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aldoregan's reviews
389 reviews
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
3.0
second read: april 25, 2019
this is such a fun book to read ! the whimsical feel to it is just nothing that i’ve ever felt in other books. i particularly love the characters and their relationships to one another, but the storyline itself also has its charm and easily pulls me right back in. i’m so glad i reread this bc it really brought back nostalgic feelings!
4/5 stars
first read: december 4, 2015
4.5 STARRRSSSSS :D
this is such a fun book to read ! the whimsical feel to it is just nothing that i’ve ever felt in other books. i particularly love the characters and their relationships to one another, but the storyline itself also has its charm and easily pulls me right back in. i’m so glad i reread this bc it really brought back nostalgic feelings!
4/5 stars
first read: december 4, 2015
4.5 STARRRSSSSS :D
Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
3.0
“Sometimes the outside is safer than the inside.”
The thing about Young Adult Mystery novels is it’s always either a hit or miss for me, no in-betweens. And it’s kinda sad because most of the YA mystery contemporary books that I’ve read are underwhelming. I always try to lower my expectations whenever I read a book of that genre even if the blurb completely catches my interest. I try to stay in the safe zone so that I wouldn’t end up being disappointed. Little Monsters by Kara Thomas was not an exception. I can’t say if this was a hyped book because I was sort of off the grid from the book community at the time of its release, but I can say that a lot of the reviews that I read about this book were positive ones. Now, you’re probably thinking that after reading those reviews, I’ve hyped myself up for this book but you’re completely wrong. Like I said, staying on the safe zone. So I didn’t have any expectations when I started this book. I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It’s certainly not the best mystery contemporary book out there, but it stood levels higher compared to its “peers” or its “co-genres”.
Little Monsters is a mixture of mystery and psychological thriller. I love the way that the story played with my mind. How it led me to theorize on what really happened and how it made me doubt the characters, even the main ones. I also love that the surprise factor was there. It didn’t fail to catch me off-guard. The characters were well-written, as well. Mental instabilities are evident throughout the book and it’s so interesting (and scary) to know what goes on in that kind of person’s head. There was also an element of misdirection which I think is a clever way to play with the readers. There was actually a moment when I thought (or assumed) that this would go in a Gone Girl direction and I could actually picture it clearly in my head. However, I am also glad that it didn’t go down that road and instead drove to an entirely different route.
This book had its weak points, but that doesn’t mean this wasn’t good. It was suspenseful, mysterious, thrilling, unpredictable. It gave me what I wanted from a mystery book and that’s what really matters.
The thing about Young Adult Mystery novels is it’s always either a hit or miss for me, no in-betweens. And it’s kinda sad because most of the YA mystery contemporary books that I’ve read are underwhelming. I always try to lower my expectations whenever I read a book of that genre even if the blurb completely catches my interest. I try to stay in the safe zone so that I wouldn’t end up being disappointed. Little Monsters by Kara Thomas was not an exception. I can’t say if this was a hyped book because I was sort of off the grid from the book community at the time of its release, but I can say that a lot of the reviews that I read about this book were positive ones. Now, you’re probably thinking that after reading those reviews, I’ve hyped myself up for this book but you’re completely wrong. Like I said, staying on the safe zone. So I didn’t have any expectations when I started this book. I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It’s certainly not the best mystery contemporary book out there, but it stood levels higher compared to its “peers” or its “co-genres”.
Little Monsters is a mixture of mystery and psychological thriller. I love the way that the story played with my mind. How it led me to theorize on what really happened and how it made me doubt the characters, even the main ones. I also love that the surprise factor was there. It didn’t fail to catch me off-guard. The characters were well-written, as well. Mental instabilities are evident throughout the book and it’s so interesting (and scary) to know what goes on in that kind of person’s head. There was also an element of misdirection which I think is a clever way to play with the readers. There was actually a moment when I thought (or assumed) that this would go in a Gone Girl direction and I could actually picture it clearly in my head. However, I am also glad that it didn’t go down that road and instead drove to an entirely different route.
This book had its weak points, but that doesn’t mean this wasn’t good. It was suspenseful, mysterious, thrilling, unpredictable. It gave me what I wanted from a mystery book and that’s what really matters.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
3.0
Intriguing. Engaging. Thrilling. Sinister. Dark.
This book kept me on edge until the end. You have no idea how many characters in this book I've accused as the suspect. It wasn't until I've reached 70% of the book that I finally figured out everything. And I was right!
I think what mostly made the main characters more interesting was because they were all horrible. They were basically ruining their own lives. But even though these characters were nowhere near likeable, I still felt sorry for them in a way. I mainly felt sympathy towards Rachel. Her life is so sad and depressing and she won't even pick herself up, start all over again, and just change her whole life entirely for the better. She was so stubborn. I couldn't help but feel frustrated and sorry for her at the same time.
This story is narrated by three women. A drunkard, a cheat, and a liar. These three were unreliable as hell. I didn't know who to believe or what to believe.
The pace was a bit slow at first (like the first hundred pages), then after it picks up pace it becomes really intriguing and thrilling and you won't be able to stop brainstorming about what really happened.
What's so great about this book was it was so dark not just because of the storyline but because of the characters as well. So the whole time you're reading from either of the three's point of view, you get this really sinister vibe.
I don't know if the movie is going to be confusing, misleading, and good as the book was but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
This book kept me on edge until the end. You have no idea how many characters in this book I've accused as the suspect. It wasn't until I've reached 70% of the book that I finally figured out everything. And I was right!
I think what mostly made the main characters more interesting was because they were all horrible. They were basically ruining their own lives. But even though these characters were nowhere near likeable, I still felt sorry for them in a way. I mainly felt sympathy towards Rachel. Her life is so sad and depressing and she won't even pick herself up, start all over again, and just change her whole life entirely for the better. She was so stubborn. I couldn't help but feel frustrated and sorry for her at the same time.
This story is narrated by three women. A drunkard, a cheat, and a liar. These three were unreliable as hell. I didn't know who to believe or what to believe.
The pace was a bit slow at first (like the first hundred pages), then after it picks up pace it becomes really intriguing and thrilling and you won't be able to stop brainstorming about what really happened.
What's so great about this book was it was so dark not just because of the storyline but because of the characters as well. So the whole time you're reading from either of the three's point of view, you get this really sinister vibe.
I don't know if the movie is going to be confusing, misleading, and good as the book was but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Before I Fall Enhanced by Lauren Oliver
3.0
Movie Review:
Before I Fall was an exceptionally well done movie. For someone who has read the book, I can say that I am really satisfied with how the book to movie adaptation turned out to be. It stayed true to the book, so it was just like I was seeing the book come to life. It still triggered emotions, and captured hearts. It was still an emotional and dramatic rollercoaster that will leave the audience to think of life in a different perspective. And it was still a story that has such a meaningful message to tell. The only major change was that she didn't wake up at the exact same day for seven days, but it really didn't affect the storyline. Also, I'd like to point out that movie Sam was definitely better than book Sam. Book Sam was hard to sympathize with because she was a character who was easy to dislike. The only time I actually got to like her was during the last chapter, the seventh and last day. Whereas movie Sam was the complete opposite. It was easier to like her and it was easier to connect with her.
The actors did a great job portraying the characters. They were just like how I pictured they would be. The flow of the story was also well done. It was easy for the audience to understand what was going on. I'm also really glad that they were able to include quotes from the book. The quotes were beautifully written and poetic so it was a good thing that they didn't cast that aside.
Overall, it's a well done adaptation. It's a movie I'd like to watch again. So I'm going to give it a 4/5 stars, same rating I gave to the book.
Before I Fall was an exceptionally well done movie. For someone who has read the book, I can say that I am really satisfied with how the book to movie adaptation turned out to be. It stayed true to the book, so it was just like I was seeing the book come to life. It still triggered emotions, and captured hearts. It was still an emotional and dramatic rollercoaster that will leave the audience to think of life in a different perspective. And it was still a story that has such a meaningful message to tell. The only major change was that she didn't wake up at the exact same day for seven days, but it really didn't affect the storyline. Also, I'd like to point out that movie Sam was definitely better than book Sam. Book Sam was hard to sympathize with because she was a character who was easy to dislike. The only time I actually got to like her was during the last chapter, the seventh and last day. Whereas movie Sam was the complete opposite. It was easier to like her and it was easier to connect with her.
The actors did a great job portraying the characters. They were just like how I pictured they would be. The flow of the story was also well done. It was easy for the audience to understand what was going on. I'm also really glad that they were able to include quotes from the book. The quotes were beautifully written and poetic so it was a good thing that they didn't cast that aside.
Overall, it's a well done adaptation. It's a movie I'd like to watch again. So I'm going to give it a 4/5 stars, same rating I gave to the book.