Archive for Four Stars
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth Book Review
Series: Divergent, #1
Publication Date: May 3rd 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
Rating: 
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Book Summary: 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.
Book Review Overview:
- Fantastic world-building; I love the concept of the different factions
- I love a novel with a strong female lead; Roth delivers with her protagonist, Tris
- Great romance – no insta-love here
- Nail-biting action that will leave you at the edge of your seat
This is probably going to sound a little weird, because the thought sounded weird to me as well but: DIVERGENT was one of those books that I purposely did not want to like. I did not want to join the bandwagon and be a crazed fan for Tris and Four. I tried hard. And I failed. Like it or not, I’m a big fan of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth and I am eagerly awaiting its sequel, Insurgent.
Why did I not want to like DIVERGENT? What did I have against it before even picking it up? Hype is probably the biggest reason. There are loads of overhyped books out there that I didn’t quite enjoy. Second, is the Year of Dystopias, also known as the year 2011. A million dystopian novels were released last year and to be honest, I was just sick of the cookie cutter plots. Basically, I thought that DIVERGENT was too good to be true.
I probably won’t be the first to tell you that the world-building in Divergent is quite awesome. Okay, I’ve never been to Chicago before, but based on what I know, I did recognize some remnants of the old city. But I love the dystopian city that Roth has created. Chicago is now divided into five different factions: Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite – which are basically different districts that are characterized by the personality of the people who live in the area. When a kid turns sixteen, her or she will take a test that basically determines what faction they end up in. The concept is quite fascinating, and Roth makes it believable because she explains that humans are creatures of habit. It doesn’t take much to convince a person to act a certain way based on their characteristics.
What makes DIVERGENT special in addition to the world-building is the protagonist. Tris has flaws. And she is quite awesome for it because she shows that there isn’t just the extreme nice girl or the extreme brave girl. She falls in the middle and she’s a little bit of both. Her character tries to be the best person she thinks she can be, but sometimes her decisions are not very good. She admits that she’s sometimes selfish and unkind, but Tris is also brave and willing to stand up for what she believes in.
I love how Roth maintains a sense of realism in DIVERGENT. Despite the fact that Tris has gotten stronger over the course of her training, it still doesn’t mean that she can go against really big burly men in hand-to-hand combat. Hello, physics?! It just doesn’t work that way. Tris is awesome, but she still has some weaknesses.
And of course there’s the love interest. This isn’t insta-love. Admittedly, Four captures Tris’s eye instantly because something strikes him different from the other Dauntless. Plus, he’s a pretty kick-ass instructor. (Alright, and this is where I admit that Four also reminded me of Dimitri from the Vampire Academy series because he’s technically the forbidden older instructor, heh.) But the progression of their relationship is slow. The best part is that Four is actually quite a nice guy. But that’s all I’m going to say because you really have to experience Four for yourself.
I will say that DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth is quite long. Unnecessarily long? I don’t think so. Unlike other series that kicked off last year, I feel like DIVERGENT had enough development as the first book of a series but also had enough to stand alone on its own. At 400+ pages, it does seem like a daunting read, but the novel is fast-paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat.
Veronica Roth is a talented debut author and you do not want to miss DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. I don’t regret waiting to read DIVERGENT as it means I do have less time to wait before the sequel comes out this year.
I strongly recommend this book to those who are fans of dystopian novels like The Hunger Games and to those who are fans of novels with strong female protagonists.
Other Book Reviews:
Book Purring
For What It’s Worth
Gone with the Words
About the Author
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Veronica Roth is only 23, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011). The second book in The Divergent Trilogy, INSURGENT, will come out in May 2012. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)
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Book Review, Four Stars - Action Packed, Audience: Young Adult, Author: Veronica Roth, Book: Divergent, Genre: Action, Genre: Dystopia, Genre: Romance, Genre: Science Fiction, Masterful World-Building, Must Buy, Page-Turner, Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Romantic Read, Series: Divergent | 
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DON’T LET ME GO by J.H. Trumble
Publication Date: December 27th 2011 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Rating: | 
Summary: Some people spend their whole lives looking for the right partner. Nate Schaper found his in high school. In the eight months since their cautious flirting became a real, honest, tell-the-parents relationship, Nate and Adam have been inseparable. Even when local kids take their homophobia to brutal levels, Nate is undaunted. He and Adam are rock solid. Two parts of a whole. Yin and yang.
But when Adam graduates and takes an Off-Broadway job in New York—at Nate’s insistence—that certainty begins to flicker. Nate starts a blog to vent his frustrations and becomes the center of a school controversy, drawing ire and support in equal amounts. But it is the attention of a new boy who is looking for more than guidance that forces him to confront who and what he really wants.
Book Review Overview:
- Heart-wrenching tale that will make you cry and laugh
- Perfectly flawed characters that are so realistic, so inspiring
- You don’t have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or whatever to read this. Whatever your sexuality is, you will relate.
I didn’t believe the hype before I picked up this book. I needed one more book to read in 2011, and Brent urged me to pick up J.H. Trumble’s DON’T LET ME GO. I already knew that Brent was a massive fan of the book, and since I was in the mood for a contemporary novel, I asked Brent to Lend Me his ebook copy of the novel. I read this in less than 24 hours in two sittings. It’s one of those books where I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed.
Trumble is such a talented writer. I loved the alternation between past and present because it gave a lot of insight on how Nate and Adam’s relationship started and progressed. Furthermore, Trumble has that rare ability to make you cry in one paragraph and laugh out loud in the next. I urge you strongly not to read this in public; your reaction may cause other people to give you weird looks.
DON’T LET ME GO is relatable to everyone because the basis of the novel is the relationship between Nate and Adam. It doesn’t matter that the main characters are gay because the characters are so easy to relate to. Trumble puts you in Adam’s shoes and you feel his heart break. Like Nate, as much as I wanted to trust Adam, I just couldn’t do it. A million different scenarios ran in my mind about all the things that Adam could do to hurt Nate while he was in New York City. I didn’t want to think the worst of Adam, but Trumble made it so difficult not to. In addition to Adam, Nate is also so flawed which made him even more realistic. He’s not perfect either, but he works to make himself a better person. Nate has trust issues and he has to learn to accept that people won’t judge him based on his past. Trumble creates such realistic characters and brilliantly captures what it is like to be in a long distant relationship including the insecurities, trust issues, and the reunions.
Furthermore, DON’T LET ME GO reminded me on how lucky I was to live in a liberal area and have attended such a liberal school. It reminded me that there are teens out there who are not so lucky and who do not have the freedom to be who they want to be. Nate is such an inspiring character to read about because despite the fact that he was bullied and abused, it does not stop him from standing up for what he believes in. He’s inspiring not only to the teens in the novel but also to teens reading the novel. Nate made me want to do something to help gay teens who live in more conservative areas.
I’d highly recommend DON’T LET ME GO to those who are fans of David Levithan’s novels and bittersweet contemporaries. I highly urge you to support this fantastic author and buy this book.
Why I’m Biased: I was influenced by two reviews raving DON’T LET ME GO, written by Ecey and Brent!
Other Book Reviews:
Ece Red
The Naughty Book Kitties
About the AuthorJ.H. Trumble is a Texas native and graduate of Sam Houston State University. You can visit the author online at http://jhtrumble.com and on Facebook and Twitter. |
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Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: JH Trumble, Book: Don't Let Me Go, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Heartwarmer, Makes You Think, Must Buy, Publisher: Kensington, Tear-Jerker | 1119 words
TIGER’S VOYAGE by Colleen Houck
Series: The Tiger Saga/The Tiger’s Curse Series (#3)
Publication Date: November 1st 2011 by Splinter
Rating:
Summary: With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections–leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.
Book Review Overview:
- Definitely the most frustrating book of the three so far (but in a good way)
- Once again, Houck spins a magical adventure in TIGER’S VOYAGE
- Another cliff-hanger ending
THE INTRO: Colleen Houck does not fail to surprise in the latest installment of The Tiger Saga. In TIGER’S VOYAGE (aka book #3), she builds layer upon layer of an already complicated story in a fantastic world where nothing is impossible.
THE FRUSTRATION: Personally, I found TIGER’S VOYAGE to be the most frustrating book of the three so far because I really want Ren and Kelsey to end up together. I love Happily Ever Afters – unfortunately, Houck makes it difficult to predict who Kelsey will finally choose (mainly because there are 2 books left in the series!). I believe this is one of the reasons why TIGER’S VOYAGE is a page-turner, I could never correctly predict what event would happen next. Essentially, one of the plot lines running throughout TIGER’S VOYAGE is whether Kelsey loves Ren or Kishan more and her struggle to honor her commitments to each brother.
THE BREAKDOWN: At the end of TIGER’S QUEST, Kelsey successfully tracks down Ren and saves him from Lokesh. However, she discovers that Ren has absolutely no memory of her. This is where TIGER’S VOYAGE picks up. Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam, and Nilima set sail on a voyage to find the goddess Durga’s third gift to break the curse by facing off with five different and dangerous dragons. These face offs include rekindling the light of a star, fighting a kraken, a medieval hunt to the death, bartering with a greedy dragon, and trusting a dragon.
Meanwhile, the tension in the love triangle between Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan increases. Both men compete for her love, and Kelsey tries to figure out which relationship would allow her to remain emotionally unscathed. Nevertheless, her efforts are futile as love proves to be a dangerous game.
THE ENDING: Expect a cliff-hanger. Houck has perfected it. (And this is all I’m saying – no spoilers from me!)
THE CONCLUSION: Each encounter takes place in a different realm. Houck’s magical world-building skills are astonishing – she pays attention to detail, thus creating a world that is unbelievably believable. Like the previous two installments, Houck provides the history and background for every element in her story (for example: India, the seven oceans, Hinduism, Buddhism, diving). I don’t think I’ve learned so much information from a fiction series since Harry Potter.
Once again, I recommend TIGER’S VOYAGE to the following readers:
- Those that have already read TIGER’S CURSE (book 1) and TIGER’S QUEST (book 2)
- Those that enjoy a fun and magical adventure
- Those that are fans of any fantasy series currently out
About the Author
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Colleen Houck is first and foremost a reader. She loves action, adventure, sci-fi, and romance, and her favorite books include a little bit of each. After getting an Associate’s Degree from Rick’s college and transferring to the University of Arizona, she dropped out of school to go on a church mission where she met her husband. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and her giant stuffed white tiger.
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Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Colleen Houck, Book: Tiger's Voyage, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Paranormal, Genre: Romance, Loreal, Publisher: Splinter, Series: The Tiger Saga | 935 words
- Borrow It
- Hahaha Funny
- Keeps You Guessing
- Poetic Prose
