Say It With A Book #5 | READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline

Guest Book Reviewer | Grace Dela Rosa

   

I know it should've been rounded up but it's just not a 5-star read for me. But not a 4-star either, thus the half star on my actual rating.

This was like reading an anime with an all-important game and the imperfect and ordinary (who's really not so ordinary) hero who wins the game. It reminded me of Flame of Recca's Ura Buto Satsujin, Naruto's Chunin exam, Yakitate Japan's bread battles, and all those other animes that made me hooked up on an all-consuming competition. So despite being perpetually confused and lost on all the '80s and videogame references, I really enjoyed it. Even being a non-gamer, I appreciated the intense competition the whole plot was centered on. Aside from this, I also enjoyed the riddle solving and trivia bombs dropped all throughout the story. I enjoyed this so much I slept at 6am just to finish this. :)

My only complaint was the almost clinical and sterile interactions between humans when they were not in the OASIS world. They were more human-like in OASIS and this disturbed me a bit. I know they were socially inept young adults but the conversations amongst them all when they finally met were stilted at best. One instance is when Wade and Aech met. Despite Wade saying that they were already comfortable with each other after the initial tension, I still did not feel the camaraderie that best friends have. I guess the best parts of the book were when Wade was operating on his own.

I have a gamer friend who really enjoyed this so I guess I would definitely recommend this book to all gamers out there. This is a real gem for you. :)

P.S. I'm so excited for the movie. Hihi.

Book details:

Title:  Ready Player One

Author:  Ernest Cline

Publisher:  Crown

Publication:  August 16, 2011

Genre:  Fiction

Rating: 4.5 stars

About Grace:

Hello there! I'd like you to meet a girl who shares my birth month, and one of those people I know with a big bright smile... Grace, better known as Gwaxa. 

TPW:  What is your favorite genre?  

Grace: Favorite genres are YA and romance. I also dabble in mystery and some(times) fiction. I rarely venture in other genres because I'm a slave of the familiar.

TPW:  How would you define yourself as a reader?

Grace:  I'm a very moody reader. I do not have any reading plan because I can't read a book if I'm not in the mood for it. You can also say that I'm an unadventurous reader because, as I said in my answer for the previous question, I'm a slave of the familiar. This also shows in my rereading habit. I have trusted books which I reread when I'm in a reading slump. My reading resolutions for this year include lessening my rereads (so I have to search for other ways to get out of my reading slump) and exploring other genres (classics and Filipiniana are among them). Good luck to me. :D

TPW:  Thank you for taking the time to do this, Grace. I am grateful! ♥