Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Summary:

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.

My thoughts:

Matched is one of many dystopian YA novels I have read lately, but it definitely manages to stand out from the rest. The story is set in a world where The Society decides everything from how fast you can run on the treadmill, to who you will marry, to when you will die. We don't get much of an explanation as to how this system developed, but the purpose seems to be that if everyone wears the same clothes and eat the same food, and nobody has anything more than anyone else, people won't have a reason to be jealous of each other. It's hard to imagine living in a world where you're never allowed to make your own decisions, but if that's all you've ever known, would you just accept the situation or would you long for something more?

The main character Cassia has never questioned the ways of The Society, but throughout this novel she will start seeing everything in a different light. She goes through some pretty big changes, and it was very easy for me to relate to Cassia and the choices she has to take. Will she risk everything she's used to, or choose what's familiar and safe?

Matched is so much more than just another dystopian YA novel. It is a beautiful love story, a great tale of how difficult it can be to tell right from wrong, about the choices you have to make, and the consequences those choices will have on both you and others. I cried, I laughed, I cursed some characters while I fell in love with others, and when I had read the last page I was left with a feeling of hope. My only complaint about Matched is that it is very slow paced, and any scenes with action are over almost before they've begun. Still, it is one of the better YA love stories I have read in the last year.

The cover:

Beautiful, and very fitting for the story.

My rating of this book:

4,5 stars out of 5


Want a second opinion? Check out these reviews written by some of my book blogging friends:
MoonStar
Confessions of a Book Addict

Eating YA Books

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Matched by Ally Condie

Published: November 30th 2010
Pages (hardcover): 366
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
ISBN: 0525423648 (ISBN13: 9780525423645)
Full disclosure: Checked out at local library

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to over 90 countries.