Thinking about: Independant books

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I’m going to admit that on my blog, I try to be one hundred percent indie book friendly.  The reason for that is that just because someone hasn’t been picked up by a publishing house doesn’t mean they’re not an awesome writer.  Actually some of my favourite books, especially since I’ve been blogging and have therefore heard about these books, have been indie titles. 

I really do try to review indie books when I get the requests, just so long as they fit in with the genres I’m generally interested in, and so long as they sound interesting.  Of course, I’m not going to take a book I’m not interested in – I wouldn’t even if they weren’t indie books.  If I did, chances are I wouldn’t end up enjoying it, and that would be reflected in my review, which would be a massive fail for everybody involved. 

Admittedly, my view might be coloured by the fact that I’ve read very few indie books that were bad grammatically, or weren’t structured, or were blatantly rip offs of other books, but from things I’ve heard, I know that happens. 

My recent personal indie favourites have been Intangible by J Meyers and Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, and wouldn’t have known were indies unless Goodreads/Amazon had told me so.  And when you think about it, some authors who are now signed with publishing houses, for example Amanda Hocking, starting of self-publishing. 

So basically, what I’m going to ask, is what are your favourite indie titles?  Will you read and review indie books?  What experiences have you had with indie books? 

Top Ten Tuesdays - books of the last 10 years, for the next 30.

Top Ten Tuesdays is a regular features hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s theme is Top Ten Books that were written in the past ten years I hope people are still reading in thirty years. 

1.     The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Given how hot a genre dystopian has become, I think this is pretty fitting.  Plus, this book has definitely been one of my favourites of the last few years, and I think it will appeal to a wide audience.

2.   Divergent by Veronica Roth

Yet another dystopian that I thought was completely awesome.  And Insurgent was so good, too! 

3.  The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

Yes, predictable coming from me, I know, but Kagawa has made me enjoy faeries, and I’m pretty sure she’ll do it for other people, too. 

4.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Epic fantasies tend to go on forever, right?  And I genuinely think this one’s a really nice addition to it’s genre.

5.  Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Again, continuing with my argument that fantasy novels tend to be durable, and again, this one has an awesome female lead.  Plus this one’s already been out almost ten years, which bodes really well!

6.  The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling

The reason that this series isn’t right at the top of my list is that I know not all of the books came out in the past ten years – and also because I think it’s a no-brainer that this one will still be around.

7.  Daughter or Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Again, another book I completely adored. 

8.  The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin

I wish more people would read this now!  Definitely one of my favourite series’. 

9.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

One of my most recent reads, but also one of the most enjoyable. 

10.  Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Again, a recent one, but I loved it.

What would everyone else pick?    

Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Publisher/format: Razorbill, Paperback

How I got this:  Purchased

Challenges: 2012 YA reading challenge

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

AMY
has left the life she loves
for a world 300 years away.

Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone.

Yet someone is waiting for her.
He wants to protect her -
and more if she'll let him

But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies?
A killer is out there - and Amy has nowhere to hide...

Review:

If you asked me before I read this book whether I thought I'd enjoy it, I would have said no. I know loads of people shelf this as YA dystopian, but to me, it sounded suspiciously like sci-fi, and I'm really not that much of a sic-fi person. My limit so far has been reading Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and even then I haven't finished the series.

However, this was a really good read. The storyline, for me at least, seemed pretty original, and I liked the idea of humans being frozen for transportation to a new world. Somehow, there's something almost realistic about the idea - like it's something that could eventually happen - and that's not the only thing in the book that struck me like that.

There were brilliant descriptions in this book - the way being frozen felt, Amy's anger and upset at being woken up too early in a world she wasn't meant for, and the way that Elder feels betrayed when he begins to learn truths. It made the story really real, and the characters realistic and likeable.

The world Beth Revis has created in this was disturbing, as I've said, that's partly because it sounds like something that could almost feasibly happen in the future. I liked the way that the colony of people aboard the ship has found ways of controlling how things work, and how creative thought is considered to be a form of madness - it really works. The storyline was also surprisingly complex, yet somehow easy to keep tabs on who was doing what and where.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I'm really looking forward to A Million Suns… just as soon as I've got my TBR pile down low enough to make buying it sensible!

