Review for Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I have done things. Bad things. I can't take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. but she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she much be stronger than ever... because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Finally. Finally, finally, finally. That was all I could say when I clutched this book to my chest. A week past release date before any of my local bookstores got it in (honestly, do they WANT me to shop online?) and my mum immediately snapped up one of those five copies. Unfortunately, I had a major essay to work on so it's taken me until NOW to read and review.

BOOK REVIEW FOR INSURGENT

At Face Value: This cover is amazing. Another turned back (again) butt he roof tops, the leaves, and the faded birds actually HAVE A REASON. And that's the main point. I just hate that I now have two non-matching covers. 

Immediate Reaction: I hate to say this but... I was pretty satisfied by the ending. I guess I missed the massive cliff-hanger reaction that everyone else felt.

High Five: Here's the thing. I loved Divergent beyond words. It was an amazing book that just had that something else. That said, this book could never live up to my expectations. So, it's partly my fault but it gets a 3.5.

Favourite Quote: To be clear, I love Christina. And this is why:

Tris: "Let me get this straight. So you left the Dauntless compound to get ready or war... and you took your makeup bag with you?"

"Yep. Figured it would be harder for anyone to shoot me if they saw how devastatingly attractive I was."

And again: "Has anyone ever told you about the miracle of eyebrow tweezing?"

And AGAIN: "Where's Marcus, Destroyer of Lives, going to meet us?"

Her sarcasm was one of the most enjoyable things in this book.

When it comes to Insurgent, there are three main parts that I remember as having the 'Veronica Roth Spark' that filled Divergent to the max. The first one, the part I absolutely loved, was the truth serum in Candor. There was so much emotion in this part from both Tris, and the heavy nature of the situation. There's a point where Tris realised how easy it would be to get carried away in the truth. So, so true. 

The second main part that I absolutely loved was the imprisonment in Erudite. It was great to really see the inner workings of Janine's lackies and the growing relationship between Tris and that ass-wad Peter. As much as I want to hate him, he's an interesting character. 

The third part I got that happy feeling was when Marlene and the other simulated characters threw themselves off the building. Yeah, that's morbid, but it made for an interesting choice for Tris. And I think the choice could have gone either way really. It was a tough one. Her friend, or a kid she's just met. 

Now for the reason this book didn't hit the high notes I was expecting. There were parts of the book that were just plain unclear. The main one being when the Dauntless-traitors attacked. I'm still kind of unsure where this happened and who was who. What happened was cool, but I got lost. It happened again with small parts like Tris being in one place and then suddenly in another, and it left me feeling a bit out of it. 

The Caleb-twist and ending really weren't as shocking as I would have liked either. Hard to say if it was because I kind of expect this from reading a lot of Dystopians and YA, or if it the signs were written into the books. While waiting for Insurgent, I've been pondering what could be outside that fence; and I picked it. The main surprise for me was hordes of factionless and their rise to grace.

BUT WHAT ABOUT FOUR? 

He was there. He was a lot deeper than in Divergent and he grew as a character in his own right. It was interesting to see him break away from Tris and the part where he gives his dad what's coming to him was just awesome. For the Four-fans out there though, there was a lack of swoonworthyness that filled the first book. 

Tris was as awesome as ever too. We can't forget that. The parts where she just rushed off into crazy land were intense and I didn't even stop to think about her actions either until Four pulled her up on it. This got me wondering - is there a trend where YA protags just don't think their actions through? And the rest of us don't even realise it?

Hmm...

Anyway, great book. I'm looking forward to the next one but I can wait. Roth left it in a good place and I'm just hoping that she steps it up for the finale, because if anyone can do it, she can.

And clickly here if you want to check out my Divergent review. 

So guys, what did you all think?

Three months and still kicking!

You guys! I just realised what today is (a little slow of me, I know).

Black Friday. As in, Friday the 13th. Which makes it EXACTLY three months since I started my humble, little blog.

Black Fridays don't come around very often, but when they do, they're always pretty good to me. That's kind of why I started my blog on a Black Friday in the first place.

So, for this mini-milestone, I'm going to open up a question to you all that I've been stewing over for the last week. It's been uni holidays so I've actually been thinking about my writing. And that's allowed, okay.

I've just finished rewriting my first book (again) and now I need to give it some time to before I edit and write the dreaded query. Once I finally start querying again, I'll keep an updated tally just for shiz and giggles but until then, I'm left with the question;

What do I write?


There's four stories I have vying for my attention, and each of the characters and plot lines are at varying stages of development so below, I'll give you guys a brief overview of what I have. These are all young adult novels FYI, cos I'm kind of addicted to that shiz.

First is Addy. She's an Ellerwoman that works for the Court of Last Chances. It's her job to hunt down the humans the Court wants and deliver them safely. Most humans think the Court is a Utopia so she's never had a problem getting them there before. But then she meets Noah, who refuses, and the Court makes her choose between her life or his. This one would be an urban fantasy.

Second is Corvette. This one would be completing a rewrite that is long overdue. Corvette is a Banshee who finds out how to get into 'Death'. She hangs with the deathlings there, believing it is safer than being around humans. Then, a bunch of deathlings die and even though she's warned away from looking into it, she doesn't stop. So they take both the guy she likes and her best friend, and Corvette is left to chose which one she is going to save. This is paranormal/fantasy.

Third is Ebony. She's a witch. Jonathan is a Nephilim. The Nephilim (if you've read any of their history) believe the only way they can die and move on to heaven is to rid the world of witch's black magic. Ebony and Jonathan have been in love through the years but each time they meet, Jonathan makes her erase his memory of her. As you'd assume there's a lot of hunting both sides and fighting each other in this one. I'd say this would be paranormal. Probably.

And fourth is my newest idea. Jasmine and Jeremy are high school sweethearts but one day Jeremy disappears. No one hears from him except Jasmine. He shows up at her house whenever she's alone and every time she tries to follow him he disappears. The memory of the last time she saw him is woven throughout as she struggles to remember. There's lots of red herrings and mystery in this one. This would be my try at a thriller/mystery type of thing.

So what do you all think? Any of these ideas sound like something you've already read? Any of them grab your attention? Or are any of them just plain boring?

Please tell me even if you just hate the ideas because that will steer me off towards one of the hundreds of ideas floating around unestablished.

And happy Black Friday!

The Reaping Week presents: Mockingjay!

I can’t believe it! The day we’ve all been waiting for! Even as I type this there is only eight and a half hours until the Hunger Games movie! To keep myself preoccupied, I finished reading Mockingjay today. And right now, I feel just as depressed as I did the last time I read it. The movie is going to kill me.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

When I first read Mockingjay a few years back, I absolutely hated it. I’m not sure if it was because of the ending, because of the fact Katniss spends a heck load of the book hiding or passed out, or if I was just too young to truly appreciate it… but this time around, I had a completely different reaction.

My Review:

At Face Value: Still not loving the covers. But maybe that’s just me. I don’t know. And the title? The second one was awesome… this one, not so much.

Immediate Reaction: Can someone cut out my heart to stop it from bleeding?

High Five: Not quite. While I enjoyed this reading a whole lot more than the first, there are still some issues. So… four and a half. A lot higher than I was planning on giving it.

Favourite Quote: How can I chose? Seriously. Katniss is so much more herself in this book and every thought is awesome.  Given the context, I remember randomly loving this one:

“ It’s better than being defenseless. Now the only one without a weapon is Peeta, but anyone whispering my name with a bunch of mutts doesn’t need one anyway. ”

Aaaand... one more. Cos it sucked for me. 

" "That was the one thing I had going for me. Taking care of your family," he says. "Shoot straight, OK?" He touches my cheek and leaves. I want to call him back and tell him I was wrong. That I'll figure out a way to make peace with this. To remember the circumstances under which he made the bomb... But since I can't, I'll just have to deal with the pain. "

Let me first start out by saying that this book is not for everyone. Suzanne Collins specifically wrote this book in a way that her characters are faced with the realities war brings, and they don’t exactly deal with it in a Hollywood, cookie-cutter, way. It’s intense, okay?

To be honest, I’m not sure what it was about the story that I hated so much back then. I think I’ve whittled my answer down to two main points, but I’ll get to those later.

First up, this book is split into three main parts. The first, deals with Katniss accepting her role of becoming the face of the rebellion. It focuses on the propos the REBELS are now using to fuel the rebellion. In short, Katniss is still being played. And she knows this; but just like with the Games if she wants to help the people she loves she has no choice but to follow through. There’s some pretty neat little scenes but there was nothing overly spectacular about this part. Katniss is the hope. Gale is the best friend. The Capitol is using Peeta. Blah, blah, blah. It was interesting and set the new world we’re dealing with here, but there was nothing that had me strapped to my seat. There was an awesome scene in District 8 though, that I still remember from my first reading.

The second part of the book amped things up a little. There was a fair bit more action, Katniss finally started to debate all of her options, and some certain people return. There is also a TWIST! Gasp! Shock! Horror! I won’t give away what it was but it brought a little smile to my lips. There is also more focus on Katniss’ family and the characters in general. More world building. More stakes added to Katniss’ list. And more death’s on her conscience. There was a scene with Johanna that made me cry because I JUST LOVE THAT GIRL SO MUCH! And even though the action was only slightly more than the first part, Collins wrote with so much intensity you felt like the shit was about to go down.

Then we get to the third part. The part of the book where everything blows up (quite literally) every expectation you had for this book. It’s straight into action mode with the cute game of ‘Real or Not Real’ woven in so wonderfully. You can feel the suspense, you feel the danger. You just know that everyone won’t make it out alive but you never realize JUST HOW MANY ARE ABOUT TO DIE! And one death, one death that is so horrific AND BREAKS MY HEART INTO A MILLION PIECES, is passed over so quickly I don’t get a chance to grieve. Any one who’s read this book will know exactly what part I mean. And that is reason number one for my original hatred of this book.

Everything about this third part is taken to a whole other level. It moves so quickly, it elicits so much emotion until you are tearing your God darn hair out. Then, THE BIG THING HAPPENS. THE REASON I HATED THIS BOOK ORIGINALLY. I don’t want to elaborate a whole lot because I don’t really want to give away to much to anyone that hasn’t read these books but it was something I never saw coming. Something that a certain someone is potentially responsible for.  AND IT KILLED ME TO REALISE THAT. From that moment on in the book, Katniss falls apart. She’s an empty shell. She’s nothing but despair. And Collins writes that better than any other part in this whole series.

The things that happen after this, really don’t measure up to the event. There’s some pretty big things – an execution, A VOTE THAT HOLDS WAY MORE SIGNIFICANCE TO THE REAL WORLD THAN THE BOOK, morphling addiction, more depression – and then the rest is kind of the aftermath. Katniss is defeated. Completely. It feels as though she literally gives up – and who can blame her? But to me, this wasn’t the ending I wanted for her. All through the series, Collins writes this strong, believable, flawed character that you’re expected to follow. That you’re expected to care about. And you do. And then that character just gives up. It’s a hollow, empty way to end a book. To be fair, things pick up a little right at the end but it was forgettable. And to end a series that I loved so much in that way really wasn’t cool. I just want to state I was never hoping for a happy ending, but I was hoping for an amazing ending. And the one we’re given is acceptable at best.

THAT SAID, Katniss makes this series worth following through to the very end. I guarantee you’ll cry. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with so many characters you’ll never be able to forget about them. I can’t guarantee you’ll agree with me and LOVE the ending for Gale because… it’s kind of bleak from Katniss’ point of view, but there was no way it would have worked between them. And I think I’ve come to terms with that now. Plus, the last line in the book was done awesomely. I love when authors end their book on a really strong line. 

But really, I could have done without the Epilogue. Again, it was ended on a strong line but it was redundant. It didn't offer anything we couldn't have guessed for ourselves and deprived me of imagining for myself what happened after the book. I read it and my immediate reaction was 'and? who really cares...'

TOMORROW: a review on the HUNGER GAMES movie!

Only seven and a half hours left you guys! Trying. To control. My EXCITEMENT.

ARGH!!!!

Blogspiration (4): Inspirational Books

Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation and just a little SOMETHING.

Check out these gal's awesomeness:

http://saz101.blogspot.com.au/
http://growingupya.blogspot.com/

I've read so many inspirational books throughout the years so when Sarah emailed out the question 'which book inspires you?' I knew I had to take time to think it over. Would I go with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland? The first book that took me to a world I never could have imagined.

Or would I go with the always acceptable and awesome Harry Potter series that got me through high school when not much else could?

You can imagine how hard these two were to strike off the list. But I haven't read either of them in a far longer time than I'd like to think about. So I went with a series that I make time to reread. A series I read when I'm a little stuck on my writing or drained massively of emotion. No matter which book of the series I pick up, I know I'll feel more when it's finished. There is so much real emotion, so much plot, so much friggen awesomeness that I'm just in awe with each reading. Richelle Mead is a writing queen.

So in answer to Sarah's question, the book I chose is:

It was hard to narrow down. Really hard. I love every one in the series but this is the one I remember finishing with tears streaming down my face. It ripped my heart out. It filled me with so much despair and hopelessness and hurting! I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe a book could end like that. I couldn't believe two characters could feel so much for each other, or that I'd feel the loss just as deeply as Rose. And each time I read it, each time I remember how it affected me, I'm ready to write again.

I know I'll never write something that amazing, or that affects people in the way this does. But if I come close, I'll be able to be proud of my work.

In short; this book inspires me to be more. 

Plus, Rose and Dimitri!

The Hunger Games' Premiere

What's that? Two posts in one day? Never!

Yep, I've got my blogging (procrastinating) pants on today friends and after looking through pics from the premiere, I am so excited I had to start my Hunger Games week now. And with one week until the Games - why not?

So this is my quick recap of the fashions at the premiere, and my two cents on Miley Cyrus.

Let’s start with the boys, shall we? Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutchinson, otherwise known as Peeta and Gale.

I lol’d a little when I saw EXACTLY how much shorter than lil' Hems Joshie was. You have to admit it’s funny. Poor Josh, Liam is just one great, big hulk of a guy. We make them good in Australia. Maybe we’re the real District 12 because even though he has his critics, there’s no one I’d rather play gorgeous Gale. Let’s just hope his acting backs it up.

Moving on to the tributes; Leven Rambin, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jacqueline Emerson and Alexander Ludwig. Glimmer, Clove, Foxface and Cato.

I think Isabelle, Jacqueline and Alexander all looked awesome. Not like anyone I should be afraid of, that’s for sure! As for Leven; that’s way too much on show, honey. Lionsgate worked hard for their PG rating.

Elizabeth Banks rocked her Effie look.

This orange number is so totally something you’d see in the Capitol. I loved that Elizabeth went there and looked so damn cute whilst doing so!

Now let’s talk a little about Miley, shall we?

Now, I’ve been a fan of hers for years but one look at this picture and my love for her plummeted. All I wanted to scream at my screen was PUT THOSE PUPPIES AWAY! For goodness sake, what’s with all the tits on this red carpet?

My thoughts on Miley’s outfit were twofold. One, she is dressed far to casually to be attending the red carpet event for her boyfs movie so she must either not think much of it or be after the attention herself. Which brings me onto my second point: you’re there as SUPPORT! This is not your movie! I still love her but this was DEFINITELY not the right choice.Wear something nice and a touch more conservative. Thanks.

(Although I'll admit, I did love that she said she was wearing her 'Liam shoes').

Which is why I nearly died when Jennifer Lawrence showed up in this. (That’s Katniss, like you didn’t know).

She looks so MOTHERCUSSIN EFFIN gorgeous! I love that she took on the gold! She looks so unbelievably stunning she put everyone else at the premiere to shame! SHE is the star of the movie and my God was she the star at the premiere! JLaw rocked this shiz!

So just one more of her and the boys:

And now, I’m going to leave you with a pic of the only person I haven’t mentioned. The image speaks for itself and all I can say is NOW YOU’VE SEEN IT I WON’T BE THE ONLY ONE SOBBING MY HEART OUT IN THE CINEMA!

RUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

I'm-a, I'm-a, Deviant

Book review for Divergent

 

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs and determines your loyalties... forever.

When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her life will change. Or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance. 

One Choice can transform you.

To be honest, I saw this book non-stop on shelves a few months back but it never piqued my interest. The blurb was kind of vague, the cover was overly dystopian, which I love now, but really wasn’t into back then.

Then I started to read on quite a few blogs about a book with five factions, a hero called Tris and a schmexy teacher dude called Four and you couldn’t keep me away from the shops for long enough.

Too bad when I finally went to buy it, the book was nowhere to be found.

Well, Amazon delivered last week after a fortnight of waiting and then… Veronica Roth happened. And ho-ly cow. I’m so glad I read those blogs.

