Tracked by Jenny Martin

On corporately controlled Castra, rally racing is a high-stakes game that seventeen-year-old Phoebe Van Zant knows all too well. Phee’s legendary racer father disappeared mysteriously, but that hasn't stopped her from speeding headlong into trouble. When she and her best friend, Bear, attract the attention of Charles Benroyal, they are blackmailed into racing for Benroyal Corp, a company that represents everything Phee detests. Worse, Phee risks losing Bear as she falls for Cash, her charming new teammate. But when she discovers that Benroyal is controlling more than a corporation, Phee realizes she has a much bigger role in Castra’s future than she could ever have imagined. It's up to Phee to take Benroyal down. But even with the help of her team, can a street-rat destroy an empire?




My Thoughts:
It took me a long time to get into this book. The beginning didn't hook me, Phee seemed a bit too reckless and immature for my taste and the love triangle was annoying. Really annoying. Lots of waffling emotions and deep introspective thought analyses. ugh. And did anyone else just feel bad for the loser of the love triangle? I mean, like, throughout the entire book? I felt like the poor guy was just shuffled to the side all the time. He lacked any depth at all since, really, we only saw him when/how Phee dictated he would be around.

Once the story evolved into a political/corporate story with intrigue and spying and stuff, it got really interesting. The plot was very well thought-out in that respect and I enjoyed all the plotting and planning. It was smart. 

But it didn't overshadow the lackluster writing and borrowed concepts. I mean, this entire novel was basically Speed Racer with a girl main character. I can't think of a single major difference. I'm really trying to think of major difference. Maybe the love triangle could be thought of as the major difference but I wish that hadn't been in there at all. Why do YA authors feel like they must put love triangles in YA books? This book actually would have been BETTER if the poor, shunted third member of the love triangle had been a different character entirely; Why wasn't he a brother? Or the strictly platonic best friend? Or gay? Or any number of things that would have prohibited any notion of a love triangle? It pulled me from the story and I was more annoyed than anything. Actually, I felt more sympathy for him than for Phee. Phee annoyed. I definitely see the potential for more angsty pining and love-triangle drama in the second book since this book ended the cliffhanger way it did. But I'm still annoyed. 

Another positive in this book was the racing. And it wasn't even so much the racing itself as much as it was the way Martin portrayed Phee while racing. I loved being in her head for those moments; The way her adrenaline was written, her inherent need to race, the calm before the race and all that. So well done. Loved those moments.

Phee was likeable enough as a character. I guess. But I didn't like her as much as I could have. I would have appreciated more humor; This book was Very Serious. I would appreciated less introspective whining; So much unnecessary drama. I would have appreciated smarter actions on her part, a little bit of subtlety, maybe. She was so very in-your-face blunt and easy-to-read. The worst possible spy. The worst possible secret-keeper. But I guess that was just her character. Wasn't a huge fan.

By all means, if you're into post-apocalyptic stories with a Speed Racer/Fast and Furious spin (maybe even some Mad Max minus any violence whatsoever), obtain and read this book. You may like it much more than I do. But I wouldn't recommend you own it until you read it first and decide for yourself.

Sexual Content: Moderate
Language: Mild (it's all irritating new-world slang cursing. So no real curse words. Just annoying rusting made-up foul language--Actually in a way I appreciate the non-use of bad words but the fake cursing annoys me. If you're gonna say it, just say it)
Violence: Mild (if any)
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate (though it is generally frowned-upon by the characters in the book)

The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

My Thoughts:
**An ARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.**

This is the 4th book in a 3-part series. But there was a cliffhanger ending so there will definitely be another few books to make this a companion series. It's pretty much exactly like The Selection. No real difference at all. And, again, I'm not into The Bachelor-type stuff in the first place so I don't even know why I keep reading this series.

Well, Eadlyn (which is a terrible name) is definitely different from America. Eadlyn is smarter, more independent, comfortable with being by herself and less prone to spew her feelings to anyone who may be in the vicinity. Eadlyn actually hardly ever let her feelings show for anyone. I kind of loved that. And while that was a nice change from the first 3 books, Eadlyn is just as self-absorbed and immature as America. I think it might just be Kiera Cass. Because most of the time I don't think the immaturity and narcissism are intentional in the story; It just stems from the author.

