**spoiler alert** What a disappointing ending. Ugh. I am so bitter.
I need to elaborate a bit.
Here I am still angry about this book. There was NO endin...more**spoiler alert** What a disappointing ending. Ugh. I am so bitter.
I need to elaborate a bit.
Here I am still angry about this book. There was NO ending. None.
Lena, I don't even know what to say about her, she was a waffler, an annoying waffler.
Julian, she spent the entire 2nd book doing what I thought would be unheard of, making me love him, and then boom in the 3rd book he is basically a nothing.
Alex, spend the entire first book making us love him onto to turn him into a bitter dickhole in the 3rd book who admits he loves her at the end.
Hana, at least her storyline was moderately more interesting, but not enough to resurrect this crap.
Bee, really, you finally bring in her mom and she barely has more than a handful of unmemorable moments to speak of?
Just garbage, pure and utter garbage. The fact that nothing was resolved at the end, not the man, not anything, was a waste of the paper the three novels were printed on.(less)
Benny hated zoms his whole life because he never stopped to consider that zoms were someones friend, someones mother, someone loved them. They weren't...moreBenny hated zoms his whole life because he never stopped to consider that zoms were someones friend, someones mother, someone loved them. They weren't evil, they just were instinctual. This book taught the lesson that sometimes the real evil isn't the clear target you've been taught to hate, sometimes it the hero you worshiped your whole life and sometimes evil is wrapped up in a package of indifference - turning a blind eye to anything you are too afraid to confront.
As you go along with Benny in his journey of become more aware of the world around him, you witness his transformation from a young boy to a young man. He still has his trademark sarcasm and quick wit, but he realizes that some of the truths he has clung to his entire life were not truths at all. You watch him grow and change from a typical teenager to an extraordinary man.
This book also explores what I think would be a basic truth, in times of tragedy, some men step up as heroes - men who likely seemed like nothing special in ordinary life, others use the tragedy to further their own greed and lust for power, others still let fear keep them trapped, silent and uneducated. Tragedy brings out the best in some and the worst in most.
This book was well written with rich characters I truly cared about and want to visit again. I think Maberry really did a fantastic job with making you stop and think about so much more than zombies. I highly recommend this!(less)
I tore through this book while we were on vacation.
I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. The world Roth created was rich and vibrant, each fac...moreI tore through this book while we were on vacation.
I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. The world Roth created was rich and vibrant, each faction was very well fleshed out (except for Amity, but I imagine we'll hear more about them to come). I thought the characters were all engaging, even those you hated.
My love for Tris and Four really knows no bounds. Roth doesn't shy away from making Four both super masculine and unafraid to share his vulnerabilities. That is why I connected with his character so much.
Roth is also a master at those little moments that are full of sexual tension that burst through the pages. The passion between these two was undeniable.
I loved all of the twists and turns along the way, even those that made me so sad and disappointed and I'll be among the very first to read the next book the moment it comes out!!!
**spoiler alert** I loved this, a rare sequel that I think in many ways is better than the original.
I really applaud Oliver, because in book 1 I simpl...more**spoiler alert** I loved this, a rare sequel that I think in many ways is better than the original.
I really applaud Oliver, because in book 1 I simply adored Alex. I loved him to bits. I kept being incredulous that he was absent from book 2, thinking that she really didn't kill him off did she? And then came Justin. At first I thought he'd be a passing fancy, but then I fell head over heels for Justin. <3 Love him so much.
When he was taken by his dick of a dad, I cried. When they mentioned the escapee, I knew what was coming, but the reaction we got blew me the heck away! ARGH. Now in book 3 I have NO idea who I'm going to ship for and in all honesty that is very very very rare for me in love triangles. I'm usually damn clear who I want to be together.
Kudos to the author for making me love both of them. May the best man win in book 3 and hurry up and get here!(less)
**spoiler alert** I know this was either a "love it" or "hate it" book.
I loved it.
Was the subject matter disturbing? Absolutely, however I didn't have...more**spoiler alert** I know this was either a "love it" or "hate it" book.
I loved it.
Was the subject matter disturbing? Absolutely, however I didn't have some of the issues with it that some of the others did. I suppose I've read enough books / seen enough TV shows set in times past that I know when the life expectancy is short, women are married, have kids at a much earlier age. It is disturbing to think that at 13 a woman could be married and have a baby when we look at today's 13 year olds, but 600 years ago this was the norm. I would expect should our life expectancy start dwindling again and women no longer have the privilege of being able to have babies well into their 30s and even early 40s, you would see the average age of childbirth again lowering.
Cecily for me was sort of the embodiment of this. She was only ever brought up to believe that this was the best thing that could happen to her. She had no illusions of being a child, a tween, she wanted to be a wife and a mother, to feel loved and important. This mindset is shared by many a teen mom out there currently, who believe that having a child is a way to find love, to feel important. However Cecily learns as all teen moms do that having a child is not the solution you are looking for, it is difficult and taxing. For Cecily she learns that her dreams are not what it is cracked up to be.
What I didn't like was the character of Vaughn, he was just *too* evil. There was also no explanation for WHY he is like this. He claims he wants to protect his son above all else, but then when he supposedly had grandchildren, he experiments on them, or takes them all-together. I understand that not all evil has an explanation, but I guess I just found his character entirely one-dimensional.
As far as Linden, I didn't understand why NONE of the women told him how it was. Why they didn't tell him what kind of manipulation his father was doing. It made no sense to me at all? I get Linden lives in the shadow of fear of his father, but again it didn't make sense to me why everyone allowed him to be so clueless. I would have expected Rose or Rhine would have talked with him at some point.
These detractions are minor as I though the interactions between Rose/Rhine/Cecily/Jenna were stellar. I believed their relationships completely, I understood where they were all coming from and I liked how she sort of showed every side of what happens in these "marriages". These women are locked away in a gilded cage, some of them came to terms with it, others always looking for a way out, others still finally realizing it was truly a prison.
I couldn't put the book down for 2 days. I will definitely read the sequel.(less)
**spoiler alert** I thought this book was fantastic. I thought that Cassia is a great protagonist and what I love most about her is her strength. I fi...more**spoiler alert** I thought this book was fantastic. I thought that Cassia is a great protagonist and what I love most about her is her strength. I find Ky completely intriguing as a character, the small glimpses of who he is isn't enough, I want more. I was engrossed in every scene he was a part of, watching him the same way the Officials do, trying to figure out who he is and what has changed him. I found Xander's name so truly fitting because to me Xander is always that loyal sidekick who pines for the protagonist and will do anything to help his friends. Then there are the whole host of other characters who are all multi layered and never what they first appear to be on the surface.
I sort of could see the manipulation of the Officials, but I love the slight twist that they don't know HOW Ky's name got into the matching pool. Not knowing the book was a trilogy until after I finished (seriously I should expect it by now, aren't all books anymore a trilogy?) I don't know HOW I'm going to wait until Nov 2011 for Crossed.
I'm looking forward to seeing what else Ally Condie writes.(less)
**spoiler alert** AAAAAAH Nasty Cliffhanger!!! I need t stop reading the first book in a series soon after it comes out because then there is that loo...more**spoiler alert** AAAAAAH Nasty Cliffhanger!!! I need t stop reading the first book in a series soon after it comes out because then there is that loooonnnnnngggggg painful wait until the next one comes out.
I can't even fathom a world without love, but as a mom, I thought it was such a cruel touch to have the moms all be "cured" and the children to be capable of love, but simply not be given it by their parents. This is where Lena gets something most do not, she grows up knowing the love of her mother, the silly fun things a mom will do for her children to watch the joy erupt on their face. She'd also rather give up all of that love than to have lost her mother so young.
I love the struggle that Lena has with staying "good" and "following the rules" and simply staying true to who she is. She is her mother's daughter, she is capable of great love. Alex takes to her the moment he sees her because she stands out from all of the other drones. He is drawn to her and fate brings them together. They find stolen moments to build their relationship and as her 'cure' draws near, you wonder how they are going to stay together.
**spoiler alert** I was stuck waiting somewhere with no book, so I saw that my ebook checkout from the library had this waiting for me and decided to...more**spoiler alert** I was stuck waiting somewhere with no book, so I saw that my ebook checkout from the library had this waiting for me and decided to start it. Needless to say I finished it the same day I was so engrossed in the story.
Much like all dystopian fiction, the society thinks they have made things better for everyone, but in reality that have stolen the things that make us who we are. Love, color, joy, sexual appetite, etc. You see how the character of Jonas goes from thinking everything is how it should be, to being upset that no one gets what they are missing.
I have to say I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but given that it appears to be a trilogy, I assume I'll find out more of what happened with that later.
The other lingering question is of course who fathers all of the children? Clearly the receiver fathers some of them, because of their eyes being the same. I am fairly certain Jonas was his biological son as was Gabriel. He passes his gifts onto them.
All in all a very quick and engrossing read. I recommend this to anyone.(less)
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