The Fault in Our Stars : review

John Green

Someone asked me if I had read The Fault in Our Stars and I had yet to. I had heard So much great things about it and I wanted to read it, but I kept pushing it away in thoughts of reading it sometime. I guess I wasn't prepared to cry, as I had heard that I would. Then the movie release date came, and I had to read it before it. So I started to read it. And I read it in one sitting during a lovely evening. I was compelled to read the whole thing. And I did. And I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I can't even express my gratitude to John Green for writing it! I don't know how to express my love toward the book either. No it didn't have "fiction" in the world but it was compensated by the contemporary setting and all the romance and heart-break.
I cried and laughed, shared the joy and grief, I was nervous yet anxious, and most importantly I Loved It!

So onto what it is about if you do not know:  (GoodReads)
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Yeah. That pretty much explains it.
If you still haven't read it and aren't planning to will this help?:

literary awards

Buxtehuder Bulle (2012), Odyssey Award (2013), ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012), Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adult (2013), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Preis der Jugendjury (2013)

Dioraphte Jongerenliteratuurprijs (2013), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2012), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), Goodreads Choice for Best Young Adult Fiction (2012)

AnYwAy:
My point in this rambling (Yes, I actually have a point) is that everyone should read it and that all the crying will be worth it. Since after you have read it you will feel happy and lively I suppose...

.5

Love,

Sally

Alphas : review

Lisi Harrison

Firstly I want to say sorry that this post is a day late, but I had a goal of finishing four books during two days. Quite a challenge but I pulles it of :) I wanted to wait writing this until I finished them all, and now I have.

So I read the Alphas quadrilogy: Alphas, Movers & Fakers, Belle of the Brawl and Top of the Food Chain. I made a "deal" with a friend that I read one of her old favourite series and she read one of mine (Divergent).

Goodreads:
At OCD the losers are tormented.

At Alpha Academy, they're sent home.

Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR . What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?

My first impression was being interested but not really too excited. It seemed like a cheesy book about a school for girls. And when I started it was exactly that, but I kept reading since there was something in it. The first book turned out to be really good, second and third not so much, and the last one was just simply fantastic. It had twists and turns in parts where you thought you knew exactly what was coming. It did not have action as I like books to have but it had a whole lot of romance. I was quite giddy at those parts :)

One thing that I noticed I didn't hate so much afterall was the change in the point of character all the time. I HaTe books where every other chapter is someone elses view but I kind of liked how it rotated in these books.
The main characters were: Charlie (whom I loved!), Skye and Allie A.
They were accepted to Alpha Academy all in their own ways and came room-mates and best friends? Not exactly at first.

After reading the last book (and having a break of sitting trying to figure out how on earth anything like that as a twist at the end could be possible!) I gave 3 stars to the quadrilogy. It was well written yet still I had moments during the second and third book where I just wanted to stop. But I couldn't. I wanted to see how some of the romance related problems turned out. Which is why I gave those stars. Overall I enjoyed these two days of reading the Alphas.

Love,

Sally

Divergent : review

Veronica Roth

Today I started reading Allegiant, final book in the divergent trilogy. I am not sure what to think about it before reading it since I have heard some thoughts on it from poeple who've read it... I decided to do this post on Divergent to recap for myself what "I'm getting into" again, so to say...

As a note here I'd like to say, no I'm not stopping blogging I just had a break of Christmas. Many of you did mail me about this, and I'm glad, but I did realize that in the future I will tell you of breaks. So you don't need to wonder... My mail: stuff931@gmail.com

So back to Divergent. The summary, taken from GoodReads:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Usually, as you might know, I summarize it in my own words into a shorter version, but I wanted to try taking it from GoodReads and seeing what you guys think...
So, first of all I Loved this book! I was very happy when I went into reading it without knowing anything about it. I had been pushing of anything said related to it to keep the suspence for me. Now for thoughts on the book, other than loving it, and why's too:

This book captured me into it, which I haven't had for a while. I read it in a day and insurgent, second in trilogy, the day after. It was very remarkeble how insurgent started right where Divergent ended! It was perfect for those who were captivatd in divergent and had access to Insurgent immediatly to read, which I did. Most continuations of books start of weeks after where the last books ending, sometimes frustrating me. I would like to know what happens in between! (That is partly why I love novellas).
So Divergent had everything I adore in books: Romance, Action and a sprinkle of Fantasy. It did not have flaws, major ones at least, and it was notable.
One thing I hated, well strongly disliked, was that I was thrown off byt he factions. I could not remember them and the differences of them. My bad memory frustrated me and so I referred to the factions as colours, the ones they wore. I made a list and had it as a bookmark. After reading Insurgent I still could not remember them. I don' t know if it's just me though...
There was suspense in the book, which I loved, some friendship problems and thoughts on life overall. It had me guessing what will happen, especially in Insurgent I had no idea into where it was going. I loved the doubtfulness I had towards what I thought. Not knowing what to think, would be saying it in a simple way.
As a whole Divergent captivated my heart. And for that: five stars.

Sally