{Blog Tour+Giveaway+Review} Fury (Book 1: Cure): Charlotte McConaghy

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Fury: Book 1 of The Cure by Charlotte McConaghy
Page Count: 348 

Publication Date: March 25, 2014 

Publisher: Momentum Books, Pan Macmillan

In the tradition of Divergent comes a novel about a world where negative emotions are stolen ... and only those with fury can stand up and fight.

Eighteen-year-old Josephine Luquet wakes naked and covered in blood that is not hers on the same day every year—when the blood moon is full. Josi has not responded to the "Cure"—an immunization against anger mandated by the government—and believes herself to be a threat to others.

Then she meets Luke. Luke has had the Cure but seems different to the other "drones"—and he's dead set on helping Josi discover the truth about herself before the next blood moon.

But time is running out. Is Luke willing to risk his life to be near her? Does he truly understand what violence she is capable of?

Raw and full of passion, Fury is a story of love in a dystopian world, and how much we are willing to forgive in the struggle to remember our humanity.

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Charlotte started writing her children’s fantasy series ‘The Strangers of Paragor’ as a teenager and has since gone on to publish five novels. After a Masters degree in Screenwriting she wrote ‘Avery’, the first in her adult fantasy series ‘The Chronicles of Kaya’, published by Random House. She now lives in Sydney, Australia, and has just released a new dystopian sci-fi novel called ‘Fury – Book One of The Cure’, published by Momentum.

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

   

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received this book from CBB Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review. 

"I am a flame of fury. The last flickering flame in a world long since burned out. I have rage threaded through my skin, whispering against my ears, tied tightly around each of my bones. My eyes, one brown and one blue, leak with it. 

Most of the time this frightens me.

But sometimes I like it."

--- 1% September 11, 2065 Josephine

Can I just say that I loved this book? Oh well, too late, I said it. This quote encompasses and explains what I can't say about it. Not only is this one of the best beginnings of a book that I have ever read, but it displays Charlotte McConaghy's excellent writing, as well as portrays exactly who the main character -Josephine- is.

Premise: Fury was such an interesting novel to read because of how it dealed with emotions, a subject I am very interested in. I suppose that's what I enjoyed most about the novel as well. Even with the cookie cutter dystopian plot line, an author has to come up with some sort of selling point. A world where anger is eradicated, simply fascinates me. When I told my mom about the book I was reading (for the umpteenth time I might add), she thought it was great that anger had been eradicated.... until I told her what the effects of this were.  An example the author gave was when she said that wives whose husbands had cheated on them, didn't react, and a family who was being burglarized just sat there and laughed while their possessions were stolen. 

Romance: So the romance in Fury was a bit of an insta love situation, something deeply despised by 99% of the blogging community. I actually am not usually effected by instalove, but in this particular situation, I was. There is some background that would spoil things that would explain why it isn't so creepy that Luke picks up Josephine and takes her home after just meeting her, but it still doesn't compensate for the instant connection the two of them had. 

On the other hand, no self respecting teenage girl can deny the swoonworthiness of Luke. I mean, WHHHHHY does he have to be so old? Not in general, but for me at least. Even though we learn that his motives weren't exactly pure 100% of the time, he was still so charming, and attractive, and charismatic, and all the other adjectives that I can't think of at the moment.   

Points of View: We all know that I gotta have my good narrators, and Fury does not disappoint. I think the best way it can be described is if it were to be compared to All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. All Our Yesterdays is a book set in two separate times, before and after a horrific event, and told in in two points of views from different times.... so basically four points of view, even though there are only two people narrating. It is the same way with Fury, but better with three different narrators. Present and Past Joesphine and Luke, as well as present Anthony. McConaghy does this in such an amazing way, making each person (even if they're the same) have their own voice, and making it 100% understandable. Fury could have been confusing when it jumped from one time period to the other, and the narrators could have all sounded the same. 

Characters: 

"Perhaps you're right.... I did imagine them. Sometimes I think I must have, I don't know how something so wild could exist within a world like this, one that is so unforgivably void of life." 

I don't tell her what's on the tip of my tongue: that this is exactly what I see when I look at her.

--- 29% September 13, 2065 Anthony 

I simply fell in love with the characters of Fury, both their past and present selves. Anthony, is one of the many in this world thas has been given the Cure, yet there is still emotion left in him, and a lot of times throughout the story, that emotion is love for Josephine. While his thoughts about making Josephine love him, despite Luke, were malicious to say the least, you could still feel empathy because you knew where that desire came from. He was a very puny character at times, kind of like Nathan in All Our Yesterdays, in that he was a geek when it came to some of his different talents. 

Josephine was also a little spitball of fire, as she was not given the Cure, and still feels anger and other emotions. She was an independent, strong female character that could take care of things by herself, and didn't want to accept help from anybody, but realized that she still needed it, like Josephine March from Little Women.

"Music," he says, but not to me. "Blue and white."

Music starts to play from speakers, something I've never heard that's fun and lovely. "Blue and White?" I ask, assuming this must be the name of the band.

"I'm synesthetic," he explains. "Means I remember things in color and shape and texture. Blue and white music for me is upbeat, something with a lot of bass, stuff that makes you want to danc. I programmed my sound system to understand color cues."

--- 17% September 20, 2063 Josephine

Not only is this a unique character trait for Luke, but I just had to share it with you because it sounds insanely cool, similar to Josephine's eidetic (remembers EVERYTHING) memory, but without all of those nasty repercussions and side effects.

Cover: Oh my god! Somebody give me a hard copy of this novel so I can stroke and caress it to death. I don't know where McConaghy got the image, or even what the image is, but it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It appears to be the Earth surrounded by a ring of fire, and manages to express everything this novel is about.

Plot: What did make me stumble at times during Fury were certain events, as well as chains of events that I didn't understand because I didn't understand what triggered that chain. I will definitely be rereading Fury, so I will be able to catch more of the subtle nuances and explanations, but it was definitely confusing at times. The whole situation between the Bloods and the Greys and the Reds and the Blues was difficult to understand at times, and I would totally explain what each of those are.... if I could comprehend them myself.

Writing Style: Need I say more than the quotes below? I have now concluded that Charlotte McConaghy is the goddess of setting the scene in stories. She offers so much description to her readers without it being tedious, or boring.

Ending: What I was disappointed in, was the ending of Fury. It's not as if it let me down, trust me it was freaking EPIC. What I mean is that it seemed too predictable after the roller coaster of thoughts, emotions, and relevations that had just unfolded. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's along the lines of Reboot (Amy Tintera) and Uglies (Scott Westerfeld). That's all I'm going to say.

Continuation 85%: If CBB Book Premotions does another tour for the sequel, somebody reserve me a prime spot on it this very moment. I loved Fury so much and am extremely interested to see what Charlotte McConaghy does to capture her readers.

Conclusion:  I will definitely be recommending Fury because it was a fabulously written novel, in terms of narration and characters, as breath of fresh air concept wise.

{ARC Review} The Dare: Hannah Jayne

Rating: 5/10

Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Reccommended for fans of Pretty Little Liars & The Lying Game

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Page Count: 288 (according to Amazon)

Source: Netgalley

Format: eARC

Goodreads ~ Barnes & Nobles ~ Amazon

Synopsis: Two jumped off the pier that night...but only one came back alive

Bryn did everything with her best friend Erica. So when someone dared Erica to jump off the pier one night at Harding Beach, Bryn was right by her side. But when Bryn made it back to the surface, Erica was nowhere to be found. Bryn tries to make a fresh start by burying her memories of that awful night. But when a Twitter post from "EricaNShaw" pops up on her feed and a chilling voice mail appears on her phone, she realizes that someone isn't ready to let go of the past...

Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

My Intial Thoughts; This book.... how do I begin to describe this book. As some of you may know from Twitter, I am currently going through a bit of a reading slump. I could get into why I am in that reading slump *cough* the last 10 months of school *cough* and the fact that I am just tired of effort. Being on vacation hasn't helped either with this reading slump because of all the excitement that makes it feel like the world is coming to a standstill when I pick up a book to read. Anyway, my point is that my opinions about "The Dare" are different because of this reading slump, but unlike make of my fellow book bloggers, or readers in general, I feel like the book was better because of this reading slump. 

I have to admit that I almost gave this a 2 star rating, or lower, but my reading slump really affected my opinions. I just had waaaay top many problems with the characters, romance, ending, writing style, mystery.... basically almost every technical aspect of the novel. 

