Saturday 18 June 2011

Entwined by Heather Dixon Review

Title: Entwined
Author: Heather Dixon
Published: March 29th 2011
Publishing Company:  Greenwillow Books
ISBN13: 9780062001030
Pages: 480

SYNOPSIS:

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
But there is a cost.
The Keeper likes to keep things.
Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.




REVIEW:
I have to start off by saying that Entwined by Heather Dixon was just not my cup of tea. It was a really hard book to get through and i am surprised i actually managed to finish it.

However the thing i loved about this book was the 12 princesses/sisters, Azalea, Bramble, Clover, Delphinium, Evening Primrose, Flora, Goldenrod, Hollyhock, Ivy, Jessamine, Kale, and Lily. They all had their different and quirky personalities which i loved and enjoyed to read.

The plot itself was so slow, it started to get good during the last 100 pages of the book which annoyed me because the book itself is nearly 500 pages long. Most parts were really boring and even predictable which was infuriating at times. Also this book is supposed to be a fairytale and i just didn’t feel the essence when i was reading it.

The main love interest involves Azalea and Mr. Bradford which i enjoyed because he seems like a genuinely good hearted guy. However we barely get to know him at all in the book which just drove me crazy because i wanted to see some more communication and affection between them.

Overall i was really disappointed by this read, i had high hopes for this book because i saw the trailer and it looked amazing. It was an okay read but not something that i will ever pick up again.

Friday 17 June 2011

Divergent by Veronica Roth Review

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Published: May 3rd 2011
Publishing Company:  Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN13: 9780062024022
Series: Divergent #1
Pages: 487

SYNOPSIS:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.




REVIEW:
Divergent was a phenomenal and breathtaking read. I thought i would never say this about another dystopian book, but i would have to admit that this amazing debut by Veronica Roth is on the same level as the Hunger Games. That is a huge complement on my part because i absolutely loved the Hunger Games and i have to say i loved Divergent just as much, maybe even more.


The whole plot just drew me in from the very first chapter. I loved the idea about the five different factions and what they signify: Abnegation – The Selfless, Erudite – The Intelligent, Dauntless – The Brave, Amity – The Peaceful, Candor – The Honest. Tris is originally from Abnegation and i was so happy that she chose to go to Dauntless because that is what i would have chosen so i felt like i got the storyline that i wanted to experience.

I loved the protagonist Tris because she really developed and became physically and mentally stronger even though she was thrown into a world unknown to her. It was so pleasant to get a view of this world that Roth created through Tris’ eyes because i loved everything about her character.

There is a love triangle which i was happy to see disintegrate throughout the book because it isn’t typical that it would happen during the first book of a trilogy, which was a pleasant surprise. The main love story surrounds Tris and Four, i was amazed that i could feel their strong connection the second they met because Roth didn’t make it that obvious at all. The fact that it was rather subtle in the beginning made me even more excited to see how it would progress.


I never felt like there was a dull moment in the book, i couldn’t put it down once i started reading it. From the very first jump off the building into an unknown hole in the ground to the very last gunshot, the plot kept me hooked the whole way through. The length for me was just perfect and it was paced perfectly too. Although there wasn’t a huge cliff hanger i still want to pick up the rest of the books the second they hit the shelves, which is a sign that the book was amazing and didn’t need a cliff hanger to make me want to get the next book.