niaoclock's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
god, suraya and jing and pink have all of my hearts. suraya awfully reminds me of my own childhood and jing? my bold adorable brave baby. and let's just not talk about how i love pink! my heart goes out for him
mujahidjohar's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The book follows Suraya, a Malay Muslim girl who inherits a pelesit (a spirit who serves their master) from her witch grandmother. She names them Pink, and grows up together to become friends until Suraya finds a new (human) best friend.
This is my third Hanna Alkaf book, and again I enjoyed her writing immensely. The dynamic between Suraya and Pink is delightful to read, and the development of their relationship is beautifully realised , even through its darker, more toxic periods. This was partly because of the alternating POV between Suraya and Pink. A huge part of the book’s strength is Pink’s realisation of their own feelings towards Suraya, despite believing that pelesits aren’t supposed to have feelings. The book also touches on grief, bullying, family, and death.
Before reading the works of Hanna Alkaf, Zen Cho, and Kathrina Daud, I’ve never considered myself a fan of the supernatural in fiction, but in recent years it’s only because aristocratic vampires and werewolves were not stories I was told to as a child. I was told about pontianaks, toyols, pelesits, and nenek kebayan. So a story about a pelesit and their teenage master brought about a sense of nostalgia and familiarity absent in western fiction.
This is my third Hanna Alkaf book, and again I enjoyed her writing immensely. The dynamic between Suraya and Pink is delightful to read, and the development of their relationship is beautifully realised , even through its darker, more toxic periods. This was partly because of the alternating POV between Suraya and Pink. A huge part of the book’s strength is Pink’s realisation of their own feelings towards Suraya, despite believing that pelesits aren’t supposed to have feelings. The book also touches on grief, bullying, family, and death.
Before reading the works of Hanna Alkaf, Zen Cho, and Kathrina Daud, I’ve never considered myself a fan of the supernatural in fiction, but in recent years it’s only because aristocratic vampires and werewolves were not stories I was told to as a child. I was told about pontianaks, toyols, pelesits, and nenek kebayan. So a story about a pelesit and their teenage master brought about a sense of nostalgia and familiarity absent in western fiction.
bookboop's review
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
iris_descent's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I like this a lot but I think that it is kinda forgettable.
reemofbookingdom's review against another edition
5.0
This is officially one of my all time favourite middle-grades! Probably even up there with Coraline.
I loved reading about Malaysian culture and folklore, and now I'm interested in seeing more of it.
The book is the perfect combination of heart-warming, really creepy and funny, and it's so engaging that you won't be able to put it down.
I loved reading about Malaysian culture and folklore, and now I'm interested in seeing more of it.
The book is the perfect combination of heart-warming, really creepy and funny, and it's so engaging that you won't be able to put it down.
addydeejreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
juls0_0's review
3.0
actually wanna give it a 3.5
this book is a simple read, with simple writing style. very entertaining. what intrigued me was the theme and plot but as i go through the story it dives in a bigger plot. bigger than whats been told in the synopsis
i love the ups and downs suraya goes through as she spent her days with pink (and also against pink)
my heart clenched at the ending when moments of pink and suraya were flashed through my memory. i wish i annotated this book (will do in the future maybe)
i really wanna give suraya and pink a BIG fat hug :(
love this book ! will re-read again in the near future
this book is a simple read, with simple writing style. very entertaining. what intrigued me was the theme and plot but as i go through the story it dives in a bigger plot. bigger than whats been told in the synopsis
i love the ups and downs suraya goes through as she spent her days with pink (and also against pink)
my heart clenched at the ending when moments of pink and suraya were flashed through my memory. i wish i annotated this book (will do in the future maybe)
i really wanna give suraya and pink a BIG fat hug :(
love this book ! will re-read again in the near future
manicmonday's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5