Kindred Reads {7}

Kindred Reads is my weekly feature where I recommend similar books. There's a mix of popular books, and fairly unknown authors and indie books as well. This is something that I personally wish I saw more of; after reading a book I enjoy, I often want to read similar books but they can be hard to discover!

These books contain similar elements, whether it's content, writing style, or other themes found in the stories. They are always books which I have read, and clicking on the title of the book will take you to my review of that book.

If you like... Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Then you might want to read...

Matched by Ally Condie

I want to make it clear that I was really hesitant to compare any books to Delirium, simply because of how much I love it and how I really don't think there's anything quite like it. But I can say that about any books I truly, deeply love (including the Hunger Games) and sometimes that just doesn't feel like a fair comparison.

But I do think that some books out there share similar charactersitics, and I found Matched and Delirium to be two books like that. At a very basic level, and on the surface as well, they're similar books although their exexcution is very different. These are stories of literally forbidden love; a dysoptian world where the government controls everything right down to their conception of love. It isn't fair, and it's up to the characters to decide how much their willing to fight for it.

Eve by Anna Carey

As soon as my review goes up, you'll see that I didn't love Eve. But I didn't hate it either. To me, it really felt like a Delirium story that just fell... flat. There wasn't quite as much passion, but it's the same idea of overprotected girl meets rebellious boy, but it just really isn't done as well. But if you're as much of a fan as I am of these kinds of stories, then it's worth a read even just to satisfy your hunger for more of it (and while you're anxiously awaiting Pandemonium... ahem).

A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee

A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee (eBook)
Released: October 5, 2009 
ISBN13: 9781458152305

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Melinda Lightfoot, a preschool teacher with an unusual ability to flit in and out of fairy tales, never thought she would get into trouble...
...until the Fairy Tale Police arrest her while she is in Beauty and the Beast. They offer her a deal: Find Beauty, who left the story when Melinda trespassed into it, or be charged with the ultimate crime -- Fairy Tale Killer. If that's not bad enough the Beast tags along in search of his true love, and Melinda starts falling for the fairy tale prince. She must choose between doing the right thing and having her own happily ever after.
Warning: This title contains the following: Fairy Godmother, the Wicked Witch, dysfunctional fairy tale families, ax-wielding executioners and a happily ever after (or two).

This is such a lovely little novella! It's a very quick read (the PDF copy I received was only 60 pages), but reads just like a modern-day fairytale filled with quirks and witty lines.

Keeping in mind that this reads like a fairytale, expect it to move at the pace of a fairytale as well. Melinda falls in love very quickly (but really, compare that to any other fairytale and it's about the average length of time to fall in love). Normally this would be a complaint of mine with the book, but I have no problem enjoying fairytales where the hero and heroine fall for each other quickly and so I don't hold it against this novella either.

My favourite part of the book is how they try to break down the ideal of a "happily ever after". It questions exactly what "ever after" means and how does one achieve their ever after "happily"? I believe this would be the basic  moral of the story, and it's refreshing to see this idea, which is often taken for granted, challenged here yet still put in a positive light.
I've read reviews comparing this to Shrek, and they do have a similar feel. I really think Lee's world would be a fun fairytale world to explore in other books as well, but this is a grea tlittle taste for now.