Triple Threat Book Review

My first review is about "Matched", by Ally Condie.

What an amazing, thought-provoking story. It reminded me of The Giver, or Shades of Grey, in that it takes place in a distant future where everybody's lives are run by very strict rules, and forget how things used to be. The society seems clean, safe, a perfect paradise, until someone discovers that secrets are being kept, and not everything is as it seems.

In the case of Matched, the main character, Cassia, learns that her Society may not be as perfect as she first thought when she sees two pictures, not one, of boys that she's supposed to be "matched up" with. (That's right. Arranged marriage.) One is a good friend from childhood, and at first it seems plain to see they're meant to be together. The other is someone she knows, but not that well. Still, the more she spends time with this guy (in secret, of course), the more she discovers what true love really is.

The writing style is really something. Not to mention the amazing world that the author built up in my head, and some of the characters that inhabited it. The budding romance between Cassia and her secret love, Ky, was a beautiful thing. The only problem I'd have with it is that her first Matchee, (oh, I've forgotten his name already. O,o) never really had a chance with her in my mind. Yeah, he was a nice guy, but he couldn't compete for her love. So the love-triangle didn't stand very well.

Also, as much as I enjoyed flying through the pages, I have to admit that the ending was a pretty big letdown. Very anti-climactic. Lots of loose ends. By the last couple chapters, I stopped caring about Cassia and knew that, if there was a sequel to this, I wouldn't bother reading it.

But still, despite all that... I'd say Matched was a good book. I'm glad I read it. ^_^

Now... You all remember my last review of a James Patterson book, right? Well, it's time for a double-dose of Patterson reviews!

I think I can definitely say that I'm a fan of James Patterson now. ^__^ I simply love the style he has, of making all his chapter 2, 3, or at most 4 pages long, and leaving a cliff-hanger at every last paragraph. This guy knows how to string the reader along, hanging on to his every word, to find out what becomes of his characters... just likeanother certain James I know. ^_~

First I read "Toys", which happens to be Patterson's latest release. Fantastic! It also takes place in the future, only it's not one of those "perfect" societies. More one of those dystopian futures, where attractive, powerful, super-smart superhuman cyborg people, called Elites, control the world, and ordinary humans are considered lower-life forms. You should hear them at their fancy parties. They tell human jokes like they were blonde jokes. O_o The story takes off when the main character, Hays, discovers that he's not an Elite like he thought he was, but human. And it's up to him to save mankind before the Elites destroy them.

The other book, "When the Wind Blows", was the best Patterson novel I've read yet! One thing that really impressed me is that I saw how it was possible to tell a story from many different sides, including a first person narration. Each point of view had a very distinct voice to it. I loved all the characters, most especially Max, the girl with silver angel wings. The romance between Frannie and Kit was quite well done (if there's anything I've learned from James Patterson, it's that he always includes a couple love-making scenes in his books. And he's not half-bad at writing them! O_o), but Max and the other "bird children" were the characters I wanted to keep reading about. It's a good thing there's a sequel, "The Lake House", because I'm going to read it right away. In fact, I've already started! ^_^

I know that there's a whole separate series for Max and her friends, the Maximum Ride series. I remember glancing through a graphic novel of that, but it didn't hold my interest very well. But since learning what a phenomenal writer James Patterson is, and since I've heard good things about it from my friends, I fully intend to give this series a chance in the very near future. ^_~

Sunday at Tiffany's

Believe it or not, before this book, I had never read James Patterson before. Sunday at Tiffany's was the perfect novel to break the ice. What a first impression!

Basically, a woman runs into her old imaginary friend, who had to leave her when she was 9 years old, and they both fall in love. Hmm... that actually sounds a little weird, falling in love with your imaginary friend. O,o But trust me, it's a really beautiful romance. The characters were awesome, and the chapters were really short, like 2 or 3 pages per, so it makes for much, much page-turning action. It was nearly impossible to put down.

I think I have a new favorite author. ^_^