Author: Jackie

My Thoughts

I was weary about reading Matched by Ally Condie (how many times have I started out my reviews like this?). For starters, I was very much aware of the hype surrounding the book– something that probably would have eluded me if it weren’t for fellow book bloggers. Don’t get me wrong, hype isn’t inherently bad, but it’s often hit and miss. I was also weary because based on the summary and other bloggers’ reviews, Matched revolved around a romance, and I’m always skeptical of romance in young adult books. (Then again, I’ve said that here, here, and here, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised each time. Maybe my tastes have evolved, and I shouldn’t be so quick to put my nose up.)

Matched by Ally Condie paints a bleak portrait of a Western society that a government has, at one point, deemed to be over saturated with culture. Now, the world Cassia knows has been reduced to just 100 paintings, 100 poems, 100 songs, etc. Also, there is little choice in Cassia’s world. Decisions are left to statistics and the Sorters who analyze them. An individual’s vocation, the type and amount of food they eat, the types of activities in which they can participate, where they live, and who they marry is predetermined by Officials. And yet, this society, built and maintained by officials and statistics is about to crumble. By doing the things we take for granted, like learning to write cursive, reciting [forbidden] poetry, and falling in love with someone [she wasn’t matched with], Cassia is challenging the very foundations on which her society is built.

I really appreciated the way Ally Condie incorporate poetry into Matched. For example, “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas had a functional purpose in the prose. By just knowing the poem, Cassia risks her family’s well-being. The poem also has value among a cultural black market too. Then the poem is also symbolic of Cassia’s character, yet it doesn’t seem trite.

What I loved most about this book? Dare I say it? The love triangle. I never thought I’d see the day where those words were ever typed by my own fingers. The love triangle seemed natural; it did not seem forced– not like, there is a love triangle in this story for the sake of having a love triangle (see also: for the sake of all things trendy or for the sake of the ever lusty reader). The relationships made sense! Cassia loves Xander, her most handsome BFF4E. And, according to the statistics, they are each other’s perfect match; there should be no second guessing, right? Yet, when a glitch in the matching (or better yet a mistake) makes the ever mysterious Ky the apple of Cassia’s eye, things start to tumble out of control. He’s handsome and familiar like Xander, but he is also an anomaly. An anomaly– that’s not a good thing, by the way.

Perhaps my only complaint about the story is the vagueness of the geography and current events. I wish there was an illustrated map on the inside cover or something! What I wanted to know was where Cassia lived in reference to the war-torn Outer Provinces. Where is Cassia’s world in reference to our world? I’m also kind of confused about the war that’s going on. I have to assume that Ally Condie is only letting on as much information that Cassia’ would be aware of, but it’s frustrating because so little information was given that I kept forgetting about the war. That being said, I’m really interested to know why a perfect society would be at war.

Overall,
I loved this book, and I devoured it in three sittings. I thought the characters and the world were rich with development, and I though Cassia’s relationship with Xander and Ky was lovely and genuine.

Won from Ren @ Ren’s Rambles

My Thoughts

“Chilling” were my thoughts as I made it through the first fifty pages. The way Susan Beth Pfeffer writes about the events leading up to the apocalyptic event and the events that happen shortly after is absolutely chilling. I think this is because I could actually see people in reality acting the way they did in the book. Leading up to the asteroid crashing into the moon, people have a sort of morbid fascination with the event. All of Miranda’s homework revolves around the moon and, on the night of the event, everyone is throwing a party to marvel at the once in a lifetime sight. Unfortunately, nobody really knew what they were in for.

The story itself was written in a diary format. I think for readers, this can be pretty hit and miss. While it gives the reader insight into Miranda’s thoughts, it’s also kind of written matter-of-factly. Miranda doesn’t wax poetic about the apocalypse, and I was bummed that the descriptions about how the world looked were lacking. Descriptions of how Miranda’s physique changed over the year when she was essentially starving were also lacking.

The character interaction was really interesting in this book, but then what would you expect if you were cooped up in a house with no electricity with the same people day after day, and going outside means you may fear for your life? The relationship that really got to me was Miranda’s relationship with her friend Megan, who is very religious. Once the world starts coming to an end, Megan gets swept up by a cult, and Miranda slowly watches her friend disappear. This filled me with such sadness and disgust as Megan just wasted away.

My biggest complaint about this book was considering it’s the end of the world, the people in Miranda’s town had it easy. All the families just stayed to themselves, and I wasn’t buying that. If the world is coming to an end, I’m expecting violence, looters and robbers, and beggars, and those people just didn’t exist in Miranda’s world. Then again, maybe these situations will surface in the books that follow Life As We Knew It. This is another instance where I unknowingly picked up a book, thinking it was a stand-alone novel, only to find out it’s part of a series.

Overall,
Even though some aspects of this story were unbelievable, I still really enjoyed it. And even though I missed the vivid descriptions of the world, I appreciated the diary format of the book since it didn’t romanticize the end of the world.

My Thoughts

I actually finished this book at the beginning of October 2011, and yet it has taken me nearly three months to write a review. Honestly, Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel is easily the best book I read in 2011. I think that’s why it has taken me so long to write this. It would be easy to gush about this book to others who loved the book as much as I did. But, it’s a little more difficult to write something that won’t spoil the book for those who haven’t read it yet. Alas, here are my best attempts.

There is a subtitle on the front cover that says “Love can never die”. Initially I rolled my eyes and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Had I picked up yet another love story dripping with insufferable angst? And oh God, please don’t let this be about vampires. Luckily I was wrong. Habel’s Dearly, Departed, although tinged with romance, is surprisingly deep.

Much of the world we know has been destroyed by catastrophic climate changes, disease, famine, and a global war. Even though the story takes place far in the future where there is technology we can only dream of, Nora’s world has reverted back to more conservative, Victorian times in order to prevent further destruction. Despite their efforts, there is trouble brewing. Dearly, Departed is delightfully political but in a way that isn’t overwhelming to readers. The book delves into problems like classism; the problems Pamela Roe, Nora’s best friend, faces as a middle class citizen surrounded by a “new aristocracy” only begins to scratch the surface. Then, there are violent revolts led by the Punks in the south that threaten New Victoria’s reign of peace. On top of that, a new virus has broken out that is turning people into zombies, and this disease has no prejudices.

The book takes an interesting turn when Nora finds herself in the company of civilized, undead soldiers who seem more humane than some of the people she is forced to associate with. Overtime, Nora begins to develop feelings for Bram, who many look up to as a leader. It’s not as disturbing as it sounds (well, kind of considering Bram is decaying). But, the romance between the two characters is so genuine I may have felt my heart flutter.

Habel’s book also tells the story from five point of views– Nora, Pamela, Bram, Victor, and Wolfe. Each offer valuable insight into the world’s current disarray, however some POVs are more interesting than others. I didn’t favor Wolfe’s or Victor’s POV, but luckily they didn’t get as many chapters as the other characters. I found Pamela’s to be most interesting because she had more complex obstacles to overcome. Although, both are strong female characters who deserve to be considered among the ranks of heroines like Hermione Granger and Katniss Everdeen.

Overall,
I don’t know if this adequately conveys how much I loved this book. So, I’ll go about it another way. The only books I’ve ever re-read are the Harry Potter books, but that’s about to change. I definitely belive I will find myself re-reading Dearly, Departed.

My Thoughts

I had to get through the first couple of chapters before I could decide if Hollowland was a book worth reading. On one had, I was already intrigued by the beginning of the storyline. Apocalypse. Zombies. Butt-kicking female main character. How could I resist? On the other hand, I found myself disappointed by the prose that seemed rough around the edges. It’s not the typos that bothered me. I can look past that considering the book was self-published, and I don’t think Hocking had the opportunity to have professional editors revise her work. And it’s not like the errors were glaring. Honestly, I didn’t even notice most, and the ones I did notice didn’t take me out of the story. But, her writing did seem inconsistent. Some scenes were vivid, and I could see what was going on inside my head as though it were a movie. Other scenes were lackluster or they jumped around too much, and I found myself backpedaling so I could understand what was going on. However, the further I got into the story, the more difficult it became to put the book down. What kept my attention was Hocking’s perfect pacing and her ability to create suspenseful and tense situations.

There is never a dull moment in this book especially since Hocking’s zombies are not your standard zombie. They do not schlep around the wasteland in hopes of accidentally stumbling upon a fresh brain to munch on. Instead, these zombies are more advanced, more brutal, and more organized, and this makes them all the more terrifying. When Hocking writes her human vs. zombie scenes, she doesn’t shy away. Hollowland is a little more gory compared to other young adult zombie books. There is zombie blood splatter and the occasional zombie head crushing, but it doesn’t really cross over into a realm that would be more appropriate for adults. Battling zombies throughout a book can become redundant, but Remy (the main character) and crew found themselves in different predicaments each time, which made the book exciting. The first time I found myself really on edge though was not when Remy was mowing down zombies; it was when she and her companions found themselves among a potentially dangerous cult of very much alive and healthy humans. The situation was believable and chilling, and it showed that there may actually be worse things out there than the infected.

While I found the plot line addictive, I couldn’t jump on board with the characters. Their development was kind of weak. Remy kicks butt (which is really awesome), but she’s so devoid of emotion. She spends her entire journey convincing the reader that she has the emotional range of a rock, so when she tries to express her feelings at the end of the book it comes across as unbelievable. Then there is Blue, who I thought would have a bigger role in the apocalypse simply because he is a medic, he’s rational, and he knows how to take down zombies alongside Remy. But, he takes the backseat in most scenes which makes me wonder if Hocking only created him to make sense of the events at the end of the book. Harlow is the only character that gives the reader a good, consistent sense of who she is. She starts off as an obnoxious brat, but over time her positive attitude and childlike outlook on the post-apocalyptic world (as well as her zombie stomping combat boots) grew on me.

 Overall,
The characters have a tendency to be one-dimensional, but Hollowland‘s nicely paced plot, suspenseful moments, and surprise ending make it a book worth reading. I just learned that Hollowland, which I thought was a stand-alone novel, is the first book in a series. Part of me is bummed because I thought this book had a great ending that allowed the reader’s imagination wonder about the state of the post-apocalyptic world. Does it survive and flourish? Does it slowly die out? The other part of me is kind of excited. Hocking really does know how to write a good zombie book!