Matched by Ally Condie (REVIEW)

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.

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MY THOUGHTS:

Before I read this book, I heard a lot of amazing things about it. But I didn't do much research. I read the inside of the cover, read the author reviews on the back, but that was all, really.

It wasn't at all what I expected. I guess after reading THE HUNGER GAMES and the UGLIES trilogy, both dystopian novels, I thought there would be more, I don't know, action. For me, the books was much too whimsical and all together dull. The climax didn't excite me, the protagonist didn't excite me, the romance didn't even excite me. I didn't feel much of a connection to Ky despite the fact that we hear his depressing life story. I wasn't intrigued in the slightest.

The writing is good, yes. But like I said, much too whimsical and poetic for my taste.

There were several occasions when I would just put the book to the side and begin another one. I rarely do that because I like to finish what I start before initiating a new project, but I just could not sit and read MATCHED for consecutive hours.

Reasons I liked it:

• The world. As far as Dystopian stories go, I feel that Condie has created a very unique lifestyle, one that helps me sympathyze with Cassia, the protagonist. I can't do much to explain why I like the world so much. I thought that the Society was just...interesting. They limit choices - predict choices - choose which day you will die, choose who you will marry. A Society where the Officials always knew how the citizens would react, what they would choose. And lord knows if I had someone limiting my food proportions...
• The message. Don't go gentle. Even though we live in a society where everything is not already pre-ordained, I think that is a message that everybody can relate to. Don't go gentle.
• The ending. Unlike many novels, this didn't end with unicorns and rainbows even though there was impending doom about to fall upon a city. Gosh, I hate those. This ended with a taste of vengeance and a quest. On the last page of this book, the reader knows that it isn't over. Plain and simple. I like that.

My rating:

2 out of 5 stars. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to.