azaan's reviews
83 reviews

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

okay, my fingers are trembling while I write this because i finished the book like, 2 seconds ago. I wonder what sort of power an author can have to portray something so realistic, so scary and terrifying and just as ordinary, as something so epitomozingly beautiful. only 1 star less because in the middle of the book, the emails where alice and Eileen talked about the bronze age and the concepts of aesthetics and beauty, it felt quite like an info dump. and while it does tickle me that they couldve just exchanged numbers, emails read like letters and perhaps thats why they have more of an effect. I'm still, as a reader and person, very very young and the characters are much older and do seem to me to be much wiser, the mistakes they make and the flaws they have and the recourses they take makes me wonder. i dont know what exactly it makes me wonder because somewhere along the way i lose the track of the thought-yarn, but it does make me wonder. the fact that i related to alice and eileen and felix and simon and lola, too. the fact that being horrible at one point in life doesn't paint your entire future. or the fact that they loved life at some point, fell down a rabbit hole of meaningless in their own way, and somehow still scrambled up and took a hold of their winning branch; doesnt matter whether that be staying alive. i guess it just reiterates the fact that older people say life actually starts living when you reach your 30s, because that was where the characters were at the end. and I don't know, but it just filled me with a little bit of hope. perhaps the old people really don't lie about the fact that it gets better. perhaps I'll just stick around and find out because this book gave me a beautiful and valid reason to. and honestly, all thanks to my favourite youtube podcast mic guy jack edwards who yapped so much about sally rooney. otherwise i mightve never picked up this new book from the school library's shelves, let alone be the first person to write their name on the issue card. and i dont really know if this is a proper review or if I make any sense, but I guess thats okay. nobody is probably going to give 2 cents to what nonsense ive typed here anyways, haha. i mean. this book is amazing, alright? you should go read it, too. if you're into the kind of feels i felt when i read this book (if ive even been able to convey what I felt properly). and even if you think this book wasn't your cup of tea thats alright too. nobody is above or below anybody, I think we all just have our own horizons and thats okay. now i dont know what im yapping about. I'll go. bye! (also pardon my grammatical and any other errors I've probably made, please and thank you ♡) also, i loved the fact that she used the american minimalist style of writing. we just learned about it in school like, 2 months ago, and it all just seems very new and interesting and a nice change. :]

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

adventurous funny mysterious reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

3.0

A Touch Of Eternity by Durjoy Datta

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-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

2.75

When I checked out the reviews for this book, none of them really talked ABOUT the book. So here's something for you. 
Now, this book would've been a 5/5 from me if some parts didn't feel like the wrong pieces of a puzzle.  
Firstly, beautiful cover. That 0.75 is for Akangsha Sarmah for designing the cover. Secondly, there were a few spelling errors. This was unexpected from a popular, bestselling author with a pan-Indian audience, signed with Penguins. If I'm not inaccurate, there were around 3 spelling errors. Thirdly, the plot was solid. Amazing. A masterstroke. (What have I to stroke? Lol.) The perfect blend of science fiction and romance. The satire that played out throughout the book? Insane. The way Durjoy Datt mocked the current ruling government of India, the traditional style of Indian parenting, the stress and pressure for Science after 10th, the changes made in the government-issued school books— brilliant. The easiest 5/5. Here's the reason why I felt it was worth a 2. 
As I mentioned before, the spelling errors were majorly disappointing. One star cut off straight for that. There was an instance where the main character, Anvesha's name was errored as Avantika! Unexpected. 
The first part made no sense.

How did Vidhi's biological parents NOT know that the mother was carrying a child who did not keep their hands folded, like normal babies, still in the womb?

Some parts of the book were downright cringe; typical of bollywood commercial, blockbuster movies. Mob beating up gangsters? A 4-year old who's THIS much precocious? Yeah, that doesn't happen. Or what do I know, the main characters were special, after all. Not like the others. Lol. 
For a book that was is such a textbook definition of "art imitates life", the social situation was rather utopian. But then again, this is fiction. 
These were the reasons why I took off another star.

In the end, when Anvesha and Druvan ended up succeeding in the Soulmates Programme and shared Druvan's body, heres a question that clicked in my mind: In the first chapter, Druvam had referred to Anvesha as the "mother of my unborn children." He also mentioned that they had "mind-bending sex." How does that biologically work out? They are two souls sharing the same body. Is masturbation considered sex when it's two souls in a body? I felt like this wasn't an open ending, but an obvious plothole.

 
And finally, this was the biggest reason for my giving "A Touch Of Eternity" a 2.75/5. Whether you take my review seriously or with a pinch of salt is up to you. But despite all the flaws I felt needed to be pointed out, this was a fun, quick read; albeit in the beginning hard to get through because of how cringe it was at first. Lol. Have a good time. ♡ 
"A Touch Of Eternity" — 2.75/5.

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Maryanne Vollers, Yeonmi Park

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Everyone should read this. Every. Single. Person. Doesn't matter whether you like reading or not. The reality of North Korea, the psychological control of the dictators, the limitation of language for control, how difficult it is to grasp the very concept of freedom and the kind of an uphill struggle it can be to think for oneself, for someone who's never had choices and never had to think. The situations thousands of women and girls face on crossing the border to China (unknowingly) through trafficking and how hard it can be to just live even when you're finally "free." This book will leave you thinking thoughts that will never leave. And this isn't even fiction— this is how thousands live, this is what they all face. A must-read. 5/5.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

How insane do you have to be to write such a sordidly disgusting, fascinating, perverted, filthy, beautifully life-altering book? Foaming at the mouth with curses unsaid, yet eating up the words— such a maddeningly frustrating, dark, realistic, fictional work of art is Lolita.  Breaking at the bounds and bending the morals, flowery words and ignorant manipulation, drunk love and clear-sighted criminal lust, the realisation, the realisation and the pathetic puddle of his life and all his wrongs, all his crimes, all that his lousy hands tainted; foolish yet knowing, cunning yet naive; the kind of wan shadow that will haunt you for the rest of your time. There is a reason this is considered one of the classics.

And this is the only immortality that you and I may share, my Lolita.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

 

this book. the writing style. the painfully 2D characters. all of them scream so much of Wattpad. the plot is okay but everything else is SO insufferable I just couldn't afford to waste my time making my eyes ache over this. I've had my fair share of staying up all night reading on Wattpad, and the words, phrases, writing style— EVERYTHING used is what you would expect from a very creative white American on Wattpad, writing fanfiction.

P.S: I also saw later in one of the reviews (in Goodreads) that Cassandra Clare WAS indeed a fanfic author. no wonder the language used, the writing style, the annoying, pain-in-the-ass characters reeked of Wattpad. ugh. I tried giving this a shot, I really did. but no. i just. i could NOT. the writing is so bad I felt like chewing paper instead. A dot on my notebook couldn't be less dimensional than these characters. And the random usage of italics, latin and "serious" phrases is so annoying.

considering the fact that all I'm saying is "annoying", I'll give a further explanation on why I absolutely felt like crying over physics numericals sounded better to me than reading this. This explanation was noted down in my journal entries, based on like, the first 5 chapters. I guess. I don't care enough. Anyways.

i dont like clary fray. shes ur typical 16 year old white American "not like other girls" (and probably pick me) girl. and OF COURSE she's tiny and slim and has small breasts (which she is lowkey insecure about) and her very obvious romantic encounter lad is a very handsome, tall, blonde guy. of course. and I swear, WHY ARE ALL THESE YA FANTASY NOVELS SET IN AMERICA? I COULD NAME YOU FIFTY OTHER PLACES THAT ACTUALLY HAVE MORE MYSTERIOUS AURA (THAT WOULD SERVE WELL FOR THIS PURPOSE) AND MYTHS AND LIVES THAN GODDAMN AMERICA. also, the plot is good but can cassandra clare NOT write like a 16 year old wattpad author. what's up with the analogies and the excruciatingly bland characters (and the "mean girl", in this case, Isabelle) and the excessive use of "like." "the doorknob was cold" is ENOUGH, you dont have to add "like icicles piercing through the skin" or whatever. the first few chapters were such a pain, especially the very crude 1 dimensional dialogues and the TYPICAL WATTPAD style of Jace addressing Clary as "little girl" and all the faux rage and annoyance. ffs. oh and btw, the foreword made me cringe like hell.

 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan, John Green

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

if you love a bit of romance, teens figuring life out, and are a sucker for musicals. this one is for you. never have I ever been a very eager person for YA romance, but this— this tops it all. the musical references, tiny cooper and his big problems, will grayson, will grayson; it's beautiful. and the ending is SO perfect. tiny cooper and his amazing musical about love. this is beautiful and I've never laughed so much and loved the characters in a book since rick riordan. it doesn't have big words. it isn't too serious. but it's beautiful, amazing, perfect. also, I love the way David Levithan shows the mind of a teen who has been diagnosed with depression and is dealing with it, because the world doesn't stop turning. and I love the way their paths cross. this will make THE perfect movie adaptation too, honestly. it reads like a movie, too. and I can't stress this enough— this is perfect. it brings under the scanner a lot of topics— that one's sexuality is really nobody's business, that red bull helps, that platonic love is beautiful, that sometimes all you need to be is a bit borderline brave and absolutely crazy and that love is all about try-error-try-error-try-error-it.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense 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

5.0

The Second Jim Corbett Omnibus. by Jim Corbett

challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0