iris_ymra's reviews
137 reviews

'...being completely afraid, body and soul, was probably enough to make a person strange forever after.'

'It's important to look at how everything ended and not just what happened along the way.'

'Our old barn taught me one of the most important lessons I was ever to learn: that the extraordinary can live in the simplest things.'

________


There was a family, a strange recluse loner, and eventually a girl who was incorrigible. Life could oddly go by peacefully until one person decided that they could not stand people to live a happy life and decided to become a straight up bully.

This happened in between the two world wars, but this is not a story about it in itself. Yet perhaps, we could still call it one if we are to consider having to fight for the truth and stand for someone to save them as war, certainly a battle.

And somehow the inevitable always happens; in war, one way or another people will fall down on the battlefield.

_______


The book was a smooth, clean storytelling, that's neither fast nor slow paced. Told in the first POV of Annabelle. The conflict created in pleasant progress that puts a little suspense and pulled out the curiosity throughout my reading, can't help my self but guessing the entire time, and hoping too for the best for the characters.

Speaking of characters, I've decided that Betty is utterly psychopathic -- to the very end -- though I don't know what would have made such young girl turned to be like what she was. And I love how smart Annabelle for her age, and her family has definitely warm bonding between them except for Aunt Lily. And lastly Toby, man I would have liked to know more of his story -- but for real, war story isn't one that we would ever be ready to hear of any time.

The one thing I learned from this book is when I have children of my own I would certainly teach them to be kind and to always stand for themselves and for others too; be brave, be courageous. And of whatever made Betty herself I know the reason was all recoverable -- because kids aren't made up the way they are naturally but nurtured to be what they become. And I finished reading this book with a pierce in my heart, I didn't cry, but it hurts all the same.

'Fear is a phoenix. Words Liliyana had spoken to her years ago and that Zoya had repeated to others many times. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.'

'Most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. It’s how we survive each day. We pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds.'

'To live is to grieve. You are not protecting yourself by shutting yourself off from the world.'

________


The King of Scars, Nikolai Lanstov, is in the battle with himself, trying to fight the demon or monster inside of him -- that the Darkling had left when he was presumed vanished from the world. All the while, along with the Grisha Triumvirate, still trying to restore and maintain his country's -- Ravka -- safety and his people surety for peaceful living after the civil war that had taken its toll over everyone and everything that the country still has left in hand.

And his general, Commander Zoya Nazyalensky is all at the ready to serve her king and most of all, her country -- making sure the construction of a country, a land where her own kind could find security. Which had led to the mission in Fjerda, a mission to rescue the Grisha, who have been living in hiding.

But soon their efforts and actions will show them, to unravel the far greater challenge, and precarious threats.

________


For me this book progression rather slowly to reach its climax, yet it hasn't lacked of any thrill and excitement throughout the storyline either. It still delivers the great characters with engaging characteristics that for me definitely lead the journey of the entire plot, more Grishas' magical power brought into the light and conflicts to be uncoiled.

The main plot I would say were happening in two major venues, which are Ravka and Fjerda. In Ravka we can see how Nikolai and Zoya deal with its own conflict, whereas in Fjerda we will be on a rendezvous with Nina together with Adrik and Leoni, on their rescue mission to help Grishas fled the country. The povs were going on, in between, mainly Nikolai, Zoya and Nina -- and in Nina's perspective, we can see how she's dealing with Matthias' death and how she will finally let go. This definitely breaks my heart, I cried so much when Nina finally puts Matthias down in his last resting place. Still, although I think this kind of plotting is necessary to really give us the bigger picture of the situations among Grishas and Ravka, but it does break the engagement -- a little bit -- for me on the story, when it then has to leap into another plot.

This book wouldn't have the enthralling sensation of scheming and planning, and going through double-crossed of twist and turn with its conflict so much, but I would still say -- on how the climax building up -- that this is the kind of journey of reading that ones like me did really, really enjoy.

'Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for the time when you thought they could be here forever? If so, then you know you can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.'

'I don't know what it is about food your mother makes for you, especially when it's something that anyone can make -- pancakes, meat loaf, tuna salad -- but it carries a certain taste of memory.'

'Children forget that sometimes. They think of themselves as a burden instead of a wish granted.'

'When someone is in your heart, they never truly gone. They can come back to you, even at unlikely times.'

'...parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above their swirling waters, and sometimes that means you'll never know what they endured, an you may treat them unkindly, in a way you otherwise wouldn't.'

________


Charles 'Chick' Benetto was on his way to Pepperville Beach -- his hometown -- and decided to end his life, after have not been invited to his own daughter's wedding -- Maria. After calling his ex-wife Catherine and telling her that 'he's leaving', and after a long years of guilt and regret when his mother, Pauline Benetto, died from heart attack almost a decade ago.

Driving under the influenced of alcohol had resulted Charles involved in an accident. Where he then escaped and went straight to his old home after making a stop on a water tower, he had climbed up and then jumped over it, yet still hadn't managed to make himself died when he fell, just fainted.

When he opened his eyes, he saw his mother, only to see her gone the next moment. But when he had reached their home, his mother was there. And Charles had the chance for one more day to spend together with his mother; his dead mother, and for him to discover a story from the past.

________


This book was written from the pov of Maria, in the voice of Charles. A compact and short storyline yet covers plot from a longer timeline. The whole scene happened within a day, with a several time of flashbacks. Definitely a great storytelling from Mitch Albom, poignant and heart-wrenching.

This is a book about family, a child and the parents. About the lose of loved one; the regret and guilt that could consume ones, and made them take a short way to deal with life after.

The whole story is indeed feeling familiar to me, it strikes me hard right into the bottom of my heart. And when it involves the story about mother one did not expect me to not cry my eyes out. I was crying throughout the entire book.

'You have to start over. That's what they say. But life is not a board game, and losing a loved one is never really "starting over". More like continuing without.'

'...What we give to fear, we take away from... faith.'

'There are two stories for every life; the one you live, and the one others tell.'

'Sometimes, what you miss the most is the way a loved one made you feel about yourself.'

________


When people in Coldwater, Michigan started to receive phone calls from their late loved ones, whom telling them that they were calling from the heaven. There were two sides on how everyone perceived the claim. Those who wished to receive the call and those who believed that the phenomenon was a hoax. Sully Harding, was on to the latter sides had decided to debunk it, and find out really, who's behind the so called miracle that had attracted the attention from people from outside Coldwater, and in larger scale, people all around the world as the news about the calls from heaven started to spread.

But perhaps, at the end of the day, those who have thought of the hopes are so false are those who will encounter them, when they had least expected it.

________


Started my reading and as it's progressing, I had thought that this book could be a fantasy fiction, had anticipated how the author would unravel the miracle, what kind of fairy tale would this story turn out to be. Especially when it involves the heaven of which we human being had limited knowledge about, but what we have learned through what our religion had taught us.

For me, it somehow turned out to be better than what I had expected, the genre, then shifted to criminal I guess -- it's a crime right, to manipulate the technology and used it to even manipulate people's feelings and psychology. Even though all of the events, that had taken its place had reroute the characters' purpose in life, rerouting it to its main and right paths.

Certainly an engaging storyline, despite the rather (for me) a bit slower pace of the plot at the beginning. The alternate -- yet relevant to the whole plot -- of Sully's story in light of all the calls; his wife Giselle and his son Jules, what he had gone through, is indeed tragic and heartbreaking. A great end for me ultimately, with that little twist of 'miracle' at last.

'You keep on the path and all’s well. You get off it and the next thing you know you’re lost if you’re not lucky.'

'...what death really is, which is where the pain stops and the good memories begin. Not the end of life but the end of pain.'

'But time passes, and time welds one state of human feeling into another until they become something like a rainbow. Strong grief becomes a softer, more mellow grief; mellow grief becomes mourning; mourning at last becomes remembrance—a process that may take from six months to three years and still be considered normal.'

________


What could be a serene family life, living in a new place and new start, as Louis had gotten a job at the infirmary of the University of Maine changed and flipped over in the light of death, as it started to take its toll.

Worse things could, and would, happen when you're dealing with death; when you take it as a competition rather than an accompaniment of life. Because when you see death as an enemy you will fight it. And what with knowing a place that could bring the dead back into life, though every action will come with consequences, a severe one.

So perhaps, dead is better.

________


The story building of Pet Sematary was rather slow, and perhaps too slow even, for some of the readers. It was not until half way through the book did the plot of the story shows that it started to go up, that we are finally would come face to face, with the real conflict. Maybe when you read it, you would even start questioning on how does the book is even a horror, where does the thrilling mystery. But still, somehow the way the plot is put out is not exactly that bad for me, no it's not bad definitely. Because I still find myself engaged throughout the whole book, curious in whole.

Because King indeed has created a very relatable characters and the everyday family relationship scenes, things that we probably see and even experienced ourselves -- how parents have to deal with their children, on the information of death, how adults themselves, have to deal with death or rather how they deal with it. The portrayal of human feelings and attitude towards death is perfectly put on view, that's somehow we could put ourselves in it and relate to it at certain extent.

Half way of the book, King savoured us with Louis' family life, their bonding, the love between them, just their relationship in general will bind us with the characters, creating an attachment. For me, I can't really help it but to love them as much too. So then when the latter half came, you could never have prepared yourself. I'd say that I was shattered, thrilled and even spooked.

Pet Sematary is a book that -- I would not say enjoy, because it sounds cheery for such a tragic story -- but rather occupying, impressive.

Simple story. The flow didn't excite me. The whole story is kinda okay. Just okay. Choose this book to buy as the very first one to start with this author (Rehan Makhtar).

Pretty sure her other books are far better than this one.

Do I recommend it, urmm honestly no. But why the 3 stars? Well because this book is not that bad either, but it's not that good too (entahlah aku pun pening dengan review aku ni, memang tak pandai sungguh *tapi tetap nak bagi review just my 2cents gitu* haha).

Lama juga perjalanan kita untuk menghabiskan kisah Sutera Bidadari ini, tapi perjalanan itu worth it.

Kita melihat perjalanan hamba-hamba Allah dalam memperjuangakan iman & takwa, kisahnya terlalu panjang tapi saat bertemu akhir, kisahnya terasa singkat.

Seperti selalunya banyak saja unsur-unsur suspen yang membuatkan diri yang membaca ini menjadi penasaran. Dari wujud Saifullah, pemilik warisan khazanah Maryam; Sang Dewi yang seenam purnama sering menyeru Sunan ke alam lena. Kehidupan sang Taghut sendiri - yang mana dapat kita ambil pengajaran - awal kita tidak selalunya menentukan akhir kita.

Simpati pada Sadik; terasa diragut rasa hati ketika ketua puak pemakan manusia merobek halkum sahabat Sunan itu. Sedihnya tidak terucap - sama seperti kematian Djailuh - Saifudin kala itu tiada berkudrat untuk mempertahankan sahabat-sahabtnya itu. Huwaaaaa.

Kasihan juga pada si Doba; anak muda yang menginginkan hidup yang senang, mewah menjadi bangsawan akhirnya hanya hidup diakhiri sia-sia.

Dan Sang Dewi; Sang Dewi itu cinta hati kita - cinta hati Saifudin juga.

Ps. Okay done review. Baca kisah Sunan ni memang buat sy nak berbahasa baku terus. Haha. To the next book we go. Tak rela lagi untuk mengakhiri Kisah Sunan huwaaa.

Pada saya - cerita yang buat saya menangis berjurai-jurai air mata, adalah cerita yang sememangnya sangat baik.

Schubert's serenade - that short part one dah buat saya fell for Abang Shah. Through out the end of part one sampai part two memang air mata tak berhenti, setiap kali ada sesuatu; seseorang yang ingatkan Ju'a dengan abang Shah saya akan nangis. Kerinduan Ju'a tu sangat-sangat terasa, entah samada penulis terlalu pintar menjelaskan emosi Ju'a atau saya yang overly emotional. Nasib baik buku ni pendek saja ceritanya, kalau panjang tak terbayang banjir bilik tidur dek air mata.

Tapi bak kata abang Shah, just because someone's life ends, it doesn't mean we have to stop living too. Sedangkan between life and death hanya dipisahkan oleh satu garisan, dan yang menghubungkan kedua-dua hanyalah sebatas doa.

Ps. buku pertama yang saya baca dari penulis Hlovate.

Perjalanan Sunan bagai tidak hapus daripada berhadapan dengan kejahatan, tetapi bagi seorang seperti Saifudin ini semua itu sentiasa dihadapi dengan sangkaan baik pada Allah s.w.t. ketakwaan dan ketawadhu'an yang sangat tinggi dapat menjadi contoh untuk kita sang pembaca.

Tak dapat untuk tidak mencitai Saifudin ni, jadi kita faham akan perasaan Haryani, tetapi Ratu tetap dihati kita laksana sebagaimana kepada seorang Sunan juga.

Cinta Sang Ratu sehebatnya Bagaikan Puteri, bahkan mungkin lebih lagi. Ada fitrah kasih seorang insan yang dihidupkan atas dasar cinta hakiki kepada Ilahi.

Terlalu banyak jangkaan yang tidak terjangkakan. Dukanya seorang pemuda dari Rencong seolah-olah begitu terasakan, kerana dia cuma semata-mata juga ialah seorang insan.

Kisah cinta yang dihidupkan lembut, dapat menyentuh perasaan.

Kisah-kisah lain tidak hanya menjadi sampingan kerana penulis bijak menjadikan setiap kisah penting dalam setiap gariswaktu sehingga cerita ini benar-benar tamat nanti.

Ps. Oh Ratu, kita tak leh move on dari awak.