Matched by Ally Condie
Matched
Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 384
Rating: 3 stars
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 her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.
Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this book. I’ve heard nothing but glowing things about it. I really liked it, but for me it just didn’t have a wow factor to push it to the next level. There were wonderful things about it, but it just didn’t have that addictive quality I crave for in a book.
The characters were my favorite part of this book. I really liked Ky, he was so sweet. Cassia was a strong character as well. Even the smaller characters really just came to life and brought so much to the story. Cassia’s Grandpa was another character I simply loved – he was such a nice person.
I loved the society aspect of Matched. The world was just so neat. I really liked all the little details Condie put in. The plot was intriguing, but for me was the biggest fault of the book. It just lacked that umph that makes me crazy addicted to a book. I still was interested while I read, but there was never that I need to know what is happening next. It was simply good.
The story was a bit slow moving for my liking. Condie did a wonderful job developing the world, but that took a lot of time. The ending was one of the best parts of the book, and has me very excited for the next book. I think the sequel(s) to this book will be even better than this one, as the world is already built and it doesn’t need to be developed.
I did like this one, and I would suggest reading it. It wouldn’t make my favorite list, but worth a try.
Aw, I'm sorry it didn't have the addictive quality for you =[ I personally LOVE this book, and it was totally addicting for me xD
Maybe next time! Or maybe with the sequel!
I feel exactly the same way. I couldn't really get into the Ky character in a romantic sense which slowed the story down even further for me. There was a surprising lack of action as well, one issue I hope is rectified in the second book. I'm going to read it to see where the story goes.
This is the first non-glowing review I've read for Matched. It confirms a lot of my worries. I'm very picky about dystopians, and often I find them interesting and good, but lacking that sparking of something that really hooks me into the story. Oh well. I have this one on order through the library so I'll be able to see for myself where I fall on this one.
Thanks for your review. It was nice to see an alternative viewpoint on this book.
Thanks for your honest review. I've read a few other reviews that mention the slow pacing at the beginning. Perhaps now that the world is set up the sequels can be a bit more action packed?
I have a hard time with slow but good to know it's worth sticking with it.
~Alyssa
Teens Read and Write
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I couldn't really get into Ky so I didn't feel very invested in the romance. It was a little slow moving for me too. I much preferred Delirium by Lauren Oliver.