What can I say? I suppose I'm a bit of an oxymoron. Anyone who meets me while I'm at my day job - as a teacher of young children, no less - would say I have a cheerful, optimistic personality. But you see, I can't keep that up all the time. I need an outlet, a way to decompress. So you know where that brings us, don't you? At day's end, I come home and write about destroying the world. It's glorious. Through writing, I can let my inner demons escape through my fingertips - and hopefully spin a compelling tale while I'm at it.
I loved this book (and the whole Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee). I think we are drawn to things to which we can relate, and this book is so similar to my own, that of course, I have to love it! We have half-angels, or Nephilim, who are hell-bent on eradicating humans from the planet. Our protagonist is tough and resourceful, and of course, there is tension between her and one of the half-angels, who falls for her. Angelfall (Susan Ee) and Wormwood (my own) were both released around the same time, so I find it cool that although Ee and I each have different stories overall, we both had some similar ideas. It's fair to say that I appreciate how her mind works!
My heart carries an insatiable craving for dystopian stories with a surprise twist, buried among the sparkling darkness within. Divergent ticked all the right boxes here. In this world created by Veronica Roth, there were questions layered upon questions, and it was a crazy ride, trying to predict what might happen next. Despite the harsh environment, our protagonist, Tris, was determined to prove herself. I grew attached to her mettle quickly, just as I was drawn in by her tough and mysterious instructor, Four.
The explosive debut by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.
DIVERGENT - a major motion picture series.
For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.
Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....
In a world ravaged by an inexplicable plague, society lies in ruins. Amidst the desolation, a lone survivor perseveres in a secluded state park along the Delaware Coast. Over a year has passed since she lost everything, yet as the sanctuary she’s carved for herself begins to crumble, she must…
These ideas and the images in this one were sublime! This world, where some people are born with superpowers, was like a graphic novel brought to life. The connection between Nova, who is hell-bent on revenge against the Renegades, and the Renegade, Adrian, who simply wants Nova, makes the story hum with tension. I honestly wasn't sure if she would warm to him... or kill him.
Secret identities. Extraordinary powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies-humans with extraordinary abilities-who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone . . . except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice-and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a…
I was intrigued by the killer premise, where randomly chosen teenagers are thrown into a giant enclosure, and the last one left alive is the winner. The descriptions and the vividness of the characters created some of the best moments for me. I became obsessed with the fate of Katniss and Peeta. It was thrilling, what The Hunger Games did to my heart. Continually throughout the story, it would race, and it would break, and it would be lifted. What a ride.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices
By
Liz Foster,
A heart-warming and hilarious novel about the highs and lows of marriage, fraud, and goat’s cheese.
Libby Popovic is a country girl who’s now living a golden life in Bondi with her confident financier husband Ludo, and their two children. When Ludo is jailed for financial fraud, and Libby’s friends…
This story got my ticker thumping in all the right ways. It had the perfect mix for me: darkness, but with a faint spark of hope. Our human protagonist, Melanie, is "infected" early in the story, yet the alien who is using her as a host is unable to completely overcome her strong personality. I found myself sympathizing with both the alien, Wanda (who, interestingly became the protagonist), and with the host, Melanie. Being of two minds, Wanda seeks refuge with a hidden group of human survivors, endangering them all. My heart raced as I wondered what would become of the alien, Wanda, and the humans she now wished to protect. Could she go against her own kind in order to protect Ian, the boy she had come to love? I had to know!
Now in the trade paperback edition: New Bonus Chapter and Reading Group Guide, including Stephenie Meyer's Annotated Playlist for the book.Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and…
He would die for her. She is heartbreakingly killing him.
Nephilim have all but destroyed the surface of the Earth. Yet for Kali Michaels, her life is now much more complicated than simply surviving. Grappling with her own powerful identity, she worries she could destroy those around her. And what if she hurts Tiamat Wormwood, the Nephilim outcast who had given everything to save her?
An ambitious orphan. A ruthless warlord. An impossible destiny.
Arya Nameless is a lowly Raider posted to an isolated fort in the most dangerous place in Dunidaen. She has few prospects, and as much as she loves her fellow soldiers, she burns for more—more control, more autonomy, more power.
When…
On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women who call themselves the Tattooed Ladies. They’re there…
