Wattpad Must-Read Stories by Filipino Authors

15. The Midnight Murders (Completed) by Serialsleeper

Author's Own Blurb:

Waking up from coma, Kendra finds out that not everything in Redwood is what it seems nor is her picture-perfect life.

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Mukhang may hang-ups ako lately sa mga story title kasi madalas na napagtutuunan ko ng pansin ngayon ay mga title.  Ang ganda ng title ng kuwentong ito.  Interesting at nakakatawag talaga ng pansin.  Thriller na thriller ang dating.  At pang-movie.

This is my second thriller sa list na ito and the first book I found through the "Discover" tab.  Palagi ko namang ginagamit ang feature na ito ng Wattpad pero sa kuwento lang na ito ako naka-jackpot.  At katulad sa nauna kong thriller na nagustuhan, this one blew my mind, too (at bonus pa na hindi niya ako pinahirapang maghanap).  And I am concluding that Filipino Wattpad writers write thrillers of this kind really, really well.  I know na ang ganitong conclusion is void sa scientific research dahil nga ang sample ko lang naman ay dalawa pero who cares about science sa ganitong sitwasyon?   Democracy rules in the world of Wattpad and freedom of expression is the norm here. Kaya, I can conclude whatever I want (especially sa sarili kong list na devoted sa sarili kong opinyon tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay).

This story reminds me of my happy (rather sleepless) nights with Class 3C Has A Secret.  Please don't take offense, @Serialsleeper. I meant that not as a criticism or anything but as a praise because I really, really, really love that story.  And I love this one, too.  Kaya I can't help but compare and contrast.  Still, eventhough, may slight similarity ito with CHAS, the plot is different and really interesting and new.  

Pauna ko na, I mean no offense sa either writer (Serialsleeper or charotera101).  Later, habang sinusulat ko ang review na ito ay baka maikumpara ko ang dalawang kuwento sa isa't isa. I don't think I can help it especially na The Midnight Murders really reminded me of CHAS noong sinisimulan ko siyang basahin.  I think that the readers who have read both stories would understand what I mean here.  Hindi ko sinasabing parehong-pareho sila. My gawd!  Sobrang layo.  Iisang aspeto nga lang yata sila magkapareho pero that aspect is enough to remind me of the other.

Ang pangunahing  aspeto ng The Midnight Murders  na kanina ko pa binabanggit  at hindi maiiwasang maihahambing sa CHAS ay ang pagkakaroon din nito ng  mga bida at kontrabidang teenagers na hayok sa dugo.  The same bloodthirstiness of the teenage characters in CHAS that I super loved ay nandito din sa The Midnight Murders.  Salamat dito at nakumpirma ko sa aking sarili that I really dig teenage violence.  That didn't come out right (downright creepy, I think). Ang feeling na nakaka-relate ako sa violent urges ng mga batang ito ay nagsimula sa CHAS  at nakumpirma na nga dito.  Ewan ko.  Okay naman ang pamilya ko.  Hindi naman ako abused as a child pero nakaka-relate talaga ako.  What does that say about me?!

Maraming aspeto ng The Midnight Murders ang talagang nagustuhan ko but if I am going to choose one, I'd go for its plot bilang pangunahing strength nito at dito umiikot ang buong review na ito.  Anyway,  I'll go ahead ang risk some online  backlash from CHAS fans (umm, reminder lang po, fan din ako ng kuwentong iyon)  and say that the plot of this story is more solid and organized than CHAS.  Ang CHAS kasi has the vibe of a Japanese thriller.  'Yong type na may mga scenes na binabagsak lang sa audience without explanation and all and you are expected to just swallow it and just accept it as that.  Ang ganoong aspeto ng CHAS is one of its charm.

Ang The Midnight Murders iba.  It has the vibe of a crime show.  Or at least Harper's Island (an American TV series).  Sure may mga weird and somekinda difficult to believe scenes  (hindi ko na babanggitin dito at spoiler na 'yon) na nangyayari pero some explanations are given.  At ang mga ganitong explanations ang na-a-appreciate ko sa kuwentong ito.  These attempts at giving order and reason to whatever is happening on the page is one of the many reasons why I continued to virtually flip the pages hanggang sa umabot ako sa dulo.  And also the main difference from CHAS.

Some tips for readers who also write thrillers (I never tried this myself 'cuase I've never written one yet pero nakuha ko ito from being an avid reader of thrillers), for a story in this genre to work, a solid plot is a must.  Kahit gaano ka man kagaling magdugtong-dugtong ng mga salita, sundin mo man lahat ng writing rules, grammatically correct man ang bawat senences mo, if wala kang plot na kakaiba, maayos, at organisado, patay ang kuwento mo kung nasa genre ka nito.  Too much loose ends and extraneous subplots and backstories would discourage your readers to continue.

In my opinion, Serialsleeper's bacstories are superb, not to mention, interesting.  She may have a bit of a problem sa simula getting the story off the ground (Although, I like the prologue). Siguro nangangapa pa siya sa una kung paano niya ipagtatagpi-tagpi ang iba't ibang threads ng kuwento niya.  Told you that she has good backtories.  What I specifically meant was she has subplots within subplots at hindi sila madaling ipag-connect-connect if hindi maayos ang pagkaka-lay niya ng groundwork.  Laying the groundworks sa mga nauna niyang chapters wasn't easy pero when she got to the part where nag-i-investigate na ang mga bida, naging smoothflowing na ang takbo nang pagkasulat.  Nakakuha na siguro si author ng buwelo.  I'm not sure sa writing process ni Serialsleeper for this story pero I can imagine her having cue cards of these subplots I was talking about.  By the way, these subplots made the story unique.   And when I say unique, I've yet to read a story that is similar to this type of unique.  Read it please so you will see what I mean.

To the potential readers, go ahead and give this story a try.  Iba ang kaba at curiosity na dala ng kuwentong ito.  Reading this is like being on a 3D show.  Parang nandoon ka din habang nangyayari ang lahat.  Ang nervousness ni Kendra, ang sense na you can't trust anybody, mararamdaman mo lahat.   Ang oras na igugugol mo dito, gaano man kaikli o kahaba, ay tiyak na hindi mo pagsisisihan dahil susuklian naman ito ni Serialsleeper ng isang polidong kuwentong pinaglaanan niya din ng panahon at utak para ibuo.  Sige na, try mo, kahit prologue lang and then you will see why I call this a "hook, line, and sinker" story.

And to Serialsleeper, thank you so much for this unusual story.  Marami-rami na rin akong nabasa, both in and out of Wattpad, na minsan nag-de-despair na ako of finding a story na hindi pa ako na-e-expose.  This story of yours convinced me na there are still a lot out there for me to discover and enjoy.  Also, kakapalan ko na ang mukha ko, pero mag-re-request ako.  Siguro, some of the fans of this story request a book 2 or something.  I don't.  I hope mapanatili mo itong standalone lang.  I like how you ended this and I believe na masisira na ang ending na ito if you decided to write a sequel.  Pero siyempre, the final decision is still with you.  Oh, and may you get published, too, like charotera101.  

P.S.

"Hook, line, and sinker" story = a story with a prologue or first chapter that would convince you to read the next chapter (hook), with a plot that is interesting and unique that arouses your curiosity to continue flipping the pages (line), and finally, with an ending that's unforgettable or unexpected that makes you say "wow, that was a damn good story" when you reach the end (sinker)

P.S.S.

The above term is something that I just invented.  Hahahaha.  Huwag nang i-Google.  Wala 'yan diyan.  If andiyan man, iba ang tinutukoy niyan.