Raffles Reviews

Music Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Alternative Rock and Its Many Faces
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Tang Lanyun (23S05A)

Alternative rock isn’t so much a genre as it is an attitude. Emerging from the underground punk scene of the 70s, alt-rock lacks a defining sound; rather, it is characterised by its independent ethos and scepticism toward the mainstream. 

Though its acts rarely experience the whirlwind fame of their commercial contemporaries, over the years a few have managed to attain cult status, whose albums endure in music’s collective memory.

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Book Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: The Macanese Pro-Wrestler’s Cookbook
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Natalie Tan (23A01B) 

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

Rating: 4/5

After his parents’ death, former pro-wrestler Zeke Oliveira returns to Macau from America and spends his days running their restaurant by the beach, purposeless but for cooking good food. 

When someone rigs Zeke’s best friend’s car to explode, killing him right outside his restaurant, Zeke throws himself headlong into hunting down his murderers through the alleyways and hotel rooms of the city, eventually stumbling upon an organ harvesting conspiracy that threatens both his life and his understanding of his own cultural identity.  

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Book Reviews, Commentary, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Nicolle Yeo (23A01D)

Rating: 3/5 stars

Walking past the local bookstore, one might be easily tempted to pick up a copy of “Daughter of the Moon Goddess” just from a quick glimpse of its spectacular cover illustration. Upon flipping through the pages, readers will be transported into a fantastical world which combines ancient Chinese mythology and modern thriller. 

This debut novel by Sue Lynn Tan made waves in the Young Adult literature community, even earning a coveted place on Goodreads’ list of “Can’t Wait Books of 2022” before its publication in early January. 

But readers should be warned not to judge a book by its cover (literally). While the book does have its merits, it fails to live up to its alluring packaging and stellar reviews.

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Features, Go Where?, Raffles Reviews

The Peranakan Museum: A Thoughtful Reopening
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Jermaine Lee (24A01A) and Michelle Lee (24A01A)

The Peranakan Museum recently reopened its doors on 17 February, after undergoing extensive renovations since 2019. This charming building along Armenian Street was once home to Tao Nan School, before housing the Asian Civilisations Museum and finally the Peranakan Museum since 2008.

We interviewed its curator, Mr Dominic Low, about the new changes and the inspiration behind his curatorial decisions. 

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Book Reviews, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: The Unvisible
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Venkatesan Ranjana (23A01D)

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

Rating: 3/5 

In his breakaway novel about an aspiring journalist discovering the secrets of an invisible human race, Fredrik Haren explores humanity’s unwillingness (or perhaps inability) to acknowledge a world beyond our presumed realm of possibility. 

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