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Things That Live Within
For almost a millennium, young girls around the age of fourteen to twenty have randomly disappeared from all parts of the world. There are no signs of their return. Nobody can explain where they are, or whether they are alive. They are known as the disappearees. Many families are lucky enough to have their daughters, sisters, nieces, cousins pass the age of twenty and free of the disappearing possibility, yet a significant number of families are not so lucky and they must deal with the loss.
Me? Well, I am among those unlucky ones. My cousins Rith, Sherleen, Harper, and Sienn are the most important people in my life, yet now they are among the disappearees. Will I be willing to be with my cousins if I have the chance, wherever it may be, whatever it takes? Yes, I will, in a heartbeat. My name is Wanda, and this is my story.
Me? Well, I am among those unlucky ones. My cousins Rith, Sherleen, Harper, and Sienn are the most important people in my life, yet now they are among the disappearees. Will I be willing to be with my cousins if I have the chance, wherever it may be, whatever it takes? Yes, I will, in a heartbeat. My name is Wanda, and this is my story.
- GenresFantasy
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2018
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 8, 2020
Things That Live Within
Adinda Saraswati
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
132 pages
2.4
Carried by such interesting and enchanting concept, the debut work of juvenile author Adinda Saraswati, Things That Live Within, is still rushed, raw, rough, and unrefined.
I think it's easier for young Indonesian writers, compared to other countries, to publish their own work. Thriving self-publishing online platforms, such as Wattpad or Storial, allow these young aspiring writers to put their work online, making being noticed by a big publishing company to publish their work is so much easier. Not to mention, some of major publishing creates build specific line for juvenile authors, like Fantasteen from Mizan. Despite their age, their works are not something that should be underestimated as some may achieve the same quality that's only apparent on more experienced writers. Christopher Paolini, for example, was only 15 when he finished writing Eragon, but his success is something that even a senior writer can only dream of. From Indonesia, there's Ziggy Z, with her outstanding novels winning a lot of literary awards.
These young writers have one similarity: their writing is like a breath of fresh air, breaking and playing around the conventional rules. Their ideas tend to be wild and preposterous, their style of writing is fiery. But, even so, you can still sense some rawness in their writings, a modicum of ambition that they can't contain as if they want to prove that they're also able to do what older writer can do. The debut of Adinda Saraswati, Things That Live Within, is exactly like that.
When you read the blurb, you can taste her ambitious concept already. Girls disappear all over the world that resembles our human's world for a millennia. When #metoo movement becomes an important moment which allows women to speak of something that's deemed taboo before, Things That Live Within, fits in perfectly. It's led by powerful female characters--in fact, 95% of characters on this book are women. Saraswati's thinking may be beyond her era, but at the same time, even without opening the first page, you can already know that the book is still uncooked. In just 132 pages, Saraswati builds a complex world that contains two fighting kingdoms, both ruled by two queens. It's hard to build a believable world for a high fantasy book in 200 pages, let alone 132 pages, not to mention this book is a standalone. Normally, we have around 100 pages, just to explain the worldbuilding. A fantasy writer is like a meticulous architect who builds their home. With such short pages, it results in her sacrificing the plot and leaving character development entirely. There's a lot of plot holes here and Saraswati seems to struggle in explaining them. The worldbuilding itself is still your generic and typical world that you always encounter on RPG games: a medieval world, with magic and magical creatures, superpower, the tired "chosen one" trope, and same old geographical features (woods, everyone?). The author still hasn't explored her own world and what it can offer, but then the story ends abruptly. Another proof of this book's rawness is clearly depicted on her writing: it is sparse, clotted, and uninspiring. There's a lot of occasions where their characters converse stiffly and the author uses same sentence all over again as if she'd lost her inspiration.
However, yes, as a work of 16-year-old author, Things That Live Within is indeed a great achievement. Not many people can publish their own book at such young age and even if it comes as undercooked and coarse fantasy book. But just like a diamond, if the book is polished and edited properly, it will become shiny. It has that potential.
Adinda Saraswati
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
132 pages
2.4
Carried by such interesting and enchanting concept, the debut work of juvenile author Adinda Saraswati, Things That Live Within, is still rushed, raw, rough, and unrefined.
