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Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 544
Source: Kindle eBook
Rating:  

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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.

Veronica Roth’s Divergent was wrought with problems for me. The futuristic dystopian society seemed to make no sense, the heroine and her love interest were generic YA cookie-cutter cliches (she’s plain and oh so relatable! He’s brooding and mysterious and sexy but for some reason he likes her!), but I was happy to see that with Insurgent came a surprising and welcome maturation of seemingly shaky foundations, along with a continuation of Roth’s strong suit – exciting and rather cinematic action sequences that should play fantastically once the series is adapted for the big screen.

Without going into too many detailed spoilers, the end of Divergent introduced a new villain and the carefully factioned society fractured and on the brink of war. Picking up here where Book 1 left off, our heroine, Tris Prior – a former member of Abnegation, the selfless faction who transferred to Dauntless, the fearless, confirmed Divergent with an aptitude for more than one character trait – has lost a lot since the beginning of the series, and now carries with her immense grief and guilt. With these new layers to Tris’ former rather one-dimensional character, and the fact that she and her fellow survivors now must race against the clock to fight a very real threat, it finally started to feel like the series is really about something.

It’s now clearer than ever that Divergent wasted too much time acting as a prologue, perhaps a symptom that publishers want every YA story to be a trilogy, dragging out storylines that could be told in a much more succinct manner. The truth is, the more Roth lingered on world building, the more inexplicable and illogical her world became. Finally, in Insurgent, things begin to feel real, with real consequences for characters and perhaps more importantly, some questions that were raised in Divergent begin to come back into play, including why on earth people would submit to choosing a faction and living according only to one character trait. Like most YA novels, Roth’s writing remains mostly simplistic, to the point and without much flair. The story and the characters must be strong to draw an audience, and luckily Roth made improvements to both in this sequel.

There’s a lot more to like about the relationship between Tris and the aforementioned brooding and mysterious and sexy boyfriend Tobias here. Roth played up the reader-as-protagonist wish fulfillment cliche too much in the first book, with Tris constantly shocked that someone so amazing could be interested in her, but at last they feel like a real couple here, with trust issues and sometimes even differing opinions. It’s through their struggles with each other and defining their relationship that the reader finally understands why they are so suited and compatible. These are not two lovesick fools in love with the idea of being in love with each other. They’re smart, they’re strong, they butt heads, they’re not afraid to do things their way even if their partner disagrees, their survival and securing a future for their society outweighs their relationship. As for teenage hormones, Roth employs classic YA tropes, so passionate make-outs are as far as it goes.

Roth’s writing really shines when she delves into action sequences, bringing them to life in believable and immersive ways. And while the series is set in a future dystopia, the action is refreshingly down to earth. There’s a lot of shooting, hand to hand combat, sneaking around hallways and the Divergent signature – leaping on and off of moving trains. The sense of danger in the books is nail-biting stuff, and pay off in genuinely surprising (sometimes shocking) ways. This was true in Divergent and even more so in Insurgent, when the stakes are much higher.

I read this sequel with no expectations after the disappointment of Divergent, but perhaps Roth’s biggest accomplishment with Insurgent? Now I can’t wait to read the 3rd and (God willing) final book in the trilogy.

If you’ve known me for longer than five minutes, then I’ve probably already talked your ear off about how much I love New York City. It’s my soulmate city, the city that best complements who I am and my attitude towards life. No, I do not live there, but all the way across the country in Los Angeles, something that makes me wistful at least once a week. Luckily, it’s relatively easy to hop on a plane and go for a visit, and next month will be my 4th time visiting my favorite place on earth. Inspired by Lindsey, who will be there with me, I’ve put together a list of things I hope to see/do this time around.

In no way should you take this as a list of things you should do in New York, especially if you’ve never been there before.

01. See a musical
I never visit New York without seeing at least one musical. My whole love affair with New York City began with a love of musical theatre and a desire to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. In high school my parents finally caved in to my endless nagging and took me on a trip there. It was love at first sight and I haven’t stopped dreaming about New York since. This year, it looks like it’s going to be “Newsies” on Broadway. Alternates: “Book of Mormon”, “Evita”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”

02. Visit the 9/11 Memorial
One of my most memorable trips to New York was in the spring of 2002, just about six months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Ground Zero was still an absolute mess, and you would have been made of stone to not openly weep at the flowers, tributes and letters left everywhere by the friends and families of the victims, even if you didn’t personally know any of them (as I didn’t). I’m eager to return to the same spot 10 years later and see the incredible changes for myself.

03. Eat macarons from Laduree
I’m not exactly the most well-traveled person in the world, and my favorite places may be a cliche, but what can ya do? My favorite city after New York has to be Paris. The history, the architecture, the food, the culture, it is an absolute dream. Did I mention the food? I never had a macaron before I went to Paris (though I’ve since discovered they’re actually quite readily available in LA), but I was hooked as soon as I tried one. Famed Parisian macaron bakery Laduree just opened its first US store – in New York City. Apt!

04. Jog around the Central Park reservoir
What happens after snacking on delectable French desserts? Exercise! I’ve been to Central Park, but I suspect I’ve actually seen very little of it (and I don’t think I’ve actually even encountered any of its many bodies of water). The reservoir, as I know from movies and TV, has a nice jogging track that’s a 1.56 mile loop, and has a spectacular view. As out of shape as I am, I am actually in training to accomplish this. Training. To run one and a half miles. It’s been too many years since I’ve done high school cross country!

05. Take in the view from the Top of the Rock
How is it possible that I’d never even heard of Top of the Rock until I began researching for this year’s trip? When someone wants a great tourist spot for a nice high view of New York City, the answer is inevitably the Empire State Building. Not so, according to internet experts! The top of the 30 Rock building in Rockefeller Center actually provides a better view and best of all, you can see the Empire State Building! You may be reading this part with a “duh” expression on your face, but this was news to me. A must-visit.

06. Visit Coney Island
Another tourist attraction that I never got a chance to visit is Coney Island. I love carnivals, amusement parks, midway games, roller coasters, all those things, and most of all – HOT DOGS! So a visit to Coney Island and a hot dog or two from the world famous Nathan’s is a definite must for me this time around. Plus, I’ve never been to New York in the summer, and it seems like there could be no better season to visit. It’s probably too cold to go to the beach in any other season, right?

07. Get dressed up for a fancy evening on the town
Lindsey was the one who came up with this delightful plan. It’s New York City, the place of Trump and 5th Avenue and Gossip Girl, so how can we not have (at least) one night of getting totally dressed up in our fanciest garbs, eating at a fancy restaurant, seeing some live theatre and/or maybe finish it off at a highly trendy bar or club? I have to say, this is one of the activities that I am most looking forward to. I’m already planning on what dresses to pair with which heels.

08. Visit the Museum of Modern Art
Remember how boring and cliche my favorite cities are? Well I’m afraid my choice in art isn’t much better. My favorite painting is, in fact, Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I have a print of it up on my wall at home. Yup. And I don’t know why, but I never knew that it was housed right there in New York at MoMa. I always figured it was in Europe somewhere. Anyway. MoMa is another place that I can’t believe I’ve never visited in New York, so it’s high time to rectify this oversight.

09. Walk along the High Line
This is something brand new that wasn’t there the last time I was in New York. An abandoned, elevated train track that city planners turned into a park with greenery, benches, food along a stretch of New York’s West Side. It sounds like an absolutely relaxing afternoon and I can already imagine leisurely strolling, people watching, perhaps stopping to do some reading on a bench… Sigh. Oh an apparently sometimes you can see naked people walking around in their all glass Standard Hotel rooms.

10. Stop by BookExpo America
Since BEA were nice enough to offer me a free press pass to attend their annual convention, I figure I should at least stop by and check out what they have going on. All my traveling buddies are pretty much going to be holed up inside the Javits Convention Center and being increasingly laden down with books every day anyway, and I do have book-to-movie features I could/should be writing for Up and Comers, so a stop by BEA seems inevitable. The next “Twilight” or “Hunger Games” is buried in there somewhere!

I’m going to stop the list here because 10 is a nice pretty number, and there’s just way too many things I want to see and do to ever list them all. Will I even get these 10 done? We’ll see. New York City has a way of shaking up your carefully laid plans, but of course, that’s just one more reason to love it. See you soon, NYC!

Serena by Ron Rash
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Publisher: Ecco
Pages: 381
Source: Purchased (Used)
Rating:  

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The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains–but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.

Rash’s masterful balance of violence and beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both honored and betrayed.

Rating it 4.5 in all honesty, but to be fair, this book deserves five stars or however many accolades it can collect. The writing is lush and immersive and riveting. The deduction of half a star is based solely on my own personal preferences and tastes and inability to be 100% on board with the actions of a lead character without any apparent redeeming qualities. Serena Pemberton is, simply put, a sociopath; brilliant and strong and ambitious, but completely ruthless with an inability to feel remorse. When she is hurt, she doesn’t get sad, she gets angry, and that anger is usually expressed through violence against another person.

This is not helped by the fact that we are never given any insight into Serena’s inner monologue. Through the actions seen by others, and through others’ – sometimes outlandish and surreal – speculation about her character, the reader is presented with a figure that looms larger than life and seems more dangerous than humanly possible. The woman trained an eagle to hunt rattlesnakes. So to say she’s intimidating is putting it lightly. In this way, Serena Pemberton is one of the most fascinating and intriguing literary characters I’ve ever read, but that doesn’t negate my reluctance to fully embrace her story.

In contrast, I found myself, rather unwittingly, wishing more time was spent on Rachel, the young girl Pemberton beded and dumped and left to raise their child on her own. There is nothing particularly special or intriguing about Rachel, especially in comparison to the nearly godlike Serena, but perhaps it’s her very ordinary humanity that made her such an easy character to sympathize with. Everyone loves an underdog, and against the powerful and ruthless Pembertons, Rachel was the perfect character to root for, and indeed, one of the very few they set their sights on who had any semblance of hope of escape.

Rachel also seemed one of the few bright spots in Rash’s world that wasn’t steeped in danger, betrayal and treachery. It’s only when the action moves into a city that you do a double take and realize how isolated, how suffocated in dark and evil things the tiny logging community the Pembertons rule over is. A sometimes frustrating, sometimes repugnant but always compelling read about some very, very bad people.

I can say that because while this blog is brand new (again), this domain, light-of-day.net, has been around in one form or another since 2005. And yes, it takes its namesake from that Train song.

Back then and for quite a few years following, I was into web design. I still enjoy Photoshop, but somewhere along the line, I realized that the coding aspect of doing web design was just too much for me. This solidified itself after I landed a very high paying job doing web design for a film company and quit after a week. I learned two things about myself after that disaster of a job. I hate doing web design – especially if it’s not on something I’m honestly interested in, and I can’t choose a career path just for the money. It wasn’t long after that that I gave up on pursuing the design sector of the entertainment industry.

One thing that hasn’t changed is how much I love movies, TV, books and pop culture in general. I used to express it through web and graphic design, but now it appears I’ve decided to give writing a whirl. Like everyone in LA, I have some ideas in the works that may or may not become screenplays or pilots or novels, but who knows if anything will come of them?

All this to say, light-of-day.net is back! This new blog will feature mostly my thoughts and ramblings about books and TV and movies and pop culture in general. Hope you stick around and enjoy.