Book Review: THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"She slowly raised her face to look at him. She found the rolling earthen hills of the north in his eyes. It was a sense of loyalty to his country that went beyond the man seated at the table. Far inside of her, she found a golden chain that bound them together."

Formulaic as heck but hey, the formula works. Ahahaha. In Filipino we say, "Kinilig ako!“ (I got the chills from being romantically thrilled) ❤️

The heroine is beautiful, deadly, strong, and loves to read books. She needs to choose between the captain of the guard and the prince of the realm... Both of whom happen to fall madly in love with her. (Oh, and they also love to read books.) Add a pinch of magic, a dash of social injustice, and a whole lot of good writing and you get a formulaic story that delivers the goods.

Went down easily during a three hour stay at the airport. Delayed flight? No problem!
Formulas work!!! Now where can I get Book 2??!!



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Book Review (ARC): PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING by Randy Ribay

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"It strikes me that I cannot claim this country's serence coves and sun-soaked beaches without also claiming its poverty, its problems, its history. To say that any aspect of it is a part of me is to say that all of it is a part of me."

I can't thank Honey enough for gifting us with an ARC of this book. What a treat!!! Randy Ribay's powerful prose packs so much emotion in simple, easy-to-understand language.. . A winning combination for YA! He makes the familiar unfamiliar, and talks lovingly of both the good and the bad in today's Philippines.

This book is necessary reading because of its subject matter (the EJK's and the drug war) . But also, it's very pleasurable, too, when you have a writer this good. There were moments I laughed out loud, like when he observed how Filipino drivers used honking for echolocation, but towards the end I was just weeping silently as he concluded the story of a Fil-Am's search for the truth behind his Filipino cousin's death and the subsequent cover up.

It is so easy to fall into despair when thinking of the current situation, but Ribay's novel shines light on the way forward, full of hope and love and the belief in the intrinsic goodness of humanity, despite our flaws.



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Book Review: A DUTERTE READER edited by Nicole Curato

A Duterte Reader: Critical Essays On Rodrigo Duterte's Early Presidency by Nicole Curato

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"Perhaps we should first ask, how can the world pay better attention? To effectively condemn, it is first important to listen."

Written 6 months into the presidency, this important book is a collection of essays looking at the historical and social contexts that allowed our President's rise to power.

I once heard it said that "everything is political," and this book perfectly exemplifies this.

From Teehankee's situating Duterte's rise against past presidential regimes, to Evangelista's analysis of the President as merely a symptom of the problem that is the hetero-patriarchal social structure... From Arguelles' indictment of a mnemonic regime socializing us to forget Marcos atrocities to serve a sinister political purpose, to Lamchek's disturbing analysis of public support legitimizing a mandate for mass killings of our countrymen...from Coronel's depiction of murder for police profit to Quimpo's assertion of the hyped up mass hysteria over a "narco state" despite evidence to the contrary...

Even though the book is written in layman - friendly language, it still makes for disturbing reading. But it is important we do so, if only to answer the burning question, "Why?“

In these divided times, when emotions run high and one can never be too sure whether one is engaging a real person or a troll in debate, these articles written by rational minds are all the more welcome as they invite the public to understand that this country's ills will not be solved (and cannot be blamed) on a single leader.



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