Beth

While amusing, Grahme-Smith was only able to find a handful of zombie/(ninja?) scenarios and terms to regurgitate throughout the book.

I bought a bunch of audiobooks once, and then discovered that I'm not especially fond of them. I get annoyed with the narrator's voice, or it's too slow, or I fall asleep. It's not the book's fault, at all. This was the last one I convinced myself to listen to (out of guilt for spending money), but no more! One day I'll actually read it, and get more of a kick out of its Halloweeny myths and child-like wonder.

3.5 rounded to 4 for the number of times this book made me laugh. Not pretty laughs, but everything ranging from cackling-hear-me-in-the-next-room to “that was totally relatable and I'm snorting at the suddenness of its truth.” I don't agree with everything Moran has to say about feminism, but she's usually thoughtful about her opinions and frequently provides nuance. The world is complicated and she artfully embraces the idea that we can reject soul-sucking strip clubs while also praising burlesque shows for healthy sexual expression. I'd love to follow her and see what else she has to say.

I'm obsessed with this book. Therefore, it gets five stars because anything less just feels wrong. I know, I know, I know, that the dystopian backstory of society dividing into five factions is a little hard to believe, BUT I'm very good at just going with it. I like the “what if” society was like “this” quandary and I think you have to be in that mindset to enjoy the book. If you're a die hard critic that tears apart the minutiae of detail in an action movie (“well that's not realistic, reversing the polarity is impossible”) then this book probably isn't for you. Moving on. I won't go into much detail since my book club is reading this at the moment and I don't want to spoil anything, but I love these characters and I kind of wish my life was a little bit more dauntless. The book covers a lot of problems that teenagers face - wanting a life different than your parents or just being different than your family/society expects, abuse and fear, first love, fears of failing, etc. I thought the romance was much better than other YA books I've read. The first Hunger Games had me rolling my eyes A LOT over the Peeta/Katniss story, and Twilight is just plain unhealthy. There were times I wanted to shake Tris by the shoulders and yell “WHY can't you see what he's doing!” She has a few moments that are obviously slow on the uptake, but I appreciate that she's just a tough female heroine who doesn't want the guy to see her as weak. Oh, and when she thinks he's going macho asshole she doesn't swoon. She gets mad. YAY! Anyway, I found a lot of things to love in this book and I can only guess that quite a few people will be running to the tattoo parlor if the series explodes with the movie release in March. Now I'm off to buy Insurgent!

Wow. Read this book. It's not about a fringe-y survivalist family. It's about the family dynamics that converge from mental illness, religion, close-knit groups, and gender power imbalances. It's about how people still love the family members who are toxic to them, and desire a place within their family and community. It's about finding the education that provides a new lens to see your entire life, just by giving it context.