Release Day Book Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant
by Veronica Roth

Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian / Science Fiction / Romance

Ages: 14 and up

Sequel to Divergent and Insurgent.

Description:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My Thoughts:

Allegiant is a very powerful book. It pushes limits, breaks hearts and always, always makes you think. It is much more complex than most young adult novels in its challenges of what is logical versus what is right. The characters are infinitely human, neither heroes nor villains, at least not fully.

Tobias reveals vulnerabilities I never would have guessed he had, and yet, they were completely believable and right for his personality and past. I loved that half of the novel was told from his point of view; the darkness and desperation he fights against were so intense it hurt my heart.

Tris' side is less complicated and she doesn't change as much as Four, but her coming to terms with her family, living and dead, strengthened her character in subtle but significant ways. She gains a deeper understanding of things, which in turn gives the reader a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations.

While I loved so many things in this book, the writing didn't really pop as much as the previous novels, at least not for me and not in the beginning. At first it felt like a lot of exposition as a hundred new things had to be explained all at once. This might have been necessary, but it was also kind of awkward. Towards the middle it gained more intensity and the pace picked up, and by the end I was on the edge of my seat. Crying.

The end was perfect. Heroic and sad and beautiful and unexpected and so very, very brave. Not just on the characters' parts, but on the author's as well. She took a unique path that, upon the arrival of the last page, made the whole trilogy fall perfectly into place. It was an ending that left me recalling earlier scenes with an 'Oh' of revelation that it was all leading to this.

This novel is a worthy addition to any bookshelf.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I give this book a 4.10 for some mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I rate it a 3.10 for a scene that may or may not have been a fadeaway or just a heavy make-out session, as well as kissing and petting.

Violence:
I give it a 7.10 for multiple murders and injuries.

                          Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure
by Julie Kagawa

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Science Fiction / Dystopian / Post-apocalyptic / Romance

Ages: 14 and up

This is the second book in the Blood of Eden series, sequel to The Immortal Rules.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reviewer's Note: This is the third Julie Kagawa novel I have read and reviewed in the past 24 hours. I started in the very wee hours of the morning with The Lost Prince (reviewing it about 5 seconds after reading the last page) then picking up with The Immortal Rules in the afternoon (I was interrupted by a plumbing crisis so the review didn't get published until a couple hours after I finished reading) and, to top of my lovely marathon, I just finished reading The Eternity Cure.

P.S. I'm listening to Fall Out Boy as I write this, which is strangely fitting.

Description:

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left:

Blood calls to blood

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

My Thoughts:

It has been four months since Allie left Eden and Zeke. She is now fully adjusted to being a vampire and has become more comfortable in her skin. She's more dangerous, harder-edged, but her humanity is still intact. Well, as intact as possible. As much a survivor as ever, she teams up with her untrustworthy blood-brother in her quest to rescue Kanin..

The characters in this story are just so good. Even Jackal, murderous, untrustworthy bloodsucker that he is, is strangely entertaining. Sarren is the creepiest villain I have met in a long time and every word he says gives me shivers. If there is ever a movie, he should be played by Bill Nighy because he has the perfect voice for it. Zeke is so lovably loyal and self-sacrificing that I spent a lot of time cheering him on. My faint inclination for Kanin as a love interest faded the instant Allie was referred to as his 'daughter'. Oh well, I can still have a crush on him if I want. I'd read a whole book about Kanin.

Story-wise, I didn't like The Eternity Cure as much as The Immortal Rules until the end. Oh. My. Gosh. That ending...how will I survive waiting for the next one? It was brilliant, but completely evil. This is a great sequel, and I have a feeling Book 3 will be magnificent.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 5.10 for one use of the f-word and some mid-level swearing and name-calling.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for brief sexual innuendos and threats.

Violence:
I rate it a 7.10 for fighting, murder, torture and vast quantities of blood.

                            Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules
by Julie Kagawa

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Science Fiction / Post-apocalyptic / Dystopian

Ages: 14 and up

I received an e-galley of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what–and who–is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

My Thoughts:

This book takes some old ideas and squishes them together in new ways to make a delightfully original story. It is a vampire/zombie apocalypse adventure with more than a few hints of samurai legends. I love it. It's dark and dramatic and powerfully written. Plus it has vampires fighting zombies. Beat that! Well, they're called 'rabids' in the book, but they're basically zombies.

Allie is one tough lady. Having spent her entire life hating vampires, she suddenly is one. Under the tutelage of Kanin, a mysterious, solitary vampire with many secrets, she starts to learn how to be a monster without becoming a monster. He teaches her how to use her new abilities to survive and defend herself and gifts her with a katana. (A vampire slaying zombies with a katana - like I said, beat that!) This interlude does not last long, however, and Allison is forced to set out into the world on her own. It is there that she discovers a wandering group of humans - and Zeke.

I really like Zeke (full name Ezekiel Crosse). He still has hope in a world that offers none. He's a born leader; protective, selfless and brave. He's also falling fast for Allie - or the human he thinks she is. Despite how much I like him as a love interest, I have this kind of half-hope that Kanin will turn out to be...but I doubt it. Maybe. We'll see. He's pretty entrenched in the mentor role for now.

All-in-all, I loved this book. Great characters, wonderful story, serious and fun at the same time...what's not to like? I would highly recommend The Immortal Rules.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for some mid-level swearing and name-calling.

Sexuality:
I give it a 3.10 for some innuendos and brief threats.

Violence:
I rate it a 7.10 for fights, murder, gore, torture and vast quantities of blood.

                                          Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA Dystopian / Science Fiction

Ages: 14 and up

Description:

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.

My Thoughts:

I first read this book when it was brand new, and I enjoyed it. Then I read it again, and loved it. There was something about reading it a second time that made me enjoy and understand it more. It was the world that really grabbed me. People are divided into five factions based on what human fault they blame for the troubles of the world. Dauntless blames cowardice, Candor blames deception, Amity blames anger, Abnegation blames selfishness and Erudite blames ignorance. They are all partly right and all partly wrong. The factions worked well enough for a while, when they worked together, but then some started to believe that their factions were better than the others.

Beatrice is in Abnegation, but she doesn't feel selfless enough to stay in a world of grey clothes, bland food and constantly caring for everyone else without ever thinking of herself. So, when it comes time for her to pick the faction she will live with for the rest of her life, she chooses Dauntless. No matter where she goes, she has to conceal the fact that she is Divergent, suited to not one but multiple factions. Equally brave and selfless. But Divergents are labelled rebels and troublemakers, and Beatrice could lose everything if she is discovered. I love Beatrice, or Tris as she calls herself after joining Dauntless. No matter how scared or exhausted, she keeps pushing forward. The first to jump, the first to volunteer, never hesitating in order to prove that she is just as brave as anyone else in Dauntless. But she never forgets where she comes from, and will give of herself for her friends. Yet in some ways she is very hesitant and shy, such as in her growing attraction to her teacher, Four.

Dauntless is not as she imagined it to be. The original intention of its founders was to protect, but some have come to see bravery as being the strongest, the fastest and the cruelest. More than one member of Dauntless would be willing to kill to win. Tris starts to learn that the world wasn't meant to be divided. It is really a very powerful story, the sort that makes you think.

The only one who shares her beliefs, who learns her secret, is her enigmatic instructor who is known only as Four. He is so full of contradictions that she never knows what he is thinking, whether he is truly on her side. He is full of secrets, and when you learn his true identity it makes you want to cry. He pushes her and watches her, more confident in her strength than she is. He and Tris stand against the world, trying to unravel a conspiracy that is taking place around them. The factions are taking stands against each other. Erudite starts slandering Abnegation, and what are their plans involving Dauntless?

The writing style is simple but descriptive, the action scenes stark and immediate. You feel what Tris feels and see what she sees. Veronica Roth is wonderful at painting a picture of a world falling apart, slowly, piece by piece.

This is a brilliant novel with surprising depth, full of sacrifice and true bravery, the kind that drives you to face your fears and give your life for others. You don't have to like science fiction or dystopian novels to love Divergent.


Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I rate it a 3.10 for some mild swearing and one worse word.

Sexuality:
I give it a 3.10 for caresses, partial nudity, references and innuendos.

Violence:
I rate it a 8.10 for multiple murders, attempted murder, something that may have headed towards rape, cruelty and a massacre.

                           Lieder Madchen