The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel – a Review

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Description:
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…

Review:

The Book of Ivy read like the Hunger Games of recompense by marriage; several young ladies vying for the chance at marrying Bishop, the prodigal son of the president himself. That honor goes to 16 year old, Ivy, only she has plans to incite a revolution by killing Bishop and revising life as they know it. Told in a fresh, energetic, thought-provoking fashion, Amy Engel not only inserts you in a divisive society plotting against and undermining the other, she immerses you in the culture of a dystopian society set in 2075 replete with impossible rules and demands.

I am different from all these girls surrounding me because marrying Bishop Lattimer has not fulfilled my destiny. My mission is not to make him happy and bear his children and be his wife. My mission is to kill him.

You hooked already?! You will be. It was fascinating to learn all the limits of this supposed utopia (formerly southern Missouri). The fallout of nuclear war dismantled society’s infrastructure (50 years later, they’re still contending with intermittent use of electricity); “traditional” female jobs (though having babies is favored) fall to those young girls who weren’t chosen in the wedding (and consequently shunned), etc…These poor kids are even discouraged to mingle with neighboring communities in an effort to prevent the awkwardness of arranged marriages. Crazy, right?! And while Ivy is willing to do her part for the movement (the rival faction), her own lines of right and wrong begin to blur. She begins to question if her family’s love depends upon the success of the mission. Bishop isn’t the calculating monster her father and sister profiled. In fact, Bishop alone would whirl any girl’s mind…

He just stares at me. In moments like this, it’s easy to see how he was born to be a leader. His is the kind of face that intimidates simply by existing, so handsome it’s almost scary.

Though born of privilege, Bishop isn’t a chip off the old block. He’s got ideas of his own with an inner core forged of steel that is set to pound and upend presumptions. Why at one point, Bishop was supposed to marry Ivy’s older sister. He sought a reprieve. Wait till you find out why (the how…wow!) Bishop’s an affable, but complex 18 year old. When all the other husbands are enjoying the “perks” of procreation, Bishop is restrained and respectful of Ivy’s innocence and anxieties about their marriage. What’s Bishop’s agenda – he’s too good to be true!? Ivy better get into his good graces to execute the plan (pun intended). She’s only got three months…and Bishop’s mesmerizing. Bishop is seriously swoon–worthy, my friends.

Romance? It’s here and it’s to die for! The building of trust, authentic interest in each other’s welfare, the attraction they can no longer deny. Ms. Engel does a brilliant job of keeping you on the edge. She tortures you with privileged Intel Ivy is collecting for her father’s cause (her own?), but simultaneously enchants with a budding, tender love story. Both compete for your complete attention and earn it gloriously.

What a finale! I was trembling with grief the second Ivy’s plan took shape (and shed more than a few tears in its wake). I inhaled this book and desperately miss the characters already. November 2015 is an inconceivable amount of time to wait for the sequel, The Revolution of Ivy, but wait (impatiently) I will.

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher