Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant

by Veronica Roth 

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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Oh glory. I rarely review books right when they are released, so for those of you who love this series but haven't read it yet I will be more careful than I usually am and attempt to be (mostly) spoiler free. I ended this books with a definite love/hate relationship. Was it worth the read? Absolutely. Did it finish the series well? Absolutely. Did it tear my heart out and stomp on it? Absolutely.

I've decided I won't talk about the ending. At least not yet. GAH. THE ENDING. Oh yes, not talking about it.

I loved Tris's strength in this book. She is a marvelously strong, empowering character. And even though there was SO MUCH INFORMATION in this book, I still felt it didn't drown out the previous two books. I found the dual narrators a little distracting in this particular book, mainly because they are sometimes so similar that it didn't make the impact it could have. They needed different "voices". But it also allowed for a much wider perspective, which is always helpful. I was a little disappointed by a certain main character in the book, by the 3rd book in a series I expect characters to be a little more solid and dependable. Be a man! Seriously! I loved the internal struggles/humility of this character in the 2nd book, but by this book I wanted him to be over his issues and just get on with it. (I'm sure NO ONE knows who I'm talking about. I am subtleness itself ;) But I also loved loved the relationship development. We are well beyond instalove, this book was into the enduring, forgiving, deliberate choosing kind of love that leads to a depth that is beyond initial infatuation. This was probably my favorite quote of the book: "I used to think that when people fell in love, they just landed where they landed, and they had no choice in the matter afterward. And maybe that's true of beginnings, but it's not true of this, now. I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me." Ah.

And now for the end. I know! I wasn't going to go there. But I changed my mind. I didn't love it, but if it's what the author felt it had to be, then so be it. (Trying to be gracious. It's hard.) And she did it so masterfully and passionately and heartfelt that I'm not sure she could have ended differently and still had that emotional impact (of course, she could have TRIED. Oops. GRACIOUS). I can still love the book while grieving my happy ending. So while there was no book throwing, there were plenty of tears and I'll probably rewrite the ending in my head …

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: moderate/heavy; Profanity: none; Sex: possibly? slightly vague but certainly steamy

 

United We Spy by Ally Carter

United We Spy

by Ally Carter

 

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

 

 

(summary from goodreads.com)

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A good end to a fun series. I loved having all the roommates together again, awesome. And having Zach more in the picture is always awesome. I'm glad her inability to accept her life and skills is finally at an end and she can accept who she is. I loved seeing Liz more in the spotlight - I've always liked her. I would have liked to spend more time with the ending, I would have liked to spend a LOT more time dwelling in the epilogue. Oh well, perhaps there will be a cameo in some of her Heist novels. All in all this series is full of delightfully quick and entertaining books.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: moderate; Profanity: none; Sex: NO, I know, amazing

 

Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day

by David Levithan  

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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I'm not sure exactly what to say about this book. It was built around a fascinating premise, and though some general inconsistencies drove me crazy it was still a book that stayed with me long after the last page was read. I liked the main character and the ethical struggle he went through as he lived his life, or at least tried to, without unduly influencing others. And what a heartbreaking existence! So sad. I delight in solitude, as any good introvert, but I can do that because I also take great comfort in being loved, by belonging. By being surrounded by people and things that are cherished because of their continuity. And "A" had none of that comfort. What a horribly aimless, disconnected life.

The main problem I had with this book had to do with personal beliefs; I strongly believe that gender is an inherent part of a person. End of story. For A to claim to be ungendered, or bigender, or whatever, seemed unnecessary. Even transgenders still subscribe to a specific gender, though it be opposite to their biological gender. I also felt every "host" had an agenda - each was a short PSA on different social issues of the day. I was annoyed by A's inability to understand the difficulties Rhiannon dealt with. Could he really not understand how nigh impossible it would be to be in love with a different body every day? This book certainly opened up questions about the importance of attraction in a relationship, the importance of our physical shells. I think attraction is very important, especially during the initial stages of flirtation and budding relationships, but even more important is the familiarity of a beloved face. If my husband of (almost) 17 years underwent a huge physical change it wouldn't really matter - he would still be the man I married so many years ago (of course, if he all of a sudden switched genders on me there would be BIG problems. Would I still love him? Yes. Would I love him in the exact same way? Honestly no  - but I think for him to want to SWITCH genders he would have to be a significantly different person than he is now, but I digress. Wildly. BIG digression.) But oh so long ago if I "liked" a boy and he completely changed what he looked like every single day? From day one? That would just be weird. You could never get a handle on who he "was". You could never picture him or dream about him or obsess over pictures of him. Even in other fiction where there is transmogrifying (magical or otherwise) and such there is usually still a "person" after all the changes are done. A standard. A "real" and "true" appearance. And even A felt attraction was important - he waxes eloquent about how beautiful Rhiannon was. And then my next question, could A really not understand that it was difficult for Rhiannon when "he" (for lack of a better word) was a female? Really? Even in this day and age of relaxed social mores and sexual flexibility, it's perfectly acceptable to love and be attracted to only one gender. It was also unbelieving how A couldn't see the logistical barriers to a longterm, intimate relationship. Spending every day driving sometimes hours to see her? Abandoning someone's body far away from their home every single day? Or taking the time to then return it? And that doesn't consider Rhiannon's problem - dropping everything in her life, every single day, to spend time with him. Um, NOT a healthy relationship, but then again I thought she was manipulated through most of their relationship. Even if his theory about living in a large city was correct - could he really take someone away from their home/job/life just so he could live HIS life? Never being able to introduce your love to your friends, family, coworkers. Never having a life with him beyond the very confined walls of "coupledom". And those questions don't even take into account the question of intimacy. Wouldn't using someone else's body in that way be almost be akin to rape? And then the ending. No sweet closure here. There was no way to solve all of the problems but I can't say I loved how it DID end. REALLY? It's like if my husband died but before he did he set me up with his "replacement". REALLY? Poor Rhiannon, manipulated again.

As I mentioned, this book made me think. Obviously. A lot. Long after I had finished reading it, so in that way it succeeded in spades. A very thought provoking book filled with uncomfortable questions. I had to remind myself to stop stressing, it was FICTION. There really AREN'T benign (or otherwise) entities possessing random people for 24 hours before moving on to another Host. Phew.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: mild; Profanity: moderate; Sex: almost, with some discussion

Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

The Chaos of Stars

by Kiersten White 

 

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up.

Of course, as the human daughter of Egyptian gods, that pretty much comes with the territory. She’s also stuck with parents who barely notice her, and a house full of relatives who can’t be bothered to remember her name. After all, they are going to be around forever—and she’s a mere mortal.

Isadora’s sick of living a life where she’s only worthy of a passing glance, and when she has the chance to move to San Diego with her brother, she jumps on it. But Isadora’s quickly finding that a “normal” life comes with plenty of its own epic complications—and that there’s no such thing as a clean break when it comes to family. Much as she wants to leave her past behind, she can’t shake the ominous dreams that foretell destruction for her entire family. When it turns out there may be truth in her nightmares, Isadora has to decide whether she can abandon her divine heritage after all.

 

(summary from goodreads.com)

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Super cute book, and get this - I think it's even a stand alone young adult novel. I KNOW! I too thought those didn't exist any more, or if they did they were elusive creatures with rare sightings. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing these characters again, they were charming and delightful, but the point is that I don't HAVE to see them in order to be satisfied with this book. Nice.

I have so far loved all of White's heroines, though they have all been different. Isadora seems to be a mix of the two we've already seen. A little tougher than Evie with a sense of realism that reminds me of Fia. Anyway, cute book. Some of the hemming and hawing and back and forthing of the romance got a little tiring, but this is YA, what do I expect. Still a cute read, and fun to be immersed in Ancient Egyptian culture for a bit.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: mild; Profanity: none; Sex: not directly, but some in the relating of egyptian myths

 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves 

by Maggie Stiefvater  

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

(summary from goodreads.com)
 

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This book is beautifully, masterfully written. Stiefvater doesn't just write books, she crafts them. Each sentence is well thought out and she is delightful to read. I love the quirks throughout the book - little witty sentences that make me laugh even in the middle of tense scenes. I loved the brotherhood evident in this book, especially during the light hearted moments. As a sister of 3 and mother of 4 boys, I felt right at home amidst all these boys. SO glad Noah is still around, love Blue and Gansey, so interesting to get a better insight into Ronan. This book was definitely not the typical second book, hooray! The plot progressed leaps and bounds, my need to head bash was minimal. Adam was frustrating, but that just seems to be where his character is going. The scene between Ronan and Noah on page 78-79 was hilarious and pretty much made the book for me. Getting to know the inhabitants of Blue's house a little better was also delightful, and I loved the introduction of Ronan's little brother. I even liked the Grey Man, what a fascinatingly complex character. I hated Kavinsky, but I think that was kind of the point, though there was may too much of him. All in all, a delightful book to read … except for one thing. Maggie Stiefvater! The language! REALLY? Was it really necessary? A little over the top, don' t you think? Can YA books really HAVE that much bad language? And a little thing that drives me kind of bonkers, what does Blue look like? Every other character is richly and thoroughly described except her. She's petite with short hair and THAT'S IT.  No eye color, race, hair color (just dark), body shape, nothing. Let me be clear - it DOESN'T MATTER. But I like picturing my heroines and I can't seem to picture her yet. How can I not be entirely sure what she looks like this far into the series?

Otherwise the book was grand. Excellent ending, hooray for Ronan! With of course the obligatory twist but it wasn't terrible. A fabulous series, can't wait to read the next one so we can finally know the answer to WILL HE OR WON'T HE DIE?????

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: YES; Profanity: SO MUCH; Sex: lots of innuendos with possibly an off screen adult match up but very vague

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate

by Erin Bow 

 
A debut novel that's as sharp as a knife's point.

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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A very melancholy book. Beautifully written but a sad story with a decent ending for the main character but very unresolved for everyone else. Too many bad things happened to too many people for me to love this book. I liked the Russian angle of it, very unusual. I also LOVED the talking cat. But I also wanted Kate to be less alone in life and I'm not sure if that was resolved at the end. A sad book.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: heavy; Profanity: none; Sex: hmm, can't remember. Mild if anything.