I think it's easier for young Indonesian writers, compared to other countries, to publish their own work. Thriving self-publishing online platforms, such as Wattpad or Storial, allow these young aspiring writers to put their work online, making being noticed by a big publishing company to publish their work is so much easier. Not to mention, some of major publishing creates build specific line for juvenile authors, like Fantasteen from Mizan. Despite their age, their works are not something that should be underestimated as some may achieve the same quality that's only apparent on more experienced writers. Christopher Paolini, for example, was only 15 when he finished writing Eragon, but his success is something that even a senior writer can only dream of. From Indonesia, there's Ziggy Z, with her outstanding novels winning a lot of literary awards.
These young writers have one similarity: their writing is like a breath of fresh air, breaking and playing around the conventional rules. Their ideas tend to be wild and preposterous, their style of writing is fiery. But, even so, you can still sense some rawness in their writings, a modicum of ambition that they can't contain as if they want to prove that they're also able to do what older writer can do. The debut of Adinda Saraswati, Things That Live Within, is exactly like that.
When you read the blurb, you can taste her ambitious concept already. Girls disappear all over the world that resembles our human's world for a millennia. When #metoo movement becomes an important moment which allows women to speak of something that's deemed taboo before, Things That Live Within, fits in perfectly. It's led by powerful female characters--in fact, 95% of characters on this book are women. Saraswati's thinking may be beyond her era, but at the same time, even without opening the first page, you can already know that the book is still uncooked. In just 132 pages, Saraswati builds a complex world that contains two fighting kingdoms, both ruled by two queens. It's hard to build a believable world for a high fantasy book in 200 pages, let alone 132 pages, not to mention this book is a standalone. Normally, we have around 100 pages, just to explain the worldbuilding. A fantasy writer is like a meticulous architect who builds their home. With such short pages, it results in her sacrificing the plot and leaving character development entirely. There's a lot of plot holes here and Saraswati seems to struggle in explaining them. The worldbuilding itself is still your generic and typical world that you always encounter on RPG games: a medieval world, with magic and magical creatures, superpower, the tired "chosen one" trope, and same old geographical features (woods, everyone?). The author still hasn't explored her own world and what it can offer, but then the story ends abruptly. Another proof of this book's rawness is clearly depicted on her writing: it is sparse, clotted, and uninspiring. There's a lot of occasions where their characters converse stiffly and the author uses same sentence all over again as if she'd lost her inspiration.
However, yes, as a work of 16-year-old author, Things That Live Within is indeed a great achievement. Not many people can publish their own book at such young age and even if it comes as undercooked and coarse fantasy book. But just like a diamond, if the book is polished and edited properly, it will become shiny. It has that potential.
May 24, 2018
• This book has a really good idea, but it's too rushed. The writer could've written more about one scene.
• The world building is somehow weak. I can't really imagine the world of Zenith—Pernstow and Lothloryn.
• The characters aren't explored enough. Especially the four-cousins.
• The writing style is just okay. (I got bored at first.)
• Everything is just too rushed.
• The world building is somehow weak. I can't really imagine the world of Zenith—Pernstow and Lothloryn.
• The characters aren't explored enough. Especially the four-cousins.
• The writing style is just okay. (I got bored at first.)
• Everything is just too rushed.
May 9, 2018
ceritanya oke, lumayan...
buat gue yang nggak terlalu ngeh sama cerita fantasi dan segala world buildingnya, lumayan bisa ngertilah ya sama dunia yang dibangun sama Adinda di buku ini.
bahasa Inggrisnya sehari-hari banget, gara-gara abis baca THUG sama Long Way Down, jadi berasa pengen jawab, "yo!" setiap ada "hi, girl!" muncul di buku ini...
oh, dan "say what?" juga...
mayan seru, tipis, bisa dinikmati sekali duduk mestinya.
cuma ya karena saya bacanya cuma pas pulang dan berangkat yang makan waktu 15 menit ya mesti berkali-kali duduk deh.
hehehe...
buat gue yang nggak terlalu ngeh sama cerita fantasi dan segala world buildingnya, lumayan bisa ngertilah ya sama dunia yang dibangun sama Adinda di buku ini.
bahasa Inggrisnya sehari-hari banget, gara-gara abis baca THUG sama Long Way Down, jadi berasa pengen jawab, "yo!" setiap ada "hi, girl!" muncul di buku ini...
oh, dan "say what?" juga...
mayan seru, tipis, bisa dinikmati sekali duduk mestinya.
cuma ya karena saya bacanya cuma pas pulang dan berangkat yang makan waktu 15 menit ya mesti berkali-kali duduk deh.
hehehe...
January 24, 2019
Buku ini ga sengaja kutemukan di ipusnas. Dari cover dan judulnya pertama aku menilai buku ini bakal kayak buku2nya Lala Bohang atau Marcella Purnama. Eh ternyata ini buku genre fantasy untuk anak-anak. Tertipu aku😂. Dan aku sangat2 senang ada penulis Indonesia yang mau membuat karya2 seperti ini apalagi penulisnya masih 16 tahun coy (17 mungkin tahun ini kalau udah ultah😅). Terima kasih telah menuliskan buku ini☺.
.
.
Buku ini menceritakan kisah petualangan Wanda di sebuah negeri bernama Zenith.
Buku ini menggunakan bahasa inggris. Inggrisnya sangat2 mudah dipahami karena ini buku anak usia 13th jadi bahasa yang digunakan harus easy to read. Konfliknya ringan namun berbobot. Jalan ceritanya cepat dan mudah ditebak. Alurnya konstan. Cerita ini menggunakan Pov 1 dari Wanda. Oh ya diawal cerita pembaca disuguhi dengan pemikiran2 Wanda tentang hal yang dia alami, jadi pembaca bisa tahu Wanda ini orangnya kayak gimana. Karena ini buku anak jadi yang ditonjolkan adalah hikmah cerita. Tentu aksi2 keren dari Wanda juga ga kalah. Tapi latarnya kurang tergambar dengan baik karena buku ini terhalang dengan jumlah halamannya.
.
.
Buku ini juga cocok kok dibaca orang dewasa apalagi yang mau belajar baca buku berbahasa inggris.
.
.
Buku ini menceritakan kisah petualangan Wanda di sebuah negeri bernama Zenith.
Buku ini menggunakan bahasa inggris. Inggrisnya sangat2 mudah dipahami karena ini buku anak usia 13th jadi bahasa yang digunakan harus easy to read. Konfliknya ringan namun berbobot. Jalan ceritanya cepat dan mudah ditebak. Alurnya konstan. Cerita ini menggunakan Pov 1 dari Wanda. Oh ya diawal cerita pembaca disuguhi dengan pemikiran2 Wanda tentang hal yang dia alami, jadi pembaca bisa tahu Wanda ini orangnya kayak gimana. Karena ini buku anak jadi yang ditonjolkan adalah hikmah cerita. Tentu aksi2 keren dari Wanda juga ga kalah. Tapi latarnya kurang tergambar dengan baik karena buku ini terhalang dengan jumlah halamannya.
.
.
Buku ini juga cocok kok dibaca orang dewasa apalagi yang mau belajar baca buku berbahasa inggris.
April 26, 2022
First time for me reading indonesian book in english narration. So far, it was quite fun. I like the story building, the adventure, magical powers, name of characters and places. They made me feel reading a foreign fantasy book.
.
Actually, i've read so many books with similar topic, even in this book i could feel the vibes of Alice in wonderland where Queen Ivy and Queen Iris were manifestation of The Queen of Hearts and the White Queen, two camps fought each other for the sake of territorials and royal power. Wanda was manifested as Alice who tried to reconcile them both.
.
As a standalone fantasy book, so far i can tell that it's quite brief with just 128 pages within. The characterizations and storyline still need to get improved. Even every insident took place in a rush. Hopefully someday this book could be reconstructed in a more perfect story.
.
by the way for the beginners like me who would like to read english book, i can feel that this book would be fit due to this book applies simple diction in its narration. Finger crossed for a try 👍👍
Instagram : @edirbooks
.
