Review: Insurgent & Allegiant

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Published: May 1st, 2012
Pages: 525
Format: Hardcover

Summary from Veronica Roth's blog:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My  Mini-Review:

My theory that the second book is never as good continues.

Starting off where Divergent left of, Tris and Tobias are on the run from the Erudite traitors to Amity and other stuff happens and then they're in trouble again and yeah. Okay I can't even put a lot of effort into this because I just didn't really like the story.

There was a lot of arguing and Tris and Tobias fighting. And Tris feeling guilty. I swear a lot of this book can come down to this:

Tris: I'm going to do the thing. It's obviously the right thing.
Tobias: Don't do the thing. Don't be dauntless.
Tris: *promises doesn't do the thing*
Tris: *does the thing anyway*
Tobias: Why did you do the thing?
Tobias: We should have done the thing. But I don't trust you.
Tris: You have to trust me where together
Tobias: You're a human being and therefore do things that make me not trust you, like keep things to yourself.
Tris: Look. I love you. But I'm going to do this thing you don't want me to do because I feel guilty about the things, even though they were the right things, of my past. But you should trust me anyway because you keep secrets to.

I feel like that's what the book was. I just couldn't get into it. I kept finding myself skipping sections where nothing was happening, forcing myself to go back and read them and then being like, yep nothing happened.

And then you have the Factionless which kind of have numbers that came from nowhere and you know they're the child you keep locked in the closet during a dinner party because they're just going to cause trouble. (HMU if you got that reference)

Also there were so many people that did not need to die in this book! Oh my gosh no Veronica Roth. You cannot be trigger happy, literally. Stop it. We get it, guns kill people.

I was so glad to have that done with. I also changed my mind. I don't want to be Amity. I think I would choose Eurdite.

Rating: 2/5

                                                                                                                                                                 

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books/ Harper Collins
Published: October 22, 2013
Pages: 544
Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent

My Rant (w/Insurgent Spoilers):

It was so much better than the second one, yet also tiresome to read.

Told in two perspectives, Tris and Tobias, Allegiant goes forward with the story by going back. Back to the roots of how their world came to be.

So first you know that the Factionless are taking over the city and aren't letting anyone leave. And there is this group that arises called the Allegiant, and they're now the rebel group of the city. They want to leave/return to the ways of the faction. Tris and the gang join the Allegiant and make it out of the city. That's basically the last time you hear about the Allegiant until the end of the book.

Then you find out that it's all a genetic experiment. And that the Divergent as basically the chosen ones/genetically superior. And you finally, officially, know that they're in Chicago. But that just sets up the stage for a really social problems book. There as so many connections you can make from this book to today's society, too many. I actually had to stop because it kept repeating the social issue.

I also had to stop because I couldn't remember who was narrating the chapter. Tris and Tobias tell a similar story, because they're living the same events. So it's tiresome to have to read the same thing more than once in a different point of view. They also have semi-similar voices so that just confused the issue.

I also had to stop because they trigger happiness continued! SHE KILLED MY  FAVORITE CHARACTER! I am not going to say who it was, because I'm trying to keep this spoiler free. But I did not see the point of my character's death. I really didn't help the plot move forward. It just sent other characters into depression. Not necessary/character developing depressions either.

I would just like to take this time and appreciate the ending of the this book. At first, I was like the rest of the fandom; so angry and confused because I didn't understand what had just happened. But then, after some relaxation exercises, I came to this conclusion: Veronica Roth is one brave woman. I've always wanted a book to end they way it did, and she fulfilled my dream! She did it because she knew it was a fitting end for the character, not what the fans were expecting. In a way, she was writing for herself, not to make money and I think that is such a brave thing. Bravo Veronica Roth. Bravo.

Overall, I think it was a decent ending to the series. The ending of the book itself was excellent, but the rest of the book leads to a lower score.

Rating: 3.5/5

I'm sorry these may not be as coherent as I hoped, but I just really needed to get these done with and out there.



Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson
Format: Hardcover, 372 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
Published September 29, 2011 by Putnam Juvenile
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary from Goodreads:

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

This was one of those books that I really wanted to love, but didn't.  It was a good book, and I definitely enjoyed it, but I wish it had a bit more... oomph.  Something that could have changed it from an okay-good-read book to an OMGTHISISSOAMAZINGILOVEITTODEATH book.

I liked the whole Jack the Ripper mystery that went on throughout the book, it was one of the main reasons why I wanted to read the book in the first place.  I'm one of those geeks who can spend hours watching the History Channel so I really appreciated all the research that went into this book.  And it was a good mystery book that kept me second guessing at the clues the 'Ripper' would leave behind and what not.

What I enjoyed most from this book is the writing voice.  This was my first Maureen Johnson book (and definitely not my last) but I loved how much the characters and writing had Maureen's quirkiness that I've come to love from stalking following her on twitter.  Maureen is very clever and funny online, and her book is no different.  I kind of want to say it's eccentric, but it's mostly unique and very original.

The Name of the Star has a fantastic cast of characters who are all quirky and fun to read.  Although they made me laugh and I generally liked them as characters, I kind of wish they had more depth... or that we got to know them better... This was a mainly plot driven book in my opinion, which is great, but really love getting to know the characters in a book... and I felt like it didn't really happen with this book.

Overall, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped, but I think this book is worth a read if you are a fan of Maureen's other books or Jack the Ripper-esque mysteries.  And because it ends on a little cliffhanger, I'm curious enough to read the next book in this series.  :)

Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

Title: The Ivy
Author: Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur
Pages: 320
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, hardcover

Goodreads summary:
Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate ...

Evan
the guy she'd love to forget ...

Clint
the guy she'd love to love ...

and Matt
the guy she really should love ...

all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

My review:

I didn't really know what to expect from this book when I first picked it up. Sure, I was attracted to it by its cool cover and it's little slogan on the front: "Get In or Get Over It". Since I've been starting to look at random colleges, I know about the 'big' Ivy Leagues. And since the book was written about Harvard, and the authors went to Harvard, I thought it would teach me a little about the school and be interesting.

All I learned was that this book was very confusing. And that college seems to be a lot like high school.

The book mostly follows the social life of female protagonist, Callie Andrews. Written in third person, the book mostly took place in her voice, but it was very confusing to follow along when it wasn't her voice.

It talks a lot about the 'secret societies' and how they work. That I found really interesting. It gives you the typical portryal of the rich and priveleged. Which is sometimes correct and incorrect, based on my experiences. And of course, the love shapes. I'd like to call it a triangle, but I think it was more like pentagon or and odd shaped star.

I really didn't see much of a character development. And some characters were hardly ever seen. The big problem was way in the background, and brought up about every fifty pages or so.

It reminded me a lot like high school because there are all these cliques: JAQ (Jewish American Queens), Preps (those who came out of prep schools) and many more. Also, Callie changed who she was, just to be accepted into these friend groups. Sounds a lot like high school to me, which makes me fear that high school will never end.

Oddly enough though, it made the book seem more realistic, which maybe a reason I'm confused about how I feel towards it. Callie changed to fit in, like many of us do in real life, and in most books the main character figures out she's changed and goes back to being herself, or never changes. Also, the book didn't end on a very happy note (which makes me glad that there's a book two) and well in the real world, life doesn't always end on a happy note either.

So I suppose I'm confused by the book because I've always enjoyed reading about worlds that are possible, yet not and The Ivy was just so realistic. And if that's what the authors intended, then they did a really good job.

Overall:

Did I fall in love with this book? No.
Will I read its sequel? Probably, to be rid of my confusion.
Do I recommoned it? Sure. Mostly to readers of books such as Gossip Girl, The Clique, etc.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Pages: 298
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books, 2011

Goodreads Summary:
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

My View:

It wasn't what I had been waiting for. Sadly, I had much greater expecations for this book.

