Mini-Reviews: Trilogies that are finished at last!

I have been following several trilogies that ended this spring. While some of the finales were satisfying and some were not, I love being able to cross them off my list!

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter (The Goddess Test series)

I lost steam with this series. Initially, I was very excited about this retelling of the Persephone myth, but the plot of each story seemed to become more and more muddled. I found Kate's attraction to Henry to be far-fetched, and the world building also felt somewhat scattered and disorganized. While I enjoyed seeing a new imagining of a myth, ultimately this series did not deliver for me. I think the main highlight for me was Kate's love for her son, something that doesn't often come up in young adult fiction.

2.5 stars

Warnings: Violence, mild innuendo, possibly some mild language

Sever by Lauren DeStefano (The Chemical Garden series)

I think The Chemical Garden trilogy has long stood out for its lovely covers. I also found the subject matter intriguing on multiple levels -- the human race is dying out early due to a failed attempt to genetically engineer a disease-free world. Rhine has been kidnapped and married to a wealthy young man, along with two other "brides," to continue the human race. However, her husband Linden's father, Vaughan, has some sinister intentions.

I think this series is well-done. Lauren Destefano writes vividly. The plot is interesting and fast-paced. The book causes discomfort and introspection with the odd situation of three young women sharing a husband. I definitely enjoyed Sever the most of all the books -- it is lighter, and I feel that we finally have the chance to really understand some of the main characters (especially Cecily). However, for some reason the plot points of these books do not last long in my mind. I definitely enjoy them while I am reading, but they aren't especially memorable for me after the fact.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Mild innuendo, some language, disturbing themes

Reached by Ally Condie (Matched series)

Reached was a final book that I wasn't sure would be satisfying. While I'd enjoyed Matched, Crossed had left me very dissatisfied, and I wasn't sure where Condie was going with the series. I think Reached was better than Crossed. It evaluated some important themes, such as how your heart can exist in two places at once, and whether a revolution will actually bring peace. I also enjoyed the medical aspect of this novel -- it was interesting to read about the research, the mutations of the disease that dominates most of the plot, and the way Cassia's ability to sort plays into everything. I definitely liked it. Again, like Sever, it hasn't really lasted with me, but it was an enjoyable read, and I think the ending was satisfying.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Mildly disturbing themes and violence

Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium series)

The ending to the Delirium trilogy, Requiem, has been heartily disliked by most of the reviewers I know. I approached reading the last book with trepidation. Delirium and Pandemonium had both been powerful and completely devastating, and I wanted some kind of satisfaction at the end of Requiem. I will say that in some ways that resolution is frustrating, but I do think that the ending is right for the trilogy. I won't say more -- I don't want to spoil it -- but I think the end illustrates the entire message of the trilogy.  

Ending aside, Requiem was probably my least favorite of the trilogy. Much of the book was spent on the run and strategizing, which generally doesn't hold my interest well. However, I enjoyed the different tensions between all of the characters -- romantic, familial, political, friendships -- they are what truly made this book. I also really loved having Hana's perspective. I loved her character in Delirium and was gratified at her return in Requiem. I certainly loved the trilogy and will probably reread it at some point. (Anyone know if the TV show is going to take off?)

4 stars

Warnings: Violence, language, innuendo

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices series)

You guys. I can't be rational about this trilogy. I can't even attempt it. It began with Clockwork Angel, which I thought sounded extremely weird but which enough people encouraged me to read that I gave it a chance. I was shocked at how much I loved it. It continued with Clockwork Prince, where my heartstrings were tugged to the breaking point. I have been so antsy for Clockwork Princess, and I have to say it surpassed all my expectations. It was incredible. The way everything worked out was so satisfying, and yet there were no cop-outs. The characters had to make sacrifices and suffer intense, emotional and physical pain, but the way things worked out ultimately had me regaling my husband with the entire plot (he is a very patient man). I also love the way Cassandra Clare worked in so much literature. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were perfect, and I also love the way literature defines Will and Tessa's relationship. In some ways, this book is a guilty pleasure, with all of its love triangle drama and gratuitous demon destruction (um, Mr. Lightwood, anyone?), but there is definitely intelligence behind the thrills. And honestly, any book that makes one so full of squee is worth reading, in my opinion. I purposely have held off on The Mortal Instruments until I finished this series, and now I must say that I am dying to dive in (although I will definitely miss the steampunk element of The Infernal Devices). 

5 stars

Warnings: Gratuitous demon destruction, some of it gory; a non-explicit bedroom scene, mild language

YA Friday: Crossed by Ally Condie

Title: Crossed
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #2
Genre: YA, dystopian
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, 2011
Source: Won at the Utah Book Bloggers Social
Read for: Review

Crossed picks up where Matched left off, with Cassia working far from home before she gets her final occupational assignment and Ky far away in the Outer Provinces. Cassia is determined to find Ky at any cost, and Ky is determined to escape the brutal existence as a decoy for the Enemy attacking the Society. Their goals take them further than they would have ever imagined, but will Ky and Cassia's different ambitions drive them apart? And how will both of their relationships with Xander affect their relationship with each other?

Any second book in a highly anticipated trilogy has a bit of a gauntlet to run. Obviously the first book was good, or nobody would care about the sequel. And the third book is going to tie up the loose ends, reveal all the missing information, place the heroine with one of the two boys she is trying to decide between (in dystopian fiction, right?). But the second book walks a thin line. It can't reveal too much, because readers need to be desperate and hungry for book three. However, it also runs the risk of being reduced to filler, merely bridging the intriguing beginning and the exciting end. In some ways, Crossed is a victim of second book syndrome, but the book was a decent read and maintained my interest in the trilogy.

Crossed is a very different book from Matched. In Matched, we are being exposed to the inner workings of the Society. We are watching Cassia fall for both men in her life. We are tasting the first hints of rebellion from the rigid government. In Crossed, we're skirting the edges of the Society and dealing with relationship conflicts. Those subjects are not quite as fun to read about. I really loved the world-building in Matched -- the sterile, form-fitted government that anticipated all needs and eliminated inequalities (unless, of course, you were an Aberration or an Anomaly). The world in Crossed is just as stark as that of Matched (you can really tell that Ally Condie is from Utah), but it is less developed and was for me less compelling. I felt as if I knew the Society well, despite their dishonesty and disguised intentions. However, the farmers, the Outer Provinces, and the Rising seemed vague to me. I realize that some of this may be revealed in the final installment, but it felt undeveloped enough to distract me a bit.

Other than the fact that I felt as if I was lacking information (and again, second book syndrome, but it doesn't make me feel any better!), I really enjoyed Crossed. I loved being inside of Ky's head and understanding more of his motives and his past. I enjoyed seeing Cassia displaced from the world she was used to and the fact that she was able to rise to the occasion and survive. I enjoyed getting to know the new characters -- Indie with her toughness, Eli with his innocence, Vick with his secrets. I love Ally Condie's gentle writing and the way beautiful art and poetry is prized as a precious thing -- and the way it is transformed into something more than scraps of paper and simple prints for Cassia as she leaves the Society.

In the end, I wasn't satisfied by Crossed, because I was left with more questions than answers. However, that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the book, and I am looking forward to the final installment.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Some war violence.

YA Friday: Matched by Ally Condie

Before you read my review, you should go to Ally Condie's website and get Matched. Pretty funny. Unfortunately, I was not Matched to my husband... dang it.

To back up - Matched by Ally Condie is set in Society, a perfectly organized world where you are assured a stable life with a job you are well-equipped to perform, meals that are perfectly proportioned to sustain a healthy body type, and, if you want to be married, a genetic match so perfect for you that you are practically guaranteed to fall in love with them. Cassia has been looking forward to the day of being Matched ever since she was a little girl. She has the perfect dress, the perfect accessories, and it turns out, the perfect Match - her best friend, Xander. However, when she goes to review her Match information, another face appears on the microchip she has been given - the face of Cassia and Xander's soft-spoken, somewhat mysterious friend, Ky Markham. Cassia begins to question whether the perfectly orchestrated Society is fatally flawed as she questions who her Match really should have been.

Matched falls into the currently very popular genre of dystopian literature, but it had a slightly different feel to it. In books like Delirium and The Hunger Games, there was a fast-paced, white-knuckled feeling of stress due to the constraints and control of Society. While that feeling surfaced occasionally in Matched, the overall feel of the book was a bit more peaceful and relaxed. The main character, Cassia, has absolute faith in Society at the beginning of the book - her parents were Matched and have a blissful, romantic relationship. She is good at her vocation and has the potential to be a high-ranking individual in society. She has been Matched with her best friend. However, when she sees Ky's face flash across the screen, and as she gets to know him better throughout the summer, she starts to wonder about Society's true purpose and whether or not it really does make life better.

I enjoyed getting to know the Society as Ally Condie slowly revealed Cassia's world. The beginning of the novel was a little slow, but I think that was necessary to describe the way Society worked. I also really liked the way it allowed the relationship between Ky and Cassia to develop in a realistic way. So often (especially in movies) characters meet and have this instant connection, and from that moment on it is taken for granted that they are in love and meant to be together. Cassia and Ky discover each other slowly and naturally, and for that reason their relationship seemed more powerful.

One aspect of the novel that was a little weaker to me was Cassia's relationship with Xander. I felt like it could have been described in more detail - generally we were just told that Xander was her "best friend" from childhood. Because Xander is not as present in the story, I felt like I didn't know his character as well, and it made the story feel a little unbalanced.

I really liked Cassia's parents' relationship and the contrast it showed to the Matching process. The Society isn't shown to be this absolutely evil entity - the system really does work for some people. Cassia's parents were genetically matched and predicted, and they fell head over heels for each other in love. I think this dichotomy between too much power and trying to provide for the well-being of the individuals was well illustrated by this contrasting relationship.

I was also struck with the beauty of the writing. Cassia's world is pretty stark and colorless. They are given food for nutritional reasons only (except on special occasions). Everyone wears the same color of plainclothes (except on special occasions). Only certain flowers are permitted in certain areas, and everyone must be the same and equal. Despite this barren world, Condie's descriptions are beautiful, and her observations about emotions are poignant. I loved the way Cassia analyzed poetry -

I only meant to tell him a few more lines, but once I start telling him it's hard to hold back, and I say the whole thing. The words go together. Some things are created to be together. [...] "I think it's because when we hear it we know we're not the only ones who ever felt this way."

Overall, I thought Matched was an interesting, enjoyable read. If you're not a fan of dystopian lit, I would maybe skip it. It definitely has some similarities to other dystopian novels such as Delirium by Lauren Oliver and The Giver by Lois Lowry. However, if you are a fan of YA dystopian lit, Matched is beautifully written and a compelling story.

Readability - Story flowed well, although at times there were plot transitions that jarred me a bit.
Plot - 4
Characters - 3
Aesthetics - 4
Personal Response - 4
Overall: 3.75