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The Peculiars' Tale
A girl who can see the future. Two boys; one who can see the past, and the other who can read minds. They are Peculiars, and they exist. This is their tale.
*****
Jill Morie, the girl who can see the future, never wanted her power and believes that every event in the universe is already determined. Until one day, she decided to interfere with fate to compensate for her guilt.
And this is the beginning of her quest. She then discovered that there are other beings like her who have exceptional abilities and a secret organization called 'Memoire' who hunts them down.
--
THE PECULIARS' TALE (Wattys 2015 Winner)
*****
Jill Morie, the girl who can see the future, never wanted her power and believes that every event in the universe is already determined. Until one day, she decided to interfere with fate to compensate for her guilt.
And this is the beginning of her quest. She then discovered that there are other beings like her who have exceptional abilities and a secret organization called 'Memoire' who hunts them down.
--
THE PECULIARS' TALE (Wattys 2015 Winner)
- GenresFantasy
Wattpad Version
First published March 8, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 3, 2021
1.5 STARS
DNF at Chapter 50
Disclaimer:
This review is only for the wattpad version, I haven't read the published one.
I had this book in my library for so many years, and was one of the first Filipino wattpad books that caught my attention. But I've only tried reading it back in 2017. I stopped at chapter 10, and moved on to read something else.
In 2018, I attempted it again, and tried taking my time with it. But at chapter 17, I got bored. So I decided to read another book instead thinking perhaps I'm just not in the right mood for SFF at that time.
In 2020, two years from my previous attempt, I tried it again. I was determined to finish it. But, the more chapters I read the more I'm losing interest. And at chapter 50, I finally decided to stop reading for good.
Upon my third reread, I realized some reasons why I could not get through the whole story. I'll enumerate them for you:
• The Pacing
- I'm an avid veiwer of Demi's youtube videos, and if I remember correctly, she disclosed that when she was writing this, she didn't really know where the story was going and was why it took her so long to finish writing it. They just tried different plot devices to see where the plot would lead them, in short, trial and error. And it shows. I could feel while reading that the author was a pantser back then, because the progression of the plot would move so slowly. There were so many filler scenes, and some that could've been shorten. Descriptions upon descriptions of character thought were incorporated, but instead of conveying emotions, I felt nothing. This book also suffered from telling rather than showing. Yes, I've watched her video about this topic. But it's apparent that she didn't know about it yet when she was still writing this. The pov characters that we've got have so much inner monologue that it's as if I'm reading an essay of their life. Regardless, I'm glad she improved and noticed her mistakes from this first book.
• The Shallow Characters
- I liked Jill in the beginning. She's sad, depressed, and even tried to commit suicide. She kept all her problems inside her than boasting it all out. Despite the negativity, she's interesting enough to follow. Some side characters were also intriguing when we first met them. But that curiousity died quickly when there were so many characters introduced at once without having distinctive voices. Some of them felt the same, just with different names and minor personalities. The love interest was barely in the book, so the romance became dull halfway through the story. Friendships and character development were the focus of the book not the romance, mind you. But by adding it, the couple needed to have atleast a little chemistry beyond the snippets of banter here and there. With the friendships, I think the author did fine with making you believe why the characters feel strongly for one another. She also handled the "mistrust and trusting again" plotline really well. Enemies became friends, friends became enemies. It was all good. The development of the characters though, were unfortunately lacklustre. Yes, some of them changed for the better, others the opposite, but it never felt authentic. It did not feel realistic. Perhaps it boils down to the telling rather than showing issue. It's hard for me to care for most of them when most of the emotions were told rather than shown to us.
• The Plot
- It's obvious from the beginning that it was going to be about people with abilities, hence the title. And I was here for it. I love concepts revolving around powers, weirdness, and slice of life. While it did have those things, it wasn't combined seamlessly. Some plot points felt random instead of surprising. Especially the trip they went through in the bus, the ridiculous games they played, and the unnecessary carnival/circus shenanigans. I get what the author was going for, but she could've think of more atmospherically-related scenes to use to move the story forward. Instead of actually progressing the plot, it made it insufferably dragged out. It didn't fit the overall vibe the book was initially set out to be.
Last thoughts:
I did not elaborate further on some minor problems I've had such as spelling and grammar errors, typos, and info-dumps, bacause it's already given since this is a first draft and is probably unedited.
This wasn't a BAD book. It doesn't contain problematic and toxic themes. It was just completely underdeveloped. There were some nuggets of potential here and there, but all felt underwhelming.
