A Trilogy? Oh My...

Yesterday I was really ill again... this winter flu virus is taking its toll on me. Luckily, I got to spend most of the day in bed reading. There had to be a perk to this sickness lark!

Anyway, I got given the Divergent trilogy for Christmas so I finally for my teeth into Insurgent, having read Divergent a while back. I have to be honest, when I read Divergent I was not convinced - it read too much like The Hunger Games. But, this second book takes it into a different level. For anyone who has read the Hugh Howie books, I have read Dust and Shift, there is some resemblance.

A dystopian society brought about by man's failure...

The difference between Divergent and the Hugh Howey books is the style of writing.

Divergent is written very much for YA, and is so easy to read that I devoured nearly two books in a day! At times, the addition of new scenarios and characters confused me, and the lack of "action" left me slightly disgruntled (teenagers do a lot more than what they are described to do here). But, considering the audience in mind, it worked, even though I found the descriptions to be repetitive at times (how many times can you hook your fingers on trousers, bite the inside of your mouth, and play with the fray of a t-shirt?).

Saying this, I loved it & am now keen to watch the film, Divergent...

Insurgent is due out soon too...

Having read The Hunger Games, The Divergent Trilogy, and series like Twilight and Harry Potter, I can see a similar theme running through these. In fact, I can even liken it to my own trilogy. I feel quite honoured to even think that what I wrote can be compared to these amazing best-sellers. But, it has...

For example, read this review by Lydia Aswolf

"This is the third book in the Hybrid Trilogy, and while I'll be sad to see it go, how thrilled I am to have any sort of melancholy feeling about saying goodbye to characters I've worried over and rooted for so long?

The truth is that I've been rather disappointed in the final book in trilogy series of late, so it means something to me that Ms. Wester has taken great care not to make a cookie cutter everyone-gets-everything-they-want-in-the-end final book; nor does she envision the alternate gloomy world which has also plagued trilogies of late (Allegiant or Mockingjay, anyone?) 

As a matter of fact, Ms. Wester derives a way to both answer our must-know questions while also leaving a decent bit to our imaginations, an approach I appreciated...and one that will no doubt lead me towards reviewing more of this talented author's work in the future."

Having now read both Allegient and Mockingjay I now understand the reference.

It was important to me to leave doors open, and yet close others. The truth is humanity is not perfect and one day we might just press the self-destruct button. Until that day, let's cherish what we have and look for the light at the end of the tunnel - it is there if you look for it! :)

Let me know your thoughts...

All the best,
Vanessa