Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth    4/5 Stars
Beatrice has been in her faction her entire life. She is now 16 and must decide if she stays or changes factions, leaving her family behind. She soon discovers she is different, a dangerous truth that she does not understand. Making the decision she moves to Dauntless. A decision that will affect every aspect of her life.
The book was not quick moving until the very end, but it was captivating in its own way. I did enjoy the movie more, but the book does fill in more character-wise. They all seem to be well developed characters and have intricate backgrounds. The plot does move along at a good pace and keeps your attention. The plot is fairly deep and that shows in the conclusion. Set up nicely for the next novel in the series. Overall a great read, that I would recommend to young adults especially, but anyone who likes thrillers or futuristic novels.

Eagles of the Empire: Invictus by Simon Scarrow

Invictus BY: Simon Scarrow

3.5 Stars

I haven’t done a review in quite a long time, so please bear with me as I try to get back into the groove.

Cato returns home to Rome and does not get the reception he was counting on. His wife has died and now he must get to know a son he has never met. As his world crumbles around him, he gets the call to go back into the line of duty. Trying to prevent Hispania from leaving the Roman Empire. They are up against a cunning rebel leader who will stop at nothing to stir up rebellion in the colony.

This was off to a slower start than I am used to with Simon Scarrow novels. I did enjoy seeing the personal side of both Cato and Macro as it really assisted in their character developments. It did take quite a while to get into the book and I would not recommend starting with this particular novel in the Eagles of the Empire series. Once they do reach Hispania things pick up pretty quickly, but by this time you are a third of the way through the book. When the fight begins it is up to Scarrow’s usual standards, he has a great way of keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout the battle. Scarrow’s research on these lands and the time/event he is telling of is always impeccable and shines through. The conclusion of course leaves room for another instalment. Overall a good read, just wish he had found a way to make the first third more attention grabbing.