"Running with the Demon" by Terry Brooks

Title: Running with the Demon

Author: Terry Brooks
Publisher: Orbit

Book 1 of 'The Word and the Void'

Blurb:

It is the beginning of the hottest July in decades, and two men have come to Hopewell, Illinois. One is not human, a dark servant of the Void, who will use the anger and frustration of the community to achieve a terrible secret goal. The other is John Ross, a Knight of the Word. While he sleeps, he lives in the hell the world will become if he fails to change its course on waking. John Ross has been given the ability to see the future. But does he have the power to change it?

At stake is the soul of a fourteen-year-old girl and the lives of the people of Hopewell. And that's just the beginning. This Fourth of July, while friends and families picnic in Sinnissippi Park and fireworks explode in celebration of freedom and independence, the fate of Humanity itself will be decided . . .

Synopsis:

Nest Freemark lives in hopewell, Illinois, a wielder of Magic helping a farey creature in her local park. John Ross comes to her town claiming to have known her mother, but in reality he is tracking a demon.

For a full synopsis go visit Wikipedia.

Verdict:

This is a great urban fantasy book set in our world, bringing magic and demons to life. A bit more in depth than a Sunday read, but well worth the effort. looking forward to book two.

Rating: 5/5

"Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins

Book 2 of 'Divergent'

Blurb:

Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Synopsis:

Tris, Four, Caleb, Peter, and Marcus travel to Amity to meet with other Abnegation survivors to seek sanctuary. Whilst there, Erudite and Dauntless traitors turn up to search for any Abnegation survivors. As you ould expect, Tris et al do not go down without a fight, evade capture and head back into the city.

After a while they meet up with the Factionless and Four's mother. A plan is hatched to expose the data that the Erudite are keeping secret and the rest of the book is about the war that escalates from this.

For a full synopsis go visit Wikipedia.

Verdict:

Picking up from book one, the story flows straight into quite a lot of action. The love story takes a back seat as our lead character fights herself internally. I enjoyed this book as much as the first and look forward to the film being released. The plot actually is less predictable in the second book, than the first, so in some ways this was a better book and not so teenager'ish. I liked it.

Rating: 4/5

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins

Book 1 of 'Divergent'

Blurb:

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

Synopsis:

In a post-apocalyptic Chicago, survivors divide into five factions based on their dispositions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. Each year, all sixteen-year-olds must take an aptitude test that describes the one faction for which they are best suited. After receiving the results, they can decide whether to remain with their family's faction or transfer to a new faction. Those who do not complete initiation into their new faction become "Factionless", and are forced to live in poverty on the streets of the city.

Tris Prior and her brother Caleb are approaching their Choosing Day. The day they either choose to stay with the faction they have grown up in, or pick a new one. They are tested prior to choosing and Tris' tests are inconclusive to which faction she should choose, hence she is Divergent. She is warned never to reveal this to anyone.

On the day of Choosing, she picks Dauntless and enters their initiation program. During initiation she makes friends and enemies within her new faction. And she also finds love in the initiation trainer namer 'Four'.

For a full synopsis go visit Wikipedia.

Verdict:

When I first got told of this book/movie, a friend described it as "The Hunger Games" only without the Hunger or the Games. Lol. Although the comparison of post-apocalyptic world with teenage female main character is true, that is where the comparison ends. This was a good read, OK so the plot is predictable once it gets going, but hey what book isn't.

Rating: 4/5