Insurgent Review

Title: Insurgent 

Author: Veronica Roth

Illustrator: --------

Genre: Dystopian

Age: 14+

Pages: 525 (Hardcover)

Publisher: HarperCollins


Book One Review (Divergent)

        Erudite has declared war upon Abnegation and soon people must decide if the oppose Erudite or want to work for them. Tris is at the core of this war and she must find the strength to fight off her grief and guilt before she can fight Erudite. Destroying the traitors is only half the battle. They must discover the motives behind the attack. In a society that is so abnormal people must choose faction over blood, freedom over love, and truth over greed in order to get to the bottom of this!

        Insurgentwas one of those deep young adult dystopian themed books. The character complexity was very well done and there were many believable aspects about them. Tris had a lot of burdened anguish and grief which made her a depressive character. While I could not relate to her situation at hand I really felt her guilt and in some way I felt bad for her and the situation she was put in. Even side characters such as Marcus and Jeanine had some complex issues which weren't surfaced much but were still visible.

        The lack of action in the novel was cushioned by the plot twists which were pretty much spread out through the reading experience. Of course at the end we really had its full force and really understood how big the twists could affect the story or the readers. I liked how the twists were very unexpected and were quite risky on the author's part. I mean they weren't necessary but really added that extra spice to the brew!

        I believe that Roth showed us the true meaning of a young adult novel. While the characters were complex this was reinforced by the fact that they had a lot of inner conflicts. Just to name a few. Tris held her grief and guilt inside. She lied a lot to save others and was somewhat depressed. Tobias had a hard time trusting Tris and he was constantly tormented by his own father. Insurgent did a great job working on the emotional levels character wise and was rewarded in the end.

        While the plot twists did in fact cushion the lack of action I was still very disappointed by it and felt as if I was reading the Hunger Games all over again. I mean you can't start a series strongly and then go downhill from there. Anyways this was one of the big downfalls for Insurgent and it really annoyed me.

       I enjoyed Divergent because it had so many characters and the relationships were well established. I felt as if Insurgent broke all those relationships and moved everyone apart. No one felt really close and we did not see Tris with the help of an amazing friend. It was always Tris and four. I understand that the love relationship has to blossom but having friends on the side would of helped smoothen the plot line.

        If you're a Divergent fan then I bet you'll enjoy this one as well. If you disliked Divergent then you might hate this one even more. It's your call but make sure to tell me what you thought.

Available on Amazon

Rating: 3.5/5

The Death Cure Review

Title: The Death Cure (Maze Runner Book 3)

Author: James Dashner

Illustrator: Philip Struab/ Syephanie Moss

Genre: Dystopian, Science-Fiction

Age: 12+

Pages: 325 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Book One Reveiw (The Maze Runner)

Book Two Review (The Scorch Trials)

        Thomas and his friends have defeated the Maze and the Trials. They have defeated grievers and crazed zombies. Now the truth is beginning to unfold whether they like it or not. With one last test to complete the blueprint Thomas must make choices that he never thought he would have to and uncover the truth behind Wicked's actions. The last installment of a fast-paced dystopian series that will have you at the edge of your seat!

        The Death Cure was quite mysterious in the way that Wicked was labeled as evil from some characters while the main character was positive that it was evil. This controversy gave it the edge it needed and made us, readers, want to know what the truth is. I loved how the end was wrapped up with a twist that I did not expect and it always amuses me when I'm caught off guard.

        I enjoyed how difficult it seemed to be in the place of one of the characters. They must have been emotionally and physically shocked after an episode like this and the sacrifices that they had to make added to its intruigingness. I also liked how James Dashner was quite bold and killed off some, if not, many of the characters that we've seen since the beginning *cry*.

        The last book of the series brought back many memories for me especially since it brought back many things from book one such as places or people which we thought we would never see again. Of course if you read them all in a sequence it won't be as memorable but for me who had to wait for all three books I had amazing flashbacks emotions!

        I think that the past novels brought so much high expectations for our "grand finale" that it kind of disappointed me. The characters seemed to run around a lot and didn't do much fighting encounters which troubled me. It was mostly a game of hide and seek and Wicked had the upper hand. Also the plot didn't remain untouched throughout the novels and this disappointed me because I liked to finish series but when I pick up a book I like to be on the same story line when I finish it.

        Overall the book was great but somewhat disappointing considering James Dashner's great techniques!

Available on Amazon

Rating: 3.5/5

The Scorch Trials Review

Title: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Book 2)

Author: James Dashner                                            

Illustrator: Philip Straub

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian       

Age: 12+

Pages: 360 (paperback)
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Book One Review (The Maze Runner)
Book Three Review (The Death Cure)


        The Maze was the first test, the second is a burned wasteland known as the Scorch. With time in their enemies' hands the group must travel through the barren desert, or be left to die a searing death. Wicked isn't playing games anymore and so Thomas must be cautious and help his group if he wishes to survive. If the hot temperatures and the wretched natural disasters aren't enough of a challenge for the small group, the flare infested humans will surely finish them off... and so, let the Scorch Trials Begin!

        The Scorch Trials had so much to offer. While the novel is considered a dystopian/ Sci-fi, I would consider it a mystery novel as well. It's one of those books where you don't know the identity of the antagonists, you don't know who's trustworthy, you don't know if the antagonist is actually evil. It's a game of guess and you have the main character to help you out!

        In the second novel of the series, I enjoyed that Thomas' past was brought to us in short segmented dreams. This encouraged the readers to decipher the clues. It also brought the readers a deeper connection with our main character. I especially enjoyed that the dreams were confusing. I mean confusion is the building blocks for mysteries am I right?!

        James Dashner did an excellent job working his characters. His writing is  a great example on how to use only one type of Point of View in order to bring a stronger connection! Usually I enjoy reading both sides of a story but when I only read one I usually feel as if I am the main character, in mind and body. This method is extremely useful to bring readers into a book and not just on the surface but into the depths!

        Now, while the Scorch Trials was really fast paced and entertaining, I was disappointed to see that the plot had somewhat changed from its original course. Although, that's what a series is. It's many curves, twists, and loops that creates suspense and emotion. Even if the end result isn't what we expected it still contains that really strong plot that made it enjoyable.
       
        With that said, The Scorch Trialscannot match The Maze Runner yet it's a darn close call because both are filled with great writing, exciting plot, and interesting characters. A definate must-read!

Available on Amazon

Rating: 4.5/5



Divergent Review

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Illustrator: -------

Genre: Dystopian

Age: 14+

Pages: 496 (hardcover)

Publisher: Harper Collins

        Choosing day is just around the corner and Beatrice could never have been so uncertain. At 16 years old, Beatrice must choose her path in life and staying with her faction is not the right one. Plunging into a world with people who are totally different and with totally different lifestyles, Beatrice soon makes a few friends she never knew possible and a good amount of enemies as well. With a secret that could kill her she must pass dauntless initiation without revealing her deepest secret!

        Divergent was a very good read! I enjoyed how the society was set up into five different factions. The idea of having each faction represent a human characteristic was very neat. It was also a brilliant idea since having those factions created a very easy and simple driving plot for the story. From the beginning you knew that a type of society like this could never work out and so the story line developed around that.

        As for the characters, they were quite something! I enjoyed many of them including Tris (Beatrice). They had many flaws, especially Al. If I haven't mentioned it enough throughout my reviews I will mention it again. Working your character can only lead to a great novel! To work your characters you must make them as realistic as possible, which means flaws are one of the best to make your characters realistic! The flaws could be seen throughout the novel from the times Al cried at night to the fears they saw in the stimulations.

        For some reason I found the relationships a bit awkward. In the sense of, Tris and Four didn't seem right together. I doubted that Tris was the kind of character to get involved in relationships, especially during the dauntless training. I mean come on! You're working your but off to be able to actually become dauntless. Then you have this secret that can kill you, and you're telling me you still have time to think about Four? I can see why Veronica Roth added this to her novel and it easily made fans more anxious for book two but for me it turned me off.

        I loved Divergent a lot because I didn't overestimate it like a lot of people did. With all the hype that the book community had with divergent it made people think this was the best novel of the decade. I'm not saying it isn't. Don't get me wrong, Divergent tells a great story, but if you overestimate it then you will be disappointed. If you are a skeptical reader like me, then you might just add it somewhere in your top 20 favorite books.

Available on Amazon

Rating: 4.5/5

Monsters Of Men

Title: Monsters of Men

Author: Patrick Ness
Illustrator: Lynne Condellon and John Picacio
Genre: Science Fiction
Age: 14+
Pages: 603 (paperback)

Publisher: Candlewick Press

        Todd and Viola had finally done it. They had defeated the mayor, but when the whole community of spackle declare war, Todd must set him free to secure his own survival. With the new arrival of the scout ship, sides are chosen and a never ending war rages out. In the Chaos walking trilogy's grand finale, Todd and Viola must try to bring peace before the war kills them all!

        
        The Monsters of Men novel really fealt realistic. The scenes were well described and it fealt as if I was in the war. Every death fealt like I had lost someone close to me, every pain and every scream  fealt like my own! I enjoyed how Patrick Ness thought to use actuall noise sounds to bring emphasis to situations. For example: Whenever a bomb would explode, depending on the size, the author would write down BOOM!

        One of the reasons I now consider Patrick Ness as one of my favorite authors is because his writing is very consistent! This is very important especially if you are planning on writing a series. Mr. Ness is able to consistantly bring new ideas and plot twists to the table. He also worked his characters a lot, they were as engaging and realistic as they were in book one if not more. Many authors tend to forget the basics of their stories and try to bring you to a conclusion.

        The spackles are very interesting. Before book three we barely had any knowledge of their species. I liked how we, as readers, got to know their species a lot better and only in one book. The points of views from 1017 were very instructive and it was easy to learn the way they thought and who they were as a species.

        I beleive that Mr. Ness lost track a bit with the main idea of the series. The noise was raely used and mentioned nor was it a huge priority, which I found dissapointing. I also thought that it lacked the fast pace action that was incorperated in book one and with it he could of ended the series very well! Regardless of the few cons in the grand finale, I do encourage everyone to pick this series right away!

Available on Amazon

Rating:4/5



       

The Ask and the Answer: Chaos Walking Book Two

Title: The Ask and the Answer

Author: Patrick Ness
Illustrator: Lynne Condellon and John Picacio

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: 14+
Pages:  519 (paperback)
Publisher: Candlewick Press

 

        Thomas and Viola did not expect what was waiting for them in Haven. The notorious murderer might have won, but Viola and Thomas will keep fighting. As the days grow old Thomas doesn't even know if Viola is alive or where she is. The hardest part of being taken away from everyone you trust is not knowing who to believe. As desperation and hopelessness rise, a group of women band together to form the Answer, a terrorist group build to fight off the president. So who do you trust, a manipulative treacherous murderer, or a terrorist and greedy criminal. In a world where thoughts, feelings, and desire are always present, there's no escape for Thomas and Viola.

        The sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go really flowed well. The story line seemed to continue and bring us farther into New World. The novel is well written taking away the fact that the style is very original and feels very real, the first person writing style is well thought out. Since we only see what the characters see, as readers, we can only hope to figure out what is really going on. Some characters can be very misleading. They all lie and most of them are down right crazy. Which ones are telling the truth? Is it all a lie? These questions popped into my head numerous amounts of times.

        The Ask and the Answer started with something different compared to book one. The points of views change between Viola and Todd. Since the characters are separated this was a very good idea and I always liked a female protagonist rather then a male. The point of views change frequently! This is great because I hate really long chapters, but in this novel you barely read 3 pages before it changes to Todd's point of View or Viola's.     

        The antagonists in this novel are quite solid. They are the typical evil masterminds but the Mayor is so complex and devious! It seems like he knows everything and plays mind games with everyone. He's very manipulative and he can seem to be a good guy, but of course it's always an act. The antagonist is just out right genius. That's one more reason to hate on him!

        The pace was disappointing. I was used to book one's fast pace nonstop action where book two seemed to go on dreadfully slow. I believe Patrick Ness wanted to reduce the pace in order to bring some loose strings together as well as create some suspense and deception. I can agree that it did work. Many questions were answered and Mr. Ness did succeed in creating a suspenseful chapter or two, but it did not substitute for the lack of fast pace action!

Rating: 4/5



Available on Amazon



       
       

The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Illustrator: Philip Straub

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

Age: 12+

Pages: 374 (paperback)

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Book Two Review (The Scorch Trials)
Book Three Review (The Death Cure) 

       
        Thomas wakes up inside a large elevator also known as the box. It's pitch black and he can't remember a thing! The only memory he has is his name. He's soon brought out of the box and greeted by many young boys. They call themselves gladers and they tell Thomas that two years ago they went through a similar process as he did. None of the gladers remember anything before they arrived at the glade. Thomas soon learns that the glade is sourounded by brick walls and has four gates. The gates lead off into a maze which has been mapped and searched ever since the first gladers have arrived. Once night falls the gates close and mechanical creatures called grievers roam the maze searching for prey that couldn't get back in time. After Thomas' arrival a girl is sent to the glade. The very first girl since the beginning. Doubts begin to arouse once people start remembering Thomas from the past. Why did they send the girl? Is Thomas involved in any of this? Will they ever get out?

