It's always nice to look back and see how much of an impact each book has given you within a four-week time span so without further ado, let's jump in and discuss the six books I managed to finish in August:
A Curse So Dark and Lonely follows the story of Rhen, a crown prince of a cursed kingdom called Emberfall. With autumn being the only season for years, Rhen is obligated to make a girl fall in love with him in order to break the spell. However, years have passed and Rhen has failed each time. As a consequence, a deadly beast inside Rhen will be unleashed at the end of every season and there's nothing Rhen—or Grey, his commander—can do about it. Meanwhile, a young girl named Harper lives in Washington, DC with her mom and brother Jake. With her dad leaving them in debt and her mom being very sick, it's a tough life she's living. However, when an inevitable force summons her into Emberfall, Harper finds herself stuck in it and there's nothing she can do except try to survive.
Despite my initial struggle throughout the beginning chapters, A Curse So Dark and Lonely was still an overall enjoyable read for me. It might have started out only as an okay, but it certainly got much better that at some point it eventually got me hooked. Even I still couldn't believe that the last few chapters managed to impress me as much as I couldn't believe that Harper did pull off the Princess of Disi facade—it was one thing to be amused and another thing to still adore the twist in the ending even when you had sort of seen it coming.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read A Curse So Dark and Lonely)
A Heart So Fierce and Broken explores the story of Commander Grey who turns out to be the legitimate heir of Emberfall. Not wanting the crown for himself, Grey flees and goes by the name Hawk while Rhen still doesn't know anything about his supposed-to-be brother except that he is half a magesmith. One day, Grey is accidentally discovered by one of Rhen's armies and is forced to return to the castle but instead of telling Rhen the truth, Grey takes his chance and flees to Syhl Shallow with Karis Luran's oldest daughter, Lia Mara, who tries to convince him to stand against Rhen for the good of Emberfall.
I would say I enjoyed this book even more than I already did IF I saw it as a standalone and not in any way related to A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Seeing Rhen being painted as the bad guy in the first half of this book didn’t seem right even if it was done unintentionally. So to sum up, A Heart So Fierce and Broken had a very interesting premise in spite of the disappointing character development.
(It's a local book so I'm gonna write the review in Bahasa)
Once Upon A Star bercerita tentang dua orang remaja bernama Milton dan Andrea yang tinggal di California. Keduanya sama-sama gak memiliki orang tua, tapi bedanya, Andrea tinggal di panti asuhan sedangkan Milton diasuh oleh walinya dengan harta yang gak habis-habis. Cerita pun dimulai saat sekolah Milton melakukan kunjungan ke panti asuhan tempat Andrea tinggal. Mereka pun bertemu, dan ketertarikan Milton pun langsung muncul. Untungnya tidak lama setelah itu, mereka masuk ke satu sekolah yang sama. Namun setelah Milton dan Andrea mulai dekat, rahasia yang selama ini dipendam kedua keluarga malah terbongkar.
Overall, buku ini memang gak sebegitu cocok sama saya, tapi bagi teman-teman yang suka teenlit dan fantasi, buku ini boleh banget dicoba. Karakter-karakter di buku ini pun gak terlalu banyak, jadi mudah membedakan setiap tokohnya. Tapi kalau ngomongin romance di antara tokoh-tokohnya, mereka jelas-jelas insta-love banget. Untungnya, pace novel ini cepat. Meskipun di awal-awal cerita ini berpusat di sekitar kisah cinta Milton dan Andrea saja, pembaca gak akan terlalu lama terfokus ke sana karena alurnya tetap bergerak maju terus. Bahasanya, meski mirip bahasa terjemahan, terasa mengalir banget. Betul-betul nyaris gak ada salah ketik, meski ada beberapa kata yang menurut saya penempatannya kurang pas.
4. On The Come Up by Angie Thomas (reread)
On The Come Up follows the story of a sixteen-year-old Brianna Jackson who wants to be a professional rapper while trying to graduate from high school. Sadly, there are of things in life Bri can’t control: her Dad who used to be a rap legend was shot to death when she was a kid; she and the other black students are being treated unfairly at school; a lot of people on the internet accuse her of being someone she isn't; while her family is now struggling to pay bills as they barely have enough money for food and electricity. Needless to say, Bri doesn't only want to make it—she needs to make it to save her Mom, her brother Trey, and possibly her Aunt Pooh too.
Overall, On The Come Up was amazing. It might not conclude a perfect ending for everyone but it certainly came up with a satisfying conclusion considering the fact that it was very important for Bri to be able to find her true self through this hardship while gaining the courage to speak up. So even though I still liked The Hate U Give more, On The Come Up deserves its own spotlight and I think everyone should read it at least once in a lifetime.
Steelheart follows the story of Epics, people who were randomly granted different superpowers from a burst in the sky called Calamity. This phenomenon has happened for about a decade, meaning it has been ten years since David's father was killed by an Epic called Steelheart who is now infamously known as the new ruler of Newcago. Encouraged by the old wound, David determines to get revenge but in order to do that he has to make a grand plan by first joining the Reckoners, a nomadic group whose ultimate duty is to kill as many Epics as possible.
All in all, Steelheart was a very good book. Exploring an awesome group like the Reckoners, I found it hard not to admire each of the members. I would happily recommend Steelheart to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I think you'll love the story as much as you'll love the jaw-dropping plot twists in the end, though let me give you a piece of advice beforehand: beware, the little details could be tricky so don't let anything fool you.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Steelheart)
Firefight starts one year after Steelheart was killed by David Charleston who is now known as the Steelslayer. Officially being a part of the Reckoners team, David tries his best to keep Newcago safe from the attack of other Epics. However, something strange happens along with their attempts to kill each of the Reckoners members: the Epics seem to come in an unusual pattern that Prof finally decides to bring Tia and David to Babylon Restored. Ruled by a dangerous High Epic called Regalia, Babylar is a very strange place to say the least. With three different Reckoners members named Val, Exel, and Missy, the three seek to discover Regalia's plan. Meanwhile, David believes that there must be a way for Epics to be better. With everyone dismissing his idea, David is determined to make a success of it through Firefight.
If you're looking for a book that defines the meaning of fast-paced and captivating action sequences, this book might be the solution. Starting out okay, this book developed amazingly towards the ending that it's hard for me to put it down even for a little while. In conclusion, Firefight was a significant second book which progressed deliberately and overall spectacular. Getting more of David and Megan was another thing I was very excited about, considering how much they had grown on me since the last I saw the two were paired up.
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