Review & Giveaway: The Game of Lives by James Dashner

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Praise for the Mortality Doctrine Series 

 “Dashner takes full advantage of the Matrix-esque potential for asking ‘what is real.”

–io9.com

“Set in a world taken over by virtual reality gaming, the series perfectly capture[s] Dashner’s hallmarks for inventiveness, teen dialogue and an ability to add twists and turns like no other author.”

–MTV.com

“A brilliant, visceral, gamified mash-up of The Matrix and Inception, guaranteed to thrill even the non-gaming crowd.”

—Christian Science Monitor

From James Dashner, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, comes the final book in the Mortality Doctrine series, an edge-of-your-seat cyber-adventure trilogy that includes The Eye of Minds and The Rule of Thoughts. 

Includes a sneak peek of The Fever Code, the highly anticipated conclusion to the Maze Runner series–the novel that finally reveals how the Maze was built! 

Michael used to live to game, but now, the games are over. The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and cyber terrorist Kaine grows stronger by the day. The Mortality Doctrine–Kaine’s master plan–has nearly been realized, and little by little the line separating the virtual from the real is blurring. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box–if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.

The author who brought you the #1 New York Times bestselling MAZE RUNNER series and two #1 movies–The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials–now brings you an electrifying adventure trilogy that takes you into a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyber terrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares.

THINGS I LOVED:

• The concept. It’s complex and energetic. The lines between virtual reality and real life have blurred so well that even those who think they’re human are fooled. Code is so advanced that consciousness is connected to chunks of data that form virtual people sans bodies and “real” people seriously cannot tell the difference. It’s epic and terrifying at the same time.
• BODY SNATCHING. Usually this is a thing for aliens but holy horror, tech that can invade your brain and force you out into this beast of collective consciousness called The Hive where all these poor souls without bodies are forced to hang out. WHAT??!! Let’s hope this doesn’t become our reality. So scary. 
• It makes you think. James Dashner is particularly skilled at crafting compelling concepts that make the reader question mankind, the role of technology, and how humanity adapts to these intense and dire changes. As evidenced in Maze Runner, but even more so in this world of advanced tech.
• Kaine is an evil genius. Totally vicious. If you love a good villain, he’s your guy. Cyber terrorism. Relatable and relevant. 

THINGS THAT IRKED ME:

• The pacing. For an action-centered, high intensity idea with loads of danger and psychotic people hungry to destroy/take over the world, it was so slow at points that I felt the urge to skim and skim and skim again. Some of the description was a little much, which is weird for me because I’m a huge Tolkien fan and description for DAYS but I guess it wasn’t so much the existence but it how it was done in the book.
• The dialogue. Some of the phrasing was dated or weird, I found myself raising an eyebrow at some of what these teenagers said. The dialogue also dragged on. The sentences were clunky and hanging and the whole vibe of the pretty much every bit of dialogue felt forced. The banter and ease was missing. 

James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia but now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and The Kill Order. His newest series is The Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives.

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5 winners will receive paperback sets of the whole series (EYE OF MINDS/RULE OF THOUGHTS/GAME OF LIVES), US Only.

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Happy reading, 

Guest Post: Operation Child Soldier by Jaci Wheeler

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I was trained from birth to be the best Agent possible. Growing up in a Military Training Academy for unwanted children has its perks. I might not have ever been to a dance but I am a sharp shooter, master at hand to hand combat and best hacker the Academy has ever seen. I trained my whole life to pass the final and become an Elite agent. The only problem? My entire life has been a lie. My father is a monster and I’ve been trained to kill monsters.

I’ve had a few people ask how on earth I came up with the concept for Operation Child Soldier. I must admit, child assassins do sound a bit extreme but I had stumbled upon on article one day, I can’t even remember where to be honest, and it was talking about how more countries, especially Middle Eastern countries were starting to train women and children to become assassins. I had just watched a movie with my husband that focused on foster care and how horrible some of these homes are and how some kids rather live on the street than end up in foster care and somehow everything just clicked.

I love having strong female leads and Aria just started unfolding before my eyes. I didn’t even outline, I just grabbed my phone and started dictating the entire story to my notes. The idea that training women and children is actually happening and that these other countries are finding success really helped to unlock my imagination. My dream has always been to own an orphanage and to have a safe place for children to come. I guess you can say I merged the two together, and even though the Academy in this first book isn’t what my dream was…it just might end up that way, you will have to read book two to find out.

