Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

After books about Greek mythology came the books about Egyptian mythology  then the books about Greek and Roman mythology, now Riordan tells the story of Norse mythology. 

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. 

One day, he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows-a man his mother claimed was dangerous. Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. 

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. 

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. 

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . . 

Little spoiler alert: Magnus Chase is Annabeth Chase (from Percy Jackson and The Olympian series)' cousin.  Annabeth herself made an appearance in the book. 

For me it's quite hard to remember all the "new" names. I was more familiar with Greek and Roman mythology. Even Egyptian mythology a little bit easier than Norse mythology. 

Compare to The Olympian or Kane Chronicles (like it or not, you'll compare The Gods of Asgard with those two), Magnus already 16 years old. And he's dead. 

According to Dito, he already finished reading the book first, Valhalla reminded him of Hogwarts. I can see why he thinks that, with all the magic and the wonder. Magnus Chase' world is completely different than the Kanes or the Olympian (or the Roman). 

In his adventures, Magnus is not alone. He had help from his friends. Sam, a Valkyrie, she's an Arab and wears hijab and can kicked-ass. Blitz, a dwarf with interesting parentage and highly sense of fashion. Hearthstone, a deaf elf who choose to study magic instead of...well something else. 

These four work together to delay Ragnarok, and in doing so they also have to "help" other Gods (buying a pair of earring, find a missing hammer that wasn't missing, find a replacement rope made of paradoxes, and prevent Thor from drowning)

We also meets some Gods. Freya, who has cats, and listening to Taylor Swift; Thor who love to watch television series (he mention League of Assassins from Arrow!!); Ran, who likes to collect things, anything. 

Don't forget sword that can talk, goats that also can talk, be killed, eaten, and then live again. Bar tools that have history. Giant squirrel that can trash-talk. 

And nine ducks which apparently a door to another world. 

I love this books because it's funny, Magnus remind me a little bit of Percy even if he's not as sassy as Percy. And like Percy, he's ready to sacrifice himself for his friend. This book is full of action, noble deeds, sacrifice, love, friendship, and acceptance. 

At some point in the story, some how my mind compare it to Harry Potter. Maybe it's because of the missing nose. I really don't know why I'm thinking about Harry Potter, because when the bad guy start monologing, it's not different from The Olympian, about what he's done, why he's doing it, bla bla bla. 

But near the end, it really reminded me of Harry Potter, especially the part where Dumbledore begin to give final house point. In this book there aren't any house point, but the way...ehm...that man praising Blitz, Sam, Hearthstone and Magnus, and then gave them prizes, for me it's like what Dumbledore did at the end of the school term. 

Worth to buy, even worth more to read. Especially if you enjoy The Olympian and Kane Chronicles. 

The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade is a prequel of The Throne of Glass series, which I just found out will consist of 6 books #facepalmed#. The face palmed is not because I don't like the book, but because I enjoyed it so much that I don't think I have the patient to wait for 6 books. After Harry Potter, I don't think I have the patient anymore hahahaha. 

(Why do I always bring HP to the conversation??)

Anyway, even though The Assassin's Blade is the prequel, the book itself was released in 2014, after the release of The Throne of Glass in 2012 and Crown of Midnight, the second book of The Throne of Glass series, in 2013. So I feel lucky that I haven't read TOG and COM, so I can really enjoy TAB more. 

I don't know what made me like the book. Maybe I like the title, Throne of Glass, or maybe I like the synopsis, about an assassin, a young girl assassin. No matter what, I felt that I like the book (series) instantly. 

And TAB doesn't dissapoint me. TAB is a novella, which I found out that it mean was consist of some short stories. The setting in TAB happened before the story in TOG begin. 

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

The Assassin and the Healer

The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Empire

If you have read TOG then you know what will happen to Celaena and you know that this story won't end in happy ending. Knowing me, it should make me dislike this book, but since the story is so good, I really enjoyed it. 

I like Celaena. I like her ability, her confidence, her pride, even though sometimes I think she's a little too proud, too arrogant, but I think she's all that because she's so sure about her ability. 

I also like her relationship with Sam. Although for me, it's a little too fast.  I mean, at the beginning Celaena was described as a girl who doesn't like Sam. There were some kind of rivalry between them. Even though Sam was a year older than Celaena, she's always better than Sam and she's chosen to be the protege and heir of Arobynn Hamel instead of Sam. When Hamel sent Celaena and Sam on a mission together, Celaena start to see Sam in a different way, a little bit, especially after what happened in the pirate island. 

Story number 2 & 3 found Celaena on an away mission from Hamel, this is where Celaena really start to see and think of Sam in a really different way and it concluded at story number 4, continued to the end. 

Since it's only a backstory so I think I understand why the story between Sam and Celaena was quite fast, and still I enjoy it. 

And about the mission itself, well sometimes I hated when Celaena just do what Hamel told her to do. I wished she do some recon or at least investigate deeply the person she's supposed to kill. But then I rethink again. She's an assassin, I don't think assassins really do much investigation. I mean even if the person she's supposed to kill was a nice person, I think she still has to kill them. But I can't help feel that Celaena should be smarter than just do what she's told. On the other hand, that was she trained to do. 

When I read the last story, even though I kinda know how it will end, I still cried when it happened. I can feel Celaena pain, her despair, and her broken heart. And also when she finally decided to live, not to be broken, I also feel it. 

Now...I don't know if I can begin to read Throne of Glass. Because if I start to read it, then I will read Crown of Midnight and I  don't think I can wait for Heir of Fire which will be released on September. It still 5 more months! Not to mention book 4-6! 

I think, other than Harry Potter books, the other series that I read the minute the book was released was Percy Jackson series and Kane Chronicles. Other than that, either the first three books already released (The Mortal Instruments) or I wait for the whole books to partially complete. 

But overall, I really enjoy this Assassin's Blade. You've got action, fantasy, intrigue, and romance in one book.  And I'm sure Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight will have more of those. 

The Girl You Left Behind - Jojo Moyes

 

France, 1916:  Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her life—to see her husband again.

Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting’s true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is—putting Liv’s belief in what is right to the ultimate test.

I just finished reading this book on my ebook reader.  Since I read it on my ebook, and it doesn't have any brief synopsis about this story, I just read it.  To tell you the truth, if I've known the synopsis, I don't think I'll read this book.  This definitely not my kind of book.

The story divided into two parts.  Part  1 set at a little town in France around 1916, where the town was occupied by the Germans.  It tell about the town, about the people, and about the sisters, Helene and Sophie, both are married and their husbands are away at war.  And it tell about the painting that Sophie's husband made for her.  

Part 2 set in London year 2006, about Liv whose husband has been dead for 4 years and yet she doesn't seem can move on, and she own the painting of Sophie, that bought by her husband, David, as a wedding gift on their honeymoon.  And suddenly, the Lefevre demand that the painting, "The Girl You Left Behind" is returned to the rightfull owner, the Lefevre family.  And through this second part, we learned what happened to Sophie, to Eduard, and the painting.

As I said before, this is not my kind of book I read.  I never liked the story with war as a background. especially when the war is still going on.  I find it too depressing.  Even if in the end they have a happy ending, I tend to avoid any story with war in it.  And the truth, I don't even know why I keep on reading this book.

The pace is slow, maybe because I can almost feel, see, and sense the depressing mood or atmosphere of the story.  Everyday seems like a dread, waiting something bad to happen, and you have to be extra careful.

At the beginning, I admire Sophie, for her courage, her positive attitude, her hope.  She's never give up, and when she found out that her husband has been captured and send to reprisal camp, she'll do anything to keep her husband alive.  And that's when I started to dislike her hahahaha....

There are points where I really think that Sophie was stupid, too naive, too trusting, but I have to admit that she's really...really perseverance.  And sorry to say but I kinda expected to read about Sophie's death before the book was end. 

When I reached the second part, I feel sooo relieved! Oh finally! We arrived at 2006! But what do you know...it still depressed hahaha....Liv still can't move on after 4 years her husband died, she has no money, she mortgaged her house (it was designed by her husband), and when she finally start to move on, she found out that the guy she's been seeing is the guy whose job is looking and returning the stolen painting, and the painting was Liv's.  Suddenly she has to fight for her painting in court that will cost a fortune. 

If you ever read Heist Society (and the sequels) you know that during WW2, lots of painting (and sculpture) were taken by the Nazi, just because its beauty (and they wanted it).  After the war, lots of the painting and the sculpture were returned to the original owner.  Sometimes the process take a lot of time, because first the painting must be found and the owner has to proof that they really are the owner.

The painting "The Girl You Left Behind" was rumored to be stolen while WW1 and since it was stolen, according to the law, the painting must be returned to the rightful owner.  The Lefevre.  Liv, who doesn't want to part with the painting, start to look for the story behind the painting.  She's began to look about Sophie's family.

And in second part, we also begin to know what happened to Sophie, and later about Eduard.

Oh wow...for not my kind of book, I wrote a lot about the book :D

I really don't know why I keep on reading this book.  Maybe because I want to know what will happen to Sophie.  I want to know if her sacrifice will fruitful. And in the end, I want to know what happen to the painting, to Liv.

Thanks God it has a happy end, so I'm quite happy with the result hahaha.

While I read this book, I can't keep myself from comparing the sensation I felt, and one book come to mind.  The Gargoyle.  The story is definitely not the same, but both books are drama, with slow pace, quite lots of descriptive, and have a somber mood. 

I don't know if I'll buy her books, but at least I know I enjoyed reading this book.

 

The Naturals - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

OK...setelah berbulan-bulan enggak nulis blog, setelah baca buku ini, gue terdorong untuk nulis review-nya. 

The Naturals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. 

What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides-especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. 

Yang gue beli di Periplus ini terbitan UK. Yang terbitan Amrik, cover ya agak beda, tolong dilihat di Amazon sendiri ya. Anyway, di buku yang gue beli ini, sinopsis singkatnya ada menulis soal 'profiler', berhubung gue termasuk yang senang dengan film seri Criminal Minds, kata profiler mau enggak mau membuat gue tertarik dengan buku ini, jadilah gue beli.

Akhirnya buku ini selesai juga gue baca dan tebakan gue bener.  Kalau Ally Carter "Heist Society" merupakan versi remaja Ocean 11, "The Naturals" adalah versi remaja Criminal Minds.  Di Amazon ada ditulis perpaduan antara The Mentalist dan Pretty Little Liars. Buat gue sih agak kurang pas. Berhubung gue enggak baca ataupun nonton Pretty Little Liars, jadi memang enggak bisa bikin perbandingan. Soal The Mentalist, well....bisa dimengerti sih kenapa bisa muncul kesimpulan itu, tapi gue tetap pada pilihan gue, Criminal Minds.

So...meet Cassandra Hobbes (Cassie), 17 tahun, yang tiba-tiba direkrut oleh FBI, untuk diasah menjadi Profiler.  Kemampuan Cassie merupakan kemampuan alami, yang kalau tidak diberikan pengarahan yang tepat, kemampuan tersebut lambat laun bisa berkurang.  Sealami apapun sebuah kemampuan, kalau tidak dilatih tentu akan memudar. 

Cassie tidak sendirian, ia kemudian akan bertemu beberapa remaja lain yang kurang lebih sebaya dan sama berbakatnya dengan Cassie sendiri.  Ada Lia, Sloane, Michael, dan Dean.  Masing-masing dengan kemampuannya sendiri-sendiri, kecuali Dean yang sama seperti Cassie adalah seorang Profiler.

Tentu semuanya tidak lengkap tanpa adanya cinta segitiga.  Udah ketebak tentunya antara siapa dengan siapa, dan sayangnya sampe buku pertama ini selesai, cinta segitiga itu masih berbentuk segitiga, sesuatu yang sangat gue sayangkan, karena gue benci cinta segitiga hahahaha...

Terlepas dari itu semua, gue menikmati banget buku ini.  Mungkin karena memang mirip Criminal Minds kali ya. Plus, kita juga jadi sedikit banyak tahu soal victimology, soal MO, soal observasi, dan hal-hal lain.  Kadang jadi mirip Sherlock Holmes, terutama pada saat Cassie atau yang lainnya, menguraikan jalan pikiran mereka.  Jadi cukup banyak yang bisa dipelajari juga di buku ini.

One thing for sure, cant wait for the next book, next year. 

Harry Potter - The 15th Anniversary Edition

I literally opened my mouth when I see this.  Flabbergasted too, I think.  And after that...wishing so hard that I can buy this book.  Oh God!! Please!!!

(anyway, this is not a book review although I did talk about a book, but I still put it under label: book review)

So...I was looking for books from Suzanne Brockmann on the internet, searching for another books from her series that I didn't get yet, but since it's from 1999, it kinda hard to look.  Then, I start to look in bookstore like Periplus, Book Depository, and Open Trolley.  When I get to Open Trolley then my eyes stumble upon something.  

Harry Potter.

Dito and I (or is it Dito and ME? I always get confused), anyway, both of us is still crazy about HP.  And it seems like every book we read, some part of it always back to HP.  It really droves us crazy.  Until now, I still can see HP movie without getting hyperventilating (yeah I know it's hyperbola).  We may never dressed like a Hogwarts students, or visited Pottermore everyday, and I may never remember all the words from the book, but I assure you, both of us is Potterhead :D

Back to the bookstore.

Apparently, this year, commemorating 15 year of HP (I can't believe it's been 15 years already!!), Scholastic was going to release a new cover for HP books.  And I love it!! 

And here they are..

And according to  Book Depository and also Open Trolley, "This special edition of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" has a gorgeous new cover illustration by Kazu Kibuishi. Inside is the full text of the original novel, with decorations by Mary GrandPre." And on Open Trolley there's a little bit more information, "and bonus material in the back." 

The last part really got me curious.  What bonus material?

This what Amazon.com has said about this newest edition:

The deluxe edition includes a 32-page insert featuring near scale reproductions of Mary GrandPré's interior art, as well as never-before-seen full-color frontispiece art on special paper. The custom-designed slipcase is foil-stamped and inside is a full cloth case book, blind-stamped on front and back cover, foil stamped on spine. The book includes full-color endpapers with jacket art from the Trade edition and a wraparound jacket featuring exclusive, suitable-for-framing art from Mary GrandPré.

And not just that...after we (or me, or you) bought all of the seven books, you'll have this..

Even the spine of the book will make a wonderful picture.  I think it's Hogwarts.

So...are you going to buy it.  I think I will.  Hahahaha...although don't know when, but this one is really nice to collect. 

I have HP books.  Bahasa Indonesia edition and also English edition.  Bahasa Indonesia edition, since its only  from one publisher so I got the complete set.  Not the English edition.  I also planned to collect the "signature" edition, where on the cover there's HP' signature, but I don't think I complete it yet.  But this one...I think I will.

Dito...what do you think?? :D

Black Dagger Brotherhood - J. R. Ward

So...it's August already...

It's been awhile since I review a book or even read a book.  This time..3 books at once hahaha...Dont know why, but after I read these 3 books, I just feel like writing some review or what I think about these books.

Seperti yang bisa dilihat, ini buku berseri.  Black Dagger Brotherhood, atau disingkat BDB, karangan J. R. Ward.  Buku ini sempet "disinggung" oleh Mia, di bagian comment, waktu gue ngebahas (review) buku karangan Lynsay Sands. Kenapa BDB disinggung oleh Mia, karena buku ini kurang lebih memiliki latar belakang yang sama dengan buku karangan Lynsay Sands tersebut.  Vampire.

Yup.  Mahluk penghisap darah dan bertaring.

Jujur, dan gue enggak tau apa udah pernah gue singgung apa belum, gue termasuk yang suka dengan cerita vampire.  Apalagi waktu itu baca buku karangan Anne Rice "Interview with the Vampire".  Man! Love it! Inget banget baca tuh buku sampe ketakutan banget, karena tegang banget.

Tapi kemudian muncul Twilight....buyar dunia vampire gue hahahaha.

Twilight bisa jadi "merusak" citar vampire di mata gue, tapi di satu sisi, gue seolah-olah jadi kayak melihat bahwa you're allowed to have more than one kind of vampire.  Namanya juga mahluk khayal...mahluk gaib, jadi kayak enggak ada acuan baku soal vampire.

Setelah sebelumnya baca karangan Lynsay Sands punya cerita soal vampire, yang mana merupakan manusia tapi keturunan Atlantis, J. R. Ward punya vampire beda lagi ceritanya.

Menurut J. R. Ward, vampire merupakan species yang berbeda dari homo sapiens alias manusia.  Untuk bertahan hidup, vampire harus minum darah vampire lain yang berlawanan jenis.  Darah manusia bisa untuk bertahan hidup, tapi tidak untuk jangka waktu yang lama.  Vampire tidak bisa 'merubah' manusia melalui gigitan atau transfusi, meskipun untuk beberapa kasus vampire bisa memiliki keturunan dari spesies lain.  Vampire bisa menghilang sekehendak mereka, meski untuk melakukannya mereka harus tenang dan konsentrasi, serta tidak boleh membawa barang yang berat.  Mereka bisa menghapus ingatan manusia, dengan catatan ingatannya merupakan ingatan jangka pendek.  Beberapa vampire bisa membaca pikiran.  Usia vampire bisa mencapai ribuan tahun, bahkan hingga lebih.

Kesimpulannya, vampire adalah mahluk hidup.  Sama seperti manusia, cuma spesies yang berbeda.  

Sejauh ini, sudah 11 buku BDB yang keluar.  Gue baru baca 3, mau baca buku 4 dan 5, dan sayangnya di rumah cuma ada sampe buku 6.  Pembelian buku BDB terhenti karena gue belum sempet baca dan gue lupa udah sampe buku berapa yang gue punya.  Sangking enggak ingetnya, buku nomor 4 malah sampe kebeli 2x.  Hieh.

So...BDB bercerita tentang vampire yang termasuk kelas warrior, yang bisa dibilang keturanan raja, atau royalty.  Mereka berbeda dari civilian.  Warrior merupakan mahluk pilihan, yang memang bertugas melindungi dan menjaga kaum vampire dari kepunahan.  Yang menurut gue berbeda dari buku Lynsay Sands adalah, BDB ini punya musuh, Lesser Society atau lesser yang memang bertujuan membasmi para vampire.  Di sini, kaum lesser merupakan antagonis nya, karena mereka adalah manusia yang telah menjual jiwanya, demi membunuh vampire.

Meskipun demikian, BDB tetep masuk kategori roman sih menurut gue hahaha.  Okelah, ceritanya tentang para vampir  warrior, yang digambarkan begitu...apa ya...so huge.  Muscle man lah istilah kasarnya.  Masing-masing begitu...kuat, perkasa, jagoan dalam urusan berkelahi/berantem/bela diri.  Dan tetap, masing-masing punya "demon" nya masing-masing.

Yang menarik buat gue sih sebenernya nama-nama mereka.  Ya ampun...namanya lho..Wrath, Rhage, Zsadist, Dhestroyer, Vishous, Phurry, dll...terus belum lagi istilah-istilahnya...whalker, ahvenge, sehclusion, dll...hahaha...buat gue sih...lucu aja.  Tinggal diselipin huruh 'h', jadi berubah deh.

