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twentycharm's reviews
100 reviews
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
4.0
4.5 stars. This story is unlike any other, packed into a modest 256 pages. The setup is slow but rhythmic, with new and crucial information being introduced in each chapter. It is a real page turner, especially towards the end, when the story unravels faster and faster. Though the language used requires concentration to digest, it is perfect for the story, which is set in 1934. And as tiring as it is to read dialogues in books, you will never get tired of the ones in this one, because they start to play in your head like a movie. The abundant use of descriptive language allows you to get a solid look at the surroundings of each scene, but is not too much until it is excessive. One of my favourite things about this book is the way each character speaks, because the characters are so diverse and the fact that Christie is able to capture it even in speech stuns me. Overall an outstanding plot, and amazing writing.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
5.0
5 stars. This book made me cry so much, oh my. It was recommended to me by my friend who doesn’t really enjoy reading so I guess that kind of says a lot about the book. I really enjoyed this book so much, it gave a lot of insight on the living conditions during the war, though the multiple perspectives may be a bit confusing in the beginning. Overall, would love to reread and it’s definitely one of my favourites.
The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
4.0
4.5 stars. The Last Namsara is a fresh and captivating story that seemed to be never ending, and I mean that in the best way possible. Whenever you thought a potential ending was near, another difficulty would come along and strike Asha down. However, Kristen Ciccarelli tied the story together with her language use, making it flow perfectly despite the many “twists”. Something that surprised me was the fact that all the information provided in the blurb was revealed within the first few chapters of the book, leaving the rest to the reader’s imagination. As stereotypical as it is to have a self-hating princess as the main character of a YA novel, I found Asha fairly unique. She was always trying to think of the greater good, telling herself that all her suffering will be worth it in the end, and I feel like her dilemmas in this book are actually quite rational. Her self-hatred was rooted inside her from a young age, and not just some random plot point; she also isn’t the basic stubborn main character that drags the story because she takes years to make a choice. And upon finding out that Asha was partially modelled after Kristen Ciccarelli herself, I felt like the story got even better. The characters of this story have such complex and distinct personalities, and that is one of my favourite things about this book. Another is the old stories woven between chapters. It was so interesting to read the stories that Asha loved so much, that caused so much destruction. Overall, the book was very enjoyable and set at a good pace. // S/N: I lowkey rushed through this book because I was trying to hit my reading goal, but I highly recommend reading it at a comfortable pace because it would make the story much more enjoyable. Also, I love how Asha is trying to find freedom and these men are getting in her way. In the end she overcomes them and I think the process was one where Asha learned many things, and I just think that there are so many good messages in this book. //
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
4.5 stars. Delving back into the Grishaverse, I was reminded of all the reasons why I loved this world. As interesting as Shadow and Bone was, it cannot compare to Siege and Storm. In this book, we learn more about Alina’s power as it grows stronger, as well as her relationships with others. After being introduced to the new characters, it’s no doubt that Nikolai is my favourite in this series thus far. He is witty and humorous, and adds to the story through his relationship with Alina. As Leigh Bardugo mentioned in an interview regarding this book, nobody is wholly good or evil. Hence, we can see that Alina is human as well, as she’s being forced to face her “dark side” because of her growing hunger for power. I found myself sympathising with Alina through her dilemmas as I was unsure what I would do if I were in her shoes. The most relatable dilemma was how much she missed but disliked Genya at the same time. We are all trying our best in our own ways, and it’s sad that we do the wrong things when misled, as Genya did because of the Darkling. Besides the praises I have for Siege and Storm, I have to admit that some parts are lacking. Certain portions, like Alina’s journey back to Os Alta and the preparation for the war with the Darkling, seemed unnecessarily long. It was not unbearable, and I still loved this book, but it was just something I couldn’t help but notice when reading. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to read Ruin and Rising! // S/N: I’m not one to take note of quotes in books too much, but I found myself loving a lot of quotes from Siege and Storm. One of my favourites is Alina telling David “We do the best we can” when they were preparing to go to war with the Darkling. Also, I feel that the book’s pacing was appropriate, it’s just that there were some parts that were dragged. Don’t get me wrong, the book was very good, I was just trying to make this review as balanced as possible. //
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
4.6 stars. I think Ruin and Rising might just be my favourite book in the trilogy. However, I dreaded the beginning when Alina was held captive in the White Cathedral. I’m not sure if this is a compliment or insult to Leigh Bardugo, but she managed to make me feel like I was stuck down there with Alina, and I did not enjoy it. Nonetheless, I was impressed by the speed at which Alina and her group found a way to escape, and even more impressed by Nikolai’s entrance. I also enjoyed the times Alina visited the Darkling through their tether, because their conversations were so interesting. I liked Baghra a lot. Her story about Morozova was unexpected, and I like that Alina held Baghra’s words close to her heart throughout the book. My favourite thing about the book, however, was the character development for the secondary characters in Alina’s group, like Nadia and Zoya. We learnt so much more about them in this book and I was ecstatic when I found out Nadia and Tamar were dating. I hadn’t expected such representation in this book, so it was a pleasant surprise. In my opinion, one of the best scenes was the death ceremony of Sankta Alina and the Darkling, when Alina whispered his name, Aleksander. Finally, I shall talk about the ending. The ending where Alina loses her powers, gets together with Mal, is looked down on by peasants and lives as a caretaker of the Duke’s orphanage. Honestly speaking, this ending was not one I had foreseen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good one. I think that it was the best ending Alina could’ve gotten. After using merzost and the power of three amplifiers, she had to face repercussions, and losing her power was an expensive but reasonable price to pay. Also, as much as I wished for Alina and Nikolai to get together, I no longer liked him that much at the end of the book. It was not his fault, but he was not as strong as he used to be because of the transformation, and I preferred the old witty and carefree prince. Hence, I think it was right for Alina and Mal to be together. I also liked that Genya, David and Zoya now ran the Second Army, and that they still frequently visited Alina. As much as there is to talk about this book, I will stop here. I have endless praises for it and recommend it to all YA lovers! // S/N: This review is all over the place, oh my gosh. I hope it’s even legible. I just had so much to talk about LMAO //
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
4 stars. It was slightly confusing at the beginning, as the terminology of the Grishaverse was still foreign to me. But I would say that it was a well deserved set-up to the book, and that it started getting interesting rather quickly. My first impressions of Alina and Mal were not the best, I thought she was a basic pushover and he was a cocky bitch, but my mind was changed with a turn of events. I got excited at the introduction of Alina’s power, and highly anticipated her arrival to the castle. The Darkling was an interesting character as he was portrayed so cold and emotionless yet mysteriously human, so I yearned to learn more about him and rooted for more interactions between him and Alina. Honestly, I somehow believed the book would be about him and Alina, and completely brushed Mal aside despite Alina’s constant mentions of him. I had my mind set on the book’s ending, where Alina and the Darkling would demolish the Fold and live happily ever after. Thankfully (or perhaps not so thankfully), the story was more complex than that. I had thought this book was going to be some cutesy love triangle, but when the Darkling’s true motive was exposed, I knew it was about to become much more than that. Having read quite a number of other YA novels, I will say that this storyline wasn’t all that bad in terms of basicity. Bardugo set up a whole new world with many different challenges that Alina had to face, and I think it was very well written. Maybe I was just too excited to get to the ending, but I felt that there was a bit of redundant information here and there, especially during Alina and Mal’s trek to find the stag. Although I understand that it was somewhat crucial for the development of their relationship and characters, I just felt tired reading about the woods for so long. All in all, this story was able to evoke many emotions in me and I admire Bardugo’s use of unique descriptive language. She never seemed to repeat anything, and I think that keeps a near-400 page book fresh for its readers. // S/N: fancy language aside, I enjoyed this book a lot and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. I gave it a rather low score as I didn’t want to set the bar too high for my consequent reads, but I may adjust accordingly afterwards. Lowkey rooted for Alina and the Darkling because he seemed really hot to me. Alina’s character design is so intricate and deep, I liked hearing her thoughts throughout the story. Also, upon hearing that Bardugo’s inspiration for the book was trying to create a “tangible” darkness was sooo cool, I hadn’t thought of the Fold that much but it was actually such a good idea. //
The Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli
4.0
4.5 stars. Having read her other books, I’ve started to take a liking to Kristen Ciccarelli’s writing style. The storyline is always very complex and builds up slowly, but the ending unravels rather quickly. However, besides the writing style, I am also quite fond of the plot. I have been interested in Dax and Roa since learning about them in The Last Namsara, but did not expect their story to be this interesting. Continuing the story from someone else’s perspective helped me understand how little we actually know about the people around us. Like its prequel, The Caged Queen has taught me many morals and I loved the complexity of the situations in the book. I will fully admit that I love Roa’s character so much, maybe even more than Asha’s. Sure, she was annoying when refusing to let her sister pass, but other than that, all she wanted was to help her people. She sacrificed her life to do so, and when she found out Dax wasn’t the man she needed him to be, she thought of new solutions. Roa didn’t let anything stop her, because she was so righteous that she would go to great lengths to fulfil her promises. Essie’s backstory definitely made Dax’s and Roa’s relationship more complicated. At times, I was also unsure what I would do if I were Roa, considering I had to face the man who was responsible for my beloved sister’s death and incompetent in every other way. Nonetheless, their love story made my heart happy and it turns out that men are not that terrible! // S/N: gosh this book took me so long to read.. If we count based on the day I bought it, it’s been almost a month. I will try my best to read more frequently because I’m just so lazy ugh. Also I find it so difficult to write formal book reviews because 1. I enjoy just about anything I read (otherwise I wouldn’t finish it) 2. I need to give an unbiased opinion sigh 3. The word choice should be specific… instead of just saying things are “nice” or “good”, I need to elaborate and my brain is just so tired LMAO //
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
5.0
4.8 stars. Can you believe that this is a debut novel? Because I sure can’t. Alexandra Christo, you are a goddess. Simply put, this book was amazing from the start to the end. I don’t usually read books with multiple POVs, because I find that they tend to be quite confusing at the beginning, but this book actually used the different perspectives to enhance the reading experience. I’m not one to pay much attention to world building in books, but I really enjoyed the journey in this one. The descriptions were wild and enthralling, and travelling around the world was so cool! I was also in love with Elian’s crew on the Saad, they made me laugh so many times with their witty banter and fun personalities. Lira and Elian’s relationship is amazing, they had so much chemistry from the beginning and I literally cried over their first kiss HAHAHA As much as I would like to see more of the characters, I am glad that this is a standalone novel. Still, I think some additional novellas would be nice. My favourite part in this book is the character development, and also the main characters’ thought processes. They both had their own problems (and trust me — they have a lot) but they didn’t let that affect their decisions, and chose to do better from their experiences. Overall, I just loved their relationship so much and I would recommend this book to anybody!!!
Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass
4.0
4 stars. This book is a collection of scenes and short stories that are companions to The Selection series. It was somewhat difficult to rate because of how I felt about each story, but I’ve decided to give it 4 stars. Reading this book made my memories of The Selection series resurface, and it is only after finishing it did I realise how much I did not enjoy it. Previously, I had believed that the storyline was great, but since then, I have read so many other books better than the ones in this series. I would say I enjoyed Marlee’s story the most, because it had the greatest takeaway for me — how strong love is. I’m not one to gush over romance, but I liked Marlee and Carter, as well as America and Maxon. However, I felt the (multiple) love triangle(s) in the series were fairly unnecessary and shallow. The America-Maxon-Aspen thing was horrid, not to mention America-Aspen-LUCY. But I’ll let it slide because I’m assuming it’s aimed towards a younger audience, like me when I read it many years ago. Honestly speaking, the romance wasn’t the worst, neither were the basic characters, though those were disappointing. The worst thing about The Selection is Celeste’s death. She has been a hated character since the beginning, but since her motives were exposed, she became a rather sweet girl. How could the author just let her die as a plot point after all her character development? Her scenes in Happily Ever After made her death seem even more wrong. In “The Departure”, she was happy for America, and even happier that she had made friends from The Selection. Hell, she was elated when Maxon told her the other Selection girls would be returning, in hopes that she could apologise to those she had wronged. And then she just dies? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stand that part of the ending. I wouldn’t say that I would have loved The Selection series otherwise, but it would have been better. All in all, I feel that The Selection series and Happily Ever After are good books, but I don’t think that I could read them again. // S/N: This book wasn't so bad, and I enjoyed some parts, hence the rating. However, I do not think this highly of the rest of The Selection series. //