Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Synopsis from Goodreads: 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 initiation 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.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance

My Review: Omg. Its been a long while since ive loved a book as much as i LOVE this one! The Hunger Games was the last one that sucked me in the way Divergent did, and i read that at least 18months ago!

Speaking of Hunger Games, i may as well say now, that Divergent did seem to follow the same "formula". Maybe it was just the young, full of guts, strong female lead. Maybe it was just that it was obvious from the beginning that the whole story was leading to a war. Maybe it was just that they're both dystopian. I dont know, and i dont care. The fact that i occasionally felt a bit of deja vu was my only, very minor dislike. But if you hated Hunger Games, then i doubt this is the book for you.

So, now on to everyhing that was great about the book.

Beatrice/Tris. The lead character. She is fantastic. Strong, gutsy, brave, selfless, flawed, determined. Everything i wish i had been as a 16 year old girl (or as a 30 year old woman!). Fighting the way she was brought up, and the expectations of both herself and her family, to become the person she really is. I love her.

Four. The male lead/love interest. Tough and badass on the outside. Soft and sweet on the inside. Demons of his own to face. Oh how i love Four. Actually i think i could easily confess to being in love with him. Edward Cullen, you've been replaced. At first it really bugged me that he didnt have a proper name. I always find it irritating when authors name their characters something odd. But i got over it quickly and now, the name Four actually sounds like something id consider naming my child. Maybe Victoria Beckham was onto something when they named that baby Harper Seven...

In my opinion, this book is full of very strong, well developed and written characters. I feel like i know each of them personally. I was constantly cheering for them. Or laughing with them. Crying with them, or for them. Apart from the fact im a total wuss and would never cut it in their society, i totally wanted to be there with them.

oh the suspense!I sat on the edge of my seat the entire time i was reading Divergent. Every chapter had some sort of action to keep me hanging on and wanting to read more. Veronica Roth has jam packed a ton of info and built this world so well. But it was never confusing, which was a nice change from other first books in a series.

The action was great, never a boring minute. But what i also really loved was the sweet,tender, innocent little romance that developed between Tris and Four. I had just finished 50 shades of Grey when i started this book, and frankly, Tris and Four were a complete breath of fresh air for me after reading 300 pages of the carry on between Ana and Christian in 50 shades!

Without giving anything away, i like that the book didnt end on a huge cliffhanger. I hate when a book feels like it stops practically mid senetence! Obviously it left it open for the sequel, but i wouldnt be having heart failure if i didnt have a copy of the second book, Insurgent (which i do!).

Anyway, this is a great YA, dystopian novel and considering its the authors first, im well impressed and cant wait to start the next one!

View all my reviews

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon:
When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind – until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view …

Firstly, I don't understand the hype at all. The writing was terrible. For the first half of the book, it felt like she used the same 10 descriptions on every second page. His 'long fingers' and her 'shattering into pieces' every 5 minutes was just irritating! Seriously, there's a reason it was called 'creative' writing in high school!

But anyway, I did manage to get past the woeful writing by about halfway through. Maybe it got better. Maybe I got dumber. Who knows.

I did like her little inner goddess and her subconscious and their constant battle. I thought they were cute with their dances and snarky comments. A nice addition to the story.

There wasn't a whole lot else I liked. The storyline was only ok. It was enough that I could finish the book, but mostly I was keen to finish because there's heaps on my to be read list that I knew would be more interesting. And it wasn't enough to make me want to read the next two books. Maybe I'll ring my BFF (who rang me everyday for a week raving about these books) and ask her for a quick synopsis of the sequels. Maybe. If there's a lull in the conversation or something.

And the sex. Can't write a review without mentioning the sex, since it took up at least 80% of the book. Eh. Maybe if I'd never read a book full of 'sexy time' (as one of my online friends would say) I would have liked it. Seems most people think it was pretty hot. Eh. All I can say is that it has nothing on JR Ward's 'Black dagger brotherhood' series. If youre reading it just for the hotness factor, do yourself a favour, and just pick up a copy of Dark Lover instead.

View all my reviews