Divergent by Veronica Roth

#1 in the Divergent Series

Published in 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
5 Stars
DAC 2011

Goodreads Review
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Review:  Divergent is an action packed adventure about a young girl who learns to follow her heart and be true to herself.  Divergent is the first of a trilogy, and I think it does a wonderful job of setting up the world and the overall setting of the trilogy while still being a complete story within itself. 

The strongest part of Divergent is the action sequences.  The writing is excellent.  The trials Tris goes through are adrenaline fueled and make you keep turning the page.  I also thought that the development of Tris's character as she learns to adapt to her surroundings and listen to her intuition was very well done.  Tris is a very well rounded character who constantly surprised me with her choices and reasons behind them.

There were a few stylistic choices that Roth made in her writing that didn't sit well with me, but also did not detract from the story.  I also thought there could have been more development of Tris's past and her family, but I also suspect that there will be more revealed in the coming books. 

Overall Divergent is an exciting debut dystopian novel that brilliantly introduces the story of Tris.  Divergent intrigues from the start and will stay in the readers head long after they have turned the last page.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

#1 in the Chemical Garden series

Published in 2011 by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
3 Stars
DAC 2011

Goodreads Review
What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Review:  Wither was a very difficult book to review.  First I love the cover, so it gets at least 2 stars for the art alone. But then it loses stars for the completely ridiculous science/economic/social inconsistencies that make the premise for the life of the characters. But then it gains stars for the characters themselves, which I really loved. It also gains stars for the descriptive and impressive writing style. I'm torn!

ok after much consideration here's how the star math goes. (Don't read if you don't want spoilers)

+2 for the cover art
-1 for the illogical end of the world scenario
-1 for the illogical "virus" that comes from genetic manipulation
+1 for pretty dresses (whatever, don't judge)
+1 for addressing polygamy in a way that isn't 100% vile
+1 for a female character sticking to her ideals
-1 for not consummating the marriage (doesn't make any sense)
+1 for Jenna being a bad ass prostitute
+1 for elements of subterfuge and conspiracy theory (just what exactly was going on in that basement?)
-2 for then not answering questions raised by said subterfuge and conspiracy theory.
+1 for making me want to read the next book in the series.

TOTAL= 3 stars

Overall, this book is an awesome romance/Stockholm syndrome book, but pretty poor science fiction book. However, I think the positives of the narrative outweigh the pretend science.

Waiting on Wednesday 6/8/11

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at breaking the spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:



Hourglass

by Myra McEntire

Publication Date: June 14, 2011

From Goodreads

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Teaser Tuesday 6/7/11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so others can add the book to their TBR list

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

The direwolf wrenched free and came to him as the wight struggled to rise, dark snakes spilling from the great wound in its belly.  Jon plunged his had into the flames, grabbed a fistful of the burning drapes, and whipped them at the dead man.  Let it burn, he prayed as the cloth smothered the corpse, gods, please, please, let it burn.

Top Ten Tuesday 6/7/11: Top Ten Favorite Book Settings

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish.  We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new top ten list complete with one of our bloggers' answers.  Everyone is welcome to join.  All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers in the comments.

TOP TEN FAVORITE BOOK SETTINGS

1.  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling-  Come on now folks.  Do you really have to ask why this is my top choice?  Hogwarts has always had a special place in my heart.  As a kid I used to daydream that I was wandering down Diagon Alley, navigating the ever changing halls, sipping butterbeer in Hogsmead, and cheering at the Quiddich world cup.  (OK I'll admit, I still daydream about that)...

2.  Misselthwaite Manor and the garden in The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett- The secret garden seems like the perfect escape.  I would love to spend my rainy days exploring the giant manor, finding treasures hidden away by long forgotten inhabitants, and my sunny days out in the garden, playing with fairies and casting a child's magic spell.  I love exploring.  I love finding hidden paths, rooms, and secrets.

3.  Wonderland from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll-  I love wonderland.  I love all of the zany characters that Alice meets throughout her adventure.  I love the mad tea party (why is a raven like a writing desk), the mouse's tale, and the rose garden.  I am so picky about my wonderland, I HATE it when people mix up the red queen and the queen of hearts (chess and cards are not the same).

4.  Narnia from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis- Who wouldn't want to visit Narnia?  As a little kid I would pretend that the wardrobe in my grandmother's bedroom was a gateway to Narnia.  There I would play with the fauns and dryads, battle the white witch, and go on quests for Aslan.  

5. Hill Top Farm from Peter Rabbit and Friends by Beatrix Potter- Did anyone else watch the BBC cartoons from the 90s?  It was my favorite movie to watch whenever I went over to my grandmother's house (I spent a lot of time there as a kid if you can't tell lol).  Tom Kitten was my favorite.  After watching the cartoon or reading the book I would go out to her garden and pretend to be Beatrix Potter with all of her animal friends.  I'm starting to realize that I have a fascination with British children's literature...

6.  Neverland from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie-  More British children's literature anyone?  As a little kid I didn't really like Peter Pan because I hated the Disney movie.  It wasn't until 6th grade when I read Peter and Wendy that I realized just how horribly wrong Disney got it.  I loved Tiger Lily and how Peter Pan saved her from the Mermaid's Lagoon.  The quote "to die would be an awfully big adventure" pretty much blows my mind.

7.  Redwall Abbey from the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques- I just want to go to Redwall and EAT!  The food sounds simply amazing.  I love the honor and nobility of the heroes in these books.  I also loved how each book felt very different, some took place at the abbey, some on boats, some to the south, some to the north, but they were all very similar.  Jacques had a very distinct writing style that I could relate to, even when his main characters were woodland creatures.

8.  The Land of Oz from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum- I have a 1908 copy of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz which was given to me by my grandfather.  I have since read more of the series and I really loved the land of Oz and Ozma, the original princess of Oz.  My favorite place was the emerald city (more from the movie than the books though, gotta be honest).

9.  The Ages from the Myst series by Robyn and Rand Miller- Myst was an awesome computer game series that had three companion books.  The magic of this series is the race of the D'ni write their ages in books that become portals to the actual worlds.  They travel by book.  That is awesome.

10.  Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton- Let's pretend for a second that the dinosaurs don't break out and start eating everyone.  How FREAKING AWESOME would Jurassic Park be!?  I love amusement parks and I love dinosaurs, so it's a perfect match.  I saw the movie when I was six and it thoroughly amazed me.  Later in middle school I read the novel and knew I had found true love. 

Off the Shelf #1

  Hello everyone and welcome to Off the Shelf!  This is my way of sharing any new books I receive or buy as well as let you all know what my reading plans are for the week and what I hope to get off my TBR shelf.

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by One Persons Journey through a world of Books. Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Finished Reading:

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Currently Reading:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Up Next:



by J.K. Rowling



48 Hour Reading Challenge: Final Summary

I had a lot of fun doing this reading challenge!  In total I finished one book I had already began, completely read two books, and started two more.   I started Delirium and couldn't get into it, so I started to re-read A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  I read for twenty hours total which was four hours short of my goal and read a total of 941 pages.  I donated $20.00 to the ASPCA, one for each hour I read.  I also won a trivia question on twitter with the epic read-a-thon, so I'll be getting a prize!  That was exciting because I never win anything, so I'm really excited about that.

I wanted to thank everyone that hosted the epic read-a-thon and the 48 hour book challenge at Awesome Bookworm and Mother Reader.  I had a great time, thank you all so much.  You ROCK!

Complete Books:

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Started Books:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin