Changes, Plans, and Secret Santa 2013

December has been such a lovely month so far! Selalu deh di akhir tahun rasanya terbingung-bingung kok bisa ya 12 bulan sudah hampir terlewat begitu saja. Di post kali ini aku mau ngobrol tentang beberapa hal, diantaranya perubahan-perubahan di IPR, rencana untuk tahun 2014, daaaaan Secret Santa!

I made some big changes on the blog! Aku orangnya termasuk bosenan, dan seringnya sehabis blogwalking ke blog-blog lain yang designnya cantik-cantik, jadi gatel pengen utak-atik blog sendiri. Selain ungu, warna yang lagi aku favoritin belakangan ini adalah aqua! Menurut aku warna aqua ini cantik banget. Karena design terakhir udah penuh dengan ungu (with a little touch of yellow, red and blue too) sekarang IPR balik lagi ke warna dominan putih ditambah aqua, deh. For those of you who are reading this post, what do you think of the new design? Shoot me with your words! I'm open to any opinions :)

Meskipun udah lebih dari setahun dibuat, IPR masih payah banget dalam urusan update konten dan isi blog, sampai-sampai banyak juga yang bilang supaya aku lebih sering update. Kalau mau cari-cari alasan, bisa sih, diantaranya 2013 ini hectic banget sama persiapan UN SMA, ujian masuk kuliah, ospek di kampus baru dan sebagainya. Tapi toh banyak juga blogger lain yang sibuk dan mereka bisa tetap nyeimbangin waktu antara blogging dan kegiatan sehari-hari, ya? Jadi alasanku kayaknya nggak kuat, deh. Akhirnya aku memutuskan untuk pasang beberapa goals buat IPR di tahun 2014 nanti, diantaranya:

• Dalam sebulan, harus posting minimal 5 postingan. Harus. Biar nggak sepi-sepi amat... Hehehe. Isi postingan juga usahakan lebih bervariasi, nggak cuma review aja (Inget ya, Tirta!)
• Pasang target Goodreads Reading Challenge 100 buku lagi, dan harus berhasil. (I'm really strunggling to accomplish my 2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge right now! It says I'm now '8 books behind schedule', eeeek)
• Lebih aktif berpartisipasi di BBI. *mesem-mesem sendiri*
• Tapi harus tetap bisa nyeimbangin waktu antara kuliah, social life dan blogging! Mungkin ada teman-teman yang mau kasih saran atau masukan gimana caranya supaya poin yang ini bisa berhasil? :)

Secret Santa adalah kegiatan rutin tahunan yang diadakan oleh divisi event BBI menjelang natal. Cara mainnya sama aja sih seperti Secret Santa yang udah umum dilakukan dimana-mana, yakni masing-masing partisipan mendapat tugas untuk kasih hadiah ke targetnya, dengan merahasiakan identitas pengirim. Hadiahnya adalah buku-buku yang ada di wishlist si target tersebut, boleh satu buku, dua buku, yang penting tidak kurang dari nominal Rp 50.000

Sewaktu Secret Santa tahun lalu, aku udah jadi anggota BBI, tapi belum ikutan karena masih pengen jadi observer. Setelah diliat, ternyata seru juga. Jadi kita masing-masing akan dapat hadiah + riddle dari Santa, dan melalui riddle itu kita harus bisa nebak siapa identitas si Santa. Nanti akan ada waktu untuk posting review buku dari Santa sekaligus nebak siapa Santanya. Lalu sehari kemudian, Santa akan nge-reveal dirinya ke target masing-masing.

Tahun ini, aku memutuskan buat ikutan Secret Santa 2013. Lalu, karena sibuk sama persiapan pentas teater buat Petang Kreatif Festival Budaya di kampus, aku malah jadi agak-agak lupa tentang event ini. Baru ngeh ketika tanggal 9 Desember (batas seharusnya pengiriman hadiah buat target), waks, aku belum kirim buku untuk targetku! Bahkan bikin riddle-nya aja belum (jadi, buat targetku, maklum aja ya kalo riddle-nya rada lame, hehehe). Hadiah dari Santaku sendiri pun belum datang. Aku sedikit-banyak jadi agak worried juga waktu itu. Kalo kadoku nggak datang, gimana ya? Untungnya 3 hari kemudian yang ditunggu-tunggu sampai di rumah :D

Dan ternyata setelah dibuka.... Di dalamnya ada 3 items! Yang pertama adalah buku Gone Girl, karya Gillian Flynn. WAKS! Aku rada-rada histeris juga. Soalnya aku yakin banget buku yang bakalan aku terima itu Shadow & Bone karya Leigh Bardugo. Habis isi wishlist-ku agak-agak kurang ajar sih, hampir semuanya adalah buku-buku yang belum diterjemahin gitu, kecuali Shadow & Bone (HEHEHE). Ternyata Santa ngirimnya Gone Girl ini.  

Aku udah sejak lama penasaran banget sama Gone Girl, apalagi setelah Ben Affleck dikabarkan bakal main di adaptasi filmnya. Tapi ragu mau beli pakai uang sendiri, karena genrenya bukan genre yang biasa aku baca #dikeplak. Alhamdulillah Santa kasih yang ini. Dan nggak cuma itu aja! Ada dua bonus di dalamnya, yaitu green tea latte dan satu notebook merah. Santaku baik bangeeeeet :'D

Riddle, jujur aja, adalah bagian yang paling bikin deg-degan buat aku. Gimana kalau Santa ngasih riddle-nya yang susah? Aku lumayan takjub abisnya pas tau cerita-cerita dari Bajay tentang riddle-riddle tahun lalu yang pada super niat bikinnya. Untungnya riddle yang datang justru nggak sesusah yang dibayangkan, hehe. Apalagi karena di poin ke #4 itu jelas banget maksudnya. Sekarang aku udah 100% yakin banget siapa Santa baik pengirim Gone Girl + green tea latte + notebook itu. Makasih banyak, Santa! :D Gone Girl-nya udah aku baca sampai halaman 69. Tunggu reviewnya + tebakan tentang identitas Santa di akhir Januari nanti, ya!

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor

Night of Cake and Puppets
by Laini Taylor
published on November 26th 2013 by Hodder & Stoughton (UK)
ebook edition
Young Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy/Romance
#2,5 of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy
79 pages (a novella!)
read in English

***

In Night of Cake & Puppets, Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy—the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Told in alternating perspectives, it’s the perfect love story for fans of the series and new readers alike. Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her “rabid fairy,” her “voodoo eyes” are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or “Violin Boy,” her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to meet him, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It’s a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter’s night before finally leading him to the treasure: Herself! Violin Boy’s not going to know what hit him.

"You almost hold up your piece of paper and say, 'The girl I like just gave me a treasure map to herself.'"

Night of Cake and Puppets was a very pleasant surprise! Zuzana and Mik were the secondary characters from The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, and just like other secondary characters in the series like Brimstone, Issa, Twiga... Zuze and her violin boy were special. They're unique in their own way, and I got to love them more after what happened in book two. So it was lovely to get to know more about their first date night. And it was told in dual POV! Yay!

Then again, what do you usually refer a date night to? Awkward glances, cheesy lines, expectation of a first kiss, the butterflies in the stomach.... Oh well, all those cliches. But cliche isn't something that could describe Laini Taylor. No, of course! First of all, Zuzana and Mik were no ordinary characters. Zuze was really cute! Like a ball of cuteness and excitedness bundled with pretty dresses, that's how I always envisioned her. She may be small and tiny, but this energy of her is huge! I love reading her minds, her thoughts... I love getting to know more about her, her family, her views about Karou, her life in Prague....

"Hey! My body may be small, but my soul is large. It's why I wear platforms. So I can reach the top of my soul" - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

"I might wear lace collars and laugh flower petals and pearls. People might try to pat me. I see them think it. My height triggers the puppy-kitten reflex- Must touch-and I've found that since you can't electrify yourself like a fence, the next best thing is to have murderer's eyes."

In Night of Cake and Puppets, Zuzana finally gathered her courage and made Mik a treasure hunt map to follow. A treasure hunt as a way of telling someone how she feels about him! And the treasure itself was Zuze herself! How brave, how lovely. See, I told you, there's nothing ordinary about Laini and the way her world works. 

To be honest, from the two previous books, I didn't really have much opinion about Mik, other than this boy seemed to be really in love with his girl. Yes, it showed! Through Night of Cake and Puppets, though, Laini Taylor provided us with much information about how they met, how they first noticed each other, and all about that while we follow Mik going over his treasure hunt. A clue leads to another clue, and another, and another... But then Mik had another plan! So will the treasure hunt ended up as how Zuze wanted it to be?

The setting of Prague in the novella was even clearer and clearer in this book, and this ist exactly one of Laini's strongest point: She's the expert of describing the places in her book. It was so well-described. Prague is, once again, officially on the top list of my most wanted to visit places in the world. The magicalness, eerieness, strangeness of the city... I fell in love with it! It was a blatant show of how much Laini knows the place, the world that she had created in the trilogy.

Another thing that I love from the novella is that the readers could feel how strong the bond between Zuze and Karou, about how special their friendship for each one of them. Zuze is Karou's best supporter, and vice versa. Eventhough Karou couldn't always be around all the times, it didn't deter their closeness at all. Karou let Zuze have some of her scuppies to help with the date night, and troughout the night they kept texting to each other, giving updates of how the night went.

All in all, I love Night of Cake and Puppets! Zuzana and Mik were such a lovely couple, and this kind of cuteness that Laini Taylor wrote about their magical date night is something different altogether from all the cuteness that we usually read from other books! Also, beautiful proses, beautiful proses everywhere. Love, love it. Zuze and Mik's story was a pleasant bridge while we wait for the final book in the trilogy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, which will be out in 2014! Eeeeek, can't wait!

“His eyes are blue, and blue eyes up close are a celestial phenomenon: nebulae as seen through telescopes, the light of unnamed stars diffused through dusts and elements and endlessness. Layers of light. Blue eyes are starlight.”

