Waiting on Wednesday (4/30/14): Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Four by Veronica Roth

Expected publication date: July 8, 2014

From Goodreads:

 Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by Four: A Divergent Story Collection, five short stories told from Four's perspective. Each brief story—"The Transfer," "The Initiate," "The Son," "The Traitor," and "Free Four"—explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.

Numbers. Theo James. Cute scenes. Need I say more?

~ Yajaira

Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling

Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling

Publication date: May 15, 2008 (Viking Juvenile)

So, Fancy White Trash. I picked out this book when I was ordering a few other ones from Barnes and Noble. The summary initially interested me (because who doesn’t like a good YA family drama-ish read every now and then?) and the title was entertaining.

Fancy White Trash brings the story of sixteen year old Abby Savage who is entering her sophomore year of high school with a set of rules to find her One True Love. She comes from the infamous Savage family, a family of all girls who are notorious for being, in Abby’s words, sluts. Abby is also forced to confront her feelings for her best friend’s older brother (and ex-boyfriend), Jackson, after he returns from a trip to Nicaragua.

I didn’t go into this with high expectations, but I wasn’t expecting it to be bad either. With that said, I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s an easy read if you’re looking for something light to read in between books, but it’s not something that will have you going to your friends and telling them, “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.” The plot is predictable, Abby doesn’t have much character development (her best friend Cody has more development than her but even then, rather flat), and the drama seems forced.

Boy, does it sound like I dislike this book.

Like I said before, if you’re looking for something to read in between really good books, I’d suggest this as it is a read that’s good enough to pass the time. I enjoyed it enough to finish it, but I was not completely riveted by it.

(3 out of 5)

~ Yajaira

Waiting on Wednesday (4/16/14): No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Expected publication date: December 9, 2014 (Harper Teen)

From Goodreads: 

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.
When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.
Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.

Glowing ARC reviews, North Carolina, and a boy named Will. Sweeeeeet ;) 

- Rachel

In Honor of National Library Week

 

I stopped by my favorite library this week. Which should I review? 

Hush, Hush (#1) by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

A World Away by Nancy Grossman

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell 

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 

- Rachel

I Ain't Even Mad (Divergent trilogy)

The following opinion (this really isn’t a review) may contain spoilers for Divergent. Please proceed with caution even though I will try to avoid spoilers. Actually, it eludes to spoilers so yeah, be very cautious.

I’ve recently finished the Divergent trilogy and prior to reading it, I knew there were quite a few people out there who were not happy with how Allegiant ended. And then I ruined the ending for myself by reading reviews on the box set on the Barnes and Noble set because I’m dumb. Obviously I was surprised that Veronica Roth would even do something like that seeing as it’s something readers ever really see (and I have never read.) It did upset me initially, but I decided to move forward and still finish the trilogy because I couldn’t just leave a series unfinished.

And upon reading the ending, I both was and wasn’t upset.

I was upset in that Tobias just absolutely hurt my heart. His reaction made me want to cry and I was glad that Roth had given him such a realistic reaction especially considering all that he and Tris had gone through together. I was upset in how it ended, but ultimately, I understood.

So I wasn’t upset with Tris’ fate. She had spent essentially all three books struggling between the half of her that was Abnegation and her new found half that was Dauntless. She knew deep down inside she could never shake her Abnegation roots because that who she was, but she also knew she wasn’t entirely Abnegation. And sacrificing herself was ultimately a union of her personality: she was both selfless and brave.

So even though I wish it could’ve ended differently, I’m not mad at the direction that Roth took Allegiant even though quite a lot of people are upset.

What did you guys think of the ending?

~ Yajaira

Book Sale!

Hey, guys! I’ve recently run into the small problem of my bookshelf becoming too full, so I decided to try to get rid of some books. I’m selling these books for a little less than half of their retail value seeing as they’ve yellowed over time. Shipping will also be added on top of the price, but it shouldn’t be that high seeing as I will be using the USPS. If you’d like more information on a book, feel free to comment below or send an e-mail to me at pbphotographer@yahoo.com

Books for sale:

It Happened To Nancy ($2)

The Color Purple ($3)

Finding Kate ($2)

Annie’s Baby ($2)

Jay’s Journal ($2)

Darkness Before Dawn ($2)

Prey ($3)

Tears of a Tiger ($3)

The Taking of Pelham 123 ($3)

Enrique’s Journey ($7)

The Burn Journals ($5)

The Lovely Bones ($5)

~ Yajaira