This is my first review for our blog! I’m really excited about this book that I just finished the advance reading copy for, but I don’t want to give too much of the plot away. Here we go...
Matched by Ally Condie
Release date: November 30, 2010
Release date: November 30, 2010
5/5 Stars
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. (from the publisher)
This book captivated me. One of my favorite genres is dystopian fiction, and Matched (along with its hinted at sequels) is a welcome addition to this growing family of titles. Much like another favorite of mine, The Hunger Games, Matched is set in a not too distant future where a dictatorship-like government has complete control over the lives of its citizens. Everything in Cassia’s life has been predetermined: who she’ll love and marry, her future career, and when she’ll die has been calculated by the Society. However, when Cassia glimpses a different path she begins to question whether The Society really has her best interests at heart.
Condie does a tremendous job building a world that is not only believable, but terrifying in its prospects. Almost all remnants of the past have been destroyed by the Society and people are only allowed to view the approved lists of 100 books, songs, paintings, poems, histories and so on. Their diets, free-time, and social interactions are tightly regimented and ever-present Officials are always there to make sure that peace and order is kept. However, it’s obvious from the start that all is not as idyllic as it might appear and Cassia has only pulled at one thread of a slowly unraveling sweater.
Matched will keep you on the edge of your seat, but in a different way than the action and violence of The Hunger Games did. There are a couple of different audiences who will love this book. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of other dystopian novels, such as the Uglies series, Fahrenheit 451, or The Giver. I also think that the romance storyline is strong enough to attract readers from the Twilight series. Be on the lookout for this one when it hits the shelves at the end of November!
~Erin~
