I haven't read a book in 5 months. 5 agonizing months of med notes and textbooks without the opportunity to even sneak a novel from time to time. WellI haven't read a book in 5 months. 5 agonizing months of med notes and textbooks without the opportunity to even sneak a novel from time to time. Well, I'm glad that it's winter break here. I finally finished a novel and it feels so revitalizing.
If you'll check my previous reviews of John Green's books you'd know that I didn't really like his works early on. You will also notice the 1 star rating I gave The Fault in Our Stars, and I would gladly shout to the world how much I hated that novel. I'm glad that Turtle All the Way Down proved to be way better, in my opinion. I know there are massive TFIOS fans out there, and I respect your love for the novel.
Turtles All The Way Down didn't disappoint due to a couple factors. One very important thing (for me) is that the novel tackled on very serious issues that most authors wouldn't want to touch or fail when they try to execute on them. Mental health is one of the most pressing issues right now and I'm pleased that John Green dwelled on it well. He showed that it's real. This is one of the biggest problems of people nowadays. Opening up about mental health to begin with might get you a response like "just get over it" or "it's all in your head", but JG made it clear that it's a real problem. You need to seek health. It's not just depression (but he did tackle on it) that you need help from, and all of the things you're feeling are valid. Don't be afraid to seek professional help (the main character did). Not to dwell much on the issue and back to the review now.
The characters are ultimately relatable. This main factor is what's missing in his older novels (once again, for me). Aza, Davis, Daisy, all of them. They're all their own self and none of them felt fake. None of them felt fictional, even though they are. The development of each can clearly be seen and I'm glad he didn't pull any cliche stunt.
The plot is not as bad as I was expecting. It's a bit straightforward but it's satisfying overall. For a YA novel, it packs a punch full of life lessons. This is what YA novels should be consisting of, you can dash a lot of romance but make sure that you're also trying to instil life lessons.
4/5 stars. Not my favorite novel, not even close, but it is commendable. I hope that JG's future novels would be of this calibre, if not better. I'm delighted that I read this novel after my unwanted 5-month break from reading....more
Quick and entertaining read from King. It was an accident that I stumbled upon this novella in a bookstore in Hong Kong and to be honest I forgot abouQuick and entertaining read from King. It was an accident that I stumbled upon this novella in a bookstore in Hong Kong and to be honest I forgot about this being released this year. Can't dwell much on the plot without spoiling, all I can say is that it was really good, but not amazing....more
I am beyond disappointed with this novel. When I tell people that you need to "dumb yourself" down for a novel, I only mean partially. When it comes tI am beyond disappointed with this novel. When I tell people that you need to "dumb yourself" down for a novel, I only mean partially. When it comes to this series, you need to dumb yourself down to the point of acting like you're a grade schooler. I cannot reiterate it enough, and I've said it in all my reviews of the series, this is the worst kind of writing I have ever encountered in the YA genre. It's not cheesy, but it's just unbelievable and dumb. Teenagers don't talk that way, and surely they don't need the author to shove down their throats what she wants to portray. Honestly the writing is really taking a toll on the plot and overall enjoyment. I let it go with book 4 because damn that novel is really good (plot wise) but this one didn't even have a great plot and the writing just keeps getting worse as the series goes by. The plot twists are all over the place and felt forced unlike the first 4 novels. The novel felt rushed and it's making me think that the series is stretched way too much than it should've been. Hopefully the last(?) novel of the series coming out early 2018 would be much better than this. Might not read anything written by this author again if the writing does not improve. 2.5/5 stars, such a shame....more
It's awful how I compare novels of the similar genre-plots. This is a bit similar to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (a novel I rated 5 stars) and sadly iIt's awful how I compare novels of the similar genre-plots. This is a bit similar to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (a novel I rated 5 stars) and sadly it influenced how much I enjoyed this one. I know it's shallow and wrong to compare but the both novels tackle on time traveling and/or multiverses. If I read this novel first, I honestly might have rated this 5 stars.
