Weekend Recommendations #24

This is a weekly feature, where I get to go all fannish about two randomly-picked favvies (which may not actually be favorites, but got a rating of 3 or higher) that I would recommend to friends! So, here are this week's two picks:

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Genre: dystopian/romance

Part of a Series: Yes

Rating: 3 out of 5

Who'll Like It: A definite girl-read, fourteen-and-up. This is a "gentle" dystopian novel; there isn't any violence or really anything sinister about it, so this would appeal more to fans of The Selection or The Chemical Garden Trilogy, and not to much The Hunger Games (unless you read The Hunger Games for the romance).

Why I Like It:

I am not a fan of The Selection or The Chemical Garden Trilogy, but I did actually rather enjoy Matched. Book #1 is the best out of all three. Why did I like it if I'm not a fluffy person? Well, because the characters are good, and I liked the world of Matched. I wish the Society was much more malevolent in its intentions for building a utopia, and this trilogy definitely could have used some sinister aspects as the trilogy went on. But there really is something captivating about the world, the writing, and the characters. It was a pleasant read, ideal for the weekend.

Title: Bewitching

Author: Alex Flinn

Genre: fairytale retelling

Part of a Series: No

Rating: 3 out of 5

Who'll Like It: Girl-read, fourteen-and-up, fans of fairytale retellings and Alex Flinn's books especially. I would even recommend this to Readers who generally don't like Alex Flinn's books, because this one is somehow different. It's better than some of her others.

Why I Like It:

The first Alex Flinn book I read - Beastly - I wasn't a big fan of. That said, I was also pretty young when I read it, so I do intend to re-read it at some point and see if my opinion has changed. Either way, I did really enjoy Bewitching. I loved the Author's spin on Cinderella, as well as the other three fairytales that are presented in this book: Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, and the third one has escaped me; sorry. But it was good! :-)