Characters & Narration 3/10: You know those books where you would imagine the narrator's voice as monotone and boring? Well that's how I imagined Brynna. I just wasn't feeling her voice, and most certainly didn't have a feel for who she was as a character. The way Bryn narrated events could be compared to the difference between hearing about something via text message versus actually being there and experiencing it. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EVENTS. I felt like I was just being relayed a story instead of experiencing everything as if I was Brynna. 

Premise 9/10: The premise is what truly drew me into the book, and triggered my click happy self on Netgalley. I live in a house with a mother who is addicted to murder mysteries, and this just seemed like a refreshing novel that might turn out to be an insane page turner. What I did not notice until I started "The Dare" was how similar is was to PLL/ TLG (see more on that below) which also would have helped me make the decision to click the "Request" button since it had been a long time since I had read a book like that. 

Romance 3/10: Okay... so there was romance in this book. That's all you can pretty much say. I dislike Brynna's love interest -Teddy- because he just seemed one dimensional. I had no feel for him and if he cared about her. The other fact was that Bryn was closer to her friend Evan than Teddy. I totally shipped Brynna and Teddy together, and then we found out he was gay, which is absolutely fine with me, but I believe a poor choice on the author' part in relevation the dynamics and chemistry between Bryn and Evan.  

Pacing 7.5/10: Let's just put it this way - I was in need of a page turning mystery that would hook me in and keep me hooked. Period. And I am happy to say that's what I got. So if you were perusing B&N, which I know we all do (don't you dare lie to me), and in the need of a light mystery, buy "The Dare." I read almost the entire book while in a doctor's office waiting for my aunt. It was just - READ. TOUCH SCREEN. REPEAT. And then I got to the end, which made hardly any sense to me for that matter. 

Similarities to Other Novels: You might have noticed the "Recommended for fans of Pretty Little Liars & The Lying Game" up there. The reason I put that is because I have read both novels, and think that "The Dare" is reminiscent of them. Minus the multiple teenage girls as MCs. Other than that, the three books were extremely similar. There was that whole "mysterious death of best friend, maybe murder" appeal as well as the "mysterious girl's death being drugged up from the past by none other than that mysterious girl presumed to me dead" and "the MC's life is promptly ruined because of all of this." As you can see, a lot of similarities. 

Ending 5/10: One word: FRUSTRATION. I don't want to spoil anything, but, THAT's FREAKING IT? I was expecting something bigger or something MORE and THIS is what Hannah Jayne gives me? I admit that I didn't see it coming, but I felt there was no connection between it and previous events. 

Conclusion: While I had many problems with the technical aspects of the novel, it was a quick fun read 

, reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, that woke me from a reading slump. 

{ARC Review} The Tyrant's Daughter: J.C. Carleson

Rating: 8.75/10

Series: Standalone (at least to my knowledge)

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Publication Date: February 11, 2014

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 304

Source: Netgalley

Format: e-ARC

Goodreads Synposis:
From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs.

When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?

J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics. 

*I received this book as a digital ARC which does not in the slightest affect my honest review of this book*

*All opinions are my own, and I am not trying to criticize the Middle East and their culture or religion. These are my personal thoughts. I truly hope I do not offend anyone with certain statements in this review* 

My Background: I had actually been invited to review this title by Netgalley, and even though my approval ratio is already so low, I couldn't resist this book because of how interesting the plot sounded. Shortly after, I read Fiction_TheNewReality's review of it, and knew I had to read it, but because of blog tours and my social life (yes, one does exist), I haven't been able to get to it. Boy, do I regret that decision. Let me prove to you how good of a book this is. I woke up at 5:30am this morning to finish it after staying up until 10:30 last night to read it. This may sound freakishly early to some of you, but if I get less than 8 hours of sleep, you don't want to talk to me. Anyway, the book was that good. I spent the entirety of Tuesday wishing I had it with me, and was cursing that it was an e-book. There are two ironic things about me and this book. The first is that I had written an essay for school on Syria and the chemical warfare going on over there and the troubles between Assad, Putin, and Obama. The second is that a Muslim speaker had recently visited my church (long story) and I had learned a lot of Islam, especially the barriers between male and female.

Plot 8/10: I loved the plot, and it kept my interest 98% of the time I was reading. What I really wanted to see more of was A) more about her home country (which is never named in my version) B) more about her religion and its restraints C) more of the cultural shock D) more about the revolts and personal accounts and losses. Any blogger who has already read this is probably about to hunt me down with a flaming pitchfork and try to talk some sense into me. I am not saying that A, B, and C weren't present in the story, because it certainly was explained and described, no doubt about that. I wasn't as affected as I believe some readers would be, having written the report and had the speaker come to my church, so that would be one of the factors. I am sure that if those two had not happened, then I would be busy rambling about how eye-opening, thought-provoking, and life-changing this book was. 

While this book wasn't supposed to go in-depth describing her country and her past, as it was about her transition into American-ism, I still wanted more information about what had happened. I also think that because it was the Tyrant's daughter that had to move, and not some refugee, that the main character wasn't as doe-eyed at the cultural change, which is what I think I kind of wanted to see. 

Laila does talk about how different society was in her country, especially the border between female and male, but because she had never known anything different, she wasn't missing or longing for another life or another fate, as a lot of characters do in this type of book would. When Laila does explain it to some of her acquaintances she makes in America, they don't understand, besides them being privileged teenagers-like we all are-I also credit that to her not contrasting and comparing the differences between the two cultures, instead of just saying what it was like.

Lastly, I am aware that in real life (forget about the book for a moment) that the events in this story are happening. There is chemical warfare going on. There is backstabbing, lying, and viciousness. There are people dying each day in hopes that it will impact the future they want their children to have. There are thousands of stories about the little girl or boy that lost their only living relatives to the horribleness that's going on in their country right now. I don't want to read about the bloodshed, I don't even necessarily want to cry. I wanted to be touched by a story that was raw and real.

As the reader's we got a very different story than what I had expected and hoped for, but that is a good thing. Some people might think that Laila was desperately trying to fit in, and become a part of something. I completely understand this, the desire to have a place where you belong is something that all teenagers feel. I am treating this story like an adventure of self-discovery. Laila learns so much from the American perspective of her country, and the picture that is painted for all 50 states. Laila was so oblivious to her father and his evil deeds. She was offended, as anybody would be, when it came to what the news, and her peers thought about her country. When she stepped outside her front door, she was an American. She went to school. She spoke English. She had her first tastes of friendship and romance. When she came back inside, everything changed. There was conspiracy against her blood relatives, and plots to kill them going on five feet away through thin bedroom walls. In the end, it was up to Laila to sort out what she thought was true, what she believed in, and what she was going to do with that information.

Characters 6.9/10: As the main character herself, I LOVED Laila. If I were talking about her characteristics, then not so much. Laila's "fatal flaw" (as Rick Riordan would put it) was her goodness. She was kind, compassionate, and empathetic. Everything a good main character should be. And because of it...she could be thought of as weak. Laila is no Katniss Everdeen or Beatrice Prior when it comes to strength of character. But when in America, she realizes that she can take control of her life, and her decisions which makes her stronger than any of those characters combined.

Title 2/10: The title of this book makes perfect sense, hands-down, no questions asked. But...I didn't like it. 

Yes, it fit the mood. 

Yes, it fit the plot. 

Yes, it fit the theme. 

No, I did not like it.
I believe the title didn't reflect the aspect that it should have; Leila. The story was all about Leila and her integration to modern American society, along with the trials and tribulations of being thrown into a culture so very different from her own. I believe the title should have been the kind of those one-worders that really made you think, and wonder what the story was about, or the kind that made you know exactly what the story was about like Speak, Defiance, Breathe, etc. As I explained, when I said what I wished to see more of, there wasn't enough focus on her father's country. So in my mind, I think it was wrong to give him the spotlight. This book is about Leila's journey of self-discovery and change, and being a tyrant's daughter does not affect it.

Cover 4/10: When I showed my mom the cover of The Tyrant's Daughter, You Are Mine, and Peaceful Genocide. she said I should go with The Tyrant's Daughter because she is really interested in Historical Fiction (and the cover of Peaceful Genocide freaked her out). What she, and others should know is that this is not a historical fiction novel. The main character comes from the Middle East, there is description of her life and past there, but next to none of the story takes place in the Middle East. While I think the cover was fitting, it did give the wrong impression.

Pacing 9/10: This will sound weird, but I love short chapters. Of course I don't want to read a book where scenes only last three pages, and the action abruptly stops (similar to the Maze Runner). But I just like short chapters to be interspersed in with long ones. The Tyrant's Daughter was perfect. There were long chapters 15+ pages, with short ones at the exact times they were needed. For example, a lot of the action is somewhat hurried, especially when Leila reacted to something, which triggered 2-5 short one-page chapters that I think were the perfect decision for the book.

Ending 8/10: In my opinion, The Tyrant's Daughter had an ending people will love or hate. I, myself, didn't like it. There was a huge WTF climax moment that my ELA teacher would have loved. To me, it felt a little but too formula. The last sentence that came back full-circle to the first sentence which I personally didn't like. Especially because of the note it left with us as the readers, without spoiling the ending, I will say that the last sentence does not resonate with me the message that I think the author was trying to portray.

Quotes 10/10: I loved the quotes in this book, but I can't put the ones I liked up on the site because they would need to be checked up against the finished book. All I can say is that I have almost 30 annotations on my Kindle from when I was reading it, and there were so many thought-provoking ones that I would kill to have the talent to write (is that grammatically correct?). 

Conclusion: This will be one of the best books I will read in 2014 because of how much it made me think and how much I had to say. Laila goes through an extraordinary journey of self-discovery and learns that she has the power to make herself visible.  

*You might be wondering why I put this as an ARC review because the book is already out, but to me, as long as it's an ARC, it's an ARC review regardless of publication*

ARC Review~ Defy (Defy #1): Sara B. Larson

ARC Review of Defy by Sara B. Larson

Rating: 8.25 4stars

Series: Defy #1

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Expected Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Recommended For: fans of Graceling and Legend

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Page Count: appx. 336 (according to Goodreads)

Format: E-ARC

Goodreads Synopsis: A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

*I recieved an ARC copy from Netgalley, but this does not in any way affect my honest review of my own individual opinion*

My Background: I first learned about this book from Fiction_TheNewReality when she did an ARC review. This was also my first ever e-ARC from Netgalley that I got because of how interesting the plot sounded. Everything I knew about this book was from the Fiction_TheNewReality's review and the Goodreads synopsis, so I dove into the book and read.

Plot 9/10: I personally loved the plot of the book very much because of the total kick-ass female character Alex(a) Hollens. 

I did have some problems with the book. It seemed like it took about 5 different plot lines, and elements that were thrown into a Nutri-Bullet and blended together. There were all the Graceling elements with the female character having something to hide, and being the best fighter, along with all of the magic. There were elements from Legend by Marie Lu in that *spoiler alert for the first 35%* her brother "Marcel" died (sounds a lot like Metias doesn't it?), then snooty Prince Damain seemed to be exactly like Anden. Ofcourse there were all the themes from Mulan when it came to a girl being dressed up as a man, which is not a critism, but merely a point.

Characters 9/10: So my feelings about the characters are that I love the characters as characters, but I didn't always like the way they were portrayed and my connection with them. I was also a little confused with the number of guards for Prince Damian because of all the random names that didn't really have faces or characteristics to go with them. Anyway the three main characteres were Alex(a) Hollens, Prince Damian, and Rylan. Alex(a) Hollens is the main character of the book that has been pretending to be a man in Prince Damian's guard for the past three years. Prince Damian is the spoiled, lazy brat of a prince that seems to be oblivious to the world around him. Rylan is Alex(a)'s best friend (aside from her brother) and part of the Prince's personal guard.

My favorite character surprise surprise is Alex(a) because strong female leads are just so irresistable. 

What I felt throughout the entire book was disconnected from the characters. Their pain, struggle, and sacrifice wasn't portrayed well enough in this story. I also felt that even though Alex(a) was the main character, I didn't feel like the focus was on her as much, which is surprising since the book is written in first-person. 

As @Crystalbookland said on twitter: I feel more interested in Damain & what's going on with him than Alex(a) right now

Romance 5/10: I honestly think this book would have been better without the love triangle, or maybe with just one guy instead of the two. I remember reading Doughnut&Co's Review and she expressed my feelings perfectly.

"What I, however, absolutely detested about this book is that it felt the need to have a love triangle. It didnt need a love triangle."

Don't people remember in the early 2000s when it was cool for a girl to only have one person she loved? Instead of two or more to make things more complicated. There was also the oh-so-cliche outcome to the love triangle. I personally have problems shipping people because I want them to have three-way relationships because I can't choose who I like better. One of Alex(a)'s two suitors was surprising to me, and I didn't know why I hadn't figured it out before. I also think that it was a little too sudden. From about 48%-52% of the book they've proclaimed their undying love for her, and she's kissed both of the. She also has been working with/alongside the two men for more than three years, and all of a sudden she's just noticing their swoony chest muscles, and the color of their eyes? 

Cover 5/10: I honestly didn't really like the cover because it reminded me way too much of Graceling's by Kristin Cashore. The swords in the middle of the page looked to similar. This is personal preference, but I did not like the color scheme of Defy. The ombre green as a background with the title in bright red. I did however like the hilt of the sword (it could be a dagger, I have no idea what the designer was going for) with the rose on it. To me, it was sort of like an inside joke with the reader that she was a girl. The small touch of a female characteristic in a book that's characters are 95% male.

Title 4/10: If Sara B. Larson read this review, she would probably kill me because of how much I didn't like the outward appearance of her book. I just didn't understand why it was called "Defy". That kind of title would work better for the last book in a cliche dystopian trilogy where the people rebel against the totalitarianistic (is that a word?) government. I sort of understand where she was coming from (trying not to spoil the book) because of the defiance displayed by Damian, and the fact that Alex(a) was defying the usual groove of society by being a soldier in the midst of a society where they don't let girls be warriors, but besides that I don't understand it.

Feels 5/10: I really didn't feel any feels for this book unless they pertained to the romance. Sure there were occurrences that surprised me, but nothing that out of the water. I was in fact torn between the two guys, and the moments between them were what made me get the feels. The physical appearances of both of them were so good, and although different, both of their characteristics were very valiant, and well-meant. 

Writing Style 8/10:  What I enjoyed about Larson's writing was Alex(a)'s voice. She really reminded me of June Iparis from Legend, in that her sense of duty, honor, and what's right and wrong is really strong which is excently portrayed in her thoughts and opinions.

Pacing 8/10: My one complaint is about the chapters. It felt a little James Dashner-like because the chapters were short bursts of action/thrill/suspense, then they stopped. Another concern of mine is that the last sentence of a chapter didn't connect with the first sentence of the next. Not in the sense that they weren't about the same subject, but that that there were mini plot gaps where one moment the characters are doing this, and the next they're doing a completely different thing. There were also formatting issues on my kindle version. Besides those chapter issues, the book was really well paced. There was enough action at the right times, and all the events were in order and spanned the right amount of time. 

Ending 9.5/10: The ending was one of the best I have read in a long time because of the way it left you completely satisfied, and full of closure. I was a bit sad at how the romance ended, but I won't say anymore about that. 

Quotes 4/10: I am a bit dissapointed at the lack of un-quoteworthy quotes in this book. These are the two quotes I put for my reading log since I couldn't think of anything else.

"All of it, all of my love and pain and anger surged up and filled me with fury-with purpose-with power. I felt it building in my chest, and I attacked." 79%. Alex(a)'s narration.

"True beauty is what lies inside of us, not what the world sees. A beautiful shell that houses a vile soul becomes sullied over time. But an outer shell, imperfect as it may be, that houses a beautiful soul shines with that beauty, radiating it for all who have eyes to see." 96%. Lisbet. this is actually a cliche idea in most inspirational book, but the way Larson states it is what attracted me to the quote. A vile soul being sullied has a nice ring to it. 

Continuation: 90% Yes, I will read the sequel although I do think this would have been a good standalone novel. Their story could be finished as far as I know. On Sara B. Larson's Goodreads profile, it said the next book will come out in 2015, so I will read it because I want to know what happens, but definitely think this could have been it as a story. 

Conclusion: Even though there were some elements of  "Defy" I didn't like, I would definitely 100% recommend that people should read Sara B. Larson's debut novel.

Blogger Note: When I read this review back to myself it sounded as if I gave it two stars instead of four. I sincerely enjoyed this book and thought it was awesome, and kept me at the edge-of-my-seat *cliche *. It just felt like to me that the small quirks, although small and infrequent, stood out to me especially making them bigger than one would think they would be.