”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)