I'm not bashing the author nor am I by any means using this review as a personal attack. It's actually quite the opposite. Like I've mentioned previously, I watch Demi's videos and find them educational for young writers. She's the only filipino author on wattpad I know that studies the craft of writing. She knows her craft really well, unlike most wattpad authors who just write for passion and doesn't care for the technicalities. Which is not a bad thing by the way, do what you love. I'm just pointing it out. And if she ever read this review, I hope she finds it constructive.
I tried reading Ang Huling Binukot, but the writing style felt a little similar to this one, so I put it aside for now.
But what I'm currently reading is Dalaga na si Remison, and from the first 5 chapters I've read, I was hooked instantly! It was such a nice and refreshing start, and I'll definitely continue reading it and hopefully would like it more than the former two.
DNF at Chapter 50
Disclaimer:
This review is only for the wattpad version, I haven't read the published one.
I had this book in my library for so many years, and was one of the first Filipino wattpad books that caught my attention. But I've only tried reading it back in 2017. I stopped at chapter 10, and moved on to read something else.
In 2018, I attempted it again, and tried taking my time with it. But at chapter 17, I got bored. So I decided to read another book instead thinking perhaps I'm just not in the right mood for SFF at that time.
In 2020, two years from my previous attempt, I tried it again. I was determined to finish it. But, the more chapters I read the more I'm losing interest. And at chapter 50, I finally decided to stop reading for good.
Upon my third reread, I realized some reasons why I could not get through the whole story. I'll enumerate them for you:
• The Pacing
- I'm an avid veiwer of Demi's youtube videos, and if I remember correctly, she disclosed that when she was writing this, she didn't really know where the story was going and was why it took her so long to finish writing it. They just tried different plot devices to see where the plot would lead them, in short, trial and error. And it shows. I could feel while reading that the author was a pantser back then, because the progression of the plot would move so slowly. There were so many filler scenes, and some that could've been shorten. Descriptions upon descriptions of character thought were incorporated, but instead of conveying emotions, I felt nothing. This book also suffered from telling rather than showing. Yes, I've watched her video about this topic. But it's apparent that she didn't know about it yet when she was still writing this. The pov characters that we've got have so much inner monologue that it's as if I'm reading an essay of their life. Regardless, I'm glad she improved and noticed her mistakes from this first book.
• The Shallow Characters
- I liked Jill in the beginning. She's sad, depressed, and even tried to commit suicide. She kept all her problems inside her than boasting it all out. Despite the negativity, she's interesting enough to follow. Some side characters were also intriguing when we first met them. But that curiousity died quickly when there were so many characters introduced at once without having distinctive voices. Some of them felt the same, just with different names and minor personalities. The love interest was barely in the book, so the romance became dull halfway through the story. Friendships and character development were the focus of the book not the romance, mind you. But by adding it, the couple needed to have atleast a little chemistry beyond the snippets of banter here and there. With the friendships, I think the author did fine with making you believe why the characters feel strongly for one another. She also handled the "mistrust and trusting again" plotline really well. Enemies became friends, friends became enemies. It was all good. The development of the characters though, were unfortunately lacklustre. Yes, some of them changed for the better, others the opposite, but it never felt authentic. It did not feel realistic. Perhaps it boils down to the telling rather than showing issue. It's hard for me to care for most of them when most of the emotions were told rather than shown to us.
• The Plot
- It's obvious from the beginning that it was going to be about people with abilities, hence the title. And I was here for it. I love concepts revolving around powers, weirdness, and slice of life. While it did have those things, it wasn't combined seamlessly. Some plot points felt random instead of surprising. Especially the trip they went through in the bus, the ridiculous games they played, and the unnecessary carnival/circus shenanigans. I get what the author was going for, but she could've think of more atmospherically-related scenes to use to move the story forward. Instead of actually progressing the plot, it made it insufferably dragged out. It didn't fit the overall vibe the book was initially set out to be.
Last thoughts:
I did not elaborate further on some minor problems I've had such as spelling and grammar errors, typos, and info-dumps, bacause it's already given since this is a first draft and is probably unedited.
This wasn't a BAD book. It doesn't contain problematic and toxic themes. It was just completely underdeveloped. There were some nuggets of potential here and there, but all felt underwhelming.
