My Bookish Distractions

Lia fights a war every single day. A war with herself.

Anorexia is a silent and very deadly disease that many people suffer. Laurie Anderson does not sugarcoat Lia's struggle at all. When Lia stared at her body, disgusted with the imaginary fat pockets her mind conjured, Laurie used almost poetic imagery to describe in great detail what Lia sees. I felt nothing but depressive emotions when I read this book. I nearly cried multiple times, and vary rarely does a book cause me an emotional roller coaster like this one.

This book was spectacular in the way the author tackled on the sensitive subject of eating disorders without being too preachy in describing the horrors.

There was only one complaint I had about the novel. I found the strikeouts throughout the book a little on the distracting side. Also, when Lia started her hallucinations with the ghost of Cassie, the line between reality and imagination seemed to be a little hazy.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, especially to increase awareness of eating disorders and how it can affect a close friend.

Rating: Four out of Five stars

I dove into this book with relatively low expectations-something I do with a book that has so much hype surrounding it. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished the book, more surprised that it took me about a day to finish. Maybe the book absorbed me in more than I thought it did.

I don't know how to review this book without listing the positives and negatives of this book. There were definitely both.

Negative first. I didn't enjoy the writing style of the book. I'm very picky about writing, and Veronica Roth's style, including first person, turned me off somewhat. I just can't stand first person writing. Ugh. Second, the dystopian setting, including the five factions, seemed a little old to me. People being placed into a certain faction based on personality. Seemed a little Harry Potter to me. And everyone is trying to write the next Harry Potter book.

Even though those few things bothered me, the book was excellent. I thought that the main character, Tris, was a complete and total badass. A sword-wielding, gun-slinging, punch-throwing badass. At times the character did annoy me though, but I thought she had some depth to her.

My favorite part: ROMANCE WASN'T THE MAIN PLOT. I enjoy romance as a side thing, but I'm always turned off if I read a novel for something other than romance, and it turns out to be the main focus. So I was very happy with this book.

Last thing, the action. HOLY CRAP I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. I love that feeling, when a book can actually make my heart start pounding away as I flip through the pages, unable to put the book down. I love action, and the action in this book seemed never ending. Loved it.

Rating: Four out of Five stars