Matched
by Ally Condie
After all of the heavy reading over the past few weeks, I picked up some more YA dystopian fiction. You’re welcome. This one has the typical love triangle angst but the situational elements to it make it interesting rather than annoying.
Here is an excerpt from the book description
For Cassia, nothing is left to chance–not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the “burden” of choice. When Cassia’s best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until she plugs in her Match microchip and a different boy’s face flashes on the screen. This improbable mistake sets Cassia on a dangerous path to the unthinkable–rebelling against the predetermined life Society has in store for her.
I found this book to be a bit reminiscent of The Giver with it’s emphasis on the Society keeping the past from the collective knowledge of its citizens. I thought it was almost just as a good as Divergent, but the pacing was much slower. The story itself was well written, although the love interests didn’t appeal to me quite as much as the exploration of other relationships between the characters. I liked a lot of the smaller themes woven into the book and the way they played out across it and the sequel.
Oh right, this is part of a trilogy by the way. Overall I thought it was a good, quick, easy read. It was pretty intriguing, not completely predictable and I liked it enough that I’ll definitely read all three books. Actually I’ve already read the second, I just don’t want to spoil this one so I’m holding that review for a bit. Matched is a #1 New York Times Best Seller and deservedly so as Ally Condie is a much, much better writer than that other really famous YA novelist from Utah 😉 My GoodReads Rating? Four out of five stars.
*Amazon Affiliate Link included. Please see my disclosure page for more info. Thanks!
** I’m reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Want to see all the books I’ve reviewed so far? Click here.
