Fracture by Megan Miranda

I had really high hopes for this book.  As soon as I read the summary, I was desperate to read it.  And unfortunately, I was disappointed.  I think I would've liked it more if I wouldn't have had high expectations.  Don't get me wrong, it's still alright, but the ending was abrupt and I didn't like the ending.  Also, the characters acted strange the entire book.  You thought you had Delaney figured out, and she'd do some random thing with no explanation.  Anyways, overall it's a fine book, but it's not great (in my opinion).

Summary (from GoodReads):

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

~~~

~thespectacularbookworm

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

*CAUTION: This book is a sequel, so the summary may contain spoilers. Take a look at the first book in the series here.

THIS BOOK WAS THRILLING. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and may I just say, it was a perfect sequel to Divergent.  If you liked (or in my case, loved) Divergent, you'll love Insurgent as well.

Summary (from GoodReads):

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

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.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

~~~
The Trilogy
BOOK ONE: DIVERGENT
BOOK TWO: INSURGENT
BOOK THREE: NO NAME YET
~~~

Hope you like it! :)

~thespectacularbookworm

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

First of all, let me just say, this book is AMAZING.  The word choice is perfect, and the story is just... fantastic.  Words can't really describe how good this book was.  And the ending was shocking and heart-wrenching... The whole book was just amazing. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes dystopian fiction, romance, or young adult fiction. :)

Summary (From GoodReads):

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

~~~

The Trilogy:

BOOK ONE: Delirium

BOOK TWO: Pandemonium

BOOK THREE: Requiem COMING OUT IN FEBRUARY 2013

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For more information, visit the author's website.

~thespectacularbookworm



Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

This book was a good mystery thriller -- it kept me on the edge of my seat, dying to figure out all the answers.  And I absolutely love the cover - it's so mysterious and interesting, and it looks like a tarot card. My only problem with this book was that some passages were very confusing and didn't make any sense. Overall, it was a good book.  I'd recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries or psychological thrillers!

Summary (from GoodReads):
When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.


~~~


Click here to visit the author's website.

~thespectacularbookworm

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

First of all, this book was amazing.  I couldn't put it down -- it was fast-paced and a thrilling read.  I loved the author's writing style -- the sentences that the character Juliette thought and then crossed off (you probably have no idea what I'm talking about -- but if you read the book you will). I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fiction, romance, action...  This book has made my Top Ten favorites list!!


Summary (from GoodReads):

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war -- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

~~~

For more information, you can visit the author's website.
Book 1.5, Destroy Me, is an e-book novella that you can buy now! Book 2, Unravel Me, will be in bookstores February 5th, 2013.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


~thespectacularbookworm

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is the best book I've read in a long time!  If you like dystopian fiction novels, (like the Hunger Games) you'll like this one!  I read this [486 pages] book in only a few days.  Also, if you like a little action, romance, and well, as I already said, dystopian fiction, you'll like, and most likely love, this book!

Summary (From GoodReads): In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

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The Divergent Trilogy
BOOK 1: Divergent
BOOK 2: Insurgent
BOOK 3: NO NAME YET...


~thespectacularbookworm

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

This is the new book by the author of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and I loved this book just as much as I loved Hugo (which is now out in theatres (as of today) -- I can't wait to go see it!

This story follows two children 50 years apart -- Rose's story told in pictures and Ben's story told in words.

Summary (from GoodReads):
Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.
~~~
To learn more about Wonderstruck, click here.

~thespectacularbookworm