I'm not bashing the author nor am I by any means using this review as a personal attack. It's actually quite the opposite. Like I've mentioned previously, I watch Demi's videos and find them educational for young writers. She's the only filipino author on wattpad I know that studies the craft of writing. She knows her craft really well, unlike most wattpad authors who just write for passion and doesn't care for the technicalities. Which is not a bad thing by the way, do what you love. I'm just pointing it out. And if she ever read this review, I hope she finds it constructive.
I tried reading Ang Huling Binukot, but the writing style felt a little similar to this one, so I put it aside for now.
But what I'm currently reading is Dalaga na si Remison, and from the first 5 chapters I've read, I was hooked instantly! It was such a nice and refreshing start, and I'll definitely continue reading it and hopefully would like it more than the former two.
October 8, 2022
This was the worst book i've read this year. I will never recommend. I will never even want to think about this book or any of the characters. I would have given this a 0 but im giving it a 1 because of Jing Rosca. Spoiler-free.
Jill Morie did not feel like the main character at all. Not one bit of her scenes made her feel like one. She's almost like a character to narrate whatever's happening in the book. All the decisions they had to make were mostly based off Jing and Eliza's "arguments" or "discussions". They mostly decide about everything. Jing Rosca had more relevance to the story more than Jill Morie did (her scenes were better than Jill's and the book cover for book 2 says it all). And I completely forgot about Morris. Why was he even included in the "synopsis" of book 1 as the guy who can see the past when in fact Cairo had more exposure than he did, and his DID had more focus and relevance more than his ability to see the past (and that power by the way was the most useless one).
The romance sub-plot in this book was painfully unnecessary. I did not feel one bit of their chemistry and everyone did not have a backbone. Not to mention the fact that the only plot twist the author can think for this book was betrayal. I wasn't even surprised at book 2 how Jill was again betrayed by the people she trusted.
I hated her character. I don't know if it's the character I hate, or the writing style, or if she's supposed to be written that way, really annoying, or everything at once. I hated all the decisions she had to make. I hated how the other characters had to emphasize that she was the "king piece" to this chess game when i cannot feel her relevance to the story at all. Maybe I just hated everything about the book. Not one drop of emotion escaped my heart, I just wanted to get over with the book as fast as I can. It was so bad that even book 2 which was shorter than book 1 was so hard to finish. It took me so many days to finish a really short book.
I have more to say but thinking about this book is making me so frustrated again.
Jill Morie did not feel like the main character at all. Not one bit of her scenes made her feel like one. She's almost like a character to narrate whatever's happening in the book. All the decisions they had to make were mostly based off Jing and Eliza's "arguments" or "discussions". They mostly decide about everything. Jing Rosca had more relevance to the story more than Jill Morie did (her scenes were better than Jill's and the book cover for book 2 says it all). And I completely forgot about Morris. Why was he even included in the "synopsis" of book 1 as the guy who can see the past when in fact Cairo had more exposure than he did, and his DID had more focus and relevance more than his ability to see the past (and that power by the way was the most useless one).
The romance sub-plot in this book was painfully unnecessary. I did not feel one bit of their chemistry and everyone did not have a backbone. Not to mention the fact that the only plot twist the author can think for this book was betrayal. I wasn't even surprised at book 2 how Jill was again betrayed by the people she trusted.
I hated her character. I don't know if it's the character I hate, or the writing style, or if she's supposed to be written that way, really annoying, or everything at once. I hated all the decisions she had to make. I hated how the other characters had to emphasize that she was the "king piece" to this chess game when i cannot feel her relevance to the story at all. Maybe I just hated everything about the book. Not one drop of emotion escaped my heart, I just wanted to get over with the book as fast as I can. It was so bad that even book 2 which was shorter than book 1 was so hard to finish. It took me so many days to finish a really short book.
I have more to say but thinking about this book is making me so frustrated again.
August 10, 2022
- 3 stars !
Living inside a world where the peculiars live in incognito, Jill Morie unravels identities just as the likes of her found between the dark gaps in her life, bound to slavery and trapped under the hands of those whose scheme is to rule the world. Once she finds out the truth about her own kind, she declares war to fight the evil intentions of those above her, encouraging silenced voices to shatter all limits forced upon them. But when betrayals rose from their grave, Jill Morie finds herself fulfilling the role as the chosen all by herself, ruining her sanity in the process. Will she be able to save the world from the bizarre truth? Or will the truth destroy 'The Chosen One' instead?