Actually, i've read so many books with similar topic, even in this book i could feel the vibes of Alice in wonderland where Queen Ivy and Queen Iris were manifestation of The Queen of Hearts and the White Queen, two camps fought each other for the sake of territorials and royal power. Wanda was manifested as Alice who tried to reconcile them both.
.
As a standalone fantasy book, so far i can tell that it's quite brief with just 128 pages within. The characterizations and storyline still need to get improved. Even every insident took place in a rush. Hopefully someday this book could be reconstructed in a more perfect story.
.
by the way for the beginners like me who would like to read english book, i can feel that this book would be fit due to this book applies simple diction in its narration. Finger crossed for a try 👍👍
Instagram : @edirbooks
June 12, 2018
It's 11 pm and I should be asleep but I'm not. Hi. This is the first book I really could not with.
Firstly, I don't mean to hate on Adinda Saraswati. She has great potential as an author, especially at her age. Publishing a book at 16 years old is a great achievement, and I don't mean to put her down for that. It's the book, okay? I'm sorry if this review is too mean. Kudos to my cousin for the free copy, though.
Just reading the blurb makes you go "Wow!" It's an interesting idea which could do well with great development. Girls disappear all over the world. Fantasy kingdom. All that good stuff. Most of the characters are strong women, and I applaud Ms Saraswati for that. However, this book also has its faults which left me sighing.
Fantasy books need a lot of worldbuilding. It's fairly difficult to do that in less than 200 pages. I'm sure you're all expecting me to say that Ms Saraswati succeeded excellently, but I'm so very sorry to disappoint. The complex world wasn't explored properly. It had so much potential, but it was sacrificed; the pages and chapters were short, and there was little description for anything. Worldbuilding and character development lacked, and there are plot holes which yet to have explanations. The novel ends before any further development.
The fantasy world in itself is interesting, but like many things, but like many things, needs to be expanded and matured. I dare say that it's like most cliche fantasy books out there. Kingdoms. Magic. "You're the chosen one." It really could have been better than that.
Could I mention her English? As a non-native speaker myself, I understand how hard it is to speak a language you're not used to speaking. But logically, if you're not super good at a language... don't try publishing a whole novel in that language. I'm sorry, was that mean? Okay, cool. Anyways. Grammatical errors. Stiff dialogue. Those are my main problems. At times, the same phrases are used over and over, and they don't add any meaning whatsoever. Repetition is a literary device, but in this book it only seems like the author gave up on writing.
All in all, this book has potential. But was it developed to reach that potential? Nope.
Firstly, I don't mean to hate on Adinda Saraswati. She has great potential as an author, especially at her age. Publishing a book at 16 years old is a great achievement, and I don't mean to put her down for that. It's the book, okay? I'm sorry if this review is too mean. Kudos to my cousin for the free copy, though.
Just reading the blurb makes you go "Wow!" It's an interesting idea which could do well with great development. Girls disappear all over the world. Fantasy kingdom. All that good stuff. Most of the characters are strong women, and I applaud Ms Saraswati for that. However, this book also has its faults which left me sighing.
Fantasy books need a lot of worldbuilding. It's fairly difficult to do that in less than 200 pages. I'm sure you're all expecting me to say that Ms Saraswati succeeded excellently, but I'm so very sorry to disappoint. The complex world wasn't explored properly. It had so much potential, but it was sacrificed; the pages and chapters were short, and there was little description for anything. Worldbuilding and character development lacked, and there are plot holes which yet to have explanations. The novel ends before any further development.
The fantasy world in itself is interesting, but like many things, but like many things, needs to be expanded and matured. I dare say that it's like most cliche fantasy books out there. Kingdoms. Magic. "You're the chosen one." It really could have been better than that.
Could I mention her English? As a non-native speaker myself, I understand how hard it is to speak a language you're not used to speaking. But logically, if you're not super good at a language... don't try publishing a whole novel in that language. I'm sorry, was that mean? Okay, cool. Anyways. Grammatical errors. Stiff dialogue. Those are my main problems. At times, the same phrases are used over and over, and they don't add any meaning whatsoever. Repetition is a literary device, but in this book it only seems like the author gave up on writing.
All in all, this book has potential. But was it developed to reach that potential? Nope.
July 5, 2018
Kenapa bintang 3? Seperti biasa akan saya bagi beberapa poin.
Tapi sebelumnya alasan saya membeli novel karya Adinda ini, pertama kali tahu soal Adinda ini dari salah satu berita di televisi. Adinda yang masih muda ini sudah bisa membuat sebuah novel terlebih lagi dengan bahasa inggris. Hal ini lah yang membuat saya ikut bangga dan penasaran sama ceritanya. Nah berikut ini beberapa poin yang mau saya share berdasarkan pendapat saya pribadi ya :)
Poin 1 : Cover. Untuk cover menurut saya menarik perhatian saya terutama saat tau kalau novel ini merupakan novel fiksi fantasi. Dan jika sudah membaca ceritanya pasti akan bilang memang covernya berhubungan dengan isi ceritanya. Simpel tapi kesan misteriusnya juga ada.
Poin 2 : Penokohan dan Alur. Nah alasan kenapa saya memberi bintang 3 ini utamanya ada di poin ini. Menurut saya pribadi yang sudah memasang ekspektasi yang lumayan ke novel ini memang merasa untuk penokohannya terasa hambar dan tidak ada pengembangan karakter tokoh yang cukup ketara. Berhubungan dengan alur ceritanya juga yang sebenarnya memang klise untuk sebuah novel fiksi fantasi dan saya pribadi merasa seperti diajak lari terburu-buru dalam membaca sebuah cerita. Semuanya serba cepat dan penjelasannya pun benar-benar singkat. Membuat pembaca yang merasa ingin tahu lebih banyak (seperti saya) jadi tidak puas. Namun, jujur saja ide cerita dari Adinda ini bagus kok bahkan ada pesan moralnya, jadi novel ini bisa dibaca juga oleh anak-anak.
Poin 3 : Namun, karena saya pribadi bukan orang yang pintar dan lancar berbahasa inggris. Novel ini bisa jadi buku untuk saya menambah kosakata baru :)
-End-
Tapi sebelumnya alasan saya membeli novel karya Adinda ini, pertama kali tahu soal Adinda ini dari salah satu berita di televisi. Adinda yang masih muda ini sudah bisa membuat sebuah novel terlebih lagi dengan bahasa inggris. Hal ini lah yang membuat saya ikut bangga dan penasaran sama ceritanya. Nah berikut ini beberapa poin yang mau saya share berdasarkan pendapat saya pribadi ya :)
Poin 1 : Cover. Untuk cover menurut saya menarik perhatian saya terutama saat tau kalau novel ini merupakan novel fiksi fantasi. Dan jika sudah membaca ceritanya pasti akan bilang memang covernya berhubungan dengan isi ceritanya. Simpel tapi kesan misteriusnya juga ada.
Poin 2 : Penokohan dan Alur. Nah alasan kenapa saya memberi bintang 3 ini utamanya ada di poin ini. Menurut saya pribadi yang sudah memasang ekspektasi yang lumayan ke novel ini memang merasa untuk penokohannya terasa hambar dan tidak ada pengembangan karakter tokoh yang cukup ketara. Berhubungan dengan alur ceritanya juga yang sebenarnya memang klise untuk sebuah novel fiksi fantasi dan saya pribadi merasa seperti diajak lari terburu-buru dalam membaca sebuah cerita. Semuanya serba cepat dan penjelasannya pun benar-benar singkat. Membuat pembaca yang merasa ingin tahu lebih banyak (seperti saya) jadi tidak puas. Namun, jujur saja ide cerita dari Adinda ini bagus kok bahkan ada pesan moralnya, jadi novel ini bisa dibaca juga oleh anak-anak.
