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This is pretty good, I guess. I dunno, for something that was apparently so shocking when it was released, it comes across as kind of dull today. But I haven't gotten to the part about syphilis yet, so maybe that'll liven things up.

This is pretty good, I guess. I dunno, for something that was apparently so shocking when it was released, it comes across as kind of dull today. But I haven't gotten to the part about syphilis yet, so maybe that'll liven things up.

Hmm. It's intriguing so far, although I'm not far enough in to make any real judgments. I'm awaiting the part that was apparently so scandalous.

This is a pretty good climax, I suppose. But the problem here is the same that it's been throughout the book - the worldbuilding doesn't give me the proper context to understand what's going on here. It's just... nonsensical, and I'm not even trying to keep track of it at this point.

I thought I understood the allegory of this book. And maybe it's still about how we compartmentalize people, but if it is, the message is so awkwardly worded that I'm not sure if I can get behind it.

I can't put myself in whatever mindframe Roth was in when she thought through the logic of this world. It's just so blatantly unrealistic - I truly can't see how Roth thought it could make sense.

This is completely effortless, on Lin's part. It feels like the story just arose naturally - nothing is forced or contrived. It's cool to watch.

I was planning on giving this two stars, but honestly, I'm having trouble thinking of a single thing I like about this. The prose is not bad, on a sentence level, I guess? That's the only thing this book has going for it - there's no suspense in the plot, the main character is thoroughly underexplored, there's an abundance of telling, and the worldbuilding makes zero sense.

This is a lot of fun. I thought I'd get bored of a book with this kind of light, adventure tone, but I'm not. It's something light and relaxing - it feels like it's been ages since I've read a good, light book.

Tris isn't a poorly developed character exactly, she's just... kind of a non-presence in this novel. Her mentality isn't explored nearly well enough, and when it is, it's not at all subtle.

This is clearly deeply rooted in Chinese storytelling. I mean, for all I know, Lin could be pulling all this out of her ass, but that's the impression I get. But the nice thing about it is that it doesn't feel like an inside joke that I don't get - there's material for you even if you're not familiar with the storytelling style that she's imitating.

Why are so many people calling this plot suspenseful? There's no tension here - we know that Tris won't be declared factionless, and she won't die. This is just filler until the actual tension starts.

It looks like I can't write this review the way I really want to, because as it turns out, I know next to nothing about Chinese culture. But I'm enjoying this. Unlike most Newburry winners about people who aren't white Americans, this one seems to have gotten the honor not for diversity, but because it's actually really good.

This worldbuilding is blatantly illogical. All of the best dystopias I can think of - The Giver, Feed, The Hunger Games - have a strong fundamental understanding of how societies and governments function in the real world. Roth has none of that understanding - her society is impossible.

Also, every time Tris shows signs of thinking like an Abnegation, it's lampshaded. Show, don't tell!

This is pretty well-written. I could see this being entertaining, if Lin keeps in this direction.

Would you believe I've been a YA fan for years and I've never read this before? Anyway, I sense that this is going to be a bit of a mess - I feel like the story started in the wrong place, and the writing isn't great. Plus, while I think I get the allegory Roth was going for, the world is still bizarre.

This is physically painful to read. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's maybe the single most choppy thing I've ever read.

God, Wiesel is NOT a novelist. This is disjointed, the characters talk in philosophical mini-speeches, and one one occasion, a character literally reads Elijah's mind. This is clearly the work of someone who doesn't know the basics of how a novel should look.

This is so rushed. Every scene feels cut off, after only a few lines of extremely contrived dialogue.

So, Wiesel seems to be much better at memoirs than he is at nonfiction. Infodumps are abound, some of the worst I've seen.

So Elie Wiesel wrote a fictional sequel to Night. Interesting choice for him to make. But I am really curious to see what it's like.

Why did I think this would be a good idea to read? What went through my head when I decided, "Yeah, this MG book about Egyptian mythology looks like it might be good."? This is really badly written.

I've been complaining some, but this is actually really good. The plot here is much tighter than it was in Stranger.

So apparently saying mo' as an abbreviation for 'more' was invented not by rappers, but by Elizabethian writers. I mean, it's spelled 'moe' here, but we all know what he's really saying.

I think this is the best book I've read so far this year, and it's nonfiction. I don't even know how to review nonfiction.

That was a rather cruel twist of fate. Poor communication kills.

This is boring. I get the feeling Shriver was trying to build up to the part that might actually be interesting: the period right before and after Kevin commits mass murder. But this doesn't feel like buildup, because buildup is suspenseful. This is just stalling.

The plot thickens. (Also, why is Yuki even here? It's not like he's really doing anything. I feel like Brith only wrote about him out of obligation.)

There are no real surprises here. The climax of this story has already happened, and this is all just aftermath. I get that this isn't a thriller, and things are mainly introspective. But the introspectiveness isn't even that surprising. It's like Shriver came up with a good premise and decided to coast from there on out.

This is some pretty successful buildup.