ALLEGIANT | Book Review

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: YA / Dystopian
Published by: HarperCollins Children's
Originally Published: 2013
Page Count: 526 pages

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

(Source: Goodreads)

First of all, I don't want to spoil anything really and didn't want to publish the real blurb here incase anyone stumbles upon this review and finds out plot points to the first and second book, so I'll keep it simple.

The writing of this book was one that we've come to expect and enjoy with Roth. Her writing is effortless and just keeps you turning the page as she has definitely found her writing style. The characters in the book become slightly more developed, especially in regards to Four. We finally get Four's perspective in the book, allowing entry into his thought processes, and into how he sees the conflict going on around him. He does at times come across as petty, which I feel was Roth's intentions but it fell a little flat at times. Tris has continued to grow throughout the novels. The first novel really saw her develop, the second saw her make mistakes, and this final novel sees Tris learn from her mistakes and essentially become a really strong person, let alone a strong protagonist. We are introduced to new characters from whom, come answers. The whole of the series has been based on the faction system that has dominated society, separating you into either Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless or Erudite, depending on how your mind works and how you view society. Tris, finding out she's 'Divergent' in book one, and that she doesn't fit into either of these still has much relevance in the third book as it did in the first. I feel like what Roth did is what many writers fail to do, especially with dystopian, and that is explain how everything came about and what everything meant. 

It does become pretty complex at times and you become pretty unsure on who are actually 'the good guys' as there are many different groups in turmoil with each other. It does seem like one conflict after another. Yet this conflict provides some brilliant metaphors for today. I feel that Roth perfectly conveyed how corrupt society can become by trying to change someone, trying to fit them into a box of what you see as normal. It's something that's been done many times yet Roth did make it very interesting. 

With the dual perspectives the novel found some flaws. Tris and Four are together for a massive portion of the novel, and the chapters continue to switch between the two of them. With Roth having her identifiable writing style, it was sometimes hard to determine whose chapter you were in until it referenced the other protagonist. It became unnecessarily confusing and often tedious. It's when the pair aren't together that this really works and you get to see both sides of their stories and of the action that novel provides (although, comparatively little in regards to the first two books). 

I must note how slow the middle became, I feel the only reason I was continuing was because I was on a high from seeing the film that had just come out. 

The ending was brilliant, all answers had been provided, all loose ends tied up. And although it was a predictable ending it's one I enjoyed and thought was very powerful. A little slow at times, yet still a good ending to a great series.

4 stars.

FAHRENHEIT 451 | Book Review

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Dystopian / Sci-fi
Published by: Harper Collins
Originally Published: 1953
Page Count: 211


Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down these dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

(Source: Goodreads)

I've wanted to read this book for a long time. Mesmerised by its beautiful cover and interesting premise it's been a book I've wanted to own since I heard about it. 

The characters in this book are fascinating, while I would argue there is too much detachment from the characters, they still upheld my interest. Montag is a fascinating protagonist, he questions things, his constant paranoia, and his relationships with other characters were interesting. His wife, Mildred, epitomised the typical person that this dystopian world was trying to create, someone who didn't ask questions, someone who absorbed themselves in the world around them. While, the station's chief was also brilliantly written, there was an element of unhingedness that kept me reading. 

The writing was beautiful, it'd be kind of insulting to call it prose due to its poetic nature. It felt rather bizarre to read such a beautiful book in which the characters were actively trying to destroy such a medium of expression. Sometimes I felt the novel didn't quite attain the balance of speech and thought/description, it seemed rather long-winded in its attempts to describe a situation, but juxtaposed to this it also had scenes that were abrupt, which I believe were completely the author's intent, though it still threw me a little bit. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience reading this. It didn't live completely up to expectations, but what does? A modern classic that has given me the drive to finally attempt George Orwell's 1984. ★★★★☆

UGLIES | Book Review (NO SPOILERS)

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld
Genre: YA / Dystopian
Published by: Simon & SchusterOriginally Published: 2005
Page Count: 425

"Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to "the Smoke" and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. When Shay runs away the authorities offer Tally an ultimatum, find her friend and turn her in or never turn pretty at all."

You've probably worked out that this is another dystopian YA book, one that has actually garnered a lot of attention and praise. Sadly, I am still unsure on this book's appeal, it has an interesting premise but ultimately does not deliver.

I'm going to first start off by talking about the world that Westerfeld has created. In which, I am incredibly conflicted. On the one hand it's incredibly well-thought out, Westerfeld clearly has this world in his head, he just fails to introduce us to it well. We are almost plunged into the world, sort of in media res, but not quite. We aren't plunged into the story, really, more the world. The world is described to us, but I didn't feel as well introduced or interested. The language and names used are incredibly juvenile, whether this was intentional or not, I'm unsure but I wasn't too keen on the names 'Uglyville' and 'New Pretty Town'. It's a very apt description, but come on, in a dystopian novel you have so much breadth to invent names and histories and he chooses 'Uglyville'. 

When Tally is on her quest to find Shay and 'the Smoke', we finally get a sense of world-building but even then my attention for some reason was not being held.

The characters aren't anything to be desired, I was left unattached and not bothered what would happen to them. Tally isn't anything special, she doesn't have the key to the future but the end of the novel really makes her role a much more significant one. 

The plot is slow and I think a story only really kicks in at about page 100, maybe even 200. You would think this is because the first 100 was for 'world building', but it was kind of just Shay and Tally bonding, which was good to see but I had no interest because each character was dull and boring. Tally wants to be with some guy, who is now a pretty, while Shay wants to explore their world and elope with the mysterious David. 

Now you just know there's a love story sub-plot here, don't you? And of course, we find one! It isn't that badly put together but once again unneeded. I didn't mind it as much as I have done with other YA books, but I fear the sequel is going to produce some conflicted love / love triangle that I will most likely despise. 

The book had its moments, and its premise was brilliant. I thought it was very interesting to see such a future, a future that isn't so hard to imagine. However, the lack of story at several points made my attention shift to other books and for that it can't receive anything other than 3 stars. 3 stars meaning it's okay, but you should probably read it to make up your own mind. I'll probably pick the sequel up if it's at the library, but if not, oh well.

THE MAZE RUNNER | Book Review

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre:YA / Dystopian
Published by: Chicken House
Originally Published: 2009
Page Count: 371

"When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas can remember is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade, an encampment at the centre of a bizarre maze.

Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there, or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything to find out."

I picked this book due to the overwhelming attention that has gone with it. I first heard about it on the likes of Joey Graceffa's youtube channel, and had since been recommended to read it by my friend, Sean. I've just finished it and these are my thoughts.

I'm going to talk about this book chronologically. 

The opening. I don't think I can articulate my anger at the first, what, 100 pages of this book. Luckily, I'm allowed to type ARGHHHHHWHATISTHIS, and you will probably grasp my point. The novel is written in third person, and we follow Thomas throughout the entirety of the book, almost. When Thomas is welcomed into the maze, no one is willing to help him. This may be good writing about how tired the other boys have become with this world, but I don't get that impression, I feel Dashner was trying to build suspense. He instead drove me away from this novel. I read two other books alongside this, just to feel sane. Every character would tell Thomas things but then when Thomas asks a question he is immediately shot down and not told anything. It became a viscous circle of characters not saying anything and being annoying. 

The language of the boys in this novel is interesting, they appear to remember so much of the outside world without directly remembering the outside world itself. However, they invent names to call things, to call people. At first I thought it ingenious, a new world, a new language. Then it just seemed a little irrelevant, surely if they remember words, they remember offensive ones?

The book has many promising moments when the plot picks up, but it's through stupid decisions of Thomas, that have no real reasoning, that we are finally able to taste a slight bit of action. After that it is left to the final third of the book to convince you that what you read was worth while. The plot picks up, questions are finally going to get answered, and then it ends. It's just one big build up to the sequel and it was annoying.

The premise of this book wasn't even so original that I can praise it, we're pretty aware what's happening in the outside world if we know dystopian YA. And frankly, I'm sure I understand dystopian YA. 

I can't say I'm going to read the sequel anytime soon, but overall, even though I did rant a lot in this review. It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it's definitely not the pinnacle of dystopian YA. It has its moments where it sucks you in, it's short chapters mean it's an easy read and you pretty much breeze through it after the initial bump in its opening. 

3 out of 5 stars.