Wow.
That describes it from page 1 to page 170.
170 pages of wow.

Elizabeth Scott has been on my radar ever since I saw Living Dead Girl on the processing shelf and watched as her books, intense in appearance, became part of the collection. I didn't get the nerve to take one home until last night when I wanted a light read. It may look "light" with its one to three page chapters and 1/2" width, but the content inside was overflowing with depth. It was like Mary Poppins' magical purse; it was small to the eye but what it contained was never ending.

I have to admit that it wasn't completely what I thought it was going to be about, although I was pretty close. Originally I thought Alice didn't know she was kidnapped, but in Chapter three Scott makes it clear that Alice wasn't always Ray's (in my eyes) prisoner. Although there is no mystery to her kidnapping, Alice disturbing and haunting story kept me glued from start to finish waiting for an ending that only left me disappointed. No, not because it wasn't good, but because I don't if she died or lived. All Scott leaves us with is that Alice is free from Ray's sexual, physical, mental, and verbal abuse.

On that note--if you are sensitive to any abuse (whether you are young or an adult), be warned that Scott did not sugarcoat in this story. Although she was not graphic, it is evident of what takes place. Because of this I don't recommend this to anyone under 13, but in the end it is up to the reader (and parent if they are minor).

Iit has been awhile since my last post (about five months)! Where has the time gone?! Sorry to have left you lonely, but I did not abandon you. As a special treat and to show how much I care I'm going to review Matched by Ally Condie as my return post.




I finished the final eight chapters last night, and although it took me a couple of hours, it wasn't because the book was lacking in any way. Condie wrote this book with such beauty that is no wonder why this trilogy is a hit before the second of the series has been released. I am anxiously awaiting the release of Crossed now.

In a dystopian future, where the Society decides everything from what you eat, where you work, who you marry, to when you die, we are introduced the unlikely of heroines, Cassia. Her life has always gone as the Society has planned, but a revolution inside her begins when she discovers two faces on her Match microcard, her grandfather gives her an illegal poem, and realizes that the Society is not perfect. What happens when she decides she has a choice when the Society says otherwise?

I immediately fell in love with Cassia - she doesn't stand out like most heroines tend to. I was reminded of a mix between the classic 1984 and bestseller Twilight Saga. We have the love story similar to the Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle with the Big Brother dystopian society. The semi-cliffhanger at the end leaves me wanting more (especially since I know there is a sequel) but could have easily been the close of the novel. I am sincerely excited to see what will come of Cassia, Ky, Xander, and the Society and to see the new characters, twists, and surprises that Condie will bring in the following books.

AND I just found out that a movie has been optioned! Hopefully they won't ruin this like the Twilight Saga.