Recommendation: Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth 

Release: May 1, 2012 

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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.

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AH! I know I was supposed to post this up YESTERDAY, but I was pretty busy. What with finishing my very last final and all. Did I mention I am now officially DONE with my undergraduate education? So excuse me for being in a "daze" and forgetting to post. Anyway, here’s my review of Insurgent (without spoilers):

Thanks to the lovely Claire LeGrand, I received an ARC of Insurgent in the mail. It didn’t matter that I had finals to take. I devoured those pages.

And it was worth it. 

Insurgent begins right where Divergent left off, with Tris headed to Amity headquarters. Some of the people who criticize Divergent because of it’s lack of “plot”, save for the last 100 pages, will be happy to know that Insurgent is non-stop action. It had a very different feeling about it and I am so, SO happy that Roth didn’t shy away from the emotional consequences of Tris’ actions. She’s grieving and that is completely realistic. No sane person would go through what Tris went through without some scars. 

And both Four and Tris have their fair share of scars.

Speaking of the couple, they are back in full force. I really appreciate that Roth decided to create tension between Four and Tris without the use of a love-triangle. There is NO LOVE TRIANGLE here. Instead, we have two people who love each other and who are struggling to survive. Their past experiences, their differences of opinion, and their struggle to survive all make their relationship rocky but VERY real. 

I only have issues with Four when Tris revealed something during a Candor investigation (via truth serum). He gotupset over something that has nothing to do with him. Something I thought would have been trivial. But Four blew it out of proportion and I was left unsettled by the resulting argument. 

Roth ALMOST passed the line with their relationship, but I think I got to understand why Four acted the way he did toward the end. It is the only qualm I have with this, otherwise, amazing book. And the twists! I did not see ANY of them coming. Really. This book is one heck-of-a ride and I love Four and Tris.

Also, I mentioned in my Divergent review that I had issues with Roth’s world building. I can (almost) take that back, now, after reading Insurgent. Getting to see how the factions of Amity and Candor live was fascinating! But in order to keep this review spoiler-free, I won’t explain why. I will only say this: Roth very well may make me believe in the world of Divergent with her final installment. The ending of Insurgent promises to answer many questions about their society as a whole and I. Can’t. Wait. Do I HAVE to wait another year?

Anyway, GET YOUR COPY NOW. It's out today.

RATING: 4.5 SLICES 

Recommendation: Everneath

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Release: January 24, 2012

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Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's..

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So we all know the story of Hades and Persephone (or at least, the basics). Everneath by Brodi Ashton takes it to a NEW. LEVEL. I had heard so many good things from reviewers that I had to read for myself and I absolutely loved it.

Everneath is a retelling of Hades and Persephone in modern day. In an attempt to free herself from all the pain, Nikki Beckett rashly agrees to leave with this guy, Cole. He takes her to Everneath with the promise that she'd no longer feel pain. Nikki believes him, and yet, during the 100 years spent in Everneath she never forgot the people she left behind: her boyfriend, her father, her brother. So she decides to return home, knowing she'd only has 6 months to decide her fate: return to Everneath with Cole and become his Queen, or refuse and be exposed to something called "the tunnels". In a way, it's a version of Hell. The story opens up with Nikki returning home, where she's been missing for six months, and what follows is a heart wrenching story that I highly recommend.

I know that I am not doing a spectacular job of explaining what Everneath is about, but at least I tried. It's actually a complicated book, going between past and present and weaving in themes of love, obligation, redemption, and family. Perhaps the change between past and present puts off some people, but I liked peeling back the layers and slowly getting to see the build up to Nikki's decision to leave. Not only that, reading about the past helped develop the relationship between Nikki and her boyfriend, Jack. It made me care about them even more...

And Cole. Oh Cole. He's quite possibly my favorite character in Everneath. I found myself grinning at his  snarky comments, despite the fact that I was rooting for Nikki and Jack the whole time. And what is interesting is that this isn't your usual love triangle. It's a 'which boy do I love the most' it's more 'how can I be with the RIGHT boy'. The world building was the main thing that fell flat. I think the world and rules of Everneath could have been explained and/or further developed BUT I have a feeling that this will happen in the sequel, Everbound. And can we talk about that ending? It made me tear up! I didn't want it to happen, but really, it was the ONLY way for the book to end. I think.

All in all, Everneath is a book that I highly, highly recommend.

RATING: 4.5 SLICES

Review: A Breathe of Eyre

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Release: March 27, 2012

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Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

Let me say, first off, that Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite novels. So when I saw that Eve Marie Mont was writing a YA novel about a young girl who gets sucked into Jane's Gothic World, I had to get my hands on a copy. And I did.

A Breath of Eyre is about Emma, a reclusive 16-year-old teenager. When she's given a copy of Jane Eyre for her birthday, Emma is immediately drawn to the story and character. Like Jane, she is quiet and reclusive. Like Jane, she's quite inexperienced with love. When she gets struck by lightning and is sucked right into the book, though, things begin to change...

Emma, in a sense, becomes Jane. She learns from her in a way I believe all young readers should learn from books.  She's come to understand what it means to forgive and free oneself from the heavy weight of guilt. I also thought that the way Eve Marie Mont changed the story arc of Jane Eyre was bold and refreshing. It taught me to look at the novel in a very, very different light. I don't think I will see Bertha in the same way again, and that's all thanks to Ms. Mont.

The similarities in story arc was interesting as well. Emma has a crush on her school's English teacher (a good many years older than her) and he becomes Mr. Rochester. Blanche Ingram is portrayed by the school vixen. And a certain guy that Emma grows to love holds a pretty dark secret (ala Mr. Rochester).

Eve Marie Mont also created a cast of character that I now adore and can't wait to see in the next two Installments. I completely related to Emma, and her banters with Gray (local bad boy/childhood playmate) were quite amusing. I love them both. However, the most compelling character (for me) was Michelle . She's Emma's roommate, but also far more outspoken and more "rowdy", with some baggage of her own. Michelle felt very, very real. 

I only have two concerns. The "second" part of Emma's emersion into Jane Eyre's world seemed rushed to me. The last concern has to do with the next two books. How many times will Emma get "knocked out" before it becomes too unbelievable? Don't get me wrong. I love, love, LOVE A Breathe of Eyre. And I'm sure I'll love A Touch of Scarlet and A Phantom Enchantment. I'm just hoping that Mont can come up with some creative ways to draw Emma back into the world of books. 

This book is really great for anyone--Jane Eyre fans or not. And thank you Eve Marie Mont for such a fantastic read!

Rating: 4.5 Slices 

Review: Something Strange and Deadly

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Released 7/24/2012

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance

This is my first experience with Steampunk and Zombies. The gene in general is not necessarily to my tastes, but I am in LOVE with Something Strange and Deadly. The characters and plot were so well rounded, and the pacing so TIGHT, that it didn't feel like a 400 page novel.

Here's a short summary of what SS&D is about:

Eleanor Fitt lives in a world were it is not "uncommon" for the dead to occasionally rise. Lately, though, it's become a huge problem, and when a corpse delivers a letter to Eleanor from her brother, she is forced to make certain decisions. Her brother's life is at state, and she will stop at nothing to rescue him from the Necromancer that is reeking havoc on Philadelphia.

Are you interested now? Good, because now I can tell you all the things that I loved about SS&D.

First, the characters. Eleanor is an amazing protagonist. Some authors tend to make the plot "happen" to the character, but I feel that it's more enjoyable to see the protagonist take action and drive the plot forward. This is Eleanor to a T, when she's forced to take actions into her own hands to save her brother, Elijah. The twists and turns she takes you through will make your head spin (but in a good way of course). Then there's Daniel--ahhhh. Can we just take a moment to swoon?

*pauses*

Okay, swoon time is over. Now, I won't say much about Daniel, except that I'm very glad Susan Dennard left their relationship up-in-the-air. Their chemistry is spot-on, and it's definitely not a "love at first sight" thing (something I think we all can appreciate). I also have great respect for Susan for her attention to detail. I absolutely LOVED the historical background--it felt so REAL (something I'm sure was a result of extensive research). My only SLIGHT disappointment was that the "Spirit Hunters" weren't as "big" as I assumed they'd be. By the time I was halfway through the book, though, I forgot about that disappointment at let Susan's story speak for itself. Lastly, there was the issue with Daniel's past. I had no problem with it--only that he appeared to live a bit too freely under the noses of police and reporters to be believable. But mark my words, this is a debut you don't want to miss.

Something Strange and Deadly is filled with non-stop action, twists and turns, and amazing characters. It will make you laugh, smile, cheer, gasp, and gnaw at your cheek in fear. I eagerly anticipate the sequel.

OH! And thanks to Holly Dodson for hosting this FABULOUS ARC tour.

RATING: 4 1/2 SLICES