Author: Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A)

‘The Hurricane Wars’: Exciting enemies-to-lovers tale, drowned out by complex worldbuilding  

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A) 

Raffles Reads is a collaboration between Raffles Press and Times Reads which aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporean students.

Rating: 3/ 5 stars

Two pairs of eyes—one blazed in gold, the other sunk in shadow—meet across a battlefield.

Their gazes speak of diametrically opposed magic: Alaric, a prince of the night spars against Talasyn, a lost princess of the light.

Whether they know it or not, they have already hurt each other in many ways. Even before that very moment. Their ancestors’ spilt blood rests on their daggers, thrust towards each other out of vengeance. What are they to each other? Not strangers, but the heirs of rival empires, tethered by the invisible string of fated contempt.

Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars twists and turns this invisible string until its threads reveal that perhaps, those who are fated to hurt can, unknowingly, be fated to heal each other instead.

This novel embraces all the ingredients of a ravishing enemies-to-lovers tale. (Think: Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars, but immersed in the geopolitics of Shadow and Bone). Yet, like a dish made with an ambitious palate of flavours, it often confuses rather than delights the taste buds.

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Playing Next: Soundtrack to My Life in RI

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A) and Isabelle Tan (24S06D, Writers’ Guild)

Through this collaborative piece by Raffles Press and Writers’ Guild, the writers have explored a very unique style of writing that combines the strengths of both creative writing and journalism: creative nonfiction. Examining what binds music to our memories of school life thus far, this piece is an ode to friendships, faith, and more. Each track represents a diary-esque ‘slice-of-life’ of each of the writers who have contributed to this piece. 

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Farewell Mr Yeo!

Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A), Chia Kei Yin (24S03C), Jermaine Lee (24A01A), Shannen Lim En-Qi (24A01A) and Syaura Nashwa Rasyiddin (24S03R)

From his dedication to the planning of RI200 Bicentennial events, to his warm greetings at morning assemblies, Mr Frederick Yeo has certainly gone far and beyond as our PRI. When asked to describe his time in RI in three words, he jokingly quipped: “It’s been fulfilling”.

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‘Guang’: A gem on what it means to hurt and heal

Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A)
This story is the second of a 3-part series focusing on films featured during the Family Film Festival, which focused on family-centered themes and stories.

Guang’’s opening scenes encapsulates the visceral, inner world of its main character: notice the sharp, creaking sound of wheels in a hospital; the restless bouncing of his feet as he waits outside his mother’s ward. Wei Guang, an autistic young man, is still navigating the world around him and all the complexities it has to offer. Be it a shift in energy, in pace, or motion, the film never shies away from dissecting Guang’s sensitivities, and embracing what it means to love and hurt the way he does. 

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An Ode to Waffles…

Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A), Camillia Anum Mohamad Ashraff (24S03B), Cao Yuhan (24S03M), Chandrasekaran Shreya (24S06A), Cheah Zong Heng (24S06P), Chia Kei Yin (24S03C), Dang Tran Minh Phuong (Annie) (24A01A)

Being a Rafflesian may be a vastly different adventure for different people, but the spark of joy when a classmate asks “Anyone wants something from Chill?”, the anticipation of biting into a freshly-baked waffle, and the glee in comparing waffle flavours with friends are central parts of the RI experience. Raffles Press dives into stories behind the waffle-making process and what waffles truly mean to Rafflesians.

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