Dan karena ceritanya ini tentang sekumpulan warrior, jadi bahasanya juga...ya begitu deh...f word bertebaran, meskipun tidak di mana-mana, tapi tetep ada. Itu cuma bagian percakapan ya...tapi untuk bagian narasi sih menurut gue masih normal.  

Yang berbeda lagi adalah, menurut gue, masing-masing buku, meskipun menceritakan tentang salah satu brother, tapi cerita tentang anggota BDB yang lain juga tetep ada dan kisah-kisah mereka bener-bener berkaitan erat dengan cerita selanjutnya.  Jadi memang kudu baca dari awal (Dark Lover) baru ke akhir.  Sejauh ini yang gue liat, buku 1 bisa lah berdiri sendiri, karena kisah Wrath dan Beth memang 'selesai', tapi buku 2 dan 3, bisa dibilang menurut gue bener-bener bersambung, karena ending buku 2 ngegantung banget dan baru dilanjutkan di buku 3, baru kemudian 'selesai'.  Enggak tau buku 4 dan 5 gimana.

Sejauh ini, gue menikmati banget baca buku ini (3 buku dalam waktu 2 hari!).  Ikut ngerasain 'sakit hati', ikutan sedih pas ada adegan yang emang menyayat hati, dan ketawa pas bagian para anggota BDB saling guyon.  Komplit lah.

Gue gak tau apa ini ada terjemahan Bahasa Indonesianya apa enggak, karena buat gue ini cerita yang bagus dan lumayan berbeda.  

So yeah...Mia akhirnya buku ini dibeli dan dibaca juga, dan ternyata menarik untuk diikuti...

World War Z: and oral history of the zombie war - Max Brooks

For those who knows me, and maybe read this blog, know for sure that I don't like to read stories about dystopian world.  And yet here I am, reviewing a book called "World War Z".  No, I'm not reading this book because all of the hype about the book, but unfortunately a little bit because of the movie.  Hey, I got curious.  I want to know what so good about the movie (and maybe the book).  I finally decided to buy this book (yup! I BOUGHT the book) was after my friend Dito told me that the book was actually quite good.  Hey, if Dito said it was good, why not try to read it.  So I did.

Bought this book maybe two weeks ago, at Periplus MKG.  Found a book that not in plastic wrap, so I can read the first page.  And I guess the rest was history.

And, I'm not just bought the book, but I also downloaded the audiobook from Audible.  Why? Because when I read the...review or the synopsis about the edition that I want to buy, they wrote this "These additional episodes feature a star-studded cast of narrators to coincide with the upcoming release of the film"

I know the audiobook version is still the ABRIDGED version.  Its mean that some part of the book was not recorded.  But, this version is the newest version, that got 5 additional hours.  But what really sell me was "a star-studded cast of narrators" part.  Instead of just 1 or maybe 4 narrators, now they have lots of people reading the book. And because the day I read the book was the day that I had to go to the mall and I really want to "read" so I'm beginning to look for the audiobook.

I never read any story about zombie attacks or war before.  I even didn't watch The Walking Dead.  I did watch Resident Evil, but I think I watched it just because I like all the cool movie effects.  And maybe a little bit because how they fight against the zombie. 

So, since I don't have any experience about zombie stories before, I don't think I can compare this book to any zombie book (is there another book about zombie?).

According to the title, this book is a history book, an oral history book about the zombie war.


The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.


Eyewitness reports from the first truly global war

“I found ‘Patient Zero’ behind the locked door of an abandoned apartment across town. . . . His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine. Although he’d rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no blood. There was also no blood on his other wounds. . . . He was writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls. At first the villagers tried to hold me back. They warned me not to touch him, that he was ‘cursed.’ I shrugged them off and reached for my mask and gloves. The boy’s skin was . . . cold and gray . . . I could find neither his heartbeat nor his pulse.” —Dr. Kwang Jingshu, Greater Chongqing, United Federation of China


“‘Shock and Awe’? Perfect name. . . . But what if the enemy can’t be shocked and awed? Not just won’t, but biologically can’t! That’s what happened that day outside New York City, that’s the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn’t shock and awe Zack boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They’re not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid!” —Todd Wainio, former U.S. Army infantryman and veteran of the Battle of Yonkers


“Two hundred million zombies. Who can even visualize that type of number, let alone combat it? . . . For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth.” —General Travis D’Ambrosia, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe 

That was written on Amazon.com.

The story began with an introduction from the author.  He said that 12 years have passed since a VA Day was declared, and the reason he wrote the book was because of an assignment from UN to write a report about the zombie war.  But, since the UN deleted almost half of what he wrote (because it was too intimate), he decided (and even encouraged) to write the book based on the report.

If you expected this book to be like a story about a person or persons survival against the zombie and how he/she/they finally win, I don't think you'll find that in this.  Of course in the end all of them, we the human race are win against the undead. But that not how this story works.

The story is written or told from different point of view, or to be exact, come from different opinions.  From soldiers, doctors, politician, civilian, mothers, even crook businessman.  They told us how they knew about the zombie, how they survived, and how are they now.  Some were funny (yeah, I even can't believe that I can laugh when I read/hear it), some were quite depressing, some were frightening. You even know about what each nation were doing or planning to do to defeat the zombie.  Some were bitter about the whole zombie war, some can rise above it.

Max Brooks wrote it really like a history book. He wrote it how the zombie came to be (or at least how it spread), how the world reacted at first, then how the world get panic, and how the world decided to get smart about how to fight the undead.

Reading the book, I felt like I can see how it all come to be.  And it's scary.

I like the story about how the US Army begin to win against the undead, how they get smart on killing the undead.  I also like about the retirement farms for the army's K-9 Corps.  And about the Chinese Navy who decided to rebel against their own government, because according to them the government can't make the right decision (and they're right).  

Some of the story was quite boring for me.  I think mostly because I didn't understand the topic or because the person telling the story was too bitter. I still like a happy ending story.

Some of it maybe too far fetched, too good to be true, or maybe doesn't even make sense, but I don't know any of it, but if it did, well...its just a story. It's a zombie war!

In the end, the story is about us, human, not about the zombie itself.  Its about us.  How we face our trouble, how we rise above it (or sunk under it), how we learned to survive.  In the end, it's about hope.  That in the end everything will be alright (even if it takes 5-10 years).

So...I really like this book.  Different from what I usually read, but its worth it.  I don't know if I'll start reading any dystopian book (Hunger Games maybe? Since Dito also told me that it's not really a dystopian), but for this one, I like it.



Now, for the audiobook part.

