goldenelegy's reviews
143 reviews

True Mothers by Mizuki Tsujimura

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

my first thought after finishing this book: oh my god this is so well-executed. this book portrays motherhood in such a raw and delicate way, from the point of view of a woman who cannot have a child and a teen girl who has no choice but to separate from her baby. though having different conditions, both characters carry around their motherly love. this raw and realistic portrayal makes the story even more heart wrenching. there's also some points to reflect on, mainly about the harsh reality a child must endure because of her neglectful and strict parents. it also leaves one big question, do parents actually care about their child or do they care more about their reputation?

though the story flows with agony, the story ends in a way that'll give you a sense of relief (the last line!! that was such a beautiful conclusion!) so i think this book is definitely worth to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

We Hunt the Flame: Memburu Api by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous challenging sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

it usually takes a while for me to be invested in a fantasy book, and that's what happened to me trying to read this book. what kept me going is the beautifully-written descriptions the author uses. and i think the translation did justice to it. the first 50 pages felt a bit hard to follow, but as i read more, it gets easier to digest. the MCs doesn't meet until like halfway through the book, i think? but everything feels perfectly paced. plot twist by plot twist unveils, but nothing feels too forced or too sudden. also the slow-burn romance is just perfect. the romance itself doesn't overshadows anything else. it feels natural. some chapters left me confused, though, like why is the MC suddenly in another place?? but then i understood as i continue reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Death of parent

White Wedding by Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie

3.75

Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida, Haydn Trowell

3.75

A Publicity Stunt by Hening Swastika

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

sebagai yang pernah ikut klub jurnalistik, aku sangat tertarik ada buku yang latarnya seputar jurnalistik!

aku suka sih sama gaya penulisannya. menurutku plotnya juga rapi banget. saking serunya, aku gak sadar udah selesai baca bukunya dalam sekali duduk. kisahnya mayra sungguh menyayat hati. bahkan aku sampai ikut nangis ketika mayra bilang dia merasa jadi beban untuk orang-orang 😭

ceritanya kompleks dan konfliknya bisa dibilang cukup menggambarkan struggle yang dihadapi remaja. secara logika mungkin yang dilakuin mayra kayak berlebihan, tapi kalau memosisikan diri sebagai remaja seumuran dia dan dengan cobaan hidup demikian, paham sih kenapa dia sampai begitu. terus mayra ini tipe strong character yang sangat gigih mengusahakan apa yang ingin dia capai. aku suka sekali karakter yang kayak gini. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent

The Underling Purpose by Aranindy

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

di awal agak sedikit bosan, mungkin karena polanya sama kayak buku the broadcasting series sebelumnya. tapi setelah beberapa bab jadi seru! berhasil dibikin khawatir sama keygan dan keyandra, karena kuberharap mereka gak mengkhianati satu sama lain. 

plot twist-nya sukses sih 😭 untunglah *begitu* kalau nggak saya ngamuk nih. 

Etnik Menik by Netty Virgiantini

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

bacaan ringan untuk sekali duduk yang super lucu dan menghibur. no drama-drama, buku ini pure menceritakan kisah menik yang mencoba menemukan cita-cita yang dia inginkan, sekaligus kisah dua anak remaja yang baru banget jatuh cinta, kisah cinta yang masih polos-polosnya, belum mikirin berbagai terpaan hidup. 🥲

Ranah Pusaka by Nellaneva

hopeful lighthearted reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

pertama kali baca cerita ini waktu masih on-going di wattpad. i enjoyed it, but not to the extend that it's the greatest book i've ever read. aku berharapnya sih plotnya bakal banyak tense-nya (pengalaman baca karya kak nella yang lain) tapi rupanya nggak, hehe. malah dia cenderung banyak refleksi dan realisasi. masih enjoyable sih bagiku.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai

lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.25

just like the first book, i like it! however, i still think the first book is so much better. but what i'm amazed the most is the fact that there are some repeated actions and dialogues in each stories, almost like routines, but i didn't get bored reading each of them. 

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin

reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.5

i almost dnfed this but i decided to give it a chance anyway. it doesn't spark that much interest in me like with other slice of life books like marigold mind laundry or the kamogawa food detectives. there are some parts that are a bit boring while some others get really exciting like hoya's appearance (the cat) and how it ended up living with jungmin. there's a bit that i'm sure most daughters would resonate: finding out your mom used to have a hobby that she had to forget just to raise the family.