Matched - A Review by Andrew

Matched - By Ally Condie

Buy Matched here, Amazon, iTunes, BAM!, Barnes and Nobel

My rating: 4/5 stars

Matched, by Allyson Braithwaite Condie, is a story about a seventeen year old girl named Cassia Maria Reyes. In Cassia's society, you are matched at age 17. Cassia is matched with her best friend, Xander Thomas Carrow. This is not a surprise to either of them. When viewing the microcard with Xander's information on it, the screen displays a different friend of Cassia's, Ky Markham. Though Ky and Cassia were not as close as Xander and Cassia, she still finds herself conflicted about who she loves and whether the Society is all that it seems to be. (Summary taken from Wikipedia page "Matched").

Written by someone with the heart of a poet, Matched has a very profound meaning layered throughout. Ally Condie's skill as a writer truly shines when noticing the simplicity of how she pens her words. There are no unnecessary words or thoughts; it is just the story and the theme behind it, presented in a wonderful fashion. Her character Cassia develops in a slower pace than most readers would like, but you see the transformation of a innocent child to an intellectual adult in a detailed experience. I rated this a 4/5 stars because as a whole the story is not complete yet, but I believe as I finish the other two books to this trilogy, I will be more than happy to give it a 5/5 only because of her excellence as a writer. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone who wants a good read.

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did 

(And Probably Shouldn't Have)

 by Sarah Mlynowski 

Released: June 7, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Amount: 345, US Paperback
POV: 1st Person (April)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-14/20

Characters-13/20

Creativity-15/20

Writing-16/20

Pace-5/10

Ending-4/10

=67/100 D

★★/5

SUMMARY:
2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them. In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:
I'm not going to lie, I was really excited to pick up this book. Why? Well, I thought it would be a fun, romantic, care-free read. After trudging through this book, I think it is safe to say that someone, or rather many someones, acted care-free with this book. First off, the writing was not the best. The way the book skipped back into random flashbacks bored and confused me the majority of the time. Even worse than that is the fact that this book has zero plot whatsoever. This could have been so easily avoided if Mlynowski just moved up the "big realization" to the middle of the book, ya know, where the climax should actually be. This book had a lot more potential than it showed. I read a short story by Mlynowski that demonstrated a zillion times more talent than this book. 

From the summary, I thought this was going to be a fan story about friendship and love. Just look at the cover! There was no romance in this book until the last page, which by that point I was already so ticked off at April and Noah that I didn't even think she deserved romance. 

The characters were the worst part about this book. I did not relate to April at all. I felt no connection with her. I thought that her friendships seemed strained and that Vi seemed two-dimensional. Even the Hudson brothers seemed out of place. But still, the worst character was by far Noah. I hate him. Like I want to track him down and punch him. I know guys like Noah, so I was very emotionally charged when he was revealed to be an unattached jerk. There must be something with guys with names that start with N... Anyway, I do believe that Mlynowski did a good job at making her message clear and by showing how jerky guys can be. Girls should hear that message and take it to heart, I just with she, or her publisher, didn't give this book its false romantic appearance. 

The ending was certainly crazy. Whether it was crazy in a good or a bad way, I still don't know. The ending, like the rest of the book, made me shake my head in dismay. I just feel as though April made her own decisions and knew of all of the possible repercussions. I do, however, understand how she was unaware of what scum Noah is. He ticked me off so much throughout the entire book. All in all, jerks like Noah make me hate humanity. Basically, if you want a fun book to read for like an hour, then this is the book for you. If you prefer deep, character and plot driven book, I'd steer clear of this title. 

My Favorite Part: The great debate about redheads either being evil or hot. My vote is that they are hot, but I am a teeny tiny bit biased.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Umm...

Thanks for reading!

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

New Changes!!!

Hello readers!!! Macy and I have been working on some new designs for the blog, and will be releasing them very soon! And by soon, I mean these changes might go into effect today! So if you venture onto the blog and find a completely new world of wonder for your latest reviews, don't be alarmed, for you are in Elysium, and you are already DEAD! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, we think you'll love the new changes.

Unremembered, Book by Jessica Brody, Review By Andrew

Unremembered

Book by Jessica Brody

Review by Andrew


But it on: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes 

This was a highly surprising novel, and one that I enjoyed thoroughly. I obtained this book through and event where Leigh Bardugo and several other notable writers were signing their latest novels. At the signing, I heard all the authors give a summary of their books, and Jessica's straight-up blew me away. A "Bourne meets teenage girl meets superhuman powers", I was enthralled. I bought it, and dove in. It started with a griping opening, a plane crash. The only survivor is a teenage girl, who can't remember anything about herself. She tries to gain a grip on what happened to her; why she could only remember some words but have no idea what a airplane is, and what the necklace engraved with "S+Z=1609" around her neck means. And then things get complicated when she starts to be followed by a boy who claims to be the only person that knows who she is.

Let me just say now, this is a book that will stick with you, and it really is because of the unique characterization that is only possible with cases of amnesiacs. While the character starts to discover who they are, so do you. You feel connected in a way that you feel as if you are discovering a part of yourself. Now, to the REALLY good parts, relationships with other characters. While trying to cope with the memory loss, "Violet" has to learn to live with a new foster family until she recovers, and it isn't easy. Unable to relate to their lifestyle, she becomes fairly ostracized. But that changes as the boy that claims to know her starts to cause problems, and asks her to leave with him. But she finds it hard to resist him, and after admitting that they had been in love, Violet finds saying no to be more difficult by the day.

In the end, all is explained, and you'll never see it coming. I was floored by the pure beauty and complexity of the story, but was able to follow the whole time. I also was amazed at the quality at which Jessica created a love story out of the hardships that Violet had to endure. It really was a great book and I truly can't wait to read the sequel: Unforgotten.

Christmas Book Haul

Macy's Christmas Book Haul

Signed Collection
(All of t he books below are signed by their author.)

1. Spirit: I read the first book in this series, Storm, and automatically fell in love with the Merrick brothers. This is a super unique, underrated book that demand more attention from readers.

2. The Vicious Deep and The Savage Blue: I met Ms. Cordova and she was one of the nicest authors I have ever met! I cannot wait to read her books. I will definitely be reading these this month.

3. The Fame Game and Starstruck: Yes, these are signed by the Lauren Conrad. This makes me very giddy and excited.

4. Cold Kiss: I like me a story about death with a mysterious turn.

5. Unbreak My Heart: I enjoy nice, sappy romances for summer. 

6. The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places: I wasn't that into The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but I am hoping to care more about the characters in these books. I just haven't been that into the whole zombie phase.

Unsigned Collection
(Just plain ole amazing books.)

1. 21 Proms: Ha. Okay, so let me tell you how much I hated my experience at prom last year. I got stood up less than a week before prom and then my ex kind of ruined the actual dance for me. So it is only fitting that I buy a book about authors' tragic prom experiences. Please note though that I did in fact end up going to prom with Andrew, my bookish partner, and he made the night a bajillion times better than it would have been if I had gone with anyone else. Basically, I am ultimately glad that I went.

2. Ten Things We Did: Um. No comment at this time.

3. Incarnate: This books sounds so amazing! I cannot wait to dive right into this book.

4. Through Her Eyes: I love ghost stories and I absolutely cannot wait to read this one.

5. Dreamless: Loved Starcrossed so I cannot wait to finish up this series.

6. Forbidden: I am a sucker for a psychologically twisted book, and the romance in this book is more than a little perverted.

7. City of Glass: I am on a Mortal Instruments high right now. Don't judge.

8. Lola and the Boy Next Door: GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND BUY THIS BOOK NOW. Okay, that is all.

9. The Treachery of Beautiful Things: Trees come alive, therefore this book is unique, and therefore I must read it.

10. American Sign Language Dictionary: I do know how to sign quite a few words and phrases and am hoping this book can teach me many many more.

If Only We Book Blitz

About the Book

   They say all it takes is one wrong move and you lose the game. One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They say I lost. I do not believe them. At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart.

        Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance—and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her. Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong. And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.

Meet Jessica Sankiewicz

Jessica is the 28-year-old author of IF ONLY WE, a YA contemporary. You can often find her either reading or marathon watching TV on DVD, her favorites being Castle and Veronica Mars. She frequently mismatches her clothes and giggles uncontrollably. She knows almost every Billy Joel song by heart. She collects books and toys, and she has an intense love of cats and lemurs. Currently in the midst of her quarter-life-crisis, she is still takin' names and getting very close to reaching an epiphany.

See more If Only We posts and features on Irresistible Reads

The "Hush, Hush" Series: Book Review by Andrew

 

Hush, Hush

By: Becca Fitzpatrick

Published: October 13, 2009

"Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life."

REVIEW:  First of all, the title I wrote is a perfect lie. I have only read "Hush, Hush" and a small portion of "Crescendo", and here is why. I'll keep this review short, because I don't want to be too mean. Hush hush has to have been the worst book I have ever read. Becca has almost no logical continuity in her writing, creates loopholes in the plot, and is so emotionally driven that all sense of realism is knocked out and replaced by a teenage wasteland of hormonal nonsense. The ONLY redeeming quality of her writing is the character Patch, the romantic interest of Nora. Patch has a mysterious presence about him that is indeed alluring and intriguing, but it only goes so far. While Patch's mysterious presence was able to keep me reading throughout "Hush, Hush", the overbearing fallacies of the plot became too much for me and I couldn't bear to continue reading through "Crescendo". Do not read this series, it is a waste of valuable time you could be spending on staring at a wall; at least that'd be more entertaining and stimulating. I am sorry for being so blunt, but it is the God honest truth; I was very disappointed.