DIVERGENT BY VERONICA ROTH

DIVERGENT 

BY VERONICA ROTH

Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Recommended age: 12+
Goodreads rating: 4.32 stars
My Rating: 5 stars

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 can whole hardily say they've made it on to my OTP list.My review:I have recently read a lot of dystopian books, and thought surely that there wasn't any original ideas left! But, boy, was I wrong! Veronica Roth creates an interesting , yet terrifying world where nothing is quite as it seems and it drew me in straight from the go. There was everything I look for in a book, a strong heroine,a swoon worthy  hero, a web of lies and conflict! As you can imagine I was in rapture, you couldn't pry the book out of my hands until I had finished it.Tris was such a likeable heroine, as she never felt like she quite belonged, a feeling we can all relate to.  She was a strong character, and after making the decision to join the Dauntless faction finds herself fighting other initiates or face a lifetime of being factionless  *shudder*.  It is then she meets Tobias, or Four as he likes to be known. He was the most perfect, imperfect hero, that I could of wished for. You could see he genuinely cared for Tris, no matter the odd ways he tried to express it. Roth teased us with Four and Tris interactions that always had me wanting more. Tris: “Peter would probably throw a party if I stopped breathing.'    Four: Well,' he says, 'I would only go if there was cake.”

Danger. This book was jammed-packed with the stuff! Tris found herself thrown into the deep end facing initiates that were physically stronger, and quicker than she. But that’s not just where the danger ends, Erudite seems to have its claws out for Abnegation.I can hand and heart say GO. BUY. THIS. BOOK. I swear you won’t regret it!

THE BOY WHO SNEAKS IN MY BEDROOM WINDOW

THE BOY WHO SNEAKS IN MY BEDROOM WINDOW

BY KIRSTY MOSELEY

Amber Walker and her older brother, Jake, have an abusive father. One night her brother's best friend, Liam, sees her crying and climbs through her bedroom window to comfort her. That one action sparks a love/hate relationship that spans over the next eight years. Liam is now a confident, flirty player who has never had a girlfriend before. Amber is still emotionally scarred from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Together they make an unlikely pair. Their relationship has always been a rocky one, but what happens when Amber starts to view her brother's best friend a little differently? And how will her brother, who has always been a little overprotective, react when he finds out that the pair are growing closer? Find out in The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window.

I really like reading self published books; as I often spend my time reading them on Wattpad, but they’re not for everyone. There is always a down side to self published books as they are often littered with grammatical errors which I feel the need to shout to my sister ‘I’ve found another one’ while I’m reading. However, although there was some,  it could have been worse and they didn’t detract from the overall feeling of the book.
Now, on to Liam and Amber.  Yes they have an adorable relationship, I mean he called her ‘Angel’ because he thought she was one when they met at 6 years old, that would make any girl swoon. However, recently I have developed a hatred for pet names in books, which did not work in this books favour. In my opinion pet names are over done and have become a cliché. Where is the originality? 

I don't think changing to Liam's perspective added anything to the book. I thought it was realistic the insecurities Amber faced about whether he was going to cheat on her or not, but adding Liam's perspective quenched these worries as you could see how much he absolutely doted on her, erasing any possibilities of it happening. This detracts from the mysteriousness of the book and made it almost sickly sweet. 
Although there was some downsides, this book had its positives, such as the glimpses into her abusive past were tastefully done and she got the balance of how many to put in just right. Enough to live you on the edge of your seat but few enough that you weren’t over run. 

All in all I recommend this book. 
4 stars.