Book Review: Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75) by Fonda Lee

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BOOK review

Started on: 14 September 2023
Finished on: 21 September 2023

 

Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75) by Fonda Lee

 

Title: Jade Shards (The Green Bone Saga, #0.75)

Author: Fonda Lee

Publisher: Subterranean Press

Pages: 136 pages / 106 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: $5.99 (https://subterraneanpress.com)

Rating: 4/5

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In this book, Fonda Lee returns with four prequel short stories that dive into some of the personal histories of the Kaul and Ayt families. The first one tells the story of Ayt Mada before she became the ruthless leader of the Mountain clan, befriending Aun Ure—a renowned assassin who yearns for a simpler life. There's also the story of Kaul Lan as he challenged his grandfather to help a boy who had lost everything. The third story is about Kaul Hilo and Maik Wen, the son of a top Green Bone clan in love with a stone-eye girl from a disreputable family. Lastly, we glimpsed at Kaul Shae's life before she left and returned to Kekon, when she became a secret informer to a foreign country.

 

Book Review: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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BOOK review

Started on: 25 June 2023
Finished on: 29 August 2023

 

The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

Title: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Little, Brown Books

Pages: 374 pages / 400 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2022
Price: Rp 188,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 3/5

*for those who haven't read the first book, this review may contain spoiler. Review for The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes here.

Review for The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes here.

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"I'd known that someone was playing with us, with me. But this made it so much clearer that Toby's abductor wasn't just playing with me. They were playing against me."

To inherit billions from Tobias Hawthorne, Avery has to survive a few more weeks living in the Hawthorne House. With danger lurking around every corner, the Hawthorne brothers are the ones who helped her get through it all. Her life is now intertwined with theirs as they discover each other's secrets. Nearing the time when Avery is about to become the richest teenager on the planet, an unexpected visitor arrives asking for help and her appearance could change everything. Apparently, there's one last puzzle to solve. Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are suddenly drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player from the past.

"Chess," I repeated. "The move—it's called the Queen's Gambit. Whoever's playing white puts that second pawn in position to be sacrificed, which is why it's considered a gambit."

Book Review: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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BOOK review

Started on: 4 June 2023
Finished on: 24 June 2023

 

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

Title: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 380 pages / 369 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2021
Price: Rp 188,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4/5

*for those who haven't read the first book, this review may contain spoiler. 

Review for The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes here.

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"If there was one thing I'd learned about deceased billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, it was that he was capable of orchestrating nearly anything, manipulating nearly anyone. He'd loved puzzles and riddles and games."

After unlocking the final puzzle in the tunnels under the Hawthorne House, Avery has to find the man who might hold the answer to all her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery rather than his daughters or grandsons. After doing a DNA test, Avery confirmed that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but some clues hint at a deeper connection between her and the Hawthorne family. As the mystery grows, threats are lurking around every corner as adversaries emerge trying to see Avery out of the picture by any means necessary.

"I wanted answers. This wasn't just a mystery that needed solving or another layer to a puzzle. It wasn't a game—not to me. 

Not anymore."

Book Review: Hello by Tere Liye

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BOOK review

Started on: 30 May 2023
Finished on: 3 June 2023

 

Hello by Tere Liye

 

Title: Hello

Author: Tere Liye
Publisher: Sabak Grip

Pages: 320 pages
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: Rp 99,000 (https://www.gramedia.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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"...bagi Ana, rumah tidak pernah semata-mata tentang bangunan fisiknya. Bukan soal ubin, warna cat, genteng, kusen, melainkan emosi, perjalanan spiritual, dan jiwa-jiwa yang terlibat di dalam bangunan itu. Rumah adalah saksi bisu perjalanan manusia. Satu-dua membentuk kisah yang bahagia, satu-dua menyusun cerita yang menyakitkan serta penuh air mata, dan lebih menarik lagi, satu-dua menjadi kisah yang susah didefinisikan masuk kategori mana."

Ana adalah seorang tukang bangunan yang berbakat dan sangat antusias dalam pekerjaannya. Calon proyek barunya adalah merenovasi sebuah rumah tua yang dimiliki oleh keluarga penting di masa lalu. Sebelum memutuskan untuk menerima pekerjaan tersebut, Ana hendak melihat semua bagian rumah tersebut. Sembari menjelajahi ruangan demi ruangan, kliennya menceritakan kenangan masa lalunya saat tinggal di rumah itu. Dari sanalah Ana mulai menelusuri kehidupan orang-orang yang pernah tinggal di sana, dimulai dari kelahiran dua bayi yang lahir nyaris bersamaan dan pasang-surut hubungan mereka yang spesial.

"Jangan terlalu berharap banyak saat membaca kisah ini. Sungguh jangan. Karena ketahuilah, sumber ketidakbahagiaan besar di dunia adalah: berharap—lebih-lebih saat kita berharap terlalu banyak. Ketika hasilnya tidak sesuai, muncullah kecewa. Akan beda jadinya jika kita tidak berharap, apa pun hasilnya, kita tetap baik-baik saja. Apalagi saat akhirnya sangat spesial, kita akan lega sekali."

Book Review: The Underling Purpose by Aranindy

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BOOK review

Started on: 14 May 2023
Finished on: 29 May 2023

 

The Underling Purpose by Aranindy

 

Title: The Underling Purpose

Author: Aranindy
Publisher: Penerbit Clover M&C Kompas Gramedia

Pages: 440 pages
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: Rp 88,000 (www.gramedia.com)

Rating: 3/5

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"Sederhananya, MMT adalah gabungan antara speed dating, working relationship, dan survival show. 6 orang pria dan 6 orang wanita akan dikurung di lantai teratas gedung bertingkat yang dinamakan Mishmash Tower."

Soma TV, stasiun swasta yang terkenal di Indonesia, akan menayangkan sebuah reality show baru bernama Mishmash Tower (MMT). Acara ini mengumpulkan 12 pemain terpilih dan mengurung mereka di lantai teratas sebuah gedung misterius. Mereka kemudian harus bekerja berpasangan dalam menyelesaikan tantangan-tantangan yang ada untuk mencapai lantai dasar. Demi menjadi pemenang dari kompetisi ini, mereka rela mencoba berbagai macam strategi, taktik, dan bahkan mengkhianati pasangan mereka. Siapakah yang akan berhasil menjadi sang juara?

 

TV Series & Korean Dramas Recap Part IV

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I can't believe it's been more than a year since my last recap 🫠. As we've been slowly returning to our usual life routine these days, I didn't have much time to watch as many TV series/Korean dramas this year. It was also quite hard to spare time to write this recap because I was busy catching up on my book reviews 🤣. Now that I'm all caught up with my book reviews, I decided to work on this post as a change of pace—it's been a while since I last wrote a non-review post on this blog. In today's post, I will share my thoughts and opinion on 12 TV shows I've watched from March 2022 until March 2023. Hopefully, it won't end up being too long to read 😆.