Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1) by Amy Engal

Image result for the book of ivyAge Group: YA
Pages: 304
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: 11 November 2014

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

This year, it is my turn. 

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

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

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

My Thoughts:

Finally, a dystopian novel that hasn't let me down! I have always loved dystopian novels, but I have been in a bit of a slump with them lately.  All of the recent dystopian books I have read lately have started to feel too similar and have left me feeling unimpressed, until this book...

Due to this slump, I really did not have high expectations for this novel but Amy Engal managed to blow me away.  The book was beautifully written with amazing characters and an even better plot.  Amy Engal paced the book beautifully, the book does not drag nor did it feel rushed. It was just perfect, the plot itself has many twists and turns and a killer cliffhanger.  For those of you who hate cliffhangers, I recommend having the sequel on hand so you are not left in suspense as I currently am.

Overall the best part is definitely the characters.  The main character Ivy is torn; on one end there is her family, the mission she must finish; on the other is Bishop, the man she is meant to kill but instead finds herself loving.  Yet in spite of this, she manages to be a strong and brave and to think for herself. Ivy was so multidimensional and realistic; I found her to be the kind of character that I as a reader could connect with.  For me, she was a refreshing break from the usual wishy-washy love-struck YA main character that is so common in recent literature. Besides from Ivy I really loved Bishop.  He is everything that a romantic interest should be compassionate, respectful, and patient.  His character was a nice change from the cold, aloof, and emotionally stunted love interest that is all too common in young adult literature.

Overall, this book was amazing.  It really has it all, an interesting world, a great plot, amazing characters, and a beautiful romance. I am so excited to pick up the sequel and see what happens next for Ivy and Bishop.

2 comments:

  1. Great review! So glad you enjoyed this one! I've had my eye on The Book Of Ivy for a very long time and I really want to try and get my hands on it this year. It definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks for sharing!

    Elena @ Book Lady's Reviews

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  2. If you loved The Hunger Games, The Maze runner and books such as those, then The Book Of Ivy is for you! Read it, love it and indulge in the amazing book that Amy Engel has presented.

    Zia
    Senior Living Seattle resource

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