Divergent by Veronica Roth

It's post-apocolyptic America and a new society has been built on five core values. Intelligence, Honesty, Peace, Selflessness, and Bravery. Each citizen has to decide, upon reaching a certain age, which faction, or value, they want to join. But Beatrice can't choose which faction she wants to join, because Beatrice doesn't fit specifically into any category. She is Divergent, a fact which threatens to ruin her life.

Beatrice lives with her family in Abnegation, the faction which honors selflessness. She knows that she doesn't belong there, but she can't decide exactly where she fits in. After taking the test that is supposed to prove which faction best suits you, she is left even more confused than before, especially when she finds out that her test results say she is Divergent, meaning she isn't suited for any faction. Beatrice must decide where her heart truly belongs, but the decision weighs heavily on her shoulders since she knows, if she leaves Abnegation, she will never see her family again.

After Beatrice leaves for the faction that values bravery, Dauntless, she must start her training to prove she can survive as one of them. What she doesn't know, but quickly discovers, is that not everyone makes it out of Dauntless training alive. Beatrice is scared for her life but after meeting her mysterious trainer, Four, she feels she finally has something to fight for.

This book was AMAZING! I sped through this book like a jackrabbit. Those are fast, right? Anyways, anyone who reads this book will most certainly find it as entertaining as I did. If you aren't sure whether or not it is a good fit for you, ask yourself one simple question. Dramatic Pause. Did you like the Hunger Games? Because if you did, then this is the book for you.

That dramatic pause led up to a pretty lame question, didn't it?

Wintertown by Stephen Emond

Lucy and Evan have been best friends since the were kids. Even when Lucy moved away, the duo manages to keep their partnership alive. Lately, though, it seems the two are growing apart. Until Lucy comes to see Evan.

Soon the two are inseparable. What Evan doesn't know, though, is that jealousy is slowly eating Lucy away. She can't stand how perfect Evan's life is. His parents are still together, he has the perfect grades, the perfect friends, the perfect life. Everthing Lucy is trying to escape at home comes creeping back during her time with her best friend. She can't stand herself, but she can't seem to stop. She wants Evan to hurt, like she did. She wants him to know what heartbreak feels like and how much it hurt to be crushed. Can their love survive the season?

I blasted through this book. It took me probably three days to read it, it was that good. It also had pictures, which the inner child in me absolutely loves! It definitely isn't your typical romance novel, that's for sure.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 

And The Hunger Games trilogy comes to an end in this thrilling third novel by Suzanne Collins. In Panem, the city where Katniss Everdeen and her family once called home, the rebels against the capitol are in an uproar, and Katniss herself is to blame. After being captured by the rebels and taken to District 13, a place where just weeks before capture she believed to be uninhabited, Katniss must figure out a way to save Peeta, the boy with whom she won her first hunger games with, from the capitol.

 

While she is trying to deal with the stress of being the Mockingjay, the face of the rebels, Katniss must also find a way to sort out her love life. The overbearing weight of deciding between Gale and Peeta is finally taking it's toll on her, and she finds herself breaking down more often than not. As the capitol gets ready for war with the rebels, Katniss must decide which is more important. The ones she loves or the entire population of Panem?

 

This third book brought a great close to the series. Although, I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite out of the three. The book answered any questions that were left unnanswered by the endd of Catching Fire and added surprising twists. Anyone who is a fan of The Hunger Games will love the end to this great series.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

 

In a world where vampires are lurking in every corner and only few know they even exist, America's sixteenth president will accept the challenge of killing every vampire he can get his hands on. A lot of people told me that they didn't like this book, saying it was boring or didn't follwow Lincoln's life well. I, on the other hand, loved the book. It may be due to my infatuation with Lincoln's amazing yet devasting life, but  I loved this modern twist.

 

You may think you know everything there is to know about Abraham Lincoln, but you have never seen the United States' sixteenth president like this. After his mother was murdered by a vampire when he was just a young boy, Abraham vowed that he would get revenge by killing every vampire in America. Soon he meets up with a vampire who has the same wish as him and together they wreak havoc on the vampire population.

 

As Abe carves his way through America, on his way to presidency, a war is brewing. A war between human and vampire. A war Abe has to lead a country, torn apart by greed, thorugh. A war which would go down in history as the war that ripped America in two. The Civil War. 

 

Sorry, the summary is awful, but I am up to my eyeballs in irritation right now. The amount of annoying my little brother is capable of dishing would amaze most of you. Anyways, this book was good. A word of caution, it is considered boring for most people so beware. Blah, Blah, Blah. Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Hope to see you sometime soon!





I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

 

Throughout the entire time I was reading this book I was constantly going Awww! Seriously, I got some pretty weird looks...

Emily Bell is your average, run-of-the-mill kind of girl. Plain and easy to walk by and not really notice. Until she meets Sam Border and his little brother Riddle. Sam is unlike anyone Emily has ever met, from his mysterious looks to his artsy side to his amazing musical abilty. Emily isn't the only one who notices Sam's uniqueness, Bobby Ellis, a boy with a "thing" for Emily, seems to think that her and Sam are spending too much time together, and that's not good.

When Bobby starts to do some snooping around he uncovers the truth. Sam and Riddle live with their aggressive father who constantly steals and hears voices. When Emily's family accepts Sam and Riddle into their lives with the love of a real family, the boys feel as though nothing can go wrong. Until their dad hauls them away from the only place that has ever been home and throws them in a life-threatening situation. Emily, devastated by the thought of never seeing Sam again, and her family, consumed with the grief of losing the boys, have to find a way to get them back and sew back together the pieces of a life they never imagined having.

This book was adorable. I would recommend this if you love happy endings. Oops, I probably shouldn't have said that :D! Any teenage girl or hopeless romantic will love this book and it is truly a great read.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 

 

This modern take on Cinderella is as far from the original story as you can get. With a plot that keeps your eyes glued to the page and twists that will give you whiplash, this book will leave you wanting more. Thank Goodness there are a billion other books in the series!

Cinder, a cyborg who is left with her rude step mother and sisters after her adoptive father dies, is a mechanic working in the markets to pay for her family's luxuries. In the midst of a plague that is quickly killing everyone she knows and cares about, Cinder is just trying to keep herself alive. That is, until she meets the handsome prince Kai. While Cinder is trying to keep herself from feeling things for Kai, her sister is rapidly dying of the fast spreading plague and Cinder feels as though she is drowning.

When Kai asks her to his coronation ball it takes all her strength to say no. She has too much on her plate to indulge in such a luxury, with the realization that she is immune to the plague and the evil Lunar queen visiting the castle, Cinder doesn't have time for boys. Or should I say men? Along with some very secret knowledge that she has uncovered about herself, thanks to her friend, Dr. Erland, Cinder has to deal with her hate consumed step mother and the fact that her dreams of running away may never come true. Will Cinder ever catch a break?

This book was marvelous! I loved how Marissa Meyer took the general idea of Cinderella and she twisted it to her liking. I mean, how much more modern can you get than cyborgs?! This book kept me up at night, reading until my eyelids were so heavy that I was reading with my eyes closed. To read this book or not to read this book, that is the question? Oh, wait! No, it's not! READ THIS BOOK!

How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr

When your father dies you expect your mother to mourn, right? Well what if she decided to adopt a baby AND temporarily take in the pregnant teen who's giving birth to that baby? When Jill's mom decides it is time to make an addition to the family, she is anything but happy. Especially since Jill has just lost her father. While her friends abandon her and her boyfriend finds her to complicated to deal with, Jill is left to deal with mess her mother has created, by herself. When Mandy, a pregnant teenager whose family could care less if she left home, finds someone to adopt her baby she thinks it is nothing short of a miracle. Once she finds out that she is more than welcome to stay will Jill and her mother until the baby is due, she feels it is to good to be true. And it is. While Jill and her mother constantly argue over Mandy's situation, Mandy herself is left in the frustrated wake. The girls, though, find they must come together and learn they may even enjoy being thrown together.

This book was a super fast read, because I couldn't put it down! It was great to finally find a book that I could really get into. Of course, the book had it's downfalls, like the ending that did not satisfy my romantic needs, but overall it was a great addition to my Read list.