The Child Thief by Brom

Think about all you know about Peter Pan. Now, forget all of it. Brom tells the story of Peter, the child thief, who preys on abused and abandoned children. He tells them of a better place with no grownups. But unlike Neverland, this is a dangerous place. Avalon is dying and Peter needs an army of children to help save the Lady, the overseer of the land. Add Nick, a fourteen-year-old, who is new to the Devils, trolls, pixies, witches, and flesheaters, and you're in for a treat. 

A few months ago, I read Krampus, another book by Brom. The cover terrified me, yet it sounded so interesting that I kept reading it. Surprisingly, it was one of the best books I've ever read. So I decided to read another book by Brom.

There is honestly so much going on in this book to fit into this review. It is a completely awesome, dark adaption of Peter Pan. Also, I like how Brom only took the idea of Peter from Peter Pan and not too much else in his story. That's what makes it so familiar and different at the same time. 

All the characters in this novel are amazing. There's Peter, my favorite, who is extremely devious and cunning but at the same time just a lost child. I love how you get the background story on him which shapes who he is now. I also love Nick, who is just as lost in different ways. The thing I like about Brom's stories is how there is really no good or bad. Each character could be either depending on how you look at him. 

The plot is fast paced and very adventurous. Also, what makes The Child Thief even more amazing is the illustrations. There are beautiful pictures of various scenes and and characters throughout the book. It's like an adult picture book.

This book had be flinching, cheering, and crying all at different parts. It's a dark story and there's violence, gore, and cussing so it's definitely more for adults. However, if you're interested, I highly recommend that you give it a try. You're in for a treat. I love this so much that I'll give it 6 out of 5 stars.

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

This is the second book in the Divergent series. I never wrote a review on that one, maybe I'll get to that some day... haha :) Don't read this review if you haven't read the first book in the series, there are bound to be various spoilers.

Divergent last left us with Tris discovering the truth about the Erudite and the simulations and everything. That was an awful cliffhanger, and we pick up right where we left off. Literally right off. It might as well have been the next chapter instead of a new book! Tris is horribly confused and hurt and guilty for what happened with Will. She is trying to figure out what exactly is going on with her society and how she can stop its corruption.

I really enjoyed Insurgent. I didn't really feel the romance between Tris and Tobias in this one, but that's okay. It was more about her journey. The plot was well developed and there was a lot of excitement. I feel like I can relate to Tris a lot because she isn't the most physically strong person, but she is very strong willed which makes her awesome.

There are a lot of characters and they all seem very real. I like how even the "bad guys" are shown in a new light in this book and you realize that there are many parts of evil to a person. Overall, if you read Divergent and liked it, definitely read Insurgent. I will be reading the next book in the series. There is a bad cliffhanger anyways.

Also, let's take a moment to recognize how awesome Veronica Roth is. Reading Divergent, I was pretty much in love with Four. He is definitely up there in my top book crushes. But not exactly where Sam from Shiver is. No one could ever top Sam! When we found out that Four's real name is Tobias, I was sold. I then went around telling everyone what a beautiful name Tobias was and that I was going to name my future child Tobias lol. This was influenced this book, but also from Tobias from the Animorphs. Then, I was reading the extra special collector's edition of this book and reading the interview with that author. She said that she had given Tobias his name as homage to the Animorphs character! Like, how awesome is that? Me and this author have like one mind haha.

As I said before, I read the collector's edition of Insurgent. It was pretty cool compared to the regular one. The cover was shinier, there was an attached ribbon bookmark, Free Four (the reason I wanted to get this copy as opposed to the regular one), a Q&A with the author, tattoos, a poster, and a couple of other really cool things. I would suggest you get it if you are a fan of this series.

Also, as a side note, as I read this book I became more and more intrigued about how the factions and wondered which one I would fit in. I took some quizzes online and they said that I would be Candor, which I agree with. I like giving my opinion and believe that honesty is a good thing to have. I definitely wouldn't be Abnegation or Dauntless. I know I'm intelligent, but not to the point of arrogance, so no Erudite. One quiz said that I was Amity, which I would be if there wasn't any Candor.  Thinking about it though, I think I am definitely more Candor because though I really like peace and pleasing people, I am not submissive to that extent. Therefore, Candor.

Well, this has turned into a very long rant only partly relating to Insurgent! Anyways, 5 out of 5 stars.

Possession (Possession #1) by Elana Johnson

"Vi knows the rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the rules more than Zenn... and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself."

Interesting enough right? This novel is about a futuristic society where there are the Goodies and the Baddies. But are the Goodies really good and the Baddies really bad? Or is that just what the Thinkers (the people in charge) want you to think? And then the Thinkers are also called the Greenies (which I failed to realize why after reading all 400 pages) and Freedom, which isn't really freedom at all. Confusing right?? I agree! This is definitely one of those books you find yourself scratching your head, but if you were to read it a second time a year later, you would probably like it a lot more because you finally understand it.

Vi has broken rules her whole life, and finally gets in REAL trouble for walking in the park late at night with a boy. After that she's thrown in jail and meets Jag, where they escape and then go on their little adventure. Or at least I think that's how it happened, because I was there scratching my head lol.

I disliked the romance between Vi and Zenn and Jag. Vi is torn between Zenn, the guy she was matched with and was supposed to marry and has always loved, or Jag, the "bad boy" she has met and also loves instantly. I personally dislike romances with characters who are torn between two people because I don't understand them. How can you love two people? Just when you think she's made up her mind to be with Jag, Zenn comes back and then she realizes she loves Zenn. Whaaat? Someone needs to tell this girl to make up her mind! Lol :) Also, half the story she spends saying "I love Jag" and the other half she's saying "I hate Jag. He needs to die." How's that for romance? I didn't really find myself relating with the romance or with any of the characters, except for the fact that Vi is indecisive.

There were also too many twists for me. Some of them were predictable, but I like stories that aren't too over-the-top and you're not like "Come on, again?". They always seem to get captured, and brainwashed, and thrown into new situations and battles, and then discovering old family members (this happened like a million times). "Oh, hi Dad! I thought you were dead. But now you're the bad guy, so I'm going to run away from you." And then of course there's Ty, the sister, but she's not called Ty anymore. Now she's called Gavin, and so all the characters call her Gavin, except Vi still calls her Ty.

The ending however, was a somewhat annoying one. You know there's a sequel planned but it was just frustrating that after all 400 pages, what you don't want to happen happens. Arghh! haha

I think this story could have used more details on the past so that it sets up the present better because I found myself confused by a lot of the story haha.

On the bright side, I did like the cover. It's a pretty butterfly stuck in an ice cube. It's intriguing, simple, and very interesting.

I might read the sequel, if I get the chance.

Also, Possession reminded me a lot of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. There's brainwashing, escape, adventure, betrayal, futuristic-technology, and two boys! One's a good boy, and one's a bad boy. Kinda similar if you ask me!

I wouldn't recommend this book. If someone had read the cover flap and asked me "Should I read this?", I would say "No, but if you found it interesting, read the Uglies instead." I think that you would get the same story out of it, but the Uglies is much more exciting, better written, and easier to relate to.

**Side note, although I haven't read it yet, Possession also seems to have a similar story to Matched by Ally Condie.**

I would give it 2.5 out of 5 stars because it was just an okay book for me. :)