Book Review + Giveaway: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Published: Katherine Tegen Books (May 3, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: For Review, Also purchased a copy
Young Adult * Dystopian

Description 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.
 


Firstly, I want to mention that it's not my habit to compare all YA dystopians to The Hunger Games series (just like I don't try to compare all YA paranormal romances to Twilight). That being said, if you're looking for a YA dystopian that matches the intensity and high stakes of Suzanne Collins' series, then Divergent is the series for you. This is the exciting first installment in what looks to be a very exciting new trilogy. I loved Divergent right from the start. One of the really outstanding features that makes this series better than some others that I've read is Veronica Roth's spectacular world-building. The government and societal structure is so well explained and elaborate. I loved how everyone is divided into one of five factions -- Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite -- and your faction is more important than your family. Sometimes I find that stories really develop characters, while the world the characters live in is under-developed; but this world is well thought out and complex. Instead of just one corrupt government, there are five different factions, therefore five different groups with five different stories. You never know who to trust, which makes it very exciting.

Divergent isn't all about a cool concept, though. The characters are really fabulous, people you can really empathize with and root for. Tris, the protagonist, is very tough and headstrong, making her a very strong female lead. She, along with her friends Christina, Will, and Al, faces a dangerous initiation into her new faction and learns that something isn't right with all the factions... and that something might not be so right with her either. All of the characters are multi-dimensional and well-developed. I can feel the insecurity masked by bravado when Tris does something stupid and I can sympathize with her friends when they say harsh things to her out of jealousy. They all had interesting back stories and secrets. I especially loved Tris' mother and brother, who were so richly characterized. The characters felt like such real people in Divergent that sometimes I even got a little annoyed with their actions, but I really appreciated the realness of them.

My favorite character, though, was Four, Tris' instructor, who helps her through her initiation. I loved every scene Four and Tris shared; there is always so much tension between the two of them -- good and bad. Four was my favorite because he wasn't a brooding romantic lead, but an intelligent, talented male character with several secrets, like how he got the nickname Four, and who he was before he became 'Four.'

Divergent does a nice job of including some romance in an otherwise adventurous, heart-pounding thriller without overwhelming the story with sappy moments. For that reason, I definitely think that Divergent will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. The stakes are high and the author isn't afraid to take risks. Several important and interesting characters die and the novel ends on a high note, making the wait for its sequel, Insurgent, nearly unbearable. I highly recommend this novel... it has been one of my favorite reads of 2011 so far.


 Veronica Roth is only 22, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote Divergent, her YA dystopian thriller (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011!), while she was supposed to be doing homework. This was a decidedly good choice that will unfortunately make it difficult for her to someday lecture her future children on how important it is to get your homework done. You can follow her on twitter: @VeronicaRoth or on her blog: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/





Complete the form below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Divergent. Please read contest rules carefully.



CONTEST RULES:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (it will be deleted if you do), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2. The contest runs from July 14 to 11:59 PM Pacific Time on July 22, 2011.
3. You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
4. If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
5. This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY (so tell your overseas pen pals) !!


Getting Caught Up: Desires of the Dead + ARC Giveaway!

Hey Guys!
Aly and I are excited to bring a new feature to the blog: Getting Caught Up. It's where we'll be reviewing or giving away books that are a couple months old. With so many great books coming out each week, sometimes you fall behind and realize that that hot new release has been sitting on your shelf for five months before you finally find a minute to read it. The first book I'm getting caught up on is Desires of the Dead, the sequel to Kimberly Derting's smash debut, The Body Finder!


Author: Kimberly Derting
Published: HarperTeen (February 15, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: For Review (Dark Days Supernatural Tour), Also purchased a copy
Young Adult * Mystery Thriller * Romance Fantasy

Description from GoodReads:

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.


Desires of the Dead was a solid sequel to Kimberly Derting's best-selling debut The Body Finder. This second installment in the series begins a few months after the first novel ends, following the same protagonist, Violet Ambrose, whose ability to find dead bodies and their murderers through her special gift nearly cost her and her best friend-turned-boyfriend Jay's lives. In this novel, Violet and Jay have been dating steadily for a few months and adjusting to the new changes in their relationship now that it is no longer only platonic.

Violet and Jay's relationship is one of my favorite things about this series. Kimberly Derting writes young romance in such a believable way -- their conversations and arguments sound so real, like actual exchanges that I can imagine hearing between two teenagers in love. Furthermore, I really appreciated that the conflict in their relationship wasn't the standard love triangle, where a rival for Violet's affections emerges suddenly. It was just the usual sorts of issues that teens would encounter in any young relationship, making it easy for the reader to relate to.

Also, I love Jay Heaton as a character. Usually in literature, I'm drawn to the dangerous bad boy characters, but I love reading about Jay, who is just a normal, kind, sweet boyfriend. He doesn't have a tortured past, he doesn't flout authority like rebellious James Dean, and (as far as we know) he's not secretly a vampire. He treats Violet well (even when she's admittedly a little needy because of the side effects of her gift) and is always there for her. Jay's nice guy characteristics make him really stand out as a leading male among many popular young adult series.

