Crossed book review

I think I was quite slow in finishing this book. I was still interested in the story but the second installment I found boring in some ways and kind of exciting in another and then annoying. 

The first discipline I had to learn was that when reading a story like this requires me think like the people that are situated there to understand why they feel the way they feel and why they do what they do. 

However, the love story which is highly emphasized was the boring part and I suppose that is the reason I got annoyed. Some scenes were touching like when Vick was talking about Laney at the canyon. The exciting one is the part about Xander's secret, which really intrigued me and surprise, surprise I could not figure it out until it was said in the story. 

I believe that there is a potential but at the moment it looks like a draft that has yet to be edited. I am still going to read Reached because I think that the trilogy still has something to offer because I haven't been totally put off by this book but the story is very interesting as well as the way Ally Condie makes her lovers work their way into loving each other freely.

Pandemonium Book Review

Pandemonium is the second book in the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver. We follow alternating scenes of Lena's present life back in the city and her life in the Wilds. The transition is well layed-out that it doesn't become irritating or confusing.

Knowing that Alex isn't around pose challenges for Lena to face on her own making her stronger as she decides to use his image as her source of motivation. We see her development from coming to Wilds weak from their escape to Lena pushing herself becoming tougher and more courageous.

Love is a theme that always creeps up on most stories, especially here. Even though Lena is trying to be psychically loyal to Alex, she can't help falling for Julian and Julian learns to love and accepts the 'disease'.

Pandemonium and Delirium are really different in terms of style, which is great in some ways but so far I haven't had a problem with this change and I haven't read a trilogy that follows such a style. It is definitely a thumbs up and I look forward to reading the next book.

Matched book review

It is definitely unlike the other dystopian books I have read recently. Although the plot of having a government rule over everything that happens in your life, who you're paired with, what you eat, where you live, etc... Everyone thinks that they are safe and sound. However, compared to Delirium, which is another dystopian book that also controls who is partnered to who, the main character, Cassia Reyes finds out at the beginning who her match is. The story we follow is not how she falls in love per se but falls for someone who is not her match and is someone who should not have one according to their society. She struggles to keep everyone safe but in the long run she merely wants the freedom to choose and for everyone else to have the same liberty, she and her Romeo, Ky Markham must find a way to either convince their society or to rebel from it and fight for what is right. I'm not entirely sure whether I really like this book enough for me to declare it or recommend it but for some reason I do want to finish this trilogy perhaps because I want to know what happens in The Outer Provinces since Oria is too perfect to have a real adventure, which is probably why I am confused about how I really feel about the book.

The Scorch Trials Book Review

Just when they thought they were safe, there was more to come. There are unexplainable happenings and they come across uncooperative people that may or may not be trustworthy to begin with. The story continues from when the gladers have been rescued and Thomas has difficulty falling asleep. After waking up to seeing the victims of the Flare at the windows of their room they all panic and try to find a way out. Finding a way out has never been easy, just as the Maze wasn't. Finding their rescuers hanged in the dinning hall and then the mystery of Teresa disappearing only to find a boy named Aris in her room.

No Teresa and no idea how to get out are the initial problems of the gladers until they meet the rat-looking man from WICKED who tells them that they have to move on to the next stage of the experiment. To be honest, I am not sure how I really feel about the second book of the Maze Runner trilogy. There are more questions raised, more puzzling and more confusing. If there's anything James Dashner succeeded in this book is the expression of feeling frustrated. Through the most part of this book, I definitely felt just as annoyed as the characters about their situation hiding from the heat of the sun, finding a place to stay and keeping safe. I suppose the reason why I don't like it as much as the first is because there isn't much to learn about their surroundings and it always feels like there's only dead ends no matter how much further you go.

I am still interested in knowing what happens in the end because I am keen on learning the reason for the existence of WICKED. I want to know whether it really is good and just using the cruelest means possible or they're just plain bad.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver Book Review

The most important thing I noticed when I finished the book was the transition of Lena's development from an ordinary citizen of a loveless city to one who is willing to sacrifice so much than to live without it.

