en-US Sat, 28 May 2016 10:25:58 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 8306857 In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024027 Chris 5 4.28 2011
author: Veronica Roth
name: Chris
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2012/04/01
date added: 2016/05/28
shelves:
review:
Some books excel because they have a great topic. Some excel because they are well written. Others because of incredible cliff hangers at chapters close. This book excelled in all these aspects. In the words of a friend, it is a unique piece in the distopian genre. The writing is incredible. I couldn't find a way to put it down. Every sentence compelled you to read the next. I can't recommend this book enough.
]]> 16235831 336 Rachel McClellan 1462111807 Chris 4 guilty-teen-favs
Brief background: Llona, the main character is an Aura (light wielder). She can use light to calm and help people in various ways. She has also learned how to use it to protect herself and friends from Vykens. Vykens are an undead creature similar to vampires (they like Aura's blood, can't go out in light, etc). They like to hunt Auras.

Brief review: I am biased. I love characters. Just as long as an author can generally tell me who they are, what they like, and throw a little mystery in there, I'm sold on these characters. I'm sold on Llona, May, Christian, and the other characters.

The writing kept the story moving at a good pace. Rachel didn't linger on any unimportant details but kept the plot progressing. Because of that, a few of the dramatic scenes she was trying to develop, came out too quickly. They were cool, but they lost their intensity because of the quick pace.

Other than that though, I really liked the additional characters and the inner turmoil she has to push through on a relationship and personal level. It had great conflict that made me hate it when people would text, call, or otherwise interrupt concluding this intense adventure.]]> 4.19 2013
author: Rachel McClellan
name: Chris
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/24
date added: 2013/03/26
shelves: guilty-teen-favs
review:
This is the second book in a series (first one Fractured Light). I got a hold of Fractured Light as an ARC from Cedar Fort Publishing and really liked the story. Went on Amazon and bought the sequelfor my kindle. It captured my attention and kept me up to the wee hours of the morning. That's something I haven't done in almost a year.

Brief background: Llona, the main character is an Aura (light wielder). She can use light to calm and help people in various ways. She has also learned how to use it to protect herself and friends from Vykens. Vykens are an undead creature similar to vampires (they like Aura's blood, can't go out in light, etc). They like to hunt Auras.

Brief review: I am biased. I love characters. Just as long as an author can generally tell me who they are, what they like, and throw a little mystery in there, I'm sold on these characters. I'm sold on Llona, May, Christian, and the other characters.

The writing kept the story moving at a good pace. Rachel didn't linger on any unimportant details but kept the plot progressing. Because of that, a few of the dramatic scenes she was trying to develop, came out too quickly. They were cool, but they lost their intensity because of the quick pace.

Other than that though, I really liked the additional characters and the inner turmoil she has to push through on a relationship and personal level. It had great conflict that made me hate it when people would text, call, or otherwise interrupt concluding this intense adventure.
]]> 81948 Small business coaching. 269 Michael E. Gerber 0887307280 Chris 0 to-read 4.06 1985
author: Michael E. Gerber
name: Chris
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/11/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1953 A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal.]]> 489 Charles Dickens 0141439602 Chris 0 to-read 3.86 1859
author: Charles Dickens
name: Chris
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1859
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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