Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth ☆☆☆☆☆

I literally just finished the last line and I am stunned into silence. I remember back to reading the first book last year when I said I would have loved to give it an 11 out of 5 stars. You can double that statement with this book. A lot of books in the middle of a series become nothing more than filler to get the arc to the end of the series. This book goes well beyond that. It created so much more than the first book was able to and went in more directions than I literally could have dreamed. I have fallen even more in love with this series, and can now appreciate fully my decision to re-read the first book in conjunction with this one.

It's really hard to express the emotions I've had throughout this book at this point. I'm not exclamation point happy because I'm honestly just stunned. The first several chapters were to die for, I was laughing so hard that I was covering my mouth to keep my neighbors from hearing my through our thin walls at 4am. I love the Dauntless snark and it reminds me so much of the snarky conversations I've had with friends and lovers in the past. It felt like home. :)

And as funny as those first several chapters were...things eventually got very real, and real means painful, confusing, and quiet. I was fully engrossed in the story like any other character. I was screaming at the characters. I hated them, hated how they were acting. And it had nothing at all to do with how they were written, they just stood out from the story for me that much that I hated them as if they were real. Bookish people, you get it and I know you do!

I also reminded myself how much I hate books where a war of some kind is taking place. I came to this conclusion during the Harry Potter series. (Sirius!!!) The first book of this series easily slipped from memory as it was just one book, but then came the Hunger Games series for me (Rue!). And now this series has officially become a series for me...and hell, I really hate reading war books. Loss cannot be avoided, but I care about the characters so much that I hate to see any go, even small ones that barely stand out. As much as I hate reading it and want to blame her, I know as a writer myself that she probably hurts more than any of her readers do over the losses. She lives with those characters every waking day as she writes.

All said and done, this series is amazing. I will recommend it over and over until the day I die. I have already begged and prodded people to read it and to join in with me. And to break the seriousness of my shock from this book turned into review with a little humor...and to also express how awesome I am at getting others to read the series, I present the most awesome discussion I have had while reading this series with my best friend (her first time with the entire series).

(During the last half of Insurgent)

E: Do you ever wonder if the Dauntless read stories about us haha, I mean not that half of them could read, but ya know
A: Hahahaha I can honestly say I don't think so. If they have, they were probably so bored they stopped haha
E: Hahaha point made!

Free Four (Divergent #1.1) by Veronica Roth

Free Four (Divergent #1.1) by Veronica Roth ☆☆☆☆☆

This is a joint review. I read Divergent last July and left an awesome review. And here I re-read it and loved it even more. I even noticed things I hadn't noticed the first time. Like how Tris could just as easily have ended up with Uriah and it would have been cute! Don't get me wrong though I'm a Four/Tris girl all the way. And I got to fall in love with Four all over again which is more amazing each time.

What made it even better was that I got to read Roth's side story told from Four's point of view just after I finished re-reading Divergent. Can I just say O-M-G?! I didn't think it was possible to love Four even more until the moment I started reading this side story. I already wished I could rip him out of the story and have him for myself and now I'm begging for the chance to do it! I fell for him on an even deeper level. He's a total jerk, but he also cares too much for his own good. And he doesn't always think about what he says before he says it, as evidence by both these stories.

I'm totally psyched to start Insurgent now!!! (Yeah yeah yeah, I know I'm behind, but I had school and stuff to get to first!)

A Million Suns by Beth Revis

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis ☆☆☆☆☆

This sequel to Across the Universe exceeded all my expectations. It had twists and turns that surprised me when I didn't think I could be surprised. When I thought I figured out something about one person, it ended up being more about someone else. Not only did this sequel have excitement, but it had a mystery with clues to follow. And while I love being able to figure things out in a book (often before the main character), I loved that I couldn't figure it out in this one. As they deciphered the clues, they explained to me their logic which I hadn't figured out on my own. And it all made sense. And I have to give serious credit for the amount of literature referenced and used in this story. While I'm familiar with the texts used, my hope is that it will introduce young adults to those amazing works of literature that need to be read. My only wish with it would have been that The Little Prince would have appeared in more than just a reference because that book truly is a life changer. Overall, this book was gripping in all the right places and I can't wait for the final installment in January 2013. Sci-Fi was never my kind of read, but I couldn't get enough of this series.

Thumped by Megan McCafferty

Thumped (Bumped #2) by Megan McCafferty ☆☆☆☆

I have a bad habit when it comes to books. Even if I don't like a book I read, if it is part of a series I tend to keep reading the series. I guess it's hoping that it gets better. I had my doubts about the first book, Bumped. I had no intention of really reading this book, but when it came out I picked it up anyway.

In the beginning, I wasn't sold. The things I didn't like about the first book were even more present in the second. The characters still weren't developed enough for me. In fact, my biggest problem with this book was Jondoe. He actually had one of the most developed characters in the first, and in this book he lost all character development he had and became a very flat, stereotype character more akin to a female role.

Remember I said I had a bad habit of reading books in a series even when I didn't like the first? Well it goes for the individuals books as well, if I don't like a book I'm reading I still trudge through it. Often times lately I've been surprised at how well the book turns out in the end. Honestly, this book probably deserves the 3 stars I gave the first, but it gained an extra star in the end. While this story was too light for me, missing a lot of plot and character development, and also missing complexities it needed, I had to admit that it has a moralistic point in the end that is good for teens to think about.

This series covers the topics of teen pregnancies and how it could quickly become a commodity if people over 18 couldn't conceive anymore. Think it's not relevant? All these teen mom TV shows lately show it's entirely relevant. We may not have that dystopian virus, but teen pregnancy becomes a commodity in TV ratings. So for having a good purpose, the series is a win overall for me. I still wish it had been fleshed out more like it deserved, but for the tween and teen groups it works. It's simple enough to get the complex issue across.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz ☆☆☆☆

I learned something pretty cool when reading this book. When you know an author, have heard them read, and hear them talk on a regular basis...yeah you hear them reading the book to you when you're reading it. It was really weird, but amazing at the same time. Saenz is a professor of mine, currently and in the past, and hearing him read and talk so many times, I could hear his voice in my head reading the book to me. Another cool superficial thing about this book, the cover is extremely beautiful! Ok, now to the real stuff.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is about two 15 year old boys that each have a hard time identifying with other people and find friendship in each other. And although this book is about two teenage boys, I could still completely identify with it myself. Ari is angry all the time and many say he also always looks sad. He hasn't quite found his place in life and isn't sure he ever will find it. Dante is charming and easy going, but although people easily take to him, he doesn't easily take to other people. One of my favorite parts of YA Lit is that it covers the topics of trying to understand yourself and how you relate to the world. I'm working on my Master's and I still don't feel like I've found my place, so this book was a great look into the characters and also into myself. Many reviews have said that this is a great book for boys, but I would argue that it's a great book for anyone.

Now, obviously I wasn't completely in love as I only gave it four stars, but it was within reason. I felt like a lot of portions of the beginning were too predictable and actually took me out of the story because of it. After finishing it, I realize that those sections were completely necessary, but I do still feel that they could have been toned down a little. They weren't subtle enough. But I do still love this book and believe that it's another great example of his writing. It's also been my first experience with a lyrical novel and I'm looking forward to reading more of them in the future.

The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy by Pittacus Lore

The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy (Lorien Legacies #2.5) by Pittacus Lore ☆☆☆☆☆

I was lucky enough to borrow this from someone because I just couldn't wait to read it. And it didn't disappoint.

When first meeting Nine in The Power of Six, he's almost wicked. He's described as being about the same age as Four, but there's something scary about him and you crave to know why. Starting Nine's Legacy you would never anticipate that they were the same person. Nine is a regular teenage boy that's impulsive and even a little shy. And all that changes so effortlessly that you can't help but hurt and feel a little wicked with him. I loved getting to know Nine and I can't wait to see how much further, and how he can change Four in the process.

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore ☆☆☆☆☆

This book went in so many directions I would have never expected, especially as the sequel to I Am Number Four. The most interesting was that this book was told in alternating narratives between John and number Seven, Marina. While alternating narratives isn't necessarily strange (as many books use it now), what was strange was how they used it. As you started a chapter, there was never any indication who was narrating. There was no name at the top of the chapter as a clue. You have to figure it out as you read based on contextual clues. And swapping between a male perspective and a female perspective is even more jarring. At first it happens two chapters at a time, and once you get used to the pattern it changes. A couple chapters even have both narratives speaking in tandem. It was incredibly interesting.

I loved how far John and Sam's friendship grew, and how their friendship with Six further developed. I loved getting to know Marina and how she relates to her Cepan and the people around them. I even love that I got to hate two characters that I should have loved. One I loved and then hated, the other I hated and grew to admire in the end. This book was incredibly complex in how everything was pulled together, and the battles with the Mogs were extremely detailed. There was even small things that became so interesting. Parts of Six's backstory were pulled into the narrative, but I still found it beneficial that I read the Lost Files: Six's Legacy before picking up the sequel. I can't wait to read the next novella installment, Lost Files: Nine's Legacy, (hurry up library and get this ebook), and the next full book, The Rise of Nine, in August!