Spotlight On Television: The 100

The 100 is currently on season two. It is a post-apocalyptic drama that started back in 2013 on the CW. It is based on the book of the same name, by Kass Morgan. 

Personally, I started watching The 100 this year on Netflix after surgery. And let me tell you, it is a pretty incredible show. I agree with what most of the critics say, this show has its fair share of stereotypes, but honestly, they make it work. Each character is relateable in some way and this show has a similar feeling and is reminiscent of Lost and Terra Nova.

I love the way they tell the stories in this show. As the seasons progress you get to learn more about each character`s personal story and you get to see what made them the way they are. What drives them and what scares them. We are introduced to Clarke and we watch her story unfold and understand why she is the way she is. But the story becomes even more complicated when we learn about Bellamy and Octavia, and learn more about the Ark and what it was like living in it.

The premise is extraordinary: this story begins 97 years after a nuclear war wipes out nearly all life on earth. The only known survivors are the people of the Ark. The Ark was created by the 12 space stations that came together after the war. Life on the Ark is hard. Any and all crimes are punishable by 'floating' unless you are under eighteen. 'Floating' is the horrifying practice of throwing any rule breakers out of an air lock.

Yes, even after a nuclear war us humans are still executing one another.
Unfortunately, under the circumstances, it is actually understandable why all crimes are dealt with so ruthlessly and punished so severely.

About 2, 400 people live on the Ark, they are ruled by the Chancellor and the Council. When the life support system on the Ark begins to fail--100 "expendable" juvenile delinquents are sent from the Ark down to Earth. The teens are aware that it's a test to see if the earth is habitable yet. They find out that for the most part, the earth is habitable.

The teens and kids land on Earth and begin to form a sort of community. Earth, a place they had only ever dreamed about and seen from space, becomes their home. Problems arise when two conflicting ideals emerge in the form of the leadership. Clarke and Bellamy are at odds over how they want this new world to work. Bellamy wants to be free of the Ark while Clarke who represents moral leadership wants to save them.

The teens become divided when half of them don't want the Ark to know that the earth is habitable and they begin to take off there sensor bracelets. The kids and teens soon discover that the dangers they will face are more than just that of their peers, in fact, the earth may be beautiful but it is not without its own dangers. And though they thought they were the only survivors they're not.

Eve, Anna Carey

The cover is what drew to the book in the first place, I first found out about it on Inkpop, a old site Harper Collins used to own--a site I will never not miss. 

So this is book is going to be another in the Book Cross Over I'm doing with J.N. Cahil over on her blog.  

This is the same Book Cross Over we started back in 2013--hence the logo.

    The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus and the vaccine intended to protect against it wiped out most of the earth’s population. Little more then two percent of population remains. And, the virus killed more males then females; the males that are left, are vicious only wanting to use and abuse the young, impressionable girls. 

Eve owes everything to the King, for he is the one who, after the world fell, put it back together and established the wonderful School that protects Eve and her classmates. 

So the book starts the night before Eve, and her classmates graduation. Eighteen-year-old Eve is perfect, seriously, she is the golden girl. But, the night before graduation after witnessing one of her classmates desperate and successful escape, Eve finds out the truly horrifying truth about her intended future. 

With the help of one kind, yet sad teacher, Eve runs from the twisted safety and security, of the only home she’s ever known, leaving behind everything. 

And so, Eve begins her journey. 

Eve; she is the perfect student, the perfect friend, the golden girl. But this perfect girl has her sheltered world rocked when she finds out what happens behind the closed doors of her precious School. Women are bred to breed. And that is where this book starts. 

Eve finds out what really happens to the girls who graduate her school and after seeing the horror and corruption, she runs.  

The thing is, the odds against Eve surviving are slim. She's thrust into this wild, unpredictable world that she is not accustomed to. Think, Wall Street Girl thrust into the middle earth--that Eve.  

Cue, Caleb. 
Caleb is rough and he's strong, literate *surprisingly* and the most horrifying fact of all, he is a he. He, is a man. Men, the thing which Eve fears most thanks to some psychological brainwashing via. School.

Caleb lives in the wild with a small group of people and after saving Eve from her sad attempt at making a pet, they end up sticking together. Along with Arden, x school rival, Eve and Caleb attempt to make it through the wilderness.  

My Thoughts 

Eve, oh my, she is a difficult character to like in the beginning. She's pompous and rigid with the rules, she's judgmental. But at the same time it is hard to dislike her because she tries to do what is right and most times she doesn't know any better--this fact alone makes her a very relateable character. 

Eve is a very imperfect hero that so far does fall into the 'damsel in distress' category but you have to hand it to her, she does show impressive strength as well. She's been separated from everything her entire life, and she finds out that everything she has learned for the past eighteen years was all a lie. Her beliefs regarding men make being saved by Caleb more traumatic then almost being eaten by her 'pet'. 

Caleb is the opposite of Eve in every way imaginable and he is the one who is constantly challenging her past knowledge and bias. Eve rises to the occasion at times and falters to it many times. 

This book was hilarious, at times, thoroughly enjoyable. 


The book could be slow but it was such a vastly different book from other YA Dystopian-fiction books, I've read. Which is why I really did love this book. 

The problem is this one thing happens and Eve completely, utterly let me down. 
I am torn between wanting to read the next book and wanting to boycott Eve's decision by not buying this book. And yes, I realize how little sense that makes. 

I really liked this book, bordering on 'love' and I'll probably be picking up the next book in the series. 

I recommend you read this book if you are look for some light Dystopian, adventure, romance reading. 



Now to check out J.N. Cahill's review on this book follow the link below: 


J.N. Cahill's review of Eve

Insurgent: Veroncia Roth

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

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.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

{{The review below contains spoilers}}

Insurgent is the very much awaited sequel to Veronica Roth's startling debut novel, Divergent. Divergent as you may know was centered around Tris and her choices in regards to her family and her faction. 

Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, and Amity are the different factions, what faction you choose depends solely on what you believe as each faction has their own beliefs and attitude in regards to the world. 

Divergent was an amazing book, for anyone who read it, and I did not think the follow up to it could be even more surprising than the first book in series, but it was. 

In all honesty writing this review--gathering my thoughts on it, is difficult because of everything (!!!!!!!!) that happened in this book. So much happened, so many heart aching deaths and absolutely disgusting betrayals. 

First off, Tris is filled with grief over everything that happened in the previous book, her parents, Will, her faction, Markcus; for a lot of the book she kept the secret of what happened with Will to herself, and every time Four reaches out to her, and asks what's wrong, I was holding onto the edge of the book, mentally screaming at her to tell him. It was a very exciting and engaging follow up. 

We are introduced to an entire new set of characters--some old, some new--and there are just too many deaths in this book. *Sniff-sniff* The saddest probably being Lyn and Fernando. 

What I love most about Divergent and Insurgent is the themes Veronica Roth presents us with, betrayal, love, trust, beliefs, ect. they all play a huge role in this book, you can really see how Tris is Divergent because of the way she thinks, there are distinct similarities between the beliefs of her faction and the others in the way she thinks. 

What I love most about this book is the powerful voice of Tris. 
She always tries to do what is right, and can we just take a minute to appreciate how awesome that is, there are many people in reality that are not half as strong willed as her, doing what is asked of them, despite their inner compass telling them otherwise. It may be strange, but I can see our world within the confines of these pages. Something I could hardly believe when I was reading it was how the people in each faction are so similar to people in reality, or my own life. You can really relate to this book on that level and many others.   

I was surprised at two main points in this book--Christina's ability to forgive and Caleb's complete betrayal--of course there was Peters help but that just goes without saying that it was odd and unexpected, even when I began to get the idea that Peter was on the 'good' side, I still figured that Caleb was on Tris' side! Obviously I was proven wrong. But then towards the end (once again Veronica Roth presents us with another look inside each of their minds) we actually begin to understand why Caleb did what he did, even though I still agree with Tris on the point that it was cowardice that motivated him. 

What I love so much about this book is that Tris is a kick-ass hero who has really screwed up in some ways--shooting Will. (I'm sure I'm not the only one who was yelling at her to shoot him in the foot instead). And I can't begin to explain how much I love that Veronica Roth gives the right amount of time to PTS (Post-traumatic stress). I hate it when characters are unreal in the way that their emotions are presented as simple, I've read from reviews on Goodreads that people found the beginning of the book a "Snorefest" because of Tris' feelings, I'll skip over the part about being annoyed at people for that and say I completely disagree. Veronica Roth THANK YOU! You have presented us with real-life emotions that don't cop-out after the first page. You've given us a seriously real character with mistakes and flaws--you've made a character messy, and human, and so much like us. 

Good job. 

Seriously, you rock. 

(I digress) 

Tris becomes increasingly unstable throughout this book--she's filled with heart wrenching guilt and sadness, and throughout the book--in about the middle of the book it is so clear that she wanted to die--it just broke my heart, one reason we read is to know we're not alone and I think that this really relates to this book. Tris has problems, is reckless at times, but is strong, and realizes how much she wanted to live. 
It was something else to be inside the mind of someone so manic and sad, Veronica Roth I still can't get over how real the emotions were in this book. 

The ending will be summed up in gifs found all over Tumblr and the internet in general. 

The ending was a quick sucession of events that each felt about as good as being punch in the stomach and having water spilled all over you. 

Tris lies to Four, Christina is shot, Edward's a crazy jerk, my reaction?

Tris faces her fear and "kills" herself;

Tris fights Tori; 

Tori kills Jeanine; 

Four doesn't believe Tris;

Four comes back;

The ending; 

The Hallowed Ones

The Hallowed Ones

Laura Bickle

 

“Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community?”

Outsiders are forbidden ever since word spread about the unrest of the outside world. But, while out in the fields one day Katie finds a gravely injured young man, after convincing the Elders to submit to Gelassenheit Katie has a choice to make, leave him for the Gelassenheit or save him. Katie smuggles him into her family’s barn, all the while wondering what happened outside, why the Elders and Bishop were so cruel to him, and racked with guilt. The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning. This is a book you will be curled up in bed with late at night, unable to put down. 

Wow.

This book, was, wow.

Amish MC+ serious horror elements, and on top of that, a fascinating look at religion.

Wow, is this ever a book for me.

I have to admit that I did not expect to love this book as much I did, but it was so good.

Don’t believe me?

Well, read it.

Reading through the eyes of Katie was in some ways, like being a child again. 

"I was so easily stymied by the threats she faced; crime, hatred, war. In my peaceful life, I had never known any of these things. I knew they existed as abstract concepts, in things like comic books. But I had a hard time believing they were real." 

That passage is just one example of why it reminded me of being a child. Thinking that war is an abstract concept, and not fully believing it is real. The story starts off slow, and throughout it I found I had a difficult time relating to Katie because she is so child-like in many ways. As the story continued, I was able to relate to her more and more, as she found out how hard growing up can be. Reading this reminded me of being a child again, seeing the world through such innocent eyes, and being shocked—horrified when finding out what kind of evil humans are capable of committing.

This book had a fast pace and it kept me on my toes, constantly. I was constantly trying to figure out what would happen, but this story kept me on my toes, as you can never be sure what is going to happen, it was an unpredictable plot--which is awesome. Of course, it took a little shift in focus to get accustomed to this world, and the formal way they speak with each other. It is truly very different then ours. 

I was surprised by how much this book blew me away, the world was very authentic. Before reading this, I knew a very little about Amish culture, and after reading it I know much more. And, the writer, Laura Bickle did an amazing job not having information compacted into this, and having it laced throughout the book so that while you enjoy it, you actually learn a bit about Amish culture.   

Exclaiming ‘Oh My God’ is an everyday expression used by millions of children, from surprise, to anger, everyday, repeatedly. But for Katie, exclaiming Oh My God is actually a serious swearword, which goes to show you how different this world is. Katie is a really strong, complex character. You think you have her figured out, and then she surprises you. At first I had a hard time identifying with her. But I could relate to her; she’s a little rebellious, and she thinks for herself, which is looked at as a fault within her community.

This is by far the most extraordinary, surprising Vampire book I’ve read in a long, long time.

I liked as well how the dystopian elements were in it, but not in the usual way. The fall of the Outside society, didn't really affect Katie's that much. 

 But, a forewarning, Twilight fans, these are not your sparkling, good spirited, forever tormented/ brooding vampires we are now so accustomed to in our society. These are raw, ugly, vicious, brutal, crawled from hell, type of vampires. 

The characters in this novel stood out strongly as well.  I loved the Hexenmeister, and Ms. Parsall, I loved Alex’s sense of humor, his causal use of the nickname “Bonnet”, and his attempted heroics at the end.

At first I thought that maybe Laura Bickle came from Amish culture because of how authentic the society felt, I had a general idea of what Amish culture was like, and now even more so.

There were times, I will admit, when I found that there was a little too much telling, for my taste. Too much dictating what is going on, which I felt separated me from the character and story a little, but really this was an awesome book. I recommend it for anyone who loves a good story, or a book that is much more than just a book. 

Katie’s strength, her way of life, her beliefs, and her humanity are all tested in this book, constantly as each new challenge looms up before her. 

I loved the mix of magic, and religion, and science. I loved how original this was, how Laura Bickle brings all religions into perspective which creates an eye opening clarity for the reader. I loved the descriptions, the entire world. I loved Katie, who was such an engaging character who really proves her strength. 

Divergent: Veronica Roth

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

***

Ooooh Divergent, what shall I say about you. 

So good you want to cry, and so bad you just want to exclaim in frustration. 

I was so excited about this book, bought it, lost it, found it, read it. SO GOOD. I was in such a frenzy to finish the book that once done, realized that I do not have the second book and don't know when I will have it.

***

A completely original work; characters that grab you, and descriptions that leave you breathless.  This is a book nothing like any other of the most popular Dystopian books out there.

The characters are very real. They make mistakes, and sometimes have haunted pasts. 

Faction before blood is an interesting statement. All the characters choose which faction they feel they belong in, and if it differs from the one their parents belong to they are completely separate from them. 

Roth makes such a compelling world, where many of the characters are troubled. Without going into too much detail I'll just say that this is a book worth reading. Exciting past the end, and with you afterwards. 

Matched: Ally Condie

Written in first person this story takes you into the dystopian world of The Society, where all its inhabitants are controlled by the officials and the society.

A slow pace builds you up to the climax, Cassia and Ky's kiss. Honestly, in my opinion people read dystopian stories for the adventure and because of its ability to put things into perspective.

The Hunger Games was about war, it made you really think--about everything, about what war and trauma does to people, and makes you think about some pretty huge questions. What is right and wrong in a place like that?

This was about a teenage girl being told to fall in love with Xander, then falls in love with someone else.

I didn't care for it all that much.
The writing was good, it was just the overall story I wasn't too fond of. Ally is a good writer, I just didn't find that this story had much deep meaning. I liked the consistency of the narrators voice though and how they were tailored to the character, and the descriptions were good.

I didn't like that towards the end of the book the story wasn't really showed, it was just told.

It ended up being something like a summery or a review of what happened.

On the back of the soft cover addition it says: 'The hottest YA tittle  since The Hunger Games'.

...

Good way to sell copies but the comparison is ridiculous.