Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi

Format: Hardcover

Genre: Dystopian, Paranormal, YA
Source:  Personal Copy (Giveaway win from Dog-Eared & Bookmarked)

Published: November 15th 2011 by Harper/HarperCollins
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
 

By now, I'm sure you've heard all the hype surrounding Tahereh Mafi's debut book, Shatter Me. If you haven't? Then welcome to the Book Blogging Community, you must be new here! Now, I have to say - it's a great book. An amazing book. I loved it. But? I'm not falling all over myself after it. (Maybe with the hype, I built it to epic proportions and it didn't quite live up. Close, but not quite.)

We start with Juliette alone in a cell, and quickly she is given a roommate. From there? This journey jumps into action and doesn't slow down until you're finished. Although, even at the finish? You're left with questions, and an unfinished ending that leaves you wanting the sequel ASAP.

Mafi's writing is beautiful, it's magical. Her characters are fantastic. The world she's created leaves me with many questions, and may be the one weak point in this book - although the lack of knowledge works just as well for the suspense factor.  Her suspense? Very well done. And the Sexytimes? Steamy Scenes? **SWOON**

I have to say that while I liked Juliette, I loved Adam. I loved every last detail about him. Both as a book boyfriend, and as an action movie star. (Although I say this now realizing that people are comparing this book to the XMen, which I have not seen, nor have any interest in seeing - so I don't know if this has any validity.) Mafi wrote him so well I could picture him moving in my mind.

Shatter Me is one of those books you can truly get lost in. A little bit Dystopian, a little bit paranormal, a lot suspense. 

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Format: Kindle

Genre: Dystopian, YA

Source: Personal Copy

Published: May 3rd 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Where has this book been all my life? If I wasn't already in love with reading? Divergent would have sealed the deal!

Veronica Roth has built an amazing Dystopian world in post-apocalyptic Chicago! So wonderful and believable in fact that my only complaint about this book is that we never get more than a mention of the Sears Tower! (Or the Water Tower which has already survived so much with the Great fire of 1871. I have great hopes that it is still in existence during Tris's lifetime.)

Her characters are fabulous, there truly is no other way to describe them. If I were able to "be" one character from a book? I think I would be Tris. I admire her for sticking to her beliefs and finding what she truly feels. Aside from just being generally awesome! And Four? Don't even get me started on my love for Four!! **SWOON**

Divergent is the perfect mix of action, romance and coming of age for me. I Loved learning about the different factions and often found myself wondering where I would belong - I would probably be an Erudite or an unhappy Abnegation. I could never make it through the Dauntless initiation or spill all my secrets like the Candors!

In the end, this review is nothing more than a giant gush-fest where I let my inner fan girl scream and swoon for Veronica Roth and her characters! Divergent is easily one of my top five favorite reads of 2011 - if not all time. I anxiously await Insurgent in April 2012. 

Now, why are you still at your computer? Go grab a copy of Divergent if you haven't already read it!!

Review: Series - The Dark Tower by Stephen King

     
  

Books In the Series
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2)
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) 
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) 
Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) 
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) 
The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) 

Coming in 2012
The Wind Through the Keyhole 




My Thoughts 
(Broken down by book first, then as a whole.) 


The first book, The Gunslinger, (in my opinion) was a slow start. Part of it may have been that I am a lifelong King fan, part of it may have been that the book was first published in 1982 (and written much earlier by a very young Stephen King). But it took me awhile to read, and to be honest I did so mostly because I was encouraged by my husband. In this first book, we meet Roland and "The man in black" aka Walter O'Dim aka Randall Flagg. We are also introduced to what will become one of the most complex worlds I have ever seen, Mid-World. We also, for a brief time, meet Jake Chambers a young boy from 1970's New York.  Roland is chasing the Man in Black across Mid-World in hopes of finding "The Dark Tower" which is somehow the center of the universe. Unfortunately, there is not much more to it than this. 


The second book, The Drawing of the Three, was definitely a better book than it's predecessor. Roland is wandering across the desert and through a set of magical doors draws Eddie Dean from New York in the late 1980's and Odetta Holmes from New York in the late 1950's. We follow the three as they become a trio and Eddie and Odetta (who is later known as Susannah Dean) soon become captivated by Roland's quest for the Dark Tower. 

The Third Book, The Waste Lands, is where (for me) the story really starts. I would have been happy with a prologue containing the drawing of the three in a few paragraphs (although in hindsight? I am happy with the first two books, it is just that it's here where the books really, really got good for me.)  There is so much packed into this book! We meet Shardik, a guardian of one of the beams that leads to  the Dark Tower. Eddie and Susannah (previously Odetta Holmes) become Gunslingers, we re-find Jake Chambers (to form a group they refer to as the Ka-Tet) and his puppy dog-like friend, Oy. We also get to go on a wild train ride. 



Book Four, Wizard and Glass, goes back in time to Roland's youth. It is here that I felt we really got to know Roland of Gilead. My husband was most excited for me to read this installment, as I am a closet Romance Novel addict! While I loved the story of Roland and his (for lack of a better term) Childhood Sweetheart, Susan Delgado, I felt this book was a bit long in places. And I actually set it down for about two weeks before finally finishing. 


Wolves of the Calla, book five, I have often heard people list as their favorite in the series. The Ka-Tet stumbles upon the town of Calla Bryn Sturgis, which has a problem. The wolves are on their way. Once per Generation, the Wolves come from nearby Thunderclap and take half of the towns children. The children are returned, weeks or months later in a brain-dead fashion. They call on the help of the Ka-Tet, and as per Gunslinger Oath? They cannot refuse help. We also meet Pere Callahan (if you've read Salem's Lot, you may recognize this character!). After Wizard and Glass, I was glad to have a fast paced book again. From here to the end of hte series, I couldn't put these books down.


Song of Susannah is the sixth book in the series, and in some ways it's one of my favorites, in others it lacks a lot. Susannah is pregnant, a result of an incident in the Waste Lands. She's also experiencing split personalities again, which leads her to wander away from the Ka-Tet and into New York in 1999. We have some interesting experiences here, and get to see the Low Men (Hearts in Atlantis) and a trip to the World Trade Center in Manhattan. (King really left nothing sacred and untouched in this series!) The Ka-Tet is split apart, and we get to see glimpses into everyone and their actions. There is also a scene in this book, which I want so badly to tell you about, but it's a huge spoiler. So I won't. But you will either love it (like me) or hate it (like many others have reviewed on Goodreads.) 


The Dark Tower is the final book in this series. It's the ultimate hike to the Dark Tower, but I can't say much. I won't tell you if they find the tower. I won't tell you of the ultimate fights, or my huge disappointments. I also won't tell you what parts had me in tears, and what had me claiming I would never again read a book by Mr. King. I was angry. I was happy. I was heartbroken and thrilled. There are so many twists and turns in this book I felt like I was on a vacation to Six Flags. 

My Final Thoughts:
I loved this series. It is one of my favorite book series, ever. Although I would not rank it among my top Stephen King books. I love Roland and his Ka-Tet. I felt as though they became part of my life for a long time and the ultimate let down when the series was finished. It took me DAYS to pick up another book. (And from someone who has read nearly 120 books this year, that's a long time without a book. It took my husband four months before he felt ready for another book.) 


I have experienced every possible emotion during this series, and many personal thoughts toward the author himself. (I once told my husband that I hope when I die I find out that Stephen King really is God. I also cursed him, swore off his books permanently and asked my husband if I can have his permission to leave him and Marry Stephen King. ) The top item on my Christmas List is a Talking Dog (Billy Bumbler)


In the end, if you are a Stephen King fan, you must read this series. You will revisit many of your old favorite characters. You may struggle with this series (as I have) because it is very unlike any of his other books. But in the end, I think you will be happy you went on this quest.


If you are not a Stephen King fan? I recommend you read this series. It has something for everyone, action, romance, science fiction, religion, vampires, warewolves (sort of) and a talking dog!


If I were to rank this series? I would give it 5 out of 5 hearts.

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Format: Kindle
Genre: YA Dystopian
Source: Personal Copy
Published:  October 4th 2011 by HarperTeen My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads 

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

  
I was so excited to read Eve, from the moment I started seeing it in IMM posts around the book blog community. It sounded like such a great book, so I quickly snagged the Kindle version as soon as it was released!

I really liked the story with this one, the idea of a Plague (The Stand is one of my all time favorite books, so I loved a different take on the survivors of the great plague!) The dystopian society that Anna Carey has created is well thought out.

The main characters are great, although flawed. I liked Arden a lot, although I'm still struggling to put my finger on why. Eve did scrap at me a bit, I didn't always love her naivety, especially considering she had memories of "before" the plague... that just didn't add up for me! (One particular scene with a television set REALLY brings this to mind!) Caleb was great, as were the boys in his dugout for the most part.

The relationship between Caleb and Eve happened a bit too fast for me, and it felt slightly forced. But I was able to look past that as the plot wasn't really centered around the romance, at least not in my opinion.

I think the biggest struggle for me was the timing of this book. They aren't very far removed from the plague and all of the characters have vivid memories of "before", yet they seem so clueless as to life before, not remembering televisions or "love"... that just didn't add up for me.

In the end, this book has some excellent moments and shows a lot of promise. If you can bring yourself to look beyond a few major flaws you can really enjoy this book! And the ending? It definitely left me wanting to read the next (planned) installment of this series.