I'm currently in the middle of a C-Drama called Put Your Head on My Shoulder, the ultimate reason why I can't finish my current read on time. Although to be honest some scenes can be rather unrealistic at times, I'm still finding it cute (get yourself a boyfriend like Gu Wei Yi, I tell ya) and funny overall. Written by the same author as the one who wrote A Love So Beautiful the book, I still prefer ALSB all the way even though PYHOMS's Si Tu Mo is far more relatable than Chen Xiao Xi.
Now now, enough with the rambling. Here are five books I managed to finish 'tis damn season:
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Painting Flowers)
Tepat setelah tragedi batalnya pernikahan Laisa terjadi, Painting Scars melanjutkan kisah tentang bagaimana sulitnya perjuangan Laisa untuk bangkit dari keterpurukannya. Pengkhianatan Gavin melukainya lebih dari apapun. Untungnya, Sabrina dan anggota Thumb A Ride yang lain senantiasa berada di sisi Laisa untuk terus mendukungnya. Laisa pun pelan-pelan bangkit, mulai bersedia untuk bertemu orang-orang baru, sambil tak henti-hentinya dihadapkan pada dua pilihan tersulit: menerima kembali atau melepaskan.
Secara keseluruhan, saya sangat menikmati Painting Scars ini. Selain kisah jatuh-bangun persahabatan yang dikemas dengan hangat, pesan yang dituangkan penulis pun menurut saya penting banget untuk diingat. Penyelesaian konfliknya pun menurut saya sudah oke banget, hanya saja khusus untuk Mamanya Laisa, saya rasa perubahannya agak sedikit terlalu mendadak. Tapi tetap, saya akan merekomendasikan buku ini bagi teman-teman yang kepingin baca buku romance yang gak gampang tertebak.
Basically Straw into Gold is a collection of ten fairytale retellings such as Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Pied Piper, The Swan Brothers, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, also Hansel and Gretel. It's admittedly hard to grow tired of something as everlasting as a fairytale and while we could still clearly grasp the original vibes of every lore in this book, I found each of the twists refreshing and the choices of the perspective way creative.
I can't deny how big of an impact fairytales have made on our childhood hence it's easy to understand why some might consider retellings quite tricky. For me though, Straw into Gold was a success partly because the tales managed to follow their predecessors' footsteps similarly while at the same time did a little jiggle up and down on the spot one did not predict. If you're a big fan of fairytales (which I assume you are) or retellings in general, I think it's a must to give this book a try.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Strange the Dreamer)
Following Sarai's unexpected death in the first book, Muse of Nightmares picks up where we left off after Minya caught her soul and used this opportunity to exploit Lazlo. Minya's agenda is still the same: she wants to take revenge against Eril-Fane and destroy Weep in the process. To do that, she needs Lazlo—who turns out to be a godspawn and also her brother—to obey her command. While Lazlo, Sarai, Ruby, Feral, and Sparrow try to think of a way to stop Minya, this book also introduces us to two new characters, Kora and Nova.
Muse of Nightmares contains all the answers we must have been dying to unfold since Strange the Dreamer and while the two are equally beautiful, this book tops off the first in almost every aspect. The ending was pretty unlooked-for but it was still a satisfying one, all redemptions considered. Though I was not exactly indifferent to the fact that we didn't get to see more of Lazlo here, I was still able to enjoy this book even more thoroughly than the first. Muse of Nightmares was overall a brilliant and enchanting sequel.
(I got a translated copy in exchange for an honest review, so I'm gonna write the review in Bahasa)
Magi Diela adalah seorang lulusan universitas di Yogyakarta, pulang ke kampung halamannya dengan membawa mimpi untuk memajukan Sumba di bidang pertanian. Sayangnya, mimpi tersebut dirampas dengan paksa saat dirinya diculik untuk dikawinkan dengan Leba Ali, laki-laki paruh baya mata keranjang yang sudah mengincar Magi sejak ia masih SD. Magi tak bisa melakukan apapun karena bahkan keluarganya sendiri menerima lamaran tersebut. Berusaha mengakali kematian pun tidak mengakhiri kekeraskepalaan Ama Bobo, ayah Magi, untuk tetap menikahi putrinya dengan Leba Ali. Dengan bantuan sahabatnya Dangu Tonga, Magi pun berusaha melawan tanpa kenal kata menyerah.
Buku ini berhasil membuat saya marah, sedih, dan juga takut akan nasib yang bakal menimpa Magi sepanjang cerita. Saya bersyukur banget karena Magi gak hanya diam dan malah melawan dengan caranya sendiri. Keberanian Magi betul-betul mengagumkan dan kegigihannya sangat menginspirasi. Dian Purnomo membuka mata setiap pembaca kalau ternyata penting bagi setiap orang untuk mengevaluasi apakah suatu tradisi masih relevan untuk dilestarikan atau tidak. Gaya penulisannya sangat mengalir, dan dengan menyisipkan dialek khas Sumba di setiap percakapan antar tokoh, saya terhanyut dalam kisah pilu Magi dan perlawanannya yang tampak tiada akhir.
The Secret Garden follows the story of a rude and stubborn little girl called Mary Lennox who has to live with her unknown uncle in England after losing both of her parents in a cholera epidemic. Mary is used to getting everything she wanted from her Ayah and servants who worked for her family in India, and because her parents never actually had anything to do with her, Mary is a little indifferent towards the fact that she has no one now, except that she has to do things her own like wearing her clothes and tying the shoes herself. While Mary feels a little annoyed with the cheerful maid her age called Martha, she is ultimately drawn to the charm of the idea that there's a secret garden in there. When finally Mary finds her way to go in, nature transforms her into someone she didn't know she could be. Before she knows it, she's not only uncovering the secret of the garden, but also the mysterious sob somewhere in the manor in the middle of the night.
The Secret Garden started out a little draggy for me but at some point I did enjoy the style and the pace as much as I loved the setting and the characters. I'll admit, Mary was a difficult character to like at first. Her tantrums were quite obnoxious at times though honestly it was the sole reason why I was very much eager to come upon her character development. Dare I say it didn't disappoint at all. How the garden played such a significant role was quite unique and I found it interesting that we got to see how Mary grew from a very ignorant kid to actually be rather likable.
