Tuesday, May 24, 2011

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


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.


15 comments:

  1. Great review! Really glad you enjoyed this :)

    Here's my review!

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  2. You enjoyed it more than me, I am afraid. I preferred Delirium which has a similar theme. I found Matched too claustraphobic.

    Well done on your first review for Escape in a Book.

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  3. Loved your review and I was in love with Matched as well! It's such a great story but I agree with you on the pacing, sometimes I wanted to just skip a page hoping the pacing would get faster. Maybe not even faster but there wasn't really a sense of urgency until the end. I'm glad you enjoyed it! ;)

    ~Loren

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  4. I also loved Matched! It was slow some times but I loved it so much that I wouldn't care.

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  5. Great review :) I also loved this book. And your right. It´s a little slow. But though they still keep you going :)

    Here is my review:
    http://moonstarsfantasyworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-matched-by-ally-condie.html

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  6. This is on my TBR list for the week. You're getting me psyched to begin reading it! ^_^ (new follower)

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  7. I liked Matched a lot, too! I wonder why there are so many dystopian novels coming out... Have you read Delirium yet?

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  8. I am very curious about it, that is for sure :D But so hard to know when there is so much dystopia out there

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  9. @Vivienne & @Mary: I haven't read Delirium yet, so I can't compare the two, but I absolutely loved Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, so I will definitely be reading Delirium some time soon!:)

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  10. I really have not read any such books. Sounds so good!

    I hope you are doing well :)

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  11. I really loved this one. I thought the poetry and the pace were gentle but powerful. I can't wait to read the sequel.

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  12. Great review :) I liked Matched, not as much as Delirium but it was very good(there are many similarities between the two novels).

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  13. I'm moving this up my tbr list now.

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  14. I have not read this one yet. I am a little worried that this one may be a little too slow for me, but I am sure I will get to it one day. Great review! :0)

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  15. Great review!I keep reading good things about this novel, definitely should add it to my tbr pile!

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts =)