MATCHED by Allie Condie

 

Matched by Ally Condie

                When I first heard about this book it was because my aunt recommended it to me, and from what I heard, I was a little skeptical about it. But, in mid to late January, I was at a thrift store, and I found it for a really cheap price and decided to buy it, and looking back I am very glad I made that decision.

SUMMARY

                Matched by Ally Condie is told through the eyes of the main character, a seventeen-year-old by the name of Cassia Reyes living under a dystopian government (known as "The Society") that controls the peoples' every move. In this society, citizens will attend a Matching Ceremony where they will be "matched" with their ideal partner. cassia is partnered with her best friend Xander, but a glitch shows up in the system also matches her with a boy named Ky. She is assured that her true match is Xander, and that what had happened was just a mistake, as Ky is considered an "aberration", meaning he is not supposed to be matched at all. This is due to the fact that the Society deemed his father a traitor.

                Cassia decides to get to know Ky and begins to develop romantic feelings towards him. These feelings lead her to start questioning the Society, and she starts to wonder if they truly know what is best for the people. Now Cassia is forced to choose between the "safe" life that has been planned out for her, or risking everything she has for love and independence.

WHAT I ENJOYED

                I am a sucker for the general dystopian genre, but this book was just something else, The novel reminded me of The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (a series that I adore) and The Selection (which I have heard great things about). I really enjoyed the themes of rebellion that was planted throughout the novel as Cassia has to ponder if the way Society operates is morally right, as well as how Cassia is in a way required to find out who she is as a person, as well. I say this because at the start she doesn't really know what she thinks is best for her, or what life she wants, and the novel just feels like a journey of self-discovery, and I loved it!

WHAT I DISLIKED

                There were some parts of the novel that I thought could have used some work. One that really stood at to me was the world-building. I felt that it was particularly slow and, in the beginning, I caught myself dozing off one or two times. The first thirty pages are the most important pages in a book (in my opinion), because they are the primary contributors to the reader's decision of if they want to continue reading, or just set it aside to collect dust and cobwebs (that was a joke please do NOT let your books collect cobwebs). Those thirty pages didn't interest me too much (the slow world-building, boring dialogue, and it seemed like some pages were wasted by overly describing certain elements), but I listened to what my aunt told me and I kept reading.

OVERALL

                I'm not going to pretend like Matched was an amazing novel, but I'm not going to say it was inherently bad either. I think it hit a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. The slow world-building and somewhat-confusing matchmaking system were cancelled out with a "forbidden romance" if you will, and high-stake decision making on Cassia's part.

Rating: ★★★★

- Justin Lewis