Thursday, November 14, 2013

Book Review: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

In case you are looking for my review of Insurgent, I honestly didn't write anything review-ish at the moment but you can always check it out on my Goodreads account. I didn't make an effort because I was so excited to jump to reading Allegiant.
I am planning to write a proper review about Insurgent soon!

Allegiant (Divergent, #3)Allegiant by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Edited :)

It was pretty devastating but it wasn't unexpected. Sacrifices must be made but still, one can't avoid the pain from seething in.

So, the conclusion to the well-loved Divergent series, Allegiant, initially brought me uncertainties, grief and then forced me to just move-on. Honest to goodness, I have doubts with the path this book is taking when I started reading it. Unlike the first few chapters in Divergent and Insurgent which already felt good and compelling, there was something eerie for me in this last book, initially though. I have several things in mind and I'm going to rant about all of them now...

First is the switching POVs of Tris and Four. In the past, it worked for me since I get to enjoy how things happen inside the heads of both leads but since the first two books are written in Tris' perspective, reading Allegiant got me all confused at first, and it took me some time adjusting so that I won't confuse Four's words for Tris'.

Second. What. Happened. To. The. Story. Ok. There's still a flow but so many things happened in between and everything was confusing as a maze. I am guessing that there was some difficulty in relocating the characters. Haha! The factionless vs. Allegiant war was pretty doop to me, now that I have to think about it. I have several situations in my mind which could have helped this book to work but of course, they'll just stay in my mind. Ok, let me say one thing: they shouldn't have killed Jeanine so unceremoniously like that. She was an effective villain for me and I think that she could have pushed the agony even further. The twist (bureau-thing) was okay to me, ambitious enough and I think that the author was able to at least put it in great picture but (and yes there's always a but) I would say that justice was not served, the ride was bumpy enough to get me lost. The story was hole-y and it turned out un-mendable as I continue to turn the pages. Add to that, at several points in the story, the characters tend to end up as ranting machines. Their words became senseless. Ok, there are some catchy lines which I can count in my fingers. In short, I'm so frustrated and disappointed with how the story developed in this book. I ache for the characters in the story because I came to love them so much.




Last. And this one is a huge, damning spoiler.





Why did one of the lead die? The story was depressing enough, in a sense that it was written that way. I know that sacrifices are to be made sometimes BUT, how can she (the author) get that one thing we're desperately holding on to, away from us. It hurts. It's depressing. Well, it's her story but after all this dystopian-crap dilemma, I was hoping to see a light. Well, a brighter light in the end, as I hoped.

Although I said all those things, I still like this series, well enough to make me anticipate for the movie next year! I know that books are not all rainbows and butterflies when they actually end, but one can always make and extended version. By reading we learn to divulge into a world where the author tries to lead us but in the end, I believe, that it is still up to us to make those little editing. Although Tris and Four's story is depressing as hell, I tend to just imagine and look beyond and see a peaceful world that Tris died for.

Ok. I just said her name.
And.
Like what they always say,

"Be brave."

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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for AlaskaLooking for Alaska by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I go to seek a Great Perhaps." -François Rabelais

"We are indestructible as we believe our selves to be." -Pudge

One of the books that I'll read over and over and over again!

"Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved." And it was a good reassurance, an enlightenment to me. Looking for Alaska proved to be a very promising and compelling. This book was written in a certain depth needed for personal, emotional growth. It was not mind-boggling at all but it was very emotionally stirring-- I laughed, I cried, I got mad and felt all other emotions while reading this beautiful book. It was so brilliant for it caters both mind and heart of the reader.
Although it took me a while, a week, to finish the entire thing, I felt so full of it like everything seethed within me. I am enlightened just like Banzan. Laughs.

This is my second book of Green and I would say that I like his style. Like what he did in Fault, he made a pretty sum-it-all-up in the end. Everything was just right and it worked perfectly for me. I love Green's point for this book, that we, teenagers, are balls of energy that are indestructible. And he is damn right that it's essential that we must learn not forget that as we grow up because as he has observed, adults are forgetting our capabilities and they tend to belittle us for we are young. That hit straight to my heart.


John GreenLooking for Alaska

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Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our StarsThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It felt like it was never enough, that I have not read Fault in our Stars enough. In the end, I just settled with the thought, "this is an example of impasse because I'm trying to get a definite understanding of how and why life happens." I'll never get enough of this book and truth be told, I want to read it, again and again just like how Hazel reads An Imperial Affliction. Funny.

Damn it, I'm just a spilling faucet. Fault in our Stars is definitely a God-given gift to all of us who must remember that to matter doesn't mean to make things that matter, we just need to live. This three-hundred-and-thirteen-page-book is made out of sheer genius and it has brought all these raw emotions stored, deep inside you and transform them into coherent laughters, upheavals, groans and tears. It's a book I'll cherish for the rest of my sanity. It stirred so much inside me and I felt so alive after reading it. Now, I felt like I am forever in need of John Green's view of the world.

***
To be honest, my entire emotion cannot be materialized into words at the moment because I'll end up ranting, that's for sure and I do not want that to happen. Me ranting would be like this:
I'm so constricted like my airways to what my belief is, is blocked at the moment. I felt so shunned.


Ok. I have to settle my self now. A very awesome book. I came to meet my new literary heroes-slash-inspirations. Thank you, John Green.

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Friday, November 1, 2013

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent, #1)Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I read all that in the first book alone. Divergent just left me, both in great awe and anticipation.

This dystopian society that Veronica Roth illustrated crept vividly in my mind. The adrenaline was surging inside me, like I was running and screaming with Tris the whole time. It only took me a day, not even actually, to read the entire thing because mind you, it's just so hard to put down!

I thought that the story was pure genius and entertaining. I was actually thinking while reading Divergent, what else could I expect with Insurgent, and then Allegiant? Will the story get better? How will the story go on now? I am left with great uncertainty. I surely am blanked and stoked because I have no idea, really. The unpredictability of the story just leave me wanting for very bits of it.

I cannot believe I actually missed reading this book because it definitely topped my book list at the moment and I'm pretty sure it could be in your list as well so go and read it! I mean, NOW!


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Monday, October 28, 2013

Book Review: This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover

This Girl (Slammed, #3)This Girl by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Damn it. I'm so in love with the Slammed series, I swear. No kidding.

What to say about This Girl... Spoilers ahead. Beware.

Colleen Hoover has probably enjoyed telling the tale in Will's POV as she has done it again here in This Girl, just like in Point of Retreat. Aside from all the honeymoon jitters, most of the book covered Will's round-abouts in Slammed and I would say that everything was really ugh-interesting. Well, this kind of thing is something I wished to happen in Twilight before and I'm actually guessing that Hoover probably had the same frustrations thus, undoing things in her work. Ok, that was me only assuming.

Anyway, I noticed some changes in scenes and dialogues when comparing from the first book, I didn't mind them at all because it was enlightening after being able to read how Will felt every single time he was ranting or whenever he decided to keep quiet. His intense stares to Lake just means more and urghhhh, it was really heart-warming. Like what I have said before, the slamming really gets to me and that would be a forever plus factor of this series.

In the last chapter of Point of Retreat, Will and Lake got married so this book is the continuance. Setting: honeymoon. In the last part of the book, more stars from Julia would appear and a very shocking gift would eventually come out!

I don't really want to make a nice summary of This Girl but I would be so happy to convince anyone to give this series a shot. This Girl is a good conclusion to the Slammed series and I'm pretty sure that it won't left you hanging and you'll end up wishing them butterflying happiness. Colleen Hoover just became one of my sought after contemp writers! For reviews of the other two books, check the ones I wrote!

Laters!

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Book Review: Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Where the Stars Still ShineWhere the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am almost done with the book tho' and so far, I am liking what I'm reading... I can't wait to write the review about this. It feels like it would be great to rationalize the whole thing.

UPDATED! Sorry for the delay

Trish Doller's Where the Stars Still Shine Is another contemporary novel that anyone's pulls heartstrings and that piece of work that keeps anyone from doing something else. Uhmmmm, that's probably an exaggeration but I felt those kind if moments when I was reading the book.

Our lead Callie endures a very, very problematic life-- she's been running from state to state with her mother to find the place that would suit them but to no avail; she lives thinking that her father abandoned them when she was little and never did she have anything that would make her feel regarded or special. Things started to change when she and her mom decided to transfer from one stated and then get caught. In the end, Callie was separated with her mom and she was given to custody to her father. Seeing her father being all but how her mom described him confused Callie. When she met her other relatives, she felt that love she was looking for and the trust she was trying to earn for. To heat things a little bit up, she met Alex Kosta, the man who would sweep her feet off the ground and would let her realize what real love is. Well, that sums up the story and that might put you off or in the story but let me say more things about it...

Well, I find the story interesting because it was influenced by everything Greek. It was a refreshing play of a culture I know but not familiar with so it was a plus factor of the novel. The slice of life theme was also a plus because it makes the readers relate and I would say that realistic to true to life stories usually don't go bad.

Where Stars Still Shine is not one of those complicated stories. It was a light read with just enough drama and turns. I would suggest this great book to those who wish to unwind and just relax.



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[Note] Updating soon!

Sorry I'm on a major lag at the moment! Review of some books are actually on pending but I'm working on some! I'll update one tonight! I think, for a comeback, I'll review "Where Stars Still Shine" by Trish Doller.

Laters!