Paper Towns brief review

First two edition covers of Paper Town

"Paper Towns" was a delightfully good story about teens finding themselves. It wasn't too angsty, but at the same time it wasn't too overly optimistic about life that makes your brain melt into liquid rainbow.

The story takes place in a suburban area in Orlando, Florida where the two main characters Quentin Jacobson and Margo Roth Spiegelman live. Quentin, or Q as his friends refer to him, is a quiet and somewhat distant while Margo is the queen of her highschool. The two were neighbors and childhood friends but become distant as they grew older. Aside from these two, we also have Ben Starling, Q's best friend and Marcus "Radar" Lincoln, Q's other best from. Further in the story, you will meet Lacey Pemberton. She's been Margo's friend since kindergarten. One night, while Q was preparing to go to sleep, Margo knocked on his room window. Margo told Q that he was her ride and that they would go around town pulling pranks. At first Q was reluctant but he eventually gave in. And as Q drove Margo around in his mother's minivan, their adventure began.

"Paper Towns" is divided into three different parts: The String, The Grass and The Vessel. Each represents the metaphor within its part. The word "paper town" means a fake location which a mapmaker put in a map so no one can copy it. It's also known as a copyright trap. John Green encountered one such paper during his trip to New York in his junior college year.

As a big fan of the vlogbrothers, I came to know of John Green and his occupation as a writer. The first book of his that I read was "The Fault In Our Stars". I didn't like it that much because it was too sentimental for my taste. But I decided to continue reading more of John's literature and pick up another of his work, called "Paper Towns". It was entirely different from "The Fault In Our Stars" except for it still being a teen love story. It was easier to digest because not only does it contain romance, but it also has other elements like mystery, adventure, coming-of-age,...The book is a perfect mix that will keep your interest even if you aren't a teen romance. It reminds me of my highschool life, not the kind that I had but the kind that I should have had. It was interesting to see Q slowly coming out of his shell, to see him as something different while finding out who Margo truly was. From the beginning to the end, it felt like I was inside the story, reliving every single moment through the writing of John Green. The book will make you laugh, the book will make you think about life and the book will make you see yourself as a person much clearer.

It is definitely a must read. Even though this is advertised as a young adult novel, I'm sure adults will find this book pleasant as well
Score: 8.5/10



P/s: Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything here, which is terrible considering I want to be a writer and yet I didn't even write anything here on this site. But don't worry, as the new year comes so will the new me. I'll be more diligent when it comes to this blog
'Tis not abandoned   

I'm really sorry for the delay. It's been some tough weeks because of classes (I'm still in college if anyone doesn't know). Anyway, i'm going to begin my review now and i swear this sort of thing will never happen again. Okay, without stalling any longer, let's begin

Synopsis

The father of high school student, Katsuragi Yako, has been brutally murdered. The incident filled with mysteries drives Yako's daily life into confusion... As the investigation progresses slowly, a man named Nougami Neuro appears before Yako saying that he wants to eat the ultimate "riddle"...!

The Demon Neuro has a raging hunger for ‘mysteries.’ Being dissatisfied with his current regime in hell, he’s come into the mortal realm in order to satiate his ever-growing appetite. The murder case of a young girl’s father seems to be sufficiently enticing for the Demon’s needs... But what else might happen between these two? (source: mangafox)

Story

First of all, let me just say this is one of the best manga i've ever read. I never expected myself to get into the manga that much but somehow it took me by surprise. The more i read, the more i crave, so much that it only took me about a day to finish the second half of the manga. 

Detective manga in Japan are popular. There are several examples of good manga for this genre such as Kindaichi's Case File, Detective Conan, Detective School Q, etc... So in order to not get buried by these giants, what makes Neuro stand out? Of course, It's the story that makes Neuro that good. For a detective manga, it's very unique and sort of out-of-this-world (and if you consider Neuro's case, it might really be out of this world). It somehow perfectly blends the detective genre with other flavors like horror, comedy, mystery and tragedy (though i would say it emphasizes more on the horror elements) 

And to make things better, the flow of the story is very fluid. I can say that Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro is the only manga that has no "filler" at all. Every chapter in the manga means something and is not just there because the author runs out of story to tell. What i like is that the author usually brings up old stories and characters from past chapters so we don't have to turn back and read them

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, even though it's a cocktail of many genres, at its core still is a detective manga. And what makes a detective manga good? It's the crime solving. This part, however, i have to say is the weakest. The crime solving in the manga happens too fast. Sometimes, it's difficult for me to really understand how everything works just because the explanation goes too fast. And the crimes in this manga are really "imaginative" to the point that it makes you wonder how it actually works (some might work in real life but for most, it's impossible to pull off) 

