The monsters -- or evil cats -- won't get you

I read yesterday THE BOOK OF IVY by Amy Engel. This is the 1st of (I think) a dystopian young adult trilogy. Here's a description:

Ivy is the granddaughter of Westfall (aka the losing side) founder, and as the daughter of a powerless (and power hungry) leader, she's been brainwashed for years in the righteousness of a cause she knows very little about. As per tradition in their community, she is being married at the ripe old age of 16 to a boy from the winning side. This is a custom done to maintain the peace in the community, however as you can expect, Ivy isn't the least bit happy...especially because she knows who she is going to marry. The lucky boy is Bishop Lattimer, the son of the president (aka the winning side). But Ivy has a major secret. She must kill Bishop to aid her father and sister in their plan to regain power in Westfall.

Published in 2014, it has 304 pages. I'm always on the lookout for a good YA dystopian after reading THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, and others. This is not top tier like those two, but it does resonate near the top.  The worldbuilding is mostly well thought out, with some complicated issues, and I think the first person point of view is always a plus. And as my brother would say, "What is it with those 16-year-old girls!" Usually, I come to these trilogies when they're completed. Not this time. I have to wait a year for the second book. Bah.

And I am about to start THE SECRET KEEPER by Kate Morton. This is a stand alone. Here's a description:

During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy—her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother. Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past. Dorothy’s story takes the reader from pre–WWII England through the blitz, to the ’60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. 

Published in 2011, it has 597 pages. This is a digital loan from the library. I really loved her previous book, THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON, so I'll give this a try.

And finally, I have to share this. I think this is brilliant and just funny. How do monks who've taken a vow of silence sing Hallelujah? This way:



I absolutely love it!

Nothing on TV tonight for me so I'd better get some reading done, stat.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster