The Book of Ivy

by Amy Engel

In a future where girls no longer control their own fates, sixteen-year-old Ivy Westfall has the power to give girls back their choices. If she's willing to commit murder to do it. After a brutal nuclear war, followed by famine and disease, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over who would govern the new nation. 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 Ivy Westfall's turn to be married. Only her bridegroom is no average boy. He is Bishop Lattimer, the president's son. And Ivy's mission is not simply to marry him. Her mission, one she's been preparing for all her life, is to kill him and restore the Westfall family to power. But Bishop Lattimer turns out not to be the cruel, heartless boy her family warned her to expect. And as Bishop and Ivy navigate a tentative friendship that evolves into something more, Ivy is torn between loyalty to her family and following her own heart. She is a teenage girl caught in an adult web of manipulation, lies, and the struggle for power.
Ultimately, she must decide what sacrifices are worth making for the lives of those she loves.

• ISBN10: 1622664663
• ISBN13: 9781622664665
• Publish Date: 11 November 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

”A boy who doesn’t want to lie, married to a girl who can’t tell the truth. If there is a God, he has a sick sense of humor.” (Ivy Westfall)

Sometimes you read a book and think that it was written just for you…

The Book of Ivy is a character-driven dystopian novel with an interesting premise revolving around politics, arranged marriages and assassination.

I have a fondness for quick-witted, strong, impulsive, self-aware and flawed heroines and Ivy, the main character, is so likable. She’s been brought up thinking a certain way because of her family and her sheltered life. When she breaks away from their sphere, her views change, and she struggles to choose between her loyalty to her family and the boy that she’s falling in love with. There are times where I didn’t agree with Ivy decision, but I always understood where she was coming from. I love her character arc, especially towards the end – her reasoning, acceptance and quest to be someone better – shows the extend of her character development.

”You’re easy to read, Ivy, but the whole book of you is complicated.” (Bishop Lattimer)

The Book of Ivy deals with interesting themes: autocracy vs democracy and sexism, and it’s interesting to see the character’s perspectives in relation to these themes. The characters are trying to deal with the lives that they’ve been given and make the best out of it. There’s no clear villain in The Book of Ivy because both sides of the characters' stories are shown and Ivy’s empathy and understanding about other people and their emotions help to humanise the characters. The character in The Book of Ivy are defined by the choices and decisions they make.

The one character who has an impact in Ivy’s decision-making is Bishop Lattimer. He’s kind, compassionate, thoughtful and intelligent, but he’s also a realistic character who gets angry and frustrated and makes mistakes. I love the slow-burn romance and relationship development.

The Book of Ivy lacks good world-building, but I didn’t mind it, because I enjoyed reading about Ivy and her character growth, the secondary characters, the politics, the themes, the romance and the emotions. There aren’t many action moments, but there’s a balance of tension and quiet moments.

The Book of Ivy is an extremely engrossing read and the finale gave me so many feels. I’m so excited to read the The Revolution of Ivy.

”I want my love to be greater than my hate, my mercy to be stronger than my vengeance.” (Ivy Westfall)

[melanchalina]

Эми Энджел "Книга Айви"

9 из 10

Жанр: YA, антиутопия
POV: от первого лица, женский
Геометрия чувств: прямая
Отличительные черты: спокойное и ровное повествование, потрясающая химия между героями, отсутствие экшна

РЕЦЕНЗИЯ:
Парень, который не хочет лгать, женился на девушке, которая не может сказать правду. Если на свете есть Бог, то у него плохое чувство юмора.

Не книга, а настоящее сокровище. Признаться, я абсолютно не знала, чего ожидать от романа, когда только за него взялась, а в итоге получила колоссальное удовольствие. «Книга Айви» полностью и абсолютно книга в моем вкусе – это захватывающая история с удивительными персонажами, красивой романтической линией и спокойным, ровным (но от этого не менее прекрасным) стилем повествования.

Действие «Книги Айви» происходит в недалеком будущем, когда ядерное оружие уничтожило большую часть земли, а в живых осталась малая часть людей. Группа выживших объединилась и основала небольшое жилое поселение в центре США. В какой-то период времени за власть над этим поселением сразились две семьи – Вестфаллы (семья основателей) и Латтимеры. Латтимеры победили. События романа разворачиваются два поколения спустя, следуя за Айви Вестфалл – внучкой основателя, которая вынуждена выйти замуж Бишопа Латтимера, сына действующего Президента. Ее миссия убить Бишопа и устроить переворот, чтобы ее семья вновь вернула себе власть.

Теперь о моих впечатлениях.

К слову, не смотря на то, что это антиутопия, я хочу отметить любовную линию. Она потрясающая, тонкая и красивая, без инсталюбви, без безумной страсти с первого взгляда. Все очень красиво и грамотно. В центре истории два человека, которые идеально подходят друг другу, не смотря на то, что они вынуждены быть друг с другом. Их отношения развиваются плавно и очень… грамотно, что ли. Это одни из тех книжных отношений, которым действительно веришь. Герои раскрываются друг другу постепенно и осторожно, они учатся понимать друг друга и становятся вместе лучше, чем были раньше.

И да, герои хороши не только во взаимодействии, они и по отдельности. И Айви, и Бишоп обладают индивидуальностью и являются полноценными персонажами, которые растут и развиваются по ходу событий. Оба несут на плечах тяжесть ожиданий своих отцов, но при этом хотят остаться самими собой. Оба любят свои семьи, но сомневаются в правильности их решений.

Отныне это мои одни из моих любимых героев. Вспыльчивая и прямолинейная Айви, спокойный, но такой решительный Бишоп, который к слову, при необходимости может проявить жестокость.

Если говорить о мире, то вам не стоит браться за книгу, если вы хотите экшна и действий. Это не «Голодные игры» и не «Дивергент». Тон и стиль «Книги» очень плавный и размеренный. Лично для меня, здесь в первую очередь делается акцент на романтике, а все вот это дистопическое лишь фон. Может быть, во второй книге будет больше действий, но уверена, что они все равно не будут на первом плане.

Определенно в список любимых книг. А Бишоп – это просто ван лав. Один из лучших мужских персонажей на моей памяти.

[Bianca]

“I don't trust most people. Except for you."

"Why me?"

"Because everyone needs someone to put their faith in."

[stefu1]

HOLY MOLY, THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC! You could really feel Ivy's dilemma and even I didn't know what she was going to do. It really sucked that she got kicked out to the community but I totally respect her decision . I love how as you follower her, you are as naive as her and understand why she does it Though I always though that her family was the scum of the earth. I love how I gradually started to like Bishop
s mom. Bishop is the most charming person in the entire world, and I respect him. Even when he loses his head, its for a reasonable reason (??grammar?? I love how he stuck with Ivy till the very end, I admire he's loyalty) . Bishop is the best person ever. I can't wait for the next book!!!

[girlinthepages]

From the minute I saw the cover of The Book of Ivy, I was hooked. The premise seemed like an interesting twist on dystopian, and I was expecting an assassin-y, butt kicking heroine and a slow-burn yet inevitable romance that would have me drowning in delicious tension. After all, with a plot that includes the sons of the winning side of society to marry the daughters of the losers for the sake of "peace," deep-rooted tensions and frustrations seem unavoidable. I was so excited and so ready to fall in love with this book. Unfortunately, my love affair with The Book of Ivy didn't happen. It was more like I developed a lukewarm friendship with the novel that will (hopefully) grow into deeper feelings with subsequent books.

First and foremost, I could not look past how much this book reminded me of the plot of the tv show Revenge. Angry daughter trying to avenge a parent's death? Check. Infiltrating enemy by marrying into the family's handsome son? Check? Struggling to reconcile her plan with her growing emotions? Check. Scheming mother in law who hates protagonist? Check. Character named Emily Thorne? Check. Maybe this was just a coincidence, but there were so many similarities...

Moving right along. As I said before, I adored the idea of this book. I read the first few pages while at the bookstore to be sure I felt it was worth the investment, and I was sucked in. Readers are thrust right into the action on Ivy's wedding day, and the world building is done throughout the book rather than info-dumped at the beginning. Ivy has to marry the son of the elite family that runs the post-apocalyptic town and then infiltrate their intelligence to get information for her family, eventually leading to a revolt that will be sparked when she murders her husband. This sounds like it should be action packed. Yet I spent most of the book wondering when it was going to pick up. Ivy seems like she'll be a strong protagonist but she spends most of her time lamenting her mission and wobbling back and forth between loyalty to her family and loyalty to her husband. Now this is not entirely a bad thing, as I applaud her for trying to find her own identity and solutions rather than blindly following her father's manifesto once she's started her "mission." Yet I feel like I spent more time reading about her tip-toeing around Bishop and ho-humming about her life in their little bungalow instead of spying and political intrigue.

The book also follows a lot of typical dystopian tropes, most notably the "beyond the fence" concept. There's a fence that runs the perimeter of the town that no one (aside from criminals who are "put out") has ventured past since the construction of the fence after the apocalyptic nuclear war. As per usual, there's a lot of mystery surrounding the fence and in true dystopian protagonist fashion Ivy spends a large amount of her time contemplating what lies beyond it. Ivy has strong feelings against anyone getting "put out," derived from her father who wants more freedom and humane treatment for the town's citizens than Bishop's father currently allows as mayor. I enjoyed that Ivy was forced to reevaluate some of her family's positions, especially regarding the fence, as her holier-than-thou opinions are tarnished when she's informed as to just what some of those who are "put out" did as criminals. The novel portrays the idea of being "put out" as a moral dilemma for readers, showing the sociopathic criminals alongside the rather harmless lawbreakers receiving the same punishments, and forcing Ivy (and readers) to seriously consider how to punish and protect such a fragile community.

I also appreciated that there were a lot of pro-feminist themes, although they were often told to the reader rather than shown. For instance, one of Ivy's father's biggest complaints about their society is forcing young girls to marry young boys at the tender age of sixteen in arranged marriages, often entering into abusive relationships that there's virtually no way out of (divorce is rare and can only happen with approval from the mayor). Ivy often acknowledges that if a match cannot be made for a girl it's her fault rather than a boy being incompatible. While I was happy and refreshed to see these themes present in the novel, they're not very subtly woven in. Ivy usually has direct thoughts telling the reader about the submissive female responsibility in the arranged marriages (through her own thoughts and through describing the actions of her abusive next-door neighbor) or her father goes on at length about how wrong the marriages are when he's trying to guilt Ivy into completing her mission when she's wavering.

Overall: I was expecting a thrilling dystopian with a lot of political intrigue, but The Book of Ivy ended up being much slower than I expected. I appreciated the pro-feminist themes, but I wish the book had employed more showing rather than telling. I was also hoping for a slow-burn, passionate yet dangerous romance (living with the enemy and all) but the romance was tame to the point of almost non-existence. I will say that the ending surprised me and I was definitely not expecting it to turn out the way it did, so the last few chapters were more exciting compared to the slow pace of the rest of the book. I was curious enough by the end to want to continue with the second book.

This review was originally posted on my blog, Girl in the Pages

[Ashley]

SO SO SO SOOOOO GOOD!!!

I think I cried a little when I got to the end and realized I'd have to wait until November 2015 to read the next book. WHY IS LIFE SO UNFAIR?!?!?!

I loved the dystopian elements (this is NOT "just another dystopian"—it's really good).
I loved the sweet, hesitant, conflicting, slow burning romance.
I loved how Ivy struggled with her feelings (towards Bishop) and her obligation (to her family/father/"the cause").

I easily tore though this book in one sitting AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I'LL SURVIVE WITHOUT BOOK 2!!

[violetpeanut]

I really enjoyed this one. Although I wouldn't say the ending was a cliffhanger, it definitely left lots of loose ends and I look forward to reading the next in the series down the road. The pacing was good, the world-building made sense and added to the overall feel of the book and I really loved Ivy as a strong yet vulnerable female lead. I would recommend to fans of YA romance or dystopia who are looking for something a little different.

Read my full review here.

[bookishzelda]

I love a book that has such a great hook in the beginning to reel me in. I was sucked in the minute I started reading The Book of Ivy and I loved the way the world is explained too. It made sense but it wasn’t info dumping either. Amy Engel works in a good balance of the events happening and the information being given.

Ivy is a girl who has always been told what to do. She is forced into an arranged marriage but does it without a fight in order to complete her fathers agenda. The thing with Ivy is that she has never know real love. Her father and sister Callie have a thirst for power and Ivy really only fits into the picture as a tool. My heart kind of felt heartbroken for Ivy in the whole book. It felt like no matter what the outcome was going to be it would not be good for her. Turn her back on her family or turn her back on Bishop. I think Ivy has a clarity to see through the situation. She isn’t racked with vengeance and grief like her sister and father. She is not as cold hearted as them. In world that where you have been told what to do, what to think and that your destiny is predetermined. How do you break free. Ivy is not weak, she is actually quite strong. She has fearlessness to her and sassy attitude. I think there are two ways that people learn. Sometimes you spit out what you think with no regard and people then challenge you. Or you quietly take in what everyone around is saying and digest the information. Ivy is more of the first way. She can be impulsive but also very aware. I loved her and I just wanted her to find a happy place for herself.

Bishop and Ivy’s story is sweet and cute. They move into it slowly and things develop over time as they get to know one another. They grow together but from the beginning you know that the story might not end happy. Something is going to have to give. The wonderful thing about Bishop though is that he sees through Ivy to the real Ivy.

The political parts of the book are interesting because it’s giving you two different sides. Ivy and Bishop almost become a backwards Romeo and Juliet. Rather than their feuding families keeping them apart, they push them together. Each with their own political agenda at the root of it. Yet love is still “forbidden” in a way. As Ivy explores the world she lives in she finds that things are not always as they seem and things are not black and white. There can be something good pulled from both views but separate they are their own juggernauts of destruction. Both are doing things for the greater good, but I don’t know if anyone actually knows what the greater good wants. Meredith is kind of a good example of that. It’s really interesting.

Just want to say that if I could have crawled into the book and punched Callie out I would have. She was mean and kind of creepy too.

I just really thought the book was well written and intriguing. The pacing is perfect, I would be sucked in and looked down and realized I had been cruising through the story. I can’t wait for the second book, I need to know what happens. I need it now! It’s going to kill me to wait, it’s one of those kinds of books.

[shannonmiz]

I thought I knew where this book was headed. I thought, as I read the first few chapters, that this was textbook dystopian, and I'd be bored. Well, I was wrong.

The beginning started a bit slow, and a bit predictable (hence the half-star deduction) with all the "typical" YA tropes: Arranged marriage, small group of people trying to "fight back" against the "evil leaders", etc. I was pretty much sure I knew how the whole thing was going to unfold. I actually started getting mad when Ivy wore a bathing suit, because how could lycra survive the apocalypse?

But then. Things started to change. The world wasn't as cut and dry as it seemed. Neither were the villains. And the whole book started to take on a very, very different tone. Of course, Bishop is not the evil minion that her family insisted he would be. But is his family? As the days go by, and Ivy gets a more well-rounded look at the world around her, it becomes harder and harder to decipher good from bad, truth from lie, right from wrong. Everything she has ever known is turned upside down. And the best part is, I didn't know the answer! It just isn't that simple. The Book of Ivy raises all kinds of questions for Ivy, Bishop, and the reader. There were political issues, and familial issues, and the biggest of them all, morality issues.

As pieces of the story unraveled, I found myself absolutely floored at the revelations. My head was spinning, and just when I thought I knew who or what to root for, like Ivy I would be thrown through another loop.

Ivy was certainly a character that I could feel for. While she wasn't always completely likable, she made sense. She'd certainly been through a lot during her life, and didn't really have a lot of support. Her family was quite focused on their mission and preparing Ivy for it, and weren't really focused on building Ivy up as a person. Bishop was insanely likable, and it was easy to see that he cared for people in general. There is no instalove (quite the opposite!) and no love triangle of any kind. Ivy's father and sister were quite cold, and unfeeling so it was hard for me to like them, but it made it very easy for me to see why Ivy was so eager to try to please them. I can't say much more about anyone without giving things away, but the motives and complexity of the characters added to the overall feeling of uncertainty surrounding the book.

When I finished the book, I had two thoughts: The first was "I need the sequel NOW." The second was "wait- that was 400 pages?!" That was by far the fastest 400-paged book I had ever read. Once I got into it, and realized it was not at all a cookie-cutter dystopian, I absolutely could not put it down.

*ARC received for review