My Review: 

At face value: The Dauntless symbol on the front is pretty cool however the city across the bottom and two people in the corner screamed MG for me.

Immediate Reaction: I can wait for the next one only because it comes out this year. Until then, bring on more dystopians.

High Five: Had to give it a four. No thumb. Everything just measures up to Cinder now.

Favourite Quote:

“Four! Three!”

What did Tobias tell me? Selflessness and bravery aren’t that different.

“Two!”

I release the trigger of my gun and drop it. Before I can lose my nerve, I turn and press my forehead to the barrel of the gun behind me.

Shoot me instead.

“One!”

I hear a click, and a bang.

Divergent is so obviously, OTT, dystopic. There is no way Roth had a problem trying to place it in a genre. The characters, whilst maintaining the strength of most dystopic characters, are what really drives this story. Tris, coming from Abnegation, keeps her morals and even though she is tough to the maximus, she still feels human emotions and knows the difference between right and wrong. I heart her for that.

Now, because the blurb gives practically nothing to go on, I’ll do my own little recap of the book. Tris, or Beatrice (blah!) as she’s originally known, has been born into Abnegation, one of the five factions of Chicago. The other four are Dauntless, Amity, Erudite and Candor. These all stand for different personality traits. Everyone at the age of sixteen takes a test, the test tells them where they fit best and then, they get to choose anyway. SPOILER. (Like you didn’t already know it was coming) Tris chooses Dauntless. These guys are the badass fighting league of the factions who have very little-to-no people skills in my opinion. There is a lot of power and greed in this faction and more than one person ends up getting a boo-boo. MOVING ON, in comes Four, or should I say, Phaw, to distract me with his ‘I’m so badass, I’m really good’ type of thing that he does. And then, like all dystopians, we jump ahead a little and there’s fighting and rebellion and what-not. Sound good? Mmk, moving on.

Roth has developed this futuristic view of Chicago so deeply it’s hard to believe it doesn’t exist already. The five factions are so completely devoid of any human deviance from the norm that you pretty much start to doubt these people are humans at all. The belief systems are established early on, but the way each faction holds its citizens to these beliefs so completely, feels forced. I’m glad Roth brought in the factionless because otherwise, I may not have been able to get past the idea that with only five factions, there really should be more Divergents. 

 

THAT SAID, the end comes along and I’m proved right. So there.

The characters I’d like to give a little mention to are Christina, who I really liked in the beginning and then not-so-much at the end, Al, poor, poor Al. Will, who was all kinds of cute. And Eric. This guy was like a five year old playing grown up. Dang he was annoying, and played his part perfectly. As for what happened between Tris and Will, holy moly I wanted to TEAR THAT DAMN PAGE OUT AND PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED. Ahem.

 I loved (and at the same time hated) the parts with Peter. To me, he was the one I really felt sorry for. What he did to Edward was just… And then what he did to Al and Tris… That is one screwed up character. And man, did he make things interesting! I loved that Four was a deep character and not just someone dancing about on the sidelines. I loved the part where he threw knives and Tris’s head. I loved when they climbed the Ferris wheel together. But mostly, I loved the two parts in the simulation room. They were AWESOME!

 Now, the nitty gritty stuff that stopped this book from getting a high five really weren’t that big of a deal. Firstly, the OMIGOD moment that was supposed to happen with her brother (I don’t even remember that kid’s name) really wasn’t very shocking. I think I saw it coming in the second chapter and was positive by the third.

 A few times there were scared people mentioned and I still have no idea what that was about. And the part with TRIS and WILL that I cannot mention and am still pretending DIDN’T HAPPEN, also made me not like this book, although I appreciate that Roth went there.

 Mostly though, it was the ‘climax’ so to speak. Whilst reading it, I enjoyed it. But it didn’t get my heart rate going. It didn’t make me never want to put the book down again. I guess, in a sense, I didn’t feel the danger. And that’s a big problem for me. Looking back on it, it seemed too easy. What happens with Four could have been taken into the realms of so damn disturbing but it was like Roth just wanted to get to that last chapter. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading it, but it really had the potential to be that much more.

 Still, this book got a Four off me. I loved it, I loved the concept and I especially loved Tris. There are plenty of people out there that have given it a five but for me, a five is a massively high honour, and I refuse to give it out until I find a book I deem perfect. Divergent was close. Bring on Insurgent!