Allegiant Book Review and Divergent's First Trailer

My initial thought on this much awaited book? Well, it was a whirlwind of crazy events put together in an attempt to create a coherent plot then finished off with a disastrous ending. I've finished Allegiant a few weeks back but decided to postpone the review for awhile just so I could let the intensity of my feelings waver. The last book was not spectacular. I never knew that one book could contain that much betrayal, conivance and uprising. It was harder to finish the book compared to Divergent and Insurgent which I only finished for a day and loved dearly. I was super duper excited for this book but it turned out to be a disappointment. 

Plot: (2/5) So much has happened that I don't even know what the exact plot is. It just didn't work for me that the goals of the main characters kept on changing. The story seemed so inconsistent. 

Writing and Execution: (2/5) I've heard from other people that they didn't like the switching POVs from Tris and Four. It didn't really bother me, I think that at some point, it was effective but it really does take a while to get used to Four's POV. As for the execution, I think that the story itself was pretty brilliant and ambitious but it just wasn't delivered well. 

Characters: (1/5) This is where it gets worse :( I think that the characters, especially Four, has lost their initial characteristics. I think that Four's character was ruined in this book. I've known him to be a level-headed, brave leading man who'd do anything for Tris. He started losing those at one point in the story. And I'm also not for Tris' final decision. She was against a very important decision, but in the end, she ended up resorting to that anyway.

Cover: (3/5) I've never liked the trilogy's cover in the first place. I wasn't convinved about reading Divergent at first because I didn't like the cover but I've heard some really awesome reviews about it so I read it anyway. But I guess Allegiant's cover was okay.

Overall rating: (2/5)

Despite my disappointment in Allegiant, Divergent still stays at my favorite book list and it's still one of the best books I've read in the dystopian genre. Its movie is coming out on March 2014. First, I wasn't very thrilled with the cast but when I saw the trailer, I think that Shaileen Woodley was casted perfectly for Tris. The recent trailer also showed that they pretty much got the essence of the book - the simulation, the initiation and all. I'm very excited about this although I'm still not feeling Theo for Four's character. I think that the Four in my head is still so much better. But I love that they casted Kate Winslet for Jeanine Matthews!!! I hope this turns out to be a pretty good movie. Summit is producing it and I'm willing to forgive them for ruining the Twilight Saga if they do an awesome job with this one! Check out the trailer! 

Love, Paola

Book Review: Hex Hall Series

Hex Hall Series: Hex Hall, Demonglass, Spell Bound

Yet another blog post! I am on a roll! Haha anyway, I've decided to stick to four criteria with rating books: plot, writing and execution, characters and cover. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but since we all do it and it does give impact to a book, I decided to add it too! Although, in no way will I summarize the books in my reviews since there's Goodreads.com for that! Moving on the to Hex Hall series.. 

Plot: (4/5) The series was a fast read and I liked it more than I expected to. All three books had a solid plot and I like the pace of the story. However, there were a few times when it seems a little confusing and some stuff details were missing out. But all in all, I like the storyline enough to finish each book in less than a day.

Writing and Execution: (3/5). The dialogues were the best!!!! That's what I enjoyed the most in this series - Sophie, Jenna and Archer's conversation! It was such a fun read because of that but the overall writing of the book was just a 3 since there are times when it seems like the story is too rushed. There are times when I felt like it switched scenes so fast. On other books it might not work, but since it I like the storyline of this series, I wasn't all that bothered with the writing.  

Characters: (5/5). Sophie is a character to love, I swear!!!! Her sarcasm is so entertaining and not even a little annoying. Although there was part in Spell Bound when I feared she'd transform into Bella Swan circa New Moon somewhere along the way. Archer didn't make a huge impact on me at first but he's the kind of character that goes on you. I loved Jenna as well and I think her and Sophie makes a perfect tandem.

Cover: (2/5). I think the cover's really nice and it's what made me read the book since it intrigued me when I passed by it at the bookstore. However, it's totally unrelated - the two sides of the girl being portrayed, her outfits, the props used and all. Like seriously, I don't think Sophie held an umbrella in Demonglass, I'm pretty sure the word umbrella wasn't even mentioned in the book so why put it there? I also don't get why they consistently put a cat on the three covers when Sophie's even allergic to cats! 

Overall rating: (3.5/5)

Love, Paola