Overall rating:4.5/5

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

My Enjoyment: 5/5

Stacking the Shelves (3)

This week I’ve got two lovely new bookish things! 

Firstly, I got Ashes by Isla J Bick on my Kindle, because it ended up being on the Kindle daily deal, and I’ve heard a lot of positive things.  Yes, that does mean I failed a little bit on my book-buying ban this week! 

Secondly, I won a bundle of awesome signed bookmarks, and keyrings/badges/stickers for various books, and a copy of Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey from the lovely people over at Book Passion for Life!  I was really excited when I came home and found that one, though I haven’t been able to take a picture yet because I moved house on Friday, and everything’s in complete disarray! 

What did everyone else get this week?   

Feature and Follow Friday!

Q: Activity! Dreamcast your current read.

Currently, I'm reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, though because I'm not all that far through, I'm going to cheat a little bit, and actually do the last book I read, which was Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

For Amy, I'd probably go for Bonnie Wright.  Admittedly, she'll always be Ginny Weasley in my mind, but the hair is so right. 

And maybe Taylor Lautner for Elder, though I'm not totally sure about the muscles…  It'd probably work though! 

And probably Sir Ian McKellen for Eldest - I know he doesn't really fit the monotonic thing, but this is totally the way Eldest looked in my head! 

So what/whom did everyone else choose? 

Author Interview: Charles O'Keefe, Author of the Newfoundland Vampire!

Having read and reviewed Charles O'Keefe's first book, The Newfoundland Vampire earlier in the week, (Read my review here!) I was given the opportunity to ask the author himself a few questions!  A very big thank you to Charles O'Keefe for the opportunity to read such a fun book, and for answering said questions for this interview!

1.  What inspired you to write The Newfoundland Vampire?
 A friend of mine published a book back in 2006 (Shannon Patrick Sullivan) and I thought, if he could do it why not me? I also had a good friend, Paul, hear me talk about book ideas and he said "you know, you should write a book" being stubborn (and busy with other stuff) in 2010 I finally got the drive to do it.

2.  How did you build the characters - were they based on people you know?
It's funny you should ask that. The main character, Joseph, is heavily based on myself. I found it to be a huge amount of fun (and very interesting) to imagine how I would react if I became a vampire (and ended up in some unusual/dangerous situations). So he is like the ultimate role-playing experience for me.

Cassandra is based on a real historical figure, Catherine Snow, who was the last woman hanged in Newfoundland. Of course I take great liberties with her personality and had a great time making her sexy and mysterious. She also has a lot traits put in her that I imagined for a fantasy woman (not all of them of course! You might know what that means but the readers will have to find out in the novel ;)

Other characters are also based on people I know (friends, family and a co-worker) and some are actually based on celebrities and other historical figures. So often I would pick a real person (living or dead) and then have fun imagining how they too would act in my book.  Some are also completely original, I am fascinated with people who run the gamut of human morality from pure good to ultimate evil and of course most regular people who are somewhere in the middle.

3.  How did the idea of a vegetarian vampire come about? 
A vegetarian vampire was an easy idea because in real life I'm a vegetarian so of course when I made Joseph he was naturally one as well. I though it would be interesting (and of course amusing) to have someone deal with not only the shock of becoming a vampire but a double affront to his sensibilities as he is also an animal-loving vegetarian as well.

4.  Will we be hearing any more from Joe and Cassandra in the future?
Oh yes I've already got about 9 very rough chapters done for book 2. I have a clear end point in mind for the series but I'm not sure how long it will take to get there, right now I think 3 books but that could certainty end up as more (hopefully not less). I've had several people ask about book 2 (which is a great compliment, thank you!) but as I work full-time and am currently very busy with promotional efforts I suspect it will be sometime in 2013 before book 2 arrives.

5.  Are you currently working on any new projects?
Aside from book 2 no, I do also run a blog called "The Cro's Nest"  and I've been known to guest blog on "Paranormal Wire" as well. I find reading, role-playing and some other hobbies take up the remainder of my free time so I haven't done any short-stories or poetry, who knows maybe someday :-)

6.  Where can readers find out more about you/your books? 
You can find out everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask (just kidding ;) at www.charlesokeefe.com

So again, a big thank you to Charles O'Keefe, and really, this is a really good book for an older audience, especially if you like your vampire novels with a good dash of comedy!

Top Ten Tuesdays: Websites that AREN'T about books

Top Ten Tuesdays is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's theme is top ten sites I visit that AREN'T related to books.

1.  Facebook!
No, really, I admit I spend far too much time on Facebook - partly because I use it when I'm procrastinating on doing Uni work (though my last ever exam is today - wish me luck!) and partly because it's a good way to keep in contact with people at home when I'm away at Uni, and visa versa.

2.  Ebay
Yes, I have a shopping addiction!  Sometimes I admit, I do use ebay to buy books, but usually it's for either obscure things (such as a top hat fascinator I needed) or just for pretty things at bargain prices.

3.  ArsonetteArtworks.wordpress.com
This is actually the Bookish Housemate's blog for her other love in life - art!  And whilst I actually know little/nothing about art/the art world, this is generally filled with thought provoking articles and things which are actually interesting whether you're artistically inclined or not.

4.  Slimmingworld.com
As some of you know, I spent the majority of last year losing around 1/4 of my bodyweight, and I continue to try and attend groups and such even though I've managed to keep my weight down, and I just hop on here sometimes to check nutritional values, and read articles, especially at times where I want to eat my weight in chocolate! 

5.  My Uni website!
Mainly to check my student email account, and make sure I'm not missing any essential notes or whatever.  Boring, but probably true.

6.  Steampowered
Yes, I like to play computer games.  Sometimes when I'm a bit slow on the reviews, it's because a new game I've been waiting for has come out, and I pop onto this website periodically to see if there's anything on offer or whatever I fancy playing. 

7.  Justbento.com
Again, related to healthy eating, I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of Bento boxes.  Who doesn't want a pretty and varied lunch?  I admit, my attempts have been fairly westernised, but hey, I've tried!

8.  http://www.fmylife.com/
Because sometimes a little schadenfreude is necessary.  Need I say more? 

And I've actually run out!  What websites do you guys frequent?  

Book Review: The Newfoundland Vampire by Charles O'Keefe

Title: The Newfoundland Vampire
Author: Charles O'Keefe
Publisher/format: Penumbra Publishing, Kindle Edition
How I got this:  Received a free copy from Charles O'Keefe in exchange for a fair review.
Challenges: 2012 ebook challenge

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

Like every other geek alive, Newfoundland native Joseph O’Reily secretly wants to be a superhero. At thirteen he fantasized about being a vampire, and ten years later he’s still fantasizing – but mostly about a beautiful redheaded woman who has eyes only for him. The one thing different about Joseph’s adult fantasy is that, amazingly, it comes true one night when he goes to a local university pub. Cassandra Snow, literally the woman of his dreams, invites him to her place for an evening of personal pleasure. Of course he’s not going to say no. But when strange things start happening afterward, Joseph quickly learns that not all dreams should come true.

Cassandra has plans for him – forever. And those plans don’t include daytime activities. An animal lover and recent vegetarian, Joseph wrestles with all the weird changes he’s experiencing after his encounter with Cassandra. Eternal youth and amazing power come at a price that is perhaps higher than he can afford. The constant hunger for blood and the secrets Cassandra harbors test his resolve and his mental and physical limits. And then there’s the fact that a two-hundred-year-old vampire is after his head – literally.

Joseph’s night vision improves dramatically, giving him a glimpse of the darker side of the world and the terrible evil of vampires who walk among humans. As he tries to balance his regular life with the new reality of his vampire existence, he is determined to hold onto his personal convictions and what he values most – his humanity. 

Review:
Firstly, to cover myself more than anything, I'm going to state that this novel is not a YA novel, and contains very adult scenes.  There is violence, and whilst this is no Fifty Shades of Grey, there are definitely sexual encounters in this book.  However, with that out of the way, I shall continue with the review.

I'm going to admit, I'd thought this book would be a lot more… cheesy than it was.  I literally had images in my head of B-movies about female vampires seducing unsuspecting human males and having their wicked way with them… yeah, we've all pretty much seen that one before.  And okay, the storyline for this was somewhat like that to start with, but what made it not-cheesy-B-Movie-esque for me was the characters. 

Joe is pretty much your average nerd, and more or less reminds me of all my male friends.  He likes pubs rather than clubs, he struggles with approaching women, and he likes role-playing games.  He's also recently started experimenting with vegetarianism, which of course, makes it all the more ironic when he finds that his first girlfriend has turned him into a vampire without his consent. 

I really enjoyed Joe's inner monologue, and the way he reacts to things throughout the story - for example, he's pretty angry about becoming Newfoundland's first vegetarian vampire, but his nerdy side seems to think it's pretty cool.  Joe also worries about real-world things, such as how he's going to deal with his parents since becoming a vampire, and how he's going to manage keeping up his commitments to his old friends - as well as balancing finishing his college degree.  It would have been easy for the author to ignore those things, and I'm really glad he didn't because for me, it completely ruins my immersion in a story when I think about those kinds of details! 

Cassandra was also a good character, I felt, and I liked the way she really had backstory and that it was touched upon throughout the book so that as a reader, you really understood what she was about.  She was also the perfect mix of seductive girlfriend and mentor towards Joe, rather than being all out seductress.  I also like the fact that she wasn't perfect, and had her own set of insecurities. 

I also enjoyed the way the author interweaves previous vampire stories/legends, by bringing Count Dracula himself and The Countess into the mix! 

Though, I have to admit, I kind of wanted more backstory on John Snow, Cassandra's estranged-husband-turned-killer.  I think it would have given the story a little more depth, and yeah okay, I like my villains to be really evil.  Not that I'm saying John Snow wasn't, I just like to really understand my villains.  I also wanted a little more detail on the council, and it felt a little like a loose end at the end - though maybe it's one of those situations where ambiguous is best.

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and whilst I wouldn't recommend it to a young-adult audience, I would recommend it to anyone who feels they can handle the mature themes, and enjoys a vampire book where there is no sparkling whatsoever.

Overall rating: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
My Enjoyment: 4/5

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Hey guys! 

So, it’s been a pretty busy week for me, but not so much with reading (boo!) but rather with preparing with my final University exam on Tuesday.  However, at least once that’s over, I can get back to normal, and actually have some time for myself! 

But still, that doesn’t answer the question of what I got this week!  The answer is actually only one book – Partials by Dan Wells -  which I won from the lovely Dani over at Pen to Paper!

So thank you very much again Dani!

This also means that for a second week running, I’ve managed to abide by my own book buying ban!  Actually quite proud!

So what did you guys get this week?   

Feature and Follow Friday!

Q: Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

My ‘normal’ vacation spot is usually camping down in Cornwall, and actually that can be a fairly relaxing place to read, mainly because it’s quiet, and there’s not actually all that much else to do! 

But if we’re talking ‘ideal’ places to read, it’d have to be somewhere nice and hot, maybe somewhere in Spain or Italy, so I can lie back, enjoy a good book, and get a tan at the same time! 

But if we’re talking places I’d really like to visit, Japan would have to be top of the list – even if I’m sure I’d be so busy I wouldn’t have much time to read there.  It’d be quickly followed by New York, which I’d like to visit again, as last time it was on a school trip and we didn’t get much time to ourselves. 

What about everyone else? 

Book Review: Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

Title: Beyond the Shadows

Author: Brent Weeks

Publisher/format: Paperback, Orbit

How I got this:  Borrowed

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

Logan Gyre is king of Cenaria, a country under siege, with a threadbare army and little hope. He has one chance — a desperate gamble, but one that could destroy his kingdom.

In the north, the new Godking has a plan. If it comes to fruition, no one will have the power to stop him.

Kylar Stern has no choice. To save his friends-and perhaps his enemies-he must accomplish the impossible: assassinate a goddess

Review:

The first thing I want to comment on for this book, is the ending.  Of course, being the third and final part of the Night Angel Trilogy, the ending to this book was always going to be important – and I really felt this one delivered, and did what many fantasy books somehow fail at – it managed to get all the loose ends tied up in a satisfying way. 

This story literally picks right up where Shadow’s Edge, the previous book in the trilogy, left off.  And even though it’s been a little while since I read Shadow’s Edge, I didn’t feel like I’d forgotten the story.  To be fair, the credit for that has to go to Brent Weeks’ characterization.  I don’t think there were any ‘filler’ characters in this series.  It’s one of those series where you hear from various characters’ points of view, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a character whose side of the story I wasn’t interested in throughout. 

I also liked in this that I couldn’t predict what was going to happen, but that the twists in the plot weren’t ridiculous.  An explanation could be given for everything that happened, and for me, that’s important in a story. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and I’m pretty sure this book was my favourite of the three.  I’d really recommend these books to anyone who feels they can enjoy a fairly hefty epic fantasy trilogy – the world building and characters are impressive, enjoyable, and I really enjoyed myself reading this.

Overall rating: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

My Enjoyment: 5/5

Top Ten Tuesdays - Characters I'd put in a reality show

So, this week’s theme was Top Ten Writers I’d like to see in a reality show – I’ve kind of taken the theme and ran with it a bit, instead going for top ten characters I’d like to see in a reality show – and I’ve kind of gone with the top ten I’d like to see in a Big Brother sort of setting! 

So without further ado…

The Boys:

1.  Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Firstly, Four would be the man-candy there always is in this kind of show.  Plus he’s got a pretty fiery temper which would make for interesting viewing when stuck with a load of other people in a fairly confined space.  

2.  Puck from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

Whilst I will always personally be Team Ash, Puck would be awesome in this kind of thing, just for his snarky comments and personality.  He’d definitely be one of the comical characters, though I can imagine him adding fuel to the fire if any sort of dispute broke out!

3.  Sieh from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin

Sieh is the god of childhood, and more or less spends all of his time setting tricks and being childish.  Add this to Puck’s character, and I think you’d end up with a lot of annoying things happening for everyone else in the house, which would make for something really fun to watch!

4.  Quentin Clearwater from The Magicians by Lev Grossman

This is basically because Quentin is actually ridiculously annoying.  He’s very self-absorbed, and only really uses magic for his own personal means and gain.  With him around, I can imagine some of the more selfless characters getting annoyed pretty quickly, and given Quentin has a lot of power from magic, the fights/arguments would be brilliant.

5.  Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Again, a little bit more man-candy, but also, Jace has a temper on him and doesn’t suffer fools gladly.  I’d love to see what he makes of characters like Puck and Sieh, and how he copes with guys who are actually somewhat similar to him, such as Four.

The Girls:

6.  Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Rose is kick-ass, and has an awesome temper on her.  Plus, I’m pretty sure she’d be able to teach Bella Swan a thing or two about what vampires should be like!

7.  Bella Swan from Twilight by Stefanie Meyer

Again, another whiny character to add to the mix.  I’d also like to see how Bella copes with things, and other ‘dangerous’ people without Edward there to protect her.  Plus, as I’ve already mentioned, I can imagine her clashing with Rose given the vampires in the two universes are so different.

8.  Luna Lovegood from The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling

I love Luna as a character, and given all the strange things she genuinely believes in, I think she’d be really entertaining on a reality show, partly because I’d like to see how everyone in the house handles her.  Plus, a little bit of Harry Potter style magic wouldn’t go amiss!

9.  Vi Sovari from The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks

This choice is basically because Vi is a class-A bitch.  And she’s bloody dangerous with it, given her talent, and the fact that she’s a wetboy, which is basically one up from assassin.  I’m pretty sure Vi could hold her own in any sort of situation!

10.  Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth

In these kinds of thing, the producers always put in some sort of couple, and given Tris and Four are both interesting in their own ways, I’d like to see them together in this sort of thing. 

So what did everyone else choose this week?  Leave me your links! 

Stacking the Shelves!

So, I thought I’d join in with this – I’ll try it for the next few weeks, and see how things go! 

So without further ado, this week I received…

For Review:

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (Thanks St Martin’s Press via Netgalley!)

The Newfoundland Vampire by Charles O’Keefe (Thanks to the author!)

Other than that, I’ve actually been good and listened to my own book buying ban! 

What did everyone else get this week?

Giveaway Winner!

Just a quick post to announce that the winner of my 100 follower giveaway was... Christina Kay!  

She's chosen a copy of Legend by Marie Lu as her prize, and that should be on it's way as soon as The Book Depository get themselves going!  

Congratulations Christina! 

Feature Follow Friday

Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

Oh wow, can I count Gram and Lennie from The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson?  Grandmothers count too, right? 

If not, I’m going to have to go with Kate and her Mom from the Goddess Test – I mean, Kate was willing to move to a really small town for her sick mother, and spent all her time caring for her, and even though she was sick, her Mom tried to do the best for Kate she could. 

Then, of course, she’s awesome later in the series, but I can’t say more without spoilers! 

Book review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Publisher/format: Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

How I got this:  Purchased

Challenges: 2012 YA Reading Challenge

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Review:

Well, I have to admit, at first, I wasn’t as taken with this one as I was with Wither.  In my review of Wither, I pointed out my issues with Rhine’s mindset – I mean, if you’re only going to live until you’re twenty, I see no problem personally with living in comfort.  I see the value of choice, and yes, Housemater Vaughn is pretty messed up so far as villains go, but there seemed to be more advantages on the inside of the mansion than there would have been on the outside. 

Once again, that was an issue in this book, and actually the first half of the book really does play on that.  Rhine feels guilty for dragging Gabriel from the mansion, only to find themselves more or less fighting to keep themselves alive.  Especially when they find themselves captive, as a sideshow, no less, in a creepy carnival. 

The carnival itself shows another aspect of the world DeStefano has created, and shows the reader prostitution, though it’s almost portrayed as being the ‘nice’ side, if there is such a thing.  How?  Because whilst the Madame of the carnival seems to live in her own little world, she does at least seem to look after the girls living within it. 

Following this, the twosome make an escape, and head back to Manhattan to Rowan, Rhine’s twin brother.  Of course, this never runs smoothly, especially given that Vaughn clearly was not impressed with Rhine’s escape, and will do anything to get her back. 

Whilst I’ve mentioned the fact that Rhine’s world-view seemed odd to me in the first book, at least it was explained in this one.  The girl wants choice – and it’s actually understandable.  And whilst living your meager twenty years out in comfort might be nice, at least the way Rhine has chosen to live, she gets to have her thrills and whatever as she chooses. 

Really, I think the characters in this were much better portrayed, especially Rhine.  She actually misses Linden and the lifestyle at times, and whilst I can see that this sense of the grass always being greener might annoy some people, it worked for me.  Sometimes you really don’t know what you have until you’ve given it up, after all. 

The only character I felt I wanted more from in this one was Gabriel.  Admittedly, for a portion of the novel he’s more or less out of commission, but I wanted him to be more like he was in Wither. 

However, overall, this was a fairly good follow-on to Wither, and I liked the fact that you see more of the world, and even the governmental system within it. 

I’m definitely looking forward to the next one! 

Overall rating: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 4.5/5

Characters: 4.5/5

My Enjoyment: 4/5

Top Ten Tuesdays - Top Ten Quotes

Top Ten Tuesdays is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s theme is Top Ten favourite quotes from books. 

1.  “Ladies and Felines," he stated grandly, grasping the doorknob, "Welcome to Tir Na Nog. Land of endless winter and shitloads of snow.” Puck, The Iron King.  (Though, I could have listed more or less anything Puck has ever said.) 

2.  “I'm sure I'll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.” Cinder, Cinder.

3.  “king: "You're...you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!"
"Your Majesty," Durzo said gravely. "A man of your stature's cursing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears.”  Brent Weeks, The Way of the Shadows.

4.  “Maybe you'll win when hell freezes over."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That could be easily arranged.”  Aimee Carter, The Goddess Test. 

5.  “You have a... remarkable memory."
"I remember everything about you. You're the one who wasn't paying attention.” The Hunger Games.

6.  “I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.” Divergent

7.  “Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That's what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.” Delirium

8.  “She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more.” Under the Never Sky.

9.  “Oh, God,’ he whispers, reaching his hand behind my neck and bringing my lips to his. ‘Let’s let the whole fucking world explode this time.’
And we do.” The Sky is Everywhere

10.  “... if you're someone who knows the worst thing can happen at any time, aren't you also someone who knows the best thing can happen at any time too?” The Sky is Everywhere.  

Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher/format: HarperTeen, Kindle Edition

How I got this:  Purchased

Challenges: 2012 ebook challenge, 2012 YA reading challenge

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

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.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Review:

Wow.  This book was seriously a non-stop rollercoaster of action, starting exactly where Divergent left off.  The continuity was fantastic – it was almost like starting the next chapter rather than starting the next book, and that really worked for me.  Admittedly, I haven’t long read Divergent, but I think it would have worked well even if you read the first book a long while a

go, just because of the way Roth transports the reader right back into the dystopian Chicago she’s created. 

As in the last book, Tris makes for an awesome female lead.  I like the fact that in this book she has somewhat of a struggle with who and what she is.  She’s sixteen – I think most sixteen year olds have to spend some time exploring their character, and this is portrayed well without turning into a teen-angst type piece.  I also like the way that as a reader, you really end up feeling like your in Tris’ head, and you can understand how and why she makes the decisions she does.  Of course, Four/Tobias (more commonly known as Tobias in this book) is still as awesome as he was in the previous book – I think he may actually be my next serious book crush.  As with Tris, we gain much more insight into Four as a character, and I’ve got to admit, I’m impressed with the level of depth all the characters in this book seem to have.

Tris and Four’s relationship, I felt, was also tackled well.  it’s always there, in the background, but unlike in some other novels, it didn’t become the be-all and end-all of the story.  I appreciated that, and I like the gradual trust-building and tension-building between them. 

Obviously, in this book we learn more as well about what it means to be Divergent, and I have to admit, I was impressed with the scientific explanations given by the Erudite for the differences between Divergent people and everyone else.  Admittedly, I think this fascination was probably due to the fact that I studied Psychology at University, and therefore spend a lot of my time reading about brain structure and whatever else, but still.  I thought it was well incorporated and relevant, without being overpowering.  Basically, it wouldn’t have mattered if it wasn’t there, but for me it was just a little extra thing that worked really well. 

Basically, what I’m trying to say in this giant ramble of a review, is that I really did enjoy this book, and it was seriously worth all the hype and anticipation surrounding it.  If you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for?  Can’t wait for the next one!  

Overall rating: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

My Enjoyment: 5/5

Let's Talk: Books-to-movies

Question: What are your favourite and least favourite book to film adaptations, and why?

There have been a lot of questions like this in the blog world lately – probably since the release of The Hunger Games movie.  Admittedly, I liked that film.  I really liked it.  The director had apparently actually read the books, and I’m going to say here and now that it showed.  That said, usually that isn’t the case.  Normally I don’t end up liking the movie as much as I did the book, and even in the case of THG, the book was just better.

So really, this is a case of book-to-movie adaptations that I enjoyed (read as: did the book justice) and those which didn’t.  

Obviously, I thought The Hunger Games movie was done well.  I felt that it was well-cast (which is important) and as I’ve said, it didn’t deviate too far from the books.  They were also done in a way that meant that it wasn’t boring for someone who had read the books, but it wasn’t confusing for someone who hadn’t. 

The Harry Potter films were also impressive.  I admit, especially in the latter ones there were some discrepancies that bothered me – some things that I felt were important that had been left out, and some things that were obviously added just for cinematic effect.  That said, over all, I think they were done fairly well, and the cast was fantastic.  It also opened up the Harry Potter universe to an audience it may otherwise not have. 

In the same sort of vein, the Lord of the Rings films were done well. Yeah, they were long, but have you seen the books?  I think they really managed to capture things, and did it well. 

There were a few that didn’t work too well, though I really can’t think of them now!