Book Review: The Passage (The Passage #1) by Justin Cronin

Buy The Passage by Justin Cronin? click here :)

SPOILERS FREE!

Year Published: 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 784
Rating: 

In case, you don't know.. I read this book because of Joseph Morgan.. If you guys don't know him, google him.. It's been a long time since I really like an actor and considering myself as a fan. haha.. I like many actors and actresses, but never really thought myself as a fan.. but this time, I make an exception ;)

4.5 stars! - SPOILER FREE!

This is one of those books that could catch me off my guard.. I just can't seem to formulate coherent thoughts of what I felt after finishing this book. It was just a mix of anxieties.

It took me a while to finish this book, other than the monstrosity of how thick this book is, there is also a busy life to live.. work and everything, mostly the limited time.. but what a journey and experience reading this book.

I don't think people who can not bear a really slow and long development of a story-line can enjoy this book. But if you are patient enough and up for the long, intricate, and complexed details of a story, this book probably is for you. Because there were so much of it. I think it was from the start till well most of the stories anw.. xp There were actions here and there, but mostly the story was about a journey.. a very long one and a-very-not-smooth one. There were just so many things happened, and most of them were unexpected. Surprises and puzzles of why things happened the way it was happening were kinda overwhelming.

Okay so let's talk about the book.

This book is a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic/dystopian/adult fiction.

So basically, this was a story about a journey of the-descended-survivors in the post-apocalyptic world.. The world in the state of apocalypse because of things human-made during the Time Before. Humans created through experiment monsters (or twelve of them) that were becoming disaster when all of them broke free from their containment-facility. And their escape has created pandemic that crossing all over the states (in the USA) and created more monsters or virals. And for sure, it put down the history of human. These monsters were like vampires. So it was really interesting to read. Instead of as supernatural/paranormal creatures, vampires in this book were human-worst-made-creation. and speaking about the Twelve, there were more about them than what it seemed. They were like the originals (hah, I can't think straight when I said that.. ) and the kings of the virals (Volturi to the Twilight world) xp

The story line. I can divide the book into two parts. First, the pre-apocalyptic story. It was the intro story of how these things happened. In this book, they called it "The Time Before". and the second part, the post-apocalyptic one, where the journey and everything began. When people were starting to find answers and actually do something about it. At this point, it was like I was watching "The Walking Dead" tv series. and I love TWD, so I really enjoyed the process of the reading and the development of the story. The story was detailed and complexed. But it was amazing to see how the story developed and gave so many surprises. I like how the world setting and everything were able to shape the story itself. It was like the story was alive and forced everyone to live in such a state. Although, in the Time Before, we learned that everything happened because of humans.

It told the story from the 3rd person perspective of multi-characters in the book.. It was confusing at first, especially at the middle of the book or at the time when the story was set in the colony. There were quite many characters in the book, so sometime it was difficult to keep track on who was who.. haha.. but I got the hang of it after some pages (thou sometimes I had to get back to previous chapter to read about which characters was who). Other than the main casts (whether it was in pre- or post- apocalyptic world) were really amazing characters. I could actually feel their personal and emotional growth. So that was one of the great things about the book.

As many good story went on, it has a crazy ending. And it was told in the way that made me stunned. Okay, crazy! CRAZY!

oh and one more thing, it was like the sense of time in this book stopped. and somehow it also influenced the story (well, that was how I felt ;) )

And am actually pretty excited to read the sequel (thou I don't know when will I read it.. ) xp

Alright then... up to the next read.. :)

Book Review (a slightly out of ordinary one): The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Spoilers Free!

Year Published: 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 448 pages
Rating: 

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with the eBook :)

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

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Since yesterday (15 Feb 2013), I am officially an emotional-wrecked! Thanks to a certain vampire tv series and its angst/tragic/beautiful ship that is my current ultimate OTP. YES! I am talking about you, #TVD S04E14!



And today, I finished reading this book (16 Feb 2013), and it just adds more emotional battle in my heart and soul..



I don't expect that I can be more emotionally-exhausted-and-drained after yesterday.. But it seems it's very much possible..

coz now I am just full of feels and emotions.. and I just don't know what to do..



Okay, so let's talk about this book..

WHAT WITH ALL OF THESE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS??? You guys ruin my life.. huhu (not that I am complaining thou..).. But still... what you guys have done to me?!

Nastya and Josh..... what I can say about them... I feel for these two so much.. Two people who were coming from two different worlds and have their own messed up lives with terrible histories.. They were facing their own demon and isolated from people around them.. Then it was like fate and destiny had their own plan to have these two met and saved each other..

This book has a very beautiful story line, amazing writing, and great character developments..

Like seriously, I don't know what to write, coz I just feel so much when I read this book.. It was like I could feel what these characters feel.. 

I love how are these characters were written.. especially for Nastya and Josh as the female and male leads in this book. How their characters were shaped from their painful pasts that had caused them to be socially isolated and misunderstood. Although, they were still very much admirable! How strong they were in facing uncertainties in life and how they fought and saved each other.. it was really beautiful and heartfelt.. It just seemed like they were different, but actually they were the same..I could also kinda relate to other characters in the book who were pretty awesome as well.

Then the story line.... I enjoyed the SL so much.. It was great and captivating! love how the writing kinda make the story easy to digest, but still without losing its charms and purpose..

I put this book in the category of New-Adult book.. This one works for me like charm! I love it! definitely goes to my favorite books category..

I got this ebook for review, and I most certain will love to buy a copy of this.. It was just such a beautiful read.. and wish I can hug the writer.... *sending Katja Millay a virtual hugs..*


This was (and still is) my favorite lines from the book:
"Maybe one day you'll come back, Maybe you never will and that'll suck, but you can't keep doing this. The blame and the self-loathing and the bullshit. I can't watch that. It makes me hate you for hating yourself. I don't want to lose you. But I'd rather lose you if it means you'll be happy. I think if you come back with me today, you'll never be okay. And I'll never be okay if you aren't. I need to know that there's away for people like us to end up okay. I need to know that there even is such a thing as okay, or maybe not just okay, maybe even good, and it's out there and we just haven't found it yet. There's got to be a happier ending than this here. There's got to be a better story. Because we deserve one. You deserve one. Even if it doesn't end with you coming back to me."

Maybe my only problem was just, I continued reading this book till finish after I watched a very emotional scene on TVD 4x14, especially Klaroline scenes.. and I just could not help to have Feels-Attack.. coz Nastya and Josh kinda remind me of Klaus and Caroline.. (in their own very way..)

And suddenly I think of this..... O(T^T)O



Sorry for this slightly weird review.. At the moment I am just having so much emotions going on for these four characters.. so it was kinda mixed and I just can not help myself to feel it that way.. hiks.. fictional characters you are going to be the death of me..



*Gifs are not mine, they are belonged to their respectful owners who are very awesome people! ;*

Book Review (SPOILERS FREE!): Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles Series #1)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

SPOILERS FREE!

Year Published: 2012
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 390
Rating: 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizenwith a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

me after reading Cinder:

I can't properly function right now............. I just need to read the sequel at this second!....... (T^T)

Btw..... it's.....

SOLID FIVE GOLD STARS! (and maybe more.........)!

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK! This book has exceeded my expectation!

At first, I was kinda reluctant to read this book.. It was just because it's a retelling story of Cinderella with Cyborgs in it.. and it did not sound appealing to me.. and oh dear God, how happy I am to be proven soooo wrong........ I thank everyone who kept forcing me to read this book.. I need to have a group hug..

This book goes easily directly to my all time fave books! This book is so amazing! ultra-awesome! It's Dystopian! It's Post-apocalyptic! It's Sci-Fi!

I love the story-line! Probably one of the best story-lines I ever read.. It has the right pace, right amount of action, mysteries, conspiracies, and romance, and importantly, great story development. What I like the most from Cinder was that although you can guess a certain thing, but it still can surprise and shock you, thanks to the great timing of revealing that thing..

One other thing that I really love is its originality. Despite of being a retelling book of Cinderella story, it still owned its story-line. It's original and unique. Totally no-where near Cinderella story.. xp

The characters......................... AMAZING Characterization of these awesome fictional characters, whether they are the antagonists or the protagonists.. You just can not help to get drawn with so much feelings to these characters.. Love how Marissa wrote these characters <3 I love Cinder and Kai chemistry, I just love these two characters a lot.. then there is also Dr. Erland, not so much of him, but he is one interesting character.. then Queen Levana, Adri, and Pearl, I hate these three characters with all my being.. haha..

I wonder what had Marissa Meyer been thinking when she wrote this book, how she got the idea.. Because I am still mesmerized by the world setting of this book.. and the story line... and Thank God, I already pre-ordered Scarlett, the sequel of Cinder.. Can't wait to read it.. The ending of this book was quite a cliffhanger!

If you haven't read this book, I strongly urge you to go to a bookstore or open any of book-shopping online website and get this book! It's really a great read! <3