        The maze runner has a great edge that makes it stand out. The plot is very original and easy to follow. I suspect that it will go on and develop even more, but this book would of been a great stand alone novel. Of course the intelligently thought out plot was guided by the suspense and action. Right from the beginning! I swear, there's no 100 pages waiting time before you really get into the story and the action. The story line really started off with a big burst of energy and a fast pace, which it ended with aswell!

        Okay, I'm sorry that I mention this a lot guys, but the characters are super important! James Dashner did a really great job and really encorperated the characters style with their environment. The characters all seemed to reflect the situation they were in. The story also showed us a good side, where we could see the going-ons of the Glade. For example: who did what. Who were the leaders. How they stayed a live. These questions were answered and demonstrated a few times right at the start of then novel. This meant that the "roles" were filled up and you could imagine them as a small society.

        I enjoyed the confusion that the characters brought. I could easily step into Thomas' shoes and try to find out the mystery behind the glade for him. Of course, I wasn't able too. I liked how they gave a few clues and hints as they went along but not enough so that you could discover it easily. Sadly it seemed as if they revealed the "secret" in like one chapter and I couldn't get the full suspense that the unanswered questions brought forth to the table.

        James Dashner really knows how to bring in his audience. Even to compell them to buy his second book. Atleast he did a wonderfull job with me and I have bought and started to read The Scorch Trials, which is the second book in the series. This was a very great book and had literally no negative aspects to it!

Available on Amazon

Rating: 4/5



       

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness

Illustrator: Lynne Condellon and John Picacio

Genre: Science Fiction
Age: 14+
Pages:  479 (paperback)

Publisher: Candlewick Press

   
        A world where everyone can here everyone’s thoughts and feelings. Wherever you walk there's noise that surrounds you and never leaves. Not when you're alone, not when everyone’s asleep, never! Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown and boys are quite rare because every woman was killed in the Spackle war. The germ that the spackles released years ago had killed every last women. The spackles, an alien species that dominated their planet called new world, which is where Todd lives, were also annihilated during the war. Todd feels, rather than hears, an unbelievable silence, a few weeks before his birthday. Soon, he is told to run away from Prentisstown, but where do you run off to where there's nowhere else to go? In a series of events, the young boy must learn to trust people and accept the fact that everything he thought he knew was a lie! With an army chasing him and a girl at his side, Todd must make choices that may save him or destroy him!

        This was one of my most favorite reads! Starting with the writing style. It was so genius, because you could really "feel" the character. He had his own way of expressing himself and the writing technique used really showed how the characters were. For example: when Todd speaks, he usually says ain't or tradishun or thro. It did take a chapter or two to get used to it, but once you're at that point, it's really worth the trouble. The Knife of Never Letting Go had two major aspects that made the story so great.

        Let's start with the action. Even when the characters were resting somewhere, I was pumped up! The way that the author created this wonderful piece of art was made so that every event seemed interesting. It had what every great book needs and that's captivating your audience on the first few pages. The plot is very well thought out and so it wasn't hard to encourage people to read it, but to make people finish a whole novel can sometimes be a big task.

        Off to my second point. Patrick Ness is one of my favorite authors for developing characters. It's great that there weren’t many characters so he could really focus on the main Protagonists and antagonists. The characters, for me, feel so real. Like Todd can be so believable with his self conciseness and he's never sure of himself, while Aaron is just straight out crazy and sadistic. Even Manchee, Todd's dog, was a very believable and amusing character with the few words he said, or rather thought with his noise. One last thing, this book had a very very good cliffhanger right at the end, and I always like those because it encourages me too buy the second book and I at least know there's something in store for me in book number two!

        The only things I disliked was that the book really liked to go on and on about something as simple as running away. I understand the mechanics behind it, and without this anticipation you would get a very good result in the end story. Yet, it could have been reduced to one chapter of going up a hill and down the hill up a hill and down the hill rather than three.

If you guys want a book too read this is the one! I swear it's going to be well worth the 10$, so make sure to buy it off the link for amazon!

Available on Amazon

Rating 4.5/5