The Book of Ivy~ Reviewed by Hailey Hinrichs

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What would you kill for?

            After a war that destroyed most of the United States, Ivy Westfall’s family came to power and founded the country Westfall. But when the Westfalls lost in a conflict with the Lattimers, they lost their power and the Lattimers began to govern Westfall as a dictatorship. Ivy grew up hating the Lattimers and the new laws they created, especially arranged marriages. Every year the daughters from the Westfalls marry the sons of the Lattimers.

            This year it is Ivy’s turn.

            To the Lattimers, it’s just another marriage.

            To the Westfalls, it’s their chance to regain power.

            Ivy’s father and sister have given her the task to kill her new husband, Bishop, in order for their family to return to power. But as Ivy begins to understand more about Bishop and his family, can she find the will to do it? What if everything she once knew actually wasn’t true? What if Bishop really isn’t as brutal and awful as her family told her? Will she be able to kill the only person who seems to actually understand her? As her love for Bishop grows and she finds out the truth about her mother’s death, Ivy realizes that things definitely are not what she grew up believing.

            I really enjoyed this book so I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I loved the characters, especially Ivy’s character. I really liked that the author made the arranged marriages seem realistic and that not every marriage worked out because in all honestly, that’s how it works sometimes. In arranged marriages, I would expect things to not always work out or for there to be some complications, especially for the kids who are only 16. Also, at the beginning of the book I was worried that I could already tell how the book was going to end. I was wrong. There were some really good plot twists in the book and they completely caught me off guard. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any of my friends