Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige

I saw this and just couldn't bring myself to leave it on the shelf unbought. I am a fan of all things Wizard of Oz and am an even bigger fan of classic stories being twisted and changed into something I never would have thought possible. Aside from the cover being beautiful, the blurb also caught my eye as something right down my twisting ally!!

'I didn't ask for any of this. 

I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. 

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado - taking you with it - 

you have no choice but to go along, you know? 

Sure, I've read the books, I've seen the movies. But I never expected Oz to look

like this. A place where Good Witches can't be trusted and Wicked Witches may just 

be the good guys. A place where even the yellow brick road is crumbling. 

What happened? Dorothy. 

My name is Amy Gumm - and I'm the other girl from Kansas. 

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, 

and I've been given a mission: 

REMOVE

The Tin Woodman's Heart

STEAL

The Scarecrow's Brain

TAKE

The Lion's Courage

And Then - 

DOROTHY MUST DIE.' 

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Ah! I have wanted to read this book for so long! But I have had such a tremendous pile of books to get through! This is one of my favourite movies ever, so I do hope the book is just as good if not better :)

"Money is a needful and precious thing - and, when well used, a

noble thing - but I never want you to think it is the first or only

prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were

happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, 

without self-respect and peace." 

'Christmas seems to offer few joys to the four daughters of the 

March household. With their army chaplain father away at the

Civil War, times are hard for Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and for

Marmee, the self-sacrificing matriarch of the New England family. 

A letter from their absent father exhorts the girls to work hard

and be dutiful, so that "I may be fonder and prouder than ever

of my little women." Jo, a coltish aspiring writer, rises to meet

that expectation, as do pretty, vain Meg; affected, selfish Amy; and 

shy, sweet-natured Beth. The road to maturity is full of simple

pleasures, and womanhood brings romance, but the family also 

has to face many trials and crises along the way. 

Louisa May Alcott drew heavily on her own experience for this

powerful domestic drama and moving coming-of-age story, whose

homespun charm and core family values made it a cultural landmark

in America, and enduringly popular in all corners of the globe.'

Song of the Nightingale - Helen Berhane - Comlpete

My friend lent me this book. It's very short and I got through it in just a day - but man. I had no idea so much emotion could be felt with so few pages. Stories of suffering due to one's faith are usually heart-wrenching. Especially when I carry the same faith. I like to think I would be this strong if I ever found myself in that situation. Helen, is one outstanding woman in faith. Her love for God and her intense connection with Him, is something I will always aspire to and hope to achieve one day.

'A true story about faith and persecution in Eritrea. The story of Helen Berhane, held captive for over two years in appalling conditions in her native Eritrea. Her crime? Sharing her faith in Jesus, and refusing, even though horrendously tortured, to deny him.'

I gave this one 4/5. I do recommend this to anyone who is feeling like they need something like this ... Sometimes, we all need to hear about the strength of someone else's faith to see that it's possible for us to also be that strong. 

Looking for Alaska - John Green - Complete

Well. That was interesting.
I have heard some much hype about this book - how amazing it is, comparing it to the likes of The Fault in Our Stars with its emotional wrenching story.
Personally, it didn't really do that for me. I found it, eh. I didn't like Alaska. I found her flirtatiousness and bipolar moodiness annoying and ridiculous. Miles was a little annoying too. Chip was funny. There was WAY too much sex things in this book for me though. Personally, I don't really want to read about what porn they're watching, or someone getting a blow job. That's just not something I am interested in in the least.
I wasn't entirely sure where the story was heading, even after it ended. SPOILER ALERT - she died like halfway through the book. They weren't even together - she had a boyfriend, he had a girlfriend, and yet the night that she died they were making out and he said that he loved her. The rest of the book was just the friends trying to figure out whether or not she died accidentally or by suicide.
There were some good parts in this though. I really love the questions asked about how to escape the labyrinth of suffering - this concept was very intriguing. I liked the fact that Miles was obsessed with peoples' last words; this is awesome. Not only do I learn the things that some seriously famous people said before they died, but, I liked the idea of having last words and knowing who someone is, even just a little, through what they say just before they die.
I would give this one 2.5/5 - which isn't super high I know. But I didn't like it so much, but it was slightly better than OK. I like some of the concepts. But I didn't like the almost tunnel vision on the sex and grossness of teenagers.

Looking for Alaska - John Green

I have wanted to read this book for quite some time. And now I have heard the exciting news that it is also being made into a movie! I've heard it's extremely sad, but John Green seems to be incredibly gifted in the way of making one OK with sadness and things not working out the way one expected them to. Happy endings don't always happen. And I do love how John Green acknowledges this truth, but writes about it in a way where one is sad and yet, satisfied with what has just happened.

"If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane." 

'Miles Halter's whole life has been one big non-event, until 

he meets Alaska Young. 

Gorgeous, clever and undoubtedly steals his heart. 

For Miles, nothing can ever be the same again.'

Allegiant - Veronica Roth - Complete

Well. I must admit. At the end of this, I felt slightly betrayed. Although, at the same time I did admire Veronica for being such a brave author.
This book was even more packed with lies, secrets, action, love, politics, serums and death.
I enjoyed reading it. I was glued to the words. Especially toward the end. But at the same time. I couldn't decide whether I liked the ending or not. I didn't. But at the same time, everything was written so well and everything worked out how it should have I guess.
Still disappointing. But she's very brave.
I found the whole series a refreshing and much needed change in the literature world. All these love triangles and vampires were getting a little repetitive.
I would still give it 4/5 despite the ending. And I would still say it was the best one out of the three :)

Allegiant - Veronica Roth

SHE MUST MAKE HER FINAL CHOICE... *and que dramatic music* 

'The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is

shattered - fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred

by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world

past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence

she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from

complicated lies, tangled loyalties and painful memories. 

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left

behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. 

Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. 

And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities

of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible

choice about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love'. 

This girl just cannot catch a break! Haha. Since the book began, Tris has been fighting, literally - physically, emotionally and mentally. And she's been beat up more times than I can count! 

This book, interestingly, is in the perspective of both Tris and Tobias - which is a change that I welcome and enjoy! It's alternates every chapter or so. I like it when writers do this sometimes. It's refreshing and interesting for us readers. 

Allegiant, again, contains yet more war, more lies, more secrets, more complications - but things are also getting resolved. Questions are being answered and the past is communicated to make this present make sense (well, as much sense as a world of factions in which an individual chooses what personality trait they want to have the most and leave everything else behind can make). 

This whole series is very refreshing, though, for a number of reasons. The main reason being the lack of a love triangle. I love that this isn't all about the love and complications of relationships. There is some romance in it - but not so much that the kick-butt protagonist female seems at all boy-obsessed or weak in her emotions. She knows what she wants and she's going to get it. 

This book is also great for "real" characters. I love it when adults write about teenagers who actually have personalities. It's so refreshing. That generic crap gets old so quickly. In these books, each character has a unique and realistic personality that is consistent throughout each book. Their movements, the way they speak, what they say, how they act in particular situations has remains constant throughout each book, and I love that. Of course there is still character development - but not so much that it's completely unrealistic. They still have their flaws. 

Anyway. I have yet to finish this last book. I am over halfway through however, so I feel that justifies so much chatter before it's finished :D 

Insurgent - Veronica Roth - Complete

I finished this yesterday and got straight into the third one - which was not the best plan for writing a summary about the second one.. Allegiant has somewhat clouded my judgement of what happened in Insurgent. I have had no internet for a few days and so wasn't able to write it pretty soon after I read it like I usually am - and am already over halfway through the third one.
I can say though, that the plot really thickens in Insurgent. There are more lies, more secrets, more death, more war, more destruction, more knowledge - things start coming together. Questions have been answered, for both the reader and the characters in the book.
This book doesn't really conclude in any way, so I would recommend having the next one ready and waiting for when you complete Insurgent :) Veronica seems to be a pro at forcing someone to get freakishly involved in what's happening. My heart even races - which is just weird.
I cannot wait to see how all these complications resolve themselves in this last book!
4/5 for this one also :) (sorry this review isn't so detailed, but as I said before. I started reading the next one before I was able to form a viable opinion and put my thoughts down on this one - my bad).