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My Thoughts On: The Devil's Closet

* ° * 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 2008𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: PaperbackMy Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Continue reading My Thoughts On: The Devil’s Closet

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A friend of mine recently invited me to try out roller skating for the first time, and after refusing her invite several times, I finally relented and joined her this Wednesday. We got to our local shopping center (which I strangely had never been to before), and on the fourth floor I discovered a skating rink with assisting staff similar to my age. I don’t know why I was blown away, but I’m delighted to see them. It’s like I’m a part of a niche community of skaters, even though it’s not that small, and I’m new to the scene. They were welcoming of new commerce and really assisted us from the moment we stepped inside until after we finished our rented time. I’ll admit, I wish I had tried this sooner and stopped being a wimp. Being born without any hint of athletic abilities, I was reasonably skeptical about trying out a new hobby, much less a sport. But after contemplating her request, I decided I needed a change of pace and accepted it. Hanging out with my friend was always fun, and I know I’m in good hands. Putting on the skates for the first time was nerve-racking; they slipped a specialized rug under my feet for balance, and it helped me stand. Walking is a different beast, though, so as instructed, I bend my knees and walk in a V-shaped position to avoid falling. As I inched forward, losing sight of the magic carpet, I knew I was up for a challenge. I slowly put my weight on the slippery floor, and off I go! After the whole ordeal, I’m very surprised that I did pretty well. I feel really proud of myself. Of course I stumbled and fell (I think I even broke my arm when I slipped) however, overall I didn’t sustain any visible bruising, so that is very much appreciated. Would I do it again? Certainly! I might even invest in my own wheels.

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Movie Thoughts On: Contagion

* ° * Release Date: 2011My Rating: ★★★★☆ Continue reading Movie Thoughts On: Contagion

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Movie Thoughts On: Something the Lord Made

* ° * Release Date: 2004My Rating: ★★★★☆ Continue reading Movie Thoughts On: Something the Lord Made

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I’ve made several sacrifices in my life, yet none hurts more than knowing that you can never be enough to reach your goals. I knew that to get what you truly want, you have to be exceptional at what you do. However, for an average student like me, I understood that it’s not about what I want, but rather what I can have. Like a flower that can never bloom. I have a dream that can never be put into fruition. With all the sunlight I can get, I will grow with what I can. I’m just a seedling in this infinite world, nothing more. Nothing less.

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[ Alphabet Review ] G for Game of Life

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): suneowara 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Complete

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

VOLUME 1

Eivel L. Leoda was known as a genius. However, it seems like solving riddles and questions in real life won't help her solve her personal problems.

Instead, playing a game would help her achieve her goals. But rather than making a character to play, she didn't think that she herself will be a player inside the game.

Escaping reality to enter the virtual world, from aiming to be a top student to a top player. With no background about games, and with just her knowledge, will she be able to complete the game challenges and achieve her goal?

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One of my most anticipated novels on the list that almost ended up in my DNF pile. Akala ko magugustuhan ko siya, pero it became too much for me that I almost stopped at forty percent and left it at that. I managed to power through the novel, and it did change some of my opinions, however, it also solidified some of my thoughts.

The idea of a virtual reality where a group of participants compete to be the cream of the crop is a good concept. It's giving Alice and Borderline vibes, which I'm a huge fan of kaya big YES siya for me. The locations are vivid and impeccable, and I firmly believe that it's one of the novel's greatest strengths.

The challenges are alright—medyo shakey yung last game dahil madaming posibleng answers sa mga palaisipan, but I'm more impressed that the author composed their own original riddles. So, hands down to them.

The characters? Well.... That's what I have a lot of qualms about. The novel just relies too heavily on archetypes, which made the characters feel very one-dimensional. Every time na there’s a hint of character development, the story quickly snatches it away and forcefully reverts them to a sorry state. Feeling ko tuloy para silang NPCs sa isang laro dahil sa sobrang narrow ng personalities nila. It also didn’t help na may mga one-liners sila na imbes na maangas ang dating ay lalo pang nagpalala sa poor characterization ng mga bida. It did change later on, pero by then, it think it was too late

It's not the worst, but definitely not the best. Would I read the second volume? Maybe. I'm someone who likes to finish a series so I will definitely at some point check it out. Final rating of the novel is 2.8 stars out of five.

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[ Alphabet Review ] E for Empty Cities: The Tale of the [Un]dead

SPOILER ALERT!!

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): senseigen 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Paperback 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Complete

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METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES YEAR 2051

Kaya mo bang lumaban para mabuhay? O magiging duwag ka hanggang sa mamatay?

Kaya mo bang makatakas? Makaligtas? Kung ang bansa na tinitirahan mo ay iba na sa dating kinalakihan mo.

Ang hindi mo inaakalang sa palabas lamang nangyayari ay heto, nangyayari mismo sa harap mo, ang Zombie Apocalypse.

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Another DNF story on my list. Sinubukan ko siyang basahin kahit hanggang kabanata sampu lang pero hindi ko talaga mapilit ang sarili ko na tapusin siya. I expected it to be a survival-horror novel, but the tale is more akin to a campy zombie story which is indicated with it's tags na hindi ko napansin. For that I would not be giving it any rating because it's my on fault na hindi ko siya dinouble check. Maybe in the future I would go back and read it in its entirety, pero for tengga ko muna siya for now.

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[ Alphabet Review ] E for Empty Cities: The Tale of the [Un]dead SPOILER ALERT!! * ° *

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): PsychopathxXx 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Wattpad

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

The humanity was doomed. After the spread of an unknown virus which reanimated the dead, the survivors have to fight for their lives against the undead to stay alive.

A frantic call from her mother woke her senses, Nieves Paraiso Nebres, a graduating college student, found herself trapped in the university premises as the virus broke out together with the other students and her mortal nemesis --- Gabriel Aragon. Ibinilin ng kanyang ina ang kapatid na lalaking nasa high school. Knowing no one was there for them at the height of the calamity, ipinasa niya sa sarili ang responsibilidad sa nakababatang kapatid. She'll do everything to come and save her brother.

Her excitement to see her family turned into a devastating catastrophe, Lt. Col. Ma. Corazon Chavez, faced a new surge of enemies in the streets of once home as the battleground. With the help of the taxi driver, they cleared the area to find survivors... hoping to find her brother among them.

As traumatic as it is to witness most of her classmates transformed into flesh-eating monsters, Jaida Avanzado, the class president, has to step up her game in protecting the remaining disoriented, chaotic high school students.

In the city's depressing state and downfall, they found a string of hope with one another.

No one was certain how it started... but the ending was predicted...

With all of them:

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I shouldn't have looked at the ending hindi ko tuloy siya natapos dahil hindi ko tanggap yung nakita ko :((

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying na pangit yung wakas ng nobela, pero personally mas preferred ko na may happy ending sina Ate Corazon at Bryan. They were two of my favorite characters, and it saddened me deeply na they didn't make it in the end. Pero ganoon naman talaga dapat sa storya, hindi ba? Some will came out triumphantly while most fell down. In this case, not all of them step foot on the island, however, their sacrifices did led others to survive. It's conflicting, but I guess it's a good thing that the author chose to kill some of its important characters, kasi if not, then tatatak ba talaga ang nobelang ito sa kukote ko?

The harshness of this world shocked me lalo na nung mabasa ko yung Day 3 entry sa point of view ni Ate Corazon. Napanganga ako nang mapagtanto ko na nagpakamatay ang grupo ng mga junior high school students sa loob ng silid na pinagtataguan nila sapagka't napagtanto nilang wala silang maasahan sa labas. Ang nakakalungkot pa ay hindi mali ang hinala nila, they would most likely be consumed by those who are in a much privilege position, and it's fucked up. This might be a fantasy novel made up of fictional scenarios, however the parallels of the governments' negligence mirror our own. Hindi nalalayo na mangyari ito sa totoong buhay lalo na kapag nakita mo ang mga kasalukuyang namumuno sa bansa.

