Les Misérables By: Victor Hugo

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France, 1789-1799. This is the period of the revolution.
During this time Jean ValJean was condemned to 5 years of hard time.  For multiple attempts at escape he ends up serving 15-20 years. He escapes around year 18 and 19. Once escaping he flees into the countryside. Only to be rejected by all he asks for help. He searches for days tired a weary he come to the house of the bishop. The Bishop shows poor Jean ValJean hospitality and kindness. The experiences Jean has change his outlook on life.

After he leaves the Bishop's house he swears to be a good man for the rest of his days. And acting upon his vow he becomes the  mayor of Montreuil-sur-mer. He is a good man who helps all people and when he sees that a women has been through great hardships in his name he is devastated. He wants to help poor Fantine and that he does he saves her from the ruthless Javert who is always tracking and pursuing Jean ValJean.  He lets her live in his home and tends to her every need. He even saves her poor child Cosette from the ruthless Therniaders. But alas at the sight of seeing Javert again kills Fantine (who never saw her child again). Jean ValJean and Cosette are sent into a world of down spinning doom. A life of hiding and a life of hope. They lead their live the best they can while running from Javert. But there can be no happiness for them. For how can they be happy when after all they are The Miserables.

Les Misérables is a wonderfully written book. It's language and imagery is astounding. The way it pulls at every heart string is truly incredible. The reader feels the pain and misery, but also the love the characters feel. Victor Hugo is a true literary genius. A quote I particularly like in this book is in the dedication it states the following; "... in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Misérables cannot fail to be of use." -Hauteville House 1862

Insurgent by: Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent Series)

Tris, Four, Marcus, and the rest of their band of Abnegation refugees have taken refuge in the peaceful fields of the Amity farms. They are outsiders, factionless now. After the Erudite simulation which controlled the Dauntless into slaughtering innocent Abnegation, Four and Tris had to leave the city to avoid execution by the Erudite. They try and stay hiding for as long as possible but when Dauntless traitors ( those who were Dauntless but now work for the Erudite) come looking for them they must flee. They take sanctuary with the factionless who, to their surprise, are more like a faction then the actually factions right now. The factionless are banning together to make an uprising against the Erudite. The factionless plan to join forces with the remaining Dauntless and bring down the Erudite tyrants. But when the Erudite start hunting Divergents she must make a choice. She could choose to be selfish and let others die for her decision, or she could be brave. Tris chooses to be brave. She turns herself into the Erudite, knowing that when they are done with their painful research they will kill her. What is so important about the Divergent that the Erudite want to study them before killing them off? What is Jeanine hiding in the Erudite tower?

Veronica Roth has done it again in this wonderful sequel to Divergent. She is truly a magnificent author who knows who to entertain an audience. She develops such a bond between the reader and the Protagonist that you feel as if you are living this story with them. Every page turn is a plot twist, every chapter is a new addition to the already building tension. This masterpiece of a story is thrilling from the first word to the last mark of punctuation.

Divergent By: Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent Series)

Tris is a 16 year old girl from Abnegation. This year she will be subject to the simulation which will help her choose her future faction. Will she choose to stay selfless in Abnegation or will she choose one of the other factions. The simulation is made by the government it supposed to help you make this impossible decision. But when her results come back inconclusive she is thrown into a world she never knew existed. “Fear doesn’t shut you down it wakes you up….” page 313 Divergent. Tris chooses to be brave, she chooses to be Dauntless. But becoming Dauntless comes with a price. To join this faction you must pace a growling initiation process, because if you don’t you are factionless. To be factionless is the lowest thing you can be in this dystopian world. Tris must hide her Divergent state and pass a series of physically and mentally daunting task.  But when the Erudite faction has a plan to take down Abnegation, everything Tris has ever none is thrown for a lope. Will she be able to pass these test? Are there others that are Divergent like her? Is what the Erudite say about Abnegation really true? Tris wants answers to all of these questions, and a war between factions may be the only thing that will answer them.

Veronica Roth's Divergent book is truly remarkable. She shows multiple aspects of this dystopian universe which can relate back to many things in today's society. The word choice and description is truly captivating. Every twist and turn the book takes leads to a new and exciting adventure. This book left me breathlessly awaiting its sequel.

Spooky!: Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children

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I was on the look out for a good road trip book-- something distracting enough that I would want to read it instead of sleep or mess around on my phone on the endless hours between Missouri and South Carolina (there are 21 of these hours... if you are curious). I found exactly what I was looking for in Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

Jacob Portman seems to be your typical 16 year old. He's grown up with his grandpa's fantastical tales of his childhood-- a childhood surrounded by the terror of World War Two and mysterious friends with seemingly impossible abilities-- girls that can levitate, invisible boys, and children with super-human strength.  Though Jacob slowly begins to believe that his grandpa's stories are just stories told to a young child, a frightening and tragic event leads Jacob on a journey to discover the truth of his grandfather's mysterious past.

While I really enjoyed the story, I loved the author's writing style most. He did a great job writing from the point of view of his character, and even though the story is very fictional, his writing made it all seem very real.

Overall, I'd give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. It will be interesting to see what the movie is like when it comes out later this year!