Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan (book 1) by John Flanagan

I've heard about and seen posters for the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, and I've been really interested in them. That's why when I got the first two books for Christmas to read with my Sweetie, I was really excited to start reading them.

From the blurb: "They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . ."

My Review:

Fantasy can be really hit or miss for me, but The Ruins of Gorlan was a hit. Marketed for 4-8th grade, it was fun to reminisce on the fantasy books we had read when we were that age. It definitely helped that Sweetie and I read it together before bed (and to be perfectly honest, I crashed out many nights and had to re-read a bit of each chapter), and could talk about it the next morning. It made for a great bonding time for us.

Many elements of the plot and structure were very predictable and cliche; however, there were several times when it seemed predictable, but it broke the prediction apart and went a totally different direction. The action is fairly stereotypically the good vs. evil, but the action/fight scenes were exciting and fun to read. It also has a lot of really funny moments and phrases that kept both of us laughing.

The characters were likable and I'm excited to see how Will and Halt grow and develop as the series moves forward. There is also hinting at a possible romance for Will that should be fun to see develop.

I asked one of my students who is reading one of the later books which has been his favorite, and he said that they've just gotten better and better as they've gone on. So, needless to say, I'm excited to start the next novel, The Burning Bridge!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Divergent--Veronica Roth

(Thanks to Amazon for the image)

One of the new YA books that I am kind of obsessed with is Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Amazon gives a great description of the novel. "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens 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 literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance."

My review:
I had seen people posting the cover of Divergent on Pinterest, and loved the cover art. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I can't help it. If the cover art rocks, I am so much more likely to pick it up and give it a chance. Anyway, just before Winter recess, my friend was asking me what my "holiday reading" was going to be. I decided that I should go to our library and pick something up. I read the inside jacket blurb and decided within the first chapter that I was completely hooked.

I got Divergent home and sat down with it on Christmas afternoon after all the morning excitement had calmed down. I could not put it down! Finally at midnight, I decided that I absolutely had to put it down or I would have been up all night, and the first thing I did when I woke up was rush back to the couch to finish. I was a little afraid that it was going to be a lot like most of the dystopian society novels that have popped up in the last few years (like The Hunger Games--which will be reviewed at a later date); however, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the new ideas brought in to make Divergent a pretty original novel.

I loved the characters: Tris, the protagonist, is well developed and you can feel what she is going through trying to fit into her faction. I love Tris' love interest. It is a cute/frustrating/sweet/slowish development between the two, which doesn't leave you feeling like, "What?! Where did this come from? It's so out of the blue!" or "Oh my goodness! Hurry up and kiss already!!"

One of the key things I loved about this book is that the descriptions of the settings/characters/etc. are very well done. They make Tris' society real and exciting.

I think that it's a great pick for teens. It's got a ton of gripping action, a love story, and a interesting plot. It would be a great one in the classroom to pair with some of the classic dystopian societies. I would look at the structure of the societies to compare/contrast the structure and the back story as to what led to the creation of the society.

I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the second installment of the Divergent Trilogy, Insurgent, which is scheduled to come out on May 1, 2012

My final review: 5 out of 5 stars

A First Attempt

Lately, I've been thinking that I can hardly keep track of all the young adult novels that I've read. I'm completely terrible about actually keeping track of a blog, but I think that for as long as it takes me to get through a book these days, I can work back up the motivation to quickly write up a review of the book.

I also want to try and go back to some older YA books that I have read and love.