Showing posts with label Veronica Roth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veronica Roth. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent was probably one of the most anticipated novels of this year. And personally I already know which book will be my most anticipated novel of 2013. Yes, the wait for the third book is a long one: the expected publication date is September 26th 2013. That's 287 more days.
I flew through Insurgent, the story is even more compelling and fascinating than Divergent.

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My thoughts

With Roth's writing style as compelling as in Divergent, we are pulled into the story. It has the reader in a grasp and won't let go until the last page has been read.
Insurgent is most definitely a worthy sequel to Divergent.


Every war leaves its traces, this one is no exception.
Tris struggles with herself, tries to cope with her grief. In the meantime the war rages on and of course there's Four. It's the developments that intrigued me, both in characters as in Tris's entire world.
Tris' tendency to throw herself in front of guns and Four's frustrations makes their relationship very intense, confusing and emotional. Their romance is handled perfectly, I was amazed by how it evolved with so much going on around them. This makes their relationship realistic, believable and moving.

Keeping up with the story requires some presence of mind though. It is complicated and rushes from one situation  into the other. Something you'll either love or hate. There is a lot of moving around throughout the city, there are numerous fronts of people and suddenly there's a shift in power. We're also introduced to the world outside the fence, which promises a rather interesting third installment.


My rating of this book


Source
Bought a copy in Cambridge :)

Other links
Find this book on Goodreads
Visit Veronica Roth's website here

~ Sylke



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Firstly, I'm very sorry for my absence this last month, I was stuck in a place without a proper internet connection. However, I'm back now, and I'm going to make it up to you with a review of the most amazing book I read in 2011! I actually read it three times more since that first time, so it's about time I review it...

I can guarantee you, this book will get you hooked.

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

My thoughts
Divergent tells a story set in a dystopian world, post war. This sounds suspiciously similar to the Hunger Games, and yes, a lot of people do compare these books with each other. At first this made me weary, as I absolutely loved the Hunger Games and didn't feel the need to read a similar story. However, at one point there was no way of escaping: I had to read this book. And I loved it!
The inhabitants of Chicago have been divided into five factions: Abnegation (Selflessness), Erudite (Intelligence), Dauntless (Bravery), Amity (Peace), and Candor (Honesty)
Once a year children aged 16 must choose their faction, it's entirely up to them whether they decide to stay with their family in their old faction, or join another faction. Tris is stuck between two choices, her family or herself.
The book isn't that similar to the Hunger Games in my opinion. The heroines may be a tad identical, yet their worlds are completely different, as well as their stories. 
Veronica Roth's writing style is amazing. The way situations are described, I felt as if I was the one jumping from a roof, not Tris. Also, Roth managed to catch my attention right from the start, even though the first chapters are slow. As the story progresses it gets more and more thrilling. I simply couldn't put the book down.

I loved the world Roth created, and I loved the characters even more.
Tris, this short, shy girl somehow transforms into a strong and fearless leader. The kind of person you can't help but admire. The changes she goes through in just 487 pages, incredible. And believable, amazingly done by Roth.
Four is completely different. He doesn't really change, it's more that Tris him bit by bit unravels. The story is written from Tris's point of view, and as a reader you know as little about Four as Tris does. Where he is an intimidating, mysterious and a bit scary person to Tris at first, she learns about his past and gets to know him.

If you don't read this book now Tris and Four will come and hit you, you've been warned.

Cover
Personally I prefer the UK cover of this book, as I have a preference for pretty covers. I do feel the US cover shows the main setting and plot of the story better.

My rating of this book


Source
Bought at the local bookshop. 

Other links
Find this book on Goodreads
Visit Veronica Roth's website here

~ Sylke



Friday, March 2, 2012

Dying for Insurgent?

If you loved Divergent as much as I did, I am sure you are dying for the release of Insurgent (May 1st). I can't wait to sink back into the world of Tris and Four, and thanks to the awesome people at HarperCollins I can do that right now. Nope, they're not moving up the release date, but they've made this really cool Choosing Ceremony game on Facebook where you can sort both celebrities and your own friends into factions. 


I've always known I would go straight into Erudite if I lived in Tris' world. Which faction would you choose?