Review | Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Release Date: Feb 2nd 2012 (originally Nov 2011)

Publisher: Puffin

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, 

Series: Legend

Pages: 295

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

"The United States is gone, along with its flooded coasts. North America’s two warring nations, the western Republic and the eastern Colonies, have reached a breaking point. In the midst of this broken continent and dark new world are two teenagers who will go down in history....
Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family’s door with an X—the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.
Born to an elite family in Los Angeles’ wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic’s most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country’s highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country—until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.

Only one person could be responsible.

Day.

And now it’s June’s mission to hunt him down.

The truth they’ll uncover will become legend." Source Goodreads

Legend is written from the perspectives of the two main characters June and Day. Both characters are from polar opposites of the dystopian society. Day who is the most wanted criminal who is wanted for murder and June is sent on a mission to track down her brothers killer. Little do they know that when these two worlds merge the society in which know starts to crumble at the edges. 

This story was fantastic. A definite 5 star book combining a great plot, brilliant characters, and two amazing perspectives. Now it is dystopian so we expect conflict between the government and unfair living conditions but Marie Lu takes this story somewhere else. Now don't get me wrong theres still the conflict but she shows us more about life behind the scenes than the one dimensional 'government bad' portrayal that we are forced to follow in most dystopians. The use of the two separate perspectives was very creative and extremely well executed in ways that many authors tend to miss. We got to see this story unravel from the points of view of both the "good guys" and the "bad guys." Ok I can't go into my reasons for this because I would break the first rule of book blogging No Spoilers, but trust me in this, it was very well done! 

The plot was amazing. I loved it. I was unsure to start with but the more information Marie Lu trusted me with the more I needed. The plot contained the usual aspects of a dystopian story line but with so many twists and turns to keep me engaged throughout and I loved every second. The characters we wonderful and throughout I was routing for both with the ever looming impossible happy ending. All the way through Legend you are completely aware that someone is not going to get what they want but is like watching a train wreck that you cannot turn away from. Cringe worthy but addictive. 

We cannot leave this review without mentioning the romance. Ahh the romance. I won't say much apart from that I really enjoying watching this believable romance form. No insta-love. Phew. Just two people bonding over a common "interest."  

Overall a great start to what I'm predicting is going to be a great series. Marie Lu made a perfect start to this series. I'm already routing for the characters, I have no idea what's going to happen next and every now and then I find myself drifting back into her world. I would say that if you love dystopian then you need to try this one, if you don't well give a go anyway, you might be pleasantly surprised.

The second book in the series Prodigy is due for release early next year and I'm already eagerly anticipating getting my hands on it. If like me you cannot wait, but think you can handle a teaser then here's a link to the first chapter. If I'm honest I don't think I could handle it so I'm going to give it a miss, but if you're more strong willed than I am then go for it! haha. 

Happy Reading! 

Review | Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 1st 2012

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, 

Series: Divergent

Pages: 525

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

"War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences." Source Goodreads

Ahh Insurgent has got to be the most eagerly anticipated book of 2012 or at least for me anyway. As soon as I put down Divergent mid way through 2011 I was craving the second in the series. I can now safely say that this wait was definitely worth while. I was not even a little bit disappointed. Every second of Insurgent had me hooked and kept me constantly guessing about what on earth was coming next. I can proudly say that for me this book was perfect. And that ending... blew. my. mind! 

Insurgent takes off immediately where we left Divergent, right slap bang in the middle of all the action with not even enough time to take breath. This pace did not stop at all. Even those points where I thought Roth was about to give me a breather she threw me right back in the centre of all the chaos. Which although it doesn't sound like it, was such a refreshing change from a lot of what I have been reading lately. I finished Insurgent in just over a day because I just couldn't put it down which is also a rarity. 

The characters are still as relatable as ever before, in fact you could say even more so. Though I have heard a few people who seem to dislike Four in this book, but to those people I just stare at open mouthed. haha. I loved him! I absolutely adored where Roth took her characters in Insurgent. Their development was extremely well done, if not at times slightly repetitive (my one and only gripe) and I found their choices in relation to those ever increasing plot twists to be very unpredictable. 

Now for the most important question (for me anyway) is if it was as good, better or worse than Divergent? I've got to say that it was so much better. I loved Divergent, but Insurgent was just on a completely new level. Veronica Roth raised the bar with Divergent in 2011 but raised it even further this year, leaving me in complete awe of her fantastic writing skills and in amazement for what she has in store for us next. I'm still trying to absorb the whole story and allowing everything to slowly sink in but for now I'm still half in the WTF shock stage...

I hope you get around to reading this one soon, and if you already have then what did you think???

Happy Reading Guys. 

Katie

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Release Date: January 5th 2012

Publisher: Puffin

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-fy

Series: The Luna Chronicles

Pages: 387

Format: Paperback

Source: Library 

Rating: ★★★★ 

"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future." Source Goodreads

Cinder is Marissa Meyer's debut novel which was released early this year. I had been very curious to find out what all that early hype had been about so when I spotted it in my local library I sprinted for my chance to read it. And I've got to say that I wasn't disappointed... much. 

Now as you are already aware Cinder is a re-telling of the fairytale Cinderella so predictability is kind of a given when embarking on this read, but what I didn't expect was quite how much. Which is unfortunately the only thing that let me down about this book. The plot was very original especially when you take into account that it's a retelling. Cyborgs, a plague, Luna's and talking robots with "faulty" personality chips were just a few of the wonderful aspects that Meyer threw into her story that left me begging for more. But all those "big" plot twists were mentioned in some way or another, in extremely close proximity to Cinder that by the time they turn up I was left thinking, "yeah? and?" Saying that Meyer's writing was so utterly addictive that I didn't care I just needed to keep reading about her amazing characters. 

Those said characters were fantastic. Cinder was a perfect main character with the perfect amount of strength and stupidity to make you fall in love with her over and over again. She faced a tough life growing up with only one great friend to keep her going, who I think it's safe to say was the best character in the whole book, Iko. Now Iko's not your typical friend she is in fact a robot, but I challenge anyone to defy her charm. This character had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions! 

I wont go into too much detail about this story but what I will say is that as soon as I finished reading Cinder I was left wanting more. This book was fantastic. The writing style was just wonderful and so easy to follow and absorb entirely that it somehow brought each character to life in a way I've never read before. The plot was wonderful (though predictable) and I cannot wait for the sequel which is due for release Feb 2012. I'm already on the count down. I'm hoping that this one is a little less predictable, but as long as I get to meet Cinder, Iko and the Prince again I think I'll be ok. haha. 

A definite 4 out of 5 star rating for Cinder and a book recommendation that I'm sure readers from all ages will enjoy. Lets just say I lent this to my Mum first and she's still moaning about how long she's got to wait until the next one. haha. I should mention that I forgot to tell her that it was the first in a series. Ooops, my bad. I just assumed that she would know, it is YA after all. 

Happy reading guys, and I hope you get around to reading this one soon. 

Katie 

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium 

Author: Lauren Oliver 

Release Date: March 1st 2012

Publisher: Hodder

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Series: Delirium

Pages: 329

Format: Hardback

Rating: ★★★★

"I’m pushing aside 
the memory of my nightmare, 
pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 
pushing aside thoughts of Hana 
and my old school, 
push, 
push, 
push, 
like Raven taught me to do. 
The old life is dead. 
But the old Lena is dead too. 
I buried her. 
I left her beyond a fence, 
behind a wall of smoke and flame. " Source Goodreads

---

Now because this book is the second in a series it means that I cannot discuss or review it without spoiling the first book, Delirium. So if you've not yet read Delirium please save this post and come back to it once you've read it, ok? Ok. Now everyone still reading this has read Delirium or doesn't really care about spoilers?

Pandemonium continues where Delirium left off with that killer cliff hanger. Yep, you know the one where we don't know if Alex has survived. Except we're still unsure as to what has happened to our beloved character. We continue to follow Lena's journey after her decision to escape to the wilds with the  wonderful writing style of alternating chapters between the past and the present, continuously keeping you on the edge of your seat with the need to keep reading just to find out what's going on. 

The story has developed in the present with Lena moving back to the city, still uncured and working undercover to discover more about the government and it's plans, but with scenes flipping back to the past as Lena learns to adapt to life in the wilds.

We meet many more characters in Pandemonium all of which quickly force their way into your heart and not always with that happy ending. We watch our main character Lena's grow from someone weak in both body and mind to someone brave and very determined. I've always personally liked Lena's character but her strength within this book takes that to a whole new level.

I have got to say that the romance within Pandemonium is extremely predictable with plot introductions that I personally hated and felt were rather unnatural, but when I think back over this book I have to subtract these to remember how truly incredible it really was. The plot development was fantastic experiencing life from a completely different angle from Delirium. This second in the series is definitely much more mature and more serious that the first with a much more addictive plot. I remember giving Delirium a 5 star rating, and though I loved Pandemonium so much more I have to begrudgingly subtract a star due to the romance.

I really loved Pandemonium and remember telling my husband numerous times whilst reading how amazing it was, much to his annoyance. haha. I would definitely recommend picking this one up as it really was great continuation of the Delirium trilogy and I cannot wait until the third is released, though I'm predicting a very long wait. 

If you've already read this one then I'd love to know what you thought, 

but until then happy reading! 

Katie

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Release Date: September 14th 2008 

Publisher: Sholastic 

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian 

Series: The Hunger Games

Pages: 454

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

"In a dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live TV show called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. 

When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature." Source Goodreads

---

I re-read The Hunger Games this week in honour of the movie release, so I thought what better time to write a book review, or at least my thoughts on a incredible book because we all know that it's amazing.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Hunger Games (I'm not sure that there are any of you left, but just in cases) it's set in a dystopian society where North America has been split up into 12 districts. Each district selects one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the hunger games, a televised battle to the death with only one winner.

When I first picked this early last year I could only compare this to Battle Royal where teenagers are forced to kill each other and I must admit I was one of those people who thought it was a bit of a copy, until I read it and realised just how completely original the story was.

I don't usually re-read books but I thought I'd make an exception for this one, firstly because of the movie release but secondly because it's such and incredible book, and I have to say it's just as good the second time round if not better than the first. The Hunger Games is extremely fast paced and completely addictive  and I guarantee that you won't ever want to put it down. The characters are beyond amazing and well planned, and though it tackles such disturbing subject matter still utterly loveable. I loved Katniss' strong, brave and intelligent character who was also so naive about her actions within the games. I loved her power over the capital even though she had little idea of how effective her decisions were. Her reactions to the developing relationship between herself and Peeta was utterly enchanting especially the second time round even when you know what to expect.

The imagination is brilliant with wonderful but deadly creations such as tracker jackers, and horrendous mutations, and the arena even it's self. I couldn't rate this book any higher than 5 stars, though it completely deserves it, and I couldn't recommend it enough.

I also think it's odd how truly difficult it is to write a book review on your favourite book series of all time. No matter what you write it never seems to convey just how incredible this book actually is  and nothing seems to do it justice.

If you've not yet read this book, you need to and if you've not yet re-read this book then you need to. haha.

Happy Reading,

Katie

My Favourites: Dystopian

I wanted to start a new series over here to break up all the book reviews. I adore writing book reviews, but I felt like my blog needed a bit more content so My Favourites was created. 

To kick start "My Favourites" I thought that I would begin with Dystopian, my current favourite genre. I remember when I first found The Hunger Games I was so obsessed with the world that I needed to find more, but finding a great list of books proved difficult. Which began a constant and very time consuming search of similar books, so I thought, why not help those who have found themselves in a similar situation?

The Hunger Games

Ok so if you've not heard of this series yet, them where have you been? Living under a rock? This trilogy is by far my favourite of all time. The characters, the plot, the politics, everything is just well thought out and incredible. The whole plot is fast paced and completely addictive. The Hunger Games definitely earns it's description of an amazing page turner. Once you pick up this series I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down!  

