The Future of Reviews

Hey, all! As most of you know, I've moved my blog to Wordpress (www.shatteringthedarkness.wordpress.com).
    Now, I'm here to inform you that all of my book reviews will be moving to Goodreads!
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6917973.Brian_A_McBride
    So, head on over and follow my Goodreads author page. Or add me as a friend if you feel special! ;)

-Brian

"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth - A Book Review

One choice will define you.
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
    The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
    But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

    T_T This book killed me. I am dead. I am crushed. I am pulverized. I... honestly don't know what to say.
    Allegiant is the explosive conclusion to The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. I loved it. And in the end I hated what the author did to me. I want to scream "NOOOOO!!! You can't do this!"
    When it arrived the day it was released, I was beyond excited. I immediately began reading it. Knowing it was the final book, I chose to take my time. I didn't rush it. The beginning started out pretty slow and gradual, as this book takes place a week or so after the events of book two.
    But about 10 chapters in, it was going at a steady pace and I was getting answers. A third of the way in, my mind was blown. I had a hard time contemplating everything I was learning about the world of Divergent.
    Allegiant is told from both the perspectives of Tris and Four (also shipped as Fourtris). I was glad for the chance to get inside Four's head. But I also got irritated with him from time to time.
    Eventually he and Tris define their relationship and take it to the next level.
    The ending though... *choke* I am so... crushed...
    Violence - Mild. Violence is not gratuitous.
    Sexy stuff - Lots of kissing and sex is implied.
    Language - A few uses of the s-word, "d*mn", "h*ll", and cr*p".
    Scary Scenes - Mild.

    All in all, this conclusion was in fact explosive. In more ways than one, as it both imploded my heart, and blew me away.
    What did you think of the finale?

5 of 5 stars!

God bless,

Brian

New blog!

Hey, guys!
   So, I'm slowly moving my blog over to Wordpress and have already posted a couple of times. This blog will remain active for a little while longer, and I may continue posting book reviews here, rather than on my new blog.
    My Wordpress is going to be a more of a personal/writing blog than book reviews.
    You can check it out here!

    Let me know what you think! :)

"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi - A Book Review

*SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN THIS REVIEW*

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but the Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time - and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

    Okay, so... I'd LOVE to rant about this book (how good it was, how bad it was) But I can't.
    Because this book was neither AMAZING, nor was it horrible.
    There is only one word to describe it perfectly...
    Meh.
    This book was meh.
    That's not to say that I didn't find it an enjoyable read. There is just so much about it that is... meh.
    One thing that I found refreshing was the unique layout of the interior. The manuscript showed Juliette's "non-thoughts" in a sort of "diary-esque" way.
    First, I'll explain what I enjoyed about Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi:

    - the plot -
    I always love a good dystopian storyline. And I mean LOVE. Shatter Me had the exact kind of thing I was looking for: 1. A dystopic world where a dictatorial government has taken over, but among the chaos a group of rebels and misfits have been growing, nearly ready for war. 2. Freakish powers. Who doesn't love a good story about a girl who is, herself, an unexplained phenomena? These powers are a story in and of themselves.
   
    - the characters -
    1. Juliette was an easy character to sympathize (or is it empathize?) with. She's been mentally, physically, and emotionally scarred by those she thought loved her. And she never fought back. She always thought she deserved it. Juliette constantly turns the other cheek. And I love that about her. 2. Adam. I didn't expect such a large part of the story to be about Juliette's and Adam's relationship, but that seemed to be a large focus point of this entire book. I'm not against it, though. The storyline is the storyline. *shrugs*. Adam is a likeable character. He is respectful of Juliette and cares for her deeply. He fights for those he cares about and is tender with his younger brother. Which leads me to the third character. 3. James is immediately likeable. He is a flurry of emotion. Excitement over his brother's return. Suspicion of Juliette's sudden appearance into his and his brother's lives. I don't know that anybody could dislike him. :) 4. Warner. Okay, I don't get Warner. He's just complicated. I can tell he is conflicted and power-hungry. But what is up with his obsession for Juliette?

    Okay, now things I didn't particularly like...

    - the plot -
    Romance centered, simple. Nothing much to say about it. :P It's enjoyable, though.

    - the characters -
    Juliette is constantly wallowing in self-pity until Adam comes along and she finds him "perfectly sculpted" and swoon-worthy. At first, their relationship seems impossibly instant and based entirely off of lust. And this doesn't change much, but once the reader discovers their pasts, their relationship because somewhat understandable. And Warner is obnoxiously arrogant and won't listen to Juliette, whom he supposedly loves.

    Sexual Stuff - Passionate kissing; Juliette's and Adam's relationship is lustful, to say the least. Though, Adam is respectful of Juliette's boundaries, even though she isn't.
    Language - Everything except the f-word.
    Violence - Mild; Characters are shot and beaten.
    Scary Images - Juliette and a toddler are locked in a room (for an experiment) where blades and spikes just out of the walls.

    All in all, this book was enjoyable, but I can't say that I enjoyed every minute of it. Would I recommend it? Meh.

3.5 of 5 stars.

"In the After" by Demitria Lunetta - A Book Review

In what seems like an instant, Amy Harris' life is changed forever. They arrive and quickly begin killing off humanity one by one. No one knows how They got here - and even worse, no one knows how to stop Them.

    Marooned in a high-security house, Amy manages to stay alive - and even rescues "Baby", a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket. For years they escape death, forging a bond as strong as sisters, until they are finally rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living on a government research compound.

    Staying in New Hope will come with a cost...

    Ermawherd! (dorky, I know, but I don't say "oh my God" ;P) Guys! Seriously. This book was... @_@

    *composes himself* *ahem*

    In the After by Demitria Lunetta is a book that I could NOT put down. I know this, because I tried time and again to put it down and go watch Doctor Who with my siblings. Not-so-unfortunately, this book had me under its spell.

    In the After is described by Amazon.com as a page-turner. This could not be more true. I read this book in less than a day. I'd say I read it all in one sitting, but that's not true because I was "sitting" all over the house, moving from place to place while reading this amazing, incredible, epic book.

    I'm a huge fan of dystopian fiction. The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Razorland Series, etc...

    And in the end, this book shattered my feels into a million pieces...

The Plot:

    Though not entirely original, the plot was unique in its own ways. I've not read The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, but I've heard that he has also used the idea of "zombie-aliens" and that it compares closely with In the After. This doesn't really matter to me. As long as the story is good, I am easy to please. ^_^

    I love stories in which the character has to learn to survive on his/her own in a shattered world. And this book hit the spot!

The Characters:

    Ermawherd! The characters were amazing! Amy, Baby, Rice. ^_^

    Baby - a mysterious toddler found in the After who immediately becomes attached to Amy, and Amy to her. The cutest character of the book, really. I love Baby. :D

    Amy - A tortured soul, a now 17-year-old girl who has learned to cope with the deaths of all her closest friends and her parents, as well as learning how to survive in the After, a name she gives everything after the aliens came.

    Rice - Don't know much about him yet, but at least his and Amy's relationship isn't insta-love. ;)

The Cover:

    I'm not going to lie. This cover is so beautiful. @_@ It's one of the best I've seen. It's striking! I could give the book an extra star just for the cover... but I won't. :P

Sexual Stuff - A character forces himself on another character. Kissing.

Language - Mild language every now and then. Mostly "h*ll" and "cr*p", but a few uses of other words such as "d*mn". The s-word is used approximately two times.

Violence - This book is pretty violent. It is described (not graphically) that They (later known as the Floraes) eat their victims alive. This book is filled plenty with death, but it the gore is not gratuitous.

Scary "Images" - Plenty of potentially scary scenes for younger readers. Definitely a PG-13 book.

5 of 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you all how much I loved this book. Seriously, guys... :D

You can purchase it here!

Book Cover of the Week #11

I'm just going to start posting these whenever I find a cover worth sharing. XP Because I can't seem to stick with this whole "of the week" thing.

This weeks beautiful-epic-fantastic-overthetop cover is....

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In the After by Demitria Lunetta

I just ordered this book the other day and am SUPER excited to read it! Review to come!

I Am Divergent

    Okay, so I've already read Divergent and Insurgent last summer, but I'm rereading them in preparation for the finale, Allegiant. (Author = Veronica Roth) I will be pre-ordering the final book. And I can NOT wait until it comes out!
    But as I read this series again, and as I write my many, MANY WIPs, I come to the realization that... I. AM. DIVERGENT.
    In this series, every person must choose which personality they identify themselves with.
    Here's the problem.
    I cannot choose.
    In some way or another...
    I am each of these traits: selfless, brave, honest, peaceful, intelligent. I could be Erudite, Dauntless, Candor, Amity, Abnegation.
    But I am Divergent.
    In a way, this also identifies with my life as an author.
    I cannot identify myself with just one genre or style of writing. The many worlds I've created, each of them must be unique in their diversity.
    Each of them is Divergent.
    As their creator...
    I am Divergent.
    And so... every author likely comes to this crossroads: they can choose just one genre in which to write, one path on which to go.
    Or they can explore and master each genre, each style.
    It is nearly impossible for me and my kind (writers) to choose just one personality, just one genre.
    I am Divergent.
    We are Divergent.
    One choice will transform us...
    or it can destroy us...