"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Started October 10, 2013 - Ended October 12, 2013

Amazon: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, 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.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I've read "Divergent" a handful of times since it's release. This time I was drawn back to the story thanks to the imminent release of the final book, "Allegiant". "Divergent" has a good mix of action, romance, and discord. It's a pretty run of the mill dystopian YA read, but it's still very enjoyable. You want to know more about the factions and the members who fill them. If I were to chose a faction, I'd probably be with Erudite, but I'd like to think I was Divergent. I give this novel, "Divergent" a B+.






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"Shadow of Night" by Deborah Harkness

Started October 5, 2013 - Ended October 9, 2013

From Barnes & Noble: Harkness’s much-anticipated sequel, Shadow of Night, picks up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending. Diana and Matthew time-travel to Elizabethan London and are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana searches for a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

I'm ashamed to say this is the first time I actually read this book. I've owned it since it was released, but because of my OCD I had to reread "Discovery of Witches" before I could start. There's not much to say except, holy cow. The amount of research and thought that goes into this series is astronomical. Like "Outlander", Deb pulls real life, historical characters in without a hitch. It's amazingly entertaining and educational to read. I love it! I give "Shadow of Night" an A.

PS- On a side note. When "Shadow" was released, a group of us went to a reading with the lovely Deborah Harkness. It was amazing and I quote "better than Christmas!"

#56

"A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness

I am the first to admit. It's been FOREVER. I fell into a funk and couldn't get out. The amount of books I started and didn't finish is staggering. BUT, hopefully I'm back and devouring fiction once again.



Started October 1, 2013 - Ended October 4, 2013


From Barnes & Noble:Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Words cannot truly describe how much I love this book. This was my second time reading this novel, and it was even better than the first. Deborah Harkness provides the perfect blend of heart-racing fiction and deep rooted facts. Matthew and Diana, while a vampire and witch respectively, are no Edward and Bella.
My first reading of "Discovery" is an interesting story. I was rushing through the library, intent on picking up a few books and getting home to make dinner when the bright blue binding of a book caught my eye. I pulled it out, read the cover and threw it on top of my stack. At home, I made dinner and then settled in to pick what I was going to read first. "Discovery" went to the bottom of the pile. Fast forward and by the end of my read, I was literally reading a chapter and then walking away so the book wouldn't end. I promptly made a fistful of my friends read the book as well. We're all obsessed. So, that being said. I give "Discovery of Witches" an A+.






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