Matched by Ally Condie

Living in a controlled society of the future where free choice has been virtually eliminated, the book focuses on the ritual of everyone getting assigned a "match" at age 16. After a strictly controlled courtship the two young people can decide if they'd like to proceed and get married at age 21. Cassia thought that all her dreams were coming true when she was matched with her childhood friend, but the seeds of doubt in the matching process, and the rigid control of society, are sown when she starts spending more and more time with another boy and finds that she is falling for him.

The plot isn't that original. It was very reminiscient of the Hunger Games and Delirium. But I thought that the details of the setting and characters kept it fresh. Looking forward to the sequel.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

It is the future. America has become a much different place. Government surveillance is widespread, cities are fenced in, and love have been outlawed. Yes love. It is now considered a disease--amor deliria nervosa--characterized by a quickened pulse, distraction, and irrational obsessions. At age 18, everyone is given "the cure" which wipes love of any kind out of the brain forever. Lena's mom died from love, and the stigma of this has followed her for her whole life. All that Lena wants to do is turn 18, get the cure, and live a normal life. But then she meets Alex. And she starts to question whether everything she's been told her whole life is true. Is life better without love?

I've read a lot of reviews that called this book derivative or considered it a letdown after Oliver's smash debut Before I Fall. I really, really loved this book. It's true that there are inconsistencies, as in any book, and that the premise not particularly unique or even that interesting. It's pretty cheesy to be honest. I found the slightly different premise of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies to be much more interesting in and of itself. However, I thought that the quality of the language, the suspense and the characterization overcame these issues to make a book that can be forgiven, because it was such a pleasure to read. I listened the audiobook mainly because I enjoyed Sarah Drew's reading in Before I Fall so much. She blew me away with that book, and she blew me away with this one. I was literally sitting in front of my computer unable to stop listening after my ipod died for most of the book. The audio equivalent of "I couldn't put it down." So I think this is a book that you love or you don't. And I loved it.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in modern day New York City. Most other elements of the story closely follow the common version of the fairy tale. Kyle is your typical rich, handsome teenage boy who has everything money can buy, with the personality you would expect. He is self-absorbed, unkind, and materialistic. He plays a prank on a freaky girl at school, Stephen King's Carrie style, and ends up cursed. The freaky girl turns out to be a witch who transforms Kyle into your run of the mill beast--claws, fangs, excessive body hair, the works. He's given a magic mirror and a time limit to fall in love and seal it with a kiss or he'll remain that way forever. You can see where it goes from there.

This book came highly recommended to me by two teens who loved it and I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Flinn's other book, Breathing Underwater. This was honestly kind of a let down for me. I found the plot boring and barely changed from the familiar Disney version of the story. The story was not engaging enough to let me get over those little inconsistencies that plague any book, such as the lack of embarrassing moments that would inevitably come with a mirror that allows one to look at any person at any moment in time. I also wasn't crazy about the reader's voice in the audiobook that I listened to. He was fine when he was speaking as Kyle, but Lindy's voice was extremely jarring. Overall, this gets a 2 out of 5 from me.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

This was the Newbery winner for 2011, and I feel that is was a deserving choice. Abilene is a twelve-year-old girl who is sent by her father to live with his old friend in the small town of Manifest, Kansas in the summer of 1936. Prior to this Abilene had led a transitory life with her father--riding the rails and traveling between hobo camps while her father worked at odd jobs. Abilene is not entirely pleased about coming to live in Manifest. There is an air of mystery and secrets around her father's sending her there. She's not really sure why he chose to send her away or what his relationship to the town of Manifest is. And the townspeople are close-mouthed about him. Who is he?

A bullet ridden sign outside the town declares that Manifest is "a town with a past." Over the course of the summer, Abilene finds herself working hard to uncover that past. She finds old letters and trinkets, makes friends with old-timers who tell stories and in general snoops around until she finds out how she is connected to that past.

The book is told in chapters alternating between 1936, Abilene's present-day, and 1917, as she uncovers what happened that year. This book is supremely charming. I loved the flipping back in forth in time, as if from past to present, although to the modern reader, both are past. The history covered in this book is new. Manifest, although in the heart of the midwest, is a multi-ethnic town, immigrants having been drawn from all over Europe to work in the mine there. There is a real sense of community and a playfulness in 1917 Manifest that Abilene's digging helps them to recover in depression-riddled 1936. Recommended mostly for fans of historical fiction, but any eager young reader would enjoy this.

American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King

In this first volume of a graphic novel series, creators Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King try to take back "The Vampire" from the emo makeover the myth has received in pop culture in the last few years. The vampires here are not forlorn or misunderstood. They don't have a tender heart not beating in their chests. These vampires are good old-fashioned bloodsuckers out for revenge or just a fresh meal.

The book follows the story of Skinner Sweet. In life he was one of the most ruthless outlaws in the old west. In death he follows the same moral compass. But Skinner Sweet is a new kind of vampire--the first real American vampire. He can walk in the light of day. And he's out to get the Old World/Old Money vampires that hunted him in life.

This is a really promising beginning to this series. The stories, though written by two different authors, come together seamlessly to tell the story of Skinner Sweet past and present. The characters fit the mold of similar characters from this type of story, but still seem fresh and interesting. The artwork to me is flawless and really adds to the interest building around the character of Skinner Sweet for me. And I really like the idea of taking the vampire myth back a step towards it's horrific roots, but still adding an interesting twist. I'm really looking forward to picking up the next volume.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

This was an awesome book. It begins in a prison in the kingdom of Sounis. The main character is Gen--a thief, imprisoned indefinitely because he bragged too loudly about stealing from the King. One night he is dragged from his cell and brought before the King. He's told he's going on a secret mission, and his skills are needed. His task will be to steal the legendary Hamiathe's Gift, a stone that confers the authority of a royal ruler to whomever receives it. Gen isn't sure which is worse--going on the quest or rotting in prison. But he's not given a choice. He's dragged along with the king's magus, his two apprentices, and a no-nonsense professional soldier on a quest through two countries where every ounce of his cunning is needed. This book will surprise you regularly and it does not end anywhere close to how you think it will. The characters are impressive and distinct from other fantasy. The setting is reminiscent of ancient Greece--olive trees and a pantheon of gods and goddesses, but it is unique and enthralling. Definitely recommended.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

This is the story of Lucy, a practical seventeen year old who refuses to believe all the strange things happening in her life are signs that she is part of a line of women who are the victims of an ancient curse. For generations, the Scarborough women--Lucy, her mother, her grandmother, and so on--have all had the same fate. They become pregnant at age seventeen then go insane--abandoning their newborn daughters to whoever will take them in and the cycle repeats. The key to freeing herself from this curse is in a song passed down from mother to daughter since the time of the curse--a peculiar alternative set of lyrics to the song "Scarborough Fair" that spells out three strange and seemingly impossible tasks. When Lucy becomes pregnant and starts to see her life heading in the same direction as her mother's she finally starts to believe that this could really be happening to her. But can she solve the riddle of the song before it's too late? Can she save her unborn daughter, and maybe even herself?

I thought that this book was pretty good, but not great. I listened to the audio book and I have to admit that I was not a huge fan of the reader's voice. I think that this reader was a poor match for Lucy and my consciousness of this was jarring and prevented me from enjoying the book as much as I could have. I liked the premise, but I felt that the plot was a little weak and the characters didn't pull me in. The tasks that Lucy has to solve are barely riddles and seem relatively meaningless besides from their strange old-timey-ness. Plowing a field with a goat's horn? I thought it was going to turn out to be some sort of symbol or riddle, but Lucy literally makes a plow with a goat's horn purchased on ebay and plows a field. It seemed kind of odd and not really something that held my interest.