"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 Goodreads
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 Goodreads
Dystopian. Love triangle. YA. Ally Condie's Matched sounded like the kind of book I would love--or at least, it was the kind of book I wanted to love. Although, truth be told, the main reason I picked it up at the store was the cover. (I'm really starting to realize that I'm all about the packaging!) Unfortunately, love this book I didn't. Hot on the heels of my recent post about negative book reviews I'm faced with the task of reviewing a book that I didn't really connect with. I think that Matched had potential, and perhaps the next instalments of the trilogy pick up the pace, but I finished the book feeling like nothing much had happened. Worse, at this point I'm really not all that concerned with what happens next.
Plot - I was intrigued by the idea of a society that matches people up, arranged marriages for the dystopian age. The problem is I wasn't really feeling the love triangle that this whole storyline hinges on. Cassia was perfectly happy with having her best friend Xander as her match until she caught a glimpse of Ky, then all of a sudden she's fallen in love with Ky. Sure, I can see how the malfunction might cause her to wonder, but I was kind of turned off by what I viewed as a flip flop by Cassia, and one without much motivation behind it. Why is she suddenly interested in Ky? I really have no idea.
Characters - Cassia wasn't my favorite. I felt bad for Xander for most of the book. Sure, maybe he was a little bland but his heart appeared to be in the right place. Ky's supposed to be the bad boy that makes you swoon. That didn't really happen for me, but perhaps that's because I wasn't able to connect and put myself in Cassia's shoes.
First Line: "Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?"
Cover Line: The cover was what sold me on this book, so big thumbs up. It's has a pretty shimmery sheen to it, which is eye catching. And let's just be clear, I'm pretty much a sucker for anything shimmery, shiny, or glittery.
Have you read this book?
I'd love to know what you thought!
Do you like dystopians? Think they're overdone?
Do you like dystopians? Think they're overdone?
I've already held this book in my hand but didn't buy it (due to a lack of money and because I always look at books but don't buy them because I still have so many unread ones at home)
ReplyDeleteActually, your review reminded me a little of Fahrenheit 451. We read it at school once and I'm pretty sure that it's way better known in the English speaking world^^ I agree that 'Matched' definitely has potential but if you don't feel differnet after you've read it then it's definitely not right for you.
I often flip through the pages before I decide to buy a book to get an idea of the style of writing and that often helps me with the decision ;)
xoxo Jenni
I enjoyed this more than you did, but I do agree that the love triangle was difficult to appreciate. In fact, it turned out to be the most frustrating aspect of the book for me.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Anna! :)
Hi Anna! So nice to meet you, thanks for stopping by my blog, always happy to return the favor. I read Matched and Crossed last fall. I enjoyed Matched and all the thought provoking ideas as well as the thick tension. I do agree with you about the whole Ky thing and I hated the love triangle. I was rooting for Xander as well. Unfortunately, Crossed was a disappointment for me, I will be interested to see what you think.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read about a dystopian in a long time, it was never my favorite setting...I just finished an amazing book and am searching for a good one so if you have any great recommendations I would love to know!
ReplyDeletexo Mary Jo