Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts (Feb. 13)

This meme is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. Please head on to their blog for more information, and to link up your post! :)

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

1. It's the day before Valentines' Day! I'm not really one to celebrate this day in any special manner, since I consider it to be blatantly commercialized and has lost a lot of it's significance, but if it brings couples together in whatever way they choose then it's all good to me. The world needs more love :)
2. I can't wait for it to be the weekend already! I'm having trouble walking around as a side effect of the medicine and the doctor has advised that I start tapering down my dosage this weekend. I hope the side effects will be significantly less by then. 
3. I'm going away to a beach resort for the weekend for a company party. I'm not sure if I should bring my laptop, I figured I'll use the time to actually relax. I'd still be reading, considering I find that very relaxing. I hope the weather won't be terrible once we get there. I'm not in any condition to be swimming but I still want to enjoy the scenery!

(Review) The Selection (The Selection, #1) - Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection (The Selection, #1)

Author: Kiera Cass

Format: ebook

Pages: 336 pages

Genre: Young Adult (Dystopia)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date Published: April 24th, 2012

Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads)

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:

When I first read the summary to this book, I expected it to be something similar to The Hunger Games but more into cattiness instead of actual brutality...and I wasn't wrong. The Selection began a little slow for me, but for some reason that took fed the girly girl in me and I started to like America the more she interacts with Maxon.

The whole concept does seem a little weak compared to other book series' but that's what I find charming about it. It's not pretentious in it being a princess competition, with an added layer of political turmoil on top. I like the fact that the book focuses on the inner issues that the Selection girls are going through instead of the general political issues. We see two sides of the coin, with America championing the "poor" and Maxon representing the privileged. It was nice to see them interact with each other with very few hitches. The whole "we're two different so we can't be decent with each other and get along at all" is starting to get old with these young adult romances. 

It's set in a fantasy world, an alternate reality where China invaded the US, but it's still somehow realistic in the issues that the characters tackle. There's the castes, pageantry hoopla, the complexities of "reality shows", all presented in a realistic plate. 

The characters represent different personalities that one might encounter in an actual pageant, but what struck me the most was Prince Maxon. His personality was genuine and regal, almost too perfect except for certain times when he loses his cool and that just adds more to his realism. Aspen and America breaking up seemed a little underwhelming, and then having to hear that America's suspicions were wrong was a little frustrating but I stand by her decision in the end. She's not just doing this for her family, but also for herself and the best thing she can do is to see herself through it. 

I'm really excited to read the second book, and i'm hyping myself up for The One. The whole concept seems a little unconventional as far as dytopic/fantasy Young Adult books go but I guess that's what I like about this series. 

Rating: ♚♚♚♚♚ 

Waiting on Wednesday (Feb. 12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a blog meme hosted by Breaking The Spine that aims to showcase any release you're eagerly anticipating! Please head on to their blog to know more and to join! :)

As much as the end of the Delirium series disappointed me, I'm very excited to read Panic by Lauren Oliver. It comes out March 4th and I literally cannot wait. I'm jealous of all the people who got to read the ARC. I hope Lauren Oliver delivers superbly this time, considering Requiem was a little weak for someone who's writing and imagination caliber I consider to be one of the best in Young Adult. 

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.
Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

WWW Wednesdays (Feb. 12)

WWW Wednesday is a book blogging meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Hop over to her site to check it out :)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. I recently got The Elite at the book store and I've been hearing about this series since it first came out. I'm too curious not to pick it up. So far, it's going a little slow for me and feels like a "pageant" version of The Hunger Games but I like what i'm reading so far.

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.

• What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished the Requiem by Lauren Oliver, the last book in the Delirium series. It was very underwhelming and I felt like it didn't do the series any justice. 

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.
But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.
Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.
Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.
Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I just recently joined Netgalley, but since I have no considerable traction for now since i'm new to doing blog reviews, I don't get to request for books. I was a little surprised to get the self-help book Happiness: The Art of Living with Peace, Confidence and Joy by Douglas A. Smith. I rarely read self-help books, but considering what I am currently going through I felt like it was heaven-sent! Thank you, Netgalley for the appropriately-timed book!

In the midst of a successful business career, Doug Smith received life-altering news that set him on an entirely new journey to understand what leads to truly joyful, meaningful living—in other words, what leads to happiness. Through research and study, he began to understand that what the most joyful among us have in common is that they remember the past with peace, anticipate the future with confidence, and live in the present with joy and exuberance. Additionally, he discovered that what gives them this perspective is a set of skills that they consistently, even if subconsciously, practice. He also realized that he is not particularly good at several of these skills. In Happiness: The Art of Living With Peace, Confidence and Joy, the author recounts, with insight and humor, his journey to better understand and practice the skills of happiness with the goal of helping others on their own path to joyful, meaningful living.

(Review) Requiem (Delirium, #3) - Lauren Oliver

Title: Requiem (Delirium, #3)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Format: Finished Copy
Pages: 391 pages
Genre: Young Adult (Dystopia)
Publisher: Harper Collins
Date Published: March 05, 2013

Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads)

As her country erupts in open rebellion, Lena fights for the resistance and must make a heartbreaking choice between two loves.
After saving Julian from a death sentence, Lena escapes with him and other members of the resistance. But as she embraces her love for Julian, a boy from her past returns and causes her to question everything.
In the meantime, Lena's best friend, Hana, is engaged to Portland's young mayor and is living a safe, proscribed, loveless life. The story is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view.
As Lena struggles to save the people she loves, everything comes to a head in this exciting finale to Lauren Oliver's epic trilogy. REQUIEM is a sophisticated, wide-ranging novel that explores the large issues of society, government, and resistance, and of course, there is romance.

Review:

As much as I would love to rave about the ending (because the series as a whole was really enjoyable) I just can't help but think that that was probably one of the most underwhelming series endings I've ever read. 

The writing pattern was still switching between Hana and Lena, something that I really liked because it showed two sides of the same situation with Hana representing life within the Cureds and Lena's life in the Wilds. Both stories interested me enough, surprisingly, considering the fact that Hana doesn't really have an active hand in either side. She was just a trapped spectator. 

Also, I thought Lena was back to her "weak" stage after all the significant improvement she had in Pandemonium. I thought it was because Alex' sudden reappearance brought back some unresolved issues, not to mention her suspicion that he and Coral were getting too cozy. So many things happened in a short span of pages that it felt a little watered down and it's impact lessened. Lu's betrayal to the group, the appearance of Lena's mother and Alex' sudden disappearance would've given the story more depth if only a little more time were spent on it. 

Even the revelation of Hana's betrayal was a little bleak, and the way Lena handled it wasn't how I expected the "new" Lena to handle it though I guess it was also the fact that she might've missed her best friend that's why she couldn't act out any aggressively. What Hana did pretty much ruined Lena, and all she got was a measly slap on the face? The new Lena would've fought her, regardless of their previous status. 

Alex and Lena's newfound affection for each other wasn't explored at all in the end, something that I found to be terribly disappointing on it's own. After all the build-up from the first two books and the introduction of Julian, the culmination that it got was "Do you still love me?"...I seriously found it be very underwhelming. 

All in all, it was very vague and open-ended. I haven't read any review of it anywhere that doesn't state this. A "requiem" is supposed to be the culmination of something great and I felt like i got served cold pie.

Rating: ♚♚♚