Review: Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 stars and more!

I can't form the words right now, but GOOSEBUMPS... I have GOOSEBUMPS from that ending. Wow!!

Ok - so I've taken 24 hours to let Insurgent and all of its awesomeness sink in.

"Insurgent," he says. "Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as belligerent."

Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left off; Tris, Tobias, Peter & Marcus on a train headed to Amity. (I think I want to live in Amity... they put a happy/giddy/peaceful serum in their bread!! Tris on this serum was one of my most favorite parts of the book! Too funny :D) From there the book is non-stop action, twists and turns, friendships (old and new), love and hate, death and learning/wanting to live.

Tris goes through some tough times; she's young and still learning about life, about herself and relationships. I found myself frustrated with her several times throughout the book, but overall, she continues to be a strong female MC.

Tobias continues to enchant me. His love for Tris is deep!

"We're all right, you know. You and me. Nothing else is all right. But we are."

"You die, I die too."

I really learned a lot about Tobias' character in this book; some different sides of him that we didn't get to see in Divergent - he is passionate; not just about Tris, but about everything! He's loyal, stubborn and just, amazing *sigh*. His strength and the power he carries really shines in Insurgent.

We get to revisit with many of the characters from Divergent, but there are several new ones that we meet in Insurgent.

The ending... just wow!! I'll say it again; it gave me GOOSEBUMPS!! Definitely leaves you needing/wanting more, but not in that way that it would ruin Insurgent. It was the perfect ending for book #2!



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Review: Unravel Me

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 amazing stars!

Let me begin by saying, again, that I love Tahereh's writing. It's so uniquely beautiful!

Unravel Me begins right where Shatter Me left off. Juliette, Adam and James learn to adjust to their surroundings at Omega Point.

I had such high hopes that Juliette would finally feel like she was somewhere she belongs at Omega Point; unfortunately she quickly begins to feel like an outcast again - like she's a monster that everyone is scared of. With a little help (shove) from her friends, she quickly learns that there's no time to sit around moping; the enemy is at their doorstep and there's no time to waste.

Juliette learns more about her abilities while at Omega Point. She begins to learn just how powerful she truly is; what an asset (or enemy) she could potentially be.

Thankfully Adam learns exactly what his ability is pretty early on in the book; why Juliette is able to touch him.

I'd love to tell you that Adam and Juliette's relationship blossoms in Unravel Me, but such is not the case. Their relationship (or lack there of) frustrated me several times throughout the book... COMMUNICATION PEOPLE!! It's important for relationships to work. But it wasn't all frustration, there were some steamy parts... well ok, I guess that's still frustration, but a different kind ;)

Kenji... I freaking love Kenji. I think I can dub him my favorite character in the books. He's so funny, but when its time to get serious, the boy can get serious (but keeps things light).

Then there's Warner... I haven't read Destroy Me and maybe that's why I don't love him. Because yeah, I don't. He's a killer, he's a manipulator and he's a liar (there are more "bad guy" qualities about him I'm sure, I just can't think of them :D) Fine, fine... when he's with Juliette he's pretty freaking hot and has his sweet moments, but HE'S THE ENEMY!!

I loved this book and I'm sure this review hardly does it justice. Just know that you should definitely read it. I'm anxious for the next book, of course!



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Review: The S-Word

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 solid-stars!

Angie catches her best friend, Lizzie, in bed; in their hotel room; on prom night, with her boyfriend, Drake. That's the worst thing that can happen to a high school senior, right? Wrong...

The Cheer Bears and many other classmates turn against Lizzie; writing Slut on her locker and all over her car. Angie doesn't stop them because she's hurt and angry.

Lizzie kills herself. Then Suicide Slut appears on the lockers written in Lizzie's handwriting and pages of Lizzie's personal diary begin appearing all around school.

Angie decides to play detective and get to the bottom of who wrote on the lockers, who had access to Lizzie's diary... and wow, does Angie make some discoveries. Some of the twists I predicted, but some; some big ones, completely blew me away. Not only does Angie make discoveries about her "friends" and other classmates, but she makes discoveries about herself along the way.

This was well written and a great debut for Chelsea Pitcher. It showed how high school can be for some; that its not always rainbows and confetti. Some kids are bullied, some kids are popular but their lives aren't perfect, some kids are different by choice and some are made outcasts for their beliefs and choices.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Chelsea Pitcher for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.



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Review: Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Since I'm so late in reading this book most of what I have to say has already been said (seems to be a trend lately)...

From beginning to end this book captured and held my attention (hence basically zero status updates along the way)

Beatrice/Tris - simple 16 year old girl from the Abnegation faction who chooses to transfer to the Dauntless faction during the Choosing Ceremony. Transferring from Abnegation, the faction where you are raised to be selfless and appreciate what you have (no matter how little it may be); where your appearance and attire are plain and simple (gray clothing, simple haircuts) to Dauntless, the faction where you must be brave and cowardless, where you will provide protection and the members are tattooed and pierced and wear black clothing has Tris frequently questioning whether she made the right decision or not. Doubting whether she can be brave enough to complete some of the tasks and activities the Dauntless partake in on a daily basis. But Tris is strong - she is brave - she is selfless. "Great things come in small packages" - Tris helps prove how true this statement is.

Four - *sigh* handsome 18 year old boy from Dauntless faction. He's a trainer for the Dauntless transfers and can be harsh and almost mean at times. But we get to see that has a vulnerable side as well. And we get to witness how sweet this boy can be with Tris and let me tell you, he'll have you swooning in no time :D

There are other characters throughout the story that are pretty amazing as well. They help show to what lengths each individual endures and how much they each of them can handle. Everyone has a breaking point and we witness how some reach theirs before others.

I'm grateful that I have the next book waiting for me to read because it didn't end with a huge cliffie per se, but it was left pretty open-ended... leaving me wanting more IMMEDIATELY!

If you like fast-paced dystopian books filled with action and some romance, then I definitely recommend this book.

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Review: True

True by Erin McCarthy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

True was a fun, quick read.

Rory is a 20 year old college student. She's socially awkward and a virgin. Not necessarily because she wants to be, but because she's never really dated and one-night stands aren't really her thing.

Tyler is a 22 year old guy who's tattooed and has piercings *ahem* He loves and takes care of his two younger brothers because his mom is an alcoholic druggie who blames life's problems on her boys.

This is a typical romance, but touches on some emotional subjects.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

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Review: Shatter Me

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was skeptical to read this because it seemed to have an X-Men vibe (I'm not a huge fan), but I am so glad I did because while there may be some similarities, it is so much more!

It took a little bit to adjust to the way the story is written, but once I got past the uniqueness of it; I LOVED IT!! It helped convey so much more than commas, non-repeating words ever could :D Tahereh Mafi's writing is beautiful, it's poetic and so amazing!

Juliette cannot touch anyone without hurting or worse, killing them. Because of her 'gift' even her own parents are scared of her - her classmates tease and throw stones at her. She is alone. At least she thinks she is. In the background; watching her, admiring is, protecting her is Adam. Unfortunately, Juliette doesn't realize this until years later - when she's spent 264 days in an insane asylum (that her parents willingly sent her to) and Adam (grown up, mature, handsome, swoony) reenters her life. From there we meet several new characters - most of which hold a special place in my heart - Kenji: BAHAHAH - Warner: ARGH! - James: precious and several others that are all amazing.

I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to have actually read this book, but if by chance you haven't, I strongly recommend it.

While this didn't end with a cliffhanger at all (THANK YOU!), I am anxious to begin reading the next book... which will be happening immediately!

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Review: The Sweet Gum Tree

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 stars and more!

Oh this book... the love I have for it. I've come to the realization that my words will never do it justice, but here goes...

Alix and Nick *sigh* Their story begins and ends with a tin of bee balm. Alix is 8, Nick is 10 when they become friends. They become protectors of each other. They become so much more...

The story reveals 25 years of what life brings to Alix and Nick; indivudally and together, and let me tell you, its not all rainbows and unicorns. Sure, there's love and laughter, but there's heartache and pain too.

Throughout this book I experienced every emotion possible; intense, all consuming emotions - it was a rollercoaster ride for sure, but in the best way imaginable. I laughed, I sobbed. I blushed, I gasped. I cried, I snorted. There was one time when I wanted to throw something from frustration. There were lots of WTF moments, but plenty swoony moments.

Such an amazing book. Katherine Allred wrote it beautifully. EVERYONE should read it!!

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