Miselonia's Updates

Miselonia wants to read 'Philippine Political Law'

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 05:31:26 -0800

Miselonia wants to read Philippine Political Law by Isagani A. Cruz

Miselonia is on page 124 of 523 of Powerless

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 19:31:33 -0800

Miselonia is on page 124 of 523 of Powerless.
Miselonia wrote: Lauren Roberts is spoiling me with all the tension and the charming banter between Paedyn and Kai and this just made go back to my phase of not wanting to put the book down. 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Miselonia started reading 'Powerless'

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 19:29:55 -0800

Miselonia started reading Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Miselonia added 'Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries'

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 04:30:51 -0800

Miselonia gave 4 stars to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde Series, #1) by Heather Fawcett
If you want to know what it would feel like traipsing down a remote island searching for faeries, this is the book for you.

It's a cozy read and it's perfect to pair it with your hot chocolate.

Miselonia added 'What the River Knows'

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 04:28:26 -0800

Miselonia gave 3 stars to What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile #1) by Isabel Ibañez
Okay. Maybe I'm not the right audience for this book because...I just didn't enjoy reading it.

BE WARNED: I'LL BE GIVING MY HONEST OPINIONS ON THIS BOOK AND IT MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS!

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The book was advertised as The Mummy meets The Nile, where of course Egyptian folklore is the centerpiece of the story. The pyramids, the excavation sites, the treasure hunting and all that. But the thing is, this book is 412 pages long and in those pages nothing happened.

The book promised Egyptian folklore and it delivered, however, the plot wasn't plotting. From Part 1 to Part 4 nothing happened. What made this book so long was because of the descriptions of sceneries and actions and whatnot Olivera (FM) was indulging us with. It wasn't the problem because it made a pretty great imagination for everything, but NOTHING HAPPENED. The writing is beautiful, I don't know how the author pulled off a beautiful writing from a first POV, but the writing is beautiful. And I think that's the only good thing I liked about this book.

Moreover, the book is so slow paced that I had to stop reading it for days because I was bored. It was so slow and dragging, which made it worse because NOTHING HAPPENED. What I'm talking about nothing happened was that there's nothing exciting happened that could contribute to the plot. The plot wasn't moving �� it was just there. Dormant. All I got was a lot of descriptions for everything (which is okay) but it took the spotlight of what was happening.

And you know that five stages of plot? The denouement, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the conclusion? The book consisted only of the denouement and the rising action �� until the very end. It was a slow build up of the rising action that I mostly got bored.

And the romance? There was no chemistry between the FM and MC. I didn't feel the tension, I didn't feel the push and pull, I didn't feel nothing at all. As a Filipino, I didn't feel any kilig from their interactions. The whole 'I should forget you because your betrothed to another but I just can't help it' mantra? Yeah, it just annoyed me. The FM and MC didn't interest me �� I just didn't feel anything giddy for them. AND when the MC told the FM: "You can't marry him because he will not kiss you like I do," (not verbatim) YEAH THAT WAS THE CRINGIEST LINE I'VE EVER READ. Did that make my toes curl snd stomach flutter with butterflies? It did not. The romance was supposedly the only that makes me alive when reading, but in this book, I just had my funeral.

And okay, the last part that was supposed to shock me, the part where Elvira died, Olivera's cousin, that was an unnecessary death. Like it was just so sudden and out of nowhere and then just boom. Was that supposed to make Olivera stronger and more revengeful and hateful? I don't know, maybe, but really, genuinely, when I read that part, it did shock me. I think I was a little teary eyed, but again, that was an unnecessary death. Oh, and MC's cryptic letter to his brother saying that Olivera fell for his charming and romantic antics? Yeah, it wasn't enough to entice me to read the sequel. But, who knows, maybe the sequel is way much better than book one, although it'll take a lot of time for me to pick it up.

Overall, this was a promising read but in the end it really just fell flat for me. After reading something, I usually have some grand reactions for myself, but I just had 'Oh, okay. I finished it.' Nothing fancy and all that. But The Mummy meets The Nile thing? I haven't seen The Nile yet, but I've watched all The Mummy movies, and I can safely say that The Mummy was way more action-packed, dramatic, adventurous, and exciting than this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for approving my request for the eARC!

Miselonia wants to read 'Fear the Flames'

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 06:32:11 -0700

Miselonia wants to read Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling

Miselonia added 'Her Radiant Curse'

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 06:53:04 -0700

Miselonia gave 5 stars to Her Radiant Curse (Kindle Edition) by Elizabeth Lim
I don't know what to feel after reading this. I believe this is the most painful book I've read this year.

