Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
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(After first read)
== I didn't like this book as much as Red Queen. It just seemed like nothing happy happened at all. I liked the recruitment of the newbloods. I loved when they had to go to Harbor City to look up the information and the chase through WhitHill Palace. With the first trap with Maven, I was real excited to see what happened and how they were going to get away. I was sooo disappointed that the author just skipped right over their escape. It seemed like the easy way out to have Mare "pass out" and wake up 4 days later and everything be accomplished without us being able to go through it with the other characters. I know everything is from Mare's point of view but I was still disappointed.

Then it happened again with the prison. The most anticipated duel of Mare and Elara and we don't even get to see it?! It felt like a "cop out". Don't get our hopes up and have another flash forward. With her return to the island, I felt so exhausted when she wanted to go after the Little Legion. I was like,"No more! Leave that to the next book." The ending of the book was a surprise and I liked it, but it just didn't flow. I liked the collar thing and the walk of shame. I do look forward to the next book.

(After multiple reading)
I do admit, that the book was a little slow. But ooooooooo Maven! xoxoxo That's all I'm gonna say. ==
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Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.

One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

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== BRAVO!!! The book pulled me in almost as soon as I started to read it. I loved this book as soon as I finished it. I loved this book after the tenth time reading it. I have it as a "MUST" on my bookshelf. Whenever I need to lose myself for a few days, I read the whole series again. Just...*chef's kiss*. Anywhoo, it did take me a few times to comprehend what was going on after the character got her first job. But the attention to detail was great. The visuals were spot on. I LOOOVED the royal family. Yes...I was completely caught off guard by the betrayal. But it made for the story to be extra juicy for the next few books. ==
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Insurgent By Veronica Roth

One choice can destroy you.Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead‚ the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war‚ sides must be chosen‚ secrets will emerge‚ and choices will become even more irrevocable — and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt‚ radical new discoveries‚ and shifting relationships‚ Tris must fully embrace her Divergence‚ even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. **************************************************************
== This book was a lot different for me.  I didn't enjoy it as much as Divergent, but I still enjoyed it.  I like the fact we get to actually spend time with the other factions. Learn some of their beliefs and customs. Towards the last battle, I lost track of who was who. Born this, chose that. The personalities of the characters didn't stand out anymore. It made the characters too generic and they weren't special anymore.

Tris was really whiney alot. Just cry and get it over with. Too many false stops. It was alright that the author weaved into to storyline Tris' death wish, but I felt it was unnecessary until the point she was actually going to die. Evelyn could easily be played by the actor who portrayed Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series.

I got tired of all the sub-characters dropping like flies. I felt like I was reading George R. R. Martin's books. All of them didn't need to die. Anyways, I didn't like the cut off at the end. I was looking forward to the next book. I was about to download it onto my Kindle when I happened to see the reviews. Now I'm sad. I don't want to be disappointed. =( ==
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I never did read the 3rd book

Divergent - By Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. **************************************************************
== I haven't read a book in a really long time.  I recently saw a movie with my daughter and the trailer for this new movie came on. Another teen book turned movie. But I have seen this book before at the stores. The story seemed interesting, so I bought the book "for my daughter". After several weeks on it sitting on the shelf, I grabbed it and gave it a try.

It's good. Real good. It has some hints of The Hunger Games, but that ended quickly. There was a lot going on in the story. Action. The story moved at a good pace. The book isn't full of surprises, but you didn't seem to mind it being a little predictable.

I loved the visuals. The author used great descriptions. I really got to see the different parts of the city. I even felt the wind on the train. You really feel the characters. See them.

The one thing I was disappointed in though was that we didn't get to revel in Tris' new found position. Right after she FINALLY got through initiation, there's war. It was too soon. Too soon we couldn't play with her as she jumped through the air. Or got to indulged more in her romance. We didn't even get a chance to discover more about her parents. That's it, gone. No more answers.

Even though I was disappointed how the books turned so quickly, I am eager to begin book two.==
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