The Fault In Our Stars book review (you may pick up on spoilers)

Yes I read it fast and I was definitely moved by the story. The transition from all the funny scenes to the saddest moments is smooth. I suppose you could call the love story of Hazel and Augusts unconventional but it is due to the circumstances they face. Hazel Grace is a 16 year old thyroid cancer patient with mets in her lungs and needs medical assistance for her breathing. She meets a funny and attractive boy named Augustus Waters who is a survivor cancer patient of osteosarcoma at the Support Group. He is the best friend of Isaac who later goes blind after his surgery. There aren't a lot of characters but they are the major characters that the story revolves around.

John Green has given us a story of young lovers in a war with cancer. The funny moments make me forget the fact that the characters are dying and when I do realize it I feel sad. It definitely isn't a difficult read and I can't wait to see the film. It is rare to find a film or a book about people who are dying and are making the best out of the time they have left. To be honest I was reluctant to read it just because of the fact that it's about teenagers who have cancer and to me cancer isn't my friend. But I was wrong not to try and as you can see I've fallen in love with this book. That is why I highly recommend it, you'll never know you actually might like it.

The most important theme I've picked up from this book is about relationships and how important these ties are. The best way for me to relay them is to show you some of the funny parts.

Hazel and her mom

Me: I refuse to attend Support Group.

Mom: One of the symptoms of depression is disinterest in activities.

Me: Please just let me watch America's Next Top Model. It's an activity.

Mom: Television is a passitivity.

Me: Ugh, Mom, please.

Mom: Hazel, you're a teenager. You're not a little kid anymore. You need to make friends, get out of the house, and live your life.

Me: If you want me to be a teenager, don't send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka, and take pot.

Mom: You don't take pot, for starters.

Me: See, that's the kind of thing I'd know if you got me a fake ID. (p.7)

Gus and Hazel

G: Hazel Grace, it has been a real pleasure to make your acquaintance.

H: Ditto, Mr. Waters.

G: May I see you again?

H: Sure.

G: Tomorrow?

H: Patience, grasshopper. You don't want to seem overeager.

G: Right, that's why I said tomorrow. I want to see you again tonight. But I'm willing to wait all night and much of tomorrow.

H: You don't even know me. How about I call you when I finish this? (holding the book)

G: But you don't even have my phone number.

H: I strongly suspect you wrote it in the book.

G: And you say we don't know each other. (pp.36-7)

The best and touching moments are of course at the end of the book. It is during Gus's prefuneral and his letter to Van Houten about Hazel's eulogy.

Isaac's eulogy for Gus

...But I will say this: When the scientists of the future show up at my house with robot eyes and they tell me to try them on, I will tell the scientists to screw off, because I do not want to see a world without him. (p.258)

Hazel's eology for Gus

...I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful. (p.260)

Gus's letter to Van Houten

...People will say it's sad that she leaves a lesser scar, that fewer remember her, that she was loved deeply but not widely. But it's not sad, Van Houten. It's triumphant. It's heroic. Isn't that the real heroism? Like the doctors say: First, do no harm... (p.312)

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.

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.

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.