Month: March 2014

March Wrap-Up

Well this month was a bust. I only got around to five books (9 less than last month). 😦 Here they are:

1. Unravel MeUnravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (5 stars)

https://brilliantbooks16.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/unravel-me/

2. Ignite MeIgnite Me by Tahereh Mafi (5 stars)

3. 19841984 by George Orwell (3 stars)

https://brilliantbooks16.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/1984/

4. UnwindUnwind by Neal Shusterman (3 stars)

https://brilliantbooks16.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/unwind/

5. InsurgentInsurgent by Veronica Roth (4 stars)

https://brilliantbooks16.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/insurgent/

 

Overall reading month: 4.2 stars

Books read from original tbr: 5/9

Books added to favorite books: 3

Insurgent

InsurgentTitle: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 525

Goodreads Synopsis: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and 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.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review: Insurgent had many pros and cons. Shall we start with the cons? Firstly, Tris (Beatrice), the main character often (not all the time, but most of the time) fell into the stereotypical female character, not using her brain (so much for Erudite), and constantly thinking about how much she loves Four and then automatically getting him in serious trouble or needing him to rescue her. I really enjoyed Divergent because Tris was a bad-ass female character who always got herself out of problems, I want her back.
Let’s talk pros. I really enjoyed the way the story kept twisting and turning. The plot was great. I also am so thankful that there is not a love triangle, it is a nice break from every single other young adult book (not true but I often feel this way)! Thank you Veronica Roth! I also really liked that we learned more about some of the factions we did not hear much about in the first book and it also built on the factions we already knew about (i.e. Amity and Candor). I hope that the next book is absolutely amazing because I don’t like when the sequels are nothing compared to the first book in the series.

Unwind

Unwind

Title: Unwind

Author: Neal Shusterman

Pages: 335

Goodreads Synopsis: Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Review: The premise of Unwind was really creative but the execution wasn’t amazing. I thought a good portion of this book was incredibly boring while other parts were very fast paced. It was definitely a thought provoking book. Overall Unwind was an interesting book but I am still deciding if I want to continue the series or not.

If you have read Unwind what did you think?

Have anyone of you read Unwholly the next book in the series? If you have what did you think? Is it worth reading?

 

1984

1984Author: George Orwell

Pages: 300

Goodreads Synopsis: Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while the year 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions. A legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

Rating: *** (3.5 stars)

Review: I enjoyed 1984, which is saying something considering I don’t always enjoy books for school. I liked the story and the plot,  it was quite scary to think about living in a world like the one in 1984. I did however, find many of the parts dry and boring. I especially did not enjoy the romance, I felt it was forced and weird. For my class I also had to read Animal Farm by George Orwell and though they are about two totally different subjects they have many similarities and it was interesting to compare the two of them. Overall, I enjoyed 1984 and would like to reread it when I do not have to read it for school and see if I have the same opinion.

Recommendation: This is not a happy book so if you are looking for a feel good story, I do not recommend this one. If you like classics and have read other George Orwell books, I would say give 1984 a chance, you may really like it.

Unravel Me

Unravel MeAuthor: Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 461

***Warning*** Don’t read this if you have not read Shatter Me!

Goodreads Synopsis: tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it’s almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She’s finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam’s life.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Review: Unravel me is the sequel to Shatter Me and though I think I liked Shatter Me a bit more, I still loved this book, it was very good. The whole book is very unique. I am very happy with the character development that took place in this book and I am looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, Ignite Me!  I can’t write too much without giving things away so I think I will leave it as READ THIS TRILOGY, you wont be disappointed.

Recommendation: If you did not heed my previous warning and have not read Shatter Me than I will now tell you that you should read it and anyone who had already read it and liked it, please continue and tell me what you thought of it.