renpuspita's reviews
1353 reviews

 NANGGUNG

Itulah perasaan yang gue rasakan abis baca Origin. Walau banyak mutual Goodreads yang suka dan menyanjung, tapi review Qui dan Mba Astrid seengganya mewakili apa yang gue pikirkan. Tidak ada yang benar - benar baru dari apa yang ditawarkan Dan Brown pada novel terakhirnya ini karena walau Brown mengulik sebuah pertanyaan yang menggelitik pada dasarnya temanya tuh ya sama aja. Agama vs Sains. Tema yang udah dipake di Angels and Demons (sama plek ketiplek malah), The Da Vinci Code dll.

Tidak cuma tema, tapi arketipe dasar dari novel - novel yang ada Robert Langdon ya dipake lagi sama Brown. Topik yang mencengangkan (kali ini tentang teori evolusi dan asal mula), terbunuhnya karakter yang penting (Edmond Kirsch, sang futuris yang mengemukakan teori tentang asal mula kehidupan), tokoh wanita pendamping (Ambra Vidal, yang juga tunangan calon Raja Spanyol), pembunuh fanatik (yang mengingatkan pada Silas di The Da Vinci Code), peran gereja, kejar - kejaran berpacu dengan waktu, jalan - jalan menyelusuri taman, eh museum dan bangunan bersejarah di Spanyol, pencarian password dan kode - kode serta simbol yang sayangnya itu kode dan simbol kayaknya makin sedikit saja. Tak lupa penjelasan panjang lebar sangat scientific yang bikin gue bengong abis baca.

Too ambitious, itu yang gue rasakan dari Origin. Sayangnya ambisi Dan Brown terkesan nanggung. Setelah menggebu - gebu perdebatan sains vs agama dan kali ini juga Edmond itu orangnya atheis, om Brown seakan malu-malu ingin bilang "eh walau aku nulis ini dengan mengecam agama - agama (terutama agama Samawi) dan kesannya sains itu lebih unggul, sebenarnya agama dan sains itu saling melengkapi kok." Yah, persis kayak Angels and Demons. Ini apa Dan Brown udah kehabisan bensin atau ide lagi gue udah ga tahu deh. Penemuan Edmond tentang dua pertanyaan penting "Darimana kita berasal?" dan "Kemana kita akan pergi?" pada akhirnya hanya mengutarakan apa yang sebenarnya sudah pasti arahnya kemana. Jadi bisa dibilang antiklimaks? Ya bisa jadi, meski gue sendiri mengagumi cara - cara Dan Brown mengecam fanatisme agama dan juga pandangan utopianya akan keberlangsungan manusia yang nantinya akan berdampingan dengan teknologi. Apakah yang ditulis sama Dan Brown di Origin akan jadi kenyataan? Apalagi tentang teknologi A.I? Ya bisa jadi sih. Headset konduksi tulang yang dipakai Langdon yang menghubungkannya dengan Winston, A.I cerdas buatan Edmond itu juga sudah sering dipakai sekarang. Tapi apakah visi utopia yang ditulis Dan Brown akan benar - benar TERWUJUD? Mungkin kalau di dunia maju ya gue bisa bilang iya, tapi kalau di negara Konoha, eh, Indonesia mungkin kita akan cemas dulu menuju masa depan :P.

Gue ngerasa Langdon lama - lama berasa kayak Gary Stu, paham segala hal. Gue tahu bahwa Dan Brown menulis Langdon karena dia merasa Langdon itu ya dirinya, tapi Langdon yang aslinya Professor ahli Bahasa dan Simbol tahu - tahu paham fisika itu gue kayak err gimana ya. Jadi berasa serba tahu? Jujur gue lebih pengen lihat Langdon bahas tentang simbol - simbol atau interpretasi lukisan, karya seni, etc. Makanya perjalanannya ke Casa Mila dan Sangrada Familia itu bikin gue merasakan "ah, ini lho yang gue cari dari cerita - cerita Langdon. Jalan-jalannya!" Deskripsi tentang beberapa bangunan sejarah di Spanyol memang sangat kaya dan walau jadi kayak berasa baca wiki untuk beberapa bagian, toh tetap tidak menghilangkan rasa penasaran dan ingin siapa tahu suatu saat bisa kesana. Sayangnya, chemistry Langdon sama sidechicknya terasa kurang. Gue kayak merasa Ambra ada hanya karena situasi saja dan bahkan perasaan Ambra yang tiba - tiba muncul ke Langdon menjelang akhir cerita bikin gue "Apaan nih? Stockholm syndrome kah?"

