**Update 
 Hmmmm.... the ending to the Giver Quartet is quite.... insufficient and abrupt. I still like the first bok, however, and extols the written notion about human loss of love and their turn to cruelty and greed, but this novel is too narrow. Rather than depicting the struggle of a whole country, where different individuals conflict and battle their inner self, the government and what they had been inculcated, Lowry just had this one hero stand up with "special gifts" and boom!!! *yay, we save the world*. 
 Still, I give this three stars because the series overall was good and way better than current, banal YA novels about stupid, shitty paranormal romance. Yes, for those who think "book is just supposed to be entertainment and fun!", learn to read books about morality that teach people about new things through the development of characters, actions, expressions, plot and words. I detest books that brainwash modern teenagers with portrayals of hot abs and first-love and cool magic (ubiquitously in video games and televisions). In other word, to find more about life and human and morality and brutality and death is a more sophisticated way of entertaining, hahahaha. 
 But anyway, return to Lois Lowry series, yes, her notion is good, but the way she tried to put her thoughts into words and the way she executes it is not that brilliant. Her characters are way too clearly lined - the "gift" people are good yarayrarar, and the "evil" dude is bad and we have a struggle, cliche about good vs evil, done! Thi is just too simple, too easy, that I didn't really feel intense when reading about battles being fought and won. I just feel like, "yeah, the good characters are going to win, and everyone will celebrate". 
 The Giver is the best, and the other three books that follow it is just "meh, alright", as if the author hadn't develop much time to think clearly about subsequent plotlines . Characters are likable but not worth my spending hours to analyse and fall deeply in love. 
 Sigh: the movie is coming out this year. Hope it will redeem a few mistakes from the Giver.