DOES TRIS DIE?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you have driven past the movie theater, seen a commercial or even gone to see the phenomenon that is the Divergent. (Not to mention Theo James and his jawline!!!) I am  going to be honest! I saw Divergent before I read the book, but to be fair, I didn't actually know it was a book. I had only seen the previews and thought it looked cool. As a result, I was blown away by the first installment and was enthralled once I discovered the amazingness that is Veronica Roth and her trilogy. (Got to see her at YALLfest too, and she was dressed as Draco Malfoy. It was quite amazing!) I think I read the entire series within a week. (Well... maybe a bit longer than a week.) And this was actually last year(ish.) I had seen Insurgent, thought it was amazing (Except for that :SPOILER ALERT: scene where Tris and Four had s*x. Totally didn't happen. In fact, :MORE SPOILERS: I'm almost positive that the OTP never consummates their relationship before one's untimely demise.WE WILL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT!) 


It's a Saturday night, and I am sitting in the movie theater watching the movie that I have been anticipating for almost a year. Very exciting, I know. Within the first 10-15 minutes of the film, I was pleasantly surprised by the likeness to the books, much like the other two movies. Then we started to get to the part where :SPOILER: the group of rebels begins to cross the wall. This is initially where things began to go down hill, yet I still had faith in the directors. Then we got to that weird invisible shield thingy... I mean, COME ON! Still, I powered through and didn't scream in frustration for the entire theater hear. (At least at that moment.) Still, the group went to the Bureau and more things happened that were so wrong, that I can't even begin to list the wrongs. LIONSGATE! I used to trust you with these things, and now I don't know if I can!!! 

I mean, :LAST SPOILER: Tris doesn't die in the movie! You just ruined the whole entire concept of the book! (Basically, Tris dies in the book!) Yes, it was sad. I got tears all over the library book, but you can't just take out such a huge part of the book. I wanted to feel that pain again and see Four's loss, and how he is still strong even after losing her. Enough to face his fear of heights! HELLO! That was the beauty of the series. The loss, the tragedy. The Fault in Our Stars, Sirius in Harry Potter, A Separate Peace, ROMEO AND FREAKING JULIET! It makes you appreciate the book more and live with the pain. You have ruined me, Robert Schwentke. Like, did you even read the book? OBVIOUSLY NOT!

Literally, at the end of the movie I screamed out "What the heck? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" and stomped out of the double doors at the back leavng my heart behind in a squeaky chair. 

Nowhere But Here by Katie L. McGarry

This is actually me fangirling over my book!

First of all, let me just say that Katie McGarry is one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met. I got to see her at YALLfest at a panel with Kamie Garcia (Author of "Beautiful Creatures"), Kiera Cass (My bestfriend screamed at her to get her to sign our books and take pictures with us...) Nicola Yoon (Author of "Everything, Everything"), and a few other authors. Then at Christmas time she did a giveaway and I ended up winning the giveaway and got two signed books! (I basically ran through my house screaming about how excited I was at 1a.m.)"Nowhere But Here" was one of them and I thought I would share just how amazing her books are with the rest of the world because I love them so much!

Title: Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie L. McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin 
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Romance
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home. (Summary from  http://www.katielmcgarry.com/page/Nowhere-But-Here.aspx ) 


Review: I will tell you a little secret. At first with this book, I was a bit skeptical. As a child, I hadn't had a very good experience with motorcycles and it just was quite a sensitive topic for me. After seeing Katie at YALLfest, my friend (not the one that yelled at Kiera) bought this book and I borrowed her copy. Obviously, the cover was a huge turn off for me. I mean, it had a motorcycle on it. But I was determined to face my little fear, which as fate would have it, is one of the themes in this book. 

Speaking of themes, I love that this story isn't simply  about a girl and a guy. There is a biker gang and the book also touches on the topic of cancer. This also hit home with me, because my mom had cancer and I know how hard that can be on a family and what it can do to your emotions. Emily, the main character, is headstrong,  stubborn and very reluctant to be a part of this new world she is being introduced to. She also has a past of her own which has scared her for life leaving her to face her inlaid fears, as mentioned above! I've said before that I like the cliche YA novels that have become the norm for our generation, and I do. This book, however, had me in tears, wanting to tear the pages out and sing all within one chapter. It was refreshing to have a book that didn't have a static plot with one girl, one guy and a happy ending. Although :SPOILER ALERT: this book has all three, it also had other elements which is why I love this and other works by Katie McGarry! 

ARE GENE AND FINNY GAY?

If you haven't read A Seperate Peace by John Knowles, you will have no idea what I am talking about. BUT... If your English teacher has forced you into reading this classic, or maybe you're just into that genre, then you will know exactly what I am referring to when I say that GENE AND FINNY ARE GAY! Or at least, Gene is in love with Phineas (or Finny). Though my English teacher is forever denying the fact that the homosexuality in this book is real, I have found so many quotes from that book that further prove my point. In fact Moufflets has a whole article pointing out the exact quotes that prove how in love Gene is with Finny. You can click here to view that. 

In case you haven't read the book here is a quick synopsis: This story revolves around two boys, Gene  and Finny and is told from the former’s point of view. The setting takes place in a boarding school in New England (not located in England) during World War II. Gene and Finny are best friends. But Finny seems to be the type that can get away with anything and do everything, such as ditching school to go to the beach, breaking swimming records, and jumping out of trees. Finny would be what you call a stud, but he can’t because the school he and Gene happen to be at is a men’s club: no girl students. (From Moufflets)

Basically... Gene spends the entire book talking about how amazing Finny is. Not only that, he talks about another dude's butt for a whole paragraph. A WHOLE PARAGRAPH! I'm pretty sure Gene even says he was meant to be a part of Phineas and that they are supposed to be near each other or something of that nature... Yea, I know. Now I have you thinking about it don't I? Gene is a homosexual. 

***Please note that this is not me being prejudiced or judging of anyone in the LGBT community. I am simply bringing up a point in this book and how almost all English teachers deny this fact though it is so obvious throughout the book.***

LORDE OF THE FLIES

Can we just take a moment to admire how horribly amazing this is? 

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

I am such a slacker. I haven't posted in almost 4 months or longer but I am trying to redeem myself! I can do this!!! :lightly pats self on the back and chants encouraging words a s typing: But as promised (even if 4 months ago) is my "Jewel" review.
Title: The Jewel
Author: Amy Ewing 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: YA Romance
Summary: The Selection meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold.

The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death.


The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess’s control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom. (Review from http://amyewingbooks.com/books/)

My opinion? Well, let me just say that this book is a "Jewel"! If you have read any of my blog posts before, you know that I love "The Selection" by Kiera Cass with a passion. (You can check out my review on that series here! I haven'r read "The Handmaiden" so let me know what its like in the comments below!) Like the the summary states, I definitely got a Selectioner feel throughout this entire book. There is also a great supernatural element in this series which I really love! I guess that sort of reminds me a bit of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I also love that series and what I love about this book, and really any new YA books is that they feature a strong female lead. In this book, Violet is oppressed and :SPOILER ALERT: forced to carry the child of the royalty! Literally forced. Yet she still rebels and, though this may be becoming the cliche thing in YA, I sort of still love it because it make the feminist in me happy! 

Since it took me so long to actually write this review, I have had the opportunity to read the sequel called "The White Rose." I think I like that one more than "The Jewel" simply because Violet really develops as more of a dynamic character rather than just some some girl trying to escape death. The third installment, "The Black Key," is coming out on October 4th, 2016! I find this entire series to be paced pretty well even if I think some of the events are a bit... off. Don't worry, I still love the books and Amy Ewing. I can not wait until October!