"The Diviners" Review

Hey friends--

This week I just finished the book The Diviners by Libba Bray. I haven't read all the books on my TBR because I went to the library, but I finished this and I have to say, it was spectacular. For those of you who haven't read the book, this will be a spoiler free review!

The book is set in the midst of the 1920's, where bobs are the latest fashion, in New York City. Teenage Evie is sent to New York to live with her bachelor uncle as punishment for her mistake in her hometown of Ohio. However, Evie has a dark secret--she has a supernatural power which is what got her in trouble at home in the first place. As her uncle is called to the scene of a murder, branded with a symbol, due to his knowledge of rituals, Evie may have the chance to use her power to help solve the mystery of this serial killer.

This book sparked my interest immediately from the start, with its mix of adventure, fantasy, history, and romance blended to perfection. This is the first Libba Bray book that I have read, and it was a fantastic read. The main character Evie is spunky and upbeat, but also has some very visible flaws which sometimes makes you dislike her. Sometimes during this book, I would stop and be like "Really Evie? Why would you do that?" That was my only main issue with this book. My favorite character was the actress that Evie meets, Theta, due to her bravery and the challenges that she overcame. Another cool thing about this book is the change of perspective. Usually it follows Evie from third person, but occasionally it switches to other people with secrets in the city, people who all have some connection to the murder, Evie, or supernatural powers.

Overall I honestly really enjoyed this book. It has a fantastic plot line that continues throughout the story and keeps the reader engaged. I would suggest it to anyone who likes historical fiction, mystery, or romance. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Becki xx

Divergent Movie Review (Spoilers)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW INCLUDES SPOILERS

Okay so I saw this movie last night in IMAX and it was simply amazing! I'm going to review this in a kind of organized fashion:

Characters:

Shailene Woodley as Tris

Honestly I thought that she was an amazing Tris. She really showed both her vulnerability and her strength which was great, and her character development was good. However, sometimes she just didn't hit me at the right point, like as an Abnegation when she's at dinner after the test. Maybe it was her dad, maybe not, maybe it was how that part didn't follow the book, but in very rare parts (only like twice) I felt like Tris wasn't being true to her character.

Theo James as Four/Tobias

Perfection in a guy right here. Theo James was the perfect Four and the character was spot-on to the book. I fell in love with him all over again when I watched this. The shirtless scene made me so happy :)

Kate Winslet as Jeanine

Kate did a spectacular job. I thought that her character fit the movie so well and she lived up to my expectations. Sometimes she was a bit different from the book but honestly it's a movie and they couldn't include everything.

Ansel Elgort as Caleb

I love Ansel. He's so beautiful and he and Shailene did not make me think of TFIOS at all... these are signs of good actors guys, when they can play a couple and siblings. Back to Divergent though, like Ansel was a very believable Caleb and the only part I was sad about was that they didn't give him glasses. But he does look so cute in blue.

Miles Teller as Peter

Great actor, of course. Very believable and he made me laugh.

(I also loved Christina and Will :D)

Things that I Missed:

Paintballs

In the capture the flag scene, they had those weird gun-like guns instead of paintball guns which lacked that element of fun that the Dauntless portray. I still loved this scene but I missed the humor when in the train they were testing the guns out.

Four controlling the computer

There was the whole Jeanine thing at the end where they inserted the tracker in her (proving why she hated Divergent, in my opinion: because she wasn't Divergent) and made her shut down the system. I liked when Four was still convinced by Tris to come out of the serum, but I missed all the excitement of that, and the excitement of her convincing him by calling him Tobias.

Tris calling Four Tobias

enough said

Meeting Will's Sister

I feel like this is going to create an issue in Insurgent...

Uriah

Again, obvious... though his name was on the scoreboard so I have hope.

Caleb's glasses

Personal thing...I just really wanted to see Ansel Elgort in glasses 

Christina and Will's relationship

This is such an important factor in Insurgent, plus they are adorable. It was there but not obvious

Scenes that I Loved:

When Four Beats Up Al, Peter, and Drew

Such an intense scene but lovely, well thought out, and made me love seeing Theo's strength of his character.

The Ferris Wheel

So close to the book! I loved Theo's line..."Everyone's afraid of something" was amazing. Plus both Shailene and Theo did such an excellent job in this scene

Tris holding the flag

This part is not actually like the book, because there Christina gets it, but still very, very happy and exciting scene for her.

Taking down Eric in the Capture the Flag

They were so thrilling in this part and it made me so happy.

Tris and Four's Fear Landscapes

Perfect. I felt like I was there. The whole 'think like a Dauntless' thing was really well thought out and interesting to in my opinion, even though it wasn't in the book, I really liked it. Plus Tris's fear of her and Four's relationship was spot-on. 

Tris and Four's Kiss

I'm a sucker for romance and this was just beautiful, and the actors were very real about it.

Tris's First Hamburger

From the book(!) and an entertaining scene

Will, her mom, and her dad

I bawled my eyes out. I was with some friends, my sister, and my mom and my mom always makes fun of me for crying in movies. But the girls behind us were sobbing too so it made me feel much better about myself. I just wanted to cry harder and harder! But so realistic

Overall, this movie was amazing! My favorite part was probably either capture the flag, when Four and Tris hold hands during the simulation, seeing Caleb in the Erudite compound, or the kiss. I couldn't decide. The producers did a fabulous job, however and I hope I've inspired you to watch the movie! Let me know your thoughts below.

Rebecca xx

City of Lost Souls Review and TMI theories

Hey guys!

Today I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite series. I absolutely love Cassandra Clare's writing and I think that it's really beautiful and just amazing. I just finished rereading City of Lost Souls so to begin here's a spoiler free review:

The beginning starts off reiterating with the cliffhanger that the previous book leaves us in and goes into depth of detail about the mysterious disappearance of one of the male characters. In this book, Clary grows and develops as a character and her main flaws, hubris and wanting to save everyone she loves in exchange for saving the world, are blatantly expressed. The book leaves us with yet another cliffhanger, making us anxious for the upcoming release of the final book in this series in May. Relationships are left in disarray and readers are left wondering how the characters will solve these final issues. 

Now my theories are going to all have spoilers in them so if you have not read this fantastic series, stop reading this and go read the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

1) Alec and Magnus have to get back together. If they don't or one of them dies, I will be left in a book hangover for an extremely long time. 

2) 6 are to die and one is a boyfriend. Who could possibly die? My guesses are: Maia, Jordan, and I don't know. 

3) If you've read the snippets, WHATS HAPPENING TO SIMON AND ISABELLE!?!?

4) The heavenly fire in Jace needs to be transferred to Jem so he can marry Tessa.

5) I want to see Tessa and Clary interact so badly! But Will won't be there... :(. And how does Jocelyn know Tessa?

6) Jem and Church reunite. 

7) Jace sympathizes for Will xx

Okay well now that you've heard my rant, let me know what you think of this series at the bottom. 

Rebecca xx

March TBR

Hey friends,

Here's what I'm planning to read for the first time / re-read this month. Enjoy and hope you find some good recommendations!

Currently (re)reading: 
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

TBR:
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (re)
Starters by Lissa Price (re)
Enders by Lissa Price 
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Divergent by Veronica Roth (re) {movie comes out in theaters March 21st}
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (re)
Allegiant by Veronica Roth (re)
Emma by Jane Austen
Magnus Bane Shorts by Cassandra Clare
Prodigy by Marie Lu 
Champion by Marie Lu
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Already Read:
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Legend by Marie Lu

Hope you enjoy!
Becki :)

"Anna and the French Kiss" Review

Hey guys,

So if you have ever watched a video on abookutopia's channel, you've probably heard that her favorite stand alone book is Anna and the French Kiss. I finally got around to reading it so here is my review:

It was a sweet, funny, and cute story with lots of fluff and happiness. The book begins when Anna is forced to move to a French boarding school for American kids in her senior year of high school, away from her best friend and long time crush. I found Anna to be a witty and realistic character and her new friends to be perfect. 

SPOILER SECTION:
The climax leading up to Anna and St. Clair's relationship was beautifully written and the pair was like another Romione coupling as I read the book. I was having a not-so-great day when I began reading this and after continually reading it for about 5 hours and finishing it in that time span, I was in love. This book was so realistic and I think that Rashmi was one of my favorite characters. She always popped up at the right times, and even though she and Josh didn't work out, they were a kind of cute couple. I also think that St. Clair and Ellie's breakup was very true to life...after all, how many people stay together after high school, especially when a year separates a couple.
END SPOILERS

I hope that this has inspired you to pick up this book from your local library! For any of you people who love romance or are having a bad day, this is the perfect pick-me-up!

Becki :)

Introduction

Hi Friends!

My name is Becki, and lately I've been watching a lot of book-tubers and reading a lot of reviews and things of Goodreads. Therefore it inspired me to start a blog on books! Here's a bit of information on me:

-I live in Los Angeles, California.

-My all time favorite book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

-I have many book crushes, the most current being Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices series and Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. 

-I love to read any kind of books.

-My favorite TV shows are NCIS: LA and Doctor Who. 

Leave any questions you have in the comments below!

Becki :)