A collection of media reviews I've written over the years. These are only a select few; more reviews can be read on my blog. The genres of each medium range from, but are not limited to, science fiction and fantasy; contemporary stories with subgenres such as LGBTQ+ and New Adult; non-fiction books focusing on psychology and history; animated works; and interactive pieces.
The reviews are written in a semi-formal tone as though I was having a conversation with the reader.
BOOK REVIEWS
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None
I don’t ever read crime or murder mysteries; I’m more of a fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction lad, with a hearty helping of non-white characters and diverse settings. My first and honest thought was that I didn’t think I’d come out the other end liking it as much as I did.
I wasn’t expecting it to be such a quick read. At 264 pages, I flew through it in under two hours. I’d expected it to be a long, drawn-out read, but it was surprisingly fast-paced. Christie never let up once; the cast are thrown into one death scenario to the next without even a second to breathe. However, it doesn’t mean that the story itself is light. The setting, Soldier Island, is creepy and foreboding. Much suspense was created as the characters explore their abode only to realise that just as there was only one way in, without any mode of transport, there was no way out. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Admittedly, I never tried to figure out who the culprit was. I know myself well enough to say that I’m hopelessly dense when it comes to putting things like this together. I thought I’d spotted the red herring moment, as alluded in the book, but to no one’s surprise, I was mistaken.
One criticism I have for this book was that I couldn’t get a proper feel for the characters. Christie maintains a distance between her and the characters, but that distance often stretches far to the point where it prevented me from getting to know them further. Everyone’s backstories are dark and haunting, each one involving death or murder of some kind. That, in turn, heightened their sense of guilt and paranoia. It’s not that they had no redeeming qualities—ultimately, it was revealed that the culprit chose them specifically for their crimes—but the execution of weaving the past and present together fell short for me. It didn’t leave me satisfied.
If you’re looking to start reading Agatha Christie’s work, this is a brilliant one to start with. It’s packed with action, full of intrigue and deceit, and a great way to start working your way down the crime and murder mystery genre if you’re into that. I’d love to read more of Christie’s work. My friend has also suggested that I pick up her Hercule Poirot series, so I’ll go check them out sometime in the future.
I wasn’t expecting it to be such a quick read. At 264 pages, I flew through it in under two hours. I’d expected it to be a long, drawn-out read, but it was surprisingly fast-paced. Christie never let up once; the cast are thrown into one death scenario to the next without even a second to breathe. However, it doesn’t mean that the story itself is light. The setting, Soldier Island, is creepy and foreboding. Much suspense was created as the characters explore their abode only to realise that just as there was only one way in, without any mode of transport, there was no way out. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Admittedly, I never tried to figure out who the culprit was. I know myself well enough to say that I’m hopelessly dense when it comes to putting things like this together. I thought I’d spotted the red herring moment, as alluded in the book, but to no one’s surprise, I was mistaken.
One criticism I have for this book was that I couldn’t get a proper feel for the characters. Christie maintains a distance between her and the characters, but that distance often stretches far to the point where it prevented me from getting to know them further. Everyone’s backstories are dark and haunting, each one involving death or murder of some kind. That, in turn, heightened their sense of guilt and paranoia. It’s not that they had no redeeming qualities—ultimately, it was revealed that the culprit chose them specifically for their crimes—but the execution of weaving the past and present together fell short for me. It didn’t leave me satisfied.
If you’re looking to start reading Agatha Christie’s work, this is a brilliant one to start with. It’s packed with action, full of intrigue and deceit, and a great way to start working your way down the crime and murder mystery genre if you’re into that. I’d love to read more of Christie’s work. My friend has also suggested that I pick up her Hercule Poirot series, so I’ll go check them out sometime in the future.
Dee Lestari's Kesatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh
A translated version of this review is available under 'Translations'
A translated version of this review is available under 'Translations'
Kesatria, Putri, & Bintang Jatuh (Indonesian for “The Knight, the Princess, and the Falling Star”) is the first in the Supernova series written by acclaimed Indonesian author, Dee Lestari. It recounts the stories of four groups of people:
1. Dimas and Reuben → a young gay couple living in the suburbs of Jakarta. Dimas is a graduate English Literature from George Washington University while Reuben is an Indo-Jewish physics genius who dreams of bridging all links between science and philosophy. Together, they fulfil their promise, ten years since their graduation day has passed, of creating a ‘masterpiece’—one that became the foundation for the intertwining tale of “The Knight, the Princess, and the Falling Star”.
2. Ferre and Rana → The representative for the characters the Knight and the Princess in Dimas and Reuben’s fictional work. Ferre is a successful managing director of a multinational company. Rana is a journalist who also happens to be married. These two start a love affair that constantly teeters on blissfulness and utter fear and despair at treading on eggshells around their family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances.
3. Diva → The personification of the entity of the Falling Star in Dimas and Reuben’s work. She leads a double life—successful model by day, high-end prostitute by night. Though she is dubbed ‘the bitter one’ in her workplace due to her cold demeanour, she has also proven herself to be highly intelligent—often making remarks about the current state of the world that most people wouldn’t be aware of—and acutely aware of her surroundings. Her clients and few friends often liken her to a goddess.
4. Supernova → An online persona reminiscent of advice columns in newspapers. She is both cryptic and diplomatic; she guides her readers into making the right decision themselves instead of giving them a direct solution to their problems.
1. Dimas and Reuben → a young gay couple living in the suburbs of Jakarta. Dimas is a graduate English Literature from George Washington University while Reuben is an Indo-Jewish physics genius who dreams of bridging all links between science and philosophy. Together, they fulfil their promise, ten years since their graduation day has passed, of creating a ‘masterpiece’—one that became the foundation for the intertwining tale of “The Knight, the Princess, and the Falling Star”.
2. Ferre and Rana → The representative for the characters the Knight and the Princess in Dimas and Reuben’s fictional work. Ferre is a successful managing director of a multinational company. Rana is a journalist who also happens to be married. These two start a love affair that constantly teeters on blissfulness and utter fear and despair at treading on eggshells around their family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances.
3. Diva → The personification of the entity of the Falling Star in Dimas and Reuben’s work. She leads a double life—successful model by day, high-end prostitute by night. Though she is dubbed ‘the bitter one’ in her workplace due to her cold demeanour, she has also proven herself to be highly intelligent—often making remarks about the current state of the world that most people wouldn’t be aware of—and acutely aware of her surroundings. Her clients and few friends often liken her to a goddess.
4. Supernova → An online persona reminiscent of advice columns in newspapers. She is both cryptic and diplomatic; she guides her readers into making the right decision themselves instead of giving them a direct solution to their problems.
This book is unlike any other I’ve read before. What got me interested in it the first time around was the blurb as it mentions parallel universes, one of my favourite topics to read in fiction. However, as I read on, I realised that while parallelism is one of the main focuses, it wasn’t the kind I was expecting. Essentially, the parallelism happening within this book is the story Dimas and Reuben are working on and the love affair between Ferre and Rana. I enjoyed it, nonetheless; I thought it was a creative spin on parallel universes. It’s also refreshing to have reality mirroring a supposedly fictional world instead of it being the other way around.
I will say that this book’s both strongest and weakest points is how it blends philosophy with science. Though it is executed brilliantly, to fully take in the intellectual portion of this book it will take several rereads as it tends to get heavy-handed at times. Hell, Lestari didn’t hesitate to hit her readers with scientific theories and philosophical rhetorics four pages in. She even includes a diagram at one point! Lestari also has a tendency to spout on about the many branches of philosophy for pages on end, so this is definitely a potential turn-off for readers. As much I enjoy theorising over numerous philosophical and psychological topics like existentialism, I thought Lestari overdid it. A lot of these musings sound like she’s explaining why certain characters do what they do, as though she’s taking her reader’s hand and leading them through the plot. She doesn’t do so condescendingly, but it disrupts the flow of the story so much that halfway through the book I started skimming.
I will, however, applaud Lestari for making her readers become more critical of their ethics and morals, be it about their own philosophical beliefs to questions that no one thinks of asking themselves. Diva is my favourite out of everyone in the cast because she tackles these problematic topics every time she shows up. She makes you think about how society have conditioned its people to act a certain way, that they’ve made us complacent to their bidding. She opposes wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs, informing them of the toxicity of capitalism and the damages it brings about. Her sharp wit and silver tongue plays a huge role in how she brings herself in public Like with every character, Lestari doesn’t forget to show Diva’s vulnerable side but does so in a way that leaves a bittersweet pang in your heart. I feel that Lestari also wrote Diva in order to dismantle sex worker myths and misconceptions that have pervaded Indonesian culture.
To conclude, Kesatria, Putri, & Bintang Jatuh is a highly-introspective book that examines human behaviour with bouts and bouts of philosophy. It treads the line between fiction and reality—almost like meta-fiction but not quite there—and explores the boundaries that come with it. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good reflective piece of fiction mixed in with a heavy dose of tension—be it the sexual kind or the mysterious kind—in their stories. That is if they know how to read Indonesian. I don’t think there’s a translated version out there yet, but maybe one day it’ll happen.
I will say that this book’s both strongest and weakest points is how it blends philosophy with science. Though it is executed brilliantly, to fully take in the intellectual portion of this book it will take several rereads as it tends to get heavy-handed at times. Hell, Lestari didn’t hesitate to hit her readers with scientific theories and philosophical rhetorics four pages in. She even includes a diagram at one point! Lestari also has a tendency to spout on about the many branches of philosophy for pages on end, so this is definitely a potential turn-off for readers. As much I enjoy theorising over numerous philosophical and psychological topics like existentialism, I thought Lestari overdid it. A lot of these musings sound like she’s explaining why certain characters do what they do, as though she’s taking her reader’s hand and leading them through the plot. She doesn’t do so condescendingly, but it disrupts the flow of the story so much that halfway through the book I started skimming.
I will, however, applaud Lestari for making her readers become more critical of their ethics and morals, be it about their own philosophical beliefs to questions that no one thinks of asking themselves. Diva is my favourite out of everyone in the cast because she tackles these problematic topics every time she shows up. She makes you think about how society have conditioned its people to act a certain way, that they’ve made us complacent to their bidding. She opposes wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs, informing them of the toxicity of capitalism and the damages it brings about. Her sharp wit and silver tongue plays a huge role in how she brings herself in public Like with every character, Lestari doesn’t forget to show Diva’s vulnerable side but does so in a way that leaves a bittersweet pang in your heart. I feel that Lestari also wrote Diva in order to dismantle sex worker myths and misconceptions that have pervaded Indonesian culture.
To conclude, Kesatria, Putri, & Bintang Jatuh is a highly-introspective book that examines human behaviour with bouts and bouts of philosophy. It treads the line between fiction and reality—almost like meta-fiction but not quite there—and explores the boundaries that come with it. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good reflective piece of fiction mixed in with a heavy dose of tension—be it the sexual kind or the mysterious kind—in their stories. That is if they know how to read Indonesian. I don’t think there’s a translated version out there yet, but maybe one day it’ll happen.
Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi's The Courage to be Disliked
This is a tough one to review because it’s a self-help book that’s deeply rooted in psychological concepts (Adlerian psychology, to be exact) alongside real-world examples. How does one begin to review a book that’s meant to help people, a book whose content is based on scientific facts and subjective interpretation, where every individual will retain and react to the information contained within it differently? I guess I’ll just start by saying that this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea. I find that self-help books are usually hit-and-miss, but this one hit the bullseye for me.
There are no spoilers to be had. The book, however, has a narrative structure—something I’ve never seen before in a self-help book. The psychological concepts are explained through a dialogue between the characters Youth—a young, insecure individual seeking enlightenment and guidance—and Philosopher—the one whom the Youth has appointed to aid him in his quest. The book discusses many topics relevant to everyday life in the modern age, particularly courage and how one must not concern themselves too much with what others think of them. I won’t go in too deep into the contents of the book, but the gist is that in the age where everyone craves to be approved in any way, shape, and form, we need to have the courage to be disliked in order to be free. As in, freeing one’s self from the pressure of being liked by others and creating ‘horizontal’ relationships (where we treat each other as equals) with others rather than ‘vertical’ ones (where it’s heavily judged based on one’s ‘authority’ over another). That doesn’t mean that we’re free to do whatever we want to our heart’s content, including anything criminal and illegal—we still need to be considerate of others’ feelings and situations, of course. One point that is constantly reinforced throughout the book is how one can always focus on improving themselves, regardless of anyone else’s opinions, because that will always be the main task at hand no matter where you stand in life.
It’s a weird thing to be told this through a book because it’s common sense. Who wants to be disliked or hated? Yet we forget that’s not the be-all-end-all of life. It’s a nice reminder—I definitely needed it. As someone who is a chronic overachiever, always comparing myself to others (often in terms of career, grades, and relationships), this was a much-needed wake-up call. This is your life at the end of the day, after all, which makes you the main character. Everyone is else is simply the supporting cast.
As for the psychological aspect, I thought it was an interesting take. I’ve never taken a psychology class and only have basic knowledge of the subject, so I’ve never heard of Adler before this book. It was fascinating to read about the guy. He was a contemporary of Freud and Jung, but they differ in many ways. Where Freud and Jeung were concerned with the past and results, Adler focused on the present, the process, and purpose. This mindset fits perfectly with the concept of the book because whilst improving one’s self will always involve results, it’s a never-ending process. The journey is what makes the effort worth it. There is always something to be learnt about yourself every day. It never does you any good to get comfortable with your past, especially when it’s used to justify negative behaviour.
I’d recommend it to anyone who seeks to improve themselves without the saccharine words or the optimism that can be grating to some. Not to say that this book is pessimistic. If anything, it’s realistic. It provides multiple examples (not all of which I agree with because it oversimplifies or ignores many real-life situations such as the economy and race relations) that makes the concepts more digestible. Whilst it’s not the heaviest book out there, it’s worth a second read just so the theories really sink in. I’ll certainly pick it up again in the near future.
There are no spoilers to be had. The book, however, has a narrative structure—something I’ve never seen before in a self-help book. The psychological concepts are explained through a dialogue between the characters Youth—a young, insecure individual seeking enlightenment and guidance—and Philosopher—the one whom the Youth has appointed to aid him in his quest. The book discusses many topics relevant to everyday life in the modern age, particularly courage and how one must not concern themselves too much with what others think of them. I won’t go in too deep into the contents of the book, but the gist is that in the age where everyone craves to be approved in any way, shape, and form, we need to have the courage to be disliked in order to be free. As in, freeing one’s self from the pressure of being liked by others and creating ‘horizontal’ relationships (where we treat each other as equals) with others rather than ‘vertical’ ones (where it’s heavily judged based on one’s ‘authority’ over another). That doesn’t mean that we’re free to do whatever we want to our heart’s content, including anything criminal and illegal—we still need to be considerate of others’ feelings and situations, of course. One point that is constantly reinforced throughout the book is how one can always focus on improving themselves, regardless of anyone else’s opinions, because that will always be the main task at hand no matter where you stand in life.
It’s a weird thing to be told this through a book because it’s common sense. Who wants to be disliked or hated? Yet we forget that’s not the be-all-end-all of life. It’s a nice reminder—I definitely needed it. As someone who is a chronic overachiever, always comparing myself to others (often in terms of career, grades, and relationships), this was a much-needed wake-up call. This is your life at the end of the day, after all, which makes you the main character. Everyone is else is simply the supporting cast.
As for the psychological aspect, I thought it was an interesting take. I’ve never taken a psychology class and only have basic knowledge of the subject, so I’ve never heard of Adler before this book. It was fascinating to read about the guy. He was a contemporary of Freud and Jung, but they differ in many ways. Where Freud and Jeung were concerned with the past and results, Adler focused on the present, the process, and purpose. This mindset fits perfectly with the concept of the book because whilst improving one’s self will always involve results, it’s a never-ending process. The journey is what makes the effort worth it. There is always something to be learnt about yourself every day. It never does you any good to get comfortable with your past, especially when it’s used to justify negative behaviour.
I’d recommend it to anyone who seeks to improve themselves without the saccharine words or the optimism that can be grating to some. Not to say that this book is pessimistic. If anything, it’s realistic. It provides multiple examples (not all of which I agree with because it oversimplifies or ignores many real-life situations such as the economy and race relations) that makes the concepts more digestible. Whilst it’s not the heaviest book out there, it’s worth a second read just so the theories really sink in. I’ll certainly pick it up again in the near future.
Various Authors' All Out
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages is a book that I have been dying to get my hands on. I spoke about it frequently with my queer friends (which is basically 3/4 of my friendship groups) and I’ve just been hearing so many good things about it.I love the concept of this anthology. As the introduction said, too many times queer people of varying race and ages have been erased from history. Be it non-fiction or otherwise, even with the nuance or outright boldness a piece of work carries, academics, histories, even majority of the common folk, will insist that it is homogenous to them: straight, white, cis, able-bodied, etc. This anthology strives to rewrite history, in a way, and in doing that, achieved so much more than just tell stories starring queer people front and centre.
All the stories bring something equally new and interesting to the table. They mainly focus on adventure with an element of romance (though not all of them are so). Some stories focus on people questioning who they are, but there is always a positive message attached to it. Each author brings their own style and flair, making reading the anthology an adventure in and of itself. Seeing that queer people have been forgotten and erased for so long, it’s incredibly refreshing to see them interact and live their life in different ways during different parts of history.
One of the main reasons that I rated some stories lower is simply because they move too fast for me. As in, the two characters instantly fall in love with each other or, despite all these stories having an open ending, some feels suddenly cut off before moving on to the next one. Little things like that.
Again, it doesn’t mean that these stories are inherently bad. They are well-written and beautiful in their own right. However, some don’t sit right with me because of who I am. As a panromantic asexual person (more on that in a future post), attraction is a constant tug of war. I can find people attractive right off the bat, but there is that stage of getting to know them, finding common ground, actually hanging out with them, so on so forth, before I can feel attracted to them romantically (if that even happens). There’s more nuance to it than that, but that’s essentially the gist of it. Sexually, simply put, there is nothing. It’s blank, and always has been. In a world where everything is sexual or romance driven, it can be tough for me to navigate. So when I read these stories where the characters just fling themselves onto each other, there is that disconnect where I can sympathise and understand why they would do that, but unfortunately can’t relate to.
I was also hoping there would be more stories where the ‘invisible three’—bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality—would be visibly represented and that the stories would span more than just America and Europe. Whilst there was racial representation, I would’ve loved to see some set in, say, Asia or Africa.
I don’t want to seem like I’m asking too much.I’m grateful that this anthology exists for those who seek refuge in fiction. Back when I was still coming to terms with my sexuality—once when I was seventeen and second time just on the cusp of turning twenty-one—a book like this would’ve helped me out massively. The fact that we have an LGBTQ+-centred story in an ever-progressing world is already more that I could’ve asked for.
All the stories bring something equally new and interesting to the table. They mainly focus on adventure with an element of romance (though not all of them are so). Some stories focus on people questioning who they are, but there is always a positive message attached to it. Each author brings their own style and flair, making reading the anthology an adventure in and of itself. Seeing that queer people have been forgotten and erased for so long, it’s incredibly refreshing to see them interact and live their life in different ways during different parts of history.
One of the main reasons that I rated some stories lower is simply because they move too fast for me. As in, the two characters instantly fall in love with each other or, despite all these stories having an open ending, some feels suddenly cut off before moving on to the next one. Little things like that.
Again, it doesn’t mean that these stories are inherently bad. They are well-written and beautiful in their own right. However, some don’t sit right with me because of who I am. As a panromantic asexual person (more on that in a future post), attraction is a constant tug of war. I can find people attractive right off the bat, but there is that stage of getting to know them, finding common ground, actually hanging out with them, so on so forth, before I can feel attracted to them romantically (if that even happens). There’s more nuance to it than that, but that’s essentially the gist of it. Sexually, simply put, there is nothing. It’s blank, and always has been. In a world where everything is sexual or romance driven, it can be tough for me to navigate. So when I read these stories where the characters just fling themselves onto each other, there is that disconnect where I can sympathise and understand why they would do that, but unfortunately can’t relate to.
I was also hoping there would be more stories where the ‘invisible three’—bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality—would be visibly represented and that the stories would span more than just America and Europe. Whilst there was racial representation, I would’ve loved to see some set in, say, Asia or Africa.
I don’t want to seem like I’m asking too much.I’m grateful that this anthology exists for those who seek refuge in fiction. Back when I was still coming to terms with my sexuality—once when I was seventeen and second time just on the cusp of turning twenty-one—a book like this would’ve helped me out massively. The fact that we have an LGBTQ+-centred story in an ever-progressing world is already more that I could’ve asked for.
Brom's The Child Thief
The Child Thief is a gothic, horror retelling of Peter Pan and its premise is fairly straightforward. As the title says, Peter goes around ‘the world of men-kind’ rescuing children, usually those who are in their early teenage years, from their traumatic, abusive lives and takes them to Avalon. He convinces them that they have a purpose, a life far grander than the one they’ve been dealt with since birth. And they believe him, hook, line, and sinker. Little does everyone know, Peter’s ulterior motive may prove to be darker and gorier than he lets on.
I love that this book connects the characters with the readers right from the get go, even though it’s written in third person. Brom makes their emotions clear on the page; you’re either on their side or you’re not. Obviously, like real life, the characters’ morals tend to be grey at best and absolutely pitch black at worst—particularly the villains (more on that later)—but you can’t help but sympathise as soon as you read about them.
I was a bit skeptical with the book sharing multiple point of views—starting off with Peter and a boy called Nick, followed by The Captain and others. In my experience, multiple perspectives becomes a bit confusing to follow after a while as each character’s tone start to overlap each other. Fortunately, the third person helps with that. The fact that each characters’ motives has been established before introducing new POVs also proves to be beneficial for separating their voice.
