Reviews, YA Dystopian

Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads:

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.

What I liked:

I liked that Insurgent had the same feeling of dread, excitement, and heart pounding adrenaline that Divergent had. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole entire time. The ending was… perfect. Veronica Roth is the only author I approve of using that type of torturous cliffhanger on me.

What I disliked:

I don’t really have anything negative to say about the book except that I kept thinking, “Dear women let me breath!!” At the same time, it is also why I like it. I am a very complicated person when it comes to this series. It also seemed that Insurgent lacked the ‘love’ part of the story. What redeemed the lack of love in the book was the ending, when Four did what he did (if you read this book already, you know what he did) and believed Tris. The understanding and loyalty between these two just gets to me. They may just be one of my favorite pairings at the moment.

Overall:

Insurgent was phenomenal. I loved every second of it and I can only hope Allegiant is going to be as good as the first two books in the trilogy.

Rating: 5/5

Rating System:

1/5: I hated it.

2/5: It had some redeeming qualities but overall, not a good book.

3/5: I liked it (A fun read).

4/5: I really like it, but something was missing.

5/5: I love it! It’s as close to perfection as it can get!

Random

Mash: Book Blog Edition

Jesse the Reader started the MASH: Book Edition Tag on Youtube and I’m bringing it over to the written format!

I played MASH many times when I was young (well I am still young but I am in my twenties, not in my tweens anymore) and this made me reminisce to a time where things were simpler and all of our life decisions were made by this simple little game.

All of the names, places, etc., must exist only in Book World’s. The categories I will be using I took from PolandBananasBooks and her list is longer than Jesse’s.

Categories are:

  • Future Husband
  • Best friend
  • Where will I live?
  • Mode of Transportation
  • Job

Here I go!

MASH

Future Husband:

  1. Tobias
  2. Will Herondale
  3. Adrian Ivashkov
  4. Eddie Castile
  5. Jem
  6. Hale

Best Friend:

  1. Elizabeth Sutton
  2. Rose Hathaway
  3. Ana
  4. Rebecca Baxter
  5. Kat Bishop
  6. Tessa Grey

Where Will I live?

  1. Gallagher Academy
  2. Uncle Eddie’s (from Heist Society)
  3. Divergent World
  4. London (TID)
  5. Paris, France (Anna and the French Kiss)
  6. Delirium World

Mode of Transportation

  1. Public Transportation
  2. Carriage
  3. A Classic Mustang
  4. Jet/Airplane
  5. Flying
  6. My own two feet

Job

  1. Government Spy
  2. A Con
  3. A school professor
  4. Police Officer (Delirium)
  5. Author
  6. In charge of Dauntless Initiation (Divergent World)

I got the number six, now let’s eliminate some choices!

Results:

  • Future Husband: Adrian Ivashkov
  • Best Friend: Ana 
  • Place: Uncle Eddie’s
  • Transportation: Carriage
  • Job: Author
  • And I will live in a Mansion.

Well, this was fun and it makes no sense.

“I will marry Adrian and we will live at Uncle Eddie’s in NYC even though we have a Mansion, unless Uncle Eddie stole the Mansion which means his new place is a mansion. My best friend will be Ana. I will move around town in a Carriage and I will work as an author.”

Totally makes sense right?

Here is a picture of my “great penmanship” where I played MASH.

My MASH: Book Edition on paper.
My MASH: Book Edition on paper.

I messed up the first time so I had to re-do everything again. That’s why my writing is no longer coherent. Oops.

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND: Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

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I haven’t been doing the Top Ten Tuesday posts for that long so I went back to the Top Ten Tuesday Archives of The Broke and The Bookish, who are hosting this lovely Tuesday meme, and I found a Top Ten I would have liked to do. At first, I thought it was going to be easy but then I noticed I’ve done a review on almost every book I’ve read this year. This Top Ten Tuesday ended up being much harder than I originally thought. Without further blabbering from my part, here is my Top Ten list for this week!

Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For:

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

2. The Selection by Kiera Cass

3. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

4. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

4. The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

5. The Daughters (the whole series) by Joanna Philip

6. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

7. The Liar Society by Lisa Roecker

8. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

9. Love Story by Jennifer Echols

10. Vampire Academy (the whole series) by Richelle Mead

 

 

Which books would you like to review if you had the chance?

To-Read

NetGalley Readings

I was approved and given a copy of each of the following books in exchange for a review. Both books are currently in your local bookstore so if they seem interesting, go check them out or buy them! I will be posting a review on each book in the next few weeks.

Happy Reading!

A-Corner-of-White

Goodreads Summary:

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

‘Perfectly strange, and absolutely comical and heartfelt … Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the most original writers we have.’ – Markus Zusak

thetwistedwindow

Goodreads Summary:

The new guy at Tracy’s school is handsome, intense, and desperately needs her help—but there’s something about him that isn’t quite right 

High school junior Tracy Lloyd is unsure about the new guy in school. Brad Johnson is attractive, smart, and polite, but Tracy can’t help but feel he watches her too closely. Then one day Brad confides in Tracy a horrible secret: His little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, and he needs Tracy’s help to get her back. But even as Tracy commits to a plan to help her vulnerable new friend, details emerge that suggest nothing is what it seems.
The Twisted Window is a zigzagging thriller that keeps readers guessing up until the final page. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Adult Contemporary, Special Review

Book Review: Etiquette for the End of the World by Jeanne Martinet

Etiquette for the end of the World by Jeanne Martinet
Etiquette for the end of the World by Jeanne Martinet

I was given a copy of this book through Net Galley. The description of the story was very promising which led me to request it. I started reading the book once I was approved, but after the first 30 pages everything started going down hill. I am sad to say that after trying to read it for over a month, I can’t make myself finish the book and I will write a review on what I’ve read so far. I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t.

Goodreads Summary:

A romantic comedy of post-millennial manners, apocalyptic career moves, and a woman’s last chance to get life right…

RULE #1: DON’T PANIC—IT ONLY ATTRACTS SHARKS

It’s not the end of the world. That’s what 39-year-old Tess Eliot has to remind herself after losing her newspaper column (“Tess Knows Best”) and being dumped by her boyfriend for a younger woman (a feng shui expert? Really?). Then Tess is hired to write an etiquette guide preparing readers for the Ancient Mayan doomsday of December 21, 2012, and she has to ask herself: Could the world really be coming to an end? At first, Tess fakes her way through chapters like “Boundaries in the Bunker” and “Cannibalism: Yes or No?” But after uncovering a secret plot for world destruction, she is forced to embark on a life-changing odyssey of her own—involving all-too-close encounters with touchy-feely survivalists, conspiracy theorists and one handsome guy who seems way too perfect.

What I liked:

I like that the book wasn’t badly written (as in I did not find any grammatical errors). I also liked the idea that was being marketed. The title makes you want to read the book and I like that. If this book would had been executed better, I would have been a fan of it for a long time.

What I didn’t like:

I did not like the characters in the story or how the plot was developed. The main character at first was someone I could be friends in real life and I kind of liked, but soon she started changing into something I could not stand. There are plenty of stories I’ve read with bad characters, but somehow you come to like them but Tess was one of those characters who I wanted to scream at and say, “Get a life! Grow up!” The only character I liked was Tess’ old boss who helps her obtain side jobs and in a sense is her advisor.

Overall:

I didn’t like the book and I couldn’t make myself finish it. What upsets me is that I requested a copy of this book to review it and I will be giving it a bad review but it happens. Everyone has a time where they have this awesome idea but it is poorly executed and it ends up being a mess. I am not bashing her writing but this story could have been better executed. It had so much potential for being great.

Rating: 2/5

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #2 All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

 

Another segment of Book Spotlight is brought to you by yours truly, The Talking Bookworm.

All-American Girl is a book I loved when I read in high school. Meg Cabot was my favorite author through middle school and high school and I still love her writing, but she hasn’t come out with any new YA books the past few years (or anything apart from the Princes Diaries Series). It seems she has switched her focus to adult fiction for the time being. Hope you like my recommendation for the month of April!

all-american-girl

Book Title: All-American Girl (All-American Girl #1)

Author: Meg Cabot

Org. Publication Date: August 2003

Goodreads Summary:

Samantha Madison is an average, cool Washington, D.C., teen: She loves Gwen Stefani (who doesn’t?), can draw like nobody’s business, and enjoys being opposite to her sister’s annoying ultra-social personality. But when she ditches art class one day, she doesn’t expect to be jumping on the back of a wannabe presidential assassin. Soon the young hero is receiving worldwide acclaim for her bravery, having dinner with her family at the White House, and is even being named teen ambassador to the UN. As if this weren’t enough, she and David, the president’s son, strike up a friendship that everyone wants the dirt on, which starts to give her romantic “frisson” feelings. Unfortunately, Sam thinks her sister’s boyfriend, Jack, is the true love of her life, and she makes a few wrong turns that could screw up what she’s developing with David. Will she ever stop following what she knows and start following what she sees?

 

Happy Reading! 🙂

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

toptentuesday-1

Another Top Ten Tuesday! Woo! This is exciting. I’m on a roll. Thank you to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting the Top Ten Tuesday meme. Without further ado, here I go!

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger

  1. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
  2. Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
  3. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
  4. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
  5. I’d Tell You I Love You But I’d Have To Kill You (Gallagher Girls Series) by Ally Carter
  6. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
  7. Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson
  8. Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald
  9. The Daughters by Joanna Philbin
  10. Love Story by Jennifer Echols

I haven’t been blogging for too long which lead to a long list of books I could choose from. I picked books I’ve read in the past 4-5 years because they are fresher in my mind.

What are some of your favorite books?

Book Blast from the Past

Book Blast from the Past Review: That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Originally Published: 1996

Copy Read: Reprinted 2012 edition

Publisher: Speak (An Imprint of Penguin Group USA)

Goodreads Summary:

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She’s nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister—the always perfect Ashley—is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley’s reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

What I liked:

There is something about Sarah Dessen’s writing that I can’t get enough of. It seems to be personal and impersonal at the same time. Haven’s journey throughout the book had a nice pace to it. It did not feel rushed but it also wasn’t slow either. There was a nice balance with flashbacks to the summer where everything was perfect and to the present where everything was in chaos. This book showed a teenage girl’s journey of growing up and seeing that the world isn’t just black and white, and not everything we see is as it seems.

What I disliked:

The ending wasn’t enough for me. I wished I could have seen more resolution in Haven’s life but knowing Sarah Dessen and her style of writing and structure, the ending I got was as much as I would get.

Overall:

That Summer is your typical Sarah Dessen novel. I enjoyed it and it wasn’t as sad as I thought it might me and that was good because I don’t think I could have handled sad. If you guys want to know what Sarah Dessen is all about, read her debut novel. It is not her best work but it is what started it all.

Rating: 5/5

Rating System:

1/5: I hated it.

2/5: It had some redeeming qualities but overall, not a good book.

3/5: I liked it (A fun read).

4/5: I really like it, but something was missing.

5/5: I love it! It’s as close to perfection as it can get!

Editor Letter, Random

YouTube Channel

Summer_Reading_08

Hello Everyone!

I’ve made a youtube channel for this blog. The channel name is: TheTalkingBookworm

I’m going to start making my book hauls into video format instead of a long post here so click on the link and go on and watch the latest books I bought that I will most likely be reviewing.

Book Haul #1

Happy Reading!

Editor Letter, To-Read

April Book Blast from the Past Preview

That Summer by Sarah Dessen
That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I will be doing Book Blast from the Past on That Summer by Sarah Dessen. If you guys want to know what it is about here is the Goodreads Summary:

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She’s nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister—the always perfect Ashley—is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley’s reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

Happy Reading!