It's has a bitter sweet ending befitting of it's theme and messaging, and for that I would gave it a solid four stars.

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𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 1993 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Paperback ★★★★☆

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

The police don't show up on Easy Rawlins's doorstep until the third girl dies. It's Los Angeles, 1956, and it takes more than one murdered black girl before the cops get interested. Now they need Easy. As he says: "I was worth a precinct full of detectives when the cops needed the word in the ghetto." But Easy turns them down. He's married now, a father -- and his detective days are over. Then a white college coed dies the same brutal death, and the cops put the heat on Easy: If he doesn't help, his best friend is headed for jail. So Easy's back, walking the midnight streets of Watts and the darker, twisted avenues of a cunning killer's mind....

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𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:

This novel drove me insane! It took me about three months to get done, and I feel like I ascended to new heights of readership after I flipped the last page. Everything about it was so out of my element that I contemplated several times if I should quit reading it or not. I'm glad that I didn't and instead pushed myself to see it to its end because the book really did teach me how to be more patient with what I was reading and how to find a connection with the characters despite having different experiences.

The protagonist, Easy Rawlins, is a Black man born in the 60s who lived in America. He was part of a marginalized community, and the story doesn't shy away from portraying that fact. From start to finish, we can see how bad racism was during that period of time, as stated in the first chapter, where it was very clear how the police undermined the safety of their community when an unknown killer started to target Black women from their jobs. It's frustrating to see how, for the duration of the narrative, those women were just forgotten simply because of their social standing. I didn't even think it was explained very well who killed them. It was left ambiguous, which made me feel like justice wasn't really served.

In a way, the novel still reflects the imperfections of the real world. It might have been written a decade ago, but it's saddening to say that it's still relevant to this day. I'm afraid that with how chaotic the world has become, it will only get worse to the point that history might repeat itself.

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Help a Family in Need💔

I am reaching out on behalf of my dear friend, Mohamad S., who is facing one of the most challenging times of his life. Mohamad is 37 years old and left his homeland in 2015 in search of a safer and better future. He’s a kind, hardworking man, and his small family has always been his greatest priority.

Living abroad, Mohamad has recently endured unimaginable loss and financial strain. Amidst the ongoing conflict in his homeland, his mother passed away, leaving behind his sister and her five young children—the last remaining members of his immediate family.

As the situation worsened, Mohamad managed to help his sister and her children escape to safety in Egypt, covering their immediate needs and securing a temporary refuge for them. Since then, he has been fully responsible for providing everything they need to survive during this transition.

In his efforts to support his family and cope with this devastating loss, Mohamad has found himself deeply in debt. To make matters even more difficult, he recently underwent knee surgery, which limits his ability to return to work for the foreseeable future. This has made it even harder for him to manage his financial responsibilities and the pressing need to provide his family with a stable future.

Mohamad is now working to bring his sister and her five children to join him in Belgium, where he hopes they can find stability and opportunity after all they’ve endured. This transition, however, requires significant resources that he is currently unable to meet alone.

For privacy reasons, we are not sharing Mohamad’s full name, as he has chosen to keep his identity discreet. While he initially refused the idea of asking for help, I couldn’t stand by and watch him struggle alone. I insisted on doing this for him because he deserves a chance to overcome these challenges.

Your contribution will help Mohamad repay the debt incurred during this difficult time, cover ongoing living expenses for his family, and assist with the costs involved in bringing them safely to Belgium.

Mohamad has been a good friend of mine for years, and I’ve always admired his resilience and generosity. Any support, no matter the size, will make an incredible difference in helping Mohamad and his family rebuild their lives after these painful experiences.

Thank you for reading his story and considering helping a man who has always done everything he can for his loved ones.

Adam

Please donate & share: Donation Link

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[ Alphabet Review ] C for Class Picture * ° *

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): FakedReality 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Paperback 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Complete

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

St. Venille High welcomes its students to a new school year. At sa taong ito, binuksang muli ng paaralan ang ika-anim na seksyon ng fourth year high school na pinaniniwalaang sinumpa. Rumor has it that all the former students of this class died. Ngunit bukod sa misteryong bumabalot sa klaseng ito, binububo rin ito sa kasalukuyan ng ma estudyanteng may samu't-sareng personalidad at lihim na pilit itinatago.

What secrets will the students uncover? Is anybody safe in this class? What will you do if you can only choose to kill, or get killed?

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I'm so sad. I wanted to read this book for the longest time, and it's so corny that I have to put it in my DNF list. I knew I should have managed my expectations because this was written ten years ago, but since this is reprinted three times already, I assumed that it was edited to a point that it can withstand time. This might read as an overeaction but for a book that cost 225 pesos? I'm so sorry but it's not worth it on my opinion. It's straight up unreadable and 😭

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[ Alphabet Review ] B for Blood Dreams * ° *

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): Zurichan 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Digital 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Complete

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

What will you do for your dreams?

Five high school students gets bloody in exchange of their dreams.

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It hooked me at first, but it lost me at the end. The idea of a horror novel that circles around a group of ex-best friends who are fighting and willing to kill for a spot on the top really intrigues me, pero masyado talaga maraming plot holes dito for me to ignore.

For instance, I don't get why they are still attending classes when the school knows that there's a murderer on the loose. Even if they're trying to maintain normalcy, surely the police investigation would hinder their school calendar, considering that they're on an active crime scene. Some students can also tell outsiders about what's happening inside the school, which can create a public outcry for the deaths. Maybe I'm missing something, but the killings could be stopped much sooner than the story's run time.

As for the twist at the end, it feels so abrupt and out of nowhere. I tried to go back to look for clues that indicate the reveal, and the only thing I can see is the sudden one-eighty in Elisa's behavior that can indicate their hidden relation. Maybe the information were more woven into the earlier chapters of the novel, it could work? Perhaps more foreshadowing?

Again, the premise is great, but the execution could be done better. The characters are a train wreck in a good way, and they feel like teenagers. Overall I would give this a 2.7 out of 5 stars. 

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[ Alphabet Review ] A for Author's Note * ° *

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): Wintertelle 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Ph Novel 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Paperback 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Complete

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Due to Zero almost wiping out the fictional dimension, Fictosa's system malfunctioned. It has failed to distinguish the boundary between two dimensions and allowed the villains from the most grossing and award-winning books to leave steps in the real world.

And Adamas Riscarte, a villain in love with his author, grabs the opportunity to know the reason why she abandoned him after promising a sequel focused in his perspective. He wants to see her only to find out she committed a suicide. She leaves him a note containing an order.

Bestowed with power, he vows to punish everyone who pushed her to death. He will leave no ounce of mercy for those who hurt his maker, and like the villain he is, he will make his own judgement.

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Hoi, akala ko revenge novel lang to? Bakit naiyak ako? Mga sinungaling! 😭

No joke, the amount of times I have to take breaks while reading this is not very demure. Noa's backstory almost made me tear up, and everytime I have conflicting emotions while reading through Adams's brutal revenge, I always go back just to remind myself of what they did to her. It might be wrong to side with the villian but how could you not when he's doing the Lord's work? Ang hirap maawa sa taong walang awa sa totoo lang.

It's also concerning on how much I relate to them, especially towards at the end where you can see Gon's inner turmoil of being neglected. Hindi ako nakailag sa mga sinabi niya halatang may problema din ako 😔

Anyways, I highly recommend this to anyone if their looking for Filipino Isekai. Well, more like reverse-isekai kasi lumabas si Adamas sa libro, as opposed sa pumasok. I mighty have to read the rest of the villain series on Wattpad, but I hope na may paperback din yung next installment. For me this solid 4.5 out 5 stars (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)

* ° ° * Ps: I swear I posted this before! Hindi na tuloy sya alphabeticsl order TT

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𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠: Seals of Altrana

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𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): Roseypen

𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Filipino Novel

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Completed

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

“The seal made me do it.”

A mystery from the past begins to haunt the present.

***

Set in the Philippines where the country is not ruled by a president, a series of murders and threats to the Altrana Palace terrified the whole nation. It was up to Ingrid Altamayor, a Senior High School student from Altrana International School together with the four heirs of the Count of Altrana known as Seals, to find who was responsible for all the crimes, uncovering a conflict from the past that was.

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Dabbling into this not thinking much, I was pleasantly surprised by how interested I became in this book’s universe. The proposed alternative monocratic ruling of this world’s version of the Philippines instead of a democratic system really intrigued me, and if the author decided to make a sequel, I hope that they would expand more on the country’s class divide and political intricacies, as I feel like there’s so much more to explore inside those concepts

As for its mystery elements, I find it quite predictable. However, given that this is the author’s first attempt at the genre, I did give it some leeway. The book also feels more like an action novel due to the numerous fight scenes inside the story, but I still find it enjoyable. The protagonist, while a bit of a Mary Sue at times, does experience some personal growth, which redeems them in my eyes. Overall, I’d rate this book a solid 3.9 out of 5 stars.

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I don’t really ever post the more concept work I’ve done - so here’s a creature design I made for a tabletop module for a small indie studio.

It’s a parasitic fungal like entity that attaches to some host creature, transforming it, by usually devouring the head or upper body and then the leech like appendages burst forward. Gross, I know.

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𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠: The Genius Conspiracy

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𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿(𝘀): NatheSky

𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗻: Filipino Novel

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀: Completed

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𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Embark on a thrilling journey with these geniuses as they untangles the intricate web of manipulation and deceit spun by an enigmatic organization at Kenjou University. As the stakes heighten and the challenges mount, they are forced to trust each other's intellect and instincts to reveal the sinister secrets lurking within the campus' shadows.

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Gosh, I rewrote this review a gazillion times because I have a lot of trouble constructing this post. I hoped that this could finally convey most of my thoughts in a concise manner, so let's start!

First and foremost, kudos to the author for putting a lot of thought into the story's narrative. I joked a lot about convenient accidents and obscured details inside Wattpad mystery novels that I expected to be present in here also. In my surprise, tho, it is not utilized as I thought it would be, and the author is very intentional when it comes to putting details. It really suited the novel's title very well, as "The Genius Conspiracy" not only pertains to the plot of the story but also the book's writing because everything is planned, and there is no such thing as a coincidence.

As for the primary characters, their conflicting personalities add a lot of depth inside the story. At first I'm not a big fan of Everleigh because she's very boastful of her achievements, but looking back at it now, why wouldn't she? She managed to fend off her bullies using only her intellect, so it's definitely a big win to be proud of. Atticus... I still think that he's an a-hole for manipulating Everleigh. I just don't see any good justification to excuse that. His backstory made it even worse because, if you know, you know. For Apollo, I don't have any solid opinion about him yet, as well as Amara, because they're not really focused on this volume that much. All I know is that they're much more carefree and relaxed, and I assume that in the following novel, they will explore more.

Unrelated to any of that, I can't help but chuckle at the idea of having a secret organization inside a university that is run primarily with students. I know it's a fictional story, but I just can't help it, okay? As someone who has been a senior high school student. I know that that sh*t wouldn't fly because teenagers are terrible when it comes to organizing events, much less in organizing crime. Maybe they're just built differently in this novel's universe, or maybe adults are involved; who knows? Enough with my tanget. I gave this a 4.0 out of 5 stars.

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