Wattpad Must-Read Stories by Filipino Authors

19. Vespers (Fields of the Nephilim: Interlude) by _catfish_

Author's Own Blurb:

"Hush don't cry. This won't hurt I swear" -----Wrath of Angels 08-29-2008

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Yeah. The blurb didn't say squat about what the story is all about. Kung hindi lang dahil sa isang recommendation ng someone from Wattpad (I'm so sorry, I forgot who you were sa dami nang mga nagre-recommend sa akin ng mga mababasa dito. Pero if you're reading this, please comment na ikaw ang nag-recommend nito sa akin so I could give proper recognition for your awesome deed.) and sa tag nito na "fantasy", clueless talaga ako kung what about ba ang kuwento except that, maybe, it has something to do about fallen angels (clue: the nephilim word sa title). Reading something na wala akong idea kung ano isn't me. Pero dahil convincing si recommender and nabuyo na akong mag-research kung what in the world is a vesper or as it turned out vespers pala (always plural daw ito sabi ni Merriam-Webster), I started reading this awesome piece of work and my mind was blown away and left for Literature heaven.

Before I delve into the specifics of why you people SHOULD read this book (and the next two that follows. Yep. Trilogy po ito. All completed. Equally awesome.), allow me to brag about what I learned about vespers. Kahit na malamang ako lang sa buong sangka-Kristiyanuhan ang hindi nakakaalam kung ano ito. Vespers is (kating-kati akong gumamit ng 'are' dito) an evening prayer service in some Christian church. What's so special about it? It's for me to know and for you to find out. In short, tinamad na akong mag-research beyond Merriam-Webster and I leave it all to you to find out for yourselves what is so important about this evening prayer for it to have a special (not to mention cool-sounding) name.

So, unto the book. Hindi ito ang una at malamang hindi rin ito ang huli na angel-related fantasy book that I will ever read but I can say that this is the one that embedded itself so deep in my brain it made me obsessed with it for a few weeks. Alam mo 'yon, ipikit mo ang mga mata mo and the scenes you've read are still playing in your mind's eye? You're doing something else, trying to live your normal 'real' life and then a wisp of memory of a certain scene will make you drop whatever it is you're doing and daydream the next scene (lalo na if wala ka pang copy ng second book?). Pagkatapos ko itong basahin, I felt like na-kulto ako. Or at least I imagine na ang naramdaman ko is ang naramdaman ng mga kakasali ng isang kulto after nilang ma-doctrinated? You don't look different on the outside but inside, you felt like something remarkable happened pero hindi mo ma-pinpoint kung ano.

To be honest, this is the most difficult 'review' I've ever done so far. Wala kasi akong specific thing na masabi kung bakit ko ito nagustuhan. I can't pinpoint if it is the plot of the characters or the style or the tone, etc that attracts me to this story. Basta ang alam ko, I loved this story and I felt amazing after reading it. It's all about the feelings for me pagdating sa librong ito. Pero, alam ko namang ang dahilan kung bakit ninyo binabasa ang mga pinagsusulat ko dito is not because I said, "I love it, read." So, I will try to convince you to read this by talking about two things I find odd about this story. These oddities will not work in other stories but they did in here.

I'll start with the plot kahit hindi ko alam kung saan magsisimula. Parang walang matinong simula at katapusan ang kuwentong ito. Kahit natapos ko na ang dalawa pang kasunod nito, hindi ko pa rin alam kung paano ikukuwento ang kuwento. When I recommended this to a friend, she asked me what is it all about. I felt like a goldfish opening its mouth with no sound coming out. Only bubbles. And angels. "Basta maganda, basahin mo na lang at makikita mo what I mean," sabi ko na lang. She looked at me like I'm being more weird than usual. I don't think she read this and I feel like I failed her. She missed out on some great literature!