And if you didn't know (once again rock?) The Hunger Games has also been made into a hit movie! Ok so the movie was released less than a week ago, but I'm sure that it's already gained that title. I watched it on the 23rd March, so be sure to see an upcoming video / blog post on my thoughts! Sneak peak - amazing!

Divergent

When I mention dystopian I don't think I could go very far without mentioning Divergent. I read this last year, probably over 6 months ago, and it still sticks with me to this day. 

The world in Divergent is split up into 5 factions, 

Dauntless - The Brave, 

Erudite - The Intelligent, 

Amity - The Peaceful, 

Candor - The Honest, and 

Abenegation - The Selfless. 

The society in which we are drawn into believe that splitting people up into these different sections prevent war and conflict because people are grouped with others with similar beliefs. You are born into one of these factions, but at the age of 16 you can choose to either stay within your birth faction or move to another. We follow the main character Tris as she faces the biggest decision of her life, and what happens next! That's all I'm going to say. 

If you've not read this book then you really need to. It's the first in a series (a trilogy I believe) with the second book Insurgent being released early May 2012. I'm already on the edge of my seat waiting for this release and have been ever since I put Divergent down. My recommendation of this book could not be higher! It may be a thick book reaching almost 500 pages,  but believe me you will fly through it. 

Delirium
I picked up Delirium mid way through last year and really enjoyed it. I wouldn't put it on the same scale as The Hunger Game or Divergent, but it is definitely a great read. This book is about a world where love is believe to be a disease. It is the cause for all the tragic parts of humanity, mainly war and hostility. Without love there is no passion, and without passion no-one really cares about anything, and if no-one cares then a very subdued society is created.  

It's a fantastic take on a dystopian society with a pretty good execution. We follow the story with our main character Lena who whole heartedly believes that love is a disease and cannot wait until she receives the cure, which is an brain operation altering your perspective of the world and love. The operation doesn't just cause you to never fall in love with another person, but once you get the cure you don't love anything. It's a very calm and structured society, or at least it is until Lena falls in love. 

The second in this series Pandemonium is already out, which I personally feel was even better that the first. Full review to come soon, but it's on my favourites list for a reason.

The Uglies Trilogy
Now Uglies is actually a quartet, but I wouldn't put the last book, the companion novel Extras on my favourites list. I did enjoy the plot, but it's not my favourite. Uglies, Pretties and Specials on the other hand are incredible. 

The Uglies series is based on a world set quite far into the future which mixes the genres of both dystopian and sci-fi. Tally is the main character who I guarantee you will love by the end of the first book, lives on the uglies side of town. Basically the society os split into two main sections, Uglies and Pretties. Uglies are like you and me, unique and individual, but at the age of 16 each ugly undergo a huge amount of cosmetic surgery to turn them pretty. The majority cannot wait to become pretty, like Tally, but a small few want to stay ugly forever.

I know that I haven't sold this story very well, but believe me it's incredible. The plot is so addictive, the characters are all so interesting and it's probably one of my favourite series ever. I can safely say that goodreads summary is a million times better than mine so check it out here to read more.  

Across The Universe
Once again a dystopian crossed with science fiction, which I should admit is a personal favourite of mine. Across the Universe beings with our protagonist Amy who is cryogenically frozen along with her parents to embark on a journey to another planet which will take 300 years. She reluctantly leaves behind a world she cares about for the unknown. Unfortunately Amy is awoken 50 years too early with no option to be re-frozen, and has to learn to live on a ship full of people she doesn't know, and figure out who caused her to become the victim of  an attempted murder. Also living of a ship for hundreds of years has changed humanity in ways that Amy does not expect. 

This book was even better than I could have imagined. The plot was incredible and took turns that even I could not have predicted. Full of mystery, intrigue and down right amazing-ness (what? not a word?) a must have book for your 2012 to be read pile. If you're interested I also have a review of this here that you can check out, spoiler free of course.

The second in the series is also out now, A Million Suns. I've not yet had the pleasure of reading this, but after sure a great start to an incredible series I'm not expecting to be disappointed. 

