Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent

Written by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 3, 2011

Published by Katherine Tegen Books 

*Arc copy provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review*

Summary from Goodreads:
"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. "

My Thoughts:

I really don't even know where to start with this book!  It is THAT GOOD!  It was one of those books that you have to read fast because you want to know what is going to happen next, but you hate reading fast because you do not want to finish it!  I already miss the characters in the book and I have to wait an entire year to see what happens with them next!  Veronica Roth hit one out of the park with this one.  It is one of my top three favorite books I have EVER read.  Ok, Ok.... now that I've done a little gushing let me get on with the review!  I love dystopian novels and this one is pretty much perfect!  The vision of Roth's dystopian society is a little scary, but plausable considering the state of our world these days.  The plan entailed dividing society into seperate factions based on the type of person you are and then cultivating these traits in the faction to perform a specific function needed in order for the new society to succed.  It may not sound so bad to hear it that way, but unfortunately nothing is as it seems in this world!  Corruption, betrayal, and impossible choices make this novel unputtdownable!!  I feel that the strongest aspects of Divergent lie in Roth's use of characters and in the seamless, explosive, and riveting plot.  The characters in the book really came alive on the page and I found myself experiencing the same feelings toward the characters that Tris (the main female protagonist) felt towards them.  The villians were positively ruthless and I rooted for the good guys through the whole book.  Tris undergoes a serious transformation in the book.  She makes some difficult decisions that throw her life into utter chaos, yet they allow her to explore who she really is underneath everything she has been forced to adhere to during her youth.  Throughout the book she seems to teeter on the edge of who she thought she was and who she was truly meant to be.  I admired her 'no fear' attitude even if it wasn't always true on the inside and her ability to stand up for what was right regardless of the consequences.  Another character I fell in love with was 4.  He very hard to figure out.  So much lay under the surface that it was hard to tell what was really going on with him.  As he and Tris got to know each other better the reader was given glimpses of who he really was and what made him tick and that only made me love him more!  The ending of Divergent was as action-packed as the rest of the book and had me biting my nails and flipping pages like a crazy woman!  The final scene set the stage for the next book and left me begging for more!  I cannot wait to see where Veronica Roth takes our characters next.  I recommend this book to EVERYONE!  Seriously!!  It was such a beautiful mixture of triumph and loss and heartbreak and hope.  I imagine that I will be thinking about this book for some time.

Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity

Written by Kim Harrington

Available Now!

Published by Point

*Review copy provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from Goodreads:

"When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?"

My Thoughts:
Clarity has been on my wishlist since it began popping up around the blogosphere months ago.  The reviews I read were all pretty stellar and I do love a good paranormal murder mystery!  After reading the book, I can say without a doubt that the early reviews I read were spot on!  Clarity is very well written.  Kim Harrington did a phenomenal job creating a story that kept me guessing throughout.  It was so suspensful that I had a hard time putting the book down!  All of  the characters peaked my interest as well.  As the story unfolded so did the characters.  There was more to each of them than you initially thought and that type of character development adds to the suspenseful nature of this book.  I really liked the main character Clare.  She was strong, determined, and able to maintain a thick-skin against the constant taunts and name-calling from her peers.  Her psychic ability isn't the main storyline in the book, although, it is because of her gift that she is thrust into the middle of a dangerous murder investigation.  After the tragic murder of a teenage tourist, Clare is asked to 'asssist' the police by using her psychic ability.  Clare is put face to face with more danger than she could have imagined but luckily she isn't alone!  The classic YA love triangle was present in the story.  Should Clare go for the ex-boyfriend, who is the all-american good guy or should she go for the new guy in town, who happens to be ultra mysterious and superhot?  Both guys hold appeal for Clare, but there are things about each of them that make her hesitate.  I liked both of the guys and I was still undecided at the end of the book as to which one I wanted to see Clare with.  One of my favorite parts of this book was Clare's family.  Each member had some type of 'gift' and they used their abilities and worked together giving readings to the local tourists.  You could really tell how much they loved each other and how they would do whatever was necessary to ensure each other's well being.  Their family (and their business) is threatened when a rival psychic sets up shop in town.  The family falls on hard times and paired with the recent murder, it looks pretty bleak for Clare, her family, and their business.  The end of the story is exciting!  Shocking revelations are discovered as the investigation nears its end and Clare finds that everything she holds dear could be in jeopardy.  The people in her life that she thought were her friends could be enemies and her enemies could really be her friends!  You will just have to read it to find out!  Lisa Harrington's has secured her place in YA with this one.  I cannot wait to see what happens next in Clare's story.  The second book in the series, titled Perception, is scheduled for release in March of 2012.    

2011 Debut Author Challenge

 I decided to join the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren.  I participated last year and really enjoyed it. There are so many exciting debut titles for 2011!  I know that my list will grow throughout the year, but these are the titles I know I am going to read:
(*own but haven't read yet)

1. Warped by Maurissa Guibord*
2. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
3. Across The Universe by Beth Revis
4. Vesper by Jeff Sampsen*
5. XVI by Julia Kerr*
6. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
7. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford*
8. Haven by Kristi Cook*
9. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
10. Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
11. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge*
12. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney*
13. So Shelly by Ty Roth*
14. Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach*
15. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
16. Entwined by Heather Dixon*
17. Clarity by Kim Harrington
18. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes*
19. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
20. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
21. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
22. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
23. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
24. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
25. Human.4 by Mike Lancaster
26. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
27. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
28. Divergent by Veronica Roth
29. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I look forward to this challenge and I am going to really try to do better than I did last year!  Thank you to The Story Siren for putting so much time and effort into hosting this!