Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Summary:

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 restore 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…

Publication Date: November 11, 2014

The Book of Ivy is a phenomenal YA series starter! I fell in love with the characters and the storyline held my interest. The ending is a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the sequel’s release.

The novel has a dystopian setup: after a nuclear war, survivors form a society where arranged marriages are forced upon teens. Ivy is forced to marry the son of her family’s sworn enemy. Ivy has been trained by her family to kill her new husband as part of a plot to overthrow the ruling party. But Ivy finds herself falling for Bishop instead.

Ivy was a solid main character and I felt for her as she found herself pulled in two different directions. I loved her relationship with Bishop and I thought their slow-building romance was very sweet. Although there were suspenseful scenes in the novel, my favorite parts were the interactions between Bishop and Ivy as they settle into their awkward marriage.

The novel has thought-provoking themes about feminism and sacrifices for the greater good. I guessed the ending, but like Ivy, I couldn’t see any way out of the impossible situation she found herself in. The conclusion is a major cliffhanger and I am so eager to see how Ivy and Bishop’s story will continue.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!