Review (Release Day): Countdown by Michelle Rowen

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped.

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape. GAME OVER -Goodreads
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Stats
Publisher: Harlequinn Teen
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Page Count: 336

Favorite Quotes:
"That's all it was. Just a small shadow of emotion smothered under a blanket of icy darkness."

"Ellis Enterprises was a fity-story building made of silver and glass that sat in an otherwise empty section of the city like a cold, sparkling gem under the overcast skies." 

"I'd never told anyone I'd met on the streets, holding my secrets close as if they might keep me warm on cold nights."

"His words held naked eagerness."

"Despair took hold of me with a clawed hand, crushing me in its grip."

Things That Bugged Me:

• Very reminiscent of The Hunger Games as far as rules that change as the competition progresses.
• This book breaks a lot of writing rules, which hopefully doesn't impede other readers' experience. There are several spots where questions come two in a row or dialogue questions are answered with a question. Also, words were repeated close together: "...wall in an entirely silver room. Floors, ceiling, walls..." Sometimes Kira and Rogan seem to be having two separate conversations with each other (the dialogue was choppy). Once in a while I couldn't get on board with the characters' observations (Kira says Rogan has nice eyes and a sexy smile-- an unusual combination. She also notes in her mind that Rogan is a near-seventeen year old which doesn't seemed odd for her to think in that specific way. Plus the author says he's seventeen later, so it seems unnecessary at that point. Then there's "frowned so hard that it hurt." How do you do that to yourself?). It does a lot of telling instead of showing with details ("It was large and grand, with rich fabrics and beautiful artwork."). There are way too many adverbs ("already nearly healed.") And THE CLICHES KILLED ME.

"door didn't look any worse for wear"
"illnesses ran rampant"
"guilty as sin"
"The emotion I'd seen there a minute ago had left the building."
"waiting for the other shoe to drop" 
"Wouldn't want to throw more wood on the fire beneath us."
"more fuel for the fire"

 If any of these had been worded in an unusual way, I wouldn't have had an issue.

• Personality bloopers. Of course, no one but the author knows what the characters are really like, but I did come to know them during the course of the story. The cuss words were just thrown in there and didn't fit either Kira or Rogan, both misunderstood teens. Sure, they've lived the hard life, and Rogan has been in juvie and is about to go to an adult prison. But, if he wants to impress Kira, it doesn't seem logical he'd throw in some damns every now and again. I felt the words were just included because that's how teens are perceived as talking.   
• There is a part where Rogan and Kira are walking along a fence while they've being chased. Unrealistic.
• After Kira rolls her ankle, we are constantly reminded about it. At one point it was mentioned three times in about five pages.
• Their romance evolves over the course of 2-3 days. It was way too fast. Even another character commented on the quick time frame. I guess when you're in a life or death situation...But Kira finds out a huge secret about Rogan, something so huge she should immediately want revenge, and yet she still falls for him.
• Kira goes from one extreme to the next: I hate him, he's interesting, I can't possibly like him, BOOM- head over heels (cliche on purpose). I didn't find enough things about Rogan (besides their stilted conversations) that would cause her to develop passionate feelings for him. I wanted to see the cute sideways glances, hairs standing up on the back of her neck from a touch, sweet whispers--anything that could blossom into you're-more-than-my-friend thoughts.
• Some phrases took away tension: "Rogan scrambled to turn around..."
• Rogan takes too long to correct a huge misconception Kira and the whole world have about him. It was frustrating, and I never figured out a good reason for him to wait. 
• Rogan: "You think you can figure out what makes me tick other than the countdown in my head?" Kira: "Don't make fun of me." WHAT? How is that statement making fun of her. This goes back to the two different conversations going on at once. 
• Oliver: cute, but (SPOILER) does every book have to have one guy with two girls fawning over him?
• The only thing I adored about Rogan was how protective he was about Kira. Not much else stood out. I want the boys in my books to be so well described that I swoon. Didn't happen.
• Random facts contribute to weak world building. The majority of the US population was killed in a plague. Some survived. How? I wanted to see more of what happened previously rather than just be thrust into this new world without much explanation. If other things hadn't been so familiar and reminiscent of today's times, it wouldn't have mattered.

What I Appreciated:

• The action starts right away. Kira wakes up in a dark room, you find out her family has been murdered, and then the mysterious boy in the room clues her in that they're about to die.
•  I needed to keep reading. Besides the fact that the romance was rushed, the pacing moved smoothly along with lots of near-death scenes.
• I couldn't guess what events awaited the character in each level.
• I didn't expect the progressive technology introduced.
• Fun and cute ending. 

In the end, I'm glad I read the book because I had this weird must-read feeling (it might have had a lot to do with finding the cliches! I did enjoy Where's Waldo? as a kid). But, the story was interesting. The author's note mentioned that it had originally been released as an adult book and the story was re-released after it had been adapted to YA. I'd be interested in reading the book as it was originally released just to see the differences.

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Review: Unravel Me

tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life. -Goodreads

Stats:
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Page Count: 461
Would Appeal To: Dystopian fans (Article 5 series, Delirium series)
Favorite Quotes: 
"But then Adam's lips press against my head and my worries put on a fancy dress and pretend to be something else for a while."

"How hollow I feel...Like I'm one of those chocolate rabbits they used to sell around Easter, the ones that were nothing more than a sweet shell encapsulating a world of nothing."

"Synonyms know each other like old colleagues, like a set of friends who've seen the world together. They swap stories, reminisce about their origins and forget that though they are similar, they are entirely different...Because a quiet night is not the same as a silent one, a firm man is not the same as a steady one, and a bright light is not the same as a brilliant one because the way they wedge themselves into a sentence changes everything."

"Castle looks like he's a balloon that fell in love with a pushpin that got too close and ruined him forever."

"I want to study the secrets tucked between his elbows and the whispers caught behind his knees."

I had to leave out some of my favorite quotes a mystery because there is a steamy love scene that I refuse to ruin for you. The stream of consciousness that Juliet sometimes thinks in really works for it. She's so carried away with her feelings that she can't think straight and her sentences go on and she's kissing and touching and the earth is spinning... I will always remember the way Mafi wrote this scene. It's different than anything I've ever read and absolutely perfect, from innocent to less than in minutes.

Anyway, now that Juliet and Adam have escaped Warner's clutches and immediate danger, they have promised to work in Warner's resistance with others who have unique powers. It's hard for them to continue their relationship with such harsh rules as curfew, no opposite sex members in each other's quarters, training, etc...and it's possible that Juliet is wondering things she shouldn't be about someone who actually held her hostage.  

This book rocks because:

• Just like Shatter Me, each sentence is gorgeously turned from a mash up of words to a flowing piece of heaven on a page. 
• Warner. He's so much more developed in this novel. You'll see pieces that make him human, glimpses that make you sad he's a victim of circumstances (it'll make you totally overlook the fact that he's a murderer.) I've fallen in love with him, and I'm actually Team Warner over Team Adam. I'm going to go back and read the novella Destroy Me because it's his side of the story. With the tagline "She will choose me," I can't resist.
• Juliet makes friends! And they are cool friends. And she sits with them at meal times, occasionally jokes with them. 
• Kenji's dialogue constantly cracked me up. He's kind of a hero underground, Juliet realizes. Yet he helps her train and keeps an eye out for him, even when she accidentally uses her strength against him.

A few things that bugged me:

• A few too many grammar/parts of speech analogies.
• Some things were mentioned twice, like for example, the fact that the girls, Juliet's roomies, gave her pajamas to sleep in. 
• I felt like Shatter Me was a little more fast paced, even though I believe there is more action in this book. I kept waiting for the action to happen. But when it did, it was great! 
• Juliet is super mopey, most of the time weak, and very co-dependent. Also, she can't get away from that darn thing called the past. These things do change, thank goodness, by the book's end. 

And my final thoughts...Warner, Warner, Warner...

Review: Breaking Point (Article 5 series)

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
-Goodreads

Stats:
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: Feb. 12, 2013
Page Count: 400
Favorite Quotes:

"You didn't think of those things when you were six. You only thought about how fear could be split down the middle like an orange, so both of you could eat half."

"By dawn, the weather's tantrum was over and had left the garage eerily silent."

Chase and Ember. Ember and Chase. If you've read Article 5, you will sigh with me...

Dystopians have been very popular since The Hunger Games, but I'm always on the lookout for one that stands apart. Article 5 was one such story. It had action and romance and suspense. A likable main character who'd go to any lengths to find her mom. I appreciated how the story straddled the line of present and future all at once. One whole family, a president who preached that a return to traditional values would save the country. Something like that could happen, even though our country's so obviously going in the opposite direction when you consider the issue of gay marriage. 

So I was incredibly eager to see where Simmons would take the second book, since I liked the first so much. She definitely delivered!

I read another review before picking up this book that said not to expect much romance. I disagree. It might not be hot and heavy, but who has time for this when running for their lives? This is the sweet kind, where a glance across the room has the power to comfort, to convey thoughts without words. Several instances, especially during some near-death situations, Chase demonstrates his love for Ember like they're the only two in the room. Even though the story is full of action, which is another thing I enjoyed, the romance is laced throughout in a way that grabs your heart and forces you to turn the pages.

The story starts out with Ember and Chase at the Wayland Inn, where they've been hiding with Wallace's branch of the resistance. They have lain low and Ember dreads the time they'll have to split up and go out into the square. She can't lose Chase when he's the only one who knows her old self, the only one who feels like family. This threat becomes especially frightening when a sniper targets MM soldiers right outside the Inn. Ember's name is mentioned in a nation-wide bulletin. An Article One order has been issued: soliders can shoot her without question because she might be the sniper.

The beginning was a little slow for me, but I believe that was necessary for the story. It was nice to look back and know Chase and Ember had some time between craziness to hide out before they were caught up in another plot. 

The characters surprised me in a great way. Although I liked all the crazy adventures Ember had in the first book, these characters were more relatable and interesting. I loved Sean. He and Ember's friendship continued to grow as they never gave up on trying to find his girlfriend and her former roommate, Becca. He had her back through the whole story, just like Chase. His determination to find Becca was inspiring, the same need that Chase had to constantly protect Ember. Then there was Lincoln and Houston, practically attached at the hip, but always joking despite the fact that death could sneak up on them any time. Then there was Billy, a fourteen year old who worships Wallace and was smart enough to build a mainframe so the resistance could see breaking bulletins from the FBR. Later, Truck with his missing tooth comes along. Coolest transport driver anywhere. Ember also steps up her game, learning how to fight back. Watch her take down a huge guy with a baseball bat!

This is one of those stories that put me in a good mood all day. It had hope. Sorrow. Happiness. Love. You will root for the characters, root for their cause. It resembles a futuristic underground railroad. The hope comes from the people who are willing to help, no matter the cost. This is one of the best "middle books" I've read in a series! I'd give it half a star more, except the first one was so freakin' awesome, both the writing and action, that I just couldn't. Which means, pick up Article 5 ASAP!

When you finish Breaking Point, go straight to Simmons's website and read her extra scenes! They really give you a better understanding of Chase and his motivations. I want more from him...to dig under those layers and get into his thoughts. But I was quite satisfied with those extra bits. The third novel can't come soon enough! 

 

 

 

Review: Shatter Me

"Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel."
- Goodreads

Stats:

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: November 15, 2011
• Page count: 352
• Would appeal to: Dystopian lovers, aspiring authors (for amazing writing)
• Unique elements: Utilizes the strike through throughout, uses numbers instead of spelling them out

Favorite Quotes:
"The tilt of his head cracks gravity in half. I'm suspended in the moment. I blink and bottle my breaths."

"I turn on his shower at the same time I turn on my own and his complaints drown under the broken bullets of the barely functioning spigots."

"His eyes are the perfect shade of cobalt, blue like a blossoming bruise, clear and deep and decided."

"My eyes are 2 professional pick-pockets, stealing everything to store away in my mind. I lose track of the minutes we trample over."

"My heart is a field of lilies blooming under a pane of glass, pitter-pattering to life like a rush of raindrops."

