Thursday, July 07, 2011

Review: Matched

Book: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 366
Source: bought from Chapters
Stars: 4/5 
In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . 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
— between perfection and passion.

(summary taken from Goodreads)
MY THOUGHTS:

Oh, wow! Is it really possible for me to love dystopian books any more than I already do?

There are several different types of dystopias, but these are the two that are most popular nowadays: a world where people with authority are strict in making sure that everything is perfect, and a post-apocalyptic world where most people are fighting hard to survive.

And even though I'm usually a bigger fan of the latter, I still completely and utterly adored Matched which is definitely the former! 

Matched takes place in a world where perfect is synonymous to controlled. Ally Condie manages to create a mental picture of the Society with only a few poetic words from our imaginative heroine. One of things I love most about this novel is how much Cassia grows over the course of it. I'm so proud of her by the end that I almost teared up!

The romance element was beautifully done; the world was clean-cut to perfection; and both love interests managed to capture my heart,  even though I have to admit that Ky's somewhat low-level acts of rebellion (like handwriting) made me lore him more.

Another beautiful cover, and another brilliant dystopian world that sucked me in and wouldn't let go. Ally Condie's Matched was a captivating novel worthy of fitting into this rapidly growing genre! 

BUY or BORROW?: Amazing cover and awesome story? Check! This book is a bookshelf must-have! ;)

-Mimi

3 comments:

  1. Great review! I recently reviewed this one as well, and I thought it was a great book, but I felt that the dystopian side was a bit lacking. Haha, I think I was comparing it to The Hunger Games a bit too much :p I agree, that the handwriting was an interesting aspect to the book, and I love how both love interests were great guys. I can't wait to read Crossed though, and both covers are stunning!

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  2. @T.B. : Aww, thanks so much, Tessa! x) LOL comparing anything to the Hunger Games is really unfair -- Suzanne's books are just that amazing! ;) But both of Ally Condie's covers are seriously BEAUTIFUL, and I'm pumped for the release of Crossed too!

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  3. Oh my gosh I just finished this book and it was awesome!!! I was to captivated in many parts of the story.

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