Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: R.A.K.
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 malfunctions, 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 an excellent read. It's a dystopian novel where the Society controls the citizens down to the closes that they wear and the food that they eat. They are not allowed to farm, grocery shop or cook their own food. Every one of their actions is analyzed to the extreme: are their showers too long, are they running too much on the treadmill, do they read too much or if they're spending enough time outside or not. According to the society, everything has to be done in moderation in order for one to live a happy life.
As much as I loved this book, I could not live in this type of society. There are cameras in everyone's house so that the Society can watch them. They're not allowed to have any kind of item that make them unique or stand out. It's a crazy world! I love Cassia and Ky and even though Xander is her best friend and it broke my heart for her to fall in love with someone else, I was rooting for Ky the entire time. I just didn't think it was fair for Ky to be punished for the actions of his father. His punishment was that he could never have a distinguished job or ever be matched. I always like to root for the underdog.
One of my favorite characters in the book was Cassia's grandfather. He was her encouragement throughout the whole book and was the one who really got her to start questioning her life and her environment. He did not want to her go gentle into the night.
Matched really made me appreciate how much control I have over my own life and that I'm able to do the things I love to do. I'm glad that I have the freedom to read what I want to read, wear what I want, go outside when I want and eat as much junk food and chocolate when I want. I loved this book and I can't wait to read Crossed and lean more about the Society and just how much they control.
12 comments:
I love dystopian novels, and this sounds so interesting! Thanks for reviewing; I hadn;t heard of Matched before. :)
Like I said, is there really any other rating for this book, other than 5/5 :) I LOVED this story so much and I was so intrigued by the society and the characters! It's sort of a weird cross between The Giver and The Hunger Games :) Awesome review!
This has been on the TBR list for a while. I guess it is now bumped up a little further. I agree with Anna that it sounds a lot like The Giver.
Beth ^_^
http://sweetbooksnstuff.blogspot.com/
Great review! I loved this book! It's just such an incredibly thoughtful novel, and it really does make you grateful for all of the choices you have.
I really enjoyed Matched and I'm so excited to read Crossed. I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one as well. Great review!
I'm glad you enjoyed this one, I've had it on my TBR pile for ages now!!
I didn't love this book but I did like it. I agree about the grandfather; he was my favourite character, too.
Yay!!! I LOVED this book! And Crossed is sooo awesome too chick!!
I'm so conflicted. On one hand I want to read this book now because it sounds interesting. But at the same time, I don't want to get invested if the entire series isn't available. I hate when this happens.
I loved this book sooo much - and I agree that Cassia's grandfather was an amazing character! Great review :)
I can't wait to read Crossed. I totally loved all the world-building in this book. I thought the author did a really good job creating a unique world. So glad you loved it! I thought the scenes with her grandfather were really sweet too.
It's so creepy that in the book, there are cameras in every home. I've gotten this book a while ago and although I've wanted to read it, I guess I've just been putting if off because there's always something I want to read more. I hope to get to it soon!
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