Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Number of Pages: 366

Rating:  3.5/5
Release: November 30, 2010

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In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

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Matched by Ally Condie was a great romance read; one of the most highly anticipated books this year. I know it's dystopian but it leans more towards romance than anything. The cover is beautiful, the premise is intriguing and it's been getting a lot of great buzz around the blogosphere.


Ally has created a world in which the Society controls everything. Cassia is constantly struggling to make her own decisions. But it's obvious that without certain people, like her grandpa, her mom, her dad, and Ky, she wouldn't have ever realized how wrong the Society is. She slowly moves towards breaking the mold that the Society has set for her. As you follow her on her journey towards picking who she really wants to spend her life with, Xander or Ky, you can tell that she's not only focused on love. She's ultimately trying to break away from the Society's manipulation and control. he wants to be her own person; she wants freedom. She wants love.


Cassia begins as a naive, innocent young girl who wouldn't dream of defying the Society. But by the end of the book, you can tell that she's learned a lot and is willing to go against the Society for herself and those she loves. One thing about Cassia that I found annoying was that she kept destroying things; why couldn't she just have found a REALLY good hiding spot? The boys, Xander and Ky, have completely opposite personalities. Xander is outgoing and fun while Ky is mysterious and quiet. They both mean something to Cassia but her issue is deciding who she'd rather be with. I, personally, prefer Xander because he's stable; I was always very uncertain about Ky.


Brent, over at The Naughty Book Kitties, wrote in his review of Matched that the book was very monotone and I couldn't agree more. I was able to look past that after the first few chapters but I know it really bugs some people.


Overall, Matched was a fun read. In terms of romance, it definitely plays up to the hype. I'm hoping the following books expand on the Society and how it came to be but I have a feeling the entire trilogy will focus on romance. Ally certainly leaves the ending open for many possibilities and I can't wait to see how she continues. 


Happy reading :D

-S
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ARC won from Brittany the Book Slayer. Thanks!