Review: The Selection - Kiera Cass

Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Pages: 327
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 4/24/12
ISBN-10: 0062059939

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For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I was prepared to hate this book, after all the controversy and negative reviews I saw. What I wasn't prepared for was to absolutely love this book. I was wowed from the start. I'm not sure where to start with this review, but well give it a try.

The World - this was not your typical dystopian. It wasn't the Hunger Games. This was a light dystopian. The caste system was something that I couldn't help but question. Why? How did the world become so segregated? I do hope to learn more about the how's and whys in the next book. Other than my questions this is something that I think could happen if we aren't careful, people labeled by there skills or money. I enjoyed the fact that it was a lighter dystopian, not everything has to be death and war. I think being on the light side left room in the story for other aspects to shine.

The Girls - we didn't get to know each and every girl in the selection, but we got the general idea of the different personalities and outlooks. I for one adore Marlee, and desperately want to know her secret! Celeste infuriates me, I would love to see her be sent home and have that I'm better than you attitude destroyed. One of the things I liked was the girls were a mix of castes, but the choices of the prince don't seem to be based on a number. I feel that how things were portrayed for this group of girls is probably very accurate, especially when the stakes are so high, to win a prince and a crown how far would you go?

Maxon - I love you! He always came off as sweet and kind. America does things that make you think that she should be going home, but for some reason he keeps her around. Maxon also appears to be an honest man, not wanting to get the girls hopes up if he knows hey aren't a good match, while some might see it as cruel I see it as a small mercy. Being sent away must be heart breaking, but. The longer you are lead on, given hope that he truly cares for you the harder it would be. I also really loved how be listened to what America said about the starving people and immediately tried to come up with a way to help. 

America - oh little lady there is so much to say. One of her best qualities is she stats true to herself, she refuses to be made over into someone she isn't. She is brutally honest even with the prince. And all around she comes off as a good caring person. She worries and tries to help her family, even while the palace she doesn't stop thinking about them. She refuses to abandon her maids drying a time of danger. When I think of America, I can see her as a princess, she goes through the selection looking for certain qualities in the other girls, but overlooks them in herself. 

Aspen - you my friend are an idiot. I get why you did what you did and yes that sacrifice might be the truest form of love, but you are still an idiot. I don't think you are a bad guy, I just don't think that you are the one for America. Actually that is the worst part of this triangle, both our men are good men. There's no good guy versus the rebel bad boy. I do have to agree if I was America I would have trouble choosing too.

The Romance - this was my favorite part. Watching what I truly believe was these who falling love. You can see clear as day that he cares very deeply for America, but she denies her feelings, or writes the off as an unknown feeling. But I feel that this is what I saw. There was chemistry, flirting, fun, and happiness. They are good together and the balance each other out. I lied every part f this book that they were together. This was a sweet story of friendship and attraction. 

I give this book 5 stars, and strongly urge you guys to give this a try, you may be pleasantly surprised. You my want to go in expecting a light dystopian feel with a romance to it. I open you guys try it and enjoy it!

Review: Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins ebooks (February 28, 2012)
Pint Length: 337 pages
Language: English

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive the "cure" - an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love - but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters. Although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.

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I feel compelled to start this by saying Lauren Oliver is evil! I was hooked by Delirium, it grabbed me a wouldn't let me go, I thought there is no way pandemonium could be any better, if I'm lucky it might be just as good. Well let me tell you I don't know how she did it but, wow! Just pure simple wow! 

Lena was totally kick ass in this book. Like the reference between old Lena and new Lena, you could definitely see the difference. While there were times where he was scared she faced it all down head on. She fought like crazy for her life and for the ones she cared about. I also loved that at times she didn't just do what others told her to she followed her heart and her gut and did what she felt was right. 

The one thing I thought I was going to hate was how things with Alex were handled. I fell in love with him in Delirium, and didn't thing I would enjoy a book that didn't have tons and tons of Alex. Again...I was wrong, there was enough action with Lena to make up for it. I also kind of maybe fell in love with Jillian. He really surprised me, there were times where I thought that things would end badly, but he surprised me and captured my heart. 

There was so much going on in this book. We got to meet the scavengers, the resistance, and we got an awesome look at Lena's life in the wilds. There was action, suspense, and betrayal. This book had everything that you could possibly ask for and then some. I have no clue how I am going to wait for the next book to come out because that ending was killer! I'm giving this one 5 stars and strongly urge anyone who hasn't read this series yet to go and do so very quickly!

Review: Eve - Anna Garvey

• Reading level:
 Ages 13 and up

• Hardcover:
 336 pages

• Publisher:
 HarperCollins (October 4, 2011)

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. 
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

My Thoughts...

I knew I wanted to read this but I was still a little apprehensive. I was however quite pleased at the end. Eve ended up being a very strong character even though the way she was raised should have made her weak. She overcame her fears, and really grew as a person. But she also made mistakes and at times I wanted to smack her. Arden was pretty awesome too, I really want a friend like Arden. Caleb made me smile. He was pretty awesome. This book had plenty of action and adventure, and kept me flipping the pages. The one thing I hope we get to see in the next book is a little more of WHY the world is set up the way it is. I just kinda feel like we walked into it but never really heard about how it ended up this way. I'll cross my fingers. But until then I give this one 4 stars!

Review: Possession - Elana Johnson

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 7, 2011)

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even thinkabout kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn. This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

My Thoughts...

Oh boy...Oh boy...Oh boy... I fell in love with the very simple yet beautiful cover, and was desperate to read it. I didn't hesitate to start it when I got it from S&S Galley Grab.  There were a few points where I was a little confused, but overall this book was great.  Life is anything but easy or normal for Vi, she is constantly faced with tough choices, while not equipped with enough information to always make her decision.  One of the things I loved about Vi was she was smart but tended to make her decisions from her heart. I was a little disappointed at the insta click between Vi and Jag, at the same time I kinda get it strange things happen when people are extremely stressed or scared.  I really don't think I can discuss any of the plot without giving something away so all I will say is this book is intense and there are so many twist and turns before the end.  I really hope that there is more to this story I look forward to more in this series and this author! This one gets 4 stars from me!

Review: Divergent - Veronica Roth

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (May 3, 2011)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My Thoughts...

WOW...OMG...WOW! I guess that won't cut it as a review huh? Okay, lets see if I can gather my thoughts and write something decent. I LOVED this book.  I was afraid of being let down since there was some major hype for this book, but let me tell you I was not disappointed at all.  From start to finish it was great. I really liked the world building and the Faction, it seems with the dystopia books I've been reading that I am left with world/government type questions at the end and can only hope that they get answered in the next book, but I left Divergent with a pretty good handle on things. I do hope we get a more detailed look at Amity and Candor though.  Now characters...Tris I really really liked.  I loved how all she really wanted was to belong...and as the story went she learns that maybe she wasn't as different as she thought.  While I wasn't sure what to make of Caleb in the beginning as things moved on I wouldn't say I liked him, but I did respect him, I guess really the same goes for her father too.  Now Tris's mom, she seemed different from the start and towards the end I really liked her.  Tris's friends were pretty awesome and reading about what they endured as iniates pained me I felt for all of them.  Now we come to Four...OMG *swoon* Dark, Mysterious, Brave, and Hott, Where do I sign up to get one?!?  Watching Tris come into her own while getting to know Four and watch the relationship between them grow and morph was great. Now the most important part, the plot...this story was so well told and had a great pace and voice to it that it came alive in my head. Not all of it was sweetness and light but even the bad was good. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait so long for the next book.  I give this one 5 stars!

Review: The Unidentified - Rae Mariz

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray; First Edition first Printing edition (October 5, 2010)

Kid knows her school’s corporate sponsors not-so-secretly monitor her friendships and activities for market research. It’s all a part of the Game; the alternative education system designed to use the addictive kick from video games to encourage academic learning. Everyday, a captive audience of students ages 13-17 enter the nationwide chain store-like Game locations to play.

When a group calling themselves The Unidentified simulates a suicide to protest the power structure of their school, Kid’s investigation into their pranks attracts unwanted attention from the sponsors. As Kid finds out she doesn't have rights to her ideas, her privacy, or identity, she and her friends look for a way to revolt in a place where all acts of rebellion are just spun into the next new ad campaign.

My Thoughts...

I have heard some mixed reviews about this book, but I am so glad I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed this story, and our main character Kid. She seemed so happy to just have her few friends and exist in the middle of the pack, all until her life gets turned upside down, and side ways. I loved her friendship with Mikey I thought he was a great character and a good friend to Kid. I wasn't a huge fan of Ari, I knew girls like her and high school and I never really got along with people like her. I thought the idea of "the game" was pretty awesome, I'm sure that there are some people that would benefit from a system like that for learning. I also kinda liked the sponsor concept. I do however see the message that the unidentified tried to send. I really want to continue gushing here but I don't want to give away anything because my favorite thing about this book had to be that I didn't always know where it was going. I thought I had some things figured out just to find out a little while later I was wrong. I give this one 4 stars and I really hope that any of you who havent' give it a try do!

Review: Plague - Michael Grant

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (April 5, 2011)

It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

They've survived hunger. They've survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don't just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they'll escape - or even survive - life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Plague, Michale Grant's fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages.

My Thoughts...

This book almost broke my heart.  There are some characters that I love, and some that I love to hate, and I spent quite a bit of time worrying about people dying.  I think this one is my NEW favorite so far n this series.  There was adventure, and happiness at some points, there was fear, drama, and action as well.   It was a great mix, with a few shocking things along the way.  I also think that quite a few characters "grew"  some in this book.  I definitely will be waiting  for the next one not so patiently. 4 stars from me!

Review: Lies - Michael Grant

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness—or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

My Thoughts...

So far this book has been my favorite in the series.  My opinion on quite a few characters has changed.  I still really like Sam, I really just wanted to give him a hug through most of this book.  I was never a big fan of Astrid but this book sealed the deal for me,  She came off as such a manipulative person in this book.  Diana surprised me, she seemed so lost and then putting herself on the line to help a bunch of kids she really didn't know, I was pleasantly surprised.  I also really feel for Lana, how much can one girl deal with? Really give this poor girl a break!  I can't stand Zil!  Ugh he makes me angry.  I can't wait to start Plague and see where this is going.  I am very glad that I started this series.  I'm giving this book 4 stars.

Review: Hunger - Michael Grant

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1 edition (April 6, 2010)

It's been three months since everyone under the age of fifteen became trapped in the bubble known as the FAYZ.

Three months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

Food ran out weeks ago. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers. Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

My Thoughts...

I liked Gone, but I liked Hunger a lot more.  this book addressed quite a few of the issues I had from the first book.  Since rationing food really didn't seem to be taken all that seriously at first, and no one wants to harvest the fields everyone is hungry.  Things are getting desperate, and everyone seems to be reaching there breaking point.  It was tough watching Sam struggle to get people motivated to try to help save there own lives.  There are also a few main characters that are driving me nuts, pick a side already!  I am curious to see where this human vs freaks story lines goes.  Also I loved watching Sam and Caine towards the end.  If only they could continue to work together maybe things would get better.  Now the Darkness...I oddly enough hope we see more, I find its attachment to certain people very intriguing.  I give this one 4 stars!

Review: Gone - Michael Grant

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; Reprint edition (April 28, 2009)

n the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...

My Thoughts...

I loved The Lord of the Flies, and this struck me as a similar story but with a paranormal twist which should put it right up my alley.  Getting into this book took me a little while but once it had me...it had me. I usually don't like it when the narration jumps from one person to another but it seemed to work here.  I also really liked Sam!  I'm not a fan of Quinn or Astrid so much but Sam is awesome!  There seems to be so much going on in this book that I'm having a hard time here.  One of the things I liked was watching certain kids just all into rolls trying to help or keep things going.  I also at times forgot I was reading about kids.  I couldn't imagine living through what these kids are put through.  I don't want to say too much and spoil anything.  I give this one 3.5 stars and hope the next one is just as good.

Review: Enclave - Anne Aguirre

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 edition (April 12, 2011)

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

I've seen the trailer for this book popping up all over the blogsphere and it looked good so I said what the heck.  And I'm so glad I did.  This book was terrific!  At first I wasn't sure how much I was going to like Deuce, but quickly she grew on me.  I loved the underground world not that I would want to live there, but it was an interesting place to visit.  The freaks actually gave me the willies.  The seemed too closely related to zombies for me.  Watching Deuce and Fade work together and get to know each other was like being on a roller coaster, and it was a process that seemed to last for the entire book.  I really liked both Deuce and Fade they just seemed so real to me.  The part of the story that really got me was when Deuce had to learn about and try to adjust to life topside.  Simple things we never really think about seemed to either amaze or frighten her, I absolutely  loved it.  The journey does not end there for these two the journey they have while topside will have you on the edge of your seats.  I highly recomend this book and give it 5 stars!

Review: Birthmarked - Caragh M. O'Brien

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.
Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.
Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, Birthmarked explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

I've had this on my TBR pile since it was released and I never picked it up or ever really considered it,  I got pulled into books with a lot of hype or beautiful covers.  Now while I am happy I waited because the sequel is in the works and it won't seem like such a long wait to get it,  I feel like I robbed myself of this great story for way to long!  This in my opinion was a terrific book.  I really liked Gaia, from the first page you can see her uncertainty.  She knows what she should do but it still seems to feel wrong to her.  She continued on with her life after the arrest of both her parents in the hopes that they would be back home soon.  It wasn't until she gets some very shocking news that she finally strays from her path in an attempt to get them back.. From there she starts her journey into seeing that life within the walls might not have been everything she was lead to believe.  She makes some tough choices that land her in dyer straights and still she clings to the hope of being with her parents.   As the story continues to unravel she makes and unlikely friend and fights for the life of herself and her parents as she plays a delicate game with the people in charge of there world.  I stayed on the edge of my seat for most of this wild ride.  I was amazed by Gaia, once she set her mind she never really wavered.  She was strong and in my opinion amazing.  Along the way my heart broke along with Gaia's, and at times I felt her relief as if it truly were my own.  As I've said before I am rather new to dystopia genre but I am loving it.  My first taste was the Hunger Games and I have been searching for something that compares and while I have found other great books nothing was quite as good, but I think this series has the potential!  I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars but I can't so 5 stars it shall be!  I hope that all of you will give this book a chance. 

Review: Delirium - Lauren Oliver

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)

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 governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway 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.

This was different to say the least.  A world where love is a disease...I really liked this book it wasn't what I expected, but I liked it.  I didn't really like Lena at first but through out the book she grew on me.  There were are few things in this that really struck me, there was a scene where a child fell and was crying but no one came to care for the child or even check on them, how in a world without love do these people care for there children?  Being a mother I look at this and it is rather terrifying...a world where I could no love my daughter, or hug her or be anything but almost completely indifferent towards her...that is scary.  But Lena knew love from her mother and found love with a special boy and she refused to let love go.  She has lived her life learning that this disease will kill her but she is okay with that, because in a world with no love, love might just be the best thing you can find.  I really can't wait for the next book.  I want to find out what happens to Lena, Alex, Hana, and Grace.  I give this 4.5 stars!

Review: Bumped - Megan McCafferty

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 26, 2011)

Then a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Well I have to admit I was desperate to get my hands on this book, but I wasn't totally sure why.  Yeah its got a cool yet plain cover and I've seen it pop up all over the blogosphere but I wasn't sure it was something I would really like.  I am a huge paranormal fan who is only recently dipping my toes into the dystopian pool, and this book is kinda written about a touchy subject.  To my pleasant surprise though I really enjoyed it.   Separated at birth identical twins come face to face and while they appear to be total opposites they share more than just a face.  I liked how the whole idea of teen pregnancy was handled.  While some girls choose to use there body's for profits, others the "Churchys" believe that marriage and raising children is the right way.  I also think the glimpses of Melody's friends shows yet another aspect of the life style some of these girls have chosen.  I liked watching the change in both Melody and Harmony as the story progressed and I am anxiously awaiting the second book.  This book really sends both girls lives and the lives of quite a few people into upheaval.  I found myself hoping Zen would get what he wants and that Johndoe was being honest at the end.  I also couldn't help but hope that somehow Ram gets his HEA.  The only thing about this book that I had trouble with was the slang, but once I got about halfway through it didn't seem to effect me any more.  I really believe that Megan has something very special on her hands with this series she took one of today's hottest and most controversial topics and spun it into a story that will really make you stop and think about the issues at hand. I give this one 4.5 stars!

Review: Matched - Ally Condie

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)

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.

Dystopia is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres.  I was a little worried when I started this because there was quite a bit of hype.  But I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and then some.  Cassia is a good girl that trusts the society until she sees a second face on her match card. The society trys telling her  it was a glitch, but that quick glimpse is enough to make Cassia question things.  With a little help from her dying grandfather she starts to see things a little differently.  A shocking event with her father shows her that maybe her questions are justified.  While Cassia wants a perfect life with Xander she can't seem to get Ky out of her head.  Soon she finds herself in a situation where Ky learns a secret about her, and it is a secret that could land her in a great deal of trouble, now she struggles to trust Ky not to betray her.  In turn Ky reveals a secret about himself and so the two go on learning from each other , growing closer.  The relationship between Ky and Cassia seemed genuine and heartfelt while I felt that anything past friendship with Xander would have been forced.  I do hope we get to learn more about the society in the next book but the  glimpses we got in this one was enough to make me grateful to have the power of choice.  The rebellion aspect of this book wasn't as pronounced as say The Hunger Games.  It was a more subtle, more of a mental rebellion than a physical one and I for one thought it was great!  I loved the fact that in the end Cassia's family and even Xander did what they could no matter how small the act to help Cassia get the life she wants.  I hope Cassia doesn't go gentle and keeps moving towards the life and love that she wants.  I truly hope that everyone will give this book/series a chance.  I give this one 4 stars!!

Review: Wither - Lauren DeStefano

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)

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 limited time she has left

Hmmm...How to start this one? I didn't LOVE this one but I sure liked it a whole lot!  I wasn't sure going in if I was going to like this one or not, I have watched sister wives on tv and can't stand the show so going into this book I was a little on the fence.  I have to say thought I did like it.  I really liked Rhine, I can't imagine at 16 being in her situation and handling it like she did.  I also liked the sister wives, the dynamic between the girls really impressed me.  I also admire Rhine's almost unwavering devotion to getting back home, now I say almost because there were times where I thought she might just accept where she was.  Aside from her sister wives she did manage to make some other "friends" I guess they could be called, Gabriel I think was the only thing that kept her sane through most of this book, having someone to be able to talk to and be herself with kept her going, the looks into the kitchen we got made me smile.  Now we come to Linden...I felt for Linden, he didn't seem to know how horrible his father really was and seemed to be as much a prisoner as the girls.  I also feel that his affection for them was genuine.  Watching Rhine go through this marriage with Linden I can't help but feel that towards the end maybe just maybe she felt something too.  I am looking forward to the next book I want to see where this is going to go, and to be totally honest I hope to see Linden again (give me a sign and a shirt cause I'm signing up for team Linden).  I also can't help but feel that all of the attention brought to her condition of duel colored eyes is going to play an important role later in this series. I think I'm going to have to give this one 4 stars!