NOVEL REVIEW: KING HAIDAR BY ANJELL (PLUS FAN CAST)
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Eiyo Fadneiras,
Welcome back to Fadima Mooneira. Today, I'm going to share my review of a novel I finished reading last week. The novel is titled King Haidar and it is written by Malaysia's current bestselling novelist, Anjell. Now, let's begin this review with Anjell's bio...
ABOUT ANJELL
Anjell is a pen name chosen by Malaysia's no.1 romance novelist now. King Haidar is her latest novel. King Haidar was just published by Karya Seni early this year. Before King Haidar, Anjell have written Eksperimen Cinta, Suamiku Paling Sweet, Tundukan Playboy Itu, Hero Seorang Cinderella, Dr. Alpha Male, Dheo's, and Dia Tetap Sempurna. All her novels are listed as bestsellers and everyone's favorite read. All of her novels belong in the adult-contemporary romance genre. Two of her novels, Tundukan Playboy Itu and Hero Seorang Cinderella have already been adapted into a TV series drama.
ABOUT KING HAIDAR
King Haidar (KH) belongs to the action-romance genre. The story followed Suria Andreana and Raja Haidar. FYI, these two characters have already been introduced by Anjell in her previous novel, Dia Tetap Sempurna. Suria is Dara Nailufar's (the heroine in Dia Tetap Sempurna) best friend, and Haidar is Eskandar Arasyah's (the hero in Dia Tetap Sempurna) cousin. Suria and Haidar met on a cruise party in Dia Tetap Sempurna. However, King Haidar is not a sequel to Dia Tetap Sempurna. The novel has its own story.
At the beginning of the story, Suria Andreana, a freelance makeup artist got herself heartbroken when she found out that her boyfriend, Raja Haidar was actually someone else's fiancee. Suria moved to New York to get over Haidar and for new opportunities. Suria thought that she can escape Haidar by moving to another country. But she was wrong.
Suria met Haidar again while she was enjoying a vacation in Amsterdam with her supermodel friend, Atisha. Suria wasn't happy to see Haidar again even though he told her that he is no longer Lufya's fiancee. Haidar worked all-out to win Suria's affection once again even though she keeps rejecting him. To Haidar, Suria will always be his Little Sun (that's what Haidar called Suria). But to Suria, Haidar was once a jerk, and he will always be a jerk. Hahaha ^_^
However, fate seems to be on Haidar's side. When Suria returned to New York, she finds out that she has a new neighbor. Her new neighbor was no other than Raja Haidar. Yep, Haidar had also moved to New York.
After Haidar moved to New York, a lot of strange things happened to Suria. Suria got involved in an accident, someone spiked her drink at a gala party and she was also terribly attacked in her own apartment. Someone was secretly targeting Suria, and he was known as Ghost X.
Who was Ghost X anyway? And why was Ghost X targeting Suria? What does Ghost X want from Suria? And what about Haidar? Who was Haidar anyway? Haidar was also portrayed as a mysterious person. Even Suria doesn't know Haidar's background and his real job. She only knew that he was a sailor. And according to her brother's best friend, Inspector Najmi, Haidar was a swindler and criminal. Oh dear... could this be true?
MY REVIEW OF KING HAIDAR
I don't understand why there are a lot of readers who gave negative comments on the novel, King Haidar on Goodreads. I believe King Haidar is a brilliant novel. Oh well,... people always have their own opinion, right?
To me, King Haidar is a very enjoyable read. Anjell never fails to impress her fans. This novel is different from most Bahasa Malaysia novels I've read. Well, all novels written by Anjell are different from most Bahasa Malaysia novels. Reading King Haidar is like watching a Hollywood movie. King Haidar has a very exciting and intriguing plot and storyline. This novel is definitely a page-turner. It makes you curious and intrigued to know who is Haidar? What is Haidar's real job? And is he a good guy or a bad guy? Reading King Haidar also makes you intrigued to know who is Ghost X. Anjell only reveals Ghost X's identity towards the end of the story. And he is someone all readers won't suspect. Ghost X is a very unpredictable character, guys. You have to read the novel if you want to know who is Ghost X.
Besides the plot and storyline, I also like the characters in this story. I believe the characters in King Haidar are beautifully created by Anjell. All characters in this novel are charming and have their own X-Factor. I now have a crush on Raja Haidar. To me, Raja Haidar is a very charming, charismatic, sexy, and dreamy hero. I always like guys with mysterious vibes. Plus, Haidar has his own favorite line, "I'm always one step ahead, baby." This makes him an alpha male hero indeed ^_^
Suria Andreana is a very sassy and feisty heroine. She's quite a femme fatale. Suria is very intelligent and strong. She knows how to fight her own fight. And she has a black belt in taekwondo. Wow... what a woman. I believe Suria Andreana is a book beauty that all millennial girls should look up to as a role model.
Besides the two main characters, I also have a crush on Hans Aliff Larson. Hans is one of the side characters in the novel, and he is Haidar's best friend. Hans is very charming, suave, and has his own style. He is a very attractive character indeed. And like Haidar, Hans also has his favorite line, "I'm Hans Aliff." Wow... charming! I hope Anjell will give Hans his own romance story and make him one of her heroes in the future. Hans is just too good. He deserves to be a hero and has his own romance story. Please, Anjell! Please!
