eBook Review: A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories #3)

Title: A Grimm Warning
Author: Chris Colfer
Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers
Edition: I/eBook English Version
Published: July 8th, 2014
Page: 448
ISBN: 978-0-316-40683-3
Genre: Children, Young-Adult Fiction, Adventure, Fairy Tale Retelling

Synopsis: Conner Bailey thinks his fairy-tale adventures are behind him until he discovers a mysterious clue left by famous Brother Grimm. With help from his classmate Bree and the outlandish Mother Goose, Conner sets off on a mission across Europe to crack a two-hundred-year-old code. Meanwhile, Alex Bailey is training to become the next Fairy Godmother but her attempts at granting wishes never go as planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Fairy Council? When all signs pint to disaster for the Land of Stories, Conner and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle or for the secret that will change the twins' lives forever. The third book in the bestselling Land of Stories series puts the twins to the test as they must bring two worlds together!

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eBook Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Rigss

         Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
         Author: Ransom Riggs
         Publisher: Quirk Books
         Edition:I/eBook English Version
         Published: June 7, 2011
         Page: 352
         ISBN: 978-1-59474-513-3
         Genre: Mystery, Horror-Fiction, Gothic, Young-Adult, Adventure

Synopsis: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive.

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eBook Review: The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1) by Chris Colfer

         Title: The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1)
         Author: Chris Colfer
         Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
         Edition: I/ eBook English Version
         Published: July 2012
         Page: 448
         ISBN: 978-0-316-20491-0
         Genre: Children, Young-Adult Fiction, Adventure, Fairy-Tale Retelling

Synopsis: Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales. The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

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Book Review: Bliss (The Bliss Bakery Trilogy #1) by Kathryn Littlewood

         Judul: Bliss (The Bliss Bakery Trilogy #1)
         Pengarang: Kathryn Littlewood
         Penerjemah: Nadia Mirzha
         Penerbit: Nourabooks
         Edisi: II/Bahasa Indonesia
         Diterbitkan pada: Desember 2012
         Jumlah Halaman: 320
         ISBN: 978-9-794-33690-8
         Genre: Fiksi remaja, sihir, keluarga

Sinopsis:

Musim panas itu, Rosemary Bliss melihat ibunya mengaduk halilintar ke dalam semangkuk adonan dan semakin yakin bahwa orangtuanya menggunakan sihir di Toko Roti Bliss. Rahasianya ada pada sebuah buku resep Bliss Cookery Booke.

Namun, apa jadinya jika Rose dan Ty memutuskan bereksperimen dengan beberapa resep saat orangtua mereka pergi? Yah, beberapa Muffin Asmara dan Cookies Kebenaran sepertinya tak akan menimbulkan masalah, bukan?

***

eBook Review: The Hollow by Jessica Verday

          Title: The Hollow

          Author: Jessica Verday

          Publisher: Simon Pulse

          Edition: I/ Kindle English version

          Published: September 2009

          Page: 528

          ISBN: (A SIN) B00BB8WTUY

          Genre: Young-Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural

Synopsis:

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats Abbey like either a freak show or a charity case. Thank goodness for Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again but also special. 

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

***

eBook Review: Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Title: Magic Under Glass
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Edition: I/eBook English Version
Published: August, 2008
Page: 240
ISBN: 978-1-599-90580-8
Genre: Young-Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Magic, Mystery

Synopsis:
Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir.

Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.

***  

eBook Review: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Synopsis:

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

***

eBook Review: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Synopsis: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need.

Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

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eBook Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Synopsis:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. 

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

***

eBook Review: My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton

Synopsis:  My tale has been told again and again, and I’ve heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn’t have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did. My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.

