Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Series/Novel: Matched (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

Pages: 366

Publisher: Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group

Year Published: 2010

First Line: “Now that I’ve found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?”

“Cassia has always trusted the society’s choices.

And when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia is certain he is the one... until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

Now she is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one dares follow… between perfection and passion.

Society matched them, but love set them free.

In society officials decide

Who you love.

Where you work.

When you die.”

My Rating: 5/5

I guess I’m finally admitting it. I love dystopia. I know that it’s a strange love because dystopia is all about the what if’s of our society, but that’s precisely why I enjoy it so much. Who's to say that our society won’t fall into The Society. This book brought on different subjects for readers. A place that seems calm and perfect. A place where people follow the rules and don’t get hurt. But just for one minute, what if you didn’t want to just follow, what if you wanted to choose? That’s unheard off, isn’t it?

This book follows the change of following to choosing, from being subconscious to fully conscious. Cassia is learning things that others may have waited years to discover. It interests me to the fullest. 

I must say that this book being a romance wasn’t something I was interested in but considering the subject materials and the choices The Society makes for you it all makes

perfect sense that love should be anticipated and awaited. The only questions is who's the love of her life truly? And if there is not only one what in the world will she chose?

THANK YOU ALLY CONDIE FOR A DIFFERENT DYSTOPIA BASED ON THE NEED OF CHOICE!

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Matched by Ally Condie

I think this is one book that I’ve read the fastest in a long time, and half way through the book I ordered the other two in the series because I simply could not wait to read more, know more and hear more. I even went to the college cafeteria with friends and said, “Hold on a minute guys, I only have 20 more pages” lucky for me they indulge this behaviour.

Matched follow Cassia a young girl living in a society where choices are not necessary. All her life she has seen the greatness that comes from The Society. The perfect amount of food, the perfect job, the perfect family and generally the perfect life. That is until she is Matched. Although she is Matched to her dear best friend, it doesn’t take long to realize that he isn’t the only match in the system for her. What will she do when she is expected to follow the same rules she has always followed, and will the need for safety overwhelm the one for passion?

I loved this book. It was interesting to think about how much easier it would be to have someone make all our choices for us, but at the same time how disheartening it would be never get a choice. To always know that someone else seems to know what’s better for you and where you belong. 

♥Characters♥

♥Cassia: She starts the novel by loving the society and completely trusting in it. And who can blame her. She has never remembered a time that the society has messed anything up in her personal life. She’s lived a happy life. I think that when she sees the possibilities of a different match she begins to wonder, but when her grandfather is put to death at the ripe age of 80, which is customary in the society, she wonders more and more. After getting to know Ky, I don’t blame her for falling for him. He’s hurt and no one understands him. She just wants to

understand him, and he’s the first person he’s let in. I’m surprised that she chooses to continue Ky even with everyone’s warnings, but what else would you do for love.

♥Ky: Ok I didn’t care for him at first, but he’s definitely got a soft spot in my heart. He came from hard beginnings and although we don’t know all of what he’s had to deal with, we do know that he has had a tough life that can’t be expected to get any better. Even after finding Cassia, they are pulled apart. It’s too dangerous for society to see that they might have a choice. I hope on the front lines he will find a way to join his people uprising in the outer province. He shouldn’t have to fight for something he doesn’t believe in. Ps. What the hell did your parents do? Anything?

♥Xander: This poor soul. Thought he found love and then lost it before he even knew what was happening. I hope that he can recover, but I have a feeling he won’t be matched again. People will likely think he is cursed. How grateful I am that the red pill didn’t affect him, but what happened the other time?

♥Grandfather: I thought that I would include him this time instead of parents because he played such a vital role in changing Cassia’s lense on society. He helped her to imagine more. Some place she could chose and be chosen. 

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 188

“When I come out into the foyer, my father and my brother wait for me. ‘You look beautiful,’ my father says.

 ‘You look all right,’ Bram says.

 ‘Thanks,’ I tell him, rolling my eyes.”

♥Pg. 246

“‘I think people should be able to choose who they Match with,’ I say lamely.

 ‘Where would it end, Cassia?’ she says, her voice patient. ‘Would you say next that people should be able to choose how many children they have, and where they want to live? Or when they want to die?’”

♥Final Line: “And they will change from ash and nothing into flesh and blood.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Title: P.S. I Love You

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Series/Novel: Novel

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 503

Publisher: Hachette Books

Year Published: 2003

First Line: “Holly held the blue cotton sweater to her face and the familiar smell immediately struck her, an overwhelming grief knotting her stomach and pulling at her heart.”

“Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry.

They were childhood sweethearts- no one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other.

Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms Holly discovers that Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, gently guiding her into her new life without him, each signed ‘PS, I Love You’.

With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing- and being braver than ever before.

Life is for the living, she realises- but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.”

My Rating: 4/5

So I'm a little behind on the times, that's not terribly new. But after an emotional week I decided it was time to get my emotion out with a book, and it proved to be helpful. PS. I Love You follows the emotional story of Holly who has recently lost her dear husband of 7 years and the love of her life for the past 15. This story follows how she copes through her loss with a hilarious group of characters, a crazy city and an even crazier family Holly begins to find her way through her new life.

I grew very fond of Holly. She's a wise woman who I'm assuming many of us can relate to. She's an honest, brave and friendly person who does more than many would given her circumstances.

Obviously she goes through her grief that one would naturally expect after loosing one that she truly cared about. This book is a reminder about what it is to truly love and loose. Is it sad? Of course it is. But it’s so much more than that, it incompases a love that can survive death. A true love.

THANK YOU CECELIA AHERN FOR A LOVE THAT OUTLASTS DEATH!

Thanks For Reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: P.S I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

This was an interesting book that I didn’t expect to hold me captive the whole 500+ pages but it did it’s job. I was entertained, made to feel so many emotions and encouraged through this book. This book entertained me through the side characters. The things that they came up with made me think of some people I’ve meet the past two years and how they react to certain things. Sharon is perfect and reminds me alot of my best friend. I felt the obvious emotions of sadness and empathy towards Holly, but I also felt her joy when she remembered Gerry, the way he laughed, smiled, lived just simply lived. Finally I believe that there is a form of love that can live after death. This book makes that quite obvious to the readers that Gerry and Holly’s love will continue.

Characters:

♥Holly: I’m happy that Gerry’s letters were able to affect her from the grave. Although I doubt she will ever fully move on, I know that she will be able to live a life worth living even though he is not physically with her. Gerry really knew how to get her to chase her dreams. By being able to find a job she enjoyed and reentering her friendships as her whole self she was able to find a new way of life. I hope that at some point she can find love, even if it’s not as full as Gerry’s.

♥Denise: Ok so she’s a little moody, but we all have that one friend we love just for that reason. She’s a laugh if nothing else and I fully approve of her getting married.

♥Sharon: She by far reminds me of my best friend, blunt but honest and loyal to the end. She’s compassionate and gives all she can to Holly. I was excited when we found out she was pregnant, but sad that she felt she couldn’t share it with Holly in a better time. But there really would have been no good time.

♥Gerry: Although we never met him, in the memories and through the letters some of us (cough) might have fallen in love with him.

♥Richard: Goes to show we never really know what’s going on in someone’s life unless we take the time to get to know them better. I hope that his new job will bring him joy rather than stress and that he finds life without that rude ex-wife of his.

♥Ciara: Perfect how wild she is. Sure for a laugh, even when she was sad about Matthew you can see that she would figure something out.

♥Daniel: Here is where it gets tricky. I wanted Holly and Daniel to fall in love even though it was too soon. I felt that they got along so well, but in reality sometimes people are just better off friends and this is a perfect case. Neither of them were over the other person they had been with.

♥Moments to Remembe♥r

♥Pg. 9

“Instead, Gerry and Holly travelled the world together. It made far more sense that way because when they weren’t together… well, Holly just felt as though she was missing a vital organ from her body.”

♥Pg. 254

“As much as Sharon tried to tan over the years she just ended up getting sunburned and then it would peel. She had finally given up trying to tan and accepted the fact that her skin was meant to be pale.”

♥Final Line: “In the meantime, she would just live.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Unable to Comment

Hi there readers,

I haven't been able to comment on this site for some reason so I figured I would post this information here. I know this is even more informal than usual. Which is really saying something....
So Lauren Kate, author of the Fallen Series is releasing a new book for the series next month. It is title, Unforgiven and follows Cam. The description can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24909485-unforgiven?ac=1 

Have a great day,
Sidny xoxo

Book Review: Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

Title: Such Wicked Intent

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Series/Novel: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 213

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Year Published: 2012

First Line: "The books flew open like startled birds trying to escape the flames."

"When his grieving father orders the destruction of the Dark Library, Victor retrieves a book in which he finds the promise of not just communicating with the dead, but entering their realm, and soon he, Elizabeth, and Henry are in the spirit world of Château Frankenstein creating a growing a body."

My Rating: 5/5

This book is the first one I've really taken the time to read while being in college, and I certainly do not regret it. This instalment in the Victor Frankstein's life was ridiculously good. It was entertaining as well as thrilling. I found it difficult to put this book down once I had the time to pick it up, and was shocked around every corner. I thought frequently back to what was happening in the book (surprisingly not that helpful in class), and fantasized about the characters. I thought frequently of the relationships that were growing between characters in the novel and how they would manage to overcome the impossible, by simply reading a book.

Books like this one simply do not go out of style or out of date. There is no technology that is semi current as there are in some current novels (for example reading about IMing now might make us giggle), rather this book creates a world of it's own. One prior to the world in which the Monster as we know comes alive. Rather it features one man's love for his brother and how love can make one do wild and crazy things.

The mixture of this with alchemy is astounding and truly magical. Or should I say clearly a science.

THANK YOU KENNETH OPPEL FOR EXPANDING MY IMAGINATION AND THRILLING ME AROUND EVERY CORNER!

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

This book is truly astounding. Every aspect of it caught me off guard, I was frequently surprised, thrilled and consumed with emotion. I feared for the characters I loved, worried about those that I questioned and wondered about the impossible that was slowly but surely seeming more possible. The characters in this installant really rounded out so I could easily see who they were as humans, and the thrill that can be felt throughout the book was evident immediately. I think this novel blew me out of the water and was quite a page turner.

♥Characters:♥

♥Victor: Although throughout this book he seems a little off his rocker, Victor is a passionate fellow. He risks his life time and time again to save his brother. Is it alright that he's going after his brother's love? Not really but honestly Konrad is dead and if Elizabeth was interested in Victor there is no reason why they shouldn't be together. Slightly creepy, but I'm sure not unheard of. Victor does become obsessed with things easily. This is apparent even before the butterflies appear and offer their "assistance" in the matter. He can't seem to let go of his brother and allow him to rest in peace. Rather he needs him back as he feels he has failed to keep him alive, maybe even fearing that he murdered him. This is a possibility, but it's not like Konrad was getting any better to begin with. I believe that Victor does go mad before things get better, but at least he can say he has given his all for his brother. Pure devotion.

♥Elizabeth: How sad it must be to live in a world were the one you love no longer exists? Can you blame her for trying to get him back? I can not. I would do the same and fight anyone who got in my way. On the other hand the fact that she was possessed makes me question her actions towards Victor, did she really feel the need to kiss him or was that part of the butterfly act. At least we know that she is truly courageous and willing to do anything for those she loves. I do wish that she would give Victor or even Henry a chance in the future, but I would understand if she did not as how do you repair from such heartbreak at such a young and promising age.

♥Henry: He is becoming increasingly more bold and feriocious. I was impressed that he was able to act so brave after visiting the spirit world, and I'll admit that after realizing the butterflies were affecting the judgement and personality of the others, I assumed he was covered in them. Perhaps he has realized that he can not live his whole life waiting for something to change, rather he has to change himself. I do hope that he continues this behaviour, although I do not believe he will win Elizabeth's love it is still worth a shot. Also we should applaud that he went after the Pit Monster even though the thing could have likely killed him. Impressive my dear Henry, impressive indeed.

♥Konrad: Finally the sad truth. Konrad is dead. And he will remain dead. Through the hope and the struggle of building his body, I think he began to realize the one chance he had. After that chance left he resigned himself to his death. I knew that he would not take Victor's life, although I do wish he would have so that he and Elizabeth could have their happily ever after, perhaps it is best that things go back to how they were meant to be. At least me know that he was gathered in the mist and was able to leave that wretched house. Perhaps he found others or at the very least peace.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Final Line: "And I turned back to the storm and thought: Such astonishing power."

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Book Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Title: The Promise of Amazing

Author: Robin Constantine

Series/Novel: Novel

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 371

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Year Published: 2013

First Line:  “‘None of you are going to Harvard.’”

“Wren Caswell is the quiet good girl who’s always done what she’s supposed to- only now, in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barret was the kind of St. Gabe’s- until he was expelled for being a ‘term-paper pimp.’ Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change but doesn’t know how.

Then one fateful night, their paths cross. What follows in the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are- and falling in love.”

My Rating: 3/5

Hello again, welcome to fall time. The leaves are falling and it’s getting damn chilly outside. The perfect time of year to curl up with a book. In the story of The Promise of Amazing we follow the story of Grayson and Wren. Two sixteens year olds who find themselves in each other’s thoughts from the moment they meet. Hormones are a crazy thing. After one chanced, and slightly awkward meeting a friendship persues which quickly leads to their realization about how they feel about each.

I found that this book was a little young for me. The fact that two teenagers so quickly fell for each other and the way that they casually talked about love threw me for a loop.

I’m just the crotchety old lady saying their too young to feel that way about each other. But for an older person this story was not relatable and didn’t seem to follow a good time scheme.

I did enjoy the development of Grayson and the bad boy idea that surrounded him.

THANK YOU ROBIN CONSTANTINE FOR SHOWING HOW PEOPLE CAN CHANGE!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

This book followed the story of an awkward young love of Wren and Grayson. I think that while this story is completely believable for the targeted audience, I found it hard to believe. The way that their story quickly progressed and how they just kept meeting each other by “chance” was ridiculous.

Also I would not call their first meeting, “fateful.” I would call it awkward and uncomfortable.

Although I must say that I did enjoy the Camelot. It was an interesting setting, so that made up for me being an old crank.

♥Characters♥

♥Wren: Wren is the ultimate good girl. She gets average everything. Grades, friends, comments from teacher. She wants an average life from what we can tell. That is until she doesn’t get into the elite society in her school. Way to snap out of your stupor. When she meets Grayson she starts to be a little wilder. Once she finds out about all of his bad boy status, she clearly runs. Only to realize that he regrets his choices and now they can be happy together. Oh la la

♥Grayson: So me being myself, I’m the sucker for the bad boy. They just have that air about them that always takes my breath away. That being said, being a criminal is different than having a leather jacket and a motorcycle. Grayson turns out to be a good guy in the end but I bet that he regrets thieving from all those people as he grows as a person.  I hope that he and Wren stay together, but in reality, doubt it! Already a lack of communication.

♥Luke: This little ass hole. Clearly has problems. The way that he manipulated Grayson and Wren was ridiculous. But in reality they could have fixed the whole issue by talking to each other instead of just hoping that shit worked out. Clearly he was also pretty jealous about Ava having a thing for Grayson, but mah. Don’t be a dick.

♥Ava: Now here is the real villain. This perky girl is just a straight up jerk to Grayson and Wren. You have a boyfriend back off his best friend. Doesn’t matter if you aren’t labelling the guy you’re seeing, you still should know better than to go after his friend at the same time. And to make fun of the girl he’s seeing just for shits and giggle, or even for Luke, unacceptable!

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Final Line: “It was time to dance.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

New Feature!

No this is not a review, yet, but hopefully that will be coming later this week. 
This lovely post is to announce a new feature that has been added to Books My Quiet Friends. 
Some of you may have noticed that there is now music on my blog. 
I'm happy to bring this feature to you lovely readers in partnership with Skunk Radio Live stream. After recieving an offer for this radio station  I decided that this would be a great way to give readers even more enjoyable content. 
So below I will be posting a schedule of the music available at which time. If you wish to turn off the music, on the right hand side of your screen there is a volume control and a pause button. 

Thanks for reading,
Love,
Sidny xoxo

 05:00 - 08:00 The Blow-Back Show - a selection of some of the finest tracks artists, producers and composers that have been featured on Skunk Radio

08:00 - 09:00 Top 20 Charts

09:00 - 10:00 Urban Sessions

10:00 - 11:00 That Pop Show

11:00 - 12:00 Indie

12:00 - 13:00 Electro

13:00 - 14:00 Instrumental Hour - instrumentals, beats and scores

14:00 - 15:00 Urban Sessions

15:00 - 16:00 That Pop Rock Show

16:00 - 17:00 Indie

17:00 - 18:00 Electro

18:00 - 19:00 Skunk Rad!o Eclect!c - mixed genre show

19:00 - 20:00 Fresh In - selection of recently discovered music.

20:00 - 21:00 Skunk Rad!o Eclect!c

21:00 - 22:00 Top 20 Charts

22:00 - 00:00 The Blow-Back Show

00:00 - 01:00 That Hip Hop Show

01:00 - 02:00 Instrumental Hour

02:00 - 03:00 That Pop Show

03:00 - 04:00 Fresh In

04:00 - 05:00 Another Indie Show