tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13366992501336823062024-03-14T04:12:57.273+08:00maliemania!maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-74761733918344078022021-06-01T20:58:00.000+08:002021-06-01T20:58:07.561+08:00review: house of koi<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtX3ni1BifIOsB3nxGHBTITHhhhwb0pya3s5IrQvtF6U7n4aMXHfX6BTVMZCeKrZngwkLjXx6xYtRYp8L8cSkyYijaAe5YfXzjEvok8tXj8GDYMqB1UhPqity823sqSwBT4Y9x4Z6VmM/s500/phonto+9cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtX3ni1BifIOsB3nxGHBTITHhhhwb0pya3s5IrQvtF6U7n4aMXHfX6BTVMZCeKrZngwkLjXx6xYtRYp8L8cSkyYijaAe5YfXzjEvok8tXj8GDYMqB1UhPqity823sqSwBT4Y9x4Z6VmM/s16000/phonto+9cropped.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: House of Koi</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Lilian Li</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Asian Literature, Malaysian Fiction</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 4.25 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span>Synopis:</span></b> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">House of Koi is about identity and learning that, sometimes, your future is waiting for you in your past.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The story follows Mila as she strives to reconcile the person she became in an effort to fit into her American international school with the young girl she was; the girl who spoke Mandarin and Malay with ease. Is it too late to embrace both parts of herself?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">When Mila is sent to the top of the mountain to live with her grandmother for a year when her parents go away for business, she cannot avoid her native tongue, even if she does try. To make matters worse, Mila must now attend a local private school, and navigate a world she seems to barely understand.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Everyone keeps telling her that she should not forget her heritage, but this only takes her deeper inside herself. That is until she meets the “Fish Boy” from the bottom of the mountain. Together, they teach one another what the other is best at. However, every time Mila asks about the past, he refuses to answer. She resolves to find out what happened that caused her to be unable to look her grandmother squarely in the eye.</span></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"> Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49097966-house-of-koi" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">House of Koi is such a warm, delicious and nostalgic book that brought me back to my early teen days, and more importantly, right back home to Malaysia🤧🇲🇾</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I absolutely love how very Malaysian this little gem is. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about all the exquisite Malaysian food and drinks that Mila and Sean get to eat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Aside from all the relatable details and references to Malaysian cuisine and lifestyle, i really enjoyed reading about Mila's struggle with her identity. It's the part of the book that hits so close to home for me, having grown up overseas as a kid and coming back to Malaysia for high school (also a private school, what a coincidence!). Omg my favourite scene was when Mila played Club Penguin with her friend and the way they were messaging(the language and short forms) was SO ACCURATE and so relatable to my Year 6 days😂</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I've not read anything quite as relatable as House of Koi, and although I wish I could have read this as a child, as a reminder to reassure me that things were going to be okay, I'm also glad that a book like this is now out there for someone else who was like me to be able to read and cherish.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">A book like this is such a treat for all right now; for Malaysians back home to see themselves in a Young Adult novel, for Malaysians living abroad to "visit" home amidst the pandemic, and for non-Malaysians to learn about our culture and values♥️</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I rated House of Koi 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it to all✨ I thought the ending felt a little bit rushed and I wish we could have had a final special scene between Mila and Popo, I think they had the most intriguing relationship in the story given their past.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">But to wrap this up, thank you so much @lilianofli for writing House of Koi and I can't wait to read your next book!💖</span></span></p>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-42972633228584099302021-06-01T20:49:00.003+08:002021-06-01T21:00:41.652+08:00review: all the money in the world<p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSJuT_aFPvPxiU96kSX3k18LEU0PJ8-6yBFv3EzubM6kqDKgfbgVkLK2GhzCKoLII6tZGS3Qs6WQitytAEMZcJZiD-92yLvAeWJNfmsuk6w6rlOYIkc_B3tnmUkQlbXqUYrjaTeMpgy0/s800/ATMINW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSJuT_aFPvPxiU96kSX3k18LEU0PJ8-6yBFv3EzubM6kqDKgfbgVkLK2GhzCKoLII6tZGS3Qs6WQitytAEMZcJZiD-92yLvAeWJNfmsuk6w6rlOYIkc_B3tnmUkQlbXqUYrjaTeMpgy0/s16000/ATMINW.png" /></a></b></span></div><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: All The Money in the World</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Sarah Moore Fitzgerald</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 4.25 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication Date: 8 July 2021</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopis:</span></b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Fifteen-year-old Penny longs for something better. Better than a small, damp flat. Better than her bullying classmates and uninterested teachers. Better than misery and poverty day in day out.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">An unlikely friendship and a huge sum of money promise a whole lot of new chances for Penny, and she realises that not only can she change her life, she can change herself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">But at what cost?</span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57805402-all-the-money-in-the-world" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">All the Money in the World by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald is my third book by this brilliant author. The Apple Tart of Hope was one of my favourite books a couple of years ago and I also enjoyed A Very Good Chance. So I was thrilled when I saw that I could request to read an ARC of Sarah's latest book on NetGalley!</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">This was a relatively short read, which was also why I wanted to pick it up because I felt like I was getting into a reading slump and wanted to read something quick to get me out of it. And it worked! It was very easy to get into this book and I finished it the next day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I think what I love most about this book (and all of Sarah's books that I've read) is her gorgeous writing, and how she cleverly writes with emotion and heart. There were many highlight-worthy quotes in All the Money in the World, and personally, the main theme of this book (money/wealth/status) hits a bit too close to home for me at the moment and I felt like I was just meant to read this book right now. I really like the lesson that the main character learns by the end of the story, and the author's writing style perfectly captures it too.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I think my only criticism would be that the ending felt a little rushed and I wish that we got to explore her relationship with some of the characters a little bit more (like with Jane, who felt a little underdeveloped, and perhaps another scene with her childhood friends would have wrapped it up nicely). But it was still a lovely ending and I also really loved reading about the main character's struggle with her identity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">All in all I really enjoyed All the Money in the World. Its got some really lovely characters (I love Violet!) and it's a fun quick story with beautiful writing and wisdom. 4.25 stars. Oh, what I'd do if someone gave ME a million euros!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this on NetGalley 🌷</span></span>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-67212598870734167592021-04-13T19:54:00.008+08:002021-04-13T21:05:45.858+08:00kindle edition: an ocean of grey & a wave of dreams<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHmr2dli3K_nyxOiLBBYC7FKrelqnLkoxV0ELVFmHrNCVGWO1QUKKOImzocC7N1PMGZTvVTk14b2BWhX5OVZvjHlkghz-dcXbHIJSaPQH2dB8Hd6HXQjgOdDxq2H-_38o5evat8PBoxU/s800/wavesposter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHmr2dli3K_nyxOiLBBYC7FKrelqnLkoxV0ELVFmHrNCVGWO1QUKKOImzocC7N1PMGZTvVTk14b2BWhX5OVZvjHlkghz-dcXbHIJSaPQH2dB8Hd6HXQjgOdDxq2H-_38o5evat8PBoxU/s16000/wavesposter.png" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I've just realised that I've never really talked about my own books on my blog! My first book, An Ocean of Grey, has been out in paperback edition published by Meraki Press since 2018, while my second book has been out since 2020. Both books can be purchased in the paperback edition (with illustrations) from Kinokuniya KLCC, Bookalicious USJ, and the Meraki Press website. However, due to Covid-19, the usual international courier that Meraki Press uses to deliver my books worldwide has temporarily stopped their service called Flexipack, which allows them to ship internationally at a very affordable price.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So this, unfortunately means that readers outside of Malaysia might have trouble accessing my books for a while if they really want to get the paperback edition. However, very recently I've decided to self-publish my two books as an e-book edition, by making them available to be purchased on Amazon in the Kindle edition. The only differences between the Kindle e-books of An Ocean of Grey and A Wave of Dreams compared to the physical editions by Meraki Press are firstly the book covers, where I attempted to design my own simple covers, and also this edition does not include any illustrations that are in the physical books. This is so that I can keep my e-books affordable at £2.99 per book, otherwise the price has to be hiked up really high because Amazon charges for every MB in the file, and because I don't like seeing expensive e-books, I made the decision to publish it on Amazon without the illustrations. This shouldn't affect the reading experience though, as the illustrations only complement the writing and the books can be read without them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Anyway, if you've been wanting to read my books but haven't been able to, you can now read them on either a Kindle device, or any device that you can download the Kindle app on! The only thing I think you'll need to make sure is that your Amazon store location is set either to UK or US to purchase the e-books. Here are the links you can refer to:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhKaMN0_6jF9XNpizgY9JT81QgttSZayH9k3FmMbJdxJ9LqthWMp4sx14UMRiv2c4Cvm3vAR4xrnjCR88Z5ME8VX2HY612FFEVwqYYmqQNShN9RKkXTqLo0IWz9OM5JKHSJZ2rLOUHJM/s2048/an+ocean+of+grey+design+1_.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhKaMN0_6jF9XNpizgY9JT81QgttSZayH9k3FmMbJdxJ9LqthWMp4sx14UMRiv2c4Cvm3vAR4xrnjCR88Z5ME8VX2HY612FFEVwqYYmqQNShN9RKkXTqLo0IWz9OM5JKHSJZ2rLOUHJM/w250-h400/an+ocean+of+grey+design+1_.jpeg" width="250" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">An Ocean of Grey by Kamalia Hasni (Kindle Edition)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B091V1L483/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> (amazon.co.uk)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091V1L483?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> (amazon.com)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">ASIN number: <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;">B091V1L483</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Goodreads: </span></span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57652466-an-ocean-of-grey">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57652466-an-ocean-of-grey</a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Dg-pq9Vq-tQge4xOjPqHeNW3C8liCnj1gZQ7CzMx6SGgSSZZJUcTOFm6Za91wfjgvlLLP_q3Sh8mODVC1YZ6iw7NV8I6ZEidJpxVFcTzPG6OyHSrCK-7EhA_JgtemH_BjASy5bDNGE/s2048/an+ocean+of+grey%2528design+1%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1283" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Dg-pq9Vq-tQge4xOjPqHeNW3C8liCnj1gZQ7CzMx6SGgSSZZJUcTOFm6Za91wfjgvlLLP_q3Sh8mODVC1YZ6iw7NV8I6ZEidJpxVFcTzPG6OyHSrCK-7EhA_JgtemH_BjASy5bDNGE/w250-h400/an+ocean+of+grey%2528design+1%2529.jpeg" width="250" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A Wave of Dreams by Kamalia Hasni (Kindle Edition)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B091V232DD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> (amazon.co.uk)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091V232DD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> (amazon.com)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">ASIN number: <span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;">B091V232DD</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;">Also available worldwide as an e-book on <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=E3wnEAAAQBAJ&rdid=book-E3wnEAAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_atb" target="_blank">Google Play</a>!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Goodreads: </span></span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17);"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57652484-a-wave-of-dreams">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57652484-a-wave-of-dreams</a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7z69RYFApbskDmKP8cea1FNP2Q-43OKYCaGThMLW6yOB9G8sFTVBdNMCB-5qx4PEAbBnCyQ-VJDgCpPmVfrh1866np2WpjlphuNFLBQlzj2G2LWH6Zjoh6-Y48kXbwRl5S2XSt40SJI/s1334/IMG_3457.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1334" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7z69RYFApbskDmKP8cea1FNP2Q-43OKYCaGThMLW6yOB9G8sFTVBdNMCB-5qx4PEAbBnCyQ-VJDgCpPmVfrh1866np2WpjlphuNFLBQlzj2G2LWH6Zjoh6-Y48kXbwRl5S2XSt40SJI/w640-h427/IMG_3457.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Paperback editions by Meraki Press (with full illustrations): </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://merakipresspub.wixsite.com/merakipress/online-store">https://merakipresspub.wixsite.com/merakipress/online-store</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to support me and my books! I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon if you've read it, it would very much help more people know about my books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Oh, and on a side note, I got featured in The Sun Daily, a local Malaysian newspaper!! Here's the link if you wanna check it out!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thesundaily.my/style-life/feature/verses-from-the-heart-YI7479067">https://www.thesundaily.my/style-life/feature/verses-from-the-heart-YI7479067</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZh1GYPpV1c4uniN3AqzjLiqanOrfGQW1PYKjBvblxA2f1UA7YAt0C67W_FPdcccTt0HQ7KitLYBuu_1cyDUQWZmRNqzuDy8Lhyphenhyphen5OmNkfZTWJCVTiX5M7bcA6faNOXcDrriiuiMRaMn8/s1024/IMG_9049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="690" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZh1GYPpV1c4uniN3AqzjLiqanOrfGQW1PYKjBvblxA2f1UA7YAt0C67W_FPdcccTt0HQ7KitLYBuu_1cyDUQWZmRNqzuDy8Lhyphenhyphen5OmNkfZTWJCVTiX5M7bcA6faNOXcDrriiuiMRaMn8/w432-h640/IMG_9049.JPG" width="432" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p></div>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-22347348493889167092021-04-11T01:50:00.004+08:002021-04-11T01:50:39.536+08:00review: hana khan carries on<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-ZYy9WTO_qViYQN7PaAWwo5R4GqWrNXMQK8f52wYxWARo3QorMb7qw7nNXFjhX-8tlQjUC0Ers7mLgV1Q7zA7zf0nhnnohMfQNM56147FFnpGCB2ZJtEqOBYRu4Y2ix0czCYO6RIm0o/s800/phonto+9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-ZYy9WTO_qViYQN7PaAWwo5R4GqWrNXMQK8f52wYxWARo3QorMb7qw7nNXFjhX-8tlQjUC0Ers7mLgV1Q7zA7zf0nhnnohMfQNM56147FFnpGCB2ZJtEqOBYRu4Y2ix0czCYO6RIm0o/s16000/phonto+9.jpg" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: Hana Khan Carries On</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Uzma Jalaluddin</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Chic-lit, Muslim Fiction</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 4.25 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trigger Warning: Islamophobia</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopis:</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"></strong></span></b></span></p><blockquote><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">From the author of <em>Ayesha at Las</em>t comes a sparkling new rom-com for fans of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in two competing halal restaurants</strong><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she’ll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana’s growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant—who might not be a complete stranger after all.