Matched by Ally Condie

Release Day: December 2nd, 2010

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Publisher: Razorbill

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Pages: 366pgs

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The Story

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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.

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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 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 dared to follow.

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The Review

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I bought this book as soon as it came out, but I never found the time to read it - but now I finally have, and I have to say it's quite a good read. What really drawed me in with MATCHED's world is the beautiful cover art. For those who don't know me personally, I love art that is simple but somewhat eye-catching, and after seeing it for the first time - then in my hands in a final glossy copy - and reading the summary of the book, I was pretty much convinced that this would become a favourite of mine.

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The main question here is: Did it live up to the hype? Yes and no. The last dystopian book that I've read is Lauren Oliver's DELIRIUM which really reminded me of this book, but the only difference between the two of them is that this particular one get's straight to the point of the story, rather than fluff around with lyrical form of words. What I really loved about MATCHED is the world Ally Condie created, the whole Matched ceremony that decides who your ultimate partner will be, and basically what you'll do for the rest of your life, even decide the day you'll die. It was definitely an interesting concept, something a little different to some dystopian novels I've read in the past.

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This leads me to the two love interests - Xander and Ky, the one Cassia is "destined" to be with and the other who could be something more. With these two boys I found them to be the perfect balance for Cassia . . . for one, Xander is almost like her best friend and he doesn't have to build up anything in their relationship because he already knows her . . . whereas Ky tests Cassia in ways Xander never could, and that is what makes the story a little more interesting.

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Some may ask me - so, who's team are you on? That's hard for me to answer. I like both boys and I guess I love Ky a little more, but to be perfectly honest . . . I found his and Cassia's attraction to each other happening rather too quickly. And as for Xander, I couldn't really love him as of yet because he wasn't really in the story, or at least . . . wasn't shed in the light I wanted him to be. But nonetheless, and like in Twilight, it could go both ways of Cassia's heart . . . she could either end up with Xander or end up with Ky. But when it comes to the ending . . . Cassia has made a decision but I won't get into that in this review.

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Ally Condie has presented us with a fantastic start to the MATCHED trilogy. It's simple and beautiful in it's own way. She's created a world that starts off as crystal perfect and then everything starts to crumble around the characters, just like every dystopian book that we all can appreciate. In the next sequel, CROSSED, like every other fan out there that has read this book, we can all hope that Cassia will find her own personal freedom and start living a life that she HERSELF wants to lead.

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The Rating

4/5 stars