Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie  5/5 Stars

***Spoilers***

So I'd been hearing about this book for a while (good and bad reviews) I wasn't sure I'd like it, I love dystopia but it sounded a bit to close to chic-lit for my taste, but i saw the cover in the bookshop and i couldn't resist. when i got around to reading it I loved it! I knew it would be a new favorite from the first chapter and I wish my TBR pile wasn't so high or I would of bought the next book to read straight away, as it is I have to wait a while before I can get next one.

In my opinion this book is up there with the hunger games, I'm a huge fan of dystopia and the oppressive government premises and this book hit the spot. It had every thing you could ask from a dystopian novel oppressed citizens, a loved triangle, a girl with rebellious thoughts and talk of an on going war in the outer provinces. I was hooked. I totally fell it to this book, the characters were well developed and layered. I loved watching the them change throughout the novel as the writer reveal more of them, I became aware of the realistic depth they had, how familiar they were in there thoughts and actions - they could have been real people from down the street. I particularly liked the protagonist Cassia she was real, honest and raw. I tend to find that some authors can write their characters as overly moral or overly intelligent in an attempt to make them stand apart in the readers mind however Cassia was what she was and made no apologies for it, that made her special and original. As far as characters go I'm pretty fond of her and could really relate to her.

I also loved the fact that Ky and Cassia's relationship was built by getting to know each other instead of the author just glossing over a loved that appeared out of thin air. Ally Condie actually wrote a connection between the characters, a shared secret - the poem - that brings them together instead of boy meets girl and they fall in love because that's how the story goes. The inclusion of the Dylan Thomas poem was genius I had never heard the poem before and when Cassia read it for the first I felt as though I was feeling the same emotions she was, the poem gives an uplifting note to the book a light in the darkness I suppose, the book has a slightly depressing feel in the beginning when Cassia is weak and trodden down by society the poem gives her and the reader hope.
I would recommend this book to dystopia, YA and romance fan.


Dystopia challenge read count: 4 <3

Feature and Follow Friday #1

This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can read.

Today's Question:

Q: Tell us about the most emotional scene you've ever read in a book - and how did you react?

I cried a few times while reading the Hunger Games series. In particular the scene with Rue in the first book..... I don't want to give to much away but if you've read it you'll understand. 

WWW Wednesday #2

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading. You just answer these three questions:

What did you recently finish reading?

What are you currently reading?

What are you planning to read next?

What did I recently finish reading?

 Matched by Ally Condie 5/5

I finished reading Matched yesterday,I loved every second of it and I'm super excited to read the sequel at some point in the near future. I've read a few bad reviews but i don't know why anyone would dislike it, Its a new favourite of mine. I will be posting the review in a few days. <3







 What am I currently reading?

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
I've finally gotten around to reading The Host and even though I'm only 40 pages in I'm enjoying it. Its a really gripping book and I'm glad I decided to read it despite not being a big fan of the Twilight films.







What I'm planning on reading next?

The Kill Order by James Dashner
I read the Maze Runner series a little while back and absolutely loved it. I'm SO excited to finally have the prequel, I'm definitely going to be reading it next. 

Stacking The Shelves #3

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase the books we got this week. They can be physical or virtual copies and it doesn't matter if they're won, bought, borrowed or received for review.

I bought quite a few books this week as I was on holiday I thought i would treat myself to some books I had wanted for a while. Getting them home in my holdall was a pain though!!

Bought: 

The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Unrest by Michelle Harrison 

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 

Wither And Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Gone by Micheal Grant

The rapture by Liz Jensen

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Kill Order by James Dashner

What did you get this week? <3

WWW Wednesday #1

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading. You just answer these three questions:

What did you finish reading?

What are you currently reading?

What are you planning to read next?

What did I recently finish reading?

Night Of The Purple Moon by Scott Cramer 4/5 

I finished this book last week, I won a signed copy from goodreads. I really enjoyed reading it, it had a great premise. Review.

What am i currently reading?

Matched by Ally Condie.

I started reading this book the other day and I didn't want to put it down but as I've been getting ready to go on holiday I haven't had any time to read it. I'm going to try and read it on the train on Monday but I will probably end up playing with my niece or gossiping with my sister. I've been wanting to start this series for a while and even though i'm only a couple chapters in I'm glad to finally of started the series, I think it will be a new favorite.

What do I think I will read next?

The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

I got a second hand copy of this book cheap months ago but as I'm not a massive fan of twilight and its a pretty long book I haven't read it yet. But I now that its a film I really need to get around to reading it before I see the film, I've been avoiding the adverts because I don't want the characters I picture in my head to be influenced by who's playing them in the film. I know I'm weird but sometimes seeing the film before reading the book can ruin an otherwise great book in my opinion.

Teaser Tuesday #3

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!

Share the Author & Title too, so that other TT participants can add the book to the TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"people used to wake up and wonder, "Will today be the day?" or lie down to sleep, not knowing if they would come back out of the dark. Now we know which day will be the end of the light and which night will be the long, last one."
p.69     Matched by Ally Condie

Review: Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer

4/5

I won a copy of this book after it had been on my wishlist for a while so I was super excited to read it, and it didn't disappoint. That's not to say I didn't have any issues with it - I have issues with all the books I've read - but overall the good majorly outweighs the bad. 

I love the books concept, For months, astronomers have been predicting that Earth will pass through the tail of a comet. They say that people will see colorful sunsets and, best of all, a purple moon. However they don't foresee that the comet will bring space dust containing germs that attack human hormones produced in puberty. Everyone who passed through puberty dies in a lightning fast epidemic leaving children to fend for themselves until they hit puberty. 

It was Frighteningly realistic how our destroyed ozone layer let the germs in and how everyone watched the comet pass in complete ignorance to the immanent danger. I like how strong the female main character Abby was even with her fear of fog she was still a force to be reckoned with and the leader of the survivors despite their being older children. She was a shoulder for all the others and was a great character 

The Night of the Purple Moon was full of kindness and bravery, as the children fought to live life the best they could for as long as possible. Watching them relying on each other and finding there places in the new world was heart warming. It was a real eye opener in the things we take for granted in daily life. The characters where very relate-able in their emotions however one of my issues with the book was that all of the children where really intelligent and mature for there age and didn't talk like any children I have ever met of their respective ages, one precocious child is believable a whole island of them isn't. I was also a little confused with Abby's age, at the beginning of the book she was thirteen and at the end of the book, over a year later, she was still thirteen. Despite my issues with the book it was a great read that i found hard to put down and i'm really looking forward to the sequel and seeing where the author takes it. I would recommend this book to YA and science fiction readers.



Dystopia challenge read count: 3 <3

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I'm waiting for:

Nameless (Tales of Beauty & Madness #1) by Lili St. Crow.

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Expected publication date: April 4th 2013

<3

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week they post a new top ten list that bloggers join in and answer.

This week is;
Top ten series I'd like to start but haven't yet.

1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia                      2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

3. Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien             4. Arena one by Morgan Rice

5. Hollowlands by Amanda Hocking                    6. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver                  8. The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

9. Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry           10. Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi

Wow this was harder than I thought there are so many series I want to start, I haven't even included the series that I own the first book but haven't gotten around to reading. Some other series that deserve a mention.

Hater by David Moody

Wither by Lauren DeStefano 

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne 

Starters by Lissa Price

Ashfall by Mike Mullin 

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

The Line by Teri Hall

I could go on all day <3

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase the books we got this week. They can be physical or virtual copies and it doesn't matter if they're won, bought, borrowed or received for review.

I only got one book this week as my TBR pile is now literally a mountain. I won a copy of this book and it sounds pretty interesting.

Dear Daughter: what i wish i'd known at your age by Roy Sheppard 

What are you adding to your shelves with this week?