Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

In a future United States, where everything has gone back to 1800s life style, Madeline Landry finds herself wanting to go to University. Her father the famous and President figure of the country will not allow this. She needs to find a man and get married. But when  a local girl gets attacked and a new man appears, and the central thing they survive on causes an uprising, things start to change. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book. I went into the story not knowing a ton about it. To be honest I just really really loved the cover. When I realized it was dystopian I was a little hesitant. Its as if most Young Adult novels can only be Contemporary or Dystopian. But what I really appreciated was the twist on this particular dystopian. I am a major fan of party's, kings, ball gowns, royalty, etc.. To have a fractured United States be put back in time to the 1800s? YES! It was believable to me and I almost wanted it to happen. Obviously after a time with computers,cell phones, ipads, etc.. there is obviously some technology and that ends up being a real problem and focus of the plot. 

There is a mystery that appears really early on in the story. It kept me guessing and flipping pages late into the night. It was fun to have that element mixed in with the other problems that arise. I never felt like it was forced on to you at all. 

When you read a book with annoying characters it really ruins the book. A story wouldn't be a story without people and yes, in our everyday lives annoying people can appear, but in the realm of reading it makes for a very unpleasant time. I am pleased to inform you that this story was not like this. I loved the characters. The main character Madeline knows what she wants and she will fight for it. She is not afraid to learn new things or try something new. I found her very empowering. Now my speech about annoying characters has a catch. Stories need characters that you hate. And let me tell you, this book has them. I was so frustrated with some people that I found myself almost yelling at this book. But these characters grow and develop and watching that is quite fun and exciting

I can not recommend this book more! Please, everyone read it! Its an exciting adventure story, with dystopian elements, a little bit of romance, and twists on every page.