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kazwrecked's reviews
50 reviews
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
★ 3.75 in the name of all Hearts she just wants to open a Bakery! let her be and this book wouldnt end this way, i daresay.
by-the-bye im not really fond of sad ending or bad ending books but this one has me convinced to read because for the one and only its well-known sad ending and angsty. did i cry? no. did i enjoy it? sort of.
first of all, i love how quirky, ucanny and odd (in a good way) the world-building this book has. Marissa Meyer just as good a retelling as she is. she deserves an appraisal for it. what i like more to adding more stars is how this book gives off the eerie vibes i felt as i watched Alice in Wonderland at 13.
this book is said to be the Queen of Hearts’ origin story, from this alone i could imagine a HUGE and jaw-dropping turning point, why she became the person she is in the future. and if i say i knew something bad was going to happen, i DID. but oh in all my dissatisfaction, i didnt expect it to be just like that. i didnt even flinch or throw my book away just like i usually do if something unexpected happens. it happened so fast i barely caught what was happening.
as for the romance, it’s a 50/50 for me. i still can’t comprehend the fact that catherine fell in love in that instant and because of dreams that werent explored enough. and for jest, what did you see on her? tho i couldnt deny i giggled at their banter, kicked the air at times.
character driven as it is, i see no development—a process catherine should’ve had as a soon-to-be villain. her character develops very VERY slowly it took me 300ish pages to see at least the slightest cold side of her. and BOOM! she becomes a cold-hearted queen in one night. quite disappointing.
i give extra 0.75 star for the last line that succeeded in sending me chills. also what an entrance jest had right there! in fact he is the best thing this book could offer
by-the-bye im not really fond of sad ending or bad ending books but this one has me convinced to read because for the one and only its well-known sad ending and angsty. did i cry? no. did i enjoy it? sort of.
first of all, i love how quirky, ucanny and odd (in a good way) the world-building this book has. Marissa Meyer just as good a retelling as she is. she deserves an appraisal for it. what i like more to adding more stars is how this book gives off the eerie vibes i felt as i watched Alice in Wonderland at 13.
this book is said to be the Queen of Hearts’ origin story, from this alone i could imagine a HUGE and jaw-dropping turning point, why she became the person she is in the future. and if i say i knew something bad was going to happen, i DID. but oh in all my dissatisfaction, i didnt expect it to be just like that. i didnt even flinch or throw my book away just like i usually do if something unexpected happens. it happened so fast i barely caught what was happening.
as for the romance, it’s a 50/50 for me. i still can’t comprehend the fact that catherine fell in love in that instant and because of dreams that werent explored enough. and for jest, what did you see on her? tho i couldnt deny i giggled at their banter, kicked the air at times.
character driven as it is, i see no development—a process catherine should’ve had as a soon-to-be villain. her character develops very VERY slowly it took me 300ish pages to see at least the slightest cold side of her. and BOOM! she becomes a cold-hearted queen in one night. quite disappointing.
i give extra 0.75 star for the last line that succeeded in sending me chills. also what an entrance jest had right there! in fact he is the best thing this book could offer
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dive into it i expected something more of an elaborated magical circus performance. more mystery. more riddles. but there was nothing more than just creatures flying, shop with various shapes, moving bridges and tunnels, elixir etc. i need to know how the magic works there, how death can be impermanent, how actually exchanging blood could be traded as one’s worth a day life. how wish and hope can be true. there’s something missing about the writer’s way of describing the world building. i sometimes had a hard time visualizing them (or it’s just a ME problem).
the premise was promising. i love games, i love mystery, i love solving clues. i found the first-half was a bit too slow and a bit rushed (and forced) too at the end. stephanie was trying to make jaw-dropped plot twists but only left me underwhelmed by the twists.
love how scarlett and julian’s relationship escalated slowly, in fact i love them. BUT i do not like them as much as a character. they just kinda… there? didn’t love tella enough to the point i rlly don’t care what could possibly happen to her. legend wasn’t that great after all, still a mysterious character that caught a bit of my attention.
the premise was promising. i love games, i love mystery, i love solving clues. i found the first-half was a bit too slow and a bit rushed (and forced) too at the end. stephanie was trying to make jaw-dropped plot twists but only left me underwhelmed by the twists.
love how scarlett and julian’s relationship escalated slowly, in fact i love them. BUT i do not like them as much as a character. they just kinda… there? didn’t love tella enough to the point i rlly don’t care what could possibly happen to her. legend wasn’t that great after all, still a mysterious character that caught a bit of my attention.
overall it was a fun read. i enjoyed it enough to devour the book in 3 days. the book itself is mid. probably not going to pick up the sequel anytime soon.
Naoki Urasawa's 21st Century Boys, Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 22: The Beginning of Justice by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
that was an amazing experience reading 20th century boys i had there. however, this last volume doesnt seem to cover all the plots that have been running during the course of the series. many questions are still left unanswered. who’s the current friend’s true identity? what about the pope new candidate? what are the contents of chousan’s notes? i hope those will be answered in the two volumes sequel. still, i love this series with all of my heart.
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 21: Arrival of the space aliens by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
being skeptical whether urasawa could wrap up the entire series by just 1 volume (it seems no bc there is a continuation). i still have many questions left to be answered
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 20: Humanity in the Balance by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 19: The man who came back by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
more or less a conclusion why endou kenji is one of the best manga protagonists of all time
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 18: Everybody's Song by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
guta lala suda lala on repeat.
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 17: Cross-counter by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
a very cruel hit of reality where people kill each other to get the vaccines which could’ve happened back in 2019 when covid-19 hit. we learn so much from otcho’s despair journey, how human nature acts when despair strikes. last panel is a banger. i wasnt surprised, you could say i was hoping for it to happen but still the joy i felt was so real.
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, Vol. 16: Beyond the Looking Glass by Naoki Urasawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0