Assalamualaikum, good day dearest!

Title: The Undead City

Author: Osman Deen

Pages: 143

Genre: Middle-schooler, Apocalypse, Fantasy

Publisher: Bookiut

Year published: 2023

ISBN: 9789673697052

Blurb:

Rumi, a young man with schizophrenia who has a voice that narrates his life 24/7. Eve, an albino vampire who is running from the police. And the world - infested with flesh-eating zombies.

In an apocalyptic world riddled with ruthless zombies, Rumi must fight the past that haunts him and survive if he wants to meet his family in Perak.

But when the greatest enemy is not the zombies but Rumi himself...

Will he make it?

The first page of the book kind of throws me off. The narration of the story is the voice inside Rumi's head. In other words, the voice inside my head while reading the story is the same voice inside Rumi's head. So, I am Rumi? With that, I stopped reading and waited until the morning to read it again.

I expect this book to have a fictional world but instead, it is not as it took place in Malaysia, making it feel closer than expected. The plot itself is straightforward filled with several moments of humour, pain, nerve-wrecking, friendship, empowerment and love. Rumi's mission is to survive the apocalypse until he reunites with his family in Perak. Meeting Eve, the albino vampire murderer is a coincidence and somewhat their mismatched personality shines throughout the story.

There was good information on mental illness, especially regarding Rumi's condition. The voice inside his head aka Lipur was really witty and savage at times. Narrating Rumi's life is his job and won't go away with meds taken. I found myself laughing quite several times over his narration. The zombie apocalypse described was so scary and it was widespread across Malaysia and even the neighbouring countries.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the journey with Rumi and Eve. One complaint (which I am sure many others have) is the ending. Why does it end? And why that way? I'm really hating that zombie uncle. I refused to believe that is the ending and I'm making an alternate ending of my own. 

-thes

 Assalamualaikum, good day dearest!

Tajuk: Siapa Sangka Terjatuh Cinta 

Penulis: Violetfasha

Mukasurat: 513

Genre: Keluarga, Romantik, Slice of life

Penerbit: IMAN Publication

Terbitan: 2023

ISBN: 9789672459743

Blurb:

Dia Mawarti. Pendiam, tak suka bergaul. Baginya yang penting, dia tak kacau hidup orang.

Dia Arif. Peramah tak kena masa, ceria semedang dan bermulut manis. Kalau boleh, semua orang hendak ditegurnya.

***

Rimas dengan sikap abang-abang yang over-protective, Mawarti memutuskan untuk berpindah rumah supaya hidupnya kebih aman. Arif pula, curiga apabila melihat ramai jejaka keluar masuk rumah jiran barunya - Sah, jirannya ada sugar-daddies!

Sangkaan Arif meleset apabila mengetahui jejaka-jejaka itu sebenarnya abang-abang Mawarti. Sejak itu, Arif menjadi runner tak rasmi Mawarti untuk beli barang-barang dapur sebagai tanda meminta maaf.

Pertemuan mereka akhirnya membawa mereka saling memahami luka yang dipendam. Tanpa sedar, ada sekelumit perasaan sayang timbul dalam diri masing-masing, namun mereka berdua, masih ragu.

"Having feelings and insecurities are two different things. I know my feelings, and this time it's for real."

Akan hilangkah semua beban yang tersimpan, jika mereka lebih jujur dan berani berperasaan.

Mengisahkan dua jiwa yang berbeza ditakdirkan berjiran. Arif, si extrovert terlebih ramah dan Mawarti, si introvert yang tak sukakan manusia. First impression Arif terhadap Mawarti bagi aku sangatlah extreme dan sangat su'udzon. Mawarti pulak memang tak suka manusia extrovert yang macam Arif, awal-awal lagi dia dah pangkah si Arif ni.

Kerana Arif yang terlanjur berjanji dengan abang-abang Mawarti untuk tengok-tengokkan dia, mereka mula rapat. Daripada one side conversation daripada Arif ke jadi runner tak rasmi, berbalas makanan dan terus menjadi kawan rapat. Dan bila mula rapat, timbul perasaan suka dalam hati masing-masing.

Buku ni banyak bercerita tentang personaliti introvert dan extrovert. Sepanjang penceritaan, dari awal sampai akhir memang takkan lepas daripada topik ni.  Awal-awal, aku masih boleh terima dialog Arif dengan Mawarti membincangkan personaliti ni tapi makin lama aku makin lelah sebab some conversations tu tiba-tiba je masuk ke topik ni. End up, aku banyak skim through je conversation antara mereka ni.

Jujur kata, aku memang susah nak habiskan novel ni sebab terlalu meleret dan takde character yang menarik perhatian aku. Even Arif. Mawarti, jangan cakaplah. Aku rasa dia terlalu menghukum orang tanpa sebab. Even abang-abang dia pun tak terlepas. Dan dia jenis yang tak cuba langsung untuk faham orang lain. She is self-centered la senang cerita. Yeap, my most hated character dalam novel ni has to be her.

Sure, I tolerated the way penulis justify Mawarti punya personaliti, some aku faham, others not so much. Kinda glad dapat tengok dia jadi manusia yang lebih better and slowly open up to others. Cuma aku kecewa juga kisah Arif yang tak diceritakan betul-betul. Like, all those arguments and extensive explanations on introvert vs extrovert can be cut off and include background Arif pulak.

Nilai kekeluargaan yang ada dalam kisah ni comel bagi aku. Abang Aqil yang sedaya upaya ambil tahu pasal adik-adik dia, Badang yang dalam diam ada sayang walaupun mulut main tembak je dan Chad yang always there. Cuma towads the end tu Aqil makin lama makin hilang macam watak dia tak  penting dah walaupun dialah yang selalu muncul awal-awal cerita.

Buku ni antara buku yang aku nantikan untuk baca sebab clash personality traits dua insan berbeza tu nampak menarik bagi aku. Tapi, banyak ruang yang penulis boleh improve lagi. Ending pun rasa rushed. Anyway, congrats penulis untuk buku ni. Jumpa lagi untuk buku akan datang!

-thes