Tag: review

manga review: one piece

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I haven’t read any novels since June. Instead, I was in an obsessive manga-reading mood and started One Piece. If you’re a manga fan, you know it’s crazy long – over 900 chapters. Even for me, a really fast reader, I took nearly 15 days to reach the latest chapter (and yes, it’s still ongoing). I really enjoyed this experience though, it took me back to my younger days back when the manga had barely 500 over chapters. Reading One Piece always reminds me of good times~

One Piece

by Eiichiro Oda
Shounen, Adventure, Pirates

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

One Piece is truly one of the best mangas around. I felt like I was living an adventure that I never wanted to end. The straw-hat crew became my family. If that doesn’t describe a good read, I don’t know what will…

Firstly, I think we should all applaud Oda. He has been drawing One Piece for over 20 years and has shown no signs of stopping. Every week the manga gets even more interesting – both plot and art wise. I love that he has such a huge passion for his manga even after two decades.

So there has to be a reason why One Piece is so popular, why it’s able to continue for such a long time. I think it’s because it gives readers HOPE. No matter what happens to the characters in the manga, they find a way to continue living their dreams in different ways. Whether they pass on these dreams to someone else, or they try again themselves – they never give up or give in. This reminds readers, like myself, of our younger selves when we were more ambitious. It makes us think that we can achieve our dreams too. This feeling of hope is consistent and keeps readers wanting more. Truly, One Piece is amazing isn’t it?

Beyond that, the characters are some of my favorite. I would say I’m a little biased since I’m more attached to the earlier crew but I like all of them. I’m heartened that they come from different backgrounds but they acknowledge each other as nakama aka comrades who are like family. They are friends who travel on this wild and incredible journey together and during their adventures, they gain a family. They never turn their backs on each other even when the going gets really really tough (i.e. the Enies Lobby and Vinsmoke arc). Readers who accompany their journey, are able to relate with the characters by struggling through each fight and celebrating each victory with the crew. Family has a distinct feeling and the characters in One Piece reminds me of that.

Storywise as well – Oda can do no wrong. He knows when to make readers feel, such as to laugh, cry, get angry, and so on. Moreover, he keeps the manga interesting through varied twists and turns even after 20 years of it. Literally, there are thousands of theories on the internet about what might happen next in the series but even then he always finds another way to surprise readers. There’s never a fixed structure in the manga but every story arc is as good, or even better, than the previous. My personal favorite is probably the Whole Cake Island or Prison Break arc.

I could rave about One Piece for much longer but I think it would just be endless praise so I think you get my point. I’m an avid reader of manga but I could never like others as much I love One Piece. I am truly glad to live in a time where One Piece exists. If you’re interested in reading about a heart-warming (sometimes heart-breaking) and hilarious adventure, you definitely need to give One Piece a try! I hope you love it as much as I do~

book review: more than forever

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More Than Forever

More Than #4

by Jay McLean
published on 11 July 2014
New adult, Contemporary, Childhood friends to lovers, Soulmate love

-LUCY-
There is a love so fierce it cannot be measured.
A heart so strong it will never slow.
There is a promise so sure it can never lie.
He promised me that love forever.
Even when it wasn’t enough.

-CAMERON-
Forever. Everlasting. Eternal.
There is no measure of time.
No sounds of the ticking of a clock.
Just the rising and falling of the sun.
And our own sense of forever.

But our forever isn’t always.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2

Surprise surprise – I’m reading another New Adult romance novel. This time I decided to try the More Than series by Jay McLean. I was told by friends to start with book 2 and I did but I fell in love with side characters Lucy and Cameron. So I decided to read book 4 first huehue. Holy hell, More Than Forever did not disappoint. In fact, I loved the book so much that I added it to my All-Time-Favorites shelf on Goodreads and CameronLucy are now one of my OTPs. Here’s why.

CameronLucy are THAT couple who makes you believe in soulmate love. They met when Lucy was at the worst point in her life with Cameron selflessly taking care of her and her entire family without even knowing exactly who she was or what he was getting himself into. Cameron learned about Lucy’s fears and struggles and he didn’t just want to fix her, he made Lucy want to fix herself. He became her “reason for everything” and she became his too. I loved learning about their relationship since the start, when they were 15, until they were in college and beyond. They are truly such a soft couple who just melted my heart and made me want a childhood friend to lover too LOL 😂 (If you read the Addicted series by Krista & Becca Ritchie, they kinda have Lilo vibes.)

The plot wasn’t entirely unique BUT Mclean managed not to make it cliché. I loved loved loved that Mclean explored the aftermath of the Hope tragedy and gave CameronLucy time to heal individually and THEN together. I’m glad that it wasn’t just a quick closure for the book with immediate happiness for the couple following their struggles. CameronLucy learned to voice their unhappiness and worked through the issues one step at a time. The resolution was a hard journey to reach but it was well worth it in the end.

The only reason I rated More Than Forever 4.5 stars and not 5 full stars is that I wasn’t very satisfied with the writing style. Perhaps because it was a self-published novel, the editing isn’t as clean as traditionally published books. This is not a criticism of the writer, I just want to inform readers who are not acclimated to non-traditionally published books. I do applaud McLean for not being repetitive in her writing throughout such a long novel. Books that have many sentimental moments often become monotonous when authors excessively use certain metaphors and phrases. McLean did well here by exploring different perspectives and different sides of the key problems.

More Than Forever is truly a good book. It made me laugh, then rage, then cry and all over again. My emotions were just all over the place. To me, this means that this is a book worth reading. I was never bored and I always wanted to find out what happened next. I was also rooting for the main couple throughout. If you want to read an exemplary childhood friends-to-lovers book, More Than Forever is definitely the one for you! I hope you will love CameronLucy as much as I do 🙂

book review: ugly love

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Ugly Love

by Colleen Hoover
published on 5 August 2014
New adult, Contemporary, Heartbreaking

#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with a new heart-wrenching love story.

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past. 
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated. 
Promises get broken. 
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

This year seems to be the year of new adult novels for me. In particular, I’ve been craving good contemporary romance books with characters who are 20 years old and above. I suspect that it’s because I am able to resonate with these characters better, since I’m turning 20 in a few months.

Colleen Hoover is an author who is famous for cry-worthy contemporary novels. I remember reading Ugly Love back in 2017 so this book isn’t actually new to me. However, I don’t remember much about it so rereading it was still quite an experience. It gained a well-deserved 4 star rating.

First, I liked that reading Ugly Love made me cry. Couples in YA contemporary romance novels usually have very superficial (for the lack of a better word) problems. I’m glad that with NA books, the issues start becoming more complex. I like feeling that the situation is hopeless for the characters because it forces the author to seriously examine the feelings that each person goes through. Colleen Hoover definitely excels in writing about emotions because she knows how to leave both the book characters and reader feeling heavy-hearted and devastated by events happening in the book.

Another thing I enjoyed about Ugly Love is it’s duo perspective. This is one of the few books in which I understand and support the author switching between character POVs because it is so significant for character and plot development. It ensures that the heart-breaking issues are developed oh-so-slowly but when the book reaches its climax and these problems must be faced, they hurt your soul in such a good way. (LOL – You definitely need to read the book to comprehend what I’m trying to say.)

Finally, Tate and Miles are extremely convincing characters in what I consider an ‘impossible romance’. I liked that their love wasn’t exactly insta-love (insta-attraction maybe but not love). I was delighted that they had to learn about each others ugly backstories and their mistakes and flaws before gaining their happily ever after. I definitely enjoyed the push and pull within the pairing, due to the challenges that they faced. As someone who wanted more than a superficial contemporary romance, this couple ticked off all the right boxes for me.

If you are ever in need of a tear-jerker romance novel, this might be the one for you. It’s a book that will suck you in quickly and keep you around wanting so much more. Bring along a box of tissues when you delve in, you will need it!

book review: red, white & royal blue

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Oh boy oh boy oh boy, how do I start on this book. I literally finished reading it 5 minutes ago and I’m still trying to grasp all these feelings. Okay first what’s the book:

Red, White & Royal Blue

by Casey McQuiston
published on 14 May 2019
New adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+ romance

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

There’s some pressure from posting my first book review and giving it 5 stars. I honestly didn’t expect to love Red, White & Royal Blue as much as I do. But this book though, phew, this book is hands down the cutest, sweetest, most amazing contemporary romance I’ve read in 2019.

Red, White & Royal Blue is at its heart the truest romance because it gives the reader two individuals who have vastly different lives, who face crippling circumstances, and who fight hard and finally FINALLY have their happily ever after. But more than that, this book is a great contemporary because it is realistic. The reader is forced to seriously consider the challenges that characters face, and think that maybe they won’t be together in the end. And only then, at that final moment, does the writer swerve in to fix everything, not using the most cliché rom-com tactics, but with smart, realistic, appropriate methods.

Another part that Casey McQuiston, the author, did well in was to enhance the story with political elements. She could have just done basic research and offered readers the bare minimum of politics since the book is inherently ‘just a romance’. But McQuiston chooses to emphasize international relations and royal obligations and diplomacy to make the story so much more convincing. This was definitely a plus to me.

Finally, I’m proud that the book has so many flawed characters. Romance novels, in particular, can be very simplistic if the couple is ‘perfect’ already. Humans need weaknesses – to develop as a person and grow closer to another in a relationship. Both Alex and Henry are perfectly imperfect and I’m so glad that they have each other.

If you are ever in need of a pick-me-up, this is the book for you. If you just want some fun-loving reading hours, this is the book for you. It’s out there waiting for you, pick it up. You will NOT regret it!