice of reason. Piggy is the timid follower who is very logical, but no one ever listens to him. Then, you have Jack. Jack is meant to represent the story's own antgonist. He leads the children away from Ralph and teaches them to kill and disobey Ralph. People who didn't enjoy the book missed all of this. All of these symbolisms made the story so much more interesting because it turned a survival story into a story about human nature and the struggles of good vs. evil.

I will agree with the critics that the book did start out a little bit slow, but it picked up shortly after. I have enjoyed this book for the most part. It may not be one of the best books out there, but it must be a classic for some reason.

4.8

Lolita had this controversial material about child pornography and pedophilia when it was first published in the mid 50's. However if you've only heard about it's bad reputations, you'll be in for a much better surprise.

Yup, it's about an adult with an extreme lust and perversion with a 12 year old “nymphet” named Dolores (aka Lolita). The story made feel queasy at times and cringe at all those malicious parts. But the writing is just brilliant and ingenious. I was amazed at how the author delighted me with the beauty of language. Nabakov made words jump through hoops that I never even knew existed, while he explores the deep and dark realms of lust, obsession, and longing.

Despite the narrator's (Humbert) sexual “affairs” with the young Lolita, he still made it clear that he showed unconditional love to her. He loves the way she does things. He loves the way she played in the tennis court. He loves her arms, toes, shoes, and her name. He described Lolita in beautiful, creative, and poetic ways. Like I said before, you will appreciate the English language even more after reading this book.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.4 Stars

Okay before I review this book, I might want to explain why it took me almost a month to finish this book. As you guys can see, I started reading this book waaay back in April 3. I had to abandon this book for a while because I started to get bored and the story didn't compel that much to me. I found the story almost similar to the Pretty Little Liars series. But my best friend kept insisting me to read it again. People from the internet were raving about it after the movie adaptation was announced. I started getting very curious so I had to find out what this book has to really offer.

Paper Towns (is the 3rd book by the amazing John Green I've read by the way) is a contemporary mystery novel about the disappearance of Margo Roth Spiegelman, who is the childhood friend and life-long crush of our main character Quentin. Margo Roth Spiegelman is gorgeous and belongs to the cool-kids in Q's school. One night, for they are just neighbors, Margo decided to seek help from Q to take revenge on the people who have wronged both of them. The next day, she disappeared. Q and his pals went on a search for Margo, often with the help of the clues that were left by Margo by means of poems, posters, and such stuff. They found her in a barn somewhere in Agloe, New York. But Margo wasn't even happy to see the gang. It was then revealed that she's planning to leave for New York and Q was saddened by this news because he won't be seeing her that much anymore. Nevertheless, he will be visiting her during holidays and vacations.

I kinda expected that they'll become the ultimate lovers in the end. But, everything doesn't always end in happy endings. The ending seemed too ambiguous (for me atleast). I don't know Margo's purpose in leaving for NYC. So shout out to John Green to make a sequel maybe????

As always, Green left me in the edge of my seat after every page. It's hilarious, witty, swoon-worthy, and kinda nerdy in some ways (duhhh it's John Green). I recommend this to everyone, most especially for teens as well as adults. It's really quick and will never let you stop flipping the pages v(¯∇¯)

5.0

“If you understand 2001: A Space Odyssey completely, we failed.” - Stanley Kubrick

This book is ahead beyond its time, way before we even first set foot in the Moon. Clarke's imagination literally transcends into the universe. Most people who have both read the books and seen the movies will tell you to read the book first in order to fully understand the film. Well, they're not wrong after all.

Right after I finished reading this today, I opened up Netflix as I feel like I need to see the film immediately. I wouldn't even understand the movie if I haven't read the book first. Everything's too ambiguous and downright confusing. Both the print and screen version are mindbenders that requires a few more getting-into. You will never fully understand this in the first reading. Scratch that. You will never fully understand this in forever. Read the quote above, and you'll understand my point.

This book will make you think about the greater scheme of man about the universe. All of the things that we know, and may never know, in a human race's lifetime. It will question your role, you as a human, on the universe and what will happen way past beyond that.

This book is literally an “odyssey” of the mind so if you're a fan of books that do all the thinking for you, steer away from this. However, I recommend this if you're a fan of mind-boggling books. It's appropriate for any age group. Read this and I can guarantee you that this will probably be one of the best sci-fi books you've ever come contact with.

3.7

First of all, I don't understand the hype surrounding this book. Yeah, it's a good book... but it moves rather slowly. Ishiguro's writing was very pleasant, but I just found most of Part I & II quite boring. Part III was my favorite since the plot was progressing more clearly than the first two parts.

The story was predictable at some points, like Ishiguro's trying to make it not obvious when it's literally the opposite. I don't know that's just me. But it was really interesting to see the character development of his characters and how they shift from one event to another.

Overall this book was missing something that lovers of this book seemed to have not noticed, but it's still a fascinating read though. It lacks a lot of details, scientifically speaking, and there's not a lot of beautiful prose. Anyway, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to imagine the unimaginable. It's not an easy-read, so be patient.

3.8

My least favorite ASOUE book so far. Same style, but different situations. I think the Baudelaire children can really look out for themselves, so the plot needs to get more in depth. Just like the previous book, “The Wide Window”, this series is trying to take a darker and more mature lane... so I guess children below 8 years old will not appreciate this book. Nevertheless, it was still a fun read on my part. Still charming and full of misadventures. It's interesting to see what Count Olaf is up to in the next books, so I'm really looking forward to book five - which is “The Austere Academy”.

3.5/5

I had the chance to listen to the audiobook version while doing chores and errands. I found myself surprisingly familiar with most of the things she discussed in this memoir. Credit goes to my older sister, who is a devoted Britney fan back in the early 2000s. Our household was constantly filled with her music, the MTV music videos, and thanks to her cassette collection of her albums, This pre-existing knowledge allowed me to not only follow the book's narrative but also connect with the emotional journey Britney describes.

One of the most striking aspects of the Britney's life is her incredible rise to fame. The book portrays a young girl from a small town thrust into the relentless spotlight. It's on a scale almost unimaginable in today's world. Her transformation from unknown teenager to global pop icon feels so rapid, it makes you wonder if, in today's terms, she wouldn't be considered an “industry plant.” Britney, however, transcends that label. Her raw talent and undeniable charisma are what truly propelled her to superstardom. Gosh who didn't have a crush on her back then?

She became the ultimate mega-star, a cultural phenomenon with the likes of Michael Jackson or Madonna. Lady Gaga might come close, but no artist has quite managed to capture the public imagination in the same way. Britney's music dominated the airwaves, her dance moves were imitated everywhere, and her personal life became a constant tabloid headline. She was truly EVERYWHERE in her prime. She was the last of her kind.

The book delves into the darker side of fame, particularly the intense scrutiny and control Britney faced. It's hard not to feel a surge of anger on her behalf as the narrative details the controlling influences in her life, from her family to her past relationships. The book doesn't shy away from calling out those who exploited or manipulated her. This raw honesty makes the book both empowering and heartbreaking. (FUCK YOU JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE)

The most important takeaway for me is the hope that she finally finds true happiness and freedom. No more forced performances, no more living for the expectations of others – just genuine joy and the chance to reclaim her own life. In sharing her story, Britney not only inspires but also reminds us of the human cost of fame and the importance of fighting for your own voice.

3.8/5

Yeah, I enjoyed this book more than Dead Romantics. Poston's writing has really matured, with a smoother flow and a deeper dive into her characters' emotions.

The romance definitely took things up a notch compared to her previous novel. The spicy scenes were well-written, but for me personally, they lacked a certain spark. I found myself wanting more butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of romance.

One interesting thread that seems to weave through Poston's work is the theme of grief. Both this and Dead Romantics deal with characters navigating loss and it will be interesting to see if this continues to be a recurring element in Poston's future novels.

Overall, “The Seven Year Slip” was a well-written and enjoyable read about love, passion, and growth.

4.7

4/5

I really appreciate this book for what it is, though it dragged a bit, and it took me until about more than halfway through to get hooked, the payoff was definitely worth it and everything made sense by then.

This book surprised me by being more than just a love & breakup story. Sure, the romance between Harriet and Wyn is a big part of it, but Happy Place is also about the power of friendship and the importance of the people who make us feel like ourselves. The bond between the whole friend group is a highlight, and it shows how strong connections can be just as important as romantic love or family ties.

The story also made me think about what our happy place truly is. Maybe it's a physical location, like a beach house or a childhood home? Or maybe it's the people we love, the memories we cherish? or simply a feeling of peace and belonging. Happy Place doesn't give a single answer, but it lets you explore the idea for yourself.

This is a heartwarming read that explores love, friendship, and finding your own happy place, wherever that may be. It might start slow, but stick with it – the second half is where the good stuff happens.

4/5

Five Survive was an intense, suspenseful thrill ride that left me on the edge of my seat. Set mostly inside the cramped quarters of a blown out RV in a span of 8 hours, the story creates an inescapable atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia from start to finish.

Holly Jackson masterfully controls the pacing and constantly shifts focus between the six individuals. Just when you think you can trust one character's motives, another contradicts it, making you doubt everyone. This uncertainty extends to figuring out who the vicious sniper is hunting them. Though I tried figuring out who it was at first, I just let the story unfold without constantly guessing, which heightened the shocks for me once the mole was revealed.

And can we all talk about Oliver? That dude is particularly detestable - a misogynistic, toxic man that you can't help but hate. Jackson uses him effectively to mislead the reader and made him some sort of a faux antagonist. His repugnance makes you suspect him all throughout, even though it's too obvious that he may not be the one who we think he is.

It's the ambiguous ending that truly disturbs and sticks with you after finishing. The really long letter. We never learn what decision Red will choose, leaving you to ponder how the events have turned out next.

Ultimately, this book taps into deeper fears about selfishness and self-preservation, that makes you question humanity's dark impulses just to survive. This was such a harrowing, claustrophobic experience that burrows into your psyche long after the final page.

3/5

This book presents a nuanced narrative that may appeal to some readers, but it left me wanting more.
It initially struggles with a slow pace, only hitting its stride in the third act. I also found the thorough detailing quite excessive, occasionally dulling the overall experience. More akin to a family drama than a traditional romance, the book somewhat resembles the atmosphere of a Lifetime movie.

It was overall an okay story that demands a slower reading pace compared to other novels.