Tag Archives: Anushka D. ’15

Divergent by Veronica Roth (review by Anushka D. ’15)

June 13, 2013 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine a dystopia in which everyone at the age of 16 must choose one of five factions: Dauntless, Amity, Abnegation, Candor, or Erudite. Created at first to balance and seam together society, the system soon threatens to fall apart because of greed and corruption. Veronica Roth frames the story through the eyes of Beatrice Prior, a girl who must choose her faction and deal with the decaying structure of her world. Beatrice captures the hearts of readers easily; she is incredibly brave, selfless, and intelligent. While the book presents a wonderfully unique and fascinating society that is struggling to keep itself upright, it also ensnares readers through the battles Beatrice fights with herself, her family, her friends, and the boy she grows to love. Divergent is beautifully written and extremely hard to put down. I am definitely looking forward to its sequel: Insurgent. Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games. –Anushka D. ‘15

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Fire by Kristine Cashore (review by Anushka D. ’15)

June 4, 2013 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Fire by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first picked up Fire, I was expecting a typical story dealing with a girl with magical powers who is suddenly embroiled in an action-packed plot to fight evil with a gorgeous male by her side. However, although the book does feature a girl with magical mind-reading powers, Cashore manages to create a wonderful and unique fantasy world of her own full of princes, dragons, and magic. In the land of Dells, Fire, a monster in the shape of a beautiful woman, is forced to face hatred and jealousy because of her supernatural abilities. When asked to help the king defeat his enemies, Fire must face her fears and prove herself, not as a monster, but as a human. The plot grasps the reader with its innovative and emotional personality, and the characters each find their own space in the reader’s hearts. Although there is a gorgeous male, Cashore sprinkles in just the right amount of romance to keep the readers entertained. This book is a companion book to Cashore’s debut novel, Graceling, and definitely a worthy sequel. Fans of fantasy, magic, and mystery will enjoy both books! – Anushka D. ‘15

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Slammed by Colleen Hoover (review by Anushka D. ’15)

May 29, 2013 mspelmanlibrarian Leave a comment

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although Slammed begins with the cliché love tragedy between teacher and student, the plot quickly unravels itself to reveal an intriguing and efficacious twist of broken hearts, beautiful poetry, and tear-jerking misfortunes. While interesting, at times the story becomes a bit too chaotic: the main characters are both too lucky and unlucky at the same time, and the story a bit too whimsical. The poetry Hoover infuses into the book is, however, inspiring, and poignant, and effectively grounds the rather overwhelming plotline. The romance is uplifting and the ending, a neatly tied bow. Although I am not ready to experience the turmoil of the sequel, it is sure to be just as emotional and stimulating as this tumultuous start! Readers looking for both laughs and tears will be rewarded. – Anushka D. ’15

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