***

It is another story about Rapunzel. Rapunzel in this book is described as a teenager, she was 16 years old, and she was fall in love with a guy named Henry. At first, she expected that Henry will be her only love of her life. She wanted to marry him, and he wanted to propose her to be his wife. Their charming love story was not that easy to be true. The day when Henry proposed Rapunzel, something horrible happened. There was a weird storm approaching then Henry was gone. And something left behind after the storm was only the Witch with a suspicious Dragon standing in front of Rapunzel.

eBook Review: Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

 ***

eBook Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Sinopsis:

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

***

eBook Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Sinopsis:

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

***

eBook Review: The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Synopsis:

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

***

Book Review: Spells (Wings #2) by Aprilynne Pike

Sinopsis: Enam bulan lalu Laurel menyelamatkan gerbang peri menuju Avalon, dan sekarang ia harus menghabiskan libur musim panasnya disana, mengasah keahliannya sebagai peri Musim Gugur. Tapi keluarga dan teman manusianya masih dalam bahaya-dan gerbang menuju Avalon juga semakin terancam. Ketika harus melindungi orang yang dicintainya, akankah Laurel bergantung pada David, pacar manusianya? Ataukah ia akan berpaling pada Tamani, peri yang juga tertarik pada Laurel?

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Book Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Sinopsis:

Laurel benar-benar terpesona. Itu luar biasa indah-terlalu indah untuk digambarkan dengan kata-kata. Laurel berbalik menghadap cermin lagi, matanya menelusuri kelopak yang melayang di kedua sisi kepalanya. Itu terlihat seperti sayap.

Sepasang sayap yang mirip kelopak bunga tumbuh di punggung Laurel. Sejak itu dunianya berubah. Ia bertemu dengan Tamani. Pria itu melihat Laurel mengembangkan sayapnya di dekat sungai, lalu berbicara dengannya seolah sudah mengenalnya sejak lama. Tamani mengatakan sesuatu yang sangat tidak masuk akal. Dia bilang Laurel adalah peri, sama seperti dirinya. Tapi Laurel berada di dunia manusia untuk mengemban tugas penting, yaitu menjaga gerbang masuk Avalon, dunia peri, dari makhluk-makhluk jahat seperti troll. Sementara menghadapi takdirnya yang baru, Laurel pun terbagi antara cintanya pada Tamani dan David, sahabat manusianya...

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Favorite Character: Prince Lucian Kiggs (Seraphina by Rachel Hartman)

Hi readers!

Nice to see you there!

Di post kali ini aku akan membahas sedikit tentang karakter favorit. Tentu saja semua orang pasti punya tokoh/karakter favorit selepas membaca novel, membaca komik, menonton film, atau apapun. Aku juga punya. Dan salah satu dari the best and most favorite characters yang aku suka adalah Pangeran Lucian Kiggs. O ya, sekedar mengingatkan, Pangeran Lucian Kiggs adalah salah satu tokoh central dalam novel Seraphina karangan Rachel Hartman. Kalau penasaran dengan resensi atau sinopsisnya, bisa klik disini!

Well, Pangeran Lucian Kiggs dalam novel tersebut digambarkan sebagai sesosok pangeran yang tegas, pemberani, teliti, strategis, namun terkadang juga sedikit ceroboh. Dalam novel Seraphina, Lucian Kiggs berperan sebagai salah satu putra mahkota yang juga menjadi pemimpin dari Garda Ratu atau pasukan perdamaian kerajaan di negeri Goredd. Pangeran Lucian Kiggs terlibat dalam sebuah penyelidikan yang pelik mengenai kematian pamannya, Pangeran Rufus. Penyelidikan tersebut tidak hanya melibatkan kaum manusia tetapi juga kaum Naga.

Pangeran Lucian Kiggs seolah tidak memiliki rasa takut terhadap kaum Naga yang mungkin bisa saja membunuhnya selama melakukan penyelidikan. Selama penyelidikan dan mencari sosok pembunuh pamannya, Lucian Kiggs ditemani oleh Seraphina Dombegh, tokoh utama dalam cerita, yang seorang asisten master musik istana. Seraphina tidak serta merta terlibat karena dia memang ingin terlibat tetapi karena dia memiliki kunci dan beberapa bukti untuk mencari si pembunuh.

Book Review: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Judul: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Judul Asli: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Pengarang: Gregory Maguire

Penerbit: Atria

Cetakan: I/April 2013

Penerjemah: Khairi Rumantati

Tebal: 442hlm

ISBN: 978-979-024-500-6

Genre: Novel (young-adult)

Sinopsis: 
“Letakkan dua gadis di balik kegelapan, yaitu tempat mereka semestinya, dan biarkan cahaya menyirami gadis yang ketiga. Bunga tulip kami, Clara kami.”

Kita sering mendengar kisah Cinderella, gadis cantik yang dipaksa menjadi budak oleh ibu tirinya. Namun, bagaimana dengan sang kakak tiri, sepasang gadis buruk rupa yang terasing oleh ketenaran adik tiri mereka yang cantik? Takdir seperti apa bagi mereka yang tak tersentuh keindahan … dan apa kutukan yang mengiringi keelokan Cinderella?

Berlatar di Belanda pada abad ketujuh belas, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister adalah novel menarik yang merupakan penafsiran baru atas kisah Cinderella dengan tokoh-tokoh yang berbeda. Novel memikat ini bercerita tentang kecantikan, pengkhianatan, cinta, dan ilusi yang mengingatkan kita bahwa kebohongan pasti akan terungkap dan cinta bisa bersemi di tempat yang paling tak terduga.

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[Early] December's Book Haul

Hi readers!

Nggak terasa sekarang sudah di penghujung tahun 2013 ya. Anyway, sudah nge-haul apa aja nih di bulan Desember? Pasti macam-macam ya. Emm, kalau aku sih udah nge-haul beberapa novel baru, hihihi.

O ya, sebelum lanjut ke main topic untuk post kali ini aku mau sedikit cerita soal hobi baruku yaitu mengkoleksi novel. Aku sebenarnya sudah sejak SD tertarik dengan yang namanya membaca buku, tapi dulu aku jarang membeli buku bacaan, palingan cuman pinjam di perpus atau pinjam di tempat penyewaan komik dan novel. Tapi karena sekarang sudah tamat kuliah dan sudah jarang ke perpus apalagi males buang-buang uang buat nyewa novel (yang palingan cuman dijatah 2 hari sewa per novel) jadi aku memutuskan untuk mulai tekun mengkoleksi novel-novel. Niat buat mengkoleksi novel ini dimulai bulan Agustus lalu, setelah aku selesai sidang skripsi. Untuk saat ini sih baru terkumpul sekitar 30an novel (masih sedikit banget), tapi aku berjanji pada diri sendiri untuk terus menambah koleksi novel-novelku di rumah.

Untuk jenis-jenis bacaannya sendiri, secara keseluruhan, aku lebih suka dengan novel atau buku cerita yang mengarah ke genre fantasi dengan sedikit bumbu misteri dan supernatural. Aku suka dengan novel yang mengulas kehidupan kerajaan-kerajaan, dunia peri, penyihir, dongeng, legenda, dan perjalanan lintas waktu. Tapi tidak menutup kemungkinan aku juga suka membaca novel-novel berisi tentang roman, fashion, detektif, dan action.

Nah, di bulan Desember ini aku membeli sekitar 6 novel baru. Kenapa aku golongkan dalam "Early Haul" karena aku masih bermaksud untuk membeli beberapa novel lagi nanti. Hehe. Yuk, cek novel apa saja yang aku beli.

New Year's Wishlist

Berhubung bulan Desember ini sudah beli banyak buku (besok akan saya update di sesi "HAUL"), maka beberapa buku inceran saya akan saya masukkan ke dalam "Wishlist" tahun baru. Ada cukup banyak sih buku atau lebih tepatnya novel fiksi yang saya pengen punya beli sebelum tahun 2014. Berikut salah banyaknya, haha.

1. The Hollow

Pengarang: Jessica Verday

Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Harga:Rp64.000

2. The Haunted (The Hollow #2)

Pengarang: Jessica Verday

Penerbit: Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Harga: Rp68.000

3. Beyonders (Beyonders #1)

Pengarang: Brandon Mull

Penerbit: Noura Books (Mizan)

Harga: Rp74.000