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nikolinaza's reviews
526 reviews
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
4.0
Irina, a festish photographer, was offered a chance to hold an exhibition in one of the prestigious galleries in London. The event alone could revive her name and career in the world of modern art, but the euphoria itself brought a new shake to her life in the form of her complicated relationship with her obsessed bestfriend and a cashier boy, and also her horrible, forgotten past.
I swear for all my life and my book collections that I have never ever and would never ever get involved with drugs other than those for health problems, but reading this book feels like I was there with Irina, taking turns on smoking weed, doing coke, drinking whatever the bartender could offer us. Irina spewed everything, every single little details of her life while I sat in silence, listening, and repeating, "mmmmOKAY WHAT THE FREAKINGFUCK IS GOING ON" in my head.
This book was hallucinating as hell.
Taking the first point of view of Irina herself, it feels like the author had created a haze that disconnect the characters and the real world around them, leaving only glimpses of light sometimes. Irina was trapped in her own head and mind, and so was I. I hated her, I hated the way she thinks, I hated nearly everything about her, but at the same time, I couldn't stop following her. Irina was extremely alluring, and I kind of get why people around her had a hard time to escape her and her manipulative tricks. She's the kind of unreliable narrator that I like. A walking red flag with no justification.
The story was a little bit boring especially in the beginning, but it flowed so smoothly and nicely that I couldn't keep my hands and mind out of the book. I thought I would be dead bored, but eventually, I ended up kind of loving this one.
I think I would like to read another book like this....
I swear for all my life and my book collections that I have never ever and would never ever get involved with drugs other than those for health problems, but reading this book feels like I was there with Irina, taking turns on smoking weed, doing coke, drinking whatever the bartender could offer us. Irina spewed everything, every single little details of her life while I sat in silence, listening, and repeating, "mmmmOKAY WHAT THE FREAKINGFUCK IS GOING ON" in my head.
This book was hallucinating as hell.
Taking the first point of view of Irina herself, it feels like the author had created a haze that disconnect the characters and the real world around them, leaving only glimpses of light sometimes. Irina was trapped in her own head and mind, and so was I. I hated her, I hated the way she thinks, I hated nearly everything about her, but at the same time, I couldn't stop following her. Irina was extremely alluring, and I kind of get why people around her had a hard time to escape her and her manipulative tricks. She's the kind of unreliable narrator that I like. A walking red flag with no justification.
The story was a little bit boring especially in the beginning, but it flowed so smoothly and nicely that I couldn't keep my hands and mind out of the book. I thought I would be dead bored, but eventually, I ended up kind of loving this one.
I think I would like to read another book like this....
If You Dare by A.R. Torre
5.0
It's been seven months since Deanna has regained back the control of her life. Everything went on smoothly—camming's doing pretty well, her hacker bestfriend stayed by her side, and her relationship with the sweet Jeremy has gotten more intense. But on the other side, Deanna's depraved dark urges has gotten even worse than before. Her reality and thoughts gets tangled in a blur until one morning, she wakes up with a broken nose, police knocking at her door, and her boyfriend is once again missing.
Once again, I want to thank my impulses who urged me to collect the whole series before I even finished the first book. It was one of the best decision I've made this year, and I am beyond happy for that.
Unlike the previous two books, If You Dare keeps a fast pace from beginning to end, action and mystery packed. This book started with some sweet moments between our not-so-holy couple, Deanna and Jeremy, before shits literally went down to hell. The change of situation has happened quite drastically, told in the point of view of past and present, which makes me go "okay okay okay BUT WHAT THE F IS HAPPENING CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A CLUE", excited and dreading at the same time of what would happen in the next pages.
Deanna! So far, she's my favorite grey character. As the story goes, it becomes more and more interesting to get inside of her head. In this book, we can clearly see that she struggled hard to overcome her power slash biggest weakness and sin. She gets more aggressive and wild, and at the same time, she is scared of herself. Scared of what will become of her. Excited and scared of the outside world, and at some point, it puts a heavier strain in her relationship with Jeremy. She loves, but she also hurts and kills, and this is what makes her character became more intriguing and complex.
I have no objection about the ending. I do think it's the bestest conclusion based on every characters' personalities. But I would love a longer series. I want to see Mike and Jeremy (and probably Jamie) to become Deanna's ally, because they would surely be badass.
