fantasy
Puteri Bunian Bulan oleh Aliff Mustafa | Ulasan Buku
11.07.2020
BLURB: Alam raya ini bakal menyaksikan perubahan keramat menjelang era pengakhiran akhir zaman. Maka satu per satu khalifah di Nusantara pun mula dibangkitkan. Bukan di alam nyata sahaja, malah di dunia sebelah sana juga.
Ini ialah kisah kelahiran seorang puteri yang suatu hari nanti bakal mengubah status hierarki beraja di seluruh alam. Lahirnya di sebuah pulau dari Pantai Timur Malaysia.
Ini juga kisah seorang putera yang sangat sayangkan maruah umat manusia sehingga sanggup menghancurkan segala-gala dengan bara apinya.
Dua manusia berdarah istimewa ini akan melaga keazaman mereka, kepercayaan mereka, tekad dan raksa kersani mereka demi satu matlamat agung untuk membebaskan tanah kelahiran mereka dari terus jahil di dalam permainan syaitan. Kesudahannya akan membuka mata semua makhluk bernyawa. Mereka ialah bukti hidup yang segala-galanya ada di sekeliling kita!
Kita masih manusia kerana kita mengharungi ujian. Manusia yang hidup tanpa ujian sama sahaja seperti mati, hati tidak akan terasah untuk menghargai. Apabila kita kehilangan sesuatu, kita akan sedar yang kita sayangkan sesuatu tu lebih daripada apa yang kita pernah tahu. Tapi untuk kau, dan juga aku, yang sudah lahir ke dunia ini bersama dengan tanggungjawab untuk menjaga Laila, harus lebih daripada itu. Kita ada amanah, dan kita sanggup mati kerananya.
Penulis: Aliff Mustafa
Genre: Fantasi, Mitologi Melayu
Rating Goodreads: 4.00
Pages: 401
Penerbitan: 2020 oleh Mahakarya (Imprin Patriots Publishing)
Sumber: Shopee
Format pembacaan: Paperback
Jenis Reviu: Tanpa spoiler
ulasan
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This review was long due, aku habis baca buku ni dalam dua minggu lepas tapi balik-balik tangguh taip reviu buku dan hujungnya, dek kesibukan awal semester, hari ini baru dapat aku ada motivasi dan masa sikit untuk post reviu ini. Sedikit disclaimer, ini reviu buku pertama aku tulis dalam Bahasa Melayu dan post di blog, jadi kalau bunyi janggal sikit, faham-fahamlah ya hehe.
Puteri Bunian Bulan mengisahkan seorang remaja perempuan, Laila Dahlia yang kehidupannya berubah 360 darjah pada malam ulang tahunnya yang ke-17. Buat pertama kalinya, Laila bertemu dengan makhluk ghaib selain hantu, yang mendedahkan kebenaran tentang identiti Laila dan kewujudan kerajaan ghaib yang ada kaitan dengan identiti Laila. Trope ni biasa nampak dalam novel-novel fantasi macam Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, basically majoriti novel fantasi yang aku pernah baca dan penggunaan trope ni dalam Puteri Bunian Bulan tidak kurang hebatnya dengan novel-novel fantasi Bahasa Inggeris yang aku pernah baca. Tambahan lagi sebab cerita ni berkisar tentang cerita mitologi Melayu dan aku sendiri membesar dengan cerita-cerita rakyat yang lebih kurang dengan tema buku ni, rasa macam lebih real dan dekat dengan diri aku sendiri haha. Yang lebih menarik, disebabkan latar masa untuk cerita ni. Bayangkan prosa tradisional yang biasa kita baca dalam KOMSAS Bahasa Melayu dulu-dulu tapi dalam dunia moden. A modern take of Malay traditional prose. Disebabkan aku masih kurang baca novel fantasi Melayu, ini ialah benda baru bagi aku jadi aku rasa cerita ni sangat unik dan menarik.
Gaya bahasa dan olahan cerita oleh penulis tip top. Cerita-cerita tentang makhluk ghaib di Alam Melayu selalunya ditulis dengan gaya naratif macam dalam prosa tradisional yang agak sukar untuk difahami dan perlukan masa dan fokus lebih untuk fahamkan ceritanya dan kenal satu-satu watak yang ada. Tapi, dalam Puteri Bunian Bulan, meskipun gaya penceritaannya bukanlah santai macam novel kontemporari yang selalu aku baca, tetap mudah difahami. Dan yang paling aku suka, mudah faham dan keindahan bahasa masih terserlah dalam penulisan. Teknik penceritaan buat aku tak boleh berhenti membaca dan cerita ni juga penuh dengan aksi, membuatkan aku dapat habiskan lebih separuh buku ini dalam masa sehari. World-building dan sistem magisnya pun mudah difahami, tak pening. Kesalahan tatabahasa dan ejaan yang aku dapat tangkap pun hanya sikit, itu pun bahagian belakang-belakang dan bukan kesalahan major. Aku boleh terima kesalahan sikit-sikit sebab faham yang syarikat yang menerbitkan buku ni bukan syarikat penerbitan yang besar. Malah patut dipuji sebab dengan syarikat kecil pun dapat terbitkan buku berkualiti macam ni, story, editing and writing-wise.
Dan sekarang sampai ke bahagian yang aku paling suka untuk tulis dalam semua reviu aku; tentang watak-watak buku ni. Watak utama buku ni ada dua, Laila Dahlia dan Putera Andika dan bagi aku, both of them are solid main characters. Laila is hands down, salah satu watak utama perempuan yang paling aku suka in my history of reading. Dia sangat bijak merancang strategi dan tak buat keputusan terburu-buru dalam situasi genting, dan ciri-ciri ni hanya kadang-kadang aku nampak dalam watak utama seumur Dahlia (I'm looking at you, Clary Fray). Dia juga ialah seorang yang amat baik, tinggi kepemimpinannya dan penyayang. Putera Andika, watak utama yang kedua, juga sama hebatnya dengan Laila. Walaupun dia lebih agresif dan bertindak lebih teburu-buru berbanding Laila dan nampak macam watak antagonis dalam buku ni, setelah mengenal sisi lain Andika, barulah nampak yang rupanya dia juga salah satu watak protagonis. Andika ada visinya yang tersendiri dan semangatnya untuk mencapai visi tersebut amatlah tinggi. Dia sanggup lakukan apa sahaja untuk capai visi tersebut dan jika Andika ialah watak jahat sebenar dalam cerita ni, dia patut digeruni. Dinamik Laila dan Andika amat menarik, tapi aku tak rasa dan nampak sangat interaksi antara mereka berdua. Chemistry itu sudah ada, it just need to be explored more. Aku ship Laila dan Andika tapi aku tak tahu nak ship both of them as a possible couple or friends haha. But I know that I'm rooting for them as co-leaders! Dengan sikap penyayang Laila dan tekad Andika, they can totally kick their enemies' butt.
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| That Laila and Andika's fight scene reminded me to one of the fight scenes in Mr & Mrs Smith |
Watak-watak sampingan juga solid. Tema kekeluargaan, persahabatan dan percintaan semuanya ada tapi yang paling jelas aku nampak ialah tema persahabatan. Persahabatan antara Salmi dan Laila yang ternyata ada kisah di sebaliknya, persahabatan antara Laila dan Elfa, Laila dan Izma, semuanya ada keunikan sendiri dan aku teruja untuk lihat perkembangannya di novel sekuel.
Another bonus point for this book for how well the relationship between the fantasy element and religious element is done. Elemen fantasi dan keagamaan selalu diasingkan dalam cerita-cerita fantasi Barat sebab lebih selamat untuk tak kaitkan agama langsung dalam cerita fantasi, dan aku selalu tertanya-tanya macam mana pula dengan novel fantasi Melayu, sebab umum sedia maklum yang agama sememangnya sukar dipisahkan daripada mana-mana cerita Melayu, apa lagi cerita-cerita tentang makhluk ghaib. Jika diasingkan, akan terasa sangat ganjil tapi untuk kaitkan juga susah sebab isu agama sangat sensitif dan jika ada satu perkataan yang salah, satu buku boleh salah terus. Tapi buku ni menjawab persoalan aku dengan sangat baik sebab elemen fantasi dan keagamaan digabungkan dengan sangat baik dan tak bercanggah dengan apa yang aku tahu. Novel ni tetap fantasi yang sudah pastinya tak boleh percaya macam benda ni ialah nyata, tapi elemen agama digunakan dengan sangat baik.
Tabik dan tahniah kepada penulis dan semua yang terlibat, berjaya menghasilkan penulisan dan cerita yang unik, menarik dan berkualiti. Tak sabar untuk baca novel seterusnya!
3 months long hiatus reading update
9.05.2020
My first catch-up post would, of course, be my reading update. With the number of bookish posts I posted for the last few months, I may as well turn my lifestyle blog into a book blog. Nah I'm not gonna have a fixed niche, that would be too much pressure on my lol. It was an undoubtedly three slow reading months because of all the assignments and exams and classes we needed to cover but I managed to read 7 books, which are better than zero! I also managed to complete my Goodreads reading challenge (40 books this year) which is an accomplishment I look forward to each year. I actually thought of increasing my reading challenge to 50 books but since my semester starting again in October, I want to read books with no pressure at all with this one remaining month.
the 7 books I managed to finish during my hiatus:
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Remarks: After my medium feeling about My Plain Jane, I didn't have a high expectation for this one. In fact, I accepted the fact that My Lady Jane would be my favourite book out of the three because I know that the era that My Lady Jane sets in is my favourite era. So, the fact that I liked My Calamity Jane was actually surprising to me and I'm delighted that it surprised me!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remarks: Just like her previous book, this book was unapologetically Malaysian and it was really nice to see a Malaysian representation in Middle-Grade. It is a story about a girl who's only friend was a pelesit (a kind of ghost in Malay mythology) that she inherited from her witch grandmother and made a haunting read that gave me chills the whole time I was reading it. Accompanied by the author's beautiful writing and friendship as the main theme, this was a very heartwarming read for me. If you're interested in knowing more, here's my review of this book.
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐|⭐⭐⭐⭐|⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remarks: If last year was my Cassandra Clare year in terms of my bookish year, this year is definitely Rick Riordan's. After finishing Percy Jackson & the Olympian and Heroes of Olympus series, I just couldn't get enough of his stories in my system. I tried starting Trials of Apollo but I was tired of reading about Greek Mythology (watching Greek gods screw up, again and again, does get tiring after ten books) so I opted for The Kane Chronicles and guys, it was a very enjoyable read. I grow up reading stories of pharaohs so it was really interesting to see how Riordan make those stories his own.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Remarks: I was trying to diversify my read and this was the first book that came up in my recs and so without reading the synopsis and just looking at the author's name, I decided to read this book. IT WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. It was about a woman who sought validation through intimate relationships and the premise seemed very promising at first. I wanted to see how her character grows past that and to be honest, the ending didn't achieve what I wanted to see. It felt like the author had so many messages to include in this book but couldn't express everything she wanted with words (?).
My rating: ⭐⭐
Remarks: I was sent a digital review copy by the publisher a few years ago and I wasn't planning to read this book ever because I read the first one and the story wasn't for me. I love the world, I mean come on, multiple types of shapeshifters living in a town? That is an amazing idea. However, the story focused too much on the romance and the romance was so physical and too much alpha male-ish which isn't the type of romance that I like. I only read this one because I'm planning to finish all the eARCs I ever got lol.
books I'm currently reading:
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Progress (by September 1st 2020): 39%
Remarks: I'll be honest, I was expecting something The Book Thief-ish when I bought this book. Everyone kept saying that this book is disappointing but I'm stubborn and was curious to see what I think about this book. The first few 100 pages were boring, I admit. It gets better when you get to page 150 or so, at least for me it did. Penelope Dunbar's chapters were definitely my favourite, seeing those are the one with historical fiction elements.
Gantung by Nadia Khan
Progress (by September 1st 2020): 26%
Remarks: I seriously need to finish this book, I believe the last time I continued reading this was in May. I keep putting off to continue my read because the ghosts are creepy and I'm a chicken. This book was a real hype during my secondary school years and it deserves all the hype it gets. Even 26% in, I can see why everyone says it's good. It's so different compared to all other Malay books I read.
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Progress (by September 1st 2020): 30%
Remarks: It's so fun seeing Apollo panicking because he's a mortal (maybe) now. Greek gods are annoying and it's nice to see one of them in a vulnerable state. I would love to see Zeus cursed into being a mortal or something because he's the most annoying but seeing Apollo that way is good enough.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Progress (by September 1st 2020): 66%
Remarks: By the time this post is up on the blog, I'm most probably going to be finished with this book already. It's nice to reread and see all the Easter eggs that are so obvious but I missed before and most of all, it's really nice to see the characters that I love so much after so long. I'm rereading this before continuing with Call Down the Hawk because I feel obligated to do so hahaha but I'm actually really invested with the story because I forgot like 30% of the story already.
reading plan for September:
○Finish a few more ARCs. I won't specify which books I want to because every time I list my TBR, I ended up reading the book like 2 years later due to my unknown internal issue.
○Finish rereading The Raven Cycle and start reading Call Down the Hawk.
○Finish all the books in my currently reading list on Goodreads.
○Get to 50 books (?).
How about you guys? Do you mind sharing your reading plan or TBR for September?
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare | Book Review
4.19.2020
James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love (Goodreads).
There is no better distraction in this world than losing oneself in books for awhile.
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction
Pages: 624
Goodreads rating: 4.53
Publication: March 3rd 2020 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Book Depository
Reading format: Hardback
Review type: Non-spoilery
review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm absolutely and utterly wrecked, nothing can ever fix me and I shall never recover from this pain again.
In Chain of Gold, the next generation of Shadowhunters (read: offsprings from the previous series) venturing into their own journey of fighting demons, their discovery of selves and love life. It features the most precious friendship, siblings relationship, blooming romance and friendship and most importantly, Shadowhunters world in all its glory (not). I've never personally understood how a person can love-hate someone until I read Cassandra Clare's books. As much as I love her writing and adore the world and the characters she created, I definitely hate her for putting my babies into such agony which then also hurt me in 1000 ways I didn't know could ever hurt me. I wanna hug Cassandra Clare for bringing the characters I love to life but I also wanna fight her and threaten her into giving them just happy endings.
1. writing style
Clare writes this story beautifully; her writing is so stunning that even the simplest thing, the simplest exchange between characters and the simplest acts could hurt me especially her period Shadowhunters novels. These novels have this romantic atmosphere that comes with a more antiquated and elegant style of writing which makes The Infernal Devices one of my favourite series in the first place and will probably make this new series my second favourite Shadowhunters series.
2. glimpses of my favourite characters from the previous series (the infernal devices)
It's not a secret that I'm a sucker for character-driven novels. This book follows the offsprings of the characters from the previous series, so it's natural that they will feature in this book. It's nice to see the characters I missed so much but what I love the most is how happy they are now. They've grown up so much, they are happily living with their family which brings me to the next point...
3. familial aspect of this book
It's rare to see the positive familial aspect that Chain of Gold showed in YA Fantasy that I have read before. Most YA Fantasy's familial aspects are more to the fight for the throne, dysfunctional family, basically negative ones. The families featured in this book are not just happy but also whole. This generation of Shadowhunters are raised with care and love and that makes me so happy. No doubt, the families are not perfect but they all give a good support system. The Herondales perfectly portrayed a very supportive and loving family in a believable way; I'm still gushing over how sweet the relationship between Will, Tessa and their children is. It is to die for. Besides that, it was also interesting to get to know more about the Carstairs siblings relationship. The bond between Cordelia and Alastair might not seem as strong as other siblings bonds in the book at first but as I read more, I could see that their bond is a very precious one with both of them being protective of each other.
4. introducing Shadowhunters from another part of the world
The fact that Cordelia and Alastair Carstairs are Persian makes me love this book more. Having read Khaled Hosseini's books before, Farsi is not a stranger to me, especially the terms of endearment. It is a beautiful language that I'm very interested in learning. There were also a lot of references to Persian Poem, Layla and Majnun.
English endearments were so limited and bland in comparison, she had always thought: Persians thought nothing of telling someone they loved fadat besham, I would die for you, or calling that person noore cheshmam, the light of my eyes, or delbaram, the thief of my heart.
I also love how some real Persian cultures are adapted into the Persian Shadowhunters' world; for instance, Cordelia wearing a long tunic to a fight and Cordelia's mother protectiveness towards her daughter in terms of her clothes and her socializing with men.
5. supportive, caring and loving friendship circles
I never quite thought of friendship like that—as something that makes you more than you are.
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| The Merry Thieves by @merwildandco |
"The four of you are tightly knit," said Cordelia. "Anyone could see that. And none of you is so simple. Thomas is more than just kind, and Christopher more than beakers and test tubes, Matthew more than wit and waistcoats. Each of you follows his own star- but you are the thread that binds all four together. You are the one who sees what everyone need, if anyone requires extra care from their friends, or even to be left alone. Some group of friends drift apart, but you would never let that happen."
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| The Merry Thieves, Cordelia, Lucie and Anna by @malec_hugs |
"You have been quite a surprise since you came into our lives," he said, and she knew by "our" he meant the five of them, the Merry Thieves and Lucie. "I did not feel that our little group was missing anything before you arrived, but now that you are here, I cannot imagine it without you."
6. lovable and memorable characters
I think some people might hate that this book has many characters but as a fan of the Shadowhunters franchise, I'm okay with it. I love to adore and root for the lovable characters and I love to hate the unlovable characters. For me, Cassandra Clare’s books are about the characters more than anything. I care for all of the characters but like most of the readers, Cordelia surprised me. She's brave, very pure-hearted, super kind (her kindness reminds me of Jem), is not afraid to sound out her opinions and protect the people she loves and is very supportive and because of these, I admire her the most. Some other characters that are very precious to me are Matthew Fairchild and Alastair Carstairs. I just wanna protect these three and see them all happy.
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7. books and stories are important to the characters' lives
"People are only invincible in books," said Cordelia."I think you will find most of the time, not even then," said Tessa. "But at least we can always pick up a book and read it anew. Stories offer a thousand fresh starts."
I'm a huge fan of this world so it's natural that I'm wishing the book to be longer although it's already pretty big with 624 pages. However, I think new readers might find the book to drag a little bit. The last few chapters can be shortened and there wasn't really much addition to the plot development to the last few chapters. The story can feel slow-paced at first but I think it's important for the build-up of the plot. I'm sure there are details from the chapters I think are not important that I probably missed that are significant for the next two books.
1. Is it necessary to read the previous series to read this?
No, you absolutely don't have to. All you have to know to understand the Shadowhunters world is mentioned in the book so you won't be confused. Reading the previous series or at least some of the novella might help you to know the characters and the world more, though. It'll also give you a better reading experience. Chain of Gold does contain some spoilers to The Infernal Devices series, though.
2. Which series/short stories that I can read to give me further understanding of the story?
For series, I suggest you read The Infernal Devices, which main characters are the parents of the main characters in Chain of Gold. For short stories, you can read The Midnight Heir from The Bane Chronicles, Nothing But Shadows from Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and Cast Long Shadows and Every Exquisite Thing from Ghosts of the Shadow Market.
3. Guide to start reading The Shadowhunters Chronicles?
You can watch emmmabooks's Video on How To Read The Shadowhunter Chronicles
Other Books in the Series:
Chain of Iron (The Last Hours #2) – To Be Released
Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) – To Be Released
Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo | Book Review
4.14.2020
BLURB: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy was known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction
Pages: 465
Goodreads rating: 4.46
Publication: September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Company
Source: Popular Bookstore
Reading Format: Paperback
Pages: 562
Goodreads rating: 4.60
Publication: September 27th 2016 by Orion Children's Books
Source: Popular Bookstore
Reading Format: Paperback
review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I've been wanting to read this duology for so long and when they posted the list of casting for the Shadow and Bone TV show last year and I saw that Ben Barnes (the Prince Caspian, the Dorian Gray!) is one of the people who'll be the star of the show, I immediately started reading the Grisha trilogy. And when they said that the show might be released this year, I immediately started reading Six of Crows and oh my God it's totally worth the hype! JUST LOOK AT THE GOODREADS RATING! I rarely see a book that gets rated more than 4 on Goodreads and both of the books in the duology passed 4 which is amazing! I'm having a problem in writing this review because I might just endlessly rant about how much I like it and this whole post will be unorganized so I'm going to put it in a list.
writing style
For some people especially those who don't read fantasy a lot, it takes time to get used to the writing style since it's considered a higher fantasy in young adults but when you get used to it, it becomes more engaging and addictive to read. It's not very lyrical and metaphorical so it's easier to read but it's not skimmable because there are details you don't want to miss. The two books are written in multiple first-person point-of-view and that makes it more interesting to read because you can learn about a character more through what they think. Leigh Bardugo created these diverse characters with easily distinguishable characteristics. All the characters are written very humanly and third dimensional; there was no trouble in making the characters come to life in my mind. In terms of world-building, learning this part of the Grisha universe was a fantastic experience. The world-building is great and since I already read the previous series by her which sets in the same world (read: the Grisha trilogy), I didn't have a problem with it anymore. Some people might have a problem jumping into the world right away so I advise you to just read the first few chapters without any haste so that you can understand the system better.
plot
This book is a total page-turner, thanks to the stunning plot. The plot is not slow-paced at all, it just keeps going on; the book was filled with actions through and through. There wasn't any chapter that I didn't like or feel bored reading because every single detail and piece of information that you get from even a chapter made the story a whole lot better. There are some fight scenes in this book and although I usually don't like fight scenes, those scenes were written so wonderfully in this book which made me enjoy reading them. The characters seem to enjoy every fight so much that I enjoyed the fight with them. What I enjoyed reading more was the tricking scenes as well as the planning scenes. Reading them at first, I was nervous for them because the characters' plans sounded like something impossible to do. And every single time, I was surprised.
It's just wrong talking about this book without talking about the characters individually so the first one I'm gonna talk about is Kaz Brekker, the persistent leader with a strategic mind. He's the mastermind behind every plan and every heist. He's a risk-taker but also unconsciously taking care of his crew. He insists that every plan he makes is just for money and that if any of his crew dies, he would not have single care but that's a lie. Kaz Brekker is the greatest trickster and the best thief. You can guess that with his seemingly ruthless personality, he had a terrible past but you could never guess what he went through to make him the way that he is.
characters
If you have been reading my book reviews, you'll know I'm a character-driven reader. Give me a trashy plot but rootable characters, I'll still give the book more than 3 stars. And this duology, ladies and gentlemen, is a heaven-sent for a reader like me. Basically, I just rooted for all the characters as a group and as their own individuals. The blurb was written Breakfast-Club-like where each character have their own role in the group and this is the reason the characters are so easily distinguished. They have their own voices in my mind; I have this habit of sorting voices for every character when I read and sorting voices for the characters in this book was so easy.It's just wrong talking about this book without talking about the characters individually so the first one I'm gonna talk about is Kaz Brekker, the persistent leader with a strategic mind. He's the mastermind behind every plan and every heist. He's a risk-taker but also unconsciously taking care of his crew. He insists that every plan he makes is just for money and that if any of his crew dies, he would not have single care but that's a lie. Kaz Brekker is the greatest trickster and the best thief. You can guess that with his seemingly ruthless personality, he had a terrible past but you could never guess what he went through to make him the way that he is.
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The second character that is literally everyone's favourite is Inej Ghafa, the Wraith. She's the spy of the group. She has very great stability skills; she can walk on ropes like we walk on roads. And what I like the most about her is her strong personality. With that strength, she was able to withstand almost everything that came her way. Instead of crippling in fear due to her traumatizing past, she used her trauma as a motivation to carry out everything she needs to.
But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.The next character, Jesper Fahey is the clown of the group which is usually my type but because of Kaz's existence, Jesper wasn't my favourite FAVOURITE but nonetheless, I love him. On the surface, he's a playful flirt with great ability in gun-shooting. Wait, can we talk about how rarely we see people using guns in fantasy books with magic? I love that they used guns here lol. Back to Jesper. Despite his playfulness, he's actually hiding something that you could not have guessed dun dun dun *wink wink*.
If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket. The world deserves a few more moments with this face.Next coming is Wylan, THE CINNAMON ROLL OF THE GROUP. I gotta admit, I got a soft spot for him in my heart. Despite his bad fighting skill, he has one of the greatest minds among the crews. He's not just the cinnamon roll of the group, he's also THE GENIUS OF THE GROUP. He also has a backstory that you could never guess as well as the character who has the greatest character development throughout the story. He really went from not knowing how to fight to bomb a super badass bunch of bad guys.
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Nina Zenik is the sassy one of the group; she's like a mom (especially to Inej) but also a very badass Grisha with GREAT GRISHA POWER. She's bold and not hesitant in sacrificing herself for what she believes in and I really admire that about her. Her friendship with Inej is something I adore very much, it was so amazing how much a friendship can grow so much in a span of a short time. And last but not least, Matthias Helvar, the witch hunter which admittedly, is my least favourite character and despite that, I really root for. He grows up brainwashed about so many things so what he has done is quite forgivable. Like, Nina, he's also unhesitant to sacrifice himself to protect what he loves and fight for what he believes in. He's very protective of Nina and reading how much he loves Nina just melted my heart. We girls need to get a man who loves us like Matthias loves Nina!
This book does feature romance but it's not the centre of the story. It's more like a sub-sub plot. Every character has their own backstory and that's why even when what they do is very questionable, you just can't help but root for them.
I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.
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FAQ: Do you need to read the previous series?
No, you can absolutely read this duology without reading the previous book! This book is set after the previous series and reading that series will totally give you a better understanding of the world but most people just read this duology straight away and it's okay!
For a better reading experience, you can listen to this Grishaverse playlist made by Bueno. The playlist fits the books perfectly. I was a little sceptical about reading while listening to music, it's just isn't my thing but right after Nainowale Ne (Padmaavat movie soundtrack) played, I was hooked.
If you're still unconvinced to read this duology after reading my review do check out some of these posts:
If you're still unconvinced to read this duology after reading my review do check out some of these posts:
You're gonna love this if you like: a fantasy heist novel featuring six ragtag, disreputable characters, from varied (traumatic) backgrounds and walks of life, forming a found family and taking on rich dirtbags who don’t deserve their money (Book Riot).
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare | Book Review
7.15.2019
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DISCLAIMER: I first posted the review for the first three books of this series in 2019, edited this in 2022 and changed it from a 3-book review to just the first book in the series, because the initial review was unnecessarily wordy.
BLURB: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... (Goodreads).
“I don't want tea," said Clary, with muffled force. "I want to find my mother. And then I want to find out who took her in the first place, and I want to kill them."
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Goodreads rating: 4.08
Pages: 485
Publication: 27th May 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Book Depository | Amazon | BookXcess | Google Books
Reading format: E-book
Review type: Non-spoilery
review
⭐⭐
This was one of the books that I thought I would never read. I tried several times before 2019 but I just couldn't. But then I started reading the book in 2019 just for the sake of making fun of it... and instead got hooked to the series, its prequels and sequels. Note: don't ever read a book for the sake of making fun of it ever again.
First of all, I hate the writing of this book. It was very underdeveloped and very early 2010s, which, if we think about it, is relevant since this book was published in 2007, and probably started being written in the early 2000s. For me, it's forgivable, the only reason I finished this book despite its poor writing was that I kept reminding myself that this book was published in 2007.
On the other hand, the storyline, the world-building and the characters were pretty solid. As all of the standard young adult fantasy books, at least the first 10 chapters were spent for world-building, and Cassandra Clare really did a decent job in introducing this world and its magic system to the readers, which I really appreciate. There was nothing confusing and everything was pretty straightforward, and enough explanation was done for the readers to get absorbed into the world, at least for the first book. The way she wrote about her characters also clicked really well with me.
The storyline was also written really well. I liked all the twists that were included in this book, except for that last one (if you know, you know). And surprisingly, despite the poor writing, the narrative of the book was actually quite fun to follow. Jokes and puns were inserted in the most inappropriate times, coming out of the mouth of the most unlikely character, which is always welcomed by me. I love those.
The characters that were introduced in this book were not easy to love, since almost all of them, especially the main character, made really reckless, questionable decisions but it should be noted that they were just 16 to 18 years old teenagers. Coming from a person who finished the whole series and its sequel, the characters do grow on you. It was very fulfilling to see the characters grow wiser by each book, and I can say with absolute certainty that I definitely will cry if any of them die, despite disliking them in the first book.
And yes, 2 stars. I LOVE THE SERIES. BUT THE FIRST THREE BOOKS? JUST NO. NOT IT. I initially gave this book 3 stars but I realized how high that was for this book, so I reduced it to two. Will I recommend this book to anyone, ever? No. But I will recommend the series, as a whole, if anyone is interested in reading the prequel and sequel series, which are 10000 times better than this one.
I finished Shadow & Bone trilogy in a day! | Book Review
6.29.2019
DISCLAIMER: This review is a bit spoilery so if you haven't and are planning to read it, you might want to skip this post.
You might think it's an exaggeration but I assure you, I absolutely did not. It is a very rare occasion but I did the same thing finishing The Raven Cycle a long time ago. It happens when I get too invested in a story. I just finished my foundation, I have a lot of time to spare and I don't feel like getting out of bed very much. It sounds like a perfect time to binge-read some series for me.
I had been wanting to read this series for a long time, I borrowed Shadow and Bone from my local library twice; once in 2017 and the other time in 2018. Both times I ended up only finishing two chapters and I couldn't get into it. I'm glad I tried to start reading it again because this time I actually finished Shadow and Bone and not just the first book but the whole trilogy! Actually, I just wanted to finish this book quickly so that I could start reading the Six of Crows duology because people are still talking about it until now, the hype is real!
Goodreads rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Pages: 358
Publication: June 5th 2012 by Henry Holt and Company
Source: Sabah State Library
Reading Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Pages: 435
Publication: June 4th 2013 by Henry Holt and Company
Source: Sabah State Library
Reading Format: Paperback
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pages: 422
Publication: June 17th 2014 by Henry Holt and Company
Source: Sabah State Library
Reading Format: Paperback
review
After watching many people hyping this series up, I gotta admit that the series as a whole was a little bit underwhelming for me. If I had read this during my The Hunger Games phase, I probably would like it but since my standard for good fantasy book has risen up in quite a significant amount ever since I started reading YA, I was expecting to be absolutely mind-blown but this book was a bit less from what I expected.
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| My personal rating for each book is based on plot, writing style, world-building and characters |
highlights of the whole series✨
1. Alina's character development. She went from this average girl with very low leadership quality, bad combatting skill to a good leader, a very good fighter and a powerful opponent for a 120-year-old villain who had been using his power for basically his whole life when she just knew she had her power for a few months. She grew up so much in the span of a few months and I really loved that.
I don't care if you think I'm a Saint or a fool or the Darkling's whore. If you want to remain at Little Palace, you will follow me. And if you don't like it, you will be gone by tonight, or I will have you in chains. I am a soldier. I am the Sun Summoner. I am the only chance you have.
2. Malyen's character development. Even in the first book, I got this unfondness feeling towards him and in the second book, I hated him so much. I knew that he loved Alina and I understood that it was hard for him to cope with Alina's changes; her character really developed during the months they were separated and when they finally met again, suddenly, she wasn't really the girl he knew anymore. I got that all the stuff that happened in their country and whatever happened to both him and Alina really took a toll on him but I thought he was holding Alina back from becoming who she really is. Alina did play a huge role in him becoming more and more annoying in the second book but even if I try to reason myself that he was just going through a hard time because of Alina, he was still a big jerk to Alina even when he knew that she did what she did to protect him as well as the country they both belong to.
“I wasn't afraid of you, Alina. I was afraid of losing you. That girl you were becoming didn't need me anymore, but she's who you were always meant to be."
"Power-hungry? Ruthless?"
"Strong." He looked away.
"Luminous. And maybe a little ruthless too. That's what it takes to rule. Ravka is broken, Alina. I think it always has been. The girl I saw in the chapel could change that.”
In the third book, however, he became this guy that just wanted to help Alina in finishing her mission and would do anything to help her, whether they'll get together or not. Instead of being the one who held Alina back, he supported her, he helped her and most of all, he believed in Alina. He grew even stronger than how he usually was and I love that he redeemed himself, considering he was Alina's one and true love.
3. The Darkling, basically his whole existence. Out of all the characters in the book, The Darkling had the most depth. His backstory was the most interesting out of all the characters and I think this is the reason The Darkling was everyone's favourite despite all the massacres he had done. His presence in every scene that he was in and wasn't was really huge, he had this kind of irresistible essence to him. This is probably coming from my obsession with bad boys haha. Despite that, everything he had done is unquestionably wrong and shouldn't be justified at all.
4. 7 letters, start with 'N' and ends with 'I', NIKOLAI. Is there even a reason to explain? He was literally my dream guy. Welcome to my life, my new book boyfriend. He was charming even more than the Prince Charming himself. Although he was a prince and that should give him a huge privilege, that didn't stop him from trying to improve himself in many aspects.
I did apprentice with a Fjerdan shipbuilder. And a Zemeni gunsmith. And a civil engineer from the Han Province of Bolh. Tried my hand at poetry for a while.
He has the best leadership quality, intelligence, had a strategic mind, basically all that it takes to be a good king.
I was impressed, and also unnerved. Being around Nikolai was always like this, watching him shift and change, revealing secrets as he went. He reminded me of the wooden nesting dolls I'd played with as a child. Except instead of getting smaller, he just kept getting grander and more mysterious. Tomorrow, he'd probably tell me he'd built a pleasure palace on the moon. Tough to get to, but quite a view.
5. The unique magic system. I'm still very lacking in the experience of reading fantasy books so this whole elemental magic thing is still very new to me. It was a bit hard to understand at first; the whole world-building really confused me because there were a lot of terms that I couldn't understand and it felt like I jumped right into the world, the fight and the drama without any knowledge and why and how or what. Once I started to understand the system, I could see that all their powers were really cool and I really enjoyed discovering more things about the potential of the characters' powers and the world itself.
All in all, this trilogy was really great. I'm really looking forward to reading more Grishaverse books, especially Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom which everyone is still raving about after years of being published. The characters were all lovable and would stay in your mind for quite some time. The author managed to make me finish the trilogy in one day, so I think that says a lot about this book and her writing; it was pretty addictive. If you love a story with good character development, a world with a unique magic system, a well-thought plot, an entertaining read and making a good escape, I totally recommend you to read this book.
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