Sayangnya lagi nih, gue ngerasa buku ini muter - muter ga karuan. Awal Origin itu sangat lambat dan bahkan bikin gue kesal. Presentasi Edmond di awal bahkan memakan hampir seperempat bab yang bikin gue teriak "Janc*k, kapan iki presentasine mulai he???". Oke, I just let my inner jancukism to come out, lel. Baru setelah huru hara dimana Edmond tewas terbunuh (bukan spoiler, emang ada di blurb bukunya), pace cerita mulai cepat. Untuk konspirasinya sendiri ya khas Dan Brown dan twistnya...hmm ga bisa gue bilang brilliant sih. Malah udah kayak ketebak termasuk ke endingnya. Walau menurut gue, cara pelakunya merancang semua kejadian di Origin ini emang agak - agak outlandish.

Jadi, "dari mana kita bermula?" dan "kemana kita akan pergi?" Bagi gue jawabannya cuma satu yaitu "MBUH"; XD. Karena toh setelah berharap ada sesuatu yang spektakuler dari penemuan Edmond, yang gue dapat ternyata penjelasan dari eksperimen yang sebenarnya sudah pernah dilakukan dengan teori - teori yang sudah banyak beredar namun keabsahannya pun masih tanda tanya. Bahkan untuk jawaban "kemana kita akan pergi" menurut gue juga terlalu utopia. Bukannya ga mungkin, bisa aja terjadi, tapi kemungkinannya ya 50:50. Origin ini ditulis 2017 dan sampai sekarang di tahun gue baca buku ini yaitu di 2024, Dan Brown belum mengeluarkan buku baru (selain buku anak - anak yang dia tulis). Infonya sih om Brown lagi menulis kisah Langdon yang baru tapi jujur gue ga terlalu excited buat baca kalau - kalau tema yang diusung masih sama. Masih mengusung sains vs agama dan kecaman serta harapan Om Brown terhadap agama - agama di dunia ini sehingga ga ada yang benar - benar baru.

Semoga aja kalau ada buku baru tentang Robert Langdon, jangan Europe-centric lagi lah Om Brown. Masa kagak bosen bahas tentang negara - negara Eropa mulu sementara kekayaan budaya dari negara lain yang di luar benua Eropa itu buanyaaak banget. 

I remember back then why I decide to buy Death by Dumpling. One, dumpling is my favorite. Two, the cover is very on point, it's have two of my favorite dishes. And three, any cozy mystery with food on it and Asian culture is a "want to buy" in my list. After I finish reading this book, I'm glad I bought it and give it a chance to buy the following books even at first I don't know if my gambling will paid off.

Just like the title, the poor victim indeed was dead after eating shrimp dumplings while it was known that he had shellfish allergic. Our heroine, Lana Lee, a 27-ish Asian American chick become one of the suspect because she was the delivery girl that deliver the dumpling package to Mr Thomas Feng, the poor victim. The other suspect is the cook from Lana's mother restauran Ho-Lee Noodle and Lana will do everything to clear both her name and the cook's name, Peter Huang. Just like your usual cozy mystery, Lana start to sleuthing together with the help of her best friend, Megan Riley. Of course, she will crossed path with the detective that handle the murder case, Adam Trudeau. Apparently, Det. Trudeau have some slightly romantic interest to Lana while in the other side also warn Lana to mind her own business. Typical. And..just like your usual cozy mysteries titles, the true perpetrator knowing that Lana's sleuthing will sooner or later comes to light and will endanger them. 

Death by Dumpling cross some of cozy mysteries trademark while still manage to entertain and a little bit unique. I like that while this book told entirely from Lana's PoV, her characteristic and attitude are pleasant to read. I admit I don't really like character that come as "girl boss" but end up trying so hard in girlbossing or "woe is me" especially that written toward millennial readers despite I'm myself is millennial. Yeah, Lana just have a bad break up and also got fired so she's now back to help her mother's restaurant, but I really like reading her voice. Girl just want to clear her name and want everything going back to be okay. I like her friendship with Megan and also how they start to sleuthing together although the majority of sleuthing done by Lana herself. Her potential romantic relationship with Det. Trudeau is well written and I like that there's no love triangle.

Just like your usual cozy where everyone knows everyone, the people in the Asian Plaza also know Lana Lee and her family. They might harbor some secrets that hidden in the dark and some of them might be hold a grudge to the late Mr Feng. The sleuthing that Lana done will unraveled some of the secrets while also left some things open unsolved. I like that despite Lana already in her 27-ish, her Mom still nagged her, her older sister also nagged her and the gossip lady (aka Mahjong Matrons) want to know Lana's love life. Very, very typical but also charming and endearing as well. The mystery is solid and the pace also okay. I like that the fonts that this book used also slightly larger so I can comfortably read the physical version. Oh, another reason why Death by Dumpling have 4 stars from me is I like that when Lana finally get the truth about the culprit, she didn't try to cornered the said culprit alone. Phew, that's one of my pet peeve when reading mysteries, though. The main character love to endanger themselves when facing the murderer!

A solid cozy mysteries with foodies theme although the absent of recipes is disappointing, lel. I look forward to more Lana's future sleuthing!

 

Kalau bisa dirangkum dalam satu kalimat, maka buku The Empress of Ice Cream atau yang diterjemahkan jadi "Semanis Es Krim" ini sebetulnya sederhana saja. Sebuah ungkapan yang sudah diketahui banyak orang. Harta. Tahta. Wanita.

Gue sudah baca tiga karya Anthony Capella dan sudah hapal dengan kepiawaiannya memadukan unsur-unsur makanan, sensualitas dan untuk novelnya yang berjudul The Wedding Officer, kejadian sejarah. Jika The Wedding Officer mengambil latar belakang Italia pada WW II dengan tokoh orang Inggris dan Italia, maka The Empress of Ice Cream pun sebenarnya ga jauh berbeda. Hanya saja kali ini timelinenya mundur jauh ke abad 17. Tepatnya di sekitar tahun 1670-an, masa pemerintahan Charles II dari House of Stuart dimana salah satu narasi di buku ini dikisahkan dari sudut pandang pertama sang gundik Raja yaitu Louise de Keroualle. Dari namanya saja udah berasa Prancis banget maka tak heran kalau Prancis pun juga jadi salah satu setting ceritanya, lengkap dengan penceritaan masa kekuasaan Raja Louis XIV dan Istana Versaillesnya yang digdaya.

Lah, katanya Capella nulis tentang makanan? Ya, sabar dulu gaes. Kalau di The Food of Love dan The Wedding Officer fokus pada kulinari Italia, maka di buku ini ya sudah jelas es krim lah primadonanya. Buku ini dimulai dengan catatan editor yang awalnya sih kayak beneran, tapi seiring cerita gue baru ngeh kalau tokoh Carlo Demirco ini benernya karangan Capella aja. Memanfaatkan confectioner tak bernama yang (katanya) memperkenalkan es krim yang awalnya adalah hidangan khusus hanya untuk Raja untuk kemudian akhirnya bisa dinikmati rakyat jelata, Capella memutuskan untuk memberi nama si confectioner ini dengan nama Carlo. Tidak adanya catatan resmi tentang sang confectioner maupun The Book of Ices yang berisi resep - resep buatan Carlo yang menghiasi semua bab yang bercerita dari sudut pandang Carlo membuat Capella dengan bebas mengintepretasikan apa yang sebenarnya terjadi saat itu. Pun dengan karangan tentang buku catatan harian Louise yang entah emang beneran ada atau ngga, maka semua sudut pandang Louise pun diceritakan berdasarkan interpretasi Capella. TAPI karena Louise de Keroualle ini orang yang beneran ada ya maka banyak fakta - fakta sejarah juga orang - orang yang beneran ada seperti saingan Louise dalam merebut perhatian Charles II yaitu sesama gundik bernama Nell Gwynne dan Hortense Mancini. Siap - siap aja googling siapa mereka di wiki yah.

Buku ini mungkin buat beberapa orang sangat vulgar, tapi kalau mengingat kebebasan seksual jaman abad 17 kayaknya gue juga ga heran - heran amat. Orang Inggris sendiri dikisahkan sangat barbar, tapi pembaca melihatnya dari sudut pandang Carlo yang orang Italia dan sudah lama jadi confectionernya Raja Louis XVI di Prancis yang tentunya masih lebih elegan. Pun Louise juga aslinya orang Prancis. Membaca bab - bab dari Louise membuat gue sering bilang "yaelaaah". Untuk wanita yang mengagung-agungkan kemuliaan, pada akhirnya toh Louise menerima nasibnya untuk menjadi gundik (alias royal mistress) Charles II setelah setahun berusaha keras menolak rayuan sang Raja. Louise yang naif, angkuh dan sombong akhirnya bersikap pragmatis karena ambisinya ya diatas segalanya, karena siapa juga yang ga mau jadi wanita yang walau bukan seorang Ratu tapi pendapatnya didengar oleh Charles II bahkan melebihi sang Ratu sendiri. Hal ini bikin gue teringat sama adegan di Dune, dimana Lady Jessica membesarkan hati Chani yang harus rela Paul menikahi Putri Irulan karena Chani punya kedudukan lebih tinggi akibat cinta Paul. Hal itu juga berlaku sama untuk Charles II dan Louise, karena pada akhirnya toh walau Louise jadi wanita yang paling dibenci oleh Inggris saat itu karena dia orang Prancis dan juga Katolik, tetap saja Louis yang mengendalikan Charles II, Raja yang dikenal enggan mengambil keputusan. 

Capella sendiri berusaha menyeimbangkan porsi manuver politik, fakta sejarah dan juga pembuatan es krim. Sejujurnya gue lebih menyukai bab dari PoV Carlo karena membaca proses Carlo membuat es krim itu sangat mengagumkan. Berbeda dengan masa kini yang mana es krim itu gampang aja dibuatnya, di abad 17 segalanya terasa rumit. Penjelasan ilmiah tentang bagaimana es terbentuk dan es krim terbuat sangatlah panjang. Carlo harus melewati banyak trial and error sebelum akhirnya dia bisa membuat es krim yang kita kenal. Di awal - awal sampai pertengahan buku pembaca akan disuguhkan pembuatan minuman dingin seperti cordiale atau sorbet. Untuk sorbet sendiri tekniknya ternyata berasal dari orang Parsi yang juga adalah majikan Carlo pada saat awal cerita. Untuk bahan - bahan yang menjadi dasar es krim tentunya adalah bahan yang pada saat itu langka. Bayangkan aja, harga nanas seharga emas dan cuma boleh dihidangkan untuk Raja. Bahkan Louis XIV sangat menggemari pir yang dikembangkan banyak varietasnya untuk dia aja. Jaman sekarang kita bisa beli nanas 10ribu rupiah dapat banyak atau pir pun ga terlalu mahal. Tapi saat jaman itu? Buah - buahan itu dianggap eksotis dan bahkan lada serta rempah - rempah pun masih mahal, sementara di masa sekarang kita enak aja beli di kang sayur depan rumah.

Kalau kamu berharap buku ini bakal romantis, maka ya siap - siap untuk berpikir sebaliknya. Tokoh - tokoh di buku Capella sebelumnya, The Food of Love dan Wedding Officer mendapatkan happy end mereka. Untuk Carlo dan Louise, mereka mendapatkan kebahagiaan sesuai dengan apa yang mereka mau. Carlo memang sangat mencintai Louise, mungkin karena sikap Louise yang tangguh pada awalnya, tapi bahkan saat Louise sudah jadi gundik Charles II pun Carlo masih tetep cinta. Gue jadi kasian bacanya tapi ya ungkapan bahwa cinta bisa membutakan itu benar. Walau Louise adalah tokoh wanita yang tangguh dan sudah ciri khas Capella membuat tokoh wanita tangguh serta berpendirian, gue lebih menyukai tokoh Hannah yang seorang pelayan (dan juga pelacur) yang membantu Carlo dalam membuat es krim serta pembuat pai yang lezat. Jika gue bisa bersimpati sama Carlo, maka agak susah untuk berlaku sama pada Louise. Gue ngerasa bagian - bagian Louise rada lebay tapi gue juga salut sama cara Capella menuliskan Louise dari yang awalnya gadis naif nan angkuh menjadi wanita yang berambisi dan menghalalkan segala cara untuk mengamankan posisinya di tanah Inggris. Dikelilingi oleh banyak bangsawan, gundik saingan dan rakyat yang siap kapan saja melihat kejatuhan Louise dari tahta.

Gue jarang baca hisfic dengan unsur makanan tapi Capella dengan piawai menggabungkan keduanya. Sayangnya, The Empress of Ice Cream ini sepertinya buku hisfic dengan tema makanan terakhir yang ditulis Capella (gue belum baca yang The Various Flavor of Coffee) karena Capella sekarang lebih banyak nulis thriller. Padahal gue yakin riset Capella untuk buku ini ga main - main, apalagi setelah Catatan Editor yang rada mengecoh di bagian awal, Capella juga menambahkan Catatan Sejarah di bagian akhir yang emang adalah fakta sejarah. Jadi buku ini mayan cocok kalau kamu suka baca hisfic tentang Kerajaan Inggris di abad 17 dan segala intrik politiknya. Plus, sesuatu hal yang menarik karena di jaman itu gundik tetap dianggap punya kekuatan untuk kemudian peran ini dipandang tercela di era modern.

Yang jelas, habis baca buku ini, gue jadinya ngiler pengen makan es krim :9 

 Tidepool is the first Nicole Wilson's book I'd read and I remember back then I bought the ebook because it was on sale. The concept itself was pretty unique for me because I'm not that familiar with Lovecraftian horror and I always searching for an interesting take of horror books.

I'm agree with some reviews that state for a historical fiction, the prose feels modern. I'm almost hesitant to continue to read when I think the main character will be Henry, a man that had unwelcome thought toward Ada Oliver, a wealthy widow in Tidepool. But, the main character is actually Henry's sister named Sorrow who come to Tidepool to search for Henry because he suddenly disappear. While the story told from Sorrow's third PoV, Wilson also write some of Ada's PoV and hers was told in first PoV. From Ada's PoV we will get what actually happen in Tidepool and why Ada become like who she is and how her brother, Quentin also affected.

While the gothic vibe was well written, I'm getting annoyed with how Wilson write that Sorrow can't leave Tidepool with what I said "coincidence", lel. It's like the world (or the outer Gods?) working against Sorrow! The mystery regarding the entity that surround Tidepool also got revealed early. But, I did like with what happen to Tidepool in the end and how Sorrow, Ada and Quentin's fate intertwined. To be honest, I like Ada better than Sorrow, lel

Not bad for a debut novel, but not that good either. A decent read if you like a horror (that in my opinion not that scary!) with Lovecraftian monsters. 

 Masih sama sih pesannya dengan buku pertama yaitu  BACALAH SYARAT DAN KETENTUAN YANG BERLAKU , yang sayangnya untuk beberapa bagian cerita pesan itu tidak diindahkan oleh penerima jajanan Toko Zenitendo yang akibatnya ya bisa ditebak sendiri seperti apa.

Premis buku dua masih sama dengan buku satu, yang membuat gue mikir buku - buku Zenitendo seperti manga yang berisi chapter - chapter yang awalnya diterbitkan di suatu majalah sehingga ceritanya seakan berdiri sendiri satu sama lain walau ada juga cerita yang masih ada hubungannya dengan cerita dari buku satu. Seperti yang udah gue bilang di awal terkait S&K berlaku, maka beberapa penerima jajan di buku ini ya ada yang mendapat hikmahnya dan ada juga yang mendapat "hikmah"nya alias kena sial. Mungkin Hiroshima sensei ingin menyampaikan pesan "tabur tuai", apa yang kamu tabur (alias kerjakan) ya itu yang kamu dapat. Sama juga dengan pesan agar jadi orang agak tidak serakah. Secukupnya saja.

Dari semua cerita jajanan di buku ini, favorite gue adalah Teh Jamuan Tamu. Ceritanya sendiri dari sudut pandang seorang wanita umur 43 tahun yang kesepian. Gue emang introvert dan agak capek kalau banyak interaksi tapi gue memahami perasaan Midori yang menjadi tokoh utama di bab Teh ini. Menyenangkan membaca kisahnya bertemu beberapa orang dari teh yang diseduhnya dan akhirnya pun Midori mendapatkan kebahagiaan. Untuk kisah Dokter Permen Soda juga menggemaskan!

Gue tetep akan rekomendasikan Zenitendo buat bacaan yang ga cuma bisa dibaca anak - anak, tapi juga sama orang dewasa. Karena kisah dan pesan moral di dalam cerita-ceritanya sendiri memang sifatnya universal. 

Setelah di tahun 2024 ini mencoba baca buku-buku Dame Christie yang tokoh utamanya bukan Poirot atau yang standalone, sekarang balik lagi baca kisahnya Poirot. Seperti Murder in Mesopotamia, The ABC Murders ini dikisahkan dari sudut pandang pertama tokoh lain. Kali ini naratornya adalah Kapten Arthur Hastings. Oh ya, gue baca buku2nya Dame Christie ini ga urut ya, jadi ga terlalu tahu hubungan Hastings sama Poirot kayak gimana selain mereka adalah teman yang akrab.

Dari review - review yang gue baca, beberapa reviewer yang dari Indo tahu tentang ABC Murders dari manga Detektif Conan. Walau dulu gue ngikutin Conan, tapi setelah vol 30an keatas udah kayak bosen aja hihihi. The ABC Murders ini cukup unik premisnya. Kalau beberapa kasus Poirot yang udah gue baca itu kebanyakan pembunuhan di ruang tertutup atau kejadiannya di suatu tempat yang cukup terisolasi alias semua orang tahu sama tahu dan siapapun bisa jadi pelakunya, maka The ABC Murders ini sebaliknya. Kali ini Poirot dan Hastings harus berpacu dengan waktu untuk mencegah seorang pembunuh serial membunuh orang - orang yang tak berdosa. Si pembunuh yang menamai dirinya "ABC" mengirimkan surat pada Poirot, menantang sang detektif untuk mencegah pembunuhan di kota dengan huruf awal sesuai urutan abjad. Pembunuhan terus terjadi sampai abjad C dan di setiap kasus selalu ada buku panduan kereta api ABC.

Narasi buku ini memang semuanya ditulis dari sudut pandang Kapten Hastings walau beberapa bagian ditulis dari sudut pandang ketiga untuk memberikan beberapa perspektif. Uniknya, sejak awal pembunuh serialnya sudah dikasihtau siapa! Tapi, bukan Dame Christie kalau ga bikin plot twist dan red herring yang sangat tampak nyata. Meski gue udah sedikit banyak bisa menebak sang pembunuh, gue puas dengan cara deduksi Poirot saat mengupas tuntas siapa si pembunuh ABC ini. Pace bukunya juga cukup cepat, ga terlalu lambat atau memb0sankan kayak buku - buku Dame Christie yang biasa gue baca. Mungkin karena ada aspek suspensenya juga dimana Poirot dan Hastings menebak - nebak akan terjadi pembunuhan dimana lagi.

Khas novel - novel Christie, ada yang endingnya jadian juga di buku ini XD. Gue sendiri suka sama narasi Hastings yang selain gemas buat dibaca juga menunjukkan keakrabannya dengan Poirot. The ABC Murders ini juga jadi buku AC yang gue penasaran sama siapa sih pembunuh serialnya sama gimana cara Poirot menangkap si pelaku. Beberapa bagian rada rasis tapi mengingat tahun kapan buku ini ditulis, yah, kayak inevitable gitu. Bisa diskip bagian - bagian itu jika kurang nyaman.

Salah satu kisah Poirot dengan premis yang menarik, narasi Hastings yang menyenangkan buat dibaca dan tentunya plot twist berlapis - lapis kayak kue lapis legit. 

 Gambar-gambarnya simpel tapi lucu. Beberapa bagian buat tersenyum simpul dan paham akan tingkah laku ibu - ibu muda apalagi yang suka posting konten tentang anak.

Sayangnya, gue belum jadi ibu (meski udah nikah lama) jadi kurang terkoneksi sama isi-isinya. Mungkin kalau nanti gue akhirnya ada anak dan ngalamin apa yang dialami Puty, gue akan baca ulang dan siapa tahu ratingnya berubah :-)

*beli ebooknya dulu dapat free di GPB pas Mizan ada promo 

 Mood gue mayan jelek pas baca buku ini, jadi sebenarnya salahnya lebih banyak di gue hahaha. Setengah Jalan sendiri lebih ke koleksi essay dari materi stand upnya Ernest Prakasa, salah satu stand up comedian yang terkenal di Indo. Mungkin disitu juga kurangnya. Karena diambil dari materi stand up, emosinya kurang berasa jadi endingnya agak krik krik pas dibaca. Mungkin akan beda impactnya kalau gue dengerin langsung pas Ernest ngelucu alih - alih baca di buku karena emosi yang tidak bisa disampaikan dari bahasa lisan ke bahasa tulisan.

Walau gitu, gue suka bagian saat Ernest share tip parenting yang akan gue coba terapkan juga nanti kalau gue akhirnya dikaruniai anak. Bagian Ernest fanboying ke Reza Rahadian juga menarik karena walau orang suka bosan dengan film yang dibintangi Reza dan ngomong "Reza lagi, Reza lagi, kayak ga ada aktor lain aja", malah jadi mengukuhkan kalau Reza memang salah satu aktor terbaik di Indo. Gue juga suka bagian Ernest cerita proses di balik bikin film Cek Toko Sebelah (CTS). Ngelihat nama Jenny Jusuf jadi salah satu penulis naskah CTS gue ketawa keras2 karena tahu betapa kontroversialnya Jenjus di sosmed apalagi di Twitter. Gue juga salut sama cara Ernest namain anak - anaknya. Anti mainstream karena ga namain anak dia dengan nama2 Keisya, Queensha, Farasyaa atau nama apapun yang berakhir dengan huruf "A".

Sisanya sih, terlalu nano nano for my taste. Ngingetin sama buku Imperfect yang ditulis sama istrinya Ernest, Meira, karena sama - sama campur aduknya. Kalau suka materi stand up comedy atau ingin cari yang ringan - ringan, boleh lah cek Setengah Jalan. 

And Ernest, stop called yourself "OLD" when you are only 35 years old when you wrote "Setengah Jalan"! Loe di tahun 2024 aja masih 42, itu MASIH MUDA YA! Gue yang pas baca buku ini di 2024 umur 37 tahun wicis lebih tua 2 tahun daripada loe pas nulis buku ini aja masih merasa muda kok hahaha. Masa kalah sama bos gue yang usianya udah 65 tahunan lebih tapi dia selalu merasa muda dan emang masih semangat kayak anak buahnya yang gen millenial dan gen Z! 

 Finally I have concluded my Kate Daniels series binge reading with Blood Heir. Took 2 months to finish 13 full novels (Kate's 10 full novel, Hugh's and then Julie's) and many novellas in between. I need to complete my Magic Triumphs review so maybe I'll do some re-read after this, but let's focus onto Julie's book, Blood Heir.

If you follow IA's blog, Blood Heir first serialized in their web under "Aurelia Ryder" series and written when in 2020 pandemic. The year that I'm sure change our life and still affect me to this day. No wonder that Blood Heir also have a slightly "pandemic" vibes especially the homesickness and can't meet a family member that we hold dear. Blood Heir start with Julie finally come back to Atlanta after 8 years but she can't meet Kate because if she meet her, the enemy called Moloch will kill Kate. Julie now go with name Aurelia Ryder, a new face, a new scent, unrecognizable with Atlanta's citizen that once know Julie is Kate's ward. So, we will met characters that we had known and loved but also new characters as well.

Did Julie meet Derek? Of course, but Derek also change and their relationship got more complicated than ever. 

I see some reviews that compared Julie with Kate and I think that inevitable. I read Kate's books and I love her personality and her relationship not only with Curran but also another characters as well. I know that some can be harsh with said Julie is Kate 2.0 or worse, Kate 98 version. Maybe that true, but I think it's also a little bit unfair. There are some similarities between Julie and Kate, but there are also differences. Kate start as a loner and killer, she hide who she is the whole of series up to Magic Strikes because Voron told her to hide her magic in order to avoid Roland so Kate is more prominent in sword fighting rather than magic. Even when Kate finally using her blood magic with the help of Erra, Kate still hesitant to fully embrace it and only decide to use her ability to the fullest because of Conlan (as shown in Magic Triumph and more in the Wilmington Years novella). In Blood Heir, IA describe that Julie's appearance change is because the Eye of Moloch and she wished to become like Kate and Erra. Stronger and harder to kill. In my opinion, Julie's wish is very humane. When you have a Shinar princess as your Mom and Shinar queen as your Grandmother, of course you want to be like them even it was start as a wishful thinking. Julie also want to belong because she start as a street kid. Unlike Kate, Julie learn under Erra's teaching and embrace her role as the heir of Erra in New Shinar Kingdom. While at first Julie seems like better than Kate, I feel like it's unfair to compare them. Kate is her own person, so does Julie. There's no appearance of Kate and I think that's for the better because Kate will overshadow Julie and Blood Heir is Julie's story. Also, when I first read Magic Burn, I admit I can't stand Julie because I think she was bratty. But in my second read, I change my opinion because teenager supposed to be bratty, heh.

To see old characters that we love is a delight to read. Barabas and Christopher married and their daughter, Sophia is adorable. I hope we get glimpse into the children but so far only Sophia and Conlan that have some role. True to the tradition, just like Kate saved Julie back then, Julie also save a street kid named Marten. But, contrary to Julie, Marten is a savvy 7 years old that have bottomless pit and also maybe hide some secret of her own. There's some appearance by our favorite wizard, Luther and his scene is funny and hilarious because

he's one of people that recognize Aurelia Ryder as Julie just because of her magic pattern

. The fracture of the Pack already begun (as shown in Magic Claims novella) and I don't know if the rumble will come sooner or later. What surprised me more is maybe about Nick. To see Nick

have relationship with Desandra is kinda out of nowhere but I can totally see that. They have history back then in Magic Breaks with Nick injured Desandra. So, I really want to know how they become an item? What is Desandra first that make moves or Nick? I see that Nick's love for Desandra is very genuine and maybe their romantic relationship already known by the Order and the Pack. I want to see them married or have their HEA and really hope nothing dire will come to them. While Nick can be very frustrating, I want to see Desandra finally find her happiness because of what happen to her in Magic Rises.

The Atlanta People's faction now have new name and Ghastek is its CEO. I like that while Julie's ability and blood magic mirrored Kate, she doesn't want to navigate the vampire. Thanks for the small favor! There some of surprised character's appearance that 

come back from the death. Heh, Saiman, you sexual deviant. LOL, he's still cowardly til' the end. I think there's no hope for his redemption because Saiman is Saiman. He will never change who he is, a sociopath Jotunn that only think of himself.

About Ascanio, well he also change too. Gone the pervert mischief bouda teenager because Ascanio now is Beta of the Clan Bouda and apparently he vying for the Beast Lord position. I don't think he will become one of Julie's main love interest, because unlike Julie and Derek, I see Ascanio is just a friend. Okay, I admit I'm a Team Metal Rose, lel. Although I kinda disappointed to see the way of their relationship unfold. Julie is still not over Derek despite she want to move on, but Derek also can be so dense! I had read Magic Stars and there's a hint that Derek already loved Julie back. But in that novella, Julie is till in her 16-ish while Derek already 20-ish so I understand why Derek want to be in status quo but Julie also hopelessly in love with Derek and not just a teenage crush. Their lack of communication and misunderstanding in the end is hurt to read and I really want to smack them both like "what are you two doing? why are you act both immature despite of your ages?". I know that both Julie and Derek's feeling hurt because Julie left Atlanta without telling Derek but in the other side Julie hope that Derek will pursue her by ask how she was doing or maybe do some mating dance or what, lel. I just shake my head and I wonder how IA will solve this problem in the next book. If Julie frequently compared to Kate, I don't think Derek is a carbon copy of Curran. First, Derek is more like calm and cold type. He's like to howling not roaring (duh!), but he's not that arrogant, unlike Curran. Namtur once called Derek as Shepherd of the Wolf and like Julie, Derek's wolf form also change so there's something going on with him that still unrevealed yet.

I think this review is already long enough, lol. For me, Blood Heir as a start of the new series is good and well written. Blood Heir will always be compared to Kate's books, it's inevitable. But for the beginning of Julie's adventure and maybe her HEA with Derek (please IA, Derek for Julie, Ascanio (or maybe Yu Fong, lol) can be for everyone, lol), Blood Heir is still a must read and I can't wait to read book 2 especially with that ending that have while didn't end in cliffhanger but have some promise for more stories to come. 

  If Magic Tides is an appetizer with hints of nostalgia for loyal Kate Daniels series reader, then Magic Tides is a full main course that established Ilona Andrews as one of my favorite authors and Kate & Curran as one of premiere alpha pairing in urban fantasy genre that continue rule supreme.

At first, I think Magic Claims will be in a light tone like Magic Tides. Just a glimpse into the life of Lennarts family in the Wilmington. But, I'm wrong. IA once said in their blog that they intent for this book to be in novella length but in the end it's almost a full novel! I'm not complain tho, more words to consume for me. The story itself more like the continuation of what happen after Magic Breaks . Especially regarding Curran's decision to left the Pack and how after more than ten years together Kate still feel guilty about that since she thought that Curran left because of Roland's ultimatum. Actually since I had read Curran's PoV in Small Magics but I think not everyone that follow Kate Daniels series read it so IA once again wrote that

Curran left the Pack because it's the right things to do. He know that Kate hate it and Kate become a Consort because of him. So Kate already sacrifice so much. Curran also admit that the Pack is already fractured for a long time. He create the Pack based on Mahon's views, not Curran's. The last straw already happen in Magic Bleeds so to see Curran finally left the Pack is inevitable. I always think the fall of the Pack is kinda like poetic justice. We see Pack in all of their glory in the Magic Bites only to see that its have so many faults with the series progresses. Even Curran admit that he and the Pack become xenophobic and I liked that he willing to change his views and change for the better

I once write about Jim in my review of Magic Tides and finally what happen with Pack under Jim as Beast Lord come to the light. I never see Jim as a villain, there's many hateful characters to be despised from Kate Daniels series and deserve their villain status. But to see how Jim finally become is quite sad. He become

like his father was. His savior complex getting worse and unlike Kate that keep Curran's arrogance in check, I'm afraid that Dali see Jim in a rose colored glass so she just let Jim act as he please. Erra once warn Kate that the Pack will fractured, not in the timeline of Magic Claims but will happen years after

. I read in IA interview that Jim is a character that hard to write so I wonder if they will finally redeem him in the future and maybe Jim will mend his friendship, both to Curran and Kate.

Just like its title, Kate again try to claiming a land like what she did back then in Atlanta. But, unlike her immediate and rush claiming, Kate now have years to practice and Erra also guide her to learn about her heritage. Oh, Kate still reluctant to fully embrace her Shinar magic, but she's now mature and didn't hesitant to use it when necessary. It's satisfying to read Kate's character development from Magic Bites to Magic Claims. Her personality change to the better but her old shelf as a killer still shone through. Kate will never be a Queen although Jushur insist that she's the Sharratum, lol. Not everyone must be a queen with crown. 

The challenge about written a pair that already achieve their HEA is they become mundane and stagnant. That's not the case with Kate and Curran. If possible, their love grew stronger and they have goals now to protect Conlan. I really like when Curran say that he will do everything to see Kate smile again like his stabby Kate and I love the scene when Kate call Curran "His Furriness". Their bantering is a delight to read especially Curran's flirting that really, really smooth. IA show that even the characters already married that didn't mean they will become boring of sort. I like that after decade, Kate and Curran still find things to be laugh together, have deep talks regarding their future, compromise especially about if they got injured and try to not rush to the danger and so on. That's what marriage do, not only based on love but based on companionship.

Roland still an interesting character and to call him a villain now maybe stretching it a bit. He's more like a morally grey character now. I like that Roland written with so many facets. He's a megalomaniac tyrant but also a wise grandfather to Conlan although he love to disparaging Curran. Maybe he still doesn't want Kate to marry Curran, but he didn't refuse it either. Complicated, thy name is Roland. He also still like to manipulate Kate and maybe still not talking with Erra. But, I like that despite so many of his faults, he can see that Kate's doubt about using her magic is because Kate afraid that she will turn into Roland or Erra. So Roland's dialogue about Kate to not hesitant to use her magic maybe show that he try to understand his children. Fascinating character indeed. Erra herself still become a stern aunt and I still can't believe how she become Kate's enemy back then in Magic Bleeds and how she also make Curran go comatose but now Erra and Curran respect each other. People do change, huh.

There's so many interesting characters in Magic Claims like Kellan's Wilminton Pack with his renders and another Roland's people, Jushur and his son Rimush. My favorite renders is Owen and Troy who keep bickering to each other, lel. The enemy itself have pretty unique background and kinda come from nowhere, lol. Still interesting to read. The scene when the Penderton's citizen panicked about Kate's claiming envoke my emotions because at first they seems ungrateful to what Kate and Curran did, but Curran's speech (without too much roar) assure them. Conlan is still totes adorable and the enemy identity get revealed because of him.

I read Magic Claims before Blood Heir aka Julie's book so maybe this book kinda explained what happen in Julie's story because Magic Claim timeline is 1 or 2 years before the event in Blood Heir. IA promise that there will be Wilmington 3 that will released in 2024. Can't wait!!