Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 305

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives 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. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks 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 their country will go to keep its secrets.

THE GOOD:

Ms. Lu's imagination knows no bounds, but here's the thing: she makes it all BELIEVABLE. Everything she said, I felt myself thinking, "Oh man, what if America ended up like this?" I can see it, and that kinda freaks me out! She builds her world exquisitely, and her characters are always on point. Day is absolutely the most awesome character I've read all year. He is just amazing. The way he grows through the story is awesome, but I think June is the one that grows the most. She is such a BA heroine, and I like that you see her discover the world around her.

THE BAD:

Nothing was necessarily bad, but I did feel like June came to the major revelations all at once, in an info-dumpish kind of way. That was just me, though. Some may like it. I would have liked to have seen a redeeming characteristic in Commander Jameson, and I didn't like that Thomas was so cold-blooded, although I suppose that was the goal of Lu. So you see, the "bad" wasn't bad, it was just personal preferences. :)

OVERALL:

I really enjoyed Lu's world, and I will definitely be getting the second installment when it releases. This was a fun book to read, and by the end I was totally invested. It was a little slow at the beginning, but the world building was necessary, and I appreciated it when the book really started moving. Like I said, Day is probably my favorite character of the year. I would have loved to watch him pull off more shenanigans, and I hope that the second book will provide that. Lu wrote a great book, and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

RATING: 4 of 5 Books

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 525

Received: Purchased

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:

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.

 
THE GOOD: 
Oh my goodness! Roth seriously knows how to make you turn pages. She has perfectly woven another tale that makes you race to the finish. The ending...wow. That's all I have to say. As for characters, I loved Tris. She wasn't perfect by any means, but that's what made me able to relate with her. The character arc and growth of Christina was probably the one I enjoyed the most. So many characters grow in this book, but Christina really displayed forgiveness and I think that's something that needs to happen more often. Marcus, well, I'm still not sure I like him, but I'm glad that things worked out the way they did with him. :) Roth's world building is exceptional. You see everything she's creating, and it's such a breath of fresh air because it's not overdone. For her, it just seems like a natural affinity. It's great!

THE BAD:

Personally, I didn't like the way that Tobias acted in a good portion of the book, but that could just be me. I thought he acted a bit erratic, but like I said, that's just my personal opinion. It may sound fickle to take a half star for that, but it just really bothered me. Other than that, I loved the book!

OVERALL:

You can't go wrong with Roth's Divergent and Insurgent. They're books that are impossible to put down, so I hope you have the time to sit and read! This has been a series that has captivated me the same way that Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight did. That's not to say that Divergent & Insurgent are *like* those books (but if you were going to compare, Hunger Games is definitely a logical choice to read if you haven't!), but just that her writing is as powerful and commands attention. I love it, and I think you will, too!

FAVORITE QUOTE:

I clear my throat. "So, this plan. It's kind of stupid, right?"
"It's not...stupid."
"Oh, come on. Trusting Marcus is stupid. Trying to get past the Dauntless at the fence is stupid. Going against the Dauntless and factionless is stupid. All three combined is...a different kind of stupid formerly unheard of by humankind."

* * *

People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Books

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Release Date: March 22, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 358

Received: Purchased

Rating: 3 out of 5 Books

GOODREADS BLURB:
Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.

What did I think of Wither. Hmm...that's a tough one. :-/

THE GOOD:

DeStefano can write. Her prose is flawless and it's an easy read. You can definitely tell she has a degree in English. Gabriel is simply one of the sweetest guys I've read about, and it makes me sad we didn't really get to know him. Hopefully in the second book his character is more fleshed out.

THE BAD:

This book was bad, not at all. It's just the idea of this being a YA book and the context of it war with me. The Hunger Games was much more violent, much darker, but it still felt YA. This felt very adult, and it was hard for me to envision the world the way she painted it. I could see it, sure, I just couldn't swallow it...and that's totally me, not the book. So, I guess really I didn't find the book bad, it just wasn't what I'd imagined it'd be when I picked it up...and that's totally okay, too.

CONCLUSION:

It's not that I didn't enjoy Wither...it's just...it didn't feel YA. The tones and the storyline felt much more adult. The fact that Linden impregnates a 13-year-old and there is no feeling of shame or loss of childhood, save for Rhine's inner thoughts, feels off. I hate to even imagine a world where that would be necessary makes me kind of ill. The fact that the wives talk about sexual positions in order to find a way to become pregnant seems much more of an adult book than YA. It's not that sex doesn't belong in YA. I'm pretty sure YA can be just about anything, including sex. It's just this didn't feel YA. Polygamy, especially at the age of 13, 16, and 18 seems a bit stretched. The fact that Linden was completely oblivious to everything made me annoyed, but not as much as the fact that Rhine felt it was okay to not inform him. She chastised him internally and felt bad for him not having the knowledge, but didn't make any attempt to make him aware. I guess I just kept questioning the characters. I identified the most with Jenna, and she was sadly, one of the shortest-lived characters in the book.

Overall, I didn't not like the book, it just didn't feel right. And that's okay. Actually, that's great, because not every book is for everyone. I will definitely read the second to see what DeStefano brings to the plate in the future, I just wouldn't jump up and down and write home about this book, either. DeStefano is a strong writer and I look forward to reading her subsequent books.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"And then there's another voice, and my eyes fly open so fast that the room spins. 'Rhine?' Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane."
~*~
"I always knew I was an excellent liar; I just didn't know I had it in me to fool myself."

RATING: 3 Books

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

GOODREADS BLURB:
"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.

But things happen when people touch me.

Strange things.

Bad things.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans on her own.

After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

Okay, wow. Where to start...

This book started off arduous difficult tough to read. The prose was complicated complicated complicated and hard to follow at times.

I really wanted to put the book down.

BUT.

Wow. Once it got going, dialogue picked up, and Adam showed up, I changed my tune. Mafi has TALENT. TALENT TALENT TALENT (and I mean that with no pun alluding to the book at all!) :) I can't wait to read more books from her!

THE GOOD:
I felt everything that Juliette felt. Saw everything she saw. There was no detail that was left out from her emotions, or even how they were processed in her mind. I don't think I've ever felt like I knew a character as intimately as I felt I got to know Juliette. I really was rooting for her the entire time, because she was simply transparent and honest in her thoughts and emotions. Adam is genuinely a good guy. Mafi leaves the book at a sensible point, yet leaves me invested enough to go "I need more pages!" at the end. That's a good thing. :)

THE BAD:
Like I said, I was really struggling to enjoy this book for the first 25%. I only kept going because two good book reviewing buddies told me I needed to and I hate to put a book down, so I did. The prose feels overdone and the constant strikethrough of words is taxing. While I totally understand her point and goal with this idea, I think someone should have put a leash on it at the same time. It works, it really does, it just was a bit overboard in the beginning. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book!

CONCLUSION:
WOW. That's all I've to got to say. This author has a lot of talent, and if you enjoyed Hunger Games, this is definitely the next book you should pick up. The writing is hard to get used to at first, but I promise it's totally worth it to get through the first bit and get to the meat of the story. You won't regret an adventure into this book, and it will definitely leave you wanting more.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Hope is a pocket of possibility."
* * *
"I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction. They want to delete every point of punctuation in my life from this earth and I don't think I can let that happen."

RATING: 4 Books