Wither- Lauren DeStefano

Synopsis:

"What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left."


Summary: Even though this book isn't due out until March 22, I read it thanks to this wonderful website http://www.simonandschuster.com/specials/pulseit/index.html that lets teens read and review books online for free.

Ever since I watched a few episodes of that TV show Sister Wives I have found the concept of polygamy interesting. There is a large social stigma against it in the United States, however, not all polygamist marriages are like the awful ones you hear about with child brides being forced into marriages with older men.

Anyways, when I heard about this book that was both dystopian and featured a polygamist way of life in order to try and produce more kids in a time when women die at age 20 and men at 25, I definitely wanted to read it.

I really loved this book. I think my favorite part were the characters. Even though I sympathized with Rhine for being stolen away to be a wife, it was hard to hate her husband Linden, who was clearly not the evil mastermind his father was. I loved watching the bond develop between Rhine and her sister wives. Even though the youngest, Cecily, was a little annoying, being forced into the situation they were in made friendships develop that really show sort of what it is like in a polygamist marriage with the wives in as much of a relationship of sorts with each other as they are with their husband. Obviously in a friendship sort of way.

And then there was Gabriel. The sweet, servant boy who Rhine befriends and who is the only one she can share her actual thoughts and feeling with.

I thought that the way Lauren DeStefano had with words made the story and all of the characters seem so real, and made a story, which sort of seems implausible, actually really work.

This is probably the third or so dystopian novel I've read this year that really had a focus not on the characters changing the entire world, but just changing their own lives, and I've found that to be a refreshing change. I honestly can't wait to see what happens from here and to read the next two books once they are released.

Rating: A


Other Recommended Books:
Matched by Ally Condie
Bumped by Megan McCafferty
The Declaration by Gemma Malley

Delirium- Lauren Oliver

Note: I read this as part of Dystopian February

Synopsis: 

"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn't understand that once love--the deliria--blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold.

Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: she falls in love."


Review: When I first heard of this book, it sounded to me like a cross between Matched by Ally Condie, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and the Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, three of my all time favorite dystopian novels. Obviously that meant I had to have it the day it was released.

When the book begins, Lena is a strict rule follower. She's afraid, terrified even, of what would happen if she listens to forbidden music, breaks curfew, or even of talking to an uncured boy. Her best friend Hana is less concerned with all this, and she's really the one, along with a boy named Alex, who becomes the main love interest in the story, who draws Lena into an unknown rebellious world.

I really loved a lot of things about this story. I thought that Lauren Oliver was great at descriptions. Her choice of adjectives or the way she'd portray a moment in the story really appealed to me. I also loved how every chapter began with a quote from books in Lena's life, about love and the cure and various other things.

My only complaint about the story is that Alex and Lena's romance seemed to go from almost nothing, with Lena still afraid of everything really, to an instantaneous connection after an event in the story. Although that didn't even feel as rushed as I might be making it seem.

I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait for books 2 and 3, Pandemonium and Requiem, which are to be released in February of 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books:
Matched by Ally Condie
Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
The Giver by Lois Lowry

A Conspiracy of Kings- Megan Whalen Turner

Warning: Spoilers for previous books in series.




Synopsis: 

"Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace.

In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus—and Eddis—sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever."


Summary: I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. When I finished reading The Thief, and heard that there was going to be a book featuring Sophos, I became incredibly excited because he had become one of my favorite characters in the novel.

This book is told primarily in first person, through the point of view of Sophos, the reluctant heir to the throne who would rather read than rule a country. When he is kidnapped and forced into slavery, he quickly realizes that he enjoys for once, not having to be the disappointing son and heir to the throne that he has been for years. He almost doesn't want to try and leave.

This story is told basically in three parts, and the first part is Sophos during his time as a slave. I've read other reviews in which readers are upset that there isn't a lot of Eugenides in the story, but I think that even without his playing a large role, this story is still incredible. When Sophos and Eugenides do meet up again for the first time as Attolis and Sounis, I was temporarily disappointed by the awkward and cold exchanges between the two friends. However, as the book went on and I realized the love and friendship both still felt for each other, I loved the book all the more for it. Throughout most of the book the reader can see that Sophos looked up to Eugenides and admires him, and even though Sophos doesn't realize it at first, Eugenides cares greatly about his friend as well.

This was the first book since The Thief where I also really felt Eugenides' old personality shine through. Even though there were moments where you could really see his personality in the past two books, I greatly enjoyed reading the little bits about Eugenides in this book, especially when he talks about when he first knew that he loved Attolia.

I also really enjoyed the scenes between Eddis and Sophos in the book.

Really this book had it all. Action, excitement, secrets, friendship, and romance. I read that there are supposed to be another 2 books after this one, however Turner is known for writing books incredibly slowly. This book came out 4 years after the last one, which came out 6 years after the one before that. I don't know if I can wait that long, but at least I have something to look forward to in the years to come.

Rating: A


Other Recommended Books:
Alanna Quartet by Tamora Pierce
Trickster's Series by Tamora Pierce
Any other series by Tamora Pierce
Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell
Fire and Graceling books by Kristin Cashore
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

The King of Attolia- Megan Whalen Turner

Warning: Synopsis and Review will likely contain some spoilers for The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, the first 2 books in the series.

Synopsis: "By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia's barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court. 

When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of the political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate."

Summary: 

The King of Attolia picks up after The Queen of Attolia leaves off, with Eugenides stepping into his new role as the King of Attolia and husband of the woman he loves, the same woman who cut his arm off in the previous novel.

This book is told in third person, primarily through the point of view of Costis, a young guard. When the books starts off, Costis, along with all of the other guards, really hate Eugenides. They think that he is just a pawn who the queen doesn't care about at all. However as the book goes on, Costis realizes that there is more to the King than a weak man, and more to the relationship between the King and Queen. 

My only complaint about the book is that I wish I had seen a bit more from Eugenides' point of view. Or of his interactions with the Queen, which, when they did appear, were sweet and well written and some of my favorite passages in the novel. 

I really liked how loyal Costis became to the King by the end of the novel, and how Eugenides really has grown from the boy he was in the first book. I think this book rivaled The Thief for my favorite book in the series so far. I really liked the last 1/3 or so of The Queen of Attolia, but I felt the beginning dragged a little. This book however, I felt was much more interesting the entire way through. Now I can't wait to read about Sophos in A Conspiracy of Kings. 

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books:

Alanna Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Tricksters Series by Tamora Pierce

Any other series by Tamora Pierce

Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell

Graceling and Fire books by Kristin Cashore

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

The Thief- Megan Whalen Turner

Synopsis:

"The most powerful advisor to the King of Sounis is the magus. He's not a wizard, he's a scholar, an aging solider, not a thief. When he needs something stolen, he pulls a young thief from the King's prison to do the job for him.

Gen is a thief and proud of it. When his bragging lands him behind bars he has one chance to win his freedom-- journey to a neighboring kingdom with the magus, find a legendary stone called Hamiathes's Gift and steal it.

The magus has plans for his King and his country. Gen has plans of his own."


Summary: A few months ago I won a copy of this book from Heather Zundel from a contest she held on her blog http://thesecretadventuresofwritergirl.blogspot.com/ after she helped host the YA Fantasy Showdown. Eugenides, the main character in this book, came out the ultimate winner in the showdown and I decided that I needed to read his story. And I'm certainly glad I did!

Eugenides is a skilled thief whose only chance (for now) of escaping the king's prison is to help steal an ancient artifact of sorts. Gen, along with the king's magus, his two apprentices Ambiades and Sophos, and Pol, a soldier, set out on a journey to find and steal the ancient artifact. Although much of the book is simply the group's journey, it is incredibly interesting. I loved Eugenides. I seem to have a particular fondness for thieves in novels, so I suppose he fit in wonderfully with this. I also loved the group dynamic, especially seeing how Eugenides grew from being simply a tool to the magus, to being respected by him and in turn holding respect for his traveling companions.

I was especially fond of Sophos too, who I just found out, stars in his own book in A Conspiracy of Kings, which I cannot wait to read.

This book is a wonderful adventure with many secrets that aren't revealed until the end, and I would highly recommend it. It reminded me a great deal of Tamora Pierce's Alanna quartet and her Trickster's series, as well as the Farsala trilogy by Hilari Bell, both series that I absolutely adore and really suggest everyone reads.

Rating: A


Other Recommended Books:
Alanna Quartet by Tamora Pierce
Trickster's Series by Tamora Pierce
Any other series by Tamora Pierce
Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell
Graceling and Fire books by Kristin Cashore
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Flash Burnout- L.K. Madigan

Synopsis: 

"Click.

 Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake's world turns upside down. The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. "That's my mom!" gasps Marissa. 

Click. 

Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus. 

Click. 

Contrast. Shannon, Blake's GF. total. Babe. Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?

 Click. 

Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed. Crash and burn. Talk about negative space. 

Click."

Summary: I recently heard about L.K. Madigan when I read that she has stage IV pancreatic cancer. I posted a contest to a book giveaway featuring this book and another one of hers a few days ago, but when I saw this book at the library, I knew I had to read it.

After reading this book, I have to say that it was refreshing reading a book featuring a male main character, but more than that, as I've read plenty of books with male protagonists, one who really seemed like a real guy. I mean, I wouldn't exactly know how a guy thinks, but I think if I did, I would find that it resembled Blake. 