It is quite noticeable because of how my mood was at the beginning. I was rather slow but I knew I had to speed up a bit, especially since I haven't been reading continuously.

I felt just as dull as she did. It was as if life had no color everytime I read it. Upon meeting Alex is where her adventure starts and where I begin to be more excited. I am definitely a romantic but I know when a story has reached its peack. This, however, doesn't.

The end of the story is where I was full of emotions just like Lena who is escaping from her home with Alex into the Wilds and are being chased by the police and regulators after being caught and monitored a few days before. By now, you can tell where my panic and the sudden rush of my blood comes from.

I believe that is the highlight of the story so far and some questions still rise from my head. Will Lena find her mother in the Wilds? Did the police kill Alex or will he be reunited with Lena like a fairy tale element in the story? Will what happened to Lena happen to Grace since they have a somewhat similar situation in the sense that they were left by the people they love and trust? There are more that come up but these sre the ones that bug me every now and then. But I need to move on the next book on my list.

Insurgent book review

Following Divergent, the story continues when Tris, Tobias, Caleb, Susanne, Marcus, and Peter are on their way to the Amity compound. The rest of the story leads to numerous obstacles and puzzling mysteries about the unknown that is beyond the fence. Tris and Tobias's relationship and Marcus's credibility are tested. Veronica Roth has ceased to fail bringing in suspense to the story, I know because I was craving for more every time I turned a page. I bet you can't imagine how I felt when I finished the book. There is not much repetition of locations, which is good because it is nice to see new places and what wonders they may have to offer our imagination. Insurgent has definitely kept up with the thrills from Divergent or possibly more.

Hunger Games book review

At first I told myself when the film was soon to be out that if ever I desired to see it, I would read the book first. After much contemplation and convinced that I can actually like dystopia novels after reading Divergent I decided to start reading this book. I've been too excited and grown impatient to wait until I get the next book of the Divergent trilogy, Insurgent, that I thought in order not to lose my motivation in reading this genre I should continue reading books of the kind and so I thought this would suffice.

Turns out it did. It took me a maximum of 3 days to finish it, determined to find out what happens next. Very descriptive, including the emotions that I almost feel as if I am with the protagonist. However, I am also able to separate my thoughts from hers in some way I do not fully understand so in the end I'm reminded that it is a story that I am reading and that there is no real-life tv show that would make the young fight 'til one remains and is victorious with the killing of the other 23 tributes.

The story is amazing and very very much exciting. The vagueness of the rules make it much more difficult to resist anticipating the outcomes of the events. Romance is also a theme used but not so heavily. It is not the main theme but is also made significant by the author. It shows the wholehearted giving of one and the unsure return of feelings by the other. One, mostly I, can't help but fall for the romantic moments too.

I love the balance this book has on its themes of love (romantic + familial), bravery and courage, and credibility. There are more themes but these are what stood out for me.

Divergent book review

I absolutely could not separate from this book. It's like every second I'd have to continue reading. A definite must-read for those who are fans of dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games. In this series, the protagonist, Tris, lives in a society divided into 5 different factions; Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite. It is at the age of 16, in the choosing ceremony, that they will then select their choice of faction. Although it may seem that the choosing is difficult, it is the initiation process that makes it much more unbearable and yet as you continue to read, you get through it alongside the protagonist.

The narrative makes it easy to comprehend such that a second reading is not necessary. It also makes it much more exciting even if it is only told from one perspective. The mysteries and obstacles that Tris faces adds to the excitement of the reader. The links and connections from past to present makes the reader think outside Tris's train-of-thought. Even the pain that she feels almost seem real for the reader as the images are powerful and stirring. 

I haven't been a fan of Dystopian novels but now that I have read this, I can't stop looking for more. I'm looking forward to reading the next, Insurgent, as it is out already. After that, I don't know how long I can stand until the 3rd book comes out, Detergent.