Review for Allegiant by Veronica Roth

One Choice will Define you.

Allegiant picks up pretty much where Insurgent left off.  The world has changed after the revelations of Edith Prior's video.  The factions are now gone, Evelyn is now in charge and everyone has to answer for what they did during the uprising.  Back are all the familiar characters and it really does begin well enough.  But unfortunately it very quickly falls apart.  There are so many plot holes, inconsistencies and WTF moments in this book, it was almost painful to read.  I had to force myself to continue reading even though many times I wanted to slam the book closed in disgust.  At one point it nearly went out the window into the snow below.  Only the fact that it was a library book kept me from wreaking utter destruction on the book.

MASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS BOOK SPOILED FOR YOU.  

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!

I will start by saying I am not the target audience for this book and that may have colored my viewpoints a bit.  I know that the series is aimed at a younger audience, I know that the vast majority of the characters are teenagers and very young adults.  But that doesn't mean that a wider audience can't enjoy a good story.  And that's what happened when I first read Divergent.  I picked it up and had it finished in a day.  I sacrificed sleep for the book and I only do that when it's something REALLY good.  I like my sleep.  So when a book can keep me up in the wee hours of the morning, the author is definitely onto something.  It was similar with Insurgent.  I didn't enjoy it quite as much, but it was still good enough to keep me up well past my bed-time reading about Tris, Four and the world around them.  So I was incredibly excited when Allegiant was released.  I'm cheap, so I was on the VERY LONG waiting list at my local library.  Sadly, it wasn't worth the wait.

The story was told in dual viewpoints from the point of view of Tris and Four (Tobias).  The biggest complaint I have about this style is the fact that after awhile, you simply could not tell them apart.  I had to go back several times to the beginning of the chapter just to make sure who was talking.  They turned into the same insecure, whining, indecisive person.  That was my first real WTF moment.  How do you take two incredibly strong characters and dull them to the point where you can't tell them apart?

The factions are deemed illegal now that Evelyn is in charge.  Everyone is now factionless and everyone gets to learn new jobs.  Ok.  That's going to work, right?  No.  Not only do you have to be factionless, if you're not following her rules, you're going to get your ass kicked by her new police force.  So don't walk down the street decked out in nothing but Erudite blue or you're going to be pulled aside and asked questions and then probably get your face bashed in until some one comes to your rescue and gives you a black hoodie so that you blend in.  So of course this leads to another uprising, this time by the Allegiant.  They want to return to the factions.  They want to go back to the way things were before, except without all the hunting and killing of the Divergent.

For some reason, that plot goes NOWHERE.  Right after you find out about the Allegiant and what they want to do she switches to something completely different.  Tobias breaks Caleb out of jail where he's been waiting execution.  They meet up with Tris and a few others and have decided to go outside the fence.  They race toward the fence, get shot at, someone dies, but they make it to the other side.  Where they are introduced to the Bureau and taken in as almost honored guests.

You quickly learn that the city Tris hails from is an experiment in genetics.  Generations ago the government decided that in order to build a more perfect society, they would take away all the genes that caused bad things like selfishness, laziness, stupidity, brutality, etc.  Of course this experiment in genetics goes horribly wrong and leads to a war where those who are considered genetically pure are pitted against those who were genetically damaged...you know, the ones that the government screwed up to try and make Utopia.  After the war, instead of trying to use the same genetic engineering to reverse what they screwed up, they decide to put the Genetically Damaged people into closed cities and slowly introduce Genetically Pure individuals into the mix to eventually weed out the bad genes and then after about half a dozen generations or so, the offspring would be Genetically Pure!

So now you have the Genetically Damaged versus the Genetically Pure.  So now Tris and Tobias find themselves involved in the conflict between those in the Bureau that think the experiments that went on in their city are wrong and that there is nothing wrong with any of them regardless of their genes and the people who are in charge and believe that only the Genetically Pure should be allowed to be in charge.  Sound familiar?

Suddenly you're back in the conflict between Evelyn and the Allegiant.  They're going to end up going to war and it threatens to destroy the experiment that the Bureau worked so hard to keep together.  So now the Bureau wants to use the Abnegation memory serum to wipe everyone's memory so that they will stop fighting each other.  But Tris doesn't think that's right and thinks that they should use the serum to wipe the memories of the Bureau so that the damaged and the pure can live in peace and build a brave new world.  Of course there is the obligatory wondering if it's morally right to do so.

People die.  Tobias goes to the city to use the memory serum on one of his screwed up parents but suddenly has a change of heart and tells his mother (Evelyn) that if she can give up the fight, he'll come back home and be her son again.  And after abandoning him and nearly killing everyone he loves and turning into a tyrant, she suddenly has a change of heart and wants to become the World's Best Mom.  So they have a peace treaty with the Allegiant.  Yay.

Meanwhile, back at the Bureau, Caleb is going to go in and atone for being a selfish prick by breaking in and stealing the memory serum so that it can be used against the leaders of the Bureau.  Everyone who matters has already been inoculated against it.  You figure that Caleb is finally going to do something right for a change...but no.  Tris steps in and takes her brother's place and sacrifices herself for the greater good.  That's right, Veronica Roth KILLS THE MAIN CHARACTER!!!  WTF?!  It made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  We already knew Tris was willing to lay down her life for the greater good.  Hello!?!  Why would you have to sacrifice Tris to prove this?  What did it prove?  I mean seriously, the book didn't suddenly get better because you decided to kill off the main character.  It got WORSE.

It was already agonizing to watch Tobias go from an incredibly strong character into a self loathing, self doubting, fearful little brat.  Now we have to watch him agonizingly go through grief over Tris' death?  Yes, this was the point that the book nearly took a flying leap off the balcony.

I really wish I had read the spoilers and just stayed away from Allegiant.  I'm so disappointed in how the series ended that it nearly spoiled the good books for me.  Sigh.  I hate it when that happens.  I think next time I'll just read the spoilers.

Review for Small Spiders by J.T. Conroe

This is my review for Small Spiders.  The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Small Spiders is a book based on events that really happened and I'm always intrigued by fiction based, however loosely, on fact or actual events.  So that's what initially attracted me to this book.  The novel is set mostly in the early 1970's during the Nixon administration and follows several characters through the years to the Watergate scandal.  One of the main themes is the premise that the CIA created and implemented a program called MK Ultra where they used mind control and hypnosis to create the perfect assassin.  A program that will give any conspiracy theorist ammunition to say this type of program was behind assassins like Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley Jr.  Could it be possible?  Maybe.  Definitely gives you some food for thought.

While the characters were well drawn and the plot was an interesting one, it was a somewhat difficult to follow because of the constantly shifting viewpoints.  It was told in third person, but almost every chapter was following someone different.  Everyone's path eventually crossed and they were all tied together in the end, it was still rather hard to follow at times.  There were a few flashbacks and things introduced that never went anywhere.  The introduction of Ted Kaczynski was one that just didn't work for me.  I think it it had been fleshed out more, it would have made more sense in the story, it was more of an afterthought or something to better try to explain MK Ultra and some of the other rather scary programs run by the US Government during the post WWII era.

The story itself is one that's pretty scary for anyone who has or had blind confidence in the US Government.  It's not hard to see why there was so much distrust and dislike of the Nixon administration.  Some of what they got away with was pretty frightening and who could ever say what else they did?  So much information was destroyed, burned and shredded that I don't think anyone will ever know the truth behind not only MK Ultra but behind Watergate.  Using hypnosis to create the perfect assassin to get rid of your enemies?  How far would they have gone?  Who else was on their list?  Pretty frightening stuff.

I did enjoy the story but wished that it flowed together a bit better.  There were also some pretty glaring grammatical errors and some timeline inconsistencies.  At one point Artie was not feeling well due to something he eat earlier in the day but a few pages later he was suddenly starving, having realized he hadn't eaten anything all day.  While they didn't really detract from the story all that much, they were still a bit of an annoyance.  I would still recommend this to anyone who wants to delve a bit more into the conspiracy theories of the late 60's and 70's.  The story does start a bit slow and there are times where it is hard to follow, but all in all a good effort.

Small Spiders on Amazon

Review for Fathers House by C. Edward Baldwin

This is my review for Fathers House; the opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone else.

Fathers House is a mystery/suspense novel that takes place in Duraleigh, North Carolina.  The government officials are busy proclaiming that there is no gang violence and their streets are clean while all along getting kick-backs from a large crime syndicate called Fathers Disciples.  No one knows who they are and no one is really sure where they came from.  Signs seem to point to Fathers House, a home for wayward boys, run by “Uncle” Mayo Fathers.  Is this pillar of the community really a front for a massive criminal empire?  Who can you trust when everyone seems to be on the take?

Ben Lovison is an assistant in the District Attorney’s office who is given a case to prosecute that involved a savage beating death of a boy who lives at Fathers House by another of his peers, one who also lives at Fathers House.  Ben has a history with Fathers House; he is one of their success stories.  After the brutal murder of his mother, he is taken in by Uncle Mayo and he not only survives, he thrives.  He graduates high school, college and law school.  What should be a simple open and closed case becomes anything but.  With twists and turns along the way, Ben slowly comes to realize that there is something dark lurking in Fathers House and through the streets of Duraleigh.

 The story builds very slowly and for readers who don’t have the patience to let the story build, they will probably become disinterested after a few chapters. There are a lot of characters and it’s very hard to keep them all straight, some of them are unfortunately very interchangeable and that really ends up taking away from what really is a very well written story.  The plot is strong, and the twists are unexpected for the most part.  But the characters tend to get in the way.  I think if the cast was pared down a bit and more was done to identify and flesh out some of the more important characters it would have worked much better.

 Once you make it past the first few chapters, the story really begins to move quickly through the twists and turns and the author does finally connect all the dots together to make a more coherent picture.  I’m not sure if this was the intention of the author to have so many threads dangling out in the wind and then have them all tied together by the climax, but that’s definitely how it seemed to me.  It was really rough at first to try and keep all the threads straight and try to remember who was who and what side were they really on, but in the end I think it all worked out.  Satisfying climax though it was rather fast, a blink and you miss it type.

 Fathers House has a solid plot with some really solid characters, both good and evil.  Too many characters did detract a bit for me and some of them really didn’t lend much to the story itself other than to connect a dot later on.  But that’s just one person’s opinion.  This is an independently published novel if I remember correctly and while it might turn a lot of people off if it doesn't come from a big name publishing company, this novel was very well edited, very few errors and the formatting was better than I've seen in many, many independently published books.  Even the cover was interesting!  If you like crime stories, mysteries or suspense, give Fathers House a try.

Fathers House on Amazon

Review for The Jewel Box by C. Michelle McCarty

This is my review for The Jewel Box by C. Michelle McCarty.  The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone else.

This book surprised me.  I'm normally not one for what could be described as "Chick Lit" but the description of this book had me interested.  The description promised a cast of characters that wind their way through the life of a small-town girl who takes on big-city life.  It promised a gorgeous transsexual, groping cop, ditzy quasi-stalking neighbor and a Mr. Higgins like adviser who is trying to help her in everything from learning the ropes to romantic advice to parenting advice.  The story takes you through over 30 years of Jill a.k.a. Cherie's life.

The book begins in 2003 with Cherie sitting in her antique shop waiting on a special delivery.  When the delivery arrives it launches a flashback that takes up nearly the entire book, taking you back to the beginning of Jill's small-town life.  She grows up with an outspoken father, whom she takes after and her religious and prim mother who she can never seem to connect with.  In her hurry to get away from her small town life, she marries young and has a daughter, Nikki.  Her taste in men isn't exactly stellar and the marriage ends and she quickly needs to make a life for herself and her daughter.  After connecting with her friend Kat and at her urging and the urging of her current disastrous boyfriend, she goes to The Jewel Box and ends up with a job as a waitress at a less than proper establishment.  But here is where she meets Beau, the owner of The Jewel Box.  Beau becomes her adviser and teaches her about life, love and everything in between.  Jill becomes Cherie, out of necessity to keep her other life secret and separate from her family who she just doesn't think would understand.
 
The story really revolves around Cherie and Gabriel, who she meets while working at The Jewel Box.  They are very obviously two people who are destined to be together and share a friendship and a love that many of us wish we could have.  This isn't a fairy tale love, but one that's surprisingly real, raw and for the most part believable.  Life throws everything possible at the couple and it seems that fate wants to keep them apart.  Gabe's mother is particularly vicious and made me want to come through the book and throttle her.  You may find yourself wanting to slap both Gabe and Cherie for being utterly stubborn and stupid when it comes to love, communication and just generally being rational human beings, but if you stick it out the story really is an engaging and human one.

The cast of characters are varied and vivid.  You meet her Delilah, her neighbor, and are at once repulsed but still find yourself laughing at how you almost wish you had someone as brash and vocal as her around.  She was a fun secondary character and one that added some much needed laughter to the story.  Nikki is Cherie's daughter and you get to watch her grow from a toddler into an amazing young woman and she's the type of daughter that I think many of us would love to have.  Gloria is Gabe's mother and trust me when I say she's a character you just love to hate.  Evil mother-in-law indeed!  Beau the spiritual adviser who stays with her throughout her life through thick and thin.  So many characters come in and out of the story but they all feel real and all lend something to the story regardless of how long they stick around.  Some you wish would stay longer and some you can't wait till they get shown the door.

The setting was great.  You get to travel from the 60's all the way to 2000's and share in all the music, pop culture, politics and everything else in-between along the way.  As the story unfolds through the decades, you are treated to a very vivid look at some of the most important events in our immediate past. 

A solid 4 stars for The Jewel Box.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a decent romance book with just the right touches of sadness, melancholy and totally incredulous moments.  It wasn't overdone, overblown or over sexed.  It was just right.

The Jewel Box on Amazon

Review for God on Trial by Sabri Bebawi

God on Trial is a very riveting story of a man and his descent into mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, and his decision to bring a lawsuit against God for crimes against humanity.  The main character is a man of deteriorating health, both mental and physical, in his late 50's.  He is nameless but not faceless.  He has a very generic description that makes it easy for you to imagine him as a friend, relative or coworker.  You can both sympathize and empathize with him.  He is married to a woman he adores and has stayed by his side through all of his illnesses and takes care of him.  She holds him through his seizures and does everything she can to make him comfortable and show that he's loved and cared for.  He in return cares very deeply for her and is evident throughout the story.

His life was not a pleasant one, especially in the beginning.  He begins to blame God for much of his suffering and the suffering of mankind.  He doesn't just limit his anger at one incarnation of God, but at the image of a vengeful and violent God.  He begins to put together a brief that will bring God to trial in abesntia.  He pulls out biblical verses that seem to support his claim that God has committed horrendous crimes against humanity and needs to be held accountable for those crimes.  As he gathers the evidence he needs, his mind deteriorates.  His life and health begin to fall apart.  But even while you can tell that he is in the depths of a hallucination or in the grips of his schizophrenia, he is not ranting like a "typical" madman.  His arguments are lucid and will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned the image of a vengeful God.

The story is disturbing, throught-provoking, intelligent, compassionate, frightening and throughly enjoyable.  The cover and the title intrigued me and I was hooked through the entire story.  I was left with many questions and the story can definitely lead for some intersting discussions.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ever questioned God and human suffering.  The author really leaves it up to the reader to make their own decision.  While sympathetic toward the main character, the author doesn't claim that he is right or wrong...just that he has a valid argument.  Then it's up to us to decide.

God on Trial on Amazon.com

Review for Taking Flight by Stephen Tritto

I received this book free in return for an honest review.  The opinions included are my own and were no way influenced by receiving the book as a gift.

Taking Flight tells the story of Anthony Bartolo and his unexpected journey.  A member of his group of friends has died while in another country and Anthony volunteers to travel to El Salvador and bring back the remains of his friend.  He tells himself and his disapproving wife that he's only doing it because it's the right thing to do and since he has the time, why not?  So begins his journey to not only find and return his friend, but to all find himself.

In the beginning, Anthony is not a likable person.  You find yourself wondering how someone could be so selfish and self-absorbed.  His wife, Bernadette, isn't much better.  They're both whiny and more interested in material things than in true human interaction.  They host a party but are so worried about what their friends will think that they can't even enjoy the time spent together!  He is a very me, me, me centered person in the beginning with a huge chip on his shoulder.  He's abrasive and rude.  Very much an anti-hero during the beginning stages of the story.

During the journey to El Salvador, Anthony meets Mr. Hernandez who is hired as his bodyguard and his escort through the country.  They couldn't be more different but they develop a quick camaraderie that develops into a deeper friendship.  They will forever be linked and I don't think Anthony will ever forget Mr. Hernandez as long as he lives.  He quickly gains the trust of Mr. Hernandez and is invited into the home of one of his friends where he meets Jorge and Consuelo and their children, who live in the village where his friend died.  His mission goes from one of recovery to one of discovery.  He learns of a secret that his friend had been keeping and one that would change not only his life, but the lives of those back home in America.  He has to deal with corrupt officials and bureaucratic red tape that lengthen his trip and cause strain on his already strained marriage.

Anthony begins the story as a self-absorbed hot shot in the tech field who is overly concerned with material things, money and what else he can do to impress his friends...who really aren't his friends but his wife's friends.  He's shallow and full of himself.  During the course of the book he loses the chip on his shoulder and really starts to look at the world around him.  He watches people who are not rich in the conventional sense, they don't own a lot of stuff, but are incredibly rich in what really counts.  They are rich in life.  They take hold of life with both hands and live every day to the fullest, never knowing if they will see the next sunrise.

This was a truly enjoyable read, once you get past the beginning.  It was a little tedious to start.  I didn't enjoy most of the American characters.  There was no real interaction between them and it was nearly impossible to see why they were even friends.  It was almost as though he wanted to portray the American characters as bad as he possibly could.  Many of them have almost no redeeming qualities.  There were a few characters that seemed to have no place in the story and I'm still not sure why they were included, especially Anthony's ex.  I honestly don't know what she added to the story other than to further make Anthony look like a total jerk.

If you can make it past the tedious beginning, you will be rewarded.  It's worth it.

I was somewhat dissatisfied with the ending, but I think it's more because it felt rushed than with the way that it ended.  The ending truly does work but I think it was just too rushed.   There really weren't any questions left unanswered, but there was just a sense of unfinished business.  You watch Anthony blossom from a heartless jerk into an incredibly empathetic person.  Someone you want to get to know even better.

I will give Taking Flight 4 stars.  It starts slowly but is worth the wait.  It's a well written story with believable characters and engaging dialogue.  The Kindle edition I received was well edited and formatted better than most books I've read lately.  You're left still wanting more and I don't think that's a bad thing.  There are no fairy tale endings here and for that, I was definitely appreciative!   A good read that I would definitely recommend.

Taking Flight on Amazon.com