The Buzz: Divergent #3 Release

YAY! Allegiant (Divergent #3) was released yesterday...as if you didn't already know that, right? I'm pretty sure it has already become the #1 best-seller on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Like everyone else, I've been anxiously awaiting book #3. I can't wait to see what happens!

Looking back it is so crazy how far Veronica Roth has come. I remember reading her blog WAY before she was ever published, and now pretty much everyone knows her name. It's kind of inspirational really. I like to remember that everyone who has ever been successful with their work always started out as just some joe-shmo who wanted it just as badly as we all do. You've got to start somewhere...

Anyway. Here is a little about the book and the upcoming movie (if for some reason you've been living under a rock and have no clue what I'm talking about).

One choice will define you. 

What if your whole world was a lie?What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. 

SO has anyone read it yet? What did you think?

Catching Fire Countdown!

I have to admit, I haven't been as excited about the Catching Fire movie as I thought I'd be. It will be out in little over a month, and I hardly even noticed the wait. That being said, I have been a little distracted by a crawly little monster who could care less about things he can't teeth on. BUT! After seeing this trailer...I'm super pumped again.

 

It got me thinking...
One of the reasons I may not be as excited about this movie as I was with the first is that I didn't enjoy the second and third books as much as I did the first book (don't get me wrong, I LOVED all three of them).

I think it's really hard for authors to outdo the first book in a series. Even in the movie world, sequels are never better than the original film. As a writer, one of my goals is to be better...tell a better story, in a better way, with better writing. It's hard to do (and I hope I succeeded in writing Uprising). One of the reasons I love Harry Potter so much is because every book just got better and better for me.

What series got better and better for you?

Uncaged by Joe Gazzam

As an author, I get the awesome privilege of reading books before their release (all you book bloggers out there know how fun it is to get your hands on literary gold before anyone else). Right now I'm reading 2 manuscripts, 1 self-pub., writing my third book, indulging in my YA addiction by savoring every page of Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, and I just finished this ARC...It was awesome, so I thought I'd share :)

Uncaged technically falls under the YA genre as it follows 18-year-old Jason through a scared straight program gone wrong. As we all know, the YA genre is morphing into many things, one of which is the New Adult genre. With New Adult, the older YA lovers get a little more of what they want *cough* super sexay hotness *cough* What's interesting about Uncaged is that it is yet another YA book that steps outside of the traditional mold of YA. It appeals to the older readers, not with sexual tension, but with more detailed action. You can imagine the things that might happen if a prison full of crazy people were "uncaged." For those who aren't reading YA for the hot boys with their shirts off, this book is right up your alley. It is page-turning, intense, action packed, kick-ass-ness all in one. Seriously, my heart was pounding with each page. 

Here is a little more about the novel.

Jason seems destined to screw things up. After capping off a burglary and a bar fight with a car wreck, he quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. And since his father's the governor, that means his punishment is about as public as it gets. Jason's thrown into the first Scared Straight program Florida has ever run in their updated, state-of-the-art Blackenbush Penitentiary. Along with a documentary crew led by Sasha, a young woman in way over her head, and a handful of other kids a year and a strike away from jail, Jason comes face to face with his inevitable future on the other side of a heavily guarded prison wall.

But that's just the beginning. The tour has barely begun when one of the inmates makes a move. Before long the entire penitentiary is under siege, surrounded by the feds and overrun with prisoners let loose from their cells. Jason slips away with Sasha in the chaos, but they won't be able to escape without help. And the only thing worse than being stuck in prison, is being stuck in a prison run by the inmates.

If you're interested in interviewing the author or would like to review the book prior to its release on October 22nd, then shoot me an email at therrien.jessica@gmail.com and I will get you in touch with the right people.

What is everyone else reading these days?