afi_whatafireads's reviews
589 reviews

Finishing this at almost 12 am.... is definitely not a good idea :') Good thing I don't have any dolls near me :')

This book served as a chilling read that left me very unhinged. The translator's note had written that this book was inspired by a true story in the 1960's in Brazil where the girls in the orphanage and had killed a child; and played with her parts for a week.

Such small hands is a take in the darkest thoughts of children that has gone through trauma in their life; and what's worst, they are unable to process those emotions. These leads them to have a somewhat-psychosis-state-like; where each and every perspective of a human felt like a dream and felt unreal.

Barbra's writing had brought forth the sinister feeling in his writing. His prose had showed the perspective of children that has been abandoned, and we are brought as readers to the darkest minds of what a child can be; when their view in life has been distorted. Not only its disturbing, its to a point that leaves you in awe of his writing but at the same time felt both sad and horrified at what is going through the children's heads. Barbra has brought a view in which we're looking into the lens of children that is uncared for, felt unworthy of love and turns into darkness as a coping mechanism.

A chilling read that will leave you staring at the wall for a good 10 minutes. Recommended if you're into horror-thrillers.

I expect nothing less from Backman and since I didn't end up finishing A Man Called Ove (left it halfway) because I was crying so much; this ended up being my first ever Backman's book.... and truly; I am just in love; and yes, I cried so hard my eyes are squinting as I'm typing this.

How does it feel to lose the one you love even if they're alive?

That's what conditions like dementia, or Alzheimer's does to you. Backman had done such a splendid job in portraying how and what it feels like to have conditions where you're alive; but you're nowhere near the people that you love, or home.

That's the road that's getting longer and longer every morning; the way home from space."

Backman wrote this with so much love and warmth that it breaks your heart in every single page. How does a book, less than 100 pages can make you feel so much. Backman's writing feels like a lullaby; where you're sitting on the beach, staring at the sunset whilst the waves crash and makes you feel nothing and also everything. It tugs on your heartstrings and opens up a flood of memories of yourself and your grandparents. It showed how love can go through time and space; and a part of love is having to remind the people that we love and bring them home.

This book had brought that definition for me. Of loss and love. Of everlasting happiness and a relationship that goes beyond space; infinity.

Biggest thank you to Times Reads for this copy! I am forever thankful.

Hi I’m attempting to write this review for the second time as my ipad suddenly wanted to make problems with me.

Anywho.

”So what skeletons hide in your cupboard?

This collection of 15 short stories is written in Tunku Halim’s usual style, that is filled with horror and grotesque scenes. What’s eerier is that its on the Malaysian horror spectrum; which to me adds to the scary effect as some of the stories are very close to home.

There is something very classic about Tunku Halim’s writing. The 15 short stories was is set in different scenes; and all has a somewhat recurring theme, which skulls appear at every story :”) To me, this collection was just an OKAY read. I’ve read his previous works, and I could say, some of them can be a hit and miss; and whilst this collection was not bad, I would say I was only mindblowned for a few stories that really made me stare at the ceiling for a good 10 minutes just to process what I’ve just read.

Some of my top 3 stories are:

My Lovely Skulls
Deserving as the title of the book, its a story of a distorted love that.. well.. doesn’t shy away from our reality. What’s even scarier is the actions of the people after being ‘possessed’ that makes the story more horrifying. I loved this one most and this story literally blew my mind; I’m still not over it.

Cathedraphobia
What if you have a fear of chairs?

For this story, we have a guy who has a very peculiar phobia; and one that made me just……… well…… shell-shocked at the end of the story. I didn’t expect the story to turn the way it did, but goes to show, humans are scarier than something that is from the other world. Humans are beings that can wear masks that makes us pertinent to believe them ; which I think just sums up the whole book as well.

No Ordinary Day
Honestly, this was more sad and heartbreaking than scary.

Greed is the devil for humans and it makes humans do very unthinkable things; even from our wildest imagination. I somehow understood the MC but also hated her so much.


Overall, it was not a bad read. I feel that if you’re new to horror and physchothrillers; I would definitely suggest you this book. The writing and pacing of the book is easy to read and something that you can read during your free time.

3.75🌟 for this one!

Biggest thank you to Times Reads for providing a gift copy of this !

I had mixed feelings finishing up this book, and I honestly don't know how to feel about it.

Is it the fact that the book did not really highlight Medussa as a character but more so on how everything leads up to the tale of Medussa actually happening?

Was I perplexed by the fact that I had cried eventhough I was angry half the time of the book?

I had sat down and took some time with this review, and I had come to the conclusion that:
I do like the book but the plot could have been better.

Hence , giving this book a : Personal Ratings : 3.75🌟

Whilst the cover wrote " A Medussa Tale", its not exactly it. Written in 5 parts, Stone Blind tells the story of Medussa from the perspective of various characters that we had used to know before. We have a myriad of characters like Zeus, Athenna, Perseus and loads more, which adds context to the events that made Medussa as what she is. A heartfelt tale that made me super angry and sad as well.

Personal Thoughts

It took me awhile to process my thoughts on this book as I struggle to fathom what the intention of the author was, until I had the time to sit down and look through the book again, and in some ways, I understand why the author had told the story as it is.

The main point of the story is to emphasize the outer beauty and how humans judge a monster based on their appearance. This quote alone:

Summarises the whole novel, in which how Medussa had came to be in the condition that we know she is, due to the beliefs and perspectives in humans in appointing who is a monster and who is not. Its honestly saddening how Medussa, who; even in her creation, was a child born due to sexual assault, hidden by the ancient Gods of the seas from her jealous father's wife, and having learnt love through the two creatures that had been deemed as monsters from even the ancient times.

I love stories like this, where the author shows another side of the story. Even from when we're younger, we have been told that the heroes are the best people and that the monsters are seen as 'evil' just because they look different from humans. This book is somewhat humbling and shone light to the 'true evil' in which the one with the most Greed and Acquired the most Power is the one to blame. Its truly saddening how Medussa was painted as evil from when we're younger, when in fact, she was raped by a God and cursed by a God itself, in which she pours her anger and sadness to everyone else. It shows that there are always two sides of the story, and the winner is not always right.

In this book, Haynes had shown multiple views from even places and unalive objects, which gives more depth to the story, as its being told in a neutral tone. I find that these chapters are the most interesting and intriguing and adds the layer of depth to the story, as its addressing the readers. Writing wise, I do think Haynes is such a good storyteller, and focused on showing how women at the time was sexualized and used only to satisfy the lust of another. What made this a bit of a letdown was the super long chapters of the characters, that I don't really give a damn about ; in which makes some of the chapters super tiring to read.

The plus points of this book, is indeed, the chapters of Medussa and her sisters. Lord, I love them with my whole heart and I loathed everyone that disturbed their peace. I hated Poseidon to my very core and I hated Athenna as well. Haynes had shown that both men and women can be unkind to a woman who did the right thing. Haynes had unraveled who is the Real Monster in which they are those who had killed for their own curiosity. Its horrifying and saddening and its a true depiction of even our society nowadays, where we scorn whoever looks different from the rest of us.

I will definitely pick up the rest of Haynes book especially A Thousand Ships, as it is more of a favourite . Stone Blind for me was a bit of a missed potential, eventhough I understood what the author was trying to convey. I would honestly love that the author could focus on Medussa's backstory, but being the point to show that monsters are not always the bad people that we've been fed when we were younger, its definitely still good, but do manage your expectations coming in .
Nevertheless, I would still recommend it, especially to beginners to greek mythology.

Biggest thank you to Pansing Distributions (@definitelybooks) for this gorgeous copy of this book!

There's something almost surreal and dreamlike with this novella.

This definitely would be a hit or miss for a lot of people, and in my case, I'm on the side that enjoyed the whole vibe that the author provided into his prose. I liked how we are transported into a world that feels surreal and was introduced to characters that are severely flawed and realistic in a sense. Its a quiet musing on life, and on young love that will forever hold till the end.

The love story of Julio and Emilia was one that made me smiled and laughed most. Its a story of young, reckless love and how they were united for the love of reading. Its amusing to read how they've pretended to read a book that none of them had actually read and argued about characters that didn't exist. It gave me a sense of melancholy as when adulting happened, the fire of youth slipped away, and in goes real life; where depression took over and all you're thinking about is surviving every day.

This book is both melancholic and heartwarming. It reminded me that there is more to life than just surviving. A moment of insanity in our youths will actually colour our lives to a point that it will seem dreamlike. Zambra had taken us into a world of words and literature; where love and heartache makes you the human that you are.

4.5🌟 for this read!

You know that Taylor Swift song, Cruel Summer and there's a part that goes :-

"I love you," ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?
He looks up grinning like a devil...

And yes, Ladies and Gentleman, THESE LYRICS KEPT REPLAYING

EVERY. SINGLE. FREAKING. TIME. IVAN LUKOV. COMES. INTO. THE. SCENE.

Lowkey this is my first ever Mariana Zapata and I swear, THE AMOUNT OF ANGST AND AGHHHHH

LORD. THIS BOOK. IS. EVERYTHING.

This would be ONE HECK of a messy review so please bare with me :')

The thing about this book was how subtle the love interest is. How there are two grumpy characters that just BLOODY WORKS .

AND. LORD. THEIR. CHEMISTRY.

I swear, its like watching a k-drama came to life, with all the angst , the family drama, the self-doubt.

I knew Mariana Zapata was ✨THE Queen✨ of Slow-Burn, but lord, can I just buy Ivan somewhere on Shopee or Amazon? Like this man ........ AGHHHHHH. Not only he's super protective, he's just this really big mush of happiness and the fact that he cares so MUCH ABOUT JASMINE AND LORD... AND HE'S BEEN IN LOVE WITH HER SINCE FOREVER??????

I can't. My heart just did a double take with EVERY. BLOODY. SINGLE. SWEET. GESTURE. that he does. Its literally THE LITTLE THINGS and I swear, this book came out being somewhat a comfort read for me.

Lowkey at first, I can't deny there were a few repetitive scenes that well... got me slightly annoyed. Its the fact that they're BOTH grumpy, and the female character is strong and sassy, but in some ways , I understood why she reacted as she did, and in that sense, their chemistry literally blurs out everything else. I loved how Zapata not only highlighted the love interest , and slowly builds friendship and trust between both of them, she had included a dilemma of an athlete that has been doing the sport since she was younger, never feeling adequate about herself. I loved that Jasmine is this stubborn character that wants to stand up on her own two feet and lord I love her family, and Ivan and again EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in here.

For me a good slow burn is when the two characters builds their romance slowly, on a pace that is realistic, and for me THIS is it. GOSHHHHHHH. The fact that I appreciate figure skating as it is makes this a more enjoyable read for me. I love Jasmine's growth as a character, and I love the fact that their love was from somewhat enemies (WHO ARE SO PETTY WITH ONE ANOTHER) to friends to lovers and it just felt natural between the two of them. Ivan Lukov had made me shed UGLY HAPPY TEARS BECAUSE THE BLOODY MAN KNOWS WHEN TO DO STUFF.

Their moments together are so intimate (AND ITS NOT EVEN A SPICY SCENE). Its the little things, the small moments and just the fact that they're both super comfortable to be with one another makes this book such a wholesome read. I love that we tackle not only Jasmine's issues, but also they resolved what had been the problem between the two of them, in a mature way that makes my heart SWOOOOOON.

Anyways, I won't say much, but agh just READ THE BOOK. I CAN'T. MY HEART?! IVAN LUKOV CAN TAKE IT I WON'T EVEN MIND :')

Biggest thank you to Pansing Distributions for the gifted copy!

How is it that Miss Fonda Lee can make me cry for a novella less than 200 pages?

Non-Spoilery Review and BOOK WILL COME OUT IN APRIL 2023

Biggest thank you to Tor and Netgalley for the e-ARC

Fonda Lee has yet again showed us she has EXCEPTIONAL writing skills.
Not only that this book was WAY different than the Greenbone Saga (which I still haven't finished cause lord knows I need another emotional damage in my life), but also how the theme of this book revolved around loyalty and animals and this short novella has managed to hook me right from the very start.

