Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Year of Release: 2005 (this edition-2012)
ISBN: 0141346094
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 213
Summary:
Katherine V thought boys were gross
Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.
I'm going to get the bad stuff out of the way first before I go on to tell you what's good about this book.
Things this book lacked:
- Consistent and unpredictable plot
- Flexibility
- Length
- Well-written characters
Things this book definitely did not lack:
- Anagrams
- Footnotes
- Math
- Tangents
- The words 'fug', 'fugging' and 'mother fugger'
- Arabic words
Overall, I really did like this book, but my goodness was there a lot of boring, tiresome and irrelevant sh*t in there. I get that that it is part of the storyline and supposed to build upon Colin's character, but some of it was just completely immaterial.
The story, basically, is based around a child prodigy named Colin who gets dumped by the nineteenth girl he's dated named Katherine and his best friend Hassan takes him on a road trip with no particular destination in mind. Eventually they end up in this crappy town called Gutshot in Tennessee and start living with a girl they meet there named Lindsey and her mother, because apparently it's normal to start living with complete strangers in an unfamiliar town.
Throughout the book, Colin is trying to develop a formula to predict the future of all romantic relationships, specifically, who will dump who in said relationship.
While this is really interesting, it's also stupid. Logically, how can one predict the future with math? The future is unpredictable, something Colin eventually came to realise in the conclusion of this book. While the math involved is arguably interesting to those who understand and like math, it was certainly mind-numbing to me.
Then there is the issue of the appendix. Appendices do not belong in fiction. Sometimes there are exceptions, but as a general rule, I do not think they should be present in fictional work. Fiction requires no real explanation, no justification. Appendices are pointless in fictional books.
Now for the positive stuff. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I always enjoy John Green's work, I think he is a very talented writer and I enjoy his books immensely. The writing in this book was excellent. Without his wonderful writing, this book would have bombed and I probably wouldn't have made it to the end. I did find some parts of it funny, particularly the Colin and TOC fight, which was downright hilarious. Hassan was a particularly humorous character, and he was fun to read about.
I was really intrigued by this book and is one I will most probably read again!
The good in this book definitely outweighs the bad, and I think it is worth reading if you're interested.
Questions:
Why did Colin and Hassan move in with total strangers?
What's Colin's and Hassan's parents been doing?
When do they finally go home?
Do you think this book needed a few more anagrams?
Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of Release: 2013
ISBN: 9780007534944
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 526
Summary:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.
TRIS DIED? UM, WHAT?
Told from the alternating points of views of Tris and Tobias (for which there is an important reason for), this book really is a powerful conclusion to the series! While I was still struggling to form emotional attachments to these characters, I certainly did not expect the ending!
The backlash it received as a result was phenomenal! I read an article addressing this backlash and I want to talk about it with you guys. I know most people may be starting or just finishing the series, as after the movie was released it has attracted a lot of new readers, so what do you guys think?
This book was kind of slow and boring, to be 100% honest, a problem I've experienced throughout my reading of the entire series. I feel like this book had so much potential to finish the series in a wonderfully meaningful way, and it just, well, didn't. I understand the concept of self-sacrifice for love and I liked that Roth built upon this idea throughout the course of the series, but I just feel like it shouldn't have been the heroine who had to learn that lesson.
This book could have had a million different endings and all of them would have been more fulfilling than the one Roth chose. This is the first series I've read where the main character dies and it sucks! While the whole 'standing out from the crowd' idea is great, there's so many different ways to do that than being one of the only book series that kills off the main character.
We should probably talk about the book in its entirety now. I have one word to describe it: slow. Nothing happened! After the initial shock of there being a whole new world outside the faction-based society the characters have lived in all their lives and the fact that it was one of many experiments to repair 'damaged' genes, it was just aimless wandering around the Bureau and then a few small uprisings here and there. The most exciting thing was the unfortunate injury of Uriah and then the almost-breakup of Tris and Tobias.
There was so much that could have happened in this book, Roth could have done so much more with it, and I feel like this book has just ruined the series for me. Not because of the ending, but because of how boring and slow it was. I mean, did anything even happen?
Overall, I was really disappointed with this series as a whole. I expected so much more, and all I got was senseless deaths, irrelevant plot twists, crappy writing, and bad character developments. There was no closure to the series.
I don't think I'll be reading this series again any time soon.
Questions...
How come Tris' mum showed up after she died instead of her dad?
Do you ship Natalie and David?
What's Susan up to these days?
Did you expect Tris to die by gunshot, of all things?
Did you love or hate Caleb by the end of this book?
Think Tobias will ever fall in love again?
Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of Release: 2012
ISBN: 9780007442928
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 525
Summary:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
Insurgent was such a brilliant improvement! Albeit, it still isn't my favourite book ever, but it was much better than the train-wreck that was Divergent. This book allowed for wonderful character development and the plot was excellently executed in this book.
The beginning was a little slow, but overall, the plot of this book was great. I loved the whole idea of there being another world outside their own, one they had no idea about, it was an excellent plot twist. The writing in this book was also much better than the writing in Divergent.
The best improvement however, was the development of the characters. They each grew in their own individual ways, and that was fantastic to read. I was still struggling to form emotional attachments to these characters in this book, but the fact that they were allowed the opportunity for growth was a start.
The evolution of the relationship between Tris and Tobias was both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. It felt a little rushed in Divergent, but in this book, it was built upon and made it feel all the more real.
The factionless were also introduced in a lot more detail in this book and that was very intriguing. The way they lived, so reflective of today's homeless society, was eye-opening. Towards the end of the book however, I was kind of hating them.
The ending of Insurgent included a huge cliffhanger, one that would make people rush out to their closest bookstores to grab the last book in the trilogy and begin reading it immediately. That was one of the best things about this book.
Overall, this book was a huge improvement from the first one, and is definitely worth reading, if only for the numerous and unpredictable plot twists throughout.
Questions...
What's Tris and Tobias' ship name?
Thoughts on Evelyn?
Did you want to throw your book at the wall after reading about Caleb's betrayal?
Expect Jeanine to die so soon?
Love or hate Edith Prior's video?
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year of Release: 2011
ISBN: 9780007420421
Source: Gifted
Number of Pages: 487
Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
I was never really interested in reading this book. I'd see it in every bookshop I entered, hear about it in the media and read book reviews on it, but for some reason I never felt compelled to read it. I was gifted with the trilogy last Christmas and only began reading it a few days ago (whoops). Unfortunately, this book is not going to receive a sparkling, positive review from me though.
I'll start with the good things: Divergent had an excellent story line. The plot was amazing, very well thought out and interesting. I loved Roth's ideas and all this business with the factions and being Divergent was so interesting to me and I really loved it. It's a brilliant idea and fits in well with all this dystopian fiction that's really popular now, after The Hunger Games made it's debut. Unfortunately though, that's about all I really liked about this book.
The writing was not good at all. Every sentence was short and poorly constructed. The book jumped from scene to scene really quickly and exhibited a severe lack of detail - I hate that. The characters weren't very well written either. I think that after the plot and story-line, what really makes or breaks a book is the characters. In order for a book to be truly brilliant, a writer needs to make his/her readers fall in love with their characters.
For me, the characters in this book felt rushed and dull. Lifeless. There was no connection. That, I think, was the worst part about the book. If the characters had been written better and the book more detailed, I think Divergent would have been one of my favourite books.
I rarely say this (actually I never say this), but I think in this case, the movie may be better than the book. I'll let you know my thoughts on that after I see the movie though! If you'd like to see another post similar to the one I wrote on the Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters movie for Divergent, which you can find here, please let me know!
To sum up my thoughts on this book: the plot was amazing, but the actual writing wasn't. The book was definitely not detailed enough for my standards and I was severely disappointed at how badly the characters were written. Hopefully Insurgent is an improvement!
So the Vampire Academy movie was released a few weeks ago in Australia and I wanted to write a post to let you guys know my thoughts on it as a very concerned VA fan. In the anticipation of the movie, it received so much hype and awesome advertising that made me that much more excited for it, and then I went to see it and I was sorely disappointed.
Let's start with the obvious. As you've probably heard, Vampire Academy was directed by the same guy that directed Mean Girls, which provoked a flurry of worries in my little heart when I found that out.
Mean Girls? Seriously?
I was worried that Vampire Academy would be turned into some Mean Girls remake with the added detail of vampires. And while the first book was kind of high-school-ish, I didn't want that to be the main focus of the movie because the book certainly has a lot more depth and seriousness. Vampire Academy is not a chick flick.
But when I went to see the movie, I was so disappointed after these worries were confirmed. The movie was waaaaaaay too comedic and witty to really grasp the dark, distressful mysteriousness of the book. The book is supposed to be scary. Not funny.
We are supposed to be worried for Lissa after dead animals keep finding their way into her room. Scared when she starts to become depressed and self-harm. Concerned for her mental health when she starts using spirit and compulsion again. The book is laid in mystery, suspense and darkness. I felt like the movie was making a joke of this. It was horrible.
AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY ROSE AND CHRISTIAN HUGGED??!
They have the most antagonistic relationship, why did that hug exist? Someone?
AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON LISSA AND CHRISTIAN'S FIRST KISS.
OR ROSE AND DIMITRI'S RELATIONSHIP???
Why was it played down? Rose and Dimitri are supposed to have this undeniable, unfathomable connection despite the fact that they can't be together. When they are under the lust charm, even though they are being compelled, they are still opening up to each other for the first time. It was a milestone in their relationship and one of the most important moments in Vampire Academy so why the hell did Rose say, "Sweet sassy molassy"?
That was so not okay.
Also, Lissa was not supposed to find out about Rose and Dimitri's feelings for each other until Shadow Kiss. Why did she know about it in the movie?
Compared to the book, the movie was awful. I am so disappointed. Even though they followed the plot of the book well, it just didn't feel like Vampire Academy.
It felt like a comedic, watered-down version of the amazingness that it really is. The books were not done justice with this movie.
After I watched it, stepping out of the movie theatre feeling sad and let down, I spoke to a few girls who had also watched it and they said "I hated it. It was worse than Twilight." Though I can't go as far as to say it was worse than the disgrace that is the Twilight movie, it still definitely did not live up the the expectations of a lot of fans. So therefore, I have constructed this letter to the film industry:
Dear Film Industry,
If the Vampire Academy movie goes on to produce Frostbite, please please please do not ruin it and Adrian Ivashkov, you f*cking ridiculous bunch of money-grabbing pr*cks.
Sincerely,
Seriously Upset VA Fan
If film adaptions are made for the rest of the books in the VA series, this movie did a horrible job of setting itself up for them. What was with the ending, with the vampires and Sonya in the cave?
Just why?
They only things I can say the film did sort of well was the casting, following the main plot/story-line of the book, and the fight scenes. They were awesome.
Overall though? Such a disappointment.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Every Wednesday, we pick a book we're eagerly awaiting and this Wednesday, my choice is Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy.
Summary (from Goodreads):
What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.
Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?
Julie Murphy’s Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.
Expected Publication: March 18th, 2014
Are you looking forward to this one? Let me know in the comments and link me back to your Wow this week! :)
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we'll make a list of our top ten something*, and this week, it's the Top Ten Characters I'd NEVER Want To Trade Places With.
*In no particular order
1. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
He's ugly, evil, and meets a horrible end.
2. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
She's one of the best literary heroines to ever be written, but let's face it, her life sucks.
3. Hazel Grace Lancaster (The Fault In Our Stars)
I love her, but she has a shitty life too. There's no way I'd be able to handle the emotional and physical trauma she experiences throughout the book.
4. Tessa Gray (The Infernal Devices)
Even though she wins the hearts of two amazingly beautiful Shadowhunters, having to deal with what she went through with her brother and her identity crisis would suck.
5. Pi Patel (Life of Pi)
Yeah, nobody would want to trade places with that kid.
6. Lucinda Price (Fallen)
Imagine loving someone as much as she loves Daniel and then have to die every time they gave in to each other? Not to mention her history, before she went to Sword & Cross.
7. Bree Tanner (Twilight)
What a poor, unfortunate character.
8. Sydney Sage (Vampire Academy/Bloodlines)
She's a great character, but her life sucks. However, I may be persuaded to trade places with her if I was promised two words: Adrian Ivashkov.
9. Clary Fray (The Mortal Instruments)
Forget the demons and Valentine; imagine falling into absolute love with someone only to find out he was your brother?!
10. Bella Swan (Twilight)
She is just so miserable and... ugh, awful.
That's all for this week guys, I hope you've enjoyed my list. Remember to leave me comments telling me which of these characters you agreed/didn't agree with and links to all of your TTTs so that I can check them out. Follow me to read my future TTTs and reviews, yo.
Just an update, also. I won't be reviewing for a while because I am currently re-reading the entire Vampire Academy series to get myself pumped for the movie! I won't be writing reviews for these books.