I’ll be focusing more on Peter and Nick’s stories here. These two boys are the ones readers will be, well, reading about most. They balance each other out and help keep the plot from veering too much in a certain, less savoury direction—wherein it gets too gory and confusing. I have to say, however, that I prefer Nick’s iteration of events as his story is linear and easier to follow through. Nick is new to Avalon, just as the readers are. Everything he takes in for the first time, we do to. We tend to agree with his thoughts and emotions, particularly when it comes to fear, anger and betrayal. Peter’s perspective is quite different. While we hear more about the big picture through Nick, Peter introduces us to the nitty-gritty of it all. His story seesaws back and forth between past and present as a means to lead the readers into the darker side of Avalon and ‘men-kind’. In short, it’s brutal and traumatising. If blood and gore makes you queasy or weak in the knees, than this book may not be for you. Whilst Peter’s story is necessary for a more intricate world building and makes for a highly interesting read, it ‘infodumps’ the readers and slows down the plot, especially in the first half.
There’s a good mix of characters in this book. Diversity is always a good plus—there are reasons for why and how it’s presented but it didn’t feel like Brom was forcing it in just for the sake of it. Again, everyone’s morals lean towards the grey side—unless stated otherwise—and though we may not always truly understand why or how they act a certain way, there is always room to sympathise. My one issue with the characters is that Brom would occasionally kill of an extremely minor character to make up for a body count—I feel no sympathy for them because I don’t know who they are. Having said that, Brom also has no problem killing off major characters, either, and that makes for a more emotional read. Everyone’s characterisation and development remains consistent, even as the plot hastens and thickens with each passing event. No one’s motives is clear until halfway through the second half and makes for a good mystery.
I also like how Brom puts a spin on the villains. The iconic captain is no more the villain in this book than he is a middleman. I feel like he was only hinted as such to ascribe familiarity to the original work. With every passing chapter, the more we learn of Avalon and its inhabitants. The more we learn, the more we realise that the true villainy is hatred and ignorance. At least half the cast is victim to this, even the minor ones. Everyone is fighting for the same cause, but they are blind to their emotions and fear and act brazenly upon them.
I will say that there are some inconsistencies with some characters, but it’s less about their characterisation and more about how people act in general. For instance, young Peter is six and has limited knowledge of the world. Granted, he is no ordinary child, but he has a tendency to notice and describe things in a way that, say, a grown up would despite not knowing basic things like what a queen is. Another thing I had an issue with is that, whilst this is meant to be a more adult retelling of Peter Pan, there was absolutely no need to make it as rape-y as it is. There are many, many ways of describing how despicable a character is without having to resort to that. Those things stood out to me the most and detracted me from the story somewhat.
The Child Thief makes for a highly captivating read if you are into adult fairy tale retellings. Brom blens fiction with reality cleverly, easing in the readers to the world of magic and violence whilst also surprising them at every turn. It’s both a plot and character-driven story, though be warned it is slow at times. Having said that, it will leave you breathless on the edge of your seat up to the very last chapter.
I love that this book connects the characters with the readers right from the get go, even though it’s written in third person. Brom makes their emotions clear on the page; you’re either on their side or you’re not. Obviously, like real life, the characters’ morals tend to be grey at best and absolutely pitch black at worst—particularly the villains (more on that later)—but you can’t help but sympathise as soon as you read about them.
I was a bit skeptical with the book sharing multiple point of views—starting off with Peter and a boy called Nick, followed by The Captain and others. In my experience, multiple perspectives becomes a bit confusing to follow after a while as each character’s tone start to overlap each other. Fortunately, the third person helps with that. The fact that each characters’ motives has been established before introducing new POVs also proves to be beneficial for separating their voice.
I’ll be focusing more on Peter and Nick’s stories here. These two boys are the ones readers will be, well, reading about most. They balance each other out and help keep the plot from veering too much in a certain, less savoury direction—wherein it gets too gory and confusing. I have to say, however, that I prefer Nick’s iteration of events as his story is linear and easier to follow through. Nick is new to Avalon, just as the readers are. Everything he takes in for the first time, we do to. We tend to agree with his thoughts and emotions, particularly when it comes to fear, anger and betrayal. Peter’s perspective is quite different. While we hear more about the big picture through Nick, Peter introduces us to the nitty-gritty of it all. His story seesaws back and forth between past and present as a means to lead the readers into the darker side of Avalon and ‘men-kind’. In short, it’s brutal and traumatising. If blood and gore makes you queasy or weak in the knees, than this book may not be for you. Whilst Peter’s story is necessary for a more intricate world building and makes for a highly interesting read, it ‘infodumps’ the readers and slows down the plot, especially in the first half.
There’s a good mix of characters in this book. Diversity is always a good plus—there are reasons for why and how it’s presented but it didn’t feel like Brom was forcing it in just for the sake of it. Again, everyone’s morals lean towards the grey side—unless stated otherwise—and though we may not always truly understand why or how they act a certain way, there is always room to sympathise. My one issue with the characters is that Brom would occasionally kill of an extremely minor character to make up for a body count—I feel no sympathy for them because I don’t know who they are. Having said that, Brom also has no problem killing off major characters, either, and that makes for a more emotional read. Everyone’s characterisation and development remains consistent, even as the plot hastens and thickens with each passing event. No one’s motives is clear until halfway through the second half and makes for a good mystery.
I also like how Brom puts a spin on the villains. The iconic captain is no more the villain in this book than he is a middleman. I feel like he was only hinted as such to ascribe familiarity to the original work. With every passing chapter, the more we learn of Avalon and its inhabitants. The more we learn, the more we realise that the true villainy is hatred and ignorance. At least half the cast is victim to this, even the minor ones. Everyone is fighting for the same cause, but they are blind to their emotions and fear and act brazenly upon them.
I will say that there are some inconsistencies with some characters, but it’s less about their characterisation and more about how people act in general. For instance, young Peter is six and has limited knowledge of the world. Granted, he is no ordinary child, but he has a tendency to notice and describe things in a way that, say, a grown up would despite not knowing basic things like what a queen is. Another thing I had an issue with is that, whilst this is meant to be a more adult retelling of Peter Pan, there was absolutely no need to make it as rape-y as it is. There are many, many ways of describing how despicable a character is without having to resort to that. Those things stood out to me the most and detracted me from the story somewhat.
The Child Thief makes for a highly captivating read if you are into adult fairy tale retellings. Brom blens fiction with reality cleverly, easing in the readers to the world of magic and violence whilst also surprising them at every turn. It’s both a plot and character-driven story, though be warned it is slow at times. Having said that, it will leave you breathless on the edge of your seat up to the very last chapter.
Skot Harris' Snapshots at the Fontaine Motel
Snapshots at the Fontaine Motel is a novel about six teenagers—Kelly, Jill, Ford, Matt, Berger, and Fawn—who are inseparable since kindergarten. So inseparable, in fact, that when Berger accidentally murders bully and rapist, Mason, in an act of vigilante justice, they all pile into Berger’s van and drive off to Oklahoma to escape their crimes. With the FBI suddenly hot on their tails and time quickly ticking down, they stop at the Fontaine Motel in the ‘middle of nowhere Oklahoma’ to figure out their next move.
I’ll be honest. If this book wasn’t sent to me by Harris himself, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But it had me from the very first chapter and by the end, I was blown away. It was such a page turner, had me feeling tense and excited with every paragraph.
Despite it being a story about six people, everyone had their own unique personality that sets them apart from the others. There’s no way you could mix them up. Even when the story is told from a few perspectives, you still had a sense of what everyone was like. You really get to know them, feel what they feel, as opposed to just reading what happened to them. You become invested in their each and every one of their stories. And everyone was likeable—even the antagonists at first. Everyone’s relationship with each other felt natural and genuine, which comes with the fact that they’ve all been friends since kindergarten, but that’s besides the point. And even when the relationships develop into something more, it didn’t feel forced at all. Everything flowed and came together as any real life relationships would. I applaud Harris for that because that’s an incredible feat to pull off.
I love the humour in it as well. Sarcasm and witty banter is prevalent, balancing out the more serious topics the story tackles—things like discrimination (with some characters being gay), growing up in abusive households, and actual crime and murder.
Some bits of characterisation, usually through thoughts or internal monologues, slowed down the plot. As in the information may have something related with the situation, but it doesn’t mean that we need to know this about the character at the present moment. I love the addition of pop culture references as well. But I do think it gets a bit heavy-handed on occasions and distracted me from the story a little bit. Also, is the FBI allowed to bring civilians with them during an arrest or any situation of the like? It seems unlikely to me, but I don’t know enough about the FBI or watch enough cop shows to verify this.
I had a feeling there was going to be a twist, that something was off, but even then it still took my by surprise. It was more action-packed than I anticipated (and gorier). Some moments felt like it was written for the movies; I flew through them.
Snapshots at the Fontaine Motel is well-written book with a strong premise, brilliant execution, and a lovely, hopeful message at the end. It was true to life and you can’t help but sympathise with the characters. The action and humour complements the more serious subjects the book discusses, but doesn’t take away from it whatsoever. I recommend it to those who love action and suspense in their novels.
I’ll be honest. If this book wasn’t sent to me by Harris himself, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But it had me from the very first chapter and by the end, I was blown away. It was such a page turner, had me feeling tense and excited with every paragraph.
Despite it being a story about six people, everyone had their own unique personality that sets them apart from the others. There’s no way you could mix them up. Even when the story is told from a few perspectives, you still had a sense of what everyone was like. You really get to know them, feel what they feel, as opposed to just reading what happened to them. You become invested in their each and every one of their stories. And everyone was likeable—even the antagonists at first. Everyone’s relationship with each other felt natural and genuine, which comes with the fact that they’ve all been friends since kindergarten, but that’s besides the point. And even when the relationships develop into something more, it didn’t feel forced at all. Everything flowed and came together as any real life relationships would. I applaud Harris for that because that’s an incredible feat to pull off.
I love the humour in it as well. Sarcasm and witty banter is prevalent, balancing out the more serious topics the story tackles—things like discrimination (with some characters being gay), growing up in abusive households, and actual crime and murder.
Some bits of characterisation, usually through thoughts or internal monologues, slowed down the plot. As in the information may have something related with the situation, but it doesn’t mean that we need to know this about the character at the present moment. I love the addition of pop culture references as well. But I do think it gets a bit heavy-handed on occasions and distracted me from the story a little bit. Also, is the FBI allowed to bring civilians with them during an arrest or any situation of the like? It seems unlikely to me, but I don’t know enough about the FBI or watch enough cop shows to verify this.
I had a feeling there was going to be a twist, that something was off, but even then it still took my by surprise. It was more action-packed than I anticipated (and gorier). Some moments felt like it was written for the movies; I flew through them.
Snapshots at the Fontaine Motel is well-written book with a strong premise, brilliant execution, and a lovely, hopeful message at the end. It was true to life and you can’t help but sympathise with the characters. The action and humour complements the more serious subjects the book discusses, but doesn’t take away from it whatsoever. I recommend it to those who love action and suspense in their novels.
MOVIE REVIEWS
THE HALF OF IT
‘The Half of It’ features protagonist, Ellie Chu, who runs a business of writing her peers’ essays for a small sum of money. Her life switches gears when Paul, the school jock (more on him later), hires her to ghostwrite love letters to his crush, Aster. The twist—and this is revealed very early on—is that Ellie has a crush on her too.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard of this movie other than it had a queer storyline. I’m all about queer storylines so that alone immediately piqued my interest. However, I was also hesitant because I’ve never been the biggest fan of romance or romcoms—because I thought this movie would be akin to the groundbreaking ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.’ I never wrote a review for it, but the long and short of it is that I liked it more for the Asian-lead representation more than the actual plot. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was actually quite enjoyable. Plus, you know it’s an excellent movie when there’s already high demand for a sequel within twenty-four hours of its release.
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: the romance. This was the main selling point of the movie. A storyline involving budding romance (kind of) between two girls, Ellie and Aster—not to mention that they’re Asian and Latinx respectively. This was one of the more refreshing points of the movie, considering that minority characters are rarely in the spotlight, queer movies or otherwise. Again, I was rather skeptical at first about the romance, but this was categorised as a coming-of-age dramedy rather than the standard rom-com. For the first half of the movie, the two girls only shared one interaction. The rest of that half consisted of Ellie yearning after Aster and Aster being hopelessly clueless about the person she’s texting. I don’t know my romance tropes well, but this was a nice gay twist on the Secret Identity/Loves My Alter Ego trope—albeit frustrating at times. This improved over the second half with more twists to boot. One of the things I appreciated about this movie was how it didn’t just focus on the superficial aspects of love, rather it lets us get to know the characters on a deeper level. Everyone was three-dimensional—Wu doesn’t let up with their quirks and deeper backstories—and their arcs were well thought out. There was never a moment where they relied on stereotypes or even allude to them. The ending wasn’t as happy as I’d expected, but it was realistic and wrapped up the story well.
The movie didn’t start too slowly, but I was worried that it would drag. That was thankfully not the case. They managed to weave a fair number of subplots into the main storyline, all resolved by the end. Besides the romance, director Alice Wu also tells us the story of the highs and lows of living as immigrants in a small town and the many growing pains of growing up. Unfortunately, despite them being two hugely important subplots of the movie, I can't comment on the portrayals of Asian diaspora and being a first-generation immigrant as I'm not qualified to speak on those experiences. I have heard from other reviewers with similar experiences, however, that Wu represented these phenomenons quite poignantly and realistically.
My other favourite part of the movie is Paul. I wasn’t expecting a character like Paul to be a part of the main cast, let alone have his friendship with Ellie blossom the way it did. As soon as he made his mark on the movie, he quickly became my favourite. I love that this movie doesn’t shy away from showing platonic relationships between men and women, realistically and respectfully. All too often we’re force-fed an unnecessary romantic relationship between men and women purely because they’re within proximity of each other, so this was a refreshing breath of air. I’m also a sucker for male characters who are openly emotional. His seriousness balanced out his usual dopey self.
Overall, this was a brilliant movie from start to finish. I appreciated that this movie was brave enough to poke holes in all too common—oftentimes harmful—romantic tropes and gave them a fresh, queer twist. Moments such as the struggles of immigrating to a new (narrow-minded) country and friendly relationships between men and women give this movie its unique colour, both essential to the overall story and for the future of cinema.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard of this movie other than it had a queer storyline. I’m all about queer storylines so that alone immediately piqued my interest. However, I was also hesitant because I’ve never been the biggest fan of romance or romcoms—because I thought this movie would be akin to the groundbreaking ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.’ I never wrote a review for it, but the long and short of it is that I liked it more for the Asian-lead representation more than the actual plot. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was actually quite enjoyable. Plus, you know it’s an excellent movie when there’s already high demand for a sequel within twenty-four hours of its release.
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: the romance. This was the main selling point of the movie. A storyline involving budding romance (kind of) between two girls, Ellie and Aster—not to mention that they’re Asian and Latinx respectively. This was one of the more refreshing points of the movie, considering that minority characters are rarely in the spotlight, queer movies or otherwise. Again, I was rather skeptical at first about the romance, but this was categorised as a coming-of-age dramedy rather than the standard rom-com. For the first half of the movie, the two girls only shared one interaction. The rest of that half consisted of Ellie yearning after Aster and Aster being hopelessly clueless about the person she’s texting. I don’t know my romance tropes well, but this was a nice gay twist on the Secret Identity/Loves My Alter Ego trope—albeit frustrating at times. This improved over the second half with more twists to boot. One of the things I appreciated about this movie was how it didn’t just focus on the superficial aspects of love, rather it lets us get to know the characters on a deeper level. Everyone was three-dimensional—Wu doesn’t let up with their quirks and deeper backstories—and their arcs were well thought out. There was never a moment where they relied on stereotypes or even allude to them. The ending wasn’t as happy as I’d expected, but it was realistic and wrapped up the story well.
The movie didn’t start too slowly, but I was worried that it would drag. That was thankfully not the case. They managed to weave a fair number of subplots into the main storyline, all resolved by the end. Besides the romance, director Alice Wu also tells us the story of the highs and lows of living as immigrants in a small town and the many growing pains of growing up. Unfortunately, despite them being two hugely important subplots of the movie, I can't comment on the portrayals of Asian diaspora and being a first-generation immigrant as I'm not qualified to speak on those experiences. I have heard from other reviewers with similar experiences, however, that Wu represented these phenomenons quite poignantly and realistically.
My other favourite part of the movie is Paul. I wasn’t expecting a character like Paul to be a part of the main cast, let alone have his friendship with Ellie blossom the way it did. As soon as he made his mark on the movie, he quickly became my favourite. I love that this movie doesn’t shy away from showing platonic relationships between men and women, realistically and respectfully. All too often we’re force-fed an unnecessary romantic relationship between men and women purely because they’re within proximity of each other, so this was a refreshing breath of air. I’m also a sucker for male characters who are openly emotional. His seriousness balanced out his usual dopey self.
Overall, this was a brilliant movie from start to finish. I appreciated that this movie was brave enough to poke holes in all too common—oftentimes harmful—romantic tropes and gave them a fresh, queer twist. Moments such as the struggles of immigrating to a new (narrow-minded) country and friendly relationships between men and women give this movie its unique colour, both essential to the overall story and for the future of cinema.
YOUR NAME (KIMI NO NA WA)
'Your Name' is a Japanese animated movie surrounding the fate of high schoolers Mitsuha, who wants much more than her provincial life, and Taki, a privileged boy living in downtown Tokyo. The two start of as complete strangers living their individual lives—until they suddenly switch places. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen and they build a connection by leaving notes and messages. But, try as they might, something more daunting than distance prevents them from ever meeting.
This movie doesn’t sound like my cup of tea when I first heard of it—which is why I put off watching it for so long. But I’m glad I finally got around to it because it’s now one of my favourite animated movies of all time. It has elements that makes Ghibli what it is—thoroughly charming and comical combined with a heavy dose of fantasy and science fiction—but with a modern twist. The body switching phenomenon was played out so smoothly—you could easily tell who was in whose body a majority of the time—and it could easily have been played for laughs. There were so many chances for it to cross into adolescent pervertedness territory. But director Makoto Shinaki stirs the pot and subverts the story in other creative ways without ever confusing the audience.
The art style is absolutely gorgeous what with the photo-realist views of Taki’s urban Tokyo life contrasting the picturesque hues of Mitsuha’s lakeside home. The sound design is incredibly immersive and atmospheric; it blends classic instruments with J-Pop, creating a beautiful fusion of The animation is all hand-drawn—which makes the movie all the more impressive as everything looks so clean and detailed, it may as well be rendered. The pacing shifts from comedy to tragedy to romance and back again all in a blink of an eye but is cleverly done and leaves audience on the edge of their seat. Even though the movie was marketed as a romance, it doesn’t make it the central theme. It bypasses the familiarity of the romance genre and settles for subtlety in order to explore something much more intimate and strange.
'Your Name' is the absolute very best kind of crowdpleaser, the kind that genuinely does seem to have a little something for everyone. It’s a gripping story about fate, time, dreams and desire—simple in concept but grows in depth and complexity as it goes on. “Treasure the experience. Dreams fade away after you wake up,” is what Mitsuha’s grandma says at one point. Not with this movie. It will be left lingering in your mind long after it’s over.
This movie doesn’t sound like my cup of tea when I first heard of it—which is why I put off watching it for so long. But I’m glad I finally got around to it because it’s now one of my favourite animated movies of all time. It has elements that makes Ghibli what it is—thoroughly charming and comical combined with a heavy dose of fantasy and science fiction—but with a modern twist. The body switching phenomenon was played out so smoothly—you could easily tell who was in whose body a majority of the time—and it could easily have been played for laughs. There were so many chances for it to cross into adolescent pervertedness territory. But director Makoto Shinaki stirs the pot and subverts the story in other creative ways without ever confusing the audience.
The art style is absolutely gorgeous what with the photo-realist views of Taki’s urban Tokyo life contrasting the picturesque hues of Mitsuha’s lakeside home. The sound design is incredibly immersive and atmospheric; it blends classic instruments with J-Pop, creating a beautiful fusion of The animation is all hand-drawn—which makes the movie all the more impressive as everything looks so clean and detailed, it may as well be rendered. The pacing shifts from comedy to tragedy to romance and back again all in a blink of an eye but is cleverly done and leaves audience on the edge of their seat. Even though the movie was marketed as a romance, it doesn’t make it the central theme. It bypasses the familiarity of the romance genre and settles for subtlety in order to explore something much more intimate and strange.
'Your Name' is the absolute very best kind of crowdpleaser, the kind that genuinely does seem to have a little something for everyone. It’s a gripping story about fate, time, dreams and desire—simple in concept but grows in depth and complexity as it goes on. “Treasure the experience. Dreams fade away after you wake up,” is what Mitsuha’s grandma says at one point. Not with this movie. It will be left lingering in your mind long after it’s over.
MOONLIGHT
Moonlight is a coming-of-age story about a gay black man, focusing on three different stages of his life, chaptered by his many names: Little (childhood), Chiron (adolescent, also his real name) and Black (adulthood). The movie explores the difficulties he faces with his own sexuality and identity, including the physical, psychological and emotional abuse he receives as a result of it. It’s based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. It’s also the first LGBT film with an all-black cast.
I’m having a hard time reviewing this movie. Not because it’s terrible. It anything, it’s the complete opposite of it. But because coming-of-age stories don’t necessarily have a plot, so I don’t have much to latch on to and talk about. I’m struggling to talk about it as a whole, too, because there are so many themes and sequences. There is no pinning down this movie, but I’ll try, anyway.
It’s rare to see three different actors depict a single life so convincingly, yet it all checks out. The overall narrative arc, however, is initiated and ultimately held together by Juan, a drug dealer with a fatherly side. He protects Little when he sees him get bullied and provides food, comfort, support. The scene in which Juan teaches Little how to swim is reminiscent to a baptism, which carries a strong message on its own. Juan’s relationship with Little, however, is a painful and ironic one because whilst he cares a lot for Little, he is the sole reason behind why Little’s mum hasn’t been around for him.
Love, sex, survival and parental figures are, I would say, the main themes of this movie and there is much to discuss. Though each theme is portrayed in different lights, all carry the same weight and impact on the audience and all of them are highly relevant as well. There is an array of visually ravishing dream sequences, almost like kaleidoscopes. Depending on Chiron’s state of mind, a lot of the scenes feel a lot like hallucinations, yet it doesn’t detract from the movie overall.
The fluidity of each scene makes it all the more cinematically gorgeous. For a movie that depicts a lot of violence and harassment, there is a subtleness and softness to it around the edges that draws you in—like a small flame amidst chaos.
'Moonlight' is a film about masculinity conditioned by race, sexuality and social standing. It’s what a lot of people call a ‘genre-defying’ movie and, for multiple reasons, it’s hard to disagree. From the casting to its overarching themes, this movie delivers a poignant story that starts of strong and finishes with a graceful bow. It’s rare to see three different actors depict a single life so convincingly, yet it all checks out. It’s heart-rendering as much as it is evocative and hopeful. That combined with its sheer drama makes this a monumental tale that audiences can empathise with.
I’m having a hard time reviewing this movie. Not because it’s terrible. It anything, it’s the complete opposite of it. But because coming-of-age stories don’t necessarily have a plot, so I don’t have much to latch on to and talk about. I’m struggling to talk about it as a whole, too, because there are so many themes and sequences. There is no pinning down this movie, but I’ll try, anyway.
It’s rare to see three different actors depict a single life so convincingly, yet it all checks out. The overall narrative arc, however, is initiated and ultimately held together by Juan, a drug dealer with a fatherly side. He protects Little when he sees him get bullied and provides food, comfort, support. The scene in which Juan teaches Little how to swim is reminiscent to a baptism, which carries a strong message on its own. Juan’s relationship with Little, however, is a painful and ironic one because whilst he cares a lot for Little, he is the sole reason behind why Little’s mum hasn’t been around for him.
Love, sex, survival and parental figures are, I would say, the main themes of this movie and there is much to discuss. Though each theme is portrayed in different lights, all carry the same weight and impact on the audience and all of them are highly relevant as well. There is an array of visually ravishing dream sequences, almost like kaleidoscopes. Depending on Chiron’s state of mind, a lot of the scenes feel a lot like hallucinations, yet it doesn’t detract from the movie overall.
The fluidity of each scene makes it all the more cinematically gorgeous. For a movie that depicts a lot of violence and harassment, there is a subtleness and softness to it around the edges that draws you in—like a small flame amidst chaos.
'Moonlight' is a film about masculinity conditioned by race, sexuality and social standing. It’s what a lot of people call a ‘genre-defying’ movie and, for multiple reasons, it’s hard to disagree. From the casting to its overarching themes, this movie delivers a poignant story that starts of strong and finishes with a graceful bow. It’s rare to see three different actors depict a single life so convincingly, yet it all checks out. It’s heart-rendering as much as it is evocative and hopeful. That combined with its sheer drama makes this a monumental tale that audiences can empathise with.
VIDEO GAME REVIEWS
NIGHT IN THE WOODS
Taken from the official website, 'Night in the Woods' tells the tale of college dropout Mae Borowski, who returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs seeking to resume her aimless former life and reconnect with the friends she left behind. But things aren’t the same. Home seems different now and her friends have grown and changed. Leaves are falling and the wind is growing colder. Strange things are happening as the light fades. And there’s something in the woods.
I think what this game has got going for it are its characters and its humour. The characters are all damaged in different but believable ways and have more heart and depth than a lot of video game characters I have seen as of late. The protagonist, Mae, is quick-witted and silver-tongued. Her sarcasm and cynicalness often brings a laugh out of me. The dialogue and relationships were well-written and made me feel closer to Mae as well as the people she surrounds herself with. But what struck me most was the fact that her character and I are both people who are stuck in the gap between childhood and adulthood, who are still trying to find their way and purpose in life, and so a lot of the jokes that Mae cracks also hit home for me. In fact, I think this is just Mae’s way of crying for help.
This game is unafraid to embrace a wealth of issues that young people face in their daily lives, too. Over the course of the game, Mae will attend parties and band practice and, like any other teenager, find herself either in the wrong place at the wrong time or deliberately (and recklessly) throwing herself into trouble. But this game also tackles topical subjects like depression, anxiety, moving on, and even some of the darker things that a lot of people are often morbidly fascinated in but can’t find the courage or words to talk about such as existentialism and the nature of God.
My main gripe with this game is how much it seems to amble. Sure, it was like taking a pleasant walk around a rural town in the midst of autumn. It’s beautiful and serene as all heck. Mae was constantly chatting up her friends as well as the (surprisingly) well-realised denizens of Possum Springs. But to get to the meat of things, boy, are you in for a long wait. The mini games are perfectly fun in its own way, but getting around the world often slows down the pace of the game—more so than it already is.
Simply put, though, 'Night in the Woods' is a unique breath of fresh air, woven from small scenes between friends enjoying each other’s companies, healing and hurting, reconciling and moving on form the past. It delivers a powerful message that resonated with me in ways I wasn’t expecting or prepared for and it was an experience I won’t be forgetting in a long time.
I think what this game has got going for it are its characters and its humour. The characters are all damaged in different but believable ways and have more heart and depth than a lot of video game characters I have seen as of late. The protagonist, Mae, is quick-witted and silver-tongued. Her sarcasm and cynicalness often brings a laugh out of me. The dialogue and relationships were well-written and made me feel closer to Mae as well as the people she surrounds herself with. But what struck me most was the fact that her character and I are both people who are stuck in the gap between childhood and adulthood, who are still trying to find their way and purpose in life, and so a lot of the jokes that Mae cracks also hit home for me. In fact, I think this is just Mae’s way of crying for help.
This game is unafraid to embrace a wealth of issues that young people face in their daily lives, too. Over the course of the game, Mae will attend parties and band practice and, like any other teenager, find herself either in the wrong place at the wrong time or deliberately (and recklessly) throwing herself into trouble. But this game also tackles topical subjects like depression, anxiety, moving on, and even some of the darker things that a lot of people are often morbidly fascinated in but can’t find the courage or words to talk about such as existentialism and the nature of God.
My main gripe with this game is how much it seems to amble. Sure, it was like taking a pleasant walk around a rural town in the midst of autumn. It’s beautiful and serene as all heck. Mae was constantly chatting up her friends as well as the (surprisingly) well-realised denizens of Possum Springs. But to get to the meat of things, boy, are you in for a long wait. The mini games are perfectly fun in its own way, but getting around the world often slows down the pace of the game—more so than it already is.
Simply put, though, 'Night in the Woods' is a unique breath of fresh air, woven from small scenes between friends enjoying each other’s companies, healing and hurting, reconciling and moving on form the past. It delivers a powerful message that resonated with me in ways I wasn’t expecting or prepared for and it was an experience I won’t be forgetting in a long time.
ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST
‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ is a single-player platform fantasy adventure video game, that tells the tale of Ori, a forest guardian, and its partner Sein, a forest spirit. Simply put, their job is to traverse through different areas of the forest and restore the elements of Water, Wind, and Warmth in order to bring back balance in the land of Nibel. Along the way, Ori will gain new powers that will help it navigate the forest and will have to defeat Kuro (the villainess and the main reason behind the devastation of the forest) and other corrupted spirits and obstacles, as well as befriend other forest dwellers in order to gain their trust and aid.
I have to admit, initially, the gameplay nor the premise sold this game for me, as I’m not a huge fan of platform games—it was the soundtrack and the graphics (which were both showcased during the menu); they were insanely gorgeous and emotionally captivating, and it helped that one of my favourite singers did most of the vocals in the soundtrack and provided the voice for Sein as well. But I soon found out that the developers wasted no time getting to the meat of things—by the first ten minutes, players would have already been subjected to an emotional rollercoaster of family, friendship, love, loss, and loneliness—and I was instantly hooked from then on. The rest of the game follows Ori’s journey through the forest multiple challenging yet unique tasks that Ori must complete in order to move forward.
I love how every character was created in an anthropomorphic fashion and so have their own distinct personalities and traits. My favourite character has to be Naru, Ori’s mother figure. She doesn’t show up much in the game, but for every scene she’s in, she just wins my heart over and over with her compassion, selflessness, and conditional love for Ori. I did think Ori’s characterisation was lacking, but I didn’t mind it much as I assumed Ori was meant to be a ‘blank slate’ so that players could, in a sense, step into Ori’s shoes and enjoy the game in its entirety.
I appreciated how the forest was constructed—it’s massive, intricately designed, with lots of hidden areas (which may or may not be found, depending on a) how keen the players are and/or b) how many power ups they have collected so far) with multiple different threats in different areas, which provided a variety of obstacles for the players to pass through. I thought it really helped with the immersion process and the developers made sure that the world building was put to full-effect because of this. My favourite bit was the water area, as not only was it the least confusing one to navigate (which isn’t saying much when it comes to me), but the soundtrack played during the final scene in it was my favourite one as well, so it was a double win for me. My only problem was that navigating the forest took up a lot of my time and a lot of the game required a lot of running back and forth between areas, so that often times frustrated me.
‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ is a gorgeous game with a riveting plot and fantastic world building and characterisation. The forest design, the character dynamics, the different stages and challenges, as well as the many, many chilling scenes, accompanied by the emotionally harrowing and/or adrenaline-rushing soundtrack, will surely win the hearts of many.
I have to admit, initially, the gameplay nor the premise sold this game for me, as I’m not a huge fan of platform games—it was the soundtrack and the graphics (which were both showcased during the menu); they were insanely gorgeous and emotionally captivating, and it helped that one of my favourite singers did most of the vocals in the soundtrack and provided the voice for Sein as well. But I soon found out that the developers wasted no time getting to the meat of things—by the first ten minutes, players would have already been subjected to an emotional rollercoaster of family, friendship, love, loss, and loneliness—and I was instantly hooked from then on. The rest of the game follows Ori’s journey through the forest multiple challenging yet unique tasks that Ori must complete in order to move forward.
I love how every character was created in an anthropomorphic fashion and so have their own distinct personalities and traits. My favourite character has to be Naru, Ori’s mother figure. She doesn’t show up much in the game, but for every scene she’s in, she just wins my heart over and over with her compassion, selflessness, and conditional love for Ori. I did think Ori’s characterisation was lacking, but I didn’t mind it much as I assumed Ori was meant to be a ‘blank slate’ so that players could, in a sense, step into Ori’s shoes and enjoy the game in its entirety.
I appreciated how the forest was constructed—it’s massive, intricately designed, with lots of hidden areas (which may or may not be found, depending on a) how keen the players are and/or b) how many power ups they have collected so far) with multiple different threats in different areas, which provided a variety of obstacles for the players to pass through. I thought it really helped with the immersion process and the developers made sure that the world building was put to full-effect because of this. My favourite bit was the water area, as not only was it the least confusing one to navigate (which isn’t saying much when it comes to me), but the soundtrack played during the final scene in it was my favourite one as well, so it was a double win for me. My only problem was that navigating the forest took up a lot of my time and a lot of the game required a lot of running back and forth between areas, so that often times frustrated me.
‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ is a gorgeous game with a riveting plot and fantastic world building and characterisation. The forest design, the character dynamics, the different stages and challenges, as well as the many, many chilling scenes, accompanied by the emotionally harrowing and/or adrenaline-rushing soundtrack, will surely win the hearts of many.
DEPRESSION QUEST
‘Depression Quest’ is an interactive game developed by Zoë Quinn and written by Patrick Lindsey. It deals with the subject of depression—hence the title of this game—and revolves around a simple, text-based choice gameplay. Much like a multiple choice quiz, but with no right or wrong answers. You control an unnamed character and are given a series of every day task: work, relationships, self care, etc. You decide how said character will deal with their deteriorating mental state. To quote from the game’s official website, “this game aims to show other sufferers of depression that they are not alone and to illustrate to people who may not understand the illness the depths of what it can do to people.”
As much as I love good storytelling through video games, I’m glad that there are games like this that tackles depression just as it is. However, I understand that this game may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Everyone’s experience with depression, especially taking into consideration their personal lives and experiences, are different. This game only shows one side of these experiences. An interesting feature of this game is that on the bottom of the screen, a panel reveals the character’s condition. The most common one that showed up in my gaming experience is ‘chronic depression’, but there are other possibilities depending on how one plays the game. Depending on the choices the player makes, there will be different outcomes. In total there are five different endings. When playing it, I got the ending in which the character continues to live their lives but their condition worsens as time wears on.
Unlike most choice-based games, the longer the game goes on, the more choices will be eliminated—with a strikethrough to indicate that it isn’t an option, even though it’s possibly the best one for the character. When talking about the relationship with the character’s partner, the player is given the choices to either break up, talk things through and give the relationship another chance, or to succumb to self-doubt and self-loath. Obviously, the best way to go is communication, but that option is made unavailable. This is both enlightening and frustrating because it opens the player up to the gritty reality of depression—that while the right choice is in front of you, depression skews one’s perception of reality and prevents one from taking that positive step forward.
‘Depression Quest’ is a simple, cleverly-made game that reveals the player the hidden side of the mental illness. Its gameplay, as infuriating as it may be sometimes due to the choices, makes it a lot easier for people to grasp the reality of the situation. I recommend this game to those who would like to step into the shoes of the depressed and those who would like to understand it a bit more.
As much as I love good storytelling through video games, I’m glad that there are games like this that tackles depression just as it is. However, I understand that this game may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Everyone’s experience with depression, especially taking into consideration their personal lives and experiences, are different. This game only shows one side of these experiences. An interesting feature of this game is that on the bottom of the screen, a panel reveals the character’s condition. The most common one that showed up in my gaming experience is ‘chronic depression’, but there are other possibilities depending on how one plays the game. Depending on the choices the player makes, there will be different outcomes. In total there are five different endings. When playing it, I got the ending in which the character continues to live their lives but their condition worsens as time wears on.
Unlike most choice-based games, the longer the game goes on, the more choices will be eliminated—with a strikethrough to indicate that it isn’t an option, even though it’s possibly the best one for the character. When talking about the relationship with the character’s partner, the player is given the choices to either break up, talk things through and give the relationship another chance, or to succumb to self-doubt and self-loath. Obviously, the best way to go is communication, but that option is made unavailable. This is both enlightening and frustrating because it opens the player up to the gritty reality of depression—that while the right choice is in front of you, depression skews one’s perception of reality and prevents one from taking that positive step forward.
‘Depression Quest’ is a simple, cleverly-made game that reveals the player the hidden side of the mental illness. Its gameplay, as infuriating as it may be sometimes due to the choices, makes it a lot easier for people to grasp the reality of the situation. I recommend this game to those who would like to step into the shoes of the depressed and those who would like to understand it a bit more.