The Book of Ivy

Actual rating: 4.5 starsI am blown away by how much I enjoyed this novel! The Book of Ivy is Romeo and Juliet meets dystopian, and it is sure to be a major hit! Everything about this novel was great, from the characters to the interesting setting, to the original dystopian world that Ms. Engel created. I easily was swept away by the story, and honestly I must say, Ms. Engel you are simply a brilliant writer! I never wanted to stop reading this, and every time I would say, Just 1 more chapter, I just kept going until I finished. Everything is nicely explained, and you are never confused while reading. This is relatively short (less than 300 pages- yeah that's short in my book haha), so it's definitely a quick read. Nevertheless, this story is one non-stop thrill ride from beginning to end, and you will never be bored. The only reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5 stars is because I wish I could have read from Bishop's POV. I think this story would have worked very well in dual perspective, but this is more of a personal preference than anything actually wrong with the book.Ivy is the granddaughter of Westfall (aka the losing side) founder, and as per tradition in their community, is being married at the ripe old age of 16 to a boy from the winning side. This is a custom done to maintain the peace in the community, however as you can expect, Ivy isn't the least bit happy...especially because she knows who she is going to marry. The lucky boy is Bishop Lattimer. While Bishop specifically asked to marry Ivy (therefore passing over her sister who should have originally married him), Ivy has a major secret. She must kill Bishop to aid her father and sister in their plan to regain power in Westfall. Oh so easy right? Wrong. And you will see why.The characters were one of the highlights of this book because while Ivy might seem very plain and simple, she is truly a complex character. I greatly enjoyed reading about her, as she was a fantastic, realistic, and relatable female lead. When the story opened up, I wasn't totally sure I was going to love her character, but she quickly proved me wrong, and I absolutely loved her. I could feel every emotion she was going through- the ups and downs she was faced with after marrying Bishop and still trying to live up to her family's expectations. You will easily fall for Bishop, as the guy is simply swoonworthy. He never gives up on Ivy, and realizes how difficult the situation is for her to be marrying a person she doesn't know in the slightest. Bishop never pushes her, and I greatly respected him for it. Just as Ivy discovered, Bishop is much different than anyone thinks, and he was a refreshing addition to the story.The plot is extremely thrilling and exciting. I just couldn't get enough! Ms. Engel definitely knows how to write a story that will keep readers enthralled, and to know that this is her debut novel, I am simply stunned. She writes with a skill of a seasoned author, and you would never expect that this is her first novel! There are some major twists and turns, and a heartbreaking ending that will leave you begging for more. There isn't really a cliffhanger, but trust me on this, you won't want to wait a whole year for the next book.I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes dystopian novels as it is original and extremely creative. This is definitely going to be a major hit, and I can't wait to see what Ms. Engel has in store for us next!Happy reading :)

I’m not really sure what kind of expectations I had for The Book of Ivy when I started it. I’d heard that it was good from a few people, but other than that I hadn’t heard much about it and I wanted a quick, exciting read. And yes, it definitely delivered.The book starts out by laying the foundation of the world the characters live in, and it’s very similar to a ton of other apocalyptic stuff – the earth basically went down the drain and somehow humanity managed to rise up from the ashes and construct a society out of a few raw materials and whatever was left of us after most of the population died out. It sounds pretty bleak; however this book does not spend a lot of time on explaining how said world blew up, but instead focuses on who took charge afterward. There was a major division between two families: the Lattimers and the Westfalls. Each had their own ideas of how their civilization should be governed, and it boiled down to who got to the guns and weaponry first. In short, the Lattimers won, not the Westfalls (and they were pretty bitter about it). And that’s basically the driving force in this story.Obviously, the novel centers on Ivy, the main character, a Westfall who has agreed to take part in a plan that will eventually put her family back in power. Her father is ultimately behind it all, but Ivy goes along with everything he says because she wishes to please him and she hates the Lattimers for killing her mother (the president in particular). I really liked Ivy as a narrator, most of the time. She felt extremely down-to-earth and relatable to me; she had a lot of flaws, but all of them were understandable and exactly how I imagine I would feel in her shoes. She’s unsure about most of the things she does and constantly second guesses herself. Her main goal is to murder her husband, Bishop, and it was terribly awkward for her to pretend to want to be around him while remaining detached inside. Ivy simply has too much empathy to be that emotionally distant, and I found her extremely endearing for that.I really enjoyed the pacing in this book – the writing itself had that addictive quality about it that made it hard to put down. It’s actually on the short side, so it’s not hard to speed through. Although the secondary characters weren’t extremely fleshed out, I still liked most of them. Victoria probably could have been a really good friend to Ivy with more time, and I liked the icy personality of Mrs. Lattimer, Bishop’s mother. She felt like the real villain in all of this. I enjoyed the relationship between Ivy and her family – I could never really tell how deep their affections actually ran. I was certain that her father and sister were using her and extended kindness to get what they wanted, but I kind of hoped that somewhere deep down they cared for her more than they really did.The romance in this novel is beautiful – I honestly didn’t expect to love it so much. There are arranged marriages in this society, to encourage population growth, and Bishop and Ivy are paired in this way. They were completely awkward with each other at first, but they started talking and things took off from there. Bishop was genuinely interested in Ivy as a person and treated her with respect and kindness. He’s got a very laid-back personality, and he takes his time thinking things through. He’s loyal and nice, but he can also stand up for himself and take charge when necessary. Bishop is just an all-around good guy, the type of person who you’d want to meet in real life. (view spoiler) And I was surprised I liked him so much, because honestly I get a little bored with his type sometimes. But no, Bishop was completely swoon-worthy. (view spoiler)I felt like the end came rather quickly – one second everything was fine and then bam, conflict. In that respect, I wouldn’t have minded if The Book of Ivy had been just a little longer. But if wishing for more is the worst complaint you have about a book, you know it was good. I’m definitely excited for the sequel to come out later this year.4 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I bought it on a whim because I liked the blurb, but because I only paid just over $5 for it, I truthfully wasn't expecting much. Funny - because now I have it ranked right up there with 'The Hunger Games' for favorite dystopian novels. I loved the easy-flow writing style which provided just the perfect amount of descriptive prose to make me feel like I was right there alongside the main character. The multidimensional characters were beautifully developed throughout the story. Finally the storyline grabbed me from the first page and never let go until the final word. I am not a reader who likes sequels, but I have to say I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.5 Ginormous Stars!!

