Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.18
Pages: 525
Format: E-Book

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.

Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.35
Pages: 487
Format: Kindle e-book

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.

Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 3.65
Pages: 526
Format: Finished copy, Purchased.

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.

Surprise!

So I will admit that I have been a total tease to you guys for the last day. I've been talking about this big surprise that I have for you guys and here it is! I've also mentioned that I'm going back to school, so this surprise is going to help with that. So check behind the jump to find out what this surprise is!

BEA Recap Day 3

Kristan and I with the pretty boys.

So day three was actually Wednesday for me. That day I had a friend who is an educator come with me, so I didn't feel alone. Little, did I know that this day of them all would be a day that I would feel the least alone. I started out the day with Kristan and Jamie and Lexie who I didn't get to see much of the day or any of the days really. It was there that we met Sylvia who turned out to be someone awesome to spend the day with. While we were waiting on line, two beautiful Angel boys started walking around talking about the cover reveal of the final book in the Hush, Hush saga.

We started out hitting booths that we really wanted and then Kristan and Sylvia and I meet up at the Harlequin booth for their Teen Hour signing. We had gone to their signing the day before and it was there that we found out we missed Alice in Zombieland, a book that went out to the first 50 people. We made sure we were the first 50 on Wednesday. We shows up 2 hours early and managed to convince them to hand out the books because I had to run over to Sarah J Maas's signing of Throne of Glass. I was super stoked that I got the books signed and was able to accrue so many more books in those two hours. Sylvia and I had a debate on how to pronounce Julie Kagawa's name, which she settled in my favor. I also got to meet Kady Cross who had bubblegum pink hair (which I loved) and she was rocking some great crowns on her person.

Our little group. Angel, me, Sylvia, Jamie and Kristan.

From there we went to gather a few more books, and then I sat in line for the Harper Teen signing, another two hours where everyone left their books with me while they ran around and got more. Not that I'm complaining, I got to sit while everyone else made a mad dash for other books. Kristan went to the Throne of Glass galley drop and grabbed me an extra for me to pass on to my co-blogger Amy. (Happy Birthday Amy!) Then it turns out that the 5th in our group, Angel grabbed another one for me, I wound up with three copies. Sylvia grabbed me The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson because I was stuck holding down the fort.

After that there wasn't much else going on, I managed to grab Libba Bray's The Diviners signed with a really cool necklace as well. I think one of the best moments was when I managed to grab Eve and Adam after I missed getting it on Tuesday. That was a really great moment. My biggest regret is not taking more pictures to show you guys, I guess there is just so much going on that I didn't realize how much time I didn't have to do a lot of things.

On my way back from the Javits Center (alone since my friend left half way through the day), I saw that they were placing the space ship on the Intrepid and that was really cool to get to see. While on the ferry back to the mainland, I met Anna from Read Between the Lines who were also their way to their hotel. They didn't get a copy of Throne of Glass, so I gave them one of my other copies and a few secrets about what I learned through the day.

My mess of Day 3 on the Living Room Floor.

Free Four (Divergent #1.5)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.66
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 13
Reviewed by: Nicole


So Veronica Roth promised that if we pre-ordered 35,000 copies of Insurgent, then she would release a short story that she wrote for Four's POV that took place during Divergent. I was super excited then this was done with Hana for Delirium, so you can only imagine how excited I was for this short story.


Goodreads synopses:


A never-before-seen piece from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth: a pivotal scene from DIVERGENT told from Four’s point of view.


I'm not even going to add a jump.


So I really enjoyed reading this because it was a nice quick fix for my need of Four and Tris. I thought that going to Tobias's mind was something that as a reader was really important because when things are first starting with Tris and Four we have no idea if the attraction between them is just in Tris' head or if it is something that is mutual. This scene proved that from the start it was an equal attraction.


I liked that she chose to do the infamous "Knife Scene" were Tris comes to Al's defense and takes a knife for him, literally. I liked seeing that Four did everything for her. I also found it delectable that he decided to feign boredom my scratching his eyebrow with a knife (Its not safe kids, but my mental image is just amazing). 


There is a lot in this that can be spoiled and I would rather not do that to you, because why? Because I want you to read Divergent, and then become hooked and then read Free Four, and then become even more addicted, and then devour Insurgent only to become angry at me because you have to wait for the last book. In the words of my good friend Brittany "you're bad for my health because all you do is get me addicted to things." To which my response was "Good thing I don't do drugs." So please. Read. Enjoy. And most of all, Thank me for getting you hooked.

Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.58
My Rating: 5 Gold Stars
Pages: 530
Reviewed by: Nicole


AHHHHHH. I couldn't wait for this book, and although I have other dystopians calling my name, I decided that this book needed to be read. Like yesterday. It took me two days to read this book only because my eyes did that thing that happens when you read too long, they got super blurry and I couldn't see anything, but then I got to finish it. You can check out my review of Divergent here. Insurgent hits stores today, May 1, 2012.


Goodreads Synopses:


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.


Check out my review after the jump.

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.40
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pages: 487 pages


This book has been blowing up my recommendations page and just happened to be another book club book. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to stomach another YA Dystopian book, It would appear that this type of writing has taken off lately, between the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Shatter Me, and a whole host of other series that are centered around the idea that the world is going to change in the future. Clearly I was pleased with this book, and think that there are actually a lot of lessons that could be learned in this book.


Synopses from Goodreads:


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her. 

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


My review after the jump!