Review: Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
by Jordan Sonnenblick

Book Description:
Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class?

Review:
I loved this book. I love all of Jordan Sonnenblick's books!

This book had sports, it had photography, it had the ups and downs of a new relationship...it had family drama (and tons of family love)... it pretty much had it all!

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I am giving it a GOLD STAR review!!

I thought that Peter was a great character. I loved his relationship with his grandfather and the one that he develops with Angelika. I also enjoyed his best friend and thought that it was interesting to see the dynamics of their relationship.

This is one of those books that I believe has something for everyone to enjoy. 

Review: Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
by G. Neri
illus. by Randy DuBurke

Book Description:
Eleven-year old Roger is trying to make sense of his classmate Robert "Yummy" Sandifer's death, but first he has to make sense of Yummy's life. Yummy could be as tough as a pit bull sometimes. Other times he was as sweet as the sugary treats he loved to eat. Was Yummy some sort of monster, or just another kid? As Roger searches for the truth, he finds more and more questions. How did Yummy end up in so much trouble? Did he really kill someone? And why do all the answers seem to lead back to a gang-the same gang to which Roger's older brother belongs? Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty is a compelling graphic dramatization based on events that occurred in Chicago in 1994. This gritty exploration of youth gang life will force readers to question their own understandings of good and bad, right and wrong.

Review:
I didn't really enjoy this graphic novel all that much. 

I think it's an important topic, and one that many teens can relate to, but I just didn't connect to it all that much.  I didn't really like the illustration style, either.  I think I had such a hard time with this book because found Yummy to be a character I couldn't really muster all that sympathy for...

Movie Trailer: The Great Gatsby

Have you ever read The Great Gatsby? It's a classic...and they're making it into what looks like a great movie version...




I love the casting and the feel of the movie. I think it's going to be epic!

Review: Brave New Love

Brave New Love
ed. by Paula Guran

Book Description:

Young love has always had its challenges, but even so, the world falling apart at its seams is a pretty big obstacle. This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity. When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

Featuring some of the most well known and best-selling names of the dystopian genre, as well as the hottest up-and-coming authors, this anthology includes works from Jeanne DuPrau (City of Ember), Kiera Cass (The Selection), William Sleator (Interstellar Pig), Jesse Karp (Those That Wake), Diana Peterfreund (Secret Society Girl), Carrie Vaughn (The Kitty Norville Series), and Carrie Ryan (New York Times bestseller The Forest of Hands and Teeth).

Review:

I enjoyed each of the stories that I read in this anthology separately, as their own entities. Each was interesting, creative, and engaging. I'm going to break it down and tell you about some of the ones I liked the best... I do want to note, though, that overall I felt the tone of this book was depressing! I do not think I would ever recommend that anyone read this book straight through in one shot. This is a book to read one story at a time...to parse out between other books...trust me.


The Stories:
In the Clearing by Kiera Cass - I liked this short story about a society where people are drugged into complacency through their food. I thought it was plausible and intriguing. I liked both main characters and thought the romance built well.

Now Purple with Love's Wound by Carrie Vaughn - I thought this story was really powerful. I loved the concept, even as it totally creeped me out. It gave me chills to think of a society where girls were drugged into feeling lifelong love for someone who claimed them. Short, but extremely effective.

Berserker Eyes by Maria Snyder - This had the feel of a longer dystopian novel excerpt...or maybe it was just that I wanted it to be... I would read a whole novel set in this world. I also loved how the romance built through their quest to beat the government that was abusing them...

Foundlings by Diana Peterfreund - Oooh! The perfect example of when "helpful" government agencies go wrong. WOMB is supposed to protect babies and their mothers...but then it begins to help babies at the cost of their mothers. This was a story I could actually see happening in our distant future.

The Dream Eater by Carrie Ryan - This story broke my heart. I felt bad for *everyone* involved and wanted to rail out at the city that allowed this poor girl to sacrifice herself for thier happiness. I loved how Ryan kept the absolute realism that I love in her zombie books, even as I felt so sad reading the story...

Those were the standout stories for me, though as I mentioned I would not read them all in a row...it might make you want to close your eyes and pretend that there is no future!! 

Review: Smile

Smile
by Reina Telgemeier

Book Description:
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

Review:
I actually really liked this graphic novel. The pictures were easy to look at and understand. The style was very simple, but still fun-looking.

The storyline was pretty great, too, though it had some gross moments to do with her teeth, lol! It was really interesting because not only was it a good story with a character that was very relatable, but it turns out it's a memoir! The events really happened to the author. Cool.
Another graphic novel I may never have picked up on my own, but after having heard great things about it from other people, I decided to give it a shot, and it turned out to be really good! :)

Review: Mindblind

Mindblind
by Jennifer Roy

Book Description:
Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Clark lives in two worlds—the outside world of his family and friends and his own, special, inside Aspie world, where he’s not forced to interact with people or worry about wearing his clothes right-side out. The world where he can solve mathematical problems that elude even the brightest graduate students. The world where he feels he can find his own inner truth. People say he’s a genius, but Nathaniel thinks differently. According to a book he once read, a true genius uses his talent to make a contribution to the world. Nathaniel takes the definition literally, and begins his quest for genius status.

Review:
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was a really accessible glimpse into the mind of someone with Asperger's Syndrome. Nathaniel's mind worked very differently from say, mine, but the author took pains to write so that it was not so foreign that it would be off-putting as a reader to try to understand.

Nathaniel was interesting and driven. I love that he truly strived to become a positive addition to society. He longed for nothing more than to become the true definition of a "genius" - someone who produced something incredible. I loved that Nathaniel also had "normal" friends and that he was so high functioning. Being in a band and going bowling or playing video games with friends seem to be things that a lot of autistic/Aspie kids can't do and it was heartwarming to see a character that was inspired to participate so much by his family. I loved the relationship he and his mother had...and while I didn't like his relationship with his father, I understood how it could have developed and thought it was very realistic. It was nice to see his loving stepmother, too.

All in all, I thought this book was very well done and I recommend it anytime you are looking for something a little bit different!

Review: Kick

Kick
by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman

Book Description:
Kevin Johnson is thirteen years old. And heading for juvie. He's a good kid, a great friend, and a star striker for his Highland, New Jersey, soccer team. His team is competing for the State Cup, and he wants to prove he has more than just star-player potential. Kevin's never been in any serious trouble . . . until the night he ends up in jail. Enter Sergeant Brown, a cop assigned to be Kevin's mentor. If Kevin and Brown can learn to trust each other, they might be able to turn things around before it's too late.

Review:
I did not really enjoy this book. I wanted to, but there were a lot of things about it that actually bothered me. I could see that it would appeal a lot to other readers, but it just didn't work for me.

Good things:
*It's a quick read.
*One of the co-authors is actually a TEEN, so he lent a truly authentic teen voice to Kevin's character. Kevin is relatable and has a great family.
*Sgt. Brown was overall a good mentor to Kevin.
*It gives a good lesson about watching your temper and finding other ways to solve problems.

Things I didn't like:
*Sgt. Brown calling his wife (whom he supposedly loved very much) "Woman," constantly saying he wished she would stop talking at him and just "Shut Up." Grrr... As much as he was good with Kevin, I HATED the example he set as a husband.
*The sub-plot about the illegal immigrants being exploited was tied up too neatly and without a lot of explanation.
*Kevin's almost trip to perma-juvie was tied up way to easily in what I thought was an improbable fashion...

I need you guys to tell me what you think of this one!!! Am I being too critical? 

Ender's Game Movie Blog

So, I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but... Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is my ALL.TIME.FAVORITE.SCIENCE.FICTION.BOOK....EVAH!!

I LOVE Ender's Game.  It is an amazing book with great characters and a cool concept. 

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.

If you've never read it, I HIGHLY recommend you give it a shot.  You don't like Sci-Fi, you say... I will prove you wrong.  Try this book.  It will change your life.

So. Why am I gushing at you like this??

Well...they are currently filming the Ender's Game MOVIE!! *squee!!*

They've lined up an awesome cast and they've even created a really cool blog that lets you see stuff from the movie sets. 

Check it out sometime if you get a chance! Let me know if you think they're going to do a good job with the movie...

Review: Insurgent

Insurgent

by Veronica Roth
Divergent trilogy, book two

*CAUTION - If you have not yet read Divergent... you may want to skip this review!!*

Book Description:
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.

Review:
It is no secret that I LOVED Divergent. It was amazing...and while I really enjoyed Insurgent, it just didn't have that same magical *spark* that Divergent did...

One of the things I liked the most about this book...and simultaneously cursed, was that it broadened our world-view and gave much more depth to whole story. Readers got to learn more about each faction - how it was developed, who runs it and where, what are its principles - and how they interact with each other. It was really cool to see how the entire city worked as a whole.

The world-building felt much more developed here, but in Roth's feeding us so much information, you lose the magic of living directly in Tris' head. As such, I felt that the first half of the book developed very slowly... it was not until midway through that I became really solidly invested in the characters again.

And what Tris and Four go through... I just wanted to reach through the book and hug each of them... There are betrayals, there are massive secrets revealed, there are deaths. I cannot say more without getting all spoiler-y.

Now... all that being said...the end of this book goes out with a BANG! I love where Roth took this, though I was left with some burning questions that I can only hope get answered in the final book. For a variety of reasons, book three is a must read!

Review: Chopsticks

Chopsticks
by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral

Book Description:

After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."

But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along...

Review: 

This is actually a really cool book. It's a quick read because it's all done in ephemera... meaning, postcards, pictures, newspaper articles, IM conversations. It's a breeze to flip through, but it builds a really intriguing story.

I loved how every time you turn the page another little layer of the story, or Glory or Frank's story, gets peeled away and the sequence of events builds... is Glory going mad? Is she plotting to run away? Is her Dad holding her captive? What is really happening?

I love how in the end, you think you know what's happened, but maybe not... It's ambiguous, just like real life. There are so many mysteries out there and it's truly impossible to know everything that goes on with everyone around us...

I'm really glad I picked this one up.

Review: 172 Hours on the Moon

172 Hours on the Moon
by Johan Harstad

Book Description:
It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.

Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune.

Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.

Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.

It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.

 

 

Review:

I was very impressed with this science fiction thriller.

 

 

Though it is a little slow starting, the tension eventually builds into a spine-chilling ending. This is the book for someone who doesn't need a happy ending. This is the book for someone looking for realism and just a touch of horror.

This book has many characters and changes perspectives quite frequently, though you could say that Mia could be considered the "main character." It actually makes it a little easier as the story goes on to be not quite invested in any specific character...

 

 

Whatever your suspicions may be along the way, the author manages to surprise readers with a bleak ending that will give you just the hint of nightmares for a few days...

Review: The Selection

The Selection
by Kiera Cass

Book Description:
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review:
I really enjoyed this book. America is an interesting character. I liked her spunk and her honesty...with both herself and the men in her life. I felt like she was someone I'd like to be friends with, you know?

I thought this was a really interesting world. It has a caste system and a very rigid set of rules about etiquette and defining what life choices you can make. I, by no means, would want to live there, but it was an intriguing world to read about!

As more and more secrets became revealed, my interest became more and more peaked. This is a book that, unfortunately, leaves a lot of questions unanswered at the end (it's the first in a trilogy) and my final thought when I finished it was..."HOW long do I have to wait for book two??"

Sadly, book two will not be available until Spring 2013, which feels so far away!!
 
On the plus side, though...this series is being turned into a TV show that will be airing on the CW later this year! I'm stoked. :) Correction... there was a pilot made for CW, but they decided not to make the show after all... I'm so sad!!

Teen Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green

Book Description:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Review:
I loved every single thing about this book! It made me cry, both because it was sad *and* because I got so angry in spots! I read the whole book in one day because I could not put it down!

It is a MUST READ!!

Reviewer: Deanna

Happy 10th Birthday to CORALINE!

Today is the tenth anniversary of Neil Gaiman's creepy, cool story, Coraline.  If you've never read it, you totally should.  It's only barely over 200 pages long and the story will suck you right in...

"Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house. . . ."

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.

But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

This book has also been made into a movie and a graphic novel.  No matter what way you want to get it, the story will be sure to make the hair rise on the back of your neck...

Flippin' Pages May Meeting Reminder!!

Hey Guys!

Don't forget to join us here at the West Springfield Public Library for the May meeting of our teen book club, FLIPPIN' PAGES!!

 

 

If you're in grades 6-12, join us for a snack and tell us all about your favorite PARANORMAL books!

TODAY!!

TUESDAY, May 8th at 3:30 p.m.

Review: If I Stay

If I Stay
by Gayle Forman

Book Description:

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make.

Review:

I loved it. It was sad. Heartwrenchingly sad. I listened to the audio version of this and basically cried my way to and from work for three days. Sucky on the makeup, but totally worth it!
I hadn't realized that this book takes place so much from Mia's point of view as she's in a coma. It reminded me of The Lovely Bones, another *great* book. I love getting to experience that kind of outsider perspective, but with tons of insider insight. It's a really neat device in stories.

Plot-wise, obviously this book is terribly gutwrenching. I think that Forman managed to make the whole scenario even more devestating after she solidly introduces Mia's fantastic family. They truly are one of the coolest families I've read about in YA in quite a while. It was so sad to think of the tragedy that befell them.

My one and only complaint about this book was how abruptly it ended. Now, don't get me wrong. It was beautiful. It was right. *BUT* I immediately wanted more!! Thank goodness, not only do I know there's a sequel, but it's already out so I can read it ASAP!! 

Just Announced - Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy
by Marie Lu
sequel to Legend

Publication date: Jan. 29, 2013

The Elector Primo of the Republic has died, with his son assuming power over what's left of the USA's West Coast as it teeters on full-blown chaos. June and Day join up with Patriot rebels so they can rescue Day's brother and head east for the Colonies. In order to help, though, the rebels want June and Day to kill the new Elector, who may be a step up from his dad.

I know you Hunger Games fanatics must have found Marie Lu's Legend by now.  It's another great dystopian story.  Well, if you haven't yet...go check it out!! And if you have, this is the info on its sequel... I know I'll be reading it when it comes out! :)

Review: Mangaman

Mangaman
by Barry Lyga
illustrated by Colleen Doran

Book Description:
Ryoko, a manga character from a manga world, falls through the Rip into the “real” world—the western world—and tries to survive as the ultimate outsider at a typical American high school.
When Ryoko falls in love with Marissa Montaigne, the most beautiful girl in the school, his eyes turn to hearts and comic tension tightens as his way of being drawn and expressing himself clashes with this different Western world in which he is stuck in. “Panel-holed” for being different, Ryoko has to figure out how to get back to his manga world, back through the Rip . . . all while he has hearts for eyes for a girl from the wrong kind of comic book.

Review:
This was actually a really difficult read for me. I sort-of enjoyed the plot and felt that the concept of the two styles of graphic novels colliding was cool...but, *sigh*. I never really got into it.

I had a hard time with the American style graphic novel drawings. Stylistically, I actually enjoyed the Japananese manga-style drawings a lot more, but they also looked somewhat ridiculous next to the more western style.

As I said, conceptually, I thought the book was great. In actuality, I didn't really enjoy reading it. I'm glad I did and I can say I have, but I would not pick it up again.

Review: The Future of Us

The Future of Us
by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Book Description:
Josh and Emma are about to discover themselves--fifteen years in the future

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long--at least, up until last November, when everything changed. Things have been awkward ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD-ROM in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto Facebook . . . but Facebook hasn't been invented yet. Josh and Emma are looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates--it's all there. And every time they refresh their pages, their futures change. As they grapple with the ups and downs of what their lives hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right--and wrong--in the present.

Review:
To be totally honest, I did not really like this book. I had expected to love it, but it just never really worked for me. In the first couple of chapters I was totally into the whole nostalgia thing...I loved flashing back to my high school self...but as the story moved on, it just never grabbed me.

I thought the concept was really cool, but I didn't really connect to either character. The plot didn't seem to move enough for me. I liked the ending, but knew exactly where it was going almost from the start.

I just felt, eh, about most of this book. :/
Did any of you love it?

Review: Perception

Perception

by Kim Harrington

Clarity, book two 

Book Description:
When you can see things others can't, what happens when someone is watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only, Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the truth -- before it's much too late.

Review:

I loved this follow-up to Clarity.

I still think that Clare is a fantastic character and I love her power. It would be cool, interesting, and sometimes creepy to be able to touch things and see visions!

I thought that there was a lot of great stuff going on with Clare's family in this book. I love the bond that she and her brother share...and thought it was well tested in this book. I also love watching Clare and her mother figure things out...

I have to confess I was eagerly anticipating the romance element of this book. I could not wait to see what would happen with Clare and her two beaus...I thought that Harrington did great with this aspect. It was realistic and fun.

The mystery in this one was totally creepy. Stalker books always give me the heebie-jeebies. I will confess that I figured out who the bad guy was just a hair before Clare did...but not by much! I thought the mystery was well done.

I can't wait for what happens next. :)

What's on My Hold List?

Welcome back to

"What's on My Hold List?"

This is the May 2012 edition!

One of the most beautiful things about working at our Library is that I know what's coming out and what we'll be getting and I can put the books on hold right away!

These are some of the books that I'm currently waiting for:

What the Dog Said

by Randi Reisfeld

The Selection

by Kiera Cass

Struck

by Jennifer Bosworth

Publication date: May 8, 2012

 

Partners in Crime

by Kim Harrington

Sleuth or Dare, book one

 

The Lions of Little Rock

by Kristin Levine

 

Kick

by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman

 

*If you click on each title, it will take you to the book on

Amazon.com for more information. :)*

 

So, these are the books I'm waiting anxiously to get my hands on...

what are YOU waiting for??

 

Insurgent is out today!!

For all of you who have been anxiously waiting...INSURGENT by Veronica Roth, the sequel to Divergent, is out today!! Our library's copy is *already* checked out, but call us or stop by to put a hold on it!! I know some of you were as excited as I was to have it come out!!

Book Description:

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.