Inside Out

Trell lives in the Lower levels of the Inside. She lives and works in the pipes keeping them clean for the Uppers. She's one of many Lowers who works as slaves for the Uppers, never seen and never heard. Keeping under the radar is the only way to survive in the Inside, and Trell has done pretty well so far. That is until she meets someone who encourages her to figure out the mystery of the Outside which unintentionally starts a rebellion. 

I cannot speak any more highly about this book, I loved it. I don't want to go into too much detail about this one, because I have both a written and video review of this one, but I will say it's a must read. There are two books in this series. Inside Out and Outside In, the second of which I bough this month and cannot wait to devour. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go
I'm not sure exactly whether this is a dystopian or an apocalyptic novel, or both, but seen as it's one of my favourites it deserves a place here. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go is about a boy, Todd who lives in Prentisstown. Prentisstown isn't your usual town in fact it's down right odd. Every man can hear each others thoughts in what is described as the noise, which was a virus which infected the men but killed the women. Though everyone can hear everyone's thoughts Todd suspects that the men are hiding something, something so awful that he is forced to flee his town, where he comes across something he's never heard before. Silence. 

Fantastic. This book is one of the fasted paced books I've ever read. The beginning was a little tough to get through as Todd our main character isn't the most educated which is reflected in the writing, but tough it out because it will become second nature after a few chapters. The mystery in the book is incredible. Though at times slightly predictable nothing that will take you away from the enjoyment of the plot. A must read! 

Matched

Matched is a very strict and structured dystopian society where everything is planned out for you from the day you are born to the day you die, dictating everything even to who you are set to marry. The concept of this story is fantastic and in my personal opinion very well executed. There's a lot of talk around this one with some people saying that it's amazing and others that disagree, but I'm definitely on the love side of that argument. I would say to pick up this book, which is the first in a three part series, if only to make up your own mind. 

A few that people love, that I didn't love 'so' much:

The Maze Runner - James Dashner 

Gone - Michael Grant 

Wither - Lauren Destefano 

A few that I'm eager to get my hands on: 

Under The Never Sky - Veronica Rossi 

Article 5 - Kristen Simmons 

Incarceron - Catherine Fisher 

Blood Red Road - Moira Young 

Incarnate - Jodi Meadows 

Unwind - Neal Shusterman 

Eve - Anna Carey 

The Pledge - Kimberly Derting 

Legend - Maie Lu (Just Bought) 

I hope that you enjoy this feature. 

I would have like to say little feature, but I don't think we can go there now. 

Happy Reading, 

Katie

Review: Inside Out by Maria V Snyder

Title: Inside Out 

Author: Maria V Synder

Release Date: 2011 (originally April 1st 2010)

Publisher: Mira Ink 

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Series: Insider

Pages: 315

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought

Rating: ★★★★★

"I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution..." Source Goodreads 

---

Inside Out has been sat on my shelf for quite some time since I picked it up after hearing great things both about the dystopian setting and Maria V Synder's brilliant writing. I can happily admit that I was not disappointed. This book was fantastic.

Inside Out follows the story of the main character Trella who lives and works in the pipes of inside. She's a very distant character, preferring her own company to the many others who also reside inside, which automatically gave me the sense of needing to get to know this character more. I loved Trella, she was strong, brave and a very determined, someone perfect to follow and track down the mysteries of the inside. The character development was brilliant and by the last few pages I felt like I was loosing a great friend rather than closing the book on a great character. 

Inside Out also contains a bit of romance which thankfully was not the main focus of the plot though completely adorable, instead the main focus was on the mystery of the outside and the reason the society is how it is. 

Overall I loved this story and I absolutely cannot wait to pick up the second in the series. I'm also looking forward to reading much more by Maria V Synder as her writing is just wonderful. Her world building skill are perfect, giving you a clear and detailed image of how she wishes for you to picture her world. I urge you to pick up this book, especially if you enjoy dystopian as I am sure you will love this one. 

Happy Reading! 

Katie 

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Release Date: 2006

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi

Series: Uglies

Pages: 425

Format: Paperback

Source: Library Book

Rating: ★★★★★

"Tally can't wait to turn sixteen and become Pretty. Sixteen is the magic number that brings a transformation from a repellant Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be Pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever." Source Goodreads.