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Jaci Wheeler lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband and two precious kids.

Her love of literature began in Jr. High when she was introduced to Lowis Lowry’s books. Since then she has had a passion for writing Young Adult books, and creating strong female leads. When she’s not writing, she is advocating for Autism Awareness and involved in the deaf community.

Her favorite things to do are play with her children, craft with her friends, sleep while her husband watches movies and indulge in her favorite addictions: Coffee, candy and shoes.

Epic reading,

 

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Perfect by Cecelia Ahern

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Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine’s life has completely fractured–all her freedoms gone.

 

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick–the only person she can trust.

 

But Celestine has a secret–one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

 

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.

 

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?

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Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which perfection is paramount and flaws are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

Chapter Eight

 

            They stay there for three hours.

            My muscles burn, my feet ache, but I’m afraid to move.

            When the fire has reduced to a smolder, Granddad and Dahy are ordered to place the bundles of food onto the coals. The farmworkers watch from their orderly line, their F brand armbands all visible on their right arms, just above their elbow.

            This was supposed to be a celebration, a coming together to show that the Guild couldn’t beat them down. Now the Whistleblowers themselves are here. Hiding behind the tree, huddled on the ground, hugging my legs, shivering from the damp forest, I can’t say that I feel empowered. This feels like a defeat.

            Granddad and Dahy cover the food with the soil so it will cook under the ground in the heat. Granddad looks at the ground, his work finished, as though he’s buried me alive. Again I want to call out to him that I’m okay, I made it out, but I can’t.

            A phone rings and the female Whistleblower takes it. She steps aside, walks away from the others, so she can talk in private. She moves closer to me in the woods. I tense up again.

            “Judge Crevan, hello. It’s Kate. No, Judge, Celestine isn’t here. We’ve checked everywhere.”

            Silence as she listens and I hear Crevan’s voice from where I stand. Kate walks farther and stops by my tree.

            I press my back to the tree, squeeze my eyes shut, and hold my breath.

            “With all due respect, Judge, this is the Guild’s sixth visit to the property and I believe Mary May was meticulous in her search. We’ve checked everywhere you can imagine. I don’t believe she’s here. I think the grandfather is telling the truth.”

            I can hear the frustration in her voice. They’re all under pressure to find me, pressure placed on them by Judge Crevan. Kate takes a few more steps, right into my
eyeline.

            She slowly scans the forest, her eyes searching the distance.

            Then she looks right at me.

 

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At twenty-one, Cecelia wrote her first novel PS, I Love You, which was sold to
forty-seven countries. The film of the same title, directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Wendy Finerman productions, starred Hilary Swank, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Gerry Butler, Harry Connick Jr, Gina Gershon and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. PS, I Love You was one of the biggest-selling debut novels of 2004, reaching number 1 in Ireland and in the UK Sunday Times bestseller list. It was also a bestseller throughout Europe and the USA, staying on the best-seller list in Germany for 52 weeks.

That same year, in November 2004, her second book Where Rainbows End (as Rosie
Dunne hardback in the US, Love, Rosie paperback in US) also reached no.1 in Ireland and the UK, remaining at the top of the Irish bestsellers list for 12 weeks and again was a bestseller internationally.  Where Rainbows End was adapted for film titled Love, Rosie and will be released in Oct 2014, starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. 

Her third book If You Could See Me Now was published in November 2005 and also became an international bestseller. It has been optioned by producer Simon Brooks, producer of Love, Rosie.

Cecelia’s fourth novel A Place Called Here (published under the title There’s No Place Like Here in the US) also became an international number one bestseller.

Thanks For The Memories her fifth novel was also a huge bestseller and is now being adapted for a TV Drama Series by Gate Productions.

The Gift was published in October 2008 and became an International bestseller. It is optioned by Oscar winning producer Andreas Bareiss, and it is going into production later this year. 

Her seventh novel The Book Of Tomorrow was released in October 2009 and eOne
Television are developing it for a TV series in the US.

In March of 2011 her two short stories, Girl in the Mirror were published. 

In November by Cecelia’s eighth novel The Time Of My Life was published and also became a bestseller.

Her ninth novel One Hundred Names was published in October 2012 and became a number one bestseller.

