I really liked this book in the early chapters
594462
I really liked this book in the early chapters, but I felt that it dragged as it went on.  For anyone who wants to know more about Chris Kyle, though, this is the book to read.
1071818
I have to admit, when I started to read Divergent, I wondered what everyone was raving about. It gets off to a slow start, but more than makes up for that later on. The first chapter just sets the scene for a world where everything is perfect on the outside, but the shell is quickly cracked when 16 year old Beatrice makes a very much foreshadowed decision at the Choosing, where she decides to leave her faction and join up with a far scarier one.

The good points in this book:
- Excellent character development
- Well written
- Fascinating plot idea

Bad points:
- sloooow beginning
- the factions seemed like a rather unrealistic idea, but the author did make it work in the end

Overall, loved the book and highly recommend it, just don't stop reading because of the first chapter! :)
4317397
This book started brilliantly with the introduction of a very promising plot and description of suspenseful situations. However, lots of twists were introduced which were not hugely surprising, but quite central to the advancement of the plot. There wasn't a huge effort visible for the development of the characters but that's not something negative as that was not needed so much truthfully. One thing that really stops me from rating this book higher is the handling and the presenting of the twists which is really not top-quality - and sometimes very frivolous. The buildup of the climax was quite excellent but the execution of the entire scene could have been better (since I have read quite a few books that have worse climaxes than this one but presents it in a much thrilling and better tone). Overall, this is a good read for this genre, quite fast-paced, likable.
1306639
I think the book has a lot of promise.  I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but later when one expects more substantial  information, it tends to fall flat.
However the message is clear and their argument viable.
2932418
It took a while before I acclimated to the stylistic differences between chapters. It picked up pace for me about 1/3 of the way in.
2430312
I thought the first few chapters of this books were absolutely fantastic and worth the price of the book alone. Therefore, BUY IT.

On the other hand, I did not think it finished as strongly as it started. This is probably due to a difference in philosophy of ministry. It is still an excellent resource and worth every penny - just not 5 stars :-)
2169996
In the opening chapter I almost hated the book. If you're familiar with Fulgrim's character from the early Horus Heresy novels you'll remember that Fulgrim is an arrogant, quick tempered demi-god fully aware of his own superiority. He lives on adulation and the worship of his legionaries. A piece of that is on display as he makes his plan known to his chosen team and the current chapter master and that bothered me. I never cared for that part of Fulgrim's personality and the idea of an entire book devoted to that didn't excite me. But a few chapters in and I was hooked.

Where Fulgrim's personality was first based on his self-perceived perfection and execution of that perfection in all things, this is set where he is still proving this to everyone and to himself. There's quite a few moments where Fulgrim questions his actions internally and even seeks advice, or at least validation of his ideas, from his legionaries and the iterator assigned to this crusade. (By the way, Primary Iterator Pyke is a fantastic character. Every scene she's in is easily stolen by her. Toe to toe with Fulgrim and she even has his measure at the end of the story.) THIS Fulgrim is a great character, I found myself wishing he ended up being one of the loyalist Primarchs.

The overall story flows fairly well. It can be predictable but it's still enjoyable in how it's executed. The minor characters (the legionaries, mostly) are forgettable. I expected more from the chapter master as it seemed set up at first that Fulgrim needed to win him over in a way. But Fulgrim shines the brightest and that's what matters, this is his book after all.

It's not my favorite Primarch book so far (Perturabo is still a solid winner in my eyes) but it was a great read once I got into it. I might thumb through this again when I'm bored.
3172781
As mentioned, this was my first prime member pick of the month.  In the beginning it was a real page turner but coming down to the last chapters, I think the story got pretty old pretty fast.  I found it very hard to read the final chapters but it was a different and interesting plot so I would definitely still recommend.
138554
This book could have been a 4-star book - except for the first third of the book. The first part of the book was deadly slow. I almost gave up. Then the book picked up quickly and became a really good book. I loved it.

The I came to the ending. The last chapter was a little bit too much. It was just too sentimental. The good people won and all was right with the world.
3627224
I really enjoyed this book, particularly the early chapters. Katie Coyle writes with passion and wit and, especially in the early chapters, some pleasantly  wacky humor. Vivian Apple is a solid and likable character, learning and growing through the story; I very much enjoyed reliving some of the big feelings of adolescence with her. Katie Coyle does a fine job showing us Vivian's innermost self: her very good intentions and her very human minor failings. The other characters are colorful, with a wide range of emotions, and the plot is pleasantly preposterous, all adding to the fun.

As the story progresses, the humor recedes, which I found less compelling, though perhaps the younger target audience would experience this differently. I was less impressed with the ending than some readers; wish some loose ends had been tied up. Some parents may take issue with some rather strong language and allusions to some risky teenage behavior that are mentioned in the book, and of course, the main subject matter may be off putting to some people.

Still, apart from all of that, this book engaging and entertaining, sometimes funny and sometimes very touching. Definitely a fun ride, very readable, and I found it hard to put down.  Recommended.
1275562
I really enjoyed this book when I first started reading it. However, as the end started to draw flat for me, I started to think about the issues I had with the book. I realized that there were enough little things wrong with the book that I felt I couldn't ignore them anymore, and ultimately feel like this was a missed opportunity.

I'll try to avoid too many spoilers, but character inconsistencies had to be my biggest gripe.
The books main character is built up as extremely cautious and slightly paranoid. I felt the author did a great job of fleshing out this character and her motivations. She seemed to play several situations very smart and ultimately helped her during the outbreak. Their were several issues where the author set her up to have mental debates about risks, and to me, this played out well. However, as the book went on (and the crisis intensified), it felt like the characters actions completely abandoned the personas the author had established.  This sudden swap from hyper-vigilance to hyper-selflessness seemed way to sudden to make sense.  If this transition would have occurred in a more thought out, and rationalized way, I would have been fine with it. However, I didn't see character growth... I saw character change.

This completely ruined the book for me. I felt engrossed in the first half, and completely let down by the latter half of the book. A real shame.
2644823
I almost quit reading this book after the first few chapters but I am glad I didn't. I really enjoyed it. Motivational
1460528
I have just completed Chapter One, so this is only a preliminary assessment.  Up to this point, my main issue is that it takes a bit of time to get used to the names, with them being so involved and somewhat similar.  However, despite that, I have found the general tone of the work to be quite pleasant, and the storyline well-written and engaging.  I look forward to reading the rest.
4223663
A great little book with some fantastic ideas. I really enjoyed the idea of an updated L Frank Baum sort of story. I think the narrator got a bit too cutesy--I realize the homage, but it was off-putting. And the flow of bad things happening to September only to be magically fixed the next chapter took away all suspense. I also had to skip the chapter summaries. Again, I know it's all authentic but think we've moved too far away from that.

Still, this was a very inventive tale that most readers, I think, would enjoy
1327804
I liked some chapters in the book, but I thought others were boring. The chapter about Dan Sachs was wonderful, it caused me to research more about him, and I found out that Princeton
still gives a scholarships to Rhoades Scholar  students studying at Oxford. Other chapters particularly those about himself, where he becomes a name dropper were boring. Deford is at his best when he writes about others.
1999238
The first couple of chapters are absolutely stellar. Johnson writes about being Blackand Whitein this country with honesty, irreverence, guffaw-aloud humor, smarts and a refreshing fearlessness of the muzzle of a mass-market strain of political correctness that silences productive, respectful dialogue around critical issues of race and identity. But after those first chapters, the novel degenerates into a silly romp with characters, relationships and situations that require far too big a leap of faith. Still. Read the beginning.
3438249
I liked the book, I highlighted some segments, but major parts of the book didn't connect to me personally, especially the last few chapters.