"It's the only reason I have asylum from the preying eyes of hundreds of lonely men. It's the only reason Adam is staying with me-- because Warner thinks Adam is a cardboard cutout of vanilla regurgitations."

Juliette-- a main character for whom my heart wept. Her touch could kill a person. So no one came near her. Not her parents. Not the kids on the playground who threw rocks at her. She was always a monster. Until she was finally locked up in a cell for an accidental crime, her parents more than willing to see her go.

For three years she's been away from her home. For 264 days she hasn't touched a soul. Then a boy is thrown in with her. Is he crazy? She doesn't know. Is he gorgeous? She finds it hard to look away. She recognizes those blue eyes. But he must not remember her.

Thus begins several nights where Juliette huddles in the corner. He asks so many questions. So does she. They hardly get answers. Juliette is let out by a leader in the army named Warner. The army that's taking over and enforcing the Reestablishment for the supposed good of a dying society living on a dying earth. He wants to use her "gift" for his own purposes. He's also busy leading an army. Killing soldiers who disobey. Trying to obtain the unattainable, namely, her.

Author Tahereh Mafi weaves words like nobody's business: descriptions to die for. The story is perfect from Juliette's view. The repetition of certain words three times really convey urgency, and the strike throughs are an interesting way to see what her subconscious is trying to supress or the words she's embarrassed to think. The story's pace was perfect; I certainly couldn't put it down. Action, creativity, fun dialogue, and especially juicy romancy-- this book's got it all. I wonder how long it took for Mafi to create such sigh-worthy love scenes. It's impossible not to root for the two young lovebirds.

Adam is the perfect guy-- his loyalty, dedication, and bravery are doubled when Juliette's safety is at stake. The minor character of Kenji was just the right amount of cocky to make me laugh. And Adam's younger brother James is so adorably fearless. Warner is gross and pathetic, but will there be electricity between him and Juliette in the next book? I'm sensing something developing...

I'm so eager to find out more about the world Mafi has created. The ending was good but still left me wanting more. My only bone with this-- the phrase "bleeding" was a little overused in the middle, and mostly it was the figurative kind of bleeding. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, if not for the plot, for the writing alone.

 

Review: Glow

GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan

"What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside." -Goodreads

Stats:

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Release date: Sept. 13, 2011
• Page count: 307
• Unique elements: Told from two perspectives, Waverly's and Kieran, but not alternating chapters-- you never know when they'll switch
• Would appeal to: Fans of Across the Universe, dystopian or science fiction lovers
• BUY Link

Favorite Quotes:

"Mather took her place behind the altar and, smiling down at the congregation, lifted her hands. She seemed to glow from within, and Waverly thought that some special spotllight must be shining on her-- a cheap effect to make her seem holy."

"The elevator doors finally opened with a cheery bell tone that made the violence elsewhere on the ship seem like a dark daydream."

"'When the time is right.' The voice lived in the place between his ear and his mind, where sound becomes meaning."

"Words escaped her like spikes."

Glow was a book I had trouble putting down for more than a few minutes at a time. I had to know what happened with each of the main characters.

And, look at the amazing cover! I love that you can't see Waverly's entire face (leaves something for the reader to imagine), and I love purple. The black represents space to me, so I really think the cover artist nailed it.

At first, I cared most about the protagonist Waverly. She and all the girls on board the Empyrean were snatched from their home ship because the New Horizon's women couldn't get pregnant. I didn't want the narrative to switch from her perspective to Kieran's (all in 3rd person though).

The first thing I thought was that the men were going to rape all those little girls. I was relieved to find out that all the adults on the new ship were very sweet to the girls.

I finally started caring about Kieran, the male lead, when he tries to take over (as the adults tell him to) and the other boys resent him. There's a long point in the story when it looks like he won't survive at the hands of the other boys, especially his archrival Seth (who also likes Waverly). This reminded me a tad of Lord of the Flies, the whole "what will boys do when left without adults?" concept.

We have another love triangle. Waverly and Kieran are expected to be together. But there's that mysterious something about Seth Waverly can't quite put her finger on, even despite his broody moods and loner lifestyle.

I figured out the ending (about who Waverly would like more), but that didn't take away anything from the story. This is the first in a series, so it all could change later.

I found myself wishing for more beautifully painted descriptions; the author paints a picture, but not in a stylistically pleasing way. Her words didn't leap off the page so that I would say, "That author can write!" Although this was the case, it didn't bother me as much as I thought. The action details were well suited to the quick pacing of the story.

Anne Mather, the leader on board the New Horizon, really irritated me. I was proud of the three  kidnapped girls who saw through her pleasantries right away.

I love that Waverly and Samantha, who were enemies on board their own ship, bond over their kidnapping as if they've always been old friends. Strife brings people together in real life as well.

The concept wasn't fully original; Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale pretty much had the claim to books about adults who can no longer conceive and teens who can. I did, however, like the fact that the entire story took place on two different spaceships while their crews were preparing for a home on New Earth. I wasn't exactly clear about which planet that was or where it was located, but I hope readers will get to see the crews as they settle on a planet.

Author Amy Kathleen Ryan definitely thought through the layout and mechanics of the ship. It would surprise me if she didn't have to do a ton of research before writing the book.

I absolutely loved all the emphasis on religion. The New Horizon is full of faithful people, but the Empyrean is not. Kieran's family was one of the only religious groups on board the second ship, and he actually pulls on that to comfort the left-behind boys. Waverly, however, cannot stand the way religion blindly leads people, as demonstrated by Anne Mather. I love that this couple butts heads about this topic and wonder if their relationship can survive such a dispute.

Things that bugged me:
-I didn't understand what the "nebula" was for quite awhile, or that it was a pink mass they were stuck in (Guess I should have paid more attention in science class!) However, part of the fun of reading a book with so much science is not understanding it all, so I didn't question what elements were right and which were wrong.
-There's a part when Waverly and Samantha have figured out how to pass messages to each other through poetry, and the way that Waverly first decodes the message isn't by reading every other word, as the book tells the reader.
-Waverly's biggest flaw is that although she is so strong and stubborn, she chooses comfort over desire in her love life. Some readers may like this because it shows she's human.

Final verdict:
Amy Kathleen Ryan explores the great leaps humans will take to ensure the survival of their species. An emotional journey through loss, religion, trust, and love, Glow's plot twists and futuristic setting beg readers to keep making new discoveries, even after the very last page.  --BUY "GLOW"--

Review: Matched

"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow."
-Goodreads


Stats:

• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
• Date of release: Nov. 30, 2010 
• Page count: 366
• Would appeal to: The Giver fans, The Hunger Games trilogy fans, Divergent fans

Favorite Quotes:

"If our Society changes and things are different, who am I to tell the girl who would have enjoyed the safe protected life that now she has to have choice and danger because of me?"

"I'll tell her and everyone else that I know: they are giving us pieces of a real life instead of the whole thing. And I'll tell her that I don't want my life to be samples and scraps. A taste of everything but a meal of nothing. They have perfected the art of giving us just enough freedom; just enough that when we are ready to snap, a little bone is offered and we roll over, belly up, comfortable and placated like a dog I saw once when we visited my grandparents in the Farmlands."

"Did the poet know how lucky he was, to have such beautiful words and a place to put them and keep them?"

 "I think of how perhaps the best way to fly would be with hands full of earth so you always remember where you came from, how hard walking could sometimes be."

I have experienced love the second time around.

I'm not a repeat reader by any means. I reread this book before my first classroom book club discussion (it went so well!) and I finished in two days.

Let me count the ways that this book and I were meant to be reunited:
1. Ally Condie's writing style fits Cassia to a T; an innocent, all-trusting citizen who follows the rules. It's actually refreshing to read a YA book without cussing.
2. The common storyline--girl chooses between two boys--was somehow unique and exciting in its own right.
3. Poetry was valued by the protagonist and morphed into a theme of resistance, especially when Cassia recalled Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night."
4. The physical act of writing is not taught for these characters because the Society knows the type of power it might give its citizens, but Cassia understands the freedom it makes her feel.
5. Running a society on statistics and probability should work out in theory, but logic alone cannot rule a race of humans.

In this new Society, people die at age 80 after their Final Banquet; teens are officially Matched at age 17, normally with a person they've met; messages are delivered via computer port; and meals are dropped off daily with the appropriate amount of nutrients and portions for each individual. Cancer does not exist. But neither does the freedom of choice.

The idea of a Matched banquet is absolutely magical-- fancy foods, gorgeous dresses, teens eagerly anticipating promising outcomes. Sort of like right before prom, only this determination affects the rest of your life. It's kind of like online dating, since the first interaction you get is just a realtime image, then you have conversations over a port, and eventually supervised outings. Okay, I doubt e-Harmony users have chaperoned dates, unless you count a group date for safety purposes.

Unlike our reality, every moment of these people's time is divided: recreation time, work time, school time. Their choices for rec. time include going to a music hall to hear the 100 songs, playing games at the youth center, or watching a viewing. No one complains. Everyone follows the rules for fear of being reclassified as an Aberation or an Anomaly.

I love the relationship between Cassia's parents; one breaks rules to protect the family, but the other keeps rules for the same reason. Bram, Cassia's younger brother, is also a little brother I wouldn't mind claiming. He's late to school nearly every day. He likes to jump in rain puddles. He runs around with messy hair. Everyone has to worry about him. But he's strong when he needs to be, just like Grandfather.

The scene that breaks my heart is when Cassia's dad has to incinerate all the books (reminds me of Fahrenheit 451). She watches as the Officials break the books down their spines and suck up pieces of pages. I shudder at the thought that a group of people would destroy the writings of past peoples.

The concept of every citizen carrying around a pill container intrigued me from the start. If you look at the cover of the first and second books, they tie in with the pills!

Condie might be onto something. In the story, the old world failed because of its dependence on technology and then the Warming happened. That's just about all we find out.
One thing that makes everyone feel special is that they can own one artifact from the past. These things are always special and curious to their owners. It's almost like Ariel discovering the fork--I mean, dinglehopper with Scuttle (I'm heavy on The Little Mermaid references this week). Cassia learns to treasure someone else's artifact even more than her own.

I found myself rooting for one guy over the other, I admit, but I also felt sympatheic toward the other one. I think the big picture was less about the romance and more about right vs. wrong.

I don't want to say much more because I'll give away all the Society's secrets. I will say that I absolutely cannot wait for Crossed to come out. Right now, I'm waiting on a Crossed tour ARC to be mailed to me. The second book is told in alternating points of view between Cassia and Ky. Yay! I'm always a sucker for male POVs.

If you want to be swept away by a dystopian, this is your book (imagine me jumping up and down and waving it in your face, pretty much like I did with my sophomores)!

Final verdict:
Matched grasps each reader by the heart and never lets go; the right combination of plot twists, romance, and defiance.
Read it close to November 1st because you will be itching to grab the sequel!

P.S. There are quite a few reviews that were impacted because the story holds numerous similarities to The Giver. To that I say: all ideas in literature are borrowed from some place or another.

Waiting on Wednesday: Crossed

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

"The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian Matched trilogy
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever." -Amazon

Release date: November 1

If you haven't read Matched yet, you're missing out! Ally Condie's words flow on the page, her characters are interesting, and the dystopian plot is one I hadn't heard of before. I've fallen in love with Ky, so I can't wait for this second book. When the characters start to act out against a strict society, you know crazy things will happen!

What books are you anticipating?

Review: Divergent

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.
-Good Reads



Stats:

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• Page count: 487
• Unique elements: 5 factions idea (maybe not totally unique)
• Would appeal to: Hunger Games fans, Matched fans

Favorite Quotes:

"A pale ring of sunlight burns into the clouds like the end of a lit cigarette."

"Eric smiles, and in the blue light, his smile looks wicked, like it was cut into his face with a knife."

"'And Molly...she's the kind of person who fries ants with a magnifying glass just to watch them flail around.'"

"His touch is light, sensitive. A heavy, warm feeling, like spilling honey, fills my body, slowing my thoughts."

Now I see what all the hype was about.

This book has been selling out at bookstores. It was on the NY Times Best Sellers List for 11 weeks in a row.

As far as world building goes, this dystopian one is pretty solidly put together.

The romance is wonderful and almost made me do a happy dance! Veronica Roth really thought about her characters' interactions, how each touch means something. Just enough sexual tension sprinkled throughout to make you long for the main couple's next interaction. I love when the girl can never tell that the guy has a crush on her and misinterprets all his signals because isn't that how we are as teens?

This might be the first book I read straight through to the finish (with normal disruptions like grocery shopping) in one day in a very long time.

It's very similar to The Hunger Games...strong female lead who's considered weak, must go through lots of training. At least one person there to protect her, but she still has to make major split-second decisions on her own. Death lurks around every corner.

Not all happy endings for the characters, which I appreciate, as it more closely reflects real life.

I like that at first I thought I knew who Tris's crush would be, then I picked someone else, then I knew for sure.

I totally guessed a secret from Tris's mom's past before they revealed it, as well as the secret identity of her initiation leader Four. It was nice that the author dropped subtle hints in the text along the way.

I did like the ending...sets it up perfectly for two more books to follow. Can't wait for the next one (she wrote the first draft in eleven weeks!) Also, movie rights have been sold!

If you are a fan of figurative language, Roth's similes are pretty amazing.

I also liked the names of each faction and that the reason for each faction wasn't revealed until the Choosing Ceremony.

Great read. I couldn't put it down. I would recommend to anybody. Still, I'd give it about a 4.5 out of 5 stars. If I hadn't read The Hunger Games first and seen quite a few similar ideas, I would definitely have said 5 stars.

Review: The Other Side of the Island

"From New York Times bestselling author Allegra Goodman comes a post apocalyptic novel about love, loss, and the power of human choice.
Honor and her parents have been reassigned to live on Island 365 in the Tranquil Sea. Life is peaceful there—. the color of the sky is regulated by Earth Mother, a corporation that controls New Weather, and it almost never rains. Everyone fits into their rightful and predictable place. . . .
Except Honor. She doesn’t fit in, but then she meets Helix, a boy with a big heart and a keen sense for the world around them. Slowly, Honor and Helix begin to uncover a terrible truth about life on the Island: Sooner or later, those who are Unpredictable disappear . . . and they don’t ever come back."
-Good Reads



 Stats:

• Publisher: Razorbill
• Release date: Sept. 4, 2008
• Page count: 280
• Unique elements: Divided into four parts. Each part starts over at chapter 1.
• Would appeal to: Dystopian readers, fans of Ally Condie's Matched, fans of Lauren Oliver's Delirium, free thinkers

Favorite Quotes:

"...she also remembered how dangerous his ideas were. Her father had thought she was afraid of the sea, but that was only part of it. She had been afraid because even as he spoke, she knew that she would lose him."

"A pair of orderlies in white uniforms looked like a matched pair of socks sorted and clean straight from the wash."

"She couldn't tell if they were men or women or if the pair was one of each, but they were alive; their arms felt strong and springy through the thin cloth of their jumpsuits."

"Another cake turned into a mass of butterflies, some iced on the surface and some that seemed about to fly away on painted cookie wings."

It was hard to pick out favorite quotes from this book, since I feel most anything would be giving away a lot of the story. If you like to read books about how the world might look in the future, this is a great one.

The book starts as Honor is 10. The wording is simple, as a child would see things; however, the point of view is 3rd. Honor doesn't fit in because she's come from the wild northern islands, she's been homeschooled, and her name has a silent H. Classes are determined by the first letter of your names. Names come from approved lists. The teachers say people will be confused and hear an O in Honor, believing she's much younger than she is. In time, they tell her parents, she'll want to change her own name. Already, we have a lot of conflict. It continues as everything Honor learns about the world at home is contradicted at school.

Earth Mother, the woman who has enclosed these islands, was a simple school teacher once upon a time (love that!) who has convinced everyone that real weather is their enemy.

Helix is a great friend to Honor when no one else will be, but he's dangerous because of his ideas, just like her father.

If you want to read a book about the power of words and persuasion (reminds me of Animal Farm since we read that every year in class), read this! Goodman's world is creative, convincing, and makes you think.