Divergent: The Initiation

Good news: we have less than a month until Allegiant hits the book shelves and we can all finally get our hands on this highly-anticipated ending to the Divergent trilogy!

If you read my review for Insurgent, you'll know that I'm dying to see what happens in Allegiant. Insurgent left me with too many questions and a huge plot twist that left my head SPINNING.

This tells me that Allegiant is going to be a very different book from Divergent and Insurgent. And personally, I think that's why I'm going to love it. Divergent stands out from so many other futuristic, quasi-dystopian books by taking the story in a direction that others haven't gone in.

I want to share with you a few reasons why I think you should give this book series a chance, in light of Allegiant coming out so soon!

1. Captivating world building:
   
   This is my favourite thing about Divergent, hands down. Veronica Roth has put together a very interesting world, one that I'm always dying to learn more about.
   
2. Faction sorting:
   
   The first thing I did after I finished reading Divergent? I took a quiz to see which faction I'd be belong to if I lived in Veronica Roth's Chicago. For the record, I'd choose Dauntless (because if I'm brave, then I'm brave enough to do anything. And that includes being selfless, being honest, etc).
   
3. Swoon-worthy romance:
   
   Okay, we've all heard about Tris and Four by now. To me, their relationship is a bit different than others because of how their relationship progresses compared to other fictional couples. The angst is there, but it's just a wee bit different.
   
4. Crazy plot twist:
   
   I love plot twists. I love plot twists that surprise me even more. And the twist in Insurgent is a doozy!
   
5. Upcoming movie adaptation:
   
   We all have our fingers (and toes) crossed that the Divergent movie will be amazing - but for those of you who may not have read the book yet, I always recommend doing that sooner rather than later. Jump on the bandwagon now, so you can wait impatiently with the rest of us.
   
6. Action + fight scenes = awesome:
   
   If you've read some of my other book reviews, you've likely figured out by now that I love some good action sequences. I think they're so much fun and really take a book to a whole new level. The fact that Tris joins Dauntless means we start right off the bat with a number of fight scenes.
   
7. Reflections on society:
   
   Divergent considers some societal attitudes and norms and challenges them by exploring some of these issues within a story. That makes the story easy to relate to, and thoughtful.
   
8. Challenges the reader:
   
   I like a book that challenges me. A good book will make me think and reflect, especially on how I feel about myself and how I process the world around me. The use of factions in Divergent-Chicago readily reflects that, because it makes the reader wonder which faction they'd belong to and what that would mean for them.
   
9. Fantastic character development:
   
   Characters should grow throughout a book or a book series, and Tris shows such natural progression through Divergent and Insurgent that I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's like in Allegiant!
   
10. Heart-pounding:
    
    There is always SOMETHING going on in these books. Whether it's because of the Tris & Four relationship, or the fight scene, or some crazy secret revealed. 

A Spark Unseen Blog Hop, Day 6

Don't forget to stop by and visit some other stops on the blog hop!

The Book Vortex

Book Loving Mom

Last year I read The Dark Unwinding and fell head over heels for it - I even listed it as one of my TOP TEN books of 2012! It was that good. So you can imagine how excited I am for A Spark Unseen! I'm thrilled to be a part of the blog hop for A Spark Unseen, and have some really exciting tidbits to show you and even a giveaway for a paperback copy of The Dark Unwinding (perfect for those of you who haven't gotten around to reading it yet)!

I get to share with you a little bit about one of the locations found in A Spark Unseen. Take a look at this quote first.

Rue Trudon

One of my biggest research projects for A Spark Unseen was determining Katharine’s street address in Paris. I needed a street of connecting townhouses, mini-mansions with shared inner walls that dated to at least the 1790s, before the Reign of Terror, when France guillotined so much of its own population (hidden rooms for fugitive aristocrats, anyone?). It also needed to be an area frequented by foreigners. The gem I came across was Rue Trudon, located in a neighborhood known as “Little England.”

Eugène-Emmanuel Amaury-Duval "Tragedy or, Portrait of Rachel," 1854

At No. 4. lived Mlle. Rachel, the “celebrated tragic actress” (thank you Galignani’s Travel Guide!), a woman of rather notorious repute. But because of her tainted reputation, I got an amazing description of her rooms at No. 4, including the crystal chandelier with bronze cherubs, cream and gilt walls, and an enormous canopied bed, which gave me the height of the ceilings. And because of journal entries describing the auction after her death, I also discovered the interior courtyard, including trees, flowers pots, fountain, and the color of the house stones. Since Katharine had no time for neighbors other than Mrs. Hardcastle, poor Mlle. Rachel didn’t make into A Spark Unseen, I’m afraid. But her floor plan, decorations, and courtyard did!


Another resident was Robert R. Livingston, one of America’s founding fathers, who lived there from 1801-1804 while he was negotiating the Louisiana Purchase. He had his home on Rue Trudon “done up” because of “decay from age.” (Then the buildings were old in 1801! Yes!) And also living on the street was Alexis de Tocqueville,author, historian, an ousted member of the Imperial government and noted Napoleon III critic who favored expanding the navy of France. Could Henri Marchand have known this man?
  

Alexis de Tocqueville

Aside: Is it just me, or do Mlle. Rachel and Alexis look startlingly alike? But perhaps this is another novel!


Sadly, the little triangle of buildings that was Rue Trudon was completely demolished when the Rue Auber was expanded to create a better throughway in the 1870s. If someone discovered Katharine’s hidden attic during the demolition process, they never said a word.

About A Spark Unseen:
The thrilling sequel to Sharon Cameron’s blockbuster gothic steampunk romance, THE DARK UNWINDING, will captivate readers anew with mystery and intrigue aplenty.
When Katharine Tulman wakes in the middle of the night and accidentally foils a kidnapping attempt on her uncle, she realizes Stranwyne Keep is no longer safe for Uncle Tully and his genius inventions. She flees to Paris, where she hopes to remain undetected and also find the mysterious and handsome Lane, who is suspected to be dead.
But the search for Lane is not easy, and Katharine soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of political intrigue. And with unexpected enemies and allies at every turn, Katharine will have to figure out whom she can trust–if anyone–to protect her uncle from danger once and for all.
Filled with deadly twists, whispering romance, and heart-stopping suspense, this sequel to THE DARK UNWINDING whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.

Find Sharon Cameron:

Website - sharoncameronbooks.com

Twitter - @CameronSharonE

Facebook - http://on.fb.me/19zQcRl
Website - http://sharoncameronbooks.com/news/

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