Insurgent by Veronica Roth

[Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent, so it is suggested that you read Divergent before reading this review so nothing is spoiled for you!]

"Part of me wishes I could burn them from my mind, so I would never have to mourn for them. But the rest of me is afraid of who I would be without them."

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.

If you've discussed Divergent with me, you're probably very tired of hearing me sing its praises. (Especially since my singing voice is something you get tired of very fast.) But in case you didn't know, I adored Divergent, and I'd been very eagerly awaiting its sequel.

Oh, Veronica Roth. She sure can write a story.

First off, I have to say that this book has a completely different tone than Divergent. I've found that's usually the case with books that are in a series, though, and especially with books that are in trilogies. Insurgent launches straight into the story and picks up—literally—right where its predecessor left off. Seriously, if these two books had been grafted together into some monstrous (but extremely engrossing) Franken-novel, I would never have guessed where they were supposed to be split.

Okay, character-wise, I was pretty pleased with this book. In the first book, I was completely taken aback by Tris and how she didn't follow the usual YA girl stupidity pattern (that I've mentioned before). In this book, I sometimes thought she was making a generally reckless choice, but here's the thing:

1. She thought each of those decisions was a good idea at the time
2. She was making those choices because of recent events that tied into the plot (yay plot!)
3. And (the clincher!) she learned from her choices and became a better person

So hurrah for character development! 


In other news, I'm glad that Four got a little more fleshed out, because I think he needed it. Still, I don't really think much of him as character, which is odd since he's one of the central ones.

Okay, something I love right here: I am absolutely fascinated with the simulations in the story. They are just about the coolest things ever! I love how they're used in all different ways: by the Dauntless for training and as a layer of security for Erudite, for example.

As bad as it sounds, my favorite part of the book was the ending. Everything got so exciting and I just couldn't flip pages fast enough. I'm actually really satisfied with how it ended and I'll definitely be reading Divergent #3.

All right, if there's one thing I want to stress, it's this: you better have Divergent fresh on your mind.

There were a few months and a couple dozen other books between when I read Book #1 and Book #2, and while I usually can remember books to a T, I blanked on this one.

This was a huge reason I wasn't enjoying the book. I didn't remember most of the characters by name or how the factions specifically worked, or where exactly the plot was left in the last book. It's my fault I didn't re-read Divergent first, because I know I would've liked this one more if I'd read the books back to back. Veronica Roth didn't write it in a way that helped you remember what had happened before, which isn't a bad thing, but in my case, I just kept getting confused: 

Is Christina that girl she used to know from Abnegation? Nope.
Isn't Johanna from The Hunger Games? Yes, but also no.
I don't think that kid's name was Edward in book 1. Um, no, it definitely was.

The list goes on and on.

My other complaint was that it took it's time getting started. I read another review with the same opinion, so it's not just me. I really didn't get into until about two hundred pages. Also, whereas in Divergent, I didn't have a problem with the length, I think this one could've been condensed a lot and it wouldn't have hurt the story.

If you enjoyed Divergent, and your memory doesn't fail you like mine failed me, I think you're guaranteed to like this one as well. And if you haven't read Divergent yet, you better get to it before I start singing.

(By the way, thanks for hanging in through this insanely long review. I could have written a review to rival Insurgent's length with all my thoughts, so be grateful for my summarizing skills!)

Read other reviews for Insurgent here:

Justin's Book Blog and Book Hooked Blog

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

"The finish line is in sight; what's the point of blowing it?"






Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. But when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.

And Billy's nowhere to be found.

All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way. 

I really like this cover, (more about that here) and I pretty much always choose my books by how they look. (Yes, I do realize how bad that is. It's working for me so far!) Anyway, it was free to read on Pulse It so I gave it a try.

Despite my shameless cover-judging, this book actually turned out to have a really cool plot. (I mean, far as I know there's not too many partial amnesia by car-crash books out there.) 

So the good points of this book that you should look forward to are:

Gabby is a really good main character. This is especially good praise from me, because I tend to be really harsh on the main character. (It's not my fault—YA main character girls are just so ugh sometimes.) I really liked reading the book from her point of view—she's just a normal teen.


The writing, too, is great. I love writing styles that are unique so you can pick up a book and know who wrote it. Plus, the author is really good at making it funny even when Gabby's in a pretty serious and solemn situation.


Now, I'm not going to spoil anything, but pretty far into the book, Gabby finds out something that took me completely by surprise. I can't even remember the last time I'd read a book when I didn't at least guess at the big surprise of the book. I was totally clueless. Now I keep looking back and thinking "How did I miss that?", but it was really, really cool to be surprised like that.  

Alright, I had just a few tiny issues with this book, but these just might be me, so you'll have to decide for yourself.


For one, Gabby, the whole book through, talks about how she constantly tries to be the best girlfriend ever so she won't lose her very-popular boyfriend. And you see, when she's talking with him sometimes, how she says what she thinks he wants her to say. But other times, she'd say things that were definitely not best girlfriend in the world lines, and it still seemed like she thought she was saying the right things. I mean, when your boyfriend is giving you serious advice, does the world's best girlfriend say "whatever"?


