Matched by Ally Condie
Hardcover, 369 Pages
2010, Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 0525423648
Synopsis
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
Review
Matched is the book I never knew I was waiting for. A dystopian society where everything is arranged, from jobs to marriages to deaths. A love triangle that may have been influenced by government involvement. A teen girl that isn't being pressured by the boys to make a choice. I fell in love from the very first page.
You know how with some books everything just clicks? That's what happened while reading Matched. With every detail, every plot twist, every character interaction, I fell farther and farther under this books spell. Cassia was an amazing main character. She understands the world around her, as far as the society wants her to, yet as clues surface countering all that she believes, she's willing to look deeper. She's willing to take risks and think beyond life as she knows it. While those around her ignore the obvious, be it out of fear or loyalty or ignorance, she must know the truth - not in an altruistic, starting a revolution type of way, but in a more personal, having the right to make my own decisions type of way.
While the love triangle is obviously a major focus in the book, it's not done in the typical way. This isn't a case of a girl hemming and hawing over with perfectly awesome boy she wants to be with. This isn't even the choice between the nice guy and the bad boy. The love triangle in Matched is three innocent teens being toyed with by the government. Cassia is more than willing to be with best friend Xander as the society has chosen for her, but why would they also seem to have chosen Ky, who can't be matched? Over the course of the book, Cassia becomes willing to question the infallible society she lives in and risk everything she holds dear because what if the guy that can't be the one is actually her soul mate?
I loved, and loved to hate, the society in Matched. The way it was structured and run (both transparently and in the shadows) seemed both efficient and horrifying. What made the way of life so effective in the story was that is wasn't all bad. Many times, it seemed like a wonderful way to live. Other times, not so much. Very much more a case of good intentions run amuck, rather than purposely evil.
I loved everything about Matched. I toyed with the idea of writing this as my entire review: I loved Matched so much I want to make out with it. It's just that kind of book. If you even remotely like young adult dystopia, you need to pick Matched up immediately. You can thank me later.
Rating
Links
No comments :
Post a Comment