ARC Review - Matched By Ally Condie
Rating
Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (November 30, 2010) Source: Won from penguin Teen
Synopsis-“Do not go gentle into that good night.” Cassia’s feelings of security disintegrate after her grandfather hands her a slip of paper just before his scheduled death at age 80. Not only does she now possess an illegal poem, but she also has a lingering interest in the boy who fleetingly appeared on her viewscreen, the one who wasn’t her match, the man she will eventually marry. What’s worse, she knows him—his name is Ky, and he is an orphan from the Outer Provinces. How could she love him as much as Xander, her match and best friend since childhood?
When waiting for new releases we often have two worries, the book being a great disappointment and worse still in my opinion, being nothing like you imagined it, so let me give you some news before i begin
The bad news - You have to wait until 30th November
Good News- The wait is well worth it, so prepare to be blown away
My Thoughts - So how do i even begin, i started this book blindly, i briefly read the synopsis but i didn't want to head into it with expectations and I'm glad that i waited. Matched reminds me of a very thought provoking book i read some years ago "The Giver" in my opinion both tell a story of hope and faith, it gives us the opportunity for a few hours to let our imagination run wild and think up a scenario where everything is aimed for perfection. In the society in which Cassia lives the Officials have complete control, They determine who you will spend the rest of your life with, What job is best suited for you, They forbid anyone to run in public, i know seriously!, You eat that they feel will benefit you whilst not giving you the option to choose. You are not allowed to even have children over a certain age, They even choose the day you die. Every move of yours is watched, For years and years people have been living under the society. It is all they know, Everyone chooses to ignore the injustice that has befallen them, so used to they have become to being pawns to the officials.
The story follows 17 year old Cassia she is to finally meet her match, meaning the identity of the person who she is to spend the rest of her life with will be revealed, at first she is joyful but due to a twisted turn of events something unheard of happens, Her best friend Xander turns out to be her Match someone who she actually knows and lives near her, but soon she starts to realise that not all is great, when she looks back at the footage for a brief second when Xander is shown as her match someone else's face lights up the screen... Ky, what does it mean and who is meant to be her rightful match? she will spend the rest of her life with Xander and although she loves him, she finds herself feeling a knew kind of feeling the more she spends time with Ky, Withdrawn, mysterious Ky, with him comes ten folds of pain and anguish, he comes from a world where his people were the last to know the truth, the truth the officials eradicated, When Both their worlds collide Cassia has to take in the fact that everything she has ever believed in may just be a lie and her own parents may not be ones to trust. Let me say although their intentions are right in protecting their children i still don't trust her parents and i think that's going to contribute to something big in the sequel.
I was absolutely mesmerized and hooked by this novel from the very first page, it's hard not to gush! I have great respect for this author, for thinking outside the box and sharing something different and so unique rather than just doing something predictable. One of the things that stood out to me was although we have our three main characters it never led others to fall into the background, i loved how Cassia's parents had such an important role to play, I didn't agree with them at times and i did get frustrated with some of Cassia's decisions but then i had to remind myself, can i really blame her? she has known nothing else but to have faith in the society
Ky opens her eyes to a world full of possibilities, through him she see's reality, beauty and Poetry which was shared by her Grandfather which i feel led to the start of her wondering. Ky and Cassia share a deep friendship that turns on the verge of understating and care. One of the most memorable scenes from the novel for me is when Cassia is whispering verses from the Poem to Ky, not only is it such an intimate moment but it is romantic and wonderful in all it's simplicity.There isn't any mature content when it comes to the physical yet the attraction and energy is so obviously there that you can't help but admire the author for her skill for subtlety whilst ensuring a great impact all the same. I seriously started it at 8pm and finished at 12, i read it all in one sitting and all i can keep thinking is, when can i read the next book? the wait is going to be unbearable.
Let me break down the characters for you, Cassia is loyal, slightly naive but then again most of her generation is, from the day they were born they have all been taught the same thing, to follow the society and ask no questions.. However everyone has their fair share of secrets, Cassia's haunts her at first but turns into something else towards the end, If i could pick a favorite i would say Ky, although a lot of him is nothing like me, parts of him are, he just reminded me of myself whilst Xander held parts of the old me, he is very trusting and just as loyal as Cassia if not more. Although Ky and Xander are described as handsome those were not the traits which appealed to me throughout and i noticed this after i had read the book, this is quite rare for me normally a hot guy equals to "omg i love this book!" it's something that authors also seem to count on at times to get their female audience engrossed, Ally Condie didn't have to give me that to keep me interested i think she has the long term thing here with her characters, her characters have the likability factor meaning they don't have to be gorgeous or look a certain way because you like them from the very beginning. Cassia's grandfather was another character i became fond of, he is the epitome of someone older that i wish i could have had in my life to teach me a thing or two and lean on when i needed someone to talk to, in fact i became quite attached to him
I adore Ky, his mysteriousness only heightens my curiosity, i keep asking myself, what is his story? i have this gut feeling that the sequel might reveal something which will place a drift between what Cassia and him have, or maybe that's just me? i really like Xander to, they are both parts of Cassia and part of a story bigger than them all. Like the giver, Matched makes you appreciate the smaller and larger things in life which we take for granted, like choosing who you love, living a life without being controlled, and being able to be yourself without fearing the consequences.I'm sure all you readers are asking the same question who will Cassia choose Ky or Xander? They all still have a lot of growing to do so it could work out either way i don't think she's given up on either quite yet and neither have they.
Matched is sure to leave you gasping for more but more than anything aching for a loss that isn't even yours.
Ky can play this game. He can play all their games, including the one in front of him that he just lost. He knows exactly how to play, and that's why he looses every time.
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