I think this is my very first fantasy novel that revolves solely with companion animals and I am definitely not disappointed. I loved the setting, the character growth and mostly, how Lee managed to capture the essence of an animal and the relationship with its caretaker. I would say its best to go into the book blind but if I were to summarize this book, its the journey of a creature called a Roc (seen in cover) and its caretaker who are called Ruhkers in a land where there are monsters only can be killed by the rocs. A story of loyalty, bravery, friendship and mostly, nature and its elements.

Personal Ratings : 4.5🌟

The prose and the pacing in this book was definitely EXCEPTIONAL . I liked that , although its short, it had fully let us readers immersed in the world as a Ruhker. Not only that Lee had managed to make me scarred from the very first chapter (like ... leave it to her to kill someone brutally even from the beginning), she had also managed to make me shed ugly tears. Like full on sobbing moment :') I was even shocked myself , to be honest .

There is a way that Lee wrote her characters , and whilst they are imperfect, they are also growing in a sense. Its fascinating to see how Lee maneuveurs and delves into the relationship between humans and animals, and how its a volatile relationship that can either go astray or can bring you together for victory. As short as the novella is, not only Lee had managed to build a world, where there are magical creatures, she had also managed to create an intensity to the plot, from the action to the politics. Its pretty remarkable for me.

I specifically love how she wrote about the Rocs. They're not only magnificent, but it shows that nature can take its own course, even though we love it as much as we could.

She highlighted the necessity of freedom for animals, but also how , as humans, we need them for our survival too. It goes to shows that animals are not simply things to be used, they are companions in need and even with that, they do deserve their freedom as well.

Loved that I got to read a Standalone Fantasy novel which is short, compact and basically encompassed everything it needed in a fantasy book. Highly recommended! Can't wait to see it in its physical form!

Review | Kumcer ini membuatkan aku ternganga sebentar, terutamanya cerita terakhir daripada buku ini.

Ini adalah karya pertama aku daripada Azrin Fauzi, dan pastinya bukan karya yang terakhir. Sebuah kumpulan cerpen yang aku kira sangat ahead of its time dan ia mempunyai keunikannya kepada setiap cerita itu sendiri. What I felt while reading the book, was just PURE RESPECT to the author.

Kumpulan cerpen yang membawa kisah seni yang hilang pada tahun 2011 di Georgetown, 13 lukisan daripada Basuki Basri yang tiada ketika pamerannya. Sebuah koleksi yang membawa konsep seakan 'katalog' kepada lukisan-lukisan yang mungkin ada dan mungkin tiada. Cerpen-cerpennya menjangkau batas fikiran manusia, dan mempunyai unsur dystopian dan magical realism yang aku kira sangat menambat hati.

Antara 13 cerpen dalam koleksi ini, antara TOP 3 cerita yang sangat menambat hati aku adalah:

1) Sinemata (Cerpen ke-4)
"Kita bukannya mahu mempersoal realiti, tetapi lebih kepada bertanya kembali: Apa itu fiksyen?

Kerana dengan kaburnya sempadan realiti dan fiksyen, secara tidak langsung menjadikan hidup (realiti) dan seni (fiksyen) itu dapat disatukan."

Cerita yang paling aku gemari dalam kumcer ini. Vibenya seperti melihat lansa daripada filem hitam-putih yang menjadikan ia unik, dan relatable dengan apa yang aku rasakan sekarang.

"Seumur hidupku, yang hampir setiap masa bermimipi, aku sering merasakan mimpiku tidak pernah bewarna - segalanya hitam-putih. Juga tidak pernah berbunyi - segalanya sepi sunyi. Mimpiku persis filem bisu hitam-putih yang memutarkan mimpi."

2) Ceritanah (Cerpen ke-13)
Buku ini mengingatkan aku tentang buku Cursed Bunny karya Bora Chung yang aku baca beberapa bulan lepas. Vibe-nya unhinged and it left me feeling just....... shocked

3) Konkritual (Cerpen ke-2)

Phenomenal.
Brain is fried but lord this is good

Persoalan antara keperluan idea menjadi sebuah benda yang konkrit dan fisikal untuk ia dianggap seni.

The perception of art is through its beholder; and this+footnotes is a bloody masterpiece.

Konklusinya? Buku ini sangatlah recommended!
Sebuah kumpulan cerpen yang aku kira sangat unik, dan cara penulis mengaitkan tajuk dengan isi ceritanya membuatkan aku kagum dengan prosa dan penulisannya.

Would personally recommend this collection of short stories if you are a fan of Asian Literature, especially Japanese Literatures. Its bloody amazing, and the appreciation towards art? Abstract and fantastic. An extremely well-curated collection.

Overall Ratings : 4.5🌟

Sebuah kumcer yang aku kira agak ekperimental dan agak kena dengan cita rasa aku.

Kumpulan cerpen adalah antara bacaan yang akan aku pick up dalam keadaan aku sekarang dan aku kira, Habuk Bintang adalah antara kumpulan cerpen yang sesuai dengan mood aku sekarang.

Whilst its experimental, it explores the uniqueness of characters and each story has a clear message of what the author is trying to portray.

I would say most of the short stories here are quite relatable. There is a good amount of sweetness and a good amount of bittersweet that keeps you wanting to read the stories in the book.

Memandangkan buku ini adalah buku pertama daripada penulis ini, secara teknikalnya, aku rasa secara keseluruhan, cerita dan mesej yang hendak disampaikan jelas dan penulisannya tidak sudah untuk dihadam. Ceritanya semua aku kira agak straightforward dan elemen di dalam kumpulan cerpen ini mempunyai beberapa genre seperti magical-realism , sci-fi dan juga elemen slice-of-life .

Antara 10 cerita di dalam kumpulan cerpen ini, antara yang aku kira memorable dan menjadi TOP 3 favourite cerita aku adalah:

1) Habuk Bintang
Its quite bittersweet and questions the thin line of humans and reality. I love this story and the fact that it made it to become the title of the kumcer made it more special.

2) OTA
There's something about the story that I felt special and out of ordinary. Its uniqueness stood out to a point that it made me rethink a lot about the story after finishing it. Aku suka dengan cara penulis memberi mesej dalam setiap ceritanya. Mungkin nampak straightforward tapi ada banyak elemen yang dapat dikupas di dalam setiap cerita.

3) Misi Solat 3.0
Ini aku kira cerita yang paling unik dan eksperimental. Antara the fine line between humans religion dan persoalan bahawa adakah manusiakah kita jikalau tidak menunaikan kewajipan solat. Aku kira cerpen ini sangat memorable dan memberikan kesan yang mendalam selepas membacanya.

Secara kesimpulannya, kumcer pertama daripada penulis ini untuk aku masih boleh ada improvement dari segi penulisan dan pengolahan emosi kerana, sebaik-baik dan sesedih mana cerita-cerita di dalam kumcer ini, emosinya seakan tidak sampai kepada pembaca. Dia semacam ada sebuah dinding halus yang membuatkan emosi yang sepatutnya dirasai ketika membaca kumcer ini patut sampai kepada pembaca tidak kesampaian. Tetapi, dari segi idea dan plot setiap cerita; aku kira amat menarik dan boleh menjadikan a light read kepada yang ingin mencari cerita-cerita yang ringan di dalam kesibukan dunia harian

A start of a great introduction to the brothers that I will adore for the rest of my life <3

There's something about Penny Reid's writing that sucks you right in.

✅ Great female lead.
✅ ✨THE BEST MALE LEAD AGH✨
✅ Adult conversations
✅ Family-oriented

In the first instalment to the Winston Brothers, I just loved how Reid had brought us into this small town world, with 6 brothers that are super close with one another and a male lead character that made me just fell in love all over again.

Good smut is something, but ANGSTY and just CHEMISTRY are the most important for me when reading a romance book, and this screams SLOW BURN but with Angst .

I liked how the author had took her time to explore the characters, building up a world where its not just about the two main leads; but it also involves their family and the role of the smalltown that they're in. I don't really fancy their plot for this particular book, but I gave this 4 stars because of the introduction to everyone in this book, especially the Winston brothers. Lord I am already attached with them, and truthfully, I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

If you're looking for a really sweet and just wholesome read, to a bigger standalone series, this is it ! I love it . Again, still felt that Jess can be a bit ... selfish, but I understand where she's coming from and I appreciate that the author highlights HEALTHY. ADULT. CONVERSATIONS rather than just being broody and having a miscommunication for the rest of the plot. And that, is how a romance author gets to me.