The other things i don't like about the story is that towards the second half of the story. The manga starts to stray away from its detective root for a more fantasy storyline. And the focus shifts from focusing on many characters besides the main characters to the two main alone, which is disappointing 

Final score: 8.5/10

Characters

The set of characters that appear in Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro really fits the tone and setting of this weird manga

First we have the two main characters: Nougami Neuro and Katsuragi Yako. Neuro is a demon from the Underworld who came to Earth to search for "puzzles", his food source. A smart, deceptive, manipulative and sadistic demon that enjoys torturing people (especially Yako). Yako, the daughter of the first victim of Neuro's first case. She first met Neuro on her father's funeral but then became his "teacher". Her role is to provide Neuro the "shell" for his investigation, to act as a "detective" in order to not attract attention of everyone else that Neuro is a demon (oh yeah, i forgot to mention that Yako is also the victim of Neuro's sadism)

The dynamic between these two main characters is one of the best i've seen in manga. Even though they are the exact opposites, their personalities actually compliment each other very well. While Neuro is very out of this world and kind of evil, Yako is down to earth and pretty much the voice of reason, like a good cop bad cop thing you see in movies. What i like about the relationship between them is that there's not even a hint of romance, just two partners working together. Neuro's constant torture and abuse towards Yako is not only the source of comic relief in this manga but it is how Neuro conveys his message. And as the manga continues, we see the growth of both characters. Again, they are still the polar opposites. Yako, after she's been through so much with Neuro, begins to become stronger and trusts herself more and Neuro starts to change his perception towards human. 

Besides these two main characters, we also have a wide variety of supporting characters that are as weird as you can think of. First Godai the thug that will become the duo's biggest ally, then Akane the living braided hair. On the police side we have Sasazuka the expressionless detective, Usui the glasses man and Tsukushi his subordinate

The criminals are also the highlights of this manga. All of them have a very unique trait that separates them from the normal crimials you find in detective mangas and real life, that is their motive to commit crimes. For example, one commits crime just to see the inside of a people, another commits crime to see the facial expression of people,.....And more interesting motives you can find in that manga

Final score: 9/10

Art

I will keep this part short because there's nothing too much to say about the art. It was great, especially the otherworldly parts, the author nailed those. At first the art kind of threw me off a bit since it wasn't great. But over time it really grew on me and i started to find it really eccentric and one of a kind. The author art style helps deliver the tone of this manga better than i expected. 

Final score: 8/10

Overall score: 8.5/10

This manga is really good. I recommend you check it out. If you're a fan of occult or mystery stories then i'm pretty you won't be disappointed

Anyway, that's it for this shitty review. I have to keep it short in order to post it on time. Again, very sorry for the delay. I swear i will be more punctual next time

Good bye and DFTBA - Don't Forget To Be Awesome

Schedule for upcoming reviews

I think a planned schedule is necessary if i want to keep doing book review
Now, about "The Fault in our Stars" book review yesterday, it was kind of unplanned. I mean, yesterday morning i thought that since i already finished the book, why didn't i do a review of it? But what i didn't think about was that you have to review shortly after you read it
Well, obviously i didn't do that and i ended up forgetting most of the story in the book (don't worry though, i promised to do a re-review of it after reading the book again)
Anyway, i learn my lesson. I decided that if i want to do book review, i need to come up with a schedule for myself. So here it is, my schedule for next week review

Majin tantei Nogami Neuro

I know, it's a not a book but a manga....But what's the difference? It's still a proper story and i'm not picky when it comes to good story
Well, for this review, i'm not going to do just 1 volume but the whole series as i was in the middle  of finishing it
I swear, you guys will be in for a real treat. This manga is amazing
The review is going to come out on Thursday or maybe Friday
(Don't worry, this review will be a lot better than the last one)


Books i'm going to read next
I was so busy with college classes and reading "Majin Tentei Nogami Neuro" that i really haven't got a chance to read any books at all. But after i'm done with the manga and review, i intended to pick up two books. Of course i won't read two of them simultaneously, but one at a time

Yes, "The Abundance of Katherines" and "Paper Towns", two John Green books
It was right after reading "The Fault in our Stars" that i got curious about the author, John Green. I decided to find more about him and eventually i ended up becoming a Nerdfighter (more specifically a John Green's fan)
I'm quite excited because John Green's writing is humorous and realistic so i expect some of his greatness in these two books as well

There you go, my schedule probably for next week. It's going to busy as hell trying to tackle classes and books at the same time (and managing this website)

This will be me next week

Stay healthy guys, and good day to you all

DFTBA - Don't forget to be awesome

 

AA AMATEUR BOOK REVIEW 1: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Good day to you all. It's been quite a long time since i wrote anything on this blog, right?
I know, i know that i'm quite a lazy blogger but what can i possibly do about it? College has been a bit tough on me so I was just tired. And also i didn't have the motivation to write or update my blog.
But don't get your pretty little head too worried, because today is my off day, i decided to write something long
Thanks to the few weeks of not having anything in my brain to write, i'm determined to read and finish the book "The Fault in out Stars". And finally, i've done it. The book was finished and i am going to review to you all
Let's begin my first ever book review, shall we?

(Note: I just read "The Fault in our Stars" once so this review might not be as thorough and clear as other professional reviewers. Please bear with me as i'm still on my amateurish way to become better)

source: wikipedia

Story synopsis (taken straight from Barnes & Noble)
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

I will separate this review into 3 parts: the setting, the characters and the lesson

The setting:
I must say, John Green really did it great. The book took place in two different kinds of setting, one was the characters' hometown in America and the other was in the Netherlands. Two settings were technically different from each other. While the America was modern, the Netherlands had a sense of classic in it. 

The characters:
This is where everything really shines. We have two main characters: Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters
Hazel Grace, a girl who got cured of cancer but still had to endure the side effect of it, was a cynical teen who looked at everything in a real yet negative way
Augustus Waters was also a cancer survivor who got his leg amputated. He was almost the complete opposite of Hazel, he thought that everything exists for a reason and that he must do something great with his life
With these two polar opposites, it made the story much more interesting. And for Hazel Grace who never thought of really loving anyone but her parents, Gus walking into her life was much more surprising
Aside from the two main characters, we also saw a wide variety of supporting characters of Hazel's parents, Peter Van Houten, Gus's family,.... Who added more color to this already beautiful story

The lesson:
I can perfectly say that after reading this wonderful book, i didn't really get what John Green was trying to say. But that doesn't mean i didn't learn anything from it
The only lesson i can get out of was that no matter what type of "imperfection" you have, you can always find love and nothing can prevent you from being happy
And, Hazel is really sassy


In the end, it was a good read. I intended to re-read it a few more times to get the whole idea of the story
And when i finally do, expect a more well-thought review than this
But until then, please help yourself with criticizing this bad review of mine. Help me improve my review and you shall be awarded with a gift from Heaven......A Sense of Helping Others 

DFTBA - Don't forget to be awesome

source: twicsy

Okay, I have two stories i want to write

Well, if you talk about progress, i'm making some right now
Currently i'm planning to simultaneously write 2 stories at the same time
One is a vampire story while the other is about a fantasy world
I know. I'm crazy, right? But this kind of crazy is just me being as productive as possible

God, this is gonna be tiring

Anyway, i'm going to write those right here on this blog, sort of like web novels. But that's probably not gonna start until next week.....Or next month
It's mainly because i still have no idea how to write out my ideas (don't brick me on this)
Please, be patient and wait for my work

As Trap Kirito said
"Cheer for me!"

  

I HATE MYSELF RIGHT NOW

I'm currently stuck
It's been happening a lot lately. I'm stuck not because i have no idea what to write, but stuck here in a sense that i don't know which to write

Yeah stuck like this cute dog

I have a lot in my mind that it's quite hard to sort out which idea to use or which not to use

Man, does this happen to a lot of writer or it's only my problem? Help!!!

I facepalm my problem so hard i turned into stone

Hello, welcome to Asian Author House

This, i've been waiting for this my whole life. My very own blog is here

Well, I guess with thousands and thousands of people owning a blog, it's not a big deal. But with me, it's a big thing

I love writing. To be more specific, i love writing in English. You think i must be weird right?

A Vietnamese guy like me likes to write in English. But let me tell you one thing, it is not just something that suddenly popped out of my mind like "Hey, i wanna write some English story"

It's not like that at all. I've been interested in English for a long time. The reason why I never thought of writing is because of the fact that I suck at writing, in Vietnamese

So for this reason, i never really touched the pen and paper. Until recently, I've come across several books. I read them and i started to fall in love with them

Then a thought swept through my mind, if those authors can do it, why can't i?

I already have a great imagination. If i practice hard enough, i can write a good damn story

Oh look at me, typing too much already

Okay, until next time. I still have a lot to say

Anyway, welcome to Asian Author House

A launching pad for me