Ark by Veronica Roth

Title: Ark (Forward #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 45

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR; COYER

On the eve of Earth’s destruction, a young scientist discovers something too precious to lose, in a story of cataclysm and hope by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy.

It’s only two weeks before an asteroid turns home to dust. Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond. Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.

As certain doom hurtles nearer, the unexpected and beautiful potential for the future begins to flower.

An introspective little story with a science fiction backdrop. This one was less about technology and more about people. While I don’t think it quite fit with most of the other stories in this collection, I enjoyed the quiet story about plants and beauty. This is super quick, but a good story.

Forward

#1 Ark by Veronica Roth
#2 Summer Frost by Blake Crouch
#3 Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin
#4 You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles
#5 The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
#6 Randomize by Andy Weir

Next up on the TBR pile:

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

Title: Arch-Conspirator

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

“I’m cursed, haven’t you heard?”

Outside the last city on Earth, the planet is a wasteland. Without the Archive, where the genes of the dead are stored, humanity will end.

Antigone’s parents—Oedipus and Jocasta—are dead. Passing into the Archive should be cause for celebration, but with her militant uncle Kreon rising to claim her father's vacant throne, all Antigone feels is rage.

When he welcomes her and her siblings into his mansion, Antigone sees it for what it really is: a gilded cage, where she is a captive as well as a guest.

But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.

I randomly grabbed this slim novella off the New Releases library shelf not quite know what I was getting. And then I read the cover and wondered if this was going to be a Greek story. It is in fact! And I loved every page of this retelling of Antigone. Roth has moved the story to a future where we have irrevocably damaged the planet. Society has moved into a fragile state of being with strict rules of life and death. Roth manages to pack a punch into very few chapters each from different perspectives. We get to see society from a variety of perspectives. The story really brought up some interesting questions and philosophical questions. At first, I wanted to have more to the story, but the more I think about it, a novella is the perfect length for this story. Short and sweet, but leaves a big impression.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth

Title: The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2019

Genre: SciFi Short Stories

Pages: 262

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; 52 Book Club - Time in the Title

No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems.

In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.

With tales of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe, this collection has something for new and old fans alike. Each story begins with a hope for a better end, but always end with a better understanding of the beginning.

With beautifully intricate black-and-white interior illustrations and a uniquely designed package, this is the perfect gift for book lovers.

A collection of science fiction short stories isn’t usually a winner and this volume was no exception. I usually find a few stories that really interest me, but often the stories are dull or uninspired. This one dives into the future featuring a few dystopian worlds and a few alien worlds. I preferred the dystopian worlds to the alien worlds. I liked when the stories stuck to simplicity. When authors try to cram too much world-building into short stories, they do not really work. Oh well. Stories can’t always be winners.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2013

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy

Pages: 544

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: NPR Teen; Mount TBR; TBR Reduction; Ebook; Seriously Series

What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

An interesting ending to the Divergent trilogy. I am a bit disappointed in how it ended. Mainly I couldn't get over how abrupt the last twist was. However, I was more in touch with Tris and Four this volume. I was also excited to see more of the outside world and side characters like Cara (really got to love her in this volume). And lots more world building... Overall I really enjoyed this series.

Divergent:

Four by Veronica Roth

Title: Four (Divergent #0.1, #0.2, #0.3, #0.4)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2014

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy

Pages: 285

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: NPR Teen; TBR Reduction; Ebook; 52 Books - W16; Seriously Series

Readers first encountered Tobias as "Four" in Divergent. His voice is an integral part of Allegiant. Readers will find more of this charismatic character's backstory told from his own perspective in Four: A Divergent Collection. When read together, these long narrative pieces illuminate the defining moments in Tobias's life. The first three pieces in this volume—"The Transfer," "The Initiate," and "The Son"—follow Tobias's transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless, his Dauntless initiation, and the first clues that a foul plan is brewing in the leadership of two factions. The fourth story, "The Traitor," runs parallel with the events of Divergent, giving readers a glimpse into the decisions of loyalty—and love—that Tobias makes in the weeks after he meets Tris Prior.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. As a character, I find Four much more interesting than Tris. To hear his life before the events of Divergent was a treat. I especially loved the story "The Son." Of course Four knew his mother was alive before the meeting Insurgent, but it as nice to see his first encounter with Evelyn. These stories could be read at any time, but I felt like reading them after Insurgent was a good choice in terms of the larger storyline.

Divergent:

#0.1 The Transfer
#0.2 The Initiate
#0.3 The Son
#0.4 The Traitor
#1 Divergent
#1.5 Free Four
#2 Insurgent
#3 Allegiant

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 2012

Genre: Dystopian Fantasy

Pages: 592

Rating: 4/5 stars Movie: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: NPR Teen; TBR Reduction; Ebook; A to Z - I; Books to Movies; Seriously Series

As war surges in the factions of dystopian Chicago all around her, Tris attempts to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

I didn't like this one quite as much as I liked Divergent. The constant "who's lying to whom" got a bit annoying after awhile. Just once I want a novel where everyone is completely honest. Other than that annoyance at the entire genre as a whole, I did like the book. I loved seeing Tris grow and realize her true potential. The twists and turns in regards to character's allegiances were a lot of fun. And we get to see the end of Jeanine Matthews and the big revelation at the end. Second books in trilogies are often not as good, but this one was good enough to make me want to read Allegiant immediately.

Movie:

The movie definitely changed things from the book. I don't think the entire plotline about only a Divergent being able to open the box was necessary to the larger storyline. But whatever, I'm sure the movie makers felt that without it audiences wouldn't understand why Jeanine wanted Divergents. I also have some slight issues with how Caleb was portrayed. I saw him as more of a traitor in the books than the movie. The movie makes him almost a tragic figure. I didn't think it played as well. I also didn't like the killing of Jeanine in the movie. They completely cut Tori out of the sequence. Just didn't sit right with me. Based off of my love of the book, I gave the movie lower stars.

Divergent:

#0.1 The Transfer
#0.2 The Initiate
#0.3 The Son
#0.4 The Traitor
#1 Divergent
#1.5 Free Four
#2 Insurgent
#3 Allegiant

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen 2012

Genre: YA Dystopia

Pages: 410

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall Reading Challenge; NPR Teen; US of YA - Illinois; Ebook; New Author; 52 Books - W48; Book to Movie; Well Rounded - Dystopia

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, 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.

This has been on my list for ages... I stayed away mostly because I really enjoyed The Hunger Games. I thought this would be too close for me to truly enjoy. Thankfully they are different enough that I really enjoyed this book. Tris is a good character, not great, but good. You can definitely tell that she is 16 years old, but that's the point right? We are supposed to follow her journey of growing up, making mistakes, finding her identity. I liked Four as a character and especially loved Christina and Will. My main issue was with the romance sections. They just felt incredibly forced and fake. For that I knock off one star. I would have preferred just the fight against the society. Overall, I am excited to read Insurgent, but first let's watch the movie version.

Movie:

Surprisingly good. I was expecting large deviations from the book. I was expecting annoying characters and no chemistry between the leads. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the actors and actresses. The screenplay kept fairly true to the book. There were only a few changes and I understood the need for changes for most of them. The best part were the world building visuals. I loved the scenes of old Chicago especially the lake shots. I'm hopefully anticipating the second movie...

Divergent: