Unpopular Book Opinions Book Tag

This Book Tag was originally created by The Book Archer on Youtube - Check out her video, and many more, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfgq8HgDc0

I first saw this tag on Youtube and thought that this would be the perfect way to share

more of my opinions regarding popular books and series'. I would love to hear your own answers to the questions of the tag, be sure to comment your answers below in the comment section or tweet them to @DaisyReviews1

1. A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT YOU DID NOT LIKE

I found this question quite tricky when I was planning my answers, as I usually don't bother reading the rest of a series if I didn't like the first instalment. However, there have been numerous YA series' in which I have loved the first book and then felt severely let down in the subsequent books. So for this question I am going to have to say the Divergent series by Veronica Roth but more specifically the final book Allegiant. I absolutely adored the first book in this series, which you can see in a review of the book I did last year. I loved the world Roth created and the majority of the characters were well thought out and loveable. Unfortunately for me Insurgent and Allegiant didn't really live up to my expectations. If you asked me what Insurgent was about I wouldn't be able to tell you and, in my opinion, Allegiant left a massive hole in the narrative that left me bewildered and confused. And don't even get me started on the ending of Allegiant!

2. A POPULAR BOOK OR SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE

Now this was an easy answer for me. The Beautiful Dead series by Eden Maguire is probably one of the series that I have read that I feel didn't receive the hype it truly deserves. I read this series a few years ago but even now I still think about the characters and the mysterious plot. Usually, I steer clear of love stories like this but the characters, plot and mystery made the book not too cheesy or cliché. This series is especially great to read if you are looking for an easy read or you just want a break from intense fiction.

3. A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR

I probably read quite a large range of different genres, from classics to YA fiction, but the one genre that I really regret not picking up sooner is Horror/Thriller. I have probably dodged this genre for quite a few years now as I honestly had no idea where to start. Recently, however, I read Joe Hill's Horns and although this is not a typical hard-core horror like other writers, I did really enjoy the horror aspect to the book. This year I really want to delve into this genre more.

4. A POPULAR CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE

There are very few characters that I absolutely adore. Probably the most popular character that I have disliked is Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I loved these books but at points I just felt that Katniss was a little boring as a main protagonist. I know that the whole idea was to highlight the effects of the games and the Capitol's rule but honestly she is probably one of the most annoying characters I have experienced in a long time.

5. A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN'T SEEM TO GET INTO

Although I have only read 1 of his books from start to finish, Patrick Ness is one of those authors that I just can't get into. I was bought a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go a few years ago as a gift and it is still on my shelf gathering dust. I have tried a few times to get into the book but for some reason I just can't get into this fantasy world. To try to remedy this, I purchased More Than This and I did really enjoy this plot but still couldn't get to the same level of attachment I have experienced with other series' and authors. (If you know of any of Patrick Ness's books that you think I would enjoy please let me know in the comments)

6. A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU ARE TIRED OF SEEING

Please can we stop with all these unnecessary love triangles. Ever since the Twilight Saga I have dreaded the notion of love triangles and still can't quite fathom why so many brilliant authors resort to using this over-used and cliché trope.

7. A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead doesn't appeal to me. I have endured countless vampire related YA fictions that have endless amounts of instalments in each and, to be honest, I do not think I endure another. If anyone has a compelling argument though as to why I should give it a try please feel free to attack the comments box.

8. WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?

I am a huge advocate for the idea that the book is always better than the film or TV show. So it pains me to say that when I saw this question I knew exactly what book series I would talk about. I have read a few of the instalments of The 100 series by Kass Morgan and I was indifferent towards the plot and its characters. After reading these I thought I would see how the television show compared and I was pleasantly surprised. Although it has severely drifted from the original books I love the characters and the how the narrative has been shaped in the show. The one negative of the show, which I am still a bit disappointed with, is the neglect of Glass and her story.

 

Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth

Book Details

Author: Veronica Roth

Ages: 13+

Rating: 8/10

Number of Pages: 285

Plot: Two years before Tris Prior made her choice to leave her faction and join another, Tobias Eaton too makes the decision to leave his faction and start a new life. In these four short stories from Veronica Roth the reader gets an insight into how Tobias became known as ‘Four’ and how his life in Dauntless started. In these stories, ‘The Transfer’, ‘The Initiative’, ‘The Son’ and ‘The Traitor’, we follow Four as he claims his place in the Dauntless hierarchy and discovers secrets that could jeopardise his future and the future of the whole faction system. The first three stories follow Four as he adjusts to Dauntless life, making friends and enemies along the way. The final story, set two years later, follows Four, now an instructor, still trying to figure out the secrets of his faction, when he meets an unexpected hero, who will change the future of the faction system forever.

Review: As a massive fan of the Divergent series, when I discovered this little miracle I was beside myself. As most of you are probably aware, if you have read my reviews before, I am reluctant to give books a 10/10, but last April I was so excited by the series and so in love with the characters that I had to give ‘Divergent’ exactly that. My favourite character in the whole series was of course Four so when I discovered that after the disappointing ending of the final book in the series I was going to get more stories about my favourite character I was very excited. There are four individual short stories within the book, each focusing on different times in Four’s life.

 

“One thing I know: For helping me forget how awful the world is, I prefer her to alcohol.” - Four

The first, second and third story occur two years before Tris made her decision to leave Abnegation. In these stories, I felt that we learnt more about the sensitive side of Four, rather than the tough image we get in ‘Divergent’. I especially liked the first short story, ‘The Transfer’, as Roth showed the true extent of how his father’s actions affected him. In the first story we are also introduced to a range of new characters, and some familiar ones, that reveal more about Four and also made me love these characters even more. My favourites were Zeke and Shauna. Although we don’t see much of them, or are told how significant they are in Four’s life, in the ‘Divergent’ trilogy, these short stories really show how much characters like Zeke and Shauna care for Four and vice versa. I especially loved the relationship that Roth created between Four and Zeke, there were parts in these short stories, mainly seen in the control room, where we got a real insight into how important Zeke is to Four.

Another amazing thing about this collection of short stories is that Roth has also included three exclusive scenes that occur in ‘Divergent’ but are from Four’s perspective. These scenes reveal so much more about what Four was truly thinking when he met Tris, something that we don’t really get in ‘Divergent’. The stories and the added exclusive scenes were presented wonderfully and made me love Four even more. However, although I feel that a whole book from the perspective of Four would have killed the appeal of the franchise, it would have been nice to read about what happened to Four after the shocking events in the final book, ‘Allegiant’. Roth has managed to successfully remind the fans of the ‘Divergent’ series that Four is an amazing literary character who is not just tough but has a heart-breaking back story. Although I loved reading this and being taken back to the ‘Divergent’ world, I could not give these stories a rating as high as my previous review on ‘Divergent’ as I am still recovering from the ending of the series and I feel that there could have been more stories from my favourite character, Four.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book Details

Author: Veronica Roth
Ages: 13+
Rating: 10/10
Number of Pages: 487
Plot: Set in the future, this novel tells the story of a sixteen year old living in a secluded society controlled by a faction system. The society is separated into five distinct factions, Abnegation (those who favour selflessness), Erudite (those who favour intelligence), Candor (those who favour honesty), Amity (those who favour kindness) and Dauntless (those who favour bravery), in which everyone must conform or become factionless. In this divided society sixteen  year old Tris must find a way to fit in to hide her secret. In order to protect herself Tris ventures to a new faction, away from her family, where she learns that no one can be trusted and everyone is a threat to her survival.
As she learns how to fight and protect herself, Tris befriends initiates from a range of different factions and falls in love with one of the instructors, the mysterious Four. In order to protect the innocent Tris must team up with those who share her unique and dangerous 'gift'.

I have read and reread this book so many times I have actually lost count. I found out about Divergent through my English Literature teacher; at first I was sceptical as it seemed very similar to other dystopian novels/ series such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. How wrong I was. The clever plot is simple yet so intricately detailed as the book progresses that it becomes more than just another dystopian novel. even the characters have qualities that people can easily relate to and see in their friends or family members. I absolutely adored this book from the first chapter.

Beatrice Prior, or Tris as she is later known, is one of my all time favourite protagonists. She is brave, strong, extremely sarcastic and is not one of them characters you just want to scream at in frustration every chapter. Her almost awkward and reserved personality, I feel, perfectly portrays the members of the Abnegation faction and helps to emphasise the completely contrasting world she is now forced into. We are first introduced to Beatrice as she approaches the day in which she must devote her life to a faction. She must make the hard decision to either stay with her family in a faction where she feels that she does not belong or leave her family in hope for finding a place in this dictatorial society.

After making her decision and changing her name Tris now must fight in order to survive in her new faction where the weak and cowardly are discarded and made factionless. Through the initiation process we meet the mysterious Four. Four is a strong and hard character who seems to open up as he gets closer to Tris; as we learn more about Four we discover that he is not only brave, but also kind, intelligent and selfless - a perfect mix of the factions. Four, much like Tris, is so cleverly thought out that the reader instantly falls in love with him - well, I did anyway.

As we learn more about the set up of the factions, we learn that there is friction and sinister plots brewing amongst the factions and when violence erupts Tris must team up with Four to defeat the enemy. Secrets are revealed and shocking revelations unravel as the violence hits a shocking climax.

Divergent is an excellent example of a gripping read throughout. Roth's amazingly unique plot and mix of characters has helped to make this book a huge success. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or the Gone series by Michael Grant (which are also great examples of dystopian novels). I have started reading the next book in the series, Insurgent, which is just as gripping and amazing as the first! Furthermore, I would recommend that you read the book first before seeing the film adaptation, as it will give you more background information on the characters and understanding of the quite complex faction system. I recently saw the film and, unlike some film adaptations, it is everything I hoped it would be and more. Of course, some characters like Uriah have been removed (which is unforgivable!) but other than that the set, cast and action are everything I hoped they would be. I cannot wait to finish the series and read more about Tris and Four.

Reviewed by Daisy Wallis.