Review- Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: Purchased

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves...or it might destroy her.  

My thoughts:

I bought this book because everyone was raving about it, pretty much saying that it is one of the best books they've every read.  I brought it home and it literally sat on my shelf for at least a month.  I was so hesitant to pick it up because I didn't really know what it was about, the raving reviews gave it a lot of expectations, it's almost 500 pages long and I didn't really like the cover.  Now I wish I had started reading it the day I bought it because I already want to read it again!

Divergent absolutely blew my mind! I was sucked in by chapter two because it's so believable and realistic that I was thinking that the world could possibly end up like this.  Dystopian novels really get me thinking about what could happen if we're not careful or if the government becomes too powerful.

I loved Tris's confidence and determination to prove herself in Dauntless especially coming from Abnegation, the selfless.  Although she had her moments of weakness where she would cry and miss her family, she continued to be true to herself through all her struggles.  I also loved that Four was there to push her every step of the way.  They seem so perfect for each other because Tris needs someone that is going to do what it takes to bring the best out of her and Four isn't going to hold her hand through the difficult obstacles.  

I thinks the factions are so intricate and unique and so very different from one anther to their dress, haircuts and distinct attitudes toward the world.  I was so wrapped up in the story that the nearly five hundred pages flew by! Divergent is absolutely brilliant and one of the best books I've read this year!

In My Mailbox (19)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

What an awkward still YouTube chose! Well, at least I'm not picking my nose, haha!




Review:

Broetry by Brian McGackin
The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

Paperbackswap:

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Bought:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Always a Witch by Carolyn McCullough
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn
Siren by Tricia Rayburn (my review)

Library:

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Soulstice by Simon Holt
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

What's in your mailbox?

Review- Past Midnight

Title: Past Midnight
Author: Mara Purnhagen
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: R.A.K. (Random Acts of Kindness)

Let me set the record straight.  My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV...no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show.  And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed.  Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston-and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings.  Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends-and potential boyfriends-is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive...

My thoughts:

I really like books that have to do with ghosts and hauntings.  Sometimes they're fun, light and good-natured and others are super scary and gruesome.  I would classify Past Midnight as the former because the main character is really comical about her paranormal-obsessed family and their ghost-hunting reality show.

Since I also really enjoy a good mystery, this book was right up my alley! Ghost hunters trying to figure out the mystery of why some ghosts have decided to haunt their daughter.  It was so fun to read because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next and if they had discovered more information when they were digging into the past.

Charlotte, the main character who is being haunted by ghosts, is very embarrassed about what her parents do and had been teased about it at other schools that she attended.  She prefers to keep that part of her life a secret until Halloween rolls around.  But she soon finds out that her friends are more upset with her for not telling them the whole truth than the fact that her family is a little different.

My favorite character in the book is the nerdy yet hot guy that is her partner in her AV class.  I'm a really sucker for nerdy guys.  He's a real gentleman who knows who she is, about her family and knew that she would tell him when she was ready.  And his mom being a big fan of the Silver family is really funny!

The story was set up very nicely and there was just enough character development for it to be a series! I'm super excited about the next one, which I already have waiting for me.  It's a really fun ghost story that has made me very interested to see how it continues.

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

I've been such a terrible blogger this week! I haven't been reading as much as usual and I haven't blogged since Saturday.  My TBR list has been looming at me lately and I feel like it's laughing in my face and saying "you'll never finish me, hahaha!"  So I've decided to take it head on and say "take that, TBR list!"

This week I'm eagerly anticipating Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough! The cover is super cute and it sounds like it's going to be a really funny book!

Delaney Collins doesn't believe in fairy tales.  And why should she?  Her mom is dead, her best friend is across the county, and she's stuck in California with "Dr. Hank," her famous life--coach father--a man she barely knows.  Happily ever after?  Yeah, right.

Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he's a fairy godmother--an f.g.--and he can prove it.  And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary.  Meaning there's a good chance that New Jersey tough girl Delaney is someone's fairy godmother.

But what happens when a fairy godmother needs a wish of her own?

Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough will be released on November 8, 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

To Remember a Friend

For most of us, the Fourth of July weekend was filled with fireworks, barbecues and memorable times with friends and family.  But for a good friend of mine and her family, it was a day of tragedy, the day that Kristin Short lost her life to a fatal car accident.

I met Kristin in September of 2010 when she started at Strategic Therapy Associates where we were both counselors for at-risk youth and children.  She was always smiling and encouraging to her co-workers.  We had a few of the same classes and she would help me out with some difficult projects.  She was a good friend, confidant and a great person to work with.

The News and Advance reported this about Kristin's death:

"A Liberty University student was killed in a West Virginia car crash Monday.  Kristin Short, 25, died on I-79 after she lost control of her car, crossed a median and was hit by a tractor-trailer, West Virginia State Police said.  Short, a native of Elkins, West Virginia, was studying for a master's in professional counseling at LU and worked as a child counselor in Lyncchburg, University officials said.  She attended Brentwood Church.  'Although our hearts are heavy, we are comforted with the knowledge that to be absent with the body is to be present with the Lord,' Mark Hine, LU's vice president of student affairs, said in a statement.  Short was on her way back to Lynchburg from Elkins when the wreck happened.  Her mother, Kimberly Short-Wolfe, notified the Liberty University community through the school's Facebook page Tuesday evening.  Campus pastors and Short's family are planning a memorial service."

Cover Reveal

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern.  She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity.  She prefers hanging back, observing.  Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head...and heart.  Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns.  Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is Certain.  Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon.  Because the messages are becoming sinister and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.  

This is the first time I read the synopsis for Perception (Clarity #2) and it makes me so excited! I loved Clarity and I can't wait to see what's in store for Clare in book 2! The cover is super pretty too!

Blog Hop and Follow Friday (16)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Q: Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?

A: I feel like this question is so mean but there are a horde of terrible book out there.  I would have to say that one of the worst books that I've read and finished all the way through was Revealers by Amanda Marrone.  I read it when I first started my blog and I felt like it wasn't supposed to give bad reviews so I gave it an okay review.  But I think if I would have read it now then I would give it a terrible review.

More recently, the worst audio book that I have listened to and completed was City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.  I just couldn't connect with the characters and most of the time I just wanted to slap Clary.

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love for the written word. The book blogger hop is brought to us by Jennifer at Crazy For Books!

The Secret Life of an Avid Reader is having a 350 follower giveaway in which her readers can win a few ARCs from BEA!