The first book (Divergent) had such a great premise. Such an interesting idea for a world. Sure, there were some holes here and there, but there were The first book (Divergent) had such a great premise. Such an interesting idea for a world. Sure, there were some holes here and there, but there were some really great parts. But then this book comes along and just leaves me with more questions than answers. I felt like not a lot happened and all they did was visit other factions and hate on the Erudite. Not that the Erudite didn't deserve it. I learned a little bit more about the factions and factionless, but not really about the overall world. The twist at the end was just... WHAT. I get why people were freaking out over that cliffhanger.
I thought it was neat that Tris was all "no, I'm not the hero" even though-- for whatever reason-- she was the only Divergent willing to sacrifice herself. Also, for someone who's supposed to be a tactical thinker, she wasn't always so tactical in this book. She went quite a few places blind and with no plans. Thank goodness for Peter, right?! right. I feel like Peter is the character that gets the MOST hate (for being a shitty human in book1) but dude saves some actual human being lives in this book. Sure, dude is super selfish, but is he all that selfish for saving people when it put him more at risk than it benefitted him? Just sayin'. Okay yes, I know it was about him owing her for things, but still. I felt like there was an inkling of character growth for him there. Maybe? Am I stretching it?!
I get that Tris was mostly acting out of her depression and grief. That isn't really explained other than her perseverating on the death of her parents and Will. I just wanted more from her character, but I can't quite pinpoint what...
I feel like sooner or later, someone's going to say, "We're all Divergent!" because people in the real world wouldn't test so severely into the factions laid out in the world of... Well, does the world of Divergent have a name? Is there a name for the community that holds these four factions and the factionless? It just seems like there's "In The Fence" and "Outside of the Fence" (where supposedly there's nothing/unknown).
I think this book might have worked a bit better if the twist at the end was moved to the beginning. I mean, finding that out would have propelled the story a bit better and I maybe wouldn't dislike Tris so much?! Oh goodness. And maybe she wouldn't have had to stink-eye Marcus quite as much.
I'm trying to remember some good things about this book, but it's so hard when you feel so let down by a book that has been hailed as one of the better books in the series?! Anyway, I'm glad that there are different kinds of women in this book as far as the way they act. Most of them seem to be described as white, BUUUUUT female characters like Tori, Tris, Evelyn, Christina, Cara, Lynn, etc... They are quite different and the only times I'd confuse the names/people was if their names were similar.
TL;DR - This series has a really interesting premise, but the execution (so far) leaves a LOT to be desired. And answered. ...more
Re-rating this because after some thought, the book didn't really have a cohesive storyline?! Like, they're trying to take down a big evil corporationRe-rating this because after some thought, the book didn't really have a cohesive storyline?! Like, they're trying to take down a big evil corporation thing and a terrorist, but, like, things happen but it not really. I felt lost most of the time and kept asking, "What just happened?" I thought that this would be a great read to have some diversity included in it, but they came off rather stereotypically. Not good. I've heard that this author's past works are WAY better, so it's not like I'm never going to give his novels another shot... But dang, like, publishers... please care about cohesive storylines. It's important!...more
When I read The Selection I kept a few things in mind. One of them was how women were viewed in this Dystopian society of IllOriginally reviewed here.
When I read The Selection I kept a few things in mind. One of them was how women were viewed in this Dystopian society of Illea. Although 35 of them are Selected and are quite competitive toward one another, they are valued. Their opinions are valued. The Queen is allowed to give her opinion during important meetings. Even though Prince Maxon is the one who picks the girl he wishes to marry (with the help of advisors and family), he asks for America's help to guide him through the Selection.
Although the girls get competitive at different points in the story (read: a little catty), there are times in which they sit down and talk about how it would be much better to just be themselves (authentic) rather than to copy off of what America or Marlee were doing. There is an awesome bit when America and Marlee are talking, when they agree that they see great qualities in each girl and could see every one of them being a successful queen. Sure, there were some that became fairly frightened during the attacks, but they have some part of their personality that shines beyond that. Sidenote: Celeste is a jerk. I would slap her in the face, too.
How the caste system is set up is quite interesting. Certain castes are richer than others, and each caste has a skill set that their members must chose from. As in, since America is born as a Five, she has to become an artist (musician). Aspen is a Six, so he cleans houses. There's the 7th and 8th castes, but I'm assuming they are seen as scum of the earth since they were only mentioned as charity cases.
The names of people in this novel are rather weird. Well, some of them are normal like Silvia, but then some are a bit confusing. There's a girl named Tuesday, and she's not mentioned much until later in the story, and I thought she was talking about the day of the week. I thought America Singer had a neat story behind it though.
ALSO, can I just say? (well yes I can this is my blog duh) May is like America's subconscious. It's like May knows what America truly wants. Or, well, she's the ultimate fangirl in the novel, shipping America/Maxon.
Holy mother of baking soda, I really don't like Aspen. I get that he doesn't have much power over his situations, but the way he treats America isn't the way I would want anyone to treat me. I know Maxon said some things that could be considered harsh, they were to assert his power when America was attempting to sway him for personal gain, more than usual, and he was no longer comfortable with that. TLDR: You can be humble and be a prince.
Okay, I know this review is a tad long, but one LAST point. I loved the fact that America talks about how she once thought the royal family was very starched up and boring, but now that she has actually been in their presence and gotten to know Maxon, she thinks of them differently. It's that whole "Thinking about people complexly" idea. People-- ahem, celebrities-- are more than what you see on a screen.
Some things that I saw as things that I anticipate being answered later in the series: Oral history, what the rebels are looking for, if America will tell Maxon her ~secret, ...more
I was going to make a video about this because I really liked this book. A lot. But after spending 4+ hours on the Linger Read-Along video last night,I was going to make a video about this because I really liked this book. A lot. But after spending 4+ hours on the Linger Read-Along video last night, I’m not feeling like making a video for this. So, here we go.
This past week, I read the English translation of Winter’s End. It was originally written in French, so some of the wording is a little odd. That’s not to say it’s hard to understand. It’s absolutely brilliant.
Winter’s End is about this group of kids (Bartolomeo, Milena, Milos, and Helen) who go to two different but very oppressive boarding schools. Their parents were killed when this group of barbarians (Phalangists, as they are called in the book). The four kids escape their respective schools in search for freedom and to find out what actually happened to their parents. Along the way, they find many hardships and even face death at times. And they’re actually the ones to lead their country’s revolution against this evil government.
I found this story to be quite interesting and original. The whole idea of a barbarian government oppressing them rather than some uptight dictator is new to me. At least as far as fictional literature goes. The story in this book is very fresh and original. I’m sure you could compare it to other dystopic novels or to novels set in World War II Germany, but really the story stands on its own.
The characters were amazing. From the four main characters to Catherine Paneck, Jahn, and the horse-men. You will love the good guys and absolutely loathe the Phalangists. Especially Van Vlyck. He’s just plain awful.
The setting was absolutely dismal. That is to show how harsh the times were. Just like winter, these people were battling through some terribly cold times. Everyone is questioned. Anyone who objects with authority is thrown in jail or ripped apart by the dog-men. And near the end of the novel, Spring comes forward and times get better. The Phalagists either disappear or give up their reigns.
Although on Amazon they say it’s an 8+ book, I’d say it’s more of a 14+ book because of some of the violence in the novel. So have a mature mindset and a strong stomach. I mean, if you could handle Hunger Games books, you can handle this....more
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