Showing posts with label Novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Novel. Show all posts

D'Arvit!



Dear Artemis Fowl,


It was ingenious how you caught that fairy. I admire you for doing it although I am genuinely curious as to how you did it. You've also done many other marvelous things. I would like to know how you seem to be able to do anything. I would be honored if you would explain how you managed all of this to me. Genius to genius.

P.S: Having feels about 15-year-old semi-reformed irish criminal masterminds again please send help.


                                                             Sincerely,

A. A. Olivia



Artemis Fowl (series) by Eoin Colfer, aka “Die Hard, With Fairies” Yes, it’s young adult. Yes, it’s science fantasy. Yes, it’s ridiculously over the top. And yes, I think it’s absolutely great.


‘o you have torn all my life to pieces’

I’m in the process of reading "Tess of the d’Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. Got this book at Gramedia and the only copy left. Even though the book condition couldn't be called brand new, but I've been searching this book since a long time ago. Sadly this is taking me longer than normal. When I’m sick (even if it’s just a small cold) I don’t concentrate as well so reading becomes a chore sometimes. Especially when reading a book that isn’t just plain “eye candy”. This isn’t a simple book to read. It takes thought (like most classics). I can see why Thomas Hardy wasn’t received well by the critics of his day. Victorian era England was rather stodgy. Anyway, I rarely love classic romances like this (though this isn’t strictly a romance… it’s more of life of the everyday person - every day people do have love lives too!). PLUS- I don’t have to worry about running into the smuttiness that is in a lot of modern “romance” books (I just call them smut books). Aand I want this edition.
I love how Thomas Hardy describes Tess’s face from Angel Clare’s point of view. The reader can fully tell how much he, Angel, cares for her. Makes me want to sigh deeply *sigh*

(from Phase the Second: Maiden No More chapter 24):

How very lovable her face was to him. Yet there was nothing ethereal about it: all was real vitality, real warmth, real incarnation. And it was in her mouth that this culminated. Eyes almost as deep and speaking he had seen before, and cheeks perhaps as fair; brows as arched, a chin and throat almost as shapely; her mouth he had seen nothing to equal on the face of the earth. To a young man with the least fire in him that little upward lift in the middle of her red top lip was distracting, infatuating, maddening.


And all this while this young man was milking a cow and watching her milk another cow… Who knew a dairy farm could be so romantic? *roll eyes* :)


While she carries the burdens of the devil raping her and the angel leaving her. .

He still continues to go on his journey. Continuing on to his dreams.


Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn

One aspect of the novel that I really love is the abundant journal keeping and writings from many of my favorite characters. They contain their longings, memories, magic and secrets.
****************

It started with a suicide note.

“The sealed envelope hangs from the second topmost button of her coat, until Prospero arrives.”

and continues

“He copies down sections of books, writes out words and symbols he does not understand at first but that become intimately familiar beneath his ink-stained fingers, formed again and again in increasing steady lines.”

“He begins each notebook the same way, with a detailed drawing of a tree inscribed with a black ink inside the front cover.”

- Marco (at least that’s what he named himself, and maybe that’s all that matters.)
*
“Pages and pages of observations, recounting his experiences, mostly so he will not forget them but also to capture something of the circus on paper, something he can hold on to.”

- Herr Thiessen
*
“After the circus departed, he wrote down every detail he could remember about it so it would not fade in his memory.”

- Bailey
*
“…takes a closer look at the blueprints and sketches hanging from shelves and tacked to mirrors and paintings and windows. Some are complete rooms, others are bits of exterior architecture or elaborate archways and halls.”

- Chandresh
*

” the drafting table by the window is all but hidden in the meticulous ordered chaos of papers and diagrams and blueprints.”

- Mr. Ethan Barris



(push play above for a little review theme music)


***************
“I want a story,” he says.
“A story?”
“I want this story. Your story.”



The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des RĂªves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is absolutely masterful dan setelah membacanya, aku tidak ragu lagi mengatakan ini adalah buku favoritku di 2011. The Night Circus adalah salah satu buku yang sangat jarang kita jumpai dan adalah salah satu buku yang meninggalkan kesan pada pembaca. Jenis yang kamu menemukan dirimu mengambil dan membacanya lebih dari sekali, dan setiap kali Anda membacanya lagi, sisi lain dari kebrilianan itu terungkap.

The story started in spurts, dengan chapters pendek yang membingungkanku sampai akhirnya aku mulai mengerti alirannya. Semuanya terikat bersama dengat baik, dan kamu akan menyukai masterpice yang mempesona ini.

Prosanya lirikal dan hampir puitis dan dengan sensasi yang menciptakan dunia yang membuat pembaca ingin merasakannya sendiri. The book is a feast for the senses. Saat kamu membaca, kamu merasakan sutra gaun yang dikenakan salah satu pemain, merasakan makanan di 'midnight dinners', atau mencium bau karamel di udara saat kamu berjalan dari tenda ke tenda menjelajahi semua kesenangan yang ditawarkan sirkus.

Karakter-karakternya unik dan bervariasi. I loved all the characters, buku ini dipenuhi dengan karakter-karakter yang menurutku 'lovable', terutama 'the twins'. I loved Celia, dan mengharapkan masa kecil yang lebih baik untuknya. Aku tidak peduli dengan ayahnya sama sekali--what kind of (insert not-so-nice word here) yang menggabungkan anaknya untuk sesuatu seperti ini? Marco sedikit lebih misterius dari Celia--kita tidak tahu apapun selain seleksinya, pendidikannya, dan pekerjaannya dengan sang 'proprietor' sirkus, Christopher Lefevre. Dia mengenali Celia saat mereka bertemu, walaupun Celia tidak tahu bahwa dia adalah lawannya. Aku terkejut bahwa dia tidak mengambil keuntungan dari pengetahuan itu, tapi orang seperti itulah dia. We can't have Celia falling for a jerk, after all...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is to me, much more than a book. It is an experience to be savoured and treasured by all of those who read it.

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan


"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?"

He knows there’s something more to the girl sitting in the back of the class the moment he sees her. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and athletic – but she slips quietly through the crowded halls, trying not to exist. Determined to get to know the elusive girl, Evan soon discovers…

Emma Thomas is hiding a terrible a secret.

Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope."


I LOVE THIS BOOK! Setelah beberapa bulan baca buku yang ceritanya hampir ngggak jelas semua, akhirnya nggak sengaja ketemu Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.

Oh, boy. Writing a review on this book is going to be hard but, here it is!

Emma adalah seorang remaja 16 tahun yang berusaha kabur dari kenyataan yang menyakitkan saat ia pulang ke rumah setiap hari. Emma memiliki suatu rahasia yang tidak bisa dia beritahukan ke siapapun. Daripada berbagi masalahnya dengan orang lain, ia memilih untuk bersembunyi. Daaan... usahanya menjadi berantakan saat Evan Mathews datang. Evan yang sangat membuka diri pada perasaannya, mengajak Emma untuk seperti itu juga. Yang tidak diketahui Evan, however, is that some things are better left unsaid.

Kematian ayahnya dan ibunya yang menelantarkannya menyisakannya pada belas kasihan bibinya yang sewenang-wenang. Bibinya ini, Carol, keji dan membuat perutku serasa terbalik memikirkannya. Dia seperti sangat terancam oleh gagasan Emma menerima kasih sayang dari keluarganya hingga ia melakukan apapun untuk menyiksa Emma. Kalau bukan karena teman baiknya, Sara, kupikir Emma nggak bakal bisa bertahan selama itu. This book pulls at your heart strings as you feel for Emma, and struggle with her reasoning to stay in her horrible situation. It isn't until the true love of Evan that Emma realizes her self worth and is willing to risk it all just to "live".

This book was mind-boggling, heart-breaking, and seemed so truthful- it opens your eyes. Walaupun aku benci cliffhanger, tapi aku merekomendasikan buku ini untuk semua orang agar semua tahu seberapa hebatnya buku ini. Nggak bakal nyesel baca buku ini.



Sam Roth's Life

Oh my god. This has to be one of the worst, yet well meaning plan ever heard of.

“My girlfriend is dying in the hospital and her parents are convinced it’s my fault and her dad forbid her to see me, and the punched me in the face, twice. So I think it’s a good idea to listen to the new member of my werewolf pack because he’s this creepy science super genius that sent me into a PTS episode less than a week ago. Risk my girlfriend life, let this kid drip his spit in a cut on her wrist, and then drag her out the window while her parents on the other side of the door know I’m in the hospital room with her and will think I kidnapped her, and brought her to my house in the woods to watch her die and cough up blood because I can’t tell them about the werewolf thing or they’ll really flip a tit and get a restraining order.”

Sam Roth’s life is complicated, guys.

Testing, testing. Posting from my droid. And I'm a ball of emotions after finished reading Forever :|
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Passion by Lauren Kate

"Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever."

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.


Lauren Kate's Passion adalah buku ketiga dari Fallen series dan mengambil cerita langsung dari buku sebelumnya, Torment, berhenti. Luce pergi untuk perjalanan ke kehidupan lampaunya untuk mempelajari tentang sejarah dirinya dengan Daniel. Sementara itu, Daniel dengan susah payah mencari Luce sebelum sesuatu di masa lalunya merubah masa depan mereka.

Aku menikmati Passion karena buku ini menceritakan sejarah Luce dan Daniel's long love story. Sepanjang buku ini kita akhirnya bisa melihat betapa Luce dan Daniel saling mencintai. Sangat menarik melihat gimana kedua karakter telah berubah selama bertahun-tahun dan bagaimana Daniel menghadapi kehilangan Luce berkali-kali.

Sebuah aspek yang aku sukai dari Passion adalah di chapter-chapternya Luce dan Daniel bergantian menjadi narrator jadi akhirnya aku bisa masuk ke dalam kepala Daniel. Alur buku ini agak lambat tapi memberikan banyak latar belakang sejarah mereka. Pengenalan karakter baru, Bill, juga sebuah tambahan bagus untuk ceritanya. Passion, bagaimanapun, meninggalkanku banyak pertanyaan jadi aku bakal sangat mengantisipasi the final book, Rapture, yang keluar Spring 2012. The need of beautiful book, fulfilled! :D

Hereafter by Tara Hudson


Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.


Buat seseorang yang baca buku seolah-olah hidupnya bergantung pada itu, hal yang paling mengganggu dalam literatur adalah: buku yang idenya bagus, tapi nyatanya, nggak berhasil ditulis dengan baik.

Saat aku baca cover Hereafter, aku pikir itu bakal jadi buku yang bagus. Lalu saat aku berhasil dapet ARCnya aku seneng banget. Amelia, seorang hantu yang udah lama mati, jatuh cinta pada Joshua, salah satu dari orang yang memiliki keahlian untuk melihatnya. Sebelum Amelia bertemu Joshua, dia nggak tahu apa-apa tentang hidup dan matinya, kecuali yang dia pelajari dari mimpi buruk saat kejadian kematiannya. Sering dia bermimpi dirinya tenggelam di sungai di bawah High Bride Road, yang dia tahu sudah terjadi padanya bertahun-tahun yang lalu. Selama salah satu mimpi buruk ini, Amelia menemukan kalau dia bukan satu-satunya tenggelam, dan dia cepat-cepat berenang untuk menolong Joshua. Setelah menyelamatkan hidupnya, Amelia mulai mengalami hal-hal yang belum pernah dia rasakan sejak mati: memori, nuansa angin, dan, tentu saja, cinta.

Menurutku cerintanya terdengar menarik, dan aku berjuang untuk nyelesain buku yang sedang aku baca sebelum membuka yang satu ini. Setelah speed-reading sekitar seratus halaman, akhirnya aku bisa mulai membaca Hereafter.

Ide buku ini bagus, tapi jujur aja, aslinya nggak begitu bagus. The romance antara Joshua dan Amelia terlalu cheesy dan berlebihan buat seleraku, dan seperti ada lompatan di endingnya. Aku nggak pernah merasa "just one more chapter."

Aku pikir a lot of romance-crazy girls jelas bakal suka buku ini. Kalau kamu salah satu dari mereka, aku bakal bilang ya, baca aja. But for my own personal tastes, I’d have to give it a three out of five rating.

Divergent by Veronica Roth


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


I really don't know where to start with this review!
I absolutely loved this book and read it in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down!

This book was fantastic, I love this book. Di setiap bagian, aku terus membalik & membaca ulang yang barusan aku baca. Plot & ceritanya luar biasa, bahkan endingnya juga nggak terduga. Satu-satunya bagian yang membingungkan mungkin di awal cerita dimana aku belum hafal nama-nama 'factions'nya dan artinya. Tris (karakter utama) harus memilih antara keluarganya (kalau dia memilih faction yang berbeda, keluarganya & factionnya yang sekarang akan menganggapnya sebagai pengkhianat) atau yang benar-benar diinginkannya.

Let me cut to the chase: Divergent definitely lives up to the hype. I loved the book from beginning to end (including the cover) and could not put it down. One of my favorite books so far this year.

Beatrice - atau Tris- karakter utama yang hebat. Dia berani juga bisa menentukan keputusannya sendiri, tapi juga sedikit lemah di saat tertentu. Aku suka saat sebuah karakter berkembang dan menjadi lebih kuat dan kita bisa melihat perkembangan itu dengan jelas di Tris. Teman-temannya perhatian, tapi nggak flawless yang membuat mereka terasa nyata. Mereka ada untuk Tris dan melindunginya, tapi di saat yang sama mereka juga berkompetisi dengannya yang menyebabkan jealousy dan rivalry. Aku sangat tertarik untuk mengetahui bagaimana persahabatan ini akan bertahan dan berkembang di buku kedua, karena ada rintangan besar yang akan mereka hadapi.
As for the romance: loved it! Tris and her man (or boy rather) are so cute together dan masuk akal untuk mereka bersama. Aku suka karena mereka sama-sama individu yang kuat yang melengkapi satu sama lain.

Bangunan-bangunan di Divergent keren. Konsep factions menarik, cerdas dan dilaksanakan sangat baik. Setiap faction punya nilai dan keyakinan masing-masing dan itu menjelaskan kenapa beberapa faction tidak akur dengan yang lain. Konsepnya berhubungan dengan permasalahan sekarang-sekarang ini seperti diskriminasi, stereotyping, dan imigrasi. Kita tidak dijelaskan semua factions dengan detail, tapi factions yang dijelaskan sangat menarik dan itu dijelaskan dengan detail. Yes, there were some gaps there ("What about the rest of the world?" would be my first question), but they did not bother me that much because there were so many good things to make up for it.

Alurnya super cepat. Ceritanya punya banyak action packed moments dan dengan cepat pindah dari satu moment menegangkan ke selanjutnya. Actionnya ditulis dengan jelas tapi nggak membosankan, salah satu penulisan action favoritku.

Ini semacam menggangguku yaitu banyak buku adalah 'for fans of the Hunger Games' atau 'better than the Hunger Games'. Yes, I loved the Hunger Games tapi itu udah selesai dan aku nggak mencari for the next Hunger Games tapi lebih ke sesuatu yang baru dan original. Walaupun aku merasa atmosfirnya mirip-mirip Matched.
Aku mengerti sepenuhnya dimana perbandingan dengan Hunger Games datang: keduanya sama-sama punya kick-ass heroines yang harus melakukan hal-hal yang kadang menyimpang dari keyakinan mereka, tapi diperlukan dalam rangka bertahan hidup. Tapi bukan berarti Divergent salinan dari Hunger Games. Buku ini nggak butuh 'approval stamp' Hunger Games karena Divergent original dan unik dan akan menarik banyak pembaca yang menyukai Hunger Games atau tidak.

PS: You can buy it at Periplus ;)

The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2) by Rick Riordan


"Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride."


Available now at PERIPLUS! Bloody hell.. Terlanjur baca ebooknya, kirain belum ada. Di sequel The Red Pyramid ini, muncul beberapa karakter atau trainee baru yaitu Walt, Jaz, etc dan banyak dewa-dewa lainnya. Juga lebih banyak aksi dari buku pertamanya. Interaksi Carter & Sadie yang kadang-kadang berantem tapi juga saling support bikin hubungan kakak beradik ini terasa nyata.

Rick Riordan berhasil menanamkan emosi ke pembaca dengan baik dengan ketegangan, humor, dan narasi yang jelas. Alur ceritanya juga cepat, langsung masuk ke aksi-aksinya Carter & Sadie. Can't wait for the next one!

LOL Sadie, Carter, I'll be on the lookout for your tape!

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter


"It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess."


The Goddess Test? Baca judulnya aja udah langsung bikin tertarik ditambah baca sinopsisnya yang kayaknya lumayan seru. Dan pas baca nama Hades langsung, "Another Nico!" hehe. Dari Maret aku nungguin buku ini keluar sampai akhirnya download ebooknya gara-gara permintaan ARC ke NetGalley nggak disetujuin-_-

Nggak tahu kenapa, tapi buku ini ngingetin aku sama Beauty and The Beast. Kate yang orangnya pemaaf & baik banget ke siapa aja walaupun orang itu jahat sama dia, apalagi sama ibunya. Henry yang terkesan introvert, dingin tapi aslinya baik. Ditambah Kate yang dipaksa tinggal di kastilnya Henry (yang katanya Elysium).

Alurnya lumayan cepet & susah ditebak, love story nya juga bagus, nggak lebay. The Olympians, yang menurutku kemuculan mereka disini jadi agak aneh gara-gara wujud modernnya. Cocok buat yang lagi males baca buku yang konflik nya rumit. Dan yang jelas aku nggak sabar nungguin sequelnya Goddess Interrupted.

Goddess Test Series

Across the Universe by Beth Revis


"Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."


Well, I finished this book about two months ago. HA! And just review it now-_- First, let me assure you I will not SPOIL anything in this book. Except for the use of FREX… Hahaha!!! I love this cuss word… it works. I dunno if anyone has used it before, because I don’t usually read sci-fi, but I like it. I don’t curse… so this one is giggly to me… I can’t help it.

Across the Universe diceritakan dari dua perspektif, Amy dan Elder yang unik. Amy, dibekukan di zaman kita dan bangun di pesawat 250 tahun di masa depan. Dia ini segalanya karakter yang menurutku dipinginin pembaca ada. Dia kuat dan teguh pada pendiriannya sambil terus menegaskan kalau dia itu nggak bersalah. Aku suka dia yang tahu apa yang dia inginkan dan mau mencari cara untuk mendapatkannya. Tapi dia nggak so single-minded sampai membahayakan semuanya untuk keinginannya. Dia punya sesuatu yaitu balance. Nggak cuma itu aja, aku juga suka kekacauan batin yang dia alami. She felt real with real emotions, love and heartbreak.

Elder adalah bagian dari dunia baru tapi dia nggak so far lost onto that we can't relate. Dia cerdas dan selalu ingin tahu, lebih fokus ke mencari kebenaran daripada falling in line sama yang diajarkan Eldest. Hal ini penting banget karena Elder yang akan menjalankan pesawat untuk selanjutnya. Kalau dia ketemu dengan karakter yang lain dan bukan Amy, itu nggak bakal berarti banyak buatnya dibanding rebelling dengan Amy. Tapi fakta bahwa Elder akan mewarisi segalanya dan malah memilih untuk mencari kebenaran bener-bener bikin dia jadi karakter yang luar biasa dan cocok untuk Amy.

Karakter-karakter pendukung juga nggak terlalu diabaikan. Semua orang di rumah sakit terasa nyata dan gampang disukai. Harley terasa hidup dengan setiap kata yang dia ucapin dan Eldest tambah menakutkan di setiap aksinya.

In novel with countless things to fall in love with, mungkin yang terbaik adalah suasana pesawatnya. Mulai dari bahasa, penemuan-penemuan sampai masyarakatnya terasa cukup dekat untuk dikenali tapi cukup asing juga untuk bener-bener diciptakan. Dengan kata-kata seperti "brilly" (dan frexing :D) untuk menakjubkan atau brilian dan penemuan kayak wi-coms (yang pada dasarnya ponsel yang tertanam di telinga kiri semua orang) pembaca bener-bener bisa membayangkan gimana satu hal berubah dari tiap generasi untuk menciptakan dunia tempat Amy bangun.

Berisi dengan penuh karakter yang luar biasa dan dunia baru di atas sebuah pesawat ruang angkasa, Across The Universe is a must read.

Okay, I do realize that my post is so scattered and jumbled up with random updates. I think I’ve abandoned my blog for tad bit too long this time and did I spoil anything? >.<

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand


In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.


If you're thinking, "Oh, no, not another angel book," stop it right now.
Yah, Unearthly emang lagi-lagi buku yang nyeritain tentang angel & nephilim. Awalnya aku juga mikir kayak gitu. But shush and listen for second.

Cerita ini menunjukkan angel dengan cerita yang beda banget dari buku-buku tentang angel yang baru-baru ini terbit. Secara keseluruhan buku ini menceritakan tentang latar belakang keluarga Clara dan keluarganya dan bukan the super-page-turning point di awal cerita alias plotnya lambat. Selesai baca buku ini, sekarang aku nggak bisa nunggu buat seri selanjutnya. Awalnya aku pikir buku ini endingnya nggak bakal se-nggantung ini! Mungkin buku ini bisa dibilang perfect kecuali deskripsinya yang terlalu detail. OK, so how much longer until the sequel?

Mungkin banyak buku tentang angel yang cerita romancenya terlalu cliche dan karakter ceweknya selalu jadi damsel in distress, beda sama Clara yang punya karakter kuat dan gampang disukai; dia ini nggak gampang nyerah, baik, dan seseorang yang pengen kamu jadiin temen. Clara juga nggak lovesick di awal cerita. Pas dia ketemu Angela dan Wendy, dua BFFs barunya, kayak mereka itu satu dari sisi baik dan satu dari sisi jahat. Wendy yang sugary sweet, sedangkan Angela punya sedikit sisi sebagai bagian dari fallen angel juga. Menurutku Angela mungkin bakal punya peran penting di buku selanjutnya. Tentu saja juga ada, the evil elements, Black Wings.

Unearthly bener-bener bacaan yang nggak bisa aku taruh. Christian dan Tucker yang masing-masing menarik dengan cara mereka sendiri. Alur ceritanya nggak terburu-buru atau dipaksain dan predictable di bagian-bagian tertentu, tapi jelas ada liku-liku di sepanjang cerita.

My final say, what do you think of the new angel trend? Do you love it or hate it?

goodreads choice awards Winners


More than 157,000 votes were cast for 460 nominees and thousands of write-in candidates.
Soo, have you seen the winner?
I always like to read "best of" lists. It is an opportunity to learn of new titles that might have passed you by, and it also reminds us readers of current trends. And goodreads is the right place!

Seperti yang saya duga, Mockingjay (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins win the 1# place for Favorite Book of 2010 with 4,601 votes yang jauh lebih tinggi dari urutan kedua, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson with 2,443 votes.

Favorite Book of 2010

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins
4,061 votes

Best Fiction

Room (Hardcover) by Emma Donoghue
1,210 votes


Best Mystery & Thriller

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Hardcover) by Stieg Larsson
2,916 votes
Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, #13; A Memory of Light, #2) by Robert Jordan
451 votes

Best Paranormal Fantasy

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, #10) by Charlaine Harris
1,506 votes

Best Science Fiction

Feed (Newsflesh, #1) by Mira Grant
593 votes

Best Graphic Novels & Comics

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 (Hardcover) by Stephenie Meyer
1,263 votes

Best Poetry

Come on All You Ghosts (Paperback) by Matthew Zapruder
309 votes

Best Nonfiction

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Hardcover) by Rebecca Skloot
1,058 votes


Best Young Adult Fiction

Before I Fall (Hardcover) by Lauren Oliver
859 votes

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins
3,252 votes


Best Middle Grade & Children's Book

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #5) by Jeff Kinney
1,283 votes

Best Cover Art

Torment (Fallen, #2) by Lauren Kate
2,612 votes

You can read the rest of the results HERE!

Mockingjay is everywhere! Dari Favorite Book of 2010, Best Young Adult Fantasy, Favorite Heroine & Favorite Hero. Tahun 2010 emang tahunnya Hunger Games \(--)/
Say bye to 2010 and the vampires, let's welcome the fallen angels to 2011!