Book Review #401 - Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

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.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I had really insanely high expectations for this book. Apart from the ending, I would say that it met those expectations.

 

 

The only problem I had with this book, and the whole series in fact is the lack of world building. A lot was revealed in this book about the world outside Chicago but I still felt like it wasn't enough.

 

 

This book was split narrated with Tris and Tobias sharing the narration. Normally I would like this, but I didn't feel like their voices were strong enough as I had to keep checking whose point of view I was reading.

 

 

Whilst the ending was not something that I would have chosen, I do think that it was a very accurate portrayal of the world that they are living in and also in Tris's bravery.

Book Review #400 - Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

I have done 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 must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

This book starts off right where Divergent left off, which was good as it was able to start off straight away and not recap everything.

 

 

Tris develops the most in this book. She becomes stronger both physically and mentally and really starts to become more Dauntless.

 

 

Tobias was the other character that developed a lot throughout this book. More of his back story is explored especially around his family.

 

 

For the first portion of the book, it felt more like a romance book. The romance aspect was too dominant and it seemed to not be moving along at the fast pace Divergent did.

 

 

The relationship between Tris and Tobias got really annoying at times just because of the juvenile arguments they continually had.

 

 

I read this book around Christmas and so there were so many distractions that made me stop reading for extended periods of time. For that reason I probably didn't enjoy this book as much as I should have.

Book Review #399 - I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

 

 

My Rating: 3/5

 

 

I had high expectations for this book as I had heard nothing but good things about it.

 

 

I found it really hard to read this book for any extended period of time. I found it really slow paced and the characters just did nothing for me.

 

 

The whole spy concept was the only positive I could find in this book. The whole idea of a spy school was fun and fresh.

 

 

I do intend to read the second book simply because I own it but if it doesn't improve then I don't intend to read any further into the series.

Book Review #398 - Thirteen (The Last Thirteen #1) by James Phelen

13 books. 13 nightmares. 1 destiny.

I click my fingers and everybody dies.

Sam wakes from his nightmare to discover the terrifying reality. It will come true.

Kidnapped from school and finding out his parents aren't who he thinks they are, Sam is suddenly running from danger at every turn. Nothing will ever be the same again.

With his life and identity shattered, Sam's salvation is tied to an ancient prophecy. He is in the final battle to save the world, up against an enemy plotting to destroy us all.

He alone can find the last thirteen.

My Rating: 3/5

The writing style of this book is quite simplistic so I would say this is more of a children's book rather than young adult.

This book is similar to the Conspiracy 365 books in that it is completely action packed and fast paced but lacks any kind of depth. Plus, they always end with annoying cliff-hangers.

Plot wise, it combines a lot of things that are popular in young adult fiction such as prophecies, people who dream the future, references to mythology etc.

The characters were all pretty generic. The book was too heavily focused on the action rather than character building.

This book was a very light, fun and fast read and takes no time or effort to read.

Top Ten Tuesday #22

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Each week features a different topic, and you make a top ten list about it.

 

 

 

This weeks question is my Top Ten Winter TBR:

 

 

 

Well, it's summer here in Australia (and hot) but here's my list:

 

 

 

1. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater - I just recently read Shiver and Linger and want to complete the series.

 

 

2.  A Dog named Christmas by Greg Kincaid- I have read this before but think it would be the perfect book to read around Christmas.

 

 

3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth - My library has it on order and I am first in the queue for it.

 

 

4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth - same as #3

 

 

5. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - my dad keeps pestering me to watch the films but I want to read the books first. I think I'll just aim for the first one for now.

 

 

6. The Help by Katheryn Stockett - same reason as #5 except that it's my mum.

 

 

7. Jamaican Inn by Daphne du Maurier - Rebecca is one of my favourite books of all time so I want to read her other books.

 

 

8. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - I absolutely love this series so far just need to finish it.

 

 

9. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - I have never read any Jane Austen and thought I would start with her first published novel.

 

 

10. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - This book looks really interesting and I can't wait to read it.

Book Review #397 - Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.

2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.

3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.

4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.

5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.

2. He says he has her stuff.

3. What stuff? Her stuff.

4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—

5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—

6. You pick up a pen.

7. You scribble down the address.

8. You get on your bike and go.

9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*

*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I received this book for review from Hardie Grant Egmont.

 

 

This was a very interesting book, and one that I am finding it hard to review as I'm not completely sure what I thought about it.

 

I found Kiri very fascinating. She was completely different to me in very single and I couldn't help but find her interesting. 



Her relationship with her family members was practically non-existent. The scars of her sister Sukey's death still lingers everywhere and nobody feels the need to confront this.

 

Kiri sees her sister in a very objective manner. She practically worships her. For this reason, her parents lied to her about how she died. When Kiri discovers the truth, her life starts to unravel.


Because they never discuss Sukey's death, they all carry around the unnecessary baggage. Denny, Kiri's brother admits to being scared towards the end of the book because he feels that Kiri is beginning to go down the same path he watched Sukey take.

The whole mental illness thing was unexpected as the blurb doesn't allude to that at all. I really did enjoy that whole dark side of the story though.

 

 

I felt like Kiri's piano teacher, Lukas's mother and Lukas himself especially really let Kiri down. They failed to listen to her or even try to understand her when she desperately needed them.

I was not able to understand Kiri's parents at all. They had already lost one child, but then just completely shut themselves off from the other two.

 

Skunk was the most dynamic character. Like Kiri, he is deeply flawed. His relationship with Kiri although a little too fast paced, was able to allow both of them the support they needed and lacked everywhere else.

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #15

"It's Monday! What are you reading?" is a fun meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey. This is where we share the books we have read last week and our reading plans for this week.

 

 

 

Last week I reviewed:

 

 

 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

 

 

 

 Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater;

 

 

 

 Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

 

 

 

 The Skull in The Wood by Sandra Greaves

 

 Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

 

 

 

The book that I am currently reading has been on my TBR for too long:

 

 

 

 I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter

 

 

 

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

 

Book Review #396 - Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping dangerous secrets. For Sam, it means grappling with his werewolf past ...and figuring out a way to survive the future.

 

 

But just when they manage to find happiness, Grace finds herself changing in ways she could never have expected...

 

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

This book was a solid sequel to Shiver. There were period where I found it slow paced with nothing happening plot wise but the characters and setting definitely overshadowed that.


Isabel played a stronger role in this book along with the newest character Cole. I liked this because I found Sam really annoying and boring at times.


I really didn't like the relationship between Sam and Grace at all in this book. It borders on obsession rather than romance. Also it was about time that Grace's parents did something about it.


The ending was by far my favourite part about the book and is probably the only reason why I will be reading Forever. 

Follow Friday #64

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison of Alison Can Read.

 

This weeks question:

 

 

Tell us at least one new or unusual thing you’ve done in 2013.

 

 

The only thing I can think of is that I went to my first AFL Grand Final which is Australia's version of the Superbowl. It was definitely the biggest crowd I have been a part of as well with over 100,000 people in attendance. Unfortunately my team didn't win but it was still an unbelievable experience.

 

 

 

Book Review #395 - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

In Depression-era America, everyone's running away from something. Some people join the circus to escape. Jacob Jankowski hitches a ride on a freight train and in that instant his life changes. By morning, he's landed a job with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love.

 

 

My Rating: 5/5

 

 

I don't read a lot of Adult Fiction nor do I read much Historical Fiction so I am surprised I liked this book as much as I did. I would rate this as one of my favourite books that I have read in 2013.

 

 

This book is told from two perspectives. Jacob as a 93 year old and then him looking back at himself as a 23 year old.

 

 

I found the whole circus part very interesting and could see how much research must have gone into creating it.

 

 

I loved all the animals especially Rosie and Queenie. Even though he was pure evil, one of my favourite characters was August simply because I found him interesting and unpredictable.

 

 

I really loved the writing style and so I can definitely see myself reading more of Sara Gruen's books in the future.

 

 

There were a few awkward moments throughout which is why I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers.

Book Review #394 - Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

After reading the first two books in The Raven Cycle series and loving Maggie Stiefvater's writing style I thought I would finally read her more popular series which has been on my bookshelf unread for a while.

 

 

I loved the writing so much more in this series. It was very poetic but very descriptive and atmospheric as well. This was definitely the highlight of the book for me.

 

 

I liked both Grace and Sam instantly but didn't feel the connection between them until late in the book. For a romance driven novel, I found it surprising this didn't bother me that much.

 

 

Sam seemed more developed than Grace as a character. I think this was because of the amount of back story of his that was provided. Plus he had the whole wolf side of him.

 

 

There were numerous other characters that were well developed such as Isabel, Olivia, Jack and Beck. Olivia is the character that I am most interested in with regards to her character and story development.

 

 

The wolf mythology is completely different to anything I have ever read with the wolves change dependant on the temperature.

 

 

The way this book ended, I am very eager to read Linger and Forever as soon as possible.

Book Review #393 - Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4) by Stephenie Meyer

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life — first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse — seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed...forever?

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I didn't like this book that much when I read it for the first time in 2008. Reading it for the second time now, five years later I was surprised by how much I actually did enjoy it. 

 

 

This book is split between Bella and Jacob's points of views. I know that this was written before Midnight Sun was put on hiatus, but it would have been interesting to have had chapters from Edward's point of view as well. 

 

 

The plot had a lot more depth to it than the previous three books, which is why it is significantly longer. I am glad that it wasn't split in halves like the films.

 

 

All loose ends were tied, although I thought that the ending was very anticlimactic as it felt like throughout the book it was building to something much greater.

 

 

 

The only new important character was Renesmee who quickly became one of my favourite characters in this series. I would love it if Stephenie Meyer wrote a series from her perspective.

 

 

In a way I am a little disappointed that this is the last book in the series as it would have been good to follow Bella into her new life as a vampire, but I am happy the way that this series ended.