Review - Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling DIVERGENT series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—THE TRANSFER, THE INITIATE, THE SON, and THE TRAITOR—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the DIVERGENT trilogy.

My 13 year old daughter bought me Four by Veronica Roth from her school book fair for Christmas. It was a super thoughtful gift because she knows how much I loved the original set of novels. I know that I'm a bit behind the times, since this debuted in 2014, but hey, better late than never right?

I'll keep this short and sweet. I loved the story. It was from Four's/Tobias's perspective and it was pretty awesome to be able to read everything from his point of view. We get his back story and a look in to the feelings he has and the things he's experiencing even before Divergent takes place. It was fun to see Tris through Four's eyes. To see their journey together. To see the kind of battle going on in his head when it came to his feelings for her.

We got a better look at Marcus and what a waste of breathable air he is. And kind of an extra sneak peak in to things between Four and his mother.

I really wish that we could see the entire series through Four's point of view. This novel brought back the excitement and the thrill of reading the first 3 books and I kind of wish it didn't have to go away. It made me rewatch the movies and since I hadn't JUST read the books when I watched them the second go around, I was able to enjoy them more.

So, if you liked Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant, you should definitely read this one too!

Review - Allegiant by Veronica Roth

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.

Well, I was sad to get to the last book in the series. Allegiant by Veronica Roth did not disappoint me. Well, at least not in a "Well, that book sucked" kind of way.

In this last installment, Tris, Tobias and Co. have ventured outside of the fence line in search of the truth behind the truth they'd been slapped in the face with. They come face to face with the fact that everything they thought they knew has been more or less a lie. They've been pawns in some kind of experiment in realizing genetic purity.

They think they've broken out of the prison of the war between the factions and the factionless yet they've ended up in a situation far too similar to what they'd been trying to leave behind. Tobias is losing himself in his attempt to gain control of himself, and Tris - the ever skeptical of ANY situation - is just trying to find out the nuts and bolts of it all.

The story is told from two different perspectives. Which is fantastic, I love being able to see in to the mind of both Tris AND Tobias... but sometimes I forgot who I was reading and had to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see who it was. Minor snafus, that's all.

I miss Tobias. The Tobias that I met back in book one when he was Four. The strong, somewhat silent but definitely strong Dauntless instructor. I can definitely understand why he has unraveled and become what he has, but it's just so sad. He's a shell of the person he used to be. But he has the small hope that after everything is over, he finally gets to be with Tris. No wars... no government take-overs...

Tris has gone from being unsure of herself, to being completely suicidal, to being steadfast and sure of herself, no matter what the outcome of any given situation. She doesn't define herself by the labels placed on her by anyone and doesn't pay any attention to them when they concern anyone else either. I really liked her this book. After her Katniss-meltdown in book two she really pulled herself back together.

Allegiant is still a relatively new book, so I can't say much (I know, I've said that in all three reviews, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone). But this book just completely crushed me. Like in the movie Titanic when Jack and Rose make it through being handcuffed, shot at, stuck on steerage deck, going down with the ship... just for Jack to freeze to death waiting for rescue in the water. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel... but the light ends up being a train.

Yeah, that's kind of how it felt. Like a giant train comes out of nowhere and just completely ran me down.

I don't know if this is the type of book that you can LIKE, per se... It was definitely a good book. But it just broke my heart. For days after I finished it I couldn't pick up another book because I just didn't know what I could possibly read after that.

If you've read Divergent and Insurgent, then you have to read Allegiant. You just have to. But be prepared for the kick in the gut that it's going to give you.

Review - Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

I don't know if I said this when I reviewed book one, but I am super glad that I waited such a long time to read this series. If I had had to wait ANY length of time in between reading Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth, I think I would have gone crazy. I don't recall ever having read a book before that literally had my heart pounding like mad. So Insurgent had a lot to live up to.

It starts off where book one left us. Tris and Four have just been completely devestated by the loss of almost all of the Abnegation factor and Tris's family, on top of the fact that she had to kill one of her closest Dauntless friends who was going to murder her under the simulation serum. After revealing that fact under a truth serum, she has to suffer through the fall out while Christina wants nothing to do with her and Four is upset that she seems to have issues being honest with him.

They seek refuge in Amity who decides to remain neutral. But, in an effort to remain the ever peace-keeping faction, Tris and her crew are not out of the woods yet.

I loved that we got to take a look in to all of the different factions more closely than before. We were so saturated with Dauntless and were only given glimpses of  the others. The world building and the descriptions and depth that's gone into during this story is absolutely fantastic. I've read a lot of stories where you get JUST ENOUGH to know what's going on, but nothing else. And those types of books always leave me wanting more. This series, though, Roth is wonderful at describing everything in such incredible detail that I feel like I can close my eyes and picture it perfectly.

Along with setting, feelings and emotions were thrown at me with such ferocity that I found myself feeling them right along with the characters. I got this throbbing ache in my chest following Tris through her emotional turmoil and could totally feel Four's fear as Tris spiraled further and further down in to the black hole she had fallen in to.

She kind of had a Katniss Everdeen breakdown. More like a Katniss Everdeen/Bella Swan (sorry, I know.... I hate making the comparison, I promise) breakdown. She was so stricken by grief that she was reckless, thinking that the only way to honor the sacrifice made by so many before was to do everything she possibly could to join them.

As with the previous book, I really don't know what else to say. There were so many amazing characters to write about, but I don't feel like I can just pick one or two (apart from Tris and Four) to talk about and do them justice. Books with so many characters sometimes have a hard time giving life to all of them. But these characters are each given personality and flaws and back stories that are just fascinating.

Again, I recommend this book to dystopian fans. Fans of the Hunger Games series and... just exciting reads in general. It may be a little too complex for younger readers to understand so it's probably better for an older crowd, but I think EVERYONE should read this. After you've read book one of course. Because it literally picks up RIGHT where the first story left off. Go read it! Now!

Review - Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

At the urging of a pretty cool tattooed chick with funky hair and facial piercings who works at the bookstore I frequent less than a mile from my house, I grabbed Divergent by Veronica Roth. I didn't read it right away, however. As a matter of fact, I didn't pick it back up off my bookshelf until after I saw the preview for the movie.

It's Choosing Day and Beatrice knows she won't be able to choose the faction she's grown up in, Abnegation. A faction full of selfless, invisible people. Instead, she chooses Dauntless... a faction full of wild and crazy people who just seem so... FREE... to her. She starts her new life with a new name, or at least a nickname, and sets to work attempting to make it through initiation so that she can become a permanent member.

Four is her instructor. And there is definitely chemistry there. And some confusion. She makes friends with the transfer initiates in her dormitory, or at least with a few of them. A handful seem to have it out for everyone they deem weaker than themselves and start to pick people off, vying for a coveted Top 10 spot and a place in the Dauntless faction for good.

Things aren't what they seem though. Not once initiation is over. Tris and her friends find out that there's an evil in the only city they've ever known. One that could take over their entire world and destroy it and everyone they love.

*

I would like to say.... it's been a while since I've LITERALLY not been able to put a book down. Since I've stayed up until 3 or 4 in the morning reading because I can't bear to go to sleep until I know what's going to happen. It's messed up my sleep schedule something awful, and I'm exhausted, but it was definitely worth it.

Tris, who thinks she's selfish actually ends up being one of the most selfless people in the entire book. She seems frail and afraid at the beginning, but (unlike SOME popular heroines in SOME popular noves (no hate, I've read them too, it's ok)) she doesn't stay that way. She doesn't depend on everyone else to take care of her. To protect her. She does the work and ends up being pretty badass.

Four is broken, that is painfully clear. But he is beautiful in his brokenness and his willingness to be vulnerable where Tris is concerned. And his willingness to let her help him try and put his pieces back together.

There are so many different characters that I could write about, but I just wouldn't know where to start or stop. Aside from Al, it seemed Tris chose her friends well. They were all super supportive of each other and even though they were from different factions with totally different personalities and completely different views on what was important in life, they ended up being amazing friends.

I love Dystopian novels. And I love them when they are similar to each other, but different enough that they don't just seem to be the same idea copied over and over again. The factions are supposed to help everyone find their place in the world and tell them what their function in society is going to be, but even the best laid plans don't work 100% of the time. Tris is proof of that. In spite of everything thrown at her though, she never quits.

The world Divergent is set in is a futuristic, post somekindofworldchangingevent, Chicago. It was interesting to see the specific nuances of each faction. Everything they chose, from their hair to their clothes to the decor in their houses screams what faction they're from. Abnegation don't look in mirrors. Dauntless wear tattoos and jump from trains. Erudite wear glasses even if they don't need them because it makes them appear more intelligent. Candor wear black and white clothing because that's how they see the world. And Amity are supposed to always appear happy and smiling.

I would like to think that I'd be in Dauntless. I definitely dig the tattoos for one thing. I can't NOT look in a mirror at least ONCE a day. Black and white all the time would bore me. I wear glasses, but not so I look smart... it's so I can see. And no one can be that happy all the time.

Anyway, long story short... Amazing book. Amazing story. I recommend it to any fan of dystopian in general or people who love books like The Hunger Games.

And cool tattooed chick with facial piercings and crazy hair who works at the bookstore.... thank you.

In My Mailbox #35

Thanks to Kristi, The Story Siren, for hosting In My Mailbox every week!

It's been a while since I had anything to post for an IMM. However, I have discovered the joy that is Ollie's Bargain Outlet which, thankfully, is just minutes away from my house.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

How awesome is that? With the exception of 2 of those books, I got them all from the same store and they cost me, in addition to books for my kids, $36. I mean really? And most of them are hardcover. Most I spent on 1 book from that store was $2.99.

I'm smelling a giveaway in the works! Maybe 2 because Maggie Stiefvater is going to be downtown next month and I'm going to go see her!! More details on those later. Can't wait to see what you guys got this week!