My Personal rating: This review may contain spoilers. What does it mean to be truly free? Is living without leaving a mark truly living? After all, what are we if not the legacy we leave behind? The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue is a character-driven and thought-provoking novel by V. E. Schwab. It is […]
The Lonely Islands We Create: All My Lonely Islands by VJ Campilan
“Words. Depending on what you believe, they’re either empty air or a prophecy that shall come to pass.” My Personal Rating: It’s no wonder why Filipino author VJ Campilan’s debut novel All My Lonely Islands won the Grand Prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2015. Here, we follow Crisanta and Ferdinand […]
The Mystique Beechwood Island: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure. The Sinclairs are athletic, tall, and handsome. We are old-money Democrats. Our smiles are wide, our chins square, and our tennis serves aggressive. My Personal Rating: Mysterious as it is, this novel has a […]
Beautiful Girls in the Paris of China: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
I have been putting off writing a review while I rid myself of strong feelings for this novel. But it has been two weeks since I finished the book, and my heart still aches for the characters. Perhaps, it will always do. Personal Rating: Beautiful Girls in the Paris of China In Shanghai Girls, author […]
The World of Magic: Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
Personal Rating: A fascinating world of magical element-wielding people, saints, and mythical creatures is what the Shadow and Bone Trilogy is all about. Set on the country of Ravka, we are introduced to a fantastical universe shaped by Leigh Bardugo in her first-ever book series, debuting with “Shadow and Bone” in 2012, followed by “Siege […]
The Heartbreak of True Love: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
My Personal Rating: Every Breath is the 21st of internationally celebrated romance novels from the world-renowned author Nicholas Sparks, which revolves around Tru, a tour guide from Zimbabwe, and Hope, a trauma nurse from North Carolina, who meets by chance and ends up with a love story that spans literally decades. This novel is packed […]
A Controversial Novel: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park is funny, cute, and charming, but this book might not be the best novel that I’ve read this year. It follows the story of the two main characters, namely Eleanor and Park. Eleanor is a new girl in school who has this beautiful, curly, red hair but was often called […]
Seeing Life’s Realities Through a Child’s Eyes: Angela’s Ashes
I’ve always got a penchant for books that take me to a different time and place. So when I picked up Angela’s Ashes by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, I was expecting to be transported to 1930’s Limerick, Ireland. However, I was surprised at how I found the time and place so familiar. Francis “Frank” […]
The Haunting Memories of Manderley: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me. There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. I called in my dream to the […]
Womanhood and Resilience: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds is a gripping tale of a woman’s strength, familial ties, and people’s resilience. From start to finish, author Kristin Hannah delivers a heavily charged page-turner through Elsa Martinelli’s narration and her daughter Loreda. Set in the 1930s United States of America, they tell us the strength and double standards that women have […]
