Graceling Review

I want to start off today by thanking everyone who continues to return to my blog. Your readership is greatly appreciated! I'm steadfastly working around the clock to revise Desiderium, but I've recently been a little sidetracked. I'm going to be entering Desiderium into an online pitch slam, in which authors use no more than 6 lines to pitch their books to a few select agents. Needless to say I'm having a little trouble cramming everything into 6 lines, but here's what I have so far. I'm not satisfied with it yet, so please let me know what you think.

Desiderium Pitch:

To protect society from the one person who has the power to turn desires into reality, desire is illegal. The government uses chip implants to monitor citizens’ desires in an effort to identify and kill the Desiderium, but the ability is always unknowingly passed onto another as soon as the Desiderium dies. Like everyone else, Rhiley Winters refuses to let herself feel desire until she meets Isaak and time literally slows down around them. Then a six-year-old is killed for bringing dinosaurs back to life and everything changes when the government reveals that the ability of the Desiderium is always passed onto someone under the age of 18, and Rhiley begins to question everything she’s ever been told.

Graceling Review:
Alright, onto Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I checked this book out weeks ago, and just lately got around to reading it. I would highly recommend it to just about anyone who loves to read. In Barnes & Noble it always appears on the "If You Like the Hunger Games" endcaps, and I would agree that if you like the Hunger Games you'll probably like Graceling, but this book his its very own unique premise.

Here's a little blurb about it: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Here's my take on it: I LOVED this book. It started off a little slow, and I don't even think I really got into it until I was 70 pages in, but after that I was completely sucked in. Cashore does an excellent job of creating an awesome world that I fell in love with, and her main character is very likeable--not to mention a strong, independent woman, and I think the literary world needs a few more of those. One thing that irked me a little bit was that the main character, Katsa ends up with Po, and knows that she loves him, but has no problem spending months away from him at a time. In the sequel, eight years later, which focuses on a different character, it's mentioned that Katsa and Po are still together, but haven't seen each other for months (again). Maybe it's just me, but you would think they would want to spend a little more time together if they were really so in love.

One of the reasons why I think it took so long to get into this book, is that the book is written in third person. My personal preference is for first person narrative, but obviously that didn't stop me from reading this amazing book. Cashore's writing is very eloquent, and I can't wait to keep reading the sequel, Bitterblue later tonight if I have any time after I get off work at 11 p.m. and spend some time working on my own book. More reviews to come.

Revised First Five Pages of Desiderium

I do have a couple of YA books I just finished that I need to review, but today's post will be dedicated to the new revised first five pages of Desiderium. I've made a lot of changes to it, and I'm much happier with these revisions. Please let me know what you think in the comments section! All right, here goes...

Chapter 1

The deadbolt of my front door clicks and the door creaks open, urging me to move faster. More time to get ready would be nice. As soon as I think it, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to distract myself. I can’t want that. I can’t want anything. Not if I don’t want to end up in jail.

My bracelet blinks yellow for a few seconds and then stops. I heave a sigh of relief. If the light turns red, it means the amount of dopamine in my blood is over the legal limit and the government will know about my desire. It’ll be a matter of minutes before the government officials show up. I know they’re just trying to protect us from the Desiderium, but an official knocking on my door is the last thing I need.

“Are you ready to go, Rhiley?” My best friend JM wanders into the living room and plops a copy of my house key onto the coffee table.

“Only if I can study in the car,” I say as I throw my hair into a sloppy bun and jam my books into my bag.

“You do know you can take a break, don’t you?” he asks as he topples onto the couch and sinks into the worn-out cushion.

“I don’t have time for a break.” I don’t have time for much of anything. I wince as soon as I think it.

“You might very well be the only 17-year-old workaholic in the world,” he smiles as he tosses a pillow at me.

As I gather the rest of my things, I can’t help but notice the concerned look on his face. His chocolate colored eyes always reflect a hint of worry whenever he gives me some variation of the “you work too much” speech.

JM hauls himself off of the couch and reaches for his key.

“You know I don’t have a choice. And if we don’t hurry I’m going to be late for class.”

I shove him towards the door, but he doesn’t budge. He chuckles and shakes his head in amusement as he steps outside. I shoot him a reprimanding look, but his smile forces a grin onto my face. JM and I have been best friends for ten years and I don’t know what I’d do without him. He’s the only reason I feel anything since my brother died.

JM leans against the side of the house as he offers me his copy of my house key. I shoot him a playful glare and lock the door. He grins and jumps off the porch. I chuck the key at him, but he turns just in time to catch it. He waves the key tauntingly and jogs over to the car. I shake my head as the gravel crunches under my feet.

JM climbs into the driver’s seat and reaches across to open the passenger door for me. I toss my bag onto the floor and hop in. His car whispers to life as JM flicks on the radio. The blaring music makes me flinch. I roll my eyes and reach over to turn it down. JM smiles and shakes his head as he backs the car out of the driveway. For the rest of the ride, he hums to himself while I try to study.

Before I know it, the Central Washington University sign whirs by us as we approach Bouillon Hall.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say as we pull into the crowded parking lot and I jump out of the car.

“No problem. I’ll see you back at the high school,” he hollers after me.

Frantic students brush past me as my legs glide across the floor. Once I reach the secluded classroom, I slide into an empty seat in the back with just enough time to cram in one final minute of studying.

“Good morning class,” the professor says, interrupting my thoughts. “Please put everything under your desks except for a pencil. For those of you who have just been added to the class, you will not be required to take the quiz but you will be responsible for the material. For everyone else, you have exactly ten minutes.”

Students are always adding and dropping classes in the first couple weeks of the quarter, but there’s always the slightest chance I’ll see somebody from the high school. There are a few of us who take advantage of the Running Start program that lets high school students take college classes for free.

Most of the faces in the room seem familiar. I’m about to look away when a student a couple of seats to my right catches my attention. He brushes his curly amber hair out of his face to reveal startlingly deep blue eyes. He doesn’t look much older than me, but I don’t recall seeing him around Ellensburg High School. I definitely would have remembered him.

His eyes catch mine and something sparks inside of me. He raises his eyebrows, adding a sense of mystery to his subtle smile. A deep breath brings me back to my senses. My lip twitches into a smile and I convince myself to look away. It isn’t easy.

Someone jabs me in the shoulder and shoves the stack of quizzes in my face. I slide one off the top and notice the new student doing the same. My pencil slides across the paper until all of the questions are answered. With two minutes to spare, I flip my paper over and lay my pencil on the desk. Everybody else is still scribbling away at their quizzes. Maybe I could just sneak one more peek at the new student.

His quiz is already flipped over. His eyes find mine and hold my gaze. My eyes glide across his face. His eyes do the same to me and I can’t help but wonder if he sees the same green-eyed girl with curly hair and tiny ears that I see when I look in the mirror. My stomach ties itself into a knot. I wish I knew more about him. As soon as I realize what I’m doing, I have to regain control of my thoughts.

My bracelet blinks an annoying shade of yellow.

My eyes dart around the room, searching for something to distract me. Whatever I do, I cannot let myself feel desire. The chips embedded into our forearms monitor the level of dopamine in our system, which is the government’s way of monitoring our desires. Trace amounts will make the bracelet turn yellow. An abundance of dopamine will turn the bracelet red.

People tell me I won’t even be tempted to feel desire anymore when I’m older. It’ll be nice. Then I won’t have to worry so much about setting off the red light on my bracelet or letting the words want and desire slip out of my mouth.

The door slams open behind me, forcing my head to whip around. Two police officers barge into the room trailing a uniformed official. The official passes the professor a respectful nod.

I subtly glance down at my bracelet and heave a sigh of relief that it isn’t red. It isn’t even yellow anymore.

“Samantha Jones,” the official’s voice booms.

All eyes shift to a girl in the front of the room.

“Yes?” she stutters.

The police officer slides out a pair of handcuffs.

“The levels of dopamine in your system have exceeded the legal limit. You are under arrest.”

The solid red light on her bracelet gives her away.

“No, you don’t understand,” her voice shakes.

The officer yanks her out of her seat.

She screams.

Before anyone can realize what’s happened, the girl’s elbow smashes into the police officer’s nose. Blood trickles down his face. The desk crashes to the ground. The room erupts into confusion as she makes a break for the exit. The second police officer stumbles after her. Just a few feet from the door, the official reaches out, his face expressionless, and shoves a black object against the girl’s side.

Her body convulses as she tumbles to the ground. The official slides the Taser back into his pocket and waits as one of the police officers slides the handcuffs onto her wrist. A tear streams down the girl’s cheek as the officer jerks her up off the ground.

“Sorry for the interruption,” the official passes another nod to the professor as they lead the girl out of the room.

The professor nods in return. “Back to work everyone.”

>>>>>>> <<<<<<<

Cinder Review

First off, let me say that this cover is completely awesome. I was intrigued by the concept of the book, so I picked it up off the shelf.

Cinder Synopsis
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness.

But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

The Verdict
I would say that overall, this is a solid read, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good cyborg story, but this book wasn't something I would consider to be absolutely amazing by any means. The plot was interesting, but there was nothing driving me to get to the end of the book. This book took me almost a week to get through. I don't have a lot of reading time, but believe me, when there's a book I like I will make time for it. This one though was just kind of there.

One thing that really irked me about it was that it had this huge secret that anyone could see coming from the first third of the book, and it was sort of annoying that it never even occurred to any of the characters until the end of a book. Don't get me wrong, a twist at the end is nice, but not when you see it coming a mile away and it's not even that twisty.

Kudos though to the author for giving the classic Cinderella fairy tale a more female-empowering premise and protaganist. And even more kudos for the cliff hanger ending that has most likely convinced me to read the sequel.

Overall a good read, but nothing all that special.

Leah Cypess Interview

I have no good news yet to report back on finding an agent for Desiderium. Although my brother helped me come up with an idea that I think will make the book a lot stronger, so I'm really excited about it! On to other things...Leah Cypess, author of Mistwood and Nightspell has agreed to do an interview for us. I met her once at work years ago, and then decided to give her books a try. They are both excellent, and I'm really excited that she was willing to do this. For anyone who likes YA books, check out her website. She also has a trailer for her first book on Youtube. Now, onto the interview!

First off, I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. And congratulations on your new book deal!

Thank you! I'm hugely excited about it.

As a mother of three children, how do you find time to write? It’s hard enough when you don’t have any children!
True; I sometimes remember how hard it was to find time before I had kids and wondered what on earth I was doing with myself back then. But the simple truth is, I did plenty of stuff that I don't do anymore. I used to love finding new recipes and cooking new concoctions for dinner every night. Now, I do that perhaps once a month. I used to make all my baked goods from scratch - ha! I used to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I used to... okay, you know what, I never used to keep my home clean. But maybe it was a little less out-of-control messy than it is right now.

So basically, my answer is that I find the time by giving up a lot of other things that would eat up my time. I never sit and watch tv (I do watch tv, but only while I'm folding laundry or exercising or cooking), I don't shop for clothes, and when I get invited to a party, my first thought is what excuse I'll use to get out of it. Luckily, I love both being with my kids and writing, so giving up the other stuff doesn't seem like that big a sacrifice.

Both Mistwood and Nightspell feature strong female protagonists. Who do you identify with more—Isabel or Darri?

That's a hard question! The flip (although true) answer is that I identify most with the character I'm writing at the time. There are aspects to each of them that are very similar to me, and also aspects that are very different.

The worlds that you’ve painted in Mistwood and Nightspell are absolutely spectacular. How did you dream them up? Thank you! The larger world in Mistwood is mostly based on a combination of the standard high fantasy landscape and my knowledge of early modern castles -- the legend of the Shifter, however, I made up on my own. (Although in retrospect, I realize that its roots in my subconscious had a lot to do with The Last Unicorn by Peter S.Beagle.) Nightspell had a more original setting and that world was therefore more difficult to write. I did some research, mostly reading about Byzantine courts, but in the end it was mostly a lot of thinking about how that world would work, much of it spurred by hard questions from my fabulous editor.

My absolute favorite scene from Nightspell was when Darri threw the silver at Callie and realized she was a ghost. Did you picture revealing that information to the readers in that particular way when you first wrote Nightspell?
That just might be my favorite scene too. I don't remember when exactly I wrote it, but I do know that it was in the very first draft of Nightspell and changed very little over the five plus rewrites I went through. So it was imbedded into the book very early.

Nightspell ends with the uncertainty of whether or not Callie will make it home alive (for lack of a better word). Did you originally see it ending differently?

No, I wrote that ending in the first draft too (although the wording and situation of that scene actually changed quite a lot during revision, the essence remained the same).

In your mind, did Callie make it home “alive”?
No, I think she passed into true death when she rode over the border. (Normally I'd say I want to leave it to your imagination, but I actually tried to indicate it strongly in the book -- apparently not so well!)

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? The planning, the drafting, the revising, or the publishing?
Without question, the publishing. All the rest of it is at least somewhat under my control, even if it sometimes doesn't feel that way. But as a writer, there is very little I can do to affect anything that happens to my book during the publishing process or afterward. Half the time, I don't even know what's happening.

Many of us are eagerly anticipating your new duology. Where are you in the process of writing Deathsworn?
The first draft of Deathsworn is done (by first draft, I mean pre-revisions with my editor - it's already gone through four or so drafts on my computer). I'm currently working on the first draft of the sequel while waiting to start revisions.

Will Deathsworn be anything like Mistwood and Nightspell?
In many ways, yes; it features a young girl in a dangerous situation, surrounded by people with secrets, who will be forced to uncover the truth and make a very difficult moral choice. But my protagonist is very different from either Isabel or Darri (in ways that make her much more difficult to write!), the setting and mystery are very different, and the choice she faces is of a different nature entirely.

Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this. We wish you the best of luck with your two new books!

Thank YOU! You ask fantastic questions.

The Battle of the Query Letters

The query letter is the first thing the agent sees when you ask them to consider your book. There are a few different parts to the query letter, but I especially need help deciding on the summary portion of my query letter that tells the agent what the book is about. So far I have two options, and I would really love to hear what you guys think, so cast  your votes at the bottom of this post. Right now, I think I'm leaning towards option #1, but I could really use a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. opinion. And as always, if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Summary Option #1:
Desire is illegal. People don’t need food to survive. No one can have more than two children. Some can fly. Others have special abilities. All because of the Desiderium. The Desiderium always appear to be perfectly normal—until they desire something with every fiber of their being and it actually happens. Then they’re killed.

Like everyone else, Rhiley Winters refuses to let herself feel desire until she meets Isaak and time literally stands still around them. After one remarkable night together, she blurts out the secret she’s been guarding for years—the secret that could have her thrown in jail. Then the Desiderium is killed and everything changes. As Rhiley struggles to survive in a world in which husbands and wives, fathers and sons, and brothers and sisters turn on each other at the slightest suspicion, she begins to realize that things aren't always what they seem.

Summary Option #2:
DESIDERIUM takes place in a world where one person has the power to change anything by simply desiring it with every fiber of their being. Society will stop at nothing to be protected from the Desiderium, who they fear more than anything. After all, the ones they've already killed were responsible for strictly controlling people’s weight, how many children they can have, what kind of businesses they can run, and what kind of cars they can drive.

Like everyone else, Rhiley Winters refuses to let herself feel desire until she meets Isaak and time literally stands still around them. Rhiley is desperate to figure out his secret, but can she bear to tell him hers? Especially with the government monitoring their every desire. Can she survive in a world in which husbands and wives, fathers and sons, and brothers and sisters turn on each other at the slightest suspicion? As she struggles to survive and keep her secrets from the government, she begins to realize that things aren't always what they seem.

Desiderium: The First Five Pages

I'm about to start reading a new YA book, but I've been so caught up with the first couple chapters of my own book that I haven't had a chance yet. So instead I'm posting the first 5 pages of Desiderium for anyone who wants to read them. Some agents request 5 pages, and some request 10, but either way the first few pages have to be the best they can be, so if you have any suggestions or comments about the first 5 I would love to hear them. Please be honest! Even if you don't have any comments, I would love to hear if you find it interesting, or if it loses your attention at any point. This information would be especially helpful in knowing where to speed up the action. Thank you so much in advance for all of your feedback.

Alright, here goes...

Chapter 1

The deadbolt of my front door clicks and the door creaks open, challenging me to move faster. More time to get ready would be nice. As soon as I think it, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to distract myself. I can’t want that. I can’t want anything. Not if I don’t want to end up in jail.

“Are you ready to go, Rhiley?” JM wanders into the kitchen.

“Only if I can study in the car,” I plead.

“You do know you can take a break, don’t you?”

“I don’t have time for a break,” I brush it off.

“I think you might be the only 17-year-old workaholic in the world,” he smiles reservedly.

As I gather all of my stuff together I can’t help but notice the look on his face. His chocolate colored eyes always fill with worry whenever he gives me some variation of the “you work too much” speech.

“You know I don’t have a choice. And if we don’t hurry I’m going to be late for class.” I use all my force to push him through the door but he doesn’t budge. That’s one of the downsides of having a best friend who spends so much time working out. He doesn’t even have to flex to be able to resist all of my force.

He chuckles quietly and shakes his head in amusement as he steps outside. I would be mad if it weren’t for his smile. It has a strangely powerful effect on me.

I follow him wordlessly to his car and try to hide the smile that is threatening to escape my lips. I don’t know what I’d do without JM. He says he needs me more than I need him, but I don’t believe it.

“Have you heard the rumors?” JM asks as his car quietly hums to life.

“What are you talking about?” I ask absentmindedly as I pull out my textbook.

“The Desiderium,” he says pensively.

I stop in my tracks as a shiver travels down my spine.

“What about the Desiderium?”

“People are saying they found him. He’s dead.”

My eyes bore into his as the steady rhythm of my heart is disrupted.

“What happened?” my voice shakes.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “It’s probably just a rumor.”

“Probably,” I say uneasily.

I take a deep breath. Nothing about my life feels different. Not yet.

I tune out the soft hum of the radio and try to focus on studying for my math quiz. It was just a rumor. It would be silly to worry about it. When I look up, we’ve already passed the Central Washington University sign and are quickly approaching Bouillon Hall.

“Thanks again for the ride,” I say hurriedly as we pull into the parking lot.

“No problem. I’ll see you in sixth period,” he hollers after me.

Safely inside, I slow down to a walk and check the time as I turn the corner. Once I reach the secluded classroom, I slide into an empty seat in the back with just enough time to cram in one final minute of studying before the lecture.

“Good morning class,” the professor interrupts my thoughts. “Please put everything under your desks except for a pencil. For those of you who have just added the class today, you will not be required to take the quiz but you will be responsible for the material. For everyone else, you have exactly ten minutes.”

Students are always adding and dropping classes in the first couple weeks of class, but there’s always the slightest chance I’ll see somebody I know from the high school, even though there aren’t very many high school students who take advantage of the Running Start program that lets us take college classes for free.

I recognize most of the faces in the room from the first week of class. I’m about to give up when I spot a student a couple of seats to my right. He brushes his curly amber hair out of his face to reveal startlingly deep blue eyes. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes that blue. He doesn’t look much older than me, but I don’t recall seeing him around Ellensburg High School. I definitely would have remembered him.

As if somehow able to sense that I’m staring, he slowly turns in my direction. Almost instantly, his eyes catch mine and a jolt of adrenaline courses through my body. There is something about the way his eyes lock with mine that’s incredibly exhilarating.

He raises his eyebrows, adding a sense of mystery to his subtle smile. My lungs suck in extra air, slowly bringing me back to my senses. My lip twitches into a smile and I convince myself to look away. It isn’t easy.

Someone jabs me in the shoulder and shoves the stack of quizzes in my face. I slide one off the top and notice the new student doing the same. Maybe he transferred from a different section of the same class.

My pencil moves steadily across the paper until all of the questions are answered. Two minutes to spare. I flip my paper over and place my pencil gently on the desk. Everybody else is still scribbling away at their quizzes. One more glance wouldn’t hurt.

His quiz is already flipped over. His eyes quickly find mine and hold my gaze. I’m beginning to feel like an idiot for getting caught staring at him so many times. Although it is a little strange that he always seems to know when I’m staring at him—unless that’s not why he’s staring back. His expression doesn’t give anything away.

I wish I knew what he was thinking. The thought starts to form into a desire and I have to quickly regain control of my thoughts. It would be nice to get to know him. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. A feeling of resentment creeps up at the thought of not letting myself get to know him, and I realize my desire hasn’t been fully squashed. I’ve never had this much trouble controlling my desires.

I continue to fight against it and force myself to focus on something else. My eyes glide across his face and I try to memorize everything about it. His eyes do the same to me and I can’t help but wonder if he sees the same green-eyed girl with curly hair and tiny ears that I see when I look in the mirror. Our eyes find each other again and another deep breath brings me back to my senses. It feels like an eternity has passed since I finished my quiz.

My eyes flicker over to the clock on the wall.

8:08.

I do a double take. Impossible. I finished my quiz at 8:08. It might not have been an eternity since I finished, but it has definitely been at least three or four minutes. There’s no way not even a minute has passed. Concern creeps onto his face and his eyes flicker to the clock then dart back down to his desk.

I glance back over at the clock to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.

8:10.

I think I’m definitely starting to lose it. There is no way more than a couple of seconds have passed.

His eyes stay glued to his desk. Is it possible that he was somehow aware of how slowly time was passing around us? Or was everything all in my mind? Maybe JM is right about me working too much. Maybe I’m going crazy. I cringe at the thought.

“Pencil’s down,” the professor breaks the silence. “Pass your quizzes to the front of the room.”

Once the professor has everyone’s quizzes he jumps right into the lecture. My hands copy everything he writes on the board as I steal occasional glances at the new student. His eyes don’t budge from the front of the room.

After what feels like only 20 minutes, the sound of zippers overpowers the lecture. There’s no way 40 minutes have already passed. I look up at the clock just to make sure.

8:49.

Without questioning it, I toss my notebook into my book bag, pull out my Creative Writing notebook, and try to blend in with the crowd of students flocking to the door.

Once I’m safely concealed by the crowd, I peer over at him one last time. As the rest of us scuttle out the door he waits calmly to step out of the room. It’s as if he has all the time in the world.

>>>>>>> <<<<<<<

Thumped by Megan McCafferty

First off, I want to start off my saying that I actually managed to read in the car without getting sick this weekend. All it takes is blowing the AC right on my face to the point where I had to put on a coat, but I would say it was well worth having something to do on the 13 hour car ride.

Needless to say I was not up until all hours of the night reading this book. I really enjoyed Bumped, the first installment, and had high hopes for this sequel, but they didn't quite live up to my expectations. For anybody looking for an intriguing plotline, I would definitely recommend Bumped in which a virus renders everyone over the age of 18 infertile, so teenagers are encouraged to "bump" or have children and then give them up for adoption, as is the case with Melody. Or, as in Harmony's case, they're forced to become wives and mothers at the age of 13 in a secluded religious community.

Both books follow the story of Harmony and Melody, twins separated at birth, and their struggle to survive in this dystopian society. All in all I would say that Thumped was good, but not nearly as good as Bumped. There was nothing driving me to get to the finish.

As a sidenote, in this sequel, Melody is pretending to be pregnant with twins, like her sister actually is, and the book keeps hinting at how she might actually be pregnant, even though there's no possibility of that. I would also have to say that the whole time I just kept wondering why Harmony would want to return to Goodside, her religious community, when she and her husband weren't really together, and it was clear from the beginning that she didn't really belong there - as evidenced by the fact that the church was going to take her twins from her.

All in all a very original plot, and a quick read. More to come later this week.

Insurgent Review

I'm excited to have the review for Insurgent by Veronica Roth up on the day it's released. There are definitely some perks associated with working in a bookstore. I've been really excited about this book coming out since I read the first book, Divergent, last year. I absolutely loved Divergent. For those unfamiliar with the series, here's a little background info on the first book.

Quick Divergent Summary: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.

I fell in love with this book when I first read it, and actually got my husband to be almost as hooked on it as I was. If you love the Hunger Games, this series is a must-read. In Insurgent, 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.

My thoughts on Insurgent:I was up until 3 a.m. a couple of nights reading this book, and I would have to say that overall I liked it a lot, I just didn't love it as much as I loved Divergent. Overall I would have to say the book is certified awesome. Without the use of fear landscapes, there isn't quite as much action, but there is a fair amount of intrigue as Tris struggles to figure everything out. And I have to say that I love it when good books are long...it gives me more time to spend in the world I've come to love. The society that Roth has created is astounding. Essentially, everyone is categorized by a single characteristic, and is terrified of everyone who has more than one personality trait.

I love the concept, and I have to say I love where the series is heading. You know throughout the book that there's some huge secret about what's outside of the city's walls, but I was a little shocked when I finally got to the secret. Definitely worth waiting for, and I can't wait to read the third book, whenever it happens to hit the shelves. Despite this book's awesomeness, there were a couple of disappointments. I know it makes for a boring story when couples are blissfully happy and there's no strain on the relationship, but I hate it when main characters don't tell their significant others anything and everything has to be a secret. That's just a personal preference though. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that there is a big secret revealed about Tris's brother Caleb that I didn't see coming.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview from YA author Leah Cypess.