Insurgent by Veronica Roth

5

Tris is back after the trauma she faced in Divergent. Since her youth in Abnegation, her life has turned upside down and the world seems to be following the same track. Yet it isn’t over, and as Tris comes to terms with her own demons, she has to deal with the next stage in the plot, leading to the unexpected.

I’m having the same problem many reviewers have with book. I want to sit here and talk your ear off about almost everything that happened in the novel, but in doing so I’d ruin the entire thing for you and anyone else. And then the double-sided blade scenario comes into play because I don’t want to spoil Divergent for you either: it is just as gripping and awesome.

So the best I can do is a bit of relativity of Insurgent in comparison to Divergent.

Anticipation

There was huge anticipation for this book and sometimes all that hype can ruin a book. It was somewhat similar with Divergent. Last time, for Divergent, I really got caught up in all that and frankly it lived up to that gargantuan expectation. The thing was, I tried to not get mixed up with the stuff prior to Insurgent for two reasons. One was purely personal, and if you follow me on twitter you probably have a general idea of that. The other was that I’ve been disappointed about hype a few times since I started blogging and the method I’m slowly developing is to not get involved in it and so I can’t be disappointed. The only reason I say all this is that I genuinely think this book deserved what hype I was exposed to and I genuinely think it was a great book.

Action

I think this book was about as action-packed as Divergent- they are dauntless after all! In some ways this was something I was expecting, since I rarely find myself so involved in fighting sequences in books. But these tended to draw me in, though they lacked some of the lustre of Divergent- but I think that was Tris’ influence. She loves her faction, but she’s still recovering psychologically and the almost manic loss-of-self in the action is less pronounced.

Characters

Four/Tobias was really great. In Divergent, my memory was that he went from International Man of Mystery to…well, Tobias. Without getting into it too much, it’s almost as though Four and Tobias are actually different people, which then links back to the Divergent things. Holy… I think pontificating actually rendered something vaguely sensible.

Tris got on my wick a little bit though. I don’t begrudge her being depressed, nor do I dislike the occasionally spontaneity of her, but I find part of me just wants to grab her and shake her. As Tobias puts it, she’s so frustrating. Not wrong, not hateable, she just makes me grind my teeth sometimes. I think the problem is that I can see, understand and even emphasise a bit with her, but I think she seems narrow-minded sometimes or inconsiderate of other things. It’s more of a niggle but meh.

Plot

I thought the plot was like a train journey before a huge crash. Strangely, this is a good thing. It started off fairly slowly, which made sense, and then when it got into the actually meat of the story it stayed fairly interesting. I think Divergent was more involving as a story for the middle section and I would stand by the belief that though the plot was good, it wasn’t perfect. It seemed sometimes too straight-forward or bit repetitive, but like an action movie. You sort of know what will happen, but you can still enjoy it. For me, the whole ending sequence was just brilliant. This is why I use the train crash analogy: you’d notice when you start to move, and you’d notice when you were on the main section of the journey, but you simply can’t ignore it when you crash. I don’t want to give away a thing about the ending though- I just want to say I thought it was utterly brilliant.

Conclusion (!)

A great book, and definitely a commendable sequel. It might not have been special in a particular way, but that might only be because it followed Divergent which was so fantastic. It’s a solid 5 for what it is and I’m oh-so-grateful to Karen for getting this for me! If anyone liked Divergent, they should definitely look into this.

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Part 2

4

The continuation of the Song of Fire and Ice reaches a kind of close. This is the end of the first half of the story, and as such shows a lot more finality than previous parts and, in general, feels like a more typical fantasy book for this conclusiveness.

I've decided that I might do this review a little differently. I've reviewed the first two books here and here (plus an intermittent half-way in this book here) and in general I feel much the same about most of what is happening. So I thought it might be more apt and easier if I list my likes and dislikes of this series, and end with a comment on anything new in this book. It saves me trying to make the same point a third time, but trying to put a different spin on it.

Likes

• Plot- Say what you will about Martin, he weaves a fantastic story. He doesn't really have any sympathy for his characters and verges on cold about he is more than willing to put them in dire straits and make the outcome unlikely every single time. I've mentioned a few times how one does not simply 'expect' with George R. R. Martin (that's an accidental meme/LOTR reference) and it makes for much more gripping story and also a much more difficult one as a reader. You are telepathically begging him to spare your favourite characters. The nicest you can expect it some kind of hideous wound or thrown into an inescapable circumstance, and you'll take that in your despair.
• Characters- Another typical story trope, but again excellently done. He crafts really well rounded characters, though in general I feel the Starks are all a bit too heroic sometimes, and Brienne too idealistic. But people like Jaime, Tyrion and Daenerys are effectively evil- or at least associated intimately with an evil faction- yet we learn about them as individuals and grow to like them. Those three are probably some of my favourites. Take Jaime: he's an oath-breaker and unbearably arrogant and rude, but he's more loyal than most and has a powerful sense of gratitude, familial love and duty.
• Magic- His attitude to magic is refreshing in a fantasy book, and that's a lot coming from me. I usually like magic and lots of it, but here I enjoy how fleeting and mysterious it is rather than something which makes the users superior to their peers.

Part 1

Dislikes

• Misogyny- Though I think Martin isn't a misogynist, the world he sets his books in is medieval. As such, women were expected to look pretty, get married then make babies until they died. They are completely and unrelentingly objectified by the men in the books. In general, the female POVs in the books are shown to be neither powerless nor accepting of this so it isn't all encompassing, but the nature of some of what happens is sickening.
• Cursing- I'm not the kind of person who uses profanities or approves of them if used in excess, but, for whatever reason, the characters insist on using words I refuse to utter even in my own company. As such, Martin tests my patience sometimes with the male characters in the story who use two four letter words beginning with 'C' as often as they breathe and use others with other select changes in the weather.
• Wanton Brutality- That's a phrase I used in another review which sums it up nicely. Be it violence, torture, rape or worse, GRRM does not pull punches. In fact, he packs them with iron and heats them such that they brand, even scar you. Seriously, sometimes I've felt physically sick reading some descriptions in these books.
• Death- As I mentioned above, no one escapes the bloody pen of GRRM and he will happily kill, maim or otherwise make characters lives a misery in the course of his books. This is something I also appreciate since it makes the stories gripping, and better than some other novels I've read; but at the same time I wish it was a bit less desolate and hopeless sometimes.

In this book, there are two new things: Finality and Viewpoints. We're given some new people to see through the eyes of- purely because the little conflict in book one has escalated to a national schism and there are all sorts of inner problems of each of the factions. It's like that St. Ives riddle where the numbers just keep growing as algebraic powers until the number is larger that we imagine. I digress, because it is not that bad, the point I was making is that we get a viewpoint in basically every story there is to tell.

The finality, which I mentioned at the beginning, is also bizarre. GRRM tends to leave people mid-story and move on and its disconcerting to leave these books for too long. So much is going on all the time, and keeping it straight require you to be reading the novels in succession. The ending of this book felt more conclusive, because A Feast For Crows is a catalyst novel connecting this book to A Dance With Dragons. The idea was to give characters time to grow up so that the story could move on to where he wants it to be. I'll say this though: I have no idea where that is.

The novel is the usual stock for Martin, in my opinion, so take that as you will.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

5
This a YA fantasy novel that begins on the wedding day of sixteen year-old Princess Elisa. Being the chosen one, the one every century born with the Godstone in her navel, a lot is expected from her as a conduit for God's will in the world. Yet this stone, a priceless blue jewel, is unique enough to cause a host of problems.

I have to say that the reason I gave this book a five rating is because it's has been a while since I've been unable to put a book down and I've had this need to know what happens next: that insatiable urge to keep reading. It's probably courtesy of it being a YA fantasy that it was as fast-paced as it was, but it's still slower than other YA books thanks to the fantasy elements. The other reason I loved this book so was that at the end, when she confronts the Animages (which isn't a spoiler), I was just buzzing. Had I been a cat, I would have purred uncontrollably since I was experiencing a high like no other: where I just wanted to read as fast as I could and ascertain what happened, yet restricting myself to understand fully what would transpire (and also to extend the feeling).

One of the things that hit me early on as a pleasant surprise was that are heroine was fat. Not average sized, and definitely not thin, but undeniably fat and a lover of all things edible. I mean, I got hungry reading sometimes! But no, I like that books don't shy away from these things, especially in a protagonist. Too often they're the athletic type, or if not they are rarely fat: the general description is someone who couldn't be described as thin, but is healthy and fit. There is nothing wrong with that, but figures show that most people think of themselves as fat and obesity is a problem in the Western World.

I felt the story was a tad clichéd at times: a mix of princess in a new country/city, the chosen one and the less loved sibling. But Elisa's character- her voice, wit and attitude- made everything seem shiny and new and made me love the book so much. It underlined how no one judged her for her weight (mass!), but valued the quality of her mind or personality. Her strength of character. But again, this is a small part. Weight doesn't define who we are, though it is a huge anxiety in our society. As such, it never defined Elisa as a protagonist, as a princess or as the chosen one.

Other characters in the book were fine, but less interesting than Elisa and, on occasion, less fleshed out. It makes sense though in that because Elisa was such a good character, there was a good chance one would feel like this. Cosmé, Alejandro or Alodia all seemed to fall into a set character type for fantasy novels- yet in fairness they had some more exceptional qualities. Personally though, I felt they were mostly plot-orientated. They developed somewhat and were relatively interesting, but they were there to fill a function mostly: and their development wasn't entirely unique or unprecedented.

One thing I didn't think I'd be saying when I started was that I loved the religion element in this book. I'm not religious, and I didn't see why it was important early on: I found it distracting and in some ways unnecessary. But you slowly realise how important it is and, rather than being solely about religious zeal, it becomes apparent how important it is as part of this world; both as a motivation for characters (good and evil) and the impact this has on the world. Part of me says this is merely their interpretation of events and that there needn't be a God, but it doesn't matter. Part of me expects a sequel to have an atheist character who argues exactly this.

The God element is also fantastic in that my favourite bit involved the words Elisa uses whilst...optimising the Godstone. I always think the archaic sound of the Bible or ancient texts sounds powerful in some way: probably because it is, A, unusual to our ears and, B, writers had a certain way (with a certain tempo and use of stresses) to write. It really made that scene for me.

If you like fantasy, it is incredibly easy to recommend this, I think. It doesn't complicated the simple and well written characters with a well-formulated plot means that anyone who doesn't have a vendetta against fantasy will has a good chance of seriously liking this book. I rank this up there with Night Circus, so I hope you can understand my love for it.

The Pain Merchants (Shifter) by Janice Hardy

British Cover

4
Nya lives in a world of Healers, Takers and Pain Merchants: people who can take pain from people and either store it away or turn it into powerful weapons. But Nya has a unique ability to actually be able to shift pain (hence the American name of the book) from one person to another. The story is what happens when this ability becomes known by those who would use her for it.

I'd read Janice's blog for a while before I decided to get the book, and in some ways I was surprised. I think I expected it to be more mature than it was: but I was forgetting that this is a teen book, perhaps Middle Grade (but I'm not entirely sure what Middle Grade actually is). Saying that though, I still really enjoyed the book and the world Nya lives in was lovely to  see and experience.

The healing idea is marvellous. As I said in the introduction, the ability is to take away the pain from an injury and- optionally- to be able to heal that injury. The pain is held in the healer's body until pynvium can be found: a rare metal that (when raw) is able to contain pain. In some ways, it's straightforward, but then I didn't want a huge and complicated magic system- and in it's good that it isn't magic. What's been done here is much more involved and sophisticated, in my opinion. One idea has been taken: that someone can heal someone else. What has then been done is that it was fleshed out. A problem with some magic in books is that- like in Harry Potter- no end of magic can be cast without personal effects. There is just an endless pool of magic while the magic itself is based on knowledge and creativity. Much better are the systems that cause the energy for magic to be taken from the caster, but that is an over-used idea. Janice's system is great because it really is a real effect: the healer will completely experience the pain of whoever they heal, they just won't have the physical injury.

The city itself was interesting too- as was it's place as city in a world. There is class divide in the city between the aristocrats who dominated the land through war and the natives who fought them. None of the descendants of those natives have positions of power, they-  the Gevegs- are beggars and manual labourers who work so that the Baseeris stay rich. The animosity between both groups is always apparent and it's the underlying tension throughout the city. A Baseeri believe that every Geveg's life is worth less than his own, and they would let thugs or worse do what they will with them. They turn a blind eye for their own protection.

American Cover (I prefer)

The League is almost the middle ground between Baseeris and Gevegs, but the leadership and power indicate quite clearly to whom the preference is directed. Since the skill of healing is valued, though not exceptionally rare, anyone will be accepted into the league and, once there, they dedicate their lives to healing others- in theory for the good of all. But in such a powerful establishment, there is obviously a level of corruption and wealth that is sadly necessary. The League has to feed, clothe and train the healers so money has to come into the institution. What's more, a Baseeri noble would dislike a grimy Geveg healing him so they must also be kept elegant and presentable. The League is supposed to be a good thing, at least that is what I feel. And I get the feeling it was a good thing until the Baseeris arrived as part of the unnamed Duke's conquest to reclaim independent lands.

One of the things I didn't like was the characterisation. I'm not going to make an issue of this because it isn't at the same maturity as some things I read so there can't always be the same moral ambiguity. Good and Evil are mostly clear cut, though the Pain Merchants (which is like a mob version of the League) are somewhat unclear. Even Nya, who is stealing eggs at the beginning, shows some sort of ambiguity. Yet it's all rather low-key and the manner of it makes it clear whether it's a good or bad deed. Nya is starving, so theft can be acceptable; and she also offers to work for her food once caught. She is a good character in a tough situation. As for the Pain Merchants, they are seen as ultimately bad. Though they might do good, it's for capitalist reasons of money-making.

The other thing  noticed myself disliking was some of the slang in the book. Some of it was local dialect, but when "cos" starting being used instead of "because" or " 'cause" the grammar freak in me lashed out and I got rather annoyed every time it was used after. I do remember some others, but that is the one that annoys me the most. Also, some of the names were bothersome since they seemed to awkward, but I think I'm just being unwarrantedly picky.

As a fantasy book for younger readers, I do think this was quite good. I would have preferred a more mature book, but knowing my old tastes, I know I would have liked it. I think the fact I read it all in a day is a nod towards the fact it is a good book. If you're looking for something simple, enjoyable and fantastical, look no further.