Help, I'm Broke and Drowning in Books! (AKA, Another Book Haul)

November kemarin adalah bulan yang bahkan dari awal aja udah bikin bangkrut sampe harus nahan-nahan jajan selama sebulan. Sebabnya tak lain dan tak bukan adalah karena.... Indonesia Book Fair! Yak. Acaranya berlangsung tanggal 2-10 November kemarin, di tempat biasa, Istora Senayan. Dari awal aku udah berniat buat berburu buku-buku impor yang kabarnya lagi dibanting-banting tulang harganya (dapat laporan dari Bajay kalo TFIOS dan Every Day dibanting jadi 25k saja... Kalap lah Tirta)

Tapi ternyata dua buku diatas justru nggak ketemu begitu aku kesana tanggal 5 November, huhuhu. Aku cuma mampir ke 4 booth: Periplus, Sabana Used Books, Dhita Books, sama Yusuf Agency. Bahkan Mizan dan kelompok Agromedia pun nggak aku hirau-in. Paling seneng begitu di Sabana! Disana banyak buku-buku YA yang nyempil tersembunyi, dan butuh usaha ekstra buat ngintipin judul-judul dan narikin bukunya keluar. Harganya nggak terlalu ramah sih, setelah diskon masih kisaran 50-60k (Makanya agak-agak bengong juga pas ngitung total belanjanya sewaktu di rumah), tapi bahagia banget begitu tau mereka punya buku-buku Melina Marchetta dan Sarah Dessen! Wuoh. Juara. Kondisi bukunya pun bagus-bagus, nggak mengecewakan :D #bukanpostberbayar

My apology for the shitty quality of the photos....

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (60k)

Ini beli karena impuls, di booth Periplus IBF. Bener-bener belum pernah denger judul ataupun tau siapa penulisnya sebelum liat buku ini (ternyata beliau adalah yang nulis The Virgin Suicides). Tertarik sebagian karena desain covernya yang minimalis, sebagian karena sinopsis. Ceritanya gimana? Well, lumayan sih, tapi agak boring, hehehe. 

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus (10k)

Yak, sepuluh ribu saja! Beli di bazaar buku murah fakultasku, seperti biasa, waktu acara Falasido-nya anak Sastra Indonesia (waktu itu Sapardi Djoko Damono datang jadi pembicara salah di satu seminar dalam acara tersebut... Tapi aku nggak bisa ikutan karena ada kelas. HIKS)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Re-read. Pinjem dari Sania. Kali ketiga baca buku ini, emosinya udah nggak seheboh waktu baca pertama kali, tapi tetep aja bikin miris meringis ya.... Nggak sabar buat filmnya tahun depan! :D

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Akhirnya! Setelah nunda cukup lama buat baca buku terakhir dari seri Delirium, aku pinjem Requiem dari Sarah karena penasaran. Abis banyak yang bilang kalo buku ketiga ini mengecewakan dan jelek endingnya (di Top Ten Tuesday edisi Best/Worst Series Ending, Requiem termasuk paling sering masuk daftar Worst). Setelah aku baca, well... Sempat mandek beberapa hari sih, tapi anehnya aku suka-suka aja tuh :))

Always With Me by Hyun Go Wun

Setelah sekian lama, bulan lalu beli buku dari Penerbit Haru lagi! Makin kesini aku akuin udah makin enak baca terjemahannya Haru, udah nggak kaku bahasanya, font lebih besar, rapi, fisik pun membaik: kertas bagus, cover juga bagus. Sayang terkadang masih ada pemilihan kata/diksi-diksi yang aneh, menurutku. Untuk cerita dari Hyun Go Wun sendiri, jujur aku lebih suka buku beliau sebelumnya, 4 Ways to Get a Wife.

London by Windry Ramadhina

Seri STPC Gagas kedua setelah Melbourne, nih. Sayang sampe sekarang aku belum berhasil nyelesaiin. Entah kenapa....

Saman by Ayu Utami (30k)

Wehehehe. Ini juga karena impuls, pengen tau kayak apa sih tulisannya Ayu Utami? Beli di bazaar acara Falasido juga. Status: Belum dibaca. #keprukTirta #eits #nimbunituhalal

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (54k)

Seneng banget dapet buku ini di Sabana! Sebenarnya waktu itu ada dua buku lain dari Sarah Dessen: Keeping the Moon, yang aku belum pernah baca (tapi nggak tertarik) dan What Happened to Goodbye, yang udah dibaca. Cuma diantara What Happened to Goodbye dan This Lullaby, aku lebih milih This Lullaby, hehe. Kembali bertemu lagi dengan Dexter <3

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (54k)

Ini juga termasuk best buy dari IBF kemarin. Melina Marchetta, buat aku, udah nggak diraguin lagi deh kemampuannya buat nulis YA (baik contemporary maupun fantasy) yang menyentuh dan 'dalem'. Selain Looking for Alibrandi, aku juga rekomendasiin banget On the Jellicoe Road ini. Bagusnya nggak nanggung-nanggung!

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (35k)

Sejujurnya, aku sama sekali nggak tau apa-apa tentang The Carrie Diaries maupun seri Sex and The City buatan Candace Bushnell ini. Baca bukunya nggak pernah, nonton serial TV-nya pun belum. Cuma tau aja bahwa seri TV The Carrie Diaries yang lagi tayang sekarang dibintangin sama Austin Butler (yang charmingnya minta ampun). Beli deh, he he he. Penasaran.

Fever by Lauren DeStefano (25k)

Entah kenapa aku beli Fever ini.... Udah denger dari lama sih tentang bukunya, tapi INI BUKU KEDUA, EUY, TIRTA. Buku pertamanya aja bahkan belum baca... Semoga bagus ya, semoga.

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (40k)

Waktu SMA dulu pernah coba baca seri The Mortal Instruments, yang hasilnya gagal total. Bukannya nggak suka, gimana ya? Menarik sih, tapi males aja gitu bacanya. Nah, seri Infernal Devices ini sering seliweran di Tumblr dan banyak yang bilang lebih bagus dari TMI. Ayok, deh, dicoba. Buku satunya dulu tapi....

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Nah, ini dia buku pertamanya dari Infernal Devices. Itu ada kertas HVS nyempil buat nandain udah baca sampe mana, ehehe (Iya, aku bisa pake apa aja jadi bookmark. Bon, uang, penggaris, bahkan pernah sekali waktu pakai.... kaos kaki. Ew Bersih tapiiii) Sebelnya, baru baca sedikit, kemudian buka Tumblr dan TIBA-TIBA NGGAK SENGAJA LIAT SPOILER. HUHUHU. Bete. Nggak seru lagi deh mau ngelanjutin juga. Jadinya di-stop bacanya sementara ini, mau ngumpulin niat dulu.... #hah #alasanmacamapa

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Ini yang lagi dibaca sekarang, saat ini juga! Belinya pun baru kemarin siang, di Books&Beyond kampus. Bulan Desember ini lagi penuh promo buat member B&B (UYEAH), aku senaaaang :D Kenapa beli Where She Went Ta, padahal udah punya dan udah baca berkali-kali? Jawabannya cuma satu nama: Adam Wilde, Adam Wilde, Adam Wilde <3

Btw, If I Stay lagi proses filming, lho! Lumayan excited juga sama deretan pemainnya: Chloe Moretz jadi Mia, Jamie Blackley jadi Adam (less-known actor, yay!), Jakob Davies jadi Teddy, Liana Liberato jadi Kim.

Although, me no fancy your hair in the movie, Adam. Bleh.

Sementara itu, ebooks yang berhasil aku baca selama November kemarin cuma tiga: These Broken Stars, Crash Into You, dan Angelfall.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - Loved it! Such a well-written debut with lovely main characters and unique setting. Will be published this month, on the 10th of December.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - Another book by Katie McGarry... It's now show time for Isaiah! Not as intense as Dare You To but better than Pushing the Limits.

Angelfall by Susan Ee - Well, that awkward moment when you do not like a book as much as you want to, while other people can't stop praising the book over and over again. Don't know what's wrong with me. Almost all the people I befriended on Goodreads gave Angelfall 5 full stars and have been saying nothing but good things about this story of Penryn. But I just cannot fall into it and ended up giving it 3 stars... Will still continue on with book #2, World After, though.

Jadi sebenernya, nggak begitu banyak sih (apalagi kalau dibandingin sama teman-teman BBI yang lain, yak? Huehehe) Tapi aku agak sedikit overwhelmed juga dengan jumlah buku-buku fisik yang numpuk dan nunggu dibaca. Udah lama nggak beli buku sebanyak itu, tahun ini lebih suka baca ebooks soalnya...

PS: Sama seperti sebelumnya, post ini aku submit ke Buying Monday :)

Have fun and read some more! 

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars

written by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
(will be) published on December 10th 2013 by Disney Hyperion
Young Adult/Science-Fiction/Romance
#1 book of Starbound trilogy
384 pages
read in English (not translated yet)

***

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it.

The Icarus is falling. She’s like a great beast up in the sky, and I imagine her groaning as she wallows and turns, some part of her still fighting, engines firing in an attempt to escape gravity. For a few moments she seems to hang there, eclipsing one of the planet’s moons, pale in the afternoon sky.

Titanic in space was the line that was constantly repeated everytime someone promoted These Broken Stars, and it wasn't wrong at all. Yes, there are big similarities between the movie and this book, but there's also SO MUCH MORE. I'm not one who read a lot of sci-fi, but These Broken Stars is definitely what I want to read when I read a book from the sci-fi category. I enjoyed it even more than Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which happened to take place in outer space too (but for some reasons I just cannot bring myself to read the second or third book of the series). The collaboration between Amie and Meagan was done beautifully, and this is only the first book of a trilogy! Yay!

The first thing that attracted me to These Broken Stars was, of course, the cover. I'm always drawn to cover that contains space as the background. Then to the girl who was wearing a stunning green dress, with gorgeous hair... And the boy, with the dog tag dangling from his neck. This cover describes our main characters perfectly. Lilac did really wear a green dress when the Icarus crashes, and Tarver was a soldier in this book. Also, this might sounds lame, but I really, really fancy their names. Lilac. Tarver. Lilac and Tarver. Perfect for each other ;)

There was instant attraction (no, not insta-love) that appeared when Lilac and Tarver met for the first time, but because of her glum experience corcerning a boy in the past, Lilac was quick to send Tarver off. Tarver, who initially did not recognize who Lilac was (daughter of the richest man in the galaxy, mind you), felt rejected and humiliated. When the Icarus crashes, these two people weren't exactly on a good term with each other. Lots of bantering, bickering, and push-and-pull game happened on their first few days on the strange planet, but their chemistry was undeniable. I really enjoyed every dialogs between them, and I love how easy it was to differ Lilac's voice with Tarver's.

"Would you like a rest?

She considers the question, then nods, reaching up to tuck her hair back where it belongs. "Where will I sit?"

Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I've carried for you in my pocket, Your Highness. So glad you asked.

I have to admit, the principessa-attitude of Lilac in the first few chapters was annoying, and this girl was so stubborn, but this stubborness later resulted in a totally new version of Lilac. It was lovely to see the transformation of Lilac throughout the story. She's real, quick to learn, and quick to adapt to the situation. Along with Tarver, who's perfectly fine doing the survival thingy since he's well trained as a soldier, they helped each other to survive and stay alive in that totally strange and lonely planet where Icarus landed. And who doesn't want to have a boy like Tarver? This guy had manners, a hard-working man, loved his family, realistic, good at surviving, and handsome! Seeing Lilac and Tarver's character development was one of my favorite things about These Broken Stars. Their love was a slow-burn, but it was beautifully built, so when the 'confession' finally happened, it felt so worth it to read all those awkward, don't-really-like-each-other-but-have-to-stay-together-in-order-to-live moments in the previous pages.

“I choose her. I choose whatever world has her in it.”

So, yeah. There were a lot to These Broken Stars other than the sci-fi and romance part. The story was also about survival, and there was a slight paranormal side too, which I found strange at first. Tarver thought Lilac was being crazy, as a result of shock that struck her when the tragedy occured, because she started seeing things, hearing whispers, and all. At about three-quarter of These Broken Stars, something unbelievable happened (it left me speechless for a moment there), and up until this moment I'm still confused about that 'energy-creating' part, but oh well, it doesn't really matter because in the end, the story wrapped up exactly in the way I wanted to be!

Furthermore, I love how both authors described the setting in the book. On the Icarus, I can easily painted the image that was described through our characters, the luxuriousness of the ship, the festivity of the party... The tense feeling when the escape pod, albeit imperfectly, managed to part from the Icarus, the loneliness and helplessness feeling when Lilac and Tarver crashed in an unknown land... The uncertainty about their chance at surviving without any other people to help them, and will they ever be found and could they go back to their family? These Broken Stars is definitely a book that would make you feel a lot of emotions in different ranges.

I would totally recommend everyone to read These Broken Stars, eventhough you're not a fan of sci-fi, or YA in particular. This is a very well-written book, the dual narration works for both characters, and the story will simply left you feeling dazzled and pleased. These Broken Stars have easily made it to my 'best books I read in 2013' list. Also, there's no sequel to Lilac and Tarver's story, so you don't need to worry about what's in the future for this lovely couple! The second and third book in the Starbound trilogy will be something like.. companions, so just like Stephanie Perkins' books, it will feature other couples, and each book could be read as a stand-alone! Make sure you read it :)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant

written by Veronica Roth
published on October 22nd 2013 by Katherine-Tegen Books
Young Adult/Dystopia
329 pages
read in English (not translated yet)
other books by the author Divergent, Insurgent
***

One choice will define you.


What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

"Am I done yet?"

You know one word that would be most-fitting if I have to describe the series in one word? It's liferuiner.

Let's talk about my experience reading Allegiant first. I have to admit that I've forgotten most of what happened in the last book (that's to say, Insurgent didn't actually leave much impression on me), so there were a lot of catch-ups happened. I kept asking myself every once in a while What? What happened? When? How? Before I continued on the next part. And the constant flood of information didn't help! Seriously, throughout the book I was like Wait wait wait! and had to go back one or two pages so I could process the informations properly. Please understand that English isn't my native language and yes, it took me awhile to really understand all the gene thing. This is actually my main complain about he book, because all two books before talked about factions, factions, factions, factionless, and now suddenly it's all about genes. All the factions happened and created because of genes. Gene this, gene that....

The next complain was, the characterizations. Our two main characters have a very special place in my heart and I love them dearly, but duh God, Allegiant made me want to slap them. Tobias, mostly. There was this kind of love/hate feeling for him. He changed so much in Allegiant, to be someone who's weak and indecisive. It seemed as if he couldn't keep his mind on one thing, and he became so stupid about his decisions! It was very contrast to the Tobias we've got to known from Divergent and Insurgent, when he was portrayed as  strong, intuitive, tough, a Dauntless legend, even! He's somewhat untouchable. But now that I have read The Transfer and Free Four, it's hard not to sympathize with this boy. So yeah, I was annoyed a lot by his actions, but really, it was all just the insecure part of him, the broken part that was caused by the neglect of his parents which made him so lost and wanting to feel secure. This dark side slowly catched up with Tobias and eat him from the inside. All I want was to hug him tightly and kick him afterward.

"I guess I always knew there was something wrong with me, but I thought it was because of my father, or my mother, and the pain they bequeathed to me like a family heirloom, handed down from generation to generation."

While for Tris... No, no. Let's not talk about Tris for a while. Let's put a hold on this matter until the end of my review. Now let's talk about... The plot. Yeah, the plot.

Allegiant was very fast-paced. Big things instantly happened or done right after a character tought or talked about it, with no break at all. It was so full of tension, and for me, it's a good thing, up until the moment where I had to stop reading it, because I didn't want the book to end sooner. I want the experience to last, yo! Veronica Roth was consistent about the pace. Allegiant was full of BANG! BANG! BANG! moments all the way that would make you constantly feeling surprised. While it can be exhausting for the readers, I do think this one point is good to keep us interested.

Another good thing about the Divergent series, is the romance. Of course. Because unlike any other series where authors have a thing for the other boy or love triangle, Veronica Roth kept her words on not adding a second option for our Beatrice. This fact somehow made me feel secured about their relationship, because I don't have to worry about choosing a team! (Yea) This is also the part where Tris became the real heroine. It seemed like our girl can do no wrong in Allegiant. There were lots of moments when Tris & Four's relationship was tested, mostly caused by Tobias' stupid actions and annoying demeanors, but Tris, being the kickawesome girl that she was, was able to forgive him and decided to move past all that! Even for this one fatal moment when it seemed like Tobias' fault was unforgivable. Tris just kept reminding him that he's whole, worth-loving, he's strong and someone who's good enough for her... What a girl. At a certain way, I think Veronica Roth had made Tris too perfect in Allegiant. Not only she's strong, brave and tough as usual, but she's also generous, capable of forgiving AND most importantly, so selfless.

“I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.”

Wait. Selfless Tris. That bring us to the ending.

Oh god, the ending.

[WARNING: THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER ABOUT THE ENDING! Highlight the lines to read it.]

I cannot, until this day, decide on what to feel about the ending— happy (or in peace, at least) or extremely upset about it. Mostly I just want too look out for Tobias :(

Somehow I feel like I know this kind of ending would happen from the moment the author announced that the last book will be told in both POVs of Tris and Tobias because why else would we need dual point of views, right? But I was kinda hoping that my gut was to be proved wrong. I mean, how could Veronica Roth be so cruel on him?! Of all the people in his life (from an abusive father, passive mother) Tris was the only good thing about it AND THEN THE AUTHOR TOOK HER AWAY? CRUEL. I had so many emotions going on while reading the last pages of Allegiant. Shocked came first. Blank moment second because my brain, of course, denied to process the words. After that, rage toward the author for taking away one of my favorite heroines. Then this sorrow and despair I also felt alongside Tobias, especially at the part where he broke down beside Tris' lifeless body AND THE PART WHERE HE WANTED TO DRINK THE SERUM! OH GOD WHAT A JOKE. Also, the part where he had those flashback moments of Tris jumping into the net first and "I suppose a fire that burns that bright is not meant to last," UGGGGGH. Tons of tears were shed that night, and a heart was wrenched in the worst possible way. 

But to think again, and after reading Veronica's reason for pulling a very controversial move like that (if you haven't read the post, please read it), the act of sacrificing herself for his brother was, undoubtedly and absolutely, so very Tris. It's one thing that of course Tris Prior would do, don't you think so? It shows how much of a Dauntless AND Abnegation she was. Total act of bravery and selfless-ness, a reader said. I have to agree with this point. It's one thing that would make Tris one of the most unforgettable, most powerful and one of the best heroine in the history of YA dystopian worlds, because at the end, she could finally prove that she had become someone she wanted the most to be—not a Divergent, not a Dauntless, not an Abnegation, but the real Tris Prior. 

“I don't belong to Abnegation, or Dauntless, or even the Divergent. I don't belong to the Bureau or the experiment or the fringe. I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me—they, and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.” 

(Does my words somehow sounds like I was okay about the whole thing? Because, let me assure you, I was totally NOT OKAY with it, even until now. I couldn't even stand to hear or read anything, anything related to Allegiant for some days after I finished the book. I was bitter about it. I had another moment of worst-book hangover-ever and boy, it was bad. I decided to distance myself for a while before writing this review because I don't want to write a negative one filled with exclamation marks and capitalized words that would come out as harsh. But yeah. Tris' death was not okay for me. The same way it was not okay with Dumbledore's death, Finnick's death, and any other beloved fictional characters' death that happened in books—only this one was worse because Tris is our MAIN CHARACTER. Ugh.)

To sum up, reading Allegiant was a powerful experience for me. Up until the end, Veronica Roth was totally consistent about the message she wanted to tell: Be brave. The book was page-turning, filled with tension and suspense, and the romance was so good, but the ending left me completely at loss about what to feel about the whole book. As a series, does Divergent is worth to read? YES, definitely. First book was a BANG, second book happened to have this second-book syndrome where it fell as so-so, and the third, even though not perfectly, at least managed to finish the series with a mark on every readers' heart. Thank you, Veronica Roth, for introducing me to the Divergent world, where I get to know such admirable characters like Tris, Tobias, Natalie Prior, Christina (what a good friend that girl is), and for reminding us the power of being brave, selfless, clever, honest... The power to choose.

“I love you," I say.

"I love you, too." He says. "I'll see you soon.”

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

How to Love

written by Katie Cotugno
published on October 1st 2013 by Balzer + Bray
389 pages
Young Adult/New Adult/Realistic/Coming of Age/Contemporary
other books by author: None (yet...)

***

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in a messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: Her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

Oh, shout-out to books with lovely covers!

Seriously, and while we're talking about How to Love, which has a very simple yet SO awesome book cover (Don't you want to own the book just so you can shelve it at home and stare at it anytime you want?) here here, a full first star for Katie Cotugno's debut novel.

The second star goes to Serena, or Reena in short. This girl is basically a good girl who happens to be unlucky. Just having a shitty bestfriend is already enough to make your life uncomfotable, yeah? But that's not only what Reena has to deal with, because later her boyfriend suddenly disappears, then she finds out that she is pregnant with the said-boyfriend's baby. Uh oh.

But this girl has some pretty admirable characteristics. Reena is strong, no doubt. With a witty personality that makes her so fun to be around. Being a mom at 16 is never easy (and really, this girl has been through A LOT. She comes from a very religious family so being pregnant in Reena's case was pretty much unforgivable), but Reena did a good job with taking care of baby Hannah! The only problem I have with her is her inability to resist Sawyer, which makes her seems childish and indecisive at times. I was disappointed to read about the end of her relationship with Aaron (even though I've seen it coming), because let's be honest here, Aaron is obviously the better option!

“The hideous thing is this: I want to forgive him. Even after everything, I do. A baby before my 17th birthday and a future as lonely as the surface of the moon and still the sight of him feels like a homecoming, like a song I used to know but somehow forgot.” 

Teenage pregnancy is not actually my favorite subject to read, since there will (of course) be so much angst and all. But all the reviews I've stumbled upon before reading How to Love were mostly positive, and I can see why. How to Love was a very enganging read. Katie Cotugno doesn't offer a new angle on seeing this unwanted pregnancy problem, but she presents it raw, honest, and real. She's so good at describing emotions, making me (as the reader) feel as much as Reena feels. We can easily understand Reena's desperation, her anger, her resentment toward everyone who treated her badly since the thing happened, her family included, who didn't exactly do their job at being a strong support system when Reena needed them the most. The part where she finally exploded at their family dinner was my favorite! It's unhealthy for her to just keep all the emotions inside so I was like 'YES YES YES you go girl!' when she lashed out in front of everyone. That moment was epic and the way Katie Cotugno describes it... Ugh, all the feels! Third star for this point.

The story was told in before and after parts, but I prefer reading all the afters, most of the time I just skimmed the befores... I couldn't bring my self to really like Sawyer as a character. Aside from being manipulative toward Reena sometimes, there were very minimal explanation on why he did the things he did on his bad boy days (Also, the drug problems? Why why why why WHY? I need a backstory!), that's why I think his part of the story kinda lacks of depth. The after version of Sawyer was so much better, I love him and Reena together, even though I still think he doesn't deserve that girl *shrug*

In short, How to Love isn't perfect, but to read the book was worth it. For a debut novel, How to Love was enganging, enjoyable and quite a page-turning one. I love Katie Cotugno's writing style. Did I mention how the dialogues are so realistic? (Its exactly the way people would talk in real life!) and I will put her on my radar so that her next books will not be missed!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

written by Rainbow Rowell
published September 10th 2013 by St. Martin's Press
genre Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance
433 pages
read in English/Indonesian
other books by the author Attachments, Eleanor & Park

***

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories.

Reading Fangirl is an upsetting but thrilling experience.

Why? Because, honestly, it feels a lot like I was reading about my ownself. No, seriously. Cather is a carbon copy of middle grade Tirta! She's a closeted introvert, doesn't talk much in real life but of course talks a LOT on internet, an active participant in a fandom that takes up so much of her time, has this irrational fear about meeting new people and getting out of her comfort zone... Oh, hello, me, three or four years ago.

And this is what keeps making me frustrated when reading Fangirl. I dislike how Cather always seems to be negative toward such a simple action like going into the cafetaria with her roommate. Sometimes I want to yell at her for sulking and locking herself in her room all day, writing fanfiction and going over the internet ALL THE TIME, because hey Cath, I've been there, and while I agree that internet is the best invention ever in the world and people in the fandom are so much better than real life, but there's sooo much more to live out there! Believe me. Confidence and feeling comfortable with your ownself are not gained by shutting everyone outside you and your fandom, but by actually going out and experience things! (yea)

On the other hand, I sympathize a lot with Wren. These twin girls cope together and stay beside each other on the first years after their Mom left the family, but  as they grow older, Wren feels like she needs to get away from Cath (who knows too much of their family problem), she wants to be independent in her own way. While I do not support the smoking, partying, doing crazy stuffs with her new bestfriend, I can understand. All I see is a broken girl who needs to seek attention that she supposedly get from a mother. At least Wren isn't being negative about her surrounding or holds prejudice against other people.

“Do you think I absorbed all the impact? That when Mom left, it hit my side of the car? Fuck that, Wren. She left you, too."

"But it didn't break me. Nothing can break me unless I let it."

"Do you think Dad let it? Do you think he chose to fall apart when she left?"

"Yes!" Wren was shouting now. "And I think he keeps choosing. I think you both do. You'd rather be broken than move on.” 

Go Wren!

source

The romance is okay. Cath and Levi have some swoony moments and I'd love to find a boy like Levi to be a boyfriend! I love every part where Levi asked Cath to read her stories for him, and he's such a sweet guy for understanding how to cope with a girl like Cath. They're adorable together! The only problem is that at some parts I was annoyed because the story gets a little sidetracked by their lovey-dovey moments.

“It's okay if you're crazy," He said softly. 

"You don't even know-"

"I don't have to know," He said. "I'm rooting for you.” 

“You look so blindingly cute right now, I feel like I need to make a pinhole in a piece of paper just to look at you.”  (AWWWE)
Another good thing about Fangirl is the story actually tells so much more: not only romance, but also the dynamic of a family relationship. Cath and Wren's dad is such a strong man, raising TWO GIRLS alone at the same time. And then there's this side of Cath and Wren trying to adapt into college life, which I'm also experiencing at the moment, so I can relate a lot and it makes reading Fangirl become so much fun.

It's both refreshing and touching to know that there's an author who could fully understand of what it's like to be a devoted fangirl. Attending or streaming every premieres, getting excited over sneak peeks, writing or reading fanfictions, gathering with other people from the fandom, wearing a shirt with a quote from your fandom and feeling like you're baring yourself out to the world... And by so many positive reviews I read on the internet, I know that there are people who feel the same toward Fangirl, and that makes us united! It's always nice to know that people understand you.

In comparison to Rainbow Rowell's previous books, Attachments and Eleanor & Park, I feel sorry to say that Fangirl ended up in the third place. But I'd still recommend it to anyone (that anyone includes those who loves reading YA, those who are a fangirl themselves, those who are actively participate in a fandom, or else, you will LOVE this book!). Rainbow Rowell is an author that I've positively put in my auto-read list and her books are worth to read (at least once!)

Books I Need to Tackle Soon (AKA Tirta's Recent Book Haul)

Udah lama nggak posting book haul atau books to read, hihi. Kali ini mau pamer ah, beberapa. Berikut adalah buku-buku aku yang udah dibeli sejak beberapa bulan lalu tapi sampai sekarang masih numpuk dan nggak sabar menunggu untuk dibaca berikutnya:

Just Friends by Robyn Sisman

I'm currently reading the book right now and have been enjoying it so far! Bukunya lama, terbitan tahun 2000, edisi bahasa Inggris. Aku beli hanya dengan harga 20k saja sewaktu lagi ada pameran buku murah di fakultasku beberapa hari lalu :D

(Ealah. Bukunya udah diterjemahin GPU, toh? Tapi aku nggak suka ah cover edisi Indonesianya yang pake muka asli orang. Ngerusak imajinasi, ahaha)

Yes, You Can! by Ollie

Nonfiksi. Aku sesekali suka beli buku sejenis ini, its good to keep me motivated. I've been following Mbak Ollie on Twitter for quite a long time and regularly check her Tumblr. She's inspiring!

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Selesai baca buku kedua dari IQ84, aku bingung karena masih kepingin baca tulisan dari penulis yang sama tapi terjemahan buku ketiga belum terbit. Akhirnya aku putusin buat beli Norwegian Wood aja. Cuma entah kenapa baru beberapa halaman baca udah agak nggak nyaman... Akhirnya beralih ke buku-buku lain dulu, hehe.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Best buy! Ini juga 20k, belinya juga sama, di pameran buku murah sewaktu lagi ada acara Kulturfest 2013-nya anak Sastra Jerman. Seneng deh, jurusan-jurusan di fakultasku lumayan sering ngadain acara, dan tiap kali acara pasti ada lapak pameran buku murahnya :D

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Yang sebenarnya udah lama dibeli, dari pertengahan bulan Juli kalau nggak salah. Tapi kemudian dia keselip di suatu tempat dan baru aku temuin belakangan ini. Karena belum dibaca akhirnya aku masukin book haul ini aja, deh. Bagusan mana sih antara An Abundance of Katherines sama Paper Towns, by the way?

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Ini pinjem dari Sarah, murni karena penasaran sama tulisannya Jenny Han. Soalnya Aul pernah bilang trilogi yang The Summer I Turned Pretty itu bagus, tapi karena series itu ada love triangle-nya aku males baca. Kata Sarah yang ini juga bagus, sih. Aku juga lumayan penasaran sama upcoming book-nya Jenny yang To All the Boys I've Loved Before, judulnya apa banget (haha) tapi covernya bagus!

Diluar buku-buku di atas, antrian ebooks juga lumayan banyak yang masih ngantri. Dan seringnya malah yang ebooks itu duluan yang dibaca dibanding printed books ini, ehe he he. Belakangan jarang ke toko buku... Soalnya dua bulan ini lagi hectic banget awal-awal kuliah dan pergi ke toko buku bisa dibilang jadi semacam rare ocassion gitu buat aku, dan sekalinya mampir malah bingung mau beli buku apa :( Sekarang aku lagi baca Cinder-nya Marissa Meyer (ebook), ganti-gantian sama Just Friends.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Lagi baca. Ceritanya unik banget, fairytale retelling Cinderella tapi tokohnya cyborgs.
Major Crush by Jennifer Echols
Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover - Sekuel dari Hopeless, yang kata aku lebih bagus dari Slammed (Slammed udah diterjemahin Gramedia). Kali ini dari POV-nya Holder
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - YANG INI UDAH BACA! Tapi jujur bingung gimana mau bikin reviewnya....
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - Udah baca! Seru, aku suka. Meskipun bete sama Cassidy.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes - Penasaran banget pengen baca ini tapi masih males menghadapi emotional heartfelt-nya hahaha
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols - Baru baca sampe halaman 20-an dan entah kenapa berat banget buat dilanjutin.....
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Book haul ini aku submit ke Buying Monday Oktober, meme bulanan buat nunjukin book haul atau books to read-nya teman-teman di BBI. Rame nih makin banyak meme sama feature di BBI, yay!

 Salam!