I do like Cass' writing style, though. It's engaging and easy to read; I never felt pulled from the story and was very connected to the characters. Cass is so open in her writing that I felt like I was inside Eadlyn's feelings. And she wasn't too sappy. Love that.

Reading things about the guys in the book, though, made me question how much time Cass has spent around boys. Ahren, Eadlyn's twin brother, in particular was a little too feelings-y and feminine to be believable. He and Eadlyn were always leaning on each other and giving each other kisses on the head and whatever. Umm... awkward. They're 18-year-old siblings. Just--no. And then Ahren would go into extreme detail about how he felt about stuff in writing and when talking. I couldn't take him seriously. And while I liked the decision he made at the end of the book, his final thoughts were so cheesy and kind of creeped me out about his relationship with his sister. It was weird.

I liked how the dissolution of the caste system was handled, since that was a big debate in the first 3 books. It was interesting to see how this world was coping, even though I still think the world in which this series is set is incredibly stupid. A monarchy in future what-used-to-be-USA? Never gonna happen. Stupid.

The love interests were cute and sweet and fun but since there are just so many I didn't feel anything for any of them. The only guy I was even remotely interested in was Erik, who wasn't even a love interest. I found him to be the most intriguing guy in the book. Everyone else felt like background characters.

This was a quick, easy fluff read; Fun, but nothing of substance. You could start on this one if you haven't read the first 3 in the series, since it's kind of the beginning of its' own series, but it's nice to see all the references to the other books and understand all that's going on.

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Mild (if any)
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild

Legacy by Ellery A. Kane

How do you want to feel today?

In 2041, the choice is yours.

San Francisco is deserted, the Bay Bridge bombed, and the BART subway trains grounded. The Guardians, members of an elite and mysterious government-appointed military police force, are maintaining order at all costs—thanks to emotion-altering drugs like Emovere that suppress fear and anxiety. Lex Knightley, daughter of a prominent forensic psychiatrist, risks entering the devastated city to partner with the Resistance, a group of rebels intent upon exposing the dangers of Emovere. Lex discovers an ally in Quin McAllister, a magnetic Guardian Force recruit with a haunting past that binds them together. As she uncovers the secrets of the Guardian Force and confronts the truth about her family, Lex begins to realize that even those closest to her are not quite who they seem.

On goodreads.com, this book has a 3.8 rating, based on the 78 ratings it has received.

My Thoughts:

I'm a book judger.  I always have been and I can't help it.  Don't hurt me.

When Ms. Kane emailed me asking me to do a review, I went to goodreads to check out the rating/plot.  It definitely seemed like something I would enjoy, but that cover had me judging.  I guess I have a "thing" for ornate covers.  I'm also pretty critical of YA dystopian fiction - I guess because there is just SO much of it and a lot that I have read hasn't been that great.  That said, Legacy had me hooked right off the bat.  I think I read it in about 30 hours or so and I've only done that with one other book.

The plot was fantastic, in my opinion.  The setting was interesting and described very thoroughly.  The characters were developed very well (even if there was a token YA guy) and I felt like I connected with Lex - she's awesome. 

I wasn't as into Quin as Lex was, but hey! that's why I'm not in the book, right?!  They did have a unique romance, though.  He has a tragic back-story and he is connected to Lex and her mother in a rather unfortunate way.  I would have liked to have known more about him. 

Lex teams up with Quin and his friends Max and Elena (may have spelled that wrong, sorry) to find a way to deactivate, so to speak, the super soldiers.  

This may be a little harder to get your hands on if you don't order online.  Out of curiosity, I checked with three local independent bookstores and NONE of them had it or had even heard of it. 

Another great thing about this book is that it was pretty clean!  I'm not a prude (I don't think), but it's nice when you find a great book that is appropriate for younger kids, too.

Ms. Kane, if you're reading this: Thank you for sending me your awesome book, I loved it.  I can't wait to see what else you have in store for this group!

Sexual Content: mild

Violence: moderate

Language: mild (I don't remember any, but I could be wrong)

Drugs/Alcohol: It's a book about people taking mind altering drugs...

Rook by Sharon Cameron + GIVEAWAY

Publication: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 464

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she. 

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

My Thoughts:
Can I just go ahead and just rant and rave about how awesome this book was?! Well, it was amazing! I couldn't put it down! I was so impressed with how Sharon Cameron redid her own version of The Scarlet Pimpernel (which is a favorite of mine book and the 1982 Jane Seymoure movie adaptation). It was BRILLIANT, she took apart characters and created different/new characters with individual aspects that were in specific characters from the original telling.

I enjoyed how this story takes place MANY years from now where the world went through a technology-earth destruction that killed many people as they relied so much on technology that they didnt know how to survive without it. So technology has been outlawed and those that fund, use, or any way get access to technology are put to death. This society has decided to revert back to the 17th century style of living. With big hair, lots of makeup and ridiculous outfits.

We have Sophia who is our main character and she is a completely fun, I had a blast reading her adventures and character development. She's normal too, with all the feelings and emotions  of any normal girl. Yet with a bit more adventure than the average girl she is just cool.

I completely enjoyed the brother/sister relationship between Sophia and her brother Tom. I loved reading their interactions and what they were willing to do for each other.

The action was crazy and had me biting my nails and sitting at the edge of my seat holding the book 2 inches from my face because I had to know what was going to happen next.

LeBlanc our villain was INSANE, literally INSANE, his logic, way of thinking the world should be and the sickness in his own mind was fascinating! I was creeped out and disgusted by him which made him completely fun to read about. Creepy creepy man....

I was floored with the twist and turns of this story. I kept second guessing myself with pointing the fingers to every character who I thought was the "bad guy" and when all was reveled...whoa. didn't see it coming.

I actually didn't mind the romance in this. There is a bit of a love triangle that wasn't bad to read at all! Plus the romance didn't overwhelm the story. It was a nice undertone which kept you interesting which I prefer!

Overall the author did a GREAT job of writing her own version of this story and I thought she was brilliant!

Sexual Content: mild
Violence: moderate (PG-13 not too graphic)
Language: none
Drugs/Alcohol: mild

Meet the Author:

Sharon has been a classical piano teach, genealogist, chair of a non-profit local theater group, coordinator of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Midsouth Conference. Sharon has been awarded the 2009 Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award for her debut novel The Dark Unwinding. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her family and loves to shoot her longbow and search for secret passages while traveling the world.

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The Declaration (The Declaration #1) by Gemma Malley

In the year 2140, it is illegal to be young. Children are all but extinct. The world is a better place. Longevity drugs are a fountain of youth. Sign the Declaration, agree not to have children and you too can live forever. Refuse, and you will live as an outcast. For the children born outside the law, it only gets worse – Surplus status. Not everyone thinks Longevity is a good thing, but you better be clear what side you’re on. . . . Surplus Anna is about to find out what happens when you can’t decide if you should cheat the law or cheat death.

My Thoughts:
This started out really slow. I actually almost gave up after a few chapters but I pressed on and I'm glad I did. The slow start made way for a faster-paced ending. Not fast, mind you, but definitely faster than it began.

I was kind of annoyed that the book started with a diary entry; It felt like a lazy way to begin a book. You know, instead of showing the reader the world in which they've been dropped into, the author pens a diary entry that basically outlines everything that's happened in the last century. Sort of. But then the diary became a very central part of the story and it made a lot more sense. And I was glad I knew what was written in it. So, at first it was annoying, but then I got it and was OK with it.

So Anna is a teenage girl who has been living in a facility for the majority of her life where is regularly beaten, told she is worthless and brainwashed to believe that she is a waste of resources and the only way to make up for that is to serve those who are "legal". I found her character very believable. She was naive and immature and uneducated and, of course, she's going to attach herself to the first person who comes along and is actually kind to her. It makes perfect sense. Do I like it that she falls in love with the first boy that was ever nice to her? Not particularly. But it's believable. I felt for Anna. I understood her. I even related to her on a few different levels. And I mostly liked her.

Peter was less believable for me. He said things in ways that didn't sound like a boy would say them. He spoke kind of girly. He was a bit whiny. I can't put my finger on it exactly but I just didn't like him very much. Maybe it's that he didn't feel very well-rounded. He was a flat character. Many of the characters in this book turned out to be flat. Which is disappointing. I did enjoy the end scene with Mrs Pincent, though. She still felt flat but it was nice to see a bit of layering going on with her, get her background story. And it was a good ending.

I don't really have too much to say about this book. It was slow but interesting. I loved the idea and the world in which this story was set. But, then, I'm a sucker for dystopians. I loved that it was British; Most books I read are American. I just didn't love everything about this book. The characters weren't as well-rounded as they could have been. The plot was predictable. Some things were kind of cliche. But I liked it. I will read the next book in the series.

Sexual Content: None
Language: Mild
Violence: Moderate (lots of talk of beatings and violent stuff but I don't remember if there are any scenes.)
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to like this more…  Sadly, that’s not what happened.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it!  It was an easy, fast paced read, but I just didn’t get all the “edge of your seat” action that was tauted. 

I really like Tris.  Her inner struggles about who she is and where she belongs are relevant to pretty much everyone at her age, so she’s very relatable.  She’s not some curvy, gorgeous, super human girl that gets everything she wants.  She struggles between doing what’s right and what she wants to do.  I love her.

I also like Four.  I like that he isn’t all goo-goo ga-ga over Tris.  Yes, he likes her, but he doesn’t seem like the typical YA love interest.  He isn’t easy on Tris because he has feelings for her.  He pushes her harder, instead.  He knows that she is capable of great things and won’t let her give up, even when she is so homesick and wants to leave.  In short, I like their love story.

Also, I liked that this book was mostly clean.  It was violent, but there wasn’t a whole lot of language that I remember.  I don’t know why that bothers me so much.  Maybe it’s because most of the time, I feel like bad language is thrown in just for shock value or to be “cool”.

Overall, I give this a 3.  I haven’t decided if I will continue to read rest of the series or not. (Thoughts?  Is this a series that gets better as it continues?)  My problem is that I love the characters, but not the writing.

One more thing:  Excellent casting!

Language: mild

Violence: heavy

Drug/Alcohol: mild

Sexual Content: mild to moderate (there is kissing, talk of feelings, and desires but no sex)

Bekah's Dystopian Favorites

I keep getting asked for some books that I would recommend. I already did a list on fantasy to here is another list but of dystopian. For many new to the genre theme let me explain what dystopian means... Dystopia the very opposite of a utopian society, is a distorted idea or version of a utopia. Generally an imaginary place where people are dehumanized, usually under and totalitarialism society-where government rule is absolute and the people generally are in constant fear of their lives.

So here is a list of SOME of my favorite dystopian books: Enjoy!

Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Body Electric by Beth Revis

Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman

Landry Park by: Bethany Hagen

Publication: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 384

Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

My Thoughts:

Downton Abbey meets The Selection? that's a bit of a stretch since there is no prince a bunch of girls are trying to get. There is a dysopian Downton Abbey feel since they have brought back all the pomp and circumstance that the time of the 18th, 19th, 20th centuries had with balls, debutantes, money, a place of higher society, manners, dancing, which is always fun and I LOVE the idea of bringing most of all that back.

I like Avery most of the time, however lets be real Avery is a very realistic person, she struggles, she feels and eventually has to make some hard decisions that as us we probably would have just as  much of a hard time making.

Enter David Dana the most eligible bachelor and he knows it. David loves his place in society, loves the pomp loves the nice clothes, flirting, the wine and dancing. But David holds a secret that could be deadly. I liked David a lot, I loved his character and he made me chuckle a few times.

However with the upper class of society there is also the poor and squaller. These people are getting restless and do all the dirty work for the rich. As Avery becomes more aware of her surroundings and the unrest she starts paying more attention to the poor and what their lives cost.

Overall I think this was a great story, I had a lot of fun reading it, it was however typical and there were no real surprised, plus I felt it dragged on a bit towards the end.

