Matched

The Book:  Matched by Ally Condie

Summary (taken from Matched Series website): 

In the Society, Officials decide.  Who you love.  Where you work.  When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, perfect job, the ideal math.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared to follow - between perfection and passion.

What I Thought: 

I found this book al little hard to get into at first, but I was hooked by the end.  I read it because a lot of kids at school were reading this, but I'm not too much of a sci-fy, futuristic reader, so I wasn't expecting much.  I really think when Cassia starts to rebel against the Society is where it starts to get interesting.  She's matched with her best friend, Xander, but all of a sudden she's not sure the Match is right for her and of course this leads her to doubt all of the Society's choices for her.  I enjoyed this idea and the way the author carried the story, but I felt some pieces where left hanging for me.  Why did the Society take the artifacts?  Why did they cut the trees?  What happened with the last "red tablet" incident?  And the obvious, does she get to Ky?  Hopefully all of these will be answered in the next books in the series!

Rating:  7/10

The Traveler's Gift

The Book:  The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews

Summary (taken from Goodreads): 

This unique blend of fiction, history, allegory, and inspiration shares the story of one man who has lost his will to live. But an encounter with seven of history's most inspirational characters, among them Anne Frank and Abraham Lincoln, leaves him with seven bits of wisdom with which to confront his future.

What I Thought: 

I am not a fan on sad/depressing books at all, and when I started reading this book for my book club, I was not that excited about it.  I changed my mind quickly, though, as David, the main character began to gather his seven decisions of success from famous leaders in history.  I think the author could have done much more with such bigger-than-life characters in this story, but none the less, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Not only was it fun to go back in time to such stand-out moments in time, but the overall message was so positive and inspiring.  The "big idea" seems to be that  YOU are responsible for you and your life, which is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Rating:  9/10

Empty

The Book:  Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Summary (taken from GoodReads): 


It's the near future - the very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. There is hope - there has to be hope - just there are also sacrifices that need to be made, and a whole society that needs to be rethought.

Teens like Niki, Tom, and Gwen may find what they need to survive. But their lives are never going to be the same again.

What I Thought: 

Weyn's concept for this book was such a great idea that I was thrilled to find a copy and start reading.  This book hits on so many hot topic themes that worry and concern today's family:  rising oil prices, global warming concerns, wars over oil, affects of running out of non-renewable resources.  The book just doesn't quite cut it though.  The dialogue of the teens is unrealistic and forced due to the author's attempt to convey news and political information through the characters conversations.  The love triangle seems so shallow alone and particularly in compassion to the suffering surrounding the families of the three teens.  The ending also seems too tidy and forced.  I was hoping for better from this book, but it least it does bring up real issues that gas guzzling countries will need to face in the near future.

Rating:  4/10

The Fox Inheritance

The Book:  The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Summary (taken from author's website):

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. After a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox.


What I Thought: 
I read the first book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, for a YA Lit class for my masters several years ago and was very surprised at how much in enjoyed it.  When I saw the sequel, I enjoyed re-reading the first book again and was very excited to jump into the new addition to the story.  Perhaps my higher expectations is what made this book less enjoyable for me.  I found this book very different from the first and couldn't really get into the story line until well into the book.  While the we are building our impression of Jenna along with the character as she pieces everything together in the first book, I felt that Locke and Kara, the main characters in this book, were more difficult to support. Locke seemed weak and whiny and hard to place as a character while Kara was "empty" and rather unlikeable thoughout.  This one was much more involved with the sci-fi aspect of the story as well, not my favorite genre, being set in the future and involving a mad scientist.  I still like the first, despite the sci-fi aspect, but wonder if it should have just been left alone with a hopeful Jenna setting out for her unlimited future and Locke and Kara's suffering at an end at the bottom of the pond.

Rating:  4/10

Insatiable

The Book: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Visit Meg Cabot's website:
(http://www.megcabot.com/insatiable/#) 

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them. Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does). But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for. 

The problem is, he's already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare. Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . . If she even has one.                             
(Summary from the book cover.)

What I Thought: 
I am a huge fan of Cabot.  Many of her adult books read like romantic comedies or "chick flicks" and usually feature a quick-witted, sarcastic main couple that makes the plot seem more truthful.  I also, though somewhat embarrassing, will admit to enjoying vampire books.  Insatiable seemed, then, to combine two of my favorite literary happenings into one novel.  Although I did enjoy the book, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.  I found the beginning a little slow, but noticed that as I got into the book, it was difficult to put down.  Once the prince of darkness arrived in New York, things got interesting and I had to know what happened next to Meena, Lucien, and Alaric.  For all the great build up, though, I was a little disappointed by the ending (which seemed to hint at a sequel).  Overall, it was a fun read, but not one of my favorites by Cabot.


Rating:  7/10

Shiver

The Book:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary from the author's website:
(http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/)

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What I Thought:
I thought this would be another Twilight-ish book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike Stephine Meyer's werewolves, Stiefvater's werewolves change because of the weather - more specifically the cold. I enjoyed the twist on the traditional werewolf story and the main character's troublesome romance seemed to fit very well in the dark YA tale. Though I felt the book dragged a bit in some parts, the desire to find out what happens to the characters kept me reading. I found the last few chapters left me heartbroken, surprised and eager for the next installment, Linger.

Rating: 9/10