Her tenth novel How To Fall In Love was published last November and also became another bestseller.

To date Cecelia has sold over 22 million copies of her books worldwide.

2 Winners will receive finished copies of FLAWED & PERFECT, US Only.

 

Ends on April 18th at Midnight EST!

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Pleasant reading, 

ARC Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James

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Release Date: Feb 14, 2017

Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved.

Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England’s grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England’s most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family’s secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price?

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi’s brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

3.5/5 Stars 

***I received this eARC as a gift in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley & Del Rey

PROS: 

That first chapter. Holy on the edge of your seat foreboding, anxiety, and all around fascination. Three hot brothers, a mysterious woman with a baby, magic…it’s compelling, gripping, you won’t want to put it down. And the personality. Each character is strong in tone and development. They almost feel like dark fae princes. If you’ve read Holly Black or Julie Kagawa, you’ll get some serious vibes here. Gavar, Jenner, and Silyen. The whole Jardine clan of men. The layers and layers of questionable morals and cold snark. The darkness within. It’s addictive. They’re the most interesting characters, no matter how intriguing Luke’s work as a rebel is. Gavar alone is like this grumbly Phantom of the Opera character meets Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Jenner is a sort of Darcy. Silyen, you want to hate him, but his story is the most versatile, interesting, and he’s so unreliable as a narrator that you’re unsure whether to trust him. He’s your epic love-hate male interest. 

Luke’s story is almost on Les Mis level. Tossed into the heart of the rebellion and amongst a clandestine group of people within the working class. My Russian heart swelled at this revolutionary vibe. Luke is bumbling, he doesn’t know who he is, what he wants to be, he’s a little baby-ish and resentful as the story starts-he just wants to hang with his friends, play some football and chill, but no. Luke makes the biggest transformation in the story. His heart is full of justice and yearning, of that desperation to do right, even if it results in death. He becomes the cause and OMG does he get slaughtered for it-figuratively (no spoilers). You know in Les Mis when they sing “Red and Black” or “Do You Hear the People Sing?” That is the soundtrack to Luke’s chapters. He’s a supplanted Marius. 

OMG that cliffhanger. The last few chapters of the book are jam-packed with twists that will stun and shock and turn you inside out. The predictable ones were made unpredictable because they had another level of deceit. I’ve never seen anything like it. Just when you’re nodding your head along, satisfied and sure that you had everything figured out, boom, epic level twist tacked right on. Mind blown. The ending. I can’t get over everything that happened. All the lies, the evil, the morals are tossed to the wind (not that they weren’t throughout, but these are particularly sinister and vile). 

Love is everywhere. Sibling, friendship, romantic. All forms. Sometimes it’s twisted, others it’s pure and builds. There’s so much of it. Romance is subtle, but grows. The one Romeo and Juliet style romance…oh my poor little heart-obliterated. Cruel cruel story. 

CONS:

Some of the POVs thrown in were questionable and didn’t really seem to have a function. More than that, they threw off the whole feeling of the book. As a reader, you pause and question why these new characters are suddenly there and whether we should care or not. For the most part, it was random and jarring. These POVs that shifted from the main characters detracted from the overall tone.

This book was highly political. At its heart, it’s a story of repression, rebellion, and challenging the system through planned and exhilarating vigilante justice. Sometimes the politics were unclear, especially in terms of history, why the world is structured the way it is, and it doesn’t explain as much as it should until late in the book and from there it’s a whirlwind of explosive reveals and insanity-utter chaos to the extreme, which leads me to my next point…

Pacing. The book starts out interesting enough. It pulls you in, it keeps you going, and then there’s a major lag, which is infuriating because it should not be happening at all. There’s all sorts of crazy stuff happening-plans for fighting oppression, protests, escapes, all high adrenaline stuff, but the constant swapping POVs dimmed the tension. There’s also a lot going on, inside the magical “palace” and in the slums. 

If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy this:

 Lovely reading, 

Book/TV Show Blitz & Giveaway by Kass Morgan

I am so excited that THE 100 returns to TV tonight! And to help celebrate the show’s return Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Rockstar Book Tours are giving away 5 Boxed Sets of the complete series!  

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All four thrilling novels in The 100 series, now available in a paperback
boxed set! 

 

Ever since nuclear war destroyed our planet, humanity has been living on
city-like spaceships hovering above the toxic surface. As far as anyone knows,
no one has stepped foot on Earth in centuries–that is, until one hundred
juvenile delinquents are sentenced to return and recolonize the hostile land.
The future of the human race rests in their hands, but nothing can prepare the
100 for what they find on this strange and savage planet. 

 

Read the series that inspired the hit TV show. The 100, Day 21,
Homecoming, and Rebellion are gathered together for the first time in this
striking box set, perfect for fans and series newcomers alike.

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Kass Morgan studied literature at Brown and Oxford, and now resides in Brooklyn, where she lives in constant fear of her Ikea bookcase collapsing and burying her under a mound of science fiction and Victorian novels. Kass is currently working on the sequel to The 100, which she’ll finish as soon as she finds a coffee shop that
allows laptops on the weekend.

5 winners will receive the complete boxed set of THE 100 Series, US Only.

 

Ends on February 8th at Midnight EST!

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Thrilling reading, 

Release Day Blitz: Forever Frenzy by Casey L. Bond

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Cover Design by Cover Me Darling

Cover Photography by Pink Ink Designs

Cover Models: Daniel Wells and Becca Bryant

Everything in Porschia Grant’s world was finally normal; the daily routine peppered with moments of happiness, sadness, and monotony. She longs for those moments now, because her entire world has been wrecked, and she didn’t even see it coming.

An evil escaped the underworld, killing someone she loves. It has to die, and she wants to be the one to end it.

But can Porschia live with herself if she takes on the curse she once hated? Will the consequences of her choice crush her?
How will she feel when someone from her past, someone she loved so deeply, enters her life again?

Tage has been guiding his son from the afterlife. He’s always been a part of Seth’s life, even if Porschia didn’t know the extent of his involvement. He’s watched over both of them from afar. Close, but never close enough.

Now they need him, and he’s about to risk everything to show her how much she still means to him.

For some, love never ends and frenzy is forever.

Keep reading for a sneak snippet of one very angry Porschia Grant …

Surprise lifted her brows.

“I didn’t expect—”

I was in front of her in an instant, backhanding her to the side. She stumbled, grabbing her bleeding lip and staring at me with contempt.

“You didn’t expect me to do what? Protect my family? That was your first mistake.”

She scoffed.

“The second was underestimating me.”

– Copyright Casey L. Bond

Award-winning author Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

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Frenzy/Frantic /Frequency/Friction/Fraud

Interesting reading, 

New Cover Reveal: Untamed by Madeline Dyer

 Goodreads

New Edition Release Date: January 10, 2017

Cover Designed by: Molly Phipps at WeGotYouCoveredBookDesign.com 

In case you haven’t heard, Madeline Dyer’s publisher is closing and the rights for Untamed have reverted back to her. She is now in the process of independently releasing a second edition (the only changes are the ISBN, cover, interior design, and that book one will no longer have the opening chapter of book two printed at the end–the actual story itself is the same and unchanged).

“A fantastic dystopian tale. Highly recommended for fans of strong heroines and intriguing sci-fi worlds.”

-Pintip Dunn, New York Times bestselling author of the Forget Tomorrow series

           

            As one of the last Untamed humans left in the world, Seven’s life has always been controlled by tight rules. Stay away from the Enhanced. Don’t question your leader. And, most importantly, never switch sides–because once you’re Enhanced there’s no going back. Even if you have become the perfect human being.

            But after a disastrous raid on an Enhanced city, Seven soon finds herself in her enemy’s power. Realizing it’s only a matter of time before she too develops a taste for the chemical augmenters responsible for the erosion of humanity, Seven knows she must act quickly if she’s to escape and save her family from the same fate.

           Yet, as one of the most powerful Seers that the Untamed and Enhanced have ever known, Seven quickly discovers that she alone holds the key to the survival of only one race. But things aren’t clear-cut anymore, and with Seven now questioning the very beliefs she was raised on, she knows she has an important choice to make. One that has two very different outcomes.

            Seven must choose wisely whose side she joins, for the War of Humanity is underway, and Death never takes kindly to traitors.

Thrilling reading, 

Cover Reveal: Something Blue by Kristy Nicolle

Release Date: April 2017

In the city of Monopolis, where happily ever after is just a scientific formula away.

Valentine Morland has been waiting nine years for her day to come. Now it’s here, and she will marry the man of her dreams, a stranger to her, before being swept off to life of carefree luxury and bliss, courtesy of the Jigsaw Project. However, all is not as Valentine imagined as her new husband is quickly discovered as not the man of her dreams, but one who claims he isn’t capable of love at all. Harbouring an intense paranoia for the system, which upholds the very idealist fantasy that Valentine holds so dear, Clark threatens to throw her into a world, not of bliss, but of scary consequence where her every emotion is under scrutiny.

Can it be that the scientific formula with a 99% success rate got it all wrong, or is everything in the world of Bliss Inc. more sinister than it seems?

Adventurous reading, 

 

Release Day Blitz: Affliction by Amy Miles

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Though Avery Whitlock may have won the battle of the Grand Opry hotel, she knows the war is just beginning. Cable would stop at nothing to have her now that she was within his grasp—but to stay meant endangering innocent lives. No longer fully human and unwilling to accept her fate as a flesh eating zombie, she must abandon the only place she could call home in order to save Nox and his people. 

Driven to prevent anyone else from suffering from the same fate, she follows the trail of the doctor responsible for the heinous mutations as he races to reach the Atlanta Safe Zone. But with spilled blood on her hands and malice in her heart, her cravings to kill become amplified—and her grip on her humanity begins to slip. 

Only the love of those closest to Avery can bring her back from the edge, but will they be able to reach her in time to save their own lives?

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 Author Amy Miles has always been a bit of a dreamer. Growing up as an only child, and a military brat to boot, she spent countless hours escaping into the pages of a book, only to spend the following days creating a new idea of how to twist up the story to make it unique.

 

Since becoming a mother, Amy has slowly nourished her love of the written word while snatching writing time in the midst of soiled diapers, tumbling over legos and peering around mounds of laundry and dishes that never seem to go away. Once her only son started school, Amy was free to let her fingers dive into dark mythology, tales of betrayal and love, and explore human nature in its rawest form. Her love of seeing the world from a different angle bloomed.

 

Amy is the author of several novels, including her popular young adult immortal books, The Arotas Series, which are an Amazon and iBooks bestselling series. Unwilling to be defined by any one genre, she proceeded to flip over to a science fiction/fantasy based idea with her Rising Trilogy. She then dove into contemporary romance with her novel, Captivate and explored the depths of her own faith with In Your Embrace.

 

She is currently working on completing her Immortal Rose trilogy, a prequel to her Arotas novels. She has also embarked on two new journeys this year, one in the form of a co-written banshee trilogy, The Hallowed Realms, which is currently represented by GH Literary.

OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES

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Adventurous reading, 

Lost Review: The One by Kiera Cass

 

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The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

5/5 Stars

Do yourself a favor and make sure you read the dedication. Be still my heart. ❤

From the very beginning of the Selection series I was rooting for America. Yes, the books are about love but really they’re about America embracing her heart to truly discover the powerful woman she is inside. These books are about more than a fairytale love story, they’re so much more than that. America is that girl inside of all of us, passionate, occasionally hotheaded, confused, and unwilling to take the risk of putting herself out there, too scared to bear her soul for fear of rejection. When it comes to everything BUT her heart, she’s fierce, brave, and throws herself into the chaos. She’s willing to risk everything for her nation and it is her devotion that makes her a true heroine. 

I’ll be real with you. America makes some stupid decisions. She gets jealous, she isn’t always 100% on morals, and yeah, she does some unsavory things, but her imperfections make her all the more real and someone you can get behind.

I wasn’t always a fan of Maxon. He was robotic, borderline creepy on occasion, and the way he said dear always made me cringe. For the first time in the whole series, I started to feel something for Maxon and truly see him as America’s equal. He has depth, character, there’s so much passion that wasn’t as pointed in the other books. He’s complex, wounded, has a past, and that dark side that he hides makes him all the more attractive. He’s vulnerable and interesting, more so than I originally thought. Plus, the way he feels about America. Swoon city. 

The plot was lively. Some sections were slow, but as the unrest and unhappiness among the classes rose, the danger skyrocketed. You never know when the next threat will hit. 

That scene. No spoilers, but holy bearing of heart and soul. Melt. YOU WILL MELT. 

Romantic reading,