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katiemcgregor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
More terrifying than expected, but also a beautiful story. I think Alkaf is the first Malaysian author I've read and my interested into the folklore has definitely been piqued!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Grief
emerentina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Murder
qrschulte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ugh what a beautiful and emotional book. Had me crying by the end. My suspicions were correct, and the reveal at the end was hard, but perfect. It was definitely horror, but not too much for me to handle. It was scary while still being manageable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Torture, Grief, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. Wasn't expecting it to make me cry, but here we are. The story is based in Malaysia with Malay sprits/demons/supernatural beings sprinkled through. This story shows a girl who never quite fit in, discovers she has been bound to a spirit, and has to deal with complications with the spirit and some humans, and finds out family history that has been hidden from her. Also, Jing Wei is a lovely and entertaining side character! Great friend right there and loved that she was a nerd for sci-fi (although I'm not big on Star Wars, I loved her sick burn calling someone Jar Jar Binks).
I will def look for more books by this author. It was so nice to read a book that has a similar culture to mine and if I was a kid again, I would've loved this as well. So happy to see a middle grade representing SE Asia and specifically Melayu people.
I will def look for more books by this author. It was so nice to read a book that has a similar culture to mine and if I was a kid again, I would've loved this as well. So happy to see a middle grade representing SE Asia and specifically Melayu people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexism
jay_jade736's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I decided to bump it to 4.5 ⭐ after giving it a thoughtful reminiscing. It's truly a fun middle grade read.
I was really fond of Pink and Suraya's friendship. When there was a debale between the two, I found myself being lenient to one over the other when the POV switches. As individuals, I really love them and can see myself being friends with them
Jing is a fun side character. I do think that she's shallow compared to some other side characters in other books, she still is someone I have a sort of fondness over. She reminds me alot of Mei Mei in Upin and Ipin and I think the author draw inspiration from her
I also noticed a rather intriguing but peculiar writing style the author tends to add. "If you would listened carefully, you would have heard Pink buzz" (Not an actual sentence from the book)
At first I thought it was annoying and ruined the whole vibe of the book but as I read along and eventually being engrossed with the books sequence of events, the more I found it to be engaging. It then felt awkward in the ending parts as it wasn't utilised as much and when it was, it no longer has that nuance to it
Speaking of endings, this one crushed me. While I think it was cliché (the twist to be specific) I still found the departure of Pink and Suraya heartbreaking especially since that was the last time they could be together in the same physical space if that made any sort of sense
Overall, this was a fun read and a bug suggestion if you love to get to know more of Malaysia and it's culture
(Note: This has bullying, medical detail, murder and abandonment way detailed and explicit than what you'd normally expect from a middle grade book so read with caution)
Update: lowered it to 4.25 ⭐️
I was really fond of Pink and Suraya's friendship. When there was a debale between the two, I found myself being lenient to one over the other when the POV switches. As individuals, I really love them and can see myself being friends with them
Jing is a fun side character. I do think that she's shallow compared to some other side characters in other books, she still is someone I have a sort of fondness over. She reminds me alot of Mei Mei in Upin and Ipin and I think the author draw inspiration from her
I also noticed a rather intriguing but peculiar writing style the author tends to add. "If you would listened carefully, you would have heard Pink buzz" (Not an actual sentence from the book)
At first I thought it was annoying and ruined the whole vibe of the book but as I read along and eventually being engrossed with the books sequence of events, the more I found it to be engaging. It then felt awkward in the ending parts as it wasn't utilised as much and when it was, it no longer has that nuance to it
Speaking of endings, this one crushed me. While I think it was cliché (the twist to be specific) I still found the departure of Pink and Suraya heartbreaking especially since that was the last time they could be together in the same physical space if that made any sort of sense
Overall, this was a fun read and a bug suggestion if you love to get to know more of Malaysia and it's culture
(Note: This has bullying, medical detail, murder and abandonment way detailed and explicit than what you'd normally expect from a middle grade book so read with caution)
Update: lowered it to 4.25 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship