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aldoregan's reviews
389 reviews
The Heartbroken Heartbreaker by Sam Madison
4.0
"When you get your heart broken, other people can help you pick the pieces up, but only you can glue the pieces back together."
A good book, whatever genre it may be- fiction or non fiction, fantasy or contemporary, sci-fi or mystery-, will never fail to resonate with you and to leave you thinking about the characters, the story, and the message it holds. This is the reason why I fell in love with this book right off the bat. It was beautifully emotional and real and it made me feel so much- happiness, sadness, anger, confusion, frustration. The writing style was poetic and perfectly written. The main characters were well-crafted and their developments touched my heart in more ways than one.
"Moving on is not forgetting- moving on is being able to remember without feeling awful about it."
My only complaint, to be honest, is that the side characters were literally just there for the heck of it. Aside from Alyssa, the others were ushered to the sidelines and were never given a chance to be in the spotlight. Which was quite disappointing because these characters seemed interesting and they could've been interesting if the author hadn't left them out.
"Some people write to make something ugly beautiful, some write to leave a part of themselves to be remembered, some write to give words soul and meaning, and some write to exist in non-existence."
But overall, this was a book that not only entertained me but also made me feel a shitton of emotions and left me with an endless flowing river of thoughts.
"You can't take shortcuts. You have to go through the bad moments because these roads often lead to other roads that offer good ones."
A good book, whatever genre it may be- fiction or non fiction, fantasy or contemporary, sci-fi or mystery-, will never fail to resonate with you and to leave you thinking about the characters, the story, and the message it holds. This is the reason why I fell in love with this book right off the bat. It was beautifully emotional and real and it made me feel so much- happiness, sadness, anger, confusion, frustration. The writing style was poetic and perfectly written. The main characters were well-crafted and their developments touched my heart in more ways than one.
"Moving on is not forgetting- moving on is being able to remember without feeling awful about it."
My only complaint, to be honest, is that the side characters were literally just there for the heck of it. Aside from Alyssa, the others were ushered to the sidelines and were never given a chance to be in the spotlight. Which was quite disappointing because these characters seemed interesting and they could've been interesting if the author hadn't left them out.
"Some people write to make something ugly beautiful, some write to leave a part of themselves to be remembered, some write to give words soul and meaning, and some write to exist in non-existence."
But overall, this was a book that not only entertained me but also made me feel a shitton of emotions and left me with an endless flowing river of thoughts.
"You can't take shortcuts. You have to go through the bad moments because these roads often lead to other roads that offer good ones."
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
4.0
second read: May 14, 2019
first read: Dec. 19, 2015
NEED THE RAVEN KING NOW.
first read: Dec. 19, 2015
NEED THE RAVEN KING NOW.
1984 by George Orwell
3.0
3.5
1984 is such a terrifying story because it doesn’t shy away from all the cruelty of a negative utopian society. It’s so different from the typical dystopian stories or the books we’ve associated dystopian with— like The Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy, for example. It doesn’t start with a rebellion nor does it end with one. The writing is dark and refuses to shed light to the story. It doesn’t provide the readers with a sense of hope. But the real horror about this book is that it is so realistic. From the way it is told to the way the situations are handled. The fact that it doesn’t end with a hope for a new beginning creeps the hell out of me. Something happens, but that something was definitely unexpected.
It’s not an easy story to get into as it is very slow paced and has a flawed but very unlikeable protagonist. It’s actually more of a philosophical book. It discusses so much about politics and the society and the people living in that society. It’s not merely a book that one would read for entertainment, it’s a book one would read to gain knowledge. Eventhough this didn’t get to make it to my favorites, I still think that this is one of those important literary books everyone should read. It didn’t leave a huge mark on me, but it certainly left me thinking.
1984 is such a terrifying story because it doesn’t shy away from all the cruelty of a negative utopian society. It’s so different from the typical dystopian stories or the books we’ve associated dystopian with— like The Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy, for example. It doesn’t start with a rebellion nor does it end with one. The writing is dark and refuses to shed light to the story. It doesn’t provide the readers with a sense of hope. But the real horror about this book is that it is so realistic. From the way it is told to the way the situations are handled. The fact that it doesn’t end with a hope for a new beginning creeps the hell out of me. Something happens, but that something was definitely unexpected.
It’s not an easy story to get into as it is very slow paced and has a flawed but very unlikeable protagonist. It’s actually more of a philosophical book. It discusses so much about politics and the society and the people living in that society. It’s not merely a book that one would read for entertainment, it’s a book one would read to gain knowledge. Eventhough this didn’t get to make it to my favorites, I still think that this is one of those important literary books everyone should read. It didn’t leave a huge mark on me, but it certainly left me thinking.
Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav
2.0
Lang Leav doesn't have the best poems. Some of her poems didn't really have that much depth to them. Some I felt had no substance at all. But I can understand why so many people have loved her writing. They're very easy to understand and there are no mind-boggling metaphors. Her poems are just very plain but at the same time, pretty because of the words she uses and the feel that readers get when they read them. But upon finishing the book, her poems failed to stick with me and leave a long-lasting impression. Of course, if you want to read poems that will capture your heart and stay with you forever, then this is definitely NOT for you. Although there were some I found quite good, others were too insubstantial for my liking.
There were some poems that I found too ordinary and simplistic. The poem below honestly looked quite similar to what my classmate wrote when we were told to write a poem for our English class.
“The Girl He Loves
There was a man who I once knew,
for me there was no other.
The closer to loving me he grew,
the more he would grow further.
I tried to love him as his friend,
then to love him as his lover;
but he never loved me in the end—
his heart was for another.”
Some I am even embarrassed to actually call "poetry".
“A Well-Dressed Man
His charm
will disarm;
his smile,
in style;
his fashion,
in passion;
his words,
his flirt,
his tie
from his shirt,
to my wrists—
his kiss!
his kiss!
his kiss!”
But I was still able to find little gems in this very flawed book, nonetheless.
“Wallflower
Shrinking in a corner,
pressed into the wall;
do they know I'm present,
am I here at all?
Is there a written rule book,
that tells you how to be—
all the right things to talk about—
that everyone has but me?
Slowly I am withering—
a flower deprived of sun;
longing to belong to—
somewhere or someone.”
“A Way Out
Do you know what it is like,
to lie in bed awake;
with thoughts to haunt
you every night,
of all your past mistakes.
Knowing sleep will set it right—
if you were not to wake.”
“All or Nothing
If you love me
for what you see,
only your eyes would be
in love with me.
If you love me
for what you've heard,
then you would love me
for my words.
If you love
my heart and mind,
then you would love me,
for all that I'm.
But if you don't love
my every flaw,
then you mustn't love me—
not at all.”
There were some poems that I found too ordinary and simplistic. The poem below honestly looked quite similar to what my classmate wrote when we were told to write a poem for our English class.
“The Girl He Loves
There was a man who I once knew,
for me there was no other.
The closer to loving me he grew,
the more he would grow further.
I tried to love him as his friend,
then to love him as his lover;
but he never loved me in the end—
his heart was for another.”
Some I am even embarrassed to actually call "poetry".
“A Well-Dressed Man
His charm
will disarm;
his smile,
in style;
his fashion,
in passion;
his words,
his flirt,
his tie
from his shirt,
to my wrists—
his kiss!
his kiss!
his kiss!”
But I was still able to find little gems in this very flawed book, nonetheless.
“Wallflower
Shrinking in a corner,
pressed into the wall;
do they know I'm present,
am I here at all?
Is there a written rule book,
that tells you how to be—
all the right things to talk about—
that everyone has but me?
Slowly I am withering—
a flower deprived of sun;
longing to belong to—
somewhere or someone.”
“A Way Out
Do you know what it is like,
to lie in bed awake;
with thoughts to haunt
you every night,
of all your past mistakes.
Knowing sleep will set it right—
if you were not to wake.”
“All or Nothing
If you love me
for what you see,
only your eyes would be
in love with me.
If you love me
for what you've heard,
then you would love me
for my words.
If you love
my heart and mind,
then you would love me,
for all that I'm.
But if you don't love
my every flaw,
then you mustn't love me—
not at all.”