Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

"What Goodreads says about Divergent by Veronica Roth:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

The Cover:

I found this cover to be exactly what this book needed. The symbol (which is a mystery to me) in flames invokes a sense of power and strength. The sky line underneath covered in clouds and an overall darkness gave me the feeling of despair. The title was also a mystery to me until I began to read the book, once I did I understood why it was called "Divergent".

First Thoughts:

YESSSSSSSS!

The second I started this book I knew I was going to love it... But lets start from the beginning. It took me a while to actually read this book. I didn't want to jump on the Divergent wagon like the rest of the population all in a haze from the Hunger Games phenomenon. I was not going to be a mindless Hunger Games addict running from book to book looking for the next best thing. Ohhhh how I was so stupid! I wish I would have read this book a long time ago because I actually prefer this book to Hunger Games.

My Dream Cast:

Who I picture as the perfect Divergent cast...

(Since the movie is already being filmed I choose the cast I believe works great, other are my own selection)

Tris, Four, Uriah, Christina, Eric and Caleb

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story line and plot as well s the romance that blossoms and the dystopian world created. I originally had my doubts about this book because so many people complained about the w"world building" but I never once felt like I was walking into this book blind, the world seemed very believable and easily pictured in my mind. Of course there are flaws in this book. I have never read a book where at one point I didn't realized... "Well that wasn't suppose to be there." The reason that this book deserves 5/5 stars is because I was entrapped, ensnared, and bound into this story. I could not put it down and can't wait for read the second book in this series...

xoxo-

Creator Class

Creator Class

By K.M. Breakey

What Goodreads says about Creator Class:

"Decades have elapsed since The Creators inflicted their vision on the planet. The population menace is tamed, resources are plentiful, and climate concerns abate. A sustainable world order has been achieved.

But the rigid restrictions of P-Class torment Shawn Lowe. Movements are tracked, conversations scrutinized, conformity enforced. It’s wrong. The Laws of Earthism are wrong. When a treasonous outburst cements Shawn’s fate, an unexpected communication from Creator Class sparks changes he could never have imagined.

A new life. A new family. Boundless opportunity. Destiny, it seems, has been rewritten. But an evil nemesis emerges, and a lust for vengeance points Shawn down a treacherous path. 

Creator Class is the first book in The Creator Class Series."

Cover:

I'm not a big fan of this cover... It kind of bores me. Where is the spark, something that catches my eyes. It is to generic and in my eyes doesn't do the book justice.

First Thought:

Yesss! Another YA dystopia series for me to get into. The world is divided into classes, people are in the dark, and The Creators have complete control of the lowly P- Class who know literally nothing.. Sounds interesting. Ignorance is bliss after all right?

The characters are believable and easy to relate to. Nana is awesome. I have always liked the older character who pushes the limits and knows what's right and wrong. She is the visionary and so important to the story. Without her Shawn would not have been questioning his life and their world. Shawn is the rebellious teen who takes what Nana says and learns from her. He is willing to question authority, but he never truly realizes what it will cost him until it is much to late. I have to admit I am not fond of Pedro(detest would be a great word here), but his character is wonderful and exactly what this story needed. The other characters are well thought out and play out their parts quite nicely.

I was kind of bored and found myself skimming at times during the first half of the book, which is a big no-no for me. I lost interest  as the story hit about 40% done. I kept reading though and was very glad I did. The story line picked up and the action began at about 45%. Let's just say wow, didn't see that one coming! The way I like it. I was shocked, sad, happy and surprised numerous times. Once the story started rolling it was extremely difficult to put my Kindle down!

I must also mention that I was able to pick up on some similarities that this story has with our society today. I am not going to be specific here, but there were parts of this book that had me questioning the world we live in today and actually thinking about the possibilities of our future. Kind of scary to think about. 

Final Thought:

I fell hard for this book after the 50% of the way finished. Once I got to this point I realized how important the first half was though (Minus the skiing conversations over and over again). This story made me truly think. It had me questioning where the society we live in today is going, where it may end up in 50 years and if I like that place or not. Great book all around!

(I received this book for free in return for an honest review. Thank you!)

xoxo-

September Girls

September Girls

By Bennett Madison

What Goodreads said about September Girls
"When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him.
Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here."

Cover:

The cover of this book is beautiful. If I could judge this book solely on its cover I would give it 5 stars right away... Then I began to read...

First Thought:
Oh yea!! A book about a boy and his trip to the beach where he finds this beautiful mermaid and they live happily ever after, I was so excited!! It's the Littler Mermaid all over again! 

Oh no! No pretty little singing red head mermaid...

Oh my goddess... what am I reading right now and why?

