Review: Four: A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent #0.1-0.4) by Veronica Roth

Title: Four: A Divergent Story Collection
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: July 8th 2014
Pages: 208 (paperback)
Source: own it

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling DIVERGENT series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—THE TRANSFER, THE INITIATE, THE SON, and THE TRAITOR—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the DIVERGENT trilogy. 

Goodreads

It had been a couple of years since I had read the Divergent trilogy and I really loved the series, especially the first two books in the trilogy. Up until now I had never read any of the novellas but this year my mom gifted Four to me for Christmas. And immediately I got excited to read and emerge myself again into the Divergent world.

This compilation of short stories don’t really deliver any new information, most of it you already found out by reading the Divergent trilogy. It is more like an extra; you got to experience some of the things from Four’s point of view. But it wasn’t the same thing repeated just from a different point of view. It showed how he experienced some of the events, for example how he made the decision to join Dauntless and how he found out about the attack on abnegation. I also loved that we got to see more of his personality, of his friendship with Zeke and Shauna.

I always used to love Four while reading Divergent; he’s such an interesting and complicated character. And this collection of scenes proved again why it is that I liked him so much.

Four is a fun collection of scenes and if you like the Divergent world than I would definitely recommend it that you read it.

Elien

Review: The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Title: The One
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: May 6th 2014
Pages: 323 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley







The time has come for one winner to be crowned. 

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown - or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose - and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

Goodreads

The previous book in this series, The Elite, was not what I was expecting from it. So my expectations for The One were definitely lower than they were for The Elite. I still did not like this book as much as I liked The Selection, but overall I am satisfied with it. The book was a good ending to the story.

We finally got to know a lot more about the rebels.  Their part in the book was definitely interesting but I still feel like their story is underdeveloped. Kiera Cass could have done so much more with it. But there was still a lot of suspense in the book to keep me on the edge of my seat most of the time.  And the rebel parts made sure that there was some action in the book to keep me interested. 

The four girls really grew on me in this book, we finally got to know their motives and reasons for wanting Maxon. And I really appreciated them for that. I even started liking Celeste and she is the kind of character I normally do not like since she is just a spoiled, rich girl. It was nice to see them bond in this book. They were all so different from each other but they still had some things in common. Especially America grew on me during this book. I liked her in the first book but then she made some poor decisions in the second one and I was a bit troubled by her. But she redeemed herself in this one. She made up her mind and went for the things in life she wanted the most. She proved to me that she was a young women who is independent, can make up her own mind and will follow the consequences of her decisions.  In this book I had more of a problem with Maxon. When we first met him he was this sweet, innocent guy but now he was just a major flirt. He wandered from girl to girl, not thinking about their feelings, and then he just claimed that he had to do it because of the selection. And all the while he knew that there was only one girl he actually wanted to be with.

Overall I liked this book. The ending was satisfying even though it could have been worked out a little bit better. Some parts felt a bit rushed, especially the parts with the rebels, where other parts felt dragging. Still I enjoyed this series and I hope to read more books by this author in the future. 

El

Review: Undertow (Undertow #1) by Michael Buckley

Title: Undertow
Author: Michael Buckley
Series: Undertow
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 5th 2015
Pages: 384 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley





Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker's life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world's initial wonder, and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric's small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity's only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it's more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of Distric 9 and The Outsiders.

Goodreads

This book started off really strong and I thought that this was going to be a really good book. Unfortunately the book could not fulfill all his expectations for me. My interest in this book just fell because of the unbelievable romance and the lack of action at times.

The concept of Undertow is really intriguing and the overall storyline was good as well.  We can never know what leaves on every single place on earth. For all we know there might be other species living on this earth without us knowing. So the might as well live in the ocean. In Undertow a species from the bottom of the ocean, known as the Alpha’s, have invaded the shores of Coney Island. Most humans are not so happy with their arrival and if they had their way they would throw them back in the ocean like they do with fish. Tension is not only building between humans and Alpha’s but also between humans and humans and between Alpha’s and Alpha’s. It is only a matter of time before everything will explode.