Sexual Content: moderate (some kissing, talk of rape-mild)
Language: mild
Violence: moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: mild (social drinking)

The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Thoughts:
I finished this a few days ago and have been letting it marinate. There's a lot I could say.

For one, this was about an alien apocalypse. Nothing new. Honestly, I kept comparing these aliens to The Host, mixed in with some good ol' War of the Worlds. Throw in some lonely survival plotlines and major army training and we've got ourselves a book with no originality at all. But Yancey made it good. Here's what worked:

Conflict. Yes, the aliens killing everyone was a major problem, but the really interesting conflict was the <i>inner</i> conflict. The book was divided into sections and each section was from the POV of a different character. We got inside a few different characters' heads and in each brain there was major conflict. It was fascinating. There would be whole paragraphs of contrasts: "I can't trust him. I have to trust him. I shouldn't stay with him. I need his help." Stuff like that, it was all over the place. So simple, yet so profound! When you have conflict like that (and everyone has something like this) it's exactly this easy and exactly this difficult. Two completely contrasting thoughts that will drive a person crazy thinking about them.

Twists. Throughout the book you get major hints about what's going down, who's on what side and how things are going to play out... but all the hints contrast. It's really hard to tell which hint will end up being the right one, which plot the book will follow. I mean, near the end it gets easier to figure out but while you're in it it's confusing. Well done. There were a couple things I didn't see coming. Love that.

Desperation. There's a lot of emotion in this book. And with all the crazy stuff going on people do a lot of things out of desperation. Seen from that perspective things like, oh I don't know, weird romances seem believable. As does other stuff, like wanting to be a part of an army. And such.

Sarcasm/Hyperbole. Perfect amount of dark humor. The humor in this book was the exact right type for this serious book; Dark, sarcastic, skeptical. If that doesn't make sense, go read it. There was no goofy foil character, nothing you could count on for reliable comic relief. But the narration had a lot of funny moments, in that sad, sarcastic kind of way.

So, overall, I liked this book and will definitely finish out the series. All that stuff up there equals good book. There were a few things that didn't work: I couldn't tell whose head we were in when the narration switched, with the exception of the little brother. Everyone else sounded the same. And there were a lot of repeated ideas and phrasing. I get that Yancey was trying to show similarities between everyone's plights or whatever but it was a bit much for me. Anyway, that's my only real beef. Go read it. You'll thank me.

Sexual Content: Mild
Language: Mild-Moderate (honestly don't remember so it couldn't have been too bad)
Violence: Heavy
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild

Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons + GIVEAWAY

Publish Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 336

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning. 

My Thoughts:
Ok first off, I HATE The Handmaid's Tale. So when I got this book and THAT is what it said? Yikes. However I LOVED Blood Red Road so putting two books that's I've read and have polar opposite thoughts and feelings on...well I was interested!

I didn't really know what I was getting into, however I was hooked from the first few pages. This book was very well written, with some very raw, emotional, and controversial scenes/topics, I felt I am giving it, it's proper rating. Kristen shows a dystopian world where the feminist struggle is eliminated and their worst fears are brought to life. Her writing is very vivid and real with shocking twists and turns, that has the reader holding on to the edge of their seat.

This story is about a girl named Aya who has lived in "the wild" (meaning outside the city) all her life, her mother warned her about what happens in the city and taught Aya how to survive. When Aya is captured by Trackers, her worse fears come to life, she is thrown into the lot of other girls who are ripe and ready to be sold to become baby-makers for the men of the city. Aya is an amazing female character, she is very realistic, she is strong, yet-flawed, she feels, she struggles, yet throughout everything she never gives up, she continues to fight. I love that she isn't the cookie-cutter dystopian heroine that has all the answers that makes all the right choices. She is great because the author shows you that this character has real emotions such a fear and the will to survive.

Along the way Aya befriends a young Driver whom she names Kiran. A Driver is a class of people who tend to the horses and drive the carriages when needed. They don't speak and are considered so low that they are treated with distain as if they are plagued. Kiran was the polar opposite of the harsh and almost diabolical male side of the city. Kiran is kind, thoughtful, empathetic, gentle and yet he is strong and isn't brought down as a male character regardless of the disgusting side the men of the city are painted. I thought the author does a great job of showing both sides of the spectrum. Men aren't all bad and women aren't all clueless.

The world portrayed is captivating with harsh and gritty descriptions that portray both side of good and evil from both male and female characters. The character developments were spot on and the author navigates your feelings with vivid and emotional and shows that women are worth so much and more than what they are brought up to believe.

Sexual Content: moderate (talk of sex, and rape, not graphic)
Violence: moderate (fightings, abuse, females being hit, men getting beaten)
Language: mild/none
Drugs/Alcohol: mild

***A HUGE thank you to Tor Teen & Kristen Simmons for this ARC which I got in exchange for an honest review.***

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The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual. 

This year, it is my turn. 

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power. 

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

My Thoughts

What a GREAT book! I knew I wanted to read it but wasn't sure how I would enjoy it. Let me tell you how much I loved this book...I started it at 8:30ish in the evening and didn't put it down till after 2 in the freaking morning! AHHHH so good, in fact so good that I tweeted the author telling her how upset I am that I have to WAIT for book 2! GAH! 

This book is engaging, entertaining, unputdownable, sweet, exciting, and devastating. 

The story follows a society where 2 parties went to war, 1 party fell and the other party's family rose in power. To keep the peace between the 2 fighting parties/families the daughter, (Ivy Westfall) would marry the son of the President (Bishop Lattimer). 

I loved Ivy's character because she was so human and so relatable. This girl who was raised by the family who fell and who knew her sister would marry the son of the President in order to kill him so their revolution may commence so justice and the rights and order be brought back to where it "belonged." But when Bishop lets everyone know that he will not marry till he is 18 that pushes Ivy's sister out of the league to marry and kill him, so when Ivy becomes the next in line to marry Bishop she is rushed into training and everything in order to do what she needs to do to carry out her father's wishes and kill Bishop. 

 loved that she was so human with the desire to do what is right, please her family, question everything that she was taught to believe, she has fears, she finds the truth behind the lies and learns to sacrifice when the time comes.  

Enjoyed her character development, I thought it was just the right amount of time and essence to get the reader invested in this character. 

I also loved how the author chose to write Bishop Lattimer's character. I feel that in a lot of YA authors are writing in "bad boys" that treat girls not nicely and still have the female girls fall in love with them and somehow the "bad boy" changes and is all works out? I mean really what is that setting girls up for? but that is another topic. 

Bishop is NOT what Ivy was taught to believe he is. He is everything a man should be, he is kind, gentle, thoughtful, aware, helpful, hard working, and everything that makes this male character "swoon worthy." 

Overall I loved the story and look forward to book 2!

Sexual Content: mild (PG-some talk of honeymoon night)

Language: mild

Violence: moderate (talk of killing, of a hanging, a woman getting hit)

Drugs/Alcohol: mild

The Selection series by Kiera Cass

So I went into this thinking it would be like The Bachelor. I don't like The Bachelor really at all so I wasn't expecting much. I guess I got more than I expected because I liked it enough to read the whole series.

First of all, I identified with America in the beginning; Not the beautiful red-headed thing or super-poor girl with little-to-no food. I identified with her falling in love young and wanting to get married. I understood her reluctance to apply for the Selection. And I completely got her being completely up-front and honest-to-the-point-of-painful. I got it. I understood her and liked her well enough. I also understood Aspen and Maxon. They made perfect sense to me and I can absolutely see people reacting in the same ways.

My major problems lay in just about everything else. I understand dystopian fiction and ideas of alternate governments and possible future changes but this alternate future was just... stupid. I can, in no possible way, see any scenario in which people who used to be citizens of the United States of America would adopt a monarchy or a strict caste system. Especially not both together. And there are hints that modern technology still exists but it's as if no one gets to use it. Even poor people now use modern technology. Shoot, I've seen homeless guys with cell phones. The idea that it just fizzles out is dumb. There would have been major cellphone recycling and black-marketing going on, if you ask me. Same goes for whatever else these people used to have but live without in this stupid alternate future.

And why does every caste have their professions chosen for them? I'm pretty sure that's not how castes work currently in countries that practice caste systems. That just doesn't make sense. Even the Chinese (who do not have a caste system but have an extremely invasive government) realize you can't force everyone to be something they're not; They screen children from toddler-hood to see what they're good at and then train them up to be amazing at whatever it is they do. If a person is good at soccer but can't play it because he's in the art-producing caste then who is playing soccer? Even with training some people just aren't that great at sports. I bet watching their professional sports teams is equivalent to watching high school sports. Which is a bad thing. Why would a large group of people ever buy into following a social system such as this? I don't get it. And who would think that a set-up like this would be good for anyone? I realize that there are leaders who have thought that social systems such as this are a good idea but past experience definitely suggests otherwise. In this future world why does the current leader not know of these failed past experiences? You would think that with all the turmoil in his country that he'd understand something wasn't working.

This series ended how I thought it would but not exactly in the way that I expected. Which was both good and bad. Mostly because I didn't want it to end that way.

A couple of things really got annoying. While America wasn't quite so wishy-washy at the end, she still cried all. The. Time. About everything. Happy, sad, frustrated, angry, humiliated, touched, excited; There is no emotion for which this girl does not shed tears. I can't tell you how much that irritates me. It's so a) immature and b) ridiculous and c) just plain annoying. I don't know how people cry that much. Seriously. Maybe the author thought it made the story more dramatic. Which it did. But it wasn't a good thing.

The final climactic scene felt like a cop-out. All of the problems solved in one fell swoop. Too convenient for me.

Ok, and during this entire series America and everyone else refers to dating the prince to see if they fall in love as the competition. "Are you still competing?" "Are you still trying to win?" I basically think it's a recipe for future infidelity. These girls don't feel comfortable or secure enough to be completely themselves or let Maxon in completely and they always feel like they're being compared to the other girls that they know Maxon has some kind of feelings for. And, on Maxon's end, his only romantic experience has been dating multiple girls at once. How does anyone expect him to get used to just one girl when he finally chooses who he'll marry. And does the idea that Maxon can choose any one of them and they'll accept no matter what make anyone else angry? If I was in this competition I'd try to make it to the top just so I could refuse a marriage proposal out of spite. No matter how I felt about the prince. Duty before feelings, right, Elise? And I know Cass touched on this issue a bit but it wasn't enough to quell my anger.

And, as the story progresses, America is way too open with her feelings. She talks to everyone about how she feels. And explains her feelings in great detail. Just... blah. No one talks like that. Especially not to near-perfect strangers. Why does she do that? And the author also touched on this a bit but never fixed it; America never does anything to prove how she feels toward Maxon. He's always making gestures big and small but she never does anything for him except kiss him once in a while. She was just so temperamental and irritating. And selfish and immature.

The way these characters talked bothered me; Everyone sounded outdated. Not futuristic, not even modern. It sounded like everyone spoke like they were in a Jane Austen novel. If this is supposed to be the future, I'm betting language would have evolved somehow or at least stayed as lazy as Americans are now. It was too formal, too stiff. Not very believable.

Maxon. I don't think he would have turned out the way he was presented in this book. With all the pampering and training and polishing and manipulation and abuse I think he would have been a bit different. Even if he did turn out to be a nice, decent guy he would have at least been more skeptical or something. I don't know. I liked him and in a different setting I would have found him believable. But not here. Although I loved (and hated) his reaction to America's attempted seduction. Highly entertaining.

So, all in all, the series has been an entertaining fluff read. I read all of it and just could not put it down but I scoffed and rolled my eyes a lot. A lot of people really love these books. I wouldn't read it again and can't decide if I'd want to read anything else by this author.

Sexual Content: Moderate (make-out scenes, a very vague idea that characters had sex)
Language: Mild
Violence: Moderate (some fight scenes, a few deaths, nothing too gory)
Drugs/Alcohol: Mild

The Selection

3/5 Acorns

The Elite

2/5 Acorns

The One

3/5 Acorns

Whole Series: