Stephanie ThomasBesprekingen

Some of the suggestions are pretty basic (color in a coloring book, take a bubble bath, play with your pet), but if one is desperate to find rest and doesn't know what to do, perhaps basic is a good start. There are more ideas, divided into sections titled physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Some ideas I never heard of and plan to try or at least research them, such as slow flow yoga, putting legs up the wall, binaural beats, and alternate nostril breathing. Look for what interests you and leave the rest!

It should be noted that I did not finish this book (I got to chapter 6). I really tried to get into but it just wasn't happening.

I found it started off very slow and while I can appreciate the descriptions of what the various terms mean, it just did not grasp my attention. Nothing felt overly fresh to me.

Maybe I am just reaching that point in my life where teenage heroines aren't something I can tolerate anymore. Beatrice wasn't anything overly annoying but she just didn't interest me. She is your typical teenage heroine who has that special something and has the required for any young adult novel two love interests. Like I said before this was nothing refreshing to me, just another young adult formula novel.

There are much more interesting books out there that I would rather be reading (and I readily did). I may give this book another chance at a later date. The concept is intriguing but I feel it is geared to a younger reader audience.

(Find more book series reviews and book recaps on my blog: http://seriesousbookreviews.wordpress.com/)

NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley & Entangled Publishing.

The story was the typical dystopian - something happened to our world and now only a small population of people survive in a bunch of cities around the world. Here, only two cities are mentioned - the city of the Seers(the City) and the city of the Dream-catchers(Aura). Naturally, the Seers and Dream-catchers are enemies. Or so we're told. The ones protect the ordinary people, while the others kill them to survive.

The City is controlled and protected by the Seers who live in the Institution, train in combat and See visions of the future. They're governed by this Keeper woman, who totally creeped me out. I mean, she always stuck her nose in people's business... She was mean and though she was supposed to 'keep' the Seer's visions and sanity, I was left with the impression that there was a subtle ulterior motive to all that. And there was, as it turned out.

Anyway, there's a silly love triangle development, which I don't necessarily agree with. There's the long known friend (Gabe), and the newly acquired acquaintance (Echo), between whom our female protagonist (Bea) has to choose. I guess the choosing will be done in the following installments however, since by the end of Luminosity Bea was quite undecided.

Personally, I'd go team Gabe. The guy was funny, supportive, loving and selfless(mostly). He even tried his best to understand without asking questions. If that's even possible, but he sort of managed it. He wasn't pushy or demanding. I liked him.

Echo... I guess I can see how he could intrigue Bea. I mean, he was the unknown, mysterious factor. He was running hot and cold. He was the bad guy (though was he really?).

Hmm, what to say about Bea. Well, she appeared to be trusting. I mean, she trusted people she didn't know (the Widow, Echo, the Dreamcatchers), but didn't trust her own friends. I know this was explained, but still. Is it really so much easier to trust strangers than your own trusted friends? Perhaps it is, I mean we do it all the time on facebook and IM.
Anyway, I liked how Bea rebelled against the obvious threat in the end. She turned out to be a hard nut to crack, even with all the secrets that suddenly fell on her shoulders.

The author amazed me with her ability to write fiction. The way she didn't hesitate to sacrifice loveable characters was definitely intriguing. I will definitely be waiting for the next installment of this series, since I'm curious to know how things turn out. Especially if Bea decides that Gabe is the one she wants. I'm rooting for him no matter what.

Bea is a neat character. She is defiant while still following rules, easy to connect with and not afraid to go after what she wants. She doesn't blindly follow what she is told and had no problem thinking for herself. As a Seer she can see things others can't and she is one of the most powerful Seers so her visions are taken seriously. The whole concept behind LUMINOSITY was intriguing and the author did a good job with her descriptions and world building.There isn't really a romance going on but there is love triangle. Beatrice loves her best friend Gabe but she finds herself pining for the enemy Echo as well. I cant honestly say who's "team" I am as we don't really know enough about Echo yet to say what he would bring into a relationship with Bea.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the storyline. A lot of the mystery ended up being pretty obvious and easy to guess before situations or information came out.There was a good bit of action situations and plenty of danger you wouldn't imagine young people being involved in. The ending didn't seem very strong but it ends on a cliffhanger so there is plenty left to see. We really don't know much about the Dreamcatcher's yet so I cant imagine what will happen once Bea arrives in their home so I will most likely grab book 2 when it comes out just because I'm interested in finding out.

Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas
eARC received by Entangled Publishing
AVAILABLE NOW!
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: Gripping, Mysterious and Gruesome

From the moment I read the blurb about this one, I was hooked. What’s not to love?
A dystopian society—check
Mysterious villains—check
Dangerous dream boy—check
And then when the cover was revealed, I wanted to read it even more! This cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I still can’t take my eyes off of it!

Enter a world where death is everywhere, where mystery abounds, and where love and hate are two halves to the same whole. A thrill ride of a story, Luminosity won’t just bring you to the edge of your seat, it will tip you right over!

I was intrigued by Stephanie’s world because it seemed like it was set out of place and out of time. It’s a world where paranormal powers exist and are commonplace, yet revered and feared. It’s a world that rose from the ashes of the past only to find itself, once more, on the brink of destruction. What I find most interesting is how it feels like there are no good guys. The story takes place from Beatrice’s point of view (she’s a Seer), so we get a biased view of the world. Now I think it’s a biased view, not a truthful view. Beatrice doesn’t know much about her enemy, the Dreamcatchers, and as a result, we know little nothing about them either. All we know is that the Seers want to kill them and the Dreamcatchers want to kill the Seers. So that is why I say there are no good guys. There is so much mystery surrounding their world that we know very little about why they hate each other. Because of this, you are always on edge, wondering when a truth will surface—and when it does, whose truth will it be? And can it even be called truth? Stephanie’s world is a game of cat and mouse, but the question is--who is the cat and who is the mouse?

Beatrice was an unusual heroine because I felt like she wanted to do good, but she was pulled into a bad situation and didn’t know how to fight back. She is revered as one of the greatest Seers, yet she is unsure of herself and unsure about what she really wants. I liked that even though she was powerful, she was still weak and vulnerable in some aspects of her life. However, there were times when I got annoyed by her because I felt like she was being too naïve. She was too trusting, to a point where she would trust people pointing a gun at her head. At these points, I wanted to whack her upside the head and yell, “What are you thinking??” Still, I was captured by her struggle because she was unaware that she was walking such a dangerous line between protector and betrayer.

So…I know what you are wanting to know. The guys, am I right? There are two in this book, Gabe and Echo; and they couldn’t be more different. Gabe is Beatrice’s best friend, but they are starting to become more than that. I truthfully didn’t like Gabe that much because I felt he was too fickle and sensitive. He likes Beatrice, but when Bea pays him little attention because her mind is on the war (seriously, whose mind wouldn’t be on the war?), he got all huffy and pouty about it. Still, they had some very sweet and sincere romantic moments.

And Echo…the Dreamcatcher. I like Echo because I always fall for the mysterious bad boy, even though we don’t really know if Echo is the bad guy. He speaks in riddles (hot!), but he seems to know exactly what Bea needs. They are drawn to each other like a moth to the flame, and its possible, they just might be the death of each other. But this is what makes their relationship so compelling. It’s built on trust when there should be none between them. It’s raw and emotional, yet at times void of feeling. If ever there was a roller coaster of a relationship, this would be it! But who doesn’t love a good roller coaster?

Overall, this was a unique and enjoyable read. There were times when the action was slow and I found myself wondering when things were going to pick up, but then the last 25% of the book came along and it was fight after fight, kiss after kiss, revelation after revelation. I will warn you though, be ready for some gruesome and very sad moments. There were deaths and murders that were extremely upsetting to me as a parent because Stephanie did not shy away from child death. So, put your tough skin on to read this one.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book, and be sure to purchase your copy today!

“Everything is starting to unravel into a pool of nonsense. And standing in the middle of the pool is Echo, handsome and tall, pleading with me to save him. Save us.” Pg 92