Lyric Walker, a sixteen-year-old native of Coney Island, sees everything happen from the frontlines. Her whole world got turned upside down the day the Alpha arrived on the shorelines. Everything she once thought was true was a lie. Now she has to lie to the ones she loves to protect them. So being forced to hang out with the Alpha prince does not make her life any easier. I felt like the romance between Fathom and Lyric was underdeveloped. They only met a couple of times and most of the time they spend together they were upset with each other. So I did not understand were all these feelings for each other suddenly came from. It all came across as a bit unbelievable.

The description of the culture of the Alphas with their hierarchy systems, rules and rules was truly captivating. And I wished that the author had invested more in exploring this all. Now I felt left in the dark at times. I was left with so many questions after finishing this book. I can only hope that we get to learn more about the Alpha’s in the following books. Also I felt like the author left a lot of other things unexplained as well. He touched on a subject briefly and then never spoke of it again. I just kept wondering what had happened or what was going on. And I do not like that feeling at all.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It has a really interesting concept and the storyline was good. But I just have a feeling that it could have been worked out better in many different aspects. Still I am captured enough by Undertow to want to know what is going to happen next.

El

Review: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent
Genre: Dystopian, YA
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 526 (paperback)
Source: borrowed from a friend






The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered - fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's know, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Goodreads

Before I had read Allegiant I couldn’t understand why people rated this book so low but now I can. Don’t get me wrong personally I still liked this book, a lot. But I can get why people were frustrated and disappointed by it.

Allegiant begins sometime after Insurgent had finished, it could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks. There is no telling how long it has been since the events in Insurgent took place. At first the book was really great. Everything was as good as circumstances allowed it, I got answers to so many questions I had since I had finished Insurgent. And enough things happened to keep the book interesting. But in the middle of the book I got really frustrated by Four/Tobias, I get why he was upset and why he acted the way he did but still I expected more from him. After all he’s the guy with only four fears, the guy who always keeps calm, he’s the reasonable one. And now he made dumb decision after dumb decision. Tris had her problems in the previous book and now Four in this one, they each get their turn I guess. But I moved past the frustrating part, which luckily didn’t last too long. End then there was the ending. I guess that this is the part were a lot of people are really frustrated about. But it didn’t bother me that much. It made me really sad and yes I would have loved it if the book had a different ending. But I have accepted it and it was a solid ending so I’m not complaining about it.

Four and Tris start off in a rocky place in their relationship. Tris lied a lot to him and she hid the truth of some things deliberately from him. So he got some trust issues when it comes to her. But they learn to voice their frustrations about one another. They learn how to really communicate with each other. So they find themselves on a more stable ground again. Another thing I really loved about this book was that all the characters came to terms with themselves and with what had happened to them earlier. You could say that they all found closure in the end in their own unique way.

There is one last thing that I want to discuss. Never before had we had a chapter in Tobias point of view and now in Allegiant, Tobias had a lot of chapters in his own point of view. At first it confused me a lot since I wasn’t used to it and now I had to keep track on whose point of view it was. And most of the time I didn’t think it was necessary, certainly at the beginning of the book. Still I understand why the author did it and if you have read the book than you know that it was definitely necessary that Tobias had his own point of view at the end of the book.

Overall I really liked Allegiant. I loved this whole series, it was well written and it brought up so many emotions. I will have a hard time to let this series go and I’m sure that I will reread it in time. If you haven’t read this series yet then you really should do so soon! 

El

Review: The Fool (Virtual Arcana #0) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Fool
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: sci-fi, dystopian, YA
Publication date: November 8th 2014
Pages: 57 (epub)
Source: received from author (Thank you so much!!)







The Matrix meets The Notebook (with a sprinkle of The Giver). 

In a faraway future, Kelsey Zellar is starting her senior year at yet another school thanks to her twin sister's troublesome obsession with outlawed virtual reality games. 

Every school they've ever attended is pretty much the same: lunchroom drama, rich kids binging on enhancement candies, and classmates rallying for or against the government's strict control over everything from entertainment privileges to caffeine consumption. 

Unlike her sister, Kelsey follows the rules the rules and keeps her nose out of trouble and politics while sniffing out her next flavored latte and favorite novel. But when Kelsey meets a charming book connoisseur, and accepts his offering of a tarot card, she takes the first step toward two new addictions: the guy of her dreams and his illegal dealing of virtual escapes into her beloved storybooks.

Kelsey straddles the worlds of fiction and reality, but is she a fool for believing in her own happy ending? 

**This series will be serial style with short episodes (15-20k) releasing frequently. For those who want to wait for a longer, more complete story, a collection of the first 7 episodes, VIRTUAL ARCANA, Season 1, will be available once episode 7 has released.**

Goodreads

Karen Amanda Hooper is an amazing, she got me hooked on her books after I read Grasping at Eternity. So when I heard she was working on a new book series I was so excited. After reading this first episode in her book series I can safely say that she didn’t let me down.

Virtual Arcana is a serial series, some people love it while others hate it. I am not so sure how I feel about it, it really depends from series to series. This one started good so for now I liked it. But I can’t help being a little frustrated because it’s so short and I immediately want to know what’s going to happen next after I finished it. Luckily for me the next installment will be released in a couple of days.

The idea of this book is so great. It has an interesting take on the dystopian and fantasy world. In Virtual Arcana everything in the society is controlled by the government from your heart rate and emotions to your intake of caffeine. Everything is punishable, and for Kelsey and her twin sister Keekee this is a problem. They are both addicted to the escape through a fictional world. While Kelsey’s is legal, Keekee’s is not. And her habits have caused her family more than enough trouble. But now Kelsey has her own chance at a whole new reality. Does she give in or does she everything at all cost to protect her family?

The book had me intrigued from the very first page. I want to learn more about the society and the world where Kelsey and her family lives in. And the ending of this book… I have no idea what was going on, I was as confused as Kelsey. I loved it!

Overall I really liked the first episode in this series, it was a little too short but I can get over that. I'm really excited for the next installment in this series, can't wait to get my hands on it! 

El

Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent 
Genre: Dystopian, YA
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date: May 1st 2012
Pages: 525 (hardcover)
Source: own-it





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.

Goodreads

I read Divergent a few years ago for the first time and I immediately loved the book. But for some reason I kept putting of reading Insurgent. Now that the books are being adapted into movies I figured it was about time that I read Insurgent.

Insurgent picked up exactly where Divergent ended and I am glad for that. If there had been a time gap between the books than it wouldn’t have been that good. I mean so much is happening in the Divergent world so it wouldn’t have made sense otherwise. There is little recap of what happened in the first book so you might want to reread it before you dive into Insurgent.

Insurgent is much darker and edgier than Divergent was. Their lives have become tougher and you can notice it in the scenes, they are much more brutal and rawer. Tris is struggling with everything that happened at the end of the first book. In some perspectives it made her tougher and braver than others her age but at the same time she’s broken. Because of this she does some things that are not like her, she puts herself constantly at risk for nothing and so she also puts others at risk. But it’s clear that it is her way of coping with everything that happened. Four doesn’t know how to help Tris. Besides he has his own problems now that his father is back in his life. Like Tris he is also keeping secrets from her. And while it’s clear that they love each other there secrets keep them apart and if they are not careful it might tear them apart. They were both irrational at times and they didn’t know what to do about it. It’s an understatement to say that they had a communication problem. While it frustrated me at times it was at the same time one of the things I loved about this book. It made their relationship more real, it wasn’t flawless like it sometimes is in other books. They acknowledged that they each had their faults and that they both had to work harder for their relationship to work out.

Veronica Roth effortlessly waves violent dystopian fiction and romance together. At the same time Roth knew when to inject some humor to lighten the mood. Those light moments were nice otherwise the book would have been too dark. The middle of the book was a bit dragging and it lost some of my interest, that’s why I gave this book four stars instead of five. But after that the book again read like a train. The end of this book was pretty great, but there was a major cliff-hanger. And I hate cliff-hangers I always keep wondering what will happen next, even days after I’ve finished the book. So I will have to buy Allegiant fast!

Overall I really liked this book, I didn’t love it as much as the first one but it did satisfy my expectations. I can’t wait to read the next and last book in this series!

El

Review: Glitch (Lost In Time #1) by Brenda Pandos

Title: Glitch
Author: Brenda Pandos
Series: Lost In Time
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Publication date: January 31st 2014
Pages: 304 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley






Blue Eyes and his illegal slip of paper are about to shatter Abby's perfect world. When a mysterious guy from the forbidden zone sneaks a note to a beautiful young girl from Brighton, she must decide if she should turn him in or follow what the note says. Eighteen-year-old Abby has no trouble following Brighton's rules. For one, she's OCD about checking her Date of Death clock latched to her wrist, making sure her decisions never shorten her lifetime, and two, she enjoys the peace Brighton has to offer. But when her best friend returns from her Advice Meeting - a glimpse into the future - shell shocked and won't tell Abby what's happened, she's worried what awaits her meeting in a few days. The stranger with blue-eyes warned her not to go, but does Abby dare enter the forbidden zone to get answers? Or is she doomed to live the life her glimpse is about to show her? Find out in the suspenseful YA romance!

- Goodreads -

The United States has been destroyed many years ago. But from its ashes Brighton has risen. It seems like a perfect little country. Enhanced technology, almost no crime and thanks to the DOD (Death of Dead) watches you know exactly how long you have to live and which situations you can better avoid if you want to live longer. The rules are simple, follow the rules and never go outside the wall. Behind the wall everything is uncontrollable, zombies roam the lands and diseases threaten everyone who is still alive. At least that’s what Abby has always been told. Until a blue-eyed boy changes her life forever.

The first hundredth pages I was really into this book. Enough things happened to catch my interest, the world concept of the book was rather interesting and I liked the characters. Abby is a girl that has always followed the rules in her life. But one single moment changes everything and she has rather a hard time accepting it. She tries to fight it even though she knows that her whole life was basically a lie and that she’s better off now. After a while tough I got a tad annoyed with Abby. She claimed to have this instant connection with Kaden, and he with her, while she hated his guts at the beginning of the book. Clearly Memphis, Kaden’s brother, was into her for a legitimate reason. He spent a lot of time with Abby, while she got used to her life outside the wall, while Kaden was nowhere in sight. Still she was irritated with him, and not Kaden, while all he did was being nice while Kaden was, let’s face it, a total jerk. So yeah I couldn’t really follow her reasoning. Other than that I had no problem with any of the characters whatsoever.

Glitch is one of those stories that starts of strong, lacks of a bit in the middle, and then at the ending all the action happens.  For my taste the ending happened a little too fast, suddenly a lot of new things were revealed and it was a little hard a times to follow the story line. And the book left me with even more questions than I had at the beginning of the book.

Overall a decent book, certainly if you are interested in reading Sci-Fi/Dystopian. While I might not have been blown away by Glitch I’m still going to read the second book in this series because it just has to much potential.

El

Review + Giveaway: Dark Metropolis (Dark Metropolis #1) by Jaclyn Dolamore

Title: Dark Metropolis
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Series: Dark Metropolis
Genre: paranormal, historical, dystopian, YA
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: June 17th 2014
Pages: 304 (hardback) 
Purchase: Amazon
Author links: website | Facebook | Twitter




Cabaret meets Cassandra Clara - hunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world. 

Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules. 
Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets - even while he hides secrets of his own. 

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thrille with a touch of magic where the dead don't always seem to stay that way.

- Goodreads -

Dark Metropolis was something very special. I expected a historical YA book with some mysterious aspects.  But this book was so much more. The book held a historical feel of the late twenties, early thirties with a mix of dystopian, thriller and supernatural. The book really had it all but it was written in such a way that all those elements weren’t overkill.

"The sky was turning a faint orange now, and then the colors began to deepand and change, blooming into different shades, transcending the drab appartments"

The story was told in multiple points of view. Nan, Thea and Freddy were at the same time the main character. They all had their own unique story to tell. But the story line was still easy to follow. The author did very well to develop these different characters. At the beginning of the book I thought that Thea was going to be the main character but then Nan and Freddy got more chapters in their point of view. Sadly Thea’s story disappeared a bit more to the background and it got more interwoven with Freddy’s story. But I hope to see more of Thea again in the next book. Just like Sigi, I really liked so I hope she gets more “show” time in the next book.

There were a quiet some twist and turns to keep the story interesting. And the plotline held quite a few surprises. So there wasn’t a dull moment in the book. Next to the action and mystery there was also a hint of romance, certainly near the end of the book. It was clear that Freddy and Thea more than liked each other but none of them really acted on it. Of course so much was going on in their lives that it was hard for them to act on it, even if they wanted too. But I can’t wait to see how there story develops in the next book.

"This was a kiss that said, Life is short, and sometimes awful, but we've mad it through what we must today, and we'll do it again tomorrow - together"

I was a bit disappointed by the ending of this book though. So much happened throughout the book and you could see all these events building up to a climax. But when the climax was finally there it felt a bit rushed and it could have been more powerful. Now it looks like it’s just a set up for the next book.

In general I really liked this book and I can’t wait till the next one comes out. So much can happen in it and it can go either way, good or bad. Definitely a book I would recommend to everyone who’s looking for a new YA dystopian, supernatural or historical book. 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"The darkness was hard to bear. It was so deep it almost felt like something physicall pressing on Nan's eyes."

About the author

Jaclyn Dolamore was homeschooled in a hippie sort of way and spent her childhood reading as many books as her skinny nerd-body could lug from the library and playing elaborate pretend games with her sister Kate. She skipped college and spent eight years drudging through retail jobs, developing her thrifty cooking skills and pursuing a lifelong writing dream. She has a passion for history, thrift stores, vintage dresses, David Bowie, drawing, and organic food. She lives with her partner and plot-sounding-board, Dade, and two black tabbies who have ruined her carpeting. 

El

Review: Independent Study (The Testing #2) by Joelle Charbonneau

Synopsis
In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies.... a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas - and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government's murderous programs put her - and her loved ones - in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her. 

- Goodreads -

Opinion

Independent Study is the second book in the Study series. And we all know that often the second book in a trilogy often slacks a bit in comparison to the first and last book in this series, luckily that wasn’t the case with Independent Study. Sure there  might be  less action than in the first book and it was laying framework for the last book in this series, Graduation Day, but I enjoyed this book immensely.

Cia and her friends start their studies at the University and they all have to undergo an induction and orientation. But those two things are not as peaceful as they sound. People disappear and die. Again. And no one seems to notice what is going on, except for Cia. As I mentioned before, action wasn’t the main focus of this book. Instead now the focus was on politics. There is some confusion about who holds the power over the country, the government and the president or the ones who rule the University. No one knows what is going on exactly and who’s to be trusted or not. New alliances are formed and old ones are broken. Charbonneau did a great job with creating a world consisting of lies, mysteries and betrayals you never saw coming.  

Cia was an interesting character. She’s brilliant that’s for sure, she notices things that others would have never seen but at the same time she misses things that practically lie right in front of her. You could easily follow her thought process since Charbonneau spelled it all out.  But that was the problem, sometimes you got an information overflow. I mean information is nice but too much is just too much.  Cia was the main focus of the book and I missed some of the other characters. Sure we still got to see Thomas and this new guy Raffe. But I would have loved to see more of them, especially Thomas. He had such an important role in the first book and now we barely got to see him, definitely in the middle of the book.

Independent Study was a great book and a very nice set up for the last book. And after reading this one my expectations for Graduation Day are high. Hopefully my expectations will be fulfilled. Up to now definitely one of the better dystopian books I’ve read. 

Extra

Title: Independent Study

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Series: The Testing 

Genre: dystopia, YA

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication date: January 7th 2014

Pages: 310 (hardcover) 

Other books: 

• The Testing Guide (The Testing #0.5)
• The Testing (The Testing #1)
• Graduation Day (The Testing #3)

El

Review: Fireblood (Firelblood #1) by Trisha Wolfe

Synopsis
To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

- Goodreads -

Opinion

Most dystopian books are full of new technology, new concepts but not this one. In this one we travel back to the time of King Arthur. The Knights of the round table are installed again, the castle represents Camelot and well it’s just like you have made a time jump to the past except that it’s not the case. Fireblood is set in the future and Camelot is cut off from the rest of the world. Outside of the walls nothing survives since there has been a mutation since the last war. And that is what drew me in at first, the book has a unique concept for a dystopian book.

But there were so many other great things about this book.  At first I thought that this book was going to be about Zara either escaping court or otherwise coming to terms with living there. And of course some secrets about court revealed from time to time. But then suddenly the rebels were introduced and this made the book much more complex and even better.
I loved the cover of this book, both Devlan and Zara look fierce on it but on the same time kind. And that’s exactly how they were in the book. Zara started off in this book as rather weak but in the end she was strong and very determined to do the right thing.

The only thing that bothered me in this book was Sebastian. I just don’t know what to think of him. From the very beginning I liked him, he had his charms. And yes he did some bad things but like Zara I could see kindness in him. But then suddenly at the end it was like you never knew him at all, the switch was made so fast that I could hardly understand it myself.

But anyway I really liked this book and I’m looking forward to read the others in this series.

Extra

Title: Fireblood

Author: Trisha Wolfe

Series: Fireblood

Genre: dystopian, YA

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Publication date: December 17 2013

Pages: 376 (Paperback) 

Other books: 

• Unveiled (Fireblood #1.5)

El

Review: Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by Aimee Carter

Synopsis
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Previously titled Masked.

- Goodreads -


Opinion
These days there are so many dystopian novels and roughly they all have the same plotline: a corrupt government system and some people that want to overthrow it and a main character that doesn’t know at the beginning of the book that that’s exactly what she wants to do. So not many dystopian books stand out anymore, but Pawn managed to stand out. Maybe it was ‘cause we got to see the see the story from an insider within the palace instead of an outsider. I don’t know. All I can say is that I loved this book.

I loved how the world was build, in some ways their ranking system made sense to me. But of course there were to many flaws and some things were just twisted. That way the world Kitty lived in was dark, controlled and interesting.  The plot itself was rather fast paced which kept me interested in this book the whole time. Let’s say that it was quiet impossible for me to put this book down. This book was full of surprises, secrets and betrayals that it kept me on the edge of my seat.  

The characters were also great. Kitty was strong, okay she made some stupid mistakes certainly in the beginning of the book. But in the end she did what she thought was best for everyone. Then we got Lila’s fiancé, which was later Kitty’s fiancé (confusing I know right). I did really like Knox, he was determined to set the things he did wrong right and he was also protective of the persons he cared for. Yes he didn’t always tell the truth immediately, but just like Kitty he did what he thought was best for the others.

There is little, to no romance in this book. The focus was more the rebellion instead, which I liked. A lot of books actually focus too hard on the romance part and that way a lot of good aspects of the story get pushed to the background. But not in this book.

The only minor point in this book was the beginning. They just drop you into the world of Pawn without little introduction. So you have to find out on your own how their world works and that was confusing at times.

Pawn was a great YA dystopia. And I would recommend it to everyone who’s looking for a good dystopian read. I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series.

Extra
Title: Pawn
Author: Aimee Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication date: November 26th 2013
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Other books:

• Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2) (Expected publication 2014)

El

Waiting on Wednesday #26: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

 

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodline series returns with the second installment in her acclaimed Age of X series.

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

 

- Goodreads -

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why I can't wait: Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors and I would read anything by her. And I liked the first books in this series so I can't wait to read this one. But what did they do to the covers! The previous one was much pretier!

 

Publication date: May 29th 2014

 

What are you waiting for? Let me know below or link me up!

 

El

 

Waiting on Wednesday #25: The One by Kiera Cass

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

 

 

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why I can't wait: I read the previous two books this summer and I liked them (espcially the first book). So I can't wait to find out how this series will end.

 

Pulication date: May 6th 2014

 

El

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Synopsis
"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Opinion
This book was really good and after finishing it I have the feeling that I’ll be dreaming about it tonight. This book had all the elements to be perfect: time travelling, a lot of action, assignation attempts, a distant war, romance  and most of all friendship and loyalty.

There are two different point of views in this book, Em and Miranda. And at first that’s a bit confusing because you don’t know what connects the two girls but that gets clear after a couple of chapters. Everything in this book was great and there were so many twist and turns that it was impossible to know what would happen next and the book left me often shocked because I could never have imagined it myself. So it was impossible to put this book down and I kept reading it all day long till I finished it.
The characters were great to, both the future and the past characters. Em and Miranda are both so different but at the same time they are very alike. Miranda’s afraid off what other people might think about her while Em is a though girl who fights for the greater good. James is the genius of the group, he smart a little too smart for his own good maybe. His actions might not always be good, but I still liked him and felt sorry for him in the end. And then we’ve got Finn. I just loved this guy, his witty comments and how he cares for his friends. I wish he was a real life person.

I only can say positive things about this book and I probably could keep talking about it all day long. So this is definitely a book that you must read!
 

 

Extra

Title: All Our Yesterdays

Author: Cristin Terrill

Series: All Our Yesterdays

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Publication date: September 3rd 2013

Pages: 368 (Hardcover)

 

El