Allegiant - Warning...Spoilers Abound.

So, here's a warning for those who want to read my review... I figure it's been long enough since this book came out to give an honest review. I'm dying to share my thoughts and I really don't want to pull any punches... SOOO... if you want a spoiler-free review, you're going to have to go elsewhere. Sorry. 

That being said, here goes:

Allegiant 

by Veronica Roth
Divergent Trilogy, book three

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

With the Divergent movie currently filming and Veronica Roth appearing live all over the media world, both in person and virtually, anticipation for the conclusion of the trilogy has been HUGE. I, like millions of other readers, could not wait for the final book's arrival. I pre-ordered my copy. I gleefully ripped open the packaging when it came. I pet the book.  

Unfortunately, with the last few weeks of my committee wrapping up just as the book came out, all I could do was wistfully stare at it...longing to pick it up and VOWING to avoid spoilers on the internet.  I made it more than two weeks!! And then... the ultimate spoiler. I knew something big had happened. Veronica Roth was receiving death threats for Pete's sake!  But, I never wanted to find out what in the way I did!

I wanted to read the book from start to finish, unaware of what was lying in wait for me.  To read the book the way it was intended...untainted by spoilers. Alas, it wasn't to be...and perhaps that truly colored my experience as I read.  

Why would that matter? Because, honestly, I was disappointed by the book.  Before you all get the pitchforks ready to run me out of town, let me explain. 

While I love Tris and the world of Divergent, I felt like both those things were a little lost to me in Allegiant.  Roth alternates perspective between Tris and Four, chapter by chapter, through most of the book.  Not only did I lose the deep connection I felt being solely in Tris' head, but I also had a hard time distinguishing whose perspectives the events were in without checking the chapter headings.  And sadly, the love I'd felt for Four was diminished by reading his chapters. While events truly weighed on Four and I understood his terror, his depression, his loneliness, this book turned Four into a whiny man unable to make his own choices, unable to function in a new world. 

Speaking of that new world...while I appreciated the idea that Roth built in her post-apocalyptic America, I'm not sure if it was how the information was presented or what, but though I found the idea sound, I found myself bored as I was reading.  It felt like everyone's reactions to the news were pretty predictable.  Except maybe Four, who disappointed me by melting into a puddle of goo... *grimaces.* 

And of course, just handling that emotional devestation - finding out you were just part of some big lab experiment, constantly watched and judged by strangers - was not enough to create a book...though I might have been more interested if it was...nor was it just enough to have them save their loved ones still in Chicago, Tris and the others got sucked into a larger war. The war between "Genetically Pures" and "Genetically Damaged" people. A civil war based on the societal expectations and restrictions placed upon people due to their DNA. Their DNA!

I just kept sighing to myself as one more predictable thing happened after another. Until...until Veronica Roth killed off Tris.  

SHE KILLED THE MAIN CHARACTER!

Now here's the most interesting part of my review.  The part where I tell you why that made me HAPPY. Yes, you read that right.  I was surprised, I was sad, and I was happy when Tris died.  She sacrifices herself to save everyone she loved.  She EMBODIES the character she was written to be...she is brave, she is self-sacrificing, she loves, and she defies expectations. 

Kudos to Veronica Roth for following her character through to the bitter end.  Kudos to her for being brave enough to do so. Too many authors feel that they cannot take that path, even if it would be more real. 

So, while overall I was disappointed by the finale of what started out as a blockbuster series, I also feel that Veronica Roth deserves recognition for writing a BRAVE ending...even if it wasn't well received. 

What were YOUR thoughts on how things ended?

Full disclosure: Purchased for my personal collection

Iggy Loomis - Superkid in Training

Iggy Loomis - Superkid in Training 
by Jennifer Allison

For fans of Captain Underpants, here comes Iggy Loomis -- already a huge pain in his older brother Daniel’s you-know-what. But when a science experiment gone wrong makes Iggy’s DNA mutate, Iggy gets cool super powers! Is Iggy going to turn into an alien? Daniel needs to stop Iggy right now—before EVERYONE gets in trouble! With aliens, gadgets, space travel, superpowers, spies, and Jennifer Allison’s humor, this story is an out-of-this-world blast! (description from Amazon.com)

Okay, you all should know that I'm a HUGE fan of the Gilda Joyce series.  I love Gilda! So, when Jennifer's assistant, Sophie, contacted me to ask if I wanted to check out her newest book, IGGY LOOMIS - SUPERKID IN TRAINING, I was delighted to say yes! (Thank you, Sophie!)

This book was fun and exciting for younger readers.  It has great and realistic family relationships.  Daniel is your average kid dealing with a younger brother and sister that happen to be twins! Iggy is a whirlwind of a kid...leaving trails of destroyed toys in his wake, and while Daniel loves him, there's also NO WAY that Daniel wants to share a room with him.  But... to see the way that Daniel protects Iggy, Iggy protects Daniel, the way that Iggy protects his twin sister... and the way that their parents love them all, what a great message for kids!  

Aside from having a crazy family, Daniel meets a cool, but strange boy from next door named Alistair. When he discovers Alistair's secret (he's really an alien, shhh...don't tell!) things start to get truly WILD. I died laughing as Daniel, and us readers, learned that Alistair's people were here to find the perfect conditions to grow new strains of broccoli, the only food his people eat.  All the technologies that Alistair uses, however, to test conditions and species end up becoming problematic for Daniel... especially when Iggy ends up mutating his own DNA with insect species' DNA by accident... 

I really enjoyed both the story of this book and the illustrations by Mike Moran.  I thought this would be a perfect book to give to any 3rd or 4th grader.  It has aliens, science, toys, and interesting friend and family relationships that just about any kid could relate to easily.  I'm happily going to be ordering this book for our library's collection! 

Full disclosure: Review copy provided by author

Solid

Solid
by Shelley Workinger

Teens who discover they were secretly genetically altered before birth are brought together at a classified site where they develop "super-abilities", while at the same time forging new friendships, finding love and unearthing a conspiracy. (description from Amazon.com)

Clio finds out that she was part of a genetic experiment, but no one really knows what effect the manipulation may have had on all the teens in the group. She, and a bunch of other similarly afftected teens come together to figure things out. Clio, who has moved around a lot because of her mom's job, has never really made any lifelong friends.

Things change when she arrives at the "camp." Clio meets Bliss, a girl who she immediately clicks with, a fun loving semi-pervy guy named Garrett, a sometimes cranky, slightly OCD girl named Miranda, and a guy...oh, yes, a hot, smart, and sweet guy named Jack. Clio, a fountain of awesome snarkiness, occasionally loses her ability to speak around Jack, but still manages to be the glue that holds the whole group together...even when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan.

As Clio and Miranda learn they can disappear, Bliss finds she can turn herself into a human sparkler, and Garrett is an amazing athlete/superhero/gymnist, only Jack seems to lack a special talent. The more the teens figure out, though, the more they realize that there is someone out there who seems to know just a little more than they do... The teens band together to investigate and discover that not only do they make a great team, one that can really rely on each other, but that when all's said and done they have no desire to lose their newfound group.

This was a super-fast and fun read. I loved Clio's voice. I loved the group dynamic and watching Clio draw the others into her circle. The teens all played really well off of each other and Clio always felt amazingly real to me. She's a girl I would love to hang out with. It was also really cool to see their powers develop, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book, now that they know what they can do...

Book two, Settling, actually comes out on this Monday, July 4th and I cannot wait to get it. I read a little preview and it is slightly more steamy and totally intriguing.

If you want to learn more, you can go to the Solid series Facebook page, here. I suggest you check it out!

Full disclosure: Review copy received from author.