I Read Words Other People Write

1-3-14
Funny, I started this book before and had to set it aside as I wasn't in the mood for a dark read. Here I am again, almost a year to the day later, picking it back up again. It's brutally cold outside but the sun is shining. Hmmmmm. Portent much?

3.5 stars.

I'm struggling to put my thoughts together for this one.

I like Dani's character much more here than in the previous books. Yea, she still says 'feck' and 'dude' all the time, but she's a kid, on her own, in a Dublin that is crumbling around her. I was surprised (and disappointed) with all the repetition here, not a Moning trait, if I remember correctly. We live in Dani's head throughout most of the book and maybe she's got to keep reminding and reassuring herself, but the amount of times she spouts what a superhero she is, ergh, it's a little much. I can handle the 'fecking' and the 'dudes' more than the superhero part.

I'll have to think on this a bit more but here are some bullet points:

•What happened to Inspector Jayne??? Not cool, KMM
•Poor, poor, crazy Christian. As far as all the pedo stuff going on, he's the one we have to worry about.
•Ryodan. I got more of the crazy protective vibe from him, not the crazy pedo vibe so many people complain about. He's been watching her forever, he knows she's got something special, but I didn't get the gross "look at her 14-year old curves" (gross) like I got from Christian.
•Dancer! I love this kid! I hope we get more of this kid but I get a feeling we may love him like we love Christian then something horrible happens to him.
•Lor. Interesting, very interesting.
•All the pointless investigations with Ryo throughout the first half of the book. Boring. And why does Dani think of collecting bits in ziplock bags halfway through when that seems sooo important to her? Feels like the details of the story weren't hashed out very well and bits just thrown in willy-nilly to help advance things.
•The ending. Hmmm. I still don't know what I think about the ending. Seemed rushed. Thrown together.

Somewhere between 2-3 stars.

Just gonna spoiler up so I don't have to worry about writing anything I shouldn't.

Somewhere between 2-3 stars.

Just gonna spoiler up so I don't have to worry about writing anything I shouldn't.

The book starts by announcing that there are lots of questions to be answered, some nice words about logic and then we're off. Sad to say, there's not a lot of logic in the answers we are given. It's too bad because I thought this story, in the first two books, was really compelling. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the Maze Runner. The potential was there, but instead of real answers we got a lot of 'twists' thrown in but they contained more plot holes than plot hole filling.

The world here is based on the government basically wiping people's memory time after time and trying to eliminate 'bad' genes in favor of the genetically pure, or 'divergent.' They set up these isolated cities that know nothing of the outside world, that there even is an outside world, and leave them to reproduce generation after generation. They are offered no guidance or assistance, they are told nothing of their situation, just left to make babies the ever-watchful government hopes are genetically pure. We are told about the government, yet we see nothing of it except this one Bureau of Genetic Welfare. They control everything, it seems, without interference from the rest of this government. I'm not sure who is more naive, the citizens of the experimental cities or the Bureau itself. The way they let our Chicago escapees wander and basically do whatever they want, well, it makes no sense.

The story of Tris' mother is pretty much unbelievable. I don't even want to think about it. It's a hazy story that holds not much substance at all.

Four. Oh Four. What the hell happened to you. It's like he completely broke down into nothing but self-doubt and self-pity. I found it a bit hard to believe his break down. It's not like he had much of a family to hold on to before, he didn't really think he fit in with the Dauntless, yet now he's completely adrift with no thoughts on how to get himself together. He was pretty pathetic during most of this book.

I like Tris. She seemed to be the only character that had any growth whatsoever despite their completely confusing surroundings. The revelations they were receiving once outside the fence were horrible and didn't offer much in the way of hope, but she seemed the be the only character capable to trying to read those around her realistically.

The points of view flipping back and forth between Tris and Four were interesting at the start of the book but their POVs ended up basically blending into one and the same, at times I had to flip back to make sure of who's POV I was reading. I hate that. I really hate that.

The ending of the books is what slants my rating into 3 territory instead of 2. This world that Veronica Roth has created is very interesting, and it would truly suck to live in, so the ending didn't disappoint me. There really weren't any options for a hopeful or happy ending. It sucks what happened to Tris, it sucks that Caleb is still a pansy ass coward. I'm glad Four didn't successfully pursue his plan, even though it would have fit what his character had become. In the end I was just left a bit listless. The characters still with us don't have much hope for anything better in life, seems they are still controlled by this pretty lame government unsure on what the hell they are doing, and are, well, they are just there.

I don't really see how this could have ended any differently, it's not a happy story for sure. But there just wasn't enough real meat to chew on to make this feel successful.

On my first re-read of this series, I have to say how much I love this book. This one is probably tough for some to get through as it is very YA, a bit sweet and silly sometimes, but a great start to this wonderful series.

As is usually the case, the book is far and away superior to the movie.  I read this as a kid but, jeez, the things I forgot!  The movie is a cheap knock-off, it almost seems like fan fiction of the book.

 

I'm so creeped out right now I'm not going to be able to write a proper review.

 

Outside my house right now the wind is howling,  NO, it's screaming.  And I am totally and completely on edge.  The power has gone out about 5 times in the past 2 hours.  I am going to have some nightmares tonight, for sure. 

Holy mother of slow descent into madness. The wind outside is howling, no, screaming, and the power has gone out about 5 times tonight. I am SO going to have nightmares tonight.

By the way, the movie was a gip. And I like the movie!! The book is SOOOO much scarier.

5 creeptastic stars

I haven't read this in 20+ years (Probably more than that).  FAR creepier than I remember and full of so much more creep than the movie!

Why yes! 

 

Super fun YA book.  Pretty dang realistic, I thought.  No insta-love, no teenage angsty angst.  Just a group of nerdy kids biding their time til they can get out from underneath the popular kids torture and start their lives.  Then the new girl shows up...

 

Highly recommended. 

Whatever.

So, I live 1500 miles away from my parental unit people and I won't get to see them this Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This is new.  Every year since I've moved away from home, yeah that's like 20+ years, I've been back for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

 

I've moved around a lot. Not as much as some, but more than most I grew up with.  I grew up in Texas, so when I moved 3 hours away to college, to some of you it would be like moving to another state. To others, it was still Texas. 

 

I hasten to say alas, because I don't alas about being a Texan. Probably as much as you don't alas about being a Wisconsiner, Indianaer, Ohioer, Nebraskerer, Oklahomaer, Nevadaer, New Yorker, Californiaer.

 

However, you 'fly over state' fuckers, will see that I'm gonna start burnin shit down.  Now, don't get me wrong, I fucking love Texas and if you say wrong against her, well, I might agree, but for the most part we are such super people, I might have to smack you down, or agree with you, or defer.  WE HAVE THE BEST DAMN BRISKET EVER.

 

I miss damn good beef brisket (why in a land of hunters can no one figure out out to cook the damn thing, Michigan??), I miss Tex Mex (a spicy crunchy taco can cure all your ills), and I miss my damn family.  

 

I hold no ill towards no one, as long as I get good food.  Michigan, where is your good food?  Seriously, Ann Arbor, I dare you!

Ick. You know, not even ick. I couldn't care enough to give an ick.

Can anyone point me to a post/thread that explains (very carefully and slowly) how to put a white background behind any comments on my posts?  I like my background but I have to highlight the comments to see them. 

 

*sigh* I'm old

You ready to do this?

Shoofly has finally decided to vacate my normal reading spot for the 'top-o-the-couch' position.  Her favorite spot when licking various parts of her fur-lined anatomy. 

 

She's awfully cute, isn't she?  Those big cartoony eyes, all that fluff (neck pillow comes standard on Shoofly model), those fluffy feet, that pink nose and cute white bit right around her mouth.  You just want to pick her up and squeeze her, and brush her and listen to her purr. 

 

Yeah, you don't really do that.  Now, she's not the tooth and claw type of cat, she won't draw blood.  But she will wear you down with her mouth. 

 

For one, her breath stinks to high heaven.  Yeah, yeah, I've taken her to the vet, they say it's kinda just the way she is.  Her teeth are fine.  Hell, her diet is fine.  She likes her dry kibble and doesn't really beg for anything.  But that breath.  ACH, ugh, it's rough and she knows where to aim her mouth for maximum effectiveness. 

 

Second, her voice sounds like an 85 year old grandma who has chain-smoked cigarettes her whole life.  Now, mind you, she's only 4 years old.  She was probably the runt in her litter or she's from some super small breed of cats.  But her VOICE!  It's rough and scratchy and LOUD!  That itty-bitty little fluffy thing, so cute and snuggly...she will meow right in your ear and you'll be hearing it for hours. 

 

Third, and lastly, you never know when she may have a bit of poop on her.  Yep, see how fluffy and cute she is!  Oh, all that cute fur!  There's so much around her bottom and back legs, I like to say it looks like she's wearing bloomers!  They should be called poop-catchers.  I can't fault her.  She's got A LOT of fur.  And a teeny tongue.  And you all know how cats clean themselves.  But apparently she can't even get the poop to leave her teeny-tiny black hole.  She'll have just a bit, just a small bit, stuck to her bottom.  I tell ya, it's not fun to pick her up for an "against her will" snuggle and feel something moist back there.  So now I have wet wipes on hand for just such an occasion.  Fun. 

 

All of these things aside, I love my little Shoofly.  She's as small as a chihuahua but in her mind she's as big and as fierce as a lion.  And she does tend to rule the roost a bit.  And she never begs.  How unlike a cat is that?  You can never forget about her because her hair is on everything (I've learned it's fur when it's on the cat, it's hair when it's on your clothes) and she loves to drop on the floor right in front of you when you are carrying large and heavy grocery bags. 

 

This was just a little aside.  Sorry for the non-book related content.  I've had a migraine and couldn't do much of anything today and yesterday, but I had a lot of company from my little one.  My larger one Karate School is wonderful too.  He drove cross country with me from California to Michigan.  His story is to come...

 

AHA!  Oh Chains, you devious bastard!  Now it's starting to get good.  Let's hope this lasts because it took 28% to just get good!