Book Reviews: Angel and Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

I came across these books in the library a few days ago. I'd never heard of them before. I looked at their Goodreads ratings and reviews when I got home and found that they were fairly positive. I dislike the covers and find the titles unoriginal, but the actual books are good. As they say, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! They're similar to The Hunger Games and Divergent series' - The world is different from our own (well, one aspect is), the main characters are adolescents and there is a mix of action and romance in them.

What are they about? There are angels in our world that have come from their own in order to survive. To survive, they need energy, so they feed off of human auras. This leaves the humans feeling incredibly happy and believing in angels, but they also become sick. They could acquire depression, schizophrenia, cancer etc. As you can probably guess, these angels are not your stereotypical 'good' ones. There are a number of people who kill these angels to protect humans and they are called Angel Killers (AKs). One Angel Killer, called Alex, crosses paths with a girl named Willow. She is a half-angel. He has never come across a half-angel before because they are not supposed to exist. It is thought to be impossible for humans and angels to breed. The first book follows Alex's and Willow's relationship while they also try to destroy the angels. The second book has the same basic storyline, but new characters and world-saving missions are brought in.

My thoughts: I enjoyed them! On my Goodreads profile, I gave the first book 4 stars out of 5 and the second book 5 stars out of 5. I really enjoy the mix of action and romance in books. The action keeps me entertained and the romance connects me to the characters, wanting to read on. I enjoyed the second one a little more because there are more characters and action in it. In my opinion, they're not as good as The Hunger Games and Divergent series', but they're pretty close. They do contain more romance than action in, especially the first book, so keep that in mind. Also, the second book is 700+ pages, which some people may not like. Some people prefer shorter books.

The third book is going to be released on the 1st October 2012 - Not long to go! I will definitely be reading it.

The other books I checked out of the library are:

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and

The Sacred Vault by Andy McDermott (I've enjoyed a couple of the other books in the series)

I've also just bought:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett and

Evermore by Alyson Noel (I've only bought the first book in the The Immortals series to see if I like it. If I do, I will be purchasing the rest!)

I also want to read the Maze Runner and Inkheart series'.

Have you read any of these books?

Short Book Reviews: Unwind and Divergent

These are my short, but sweet, thoughts on the books. I thought I'd review them in one post to make it a worthwhile read. I've tried not to give any significant spoilers away. Hopefully, my attempts have worked!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

What is it about? 'In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would unwind them. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.'

This blurb sums up the book perfectly, so I don't need to explain it any further!

My thoughts: I liked it. It didn't leave me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, but it was still a good read. As far as I'm aware, this book is not part of a series. Because of this, the ending was conclusive and answered most of the questions I had. I see this as both a good and bad aspect. Yes, it left me fairly satisfied, but it didn't leave me wanting more (I didn't mean to make that sound sexual, I promise). I read one review that said Unwind was too disturbing. I didn't find it disturbing at all! In fact, it could have done with a few more uneasy scenes, if you ask me. Some people are so fragile. So, yes, it gets a thumbs up from me.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

What is it about? 'When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her life will change. Or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance.' 

Within this future society, there are 'factions'. Factions are groups within the society which consist of people with the same characteristics. There are five factions: Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Erudite (intelligent), Candor (honest) and Amity (peaceful). Once a teenager turns sixteen, they take a simulation test, which determines the faction best suited to them, and then they have to decide which faction they want to be apart of. Tris' test results show that she has characteristics suited for multiple factions. She's a Divergent. She has to decide how she would like to live her life. Once her decision is made, she is put through her paces to see if she can survive in the certain faction. Corruption then breaks out across society, and the decisions Tris makes from then on will determine who lives, and who doesn't.

My thoughts: I loved it. I loved it so much that as soon as I finished the book earlier, I ordered the second one, Insurgent, which was released two days ago. I thought that the majority of the book was going to be about Tris deciding which faction she would choose to be apart of, but the decision was made within a few chapters of the book. I could no longer predict what was going to happen, so curiosity engrossed me. Divergent contains romance, which I absolutely loved. In these moments, I felt like I was the one experiencing the intimacy of the story line. However, romance only makes up a small portion of the book. The majority of it is filled with action, so it's suited towards both genders. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to read the next one.