Name: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile // Speak
Release Date: November 30, 2010 (US)
Pages: 369, Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 2.5 Teacups
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.
Jen's Review
When I bought this
book nearly 2 years ago, it sounded to me to like it was going to be an awesome
dystopian story that I would enjoy a lot. That was back when paranormal
romances were "the thing", and I wasn't even an avid reader yet.
Today, though, I know Matched as a mixed-review dystopian. Sadly, I have to
agree with the mixed-review part. Matched was a dystopian heavily set around
romance, and didn't stand out to me among all of the other dystopians I've read
so far.
Matched started off
with a bang: the main character Cassia is being Matched with the person she is
meant to be with for the rest of her life. I was instantly captivated and I
wanted to know more, more, more. But pretty much after that, Matched lost my interest.
The rest of the plot was a steady road and didn't have any more exciting
moments or fast-paced scenes. It was boring, and stale. It became a bit tedious
to get through the entire book.
The world-building
was one of the weakest points in Matched. There were no reasons behind their
world of the Society at all. Condie threw in concepts that weren't thoroughly
explained, leaving me confused and frustrated. Sadly though, I kind of just
brushed it off because I couldn't really care less, and I just went along with
it. If I were to read the rest of the trilogy (which I probably won't be
doing..), I would love to see more concepts explained clearly.
Next are the
characters and the romance. Cassia was a strong-willed and rebellious girl in
the Society, yes, but there was nothing that made her stand out. I'm sure I'm
going to forget her quickly after a month or so. Her relationship with Ky
seemed special in the book, but in hindsight, their romance didn't make much
sense at all, either. I never really knew their reasoning behind their love, it
seemed like she only started to like him because the Society organized it that
way. Xander, Cassia's best friend, seemed like a much better choice, and I
don't know why Cassia strayed away from him.
The only thing that
pretty much kept me going was Condie's writing. It was quite delightful,
actually. Condie has beautiful prose and is a master at describing things.
Also, the way she incorporated the poetry that Cassia uses to get through her
time in the Society was great.
All things
considered, Matched was a mainstream dystopian that will get lost in the batch
of new ones that are much more unique and memorable. The romance didn't make
sense and the world was not very well explained. The only thing that was worth
reading was Condie's prose. If you're a fan of dystopians and will read any and
every dystopian, check this one out. But if not, I'd say it's okay to pass this
one up.
2.5 Teacups for Matched!
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