My most recent reads were Divergent and Insurget by Veronic Roth. These books take place in a post apocalyptic Chicago and are fitting with the popular dystopian society fiction books that are all the rage again after the Hunger Games series.
The first book, Divergent introduces us to the world as 16 year old Beatrice knows it. There are 5 Factions that people separated into and each favours a different quality that their people have - Dauntless (fearlessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (peacefulness), Abnegation (selflessness), and Erudite (intelligence). Beatrice was born into Abnegation and now at the age of 16 she is required to take the aptitude test that will determine which faction she is best suited for. She will get to choose which faction she wants to be in, the one she was born into, or the one she is most suited to be in at the Choosing Ceremony. During the aptitude test each teen faces different situations in a simulation and how they respond determines the Faction they are best suited for. Unfortunately for Beatrice, she discovers that she is suited equally for 3 factions - Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite - this means that she is Divergent. What that is she does not know, but she is told to keep it to herself because it is dangerous for others to know she is Divergent.
Beatrice decideds to join Dauntless instead of remaining in Abnegation because she feels that she is too selfish to stay there. She gives herself the nickname Tris and leaves her family behind. Tris soon finds out that to become one of the Dauntless you must undergo an initiation period where only 10 out of the 20 initiates will make it in, the others will become one of the Factionless. She is taught to shoot a gun, win a fist fight, and face her worst fears. Tris learns a lot about herself and more about what it means to be Divergent. She also falls for a boy whose chosen name is Four. As the book goes on, we learn that there is unrest in the Factions and one of them does something terrible at the end of the book.
The second book in this series is called, Insurgent. This book finds Tris and Four fighting for their freedom from those who seek to control the Factions. They are joined by others who want their freedom. Tris must use all of her Divergent traits in this book if she is to overcome the obsticals in her way. She must also try to save other Divergent people and help to keep them secret from those who seek to distroy them.
These books are difficult to discribe properly, as I feel all dystopian books can be. Usually people just look at me and say, well I guess that sounds interesting? These books are awesome and I can't wait for the third one (not coming out until fall 2013)! Anyone who liked the Hunger Games should give them a try - fun and fast paced, with just enough left out for you to keep guessing all the way through.
After reading the 50 Shades of Grey series, Amazon made a recommendation that I couldn't ignore. Bared to You by Sylvia Day is the first in her Crossfire novel series. This series looked similar to 50 Shades, but I had heard that it was ever better! Definitely interested and I must say...Amazon was right, again. This book was awesome and I read it over 2 days - I was a little mad every time I had to put it down to teach another swim lesson, haha.
This book is about Eva Tramell a twenty something year old who recentely moved to New York after graduating university. She comes from a well-to-do family and lives in a fancy apartment with her friend Cary (a guy, just to be clear) who is an up and coming model. Eva landed a good job in a advertising firm as an assistant and the book starts with her mapping out the route to the building this new job is in, the Crossfire building. It is here that she literally runs into Gideon Cross. He is incredibly handsom, incredibly rich, and just so happens to own the building that she is going to be working in.
He begins to pursue Eva and she cannot seem to say no when it comes to Gideon. He completely overwhelms her, but she is afraid that scars from her past might come between them. That is until she realises that he has demons of his own. Eva is brought deeper into Gideons world and the two of them find pleasure and common ground that neither had experienced before. The only question is, will their pasts come between their future? Can they overcome their own demons and be happy together?
Who knows! This was only the first book and I couldn't put it down! I can't wait to find out what happens between these two. The second book comes out October 2 and trust me, I will be starting it that day, haha! This book had many similiar qualities that 50 Shades had, but without all of the Dom/Sub stuff. No whips, handcuffs, or buttplugs to speak of...yet? Loved the characters - Eva was great and a very strong leading woman, and Gideon was all a girl could ask for in a leading man...strong, caring, super handsom, and he definitely knew how to treat a woman right ;)
I have been so bad about posting after I read books lately that I have quite a few to catch up on! I am pleased to say that I have been reading a lot lately, even though I have been super busy this summer. That said, I have been wanting to read this series for awhile - the book covers got the best of my couriosity a couple of years ago and I finally got the books and read them :) This series is written by Maggie Stiefvater and is about werewolves (I think she was working that whole Twilight angle, but it works).
The first book is called, Shiver and it is here that we meet Grace and Sam. Grace is a 17 year old girl who lives in a small town in Minnesota. She has spent her entire life watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. There is one wolf inparticular that she likes to watch, her wolf, the one with the yellow eyes. Sometimes it seems as if he is watching her as well and she has always felt that she knows this wolf, but can't figure out why. Sam is an 18 year old boy/wolf. He has lived out his winters as a wolf and summers as a boy since he was bitten at the age of 7. He is Grace's wolf and has never dared talk to her, until now. Once Sam and Grace meet they are inseperable - falling in love is easy and it is as if they were meant to be. The only problem is, winter is coming and Sam is going to change back into a wolf - this time it might be forever. The couple needs to think of a plan to save Sam, before it gets too cold.
The second book in this series is called, Linger. In this book we meet a new wolf, Cole who is a former famous musician, now thought to be dead. Sam has fought off becomming a wolf (won't explain how so as not to ruin the surprise), but now Grace has a problem. She was bitten by a wolf as a child, but never shifted. Now Grace is feeling sick and Cole (who also happens is be a bit of a genius) believes it is because she never shifted as a child and now needs to. Grace's condition get worse and she must go to the hospital. Her parents suspect that Sam has something to do with Grace being sick and won't allow him near her. Cole figures out how to make Grace shift and at the last moment, Grace is able to sneak out of the hospital and shift into the wolf she should have become years before. Unfortunately for Sam, he finds himself now having to wait through the winter hoping that Grace will return.
The final book in this series is called, Forever. It begins with Sam trying to get through each day as he waits for the weather is get warm. Cole is playing mad scientist, trying to figure out a cure so that Sam and Grace can be together again as humans forever. The situation with the wolves is getting bad in town though. Grace's disappearence has caused people in town to think that the wolves are at fault and that they need to be eliminated. Sam and Cole must work quickly to find Grace, a cure, and a new place for the wolves to live before they are all killed.
I enjoyed this series! It was an easy read and always kept me guessing what was going to go wrong next, haha. I was a little disappointed with the ending of the thrid book - I wanted something a little more conclusive, but I will just have to assume the best I guess. Anyways, great love story and the characters were fun. I especially liked Cole and his transformation.
The first book, Divergent introduces us to the world as 16 year old Beatrice knows it. There are 5 Factions that people separated into and each favours a different quality that their people have - Dauntless (fearlessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (peacefulness), Abnegation (selflessness), and Erudite (intelligence). Beatrice was born into Abnegation and now at the age of 16 she is required to take the aptitude test that will determine which faction she is best suited for. She will get to choose which faction she wants to be in, the one she was born into, or the one she is most suited to be in at the Choosing Ceremony. During the aptitude test each teen faces different situations in a simulation and how they respond determines the Faction they are best suited for. Unfortunately for Beatrice, she discovers that she is suited equally for 3 factions - Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite - this means that she is Divergent. What that is she does not know, but she is told to keep it to herself because it is dangerous for others to know she is Divergent.
The second book in this series is called, Insurgent. This book finds Tris and Four fighting for their freedom from those who seek to control the Factions. They are joined by others who want their freedom. Tris must use all of her Divergent traits in this book if she is to overcome the obsticals in her way. She must also try to save other Divergent people and help to keep them secret from those who seek to distroy them. 
