Book Review... The Divergent Trilogy

The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

 

So as you all can tell I recently participated in this year's BookTubeAThon and for the series challenge I chose the acclaimed Divergent Trilogy because I had been aching to get these read since I bought the first one a while ago. So I read all three books in two days even though they are a decent length; around 500 pages each... so as you can imagine I didn't get much else done while reading these.

 

If I have to pick a favourite book out of all three I think Divergent may have to be my favourite, with Allegiant being my least... I know I know not what everyone expects... but I was spoiled beyond belief and it ruined the experience for me; if I'm brutally honest its why I put off reading them for so long. So please be aware that the rest of this review does contain spoilers and if you haven't read the books yet please don't continue for the sake of your view of the book.

 

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Well since your still here I guess its safe to continue; these are my opinions on the books and I am sure that others have very different opinions and I would love to know these.

 

The Plot:

 

So overall I found the plot well thought through; it had enough twists and turns to warrant three books but some of them seemed pointless... take for example the subplot of 'Fours' father; the first two books build up the hatred and anger and at the moment he could release what has been built up... he lets him walk away and its like the rest of the story is cut away????

 

I loved the way the story wove itself around the city like a snake; moving from one place to another and touched everyone's lives in one way or another... even when the story branched out of the city and explored the unknown world and when they learnt the truth of their existence it resonated with the people still inside the walls.

 

Okay, so I do have one problem with the plot.... she dies and this bugs me... her death is a farce and lost in the rush of everything that has happened... she fights for everyone but no one fights to save her... it was a real kick in the teeth. I suppose there is symbolism behind her death... her final sacrifice to save those that she loves... to forgive her brother and to show Four that she really does love him. But I think it was rushed and not thought through... the chapters after her death was emotional but not nearly as emotional as I would have thought... but that one page where she dies...she's lost in everything else that is happening and for the main character of the story to die... I would have thought she deserved a better written ending. But maybe the loss in the chaos and the lack of words is what everyone's end will be like; just another death and the rest of the world carries on around them.

 

The characters:

 

Okay so the main characters were developed quite well, had a good backstory which influenced their perceptions and you could see the effect it has on them however my main concern was for the secondary characters which alas were forgotten... I don't think they were developed as well as they should have been to pull off a story of this calibre... but she made it work.

 

The Writing:

 

I loved it... what else can I say. It wasn't flouncy but effective and for the most part she drew on all the appropriate emotions until the end and then I felt it died away and we were left with the bare bones of the story with no meat to cling to.

 

Overall I found the trilogy to be a page turner; I loved the world and although i had minor problems with the plot I found the story wrapped itself around my mind and i found myself dreaming I was going through initiation, or being divergent or fighting those who should never have been my enemy for several days after turning the last page.

 

I give the Divergent Trilogy 5 stars (*****)

 

Would love to hear your thoughts... leave a comment below if you agree with what I believe or if you have different opinions, I read the trilogy extremely quickly however some of my opinions may change once I can sit and analyse the world and the characters.

 

I hope I haven't spoiled anyone.

 

Helen x

Post Booktubeathon slump... I need your help!!!!

Well it's been several days since the end of our beloved BookTubeAThon and I am yet to pick up a single book or turn a single page and I think I know why...

I am lacking a challenge... I am lacking the drive to complete such a lot in a short period of time... so will someone post me a challenge??????

#booktubeathon wrap up

Well ladies and gentlemen the end #BookTubeAThon has come and I know that we are all very sad... however looking back over the last 7 days I can honestly say that I am proud of the amount I have read and I am sure that each and every one of you can be proud.

So in total I read my whole TBR pile as well as a few additional books, this also means that I COMPLETED ALL THE READING CHALLENGES :-D

So lets look at each challenge and how I completed it:

• To read a book to movie adaptation:
  To complete this I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and then watched the film later that day. My thoughts of this book will never change, it is the essence of my childhood and was the series that hooked me into both reading and writing.
• To start and complete a series:To complete this challenge I started a new series, The Divergent Trilogy were screaming at me to be read as they have sat on my shelf for what feels like a life-time. So I picked up divergent the first day and by the end of day 3 I had the whole series complete; my feelings about this series are mixed. Overall I found the storyline to be compelling in sections however there were times where I found it slow. Everyone ranted and raved about the emotions but I didn't feel myself getting drawn in; at the end there were elements that sparked some emotion but not what I expected... however I think that this is because I was expecting what happened and well it ruined the experience for me... has anyone else found this?
• To read a book with red on the cover:So I walked up to my bookshelf and grabbed Half-Bad; I had only heard the odd thing about this book and since I had never read about witches I was compelled with this choice. I also read this book in one easy sitting; true I found that I didn't get attached to any of the characters deep enough to care about who lived or died but the storyline itself is extremely compelling and I found myself turning the pages to find out what happened next. I cannot wait for 'Half-Wild' to be released in Spring of 2015.
• To read a book from a genre least read this year:I decided to read a crime novel as I haven't read any for more than a year; The Reckoning by Jane Casey was quick paced for most of the book and summed up in an unexpected and fascinating way.
• To read a book chosen by someone else:So I presented my mom with my full TBR list, little to say she was not impressed by the number on that list and the fact that its continually growing. After about an hour of flicking through the list she decided on The Screaming Staircase by Jonathon Stroud and let me just say WOW...the plot twists and the way it was actually written was outstanding however to say the main characters were meant to be children, they were written as if they were adults which confused me slightly. They didn't show any signs of being children... even mature children wouldn't react the way the characters did.
• To read a book with pictures:I decided to go with a smaller book of a slightly more childish nature; believe it or not I had never read Matilda by Roald Dahl... I know I was disgusted in myself... so that was what I chose. It was really fast paced and exactly what you would expect of a children's book written by one of the most prolific children's authors. However I also thought it was written to please both adults and children as there are some extremely dark and adult themes throughout the book.
• To read a total of 7 books:Well as you can tell from above I read 8 books as well as an additional book of War of the Worlds Quick read.

So this week has been extremely busy for reading but I am soooooooo thankful to Ariel Bissett and the rest of the awesome team for making #BookTubeAThon again... I hope this runs again and again... now to wait for the next one :-(

#booktubeathon days 4,5 & 6... kinda okay...

Okay well this is the last little update before my big run down tomorrow night when the #BookTubeAThon finishes... so once again I am covering three days... two of which were extremely unsuccessful [hence no updates].

Look back on end of Day 3: So at the end of the last post I decided that  if I have time I would finish of Half Bad by Sally Green and attempt to read the fast track classics version of The War of The Worlds by Pauline Francis. I am extremely happy to say that I completed both of these books in the time before I went to bed.

Day 4: Today I started The Screaming Staircase by Jonathon Stroud albeit a small amount of reading was actually done...  the first chapter to be precise. However the rest of the day was extremely busy and I didn't get any more reading done. Okay I know its bad but I had a girls day out with my closest friend Theresa and we had a blast; had a wonderful pub lunch and a very successful shopping trip.

Day 5: NO READING AT ALL :'( So I had an extremely bad night with thunder and lightning with dogs that are terrified. So all day I had a migraine and felt sick... so as you can imagine no reading was done.

Day 6: So today is the last but one day of the #BookTubeAThon and my reading bug was back in full swing. I managed to complete the screaming staircase as well as half of The Reckoning by Jane Casey.

#BookTubeAThon stats:

 

Total books read: 7
 

Total pages read: 2746

 

Challenges complete:

• To read a book to movie adaptation: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• To start and complete a series: The Divergent Trilogy
• To read a book with red on the cover: Half-bad
• To read a book that someone else has picked for you: The Screaming Staircase
• To read a total of 7 books: Those above plus 'War of the Worlds'.

Challenges currently completing:

• To read from the genre least read this year: The Reckoning as a crime novel.

Books left on TBR pile:

• Matilda by Roald Dahl

Additional books:

• Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
• Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

#BookTubeAThon Days 2 & 3... Success!!!!!!

So my lovelies, the end of day 3 draws near and I have completed over half of my TBR pile in three days... let us all do the happy dance.... boom... shake... shake... boom....

Daily Round-up:

Day 2 I completed the majority of Insurgent By Veronic Roth, I say majority as I had less than 100 pages left to read. Overall Tuesday was a bit of a slump when reading was concerned; I spent most of the day extremely busy but I did find time to fit in rougly 400 pages before bed.

Day 3 however was much more of a reading day... I started the day early by finishing Insurgent by Veronica Roth and then dived straight into Allegiant by Veronica Roth, and Oh my God; this book brought out the tears and the laughter and hit every emotion I think I could muster. However the ending I found less intense; I don't know whether it was because I was reading faster than normal but I found myself to disengage with the characters for the last set of chapters; ***** SPOILER***** especially after the death... which myself found to lack the defiance the build up made out to believe... however I found the last two chapters to be touching... they still left questions but it ended pretty well. I will be posting a full review of this series as well as my other reads across the week following #BookTubeAThon. 

HOWEVER.... I didn't stop there on my reading mission for today... I took an hour of me time to relax my eyes and then I delved into the world of Half Bad by Sally Green, now I haven't quite finished this book yet but there is still a bit of time left before bed so this should easily be finished; especially now the pace is quickening in the book.

#BookTubeAThon Stats:

 

Books Completed: 4

Books started: 1

Challenges complete:

• To read a book to movie adaptation: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• To start and complete an entire series: The Divergent Series

 

Challenges Started:

• To read a book with red on the cover: Half Bad

Next Books to be picked up:

 

I have now ordered the rest of my TBR pile for the #BookTubeAThon **not including extras****

 

1. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
2. The Reckoning by Jane Casey
3. Matilda by Roald Dahl

 

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As it is only three days into the #BookTubeAThon and I have completed over half of my TBR pile and the remaining books are of a smaller nature I have decided that I am going to add a selection of potential additions to my TBR to be chosen from once the pile is complete:

• Percy Jackson and the battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan :- this is already almost complete with less than 50 pages and will probably be the first I pick up after completing the TBR pile
• Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
• the fast track version of 'The War of The Worlds' retold by Pauline Francis which is less than 50 pages total and if I finish Half Bad before I get too tired I might push myself through this tonight??!!??

#BookTubeAThon Day 1: Success!!!!

So its late and I'm going to make this daily wrap up rather quick, so here's how they will work. Each day of the #BookTubeAThon I will post briefly stating what books I have read today, I total page count for the day as well as over goals completed. Then the Monday after the ##BookTubeAThon I will start compiling all of my reviews for each of the books as well as my experience of #BookTubeAThon.

Day 1:

At Midnight I began reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; I completed just over 100 pages before going to sleep and then completed the book before 11am. The total amount of time spent reading Harry Potter was roughly 4 hours, for a total of 223 pages.

I decided that I want to spend majority of the day reading so I started Divergent straight away however after 50 pages I needed to stop as my niece received a wonderful award today to recognise her amazing academic achievements during the last year of school. However the moment I returned home I picked the book back up and read until it was complete. Total amount of time reading Divergent was approximately 5/6 hours, with a total of 487 pages.

#BookTubeAThon Stats:

Total Page Count for Today: 710 pages

Books complete today:         2

Books complete total:          2

 

Challenges completed today:

• Read and Watch a book to movie adaptation; with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Challenges started:

• To begin and finish a series; with Divergent as it is the start of the Divergent Trilogy which I aim to complete within the #BookTubeAThon

So guess what time it is... thats right HAUL TIME

Oh yes my friends the time has come for a major haul...

First some special thanks to Ariel Bissett and the book depository for having a wonderful sale and sponsoring the #Booktubeathon

The twitter link: https://twitter.com/BookTubeAThon/status/488179184293142529

Straight to the book depository... which may I add... do FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY!!!!!!!!
http://www.bookdepository.com/BookTubeAThon?&a_aid=ArielBissett

So the books I have purchased...

• Prodigy and Champion by Marie Lu
• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
• The Book Theif by Markus Zusak
• Unwholley, Unwind and Unsouled by Shusterman
• The assassin's blade and the crown of midnight by Sarah Maas
• The Darkest Minds and Neverfade by Alexandra Braken
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith A.K.A J.K. Rowling

A total of 13 books thanks to the booktube-a-thon.... better get reading.

Reading before Booktube-a-thon... reviews...

The two books...

Well if any of you have read my previous post about 'that one book' you will know that one of the books I have attempted to read before the start of the booktube-a-thon is 'Throne of Caesars: Iron and Rust' which blew up in my face because it was just a book that numbed my mind and drew my will to read from my very core.

So the second book is again one from my very long and embarrassing TBR list; it is the third Percy Jackson novel, 'Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse'. Okay so this is the worst Percy Jackson book as of yet, its not a bad book but it felt like it hit a slump; I know its meant to be building everything up for the final two books but nothing drew me in.

The start of the book was really slow... to the point that I had to put it down for nearly a month before I found the will to try and push passed the invisible wall in the words.

I don't think the characters were developed as much as previous books especially since some of the characters were pretty big for the book. Take Zoe; we learn nearly nothing about her?? She had a bad experience with Hercules; okay, but it only really slightly effects one element of the story but its made out to have more of an impact??

Also the prophecy wasn't completed; there were elements unanswered or they were just not directly.

Overall the book lacked sustenance; there was nothing to dig your teeth into, the events went really quickly and there was nothing to hold you to a scene.

For a quick review I would give this particular book 3 stars (***) however I will be doing a full series review once I have completed the 'Last Olympian'.

I am aiming that I will be able to complete these two books before the start of the booktube-a-thon; if not the last one will be finished at the very beginning pushing my enormous task even higher. I am hoping to get my reviews up the week of booktube-a-thon but I have set myself a mammoth task so I may only be able to get up brief daily updates. Cant wait to see what you are all reading.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this book or the series as a whole; please leave a comment below or a link to your blog or videos on youtube, i'd love to check them all out.

That one book...

Right this is a difficult one...

For the last 10 years I have been a dedicated reader who loves to pick up any book from any genre and read; I've never found a genre that I truly dislike nor have I found a book that literally drains my will to read from my very core... until today.

Throne of Ceasars: Iron and Rust by Harry Sidebottom is a truly deep history novel based on real events which I have always found extremely interesting. However this novel sucks my greatest love from my core in a vampire-like way; its written in an extremely heavy and sometimes extremely confusing way.

Harry has tried to mimic the texts of old in his layout and language but has done this in an extremely confusing manner; so instead of throwing in one or two words that are truly archaic; every other word you are laboriously flicking to the translator at the back of the book. This already feels like a book designed to seasoned students who have spent years studying ancient Greek language and culture and not the everyday person who just wanted a good read.

On to a separate point; if the language had been translated properly and written in a way that doesn't feel like your sitting the entrance exam to a 'study of ancient Greece' degree there were still huge problems.

Firstly I read the first 10 chapters in which nearly every character introduced is either murdered or is the murderer; each chapter is set in a different time and place and there is no fluidity between any of it. For example the first chapter introduces the Emperor and his mother; you learn next to nothing about these people other than the Emperor is a sadist who likes to force people to eat wood and his mother is heartless and cares more for the throne than her own son. In the same chapter both of these characters are brutally murdered and a soldier is named Emperor. However over the next 8 chapter there is nothing that links back to this in anyway other than brief statements or conversations; random people who have no connection to the main plot are literally just thrown into the story with no proper introduction or meaning; they spend 10 pages doing small and insignificant tasks.

Overall this book had deep character, plot and understanding flaws;i beg to question how this got published other than on the merit of the authors previous success?

Has anyone else read this novel or one that would fall into this category?

Helen x

Booktube-a-thon 2014

Booktube-a-thon

The booktube-a-thon is coming and coming fast... in a few days the challenge starts and trust me I am competing this year!!!!

 

So the 14th to 21st will be dedicated to reading and I know I know that the last two read-a-thons literally blew up in my face. But this time I am going full force and I know what has helped me mould my really long TBR list.... THE CHALLENGES!!!!!

So first I am going to thank Ariel Bissett for creating this wonderful even that truly brings the book world together... if you want to check out more about the challenges please watch her wonderfully hilarious and inspiring video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_XOtGOUdUg&feature=youtu.be 

So I have based my TBR list on two things...

1. Firstly the reading challenges... I decided to aim for a separate book for each challenge with no overlays.
2. Secondly from my vast TBR pile/ bookcases!! Since no aim was to reread a book its going to really help get through this monster amount of books.

So here is my TBR based around the reading challenges:

Challenge 1:

Read a book that contains pictures:-

For this challenge I have decided to go back to my childhood and read Matilda by Roald Dahl. This book contains many humorous pictures based on the story and is 232 pages long.

Challenge 2:

 

Start and finish a whole series in the challenge:-

For this challenge I have decided to tackle an infamous series which I should have read AGES ago and just haven't gotten around to it... the Divergant Trilogy by Veronica Roth. This trilogy contains, Divergant, Insurgant and Allegiant containing 487 pages, 525 pages and 526 pages respectfully.

Challenge 3:

To read a book with red on the cover:-

So there are many books already in my TBR pile that contains red on the cover however to keep with my personal aim of reading a separate book for each challenge I have decided to read Half-Bad by Sally Green which contains a lot of red and is a book I have been meaning to read since its release. The total page count for this book is 384 pages.

Challenge 4:

For this challenge someone else needs to pick a book:-

So I roped in my mom to help me pick this one; of course she was really shocked and slightly angry at the number of books I own that I haven't read... so after looking at the list for over an hour she decided on The Screaming Staircase by Jonathon Stroud This book was a gift however the concept of paranormal activity intrigues me as I haven't read many books in this area.... ever! The total number of pages for this book is 453 pages.

Challenge 5:

For this challenge I have to read a book from the genre least read this year:-

So for this I have decided that since I was already reading a paranormal books for a different challenge and I am currently reading a historical book before the challenge; that I would read The Reckoning by Jane Cassey. The total number of pages in this book is 483 pages.

Challenge 6:

For this challenge I have to read and watch a movie adaptation:-

So technically I am breaking my own challenge of reading purely from my TBR pile as I don't have any books (that aren't already in this read-a-thon) that have movie adaptations. So I have decided to go for Harry Potter and Philospher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Okay so this may be an obvious choice but I have considered some positives for reading this; it is a very quick read with 223 pages meaning I should be able to easily whiz through the book in a few hours and since I have quite a few larger books in the challenge, a smaller book may be beneficial.

Challenge 7:

This is not a specific book challenge; it is an overall challenge for the read-a-thon, the challenge is to read 7 books in total or the equivalent to 300 pages a day:-

My total number of books for the challenge stands at 8 books; with a total of 3313 pages. If all books are read I should complete both elements to this challenge as it will average out to 473 pages per day. 

So now its your turn; what are you reading for the challenges? Do you plan on completing just the reading challenges or are you braver than me and do the video challenges too?

Please leave your comments below x

My TBR shame :-(

Okay some of these books are the most talked about and anticipated books in the Young Adult reading world... and NO I haven't read them yet but I do own these... but this is for several reasons:

1. UNI: Yes it has been that time of the year again where all non-academic reading ceases to exists because the only books I seem to look at are textbooks... Bonus of this... I got really good grades which means I can go back and finish my Degree next year...
2. WRITING: Yes I am writing a lot recently as a publishing company in London is extremely interested in my work and wants to get the process started by the end of the year... alas this means I have to finish writing the novel and send them a suitable draft by October/ November time and I currently have... wait for it... a very detailed plan.
3. LIFE: Recently my life has been thrown around a lot... losses of family and friends as well as general disturbances... I am seeking employment which takes roughly as many hours in the day as working part time and my house is now DIY central meaning I am being called in to help with sooooooo many different projects.

So with these three points in mind please try not to scorn me too badly... let the list begin:

1. Divergent/ Insurgent/ Allegiant by Veronica Roth
2. Panic by Lauren Oliver
3. Crescendo by Fitzpatrick
4. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathon Stroud
5. Legend/ Prodigy/ Champion by Marie Lu
6. Cinder/ Scarlet/ Cress by Marrisa Meyer
7. Throne of Glass/ Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas
8. Half Bad by Sally Green
9. Daughter of smoke and bone/ days of blood and starlight by Lani Taylor
10. Lament by Steifvater
11. Lionboy by Corder
12. The reckoning/ The burning by Jane Cassey
13. The dark heroine by Abigale Gibbs
14. Eragon/ Eldest/ Brisinger/ Inheritance by Paolini
15. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Verne
16. Tales of the Perilous Realm by Tolkein
17. Hunger Games /  Catching Fire/ Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 
18. Poison Study / Magic Study / Fire study / Sotrm Glass / Sea Glass / Spy Glass by Snyder
19. The Fallen Blade / The Outcast Blade by Grimwood
20. A touch of crimson / A hunger so wild by Sylvia Day
21. The Taker by Katsu
22. Fang by James Patterson
23. Percy Jackson Series (titans curse/ the battle of the Labyrinth/ the Last Olympian) by Rick Riordan
24. Covet / Crave by J.R. Ward
25. Stolen Night / Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
26. The Demon King by Cina Williams Chima
27. The Dark Divine by Despain
28. If I should die by Amy Plum
29. Shatter Me/ Unravel Me (Don't currently own Ignite Me urggggghhhh) by Mafi
30. Iron and Rust by Harry Sidebottom
31. Thieves Magic by Trudi Canavan
32. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
33. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
34. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
35. iRobot by Isaac Asimov
36. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
37. The Finisher by David Baldacci
38. King Solomon's Mine by Rider Haggard

This is quite a list... id love to here whats on your TBR shelves and whether I need to add some books to this list x

Waterstones.... you disappoint me!!!!!

A great disappointment...

Okay I am going to start with a bit of a rant!!!

One of the largest bookstores in the UK is Waterstones; this has long been my favourite shop anywhere and I have literally spent days wondering through the shelves picking out piles of books for my eyes and mind to devour.

Alas... everything has to come to an end...

Two months ago I ordered several books from America through Waterstones; the entire Shatter Me series and Legend. Over the next two weeks I received messages telling me to collect some of them... of course the moment I received the messages I was at the store. I collected the first two books of the shatter me series and Legend however weeks passed and I hadn't heard anything about Ignite Me... the final book in the series so I decided that I needed to go and find out what was going on.

I walk into Waterstones full of determination... thinking that they had simply forgotten to message me when the book arrived and that it was safely waiting for me in the back. NO this was not how this tale ended. I asked the lady at the counter about it and after waiting a great deal of time watching her hum and argh at her screen she said that it hadn't arrived and she doesn't know why the person had taken my money for this book since it wasn't available in the UK as they didn't have a licence!!!!!!!!!!

This led to a big row because they refused to give me my money back and I received a lot of aggression when I asked why they would take money when they knew I wouldn't be able to get the book and whether they would ever in fact get in touch to say that  I was entitled to a refund??!!!!???? I think they found an easy way to pocket an extra bit of cash...

Now this story has another element....

When I went to order these books I also enquired about the Divergant trilogy which I was quickly told that they didn't have the licence to sell this trilogy. However walking passed Waterstones a week later and in the window was the full set of the Trilogy....

so to summarise I was lied to and they tried to keep my money and hoped I wouldn't notice that one book out of my order was missing.... EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!