In King Haidar's epilogue, Anjell gives her readers a hint that this novel might be having its prequel. In the epilogue, Suria asked Haidar how did he become a member of The Orients (the intelligence agency that he was working for). Haidar told Suria that that is a story he will tell her later. Wow... I'm excited about this. And I really hope that this novel will have its prequel. I just can't get enough of Raja Haidar. Hehehe ^_^
Overall, King Haidar is a very awesome read for me. It's a novel I'm planning to read again in the future. I rate this novel 10/10. And I would highly recommend my fellow bookworms to read this novel. King Haidar is a novel you must not miss, guys. Especially if you're into the action-romance genre. But if you guys plan to read King Haidar, you must read Dia Tetap Sempurna first. Anjell gave her readers some hints on King Haidar in Dia tetap Sempurna. So reading Dia Tetap Sempurna first will make you guys more intrigued to read King Haidar. Besides that, I also need to be honest that King Haidar has some steamy scenes and adult conversation in it. So this novel is not suitable for teenagers under 16 to read.
Ok, so this is my review of Anjell's King Haidar. I also include a fan cast with this review. So now let's check out my fan cast for King Haidar...
MY FAN CAST FOR KING HAIDAR
#1 HAN SO HEE AS SURIA ANDREANA
Suria Andreana is the female lead in King Haidar. She's a successful freelance makeup artist and has her own empire. Suria is beautiful, bold, sassy, feisty, and fierce. She's definitely not a damsel in distress and knows how to fight her own fight. She has a black belt in taekwondo. I believe this character should be played by South Korean actress, Han So Hee. Han So Hee will be perfect for this role.
#2 KIM SEON HO AS RAJA HAIDAR
Raja Haidar a.k.a King Haidar is the male lead in this story. At beginning of the story, readers know that Haidar is a sailor and he is always working offshore. But in the middle of the story, Anjell reveals that besides being a sailor, Haidar is also an intelligence officer working for a secret intelligence organization called The Orients. So he is also a spy. Wow... how cool is that ^_^ Anjell also portrays Haidar as a tall masculine gentleman with dimples. Yeah, dimples are Haidar's distinguishing features. So I believe South Korean hunky actor and Hometown Cha Cha Cha hero, Kim Seon Ho is the perfect guy to play Raja Haidar. I see a lot of Kim Seon Ho in Raja Haidar. If this novel is about to be adapted into an Asian drama, I hope Kim Seon Ho will be cast as Raja Haidar. Kim Seon Ho is so Raja Haidar. And Raja Haidar is so Kim Seon Ho.
#3 HENRY GOLDING AS HANS ALIFF LARSON
Hans Aliff Larson is one of the side characters in King Haidar. Hans is a very rich business tycoon and a genius hacker. He is charming, suave, charismatic, and seductive. Besides Haidar, I also had a crush on Hans while I was reading the novel. I just can't help it. Hans is just too charming not to have a crush on. I hope Anjell will give this charming Eurasian character his own romance story soon. Please, Anjell. Hans deserves to become a hero too. I believe Malaysian hunky actor, Henry Golding is the best to channel Hans Aliff Larson.
#4 SEO YI JI AS LUFYA
Lufya is one of the villains in King Haidar. But she is not Ghost X. Lufya is a beautiful supermodel, Haidar's ex-fiancee, and a honey trap for The Orients. Her engagement with Haidar wasn't real. It was only a set-up and part of their intelligence work. But unfortunately, Lufya really fell in love with Haidar. Lufya becomes jealous of Suria when she marries Haidar. Lufya plans to seek revenge on Suria for stealing Haidar from her. I believe It's Ok Not To Be Ok's Seo Yi Ji is the best to play Lufya.
#5 HENRY SHUM JR. AS EHSAN
Ehsan is one of Suria's good friends. He is a successful Eurasian entrepreneur in New York. Ehsan likes Suria too. But he accepts that Suria only loves Haidar. I believe Asian-Hollywood actor, Henry Shum Jr. would be good as Ehsan.
#6 NATASHA LIU BORDIZIO AS ATISHA
Atisha is Ehsan's younger sister and Suria's good friend. Like Lufya, she's also a supermodel. Atisha is a very bubbly and cheerful character. Since Anjell portrays Atisha as a beautiful and tall Eurasian woman, I believe Australian actress, Natasha Liu Bordizio is the best to channel Atisha.
#7 MAHESH JADU AS SAIF
Saif is one of the villains in King Haidar. But he is also not Ghost X. At first, Anjell portrays Saif as a very mild character. No one suspect that he's a baddy. But when Anjell reveals who this character really is, he is extremely bad and dangerous. Australian actor, Mahesh Jadu once played a villain in Netflix's Marco Polo. His acting in Marco Polo was quite a success back then. So I believe he is the best to play Saif in King Haidar.
#8 LEE SANG YEOP AS INSPECTOR NAJMI
Inspector Najmi is Suria's big brother's best friend. He works for the national police and is investigating Haidar. I believe South Korean talented actor Lee Sang Yeop is perfect for this role.
Ok, so this is my fan cast for King Haidar. I hope you guys enjoyed this review and fan cast. Before I end this post, I would like to ask my readers two questions. Have you guys read King Haidar? If yes, what is your opinion of the novel? Please share your opinions in the comment box below. Btw, I also have two questions for my female readers who have read King Haidar. Did you ladies have a crush on Raja Haidar while reading the novel? And who is your favorite Anjell hero? I have a crush on all four Anjell heroes from the four novels I've read. But my no.1 favorite has to be Dheo Han from Dheo's and then followed by Raja Haidar (King Haidar), Dr. Hilman Ukasyah (Dr. Alpha Male), and Eskandar Arasyah (Dia Tetap Sempurna).
Ok, this is all for now. Thank you for reading this review. I'll see you guys again in my next post. Insya-Allah, the book heartthrob profile will be back next week ;) So don't miss out and take care ^_^
XoXo,
Fadima Mooneira ^_^
#KingHaidar #Anjell #AnjellFandom #ActionRomanceNovel #ContemporaryRomanceNovel #AdultRomanceNovel #BahasaMalaysiaRomanceNovel #KaryaSeni #NovelReview #BookReview #FadimaMooneiraLibrary #Edutainment #FadimaMooneiraDotCom
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Beautiful review. As for the goodreads commenters, most of them are silly haters. And I don't understand how they condemn great books like that.
ReplyDeleteGaaaa.... This haters phenomena is too much! Well, haters will always hate hate hate.... This is one of the reasons why i’m not interested to join Goodreads. It’s annoying, seriously.
DeleteA wonderful review Fadima! Your illustrations are amazing as usual!
ReplyDeleteThank you, lovely 💜💛💕
DeleteVery interesting story! I'm new to this author. Thank you for sharing. Also loved your fan cast!
ReplyDeleteI don't like referring to Goodreads rating before buying a book. Sometimes I think the reviewers always have something hateful to say about a book. Btw haven't read King Haidar yet, as I still haven't bought Dia Tetap Sempurna 😅 I'm currently occupied with binge-watching Hotel Del Luna btw 🤭
ReplyDeleteLike Ezioma said, Goodreads is now a place for haters trying to cancel on good authors. Same with Tik Tok. Btw, I researched about Ariaseva. It's kinda disappointing. But i’ll tell you in out telegram chat later,
DeleteWow... You Dah start binge-watching HDL? So are you now a UAENA?
Thank you so much for sharing this novel with us and for sharing such a detailed review with us. This sounds like a really interesting book, will defiantly have to check out. Xo
ReplyDeleteElle - ellegracedeveson.com
You’re welcome, Elle.
DeleteI always look forward to your version of the talents that will be playing the characters of the novel.
ReplyDeleteHehehe... I know you always enjoyed my fan cast 😄
DeleteI'm intrigued to find out who this ghost X is and why this person is making life difficult for Suria. Great review. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteLindsay / https://thetravelvine.blog/
Hohoho... That's the most intriguing thing in the story. Anjell only reveal it towards the end.
DeleteWhat a great detailed description of this book, and learning of the author. Thank you for sharing x
ReplyDeleteYou’re welcome 💜💛
DeleteI haven’t heard of this book before
ReplyDeleteThe images you have drawn are so good! Thank you for sharing your well written and detailed review.
Lauren
You’re welcome. Thank you for your compliment as well.
DeleteActually I like this kind of romance with bit of fairy tale like story line, its enjoyable
ReplyDeleteSame here. I like romance stories with alpha male heroes in it 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
DeleteYeah! But still... This who did not enjoyed the book should not write hate comments on it. It's bad!
ReplyDeleteTotally agreeing with you that I also now seldom drop my reviews on Goodreads or even refer to it before buying a book. Keep up to share more great illustrations & reviews ya . Cheers Siennylovesdrawing
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I hardly read reviews before buying a book. I choose a book based on my own judgement. Reviews are others ‘ opinions.
DeleteGreat review! This sounds like a great book. I really enjoyed your illustrations and your fan casting choices!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that 😉
DeleteThank you for this great review, it sounds very interesting. I don't understand negative reviews. I guess everyone has their own preference.
ReplyDeleteYeah, everyone has their own preferences. But still, even if it is not your taste you don’t have to blast it in public with some hurtful words.
DeleteI love how you cast the characters in the post. It really brings them to life.
ReplyDeleteThat motivates me to read more and more.
DeleteGreat review and very vivid, fun pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanx, Jamie 💜💛
DeleteSounds like this is different from the norm and not everyone likes that, it's a shame really!
ReplyDeleteCorinne x
https://skinnedcartree.com
Yeah! But as long as there is still likers. It's ok. Who cares about haters, right?
Deletei am impressed to this story .it is very amazing and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! I'm glad you enjoyed it ^_^
DeleteI haven’t heard of this. I like that you are always sharing new books and things to me! You have shared a great detailed post. I love the photographs you have shared.
ReplyDeleteLauren - bournemouthgirl
That’s good to hear. Thank you, Lauren 💜💛💕
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