twentycharm's reviews
100 reviews

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

4.0

4.6 stars. Before we begin, I just need to say that I was so surprised to read the reviews for this book because many of my friends found it to be lackluster. I had originally thought this book to be one of my favourite reads of 2020, but the community reviews made me second guess myself by exposing certain plot holes. I will still try to write my review as best I can, without the influence of others. To be honest I found Maia a tad bit annoying when she was contemplating using the scissors during the trial. It seemed like a lame dilemma but I didn’t hate her for it. Talking about the trial, I hadn’t expected it to take up about half the book, as I thought the journey would start from the beginning based on the synopsis. I’m definitely not complaining though, because I enjoyed that part. It gave us important insight on Maia’s personality. From the synopsis, I also had the impression that Edan was the enemy and not the love interest haha. Nonetheless, I really love their relationship, it made my heart flutter a lot! It was well written and I didn’t get tired of it even after they were technically in a relationship and not just mutually pining anymore. I think one of my favourite things about this book would be the locations Maia and Edan travelled to, because they were so well written and seemed so magical. I particularly loved the Mountains of the Moon, because I imagined them to be very sparkly yet dangerously cold at the same time. The only thing I didn’t really like was the ending, because it seemed….weird. I mean, it’s normal for a cliffhanger ending but I guess I just didn’t like the vibes because I detest demons. It set up the sequel well, but I just don’t like the darkish note the book ended on. P.S As a Chinese who is very interested in China’s history myself, I feel like this book portrayed it well. You can see that some elements were based on ancient China, and I liked that a lot.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

4.0

4.1 stars. This is my first nonfiction book in a while, so it was difficult to rate. However, I decided on 4.1 stars because each story had clear descriptions, and because I was moved to tears multiple times while reading. Chinese Cinderella is a book about Adeline’s childhood, where she was neglected and even hated by her family. As much as I would like to believe that every person on Earth has some good in them, I know it is not possible when people like Adeline’s stepmother exist. But then, I see people like Aunt Baba and have faith in humanity again. I enjoyed Adeline’s storytelling and felt like I was transported back in time and spectating each scene with my very own eyes. Overall, I have a lot of respect for Adeline, who was able to go through so much but is still so strong.

The Super Secret Book by Tian En

4.0

4.1 stars. As someone that is not overly fond of superhero novels, I enjoyed this book more than I had expected. It was a quick and light read, perfect to get me out of my reading slump. The storyline was simplistic but well developed, and I love the characters’ depth as well. My favourite would probably be Koolara, although that’s pretty basic because the story is told from her point of view haha. One of my favourite things is probably the dialogue, because it was well written and also the extra scene at the end of each chapter. However, I feel that the “Next time” one liners could be removed, as they seemed to be too much of a spoiler. Additionally, it could be better to just do page separators rather than headings during change of scenes in the middle of chapters! Overall, I liked this book and would definitely recommend it to peers slightly younger than me. Special thanks to Tian En for sending me a review copy of this book!

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

4.0

4.5 stars. This book was easy to read and even easier to rate. There is no definite “meaning of life”, but if there were, I feel like the answers lie in this book. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but the introduction already brought me to tears. I cried for the most part. I love Charlie Mackesy’s drawing and writing style, as they make it seem as if I am flipping through his personal sketchbook. This book was described as “a book of hope for uncertain times”, and I couldn’t agree more. I loved this book so much, and I recommend it to everyone who gets the opportunity to pick it up sometime. P.S. The mole was my favourite. He’s just so cute and kind and sweet and thoughtful! In some ways, he reminds me of myself (not that I am trying to compliment myself!!). He loves cake and his friends, and doesn’t always say “I love you”, but means it.

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

5.0

5 stars. I did it, I rated a book five stars without hesitation. This book was so amazing in every way possible, and I cannot even count how many times I literally broke into tears while reading. Dear Alice Oseman, thank you so much for writing this book, I am officially complete. I related to so many scenes and I wish there was more LGBT+ representation in books. At time point, I go feral when a gay ship is canon. Well, I don’t have much else to say about this book, other than recommending it to everyone I know. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series!

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Elsie Chapman, Ellen Oh

4.0

4 stars. First and foremost, thank you so much to Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman for rounding up these Asian authors and editing this collection of Asian myths and legends. I strongly resonate with the editors’ note, about both of them loving myths since they were young and being unable to appreciate Asian ones rewritten by non-Asian authors. Each story was dangerously enchanting, bringing me to a new world despite its modest length. It is hard to describe the sheer amount of happiness I felt reading about characters so similar to myself. I loved each author’s take on their favourite legends. Some legends were used twice, yet their stories were so different I didn't even think of linking the two. From sci-fi to contemporary, these stories explore different genres and tell many morals through gods, spirits and human beings, of course. This is so hard to choose, but my favourite is probably The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon, with Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar coming very close after. oh but honestly I loved each story beyond words!!! Alas, it is difficult to rate a book with a collection of stories as each story has a different rating, so I’m letting this sit at 4 stars. However, there are definitely multiple 5 star short stories in here. // Let me just babble about The Crimson Cloak for a moment. Oh my god I love that legend so much, The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The way it was told from the goddess’ point of view….. and the love she had for Cowherd…… unmatched. I cried real tears reading their story. Also Daughter of the Sun of course. It had such a wholesome ending which I didn’t expect. I love the character arc of Savitri, who learned from her mistakes and understood that Satyavan deserved to make his own decisions too. And then they both got together!!!

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

3.0

3 stars. I decided to pick this up after my friend said it was “unexpectedly creepy”. After reading it, I can confirm that is true haha. Maybe it’s because I read it late at night, and because I went into it expecting some sort of dark turn, but I did not like this book. It touched on important issues like bullying, racism, and body image, but it was too short to execute those properly IMO. However, it was a good little graphic novel, and it’s worth reading. Perhaps I am just feeling critical because I am rattled by the ghost

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

5.0

5 stars. I loved this book so much! I really liked the way the story was told, how we got to venture with the characters on their journeys to self discovery through their memories. I also liked the morals(?) from this book because they were upfront yet not shoved in our faces. Though there were a lot of characters to keep up with, they all had distinct personalities and voices so I was able to distinguish them from each other. Hence, it was absolutely amazing when their stories all came together and unravelled the “mystery” of the past. Sorrow was a good topic to discuss in this book since it really plays a big part in our lives, but it’s very difficult to represent. Kelly Barnhill did a great job of showing the ways different people cope with sorrow, such as Xan choosing to forget it, Sister Ignatia turning it on other people, and Agora learning to keep it away. Moving from the plot, let’s talk about my favourite characters, Ethyne and Fyrian. I love Ethyne because of how strong she is, she always seems so sure of herself no matter the circumstances. I really look up to her and hope I can be like her in the future. As for Fyrian, he’s just so adorable and lovable. He’s a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, with a Simply Enormous Heart, so full of love for everyone and everything in the world. I also love how he fits into Luna’s pockets and takes naps anywhere, he is the epitome of a cuddly pet.

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

4.0

4 stars. Honestly not a bad novella. I really dislike Taryn and her behaviour, but all her actions were justified. She's just another morally grey character. Hearing her perspective was very insightful in spite of all her horrific half-apologies addressed to Jude. And as usual, I enjoyed Holly Black's writing.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

5.0

5 stars. Simply put, RWRB is one of my favourite books of all time. This book was a great introduction to romance for me since the conflicts weren’t too long or angsty, and the characters’ experiences were relatable to my own. Casey McQuiston did an outstanding job with her research, including america’s political system and queer quotes from historical love letters. She also explored many different mediums to present information like tweets, emails, news articles, and even a transcript of a podcast episode. I love the character dynamics, especially the Super Six, where everyone complements one another perfectly, like some sort of found family. My favourite part was the historical quotes Alex and Henry sent to each other. The quotes seriously brought me to tears because they were so fitting and touching, and really makes me wonder about the historical figures I thought I knew well. I also love the late night conversations between them. Just seeing the way they interact is the cutest! The pacing in this book was wonderful, and there’s nothing I would change about it. I’m very excited to read Casey McQuinston’s next novel, One Last Stop, about two sapphics!!