The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy

The Book of Ivy * The Revolution of Ivy

Publish Date: November 3rd 2015
Publisher:  Entangled Teen/Listening Library
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged

Series: The Book of Ivy
Author: Amy Engel

Narrated By: Taylor Meskimen

Author’s Website

Goodreads

Introduction

The second book of the duology takes place directly after Ivy is put out of Westfall, the only home she's ever known. Without her husband, Bishop, or her family, she has to survive without any gear or basic survival skills. She has to navigate the world outside of her isolated city and meet new people and deal with old acquaintances she'd rather never see again. But of course her old life begins to catch up with her, and trouble in Westfall is stirring. 

Communication/The Truth

Hey, look, another character that can't communicate. Tellin (from Fins are Forever) exibited HUGE plot convenience by using poor communication. Ivy not communicating/telling the whole truth is part of her character and backstory. So in the new world outside of Westfall, it'd be easy to change up what you want to forget. If I were her, I would definitely have trouble telling the truth to new people too. However, I was internally screaming for her to just explain some circumstances at that moment because you know it's catching up to her. But nope. Gonna die by those lies, ok. 

This, except tell EVERYONE the truth. 

Secondary Characters and Antagonists

Engel could absolutely write a book (or two or three) about the two characters that Ivy meets. They are both unique characters with interesting backstories and their own personalities. They definitely weren't throw-away cardboard cut-outs and they become part of the plot. 

There are a few antagonists in this one. One, Westfall society. Two, the Lattimers. Three, Ivy's family, who abandoned her outside of the fence. Finally, there is another character that waltzes in and inserts chaos into Ivy's new life. When an irredeemable, disgusting antagonist is so well-written, you really get behind the protagonist's goal of triumphing over them.   

Essay Topics

Survival, found families, dystopian civilizations (and how they are overthrown), loyalty...

Final Verdict

The book folds up the story nicely. Yes, Bishop and Ivy are off doing other things by the end of it, but Ivy's revolution, her family and his, Westfall, all of that, is done. It drags a bit with all of Ivy's...less than stellar treatment of Bishop. This installment has more interesting action and stakes. The first one was slower with planning and scheming. This book starts with her trying to not die outside. Then fighting for her life. It gets a bit slower when it looks like she can carve out a place for herself in this world. 

This book does a very good job describing how it would be for a young city dweller to be thrown out into the wilderness and how things can go badly very, very quickly. Plus, it's brutally honest with the kinds of people you will meet outside who will take advantage of you. And I'm not talking about scamming you out of squirrel meat, I'm talking violent assaults. If violence scares you, or if Mark Laird's crimes from the first book bothered you, don't read this. 

Overall, I recommend this book if you read the first one. Probably shouldn't bother reading it if you didn't read the first one. 

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy

The Book of Ivy * The Revolution of Ivy

Published: 2014
Publisher: Entangled: Teen/Audible
Author's Website
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Series: The Book of Ivy
Narration by: Taylor Meskimen

Introduction

50 years after a nuclear war, survivors in the United States rebuild. Conflict regarding leadership arose between the Lattimers and the Westfalls. The Westfalls were defeated. In their post-apocalyptic world, the two families have "shared" leadership, with the Westfalls as figureheads of goodwill with no power. A major premise of their society is forced marriages between the two sides of town-the "good side" (Lattimers) and the "bad side" (Westfalls). Every year, teenagers (from each side) are paired off with opposition by the government and take on traditional gender roles. Men work, women have babies and clean the house. The Lattimers and Westfalls must marry their children to each other, age and gender permitting. This year, Ivy Westfall must marry Bishop Lattimer, but her father and sister Callie have something more planned for her. To overthrow the government, Ivy is tasked to kill Bishop. It's step one in her father's plan to rid them of their operssive rulers.

Story

The premise of the story is a question: Can Ivy kill Bishop? I assumed the simple answer would be this:

Turns out, it's a little more complicated. First, can she kill anyone? And how can she kill a boy she doesn't know, but is getting to know? The book is a love story, though we've seen it a thousand times.

As the story progresses, there are some interesting twists I didn't see coming. Like most dystopias, the characters come to realize that they had been lied to, to some degree. Ivy questions everything and tries to remain a good person, and the struggle was engaging.

Essay Idea: Government Control & Enforced Gender Stereotypes

Could easily pair this with A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The government makes you marry someone of their choosing. The government is not elected. Men go to work, women have babies. These unions are not always happy or safe. Ivy is keenly aware of the threat of domestic violence.

Dissent is not an option. If you do commit a crime, such as refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, you are put outside of the wall that surrounds their settlement, and you are left alone. Cast out with no water, food, or shelter, you have to fend for yourself in an unknown landscape.

Bishop's Character

I was surprised that I liked Bishop so much. Spoiler alert: he's not like his parents in SO MANY WAYS. Kind, but wow, he's not afraid to dish out punishment when he sees bad things happening. I find a lot of YA men are bland and one dimensional. Time and effort were put into his character, and I appreciate it.

Final Thoughts

I recommend this to teens who like dystopias, gender roles, and oppressive governments. There is only one more book in this series, so it's great for readers who don't want to read seven books to get the ending. There could have been more world-building, but I suspect that the second book will cover that, given the circumstances. 

I have something to say about the ending, so if you haven't read it, skip the rest of the post. 

Ending Spoiler

What did she think Callie would do?! Plus...I don't like how she opted to have herself ejected from society rather than choose a side. At the very least, I thought she'd give Bishop a heads-up (you know, DON'T TRUST CALLIE!) but she didn't. That was anticlimactic.