Friday 18 July 2014

{Review} Four: a Divergent Collection

*If you have not read Allegiant, I advise you don't read this review because it may contain minor spoilers*

Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: July 8th 2014  
Publishers: Harper Collins
Pages: 185
Genre: Dystopia
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.


Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling divergent series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to have the chance to win a copy of this and a signed book plate from Veronica Roth! Giveaway ends at the end of this month, enter while you still can!!! AUS & NZ only.

Review

*I'd like to thank Harper Collins Aus for sending me this for review, it does not influence my opinion.*

Four ended up being such a great surprise! Allegiant somewhat left a bad taste in my mouth and I was a little hesitant about reading this. I've never been crazy when authors continue writing in their own world (when the series is clearly over) but this novella collection actually worked! I wouldn't say it's up to Divergent standards but I still enjoyed reading it. 

In Allegiant, one of my main issues was the changing perspectives between Tris and Four. I generally don't like it when there is more than one POV so Allegiant was a struggle for me to get through. In fact I found the Four chapters so boring that I had to fight the urge to skip them. Four was such an improvement and I actually enjoyed seeing into Four's mind and I feel like I got more of a connection with him. More depth was added to his character and there was more of a backstory as to how he became 'Four'. 

Not only did we get more of a background on Four but also on the Dauntless way of life. For some reason I feel like we didn't really get to see that from Tris's perspective so it was like I was being immersed into the Dauntless world all over again. I really recommend reading this because it answers all your questions about how dauntless changed and how it became to be this way. 

This novel made me miss reading Divergent for the first time and I wish I could go back in time and read it again. (A re-read of the series may occur soon) I wish it went for a lot longer it was way to short for my liking. I was able to read it in about 2 sittings and it was hard to put down. (I was reading it during class instead of Shakespeare...ooops) 




Tuesday 15 July 2014

{Review} If I Stay by Gayle Forman

This image does not belong to me
Author: Gayle Forman
Release Date: April 6th 2010 (first published April 2nd 2009)
Publishers: Speak
Pages: 262
Genre: Contemporary 
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website Book Depository

On a day that started like any other,

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

*I'd like to thank Random House Aus for sending me this for review, it does not influence my opinion.*

Review

If I Stay was a riveting novel exploring the power of family, friendship, love and the challenging choices we make. I had heard a lot of Forman's books beforehand but this was my first experience with her writing and she does not disappoint. For some reason I found If I Stay slightly slow paced but it worked. I read little bits at a time and I think I enjoyed it a lot more than if I had sped read it 

I think the main factor that made me love this novel so much was the large amount of character development. Each and every character had such depth and personality to them. They each held some importance to the story and it was almost like there was no secondary characters. I was impressed because a lot of novels lack in this department and Forman did it so effortlessly. 

Mia was a perfect protagonist and her voice really shines through in the story. I admire her as a character because she faces a decision that no one should ever have to make. I don't want to spoil anything for you but lets just say there are challenges to each choice. Not only was the novel based on friends and family but it was also centred around music. Forman's knowledge of classical music was portrayed in Mia's character and it gave the story more of a backbone. 

I wish I was a part of Mia's family. Her parents were so supportive and I feel like they're an image of the ideal parents. They held such a passion for music and it was obvious this passed on to their children. Mia's boyfriend - Adam - was so down to earth and his love for her was so evident. I can't wait to this translate onto the movie screen and I really hope it's done well. 

The whole novel was based on flashbacks and I wanted to see more of what happened in the long run. I guess that's what's going to happen in the sequel but I also felt like the novel was too short (that's how much I enjoyed it). All I can say is that if you're looking for a light and happy read, this is definitely not the sort of book to go for. I'm a bit hesitant for recommending this book to friends because I know this isn't everyones cup of tea. 

If I Stay was an emotional novel and I'm so glad I got around to reading it. I'm excited to read Where She Went and I feel like it'll take me on an even more emotional ride so I'm mentally preparing myself. I really recommend you read it especially before the movie comes out and I think if you like strong characters then this is the book for you.

Thursday 10 July 2014

Four: a Divergent Collection Giveaway

Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: July 8th 2014  
Publishers: Harper Collins
Pages: 208
Genre: Dystopia
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.


Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling divergent series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy

Giveaway Conditons


  • You must be 13 or older to enter this giveaway 
  • This giveaway is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only
  • Winner will receive both prizes
  • Giveaway ends on the 31st of July
  • Winner will be emailed and must respond within 48 hours or another contestant will be drawn. 

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