No spoilers here...

So, the Divergent trilogy is now complete. I am left with an odd feeling after finishing this final installment...

On the one hand I felt like Roth brought the story arc to a decent conclusion. I definitely didn't see the "big twist" or the conclusion coming...it may have been telegraphed, but I didn't pick up on it. So, I did like that I was surprised by them.

But, on the other hand, I felt like this book was completely different from the other two books in the trilogy. Maybe the majority of my discontent lies with the dual narrative? I've never been a big fan of stories told from two or more viewpoints...I think they can become confusing and tedious unless (there are exceptions, of course). Unfortunately, Allegiant became confusing and tedious at times...I prefer the story as told from Tris's point of view and I found the Tobias parts to be interesting, but overall "meh". Plus, due to the plot twist, I felt that the story had a totally different vibe than the other two. I can't go into detail without giving a small spoiler so I'll stop at that...but, it just had a different feel to it.

The only other issue I had with it was that, like Insurgent, I felt like it got really "wordy" in the middle of the story. Almost like the story stalled out. It definitely picked back up again...but for a hot second I thought it would meet the same fate as Insurgent in my book...

So...Allegiant. Glad I read it...glad the trilogy reached a satisfying, complete ending. Wish I could read the story from one person's viewpoint and see if I would like it better.

[Read Nov. 2013]

Where has half of November gone already?  Life has been busy, but I've managed to squeeze a couple books in...not many more than that, though.  Seems like each day something gets added to December's plate, so hopefully I can still manage to fit some reading time into things!

I think I may have found a new favorite author! The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin was excellent. 

The second installment of the Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Kingdoms follows a blind artist, Oree Shoth, in the years following the conclusion of the first book - The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Oree is in the middle of an on and off again romance with a godling when a dangerous new cult catches a whiff of her magical abilities. To add to the troubles, godlings are murdered across the city and it's up to Oree and her mysterious new friend "Shiny" to not only escape the cult's clutches but to put a stop to whoever is murdering the godlings.

To be honest, I was slightly concerned about Jemisin following another heroine in book number two. I was unsure if I would find the new heroine as engaging as Yeine. While she still makes appearances in The Broken Kingdoms, Yeine is not really integral to the plot line. This is definitely Oree Shoth's book. Once I got used to that fact, the book really took off for me. I found the story engaging and the writing style very similar to the style of the first. The world building subtly evolved and grew. 

I did find that I didn't get as wrapped up in this installment as I did in the One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms...which is why this one got four gnomes as opposed to the full five. I think the reason for that was I just found Yeine's storyline more engrossing. Oree still had her fascinating points, however, and she was definitely a great subject. I am looking forward to wrapping up the trilogy...hopefully it reaches a satisfying conclusion. 

[Read Nov. 2013]

I really enjoyed this one! I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite "dystopian" genre book at the moment.

In a humongoid nutshell, Evie is a tormented teen who discovers that she is part of a group of young adults who embody the various Tarot cards. It's up to Evie and the other young adults to either destroy the world or save it.

This book was immensely readable and hard to put down. I'm still on the fence about Cole's Immortals After Dark series...but I wanted to give the YA book a try. I'm glad I did. This book definitely has a different flavor than the IAD series. 

The only things that kept me from ranking it a full five gnomes were the male lead and the annoying way Cole phonetically wrote out words in a Cajun accent. 

Jack Deveraux? Yeah, he's a douchebag. I may be showing my age here, but to watch him think with his "other" head for just about the whole book and then see Evie justify it away time after time after time...yeah, no. That just doesn't fly. Hopefully he redeems himself in the next book...otherwise, I am going to root for the other dude in the inevitable love triangle that is to come. 

Evie was on track to be annoying, but like I figured - she came into her own by the end of the book. Hopefully she doesn't backtrack in book number two just to win JD back...'cause, girlfriend - he ain't worth it!

[Read Nov. 2013]