Hear me out, the concept of this book is absolutely an instant buy for most people that favors fantasy and secret societies clashing together. I'm one of those people, by the way, but somehow, this book seemed to disappoint me by very story itself. Sure, the characters differed from one another, each was unique in their own characteristics, powers, and all whatnot, but the plotting process was excruciatingly slow and was filled with useless filler that had me slap myself every time I witness the 'male interests' intrude an opening for the plot to continue.
I know not all books have to be 'perfect' and 'well-edited' but the grammatical errors and bad fluency really were the downfall of my anticipation and hopes. I guess the editor of this book neglected some of the errors that needed to be corrected due to the deadline or just ignorance. It just felt so annoying to see the story badly corrected and put out when the only thing I find pleasing in a book is its writing. I know some will ignore these just as easily but I, on the other hand, really felt disturbed by this.
The last thing I wanna point out was the unnecessary love triangle that the author added to make the story be more 'bearable' and 'fun' despite all the misery and trauma surrounding Jill Morie. Literally would've been a decent book if the storyline wasn't interrupted by their 'cringe-worthy love scenes. I know it might seem too rude and blunt, but I cannot give a single damn about who dies or gets tortured or gets enslaved or gets beheaded or burned alive or chopped in halves or lives between the two of them. If only I could find a single care to give at least for one of them, then I would've found this story 'good' and rated it higher than 3 stars only. Unfortunately, I didn't. Wished I did though, the idea of this was genuinely so good.
Living inside a world where the peculiars live in incognito, Jill Morie unravels identities just as the likes of her found between the dark gaps in her life, bound to slavery and trapped under the hands of those whose scheme is to rule the world. Once she finds out the truth about her own kind, she declares war to fight the evil intentions of those above her, encouraging silenced voices to shatter all limits forced upon them. But when betrayals rose from their grave, Jill Morie finds herself fulfilling the role as the chosen all by herself, ruining her sanity in the process. Will she be able to save the world from the bizarre truth? Or will the truth destroy 'The Chosen One' instead?
Hear me out, the concept of this book is absolutely an instant buy for most people that favors fantasy and secret societies clashing together. I'm one of those people, by the way, but somehow, this book seemed to disappoint me by very story itself. Sure, the characters differed from one another, each was unique in their own characteristics, powers, and all whatnot, but the plotting process was excruciatingly slow and was filled with useless filler that had me slap myself every time I witness the 'male interests' intrude an opening for the plot to continue.
I know not all books have to be 'perfect' and 'well-edited' but the grammatical errors and bad fluency really were the downfall of my anticipation and hopes. I guess the editor of this book neglected some of the errors that needed to be corrected due to the deadline or just ignorance. It just felt so annoying to see the story badly corrected and put out when the only thing I find pleasing in a book is its writing. I know some will ignore these just as easily but I, on the other hand, really felt disturbed by this.
The last thing I wanna point out was the unnecessary love triangle that the author added to make the story be more 'bearable' and 'fun' despite all the misery and trauma surrounding Jill Morie. Literally would've been a decent book if the storyline wasn't interrupted by their 'cringe-worthy love scenes. I know it might seem too rude and blunt, but I cannot give a single damn about who dies or gets tortured or gets enslaved or gets beheaded or burned alive or chopped in halves or lives between the two of them. If only I could find a single care to give at least for one of them, then I would've found this story 'good' and rated it higher than 3 stars only. Unfortunately, I didn't. Wished I did though, the idea of this was genuinely so good.
September 11, 2024
bought the physical book 3 yrs ago pero ngayon ko lang binasa HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA maganda naman siya
October 31, 2022
The story was good. I like Jill Morie but nothing like Jing Rosca. I think she was the highlight for me in the book 2. I felt her character. I just didn't like the monologue of some character. Because when they do it, it doesn't feel like the character who was speaking. It felt like there was only one character speaking in those monologues. Also, maybe i was just being such a critic but i noticed that sometimes some tagalog words or sentences or phrases were not appropriate, i mean it could be modified and can make it sound more like a little bit of a formal tagalog because there were many "kolokyal" words that were inappropriate. I used to read tagalog pocket books way way back then so i can tell the difference and maybe i can say that i was looking for that kind of narration. I also found some grammatical errors but given that it was the first book, i think it is understood. Mistakes are necessary. But overall, i liked the book. I have finished the book 1 and 2 for a week. I felt the thrill and excitement for what's gonna happen next so i finished it. And I also admired the author for her creativity.