While I only rated this 4.5, I can assure you that it was one hell of an awesome ride. I enjoyed Mastai's take on time traveling and its consequences. I like how the plot progressed and the impact it has on the characters. While this novel is a whole lot more plot-driven, the characters are still really enjoyable and a bit relatable. I'm more of a character-driven novel reader, but this novel really hit the spot. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, especially a plot like time traveling. This is another perfect example of a page turner. You might ask why it took me almost a month to finish this novel, and I can assure you that it had nothing to do with the novel itself and how much I enjoyed it. I'm very busy with my last year of pre-med and it's a treat to even be able to read a single chapter per day. I'm glad though that I finally finished this. I enjoyed the ending, and the last parts are action packed and will make you finish the novel as soon as possible.
Sci-Fi novels are honestly a bit hard to recommend. It's a matter of personal taste and if you like the specific sub-genre itself. If you like time travel plots or multiverse themed novels, then don't hesitate to pick this one up and read it as fast as you can. I've seen numerous reviews tackling on bad characters and forgettable plot, but like I said, it's a matter of personal preference. I myself enjoyed the plot and the characters, so it's my opinion to highly recommend this novel. If the author decides to write another novel, it's most likely that I'll read it....more
I've been interested to read a bunch of classics lately, and this was one of the most anticipated ones. Most of the classics out there are quite diffiI've been interested to read a bunch of classics lately, and this was one of the most anticipated ones. Most of the classics out there are quite difficult to read because of the writing, but this one didn't have that common problem. The writing is not that hard to get used to. There are a lot of unfamiliar and complex words, but isn't that one of the great things about reading? You enjoy and learn at the same time.
The plot is timeless, and I'm a sucker for good vs. evil plots. It's a risky subject to tackle on though, because it can lead to certain annoying cliches. This novel was written in the 1800s, and it should be considered an original work. The plot didn't feel cliche to me at all, on the contrary, it felt original and terrific. Dr. Jekyll represents the good side of humanity, while Mr. Hyde represents the dark and evil side. What Stevenson tries to convey is that the evil side will always resurface no matter how hard you try to bury it deep inside. You can only fool yourself if you think that there can only be good in the world. Sooner or later that evil side will start creeping back and overpowering the good. It's human nature to be filled with evil desires, and it's how we suppress it that matters. This is not the first good vs. evil book I've read, but it is one of the good ones. Nothing has beaten The Stand by Stephen King though, so I might be a bit biased when it comes to this particular topic.
4/5 stars. Splendid writing coupled with a terrific plot. I'm not quite sure why I'm so drawn to Classics lately, but I'm glad that I've read good ones to start with....more
*The second paragraph contains spoilers, I'd steer clear of it if you haven't read the novel*
The Plague is a depressing novel about the bubonic plague*The second paragraph contains spoilers, I'd steer clear of it if you haven't read the novel*
The Plague is a depressing novel about the bubonic plague. Well, that's the main gist of it, but it's mostly about how the people dealt with such unexpected horror. At first I was painfully stricken at how lifeless and boring the characters are, but the last chapter changed my perception of the novel. They are lifeless because the narrator is speaking based on his observations. He can't account for what the others are feeling, so he can only describe what he can see. He himself is part of this plague-driven city, so he tries to express how the others felt by expressing his own grief and sadness. I honestly hate novels that are not character driven, and honestly this novel should be no different, but the plot made up for it. It's thought provoking and full of allegories, symbolisms, and speculations.
It's funny how the people who got quarantined chose to live their lives the dullest way that they could possibly do. They are merely surviving, and not living their lives. The worst way to live your life is to live it without knowing your true purpose and happiness. I know the plague was a devastating and life changing event, but it's how you learn to live with the consequences that counts. You can't dwell on the negatives and expect things to get better. Without the motivation to find a cure, the mere seclusion of the people would not have sufficed. Sooner or later there would be cases outside of the quarantined area, and without people trying to find a cure, it would mean total eradication. The Plague teaches you that in every devastating situation, there will always be a way out of it. The last paragraph of the book completely makes my opinion invalid, but only if you are to take in the literal sense. The author states that the Bacillus (etiological agent of the bubonic plague), hasn't been completely eradicated and would surface again in the future. He implies that past mistakes shouldn't be repeated. People now know how to stop the sickness from progressing, so what happened in the past shouldn't happen again in the future. Ignorance is one way to get yourself killed, and only you can fix that problem.
I've read numerous reviews tackling on different ideas that this novel tries to portray, and I agree with most of them. I'm a bit of a beginner when it comes to classics and speculative fiction, but I'm vastly interested to explore more of the genre. My idea/s might be incorrect, I understand that, but hopefully no one would try to belittle me in the comments section. Let's try to discuss ideas like adults in the comments section. It's always fun to educate other people, but in the right manner. Don't be an ignorant asshole who thinks that all his ideas are correct and cannot be changed.
This novel is only a few pages more than 300, but it took me 12 days to finish this. It's dense and doesn't really have a fast pace to it. Don't get me wrong though, I enjoyed this novel a lot despite some dull parts here and there. I'm just busy with life, and haven't really set my priorities straight, thus resulting to slower reading.
4/5 stars. One of the most thought provoking novels I've read. I've yet to analyze much more about the plot, but it's 4 am and I'm feeling a bit sleepy. It's fun to talk about and analyze classics because they have substance. It's not just a novel to entertain, but it's also to educate and inspire. I can't wait to read more of Camus' works. Such a great author discovered, and I highly recommend this novel....more
After reading the first 2 novels in the series I expected the third one to be amazing. The plot didn't really improve much from the first 2, and I notAfter reading the first 2 novels in the series I expected the third one to be amazing. The plot didn't really improve much from the first 2, and I noticed that this book has a lot of fillers and unnecessary and annoying YA cliches. The forced relationships aren't as amusing as the writer intended them to be. The characters are still as good as they are, but the relationship/s the author is forcefully trying to work with is laughable. I complained about the writing last time and honestly the it isn't improving. I noticed that the writing gets even dumber here in the third novel. There are a lot of bullshit lines that it feels like she's shoving a spoon down your throat because of all the spoon feeding. Young adults are not stupid, they can interpret symbolisms and figure out the meaning of complex words. If the plot isn't as good as it is at this point, I wouldn't even continue on with the series. Fortunately for the author I'm still invested in the series despite her terrible writing. I know it's a bit harsh to go all out on her writing but it's really annoying considering I've read three novels of the series already. I'm going to take a short(hopefully) break from the series because I'm a bit burnt out and I don't normally do marathons of series anyway. 2.5/5 stars, hopefully the next one would have better writing and a terrific plot....more
It took me almost a month to read this novel. I know sometimes how look it took me to finish a novel didn't really correlate to my enjoyment, but thisIt took me almost a month to read this novel. I know sometimes how look it took me to finish a novel didn't really correlate to my enjoyment, but this time it did. I didn't enjoy this novel that much for the most part. To be precise, I only started to get invested in the plot around 75% in. That's way too long for plot and character development.
My main issue with this novel is the characters. They are alarmingly unlikeable. Alarming in a way that the author is known (to me) as a good character driven novel writer. The plot is mysterious, but honestly it is a bit all over the place. The pacing isn't commendable either. The characters are not introduced well enough to distinguish one from another. It took me about 25% to be fully aware that Jules is not Nell, and vice versa. I don't think the problem is with me this time, it's really the novel.
2.5/5 stars. If it wasn't for the last 25% of the novel, I would have rated this one star. The ending is a bit melodramatic and tried to be a "plot twister" but failed miserably. I rounded up because it's been months since my last review and weirdly it doesn't really feel like a 2 star novel for me. Terribly disappointed with the author considering I really enjoyed her first novel. If she writes another novel though I'm sure that I'll still give it a try. ...more
The book did improve a lot compared to the first book but the writing is still terribly shallow. I know it's a young adult book but the writing could'The book did improve a lot compared to the first book but the writing is still terribly shallow. I know it's a young adult book but the writing could've been done by a 12 year old. The writing will make you cringe a lot and it makes the situation a lot less interesting.
While the writing is as terrible as spoiled milk, the plot makes up for it. I've read a couple of rants stating that this is too similar to Game of Thrones, and I do have to agree, but I still enjoyed it a lot. There are revelations and plot twists in the end that will make you want to continue on with the series. I might jump right ahead to book 3, unless I find something else to read. 4/5 stars...more
After weeks of avoiding the process of writing this review, I finally found time to write this. It's the hardest thing to do though. Writing a review After weeks of avoiding the process of writing this review, I finally found time to write this. It's the hardest thing to do though. Writing a review for the last novel of the trilogy/series that you really like. It's hard to do an in-depth review of a novel that you love without spoiling, so I guess this review is not spoiler free. Read at your own risk after this paragraph, but nothing specific will be spoiled, but I might mention some general outcomes though.
After giving the first two novels of the trilogy 5 stars, I have nothing but impossibly high expectations for this last novel. The plot is nowhere near done after the second book, so it's up to this one to give us closure. I didn't want it to be one of those cliche trilogies wherein authors give a bullshit ending and come up with several novellas that realistically ruins the whole series because of all the stretching out of a supposedly finished plot. V.E Schwab didn't do that in this particular case, because she gave closure to the trilogy. Not just a mediocre ending, but a perfect one. She knew how to wrap things up and I'm glad that I took my time reading this. I don't really mind that it took me almost the full month of March to finish this novel. When I love a certain novel I try my best not to rush things even if it's a page-turner. That applies especially to last books of series/trilogies as compared to when I know that there will be another novel out in the near future.
The plot thickens as evil tries to win and take over the Londons. It's funny how a main villain has been introduced first in the second novel (if I remember correctly) and only really appears in the third and last one. You'd think that the villain would be underdeveloped, but no, he proved to be ruthless and the author managed to make him a lot interesting than what I was expecting. Aside from the tremendously exciting plot, the characters are fully developed at this point and further made the trilogy spectacular. By this point, I was fully invested to know the outcome of my favorite characters of all time. Kell, Rhy, and Lila are one of my favorites in this series, and of all time. It's interesting to read about their journey from book one till the end. The last chapter made me a bit teary eyed because of the outcome. They all got what they wanted, and so much more. I've never felt so attached to the characters of a novel as much as I am with the three of them. So much plot twists and shocking events happens in this novel that I wasn't even expecting to happen.
I honestly don't know how to get over this amazing novel. This whole trilogy will be the epitome of a book hangover. I don't think I would ever find a better or even an equally amazing series/trilogy. I don't even think the author herself can come up with something better than this, but who knows, I hope she could knock me off my seat. If she can come up with something better, then I can officially consider her as the best fantasy author (just my opinion).
If you're reading this review, then it's apparent that you've read the first two novels, or you've read this third one (if you read my warning in the first paragraph). I hope to find someone who hates this concluding novel. I want to know why someone would hate this masterpiece and discuss it like adults. I've done nothing but recommend this series and to hear about a contradicting idea would be good.
5/5 stars. One of my favorite series ever, and a reread will happen soon enough. Excuse this bad review though, I haven't really written a real review in months, but I just had to make one for this because more people should read this trilogy. Hopefully the author would release more novels in the future and write something better than this. I will never move on from the fact that this trilogy is over. Highest recommendation I can give, knock yourself out. You're in for an amazing ride....more
The audiobook version of this series is really good. Terrific narrator, and this novel almost made me give the book a 5 star rating, but it's still laThe audiobook version of this series is really good. Terrific narrator, and this novel almost made me give the book a 5 star rating, but it's still lacking a bit more. Can't wait to listen to the next novel, or maybe read it....more
Don't you just enjoy the classic dystopian stories written years ago with the intent of forewarning the people of the possible horrible things that arDon't you just enjoy the classic dystopian stories written years ago with the intent of forewarning the people of the possible horrible things that are likely to happen to the world? There are numerous classics that tackle the said topic and I've only read 3(that I can recall), including this one. I can consider liking this book, but not as much as 1984. 1984 tries to show you that people oppress the terrible things that are happening, while Brave New World is the opposite, showing that people want to be controlled. They are created to follow a supreme group and that is their life goal. I'm a huge sci-fi fan, so I found the first part of the novel very intriguing. As the novel progressed though, my enthusiasm for it faltered off. The characters start to get a bit dull and annoying, and the plot got really messy.
3/5 stars. I really wanted to enjoy this novel considering I'm a huge sucker for dystopian novels, but unfortunately this novel just didn't hit the right spot. I'm hoping to try this again in the future, and hopefully I'd enjoy it more then. I believe there's a sequel of this novel, and I'm still invested enough to go ahead and try it.
I hope no one notices how dull and boring this review is. This is the first real review I've written in months. I hope to get back in the game though, because writing reviews is sometimes just as fun as reading the novel....more
HOLY SHIT I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!! Might have to sleep first and ponder upon my thoughts but all I can say is that this book is truly amazing and liveHOLY SHIT I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!! Might have to sleep first and ponder upon my thoughts but all I can say is that this book is truly amazing and lives up to the "hype" it had years ago. Will write my review tomorrow....more