Lucinda has just arrived at reform school after being accused of murdering a boy she was just starting to get to know. She recalls little from that fateful night, but the memory of it continues to haunt her. The only thing she does remember is the dark shadows that appeared--shadows which she has seen since she was a little girl. Lucinda must figure out how to navigate life at reform school, make new friends, and choose between two boys she is attracted to--Cam, who is friendly and makes her feel safe or Daniel, who she is inexplicably drawn to despite the fact that he keeps brushing her off.
I really enjoyed the book, but the beginning was rather slow. It took forever for something to actually happen. Furthermore, the whole story is supposed to take place within a few weeks, but given the amount of events that occurred and the deep friendships that formed, it would have been more believable if it had taken place over the course of a few months. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
This was a great book, I couldn't put it down.
16 year-old Meridian has always known she was different. From the time she was born, things around her died. After a terrible car crash causes her parents to send her to live with her aunt, Meridian discovers she has the ability to help the dead pass on. Meridian's captivating journey is filled with love, excitement, and danger as she struggles to help those who need her and survive those that want her dead.
Matched is enthralling and captivating. Set in a dystopian future, Cassia must accept the life she has always known--where every decision is made for her--or risk it all for a chance at true love. Matched warns against the dangers of blindly accepting everything, of never thinking, in an engaging format that will engross readers of all ages.
While this novel was one of the best I have read, I wish it was a stand alone. The ending is not wrapped in a neat bow, and given the nature of the story, I think it is best that readers are left to wonder.
Melissa de la Cruz tweaked her style a bit for this novel. Instead of switching viewpoints each chapter, she stays with the same character for several chapters until she moves on.
The plot was not nearly as exciting in this novel as the previous novels, but I am very much looking forward to the next installment.
Another great book in the Vampire Academy series, Blood Promise follows Rose's journey to find Dimitri and kill him. Throughout her quest we see her grieving over the loss of Dimitri and her agony over leaving Lissa behind in Montana.
While I still loved this novel, I felt there were too many flashbacks of Dimitri and Rose's time together--many of these could have been edited out. Furthermore, these flashbacks are of events that the reader never saw in any of the previous novels. Some of this is understandable, but at times I was left wondering how these things could have possibly occurred without mention in the previous novels. One flashback, for example, is about a weekend trip that Dimitri and Rose were able to take alone together. It is unrealistic that Rose would not have told the reader about this trip in the previous novel.
Rose's time spent with Dimitri after he turned Strigoi was great to see, and really makes me hope Rose will end up with Adrian. Dimitri is consumed by his desire for blood and power and clearly no longer loves Rose as he used to. Adrian, however, genuinely loves Rose and wants to be with her. I don't think they have the same passion as Rose did with Dimitri, but there is definitely something sweet and romantic in their interactions.
At the end of the novel, Rose decides to continue with her Dimitri-obsession after she fails to kill him on the bridge and hopes to enlist Lissa's help in what is sure to be a crazy plan. At this point in the series, I am on team Adrian and hope that Rose will be able to accept that Dimitri will never be the person that she once knew.