Kat comes back into the thief world with a mission: to return all the unjustly stolen art to their homes. Sure, sounds like a good plan with potential for good stories with thrills.

Yet somewhere, it went amiss in this book.

Kat continues to struggle with the fact that she is back to the life she tries to run away from. Then throw in the two boys, Nick and W.W. Hale the Fifth (we do not learn Hale's name in this book, sadly) and you have a very confused girl.

Normally I'm all for confused girls (actually not really) because it makes them seem like more realistic characters. Except, this time it didn't. Kat is already beyond realistic, with her life as a theif, so making her normal with confusion over life and guys just didn't really suit my fancy. Don't get me wrong, it's better than having a flawless girl and better than constantly depressed/lack self-confidence girl. I didn't see Kat's character develop much from book one to book two.

Writing style: same as always. Though I will admit that there were times that I was much confused about what was going on. And I pretty much saw Nick as an irrelavent character who Carter just brought back because of fan girls. (Not a Nick fan, sorry :P)

The heist: it lacked adventure, drama and danger. In my opinion, it was too quick and too easy. There really wasn't anything hanging on the line, except for perhaps pride.

Overall:

It was an okay book. Not what I had expected, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It was dull, and confusing at times and no real relationship movement.

Rating: 3.5/5

Karina

P.S. Remember that we're going to be meeting Ally Carter on the 27th, so if anyone has any questions that you would like us to ask her, post a comment!

Review: Angel by James Patterson

Title: Angel
Author: James Patterson
Pages: 366
Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 2011

Goodreads Summary:
In the seventh book in the bestselling series, evil scientists are still trying to convince Max that she needs to save the world, this time by providing the genetic link in speeding up the pace of evolution. Worse, they're trying to convince her that her perfect mate is Dylan, the newest addition to the flock. The problem is that, despite herself, Max is starting to believe it.
Fang travels the country collecting his own gang of evolved humans, but the two separate flocks must unite to defeat a frightening doomsday cult whose motto is Save the Planet: Kill the Humans. And this time, the true heroine, for once, might just be little Angel.

My ramblings (be warned, they're very odd): *Spoilers!*

I went into this book with a real biased against it. Ever since the release of book four (The Final Warning) I've felt like the books have lost their touch. And with the new editions, I have come to notice that the books are separated. The first three are called something like The Runaways (that may not be true but I can't think of the answer) and then four and up are called The Protectors (this I know is true). And we all know how James Patterson is a ghost writer (confirmed by C.C. at a book signing) so I really didn't know what to expect from Angel.

In the end, I came out with mixed feelings. There were times where I was all excited because it was just like the first three, and then there were times were I was like...um what the heck?!

So let's start with the good things, because they're the ones that stand up the most right now. (I just finished the book.) Actually, we're going to mix it up because that's how confused I am about this book.

Max drives me insane!! Her personality has defiantly done a one-eighty since book one where she was all hard core, flock first and no bs to flock first (sometimes?), fifteen year old boy troubled, confused girl she's become now. Of course, I mean she has to have some issues, she is 98% human after all.

Lack of Faxness....not going to lie, always been my favorite. I always thought I was going to hate Dylan...but he's soo cute! And then Fang was being a butt head and Max was being Max and everything started unraveling and now Fang and Max are no more! Like ever again.

I always hated when they brought in Dylan as this perfect other half. I mean hello! Max has Fang! Why must there be another! And then Dr. Hans and Jeb come with the whole must reproduce thing...ew. I know that in the Lake House and Where The Wind Blows (both books of James Patterson where winged kids first appear) there were eggs, but honestly, did the Maximum Ride series have to head in that direction too? It's going to be made a movie for goodness sake! (So they say anyway.

Then there's Angel. I always disliked her, since book one where she started manipulating people's thoughts. I'm pretty sure that in the last book, Angel was a traitor! And now she's back on the "good side"...I'm glad that what happened to Angel happened (don't want to spoil it!).