Tout d'abord, il faut savoir que j'ai pris l'habitude de lire mes livres en Anglais. Non seulement, je préfère lire la version originale mais je me sens plus proche des personnes ainsi. Je partage leurs "vraies" plaisanteries, leurs références culturelles et l'Anglais est un très beau langage. Donc il m'a fallu un moment d'adaptation (bizarrement) lorsque j'ai lu THE BOOK IF IVY en Français après avoir acheté le duo littéraire au Salon du Livre Jeunesse. Lire un livre traduit en Français est une expérience assez désagréable surtout lorsqu'il s'agit d'un roman Young Adult. J'ai le sentiment que le langage employé n'est pas assez "adulte"... Mais ce n'est que moi!Une fois concentrée sur l'histoire, j'ai réalisé que la couverture du livre et le slogan étaient un peu trompeur. En effet, je m'attendais à ce qu'Ivy soit un vrai ninja entrainée toute sa vie pour tuer. Qu'elle ne fut pas ma surprise lorsque je constate qu'Ivy est une adolescente de 16 ans ordinaire dont l'investissement dans sa mission vacille à la première heure. J'aurais pu être déçue et pourtant je ne le suis pas.J'estime qu'une adolescente de cet âge doit maintenir un brin d'innocence et je m'attends à ce qu'elle trouve la moindre opportunité pour remettre en question la mission terrible qui lui a été confiée presque contre sa volonté ou sa nature. Bien qu'elle ait un caractère bien trempée, Ivy n'en demeure pas moins douce et foncièrement bienveillante. Sa loyauté pour son père Justin Westfall et sa sœur Callie est très noble mais un poids horrible pour une jeune femme si jeune.Bishop Lattimer est un personnage attachant car il apparait objectivement parfait. Il est gentil, intelligent, perspicace, patient, beau garçon et pense par lui-même. Il traite Ivy avec respect et sincérité. L'auteur rythme avec exactitude la relation de nos personnages principaux. Rien n'est précipité et cela rend leur attachement l'un pour l'autre d'autant plus réel et touchant.Les croyances d'Ivy sont malmenées entre sa famille qui la manipule sans subtilité et Bishop qui prouve encore et encore qu'il n'a aucune intention malveillante à son égard. THE BOOK OF IVY est une lecture agréable, qui se dévore sans faim, qui pose les bases d'une intrigue intéressante et abordable, qui n'épargne pas les sensibilités (le livre aborde le meurtre, le viol, la violence conjugale...) et qui capture notre attention et notre cœur. Autant vous dire que je me suis précipitée sur la suite et que la prochaine critique sera bel et bien THE REVOLUTION OF IVY. Notre finale : 5/5.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While the story is quite simple, the beauty is in the exceptional execution. This is a slow-burning character-driven plot which centers around Ivy Westfall and her new husband Bishop Lattimar.Bishop is instantly endearing, even more so as the plot develops. Ivy was immature at times, but like-able all the same. Her sister and father are despicable human-beings who manipulate Ivy and try to turn her into a pawn in their political game. I hated both of them with a passion.I was conflicted by events at the end - how Ivy could believe her actions were the only way to save Bishop was beyond me. However, she is only 16 and I understand that she felt trapped.I enjoyed Amy's writing style and the book flowed smoothly.I can't wait to see how this progresses in the next book. Well worth a read.

Dieses Buch hat einfach alles geliefert, was ich mir aufgrund der Synopsis erhofft hatte. Wundervolle, realistische Charaktere, mit denen ich von der ersten Minute an mitfiebern konnte, einen faszinierenden Plot, der mich förmlich an den Seiten kleben ließ und eine sich langsam aufbauende Liebesgeschichte, bei der mir gleichermaßen der Atem stockte und das Herz aufging.Amy Engel schreibt in klaren, ruhigen Sätzen, versucht nicht besonders wortgewandt oder dramatisch zu sein und schafft es trotzdem in wenigen Worten Gefühle und Situationen zu beschreiben, die mitreißen, die nachdenklich machen, die einen lächeln oder das Herz höher schlagen lassen. In dieser Hinsicht hat es mich irgendwie an Lauren Oliver's "Delirium" erinnert, nur dass es einfach viel besser geschrieben war. Zugegeben, ich bin wohl eine der wenigen, die mit "Delirium" einfach nichts anfangen konnte. Ich fand es langatmig und zu bemüht und die Protagonistin hat mich wahnsinnig gemacht, weil sie bis fast zum Ende eigentlich nur reagiert und nie agiert hat und praktisch keinen eigenständigen Gedanken fassen konnte (ganz zu schweigen von dem furchtbaren Ende, bei dem sie wirklich als feige und selbstsüchtig rüberkam)."The Book of Ivy" dagegen behandelt ähnliche Themen (das Recht auf Selbstbestimmung, der Kampf gegen Unterdrückung, die Erkenntnis, dass man Liebe nicht unterdrücken kann), aber Ivy ist trotz der Manipulation, der sie ausgesetzt ist, von Anfang an ein starker Charakter, der Dinge in Frage stellt und nicht den Kopf in den Sand steckt. Sie ist manchmal impulsiv, aber nie rücksichtlos, intelligent und voller Neugier und es ist spannend zu beobachten wie sie im Laufe der Geschichte als Charakter wächst. Am Ende trifft sie eine Entscheidung, die vielleicht falsch ist, aber sie tut es aus Liebe und beweißt großen Mut und dafür habe ich sie sehr bewundert.Bishop habe ich sofort ins Herz geschlossen. Obwohl Ivy ihm zuerst (aus gutem Grund) nicht recht traut, war mir schnell klar, was für ein toller Mensch er ist. Er weiß, wer er ist, ist selbstbewußt ohne arrogant zu sein, liebenswürdig, großherzig und geduldig. Er unterstützt Ivy von Anfang an, versucht ihr ihre Ängste zu nehmen und ermutigt sie, sich ihre eigene Meinung zu bilden. In Büchern mag ich Bad Boys ja ganz gerne. Aber Bishop ist jemand, den ich mir als junges Mädchen auch im wirklichen Leben gewünscht hätte. Er ist an Ivy als Persönlichkeit interessiert, möchte eine Partnerin und nicht nur jemanden, der ihm Kinder gebärt und den Haushalt führt.Zusammen sind die beiden einfach perfekt. Im Laufe der Story erkennen sie, wie viel sie gemeinsam haben (beide hatten keine offensichtlich schlimme Kindheit und haben doch nie bedingungslose Liebe von ihren Eltern erfahren) und dass sie endlich den Menschen gefunden haben, bei dem sie einfach sie selbst sein können. Die sich langsam aufbauende Romanze war für mich persönlich der beste Aspekt des Buches. Jedes Wort hat gepasst, jede Szene zwischen den beiden war bedeutungsvoll und einfach nur schön.Ich habe das Buch innerhalb von 2 Tagen gelesen und am liebsten würde ich gleich nochmal von vorne anfangen. Ich habe jede Sekunde geliebt und kann nicht glauben, dass ich jetzt ein Jahr auf den nächsten Band warten muss! Das Ende war dramatisch und hat mir wirklich die Tränen in die Augen getrieben. Aber es war auch passend und richtig (wer allerdings keine Cliffhanger mag, sollte warten bis alle Bände raus sind). Ich würde es aber jederzeit sofort wieder kaufen und bin kein bißchen traurig, dass ich mich zu diesem Spontankauf habe hinreißen lassen! Unbedingt lesen!

It was a nice surprise! I started this book without much expectations but finished it within 2 days! It's fast paced and I like the antagonist. The ending will leave you hanging and wanting more. Can't wait for the next book!