The structure of the novel is similar to the first one, in that Violet finds the body of  a dead child and there is a search for his killer. Something different about this book, was that Violet became the victim of some harassment from a supposed stalker. So in this novel, Violet is the victim, and the inner monologue we get is from her stalker, who may or may not be connected to the other murders in the book. Another interesting thing about Desires of the Dead was the new information that we learnt. We were introduced to some new characters, including Sara and Rafe, who are part of an interesting organization, and who will feature again in the third book of the series, The Last Echo. I liked both of these characters, Rafe in particular, whose quiet behavior and mysterious connection to Sara suggests that there may be more to him than meets the eye. I look forward to seeing his role in the next installment in the series.

Once again, I enjoyed Kimberly Derting's writing and would recommend this to fans who loved  The Body Finder or Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (which begins with Shiver).


Kimberly Derting is the author of The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead (HarperCollins) and the upcoming release, The Pledge (Nov 2011, Simon & Schuster). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration. You can follow her on twitter: @kimberlyderting or on her blog: http://kimberlyderting.blogspot.com/

Her official website is: 


Complete the form below for a chance to win an Advanced Reader Copy of Desires of the Dead. Please read contest rules carefully.


CONTEST RULES:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (it will be deleted if you do), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2. The contest runs from July 7 to 11:59 PM Pacific Time on July 14, 2011.
3. You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
4. If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
5. This contest is open in US and Canada only. (Sorry international followers!)


UNEARTHLY Giveaway Winner!

The winner of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (chosen by a random number generator) is:

KAYLIE B.!!



Congratulations, Kaylie! We've contacted you about details on receiving your copy. Thanks to everyone who entered. There will be other giveaways and contests on the blog, so look out for those.

Book Review: Unearthly + GIVEAWAY!

Author: Cynthia Hand
Published: HarperTeen (Januray 4, 2011)
Audience: Young Adult
Source: For Review (Dark Days Supernatural Tour), Also purchased a copy
Young Adult * Paranormal Romance

Description from GoodReads:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .


Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy. 

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side. 

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?


I instantly knew I wanted to read Unearthly the minute I first saw the cover online. It's beautiful, ethereal, and romantic -- just like Cynthia Hand's writing. With so many exciting titles in the YA Paranormal Romance genre, particularly stories dealing with angels, I wondered if Unearthly would be able to stand out... and it certainly does. Cynthia Hand writes a beautiful story of teenager, Clara, coming into her own as a young woman while dealing with the recent discovery that she is part angel. Clara is such a wonderful female lead because she's not a shrinking violet, but she's also not a total warrior. She strikes a really nice balance of being strong, without being too aggressive. Also, it was a nice change to read about a girl who was paranormal trying to deal with normal human boys. I'm so used to reading about ordinary girls who meet extraordinary boys that it was nice to read about a girl who's special.

And speaking of boys, I loved the two main guys in Unearthly. Christian and Tucker are both interesting and multi-dimensional (and I am led to believe that they are both incredibly good looking). There isn't the traditional good boy versus bad boy dichotomy that is seen in many love triangles. Instead, Christian is the boy that is somehow connected to Clara and her angelic purpose -- she sees him in her dreams -- while Tucker is the unconventional human boy that becomes tangled up in Clara's life unexpectedly, making her purpose as an angel all the more confusing. I liked both guys for different reasons, although by the end of the novel I had developed a sweet spot for Tucker.

In fact, all of the characters were well-written. There is so much depth and complexity in everyone. Clara's mother, also an angel, plays an important role in helping Clara discover and understand her purpose as an angel, although her own purpose and past is kept secret. Also, Clara's younger brother, Jeff, is also figuring out his own purpose as an angel and has his own shady secrets kept from the family. I am so eager to see where Cynthia Hand takes Clara's family in the sequel; there is no much to each family member's story that's shrouded in mystery. And I can't forget Clara's school friends, particularly Angela, who add so much humor and personality to the story.

The book is very absorbing, but the last 50 pages are especially exciting and un-put-down-able. The ending where the fire from Clara's dream finally ignites is spectacular, and Clara has to make some very hard choices that she hadn't anticipated. The last few chapters were very thrilling, but a little abrupt, leaving just enough questions unanswered to leave me on the edge of my seat for the sequel. I highly recommend this, especially to fans of Fallen by Lauren Kate and Firelight by Sophie Jordan.


Cynthia Hand grew up in Southeast Idaho (very near the Wyoming border). Currently she lives in southern California with her husband and son. She teaches courses in creative writing at Pepperdine University. Unearthly is her debut YA novel, published by HarperTeen. Hallowed, the sequel to Unearthly, will be published by HarperTeen in 2012.You can follow her on twitter: @CynthiaHand or on her blog: http://www.cynthiahand.blogspot.com/

Her official website is: http://cynthiahandbooks.com/


You can find Unearthly on Amazon. Click here.


Complete the form below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Unearthly. Please read contest rules carefully.

CONTEST RULES:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (it will be deleted if you do), you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2. The contest runs from June 26 to 11:59 PM Pacific Time on June 30, 2011.
3. You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
4. If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
5. This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY, so U.S., Canada, Timbuktu, everyone can enter!