Review: Insurgent

Summary (from Goodreads):

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 Essentials:

Title: Insurgent
Series: Divergent #2
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication: HarperTeen – May 1, 2012
Rating: 10/10
Source: personal copy
Grade Level: 7 & up

Review (warning: may contain Divergent spoilers):

I very rarely re-read books.  I have so many books that I want to read that I just don’t have the time to revisit any but my favorite books.  That being said, I re-read Divergent the weekend before this came out and I plan to re-read Insurgent soon.  This series is that good.

Y’all, this series is like crack.  Knowing how I devoured Divergent, I set aside the entire evening of release day specifically to read Insurgent.  I got home from work, my pre-ordered copy from Amazon was waiting for me, and I curled up on the couch and read it cover to cover.  Roth started right off making me a very happy reader – she starts just minutes after Divergent ended, so readers miss absolutely none of the action.  We also get to see a lot more of the world in this book – including other factions and the factionless.  It’s great to get a broader sense of how everyone lives and interacts.  It also gave me a chance to think more deeply about what faction I would be in, given the choice, and realized that I couldn’t necessarily see myself in any of them.  Which is really the point, isn’t it?  That people can’t be easily divided based on a single personality trait.

Insurgent is a much angstier book than Divergent ever thought about being.  Tris, and Four/Tobias, are dealing with some really major issues – the deaths (and killing) of friends and loved ones, the downfall of Dauntless, and the knowledge of what really happened when everyone else was under the simulation.  As such, their romance takes a bit of a back set while they deal with everything going on around them.  The ambient angst does give them the chance, however to noticeably evolve as individuals and as a couple.  Perhaps Roth’s strongest skill as a writer is that she doesn’t write flat, boring characters – they grow, evolve, and learn.

All you really need to know is that Insurgent is absolutely fantastic.  And the end?  OMG the end, guys.  Just wait.  I’m looking forward to re-reading it, and I am uber excited to read the third book in the series.

Book Trailer: Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha is a book I’ve been hearing a lot about lately.  It’s a historical fiction mystery with a Jack the Ripper storyline.  What’s not to love?!  So, I went hunting for the book trailer and I like it a lot.  It’s simple, but that’s how I like my book trailers – I don’t have any preconceived notions about characters based on actors or voices, but it still gives you a good feel for the book.  Check it out!

 

Review: Legend

Summary (from Goodreads):

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 Essentials:

Title: Legend
Series: Legend #1
Author: Marie Lu
Publication:  Putnam Juvenile – November 29, 2011
Rating: 9/10
Source: Library Book
Grade Level 8 & up

Review:

Legend has been on my TBR list for just about forever (or, y’know, since November).  That said, I’m really glad I finally got around to reading it.

The best thing about this book is the world that Marie Lu has built.  California (or the whole west coast?) has become The Republic – a totalitarian society in which you get assigned to a career as a child based on test scores.  This is an extremely militant society (they are waging a war with The Colonies, or what used to be the rest of the US) so the best and brightest are assigned to the military.  I really enjoyed the little details Lu included to make The Republic feel more real – especially the things that Day and June didn’t know about the world outside of or before The Republic.

Another thing that I liked, which surprised me, is that the narration switches back and forth between Day and June.  This is something that I normally can’t stand, but here it works really well.  Day and June are from completely separate worlds, but personality-wise they’re very similar.  This style of narration really highlighted how much these two characters have in common, despite their completely different backgrounds.  For an added bonus, the ink color switches when the narration switches.  Sweet!

The whole story has a very sweeping, cinematic feel to it, which makes perfect sense since the author was previously an art director at a video game company.  Come to think of it, this would make a great movie AND a great video game.  Hmmmmm…  At times, though, the cinematic feel made it also feel a little impersonal – which was weird since it was first-person narration throughout.  But, this is a tiny, nit-picky thing in a really tremendous book.

I see this book having broad appeal with boys and girls, as well as both teens and adults.  If this is what Lu produces in her first ever book, I cannot wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the series.

Insurgent Release Day!!!!

Guys! GUYS!!  Insurgent comes out today!  And, even better, it should be in my mailbox when I get home:

Wanna know what I have planned for tonight?  Eating leftover pizza and reading this from cover to cover, that’s what.  That’s right, I’m awesome.  I re-read Divergent over the weekend and was reminded of just how stinkin’ awesome it is.  If you aren’t as excited about this as I am, you obviously haven’t read Divergent.  So, um, what are you waiting for?!

Review: The Immortal Rules

Summary (from Goodreads):

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Essentials:

Title: The Immortal Rules
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publication: Harlequin TEEN – April 24, 2012
Rating: 8/10
Source: ARC
Grade Level: 8 & up

Review:

When I first saw this book, I was very wary.  Vampire books post-Twilight have been overdone, predictable, and obviously hurriedly (read: poorly) written to release while vampires were still hot.  At nearly 500 pages was this the kind of book I was really willing to commit to reading?  But then I noticed all the love it was getting in the blogosphere.  Add that to the fact that I’ve hear a million amazing things about Julie Kagawa’s other books (which I will eventually read) and I decided to give it a go.

Let me tell you something: Allison Sekemoto does not sparkle.  If you even suggested such a thing, she would probably have you for a mid-morning snack.  She is a kick-ass, awesome, katana-wielding vampire who has much more in common with Dracula and Anne Rice’s vampires than with the Cullen clan.

It took me a little while to really get into the book — she takes her time building Allie’s world and backstory — but once I did there was no going back.  I was hooked.  The mash-up of vampires and dystopia works very well and Kagawa has built a detailed, convincing world and a fantastic cast of characters around the concept.  The Immortal Rules has a little bit of everything: vampires and dystopia, of course, but also fight scenes, action, romance, and even the tiniest bit of a mystery at the end.

The biggest disappointment of the entire book?  Allison Sekemoto is Asian (she is called “squinty eyes” and “Asian doll” at two different points in the book).  The girl on the cover?  So not Asian.  I know that the author has little or no control over book covers, so I don’t hold it against her.  I also don’t hold it against whoever did the actual design as they rarely read the book.  I DO hold it against whoever at Harlequin read the book and then looked at the cover and said, “Yeah, that looks like Allie.”

Despite my anger with the cover, this is a great choice for fans of paranormal or dystopian fiction.  Yet another series for which I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next installment!

Book Trailer: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

I won a copy of Struck during Presenting Lenore’s fabulous Dystopian February.  It showed up in my mailbox a few weeks ago and has been staring me down ever since.  Hopefully I’ll be able to read it soon, but until then, check out the trailer!  It looks awesome and creepy and weird – I can’t wait!

Divergent/Insurgent Bonus!

Veronica Roth, the super fabulous author of Divergent and the upcoming sequel Insurgent has released a snippet of Divergent from Four’s point of view as a reward/bonus for 35,000 pre-orders of Insurgent.  You can check it out HERE!  If you haven’t read Divergent: a) you really, really should b) Four’s story might be kinda spoilery.  If you haven’t pre-ordered the book yet, there’s still time before May 1.  All of the links for pre-ordering can be found here.