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?

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!!!!

Reaping Week presents Catching Fire! And a FIRST!

I reread this one. Firstly so I could remember, you know, the actual story. And second, to see if I was softened towards Peeta at all.

Put it this way, after reading this book I wanted to be gearing up for a Catching Fire release – not a Hunger Games one.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERY INFO AHEAD, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS ONE YET, PROCEED WITH CAUTION GUYS. OR, YOU KNOW, CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER THAT ROCK YOU’VE BEEN OCCUPYING. YOUR CHOICE.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is the book that sets the bar for this series and every dystopian that followed it. I’m not ashamed to say I loved it. I know I told my fifi (fiancé) on at least one occasion that he would love this book and why doesn’thejustreaditalreadybecauseit’sreallyawesome! *deepbreath*

My review:

At Face Value: Meh. They go okay. Not as bad as the first cover but not as good as the new one. Still screamed Sci Fi like there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

Immediate Reaction: Holy to the muthacussing macarolli! What a cliffhanger! What a book! On the first read I nearly cried when I realised Mockingjay wasn’t out for MONTHS! Damn those forums and their engaging Team Gale/Peeta discussions!

High Five: OH MY GOD! YES! I can’t believe it. I’m actually giving a book 5! 5 people! I’ve been waiting for this day to come and I really can’t think of a good reason not to. It makes me a little sad to realise I’m replacing Cinder, though. BUT I'M FINALLY GIVING OUT  FIVE! *thud*

Favourite Quote: “I squint down at my feet and see that my metal plate is surrounded by blue waves that lap up over my boots. Slowly I raise my eyes and take in the water spreading out in every direction.

I can only form one clear thought.

This is no place for a girl on fire.”

For those lame-os that don’t know, Catching Fire is the sequel to the Hunger Games and occasionally, just rarely, a sequel comes along that blows its previous companion out of the water. This is that book. The title is clever, especially if read as ‘Catching Katniss’ and opens up a whole lot of questions before you even open that awful cover.

There are three main reasons why this book got a five. And one clear reason why it shouldn’t have. But we’ll get to the latter, later.

The magnificent first reason: the tributes. This time around I can see them all (at least the ones that are described). I loved Johanna Mason. To be honest, I kind of just wanted the book to be about her an itsy bit. She was fun, she was so alive, and she was the kind of character that just stays with you. Nuts and Volts were cute as a button, and Mags made me smile. And cry.

But let’s talk about Finnick Odair for a second. I love him. More than the others even. Maybe even more than Gale by a smidgeon (yep, can’t believe I just said that). He’s brave and strong and smart and just oh-so-good-looking. He’s a tease and has a big heart and THAT SCENE WITH THE JABBERJAYS! What a poor, tortured, pretty thing he is!

The second reason: the arena. The Hunger Games have been taken to a whole new level of disturbing, ladies and gentlemen. And of course they have; it’s the Quarter Quell! Instead of just having tributes hunting your arse, the arena is literally fighting back. Not just a flame ball here or a poisonous berry there, but real threats that attack your body and screw with your mind. There’s also less of Katniss acknowledging the viewers and more of her calculating her moves against the Capitol. It was like some warped game of chess. I’m not going to give away too much over the arena but Plutarch Heavensbee puts Seneca Crane to shame.

The third reason this book garnered a hard-to-come-by five is because of Gale. We get to see so much more from him in this one. He’s strong and knows exactly what he wants. He lights up every page and I reckon he and Johanna should get it on a little bit. The thing is though, the chemistry between him and Katniss is just so ALIVE! I know people will disagree with me, but it was clear, in this book at least, who Katniss chose. Her heart was Gale’s and if the series had ended there she would have chosen him.

Now let’s talk a little about Peeta. I promised to try and like him a little more and I actually did (surprise!) but he really took a back seat in this one (maybe that's why!). There were some really sweet moments between him and Katniss but it’s clear they don’t have the same spark as her and Gale. The strange thing is, even though Peeta inhabits a lot of this book, I hardly remember him having a really active role. He was more like Katniss’s shadow than a character in his own right. This is pretty much the only reason Catching Fire wouldn’t have gotten a five. Then I remind myself that if Peeta had more of a role, the others wouldn’t have, and suddenly I’m okay with how it all went down.

Katniss grows a heck load, and her already sarcastic inner self snarks up the pages. It’s awesome. I love how she reacts in the districts and to President Snow and towards the other tributes. I love pretty much any page that both she and Haymitch occupy.

Then there’s these scenes that the book would have been nothing without: Johanna stripping down after the chariot ride, the announcement – and Katniss’s subsequent breakdown – of the Quarter Quell. The visit to District 11, Katniss telling Haymitch who she wanted as allies, her prep team, any part with Cinna or Gale. AND THE ENDING! THAT I WILL NOT SPOIL BUT IS ABSOLUTE AWESOMENESS!

So, after my reread I think there should be more teams than just Gale and Peeta. I’d also like ones for Johanna, Finnick, Haymitch, Cinna and Wiress. Umm… I think that is all. Pleaseandthankyou.

Now onto Mockingjay!

Sha-tter Me. Easy as 1, 2, 3...

Book Review for Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

"You can't touch me," 

I whisper. 

I'm lying, 

is what I don't tell him. 

He can touch me, 

is what I'll never tell him. 

Please touch me,

is what I want to tell him.

But things happen when people touch me. 

Strange things.

Bad things.

Dead things.

Nathan Bransford first introduced Tahereh Mafi to my little word. He picked her up as a debut novelist and told the world of her glory. This amazing book. This supremely talented author. Even though Nathan moved on from agent-ing, Tahereh found another, and Shatter Me found the world.

I’ve heard about this book so many, many, many times. I’ve seen the cover and hated it wondered if I could read a book like that.

Honestly, I didn’t think I could get past the supermodel/runway-type cover that just screams LOOK AT ME; I’M A YOUNG ADULT IN A PRETTY DRESS. Blah. No thanks. But I did. 1, 2, 49 chapters and my mind

was

blown.

Good Lord.

At Face Value: I think I’ve said enough. This cover has nothing to do with anything and its lameness is only beaten by Vampire Academy. ALL SIX BOOKS. If Nathan Bransford hadn’t been all over this book, well, the cover would had been a MASSIVE deal breaker for me. (Blog pic is courtesy of Sweden FYI :P).

Immediate Reaction: I put the book down. The ending was final. I was okay. I could go on. That is not a good thing.

High Five: Gah! From the first page I was so sure I’d get my high five. That makes it even harder for me to do this. FOUR! Shatter Me only gets a FOUR, okay? Now stop judging so I can crawl back under that dystopian rock I’ve been clinging to.

Favourite Quote: So. Many. I know I say that a lot but Tahereh’s writing is. Just. Just. WOAH! So I’m giving you two.

“ Hope in this world bleeds out of the barrel of a gun. ”

“ She is a walking weapon in this society, is what the teachers said. We’ve never seen anything like it, is what the doctors said. She should be removed from your home, is what the police officers said.

No problem at all, is what my parents said. I was 14 years old when they finally got rid of me. When they stood back and watched as I was dragged away for a murder I didn’t know I could commit. ”

The first thing that anyone who opens Shatter Me would notice is the prose. Mafi has such a unique style it’s mind blowing. There is no way her writing could get mixed up with that of another YA author because I HAVE NEVER read anything like it, you guys. After the first chapter or so I was in love with Mafi’s writing. I cannot possibly convince you enough that she is one talented woman. I remember thinking at one point that the writing would exhaust me by the time the book finished, but it didn’t. It. Just. Didn’t.

From the very first page you can tell there is something seriously up in Juliette’s head. The way Shatter Me has been written makes it almost read like Juliette is writing everything that happens to her down. But it goes deeper than that. Juliette’s true thoughts and feelings are the things she strikes out. She lies to herself completely. She hides in her head. She is so crazy-afraid of herself that she won’t open up. Fear of herself drives her every emotion. YOU GUYS, Juliette is DEEP, okay? And then there’s her obsession with numbers which adds another layer to everything Juliette does. This character trait could have so easily been a gimmick but Mafi is better than that. Way, way, better. So talented so talented, this woman is just so talented.

And then along came Adam. Gorgeous, tough, and COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY SWOONWORTHLY! This is how to write a deep love interest for a young adult novel. So don’t say you haven’t been warned. Adam is tough, he kicks arse, and he brings out a strength and confidence in Juliette that really lights up the page. Add in Mafi’s AWESOME writing skillz and I was sold from the moment they were thrown in the cell together.

Other characters of note are James, Adam’s massively adorable little brother. WARNER, my new fav. psychopath! Seriously, this dude is even more messed in the head than Mara Dyer. And that’s saying something. Gah! Warner! I love him I love him I love him I hate him. And finally, there’s Kenji. This character literally leaps from the page and demands attention in his own right. Kenji is so amazingly well developed and I WANT HIM AS A PET!

To add to this stellar cast, the awesome writing, and fabulous main characters, are some scenes that ignited my blood. There was a whole heap of heavy petting, some intense convos on feelings and shiz, and a whole heap of screwed up situations that Juliette is forced into by my new love Warner.

SO WHY DIDN’T THIS BOOK GET A HIGH FIVE? ARE YOU REALLY THE CRAZY PSYCOPATH? I hear you guys ask. Umm… no. At least, not when I last checked…

The nitty gritty of the matter is that Shatter Me didn’t blow my mind. The writing did. Juliette’s mental state and vulnerability did. But the things that happened, the scenes that should have had me on the end of my seat didn’t. They kept my attention. They made me want more. But I didn’t feel that kind of desperate NEED to tear through the remaining pages because the end of the book was tame. It ended nicely. This book could stand-alone. Basically, the ending pattered off into the ambiguity of fairytale land.

THAT SAID, Unravel Me IS going to get a five. I can feel it in the air. The ending of this book may have been tame but to me, it kind of feels like the calm before the storm. Juliette has been given a reprieve before shit seriously goes flying. And my God, will I be there when it does. Release day. I literally

CAN

NOT

wait.

354 days remaining. 354 days until I get to experience Tahereh Mafi’s writing again. 

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!

A-tissue, a-tissue, we all fall down!

 Book review for Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 A forbidden Romance. 

A deadly Plague. 

Earth's fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.
Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect the Earth's future.
This is not the fairytale you remember. 

But it's one you won't forget.

When I first heard about Cinder, I immediately thought it was going to be another gimmick. There are so many books out there that claim to rewrite fairytales in a ‘new and different way’. Yeah. Nine times out of ten, I can’t get past the first chapter.

 This is that other time.

 Now, as a general rule, I go into reading a book with a lot of skepticism. This may not be the best way to enter someone else’s fantasy world but when a book manages to get past that tough outlook, I know it’s going to be a keeper.

 And man, is Cinder a keeper.

I am well aware this book came out a few months ago but as a lover of Grimm’s fairytales (and dare I say this, even Disney’s Cinderella doesn’t quite reach the mark), I have very high standards on any and all adaptations. I hadn’t even planned to buy it in the near future so I think this is the first time I’ve been thankful Charlestown Square didn’t have the book I wanted – and trust me when I say only time. If they’d had The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, I still wouldn’t have read this book. 

My review:

At face value: I love the cover. Stars above, I love it. The red shoe is actually like a pair I have.

Immediate Reaction: OMFG Give ME the Next One Now! It’s finished? OMIGOD Noooooo! Evil, twisted universe, ARGH! (Can you tell I kind of liked it?)

High Five: Very, very close. Oh, so close. Four and a half and that’s purely because I’m a picky bitch.

Favourite Quote: Had to include this one. Out of context, probably doesn’t have the same effect but trust me; my heart broke.

“She was just a mechanic, and he was the prince with all the charms she pretended to be immune to. And he was there, before her, while she tottered on a single foot and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. How she could barely meet his gaze. How he leaned forward, forced her to see him, smiled.

There.

That moment. That smile.

Again and again and again.”

Cinder is based on the brother’s Grimm fairytale (duh!) and was a seriously awesome read. I wasn’t looking forward to all the parallels but thank God Meyer (Marissa, not Stephanie) didn’t overdo it. I think that’s what I was most worried about. Each time something cropped up to remind me of the fairytale it was like a little hug as opposed to a punch in the face. It was subtle, artistic, and the little quotes from the original story were a nice touch. 

The first few pages really made me step back a little from the book – our main character is a cyborg? – I didn’t know if I could get past that one. But as soon as that thought entered my mind, Meyer distracted me with a very pretty, very shiny object. And no I don’t mean Cinder’s new foot. I mean Kai, of course. Prince Kai. His Imperial Highness. His Imperial Swoonworthy, ‘I’m so hot I’m about to burn through these pages’ Kai. 

The first chapter impressed me, the next, say, four were ‘okay’, but once I picked the book up again from that little break I couldn’t put it down. I finally finished the book last night and couldn’t believe it was 2am. The last time I stayed up for a book was my overnight read of Frostbite/Shadow Kiss. That was about three years ago.

Let’s talk about Cinder, our awesome main character. This is a girl with no idea where she came from, no idea how to fit in with the humans around her, and no idea how to please her ‘evil stepmother’. Cinder goes through a massive period of self-discovery and I actually cared about the results. Plus, the girl is a mechanic. Umm, hello? I love, love, love that she is so bloody smart at this and so dang clueless about everything else. She isn’t one of those obnoxious characters that seem to know everything.

Now, I suppose I should mention here a little thing called the Letumosis plague that is tearing through New Beijing. It’s a pretty big part of the plot and kind of pushes it along. I should also probably mention a character who is so deliciously evil and twisted and SO NOT 2-DIMENSIONAL that I fell in love with her and hated her all at the same time. Queen Levana gets under my skin as much as the characters' and as far as antagonists go, I only hope one day I can write one just as convincingly. 

As Cinder and Kai gradually (key word here) fall in love, as the odds are stacked up against them, as things become almost impossibly impossible I tore through this book. I could feel the pages shrinking beneath my fingers and as desperately as I didn’t want it to end, I didn’t want to stop reading. Cinder reeled me in hook, line, and stinky, slimy sinker. The emotions seeped into me in a very real way and as the ending approached I went through the same desperation that Cinder did, and I’m pretty sure my heart broke with hers.

So why didn’t Cinder get a high five, you ask? 

My main problems with this book (and they are incredibly insignificant) are firstly, the dialogue between Cinder, her stepmother, Adri, and one of her stepsisters, Pearl. There’s little-to-no emotion in these conversations and I really hope Adri and Pearl don’t make it into the next book. Can I get a sword blade for these two please?

Secondly, there are two key parts in this book and for the sake of spoilers; I’m going to call them ‘Peony’s resolution’ and ‘THE BIG SCENE’. Now, Peony’s resolution and THE BIG SCENE really should have been emotional on so many different levels (and planets) however, at these key moments, the writing became unclear. I had to reread Peony’s part to work out what had actually happened and THE BIG SCENE, I couldn’t quite follow for a couple of lines so I made it up in my head. Also, I was so friggen into what was happening, I didn’t want to jump back and reread.

Lastly, and this is not so much a complaint but a side note, the massive cliffhanger OMIGOD moment, really wasn’t so unexpected. I think just before the halfway point I picked up on what was coming and just past the halfway point I was 99.9% positive it was coming. But with that said, the ending was amazingly awesome.

And the last lines… perfect way to end a book.

I am officially a Marissa Meyer fan girl, and now I’m off to buy Cinder in Spanish. Because that cover is WAY TOO cool. Just like Kai ;)

Legen-wait for it-dary!

Book review for Legend by Marie Lu

Once known as the western coast of the United States, the Republic is now a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors, the Colonies.

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a military prodigy. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country, she is being groomed for success in the Republic's highest circles.
Born into the slums of the Republic's Lake Sector, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motivations may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered, and Day becomes the prime suspect. Now, caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June tries desperately to avenge Metias's death.
But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths to which their country will go to keep its secrets.

