Va Par
4.8
It's kinda crazy how I managed to finish this book in one-sitting during a 13-hour trip from the Bicol region to Manila. It kept me occupied throughout the entire trip so here's what I think of this book.
This book is by far one of the best I've read this year. It's the perfect epitome of what professional writing is all about. You can learn a lot from it. It will open your eyes from a lot of things. It will change your views and perspectives in life. There's humour. There's love. There's war. There's the depiction of the conflicts in families. There are tragic moments and heartbreaks. But despite all of that, it was overall a positive book. The idea of Death narrating the entire story is what really blew me away as well as the tale of the Holocaust (since I'm a fan of war books and stories).
This book had a lot of horrifying moments in it. But despite all of that, it greatly deals with the lives of the people experiencing the war and it's like you're actually following how their life goes. It is just incredibly touching. You'll get attached to the characters most especially Liesel (aka the book thief).
This is just very fantastic and it should be on everyone's book shelf. I can't recommend it enough. PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE READ THIS BOOK!
4.5
This is actually much better than the previous short story Free Four. We get to see a more vulnerable side of Four. And I'm really proud that he grew up to be such a tough guy after transferring to Dauntless. I was kinda expecting some of his family background and how his dad turned out to be really cruel against him. But at least we got an in-depth information on what was going through Four's mind during the Choosing Ceremony and the initiations. Tobias is just literally different from what we know of “Four”.
Since this is just a novella, it's not really mandatory for you to read it because there's not really a lot going on. But after reading them, you'll get further knowledge on what the entire series is all about. I'd still recommend it though. And I'm excited for the other novellas!
3.4
There's nothing really special about this. The only awesome thing in this are the faction manifestos. I didn't bother taking the quiz. But Veronica Roth's interviews are quite bearable to be honest. The teaser chapters are very weak as well so you'd better just read Allegiant already because you're just gonna waste precious time. I wouldn't recommend it.
4.7
This maybe not the best book in the entire series, at least it lived up to my expectations and the quality of the story is greatly improving after every sequel, thus my rating is improving as well. This book is very addictive and it always leaves me at the edge of my seat after every chapter.
This is the first book where we get to know more of Thalia's character, after being resurrected in the previous book which is The Sea of Monsters. Percy and his gang, including Thalia, started off well during the first few chapters but as usual things quickly started to fall which led them in another trap. Thalia and Percy were the ones to save the world, and Annabeth. AND AGAIN AS USUAL, they must do it in a very limited amount of time because of another possible dooms day and the winter solstice.
With Riordan's terrific humor and innovation on Greek mythology, this book kept me attached to the story just like The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. Before reading this book, I suggest you to read the first two books because it can get very confusing sometimes and it lacks character and plot introductions. Some questions were answered just like how Thalia and Percy would get along. The Titan's Curse also gave me possible hints on what the next two books will be about (there are 5 books in the series). For sure, you would get excited to read the remaining books because it will surely introduce new quests/adventures until it leads us to the finale.
In general, Rick Riordan never failed me again with such a great middle book. It maintained its right pace and intensity throughout the story. The characters are lively as always, often giving you a great laugh and a roller coaster ride of emotions. I suggest everyone to read this and the entire series if you're in for an awesome adventure!
PERFECT 5 STARS!!!
There are so many ways to describe how perfect this book is. The Diary of Anne Frank is a wonderful story and it will open your eyes about reality.
I've seen some reviews saying that her story is really fake and nothing's special about it.
SHUT!
YOUR!
FUCKING!
MOUTH!
How could people even hate on this book? It's very informative and her description of the war and the holocaust was on point. It's about a teenage girl who went into hiding with her family just to survive scarcity and war. Her diary was given during her 13th birthday and the contents were written in a span of 2 years. Anne Frank didn't write on her diary to get published in the future. She wrote on it to reflect on the holocaust. To kill boredom. To get through the miserable days, which is almost everyday since the war began. Their life in hiding was very tragic.
But one thing I learned about Anne Frank is that HOPE is the most important thing despite everything. Her crush, who's also in hiding with them, gave her hope to get through the day. Her family gave her hope and led her to believe to never give up because the war will end very soon. Unfortunately, her diary has to end in August 4, 1944 when their Secret Annex was raided and exposed in the outside world. Almost everyone in Anne's group died. Some were sent in concentration groups and were put in gas chambers (goosebumps). Anne and her sister, Margot, died due to a Typhus epidemic. Otto Frank was the only survivor and was the one who kept Anne's diary.. and was published around the 60's.
While reading this book, Anne Frank took a lot of turns with her diary entries. I was emotional, in the verge of tears, laughing, and fanboying over Anne and Peter Schiff. I recommend this to everyone in all ages. It will give you insights on what's reality.
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(¯∇¯)
Actual Rating: 4.0
OMG guys I cannot describe how I love this novel. I cannot find the right words to describe this one. It was really moving because I can actually relate to some of the themes in this book. I instantly felt a connection with it. I always find it the hardest to review a novel which I really love, so here goes nothing....
Eleanor & Park took place during the late 80's, which is a really awesome decade in my opinion. The story is told from two perspectives but in a third-person kind of way, who're Eleanor and Park. They started having a mutual connection on their school bus, having to talk about ‘nerdy' stuffs such as comics, bands, music, and exchanging mix tapes (which are very common in the 80's). Because the story is told in two perspectives, we get enough glimpse and insights on both of their personal lives. Eleanor, who is half-Danish and half-Scottish, is a red-hair with tacky clothing who lives with her mum, her very abusive step dad, and step brothers/sisters. Park, on the other hand, is half-American and half-Korean. He has a slight complicated relationship with his dad, and his mum is quite racist towards people with different races/skin colour. They are just both rounded and multi-layered teenagers who you can't help to fall in love with and feel attached to. Their conversations and topics are very relatable, at least for me who is such a morbid fan of geeky stuff and music and such shits.
Another thing I noticed about this novel is that Rowell never actually cared about censorship and has to use a lot of curse words, for us to really feel the dialogues. FUCK CENSORSHIP!!! HELL YEAH MOTHERFUCKING RIGHT!!! HATERS CAN EAT SHIT!!!
The romance isn't your typical “boy-meets-girl girl-meets-boy and they live happily ever after” kind of love story. There wasn't even a happy ending in this novel. It is more on love against all odds. Some people are better off being friends than being lovers.
In general, Eleanor & Park is very entertaining, smart, realistic, emotional and is about finding some self-assurance towards yourself.
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.
UPDATE: Re-read on April 2, 2024 !!!
4.5/5
I devoured this book when I was 18, and I remember it left a lingering, fuzzy impression on me. Fast forward a decade later, and with a newfound appreciation for the finer points of dystopian fiction (and a slightly sturdier wallet lol), I decided to revisit this series, hoping I could also finish the last two books once and for all. Let's just say... it hit different.
This time around, armed with an adult perspective, the novel's depth became startlingly clear. Marketed as a young adult book, “The Knife of Never Letting Go” tackles some brutally complex themes. The constant barrage of exposed thoughts, the suffocating structure of New World-ian society, and the fight for individuality – these are experiences that resonate far more powerfully with a seasoned reader.
Ness crafts wonderfully endearing characters with the likes of Viola Eadem Todd Hewitt and his loyal dog, Manchee (NOOOOO!!!!). On the flip side, the antagonists are chillingly effective – you can practically feel the EVIL radiating off the pages. The narrative also throws plenty of thought-provoking quotes your way, making you ponder the nature of society and oppression.
Honestly, “The Knife of Never Letting Go” is one of the best YA dystopian novels I've ever encountered. Re-reading it even strengthens that point. It's a shame the movie adaptation flopped because of how inaccurate and stupid it was. The world Ness created is begging to be brought to life on screen for a second chance, and I'd like to see this being adapted into a TV series. And that ending, though? How could you leave us with that! internal screaming
Off to the second book! My 18-year old self would be very proud.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.3 (Reviewed in April 21, 2014)[WARNING: This review may contain spoilers. So read at your own risk!]The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick is one of the most intriguing novels I have ever read. But I couldn't really find myself committed nor engaged during the first few chapters.Ness wrote this book in the perspectives/POVs of our young protagonist, Todd Hewitt. He's about to become a man at the age of 13 in about a month (according to Prentisstown's laws). Education isn't really essential in the story's setting, which is conveyed by the writer's grammatical and typographical errors. His companion, Manchee was also an important character in the story. Being there to guide and save Todd during times of conflicts and despair. I almost wept when he got killed, it was too damn soon in my own opinion. As for Viola, I don't have any complaints regarding with her character. She has a very mysterious personality which I really liked about, and hey! She saved our main character several times. Aaron's character, on the other hand, felt very bleak although I adored his bravery just to get killed (yeah you heard me right) by Todd (you'll learn why this is an important mission for him once you read the story). But unfortunately, he was killed by someone else and I wouldn't spoil who it was.The idea of the “Noise” also amazed me in so many ways. It's really unique and felt very original. It can be confusing at times but you'll quickly get the hang of it once you arrive at Part II. There are also terms/slangs that are written in this book but I won't compare it to The Maze Runner because it's very clear that this book came out first.I recommend this to people who are very patient when it comes to reading. It was really slow at first but it started to catch pace as soon as the intense parts came, like the author was already rushing through to finishing this book. It's really hard to put down and you'll finish it in no time ;)
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.
I am in such deep regret for not being able to read this (as well as The Giver) way back in high school. I remember seeing a film adaptation of this way back when I was still a child, but I don't remember a single detail about it's story. It was all a blur. People kept raving about this book (including USA President Barack Obama) even after it was first published way back in 1960.
Harper Lee has written not just a magnificent story, she also created characters ever put into paper: Atticus, Jem, and Scout Finch, Boo Radley, Dill, the Ewells, Tim Robinson, etc. You will get attached to them in a heartbeat.
This book may be about the court trial of Tim Robinson as it's potential climax, but there is more than that as the story progresses. I really love how they tackled issues about racism and diversity. That everyone should be treated equal despite one's color, race, and nationality. It also talks about the flaws of humanity, and how it's slowly deteriorating.
I recommend this to everyone, young or old. It's just that brilliant and will leave a mark in your heart. You won't easily forget how amazing this book is.
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.
This one is such a tease! It's very short so it only took me about less than an hour to finish this.
I'm really glad that Tahereh took us unto Warner's own perspectives. I admit, he used to annoy the hell out of me with his cocky attitude and all that. But as I go further into his point of views, I'm starting to build this love-and-hate relationship with his character (no homo though). I judged him way too hard without knowing his “real” personality/attitude/character. If by any instance I didn't attempt to read this one, I'm very sure that I will never understand his character. So kudos to Mafi with that!
I cannot wait to start and read Unravel Me. I'm craving for much better action adndhskaka Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ
I read this last night from 12:00-2:00 AM and here's my full review on this book:
Set in a world where there is no color, suffering, pain, diseases, war, etc., The Giver is a magnificent story that depicts a what we so called a Utopian society. Every person has an essential role to maintain and help the Community to function precisely. Everything was just PERFECT. Although everything started changing when our young protagonist, Jonas, was honoured as the new Receiver of Memory at age twelve. Memories that are utterly unknown by the society, memories that will surely change his perspectives in life. The world that Jonas lives in is completely different from he world we're living right now. Everything is controlled by government and everyone's fate is sort of planned out already. Nothing new ever happens, nothing seems to change anymore. Human feelings were eliminated, to eradicate problems and conflicts that would just ruin their perfect kind of living.
Lois Lowry's writing style fascinated me. The setting was very unique and I felt a strong connection towards the characters, especially Jonas and The Giver. And of course, Baby Gabriel. The entire story used wonderful details which will surely draw every reader in. It's not very fast-paced, and things weren't rushed to let everyone process every bit of detail in the story. Lowry's imagination led us to a world we know nothing about.
I strongly recommend this book to all ages, most importantly to children. It will teach them how to properly perceive the world with their five senses. It will not only be entertaining to read, but will also give you new perspectives in the world we're living. This book is going to leave you with a different outlook in life, and a much brightened sense of reality.
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.
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 :)
Actual Rating: 4.6
I'm sorry if I forgot to update my progress on this book but I've already finished this one like a week ago. Nevertheless, here's a quick review of what I think about this book:
The first chapter clearly picks up where Divergent left off. I love how Roth didn't put any time gaps between the two books so that's a really big “yay” for me. It's really hard to put down and I finished it in at least 3 hours because it never bored me and the story kept me begging for more after finishing a particular chapter. In fact, I enjoyed this one more than Divergent because it was really action-packed and had me always at the edge of my seat. It's ingenious, hilarious and yet heart-breaking - all at the same time.
However, the fact that they haven't revealed yet what's outside the fences got me really frustrated because I've been longing to know the secret behind those fences. But hey, there's still ALLEGIANT so maybe I can finally get the answers to my questions and confusions.
Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars. It's not really what you call a perfect sequel to a phenomenal start but I'm very precise that this series would never let us down with it's thrilling storyline.
OFF TO THE THIRD AND LAST BOOOOOOKKKKK!!!!!
4.4
Hmm I didn't find anything interesting with this story. Yes, Four told us about his POV during the knife-throwing scene. But I wasn't satisfied with it and it's almost the same as Tris's POV during that scene. But hey...at least we got answers as to why he taunted Tris and his thoughts about that particular moment. v(¯∇¯)
4.6
The words....everything, in general, is just too damn precious in this book. Every time you read each of the poems, a certain person will pop up into your mind. It was beautifully written, like lullabies with a burning passion. Some poems will stay with you and they're just simply unforgettable, to the point where you'll have trouble sleeping at night because of constant pondering. No matter how bitter or sweet the words are, the poems will remind you that you're a human. A human that is very much alive right now and capable of feeling all different kinds of emotion.
