Divergent

Hi!  I finished Divergent by Veronica Roth a couple days ago.

Synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review:

The entire time I was reading Divergent I couldn’t help be pleased.  It was everything it was supposed to be and more.

My favorite part about reading it, however, is just the fact that I could read it steadily.  It wasn’t slow.  And while it was grabbing, it moved at such a reasonable pace that I didn’t feel compelled to not be able to put it down.  Now while reading a book front to back in one sitting may sometimes make it all the much better, not always.  And in this case, as you may guess, the readability made it entirely worth reading.  

I adored Tris.  She was such a powerful female character.  She was truly *SPOILERS* Divergent; brave and selfless.  

Four was a great character as well.  His coolness and honesty and raw human emotion was enticing to read.  The last couple pages of Divergent left me panting in excitement, waiting for more.  I can’t wait to read Insurgent.

 The entire concept of a society based on 4 key human traits is entirely fascinating.  As well as the fact that when you are in a certain faction, the other traits aren’t applied to you.  Where in reality, as Four put it, you want to be Selfless and Kind and Brave and Smart.  As well as other qualities, such as being humble, respectful, ect. 

I loved the fantastic writing and can barely contain myself from bursting with joy.  I want to read more from Veronica Roth the moment I started.

I'm going to be reading Insurgent soon, and have heard about an unnamed 3rd book coming out soon.  *Sly Look*.

~Remedyleaf

Released!!!

Ahhhhh!!!  I'm late about these!

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons (Sequel to Article 5)

Released: February 12, 2013

Synopsis:

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Sequel to Cinder)
Released: February 5, 2013
Synopsis:

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Don't miss The Lunar Chronicales 1.5 (Ebook)
The Queens Army

~Remedyleaf

Percy Jackson!

Hey!  I've totally jumped into the Percy Jackson fanbase, even though I've only read
The Lightning Thief

Synopsis:

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Anyway, so I'm already in love with Percy and totally Shipping Percabeth.  Am I right?!? :)  They are adorable together, even though they're only 12 and don't know that they're made for each other.

I am very excited by how pleased I was about this book.  I've been listening to the hype for years, but always blow it off until after the mainstream has died down, and you're left with just hard core fans.  Like with Harry Potter, those who still discuss and read the books and fanfic about the books/movies are die hard fans, even though the books are long done, and them movies wrapped up in 2011.  So even though with Percy Jackson the sequel series is still being continued, and the sequel movie is coming out soon, most mainstream fans have moved on to Hunger Games and such.  (Although that has a quality fanbase too, but in my opinion, is almost as mainstream as Harry Potter originally was.)  Do you get what I'm describing?

I loved Percy's character, Annabeth, Grover, and the whole crew.  It just made the story come alive with all these conflicting personalities, as reflected in the Greek Gods.  

My favorite part was the antagonist.  It was kind of a mystery the entire book, and *SPOILER* just as we all realize that it's Luke, it's too late, and something bad happens.  I LOVE when you can't see through the book, but then at the last second you get it and then BAM! bad stuff.  ;)

To conclude, 5 stars, and I'm eagerly waiting to get the sequel from the Library!

~Remedyleaf

The most thrilling-

-horror/mystery I've read since The Twin's Daughter.  Remember my first author bio? Now I'm finally reviewing that book!  (Cut me some slack, I read some other stuff in between.)

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield. (Here's her site if you didn't get it before).

Synopsis: (Again)

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

Review:

As the title of this post obviously illustrates, this book is an amazing, fantastic, spooky thriller/mystery that had me biting my nails and hiding under the covers in anticipation.  My friends would have no problem admitting that I blabbed about this book the entire time I read it, I mean, the suspense!!!!

Really, though, this book was fantastic.  Becca's struggle with the small town murder mystery that is holding her back from her future is fascinating.  The entire time I'm attempting to connect the dots between Becca's relationship with James, the murder, and her inner struggle.  Then there is Craig and Lindsay drama, not to mention that half way through the book suddenly we suddenly have AMELIA'S point of view, which was creepy beyond belief.  All the sudden I have another character to try and fit in with the murder!

I LOVED it!  This was a fantastic read.  All the character development and foreshadowing was phenomenal.  

There were also these amazing chapters, where it was just Becca describing her hometown.  And the ways things worked, and stories.  They added so much to the story, because the setting was so much clearer.  It felt like you had lived their your entire life, along with Becca.

I've been reading a lot of murder mysteries lately, but this was by far, one of the most praise able. 

5 Stars!

~Remedyleaf

Dairy Queen!

Hey!  No, this post is not about the Ice Cream Place; rather, it's about Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

Synopsis:


When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.


Let me just say that first of all, I adored this book!  I read it over the weekend and fell in love with everything.  The plot, D. J. , Curtis, the cows, even-I hate to admit this- the football.

I'm generally not a big fan of football.  I don't understand it, nor do I want to, but the way that Murdock wove the football into the story was pleasing, and I was able to enjoy it from a distance. ;)

This book was so very human.  When D. J.  realizes that she is a cow, it was such a pure moment of self discovery in a human lifetime.  It spoke up the need for everyone to do what they want to do, not always what they are told.  I'm all for rebellion, you know! ;)

D. J. , as a character, was lovely.  She was not arrogant or stupid to the point you want to pull your hair out.  But you could see where she made her own human mistakes and assumptions.  Somehow, though, she was able to stand up to everyone, steal all their hearts, and end the book as a happy person.  She dealt with what she needed to deal with.  She pulled through an amazing story.

One of my favorite parts of the entire book, was all the details about the cows, farm work, and training Brian.  Although some of it was repetitive, it wasn't in a bad way.  Each time was a little different, and had something new to do with the plot.

The entire thing with Brian, was incredibly human too.  As well as D. J. mistake for not telling him, and his reaction.  In the end however, well, you'll just have to see. ;)

Regardless, this was a pleasing read!  I'm looking forward to the sequels and anything else from Murdock in the future.

4 stars.

~Remedyleaf