I was utterly gutted and devasted from the turn of the events. It was a fairy tale, but even a fairy tale ought to make me cry. This was such a heartbreaking story for Channi and Vanni �� two sisters with undying love for one another.

It wasn't even a happy ending �� only a pretend of sorts. Channi spent all her life protecting Vanna from a curse and a prophecy, fell in love only to banish it, and forced to live a lie.

I wasn't even happy while I was reading this because how can I when I shared Channi's pain like my own?

This was an amazing prequel �� you'll learn to love snakes, accept love when you thought you don't deserve it, and feel that connection - be it with your family and friends - be strengthened.

I loved this book but it was painful to read it. I was sobbing at the very last pages �� appalled, and baffled about everything.

Miselonia added 'So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men'

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 03:29:16 -0700

Miselonia gave 5 stars to So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men (Hardcover) by Claire Keegan
So Late in the Day consists of three different stories narrated by three various perspectives.

The first story, So Long in the Day took on topics about misogyny, loneliness, and betrayal. The main protagonist tells the story of the mundanity of life after his fiance left him, and how his misogynistic action towards his mother backfired at him. This story will give you a front row seat on how men expects women to be. A typical story on oppressive actions and thoughts towards women.

The second story, Long and Painful Death, recount the narratives of a single writer who travelled to Böll House, a writer's retreat house to work, when a man appeared in the doorstep saying that she doesn't deserve to be living in the Böll House, frolicking and such. What I liked about this story was that it gives you a sense of peace within in, imagining the house and the beach, dipping in the ocean and laying down on the bleached rocks. It's so poetic. And, of course, the central theme being that we can't easily assume something of someone we don't even know.

The third story, Antarctica, tells the story of a woman who wanted change from her routine as a mother and a wife. So, she cheated with a stranger on Christmas day. This story really got into my nerves. I really hate cheating, so when this story revealed that she cheated wasn't something I anticipated. But, I still got satisfied with the ending �� she was slowly freezing to death, literally. But, other than that, the story gives an in-depth analysis on how humans can't be contented with what they have. They are so hungry with 'what if I do this' or 'I want something new to happen.' And consequences be damned, however, regret still follows afterwards.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this to everyone who wants to read something on a sunny or rainy, or to just even pass the time. Claire's writing will keep you interested until the end.

Many thanks to Atlantic Grove and Netgalley for granting me this eARC!!

Miselonia commented on jessica's review of Shanghai Immortal

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 03:37:30 -0700

New comment on jessica's review of Shanghai Immortal (Shanghai Immortal, #1)
by A.Y. Chao

Yessss, I didn't find the MC sassy at all, and the romance felt forced

Miselonia added 'Two Twisted Crowns'

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 17:31:40 -0700

Miselonia gave 5 stars to Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2) by Rachel Gillig
CAN I JUST SAY THAT THIS DUOLOGY IS ONE OF THE BEST I'VE READ MY ENTIRE LIFE?

Just like book one, this book did not disappoint to amaze me. In fact, I was mindblown by it all. It was so good that when I finished reading it in two days, with no stops on day two, I just stared into nothingness. And the fact that every chapter ends in a cliffhanger and you want to know what will happen next, that's when you know a book is so good you couldn't put it down.

This is that book.

It makes you hungry for more, and you can't get enough. The plot, the magic system, and the flow of the story are so efficiently written that all I could think about was finishing this book. I was hungry for more and when I reached the end, I just sat there and replayed the imagination in my head.

So, this book immediately opened up to the aftermaths of what happened in book one. That's what I love about this book is because it was fast-paced and literally sucked you in the first sentence. It's action-packed, full of drama, and of course, loads of excitement and giggles because of the romance. The magic system is so cool, making it more unique and authentic to the core.

I love how this book catered for multi-POVs, letting us read Ravyn's, Elm's, and Elspeth's minds. It's interesting how all the characters are flawed and flawless at the same time. They complement each other and the background stories will make you feel wretched, especially Elm.

A lot happened in this book, and my review can't surmise them all. I will just say three things about this book: immersive, mindblowing, and phenomenal.

AND TO RACHEL GILLIG, JUST KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A BRILLIANT MIND FOR WRITING THIS DUOLOGY. YOU JUST NOW BECAME ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS AND I'LL DEFINITELY READ YOUR UPCOMING BOOKS IN THE FUTURE.

AND TO ORBIT BOOKS AND NETGALLEY, I CANNOT EXPRESS THE GRATITUDE AND THE HAPPINESS I'VE FELT UPON SEEING THAT YOU'VE AGREED TO GRANT ME AN E-ARC. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

AND TO THE READER, DON'T WALK. RUN AND DEVOUR THIS DUOLOGY!!!!!