Matched Trilogy

Book One

Matched 

  Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

    The Society tells her that it was just a glitch and that she should forget about it and focus on living a happy life with Xander. But Cassia doesn't forget and can't help but feel that the Society isn't as safe as she once thought. She soon finds herself falling in love with Ky, and by doing so she chooses a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Book Two

Crossed 

  Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, who has been sent by the Society to his certain death. She arrives to find that he has escaped, and then she must follow the clues he left behind. The longer she travels the more determined she becomes to spend her life with Ky and the angrier she becomes at the Society. She wants to find the Rising, the rebellion plotting against the Society, and help them destroy it. 

Book Three

Reached 

 Cassia, Ky and Xander are all in the Rising but are stationed in different places, and with the sudden outbreak of the Plague, it's hard to get away and see each other. The Rising and the Society are both trying to find a cure for the Plague, and soon the three of them realize the the Rising is just like the Society, and that both of them are running out of places to look for a cure.

  I liked the whole series, but I think Matched and Reached were better. I love sci-fi and usually don't like romance, but in this series I liked both. The romance between Cassia and Ky isn't like the romances in other books I've read. I liked it because it was more about their friendship and they slowly started having feelings for one another rather than . Cassia isn't flighty, Xander isn't evil, and Ky isn't perfect like the typical characters in love triangles. I highly recommend these books.

Under Wildwood

   Prue and her brother Mac return to their home in Portland, Oregon, after their exciting adventure in the Impassable Wilderness. But as Prue settles back into a routine she finds that her mind remains with her friend Curtis, who stayed in the Wood to train as a bandit. 
   Little does Prue know that she and Curtis will be reunited soon. With the help of her new and odd science teacher, Prue finds herself once again the magical and dangerous I.W., fighting new enemies alongside Curtis.  But this time they must explore a part of the Wood that they never knew existed--for in order to go above, they must first go under.


      While reading a series, I rarely find that the second book is better than the first, but Under Wildwood was, in my opinion, better than Wildwood (which I also really liked). I love how all the different stories, although different, were connected, and as the book progressed they become even more so. The style of writing is clever, descriptive, and interesting. My only complaint would be the cliffhanger ending, which is probably one of the (unfortunately) most effective cliffhangers I've ever read. 

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Dwight has always been the weird kid at McQuarrie Middle School. So when he comes to school one day with a finger puppet that he calls Origami Yoda and says he'll solve all your problems, it's not too strange. What's strange is that the advice that Origami Yoda gives is actually good. Is Origami Yoda really using the Force? Is Dwight secretly a genius? Or is it just by chance that all of Yoda's answers are right?

I read this book with my brothers, and I was really surprised at how much I liked it. There's a lot of boyish humor, but it's actually a really good book and still pretty funny.

Comparing Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Twilight

"What is your favorite book?"

   This seems like such a simple, friendly question. It is a great start to what could be a fabulous, productive discussion....or it could be a start to an ugly conversation that could quickly turn into a cat-fight. (Or, at the very least, raised eyebrows and pursed lips of disapproval.)

   I read the Harry Potter series and Hunger Games Trilogy, and some of the Twilight Saga and the Chronicles of Narnia. All except for Twilight are, in my opinion, well-written and enjoyable, but I can understand how some people can hate them (however, I'm sorry, if you like Twilight I really can't understand you) and why others refuse to read them. 

   So if you want to hear my opinions on these these books and what I learned from them, keep reading.

Harry Potter

   Most of the people I know that dislike this series dislike it because of the witchcraft. Which is a good point, and the witchcraft plays a huge part in the story. But J.K. Rowling is a Christian, and she once said "I believe in God, not in magic.".  So if your main concern was that, you don't have much to worry about.

    Another thing people don't like is the violence. And I do have to agree, there is quite a bit of violence in the books. However the main characters don't like it, rather they are thrown into it. For example, in the sixth book there is a duel between Harry and Draco. Harry tries out a new spell even when he's not fully aware of what it does, and what he finds out is that it causes gashes to appear on his enemy. There is a lot of blood, but Harry, despite the fact that Draco has been terrible to him, feels bad for causing him so much pain. 
   Harry, Hermione, Ron, and many of the other characters in the series are loyal friends who are willing to make sacrifices for one another. In the wizarding world there is racism between the purebloods, half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards, but it is shown negatively. There is some teenage romance but not too much, and it's more about the friendship between the two people and not so much about the kissing. 

   

The Hunger Games

   When I first heard of The Hunger Games, I thought it sounded terrible. Teens killing teens wasn't exactly my idea of a great story. I had no plans to ever read the books. Then my Godmother (who I really look up to and respect her taste in books) recommended it to me. If not for her, I never would've read the books, and would've continued being judgmental and hateful of what I now know as a great series.
   I recently found out that the author, Suzanne Collins, is Roman Catholic. She based the story of The Hunger Games after reading about how people used to watch Christians being tortured for entertainment. She didn't put religion of any kind in her books to show that as we become more obsessed with TV and our looks, we're cutting religion out of our lives. 
   One of my favorite things about this series is Katniss's character. She sacrificed herself for her sister, she's brave, she's kind, and basically, she's not Bella Swan. Most of the teen books that are out now have a boy-crazy main character (like Twilight) and I never can really care about that character because I can't relate to them. 


Twilight

  I actually haven't read all four of the Twilight books. I read the first one and hated it, and I started reading the second but stopped after a few pages because I couldn't stand Bella. But just from reading the first book I know that Bella and Edward's relationship is not at all about their actual friendship. Bella isn't likable at all, and I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone should be so sensitive about sparkling. Others might, you know, have real problems. And I'm sure that they would much rather sparkle than have those problems. 
   

   I've realized too that Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia are usually books that are okay to read, even if Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are terrible. And may I say that I like both these series as well, but Chronicles of Narnia has witchcraft and violence in it too, and the battles are over power. The Lord of the Rings has violence too that is also over power. The arguments to this are "But the authors are Christians, so it's okay.". Well, as I've said above, J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins are both Christians who showed their Christianity in their writing. 
   And one more thing; there's a newer series, the Matched Trilogy, that I read and found enjoyable. So if someone could do me a favor and read those books, make them controversial and ruin them for me, that'd be great. Thanks!

Wildwood

 When Prue McKeel's baby brother Mac is abducted by crows, Prue embarks on a journey to rescue him. Prue and her classmate Curtis head into the Impassable Wilderness--a place where no one has ever gone in and lived to tell the tale. In the Wood, Prue and Curtis are faced with more challenges then they'd hoped, and they begin to wonder if they'll ever get out alive.
    
    Wildwood is full of unexpected turns, exciting twists and fun characters. I highly recommend for anyone who loves a good story!

Breadcrumbs

Hazel and Jack have been best friends since they were six. But they are eleven now, and Jack just isn't the same. He's ignoring Hazel and hanging out with other kids--something Hazel's best friend would never do.
Then Jack gets hurt and soon after disappears. And although they seem to be growing out of their friendship and she knows they'll never have what they once did, Hazel goes after him, and has an adventure of her own along the way.

This book was another wonderful read. I absolutely love Anne Ursu's sense of sarcasm, especially in the first couple chapters. I also enjoyed the book references (Narnia, Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, Lord of the Rings) that are woven in to this magnificent story.

Picture the Dead

 Jennie Lovell lost her parents when she was young, putting her and her brother Toby into the hands of their stingy aunt and uncle. By the time Jennie is sixteen, her brother and her fiance have both died in the Civil War.
  But there is a presence that has been haunting Jennie since Will's death. Is it Will himself? What is her late fiance trying to tell her? The more Jennie tries to find out how he really died, the more she wonders if she actually knew Will at all.


  Intelligently written and hauntingly told with plenty of twists, Picture the Dead is a highly enjoyable read.