Book Review : Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Series : Divergent #3
Editon : Paperback (526 pages)
Publisher : Katherine Tegan Books (2013)
Genre : Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction
Source : Amazon.de
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„Can I be forgiven for all I’ve done to get here?
I want to be.
I can.
I believe it.“

My Thoughts

I was able to avoid reading reviews and even talking about this book with my fellow bookworms that’s why I had no idea on how the story would end.

In this third and final book of Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, a secret alliance was formed against Evelyn’s system and Tris, Tobias and the others were chosen to go outside the city to find out what is hidden beyond the fence.

It was narrated through Tris and Tobias‘ points of views which for me was confusing most of the time and i had to flip back some pages to check whose POV I was reading. Maybe because I got used to Tris‘ as the only narrator or they somehow sound similar. The good thing is we know what’s going on with Tobias‘ head and how he feels about everything. The relationship between the two is tested and of course there are also some sweet and „intense“ moments between them.

What is the symbol on the cover means? I thought it has something to do with Erudites but it’s not. It doesn’t have anything to do with the factions. (This is not a spoiler, right?) It’s really advisable to read the first two books before reading this one. Here, readers will encounter (again) some new characters and some new problems or circumstances in and outside the city. I personally didn’t expect that something like that was going on beyond the fence.

I really don’t know how i feel about the ending. I’m not really disappointed (unlike the majority of people who read this book) instead, I was dreadful (after reading chapter 50) that it made me cry while reading until the last chapter. I feel so sad until now while typing this. It’s not a perfect happy ending but I think it’s inevitable and it makes me admire Tris, Tobias and Peter (yes! You’ve read it right!) more.

I know some people who don’t want to read Allegiant anymore because they were spoiled about the ending and didn’t like it. All i can say is give it a chance. If you’ve read the first two then why not read the last book, right? It can answer your questions and help you understand why that certain thing happens.

I enjoyed reading this series and I’m looking forward to read more of Ms. Roth’s books.


My Rating
5stars

Book Review: The Catastrophic History Of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Editon : Kindle (400 pages)
Publisher : Penguin (2012)
Genre : Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Source : Amazon Kindle
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“You can obsess and obsess over how things ended—what you did wrong or could have done differently—but there’s not much of a point. It’s not like it’ll change anything. So really, why worry?” – Brie (chapter 9)

My Thoughts

This is about a girl named Brie who died after her heart got literally broken by her boyfriend, Jacob. To be more precise, she had a heart failure (acute congestive cardiomyopathy in medical world) and died. She ends up in a pizza parlor called “Little Slice of Heaven” where she met a guy in his leather jacket and 80’s style named Patrick. The book will take you to Brie’s afterlife experiences while going through the five stages of grief before she can finally rest in peace.

The author created a realistic and likeable characters in this book. Brie for example, is adorable, strong, sarcastic and selfish (at times). Her love to her family and friends is also undeniable. She made some unfavorable decisions during her journey through the five stages of grief which I think is understandable since well, she’s a teenager and a (dead) human. The good thing is she grew as a person (or spirit) during and after the stages. I like her love for the 80’s music which is very rare for teenagers nowadays. (80’s kid here by the way). Then there’s Patrick, an appealing, sweet and mysterious guy who became Brie’s guide in the afterlife and partner in crime during her “revenge” plan. And mind you, “love at first sight” didn’t happen between the two of them, not even “love triangle”. The revelation of his past is unexpected but it made sense through out the story. My favorite character in this book is actually not a person but an adorable basset hound named Hamloaf. He’s so cute and smart.

The chapter titles are clever and also the way how the story was divided into five parts made me fall in love with this book. The author knows exactly what her reader wants not to mention the unpredictable plot twists. A combination of paranormal, contemporary and fantasy, this book will make you think of what is waiting for us after death. What does it look like and how does it feel like. How painful and heartbreaking it would be seeing your family and friends continuing their lives without you. But thankfully, this book is not only about death, afterlife and goodbyes. It’s also about acceptance and moving on, living and loving the life you have while you still have the chance. Life can be full of lies, betrayals and revelations but how you handle and accept these things can make your life easier and more happier. Life is far too short to be sad and miserable.

This is a great book and I’ll recommend this not only to young readers who’s heart got broken but also to those people who’s having a hard time moving on. This one is a good book for you.

My Rating
5stars

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent

Series : Divergent #1
Edition : Paperback (487 pages)
Publisher : Katherine Tegen Books
Genre : Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction
Source : Bought from Thalia Buchhandlung
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“Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up”

My Thoughts

I can’t help not to think of “Matched” trilogy my Ally Condie while reading the first two chapters of this book. I’m aware that almost everyone is comparing this to THG but I didn’t felt like that. I don’t have any idea about the story of Divergent though everyone (in blogospere) was talking about it specially before the movie came out. So i think i don’t need an introduction for this.

I personally enjoyed how Tris (Beatrice) evolved through the Dauntless initiation. I love the idea that she cannot be manipulated to do something or believe something that she don’t want to. I wish I can be somehow like her. Well i know that i’ll also choose Dauntless if given by chance but my result (on the quizz in the book) is Abnegation. Oh, just like her. So now let’s talk about Four. *sigh* Four *sigh* Haha! I definitely love this guy. I love the fact that he let Tris to know his weaknesses. for me that’s one of the characteristics of a real man. I have to admit that Theo James (who played Four in the movie) didn’t get much of my attention. So i’ll just keep on imagining another guy as Four. Some chapters made me cry specially the pages 443 and 471.

It’s a brilliant book that it kept me insterested in what’s going to happen on the next chapters. I also love the playlist specially the songs from Flyleaf. Kudos to Ms. Veronica Roth considering that this is her first novel.

I’m still waiting for the DVD to be available here and I’m excited for Insurgent.


My Rating
5stars

Book Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Edition: Paperback (196 pages)
Publisher : Hyperion (2003)
Genre : Fiction, Inspirational
Source : Bought from Thalia Buchhandlung
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„All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.”

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie’s five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his „meaningless“ life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: „Why was I here?“ (source)

My Thoughts

An extraordinary book. Just like Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, some scenes made me cry and reflect about life. Full of flashbacks but not to the point that the reader will get lost in the story. I’m also somehow happy and proud that the last person was from the Philippines and Albom included some Filipino cultures. I didn’t know that there’s also a movie of this, so I think I’ll be watching it maybe today or the next days. After reading the book, I caught myself wondering who will be the five people I’ll meet in heaven.

My Rating
5stars