REVIEW: INSURGENT (TEAM DAUNTLESS UK)

Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Yes, #2
UK Publisher: Harper Collins
UK Release date: 1st May 2012
Genre: YA Dystopian
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

*Whilst there are no spoilers of Insurgent, they may be spoilers for Divergent.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (From Goodreads)


Often when there is a lot of hype around a book, it can lead to disappointment, especially if the previous book in the series won such acclaim and has set a high standard for the rest of the series. But Insurgent did anything but disappoint me. It was thrilling, heart-pounding, surprising and utterly compelling.

Tris and Four dauntlessly risk life and limb on several occasions to fight against Erudite and their desire for control. There’s plenty of suspense, fighting, torture, and once again Veronica Roth isn't afraid to kill off some key players. The plot is chock full of twists, but what Roth is also exceedingly good at is building in emotion and character development.

As Tris tries to cope with the guilt of what happened in Divergent, she is often on the brink of a destructive breakdown or self-sacrifice. She is on an emotional and grief-ridden roller coaster, which makes her far more human and understandable than someone like Peter. She is strength and vulnerability and flaws and selflessness. And I love her! However Tris's behaviour puts a huge strain on her relationship with Four which is tested to the limits as they cross between loving and trusting, to unsure and troubled. It adds so much more interest and realism than if everything had been hunky-dory.

As Tris and Four try to find allies and safe houses to stay in, they visit all of the different factions. It was really interesting to get an insight into how each of the factions functions, what their headquarters are like, how they live and respond to ‘a state of war’. What I love about the Divergent series is its twist on society and the way people identify themselves through their factions, each of which is very distinct. Each with their strengths, but each with very different goals and believes in morals. And what makes Tris so interesting is that she isn't just one faction; she is many.

Roth is a gutsy writing, able to pack a punch with articulate and eloquent language, and is set to take her place at the top of the charts again this year.

Rating: 5*

Don't forget to check out Jayde's review over @ Ink Scratchers.

INSURGENT BLOG TOUR: PIERCINGS

As part of the Team Dauntless UK blog tour for Insurgent, I'll be looking at the wonderful world of body piercings.

Although tattoos and piercings are now fairly commonplace in our society, they can still be a taboo thing to have, especially when it comes to work. But in the Dauntless faction, it wouldn't be odd or out of place.

Nowadays body piercing is a form of self expression, but different forms of body piercing have existed since ancient times, often with a spiritual or ritualistic element. The oldest mummified body with ear piercings is 5,300 years old and the tradition in India for women of childbearing age to wear a nose stud dates back to the 16th century. Even back then you could find the dauntless!

As my current partner is an ex-body piercer (and it was in this role that we actually met) I thought I would ask him about some of the more unusual and interesting piercings he’s done: 

"The more unusual and most complicated, piercing I did was a corset piercing on a girl's back. It took two of us to do and 4 hours overall, as we had to do 12 individual ring piercings that all had to line up as it would later be threaded with ribbon to make the corset effect. The most fun one to do was actually nail piercings as I got to use a tiny drill to make a hole in the nail. But it was often the most unassuming of people that would walk in, wearing their office suit, to get hidden piercings..." 

Many, many years ago as a young teenager I was considering what first piercing to get when I saw an article on the different types of piercings in Kerrang magazine. The one that stood out for me was the septum piercing (think Keith from Prodigy). After that I got the back of my neck pierced with a small bar, followed by my wrist piercing (which was when I met my lovely other half whilst he worked in the piercing studio) and then I set about stretching my ears to 10mm. I've lost a few piercings over the years, but think I may still  have one or two left in me.

But if piercings aren't daring enough for you, then there is a myriad of other forms of self expression that might take your fancy such as implants. Far from the 'normal' surface piercings such as ears, lip, belly button or tongue, dermal implants are surgically anchored under the skin with the jewellery showing on the skin like a little flat ball. For those with no fear at all, then full implants under the skin might be your style.

What I’d really like to know is whether you have been tempted or could be tempted to get a piercing? What kind of piercing would you have and where would you get pierced?

Click here to pre-order Insurgent which comes out on 1st May 2012.

Don't forget to check out Jayde's post which is also up today and forthcoming posts from Andrew and Keith…

28th April: Jayde @ Ink Scratchers
29th April: Andrew @ The Pewter Wolf
30th April: Keith @ Books and Writers

REVIEW: DIVERGENT

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

UK Publisher: Harpercollins

UK Publication Date: May 2011

Genre: Dystopian

Summary:

Living in a society split into factions based on common values might seem ideal. But if you don’t fit into one of those factions, life can be very dangerous.

Beatrice Prior is Abnegation, a faction that values selflessness above all else. But being selfless doesn’t come naturally to Beatrice, and she must decide if she wants to stay with her family in Abnegation or move to a different faction: Dauntless who value bravery, Candor who tell only the truth, Erudite who seek knowledge or Amity who value peace above all else.

Taking the aptitude test should tell Beatrice where she belongs, but instead she discovers she’s Divergent. She doesn’t know what it means, only that it’s dangerous to be one.

Review: Once I started reading Divergent, I just couldn’t put it down. It really is one of the best YA debuts we’ve had so far this year.

I really enjoyed the build up of anticipation and attraction between Tris (Beatrice’s new faction name) and Four, her initiation trainer. Their connection felt real and natural, as an instinctive attraction to each other, rather than just falling for the perfect gorgeous hunk. As trainer, Four has to maintain his tough and hardened persona, but as we get to know him through Tris we find out there is so much more to him. I couldn’t help but fall for him myself! Both characters have their flaws and insecurities, which makes them so much more real and likeable.

The initiation into her new faction is brutal and unpredictable, not only forcing initiates to show their true character but also giving the plot a strong undercurrent of tension that feels like it might just explode at any minute. The appearances of Dauntless leader and power-hungry sadist, Eric, are enough to make your toes curl in anticipation!

Divergent also looks into tensions between the factions and the prejudices different sections of society hold against each other, but I don’t want to say anymore because it really is a story you should read yourself!

As Veronica Roth’s debut novel, it is a gripping and thrilling look at identity, finding your place in society and finding friendship and love!

Rating: 5*