Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Original Language: English
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 9780062024022
Page Count: 496 


Veronica Roth's debut is a fantastic and thrilling new addition to the genre of YA dystopian novels. Divergent could rival The Hunger Games for my new favourite in the genre. I'll wait for the series to end before I make the decision though.

Roth has created a charming and unique heroine in Beatrice 'Tris' Prior. She is honest, courageous, intrepid and curious. Her insecurities make her real, and easy to relate to while her determination to be strong and overcome her previous identity as an Abnegation, or a 'Stiff' as her new Dauntless faction family call her.

 Tris is different from most new sixteen year old initiates - when she undergoes her test to find out which faction is most suited to her, she finds out she is Divergent. Candor (the honest), Erudite (the knowledgeable) and Amity (the kind) are immediately ruled out, but Tris could belong equally to her family faction Abnegation (the selfless) and Dauntless (the fearless). Her decision to leave Abnegation for Dauntless is enough to keep all eyes on her, but her Divergent identity will make her life very dangerous.

 The romantic interest isn't forced, but develops slowly though the book. Four is daring, and almost emotionless at times. His dedication to the Dauntless initiates, and disgust with the current Dauntless leadership (and their aggressive tactics) make him super attractive. The way he tries to protect Tris and shows such an obvious weakness for her makes him twice as sexy.

 The setting of a dystopian Chicago is a perfect background to Tris' adventure, while the growing dissension between the five factions makes for a fascinating plot. While Divergent acts mostly as a whole lot of background information for the next books, it manages to stand up on its own as a fantastic debut novel.

Divergent will stand out in my mind as one of 2011's best YA reads. The sequel Insurgent is due out in May 2012.

Raiding Bookshelves Rating

Judging by the cover: I quite like the cover - it isn't as gorgeous as some other 2011 YA releases but it suits itself. As an Abnegation Tris was used to being selfless and bland, and as a Dauntless she began to understand how to use what she was given. I like the simplicity of the cover but the fiery symbol shows there is more to it than meets the eye.

Cover Conversations: Seeing Double

Seeing double?

I've been doing a bit of Goodreads research and I've noticed an interesting trend. Sometimes the exact same cover model is used for different books. I think I've mentioned it before in one of my Judging by the Cover comments. However, today I stumbled across something very interesting. 
Earlier in the year I read and reviewed Jenna Black's Glimmerglass and I loved the cover.

Judging by the Cover: Glimmerglass has a beautiful cover. I like the symmetry and the way it reflects Dana's abilities as a Faerie Walker! The softness of the models face looks great against the black background and the dots and smoke give a surreal feel to the cover!

 Who wouldn't?
This morning I was researching Caragh M O'Brien's Birthmarked series which I'm eager to get my hands on for a new dystopian segment I want to start. I popped on to her website to get some background information on the woman in question and saw a list of all the different languages Birthmarked has been published in.

There are a few different (and all gorgeous) covers for the English editions of Birthmarked:

 Most interesting though was the cover of the German edition Die Stadt der verschwundenen kinder (which, according to google chrome translator means The City of Lost Children):

            See any strange similarities? Or a lot?
      They're almost exactly the same - ignoring the different titles of course. It's just been reflected and undergone a                                                    slight colour change. Interesting right?

Is this a screw up or an international oversight? I don't think it matters too much - it's unlikely we will ever get the two confused, but they better be careful if they ever publish a German edition of Glimmerglass and want to use their original cover.

It does imply that there isn't just a photobase for models and poses, but for cover art as well!

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.
Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 1596912855
Page Count: 208

Austenland is Shannon Hales first excursion into a Regency role playing holiday destination where everyone can (temporarily) find their own Mr Darcy. It's a new and exciting idea, but fails to live up to its real potential.

Jane is a boring protagonist. I can easily understand her obsession with all things Austen (especially Mr Darcy)  but I can't understand how ridiculous it makes her. It's one thing to compare men to Mr Darcy, it's a complete other thing to expect a Darcy clone - wouldn't that be boring? And where does her embarrassment of her Austen obsession come from? I'm proud of my collection and would never resort to hiding anything in a pot plant.

I got sick of her complaining about not being able to find the right man - it's not something that happens overnight...exactly. Her 'confusion' between' Martin and Henry was irritating and irrational. It was obvious her attraction to Henry was a reflection of the antagonistic relationship between Lizzy and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. The relationship between Jane and Martin is unrealistic, I can't stand how he treats her and how she reacts to him.

Speaking of which...the twists at the end (which I won't reveal in case others want to read it) comes from no where and adds nothing to the story. It just succeeds in making the cast, and the story, less likeable. I just can't stand Martin and there is no real character to Henry.

The world Hale creates in Pembrook Park is interesting and somewhat authentic - though Jane comments on a number of historical inaccuracies. The role playing seems like a fun, if not awkward, adventure and the characters are quite an endearing bunch - though Charming is as ridiculous and annoying a character as possible (anyone who says 'what what' more than once a book is an unsatisfactory character).

I am very disappointed by Austenland. I love re-exploring stories in new ways but Austenland had none of the special magic of Jane Austen.

Raiding Bookshelves Rating

Judging by the cover: The manor house is quite pretty and provides a nice contrast between the modern and regency eras. It's nice but not fantastic.