I had a lot of apprehension about reading this book. After reading all the comments and bad reviews I decided that maybe people were making it worse than it really was, oh was I wrong! I don't consider myself to be a feminist but after reading this I literally cringe when I think that people actually think this way. Blonds with big boobs and no brains running all over the place... wow.

Final Thoughts:

Don't read this... it's not even worth it.

xoxo

Runners

Runners

 

By Sharon Sant

What Goodreads says about Runners 
"Elijah is nothing special. He’s just a skinny kid doing his best to stay one step ahead of starvation and the people who would have him locked away in a labour camp – just another Runner. But what he stumbles upon in a forest in Hampshire shows him that the harsh world he knows will become an even more sinister place, unless he can stop it. As past and present and parallel dimensions collide, freedom becomes the last thing on his mind as he is suddenly faced with a battle to save his world from extinction. But before Elijah can find the courage to be the hero the world needs, he must banish his own demons and learn to trust his friends. And all the while, the sinister figure of Maxwell Braithwaite looms, his path inextricably bound to Elijah’s by a long dead physicist, and hell bent on stopping Elijah, whatever the cost."

Cover
I really like this cover. It's thought provoking and caught my eye. The color or lack thereof invokes a since of absence or depression in my eyes. The sad "girl?" on the cover is very pretty and her hair is gorgeous, but she looks very young and that made me wonder if this story was going to be about young teens or children instead of young adults.


My First Reaction

I was quite confused at first... I honestly had no idea what a runner was. No clue! I kept reading the same page over and over again to see if I was missing something then it hit me DUH! Runner is the same thing as a runaway... okay so now I have that down, if only I could figure out what some of these other words mean. I did some research and figured out that this book is based in England and the author is from Dorset, England. At this point I pulled out my good ol' Google and figure out that numerous words I thought were odd misspellings were actually quite normal and correct. I felt quite stupid, but what can ya do!

Getting into It!
The imagery is so amazing! I mean seriously amazing, for example I absolutely loved this line...

"He vomited spectacularly, narrowly missing his sleeping bag and sending a crowd of omnipresent flies zooming excitedly to the spot where the puddle lay." 

I re-read that line like 5 times before I actually went on with the book. Maybe it is the fact that I'm in Nursing School and vomit doesn't phase me, because I loved it!! Sharon Sant has a way of describing her dystopian world that makes the characters and places just come off the pages.

"Elijah blinked in dazzling sunlight and took a deep breath. The sweet-pepper scent of meadow grass told him immediately where he was. Winded, he skidded to a halt as the portal spat him out. Above him stretched skies of cornflower blue, dotted with threadbare white clouds sailing over like cotton galleons on the summer breeze."

Final Thoughts

I want to love this book, I really do! But there is something about the story which just doesn't hold my attention. The writing was wonderful, the characters were amazing and the whole concept was great, but for some reason beyond my understanding the story just would not keep me hooked. I don't think this is something the author caused but more my own preference to books. I will surely be reading some of Sharon Sant's other books because maybe if this one's story didn't work for me I'm sure another one will be great!

I will not fault the author for writing something that just wasn't my taste because truly I loved the way the author wrote, that is why I will give Runner 4/5 stars. 

(I received this book for free in return for an honest review. Thank you!)

Final Score

xoxo-

Spotlight!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi is under the "Spotlight!" today!!

From Goodreads: Under the Never Sky

"WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers."

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

Here is the books trailer!

Some wonderful quotes and pictures from the book!

  

 

What's Next??

So here are a few books I have on hold at the library, some of these may jump in front of the ones I already have at home to read, but I'm really excited to read a few of these!!!

Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

What Goodreads had to say about Under the Never Sky:

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers."

Cover:

Beautiful cover! I love the strong beauty in the center. She looks so bold and I can already tell she is the heroin of the story. The coloring and boldness of the cover really draws me in.

First Thoughts:

Wow. I think I'm in love!

This book instantly drew me in. I was a bit confused at first because the book starts with this scene in which these unknown people are in this unknown world. All I knew was that they were in a dystopian world and something bad was going to happen. I loved that the book took a little bit to unravel, it kept me turning the pages.

Okay so there were so many twists and turns in this story that it made my head spin in such a wonderful way. I loved that this new technologically advanced world was just outside this barren, almost primitive land. The mixing of these two worlds created something completely new.

My Dream Cast:

Aria, Perry, Roar, and Cinder

 

 

Final Thoughts:

The love story was perfect in my opinion. I love stories where the love needs to simmer before it becomes evident. I also love when the characters dislike each other at first.

Also I am in love with Peregrine!!

I can't wait to read the next in this wonderful series!!!

xoxo