A little thing that confused me for a small part of the book was her parent's names. The whole book through, she refers to her parents by their first names. It never explained why she did that, and  nobody else seemed to think it was strange. I just thought it was really strange-sounding. Does anyone actually do that? Maybe I just don't know anyone who does.

There's one last point which might be a possible plot flaw, but since it's tied up in the conclusion, I won't say it here. But if you read it as well, you might pick up on it.

Despite a few minor bad marks, I liked this book. Like I said before, it's a really, really interesting read, and I'd recommend it!


Read more reviews for Where it Began at:
A Good Addiction and I B Book Blogging

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

“We don't forgive people because they deserve it. We forgive them because
they need it—because we need it.” 

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood—but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held. 
The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

I'd seen this book around before and the cover kind of intrigued me. (What kind of plot is best summarized by uber-pale legs with purple toenail polish?) So when I won a copy of the series from Rachel's Book Reviews, I took it as an omen that I should read the books. 

So Grace, our main character, is the daughter of a pastor. I've read books with situations like this before, and I think this book does a better job of portraying what that lifestyle would be like than any other I've read—she can't watch certain TV shows, she isn't allowed to use the internet in her room, she can't curse, she helps out around the community with her family. 

I also liked how there are actually bible and religious references in it—I'm glad the author did her research instead of just using the church family thing as an interesting background for her characters. It made it a lot more believable.

I think there is a secret YA book recipe that's being passed around from YA writer to YA writer, and I've been trying to figure it out how it goes. I've written it out to the best of my abilities:

• Start with love interest. His qualities must include: crazy good looks, a dark and mysterious past, a cocky and arrogant front, the ability to be a sweet best friend, a shy and guarded attitude, and a soft and romantic side. It's imperative that ALL of these traits are included in the SAME person.
• Add main girl character. She should be clueless when it comes to figuring out extremely obvious truths. For extra spice, have her be persuaded to ride a motorcycle by aforementioned love interest at some point during the book.
• Add one humorous and slightly quirky best friend to appear a few times throughout book for comic relief. Don't be afraid to have her disappear conveniently when the plot thickens and there isn't time for her.
• For best results, include another completely hot guy to play second love interest. The main character should date him about three-quarters of the way into the book.
• Mix well. Top with good cover to seduce innocent YA readers.

Now, I might be missing a few steps, but I think that's the basic gist of it. Try and tell me that you haven't read a recipe book or two. (Or twelve.)

So, along with my recipe idea, I also believe in the line filler conspiracy. This is when a writer is in the middle of writing dialogue, but they need something to really hook their readers. Well, how about using one of these lovely line fillers?

"You have no idea what you do to me."

"What I am...It's why no one can ever love me."

"All I wanted was your love, and now I know that's the one thing I can never have."

I don't know about you, but I just cannot stand it when anything like these come from our hot and brooding love interest, so you can probably imagine my reaction when all three of these (and many, many more) poured out of Daniel's mouth.

I had a lot of other little issues with this book, like Grace just leaving randomly and never explaining it to her parents, or how there was way too many clues to what was really going on that Grace never realized, or how odd it was that the character's moods would change three or four times all on one page. (That last one really was weird.)

But I'm not going to continue writing my thoughts, even though I could, because I'm not trying to bash this book. (Yes, I know it looks like I am.) Also, I seem to be in the minority for not liking this book—all and any reviews I've read for it are glowing and positive.

This book wasn't bad—but I've read so many books that go above and beyond my expectations, this one just fell flat. It's your typical YA paranormal read; I wouldn't recommend against it, but I recommend it, either.

Read more reviews for The Dark Divine at:

The Book Babe and Confessions of a Book Addict

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go."

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. 

I read The Hunger Games for the first time over two years ago and I've been meaning to re-read it since. With the brand-new movie and my brand-new copy of the book from the wonderful Amanda's Writings, the timing couldn't have been better.

Honestly, I'm sure everyone that by now has heard of The Hunger Games. (If not, how's life living under that rock?) So instead of going on and on (and on) about how amazing it is, I'm going to bullet point my thoughts to keep this nice and short.

1. Katniss. There are definitely people who dislike her character, but I'm totally behind her. Having a hard life makes you into a different person, but Katniss always held onto what's important, and I completely respect her for that. I loved being in her mind the entire book—if it had been written any other way, it just wouldn't have been the same.

2. Plot. Suzanne Collins took a mind-twisting concept and wrote it out to its fullest potential. The world is so believable, and there's so many concepts she thought to put into it that it truly makes The Hunger Games unique among its YA competitors.

3. The relationships. I'm not just talking the romantic ones, but all the people that Katniss connects with: Peeta, Rue, Gale, Prim, Cinna, Haymitch, Effie. You learned so much about Katniss from the way she interacted with these people, and I loved that every one of them was part of the story.

4. Everything. Okay, this is an insanely broad point, I know, but it's true. There is literally nothing I dislike about this book. The moment I finished a chapter, I wanted to go re-read my favorite parts in it. I'm know I'm going to re-read over and over, and my fingers are already itching to pick it up again. 

If you want my recommendation to read it, you have it. I love this book. So. Much. (I didn't even include my usual "what I didn't like" section.) Go buy it. Go read it. Go fall in love with it.

Read other reviews for The Hunger Games at:

Book Stacks on Deck and Young Adult Fiction Today