Setting the Scene: Back To Hogwarts

I approached the scarlet steam engine, my trolley trailing behind me. Dazed and overwhelmed at the sight of it. The last time I saw the Hogwarts Express was at the start of my 7th year many years ago.

© Bobbie Rebultan

The platform wasn't crowded yet; only the early and earnest few were around. My hands quivered, and a queasy feeling made its way from my stomach to my chest. I realized I was having a panic attack. Automatically, my senses keyed in to where my wand was tucked inside my coat pocket, ready whenever I need it. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my breathing. I took out my ticket, desperately clutching it with clammy hands, afraid I'd loose it along with the chance of a lifetime.

A Kiss of Paris

I hauled my heavy luggage out of Ourcq station, and up the Metro stairs. It was starting to rain. Fat drops pelting against my glasses with increasing intensity. I was bone-tired and unprepared. The 18-hour flight made my vision blurry, and all the sugar I've ingested made me fidgety. I looked towards Borgy already struggling with multiple bags. A soft-eyed gentleman making his way up the Metro offered me a hand with carrying my luggage, but I politely refused, not wanting to cause any trouble for anyone. I dashed across the pavement dragging my damp bags. The brown awning of Le Concorde gave us temporary shelter. We looked out at the empty avenue. Hardly any cars passed the street. Only a few people were around, a handful in parkas and coats bent over and, like us, running to the direction of restaurants' awnings, trying to escape the rain. Belatedly, I realized that this dreary day is the first real look I'm getting at Paris.

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Magic, Londons, princes, a stubborn and strong-willed girl, and a nefarious plot with a confusing albeit cliché execution. It lacked.... something . I started the book as someone from afar, an audience watching things unfold, and I ended the book feeling exactly the same: just an audience and not part of the story. The story and characters all felt one-dimensional.

The setting and premise were what drew me to glance at this book in the first place. The reviews and ratings were what convinced me to pick it up. Sadly, I was not as roped in to the story as I hoped I would be. Everything was a dark matter-of-fact, and to be honest, a bit flat. Where Strange the Dreamer overflowed with emotion, this book lacked it. It lacked depth. It didn't feel immersive, which is such a total waste. I loved the world it built, but was disappointed with how shallow the book ran.

Review: Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
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For a few minutes after reading the last page, I was speechless. Strange the Dreamer is so wonderfully and ingeniously crafted. The world Taylor created is a breath of fresh air from the desolation brought by the real world and by the era of post-apocalyptic dystopian novels. The world within this book is fantastical and rich. There is also a sense of other-worldliness at how she writes. And it isn't just purely whimsy, it has humor and mystery. The setting was built in rich detail and background. The story has great pacing within the three-quarters of the book, but it slowed down towards the remaining quarter when I was already on the edge of my seat itching for things to pick up. This is actually one of the reasons why I didn't give this book a perfect score. Towards the end, there were chapters dedicated to Lazlo and Sarai's discovery of each other in dreams. That is, discovery in a physical sense. Their 'getting to know' stage left a bad taste for me. Lazlo being Lazlo, the dreamer (and the romantic), gave way to what I can only call with a shudder as corny. It was too...contrived. The emotions ran heavy, cloying, and flamboyant, as opposed to the hard-edged but muted manifestation of Eril-Fane and Azareen's story. Lazlo and Sarai's meetings and relationship were built in dreams which didn't give me a sense of validity at all. Their love story seemed rushed and only to serve as the plot device of the book. But again, I have to give credit at how Taylor writes prose beautifully by way the book ended. (view spoiler on Goodreads!)[The devastation and grief were so palpable and convincing. I almost screamed at the end when I read the "TO BE CONTINUED". (hide spoiler)]

Review: Goth

Goth by Otsuichi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Creepy, but still feels so....disconnected. The stories didn't draw me in. Most times it was just boring. This isn't as engaging as Battle RoyaleBattle Royale, nor as interesting as ConfessionsConfessions. I had high expectations for this book simply because I regard Japanese literature as uniquely crafted, but Goth just didn't work out for me. The characters were too devoid of emotions, which I know is the point of the novel, but it drew no sense of believability. Without it being believable, every story just sounded ridiculous. I guess the problem I had with this is how the chapters are just short stories of Morino and her classmate's interactions with killers. But these killers were not built with the same development as the main characters. These killer just seem so abrupt and absurd. I detected a sinister character development with the two main characters (more with the boy than with Morino, which is another source of disappointment), but even that was rushed. The rest of the characters were just treated as background noise. I would have enjoyed this book if it focused on one or two killers, and narrated the story around them.

The only reason I'm not giving this a one-star rating is because of the chapter entitled Memory/Twins. That was the only chapter that provided me with the right blend of horror, mystery, and emotion from the book. Despite the twists, the other stories were narrated with a monotonous feel, and I just wanted to get it over with.

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