Poin 3 : Namun, karena saya pribadi bukan orang yang pintar dan lancar berbahasa inggris. Novel ini bisa jadi buku untuk saya menambah kosakata baru :)
-End-
March 22, 2022
Final rating = 2.5 ish stars
Stumbled upon this book on my school’s e-library just a couple of days ago. Then I read the synopsis and decided that this one is worth the read. (It’s also short so why not lol)
There were some things that I liked and could appreciate in this book. And those things were:
- A great concept of a story and world,
- The writing was simple and to the point but also heartfelt, and
- The story was really easy to follow (anyone can read this in one sitting)
But at the same time, I also felt that the plot was quite underdeveloped and rushed. The description of how the world works were also underexplained. And the characters are pretty one-dimensional.
But then again, in conclusion, I enjoy my time reading it and I think young teenagers who had just dipped their toes into the fantasy genre would love to read this.
People on this planet are used to the word “disappeared” and “vanished”, almost like it’s a normal part of human’s life. Girls’ life, to be exact. It happens only to young girls around the age of fourteen to twenty. There are no signs of their return. Nobody can explain where they are, or whether they are alive. The disappearees, the name coined by the government to address those missing girls, are now just part of the statistics.
Stumbled upon this book on my school’s e-library just a couple of days ago. Then I read the synopsis and decided that this one is worth the read. (It’s also short so why not lol)
There were some things that I liked and could appreciate in this book. And those things were:
- A great concept of a story and world,
- The writing was simple and to the point but also heartfelt, and
- The story was really easy to follow (anyone can read this in one sitting)
But at the same time, I also felt that the plot was quite underdeveloped and rushed. The description of how the world works were also underexplained. And the characters are pretty one-dimensional.
But then again, in conclusion, I enjoy my time reading it and I think young teenagers who had just dipped their toes into the fantasy genre would love to read this.
January 9, 2023
I really enjoyed read this fantasy book
Seru deh, untuk seukuran buku ringan sekali duduk. Cocok banget dinikmati kalau kamu sedang merasa penat dengan dunia. Suka sekali dengan penamaan tempat dan nama tokohnya. Merasakan vibes Alice In Wonderland juga teringat cerita di Spirited Away dengan dua ratu kembar yang berbeda kepribadian.
Meski rasanya konfliknya kurang greget, tapi bisa kumaklumi sih. It's old story that the writers written.
Hai Kak Adinda. Kamu keren banget! Ayo matengin lagi ceritanya Kak, ditunggu! ＼(^o^)／
3.8/5
Seru deh, untuk seukuran buku ringan sekali duduk. Cocok banget dinikmati kalau kamu sedang merasa penat dengan dunia. Suka sekali dengan penamaan tempat dan nama tokohnya. Merasakan vibes Alice In Wonderland juga teringat cerita di Spirited Away dengan dua ratu kembar yang berbeda kepribadian.
Meski rasanya konfliknya kurang greget, tapi bisa kumaklumi sih. It's old story that the writers written.
Hai Kak Adinda. Kamu keren banget! Ayo matengin lagi ceritanya Kak, ditunggu! ＼(^o^)／
3.8/5
December 8, 2021
Kalau kita membaca bagian tentang penulis dan kapan cerita ini dibuat, tentu kita bisa maklum bahwa ceritanya terlalu terburu-buru. Tapi idenya menurut aku bagus banget. Aku merasakan vibes Alice in Wonderland dalam cerita ini. Seandainya alurnya diceritakan lebih detail, vibes itu akan lebih berasa. Overall, buku ini lumayan untuk dinikmati sekali duduk. Dannn siapa tahu penulisnya ingin, cerita ini bisa digubah kembali menjadi cerita yang lebih matang lagi. Good luck!
November 7, 2023
Untuk orang yang Bahasa inggrisnya gak bagus bagus amat tetep bisa enjoy baca buku ini karena kata kata yang di pake itu cukup banyak muncul Atau sehari hari gitu(bagi aku), untuk alur nya oke lah tapi bagi aku terlalu buru buru kayak tiba tiba Dari ini langsung ke ini nyambung sih cuman kurang rapi aja. Enak buat baca sekali duduk Dan recommend juga bagi yang baru nyoba baca novel en.
May 8, 2019
Easy to understand but too rush.
Keep the good work author! You are great!
Keep the good work author! You are great!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews