Crossed

Crossed by Ally Condie

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary (From back cover)

The Society Chooses Everything.

The books you read.

The music you listen to.

The person you love.

Yet for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will sacrifice everything to find him. 

And when Cassia discovers Ky has escaped to the wild frontiers beyond the Society there is hope. 

But on the edge of society nothing is as it seems...

A rebellion is rising.

And a tangled web of lies and double-crosses could destroy everything.

Review

After everything that's happened there's no way Cassia is just going to let Ky go, and with the help of Xander she doesn't have too. Told from both Ky and Cassia's point of view this instalment of the Matched trilogy follows Ky on his quest from answers and Cassia in her hunt for Ky. 

After being taken from his home in Matched Ky finds himself on the edge of The Outer Provinces, segregated from The Society, fighting an enemy that might not even be there. Knowing that he can't go back to his previous life Ky finds a way to leave and heads into The Carving's hoping to find some form of freedom. 

Cassia meanwhile has been taking assignments that will get her closer to The Outer Provinces, closer to Ky. Finally making it, she finds she's always one step behind him. She's got nothing left, just her determination to find the truth, to find the boy she thinks she loves and a stash a the blue pills. 

In the first book, Matched, we were told about the three pills all members of The Society are forced to carry at all times. The Green Pill will instantly calm you, The Blue pill is said to have enough nutritional value to keep you alive for several days and then there's The Red pill. The Red pill is only ever allowed to be taken when the officials tell you to do so, no one knows what it does. That is, not until now. At the end of Matched everyone was forced to take the red pill but Cassia didn't, and she finds out that this pill clears your memories. No one remembers what happened with Ky, no one remembers taken the pills but Cassia does. However, it would seem that there may have been more than one lie told about the pills The Society makes them carry, and Cassia is about to find out the hard way. 

Cassia's chosen her side, she's chosen Ky, but will she be able to survive the harsh world that lies within The Carving's? Will she be able to stay strong long enough to find the person she loves? Or has she chosen the wrong boy entirely?

Personally I'm team Ky, and that's not because I think he's the better choice. In fact if I had to choose I would choose Xander every time. But I hate stories of unrequited love, it's over used and clique, which makes me want Cassia and Ky to find each other and have that happy ending. That way Xander can go off and meet someone who actually likes him. But even if Cassia id find Ky, according to The Society Xander is her Match so I'm wandering what Condie will do in book three. I'm imagining the whole of The Society crumbling down at the hands of a teenager. That's how these books usually go. As I've said before I enjoy reading these books but they all have every similar base-lines. 

Overall it's a good sequel. I'm always a little worried about the first sequel in a series because it can fall flat in comparison to the first book. However, this continues on from the first book nicely answering some of our unanswered questions from book one and giving us a handful of new ones for the third instalment. Although, I will admit at times I found it a little frustrating how the two main character's continues to narrowly miss each other. After a while the whole you just want to skip ahead until they find each other. But in general I think if you enjoyed Matched you will be happy enough with Crossed. 

Official Book Trailer for Crossed:

Link to my review for **Matched 

Allegiant

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)
What if your whole world was a lie?
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 read. 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.

Review
I don't know about you but I have a habit of reading ahead. Specifically, I almost always read the last page first. Now sometimes it makes me want to read more and most the time I want to slap myself for being an idiot, for example books not to do this include: Noughts and Crosses, The Madness Underneath, Gone Girl and most importantly Allegiant! DON'T shoot yourself in the foot, this is an epic book and reading ahead will just spoil Roth's dramatic, and quite frankly, heart breaking conclusion to - in my humble opinion - one of the best YA series around right now.

Okay now for the story, we left Tris in Insurgent after she managed to betray Four (again) and reveal the secrets that have kept her society together. Now the Factionless are in charge, but instead of giving the people of the city a choice in who they want to be they've ended up taking away the only choice they had. In this instalment we see Tris, along with Four, Caleb, Christina, Cara, Uriah, Peter and Tori all leave the city in hopes of finding what's beyond they're crumbling society. However, not everyone makes it. Outside the city they discover more than they ever thought they would, more than they wanted to, and have to come to turns with what life within the city walls actually mean. They have to decide what's worth fighting for and who's worth saving.

Unlike the past two books, this is told not just for Tris' perspective but also Four's. Personally I think I would have preferred it to have just been Tris (that's why it got marked down slightly), although I can see why the second point of view was important. It gives you a greater understanding of all the events unfolding within the book.

Being the last book in a series it's almost mandatory that the author kills off a couple of our favourites. Roth has had no problem with killing characters in the past. Divergent saw us loose both of Tris' parents and Will (some others too, but they're the important ones). Then in Insurgent we lost quite a few of our love-to-hate baddies like Eric and Jeanine, but it's the people we loose in Allegiant that are the most devastating. But unlike with *Spoiler Alert for Mockingjay THG* when Finnick dies, you're not left wandering why did that HAVE to happen? Every death fits within the story and makes it stronger, even if it does have you blubbering like a baby.

I feel like I've said it 100 times but I really do love these books and I'm sorry these reviews have turned into a bit of a gush-fest but once you read them I'm sure you'll understand. Allegiant in the perfect ending to a series I'll probably be re-reading for a long time. There are no unanswered questions by the time you've read the final page.

Enjoy the last Divergent book my lovelies and try not to cry too much.





Official Book Trailer for Divergent series, if you want to watch the movie trailer check out my Divergent review.

Wither

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)
What if you knew exactly when you would die?
In our brave new future, DNA engineering had resulted in a terrible genetic flaw. Women die at the age of 20, men at 25. Young girls are being abducted and forced to breed in a desperate attempt to keep humanity ahead of the disease that threaten to eradicate it.
16-year-old Rhine Ellery is kidnapped and sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife. Even though he is kind to her, Rhine is desperate to escape her gilded cage - and Linden's cruel father. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in what little time she has left.

Review
I'm currently re-reading this book as I wanted to refresh my memory before I started on the third and final instalment of The Chemical Gardens trilogy. I started last night and I've almost finished. You're thrown straight into the harsh world, that is future America with no apologies or a chance to hide it's forth comings. A dangerous world for women and a concept that feels all to real. The science behind the book makes it feel like this could be a possibility, which in a way makes it all the more heartbreaking.

DeStefano wastes no time getting started, throwing you straight into the story. There's no setting the scene, instead it integrates the back story into the first couple of chapters, dropping little snippets of Rhine's past here and there. Which, makes it a very easy book to get into. When I started reading Wither it had a kind of Beauty and the Beast feel to it, in the sense that there's a young girl locked in a mansion with an a monster of a capture and a handful of warm, loving servants. But as the book goes on and the story begins to unravel you start to connect with the House Governor, Linden, and come to realise the threat is coming from a different source entirely.

Stolen away from her life in New York,  Rhine is sold to a rich man named Linden. Along with two other girls, she is forced to marry the rich House Governor. Locked in the Florida mansion, half a world away from her home Rhine becomes close to Lindens first wife, Rose. Rose is at that fatal age of 20.

After Rose passes Linden starts to focus on his new wives. The only relief she has in this world is Gabriel one of the house attendants. The book follows Rhine as she tries to escape from her luxury prison, and Housemaster Vaughn's wicked clutches. But in doing so she discovers things within the mansion she was never meant to see. Will she be able to find away out of this new hell? Or is Linden a kinder man that she thought? Is there a chance she could be happy here? And if so, will she stay long enough to find out?

I'll admit I have a soft spot for Linden. I mean, I don't support buying wives off men in grey coats but at the same time I can think of worse people to be married to. He has a kind heart, and I feel reading this that the real monster in this story is his father, Vaughn. But at the same time I can't blame Rhine for wanting to leave, she has a family that she has to get back to. After all she didn't choose this life.

It's a story full of danger and surprises. A vivid world and written in such a way that you will find it easy to get lost within it's pages. A must read for any lover of dystopian fiction, and even if you're not, it's a great story that will make you wander...



Official book trailer:

Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover) 
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 much be stronger than ever... because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Review
Okay first things first, if you've not read Divergent then stop reading this and go read that instead! This is one of my favourite series so I'm not going to hold back, so there may be quite a few spoilers. Okay, formalities out of the way, lets begin...

Insurgent starts where Divergent finished, there's no two week gap like a lot of sequels, throwing us straight into the chaos left behind from the attack on the Abnegation. The Dauntless are having to decide whether or not they accept their factions new affinity with Erudite, while Tris, Four, Caleb and Marcus are forced to flee the bodies they left behind in the Dauntless headquarters. But with both her parents being killed in the attacks Tris' world seems to be falling apart.

After a short and eventful stay at the Amity compound our rag-tag group of heroes make there way to Candor where the Dauntless that haven't sided with Erudite have set up camp. There, with a little help from some truth serum they are made to divulge everything they know about the Divergent and Tris is confronted with what she did to Will. Lets just say Christina and Will's sister Cara aren't best pleased to see her. Although no one can make Tris feel worse that she already does, after all, why didn't she shoot him in the leg?

The only reason I haven't given this book 5 out of 5 is because I thought the first instalment was better, even if ever so slightly! However, saying that the plot flows without not so much as a hick up and whole new levels of our favourite character's are revealed. For instance you'd think after the first book Eric couldn't get much worse, well you would be very wrong indeed! That's not even mentioning Caleb, dear lord that boy needs a good smack!

It's one thing after another with this instalment of the divergent series and will put you through your emotional paces. I will say though if you're planning on reading this make sure you have the third and final book, Allegiant, on hand because it ends one hell of a cliffhanger.

There really is no one left to trust.


Watch the book trailer bellow, for the movie trailer check out my Divergent Review.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)

One choice, decides your friends.

One choice, defines your beliefs.

One choice, determines your loyalties - forever.

One choice can transform you.

Review
There are a handful of books that I will read over and over again and even fewer series that I will read more than once. However, I've read all three of these books twice, and as soon as I get them back off my friend I plan to read them a third time. The Divergent series is one of my favourites, it's thrilling and heartbreaking, it will make you laugh and the third book with may you cry so much you'll think you'll never stop. Then there's the fact I think I'm madly in love with Four, to the point where i'm worried no non-fiction boy will ever compare.

So here's the idea, when you turn sixteen you have to choose where you're going to spend the rest of your life. Who you're going to be. The cities divided into factions, each faction believes the key to surviving is different. The Dauntless believe you have to be brave and strong. The Abnegation's believe you should be selfless and serve others. The Erudite think knowledge with solve everything. The Amity values peace. The Candor tell the truth and that honesty is the key to survival. In this society it's not an option to be more than one thing, and if you are, your Divergent. If your Divergent your life is in danger, because the one thing all factions believe in is that the Divergent are unpredictable and above all else dangerous.

The story follows Tris, an Abnegation transfer now working her way into Dauntless. She's moved from her family, her home, into a violet and cruel faction.  She has to prove herself as one of them and not the 'stiff' they all believe her to be. Because if they found out about her Divergent status, they would kill her.

There are so many twists and turns in this book you'll get dizzy. It constantly keeps you guessing and will shock even those of you who always know what's coming. The character's are vivid and real, you'll hate them and love them. You'll want to give them a hug when things are going badly and want to smack them right in between the eyes when they're being idiots. I have nothing but praise for this book and think that anyone who is into the YA genre would be missing out if they DIDN'T read it.

Oh and did I mention Four? AKA the man you'll fall in love with? He isn't the stereo-typical heart throb, he's broken, with a haunted past that makes your hearts ache. You know that he'll do anything to protect Tris, that he'll do anything that he believes to be right. He doesn't care about the chains that bind the fractions, he wants to be kind, smart, honest, brave AND selfless. But the question is, whether or not that's really a possibility. I think that's why he's drawn to Tris, he see's all these things in her. It should scare him, I think it might, but not because she's a threat but because she might just be the one person to see beyond his Four facade.



Official move trailer for Divergent: