Divergent Review

In a dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions that represent a particular virtue- Abnegation for the Selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the Brave, and Erudite for the Intelligent. When Beatrice is sixteen, she must choose the faction that she lives in for the rest of her life, just as every other sixteen year old does. Many choose to stay in the faction in which they are born. But there are several surprises at the Choosing Ceremony. In the very competitive initiation program that follows, Beatrice renames herself  Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are and where romance will fit into the life she's chosen. But Tris is has a secret, a secret she must keep from everyone because it means death. Conflict among the factions threaten to destroy the only life she's ever known.

So when I look at this plot summary now, it looks like your normal dystopian novel. Female character is special, society is crumbling. But I promise you, my dear readers, that this book is a phenomenal dystopian novel. I don't like to use the phrase "the-next-Hunger Games" (because the only thing these books but if there was a gun to my head and I had to name a phenomenal book that I could see gaining a lot of popularity in the next year or two, this would be  that novel because it is just that good.

This is very much a plot-centered book, and it has a strong plot to back it up. If you are very knowledgeable about dystopian as a genre, you may be able to guess what will happen, but I can almost guarantee you will not get every detail right. I can somewhat guess how the whole series will progress (Yes, it's a series and the second one comes out in May.) However, after the end of this book, I am excited to see how the series will progress.

I also really like the characters. Beatrice is probably my favorite though, not only because she is the protagonist and we are supposed to like her. It's because she is A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER. I like books with strong, empowered females. She makes all her own decisions and doesn't play the whole "woe-is-me" game. Like, "Woe is me! I have to leave my faction and my family." No, she chooses to leave her faction and family and lives with the consequences of her choices. Yes, there is a romantic side plot of sorts, but I wouldn't say it influences any of her choices throughout the book, except at the very end. And not to give away any spoilers, but if she had done what she was probably supposed
 to do, I would've considered her a heartless monster.

Overall, an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it to people who liked The Hunger Games. And even if you loathed The Hunger Games, you may like this.

Knightley Academy Review

I'll admit, I was a little concerned when I chose to read this book next. It sounded a lot like Harry Potter to me, which admittedly it was, but I was concerned that it would be too similar and that I wouldn't be able to finish it. And then I'd feel bad because I've watched the authors youtube videos and think she's awesome, but I wouldn't like her book.

This thought was disproved about twenty pages into the book.

I want gush on and on about how much I adored this book. I think it's simply brilliant. And while yes, I can draw comparisons from Harry Potter to this, this does not keep me from being excited to read the next one by any means.

Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher (a pseudonym, by the way) is a book about a school for knights, fittingly enough called Knightley Academy. But that's not where our story begins. Our story begins at the Midsummer School and with a servant boy named Henry.

Now Henry, despite his lowly position, has been treated to a gentlemen's education by a professor at the school named Professor Stratford. Professor Stratford convinces Henry to take the entrance exam to Knightley by showing him a loophole in the rules. He agrees and to the surprise of no one but him and the other boys in the story, Henry makes it into Knightley Academy. Naturally, he and hi new friends get into all kinds of adventures.

Now one aspect of this book that is touched upon is that it is not contemporary nor is it hisorical fiction. But it is steam-punk, which to me is a rather silly word. Basically, it takes place in Victorian Era (true, but not an England any of us would recognize) and has a twist (their country is not called England but it's like an alternate universe). Maybe I don't have a strong conception on what steampunk is (genres are not my strong point) but this fits the classification to me.

Definitely check it out!