ddnreads's reviews
404 reviews

I LOVE THIS!!! The illustration is gorgeous 🥰

This book was divided into two parts. On the first part, we will take a look at the brief explanation about mushrooms itself. How it grows, its lifecycle, the importances, and basically everything you need to know about mushrooms in general (and fungi). IT'S VERY BEGINNER FRIENDLY. 

The layout of the book helps a lot where we can picking up important notes/ information easily. 

In part two, we get to know 75 types of mushrooms along with their breathtaking illustrations and properties. The characteristics, where to find them, their habitats, and name origin. It explained briefly any trivial information about each mushrooms. I enjoy it a lot.

If you're enjoying book about mushrooms, or nature in general, this book is a perfect companion 💖

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley and Adams media publishing 🍄🌱🍄

There are many many experiences where I thought was okay turned out to be a trauma response. What saddened me and made it even more personal is how most of the traumas come from the people close to us. The family who failed to provide love and safety and how those lackings affect someone far into their future. 

This book explained many many types of trauma, starting from your mind, your body, how you heal and positive reminders that you're human and should be treated at one. It diverses to any form of trauma and represent lots of groups so you may find yourself in one of those situations. It covers not only personal trauma but also trauma as a group or identity, as well as intergenerational trauma.

I love how this book is informative yet flawlessly page turning. SHORT CHAPTERS with POETRY in it!!!

Read this book as a way to know yourself, to be heard, and to realize that we're in this together.

Immortal Longings took place in a kingdom called Talin with twin cities as its capitol, San-Er, and King Kasa at its head. The story began with the crown prince, August, conspiring with the long-believed-to-be-dead Princess Calla, after her bloodbath and petricide 5 years ago. The motive was none other than toppling down the king by becoming the winner of the survival 'game'. Yes, very much like what's happening in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but make it less make sense, chaotic, and rule wise questionable.

Everyone with the gene, have the ability to 'jump' from one body to another. It's their Qi that's jumping, a body is a mere vessel. How about the target body? The ones being jumped to? Defeated. Unconscious until the one invading their bodies left. (I also found this very very concerning)

Confused yet? SAME.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND READ THE BOOK DESCRIPTION VERY CAREFULLY, Please.

It's actually sadden me that I didn't love this book the way I expected it to be:"(

It was overwhelming from the start. The world building was not one to be absorbed easily, at least by my brain capacity. One of the thing I regard highly from Gong's writing is how she made the setting alive. How the city breaths and strive. Sadly I didn't find it here in Immortal Longings.

Advertise as enemy to lovers, it may be there on page, but I couldn't really feel it. Their dynamic was good, but not that deep and devastating where it hurts you when they have to kill each other iykwim. They didn't burn and the feelings were surface level.

None of the characters are appealing enough to be rooted for. There are so many of them appeared at the first half, and gone in the second half without much effect to the reader and to the plot. Some of them started as a promising character but ended up quite disappointing.

Idek what to say about the plot. It scatters all around with no closure. I left with lots of guesses and much to clarify in the later book.

The premise was good, but it didn't well executed in the end.

I felt more irritation than suspense toward the cliffhangers.

Things I love: The FMC live up to the expectation as the skillful fighter. I love the bloody fighting scene.

It was quite engaging to follow only to find the answers.

If you're into dystopian retro setting, survival bloody game, political intricts dealing with toppling down kingdom, laced with betrayal and PLOT TWISTS give this book a go.

And if you're wondering whether it has the same vibe with Secret Shanghai series NO IT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT 🤣👌👌

This book revolved around a family and their detailed lifestyle, adventures, and misfortunes. At first, we met the girl Chunhui, known as the queen of red brick. However, this book will take us back to people who live long before Chunhui, and the history of Chunhui mother herself, geumbok.

This book remind me a lot with Beauty is Wound by Eka Kurniawan. 

For me, the storytelling and pace is not my favourite. I'm just not patient enough and I found myself struggled to finish this book. It stretches going back and forth from the past to present.

Character wise, I have this love hate relationship with geumbok. For a woman in that time to be able to do what she did is an applause. However, there were questionable decisions of her that made me go 🤧.
The accountability for the characters' action is concerning. It threw so effortlessly rape and SA. I found it uncomfortable and disturbing. It might be common for the setting based on the time and place the book is in, but it doesn't make it bearable to read. 

If you love speculative fiction, magical realism combined with historical trivias, this book is perfect for you.

It's been so long since I read middle grade fiction full of adventure, mystery, and solving criminal case. It gave me secret seven vibes. The characters were all stand out and easily distinguishable by their traits. The book started with a road bike camping that made them stumbled into unexpected adventure.

I love the camaraderie and the illustration. This is super enjoyable on how the children try to find a way to escape or solve the mystery. 

It was nice but nothing sort of very fantastical.

If you're into adventure and found family solving mystery, give this book a go. You don't have to read the other two books. Feel fry to try💕

Buku Iksana Banu pertama yang aku baca. Kumpulan cerpen ini menyajikan beragam sudut pandang orang pertama (which I love) berkebangsaan Belanda. Para orang Belanda ini diambil dari berbagai profesi. Tukang kue, asisten, orang militer, atau simply polisi daerah.

Rentang penyajian cerita dimulai dari pada saat penjajahan dimulai sampai dengan akhir masa penjajahan. Dari segi keberagaman, cerpen2 ini mampu mencakup seluruh daerah, dari mulai barat, tengah, dan timur Indonesia.

For the record, I love it when the author spat on the colonizers. Karena sejatinya tidak ada bentuk penjajahan yang baik. And this book served. Banyak sindiran2 menggelitik ttg bagaimana Belanda memandang Bumiputera Indonesia dan betapa perbuatan tersebut harus dikecam. Buku ini berhasil menyajikan sudut pandang "tidak biasa" warga Belanda tanpa meromantisasi penjajahan itu sendiri.

However, some stories are just not quite well executed. Ada yang berasa nggantung atau tidak kena feel-nya. At least for me. Some of them are kinda plain tbh.

My personal favourite goes to BELENGGU EMAS.
It was inspiring and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? I NEED THE STORY TO CONTINUE 😭😭😭😭

And I love the ending. It left a bittersweet taste to conclude the book.

If you're into peeking through unusual historical fiction (short stories compilation) set during the colonization era of Netherlands-Indonesia, gave this book a go. It revolved around discrimination, social gap, and segregation. 

I lost count the name of the characters or were some of them related in between stories? 😂

OH, and the "historical facts" intended were spotted on!!!

Overall, recommended 👌 a light enjoyable historical fiction.

A SEROTONIN BOOSTER

I love this so much I've been missing Juliette Roma and Benmars AND SO HAPPY TO FINALLY GLIMPSED THEIR LIFE AFTER THE MADNESS.
Roma Juliette as married couple is EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED. So much love and fluff and I love them so much 😭😭😭

The case and action shown is not that life threatening and they're still in good shape for the record.

You can actually finished these short stories in one sitting.

This book brought me so much happiness I didn't know I need:"

The Benmars short story is set AFTER the RomaJuliette one.

Read TVD, OVE, and FLF to avoid spoilers 🫶🏽 bcs we get the closure on the ending of OVE, the case is closely related to FLF.

Thanks to this book I can go around USA without having to go there. This artfully illustrated nonfiction book showcased National Monuments throughout the states of USA. It was completed by brief essential historical background, its significance, and the recognition for Black and indigenous people. It also showed the map where we can find these monuments. 

The layouts were neat and the monument's title was easy to spot on. I love colour or tone they chose for the art and illustration. And THE FONT. It's very eye pleasing. 

If you're into travelling, nature, historical buildings, and picture book, this is perfect for you. Although it was meant for children nonfiction book, the information and language was suitable for all age. 

I enjoy reading this a lot.

Can't wait to see the places in person 🤩

Thanks Netgalley for providing the ARC

Me in 2021: for heaven's sake I won't re-read this series.

Me in 2023: oke let's see who knows the ending would be different. I'm reading the different language so yeah


Me finishing the book: 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡why would I even bother to re-read for real

I LOVE THIS!!!!

The storytelling is amazing. I love how this book made me feel like I was there (using the 2nd POV), and combining 5 senses to describe the place is just clever 👌

This book gave just enough information about the extreme places without sugarcoating the beauty. It makes children brave, yet aware of the dangerous in that situation.

The art is jawdropping 😍😍😍😍 I love the style, color combination, layout and everything it presents.

Children will love this!!!