So by now if you haven't heard of this book, you're pretty much living with your head shoved in the sand. Or in the cloud of a dust bomb. Way before the paperback even hit the shelves, there was so much hype I have no idea how Marie Lu is still sane (obviously based on the assumption she is). The movies rights have already been sold to CBS (one of the top ranking television networks), and Penguin had practically sold the SHIZ out of this book already.

And to be honest, when a book has this much hype, I'm determined to hate it. I don't know why but when someone recommends a book to me saying 'this book is the ultimate awesomeness' and 'I've never laughed/cried/loved/*insert adjective here* a book as much as this one', and worse still 'you have to buy this' (cue shoving in hands and nudging towards the registers), I do everything in my power to avoid the damn thing. I get this certain stubborn streak that IS GOOD FOR NOTHING, but I just can't help it. So, with all this in mind, I dragged my feet through BIG W, feeling as though everyone was waiting for me to pick up the book so they could point, judge, laugh at me, and bought it. 

On release day.

And... I didn't hate it.

My Review...

At Face Value: I probably would've picked it up based on the cover alone, but it would have ended up unread, on my shelf with countless others. 

Immediate Reaction: Like most 'first' books, the ending wrapped up nicely. But it didn't leave me wanting more. I can wait for the next book.

High Five: First half, a four. Second, a three.


 Let me start off by saying this book's premise is no where near original; it was inspired by Les Miserables and contains a very Romeo and Juliet love story. That said, no story is original these days and Lu develops her characters and world to a height that makes Legend stand alone.

 Legend is told from the perspectives of both main characters, June and Day in alternating chapters but instead of letting her character's voice come through, either Lu or Razorbill decided to give them different fonts. This helps simplify who's who but was bloody annoying to begin with (mainly because I'm just a little picky and seriously didn't like Day's font. It made me want to punch him for looking like a Goosebumps novel). 
June is tough, stoic, and at times, annoyed me with her 'I'm so much smarter than everyone else' mentality that the Republic has basically stamped her with. But she becomes more emotionally driven towards the end. And she kicks arse. Day is a 'rebel' but to be honest, the crimes everyone is in a tizzy about are pretty underwhelming. At first, I didn't understand why they were so crazed to catch a fifteen-year-old that had gone a little wild with the spray paint but Lu makes it work. And suddenly there is a REASON I can go with.
 
 As I was reading this book, I put it down a couple of times for ridiculous things like work, food, coffee but where ever I went the characters followed me so I have to give Lu kudos for that. It's not often another author's characters push my own out of the way but the struggles June and Day are put through (I love when authors don't baby their characters), were enough to keep me wondering. There was emotional connection with the characters which I haven't found in a few books I've read lately and I fell in love with Metias (June's wicked cool big brother) who literally existed for all of about one chapter. DEVASTATED. MUCH.


I loved Day's break in to the hospital, I loved little Tess (can I have a baby sister like her, please?) and I loved Kaede whose vine tattoo sounds seriously awesome. I think Thomas could have been developed more and I well and truly loathed Commander Jameson (which was pretty much the point); really though, someone needs to sword-blade that woman's eye. The idea of the Elector Primo was also awesome and his son, mentioned way briefly was actually someone I remembered and hope will play a bigger part in the sequel.


 My main complaint though, and the reason the book didn't get a high five (especially in the second half), was things seemed a little too coincidental. Now, I get that there are coincidences in all books - mostly they're the catalyst or a way for the plot to move forward - but some of the things were a little too easy. Like, I can buy into how Day was at the same Skiz fight June was, but I don't buy into the 'numbers' he finds in places he's been at a gazillion times before. My first thought was "some high-risk criminal, his observation skills clearly need work" and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reaction Lu intended. I can also buy into June being some super-smart freak of a girl, but I don't care how many times I read it, her figuring out the anagram that leads her to a super secret website will never make sense to me. NEVER.


 Overall, if you can get past these little nuances that my picky brain just won't move on from, and you like Dystopian novels, you'll love the shiz out of Legend. It's crazy-fast paced, has some hotter than hot characters and gives the sense of danger in just about every choice. Throw in some OMG shocks, a little bit of loving, and someone getting their head blasted off and I'm pretty sure it covers all bases. 


 It also makes me really want to write a Dystopian novel.