The low ratings Requiem has been receiving from the readers and fans of the trilogy mainly pin it on the fact that its ending left us all hanging. Lauren Oliver left the readers be the one to interpret or make their own ending to the story. Being done so, Requiem doesn't close its doors to any possibilities of how it will end.
What made me disappointed with Requiem has little to do with its ending. Though I would've rather Lauren made a more definite ending, I did not find myself complaining much about that. As John Green has eloquently put it, "Books belong to their readers." What bugged me was that Requiem was very slow paced and not as interesting as compared to its predecessors. The addition of the new character didn't help much to the flow of the story either -- only to the love square including Lena, Alex and Julian. I am not a fan of love triangles so imagine how I felt with this love square. Love rhombus, trapezoid, rectangle or whatever.
Sadly, this book really did not live up to the expectations I had for the trilogy's finale. But still, all praises to Lauren Oliver for creating a wonderful and endearing series.
Read from: May 11-12, 2013
Rating: 2/5
Friday, May 30, 2014
Mini Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
“I just want it to go back to the way it was.”
“It'll never go back to the way it was, Frankie. But you have to make sure it goes forward.”
Two days after I read the book, my thoughts for it are still a flat-out jumble. My mind is still out of its coherence as I still haven’t moved on from the impact Saving Francesca has given me. To make my review simple, I’ll just say that I love this book. I savor it. I devour it. This definitely earns a spot on my all-time favorite books shelf.
Absolutely a must-read and highly recommended!
Read on: June 15, 2013
Rating: 5/5
Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor
“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”
This book is one hell of an amazing ball! I admit, it started out pretty slow and the part where the mysteries were gradually being revealed was likewise a bit dragging but thankfully, Laini Taylor's writing redeemed the book. The characters and the world she had made are both one part captivating, one part enigmatic and one huge part creative, original and eccentric that I can't help thinking if it was possible for me to run out of enough imagination just to envision every bit of this book.
Truth be told, I was ready to give this book a 4.5 star rating but then I thought, what the hell? Unlike some other books that leave me dozing off to sleep with their slow-pacedness, this book left me wide awake (Well.. I read this in the morning, but still..). Laini's words are so enthralling that it was impossible for me to get bored. I just wanted to devour each and every word, not daring to miss one, and make them completely mine. And so... I did. And holy hell I was more than satiated!
My only other quibble was the romance. It was so instant and I think we already have all agreed that insta-love is totally absurd. I didn't get how Akiva and Karou/Madrigal (okay, spoiler!) are all so lovey-dovey towards each other so quickly so I wasn't able to appreciate it much. But hey it plays such important role in the whole story so okay might as well just settle with it. But still.. barf.
Other than that, I see no other flaws. The brilliant writing, concept, characters, and world building overshadowed those flaws away so happy me! Another amazing book to add to my shelf of amazing books.
Brilliant books like this are impossible to review for my writing skills are so limited - or worse, nonexistent - as compared to what truly an exceptional talent Laini's is. So if my review is still not enough to convince you to read this, maybe the many - and mostly - oh so glowing reviews this book has been getting from other more popular reviewers will be proof enough to the awesomeness that this book is. So just hurry along now.. and read! Fill your minds with books that will challenge you and make you think past your imaginations. Might as well start with Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
P.S. Brimstone may just be my favorite character. Though I still can't imagine what he looks like. I'm still confused with the chimaera stuff. Teehee. :D
Read from: August 17-18, 2013
Rating: 5/5
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