A review by ribs
Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog by Edgar Calabia Samar

3.5

“Kailangan bang laging iyong mga umaalis ang nawala, nawawala? Baka nga mas natagpuan nila ang sarili sa paglayo.”

the story of the protagonist resonates well with the reader: it intended to stray us from the story of the book just like how daniel was led astray by a tiyanak. the timeline, the flow, and the story of the book itself were divulged in varying details; unlike most of the books i’ve read that presented themselves with a linear progression, walong diwata ng pagkahulog was formulated to lose me in the middle and find me by its last sentence. 

it was a struggle to read this at first because i haven’t read any other book that presented itself as messy and all over the place on purpose. it was confusing, figuring out who is who relies solely to you. with how the story ended, one will come to realize how piece by piece were thoughtfully put together and how they fall exactly where they should be. it was a ride reading this, i had to put down several times but it gets interesting especially when you’re nearing the end.