"Waiting On" Wednesday (15)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting.

 

Insurgent

by Veronica Roth   

Expected Publication: May 1st, 2012

Goodreads Synopsis: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

I think my reason for wanting to read this is pretty obvious, especially if you have read my Divergent review. I'm glad I finally read it, because Veronica Roth is seriously a literary genuis! Less than two weeks to go!

What are you waiting on?

 

Teaser Tuesday (7)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

-Share the Title and Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR if the like your  teaser :)

This week's teaser comes from

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

"Tears blurred Eragon's vision and he tried to look away, but the dead faces held his attention. He stared at their open eyes and wondered how life could have left them so easily. What does our existence mean when it can end like this? A wave of hopelessness overwhelmed him."

I received the 4 books from this series as a birthday/x-mas gift from a good friend of mine. It's about time I tackled them :). So far I am really enjoy it, it's darker moments surprised me, it's a little more mature than I thought it would be, but that is not a bad thing! Looking forward to finishing this book and moving on to the next ones!

In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is a weekly internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books that bloggers have bought, won, received, been gifted, or borrowed.

Jenn's Mailbox:

 Hey all! I made another vlog this week. I had a guest with me named Zoe for most of the video, until she ditched me. I got a couple of really great books for review as well as a RAK :) 

 

Books Mentioned:

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Revived by Cat Patrick

Thank you to Hatchette Book Group Canada for the review copies!!!

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Thank you Mary @ Sweeping Me!!!

Torn by Amanda Hocking  

Meghan's Mailbox:

Hey guys, slow week for me this week =P. I only got one thing to share with you this week. But it is a signed book mark and I love getting those almost as much as I love getting books! I won it from Christy@LoveofBooks, thank you!!

What's in your mailbox this week?

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent
(Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publication Date: May 3, 2011

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Dystopia

---

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.

My Thoughts: I don't even know where to start on this one. This book was amazing! I started reading it and just could not put it down. It's almost 500 pages and I read it in less than 24 hours, which is pretty awesome considering I'm chasing a baby around all day. I am a little sad that it took me so long to get around to reading it, but then I'm not since Insurgent will be out soon! I can't wait now, I finally understand why everyone was raving about it. Veronica Roth is freaking amazing and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with! Seriously, if you were like me and haven't read this book yet, do it! You have to! If you are in anyway, shape or form a fan of dystopians, you HAVE to read this. If you don't know what a dystopian is, this is a great place to start! 

Alright, Divergent revolves around Beatrice (Tris) Prior as she decides which faction she will pick, ultimately picking Dauntless. Now, to be in Dauntless you have to have a lot of courage, something Tris thankfully has a lot of. She has to fight for a good rank during training, literally, she fights the other initiates as part of their training. She is smaller than all of the other initiates and has to do a lot to prove herself. The kicker, they find out AFTER chosing Dauntless that only the top 10 ranks, out of the 20 or so initiates, will become members of Dauntless, the rest will become factionless. Being factionless is not something anyone really wants. 

The story line is really good, there is a lot of action and butt kicking, with a bit of romance thrown in there too. I love the writing style of Roth and how quickly and easily the story seems to flow. It is definitely well written and I came to care deeply for Tris and Four, as well as Christina, Will and Al. There wasn't really any point in the story where I became bored and the book became an extension of my arm for the day that I was reading it. I had a really hard time putting it down! 

Tris is an awesome, kick butt character. She is fairly fearless and loves the acts of bravery that are presented before her. I don't think I have ever read a story where the protagonist changes so much. Tris starts out as a quiet, selfless Abnegation member who always put others first. She knows she doesn't really fit in and is nervous about leaving her family behind if she changes faction. Worried about hurting their feelings. Once in Dauntless, it takes awhile but she transforms into new kick butt personality. She has a lot to prove considering where she comes from, and nobody thinks she can look after herself, except Four. She is definitely a girl to keep an eye on. 

Four, our romantic intrest, is a little bit mysterious. Nobody knows a whole lot about him and he tends to keep to himself. He seems to take a lot of interest in Tris, giving her advice and saving her butt a few times. He starts out as an instructor, but could he become more to Tris? He seems to yell at her and push her harder than the other initiates,  but Tris can't help but have her heart flutter when he touches her.  

Overall, this book is just AMAZING! Seriously! I cannot rave about  it enough. I can't believe it was on my shelf for two months before I picked it up. Insurgent needs to come out now! This is definitely a book to buy to add to your collection and obviously, I'm recommending it! Go out and buy a copy! Read it!

Special Offer- 20% Off @Gone Reading!!!

Hello all!

I have great news to bring you today! This might just make your day, I know it made mine :) I am so excited to offer all our readers this awesome and generous deal!

I recently became a follower of Brad Wirz @gonereading4vr. He is the founder  GoneReading, an online store that sells book related products and donates a portion of their proceeds to libraries and non-profit reading organizations. The following is an excerpt from their site that details their
mission/goal:

"Dear Fellow Readers & Book Lovers:

If you're like me, you just can't imagine living in a world without reading. Unfortunately, for almost a billion people today, that's exactly where they find themselves. There are countless villages, towns and vast regions of this planet where the power of reading has yet to shine it's light.

Even in wealthy countries like the United States, libraries struggle for funding while demand for their services has never been higher.

We beleive that when people have open access to great reading materials, life always changes for the better. When libraries and reading materials are made available, people and their communities thrive through increased opportunity and self-empowerment.

That's why Gone Reading International donates 100% of our after-tax profits to provide new funding for libraries and reading-related charities. By purchasing GoneReading brand gifts and merchandise, you're treating yourself and the world at large to a wonderful gift."

I think this is something all us book lovers can absolutely agree with and want to support! They have some really great products, all book related, from stickers, to clothing, posters, bookmarks, and more!

So here comes the even more amazing part! Brad has so kindly offered to give all of our readers 20% off their purchases for an entire month!

You can get yourself something great, for a great price, and help forward an amazing cause at the same time! All you have to do is enter this coupon code at the checkout:

OWLREADIT20

This has been created just for you guys! I'd like to extend a great big thank you to Brad Wirz for so kindly creating this offer for all of us!

Enjoy guys! And happy shopping!