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.</span></span></b></span></blockquote><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;"></span></span></b></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53746115-hana-khan-carries-on" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Thank you to Atlantic Books and to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">This was such a delightful read. Firstly, I am LIVING for more hijabi representation in books, and I especially appreciate Hanna Khan Carries On so much because I'm in the same age group as the main character, which i guess makes this book an Adult Contemporary Fiction. I've read a couple of Muslim rep and own-voices books before, my favourite Young Adult ones being the books by S.K. Ali, and I think Uzma Jalaluddin is now my favourite author for the Adult category for this genre.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Secondly, I love all the delicious food descriptions! I'm married to a British South Asian guy whose family cooks many of the dishes that Hana and her family serves at Three Sisters, so it definitely made me really hungry and homesick but also so pleased to be familiar with the references. I also love how MUSLIM the book is, though personally I did wish the author didn't need to explain what every single Muslim/Arabic/Urdu word meant, but I know it's for non-Muslims to be able to understand and i guess it's just a personal preference.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I really enjoyed all the themes that this books explores. At first i thought it was mainly going to be a light contemporary Muslim romance, which I was very excited about, but along the way the story delves into more serious issues surrounding Islamophobia, which are very real issues that happen in real life. And I really like the way the author intertwined the negative events that happened, with the main character's passion for podcast and radio. It was an interesting way to have this heavy topic discussed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I wasn't too fond of Hana Khan's character if I'm being honest, but I do think she's a witty, brave and relatable MC and I really like her selflessness when it comes to her family and friends. Aydin Shah isn't the most swoonworthy love interest (i know this is just a personal preference though, I attended the author's virtual launch event and a lot of people loveee Aydin lol so it's just me) and I think the romance seemed a little forced (maybe I'm just not that into the enemies-to-lovers trope lol), at least to begin with, but in the end I definitely ship the two. I do think that this might be because we do eventually learn a deeper layer about Aydin and his past, which I really didn't see coming but like, whoah.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">There were some very emotional scenes that really moved me. One involved the community Imam (oh, my heart!) and another was a line that Big J said that I found very inspiring: "Keep chasing the story in your heart, Hana, and you'll go far." I love this so much because I'm in the middle of writing my first novel, but also because I feel like that's exactly what Uzma Jalaluddin did by writing this book.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The only thing I wish we got to explore more about is the relationship between Hana's best friends Yusuf and Lily, and also her friendship with both of them. It felt a little unresolved in the end, and Yusuf and Lily have such an interesting and unique relationship that I really hope perhaps Uzma would write a spin-off novel about the two!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">All in all, I really enjoyed Hana Khan Carries On and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys Contemporary Fiction. This would definitely be a great read to those who enjoyed Saints & Misfits and Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali (i discovered that these two authors are good friends and are critique buddies, how cool!!) and Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik (Hana Khan Carries On is better in my opinion). I'm intrigued now to pick up Uzma's first book, Ayesha at Last. This one gets 4.25 stars from me 🌟</span></span></p>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-46827834506375094092021-03-18T19:29:00.003+08:002021-03-18T20:42:45.545+08:00review: the girl and the ghost<p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"></b></span></p><br /><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWhFKPsOK7FbUAZ66z51aeaqfhB5cOZpXyeYk3iCyLzJ7RBg7e0hDPpQoh9lRbfDTdr4zvF-w6PIrNoXRnoRr7UcjPLUy3je0BQACxN7BT7enpzQHaLWcEqXWRDP-On0vF86m_YltqQQ/s800/IMG_8286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWhFKPsOK7FbUAZ66z51aeaqfhB5cOZpXyeYk3iCyLzJ7RBg7e0hDPpQoh9lRbfDTdr4zvF-w6PIrNoXRnoRr7UcjPLUy3je0BQACxN7BT7enpzQHaLWcEqXWRDP-On0vF86m_YltqQQ/s16000/IMG_8286.JPG" /></a></div><br /></span><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: The Girl and the Ghost</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Hanna Alkaf</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Middle-grade, Paranormal/Fantasy, Asian Literature, Malaysian Fiction</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 5 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trigger Warning: Bullying</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopis:</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></span></p><blockquote><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;">I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.</i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;">Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;">But Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive . . . before they are both lost to the darkness.</span></span></b></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48716975-the-girl-and-the-ghost" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;"></span></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This book deserves all the stars in the world! I'm actually really scared to write this review because I'm not sure I'll get to properly convey my thoughts and emotions about it, but I'll try my best. But let me start by saying that this book now holds a special place in my heart, and it's one of my all-time favourites that I'll be telling EVERYONE to read.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The first thing that captivated me into the story was Hanna Alkaf's gorgeous, lyrical style of writing. I absolutely love it. I'll read anything and everything she writes (even the acknowledgements made me shed a tear), please please write more books, Hanna! Other than the beautiful metaphors and similes she uses in her writing, I also love how MALAYSIAN it is. Sure, the characters and setting are already Malaysian which can be expected from the synopsis, but to also get to see Malay words like jambu tree, jubah, songkok, baju kurung and all the Malaysian food (nasi lemak, roti canai, bahulu, murukku, etc.) and ghost types (pelesit, pawang, langsuir, toyol, etc.) being referred to in the Malay language, the way Malaysians would say them, and <i>without being italicised</i>, made me so happy. I also enjoyed seeing some of the characters (particularly Jing Wei) speak in Malaysian English.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The main characters– Pink and Suraya– are just brilliant. I adore them both so much, and what I love even more than their individual characteristics is their unique relationship. We have Pink, the pelesit (ghost) who's been bounded to Suraya ever since she was a young girl. As a pelesit, he's supposed to be creating chaos and do evil onto others, but seeing as Suraya never tells him to do any of this, he takes it upon himself to protect her at all cost. I clutched my chest every single time Pink said something along the lines of feeling [happy/proud/sad] for Suraya, despite "not having a heart," because he's a ghost. I won't get into it too much to avoid spoilers, but I just think Pink is so wholesome and ironically, so <i>human</i>. Hands down my favourite character.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Suraya's also such a wonderful MC. She's so compassionate and kind, but also brave and sometimes stubborn. I love seeing the way she shows affection towards Pink, and just like Pink, my heart soared when she finally finds a friend who accepts her. Jing Wei is funny and witty and her obsession for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings was hilarious and fun to read about. And actually, I really like the way the author weaves Star Wars into the story, where at one point it actually influences the characters' decision about something. Very clever.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the main story, I never would have thought I would love it as much as I do. I'm personally not a fan of ghost stories, ESPECIALLY the Malaysian ones because they give me goosebumps and anxiety. Like, I'll never watch Malaysian horror movies even if you paid me. So it was such a delightful surprise that I really enjoyed the author's take on Malaysian ghost folklore (or is folktale the more accurate word?). Instead of the awfully scary version that you see in Malaysian horror films or hear about from stories, the ones in The Girl and the Ghost are a lot lighter and friendlier. And even funny. Don't get me wrong, I still found them rather spooky, but it's so refreshing to explore a more <i>human</i> side to them. Because ultimately, most if not all of them were once people themselves after all. So that was really interesting. In addition to this, I did NOT see that plot twist coming!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All in all, I really loved The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf. I love everything you could love in a book; the writing, the story, and the characters. So it's an automatic 5 stars from me. The only thing I wish was different would be that I wish there was a longer ending, just because I was NOT ready to say goodbye to the characters.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you're Malaysian, please please don't hesitate to pick up this book. Although it's considered middle-grade, since the characters are 14-years-old if I'm not mistaken, it reads very much like a Young Adult novel (it actually gets quite dark too) and is suitable for people of all ages to read. There'll definitely be SOMETHING in it that you like, if not the ghosts and the plot, then definitely the Malaysian references, and knowing that there's Malaysian representation in fiction that's available worldwide.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you're not Malaysian, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. Read about us, please!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-41334860238751585222021-03-16T19:23:00.006+08:002021-03-16T19:27:55.372+08:00review: how to save a life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWflpE1mmx1blLgMPKijHglHRE7Jw3YQJxozQKoAJbzAjaaHTTmweb4lFBn_8ATWH6f_UfdIgYjPZU96ZEdR01oCbwKRonTiDTGZgrn3VwNKQOTUn9HG13e3sx6093nntelA1Jpw1Um9s/s800/howtosavealife+eva+carter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWflpE1mmx1blLgMPKijHglHRE7Jw3YQJxozQKoAJbzAjaaHTTmweb4lFBn_8ATWH6f_UfdIgYjPZU96ZEdR01oCbwKRonTiDTGZgrn3VwNKQOTUn9HG13e3sx6093nntelA1Jpw1Um9s/s16000/howtosavealife+eva+carter.png" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: How To Save a Life</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Eva Carter</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 3 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Expected Publication: May 18th 2021</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopsis:</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: bold;"></b></span></span></span></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">In this heartfelt love story, three friends find out what it really means to save someone.</b><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">Kerry Smith is going to save lives--and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working towards medical school, they are about to sit for their entrance exams. But on the eve of the new millennium, a classmate goes into cardiac arrest, changing everything.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">For nearly eighteen minutes, rising soccer star Joel Greenaway is dead. For nearly eighteen minutes, Kerry performs CPR on her long-time crush. And for nearly eighteen minutes, Tim is too shocked to help. And though they don't yet know it, those eighteen minutes will change the next eighteen years of their lives.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">Because as it turns out, saving a life doesn't always guarantee a happy ending.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">With his soccer career cut short, Joel lashes out and breaks Kerry's heart by ending their burgeoning relationship with a cruelty that derails her future, while Tim struggles to reconcile his dream of becoming a doctor with the reality of failing to act. As each struggles to move on from the events of that fateful New Year's Eve, their lives can't seem to stop colliding year after year. Pulled by their shared histories and her big heart, Kerry soon finds herself picking up the pieces after both broken men. But when Kerry is the one who needs saving, will anyone be there for her?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: 400;">As Kerry, Tim, and Joel discover what it means to love, to forgive, and to find your calling, this sweeping novel shows us that there is more than one way to save a life--and more than one path to finding meaning in your own.</span></span></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: Goodreads</span></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I have very mixed feelings about How To Save a Life. On the one hand, i found it really difficult to read because of the writing style and the POVs. On the other hand, i was intrigued enough to continue reading until the end because i needed to find out what happens to the characters. Overall, i rate this book 3 stars ⭐️</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I feel like this book had so much potential to be worthy of 5 stars. While the characters and writing felt very under-developed, the story itself was actually quite promising, and some parts were even clever. Perhaps with a few rounds of editing this could easily be polished. However, i do want to note that i did read an Advanced Reader's Copy, so maybe the final book might be a bit different, I'm not sure.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I really wasn't a fan of the writing style. It didn't flow that smoothly and the author's choices of words and sentences were often quite awkward. I noticed this especially in dialogues, where sometimes the characters say things too formally, hence sounding awkward and unrealistic, which disrupts the narrative for me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Furthermore, although there were 3 main POV; Kerry, Tim and Joel's, sometimes Kerry and Tim's narrative sounded too similar that I often got confused about whose POV i was reading and had to go back to the chapter heading just to check. Apart from this, I think the author could have done a better job at developing these three characters throughout the book. I feel like i only got to know about them through what they did (or their actions), rather than through their thoughts and feelings to further understand their motives and thought process.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">As for the plot, overall it was quite messy and also underdeveloped, but it did get much better towards the end. I suppose, whether intentionally or not, this kind of represents the maturity of the three characters throughout the book. As they grew older, they started to make better decisions and they're more sure about themselves. In particular, i really enjoyed seeing Joel's character improving, especially after Leo comes into the picture. I also appreciated seeing Kerry's struggle with depression and her perseverance in achieving her career dreams.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Overall, i did enjoy some parts of How To Save a Life, but it could really be improved to be a more polished novel.</span> </span></span></p><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400;"></span></span></span><p></p></div>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-7330923702889570442021-03-08T01:30:00.001+08:002021-03-16T19:27:55.371+08:00review: starfish<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCN9tSQhsLpqYeG_Jl5GoaHii_VQkhOrci89-WutQRubb84_nEliZyCIGh7tJmZwYEyZNUc79xfMp7_pCpsddON_KiVt2HR2fA_ts_aAXrWZDajhLw2LrtMcA5hkvj1ygRLSNRUSVNXU/s800/phonto+7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCN9tSQhsLpqYeG_Jl5GoaHii_VQkhOrci89-WutQRubb84_nEliZyCIGh7tJmZwYEyZNUc79xfMp7_pCpsddON_KiVt2HR2fA_ts_aAXrWZDajhLw2LrtMcA5hkvj1ygRLSNRUSVNXU/s16000/phonto+7.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: Starfish</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 5 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopsis:</span></b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time as her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the West Coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns transformative truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">A luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.</span></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38721121-starfish" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </span></p><p></p><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a big deal when I make the effort to turn on my laptop to write a review. I used to write proper reviews all the time back in the day, but I haven't done this in like, two years because I'm just lazy now lol but this book was just too good, i NEED to type out my thoughts properly for this one.<br /><br />I want to start by explaining the reason I decided to read Starfish. So i was googling for YA books that dealt with social anxiety because I've been struggling with that lately and thought reading novels about it may help, and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/teen/yas-that-get-it-right-anxiety-edition/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #00635d;">this site</a> recommended it alongside a review by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15075747.Hanna_Alkaf" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #00635d;" title="Hanna Alkaf">Hanna Alkaf</a>, the Malaysian author who wrote the amazing YA historical fiction <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35614314.The_Weight_of_Our_Sky" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #00635d;" title="The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf">The Weight of Our Sky</a>. I immediately looked up Starfish on Goodreads, saw a very decent rating and glimpsed through the first few reviews and i was sold. I bought it immediately on Kindle. Best e-book purchase EVER.<br /><br /><b>The Writing<br /></b>I can't even begin to express how much i appreciate the writing. Sure, the writing wasn't exactly lyrical, but that didn't matter at all. To me, it was poetic. I made so many highlights throughout the book because I resonated with so many things the author wrote. I especially relate so much to Kiko's thoughts, sometimes I felt like Kiko was ME or that i ghostwrited her monologues lol. I deeply appreciated the way Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote about Kiko's experience with anxiety, particularly with social anxiety. I don't think I relate to all of Kiko's actions in response to the anxiety she feels, but I most definitely relate to her feelings and thoughts of it, if that makes sense. The author also includes some very important topics (i also consider these as trigger warnings) such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, racism and suicide attempt. However, I don't feel like these themes stood out that obviously– they were quite subtle in my opinion, and I really liked that they were.<br /><br /><b>The Characters<br /></b>Having finished the book, I'm actually really shocked at just how similar Kiko's life resembles mine??? I really like Kiko. Even if there may be times when I get frustrated with how she handles things, I GET why she does it, and I know if I were actually in her shoes I'd be doing the same thing too. I like Kiko's siblings, they remind me so much of my own. The relationship between Kiko and her siblings closely mirror my own relationship with mine. I absolutely hate her mum, oh my god. But I really do empathise with Kiko and her constant desire to want to impress her mum, to get any signal from her own mother that she loves Kiko. I didn't have a good relationship with my mum during my teen years (it's gotten soo much better now) so i understand what that can be like. But damn, Kiko's mum is a hundred times worse than what I've experienced. <i>I'm sorry I keep talking about ways I relate to this book, I can't help it. It's the reason why it's so special to me</i>. Anyway, I also need to mention Jamie. I like him a lot!! And Hiroshi!!! And Hiroshi's family!! AND THE ROMANCE!!! There's not a lot of it BUT I LIKE IT A LOT!!<br /><br />I really loved going on this journey with Kiko. I really wanted to read a book with the MC experiencing social anxiety because I hoped to feel inspired by their journey in growing from their fears and finding that their courage can lead them to amazing opportunities and people. And I got that from Starfish. It's been a while since i last found an author who makes me want to read everything they've written, but Akemi Dawn Bowman, you officially have a new fan. Starfish is now one of my favourite books of all time.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-32243411991528691232021-03-08T01:14:00.003+08:002021-03-16T19:27:55.371+08:00review: my hero academia: team-up missions, vol 1<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYO0wUD296_y_Lg4Z0gi6r4Q66OD_zPbWZ50OfhD91BmnIP06LGH8QldzYlV1hs7GEQNKvG-1Nsgob4o29i4aTPoPwUdv19C5hxQFrEDUobBjToHs_-wHR667FRJQZaPjHB56-h0py-A/s800/MHA+blog.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYO0wUD296_y_Lg4Z0gi6r4Q66OD_zPbWZ50OfhD91BmnIP06LGH8QldzYlV1hs7GEQNKvG-1Nsgob4o29i4aTPoPwUdv19C5hxQFrEDUobBjToHs_-wHR667FRJQZaPjHB56-h0py-A/s16000/MHA+blog.png" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Title: My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol 1</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Author: Yoko Akiyama (Artist), Kohei Horikoshi (Original Creator)</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Genre: Manga, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rating: 4 stars</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Publication Date: 2 March 2021</span></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Synopsis: </span></b></span></p><p><span face="Raleway-Regular, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The aspiring heroes of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">My Hero Academia</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> team up with pro heroes for action-packed missions!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">To prepare the next generation of heroes for real-world hero work, the ambitious Team-Up Missions Program pairs groups of students with pro heroes to go on action-packed missions where they will learn to use teamwork to defeat villains. Although Izuku Midoriya and his U.A. High friends are thrilled to participate, there’s just one catch—there’s no telling who will be teamed up with whom! From top heroes to students from other classes and schools, anyone could be on the same team.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Midoriya is excited for his first team-up mission until he learns that his team includes Bakugo. Training alongside his explosive classmate would be hard enough, but the pro hero they’ve been matched with is also a real wild card. Can this makeshift team cooperate, or will Midoriya’s first mission be his last?</span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54396857-my-hero-academia?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ReprJMWjT1&rank=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </span></p><span face="Raleway-Regular, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><p></p><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />This was my first time properly reading a manga, and i must say it was a fun experience! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.<br /><br />I've only watched the anime for My Hero Academia, and it's one of my favourite anime which was why I was interested to read this spin off series by Yoko Akiyama.<br /><br />Team-Up missions basically features several mini missions that some of the main characters from the series (students in training to be pro heroes) go on while getting teamed up with pro heroes. I would say it's a very light and fun read because the missions are really quick and easy. Even though some of them were even silly missions, i found myself giggling here and there and going "awwww!" because it was quite wholesome!<br /><br />It was also refreshing to read this because the anime (and maybe even the original manga but I can't say for sure because I haven't read them) doesn't have very many "filler" episodes where all side characters get fleshed out. It was nice to get to see some of the side characters you don't see much in the anime, being in action in this.<br /><br />I'm not sure if someone who hasn't read or watched any My Hero Academia would enjoy Team-Up Missions, because they might get overwhelmed by all the characters being introduced. But it's definitely great for those who already love the series and want to have more of it. Also i must say, I'm really warming up towards reading manga!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-82303412120653268212021-03-08T00:45:00.004+08:002021-03-16T19:27:55.372+08:00review: destination anywhere<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEEjFw4UW2f97SKP0k5z2yuPfikza47D6_Cm94Ha29zMYwvgU7o1oBFpm0lYQDMDMhEuF9nf6IcRjaAK_CPf1UrJylnKnRym41cwtM6jHcg2PnK7lfwlHRKHj1_DOI1K0u9Kh5ZHZB6I/s800/Destination+Anywhere+blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEEjFw4UW2f97SKP0k5z2yuPfikza47D6_Cm94Ha29zMYwvgU7o1oBFpm0lYQDMDMhEuF9nf6IcRjaAK_CPf1UrJylnKnRym41cwtM6jHcg2PnK7lfwlHRKHj1_DOI1K0u9Kh5ZHZB6I/s16000/Destination+Anywhere+blog.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Title: Destination Anywhere </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Author: Sara Barnard</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Rating: 4.5 stars</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Publication Date: 15 April 2021</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Synopsis:</b></span></p><p><span id="freeText11981503941681367603" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><span id="freeText11981503941681367603" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Sometimes you have to leave your life behind to find your place in the world.</i><br /><br />After five years at secondary school spent without any friends, Peyton King starts sixth form college determined that things will be different. Whatever happens, she will make friends at any cost.<br /><br />When she finds the friends she’s always dreamed of, including an actual boyfriend, she’s happier than she’s ever been.<br /><br />But when they let her down in the worst way, Peyton is left no better off than when she started.<br /><br />Now Peyton knows the only chance she has of finding happiness is to look for it somewhere else. Her life may feel small, but it doesn't have to be. With nothing but her sketchpad and a backpack, she buys a one-way ticket and gets on a plane. . .<br /><br />In <i>Destination Anywhere</i>, Sara Barnard explores love, life and friendship in this exquisite tale of the lengths one girl will go to to change her story.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51203579-destination-anywhere" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What a delightful read, thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of Sara Barnard's latest book!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Trigger Warning: Bullying, anxiety, abandonment, drugs.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been meaning to read Sara's books for ages but haven't gotten around to it. Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard is my first book by the author, I requested for a digital copy of the ARC after reading the intriguing synopsis. After finishing it within a couple of days, I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked, and I'm more than convinced to pick up Sara Barnard's other books. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Destination Anywhere is basically about a college girl from Britain, Peyton King, who struggled to make friends all through high school and was determined to start afresh at a new school/college. Apparently things hadn't gone the way she had hoped, because at the beginning of the book we find Peyton about to board a flight to Canada, convinced that she needed to run away from home to escape the trauma she had faced and to figure out who she wanted to be.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I really, really enjoyed being on this journey with Peyton. We follow her story in two time frames: the present, which is the part where she travels in Canada, and the past, which was the part where she desperately tried to make friends in college. I really liked the back-to-back storytelling of these two parts. The pace was fast and I feel like Peyton had really great character development throughout the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I think this book touched me quite personally because I'm reminded of a very close friend of mine who had experienced something similar to Peyton's struggle to find a best friend at a new place. It was because of this, in addition to my own experiences from traveling and studying abroad, that I found myself getting anxious when reading about Peyton's own social anxiety. I think the author did a wonderful job to portray one's struggles to connect with other people, their desire for meaningful relationships, and the mistakes people are willing to make to get this.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I absolutely LOVE reading about the traveling! In the acknowledgments, Sara Barnard mentioned about writing this book in the middle of 2020, when most of the world is restricted from traveling, and I read this in 2021 when not much has changed. So it's been a while since I've been able to travel, and it's just so wonderful to get to do this in the book, with Peyton and the characters she meets. Canada sounds absolutely breathtaking, and I'm frequently reminded of my unforgettable trip to New Zealand in 2015. I love reading about Peyton and the diverse group of people she meets and travels with, and it was a delight to get to see her in her journey to try to overcome her fear and anxiety about forming friendships.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I also want to mention that the few illustrations in this book were very beautiful, i love that this was included because in the book we see Peyton drawing in her sketchbook and it helped to imagine the places she went to. I'd highly recommend Destination Anywhere to all contemporary YA lovers, i rate this 4.5 stars!</span></p>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-32549246882103171992017-12-31T21:45:00.002+08:002017-12-31T21:53:14.062+08:002017;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year has been the craziest rollercoaster of my life so far. You know how when you think of a year, there'll be that one major event that pretty much reminds you of it? It's the things that define the year, like "Oh, this was the year i graduated from high school (2013)," or "This was my last year in Australia (2008)." The year 2017, is the year I had my first real heartbreak. As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, it really was the thing that defined my year, because it was the thing that pretty much changed me as a person. I remember starting the year with so much hope and comfort, but also a bit of anxiety. Things with my family were going to change a little this year because my dad had to go work in the United States in May. I didn't expect much else to be different other than that, and also perhaps with me starting to live on campus during my final year that was starting in September.<br />
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I'll tell you this: I went through 2017 as four different people. The me today, is a whole different person from the me at the beginning of the year. The other two people were the stages I went through to reach where I am today. I remember being so happy and in love during the first three months. It was the first time in a long time (perhaps even since ever) that I had started making real, serious plans for my future, because having a partner in your life does that to you. You start seeing yourself settling in a certain place with them, building your children's lives together, choosing career paths that will help shape your dreams and feed your family. I remember traveling to the UK with two of my best friends, feeling a glimpse of independence and freedom and being surrounded by possibilities for my future. I remember celebrating birthdays and spending fun late nights with meaningful friends, people who i truly believed were going to be a part of my life for a very long time. I was just a really happy person during the first trimester of the year. At some point it did feel too good to be true. I couldn't possibly be THIS happy without any cost. Maybe the happiness made me forget to be grateful, i don't know.<br />
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The next three months were the most devastating. April was such a difficult month, it was when my relationship faced a rough time, and things didn't work out. I think the breakup happened at the end of April, and it was the saddest surprise of the year. My ex had a way of reassuring me of our future, so i never had to worry about altering my plans with him. I did not see the breakup coming, not at all. I remember the very moment when my mind went completely blank and I was thinking "what now?". It was the most lost I've ever felt. May was the month that I was just trying to keep myself together because I had exams coming up and I was getting ready to fly to the States for the next three months. It was such a tough month to get through, but I made it (oh and i got a nose piercing lmao). Then off I went to Washington, DC, heartbroken with an identity crisis.<br />
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I can't say that I healed a lot while I was away. You don't really heal much with one-way distractions like binge-watching TV series and reading books. I don't think I really talked very much in June-August, being away from my friends and not having the most sociable family. I was silent most of the time. I want to say I did a lot of thinking, but I had mostly avoided it. Thinking about my breakup made me sad, so I didn't think about it very much. I read a lot of poetry books to read about heartbroken people's thoughts instead of having my own, which did help a little bit. The hardest thing to deal with was mostly getting used to waking up every day with a void in my heart. There were many nights spent trying to fall asleep till 3 or 4 in the morning. I worried a lot about coming back and not knowing how things were going to be. I distracted myself by having a new obsession: makeup. Boy, I bought a LOT of makeup while I was there. My dad brought my sister and I on a road trip along the West Coast (California) and some other amazing places. Traveling was as tough as it was fun. I was reminded of my ex a lot during the trip, because he loves to travel and at every beautiful spot I wish I could tell him how breathtaking it was, knowing he would have appreciated it. But at the same time, I was amazed by the places I went to and even by the people I came across. It made me feel a spark of wanderlust and independence. For the first time ever, I had considered living alone in a country like the US and building my career there. Feeling very adventurous, I had a strong urge to migrate and travel alone. I didn't really miss home. Home stopped existing when he left, and I was longing to find a new one far away.<br />
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Anyway, the trip was life-changing in a way that it made me WANT to get out of my comfort zone. I WANTED to grow out of this shell of familiarity and do new things. I knew I was nearly about to go back to Malaysia, and I was actually very excited. I wanted to slay my grades for third year and graduate with first class honours. I wanted to be disciplined with coursework and lecture notes and do well in everything. Oh and I was excited to try out Tinder as well lol, i couldn't use it in the US (I tried it for 2 weeks and got bored HAHA). September went by, and mostly I spent my time catching up with my close friends and preparing myself for my final year living on campus.<br />
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The last three months of the year were the best. I got so busy with so many activities. I tried out a lot of new things; I got a part-time job at a bookstore, I joined Silat, I was the head of a committee for a fundraising event, I managed MYBBM's Secret Pumpkin, i attended every lecture and completed all my coursework with flying colours, I met up with close friends pretty much every week and got to go on mini roadtrips, I was in the committee for Bookish Day Out. Damn, I was so busy, and I freaking enjoyed every minute of it. I had no time to even read books, and I didn't mind at all. I met a lot of new people and hardly got socially drained, I even wondered if i had become an extrovert. I attended my first ever concert in November (Ed Sheeran's!), which blew my mind away. I made new amazing friends, I got closer to my old ones. I could notice myself laughing again, I could see myself smile and enjoy the good moments. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows of course, I did have some bad nights, but they were easier to deal with. I also started to write a lot of poetry to help me with my healing, and at one point I was hooked on to the idea of publishing my writing into a book. I started working on it more seriously, discussing about it with close friends and getting help from talented people. It's now one of the most exciting things I'm looking forward to doing in 2018.<br />
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I was four different people this year: the one blindly in love, the one who was hopelessly heartbroken, the lost one searching for herself, and the one I am now. I am entering 2018 as a different person. I am a lot more confident in myself, I'm more independent, and I'm more of a realist. People who don't know me well aren't happy with how i've changed, but those who are close to me are proud of the person I've grown into (and am still growing to become). A lot of people have helped me with my healing, they've given me a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, wise advice, perspective, support and more love than I deserve. My parents have also been a part of it in their own subtle ways, by allowing me the room to make my own decisions and mistakes. I don't think I'm anywhere near being the best version of myself, but I can say with confidence that I'm heading towards it. My best friend told me that she thought I was at my lowest while I was with my ex. I couldn't see it back then, but now i think she was right. This wasn't his fault whatsoever, it was my own choices that made me settle and remain in the comforts of familiarity. I became very insecure, which was one of the things that i think disrupted my relationship. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm glad the breakup happened, but I can appreciate what I've grown into because of it. Right now I just want to be the best version of myself I could possibly be. I'm not sure what I feel about love at the moment, but I know I have no room for it right now. Nobody deserves to be with me until I'm the best version, and that makes me not want to settle for anyone until they're the best version of themselves too.<br />
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Alhamdulillah for 2017. So many things will be different in 2018, and i'm hoping it will be a year of constant growth and self-love. I'm ready for the new year and I plan to slay my way through it. You're more than welcome to watch me :)<br />
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<br />maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-11397346560985331722017-11-16T21:46:00.001+08:002017-11-16T22:00:09.186+08:00Whichwood Malaysian Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-size-adjust: auto;">I was exhilarated when i was invited to be a part of the Whichwood Malaysian Blog Tour! I read the ARC for Furthermore last year and absolutely ADORED it. Whichwood is Tahereh Mafi's second middle-grade novel, and also happens to be the companion novel to Furthermore. Personally, i feel like it should have just been labeled as a sequel, because Whichwood begins nicely about a year after the events in Furthermore. But that aside, I thought that the book was such a delight to read! Thank you so much to Penguin Random House USA International for organizing the blog tour</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and for sending me and other Malaysian book bloggers an ARC of this book! I'm rating this beauty a solid 4 out of 5 stars!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the reviews by other Malaysian bloggers! :D</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis from Goodreads:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Furthermore</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Our story begins on a frosty night…</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Plot</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The overall plot for Whichwood was generally enjoyable, but i don't think it was the only thing that made this book really great. I thought Whichwood had a really interesting start, one that sucked me into the world right away. I also got really excited when we got to meet the characters from Furthermore very early in the book. Even though i've already read Furthermore, I still appreciated the occasional footnotes throughout the book explaining about certain situations that readers who haven't read Furthermore may question. I don't think it was highly necessary to be included (and personally i'm not a huge fan of footnotes because it interrupts my reading experience), but seeing as I read Furthermore more than a year ago it was nice to be reminded of the smaller details that i've forgotten. The book started to get a little bit draggy in the middle, but towards the end it took a huge turn and got me flipping the pages right until the end. Overall, I liked the concept of <i>mordeshoors</i>, and i enjoyed finding out what happened at the end of the book.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Characters</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE ALL THE PERSIAN/MUSLIM/ARABIC NAMES IN THIS BOOK? I never realised just how beautiful Persian names were, and I love that the world of Whichwood seemed to have their own beautiful culture even with their names. Laylee was a very unique character, one I don't think I've come across before in any other book. Her character was interesting in so many ways. Reading about how lonely she was, the way she evaluated her self-worth, how hard she always was on herself, and all her hidden dark thoughts really broke my heart. It made me want to give her a nice warm hug, because she seemed incredibly strong for needing to go through such darkness at such a young age (I believe she was 13 years old?). I loved seeing her character develop throughout the book. I loved seeing my two favourite characters from Furthermore being very active characters in this one, and I loved Benyamin, the new main character being introduced later in the book. I adore their friendship, and I liked the way Tahereh Mafi managed to build their connection without spending too much time on it. I also appreciated the innocent hint of romance, I feel like I need Tahereh Mafi to write a Young Adult novel for the characters when they grow older!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The world-building in Whichwood was not as strange and extraordinary as the descriptions in Furthermore. I feel like Whichwood (the magical land in the book itself) was more similar to our own world, and this was no surprise seeing as the book was apparently inspired by Persian tales (and is actually described as a Persian fantasy). This isn't at all a bad thing, I loved reading Mafi's descriptions of the fashion, food and traditions. Though i did find it a little bit odd that references like Rumi were even mentioned in the story, because it did take me out of the narrative for a second since i associate those words to the real world instead of the fictional world. Other than the wonderful descriptions, Tahereh Mafi's writing once again deserves a standing ovation! It was just so fun and easy to read and it made me feel like somebody else was telling me a bedtime story instead of me reading the book myself. I thought it was incredible, the way Mafi could write the narrator's voice so distinctly while still allowing the characters to take over their own perspective. I dog-eared so many pages from Whichwood! So many things that Laylee thought about were very relatable, which was honestly impressive given the fact that this was a middle-grade fantasy. I especially appreciated how realistic her thoughts had been regarding family, friendship, self-worth, loneliness and hope.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, Whichwood was fantastic and I think everyone who enjoyed Furthermore or love Tahereh Mafi's writing in her YA series would love this book. If you're looking for a light book with thought-provoking themes, wonderful world-building and beautiful writing style, This is definitely the book for you. I can't wait to see what other readers think about this one!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ALSO, if you're living in Malaysia, we're hosting a giveaway to win a copy of a SIGNED copy of Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi! Check out Kevin's review </span><a href="https://bookevin.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/whichwoodmyblogtour-review-whichwood-by-tahereh-mafi-giveaway/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to find the link to join the giveaway!:D You should also check out </span><a href="https://booklovesreviews.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/a-story-that-chills-you-to-the-bones-a-review-of-whichwood-by-tahereh-mafi/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Shahirah</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="https://herinfinitepages.com/2017/11/14/book-review-whichwood-by-tahereh-mafi-whichwoodmyblogtour/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Kimberly's</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> reviews as well!</span></span>maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-29992921925769553362017-10-06T09:50:00.001+08:002017-10-06T09:50:50.374+08:00review: the golden compass <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first read The Golden Compass when i was 12 years old. I was really excited to read it again 9 years later when Penguin Random House Malaysia wanted to send me a copy of the new edition (Thank you PRH Malaysia!!). Apparently, Philip Pullman will be releasing a new series that's based on the world in the His Dark Materials trilogy! I loved this series when I was young, so it's pretty exciting to find out that my childhood isn't over after all. I've always thought that rereading favourite books from your childhood can be a whole new experience, and I was not wrong for The Golden Compass. I'm rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars! It was just as good, if not better, than the first time reading it.<br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">nothing</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the alethiometer. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers"—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved.</span></blockquote>
<b>Plot</b><br />
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Even after all these years, I'm still really amazed and impressed with the depth of the plot in The Golden Compass. At first, even during my reread, it did start off really slow (especially with the really dense writing to get through, but we'll get to that later) and I can see why some people might struggle to read the book. A bunch of strange character names, concepts and scientific terms popped up really early within the first few chapters. I didn't have too much trouble keeping up with it because I vaguely knew the general plot from my previous time reading it, but first-time readers might find it difficult to keep up at first. I really enjoyed discovering how more things started making sense as i kept reading, and how we find out at the end that the plot was actually even bigger than what we initially thought. The ending was a cliffhanger, one that makes you wish you had the sequel with you. Luckily in the copy I was reading, there was a sneak peek of The Subtle Knife and it made me really want to continue rereading the rest of the books in the series.<br />
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When I first read the book at 12 years old, I hardly noticed the philosophical discussions and religious metaphors from this series. Reading it again now, I can't really believe that this book is for children. It seems so advanced with the complexity of the plot, but I guess that's what makes it interesting for all age groups, just like the Harry Potter series.<br />
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<b>Characters</b><br />
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There we so many characters in this book! Even the minor and probably irrelevant characters were named, and in this world the characters have strange and uncommon names. Firstly, the concept in this world is that each human has a part of their soul presented physically in the form of an animal, which is called a 'daemon'. Before you reach puberty, your daemon can change forms into different animals until it settles into one form when you are old enough.<br />
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Our main character is a young girl named Lyra Belacqua, and her daemon is called Pantalaimon. There are also witches and intelligent bears in this book, all with unique names like Serafina Pekkala and Iorek Byrnison. I really love the main characters in The Golden Compass. Lyra is such a wonderful character, she showed so much bravery for an 11-year-old girl, but at the same time she didn't hold back with her childishness and emotions as well. I absolutely adored her relationship with her daemon. You can truly see how intimate and powerful the bond between human and daemon is, up to the point where it physically hurts to even be apart from one another. I did get a little emotional every time their bond was tested, and their intense relief every time they were reunited.<br />
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I loved the fact that both children and adults played significant roles in this book. The way that Lyra earned respect from the adults and even from non-humans was really interesting to see. And even when an adult did belittle her for being too young to understand something, Lyra either challenged them or proved them wrong. She's also very clever and determined, and her skill in lying is actually pretty impressive too.<br />
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<b>Writing</b><br />
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To be honest, I can't say that i'm a fan of the writing. I feel like it was unnecessarily dense, which made it difficult to get into the book. Perhaps this is because I'm very used to reading modern Young Adult books, which mostly have simpler writing and isn't too detailed. Philip Pullman really likes to elaborate on even small details. The good thing about this is that i'm more convinced by the world-building, but the negative side to it is that it slows down the plot and sometimes I'm just eager to get to the exciting parts already. However once I was drawn into the story the writing didn't really bother me as much.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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All in all, I really enjoyed my experience reading The Golden Compass for the second time. When I think about the series as a whole, I'm amazed at how immense the plot gets for the second and the third book, and I can appreciate The Golden Compass more for being a great start to an epic trilogy. Anyone who yearns for an adventure, who loves fantasy and books about alternate universes, should definitely pick this one up. If you've only read the first book, I'd highly encourage you to continue with the series. It gets even more mindblowing, trust me. Thank you again to Penguin Random House Malaysia for sending me a copy of The Golden Compass, I can't wait for Philip Pullman's new book, The Book of Dust to be out!maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-86556017661223609472017-09-27T21:48:00.001+08:002017-09-27T21:48:28.638+08:00home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrvvfnn5ixwjM94FvaWOzY3fThqzSZC50NOG0NG5GDOaVHtxWBc8XsTRrGzuHzyPivA0bYIOxibuTwmp2uJK41Al3gOgdQpNPyFzbRdL4ofnB7g5t49VCHVo1-z-JPEzc8IIrEhVpASk/s1600/FullSizeRender+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrvvfnn5ixwjM94FvaWOzY3fThqzSZC50NOG0NG5GDOaVHtxWBc8XsTRrGzuHzyPivA0bYIOxibuTwmp2uJK41Al3gOgdQpNPyFzbRdL4ofnB7g5t49VCHVo1-z-JPEzc8IIrEhVpASk/s640/FullSizeRender+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Everybody has a place</div>
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that they call home.</div>
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My home, was my humble room.</div>
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I loved waking up </div>
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during the hours when </div>
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the morning light</div>
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would peek through my window</div>
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and warm my bare skin.</div>
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I loved waking up</div>
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to the view of my glorious bookshelf</div>
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greeting me </div>
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with promises of adventure.</div>
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I loved the feeling</div>
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of knowing i could steal a few hours</div>
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just laying in bed and reading a book.</div>
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It was my favourite time of the day</div>
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to do what i loved most</div>
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in my favourite place.</div>
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I had posters and polaroids</div>
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giving personality to my walls.</div>
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My room</div>
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was also my home</div>
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because when i closed my books</div>
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and turned to my phone</div>
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I'd see you.</div>
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You, with your positive good mornings.</div>
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You, with your genuine hope</div>
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For my day to be wonderful and blessed.</div>
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You, forming my first smile</div>
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for the brand new day.</div>
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I didn't know</div>
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That it was possible </div>
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To feel even more at home.</div>
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But one day,</div>
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One day my pillow started to catch </div>
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all of my tears.</div>
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My books, my posters</div>
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Became witnesses to my lonely nights,</div>
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When i'd hug my knees and cry.</div>
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When i'd sob into the pillow</div>
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as silently as i could, </div>
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so that my sister wouldn't hear</div>
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from her room next door.</div>
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They watched me break apart, night after night.</div>
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They saw my mother one night</div>
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Hugging my soulless body.</div>
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Trying to comfort me </div>
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With "you deserve better"s</div>
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And "it isn't meant to be"s.</div>
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Day by day</div>
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I came to resent my favourite place.</div>
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Because how could i not?</div>
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When home was now associated</div>
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with pain and grief and tears and a shattered, broken heart?</div>
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When it takes so much effort,</div>
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Too much,</div>
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To wake up and not remember</div>
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how you always greeted my mornings</div>
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with so much hope</div>
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and reassurance</div>
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and love?</div>
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You didn't just break my heart</div>
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when you walked away.</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You took away my home.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">— n. a. </span></div>
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maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-18860333195398422172017-09-08T10:44:00.000+08:002017-09-28T14:44:02.222+08:00bleeding heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfOCpguaZ_O17fAYUFZae1W0AsIx2frHdsDU102dkkUnJ5SwcHg9aenaNmMhx5C2ppGMFrHuj1nnDTkbSvQcibnNXO8njXT6mdEMqiSLTI_6YbMF-ZEC5pNWvmJYtZ79b3OrTAPcXS3k/s1600/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfOCpguaZ_O17fAYUFZae1W0AsIx2frHdsDU102dkkUnJ5SwcHg9aenaNmMhx5C2ppGMFrHuj1nnDTkbSvQcibnNXO8njXT6mdEMqiSLTI_6YbMF-ZEC5pNWvmJYtZ79b3OrTAPcXS3k/s640/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;">I hope you will never forget</span><br />
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the look on my face</div>
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When you shattered</div>
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the possibility of our future.</div>
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When you butchered</div>
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all that you had promised.</div>
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When you stood before me</div>
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as someone</div>
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i could no longer recognize.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Because the person i knew</div>
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the one i fell in love with –</div>
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my best friend –</div>
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who has seen my soul,</div>
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who knows my demons,</div>
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appears before me,</div>
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a stranger.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I hope you will never forget</div>
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the pain in my eyes</div>
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As I asked you the question</div>
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that i never imagined</div>
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would ever be relevant</div>
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in this love.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“So you don’t love me anymore?”</div>
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I muttered, as i convinced myself</div>
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that this was a dream,</div>
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That I was having a nightmare,</div>
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And that before you would answer</div>
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I would wake up</div>
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with my heart racing,</div>
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but with it still whole.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I never woke up.</div>
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Your long pause, </div>
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your ridiculous hesitation,</div>
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brought the knife</div>
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hovering over </div>
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my fragile</div>
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beating</div>
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heart.</div>
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It was when you looked into my eyes</div>
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It was when you shook your head</div>
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That the blade finally pierced through.</div>
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I’m glad you looked</div>
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into the eyes you once loved,</div>
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the very ones you saw your future</div>
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and your children</div>
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and your home in.</div>
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It was you who fed it with hope</div>
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With joy, and laughter,</div>
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and possibilities.</div>
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It was you who taught it how to love,</div>
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how to smile,</div>
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how to trust.</div>
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And it was you</div>
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who took it all back.</div>
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Every</div>
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last </div>
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bit.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;">
— n. a. </div>
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<br /></div>
maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-47332666769090041342017-08-24T02:15:00.003+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.393+08:00review: the names they gave us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtLnNEtw0U2yx-NEl4Kd7e0zy8yLuNfD7XXv_IvcfR0tExonfX1HKlLrSwaXFRdKio7qdNsM0J7OPS4xmT0qC5O-l3NCbYw4pHhUS3sM-4lEkFyCoi31Z_A7g6IGxulii-N87p56IwLY/s1600/FullSizeRender+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtLnNEtw0U2yx-NEl4Kd7e0zy8yLuNfD7XXv_IvcfR0tExonfX1HKlLrSwaXFRdKio7qdNsM0J7OPS4xmT0qC5O-l3NCbYw4pHhUS3sM-4lEkFyCoi31Z_A7g6IGxulii-N87p56IwLY/s640/FullSizeRender+11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Names They Gave Us is my third Emery Lord book, and like the other two, I loved it! Emery Lord writes such great summer books, she's definitely one of my favourite YA contemporary authors. I gave high ratings for two of her books (4.6 stars for When We Collided and 4.5 stars for The Start of Me And You), and I'm happy to rate this one 4.5 stars!<br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="freeText14283690447261844709" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?</span><span id="freeText14283690447261844709" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText14283690447261844709" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Emotionally-charged and unforgettable, Emery Lord’s storytelling shines with the promise of new love and true friendship, even in the face of life’s biggest challenges.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></blockquote>
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I love that this book has a very different theme compared to the other two that I've read, but that it still deals with very relatable issues. This one discusses a lot about one's faith in God, which I personally thought was wonderful. I think i've read quite a lot of YA contemporary, and almost none of them featured a main character living a more religious lifestyle.<br />
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Even though I'm a Muslim and in this book the main character, Lucy, is a Christian, the main concept and the spiritual dilemmas the Lucy and the other characters faced were still extremely relatable. Facing situations that makes you question your faith in God can be very difficult, and can become something that's uncomfortable and embarrassing to talk about. To read about characters facing this makes me feel less alone and less guilty about having have had similar thoughts. It reminded me that I am human. I appreciated the acknowledgement that just because religious people have certain beliefs they hold on to, it doesn't mean they have it all together or that they're judgmental towards everyone who doesn't share the same views.<br />
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<b>Characters</b><br />
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I really love Lucy's character! I relate to her in many ways, such as the way she wants people to like her, the way she panics and blames herself for being lame when she tries too hard to say the right things, how she struggles with her relationship with God, and a lot of other things that she did. She had such fantastic character development, it was so wonderful and motivating to see her grow and understand things about life.<br />
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One of the other things I liked about The Names They Gave Us was Lucy's journey in discovering herself, and her realizations about growing up. Even though it wasn't her choice to go to Camp Daybreak, I still loved that she was brave enough to give it a shot, and I enjoyed going through the journey with her. The whole camp environment was described superbly. Reading about the bonds between the camp members and the counsellors, the exciting activities they all had to do, the wonderful new friends Lucy makes, and pretty much everything about the camp, was so nostalgic. It brought me back to memories of the camps I went to during primary and secondary school.<br />
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I love ALL the characters in this book! The kids at the camp are so precious. The other counsellors are amazing, especially because they each have their own individual problems but they have so much love and passion in guiding their camp kids. Both of Lucy's parents are such important characters. I was amazed at how the book was brought to more depth when we find out more about Marianne's history. It was also very heartbreaking to read about Lucy's mother having cancer, and how it was affecting Lucy's life. There was definitely diversity among the characters, which was terrific.<br />
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<b>Writing</b><br />
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Emery Lord's writing was very easy to get into, and i found myself occasionally dog-earring pages of the book because the dialogue was just so relatable. The romance was also really cute, it was great that it didn't become the centre of the story. It had the perfect balance of romance, friendship, family, and self-discovery.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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All in all, if you enjoy YA contemporary you definitely can't miss out on this one. I haven't read Emery Lord's first book, Open Road Summer, but I think it's still fair to say that she writes really wonderful books. I definitely see myself rereading The Names They Gave Us in the future, and suggesting this book when people ask for recommendations.maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-11450696548333166812017-08-24T02:15:00.002+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.350+08:00review: wing jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLXAOrHrafHhcHk3ArWP7PIJWTpWa0PO6btT_bAI4HIyJLN55Z9egDcU0prjiy5un-vt-xFWKh0Xtq_jGWPBAPiPvnw_YfytfD0LR2N36EiTHB-e1bafHtgijLohuH6uFeJ6uwiy_fQQ/s1600/FullSizeRender+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLXAOrHrafHhcHk3ArWP7PIJWTpWa0PO6btT_bAI4HIyJLN55Z9egDcU0prjiy5un-vt-xFWKh0Xtq_jGWPBAPiPvnw_YfytfD0LR2N36EiTHB-e1bafHtgijLohuH6uFeJ6uwiy_fQQ/s640/FullSizeRender+10.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wing Jones by Katherine Webber is just <i>phenomenal</i>. I love, love, LOVE it! It's one of those books that I'll automatically suggest to people when they ask me for book recommendations. This beauty deserves so much love, I'm rating it 4.75 stars!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis from Goodreads:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">Jandy Nelson meets Friday Night Lights: a sweeping story about love and family from an exceptional new voice in YA. With a grandmother from China and another from Ghana, fifteen-year-old Wing Jones is often caught between worlds. But when tragedy strikes, Wing discovers a talent for running she never knew she had. Wing's speed could bring her family everything it needs. It could also stop Wing getting the one thing she wants.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I immensely enjoyed the plot in Wing Jones. I couldn't get into the story after reading the first chapter, so i left it to read a different book. When i got back to it i cursed myself for not reading just another chapter that first time, because I got so hooked into the story! I kept wanting to read more because it was just tragic and so full of emotional moments. Wing Jones is such a beautiful coming-of-age book that feels very realistic. I appreciated that the author showed that there are consequences to everything that you do, even if you're not a bad person.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The characters introduced in this book are simply <i>incredible</i>. I love every single one of them, except for maybe that one bully. But the rest are so lovable! I deeply appreciated how imperfect and flawed they are, because it feels more realistic and makes them so much more relatable. I found pieces of myself from bits of each character. I absolutely love our main girl, Wing. I love reading her thoughts, empathizing with her emotions, going through the journey of self-discovery and grief with her. I love watching her discover love and friendship, and finding potential in herself. I love the other characters too, especially Aaron, Marcus, Marcus's girlfriend (I can't remember her name), Eliza, and Wing's grandmothers. Wing's grandmothers are hilarious! One is from China and one from Ghana, and they're so different it was very heartwarming and entertaining to see them argue and try to get along. The pool of characters is so diverse in age, race and sexuality it's so wonderful.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helveticaneue";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to say, I can't believe this was Katherine Webber's debut novel. Her writing is so beautiful, it seems like she's written so many books. I dog eared so many pages that i found to be relatable and incredible. Her writing made me explore so many different emotions, from sadness to anger to excitement and fear. It was very easy to get into, i could read 50 pages and not realise i've read a whole chunk already. I love that the romance wasn't at all overwhelming, because this book was about more than just romantic love. It was about love in a family, and the things one was willing to do and sacrifice for the people they hold most dear. It was also about the joy of discovering friendship, of finally finding somewhere you belong. I love the uplifting and empowering vibe at the end of the book, it feels like i've conquered something just like Wing did. Also, I felt a huge urge to go running again. I used to be an athlete when I was in school, and all the track scenes made me reminisce the good old days when I was fit and active. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />All in all, this is definitely one of my favourite books this year and I hope a lot more people will read it. This is perfect for YA contemporary lovers, and for people who want a great coming-of-age book that'll make them feel great at the end. It is an incredibly-written diverse book, and i can't wait to read more books by Katherine Webber! :D</span><br />
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maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-29525620297210609482017-07-17T05:39:00.001+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.383+08:00review: saints and misfits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saints and Misfits is everything i've been waiting for in the Young Adult genre. It is so exciting to finally see proper Muslim representation in one of my favourite genres to read, and a huge bonus is that the book is actually pretty incredible. I am very impressed by S. K. Ali's debut novel, and I am definitely excited to read more books published by Salaam Reads. I am rating this beautiful book 4.75 stars, it's definitely going to make it into one of my favourites of the year!<br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Saints and Misfits</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> is an unforgettable debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life…starring a Muslim teen.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">How much can you tell about a person just by looking at them?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Janna Yusuf knows a lot of people can’t figure out what to make of her…an Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager who is a Flannery O’Connor obsessed book nerd, aspiring photographer, and sometime graphic novelist is not exactly easy to put into a box.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">And Janna suddenly finds herself caring what people think. Or at least what a certain boy named Jeremy thinks. Not that she would ever date him—Muslim girls don’t date. Or they shouldn’t date. Or won’t? Janna is still working all this out.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">While her heart might be leading her in one direction, her mind is spinning in others. She is trying to decide what kind of person she wants to be, and what it means to be a saint, a misfit, or a monster. Except she knows a monster…one who happens to be parading around as a saint…Will she be the one to call him out on it? What will people in her tightknit Muslim community think of her then?</span></blockquote>
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Oh God, where do I start with this review? The not-that-cliche plot? The amazing blend of imperfect characters? The friendship goals? The important issues being discussed and tackled? How empowering it is for Muslim women who are being mistreated? How it shows the beauty of Islam without sounding like it's trying to preach it to your face? How relatable the main character's struggles are as a <i>hijabi</i>? The possibilities are endless, so let's just do this the usual way;<br />
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<b>The Plot</b><br />
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I have to be honest, i was expecting this to have a simple, typical YA contemporary plot. I thought it would be about a Muslim girl falling for a non-Muslim guy and things go horribly wrong before going perfectly right. Okay yes, it does have a little bit of that particular plot line, but the story developed so much deeper than that because of the issues that it addresses. It became about Janna trying to deal with a horrible thing that happened to her all by herself, about her relationship with her family, her friends who share the same religion and those who don't, Janna's image in the Muslim community, her life in high school, Janna struggling with her faith, and even about her relationship with her neighbour. I was hooked into the story right away, and it kept me gripped up until the end.<br />
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Many important issues were mentioned in this book. The most important issue in my opinion was about sexual harassment, particularly from the last people we would expect to do such things. It sheds light to the reality that there are people out there who appear pious and holy but uses the image to hide behind who they truly are. I truly appreciated that this issue wasn't only just discussed, but the author even addressed what a person who has experienced it can do about the situation.<br />
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<b>The Writing</b><br />
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I was very impressed with S. K. Ali's writing. I love how easy it was to get into, and the way she tries to portray the wonderful things about Islam without shoving it to the reader's face. I thought it was very clever of her to explain the more factual things about Islam in a sort of forum style that was very informative and was 'written' in a very kind and considerate way by one of her characters. There was also an Islamic Quiz Bowl kind of thing happening in the story, and it was a really smart way of trying to tell us more about the religion. I thought it was really interesting to read how similar and how different the Muslim community in America (or in non-Muslim countries in general) is compared to the ones in Muslim-majority countries like Malaysia.<br />
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<b>The Characters</b><br />
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I absolutely LOVE the characters! The main character, Janna, is just so relatable I love her a lot. She isn't perfect, she does make some very questionable decisions, but that's the exact reason why it was so easy to like her and relate to her. She's still just a teenager, and I thought it was terrific that her character showed the reader that <i>hijabis</i> have their own struggles and are honestly just human just like everyone else. My favourite thing about Janna's character in the book was reading about her dilemmas regarding wearing her headscarf. It's something that I know many Muslim girls and even grown women have experienced or considered, and i appreciated this being addressed so much.<br />
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There were also other characters who were just <i>fantastic</i>. Lets start with Janna's brother, Muhammad, who makes me wish I had a brother of my own. Then there's the girl Muhammad was courting (Islamically lol), Sarah, whose role in this book is just so important at the end. I love Janna's non-Muslim friends too, especially Tatyana. Sausun was also a kickass character, she reminded me so much of Sana from SKAM. And oh my God, Mr Ram! Janna's relationship with Mr Ram is so, so important to highlight one of the beautiful teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is to treat your neighbours well, even if they are not Muslim. Even as a Muslim who already knew this, I'm very inspired. I love that I can also reflect about Islam while reading this book. Sometimes the things we learnt have sort of become a chore or a memorized textbook answer, and we forget to really reflect its significance.<br />
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However, I wish we could have seen more of Janna's relationship with her parents, especially her mother. I feel like the author introduced us to so many interesting characters, i would LOVE to see her write a book about each of their stories. OH I forgot to mention one of my favourite characters: Nuah!! CAN I HAVE A NUAH IN MY LIFE? THANKS.<br />
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<b>Overall</b><br />
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I love this book. It probably isn't perfect, and different people may take different things from it, but personally I loved the messages it sends, and how empowering it is for a Muslim <i>hijabi</i> like me. I think everyone, girls AND boys, Muslims AND non-Muslims, should read it. Non-Muslims can find out so much about Islam that has nothing to do with terrorism or oppression or the other stereotypical images seen on social media or portrayed in movies. Muslims can reflect a lot from the issues being addressed. Boys can learn more about the struggles faced by <i>hijabis</i>, and girls can hopefully relate to many of the situations Janna faced. If you get into the book as deeply as I did, you'd read the last page feeling more inspired to love yourself a little bit more than you already do.<br />
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<br />maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-62322127452590169042017-07-15T02:36:00.001+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.403+08:00review: i believe in a thing called love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo is a YA contemporary romance about a Korean American teenager named Desi Lee, who is pretty much the nerdy, popular, Little-Miss-Perfect in high school. I was expecting this book to be a typical cliche YA novel with cute gushy romance, and it did turn out to be one, but unfortunately it wasn't in a good way. I'm rating this book 3 stars.<br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">real</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> love is about way more than just drama.</span></blockquote>
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Firstly, i'd like to point out that this book is just probably not for me. Perhaps i didn't read this at the right time, but I think i've probably gotten over this genre. I do think that rom-com or contemporary romance lovers might still really enjoy this book. It did have some To All The Boys I've Loved Before vibes, so fans of Jenny Han's books may also like this.<br />
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I think the only thing I enjoyed about the book was the writing. It was very easy to get into, and despite all the other problems that i had with the book, the writing was decent enough to make me keep on reading, and I ended up finishing it within just half a day.<br />
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I thought the idea of the plot was pretty interesting; coming up with a list of steps based on Korean dramas to get your crush? Cute. Unfortunately, i couldn't stand Desi's character and what she was actually willing to do to get her crush, Luca, to like her. Most of the things on her list were ridiculous, and made her look very desperate and immature. Judging from her perfect grades and all her trophies, she was supposed to be smart. Everything she did ever since she had the whole K drama list idea was just far from being clever and I have a huge problem with this inconsistency in her character. It kind of gives off the message that love makes you stupid, which to an extent might actually be true, but in this case she wasn't even really in love with Luca at first. In fact, she only met him once before deciding she wanted him to be her first boyfriend, and it seemed that she wanted to have a boyfriend only because she was about to graduate high school without ever having one. Nope, not liking this message.<br />
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Luca's character wasn't that likeable either. Every time he was being a jerk, it was NOT cute nor attractive and I just get so frustrated at Desi for being so into him. And i can't believe Desi's best friends could support any of her ridiculous attempts to get Luca to like her. Some of her ideas were dangerous and immature, she could have hurt someone.<br />
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I don't mean to sound harsh, but I feel like the author tried a bit too hard to make the story interesting. It just became very dramatic and unrealistic and made the characters seem desperate and annoying. It did have some good and cute moments, but for the most part it was frustrating to read. I finished it so that i could find out if there was anything good that i could take from the book. Thankfully there was; the moral of the story was basically learning that you don't need to manipulate people or change yourself drastically to make people like you, and if they still don't like you for who you are, then perhaps they're not worth it anyway.<br />
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The K drama element in the book was actually pretty great. I haven't watched that many K dramas myself, but I have a sister who is obsessed and from the dramas that i <i>have</i> watched, I can see why a lot of people are into it. The only character in the whole book that I actually liked was Desi's K drama-obsessed dad. He was the only one who eventually pointed out how stupid Desi was being, and i really, really appreciated that. I guess this shows that Maurene Goo intentionally wanted to write about an immature and naive character, but it still doesn't make it less frustrating to read. I also appreciated seeing the father-daughter relationship, reading about how much they both meant to the other.maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-74114403268413372082017-07-11T04:27:00.000+08:002017-09-08T13:24:34.968+08:00review: heart by ayesha khan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been reading quite a number of poetry books lately, and what I've come to realise is that every one is a unique and personal journey experienced by each author. Every person's love life is different. We all meet our partner in different ways. We have different thoughts and different intensity of feelings, and because we have different perspectives of seeing life and facing the world, we describe the love, the pain, and the aftermath of our heartbreaks differently.<br />
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Unless you've written your own collection of poetry about your own experience, i'm not sure we'll ever find a poetry book that would capture our exact thoughts on every single page, or describe what we went through with the perfect words. Even so, what's beautiful about it all is that we can still find ourselves relating to one another between some of the stanzas, or discover that we've faced similar situations or have had similar thoughts cross our own minds. What's even better, i think, is realizing that somebody else has managed to form the right string of words <i>for</i> you, to finally help you express what you've been feeling after struggling to do so for so long.<br />
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Heart is a beautiful collection of poems carefully divided into four parts; love, break, relapse and hope. This arrangement tells the story of a woman's journey through love, and I absolutely love how raw and honest it is. I know that the author is a Muslim, and I truly appreciated seeing her subtly describe the struggles and dilemma of sometimes needing to choose between our feelings and our faith when it comes to love. I found myself being able to relate to many of the poems, i think i ended up dog-earing more than half of the book because i just <i>had</i> to mark my favourite ones.<br />
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I think i probably went through a very similar journey, which is why I just love how Ayesha Khan managed to capture some of my thoughts so perfectly. Every time I found her words describing something i could relate to so well, i had to clutch my chest and either smile or wipe away silent tears. I realised after finishing the book that I had already personally experienced the first two phases (love and break), and that I am currently somewhere in between the third and the fourth phase (relapse and hope), so I definitely read this at the right time. The first part let me reminisce the love that I had experienced, which i realised later was actually my first love that i considered to be real, which explains why i am very deeply affected by my breakup. The second part allowed me to open up to myself; admitting how broken i became and how vulnerable I was. I couldn't relate too much to the third part, because it hasn't been too long since my heartbreak so i haven't gotten to experience the same kind of relapse. The final part definitely gave me hope to keep on healing and love myself enough to believe that I don't need that person to still have a happy life.<br />
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Complimenting most of the poems are adorable illustrations drawn by Ayesha herself. I love how cute, simple and relevant they are. I also love that this book doesn't only have poetry; in each chapter Ayesha also includes a few unique pages of memories, lessons and more personal thoughts about her personal experience. Even though they were more specific towards the person she wrote her poems for, somehow I could still relate very well with them. Other than that, in the middle of the book there are a couple of pages of cool and aesthetic designs of inspirational words. I feel like this book was complete with everything i needed to help myself move on from my recent heartbreak. I can come back and reread it whenever I need to cry about the past, and even when I need some inspiration to keep moving forward.<br />
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I can't promise that everyone who reads it will love it as much as i do, because I do think that it takes personal experience, perhaps a similar one, to appreciate the entire book. However, I'm very sure that a person who has fallen in love before, or has experienced heartbreak or can empathize with a person who has, will be able to find themselves relating to some if not all of Ayesha's poems. This is definitely one of my favourite poetry books about love, and i hope it gets the love and attention it deserves. 4.75 stars from me!<br />
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You can check out <a href="https://ayeshakhan.xyz/heart-love-poems/" target="_blank">this</a> website to buy a paperback or ebook of Heart by Ayesha Khan. Thank you so much Ayesha for this beautiful collection, it has inspired me to pick myself up from my pit of sadness and continue to heal :) Also, follow Ayesha on Twitter and Instagram at @inscribedink, she is such a lovely and friendly person!maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-75752854335055449402017-07-10T14:11:00.001+08:002017-07-10T14:11:19.675+08:00broken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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you broke me. i let you break me. i am broken. i am broken. i can't even see what i'm writing through these glassy tears i am wasting on you. it took me so long, so fucking long to finally have the courage to write. you've made me so broken that i can't even face myself with my own thoughts. i've been too afraid for months to write out all my feelings, too afraid it'd all come flooding out too violently like a tsunami and that i'm too broken to hold myself together to survive through it. and i'm right. i'm a coward, i even want to run away from myself.<br />
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do you want to know what is the thought that weakens me every time? what is the memory that never fails to make me break down in tears when i am alone in the dark, what i'm thinking about when i fight the tears so that the people around me can't see me trying so hard to hide my pain?<br />
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no it is not the moment you shook your head when i asked you if you didn't love me anymore.<br />
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it is the moment i finally cried at my mum's shoulder when i told her we were over. it was how hard i sobbed, how vulnerable i felt and how after nearly a lifetime of not crying to my mum, i let her hold me, i let her rub my back as I soaked her pure telekung with my snot and tears. as i felt myself slipping away but desperately reaching for some grip in this world. as i let her comfort me with her words, telling me i shouldn't resent you, telling me i'm not losing anything worth having, telling me everything that made me feel okay and at peace for a short moment.<br />
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another moment that weakens my tear ducts was the moment after it happened, when i finally entered my car and when i couldn't remember allowing the sobbing to start. i was terrified at the sound of my own disgusting cry. as i called my best friend and let her hear it too. it was like i'd gone mad. and maybe i had.<br />
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you broke me. i know this because it's been more than two months and i am still so, so broken.<br />
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i want to hate you so bad. i want there to be a logical explanation to this pain, i want to make sense of this hurt.<br />
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i did not expect it. i did not expect you to end it because YOU FUCKING SAID THAT YOU NEVER EVEN FUCKING CONSIDERED IT. YOU SAID THAT WHEN YOU FUCKING COMMIT YOURSELF TO SOMETHING YOULL FUCKING MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT THROUGH. YOU. SAID. THAT.<br />
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and i loved you enough to believe you. i truly did. and this is why i am so broken.<br />
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you wanna know what else is so fucked up? it is the fact that after the moment when you clearly told me you no longer loved me, and when you confidently said that you didn't think you ever could again, i looked at you and i <i>still</i> thought you were the one for me.<br />
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i felt my life slip away in that second, like grains of sand sliding through my shaking fingers. you let me imagine my life with you, with our children, with your family. you let me imagine our home, you let me imagine reading to our kids before they sleep and making them listen to audiobooks in our stupid car. you let me think about crying with my bridesmaids at our wedding and how happy i'd be to go through hard times with you because at least we had each other. you kept telling me how complicated your life was, and how damn hard things will be for a while, and i was prepared to face it all for you, i was happy to go through it with you.<br />
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how was i not to feel lost, when you took it all away in a single moment? because it was not only you that i had to detach myself from. i had to detach myself from my best friend. i lost my best friend. i lost the person i trusted the most with my secrets and my fears and my dreams.you abandoned me. you abandoned me. i know you think it's okay because i have all these amazing, fantastic people around me who will be there for me no matter what. but it doesn't change the fact that you still abandoned me, someone you once said you loved, someone you thought was your best friend.<br />
i had to detach myself from my best friend. i had to detach myself from the future we planned. from our future children, who was going to have such great parents because we always talked about what were the best ways to raise children. i had to detached myself from the love i've come to form for your family, for your parents who i loved because they raised you to be such a great person. From your siblings, who i couldn't wait to spend time and joke around with, even though i've never met them but i always admired how much you loved them and how protective you were. i had to detach myself from every single memory we shared together. From every place, spots i'll pass by a hundred times and have to look away from to not break all over again. I have to detach myself from that wonderful, amazing circle of friends we had, who made me feel infinite and loved and accepted. who i saw being important in our lives for a very long time. i had to detach myself from all the songs i listened to while i was with you, while i loved you. damn you for listening to so many songs. i had to detach myself from <i>our</i> songs. how was i not to feel lost, when i had to detach myself from who i had become since i fell in love with you?<br />
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how was i not to feel like i needed to have a big change in my life if i didn't want to completely fall apart? i couldn't bear to remain the same person who had loved you, because that person had lost her dreams. it hurt too much to stay the same.<br />
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let's not talk about the nights i hated myself for getting upset over stupid petty things. let's not talk about my regrets or my insecurities, or about being kept up at night wondering what it was about me that was too much to love, too much for you.<br />
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i wish you meant to hurt me. i wish it didn't actually pain you to need to break your promises, to need to break my heart for the reasons you claimed. Because then i'd be able to hate you. I hate that i can't even hate you for hurting me because i know you meant it every time when you said you loved me. I hate that you taught me to assume the best out of people, to try to assume good of you. because now i have to force myself to believe that this has all hurt you as much, maybe even more, than it has hurt me. That perhaps you are broken too, in your own way with your own dark thoughts and demons. That maybe it has never been about me, that somehow, somewhere along the way, you lost yourself and this was the only way you could find yourself again.<br />
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this is why i am broken. because i still can't make sense of the pain. because i know the only way i can heal is to accept it is all a part of God's plans for the both of us. because i know that if He wanted your feelings for me to vanish into non-existence, it will, no matter how hard you tried to defy it. i know this. but i am still broken. i am broken because i am in so much pain and i couldn't even have a real reason to hate you.maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-62703208250669274172017-07-08T14:04:00.002+08:002017-07-10T14:25:38.727+08:00the first time you broke my heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1"><i>9/11/16</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>In these moments of sadness, you look at the people around you, how oblivious they are to your shattered broken heart. They're people who care. They're people who love you. They're people who would be there for you if you poured your pain out to them. They would. They would be there.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>But why do you want to be another burden in their lives? Why do you want to add to their problems? And what if they're only there because they feel obligated to be? Because you expect them to be? I don't know how to live with that. And with petty things like broken hearts that didn't even have the right to be whole in the first place, it would sound pathetic. And they would either show you how ridiculous it was, or pretend to understand. Because they didn't feel it.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>They didn't feel that inescapable moment of pain, that moment of not knowing where to project that pain to. That moment when you can't cry, but that pain still exists. It's just sitting there in your heart, or maybe in your chest, or somewhere in your stomach. Why do we feel it there? How do we make it go away? How do you run away from something that's in you, that can follow you to the ends of the Earth?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Why do we keep letting ourselves get hurt? Why do we hurt ourselves like that? With hope and expectations and wonder. I hate myself. And I hate that i hate myself.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>I just want to feel better. I am so tired. I just want to go back to the moment i let my guard down, the moment i had let the walls crumble. I want to hold the bricks in place, every little piece. I want to warn the fragile flesh within those walls that they will bleed, and it is not worth it.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">She didn't know when sleep had finally come, but the few seconds of temporary peace she had felt when she woke up the next morning, the temporary moment when she couldn't remember that she had cried for hours last night, had brought her a breath of hope. That she can be okay. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It felt heavy to get out of bed, to get ready for a new day. It felt difficult to look forward to anything or anyone. It felt tiring to know she was going to have to put on her cheery, bubbly personality and show the world her strength.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But she will do it. She has to.</span><br />
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– the night you broke my heart the first time</div>
maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-60696350225447358992017-07-08T13:54:00.000+08:002017-07-08T13:54:35.566+08:00what if <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">5/11/16</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">It all starts with a "what if"; with considering the possibilities, with wondering what if–</span></div>
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<span class="s1">What if you would look at me differently</span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you could accept me for who i am</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And i could accept you</span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you could learn to love me</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And me, you</span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you could forgive my past</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And i forgive yours</span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you could want a future with me</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A family</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A home</span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you could look at me with warmth in those eyes</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As you wonder too</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">And those curious thoughts, those considerations, those innocent "what ifs"–</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Thats where my heart is the weakest</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And i am in danger</span></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">of falling</span></div>
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– my first poem for you </div>
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maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-67702245596290953032017-07-08T13:22:00.000+08:002017-09-08T14:13:47.625+08:00an unconnected dot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i cannot wait for the moment when everything starts to make sense. when all the puzzle pieces of God's plans are laid out before me, connecting the dots from one heartbreak to another, from one achievement to the failures, and to the achievements because of those failures. when i can finally understand the significance of why i had to go through such pain, of why people had to leave, of why i had to taste great joy before drowning in bitter tears. i look forward to the moment when i can close my eyes and smile and thank God for listening to me on all those nights i had to beg for Him to mend my heart, and then laugh at the miracle that i had actually survived.<br />
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– an unconnected dotmaliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-64270507843117794572017-06-25T03:21:00.002+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.409+08:00review: truth or dare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I picked up Truth or Dare by Non Pratt because I was falling into a slump reading Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufmann. I definitely made the right choice because i could easily get into the mood to read again with this book and managed to finish it within days. Despite some problems that I had with the book, overall i enjoyed the story and i'm rating it 4 out of 5 stars!<br />
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A powerful and moving novel about bravery from the Guardian's "writer to watch" Non Pratt, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, John Green and Holly Bourne. How far is too far when it comes to the people you love? Claire Casey hates being the centre of attention. But if it means getting Sef Malik to notice her, it’s a risk she’s happy to take. Sef is prepared to do anything to help his recently disabled brother. But this means putting Claire’s love – and life – on the line. Because when you're willing to risk everything, what is there left to lose?</span></blockquote>
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I liked that the first half of the book was in Claire Casey's point of view, and that you're supposed to flip the book around and read it from the back for Sef Malik's point of view. This is the first book that i've read that recaps events but from another character's perspective, and i thought it was a really clever way to reveal more about what a character is going through, rather than immediately presenting the two perspectives one after the other. It makes you realise that there's more to a person's life then what we see from only one point of view. I enjoyed seeing Sef from Claire's perspective first and then actually reading out his own perspective from the beginning, which turned out to be a lot darker and depressing. The book turned a lot more serious once we read it from Sef's point of view, and when we find out the real reason why Sef behaved the way he did.<br />
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So in this book, Claire and Sef create a YouTube channel to make truth or dare videos so that they can raise money to pay for Sef's big brother, who suffered from a terrible accident, so that he can continue to get proper care. I really enjoyed reading about the painful process of producing a successful channel, because I myself am very familiar with YouTube and the vlogging community. Seeing the characters go through the same steps of filming, editing, and struggling to attract enough viewers was quite fun and definitely relatable. The idea of making videos of confessions and dares is a little bit cringe-y because I personally wouldn't watch those kinds of videos, but i guess it works for the story and it sounds realistic enough.<br />
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My main issue for this book is its poor attempt at diversity. Even though this book is technically a POC book because Sef Malik is, if i'm not mistaken, a British-Pakistani, but him and his family seem so Westernized that I could hardly learn anything that seemed exclusive to their culture. It was implied that Sef didn't drink alcohol and he was used to getting racist and discriminating comments, so a part of me started to believe that maybe he was Muslim. But then later he and his family celebrated Christmas and I just got hella confused. Adding to the fact that his entire family had Arabic names (Yousef, Amir, Farah), I think the author had a great opportunity to take the diversity to a whole new level. Even if she wanted to portray the Malik family as liberals or just non-traditional British Pakistani, I wish there had been more religious or cultural discussion. It could even have worked if another character just asked them about it. Non Pratt also attempted to introduce us to an asexual character, which I thought was pretty great but i wish we got to know more about that character's story.<br />
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Other than that, I quite enjoyed the book. I felt like the characters were realistic and relatable. Surprisingly, i could relate to Sef more than I could relate to Claire. Sef is the type of person who avoids something that is painful or hard for him. It does sound cowardly and weak, but honestly it's something very human that a lot of people probably go through. It's great to see this in a character, and to see it portrayed quite honestly. No he's not the ideal character, and i definitely didn't fall in love with him, but i liked seeing how vulnerable he can get. I also really liked his relationship with his brothers.<br />
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Overall, I would recommend this book for contemporary lovers, but not to those who expect to discover in depth about POC characters because they won't be impressed by the attempt in this one.<br />
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<br />maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336699250133682306.post-9051373829355885632017-06-12T23:58:00.000+08:002017-09-08T13:21:11.425+08:00review: when dimple met rishi<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Synopsis from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.</span></blockquote>
I was so excited to read When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon when I first heard about it! A YA contemporary with POC main characters? COUNT ME IN. I quite enjoyed this book and i'm rating it a solid 4 out of 5 stars!<br />
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The general plot was fun and I was glad that it was written in dual perspective. It was definitely interesting to read about all the Indian culture references in this book, and to see how the characters still hold on to certain traditions or habits even though they live in the United States. The two main characters, Dimple and Rishi, had contrasting beliefs when it comes to making big decisions. Rishi was the one who saw importance in upholding certain traditions from the Indian culture, particularly in doing what was expected by his parents. Dimple on the other hand, was always determined to live adventurously and do what she was passionate about without being held back from romantic commitments, which wasn't what her parents had in mind for her. I loved seeing these two characters learn about one another and the way they tried to stay true to their own beliefs while also respecting each other's principles. They weren't always in agreement with one another, but it was nice to see them trying to work things out and supporting one another with their dreams.<br />
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I do wish that we could have gotten more background story about Dimple and Rishi's life before the summer program. I wanted to know what kind of people they were like during high school, who their friends were (it didn't seem like they had any friends from high school because nobody else was ever mentioned), what clubs they were in, who their past crushes or boyfriends/girlfriends were. Did they not miss high school anymore? Was it because they had a tough time? Were they straight A students? There were a lot of things I wanted to know and it could have given me more perspective about their lives before they met.<br />
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The romance was super cute and definitely very cliche. I can't say I loved the gushy-mushy moments that much, but I think that was just because of personal reasons. If i had read this book at a better time, I'm pretty sure i'd feel warm butterflies in my heart and blush all day like I normally would in other good YA contemporary romance. I really liked reading about the relationship between the Patel brothers though! I love reading sibling interaction in books. I also loved Dimple and Rishi's relationship with their parents.<br />
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I feel like When Dimple Met Rishi is just like other typical YA contemporary books, the only main difference being the diverse characters. I think this is great, and it shows that people from various cultures are similar to one another in certain ways that matter, and their differences don't make them weird or irrelevant. I'd love to see more books like this, and i'd recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading contemporary books like Fangirl, Anna and the French Kiss, Since You've Been Gone and To All The Boys I've Loved Before.<br />
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<br />maliemaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965517212524636313noreply@blogger.com0