Down The Rabbit Hole...Again

Unhinged by A.G Howard is a continuation of the Splintered trilogy. I have to be honest, I read this one fairly quickly and not because it was a "I can't put this book down" kind of thing. If I put the book down, I was afraid I wouldn't want to get back into it.

Let me explain...The book was not horrible, in fact I did like it. However, it has so many complex things happening that it's easy to forget what the heck is going on. Yes, Wonderland is one of those things that is supposed to be crazy and confusing, but it's difficult to keep up. I read the first book last year, and I never returned to it before picking up this one. So there were some things I forgot, and apparently these things resurface in the second one.

Alyssa has been crowned Queen Of Wonderland, which has suppressed the Red Queen's (Red's) power for now. The problem is Jeb, Alyssa's boyfriend, does not remember his courageous actions, or anything for that matter, from their last trip to Wonderland. Almost a year has passed and Alyssa doesn't want to bring back those memories, afraid he won't accept her and the world she came from.

But Morpheus, Alyssa's long time friend from Wonderland, reappears with startling news: Red has found a way into the human realm, and she plans to destroy those dear to Alyssa. She is back for her crown, and only Alyssa, the true Queen of Wonderland can fight back. But Morpheus's constant treats make it clear that this fight is not easily won, and it could be life or death. Alyssa must make the choice she dreaded: take her place and fight back in Wonderland, or stay with Jeb, her parents, and push her netherling past away.

My one suggestion for this book is to read the first one right before it. A lot of plot points can be better explained. The love triangle between Morpheus Alyssa and Jeb is so powerful. Jeb is the white knight that vows to stay by Alyssa despite the tension, and Morpheus is the mythological creature that foresees a future with her and he doesn't always play fair.
 The book left us with a great cliff hanger in hopes for a happy, or somewhat happy, ending. You root for Jeb because he is the wounded bad boy who would do anything for her, yet Alyssa has a netherling magic inside her that she can't escape.
I look forward to the 3rd one, I just have to recap before I start reading it...

Never Forget the Potential One Solitary Pawn Has to Change The Entire Game

Kitty Doe's fate lies in the hands of the test. In this futuristic world, young men and women at 16 take a test to determine their intelligence. Once the results are found, these children have their marks engraved on the back of their necks. A mark of a IV or V prove a normal life with acceptable jobs, VI or above show great intelligence and therefore receive jobs that are more aligned with the Prime Minister and the high ranked family of Harts.

However, marks of III or lower only lead to meaningless work that no one wishes to complete. Often times in order to make enough money, these people sell themselves to brothels in hopes of a more enriching life.
Then there are those people who disobey and are taken into Elsewhere, which is just as mysterious as it sounds. No one knows what is beyond Elsewhere, but everyone knows this is no place to travel.

Kitty's test results land her a III. The government wishes to send her to Denver to complete her work of sweeping sewers, but Kitty's one choice this night changes the course of events. Her attempts to sell herself at a brothel land her a proposition from the Prime Minister himself: He will change her marking to a VII, she just has to leave her life behind. When she agrees, Kitty does not realize what this VII could mean, or what dangers it presents.
In Aimee Carter's Pawn, Kitty finds herself masked, a plastic surgery procedure where the individual is transformed into another person. In Kitty's case, Lila Hart; the Prime Minister's niece and one of the most powerful people in the world.
Kitty soon realizes this VII meant changing her identity, her world, and becoming Lila, who was killed because her actions were not well liked by the Prime Minister. She begins to uncover secrets, shocking revelations, and she realizes the Harts have no intention to let her go. But she fears for Benji, the boyfriend she left behind. How will she ever be able to make it back to him and explain this? But what scares her the most; the Hart family have all sorts of different agendas. The day Kitty does not serve her purpose, not only will they kill Benji, but what is to stop them from killing her?

I picked this novel up out of curiosity. The idea of marking children for their potential jobs is one that has been seen before, however the government involvement has dark plans. The dark plans aren't for their citizens...it seems to be a family affair. Each one is against the other, blackmail is common, and it is never clear whose side anyone is on. Knox, Lila's real life fiance, and Greyson, Lila's cousin, seem to be the only two who are 100% truthful. Kitty is no fool, but with each chapter and each new plan, it begins to get harder and harder for her to fight for her control. She is Lila, and it seems as though her hope in ever finding a life with Benji where they can be free is far from her grasp.

I really liked this concept, the family dynamic was very interesting, and the ending does come as a shock. It was so incredible how these people had no regard for human life. The amount of "accidents" and blatant killings was disgusting. But it proved to show there is a rebellion trying to squeeze through. And despite her troubles, Kitty does not plan to sit back and let anyone tell her what to do.
Overall great book, and seems like it will be a great trilogy.

Some Secrets Refuse to Stay Buried...

I wish I can say the book was as good as the tag line, but alas not so much.
Dan Crawford finds himself going to a summer program at a college that was an old asylum at one point. This asylum was said to have housed many dangerous criminals and those in need of psychiatric care. This is a typical old asylum: electric shock, lobotomies, and dusty old rooms filled with files on those patients that could not be saved.
I had high hopes for this novel because I read the description, and the pictures inside are actual photos of abandoned old asylums. So I thought it was a pretty cool concept. However, Asylum by Madeleine Roux was a waste and a disappointment.

The very first thing you notice is how completely clueless and awkward the main character is. Sometimes that is a good thing, but Dan just has something about him that makes you want to hug him, pat him gently on the shoulder, or just completely shake your head. You're not really sure what to do with him. Enter his two friends, Jordan: a gay rebel who hasn't told his parents he's even at this program, and Abby: typical artsy girl and (of course) Dan's love interest.
One of the things that confused me the most was the mood swings Abby and Jordan had. Halfway through the book the two of them just get angry and take turns huffing and puffing while leaving Dan in the dark. To say Dan is the most normal character in the book, or the most likeable anyway, is really something. Not a good something. The more characters enter, the more weird things get. And I don't think this "weird" was what the author was going for.
Abby, Jordan, and Dan have an obsession with going into the closed off corridor where the creepy psych patient's files are. So they meander in there a few things, each time Dan gets creeped out by notes left for him, pictures, his name even pops up on a few of the files.
Turns out, Dan is adopted (who knew) and he's a relative of the old warden of the asylum...shocker I know. So OF COURSE he's getting creepy flashbacks, weird messages, etc. But it's really hard to follow and not because the writing is complicated, just simply because I was unclear what the hell was going on. One minutes Dan receives a note that has a cryptic message on it, the next he has a weird flashback where he's on a gurney waiting to be operated on, and then he starts to see weird shadows. What. The. Hell.

People start to die, get injured, and panic. The cops all start to question Dan because he seems to always be in the area when these things happen. Abby finds out her Aunt was a patient in this old asylum, Jordan has his gay freak out about disappointing his parents...you get the picture.

I can say the ending came as a surprise, but I pretty much rushed through it because I just wanted it to end. Even with the ending I didn't feel any real closure to the book. There's a cliff hanger, but to be honest, I didn't really give a crap enough to even read the first page of the second book.  I think the author had a great idea and a really neat concept...but nothing is really explained. Plot points are unaddressed, characters enter and leave so quickly you are unsure who the hell they are, and the main theme itself is not something that keeps my attention. Roux could have done so much with the concept of the abandoned asylum turned college; she could have amplified her characters so they had more important roles and were easier to relate to; and for the love of God she could have explained key things that would have been VERY HELPFUL to have knowledge about.
Not a great read on this one. I am not deterring people from reading this, but I strongly recommend going in with the idea that you will be disappointed. It's too bad because the covers are cool and the overall idea behind the pictures and the plot were interesting. It's just disappointing.

Ironically, Since the Attacks, The Sunsets Have Been Glorious

Six weeks ago, the angels took over the earth. They aren't even the fallen... these are regular "heavenly" angels. Since the apocalypse, the humans have been scavenging. Everything is a wasteland, and everyone was affected by this travesty. Penryn, her schizophrenic mother, and her wheelchair bound sister find themselves in the middle of a fight where an angel's wings are cut off, and Paige, her sister, is captured.

Penryn then makes it her mission to find these angels, rescue her sister, and maybe get some revenge. However, this clipped angel could be her only clue to getting to her end goal. Once the angel, Raffe, heals enough to move forward, Penryn finds herself on a journey where she must rely on her enemy in order to reach her sister. And Raffe must trust Penryn's guidance and strength in order to find a way to get his wings back. Although the two are an unlikely pair, both must be able to get past their pride, anger, and weaknesses to use each other. How will it be possible to surmount these obstacles when both of their worlds are so incredibly different?

The first book in the series, Angelfall by Susan Ee, focuses on a post apocalyptic world where it's not zombies but angels that cause destruction and death. The reader is immediately introduced to Penryn's strength. With her mother's illness and her sister's disability, she has been the mother like figure, the anchor, and the only constant. She is quick witted, and she is able to fight her way out of most obstacles she does face.
Raffe, on the other hand, is a mystery, which is what he is meant to be. He's strong, sexy, but broken without his wings. Penryn tries to keep him under her thumb, however you can see times of weakness. She feels sorry for him, and readers do too. But he has such a hard exterior, that you aren't sure what to think. I mean at times he is a jerk! However, there are often signs of a soft heart.

I liked this novel because it shows a different post apocalyptic world where our saving grace is now destroying the earth. As the story goes on, there are battles, dark findings, and a suggestion of deeper feelings between Penryn and Raffe. The angels are truly demonic and create a new world of fear and evil, which makes readers wonder what side is "good", and what exactly is this war meant for.
Something to keep in mind: the narrator isn't even MOVING in the last few chapters. She is paralyzed and seeing all the events happening, yet the intensity of the scene really does keep readers engaged. I mean you have to be skilled if your narrator can just be laying there while a huge battle is happening. Pretty intense.
Very neat concept. I heard the second one takes a few chapters to truly get into, but this is always true with the second in the series. Worth a read if you are looking for a dystopia where it's not a zombie, vampire, or government controlled world, and no love triangle.
 Definitely a refreshing "re-look" at angels...especially after the disaster that was Hush Hush. Do not even get me started. At least this one reintroduces the angel story with a STRONG heroine, actual fighting and disturbing concepts, and next to no underlying love interests. Thank goodness for that.

We Can Be Mended. We Mend Each Other

I just finished the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I am processing the ending, the events, and the trilogy as a whole.

As I expected...Roth did not disappoint. In this novel the reader sees outside of the fence, the new "government" that controls all the cities and their living situation. They watch them, they created the factions and their forms of living, and if they think the city is doomed- they can erase and begin again. This whole concept drove me nuts throughout the novel. It completely makes sense- yet it's completely messed up. They choose not to protect the cities, just replace their memories and move on. The fact that you can also see such parallels to the government we trust is uncanny. I think that is what drew me into this trilogy- the corruption of the government. People explained "damaged genes" were the reason for the destruction, yet there is always going to be a group who want to overthrow what is clearly unjust. The idea behind people with the "pure genes' and how they were somehow superior to the rest of the population was interesting, yet disgusting. It's easy to explain away the reason for war when you have a convenient scape goat.

Roth gives Tobias, Four, a voice, and the story comes to a close with a lot of sorrow, death, and destruction, but it shows the fight, the struggle, and the bravery. Love is a common theme, not just the love between Tobias and Tris. Love between friends, family, and companions is.

I have come to the conclusion that I like this series a little better than The Hunger Games. Roth pushes the boundaries, and she creates a whole conspiracy behind what the main characters see as their world. She was not afraid to go against what readers would expect, or like, and it seemed that she took more of a risk with the complete ending. I think it is also always great to add a new character's point of view to the story. Collins kind of stifled herself by only using Katniss, and using her as the anchor for two male characters because it provides readers with a convenient love triangle that can be a sub plot. However, Roth managed to bring in the emotion of two characters- both broken, dealing with their own grief, but their different intentions and views to drive them both together. And the love and passion between them was not the center point- Tris and Tobias have problems within themselves, but they belong together because they each are the missing piece.

The last fifty pages were packed with so much emotion and energy- I was literally between crying and being unable to breath. This series will stick with me, and I am really interested to see what they do with the movies. Hopefully they won't disappoint. Although I was late to the party, Divergent will forever be a favorite journey I would like to revisit.

GET ON BOARD WITH THIS TRILOGY!!!

It Is Impossible To Erase My Choices. Especially These

I read the second in the Divergent series, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, in three days. I am not some crazy reading machine, I promise. This series is just breathtaking. I am in middle of the third as we speak and sometimes it is impossible to put down.

The second novel relays a lot of moving around. Tris and Tobias discover the truth about the government and the reason for Erudite's hostile attempt to kill all the Divergents. The stakes get higher when Tris needs to trust the one person she hates most in order to uncover the truth. There is betrayal from unexpected sources, forgiveness, recovery, and as always survival.

Allegiant is the last in the series. After the truth is uncovered, some will go to great lengths to keep it the same, but there are a few who seek answers- not just the answers provided. The journey takes readers to familiar ground, but for Tris and the Allegiant group, it is hard to swallow the lies they were once fed, and it's even harder to adapt in a world where everything has changed.

The idea behind this novel gives more insight into the "corrupt" government, and I have to be honest the ending to the second book blew my mind. I didn't see it coming, but it makes complete sense. It breaks the mold of the typical dystopian society books because it gives the readers a sense of realism.
Tris is a great heroine- she gains strength, bravery, and most of all she starts to come into her own. And as a nice little *uncontrollable girl giggle* surprise, Tobias becomes a narrator in the 3rd book. Readers see past his stoic front and are introduced to an emotion filled character with more than just sexy tattoos. Tobias is a broken character who, like Tris, needs to begin to realize who they are without a label.
The factions have separated and defined people for so long, but losing that sense of comfort creates new feelings and strengthened senses of loss, betrayal, and fear.

I am obsessed. Great reads, and, although I have not finished the ending, I can guarantee this ending will not disappoint. I mean- you can't have a huge build up and then just let us down, right....RIGHT!?

I Suppose Now, I Must Become More Than Either

I admit, I was late to the party on this one. Divergent by Veronica Roth was the next craze after The Hunger Games, and I did read a chapter before leaving it. Seriously- why does that always happen? I ended up seeing the movie first, too...MAJOR faux pas! It's like I fell asleep at the wheel for a second. But not to worry, I am back on track. I gave myself a stern talking to because this book should not have taken me this long to figure out.

Tris is an a futuristic society that is divided into five factions. These factions were created to maintain balance and give everyone a place and a set job in order to keep the peace and harmony. Once sixteen, all teenagers are given a test to determine what faction best suits them, then they can choose. Tris, born Abnegation (the selfless faction), is unsure of her future. But once her tests are inconclusive- her confusion is even more profound. These results, however prove that she is more than "normal"; she is divergent. Her and her brother, Caleb, both choose out of Abnegation, which stirs up the pot for the government officials in this faction.

Dauntless, the protector faction, sends Tris through training in fighting, facing fears, and bravery. However, the more Tris improves her rank, the more she begins to feel in danger because of her inconclusive tests results. She is warned by those who know about her this label is a curse and can prove to be her end. As the months go by, Tris begins to discover hidden plots by one of the factions to overthrow the government. She also begins to feel more at ease in her new home- especially once her trainer, Four, begins to enter her thoughts. Whatever happiness she finds, she is still drawn to her former faction, considering they are in such trouble now. But once the rebellion begins to break out, Tris realizes that her "divergent" status may be the only thing that can save them all.
I went to the book store last weekend because I was sad. Yes, book stores make me happy, judge me. So I bought Divergent and began reading. I finished the book in four days. I cannot express how incredible this book is. The book focuses on one faction's leader beginning a spark of rebellion. Tris, and the others labeled "Divergent" don't realize how much power they truly have in this war. You can see Tris becoming a strong woman throughout the training process, and she makes a lot of decisions readers are on board with.

The idea of the factions is much like the districts in The Hunger Games. But each one has their own goal to protect the balance. The romance, the training, and the power are all connected so well in this world, that it's impossible to read this book and not want to immediately finish the rest of the story.
I think readers can also relate to this dystopic society more than Katniss Everdeen's story, which is so not a popular statement. Both stories are so similar, but you can see the differences between each society, and you can see each of the heroines with difficult decisions in the end. Katniss is more emotionless; Tris has so much emotion, so it's easier to relate.
AND the movie wasn't so bad! I thought it worked really well along side the novel- plus holy crap can we just talk about Four for a second? The good looking bad boy? I mean DEFINITELY an upgrade from Peeta. And I am completely Team Peeta!

Worth it. Read it. End of story.