Divergent By: Veronica Roth

Divergent is a dystopian novel based in futuristic Chicago where society is divided into four factions- Amity (kindness), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Erudite (wisdom), and Candor (honesty). When a child reaches the age of 16 they must decide whether to remain in their faction or to transfer to a faction of their choosing. Divergent is the gripping story about Beatrice Prior's choosing ceremony and how it will change her life forever!

My Reactions- I figured that since I had enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, (my first taste of dystopian writing) I should try Divergent. It was a very good decision! Roth's writing in the 1st person really made me feel connected to Beatrice or "Tris" versus making feel stuck in her head, which could have been an issue. 

Character Thoughts- Tris's attitude toward life, her fears, her likes and dislikes are very similar to what mine would be were I in her position. She struggles with finding out who she is and what she stands for. Then she meets someone. Four. Four is a character which at first I feared but grew to love. He is so strong and pushes Tris to go to her limit. Farther sometimes then even she realizes she can go. There are several supporting characters who I thought were very interesting. Al, Will, and Christina are just a few. The relationships between the initiates becomes so developed and real and intricate that it is very hard to forget that they are only supporting roles. 

Setting- I love the way Roth intertwined many modern day beliefs on ways to have a world wide peace into her book. I always find it interesting when an author puts potentially political content in a book. Anything that could reflect our society today or where it is headed. The description of the different factions and their beliefs fascinate me. I think that Roth did a very good job in making an original dystopian novel! 

Rating- 5 out of 5 stars!

My birthday!

So as of today I am officially a teenager! It's my 13th birthday. But ironically I have a nasty head cold and so I haven't been able to do much today! As a birthday present my dad has entered me in the Shamrock 8k in Virginia Beach. I am super excited but also nervous because I can't run nearly that far yet and I only have about two months! I'll make it though!

The 1st snow of the winter season!

First footprints!!

Last night was the first snowfall since last year! There were beautiful big flakes! I took a few pictures on my phone that I wanted to share~

My little bro tried to make a snowball!

Brrrr!

Review-The Viking Quest (Whole Series)

The fourth and in my opinion, best book in the series!

Summary-(Because I am reviewing the whole series at once I am going to put up the summary of the first book!) Briana O'Toole (Bree) felt that her life was going to change on her 13th birthday. What she did not realize is how drastically this change would be for herself and her whole village. Viking marauders take her and her brother, Devin, to their ship. Both children must figure out how to fight for their freedom, while still trusting that God knows what is happening and has a plan for their lives.

My Thoughts-I read this series for the first time several years ago so I can't remember quite what I was expecting from this series.  But I do know that I was very excited to try out the series what with it being about vikings and such, things which I don't read about often!

Character Notes- To start, the main character Briana O'Toole! I loved her character because I really related to her in that her reaction was exactly what mine would have been! Briana is very strong in mind and spirit! As the series progresses I really admire her because of her determination to do what is right! She also was very trusting in the Lord.  Have you ever dreamed of having the perfect brother?  I would like to introduce you to Devin. He is the most awesomest, caring brother ever! He and Bree make the perfect team! Devin is loyal and strong in mind and body! Now for Mikkel. Oh goodness! Where to start! In the beginning Mikkel is so incredibly arrogant! His goal is to become a better person. To be worthy of trust and respect. I really enjoyed reading about his journey and Bree's and Dev's because I feel that even though in the end they all had the same goal their individual journeys were very interesting to watch!

Story Notes-Now I will admit that several parts were cheesy throughout the series. I noticed that this only happened when Johnson (author) left the plot to make remarks such as- Bree sighed. Each time she started to believe that Mikkel had really changed, his dark secret came up. "Will Mikkel ever get over his love of fame and money? Will we ever be able to completely trust him?"   Continually, rhetorical questions like that came up and it really started to get annoying! I loved how Johnson described things! I could see the mists of Ireland and the bounty and wealth of Vinland. She didn't just tell, she showed! I felt like the story really flowed between the five books. 

Summing It Up-Aside from a few cheesy gospel sections the message of the story was great---to have courage to do whats right. I know that that sounds cheesy in itself, but think about it. I loved the characters and didn't mention half of them! I really enjoyed this story! I would say its for 10-12 year old's and I give it 4 1/2 out of 5.