Maybe it's just a wishful thinking, but I've seen Torre's tweets recently, and she said she had planned to write another book for this series, and include some happy ending, so... fingers crossed.
It will be so hard to say goodbye to Deanna, Jeremy, Mike, Jamie, and Derek :(
Once again, I want to thank my impulses who urged me to collect the whole series before I even finished the first book. It was one of the best decision I've made this year, and I am beyond happy for that.
Unlike the previous two books, If You Dare keeps a fast pace from beginning to end, action and mystery packed. This book started with some sweet moments between our not-so-holy couple, Deanna and Jeremy, before shits literally went down to hell. The change of situation has happened quite drastically, told in the point of view of past and present, which makes me go "okay okay okay BUT WHAT THE F IS HAPPENING CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A CLUE", excited and dreading at the same time of what would happen in the next pages.
Deanna! So far, she's my favorite grey character. As the story goes, it becomes more and more interesting to get inside of her head. In this book, we can clearly see that she struggled hard to overcome her power slash biggest weakness and sin. She gets more aggressive and wild, and at the same time, she is scared of herself. Scared of what will become of her. Excited and scared of the outside world, and at some point, it puts a heavier strain in her relationship with Jeremy. She loves, but she also hurts and kills, and this is what makes her character became more intriguing and complex.
Spoiler
One thing that makes me wonder was the police procedure. Some evidence was found near Deanna, that's right, but that doesn't mean it was her doing until the lab results proved so, so why was it easy to arrest Deanna just based on found evidence? It seems like the detectives just wanted to arrest her because she 'looked' guilty.I have no objection about the ending. I do think it's the bestest conclusion based on every characters' personalities. But I would love a longer series. I want to see Mike and Jeremy (and probably Jamie) to become Deanna's ally, because they would surely be badass.
Maybe it's just a wishful thinking, but I've seen Torre's tweets recently, and she said she had planned to write another book for this series, and include some happy ending, so... fingers crossed.
It will be so hard to say goodbye to Deanna, Jeremy, Mike, Jamie, and Derek :(
Do Not Disturb by Alessandra Torre, A.R. Torre
5.0
Trigger warning: rape (mentioned), blood, violence, murder, graphic scenes.
Few months after the events with Ralph and Annie, Deanna slowly regains her daily routines back. With a sweet, loving, respecting new boyfriend, a hacker bestfriend, loyal clients, and a handsome sum of money, there's nothing to worry about. But life as a woman, even more as a camgirl never let someone to be in peace for too long, because someone out there is determined to find her and snag every control she has over the people she loves, her life... and also her body.
... Actually I am in loss of words because of this one. I'm glad that my impulsive decision urged me to collect all the series before I even finish the first book. I quite liked it, even though it didn't meet my expectations of a thriller book. So I was projecting the sequel to be a fun read instead, but HOLY HELL, it kept me on the edge of my seat (bed, in this case) throughout my time reading.
I was expecting this one would be about Deanna against another sick pedophile, but no. It was against someone who was totally chasing her ass, someone who was as twisted (well, a bit more twisted) than she is, so when they finally met, it was like a match made in the deepest pit of hell.
Chills. Literal chills.
Also, the chemistry between her and Mike and Jeremy. The hacker bestfriend and the respecting boyfriend. Each man has different purposes in her life, but both of them powerful enough to propel her to explode. It truly helps on giving Deanna's character more humanity, and more conflict between her and her twisted side.
Will be diving straight to book #3.
Few months after the events with Ralph and Annie, Deanna slowly regains her daily routines back. With a sweet, loving, respecting new boyfriend, a hacker bestfriend, loyal clients, and a handsome sum of money, there's nothing to worry about. But life as a woman, even more as a camgirl never let someone to be in peace for too long, because someone out there is determined to find her and snag every control she has over the people she loves, her life... and also her body.
... Actually I am in loss of words because of this one. I'm glad that my impulsive decision urged me to collect all the series before I even finish the first book. I quite liked it, even though it didn't meet my expectations of a thriller book. So I was projecting the sequel to be a fun read instead, but HOLY HELL, it kept me on the edge of my seat (bed, in this case) throughout my time reading.
I was expecting this one would be about Deanna against another sick pedophile, but no. It was against someone who was totally chasing her ass, someone who was as twisted (well, a bit more twisted) than she is, so when they finally met, it was like a match made in the deepest pit of hell.
Spoiler
Man couldn't even get his ass back up after an encounter with my girl.Chills. Literal chills.
Also, the chemistry between her and Mike and Jeremy. The hacker bestfriend and the respecting boyfriend. Each man has different purposes in her life, but both of them powerful enough to propel her to explode. It truly helps on giving Deanna's character more humanity, and more conflict between her and her twisted side.
Will be diving straight to book #3.
Ilusi Imperia by Akmal Nasery Basral
3.0
Warning: book with long-ass descriptions
Wikan, reporter baru di majalah berita 'Dimensi' ditugaskan untuk meliput acara peluncuran album pop terbaru Melanie Capricia, diva seksi yang dipuja-puja. Mulanya tidak ada hal yang menarik perhatiannya, sampai ketika MC membocorkan sedikit tentang kehidupan pribadinya dalam sebuah wawancara off record dan keesokan harinya, Rangga Tohjaya, mantan pengacara sang diva ditemukan tewas.
Buku ini isine wong gendheng kabeh.
Gaya penulisannya asyik, mirip cerita-cerita detektif yang dulu sering aku baca di majalah 'Intisari'. Tidak mengherankan, berhubung penulisnya seorang wartawan (atau mantan?). Misteri dan konspirasinya sendiri juga menarik untuk diikuti...
... jika saja ceritanya tidak melebar ke mana-mana.
Here's the thing. Aku bahkan bingung siapa tokoh utama yang sebenarnya. Wikan, kah? Akan tetapi, dia sendiri porsinya tidak banyak dan tidak membantu banyak dalam perkembangan cerita. Dia justru mirip anak ayam yang kebingungan sendiri setelah ditinggal induknya. MC? Adel? Dua-duanya lebih banyak kabur-kaburan, dan tidak ada deskripsi jelas tentang apa yang mereka lakukan yang punya kontribusi dalam misteri. Rendra? Bapak? Rangga? Eurgh.
Tapi, karena kepo, aku bakalan lanjut ke buku kedua. Semoga lebih baik dari yang ini, dan semoga Wikan bisa menunjukkan kecerdasanya sebagai lulusan S1 FISIP UI.
P.S. Begitu membaca bagian ending-nya, aku jadi paham maksud judulnya apa.
Wikan, reporter baru di majalah berita 'Dimensi' ditugaskan untuk meliput acara peluncuran album pop terbaru Melanie Capricia, diva seksi yang dipuja-puja. Mulanya tidak ada hal yang menarik perhatiannya, sampai ketika MC membocorkan sedikit tentang kehidupan pribadinya dalam sebuah wawancara off record dan keesokan harinya, Rangga Tohjaya, mantan pengacara sang diva ditemukan tewas.
Buku ini isine wong gendheng kabeh.
Gaya penulisannya asyik, mirip cerita-cerita detektif yang dulu sering aku baca di majalah 'Intisari'. Tidak mengherankan, berhubung penulisnya seorang wartawan (atau mantan?). Misteri dan konspirasinya sendiri juga menarik untuk diikuti...
... jika saja ceritanya tidak melebar ke mana-mana.
Here's the thing. Aku bahkan bingung siapa tokoh utama yang sebenarnya. Wikan, kah? Akan tetapi, dia sendiri porsinya tidak banyak dan tidak membantu banyak dalam perkembangan cerita. Dia justru mirip anak ayam yang kebingungan sendiri setelah ditinggal induknya. MC? Adel? Dua-duanya lebih banyak kabur-kaburan, dan tidak ada deskripsi jelas tentang apa yang mereka lakukan yang punya kontribusi dalam misteri. Rendra? Bapak? Rangga? Eurgh.
Tapi, karena kepo, aku bakalan lanjut ke buku kedua. Semoga lebih baik dari yang ini, dan semoga Wikan bisa menunjukkan kecerdasanya sebagai lulusan S1 FISIP UI.
P.S. Begitu membaca bagian ending-nya, aku jadi paham maksud judulnya apa.
Hush Little Baby by Anggun Prameswari
Enggak tahu harus kasih rate berapa. Meski aku buka bukunya sampai halaman terakhir, tapi bagian pertengahan menuju permulaan bagian akhir aku skip, karena suram banget (and I am currently not in the right state of mind to read this type of story).
Konflik keluarganya dapat banget, sih. Ribut-ribut mertua vs menantu yang masih saja banyak terjadi, terlebih di saat ada bayi yang terlibat. Bunda Alana bener-bener ngeselin :)
Konflik keluarganya dapat banget, sih. Ribut-ribut mertua vs menantu yang masih saja banyak terjadi, terlebih di saat ada bayi yang terlibat. Bunda Alana bener-bener ngeselin :)
Ve by Vinca Callista
3.0
Trigger warning: violence, murder, extreme patriarchy, death.
Ve sedang mempersiapkan kelanjutan studinya di luar negeri ketika ibunya mendadak kabur demi bisa hidup bersama selingkuhannya di Inggris. Dalam upaya mengobati luka batin, Ayah membawa Ve ke rumah Nyai Unung, neneknya di desa. Hari demi hari berlalu dalam keganjilan yang semakin meresahkan, hingga Ve dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa dia mungkin tidak akan pernah meninggalkan desa, melanjutkan studi, dan harus selamanya tunduk di bawah kuasa lelaki yang tiba-tiba saja didapuk menjadi calon suaminya.
Buku ini alurnya cukup cepat. Sejak awal, pembaca sudah disuguhi akar masalah utama yang langsung membuat adrenalin terpacu. Penulis mampu mempertahankan ketegangan yang ada dari awal hingga akhir cerita. Jujur, emosi banget tiap kali Nyai Unung muncul. Ayahnya Ve juga freak banget. Rasa-rasanya pengin lempar batu ke kepala mereka berdua.
Satu hal yang agak annoying adalah Ve yang suka banget ngomong dan suka teriak-teriak. Aku tahu dia masih remaja,but like, girl... you'll never win against your evil grandmother and father if you keep on whining like that. Ve dibesarkan oleh sosok ibu yang digambarkan sebagai orang cerdas dengan pikiran terbuka dan progresif, sekaligus kalem dalam memecahkan tiap permasalahan yang ada. Seharusnya, dia juga bisa bersikap sama.
Kalau saja Ve bisa digambarkan bersikap lebih tenang dan bisa perlahan menyusun strategi, nuansa thriller di buku ini pasti lebih ciamik.
Ve sedang mempersiapkan kelanjutan studinya di luar negeri ketika ibunya mendadak kabur demi bisa hidup bersama selingkuhannya di Inggris. Dalam upaya mengobati luka batin, Ayah membawa Ve ke rumah Nyai Unung, neneknya di desa. Hari demi hari berlalu dalam keganjilan yang semakin meresahkan, hingga Ve dihadapkan pada kenyataan bahwa dia mungkin tidak akan pernah meninggalkan desa, melanjutkan studi, dan harus selamanya tunduk di bawah kuasa lelaki yang tiba-tiba saja didapuk menjadi calon suaminya.
Buku ini alurnya cukup cepat. Sejak awal, pembaca sudah disuguhi akar masalah utama yang langsung membuat adrenalin terpacu. Penulis mampu mempertahankan ketegangan yang ada dari awal hingga akhir cerita. Jujur, emosi banget tiap kali Nyai Unung muncul. Ayahnya Ve juga freak banget. Rasa-rasanya pengin lempar batu ke kepala mereka berdua.
Satu hal yang agak annoying adalah Ve yang suka banget ngomong dan suka teriak-teriak. Aku tahu dia masih remaja,but like, girl... you'll never win against your evil grandmother and father if you keep on whining like that. Ve dibesarkan oleh sosok ibu yang digambarkan sebagai orang cerdas dengan pikiran terbuka dan progresif, sekaligus kalem dalam memecahkan tiap permasalahan yang ada. Seharusnya, dia juga bisa bersikap sama.
Kalau saja Ve bisa digambarkan bersikap lebih tenang dan bisa perlahan menyusun strategi, nuansa thriller di buku ini pasti lebih ciamik.