Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant

Publication: October 22, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Pages: 544

Audience: 15 and up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered- fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 
But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature- and of herself- wile facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

My thoughts:
 I finished this book a few days ago. I actually started the book back in October right after it came out, but a friend of mine ruined the ending...so I kind of put it off. I'm also doing that to another series. I hate it when people do that, but I eventually get over it because I get to experience the journey. It's just I know I won't have a raw/true reaction to that event because I'm expecting it. Anyway, I'm really not sure how I feel or what I think about this book. I read some reviews about it, and I think the best one described it as Katy Perry's song, Hot and Cold. I think that perfectly sums it up. 
Unlike some fans of the series, I did enjoy reading the book for the most part. I did not like the varying viewpoints because to me Tris and Tobias were written so much alike, that I would forget whose perspective I was in until another character said something, then I was thinking, "Huh? When did we switch perspectives?" 
Of course, Mrs. Roth has no issues killing off her characters. In a way, I respect authors who want to rip your hearts out, but after a while, I start to detach myself from the book and characters so I'm not hurt every three chapters or so. I think she did an overkill for the series, even though it is a dystopian series, she killed off way too many loveable characters. She killed off one of my favorite characters and I had to stop reading at that point and let myself be angry and upset over it. I'm pretty sure I'm still not over it.
As for the ending, I felt one ending was too abrupt for one character. The other character's ending was a bit fluffy and sugary sweet for my taste. Otherwise, the book was fine. It was a conclusive ending to the trilogy. I honestly liked it. There were a couple of quotes about information and one about love that I wrote down to remember. I can say I like Divergent and Insurgent better, but Allegiant makes an okay ending for the series. What do you think? Were you a lover or hater of Allegiant?

 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Audiobook)

Author: Holly Black

Narrator: Christine Lakin
Title:The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Publication: September 10, 2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Pages: 432
Length: 12 hours 6 minutes

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 3.5 out 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the cover): Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

My thoughts:
My coworkers kept laughing at me every time I talked about this book. I listened to it and it took most of the first disc for Tana to get out of the blasted house! It was a slow moving book. My husband hated it, we listened to it on our way to our hometown to get married actually and we listened to it on the way back home. Something about it made me keep going even if it was so slow paced. I loved the last 3 disc so about chapter 30- to the end held much more action and felt more YA. I listen and read everything. I listened to the acknowledgements at the end. Holly Black says The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a "love letter to all the vampire novels she has ever read." with that in mind it seems like she tried to pay homage to other writers in the genre and finally found her groove towards the end of the novel. So that little bit of information helped me like the book a little more.
The characters were interesting. Tana is such a head-strong, independent character. She fights for what if right no matter if she dies trying and I loved that about her. I still have questions about the scar on her arm, but not enough for it to keep me awake at night. I thought Aiden was going to be another main character, but I was wrong about that. He is a jerk and it shows. I wanted to kick him in the shins a lot. Gavriel is a character with a rich history and a lengthy story. He is a crazy vampire, but I love the way he speaks and even though he is mad, he is trying to keep some sanity about him. The vampires are typical vampires and they don't sparkle, they burn. The only characters who really got on my nerves was Tana's sister, Pearl and Midnight. I wanted both of them gone, but they help the storyline along...so I understand their purpose to the story. 
I really liked Christine Lakin's ability to change accents and characters so well. One minute she is a vampire with a Russian ancestry, then a back woods county cop, then back to Tana or one of the various characters. It was easy to differentiate as each character had a specific voice that she did not deviate from. The only thing, her voice was so calm and soothing that it made me sleepy at times. 
Overall the book was an okay read.  There were a few parts I had not guessed and was actually shocked. There were a few that I guessed or were just obvious. I would not buy this book , but if you like Holly Black, vampire novels, or need something new to read then I suggest checking this book out.

 

Chantress

Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Title: Chantress

Publication:May 7, 2013

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 324

Audience: 13 and up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the cover): Shipwrecked n an island seven years ago, Lucy has been warned that she must never sing or disaster will strike. But on All Hallow's Eve when she is fifteen, Lucy hear tantalizing music in the air. When she sings it, she unlocks a terrible secret: She is a Chantress, a spell-singer, brought to the island not by shipwreck but by a desperate enchantment gone wrong.Her song lands her back in England-and in mortal peril, for the kingdom lies in the cruel grasp of a powerful Lord Protector and his mind-reading hunters, the Shadowgrims. The Protector has killed all Chantresses, for they alone can destroy the Shadowgrims. Only Lucy has survived.

 In terrible danger, Lucy takes shelter with Nat, a spy who turns her heart upside-down. With his fellow scholars of the Invisible College, Nat has been working to overthrow the Lord Protector, and they have long hoped to find a living Chantress to help them. But Lucy is completely untrained and Nat deeply distrusts her magic. If Lucy cannot master the songspells how long can she even stay alive?

My thoughts:
For once, a young adult novel that is not a series. This book wraps up the story nicely enough that author could write an additional novel, but it is not necessary. It was nice reading something without a cliff hanger and having to wait impatiently for the next novel to come out. The story line is interesting as Chantress are born from faerie blood, but that is about the only explanation that you get. The characters are interesting themselves, but I did not feel myself connect with any of them. Not the main character Lucy or the other characters. Lucy is naive and ignorant at times, but considering her circumstance it is understandable. I felt like there was not enough information about them for me to really connect. There was not really enough about the villain, Scargrave to really truly hate him. Nat, Penebrygg, Norrie, Lady Helaine were all neat characters, but I only knew a little about their occupation and their nature...nothing more. I really wish there was more about the characters and a chance to really develop them. I also felt their was a lack of the Chantress history, which would have really knocked this book out of the park for me. I love learning about mythical creatures and their histories. The one thing that I loved about this novel was that is was clean. There was no sex, bad language, drugs, or any of that. It was a simple, clean young adult fantasy novel. It is something that I would be comfortable to share with my twelve year old niece.

 

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & Other Female Villains

Author: Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Illustrator: Rebecca Guay
Title:Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, & Other Female Villains

Publication: February 1, 2013

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing

Genre: Illustrated, Historical, Biography

Pages: 172

Audience: 10 and up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the Amazon.com): 
Meet twenty-six of history's most notorious women. Each bad girl has a rotten reputation, but there are two sides to every tale. Decide whether Tituba was really a conspiring witch or just a humble housemaid. Analyze the evidence stacked for and against Lizzie Borden. And what made the brazen Cleopatra so dishonorable . . . or honorable? Each chapter ends with comic panels featuring caricatures of the authors discussing the women, with Heidi arguing as the prosecution and Jane arguing for context.

My thoughts:
 I picked this book up from the library thinking it was something different. I thought the book would have a comic strip about the lady in question and explain how she was considered a bad girl. Instead, this book introduces a woman from history, gives a quick synopsis of her life and why she is considered a bad girl. The comic strip at the end is an illustration of the authors conducting "research" and arguing if the woman was truly bad or not. My undergraduate degree was in history, specifically focusing on women, so I knew most of the women in the book, but there were a few I had never heard of. So I did learn a couple of new things from this book. It was not a bad read. If you know someone who is interested in women's history then this may be a cute, quick read for them. I would suggest it to a middle school aged kid (particularly girls) to maybe help pique an interest in history.

Fairest: Wide Awake Volume I

Author: Bill Willingham
Artists: Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Matthew Sturges, Shawn McManus

Title: Fairest: Wide Awake Volume I

Publication: November 27, 2012

Publisher: Vertigo

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

Pages: 160

Audience:16 and up

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Favorite Quote: "You're an addict. You need stories the way the furrow needs the plow."

Synopsis (from the cover):

They call her Sleeping Beauty, but life's always been ugly for Princess Briar Rose. Cursed at birth by a pissed-off fairy godmother, she wound up acting as a one-woman weapon of mass destruction against the Adversary in the last days of his war against the Free Fables. She won the day, but at the cost of sending herself into a permanent nap from which only true love's kiss can awaken her.

Few would have guessed that it would be Ali Baba Prince of Thieves, who would rise to the challenge- or that he'd be accompanied by an obnoxious, not-quite-a-genie sidekick. But as Briar Rose's true origin is revealed, can this no-longer sleeping beauty and her Prince Charmless escape the cold fury of the Adversary's former right-hand woman--the icily regal Snow Queen?

My thoughts:
 I started collecting the singles for this graphic novel, but then decided to wait for the trade to come out. I really enjoyed the storyline until the last 10 or so pages, which starts a new storyline from out of no where. I was a bit lost through out the entire story because it kept referencing Fables. I understand this novel is a spin off of Fables, but I thought it would be able to hold its own. Apparently, I was wrong. So I have really mixed feelings about the novel. I will want to know what happens so I may wait and check out the next trade to see if I want to continue reading it. Also, my favorite character was Jonah, the bottle imp, and the Snow Queen was pretty cool too. I enjoyed the storyline when background story was not necessary, but when it was it was confusing and irritating. If you have read Fables, then go for Fairest. If you have not read Fables but really want to read Fairest, go for it, but just know you may have to go back and eventually catch up on Fables.