Allegiant (Divergent #3)

IMPORTANT NOTE/WARNING: YOU MAY DIE A LITTLE BIT AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK.

Title: Allegiant

Author: Veronica Roth

My Rating: 5 stars

So, when I got my hands on this book, I thought that I was ready. Ready for Trobias/Fourtis, ready for some more action and above all, ready for a happy ending. This ending however, mocks Mockingjay and puts it to shame. But why don't we begin from the beginning?

Chaos reigns in the city and Evelyn begins to rule. The factions have been destroyed and uproars are caused. A group of citizens- the 'Allegiant', wanting to reform the factions invite Tris and her friends to go outside the fence.

When they reach beyond the fence, the characters find out the unfathomable truth, the reason for the factions, their city and their own existence.

What I liked about the book:

The alternating POV. It provided a clear insight of things from both the protagonists and it was nice to discover Tobias' thoughts and intentions. **mild spoiler**After that ending, I get why it had to be written in dual POV. :'(

The style of writing and the overall plot. The one thing I like about Veronica Roth is the fact that she doesn't compare non-white characters to food. (It's the small things that make the writing enjoyable and readable.) She doesn't say, for example 'She had chocolate brown skin' or 'His skin was the colour of mocha.' which can sometimes be really annoying. She writes it properly 'a girl with light brown skin and a...'

Also, the plot, not the plot of this particular book, but the overall dystopian plot of the trilogy is both clever and entertaining, without being too overboard or far-fetched.

What I disliked HATED about the book:

That stupid, stupid ending. This was me when I read that ending.

The Deaths. Those freaking, idiotic, unnecessary, idiotic deaths. The deaths of the best characters. Why???

Still, I gave this book 5 stars. It destroyed me but it was devastatingly kick-ass. What can I say? I make weird statements and like weird books. My sincere apologies to everybody who reads my weird reviews.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: YOU MAY DIE A LITTLE BIT AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK.

Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures #1)

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

My rating: 2 stars

I tried to like this book. I really did. Honest. Cross my heart... 

But all it did was give me a massive headache. After listening to 40 minutes (give or take) of praise about this book from my friend, I decided to read Beautiful Creatures. Instead of reliving my headache and irritation, I'll narrow it down to the good 'ol Pros & Cons list and leave the rest to y'all. Good lord, I'm startin' to slowly write like Southern Americans!

Pros:

Reading a young adult romance/ paranormal from a male's perspective. Although Ethan wasn't exactly very 'relatable' or 'swoon-worthy' he was a pretty likable character and it was interesting to read from his point of view.

The potential of the plot; the ideas of Casters to me, personally, was considerably more appealing than sparkly vamps or fuzzy wolves.

All the characters except for, surprise, surprise...LENA! (Oh and except for the school kids who bullied her- no matter what, they were being mean.)

Cons:

Hmm... let's start with...yep you guessed it- Lena. She was just so darn annoying. Whinging on and on about how she was going to the Dark side and hurting poor Ethan. I mean I get it. You do not have to reinforce the point into my head 1,874 times. I mean 1,873 OK but not 1,874. That's when my patience ends. That's where I draw the line _________________________________ P.S The use of hyperbole has been employed in this paragraph ;-)

Sorry, but does the scent of rosemary and lemons sound or rather- smell attractive to you? I mean does that sound/smell like a 15/16 yr old girl or a meal garnish?

Also, the plot just dragged on and on and on and the ending was very, very, VERY infuriating. All those pages and... nothing even happens. UGH! After tolerating hundreds of pages filled with nuisance and nonsense and what happens? Ooh that's right- Nothing much. Obviously, the authors *death glare at authors' names* are trying to get me to read the next book. Ha! Methinks not.

I'm not even going to watch the movie! Mwahahaha. That's right- authors, producers and cast- suffer my wrath forever FIVE-ever.

Maybe one day... I will recover from this blow. I doubt it though...

Adios.

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

My Rating: 4 stars

After wanting to A Shade of Vampire for so long, I was deeply excited and grateful when Ms Bella Forrest sent me a copy of the book for honest reviewing.

The book starts of with the main female protagonist, Sofia Claremont, a 17 yr old girl who is walking alone at night on the beach, upset with her best friend Ben for forgetting her birthday. She is then kidnapped by Lucas, a vampire, to be a part of a harem for his older brother Derek Novak. She is taken to Blood Shade, an island sanctuary which was built by Derek to protect the vampires from Shadow Hunters, who want to exterminate them. Derek is also the leader and prince of the vampires, being the most respected and powerful of them all. He awakens from a 400 year sleep and falls in love with Sofia.
I like the characters for having distinct and strong personalities and characters. Sofia is a strong character and she never shows any fear to Derek and protects the other girls too. Derek was also sweet and his protective nature towards Sofia was adorable.The style of writing in A Shade of Vampire was excellent, it was descriptive and helped to form connections between the reader and the characters. You could clearly picture the settings and scenes, which was really interesting.I think that this is a fantastic book and I can't wait to read the next one.

Mercy

My Rating: 4 stars


I really enjoyed reading Mercy. It was a compelling read with great characters and a strong plot.

The book begins with Mercy awakening in the body of an insecure teenager called Carmen, who is on a trip to Paradise in a music program. For Mercy, this is nothing new, because she repeatedly finds herself 'soul-jacking' different girls; sharing their bodies and controlling their minds and actions. She has been a young mother, an abused girlfriend and a wealthy, spoilt girl. It is implied that this is a form of punishment, although the reader does not find out what her wrongdoing is. Not knowing her own identity, she calls herself Mercy, in hope that someone takes mercy upon her and ends her suffering. The one thing she remembers is Luc, who is her love, inhibits her dreams and tries to find her as she is forced into different people's lives around the world.

Back in her currently host body, Mercy arrives at her host family, the Daleys, who are depressed and still grieving their daughter, Lauren Daley who was kidnapped from her bedroom two years ago, never to bee seen again.

Ryan Daley, her twin brother still continues to search for his sister, believing that she is still alive. From some intuition, Mercy realizes that he is right and begins to help him find her.

Meanwhile, Mercy is bullied by her some of her peers in the music program, due to her small body and teenage eczema but also due to angelic voice being the envy of others.

Throughout the book, Mercy stands up for Carmen, and deals with her peers and settles into her new life. She also develops a friendship with Ryan, which clues at future romance.

This book is full of suspense and mystery, and it kept me properly engaged and impatient for the next one. There is an obvious background story to this series, one which I cannot wait to explore. And although I felt unsure of Luc being a good character, I loved the others, especially Mercy. She had great depth and her narration was concise and wholly satisfying. Being in those different lives and bodies makes Mercy sound sage and intelligent, both old and young. Her able character and astute personality set her apart from other YA heroines, making hers a great story.

The mystery of the missing girls and Mercy's own being constituted into making an engaging novel for all YA readers and I cannot wait to read the others. Rebecca Lim has written an amazing story and I cannot wait to read her other works.