Ella and Iggy? And their sudden fascination for the evil of this book, the Doomsday Group. Oh the DG how you give this book excitement. Of course, the DG was kind of creepy and a little disturbing. I mean, suddenly Gen 77 thinks its better than everyone else and they start planning humancide? And they're all kids? I think that's a little dark, though it could have been much darker and cooler in the book.

Okay, who remembers when the Flock used to be never get caught, never be seen? And suddenly air shows are their thing? Hmmm, that's an obvious change that I don't like.

Okay, Fang's new "Flock" sooo cool! Love those kids, love the starfish kid! Hate Maya and Fang's idiotic choice to include her. And what in the world happened to the rest of the clones we saw in a previous book? And the runaways from book one?

Be prepared for reoccurring characters.

I'm a little confused on what in the world is going on the humans of this book. First Ella and her need to be 'special' even after she was 'cleansed' and then what in the world happened to Dr. Martinez and Jeb? Are they dead? Are they alive? Are they making more Max-lings? Who knows!

It was okay writing. Defiantly not the best out there, but it was concise and made sense so I suppose it was okay.

You should read it, to feel the same confusion I feel towards it. Then you should comment and clean up my confusion.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Karina

Review: Not That Kind of Girl

Hello. So let me start off by saying how proud I am of all our followers! I remember when we had ten followers and I was going around begging goodreads friends to follow. Now look at us! At the time of this review, there are 99 followers!

Secondly, let me just say how hetic things are! April is extremely right about school. Considering how I'm supposed to be studying for finals and instead spent three hours last night/this morning (it was about 3 am when I finished it...) reading this book, I can safely say I am dedicated to this blog and its followers by reading and posting a review. Or I'm insane. Either one works great.

So enough of this rambling, on with the review!

Title: Not That Kind of Girl
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Pages: 322
Publisher: Push, hardcover

Goodreads Summary:
Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things.

But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up being the boy you wants to sleep with yourself - but only in secret, with nobody ever finding out.

Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices - and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between.

My Review:

I found it funny how, while reading this book in the early moments of the day, I could hear this little voice telling me to stop and go back to my studies. Oddly enough, the little voice sounded extremly close to the voice that I had given this books protagonist, Natalie Sterling. Because what I was doing was something she would not approve of.

I also found it interseting how this YA book presented issues such as sexuality and feminism. I never would have thought those issues would have played such an important role in the book, considering the cover and title. (Before I go much further I have to say that yes, I did choose the book because of the cover.) I was looking for a light, nice romantic read to distract me from my studies, but instead I got a nice book that got me thinking. I love it when that happens.

I enjoyed how the problem presented at the beginning of the book did not belong to the protagonist, instead to Natalie's best friend. I've read too many books where the main character is portrayed weak, emotionally fragile yet mentally courageous girl. Insetad, Siobhan Vivian's main character is a strong feminist, who works hard to show that women can be strong emotionally and mentally and does not need a man to help her.

But Natalie's streangths also become her flaws when an old friend with different view points renters her life and starts making Natalie doubt everything she believes in. Is sexuality not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength and power? Can she really have something right now, just for that moment, if it won't go anywhere? If it won't help her in her paln for the future? And when her views start interfering with her friendship with best friend Autumn, start conflicting with her role modle Ms. Bee and keep her confused about football player Connor, Natalie's world starts breaking at its seams.

Needless to say, this book deals with relationships between girlfriends, best friends and with yourself. Sadly though, it was also a little bit black and white. There wasn't a real median between being totally into your sensuality, or being totally against it.

I also couldn't decide if I like the characters or not. Either Natalie's character was totally believeable, or she and Spencer were totally flat. Autumn had the potential of being a good character, but her story was confusing and how she resolved it seemed too simple or just not realistic.

Overall, I really liked the book. But once you start thinking about its messages and read deeper, its confusing and unclear.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Karina