Reached by Ally Condie

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Dutton Children's Books

Pages: 512pgs

The Story

Cassia faces the ultimate choices in the long-anticipated conclusion 

to the "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy.

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising - and each other - Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

In this gripping conclusion to the #1 "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.

The Review

There having been so many YA dystopian books coming out ever since Matched was released and while I didn't necessarily have great patience for this series, especially when it came to reading the sequel Crossed which did not impress at all, but I'm thankful to say the final installment of the series, REACHED, had finally reached a great point in the series (about time too!) and has ended in a somewhat very satisfying conclusion for everyone involved in the story.

In addition of having Xander's perspective, readers will still get to read the Matched world through the eyes of two of our other main characters, Cassia and Ky, who are - astonishingly - much more likable this time round compared to their perspectives read from the previous sequel. All strong, unique, gripping and authentic with each of the three voices, I think what made me enjoy this third book even more was having Xander's perspective and getting to see how he views the world that he lives in or rather how he truly feels about his love interest (someone who doesn't deserve his love mind you), Cassia, which was an engaging thing to read about and one of the best things read in this series by far.

Without spoiling and in terms of how everything had ended in this final installment, while I understood why things ended in the way they did and while I could predict how things were going to end for each of the characters, but I was a little bit disappointed (it sucks for me because I was a big fan of a certain character who didn't exactly get a great ending and the one he or she clearly deserved) and yet on the brighter side of things I was also very satisfied - almost happy - with how everything was concluded for all of the characters . . . even when some endings were much happier than others. Still, it was an ending that says to the world, "It happened. Get over it!"

Overall, REACHED was a book I didn't think would go far for me and yet it managed to surprise me in doing a complete turnaround for a series that wasn't just an 'average read' to me. If you love storytelling about young people fighting for their own freedom and for love, then REACHED is definitely your kind of book and one that surely won't disappoint but rather impress you!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Crossed by Ally Condie

Release Date: 2nd November, 2011

Publisher: Puffin

Pages: 367pgs

The Story

Rules are different outside the Society.

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky-taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's points of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Penguin Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

CROSSED is part two of the dystopian trilogy by Condie and it takes place a few months after Matched has ended. You can read my book review of the first book here. The main heroine, Cassia, has been trying to get to the outer provinces in order to find Ky, her "soul mate". With some help from her matched partner and bestfriend, Xander, Cassia manages to get aboard on an airship which then takes her down to the provinces and to the exact location where she intends to find Ky stationed. But things don't necessarily go to plan because Ky has taken off and a lot of complications are coming on the horizon.

Here's the thing - I enjoyed the first book. It was entertaining enough, it was your simple classic dystopian society where the government is in charge of human lives, and there's always the constant danger of figuring out and knowing who to trust . . . knowing someone is always watching. But despite my liking of the first book, it doesn't mean you will like the sequel. This book falls under the title of the 'YA middle book syndrome'. The characters are going through a slow transition to get readers prepared for the final book, but for me it was so . . . I'm afraid to say . . . boring. For a much hyped-up young adult book series, I was expecting something very big to happen and while I do realize there's one more book left in the trilogy but I just couldn't - at all - connect to the story and its characters. Not even once. With very little happening in the story, with characters forever walking into the wilderness and with certain passages that made no sense whatsoever, it was a little unnerving to say the least and I found it was incredibly disappointing for a sequel.

One of the major elements I disliked the most in CROSSED was the sharing of points of view between the two main characters, Cassia and Ky. In Matched the book was only told in Cassia's POV and while it was good to see inside the mind of Ky this time round, but I would've preferred him to be a mystery like he was in the first book. I wanted just Cassia's thoughts since the two perspectives themselves made me pull out of the book constantly and I grew irritated also. Sure I found Ky's perspective far more entertaining as it contained more action than Cassia's dry dialogue and little step-by-step adventures, but I really really hope the final book sticks to one POV or else I might lose my mind completely. While I favoured Ky in Matched compared to Xander (who we didn't see a lot in the first installment), though in this book Ky did little for me. Plus, I didn't understand how Cassia is torn between both boys because it's clear to me who she wants the most . . . but maybe it's just me here thinking that.

The bottom line is: There's a 50/50 chance you're going to love this book. There's particular things you're going to love about it but there are some other things - scenes mostly - that are . . . a point of no return. However don't let me stop you in reading this sequel just because it wasn't the right book for me. While still admiring Cassia's character (even if she was annoying) and was vaguely interested in learning more about what's been going on with Ky, CROSSED was still a read you have to get through in order to finish a series and just know what's going on for the sake of knowing what's going on if you know what I mean. Despite my disappointment, I'll still be waiting to read the final showdown of book three of the series and I hope it'll be a satisfying conclusion compared to this sequel.

The Rating 2/5 stars

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