This story revolves around Blake and two relationships he has. One is with his funny, cool girlfriend. The other is with a girl who's just a friend- Marissa. After accidentally shooting a photo of her meth-addicted, missing mother, Blake begins to find out more and more about Marissa's troubled family, and really becomes one of the only people Marissa has to rely on. Obviously this causes some issues for Blake as he tries to deal with having a girlfriend and a girl friend. 

I liked that this wasn't just a story about Blake slowly falling for Marissa. Blake truly does love his girlfriend Shannon, but he also cares a lot for Marissa, and wants to do his best to help her get through what she's going through. 

I liked the other main characters as well. They were all real and funny and enjoyable to read about, especially Blake's older brother Garrett, and his parents. This is a great story with many funny parts, and many parts you could sympathize with Blake about, and many serious moments as well. 

I can't wait to check out L.K. Madigan's other book, The Mermaid's Mirror.

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books: 

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

Synopsis: "Even at night, the wrecks glowed with work. The torch lights flickered, bobbing and moving. Sledge noise rang across the water. Comforting sounds of work and activity, the air tanged with the coal reek of smelters and the salt fresh breeze coming off the water. It was beautiful.

In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota — and hopefully live to see another day.

But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life…"

Review: 

Real, powerful and completely original. From the moment I started reading this amazing dystopian book, I was struck by just how much the future Bacigalupi has created struck home with me. Especially in light of the Gulf Coast oil spill, and with the move towards green energy, the idea of a future in which fossil fuels have been used up and raging storms have caused massive amounts of flooding across the country, I found that the world Nailer occupies is a frightening, but very real view of where our country, and our world could be headed.

A few times in the novel Nailer refers to the "Accelerated Age", presumably the age we occupy now in which the rate at which technology grows is incredible. However, as can be seen from this book, all things have consequences. New Orleans is shown as a destroyed, completely flooded city, left to rust and rot. The characters in this novel are very real and in some cases, very awful. Nailer's father is abusive and kept me frightened almost the entire novel.

What I liked about this dystopian book is how Nailer isn't trying to change the entire world. He just wanted to save his friend, while at the same time allowing the reader to glimpse this frightening world. I've heard that there might be a sequel or two, and I certainly think, and hope their will be after the ending, which leaves many things about the world unexplored.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating: A

Other Recommended Books: 

Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Last Hero- Rick Riordan

Synopsis:

"Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?

Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god."


Summary:

When Rick Riordan finished the first series about demigods and Camp Halfblood, it left off with a prophecy, about the seven children of Gods who would, together, help save the world, both mortal and immortal. The Heroes of Olympus series picks up where that prophecy left off as we are introduced to 3 of the 7 demigods who will play a critical role in the fate of the world.

From the very beginning of the story, Riordan fills every chapter with action and intrigue, especially in regards to Jason, the demigod who can't remember anything about his past. Even more strange is the one thing that makes him so different from the other demigods at Camp Halfblood. He keeps referring to the gods by their Roman names, rather than their Greek names, and he speeks Latin, not Ancient Greek. Chiron, returning from the last series, seems to know more than he's letting on, but he has sworn not to tell a soul.

The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Jason, Leo and Piper, something I greatly enjoyed, as I honestly didn't even have a favorite character- I love all three of them. The book is reminiscent in many ways to the first book in the Percy Jackson series, only I thought it was much better.

By the very end of the book, Riordan finally reveals some of the big mystery surrounding Jason, the disappearance of Percy Jackson, and the real meaning behind the Great Prophecy. Unfortunately now, I have to wait until the fall to get my hands on book 2: The Son of Neptune.

Rating: A


Other recommended books:
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm

Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis:

"Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt."


Review:

I absolutely loved this book. The characters, especially main characters Anna and St. Clair were wonderful. They were real and each made mistakes and had flaws and that was one of the most wonderful things about them. All the emotions Anna expresses, from falling for a taken guy, to dealing with moving to Paris, to the betrayals she faces from friends and the fights she gets into are all incredibly realistic. I found myself siding with Anna on most occasions, but I could also frequently sympathize with friends she hurts along the way.

Even though the ending may be a bit predictable, everything along the way is too wonderful and funny not to miss. Some of the things I liked best about this book: Anna's love of theater. She wants to grow up to review movies and that interest of hers is featured prominently in this book. As someone who loves reading books and reviewing them, I liked this side of Anna's personality.

I also liked that St. Clair was short and had a fear of heights. Too many teen books feature guys that are absolutely perfect and St. Clair isn't.

I loved how St. Clair and Anna became best friends as the story went on. It was a nice way to progress their relationship and I liked seeing that side of things.

I also loved the other minor characters. They are funny and they really help bring the story to light.

Oh and did I mention the setting? This book definitely makes me want to visit Paris to see all the sights mentioned and eat all of the great food.

Stephanie Perkins has two companion novels coming out this year and next: Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After that I will certainly be buying as soon as they come out.

Rating: A

Other recommended reads:
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Looking for Alibrandi- Melina Marchetta

Synopsis: 

"For as long as Josephine Alibrandi can remember, it's just been her, her mum, and her grandmother. Now it's her final year at a wealthy Catholic private girls' school where the nuns couldn't be any stricter. But that doesn't seem to stop all kinds of men from coming into Josie's life, including her father!

Caught between the old-world values of her Italian nonna Katia, the no-nonsense wisdom of her mother Cristina, and the boys who continue to mystify her, Josie is on the ride of her life. This will be the year she falls in love, the year she discovers the secrets of her family's past - and the year she sets herself free."


Review:

Before I begin, I should start by saying that since reading Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta has been my favorite author in the universe. Probably because she's an Australian author and her books don't have the same amount of following here in the US as overseas, I didn't read her debut novel until now.

Looking for Alibrandi, like all of Marchetta's novels focuses on characters that are incredibly real. There is no deus ex machina endings in her stories. Josie Alibrandi deals with meeting her father for the first time, dealing with the challenges of being an Italian Australian and fitting in nowhere, racial slurs from classmates, and the attraction she feels to two boys, Jacob, the "bad boy" who really just appears that way, and John, her long-time crush whose recent personality changes have Josie a bit confused, not to mention the relationship with her mother and her grandmother that is often strained.

Josie is a character with a bold personality and a lot of spunk and she is very funny when she wants to be. I think that anyone reading this book will quickly become invested in the story and characters. While I think that Marchetta's books have only gotten better over the years (Jellicoe Road is tied with The Giver for my favorite book in the universe), her debut novel is absolutely wonderful as well.

Rating: A


Other recommended books:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Behemoth- Scott Westerfeld

Synopsis:


"The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead."

Review:

This book is the second book in Scott Westerfeld's alternate history WWI steampunk series. Leviathan was the first book and was published in 2009. Goliath, the last of the planned trilogy is going to be released in October of this year.

Behemoth picks up right where Leviathan left off. For those of you who haven't read the first book in the series, I highly recommend it. Both Deryn and Alek, the two main characters, are great. Seriously. Especially Deryn who is completely fearless even as she pretends to be a boy in the British Air Service.

In this alternate history WWI, there are two main powers, the Darwinists who use machines that are really ecosystems of fabricated animals and beasts, and the Clankers, who use steampunk-esque machinery, including walkers, which are like human powered giant robotic, walking machines, in place of tanks or other machines. 

Westerfeld chose to have his books fully illustrated, so there is over 50 wonderfully drawn illustrations in both Leviathan and Behemoth that really add to the story and help the reader to visualize the crazy machines and creatures from Westerfeld's mind.

Behemoth is an action packed story with great characters, a growing friendship between Alek and Deryn who is posing as Dylan, many new characters and new twists to the plot. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action, adventure, steampunk, history, or reading in general. Definitely a book to check out.

Rating: A

Other recommended books:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The Farsala Trilogy by Hilary Bell

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman

All of Scott Westerfeld's other books

Matched- Ally Condie

Okay, so I'm back and hopefully better than ever. I didn't try and make a New Year's Resolution, but I think keeping this blog updated with book reviews is going to be my goal, so let's see how that goes!



Book Synopsis:

"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."


Review:

I should start off by saying that dystopian literature, especially young adult dystopian literature, is my absolute favorite genre of books, and as Matched falls nicely into this category, I may have been a little biased from the start.

The society presented by Ally Condie in this book is one that in many ways is just like our own. Except for a few details. Almost every aspect of life is controlled in order to insure an optimal life. This means that the society chooses when and what you eat, who you will marry (become matched with), and even when you will die. Cassia, the main character, begins the book excited by the future in front of her. She has the perfect best friend, who she ends up matched with, and her life seems to be a happy one. Until her grandfather, some poetry, and a boy named Ky Markham makes her question everything she's known.

The characters in this book were great. I loved both Xander and Ky, the two main male characters, their interactions with Cassia, and almost more importantly, their interactions with each other, few though they were. I loved the concept of a society who has cut back on the "clutter" of life, so that all that remains is one hundred of the most important of everything. The one hundred poems, paintings, stories, songs...

This book was a dystopian with a heavy emphasis on the romance aspect, though it never felt as though the rest of the plot suffered. Rather the love Cassia had for both Xander and Ky only made the story better. There were some chilling moments in the story, such as when the reader finds out what the pills each citizen carries are for.

The ending was great as well. Without giving anything away, the second book, Crossed, which comes out in November I believe, should start off with Cassia in a very different place from where she began Matched, and I think that will keep the second of the planned trilogy from becoming stale or repetitive.

Rating: A


Other books I'd recommend:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
The Declaration Trilogy by Gemma Malley

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Susanne Collins