Teaser Tuesday (95)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Beyond the Gardens (p. 37)
    - Sandra Lopez

Pro: I would actually have plans tonight.
Pro: I Wouldn't be just another nerd with no life.

Insurgent (Divergent #2)

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Veronica Roth continues the epic Divergent trilogy with her novel, Insurgent. Immediately following the conclusion of book one, Tris and Tobias are looking for the truth with a side of revenge. With her parents both dead, Beatrice has only her brother and Tobias, but can they be trusted? Can anyone? 

Beatrice is the main character of this series and readers continue following her as she attempts to reveal the truth behind the attack on her home faction. With Jeanine Matthews trying to capture all Divergents (those who cannot fall under simulation), she and Tobias must try to survive. And Tris has really bad survival instincts. After she shot Will in the first book, she struggles to hold a gun. She's wracked with guilt. Especially the guilt that her parents died for her and their cause. Now she is losing grip on her will to live. Readers will connect with Beatrice based on these emotions as well as the continuing love story with Tobias. 

However, what Tris really needs (besides the will to survive and finish this) is the ability to trust. It's true that many people in this series have their own agenda. But lying to Tobias? Siding with a common enemy? I'm all for following your gut feeling and using logic to become one step ahead of the enemy, but at least tell the truth. How are fellow characters and readers supposed to trust Beatrice if she doesn't show trust in anyone else? Telling her allies what the plan is doesn't mean she has to let them stop her. Beatrice really struggles with accepting what she's done and what needs to be done. Not doing it, but actually owning up to it. I'm worried that this characteristic will be her fatal flaw. 

The plot of Insurgent follows Beatrice through her journey to find the truth behind the execution of an entire faction and the revolt leader, Jeanine Matthews. While Jeanine is trying to find the Divergent population to "save society," Beatrice discovers that there's a rather big secret being kept from the entire population. She decides to trust an enemy to look further into the matter while the factionless and non-traitor Dauntless join forces, planning to attack Erudite, the faction that protects Jeanine. And trust me, this secret will change how you view this series. But I won't tell you what it is... yet.

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Rapunzel (Demon Tales)

Chloe, princess of the iron fey and heir to the throne, is trapped. Kidnapped from her life at the young age of fifteen and imprisoned by the Vulcans, she has suffered at their hands for more than a decade.

Broken weak and hopeless, she has long stopped dreaming of a better life.

When a large demon is captured by the Vulcans and thrown into her tower, Chloe has no idea that fate has a plan.

Bent on fulfilling a promise he made to his dying mother, Blane finds himself behind bars. Locked in the legendary Vulcan tower, with a woman he fears is his mate, Blane realizes that even the best laid plans can fail.

Blane never wanted a mate. Never wanted anyone to rely on him. But can he walk away from the one woman who is meant to be the other half of his soul?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Kerianne Coombes adds a thick supernatural air to a well known fairy tale with her novel, Rapunzel. Though the main character isn't named Rapunzel, Coombes weaves together the story of the long haired healer with fey folk and demons. 

Blane and Chloe are the two main characters and each share their own point of view as the novel unfolds. Blane is loyal, brave, enticing, yet crude. His outbursts are certainly unexpected but understandable as he is, in fact, a demon. The promise he made to his mother rules his life. After previous repercussions, Blane is determined to never make, or break, another promise. Chloe is the opposite of Blane. She's reserved with a quiet strength. Her past is filled with memories of torture and the exploitation of her powers. Readers will connect with Blane through his loyalty and the need to give meaning to a horrible tragedy. They will connect with Chloe both sympathetically and through her desire to be free. 

The plot follows Blane as he searches for necessary items to keep his promise. While searching, he is captured and thrown in a tower holding cell with Chloe. From there they attempt escape and try to escape the feelings that grow between them. Though verbally intense, Rapunzel is a heroic fairy tale in which readers see the story from the eyes of both the hero and the damsel in distress. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (81)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth. The sequel to Divergent and the second book in the trilogy. It's such a gripping novel but the main character is evolving into a girl I don't know if I can relate to. We'll see how this one wraps up.

02. Recently Finished:
Rapunzel (Demon Tales) by Kerianne Coombes. A demon on a journey to keep a promise made to his dying mother comes across a Fey Princess locked in a tower. Love and adventure ensue. :)

03. Reading Next:
Codename: Chimera by J.K Persy. A murder mystery with a link to Ancient Greece. Sounds quite exciting.