I finished reading Uglies last night at about 5am, because I just couldn't sleep until I'd finished reading about this wonderfully creative world. Since closing the book I've not been able to stop thinking about it. Incredible is the main thought that springs to mind every time I look at the front cover. Scott Westerfeld has created such an imaginative world and while at the beginning of Uglies I found it hard to picture everything, by the end I was sucked in entirely. So much so that I couldn't imagine how our world worked without hoverboards. Now who's not watched Back to the Future and dreamt of riding their very own hoverboard?

I loved the characters. All of them to be honest, and yes that does include those evil ones. Tally, the main character developed so much within this book. She was brave, strong, and basically someone that I'd love to be, and to follow the story from her eyes was perfect. 

I loved how this story explained everything. Now I've read many dystopia novels and the majority of times we are forced to just accept that society as we know it is over, end of. No explanation necessary. It could be because the characters didn't know themselves, but for me I'm always left feeling a little incomplete. Uglies was nothing like that. We find out exactly why the world ended and what's scary is that it's not completely unimaginable. I think that's what makes these books so fascinating... it could happen! 

Now I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I hate a cliff-hanger ending. I love cliff-hanger chapter endings, but I despise them at the end of a well thought out novel. Though Uglies did have a cliff-hanger it was mildly satisfying. Enough was explained to leave me satisfied, but enough was left open to leave me begging for the next book, but with enough patience to wait for the sequel. If that makes any sense at all. 

Overall I loved this book. It has quickly became one of my favourite reads of 2011 and will probably remain there long enough to become a favourite of all time. I was dubious upon picking up this book just incase all the hype around it was purely just that, hype. But oh how I was wrong. Uglies is fantastic. A thought provoking novel that will leave you questioning not only their society but your own.  I recommend anyone to pick this up as I doubt that you will be disappointed. Well deserving 5 stars. Now I just cannot wait to pick up Pretties. 

The only negative I have about this book has nothing really to do with the author, and that's the cover. The copy I picked up was from the library, so ultimately was an old publication with a cover I love! But the current UK covers are awful, and to be honest I don't want them on my bookshelf. Which is awful because I would love to support this author by purchasing the whole series, but I'm held back by creepy covers. On the other hand if someone would love to send me the US covers I wouldn't turn them down. In fact I would be beyond grateful as I love them! 

See what I mean? Below are both the US covers. The one on the right is the older cover which is quickly being replaced by the covers on the left, which admittedly aren't as good as the older ones but are still fascinating. 

And below is our UK cover,

Now I know that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover... but it's just so difficult when they look like this. Please tell me I'm not the only one that thinks like this. 

It's also hilarious to think that I've waffled on so much by how this cover looks, when the subject matter in this book is so superficial. haha. Oh well, I guess I didn't take as much from Uglies as I would have liked to. 

I hope you get chance to pick up this series soon, and if you've already read them I would love to know what you think. 

Happy Reading! 

Katie  

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver 

Release Date: August 4th 2011

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Series: Delirium

Pages: 393

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

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 governments 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

---

My thoughts: I have to start by saying that Delirium is such a fantastic book. I finished it today with a gasp and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. This is the first Lauren Oliver book I've read and though I knew I was going to enjoy it, I wasn't quite sure by how much. Delirium is written in first-person narration which I personally favour and Lauren Oliver has such a lovely style of writing. Within the first few pages I felt like I had known Lena for years, and though she lives in such a distorted world I could picture it perfectly. Within her society love is not only frowned upon but is seen as a disease which can be cured with a simple operation, generally given to every citizen at the age of 18. Upon the surface Lena seems to be quite a mild character. Someone who lives by the rules and never causes trouble, until she meets Alex who changes everything. I felt completely wrapped up in this world throughout the book, I felt like I was Lena and was living life through her eyes. Oh how I love a book that can do this to me. 

I recommend this book to anyone, especially those of you who love dystopia novels, which I do. It is well deserving of 5 stars, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Katie