My First Review! 4/5

Hi!!

Sooooooo I FINISHED THE BOOK OF IVY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not exactly sure how I'm "supposed" to do this, but I figure I'll just go for it, be sure to tell me what you think in the comments!!

Ok so, first off, let's start with Ivy.  I liked her, and I thought she was a really strong character.  I admired her resilience in the end when it came to sacrificing herself instead of Bishop; however, I was a bit confused as to throughout the novel why she didn't realize sooner that she would never kill Bishop.  That way, she could have saved him and possibly herself as well.  I guess we'll never know though!

Now Bishop!  So I LOVE BISHOP LATTIMER!! Bishop is the president's son; however, he refuses to conform to this stereotype, constantly proving to Ivy that he is so much more than that title.  Amy Engel crafts an interesting society in this book, the town of Westfall, with a population of no more than 10,00 people.  The president, his wife, and his son (Bishop) all live among the people like regular citizens, which I found odd at first, but somehow fitting to the story later on.  I love that Amy Engel doesn't paint Bishop as pretentious or obnoxious.  He is essentially the very opposite.  He is good hearted, pure, and loving.

I loved the dynamic between Bishop and Ivy; I thought that they were very compatible characters.  Bishops levelheadedness complements Ivy's take-charge, defensive nature.  I'm still bothered, though, that it took Ivy so long to decide that she would never kill Bishop.  Regardless, her resilience is inspired and I'm glad that, by loving Bishop, she finally broke free from the confines that her father and Callie had placed on her her entire life.

Callie:  (excuse my language) what a ruthless b****!  She is cold and heartless throughout the novel, although at first only seeming to have a hardened exterior with potential goodness inside.  It turns out, though, that she is just a conniving, manipulative person.

Ivy actually had a very interesting musing about manipulation:
"Is it still manipulation if you know it's happening, but it works anyway?" (137).  She is aware of this manipulation for most of the time, just unsure how to handle it when it is coming from those she loves, and who purportedly love her as well.

It was disturbing, although expected, to see how quickly Callie and their father abandoned Ivy in the end, just because she refused to conform to every single one of their plans and beliefs.  Also, it is extremely ironic that Bishop, who was made out from the start to be cold hearted and evil, ended up being the only real, true character in the story.

I would probably give this book a 4/5, because I save my 5s for my top top top favorites, but this one really was great!!! I would totally recommend this to everyone (particularly those who enjoyed Kiera Cass's The Selection series).

For those of you interested, here is the description of the book from Barnes and Noble:

What would you kill for?

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president's son--my soon-to-be husband--and return the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he's not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…