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kpwxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol
yanina_daniele's review against another edition
5.0
Hechizo es una historia que sigue los pasos de la pequeña Mercy quien vive una vida muy monótona junto a su pequeña hermana Charity, su padre Trajan, el ama de llaves Aurelia y la severa institutriz Galatea, todos son parte de la misma familia Berga pero al ser de menor rango tanto Aurelia como Galatea están destinadas a actuar como sirvientas.
Los días pasan o mejor dicho las noches, puesto que la vida de la casa transcurre durante las largas noches de invierno, hasta que un día esa monotoneidad se ve alterada por una pequeña flor, una campanilla de invierno, que fue el comienzo de una avalancha de recuerdos, dudas e inquietudes. Tan solo esta pequeña flor, abrió la puerta al pasado, a los recuerdos… recuerdos que no poseía. Mercy ya no recordaba en que día o en qué año estaban, no podía recordad el verano, el calor del sol, ni siquiera a su madre.
En medio de toda esta confusión hace aparición un nuevo personaje, Claudius, quien confiesa ser el que ha dejado la flor en la almohada de la niña, para que recordara, para que desvelara los misterios que se ocultan en Century.
La historia en sí tiene dos comienzos, un prólogo donde un grupo de personas están renovando una antigua casa luego de llevar cerrada mucho tiempo, en el desván encuentran un antiguo libro rojo con las hojas amarillas y desgastadas. Era una novela, a simple vista parecía una novela romántica, llamada Century.
El segundo comienzo es justamente la lectura de este libro rojo: Century, cien años de hechizo.
Reseña completa en: Pensamientos Libres
Los días pasan o mejor dicho las noches, puesto que la vida de la casa transcurre durante las largas noches de invierno, hasta que un día esa monotoneidad se ve alterada por una pequeña flor, una campanilla de invierno, que fue el comienzo de una avalancha de recuerdos, dudas e inquietudes. Tan solo esta pequeña flor, abrió la puerta al pasado, a los recuerdos… recuerdos que no poseía. Mercy ya no recordaba en que día o en qué año estaban, no podía recordad el verano, el calor del sol, ni siquiera a su madre.
En medio de toda esta confusión hace aparición un nuevo personaje, Claudius, quien confiesa ser el que ha dejado la flor en la almohada de la niña, para que recordara, para que desvelara los misterios que se ocultan en Century.
La historia en sí tiene dos comienzos, un prólogo donde un grupo de personas están renovando una antigua casa luego de llevar cerrada mucho tiempo, en el desván encuentran un antiguo libro rojo con las hojas amarillas y desgastadas. Era una novela, a simple vista parecía una novela romántica, llamada Century.
El segundo comienzo es justamente la lectura de este libro rojo: Century, cien años de hechizo.
Reseña completa en: Pensamientos Libres
thebookishraven's review against another edition
5.0
I love love love love this book. The story hasn't been overdone, so it has an original feel to it. It also gives out a vibe that makes you feel eerie and creeped out. It is also a book that stays with you. I read this book when I was in 3rd grade. I borrowed it from my public library and then, 5 years later, I was in a different town and I just got the urge to read it again. I had to order it from Amazon so I could have it!
Anyways, this book is one-like-no-other and I strongly recommend it!
Anyways, this book is one-like-no-other and I strongly recommend it!
sowebeaton's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read 21/01/14
Probably the best YA fantasy/gothic novel I've ever read.
Beautifully written, amazingly structured plot, a bit of suspense, a handfull of poetry. READ IT. NOW.
Probably the best YA fantasy/gothic novel I've ever read.
Beautifully written, amazingly structured plot, a bit of suspense, a handfull of poetry. READ IT. NOW.
mortelle's review against another edition
5.0
I love all books of the Gothic genre, but this one particularly enticed me. It reminded me of the secret garden (one of my all time favourite books) but many darker elements. the line "the light fades. The trees are still now. The world is a remarkable and beautiful place" will stay with me forever as well as the books message about accepting change. I will definitely be reading more books by Sarah Singleton
cindyc3689's review against another edition
3.0
janji sampai kematian memisahkan kita ternyata dirasa terlalu berat untuk Trajan Verga, seorang immortal entah dari jenis apa atau dengan kekuatan apa, gak ada penjelasan. jadinya, setelah kematian istrinya, Tecla -sebenarnya immortal juga, tapi setelah nananana... *tiiiit* akhirnya meninggal- ia memilih mengurung rumah dan seluruh penghuninya dalam jubah kegelapan dan mengulang sebuah hari di musim dingin lagi dan lagi dan lagi hingga seratus tahun berlalu. *yeah, talking about sleeping beauty, but not really sleeping...*
suatu ketika, Mercy Verga, putri tertua Trajan terbangun dan mendapati sekuntum bunga Snowdrop yang menghembuskan nafas harum musim semi di samping tempat tidurnya. maka dimulailah perjalanannya menyibak satu demi satu tabir tragedi keluarganya demi membawa rumah mereka kembali ke alam nyata.
Idenya sih sebenarnya menarik, sangat gothik, suram, tapi terlalu banyak detail yang tak terjelaskan, sehingga setelah selesai membaca tetap tidak puas dengan penjelasan di akhir cerita. Nanggung.
Etapi covernya bagus ya. Sangat-sangat pas buat menggambarkan rumah yang terjebak putaran waktu itu.
suatu ketika, Mercy Verga, putri tertua Trajan terbangun dan mendapati sekuntum bunga Snowdrop yang menghembuskan nafas harum musim semi di samping tempat tidurnya. maka dimulailah perjalanannya menyibak satu demi satu tabir tragedi keluarganya demi membawa rumah mereka kembali ke alam nyata.
Idenya sih sebenarnya menarik, sangat gothik, suram, tapi terlalu banyak detail yang tak terjelaskan, sehingga setelah selesai membaca tetap tidak puas dengan penjelasan di akhir cerita. Nanggung.
Etapi covernya bagus ya. Sangat-sangat pas buat menggambarkan rumah yang terjebak putaran waktu itu.
marcia_94's review against another edition
5.0
A story about dealing with death. An adventure and page-turner.
veronikahvee's review against another edition
4.0
I'm torn between giving it a 4 or a 5 stars rating... I'll give it a 4.5 then.
Century tells the story of Mercy (12 years old), who lives in the old big and dark gothic mansion called Century. Mercy lives there with her sister, Charity, who is 10 years old, and their father, Trajan. There live also Galatea and Aurelia, the governess and the nanny. Mercy has a special "power", she can see ghosts.
They live in an eternal Winter and they always get up after dark, never seeing the sun. Their everyday life is like this until one day Mercy meets Claudius, a stranger that claims to be part of her family and that knows how to bring back the sun.
Mercy realizes the Verga are a very special family and that there's more to this eternal Winter than meets the eye, thus she decides to investigate this mystery, uncovering dark secrets along the way.
Century is brilliantly done. The writing is smooth and adequate for kids, nothing too fancy nor too boring. Singleton's writing manages to continuously give us that gothic romance vibe, with the eternal winter and the ghosts-seeing playing a good part in that.
The plot is well woven, with the mystery always in the air, right from page 1. You can't stop reading because, just like Mercy, you want to know why and how they ended up in this eternal Winter.
Mercy is a likable character. She's smart, she's stubborn, she's determined to uncover the truth and she loves her family very much.
Charity is the younger sister who is very different from Mercy. She's more childish, better student (on the attention and arts departments) and very nosy. But she loves her sister and is tired of Winter, which makes her a great help. Actually, if it wasn't for her, the story might have been very different.
I wish Singleton had written more on the ghost seeing part. We do get an explanation for the ghosts, but it would have been cooler to get more on that part. Don't get me wrong! This is still a ghost story. Just maybe not the kind you were expecting ;)
An excellent read, perfect for anyone from 12 to 102!
Century tells the story of Mercy (12 years old), who lives in the old big and dark gothic mansion called Century. Mercy lives there with her sister, Charity, who is 10 years old, and their father, Trajan. There live also Galatea and Aurelia, the governess and the nanny. Mercy has a special "power", she can see ghosts.
They live in an eternal Winter and they always get up after dark, never seeing the sun. Their everyday life is like this until one day Mercy meets Claudius, a stranger that claims to be part of her family and that knows how to bring back the sun.
Mercy realizes the Verga are a very special family and that there's more to this eternal Winter than meets the eye, thus she decides to investigate this mystery, uncovering dark secrets along the way.
Century is brilliantly done. The writing is smooth and adequate for kids, nothing too fancy nor too boring. Singleton's writing manages to continuously give us that gothic romance vibe, with the eternal winter and the ghosts-seeing playing a good part in that.
The plot is well woven, with the mystery always in the air, right from page 1. You can't stop reading because, just like Mercy, you want to know why and how they ended up in this eternal Winter.
Mercy is a likable character. She's smart, she's stubborn, she's determined to uncover the truth and she loves her family very much.
Charity is the younger sister who is very different from Mercy. She's more childish, better student (on the attention and arts departments) and very nosy. But she loves her sister and is tired of Winter, which makes her a great help. Actually, if it wasn't for her, the story might have been very different.
I wish Singleton had written more on the ghost seeing part. We do get an explanation for the ghosts, but it would have been cooler to get more on that part. Don't get me wrong! This is still a ghost story. Just maybe not the kind you were expecting ;)
An excellent read, perfect for anyone from 12 to 102!
raafi's review against another edition
3.0
Nah! Kalo buku yang ini aku temukan di bagian rak bawah kamar abang gue yang sebenernya rak kaset dan CD metalnya dia. Beruntung? Aku bisa bilang ya. Karena bisa menemaniku di waktu luang sehabis baca Bartimaeus #1 sebelum dikembalikan ke tempat penyewaan.
Langsung ke cerita. Awalnya ga dapet feelnya karena terlalu feminim dan alurnya lambat. Tapi setelah tahu keluarga Verga ini dicegat di suatu masa yang stagnan begitu saja, membuatku ingin mengetahuinya lebih jauh.
Mercy dan Charity, kedua kakak-beradik yang hidup dalam rumah Century (Serius nih rumahnya punya nama, keren kan?), menghadapi keadaan yang begitu-begitu saja. Dengan bangun di malam hari dan tidur di pagi hari, membuat mereka ingin tahu kenapa hal itu terjadi pada mereka. Tidak seperti kebanyakan orang mereka sarapan ketika bulan datang dan melakukan kegiatan di malam hari yang dingin dan sunyi.
Hingga suatu ketika Mercy menemukan hantu (btw, Mercy bisa lihat hantu lho!) dan keganjilan lain di sekitar rumah mereka. Singkatnya, Mercy dan Charity berusaha untuk mengembalikan kehidupan normal mereka.
Intrik, sihir dan kisah cinta antara anak dengan orang tua membuat novel yang hanya 200an halaman ini patut dibaca di waktu senggang.
Langsung ke cerita. Awalnya ga dapet feelnya karena terlalu feminim dan alurnya lambat. Tapi setelah tahu keluarga Verga ini dicegat di suatu masa yang stagnan begitu saja, membuatku ingin mengetahuinya lebih jauh.
Mercy dan Charity, kedua kakak-beradik yang hidup dalam rumah Century (Serius nih rumahnya punya nama, keren kan?), menghadapi keadaan yang begitu-begitu saja. Dengan bangun di malam hari dan tidur di pagi hari, membuat mereka ingin tahu kenapa hal itu terjadi pada mereka. Tidak seperti kebanyakan orang mereka sarapan ketika bulan datang dan melakukan kegiatan di malam hari yang dingin dan sunyi.
Hingga suatu ketika Mercy menemukan hantu (btw, Mercy bisa lihat hantu lho!) dan keganjilan lain di sekitar rumah mereka. Singkatnya, Mercy dan Charity berusaha untuk mengembalikan kehidupan normal mereka.
Intrik, sihir dan kisah cinta antara anak dengan orang tua membuat novel yang hanya 200an halaman ini patut dibaca di waktu senggang.
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