OMG!! I really like it.  First, because there are so many narrators.  Each character's point of view was read by different person.  You have Nathan Fillion (Castle), Martin Scorsese, Jeri Ryan (Body of Proof), Masi Oka (Heroes), Alfred Molina (Spiderman) and many more.  Look it up on wikipedia.  Some were good, I mean it sounds like you were listening to the tape of the interview. And few were not so good, too monotone for me.  But most part, I love it.  I even listened to it while I'm inside the mall, doing some shopping in the supermarket hahaha...sometimes I even have to rewind the ipod.  But I really enjoyed listening to it.

The Assassin's Curse Duology - Cassandra Rose Clark

 Bulan Juni kemaren rasanya cukup penuh jadwal gue...unduh film, ke mal, ke mangdu, trus pergi sama Gerrie yang lagi dateng ke Jakarta.

Sebenernya ada satu buku Bahasa Indonesia yang menarik dan bagus, tapi entah kenapa dari kemaren gue masih belum niat untuk review.  Yang ada malah gue review dua buku ini dulu.

So...background.  Awalnya gue enggak ngeh sama dua buku ini.  Yang pertama kali gue liat adalah The Pirate's Wish yang ada di Amazon, karena memang The Pirate's Wish sepertinya merupakan buku baru alias new release.  Dengan malu gue mengakui, bahwa yang membuat gue tertarik adalah karena adanya kalimat "and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction" di bagian sinopsis buku. *facepalmed*

Setelah dicari, berhasil lah gue mengunduh dua buku ini.  Yup, yang dibaca versi e-book nya.  Dan kemudian gue iseng ke Audible untuk ngedengerin versi audiobooknya.  Ternyata suara naratornya menarik, jadilah gue juga ikut mengunduh versi audiobooknya.  Dan seperti biasa, gue membaca sambil mendengarkan audiobooknya.

 

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

Diliat dari covernya, udah ketebak kalo settingnya di padang pasir, middle east gitu. Setelah baca kalimat pertama atau mungkin halaman pertama, ketauan kalo mereka itu adalah bajak laut. (Kalau baca sinopsisnya sih sebenernya udah tau ya kalo Ananna itu bajak laut, tapi berhubung gue enggak baca sinospsinya jadi yah...gue enggak tau).

Semakin dibaca, semakin gue tau kalo ini cerita masuk kategori novel fantasi, again something that I should have known (Dito....gue menggunakan present perfect tense nih hahaha) if I read the synopsis.

Bisa dibilang, gue suka dengan buku ini.  Ananna digambarkan sebagai tokoh perempuan yang independen dan berani, maklum anak kapten bajak laut, sudah tentu kudu berani.  Cerita dilihat dari sudut pandang dia, alias menggunakan sudut pandang orang pertama.  Sesuatu yang awalnya enggak gitu gue suka, tapi kok ya makin banyak cerita yang gue baca menggunakan metode ini.  Hieh...nasib.

Cerita di buku ini berjalan dengan cukup cepat, enggak bertele-tele, dengan deskripsi yang enggak terlalu membosankan.  Deskripsinya cukup lah buat gue untuk membayangkan situasi dan gambaran lingkungan yang ada di dunia Ananna itu.  

Yang tidak gue sangka adalah, di buku pertama ini, kutukan yang dialami Naji, dan mau tidak mau juga merembet ke Ananna, tidak dipatahakn pada waktu buku berakhir.  Dan gue cuma bisa bilang, Thanks God gue udah ada buku dua!

Untuk buku satu, seperti yang udah gue bilang, buku ini cukup menarik.  Menarik untuk melihat lebih jauh latar belakang Ananna dan juga alasan kenapa sampai Naji terkutuk, melihat bagaimana mereka berdua berinteraksi karena dua-dua keras kepala (Naji yang harus melindungi Ananna sebagai efek kutukannya, sedangkan Ananna yang merasa dia tidak perlu dilindungi), kemudian Naji yang dikejar-kejar oleh kelompok dari The Mist, atau Ananna yang juga harus siaga menghadapi kejaran musuh (khususnya keluarga Hariri yang anak laki-lakinya tidak jadi ia nikahi).

Mengingat buku dan juga audiobook nya selesai dalam 1 hari, buat gue, buku pertama ini cukup tipis, dan kurang panjang hahaha.  

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Lanjut, buku dua.

Ini dia buku yang membuat gue sampe enggak tidur, demi menghabiskan buku ini.  Jujur, I cheated.  Gue langsung ke bagian akhir demi mau tau apakah akhirnya happy apa enggak! Meskipun gue udah nebak bahwa mereka (Naji dan Ananna) bakal jadian, tapi tetep aja gue pingin tau.  Males banget kalo akhirnya salah satu bakal mati.

Buku kedua...I have mixed feelings about this book.  And after I think about it, I have mixed feelings about this series. 

Buku dua, langsung melanjutkan cerita dari akhir buku pertama.  Hidup di pulau yang asing mulai menjadi hal yang lumrah dan kegiatan mereka pun kembali "normal".  Sampai kemudian muncul sesuatu yang baru.  Manticore.

Yup.  Manticore.

Entah kenapa, pas gue baca bahwa ada manticore, yang ada gue malah tertawa.  Oh God! Kayaknya reaksi yang salah banget.  Tapi suer, itu yang muncul.  Apa gue merasa bahwa keberadaan manticore sebagai sesuatu yang enggak banget di cerita ini? Well...at least gue enggak langsung tutup tuh buku, karena gue langsung lanjut baca.  Jadi paling enggak gue bisa menerima kehadiran itu manticore.  Mungkin, yang bikin gue tertawa adalah karena manticore-nya bicara dan kalimat yang keluar dari mulutnya tuh lucu, seperti dia enggak mau makan Ananna karena dia enggak makan human-girl (manticore-nya perempuan; tapi ternyata memang manticore hanya makan human-boy), tapi dia juga enggak mau makan Naji karena Naji kena kutukan jadi dagingnya bakal alot banget.  Hahaha...

Di ceritanya Percy Jackson, manticore nya begitu sadir.  Di sini, meskipun masih sadis sih, tapi terlihat jinak di persepsi gue.

Di buku dua ini, romance-nya cukup kenceng.  Maksudnya, Ananna mulai mengakui bahwa ia suka dengan Naji and she's in love with him.  Tapi apa daya, Naji rupanya antara belum menyadari perasaannya atau tidak bisa mengungkapakan perasaannya.  Dan ini yang bikin gue akhirnya membaca sampai abissss.

Untuk urusan romance yang satu ini, gue bersyukur karena hanya diceritakan dari sudut pandang Ananna, jadi gue (pembaca) enggak perlu tau soal perasaan dan pikiran Naji soal Ananna.  Karena kalo sampe iya, bisa mampus aja gue rasanya.

Overall, ini buku, sama seperti buku kedua, menarik untuk dibaca.  Pace-nya cepat, actionnya banyak dan menarik, tokoh-tokohnya semakin menarik, romance antara Ananna dan Naji juga makin seru.  Di buku dua ini sepertinya mereka selalu on the go dalam rangka usaha mematahkan kutukan Naji dan Ananna. Marjani, tokoh yang sudah muncul di buku pertama, kali ini kebagian porsi yang lebih besar dibandingkan buku pertama, lengkap dengan latar belakangnya serta romance-nya sendiri. 

Tapi...ini dia.  Sepanjang baca ini buku, gue bingung bukan main.  Pertama, gue enggak tau umur si Ananna.  Is she 16? 17? Or even 15? Baru di buku dua ketauan bahwa Ananna is 17.  Ok then.  Mungkin seharusnya gue bisa nebak umurnya, tapi dari tingkah lakunya, gue perkirakan she's only 16.  Bagaimana dia tiba-tiba memutuskan untuk kabur begitu aja, tanpa ada persiapan, membuat gue berpikir bahwa Ananna is reckless and impulsive.

Kedua, gue bingung dengan genre ini buku.  Bukan sesuatu yang penting sih, tapi yah gue penasaran aja.  Ini masuk kategori Young Adult atau Adult? Tapi kayaknya sih masuk kategori New Adult, yang menurut wikipedia merupakan genre baru, dimana sasaran pembacanya adalah usia 18-25 tahun.  

Gue enggak inget bagian mana, tapi gue merasakan adanya elemen-elemen cerita lain di buku ini.  Mungkin hal tersebut bukan sesuatu yang aneh, karena yah...sebegitu banyak cerita pastilah kita terpengaruh.  Ini enggak gitu pengaruh sih di gue, cuma ya itu, tiba-tiba kebayang adegan di buku a, atau adegan di buku b.  Yang pasti, gue teringat banget sama Prince of Persia pas baca buku ini hahaha...dengan gurun pasirnya, kemudian Naji sebagai assassin; kemudian blood magic jadi keinget sama Harry Potter (halah! jauh banget dah!), kalo soal bajak lautnya sih jelas-jelas kebayangnya Pirates of Caribbean hahaha.

Gue cuma menyayangkan, ceritanya kurang dibuat lebih...apa ya...lebih detail mungkin? Kurang kompleks menurut gue.  Petualangan mereka, Ananna dan Naji dkk dalam mematahkan kutukan kurang banyak (?).  Ada beberapa bagian yang menurut gue bisa diperdalam sebenernya, tapi mungkin inilah kelemahan sudut pandang orang pertama, kehidupan orang lain selain tokoh utama, jadi tidak bisa dieksplorasi lebih jauh.

Tapi gue enggak nyesel kok baca dan dengerin buku ini.  Menarik untuk dibaca dan gue menikmatinya.



Add (12 July 2013)
Just remembered something.  Seperti yang udah gue bilang, gue merasa cerita ini kurang mantap, karena adanya elemen-elemen lain dalam cerita ini.  Oke lah elemen-elemen ini dimasukkan untuk menambah keseruan dan menunjukkan fantasi di cerita ini, tapi kemudian, buat gue jatuhnya jadi enggak konsisten.  Di salah satu cerita, tiba-tiba muncul automaton.  Gue kaget dong.  Gue yang awalnya bingung mau meletakkan ini buku di genre apa (YA apa Adults apa NA) tiba-tiba harus menambahkan genre lain lagi, yaitu steampunk.

Steampunk gue udah pernah bahas di postingan sebelumnya.  Kalo baca review gue soal bukunya Gail Carriger Etiquette & Espionage, bakal tahu bahwa itu cerita genrenya steampunk.  Yang mengganggu gue di cerita The Assassin's Curse series ini adalah, itu automaton cuma muncul di bagian perang, selebihnya enggak ada.  Enggak ada tanda-tanda bahwa mesin mulai merambah daerah tersebut, enggak ada mesin-mesin yang mempermudah mereka berlayar dsb.  Semuanya masih jaman kuno, kecuali itu automaton yang memang mengejutkan.

Oke, mungkin automaton merupakan barang baru, merupakan barang "import" belum semua orang punya, tapi yah masak sih sampe sebegitunya? Apalagi automaton-nya itu dalam jumlah yang cukup banyak dan bukan dalam ukuran kecil.  

Ini memang hal kecil, hal yang enggak terlalu pentinglah.  Ada keterangan atau tidak soal itu automaton memang bukan hal yang penting, apalagi mengingat ini cerita dari sudut pandang orang pertama, jadi kan bisa aja si Ananna memang tidak tau menahu soal itu.  Tapi sekali lagi, kesannya jadi aneh aja.

Gue bener-bener berharap cerita ini punya lebih banyak keterangan, lebih banyak penjelasan, dan lebih banyak eksplorasi.  Tapi sekali lagi, sepertinya terpentok oleh cerita yang diambil dari sudut pandang orang pertama.

 

Seven Wonders - The Colossus Rises - Peter Lerangis

I guess when your Blackberry died on you, good thing can come out of it.  Like reading a book that you've bought long time a go.

Yup.  My Blackberry died yesterday.  Or presumed be dead.  It came back on again tonight.  Yeah...my bad.  I guess when your unconscious mind is so set on iPhone5, the moment your Blackberry went off, you can't think of anything else other than "I need to change my mobile phone".  I just think of other option about why my Blackberry was dead, was when I took a shower in the afternoon.  And now, my Blackberry is back on.  And still no iPhone5 for me hahaha...

As I said before, since my Blackberry was dead yesterday, I decided to read this book.  I don't know why I chose to read this one, I haven't even finish reading The Great Gatsby.  Maybe after this.

Seven Wonder - The Colossus Rises is book one of the series.  I think the series called Seven Wonder, and the title of book one is The Colossus Rises.  A little bit like Percy Jackson series.

Bought this book because my friend, Sherley, want to know if this book is any good.  When I went to Kinokuniya, months ago, I read the first chapter and like it.  So I decided to buy. After 3 chapters, I stopped.  Not because I didn't like the story, but because I didn't have the time.  Until yesterday.

 Just one boy . . .
Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. 

In six months, Jack is going to die.

Just one mission . . .
After Jack collapses in the middle of a busy street, he's whisked off to a strange hospital in a strange place. There are armed guards and weird kids and fantastic creatures, not to mention no parents, no phones, and no possibility of escape. The place is run by an odd professor named Bhegad, who tells Jack that what's killing him is a genetic trait inherited from the prince of a long-lost civilization. It's destroying Jack by making him too strong too fast. He'll need to stay strong, though—because it's up to him to save the world.

Just one problem . . .
That long-lost civilization sank when seven magic Loculi were stolen and hidden around the world. Now Jack and his friends must find the Loculi before they fall into the wrong hands. If they don't, they'll never be cured, that lost world will rise, oceans will be displaced, and life as we know it will pretty much end.

Seven wonders
No one ever asked Jack if he wanted to be a hero. He just has to be one. One kid. One mission. One big problem. 

Meet Jack McKinley. The story was told from his point of view. Later, Jack will meet Cass, who loves to talk backward (emosewa), Aly, the only girl who can hacked any computer since 9, and Marco, 13 years with a body like 16 and really really really god at any sport.

At first, what Jack really wants was to get back home (obviously), or at least get to call his dad, but alas...he can't.  After that, he found that even Cass, Aly and Marco doesn't even like being in the compound.  So, they try to run away. Apparently, that wasn't a good choice.  They get caught and have to back to the compound.  

It's not that Prof. Bhegad was a bad guy, they just didn't believe it.  I think it's right for them for questioning Prof. Bhegad, because the four of them can't even call on their parents or anyone, it likes they were kidnapped. 

Prof. Bhegad told them that they were descendants of the ruler of Atlantis.  The genetic trait they have called G7W, and mostly of them who has this trait, this marker on their DNA, can't live past age 14.  And for them to keep alive, is having a medical treatment, provided by Prof. Bhegad, and find elements of Atlantis power.  

Realized that they have no choice, the begin their training.  Marco trained martial arts, Aly trained with computer, and Cass...Cass is a human GPS, he can memorize any map, any route.  While Jack...well...he doesn't know what he can do.  He just know that he can do some tinkering, but along the way I think we all know what he can do.

Even though they're a little reluctant to trust Prof. Beghad, they begin to learn more about the Atlantis, about the elements of Atlantis power, and why the Atlantis was gone. And so, their adventure begin.
 

Reading the book, made me feel like I was playing "Mystery Case Files" without the hidden objects thing, and straight to the puzzle part.  The four of them need to solve quite a lot puzzle, or even create their own puzzle.  

If you like Percy Jackson series, I think you'll like this one too.  Full of adventure, along with some historical place and information. I really enjoy myself reading this book.

I can't help myself for comparing this story to Percy Jackson.  Maybe because Rick Riordan tells that this book is good, I don't know. Compared to PJ, the back story of Seven Wonders I think a little bit complicated.  I mean, until the end of the book I still don't know if Prof. Beghad really a good guy or the bad guy.  And the history about Jack, Cass, Aly, and Marco as the descendants of Atlantis King and Queen is also not quite explainable.  And the end of book one, is a cliffhanger.  Not like PJ series, where each book end with a finished quest, SW is not.  Maybe because PJ, like HP (why do I have to think back to HP??), each book is happened on certain set of times; summer camp, school term.

But despite it all, I still enjoying myself reading this book. 

Etiquette and Espionage - Gail Carriger

 

Sorry, cerita soal Ubud terpaksa disela dengan blok revisi yang satu ini. Buku karangan Gail Carriger. Setting ceritanya agak berbeda dari cerita yang biasa gue baca. Gail Carriger juga bukan pengarang yang biasa gue baca. Gara-gara berhasil menemukan file seri Parasol Protectorate karangan Gail Carriger, gue jadi tertarik untuk baca buku karangan dia dan gara-gara Parasol Protectorate, gue jadi tau kali gue ternyata suka juga dengan cerita dengan latar belakang steampunk.

Apa itu steampunk? Well menurut Wikipedia, steampunk itu cerita dengan setting abad 19, dimana pada jaman itu mesin uap mengalami perkembangan yang cukup pesat dan memiliki peranan yang cukup besar dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

Dan gue baru tahu bahwa Phillip Pullman punya cerita, yang trilogi itu, His Dark Material, ternyata termasuk steampunk. Atau waktu gue baca ceritanya Cassandra Clare, prekuel Mortal Instrument, yang ternyata jugad masuk kategori steampunk. Oh well....

Oke, cukup tentang steampunk. Jujur, setelah baca bukunya Gail Carriger, seri Parasol Protectorate, gue jadi penasaran sama buku barunya yang ternyata untuk young adult. Dan covernya menggoda sekali hahaha.


It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.


Ini adalah buku pertama seri Finishing School, dan setelah gue baca, gue gak sabar nunggu buku kedua.

Setting buku ini berada di dunia yang sama dengan Parasol Peotectorate, hanya saja 25 tahun (atau 15 tahun??) sebelum seri Parasol Protectorate dimulai. Dunia Parasol Protectorate berarti, ada vampire, werewolf, dan juga hantu. Ketiga makhluk supernatural ini hidup berdampingan dengan manusia dan bukan hal yang aneh. Ketiganya masih agak ditakuti/disegani, tapi bukan sesuatu yang aneh.  Ditambah pula dengan banyaknya mesin-mesin yang muncul sebagai staf rumah tangga, keamanan, dll.

Gue baca sambil dengerin audiobook-nya.  Bener-bener cari waktu untuk bisa baca buku dan dengerin sampe tuntas.  Dan gue suka banget sama ini cerita.  

Gue suka dengan Sophronia, tokoh utamanya, gadis 14 tahun yang penuh rasa ingin tahu, lebih tertarik pada mesin daripada belajar tata krama, yang lebih senang manjat pohon daripada duduk diam.  Gue suka dengan sekolahnya, hahahaha finishing school tapi ngajarin bagaimana caranya jadi mata-mata tapi tetap dengan penuh sopan santun. 

Cerita ini bener-bener menghibur banget.  Lucu, tapi juga ada misteri nya.  Buat yang udah pernah baca seri Parasol Protectorate, bakal kenal beberapa nama yang muncul di sini, sedangkan buat yang belum pernah, tidak ada masalah.  Gue sendiri baru baca seri PP buku 1, sedang baca buku 2, jadi yah...gue juga enggak ngeh banget-banget siapa aja yang nantinya bakal berperan di seri PP.  Toh hal itu tidak mengganggu, namanya juga prekuel.

Yang gue suka dari serial ini, mungkin karena settingnya juga steampunk dan tema ceritanya misteri, dramanya (teenage angst) tuh sedikit atau tidak ditunjukkan.  Ada kalanya memang dikatakan bahwa Sophronia merasa tidak secantik teman-temannya yang lain, tapi kemudian tidak berkutat di hal itu, dan Sophronia sendiri juga merupakan gadis yang cukup punya kepercayaan diri.

Jalan ceritanya cepat, ringan meskipun temanya misteri, dan seperti yang udah gue bilang, menghibur alias lucu (or mungkin gue berasa lucu karena denger audiobook-nya??).  Bener-bener enggak sabar untuk nunggu buku kedua.

Yang gue sayangkan hanya...well mungkin ini kesalahan/kekurangan gue, karena settingnya di English, jadi (mungkin) yang digunakan adalah istilah bahasa Inggris yang gue enggak familiar, plus karena settingnya steampunk, alhasil ada beberapa kosa kata baru yang memang khusus diciptakan/ada untuk buku ini.  Plus karena cukup banyak mesin-mesin yang beredar di buku ini, jadi istilah mesin, science juga cukup kenceng, meskipun enggak pernah terlalu teknis banget.  Other than that, this book is really enjoyable!!

Perfect Scoundrels: A Heist Society Novel - Ally Carter

 

AKHIRNYA!!!

Setelah sempet merasa putus asa karena enggak berhasil menemukan ebook-nya, akhirnya gue berhasil menemukan juga! Senangnya!!!

Sayang, masih belum ada audiobook-nya dan hardcopy-nya pun juga belum masuk sini.  Entah kapan.  Padahal di Kinokuniya Singapore udah ada, waktu itu sempet iseng ngecek.

Perfect Scoundrels merupakan buku serial Heist Society karangan Ally Carter.  Ini merupakan buku ketiga Heist Society.  Buku sebelumnya adalah Heist Society dan Uncommon Criminals, yang mana dua-duanya udah pernah gue review.  Hm...baru sadar kalo ketiga buku seri ini gue review....Percy Jackson aja kalah hahahaha.

So...Katarina Bishop kembali beraksi.  Dan kali ini...yang membutuhkan 'bantuan' adalah...W. W. Hale the fifth.

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of lovable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting-or stealing-whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir-this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.   

Beberapa waktu lalu, gue sempet mendengarkan ulang Heist Society dan Uncommon Criminals, dan kedua cerita tersebut termasuk cerita yang bahkan didengarkan untuk kedua kalipun (atau untuk kesekian kalinya) tetap menarik dan tidak membosankan.  

Pada waktu gue tahu bahwa akan ada buku 3 Heist Society, apalagi ceritanya tentang keluarga Hale, dan dikatakan bahwa Hale adalah benar-benar pacar Kat, sudah pasti gue girang abis.  Nungguin Februari 2013 kayaknya lama banget.  Akhirnya tiba juga itu Februari 2013 hahahaha.

Seperti biasa, buku ini selesai dibaca hanya dalam waktu 1 hari saja (kalau gue bacanya nonstop).  Sayang, gue enggak bisa baca buku ini non stop karena yah...jujur di bab-bab awal....gue agak gimana gitu bacanya.

Dibandingkan buku pertama dan kedua, buku ketiga ini rasanya lebih terasa berat emosinya.   

Di buku pertama, meskipun Kat digambarkan seperti seorang remaja yang sedang mencari jati diri, tapi nyaris tidak ada konflik yang memuncak.  Hubungannya dengan Hale juga seperti biasa, flirting, sempet marahan, tapi selalu baikan.  

Di buku kedua juga begitu.  Kat digambarkan lebih PD meskipun kemudian hal tersebut malah seolah-olah makan tuan, tapi sekali lagi tidak ada konflik yang memuncak.  Hubungannya dengan Hale juga layaknya hubungan Hale dan Kat, meskipun memang harus diakui lebih intense.

Buku ketiga....well...baru mulai saja terasa berbeda.  Mungkin karena kali ini Kat and friends bukan sekedar mencuri (atau istilah Kat, re-steal) barang atau lukisan, tapi menyelamatkan Hale.  

Jujur, gue kurang suka dengan bab awal.  Kenapa? Karena angst-nya begitu terasa.  Gue bisa merasakan betapa tegangnya (strained) hubungan Hale dan Kat.  Dan kemudian muncul another girl! Oh God! Another girl!! Dan, seolah-olah itu semua belum cukup, Kat dan Hale berantem hebat. Gubrak deh.  

Gue langsung skip ke bab terakhir hahahahaha....

Agak menyesal sih gue langsung baca bab terakhir, karena kan langsung ketauan siapa penjahatnya, tapi gue udah gak tahan hahaha....tapi abis itu langsung baca lagi dari depan.

Seperti yang sudah gue tulis di atas, kali ini kita menjelajahi dunia Hale the fifth, meskipun menurut gue masih kurang dalam sih hahaha...

Untungnya, cuma bab awal aja yang penuh angst (meskipun sebenernya sih enggak angst2 banget, tapi yah menurut gue sih angst hahaha) dan kebelakangnya Hale dan Kat kembali seperti normalnya mereka (and more :D)

Tidak berbeda dengan buku sebelumnya, the whole gang is back, Simon, the Bagshaw brothers, Gabrielle, bahkan Nick.  Selain itu, Uncle Eddie dan Bobby Bishop pun juga muncul, dan sisa keluarga Kat yang lain.  Yup, you'll meet Uncle Felix, Uncle Ezra, Irina, and everybody else who is in the business.  

Perfect Scoundrels menurut gue menarik untuk dibaca, penipuan yang dilakukan Kat and the gang, masih penuh kejutan hingga akhir cerita, apalagi kali ini seluruh keluarga (seolah-olah) ikutan dalam kegiatan penipuan ini.  Tapi yang paling menonjol memang adalah hubungan Hale dan Kat, yang terasa lebih...mesra (?), lebih dekat (?).  Romance di buku ini tidak muncul dalam bentuk percakapan antara Kat dan Hale, tapi lebih pada tindakan Hale ke Kat atau Kat ke Hale.  Dan somehow, hal itu cukup.

Yang pasti sih, gue masih menantikan versi audiobokk dan hardcopy-nya.  Semoga hardcopy nya bakal masuk sini. Dan tentunya, sudah tidak sabar menanti buku seri lanjutan Heist Society.  Semoga sih bakal ada hahaha....