September 22, 2022
I was underwhelmed. I would've given this a 1-star rating but at the end of the book 1, it kind of got better compared to how it started, which was painfully slow with so much fillers. Characters are very 1-dimensional and i can't really differentiate them from each other.
Some of the characters are not consistent with their first apperance on the book (i.e., stephen) and there was nit enough build-up for the emotions.
Some of the characters are not consistent with their first apperance on the book (i.e., stephen) and there was nit enough build-up for the emotions.
October 28, 2020
(2.5)
I was too excited to read this at first but, oh well, maybe my standards when it comes to fantasy are really that HIGH! But it's still a fun read, I guess.
I was too excited to read this at first but, oh well, maybe my standards when it comes to fantasy are really that HIGH! But it's still a fun read, I guess.
May 14, 2021
It was slow but def worth it
June 26, 2021
I loved it the twist of characters is just what I need as my first novel read but, I think it just needs a little push
July 16, 2024
dnf at page 76 of book 1. the pacing is unbearably slow. by this point, i was already expecting the promised storyline about the secret organization memoire, as described on the back cover. instead, we're still stuck on that irritating blog issue.
there are so many things happening yet most of them weren’t capable of holding my interest. gets ko pa ung paglaan ng chapters 1 and 2 para sa guilt ni jill surrounding her powers. but i was expecting chapters 3 and above to be like a gripping chase, kasi nga, may nangha-hunt down daw sa mga tulad niya... or pwedeng by this point unti-unti na siyang may nakikilalang mga tulad niya. but it’s still stuck in a school drama, unnecessary love triangle, mysterious subject adviser, and a step-sibling drama.
and may konting issue ako sa technicalities ng kanyang powers. ang sabi ay nakikita raw niya ang future, pero bakit sa tuwing nagagamit niya un, ang nakikita niya lagi ay impending death ng taong nakatitigan niya? bakit limited to death lagi? hindi ba pwedeng may case din na happy? like nanalo sa raffle, or sinagot ng ligaw? ganun. and why is death always happening so soon after she makes eye contact with them? ano ba siya, harbinger of death? at hanggang saang scope ng future ang nakikita niya? whole life ba nung person or hanggang the next 24 hours lang ng buhay nila?
she was able to use her powers several times during those parts na nabasa ko, yet, i didn’t feel any kind of worry doon sa involved. actually i didn’t feel any connection with any of them.
there are so many things happening yet most of them weren’t capable of holding my interest. gets ko pa ung paglaan ng chapters 1 and 2 para sa guilt ni jill surrounding her powers. but i was expecting chapters 3 and above to be like a gripping chase, kasi nga, may nangha-hunt down daw sa mga tulad niya... or pwedeng by this point unti-unti na siyang may nakikilalang mga tulad niya. but it’s still stuck in a school drama, unnecessary love triangle, mysterious subject adviser, and a step-sibling drama.
and may konting issue ako sa technicalities ng kanyang powers. ang sabi ay nakikita raw niya ang future, pero bakit sa tuwing nagagamit niya un, ang nakikita niya lagi ay impending death ng taong nakatitigan niya? bakit limited to death lagi? hindi ba pwedeng may case din na happy? like nanalo sa raffle, or sinagot ng ligaw? ganun. and why is death always happening so soon after she makes eye contact with them? ano ba siya, harbinger of death? at hanggang saang scope ng future ang nakikita niya? whole life ba nung person or hanggang the next 24 hours lang ng buhay nila?
she was able to use her powers several times during those parts na nabasa ko, yet, i didn’t feel any kind of worry doon sa involved. actually i didn’t feel any connection with any of them.
December 27, 2024
Characters ⭐
Writing ⭐
Plot ⭐⭐
Concept ⭐⭐⭐
Writing ⭐
Plot ⭐⭐
Concept ⭐⭐⭐
March 5, 2023
Finally Done! I enjoyed it so far. I kinda am impressed with my intuition cause I'm able to predict some twist in here lol, well it only shows that I'm so into reading this book since I'm so engaged. First read of 2023!
July 17, 2021
2 star
I miss this series
I don't think the romance was necessary lol. I love the cult and the mystery in this book. Jill Morie is soooo me lol. 😆 This series deserves a TV adaptation than HIH.
I miss this series
I don't think the romance was necessary lol. I love the cult and the mystery in this book. Jill Morie is soooo me lol. 😆 This series deserves a TV adaptation than HIH.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews