Matched by Ally Condie

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Sometimes perfection can be perfect hell.  - Jack's Mannequin 

In the distant future everything is perfect.  People are assigned the jobs they are best suited to, their meals are delivered hot each night to provide the perfect amount of nutrition, and when you turn seventeen you are matched to the person who will be your perfect mate.  But what happens if the government is wrong?  What does it mean if you have more than one perfect match?  Cassia has just been matched but it's not what she thought it would be.  Now her whole world is turned upside down and she's not certain that her perfect world is as it seems.

OK.  Think Hunger Games without the fighting. This book is great.  If what you liked about Hunger Games was the love triangle this is the book for you.  It also has a controlling government meddling in the lives of its citizens.  All of the characters are well thought out, the romance is serious but chaste, and the government was just evil enough to keep me reading.  I've been to the authors webpage and this is going to be a trilogy.  The next book will be out in November 2011 and the way this book ends it seems like we will be learning more about the world outside the perfect suburb that Cassia and her family live in.  I can't wait!

Click here to watch the book trailer on YouTube.





The Maze Runner by James Dashner

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Thomas is in a box that is moving up; when he opens his eyes he is in the Glen. Outside of the Glen is the Maze. He is alone and without a memory of how he got there or why. He is with a group of about 50 teen boys. Together they work hard, farm, and try to solve the Maze. Soon circumstances change; Thomas and the other boys are in a race against time for survival.


Fans of the Hunger Games will like this story of teen survival. What happens at the end lets the reader know that there will be another story. We get to find out a little about a conspiracy and we get a glimpse of the people behind the Maze. I liked the book and can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Loser/Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson

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Cammy is a nice invisible girl. She lives with her grandparents, volunteers at an animal shelter, is kind, generous and a good person. She is also clumsy, embarrassed, embarrassing, and frumpily dressed. When a mysterious texter, known only as the White Rabbit, offers her the chance to get back at the mean girl who makes fun of her, Cammy takes it. After the mean girl goes down the White Rabbit offers many more chances to be better looking and popular. All she has to do is follow orders. Most of the time the texts are nice things that help people out, but sometimes the texts ask her to play pranks. Soon things are out of control, she is lying to her friends, and she is losing the part of herself that was nice. Can Cammy figure out who the White Rabbit is and reclaim some of the good person that she was before it’s too late?


The book is interesting. I read it in one night because I liked the characters, but the story was a little slow. Most of what happened seemed a little improbable. Cammy’s friendship with Gerdie never came across as a really fun and happy one, but in the story they are supposed to be the best of best friends. Cammy is struggling with the bad things that she has done, but there’s nothing that bad about the things that she does. She makes new friends but never gets sucked into a dramatic elite group that makes you feel like she is in over her head. The story is not over the top, it’s incredibly realistic and many girls I’m sure will be able to identify with the story. I admire this more realistic portrayal of teen life, but I would have liked a little more cattiness and drama.



The Lab by Jack Heath

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In the near future, the world is controlled in by an evil corporation.  There is no government and no police. The only hope for people is The Deck; a secret organization fighting for human rights.  The best agent in The Deck is Agent Six of Hearts.   He is the best agent and not just because he has never failed, or because he has never had to kill anyone during his missions.  He has certain genetic advantages that if discovered, would put him in great danger.  His current mission will reveal things about his past, and force him to decide if he is really human at all.

The book is fast paced, exciting, full of action, and totally addicting.  I found myself turning the pages as fast as possible so that I could find out what would happen next.  This story is strong, the characters are well developed, and the action never stops.  This book would be a great movie, but they would have to have John Woo direct.   There is plenty or violence, but no bad language or sex.  I recommend this series to fans of the Alex Rider series by.  Guys who like action will enjoy the book.  If you read the book at love it there are two other Agent Six books:
Remote Control
Third Transmission

(A forth book will be released in September 2011)

Click here to follow Agent Six of Hearts on his blog.

Spray by Harry Edge

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In the not too distant future there is a water shortage. Times are not desperate, but everyone is cutting back on their water usage. There is a hose ban, and people are asked to take short showers and not wash their car. In a city that is feeling the heat and lack of water, a game starts. This is a city wide assassination game. The players are all registered with the game keeper, and assigned a target. In turn they are all targets. The object of the game is to spray your target with a water gun, and be the last player unsprayed.

The story follows seven of the players as they participate in the game. The book was interesting, and I wanted to find out who would win. Players had to be 15 to enter,  but they could be older. You don’t get a lot of description of the characters until after you have been reading about them for a little while. It’s like the author thinks we are in on the game and doesn’t want to give too much information in case they are the assassin after us. I liked reading the book, and I think the idea of a live action role playing game that lasts three weeks is a lot of fun, but the story didn’t seem to have a point. It was a look into the players’ lives, but without much depth. I didn’t come away with a new point of view or having learned anything. Reluctant readers might like the idea of the story, but could get confused with so many main characters and the way the book jumps around. Overall I liked the story.